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THE 

AMERICAN   GENERALS, 

FROM    THE    FOUNDING    OF 

THE  REPUBLIC  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME, 

CO  Jil  PRISING 

LIYES  OF  THE  GREAT  COMMANDERS, 

AND  OTHEB 

JIlist'mgmsljEi)  ©ffirers  lolja  Ijatje  actcb  In  tlie  Semcc 

OF  THE 

UNITED  states: 

AND 

EMBRACING  A  COMPLETE  MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


BY  JOHN  FROST,  LL.D. 

AUTHOB   OF    "PIOTOaiAJL    HISTORY    O?   THE    ■WOBLD,"    "  PICTORIAL    HISTOHT 
OF   THE    UNITED    STAT3S,"    ETC.    ETC 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SIX  HUNDRED  AND  FORT"Z  ENGRAVINGS, 
FROM  DESIGNS  BY  CROOME,  DEVEREUX  AND  OTHER  DISTINGUISHED  ARTISTS. 


HARTFORD; 

PUBLISHED  BY  CASE,  TIFFANY  AND  CO. 
185  1. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1848,  by 

JOHN    FROST, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


STEREOTYPED  BY  GEORGE  CHARLES, 

No.  9  George  Strekt,  PHiLa.DELPHiA. 


The  production  of  the  work  now  offered  to  the  public,  is 
the  result  of  a  want  which  has  been  long  and  sensibly  felt. 
Although  there  are  several  collections  of  lives  of  American 
officers,  there  is  none  which  comes  down  to  a  very  recent 
period,  and  none  which  contains  a  large  number  of  lives. 
The  occurrence  of  the  war  with  Mexico  has  awakened  a 
lively  curiosity  respecting  the  personal  history  of  the  officers 
who  have  distinguished  themselves  of  late ;  and  this  has  led 
to  a  fresh  desire  for  general  information  respecting  the  mili- 
tary history  of  the  country.  To  meet  this  desire  the  present 
work  has  been  written. 

Every  work  of  this  class  must  necessarily  be  chiefly  a 
compilation.  In  preparing  these  biographies  I  have  had 
recourse  to  the  collections  of  Wilson  and  Rooers,  and  to 
several  anonymous  works  of  the  same  class,  published  soon 
after  the  revolution.  Many  of  the  lives  of  the  revolutionary 
officers,  as  well  as  of  those  who  served  in  the  last  war  with 
England,  and  the  present  war  with  Mexico,  have  been  com- 
posed from  materials  furnished  by  their  relatives,  verified  by 
a  great  mass  of  official  documents  in  my  o^vn  possession. 

For  several  daguerreotypes  of  officers,  I  am  under  obliga- 
tions to  the  kindness  of  Messrs.  Van  Loan  of  Washington, 


4  PREFACE. 

and  Root,  and  Simons,  of  Philadelphia.  I  am  also  indebted 
to  Mr.  Peale,  the  gentlemanly  proprietor  of  the  Philadelphia 
Museum,  for  his  courteous  permission  to  copy  portraits  from 
his  extensive  and  valuable  collection.  To  the  Trustees  of 
the,Wadsworth  Atheneum,  Hartford,  also,  my  thanks  are  due 
for  permission  to  copy  Colonel  Trumbull's  splendid  pictures 
of  the  battles  of  Princeton  and  Trenton,  and  the  portraits  of 
Colonel  Humphreys  and  Colonel  Wadsworth.  The  attention 
paid  by  Mr.  Croome  to  the  artistical  embellishment  of  the 
work  deserves  my  cordial  acknowledgment.  The  landmarks 
of  history  and  biography  left  by  his  fertile  pencil  will  remain 
a  perpetual  monument  to  his  praise. 


PAQZ. 

GEORGE    ■WASHIUGTOW,    COMMANDER    IN    CHIEF, 13 

RICHARD    MONTGOMERY, 72 

FREDERICK    WILLIAM    AUGUSTUS    STEUBEN, 88 

HORATIO     GATES, 99 

NATHANIEL    GREENE, 1  10 

ANTHONY    WAYNE, 136 

OTHO    H.    WILLIAMS, 147 

BENEDICT    ARNOLD, 150 

ARTHUR    ST.    CLAIR, 166 

JOHN    SULLIVAN, 173 

THOMAS    SUMFTER 177 

JOSEPH    REED, 182 

ETHAN    ALLEN, 201 

DANIEL    MORGAN, ...    208 

JOHN    EAGER    HOWARD, 216 

JOHN     JAMES, 230 

HENRY     KNOX, 234 

BENJAMIN     LINCOLN, 241 

JOHN    LAURENS, 249 

CHARLES    LEE, 253 

WILLIAM    ALEXANDER, 263 

WILLIAM     DAVIDSON, 265 

WILLIAM    RICHARDSON    DAVIE, 268 

VRANCIS  MARION, 272 

ISRAEL    PUTNAM, 280 

WILLIAM   MOULTRIE, 298 

JOHN    STARK 303 

JOSEPH    WARREN, 313 

WILLLIAM    WASHINGTON, 327 

JAMES     CLINTON, 330 

5 


6  CONTENTS. 

rA03 

GEORGE    CLIN  TON, 338 

ANDREW    PICKENS, 345 

PHiiip  scuuri-ER,, 350 

JEREMIAH    WADSWORTH, , 356 

HUGH    MERCER, 361 

THOMAS     MIFFLIN, 367 

DAVID    HUMPHREYS, 371 

JOHN    TRUMBULL, 375 

JOHN    LANGDON, 392 

AARON    BURR, 396 

ALEXANDER    HAMILTON, 409 

WILLIAM    HEATH, 416 

ZEBULON    BUTLER, 423 

ANTHONY    WALTON    WHITE, 433 

JONATHAN    WILLIAMS, 440 

FRANCIS    BARBER, 444 

THADDEUS    KOSCIUSKO, 446 

MORGAN    LEWIS, 453 

DAVID    WOOSTER, 456 

JOHN    BROOKS, 459 

BARON    DE    KALB, 463 

GEORGE    R.    CLAKKE, 468 

WILLIAM     SMALLWOOD, 472 

ARMAND    TUFIN, 474 

COUNT    PULASKI, 476 

SETH    WARNER, 479 

GILBERT    MOTTIER    LA    FATETTE, 489 

HENRT    LEE, 518 

LACHLAN    MC  INTOSH, 522 

JAMES    JACKSON, 525 

PETER    MUHLENBERG, 528 

CHIHSTOPHEll    GADSDEN, 530 

QENRT    DEARBORN, .    534 

JOHN    CADWALADER, 547 

PELEO    WADSWORTH 551 

WILLIAM    PRESCOTT, 557 

JOHN    FROST, 561 

AHTEMAS    WARD, 564 

■WI1I.IAM    EATON, 565 


CONTENTS.  7 

JAMES    WILKINSON, 587 

ZEBULON    M.    PIKE, 592 

IEONARH     COVINGTON, 610 

JAMES     MILLER, 612 

E.    PENDLETON    GAINES, 614 

ISAAC     SHELBT, 622 

WILLIAM    HENRT    HARRISON, 633 

GEORGE    CROGHAN, 653 

ELEAZAR    W.    RIPLET, 660 

JOHN     ARMSTRONG, 677 

SAMUEL    SMITH, 680 

PETER    B.   PORTER, 682 

KATHAN    TOWSON, 689 

ROGER    JONES, 696 

ISAAC    ROACH 698 

JACOB    BROWN, 714 

ANDREW     JACKSON, 735 

ALEXANDER    MACOMB, 768 

DUNCAN    MC  ARTHUR,      784 

WILLIAM    H.    WINDER, 786 

LEWIS    CASS, 792 

JAMES    WINCHESTER, 795 

RICHARD    M.    JOHNSON, 799 

ZACHAHT    TAYLOR, 805 

WINFIELD    SCOTT, 825 

JOHN    E.    WOOL, 852 

DAVID    E.    TWIGGS, 858 

WILLIAM  J.   WORTH, 865 

GIDEON    J.    PILLOW, 879 

WILLIAM    O.    BUTLER, 884 

JOHN    A.    aUITMAN, 887 

JAMES    SHIELDS 892 

ROBERT    PATTERSON, 895 

OEORGE    CADWAIADER, 897 

STEPHEN    WATTS    KEARNT, 900 

JOHN    C.   FREMONT, 902 

JOHN    COFFEE     HATS, 905 

CHARLES    A.    MAT, 907 

BENJAMIN    MC  CULLOCH, 909 

SAMUEL    n.    WALKER, 91 1 


[This  list  contains  only  the  principal  embellishments  exclusive  of  portraits.  The  portrait 
of  each  officer,  with  a  very  few  exceptions,  is  given  on  the  page  indicated  in  the  preceding 
table  of  contents  in  connection  with  the  commencement  of  his  biography.] 

WASHINGTON   RECEIVING   THE   ANSWER    OF    ST.    PIERRE, 15 

WASHINGTON'S   JOURNEY   TO   THE   FRENCH    FORT, 17 

WASHINGTON   WRITING    HIS   JOURNAL, 21 

WASHINGTON    ADVISING    BRADDOCK, 24 

BOSTON,    FROM    DORCHESTER  HEIGHTS, •* 27 

SIEGE   OF   BOSTON, 31 

THE   DECLARATION   OF  INDEPENDENCE   READ, 33 

RETREAT   FROM   LONG   ISLAND, '  •  •  35 

WASHINGTON    CROSSING   THE   DELAWARE, 39 

BATTLE    OF    TRENTON, 43 

'v  WASHINGTON'S    HEAD-QUARTERS   AT   BRANDYWINE,    48 

COUNCIL   OF   WAR    BEFORE   THE    BATTLE    OF   MONMOUTH, 56 

YORKTOWN,  FROM   A   DRAWING   BY   MRS.  SIMCOE, 61 

SURRENDER   OF  CORNWALLIS, 64 

MOUNT   VERNON, 67 

OLD   TOMB   OF  WASHINGTON, 70 

HEW   TOMB, 71 

SIEGE   OF   LOUISBURG, 74 

RUINS  OF  FORT  TICONDEROGA, 78 

QUEBEC, 81 

DEATH   OF   MONTGOMERY, 85 

TOMB   OF   MONTGOMERY, ' 87 

ARNOLD'S  DESCENT   ON   VIRGINIA, 93 

CRAVE   OF  STEUBEN, 98 

BURGOYNE'S   ENCAMPMENT   ON   THE   HUDSON, lOl 

BURGOYNE'S   SURRENDER, 105 

BATTLE    OF   EUTAW   SPRINGS, 129 

STORMING   OF   STONY  POINT, 139 

WAYNE'S   CELEBRATED   CHARGE   ON   THE   BRITISH   ARMY, •. 143 

9 


10  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


WAYNE    DEFEATING    THE    INDIANS, 1^5 

WAYNE'S    RESIDENCE,    CHESTER    COUNTY,    PA., 146 

ARNOLD    AT   BEMIS'S    HEIGHTS, 152 

CAPTURE    OF    ANDRE, 137 

ARNOLD    READING    ANDRE'S    LETTER, 159 

MASSACRE    AT    WYOMING, 175 

BATTLE    GROUND    OF    TRENTON, 1^*^ 

GENERAL    REED    AT    THE    BATTLE    OF    MONMOUTH, 193 

ETHAN    ALLEN    TAKING     TICONDEROGA, 205 

BATTLE    GROUND    OF    SARATOGA, 211 


BATTLE    OF    THE    COWPENS,- 
BATTLE    OF    GERMANTOWN,  • 


214 
219 


HOWARD'S    DECISIVE    CHARGE    AT    THE     COWPENS, 222 

CITY    OF    BALTIMORE, 225 

BLRTH    PLACE    OF    COLONEL    HOWARD,- 229 

MAJOR    JAMES'S    ADVENTURE    WITH    CAPTAIN    ARDESOIF, 230 

WEST    POINT, 238 

BATTLE    GROUND    OF    YORKTOWN, 240 

GENERAL    LEE'S    HEAD-QUARTERS, 257 

WASHINGTON'S    HEAD-QUARTERS    AT    GOWANUS, 263 

MARION    ESCAPING    FROM    A    DRINKING    PARTY, 274 

MARION    INVITING    THE    BRITISH    OFFICER   TO    DINE, 27!) 

PUTNAM'S    ADVENTURE    WITH    THE    WOLF, 283 

PUTNAM    SAVING    THE    MAGAZINE, 2S6 

FORT    PUTNAM, 295 

FITTNAM'S    ADVENTURE    AT    HORSENECK, 297 

DEFENCE    OF    FORT    MOULTRIE, • 300 

BURGOYNE'S    RETREAT    ON   THE    HUDSON, 311 

LAKE    GEORGE, 312 

BOSTON    MASSACRE, 315 

BATTLE    OF    LEXINGTON, 317 

DEATH    OF    WARREN, 320 

BATTLE    OF    BUNKER    HILL, 321 

BUNKER    HILL    MONUMENT, 326 

DEFENCE    OF    FORT    MONTGOMERY, •  •    333 

PURSUIT    OF    THE    INDIANS, 335 

DEFENCE    OF    FORT    CLINTON, 341 

GENERAL   SCHUYLER'S   RESIDENCE, ■ 355 

MONUMENT    OF    GENERAL    MERCER, 361 

HOUSE    V/HERE    GENERAL    MERCER    DIED, 366 

CITY    OF    NEW    YORK, 399 

STATUE   OF   HAMILTON, 414 

TOMB  OF   HAMILTON, 415 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  11 

WASHINGTON'S    HEAD-QUARTERS    AT   KEWBURO, 422 

HAVANA, 425 

KOSCIUSKO'S    MONUMENT, 452 

THE    HOUSE    WHERE    GENERAL    FRAZER    DIED, 454 

MONUMENT  ON    BEACON    HILL,    BOSTON, 462 

BATTLE    OF    CAMDEN, 466 

PLACE  1>'ARMES   MONTREAL, 483 

LA    FAYETTE    LEAVING    FRANCE, 492 

LA    FAYETTE    WOUNDED    AT    BRANDYVVINE, 494 

LA   FAYETTE   AT  MONMOUTH, 496 

CONCLUSION   OF    THE    TREATY    WITH    FRANCE, 497 

RICHMOND, 503 

LA    FAYETTE    STORMING    THE    REDOUBT    AT    YOKKTOWN, 506 

MOORE'S    HOUSE    AT    YORKTOWN, 507 

MOUNT   VERNON, 509 

CAPTURE      OF     THE      BASTILE, 511 

LA    FAYETTE    COMMANDER    OF    THE    NATIONAL    GUARDS, 512 

LA.  FAYETTE   IMPRISONED   AT   OLMUTZ, 513 

TOMB    OF  LA    FAYETTE, 515 

VIEW    OF    HALIFAX, 562 

CAPTURE   OF   DERNE, 584 

GATES    CONSULTING    WITH    WILKINSON, • 589 

BUFFALO   HUNT, 599 

DEATH    OF    GENERAL   PIKE, 607 

DEATH   OF    GENERAL    COVINGTON, 610 

VIEW    OF    MOBILE, 615 

DEFENCE   OF   FORT   ERIE, 619 

BATTLE    OF    KING'S    MOUNTAIN, 629 

BATTLE  OF   THE   MIAMI, 635 

COUNCIL  OF   VINCENNES, 639 

BATTLE   OF   TIPPECANOE, 641 

SEIGE  OF   FORT   MEIGS, 646 

BUILDING    OF  THE   FLEET   ON  LAKE   ERIE, 648 

BATTLE    OF    THE    THAMES, 648 

BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE, 649 

DEFENCE   OF   FORT  SANDUSKY, 656 


MONTREAL,  • 


663 


FALLS  OF   NIAGARA, 669 

BATTLE   MONUMENT,   BALTIMORE, 681 

INDIGNATION    OF   THE  TROOPS, 685 

BATTLE   OF   STONY   CREEK, 691 

BAILING   OF   THE  EXPEDITION    FROM   BUFFALO, 701 

CAFTVSE  OF  THE  CALEDONIA   AND   DETROIT, 706 


12  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

FA.OX. 

DEFENCE   OF   OGDENSBURGH,    , 716 

DEFENCE   OF    SACKETT'S    HARBOR, 718 

CITADEL    OF    KINGSTON, 719 

ATTACK    ON    FORT    OSWEGO, 723 

BATTLE    OF    CHIPPEWA, 731 

VIEW    OF    NASHVILLE, 739 

ERECTION    OF    THE    FORT    AT    TEN    ISLANDS, 743 

THE    BATTERIES    OF    COTTON    BALES, 755 

BATTLE    OF    NEW    ORLEANS, 759 

SOUTH-EAST    VIEW    OF    SACKETT'S    HARBOR, 773 

BATTLE    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN, 780 

VIEW    OF    PLATTSBURG , 783 

BURLINGTON    BAY,    (WHERE    THE    BATTLE    OF    LAKE    ERIE    WAS    FOUGHT,) 784 

BLADENSBURG, 788 

BATTLE    OF    MAGUAGUA, 793 

BARRACKS    AT    GREENEUSH, 794 

MASSACRE    AT   THE    RIVER    RAISIN, 781 

DEFENCE    OF    FORT    HARRISON, 806 

BATTLE   OF    OKEE-CHOBEE. • 808 

CORPUS    CHRISTI, 810 

CAPTURE    OF    CAPTAIN    THORNTON, 811 

POINT   ISABEL, 812 

BATTLE    OF    PALO    ALTO, 813 

BATTLE    OF    RESACA    DE    LA    PALMA, 815 

STREET    FIGHT    AT    MONTEREY, 819 

GENERAL   TAYLOR    AT    EUENA    VISTA, 823 

DEFENCE    OF    FORT    BROWN, 824 

QUEENSTOWN, 826 

CAPTURE    OF    FORT    GEORGE, 827 

SIEGE    OF    VERA    CRUZ, 837 

BATTLE    OF    CHURUBUSCO, 847 

CITY   OF   MEXICO, 851 

DEATH    OF    COLONEL    CLAY,-  •  •  ' 857 

BATTLE    OF    SIERRA    GORDO, 863 

BATTLE    OF    PALAKLAKLAHA, 866 

STORMING    OF    THE    BISHOP'S    PALACE, 868 

PUEBLA    DE    LOS    ANGELOS, 870 

BATTLE    OF    CONTRERAS, 881 

CHARGE   OF   MEXICAN    CAVALRY  AT   MONTEREY, 889 


1 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON. 

T  the  head  of  the  military  men  of  his  country  we  must 
undoubtedly  place  the  illustrious  George  Washington, 
first  in  war  as  well  as  in  peace,  and  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen.  Born  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Virginia,  on  the  22d  day  of  February,  (N.  S.)  1732  ;  he  was  deprived 
of  the  parental  care  of  his  father  when  still  a  child,  and  his  educa- 
tion consequently  devolved  upon  the  other  parent.  She  was  sufficient 
for  the  task ;  and  to  the  lessons  of  religion,  the  spotless  example, 
and  the  unceasing  watchfulness  of  his  mother,  w^e  are  in  a  great 
measure  indebted  for  many  of  the  finest  traits  in  the  character  of 
our  Washington. 

Little  is  known  of  his  early  life.  He  was  sent  to  school  when 
young,  and  acquired  a  common  school  education,  with  considerable 
knowledge  of  the  mathematics.  When  about  sixteen,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  surveyor,  and  performed  valuable  service  for  the  colony, 
in  clearing  roads,  and  preparing  accurate  maps  of  settlements.    This 

13 


14  WASHINGTON. 

service  educated  his  eye  for  the  duties  of  an  engineer,  and  hardened 
his  nerves  for  the  life  of  a  soldier. 

The  difficulties  between  France  and  England,  which  preceded  the 
war  of  1754,  imbued  the  mind  of  Washington  with  a  desire  of  enter- 
ing a  service  where  he  might  give  full  scope  to  all  his  energy.  A 
midshipman's  commission  was  obtained  for  him  by  his  friends,  and 
he  was  on  the  verge  of  embarking,  when  the  sorrowing  look,  and 
affectionate  appeal  of  his  mother,  so  affected  him,  that  he  withdrew 
his  baggage  from  the  ship,  and  resumed  his  former  mode  of  life. 
Slight  as  was  this  incident  in  itself,  it  was  fraught  with  consequences 
of  the  greatest  importance  to  his  country. 

The  movements  of  the  French  in  America  soon  became  so  alarm- 
ing, as  to  demand  the  serious  attention  of  government.  Their  plan 
was  to  connect  Canada  with  Louisiana,  by  a  chain  of  posts  extend- 
ing from  the  Great  Lakes  along  the  Ohio,  and  down  the  Mississippi, 
thus  enclosing  the  colonies  so  completely  as  to  leave  them  entirely 
in  the  power  of  France  and  her  Indian  allies.  Virginia  prepared  for 
a  terrible  contest ;  the  outer  settlements  were  broken  up,  the 
borderers  retired  into  the  interior,  and  alarm  and  excitement  per- 
vaded all  classes.  The  savages  had  already  begun  their  atrocities  ; 
and  amid  the  gloom  of  night,  the  burning  cottage  and  the  wailings 
of  murdered  women,  heard  in  the  distance,  pointed  fearfully  to  the 
desolation  still  to  come. 

In  1750,  young  Washington  received  the  appointment  of  adjutant- 
general  of  the  province,  with  the  rank  of  major.  This  office  he 
filled  with  such  distinguished  ability,  that  two  years  after,  when 
Governor  Dinwiddle  wished  to  send  a  message  through  the  wilderness 
to  the  French  commander,  he  accepted  the  services  of  Washington, 
although  he  was  then  but  about  twenty-one  years  old.  This  under- 
taking was  one  of  the  greatest  difficulty.  The  major  was  twice 
fired  at  by  a  concealed  foe,  and  was  once  on  the  point  of  drowning 
in  crossing  a  river  upon  a  raft.  He  passed  through  wilds  and  unin- 
habitable forests,  crossed  rapid  torrents,  swamps  and  morasses,  and 
was  for  days  exposed  to  cold,  privation,  and  the  rifles  of  Indians, 
without  seeing  a  single  human  being  except  his  guide. 

On  his  arrival  at  the  French  fort,  he  was  introduced  to  the  com- 
mander, a  knight  of  the  mihtary  order  of  St.  Louis,  and  named 
Legardeur  St.  Pierre,  whom  Washington  describes  in  his  journal  as 
an  elderly  gentleman,  having  much  the  air  of  a  soldier.  His  reply 
to  Governor  Dinwiddle's  order,  that  he  should  evacuate.the  disputed 
territory,  was  quite  in  character.  He  remarked,  that  as  a  soldier  it 
was  his  duty  to  obey  the  commands  of  his  superior,  the  governor  of 
Canada,  and  that  he  should  not  retire  without  an  order  from  him. 


JOURNEY   TO   THE   FRENCH   FORT. 


17 


WasliiQgton's  journey  to  the  French.  Fort. 

After  receiving  this  answer,  Washington  was  delayed  several  days 
before  he  could  commence  his  journey  homeward.     The  difficulties 
which  he  encountered  in  this  perilous  undertaking  are  best  described 
in  his  ovni  journal,  published  after  his  return.     In  this  remarkable 
paper,  he  says  : 

"  Our  horses  were  now  so  weak  and  feeble,  and  the  baggage  so 
heavy,  (as  we  were  obliged  to  provide  all  the  necessaries  which  the 
journey  would  require,)  that  we  doubted  much  their  performing  it. 
Therefore,  myself  and  others,  except  the  drivers,  who  were  obliged 
to  ride,  gave  up  our  horses  for  packs,  to  assist  along  with  the  baggage. 
I  put  myself  in  an  Indian  walking  dress,  and  continued  with  them 
three  days,  until  I  found  there  was  no  probability  of  their  getting 
home  in  any  reasonable  time.  The  horses  became  less  able  to  travel 
every  day  ;  the  cold  increased  very  fast ;  and  the  roads  were  becom- 
ing much  worse  by  a  deep  snow,  continually  freezing  :  therefore,  as 
I  was  uneasy  to  get  back,  to  make  report  of  my  proceedings  to  his 
honour  the  governor,  I  determined  to  prosecute  my  journey,  the 
nearest  way  through  the  woods,  on  foot. 

Accordingly,  I  left  Mr.  Vanbraam  in  charge  of  our  baggage,  with 
money  and  directions  to  provide  necessaries  from  place  to  place  for 
themselves  and  horses,  and  to  make  the  most  convenient  despatch 
in  travelling. 

I  took  my  necessary  papers,  pulled  off  my  clothes,  and  tied  myself 

2 


18  WASHINGTON. 

up  in  a  watch  coat.  Then,  with  gmi  in  hand,  and  pack  on  my  back, 
in  which  were  my  papers  and  provisions,  I  set  out  with  Mr.  Gist, 
fitted  in  the  same  manner,  on  Wednesday  the  26th.  The  day  follow 
ing,  just  after  we  had  passed  a  place  called  Murdering  town,  (where 
we  intended  to  quit  the  path  and  steer  across  the  country  for  Shana- 
pin's  town,)  we  fell  in  with  a  party  of  French  Indians,  who  had  laid 
in  wait  for  us.  One  of  them  fired  at  Mr.  Gist  or  me,  not  fifteen 
steps  off,  but  fortunately  missed.  We  took  this  fellow^  into  custody, 
and  kept  him  until  about  nine  o'clock  at  night,  then  let  him  go,  and 
walked  all  the  remaining  part  of  the  night  without  making  any  stop, 
that  we  might  get  the  start,  so  far,  as  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  their 
pursuit  the  next  day,  since  we  were  well  assured  they  would  follow 
our  track  as  soon  as  it  was  light.  The  next  day  we  continued  travel- 
ling until  quite  dark,  and  got  to  the  river  about  two  miles  above 
Shanapins.  We  expected  to  have  found  the  river  frozen,  but  it  was 
not,  only  about  fifty  yards  from  each  shore.  The  ice,  I  suppose,  had 
broken  up  above,  for  it  was  driving  in  vast  quantities. 

There  was  no  way  for  getting  over  but  on  a  raft,  which  we  set 
about,  with  but  one  poor  hatchet,  and  finished  just  after  sun  setting. 
This  was  a  whole  day's  M'ork  :  we  next  got  it  launched,  then  went 
on  board  of  it,  and  set  off;  but  before  we  were  half  way  over,  w^e 
were  jammed  in  the  ice,  in  such  a  manner,  that  we  expected  every 
moment  our  raft  to  sink,  and  ourselves  to  perish.  I  put  out  my  set- 
ting pole  to  try  to  stop  the  raft,  that  the  ice  might  pass  by,  when  the 
rapidity  of  the  stream  threw  it  wdth  so  much  violence  against  the 
pole,  that  it  jerked  me  out  into  ten  feet  water  ;  but  I  fortunately 
saved  myself  by  catching  hold  of  one  of  the  raft  logs  Notwith- 
standing all  our  efforts,  we  could  not  get  to  either  shore,  but  were 
obliged,  as  we  were  near  an  island,  to  quit  our  raft  and  make  to  it. 

The  cold  was  so  extremely  severe,  that  Mr.  Gist  had  all  his  fingers, 
and  some  of  his  toes  frozen,  and  the  water  was  shut  up  so  hard,  that 
we  found  no  difficulty  in  getting  off  the  island  on  the  ice  in  the 
morning,  and  went  to  Mr.  Frazier's.  We  met  here  with  twenty 
warriors,  who  were  going  to  the  southward  to  war  ;  but  coming  to  a 
place  on  the  head  of  the  great  Kanawa,  where  they  found  seven 
people  killed  and  scalped,  (all  but  one  woman  with  very  light  hair,) 
they  turned  about  and  ran  back,  for  fear  the  inhabitants  should  rise 
and  take  them  as  the  authors  of  the  murder.  They  report  that  the 
bodies  were  lying  about  the  house,  and  some  of  them  much  torn  and 
eaten  by  the  hogs.  By  the  marks  which  were  left,  they  say  they 
were  French  Indians  of  the  Ottoway  nation,  &c.  who  did  it. 

As  we  intended  to  take  horses  here,  and  it  required  some  time  to 
feed  them,  I  went  up  about  three  miles  to  the  mouth  of  Yohogany, 


WASHINGTON   S     JOURNAL. 


21 


Wasliington  ■writing  his  Journal. 

to  visit  queen  AUiquippa,  who  had  expressed  great  concern  that  we 
passed  her  in  going  to  the  fort.  I  made  her  a  present  of  a  watch 
coat  and  a  bottle  of  rum,  which  latter  was  thought  much  the  best 
present  of  the  two. 

Tuesday,  the  first  of  January,  we  left  Mr.  Frazier's  house,  and 
arrived  at  Mr.  Gist's,  at  Monongahela,  the  second,  where  I  bought  a 
horse,  saddle,  &c.  The  sixth,  we  met  seventeen  horses  loaded  with 
materials  and  stores  for  a  fort  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  day 
after,  some  families  going  out  to  settle.  This  day,  we  arrived  at 
Wills'  creek,  after  as  fatiguing  a  journey  as  is  possible  to  conceive, 
rendered  so  by  excessive  bad  weather.  From  the  first  day  of  Decem- 
ber to  the  fifteenth,  there  was  but  one  day  on  which  it  did  not  rain 
or  snow  incessantly  ;  and  throughout  the  whole  journey,  we  met  with 
nothing  but  one  continued  series  of  cold,  wet  weather,  which  occa- 
sioned very  uncomfortable  lodgings,  especially  after  we  had  quitted 
our  tent,  which  was  some  screen  from  the  inclemency  of  it. 

On  the  eleventh,  I  got  to  Belvoir,  where  I  stopped  one  day  to  take 
necessary  rest ;  and  then  set  out  and  arrived  in  Williamsburg  the 
sixteenth,  when  I  waited  upon  his  honour  the  governor,  with  the 
letter  I  had  brought  from  the  French  commandant,  and  to  give  an 
account  of  the  success  of  my  proceedings.  This  I  beg  leave  to  do 
by  offering  the  foregoing  narrative,  as  it  contains  the  most  remark- 
able occurrences  which  happened  in  my  journey." 

The  journal  from  which  the  foregoing  extract  is  made,  being  pub- 
lished shortly  after  Washington's  return  from  this  perilous  expedition, 
excited  general  attention  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  on 
account  of  the  important  information  it  contained,  and  the  remark- 


22  tVASHlNGTON. 

able  ability  it  evinced.  It  gives  an  accurate  account  of  all  the  great 
natural  features  of  the  country  with  geographical  and  military  obser- 
vations, and  other  valuable  hints.  This  was  of  great  use  in  the 
subsequent  wars  with  the  French  and  Indians, 

Immediately  after  this  affair  Washington  was  appointed  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  in  a  newly  raised  regiment  of  three  hundred  men,  under 
Colonel  Fry.  In  April,  1754,  he  selected  two  companies  and 
marched  rapidly  to  the  Great  Meadows,  in  the  Alleghany  Valley,  in 
whose  vicinity  a  large  party  of  the  French  had  been  for  some  time 
hovering.  When  within  a  short  distance  of  a  hostile  detachment  he 
halted,  formed  his  men,  marched  the  greater  part  of  the  night, 
attacked  the  party  before  daybreak,  and  captured  or  killed  the 
whole. 

War  was  now  formally  declared  by  the  French,  and  both  nations 
made  the  greatest  preparations  to  meet  it.  Upon  the  death  of  Colonel 
Fry,  Washington  obtained  the  command  in  Virginia,  with  an  addi- 
tion to  his  force  of  two  companies  of  regulars.  He  marched  towards 
Fort  du  Quesne,  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela 
rivers,  and  the  great  military  depot  of  the  enemy,  commanding  the 
communication  with  Canada,  Louisiana,  and  the  West.  Suddenly,  he 
received  information  that  1300  French  and  Indians,  under  M.  de 
Villiers,  were  advancing  rapidly  upon  him,  and  that  the  savages  were 
concealed  in  the  woods  directly  ahead  as  "  thick  as  pigeons."  Wash- 
ington immediately  fell  back  to  the  Great  Meadows,  where  he  had 
erected  a  small  work  called  Fort  Necessity.  Here  they  were  furi- 
ously attacked,  by  an  enemy  thirsting  for  blood  and  plunder,  and 
who  fondly  hoped  at  each  discharge  to  frighten  the  little  garrison 
from  their  fort.  But  with  a  courage  rarely  exceeded  in  defensive 
warfare,  this  band  of  three  hundred  men  poured  forth  their  volleys 
of  defence  against  a  force  three  times  their  number.  For  nine  hours 
the  French  and  their  savage  allies  were  held  at  bay,  while  the  fort 
was  in  an  almost  continuous  blaze  of  musketry.  Discouraged  by 
such  resistance,  Villiers  offered  terras  which  were  accepted,  and  the 
garrison  marched  from  the  fort  with  all  the  honors  of  war. 

The  thanks  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia  were  presented  to 
Washington  for  his  courage  and  ability  in  this  affair ;  and  the  de- 
fenders of  Fort  Necessity  every  where  received  the  highest  marks 
of  respect  and  gratitude. 

In  the  winter  of  1754-5,  an  incident  occurred  which  displays  a 
trait  in  the  character  of  Washington  that  has  not  escaped  the  notice 
of  any  of  his  biographers.  Orders  were  transmitted  from  England, 
that  the  general  and  field  officers  of  the  colonies  should  be  divested 
of  all  rank  while  serving  with  the  same  grades  commissioned  by  the 


BRADDOCKS      EXPIDITION. 


23 


king- ;  and  company  officers  of  equal  rank  were  directed  to  give  pre- 
cedence to  the  regulars,  without  regard  to  seniority  of  date.  By  this 
arrangement  young  men  who  had  no  experience  in  war,  would  take 
rank  above  men  who  had  grown  gray  under  the  smiles  of  victory. 
Feeling  that  under  this  state  of  things,  the  door  of  honor  and  pro- 
motion was  entirely  closed,  Washington  threw  up  his  commission 
and  retired  to  Mount  Vernon, 

ITTLE  respite  was  afforded 
him  for  repose.  British  regi- 
ments arrived  in  Virginia  under 
General  Braddock,  destined  for 
the  reduction  of  FortduQuesne. 
When  this  officer  learned  that 
Colonel  Washington  had  retired 
from  service,  he  expressed  great 
disapprobation  at  the  cause,  and 
immediately  invited  him  to  re- 
join as  his  aid-de-camp.  Wash- 
ington promptly  consented  to 
accept  the  post,  acting  as  a  volunteer,  and  the  most  sanguine  expec- 
tations were  raised  that  the  valor  of  the  English,  aided  by  the 
topographical  knowledge  of  the  provincials,  would  terminate  the  war 
in  a  single  campaign. 

Much  time  was  'consumed  in  preparation,  and  when  the  army  did 
start.  General  Braddock  was  so  scrupulous  about  the  regular  disci- 
pline as  to  reject  all  advice  of  Washington,  and  proceeded  as  though 
against  a  force  like  themselves,  in  an  open  plain.  The  Colonel  then 
suggested  the  propriety  of  advancing  with  his  provincials,  and  scour- 
ing the  forests  for  ambuscades  ;  but  his  representations  were  consi- 
dered impertinent,  and  the  army  still  held  on  in  its  blind  course. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1755,  after  a  fatiguing  march,  they  arrived 
at  the  Pass  of  the  Monongahela,  a  wild  road  flanked .  by  rising 
grounds,  which  were  surrounded  by  dense  overhanging  forests.  Here 
the  proud  army  that  had  left  Virginia  with  all  the  buoyancy  of  hope, 
were  to  encounter  a  melancholy  reverse.  On  each  side  of  the  path 
lay  multitudes  of  concealed  Indians,  who  had  been  sent  from  Fort 
Du  Quesne  to  harass  and  impede  the  approaching  army.  From  their 
hidden  retreat  they  poured  upon  the  British  a  murderous  fire,  while 
the  regulars,  wedged  in  between  rocks  and  forests,  and  unable  for  a 
while  either  to  retreat  or  advance,  were  thrown  into  confusion.  Brad- 
dock immediately  rode  along  the  van  and  endeavored  to  restore 
oiTler.     But  his  valor  was  vain.     Horse  after  horse  was  killed,  and 


24 


WASHINGTON. 


Wasliington  advising  Braddoci  to  guard  against  an  amtuEcade. 

at  last  he  himself  sunk  down  amid  hundreds  of  his  fallen  soldiers. 
All  the  officers  of  his  staff  were  killed  except  Washington.  The 
troops  broke  on  all  sides,  and  rushed  back  towards  the  ford  of  the 
Monongahela  in  full  view  of  the  enemy.  Elated  by  the  unexpected 
sight  the  Indians  left  the  forest,  and  commenced  the  pursuit.  But 
they  met  with  another  force,  one  which  they  had  formerly  learned 
to  fear.  By  the  fall  of  Braddock  the  command  devolved  on  Colonel 
Washington,  who,  though  debilitated  by  a  serious  attack  of  fever, 
had  been  engaged  all  day.  He  covered  the  retreating  troops  with  a 
part  of  the  Virginians,  while  the  remainder,  adopting  the  Indian 
mode  of  warfare,  poured  upon  the  pursuers  from  trees  and  thickets, 
so  heavy  a  fire  as  to  arrest  the  pursuit,  and  kill  many  of  the  enemy. 
This  saved  the  relics  of  the  army.  General  Braddock  died  four  days 
after,  and  found  a  grave  in  the  wilderness. 

Of  eighty-six  officers  engaged  in  this  battle,  sixty -five  were  killed 
and  wounded.  Its  consequences  were  fearful.  Consternation  per- 
vaded all  classes  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  previous  expectation, 
and  all  the  border  settlements  were  broken  up.  But  one  officer 
reaped  a  full  harvest  of  glory  from  this  bloody  field.  That  one  was 
Washington.  It  was  universally  acknowledged,  that  had  his  advice 
been  taken  the  expedition  would  have  succeeded,  and  his  conduct  on 
the  battle  field,  and  during  the  retreat,  was  the  theme  of  all  praise. 
The  legislature  of  Virginia  ordered  the  raising  of  sixteen  companies, 
the  command  of  which  was  bestowed  upon  the  Colonel ;  and  he  was 
further  promoted  to  be  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces,  raised 


CONQUEST      OF      QUEBEC.  25 

or  to  be  raised,  in  Virginia,  with  the  power  of  selecting  his  own  field 
officers. 

HE  duties  of  this  station  were  most  arduous.  An 
immense  frontier  was  to  be  defended  by  a  mere  handful 
of  men  ;  and  great  offensive  operations  were  expected, 
where  it  was  almost  impossible  to  perform  any.  The 
soldiers  had  some  skirmishes  with  the  enemy,  in  all  of 
which  they  exhibited  the  fruits  of  their  strict  training  ; 
but  no  conflict  occurred  of  sufficient  importanca  to  deserve  special 
notice. 

In  1758,  the  French  abandoned  Fort  Du  Quesne,  which  was  taken 
possession  of  by  General  Forbes  ;  and  in  the  following  year  the  con- 
quest of  Quebec  restored  quiet  to  the  colonies,  Washington  now 
resigned  his  military  office,  and  retired  to  the  enjoyment  of  that  hap- 
piness which  private  life  alone  can  confer.  On  the  6th  of  January, 
1759,  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Custis,  a  lady  of  handsome  fortune, 
and  great  personal  accomplishments.  Previous  to  this  he  had  been 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  in  Virginia,  where  he 
remained  until  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war.  When 
this  was  not  in  session  he  followed  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  a  planter, 
upon  his  extensive  estate  at  Mount  Vernon. 

Although  in  a  great  measure  removed  from  the  public  eye  during 
this  period,  yet  he  watched  the  progress  of  the  dispute  between 
England  and  her  colonies  with  intense  interest.  His  opinion  was 
often  solicited  by  the  master  spirits  of  that  trying  time ;  he  was 
invited  to  attend  all  the  military  companies  of  his  neighborhood  while 
drilling,  and  he  was  already  regarded  as  the  future  commander  of 
the  Virginia  soldiery.  These  expectations  were  soon  to  be  more 
than  realized. 

Washington  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  Congress,  where 
his  firmness,  solid  information  and  personal  dignity,  gained  him  the 
respect  of  every  member. 

When  Patrick  Henry  was  asked  whom  he  thought  the  greatest 
man  in  this  Congress,  he  answered :  "If  you  speak  of  eloquence, 
Mr.  Rutledge,  of  South  Carolina,  is  by  far  the  greatest  orator ;  but 
if  you  speak  of  solid  information  and  sound  judgment.  Colonel 
Washington  is  unquestionably  the  greatest  man  on  that  floor." 

When  the  second  Congress  met,  May  10th,  1775,  he  was  again 
among  the  number.  The  great  drama  had  then  opened,  the  war  of 
independence  had  begun  ;  and  the  battle  of  Lexington  had  for  ever 
severed  the  Old  World  from  the  New.  Men  whose  equals  have  rarely 
been  recorded  upon  history,  were  there  assembled  to  decide  on  the 
interest  of  millions  of  injured  freemen.    Money  could  not  buy  thejn, 


26 


WAS  H  I  N  G  TO  N. 


Patrick  Henry. 

venality  corrupt,  or  danger  terrify  them.  Property  and  life  were 
worthless,  compared  to  the  great  cause  which  had  brought  them 
together. 

The  duties  of  this  Congress  were  most  arduous.  After  providing 
for  the  raising  of  an  army,  they  unanimously  elected  George  Wash- 
ington "  General  and  Commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of  the  United 
Provinces,  and  of  all  the  forces  now  raised  or  to  be  raised  by  them, 
and  of  all  others  who  shall  voluntarily  offer  their  services."  He  had 
been  proposed  by  Mr.  John  Adams  in  the  early  part  of  June,  and 
was  elected  by  ballot  on  the  15th.  His  emotion  at  this  unequivocal 
display  of  confidence  was  very  great.  When  it  was  announced  to 
him  by  the  president,  he  rose  slowly  from  his  seat,  and  in  a  few 
remarks  expressed  the  diffidence  he  felt  in  his  abilities  and  military 
experience,  but  declared  his  determination  to  exert  every  power  for 
his  country's  service,  and  the  success  of  her  glorious  cause.  Con- 
gress fixed  his  salary  at  five  hundred  dollars  per  month,  which  he 
declined  accepting,  averring  his  determination  to  require  only  an 
indemnity  for  his  expenses  while  in  service,  a  copy  of  which  he  pro- 


SIEGE      OF     BOSTON. 


29 


Washington's  Head-Quarters  at  Cambridge, 

mised  to  present  regularly  to  Congress.  He  received  his  commission 
on  the  19th,  at  which  time  Congress  entered  into  a  solemn  agree- 
ment to  assist  and  adhere  to  him,  by  their  lives,  fortunes,  and 
influence. 

With  a  laudable  promptness  Washington  prepared  at  once  for 
entrance  upon  his  duty.  In  his  journey  toward  Boston  he  was  every 
where  received  with  that  enthusiasm  and  deference  due  to  his 
important  office,  and  his  arrival  at  his  head-quarters  in  Cambridge, 
was  hailed  by  the  warmest  acclamations  of  officers  and  soldiers. 

The  American  army  was  at  this  time  besieging  Boston,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  royal  troops.  They  were  scattered  on  both  sides  of 
Charles  river,  over  a  space  of  nearly  twelve  miles,  and  numbering 
about  fourteen  thousand  men,  but  far  from  possessing  an  efficiency 
equal  to  their  numbers.  Washington  found  the  materials  for  a  good 
army — a  great  number  of  men,  active,  zealous  in  the  cause,  and  of 
unquestionable  courage — and  these  were  all.  Entire  absence  of  dis- 
cipline, and  even  subordination  prevailed  throughout  the  camp  ;  and 
the  dampening  fact  was  soon  discovered,  that  the  M^hole  quantity  of 
ammunition  on  hand  would  barely  supply  nine  rounds  to  each  man. 
Besides,  there  was  scarcely  one  bayonet  in  camp ;  and  as  a  still  fur 


30  ■  WASHINGTON. 

ther  discouragement  to  all  efTorts  at  enforcing  discipline,  the  time  of 
service  of  a  large  number  would  expire  with  that  year. 

^j^^^ss)  ^^   ITTLE    regarding    these    discouraging 

appearances,  Washington  entered  upon 
his  duties  with  ardor.  He  organized  the 
army  into  brigades  and  divisions,  and 
drilled  them  with  untiring  perseverance.  A  pay- 
■  master,  a  quartermaster-general,  and  other  staff 
officers,  were  also  added  to  the  army  through  his 
recommendation.  He  was,  however,  obliged  to 
remain  inactive  during  the  fall  and  winter,  as  the 
strength  of  his  army,  compared  with  that  of  the  British,  would  not 
justify  an  attempt  to  expel  them  from  Boston.  Early  in  the  spring 
of  1776,  however,  being  reinforced  by  a  considerable  body  of  new 
recruits,  he  determined  to  force  the  British  either  to  fight  or  abandon 
the  town.  During  the  night  of  the  4th  of  March,  the  fortification 
of  Dorchester  Heights  was  commenced,  and  on  the  following  morn- 
ing the  astonished  enemy  beheld  before  them  an  extensive  and  com- 
manding work,  which,  to  use  their  own  words,  appeared  as  though 
it  had  sprung  from  the  ground  by  eastern  magic.  Howe  promptly 
determined  to  dislodge  the  Americans  from  this  dangerous  position, 
and  for  this  purpose  despatched  two  thousand  men  across  the  creek. 
But  the  elements  were  adverse  to  his  operations.  A  furious  storm 
scattered  all  his  boats,  and  the  troops  were  recalled.  On  the  14th, 
the  army  and  fleet  left  the  city,  which  they  had  held  so  long,  and 
immediately  after  the  troops  of  Washington  entered  amid  the  accla- 
mations of  the  inhabitants.  Congress  commemorated  the  event  by 
a  gold  medal,  and  tendered  their  thanks  to  W^ashington  and  his  army. 
Apprehensive  of  an  attack  upon  New  York,  Washington  hastened 
to  that  city,  and  commenced  active  preparations  for  its  defence. 
Howe  sailed  for  Halifax,  where  after  receiving  large  reinforcements, 
he  re-embarked  and  landed  at  Staten  Island  on  the  3d  and  4th  of 
July.  Here  his  force  was  augmented  by  a  large  number  of  dis- 
affected royalists,  principally  under  the  command  of  Governor  Tryon. 
It  formed  the  largest  and  best  army  ever  concentrated  in  America, 
numbering  nearly  thirty  thousand  men,  excellently  equipped  and  in  a 
high  state  of  discipline.  On  their  arrival  at  Staten  Island,  the 
American  army  scarcely  numbered  ten  thousand  men,  enfeebled  by 
long  exposure,  and  dispirited  by  sickness  and  poverty.  But  still  their 
leader  did  not  despair.  Petition  after  petition  was  presented  to  Con- 
gress, for  the  better  payment  of  the  troops,  and  the  increase  of  the 
army,  and  the  militia  of  the  neighboring  states  were  ordered  imme- 
diately to  camp. 


DECLARATION   OF  INDEPENDENCE. 


33 


The  Declaranon  of  Independence  read  to  LTie  Soldiers. 

Meanwhile  an  event  had  taken  place,  which  gave  a  new  character 
to  all  the  subsequent  operations  of  the  war,  and  stamped  its  leaders 
as  apostles  of  human  liberty.  This  was  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, proclaimed  at  Philadelphia,  July  4th,  1776.  It  was 
transmitted  to  Washington,  and  by  him  to  the  soldiers,  who  received 
it  with  shouts  of  enthusiasm.  It  infused  new  life  into  those  who 
felt  that  henceforth  they  had  a  high  object,  a  sacred  reward  to  attain, 
which  would  be  a  blessing  to  themselves,  to  their  children,  and  to 
generations  yet  unborn. 

Lord  Howe  and  his  brother,  Sir  William,  did  not  proceed  to  imme- 
diate-hostilities. They  had  been  commissioned  by  the  king  to  treat 
with  the  colonies  for  an  adjustment  of  difficulties,  and  to  grant  the 
royal  pardon  to  all  those  who  would  lay  down  arms.  These  powers 
were  communicated  to  Washington  by  the  two  commanders,  and  a 
correspondence  took  place,  which  clearly  exhibits  the  elevated  tone 
of  character  which  ever  distinguished  Washington.  The  first  letter 
being  addressed  to  "  George  Washington,  Esq.,"  was  returned 
unopened,  and  a  similar  success  attended  one  written  to  "  George 
Washington,  &c.  &c.  &c."  Commissioners  were  then  appointed  to 
a  personal  conference  ;  but  after  a  pompous  display  of  the  sorrow  of 
the  king  concerning  the  existing  difficulties,  his  anxiety,  and  that  of 
his  envoys,  Lord  and  Sir  William  Howe,  for  their  speedy  termina- 
tion, and  their  full  ability  to  grant  pardons,  Washington  calmly 
replied,  that  while  all  this  was  true,  it  seemed  useless  to  talk  of  par- 
don, where  no  offence  had  been  committed  ;  for  in  resorting  to  arms, 
the  Americans  were  only  defending  the  rights  guarantied  to  them  by 
the  British  constitution.  The  conference  then  closed,  and  both 
armies  prepared  for  war. 


34 


WASH  IN  GT  ON. 


ONG  ISLAND  was  the  scene  of  a  disas- 
trous battle  on  the  2  6th  of  August,  1776. 
Washington  did  not  command  in  person  ; 
but  he  had  taken  every  precaution  to 
guard    against  surprise,  and  defend  his 


weak  points.  Unfortunately  an  important  pass 
was  left  unguarded  through  the  criminal  neglect 
of  those  to  whose  care  it  was  entrusted  ;  and  the 
omission  was  very  soon  improved  by  Sir  Henry 
Clinton.  Putnam,  the  American  commander,  did 
all  that  a  brave  man  could  do,  but  the  discipline  of  the  enemy  pre- 
vailed. Whole  regiments  poured  through  the  captured  pass,  drove 
in  the  weak  portions  of  the  Americans  with  heavy  loss,  and  marched 
rapidly  toward  their  rear.  Washington  was  at  Brooklyn,  a  sad 
spectator  of  the  slaughter  of  his  troops.  His  first  impulse  was  to 
cross  immediately  ;  then  the  danger  of  his  immediate  command,  if 
left  to  itself,  interposed;  till  after  alternate  fear  and  irnpulse,^he 
became  sensible  that  his  presence  could  not  retrieve  his  losses,  nor 
atone  for  damage  that  might  accrue  by  absence  from  his  present 
post.  He  accordingly  confined  his  exertions  to  the  safe  withdrawal 
of  the  troops  within  the  fortified  lines,  and  to  preparations  for  a 
general  retreat  from  the  island.  At  the  same  time  he  had  the  address 
to  present  so  bold  a  front  to  the  enemy,  that  Howe  and  his  elated 
army  were  deterred  from  an  immediate  attack,  and  obliged  to  con- 
duct their  advances  with  all  the  cautious  formality  of  a  regular 
siege. 

In  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  the  force  of  the  Americans  did  not 
exceed  five  thousand  men,  while  that  of  the  enemy  was  nearly  three 
times  that  number.  Their  loss  was  about  twelve  hundred  men,  of 
whom  one  thousand  were  prisoners. 

All  hope  of  defending  New  York  was  now  abandoned,  and  on  the 
28th  of  July  Washington  made  his  celebrated  retreat  from  Long 
Island.  It  was  itself  a  triumph.  Defeated  and  disheartened,  with 
an  army  flushed  by  victory  behind,  and  a  powerful  fleet  ready  to 
intercept  their  movements,  his  little  band  crossed  a  broad  river  in 
small  boats,  with  such  sixcnce  and  activity,  that  though  busily  engaged 
all  night  they  were  not  perceived  by  the  enemy  until  the  very  last 
division  had  nearly  touched  the  opposite  shore.  The  astonishment 
of  the  British  commander  was  equalled  only  by  his  chagrin,  at  see- 
ing his  enemy  thus  beyond  his  reach.  He  had  hoped  that  retreat 
would  be  impossible  without  the  risk  of  a  second  battle,  which  might 
place  the  continental  troops  entirely  at  his  disposal  :  but  with  the 
blasting  of  those  hopes  came  the  unwelcome  prospect  of  long  and 


RETREAT      THROUGH      JERSEY. 


37 


tedious  marches,  battles  and  hard  won  victories,  before  his  antagonist 
would  again  be  in  his  former  situation. 

Washington  now  moved  up  the  Hudson,  followed  by  the  hostile 
army.  Some  skirmishing  took  place  between  advance  parties,  but 
the  American  commander  was  so  happy  in  the  choice  of  his  positions, 
that  no  decisive  advantage  could  be  obtained  over  him.  Soon  after, 
the  British  commenced  a  retrograde  movement,  captured  Fort  Wash- 
ington, with  twenty-five  hundred  men  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores, 
and  compelled  the  hasty  evacuation  of  Fort  Lee.  The  loss  was 
heavy  and  sudden.  The  British  continued  to  move  rapidly  down 
the  river,  followed  by  Washington,  until  they  reached  the  Jerseys. 
Here  the  Americans  commenced  the  disastrous  retreat,  which  has 
no  parallel  in  their  history.  Loss  in  battle,  desertion,  abandonment 
of  service,  and  other  causes,  had.  reduced  them  to  less  than  five 
thousand  men.  Driven  from  post  to  post,  even  this  small  number 
gradually  diminished,  so  that  when  Washington  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware, and  took  post  near  Philadelphia,  he  could  not  muster  three 
thousand. 


V    (  /'   —^-    ^A 

The  Eetreat  thiougli  Jersey. 


Having  driven  the  Americans  from  all  the  eastern  posts,  Lord 
Howe  paused  in  the  career  of  conquest,  and  began  to  improve  the 
advantages  already  gained.  He  extended  a  line  of  military  posts 
for  many  miles  along  the  river,  and  posted  large  bodies  of  troops  at 
all  the  principal  towns.  Large  drafts  were  made  upon  the  inhabi- 
tants for  provisions,  and  the  army  went  into  winter  quarters  in  a 
style  of  luxury  rarely  witnessed  before  in  America.  At  the  same 
time  the  continental  troops  were  deficient  of  clothing,  shoes,  pro- 
visions, and  military  weapons,  and  exposed  to  hardships  and  suffer- 
ings almost  incredible.    But  their  leader  was  Washington.  With  him 


38  WASHINGTON. 

the  republic  was  never  to  be  despaired  of,  and  his  army  always  saw 
him  as  calm  and  collected  as  when  fortune  smiled  upon  his  banners. 
He  shared  the  privations  of  the  soldiers,  and  by  his  words  and  exam- 
ple encouraged  them  to  bear  cheerfully  the  evils  of  their  situation. 
The  time  was  near  when  his  anxiety  and  labors  were  to  be  gloriously 
rewarded. 

By  a  careful  consideration  of  the  scattered  state  of  the  enemy  at 
that  time.  General  Washington  became  convinced  that  a  simultaneous 
attack  upon  several  of  their  posts,  although  a  desperate  undertaking, 
might  not  be  unattended  by  important  success  at  sonae  one  point. 
Accordingly  a  plan  was  laid  for  the  25th  of  December,  by  which 
the  army  was  to  cross  the  Delaware  in  three  divisions  ;  one  under 
General  Irvine,  to  guard  a  bridge  below  Trenton,  and  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  all  fugitives  ;  a  second  under  Cadwalader,  to  attack  Mount 
Holly ;  and  the  main  body  under  Washington  to  attack  the  British 
at  Trenton. 

The  night  of  the  25th  was' cold  and  stormy.  Hail  and  sleet  fell 
in  blinding  showers,  and  the  roaring  of  the  wind,  the  crashing  of  ice, 
and  pattering  of  hail  made  the  scene  indescribably  gloomy  and  deso- 
late. How  heavy  must  have  been  the  heart  of  Washington  during 
that  winter  night.  The  forlorn  cause  in  which  he  was  engaged,  the 
uncertainty  of  success,  and  the  consequences  of  defeat,  hung  like 
lead  on  his  bosom.  All  night  long  he  was  on  horseback  superin- 
tending the  tedious  movement  of  his  troops.  That  night  was  big 
with  the  fate  of  America ;  in  a  few  more  hours  liberty  would  be 
once  more  strong  and  beautiful  as  a  youthful  giant,  or  crushed  for 
long  succeeding  ages.  The  troops  toiled  and  struggled  in  their  frail 
boats  amid  masses  of  ice,  for  three  hours.  At  three  o'clock  the 
whole  division  had  reached  the  Jersey  shore  with  the  loss  of  two  men. 
They  commenced  the  march  at  four,  in  two  sections  ;  one  proceeding 
by  the  lower,  the  other  by  the  upper  road.  The  attack  commenced 
about  sunrise.  Washington  drove  in  the  pickets  on  the  lower  road, 
and  in  three  minutes  was  greeted  with  the  sound  of  the  muskets  on 
the  upper.  Confident  of  speedy  success,  he  swept  along  to  the  head " 
of  his  men  and  ordered  them  to  follow.  In  a  few  moments  they 
reached  the  enemy.  Colonel  Rahl,  a  gallant  officer,  attempted  to 
rally  his  men  ;  but  he  was  mortally  wounded,  and  everything  gave 
way  before  Washington's  furious  charge. 

The  enemy  fled  along  the  Princeton  road,  but  were  intercepted  by 
a  detachment  thrown  in  their  front  for  that  purpose.  Nine  hundred 
and  nine  laid  down  their  arms,  and  about  a  hundred  more  were 
afterwards  found  in  the  houses.  Six  field-pieces  and  one  thousand 
stand  of  arms  were   also  taken.     The  British  had  about  twenty 


BATTLE      OF      PRINCETON.  41 

killed,  the  Americans  two,  and  two  frozen  to  death.  Five  hundred 
Hessians  escaped  by  the  road  leading  to  Princeton.  Neither  Irvine 
nor  Cadwalader  were  able  to  perform  their  part  of  the  attack,  or  the 
enemy's  whole  line  of  intrenchments  must  have  been  completely 
swept. 

Thinking  it  unsafe  to  remain  at  Trenton,  Washington  recrossed 
the  Delaware  and  marched  to  Philadelphia,  through  which  he  passed 
with  his  prisoners,  in  order  to  impress  the  minds  of  the  citizens  with 
the  importance  of  his  victory.  It  had  the  desired  effect.  The  joy 
of  all  classes  was  unbounded,  and  from  that  day — though  reverses 
frequently  dimmed  the  brilliancy  of  the  prospect — hope  never  again 
deserted  the  cause  of  American  independence. 

When  too  late.  Lord  Howe  perceived  his  error,  in  remaining 
supine,  while  the  Americans  were  commanded  by  such  a  general  as 
his  adversary.  In  order  however  to  atone  for  the  past,  he  collected 
his  army  in  force,  and  a  new  campaign  commenced  in  the  middle  of 
winter.  Two  days  after  the  battle  of  Trenton,  Washington  again 
crossed  the  Delaware,  and  soon  learned  that  several  columns  of 
British  troops  under  Earl  Cornwallis  were  marching  rapidly  toward 
him.  The  enemy  joined  their  forces  at  Princeton,  advanced  in  great 
force,  and  on  the  2d  of  January,  1777,  came  up  with  the  Americans 
at  the  Assanpink  creek.  This  was  about  four  in  the  afternoon. 
A  smart  skirmish  immediately  ensued,  but  by  means  of  some  cannon 
advantageously  posted,  the  enemy  were  kept  at  bay,  and  prevented 
from  crossing  the  stream.  A  sullen  cannonade  was  then  maintained 
until  night,  when  both  armies  kindled  their  fires. 

But  that  night  brought  no  rest  to  the  American  army.  With  but 
a  handful  of  men  to  oppose  an  overwhelming  force,  in  a  country 
possessed  by  the  enemy,  Washington  well  knew  the  peril  w^hich 
would  surround  him,  should  he  remain  there  till  morning.  The 
Delaware  first  presented  itself  as  a  means  of  escape,  but  an  uncom- 
monly warm  day  had  softened  the  ice,  and  the  road  to  the  river,  so 
that  a  crossing  could  not  be  effected  without  imminent  danger.  But 
one  course  now  remained,  bold  and  hazardous,  but  worthy  of  the 
genius  of  Washington.  He  determined  to  march  around  the  van  and 
left  flank  of  the  enemy,  proceed  to  Princeton,  and  after  defeating 
what  force  might  be  there,  to  advance  to  Brunswick.  As  soon  as 
it  was  dark,  the  baggage  was  silently  removed  to  Burlington,  and 
about  one  o'clock  the  army,  leaving  its  fires  lighted  and  its  sentinels 
on  the  margin  of  the  creek,  decamped  with  the  utmost  stillness.  The 
movement  was  providentially  favored  by  the  weather  ;  for  the  wand 
suddenly  changing  to  the  north-west,  in  a  short  time  froze  the  ground 
as  hard  as  a  pavement.     The  British  were  completely  deceived, 


42  WASHINGTON. 

although  commanded  by  one  of  their  ablest  generals  ;  and  when  at 
sunrise  the  next  morning  the  roar  of  Washington's  cannon  was  heard 
in  the  distance,  Cornwallis  supposed  it  to  be  thunder.  "When  near 
Princeton,  the  Americans  suddenly  encountered  two  British  regi- 
ments under  Colonel  Mawhood,  who  were  marching  to  join  the  main 
body  at  Trenton.  The  van  of  the  Americans,  composed  chiefly  of 
militia,  soon  gave  way ;  and  General  Mercer,  while  gallantly  exert- 
ing himself  to  rally  them,  received  a  mortal  wound.  The  British 
rushed  forward  with  fixed  bayonets,  driving  back  the  scattered 
soldiers  until  they  came  in  sight  of  the  main  body.  Feeling  that 
everything  was  at  stake,  Washington  rode  to  the  front  of  his  troops, 
seized  a  standard,  and  callitig  to  them  to  follow,  dashed  toward  the 
enemy.  The  sight  of  their  beloved  chief  in  danger,  reanimated 
the  heroes  of  Trenton.  They  met  the  charge  of  the  enemy  with 
vigor,  and  for  a  while  the  conflict  was  fierce  and  bloody.  The 
British  were  at  length  divided  into  two  colum.ns,  one  retreating 
towards  Trenton,  the  other  towards  Brunswick.  About  three  hundred 
of  the  regiment  at  Princeton  surrendered.  The  British  left  one 
hundred  dead  upon  the  field  ;  the  American  loss  was  somewhat  less, 
but  it  included  the  lamented  Mercer,  Colonels  Haslet  and  Potter, 
Captain  Neal  of  the  artillery.  Captain  Fleming  and  five  other  valua- 
ble officers. 

Thus  we  have  seen  Washington  keeping  the  field,  and  preserving 
the  vigor  of  his  operations  in  spite  of  the  circumstances  which  com- 
manded inactivity.  The  British  army  found  its  divisions  attacked 
and  defeated  in  detail,  while  they  considered  themselves  m  perfect 
security,  under  the  shield  of  all  former  experience.  That  principle 
of  warfare  which  was  the  secret  of  Napoleon's  victories — the  pro- 
duction of  a  local  superiority  of  force,  by  concentration  against  a 
distant  position — was  evidently  a  part  of  Washington's  reasoning, 
and  a  main  reliance  for  the  success  of  his  enterprises.  The  two 
battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton,  though  similar  in  their  outlines, 
were  very  different  in  point  of  conception  and  execution.  The 
attack  upon  Trenton  was  a  blow  struck  against  an  enemy  in  posi- 
tion, which  admitted  of  every  advantage  of  preparation  on  the  part 
of  the  assailant.  The  battle  of  Princeton  belonged  to  a  higher  and 
mo^e  elaborate  order  of  tactics.  The  American  forces  were  already 
engaged  with  a  superior  army,  commanded  by  an  officer  of  eminent 
reputation ;  and  the  change  of  plan  was  wholly  contrived  and  exe- 
cuted with  the  enemy  in  front.  It  was  entirely  due  to  the  prompt 
genius  and  fertile  resources  of  Washington,  that  his  army  wias  extri- 
cated from  so  perilous  an  exposure,  and  enabled  to  attack  the  enemy's 
rear  with  such  advantage  as  to  leave  it  no  choice  but  flight  or  surrender. 
M: 


t 


HEAD-QUARTERS      AT      M  O  RR  I  S  T  0  WN. 


45 


A  military  critic,  contemplating  these  inspirations  with  a  soldier's 
eye,  can  easily  appreciate  the  feelings  of  the  great  Frederick,  when 
he  sent  a  sword  to  the  American  commander,  as  a  gift  from  the 
world's  oldest  general  to  its  best. 

The  van  of  Cornwallis's  army  was  near  Princeton  whenWashing- 
ton's  commenced  its  march.  He  was  therefore  obliged  to  abandon  that 
part  of  his  plan,  which  embraced  an  attempt  upon  Brunswick,  and 
marched  toward  the  Highlands,  in  order  to  afford  some  relief  to  his 
exhausted  soldiers.  This  march  was  tracked  with  blood  from  their 
lacerated  feet ;  and  the  excessive  cold  and  fatigue  they  had  undergone 
for  many  days  had  brought  on  diseases  which  absolutely  demanded 
rest.     He  accordingly  established  his  head-quarters  at  Morristovvnti, 


Washington's  Head- Quarters  at  Morristown. 

where  the  enemy  could  be  watched  with  perfect  security,  and  supplies 
drawn  from  the  neighboring  country.  While  here  he  caused  the 
whole  army  to  be  inoculated,  and  thus  escaped  the  devastations  of 
that  terrible  scourge — the  small-pox. 

Both  armies  now  used  every  exertion  to  strengthen  themselves  for 
some  important  operation  in  the  spring.  Taught  by  experience,  that 
the  Jerseys  could  not  be  overawed  by  a  widely  dispersed  army,  Howe 
collected  almost  all  his  troops  at  Amboy,  and  executed  his  measures 
with  the  greatest  secrecy  and  caution.  Meanwhile  important  skir- 
mishes frequently  took  place  between  small  parties,  which  nearly  all 
terminated  favorably  for  the  Americans;  By  these,  a  large  number 
of  prisoners  and  supplies  were  taken,  and  a  wholesome  feeling  main- 
tained among  the  people.  Washington  was  authorized  by  Congress 
to  raise  sixteen  regiments,  and  received  from  that  body  the  powers  of 
military  dictator  for  six  months. 

In  the  spring,  the  British  attacked  the  depots  at  Peekskill  and 


46  Washington. 

Danhury,  which  they  captured,  carrying  away  a  large  quantity  of 
miUtary  stores.  About  the  same  time  their  own  stores  at  Sagg 
Harbor,  together  with  an  armed  schooner  and  some  smaller  vessels 
were  destroyed  by  Colonel  Meigs. 

HE  great  object  of  Sir  William  Howe 
at  this  time,  was  the  capture  of  Phila- 
delphia. But  he  was  surrounded  with 
difficulties.  Although  Washington's 
^  effective  force  was  not  more  than  six 
thousand  men,  yet  he  v^^as  so  advan- 
tageously posted  at  Middlebrook,  that 
he  could  repel  an  attack  with  advan- 
tage, or  so  harass  the  enemy  should  they  attempt  crossing  the  Dela- 
ware, as  to  cause  them  to  abandon  the  project.  Howe's  means  of 
crossing  were  also  limited,  and  the  Pennsylvania  shore  was  guarded 
by  strong  bodies  of  the  Americans.  The  British  general  then  deter- 
mined to  employ  stratagem,  and  for  many  days  manoeuvred  around 
Washington's  camp,  in  order  to  draw  him  to  an  engagement  in  the 
open  plain.  At  one  time  he  appeared  on  the  point  of  crossing  oppo- 
site Philadelphia  ;  at  another  opposite  Trenton,  and  then  would  push 
in  the  direction  of  New  York.  But  his  adversary  was  not  deceived. 
He  had  anticipated  all  these  feints,  and  matured  his  plans  to  meet 
them.  Sometimes  he  would  leave  his  camp  and  cautiously  follow  the 
enemy ;  but  at  the  least  retrograde  movement  on  the  part  of  the  latter, 
and  frequently  when  Sir  William  imagined  the  long  desired  prey 
within  his  grasp,  a  vigorous  countermarch  would  suddenly  place  the 
Americans  in  their  former  position  and  give  the  British  general  new 
room  for  the  exercise  of  his  patience  and  ingenuity.  Thus  the  spirits 
of  the  people  were  kept  up,  and  that  of  the  enemy  proportionably 
worn  out. 

At  length  the  British  commander  was  wearied  out  by  this  unprofit- 
able contest  with  an  enemy  who  was  neither  to  be  deceived,  nor 
overpowered.  Protected  by  its  position  he  fully  appreciated  the 
physical  force  of  the  American  army,  and  having  now  fairly  tested 
the  skill  of  his  adversary,  he  was  satisfied  that  nothing  was  to  be 
gained  in  the  conflict  of  military  science.  A  new  plan  was  therefore 
resolved  upon,  whose  first  step  w^as  to  be  the  total  abandonment  of 
New  Jersey.  Howe  marched  rapidly  to  Amboy,  pursued  by  part  of 
the  American  army.  After  making  one  last  effort  to  gain  the  rear 
of  his  pursuers  and  failing,  he  abandoned  the  province,  long  fondly 
considered  his  own,  and  passed  over  to  Staten  Island  for  the  purpose 
of  embarkation. 

Although  Washington  had  achieved  the  great  triumph  of  driving 


BATTLE      OF      BRANDYWINE. 


47 


General  Howe. 

• 

his  enemy  from  an  important  position,  yet  he  felt  confident  that  he 
would  very  soon  be  called  to  defend  some  other  equally  valuable 
station.  The  designs  of  Howe  were  wrapt  in  mystery — He  might 
intend  an  incursion  up  the  North  river,  to  defeat  Schuyler,  and  join 
Burgoyne,  or  by  means  of  his  fleet,  land  at  any  point  of  the  southern 
coast,  commit  extensive  depredations,  and  march  by  land  to  Phila- 
delphia. Washington  thought  the  latter  the  most  probable,  but  with 
that  disregard  of  his  personal  credit  which  he  ever  showed,  when  his 
country  was  in  danger  ;  he  dispatched  all  the  troops  he  could  spare 
to  the  north  in  order  to  strengthen  Schuyler's  army,  for  a  successful 
attack  upon  Burgoyne.  He  then  stationed  himself  upon  the  Dela- 
ware to  watch  any  attempt  upon  the  capital. 

His  conjectures  concerning  Howe's  intentions  were  correct.     To 
ward  the  end  of  July,  the  fleet  of  that  commander  appeared  off 
Delaware  bay  ;  but  owing  to  the  obstructions  which  had  been  sunk 
there  by  the  Americans,  he  again  put  to  sea,  ascended  the  Chesa 
peake,  and  landed  at  the  head  of  Elk  river.   Washington  immediately 


48 


WASHINGTON. 


Washington's  Head-Quarters  at  Brandywine. 

marched  to  meet  him..  His  whole  force  did  not  exceed  eleven  thou- 
sand men,  many  of  them  raw  militia  and  miserably  armed.  The 
English  numbered  eighteen  thousand  regulars,  finely  equipped,  and 
in  the  highest  state  of  discipline.  At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of 
the  1 1th  of  September,  the  royal  army  advanced  in  two  columns,  the 
one  commanded  by  Knyphausen,  the  other  by  Cornwallis.  While 
the  first  column  took  the  direct  road  to  Chadd's  Ford,  on  the  Brandy- 
wine,  and  made  a  show  of  passing  it  in  front  of  the  main  body  of  the 
Americans,  the  other  moved  up  on  the  west  side  of  the  Brandywine, 
crossed  both  branches  of  its  fork  in  the  afternoon,  and  marched  down 
on  its  eastern  side  with  the  view  of  turning  the  right  wing  of  their 
adversaries.  On  receiving  intelligence  of  their  approach,  Washington 
made  the  proper  dispositions  to  meet  it.  The  divisions  commanded 
by  Sullivan,  Sterling  and  Stephens,  advanced  a  little  farther  up  the 
creek,  and  fronted  the  column  of  the  approaching  enemy ;  Wayne's 
division  with  Maxwell's  light  infantry,  remained  at  Chadd's  Ford,  to 
keep  Knyphausen  in  check ;  Greene's  division  accompanied  by 
General  Washington  formed  a  reserve,  and  took  a  central  position 
between  the  right  and  left  wings.  About  four  o'clock.  Lord  Corn- 
wallis formed  the  line  of  battle  and  began  the  attack.  The  Ameri- 
cans answered  by  rapid  discharges  of  musketry,  ^nd  for  some  time 
the  battle  was  spirited.  At  length  the  right  gave  way,  and  Cornwallis 
pushed  against  the  flank  of  the  other  divisions,  pouring  in  a  galling 
lire  upon  one  section  after  another,  until  the  whole  line  broke  and 
commenced  a  rapid  retreat.  At  the  beginning  of  this  attack,  Kny- 
phausen crossed  the  ford,  and  attacked  the  troops  stationed  there. 
Here  the  Americans  fought  with  the  obstinacy  of  despair,  but  were 
overpowered  by  numbers  and  routed.  The  whole  American  army 
then  commenced  a  retreat,  marching  to  Chester  under  cover  of  the 
r^ight,  from  whence  they  proceeded  next  day,  to  Philadelphia. 


BATTLE      OF      GERMA.NTOWN. 


49 


HE  American  loss  was  three  hundred  killed,  si7 
hundred  wounded,  and  three  hundred  prisoners 
That  of  the  British  was  one  hundred  killed  and 
four  hundred  wounded.  At  Brandywine,  Lafay 
ette  first  drew  his  sword  in  the  cause  of  freedom 
and  received  a  wound  in  the  leg. 

Anxious  for  ,the  safety  of  their  principal  city 
Congress  urged  Washington  to  risk  another  battle  in  its  defence.  Or 
the  1 6th  of  September,  the  armies  met  near  the  Warren  tavern,  abou 
twenty-three  miles  from  Philadelphia.  Some  skirmishing  took  place 
which  was  becoming  general,  when  a  heavy  rain  wetted  the  powder  of 
the  Americans,  and  they  were  instantly  ordered  to  retreat.  This 
occurrence  was  providential,  it  being  afterwards  ascertained  that  the 
soldiers  were  alarmingly  deficient  in  powder  and  cartridges.  Howe 
now  advanced  to  the  Schuylkill  and  fixed  his  camp  in  front  of  the 
Americans.  Notwithstanding  the  popular  wisn,  Washington  declined 
risking  the  loss  of  his  army  by  another  battle,  contenting  himself  by 
removing  the  most  valuable  stores  up  the  Delaware.  Congress 
adjourned  to  reassemble  at  Lancaster,  and  Dnthe  26th  of  .September 
Howe  entered  the  American  metropolis  A  large  division  of  the 
army  marched  to  the  village  of  GermantiWn,  about  five  miles  from 
Philadelphia,  a  second  was  stationed  at  Chester,  and  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  with  the  remainder  occupied  the  city. 

This  scattered  condition  of  the  roya  army  afforded  Washington 
an  opportunity  similar  to  that  presented  at  Trenton,  and  which  he 
was  not  slow  in  endeavoring  to  improve  He  chose  Germantown  for 
the  point  of  attack,  and  made  admirable  arrangements  for  securing 
victory  before  Cornwallis  could  reinforce  the  enemy.  Wayne  and 
Sullivan  were  charged  with  the  attack  of  the  village  in  front  by  the 
main  street  from  the  side  of  Chestnut  Hill.  General  Armstrong  with 
the  Pennsylvania  militia  was  to  mo\e  upon  the  rear,  along  the  Ridge 
road,  turning  the  enemy's  left  flank  ;  the  same  movement  was  to  be 
effected  on  their  right  by  Generals  Forman  and  Smallwood,  down  the 
Old  York  road.  Another  column  under  Greene  and  Stephens  was 
to  attack  the  right  wing  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  The  command 
of  the  reserve  was  entrusted  to  Lord  Sterling. 

Before  sunrise  on  the  4th  of  October,  Wayne  and  Sullivan  com- 
menced a  furious  attack  upon  the  outposts,  which  gave  way  together 
with  the  light  infantry  and  the  fortieth  regiment,  losing  all  their  bag- 
gage. Though  .closely  pursued,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Musgrave  with  six 
companies  took  refuge  in  a  strong  stone  house,  (Chew's  House,)  am.. 
severely  galled  the  Americans  by  a  fire  of  musketry  from  the  door 
and  windows.     Washington  ordered  a  brigade  to  surroued  the  house 

4 


50 


WASHINGTON. 


Loid  Ho-we. 

■hXv  the  colonel  refused  to  surrender,  sustaining  the  fire  of  his  antago 
nists  until  two  brigades  came  to  his  assistance.  The  whole  field  was 
now  in  confusion  in  consequence  of  a  heavy  fog,  which  prevented  the 
companies  from  seeing  each  other.  General  Greene  however  gained 
the  centre  of  the  village  and  was  pressing  the  enemy  to  advantage, 
when  he  learned  that  the  Americans  were  retreating  in  another 
quarter.  Colonel  Matthews  routed  a  party  of  the  British  opposed 
to  him,  killed  several,  and  took  one  hundred  and  ten  prisoners  ;  but 
unable  to  see  the  brigade  to  which  he  belonged,  he  was  taken  with 
all  his  regiment.  Washington  could  not  distinguish  friend  from  foe. 
Soon  however,  the  rushing  of  his  men  as  they  swept  by  him  in  wild 
panic,  told  the  sad  tale  that  the  fair  prospects  of  the  morning  were 
blasted,  and  the  day  lost.  He  rode  from  post  to  post,  trying  to  rally 
the  fugitives,  but  in  vain  ;  Greene's  division  was  withdrawn  from  the 
village,  and  the  whole  army  retreated  to  Skippack  creek.  Their 
loss  was  two  hundred  killed,  six  hundred  wounded,  and  four  hundred 
made  prisoners.  The  enemy  lost  six  hundred,  of  whom  one  hundred 
were  killed. 

The  British  had  now  obtained  military  possession  of  Philadelphia ; 
but  in  order  to  preserve  it,  they  must  open  a  communication  with  the 
fleet  of  Lord  Howe.     The  vigilance  of  the  Americans  had  placed 


BATTLE      OP     RED      BANK. 


51 


Red  Bank. 

many  obstructions  in  the  bay  and  river,  and  established  a  fort  on 
Mud  island,  and  another  at  Red  Bank,  which  they  were  determined 
to  defend  to  the  last  extremity.  The  resolution  was  soon  put  to  the 
test.  On  the  22d  of  October,  Count  Donop,  a  German  officer, 
attacked  the  works  at  Red  Bank  with  twelve  hundred  men.  Five 
ships  of  the  line  moved  up  the  river,  and  while  the  Hessians  assaulted 
the  works  by  land,  the  vessels  poured  into  them  a  heavy  cannonade 
from  the  water.  But  they  met  with  an  opposition  as  terrible  as  it 
was  unexpected.  The  garrison  were  principally  militia,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Christopher  Greene  ;  yet  chafed  by  the  loss  of  the  capital, 
and  animated  by  their  noble  leader,  they  fought  like  veterans.  Rank 
after  rank  of  the  enemy  sunk  beneath  their  unerring  aim,  until  at 
length  the  gallant  Count,  while  cheering  on  his  men,  fell,  mortally 
wounded.  His  soldiers  retreated,  leaving  one  third  of  their  comrades 
upon  the  bloody  field.  The  ships  continued  to  discharge  shells  and 
red-hot  shot  until  late  at  night,  but  with  very  little  effect.  Their 
own  loss  was  severe  and  unexpected.  The  Augusta,  a  seventy-four 
gun  ship,  with  the  sloop  Merlin,  ran  aground, — could  not  be  set 
afloat,  and  subsequently  blew  up.  On  the  following  morning  the 
cannonade  was  renewed  ;  but  the  British  soon  became  convinced  of 
its  futility,  and  withdrew. 

Severe  as  was  this  repulse,  Howe  still  persevered  in  opening  the 
wished  for  communication.  On  the  10th  of  November,  Fort  Mifflin 
was  attacked  from  a  heavy  battery  on  Province  island,  within  the 
distance  of  five  hundred  yards.  The  cannonade  was  continued  almost 
incessantly  for  several  days,  and  produced  considerable  impression 
The  American  guns  were  nearly  all  dismounted,  the  block-houses 
and  palisades  beaten  down,  and  the  small  garrison  wearied  out  by 
unremitting  exertion.  Washington  sent  relief  to  the  officers  of  the 
fort,  but  his  instructions  were  positive  that  the  place  should  be  main 
tained  to  the  last  extremity,  and  they  were  strictly  and  literallv 


52 


WA  SHINGTON. 


obeyed.  The  besiegers,  finding  that  all  theii;^means  would  be  required 
to  obtain  success,  called  in  the  assistance  of  their  fleet.  It  was 
ascertained  that  in  consequence  of  the  obstructions  thrown  into  the 
other  parts  of  the  river,  the  current  had  deepened  the  inner  channel 
between  Mud  and  Province  islands,  'so  as  to  admit  of  safe  navigation 
for  vessels  of  considerable  burthen.  The  frigate  Vigilant  and  a  sloop 
of  war  were  brought  up  this  channel,  and  anchored  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  rear  of  the  fort,  from  which  position  they  were  enabled 
to  pour  a  destructive  fire  of  cannon,  musketry  and  grenades.  The 
garrison  fought  with  the  heroism  of  men  reduced  to  desperation.  The 
fort  was  enveloped  in  smoke,  broken  only  by  the  red  flashes  of  artil- 
lery ;  while  the  roar  of  cannon  echoed  and  re-echoed  far  up  the 
solitary  shores  of  the  Delaware.  One  portion  after  another  of  the  de- 
fences sunk  beneath  the  heavy  fire  of  the  British,  until  the  1 6th,  when 
the  fort  was  no  longer  tenable.  The  garrison  accordingly  withdrew 
under  cover  of  the  night ;  the  post  at  Red  Bank  was  also  evacuated, 
and  thus,  after  six  weeks  hard  labor,  and  heavy  loss  of  lives  and 
money,  the  enemy  obtained  a  safe  navigation  of  the  river  and  bay. 

Meanwhile  triumphant  success  had  attended  the  American  arms  in 
the  north.  Early  in  the  spring  of  this  year.  General  Burgoyne  had 
marched  from  Canada,  with  a  splendid  army  of  ten  thousand  men, 
for  the'  purpose  of  overrunning  New  England,  joining  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  at  New  York,  and  thus  completely  severing  the  eastern  from 
the  other  States,  in  order,  subsequently,  to  subdue  them  at  leisure. 
He  was  a  most  able  general,  and  at  first  his  success  was  equal  to  his 
abilities ;  and  but  for  the  abilities  of  one  man,  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  the  desired  junction  would  have  taken  place.  That  man 
was  General  Schuyler.  Although  almost  destitute  of  any  regular 
force,  and  surrounded  with  suspicions  from  his  superiors,  and  insub- 
ordination from  his  men,  he  yet  kept  the  field  without  material  loss, 
and  by  cutting  off  supplies,  harassing  detached  parties,  obstructing 
roads,  tearing  up  bridges,  and  threatening  the  army  in  different  quar- 
ters,— ^he  so  annoyed  the  enemy  that  they  were  often  occupied  a 
whole  day  in  advancing  one  mile.  Meanwhile  troops  were  hurrying 
on  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  the  American  general  saw  with 
delight  that  his  labors  were  soon  to  be  rewarded,  and  victory  perhaps 
gained  before  the  fond  anticipations  of  Burgoyne  were  realized.  The 
first  check  of  the  British  was  at  Bennington,  where  General  Stark 
defeated  a  large  detachment  of  the  enemy  under  Breymen  and  Baum, 
taking  about  six  hundred  prisoners,  together  with  nine  hundred 
swords  and  one  thousand  muskets.  At  this  important  moment, 
Schuyler  was  superseded  by  General  Gates.  His  feelings  must  have 
been  excruciating ;  but  conscious  of  the  magnitude  of  his  services, 


burgoyne's  surrender.  53 

he  added  to  the  lustre  of  his  former  labors,  by  the  dignity  of  his 
resignation,  and  retired  to  a  subordinate  station  still  to  prosecute  that 
which  had  ever  been  his  pride — the  service  of  his  country. 

Gates  found  the  British  general  so  com- 
pletely hemmed  in  by  the  obstructions 
w^hich  Schuyler  had  thrown  in  his  way, 
that  he  could  neither  advance  nor  retro- 
grade. On  the  19th  of  September  an  en- 
gagement took  place  at  Stillwater,  which 
for  obstinacy  has  few  equals  in  the  revo- 
.lution.  For  four  hours  the  fierce  comba- 
tants fought  hand  to  hand  ;  and  ceased 
only  when  night  had  settled  thick  around 
General  Schuyler.  them.     The  Americans  lost  about  three 

hundred  and  twenty,  the  British  about  six  hundred. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  a  second  battle  took  place  near  Stillwater, 
in  which  the  Americans  killed  and  captured  a  great  number  of  the 
enemy,  penetrated  to  their  camp,  took  nine  pieces  of  brass  cannon, 
and  a  German  encampment  with  all  its  equipage. 

These  heavy  losses  convinced  Burgoyne  that  his  triumphs  were 
ended,  and  that  nothing  but  a  speedy  retreat  could  save  him  from 
ruim  He  accordingly  attempted  a  retrograde  movement  to  Fort 
George,  but  failed.  He  then  determined  to  open  a  communication 
with  Fort  Edward,  but  in  the  midst  of  his  preparations  learned  that 
that  post  had  surrendered.  No  intelligence  came  from  Clinton  ; 
another  battle  would  ruin  him.  Excessive  toil  had  worn  down  his 
army ;  and  hunger,  and  disease,  and  wretchedness  had  reduced  the 
soldiers  to  mere  skeletons.  Under  these  circumstances  a  council  of 
war  was  called,  which  unanimously  decided  upon  a  surrender  ;  this 
took  place  on  the  17th  of  October. 

Glorious  and  important  as  was  this  event,  it  was  very  near  becom- 
ing in  its  indirect  consequences  the  ruin  of  the  American  cause. 
Rising  into  confidence  with  the  apparent  discouragement  of  the 
British  at  this  unlocked  for  catastrophe,  public  opinion  loudly  required 
that  some  effort  should  be  made  to  surprise  or  storm  Howe's  position 
at  Philadelphia.  Invidious  comparisons  were  drawn  between  Gates 
and  Washington,  by  a  strong  party  hostile  to  the  commander-in- 
chief.  The  triumph  of  one,  and  the  comparative  inactivity  of  the 
other,  were  attributed  to  a  difference  in  their  respective  characters 
and  abilities.  It  was  urged  also,  that  the  rapid  depreciation  of  paper 
money  would  extinguish  the  national  resources,  unless  confidence 
were  revived  by  the  striking  of  a  decisive  blow.  The  greatness  oi 
Washington's  mind,  and  his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  times  in  which  he 


54 


WASHINGTON. 


was  placed,  were  again  wonderfully  exhibited.  Had  he  possessed 
in  his  temperament  the  least  mixture  of  envy  or  personal  vanity,  or 
had  the  firm  resolution  of  his  mind  been  capable  of  impression  from 
the  force  of  public  clamor  or  private  importunity,  the  independence 
of  his  country  would,  in  all  human  probability,  have  been  annihi- 
lated. But  his  prudent  judgment  prevailed  over  all  personal  consider- 
ation. A  plot  to  supersede  him  was  detected,  its  framers  silenced 
by  outbursts  of  popular  indignation,  and  the  pure  one  whom  they 
wished  to  injure  aggrandized  more  and  more  in  the  eyes  of  his  coun- 
try and  of  the  world.  History  has  shed  an  unfading  lustre  around 
his  conduct  at  that  period,  while  the  deeds  and  plottings  of  his  oppo- 
nents have  long  been  sleeping  in  kind  oblivion. 

N  the  4th  of  December,  Sir  William 
Howe  left  Philadelphia  with  four- 
teen thousand  men,  to  try  the  for- 
tunes of  war  once  more  in  pitched 
battle.  He  had  hoped  to  surprise  Washington, 
but  being  disappointed,  endeavored  to  draw  him 
from  his  secure  position  among  the  high  hills 
near  Germantovra.  Able  manoeuvring  took  place, 
and  both  commanders  changed  their  relative 
positions  within  sight  of  each  other.  Some 
sharp  skirmishing  took  place,  in  which  the  loss  on  both  sides  was 
about  one  hundred.  Both  armies,  with  the  whole  surrounding  popu- 
lation, were  now  awaiting  with  intense  anxiety  a  battle,  which 
promised  to  be  more  terrible  than  any  of  its  predecessors  in  the  same 
region,  when  suddenly  Howe  broke  up  his  camp  and  marched  rapidly 
to  Philadelphia.  This  unexpected  retreat  of  an  able  general,  who, 
flushed  with  recent  victories,  had  marched  some  miles  for  the  express 
purpose  of  giving  battle,  is  a  proof  of  the  estimation  in  which  Wash- 
ington was  held  by  military  men  of  that  period. 

The  great  severity  of  the  season  now  rendered  it  necessary  that 
the  army  should  retire  into  winter  quarters.  Accordingly  on  the 
1 1th  of  December,  the  main  body  commenced  its  march  to  Valley 
Forge,  a  position  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Philadelphia,  on  the 
western  side  of  the  Schuylkill,  and  equally  distant  from  the  Dela- 
ware above  and  below  the  city.  A  permanent  camp  was  here  formed 
from  log  huts  having  the  interstices  closed  with  mortar.  In  order 
to  prevent  all  intercourse  between  the  British  army  and  the  country, 
General  Smallwood  with  his  division  took  post  at  Wilmington, 
General  Armstrong  at  Whitemarsh,  while  Colonel  Morgan  and 
numerous  troops  of  cavalry  scoured  the  whole  country  west  of  the 
Schuylkill. 


TREATY   OF   ALLIANCE  WITH   FRANCE.         55 


^JHE  sufferings  of  the  Americans  at  Valley  Forge 
^  were  more  severe  than  any  they  had  yet  experi- 
^  enced.  The  troops  were  almost  destitute  of 
5  clothing  and  proper  food.  In  this  condition  of 
3  affairs  the  commander  was  perplexed  with  the 
most  alarming  difficulties.  He  was  empowered 
to  seize  all  provisions  within  seventy  miles  of 
head-quarters,  giving  in  return  a  certificate 
redeemable  by  the  United  States.  No  funds  were  provided  to  meet 
these  demands,  and  as  Sir  William  Howe  paid  liberally  in  gold  and 
silver  for  all  that  was  conveyed  into  the  city,  murmurs  naturally 
arose,  which  tended  much  to  diminish  the  popularity  of  the  American 
cause.  Washington  exerted  his  authority  to  collect  such  supplies  as 
were  absolutely  necessary  ;  but  his  conduct  was  loudly  complained 
of  by  the  people  for  its  rigor,  and  by  Congress  for  its  lenity.  The 
discontents  increased  to  such  an  extent,  that  at  length  an  organized 
conspiracy  against  the  general-in-chief,  was  formed  by  several  mili- 
tary officers  and  members  of  Congress.  The  triumph  of  General 
Gates  at  Saratoga  was  urged  as  evidence  of  what  might  be  expected 
from  a  change  in  the  command  of  the  main  army  ;  and  the  conduct 
of  that  officer  left  no  doubt  of  his  giving  encouragement  to  the  dis- 
affected. But  the  conspirators  soon  found  that  the  affections  of  the 
American  people  were  too  firmly  rooted  upon  their  tried  leader  to  be 
shaken  by  the  feeble  breath  of  faction.  Their  efforts  recoiled  upon 
themselves,  and  even  the  northern  army,  which  had  won  its  laurels 
under  Gates,  now  clung  to  Washington. 

During  these  transactions,  the  whole  country  was  filled  with  exulta 
tion  by  the  arrival  of  official  intelligence,  that  a  treaty  of  alliance, 
commerce  and  friendship,  had  been  signed  between  the  king  of 
France  and  the  United  States.  The  British  government  treated  this 
act  as  a  declaration  of  war. 

While  the  army  lay  at  Valley  Forge,  its  scouts  were  so  active  in 
cutting  off  communication  between  the  city  and  country,  and  inter 
cepting  supplies  to  the  British,  that  Sir  William  Howe  frequently 
found  himself  reduced  to  the  greatest  distress. 

The  last  important  enterprise  undertaken  by  the  English  general 
was  an  attempt  to  surprise  Lafayette  at  Barren  Hill.  Failing  in  this, 
he  resigned  the  command  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  As  the  probable 
approach  of  a  French  fleet,  rendered  Philadelphia  a  dangerous  posi- 
tion ;  this  officer  resolved  to  evacuate  the  city,  and  withdraw  the 
whole  British  force  from  the  Delaware. 

The  arrangements  for  this  important  movement  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  commander-in-chief,  who  instantly  commenced  active 


56 


WA  SHINGTON. 


preparations  to  impede  the  enemy's  march  through  New  Jersey.  On 
the  17th  of  June,  1778,  the  British  army  crossed  the  Delaware  and 
slowly  moved  toward  New  York,  Immediately  after,  Washington 
crossed  at  Coryell's  ferry  with  a  force  about  equal  to  that  of  the 
British,  and  by  occupying  the  higher  grounds,  preserved  the  power 
of  giving  or  avoiding  battle.  The  former  course  had  been  declared 
unadvisable  by  a  council  of  war.    General  Lee  declared  that  independ- 


Council  of  "War  before  the  Battle  of  Monmouth. 


ence  was  now  sure,  but  that  it  might  be  lost  by  the  ruin  of  the  army, 
which  would  probably  follow  an  attack  on  the  British.  Thirteen 
officers  favored  this  opinion  ;  it  was  opposed  by  Wayne,  Cadwalader 
and  Greene,  and  partially  by  Lafayette.  With  the  latter  General 
Washington  coincided,  and  resolved  to  risk  a  battle  at  all  hazards. 

Early  on  the  28th,  Sir  Henry  broke  up  his  encampment  near 
Monmouth  Court  House,  and  continued  his  retreat.  The  baggage 
was  in  front  under  General  Knyphausen,  while  the  strength  of  the 
army  formed  the  rear  division  under  the  especial  command  of  Lord 
Cornwallis.  As  the  British  were,  then  within  twelve  miles  of  the 
heights  of  Middletown,  where  they  would  be  in  perfect  security, 
Washington  ordered  Lee  to  attack  their  rear  the  moment  it  was  in 
motion.  Lee  did  so,  and  the  rear  of  the  Americans  moved  rapidly 
forward  to  support  him.     Washington  rode  on,  full  of  hope  and  con- 


BATTLE      OF      MONMOUTH.  57 

fidence,  when  to  his  utter  astonishment  he  perceived  the  front  in  full 
retreat,  without  fighting,  or  exhibiting  any  reasons  for  so  unexpected 
a  movement.  Some  warm  expressions  to  General  Lee,  exhibited  the 
strong  displeasure  of  the  commander,  and  instant  measures  were 
adopted  for  arresting  the  advance  of  the  English,  and  for  reforming 
the  disordered  troops.  The  comm.ander  exerted  himself  in  a  manner 
as  unusual  to  him  as  it  was  effective.  He  had  determined  on  victory, 
and  now  he  struggled  with  fortune  for  her  reluctant  gift.  His  whole 
form  was  convulsed  with  excitement,  as  galloping  from  rank  to  rank, 
amid  showers  of  death,  and  mangled  forms,  and  wildest  uproar,  he 
shouted  to  his  legions  to  re-form.  At  the  sound  of  that  beloved  voice, 
each  soldier  forgot  his  fear,  and  turned  in  the  very  face  of  the  pursuing 
foe.     The  tide  of  victory  turned  w^th  them. 

The  left  wing  and  second  line  were  drawn  up  on  an  eminence, 
covered  in  front  by  a  morass.  Lord  Sterling,  who  commanded  the 
former,  with  the  aid  of  Charrington's  artillery  repulsed  the  attack  of 
a  British  column,  and  effectually  checked  their  forward  movement. 
The  enemy  then  endeavored  to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  Americans, 
but  were  roughly  repulsed.  Another  attempt  on  the  left  was  defeated 
with  loss,  by  the  judicious  advance  of  the  artillery  and  infantry  under 
Greene.  At  this  moment  of  confusion,  Wayne  rushed  forward  with 
his  artillery,  and  drove  back  the  enemy  to  the  ground  they  had  occu- 
pied in  the  morning.  Here  the  flanks  were  covered  by  morasses  and 
thick  woods,  and  their  front  w^as  accessible  only  by  a  narrow  passage 
but  notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  which  were  increased  by  tho 
heat  of  the  day  and  the  fatigue  of  the  troops,  Washington  resolved 
immediately  to  renew  the  battle.  The  artillery  was  advanced  and 
opened  on  the  British  flank.  General  Poor  with  his  own  brigade  and 
that  of  North  Carolina,  was  ordered  to  turn  the  right  flank  of  the 
enemy,  while  Woodward's  brigade  was  directed  against  their  left. 
Unfortunately  the  impediments  of  the  ground  protracted  the  comple- 
tion of  these  dispositions  until  the  approach  of  night,  for  which  reason 
the  action  was  discontinued  with  the  intention  of  re-commencing  it 
on  the  ensuing  morning.  The  flanking  brigades  remainedilin  their 
respective  positions  ;  and  V/ashington  passed  the  night  in  his  cloak, 
surrounded  by  his  soldiers,  who  bivouacked  on  the  battle  field. 
During  the  night  however  the  British  silently  decamped,  and  before 
daylight  were  so  near  the  heights  of  Middletown  as  to  render  pursuit 
useless. 

Both  parties  claimed  a  victory  at  Monmouth,  but  the  advantages 
were  undoubtedly  with  the  Americans.  Clinton  effected  his  retreat 
and  saved  his  baggage  ;  but  the  Americans,  after  the  check  of  Lee's 
van,  repulsed  the  en«emy,  became  in  turn  the  assailants,  and  were 


58  WASHINGTON. 

only  prevented  from  continuing  the  engagement,  by  the  midnight 
retreat  of  the  British.  The  American  loss  was  eight  officers,  and 
sixty-one  privates  killed,  and  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  wounded. 
The  English  army  suffered  more  than  double  that  amount,  losing  in 
the  course  of  their  retreat  one  hundred  prisoners,  and  nearly  one 
thousand  deserters. 

For  his  behavior  to  Washington  on  the  battle  field,  and  subse- 
quently. General  Lee  was  suspended  from  the  army  for  a  year.  This 
ended  his  military  career. 

The  thanks  of  Congress  were  voted  to  Washington  and  his  army 
for  their  conduct  at  Monmouth.  "  Never,"  says  Lafayette,  "  was 
General  Washington  greater  in  war  than  in  this  action.  His  presence 
stopped  the  retreat ;  his  dispositions  fixed  the  victory.  His  fine 
appearance  on  horseback — his  calm  courage,  roused  by  the  vexa- 
tion of  the  morning,  gave  him  the  interest  calculated  to  excite 
enthusiasm." 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  the  wisdom  of  the  English 
commander  in  evacuating  Philadelphia  became  apparent.  Count 
D'Estaing  appeared  off  the  coast  of  Virginia  with  a  fleet  of  twelve 
ships  of  the  line  and  six  frigates,  having  on  board  a  respectable  body 
of  land  troops.  The  original  plan  of  these  allies  had  been  to  attack 
the  British  naval  force  in  the  Delaware,  and  to  unite  with  Washington 
in  a  general  assault  upon  their  lines  at  Philadelphia.  A  passage 
unusually  tempestuous  had  defeated  this  well  conceived  plan,  and 
probably  saved  the  whole  British  force.  The  French  fleet  after- 
wards sailed  for  Newport. 

Some  unimportant  skirmishes  took  place  in  the  autumn,  but  nothing 
of  importance  was  effected  until  December,  when  the  Americans 
retired  into  winter  quarters,  the  main  army  occupying  both  sides  of 
the  North  river  about  West  Point,  and  at  Middlebrook,  New  Jersey. 

The  first  enterprise  proposed  by  Congress  for  the  ensuing  campaign, 
was  a  decisive  movement  against  the  western  Indians.  The  settle- 
ment ^  Wyoming  in  Pennsylvania  had  been  completely  destroyed 
by  a  "rody  of  tories  and  savages  under  Colonel  John  Butler,  and  the 
Indian  chief  Brandt ;  while  in  other  parts,  of  the  frontier  the  toma- 
hawk and  scalping  knife  had  been  employed  with  such  fearful 
barbarity  as  to  render  this  expeclition  of  primary  importance.  The 
Onondagos  and  Six  Nations  were  effectually  chastised  by  Colonel 
Van  Schaick  and  General  Sullivan.  \ 

In  May,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  moved  up  the  North  river,  threatened 
an  invasion  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  captured  Fort  Fayette  and 
Stony  Point.  The  recapture  of  the  latter  place  by  General  Wayne, 
was  one  of  the  most  brilhant  achievements  of  the  revolution. 


TREASON      OF     ARNOLD. 


59 


EST  POINT  now  became  a  most  impor- 
tant post  to  the  American  cause,  on 
account  of  its  commanding  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river.  It  was  menaced  by 
the  British  armament,  and  most  proba- 
bly owed  its  safety  to  the  prompt  opera- 
tions of  Washington,  who  had  closely 
followed  the  enemy's  movements,  and 
so  posted  his  army  as  to  deter  them 
from  a  further  prosecution  of  the  enter- 
prise. 

No  other  event  of  great  importance  took  place  between  the  main 
armies  this  year.  The  Americans  passed  the  winter,  (1779-80,) 
near  West  Point  and  Middlebrook,  the  British  in  New  York.  The 
sufferings  of  the  Americans  during  the  winter  were  extreme.  The 
army  sometimes  remained  for  several  successive  days  without  meat, 
and  the  pay  was  five  months  in  arrear,  with  no  prospect  of  .liquida- 
tion. Some  of  the  Connecticut  regiments  mutinied  ;  and  numbers 
were  daily  retiring  at  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  enlistment.  By 
actual  returns  made  on  the  3d  of  June,  the  army  under  Washington's 
immediate  control,  included  only  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  men  fit  for  duty.  On  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  by  the 
return  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the  British  force  in  New  York  counted 
twelve  thousand  regulars  ready  for  immediate  action. 

The  arrival  of  Count  Rochambeau  and  his  army  in  July,  found 
the  Americans  not  only  unprepared  for  active  operations,  but  with- 
out any  certainty  as  to  the  strength  of  the  expected  forces  of  the 
states.  An  attack  upon  New  York  was  planned,  but  not  executed, 
and  much  to  the  mortification  of  Washington,  the  season  passed 
away  without  any  active  operations.  It  will  ever  be  noted,  how^ever, 
for  one  event,  perhaps  the  most  singular,  certainly  the  most  unlooked 
for,  of  the  whole  war.     This  was  the  treason  of  Benedict  Arnold. 

By  his  courage,  fortitude,  and  active  services,  this  officer  had  won 
the  esteem  of  the  nation,  and  was  entrusted  with  the  important  com- 
mand of  West  Point.  Pecuniary  distress  produced  by  thoughtless 
prodigality,  led  a  mind  not  fortified  by  honorable  principle  into 
the  crime  of  peculation.  By  the  assistance  of  Major  Andre,  he 
carried  on  a  clandestine  intercourse  with  Clinton,  but  was  frustrated 
in  his  plans,  and  obliged  to  fly.  Major  Andre  was  captured,  and 
shared  the  fate  which  should  have  befallen  Arnold.  Perhaps  no 
event  of  the  whole  war  was  so  deeply  painful  to  Washington  as  the 
fate  of  this  unfortunate  young  man. 

The  chivalrous  generosity  of  Washington's  character  was  exhibited 


60  WAS  H  I  N  G  T  O  N. 

in  a  small  incident  connected  with  these  transactions.  Mrs.  Arnold 
A\as  left  by  her  husband's  flight  in  the  most  distressing  agonies. 
Every  effort  was  made  to  overtake  the  traitor ;  but  as  soon  as  his 
escape  was  ascertained,  the  commander  announced  it  to  the  unfortu- 
nate lady  in  a  respectful  message.  It  reflects  honor  on  the  American 
character,  that  at  this  moment  of  excitement  Mrs,  Arnold  was  allowed 
to  proceed  to  Philadelphia,  collect  her  husband's  property  and  rejoin 
him  in  New  York,  not  only  without  the  least  interruption  or  insult, 
but  with  all  the  assistance  her  convenience  required. 

Early  in  December,  the  Americans  retired  into  winter  quarters 
near  Morristown,  and  on  the  Hudson.  A  serious  revolt  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania line,  [January,  1781,]  threatened  disastrous  consequences, 
and  was  quelled  with  difficulty. 

In  the  spring,  Arnold  invaded  Virginia,  and  after  committing 
various  devastations,  was  joined  by  Lord  Cornwallis.  Lafayette 
acted  against  them ;  but  his  force  was  so  small,  that  on  one  occasion, 
he  escaped  capture  only  by  the  most  active  manoeuvring.  Cornwallis 
did  not  pursue  his  advantage,  but  retired,  first  to  Portsmouth,  and 
afterwards  to  Yorktown,  which  he  proceeded  to  fortify. 

Meanwhile,  active  preparations  were  going  on  for  a  grand  com- 
bined attack  upon  New  York.  That  city  was  protected  by  a  force 
of  eleven  thousand  men  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  The  prospect  of 
a  blow  which  would  finish  the  war,  excited  many  of  the  states  to 
new  exertions  in  order  to  raise  the  required  supplies.  Such,  how- 
ever, was  the  low  ebb  of  public  credit,  that  probably,  but  for  a  private 
citizen,  the  active  preparations  for  the  campaign  would  have  been 
frustrated.  That  citizen  was  Robert  Morris,  a  princely  merchant, 
such  as  few  countries  have  ever  possessed,  and  one  who  united  to 
immense  wealth  and  credit,  the  talents  and  foresight  of  a  statesman. 

It  was  soon  ascertained,  however,  that  the  destination  of  the 
French  fleet  under  Count  de  Grasse,  was  not  New  York,  but  the 
Chesapeake  ;  and  numerous  other  events  tended  to  damp  the  hopes 
of  Washington.  But  he  was  soon  relieved  by  intelligence  of  the 
brilliant  success  of  General  Greene  in  the  south,  and  that  Lord  Corn- 
wallis had  been  driven  into  Yorktown.  He  therefore  began  to  think 
seriously  of  changing  his  plan,  and  though  still  keeping  up  appear- 
ances before  New  York,  to  march  rapidly  toward  Yorktown  and 
capture  Cornwallis  before  succor  could  reach  him  from  the  main 
army. 

The  execution  of  this  admirable  plan  was  immediately  commenced 
By  various  stratagems.  Sir  Henry  was  completely  deceived,  and 
even  after  the  Americans  had  begun  their  march  southward,  imagined 
H  to  be  but  a  feint  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  him  from  his  position. 


BATTLE      OF      YORKTOWN. 


63 


The  whole  French  force  with  more  than  two  thousand  continentals 
marched  upon  this  expedition,  leaving  the  defence  of  the  Hudson  to 
Major  General  Heath- 
After  a  personal  interview  with  the  Count  de  Grasse,  during 
which  the  plan  of  attack  was  arranged,  Washington,  Rochambeau, 
and  other  officers  proceeded  towards  Yorktown.  On  the  25th  of 
December,  1781,  the  last  division  of  the  army  landed  in  James 
River,  and  soon  after  the  siege  w^as  commenced  in  form.  Including 
mihtia,  the  besiegers  numbered  sixteen  thousand  men. 

York  is  a  small  town  on  the  south  side  of  a  broad  river  of  the 
same  name,  in  which  a  ship  of  the  line  can  lie  in  safety.  On  the 
north  bank  opposite  to  the  town  is  Gloucester  Point,  a  long  neck  of 
land  running  far  into  the  river,  and  approaching  within  a  mile  of 
York.  Both  these  positions  were  fortified  by  the  British,  and  the 
communication  between  them  preserved  by  batteries  and  vessels  of 
war.  The  main  army  lay  around  York,  under  cover  of  redoubts  and 
fiield  works,  while  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dundas  with  nearly  seven  hun- 
dred men  occupied  Gloucester.  The  French  General  de  Chois6  was 
appointed  to  watch  the  latter  place,  and  after  a  spirited  action  com- 
pelled the  enemy  to  retire  within  their  fortifications. 

On  the  28th,  the  allies  advanced  by  diiferent  roads,  to  occupy  the 
ground  fixed  upon.  The  British  piquets  and  cavalry  were  driven  in, 
and  a  further  movement  on  the  following  day,  induced  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  to  abandon  his  outer  lines.  These  were  occupied  by  the  alKes, 
who  thus  completed  the  investment.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of 
October,  the  trenches  of  the  first  parallel  were  commenced,  vrithin 
six  hundred  yards  of  the  works  ;  and  by  the  10th,  several  redoubts 
and  batteries  were  completed.  The  fire  of  the  besiegers  then  became 
so  heavy  that  scarcely  a  shot  was  returned,  and  the  Charon  of  forty- 
four  guns,  with  three  large  transports,  was  destroyed  by  shells  and 
red-hot  balls.  The  high  spirit  of  esteem  and  emulation  existing 
between  the  allies,  produced  the  most  beneficial  effects  upon  the 
activity  of  all  the  operations.  On  the  night  of  the  1 1th,  the  distance 
between  the  belligerents  was  reduced  one  half,  by  the  commence- 
ment of  the  second  parallel ;  but  the  fire  of  the  garrison  became 
destructive  from  several  newly  opened  embrasures,  and  particularly 
from  two  advanced  redoubts.  On  the  14th,  one  of  these  was  stormed 
by  the  Americans  under  Lafayette,  and  the  other  by  Baron  Viominel 
and  the  French  troops.  Both  works  were  carried  without  discharging 
a  gun,  and  their  cannon  turned  on  the  garrison.  One  hundred  pieces 
of  artillery  were  now  ready  to  open  on  the  following  morning. 

Cornwallis  was  now  in  a  most  perilous  situation  ;  his  works  were 
almost  ruined,  and  he  foresaw  too  plainly  the  terrible  effects  that 


64 


WASHINGTON. 


would  follow  the  opening-  of  such  a  train.  On  the  evening  of  the 
1 6th,  a  sortie  was  attempted,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  two  bat- 
teries ;  but  the  troops  were  compelled  to  retire  without  having 
effected  any  thing  of  importance.  The  enterprising  commander 
then  formed  the  daring  resolution  of  abandoning  his  sick  and  wounded, 
crossing  York  river  by  night,  routing  de  Chois6  at  Gloucester  Point, 


Surrender  of  Cornwallis. 

and  pushing  by  forced  marches  for  New  York.  This  movement  was 
in  full  progress,  and  part  of  the  army  had  actually  landed  at  Glou- 
cester, when  a  storm  dispersed  the  boats,  and  compelled  the  return 
of  the  British  general  to  his  former  desperate  situation. 

On  the  following  morning,  (17th,)  the  garrison  beat  a  parley,  and 
negotiations  commenced  for  a  capitulation.  On  the  19th,  both  the 
British  posts,  with  more  than  seven  thousand  men,  and  all  the  mili- 
tary stores,  surrendered  to  General  Washington.  The  shipping  and 
seamen  were  yielded  to  the  Count  de  Grasse. 

The  total  loss  of  the  British  in  killed  and  wounded  was  about  five 
hundred  ;  that  of  the  Americans  three  hundred. 

The  news  of  this  event  was  received  throughout  the  Union  with  a 
burst  of  exultation.  Congress  voted  their  thanks  to  General  Wash- 
ington, Count  Rochambeau  and  Count  de  Grasse,  and  their  respective 


EXECUTION      OF      CAPTAIN      HUDDY.  65 

forces.  Trophies  weie  voted  to  the  three  commanders,  and  a  day 
of  thanksgiving  to  Divine  Providence  appointed.  The  state  legis- 
latures, and  other  public  bodies,  adopted  similar  resolutions. 

After  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  Washington  returned  with  the 
American  forces  to  New  York,  and  the  French  troops  remained  in 
Virginia.  The  commander  immediately  urged  upon  Congress  the 
necessity  of  making  active  preparations  to  improve  the  late  important 
victory,  so  as  to  finish  the  war  in  the  following  campaign.  The 
same  difficulties,  however,  which  had  ever  cramped  the  movements 
of  that  body,  continued  to  operate — want  of  funds,  want  of  credit, 
want  of  energy.  Notwithstanding  the  faithful  exhortations  of  Wash- 
ington, the  year  1782  passed  away  in  absolute  idleness  ;  and  a 
feeling  was  daily  gaining  ground  that  the  war  would  soon  be  brought 
to  a  close. 

An  event  of  secondary  interest,  which  occurred  just  before  the 
close  of  the  war,  deserves  mention,  inasmuch  as  it  not  only  exhibits 
the  popular  feeling  at  that  time,  but  also  places  in  a  strong  light,  the 
cautious  vigilance  of  Washington,  whenever  the  safety  of  his  people 
required  it. 

An  association  of  American  refugees  had  been  formed  by  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  for  the  purpose  of  retaliating  on  the  Americans,  and  reim- 
bursing their  losses  sustained  during  the  war.  A  party  of  these 
captured  Captain  Joshua  Huddy,  and  after  keeping  him  in  close 
custody  for  nineteen  days,  hung  him  under  circumstances  of  aggra- 
vated cruelty.  Washington  immediately  wrote  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
demanding  the  murderers  under  penalty  of  retaliation.  This  was 
refused,  and  lots  were  cast  between  the  British  prisoners  for  a  subject 
of  retaliation.  The  lot  fell  upon  Captain  Asgill,  a  young  man  but 
twenty  years  of  age,  of  respectable  family,  and  considerable  acquire- 
ments. Meanwhile  Sir  Guy  Carleton  assumed  command  of  the 
British  forces,  and  a  court-martial  was  appointed  for  the  trial  of 
Captain  Lippencott,  who  was  supposed  to  be  the  principal  agent  in 
executing  Huddy.  As  it  appeared  that  this  individual  acted  under 
orders  from  the  associate  royalists,  and  not  from  malice  or  ill  will,  he 
was  acquitted.  Soon  after.  Sir  Guy  broke  up  the  society  of  refugees, 
and  thus  removed  the  probability  of  future  retaliation.  Washington 
however  still  persisted  in  his  determination,  although  he  allowed  the 
unfortunate  Asgill  every  amelioration  which  his  circumstances  de- 
manded. 

Some  months  after  the  execution  of  Huddy,  Washington  received 
a  letter  from  the  Count  de  Yergennes  interceding  for  Captain  Asgill, 
which  was  accompanied  by  a  pathetic  one  from  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Asgill.  The  French  king  and  queen,  also  interceded  for  him.  Copies 

5 


66 


WASHINGTON. 


i 


Captain  AsgilL 


of  these  letters  were  forwarded  to  Congress,  who  soon  after  resolved 
that  the  commander-in-chief  be  directed  to  set  Captam  Asgill  at 
liberty.  Accordingly,  after  having  received  every  indulgence,  the 
captain  was  permitted  to  join  his  friends  in  New  York. 

Early  in  1783  a  definite  treaty  of  peace,  acknowledging  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States,  was  signed  by  Great  Britain,  and 
transmitted  by  Dr.  Franklin  to  America.  Washington  proclaimed 
it  to  the  army  in  April,  just  eight  years  after  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
America  had  achieved  her  independence,  but  dangers  more  formidable 
than  a  struggle  with  Britain  now  stared  her  in  the  face.  Hitherto 
common  dangers  had  produced  general  interests  ;  now  this  tie  no 
longer  existed ;  and,  destitute  of  a  national  government,  or  mutual 
credit,  the  avenues  to  dissension  and  civil  war  were  flung  widely 
open.  Happily,  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  the  great  man  who 
had  successfully  conducted  them  through  the  war  of  independence, 


MOUNT   VERNON. 


67 


Mount  'Vernon. 


was  unshaken  ;  and  on  him  all  classes  now  leaned,  as  the  supporting 
pillar  of  the  new  republic. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  at  the  city  of  New  York,  Washington 
took  leave  of  his  long-tried  army.  Its  disbandment  by  a  government 
unable  to  settle  arrears,  or  to  furnish  a  single  month's  pay  in  order 
to  transport  the  soldiers  to  their  homes,  forms  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable events  of  our  history.  But  the  beloved  name  of  Washing 
ton  calmed  every  murmur,  and  cheered  every  heart.  His  own 
emotions  on  the  occasion  were  too  strong  to  be  concealed.  Tears 
stood  in  every  eye,  and  not  a  word  disturbed  the  solemnity  of  the 
sublime  spectacle  :  then,  after  parting  with  the  officers,  the  war-worn 
commander  embarked  in  a  barge  and  waved  his  hat :  the  assembled 
veterans  answered  with  the  same  respectful  and  affectionate  farewell, 
and  returned  to  their  homes  in  silent  melancholy. 

After  resigning  his  office  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army 
(December  23d),  Washington  retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  followed  by 
the  veneration  and  love  of  his  grateful  countrymen.  "  I  feel  myself 
eased,"  was  his  language  on  this  occasion,  "  of  a'^load  of  public  care, 
and  hope  to  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days  in  cultivating  the  affec- 
tions of  all  good  men,  and  in  the  practice  of  domestic  virtue." 

Here,  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  amid  the  scenes  of  his  youth- 
ful enjoyments,  Washington  desired  to  pass  the  residue  of  his  life. 
Resolutions,  letters,  votes  of  esteem,  etc.,  from  all  parts  of  the  Union, 
continually  disturbed,  however,  the  quiet  of  his  retirement.  Unani- 
mous votes  for  the  erection  of  his  statue  were  adopted  both  by  Con- 
gress and  the  Virginia  legislature,  and  the  latter  presented  him  with 


68  WAS  HIN  GTO  N. 

one  hundred  and  fifty  shares  in  a  public  improvement ;  but  the  gift 
was  declined,  otherwise  than  as  a  trust  for  the  general  welfare. 

When  the  situation  of  the  country  imperatively  demanded  a  change 
of  government,  Washington  was  chosen  president  of  the  convention 
which  assembled  at  Philadelphia  to  frame  a  constitution.  When 
this  instrument  was  adopted,  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  Washington 
as  the  first  president,  each  feeling  that  without  him  the  great  experi- 
ment of  free  government  would  be  but  a  feeble  attempt.  "  It  is  to 
little  purpose,"  remarked  Alexander  Hamilton,  "  to  introduce  a 
system,  if  the  weightiest  influence  is  not  given  to  its  firm  establish- 
ment in  the  outset." 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1789,  his  unanimous  election  was  announced 
to  the  president  at  Mount  Vernon.  He  heard  it  with  unfeigned 
regret,  but  did  not  consider  that  his  love  of  private  life' should  inter- 
fere with  so  solemn  a  call  from  his  country.  The  state  of  his  mind 
at  setting  out  for  the  capital,  is  displayed  by  the  following  extract 
from  his  diary.  "  About  ten  o'clock  I  bade  adieu  to  Mount  Vernon, 
to  private  life,  and  to  domestic  felicity,  with  a  mind  oppressed  with 
more  anxious  and  painful  sensations  than  I  have  words  to  express." 

On  the  30th  of  April  his  inauguration  took  place. 

The  administration  of  Washington  was  marked  by  great  and  stir- 
ring events.  It  completed  the  foundation  of  the  United  States,  gave 
her  union  at  home,  and  respectability  abroad.  Every  department 
leaned  on  the  president,  and  officers  and  people  received  his  opinions 
and  views  as  oracles.  He  restored  revenue  to  his  country,  and  laid 
the  basis  of  its  treasury  ;  tamed  the  Indians  of  the  west,  and  united 
all  parties  into  a  neutrality  with  respect  to  the  European  powers. 
When  the  French  revolution  broke  out,  he  alone  saved  the  country 
from  a  war  in  which  it  was  eager  to  rush,  and  which,  in  all  human 
probability,  would  have  sealed  its  destruction.  When  Genet  would 
have  frustrated  his  caution  by  appealing  from  the  president  to  the 
people,  he  awed  him  into  silence  by  the  dignity  of  his  deportment. 
This  was  the  most  delicate  period  of  his  life.  Sympathy  with  a 
gallant  ally,  who  was  supposed  to  be  struggling  for  th-at  independence 
which  she  had  helped  us  to  gain,  had  created  a  strong  party  favorable 
to  France,  who  regarded  any  position  short  of  actual  warfare  with 
her  rival,  as  ungrateful  and  dishonorable.  At  the  same  time  the 
mercantile  community  loudly  complained  of  their  embarrassed  com- 
merce ;  the  west  threatened  disunion  because  they  were  barred  from 
the  natural  outlet  of  their  produce  ;  while  the  insurrectionary  resist- 
ance to  the  excise  law  in  Pennsylvania  was  subdued  only  by  military 
force. 

Amid  all  these  diflliculties  the  President  remained  firm,  neither 


HIS      DEATH. 


69 


swayed  by  the  insults  of  Genet  on  one  siae,  nor  the  clamors  against 
England  on  the  other.  Time  justified  his  policy.  A  treaty  of  amity 
was  negotiated  with  Great  Britain  by  Mr.  Jay  ;  another  with  Algiers , 
and  a  third  with  Spain,  settling,  the  important  points  of  boundary  and 
the  Mississippi  question.     France  still  continued  refractory. 

In  1796,  the  second  term  of  President  Washington  expired,  and 
no  argument  could  induce  him  to  accept  of  a  re-election.  After  the 
inauguration  of  his  successor,  Mr.  Adams,  (March  4th,  1797,)  he 
retired  from  the  arena  of  public  life. 

Washington  died  December  15th,  1799,  of  an  inflammatory  sore 
throat,  caused  by  exposure  to  a  slight  rain.  When  the  solemn  hour 
drew  nigh,  he  with  much  difficulty  addressed  his  friend  Dr.  Craik, 
"  Doctor,  I  am  dying,  and  I  have  been  dying  for  a  long  time,  but  I  am 
not  afraid  to  die." 

The  intelligence  of  this  melancholy  event  produced  a  sensation 
throughout  the  Union,  greater  than  that  ever  experienced  on  any 
other  similar  occasion.  Congress  immediately  adjourned.  The 
speaker's  chair  was  shrouded  in  black,  and  the  members  wore 
mourning  during  the  remainder  of  the  session.  An  immense  con- 
course of  citizens  attended  his  funeral.  Congress  passed  resolutions 
declaring  him  "  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
fellow  citizens."  "On  this  occasion,"  said  the  address  of  the  Senate, 
"  it  is  manly  to  weep  ;  to  lose  such  a  man,  at  such  a  crisis,  is  no 
common  calamity  to  the  world.  Our  country  mourns  a  father.  The 
Almighty  Disposer  of  human  events,  has  taken  from  us  our  greatest 
benefactor  and  ornament.  It  becomes  us  to  submit  with  reverence 
to  Him,  who  maketh  the  darkness  his  pavilion." 

The  remains  of  Washington  were  deposited,  according  to  his 
request,  in  the  old  family  vault  at  Mount  Vernon.  They  were  at 
first  enclosed  in  a  leaden  coffin,  but  were  subsequently  placed  (Octo- 
ber 8th,  1837,)  in  a  beautiful  marble  sarcophagus,  constructed  at  his 
own  cost,  by  Mr.  Struthers,  of  Philadelphia. 

The  tomb  of  Washington  deserves  a  passing  notice.  It  consists 
of  a   simple    excavation   in  a   sloping   hill,  which  has  a  southern 


Sarcophagus  of  WashingtOD. 


70 


WASHINGTON. 


Lid  of  Sarcophagus. 

exposure  upon  a  thickly  wooded  dell.  The  walls  are  built  of  brick, 
and  arched  over  at  the  height  of  eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
ground.  The  front  of  the  tombstone  is  rough-cast,  and  has  a  plain 
iron  door  inserted  m  a  strong  freestone  casement.  Over  the  door  is 
placed  a  sculptured  stone  panel,  upon  which  are  inscribed  these 
words : — 

"I  AM  THE  RESURRECTION  AND  THE  LIFE,  HE  THAT  BELIEVETH 
IN  ME,  THOUGH  HE  WERE  DEAD,  YET  SHALL  HE  LIVE." 


Old  Tomb  of  WasMngton. 


At  a  small  distance  from  the  walls  of  the  tomb,  and  surrounding 
it  on  all  sides,  there  is  an  enclosure  of  brick-work,  elevated  to  a 
height  of  twelve  feet,  and  guarded  in  front  by  an  iron  gateway. 


WASHINGTON'S      CHARACTEK. 


71 


opening  several  feet  in  advance  of  the  vault  door.     Upon  a  plain 
slab,  inserted  in  the  brick-vi^ork  over  this  grate  is  sculptured  : 

"  WITHIN    THIS    ENCLOSURE,    REST    THE    REMAINS    OF 
GENERAL  GEORGE  WASHINGTON." 

Washington  possessed  a  fine  person,  a  stature  above  the  common 
size,  and  a  deportment  easy,  erect  and  noble.  He  was  the  best 
horseman  of  his  age,  and  the  most  graceful  figure  to  be  seen  on 
horseback.  To  these  advantages  he  united  a  constitution  vigorous 
and  capable  of  enduring  the  greatest  fatigue. 

But  it  was  the  mind  of  Washington,  which  rendered  him  immor- 
tal. If  the  greatness  of  human  character  is  to  be  estimated,  by  the 
solid  monuments  it  has  raised,  there  is  no  name  in  all  history  to 
compare  with  his.  If  asked  how  national  independence  was  achieved ; 
how  our  distressed  armies  could  escape  the  foe's  superiority,  and 
finally  triumph,  we  would  point  to  the  valor  and  prudence  of  the 
commander-in-chief.  To  his  virtue,  firmness  and  wisdom,  are  due  the 
foundation  and  successful  impulse  of  republican  government  whose 
benefits  will  be  felt,  long  after  men  have  ceased  to  admire  its  splendor 
and  wonderful  conception.  "  His  character,"  says  Jefferson,  "was  in 
its  mass  perfect,  in  nothing  bad,  in  few  points  indifferent ;  and  it 
may  truly  be  said  that  never  did  nature  and  fortune  combine  more 
perfectly  to  make  a  man  great,  and  to  place  him  in  the  same  con- 
stellation with  whatever  worthies  have  merited  from  mankind  an 
everlasting  remembrance."  So  Mr.  Adams  : — "  The  example  of 
Washington  is  now  complete  ;  it  will  teach  wisdom  and  virtue  to 
magistrates,  citizens,  and  men,  not  only  in  the  present  age,  but  in 
future  generations,  as  long  as  our  history  shall  be  read." 


Nt^w  Tomb  of  WasMngton. 


GENERAL  MONTGOMERY. 


ENERAL  RICHARD  MONTGOMERY,  the 

third  son  of  Thomas  Montgomery,  was  born 
in  1737,  or,  according  to  Armstrong,  on  the 
2d  of  December,  1736,  at  "  Convoy  House," 
near  Raphoe,  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  Little 
is  known  of  his  early  life.  When  quite  young 
he  was  placed  at  Dublin  College,  where  he 
acquired  a  good  education.  On  account  of  the  unsettled  state  of 
Europe  at  that  time,  the  principal  sphere  of  distinction  was  the  army, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  his  father,  Montgomery  entered, 
it  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

America  was  the  field  in  which  General  Montgomery  first  distin- 
guished himself  as  a  practical  soldier.  The  losses  of  the  English  in 
the  old  French  war,  had  led  to  a  change  of  cabinet,  and  under  the 
auspices  of  the  new  one,  Montgomery's  regiment  was  ordered  to 
America,  to  take  part  in  the  expedition  against  Louisburg.     They 

72 


HIS      ARRIVAL      IN      AMERICA.  75 

sailed  in  1757,  and  early  in  the  following  year  assembled  at  Halifax, 
preparatory  to  embarking  for  Louisburg.  On  the  28th  of  May,  a 
large  naval  and  military  force  under  General  Amherst  and  Admiral 
Boscavi^en  sailed  from  Halifax,  and  landed  on  Cape  Breton  Island  on 
the  8th  of  June.  The  landing  was  effected  in  boats,  amid  a  heavy 
fire  from  the  French  batteries.  The  division  of  General  Wolfe 
reached  the  shore  first,  routed  a  party  of  the  enemy,  and  covered  the 
embarkment  of  the  remainder  of  the  army.  In  this  affair  Mont- 
gomery behaved  so  bravely,  as  not  only  to  receive  the  warmest  com- 
mendations of  the  commander,  but  the  immediate  appointment  to  a 
lieutenancy. 

The  siege  of  the  fortress  was  conducted  in  a  desultory  and  unscien- 
tific manner.  Most  of  the  troops  were  but  New  England  militia, 
strangers  to  discipline  and  military  operations  ;  and  it  is  more  than 
probable,  that  even  notwithstanding  the  paucity  and  sickness  of  the 
garrison,  the  expedition  would  have  been  a  failure,  but  for  the  cow- 
ardice and  inefficiency  of  the  French  commandant.  On  the  27th  of 
July,  the  garrison  of  five  thousand  men  surrendered  a  stronghold 
on  which  years  of  labor,  and  immense  sums  of  money  had  been 
expended,  and  which  was  called  the  Gibraltar  of  America.  During 
this  whole  siege,  Montgomery  fully  maintained  the  high  opinion 
formed  of  him  at  its  commencement.  His  knowledge  of  military 
tactics,  appears  to  have  been  almost  intuitive. 

Upon  the  reception  of  news  of  Abercrombie's  defeat  at  Ticonderoga, 
General  Amherst  hurried  on  a  portion  of  his  army  to  assist  in  retriev- 
ing that  disaster.  Montgomery  was  in  this  division,  and  with  his 
fellow  officers  remained  near  Lake  Champlain  until  the  surrender 
of  Montreal,  in  1760. 

In  the  subsequent  expeditions  of  the  troops  against  Martinico 
and  Havana,  Montgomery  maintained  his  reputation  for  skill  and 
bravery,  and  amid  all  the  calamities  which  attended  the  soldiers  in  a 
tropical  climate,  he  endeared  himself  to  his  command  by  the  kindness 
and  compassion  with  which  he  administered  to  their  wants 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  Montgomery  was  permitted  to  return  to 
Europe,  where  he  remained  until  1772.  Toward  the  close  of  that 
year,  he  resigned  the  service,  sailed  for  America,  and  arrived  in 
New  York  in  the  following  January.  He  purchased  a  farm  in  the 
neighborhood  of  that  city,  but  soon  afterward  removed  to  Duchess 
county,  where  for  a  long  time  he  devoted  himself  to  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture.  While  at  the  former  place  he  married  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  R.  R.  Livingston,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  province,  and  subsequently  member  of  the  Continental  Congress. 

As  the  dispute  between  England  and  her  colonies  had  now^  become 


76  MONTG  0  MERY. 

serious,  it  was  impossible  for  an  individual  circumstanced  like  Mont- 
gomery to  remain  neutral.  Accordingly,  he  took  a  decided  part  for 
the  cause  of  freedom,  and  in  April,  1775,  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Duchess  county  in  the  delegation  to  the  first  New  York  provincial 
convention.  The  labors  of  the  convention  seem  to  have  been  rather 
tedious  and  unsatisfactory,  and  finally  resulted  in  little  good  to  the 
cause  to  espouse  which  they  had  convened. 

^OON  after  the  meeting  of  this  body,  Mont- 
gomery received  a  more  highly  important 
office  than  any  that  had  hitherto  fallen 

>  *  I     '^^mw/  ^  '\  ^^  ^^i^  lo*»  ^^^  *^^^'  ^00'  ^^  which  he  had 

^^^^      little  expectation.     In  June,  the  Continental  Con- 


gress appointed  four  major,  and  eight  brigadier 
generals,  naming  among  the  latter  Montgomery. 
His  surprise  at  the  news  of  this  flattering  distinc- 
tion was  equalled  by  his  modest  though  heartfelt 
acknowledgment  of  it ;  and  with  the  acceptance  of  that  commission 
commenced  his  brief  but  glorious  career  in  the  cause  of  freedom. 

The  name  of  Montgomery  is  inseparably  blended  with  the  history 
of  the  expedition  against  Quebec.  That  disastrous  campaign  was  a 
sad  proof  of  the  necessity  of  experience  among  the  leaders  of  so  im- 
portant and  novel  a  movement  as  the  war  of  independence.  It  was 
undertaken  upon  insufficient  data,  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence, 
all  its  movements  were  desultory,  and  almost  entirely  controlled  by 
circumstances.  Congress  was  led  to  plan  the  invasion  for  several 
reasons.  The  population  of  Canada  was  mostly  French,  and  not  ill 
disposed  either  to  assert  their  own  independence,  or  to  join  the  move- 
ments of  their  southern  brethren.  The  Indians  of  the  province  were 
far  more  numerous  than  the  whites,  and  would  take  part  with  the 
strongest  side  ;  and  in  addition  to  these,  the  contiguity  of  Canada  to 
the  colonies,  afiTorded  the  British  an  excellent  entrance  into  New  York 
and  New  England,  which  it  was  highly  important  to  close.  Had  the 
information  of  Congress  been  ample  and  correct,  and  their  means 
sufficient  to  meet  their  plans,  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  expe- 
dition would  have  been  crowned  with  success. 

The  army  was  to  enter  Canada  by  two  routes.  Its  first  division, 
consisting  of  three  thousand  men,  was  to  proceed  up  the  Sorel 
against  Forts  St.  John  and  Chamblee,  and  then  crossing  the  St. 
Lawrence,  to  capture  Montreal ;  while  a  thousand  men,  composing 
the  second  portion,  were  to  march  along  the  Kennebec  to  its  head, 
then  across  the  country  to  Quebec  in  time  to  effect  a  union  with  the 
main  army,  preparatory  to  a  simultaneous  attack  upon  that  city. 
The  whole  was  commanded  by  Major  General  Schuyler. 


INVASION      OF      CANADA. 


77 


General  Montgomery  commanded  the 
first  of  these  divisions,  and  repaired  to 
Ticonderoga  on  the  17th  of  August.  He 
here  learned  that  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  the 
mihtary  governor  of  Canada,  was  preparing 
a  naval  force  destined  to  act  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  whose  object  was,  to  prevent  the 
crossing  of  the  American  troops  after  they 
should  have  arrived  at  the  St.  Lawrence. 
As  immediate  action  was  now  of  vital  im- 
portance, he  determined  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  Isle  Aux  Noix  in  the  lake,  and  wrote  to  General 
Schuyler,  signifying  his  intention  to  that  effect,  and  entreating  his 
immediate  presence.  Without  awaiting  the  arrival  of  this  com- 
mander, he  selected  about  one  thousand  men,  and  two  pieces  of 
cannon,  and  embarked  on  the  lake,  August  26th.  The  weather  was 
so  boisterous  that  he  was  not  able  to  reach  the  island  before  the  5th 
of  September,  on  which  day  he  was  joined  by  Major  General  Schuyler, 
who  determined  upon  a  nearer  approach  to  the  enemy,  both  with  a 
view  of  reconnoitering  their  position,  and  of  enlisting  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  the  population.  This  manoeuvre  was  signally  success- 
ful, the  army  landing  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of  St.  Johns 
without  encountering  opposition.  The  troops  were  soon  formed  and 
marched  toward  the  fort.  In  this  movement,  while  fording  a  creek, 
they  met  with  a  party  of  Indians,  who  fired  upon  their  left,  and 
threw  it  into  disorder.  But  Montgomery  hastened  forward  with  the 
other  troops,  and  speedily  repulsed  the  assailants  with  some  loss. 

The  same  night  Schuyler  received  important  information  from 
an  individual,  to  all  appearances  friendly  : — whether  he  was  so  or 
not  was  never  ascertained,  but  his  account  was  afterwards  found  to 
be  widely  different  from  the  truth.  He  stated  that  the  British  had 
but  one  regular  corps  in  Canada,  who,  with  the  exception  of  fifty 
men  at  Montreal,  were  stationed  at  St.  Johns  and  Chamblee ;  that 
these  forts  were  strongly  fortified  and  abundantly  supplied  ;  that  one 
hundred  Indians  were  at  the  former,  and  a  large  body  under  Colonel 
Johnson  at  some  other  station ;  that  the  vessel  intended  for  the  lake, 
carrying  sixteen  guns,  would  sail  in  three  or  four  days ;  that  the 
American  army  need  expect  nothing  from  the  Canadians,  their  wish 
being  to  remain  neutral,  provided,  their  persons  and  property  were 
respected,  and  all  articles  furnished  by  them  or  taken  from  them, 
paid  for  in  gold  or  silver  ;  that  an  attack  upon  St.  Johns  would,  under 
present  circumstances,  be  imprudent,  and  that  it  would  be  proper  to 
return  to  the  Isle  Aux  Noix,  as,  from  that  point,  a  communication 


78 


MONTGOMERY. 


with  the  inhabitants  of  Laprairie  might  be  usefully  opened.  Every 
item  of  this  information  was  incorrect.  Most  of  the  Canadians  were 
well  disposed  toward  the  Americans,  and,  until  some  unfortunate 
conduct  of  our  army,  considerable  numbers  joined  it :  two  regiments 
were  in  Canada  instead  of  one,  and  no  large  body  of  Indians  had 
any  where  assembled. 

The  intelligence  was  submitted  to  a  council  of  war,  who  agreed 
with  the  commander  in  thinking  a  return  to  the  island  expedient. 
Here  General  Schuyler's  increasing  ill  health  rendered  him  unfit  for 
service,  and  he  retired  to  Ticonderoga,  leaving  the  command  of  the 


Euins  of  Fort  Ticonderoga. 


expedition  with  General  Montgomery.  In  his  report  to  Congress 
he  speaks  thus  of  the  latter  officer.  "  I  cannot  estimate  the  obliga- 
tions I  lie  under  to  General  Montgomery  for  the  many  important 
services  he  has  done  and  daily  does,  and  in  which  he  has  had  little 
assistance  from  me,  as  I  have  not  enjoyed  a  moment's  health  since  I 
left  Fort  George,  and  am  now  so  low  as  not  to  be  able  to  hold  the 
pen.  Should  we  not  be  able  to  do  any  thing  decisively  in  Canada, 
I  shall  judge  it  best  to  move  from  this  place,  which  is  a  very  wet 
and  unhealthy  part  of  the  country  ;  unless  I  receive  your  orders  to 
the  contrary." 


SIEGE      OF      ST.      JOHNS.  79 

ONTGOMERY  remained  at  the  island  only 
long  enough  to  receive  a  reinforcement  of 
men  and  a  few  pieces  of  artillery.  He  then 
re-embarked,  again  landed  at  St.  Johns,  and 
commenced  operations  for  its  investure 
On  the  18th  of  September,  he  marched  with 
a  party  of  five  hundred  men  to  the  north  of 
the  fort,  w^here  he  met  a  considerable  portion  of  the  garrison  return- 
ing from  a  repulse  of  an  American  party  under  Major  Brown.  A 
skirmish  ensued,  which  in  a  few  minutes  terminated  in  the  repulse 
of  the  enemy,  who  fled  in  disorder.  But  for  a  timidity  among  the 
Americans,  the  whole  party  might  have  been  captured.  In  speaking 
of  his  men,  General  Montgomery  says,  "  As  soon  as  we  saw  the 
enemy,  the  old  story  of  treachery  spread  among  the  men  ;  and  the 
cry  was,  we  are  trepanned  and  drawn  under  the  guns  of  the  fort. 
The  woodsmen  were  less  expert  in  forming  than  I  had  expected,  and 
too  many  of  them  hung  back.  Had  we  kept  more  silence  w^e  should 
have  taken  a  field  piece  or  two." 

Montgomery  now  determined  to  push  the  siege  of  St.  Johns  with 
all  possible  vigor.  In  order  to  cut  off"  supplies,  he  established  a  camp 
at  the  junction  of  the  two  roads  leading  to  Chamblee  and  Montreal, 
and  defended  it  with  a  ditch,  and  a  garrison  of  three  hundred  men. 
But  he  was  surrounded  with  difficulties.  His  artillery  was  so  light 
as  to  make  little  impression  upon  the  walls,  and  the  artillerists  were 
raw  and  unskilful.  Besides,  his  ammunition  was  almost  exhausted, 
and  the  engineer  was  as  ignorant  of  duty  as  were  the  artillerists. 
To  all  these  was  added  another  difficulty  far  greater  than  the  rest, — 
his  men,  through  constant  exposure  to  a  damp  soil  and  unhealthy 
climate,  and  unused  to  the  rules  of  war,  had  become  insubordinate, 
and  even  mutinous  ;  and  the  circumstances  in  which  the  commander 
was  placed,  eflHectually  prevented  him  from  enforcing  discipline 
This  feeling  was  openly  exhibited  in  an  attempt  of  the  general  to 
remove  the  seat  of  his  active  operations  to  the  north  side  of  the  to'WTi ; 
and  so  palpable  were  its  demonstrations  that  he  was  forced  to  com. 
promise  with  professional  dignity,  and  submit  his  own  opinion  to  that 
of  a  board  of  officers.  They  refused  to  accede  to  his  plan,  and  it 
was  for  the  time  abandoned.  Subsequently,  however,  their  consent 
was  obtained,  and  a  position  taken  to  the  north-west  of  the  fort. 

Meanwhile  an  event  took  place,  as  fortunate  as  it  was  unexpected, 
and  whose  success  decided  the  fate  of  the  garrison.  A  gentleman 
from  New  York,  named  James  Livingston,  had  resided  for  a  consider- 
able time  in  Canada,  and  by  a  proper  course  of  conduct  had  won  the 
esteem  of  a  larare  number  of  the  inhabitants.     As  he  was  known  to 


80 


MONTGOMERY. 


Sir  Guy  Carleton. 

be  favorable  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  Montgomery  determined  to 
employ  his  popularity  in  service  to  himself.  Accordingly,  at  the 
instigation  of  the  general,  he  organized  a  number  of  the  inhabitants 
into  an  armed  corps,  promising  the  protection  of  Congress  to  all 
their  movements.  In  company  with  Major  Brown,  he  speedily  made 
himself  master  of  Fort  Chamblee,  including  all  the  garrison,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-six  barrels  of  gunpowder,  and  a  large  amount 
of  military  and  other  stores.  Governor  Carleton  now  found  it  expe- 
dient to  leave  Montreal,  where  he  had  remained  during  the  siege  of 
St.  Johns,  and  attempt  deceiving  his  enemy  by  manoeuvring  in  open 
field  His  force  was  small,  and  divided  by  factions.  It  was  princi- 
pally composed  of  disaffected  militia,  with  some  Scotch  emigrants, 
and  may  be  estimated  at  about  twelve  hundred  men.  On  the  31st 
of  October  he  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  opposite  Longueil,  whence 
he  determined,  after  mustering  his  forces,  to  march  against  the 
besieging  army. 


Quetec. 

The  movements  of  Sir  Guy,  though  conducted  witn  considerable 
secrecy,  did  not  escape  the  vigilant  eye  of  Montgomery,  who  had 
for  some  time  expected  such  a  proceeding.  He  had  previously 
ordered  Warner  to  take  a  position  with  two  regiments  on  the  Longueil 
road,  ordering  him  to  patrol  that  route  carefully  and  frequently,  as 
far  as  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  to  report  daily  to  the  commanding  general 
such  information  as  he  might  be  able  to  obtain  ;  and  lastly,  to  attack 
any  party  of  the  enemy  indicating  an  intention  of  moving  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  American  camp,  or  in  that  of  the  Scotch  emigrants. 
Warner  arrived  at  Longueil  on  the  morning  of  the  same  day  that 
Carleton  was  preparing  to  cross,  but  did  not  display  his  forces  until 
the  British  had  nearly  reached  the  shore.  He  then  suddenly  opened 
upon  them  with  both  musketry  and  artillery,  killing  many  of  the 
soldiers,  and  scattering  and  disabling  the  boats.  By  a  most  fortu- 
nate coincidence,  Livingston,  Brown  and  Easton  at  the  same  time 
approached  the  only  station  of  Carleton  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
commanded  by  M' Clean,  who  broke  up  his  position  in  despair,  and 
embarking  hastily,  descended  the  river  towards  Quebec. 

The  intelligence  of  these  gratifying  events  was  immediately  com- 
municated to  General  Montgomery,  who  presented  them  in  a  written 
form  to  the  commandant  at  St.  Johns,  urging  the  impossibility  of  his 


82  MONTGOMERY. 

deriving  relief  from  Carleton,  and  the  useless  waste  of  blood  and 
treasure  that  must  attend  a  further  prolongation  of  the  siege.  After 
proper  consideration  the  garrison  surrendered. 

Montgomery  now  determined  upon  a  rapid  movement  on  Montreal, 
but  was  much  impeded  in  his  operations  by  the  disaffection  of  his 
troops,  who  claimed  immediate  discharge.  He  finally  compromised 
with  them  by  promising  their  discharge  at  Montreal ;  and  then  moved 
rapidly  upon  the  city,  where  he  displayed  so  bold  a  front  that  on  the 
12th  of  November  it  surrendered.  He  thus  obtained  possession  of 
all  the  armed  force  and  different  stores  of  the  town,  together  with 
eleven  vessels  and  their  armaments  in  the  harbor.  Previous  to  this, 
General  Carleton  had  retreated  to  his  fleet,  with  the  hope  of  making 
his  escape  through  that  avenue ;  but  finding  this  impossible,  he 
entered  a  small  boat  with  muffled  oars,  and,  under  cover  of  a  dark 
night,  passed  through  the  American  fleet  and  batteries  without  being 
perceived,  and  hurried  on  towards  Quebec.  His  escape  was  the  ruin 
of  the  Canadian  expedition. 

Part  of  the  plan  had  thus  been  successful,  but  the  advantages 
gained  showed  more  distinctly  the  difficulties  that  were  to  follow. 
Unexpected  fortune  had  placed  Montreal  at  the  disposal  of  the  in- 
vaders, but  the  strongest  city  of  Am.erica  was  yet  in  possession  of 
their  enemy,  and  its  capture  was  absolutely  indispensable  to  the 
subjugation  of  the  province.  The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  to 
R.  R.  Livingston,  then  member  of  Congress,  are  a  faithful  picture  of 
the  embarrassments  under  which  he  labored. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  that  till  Quebec  is  taken,  Canada  is  uncon- 
quered  ;  and  that  to  accomplish  this,  we  must  resort  to  siege,  invest- 
ment, or  storm.  The  first  of  these  is  out  of  the  question,  from  the 
difficulty  of  making  trenches  in  a  Canadian  winter,  and  the  greater 
difficulty  of  living  in  them  if  we  could  make  them  ;  secondly,  from 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  which,  as  I  am  at  present  instructed,  renders 
mining  impracticable,  and  were  this  otherwise,  from  the  want  of  an 
engineer  having  sufficient  skill  to  direct  the  process ;  and  thirdly, 
from  the  fev^mess  and  lightness  of  our  artillery,  which  is  quite  unfit 
to  break  walls  like  those  of  Quebec.  Investment  has  fewer  objections, 
and  might  be  sufficient  were  we  able  to  shut  out  entirely  from  the 
garrison  and  town  the  necessary  supplies  of  food  and  fuel  during  the 
winter  ;  but  to  do  this  well,  (the  enemy's  works  being  very  extensive 
and  offering  many  avenues  to  the  neighboring  settlements,)  will 
require  a  large  army  ;  and  from  present  appearances  mine  will  not, 
when  brought  together,  much,  if  at  all,  exceed  eight  hundred  com- 
batants. Of  Canadians  I  might  be  able  to  get  a  considerable  number, 
provided  I  had  hard  money  with  which  to  clothe  and  feed  them,  and 


ATTACK      ON      QUEBEC. 


83 


pay  their  wages  :  but  this  is  wanting.     Unless,  therefore,  I  am  soon 
and  amply  reinforced,  investment,  like  siege,  must  be  given  up. 

O  the  storming  plan,  there 
are  fewer  objections;  and 
to  this  we  must  come  at 
last.  If  my  force  be  small, 
Carleton's  is  not  great 
The  extensiveness  of  his 
works,  which  in  case  cf 
investment,  would  favor 
him,  will  in  the  other 
case  favor  us.  Masters 
of  our  secret,  we  may 
select  a  particular  time 
and  place  for  attack,  and 
to  repel  this,  the  garrison 
must  be  prepared  at  all 
times  and  places  ;  a  cir- 
cumstance which  will  im- 
pose upon  it  incessant  watching,  and  labor  by  day  and  by  night, 
which,  in  its  undisciplined  state,  must  breed  discontents  that  may 
compel  Carleton  to  capitulate,  or  perhaps  to  make  an  attempt  to 
drive  us  off.  In  this  last  idea  there  is  a  glimmering  of  hope.  Wolfe's 
success  was  a  lucky  hit,  or  rather  a  series  of  such  hits.  All  sober 
and  scientific  calculation  was  against  him  until  Montcalm,  permitting 
his  courage  to  get  the  better  of  his  discretion,  gave  up  the  advantages 
of  his  fortress  and  came  out  to  try  his  strength  on  the  plain.  Carle- 
ton,  who  was  Wolfe's  quartermaster-general,  understands  this  w^ell, 
and  it  is  to  be  feared,  will  not  follow  the  Frenchman's  example.  In 
all  these  views  you  will  discover  much  uncertainty  ;  but  of  one  thing 
you  may  be  sure,  that  unless  we  do  something  before  the  middle  of 
April,  the  game  will  be  up  ;  because,  by  that  time  the  river  may  open 
and  let  in  supplies  and  reinforcements  to  the  garrison,  in  spite  of 
anything  we  can  do  to  prevent  it  ;  and  again,  because  my  troops  are 
not  engaged  beyond  that  term,  and  will  not  be  prevail'?d  upon  to  stay 
a  day  longer.  In  reviewing  what  I  have  said,  you  will  find  that  my 
list  of  wants  is  a  long  one  ;  men,  money,  artillery,  and  clothing  accom- 
modated to  the  climate.  Of  ammunition,  Carleton  took  care  to  leave 
little  behind  him  at  this  place.  What  I  wish  and  expect,  is,  that  all 
this  be  made  known  to  Congress,  with  a  full  assurance  that  if  I  fail 
to  execute  their  wishes  or  commands,  it  will  not  be  from  any  negli- 
gence of  duty  or  infirmity  of  purpose  on  my  part." 

On  the  19th  of  November,  the  division  of  General  Arnold  crossed 


84  MONTGOMERY. 

the  St.  Lawrence,  and  was  joined  by  Montgomery,  December  4th. 
The  American  commander  now  sent  in  a  summons  to  General  Carle- 
ton,  in  which  every  argument  that  could  affect  his  fear  or  humanity 
was  used  to  induce  him  to  surrender.  The  flag  was  fired,  upon  and 
returned.  The  Americans  afterwards  conveyed  the  summons  to  the 
garrison,  but  Carleton  remained  firm  in  his  purpose  to  resist.  Mont- 
gomery then  opened  five  small  mortars  upon  the  lower  part  of  the 
city,  but  with  little  effect ;  and  the  same  result  attended  the  use  of 
a  six  gun  battery.  Anxious  to  wipe  away  the  disgraceful  impression 
which  these  petty  attacks  were  making,  both  upon-  the  Canadians 
and  his  own  soldiers,  he  summoned  a  council,  and  submitted  to  them 
the  following  questions  :  "  Shall  we  attempt  the  reduction  of  Quebec 
by  a  night  attack  ?  If  so,  shall  the  lower  town  be  the  point  attacked  ?" 
These  questions  were  decided  aflirmatively. 

This  resolution  may  be  aptly  styled  a  law  of  necessity,  for  success 
was  barely  possible.  He  was  led  to  it,  not  only  from  the  impatience 
of  his  own  troops,  but  in  order  to  meet  the  expectations  of  the  colo- 
nies, who,  looked  to  him  for  the  capture  of  the  capital,  and  speedy 
reduction  of  the  province.  They  understood,  however,  little  of 
Montgomery's  difficulties.  The  '  upper  town'  was  strongly  fortified, 
and  separated  from  the  remaining  portion  by  steep  heights,  which 
rendered  passage  from  one  to  the  other  almost  impossible.  The 
garrison  consisted  of  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  marines  and 
regulars,  eight  hundred  militia,  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  seamen. 

The  siege  had  been  carried  on  for  some  time  without  any  effect, 
when  Montgomery  determined  upon  an  assault.  The  morning  was 
ushered  in  by  a  fall  of  snow.  The  general  divided  his  little  force 
into  four  detachments.  Colonel  Livingston,  at  the  head  of  the 
Canadians,  was  directed  to  make  a  feint  against  St.  John's  gate  ;  and 
Major  Brown  another,  against  Cape  Diamond,  in  the  upper  town  ; 
while  the  commander  and  Arnold  were  to  advance  against  the  lower 
town, — the  first  object  of  real  attack.  Montgomery  led  the  first 
division,  by  the  river  road,  which  was  so  obstructed  by  snow  and 
masses  of  ice,  as  to  render  his  progress  very  difficult.  The  first 
barrier  was  rapidly  carried,  and  the  troops  after  a  moment's  pause 
pushed  on  toward  the  second.  He  assisted  with  his  own  hands  in 
pulling  up  some  pickets  which  hindered  the  march.  Near  this  place 
a  barrier  had  been  made  across  the  road,  and  from  the  windows  of  a 
low  house  which  formed  part  of  it,  were  planted  two  cannon.  At  his 
appearing  upon  a  little  rising  ground  at  the  distance  of  about  twenty 
or  thirty  yards,  the  guns  were  discharged,  and  the  general  with  his 
two  aid-de-camps  fell  dead.  The  division  immediately  retreated,  as 
did  that  of  Arnold,  upon  hearing  of  the  fall  of  their  commander. 


HIS      DEATH. 


DeatJi  of  Montgomery. 


When  the  corpse  of  Montgomery  was  shown  to  Carleton,  the  heart 
of  that  noble  officer  melted.  They  had  served  in  the  same  regiment 
under  Wolfe,  and  the  most  friendly  relation,  existed  between  them, 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  French  war.  The  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  Quebec,  Mr.  Cramche,  ordered  him  a  coffin,  and  friends  and  ene- 
mies united  in  expressions  of  sorrow,  as  his  remains  were  conducted 
to  their  final  resting  place. 

At  his  death,  General  Montgomery  was  in  the  first  month  of  his 
thirty-ninth  year.  He  was  a  man  of  great  military  talents,  whose 
measures  were  taken  with  judgment  and  executed  with  vigor.  He 
shared  all  the  hardships  of  his  troops,  and  though  they  had  been  un- 
used to  discipline,  and  many  of  them  were  jealous  of  their  commander, 
he  prevented  their  complaints  by  timely  measures,  and  inspired  them 
with  his  own  enthusiasm.  His  industry  could  not  be  wearied,  his 
vigilance  imposed  upon,  nor  his  courage  intimidated.  Above  the 
pride  of  opinion,  when  a  measure  was  adopted  by  the  majority,  he 
gave  it  his  full  support,  even  though  contrary  to  his  own  judgment. 

The  following  remarks  on  the  character  of  General  Montgomery 
are  extracted  from  Ramsay's  History  of  the  American  Revolution. 

'  Few  men  have  ever  fallen  in  battle  so  much  regretted  on  both 
sides  as  General  Montgomery.  His  many  amiable  qualities  had  pro- 
cured him  an  uncommon  share  of  private  afi'ection ;  and  his  great 
abilities  an  equal  proportion  of  public  esteem.     Being  a  sincere  lover 


86 


MONTGOMERY. 


of  liberty,  he  had  engaged  in  the  American  cause  from  principle,  and 
quitted  the  enjoyment  of  an  easy  fortune,  and  the  highest  domestic 
felicity,  to  take  an  active  share  in  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of  a  war 
instituted  for  the  defence  of  the  community  of  which  he  was  an 
adopted  member.  His  well  known  character  was  almost  equally 
esteemed  by  the  friends  and  foes  of  the  side  which  he  had  espoused. 
In  America  he  was  celebrated  as  a  martyr  to  the  liberties  of  mankind  ; 
in  Great  Britain,  as  a  misguided  good  man,  sacrificing  to  what  he 
supposed  to  be  the  rights  of  his  country.  His  name  was  mentioned 
in  Parliament  with  singular  respect.  Some  of  the  most  powerful 
speakers  in  that  assembly  displayed  their  eloquence  in  sounding  his 
praise  and  lamenting  his  fate.  Those  in  particular  who  had  been  his 
fellow  soldiers  in  the  previous  war,  expatiated  on  his  many  virtues. 
The  minister  himself  acknowledged  his  worth,  while  he  reprobated 
the  cause  for  which  he  fell.  He  concluded  an  involuntary  panegyric 
by  saying,  '  Curse  on  his  virtues,  they  have  undone  his  country.' " 

"  In  this  brief  story  of  a  short  and  useful  life,"  says  Mr.  Arm- 
strong, in  his  memoir  of  Montgomery,  "  we  find  all  the  elements 
which  enter  into  the  composition  of  a  great  man  and  distinguished 
soldier ;  '  a  happy  physical  organization,  combining  strength  and 
activity,  and  enabling  its  possessor  to  encounter  laborious  days  and 
sleepless  nights,  hunger  and  thirst,  all  changes  of  weather,  and  every 
variation  of  climate.'  To  these  corporeal  advantages  was  added  a 
mind,  cool,  discriminating,  energetic,  and  fearless  ;  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  mankind,  not  uninstructed  in  the  literature  and  sciences 
of  the  day,  and  habitually  directed  by  a  high  and  unchangeable  moral 
sense.  That  a  man  so  constituted,  should  have  won  'the  golden 
opinions'  of  friends  and  foes,  is  not  extraordinary.  The  most  elo- 
quent men  of  the  British  Senate  became  his  panegyrists  ;  and  the 
American  Congress  hastened  to  testify  for  him,  '  their  grateful 
remembrance,  profound  respect,  and  high  veneration.'  A  monument 
to  his  memory  was  accordingly  erected,  on  which  might  justly  be 
mscribed  the  impressive  lines  of  the  poet : 


'  Brief,  brave,  and  glorious  was  his  young  career ; 
His  mourners  were  two  hosts,  his  friends  and  foes ; 
And  fitly  may  the  stranger,  lingering  here. 
Pray  for  his  gallant  spirit's  bright  repose  ; 
For  he  was  Freedom's  champion,  one  of  those, 
The  few  in  number,  who  had  not  o'erstept 
The  charter  to  chastise,  which  she  bestows 
On  such  as  wield  her  weapons ;  he  had  kept 
The  whiteness  of  his  soul,  and  thus  men  o'er  him  wept.' 

The  monument,  above  referred  to,  which  is  of  white  marble,  was 


HIS     MONUMENT. 


87 


placed  in  front  of  St.  Paul's  church,  New  York.    It  bears  the  follow- 
ing inscription : 

THIS    MONUMENT 

WAS  ERECTED 

By  order  of  Congress,  25th  January,  1776, 

TO  TRANSMIT  TO  POSTERITY 

A  GRATEFUL  REMEMBRANCE 

OP  THE 

patriotism:,  conduct,  enterprize  and  perseverance 

OF 

MAJOR  GENERAL  RICHARD  MONTGOMERY, 

WHO  AFTER  A   SERIES  OF   SUCCESS 

AMIDST   THE    MOST    DISCOURAGING    DIFFICULTIES, 

FELL  IN  THE  ATTACK  ON  QUEBEC, 

31st  December,  1775.    Aged  38  years. 

The  remains  of  General  Montgomery,  after  resting  forty-two 
years  at  Quebec,  were,  by  a  resolution  of  the  New  York  legislature, 
brought  to  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1818,  and 
deposited  with  dignified  solemnity,  near  the  monument. 


Montgomeiy's  Monuraent. 


W" 


MAJOR  GENERAL  STEUBEN. 


ERVICES  such  as 
those  of  the  Baron 
Steuben,  during  our 
struggle  with  Great 
Britain,  are  justly 
considered  as  among 
the  very  highest  that 
could  be  rendered  by 
any  officer  in  that 
trying  period.  In  this 
light  they  were  re- 
garded by  Washington  ;  and  their  best  eulogy  is  a  comparison  of  the 
condition  of  the  American  army  at  the  close  of  the  war,  with  what 
it  had  been  at  its  commencement. 

Frederic  William  Augustus,  Baron  de  Steuben,  was  born  in  Ger 
many,  about  the  year  1730  or  '33.  The  history  of  his  youth  is 
unknown.  He  served  with  Frederic  the  Great  in  the  seven  years 
war,  possessed  the  entire  confidence  of  that  monarch,  and  became 
his  aid-de-camp,  and  lieutenant-general  in  the  Prussian  army.  This 
fact  is  sufficient  to  establish  his  military  character,  and  knowledge 
of  tactics ;  and  he  was  ever  regarded  by  the  Prussian  government 
as  one  of  their  most  able  officers.     After  the  close  of  the  war,  he 

•  88 


HIS      ARRIVAL      IN      AMERICA.  89 

filled  various  offices  in  Germany,  principally  under  the  smaller  princes, 
and  v^^as  tendered  a  command  in  the  army  of  Austria,  which  he 
refused.  At  the  commencement  of  the  war  between  Great  Britain 
and  her  colonies,  he  was  in  a  condition  of  gentlemanly  affluence. 

In  1777,  while  on  a  visit  to  England,  he  stopped  at  Paris  for  the 
purpose  of  having  an  interview  with  the  Count  St.  Germain,  the 
French  minister  of  war,  and  one  of  his  intimate  friends.  Soon  after 
he  was  waited  on  by  Colonel  Pagenstecher,  on  behalf  of  the  Count, 
who  informed  him  that  the  latter  desired  a  personal  interview  at  the 
Paris  arsenal,  on  matters  of  importance.  It  is  well  known,  that 
France  was  then  secretly  aiding  the  Americans  both  by  advice  and 
military  stores  ;  and  it  was  with  a  view  of  enlisting  the  Baron  in  the 
cause  of  freedom,  that  the  proposed  interview  was  sought.  At  the 
meeting,  St.  Germain  represented  the  ultimate  prospects  of  the  colo- 
nists as  flattering ;  that  France,  and  probably  Spain,  would  eventu- 
ally aid  th^m  ;  but  that  their  army  needed  disciplinarians,  vhich 
want  the  Baron  could  well  supply.  These  proposals  were  seconded 
by  the  Spanish  consul  and  two  French  noblemen;  but  the  Baron 
refused  to  give  a  decisive  answer,  until  an  interview  could  be  obtained 
with  the  American  envoys.  The  latter  were  unable  to  give  the 
assurances  required,  and  after  abandoning  his  intention  of  visiting 
England,  Steuben  soon  after  returned  to  Germany.  On  his  arrival 
at  Rastadt  he  found  letters  from  the  Count,  informing  him  that  a 
vessel  was  about  sailing  for  America,  in  which  he  could  immediately 
embark,  with  a  prospect  of  having  every  difficulty  satisfactorily 
adjusted.  Having  received  from  Dr.  Franklin,  letters  of  recommen- 
dation to  General  Washington  and  the  President  of  Congress,  he 
embarked  on  the  26th  of  September,  1777,  under  an  assumed  name, 
and  after  a  rough  voyage  landed  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  December  1st. 

His  first  care  was  to  address  his  recommendations  to  General 
Washington,  at  the  same  time  requesting  admission  into  the  service. 
The  close  of  his  letter  is  worthy  of  preservation.  "  I  could  say 
moreover,  were  it  not  for  the  fear  of  offending  your  modesty,  that 
your  excellency  is  the  only  person  under  whom,  after  having  served 
under  the  king  of  Prussia,  I  could  wish  to  pursue  an  art  to  which  I 
have  wholly  given  up  myself."  Washington  referred  him  to  Con- 
gress, as  the  only  body  empowered  to  accept  his  services,  and  accord- 
ingly, in  February,  he  laid  his  papers  before  that  body.  A  committee 
of  five  was  appointed  to  wait  upon  him.  In  his  interview  with  them, 
the  Baron  stated  what  he  had  left  to  engage  in  the  American  ser- 
vice, offered  them  his  services  without  any  other  remuneration  than 
the  amount  of  expenses  ;  but,  that  while  he  expected  no  reward 
should  the  final  result  be  unsuccessful,  yet  in  case  of  the  Americans 


90 


STEUBEN. 


Araerican  Army  at  Valley  Forge. 

gaining  their  independence,  he  would  expect  an  indemnity  for  the 
offices  he  had  resigned  in  Europe,  and  a  reward  proportionate  to  his 
services.  Congress  returned  him  thanks  for  this  disinterested  offer, 
and  requested  him  to  join  the  army. 

The  American  main  body  was  at  that  time  wintered  near  Valley 
Forge.  The  sufferings  endured  by  the  troops,  their  privations  and 
diseases  during  that  terrible  winter,  were  long  remembered  as  forming 
the  darkest  page  of  our  revolutionary  history.  At  sight  of  them,  the 
astonishment  of  one  who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  well  provided 
armies  of  Europe,  may  be  conceived ;  and  Steuben  declared  that 
under  such  circumstances  no  foreign  army  could  be  kept  together  a 
single  month.  He  was  appointed  inspector-general,  and  entrusted  with 
the  difficult  task  of  forming  from  such  materials  an  army  disciplined 
after  the  European  system.  Disheartening  as  were  these  prospects, 
and  heightened,  too,  by  Steuben's  ignorance  of  the  English  language, 
he  entered  upon  his  duties  with  ardor.  An  interpreter  was  found, 
and  the  great  work  of  giving  efficiency  to  the  army  of  Washington 
commenced.  This  was  something  new  to  the  sufferers  of  Valley 
Forge ;  and  the  strictness  of  the  old  soldier,  together  with  his 
perfect  familiarity  with  the  most  difficult  military  movements, 
astonished  even  the  commander  himself.  "  The  troops,"  says  Dr. 
Thacher,  "were  paraded  in  a  single  line,  with  shouldered  arms, 
every  officer  in  his  particular  station.  The  Baron  first  reviewed  the 
line  in  this  position,  passing  in  front  with  a  scrutinizing  eye,  after 
which  he  took  into  his  hand  the  musket  and  accoutrements  of  every 
soldier,  examining  them  with  particular  accuracy  and  precision, 
applauding  or  condemning  according  to  the  condition  in  which  he 
found  them.  He  required  that  the  musket  and  bayonet  should  exhibit 
the  brightest  polish  :  not  a  spot  of  rust  or  defect  in  any  part  could 
elude  his  vigilance.     He  inquired  also  into  the  conduct  of  the  officers 


APPOINTED     INSPECTOR-GENERAL. 


91 


Baron  Ste-aten  drilling  tlie  American  Soldiers. 


toward  their  men,  censuring  every  fault  and  applauding  every  meri- 
torious action.  Next,  he  required  of  me,  as  surgeon,  a  list  of  the  sick, 
with  a  particular  statement  of  their  accommodations  and  mode  of 
treatment,  and  even  visited  some  of  the  sick  in  their  cabins." 

The  great  services  rendered  by  the  Baron,  as  exhibited  in  the  rapid 
improvement  of  the  army,  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  either  Wash- 
ington or  Congress ;  and  at  the  recommendation  of  the  former,  he 
was  appointed  permanent  inspector-general,  with  the  rank  of  major- 
general.  By  his  great  exertions  he  made  this  office  respectable, 
establishing  frugality  and  economy  among  the  soldiers.  In  discipline, 
both  of  men  and  officers,  he  was  entirely  impartial,  and  never  omitted 
an  opportunity  to  praise  merit  or  censure  a  fault.  Washington 
speaks  of  him  in  the  following  manner.  "  Justice  concurring  with 
inclination,  constrain  me  to  testify  that  the  Baron  has  in  every  in- 
stance discharged  the  several  trusts  reposed  in  him,  with  great  zeal 
and  ability,  so  as  to  give  him  the  fullest  title  to  my  esteem  as  a 
brave,  indefatigable,  judicious  and  experienced  officer." 

America  was  soon  to  witness  the  effects  of  the  new  discipline  upon 
the  very  army  that  had  twice  defeated  hers.  In  June,  1778,  the 
British  army  evacuated  Philadelphia,  and  marched  hastily  for  New 
York.  They  were  led  to  this  step  through  fear  that  a  French  fleet 
might  block  up  the  Delaware,  while  Washington  attacked  them  by 
land,  and  thus  they  be  forced  to  surrender.  Washington  pursued 
them,  and  ardently  desired  to  give  battle.  Steuben's  opinion  com 
cided  with  the   commander's,  and  on  the  morning  of  the   28th  a 


92  STEUBEN. 

detachment  under  General  Lee  advanced  against  the  enemy,  and 
commenced  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  In  the  retreat  and  subsequent 
rally  of  the  advance,  the  value  of  discipline  vi'as  triumphantly  dis- 
played. The  retiring  troops  were  formed  by  Washington  in  the  very 
face  of  the  enemy,  turned  upon  their  pursuers,  and  regained  the  lost 
ground.  Such  a  movement  is  justly  considered  the  triumph  of  dis- 
cipline ;  and  the  battle  of  Monmouth  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  war,  not  only  as  exhibiting  the  great  talents  of  General  Wash- 
ington, but  as  a  proof  of  the  former  invaluable  though  silent  labors 
of  the  Baron  Steuben. 

^.^^  ,  OON  after  this  affair,  the  Baron  was  ordered 
^  ^^^^  to  Rhode  Island,  to  assist  in  the  operations 
of  General  Sullivan.  He  arrived  too  late, 
^^^V'i't^l'  however,  to  be  of  essential  service.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1778,  he  was  employed  to  digest 
a  system  of  Prussian  tactics,  modified  and  adapted 
to  the  American  service.  This  was  a  M'ork  of  no 
little  difficulty,  having  to  be  written  from  memory, 
in  the  absence  of  any  similar  work  which  might  serve  as  a  guide,  and 
in  the  French  language.  It  received,  however,  the  cordial  approval 
of  Washington,  and  was  immediately  adopted  by  resolution  of  Con- 
gress, as  the  standard  of  military  discipline. 

When  the  first  French  fleet  arrived  in  America,  in  1780,  sanguine 
hopes  were  entertained  that  the  war  was  about  to  be  speedily  closed. 
Steuben  had  formerly  presented  to  Congress  a  plan  for  the  campaign, 
which  was  approved  by  Washington,  and  which  promised  to  be  emi- 
nently useful ;  but  the  arrival  of  a  British  naval  force,  and  the 
unfortunate  occurrences  at  Newport,  frustrated  these  expectations, 
and  rendered  much  of  the  Baron's  plan  useless. 

Steuben  was  one  of  the  court  martial  appointed  to  try  Major  Andr6. 
It  was  a  wise  precaution  to  place  such  men  as  Steuben  and  Lafayette 
on  this  delicate  duty,  as  both  were  foreigners,  and  the  Baron,  at  least, 
knew  well  the  customs  of  war  in  such  instances.  He  fully  concurred 
in  the  sentence  of  the  court. 

After  the  defeat  of  the  southern  army  at  Camden,  Steuben  was 
appointed  president  of  the  court  martial  for  the  trial  of  Gates  ;  but 
the  court  never  met,  and  he  was  thus  relieved  from  an  unpleasant  duty. 
When  Greene  took  command  in  that  quarter,  the  Baron  accompanied 
him  in  order  to  establish  a  system  of  discipline  among  the  raw  recruits. 
Greene  determined  to  push  for  the  Carolinas,  but  knowing  the  neces- 
sity of  keeping  some  force  in  Virginia,  in  order  to  raise  troops,  he 
entrusted  that  care  to  Steuben,  with  full  discretionary  power  to  call 
on  the  authorities  of  the  state,  and,  if  possible,  to  attack  the  British 


INVASION      OF     VIRGINIA. 


93 


Arnold's  Descent  on  Virginia. 

under  General  Leslie.  As  soon  as  troops  were  raised  they  were  to 
be  ordered  to  Greene's  army  in  the  south.  This  office  was  one  of 
difficulty,  and  no  little  delicacy.  Virginia  was  jealous  of  her  rights, 
and  fearful  of  an  invasion  from  the  Chesapeake  ;  so  that  the  utmost 
efforts  of  the  Baron,  aided  by  those  of  Governor  Jefferson,  failed  to 
answer  fully  the  expectations  of  General  Greene.  Troops  enlisted 
but  slowly,  and  frequently  only  one  half  of  those  appointed  to  be 
raised  by  a  certain  time  could  be  mustered. 

In  January,  1781,  Arnold  invaded  Virginia.  The  command  of  the 
militia  destined  to  oppose  him  devolved  upon  Steuben  ;  but  so  insig 
nificant  was  their  number,  and  so  greatly  did  they  need  the  necessa 
ries  of  an  army,  that  the  Baron  found  it  impossible  to  act  in  any  other 
way  but  as  a  mere  partisan.  When  the  British  reached  Richmond, 
he  received  a  note  from  Arnold,  offering  not  to  burn  that  town  if  the 
ships  should  be  allowed  to  carry  off  some  stores  of  tobacco  unmolested. 
This  proposition  the  Baron  rejected,  and  the  public  buildings  and  a 
variety  of  stores  were  consigned  to  the  flames.  Arnold,  then,  slowly 
retreated.  Steuben  pursued  him  with  a  small  force,  taking  every 
opportunity  to  harass  his  detached  parties  and  cut  off  his  rear.  Jef- 
ferson speaks  thus  of  his  services  :  "  His  vigilance  has,  in  a  great 
measure,  supplied  the  want  of  force,, in  preventing  the  enemy  from 
crossing  the  river,  [James,]  the  consequences  of  which  might  have 
been  very  fatal.  He  has  been  assiduously  employed  in  preparing 
equipments  for  the  militia  as  they  assembled,  pointing  them  to  a 
proper  object,  and  in  other  offices  of  a  good  commander." 

After  doing  all  the  mischief  in  his  power,  and  rendering  his  name 


94  STEUBEN 

still  more  detestable  to  the  Americans  tnan  it  had  formerly  been, 
Arnold  established  himself  at  Portsmouth,  which  he  proceeded  to 
fortify.  At  this  place  a  plan  was  matured  between  Jefferson  and 
Steuben,  to  surprise  him,  and  convey  him  to  the  American  lines.  A 
party  of  young  men  was  organized  for  that  purpose  ;  but  the  scheme 
was  frustrated  by  the  extraordinary  precautions  used  by  General 
Arnold  respecting  the  security  of  his  person. 

Meanwhile  Baron  Steuben  was  involved  in  difficulties  of  another 
kind.  His  ardor  in  raising  and  equipping  troops  was  not  seconded 
by  the  authorities  of  Virginia  ;  and  when  plans  which  had  cost  him 
much  time  and  trouble  to  mature  were  executed  tardily,  or  entirely 
rejected,  his  patience  was  severely  tried.  On  such  occasions  he 
frequently  became  involved  with  public  officers  in  groundless  dis- 
putes and  ill  feeling.  The  Baron  was  soothed,  however,  by  letters 
from  Greene  and  Washington,  each  of  whom  knew  how  to  appreciate 
his  services. 

While  matters  were  in  this  condition,  the  appearance  of  a  small 
French  force  in  the  Chesapeake  again  inspired  the  hope  of  Arnold's 
capture  ;  but  the  wily  general  moved  to  a  shallow  place  up  the  river, 
and  Steuben  was  again  disappointed.  Soon  after,  the  whole  French 
squadron  reached. the  bay  and  landed  eleven  hundred  men.  The  raw 
militia  were  incapable  of  acting  with  this  force  ;  but  aware  of  the 
importance  of  co-operating  with  it,  Washington  detached  Lafayette 
from  the  main  army  with  twelve  hundred  continental  troops.  The 
Marquis  was  appointed  commander  of  all  the  forces  in  Virginia,  but 
fearful  of  wounding  the  feelings  of  Steuben,  he  took  command  only 
in  the  field. 

Lafayette  reached  the  Elk  river  on  the  3d  of  March,  and  wrote  to 
Baron  Steuben  to  confine  the  British  by  the  militia,  until  opportunity 
should  be  afforded  for  a  decisive  blow.  About  the  middle  of  March, 
the  English  fleet  under  Arbuthnot,  met  that  of  Admiral  Detouches, 
and  an  indecisive  engagement  took  place,  which  induced  the  French 
commander  to  return  to  Newport.  This  gave  the  British  a  decided 
superiority,  and  obliged  Lafayette  to  return  northward.  A  few  days 
after,  General  Phillips  reached  Portsmouth  with  two  thousand  British 
troops,  excellently  equipped,  and  in  a  high  state  of  discipline.  As 
this  force  placed  the  state  in  imminent  danger,  Lafayette  marched 
back  with  his  troops,  and  assumed  the  command. 

)n  the  18th  of  April,  Phillips  sailed  up  the  James  river,  with 
twenty-five  hundred  men,  to  attack  Petersburg.  Baron  Steuben  was 
at  this  place  with  but  about  one  thousand  militia.  Notwithstanding 
this  disparity  of  numbers,  the  American  general  marched  against 
them,  and  in  an  engagement  which  ensued,  held  their  whole  force  at 


SIEGE     OF     YORKTOWN.  95 

bay  for  more  than  two  hours.  He  even  succeeded  in  throwing  their 
ranks  into  confusion,  but  at  length  retreated  to  a  position  on  the 
river.  An  immense  amount  of  goods  was  burned  by  the  British, 
while  some  public  vessels,  and  a  great  deal  of  private  property,  were 
destroyed  in  various  ways. 

N  the  20th  of  May,  Lord  Cornwallis  united  his 
southern  army  with  General  Arnold  at  Petersburg. 
The  latter  officer  had  succeeded  to  the  command 
in  Virginia,  at  the  death  of  Phillips.  Previous  to 
this,  Steuben  had  found  his  situation  so  irksome, 
that  he  had  asked  and  obtained  leave  to  join 
Greene  in  South  Carolina ;  but  he  was  prevented 
from  doing  so  by  the  new  invasion  of  Cornwallis. 
He  therefore  established  himself  with  six  hundred  men  at  the  state 
arsenal,  near  the  source  of  James  river. 

Having  ascertained  the  Baron's  position,  Cornwallis  detached 
Colonel  Simcoe  against  him  with  five  hundred  regulars,  who  were  to 
be  joined  in  their  march  by  Tarleton  with  two  hundred  and  fifty 
horse.  Steuben  had  no  means  of  ascertaining  his  opponent's  strength, 
and  when  the  latter  displayed  an  extended  front,  and  built  a  large 
number  of  fires  at  night,  he  was  led  to  believe  that  the  whole  force  of 
Cornwallis  had  arrived.  The  Americans  retreated,  and  Simcoe,  after 
destroying  the  stores  at  the  state  arsenal,  returned  to  Petersburg. 

On  the  1 6th  of  June,  Steuben  joined  Lafayette,  who  had  been 
previously  reinforced  by  the  Pennsylvania  troops  under  General 
Wayne.  On  the  16th  of  July,  the  Marquis  met  Cornwallis  near 
Jamestown,  and  a  slight  engagement  took  place,  in  which  the  Ameri- 
cans behaved  remarkably  well,  notwithstanding  their  great  inferiority 
of  numbers.  The  enemy  gained  some  advantage,  but  did  not  pursue 
it ;  and  soon  after  the  Earl  marched  to  Yorktown,  which  he  began 
to  fortify. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  the  main  allied  army  of  the  French 
and  Americans,  under  Rochambeau  and  Washington,  aided  by  the 
fleet  of  de  Grasse,  sat  down  before  this  place.  The  siege  lasted  until 
the  1 8th  of  October,  during  which  time  Steuben  bore  his  full  share 
of  toil  and  danger.  His  exact,  scientific  knowledge  rendered  him 
extremely  useful,  and  to  atone  in  some  measure  for  his  former  vexa- 
tions, Washington  assigned  him  a  command  in  the  line.  His  services 
are  honorably  noticed  by  that  great  man,  in  the  general  orders  subse- 
quent to  the  capitulation. 

After  this  happy  affair,  the  Baron  returned  with  the  main  army  to 
the  middle  states,  where  he  remained  until  the  treaty  of  peace.  In 
1782  he  informed  Washington  of  the  arrival  of  one  of  his  former 


96 


STEUBEN. 


Count  de  Grasse. 

acquaintances,  the  Count  Benyowzky  or  Bieniewsky,  whom  he 
introduced  to  the  commander.  He  was  a  Prussian  nobleman,  allied 
by  blood  to  the  renowned  Pulaski,  and  had  experienced  most  roman- 
tic changes  of  fortune.  He  oifered  to  hire  on  certain  conditions,  a 
body  of  German  troops,  to  be  employed  in  the  American  army  as  a 
distinct  legion,  and  each  officer  and  soldier  at  the  close  of  the  war 
was  to  receive  a  tract  of  the  public  land.  His  plan  was  approved  by 
Washington,  after  some  alteration,  and  favorably  reported  by  Con- 
gress ;  but  the  approach  of  peace  prevented  its  adoption. 

Baron  Steuben  was  appointed  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  posts 
on  the  Canada  frontier,  but  the  incivility  of  the  British  general 
caused  much  contention,  and  Steuben  returned  to  New  York. 

On  the  day  that  Washington  resigned  his  office  as  commander-in- 
chief,  he  wrote  to  the  Baron  the  following  noble  and  affectionate 
letter  : 

"  Although  I  have  taken  frequent  opportunities,  in  public  and  pri 
vate,  of  acknowledging  your  great  zeal,  attention  and  abilities,  in 
performing  the  duties  of  your  office,  yet  I  wish  to  make  use  of  this 
last  moment  of  my  public  life,  to  signify  in  the  strongest  terms,  my 
entire  approbation  of  your  conduct,  and  to  express  my  sense  of  the 


HIS      DEATH.  97 

obligations  the  public  is  under  to  you  for  your  faithful  and  merito- 
rious services. 

"  I  beg  you  will  be  convinced,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  should  rejoice, 
if  it  could  ever  be  in  my  power,  to  serve  you  more  essentially  than 
by  expressions  of  regard  and  affection ;  but,  in  the  mean  time,  I  am 
persuaded  you  will  not  be  displeased  with  this  farewell  token  of  my 
sincere  friendship  and  esteem  for  you. 

"  This  is  the  last  letter  I  shall  write  while  I  continue  in  the  ser- 
vice of  my  country.  The  hour  of  my  resignation  is  fixed  at  twelve 
to-day ;  after  which  I  shall  become  a  private  citizen  on  the  banks  of 
the  Potomac,  where  I  shall  be  glad  to  embrace  you,  and  testify  the 
great  esteem  and  consideration  with  which 

"  I  am,  my  dear  Baron,  &c." 

The  neglect  with  which  many  of  the  braA^e  men  who  had  bled  in 
our  cause  were  treated  by  Congress,  will  ever  remain  as  a  stigma 
upon  that  body.  Among  these  was  Steuben ;  for  seven  years  he 
made  ineffectual  efforts  to  obtain  a  notice  of  his  claims,  but  in  vain. 
He  had  left  affluence  and  baronial  dignity  among  the  monarchs  of 
Europe,  to  waste  his  life  in  our  struggle,  and  now,  when  the  great 
object  had  been  reached,  he  was  poor,  homeless,  and  unprovided  for. 

At  last,  through  the  strenuous  exertions  of  Washington  and 
Hamilton,  Congress  were  induced  to  acknowledge  his  claims.  In 
1790,  they  granted  him  an  annual  sum  of  twenty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars. Other  grants,  principally  of  land,  had  already  been  made  by 
Virginia  and  New  Jersey,  and  on  the  5th  of  May,  1786,  the  New 
York  Assembly  voted  him  sixteen  thousand  acres.  Determining  not 
to  revisit  Europe,  he  built  a  log  house  on  his  land,  rented  a  large 
portion  of  it  to  tenants,  and,  with  a  few  domestics,  lived  there  until 
his  death,  excepting  during  an  annual  visit  to  New  York  city  in  the 
winter.  His  time  was  spent  in  reading,  gardening,  and  in  cheerfnl 
conversations  with  his  faithful  aids  Walker  and  North,  who  re- 
mained with  him  until  death.  Occasionally  he  amused  himself  by 
playing  chess  and  hunting. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1794,  he  was  struck  by  paralysis,  and 
on  the  28th,  his  long  and  active  life  closed.  He  died  in  full  belief 
of  the  truths  of  Christianity,  which  for  some  time  had  been  his  con- 
solation and  support. 

His  body  was  buried  in  his  military  cloak,  to  which  was  attached 
the  star  of  knighthood,  always  worn  during  life.  His  servants  and 
a  few  neighbours  buried  him.  His  grave  was  in  a  deep  forest,  which 
being  afterwards  crossed  by  a  road,  occasioned  its  reinterment  on  a 
spot  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  his  house.    Walker  performed 

7 


98 


STEUBEN. 


this  duty,  and  afterwards  placed  an  iron  railing  round  the  grave.  A 
stone,  with  the  inscription,  Major-General  Frederic  William 
Augustus,  Baron  de  Steuben,  marks  the  hero's  resting  place.  A 
tablet  in  memory  of  him  was  placed  in  the  Lutheran  church,  Nassau 
street.  New  York,  where  he  always  attended  when  in  that  city. 
This  was  done  by  his  aid,  Colonel  North,  who  graced  it  with  the 
following  inscription : — 


sacred  to  the  memory 

OF 

FREDERIC   WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS,   BARON   STEUBEN, 

A  GERMAN  KNIGHT  OF  THE  OIIDEB  01'  FIDEIITT, 

AID-DE-CAMP     TO     FREDEKIC     THE     GREAT,     KINO     OF     PRUSSIA, 

MAJOR  GENERAL  AND  INSPECTOR  GENERAL 

IN  THE  RETOLUTIONARr  WAR. 

ESTEEMED,    RESPECTED,    AND    SUPPORTED    BY    WASHINGTON, 

HE    GAVE    MILITARY  SKILL  AND    DISCIPLINE, 

TO    THE    CITIZEN    SOLDIERS,    WHO, 

(rtFLyiLLINO  THE  DECREES  OP  HEAVEN,) 

ACHIEVED    THE    INDEPENDENCE    OF    THE   UNITED    STATES. 

THE    HIGHLY    POLISHED    MANNERS    OF    THE    BARON 

WXHS    GRACED    BY    THE    MOST    NOBLE    FEELINGS    OF    THE    HEART  ; 

HIS  HAND  OPEN  AS  DAY  TO  MELTING  CHARITY, 

CLOSED    ONLY    IN    THE    GRASP    OF    DEATH. 

THIS   MEMORIAL    IS   INSCRIBED   BY   AN   AMERICAN, 

WHO  HAD  THE  HONOR  TO  BE  HIS  AID-DE-CAMP, 

THE   HAPPINESS   TO   BE  HIS   FRIEND, 

1795. 

By  his  will,  the  Baron  left  his  library  and  one  thousand  dollars  to 
a  young  man  of  literary  habits,  named  Mulligan,  whom  he  had 
adopted,  and  nearly  all  the .  remainder  of  his  property  to  North  and 
Walker.  What  a  proof  of  his  firmness  as  a  friend,  and  his  gratitude 
for  even  the  smallest  favors. 


Grave  of  Baron  Steuben. 


GENERAL  GATES. 


HIS  distinguished  officer  of  the  Revolution,  was  a 
t^  native  of  England,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1728. 
He  was  educated  to  the  military  profession,  and 
entered  the  British  army  at  an  early  age,  in  the 
capacity  of  lieutenant,  where  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  future  military  excellence.  Without 
purchase  he  obtained  the  rank  of  Major.  He  was 
aid  to  General  Monckton,  at  the  capture  of  Martinico,  and  after 
the  peace  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  he  was  among  the  first  troops  which 
landed  at  Halifax  under  General  Cornwallis.  He  was  an  officer  in 
the  army  which  accompanied  the  unfortunate  Braddock,  in  the  expe- 
dition against  Fort  du  Quesne,  in  the  year  1755,  and  was  shot 
through  the  body. 

When  peace  was  concluded,  he  purchased  an  estate  in  Virginia, 
where  he  resided  until  the  commencement  of  the  American  war,  in 

1775.  Having  evinced  his  zeal  and  attachment  to  the  violated  rights 

99 


]  00  GATES. 

of  his  adopted  country,  and  sustaining  a  high  military  reputation,  he 
was  appointed  by  Congress  adjutant-general,  with  the  rank  of  briga- 
dier, and  he  accompanied  Gen.  Washington  to  the  American  camp 
at  Cambridge,  in  July,  1775,  where  he  was  employed  for  some  time 
in  a  subordinate,  but  highly  useful  capacity. 

In  June,  1776,  Gates  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  army 
of  Canada,  and  on  reaching  Ticonderoga  he  still  claimed  the  com- 
mand of  it,  though  it  was  no  longer  in  Canada,  and  was  in  the 
department  of  Gen.  Schuyler,  a  senior  officer,  who  had  rendered  emi- 
nent services  in  that  command.  On  representation  to  Congress,  it 
was  declared  not  to  be  their  intention  to  place  Gates  over  Schuyler, 
and  it  was  recommended  to  these  officers  to  endeavor  to  co-operate 
harmoniously.  Gen.  Schuyler  was,  however,  shortly  after  directed 
by  Congress  to  resume  the  command  of  the  northern  department, 
and  General  Gates  withdrew  himself  from  it ;  after  which  he  repaired 
to  head-quarters,  and  joined  the  army  under  General  Washington, 
in  Jersey. 

Owing  to  the  prevalent  dissatisfaction  with  the  conduct  of  General 
Schuyler,  in  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  Gates  was  again 
directed  to  take  command.  He  arrived  about  the  21st  of  August, 
and  continued  the  exertions  to  restore  the  affairs  of  the  department, 
which  had  been  so  much  depressed  by  the  losses  consequent  on  the 
evacuation  of  Ticonderoga.  It  was  fortunate  for  General  Gates,  that 
the  retreat  from  Ticonderoga  had  been  conducted  under  other  aus- 
pices than  his,  and  that  he  took  the  command  when  the  indefatigable, 
but  unrequited  labors  of  Schuyler,  and  the  courage  of  Stark  and  his 
mountaineers,  had  already  ensured  the  ultimate  defeat  of  Burgoyne. 

Burgoyne,  after  crossing  the  Hudson,  advanced  along  its  side  and 
encamped  on  the  height,  about  two  miles  from  Gates's  camp  :  which 
was  three  miles  above  Stillwater.  This  movement  was  the  subject 
of  much  discussion.  Some  charged  it  on  the  impetuosity  of  the 
genera],  and  alleged  that  it  was  premature,  before  he  was  sure  of  aid 
from  the  royal  forces  posted  in  New  York  ;  but  he  pleaded  the  pe- 
remptory orders  of  his  superiors.  The  rapid  advance  of  Burgoyne, 
and  especially  his  passage  of  the  North  River,  added  much  to  the 
impracticability  of  his  future  retreat,  and  made  the  ruin  of  his  army 
in  a  great  degree  unavoidable.  The  Americans,  elated  with  their 
successes  at  Bennington  and  Fort  Schuyler,  thought  no  more  of 
retreating,  but  came  out  to  meet  the  advancing  British,  and  engaged 
them  with  firmness  and  resolution. 

The  attack  began  a  little  before  mid-day,  September  19th,  be- 
tween the  scouting  parties  of  the  two  armies.  The  commanders  of 
both  sides  supported  and  reinforced  their  respective  parties.     The 


BATTLE      OF      STILLWATER. 


101 


Burgoyne's  Encampment  on  the  Hudson. 

conflict,  though  severe,  was  only  partial  for  an  hour  an^  a  half ;  but, 
after  a  short  pause,  it  became  general,  and  continued  for  three  hours 
without  any  intermission.  A  constant  blaze  of  fire  was  kept  up,  and 
both  armies  seemed  determined  on  death  or  victory.  The  Americans 
and  British  alternately  drove,  and  were  driven  by  each  other.  The 
British  artillery  fell  into  our  possession  at  every  charge,  but  we  could 
neither  turn  the  pieces  upon  the  enemy  nor  bring  them  off,  so  sudden 
were  the  alternate  advantages.  It  was  a  gallant  conflict,  in  which 
death,  by  familiarity,  lost  his  terrors  ;  and  such  was  the  order  of  the 
Americans,  that,  as  General  Wilkinson  states,  the  wounded  men, 
after  having  their  wounds  dressed,  in  many  instances  returned  again 
into  the  battle.  Men,  and  particularly  officers,  dropped  every  moment, 
and  on  every  side.  Several  of  the  Americans  placed  themselves  on 
high  trees,  and,  as  often  as  they  could  distinguish  an  officer's  uni- 
form, took  him  off  by  deliberately  aiming  at  his  person.  Few  actions 
have  been  characterized  by  more  obstinacy  in  attack  or  defence.  The 
British  repeatedly  tried  their  bayonets,  but  without  their  usual  suc- 
cess in  the  use  of  that  weapon. 

The  British  lost  upwards  of  500  men,  including  their  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners.  The  Americans,  inclusive  of  the  missing, 
lost  319.  Thirty-six  out  of  forty-eight  British  artillerists  were  killed 


102  GATES. 

or  wounded.  The  62d  British  regiment,  which  was  500  strong  when 

it  left  Canada,  was  reduced  to  sixty  men  and  four  or  five  officers.  In 

this  engagement  General  Gates,  assisted  by  Generals  Lincoln  and 

Arnold,  commanded  the   American  army  ;   and  General  Burgoyne 

was  at  the  head  of  his  army,  and  Generals  Philips,  Reidesel,  and 

Frazer,  with  their  respective  commands,  were  actively  engaged. 

^^^\%c\^^^?^l  ^■'■^  battle  was  fought  by  the  general  concert  and  zealous 

^n^frWJ    co-operation  of  the  corps  engaged,  and  was   sustained 

^1  more  by  individual  courage  than  military  discipline. 

I^^^gl  General  Arnold,  who  afterwards  traitorously  deserted 
his  country,  behaved  with  the  most  undaunted  courage, 
leading  on  the  troops  and  encouraging  them  by  his  personal  efforts 
and  daring  exposure.  The  gallant  Colonel  Morgan  obtained  immor- 
tal honor  on  this  day.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brooks,  with  the  eighth 
Massachusetts  regiment  remained  in  the  field  till  about  eleven  o'clock, 
and  was  the  last  who  retired.  Major  Hull  commanded  a  detach- 
ment of  three  hundred  men,  who  fought  with  such  signal  ardor, 
that  more  than  one  half  of  them  were  killed.  The  whole  number  of 
Americans  engaged  in  this  action,  was  about  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred ;  the  remainder  of  the  army  from  its  unfavorable  situation,  took 
little  or  no  part  in  the  action. 

Each  army  claimed  the  victory,  and  each  believed  himself  to  have 
beaten,  with  pnly  part  of  its  force,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  enemy. 
The  advantage  however  was  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  Americans.  In 
every  quarter  they  had  been  the  assailants,  and  after  an  encounter 
of  several  hours  they  had  not  lost  a  single  inch  of  ground. 

General  Gates,  whose  numbers  increased  daily,  remained  on  his 
old  ground.  His  right,  which  extended  to  the  river,  had  been  ren- 
dered unassailable,  and  he  used  great  industry  to  strengthen  his  left. 

Both  armies  retained  their  position  until  the  7th  of  October  ;  Bur- 
goyne, in  the  hope  of  being  relieved  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton  :  and 
Gates  in  the  confidence  of  growing  stronger  every  day,  and  of  ren- 
dering the  destruction  of  his  enemy  more  certain.  But  receiving  no 
further  intelligence  from  Sir  Henry,  the  British  general  determined 
to  make  one  more  trial  of  strength  with  his  adversary.  The  follow- 
ing account  of  the  brilliant  affair  of  the  7th  of  October,  1777,  is 
given  in  Thacher's  Military  Journal. 

"  I  am  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  from  our  officers  a  particular 
account  of  the  glorious  event  of  the  7th  inst.  The  advanced  parties 
of  the  two  armies  came  into  contact,  about  three  o'clock  on  Tuesday 
afternoon,  and  immediately  displayed  their  hostile  attitude.  The 
Americans  soon  approached  the  royal  army,  and  each  party  in  defi- 
mce  awaited  the  deadly  blow.     The  gallant  Colonel  Morgan,  at  the 


BATTLE   OF   BEMIS  S   HEIGHTS.  103 

head  of  his  famous  rifle  corps,  and  Major  Dearborn,  leading  a  detach- 
ment of  infantry,  commenced  the  action,  and  rushed  courageously 
on  the  British  grenadiers,  commanded  by  Major  Ackland  ;  and  the 
furious  attack  was  firmly  resisted.  In  all  parts  of  the  field,  the  con- 
flict became  extremely  arduous  and  obstinate  ;  an  unconquerable 
spirit  on  each  side  disdaining  to  yield  the  palm  of  victory. — Death 
appeared  to  have  lost  his  terrors  ;  breaches  in  the  ranks  w^ere  no 
sooner  made  than  supplied  by  fresh  combatants,  awaiting  a  similar 
fate.  At  length  the  Americans  press  forward  with  renewed  strength 
and  ardor,  and  compel  the  whole  British  line,  commanded  by  Bur- 
goyne  himself,  to  yield  to  their  deadly  fire,  and  they  retreat  in  dis- 
order. The  German  troops  remain  firmly  posted  at  their  lines  ;  these 
were  now  boldly  assaulted  by  Brigadier-General  Learned,  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Brooks,  at  the  head  of  their  respective  commands, 
with  such  intrepidity,  that  the  works  were  carried,  and  their  brave 
commander.  Lieutenant- Colonel  Breyman,  was  slain.  The  Germans 
were  pursued  to  their  encampment,  which,  with  all  the  equipage  of 
the  brigade,  fell  into  our  hands.  Colonel  Cilley,  of  General  Poor's 
brigade,  having  acquitted  himself  honorably,  was  seen  astride  on  a 
brass  field-piece,  exultmg  in  the  capture.  Major  Hull  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts line  was  among  those  who  so  bravely  stormed  the  enemy's 
intrenchment,  and  acted  a  conspicuous  part.  General  Arnold,  in 
consequence  of  a  serious  misunderstanding  with  General  Gates,  was 
not  vested  with  any  command,  by  which  he  was  exceedingly  chagrined 
and  irritated.  He  entered  the  field,  however,  and  his  conduct  was 
marked  with  intemperate  rashness  ;  flourishing  his  sword  and  anima- 
ting the  troops,  he  struck  an  officer  on  the  head  without  cause,  and 
gave  him  a  considerable  wound.  He  exposed  himself  to  every  danger, 
and  with  a  small  party  of  riflemen,  rushed  into  the  rear  of  the  enemy, 
where  he  received  a  ball  w^hich  fractured  his  leg,  and  his  horse  was 
killed  under  him.  Nightfall  put  a  stop  to  our  brilliant  career,  though 
the  victory  was  most  decisive,  and  it  is  with  pride  and  exultation 
that  we  recount  the  triumph  of  American  bravery.  Besides  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Breyman  slain.  General  Frazer,  one  of  the  most 
valuable  officers  in  the  British  service,  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
survived.but  a  few  hours.  Frazer  was  the  soul  of  the  British  army, 
and  was  just  changing  the  disposition  of  a  part  of  the  troops  to  repel 
a  strong  impression  which  the  Americans  had  made,  and  were  still 
making,  on  the  British  right,  when  Morgan  called  together  two 
or  three  of  his  best  marksmen,  and  pointing  to  Frazer  said,  '  Do 
you  see  that  gallant  officer  ?  that  is  General  Frazer, — I  respect  and 
honor  him ;  but  it  is  necessary  he  should  die.'  This  was  enough. 
Frazer  immediately  received  his  mortal  wound,  and  w^as  carried  off" 


104  GATES. 

the  field.  Sir  Francis  Clark,  aid-de-camp  to  General  Burgoyne,  was 
brought  into  our  camp  with  a  mortal  wound,  and  Major  Acklarid, 
who  commanded  the  British  grenadiers,  was  wounded  through  both 
legs,  and  is  our  prisoner.  Several  other  officers,  and  about  two  hun- 
dred privates,  are  prisoners  in  our  hands,  with  nine  pieces  of  cannon, 
and  a  considerable  supply  of  ammunition,  which  was  much  wanted  for 
our  troops.  The  loss  on  our  side  is  supposed  not  to  exceed  thirty 
killed,  and  one  hundred  wounded,  in  obtaining  this  signal  victory." 

The  position  of  the  British  army,  after  the  action  of  the  7th,  was 
so  dangerous,  that  an  immediate  and  total  change  of  position  became 
necessary,  and  Burgoyne  took  immediate  measures  to  regain  his 
former  camp  at  Saratoga.  There  he  arrived,  with  little  molestation 
from  his  adversary.  His  provisions  being  now  reduced  to  the  supply 
of  a  few  days,  the  transports  of  artillery  and  baggage  towards  Canada 
being  rendered  impracticable  by  the  judicious  measures  of  his  adver- 
sary, the  British  general  resolved  upon  a  rapid  retreat,  merely  with 
what  the  soldiers  could  carry.  On  examination,  however,  it  was 
found  that  they  were  deprived  even  of  this  resource,  as  the  passes 
through  which  their  route  lay,  were  so  strongly  guarded,  that  nothing 
but  artillery  could  clear  them.  In  this  desperate  situation  a  parley 
took  place,  and  on  the  16th  of  October,  the  whole  army  surrendered 
to  General  Gates. 

The  prize  obtained  consisted  of  more  than  five  thousand  prisoners, 
forty-two  pieces  of  brass  ordnance,  seven  thousand  muskets,  clothing 
for  seven  thousand  men,  with  a  great  quantity  of  tents,  and  other 
military  stores. 

Soon  after  the  convention  was  signed,  the  Americans  marched  into 
their  lines,  and  were  kept  there  until  the  royal  army  had  deposited 
their  arms  at  the  place  appointed.  The  delicacy  with  which  this 
business  was  conducted,  reflected  honor  on  the  American  general. 
Nor  did  the  politeness  of  Gates  end  here.  Every  circumstance  was 
withheld  that  could  constitute  a  triumph  in  the  American  army.  The 
captive  general  was  received  by  his  conqueror  with  respect  and  kind- 
ness. A  number  of  the  principal  officers  of  both  armies  met  at 
General  Gates's  quarters,  and  for  a  while  seemed  to  forget,  in  social 
and  convivial  pleasures,  that  they  had  been  enemies. 

General  Wilkinson  gives  the  following  account  of  the  meeting 
between  General  Burgoyne  and  General  Gates  : — 

"  General  Gates,  advised  of  Burgoyne's  approach,  met  him  at  the 
head  of  his  camp,  Burgoyne  in  a  rich  royal  uniform,  and  Gates  in  a 
plain  blue  frock.  When  they  had  approached  nearly  within  sword's 
length,  they  reined  up  and  halted.  J  then  named  the  gentleman,  and 
General  Burgoyne,  raising  his  hat,  most  gracefully,  said,  '  The  fortune 


BURGOYNE    S      SURRENDER. 


105 


BuTgoyne's  Surrender. 

of  war,  General  Gates,  has  made  me  your  prisoner ;'  to  which  the 
conqueror,  returning  a  courtly  salute,  promptly  replied,  '  I  shall 
always  be  ready  to  bear  testimony  that  it  has  not  been  through  any 
fault  of  your  Excellency.'  " 

The  thanks  of  Congress  were  voted  to  General  Gates  and  his 
army ;  and  a  medal  of  gold,  in  commemoration  of  this  great  event, 
was  ordered  to  be  struck,  to  be  presented  to  him  by  the  president,  in 
the  name  of  the  United  States. 

It  was  not  long  after  that  the  wonderful  discovery  was  supposed 
to  be  made,  that  the  illustrious  Washington  was  incompetent  to  the 
task  of  conducting  the  operations  of  the  American  army,  and  that 
General  Gates,  if  elevated  to  the  chief  command,  Avould  speedily 
meliorate  the  condition  of- our  affairs.  There  were  those  that  im- 
puted to  General  Gates  himself,  a  principal  agency  in  the  affair, 
which,  however,  he  promptly  disavowed.  But  certain  it  is,  that  a 
private  correspondence  was  maintained  between  him  and  the  in- 
triguing General  Conway,  in  which  the  measures  pursued  by  General 


106 


GATES- 


Washington  are  criticised  and  repro- 
bated, and  in  one  of  Conway's  letters, 
he  pointedly  ascribes  our  want  of  success 
to  a  weak  general  and  bad  counsellors. 
General  Gates,  on  finding  that  General 
Washington  had  been  apprised  of  the 
correspondence,  addressed  his  Excel- 
lency, requesting  that  he  would  disclose 
the  name  of  his  informant,  and  in  viola- 
tion of  the  rules  of  decorum,  he  addressed 
the  commander-in-chief  on  a  subject  of 
extreme  delicacy,  in  an  open  letter  trans- 
mitted to  the  president  of  Congress. 
General  Washington,  however,  did  not 
hesitate  to  disclose  the  name  and  the 
circumstances  which  brought  the  affair 
General  BuTgoyne.  to  light.  General  Gatcs,  then,  with  incx- 

cusable  disingenuousness,  attempted  to  vindicate  the  conduct  of  Con- 
way, and  to  deny  that  the  letter  contained  the  reprehensible  expres- 
sions in  question,  but  utterly  refused  to  produce  the  original  letter. 
This  subject,  however,  was  so  ably  and  candidly  discussed  by  General 
Washington,  as  to  cover  his  adversary  with  shame  and  humiliation. 
It  was  thought  inexcusable  in  Gates,  that  he  neglected  to  communi- 
cate to  the  commander-in-chief  an  account  of  so  important  an  event 
as  the  capture  of  the  British  army  at  Saratoga,  but  left  his  Excel- 
lency to  obtain  the  information  by  common  report. 

Dr.  Thacher,  in  his  Military  Journal,  relates  the  following  anec- 
dote : — "  Mr.  T ,  an  ensign  in  our  regiment,  has,  for  some 

time,  discovered  symptoms  of  mental  derangement. — Yesterday  he 
intruded  himself  at  General  Gates's  head-quarters,  and  after  some 
amusing  conversation,  he  put  himself  in  the  attitude  of  devotion,  and 
prayed  that  God  would  pardon  General  Gates  for  endeavoring  to 
supersede  that  god-like  man,  Washington.  The  general  appeared 
to  be  much  disturbed,  and  directed  Mr.  Pierce,  his  aid-de-camp,  to 
talce  him  away." 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1780,  General  Gates  was  appointed  to  the 
chief  command  of  the  southern  army.  Rich  in  fame  from  the  fields 
of  Saratoga,  he  hastened  to  execute  the  high  and  important  trust ; 
and  the  arrival  of  an  officer  so  exalted  in  reputation,  had  an  imme- 
diate and  happy  effect  on  the  spirits  of  the  soldiery  and  the  hopes  of 
the  people.  It  was  anticipated  that  he  who  had  humbled  Great 
Britain  on  the  heights  of  the  Hudson,  and  liberated  New  York  from 
a  formidable  invasion,  would  prove  no  less  successful  in  the  south, 


BATTLE      OF      CAMDEN.  107 

and  become  the  deliverer  of  Carolina  and  Georgia  from  lawless 
rapine  and  military  rule.  But  anticipations  were  vain,  and  the  best 
founded  hopes  were  blighted  !  In  the  first  and  only  encounter  which 
he  had  with  Lord  Cornwallis,  at  Camden,  August  15th,  he  suffered 
a  total  defeat,  and  was  obliged  to  fly  from  the  enemy  for  personal 
safety. 

Proudly  calculating  on  the  weight  of  his  name,  and  too  confident 
in  his  own  superiority,  he  slighted  the  counsel  which  he  ought  to 
have  respected,  and  hurrying  impetuously  into  the  field  of  battle, 
his  tide  of  popularity  ebbed  as  fast  at  Camden  as  it  had  flowed  at 
Saratoga. 

It  would  be  great  injustice,  however,  to  attribute  the  misfortune 
altogether  to  the  commander,  under  his  peculiar  circumstances.  A 
large  proportion  of  his  force  consisted  of  raw  militia,  who  were  panic 
struck,  and  fled  at  the  first  fire  ; — their  rout  was  absolute  and  irre- 
trievable. In  vain  did  Gates  attempt  to  rally  them.  That  their 
speed  might  be  the  greater,  they  threw  away  their  arms  and  accoutre- 
ments, and  dashed  into  the  woods  and  swamps  for  safety.  A  rout 
more  perfectly  wild  and  disorderly,  or  marked  with  greater  conster- 
nation and  dismay,  was  never  witnessed.  Honor,  manhood,  country, 
home,  every  recollection  sacred  to  the  feelings  of  the  soldier,  and  the 
soul  of  the  brave,  was  merged  in  an  ignominious  love  of  life. 

But  from  the  moment  General  Gates  assumed  the  command  in  the 
south,  his  former  judgment  and  fortune  seemed  to  forsake  him.  He 
was  anxious  to  come  to  action  immediately,  and  to  terminate  the 
war  by  a  few  bold  and  energetic  measures  ;  and  two  days  after  his 
arrival  in  camp,  he  began  his  march  to  meet  the  enemy,  without 
properly  estimating  his  force. 

The  active  spirits  of  the  place  being  roused  and  encouraged  by  the 
presence  of  a  considerable  army,  and  daily  flocking  to  the  standard 
of  their  country.  General  Gates,  by  a  delay  of  action,  had  much  to 
gain  in  point  of  numbers.  To  the  prospects  of  the  enemy,  on  the  con- 
trary, delay  would  have  been  ruinous.  To  them  there  was  no 
alternative  but  immediate  battle  and  victory,  or  immediate  retreat. 
Such,  however,  was  the  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  distance  and 
relative  position  of  the  two  armies,  that  to  compel  the  Americans  to 
action  was  impossible.  The  imprudence  of  the  American  general  in 
hazarding  an  engagement,  at  this  time,  is  further  manifested  by  the 
fact,  that  in  troops,  on  whose  firmness  he  could  safely  rely,  he  was 
greatly  inferior  to  his  foe,  they. amounting  to  sixteen  hundred  veteran 
and  highly  disciplined  regulars,  and  he  having  less  than  a  thousand 
continentals. 

General  Gates  having  retreated  to  Salisbury,  and  thence  to  Hills- 


108  GATES. 

borough,  he  there  succeeded  in  collecting  around  him  the  fragments 
of  an  army.  Being  soon  after  reinforced  by  several  small  bodies  of 
regulars  and  militia,  he  again  advanced  towards  the  south,  and  took 
post  in  Charlotte.  Here  he  continued  in  command  until  the  5th  day 
of  October,  fifty  days  after  his  defeat  at  Camden,  when  Congress 
passed  a  resolution  requiring  the  commander-in-chief  to  order  a  court 
of  inquiry  on  his  conduct,  as  commander  of  the  southern  army,  and 
to  appoint  some  other  officer  to  that  command.  The  inquiry  resulted 
in  his  acquittal  :  and  it  was  the  general  opinion  that  he  was  not 
treated  by  Congress  with  that  delicacy,  or  indeed  gratitude,  that  was 
due  to  an  officer  of  his  acknowledged  merit.  He,  however,  received 
the  order  of  his  supersedure  and  suspension,  and  resigned  the  com- 
mand to  General  Greene  with  becoming  dignity,  as  is  manifested, 
much  to  his  credit,  in  the  following  order  : — 

"Head-Quarters,  Charlotte,  Zd  December,  1780. ■> 
Parole,  Springfield — countersign,  Greene.      3 

"  The  honorable  Major-General  Greene,  who  arrived  yesterday 
afternoon  in  Charlotte,  being  appointed  by  his  excellency  General 
Washington,  with  the  approbation  of  the  honorable  Congress,  to  the 
command  of  the  southern  army,  all  orders  will,  for  the  future,  issue 
from  him,  and  all  reports  are  to  be  made  to  him. 

"  General  Gates  returns  his  sincere  and  grateful  thanks  to  the 
southern  army  for  their  perseverance,  fortitude,  and  patient  endu- 
rance of  all  the  hardships  and  sufferings  they  have  undergone  while 
under  his  command.  He  anxiously  hopes  their  misfortunes  will  cease 
therewith,  and  that  victory,  and  the  glorious  advantages  of  it,  may 
be  the  future  portion  of  the  southern  army." 

General  Greene  had  already  been,  and  continued  to  be,  the  firm 
advocate  of  the  reputation  of  General  Gates,  particularly  if  he  heard 
it  assailed  with  asperity  ;  and  still  believed  and  asserted,  that  if  there 
was  any  mistake  in  the  conduct  of  Gates,  it  was  in  hazarding  an 
action  at  all  against  such  superior  force  ;  and  when  informed  of  his 
appointment  to  supersede  him,  declared  his  confidence  in  his  military 
talents,  and  his  willingness  "  to  serve  under  him." 

General  Gates  was  reinstated  in  his  military  command  in  the  main 
army,  in  1782  ;  but  the  great  scenes  of  war  were  now  passed,  and 
he  could  only  participate  in  the  painful  scene  of  a  final  separation. 

In  the  midst  of  his  misfortune,  General  Gates  was  called  to  mourn 
the  afflicted  dispensation  of  Providence,  in  the  death  of  his  only  son. 
Major  Garden,  in  his  excellent  publication,  has  recorded  the  follow- 
ing affecting  anecdote,  which  he  received  from  Dr.  William  Reed  : — 

"  Having  occasion  to  call  on  General  Gates,  relative  to  the  busi- 
ness of  the  department  under  my  immediate  charge,  I  found  him 


ANECDOTE.  109 

traversing  the  apartment  which  he  occupied,  under  the  influence  of 
high  excitement ;  his  agitation  was  excessive — every  feature  of  his 
countenance,  every  gesture  betrayed  it.  Official  despatches  inform- 
ing him  that  he  was  superseded,  and  that  the  command  of  the  south- 
ern army  had  been  transferred  to  General  Greene,  had  just  been 
received  and  perused  by  him.  His  countenance,  however,  betrayed 
no  expression  of  irritation  or  resentment ;  it  was  sensibility  alone 
that  caused  his  emotion.  An  open  letter,  which  he  held  in  his  hand, 
was  often  raised  to  his  lips  and  kissed  with  devotion,  while  the  excla- 
mation repeatedly  escaped  them — '  Great  man  !  Noble,  generous 
procedure  !'  When  the  tumult  of  his  mind  had  subsided,  and  his 
thoughts  found  utterance,  he,  with  strong  expression  of  feeling, 
exclaimed  :  '  I  have  received  this  day  a  communication  from  the 
commander-in-chief,  which  has  conveyed  more  consolation  to  my 
bosom,  more  ineffable  delight  to  my  heart,  than  I  had  believed  it 
possible  for  it  ever  to  have  felt  again.  With  affectionate  tenderness 
he  sympathizes  with  me  in  my  domestic  misfortunes,  and  condoles 
with  me  on  the  loss  I  have  sustained  by  the  recent  death  of  an  only 
son ;  and  then  with  peculiar  delicacy,  lamenting  my  misfortune  in 
battle,  assures  me  that  his  confidence  in  my  zeal  and  capacity  is  so 
little  impaired,  that  the  command  of  the  right  wing  of  the  army  will 
be  bestowed  on  me  so  soon  as  I  can  make  it  convenient  to  join 
him.' " 

After  the  peace,  he  retired  to  his  farm  in  Berkley  county,  Va., 
where  he  remained  until  the  year  1790,  when  he  went  to  reside  in 
New  York,  having  first  emancipated  his  slaves,  and  made  a  pecu- 
niary provision  for  such  as  were  not  able  to  provide  for  themselves. 
Some  of  them  would  not  leave  him,  but  continued  in  his  family. 

On  his  arrival  at  New  York,  the  freedom  of  the  city  was  presented 
to  him.  In  1800  he  accepted  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  but  he 
retained  it  no  longer  than  he  conceived  his  services  might  be  useful 
to  the  cause  of  liberty,  which  he  never  abandoned. 

His  political  opinions  did  not  separate  him  from  many  respectable 
citizens,  whose  views  differed  widely  from  his  own.  He  had  a  hand 
some  person  and  was  gentlemanly  in  his  manners,  remarkably  cour- 
teous to  all,  and  gave  indisputable  marks  of  a  social,  amiable,  and 
benevolent  disposition.  A  few  weeks  before  his  death,  he  closed  a 
letter  to  a  friend  in  the  following  words  : — "  I  am  very  weak,  and 
have  evident  signs  of  an  approaching  dissolution.  But  I  have  lived 
.  long  enough,  since  I  have  to  see  a  mighty  people  animated  with  a 
spirit  to  be  free,  and  governed  by  transcendant  abilities  and  honor." 
He  died  without  posterity,  at  his  abode  near  New  York,  on  the  10th 
day  of  April,  1806,  aged  78  years. 


GENERAL  GREENE. 


ENERAL  GREENE,  although 
descended  from  ancestors  of  ele 
vated  standing,  was  not  indebted 
to  the  condition  of  his  family,  for 
any  part  of  the  real  lustre  and  reputation 
he  possessed.  He  was  literally  the  founder 
of  his  own  fortune,  and  the  author  of  his 
own  fame.  He  was  the  second  son  of 
Nathaniel  Greene,  a  member  of  the  society 
of  Friends,  an  anchor-smith. 
He  was  born  in  the  year  1741,  in  the  town  of  Warwick,  and 
county  of  Kent,  in  the  province  of  Rhode  Island.  Being  intended 
by  his  father  for  the  business  which  he  himself  pursued,  young 
Greene  received  at  school  nothing  but  the  elements  of  a  common 
English  education.  But  to  him,  an  education  so  limited  was  unsa- 
tisfactory. With  such  funds  as  he  was  able  to  raise,  he  purchased 
a  small,  but  well-selected,  library,  and  spent  his  evenings,  and  all 

110 


HIS      INTRODUCTION     TO     WASHINGTON.  Ill 

the  time   he  could  redeem  from  his  father's  business,  in  regular 
study. 

At  a  period  of  life  unusually  early,  Greene  was  elevated,  by  a  very 
flattering  suffrage,  to  a  seat  in  the  legislature  of  his  native  colony. 
This  was  the  commencement  of  a  public  career,  which,  heightening 
as  it  advanced,  and  flourishing  in  the  midst  of  difficulties,  closed 
with  a  lustre  that  was  peculiarly  dazzling. 

Thus  introduced  into  the  councils  of  his  country,  at  a  time  when 
the  rights  of  the  subject,  and  the  powers  of  the  ruler,  were  begin- 
ning to  be  topics  of  liberal  discussion,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  avow  his 
sentiments  on  the  momentous  question.  Nor  did  he  pause  or  waver, 
as  to  the  principles  he  should  adopt,  and  the  decision  he  should  form. 
He  was  inflexibly  opposed  to  tyranny  and  oppression  in  every  shape, 
and  manfully  avowed  it.  But  his  character,  although  forming,  was 
not  completely  developed  until  the  commencement  of  the  troubles 
which  terminated  in  our  independence.  It  was  then  that  he  aspired 
to  a  head  in  the  public  councils  ;  and  throwing  from  him,  as  unsuit- 
able to  the  times,  the  peaceful  habits  in  which  he  had  been  educated, 
sternly  declared  for  a  redress  of  grievances,  or  open  resistance.  This 
open  departure  from  the  sectarian  principles  in  which  he  had  been 
educated,  was  followed,  of  course,  by  his  immediate  dismission  from 
the  society  of  Friends. 

The  sword  was  earliest  unsheathed  in  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  ; 
and  on  the  plains  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  the  blood  of  British 
soldiers,  and  American  subjects,  mingled  first  in  hostile  strife.  Nor 
was  Rhode  Island,  after  that  sanguinary  affair,  behind  her  sister  colo- 
nies, in  gallantry  of  spirit,  and  promptitude  of  preparation. 

Greene  commenced  his  military  pupilage  in  the  capacity  of  a  pri- 
vate soldier,  in  Oct.  1774,  in  a  military  association,  commanded  by 
James  M.  Varnum,  afterward  brigadier-general.  But  Rhode  Island 
having  in  the  month  of  May,  1775,  raised  three  regiments  of  militia, 
she  placed  them  under  the  command  of  Greene,  who,  without  loss 
of  time,  conducted  them  to  head-quarters,  in  the  village  of  Cam- 
bridge. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1775,  General  Washington,  invested  by  Con- 
gress with  the  command  in  chief  of  the  armies  of  his  country,  arrived 
at  Boston.  Greene  availed  himself  of  an  early  opportunity  amid  the 
public  demonstration  of  joy,  to  welcome  the  commander-in-chief,  in 
a  personal  address,  in  which,  with  much  warmth  of  feeling,  and  kind 
ness  of  expression,  he  avowed  his  attachment  to  his  person,  and  the 
high  gratification  he  derived  from  the  prospect  of  being  associated 
with  him  in  arms,  and  serving  under  him  in  defence  of  the  violated 
rights  of  his  country. 


112 


GREENE. 


HIS  was  a  happy  prelude  to  a  friend- 
ship between  these  two  great 
and  illustrious  officers,  which 
death,  alone,  had  the  power  to 
dissolve.  It  is  a  fact  of  notoriety, 
that  when  time  and  acquaint- 
ance had  made  him  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  character 
and  merits  of  General  Greene, 
Washington  entertained,  and  frequently  expressed  an  anxious  wish, 
that  in  case  of  his  death,  he  might  be  appointed  his  successor  to  the 
supreme  command. 

During  the  investment  of  Boston  by  the  American  forces,  a  state 
of  things  which  lasted  for  months,  no  opportunity  presented  itself  to 
Greene  to  acquire  distinction  by  personal  exploit.  But  his  love  of 
action,  and  spirit  of  adventure,  were  strongly  manifested,  for  he  was 
one  of  the  few  officers  of  rank  who  concurred  with  General  Wash- 
ington in  the  propriety  of  attempting  to  carry  the  town  by  assault. 

On  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British,  the  American  troops 
were  permitted  to  repose  from  their  toils,  and  to  exchange,  for  a 
time,  the  hardships  and  privations  of  a  field  encampment,  for  the 
enjoyment  of  plenty,  in  comfortable  barracks.  During  this  period 
of  relaxation,  Greene  continued,  with  unabating  industry,  his  military 
studies,  and  as  far  as  opportunity  served,  his  attention  to  the  prac- 
tical duties  of  the  field.  This  course,  steadily  pursued,  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  Washington,  could  scarcely  fail  to  procure 
rank  and  lead  to  eminence.  Accordingly,  on  the  26th  of  August, 
1776,  he  was  promoted  by  Congress  to  the  rank  of  major-general  in 
the  regular  army, 

A  crisis,  most  glowing,  and  portentous  to  the  cause  of  freedom, 
had  now  arrived.  In  the  retreat  which  now  commenced,  through  New 
Jersey,  General  Washington  was  accompanied  by  General  Greene, 
and  received  from  him  all  the  aid  that,  under  circumstances  so  dark 
and  unpromising,  talents,  devotion,  and  firmness  could  afford.  Pos- 
sessed alike  of  an  ardent  temperament,  hearts  that  neither  danger 
nor  misfortune  could  appal,  and  an  inspiring  trust  in  the  righteous- 
ness of  their  cause,  it  belonged  to  the  character  of  these  two  great 
and  illustrious  commanders,  never  for  a  moment  to  despair  of  their 
country.  Hope  and  confidence,  even  now,  beamed  from  their  coun- 
tenances, and  they  encouraged  their  followers,  and  supported  them 
under  the  pressure  of  defeat  and  misfortune. 

Greene  was  one  of  the  council  of  Washington,  who  resolved  on 
the  enterprise  of  the  26th  of  December,  1776,  against  the  post  of 


BATTLE      OF      BRANDYWINE. 


113 


the  enemy  at  Trenton.  The  issue  is  known,  and  is  glorious  in  our 
history.  About  one  thousand  Hessians,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  pri- 
soners, with  their  arms,  field  equipage,  and  artillery,  were  the  tro- 
phies of  that  glorious  morning,  which  opened  on  the  friends  of 
American  freedom  with  the  day-star  of  hope.  He  was  again  of  the 
council  of  the  commander-in-chief,  in  planning  the  daring  attack  of 
the  2d  January,  1777,  on  the  British  garrison  at  Princeton,  as  well 
as  his  associate  in  achieving  its  execution.  In  both  these  brilliant 
actions,  his  gallantry,  prudence,  and  skill  being  alike  conspicuous, 
he  received  the  applauses  of  his  commander.  He  continued  the  asso- 
ciate and  most  confidential  counsellor  of  Washington  through  the 
gloomy  and  ominous  period  that  followed. 

In  the  obstinate  and  bloody  battle  of  Brandywine,  General  Greene, 
by  his  distinguished  conduct,  added  greatly  to  his  former  renown.  In 
the  course  of  it,  a  detachment  of  American  troops  commanded  by 
General  Sullivan,  being  unexpectedly  attacked  by  the  enemj",  re- 
treated in  disorder.  General  Greene,  at  the  head  of  Weedon's  Vir- 
ginia brigade,  flew  to  their  support.  On  approaching,  he  found  the 
defeat  of  General  Sullivan  a  perfect  rout.  Not  a  moment  was  to  be 
lost.  Throwing  himself  into  the  rear  of  his  flying  countrymen,  and 
retreating  slowly,  he  kept  up,  especially  from  his  cannon,  so  destruc- 
tive a  fire  as  greatly  to  retard  the  advance  of  the  enemy.  Aiming  at 
length  at  a  narrow  defile,  secured  on  the  right  and  left  by  thick  woods, 
he  halted,  sent  forward  his  cannon,  that  they  might  be  out  of  danger 
in  case  of  his  being  compelled  to  a  hasty  retreat,  and  formed  his 
troops,  determined  to  dispute  the  pass  with  his  small  arms.  This  he 
effected  with  complete  success,  notwithstanding  the  vast  superiority 
of  the  assailants,  until  after  a  conflict  of  more  than  an  hour  and  a 
half,  night  came  on,  and  brought  it  to  a  close.  But  for  this  quick- 
sighted  interposition,  Sullivan's  detachment  must  have  been  nearly 
annihilated. 

On  this  occasion,  only,  did  the  slightest  misunderstanding  ever 
occur,  between  General  Greene  and  the  commander-in-chief.  In  his 
general  orders  after  the  battle,  the  latter  neglected  to  bestow  any 
special  applause  on  Weedon's  brigade.  Against  this  General  Greene 
remonstrated  in  person. 

General  Washington  replied,  "  You,  sir,  are  considered  my  favorite 
officer.  Weedon's  brigade,  like  myself,  are  Virginians.  Should  I 
applaud  them  for  their  achievement,  under  your  command,  I  shall  be 
charged  with  partiality :  jealousy  will  be  excited,  and  the  service 
injured." 

"  Sir,"  exclaimed  Greene,  with  considerable  emotion,  "  I  trust  your 
Excellency  will  do  me  the  justice  to  believe  that  I  am  not  selfish.  In 

8 


114 


GREENE. 


my  own  behalf  I  have  nothing  to  ask.  Act  towards  me.  as  you  please  ; 
I  shall  not  complain.  However  richly  I  prize  your  Excellency's 
good  opinion  and  applause,  a  consciousness  that  1  have  endeavored 
to  do  my  duty,  constitutes,  at  present,  my  richest  reward.  But  do 
not,  sir,  let  me  entreat  you,  on  account  of  the  jealousy  that  may 
arise  in  little  minds,  withhold  justice  from  the  brave  fellows  I  had 
the  honor  to  command." 

Convinced  that  prudence  forbade  the  special  notice  requested,  the 
commander-in-chief  persisted  in  his  silence.  Greene,  on  cool  reflec- 
tion, appreciated  the  motives  of  his  general,  and  lost  no  time  in 
apologizing  for  his  intemperate  manner,  if  not  for  his  expressions. 
Delighted  with  his  frankness  and  magnanimity,  Washington  replied 
with  a  smile, — "  An  officer,  tried  as  you  have  been,  who  errs  but 
once  in  two  years,  deserves  to  be  forgiven."  With  that  he  offered 
him  his  hand,  and  the  matter  terminated. 

OLLOWING  General  Greene  in  his  military 
career,  he  next  presents  himself  on  the  plains 
of  Germantown.  In  this  daring  assault  he 
commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  American 
army,  and  his  utmost  endeavors  were  used 
to  retrieve  the  fortune  of  the  day,  in  which 
his  conduct  met  the  approbation  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. Lord  Cornwallis,  to  whom 
he  was  often  opposed,  had  the  magnanimity 
to  bestow  upon  him  a  lofty  encomium. 
"  Greene,"  said  he,  "  is  as  dangerous  as  Washington.  He  is  vigilant, 
enterprising,  and  full  of  resources.  With  but  little  hope  of  gaining 
any  advantage  over  him,  I  never  feel  secure  when  encamped  in  his 
neighborhood." 

At  this  period,  the  quartermaster  department  in  the  American 
army,  was  in  a  very  defective  and  alarming  condition,  and  required 
a  speedy  and  radical  reform  :  and  General  Washington  declared  that 
such  reform  could  be  effected  only  by  the  appointment  of  a  quarter- 
master-general, of  great  resources,  well  versed  in  business,  and  pos- 
sessing practical  talents  of  the  first  order.  When  requested  by 
Congress  to  look  out  for  such  an  officer,  he,  at  once,  fixed  his  eye  on 
General  Greene. 

Washington  well  knew  that  the  soul  of  Greene  was  indissolubly 
wedded  to  the  duties  of  line.  Notwithstanding  this,  he  expressed,  in 
conversation  with  a  member  of  Congress,  his  entire  persuasion,  that 
if  General  Greene  could  be  convinced  of  his  ability  to  render  his 
country  greater  services  in  the  quartermaster  department,  than  in 
the  field,  he  would  at  once  accept  the  appointment.     "  There  is  not," 


APPOINTED      QUARTERMASTER.  1J5 

said  he,  "  an  officer  of  the  army,  nor  a  man  in  America,  more  smcerely 
attached  to  the  interests  of  his  country.  Could  he  best  promote  their 
interests,  in  the  character  of  a  corporal,  he  would  exchange  as  I  firmly 
beheve,  without  a  murmur,  the  epaulet  for  the  knot.  For  although 
he  is  not  without  ambition ;  that  ambition  has  not  for  its  object  the 
highest  rank,  so  much  as  the  greatest  good." 

When  the  appointment  was  first  offered  General  Greene,  he 
declined  it,  but  after  a  conference  with  the  commander-in-chief,  he 
consented  to  an  acceptance,  on  condition  that  he  should  forfeit 
nothing  of  his  right  to  command,  in  time  of  action.  On  these  terms 
he  received  the  appointment  on  the  22d  of  March,  1776,  and  entered 
immediately  on  the  duties  of  the  office. 

In  this  station  he  fully  answered  the  expectations  formed  of  his 
abilities  ;  and  enabled  the  American  army  to  move  with  additional 
celerity  and  vigor. 

During  his  administration  of  the  quartermaster  department,  he 
took,  on  two  occasions,  a  high  and  distinguished  part  in  the  field ; 
the  first  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth  ;  the  second  in  a  very  brilliant 
expedition  against  the  enemy  in  Rhode  Island,  under  the  command 
of  General  Sullivan.  At  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  the  commander-in- 
chief,  disgusted  with  the  behavior  of  General  Lee,  deposed  him  in 
the  field  of  battle,  and  -appointed  General  Greene  to  command  the 
right  wing,  where  he  greatly  contributed  to  retrieve  the  errors  of  his 
predecessor,  and  to  the  subsequent  events  of  the  day. 

His  return  to  his  native  state  was  hailed  by  the  inhabitants,  w4th 
general  and  lively  demonstrations  of  joy.  Even  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  society  of  Friends,  who  had  reluctantly  excluded  him 
from  their  communion,  often  visited  him  at  his  quarters,  and  expressed 
their  sincere  satisfaction  at  the  elevation  he  had  attained  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  country.  One  of  these  plain  gentlemen  being  asked 
in  jest,  by  a  young  officer,  how  he,  as  an  advocate  of  peace,  could 
reconcile  it  with  his  conscience,  to  keep  so  much  company  with 
General  Greene,  whose  profession  was  war  ? — promptly  replied, 
"  Friend,  it  is  not  a  suit  of  uniform  that  can  either  make  or  spoil  a 
man.  True,  I  do  not  approve  of  this  many-colored  apparel,  (to  the 
officer's  dress,)  but  whatever  may  be  the  form  or  color  of  his  coat, 
Nathaniel  Greene  still  retains  the  same  sound  head  and  virtuous 
heart,  that  gained  him  the  love  and  esteem  of  our  society." 

During  the  year  1779,  General  Greene  was  occupied  exclusively 
in  the  extensive  concerns  of  the  quartermaster  department. 

About  this  time.  General  Greene  was  called  to  the  performance  of 
a  duty,  the  most  trying  and  painful  he  had  ever  encountered.  We 
allude  to  the  melancholy  affair  of  Major  Andre,  adjutant-general  to 


lit)  GREENE. 

the  British  army,  who  was  captured  in  disguise  within  the  American 
lines.  Washington  detailed  a  coutt  for  this  trial,  composed  of  four- 
teen general  officers,  Lafayette  and  Steuben  being  two  of  the  number, 
and  appointed  General  Greene  to  preside. 

When  summoned  to  this  trial,  Andre  frankly  disclosed  without 
interrogatory,  what  bore  heaviest  on  his  own  life,  but  inviolably  con- 
cealed whatever  might  endanger  the  safety  of  others.  His  confessions 
were  conclusive,  and  no  witness  was  examined  against  him.  The 
court  were  unanimous,  that  he  had  been  taken  as  a  spy,  and  must 
suffer  death.  Of  this  sentence  he  did  not  complain,  but  wished  that 
he  might  be  permitted  to  close  a  life  of  honor  by  a  professional  death, 
and  not  be  compelled,  like  a  common  felon,  to  expire  on  a  gibbet. 
To  effect  this,  he  made,  in  a  letter  to  General  Washington,  one  of  the 
most  powerful  and  pathetic  appeals,  that  ever  fell  from  the  pen  of  a 
mortal. 

Staggered  in  his  resolution,  the  commander-in-chief  referred  the 
subject,  accompanied  by  the  letter,  to  his  general  officers,  who,  with 
one  exception,  became  unanimous  in  their  decision  that  Andre  should 
be  shot. 

|HAT  exception  was  found  in  General 
Greene,  the  president  of  the  court. 
"  Andre,"  said  he,  "  is  either  a  spy  or 
an  innocent  man.  If  the  latter,  to  exe- 
cute him,  in  any  way,  will  be  murder  ; 
if  the  former,  the  mode  of  his  death  is 
prescribed  by  law,  and  you  have  no  right 
to  alter  it.  Nor  is  this  all.  At  the  present 
alarming  crisis  of  our  affairs,  the  public  safety  calls  for  a  solemn  and 
impressive  example.  Nothing  can  satisfy  it,  short  of  the  execution 
of  the  prisoner,  as  a  common  spy  ;  a  character  of  which  his  own 
confession  has  clearly  convicted  him.  Beware  how  you  suffer  your 
feelings  to  triumph  over  your  judgment.  Indulgence  to  one  may  be 
death  to  thousands.  Besides,  if  you  shoot  the  prisoner,  instead  of 
hanging  him,  you  will  excite  suspicion,  which  you  will  be  unable  to 
allay.  Notwithstanding  all  your  efforts  to  the  contrary,  you  will 
awaken  public  compassion,  and  the  belief  will  become  general,  that, 
in  the  case  of  Major  Andre,  there  vrere  exculpatory  circumstances, 
entitling  him  to  lenity,  beyond  what  he  received — perhaps,  entitling 
him  to  pardon.     Hang  him,  therefore,  or  set  him  free." 

This  reasoning  being  considered  conclusive,  the  prisoner  suffered 
as  a  common  spy. 

We  have  now  advanced  to  that  period  of  the  revolutionary  war,  in 
which  the  situation  of  Greene  is  about  to  experience  an  entire  change 


SOUTHERN      CAMPAIGN.  117 

]No  longer  acting  in  the  vicinity,  or  subject  to  the  immediate  orders 
of  a  superior,  we  are  to  behold  him,  in  future,  removed  to  a  distance, 
and  virtually  invested  with  the  supreme  command  of  a  large  section 
of  the  United  States, 

Congress,  dissatisfied  with  the  loss  of  the  southern  army,  resolved 
that  the  conduct  of  General  Gates  should  be  submitted  to  the  examina- 
tion of  a  court  of  inquiry,  and  the  commander-in-chief  directed  to 
appoint  an  officer  to  succeed  him.  In  compliance  with  the  latter  part 
of  the  resolution.  General  Washington,  without  hesitation,  offered 
the  appointment  to  General  Greene.  In  a  letter  to  Congress,  recom- 
mending the  general  to  the  support  of  that  body,  he  made  the  most 
honorable  mention  of  him  as  "  an  officer  in  whose  abilities,  fortitude 
and  integrity,  from  a  long  and  intimate  experience  of  them,  he  had 
the  most  entire  confidence."  Writing  to  Mr.  Matthews,  a  member 
from  Charleston,  he  says,  "  You  have  your  wish,  in  the  officer 
appointed  to  the  southern  command.  I  think  I  am  giving  you  a  gen- 
eral ;  but  what  can  a  general  do  without  arms,  without  clothing, 
without  stores,  without  provisions." 

General  Greene  arrived  at  Charlotte,  the  head-quarters  of  General 
Gates,  December  2d,  1780,  and  in  entering  on  the  duties  of  hin 
command,  he  found  himself  in  a  situation  that  was  fearfully  embarrass- 
ing. His  army,  consisting  mostly  of  militia,  amounted  to  less  than 
two  thousand  men,  and  he  found  on  hand  but  three  days'  provision, 
and  a  very  defective  supply  of  ammunition.  In  front  was  an-  enemy, 
proud  in  victory,  and  too  strong  to  be  encountered.  With  such 
means,  and  under  such  circumstances,  to  recover  two  states,  already 
conquered,  and  protect  a  third,  constituted  a  task  that  was  almost 
hopeless. 

It  was  not  merely  to  meet  an  enemy  in  the  field,  to  command 
skilfully,  and  fight  bravely,  either  in  proffered  or  accepted  battle. 
These  operations  depend  on  mere  professional  qualifications,  that 
can  be  readily  acquired  by  moderate  capacities.  But  to  raise  and 
provide  for  an  army  in  a  dispirited  and  devastated  country,  creating 
resources  where  they  do  not  exist,  to  operate  with  an  incompetent 
force  on  an  extended  and  broken  line  of  frontier  ;  to  hold  in  check, 
in  many  points,  and  to  avoid  coming  into  contact  in  any,  with  an 
enemy  superior  in  numbers  and  discipline  ; — to  conduct  a  scheme  of 
warfare  like  this,  and  such,  precisely,  was  that  which  tested  the 
abilities  of  General  Greene,  requires  a  genius  of  the  highest  order, 
combined  with  indefatigable  industry  and  skill. 

Preparatory  to  the  commencement  of  the  campaign,  Greene's  first 
care  was  to  prepare  for  his  troops  subsistence  and  ammunition,  and 
in  effecting  this,  he  derived  great  aid  from  his  personal  experience  in 


118  GRE  E  N  K. 

the  business  of  the  commissary  and  quartermaster's  departments 
This  quahfication  for  such  a  diversity  of  duties,  presented  him  to  the 
troops  in  the  two-fold  relation  of  their  supporter  and  commander. 
Much  of  the  moral  strength  of  an  army  consists  in  a  confidence  in 
its  leader,  an  attachment  to  his  person,  and  a  spirit  of  subordination, 
founded  on  principle.  To  such  an  extent  was  this  true,  that  even 
the  common  soldiery,  sensible  of  the  superintendence  of  a  superior 
intellect,  predicted  confidently  a  change  of  fortune.  Their  defeat  at 
Camden  was  soon  forgotten  by  them,  in  their  anticipations  of  future 
victory.  They  fancied  themselves  ready  once  more  to  take  the  field, 
and  felt  a  solicitude  to  regain  their  lost  reputation,  and  signalize  their 
prowess  in  presence  of  their  new  and  beloved  commander. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  spirit  and  confidence  of  his  troops, 
Greene  found  himself  unable  to  meet  the  enemy  in  the  field.  With 
Washington  in  his  eye,  and  his  own  genius  to  devise  his  measures, 
he  resolved  on  cautious  movements  and  protracted  war.  Yet,  to 
sustain  the  spirit  of  the  country,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  not 
altogether  shun  his  enemy  ;  but  watching  and  confronting  his  scouts 
and  foraging  parties,  fight,  cripple,  and  beat  him  in  detail ;  and  in  all 
his  movements,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  maintain  a  communica-. 
tion  with  Virginia,  from  which  he  was  to  receive  supplies  of  provisions, 
munitions,  and  men. 

General  Greene's  first  movement  from  the  village  of  Charlotte, 
was  productive  of  the  happiest  effect.  In  the  month  of  December 
he  marched,  with  his  main  army,  to  the  Cheraw  Hills,  about  seventy 
miles  to  the  right  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  despatching,  at  the  same  time, 
General  Morgan,  with  four  hundred  continentals  under  Colonel 
Howard,  Colonel  Washington's  corps  of  dragoons,  and  a  few  militia, 
amounting  in  all  to  six  hundred,  to  take  a  position  on  the  British  left, 
distant  from  them  about  fifty  miles. 

This  judicious  disposition,  which  formed  a  rallying  point  for  the 
friends  of  independence,  both  in  the  east  and  west,  and  facilitated  the 
procurement  of  provisions  for  the  troops,  excited  his  lordship's 
apprehensions  for  the  safety  of  Ninety-Six  and  Augusta,  British 
posts,  which  he  considered  as  menaced  by  the  movements  of  Morgan, 
and  gave  rise  to  a  train  of  movements  which  terminated  in  the  cele- 
brated battle  of  the  Cowpens. 

Cornwallis,  immediately  on  learning  the  movements  of  Greene, 
despatched  Colonel  Tarlton  with  a  strong  detachment,  amounting, 
in  horse  and  foot,  to  near  a  thousand,  for  the  protection  of  Ninety- 
Six,  with  orders  to  bring  General  Morgan,  if  possible,  to  battle. 
Greatly  superior  in  numbers,  he  advanced  on  Morgan  with  a  mena- 
cing aspect,  and  compelled  him,  at  first,  to  fall  back  rapidly.     But 


BATTLE      OF     THE      COWPENS. 


119 


Earl  Cornwallis. 


this  was  not  long  continued.  Glorying  in  action,  and  relying  with 
great  confidence  in  the  spirit  and  firmness  of  his  regular  troops, 
Morgan  halted  at  the  Cowpens,  and  prepared  to  give  his  adversary 
battle.  The  opportunity  was  eagerly  seized  by  Tarlton.  An  engage- 
ment was  the  immediate  consequence,  and  a  complete  victory  was 
obtained  by  the  Americans.  Upwards  of  five  hundred  of  the  British 
laid  down  their  arms  and  were  made  prisoners,  and  a  very  consider 
able  number  were  killed.  Eight  hundred  stand  of  arms,  two  field 
pieces,  and  thirty-five  baggage  wagons  fell  to  the  victors,  who  had 
only  twelve  killed  and  sixty  wounded. 

The  victory  of  the  Cowpens,  although  achieved  under  the  imme- 
diate command  of  Morgan,  was  the  first  stroke  of  General  Greene's 
policy  in  the  south,  and  augured  favorably  of  his  future  career.  It 
led  to  one  of  the  most  arduous,  ably  conducted,  and  memorable  opera- 
tions, that  occurred  in  the  course  of  the   revolutionary  war — the 


120  GREENE. 

retreat  of  Greene,  and  the  pursuit  of  Cornwallis,  during  the  inclem 
eucies  of  winter,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles. 

Galled  in  his  pride,  and  crippled  in  his  schemes,  by  the  overthrow 
of  Tarlton,  Lord  Cornwallis  resolved,  by  a  series  of  prompt  and 
vigorous  measures,  to  avenge  the  injury  and  retrieve  the  loss  which 
the  royal  arms  had  sustained  at  the  Cowpens.  His  meditated  opera- 
tions for  this  purpose,  were  to  advance  rapidly  on  Morgan,  retake  his 
prisoners,  and  destroy  his  force  ;  to  maintain  an  intermediate  position, 
and  prevent  his  union  with  General  Greene  :  or,  in  case  of  the  junc- 
tion of  the  two  armies,  to  cut  off  their  retreat  towards  Virginia,  and 
force  them  to  action. 

But  General  Greene,  no  less  vigilant  and  provident  than  himself, 
informed,  by  express,  of  the  defeat  of  Tarlton,  instantly  perceived 
the  object  of  his  lordship,  and  ordering  his  troops  to  proceed  under 
General  Huger,  to  Salisbury,  where  he  meditated  a  junction  with 
Morgan's  detachment,  he  himself,  escorted  by  a  few  dragoons,  set 
out  for  the  head-quarters  of  that  officer,  and  joined  him  shortly  after. 

Cornwallis  having  committed  to  the  flames  his  heavy  baggage, 
and  reduced  his  army  to  the  condition  of  light  troops,  dashed  towards 
Morgan.  And  here  commenced  the  retreat  of  General  Greene,  in 
the  course  of  which  he  displayed  such  resources,  and  gained,  in  the 
end,  such  lasting  renown.  Sensible  of  the  immense  prize  for  which 
he  was  contending,  he  tasked  his  genius  to  the  uttermost.  On  the 
issue  of  the  struggle  was  staked,  not  merely  the  lives  of  a  few  brave 
men ;  not  alone  the  existence  of  the  whole  army,  but  the  fate  of  the 
south  and  the  integrity  of  the  Union.  But  his  genius  was  equal  to 
the  crisis.  By  the  most  masterly  movements,  Greene  effected  a 
junction  of  the  two  divisions  of  his  little  army. 

To  his  great  mortification.  Lord  Cornwallis  now  perceived  that  in 
two  of  his  objects,  the  destruction  of  Morgan's  detachment,  and  the 
prevention  of  its  union  with  the  main  division,  he  was  completely 
frustrated  by  the  activity  of  Greene.  But  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of 
the  Americans  into  Virginia,  after  their  union,  and  to  compel  them 
to  action,  was  still,  perhaps,  practicable,  and  to  the  achievement  of 
this  he  now  directed  his  undivided  energies. 

The  genius  of  Greene,  however,  did  not  desert  him  on  this  trying 
occasion.  Self-collected,  and  adapting  his  conduct  to  the  nature  of 
the  crisis,  his  firmness  grew  with  the  increase  of  danger ;  and  the 
measure  of  his  greatness,  was  the  extent  of  the  difficulties  he  was 
called  to  encounter.  Notwithstanding  the  vigilance  and  activity  of 
his  enemy,  he  brought  his  men  in  safety  into  Virginia,  and  to  crown 
the  whole,  no  loss  was  sustained  by  him,  either  in  men,  munitions, 
artillery,  or  any  thing  that  enters  into  the  equipment  of  an  army. 


BATTLE      OF     GUILFORD.  121 

Frustrated  thus  in  all  his  purposes,  Lord  Cornwallis,  although  the 
pursuing-  party,  must  be  acknowledged  to  have  been  fairly  vanquished 
Victory  is  the  successful  issue  of  a  struggle  for  superiority.  Military 
leaders  contend  for  different  objects  ;  to  vanquish  their  enemies,  in 
open  conflict  ;  to  attack  and  overthrow^  them  by  stratagem  and  sur- 
prise ;  to  exhaust  their  resources  by  delay  of  action ;  or  to  elude 
them,  in  retreat,  until  strengthened  by  reinforcements,  they  may  be 
able  to  turn  and  meet  them  in  the  field.  Of  this  last  description,  was 
the  victory  of  Greene,  in  this  memorable  retreat. 

N  Virginia,  General  Greene  received  some  reinforce- 
ments, and  had  the  promise  of  more ;  on  which  he 
returned  again  into  North  Carolina,  where,  on  their 
arrival,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  act  on  the  offensive. 
He  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  Lord  Cornwallis's  army. 
By  a  variety  of  the  best  concerted  manoeuvres,  he  so  judiciously 
supported  the  arrangement  of  his  troops,  by  the  secrecy  and  prompti- 
tude of  his  motions,  that,  during  three  weeks,  while  the  enemy  re- 
mained near  him,  he  prevented  them  from  taking  any  advantage  of 
their  superiority  ;  and  even  cut  off  all  opportunity  of  their  receiving 
succors  from  the  royalists. 

About  the  beginning  of  March  he  effected  a  junction  with  a  conti- 
nental regiment,  and  two  considerable  bodies  of  Virginia  and  Carolina 
militia.  He  then  determined  on  attacking  the  British  commander, 
without  loss  of  time,  "  being  persuaded,"  as  he  declared  on  his  sub- 
sequent despatches,  "that  if  he  was  successful,  it  would  prove  ruinous 
to  the  enemy,  and,  if  otherwise,  that  it  would  be  but  a  partial  evil  to 
him."  On  the  14th,  he  arrived  at  Guilford  Court-house,  the  British 
then  lying  at  twelve  miles  distance. 

His  army  consisted  of  about  four  thousand  five  hundred  men,  of 
whom  near  two-thirds  were  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  militia. 
The  British  were  about  two  thousand  four  hundred,  all  regular  troops, 
and  the  greater  part  inured  to  toil  and  service  in  their  long  expedi- 
tion under  Lord  Cornwallis,  who,  on  the  morning  of  the  1 5th,  being 
apprised  of  General  Greene's  intentions,  marched  to  meet  him.  The 
latter  disposed  his  army  in  three  lines  :  the  militia  of  North  Caro- 
lina were  in  front ;  the  second  line  was  composed  of  those  of  Vir- 
ginia ;  and  the  third,  which  was  the  flower  of  the  clrmy,  was  formed 
of  continental  troops,  near  fifteen  hundred  in  number.  They  were 
flanked  on  both  sides  by  cavalry  and  riflemen,  and  posted  on  a  rising 
ground,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Guilford  Court-house. 

The  engagement  commenced  at  half  an  hour  after  one  o'clock, 
by  a  brisk  cannonade  ;  after  which  the  British  advanced  in  three 
columns  and  attacked  the  first  line,  composed  of  North  Carolina 


122  GREENE. 

militia.  These,  who  probably  had  never  been  in  action  before,  were 
panic-struck  at  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  and  many  of  them  ran 
away  without  firing  a  gun  or  being  fired  upon,  and  even  before  the 
British  had  come  nearer  than  one  hundred  and  forty  yards  to  them. 
Part  of  them,  however,  fired ;  but  they  then  followed  the  example 
of  their  comrades.  Their  officers  made  every  possible  effort  to  rally 
them ;  but  neither  the  advantages  of  position,  nor  any  other  consi- 
deration, could  induce  them  to  maintain  their  ground.  This  shameful 
conduct  had  a  great  effect  upon  the  issue  of  the  battle.  The  next 
line,  however,  behaved  much  better.  They  fought  with  great 
bravery ;  and  were  thrown  into  disorder  ;  rallied,  returned  to  the 
charge,  and  kept  up  a  heavy  fire  for  a  long  time  ;  but  were  at  length 
broken  and  driven  on  the  third  line,  when  the  engagement  became 
general,  very  severe,  and  very  bloody.  At  length,  superiority  of  dis- 
cipline carried  the  day  from  superiority  of  numbers.  The  conflict 
endured  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  was  terminated  by  General  Greene's 
ordering  a  retreat,  when  he  perceived  that  the  enemy  were  on  the 
point  of  encircling  his  troops." 

This  was  a  hard  fought  action,  and  the  exertions  of  the  two  rival 
generals,  both  in  preparing  for  this  action,  and  during  the  course  of 
it,  were  never  surpassed.  Forgetful  of  every  thing  but  the  fortune 
of  the  day,  they,  on  several  occasions,  mingled  in  the  danger  like 
common  soldiers. 

The  loss  sustained  by  the  Americans  in  this  battle,  amounted,  in 
killed  and  wounded,  to  only  about  400  ;  while  in  its  effect  on  the 
enemy  it  was  murderous  ;  nearly  one  third  of  them,  including  many 
officers  of  distinction,  were  killed  and  wounded. 

The  result  of  this  conflict,  although  technically  a  defeat,  was  vir- 
tually a  victory  on  the  part  of  General  Greene.  In  its  relation  to 
his  adversary,  it  placed  him  on  higher  ground  than  he  had  previously 
occupied,  enabling  him,  immediately  afterward,  instead  of  retreating, 
to  become  the  pursuing  party.  This  is  evidenced  by  his  conduct 
soon  after  the  action. 

Not  doubting  that  Lord  Cornwallis  would  follow  him,  he  retreated 
slowly,  and  in  good  order,  from  the  field  of  battle,  until  attaining,  at 
the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  an  advantageous  position,  he  again  drew 
up  his  forces,  determined  to  renew  the  contest  on  the  arrival  of  his 
enemy.  But  his  lordship  was  in  no  condition  to  pursue.  Having, 
by  past  experience,  not  to  be  forgotten,  learnt  that  his  adversary  was 
a  Ulysses  in  wisdom,  he  now  perceived  that  he  was  an  Ajax  in 
strength.  Alike  expert  in  every  mode  of  warfare,  and  not  to  be  van- 
quished, either  by  stratagem  or  force,  he  found  him  too  formidable  to 
be  again  approached. 


CORNWALLIS'S      RETREAT.  123 

Influenced  by  these  sentiments,  Lord  Cornwallis,  instead  of  pur- 
suing his  foe,  or  even  maintaining  his  ground,  commenced  his  retreat, 
leaving  behind  him  about  seventy  of  his  wounded,  whom  he  recom- 
mended, in  a  letter  written  by  himself,  to  the  humanity  and  attention 
of  the  American  chief. 

Had  General  Greene  been  in  a  situation  to  pursue  his  lordship  as 
soon  as  he  commenced  his  retreat,  the  destruction  of  that  officer  and 
his  army  would  have  been  inevitable.  Some  spot  on  the  plains  of 
Carolina  would  have  witnessed  the  surrender  that  was  reserved  for 
Virginia ;  and  the  hero  of  the  south  would  have  won  the  laurels 
which,  shortly  afterwards,  decorated  the  brow  of  the  hero  of  the 
nation.  But  Greene's  military  stores  were  so  far  expended  that  he 
could  not  pursue  until  he  received  a  supply ;  and  the  delay,  thus 
occasioned,  gave  time  to  the  British  commander  to  effect  his  escape. 
Having  received  his  supplies,  Greene  immediately  pursued  the 
enemy ;  but  the  advanced  position  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  and  the 
impracticable  condition  of  the  roads,  frustrated  every  exertion  that 
General  Greene  could  make  to  compel  the  enemy  to  a  second  engage- 
ment,— convinced  of  this,  he  halted  to  indulge  his  troops  in  that 
refreshment  and  repose  which  they  so  much  needed. 

Were  we  to  indicate  the  period  in  the  life  of  General  Greene  most 
strongly  marked  by  the  operations,  and  irradiated  by  the  genius  of  a 
great  commander,  we  would,  without  hesitation,  select  that  which 
extends  from  the  commencement  of  his  retreat  before  Cornwallis,  to 
the  termination  of  his  pursuit  of  him  at  this  time.  Perhaps  a  brighter 
era  does  not  adorn  the  military  career  of  any  leader.  It  was  in  the 
course  of  it  that  he  turned  the  current  of  adverse  fortune  consequent 
on  the  defeat  of  Gates,  which  he  afterwards  directed  with  such  cer- 
tain aim  and  irresistible  force,  as  to  keep  the  enemy  from  his  numerous 
strong-holds  in  the  southern  department,  and  contributed  so  pre- 
eminently to  the  speedy  and  felicitous  issue  of  the  war. 

Having  abandoned  the  pursuit  of  the  British  army,  the  general 
again  found  himself  encircled  with  difficulties.  Of  the  southern 
department  of  the  Union,  over  which  Greene's  command  extended, 
the  enemy  was  in  force  in  three  large  and  important  sections. 
Georgia  and  South  Carolina  were  entirely  in  their  possession ; 
Lord  Cornwallis  had  taken  post  in  the  maritime  district  of  North 
Carolina,  and  part  of  Virginia  was  occupied  by  a  powerful  detach- 
ment of  British  troops,  under  the  command  of  General  Phillips. 
At  a  loss  to  determine  in  which  of  these  points  he  should  act  in 
person,  he  consulted  his  officers,  and  found  them  greatly  divided 
in  opinion.  He  however,  resolved,  in  accordance  to  the  view^s  of 
Colonel  Lee,  that,  leaving  his  lordship,  whose  object  evidently  was 


124  GREENE. 

the  invasion  of  Virginia,  to  be  met  by 
the  energies  of  that  state,  with  such 
assistance  as  might  arrive  from  the 
north,  he  should  penetrate  South  Caro- 
lina, his  army  divided  into  two  columms, 
attack  and  beat  the  enemy  at  their  dif- 
ferent posts,  without  permitting  them  to 
concentrate  their  forces,  and  thus  re- 
cover that  rich  and  important  member 
of  the  Union. 

An   officer   who    had    distinguished 
Colonel  Lee.  himself  in  the  late   action,  not   satis- 

fied with  the  proposed  plan  of  operations,  asked  General  Greene 
by  way  of  remonstrance, — "  "What  will  you  do,  sir,  in  case  Lord 
Cornwallis  throws  himself  in  your  rear,  and  cuts  off  your  communi- 
cation with  Virginia  ?" — "  I  will  punish  his  temerity,"  replied  the 
general  with  great  pleasantness,  "  by  ordering  you  to  charge  him  as 
you  did  at  the  battle  of  Guilford.  But  never  fear,  sir  ;  his  lordship 
has  too  much  good  sense  ever  again  to  risk  his  safety  so  far  from  the 
seaboard.  He  has  just  escaped  ruin,  and  he  know^s  it,  and  I  am 
greatly  mistaken  in  his  character  as  an  officer,  if  he  has  not  the 
capacity  to  profit  by  experience." 

On  the  7th  of  April,  General  Greene  broke  up  his  encampment, 
and  with  the  main  column  of  his  army,  moving  to  the  south,  took 
position  on  Hobkirk's  Hill,  in  front  of  Camden,  the  head-quarters  of 
Lord  Rawdon,  now  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in 
the  south. 

The  strength  of  the  British  position,  which  was  covered  on  the 
south  and  east  side  by  a  river  and  creek  ;  and  to  the  westward  and 
northward,  by  six  redoubts  ;  rendered  it  impracticable  to  carry  it.  by 
storm,  with  the  small  army  Greene  had,  consisting  of  about  seven 
hundred  continentals,  the  militia  having  gone  home.  He,  therefore, 
encamped  at  about  a  mile  from  the  town,  in  order  to  prevent  supplies 
from  being  brought  in,  and  to  take  advantage  of  such  favorable  cir- 
cumstances as  might  occur. 

Lord  Rawdon's  situation  was  extremely  dehcate.  Colonel  Wat- 
son, whom  he  had  some  time  before  detached,  for  the  protection  of 
the  eastern  frontiers,  and  to  whom  he  had,  on  the  intelligence  of 
General  Greene's  intentions,  sent  orders  to  return  to  Camden,  was 
go  effijctually  watched  by  General  Marion,  that  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  obey.  His  lordship's  supplies  were,  moreover,  very  preca- 
rious ;  and  should  General  Greene's  reinforcements  arrive,  he  might 
be  so  closely  invested,  as  to  be  at  length  obliged  to  surrender.     In 


BATTLE      OF      II  OB  K  IRK    S      HILL. 


125 


Lord  Ra-wdon. 


this  dilemma,  the  best  expedient  tnat  suggested  itself,  was  a  bold 
attack  ;  for  which  purpose,  he  armed  every  person  with  him  capable 
of  carrying  a  musket,  not  excepting  his  musicians  and  drummers. 
He  sallied  out  on  the  25th  of  April,  and  attacked  General  Greene  in 
his  camp.  The  defence  was  obstinate ;  and  for  some  part  of  the 
engagement  the  advantage  appeared  to  be  in  favor  of  America. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Washington,  who  commanded  the  cavalry,  had 
at  one  time  not  less  than  two  hundred  British  prisoners.  However, 
by  the  misconduct  of  one  of  the  American  regiments,  victory  was 
snatched  from  General  Greene,  who  was  compelled  to  retreat.  He 
lost  in  the  action  about  two  hundred  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners. 
Rawdon  lost  about  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight. 

There  was  a  great  similarity  between  the  consequences  of  the 
affair  at  Guilford,  and  those  of  this  action.      In  the  former,  Lord 


126  GREENE. 

Cornwallis  was  successful,  but  was  afterwards  obliged  to  retreat  two 
hundred  miles  from  the  scene  of  action,  and  for  a  time  abandoned 
the  grand  object  of  penetrating  to  the  northward.  In  the  latter,  Lord 
Rawdon  had  the  honor  of  the  field,  but  was  shortly  after  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  abandoning  his  post,  and  leaving  behind  him  a  num- 
ber of  sick  and  wounded. 

The  evacuation  of  Camden,  with  the  vigilance  of  General  Greene, 
and  the  several  officers  he  employed,  gave  a  new  complexion  to  aff'airs 
in  South  Carolina,  where  the  British  ascendency  declined  more 
rapidly  than  it  had  been  established.  The  numerous  forts,  garrisoned 
by  the  enemy,  fell  one  after  the  other,  into  the  hands  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. Orangeburgh,  Motte,  Watson,  Georgetown,  Granby,  and  others, 
Fort  Ninety-Six  excepted,  were  surrendered  ;  and  a  very  considerable 
number  of  prisoners  of  war,  with  military  stores  and  artillery,  were 
found  in  them. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  General  Greene  sat  down  before  Ninety-Six, 
with  the  main  part  of  his  little  army.  The  siege  was  carried  on  for 
a  considerable  time  with  great  spirit,  and  the  place  was  defended 
with  equal  bravery.  At  length  the  works  were  so  far  reduced,  that 
a  surrender  must  have  been  made  in  a  few  days,  when  a  reinforce- 
ment of  three  regiments,  from  Europe,  arrived  at  Charleston,  which 
enabled  Lord  Rawdon  to  proceed  to  relieve  this  important  post.  The 
superiority  of  the  enemy's  force  reduced  General  Greene  to  the  alter- 
native of  abandoning  the  siege  altogether,  or  previous  to  their  arrival, 
of  attempting  the  fort  by  storm.  The  latter  was  more  agreeable  to 
his  enterprising  spirit,  and  an  attack  was  made  on  the  morning  of  the 
19th  of  June.  He  was  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men.     He  raised  the  siege,  and  retreated  over  the  Saluda. 

Dr.  Ramsay,  speaking  of  the  state  of  affairs  about  this  period, 
says,  "  Truly  distressing  was  the  situation  of  the  American  army ; 
when  in  the  grasp  of  victory,  to  be  obliged  to  expose  themselves  to 
a  hazardous  assault,  and  afterward  to  abandon  a  siege.  "When  they 
were  nearly  masters  of  the  whole  country,  to  be  compelled  to  retreat 
to  its  extremity ;  and  after  subduing  the  greatest  part  of  the  force 
sent  against  them,  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  encountering  still 
greater  reinforcements,  when  their  remote  situation  precluded  them 
from  the  hope  of  receiving  a  single  recruit.  In  this  gloomy  situation, 
there  were  not  wanting  persons  who  advised  General  Greene  to  leave 
the  state,  and  retire  with  his  remaining  forces  to  Virginia.  To  argu- 
ments and  suggestions  of  this  kind,  he  nobly  replied,  '  I  will  recover 
the  country,  or  die  in  the  attempt.'  This  distinguished  officer, 
whose  genius  was  most  vigorous  in  those  extremities,  when  feeble 
minds  abandon  themselves  to  despair,  adopted  the  only  resource  now 


BATTLE  OF  EUTAW  SPRINGS. 


i27 


General  Marion. 

left  him,  of  avoiding  an  engagement,  until  the  British  force  should 
be  divided." 

Greene  having,  without  loss,  made  good  his  passage  over  the  rivers 
in  front,  Lord  Rawdon,  perceiving  the  futility  of  any  further  attempt 
to  overtake  him,  abandoned  the  pursuit,  and  retreating  to  Ninety-Six, 
prepared  for  its  evacuation.  Thus  did  the  policy  of  Greene,  which 
is  moral  strength,  compel  the  surrender  of  that  fortress,  although 
from  a  want  of  physical  strength,  he  failed  to  carry  it  by  the  sword. 

No  sooner  had  Lord  Rawdon  commenced  his  retrograde  movement 
towards  Ninety-Six  than  General  Greene  changed  his  front,  and 
moved  in  the  same  direction.  On  the  breaking  up  of  the  garrison  of 
Ninety-Six,  and  the  return  of  Lord  Rawdon  towards  Charleston, 
which  immediately  ensued,  the  British  army  moved  in  two  columns, 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  each  other.  It  was  then  that  General 
Greene  became,  in  reality,  the  pursuing  party,  exceedingly  anxious 
to  bnng  the  enemy  to  battle.  But  this  he  was  unable  to  accomplish 
until  September. 

September  the  9th,  General  Greene  having  assembled  about  two 
thousand  men,  proceeded  to  attack  the  British,  who,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Stewart,  were  posted  at  the  Eutaw  Springs.  The 
American  force  was  drawn  up  in  two  lines  :  the  first,  composed  of 
Carolina  militia,  was  commanded  by  Generals  Marion  and  Pickens, 


128  GREENE. 

and  Colonel  de  Malmedy.  The  second,  which  consisted  of  conti- 
nental troops,  from  North  Carolina,  Virginia,  and  Maryland,  was 
commanded  by  General  Sumpter,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Campbell,  and 
Colonel  Williams  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lee,  with  his  .legion,  covered 
the  right  flank ;  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Henderson,  with  the  state 
troops,  covered  the  left.  A  corps  de  reserve  was  formed  of  the  cavalry 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Washington,  and  the  Delaware  troops 
under  Captain  Kirkwood.  As  the  Americans  came  forward  to  the 
attack,  they  fell  in  with  some  advanced  parties  of  the  enemy,  at 
about  two  or  three  miles  ahead  of  the  main  body.  These  being 
closely  pursued,  were  driven  back,  and  the  action  soon  became  gene- 
ral. The  militia  were  at  length  forced  to  give  way,  but  were  bravely 
supported  by  the  second  line.  In  the  hottest  part  of  the  engagement, 
General  Greene  ordered  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  continentals  to 
charge  with  trailed  arms.  This  decided  the  fate  of  the  day.  "  No- 
thing," says  Dr.  Ramsay,  "  could  surpass  the  intrepidity  of  both 
officers  and  men  on  this  occasion.  They  rushed  on  in  good  order 
through  a  heavy  cannonade,  and  a  shower  of  musketry,  with  such 
unshaken  resolution,  that  they  bore  down  all  before  them."  The 
British  were  broken,  closely  pursued,  and  upwards  of  five  hundred 
of  them  were  taken  prisoners.  They,  however,  made  a  fresh  stand 
in  a  favorable  position,  m  impenetrable  shrubs  and  a  piqueted  garden. 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Washing-ton,  after  having  made  every  effort  to 
dislodge  them,  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  Four  six  pounders 
were  brought  forward  to  play  upon  them,  but  they  fell  into  their 
hands  ;  and  the  endeavors  to  drive  them  from  their  station,  being 
found  impracticable,  the  Americans  retired,  leaving  a  very  strong 
picket  on  the  field  of  battle.  Their  loss  was  about  five  hundred ; 
that  of  the  British  upwards  of  eleven  hundred. 

General  Greene  was  honored  by  Congress  with  a  British  standard, 
and  a  gold  medal,  emblematical  of  the  engagement,  "  for  his  wise, 
decisive,  and  magnanimous  conduct,  in  the  action  at  Eutaw  Springs, 
in  which,  with  a  force  inferior  in  number  to  that  of  the  enemy,  he 
obtained  a  most  signal  victory." 

In  the  evening  of  the  succeeding  day.  Colonel  Stewart  abandoned 
his  post  and  retreated  towards  Charleston,  leaving  behind  upwards 
of  seventy  of  his  wounded,  and  a  thousand  stand  of  arms.  He  was 
pursued  a  considerable  distance,  but  in  vain. 

In  Dr.  Caldwell's  memoirs  of  the  life  of  General  Greene,  we  have 
the  following  interesting  story  as  connected  with  the  severe  conflict 
at  Eutaw  Springs. 

"  Two  young  officers,  bearing  the  same  rank,  met  in  personal  com- 
bat.    The  American,  perceiving  that  the  Briton  had  a  decided  supe- 


AN     ADVENTURE.  131 

riority  in  the  use  of  the  sabre,  and  being  himself  of  great  activity 
and  personal  strength,  almost  gigantic,  closed  with  his  adversary  and 
made  him  his  prisoner. 

"  Gentlemanly,  generous,  and  high-minded,  this  event,  added  to  a 
personal  resemblance  w^hich  they  were  observed  to  bear  to  each  other, 
produced  between  these  two  youthful  warriors  an  intimacy,  which 
increased  in  a  short  time  to  a  mutual  attachment. 

"  Not  long  after  the  action,  the  American  officer  returning  home 
on  furlough,  to  settle  some  private  business,  obtained  permission  for 
his  friend  to  accompany  him. 

"  Travelling  without  attendants  or  guard,  they  were  both  armed 
and  well  mounted.  Part  of  their  route  lay  through  a  settlement 
highly  disaffected  to  the  American  cause. 

*'  When  in  the  midst  of  this,  having,  in  consequence  of  a  shower  of 
rain,  thrown  around  them  their  cloaks,  which  concealed  their  uni- 
forms, they  were  suddenly  encountered  by  a  detachment  of  tories. 

"  The  young  American,  determined  to  die  rather  than  become  a 
prisoner,  especially  to  men  whom  he  held  in  abhorrence  for  disloyalty 
to  their  country,  and  the  generous  Briton  resolved  not  to  survive  one 
by  whom  he  had  been  distinguished  and  treated  so  kindly,  they  both 
together,  with  great  spirit  and  self-possession,  charged  the  royalists, 
having  first  made  signals  in  their  rear,  as  if  directing  others  to  follow 
them  ;  and  thus,  without  injury  on  either  side,  had  the  address  and 
good  fortune  to  put  the  party  to  flight. 

"  Arriving  in  safety  at  their  place  of  destination,  what  was  their 
surprise  and  augmented  satisfaction  on  finding,  from  some  questions 
proposed  by  the  American  officer's  father,  that  they  were  first  cousins  ! 

"  With  increasing  delight,  the  young  Briton  passed  several  weeks 
in  the  family  of  his  kinsman,  where  the  writer  of  this  narrative  saw 
him  daily,  and  often  listened  with  the  rapture  of  a  child,  to  the 
checkered  story  of  his  military  adventures. 

"  To  heighten  the  occurrence,  and  render  it  more  romantic,  the 
American  officer  had  a  sister,  beautiful  and  accomplished,  whose  heart 
soon  felt  for  the  gallant  stranger,  more  than  the  affection  due  to  a 
cousin.     The  attachment  was  mutual. 

"  But  here  the  adventure  assumed  a  tragical  cast.  The  youthful 
foreigner,  being  exchanged,  was  summoned  to  return  to  his  regiment. 
The  message  was  fatal  to  his  peace.  But  military  honor  demanded 
the  sacrifice  ;  and  the  lady,  generous  and  high-minded  as  himself, 
would  not  be  instrumental  in  dimming  his  laurels.  The  parting  scene 
was  a  high-wrought  picture  of  tenderness  and  sorrow.  On  taking 
leave,  the  parties  mutually  bound  themselves,  by  a  solemn  promise, 
to  remain  single  a  certain  number  of  years,  in  the  hope   that  an 


132  GREENE. 

arrangement  contemplated,  might  again  bring  them  togethei.  A 
few  weeks  afterwards,  the  lady  expired  under  an  attack  of  the  small- 
pox.    The  fate  of  the  officer  we  never  learnt." 

Judge  Johnson,  in  his  life  of  General  Greene,  says — "  At  the  battle 
of  the  Eutaw  Springs,  Greene  says,  '  that  hundreds  of  my  men  were 
naked  as  they  were  born.'  Posterity  will  scarcely  believe  that  the 
bare  loins  of  many  brave  men  who  carried  death  into  the  enemy's 
ranks  at  the  Eutaw,  were  galled  by  their  cartouch  boxes,  while  a 
folded  rag  or  a  tuft  of  moss  protected  the  shoulders  from  sustaining 
the  same  injury  from  the  musket.  Men  of  other  times  will  inquire, 
by  what  magic  was  the  army,  kept  together  ?  By  what  supernatural 
power  was  it  made  to  fight  ?" 

General  Greene,  in  his  letters  to  the  secretary  at  war,  says — "We 
have  three  hundred  men  without  arms,  and  more  than  one  thousand 
so  naked  that  they  can  be  put  on  duty  only  in  cases  of  a  desperate 
nature."  Again  he  says — "  Our  difficulties  are  so  numerous,  and 
our  wants  so  pressing,  that  I  have  not  a  moment's  relief  from  the 
most  painful  anxieties,  I  have  more  embarrassments  than  it  is  proper 
to  disclose  to  the  world.  Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  this  part  of  the 
United  States  has  had  a  narrow  escape.  I  have  been  seven  months  in 
the  field  without  taking  off  my  clothes.^^ 

The  battle  of  Eutaw  Springs  being  terminated.  General  Greene 
ordered  the  light  troops  under  Lee  and  Marion  to  march  circuitously, 
and  gain  a  position  in  the  British  rear.  But  the  British  leader  was 
so  prompt  in  his  measures,  and  so  precipitate  in  his  movements,  that, 
leaving  his  sick  and  wounded  behind  him,  he  made  good  his  retreat. 
The  only  injury  he  received  in  his  flight,  was  from  Lee  and  Marion, 
who  cut  off  part  of  his  rear  guard,  galled  him  in  his  flanks,  killed 
several,  and  made  a  number  of  prisoners. 

Such  was  the  issue  of  the  battle  of  Eutaw.  Like  that  of  every 
other  fought  by  General  Greene,  it  manifested  in  him  judgment  and 
sagacity  of  the  highest  order.  Although  he  was  repeatedly  forced 
from  the  field,  it  may  be  truly  said  of  that  officer,  that  he  never  lost 
an  action — the  consequences,  at  least,  being  always  in  his  favor.  In 
no  instance  did  he  fail  to  reduce  his  enemy  to  a  condition,  relatively 
much  worse  than  that  in  which  he  met  him,  his  own  condition  of 
course,  being  relatively  improved. 

The  battle  of  the  Eutaw  Springs,  was  the  last  essay  in  arms  in 
which  it  was  the  fortune  of  General  Greene  to  command,  and  was 
succeeded  by  the  abandonment  of  the  whole  of  South  Carolina  by 
the  enemy,  except  Charleston.  During  the  relaxation  that  followed, 
a  dangerous  plot  was  formed  by  some  mutinous  persons  of  the  army, 
to  deliver  up  their  brave  general  to  the  British.     The  plot  was  dis- 


DEATH  OF  GENERAL   GREENE.  133 

covered  and  defeated ;  the  ringleader  apprehended,  tried,  and  shot ; 
and  twelve  of  the  most  guilty  of  his  associates  deserted  to  the  enemy. 
To  the  honor  of  the  American  character,  no  native  of  the  country 
was  known  to  be  concerned  in  this  conspiracy.  Foreigners  alone 
were  its  projectors  and  abettors. 

The  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  whose  enterprising  spirit  had 
been,  by  the  British  ministry,  expected  to  repair  the  losses,  and  wipe 
away  the  disgrace  which  had  been  incurred  through  the  inactivity 
and  indolence  of  other  generals,  having  convinced  them  of  the  im- 
practicability of  subjugating  America,  they  discontinued  offensive 
operations  in  every  quarter.  The  happy  period  at  length  arrived, 
when,  by  the  virtue  and  bravery  of  her  sons,  aided  by  the  bounty  of 
heaven,  America  compelled  her  invaders  to  acknowledge  her  inde- 
pendence. Then  her  armies  quitted  the  tented  field,  and  retired  to 
cultivate  the  arts  of  peace  and  happmess.  Gen.  Greene  immediately 
withdrew  from  the  south,  and  returned  to  the  bosom  of  his  native 
state. 

The  reception  he  there  experienced  was  cordial  and  joyous.  The 
authorities  welcomed  him  home  with  congratulatory  addresses,  and 
the  chief  men  of  the  place  waited  upon  him  at  his  dwelling,  eager  to 
testify  their  gratitude  for  his  services,  their  admiration  of  his  talents 
and  virtues,  and  the  pride  with  which  they  recognized  him  as  a  native 
of  Rhode  Island. 

On  che  close  of  the  war,  the  three  southern  states  that  had  been 
the  most  essentially  benefited  by  his  wisdom  and  valor,  manifested 
at  once  their  sense  of  justice  and  their  gratitude  to  General  Greene, 
by  liberal  donations.  South  Carolina  presented  him  with  an  estate, 
valued  at  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling ;  Georgia,  with  an  estate,  a 
few  miles  from  the  city  of  Savannah,  worth  five  thousand  pounds ; 
and  North  Carolina,  with  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the 
state  of  Tennessee. 

Having  spent  about  two  years  in  his  native  state,  in  the  adjustment 
of  his  private  affairs,  he  sailed  for  Georgia,  in  October,  1785,  and 
settled  with  his  family,  on  his  estate  near  Savannah.  Engaging  here 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  he  employed  himself  closely  in  arrangements 
for  planting,  exhibiting  the  fairest  promise  to  become  as  eminent  in 
the  practice  of  the  peaceful  virtues,  as  he  had  already  shown  himself 
in  the  occupations  of  war. 

But  it  was  the  will  of  Heaven,  that  in  this  new  sphere  of  action 
his  course  should  be  limited.  The  short  period  of  seven  months  was 
destined  to  witness  its  commencement  and  its  close. 

Walking  over  his  grounds,  as  was  his  custom,  without  his  hat,  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  15th  June,  1786,  the  day  being  intensely  hot, 


134  grejene. 

he  was  suddenly  attacked  with  such  a  vertigo  and  prostration  of 
strength  as  to  be  unable  to  return  to  his  house  without  assistance. 
The  affection  was  what  was  denominated  a  "  stroke  of  the  sun."  It 
was  succeeded  by  fever,  accompanied  with  stupor,  delirium,  and  a 
disordered  stomach.  All  efforts  to  subdue  it  proving  fruitless,  it  ter- 
minated fatally  on  the  19th  of  the  month. 

Intelligence  of  the  event  being  conveyed  to  Savannah,  but  one 
feeling  pervaded  the  place.  Sorrow  was  universal,  and  the  whole 
town  instinctively  assumed  the  aspect  of  mourning.  All  business  was 
suspended,  the  dwelling-houses,  stores,  and  shops,  were  closed,  and 
the  shipping  in  the  harbor  half-masted  their  colors. 

On  the  following  day  the  body  of  the  deceased,  being  conveyed  to 
the  town,  at  the  request  of  the  inhabitants,  was  interred  in  a  private 
cemetery  with  military  honors  ;  the  magistrates  of  the  place,  and 
other  public  officers,  the  society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  the  citizens 
generally,  joined  in  the  procession 

On  the  12th  of  August,  of  the  year  in  which  the  general  died,  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  unanimously  resolved — "  That  a 
monument  be  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Honorable  Nathaniel 
Greene,  at  the  seat  of  the  Federal  Government,  with  the  following 
inscription : 

SACRED 

TO  THB 

MEMORY 

OF  THJ! 

HON.  NATHANIEL   GKEENE, 

WHO  DEPARTED  THIS  LIFE 

The  19th  of  June, 

MDCCLXXXVI. 
LATE    MAJOR   GENERAL 

IN  THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

AITD    COMMANDER    OF    THE    AHMT    TS    THE 

SOUTHERN    DEPARTMENT. 

THE    UNITED    STATES,    IN    CONGHESS    ASSEMBLED, 

IN  BONOS  OP 

HIS     PATRIOTISM,     VALOR,    AND    ABILITY, 

HAVE    EHECTED    THIS 

MONUMENT. 

To  the  disgrace  of  the  nation,  no  monument  has  been  erected ; 
nor,  for  the  want  of  a  headstone,  can  any  one  at  present  designate 
the  spot,  where  the  relics  of  the  Hero  of  the  South  lie  interred. 


CHARACTER  OF  GENERAL  GREENE.  135 

In  estimating  the  military  character  of  General  Greene,  facts 
authorize  the  inference,  that  he  possessed  a  genius  adapted  by  na- 
ture to  military  command.  After  resorting  to  arms,  his  attainment 
to  rank  was  much  more  rapid,  than  that  of  any  other  officer  our 
country  has  produced;  perhaps  the  mosif  rapid  that  history  records. 
These  offices,  so  high  in  responsibility  and  honor,  were  conferred  on 
him,  not  as  matters  of  personal  favor,  or  family  influence,  nor  yet 
through  the  instrumentality  of  political  intrigue.  They  were  rewards 
of  pre-eminent  merit,  and  tokens  of  recognized  fitness  for  the  highest 
functions  of  military  service.     . 

It  is  said,  that,  on  his  very  first  appearance  in  th^  camp  at  Cam- 
bridge, from  the  ardor  of  his  zeal,  unremitted  activity,  and  strict 
attention  to  every  duty,  he  was  pronounced  by  soldiers  of  distinction, 
a  man  of  real  military  genius. 

"  His  knowledge"  (said  General  Knox  to  a  distinguished  citizen 
of  South  Carolina,)  "  is  intuitive.  He  came  to  us  the  rawest,  and 
most  untutored  being  I  ever  met  with ;  but  in  less  than  twelve 
months,  he  was  equal  in  military  knowledge  to  any  general  officer  in 
the  army,  and  very  superior  to  most  of  them."  Even  the  enemy  he 
conquered,  did  homage  to  his  pre-eminent  talents  for  war.  Tarlton, 
who  had  strong  ground  to  know  him,  is  reported  to  have  pronounced 
him,  on  a  public  occasion,  the  most  able  and  accomplished  com- 
mander that  America  had  produced. 

When  acting  under  the  order  of  others,  he  never  failed  to  dis- 
charge, to  their  satisfaction,  the  duties  intrusted  to  him,  however 
arduous.  But  it  is  the  southern  department  of  the  Union,  that  con- 
stitutes the  theatre  of  his  achievements  and  fame.  It  was  there, 
where  his  views  were  unshackled,  and  his  genius  free,  that  by  per- 
forming the  part  of  a  great  captain,  he  erected  for  himself  a  monu- 
ment of  reputation,  durable  as  history,  lofty  as  victory  and  conquest 
could  render  it,  and  brightened  by  all  that  glory  could  bestow. 

In  compliment  to  his  brilliant  successes,  the  chivalric  De  la  Luzerne, 
the  minister  of  France,  who  as  a  Knight  of  Malta,  must  be  considered 
as  a  competent  judge  of  military  merit,  thus  speaks  of  him  : — "  Other 
generals  subdue  their  enemies  by  the  means  with  which  their  country, 
or  their  sovereign  furnished  them,  but  Greene  appears  to  subdue  his 
enemy  by  his  own  means.  He  commenced  his  campaign,  without 
either  an  army,  provisions,  or  military  stores.  He  has  asked  for 
nothing  since  ;  and  yet,  scarcely  a  post  arrives  from  the  south,  that 
does  not  bring  intelligence  of  some  new  advantage  gained  over 
his  foe.  He  conquers  by  magic.  History  furnishes  no  parallel  to 
this." 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ANTHONY  WAYNE. 

NTHONY  WAYNE,  a  major-general  in  the 
American  army,  occupies  a  conspicuous  sta- 
tion among  the  heroes  and  patriots  of  the 
American  revolution.  He  was  born  January 
1st,  1745,  in  Chester  county,  in  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  Isaac  Wayne, 
a  respectable  farmer,  was  many  years  a  re- 
presentative for  the  county  of  Chester,  in 
the  general  assembly,  before  the  revolution.  His  grandfather,  who 
was  distinguished  for  his  attachment  to  the  principles  of  liberty,  bore 
a  captain's  commission  under  King  William,  at  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne.  Anthony  Wayne  succeeded  his  father  as  representative  for 
the  county  of  Chester,  in  the  year  1773  ;  and  from  his  first  appear- 
ance in  public   life,  distinguished   himself  as  a  firm  and  decided 

136 


BATTLE      OF      BRANDYWINE.  137 

patriot.  He  opposed,  with  much  abihty,  the  unjust  demands  of  the 
mother  country,  and  in  connection  with  some  gentlemen  of  distin- 
guished talents,  was  of  material  service  m  preparing  the  way  for  the 
firm  and  decisive  part  which  Pennsylvania  took  in  the  general 
contest. 

In  1775,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  regiment,  which 
his  character  enabled  him  to  raise  in  a  few  weeks  in  his  native  county. 
In  the  same  year  he  was  detached  under  General  Thompson  into 
Canada.  In  the  defeat  which  followed,  in  which  General  Thompson 
was  made  a  prisoner,  Colonel  Wayne,  though  wounded,  displayed 
great  gallantry  and  good  conduct,  in  collecting  and  bringing  off  the 
scattered  and  broken  bodies  of  troops. 

In  the  campaign  of  1776,  he  served  under  General  Gates,  at 
Ticonderoga,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  that  officer  for  both  his 
bravery  and  skill  as  an  engineer.  At  the  close  of  that  campaign  he 
was  created  a  brigadier-general. 

At  the  battle  of  Brandywine  he  behaved  with  his  usual  bravery, 
and  for  a  long  time  opposed  the  progress  of  the  enemy  at  Chad's 
Ford.  In  this  action  the  inferiority  of  the  Americans  in  numbers, 
discipline,  and  arms,  gave  them  little  chance  of  success  ;  but  the 
peculiar  situation  of  the  public  mind  was  supposed  to  require  a  battle 
to  be  risked  :  the  ground  was  bravely  disputed,  and  the  action  was 
not  considered  as  decisive.  The  spirit  of  the  troops  was  preserved 
by  a  belief  that  the  loss  of  the  enemy  had  equalled  their  own.  As 
it  was  the  intention  of  the  American  commander-in-chief  to  hazard 
another  action  on  the  first  favorable  opportunity  that  should  oifer, 
General  Wayne  was  detached,  with  his  division,  to  harass  the  enemy 
by  every  means  in  his  power.  The  British  troops  were  encamped  at 
TredyfFrin,  and  General  Wayne  was  stationed  about  three  miles  in 
the  rear  of  their  left  wing,  near  the  Paoli  tavern  ;  and  from  the  pre- 
cautions he  had  taken  he  considered  himself  secure ;  but  about 
eleven  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  20th  September,  Major-General 
Gray,  having  driven  in  his  pickets,  suddenly  attacked  him  with  fixed 
bayonets.  Wayne,  unable  to  withstand  the  superior  number  of 
assailants,  was  obliged  to  retreat ;  but  formed  again  at  a  small  dis- 
tance, having  lost  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed  and  wounded. 
As  blame  was  attached  by  some  of  the  officers  of  the  army  to  General 
Wayne,  for  allowing  himself  to  be  surprised  in  this  manner,  he 
demanded  a  court  martial,  which,  after  examining  the  necessary 
evidence,  declared  that  he  had  done  every  thing  to  be  expected 
from  an  active,  brave,  and  vigilant  officer,  and  acquitted  him  with 
honor. 

A  neat  marble  monument  has  been  recently  erected  on  the  battle 


138  WAYNE. 

ground,  to  the  memory  of  the  gallant  men  who  fell  on  the  night  of 
the  20th  September,  1777. 

HORTLY  after  was  fought  the  battle  of  German- 
town,  in  which  he  greatly  signalized  himself,  by 
his  spirited  manner  of  leading  his  men  into  action. 
In  this  action  he  had  one  horse  shot  under  him, 
and  another  a«  he  was  mounting  ;  and  at  the  same 
instant,  received  slight  wounds  in  the  left  foot  and 
left  hand. 

In  all  councils  of  war,  Gen.  Wayne  was  distin- 
guished for  supporting  the  most  energetic  and  decisive  measures.  In 
the  one  previous  to  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  he  and  Gen.  Cadwalader 
were  the  only  officers  decidedly  in  favor  of  attacking  the  British  army. 
The  American  officers  are  said  to  have  been  influenced  by  the  opinions 
of  the  Europeans.  The  Baron  de  Steuben,  and  Generals  Lee  and 
Du  Portail,  whose  military  skill  was  in  high  estimation,  had  warmly 
opposed  an  engagement,  as  too  hazardous.  But  General  Washing- 
ton, whose  opinion  was  in  favor  of  an  engagement,  made  such  dispo- 
sition as  would  be  most  likely  to  lead  to  it.  In  that  action,  so 
honorable  to  the  American  arms.  General  Wayne  was  conspicuous 
in  the  ardor  of  his  attack.  General  Washington,  in- his  letter  to 
Congress,  observes,  "Were  I  to  conclude  my  account  of  this  day's 
transactions  without  expressing  my  obligations  to  the  officers  of  the 
army  in  general,  I  should  do  injustice  to  their  merit,  and  violence  to 
my  own  feelings.  ,They  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  manifesting 
their  zeal  and  bravery.  The  catalogue  of  those  who  distinguished 
themselves,  is  too  long  to  admit  of  particularizing  individuals.  I 
cannot,  however,  forbear  mentioning  Brigadier-General  Wayne, 
whose  good  conduct  and  bravery,  throughout  the  whole  action, 
deserves  particular  comm.endation." 

"  Among  the  many  exploits  of  gallantry  and  prowess  which  shed  a- 
lustre  on  the  fame  of  our  revolutionary  army,  the  storming  the  fort  at 
Stony  Point  has  always  been  considered  one  of  the  most  brilliant. 

"  To  General  Wayne,  who  commanded  the  light  infantry  of  the 
army,  the  execution  of  the  plan  was  intrusted.  Secrecy  was  deemed 
so  much  more  essential  to  success  than  numbers,  that  it  was  thought 
unadvisable  to  add  to  the  force  already  on  the  lines.  One  brigade 
was  ordered  to  commence  its  march  so  as  to  reach  the  scene  of 
action  in  time  to  cover  the  troops  engaged  in  the  attack,  in  case 
of  any  unlocked  for  disaster ;  and  Major  Lee,  of  the  light  dragoons, 
who  had  been  eminently  useful  in  obtaining  the  intelligence  which 
led  to  the  enterprise,  was  associated  with  General  Wayne,  as  far  as 
cavalry  could  be  employed  in  such  a  ser-'ice. 


STORMING      OF      STONV      POINT. 


139 


Storming  of  Stony  Point. 

The  night  of  the  15th  of  July,  1779,  was  fixed  on  for  the  assault ; 
and  it  being  suspected  that  the  garrison  would  probably  be  more  on 
their  guard  towards  day,  twelve  was  chosen  for  the  hour. 

Stony  Point  is  a  commanding  hill,  projecting  far  into  the  Hudson, 
which  washes  three-fourths  of  its  base  ;  the  remaining  fourth  is  in  a 
great  measure,  covered  by  a  deep  marsh,  commencing  near  the  river 
on  the  upper  side,  and  continuing  into  it  below.  Over  this  marsh, 
there  is  only  one  crossing  place.  But  at  its  junction  with  the  river 
is  a  sandy  beach,  passable  at  low  tide.  On  the  summit  of  this  hill 
was  erected  the  fort,  which  was  furnished  with  a  sufficient  number 
of  heavy  pieces  of  ordnance.  Several  breastworks  and  strong  bat- 
teries were  advanced  in  front  of  the  principal  work,  and  about  half- 
way down  the  hill,  were  two  rows  of  abatis.  The  batteries  were 
calculated  to  command  the  beach,  and  the  crossing  place  of  the 
marsh,  and  to  rake  and  enfilade  any  column  which  might  be  advanc- 
ing from  either  of  those  points  towards  the  fort.  In  addition  to  these 
defences,  several  vessels  of  war  were  stationed  in  the  river,  so  as,  in 
a  considerable  degree,  to  command  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

The  fort  was  garrisoned  by  about  six  hundred  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Johnson. 

At  noon  of  the  day  preceding  the  night  of  attack,  the  light  infantry 
commenced  their  march  from  Sandybeach,  distant  fourteen  miles 
from  Stony  Point,  and  passing  through  an  excessively  rugged  and 
mountainous  country,  arrived  about  eight  in  the  afternoon  at  Spring 


140  WA.YNE. 

Steel's,  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  fort,  where  the  dispositions  for 
the  assault  were  made. 

It  was  intended  to  attack  the  works  on  the  right  and  left  flanks  at 
the  same  instant.  The  regiment  of  Febiger,  and  of  Meigs,  with 
Major  Hull's  detachment,  formed  the  right  column,  and  Butler's 
regiment,  with  two  companies  under  Major  Murfree,  formed  the  left. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  volunteers,  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fleury 
and  Major  Posey,  constituted  the  van  of  the  right ;  and  one  hundred 
volunteers  under  Major  Stuart,  composed  the  van  of  the  left.  At 
half  past  eleven,  the  two  columns  moved  on  to  the  charge,  the  van 
of  each  with  unloaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets.  They  were  each 
preceded  by  a  forlorn  hope  of  twenty  men,  the  one  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Gibbon,  and  the  other  by  Lieutenant  Knox,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  remove  the  abatis  and  other  obstructions,  in  order  to  open 
a  passage  for  the  columns  which  followed  close  in  the  rear. 

Proper  measures  having  been  taken  to  secure  every  individual  on 
the  route,  who  could  give  intelligence  of  their  approach,  the  Ameri- 
cans reached  the  marsh  undiscovered.  But  unexpected  difficulties 
having  been  experienced  in  surmounting  this  and  other  obstructions 
in  the  way,  the  assault  did  not  commence  until  twenty  minutes  after 
twelve.  Both  columns  then  rushed  forward,  under  a  tremendous  fire 
of  musketry  and  grape  shot.  Surmounting  every  obstacle,  they 
entered  the  works  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  without  having 
discharged  a  single  piece,  obtained  complete  possession  of  the  post. 

The  humanity  displayed  by  the  conquerors  was  not  less  conspi- 
cuous, nor  less  honorable,  than  their  courage.  Not  a  single  indivi- 
dual suffered  after  resistance  had  ceased. 

All  the  troops  engaged  in  this  perilous  service  manifested  a  degree 
of  ardor  and  impetuosity,  which  proved  them  to  be  capable  of  the 
most  difficult  enterprises  ;  and  all  distinguished  themselves  whose 
situation  enabled  them  to  do  so.  Colonel  Fleury  was  the  first  to 
enter  the  fort  and  strike  the  British  standard.  Major  Posey  mounted 
the  works  almost  at  the  same  instant,  and  was  the  first  to  give  the 
watchword — "  The  fort's  our  own."  Lieutenants  Gibbon  and  Knox 
performed  the  service  allotted  to  them,  with  a  degree  of  intrepidity 
which  could  not  be  surpassed.  Out  of  twenty  men  who  constituted 
the  party  of  ^he  former,  seventeen  were  killed  or  wounded. 

The  loss  sustained  by  the  garrison  was  not  considerable.  The 
return  made  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Johnson,  represented  their  dead 
at  only  twenty,  including  one  captain,  and  their  wounded,  at  six  offi- 
cers and  sixty-eight  privates.  The  return  made  by  General  Wayne, 
states  their  dead  at  sixty-three,  mcludmg  two  officers.  This  differ 
ence  may  be  accounted  for,  by  supposing,  that  among  those  Colonel 


CAPTURE      OF      STONY     POINT. 


141 


Johnson  supposed  to  be  missing,  there  were  many  killed.  The  pri- 
soners amounted  to  five  hundred  and  forty-three,  among  whom  were 
one  lieutenant-colonel,  four  captains,  and  twenty  subaltern  officers. 
The  military  stores  taken  in  the  fort  were  also  considerable. 

HE  loss  sustained  bythe  assailants 
was  by  no  means  proportioned  to 
the  apparent  danger  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  killed  and  wounded 
did  not  exceed  one  hundred  men. 
Gen.  Wayne  himself,  who  marched 
^^  at  the  head  of  Febiger's  regiment, 
in  the  right  column,  received  a 
slight  wound  in  the  head,  which 
stunned  him  for  a  time,  but  did  not 
compel  him  to  leave  the  column. 
Being  supported  by  his  aids,  he  en- 
tered the  fort  with  the  regiment. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Hay  was  also 


among  the  wounded. 
The  intrepidity,  joined  with  humanity,  its  noblest  companion,  dis- 
played on  that  occasion  by  General  Wayne  and  his  brave  followers, 
cannot  be  too  highly  esteemed  nor  too  frequently  commemorated. 

GENERAL    ORDERS    FOR    THE    ATTACK. 

The  troops  will  march  at  —  o'clock,  and  move  by  the  right,  making 
a  halt  at  the  creek,  or  run,  on  this  side,  next  Clement's  ;  every  officer 
and  non-commissioned  officer  will  remain  with,  and  be  answerable 
for,  every  man  in  his  platoon ;  no  soldier  to  be  permitted  to  quit  his 
ranks  on  any  pretext  whatever,  until  a  general  halt  is  made,  and  then 
to  be  attended  by  one  of  the  officers  of  the  platoon. 

When  the  head  of  the  troops  arrive  in  the  rear  of  the  hill.  Colonel 
Febiger  will  form  his  regiment  into  a  solid  column  of  a  half  platoon  in 
front  as  fast  as  they  come  up.  Colonel  Meigs  will  form  next  in  Co- 
lonel Febiger's  rear,  and  Major  Hull  in  the  rear  of  Meigs,  which  will 
form  the  right  column. 

Colonel  Butler  will  form  a  column  on  the  left  of  Febiger,  and 
Major  Murphy  in  his  rear.  Every  officer  and  soldier  will  then  fix  a 
piece  of  white  paper  in  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  his  hat  or  cap, 
as  a  mark  to  distinguish  them  from  the  enemy. 

At  the  word  march,  Colonel  Fleury  will  take  charge  of  one  hun- 
dred and  -fifty  determined  and  picked  men,  properly  officered,  with 
arms  unloaded,  placing  their  whole  dependence  on  fixed  bayonets, 
who  will  move  about  twenty  paces  in  front  of  the  right  column,  and 


142  WAYNE. 

enter  the  sally-port ;  he  is  to  detach  an  officer  and  twenty  men  a 
little  in  front,  whose  business  will  be  to  secure  the  sentries,  and 
lemove  the  abattis  and  obstructions  for  the  column  to  pass  through. 
The  column  will  follow  close  in  the  rear  with  shouldered  muskets, 
led  by  Colonel  Febiger  and  General  Wayne,  in  person  : — when  the 
works  are  forced,  and  not  before^  the  victorious  troops  as  they  enter 

will  give  the  watchword with  repeated  and  loud  voices,  and 

drive  the  enemy  from  their  works  and  guns,  which  will  favor  the  pass 
of  the  whole  troops;  should  the  enemy  refuse  to  surrender,  or 
attempt  to  make  their  escape  by  water  or  otherwise,  effectual  means 
must  be  used  to  effect  the  former  and  prevent  the  latter. 

Colonel  Butler  will  move  by  the  route  (2,)  preceded  by  one  hun- 
dred chosen  men  with  fixed  bayonets,  properly  officered,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  twenty  yards  in  front  of  the  column,  which  will  follow  under 
Colonel  Butler,  with  shouldered  muskets.  These  hundred  will  also 
detach  a  proper  officer  and  twenty  men  a  little  in  front  to  remove 
the  obstructions  ;  as  soon  as  they  gain  the  works  they  will  al  so 
give  and  continue  the  watchword,  which  will  prevent  confusion  and 
mistake. 

If  any  soldier  presume  to  take  his  musket  from  his  shoulder,  or  to 
fire,  or  begin  the  battle  until  ordered  by  his  proper  officer,  he  shall 
be  instantly  put  to  death  by  the  officer  next  him  ;  for  the  misconduct 
of  one  man  is  not  to  put  the  whole  troops  in  danger  or  disorder,  and 
he  be  suffered  to  pass  with  his  life. 

After  the  troops  begin  to  advance  to  the  works,  the  strictest  silence 
must  be  observed,  and  the  closest  attention  paid  to  the  commands 
of  the  officers. 

The  general  has  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  bravery  and  fortitude 
of  the  corps  that  he  has  the  happiness  to  command — the  distinguished 
honor  conferred  on  every  officer  and  soldier  who  has  been  drafted  in 
this  corps  by  his  excellency  General  Washington,  the  credit  of  the 
states  they  respectively  belong  to,  and  their  own  reputations,  will  be 
such  powerful  motives  for  each  man  to  distinguish  himself,  that  the 
general  cannot  have  the  least  doubt  of  a  glorious  victory  ;  and  he 
hereby  most  solemnly  engages  to  reward  the  first  man  that  enters 
the  works  with  five  hundred  dollars,  and  immediate  promotion ;  to 
the  second  four  hundred  dollars  ;  to  the  third  three  hundred  dollars  ; 
to  the  fourth  two  hundred  dollars  ;  and  to  the  fifth  one  hundred  dol- 
lars ;  and  will  represent  the  conduct  of  every  officer  and  soldier  who 
distinguishes  himself  in  this  action,  in  the  most  favorable  point 
of  view  to  his  Excellency,  whose  greatest  pleasure  is  in  rewarding 
merit. 

But  should  there  be  any  soldier  so  lost  to  every  feeling  of  honor 


General  Wayne's  celebrated  charge  on  the  British  army. 

as  to  attempt  to  retreat  one  single  foot,  or  skulk  in  the  face  of  danger, 
the  officer  next  to  him  is  immediately  to  put  him  to  death,  that  he 
may  no  longer  disgrace  the  name  of  a  soldier,  or  the  corps  or  state 
he  belongs  to. 

As  General  Wayne  is  determined  to  share  the  danger  of  the  night, 
so  he  wishes  to  participate  in  the  glory  of  the  day  in  common  with 
his  fellow-soldiers. 

Immediately  after  the  surrender  of  Stony-Point,  General  Wayne 
transmitted  to  the  commander-in-chief,  the  following  laconic  letter : 

"Stont-Potnt,  Ju/y  16,  1779.      1 
«  2  o'clock,  A.  M.  3 

"  Dear  General — The  fort  and  garrison,  with  Col.  Johnson,   are 
ours  ;  our  officers  and  men  behaved  like  men  determiued  to  be  free. 
"  Yours,  most  sincerely, 

"  Anthony  Wayne. 
"  General  Washington." 

In  the  campaign  of  178 1,  in  which  Lord  Cornwallis  and  a  British 
army  were  obliged  to  surrender  prisoners  of  war,  he  bore  a  con- 
spicuous part.  His  presence  of  mind  never  failed  him  in  the  most 
critical  situations.  Of  this  he  gave  an  eminent  example  on  the  James 
river.  Having  been  deceived,  by  some  false  information,  into  a 
belief  that  the  British  army  had  passed  the  river,  leaving  but  the 


144  WAYNE. 

rear-guard  behind,  he  hastened  to  attack  the  latter  before  it  should 
also  have  effected  its  passage  ;  but  on  pushing  through  a  morass  and 
wood,  instead  of  the  rear-guard,  he  found  the  whole  British  army 
drawn  up  close  to  him.  His  situation  did  not  admit  of  a  moment's 
deliberation.  Conceiving  the  boldest  to  be  the  safest  measure,  he 
immediately  led  his  small  detachment,  not  exceeding  800  men,  to 
the  charge,  and  after  a  short,  but  very  smart  and  close  firing,  in 
which  he  lost  1 18  of  his  men,  he  succeeded  in  bringing  off  the  rest 
under  cover  of  the  wood.  Lord  Cornwallis,  suspecting  the  attack 
to  be  a  feint,  in  order  to  draw  him  into  an  ambuscade,  would  not 
permit  his  troops  to  pursue. 

The  enemy  having  made  a  considerable  head  in  Georgia,  Wayne 
was  despatched  by  General  Washington  to  take  command  of  the 
forces  in  that  state,  and,  after  some  sanguinary  engagements,  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  security  and  order.  For  his  services  in  that 
state,  the  legislature  presented  him  with  a  valuable  farm 

On  the  peace,  which  followed  shortly  after,  he  retired  to  private 
life  :  but  in  1789,  we  find  him  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  con- 
vention, and  one  of  those  in  favor  of  the  present  federal  constitution 
of  the  United  States. 

In  the  year  1792,  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  General  St.  Clair, 
who  had  resigned  the  command  of  the  army  engaged  against  the 
Indians  on  our  western  frontier.  Wayne  formed  an  encampment  at 
Pittsburgh,  and  such  exemplary  discipline  was  introduced  among  the 
new  troops,  that,  on  their  advance  into  the  Indian  country,  they 
appeared  like  veterans. 

The  Indians  had  collected  in  great  numbers,  and  it  was  necessary 
not  only  to  rout  them,  but  to  occupy  their  country  by  a  chain  of 
posts,  that  should,  for  the  future,  check  their  predatory  incursions. 
Pursuing  this  regular  and  systematic  mode  of  advance,  the  autumn 
of  1793  found  General  Wayne  with  his  army,  at  a  post  in  the  wilder- 
ness, called  Greenville,  about  six  miles  in  advance  of  Fort  Jefferson, 
where  he  determined  to  encamp  for  the  winter,  in  order  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  opening  the  campaign  with  effect  early  in 
the  following  spring.  After  fortifying  his  camp,  he  took  possession 
of  the  ground  on  which  the  Americans  had  been  defeated  in  1791, 
which  he  fortified  also,  and  called  the  work  Fort  Recovery.  Here 
he  piously  collected,  and,  with  the  honors  of  war,  interred  the  bones 
of  the  unfortunate  although  gallant  victims  of  the  4th  of  November, 
1791.  The  situation  of  the  army,  menacing  the  Indian  villages, 
effectually  prevented  any  attack  on  the  white  settlements.  The  im- 
possibility of  procuring  the  necessary  supplies  prevented  the  march 
of  the  troops  till  the  summer.  On  the  8th  of  August,  the  army  arrived 


BATTLE      OF     THE      MIAMI. 


145 


General  Wayne  defeating  the  Indians. 


at  the  junction  of  the  rivers  Au  Glaize  and  Miami  of  the  lakes,  wher 
they  erected  works  for  the  protection  of  the  stores.  About  thirty 
miles  from  this  place  the  British  had  formed  a  post,  in  the  vicinity 
of  which  the  Indians  had  assembled  their  whole  force.  On  the  15th 
the  army  again  advanced  down  the  Miami,  and  on  the  18th  arrived 
at  the  rapids.  On  the  following  day  they  erected  some  works  for 
the  protection  of  the  baggage.  The  situation  of  the  enemy  was  re- 
connoitered,  and  they  were  found  posted  in  a  thick  wood,  in  the  rear 
of  the  British  fort.  On  the  20th,  the  army  advanced  to  the  attack. 
The  Miami  covered  the  right  flank,  and  on  the  left  were  the  mounted 
volunteers,  commanded  by  General  Todd.  After  marching  about  five 
miles.  Major  Price,  who  led  the  advance,  received  so  heavy  a  fire 
from  the  Indians,  who  were  stationed  behind  the  trees,  that  he  was 
compelled  to  fall  back.  The  enemy  had  occupied  a  wood  in  the  front 
of  the  British  fort,  which,  from  the  quantity  of  fallen  timber,  could 
not  be  entered  by  the  horse.  The  legion  was  immediately  ordered 
to  advance  with  trailed  arms,  and  rouse  them  from  their  covert ;  the 
cavalry  under  Captain  Campbell,  were  directed  to  pass  between  the 
Indians  and  the  river,  while  the  volunteers,  led  by  General  Scott, 
made  a  circuit  to  turn  their  flank.  So  rapid,  however,  was  the  charge 
of  the  legion,  that  before  the  rest  of  the  army  could  get  into  action, 
the  enemy  were  completely  routed,  and  driven  through  the  woods 
for  more  than  two  miles,  and  the  troops  halted  within  gun-shot  of  the 
British  fort.  All  the  Indians'  houses  and  cornfields  were  destroyed, 
this  decisive  action,  the  whole  loss  of  General  Wayne's  army,  in 

10 


146 


WAYNE. 


killed  and  wounded,  amounted  only  to  one  hundred  and  seven  men. 
As  hostilities  continued  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  their  whole  coun- 
try was  laid  waste,  and  forts  established,  which  effectually  prevented 
their  return. 

The  success  of  this  engagement  destroyed  the  enemies'  power ; 
and,  in  the  following  year,  General  Wayne  concluded  a  definitive 
treaty  of  peace  with  them. 

A  life  of  peril  and  glory  was  terminated  in  December,  1796.  He 
had  shielded  his  country  from  the  murderous  tomahawk  of  the  savage. 
He  had  established  her  boundaries.  He  had  forced  her  enemies  to 
sue  for  her  protection.  He  beheld  her  triumphant,  rich  in  arts  and 
potent  in  arms.  What  more  could  his  patriotic  spirit  wish  to  see ! 
He  died  in  a  hut  on  Presque  Isle,  aged  about  fifty-one  years,  and  was 
buried  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 

A  few  years  since  his  bones  were  taken  up  by  his  son,  Isaac 
Wayne,  Esq.,  and  entombed  in  his  native  county ;  and  by  direction 
of  the  Pennsylvnia  State  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  an  elegant  monu- 
ment was  erected.  It  is  constructed  of  white  marble,  of  the  most 
correct  symmetry  and  beauty. 


Hesidence  of  Gteneral  "Wayne,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  OTHO  H.  WILLIAMS. 


HIS  gentleman  was  formea  for  eminence  in  any  station, 
His  talents  were  of  a  high  order,  and  his  attainments 
various  and  extensive.  Possessing  a  person  of  uncom- 
mon symmetry,  and  peculiarly  distinguished  by  the 
elegance  of  his  manners  he  would  haA'^e  graced,  alike, 
a  court  or  a  camp. 

Rich  in  that  species  of  military  science  which  is  acquired  by  experi- 
ence, and  a  correct,  systematic,  and  severe  disciplinarian,  General 
Greene  confided  to  him  the  important  trust  of  adjutant-general  to 
the  southern  army.  The  services  which,  in  this  and  other  capacities, 
he  rendered  to  that  division  of  the  American  forces,  in  the  course  of 
their  toilsome  and  perilous  operations,  were  beyond  all  praise. 

He  was  born  in  the  county  of  Prince  George,  in  the  year  1748, 
and  received,  during  his  youth,  but  a  slender  education.  This  he 
so  much  improved  by  subsequent  study,  that  few  men  had  a  finer 
taste,  or  a  more  cultivated  intellect. 

He  commenced  his  military  career,  as  lieutenant  of  a  rifle  company, 
in  1775  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  following  year,  was  promoted  tc 
the  rank  of  a  major  in  a  rifle  regiment. 

147 


148  OTHO      H.      WILLIAMS. 

In  this  corps  he  very  honorably  distinguished  himself  in  the  defence 
of  Fort  Washnigton,  on  York  Island,  when  assaulted  by  Sir  William 
Howe  ;  and,  on  the  surrender  of  that  post  became  a  prisoner. 

Having  suffered  much  by  close  confinement,  during  his  captivity, 
he  was  exchanged  for  Major  Ackland,  after  the  capture  of  Burgoyne, 
and  immediately  rejoined  the  standard  of  his  country. 

Being  now  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel  of  a  regiment  of 
infantry,  he  was  detached,  under  the  Baron  de  Kalb,  to  the  army  of 
the  south. 

General  Gates  having  been  appointed  to  the  command  of  this 
division  of  the  American  forces,  he  was  present  with  that  officer,  at 
his  defeat  before  Camden  ;  and  during  the  action  manifested  great 
valor  and  skill,  in  directing-  and  leading  the  operations  against  the 
enemy,  while  resistance  was  practicable  ;  and  an  equal  degree  of 
self-possession  and  address,  in  conducting  the  troops  from  the  field, 
when  compelled  to  retreat. 

But  as  an  officer,  his  valor  and  skill  in  battle  were  among  the 
lowest  of  his  qualifications.  His  penetration  and  sagacity,  united  to 
a  profound  judgment,  and  a  capacious  mind,  rendered  him,  in  the 
cabinet,  particularly  valuable. 

Hence  he  was  one  of  General  Greene's  favorite  counsellors,  during 
the  whole  of  his  southern  campaigns.  Nor  did  any  thing  ever  occur, 
either  through  neglect  or  mistake,  to  impair  the  confidence  thus 
reposed  in  him.  In  no  inconsiderable  degree,  he  was  to  Greene, 
what  that  officer  had  been  to  General  Washington,  his  strongest  hope 
in  all  emergencies,  where  great  policy  and  address  were  required. 

This  was  clearly  manifested  by  the  post  assigned  to  him  by  General 
Greene,  during  his  celebrated  retreat  through  North  Carolina. 

In  that  great  and  memorable  movement,  on  which  the  fate  of  the 
South  was  staked,  to  Williams  was  confided  the  command  of  the 
rear-guard,  which  was  literally  the  shield  and  rampart  of  the  army. 
Had  he  relaxed,  but  for  a  moment,  in  his  vigilance  and  exertion,  or 
been  guilty  of  a  single  imprudent  act,  ruin  must  have  ensued. 

Nor  was  his  command  much  less  momentous,  when,  recrossing  the 
Dan,  Greene  again  advanced  on  the  enemy.  Still  in  the  post  of 
danger  and  honor,  he  now,  in  the  van  of  the  army,  commanded  the 
same  corps  with  which  he  had  previously  moved  in  the  rear, 

A  military  friend,  who  knew  him  well,  has  given  us  the  following 
summary  of  his  character  : 

"  He  possessed  that  range  of  mmd,  although  self-educated,  which 
entitled  him  to  the  highest  military  station,  and  was  actuated  bv  true 
courage,  which  can  refuse  as  well  as  give  battle.  Soarmg  far  above 
the  reach  of  vulgar  praise,  he  singly  aimed  at  promoting  the  common 


CHARACTER     OF     GENERAL     WILLIAMS. 


149 


weal,  satisfied  with  the  consciousness  of  doing  right,  and  desiring 
only  that  share  of  applause  which  was  justly  his  own. 

"  There  was  a  loftiness  and  liberality  in  his  character  which  forbade 
resort  to  intrigue  and  hypocrisy  in  the  accomplishment  of  his  views, 
and  rejected  the  contemptible  practice  of  disparaging  others  to  exalt 
himself. 

*'  In  the  field  of  battle  he  was  self-possessed,  intelligent,  and  ardent ; 
in  camp,  circumspect,  attentive^  and  systematic  ;  in  council,  sincere, 
deep,  and  perspicuous.  During  the  campaigns  of  General  Greene, 
he  was  uniformly  one  of  his  few  advisers,  and  held  his  unchanged 
confidence.  Nor  was  he  less  esteemed  by  his  brother  officers,  or 
less  respected  by  his  soldiery." 

Shortly  before  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  brigadier-general.  He  was  afterwards  collector  of  customs  for 
Maryland  ;  and  held  that  post  till  he  died,  at  the  age  of  forty-six 
years,  July  16th,  1794. 


Costume  of  British.  Infantry-  officers,  1780, 


MAJOR  GENERAL  BENEDICT  ARNOLD. 


E  rejoice,  that  in  giving  the  Hve? 
of   the   American   generals,  w 
have  to  record  the  name  of  bu* 
one  v^^ho  was  not  true  to  his  coun 
try's  cause. 

Benedict  Arnold,  a  major-gene 
ral  in  the  American  army,  during 
the  revolutionary  war,  and  infa- 
mous for  desertmg  the  cause  of 
his  country,  born  in  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  Jan.  3,  1740,  was 
early  chosen  captain  of  a  volun- 
teer company  in  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  where  he  lived.  After  hearing  of  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton, he  immediately  marched,  with  his  company,  for  the  American 
head-quarters,  and  reached  Cambridge,  April  29,  1775.  He  im- 
mediately waited  on  the  Massachusetts  committee  of  safety,  and 
informed  them  of  the  defenceless  state  of  Ticonderoga.  The  com- 
mittee appointed  him  a  colonel,  and  commissioned  him  to  raise  four 
hundred  men,  and  to  take  that  fortress.  He  proceeded  directly  to 
Vermont,  and  when  he  arrived  at  Castleton,  was  attended  by  one 
servant  only.  Here  he  joined  Colonel  Allen,  and  on  the  10th  of 
May,  the  fortress  was  taken. 
150 


SIEGE      OF      QUEBEC.  151 

In  the  fall  of  1775,  he  was  sent  by  the  commander-in-chief  to 
penetrate  through  the  wilderness  of  the  district  of  Maine,  into 
Canada.  On  the  16th  of  September,  he  commenced  his  march,  with 
about  one  thousand  men,  consisting  of  New  England  infantry,  some 
volunteers,  a  company  of  artillery,  and  three  companies  of  riflemen. 
One  division  was  obliged  to  return,  or  it  would  have  perished  by 
hunger.  After  sustaining  almost  incredible  hardships,  he  in  six  weeks 
arrived  at  Point  Levi,  opposite  to  Quebec.  The  appearance  of  an 
army  emerging  from  the  wilderness,  threw  the  city  into  the  greatest 
consternation.  In  this  moment  of  surprise,  Arnold  might  probably 
have  become  master  of  the  place  ;  but  the  small  craft  and  boats  in 
the  river  were  removed  out  of  his  reach. 

It  seems  that  his  approach  was  not  altogether  unexpected.  He 
had  imprudently,  a  number  of  days  before,  sent  forward  a  letter  to  a 
friend,  by  an  Indian,  who  betrayed  him.  A  delay  of  several  days, 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  passing  the  river,  was  inevitable  ;  and 
the  critical  moment  was  lost. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  he  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  in  the 
night ;  and  ascending  the  precipice  which  Wolfe  had  climbed  before 
him,  formed  his  small  corps  on  the  height,  near  the  memorable  Plains 
of  Abraham.  With  only  about  seven  hundred  men,  one-third  of 
whose  muskets  had  been  rendered  useless  in  their  march  through  the 
wilderness,  success  could  not  be  expected.  After  parading  some 
days  on  the  heights  near  the  town,  and  sending  two  flags  to  summon 
the  inhabitants,  he  retired  to  Point  aux  Trembles,  twenty  miles 
above  Quebec,  and  there  awaited  the  arrival  of  Montgomery,  who 
joined  him  on  the  first  of  December.  The  city  was  immediately 
besieged,  but  the  best  measures  had  been  taken  for  its  defence.  On 
the  morning  of  the  last  day  of  the  year,  an  assault  was  made  on  the 
one  side  of  the  city,  by  Montgomery,  who  was  killed.  At  the  same 
time.  Colonel  Arnold,  at  the  head  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  made  a  desperate  attack'  on  the  opposite  side.  Advancing  with 
the  utmost  intrepidity  along  the  St.  Charles,  through  a  narrow  path, 
exposed  to  an  incessant  fire  of  grape-shot  and  musketry  as  he 
approached  the  first  barrier,  he  received  a  musket-ball  in  the  leg, 
which  shattered  the  bone  ;  and  he  was  carried  oflf  to  the  camp. 
Though  the  attack  was  unsuccessful,  the  blockade  of  Quebec  was 
continued  till  May,  1776  ;  when  the  army,  which  was  in  no  condition 
to  risk  an  assault,  was  removed  to  a  more  defensible  position.  Arnold 
was  compelled  to  relinquish  one  post  after  another,  till  the  ISth  of 
June,  when  he  quitted  Canada.  After  this  period,  he  exhibited  great 
bravery  in  the  command  of  the  American  fleet  on  Lake  Champlain. 

Tn  August,  1777,  he  relieved  Fort  Schuyler,  under  the  command 


152 


ARNOLD. 


Arnold  at  Bemis's  Heights. 

of  Colonel  Gansevoort,  which  was  invested  by  Colonel  St.  Leger 
with  an  army  of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hundred  men.  In  the  battle 
near  Stillwater,  September  the  19th,  he  conducted  himself  with  his 
usual  intrepidity  ;  being  engaged  incessantly,  for  four  hours.  In  the 
action  of  October  the  7th,  at  Bemis's  Heights,  after  the  British  had 
been  driven  into  their  lines,  Arnold  pressed  forward,  and,  under  a 
tremendous  fire,  assaulted  their  works  from  right  to  left.  The 
intrenchments  were  at  length  forced,  and  with  a  few  men  he  actually 
entered  the  works  ;  but  his  horse  being  killed,  and  he  himself  being 
badly  wounded  in  the  leg,  he  found  it  necessary  to  withdraw,  and  as 
it  was  now  ^almost  dark,  to  desist  from  the  attack. 

Being  rendered  unfit  for  active  service,  in  consequence  of  his 
wound,  after  the  recovery  of  Philadelphia,  he-  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  American  garrison.  When  he  entered  the  city,  he 
made  the  house  of  Governor  Penn,  the  best  house  in  the  city,  his 
head-quarters.  This  he  furnished  in  a  very  costly  manner,  and  lived 
far  beyond  his  income.  He  had  wasted  the  plunder  he  had  seized 
at  Montreal,  in  his  retreat  from  Canada  ;  and  at  Philadelphia,  he  was 
determined  to  make  new  acquisitions.  He  laid  his  hands  on  every 
thing  in  the  city,  which  could  be  considered  as  the  property  of  those 
who  were  unfriendly  to  the  cause  of  his  country.     He  was  charged 


armold's    extravagance.  153 

with  oppression,  extortion,  and  enormous  charges  upon  the  public, 
in  his  accounts  ;  and  with  applying  the  public  money  and  property  to 
his  own  private  use.  Such  was  his  conduct,  that  he  drew  upon  him- 
self the  odium  of  the  inhabitants,  not  only  of  the  city,  but  of  the 
province  in  general.  He  was  engaged  in  trading  speculations,  and 
had  shares  in  several  privateers  ;  but  was  unsuccessful. 

From  the  judgment  of  the  commissioners,  who  had  been  appointed 
to  inspect  his  accounts,  and  who  had  rejected  above  half  the  amount 
of  his  demands,  he  appealed  to  Congress  ;  and  they  appointed  a 
committee  of  their  own  body  to  examine  and  settle  the  business. 
The  committee  confirmed  the  report  of  the  commissioners,  and 
thought  they  had  allowed  him  more  than  he  had  any  right  to  expect 
or  demand.  By  these  disappointments  he  became  irritated,  and  he 
gave  full  scope  to  his  resentment.  His  invectives  against  Congress 
were  not  less  violent,  than  those  which  he  had  before  thrown  out 
against  the  commissioners.  He  was,  however,  soon  obliged  to  abide 
the  judgment  of  a  court-martial,  upon  the  charges  exhibited  against 
him  by  the  executive  of  Pennsylvania  ;  and  he  was  subjected  to  the 
mortification  of  receiving  a  reprimand  from  Washington.  His  trial 
commenced  in  June,  1778,  but  such  were  the  delays  occasioned  by 
the  movements  of  the  army,  that  it  was  not  concluded  until  the  26th 
day  of  January,  1779. — The  sentence  of  a  reprimand  was  approved 
by  Congress,  and  was  soon  afterwards  carried  into  execution. 

Such  was  the  humiliation  to  which  General  Arnold  was  reduced, 
in  consequence  of  yielding  to  the  temptations  of  pride  and  vanity, 
and  indulging  himself  in  the  pleasures  of  a  sumptuous  table  and 
expensive  equipage. 

From  this  time,  probably,  his  proud  spirit  revolted  from  the  cause 
of  America.  He  turned  his  eyes  to  West  Point  as  an  acquisition, 
which  would  give  value  to  treason,  while  its  loss  would  inflict  a  mor- 
tal wound  on  his  former  friends.  He  addressed  himself  to  the  dele- 
gation of  New  York,  in  which  state  his  reputation  was  peculiarly 
high  ;  and  a  member  of  Congress  from  this  state,  recommended  him 
to  Washington  for  the  service  which  he  desired.  But  this  request 
could  not  be  immediately  complied  with.  The  same  application 
to  the  commander-in-chief  was  made  not  long  afterward  through 
General  Schuyler.  General  Washington  observed,  that,  as  there 
was  a  prospect  of  an  active  campaign,  he  should  be  gratified  with 
the  aid  of  General  Arnold  in  the  field,  but  intimated  at  the  same 
time,  that  he  should  receive  the  appointment  requested  if  it  should 
be  more  pleasing  to  him. 

Arnold,  without  discovering  much  solicitude,  repaired  to  camp  in 
the  beginning  of  August,  and  renewed,  in  person,  the  solicitations 


154 


ARNOLD. 


Major  Andre. 

w'.ich  had  been  before  indirectly  made.  He  was  now  offered  the 
command  of  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  which  was  advancing  against 
New  York,  but  he  declined  it  under  the  pretext,  that  in  consequence 
of  his  wounds,  he  was  unable  to  perform  the  active  duties  of  the 
field.  Without  a  suspicion  of  his  patriotism,  he  was  invested  with 
the  command  of  West  Point.  Previously  to  his  soliciting  this  sta- 
tion, he  had,  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Robinson,  signified  his  change  of 
principles  and  his  wish  to  restore  himself  to  the  favor  of  his  prince, 
by  some  signal  proof  of  his  repentance.  This  letter  opened  to  him 
a  correspondence  with  Sir  Henry  Chnton,  the  object  of  which  was 
to  concert  the  means  of  putting  the  important  post,  which  he  com- 
manded, into  the  possession  of  the  British  general. 

His  plan,  it  is  believed,  was  to  have  drawn  the  greater  part  of  his 
army  without  the  works,  under  the  pretext  of  fighting  the  enemy  in 
the  defiles,  and  to  have  left  unguarded  a  designated  pass,  through 
which  the  assailants  might  securely  approach  and  surprise  the  for- 


ARNOLD    S      TPEA.SON.  155 

tress.  His  troops  he  intended  to  place,  so  that  they  would  be  com- 
pelled to  surrender,  or  be  cut  in  pieces.  But  just  as  his  scheme  was 
ripe  for  execution,  the  wise  Disposer  of  events,  who  so  often  and  so 
remarkably  interposed  in  favor  of  the  American  cause,  blasted  his 
designs. 

Major  Andre,  adjutant-general  of  the  British  army,  w^as  selected 
as  tlie  person  to  whom  the  maturing  of  Arnold's  treason,  and  the 
arrangements  for  its  execution  should  be  committed.  A  correspon- 
dence was,  for  some  time,  carried  on  between  them  under  a  mercan- 
tile disguise,  and  the  feigned  names  of  Gustavus  and  Anderson ;  and 
at  length,  to  facilitate  their  communications,  the  Vulture  sloop  of 
war  moved  up  the  North  River,  and  took  a  station  convenient  for 
the  purpose,  but  not  so  near  as  to  excite  suspicion.  An  interview 
was  agreed  on,  and  in  the  night  of  September  the  21st,  1779,  he 
was  taken  in  a  boat,  which  was  despatched  for  the  purpose,  and  car- 
ried to  the  beach  without  the  posts  of  both  armies,  under  a  pass  for 
John  Anderson.  He  met  General  Arnold  at  the  house  of  a  Mr. 
Smith.  While  the  conference  was  yet  unfinished,  daylight  ap- 
proached ;  and  to  avoid  the  danger  of  discovery,  it  was  proposed 
that  he  should  remain  concealed  till  the  succeeding  night.  He  is 
understood  to  have  refused  to  be  carried  within  the  American  posts, 
but  the  promise  made  him  by  Arnold,  to  respect  this  objection,  Mas 
not  observed.  He  was  carried  within  them  contrary  to  his  wishes 
and  against  his  knowledge.  He  continued  with  Arnold  the  succeed- 
ing day,  and  when,  on  the  following  night,  he  proposed  to  return  to 
the  Vulture,  the  boatmen  refused  to  carry  him,  because  she  had, 
during  the  day,  shifted  her  station,  in  consequence  of  a  gun  having 
been  moved  to  the  shore  and  brought  to  bear  upon  her.  This  em- 
barrassing circumstance  reduced  him  to  the  necessity  of  endeavoring 
to  reach  New  York  by  land.  Yielding  with  reluctance  to  the  urgent 
representations  of  A]jnold,  he  laid  aside  his  regimentals,  which  he 
had  hitherto  worn  under  a  surtout,  and  put  on  a  plain  suit  of  clothes, 
and  receiving  a  pass  from  the  American  general  authorizing  him, 
under  the  feigned  name  of  John  Anderson,  to  proceed  on  the  public 
service  to  the  White  Plains,  or  lower  if  he  thought  proper,  he  set  out 
on  his  return.  He  had  passed  all  the  guards  and  posts  on  the  road 
without  suspicion,  and  was  proceeding  to  New  York,  in  perfect 
security,  w'hen,  on  the  23d  of  September,  one  of  three  militia  men, 
who  were  employed  with  others  in  scouting  parties  between  the  lines 
of  the  two  armies,  springing  suddenly  from  his  covert  into  the  road, 
seized  the  reins  of  his  bridle  and  stopped  his  horse.  Instead  of  pro- 
ducing his  pass,  Andre,  with  a  want  of  self-possession  which  can  be 
attributed  only  to  a  kind  Providence,  asked  the  man  hastily  whert 


156 


aUN  O  LD. 


Capture  of  Major  Andre. 

he  belonged  ;  and  being  answered,  "  to  below,"  replied  immediately, 
"  and  so  do  I."  He  then  declared  himself  to  be  a  British  officer,  on 
urgent  business,  and  begged  that  he  might  not  be  detained.  The 
other  two  militia  men  coming  up  at  this  moment,  he  discovered  his 
mistake,  but  it  was  too  late  to  repair  it.  He  offered  a  purse  of  gold 
and  a  valuable  watch,  to  which  he  added  the  most  tempting  promises 
of  ample  reward  and  permanent  provision  from  the  government  if 
they  would  permit  him  to  escape,  but  his  offers  were  rejected  without 
hesitation. 

The  militia  men,  whose  names  were  John  Paulding,  David  Williams, 
and  Isaac  Van  Wert,  proceeded  to  search  him.  They  found  concealed 
in  his  boots,  exact  returns,  in  Arnold's  hand-WTiting,  of  the  state  of 
forces,  ordnance,  and  defences  at  West  Point,  and  its  dependencies  ; 
critical  remarks  on  the  works,  and  an  estimate  of  the  men  ordinarily 
employed  in  them,  with  other  interesting  papers.  Andre  was  carried 
before  Lieutenant  Colonel  Jameson,  the  officer  commanding  the 
scouting  parties  on  the  lines,  and,  regardless  of  himself,  and  only 
anxious  for  the  safety  of  Arnold,  he  still  maintained  the  character 
which  he  had  assumed,  and  requested  Jameson  to  inform  his  com- 
manding officer  that  Anderson  was  taken.  An  express  was  accord- 
ingly despatched,  and  the  traitor,  thus  becoming  acquainted  with  his 
danger,  escaped. 

Major  Andre,  after  his  detection,  w^as  permitted  to  send  a  message 
to  Arnold,  to  give  him  notice  of  his  danger,  and  the  traitor  found 
opportunity  to  escape  on  board  the  Vulture,  on  the  25th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1780,  a  few  hours  before  the  return  of  Washington,  who  had 


Arnold's    treason.  157 

been  absent  on  a  journey  to  Hartford,  Connecticut.  It  is  supposed, 
however,  that  he  would  not  have  escaped,  had  not  an  express  to  the 
commander-in-chief,  with  an  account  of  the  capture  of  Andre,  missed 
him  by  taking  a  different  road  from  the  one  which  he  travelled. 

Arnold,  on  the  very  day  of  his  escape,  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  Washington : 

On   board  the  Vulture,") 
September  25,  1780.      5 

"  Sir — The  heart  which  is  conscious  of  its  own  rectitude  cannot 
attempt  to  palliate  a  step  which  the  world  may  censure  as  wrong  ;  I 
have  ever  acted  from  a  principle  of  love  to  my  country,  since  the 
commencement  of  the  present  unhappy  contest  between  Great  Britian 
and  the  colonies  ;  the  same  principle  of  love  to  m.y  country  actuates 
my  present  conduct,  however  it  may  appear  inconsistent  to  the  world, 
who  very  seldom  judge  right  of  any  man's  actions. 

"  I  have  no  favor  to  ask  for  myself.  I  have  too  often  experienced 
the  ingratitude  of  my  country  to  attempt  it ;  but  from  the  known 
humanity  of  your  Excellency,  I  am  induced  to  ask  your  protection 
for  Mrs.  Arnold,  from  every  insult  or  injury  that  the  mistaken  ven- 
geance of  my  country  may  expose  her  to.  It  ought  to  fall  only  on 
me ;  she  is  as  good  and  as  innocent  as  an  angel,  and  is  incapable  of 
doing  wrong.  I  beg  she  may  be  permitted  to  return  to  her  friends 
in  Philadelphia,  or  to  come  to  me,  as  she  may  choose  ;  from  your 
Excellency  I  have  no  fears  on  her  account,  but  she  may  suffer  from 
the  mistaken  fury  of  the  country. 

"  I  have  to  request  that  the  enclosed  letter  may  be  delivered  to 
Mrs.  Arnold,  and  she  permitted  to  write  to  me. 

"  I  have  also  to  ask  that  my  clothes  and  baggage,  which  are  of 
little  consequence,  may  be  sent  to  me  ;  if  required,  their  value  shall 
be  paid  in  money, 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

"  B.  Arnold 

"  His  Excellency,  General  Washington. 

"  N.  B.  In  justice  to  the  gentlemen  of  my  family,  Colonel  Varick, 
and  Major  Franks,  I  think  myself  in  honor  bound  to  declare  that 
they,  as  well  as  Joshua  Smith,  Esq.,  (who  I  know  are  suspected,) 
are  totally  ignorant  of  any  transactions  of  mine,  which  they  had 
reason  to  believe  were  injurious  to  the  public." 

Mrs.  Arnold  was  conveyed  to  her  husband  at  New  York,  and  his 
clothes  and  baggage,  for  which  he  had  written,  were  transmitted 
to  him 


158  ARNOLD. 

"  The  following  is  a  concise  description  of  the  figures  exhibited  and 
paraded  through  the  streets  of  Philadelphia,  tivo  or  three  days  after 
the  affair: 

"  A  stag-e  raised  on  the  body  of  a  cart,  on  which  was  an  effigy  of 
General  Arnold  sitting ;  this  was  dressed  in  regimentals,  had  two 
faces,  emblematical  of  his  traitorous  conduct,  a  mask  in  his  left  hand, 
and  a  letter  in  his  right  from  Beelzebub,  telling  him  that  he  had  done 
all  the  mischief  he  could  do,  and  now  he  must  hang  himself. 

At  the  back  of  the  general  was  a  figure  of  the  devil,  dressed  in 
black  robes,  shaking  a  purse  of  money  at  the  general's  left  ear,  and 
in  his  right  hand  a  pitchfork,  ready  to  drive  him  into  hell,  as  the 
reward  due  for  the  many  crimes  which  his  thirst  of  gold  had  made 
him  commit. 

In  the  front  of  the  stage,  and  before  General  Arnold,  was  placed 
a  large  lantern  of  transparent  paper,  with  the  consequences  of  his 
crimes  thus  delineated,  i.  e.  on  one  part  General  Arnold  on  his  knees 
before  the  devil,  who  is  pulling  him  into  the  flames — a  label  from  the 
general's  mouth  with  these  words.  '  My  dear  sir,  I  have  served  you 
faithfully  ;'  to  which  the  devil  replies,  '  And  I'll  reward  you.'  On 
another  side,  two  figures  hanging,  inscribed,  '  The  Traitor's  Reward,' 
and  written  underneath,  '  The  Adjutant-General  of  the  British  Army, 
and  Joe  Smith ;  the  first  hanged  as  a  spy,  and  the  other  as  a  traitor 
to  his  country.'  And  on  the  front  of  the  lantern  was  written  the 
following : 

^^  Major  Cfeneral  Benedict  Arnold,  late  commander  of  the  fort 
West  Point.      The  crime  of  this  man  is  high  treason. 

He  has  deserted  the  important  post.  West  Point,  on  Hudson's  river, 
committed  to  his  charge  by  his  Excellency,  the  commander-in-chief, 
and  is  gone  off  to  the  enemy  at  New  York. 

His  design  to  have  given  up  this  fortress  to  our  enemies  has  been 
discovered  by  the  goodness  of  the  Omniscient  Creator,  who  has  not 
only  prevented  him  from  carrying  it  into  execution,  but  has  thrown 
into  our  hands  Andre,  the  adjutant-general  of  their  army,  who  was 
detected  in  the  infamous  character  of  a  spy. 

The  treachery  of  the  ungrateful  general  is  held  up  to  public  view 
tor  the  exposition  of  infamy  ;  and  to  proclaim  with  joyful  accla- 
mation, another  instance  of  the  interposition  of  a  bounteous  Provi- 
dence. 

The  effigy  of  this  ingrate  is  therefore  hanged,  (for  want  of  his 
body,)  as  a  traitor  to  his  native  country,  and  a  betrayer  of  the  laws 
of  honor." 


ARNOLD    S      TREASON. 


161 


Andre's  Prison. 

The  procession  began  about  four  o'clock,  in  the  following  order  : 
Several  g-entlemen  mounted  on  horseback. 
A  line  of  continental  officers. 
Sundry  gentlemen  in  a  line. 
A  guard  of  the  city  infantry. 
Just  before  the  cart,  drums  and  fifes  playing  the 

Rogue  s  March. 
Guards  on  each  side. 
The  procession  M^as  attended  with  a  numerous  concourse  of  people, 
who,  after  expressing  their  abhorrence  of  the  treason  and  the  traitor, 
committed  him  to  the  flames,  and  left  both  the  effigy  and  the  original 
to  sink  into  ashes  and  oblivion," 

"  During  the  exertions  which  were  made  to  rescue  Andre  from  the 
destruction  which  threatened  him,  Arnold  had  the  hardihood  to 
interpose.  He  appealed  to  the  humanity  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
and  then  sought  to  intimidate  him.,  by  stating  the  situation  of  many 
of  the  principal  characters  of  South  Carolina,  who  had  forfeited  their 
lives,  but  had  hitherto  been  spared  through  the  clemency  of  the 
British  general.  This  clemency,  he  said,  could  no  longer,  in  justice, 
be  extended  to  them,  should  Major  Andre  suffer. 

Arnold  was  made  a  brigadier-general  in  the  British  service  ;  which 
rank  he  preserved  throughout  the  war.  Yet  he  must  have  been  held 
in  contempt  and  detestation  by  the  generous  and  honorable.  It  was 
impossible  for  men  of  this  description,  even  when  acting  with  him, 
to  forget  that  he  was  a  traitor,  first  the  slave  of  his  rage,  then  pur- 
chased with  gold,  and  finally  secured  by  the  blood  of  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  officers  in  the  British  army.     One  would  suppose  that 

11 


162  ARNOLD. 

his  mind  could  not  have  been  much  at  ease  ;  but  he  had  proceeded  . 
so  far  in  vice,  that  perhaps  his  reflections  gave  him  but  httle  trouble. 
'  I  am  mistaken,'  says  Washington,  in  a  private  letter,  '  if,  at  this  time, 
Arnold  is  undergoing  the  torments  of  a  mental  hell  He  wants  feel- 
ing. From  some  traits  of  his  character,  which  have  lately  come  to 
my  knowleHge,  he  seems  to  have  been  so  hackneyed  in  crime,  so  lost 
to  all  sense  of  honor  and  shame,  that  while  his  faculties  still  enable 
liim  to  continue  his  sordid  pursuits,  there  will  be  no  time  for  remorse.' 

Arnold  found  it  necessary  to  make  some  exertions  to  secure  the 
attachment  of  his  new  friends.  With  the  hope  of  alluring  many  of 
the  discontented  to  his  standard,  he  published  an  address  to  the 
inhabitants  of  America,  in  which  he  endeavored  to  justify  his  con- 
duct. He  had  encountered  the  dangers  of  the  field,  he  said,  from 
apprehension  that  the  rights  of  his  country  were  in  danger.  He  had 
acquiesced  in  the  declaration  of  independence,  though  he  thought  it 
precipitate.  But  the  rejection  of  the  overtures,  made  by  Great 
Britain  in  1778,  and  the  French  alliance,  had  opened  his  eyes  to  the 
ambitious  views  of  those,  who  would  sacrifice  the  happiness  of  their 
country  to  their  own  aggrandizement,  and  had  made  him  a  confirmed 
royalist.  He  artfully  mingled  assertions,  that  the  principal  members 
of  Congress  held  the  people  in  sovereign  contempt. 

This  was  followed  in  about  a  fortnight  by  a  proclamation,  addressed 
*  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  continental  army,  who  have  the 
real  interests  of  their  country  at  heart,  and  who  are  determined  to 
be  no  longer  the  tools  and  dupes  of  Congress  or  of  France.'  To 
induce  the  American  officers  and  soldiers  to  desert  the  cause  which 
they  had  embraced,  he  represented  that  the  corps  of  cavalry  and 
infantry,  which  he  was  authorized  to  raise,  would  be  upon  the  same 
footing  with  the  other  troops  in  the  British  service  ;  that  he  should 
with  pleasure  advatice  those  whose  valor  he  had  witnessed  ;  and  that 
the  private  men  who  joined  him  should  receive  a  bounty  of  three 
guineas  each,  besides  payment,  at  the  full  value,  for  horses,  arms, 
and  accoutrements.  His  object  was  the  peace,  liberty,  and  safety 
of  America.  '  You  are  promised  liberty,'  he  exclaims,  '  but  is  there 
an  mdividual  in  the  enjoyment  of  it  saving  your  oppressors  ?  Who 
among  you  dare  to  speak  or  write  what  he  thinks  against  the  tyranny 
which  has  robbed  you  of  your  property,  imprisons  your  persons, 
drags  you  to  the  field  of  battle,  and  is  daily  deluging  your  country 
with  blood  V  '  What,'  he  exclaims  again,  '  is  America  now  but  aland 
of  widows,  orphans,  and  beggars  ?  As  to  you,  who  have  been  sol- 
diers in  the  continental  army,  can  you  at  this  day  want  evidence, 
that  the  funds  of  your  country  are  exhausted,  or  that  the  managers 
have  applied  them  to  their  private  uses  ?     In  either  case  you  surely 


ARNOLD    S      TREASON.  163 

can  no  longer  continue  in  their  service  with  honor  or  advantage  '^ 
Yet  you  have  hitherto  been  their  supporters  in  that  cruelty,  which, 
with  equal  indifference  to  yours,  as  well  as  to  the  labor  and  blood  of 
others,  in  devouring  a  country,  that  from  the  moment  you  quit  their 
colors,  will  be  redeemed  from  their  tyranny.' 

These  proclamations  did  not  produce  the  effect  designed,  and  in 
all  the  hardships,  sufferings,  and  irritations  of  the  war,  Arnold  remains 
the  solitary  instance  of  an  American  officer,  who  abandoned  the  side 
first  embraced  in  the  contest,  and  turned  his  sword  upon  his  former 
companions  in  arms. 

He  was  soon  despatched  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  to  make  a  diversion 
in  Virginia.  With  about  seventeen  hundred  men  he  arrived  in  the 
Chesapeake,  in  January,  1781,  and  being  supported  by  such  a  naval 
force  as  was  suited  to  the  nature  of  the  service,  he  committed  exten- 
sive ravages  on  the  rivers,  and  along  the  unprotected  coasts.  It  is 
said  that,  while  on  this  expedition,  Arnold  inquired  of  an  American 
captain  whom  he  had  taken  prisoner,  what  the  Americans  w^ould  do 
with  him  if  he  should  fall  into  their  hands.  The  captain  at  first 
declined  giving  him  an  answer,  but  upon  being  repeatedly  urged  to 
it,  he  said,  '  Why,  sir,  if  I  must  answer  your  question,  you  must 
excuse  my  telling  you  the  plain  truth :  if  my  countrymen  should 
catch  you,  I  believe  they  would  first  cut  off  that  lame  leg,  which 
was  wounded  in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  virtue,  and  bury  it  with 
the  honors  of  war,  and  afterwards  hang  the  remainder  of  your  body 
in  gibbets.'  The  reader  will  recollect  that  the  captain  alluded  to  the 
wound  Arnold  received  in  one  of  his  legs  at  the  attack  upon  Quebec, 
in  1776." 

The  return  of  General  Arnold  to  New  York  from  Virginia,  did  not 
fix  him  in  a  state  of  inactivity.  He  was  sent  on  an  enterprise  against 
New  London,  with  a  sufficient  land  and  marine  force. — The  embarka- 
tion having  passed  over  from  Long  Island  shore  in  the  night,  the 
troops  were  landed  in  two  detachments  on  each  side  of  the  harbor, 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  September  ;  that  on  the 
Groton  side  being  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Eyre,  and  that 
on  New  London  side  by  the  general,  who  met  no  great  trouble. 
Fort  Trumbull  and  the  redoubt,  which  were  intended  to  cover  the 
harbor  and  town,  not  being  tenable,  were  evacuated  as  he  approached, 
and  the  few  men  in  them  crossed  the  river  to  Fort  Griswold,  on  Groton 
Hill.  Arnold  proceeded  to  the  town  without  being  otherwise  opposed 
than  by  the  scattered  fire  of  small  parties  that  had  hastily  collected. 
Orders  were  sent  by  the  general  to  Eyre  for  attacking  Fort  Griswold, 
that  so  the  possession  of  it  might  prevent  the  escape  of  the  American 
shipping.     The  militia,  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven, 


164 


ARNOLD. 


collected  for  its  defence,  but  so  hastily  as  not  to  be  fully  furnished 
with  fire-arms  and  other  weapons.  As  the  assailants  approached  a 
firing-  commenced,  and  the  flag-staff  was  soon  shot  down,  from 
whence  the  neighboring  spectators  inferred  that  the  place  had  sur- 
rendered, till  the  continuance  of  the  firing  convinced  them  to  the 
contrary.  The  garrison  defended  themselves  with  the  greatest  reso- 
lution and  bravery ;  Eyre  was  wounded  near  the  works,  and  Major 
Montgomery  was  killed  immediately  after,  so  that  the  command 
devolved  on  Major  Broomfield.  The  British  at  one  time  staggered ; 
but  the  fort  being  out  of  repair  could  not  be  maintained  by  a  handful 
of  men  against  so  superior  a  number  as  that  which  assaulted  it.  After 
an  action  of  about  forty  minutes,  the  resolution  of  the  royal  troops 
carried  the  place  by  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  The  Americans  had 
not  more  than  half  a  dozen  killed  before  the  enemy  entered  the  fort, 
when  a  severe  execution  took  place,  though  resistance  ceased.  The 
British  officer  inquired,  on  his  entering  the  fort,  who  commanded. 
Colonel  Ledyard  answered — "  I  did,  sir,  but  you  do  now  ;"  and  pre- 
sented him  his  sword.  The  colonel  was  immediately  run  through 
and  killed.  The  slain  were  seventy-three,  the  wounded  between 
thirty  and  forty,  and  about  forty  were  carried  off  prisoners.  Soon 
after  reducing  the  fort,  the  soldiers  loaded  a  wagon  with  wounded, 
as  said,  by  order  of  their  officers,  and  set  the  wagon  off  from  the  top 
of  the  hill,  which  is  long  and  very  steep  ;  the  wagon  went  a  consider- 
able distance,  with  great  force,  till  it  was  suddenly  stopped  by  an 
apple-tree,  which  gave  the  faint  and  bleeding  men  so  terrible  a  shock 
that  part  of  them  died  instantly.  About  fifteen  vessels,  with  the 
effects  of  the  inhabitants,  retreated  up  the  river,  notwithstanding  the 
reduction  of  the  fort,  and  four  others  remained  in  the  harbor  unhurt ; 
a  number  were  burnt  by  the  fire's  communicating  from  the  stores 
when  in  flames.  Sixty  dwelling-houses  and  eighty-four  stores  were 
burned,  including  those  on  both  sides  of  the  harbor  and  in  New  Lon- 
don. The  burning  of  the  town  was  intentional  and  not  accidental. 
The  loss  that  the  Americans  sustained  in  this  destruction  was  very 
great,  for  there  were  large  quantities  of  naval  stores,  of  European 
goods,  of  East  and  West  India  commodities,  and  of  provisions,  in 
the  several  stores.  The  British  had  two  commissioned  officers  and 
forty-six  privates  killed ;  eight  officers,  (some  of  whom  are  since 
dead,)  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  non-commissioned  and  pri- 
vates wounded. 

From  the  conclusion  of  the  war  till  his  death.  General  Arnold 
resided  chiefly  in  England.  He  died  in  Gloucester  Place,  London, 
June  14,  1801.  His  character  presents  little  to  be  commended.  His 
daring  courage  may  excite  admiration,  but  it  was  a  courage  without 


ARNOLDS     CHARACTER. 


165 


reflection  and  without  principle.  He  fought  bravely  for  his  country, 
and  he  bled  in  her  cause  ;  but  his  country  owed  him  no  returns  of 
gratitude,  for  his  subsequent  conduct  proved  that  he  had  no  honest 
regard  to  her  interests,  but  was  governed  by  selfish  considerations. 
His  progress  from  self-indulgence  to  treason  was  easy  and  rapid.  He 
was  vain  and  luxurious,  and  to  gratify  his  giddy  desires,  he  must 
resort  to  meanness,  dishonesty,  and  extortion.  These  vices  brought 
with  them  disgrace  :  and  the  contempt  into  which  he  fell  awakened 
d  spirit  of  revenge,  and  left  him  to  the  unrestrained  influence  of  his 
cupidity  and  passion.  Thus,  from  the  high  fame  to  which  his  bravery 
had  elevated  him,  he  descended  into  infamy.  Thus,  too,  he  furnished 
new  evidence  of  the  infatuation  of  the  human  mind,  in  attaching  such 
value  to  the  reputation  of  a  soldier,  which  may  be  obtained  while  the 
heart  is  unsound,  and  every  moral  sentiment  is  entirely  depraved. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ARTHUR  ST.  CLAIR. 


EN.  ST.  CLAIR  was  a  soldier 
from  his  youth.  At  an  early- 
age,  while  the  independent 
states  were  yet  British  colo- 
nies, he  entered  the  royal  American 
army,  and  was  commissioned  as  an  en- 
sign. He  was  actively  engaged,  during 
the  French  war,  in  the  army  of  General 
Wolfe,  and  was  in  the  battle  carrying 
a  pair  of  colors,  in  which  that  cele- 
brated commander  was  slain,  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham.  He  was  highly 
esteemed  by  the  distinguished  commanders  under  whom  he  served, 
as  a  young  officer  of  merit,  capable  of  obtaining  a  high  grade  of 
military  reputation. 

After  the  peace  of  '63,  he  sold  out  and  entered  into  trade,  for 
which  the  generosity  of  his  nature  utterly  disqualified  him  ;  he,  of 
course,  soon  became  disgusted  with  a  profitless  pursuit,  and  having 
married,  after  several  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  he  located  himself  in 
Li^onier  valley,  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountain,  and  near  the 
ancient  route  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh. 
166 


ST.      CLAIR     AT      QUEBEC.  167 


John  Hancock. 


In  this  situation  the  American  revolution  found  him,  surrounded 
by  a  rising  family,  in  the  enjoyment  of  ease  and  independence,  with 
the  fairest  prospects  of  affluent  fortune,  the  foundation  of  which  had 
been  already  established  by  his  intelligence,  industry  and  enterprise. 

From  this  peaceful  abode,  these  sweet  domestic  enjoyments,  and 
the  flattering  prospects  which  accompanied  them,  he  was  drawn  by 
the  claims  of  a  troubled  country.  A  man  known  to  have  been  a 
military  officer,  and  distinguished  for  knowledge  and  integrity,  could 
not,  in  those  times  be  concealed  even  by  his  favorite  mountains,  and 
therefore,  without  application  or  expectation  on  his  part,  he  received 
the  commission  of  a  colonel  in  the  month  of  December,  1775, 
together  with  a  letter  from  President  Hancock,  pressing  him  to 
repair  immediately  to  Philadelphia.  He  obeyed  the  summons,  and 
took  leave  not  only  of  his  wife  and  children,  but  in  effect  of  his  for- 
tune, to  embark  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  the  united  colonies.  In 
six  weeks  he  completed  the  levy  of  a  regiment  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  men  ;  six  companies  of  which  marched  in  season  to  join  our 
troops  before  Quebec  ;  he  followed  with  the  other  four  in  May,  and 
after  the  unlucky  affair  at  Three  Rivers,  by  his  counsel  to  General 
Sullivan  at  Sorel,  he  saved  the  army  we  had  in  Canada. 

The  active  and  persevering  habits  of  St.  Clair,  and  the  military 
knowledge,  as  displayed  by  him  during  the  Canadian  campaign, 
brought  him  into  high  repute,  and  he  was  subsequently  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  major-general.     On  all  occasions  he  supported  an  honor- 


168  ARTHUR     ST.     CLA.IR. 

able  distinction,  and  shared  largely  in  the  confidence  and  friendship 
of  the  commander-in-chief. 

The  misfortunes  attending  the  early  military  operations  of  the 
northern  campaign  of  1777,  did  not  fail  to  bring  reproach  upon  the 
characters  of  those  who  conducted  it.  The  loss  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Fort  Independence,  and  the  subsequent  retreat  of  General  St.  Clair, 
cast  a  gloom  over  the  minds  of  patriotic  men,  and  in  their  conse- 
quences gave  rise  to  the  malignant  passions  of  the  human  heart, 
which  were  put  in  motion  to  depreciate  the  worth,  impair  the  influ- 
ence, and  destroy  the  usefulness  of  Generals  Schuyler  and  St.  Clair. 
It  was  proclaimed  that  they  were  traitors  to  their  country,  and  acted 
in  concert  with  the  enemy  ;  and  the  ignorant  and  the  credulous  were 
led  to  believe  that  they  had  received  an  immense  treasure  in  silver 
balls,  fired  by  Burgoyne  into  St.  Clair's  camp,  and  by  his  order 
picked  up  and  transmitted  to  Schuyler,  at  Fort  George  !  !  Extrava- 
gant as  was  this  tale,  it  w-as  implicitly  believed. 

At  the  time  of  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga  by  St.  Clair,  which 
so  much  exasperated  the  people,  General  Schuyler  was  absent  upon 
a  different  duty,  and  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  fact,  though  the 
commanding  officer  in  that  district.  General  St.  Clair,  in  accordance 
with  the  opinion  of  a  council  of  war,  ordered  the  movement  on  his 
own  responsibility,  and  thereby  saved  the  state  of  New  York  from 
British  domination,  and  his  gallant  army  from  capture.  Stung  with 
the  injustice  of  a  charge  against  General  Schuyler,  for  an  act  for 
which  he  alone  was  responsible,  he  magnanimously  wrote  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  the  Hon.  John  Jay,  on  the  subject  : — 

"Moses'  Creek, "> 
July  25,  1775.      3 

"  Sir — General  Schuyler  was  good  enough  to  read  to  me  a  part 
of  a  letter  he  received  last  night  from  you.  I  cannot  recollect  that 
any  of  my  officers  ever  asked  my  reasons  for  leaving  Ticonderoga  : 
but  as  I  have  found  the  measure  much  decried,  I  have  often  expressed 
myself  in  this  manner  : — '  That  as  to  anyself  I  was  perfectly  easy  ; 
I  was  conscious  of  the  uprightness  and  propriety  of  my  conduct,  and 
despised  the  vague  censure  of  an  uninformed  populace  ;'  but  had  no 
allusion  to  an  order  from  General  Schuyler  for  my  justification, 
because  no  such  order  existed. 

"  The  calumny  thrown  on  General  Schuyler,  on  account  of  that 
matter,  has  given  me  great  uneasiness.  I  assure  you,  sir,  there  never 
was  any  thing  more  cruel  and  unjust  ;  for  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
matter  until  it  was  over,  more  than  you  did  at  Kingston.  It  was 
done  in  consequence  of  a  consultation  with  the  other  general  officers, 
without  the  possibility  of  General  Schuyler's  concurrence  ;  and  had 


ST.    glair's    letter    to    jay.  169 

the  opinion  of  that  council  been  contrary  to  what  it  was,  it  would 
nevertheless  have  taken  place,  because  I  knew  it  to  be  impossible  to 
defend  the  post  with  our  numbers. 

"  In  my  letter  to  Congress  from  Fort  Edward,  in  which  I  gave 
them  an  account  of  the  retreat,  is  this  paragraph  : — '  It  was  my  origi- 
nal design  to  retreat  to  this  place,  that  I  might  be  betwixt  General 
Burgoyne  and  the  inhabitants,  and  that  the  militia  might  have  some- 
thing in  this  quarter  to  collect  to.  It  is  now  effected,  and  the  militia 
are  coming  in,  so  that  I  have  the  most  sanguine  hopes  that  the  pro- 
gress of  the  enemy  will  be  checked,  and  I  may  have  the  satisfaction 
to  experience,  that  although  I  have  lost  a  post,  I  have  eventually 
saved  a  state.' 

"  Whether  my  conjecture  is  right,  or  not,  is  uncertain  ;  but  had 
our  army  been  made  prisoners,  which  it  certainly  would  have  been, 
the  state  of  New  York  would  have  been  much  more  exposed  at 
present. 

"  I  proposed  to  General  Schuyler,  on  my  arrival  at  Fort  Edward, 
to  have  sent  a  note  to  the  printer,  to  assure  the  people  he  had  no 
part  in  abandoning  what  they  considered  their  strong-holds ;  he 
thought  it  was  not  so  proper  at  that  time,  but  it  is  no  more  than  what 
I  owe  to  truth  and  to  him,  to  declare,  that  he  was  totally  unacquainted 
with  the  matter ;  and  I  should  be  very  glad  that  this  letter,  or  any 
part  of  it  you  may  think  proper  to  communicate,  may  convince  the 
unbelieving.  Simple  unbelief  is  easily  and  soon  convinced,  but  when 
malice  or  envy  occasions  it,  it  is  needless  to  attempt  conviction. 
"  I  am,  sir,  your  very  humble  and  ob't.  serv't. 

"  Arthur  St.  Clair. 
«  Hon.  John  Jay." 

Congress,  yielding  to  personal  prejudices  and  the  popular  outcry, 
produced  by  the  evacuation  of  that  post,  they  passed  the  following 
resolutions  : — 

"  Resolved,  That  an  inquiry  be  made  into  the  reasons  of  the  evacua- 
tion of  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence,  and  into  the  conduct 
of  the  general  officers  who  were  in  the  northern  department  at  the 
time  of  the  evacuation. 

'^  Resolved,  That  Major  General  St  Clair,  who  commanded  at 
Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence,  forthwith  repair  to  head- 
quarters." 

The  conduct  of  Congress  towards  this  respectable,  able,  and  faith 
ful  servant  of  the  republic,  was  considered  altogether  unwarrantable, 
and,  in  the  result,  drew  great  and  deserved  odium  on  its  authors. 

After  holding  St.  Clair  in  cruel  suspense  for  more  than  a  year,  he 


170  ARTHUR     ST.     CLAIR. 

was  permitted  to  appear  before  a  general  court  martial,  which  passed 
the  following  sentence  of  acquittal : — 

"■'  Quaker  Hill,  ") 
Sept.  29,  1778.      3 

"  The  court  having  duly  considered  the  charges  against  Major- 
General  St.  Clair,  and  the  evidence,  are  unanimously  of  opinion,  that 
he  is  NOT  GUILTY  of  either  of  the  charges  preferred  against  him,  and 
do  unanimously  acquit  him  of  all  and  every  of  them,  with  the  highest 
honour. 

B.  Lincoln,  Maj.  G-en.  and  Prest.''' 

From  this  time.  General  St.  Clair  continued  in  the  service  of  his 
country  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Soon  after  the  establishment  of 
the  national  government.  General  St.  Clair  was  appointed  Governor 
of  the  North  West  Territory.  But  he  did  not  long  enjoy  the  calm 
and  quiet  of  civil  life.  The  repeated  successes  of  the  Indians,  on  the 
western  frontier,  had  emboldened  them  to  repeat  and  extend  their 
incursions  to  an  alarming  degree. 

The  frontiers  were  in  a  most  deplorable  situation.  For  their 
relief.  Congress  sanctioned  the  raising  of  an  additional  regiment ; 
and  the  President  was  authorized  to  cause  a  body  of  two  thousand 
men,  under  the  denomination  of  levies,  to  be  raised  for  six  months, 
and  to  appoint  a  major-general,  and  a  brigadier-general,  to  continue 
in  command  as  long  as  he  should  think  their  services  necessary. 
St.  Clair,  who  was  then  governor  of  the  territory  north-west  of  the 
Ohio,  and,  as  such,  officially  the  negotiator  with  the  adjacent  Indians, 
was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  this  new  military  establishment. 
Though  every  exertion  was  made  to  recruit  and  forward  the  troops, 
they  were  not  assembled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Washington, 
until  the  month  of  September ;  nor  was  the  establishment  then 
completed. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  was  to  destroy  the  Indian  villages  on 
the  Miami ;  to  expel  the  savages  from  that  country,  and  to  connect 
it  with  the  Ohio  by  a  chain  of  posts.  The  regulars,  proceeding 
northwardly  from  the  Ohio,  established,  at  proper  intervals,  two  forts, 
one  named  Hamilton,  and  the  other  Jefferson,  as  places  of  deposit 
and  security.  These  were  garrisoned  with  a  small  force  ;  and  the 
main  body  of  the  army,  about  two  thousand  men,  advanced  towards 
the  Indian  settlements.  As  they  approached  the  enemy,  about  sixty 
mil  tia  men  deserted  in  a  body.  To  prevent  the  mischiefs  likely  to 
result  from  so  bad  an  example,  Major  Hamtrack  was  detached,  with 
the  first  regiment,  to  pursue  the  deserters.  The  army  was  reduced 
by  this  detachment,  to  about  fourteen  hundred  effective  men ;  but, 
nevertheless,  proceeded  on  their  march,  and  encamped  on  elevated 


BATTLE      WITH      LITTLE      TURTLE. 


171 


Little  Turtle. 

ground,  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  Miami.  The  Indians,  led  by 
their  chief,  Little  Turtle,  commenced  an  attack  on  the  militia  in 
front.  These  instantly  fled  in  disorder,  and  rushing  into  the  camp, 
occasioned  confusion  among  the  regulars.  The  officers  of  the  latter 
exerted  themselves  to  restore  order,  but  with  very  inconsiderable 
success.  The  Indians  improved  the  advantage  they  had  gained. 
They  were  seldom  seen,  but  in  the  act  of  springing  from  one  cover 
to  another ;  for  they  fired  from  the  ground,  or  under  shelter  of  the 
woods.  Advancing  in  this  manner,  close  to  the  lines  of  their  adver- 
saries, and  almost  to  the  mouth  of  their  field-pieces,  they  continued 
the  contest  with  great  firmness  and  intrepidity. 

General  St.  Clair,  though  suffering  under  a  painful  disease,  and 
unable  to  mount  or  dismount  a  horse  without  assistance,  delivered  his 
orders  with  judgment  and  perfect  self-possession.  The  troops  had 
not  been  in  service  long  enough  to  acquire  discipline,  and  the  want 
of  it  increased  the  difficulty  of  reducing  them  to  order  after  they  had 
been  broken.  The  officers,  in  their  zeal  to  change  the  face  of  affairs, 
exposed  themselves  to  imminent  danger,  and  fell  in  great  numbers. 
Attempts  were  made  to  retrieve  the  fortune  of  the  day  by  the  use  of 
the  bayonet.  Colonel  Darke  made  a  successful  charge  on  a  part  of 
the  enemy,  and  drove  them  four  hundred  yards  ;  but  they  soon  ralHed. 
In  the  mean  time.  General  Butler  was  mortally  wounded.  Almost 
all  the  artillerists  were  killed,  and  their  guns  seized  by  the  enemy. 
Colonel  Darke  again  charged  with  the  bayonet,  and  the  artillery  was 


172 


ARTHUR     ST.      CLAIR. 


recovered.  While  the  Indians  were  driven  back  in  one  point,  they 
kept  up  their  fire  from  every  other,  Vi^ith  fatal  effect.  Several  corps 
charged  the  Indians  with  partial  success  ;  but  no  general  impressions 
were  made  upon  them. 

0  save  the  remnant  of  his  army,  was  all 
that  could  be  done  by  St.  Clair.  After 
some  hours  of  sharp  fighting,  a  retreat 
took  place.  The  Indians  pursued,  for 
about  four  miles,  when  their  avidity  for 
plunder  called  them  back  to  the  camp  to 
share  the  spoil.  The  vanquished  troops 
fled  about  thirty  miles,  to  Fort  Jefferson. 
There  they  met  Major  Hamtrack,  with 
the  first  regiment ;  but  this  additional 
force  would  not  warrant  an  attempt  to 
turn  about  and  face  the  victors.  The  wounded  were  left  there,  and 
the  army  retreated  to  Fort  Washington. 

The  loss  in  this  defeat  was  great ;  and  particularly  so  among  the 
officers.  Thirty-eight  of  these  were  killed  on  the  field ;  and  five 
hundred  and  ninety-three  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  were 
slain  or  missing.  Twenty-one  commissioned  officers  and  upwards 
of  one  hundred  privates  were  wounded.  Among  the  dead  was  the 
gallant  General  Butler,  who  had  repeatedly  distinguished  himself  in 
the  war  of  the  revolution.  Several  other  brave  officers,  who  had 
successfully  fought  for  the  independence  of  their  country,  fell  on  this 
fatal  day.  Among  the  wounded,  were  Lieutenant-Colonels  Gibson 
and  Darke,  Major  Butler,  and  Adjutant  Sargent,  officers  of  distin- 
guished merit.  Neither  the  number  of  Indians  engaged,  nor  their 
loss  could  be  exactly  ascertained.  The  former  was  supposed  to  be 
from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred,  and  the  latter  far  short  of  what 
was  sustained  by  St.  Clair's  army. 

Shortly  after  this  unfortunate  expedition,  General  St.  Clair  resigned 
his  commission  in  the  army,  and  retired  into  private  life,  and  thus 
remained  until  the  close  of  his  life,  August  31st,  1818. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  SULLIVAN. 


lENERAL  SULLIVAN  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  he  resided  before  the  revolution,  and 
attained  to  a  high  degree  of  eminence  in  the  profes- 
sion of  law.     He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Congress 
in  1774,  but  on  the  commencement  of  hostilities, 
preferring  a  military  commission,  he  relinquished  the  fairest 
I  prospect  of  fortune  and  fame,  and  appeared  among  the  most 
ardent  patriots,  and  intrepid  warriors. 

In  1775,  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general,  and  imme- 
diately joined  the  army  at  Cambridge,  and  soon  after  obtained 
the  command  on  Winter  Hill.  The  next  year  he  was  ordered  to 
Canada,  and  on  the  death  of  Gen.  Thomas  the  command  of  the  army 
devolved  on  him.  The  situation  of  the  army  in  that  quarter  was  inex- 
pressibly distressing ;  destitute  of  clothing,  dispirited  by  defeat  and 
constant  fatigue,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  troops  sick  with  the 
small-pox.  By  his  great  exertions  and  judicious  management  he 
meliorated  the  condition  of  the  army,  and  obtained  general  applause. 
On  his  retiring  from  that  command,  July  12th,  1776,  the  field  officers 
thus  addressed  him  : — "  It  is  to  you,  sir,  the  public  are  indebted  for 
the  preservation  of  their  property  in  Canada.  It  is  to  you  we  owe 
our  safety  thus  far.     Your  humanity  will  call  forth  the  silent  tear, 

173 


174  JOHN     SULLIVAN. 

and  the  grateful  ejaculation  of  the  sick.  Your  universal  impartiality 
will  force  the  applause  of  the  wearied  soldier." 

In  August,  1776,  he  Avas  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major-general, 
and  soon  after  was,  with  Major-General  Lord  Stirling,  captured  by 
the  British  in  the  battle  on  Long  Island.  General  Sullivan  being 
paroled,  was  sent  by  General  Howe  with  a  message  to  Congress, 
after  which  he  returned  to  New  York.  In  September  he  was 
exchanged  for  Major-General  Prescott.  We  next  find  him  in  com- 
mand of  the  right  division  of  our  troops,  in  the  famous  battle  at 
Trenton,  and  he  acquitted  himself  honorably  on  that  ever  memorable 
day.  ' 

In  August,  1777,  without  the  authority  of  Congress  or  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, he  planned  and  executed  an  expedition  against  the 
enemy  on  Staten  Island.  Though  the  enterprise  was  conducted  with 
prudence  and  success  in  part,  it  was  said  by  some  to  have  been  less 
brilliant  than  might  have  been  expected  under  his  favorable  circum- 
stances ;  and  as  that  act  was  deemed  a  bold  assumption  of  responsi- 
bility, and  reports  to  his  prejudice  being  in  circulation,  a  court  of 
inquiry  was  ordered  to  investigate  his  conduct.  The  result  was  an 
honorable  acquittal,  and  Congress  resolved  that  the  result  so  honor- 
able to  General  Sullivan  is  highly  pleasing  to  Congress,  and  that  the 
opinion  of  the  court  be  published,  in  justification  of  that  injured 
officer. 

In  the  battles  of  Brandywine  and  Germantown,  in  the  autumn  of 
1777,  General  Sullivan  commanded  a  division,  and  in  the  latter  con- 
flict his  two  aids  were  killed,  and  his  own  conduct  was  so  conspicu- 
ously brave,  that  General  Washington,  in  his  letter  to  Congress 
concludes  with  encomiums  on  the  gallantry  of  General  Sullivan,  and 
the  whole  right  wing  of  the  army,  who  acted  immediately  under  the 
eye  of  his  Excellency. 

In  August,  1778,  General  Sullivan  was  sole  commander  of  an 
expedition  to  the  island  of  Newport,  in  co-operation  with  the  French 
fleet  under  the  Count  D'Estaing.  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  and 
General  Greene  volunteered  their  services  on  the  occasion.  The 
object  of  the  expedition  was  defeated,  in  consequence  of  the  French 
fleet  being  driven  off  by  a  violent  storm.  By  this  unfortunate  event 
the  enemy  were  encouraged  to  engage  our  army  in  battle,  in  which 
they  suifered  a  repulse,  and  General  Sullivan  finally  eifected  a  safe 
retreat  to  the  main.  This  retreat,  so  ably  executed,  without  confusion, 
or  the  loss  of  baggage,  or  stores,  increased  the  military  reputation  of 
General  Sullivan,  and  redounds  to  his  honor  as  a  skilful  commander. 

The  bloody  tragedy  acted  at  Wyoming  in  1778,  had  determined 
the  commander-in-chief,  in   1779,  to  employ  a  large  detachment 


EXPEDITION      TO      WYOMING. 


175 


Massacre  at  Wyoming. 

from  the  continental  army  to  penetrate  into  the  neart  of  the  Indian 
country",  to  chastise  the  hostile  tribes  and  their  white  associates  and 
adherents,  for  their  cruel  aggressions  on  the  defenceless  inhabitants. 
The  command  of  this  expedition  was  committed  to  Major-General 
Sullivan,  with  express  orders  to  destroy  their  settlements,  to  ruin 
their  crops,  and  make  such  thorough  devastations,  as  to  render  the 
country  entirely  uninhabitable  for  the  present,  and  thus  to  compel 
the  savages  to  remove  to  a  greater  distance  from  our  frontiers. 

General  Sullivan  had  under  his  command  several  brigadiers,  and 
a  well  chosen  army,  to  which  were  attached  a  number  of  friendly 
Indian  warriors.  With  this  force  he  penetrated  about  ninety  miles 
through  a  horrid  swampy  wilderness  and  barren  mountainous  deserts, 
to  Wyoming,  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  thence  hj  water  to  Tioga, 
and  possessed  himself  of  numerous  towns  and  villages  of  the 
savages. 

During  this  hazardous  expedition,  General  Sullivan  and  his  army 
encountered  the  most  complicated  obstacles,  requiring  the  greatest 
fortitude  and  perseverance  to  surmount.  He  explored  an  extensive 
tract  of  country,  and  strictly  executed  the  severe,  but  necessary 
orders  he  had  received.  A  considerable  number  of  Indians  were 
slain,  some  were  captured,  their  habitations  were  burnt  and  their 
plantations  of  corn  and  vegetables  laid  waste  in  the  most  effectual 
manner.  Eighteen  villages,  a  number  of  detached  buildings,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  bushels  of  corn,  and  those  fruits  and 
vegetables  which  conduce  to  the  comfort  and  subsistence  of  man, 


176  JOHN      SULLIVAN. 

were  utterly  destroyed.  Five  vreeks  w^ere  unremittingly  employed 
m  this  vi^ork  of  devastation. 

On  his  return  from  the  expedition,  he  and  his  army  received  the 
approbation  of  Congress.  It  is  remarked  on  this  expedition,  by  the 
translator  of  M.  Chastelleux's  Travels,  an  Englishman,  then  resident 
in  the  United  States,  that  the  instructions  given  by  General  Sullivan 
to  his  officers,  the  order  of  march  he  prescribed  to  his  troops,  and 
the  discipline  he  had  the  ability  to  maintain,  v^^ould  have  done  honor 
to  the  most  experienced  ancient  or  modern  generals. 

At  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1779,  General  Sullivan,  in  con- 
sequence of  impaired  health,  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army. 
Congress,  in  accepting  his  resignation,  passed  a  resolve,  thanking 
him  for  his  past  services.  His  military  talents  and  bold  spirit  of 
enterprise  were  universally  acknowledged.  He  was  fond  of  display, 
and  his  personal  appearance  and  dignified  dej)ortment  commanded 
respect.  After  his  resignation  he  resumed  his  professional  pursuits 
at  the  bar,  and  was  much  distinguished  as  a  statesman,  politician, 
and  patriot.  He  acquired  very  considerable  proficiency  in  general 
literature,  and  an  extensive  knowledge  of  men  and  the  world.  He 
received  from  Harvard  university  a  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and 
from  the  university  of  Dartmouth  a  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  He 
was  one  of  the  convention  who  formed  the  state  constitution  for  New 
Hampshire,  was  chosen  into  the  first  council,  and  was  afterward 
elected  chief  magistrate  in  that  state,  and  held  the  office  for  three 
years.  In  September,  1789,  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  district 
court  for  the  district  of  New  Hampshire,  and  continued  in  the  office 
till  his  death,  in  1795. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  THOMAS  SUMPTER. 


ISTORY  records  the  name  of  no  truer 
patriot  than  Major  General  Thomas 
Sumpter.  He  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. Early  in  life  he  came  to  South 
Carolina,  and  settled  in  the  upper  coun- 
try, which  at  that  time  was  much 
harassed  by  the  hostility  of  the  Indians. 
It  would  seem  that  he  then  commenced 
his  career  of  valor  and  usefulness  ;  for 
we  find  that  at  the  close  of  the  Cherokee 
war,  he  accompanied  Oconostotah,  or  '  the  Emperor,'  to  England ; 
it  being  common  at  that  time  to  induce  the  Indian  Chiefs  to  visit  the 
mother  country,  for  the  purpose  of  confirming  their  friendship  to  the 
colonists.  4)n  returning  with  Oconostotah  to  his  home,  in  1763, 
General,  then  Mr.  Sumpter,  found,  among  the  Indians,  one  Baron 
des  Johnes,  a  French  Canadian,  who  spoke  seven  of  the  Indian  lan- 
guages, and  whom  he  siffepected  of  being  an  incendiary,  sent  to  ex- 
cite the  tribes  to  hostility  against  their  white  neighbors.  Sumpter, 
with  his  characteristic  resolution,  arrested  this  individual,  taking  him 
single-handed,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  Indians,  and,  at  much 

12  177 


■^- 


178  THOMAS     SUMPTER, 


Ocosontotalx. 

personal  risk,  carrying  him  prisoner  to  Fort  Prince  George,  on  the 
Kehowee.  Des  Johnes  was  afterwards  sent  to  Charleston,  where  ha 
was  examined,  and  though  his  guilt  was  not  positively  proved,  it  was 
deemed  expedient  to  send  him  to  England. 

From  Gen.  Sumpter's  letter  to  the  State  Rights  Association,  in 
February  last,  we  learn  that  he  was  in  Charleston  during  the  high 
excitement  preceding  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  probably  in  1774 
and  1775,  a  time  to  which  the  letter  reverts  with  great  satisfaction, 
as  the  period  when  he  enjoyed,  with  the  old  whig  party  of  Carolina, 
an  interchange  of  the  same  sentiments  which  animate  the  nullifiers 
of  the  present  day. 

We  next  meet  with  the  name  of  Sumpter  in  1780.  He  had  been 
previously  a  colonel  of  one  of  the  continental  regiments,  and  when 
in  that  year  the  British  had  overrun  the  state,  he  would  not  remain 
to  submit,  but  retired  with  other  determined  patriots  into  North 
Carolina.  During  his  absence  his  house  was  burned,  and  his  family 
turned  out  of  doors  by  the  British.  The  little  band  of  exiles  in 
North  Carolina  chose  him  their  leader,  and  at  their  head  he  returned 
to  face  the  victorious  enemy.  When  this  gallant  incursion  was  made, 
the  people  of  the  state  had  for  the  most  part  abandoned  the  idea  of 
resistance,  and  military  operations  had  been  suspended  for  nearly 
two  months.  His  followers  were  in  a  great  measure  unfurnished 
with  food,  clothing  and  ammunition.  Farming  utensils  were  worked 
up  by  common  blacksmiths  to  supply  them  with  arms.  Household 
pewter  was  melted  into  bullets  ;  and  they  sometimes  engaged  with 


HIS      SUCCESS     IN     THE     SOUTH.  179 

not  three  rounds  to  a  man.  With  a  volunteer  force  thus  equipped, 
he  commenced  hostilities,  and  broke  the  quiet  of  subjection  into 
which  Carolina  seemed  to  be  sinking. 

On  the  12th  July,  1780,  he  attacked  a  British  detachment  on  the 
Catawba,  supported  by  a  considerable  force  of  tories — and  totally 
routed  and  dispersed  the  whole  force,  killing  Captain  Hack,  who 
commanded  the  British,  and  Colonel  Ferguson,  who  commanded  the 
tories.  Animated  by  this  success,  the  inhabitants  flocked  to  his 
standard  ;  and  being  reinforced  to  the  number  of  six  hundred  men, 
he  made  a  spirited  attack  on  the  British  post  at  Rocky  Mount,  but 
was  repulsed.  Marching  immediately  in  quest  of  other  detachments 
of  the  enepay,  in  eight  days  after,  he  attacked  the  post  of  the  Hang- 
ing Rock,  where  he  annihilated  the  Prince  of  Wales's  regiment,  and 
put  to  flight  a  large  body  of  tories  from  North  Carolina.  When 
Sumpter's  men  went  into  this  battle,  not  one  of  them  had  more  than 
ten  bullets,  and  towards  the  close  of  the  fight,  the  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion of  the  fallen  British  and  tories  were  used  by  the  Americans. 

HILE  the  American  army,  under  the 
unfortunate  Gates,  were  approaching 
Camden,  Colonel  Sumpter  was  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Wateree,  augmenting 
his  forces,  and  indulging  the  hope  of  in- 
tercepting the  British  on  their  way  to 
Charleston,  as  their  retreat  or  defeat  was 
confidently  expected.  He  here  formed 
a  plan  for  reducing  a  British  redoubt  at 
Wateree  Ferry,  and  intercepting  a  convoy  on  the  road  from  Charles- 
ton to  Camden,  in  both  of  which  objects  he  fully  succeeded — and 
the  news  of  his  success  reached  Gates,  while  that  officer  was  retreat- 
ing after  his  defeat. 

Hearing  of  the  disaster  at  Camden,  Sumpter  retreated  w4th  his 
prisoners  and  spoils  up  the  Wateree,  to  Fishing  Creek,  where  he  was 
overtaken  by  Tarleton  on  the  1 8th.  The  Americans  had  been  four 
days  without  provision  or  sleep,  and  their  videttes  being  exhausted, 
suflTered  them  to  be  surprised  ;  the  consequence  was  their  total  rout 
and  dispersion.  The  loss  which  Sumpter  sustained  w^as,  however, 
soon  repaired,  for  in  three  days  he  rallied  his  troops,  and  was  again 
at  the  head  of  a  respectable  force. 

At  the  head  of  his  little  band,  augmented  from  time  to  time  by 
reinforcements  of  volunteers,  he  kept  the  field  unsupported ;  while, 
for  three  months,  there  was  no  regular  or  continental  army  in  the 
state.  He  shifted  his  position  frequently  in  the  vicinity  of  Broad, 
Enoree  and  Tiger  rivers,  maintaining  a  continual  skirmishing  with 


J  go  THOMAS      SUMPTER. 

the  enemy,  beating  vip  their  quarters,  cutting  off  their  supplies,  and 
harassing  them  by  incessant  incursions  and  alarms. 

N  the  12th  of  November  he  was  attacked  at  Broad 
River  by  a  corps  of  British  infantry  and  dragoons, 
under  Major  Wemys.  He  utterly  defeated  them 
and  took  their  commander  prisoner.  On  the  20th 
of  November,  he  was  attacked  at  Black  Stocks,  on 
Tiger  river,  by  Tarleton,  whom  he  repulsed  after  a 
severe  and  obstinate  action.  The  loss  of  the  Ameri- 
cans was  trifling  compared  to  that  of  the  British  ;  but  General  Sump- 
ter  received  a  wound  in  the  shoulder,  that  for  several  months 
interrupted  his  gallant  career.  He  was  placed,  we  are  told,  in  a 
raw  bullock's  hide,  suspended  between  two  horses,  and  thus  carried 
by  a  guard  of  his  men  to  the  mountains. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1781,  the  old  Congress  adopted  a  reso- 
lution of  thanks  to  General  Sumpter  for  his  eminent  services. 

After  the  battles  fought  by  Gen.  Greene,  and  the  departure  ot 
Cornwallis  for  Virginia,  General  Sumpter,  who  had  just  recovered 
from  his  wound,  collected  another  force,  and  early  in  February, 
1781,  crossed  the  Congaree  and  destroyed  the  magazines  of  Fort 
Granby.  On  the  advance  of  Lord  Rawdon  from  Camden,  Sumpter 
retreated — and  immediately  menaced  another  British  post.  Two 
days  after,  he  defeated  an  escort  of  the  enemy,  and  captured  the 
wagons  and  stores  which  they  were  conveying  from  Charleston  to 
Camden.  He  next,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  horsemen,  swam 
across  the  Santee,  and  advanced  on  Fort  Watson,  but  retreated  on 
the  approach  of  Lord  Rawdon  to  its  relief.  On  his  return  to  Black 
river  he  was  attacked  by  Major  Fraser  with  a  very  large  force. 
Fraser  lost  twenty  men  and  retreated.  Having  thus  cheered  the 
spirits  of  the  people  of  the  centre  of  the  state,  he  retired  to  the  bor- 
ders of  North  Carolina.  In  March,  1781,  he  raised  three  regiments 
of  regulars.  His  previous  enterprises  had  all  been  executed  by 
militia.  He  subsequently  took  part  in  the  military  movements  in  the 
lower  country,  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  co-operating  with 
Marion,  struck  many  successful  blows  at  the  British,  and  was  dis- 
tinguished in  the  several  actions  which  were  fought  between  Orange- 
burgh  and  Charleston. 

After  the  peace,  General  Sumpter  was  a  distinguished  member  of 
the  State  Convention,  in  which  he  voted  with  those  w4io  opposed  the 
adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  on  the  ground  that  the  states 
were  not  sufficiently  shielded  by  it  against  federal  usurpation.  He 
was  afterwards  selected  one  of  the  five  members  from  that  state  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  first  Congress  under  the  Constitu- 


GENERAL     SUMPTER*S     DEATH. 


181 


tion,  and  continued  to  represent  South  Carolina  in  the  national  coun- 
cils until  1808.  He  took  an  active  part  with  the  other  members 
from  this  state,  in  denouncmg  a  petition  for  the  abolition  of  slavery, 
which  was  pi:esented  from  the  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania. 

For  many  years  the  veteran  patriot  lived  in  retirement  amid  the 
respect  and  affection  of  his  neighbors.  He  retained  his  fine  spirit 
unbroken  to  the  end,  and  at  the  age  of  nearly  a  hundred  years  exhi- 
bited the  cheerfulness  and  fire  of  youth.  But  a  few  weeks  before 
his  death,  he  vaulted  into  the  saddle  with  the  activity  of  a  young 
man,  and  the  faculties  of  the  mind  retained  their  vigor  as  well  as 
those  of  the  body.  He  died  at  his  residence,  South  Mount,  South 
Carolina,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1832,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
seven. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JOSEPH  REED. 


'OSEPH  REED  was  born  at  Tren 
ton,  in  New  Jersey,  in  August, 
1741  ;  but  while  yet  an  infant, 
was  removed  with  his  father's 
family  to  Philadelphia  ;  at  the 
"  Academy"  in  which  city  he  received  his 
boyish  education.  He  was  subsequently 
graduated  at  Princeton  College  ;  read  law 
under  Richard  Stockton,  and  after  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar,  in  1763,  passed  two  years 
in  London,  in  the  completion  of  his  professional  studies.  The  rela- 
tions between  the  mother  country  and  her  offspring  were  already 
becoming  involved  ;  the  West  India  Bill  and  the  Stamp  Act  had 
been  added  to  the  series  of  oppressions  which  gradually  undermined 
the  loyalty  of  America ;  and  the  discontent  was  steadily  growing 
up,  which  ten  years  later  became  rebellion.  Reed's  residence  in 
England  was  eventful  to  him  in  more  ways  than  one.  He  there 
formed  an  attachment  to  the  lady  whom  he  afterwards  married,  the 
daughter  of  Dennis  de  Berdt,  at  a  later  period  agent  of  Massachu- 
setts ;  and  he  there  also  made,  in  the  person  of  her  brother,  an 
182 


CORRESPONDENCE     WITH     LORD     DARTMOUTH.  183 

acquaintance  whose  agency  led  to  some  of  the  most  important  trans- 
actions  of  his  life.  In  1770  he  revisited  England  to  bring  home  his 
bride,  and  then  settled  and  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

In  1772,  upon  the  resignation  of  Lord  Hillsborough,  the  Earl  of 
Dartmouth  succeeded  to  the  Colonial  Office.  Between  him  and  the 
elder  De  Berdt,  there  had  existed  a  friendship  which,  after  his  death, 
was  continued  to  his  son  ;  and,  at  the  instance  of  the  latter,  an  inti- 
mation was  conveyed  to  Reed  that  a  correspondence  upon  the  con- 
dition and  wants  of  the  colonies,  with  one  free  from  interested  views, 
would  be  agreeable  to  the  minister.  Entertaining  the  good  opinion, 
at  that  time  prevalent,  with  regard  to  Lord  Dartmouth,  Reed  under- 
took the  delicate  and  responsible  task,  with  a  full  sense  of  its  diffi- 
culties, but  with  the  conviction  that  an  opportunity  of  conveying 
correct  information  to  such  a  quarter  was  not  to  be  lost.  The  curse 
of  the  country  had  been  the  falsehoods  of  its  governors  ;  it  remained 
to  be  seen  if  truth  could  yet  be  made  to  penetrate  the  ears  of  their 
masters.  Of  the  correspondence  which  followed,  we  hazard  nothing 
in  saying  that  it  is  among  the  most  valuable  contributions  to  American 
history  yet  presented.  Reed's  position  in  life,  and  his  intimacy  with 
the  leading  characters,  not  only  of  Pennsylvania,  but  of  other  states, 
gave  him  access  to  sound  intelligence.  He  belonged  to  the  class 
who,  resolutely  determined  to  resist  even  unto  rebellion  every  inva- 
sion of  the  constitutional  rights  of  the  provinces,  entertained,  as  yet, 
no  disposition  to  loosen  their  connection  with  Great  Britain ;  and 
had  endeavored  rather  to  procure  retraction  from  the  latter  than  to 
stimulate  excitement  in  the  former. 

From  such  a  man  Lord  Dartmouth  might  expect  to  hear  the  truth. 
It  was  not  Reed's  fault  if  it  was  disregarded.  The  letters  commence 
with  the  22d  December,  1773,  and  close  with  the  10th  February, 
1775.  Their  tone,  from  the  relations  of  the  writer  to  the  person 
addressed,  as  may  be  supposed,  is  guarded,  yet  it  is  impossible  not 
to  be  struck  with  their  force  as  well  as  their  elegance.  They  paint, 
in  language  which  should  have  been  convincing,  the  spirit  of  the 
people,  and  the  dangers  of  the  course  so  blindly  entered  upon  and 
so  obstinately  followed  by  the  ministry.  The  last  letter  narrated  the 
proceedings  of  the  Provincial  Convention  of  January,  1775.  It 
closed  with  the  ominous  declaration  that  "  this  country  will  be  de- 
luged in  blood  before  it  will  submit  to  any  other  taxation  than  by 
their  ovra  legislature."  A  few  weeks  after  and  Lexington  and  Con- 
cord had  sealed  that  assertion.  From  Lord  Dartmouth  himself  there 
is  but  one  letter.  It  is  dated  July  11th,  1774.  Of  the  justice  of 
the  two  causes,  we  can  point  to  no  better  illustrations  than  that  and 


184  JOSEPHREED. 

Reed's  of  September  25th,  in  reply.  This  correspondence,  added 
to  Reed's  connection  with  an  Enghsh  family,  were  the  cause  of  many 
suspicions  on  the  part  of  those  who  could  not  know  its  character. 
Its  publication  must  dissipate  all  such  ideas  of  the  views  he  enter- 
tained at  this  time,  and  upon  his  sincerity  of  patriotism  subsequently, 
we  apprehend  there  can  be  no  shadow  of  doubt. 

The  insight  of  the  politics  of  Pennsylvania  during  this  period, 
furnished  by  the  connecting  narrative  of  the  author,  is  particularly 
valuable.  The  causes  which  prevented  her,  at  the  outset  of  the  con- 
test with  Great  Britain,  from  taking  the  bold  and  decided  stand  in 
vindication  of  colonial  rights,  and  from  putting  forth  those  strong 
assertions  of  the  doctrines  of  liberty,  upon  which  some  of  her  sisters 
ventured,  and  the  laborious  efforts  by  which  those  influences  were 
counteracted  and  destroyed,  are  pointed  out  with  clearness  and 
vigor.  Towards  the  result,  as  it  seems  to  us,  no  man  contributed 
more  than  Reed.  We  pass  to  the  commencement  of  his  military  life. 

On  Washington's  departure  in  June,  1775,  to  take  charge  of  the 
army,  Reed  accompanied  him  to  Boston,  and  while  there  was  offered 
and  accepted  the  post  of  aid  to  the  commander-in-chief.  To  one  of 
his  friends,  who  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  danger  of  the  step,  he 
made  the  characteristic  reply,  "I  have  no  inclination  to  be  hanged 
for  half  treason.  When  a  subject  draws  his  sword  against  his  prince, 
he  must  cut  his  way  through  if  he  means  afterwards  to  sit  down  in 
safety.  I  have  taken  too  active  a  part  in  what  may  be  called  the 
civil  part  of  opposition,  to  renounce  without  disgrace  the  public  cause, 
when  it  seems  to  lead  to  danger,  and  have  a  most  sovereign  contempt 
for  the  man  who  can  plan  measures  he  has  not  spirit  to  execute." 
It  was  upon  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Washington  himself  that  he  was 
induced  to  remain.  The  sacrifice,  it  may  be  imagined,  was  a  great 
one  to  a  young  man  with  narrow  means,  just  entering  upon  a  lucrative 
practice,  and  leaving  behind  him  a  wife  and  two  infant  children,  but 
it  was  made  without  a  murmur,  and  the  author  proudly  adds,  as  the 
due  of  a  woman  of  the  revolution,  that  "the  young  mother  did  her 
absent  patriot  full  justice,  by  her  fortitude  and  cheerful  acquiescence 
in  his  thus  following  the  path  of  honor  and  public  duty."  The  rela- 
tions between  the  commander-in-chief  and  Reed,  were  henceforth  of 
the  most  intimate  nature.  The  expressions  of  Washington's  esteem 
for  his  merits,  and  dependence  on  his  assistance,  are  constant  and 
warm.  Reed  was  in  fact  the  confidential  secretary  as  well  as  the 
aid,  and  his  pen  was  employed  in  the  preparation  of  many  of  the  most 
important  despatches  of  this  campaign. 

The  siege  of  Boston  is  truly  characterized  by  the  author,  as  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  incidents  of  the  war.     Between  the  renown 


ELECTED     TO     THE     ASSEMBLY.  185 


Jolin  Adams. 

of  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  disasters  of  Long  Island,  few  persons  suffi 
ciently  consider  the  generalship  which  there,  in  the  face  of  a  powerful 
and  disciplined  foe,  organized,  disciplined  and  disbanded  one  army, 
and  raised  and  equipped  another  ;  few  know  the  difficulties  under- 
gone from  want  of  arms  and  necessaries,  and  the  fatal  systems  of 
short  terms,  or  appreciate  how  entirely  it  was  by  compulsion  that 
Washington  deserved  the  attributes  of  Fabius. 

In  October,  Reed  was  forced  to  return  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
remained  during  the  ensuing  winter,  actively  engaged,  however,  in 
political  affairs. 

Reed,  who  was  chairman  of  the  Pennsylvania  Committee  of 
Safety,  in  January,  1776,  was  elected  to  the  assembly,  where  he 
took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  debates,  and  was  especially  instru- 
mental in  procuring  one  great  step  towards  the  redress  of  grievances 
complained  of  by  the  people  in  enlarging  the  number  of  representa- 
tives. The  winter,  however,  had  passed  over  without  any  definite 
result,  and  Reed  was  contemplating  a  return  to  the  army,  when  the 
news  of  the  evacuation  of  Boston  reached  Philadelphia. 

The  event  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the  revolutionary  party  in  Penn- 
sylvania, as  elsewhere.  On  the  first  of  May,  the  election  for  the 
additional  members  of  assembly  took  place,  which,   except  in  the 


186 


JOSEPH     REED. 


Independence  HaJl,  Pluladelpliia. 

city,  resulted  in  the  triumph  of  the  whigs.     The  fate  of  the  old 
charter  was  sealed. 

On  the  10th,  John  Adams  brought  forward  in  Congress  his  resolu- 
tion recommending  the  remodelling  by  the  states  of  their  govern- 
ments, and  speedily  followed  it  up  by  the  report  of  the  committee  to 
whom  the  subject  was  referred.  A  meetmg  of  the  citizens  of  Phila- 
delphia immediately  decided  upon  calling  a  convention,  to  take 
the  sense  of  the  people  upon  the  continuance  of  the  charter.  The 
friends  of  the  existing  order  of  things  struggled  against  the  movement 
in  vain.  The  assembly,  which  met  again  on  the  20th,  was  left  con- 
stantly without  a  quorum,  until  the  5th  of  June,  when  the  Virginia 
resolutions  instructing  their  delegates  in  Congress  to  vote  for  inde- 
pendence, were  presented  to  it.  On  the  8th,  a  compromise  committee, 
to  whom  they  were  referred,  of  which  Reed  was  a  member,  reported, 
the  result  being,  as  was  expected,  only  to  recommend  the  rescinding 
the  instructions  to  the  Pennsylvania  delegates  of  the  year  before. 
The  eifect  was,  however,  produced.  "  Of  the  seven  Pennsylvania 
delegates  in  Congress,  on  the  vote  of  the  1st  of  July,  in  committee 
of  the  whole,  three  voted  for  independence  and  four  against  it ;  and 
on  the  4th,  two  of  those  who  voted  adversely  to  independence  being 


JOINS     THE     ARMY.  187 

absent,  the  vote  of  Pennsylvania  w^as  accidentally,  and  by  a  majority 
of  one,  given  in  its  favor."  Thus  hardly  was  that  declaration  secured, 
which  she  afterwards  so  nobly  sustained. 

The  assembly  was  now  a  nullity.  On  the  23d  September  it  met 
again ;  on  the  26th,  twenty-three  members  only  being  present,  it 
passed  its  last  vote,  denouncing  the  convention,  and  adjourned  for- 
ever. Thus  ended  the  charter  government  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
new  constitution  was  proclaimed  on  the  28th  of  September,  and  on 
the  28th  November,  the  government  was  organized  by  the  meeting 
of  the  assembly. 

In  June,  Reed  joined  the  army,  then  at  New  York.  Early  in  that 
month  Congress,  at  the  instance  of  the  commander-in-chief,  had 
appointed  him  to  the  post  of  adjutant-general,  vacant  by  the  promo- 
tion of  General  Gates,  and  from  thenceforward  he  was  constantly  in 
active  service. 

On  the  10th  July,  independence  was  proclaimed  at  camp,  and  a 
few  days  afterw^ards  Lord  Howe  arrived,  bringing  his  plan  of  recon- 
ciliation. Like  every  other  retraction  or  overture  of  Great  Britain, 
it  came  too  late.  The  declaration  had  thrown  an  insurmountable 
obstacle  in  its  way.  That  the  terms  themselves  would  have  been 
declined,  even  if  the  point  of  form  had  not  been  raised,  is  certain 
enough — but  that  it  would  have  led  to  results  important  to  the  rela- 
tions of  the  colonies,  is  not  less  so.  Many  of  the  most  distinguished 
patriots  had,  up  to  the  time  of  the  declaration,  considered  the  step 
premature  ;  many  even  preferred  a  continuance  of  the  connection, 
could  it  be  maintained  with  honor.  New  England  was,  in  fact,  the 
only  section  originally  bent  upon  independence,  and  it  had  been  her 
pertinacity,  aided  by  that  of  a  few  southern  spirits,  who  went  before 
their  constituents,  which  forced  it  on. 

Lord  Howe,  who  had  neglected  no  means  of  securing  success  to 
his  mission,  had  furnished  himself  with  an  urgent  recommendation 
from  Mr.  de  Berdt,  Reed's  brother-in-law,  which  he  transmitted  to 
camp,  and  which  Reed  forthwith  sent  to  Robert  Morris,  in  Congress. 
Between  him  and  Morris  there  seems  to  have  been,  as  regarded 
national  aifairs,  not  only  an  entire  harmony  of  friendship,  but  a  per- 
fect unanimity  of  opinion.  His  letter  to  that  statesman,  and  the 
answer,  now  for  the  first  time  published,  strikingly  illustrate  the 
characters  of  the  two,  and  the  opinions  of  a  great  and  influential 
division  of  the  patriots.  Our  space  will  ill  allow  us  to  make  extracts, 
but  this  one  sentiment  in  Morris'  letter,  in  unison  as  it  was  with  his 
friend's  views,  cannot  be  too  often  repeated  or  imitated.  "  I  cannot," 
he  says,  "  depart  from  one  point  which  first  induced  me  to  enter  the 
public  line.     I  mean  an  opinion  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  individual 


188 


JOSEPH     REED. 


Robert  Morris 

to  act  his  part  in  whatever  station  his  country  may  call  him  to,  in 
times  of  difficulty,  danger,  and  distress.  Whilst  I  think  this  a  duty, 
I  must  submit,  although  the  councils  of  America  have  taken  a  differ- 
ent course  from  my  judgment  and  wishes.  I  think  that  the  individual 
who  declines  the  service  of  his  country  because  its  councils  are  not 
conformable  to  his  ideas,  makes  but  a  bad  subject ;  a  good  one  will 
follow,  if  he  cannot  lead." 

The  letter  from  Mr,  de  Berdt  of  course  led  to  nothing  ;  but  Reed 
was  present  at  all  the  interviews  with  the  officers  sent  by  Lord  Howe 
to  the  commander-in-chief.  The  mission,  it  need  not  be  said,  proved 
utterly  abortive.  Its  preliminaries  were  embarrassed  by  the  absurd 
refusal  of  Lord  Howe  to  recognize  Washington  by  his  military  title, 
and  its  powers  extended  no  farther  than  the  granting  of  pardons.  It 
served,  to  a  certain  extent,  perhaps,  to  satisfy  individuals  that  their 
rights  could  only  be  secured  by  the  sword ;  on  the  other  hand,  it 
created  in  the  camp  a  feeling  of  uncertainty,  little  favorable  to  dis- 
cipline.    All  doubts,  however,  as  to  negotiation,  were  soon  dispelled. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  General  Howe  landed  at  Gravesend,  and  the 


FALL     OF     FORT     WASHINGTON. 


189 


war  Recommenced,  and  in  earnest.  The  second  attempt  at  negotia- 
tion, made  after  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  in  which  rank  waswaivedon 
both  sides,  was  as  futile,  Mr,  W.  B.  Reed's  narrative  of  that  battle, 
and  the  operations  which  preceded  and  followed  it,  contains  much 
that  is  new  and  important,*  We  heartily  join  in  his  testimony  to  the 
conduct  on  that  occasion  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops,  who,  in  defence 
of  their  sister  colony,  conducted  themselves  with  a  gallantry  worthy 
of  veterans.  Reed  himself  was  present  at  the  action  of  the  2Tth, 
and  assisted  in  the  withdrawal  of  the  army  on  the  night  of  the  29th. 
Upon  this  and  the  subsequent  operations  of  the  campaign,  the  evacua- 
tion of  New  York,  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  and  the  siege  of  Fort 
Washington,  Reed's  correspondence  is  full  and  interesting.  Reed's 
admirable  qualifications  for  his  office  were  exhibited  most  strongly 
throughout.  His  energy  and  activity,  his  capacity  for  continuous 
labor,  were  remarkable,  and  in  the  restoration  of  the  army,  disor- 
ganized as  it  was  by  continued  disasters,  were  all  needed. 

The  siege  and  fall  of  Fort  Washington,  gave  rise  to  an  occurrence 
which  has  been  often  misrepresented  or  misunderstood.  Mr.  W.  B. 
Reed,  in  his  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Joseph  Reed,  not  only  fully, 
but  most  honorably  explains  it,  so  far  as  Reed  was  concerned.  The 
propriety  of  defending  that  position,  isolated  as  it  was,  it  is  well 
known,  has  always  been  a  subject  of  military  controversy ;  and 
Washington,  in  this  instance,  had  suffered  his  own  judgment  to  be 
overruled  by  the  weight  of  contrary  opinions.  Reed  was,  at  the 
time,  with  the  main  army,  which,  after  the  battle  of  Chatterton's 
Hill,  had  crossed  the  river  to  Fort  Lee,  and  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  fate  of  that  place,  defended  as  it  was  almost  entirely  by  Penn 
sylvania  troops.  A  few  days  after  its  fall  he  wrote  to  Lee,  who  had 
been  left  with  a  force  to  guard  the  highlands,  expressing,  but  in 
respectful  terms,  his  opinion  of  this  indecision,  and  his  wish  for  Lee's 
presence.  In  reply  to  this  letter,  Lee,  apparently  echoing  Reed's 
language,  gave  to  it  an  expression  which  it  by  no  means  justified. 

The  letter  reached  camp  after  Reed's  departure  to  Burlington,  and 
was,  as  usual,  opened  by  the  commander-in-chief,  under  the  idea  that 
it  related  to  the  business  of  the  department.  Deeply  wounded,  not 
only  at  the  expression  of  such  opinions  by  one  holding  the  high  mili- 
tary reputation  which  Lee  then  did,  but  at  the  apparent  want  of 
candor  in  his  intimate  and  confidential  officer,  Washington  yet  never 
lost  his  habitual  dignity.  He  enclosed  the  letter  to  Reed,  explaining 
the  circumstances  of  his  having  opened  it,  as  an  "  excuse  for  seeing 
the  contents  of  a  letter  which  neither  inclination  nor  intuition  would 
have  prompted  him  to." 

*  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Joseph  Reed 


190 


JOSEPH     REED. 


Battle  Ground  of  Trenton. 


Reed,  after  an  attempt  to  recover  the  original  of  his  own,  which, 
in  consequence  of  Lee's  capture  by  the  British,  proved  futile,  wrote 
to  Washington,  simply  explaining  the  sentiments  really  contained  in 
it,  and  expressing,  in  language  as  beautiful  as  appropriate,  his  regret 
at  having,  even  unjustly,  forfeited  his  regard.  Washington's  reply 
was  such  as  became  him.  "  He  was  hurt,  not  because  he  thought 
his  judgment  wronged  by  the  expressions  contained  in  it,  but  because 
the  same  sentiments  were  not  communicated  immediately  to  himself." 
It  need  not  be  said  that  their  old  friendship  was  restored.  Not  so 
Lee.  At  a  later  period,  to  gratify  his  resentment  towards  Washing- 
ton, he  had  the  baseness,  in  a  newspaper  article,  to  allude  to  Reed's 
private  opinion  of  the  commander-in-chief,  as  contrary  to  what  he 
publicly  professed  towards  him,  hinting  at  that  letter  as  his  authority. 
The  attempt  did  him  no  good,  nor  harm  to  those  to  whom  he 
intended  it. 

The  commencement  of  the  ensuing  winter  was  marked  with  gloom 
and  despondency.  Washington's  army,  reduced  to  a  handful,  were 
driven  beyond  the  Raritan.  Lee  was  a  prisoner  ;  New  Jersey  was 
in  the  uncontrolled  possession  of  the  enemy,  its  legislature  scattered 
to  the  winds ;  Cornwallis  with  a  strong  and  well  appointed  force 
rapidly  pursuing  the  wreck  of  the  continentals.  It  was  in  this  dark 
hour  that  Pennsylvania  almost  of  herself  retrieved  the  fortunes  of 
the  war.  Mifflin  and  Reed  were  successively  despatched  to  Phila- 
delphia for  aid,  and  it  was  forthcoming.  "At  no  period  of  the  war," 
says  our  author,  "  did  any  portion  of  the  colonies  exhibit  a  finer 
spirit  than  the  majority  of  the  citizens  of  Pennsylvania  at  this  junc- 


BATTLE      OF     PRINCETON.  191 

tur€.  The  militia  was  immediately  and  efficiently  organized,  and  a 
large  body,  well  equipped,  marched  to  join  Washington  at  the  upper 
passes  of  the  Delaware."  Offensive  operations  were  at  once  deter- 
mined upon,  and  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  of  Princeton  reversed 
the  position  of  the  armies.  During  the  whole  of  the  movements, 
Reed  was  exceedingly  active  ;  at  Princeton  he  bore  a  most  conspicu- 
ous part. 

MMEDIATELY  after  these  events,  Washington  urged  upon 
Congress  the  appointment  of  an  additional  number  of  gene- 
rals, recommending  Reed  to  the  command  of  the  horse  "as 
a  person  in  his  opinion  in  everyway  qualified."  At  the  end 
of  February,  and  again  in  April,  elections  were  accordingly 
made,  but  no  order  was  taken  with  reference  to  the  separate 
command  of  the  horse,  and  it  was  not  until  the  12th  of  May  that 
Reed  was  elected  a  brigadier.  On  the  27th  of  that  month  they  em- 
powered the  general-in-chief  to  confer  that  command  upon  one  of 
the  generals  already  appointed,  and  he  immediately  offered  it  to 
Reed.  He,  justly  .offended  at  the  coldness  with  which  he  had  been 
treated,  declined  it,  resolving  however  to  join  the  army  as  a  volun- 
teer as  soon  as  active  operations  commenced. 

The  cause  of  the  neglect  is  ascribed  by  his  biographer,  and  no 
doubt  correctly,  to  the  hostility  to  Washington  and  his  friends  which 
already  had  infected  a  portion  of  Congress,  and  which  the  next  year 
so  virulently  displayed  itself — added  to  which  that  Reed  had  been 
charged  with  injustice  to  the  New  England  troops.  Washington 
made  no  further  offer  to  fill  the  situation,  which  remained  vacant 
until  the  election  of  Pulaski.  A  letter  from  Reed  to  a  member  of 
Congress  refers  to  the  subject  in  a  manner  highly  honorable  to  him : 
expressing  the  wish  that  no  difficulties  might  arise  in  consequence  of 
a  difference  of  opinion  between  that  body  and  Washington,  as  "  any 
claims  or  pretensions  which  he  might  have,  were  they  much  greater, 
ought  not  to  disturb  the  harmony  which  should  exist  between  the 
civil  and  military  powers  ;"  he  ends  by  authorizing  such  use  of  his 
letter  as  would  obviate  difficulties.  About  the  same  time  he  was 
appointed  chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania,  a  post  which  had  always 
been  filled  with  the  highest  talent  in  the  state.  The  offer  was  the 
more  honorable  as  Reed  had  been  a  known  opponent  of  many  features 
of  the  constitution.     He  however  declined  it. 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1777  he  passed  with  his  family,  his 
plans  of  life  undetermined ;  but  on  Sir  William  Howe's  landing  at 
the  head  of  Elk  in  August,  he  again  joined  the  army  as  a  volunteer, 
attaching  himself  to  the  Pennsylvania  troops  under  Armstrong.  At 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  and  during  the  other  operations  following, 


192  JOSEPH     REED. 

he  rendered  important  services,  and  at  Germantown  distinguished 
himself  particularly. 

The  fall  succeeding  the  capture  of  Philadelphia  was  spent  in  an 
obstinate  defence  of  the  Delaware,  and  in  efforts  to  retake  the  city. 
Severely  as  its  loss  had  fallen  upon  the  country,  the  army  had  rallied 
under  the  blow,  and  offensive  operations  were  constantly  attempted. 
Reed,  who  seems  to  have  been  ever  in  favor  of  fighting,  upon  the 
final  abandonment  of  the  capital,  turned  his  mind  to  other  sources 
of  annoyance.  A  letter  to  Washington  of  December  1st,  urges  an 
attempt  on  New  York.  About  this  time  he  was  recalled  to  camp  to 
assist  in  deciding  upon  winter  quarters,  and  there  took  part  in  the 
last  affair  of  the  campaign,  the  skirmish  at  Chesnut  Hill,  where  he 
had  his  horse  shot  under  him. 

On  the  17th  December  the  army  took  up  its  quarters  at  Valley 
Forge.  The  history  of  that  winter  is  familiar  to  every  one.  The 
shameful  abandonment  of  the  army  by  Congress  to  famine  and  cold 
reduced  it  to  the  verge  of  destruction.  It  was  not  until  the  middle 
of  January  that  they  were  made  to  act,  when  a  committee,  of  which 
Reed,  who  had  been  elected  to  that  body,  was  one,  were  appointed 
with  full  powers  to  repair  to  camp  and  confer  with  the  commander- 
in-chief.  The  result  of  their  mission,  tardily  enough,  however,  was 
the  reorganization  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  to  which 
Gen.  Greene  was  appointed.  Reed's  services  were  considered  so 
valuable  that  he  was  detained  in  camp,  and  did  not  retake  his  seat 
until  the  6th  April.  In  the  beginning  of  June  he  again  proceeded 
to  camp  under  a  resolution  of  Congress,  referring  to  Washington, 
Dana  and  himself,  the  remodelling  of  the  army,  and  to  this  duty  he 
devoted  himself.  Intelligence  from  Europe  now  infused  new  life 
and  hope  into  the  nation.  On  the  18th  June,  the  British  evacuated 
Philadelphia,  and  on  the  28th  was  fought  at  Monmouth  a  battle 
memorable  as  one  of  the  turning  points  of  the  war.  In  that  action 
Reed  participated,  having  his  horse  again  shot  under  him. 

In  the  summer  of  1778,  the  second  attempt  at  negotiation  was 
made  by  Great  Britain  in  the  mission  of  Lord  Carlisle,  Mr.  Eden, 
and  Governor  Johnstone.  Of  this  business  Mr.  W.  B.  Reed  remarks  : 
"  During  the  Revolution  the  diplomacy  of  the  British  ministry  was, 
if  possible,  less  dexterous  and  successful  than  their  military  policy. 
They  were  always  a  little  too  late.  Lord  Howe  arrived  a  few  days 
after  the  irrevocable  measure  of  independence  was  adopted ;  and 
Lord  Carlisle  and  his  colleagues  did  not  sail  from  Great  Britain  till 
some  weeks  after  the  news  of  the  French  alliance  was  on  its  way  to 
America,  and  Congress,  by  its  resolution  of  the  22d  April,  1778, 
had  pledged  themselves  to  the  world  against  the  very  propositions 


REED    S     ANSWER     TO     JOHNSTONE.  195 

offered.  Lord  North  introduced  his  conciliatory  propositions  into 
Parhament  on  the  17th  February,  and  the  commissioners  sailed  on 
the  22d  April.  On  the  2d  of  May  Washington  and  his  soldiers  were 
rejoicing  at  the  intelligence  of  the  alliance  with  France." 

The  propositions  now  brought  went  much  farther  than  those  of 
Lord  Howe  in  the  summer  of  1776  ;  they  went,  in  fact,  farther  than 
the  colonies,  before  the  outset  of  hostilities,  had  ever  asked,  but  they 
stopped  short  of  the  only  terms  now  practicable,  independence.  The 
commissioners  seem,  however,  this  time  to  have  concluded  upon  the 
use  of  new  appliances  in  support  of  their  terms.  Instead  of  the 
armies  of  Howe,  Johnstone  furnished  himself  with  gold.  It  proved 
even  less  available  than  the  old  argument. 

Mr.  de  Berdt  had  again  furnished  them  with  a  recommendation  to 
Reed  ;  and  a  few  days  after  their  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  Johnstone 
transmitted  it  to  him,  accom.panied  by  one  from  himself.  This  docu- 
ment possessed  every  requisite  for  a  successful  opening  except  one. 
It  was  addressed  to  the  wrong  person.  In  conclusion  the  writer 
said  :  "  The  man  who  can  be  instrumental  in  bringing  us  all  to  act 
m  harmony,  and  to  unite  together  the  various  powers  which  this  con- 
test has  drawn  forth,  will  deserve  more  from  the  king  and  the  people, 
from  patriotism,  humanity,  friendship,  and  all  the  tender  ties  that  are 
affected  by  the  quarrel  and  the  reconciliation  than  ever  was  yet  be- 
stowed on  human  kind."  The  letter  Reed  at  once  showed  to  Wash- 
ington, and  in  a  courteous  but  decided  answer  declined  all  personal 
interposition.  That  answer  Johnstone  never  received ;  had  it  reached 
him,  it  might  have  deterred  him  from  his  subsequent  attempt. 

Not  receiving  a  reply  from  Reed,  the  third  commissioner  endea- 
vored to  approach  Mr.  Morris — with  what  success  may  readily  be 
imagined.  The  open  and  direct  business  of  the  mission  had  been 
closed  by  the  refusal  of  Congress  to  hold  intercourse  with  them ; 
and  Lord  Carlisle,  it  seems,  was  speedily  satisfied  of  its  failure. 
Johnstone,  however,  thought  it  worth  while  to  make  one  further  and 
more  direct  overture,  and  that  upon  Reed.  The  agent  selected  for 
this  purpose  was  Mrs.  Ferguson,  who,  in  her  public  narrative,  verified 
by  oath,  subsequentlv  detailed  the  whole  transaction.  The  circum- 
stances are  almost  too  well  known  to  need  repetition.  SufRce  it  to 
say  that  the  offer  was  "ten  thousand  guineas  and  the  best  post  in 
the  government."  It  was  by  her  communicated  to  Reed,  whose  in- 
stant and  memorable  answer  was  : — "  My  influence  is  but  small,  but 
were  it  as  great  as  Governor  Johnstone  would  insinuate,  the  King 
of  Great  Britain  has  nothing  within  his  gift  that  would  tempt  me." 

The  letters  and  this  offer  were,  by  Messrs.  Morris  and  Reed,  com- 
municated to  Congress  ;  and  when  made  know^n  produced  much  ex- 


196 


JOSEPH     REED. 


citement.     A  preamble  and  resolutions,  reciting  the  overtures  and 
denouncing  their  author,  were  adopted,  and  the  commissioners  re 
turned  from  their  bootless  errand — Johnstone  to  abuse  Congress,  and 
Lord  Carlisle  to  find  in  his  family  circle  and  the  conversation  of 
George  Selwyn  a  relief  from  his  vexation. 

N  the  middle  of  July,  Reed  resumed  his  seat 
in  Congress,  and  remained,  with  occasional 
intervals  of  employment,  at  camp  until  the 
autumn.  "During  this  period,"  says  his 
biographer,  "  his  services  seem  to  have  been  un- 
ceasing. He  was  a  member  of  every  important 
committee  ;  and  being  the  only  speaking  member 
from  his  state,  seems  to  have  taken  a  lead  in  every  discussion."  In 
October  be  was  called  to  another  and  even  more  arduous  service. 
The  Pennsylvania  elections  resulted  in  the  choice  of  a  majority  of 
the  friends  of  the  state  constitution  in  both  branches  of  its  govern- 
ment ;  and  Reed,  who  though  originally  opposed  to  and  never  approv- 
ing its  provisions,  had  considered  it  his  duty  to  support  it  when 
adopted,  was  elected  to  the  council.  On  the  1st  of  December  he 
was  unanimously  chosen  president  of  that  body,  an  office  equivalent 
to  that  of  governor  of  the  state. 

In  connection  with  this  event  in  the  life  of  his  subject,  Mr.  W.  B. 
Reed  has  given  a  most  valuable  sketch  of  the  then  condition  of 
affairs  in  Philadelphia.  Upon  the  recapture  of  the  city,  Arnold  had 
unfortunately  been  appointed  to  the  command.  The  consequences 
of  his  profligacy  in  its  general  misgovernment  are  already  partially 
known  ;  less  so  that  his  treasonable  practices  had  commenced  even 
at  this  time.  Upon  this  subject,  as  well  as  of  his  general  history, 
much  that  is  new  to  us  is  afforded.  It  has  been  fashionable  among 
some  sentimentalists  to  represent  that  man  as  one,  whose  high  spirit, 
wounded  by  injustice,  drove  him,  almost  in  madness,  to  his  last  fatal 
step.  If  the  investigations  of  Mr.  Sparks  have  not  already  done  so, 
we  apprehend  that  the  proofs  contained  in  Mr.  W.  B.  Reed's  work 
will  put  an  end  to  this  twaddle.  "  The  constitutional  obliquity  of 
Arnold's  mind,"  observes  the  author,  "  with  its  gradual  development 
of  the  worst  of  social  crimes,  treason  to  his  country,  is  as  much  a 
part  of  the  revolutionary  picture  as  the  complete  virtue  of  Wash- 
ington." Arnold's  official  corruption  had  begun  at  Quebec  ;  it  was 
continued  down  through  every  step  of  his  subsequent  career  ;  till,  at 
Philadelphia,  its  unblushing  openness  provoked  the  council  beyond 
endurance,  and  he  was  finally  brought  to  court-martial.  During  the 
period  of  his  government,  or  rather  misgovernment,  his  attentions  to 
the  tories  and  his  insolence  to  the  whigs,  his  balls  given  to  the  wives 


REED      PRESIDENT     OF     PENNSYLVANIA.  197 

of  refugees,  and  his  influence  used  to  procure  the  pardon  of  traitors, 
should  have  forewarned  Congress  of  what  was  to  be  expected  from 
him.  To  Reed  was  in  a  great  measure  due  his  exposure  ;  and  upon 
him  Arnold,  one  of  whose  first  characteristics  was  his  malignity, 
visited  it  without  remorse. 

It  was  amidst  these  disorders,  and  the  greatest  exasperation  of 
party,  on  the  subject  of  the  state  constitution,  that  Reed,  contrary 
alike  to  his  wishes  and  his  interest,  relinquished  his  military  career, 
and  his  post  in  Congress,  and  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  execu- 
tive council.  "  The  history  of  the  next  three  years  of  his  life,"  says 
his  biographer,  "  dating  from  the  time  at  which  he  relinquished  his 
seat  in  Congress,  is  the  history  of  Pennsylvania.  Placed,  as  will 
presently  be  seen,  by  the  suffrages  of  all  parties,  at  a  time  when 
political  opinion  was  at  fever  heat,  at  the  head  of  the  executive 
department  of  the  state  government,  he  threw  into  the  discharge  of 
this  trust  all  his  energies,  and  labored  in  the  public  cause  with  an 
intensity  of  devotion  which  it  is  difficult  to  describe,  and  which  led 
to  the  utter  prostration  of  his  health  and  premature  termination  of 
his  life.  He  became  the  centre  of  the  party  which  supported  the 
existing  frame  of  government,  and  the  accredited  leader  of  the  con- 
stitutional whigs." 

To  the  army  generally  his  appointment  gave  great  satisfaction. 
Washington's  letter  of  congratulation  was  sincere  and  hearty. 
Greene  and  Wayne  both  joined  in  the  expression  of  this  feeling ; 
and  we  may  add,  that  Reed's  watchfulness  and  zeal  for  the  welfare 
of  the  troops,  at  all  times,  deserved  their  regard.  During  the  dark 
period  which  preceded  the  arrival  of  substantial  assistance  from 
France,  when  the  utter  explosion  of  the  paper  system,  and  the  ex- 
haustion of  credit,  reduced  the  army  for  months  to  the  verge  of 
dissolution,  Reed  gave  no  peace  or  rest  to  the  legislature  till  he 
forced  from  them  what  assistance  he  might.  On  more  than  one 
occasion,  too,  when  movements  of  importance  were  at  hand,  as  in 
the  contemplated  attempt  upon  New  York,  in  this  autumn,  and  again 
in  August,  1780,  he  himself  headed  the  levies  of  his  state,  and 
exchanged  the  toils  of  government  only  for  the  fatigues'  of  camp. 

In  the  narrative  of  this  part  of  his  administration  we  find  a  succinct 
view  of  one  great  cause  of  the  embarrassments  which  existed  during 
the  revolution — the  gross  errors  prevalent  on  the  subject  of  finance. 
In  these  respects  the  country  was  far  behind  its  knowledge  on  matters 
of  general  legislation,  and  the  middle  states  even  far  behind  the 
eastern.  Embargo  and  tender  laws,  commercial  restrictions,  and 
limitations  of  prices,  were  almost  everywhere  the  means  by  which 
the  legislatures  essayed  to  financier  through  the  war.     Reed  appears 


198 


JOSEPH     REED. 


SIXDOLIoARS  

l4    ^ 


Specimen  of  Continental  Bills. 

upon  these  points  to  have  been  far  wiser  than  his  generation.  Speak- 
ing of  the  last  class  of  acts,  he  says  :  "  The  commerce  of  mankind 
must  be  free,  or  almost  all  kinds  of  intercourse  will  cease.  Regula- 
tion stagnates  industry,  and  creates  a  universal  discontent."  Unfor- 
tunately, his  opinions  had,  at  first,  but  little  weight  with  the  assembly, 
which  was  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  popular  fallacies,  and  infinite 
trouble  arose  from  their  legislation.  Forestalling  was  the  bugbear 
of  the  day.  Its  eff'ects  were  bad  enough,  it  is  true,  but  the  remedy 
was  one  which  never  cured  that  disease.  The  excitement  in  Phila- 
delphia upon  these  subjects  at  one  time  broke  out  into  a  riot,  which, 
but  for  Reed's  firmness,  threatened  the  most  dangerous  results.  It 
was  not  until  1781  that  he  finally,  as  it  were,  forced  the  assembly 
into  a  repeal  of  the  tender  laws,  and  thus  gave  the  death  blow  to  a 
currency  which  had  been  upheld  contrary  to  all  right,  as  it  was  con- 
trary to  all  sense.  Among  the  important  topics  presented,  in  the 
beginning  of  Mr.  Reed's  administration,  were  the  measure  known  as 
the  Proprietary  Bill,  or  "  Divesting  Act,"  which  stripped  the  proprie- 
taries of  the  public  domain,  as  the  declaration  of  independence  had 
the  monarch  of  his  paramount  sovereignty  ;  the  transfer  of  the 
College  Charter,  like  the  former  one  of  a  revolutionary  character 
and  necessity  ;  and  the  gradual  abolition  of  slavery.  All  these  he 
strenuously  advocated  and  carried. 

Our  space  will  allow  us  no  opportunity  of  entering  at  large  upon 
so  intricate  a  field  as  his  administration  opens  upon  us.  Reed  held 
the  station  of  supreme  executive  of  the  state  until  December,  1781, 
the  constitutional  limit  of  his  office.     To  all  who  are  familiar  wit)j 


CHARACTER   OF   GENERAL  REED. 


199 


the  history  of  the  Revolution,  its  last  years  are  known  as  those  of  its 
greatest  trials.  The  first  enthusiasm  of  conflict  had  passed  away ; 
the  slight  resources  of  the  new-born  states  had  been  exhausted.  To 
them  had  succeeded  poverty  and  ruin  ;  in  some  states  lethargy ;  in 
others  dogged,  stubborn  resistance,  the  despair  which  yields  not,  but 
dies  fighting.  The  situation  of  Pennsylvania  was  especially  deplor- 
able. Cursed  with  an  incompetent  frame  of  government,  and  with 
factions  which  rendered  even  that  more  incapable  ;  bankrupt  in  her 
finances  ;  drained  of  her  blood  ;  yet  withal,  the  state  upon  which, 
from  magnitude,  central  situation,  and  as  the  seat  of  the  general 
Congress,  her  sisters  looked  for  the  greatest  exertions,  she  staggered 
through  the  close  of  the  war  like  a  worn-out  racer  beneath  the  spur 
of  its  rider.  A  sterner  one  never  forced  panting  steed  or  wearied 
nation  through  its  course. 

The  president  possessed  moral,  in  as  eminent  a  degree  as  physical 
courage.  Neither  love  of  power  nor  popularity,  the  fear  of  losing 
influence  or  friends,  stayed  him  in  his  path.  His  ambition — and  few 
men,  we  believe,  were  more  ambitious — was  not  that  of  the  dema- 
gogue or  the  office-hunter.  He  sought  public  station,  not  for  itself 
or  for  its  profits,  but  as  a  field  of  public  service.  His  energy  was 
intense,  his  activity  unceasing,  his  capacity  for  labor  as  extraordinary 
as  his  love  of  it.  His  was  an  unyielding,  impetuous  and  daring 
nature.  He  wielded  the  dangerous  power  which  at  times  was 
entrusted  to  him  without  hesitation  or  fear,  but  he  wielded  it  never 
for  private  gain  or  for  personal  emolument. 

EW  persons  have  reaped  for  public  service  a  larger 
reward  of  slander  and  of  misunderstanding  than  did 
Reed.  That  he  stirred  up  the  enmity  of  Mifflin,  that 
he  earned  the  hatred  of  Arnold,  of  Conway,  and  of 
Lee,  was  hardly  to  be  regretted.  It  was  his  misfor- 
tune that  the  falsehood  sometimes  outlived  the  credit 
of  its  fabricator,  and  found  its  way  into  the  minds  of  purer  men.  It 
appears  to  us  to  have  been  however  his  fault,  that  a  spirit  of  acerbity 
became  engrafted  upon  his  disposition,  which  often  alienated  friends, 
and  which  led  him  in  turn,  to  do  injustice  to  the  motives  or  the  cha- 
racters of  others.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  in  particular,  this 
harshness,  perhaps  the  effect  of  corroding  care  and  disappointment, 
exhibits  itself.  His  prejudices  were  strong  even  to  bitterness,  and 
he  was  most  unguarded  in  his  expression  of  them.  But  with  these 
faults.  Reed  was  still  a  great  man,  and  did  great  service  to  his  state 
and  to  his  country.  We  should  do  injustice  to  many  noble  spirits  of 
the  Revolution,  did  we  judge  them  by  their  personal  friendships  or 
enmities.     Times  of  great  danger  often  bind  together  men  of  dis- 


200 


JOSEPH     REED. 


similar  characters.  Times  of  long-continued  suffering  often  too 
estrange  men  who  respect  each  other.  It  was  at  least  a  consolation 
that  Reed  carried  to  his  grave  the  confidence  and  affection  of  Wash- 
ington, of  Greene,  and  of  Anthony  Wayne. 

The  descendant,  whose  filial  duty  has  given  us  t<he  records  of  his 
ancestor's  life,  has  discharged  his  part  faithfully.  The  facts  upon 
which  Reed's  enemies  based  their  substantial  accusations,  he  has 
stated,  as  it  seems  to  us,  without  flinching  ;  he  has  also  met  them 
manfully,  and,  as  we  think,  with  entire  success.  That,  down  to  the 
breaking  out  of  hostilities,  Reed  was  desirous  of  a  reconciliation  with 
England,  is  admitted — few  people,  at  least  in  the  middle  and  southern 
states,  were  not.  That  he  would  have  sacrificed  one  principle  to 
effect  that  reconciliation,  we  have  every  evidence  in  contradiction. 
That  he  was  not  prepared  for  a  declaration  of  independence  when  it 
took  place,  seems  probable.  He  was  not  alone  in  the  sentiment. 
So  late  as  April  1st,  1776,  Washington  wrote  him  :  "  My  countrymen, 
I  know  from  their  form  of  government  and  steady  attachment  hereto- 
fore to  royality,  will  come  reluctantly  into  the  idea  of  independency." 
But  that  he  would  have  retreated  after  that  step,  there  is  no  such 
probability.  The  often  recurred  to  charge  of  a  disposition  or  willing- 
ness to  intrigue  with  the  enemy,  we  hold  to  be  utterly  and  entirely 
false.  The  man  who  in  the  outset  of  the  struggle  refused  the  bribe 
which  Johnstone  offered  to  Reed,  should  not  afterwards  have  been 
suspected.  At  the  first  blow  struck,  he  went  into  the  fight ;  and  he 
went  through  it  without  faltering  or  hesitation.  He  was  not  "  to  be 
hung  for  half  treason."  Calumny  has  been  too  often  the  lot  of  great 
men,  and  those  of  Pennsylvania  do  not  seem  to  us  to  have  furnished 
exceptions.  General  Reed  died  on  the  5th  of  March,  1785,  in  the 
forty-third  year  of  his  age.* 


•  American  Review, 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  ETHAN  ALLEN. 

"~1  HIS  distinguished  officer  was  born  in  Salisbury, 
Connecticut,  from  whence,  while  he  was  yet 
young,  his  parents  emigrated  to  Vermont.     By 
this  circumstance,  he  was  deprived  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  early  education.    But,  although 
he  never  felt  its  genial  influence,  nature  had 
endowed  him  with  strong  powers  of  mind  ; 
and  when  called  to  take  the  field,  he  showed 
himself  an  able  leader,  and  an  intrepid  soldier. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  disturbances 
in  Vermont,  about  the  year   1770,  he  took  a 
most  active  part  in  favor  of  the  Green  Moun- 
tain Boys,  as  the  settlers  were  then  called,  in 
opposition  to  the  government  of  New  York. 
Bold,  enterprising,  and  ambitious,  he  undertook  to  direct  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  inhabitants,  and  wrote  several  pamphlets  to  display  the 
supposed  injustice,  and  oppressive  designs  of  the  New  York  proceed- 
ings.    The  uncultivated  roughness  of  his  own  temper  and  manners, 
seems  to  have  assisted  him  in  giving  a  just  description  of  the  views 
and  proceedings  of  speculating  land-jobbers.     His  writings  produced 
effects  so  hostile  to  the  views  of  the  state  of  New  York,  that  an  act 
of  outlawry  was  passed  against  him,  and  five  hundred  guineas  were 
offered  for  his  apprehension.     But  his  party  was  too  numerous  and 
faithful  to  permit  him  to  be  disturbed  by  any  apprehensions  for  his 
safety.     In  all  the  struggles  of  the  day  he  w^as  successful,  and  proved 
a  valuable  friend  to  those  whose  cause  he  had  espoused. 

The  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  determined  Allen  to  engage 
on  the  side  of  his  country,  and  inspired  with  the  desire  of  demon- 
strating his  attachment  to  liberty,  by  some  bold  exploit.  While  in 
this  state  of  mind,  a  plan  for  taking  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  by 

201 


202 


ETHAN     ALLEN. 


surprise,  which  was  formed  by  several  gentlemen  in  Connecticut, 
was  communicated  to  him,  and  he  readily  engaged  in  the  project. 
Receiving  directions  from  the  general  assembly  of  Connecticut,  to 
raise  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  conduct  the  enterprise,  he  col- 
lected two  hundred  and  thirty  of  the  hardy  settlers,  and  proceeded 
to  Castleton.  Here  he  was  unexpectedly  joined  by  Colonel  Arnold, 
who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  Massachusetts  committee  to 
raise  four  hundred  men,  and  effect  the  same  object  which  was  now 
about  to  be  accomplished.  They  reached  the  lake  opposite  Ticon- 
deroga,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th  of  May,  1775.  With  the  utmost 
difficulty  boats  were  procured,  and  eighty-three  men  were  landed 
near  the  garrison.  Arnold  now  wished  to  assume  the  command,  to 
lead  on  the  men,  and  swore  that  he  would  go  in  himself  the  first. 
Allen  swore  that  he  should  not.  The  dispute  beginning  to  run  high, 
some  of  the  gentlemen  present  interposed,  and  it  was  agreed  that 
both  should  go  in  together,  Allen  on  the  right  hand,  and  Arnold  on 
the  left.     The  following  is  Allen's  own  account  of  the  affair  : — 

^^'  ^  HE  first  systematical  and  bloody  attempt  at 

Lexington,  to  enslave  America,  thoroughly 
electrified  my  mind,  and  fully  determined 
me  to  take  a  part  with  my  country.  And 
while  I  was  wishing  for  an  opportunity  to 
signalize  myself  in  its  behalf,  directions 
were  privately  sent  to  me  from  the  then 
colony,  now  state  of  Connecticut,  to  raise 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  if  possible  with  them  to  surprise  and 
take  the  fortress  of  Ticonderoga.  This  enterprise  I  cheerfully  under- 
took ;  and  after  first  guarding  all  the  several  passes  that  lead  thither, 
to  cut  off  all  intelligence  between  the  garrison  and  the  country,  made 
a  forced  march  from  Bennington,  and  arrived  at  the  lake  opposite 
Ticonderoga,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th  of  May,  1775,  with  two 
hundred  and  thirty  valiant  Green  Mountain  Boys  ;  and  it  was  with 
the  utmost  difficulty  that  I  procured  boats  to  cross  the  lake.  How- 
ever, I  landed  eighty-three  men  near  the  garrison,  and  sent  the  boats 
back  for  the  rear  guard,  commanded  by  Colonel  Seth  Warner  ;  but 
the  day  began  to  dawn,  and  I  found  myself  necessitated  to  attack 
the  fort,  before  the  rear  could  cross  the  lake  ;  and  as  it  was  viewed 
hazardous,  I  harangued  the  officers  and  soldiers  in  the  manner  follow*- 
ing  :  '  Friends  and  fellow-soldiers  ;  you  have,  for  a  number  of  years 
past,  been  a  scourge  and  terror  to  arbitrary  powers.  Your  valor  has 
been  famed  abroad,  and  acknowledged,  as  appears  by  the  advice  and 
orders  to  me  from  the  general  assembly  of  Connecticut,  to  surprise 
and  take  the  garrison  now  before  us.     I  now  propose  to  advance 


CAPTURE     OF     TICONDEROGA.  205 

before  you,  and  in  person  conduct  you  through  the  wicket  gate  ;  for 
we  must  this  morning  either  quit  our  pretensions  to  valor,  or  possess 
ourselves  of  this  fortress  in  a  few  minutes  ;  and  inasmuch  as  it  is  a 
desperate  attempt,  which  none  but  the  bravest  of  men  dare  undertake, 
I  do  not  urge  it  on  any  contrary  to  his  will.  You  that  will  undertake 
voluntarily,  poise  your  firelock.' 

The  men  being  at  this  time  drawn  up  in  three  ranks,  each  poised 
his  firelock.  I  ordered,  them  to  face  to  the  right ;  and  at  the  head, 
of  the  centre  file  I  marched  them  immediately  to  the  wicket  gate 
aforesaid,  where  I  found  a  sentry  posted,  who  instantly  snapped  his 
fusee  at  me.  I  ran  immediately  towards  him,  and  he  retreated 
through  the  covered  way  into  the  parade  within  the  garrison,  gave  a 
halloo,  and  ran  under  a  bomb  proof.  My  party  who  followed  me 
into  the  fort,  I  formed  on  the  parade  in  such  a  manner  as  to  face  the 
barracks,  which  faced  each  other.  The  garrison  being  asleep,  ex- 
cept the  sentries,  we  gave  three  huzzas,  which  greatly  surprised 
them.  One  of  the  sentries  made  a  pass  at  one  of  my  officers  with 
a  charged  bayonet,  and  slightly  wounded  him.  My  first  thought  was 
to  kill  him  with  my  sword,  but  in  an  instant  I  altered  the  design  and 
fury  of  the  blow  to  a  slight  cut  on  the  side  of  the  head  ;  upon  which 
he  dropped  his  gun  and  asked  quarters,  which  I  readily  granted  him, 
and  demanded  the  place  where  the  commanding  officer  kept.  He 
showed  me  a  pair  of  stairs  in  the  front  of  the  garrison,  which  led  up 
to  a  second  story  in  said  barracks,  to  which  I  immediately  repaired, 
and  ordered  the  commander.  Captain  Delaplace,  to  come  forth  in- 
stantly, or  I  would  sacrifice  the  whole  garrison  :  at  which  time  the 
captain  came  immediately  to  the  door,  with  his  breeches  in  his  hand, 
when  I  ordered  him  to  deliver  to  me  the  fort  instantly  ;  he  asked  me 
by  what  authority  I  demanded  it.  I  answered  him,  '  In  the  name 
of  the  great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress.'  The  authority 
of  Congress  being  very  little  known  at  that  time,  he  began  to  speak 
again,  but  I  interrupted  him,  and  with  my  drawn  sword  near  his 
head,  again  demanded  an  immediate  surrender  of  the  garrison  ;  with 
which  he  then  complied,  and  ordered  his  men  to  be  forthwith  paraded 
without  arms,  as  he  had  given  up  the  garrison.  In  the  mean  tim.e, 
some  of  my  officers  had  given  orders,  and  in  consequence  thereof 
sundry  of  the  barrack  doors  were  beat  down,  and  about  one-third  of 
the  garrison  imprisoned,  which  consisted  of  said  commander,  a  lieu- 
tenant Feltham,  a  conductor  of  artillery,  a  gunner,  two  sergeants, 
and  forty-four  rank  and  file  ;  about  one  hundred  pieces  of  cannon, 
one  thirteen  inch  mortar,  and  a  num.ber  of  swivels.  This  surprise 
was  carried  into  execution  in  the  gray  of  the  morning  of  the  10th 
of  May,  1775.     The  sun  seemed  to  rise  that  morning  with  a  supe 


206  ETHAN     ALLEN. 

rior  lustre ;  and  Ticonderoga  and  its  dependencies  smiled  on  its 
conquerors,  who  tossed  about  the  flowing  bowl,  and  wished  success 
to  Congress,  and  the  liberty  and  freedom  of  America.  Happy  it 
was  for  me,  at  that  time,  that  the  future  pages  of  the  book  of  fate, 
which  afterward  unfolded  a  miserable  scene  of  two  years  and  eight 
months  imprisonment,  were  hid  from  my  view." 

This  brilliant  exploit  secured  to  Allen  a  high  reputation  for  in- 
trepid valor  throughout  the  country.  In  the  fall  of  1775,  he  was 
sent  twice  into  Canada  to  observe  the  dispositions  of  the  people,  and 
attach  them  if  possible  to  the  American  cause.  During  one  of  these 
excursions,  he  made  a  rash  and  romantic  attempt  upon  Montreal. 
He  had  been  sent  by  General  Montgomery  with  a  guard  of  eighty 
men  on  a  tour  into  the  villages  in  the  neighborhood.  Onihis  return, 
he  was  met  by  a  Major  Brown,  who  had  been  on  the  same  business. 
It  was  agreed  between  them  to  make  a  descent  upon  the  island  of 
Montreal.  Allen  was  to  cross  the  river,  and  land  with  his  party  a 
little  north  of  the  city  ;  while  Brown  was  to  pass  over  a  little  to  the 
south,  with  near  two  hundred  men.  Allen  crossed  the  river  in  the 
night,  as  had  been  proposed,  but  by  some  means  Brown  and  his  party 
failed.  Instead  of  returning,  Allen,  with  great  rashness,  concluded  to 
maintain  his  ground.  General  Carlton  soon  received  intelligence  of 
Allen's  situation  and  the  smallness  of  his  numbers,  and  marched 
out  against  him  with  about  forty  regulars  and  a  considerable 
number  of  English,  Canadians  and  Indians,  amounting,  in  the 
whole,  to  some  hundreds.  Allen  attempted  to  defend  himself,  but 
it  was  to  no  purpose.  Being  deserted  by  several  of  his  men,  and 
having  fifteen  killed,  he,  with  thirty-eight  of  his  men,  w^ere  taken 
prisoners. 

He  was  now  kept  for  some  time  in  irons,  and  was  treated  with  the 
most  rigorous  and  unsparing  cruelty.  From  his  narratiA^e  it  appears 
that  the  irons  placed  on  him  were  uncommonly  heavy,  and  so 
fastened,  that  he  could  not  lie  down,  otherwise  than  on  his  back.  A 
chest  was  his  seat  by  day,  and  his  bed  by  night.  Soon  after  his 
capture,  still  loaded  with  irons,  he  was  sent  to  England,  being 
assured  that  the  halter  would  be  the  reward  of  his  rebellion  when  he 
arrived  there.  Finding  that  threats  and  menaces  had  no  effect  upon 
him,  high  command  and  a  large  tract  of  the  conquered  country  was 
afterward  offered  him,  on  condition  he  would  join  the  British.  To 
the  last  he  replied,  "that  he  viewed  their  offer  of  conquered  United 
States  land,  to  be  similar  to  that  which  the  devil  offered  to  Jesus 
Christ :  to  give  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  if  he  would  fall 
down  and  worship  him,  when,  at  the  same  time,  the  poor  devil  had 
not  one  foot  of  land  upon  earth." 


ETHAN     ALLEN'S     DEATH.  207 

FTER  his  arrival,  about  the  middle  of  December, 
he  was  lodged,  for  a  short  time,  in  Pendennis 
Castle,  near  Falmouth,  On  the  8th  of  January, 
1776,  he  was  put  on  board  a  frigate,  and  by  a 
circuitous  route  again  carried  to  Halifax.  Here 
he  remained  closely  confined  in  the  jail  from 
June  to  October,  when  he  was  removed  to  New 
York.  During  the  passage  to  this  place.  Captain  Burke,  a  daring 
prisoner,  proposed  to  kill  the  British  captain,  and  seize  the  frigate  ; 
but  Allen  refused  to  engage  in  the  plot,  and  was  probably  the  means 
of  saving  the  life  of  Captain  Smith,  who  had  treated  him  with  kind- 
ness. He  was  kept  at  New  York  about  a  year  and  a  half,  sometimes 
imprisoned,  and  sometimes  permitted  to  be  on  parole.  While  here 
he  had  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  inhuman  manner  in  which  the 
American  prisoners  were  treated.  In  one  of  the  churches  in  which 
they  were  crowded,  he  saw  seven  lying  dead  at  one  time,  and  others 
biting  pieces  of  chips  from  hunger.  He  calculated,  »that  of  the 
prisoners  taken  on  Long  Island  and  at  Fort  Washington,  near  two 
thousand  perished  by  hunger  and  cold,  or  in  consequence  of  diseases 
occasioned  by  the  impurity  of  their  prisons. 

Colonel  Allen  was  exchanged  for  Colonel  Campbell,  May  6th, 
1778,  and  after  having  repaired  to  head-quarters,  and  offered  his 
services  to  General  Washington,  in  case  his  health  should  be  restored, 
he  returned  to  Vermont.  His  arrival  on  the  evening  of  the  last  day 
of  May,  gave  his  friends  great  joy,  and  it  was  announced  by  the  dis- 
charge of  cannon.  As  an  expression  of  confidence  in  his  patriotism 
and  military  talents,  he  was  very  soon  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  state  militia.  His  intrepidity,  however,  was  never  again  brought 
to  the  test,  though  his  patriotism  was  tried  by  an  unsuccessful  attempt 
of  the  British  to  bribe  him  to  attempt  a  union  of  Vermont  with  Canada. 
He  died  suddenly  on  his  estate,  February  13th,  1789, 

General  Allen  was  brave,  humane  and  generous  ;  yet  his  conduct 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  much  influenced  by  considerations 
respecting  that  holy  and  merciful  Being,  whose  character  and  whose 
commands  are  disclosed  to  us  in  the  Scriptures,  His  notions  with 
regard  to  religion  were  loose  and  absurd.  He  believed  wdth  Pytha- 
goras, the  heathen  philosopher,  that  men,  after  death,  would  trans- 
migrate into  beasts,  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  &c.,  and  often  informed 
his  friends  that  he  himself  expected  to  live  again  in  the  form  of  a 
large  white  horse.  k//,/!/ //./../. o 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  DANIEL  MORGAN. 


ENERAL  MORGAN  was  the  creator 
of  his  own  fortune.  Born  of  poor, 
though  honest  parents,  he  enjoyed  none 
of  the  advantages  which  result  from 
wealth  and  early  education.  But  his 
was  a  spirit  that  would  not  tamely 
yield  to  difficulties. 

"  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  where, 
from  his  poverty  and  low  condition,  he 
had  been  a  day-laborer.  To  early 
education  and  breeding,  therefore,  he 
owed  nothing.  But  for  this  deftcieiacy, 
his  native  sagacity,  and  sound  judgment,  and  his  intercourse  with 
the  best  society,  made  much  amends  in  after  life. 

Enterprising  in  his  disposition,  even  now,  he  removed  to  Virginia, 
208 


JOINS     THE     ARMY.  209 

in  1755,  with  a  hope  and  expectation  ol  improving  his  fortune.  Here 
he  continued,  at  first,  his  original  business  of  day-labor ;  but  exchanged 
it,  afterward,  for  the  employment  of  a  wagoner. 

His  military  novitiate  he  served  in  the  campaign  under  the  unfor- 
tunate Braddock.  The  rank  he  bore  is  not  precisely  known.  It 
must,  however,  have  been  humble  ;  for,  in  consequence  of  imputed 
contumely  towards  a  British  officer,  he  was  brought  to  the  halbert, 
and  received  the  inhuman  punishment  of  five  hundred  lashes  ;  or, 
according  to  his  own  statement,  of  four  hundred  and  ninety-nine  ; 
for  he  always  asserted  that  the  drummer,  charged  with  the  execu- 
tion of  the  sentence,  miscounted,  and  jocularly  added,  "  that  George 
the  Third  was  still  indebted  to  him  one  lash."  To  the  honor  of 
Morgan,  he  never  practically  remembered  this  savage  treatment 
during  the  revolutionary  war.  Towards  the  British  officers,  whom 
the  fortune  of  battle  placed  within  his  power,  his  conduct  was  humane, 
mild  and  gentlemanly. 

After  his  return  from  this  campaign,  so  inordinately  was  he  addicted 
to  quarrels  and  boxing  matches,  that  the  village  of  Berrystown,  in 
the  county  of  Frederick,  which  constituted  the  chief  theatre  of  his 
pugilistic  exploits,  received,  from  this  circumstance,  the  name  of 
Battletown. 

In  these  combats,  although  frequently  overmatched  in  personal 
strength,  he  manifested  the  same  unyielding  spirit  which  characterized 
him  afterward,  in  his  military  career.  When  worsted  by  his  antago- 
nist, he  would  pause,  for  a  time,  to  recruit  his  strength,  and  then 
return  to  the  contest,  again  and  again,  until  he  rarely  failed  to  prove 
victorious. 

Equally  marked  was  his  invincibility  of  spirit  in  matiirer  age,  when 
raised,  by  fortune  and  his  own  merit,  to  a  higher  and  more  honorable 
field  of  action.  Defeat  in  battle  he  rarely  experienced  ;  but  when  he 
did,  his  retreat  was  sullen,  stern  and  dangerous. 

The  commencement  of  the  American  revolution,  found  Mr.  Morgan 
married  and  cultivating  a  farm,  which,  by  industry  and  economy,  he 
had  been  enabled  to  purchase,  in  the  county  of  Frederick. 

Placed  at  the  head  of  a  rifle  company,  raised  in  his  neighborhood, 
in  1775,  he  marched  immediately  to  the  American  head-quarters,  in 
Cambridge,  near  Boston. 

By  order  of  the  commander-in-chief,  he  soon  afterward  joined 
in  the  expedition  against  Quebec,  and  was  made  prisoner  in  the 
attempt  on  that  fortress,  where  Arnold  was  w^ounded,  and  Mont  . 
gomery  fell.  ^ 

During  the  assault,  his  daring  valor  and  persevering  gallantry 
attracted  the  notice  and  admiration  of  the  enemy 

14 


210 


DANIEL     MORGAN. 


HE  assailing  column,  to  which  he 
belonged,  was  led  by  Major  Arnold. 
When  that  officer  was  wounded, 
and  carried  from  the  ground,  Mor- 
gan threw  himself  into  the  lead, 
and,  rushing  forward,  passed  the 
first  and  second  barriers.  For  a 
moment,  victory  appeared  certain. 
But  the  fall  of  Montgomery  closing 
the  prospect,  the  assailants  were 
repulsed,  and  the  enterprise  aban- 
doned. During  his  captivity,  Cap- 
tain Morgan  was  treated  with  great 
kindness,  and  not  a  little  distinction. 
He  was  repeatedly  visited  in  con- 
finement by  a  British  officer  of  rank, 
who  at  length  made  an  attempt  on  his  patriotism  and  virtue,  by 
offering  him  the  commission  and  emoluments  of  colonel  in  the 
British  army,  on  condition  that  he  would  desert  the  American  and 
join  the  royal  standard. 

Morgan  rejected  the  proposal  with  scorn  :  and  requested  the  courtly 
and  corrupt  negotiator  "  never  again  to  insult  him  in  his  misfortunes, 
by  an  offer  which  plainly  imphed  that  he  thought  him  a  villain."  The 
officer  withdrew,  and  did  not  again  recur  to  the  subject. 

On  being  exchanged,  Morgan  immediately  rejoined  the  American 
army,  and  received,  by  the  recommendation  of  General  Washington, 
the  command  of  a  regiment. 

In  the  year  1777,  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of  a  select  rifle  corps, 
with  which,  in  various  instances,  he  acted  on  the  enemy  with  terrible 
effect.  His  troops  were  considered  the  most  dangerous  in  the  Ameri- 
can service.  To  confront  theni,  in  the  field,  was  almost  certain  death 
to  the  British  officers. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  capture  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga,  the  exer- 
tions and  services  of  Colonel  Morgan,  and  his  riflemen,  were  beyond 
all  praise.  Much  of  the  glory  of  the  achievement  belonged  to  them. 
Yet  so  gross  was  the  injustice  of  General  Gates,  that  he  did  not  even 
mention  them  in  his  official  despatches.  His  reason  for  this  was 
secret  and  dishonorable.  Shortly  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne, 
General  Gates  took  occasion  to  hold  with  Morgan  a  private  con- 
versation. In  the  course  of  this,  he  told  him  confidentially,  that 
the  main  army  was  exceedingly  dissatisfied  with  the  conduct  of 
General  Washington ;  that  the  reputation  of  the  commander-in- 
chief  was  rapidly  declining ;  and  that  several  officers  of  great  worth 


morgan's    reply    to    general    gates. 


211 


Battle-ground  of  Saratoga. 

threatened  to  resign  unless  a  change  were  produced  in  that  depart- 
ment. 

Colonel  Morgan,  fathoming  in  an  instant,  the  views  of  his  com- 
manding officer,  sternly,  and  with  honest  indignation,  replied,  "  Sir, 
I  have  one  favor  to  ask.  Never,  again,  mention  to  me  this  hated 
subject ;  under  no  other  man  but  General  Washington,  as  commander- 
in-chief,  will  I  ever  serve." 

From  that  moment  ceased  the  intimacy  that  had  previously  sub- 
sisted between  him  and  Gen.  Gates. 

A  few  days  afterward,  the  general  gave  a  dinner  to  the  principal 
officers  of  the  British,  and  some  of  those  of  the  American  army. 
Morgan  was  not  invited.  In  the  course  of  the  evening,  that  officer 
found  it  necessary  to  call  on  Gen.  Gates,  on  official  business.  Being 
introduced  into  the  dining-room,  he  spoke  to  the  general,  received 
his  orders,  and  immediately  withdrew,  his  name  unannounced.  Per- 
ceiving, from  his  dress,  that  he  was  of  high  rank,  the  British  officers 
inquired  his  name.  Being  told  that  it  was  Col.  Morgan,  command- 
ing the  rifle  corps,  they  rose  from  the  table,  followed  him  into  the 
yard,  and  introduced  themselves  to  him,  with  many  complimentary 
and  flattering  expressions,  declaring  that  on  the  day  of  action  they 
had  very  severely  felt  him  in  the  field. 

In  1780,  having  obtained  leave  of  absence  from  the  army,  on  ac- 
count of  the  shattered  condition  of  his  health,  he  retired  to  his  estate, 
in  the  county  of  Frederick,  and  remained  there  until  the  appointment 
of  Gen.  Gates  to  the  command  of  the  southern  army. 

Being  waited  on  by  the  latter,  and  requested  to  accompany  him, 
he  reminded  him,  in  expressions  marked  by  resentment,  of  the  un- 
worthy treatment  he  had  formerly  experienced  from  him,  in  return 
for  the  important  services,  which  he  did  not  hesitate  to  assert,  he 


212  DANIEL     MORGAN. 

liad  rendered  him  in  his  operations  against  the  army  of  Gen.  Bur- 
goyne. 

Having  received  no  acknowledgment,  nor  even  civility,  for  aiding 
to  decorate  him  with  laurels  in  the  north,  he  frankly  declared  that 
there  were  no  considerations,  except  of  a  public  nature,  that  could 
induce  him  to  co-operate  in  his  campaigns  to  the  south.  "  Motives 
of  public  good  might  influence  him,  because  his  country  had  a  claim 
on  him,  in  any  quarter,  where  he  could  promote  her  interest ;  but 
personal  attachment  must  not  be  expected  to  exist,  where  he  had 
experienced  nothing  but  neglect  and  injustice." 

The  two  oflicers  parted,  mutually  dissatisfied  :  the  one  on  account 
of  past  treatment,  the  other  of  the  recent  interview. 

N  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  afterward,  Congress 
having  promoted  Colonel  Morgan  to  the  rank  of 
brigadier-general,  by  brevet,  with  a  view  to  avail 
themselves  of  his  services  in  the  south,  he  pro- 
ceeded without  delay  to  join  the  army  of  Genera] 
Gates.  But  he  was  prevented  from  serving  any 
length  of  time  under  that  officer,  by  his  defeat 
near  Camden,  before  his  arrival ;  and  his  being  soon  after  superseded 
in  command  by  General  Greene. 

Soon  after  taking  command  of  the  southern  army.  General  Greene 
despatched  General  Morgan  with  four  hundred  continentals,  under 
Colonel  Howard,  Colonel  Washington's  corps  of  dragoons,  and  a 
few  militia,  amounting  in  all  to  about  six  hundred,  to  take  position 
on  the  left  of  the  British  army,  then  lying  at  Winnsborough,  under 
Lord  Cornwallis,  while  he  took  post  about  seventy  miles  to  his  right. 
This  judicious  disposition  excited  his  lordship's  apprehensions  for  the 
safety  of  Ninety-Six  and  Augusta,  British  posts,  which  he  considered 
as  menaced  by  the  movements  of  Morgan. 

Colonel  Tarleton,  with  a  strong  detachment,  amounting  in  horse 
and  foot  to  near  a  thousand  men,  was  immediately  despatched  by 
Cornwallis  to  the  protection  of  Ninety-Six,  with  orders  to  bring 
General  Morgan,  if  possible,  to  battle.  To  the  ardent  temper  and 
chivalrous  disposition  of  the  British  colonel,  this  direction  was  per- 
fectly congenial.  Greatly  superior  in  numbers,  he  advanced  on 
Morgan  with  a  menacing  aspect,  and  compelled  him,  at  first,  to  fall 
back  rapidly.  But  the  retreat  of  the  American  commander  was  not 
long  continued.  Irritated  by  pursuit,  reinforced  by  a  body  of  militia, 
and  reposing  great  confidence  in  the  spirit  and  firmness  of  his  regular 
troops,  he  halted  at  the  Cowpens,  and  determined  to  gratify  his 
adversary,  in  his  eagerness  for  combat.  This  was  on  the  night  of 
the  16th  of  January,  1781.     Early  in  the  morning  of  the  succeeding 


BATTLE     OF     THE     COWPENS. 


213 


day,  Tarleton  being  apprised  of  the  situation  of  Morgan,  pressed 
towards  him  with  a  redoubled  rapidity,  lest,  by  renewing  his  retreat, 
he  should  again  elude  him. 

UT  Morgan  now  had  other  thoughts  than 
those  of  flight.  Already  had  he,  for  several 
days,  been  at  war  with  himself  in  relation 
to  his  conduct.  Glorying  in  action,  his 
spirit  recoiled  from  the  humiliation  of 
retreat,  and  his  resentment  was  roused  by 
the  insolence  of  pursuit.  This  mental  con- 
flict becoming  more  intolerable  to  him  than 
disaster  or  death,  his  courage  triumphed 
perhaps  over  his  prudence,  and  he  resolved  on  putting  every  thing  to 
the  hazard  of  the  sword. 

By  military  men,  who  have  studied  the  subject,  his  disposition  for 
battle  is  said  to  have  been  masterly.  Two  light  parties  of  militia 
were  advanced  in  front,  with  orders  to  feel  the  enemy  as  they 
approached ;  and  preserving  a  desultory,  well-aimed  fire,  as  they  fell 
back  to  the  front  line,  to  range  with  it,  and  renew  the  conflict.  The 
main  body  of  the  mihtia  composed  this  line,  with  General  Pickens 
at  its  head.  At  a  suitable  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  first  line,  a 
second  was  stationed  composed  of  the  continental  infantry,  and  two 
companies  of  Virginia  militia,  commanded  by  Colonel  Howard. 
Washington's  cavalry,  reinforced  with  a  company  of  mounted  militia, 
armed  with  sabres,  was  held  in  reserve. 

Posting  himself,  then,  in  the  line  of  the  regulars,  he  waited  in 
silence  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 

Tarleton  coming  in  sight,  hastily  formed  his  disposition  for  battle, 
and  commenced  the  assault.  Of  this  conflict,  the  following  picture 
is  from  the  pen  of  General  Lee  : — 

"  The  American  light  parties  quickly  yielded,  fell  back,  and  arrayed 
with  Pickens,  The  enemy  shouting,  rushed  forward  upon  the  front 
line,  which  retained  its  station,  and  poured  in  a  close  fire  ;  but  con- 
tinuing to  advance  with  the  bayonet  on  our  militia,  they  retired,  and 
gained,  with  haste,  the  second  line.  Here,  with  part  of  the  corps, 
Pickens  took  post  on  Howard's  right,  and  the  rest  fled  to  their  horses, 
probably  with  orders  to  remove  them  to  a  further  distance,  Tarle- 
ton pushed  forward,  and  was  received  by  his  adversary  with  unshaken 
firmness.  The  contest  became  obstinate  ;  and  each  party,  animated 
by  the  example  of  its  leader,  nobly  contended  for  victory.  Our  line 
maintained  itself  so  firmly,  as  to  oblige  the  enemy  to  order  up  his 
reserve.  The  advance  of  M' Arthur  reanimated  the  British  line, 
which  again  moved  forward,  and,  outstretching  our  front,  endangered 


214 


DANIEL     MORGAN. 


Battle  of  the  Cowpens. 


Colonel  Howard's  right 


This  officer  instantly  took  measures  to 
defend  his  flank,  by  directing  his  right  company  to  change  its  front ; 
but,  mistaking  this  order,  the  company  fell  back ;  upon  which  the 
line  began  to  retire,  and  General  Morgan  directed  it  to  retreat  to  the 
cavalry.  This  manoeuvre  being  performed  with  precision,  our  flank 
became  relieved,  and  the  new  position  was  assumed  with  prompti- 
tude. Considermg  this  retrograde  movement  the  precursor  of  flight, 
the  British  line  rushed  on  with  impetuosity  and  disorder  ;  but  as  it 
drew  near,  Howard  faced  about,  and  gave  it  a  close  and  murderous 
fire.  Stunned  by  this  unexpected  shock,  the  most  advanced  of  the 
enemy  recoiled  in  confusion.  Howard  seized  the  happy  moment, 
and  followed  his  advantage  with  the  bayonet.  This  decisive  step 
gave  us  the  day.  The  reserve  having  been  brought  near  the  line, 
shared  in  the  destruction  of  our  fire,  and  presented  no  rallying  point 
to  the  fugitives.  A  part  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  having  gained  our 
rear,  fell  on  that  portion  of  the  militia  who  had  retired  to  their  horses. 
Washington  struck  at  them  with  his  dragoons,  and  drove  them  before 
him.  Thus,  by  a  simultaneous  effort,  the  infantry  and  cavalry  of  the 
enemy  were  routed.  Morgan  pressed  home  his  success,  and  the  pur- 
suit became  vigorous  and  general. 

"  In  this  decisive  battle  we  lost  about  seventy  men,  of  whom  twelve 
only  were  killed.  The  British  infantry,  with  the  exception  of  the 
baggage  guard,  were  nearly  all  killed  or  taken.  One  hundred,  in- 
cluding ten  officers,  were  killed  ;  twenty-three  officers  and  five  hun- 


GENERAL     MORGAN    S     CHARACTER.  215 

dred  privates  were  taken.  The  artillery,  eight  hundred  muskets, 
two  standards,  thirty-five  baggage-wagons,  and  one  hundred  dragoon 
horses  fell  into  our  possession." 

In  this  battle,  so  glorious  to  the  American  arms,  Tarleton  had 
every  advantage,  in  point  of  ground,  cavalry,  and  numbers,  aided  by 
two  pieces  of  artillery. 

Soon  after  this  brilliant  exploit,  frequent  attacks  of  rheumatism 
compelled  Gen.  Morgan  to  retire  from  the  army,  and  he  returned  to 
his  seat  in  Frederick,  Virginia,  where  he  continued  in  retirement 
imtil  the  insurrection  in  the  western  part  of  Pennsylyania,  in  1794, 
when  he  was  detached  by  the  executive  of  Virginia,  at  the  head  of 
the  militia  quota  of  that  state,  to  suppress  it.  This  done,  he  returned 
into  the  bosom  of  his  family,  where  he  remained  until  death  closed 
his  earthly  career,  in  1799. 

"  There  existed  in  the  character  of  Gen.  Morgan  a  singular  con- 
tradiction, which  is  worthy  of  notice. 

Although  in  battle  no  man  was  ever  more  prodigal  of  the  exposure 
of  his  person  to  danger,  or  manifested  a  more  deliberate  disregard 
of  death,  yet  so  strong  was  his  love  of  life,  at  other  times,  that  he 
has  been  frequently  heard  to  declare,  "  he  would  agree  to  pass  half 
his  time  as  a  galley-slave,  rather  than  quit  this  world  for  another." 

The  following  outline  of  his  person  and  character  is  from  the  pen 
of  a  military  friend,  who  knew  him  intimately. 

"  Brigadier-general  Morgan  was  stout  and  active,  six  feet  in  height, 
strong,  not  too  much  encumbered  with  flesh,  and  was  exactly  fitted 
for  the  toils  and  pomp  of  war.  His  mind  was  discriminating  and 
solid,  but  not  comprehensive  and  combining.  His  manners  plain 
and  decorous,  neither  insinuating  nor  repulsive.  His  conv.sation 
grave,  sententious  and  considerate,  unadorned  and  uncaptivating. 
He  reflected  deeply,  spoke  little,  and  executed  with  keen  perse- 
verance whatever  he  undertook.  He  was  indulgent  in  his  military 
command,  preferring  always  the  affections  of  his  troops  to  that  dread 
and  awe  which  surround  the  rigid  disciplinarian. 

"  A  considerable  time  before  his  death,  when  the  pressure  of  in- 
firmity began  to  be  heavy,  he  became  seriously  concerned  about  his 
future  welfare.  From  that  period  his  chief  solace  lay  in  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  in  devotional  exercises.  He  died  in  the  belief 
of  the  truths  of  Christianity,  and  in  full  communion  with  the  Pres- 
byterian church  " 


COLONEL  JOHN  EAGER  HOWARD. 


OHN  EAGER  HOWARD  was  born 

in  Baltimore  county,  Maryland,  on  the 
4th  of  June,  1752.  His  ancestors 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  the 
state,  the  grandfather,  Joshua  Howard,  having 
emigrated  from  England  in  1686.  Here  he 
obtained  a  tract  of  land,  and  married  Miss 
Joanna  O'Carroll,  daughter  of  a  gentleman 
from  Ireland.  His  son,  Cornelius,  became 
affianced  to  Miss  Ruth  Eager,  a  descendant  of 
an  English  landholder,  under  the  charter  of  Lord  Baltimore.  These 
were  the  parents  of  Colonel  Howard.  Little  of  military  history  is 
woven  with  the  family  history,  except  that  the  grandfather  fought 
under  the  Duke  of  York  during  the  Monmouth  insurrection,  and 
seems  to  have  been  once  or  twice  concerned  in  some  Lidian 
difficulties. 

Of  Howard's  early  life  we  know  nothing.  He  was  certainly  not 
educated  for  a  particular  profession,  and  probably  was  either  brought 
up  to  farming,  or  without  any  specific  prospects  as  to  his  future 
course.  The  breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  however,  roused  him 
to  activity ;  and  so  eager  did  he  become  to  espouse  the  cause  of  his 
country,  that  the  committee  of  safety  offered  him  a  commission  as 
colonel.  This,  however,  he  declined  to  accept,  on  account  of  its 
216 


BATTLE    OF    GERMANTOWN.  217 

important  duties,  and'  contented  himself  with  the  rank  of  captain. 
He  raised  a  company  in  three  clays,  marched  to  the  main  array,  and 
fought  for  the  first  time  at  White  Plains.  In  September  of  the 
same  year,  Congress  promoted  him  to  the  rank  of  major  in  the  con- 
tinental ranks,  just  raised  to  serve  during-  the  remainder  of  the 
war.  In  the  retreat  through  the  Jerseys,  he  displayed  the  active 
watchfulness  which  made  him  afterwards  so  famous  in  the  south, 
and  was  much  engaged  in  assisting  the  recruiting  service.  While 
the  enemy  were  trying  to  get  possession  of  Philadelphia,  in,  1777, 
he  was  frequently  with  parties  sent  to  harass  them  ;  and  when  they 
embarked  for  the  Chesapeake,  he  was  serving  with  the  main  army 
under  General  Washington. 

He  was  now  permitted  to  leave  the  army  for  sometime  on  account 
of  the  death  of  his  father,  but  joined  it  in  time  to  assist  at  the  battle 
of  Germantown.  The  following  extracts  from  one  of  his  letters, 
will  show  the  part  he  took  in  this  action. 

"As  we  [Sullivan's  division]  descended  into  the  valley  near  Mount 
Airy,  the  sun  arose,  but  was  soon  obscured.  The  British  picket  at 
Allen's  house  had  two  six  pounders,  which  were  several  times  fired 
at  the  advance,  and  killed  several  persons.  Sullivan's  division 
formed  in  a  lane  running  from  Allen's  house  towards  the  Schuylkill, 
our  left  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house.  Soon  after  being 
formed,  we  had  orders  to  move  on,  and  advanced  through  a  field  to 
the  encampment  of  the  British  light  infantry,  in  an  orchard,  where 
we  found  them  formed  to  receive  us.  A  close  and  sharp  action 
commenced,  and  continued  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  when  the 
British  broke  and  retreated.  ******* 

Colonel  Hall,  who  was  on  foot,  ordered  me  to  bring  up  the  com- 
pany that  had  crossed  the  road ;  but  finding  them  engaged  from 
behind  houses  with  some  of  the  enemy,  who  I  supposed  had  belonged 
to  the  picket,  I  judged  it  not  proper  to  call  them  off,  as  it  would 
expose  our  flank.  I  reported  to  Colonel  Hall,  who  then  desired  me 
to  let  him  have  my  horse,  and  said  he  would  bring  them  up  himself. 
Riding  one  way  and  looking  another,  the  horse  ran  with  him  under 
a  cider  press,  and  he  was  so  hurt  that  he  was  taken  from  the  field. 
I  was  then  left  in  command  of  the  regiment,  as  Lieutenant-Colone 
Smith  some  time  before  had  been  detached  to  Fort  Mifflin.  The 
enemy  by  this  time  had  given  way,  and  I  pushed  on  through  their 
encampment,  their  tents  standing;  and  in  the  road,  before  we  came 
opposite  to  Chew's  house,  took  two  six  pounders,  which  I  suppose 
were  those  that  had  been  with  the  picket;  but,  as  the  drag  ropes 
had  been  cut  and  taken  away,  we  could  do  nothing  with  them.  I 
had  orders  to  keep  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and  as  we  passed  Chew's 


218  JOHN     EAGER     HOWARD. 

house,  we  were  fired  at  from  the  upper  windows,  but  received  no 
injury.  We  passed  on  to  the  rear  of  several  stone  houses,  to  an 
orchard,  where  we  were  halted  by  Colonel  Hazen.*  ********* 
Whilst  we  were  halted,  the  British  army  were  formed  in  the  School 
House  Lane,  directly  in  our  front,  six  or  seven  hundred  yards  from 
us,  but  owing  to  the  denseness  of  the  fog,  which  had  greatly  increased 
after  the  commencement  of  the  action,  we  could  not  see  them. 
About  the  time  of  the  attack  on  the  house,  a  party  of  Muhlenburg's 
and  Scott's  brigades  from  the  left  wing,  particularly  the  9th  Virginia 
regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Mathews,  advanced  to  the  eastward 
•of  Chew's  house,  and  penetrated  to  the  market-house.  The  British 
general.  Grey,  brought  from  their  left  the  4th  brigade,  under  Agnew, 
and  three  battalions  of  the  3d,  and  made  an  attack  upon  them, 
whilst  they  were  engaged  with  two  regiments  brought  up  from  the 
right  wing.  Thus  assailed  in  front  and  on  both  wings,  Mathews 
defended  himself  with  great  bravery,  and  did  not  surrender  until  the 
most  of  his  officers  were  killed  or  wounded.  He  himself  received 
several  bayonet  wounds." 

After  this  battle,  Washington  retired  to  the  hilly  country  near 
Philadelphia,  and  for  a  considerable  time  neither  army  appeared 
willing  to  molest  the  other.  Colonel  Williams  was  with  the  Ameri- 
cans during  this  inactive  period,  but  of  the  particular  nature  of  his 
duties  we  are  informed  nothing.  On  one  occasion,  Howe  left  Phila- 
delphia, with  the  avowed  purpose  of  giving  battle  ;  but  after  manoeu- 
vring for  some  time,  broke  up  his  camp,  returned  to  the  city,  and 
both  armies  resumed  their  inactivity  until  the  British  evacuated 
Philadelphia.  Major  Howard  moved  with  the  Americans  in  pursuit, 
and  was  subsequently  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth. 

N  the  spring  of  1780,  fourteen  hun- 
dred troops,  principally  from  Dela- 
ware and  Maryland,  embarked  on 
the  ChesapeaKe,  in  order  to  relieve 
Charleston,  which  was  then  be- 
sieged by  a  large  British  force. 
They  failed  to  accomphsh  their 
object,  being  unable  to  reach  Peters- 
burg until  June,  nearly  a  mon^h 
after  Charleston  had  capitulated. 
Major  Howard  accompanied  these 
troops,  and  on  the  first  of  June  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  fifth  Maryland 
regiment,  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  to  take  rank  as  such, 
from  the  11th  day  of  March,  1778. 


BATTLE      OF      THE      COWPENS.  231 

Colonel  Howard  bore  an  ample  share  in  the  disastrous  march  of 
Gates  to  the  south,  the  particulars  of  which  are  given  in  another 
part  of  this  volume.  Diseased,  emaciated,  and  half-starved,  the 
Americans  were  hurried  into  action,  with  a  superior  veteran  force, 
free  from  all  these  difficulties,  and  totally  defeated.  Few  brigades 
suffered  more  than  the  two  from  Maryland,  one  of  which  was  com- 
manded by  Howard.  He  charged  the  enemy  in  front  of  him  with 
the  bayonet  ;  but  the  rout  of  the  main  body  frustrated  the  benefits 
of  this  commencement,  and  almost  all  the  brigade  being  dispersed, 
the  colonel  retreated  with  the  wretched  remnant,  to  Charlotte. 

The  sufferings  experienced  by  the  militia  after  the  battle  of  Camden, 
were  dreadful ,  Alarm  flew  like  a  withering  pestilence  through  the 
country,  forts  and  villages  were  abandoned,  companies  broken  up,  and 
firesides  deserted.  The  soldiers  who  could  be  kept  together,  often 
subsisted  for  several  days  on  nothing  but  unripe  peaches,  and  the 
warmest  friends  of  liberty  began  to  consider  the  south  as  lost  to  the 
confederacy. 

In  October  an  infantry  battalion  was  organized,  and  the  command 
given  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Howard,  with  orders  to  take  a  position 
favorable  for  watching  the  enemy.  Durmg  the  same  month,  Fergu- 
son was  defeated  at  King's  Mountain,  which  tended  not  a  little  to 
restore  the  spirits  of  the  Americans.  Little  of  interest  then  trans- 
pired, until  the  arrival  of  General  Greene  as  commander  of  the 
southern  army.     This  was  in  December. 

We  now  come  to  the  greatest  military  event  in  the  life  of  Colonel 
Howard — the  battle  of  Cowpens.  In  the  disposition  for  battle,  the 
colonel's  troops,  composed  of  the  continental  infantry  and  two  com- 
panies of  the  Virginia  militia  under  Captains  Triplett  and  Taite, 
occupied  the  second  line  behind  General  Pickens.  When  the  militia 
of  the  latter  officer  retreated,  Tarleton  fell  furiously  upon  Howard, 
who  after  an  obstinate  struggle,  fell  back  and  formed  a  new  line  of 
battle.  Considering  this  retrograde  movement  the  precursor  of  flight, 
the  British  rushed  on  with  impetuosity  and  disorder  ;  but  as  they  drew 
near,  Howard  faced  about  and  gave  them  a  close  and  murderous  fire. 
Stunned  by  this  unexpected  shock,  the  most  advanced  of  the  enemy 
recoiled  in  confusion,  and,  seizing  the  happy  moment,  the  colonel 
ordered  a  charge  with  the  bayonet,  w^hich  decided  the  day.  We 
give  the  particulars  of  this  brilliant  movement  in  his  own  words  :  — 
"  Seeing  my  right  flank  was  exposed  to  the  enemy,  I  attempted  to 
change  the  front  of  Wallace's  company ;  in  doing  it  some  confusion 
ensued,  and  first  a  part  and  then  the  whole  of  the  company  com- 
menced a  retreat.  The  officers  along  the  line  seeing  this,  and  sup- 
posing that  orders  had  been  given  for  a  retreat,  faced  their  men 


222 


JOHN     EAGER    HOWARD. 


Ho-ward's  decisive  charge  at  Cowpens. 

about  and  moved  off.  Morgan,  who  had  mostly  been  with  the 
militia,  quickly  rode  up  to  me  and  expressed  apprehensions  of  the 
event ;  but  1  soon  removed  his  fears  by  pointing  to  the  line,  and  ob- 
serving that  men  were  not  beaten  who  retreated  in  that  order.  He 
then  ordered  me  to  keep  with  the  men  until  we  came  to  the  rising 
ground  near  Washington's  horse ;  and  he  rode  forward  to  fix  on  the 
most  proper  place  for  us  to  halt  and  face  about.  In  a  minute  we 
had  a  perfect  line.  The  enemy  were  now  very  near  us.  Our  men 
commenced  a  very  destructive  fire,  which  they  little  expected,  and  a 
few  rounds  occasioned  great  disorder  in  their  ranks.  While  in  this 
confusion  I  ordered  a  charge  with  the  bayonet,  which  order  was 
obeyed  with  great  alacrity.  As  the  line  advanced,  I  observed  their 
artillery  a  short  distance  in  front,  and  called  to  Captain  Ewing,  who 
was  near  me,  to  take  it.  Captain  Anderson  hearing  the  order,  also 
pushed  for  the  same  object ;  and  both  being  emulous  for  the  prize, 
kept  pace  until  near  the  first  piece,  when  Anderson,  by  putting  the 
end  of  his  spontoon  forward  into  the  ground,  made  a  long  leap,  which 
brought  him  upon  the  gun,  and  gave  him  the  honor  of  the  prize. 
My  attention  was  now  drawn  to  an  altercation  of  some  of  the  men, 


BATTLE     OF     THE      COWPENS.  223 

with  an  artilleryman,  who  appeared  to  make  it  a  point  of  honor  not 
to  surrender  his  match.  The  men,  provoked  by  his  obstinacy,  would 
have  bayoneted  him  on  the  spot,  had  I  not  interfered,  and  desired 
them  to  spare  the  life  of  so  brave  a  man.  He  then  surrendered  his 
match.  In  the  pursuit,  I  was  led  to  the  right  in  among  the  71st 
[British  regiment]  who  were  broken  into  squads  ;  and  as  I  called 
to  them  to  surrender,  they  laid  down  their  arms,  and  the  officers 
delivered  up  their  swords.  Captain  Duncanson,  of  the  71st  grena- 
diers, gave  me  his  sword,  and  stood  by  me.  Upon  getting  on  my 
horse,  I  found  him  pulling  at  my  saddle,  and  he  nearly  unhorsed  me. 
I  expressed  my  displeasure,  and  asked  him  what  he  was  about.  The 
explanation  was,  that  they  had  orders  to  give  no  quarters,  and  did 
not  expect  any  ;  and  as  my  men  were  coming  up,  he  was  afraid  they 
would  use  him  ill.  I  admitted  his  excuse,  and  put  him  into  the  care 
of  a  sergeant.  I  had  messages  from  him  some  years  afterwards, 
expressing  his  obligation  for  my  having  saved  his  life." 

On  the  occasion  of  the  remarkable  retreats  of  Morgan  and  Greene, 
subsequent  to  this  battle,  Colonel  Howard  was  engaged  in  the  most 
pressing  and  fatiguing  duties.  When  it  became  necessary  to  march 
toward  the  Dan,  he  was  left  with  Colonel  Williams,  who  had  been 
ordered  to  take  post  between  the  retreating  and  advancing  army,  to 
hover  round  the  skirts  of  the  latter,  to  seize  every  opportunity  of 
striking  in  detail,  and  to  retard  the  enemy  by  vigilance  and  judicious 
movements ;  while  Greene,  with  the  main  body,  proceeded  toward 
the  river. 

This  manoeuvre  on  the  part  of  the  American  general,  was  judicious, 
and  had  an  immediate  effect.  Cornwallis,  finding  a  corps  of  horse  and 
foot  close  in  his  front,  whose  strength  and  object  were  not  immediately 
ascertainable,  checked  the  rapidity  of  his  march,  to  give  time  for 
his  long-extended  line  to  condense.  Could  Williams  have  withdrawn 
himself  from  between  Greene  and  Cornwallis,  he  might,  perhaps,  by 
secretly  reaching  the  British  rear,  have  performed  material  service. 
Although  his  sagacity  discovered  the  prospect,  yet  his  sound  judgment 
would  not  adopt  a  movement  which  might  endanger  the  retreat  of  an 
army,  whose  safety  was  the  object  of  his  duty,  and  indispensable  to 
the  common  cause.  He  adhered,  therefore,  to  the  less  dazzling 
but  more  useful  system,  and  placed  his  attention,  first  on  the 
safety  of  the  main  body,  next  on  that  of  the  corps  under  his  com- 
mand ;  risking  the  latter  only,  when  the  security  of  Greene's  retreat 
demanded  it,  and  then  without  hesitation.  Pursuing  his  course 
obliquely  to  the  left,  he  reached  an  intermediate  road,  the  British 
army  being  on  his  left  and  in  his  rear,  the  American  in  front  and  on 
his  right. 


224  JOHN     EAGER     HOWARD. 

,  HE  duty  severe  in  the  day,  became  more 
so  at  night  ;  for  numerous  paroles  and 
strong  pickets,  were  necessarily  fur- 
f  J  nished  by  the  light  troops,  not  only  for 
their  own  safety,  but  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  placing  themselves  by  a 
circuitous  march  between  Williams  and 
Greene.  Such  a  mancenvre  would  have 
been  fatal  to  the  American  army ;  and 
to  render  it  impossible,  half  the  troops 
w^ere  alternately  appropriated  every 
night  to  duty ;  so  that  each  man  during  the  retreat  was  entitled  to 
but  six  hours  repose  in  forty-eight.  Notwithstanding  this  priva- 
tion, the  troops  were  in  fine  spirits  and  good  health  ;  delighted  with 
their  task,  and  determined  to  prove  themselves  worthy  the  distinction 
with  which  they  had  been  honored.  At  the  hour  of  three  their  toils 
were  renewed  ;  for  Williams  always  pressed  forward  with  the  utmost 
despatch  in  the  morning,  to  gain  such  a  distance  in  front,  as  would 
secure  to  his  soldiers  breakfast,  their  only  meal  during  this  rapid  and 
hazardous  retreat. 

We  are  unable  to  follow  Colonel  Howard  through  all  the  intricacies 
of  this  admirable  retreat.  He  fully  realized  the  expectations  of  his 
brother  officers,  and  carried  his  detachment  safely  to  the  main  camp. 
The  part  he  took  in  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court  House,  is  thus 
described  in  his  own  words  : 

"  The  [British]  guards,  after  they  had  defeated  General  Stephens, 
pushed  into  t?ie  cleared  ground  and  ran  at  the  second  regiment, 
which  immediately  gave  way — owing  I  believe  in  a  great  measure  to 
the  want  of  officers,  and  having  so  many  new  recruits.  The  guards 
pursued  them  into  our  rear,  where  they  took  two  pieces  of  artillery. 
This  transaction  was  in  a  great  measure  concealed  from  the  first 
regiment,  by  the  wood,  and  unevenness  of  the  ground.  But  my 
station  being  on  the  left  of  the  first  regiment,  and  next  the  cleared 
ground,  Captain  Gibson,  deputy  adjutant-general,  rode  to  me,  and 
informed  me  that  a  party  of  the  enemy,  inferior  in  numbers  to  us, 
were  pushing  through  the  cleared  ground  and  into  our  rear,  and  that 
if  we  would  face  about  and  charge  them  we  might  take  them.  We 
had  been  for  some  time  engaged  with  a  party  of  Webster's  brigade, 
though  not  hard  pressed,  and  at  that  moment  their  fire  had  slackened. 
I  rode  to  Gunby  and  gave  him  the  information.  He  did  not  hesitate 
to  order  the  regiment  to  face  about,  and  we  were  immediately  engaged 
with  the  guards.  Our  men  gave  them  some  well  directed  fires,  and 
we  then  advanced  and  continued  firing.     At  this  time  Gunby's  horse 


# 


HOWARD     GOVERNOR     OF     MARYLAND. 


227 


was  shot,  and  when  I  met  him  some  time  after  he  informed  me  that 
his  horse  fell  upon  him,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  he  extricated  him- 
self. As  we  advanced,  I  observed  Washington's  horse,  and  as  their 
movements  were  quicker  than  ours,  they  first  charged  and  broke  the 
enemy.  My  men  followed  very  quickly,  and  we  passed  through  the 
guards,  many  of  whom  had  been  knocked  down  by  the  horse  without 
being  much  hurt.  We  took  some  prisoners,  and  the  whole  were  in 
our  power.  After  passing  through  the  guards,  I  found  myself  in  the 
cleared  ground,  and  saw  the  71st  regiment  near  the  court-house,  and 
other  columns  of  the  enemy  appearing  in  different  directions.  Wash- 
ington's horse  having  gone  off,  I  found  it  necessary  to  retire,  which 
I  did  leisurely ;  but  many  of  the  guards  who  were  lying  on  the 
ground,  and  who  we  supposed  were  wounded,  got  up  and  fired  at  us 
as  we  retired." 

N  the  death  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ford, 
who  was  wounded  in  this  battle,  Colonel 
Williams  received  command  of  the  2d 
regiment,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
'^^  at  the  battle  of  Eutaw.     Here,  as  usual, 

the  bayonet  was  his  principal  reliance,  and  after 
a  most  stubborn  conflict,  in  which  one  half  of  his 
men  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  seven  officers 
"^  out  of  twelve  disabled,  he  completely  swept  the 
field.  "  Nothing,"  says  General  Greene,  soon 
after  the  battle,  "  could  exceed  the  gallantry  of  the  Maryland  line. 
Colonels  Williams,  Howard,  and  all  the  officers  exhibited  acts  of 
uncommon  bravery ;  and  the  free  use  of  the  bayonet  by  this  and 
some  other  corps,  gave  us  the  victory." 

In  this  action,  Howard  was  severely  wounded,  and  before  his 
recovery,  the  war  was  virtually  ended.  After  the  war,  he  married 
Miss  Margaret  Chew,  daughter  of  a  gentleman  of  Philadelphia,  and 
settled  with  her  upon  his  patrimonial  estate.  He  was  chosen 
governor  of  Maryland  in  1788,  and  served  three  years.  In  1794  he 
declined  a  commission  as  major-general  of  militia.  In  1795  Wash- 
ington pressed  him  to  accept  the  office  of  secretary  of  war,  but  he 
declined,  principally  on  account  of  ill  health.  "  Had  your  inclina- 
tion," writes  Washington  to  him,  "  and  private  pursuits  permitted 
you  to  take  the  office  that  was  offered  to  you,  it  would  have  been  a 
very  pleasing  circumstance  to  me,  and  I  am  persuaded,  as  I  observed 
to  you  on  a  former  occasion,  a  very  acceptable  one  to  the  public. 
But  the  reasons  which  you  have  assigned  must,  however  reluctantly, 
be  submitted  to."  He  was  subsequently  named  by  Washington  as 
one  of  his  brigadiers,  in  the  event  of  w^ar  with  France.     For  some 


228  JOHN     EAGER     HOWARD. 

years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Maryland  legislature,  and  in  1796, 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  where  he  remained  until 
1803.  After  the  capture  of  the  capital  by  General  Ross,  in  1814, 
Colonel  Howard  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  corps  raised 
for  the  defence  of  Baltimore,  To  a  suggestion  that  it  would  be 
expedient  to  surrender  that  city,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  have  as  much 
property  at  stake  as  most  persons,  and  I  have  four  sons  in  the  field ; 
but  sooner  would  I  see  my  sons  weltering  in  their  blood,  and  my 
property  reduced  to  ashes,  than  so  far  disgrace  the  country."  The 
defeat  and  death  of  Ross  relieved  the  public  from  anxiety. 

From  this  time  until  1821,  we  hear  little  of  Colonel  Howard.  A 
series  of  domestic  calamities  then  commenced,  which  probably 
tended  to  shorten  his  own  days.  In  that  year  he  lost  his  eldest 
daughter,  in  1822,  his  eldest  son,  and  in  1824,  his  wife.  On  the 
12th  of  October,  1827,  after  a  short  illness,  the  father  and  husband 
followed  them  to  another  world. 

Mr.  Adams,  then  President,  thus  notices  this  event,  in  a  letter  to 
the  family. 

"  The  President  of  the  United  States  has  received  with  deep  con- 
cern, the  communication  from  the  family  of  the  late  Colonel  Howard, 
informing  him  of  the  decease  of  their  lamented  parent.  Sympathizing 
with  their  affliction  upon  the  departure  of  their  illustrious  relative, 
he  only  shares  in  the  sentiment  of  universal  regret  with  which  the 
offspring  of  the  revolutionary  age,  throughout  the  Union,  will  learn 
the  close  of  a  life,  eminently  adorned  with  the  honors  of  the  cause 
of  independence,  and  not  less  distinguished  in  the  career  of  peaceful 
magistracy,  in  later  time.  He  will  take  a  sincere,  though  melan- 
choly satisfaction,  in  uniting  with  his  fellow  citizens  in  attending  the 
funeral  obsequies  of  him,  whose  name  has  been  long,  and  will  ever 
remain,  enrolled  among  those  of  the  benefactors  of  his  country." 

His  funeral  was  very  large,  and  attended  by  the  President  and 
civil  and  military  authorities. 

The  legislature  of  Maryland  ordered  his  portrait  to  be  placed  in 
the  chamber  of  the  house  of  delegates  ;  and  that  of  South  Carolina 
resolved,  "  That  it  was  with  feelings  of  profound  sorrow  and  regret, 
that  South  Carolina  received  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  the  death 
of  Colonel  John  Eager  Howard,  of  Maryland,  and  that  the  state  of 
South  Carolina  can  never  forget  the  distinguished  services  of  the 
deceased." 

Colonel  Howard  was  one  of  the  true  heroes  of  the  Revolution. 
Entering  the  field  a  young  man,  well  educated  and  Avell  principled, 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  full  of  military  enthusiasm,  his 
career  was  as    brilliant    as   it  was    fortunate.     Whenever    he  was 


HOWARD    S      CHARACTER. 


229 


called  by  duty  to  his  country,  he  was  found  to  be  fully  equal  to  the 
occasion ;  and  the  revolutionary  war  closed  leaving  him  still  in  the 
full  vigor  of  manhood,  possessed  of  an  ample  fortune,  and  crowned 
with  honorable  laurels. 

The  distinctions  which  he  subsequently  enjoyed  in  civil  life,  only 
served  to  develope  more  fully  his  abilities  and  patriotic  spirit ;  and 
he  finally  passed  from  the  scene  of  action,  with  the  reverence,  affec- 
tion, and  applause  of  his  grateful  countrymen. 


Birth-Dlaoe  of  Colonel  Ho-ward. 


fef 


Major  James's  adventure  with.  Captain  Ardesoif. 

MA  JOE  JOHN  JAMES, 

I  AS  born  in  Ireland,  in  1732,  and  was  the  son  of 
an  officer  who  had  served  King  William  in  his 
wars  in  Ireland  against  King  James.  This 
circumstance  was  the  origin  of  the  name  of 
Williamsburg,  which  is  now  attached  to  one  of 
the  districts  of  Carolina.  The  elder  James, 
with  his  family,  and  several  of  his  neighbors,  migrated  to  that  district 
in  1733,  made  the  first  settlement  there,  and  in  honor  of  King 
William,  gave  his  name  to  a  village  laid  out  on  the  east  bank  of 
Black  river.  The  village  is  now  called  King's  Tree,  from  a  white  or 
short-leafed  pine,  which  in  old  royal  grants  was  reserved  for  the  use 
of  the  king ;  and  the  name  of  Williamsburg  has  been  transferred  to 
the  district.  To  it  Major  James,  when  an  infant,  was  brought  by 
his  parents.  His  first  recollections  were  those  of  a  stockade  fort, 
and  of  war  between  the  new  settlers  and  the  natives.  The  former 
were  often  reduced  to  great  straits  in  procuring  the  necessaries  of 

230 


SERVICES     IN     THE      SOUTH. 


231 


life,  and  in  defending  themselves  against  the  Indians.  In  this  then 
frontier  settlement,  Major  James,  Mr.  James  Bradley,  and  other 
compatriots  of  the  revolution,  were  trained  up  to  defend  and  love 
their  country.  Their  opportunities  for  acquiring  liberal  educations 
w^ere  slender  but  for  obtaining  religious  instruction  were  very  ample. 
They  were  brought  up  under  the  eye  and  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev. 
John  Rae,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  accompanied  his  congrega- 
tion in  their  migration  from  Ireland  to  Carolina.  When  the  revolu- 
tion commenced,  in  1775,  Major  James  had  acquired  a  considerable 
portion  both  of  reputation  and  property.  He  was  a  captain  of  militia 
under  George  the  Third.  Disapproving  of  the  measures  of  the  Bri- 
tish government,  he  resigned  his  royal  commission,  but  was  soon 
after  reinstated  by  a  popular  vote.  In  the  year  1776,  he  marched 
with  his  company  to  the  defence  of  Charleston.  .  In  the  year  1779, 
he  was  with  General  Moultrie  on  his  retreat  before  General  Prevost, 
and  commanded  one  hundred  and  twenty  riflemen  in  the  skirmish  at 
Tulifinny.  When  Charleston  was  besieged,  in  1780,  Major  James 
marched  to  its  defence  ;  but  Governor  John  Rutledge  ordered  him 
back  to  embody  the  country  militia.  The  town  having  fallen,  he 
was  employed  by  his  countrymen  to  wait  on  the  conquerors,  and  to 
inquire  of  them  what  terms  they  would  give.  On  finding  that  no- 
thing short  of  an  unconditional  submission  and  a  resumption  of  the 
characters  and  duties  of  British  subjects  would  be  accepted,  he  ab- 
ruptly broke  off"  all  negotiation ;  and,  rejoining  his  friends,  formed 
the  stamina  of  the  distinguished  corps  known  in  the  latter  periods 
of  the  revolutionary  war'by  the  name  of  Marion's  Brigade.  In  the 
course  of  this  cruel  and  desultory  warfare.  Major  James  was  reduced 
from  easy  circumstances  to  poverty.  All  his  moveable  property  was 
carried  off",  and  every  house  on  his  plantation  burnt ;  but  he  bore  up 
under  these  misfortunes,  and  devoted,  not  only  all  his  possessions, 
but  life  itself  for  the  good  of  his  country.  After  Greene,  as  com- 
mander-in-chief, had  superseded  Marion,  Major  James  continued  to 
serve  under  the  former,  and  fought  with  him  at  the  battle  of  Eutaw. 
The  corps  with  which  he  served  consisted  mostly  of  riflemen,  and 
were  each  served  with  twenty-four  rounds  of  cartridges.  Many  of 
them  expended  the  whole,  and  most  of  them  twenty  of  these  in  firing 
on  the  enemy.  As  they  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  aim,  their  shot 
seldom  failed  of  doing  execution.  Shortly  after  this  action.  Major 
James  and  General  Marion  were  both  elected  members  of  the  state 
legislature.  Before  the  general  had  rejoined  his  brigade,  it  was  un- 
expectedly attacked,  and  after  retreating  was  pursued  by  a  party  of 
the  British  commanded  by  Colonel  Thompson,  now  Count  Rumford. 
In  this  retreat,  Major  James  being  mounted,  was  nearly  overtaken 


232 


JOHN     JAMES. 


•  Count  Rnrnford. 

by  two  British  dragoons,  but  kept  them  from  cutting  him  down  by  a 
judicious  use  of  his  pistols,  and  escaped  by  leaping  a  chasm  in  a 
bridge  of  twenty  feet  width.  The  dragoons  did  not  follow.  The 
major  being  out  of  their  reach,  rallied  his  men,  brought  them  back 
to  the  charge,  and  stopped  the  progress  of  the  enemy.  When  the 
war  was  nearly  over,  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  like  another 
Cincinnatus,  returned  to  his  farm  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his 
days  to  the  improvement  of  his  property  and  the  education  of  his 
children.  In  the  year  1791  he  died,  with  the  composure  and  forti- 
tude of  a  Christian  hero. 

The  following  characteristic  anecdote  of  Major  James  is  related 
in  the  life  of  General  Marion. 

"  After  the  fall  of  Charleston,  in  this  year.  Captain  Ardesoif,  of 
the  British  navy,  arrived  at  Georgetown,  to  carry  the  last  proclama- 
tion of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  into  effect,  and  invited  the  people  to  come 
in  and  swear  allegiance  to  King  George.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  that  district  submitted  to  this  new  act  of  degradation.  But  there 
remained  a  portion  of  it,  stretching  from  the  Santee  to  the  Pedee, 
and  including  the  whole  of  the  present  Williamsburg,  and  part  of 
Marion  district,  into  which  the   British  arms  had  not  penetrated. 


ANECDOTE   OF  MAJOR  JAMES. 


233 


The  inhabitants  of  it  were  generally  of  Irish  extraction ;  a  people 
who,  at  all  times  during  the  war,  abhorred  either  submission  or 
vassalage.  Among  them,  tradition  has  handed  down  the  following 
story : — A  public  meeting  was  called  to  deliberate  upon  their  critical 
situation,  and  Major  John  James,  who  had  heretofore  commanrled 
them  in  the  field,  and  represented  them  in  the  legislature,  was  selected 
as  the  person  who  should  go  down  to  Captain  Ardesoif,  and  know 
from  him  whether,  by  his  proclamation,  he  meant  that  they  should 
take  up  arms  against  their  countrymen.  He  proceeded  to  George- 
town, in  the  plain  garb  of  a  country  planter,  and  was  introduced  to 
the  captain,  at  his  lodgings,  a  considerable  distance  from  his  ship. 
An  altercation  of  the  following  nature  took  place.  After  the  major 
had  narrated  the  nature  of  his  mission,  the  captain,  surprised  that 
such  an  embassy  should  be  sent  to  him,  answered,  '  The  submission 
must  be  unconditional.'  To  an  inquiry,  whether  the  inhabitants 
would  not  be  allowed  to  stay  at  home  upon  their  plantations,  in  peace 
and  quiet,  he  replied,  '  Although  you  have  rebelled  against  his 
majesty,  he  offers  you  free  pardon,  of  which  you  are  undeserving,  for 
you  ought  all  to  be  hanged ;  but  as  he  offers  you  a  free  pardon,  you 
must  take  up  arms  in  support  of  his  cause.'  To  Major  James's  sug- 
gesting that  the  people  he  came  to  represent  would  not  submit  on 
such  terms,  the  captain,  irritated  at  his  republican  language,  particu- 
larly, it  is  supposed,  at  the  word  represent,  replied,  *  You  d —  rebel, 
if  you  speak  in  such  language  I  will  immediately  order  you  to  be 
hanged  up  to  the  yard-arm.'  The  captain  wore  a  sword,  and  Major 
James  none,  but  perceiving  what  turn  matters  were  likely  to  take, 
and  not  brooking  such  harsh  language,  he  suddenly  seized  the  chair 
on  which  he  was  seated,  knocked  the  captain  down,  and  making  his 
retreat  through  the  back  door  of  the  house,  mounted  his  horse,  and 
made  his  escape  into  the  country." 


MAJOR  GENERAL  HENRY  KNOX. 


MONG  those  of  our  countrymen, 
who  most  zealously  engaged  in 
the  cause  of  liberty,  few  sus- 
tained a  rank  more  deservedly 
conspicuous  than  General  Knox. 
^  He  was  one  of  those  heroes,  of  whom  it 
^  may  be   truly  said,  that  he  lived  for  his 
W'lp  country. 

Born  in  Boston,  July,  1750,  his  child- 
hood and  youth  were  employed  in  obtaining 
the  best  education,  that  the  justly  celebrated  schools  of  his  native 
town  afforded.     In  very  early  life  he  opened  a  bookstore,  for  the 
334 


EARLY     LIFE.  235 

enlargement  of  which  he  soon  formed  an  extensive  correspondence 
in  Europe — but  little  time  elapsed  before,  at  the  call  of  his  country, 
he  relinquished  this  lucrative  and  increasing  business.  Indebted  to 
no  adventitious  aid,  his  character  vv^as  formed  by  himself;  the  native 
and  vigorous  principles  of  his  own  mind  made-  him  what  he  was. 
Distinguished  among  his  associates,  from  the  first  dawn  of  manhood, 
for  a  decided  predilection  to  martial  exercises,  he  was,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  selected  by  the  young  men  of  Boston  as  one  of  the  officers 
of  a  company  of  grenadiers — a  company  so  distinguished  for  its 
martial  appearance,  and  the  precision  of  its  evolutions,  that  it  received 
the  most  flattering  encomiums  from  a  British  officer  of  high  distinction. 

This  early  scene  of  his  military  labors,  served  but  as  a  school  for 
that  distinguished  talent  which  afterwards  shone  with  lustre,  in  the 
most  brilliant  campaigns  of  an  eight  years  war  ;  through  the  whole 
of  which  he  directed  the  artillery  with  consummate  skill  and  bravery. 

His  heart  was  deeply  engaged  in  the  cause  of  freedom  ;  he  felt  it 
to  be  a  righteous  cause,  and  to  its  accomplishment  yielded  every 
other  consideration.  When  Britain  declared  hostilities,  he  hesitated 
not  a  moment,  what  course  he  should  pursue.  No  sordid  calculation 
of  interest  retarded  his  decision.  The  quiet  of  domestic  life,  the  fair 
prospect  of  increasing  wealth,  and  even  the  endearing  claims  of 
family  and  friends,  though  urged  with  the  most  persuasive  eloquence, 
had  no  power  to  divert  the  determined  purpose  of  his  mind. 

In  the  early  stages  of  British  hostility,  though  not  in  commission, 
he  was  not  an  inactive  spectator.  At  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  as  a 
volunteer,  he  was  constantly  exposed  to  danger,  in  reconnoitering 
the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  his  ardent  mind  was  engaged  with 
others  in  preparing  those  measures  that  were  ultimately  to  dislodge 
the  British  troops,  from  their  boasted  possession  of  the  capital  of 
New  England. 

Scarcely  had  we  begun  to  feel  the  aggressions  of  the  British  arms, 
before  it  was  perceived,  that  without  artillery,  of  which  we  were 
then  destitute,  the  most  important  objects  of  the  war  could  not  be 
accomplished.  No  resource  presented  itself,  but  the  desperate  expe- 
dient of  procuring  it  from  the  Canadian  frontier.  To  attempt  this, 
in  the  agitated  state  of  the  country,  through  a  wide  extent  of  wilder- 
ness, was  an  enterprise  so  replete  with  toil  and  danger,  that  it  was 
hardly  expected  any  one  would  be  found  hardy  enough  to  encounter 
its  perils.  Knox,  however,  saw  the  importance  of  the  object — ^he 
saw  his  country  bleeding  at  every  pore,  without  the  power  of  repelling 
her  invaders — he  saw  the  flourishing  Capital  of  the  North  in  the 
possession  of  an  exulting  enemy,  that  we  were  destitute  of  the  means 
essential  to  their  annoyance,  and  formed  the  daring  and   generous 


236  HKNRY     KNOX. 

resolution  of  supplying  the  army  with  ordnance,  however  formidable 
the  obstacles  that  might  oppose  him.  Young,  robust,  and  vigorous, 
supported  by  an  undaunted  spirit,  and  a  mind  ever  fruitful  in  resources, 
he  commenced  his  mighty  undertaking,  almost  unattended,  in  the 
winter  of  1775,  relying  solely  for  the  execution  of  his  object,  on 
such  aid  as  he  might  procure  from  the  thinly  scattered  inhabitants  of 
the  dreary  region  through  which  he  had  to  pass.  Every  obstacle  of 
season,  roads  and  climate  were  surmounted  by  determined  persever- 
ance ; — and  a  few  weeks,  scarcely  sufficient  for  a  journey  so  remote, 
saw  him  return  laden  with  ordnance  and  the  stores  of  war — drawn 
in  defiance  of  every  obstacle  over  the  frozen  lakes  and  mountains  of 
the  north.  Most  acceptable  was  this  offering  to  our  defenceless 
troops,  and  most  welcome  to  the  commander-in-chief,  who  well  knew 
how  to  appreciate  a  service  so  important.  This  expedition  stamped 
the  character  of  him  who  performed  it  for  deeds  of  enterprise  and 
daring.  He  received  the  most  flattering  testimony  of  approbation 
from  the  commander-in-chief  and  from  Congress,  and  was  in  conse- 
quence of  this  important  service  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
artillery,  of  which  he  has  thus  laid  the  foundation, — in  which  com- 
mand he  continued  with  increasing  reputation  through  the  revolu- 
tionary war. 

Among  the  incidents  that  occurred  during  the  expedition  to  Canada, 
was  his  accidental  meeting  with  the  unfortunate  Andre,  whose  subse- 
quent fate  was  so  deeply  deplored  by  every  man  of  feeling  in  both 
nations.  His  deportment  as  a  soldier  and  gentleman  so  far  interested 
General  Knox  in  his  favor,  that  he  often  afterward  expressed  the 
most  sincere  regret  that  he  was  called  by  duty  to  act  on  the  tribunal 
that  pronounced  his  condemnation. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  war,  the  corps  of  artillery  was  prin- 
cipally employed  with  the  main  body  of  the  array,  and  near  the  person 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  was  relied  on  as  an  essential  auxiliary 
in  the  most  important  battles. 

Trenton  and  Princeton  witnessed  his  enterprise  and  valor.  At 
that  critical  period  of  our  affairs,  when  hope  had  almost  yielded  to 
despair,  and  the  great  soul  of  Washington  trembled  for  his  country's 
freedom,  Knox  was  one  of  those  that  strengthened  his  hand,  and 
encouraged  his  heart.  At  that  awful  moment,  when  the  tempest 
raged  with  its  greatest  fury,  he,  with  Greene  and  other  heroes, 
stood  as  pillars  of  the  temple  of  liberty,  till  the  fury  of  the  storm 
was  past. 

The  letters  of  General  Knox,  still  extant,  written  in  the  darkest 
periods  of  the  revolution,  breathed  a  spirit  of  devotedness  to  the 
cause  in  which  he  had  embarked,  and  a  firm  reliance  on  the  favor  of 


BATTLE      OF     GERMANTOWN.  237 

Divine  Providence  ;  from  a  perusal  of  these  letters  it  is  evident,  that 
he  never  yielded  to  despondency,  but  in  the  most  critical  moments 
of  the  war,  confidently  anticipated  its  triumphant  issue. 

In  the  bloody  fields  of  Germantow^n  and  Monmouth,  without 
derogating  from  the  merits  of  others,  it  may  be  said,  that  during  the 
whole  of  these  hard  fought  battles,  no  officer  was  more  distinguished 
for  the  discharge  of  the  arduous  duties  of  his  command  ; — in  the  front 
of  the  battle,  he  was  seen  animating  his  soldiers  and  pointing  the 
thunder  of  their  cannon.  His  skill  and  bravery  were  so  conspicuous 
on  the  latter  occasion,  that  he  received  the  particular  approbation 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  in  general  orders  issued  by  him  the  day 
succeeding  that  of  the  battle,  in  which  he  says,  that  "  the  enemy 
have  done  them  the  justice  to  acknowledge,  that  no  artillery  could 
be  better  served  than  ours."  But  his  great  exertions  on  that  occa- 
sion, together  with  the  extreme  heat  of  the  day,  produced  the  most 
alarming  consequences  to  his  health.  To  these  more  important 
scenes,  his  services  were  not  confined ;  with  a  zeal  devoted  to  our 
cause  he  was  ever  at  the  post  of  danger — and  the  immortal  hero, 
who  stands  first  on  the  list  of  heroes  and  of  men,  has  often  expressed 
his  sense  of  these  services.  In  every  field  of  battle,  where  Washing- 
ton fought,  Knox  was  by  his  side.  The  confidence  of  the  commander- 
in-chief  inspired  by  early  services,  was  thus  matured  by  succeeding 
events.  There  can  be  no  higher  testimony  to  his  merits,  than  that 
during  a  war  of  so  long  continuance,  passed  almost  constantly  in  the 
presence  of  Washington,  he  uniformly  retained  his  confidence  and 
esteem,  which  at  their  separation  had  ripened  into  friendship  and 
affection.  The  parting  interview  between  General  Knox  and  his 
illustrious  and  beloved  chief,  after  the  evacuation  of  New  York  by 
the  British,  and  Knox  had  taken  possession  of  it  at  the  head  of  a 
detachment  of  our  army,  was  inexpressibly  aff'ecting.  The  hour  of 
their  separation  having  arrived,  Washington,  incapable  of  utterance, 
grasped  his  hand  and  embraced  him  in  silence  and  in  tears.  His 
letters,  to  the  last  moment  of  his  life,  contain  the  most  flattering 
expressions  of  his  unabated  friendship.  Honorable  to  himself  as  had 
been  the  career  of  his  military  services,  new  laurels  were  reserved 
for  him  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown.  To  the  successful  result  of  this 
memorable  siege,  the  last  brilliant  act  of  our  revolutionary  contest, 
no  officer  contributed  more  essentially  than  the  commander  of  the 
artillery.  His  animated  exertions,  his  military  skill,  his  cool  and 
determined  bravery  in  this  triumphant  struggle,  received  the  unani- 
mous approbation  of  his  brethren  in  arms,  and  he  was  immediately 
created  major-general  by  Congress,  at  the  recommendation  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  whole  army. 


238 


HENRY     KNOX. 


West  Point. 

The  capture  of  Lord  Cornwallis  closed  the  contest  at  Yorktown, 
and  with  it  his  military  life.  Having  contributed  so  essentially  to 
the  successful  termination  of  the  war,  he  was  selected  as  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  adjust  the  terms  of  peace,  which  service  he  per- 
formed in  conjunction  with  his  colleagues,  much  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  country.  He  was  deputed  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  soon  after  appointed  to  the  command  of  West 
Point.  It  was  here  that  he  was  employed  in  the  delicate  and  arduous 
duty  of  disbanding  the  army,  and  inducing  a  soldiery,  disposed  to 
turbulence  by  their  jDrivations  and  sufferings,  to  retire  to  domestic 
life,  and  resume  the  peaceful  character  of  citizens. 

It  is  a  fact  most  honorable  to  his  character,  that  by  his  countenance 
and  support,  he  rendered  the  most  essential  aid  to  Washington  in 
suppressing  that  spirit  of  usurpation  which  had  been  industriously 
fomented  by  a  few  unprincipled  and  aspiring  men,  whose  aim  was 
the  subjugation  of  the  country  to  a  military  government.  No  hope 
of  political  elevation — no  flattering  assurances  of  aggrandizement 
could  tempt  him  to  build  his  greatness  on  the  ruin  of  his  country. 

The  great  objects  of  the  war  being  accomplished,  and  peace  re- 
stored to  our  country,  General  Knox  was  early,  under  the  confede- 
ration, appointed  secretary  of  war  by  Congress,  ir  which  office  he 
was  confirmed  by  President  Washington,  after  the  establishment  of 
the  federal  government.  The  duties  of  this  office  were  ultimately 
increased  by  having  those   of  the  navy  attached  to  them — to  the 


RETIRES     TO     PRIVATE     LIFE.  339 

establishment  of  which  his  counsel  and  exertion  eminently  contri- 
buted. He  differed  in  opinion  from  some  other  members  of  the 
cabinet  on  this  most  interesting  subject.  One  of  the  greatest  men 
whom  our  country  has  produced,  has  uniformly  declared  that  he  con- 
sidered America  much  indebted  to  his  efforts  for  the  creation  of  a 
power  which  has  already  so  essentially  advanced  her  respectability 
and  fame. 

"AVING  filled  the  office  of  the  war  department 
for  eleven  years,  he  obtained  the  reluctant  con- 
sent of  President  Washington  to  retire,  that  he 
might  give  his  attention  to  the  claims  of  a  nu- 
merous and  increasing  family.  This  retirement 
was  in  concurrence  with  the  wishes  of  Mrs. 
Knox,  who  had  accompanied  him  through  the  trying  vicissitudes  of 
war,  shared  with  him  its  toils  and  perils,  and  who  was  now  desirous 
of  enjoying  the  less  busy  scenes  of  domestic  life.  A  portion  of  the 
large  estates  of  her  ancestor.  General  Waldo,  had  descended  to  her, 
which  he  by  subsequent  purchase  increased  till  it  comprised  the 
whole  Waldo  Patent,  an  extent  of  thirty  miles  square,  and  embracing 
a  considerable  part  of  that  section  of  Maine  which  now  consti- 
tutes the  counties  of  Lincoln,  Hancock  and  Penobscot,  To  these 
estates  he  retired  from  all  concern  in  public  life,  honored  as  a  soldier 
and  beloved  as  a  man,  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  their  settlement 
and  improvement.  He  was  induced  repeatedly  to  take  a  share  in 
the  government  of  the  state,  both  in  the  house  of  representatives 
and  in  tlie  council ;  in  the  discharge  of  those  several  duties  he  em- 
ployed his  wisdom  and  experience  with  the  greatest  assiduity. 

In  1798,  when  the  French  insults  and  injuries  towards  this  country 
called  for  resistance,  he  was  one  of  those  selected  to  command  our 
armies,  and  to  protect  our  liberty  and  honor  from  the  expected  hos- 
tilities of  the  French  Directory :  happily  for  our  country  their  ser- 
vices were  not  required. 

Retired  from  the  theatre  of  active  life,  he  still  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  the  prosperity  of  his  country.  To  that  portion  of  it  which  he  had 
chosen  for  his  residence,  his  exertions  were  more  immediately  directed. 
His  views,  like  his  soul,  were  bold  and  magnificent,  his  ardent  mind 
could  not  want  the  ordinary  course  of  time  and  events  ;  it  outstrip- 
ped the  progress  of  natural  improvement.  Had  he  possessed  a  cold, 
calculating  mind,  he  might  have  left  behind  him  the  most  ample 
wealth ;  but  he  would  not  have  been  more  highly  valued  by  his 
country,  or  more  beloved  by  his  friends.  He  died  at  Montpelicr,  his 
seat  in  Thomaston,  25th  of  October,  1806,  from  sudden  internal 
inflammation,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six,  from  the  full  vigor  of  health. 


240  HENRY     KNOX. 

The  great  qualities  of  General  Knox  were  not  merely  those  of  the 
hero  and  the  statesman  ;  with  these  were  combined  those  of  the  ele 
gant  scholar  and  the  accomplished  gentleman.  There  have  been  those 
as  brave  and  as  learned,  but  rarely  a  union  of  such  valor,  with  so 
much  urbanity — a  mind  so  great,  yet  so  free  from  ostentation. 

Philanthropy  filled  his  heart ;  in  his  benevolence  there  was  no  re- 
serve— it  was  as  diffusive  as  the  globe,  and  extensive  as  the  family 
of  man.  His  feelings  were  strong  and  exquisitely  tender.  In  the 
domestic  circle  they  shone  with  peculiar  lustre — here  the  husband, 
the  father  and  the  friend  beamed  in  every  smile — and  if  at  any  time 
a  cloud  overshadowed  his  own  spirit,  he  strove  to  prevent  its  influ- 
ence from  extending  to  those  that  were  dear  to  him.  He  was  frank, 
generous  and  sincere,  and  in  his  intercourse  with  the  world  uniformly 
just.  His  house  was  the  seat  of  elegant  hospitality,  and  his  esti- 
mate of  wealth,  was  its  power  of  diffusing  happiness.  To  the  testi- 
mony of  private  friendship  may  be  added  that  of  less  partial  strangers, 
who  have  borne  witness  both  to  his  public  and  private  virtues.  Lord 
Moira,  who  is  now  perhaps  the  greatest  genera]  that  England  can 
boast  of,  has  in  a  late  publication  spoken  in  high  terms  of  his  mili- 
tary talents.  Nor  should  the  opinion  of  the  Marquis  Chattleleux  be 
omitted.  "  As  for  General  Knox,"  he  says,  "  to  praise  him  for  his 
military  talents  alone,  would  be  to  deprive  him  of  half  the  eulogium 
he  merits  ;  a  man  of  understanding,  w^ell-informed,  gay,  sincere  and 
honest — it  is  impossible  to  know  without  esteeming  him,  or  to  see 
without  loving  him.  Thus  have  the  Enghsh,  without  intention,  added 
to  the  ornaments  of  the  human  species,  by  awakening  talents  where 
they  least  wished  or  expected."  Judge  Marshall  also,  in  his  life  of 
Washington,  thus  speaks  of  him  :  "  Throughout  the  contest  of  the 
revolution,  this  officer  had  continued  at  the  head  of  the  American 
artillery,  and  from  being  colonel  of  a  regiment  had  been  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  major-general.  In  this  important  station  he  had  pre- 
served a  high  military  character,  and  on  the  resignation  of  General 
Lincoln,  had  been  appointed  secretary  of  war.  To  his  great  ser- 
vices, and  to  unquestionable  integrity,  he  was  admitted  to  unite  a 
sound  understanding  ;  and  the  public  judgment  as  well  as  that  of  the 
chief  magistrate,  pronounced  him  in  all  respects  competent  to  the 
station  he  filled.  The  president  was  highly  gratified  in  believing  that 
his  public  duty  comported  with  his  private  inclination,  in  nominating 
General  Knox  to  the  office  which  had  been  conferred  on  him  under 
the  former  government." 


^'S'^r^'^t^.. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  BENJAMIN  LINCOLN. 


ENERAL  LINCOLN  deserves 
a  high  rank  in  the  ffaternity  of 
American  heroes.  He  was  born 
in  Hingham,  Massachusetts, 
January  23d,  0.  S.  1733.  His 
W  early  education  was  not  auspicious  to  his 
;f  future  eminence,  and  his  vocation  was  that 
A  of  a  farmer; ,  till  he  was  more  than  forty 
^^  years  of  age,  though  he  was  commissioned 
as  a  magistrate,  and  elected  a  representa- 
tive in  the  state  legislature.  In  the  year  1775,  he  sustained  the 
office  of  heutenant-colonel  of  militia.     In  1776,  he  was  appointed  by 

16  241 


242  BENJAMIN     LINCOLN. 

the  council  of  Massachusetts,  a  brigadier,  and  soon  after  a  major- 
general,  and  he  applied  himself  assiduously  to  training,  and  preparing 
the  militia  for  actual  service  in  the  field,  in  which  he  displayed  the 
military  talents  which  he  possessed.  In  October,  he  marched  with  a 
body  of  militia  and  joined  the  main  army  at  New  York.  The  com- 
mander-in-chief, from  a  knowledge  of  his  character  and  merit,  recom- 
mended him  to  Congress  as  an  excellent  officer,  and  in  February, 
1777,  he  was  by  that  honorable  body,  created  a  major-general  on 
the  continental  establishment.  For  several  months  he  commanded  a 
division,  or  detachments  in  the  main  army,  under  Washington,  and 
was  in  situations  which  required  the  exercise  of  the  utmost  vigilance 
and  caution,  as  well  as  firmness  and  courage.  Having  the  command 
of  about  five  hundred  men  in  an  exposed  situation  near  Bound  Brook, 
through  the  neglect  of  his  patroles,  a  large  body  of  the  enemy 
approached  within  two  hundred  yards  of  his  quarters  undiscovered  ; 
the  general  had  scarcely  time  to  mount  and  leave  the  house  before  it 
was  surrounded.  He  led  off  his  troops,  however,  in  the  face  of  the 
enemy,  and  made  good  his  retreat,  though  with  the  loss  of  about 
sixty  men  killed  and  wounded.  One  of  his  aids,  with  the  general's 
baggage  and  papers,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  as  did  also 
three  small  pieces  of  artillery.  In  July,  1777,  General  Washington 
selected  him  to  join  the  northern  army  under  the  command  of  General 
Gates,  to  oppose  the  advance  of  General  Burgoyne.  He  took  his 
station  at  Manchester,  in  Vermont,  to  receive  and  form  the  New 
England  militia,  as  they  arrived,  and  to  order  their  march  to  the  rear 
of  the  British  army.  He  detached  Colonel  Brown  with  five  hundred 
men,  on  the  13th  of  September,  to  the  landing  at  Lake  George, 
where  he  succeeded  in  surprising  the  enemy,  and  took  possession  of 
two  hundred  batteaux,  liberated  one  hundred  American  prisoners, 
and  captured  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  of  the  enemy,  with  the 
loss  of  only  three  killed  and  five  wounded.  This  enterprise  was  of 
the  highest  importance,  and  contributed  essentially  to  the  glorious 
event  which  followed.  Having  detached  two  other  parties  to  the 
enemy's  posts  at  Mount  Independence  and  Skenesborough,  General 
Lincoln  united  his  remaining  force  with  the  army  under  General 
Gates,  and  was  the  second  in  command.  During  the  sanguinary 
conflict  on  the  7th  of  October,  General  Lincoln  commanded  within 
our  lines,  and  at  one  o'clock  the  next  morning,  he  marched  with  his 
division  to  relieve  the  troops  that  had  been  engaged,  and  to  occupy 
the  battle  ground,  the  enemy  having  retreated.  While  on  this  duty 
he  had  occasion  to  ride  forward  some  distance,  to  reconnoitre,  and  to 
order  some  disposition  of  his  own  troops,  when  a  party  of  the  enemy 
made  an  unexpected  movement,  and  he  approached  within  musket 


SERVICE     IN     THE      SOUTH.  243 

shot  before  he  was  aware  of  his  mistake.  A  whole  volley  of  mus- 
ketry was  instantly  discharged  at  him  and  his  aids,  and  he  received 
a  wound  by  which  the  bones  of  his  leg  were  badly  fractured,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  be  carried  off  the  field.  The  wound  was  a  formidable 
one,  and  the  loss  of  his  limb  was  for  some  time  apprehended.  He 
was  for  several  months  confined  at  Albany,  and  it  became  necessary 
to  remove  a  considerable  portion  of  the  main  bone  before  he  was 
conveyed  to  his  house  at  Hingham,  and  under  this  painful  surgical 
operation,  the  writer  of  this  being  present,  witnessed  in  him  a  degree 
of  firmness  and  patience  not  to  be  exceeded.  "  I  have  known  him," 
says  Colonel  Rice,  who  was  a  member  of  his  military  family,  "during 
the  most  painful  operation  by  the  surgeon,  while  bystanders  were 
frequently  obliged  to  leave  the  room,  entertain  us  with  some  pleasant 
anecdote,  or  story,  and  draw  forth  a  smile  from  his  friends."  His 
wound  continued  several  years  in  an  ulcerated  state,  and  by  the  loss 
of  the  bone,  the  limb  was  shortened,  which  occasioned  lameness 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

General  Lincoln  certainly  afforded  very  important  assistance  in 
the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  though  it  was  his  unfortunate  lot,  while  in 
active  duty,  to  be  disabled  before  he  could  participate  in  the  capitu- 
lation. Though  his  recovery  was  not  complete,  he  repaired  to  head- 
quarters in  the  following  August,  and  was  joyfully  received  by  the 
commander-in-chief,  who  well  knew  how  to  appreciate  his  merit.  It 
was  from  a  development  of  his  estimable  character  as  a  man,  and 
his  talents  as  a  military  commander,  that  he  was  designated  by  Con- 
gress for  the  arduous  duties  of  the  chief  command  in  the  southern 
department,  under  innumerable  embarrassments.  On  his  arrival  at 
Charleston,  December,  1778,  he  found  that  he  had  to  form  an  army, 
provide  supplies,  and  to  arrange  the  various  departments,  that  he 
might  be  able  to  cope  with  an  enemy  consisting  of  experienced  offi- 
cers and  veteran  troops.  This,  it  is  obvious,  required  a  man  of 
superior  powers,  indefatigable  perseverance,  and  unconquerable 
energy.  Had  not  these  been  his  inherent  qualities,  Lincoln  must 
have  yielded  to  the  formidable  obstacles  which  opposed  his  progress. 
About  the  28th  of  December,  General  Prevost  arrived  with  a  fleet, 
and  about  three  thousand  British  troops,  and  took  possession  of 
Savannah,  after  routing  a  small  party  of  Americans,  under  General 
Robert  Howe.  General  Lincoln  immediately  put  his  troops  in  motion, 
and  took  post  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  city  ;  but  he  was  not  in  force  to  commence  offensive  opera- 
tions, till  the  last  of  February.  In  April,  with  the  view  of  covering 
the  upper  part  of  Georgia,  he  marched  to  Augusta,  after  which  Pre- 
vost, the  British  commander,  crossed  the  river  into  Carolina,  and 


244 


BENJAMIN     LINCOLN. 


Count   T'  ]  staiDg. 

marched  for  Charleston.  General  Lincoln,  therefore,  recrossed  the 
Savannah,  and  followed  his  route,  and  on  his  arrival  near  the  city, 
the  enemy  had  retired  from  before  it  during  the  previous  night.  A 
detachment  of  the  enemy,  supposed  to  be  about  six  hundred  men, 
\mder  Lieutenant- Colonel  Maitland,  being  posted  at  Stone  Ferry, 
where  they  had  erected  works  for  their  defence,  General  Lincoln 
resolVed  to  attack  them,  which  he  did  on  the  19th  of  June.  The 
contest  lasted  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes,  in  which  he  lost  one 
hundred  and  sixty  men  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  enemy  suffered 
about  an  equal  loss.  Their  works  were  found  to  be  much  stronger 
than  had  been  represented,  and  our  artillery  proving  too  light  to 
annoy  them,  and  the  enemy  receiving  a  reinforcement,  our  troops 
were  obliged  to  retire. 

The  next  event  of  importance  which  occurred  with  our  general, 
was  the  bold  assault  on  Savannah,  in  conjunction  with  the  Count 
D'Estaing.  General  Prevost  had  again  possessed  himself  of  that 
city,  and  Count  D'Estaing  arrived  with  his  fleet  and  armament  in 
the  beginning  of  September,   1779.     Having  landed  nearly  three 


SIEGE     OF     CHARLESTON.  246 

thousand  French  troops,  General  Lincoln  immediately  united  about 
one  thousand  men  to  his  force.  The  prospect  of  success  was  highly 
flattering-,  but  the  enemy  exerted  all  their  efforts  in  strengthening 
their  lines,  and  after  the  count  had  summoned  the  garrison,  and 
while  Prevost  was  about  to  arrange  articles  of  capitulation,  he 
received  a  reinforcement.  It  was  now  resolved  to  attempt  the  place 
by  a  regular  siege,  but  various  causes  occasioned  a  delay  of  several 
days,  and  when  it  commenced,  the  cannonade  and  bombardment 
failed  of  producing  the  desired  effect,  and  the  short  time  allowed  the 
count  on  our  coast,  was  quite  insuflicient  for  reducing  the  garrison 
by  regular  approaches.  The  commanders  concluded,  therefore,  to 
make  an  effort  on  the  works  by  assault.  On  the  9th  of  October,  in 
the  morning,  the  troops  were  led  on  by  D'Estaing  and  Lincoln 
united,  while  a  column  led  by  Count  Dillon  missed  their  route  in  the 
darkness,  and  failed  of  the  intended  co-operation.  Amidst  a  most 
appalling  fire  of  the  covered  enemy,  the  allied  troops  forced  the 
abbatis,  and  planted  two  standards  on  the  parapets.  But  being  over- 
powered at  the  point  of  attack,  they  were  compelled  to  retire ;  the 
French  having  seven  hundred,  the  Americans  two  hundred  and  forty 
killed  and  wounded.  The  Count  Pulaski,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of 
our  horse,  was  mortally  wounded. 

/v^  rpENERAL  LINCOLN  next  repaired  to 

"*"     '  ViG    Charleston,  and  endeavored  to  put  that 

city  in  a  posture  of  defence,  urgently 
requesting  of  Congress  a  reinforcement 
of  regular  troops,  and  additional  sup- 
plies, which  were  but  partially  complied 
with.  In  February,  1780,  General  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  arrived,  and  landed  a 
formidable  force  in  the  vicinity,  and  on 
the  30th  of  March  encamped  in  front 
of  the  American  lines  at  Charleston. 
Considering  the  vast  superiority  of  the 
enemy,  both  in  sea  and  land  forces,  it  might  be  questioned  whethei 
prudence  and  correct  judgment  would  dictate  an  attempt  to  defend 
the  city  ;  it  will  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  determination 
was  formed  without  the  most  mature  deliberation,  and  for  reasons 
perfectly  justifiable.  It  is  well  known  that  the  general  was  in  con- 
tinual expectation  of  an  augmentation  of  strength  by  reinforcements. 
On  the  10th  of  April,  the  enemy  having  made  some  advances,  sum- 
moned the  garrison  to  an  unconditional  surrender,  which  was  promptly 
refused.  A  heavy  and  incessant  cannonade  was  sustained  on  each 
gide,  till  the  1 1th  of  May,  when  the  besiegers  had  completed  their 


Battle  Ground  of  Toritown. 

third  parallel  line,  and  having  made  a  second  demand  of  surrender,  a 
capitulation  was  agreed  on. 

It  is  to  be  lamented,  that  with  all  the  judicious  and  vigorous  efforts 
in  his  power.  General  Lincoln  was  requited  only  by  the  frowns  of 
fortune,  whereas  had  he  been  successful  in  his  bold  enterprise  and 
views,  he  would  have  been  crowned  with  unfading  laurels.  But  not- 
withstanding a  series  of  disappointments  and  unfortunate  occurrences, 
he  was  censured  by  no  one,  nor  was  his  judgment  or  merit  called  in 
question.  He  retained  his  popularity,  and  the  confidence  of  the  army, 
and  was  considered  as  a  most  zealous  patriot,  and  the  bravest  of 
soldiers. 

In  the  campaign  of  1781,  General  Lincoln  commanded  a  division 
under  Washington,  and  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  had  his  full 
share  of  the  honor  of  that  brilliant  and  auspicious  event.  The  articles 
of  capitulation  stipulated  for  the  same  honor  in  favor  of  the  surrender- 
ing army,  as  had  been  granted  to  the  garrison  of  Charleston.  General 
Lincoln  was  appointed  to  conduct  them  to  the  field  where  their  arms 
were  deposited,  and  received  the  customary  submission.  In  the 
general  order  of  the  commander-in-chief  the  day  after  the  capitula- 
tion, General  Lincoln  was  among  the  general  officers  whose  services 
were  particularly  mentioned.  In  October,  1781,  he  was  chosen  by 
Congress  secretary  of  war,  retaining  his  rank  in  the  army.     In  this 


LINCOLN     QUELLS     SHAy's     REBELLION.  247 

office  he  continued  till  October,  1783,  when  his  proffered  resigna- 
tion was  accepted  by  Congress. 

Having  relinquished  the  duties  and  cares  of  a  public  employment, 
he  retired  and  devoted  his  attention  to  his  farm;  but  in  1784,  he 
was  chosen  one  of  the  commissioners  and  agents  on  the  part  of  the 
state  to  make  and  execute  a  treaty  with  the  Penobscot  Indians.  When, 
in  the  year  1786-7,  the  authority  of  the  state  government  of  Massa- 
chusetts was  in  a  manner  prostrated,  and  the  country  alarmed  by  a 
most  audacious  spirit  of  insurrection,  under  the  guidance  of  Shay  and 
Day,  General  Lincoln  was  appointed  by  the  governor  and  council,  to 
command  a  detachment  of  militia,  consisting  of  four  or  five  thousand 
men,  to  oppose  their  progress,  and  compel  them  to  a  submission  to 
the  laws.  He  marched  from  Boston  on  the  20th  of  January,  into 
the  counties  of  Worcester,  Hampshire,  and  Berkshire,  where  the 
insurgents  had  erected  their  standard.  They  were  embodied  in  con- 
siderable force,  and  manifested  a  determined  resistance,  and  a  slight 
skirmish  ensued  between  them  and  a  party  of  militia  under  General 
Shepherd.  Lincoln,  however,  conducted  with  such  address  and 
energy,  that  the  insurgents  were  routed  from  one  town  to  another, 
till  they  were  completely  dispersed  in  all  directions  ;  and  by  his  wise 
and  prudent  measures  the  insurrection  was  happily  suppressed  with- 
out bloodshed,  excepting  a  few  individuals  who  were  slain  under 
General  Shepherd's  command. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  for  ratifying  the  federal  con- 
stitution, and  in  the  summer  of  1789  he  received  from  President 
Washington  the  appointment  of  collector  of  the  port  of  Boston,  which 
office  he  sustained  till  being  admonished  by  the  increasing  infirmities 
of  age,  he  requested  permission  to  resign. 

Having,  after  his  resignation  of  the  office  of  collector,  passed  about 
two  years  in  retirement  and  in  tranquillity  of  mind,  but  experiencing 
the  feebleness  of  age,  he  received  a  short  attack  of  disease  by  which 
his  honorable  life  was  terminated  on  the  9th  of  May,  1810,  aged 
seventy-seven  years. 

The  following  tribute  is  on  the  records  of  the  society  of  Cincinnati. 
"At  the  annual  meeting  in  July,  1810,  Major-General  John  Brooks 
was  chosen  president  of  the  society,  to  supply  the  place  of  our 
venerable  and  much  lamented  president,  General  Benjamin  Lincoln, 
who  had  presided  over  the  society  from  the  organization  thereof  in 
1783,  to  the  9th  of  May,  1810,  the  day  of  his  decease,  with  the 
entire  approbation  of  every  member,  and  the  grateful  tribute  of  his 
surviving  comrades,  for  his  happy  guidance  and  affectionate  attentions 
during  so  long  a  period." 

While  at  Purysburg,  on  the  Savannah  river,  a  soldier  named  Pick- 


248  BENJAMIN     LINCOLN. 

ling,  having  been  detected  in  frequent  attempts  to  desert,  was  tried 
and  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  The  general  ordered  the  execution. 
The  rope  broke  :  a  second  was  procured,  which  broke  also:  the  case 
was  reported  to  the  general  for  directions.  "  Let  him  run,"  said  the 
general,  "  I  thought  he  looked  like  a  scape-gallows." 

Major  Garden,  in  his  Anecdotes  of  the  American  Revolution,  re- 
lates this  story  with  some  addition.  It  happened  that,  as  Fielding 
was  led  to  execution,  the  surgeon-general  of  the  army  passed  acci- 
dentally, on  his  way  to  his  quarters,  which  were  at  some  distance. 
When  the  second  rope  was  procured,  the  adjutant  of  the  regiment, 
a  stout  and  heavy  man,  assayed  by  every  means  to  break  it,  but 
without  effect.  Fielding  was  then  haltered  and  again  turned  off, 
when,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  bystanders,  the  rope  untwisted, 
and  he  fell  a  second  time  uninjured  to  the  ground.  A  cry  for  mercy 
was  now  general  throughout  the  ranks,  which  occasioned  Mr.  Lad- 
son,  aid-de-camp  to  General  Lincoln,  to  gallop  to  head-quarters,  to 
make  a  representation  of  facts,  which  were  no  sooner  stated  than 
an  immediate  pardon  was  granted,  accompanied  with  an  order  that 
he  should  instantaneously  be  drummed,  with  every  mark  of  infamy, 
out  of  camp,  and  threatened  with  instant  death,  if  he  ever  should  be 
found  attempting  to  approach  it.  In  the  interim,  the  surgeon-gene- 
ral had  established  himself  at  his  quarters,  in  a  distant  barn,  little 
doubting  but  that  the  catastrophe  was  at  an  end,  and  Fickling  quietly 
resting  in  his  grave.  Midnight  was  at  hand,  and  he  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  writing,  when  hearing  the  approach  of  a  footstep,  he  raised 
his  eyes,  and  saw  with  astonishment  the  figure  of  the  man  who  had 
in  his  opinion  been  executed,  slowly  and  with  haggard  countenance 
approaching  towards  him.  "  How  !  how  is  this  ?"  exclaimed  the  doc- 
tor, "  whence  come  you  ?  what  do  you  want  with  me  ?  were  you  not 
hanged  this  morning  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  resuscitated  man,  "  I 
am  the  wretch  you  saw  going  to  the  gallows,  and  who  was  hanged." 
"  Keep  your  distance,"  said  the  doctor,  "  approach  me  not,  till  you 
say  why  you  come  here."  "  Simply,  sir,"  said  the  supposed  spectre, 
"  to  solicit  food.  I  am  no  ghost,  doctor.  The  rope  broke  twice, 
while  the  executioner  was  doing  his  office,  and  the  general  thought 
proper  to  pardon  me."  "  If  that  be  the  case,"  rejoined  the  doctor, 
"  eat  and  be  welcome  ;  but  I  beg  of  you  in  future  to  have  a  little 
more  consideration,  and  not  intrude  so  unceremoniously  into  the 
apartment  of  one  who  had  every  right  to  suppose  you  an  inhabitant 
of  the  tomb." 


COLONEL  JOHN  LAURENS, 


,0N  of  Henry  Laurens,  was  born  in  Charles- 
ton, in  1755.  In  youth  he  discovered  that 
energy  of  character  which  distinguished  him 
through  life.  When  a  lad,  though  laboring 
under  a  fever,  on  the  cry  of  fire,  he  leaped  from  his 
bed,  hastened  to  the  scene  of  danger,  and  was  in  a 
few"  minutes  on  the  top  of  the  exposed  houses,  risk- 
ing his  life  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  flames.  This  is  the  more 
worthy  of  notice,  for  precisely  in  the  same  way,  and  under  a  similar 
but  higher  impulse  of  ardent  patriotism,  he  lost  his  life  in  the  year 
1782. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  taken  to  Europe  by  his  father,  and 
there  put  under  the  best  means  of  instruction  in  Geneva,  and  after- 
ward in  London. 

He  was  entered  a  student  of  law  at  the  temple  in  1774,  and  was 
daily  improving  in  legal  knowledge  till  the  disputes  between  Great 
Britain  and  her  colonies  arrested  his  attention.  He  soon  found  that 
the  claims  of  the  mother  country  struck  at  the  root  of  liberty  in  the 
colonies,  and  that  she  perseveringly  resolved  to  enforce  these  claims 
at  every  hazard.  Fain  would  he  have  come  out  to  join  his  country- 
men in  arms  at  the  commencement  of  the  contest ;  but  the  peremp- 

249 


350  JOHN     LAURENS. 

tory  order  of  his  father  enjoined  his  continuance  in  England,  to  pro- 
secute his  studies  and  finish  his  education.  As  a  dutiful  son  he 
obeyed  these  orders  ;  btit  as  a  patriot  burning  with  desire  to  defend 
his  country,  he  dismissed  Coke,  Littleton,  and  all  the  tribe  of  jurists, 
and  substituted  in  their  place  Vauban,  Folard,  and  other  writers  on 
war.  He  also  availed  himself  of  the  excellent  opportunities  which 
London  affords  of  acquiring  practical  knowledge  of  the  manual  ex- 
ercise, of  tactics,  and  the  mechanism  of  war.  Thus  instructed,  as 
soon  as  he  was  a  freeman  of  legal  age,  he  quitted  England  for  France, 
and  by  a  circuitous  voyage  in  neutral  vessels,  and  at  a  considerable 
risk  made  his  way  good,  in  the  year  1777,  to  Charleston. 

Independence  had  been  declared — the  American  army  was  raised^ 
officered,  and  in  the  field.  He  who,  by  his  attainments  in  general 
science,  and  particularly  in  the  military  art,  deserved  high  rank,  had 
no  ordinary  door  left  open  to  serve  his  country,  but  by  entering  in 
the  lowest  grade  of  an  army  abounding  with  officers.  General 
Washington,  ever  attentive  to  merit,  instantly  took  him  into  his 
family  as  a  supernumerary  aid-de-camp.  Shortly  after  this  appoint- 
ment, he  had  an  opportunity  of  indulging  his  military  ardor.  He 
fought  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Germantown,  October  4th, 
1777.  He  continued  in  General  Washington's  family  in  the  middle 
states  till  the  British  had  retreated  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  June  28,  1778. 

After  this,  the  war  being  transferred  more  northwardly,  he  was 
indulged  in  attaching  himself  to  the  army  in  Rhode  Island,  where 
the  most  active  operations  were  expected  soon  to  take  place.  There 
he  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  some  light  troops.  The  bravery 
and  good  conduct  which  he  displayed  on  this  occasion  was  honored 
by  Congress. 

N  the  5th  of  November,  1778,  they 
resolved,  "  that  John  Laurens,  Esq., 
aid-de-camp  to  General  Washington, 
be  presented  with  a  continental  com- 
mission of  lieutenant-colonel,  in  testimony  of 
the  sense  which  Congress  entertain  of  his  patri- 
otic and  spirited  services  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
American  army  ;  and  of  his  brave  conduct  in 
several  actions,  particularly  in  that  of  Rhode 
Island,  on  the  29th  of  August  last ;  and  that 
General  Washington  be  directed,  whenever  an  opportunity  shall 
offer,  to  give  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens  command  agreeable  to  his 
rank."  On  the  next  day,  a  letter  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens 
Was  read  in  Congress,  expressing  "  his  gratitude  for  the  unexpected 


SERVICE     IN     CAROLINA.  251 

honor  which  Congress  were  pleased  to  confer  on  him  by  the  resohi- 
tion  passed  the  day  before  ;  and  the  high  satisfaction  it  would  have 
aUbrded  him,  could  he  have  accepted  it  without  injuring  the  rights 
of  the  officers  in  the  line  of  the  army,  and  doing  an  evident  injustice 
to  his  colleagues  in  the  family  of  the  commander-in-chief — that 
having  been  a  spectator  of  the  convulsions  occasioned  in  the  army 
by  disputes  of  rank,  he  held  the  tranquillity  of  it  too  dear  to  be 
instrumental  in  disturbing  it,  and  therefore  entreated  Congress  to 
suppress  the  resolve  of  yesterday,  ordering  him  a  commission  of 
lieutenant-colonel,  and  to  accept  his  sincere  thanks  for  the  intended 
honor."  In  this  relinquishment  there  was  a  victory  gained  by  patriot- 
ism over  self-love.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens  loved  military  fame 
and  rank  ;  but  he  loved  his  country  more,  and  sacrificed  the  former 
to  preserve  the  peace  and  promote  the  interests  of  the  latter. 

N  the  next  year  the  British  directed  their  military 
operations  chiefly  against  the  most  southern  states. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  John  Laurens  was  induced  by 
double  motives  to  repair  to  Carolina.  The  post 
of  danger  was  always  the  object  of  his  preference. 
His  native  state  was  become  the  theatre  of  war. 
To  its  aid  he  repaired,  and  in  May,  1779,  with  a 
party  of  light  troops,  had  a  skirmish  with  the  British 
at  Tulifinny.  In  endeavoring  to  obstruct  their  progress  towards 
Charleston,  he  received  a  wound.  This  was  no  sooner  cured  than 
he  rejoined  the  army,  and  was  engaged  in  the  unsuccessful  attack 
on  Savannah,  on  the  9th  of  October  of  the  same  year.  To  prepare 
for  the  defence  of  Charleston,  the  reduction  of  which  was  known  to 
be  contemplated  by  the  British,  was  the  next  object  of  attention 
among  the  Americans.  To  this  Colonel  Laurens  devoted  all  the 
energies  of  his  active  mind. 

In  the  progress  of  the  siege,  which  commenced  in  1780,  the 
success  of  defensive  operations  became  doubtful.  .  Councils  of  war 
were  frequent — several  of  the  citizens  were  known  to  wish  for  a 
surrender  as  a  termination  of  their  toils  and  dangers.  In  these 
councils  and  on  proper  occasions,  Colonel  Laurens  advocated  the 
abandonment  of  the  front  lines,  and  to  retire  to  new  ones,  to  be 
erected  within  the  old  ones,  and  to  risk  an  assault.  When  these 
spirited  measures  were  opposed  on  the  suggestion  that  the  inhabit- 
ants preferred  a  capitulation,  he  declared  that  he  would  direct  his 
sword  to  the  heart  of  the  first  citizen  who  would  urge  a  capitulation 
against  the  opinion  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

When  his  superior  officers,  convinced  of  the  inefficacy  of  further 
resistance,  were  disposed  to  surrender  on  terms  of  capitulation,  he 


252  JOHN     LAURENS. 

yielded  to  the  necessity  of  the  case,  and  became  a  prisoner  of  war. 
This  reverse  of  fortune  opened  a  new  door  for  serving  his  country 
in  a  higher  hne  than  he  ever  yet  had  done.  He  w^as  soon  exchanged, 
and  reinstated  in  a  capacity  for  acting.  In  expediting  his  exchange. 
Congress  had  the  ulterior  vieAv  of  sending  him  as  a  special  minister 
to  Paris,  that  he  might  urge  the  necessity  of  a  vigorous  co-operation 
on  the  part  of  France  with  the  United  States  against  Great  Britain. 
When  this  was  proposed  to  Colonel  Laurens,  he  recommended  and 
urged  that  Colonel  Alexander  Hamilton  should  be  employed  in  pre- 
ference to  himself.     Congress  adhered  to  their  first  choice. 

Colonel  Laurens  sailed  for  France  in  the  latter  end  of  1780  ;  and 
there  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Franklin,  and  Count  de  Vergennes,  and 
Marquis  de  Castries,  arranged  the  plan  of  the  campaign  for  1781  ; 
which  eventuated  in  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  and  finally 
in  a  termination  of  the  war.  Within  six  months  from  the  day  Lau- 
rens left  America,  he  returned  to  it,  and  brought  with  him  the  con- 
certed plan  of  combined  operations.  Ardent  to  rejoin  the  army, 
he  was  indulged  with  making  a  verbal  report  of  his  negotiations  to 
Congress  ;  and  in  three  days  set  out  to  resume  his  place  as  one  of 
the  aids  of  W^ashington.  The  American  and  French  army,  about  this 
time  commenced  the  siege  of  Yorktown.  In  the  course  of  it,  Colonel 
Laurens,  as  second  in  command,  with  his  fellow  aid.  Colonel  Hamil- 
ton, assisted  in  storming  and  taking  an  advanced  British  redoubt, 
which  expedited  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  The  articles  of 
capitulation  were  arranged  by  Colonel  Laurens  on  behalf  of  the 
Americans.  Charleston  and  a  part  of  South  Carolina  still  remained 
in  the  power  of  the  British.  Colonel  Laurens  deeming  nothing  done 
while  any  thing  remained  undone,  repaired  on  the  surrender  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  to  South  Carolina,  and  joined  the  army  under  General 
Greene.  In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1782  he  caught  a  common 
fever,  and  was  sick  in  bed  when  an  expedition  was  undertaken  against 
a  party  of  British,  which  had  gone  to  Combahee  to  carry  off  rice. 
Laurens  rose  from  his  sick  bed  and  joined  his  countrymen.  While 
leading  an  advanced  party,  he  received  a  shot,  which,  on  the  27th  of 
August,  1782,  put  an  end  to  his  valuable  life  in  the  twenty-seventh 
year  of  his  age. — His  many  virtues  have  been  ever  since  the  subject 
of  eulogy,  and  his  early  fall,  of  national  lamentation. 


MAJOR  GENERAL   CHARLES  LEE. 


ENERAL  LEE  was  an  original 
genius,    possessing    the    most 
brilliant  talents,  great  military 
powers,  and  extensive   intelli- 
gence and   knowledge  of  the 
world.     He  was  born  in  Wales,  his  family 
springing  from  the  same  parent  stock  with 
the  Earl  of  Leicester. 

He  may  properly  be  called  a  child  of 
Mars,  for  he  was  an  officer  when  but  eleven 
years  old.  His  favorite  study  was  the 
science  of  war,  and  his  warmest  wish  was  to  become  distinguished 
in  it ;  but  though  possessed  of  a  mihtary  spirit,  he  was  ardent  in  the 

253 


254 


CHARLES     LEE. 


S-ISS  :ri 


General  A'bercrom'bie's   Array  crossing  Lake  George. 

pursuit  of  general  knowledge.  He  acquired  a  competent  skill  in 
Greek  and  Latin,  while  his  fondness  for  travelling  made  him 
acquainted  with  the  Italian,  Spanish,  German,  and  French  languages. 

In  1756,  he  came  to  America,  captain  of  a  company  of  grenadiers, 
and  crossed  Lake  George  with  the  army,  and  was  present  at  the 
defeat  of  General  Abercrombie,  at  Ticonderoga,  where  he  received 
a  severe  wound.  In  1762,  he  bore  a  colonel's  commission,  and 
served  under  Burgoyne  in  Portugal,  where  he  greatly  distinguished 
him.self,  and  received  the  strongest  recommendations  for  his  gallantry ; 
but  his  early  attachment  to  the  American  colonies,  evmced  in  his 
writings  against  the  oppressive  acts  of  parliament,  lost  him  the  favor 
of  the  ministry.  Despairing  of  promotion,  and  despising  a  life  of 
inactivity,  he  left  his  native  soil  and  entered  into  the  service  of  his 
Polish  majesty,  as  one  of  his  aids,  with  the  rank  of  major-general. 

His  rambling  disposition  led  him  to  travel  all  over  Europe,  during 
the  years  of  1771,  1772,  and  part  of  1773,  and  his  warmth  of  temper 
drew  him  into  several  rencounters,  among  which  was  an  affair  of 
honor  with  an  officer  in  Italy.  The  contest  was  begun  with  swords, 
when  the  general  lost  two  of  his  fingers.  Recourse  was  then  had  to 
pistols.  His  adversary  was  slain,  and  he  was  obliged  to  flee  from 
the  country,  in  order  that  he  might  avoid  the  unpleasant  circum- 
stances which  might  result  from  this  unhappy  circumstance. 

General  Lee  appeared  to  be  influenced  by  an  innate  principle  of 
republicanism  ;  an  attachment  to  these  principles  was  implanted  in 
the  constitution  of  his  mind,  and  he  espoused  the  cause  of  America 
as  a  champion  of  her  emancipation  from  oppression. 


J 


LEE      APPOINTED     A     MAJOR      GENERAL. 


255 


Glowingwith  these  sentiments,  he  embarked  for  this  country,  and 
arrived  at  New  York  on  the  10th  of  November,  1773.  On  his 
arrival,  he  became  daily  more  enthusiastic  in  the  cause  of  liberty, 
and  travelled  rapidly  through  the  colonies,  animating  the  people, 
both  by  conversation  and  his  eloquent  pen,  to  a  determined  and 
persevering  resistance  to  British  tyranny. 

His  enthusiasm  in  favor  of  the  rights  of  the  colonies  vv-as  such,  that, 
after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he  accepted  a  major-general's  commis- 
sion in  the  American  army  ;  though  his  ambition  had  pointed  out  to 
him  the  post  of  commander-in-chief,  as  the  object  of  his  wishes. 
Previous  to  this,  however,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  British 
service,  and  relinquished  his  half-pay.  This  he  did  in  a  letter  to  the 
British  secretary  at  war,  in  which  he  expressed  his  disapprobation 
of  the  oppressive  measures  of  Parliament,  declaring  them  to  be  so 
absolutely  subversive  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  every  individual 
subject,  so  destructive  to  the  whole  empire  at  large,  and  ultimately, 
so  ruinous  to  his  majesty's  own  person,  dignity,  and  family,  that  he 
thought  himself  obliged  in  conscience,  as  a  citizen,  an  Englishman, 
and  soldier  of  a  free  state,  to  exert  his  utmost  to  defeat  them. 

Immediately  upon  receiving  his  appointment,  he  accompanied 
General  Washington  to  the  camp  at  Cambridge,  where  he  arrived 
July  2d,  1775,  and  was  received  with  every  mark  of  respect. 

As  soon  as  it  was  discovered  at  Cambridge  that  the  British  General 
Clinton  had  left  Boston,  General  Lee  was  ordered  to  set  forward,  to 
observe  his  manoeuvres,  and  prepare  to  meet  him  in  any  part  of  the 
continent  he  might  visit.  No  man  was  better  qualified,  at  this  early 
state  of  the  war,  to  penetrate  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  than  Lee. 
Nursed  in  the  camp,  and  well  versed  in  European  tactics,  the  soldiers 
believed  him,  of  all  other  officers,  the  best  able  to  face  in  the  field 
an  experienced  British  veteran,  and  lead  them  on  to  victory. 

New  York  was  supposed  to  be  the  object  of  the  enemy,  and  hither 
he  hastened  with  all  possible  expedition.  Immediately  on  his 
arrival,  Lee  took  the  most  active  and  prompt  measures  to  put  it  in  a 
state  of  defence.  He  disarmed  all  suspected  persons  within  the 
reach  of  his  command,  and  proceeded  with  such  rigor  against  the 
tories,  as  to  give  alarm  at  his  assumption  of  military  powers.  Erom 
the  tories  he  exacted  a  strong  oath,  and  his  bold  measures  carried 
terror  wherever  he  appeared. 

Not  long  after  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  southern 
department,  and  in  his  travels  through  the  country,  he  received 
every  testimony  of  high  respect  from  the  people.  General  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  and  Sir  Peter  Parker,  with  a  powerful  fleet  and  army, 
attempted  the  reduction  of  Charleston,  while  he  was  in  the  command. 


// 


256 


CHARLES     LEE. 


Sir  Peter  Parker. 

The  fleet  anchored  within  half  musket  shot  of  the  fort  on  Sullivan's 
Island,  where  Colonel  Moultrie,  one  of  the  bravest  and  m%t  intrepid 
of  men,  commanded.  A  tremendous  engagement  ensued  on  the 
28th  of  June,  1776,  which  lasted  twelve  hours  without  intermission. 
The  whole  British  force  was  completely  repulsed,  after  suffering  an 
irreparable  loss. 

Genera]  Lee  and  Colonel  Moultrie  received  the  thanks  of  Congress 
for  their  signal  bravery  and  gallantry. 

Our  hero  had  now  reached  the  pinnacle  of  his  military  glory  ;  the 
eclat  of  his  name  alone  appeared  to  enchant  and  animate  the  most 
desponding  heart.  But  here  we  pause  to  contemplate  the  humiliating 
reverse  of  human  events.  He  returned  to  the  main  army  in  October  ; 
and  in  marching  at  the  head  of  a  large  detachment  through  the 
Jerseys,  having,  from  a  desire  of  retaining  a  separate  command, 
delayed  his  march  several  days,  in  disobedience  of  express  orders 


CAPTURE      OF     LEE. 


257 


General  Lee's  Head-quarters  at  BasMngridge. 

from  the  commander-in-chief,  he  was  guilty  of  most  culpable  negli- 
gence in  regard  to  his  personal  security.  He  took  up  his  quarters 
two  or  three  miles  from  the  main  body,  and  lay  for  the  night, 
December  13th,  1776,  in  a  careless,  exposed  situation.  Information 
of  this  being  communicated  to  Colonel  Harcourt,  who  commanded 
the  British  light  horse,  he  proceeded  immediately  to  the  house  which 
was  General  Lee's  head-quarters  at  Baskingridge,  fired  into  it,  and 
obliged  the  general  to  surrender  himself  a  prisoner.  They  mounted 
him  on  a  horse  in  haste,  without  his  cloak  or  hat,  and  conveyed  him 
in  triumph  to  New  York. 

Lee  was  treated,  while  a  prisoner,  with  great  severity  by  the 
enemy,  who  affected  to  consider  him  as  a  state  prisoner  and  deserter 
from  the  service  of  his  Britannic  majesty,  and  denied  him  the  privi- 
leges of  an  American  officer.  General  Washington  promptly  retaliated 
the  treatment  received  by  Lee  upon  the  British  officers  in  his  pos- 
session. This  state  of  things  existed  until  the  capture  of  Burgoyne, 
when  a  complete  change  of  treatment  was  observed  towards  Lee ; 
and  he  was  shortly  afterward  exchanged. 

The  first  military  act  of  General  Lee,  after  his  exchange,  closed 
his  career  in  the  American  army.  Previous  to  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth, his  character  in  general  was  respectable.  From  the  begin- 
ning of  the  contest,  his  unremitted  zeal  in  the  cause  of  America 

17 


258  CHARLES     LEE. 

excited  and  directed  the  military  spirit  of  the  whole  continent ;  and 
his  conversation  inculcated  the  principles  of  liberty  among  all  ranks 
of  the  people. 

His  important  services  excited  the  warm  gratitude  of  many  of  the 
friends  of  America.  Hence  it  is  said  that  a  strong  party  was  formed 
in  Congress,  and  by  some  discontented  officers  in  the  army,  to  raise 
Lee  to  the  first  command  :  and  it  has  been  suggested  by  many  that 
General  Lee's  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth  was  intended  to 
effect  this  plan :  for  could  the  odium  of  the  defeat  have  been  at  this 
time  thrown  on  General  Washington,  there  is  great  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  he  would  have  been  deprived  of  his  command. 

It  is  now  to  be  seen  how  General  Lee  terminated  his  military 
career.  In  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1778,  he 
commanded  the  van  of  the  American  troops,  with  orders  from  the 
commander-in-chief  to  attack  the  retreating  enemy.  Instead  of 
obeying  this  order,  he  conducted  in  an  unworthy  manner,  and  greatly 
disconcerted  the  arrangements  of  the  day.  Washington,  advancing 
to  the  field  of  battle,  met  him  in  his  disorderly  retreat,  and  accosted 
him  with  strong  expressions  of  disapprobation.  Lee,  incapable  of 
brooking  even  an  implied  indignity,  and  unable  to  restrain  the  warmth 
of  his  resentment,  used  improper  language  in  return,  and  some  irri- 
tation was  excited  on  both  sides.  The  following  letters  immediately 
after  passed  between  Lee  and  the  commander-in-chief. 

Camp,  English  Town,  7 
1st  July,  1778.      5 

Sir — From  the  knowledge  that  I  have  of  your  Excellency's  cha- 
racter, I  must  conclude  that  nothing  but  the  misinformation  of  some 
very  stupid,  or  misrepresentation  of  some  very  wicked  person,  could 
have  occasioned  your  making  use  of  such  very  singular  expressions 
as  you  did,  on  my  coming  up  to  the  ground  where  you  had  taken 
post :  they  implied  that  I  was  guilty  either  of  disobedience  of  or- 
ders, want  of  conduct,  or  want  of  courage.  Your  excellency  will, 
therefore,  infinitely  oblige  me  by  letting  me  know  on  which  of  these 
three  articles  you  ground  your  charge,  that  I  may  prepare  for  my 
justification ;  which  I  have  the  happiness  to  be  confident  I  can  do, 
to  the  army,  to  Congress,  to  America,  and  to  the  world  in  general. 
Your  Excellency  must  give  me  leave  to  observe,  that  neither  your- 
self, nor  those  about  your  person,  could,  from  your  situation,  be  in 
the  least  judges  of  the  merits  or  demerits  of  our  manoeuvres  ;  and, 
to  speak  with  a  becoming  pride,  I  can  assert  that  to  these  manoeuvres 
the  success  of  the  day  was  entirely  owing.  I  can  boldly  say,  that, 
had  we  remained  on  the  first  ground — or  had  we  advanced — or  had 
the  retreat  been  conducted  in  a  manner  different  from  what  it  was, 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  WASHINGTON.        259 

this  whole  army,  and  the  interests  of  America  would  have  risked 
being  sacrificed.  I  ever  had,  and  I  hope  ever  shall  have  the  greatest 
respect  and  veneration  for  General  Washington  ;  I  think  him  en- 
dowed with  many  great  and  good  qualities  :  but  in  this  instance  1 
must  pronounce  that  he  has  been  guilty  of  an  act  of  cruel  injustice 
towards  a  man  who  had  certainly  some  pretensions  to  the  regard  of 
every  servant  of  his  country  ;  and  I  think,  sir,  I  have  a  right  to  de- 
mand some  reparation  for  the  injury  committed  ;  and  unless  I  can 
obtain  it,  I  must  in  justice  to  myself,  when  the  campaign  is  closed, 
which  I  believe  will  close  the  war,  retire  from  a  service  at  the  head 
of  which  is  placed  a  man  capable  of  offering  such  injuries ;  but  at 
the  same  time,  in  justice  to  you,  I  must  repeat  that  I  from  my  soul 
believe  that  it  was  not  a  motion  of  your  own  breast,  but  instigated 
by  some  of  those  dirty  earwigs  who  will  forever  insinuate  themselves 
near  persons  in  high  office  ;  for  I  am  really  assured  that,  when  Gene- 
ral Washington  acts  from  himself,  no  man  in  his  army  will  have 
reason  to  complain  of  injustice  and  indecorum. 

I  am,  sir,  and  I  hope  ever  shall  have  reason  to  continue, 

Yours,  &c. 

Charles  Lee. 

Sis  Exc'y  Cfen.  Washington, 

Heas-Quartebs,  English  Towit,  ") 
28th  June,  1778.      3 

Sir — I  received  your  letter,  dated  through  mistake  the  first  of 
July,  expressed,  as  T  conceive,  in  terms  highly  improper.  I  am  not 
conscious  of  having  made  use  of  any  singular  expressions  at  the  time 
of  my  meeting  you,  as  you  intimate.  What  I  recollect  to  have  said 
was  dictated  by  duty,  and  warranted  by  the  occasion.  As  soon  as 
circumstances  will  admit,  you  shall  have  an  opportunity,  either  of 
justifying  yourself  to  the  army,  to  Congress,  to  America,  and  to  the 
world  in  general,  or  of  convincing  them  that  you  are  guilty  of  a 
breach  of  orders,  and  of  misbehavior  before  the  enemy  on  the  28th 
instant,  in  not  attacking  them  as  you  had  been  directed,  and  in 
making  an  unnecessary,  disorderly,  and  shameful  retreat. 
I  am,  sir. 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

G.  Washington. 

A  court  martial,  of  which  Lord  Stirling  was  president,  was  ordered 
for  his  trial,  and  after  a  masterly  defence  by  General  Lee,  found  him 
guilty  of  all  the  charges,  and  sentenced  him  to  be  suspended  from 
any  command  in  the  army  for  the  term  of  twelve  months.  This 
sentence  was  shortly  afterwards  confirmed  by  Congress. 


260 


CHARLES     LEE. 


When  promulgated,  it  was  like  a  mortal  wound  to  the  lofty,  aspir- 
ing- spirit  of  General  Lee ;  pointing  to  his  dog  he  exclaimed — "  Oh 
that  I  was  that  animal,  that  I  might  not  call  man  my  brother."  He 
became  outrageous,  and  from  that  moment  he  was  more  open  and 
virulent  in  his  attack  on  the  character  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
and  did  not  cease  in  his  unwearied  endeavors,  both  in  conversation 
and  writings,  to  lessen  his  reputation  in  the  army,  and  the  public. 
He  was  an  active  abettor  of  General  Conway,  in  his  calumny  and 
abuse  of  General  Washington,  and  they  were  believed  to  be  in  con- 
cert in  their  vile  attempts  to  supersede  his  Excellency  in  the  supreme 
command.  W^ith  the  hope  of  effecting  his  nefarious  purpose,  he 
published  a  pamphlet  replete  with  scurrilous  imputations  unfavorable 
to  the  military  talents  of  the  commander-in-chief,  but  this,  with  his 
other  malignant  allegations,  was  consigned  to  contempt. 

At  length,  Colonel  Laurens,  one  of  General  Washington's  aids, 
unable  longer  to  suffer  this  gross  abuse  of  his  illustrious  friend, 
demanded  of  Lee  that  satisfaction  which  custom  has  sanctioned  as 
honorable.  A  recounter  accordingly  ensued,  and  Lee  received  a 
wound  in  his  side. 

EE  now  finding  himself  abandoned  by 
his  friends,  degraded  in  the  eye  of  the 
public,  and  despised  by  the  wise  and 
virtuous,  retired  to  his  sequestered 
plantation  in  Virginia.  In  this  spot,  secluded 
from  all  society,  he  lived  in  a  sort  of  hovel 
without  glass  windows  or  plastering,  or  even 
a  decent  article  of  house  furniture ;  here  he 
amused  himself  with  his  books  and  dogs.  On 
January  18th,  1780,  Congress  resolved  that 
Major-General  Lee  be  informed  that  they  have  no  further  occasion 
for  his  services  in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  In  the  autumn  of 
1782,  wearied  with  his  forlorn  situation,  and  broken  spirit,  he 
resorted  to  Philadelphia,  and  took  lodgings  in  an  ordinary  tavern. 
He  was  soon  seized  with  a  disease  of  the  lungs,  and  after  a  few  days 
confinement,  he  terminated  his  mortal  course,  a  martyr  to  chagrin 
and  disappointment,  October  2d,  1782.  The  last  words  which  he 
was  heard  to  utter,  were,  "  stand  by  me,  my  brave  grenadiers." 

General  Lee  was  rather  above  the  middle  size,  "  plain  in  his  per- 
son even  to  ugliness,  and  careless  in  his  manners  even  to  a  degree 
of  rudeness  ;  his  nose  was  so  remarkably  aquiline  that  it  appeared 
as  a  real  deformity.  His  voice  was  rough,  his  garb  ordinary,  his  de- 
portment morose.  He  was  ambitious  of  fame,  without  the  dignity 
to   support  it.     In  private  life  he   sunk  into  the  vulgarity  of  the 


ANKCDOTE      OF     LEE.  261 

clown."  His  remarkable  partiality  for  dogs  was  such,  that  a  number 
of  these  animals  constantly  followed  in  his  train,  and  the  ladies  com- 
plained that  he  allowed  his  canine  adherents  to  follow  him  into  the 
parlor,  and  not  unfrequently  a  favorite  one  roif^ht  be  seen  on  a  chair 
next  his  elbow  at  table. 

In  the  year  1776,  when  our  army  lay  at  White  Plains,  Lee  resided 
near  the  road  which  General  Washington  frequently  passed,  and  he 
one  day  with  his  aids  called  and  took  dinner ;  after  they  had  de- 
parted, Lee  said  to  his  aids,  "  You  must  look  me  out  other  quarters, 
or  I  shall  have  Washington  and  his  puppies  calling  till  they  eat  me 
up."  The  next  day  he  ordered  his  servant  to  write  with  chalk  on 
the  door,  "No  victuals  cooked  here  to-day."  The  company,  seeing 
the  hint  on  the  door,  passed  by  with  a  smile  at  the  oddity  of  the 
man.  "  The  character  of  this  person,"  says  one  who  knew  him 
well,  "  is  full  of  absurdities  and  qualities  of  a  most  extraordinary 
nature." 

While  in  Philadelphia,  shortly  before  his  death,  the  following 
ludicrous  circumstance  took  place,  which  created  no  small  diversion. 
HE  late  Judge  Brackenridge,  whose  poignancy  of 
satire  and  eccentricity  of  character  was  nearly 
a  match  for  that  of  the  general,  had  dipped  his 
pen  in  some  gall,  which  greatly  irritated  Lee's 
feelings,  insomuch  that  he  challenged  him  to  single 
combat,  which  Brackenridge  declined  in  a  very 
eccentric  reply.  Lee,  having  furnished  himself 
with  a  horsewhip,  determined  to  chastise  him  ignominiously  on  the 
very  first  opportunity.  Observing  Brackenridge  going  down  Market 
street,  a  few  days  after,  he  gave  him  chase,  and  Brackenridge  took 
refuge  in  a  public  house,  and  barricaded  the  door  of  the  room  he 
entered.  A  number  of  persons  collected  to  see  the  result.  -Lee 
damned  him,  and  invited  him  to  come  out  and  fight  him  like  a  man. 
Brackenridge  replied  that  he  did  not  like  to  be  shot  at,  and  made 
some  other  curious  observations,  which  only  increased  Lee's  irrita- 
tion and  the  mirth  of  the  spectators,  Lee,  with  the  most  bitter 
imprecation,  ordered  him  to  come  out,  when  he  said  he  would  horse- 
whip him.  Brackenridge  rephed,  that  he  had  no  occasion  for  a  dis- 
cipline of  that  kind.  The  amusing  scene  lasted  some  time,  until  at 
length  Lee,  finding  that  he  could  accomplish  no  other  object  than 
calling  forth  Brackenridge's  wit  for  the  amusement  of  the  by-standers, 
retired. 

General  Lee  was  master  of  a  most  genteel  address,  but  was  rude 
in  his  manners,  and  excessively  negligent  in  his  appearance  and  be- 
havior.    His  appetite  was  so  whimsical  that  he  was  everywhere  a 


262  CHARLES     LEE. 

most  troublesome  guest.  Two  or  three  dogs  usually  followed  him 
wherever  he  went.  As  an  officer  he  was  brave  and  able,  and  did 
much  towards  disciplining  the  American  army.  With  vigorous  powers 
of  mind,  and  a  brilliant  fancy,  he  was  a  correct  and  elegant  classical 
scholar,  and  he  both  wrote  and  spoke  his  native  language  with  propriety, 
force  and  beauty.  His  temper  was  severe  ;  the  history  of  his  life  is 
little  else  than  the  history  of  disputes,  quarrels  and  duels,  in  every  part 
of  the  world.  He  was  vindictive,  avaricious,  immoral,  impious  and 
profane.  His  principles,  as  would  be  expected  from  his  character, 
were  most  abandoned,  and  he  ridiculed  every  tenet  of  religion.  Two 
virtues  he  possessed  to  an  eminent  degree,  sincerity  and  veracity.  It 
was  notorious  that  General  Lee  was  a  man  of  unbounded  personal 
ambition,  and,  conscious  of  his  European  education,  and  pre-eminent 
military  talents  and  prowess,  he  affected  a  superiority  over  General 
Washington,  and  constantly  aimed  at  the  supreme  command,  little 
scrupulous  as  to  the  means  employed  to  accomplish  his  own  advance- 
ment 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  General  Lee's  will. 

"  I  desire  most  earnestly  that  I  may  not  be  buried  in  any  church  or 
church  yard,  or  within  a  mile  of  any  Presbyterian  or  Anabaptist 
meeting-house,  for  since  I  have  resided  in  this  country,  I  have  kept 
so  much  bad  company  while  living,  that  I  do  not  choose  to  continue 
it  while  dead." 


Head-Quarters  at  Gowanus,  Brooklyn,  .Long  Island. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  WILLIAM  ALEXANDER. 


ENERAL  WILLIAM  ALEX 
ANDER,  commonly  called 
Lord  Stirling,  was  a  native  of 
the  city  of  New  York.  He 
was  considered,  by  many,  as 
the  rightful  heir  to  the  title  and  estate  of 
an  earldom  in  Scotland,  of  which  country 
his  father  was  a  native  ;  and  although 
when  he  went  to  North  Britain  in  pursuit 
of  this  inheritance,  he  failed  of  obtaining 
an  acknowledgment  of  his  claim  by  govern 
ment,  yet,  among  his  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, he  received,  by  courtesy,  the  title  of  Lord  Stirling.  In  his 
youth  his  labors  were  arduous  in  the  pursuit  of  science,  and  he  dis 
covered  an  early  fondness  for  the  study  of  mathematics  and  astronomy_ 
in  which  he  attained  great  eminence. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  attached  him 
self  to  the  cause  of  America,  and  entered  the  field  against  her  enemies 
He  was  a  brave,  discerning,  and  intrepid  officer.  Li  the  battle  oi\ 
Long  Island,  August  27th,  1776,  he  shared  largely  in  the  glory  and 
disasters  of  the  day.  The  part  he  bore  in  that  engagement  is 
described  as  follows  : — "  The  fire  towards  Brooklyn  gave  the  first 
intimation  to  the  American  right  that  the  enemy  had  gained  their 
rear.  Lord  Stirling,  perceiving  the  danger  with  which  he  was 
threatened,  and  that  he  could  only  escape  it  by  instantly  retreating 

268 


264  WILLIAM      ALEXANDER. 

across  the  creek,  by  the  Yellow  Mills,  not  far  from  the  cove,  orders 
10  this  effect  were  immediately  given,  and  the  more  effectually  to 
secure  the  retreat  of  the  main  body  of  the  detachment,  he  deter- 
mmed  to  attack,  in  person,  a  corps  of  the  British,  under  Lord  Corn- 
wall] s,  stationed  at  a  house  somewhat  above  the  place  at  which  he 
proposed  crossing  the  creek.  About  four  hundred  men  were  chosen 
out  for  this  purpose  ;  and  the  attack  was  made  with  great  spirit. 
This  small  corps  was  brought  up  to  the  charge  several  times,  and 
Lord  Stirling  stated  that  he  was  on  the  point  of  dislodging .  Lord 
Cornwallis  from  his  post ;  but  the  force  in  his  front  increasing,  and 
General  Grant  also  advancing  on  his  rear,  the  brave  men  he  com- 
manded were  no  longer  able  to  oppose  the  superior  numbers  which 
assailed  them  on  every  quarter,  and  those  who  survived  were,  with 
their  general,  made  prisoners  of  war.  This  bold  and  well  judged 
attempt,  though  unsuccessful,  was  productive  of  great  advantages. 
It  gave  an  opportunity  to  a  large  part  of  the  detachment,  to  save 
themselves  by  crossing  the  creek. 

Immediately  after  his  exchange,  Lord  Stirling  joined  the  army 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Washington.  In  the 
battle  of  Germantown,  his  division,  and  the  brigade  of  Generals  Nash 
and  Maxwell,  formed  the  corps  of  reserve.  At  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth, he  commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  American  army.  At  an 
important  period  of  the  engagement,  he  brought  up  a  detachment  of 
artillery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Carrington,  with  some 
field  pieces,  which  played  with  great  effect  on  the  enemy,  who  were 
pressing  on  to  the  charge.  These  pieces,  Avith  the  aid  of  several 
parties  of  infantry,  detached  for  the  purpose,  effectually  put  a  stop  to 
their  advance.  The  American  artillery  maintained  their  ground  with 
admirable  firmness,  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  British  field  artillery. 

His  attachment  to  Washington  was  proved  in  the  latter  part  of 
1777,  by  transmitting  to  him  an  account  of  the  disaffection  of 
General  Conway  to  the  commander-in-chief.  In  the  letter,  he  said, 
"  such  wicked  duplicity  of  conduct  I  shall  always  think  it  my  duty 
to  detect." 

He  died  at  Albany,  January  15th,  1783,  aged  fifty-seven  years. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  WILLIAM  DAVIDSON. 


[HE  distinguished  officer,  William  Davidson,  lieutenant- 
colonel  commandant  in  the  North  Carolina  line,  and 
brigadier-general  in  the  militia  of  that  state,  was  the 
youngest  son  of  George  Davidson,  who  removed  with 
his  family  from  Lancaster  county,  in  Pennsylvania,  in 
the  year  1750,  to  Rowan  county,  in  North  Carolina. 

William  was  born  in  the  year  1746,  and  was  educated  in  a  plain 
country  manner,  at  an  academy  in  Charlotte,  the  county  town  of 
Mecklenburgh,  which  adjoins  Rowan. 

Like  most  of  the  enterprising  youth  of  America,  Davidson  repaired 
to  the  standard  of  his  country,  on  the  commencement  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  and  was  appointed  a  major  in  one  of  the  first  regiment? 
formed  by  the  government  of  North  Carolina. 

In  this  character  he  marched  with  the  North  Carolina  line,  under 
Brigadier-General  Nash,  to  the  main  army  in  New  Jersey,  where  he 
served  under  the  commander-in-chief,  until  the  North  Carolina  line 
was  detached  in  November,  1779,  to  reinforce  the  southern  army 
commanded  by  Major-General  Lincoln.  Previous  to  this  event. 
Major  Davidson  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  a  regiment,  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  commandant. 

As  he  passed  through  North  Carolina,  Davidson  obtained  permis- 
sion to  visit  his  family,  from  which  he  had  been  absent  nearly  three 
years.  The  delay  produced  by  this  visit  saved  him  from  captivity 
as  he  found  Charleston  so  closely  invested  when  he  arrived  in  its 
neighborhood,  as  to  prevent  his  rej unction  with  his  regiment. 

265 


266  WILLIAM     DAVIDSON. 

lOON  after  the  surrender  of  General  Lincoln  and 
his  army,  the  loyalists  of  North  Carolina,  not 
doubting  the  complete  success  of  the  royal 
forces,  began  to  embody  themselves  for  the 
purpose  of  contributing  their  active  aid  in 
the  field  to  the  subsequent  operations  of  the 
British  general.  They  were  numerous  in  the 
western  parts  of  the  state,  and  especially  in  the  highland  settlement 
about  Cross  creek.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Davidson  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  some  of  our  militia,  called  out  to  quell  the  expected  insurrec- 
tion. He  proceeded  with  vigor  in  the  execution  of  his  trust ;  and  in 
an  engagement  with  a  party  of  loyalists  near  Calson's  mill,  he  was 
severely  wounded  ;  the  ball  entered  the  umbilical  region,  and  passed 
through  his  body  near  the  kidneys.  This  confined  him  for  eight 
weeks  ;  when  recovering,  he  instantly  took  the  field,  having  been 
recently  appointed  brigadier-general  by  the  government  of  North 
Carolina,  in  the  place  of  Brigadier-General  Rutherford,  taken  at  the 
battle  of  Camden.  He  exerted  himself,  in  conjunction  with  General 
Sumpter  and  Colonel  Davie,  to  interrupt  the  progress  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  in  his  advance  towards  Salisbury,  and  throughout  that  event- 
ful period,  gave  unceasing  evidences  of  his  zeal  and  firmness  in 
upholding  his  falling  country. 

After  the  victory  obtained  by  Morgan  at  the  Cowpens,  Davidson 
was  among  the  most  active  of  his  countrymen  in  assembling  the 
militia  of  his  district,  to  enable  General  Greene,  who  had  joined  the 
light  corps  under  Morgan,  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  advancing 
enemy,  and  was  detached  by  General  Greene,  on  the  night  of  the  last 
day  of  January,  to  guard  the  very  ford  selected  by  Lord  Cornwallis 
for  his  passage  of  the  Catawba  river  on  the  next  morning.  Davidson 
possessed  himself  of  the  post  in  the  night,  at  the  head  of  three  hun- 
dred men  ;  and  having  placed  a  picket  near  the  shore,  stationed  his 
corps  at  some  small  distance  from  the  ford. 

General  Henry  Lee,  from  whose  memoirs  of  the  war  in  the  southern 
department  of  the  United  States,  we  copy  the  present  sketch  of 
General  Davidson,  gives  the  following  account  of  the  battle  : 

"  A  disposition  was  immediately  made  to  dislodge  Davidson,  which 
the  British  General  O'Hara,  with  the  guards,  effected.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hall,  led  with  the  light  company,  followed  by  the  grenadiers. 
The  current  was  rapid,  the  stream  waist  deep,  and  five  hundred  yards 
in  width.  The  soldiers  crossed  in  platoons,  supporting  each  other's 
steps.  When  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hall  reached  the  river,  he  was 
descried  by  the  American  sentinels,  whose  challenge  and  fire  brought 
Davidson's  corps  into  array.     Deserted  by  his  guide.  Hall  passed 


GENERAL     DAVIDSON's     CHARACTER.  267 

directly  across,  not  knowing  the  landing  place,  which  lay  below  him. 
This  deviation  from  the  common  course,  rendered  it  necessary  for 
Davidson  to  incline  to  the  right ;  but  this  manoeuvre,  although 
promptly  performed,  was  not  effected  until  the  light  infantry  had 
gained  the  shore.  A  fierce  conflict  ensued,  which  was  well  supported 
by  Davidson  and  his  inferior  force.  The  militia  at  length  yielded, 
and  Davidson,  while  mounting  his  horse  to  direct  the  retreat,  was 
killed.  The  corps  dispersed  and  sought  safety  in  the  woods.  Our 
loss  was  small  excepting  General  Davidson,  an  active,  zealous,  and 
influential  officer.  The  British  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hall  was  also 
killed,  with  three  of  the  light  infantry,  and  thirty-six  were  wounded. 
Lord  Cornwallis's  horse  was  shot  under  him,  and  fell  as  soon  as  he 
got  upon  the  shore.  Leslie's  horses  were  carried  down  the  stream, 
and  with  difficulty  saved  ;  and  O'Hara's  tumbled  over  with  him  into 
the  water." 

The  loss  of  Brigadier-General  Davidson  would  always  have  been 
felt  in  any  stage  of  the  war.  It  was  particularly  detrimental  in  its 
effect  at  this  period,  as  he  was  the  chief  instrument  relied  upon  by 
General  Greene  for  the  assemblage  of  the  militia ;  an  event  all 
important  at  this  crisis,  and  anxiously  desired  by  the  American 
general.  The  ball  passed  through  his  breast,  and  he  instantly  fell 
dead.  ^ 

This  promising  soldier  was  thus  lost  to  his  country  in  the  meridian 
of  life,  and  at  a  moment  when  his  services  would  have  been  highly 
beneficial  to  her.  He  was  a  man  of  popular  manners,  pleasing  address, 
active  and  indefatigable.  Enamored  with  the  profession  of  arms, 
and  devoted  to  the  great  cause  for  which  he  fought,  his  future  use- 
fulness may  be  inferred  from  his  former  conduct. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  in  gratitude  for  his  services, 
and  in  commemoration  of  their  sense  of  his  worth,  passed  a  resolu- 
tion directing  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  his  memory. 


COLONEL  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  DAVIE, 

COMMANDANT    OF   THE   STATE    CAVALRY   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 


^^^; 


lOLONEL  DAVIE  was  born  in 
the  village  of  Egremont,  in  Eng- 
land, on  the  20th  June,  1759. 
His  father,  visiting  South  Caro- 
lina soon  after  the  peace  of 
1763,  brought  with  him  his  son  ;  and  return- 
ing to  England,  confided  him  to  the  Rev. 
WilUam  Richardson,  his  maternal  uncle ; 
who,  becoming  much  attached  to  his  nephew, 
not  only  took  charge  of  his  education,  but 
adopted  him  as  his  son  and  heir.  At  the 
proper  age,  William  was  sent  to  an  academy  in  North  Carolina, 
from  whence  he  was,  after  a  few  years,  removed  to  the  college  of 
Nassau  Hall,  in  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  then  becoming  the  resort  of 
most  of  the  southern  youth,  under  the  auspices  of  the  learned  and 
respectable  Dr.  Witherspoon.  Here  he  finished  his  education, 
graduating  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  a  year  memorable  in  our  military 
as  well  as  civil  annals. 

Returning  home,  young  Davie  found  himself  shut  out  for  a  time 
from  the  army,  as  the  commissions  for  the  troops  just  levied  had 
268 


SERVICE     IN      CAROLINA.  269 

been  issued.  He  went  to  Salisbury,  where  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law.  The  war  continuing,  contrary  to  the  expectations  which 
generally  prevailed  when  it  began,  Davie  could  no  longer  resist  the 
wish  to  plant  himself  among  the  defenders  of  his  country.  Inducing 
a  worthy  and  popular  friend,  rather  too  old  for  military  service,  to 
raise  a  troop  of  dragoons  as  the  readiest  mode  of  accomplishing  his 
object,  Davie  obtained  a  lieutenancy  in  this  troop.  Without  delay 
the  captain  joined  the  southern  army,  and  soon  afterwards  returned 
home  on  a  furlough.  The  command  of  the  troop  devolving  on 
Lieutenant  Davie,  it  was,  at  his  request,  annexed  to  the  legion  of 
Count  Pulaski,  where  Captain  Davie  continued,  until  promoted  by 
Major-General  Lincoln  to  the  station  of  brigade  major  of  cavalry. 
In  this  office  Davie  served  until  the  affair  at  Stono,  devoting  his 
leisure  to  the  acquirement  of  professional  knowledge,  and  rising  fast 
in  the  esteem  of  the  general  and  army.  When  Lincoln  attempted 
to  dislodge  Lieutenant-Colonel  Maitland  from  his  intrenched  camp 
on  the  Stono,  Davie  received  a  severe  wound,  and  was  removed 
from  camp  to  the  hospital  in  Charleston,  where  he  was  confined 
five  months. 

Soon  after  his  recovery  he  was  empowered  by  the  government  of 
North  Carolina  to  raise  a  small  legionary  corps,  consisting  of  one 
troop  of  dragoons  and  two  companies  of  mounted  infantry,  at  the  head 
of  which  he  was  placed  with  the  rank  of  major. 

Quickly  succeeding  in  completing  his  corps,  in  whose  equipment 
he  expended  the  last  remaining  shilling  of  an  estate  bequeathed  to 
him  by  his  uncle,  he  took  the  field,  and  was  sedulously  engaged  in 
protecting  the  country  between  Charlotte  and  Camden  from  the 
enemy's  predatory  excursions.  On  the  fatal  19th  of  August  he  was 
hastening  with  his  corps  to  join  the  army,  when  he  met  our  dispersed 
and  flying  troops.  He  nevertheless  continued  to  advance  toward 
the  conqueror  ;  and  by  his  .prudence,  zeal,  and  vigilance,  saved  a  few 
of  our  wagons,  and  many  of  our  stragglers.  Acquainted  with  the 
movement  of  Sumpter,  and  justly  apprehending  that  he  would  be 
destroyed  unless  speedily  advised  of  the  defeat  of  Gates,  he  despatched 
immediately  a  courier  to  that  officer,  communicating  what  had  hap- 
pened, performing  in  the  midst  of  distress  and  confusion,  the  part  of 
an  experienced  captain. 

So  much  was  his  conduct  respected  by  the  government  of  North 
Carolina,  that  he  was  in  the  course  of  September  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  colonel  commandant  of  the  cavalry  of  the  state. 

At  the  two  gloomiest  epochs  of  the  southern  war,  soon  after  the 
fall  of  Charleston  and  the  overthrow  of  Gates,  it  was  the  good 
fortune  of  Colonel  Davie,  to  be  the  first  to  shed  a  gleam  through  the 


270  WILLIAM     R.     DAVIE. 

surrounding  darkness,  and  give  hope  to  the  country  by  the  brilliancy 
of  his  exploits.  In  one  instance,  without  loss  or  injury  on  his  part, 
he  entirely  destroyed  an  escort  of  provisions,  taking  forty  prisoners, 
with  their  horses  and  arms.  In  the  other,  under  the  immediate  eye 
of  a  large  British  force,  which  was  actually  beating  to  arms,  to 
attack  him,  he  routed  a  party  stronger  than  his  own,  killing  and 
wounding  sixty  of  the  enemy,  and  carrying  off"  with  him  ninety-six 
horses,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  stand  of  arms. 

When  Lord  Cornwallis  entered  Charlotte,  a  small  village  in  North 
Carolina,  Colonel  Davie,  at  the  head  of  his  detachment,  threw  him- 
self in  his  front,  determined  to  give  him  a  specimen  of  the  firmness 
and  gallantry,  with  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  were  prepared 
to  dispute  with  his  lordship  their  native  soil. 

OLONEL  Tarlton's  legion  formed  the  British  van, 
led  by  Major  Hanger,  the  commander  himself  being 
confined  by  sickness.  When  that  celebrated  corps 
had  advanced  near  to  the  centre  of  the  village, 
where  the  Americans  were  posted,  Davie  poured 
into  it  so  destructive  a  fire,  that  it  immediately 
wheeled,  and  retired  in  disorder.  Being  rallied  on 
the  commons,  and  again  led  on  to  the  charge,  it  received  on  the  spot 
another  fire  with  similar  effect. 

Lord  Cornwallis,  witnessing  the  confusion  thus  produced  among 
his  choicest  troops,  rode  up  in  person,  and  in  a  tone  of  dissatisfac- 
tion, upbraided  the  legion  with  unsoldierly  conduct,  reminding  it  of 
its  former  exploits  and  reputation. 

Pressed  on  his  flanks  by  the  British  infantry.  Colonel  Davie  had 
now  fallen  back  to  a  new  and  well  selected  position.  To  dislodge 
him  from  this,  the  legion  cavalry  advanced  on  him  a  third  time,  in 
rapid  charge,  in  full  view  of  their  commander-in-chief,  but  in  vain. 
Another  fire  from  the  American  marksmen  killed  several  of  their 
officers,  wounded  Major  Hanger,  and  repulsed  them  again  with  in- 
creased confusion. 

The  main  body  of  the  British  being  now  within  musket  shot,  the 
American  leader  abandoned  the  contest. 

It  was  by  strokes  like  these  that  he  seriously  crippled  and  intimi- 
dated his  enemy,  acquired  an  elevated  standing  in  the  estimation  of 
his  friends,  and  served  very  essentially  the  interest  of  freedom. 

In  this  station  he  was  found  by  General  Greene,  on  assuming  the 
command  of  the  southern  army  ;  whose  attention  had  been  occupied 
from  his  entrance  into  North  Carolina,  in  remedying  the  disorder  in 
the  quartermaster  and  commissary  departments.  To  the  first,  Car- 
rington  had  been  called  ;  and  Davie  was  now  induced  to  take  upon 


SIEGE     OF     NINETY-SIX.  271 

himself  the  last,  much  as  he  preferred  the  station  he  then  possessed. 
At  the  head  of  this  department,  Colonel  Davie  remained  throughout 
the  trying  campaign  which  followed  ;  contributing  greatly  by  his 
talents,  his  zeal,  his  local  knowledge,  and  his  influence,  to  the  main- 
tenance of  the  difficult  and  successful  operations  which  followed. 
While  before  Ninety-Six,  Greene,  foreseeing  the  difficulties  again  to 
be  encountered,  in  consequence  of  the  accession  of  force  to  the 
enemy  by  the  arrival  of  three  regiments  of  infantry  from  Ireland, 
determined  to  send  a  confidential  officer  to  the  legislature  of  North 
Carolina,  then  in  session,  to  represent  to  them  his  relative  condition, 
and  to  urge  their  adoption  of  effectual  measures  without  delay,  for 
the  collection  of  magazines  of  provisions  and  the  reinforcement  of 
the  army.  Colonel  Davie  was  selected  by  Greene  for  this  important 
mission,  and  immediately  repaired  to  the  seat  of  government,  where 
he  ably  and  faithfully  exerted  himself  to  give  effect  to  the  views  of 
his  general. 

The  effect  of  the  capture  of  Comwallis  assuring  the  quick  return 
of  peace,  Colonel  Davie  returned  home,  and  resumed  the  profession 
with  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the  town  of  Halifax,  on  the  Roanoke. 

He  was  afterward  governor  of  North  Carolina,  and  one  of  our 
ambassadors  to  France,  at  a  very  portentous  conjuncture. 

The  war  in  the  south  was  ennobled  by  great  and  signal  instances 
of  individual  and  partisan  valor  and  enterprise.  Scarcely  do  the 
most  high-drawn  heroes  of  fiction  surpass,  in  their  daring  and  ex- 
traordinary achievements,  many  of  the  real  ones  of  Pickens,  Marion, 
Sumpter  and  Davie,  who  figured  in  the  southern  states  during  the 
conflict  of  the  revolution. 

Colonel  Davie,  although  younger  by  several  years,  possessed 
talents  of  a  higher  order,  and  was  much  more  accomplished  in  edu- 
cation and  manners  than  either  of  his  three  competitors  for  fame. 
For  the  comeliness  of  his  person,  his  martial  air,  his  excellence  in 
horsemanship,  and  his  consummate  powers  of  field  eloquence,  he  had 
scarcely  an  equal  in  the  armies  of  his  country.  But  his  chief  excel- 
lence lay  in  the  magnanimity  and  generosity  of  his  soul,  his  daring 
courage,  his  vigilance  and  address,  and  his  unrelaxing  activity  and 
endurance  of  toil.  If  he  was  less  frequently  engaged  in  actual  com- 
bat than  either  of  his  three  compeers,  it  was  not  because  he  was 
inferior  to  either  of  them  in  enterprise  or  love  of  battle.  His  district 
being  more  interior,  was  at  first  less  frequently  invaded  by  British 
detachments.  When,  however.  Lord  Cornwallis  ultimately  advanced 
into  that  quarter,  his  scouts  and  foraging  parties  found  in  Colonel 
Davie  and  his  brave  associates  as  formidable  an  enemy  as  they  had 
ever  encountered. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  FRANCIS  MARION. 


RANCIS  MARION,  colonel  in  the 
regular  service,  and  brigadier-gene- 
ral in  the  militia  of  South  Carolina, 
was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  George- 
tovi^n,  in  the  year  1733. 
portray  the  meteor-like   course   of 
hardihood  and  exploit,  traced  by  General 
Marion   and  his  heroic   followers,   would 
constitute  a  pictui-e,  rich  in  admiration  and 
delight  to  the  lovers  of  bravery  and  roman- 
tic adventure.    Never  was  an  officer  better 
suited  to  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  the  situation  in  which  it 

was  his  fortune  to  act.     For  stratagems,  unlooked-for  enterprises 
272 


MARION     AT     SEA. 


273 


Marion  Shipwrected- 

against  the  enemy,  and  devices  for  concealing  his  own  position  and 
movements,  he  had  no  rival.  Never,  in  a  single  instance,  was  he 
overtaken  in  his  course,  or  discovered  in  his  hiding-place.  Even 
some  of  his  own  party,  anxious  for  his  safety,  and  well  acquainted 
with  many  of  the  places  of  his  retreat,  have  sought  for  him  whole 
days  in  his  immediate  neighborhood  without  finding  him.  Suddenly 
and  unexpectedly,  in  some  distant  point  he  w^ould  again  appear, 
pouncing  upon  his  enemy  like  the  eagle  upon  his  prey.  These  high 
and  rare  qualities  conducted  him  repeatedly  into  the  arms  of  victory, 
when  the  force  he  encountered  was  tenfold  the  number  of  that  he 
commanded. 

Young  Marion,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  entered  on  board  a  vessel 
bound  to  the  West  Indies,  with  a  determination  to  fit  himself  for  a 
seafaring  life.  On  his  outward  passage,  the  vessel  was  upset  in  a 
gale  of  wind,  when  the  crew  took  to  their  boat  without  water  or  pro- 
visions, it  being  impracticable  to  save  any  of  either.  A  dog  jumped 
into  the  boat  with  the  crew,  and  upon  his  flesh,  eaten  raw,  did  the 
survivors  of  these  unfortunate  men  subsist  for  seven  or  eight  days  ; 
in  which  period  several  died  of  hunger. 

Among  the  few  who  escaped  was  young  Marion.  After  reaching 
land,  Marion  relinquished  his  original  plan  of  life,  and  engaged  in  the 
labors  of  agriculture.  In  this  occupation  he  continued  until  1759, 
when  he  became  a  soldier,  and  was  appointed  a  lieutenant  in  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers,  raised  for  an  expedition  against  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  commanded  by  Captain  William  Moultrie,  (since  General 
Moultrie.) 

As  soon  as  the  war  broke  out  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother 
country,  Marion  was  called  to  the  command  of  a  company  in  the  first 
corps  raised  by  the  state  of  South  Carolina.  He  was  soon  after- 
wards promoted  to  a  majority,  and  served  in  that  rank  under  Colonel 

18 


Marion  Escaping  from,  a  Drinldng  Paxty. 


Moultrie,  in  his  intrepid  defence  of  Fort  Moultrie,  against  the  com- 
bined attack  of  Sir  Henry  Chnton  and  Sir  Peter  Parker,  on  the  2d 
of  June,  1776.  He  was  afterwards  placed  at  the  head  of  a  regiment, 
as  lieutenant-colonel  commandant,  in  command  of  Fort  Moultrie, 
which  he  retained  until  by  a  leap  from  a  second  story  window  of  a 
house  in  Charleston,  where  he  was  hard  pressed  with  bumpers,  he 
fractured  his  ankle.  In  consequence  of  this  accident  he  became 
incapable  of  military  duty,  and,  fortunately  for  his  country,  escaped 
the  captivity  to  which  the  garrison  was,  in  the  sequel,  forced  to  submit. 

When  Charleston  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Marion  abandoned  his  state,  and  took  shelter  in  North  Carolina.  The 
moment  he  recovered  from  the  fracture  of  his  leg,  he  engaged  in 
preparing  the  means  of  annoying  the  enemy,  then  in  the  flood  tide 
of  prosperity.  With  sixteen  men  only,  he  crossed  the  Santee,  and 
commenced  that  daring  system  of  Vv^arfare  which  so  much  annoyed 
the  British  army. 

Colonel  Peter  Horry,  in  his  life  of  General  Marion,  gives  the  fol- 


ANECDOTE     OF     MARION. 


275 


Marion  inviting  tlie  British  Officer  to  dinner. 


lowing  interesting  incident : — "  About  this  time  we  received  a  flag 
from  the  enemy  in  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  make  some  arrangements  about  the  exchange  of  prisoners. 
The  flag,  after  the  usual  ceremony  of  blindfolding,  was  conducted 
into  Marion's  encampment.  Having  heard  great  talk  about  General 
Marion,  his  fancy  had  naturally  enough  sketched  out  for  him  some 
stout  figure  of  a  warrior,  such  as  O'Hara,  or  Cornwallis  himself,  of 
martial  aspect  and  flaming  regimentals.  But  what  was  his  surprise, 
when  led  into  Marion's  presence,  and  the  bandage  taken  from  his 
eyes,  he  beheld  in  our  hero  a  swarthy,  smoke-dried  little  man,  with 
scarcely  enough  of  threadbare  homespun  to  cover  his  nakedness  ! 
and  instead  of  tall  ranks  of  gay  dressed  soldiers,  a  handful  of  sun- 
burnt, yellow-legged  militia-men  ;  some  roasting  potatoes,  and  some 
asleep,  with  their  black  firelocks  and  powder-horns  lying  by  them  on 
the  logs.  Having  recovered  a  little  from  his  surprise,  he  presented 
his  letter  to  General  Marion,  who  perused  it,  and  soon  settled  every 
thing  to  his  satisfaction. 

The  officer  took  up  his  hat  to  retire. 


276  FRANCIS     MARION. 

"  Oh  no  !"  said  Marion,  "  it  is  now  about  our  time  of  dining, 
and  I  hope  sir,  you  will  give  us  the  pleasure  of  your  company  to 
dinner." 

At  the  mention  of  the  word  dinner,  the  British  officer  looked 
around  him,  but  to  his  great  mortification,  could  see  no  sign  of  a  pot, 
pan,  Dutch-oven,  or  any  other  cooking  utensil  that  could  raise  the 
spirits  of  a  hungry  man. 

"  Well,  Tom,"  said  the  general  to  one  of  his  men,  "  come  give  us 
our  dinner." 

The  dinner  to  which  he  alluded  was  no  other  than  a  heap  of  sweet 
potatoes,  that  were  very  snugly  roasting  under  the  embers,  and  which 
Tom,  with  his  pine  stick  poker,  soon  hberated  from  their  ashy  con- 
finement ;  pinching  them  every  now  and  then  with  his  fingers,  espe- 
cially the  big  ones,  to  see  whether  they  were  well  done  or  not.  Then 
having  cleansed  them  of  the  ashes,  partly  by  blowing  them  with  his 
breath,  and  partly  by  brushing  them  with  the  sleeve  of  his  old  cot- 
ton shirt,  he  piled  some  of  the  best  on  a  large  piece  of  bark,  and 
placed  them  between  the  British  officer  and  Marion,  on  the  trunk  of 
the  fallen  pine  on  which  they  sat. 

"  I  fear,  sir,"  said  the  general,  "  our  dinner  will  not  prove  so  palata- 
ble to  you  as  I  could  wish ;  but  it  is  the  best  we  have." 

The  officer,  who  was  a  well-bred  man,  took  up  one  of  the  pota- 
toes and  affected  to  feed,  as  if  he  had  found  a  great  dainty ;  but  it 
was  very  plain  that  he  ate  more  from  good  manners  than  good  appe- 
tite. 

Presently  he  broke  out  into  a  hearty  laugh.  Marion  looked  sur- 
prised. "  I  beg  pardon,  general,"  said  he,  "  but  one  cannot,  you 
know,  always  command  one's  conceits.  I  was  thinking  how  drolly 
some  of  my  brother  officers  would  look,  if  our  government  were  to 
give  them  such  a  bill  of  fare  as  this." 

"  I  suppose,"  replied  Marion,  "  it  is  not  equal  to  their  style  of 
dinins:." 

"  No,  indeed,"  quoth  the  officer,  "  and  this,  I  imagine,  is  one  of 
your  accidental  Lent  dinners  :  a  sort  of  han-yan.  In  general,  no 
doubt,  you  live  a  great  deal  better." 

"  Rather  worse,"  answered  the  general,  "  for  often  we  don't  get 
enough  of  this." 

"  Heavens  !"  rejoined  the  officer,  "  but  probably  what  you  lose  in 
meal  you  make  up  in  malt,  though  stinted  in  provisions,  you  draw 
noble  payy 

"Not  a  cent,  sir,"  said  Marion,  "  not  a  cent.''' 

"  Heavens  and  earth  !  then  you  must  be  in  a  bad  box.  I  don't  see, 
general,  how  you  can  stand  it." 


Marion's    dinner.  277 

"Why,  sir,"  replied  Marion,  with  a  smile  of  self-approbation, 
'  these  things  depend  on  feeling." 

The  Englishman  said,  "  he  did  not  believe  it  would  be  an  easy- 
matter  to  reconcile  Ms  feelings  to  a  soldier's  life  on  General  Marion's 
terms:  all  fighting ,  no  pay,  and  no  provisions  hut  potatoes^ 

"Why,  sir,"  answered  the  general,  ^' the  heart  is  all ;  and  when 
that  is  once  interested,  a  man  can  do  any  thing.  Many  a  youth 
would  think  it  hard  to  indent  himself  a  slave  for  fourteen  years.  But 
let  him  be  over  head  and  ears  in  love,  and  with  such  a  beauteous 
sweetheart  as  Rachel,  and  he  will  think  no  more  of  fourteen  years' 
servitude  than  young  Jacob  did.  Well,  now,  this  is  exactly  my  case. 
I  am  in  love  ;  and  my  sweetheart  is  Liberty.  Be  that  heavenly 
nymph  my  companion,  and  these  woods  shall  have  charms  beyond 
London  and  Paris  in  slavery.  To  have  no  proud  monarch  driving- 
over  me  with  his  gilt  coaches  ;  nor  his  host  of  excisemen  and  tax- 
gatherers  insulting  and  robbing ;  but  to  be  my  own  master,  my  own 
prince  and  sovereign  ;  gloriously  preserving  my  natural  dignity,  and 
pursuing  my  true  happiness,  planting  my  vineyards  and  eating  their 
luscious  fruit ;  sowing  my  fields,  and  reaping  the  golden  grain,  and 
seeing  millions  of  brothers  all  around  me,  equally  free  and  happy  as 
myself — this,  sir,  is  what  I  long  for." 

The  officer  replied,  that  both  as  a  man  and  a  Briton,  he  must  sub- 
scribe to  this  as  a  happy  state  of  things. 

"  Sappy ^''  quoth  Marion,  "  yes,  happy  indeed  ;  and  I  would  rather 
fight  for  such  blessings  for  my  country,  and  feed  on  roots,  than  keep 
aloof,  though  wallowing  in  all  the  luxuries  of  Solomon.  For  now, 
sir,  I  walk  the  soil  that  gave  me  birth,  and  exult  in  the  thought  that 
I  am  not  unworthy  of  it.  I  look  upon  these  venerable  trees  around 
me,  and  feel  that  I  do  not  dishonor  them.  I  think  of  my  own  sacred 
rights,  and  rejoice  that  I  have  not  basely  deserted  them.  And  when 
I  look  forward  to  the  long,  long  ages  of  posterity,  1  glory  in  the 
thought  that  I  am  fighting  their  battles.  The  children  of  distant 
generations  may  never  hear  my  name  ;  but  still  it  gladdens  my  heart 
to  think  that  I  am  now  contending  for  their  freedom^  with  all  its 
countless  blessings." 

I  looked  at  Marion  as  he  uttered  these  sentiments,  and  fancied  I 
felt  as  when  I  heard  the  last  words  of  the  brave  De  Kalb.  The 
Englishman  hung  his  honest  head,  and  looked,  I  thought,  as  if  he  had 
seen  the  upbraiding  ghosts  of  his  illustrious  countrymen,  Sidney  and 
Hampden. 

On  his  return  to  Georgetown,  he  was  asked  by  Colonel  Watson 
why  he  lo.oked  so  serious. 

"  I  have  cause,  sir,"  said  he,  "  to  look  so  serious." 


278  FRANCIS     MARION. 

"  What !  has  General  Marion  refused  to  treat  ?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Well,  then,  has  old  Washington  defeated  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
and  broke  up  our  army  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  not  that  neither  ;  but  worse." 

"  Ah  !  what  can  be  worse  ?" 

"  Why,  sir,  I  have  seen  an  American  general  and  his  officers, 
without  pay,  and  almost  without  clothes,  living  on  roots,  and  drink- 
ing water ;  and  all  for  Liberty  !  What  chance  have  we  against 
such  men  ?" 

It  is  said  Colonel  Watson  was  not  much  obliged  to  him  for  this 
speech.  But  the  young  officer  was  so  struck  with  Marion's  senti- 
ments, that  he  never  rested  until  he  threw  up  his  commission,  and 
retired  from  the  service. 

General  Marion,  whose  stature  was  diminutive,  and  his  person 
uncommonly  light,  rode,  when  in  service,  one  of  the  fleetest  and 
most  powerful  chargers  the  south  could  produce.  When  in  fair 
pursuit,  nothing  could  escape  him,  and  when  retreating,  nothing  could 
overtake  him. 

Being  once  nearly  surrounded  by  a  party  of  British  dragoons,  he 
was  compelled,  for  safety,  to  pass  into  a  corn-field,  by  leaping  the 
fence.  This  field,  marked  with  a  considerable  descent  of  surface, 
had  been  in  part  a  marsh.  Marion  entered  it  at  the  upper  side. 
The  dragoons  in  chase  leapt  the  fence  also,  and  were  but  a  short 
distance  behind  him.  So  completely  was  he  now  in  their  power, 
that  his  only  mode  of  escape  was  to  pass  over  the  fence  on  the  lower 
side.  But  here  lay  a  difficulty  which  to  all  but  himself  appeared 
insurmountable. 

To  drain  the  ground  of  its  superfluous  waters,  a  trench  had  been 
cut  around  this  part  of  the  field,  four  feet  wide  and  of  the  same  depth. 
Of  the  mud  and  clay  removed  in  cutting  it,  a  bank  had  been  formed 
on  its  inner  side,  and  on  the  top  of  this  was  erected  the  fence.  The 
elevation  of  the  whole  amounted  to  more  than  seven  feet  perpen- 
dicular height ;  a  ditch  four  feet  in  width  running  parallel  with  it  on 
the  outside,  and  a  foot  or  more  of  space  intervening  between  the 
fence  and  the  ditch. 

The  dragoons,  acquainted  with  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
obstacle,  and  considering  it  impossible  for  their  enemy  to  pass  it, 
pressed  towards  him  with  loud  shouts  of  exultation  and  insult,  and 
summoned  him  to  surrender  or  perish  by  the  sword.  Regardless  of 
their  rudeness  and  empty  clamor,  and  inflexibly  determmed  not  to 
become  their  prisoner,  Marion  spurred  his  horse  to  the  charge.  The 
noble  animal,  as  if  conscious  that  his  master's  life  was  in  danger,  and 


DEATH     OF     MARION. 


279 


that  on  his  exertion  depended  his  safety,  approached  the  barrier  in 
his  finest  style,  and  with  a  bound  that  was  almost  supernatural, 
cleared  the  fence  and  the  ditch,  and  recovered  himself  without  injury 
on  the  opposite  side, 

Marion  now  facing-  his  pursuers,  who  had  halted  at  the  fence, 
unable  to  pass  it,  discharged  his  pistols  at  them  without  effect,  and 
then  wheeling  his  horse,  and  bidding  them  "  good  morning,"  with  an 
air  of  triumph,  dashed  into  an  adjoining  thicket,  and  disappeared  in 
an  instant. 

General  Marion  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  ;  and  the  imme- 
diate theatre  of  his  exploits,  was  a  large  section  of  the  maritime 
district  of  that  state,  around  Georgetown.  The  peculiar  hardihood 
of  his  constitution,  and  its  being  accommodated  to  a  warm  climate 
and  a  low  marshy  country,  qualified  him  to  endure  hardships  and 
submit  to  exposures,  which,  in  that  sickly  region,  few  other  men 
would  have  been  competent  to  sustain.  He  continued  his  undivided 
efforts  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  lived  to  see  the  United  States 
enrolled  among  the  free  and  independent  nations  of  the  earth. 

General  Marion  died  on  the  27th  day  of  February  1795,  at  his 
residence  in  St.  John's  Parish.  He  was  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his 
age.  In  the  last  hour  he  displayed  the  firmness  of  a  soldier,  and  the 
composure  of  a  christian.  "  Thank  God,"  he  said,  "  I  can  lay  my 
hand  on  my  heart  and  say  that  since  I  came  to  man's  estate,  I  have 
never  intentionally  done  wrong  to  any." 


MAJOR  GENERAL   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


SRAEL  PUTNAM,  who,  through 
a  regular  gradation  of  promotion, 
became  the  senior  major-general 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States, 
and  next  in  rank  to  General  Wash- 
ington, was  born  at  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  7th  day  of  January,  1718. 

Courage,  enterprise,  activity,  and  perse- 
verance, were  the  first  characteristics  of 
"^ ,y"^-^j^  '  his  mind  ;  and  his  disposition  was  as  frank 

and  generous,  as  his  mind  was  fearless  and  independent.  Although 
he  had  too  much  suavity  in  his  nature  to  commence  a  quarrel,  he 
had  too  much  sensibility  not  to  feel,  and  too  much  honor  not  to 
resent,  an  intended  insult.  The  first  time  he  went  to  Boston  he  was 
insulted  for  his  rusticity  by  a  boy  of  twice  his  size  and  age  :  after 
bearing  sarcasms  until  his  patience  was  worn  out,  he  challenged, 
engaged,  and  vanquished  his  unmannerly  antagonist,  to  the  great 
diversion  of  a  crov/d  of  spectators.  While  a  stripling,  his  ambition 
was  to  perform  the  labor  of  a  man,  and  to  excel  in  athletic  diversions. 
In  the  year  1739,  he  removed  from  Salem  to  Pomfret,  an  inland 
280 


ADVENTURE      WITH     THE     "WOLF  "  281 

fertile  town  in  Connecticut.     Having  here  purchased  a  considerable 
tract  of  land,  he  applied  himself  successfully  to  agriculture. 

Our  farmer,  sufficiently  occupied  in  building  a  house  and  bam, 
felling  woods,  making  fences,  sowing  grain,  planting  orchards,  and 
taking  care  of  his  stock,  had  to  encounter,  in  turn,  the  calamities 
occasioned  by  drought  in  summer,  blast  in  harvest,  loss  of  cattle  in 
winter,  and  the  desolation  of  his  sheepfold  by  wolves.  In  one  night 
he  had  seventy  fine  sheep  and  goats  killed,  besides  many  lambs  and 
kids  wounded.  This  havoc  was  committed  by  a  she-wolf,  which, 
with  her  annual  whelps,  had  for  several  years  infested  the  vicinity. 

This  wolf  at  length  became  such  an  intolerable  nuisance  that  Mr. 
Putnam  entered  into  a  combination  with  five  of  his  neighbors,  to 
hunt  alternately  until  they  could  destroy  her.  Two,  by  rotation, 
were  to  be  constantly  in  pursuit.  It  was  known  that,  having  lost  the 
toes  from  one  foot  by  a  steel-trap,  she  made  one  track  shorter  than 
the  other.  By  this  vestige  the  pursuers  recognized,  in  a  light  snow, 
the  route  of  this  pernicious  animal.  Having  followed  her  to  Con 
necticut  river,  and  found  she  had  turned  back  in  a  direct  course 
toward  Pomfret,  they  im.mediately  returned ;  and  by  ten  o'clock  the 
next  morning  the  blood-hounds  had  driven  her  into  a  den,  about  three 
miles  distant  from  the  house  of  Mr.  Putnam.  The  people  soon  col- 
lected, with  dogs,  guns,  straw,  fire  and  sulphur,  to  attack  the  com- 
mon enemy.  With  this  apparatus  several  unsuccessful  efforts  were 
made  to  force  her  from  the  den.  The  hounds  came  back  badly 
wounded,  and  refused  to  return.  The  smoke  of  blazing  straw  had 
no  effect.  Nor  did  the  fumes  of  burnt  brimstone,  with  which  the 
cavern  was  filled,  compel  her  to  quit  the  retirement.  Wearied  with 
such  fruitless  attempts,  (which  had  brought  the  time  to  ten  o'clock 
at  night,)  Mr.  Putnam  tried  once  more  to  make  his  dog  enter,  but  in 
vain  ;  he  proposed  to  his  negro  man  to  go  down  into  the  cavern,  and 
shoot  the  wolf,  but  the  negro  declined  the  hazardous  service.  Then 
it  was  that  the  master,  angry  at  the  disappointment,  and  declaring 
that  he  was  ashamed  to  have  a  coward  in  his  family,  resolved  him- 
self to  destroy  the  ferocious  beast,  lest  she  should  escape  through 
some  unknown  fissure  of  the  rock.  His  neighbors  strongly  remon- 
strated against  the  perilous  enterprise  :  but  he,  knowing  that  wild 
animals  were  intimidated  by  fire,  and  having  provided  several  strips 
of  birch  bark,  the  only  combustible  material  he  could  obtain  that 
would  afford  hght  in  this  deep  and  darksome  cave,  prepared  for  his 
descent.  Having,  accordingly,  divested  himself  of  his  coat  and 
waistcoat,  and  having  a  long  rope  fastened  round  his  legs,  by  which 
he  might  be  pulled  back  at  a  concerted  signal,  he  entered  head  fore- 
most, with  the  blazing  torch  in  his  hand. 


282  ISRAEL     PUTNAM. 

•HE  aperture  of  the  den,  on  the 
east  side  of  a  very  high  ledge  of 
rocks,  is  about  two  feet  square  ; 
from  thence  it  descends  obliquely 
fifteen  feet,  then  running  horizon- 
tally about  ten  more,  it  ascends 
gradually  sixteen  feet  towards  its 
termination.  The  sides  of  this 
subterraneous  cavity  are  com- 
posed of  smooth  and  solid  rocks,  which  seem  to  have  been  divided 
from  each  other  by  some  former  earthquake.  The  top  and  bottom 
are  also  of  stone ;  and  the  entrance,  in  winter,  being  covered  with 
ice,  is  exceedingly  slippery.  It  is  in  no  place  high  enough  for  a  man 
to  raise  himself  upright,  nor  in  any  part  more  than  three  feet  in  width. 
Having  groped  his  passage  to  the  horizontal  part  of  the  den,  the 
most  terrifying  darkness  appeared  in  front  of  the  dim  circle  of  light 
afforded  by  his  torch.  It  was  silent  as  the  house  of  death.  None 
but  monsters  of  the  desert  had  ever  before  explored  this  solitary 
mansion  of  horror.  He  cautiously  proceeded  onward,  came  to  the 
ascent,  which  he  slowly  mounted  on  his  hands  and  knees,  until  he 
discovered  the  glaring  eyeballs  of  the  wolf,  who  was  sitting  at  the 
extremity  of  the  cavern.  Startled  at  the  sight  of  fire,  she  gnashed 
her  teeth,  and  gave  a  sullen  growl.  As  soon  as  he  had  made  the 
necessary  discovery,  he  kicked  the  rope  as  a  signal  for  pulling  him 
out.  The  people  at  the  mouth  of  the  den,  who  had  listened  with 
painful  anxiety,  hearing  the  growling  of  the  wolf,  and  supposing  their 
friend  to  be  in  the  most  imminent  danger,  drew  him  forth  with  such 
celerity  that  his  shirt  was  stripped  over  his  head,  and  his  skin  severely 
lacerated.  After  he  had  adjusted  his  clothes,  and  loaded  his  gun 
with  nine  buck-shot,  holding  a  torch  in  one  hand  and  the  musket  in 
the  other,  he  descended  the  second  time.  When  he  drew  nearer  than 
before,  the  wolf,  assuming  a  still  more  fierce  and  terrible  appearance, 
howling,  rolling  her  eyes,  snapping  her  teeth,  and  dropping  her  head 
between  her  legs,  was  evidently  in  the  attitude  and  on  the  point  of 
springing  at  him.  At  this  critical  instant  he  levelled  and  fired  at  her 
head.  Stunned  with  the  shock,  and  suffocated  with  the  smoke,  he 
immediately  found  himself  drawn  out  of  the  cave.  But  having  re- 
freshed himself,  and  permitted  the  smoke  to  dissipate,  he  went  down 
the  third  time.  Once  more  he  came  within  sight  of  the  wolf,  who, 
appearing  very  passive,  he  applied  the  torch  to  her  nose,  and  per- 
ceiving her  dead,  he  took  hold  of  her  ears,  and  then  kicking  the 
rope,  (still  tied  round  his  legs,)  the  people  above,  with  no  small 
exultation  dragged  them  both  out  together. 


ADVENTURE     WITH     THE     WOLF. 


283 


Adventure  of  Putnam  -witla  tlie  Wolf. 

But  the  time  had  now  arrived,  which  was  to  turn  the  implements 
of  husbandry  into  weapons  of  hostihty,  and  to  exchange  the  hunting 
of  wolves,  which  had  ravaged  the  sheepfolds,  for  the  pursuit  of 
savages,  who  had  desolated  the  frontiers.  Putnam  was  about  thirty- 
seven  years  of  age,  when  the  war  between  England  and  France  broke 
out  in  America.  In  1755  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a 
company,  in  the  first  regiment  of  provincials  that  was  levied  by 
Connecticut.  The  regiment  joined  the  army  at  the  opening  of  the 
campaign,  not  far  distant  from  Crown  Point. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  camp,  he  became  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  famous  partisan  captain,  afterward  Major  Rogers,  with 
whom  he  was  frequently  associated  in  crossing  the  wilderness,  recon- 
noitering  the  enemy's  lines,  gaining  intelligence,  and  taking  straggling 
prisoners,  as  well  as  in  beating  up  the  quarters,  and  surprising  the 
advanced  pickets  of  their  army.  For  these  operations,  a  corps  of 
rangers  was  formed  from  the  irregulars.  The  first  time  Rogers  and 
Putnam  were  detached  with  a  party  of  these  light  troops,  it  was  the 
fortune  of  the  latter  to  preserve  with  his  own  hand,  the  life  of  the 
former,  and  to  cement  their  friendship  with  the  blood  of  one  of  their 
enemies. 

The  object  of  this  expedition  was  to  obtain  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  position  and  state  of  the  works  at  Crown  Point.  It  was 
impracticable  to  approach  with  their  party  near  enough  for  this  pur- 
pose, without  being  discovered.     Alone,  the  undertaking  was  suffi- 


284  ISRAEL     PUTNAM. 

ciently  hazardous,  on  account  of  the  swarms  of  hostile  Indians  who 
infested  the  woods.  Our  two  partisans,  however,  left  all  their  men 
at  a  convenient  distance,  with  strict  orders  to  continue  concealed 
until  their  return. 

"AVING  thus  cautiously  taken  their 
arrangemeiits,  they  advanced  with  the 
profoundest  silence  in  the  evening ;  and 
lay  during  the  night  contiguous  to  the 
fortress.  Early  in  the  morning  they 
approached  so  close  as  to  be  able  to  give 
satisfactory  information  to  the  general 
who  had  sent  them,  on  the  several 
points  to  which  their  attention  had  been 
directed  :  but  Captain  Rogers  being  at 
a  little  distance  from  Captain  Putnam,  fortuitously  met  a  stout 
Frenchman,  who  instantly  seized  his  fusee  with  one  hand,  and  with 
the  other  attempted  to  stab  him,  while  he  called  to  an  adjacent 
guard  for  assistance.  The  guard  answ^ered.  Putnam,  perceiving  the 
imminent  danger  of  his  friend,  and  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost,  or 
further  alarm  given  by  firing,  ran  rapidly  to  them  while  they  were 
struggling,  and  with  the  butt  end  of  his  piece  laid  the  Frenchman 
dead  at  his  feet.  The  partisans,  to  elude  pursuit,  precipitated  their 
flight,  joined  the  party,  and  returned  without  loss  to  the  encampment. 
The  time  for  which  the  colonial  troops  engaged  to  serve,  termi 
nated  with  the  campaign.  Putnam  was  reappointed,  and  again  took 
the  field  in  1756. 

Few  are  so  ignorant  of  war,  as  not  to  know  that  military  adven- 
tures in  the  night,  are  always  extremely  liable  to  accidents.  Captain 
Putnam,  having  been  commanded  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  camp 
at  the  Ovens  near  Ticonderoga,  took  the  brave  Lieutenant  Robert 
Durkee  as  his  com.panion.  In  attempting  to  execute  these  orders, 
he  narrowly  missed  being  taken  himself  in  the  first  instance,  and 
killing  his  friend  in  the  second.  It  was  customary  for  the  British 
and  provincial  troops  to  place  their  fires  round  their  camp,  which 
frequently  exposed  them  to  the  enemy's  scouts  and  patroles.  A  con- 
trary practice,  then  unknown  in  the  English  army,  prevailed  among 
the  French  and  Indians.  The  plan  was  much  more  rational :  they 
kept  their  fires  in  the  centre,  lodged  their  men  circularly  at  a  distance, 
and  posted  their  sentinels  in  the  surrounding  darkness.  Our  partisans 
approached  the  camp,  and  supposing  the  sentries  were  within  the 
circle  of  fires,  crept  upon  their  hands  and  knees  with  the  greatest 
possible  caution,  until,  to  their  utter  astonishment,  they  found  them- 
selves in  the  thickest  of  the  enemy.      The   sentinels,  discovering 


PUTNAM   SAVES  A  MAGAZINE.  285 

them,  fired,  and  slightly  wounded  Durkee  in  the  thigh  He  and 
Putnam  had  no  alternative.  They  fled.  The  latter,  being  foremost, 
and  scarcely  able  to  see  his  hand  before  him,  soon  plunged  into  a 
clay  pit.  Durkee,  almost  at  the  identical  moment,  came  tumbUng 
after.  Putnam,  by  no  means  pleased  at  finding  a  companion,  and 
beheving  him  to  be  one  of  the  enemy,  lifted  his  tomahawk  to  give 
'the  deadly  blow,  when  Durkee,  (who  had  followed  so  closely  as  to 
know  him,)  inquired  whether  he  had  escaped  unhurt.  Captain  Put- 
nam, instantly  recognizing  the  voice,  dropped  his  weapon,  and  both, 
springiuT  from  the  pit,  made  good  their  retreat  to  the  neighboring 
ledges,  amidst  a  shower  of  random  shot.  There  they  betook  them- 
selves to  a  large  log,  by  the  side  of  which  they  lodged  the  remainder 
of  the  night.  Before  they  lay  down,  Captain  Putnam  said  he  had  a 
httle  ram  in  his  canteen,  which  could  never  be  more  acceptable  or 
necessary  ;  but  on  examining  the  canteen,  which  hung  under  his 
arm,  he  found  the  enemy  had  pierced  it  with  their  balls,  and  that 
there  was  not  a  drop  of  liquor  left.  The  next  day  he  found  fourteen 
bullet  holes  in  his  blanket. 

Nothing  worthy  of  remark  happened  during  the  course  of  this 
campaign,  but  the  active  services  of  Captain  Putnam  on  every  occa- 
sion attracted  the  admiration  of  the  public,  and  induced  the  legislature 
of  Connecticut  to  promote  him  to  a  majority  in  1757. 

N  the  winter  of  1757,  when  Colonel 
Haviland  was  commandant  at  Fort 
Edward,  the  barracks  adjoining  to  the 
northwest  bastion  took  fire.  They  ex- 
tended within  twelve  feet  of  the  maga- 
zine, which  contained  three  barrels  of 
powder.  On  its  first  discovery,  the  fire 
raged  with  great  violence.  The  com- 
mandant endeavored,  in  vain,  by  dis- 
charging some  pieces  of  heavy  artillery 
against  the  supporters  of  this  flight  of  barracks,  to  level  them  with 
the  ground.  Putnam  arrived  from  the  island  where  he  was  stationed 
at  the  moment  when  the  blaze  approached  that  end  which  was  con- 
tiguous to  the  magazine.  Instantly  a  vigorous  attempt  was  made  to 
extinguish  the  conflagration.  A  way  was  opened  by  the  postern  gate 
to  the  river,  and  the  soldiers  were  employed  in  bringing  water ; 
which  he,  having  m.ounted  on  a  ladder  to  the  eaves  of  the  building, 
received  and  threw  upon  the  flame.  It  continued,  notwithstanding 
their  utmost  efforts,  to  gain  upon  them.  He  stood,  enveloped  in 
smoke,  so  near  the  sheet  of  fire,  that  a  pair  of  blanket  mittens  was 
burnt  entirely  from  his  hands.     He  was  supplied  with  another  pair 


286 


ISRAEL      PUTNAM. 


Putnam,  saving  the  Magazine. 

dipped  in  water.  Colonel  Haviland,  fearing  that  he  would  perish  in 
the  flames,  called  to  him  to  come  down,  but  he  entreated  that  he 
might  be  suffered  to  remain,  since  destruction  must  inevitably  ensue 
if  their  exertions  should  be  remitted.  The  gallant  commandant,  not 
less  astonished  than  charmed  at  the  boldness  of  his  conduct,  forbade 
any  more  effects  to  be  carried  out  of  the  fort,  animated  the  men  to 
redoubled  dihgence,  and  exclaimed,  "  if  we  must  be  blown  up,  we 
will  go  all  together."  At  last,  when  the  barracks  were  seen  to  be 
tumbling,  Putnam  descended,  placed  himself  at  the  interval,  and 
continued  from  an  incessant  rotation  of  replenished  buckets  to  pour 
water  upon  the  magazine.  The  outside  planks  were  already  con- 
sumed by  the  proximity  of  the  fire,  and  as  only  one  thickness  of 
timber  intervened,  the  trepidation  now  became  general  and  extreme. 
Putnam,  still  undaunted,  covered  with  a  cloud  of  cinders,  and  scorched 
with  the  intensity  of  the  heat,  maintained  his  position  until  the  fire 
subsided,  and  the  danger  was  wholly  over.  He  had  contended  for 
one  hour  and  a  half  with  that  terrible  element.  His  legs,  his  thighs, 
his  arms,  and  his  face  were  blistered ;  and  when  he  pulled  off  his 
second  pair  of  mittens,  the  skin  from  his  hands  and  fingers  followed 
them.  It  was  a  month  before  he  recovered.  The  commandant,  to 
whom  his  merits  had  before  endeared  him,  could  not  stifle  the  emo- 
tions of  gratitude  due  to  the  man  who  had  been  instrumental  in 
preserving  the  magazine,  the  fort,  and  the  garrison. 

In  the  month  of  August,  five  hundred  men  were  employed,  under 
the  orders  of  Majors  Rogers  and  Putnam,  to  watch  the  motions  of 
the  enemy  near  Ticonderoga.     At  South  Bay  they  separated  the 


PUTNAM    S     CONTEST     IN     THE     WOODS. 


287 


party  into  two  equal  divisions,  and  Rogers  took  a  position  on  Wood 
creek,  twelve  miles  distant  from  Putnam. 

Upon  being-,  some  time  afterwards,  discovered,  they  formed  a 
reunion,  and  concerted  measures  for  returning  to  Fort  Edward'  Their 
march  through  the  woods  was  in  three  divisions,  by  files  ;  the  right 
commanded  by  Rogers,  the  left  by  Putnam,  and  the  centre  by  Cap- 
tain D'Ell.  At  the  moment  of  moving,  the  famous  French  partisan 
Molang,  who  had  been  sent  with  five  hundred  men  to  intercept  our 
party,  was  not  more  than  one  mile  and  a  half  distant  from  them. 
Major  Putnam  was  just  emerging  from  the  thicket,  into  the  common 
forest,  when  the  enemy  rose,  and,  with  discordant  yells  and  whoops, 
commenced  an  attack  upon  the  right  of  his  division.  Surprised,  but 
undismayed,  Putnam  halted,  returned  the  fire,  and  passed  the  word 
for  the  other  divisions  to  advance  for  his  support.  D'Ell  came.  The 
action,  though  widely  scattered,  and  principally  fought  between  man 
and  man   soon  grew  general,  and  intensely  warm. 

Major  Putnam,  perceiving 
it  would  be  impracticable  to 
cross  the  creek  in  his  rear, 
determined  to  maintain  his 
ground.  Inspired  by  his  ex- 
ample, the  officers  and  men 
behaved  with  great  bravery  ; 
sometimes  they  fought  collec- 
tively in  open  view,  and 
sometimes  individually  under 
cover ;  taking  aim  from  be- 
hind the  bodies  of  trees,  and 
acting  in  a  manner,  indepen- 
dent of  each  other.  For  him- 
self, having  discharged  his 
Putnam's  contest  in  the  -wroods.  fusec  Several  times,  at  lensrth 

it  missed  fire,  while  the  muzzle  was  pressed  against  the  breast  of  a 
large  and  well-proportioned  savage.  This  warrior,  availing  himself 
of  the  indefensible  attitude  of  his  adversary,  with  a  tremendous  war 
whoop,  sprang  forward,  with  his  lifted  hatchet,  and  compelled  him  to 
surrender :  and,  having  disarmed  and  bound  him  fast  to  a  tree, 
returned  to  the  battle. 

The  intrepid  Captains,  D'Ell  and  Harman,  who  now  commanded, 
were  forced  to  give  ground,  for  a  little  distance ;  the  savages,  con- 
ceiving this  to  be  the  certain  harbinger  of  victory,  rushed  impetuously 
on,  with  dreadful  and  redoubled  cries.  But  our  two  partisans,  col- 
lecting a  handful  of  brave  men,  gave  the  pursuers  so  warm  a  recep 


288  ISRAEL     PUTNAM. 

tion  as  to  oblige  them,  in  turn,  to  retreat  a  little  beyond  the  spot  at 
which  the  action  had  commenced.  Here  they  made  a  stand.  This 
change  of  gromid  occasioned  the  tree  to  which  Putnam  was  tied,  to 
be  directly  between  the  fire  of  the  two  parties.  Human  imagination 
can  hardly  figure  to  itself  a  more  deplorable  situation.  The  balls 
flew  incessantly  from  either  side,  many  struck  the  tree,  while  some 
passed  through  the  sleeves  and  skirts  of  his  coat.  In  this  state  of 
jeopardy,  unable  to  move  his  body,  to  stir  his  limbs,  or  even  to  incline 
his  head,  he  remained  more  than  an  hour.  So  equally  balanced,  and 
so  obstinate  was  the  fight  !  At  one  moment,  while  the  battle  swerved 
in  favor  of  the  enemy,  a  young  savage  chose  an  odd  way  of  dis- 
covering his  humor.  He  found  Putnam  bound — he  might  have 
despatched  him  at  a.  single  blow — but  he  loved  better  to  excite  the 
terrors  of  the  prisoner,  by  hurling  a  tomahawk  at  his  head,  or  rather 
it  should  seem  his  object  was  to  see  how  near  he  could  throw  it  with- 
out touching  him.  The  weapon  stuck  in  the  tree  a  number  of  times, 
at  a  hair's  breadth  distance  from  the  mark.  When  the  Indian  had 
finished  his  amusement,  a  French  bas-officer,  a  much  more  inveterate 
savage  by  nature,'  (though  descended  from  so  humane  and  polished  a 
nation,)  perceiving  Putnam,  came  up  to  him,  and,  levelling  a  fusee 
within  a  foot  of  his  breast,  attempted  to  discharge  it — it  missed  fire. 
Ineffectually  did  the  intended  victim  solicit  the  treatment  due  to  his 
situation,  by  repeating  that  he  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  The  degenerate 
Frenchman  did  not  understand  the  language  of  honor  or  of  nature  ; 
deaf  to  their  voice,  and  dead  to  sensibility,  he  violently,  and  repeat- 
edly, pushed  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  against  Putnam's  ribs,  and  finally 
gave  him  a  cruel  blow  on  his  jaw  with  the  butt-end  of  his  piece. 
After  this  dastardly  deed  he  left  him. 

At  length  the  active  intrepidity  of  D'Ell  and  Harman,  seconded 
by  the  persevering  valor  of  their  followers,  prevailed.  They  drove 
from  the  field  the  enemy,  who  left  about  ninety  dead  behind  them. 
As  they  were  retiring,  Putnam  was  untied  by  the  Indian  who  had 
made  him  prisoner,  and  whom  he  afterward  called  master.  Having 
been  conducted  for  some  distance  from  the  place  of  action,  he  was 
stripped  of  his  coat,  vest,  stockings,  and  shoes  ;  loaded  with  as  many 
of  the  packs  of  the  wounded  as  could  be  piled  upon  him  ;  strongly 
pinioned,  and  his  wrists  tied  as  closely  together  as  they  could  be 
pulled  with  a  cord.  After  he  had  marched  through  no  pleasant  paths, 
in  this  painful  manner,  for  many  a  tedious  mile,  the  party  (w^ho  were 
excessively  fatigued)  halted  to  breathe.  His  hands  were  now  immo- 
derately swelled  from  the  tightness  of  the  ligature,  and  the  pain  had 
become  intolerable.  His  feet  were  so  much  scratched  that  the  blood 
dropped  fast  from  them.     Exhausted  with  bearing  a  burden  above 


PUTNAMS     CAPTIVITY. 


289 


his  strength,  and  frantic  with  torments  exquisite  beyond  endurance, 
he  entreated  the  Irish  interpreter  to  implore,  as  the  last  and  only 
grace  he  desired  of  the  savages,  that  they  would  knock  him  on  the 
head  and  take  his  scalp  at  once,  or  loose  his  hands.  A  French  officer, 
instantly  interposing,  ordered  his  hands  to  be  unbound,  and  some  of 
the  packs  to  be  taken  off.  By  this  time,  the  Indian  who  captured 
him,  and  had  been  absent  with  the  wounded,  coming  up,  gave  him  a 
pair  of  moccasons,  and  expressed  great  indignation  at  the  unworthy 
treatment  his  prisoner  had  suffered. 

HAT  savage  chief  again  returned 
to  the  care  of  the  wounded,  and 
the  Indians,  about  two  hundred  in 
number,  went  before  the  rest  of 
the  party  to  the  place  where  the 
whole  were  that  night  to  encamp. 
They  took  with  them  Major  Put- 
nam, on  whom,  besides  innumera- 
ble other  outrages,  they  had  the 
barbarity  to  inflict  a  deep  wound 
with  the  tomahawk  in  the  left 
cheek.  His  suflTerings  were,  in 
this  place,  to  be  consummated.  A 
scene  of  horror,  infinitely  greatei 
than  had  ever  met  his  eyes  before,  was  now  preparing.  It  was  de 
termined  to  roast  him  alive.  For  this  purpose  they  led  him  into  a 
dark  forest,  stripped  him  naked,  bound  him  to  a  tree,  and  piled  dry 
brush,  with  other  fuel,  at  a  small  distance,  in  a  circle  round  him. 
They  accompanied  their  labors,  as  if  for  his  funeral  dirge,  with 
screams  and  sounds  inimitable  but  by  savage  voices.  They  then  set 
the  piles  on  fire.  A  sudden  shower  damped  the  rising  flame.  Still 
they  strove  to  kindle  it,  until,  at  last,  the  blaze  ran  fiercely  round 
the  circle.     Major  Putnam  soon  began  to  feel  the  scorching  heat. 

His  hands  were  so  tied  that  he  could  move  his  body.  He  often 
shifted  sides  as  the  fire  approached.  This  sight,  at  the  very  idea  of 
which  all  but  savages  must  shudder,  afforded  the  highest  diversion 
to  his  inhuman  tormentors,  who  demonstrated  the  delirium  of  their 
joy  by  corresponding  yells,  dances,  and  gesticulations.  He  saw 
clearly  that  his  final  hour  was  inevitably  come.  He  summoned  all 
his  resolution,  and  composed  his  mind  as  far  as  the  circumstances 
could  admit,  to  bid  an  eternal  farewell  to  all  he  held  most  dear.  To 
quit  the  world  would  scarcely  have  cost  him  a  single  pang ;  but  for 
the  idea  of  home,  but  for  the  remembrance  of  domestic  endearments, 
of  the  affectionate  partner  of  his  soul,  and  of  their  beloved  offspring. 

19 


290  ISRAEL     PUTNAM. 

His  thought  was  ultimately  fixed  on  a  happier  state  of  existence, 
beyond  the  tortures  he  was  beginning  to  endure.  The  bitterness  of 
death,  even  of  that  death  which  is  accompanied  with  the  keenest 
agonies,  was  in  a  manner  past — nature,  with  a  feeble  struggle,  was 
quitting  its  last  hold  on  sublunary  things,  when  a  French  officer 
rushed  through  the  crowd,  opened  a  way  by  scattering  the  burning 
brands,  and  unbound  the  victim.  It  was  Molang  himself,  to  whom 
a  savage,  unwilling  to  see  another  human  sacrifice  immolated,  had 
run  and  communicated  the  tidings.  That  commandant  spurned  and 
severely  reprimanded  the  barbarians  whose  nocturnal  powaws  and 
hellish  orgies  he  suddenly  ended.  Putnam  did  not  want  for  feeling 
or  gratitude.  The  French  commander,  fearing  to  trust  him  alone 
with  them,  remained  until  he  could  deliver  him  in  safety  into  the 
hands  of  his  master. 

The  savage  approached  his  prisoner  kindly,  and  seemed  to  treat 
him  with  particular  affection.  He  offered  him  some  hard  biscuit ; 
but  finding  he  could  not  chew  them,  on  account  of  the  blow  he  had 
received  from  the  Frenchman,  this  more  humane  savage  soaked  some 
of  the  biscuit  in  water,  and  made  him  suck  the  pulp-like  part.  D-e- 
termined,  however,  not  to  lose  his  captive,  (the  refreshment  being 
finished,)  he  took  the  moccasons  from  his  feet,  and  tied  them  to  one 
of  his  wrists  :  then  directing  him  to  lie  down  on  his  back  upon  the 
bare  ground,  he  stretched  one  arm  to  its  full  length,  and  pinioned  it 
fast  to  a  young  tree  ;  the  other  arm  was  extended  and  bound  in  the 
same  manner — his  legs  were  stretched  apart  and  fastened  to  two  sap- 
lings. Then  a  number  of  tall  but  slender  poles  were  cut  down,  which, 
with  some  long  bushes,  were  laid  across  his  body  from  head  to  foot : 
on  each  side  lay  as  many  Indians  as  could  conveniently  find  lodging, 
in  order  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  his  escape.  In  this  disagreeable 
and  painful  posture  he  remained  until  morning.  During  this  night, 
the  longest  and  most  dreary  conceivable,  our  hero  used  to  relate 
that  he  felt  a  ray  of  cheerfulness  come  casually  across  his  mind, 
and  could  not  even  refrain  from  smiling  when  he  reflected  on  this 
ludicrous  group  for  a  painter,  of  which  he  himself  was  the  principal 
figure. 

The  next  day  he  was  allowed  his  blanliet  and  moccasons,  and  per- 
mitted to  march  without  carrying  any  pack,  or  receiving  any  insult 
To  allay  his  extreme  hunger,  a  little  bear's  meat  was  given,  which 
he  sucked  through  his  teeth.  At  night  the  party  arrived  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  the  prisoner  was  placed  under  the  care  of  a  French 
guard.  The  savages  who  had  been  prevented  from  glutting  their 
diabolical  thirst  for  blood,  took  other  opportunity  of  manifesting  their 
malevolence  for  the  disappointment,  by  horrid  grimaces  and  angry 


GENEROSITY   OF  SCHUYLER.  291 

gestures  ;  but  they  were  suffered  no  more  to  offer  violence  or  personal 
indignity  to  him. 

After  having  been  examined  by  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  Major 
Putnam  was  conducted  to  Montreal  by  a  French  officer,  who  treated 
him  with  the  greatest  indulgence  and  humanity. 

At  this  place  were  several  prisoners.  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler, 
remarkable  for  his  philanthropy,  generosity,  and  friendship,  was  of 
the  number.  No  sooner  had  he  heard  of  Putnam's  arrival,  than  he 
went  to  the  interpreter's  quarters,  and  inquired  whether  he  had  a 
provincial  major  in  his  custody.  He  found  Major  Putnam  in  a 
comfortless  condition — without  coat,  waistcoat,  or  hose — the  remnant 
of  his  clothing  miserably  dirty  and  ragged — his  beard  long  and  squalid 
— his  legs  torn  by  thorns  and  briers — his  face  gashed  by  wounds,  and 
swollen  with  bruises.  Colonel  Schuyler,  irritated  beyond  all  suffer- 
ance at  such  a  sight,  could  scarcely  restrain  his  speech  within  limits 
consistent  with  the  prudence  of  a  prisoner,  and  the  meekness  of  a 
christian.  Major  Putnam  was  immediately  treated  according  to  his 
rank,  clothed  in  a  decent  manner,  and  supplied  with  money  by  that 
liberal  and  sympathetic  patron  of  the  distressed. 

HE  capture  of  Frontenac  by  General  Bradstreet,  af- 
forded occasion  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  Colonel 
Schuyler  was  comprehended  in  the  cartel.  A  generous 
spirit  can  never  be  satisfied  with  imposing  tasks  for  its 
generosity  to  accomplish.  Apprehensive,  that  if  it 
should  be  known  that  Putnam  was  a  distinguished  partisan,  his  libera- 
tion might  be  retarded,  and  knowing  that  there  were  officers,  who,  from 
the  length  of  their  captivity,  had  a  claim  to  priority  of  exchange,  he 
had,  by  his  happy  address,  induced  the  governor  to  offer,  that  what- 
ever officer  he  might  think  proper  to  nominate  should  be  included  in 
the  present  cartel.  With  great  politeness  in  manner,  but  seeming 
indifference  as  to  object,  he  expressed  his  warmest  acknowledgments 
to  the  governor,  and  said, — There  is  an  old  man  here,  who  is  a  pro- 
vincial major,  and  wishes  to  be  at  home  with  his  wife  and  children  ; 
he  can  do  no  good  here  or  any  where  else  :  I  believe  your  Excellency 
had  better  keep  some  of  the  young  men,  who  have  no  wife  nor  chil- 
dren to  care  for,  and  let  the  old  fellow^  go  home  with  me.  This 
justifiable  finesse  had  the  desired  effect. 

Shortly  after,  Putnam  was  promoted  to  be  a  lieutenant-colonel,  in 
which  he  continued  to  the  close  of  the  war,  ever,  and  on  all  occa- 
sions, supporting  his  hard  earned  reputation  for  valor  and  intrepidity  ; 
and,  at  the  expiration  of  ten  years  from  his  first  receiving  a  commis- 
sion, after  having  seen  as  much  service,  endured  as  many  hardships, 
encountered  as  many  dangers,  and  acquired  as  many  laurels  as  any 


292  ISRAEL     PUTNAM. 

officer  of  his  rank,  with  great  satisfaction  laid  aside  his  uniform  and 
returned  to  the  plough. 

On  the  22d  day  of  March,  1765,  the  stamp  act  received  the  royal 
assent.  Colonel  Putnam  was,  at  this  time,  a  member  of  the  house 
of  assembly  of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  and  was  deputed  to  wait  on 
the  then  Governor  Fitch  on  the  subject.  The  questions  of  the 
governor,  and  answers  of  Putnam,  will  serve  to  indicate  the  spirit  of 
the  times.  After  some  conversation,  the  governor  asked  Colonel 
Putnam  "  what  he  should  do  if  the  stamped  paper  should  be  sent  him 
by  the  king's  authority  ?"  Putnam  replied,  "  lock  it  up  until  we  shall 
visit  you  again."  "  And  what  will  you  do  then  ?"  "  We  shall  expect 
you  to  give  us  the  key  of  the  room  in  which  it  is  deposited ;  and,  if 
you  think  fit,  in  order  to  secure  yourself  from  blame,  you  may  fore- 
warn us,  upon  our  peril,  not  to  enter  the  room."  "  And  what  will 
you  do  afterward  ?"  "  Send  it  safely  back  again."  "  But  if  I  should 
refuse  admission  ?"  "  In  such  case,  your  house  will  be  demolished  in 
five  minutes."  It  is  supposed  that  a  report  of  this  conversation  was 
one  reason  why  the  stamp  paper  was  never  sent  from  New  York  to 
Connecticut, 

Being  once,  in  particular,  asked  by  a  British  officer,  with  whom  he 
had  formerly  served,  "  whether  he  did  not  seriously  believe  that  a 
well  appointed  British  army  of  five  thousand  veterans  could  march 
through  the  whole  continent  of  America?"  he  briskly  replied,  "no 
doubt,  if  they  behaved  civilly,  and  paid  well  for  every  thing  they 
wanted ;  but,"  after  a  moment's  pause,  added,  "  if  they  should 
attempt  it  in  a  hostile  maniier  (though  the  American  men  were  out 
of  the  question,)  the  women,  with  their  ladles  and  broomsticks, 
would  knock  them  all  on  the  head  before  they  had  got  half-way 
through." 

The  battle  of  Lexington  found  Putnam  in  the  midst  of  his  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  Immediately  upon  learning  the  fatal  rencontre,  he  left 
his  plough  in  the  middle  of  the  field,  unyoked  his  team,  and  without 
waiting  to  change  his  clothes,  set  off  for  the  theatre  of  action.  But 
finding  the  British  retreated  to  Boston,  and  invested  by  a  sufficient 
force  to  watch  their  movements,  he  came  back  to  Connecticut,  levied 
a  regiment  under  authority  of  the  legislature,  and  speedily  returned 
to  Cambridge.  He  was  now  promoted  to  be  a  major-general  on  the 
continental  establishment. 

Not  long  after  this  period,  the  British  commander-in-chief  found 
the  means  to  convey  a  proposal,  privately,  to  General  Putnam,  that 
if  he  would  relinquish  the  rebel  party,  he  might  rely  upon  being  made 
a  major-general  on  the  British  establishment,  and  receiving  a  great 
pecuniary  compensation  for  his  services.     General  Putnam  spurned 


PUTNAM  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


293 


The  Minute  man. 


at  the  offer ;  which,  however,  he  thought  prudent  at  that  time  to 
conceal  from  public  notice. 

In  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  he  exhibited  his  usual  intrepidity. 
He  directed  the  men  to  reserve  their  fire  till  the  enemxy  was  very 
near,  reminded  them  of  their  skill,  and  told  them  to  take  good  aim. 
They  did  so,  and  the  execution  was  terrible.  After  the  retreat,  he 
made  a  stand  at  Winter  Hill,  and  drove  back  the  enemy  under  cover 
of  their  ships.  When  the  army  was  organized  by  General  Wash- 
ington, at  Cambridge,  Putnam  was  appointed  to  command  the  reserve. 
In  August,  1776,  he  was  stationed  at  Brooklyn,  on  Long  Island. 
After  the  defeat  of  our  army  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  that  month, 
he  went  to  New  York,  and  was  very  serviceable  in  the  city  and  neigh- 
borhood. In  October  or  November,  he  was  sent  to  Philadelphia,  to 
fortify  that  city. 

In  January,  1777,  he  was  directed  to  take  post  at  Princeton,  where 
he  continued  until  spring.  At  this  place,  a  sick  prisoner,  a  captain, 
requested  that  a  friend  in  the  British  army  at  Brunswick  might  be 
sent  for  to  assist  him  in  making  his  will.  Putnam  was  perplexed. 
He  had  but  fifty  men  under  his  command,  and  he  did  not  wish  to 
have  his  weakness  known  ;  yet  he  was  unwilling  to  deny  the  request. 
He,  however,  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  and  directed  the  officer  to  be 
brought  in  the  night.  In  the  evening  lights  were  placed  in  all  the 
college  windows,  and  in  every  apartment  of  the  vacant  houses 
throughout  the  town.  The  officer,  on  his  return,  reported  that 
General  Putnam's  army  could  not  consist  of  less  than  four  or  five 
thousand  men. 


294  ISRAEL     PUTNAM. 

In  the  spring-  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  separate 
army,  in  the  highlands  of  New  York.  One  Palmer,  a  lieutenant  in 
the  tory  new  levies,  was  detected  in  the  camp ;  Governor  Tryon 
reclaimed  him  as  a  British  officer,  threatening  vengeance  if  he  was 
not  restored.  General  Putnam  wrote  the  following  pithy  reply  : — 
"  Sir,  Nathan  Palmer,  a  lieutenant  in  your  king's  service,  was  taken 
in  my  camp  as  a  spy ;  he  was  tried  as  a  spy ;  he  was  condemned  as 
a  spy  ;  and  shall  be  hanged  as  a  spy.  P,  S.  Afternoon.  He  is 
hanged." 

After  the  loss  of  Fort  Montgomery,  the  commander-in-chief  de- 
termined to  build  another  fortification,  and  he  directed  Putnam  to 
fix  upon  a  spot.  To  him  belongs  the  praise  of  having  chosen  West 
Point. 

About  the  middle  of  winter,  while  General  Putnam  was  on  a 
visit  to  his  out-post  at  Horse-Neck,  he  found  Governor  Tryon  ad- 
vancing upon  that  town  with  a  corps  of  fifteen  hundred  men.  To 
oppose  these  General  Putnam  had  only  a  picket  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  and  two  iron  field-pieces,  without  horses  or  drag  ropes. 
He,  however,  planted  his  cannon  on  the  high  ground  by  the  meeting- 
house, and  retarded  their  approach  by  firing  several  times,  until  per- 
ceiving the  horse  (supported  by  the  infantry)  about  to  charge,  he 
ordered  the  picket  to  provide  for  their  safety,  by  retiring  to  a  swamp 
inaccessible  to  horse,  and  secured  his  own  by  plunging  down  the 
steep  precipice  at  the  church  upon  a  full  trot.  This  precipice  is  so 
steep  where  he  descended,  as  to  have  artificial  stairs,  composed 
of  nearly  one  hundred  stone  steps,  for  the  accommodation  of  foot 
passengers.  There  the  dragoons  who  were  but  a  sword's  length 
from  him  stopped  short ;  for  the  declivity  was  so  abrupt  that  they 
ventured  not  to  follow  ;  and  before  they  could  gain  the  valley  by 
going  round  the  brow  of  the  hill  in  the  ordinary  road,  he  was  far 
enough  beyond  their  reach.  He  continued  his  route,  unmolested,  to 
Stamford ;  from  whence,  having  strengthened  his  picket  by  the 
junction  of  some  militia,  he  came  back  again,  and  in  turn  pursued 
Governor  Tryon  in  his  retreat.  As  he  rode  down  the  precipice,  one 
ball  of  the  many  fired  at  him  went  through  his  beaver  ;  but  Governor 
Tryon,  by  way  of  compensation  for  spoiling  his  hat,  sent  him  soon 
afterward  as  a  present,  a:  complete  suit  of  clothes. 

The  campaign  of  1779,  which  was  principally  spent  in  strength- 
ening the  works  at  West  Point,  finished  the  military  career  of  Put- 
nam, A  paralytic  affection  impaired  the  activity  of  his  body,  and 
compelled  him  to  quit  the  army. 

The  remainder  of  the  life  of  General  Putnam  was  passed  in  quiet 
retirement  with  his  family.     He  experienced  few  interruptions  in  his 


PUTNAM    S     CHARACTER. 


297 


Putnam's  Adventure  at  Horse-Neciu 

bodily  health,  (except  the  paralytic  debility  with  which  he  was 
afflicted,)  retained  full  possession  of  his  mental  faculties,  and  en- 
joyed the  society  of  his  friends  until  the  17th  of  May,  1790,  when 
he  was  violently  attacked  with  an  inflammatory  disease.  Satisfied 
from  the  first  that  it  would  prove  mortal,  he  was  calm  and  resigned, 
and  welcomed  the  approach  of  death  with  joy,  as  a  messenger  sent 
to  call  him  from  a  life  of  toil  to  everlasting  rest.  On  the  19th  of 
May,  1790,  he  ended  a  life  which  had  been  spent  in  cultivating  and 
defending  the  soil  of  his  birth,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Dwight,  President  of  Yale  College,  who  knew 
General  Putnam  intimately,  has  portrayed  his  character  faithfully  in 
the  following  inscription,  which  is  engraven  on  his  tomb  : 
SACRED   BE   THIS    MONUMENT 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

ISRAEL  PUTNAM,  Esq., 

Seniox  Major  Geneial  in  tlie  armies  of  the  United  States  of  America 

^svio  ■was  born  at  Salem,  in  tlie  Province  of  Massacliusetts, 

on  tlie  7tli  day  of  January,  A.  D.  1718, 

And  died  on  the  19th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1790. 

Passenger,  if  thou  art  a  Soldier,  drop  a  tear  over  the  dust  of  a 
Hero,  who,  ever  attentive  to  the  lives  and  happiness  of  his  men, 
dared  to  lead  where  any  dared  to  follow ;  if  a  patriot,  remem- 
ber the  distinguished  and  gallant  services  rendered  thy  country, 
by  the  Pati-iot  who  sleeps  beneath  this  marble ;  if  thou  art 
honest,  generous,  and  worthy,  render  a  cheerful  tribute  of  re- 
spect to  a  man,  whose  generosity  was  singular,  whose  honesty 
was  proverbial ;  who  raised  himself  to  universal  esteem,  and  of- 
fices of  eminent  distinction,  by  personal  worth,  and  a  useful  life. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  WILLIAM  MOULTRIE. 


HIS  gentleman  was  a  citizen  of 

South     Carolina,    and    was     a 

soldier  from  an  early  period  of 

his  life.     At  the  commencement 

of    the     Revolution,     he    was 

;^^^B  among  the  foremost  to  assert  the  liberties 

of  his  country  ;  and  braved  every  danger  to 

redress  her  wrongs. 

The  scene  of  his  brilliant  operations  was 
in  South  Carolina,  and  his  gallant  defence 
of  Sullivan's  Island,  crowned  him  with  immortality. 

General  Lee  styled  the  post  at  Sullivan's  Island,  a  slaughter  pen, 
denounced  its  defence,  and  pronouncing  disgrace  on  the  measure 
should  it  be  persisted  in,  earnestly  requested  the  president  to  order 
it  to  be  evacuated. 

Happily  for  the  nation,  its  destinies  were  at  that  period  guided  by 
that  inflexible  patriot,  John  Rutledge,  who,  confidently  relying  on 

298 


DEFENCE      OF      SULLIVAN's      ISLAND.  299 

Moultrie  and  his  intrepid  band,  heroically  replied  to  Lee,  "  That 
while  a  soldier  remained  alive  to  defend  it,  he  would  never  give  his 
sanction  to  such  an  order."  The  result  proved  the  accuracy  of  his 
judgment.  The  following  laconic  note  was  at  the  same  time  for- 
warded to  Colonel  Moultrie.  "  General  Lee  wishes  you  to  evacuate 
the  fort.  You  will  not  without  an  order  from  me.  I  will  sooner  cut 
off  my  hand  than  write  one." 

The  defence  of  the  pass  at  Sullivan's  Island  may  be  compared  with 
many  of  the  splendid  achievements  which  Grecian  eloquence  has 
rendered  illustrious.  Impressed  with  prejudices  as  strong  as  Xerxes 
ever  cherished  against  Greece,  the  commanders  of  the  British  forces 
approached  our  coast,  not  to  conciliate,  but  to  subdue.  Exulting  in 
the  supposed  superiority  of  their  discipline  and  valor,  they  spoke  in 
the  language  of  authority,  and  would  listen  to  no  terms  short  of 
unconditional  submission. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  gallant  Moultrie,  commanding  a  corps, 
formidable  only  by  their  boldness  and  resolution,  impatiently  awaited 
their  approach.  He  was  not  insensible  of  the  insufficiency  of  a 
work  hastily  constructed,  and  in  every  part  incomplete ;  but  con- 
sidering himself  pledged  to  give  a  proof  to  the  enemy  of  American 
valor,  he  scorned  the  disgrace  of  relinquishing  the  fort  he  had  sworn 
to  defend,  and -notwithstanding  the  advice  of  the  veteran  Lee,  heroi- 
cally prepared  for  action. 

Immediately  on  the  approach  of  the  British  fleet  to  the  coast,  with 
the  evident  intention  of  attacking  Charleston,  a  fort  had  been  con- 
structed on  the  west  end  of  Sullivan's  Island,  mounting  thirty-two 
guns,  thirty-twos  and  eighteens.  Into  this  fort,  Moultrie  and  his 
gallant  band  threw  themselves. 

"^WO  fifty  gun  ships  of  the  enemy,  four 
^  frigates,  several  sloops  of  war  and  bomb 
vessels,  were  brought  to  the  attack,  which 
was  commenced  about  eleven  o'clock,  from 
one  of  the  bomb  vessels.  This  was  soon 
followed  by  the  guns  of  all  the  ships. 
Four  of  the  vessels  dropped  anchor  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  fort,  and  opened 
their  several  broadsides.  Three  others 
were  ordered  to  take  their  stations  between 
the  end  of  the  island  and  the  city,  intending  thereby  to  enfilade  the 
works  as  well  as  to  cut  off  the  communication  with  the  continent. 
But  in  attempting  to  execute  this  order,  they  became  entangled 
with  each  other  on  the  shoals,  and  one  of  the  frigates,  the  Acteon, 
stuck  fast. 


300 


WILLIAM     MOULTRIE. 


Defence  of  Fort  Moultrie. 

The  roar  of  artillery  upon  this  little  fort  was  incessant,  and  enough 
to  appal  even  those  who  had  been  accustomed  all  their  lives  to  the 
dreadful  work  of  a  cannonade.  But  Moultrie,  with  his  brave  Caro- 
linians, seemed  to  regard  it  only  as  a  symphony  to  the  grand  march 
of  independence.  They  returned  the  fire  with  an  aim  as  true  and 
deliberate  as  though  each  British  ship  had  been  placed  as  a  target 
for  prize  shooting,  and  continued  it  for  several  hours,  until  their 
ammunition  was  expended.  The  cessation  which  this  necessarily 
occasioned,  produced  a  momentary  joy  in  the  assailants,  who  in 
imagination  already  grasped  the  victory  which  had  been  so  hotly 
disputed — but  the  renewal  of  the  blaze  from  the  batteries  soon  con- 
vinced them  that  the  struggle  was  not  yet  ended.  Another  gleam 
of  hope  brightened  upon  the  British  seamen,  when,  after  a  dreadful 
volley,  the  flag  of  Moultrie  was  no  longer  seen  to  wave  defiance. 
They  looked  eagerly  and  anxiously  towards  the  spot  where  Clinton, 
Cornwallis,  and  Vaughan  had  landed  with  the  troops,  expecting 
every  moment  to  see  them  mount  the  parapets  in  triumph.  But  no 
British  troops  appeared,  and  a  few  moments  afterward,  the  striped 
flag  of  the  colonies  once  more  proudly  unfolded  to  the  breeze — the 
staff  had  been  carried  away  by  a  shot,  and  the  flag  had  fallen  on  the 
outside  of  the  works  ;  a  brave  sergeant  of  the  Carolina  troops,  by  the 
name  of  Jasper,  jumped  over  the  wall,  seized  the  flag,  and  fastening 
it  to  a  sponge  staff",  mounted  the  merlon  amidst  the  thunder  of  the 
enemy's  guns,  and  fixed  it  in  a  conspicuous  place. 

The  ships  of  the  enemy  kept  up  their  fire  with  unsubdued  courage 
tintil  half  past  nine  o'clock,  when  the  darkness  of  the  night  put  a 
stop  to  the  carnage  on  both  sides  ;  and  the  ships,  with  the  exception 


DEFENCE     OF     CHARLESTON.  30  I 

of  the  Acteon,  soon  after  slipped  their  cables,  and  dropped  down 
about  two  miles  from  the  scene  of  action.  The  terrible  slaughter 
on  board  the  ships  bore  melancholy  testimony  to  the  bravery  of  the 
British  seamen.  At  one  time,  Captain  Morris,  of  the  Bristol,  was 
almost  the  only  man  left  upon  the  quarter-deck.  He  had  received 
several  wounds,  but  gallantly  refused  to  quit  the  deck  until  no  longer 
able  to  stand,  or  give  an  order.  This  ship  had  one  hundred  and 
eleven  killed  and  wounded.  The  Experiment  lost  ninety-nine  killed 
and  wounded,  and  among  the  latter  her  commander.  Captain  Scott. 
The  Acteon  had  a  lieutenant  killed  and  six  men  wounded,  and  the 
Solebay  eight  wounded.  The  whole  killed  and  wounded,  tvt'O  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five.  Sir  Peter  Parker,  and  Lord  William  Camp- 
bell, who  served  as  a  volunteer,  were  both  wounded.  The  Americans 
lost  only  ten  killed  and  twenty-two  wounded. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  too  much  praise  to  Colonel  Moultrie  and 
his  brave  Carolinians,  who  for  more  than  ten  hours  sustained  the 
continued  fire  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  guns  and  bombs  ;  from 
which  in  the  course  of  that  time  were  thrown  more  than  ten  thou- 
sand shot  and  shells,  seven  thousand  of  which  were  picked  up  after 
the  battle  was  over. 

On  the  next  day  a  few  shot  were  fired  from  the  garrison  at  the 
Acteon,  which  remained  aground,  and  the  crew  returned  them,  but 
finding  it  impossible  to  get  her  off,  they  soon  set  fire  to  and  aban- 
doned her,  leaving  the  colors  flying,  the  guns  loaded,  and  all  their 
ammunition  and  stores.  In  this  perilous  situation  she  was  boarded 
by  a  small  party  of  Americans,  who  fired  three  of  the  guns  at  their 
late  owners,  while  the  flames  were  bursting  around  them,  filled  their 
boats  with  the  stores,  secured  the  flag,  and  had  just  time  to  save 
themselves,  when  she  was  blown  into  the  air. 

The  fort  which  had  been  so  gallantly  defended  by  Moultrie,  after- 
ward received  his  name. 

In  1779,  he  gained  a  victory  over  the  British,  in  the  battle  near 
Beaufort.  In  1780,  he  was  second  in  command,  in  Charleston, 
during  the  siege.  After  the  city  surrendered,  he  was  sent  to  Phila- 
delphia. In  1782  he  returned,  and  was  repeatedly  chosen  governor 
of  the  state  of  South  Carolina. 

Notwithstanding  his  labors,  his  victories  and  public  services,  how- 
ever zealous,  however  glorious,  however  serviceable,  the  enemy  had 
the  audacity  to  make  choice  of  him  as  a  fit  object  to  be  gained  over 
to  them  by  bribery.  His  talents,  his  experience,  and  enterprise, 
would  be  an  invaluable  acquisition  to  the  enemy,  if  it  could  be  em- 
ployed on  the  continent ;  and,  if  it  could  not  be  so  employed,  then 
the  depriving  the  Americans  of  him  would  be  of  importance  nearly 


302 


WILLIAM      MOULTRIE. 


as  great ;  it  was,  in  the  eyes  of  a  selfish,  greedy  enemy  highly  pro- 
bable that  a  man  who  had  suffered  so  much  in  his  private  property, 
would  listen  to  a  proposal  which  would  enable  him  to  go  to  Jamaica 
as  colonel  of  a  British  regiment,  the  commander  of  which,  Lord 
Charles  Montague,  politely  offered,  as  a  proof  of  his  sincerity,  to 
quit  the  command,  and  serve  under  him.  "  No,"  replied  the  indig- 
nant Moultrie,  "  not  the  fee-simple  of  that  valuable  island  of  Jamaica 
should  induce  me  to  part  with  my  integrity." 

This  incorruptible  patriot  died  at  Charleston,  September  27,  1805, 
in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age. 


Britialx  Na-val  Uniform,  1778. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  STARK. 


ENERAL      STARK     was     a 

native  of  New  Hampshire,  and 
was     born     in     Londonderry, 
August  17th,  1728.     From  his 
early  youth  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  the  alarm  of  war,  having  lived  in 
that  part  of  the  country  which  w^as  continu- 
ally subject  to  the  incursions  of  the  savages. 
While   a  child  he  was   captured  by  them, 
and  adopted  as  one  of  their  own ;  but  after 
a  few  years  was  restored. 
Arrived  at  manhood,  his  manners  were  plain,  honest,  and  severe  ; 
excellently  calculated  for  the  benefit  of  society  in  the  private  walks 
of  life ;  and  as  a  courageous  and  heroic  soldier,  he  is  entitled  to  a 
high  rank  among  those  who  have  been  crowned  with  unfading  laurels, 

303 


L_ 


304  JOHN     STARK. 

and  to  whom  a  large  share  of  glory  is  justly  due.  He  was  captain 
of  a  company  of  rangers  in  the  provincial  service  during  the  French 
war  in  1755. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  difficulties  with  the  mother  coun- 
try, until  the  closing  scene  of  the  Revolution,  our  country  found  in 
General  Stark  one  of  its  most  resolute,  independent,  and  persevering 
defenders.  The  first  call  of  his  country  found  him  ready.  When 
the  report  of  Lexington  battle  reached  him,  he  was  engaged  at  work 
in  his  saw-mill :  fired  with  indignation  and  a  martial  spirit,  he  imme- 
diately seized  his  musket,  and  with  a  band  of  heroes  proceeded  to 
Cambridge.  The  morning  after  his  arrival,  he  received  a  colonel's 
commission,  and  availing  himself  of  his  own  popularity,  and  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  day,  in  two  hours  he  enlisted  eight  hundred  men. 
On  the  memorable  17th  of  June,  at  Breed's  Hill,  Colonel  Stark,  at 
the  head  of  his  back-woodsmen  of  New  Hampshire,  poured  on  the 
enemy  that  deadly  fire  from  a  sure  aim,  which  efl^ected  such  remark- 
able destruction  in  their  ranks,  and  compelled  them  twice  to  retreat. 
During  the  whole  of  this  dreadful  conflict,  Colonel  Stark  evinced 
that  consummate  bravery  and  intrepid  zeal,  which  entitle  his  name 
to  perpetual  remembrance. 

His  spirit  pervaded  his  native  state,  and  excited  them  to  the  most 
patriotic  efforts.  The  British  General  Burgoyne,  in  one  of  his  letters 
observes, — *'  That  the  Hampshire  Grants,  almost  unknown  in  the 
last  war,  now  abound  in  the  most  active  and  most  rebellious  race  on 
the  continent,  and  hang  like  a  gathering  storm  upon  my  left." 

Distinct  from  his  efforts  in  rallying  the  energies  of  his  native  state, 
he  obtained  great  credit  in  the  active  operations  of  the  field.  At  that 
gloomy  period  of  the  revolution,  the  retreat  of  Washington  through 
New  Jersey  in  1776,  when  the  saviour  of  our  country,  apparently 
deserted  of  Heaven  and  by  his  country,  with  the  few  gallant  spirits 
who  gathered  the  closer  around  him  in  that  dark  hour,  precipitately 
fled  before  an  imperious  and  victorious  enemy — it  was  on  this  occa- 
sion, that  the  persevering  valor  of  Stark  enrolled  him  among  the  firm 
and  resolute  defenders  of  their  country  ;  and,  with  them,  entitles  him 
to  her  unceasing  gratitude. 

But  as  he  fearlessly  shared  with  Washington  the  dark  and  gloomy 
night  of  defeat,  so  also  he  participated  with  him  in  the  joy  of  a  bright 
morning  of  victory  and  hope.  In  the  successful  enterprise  against 
Trenton,  Stark,  then  a  colonel,  acted  a  conspicuous  part,  and  covered 
himself  with  glory.  General  Wilkinson,  in  his  Memoirs,  says, — "  I 
must  not  withhold  due  praise  from  the  dauntless  Stark,  who  dealt 
death  wherever  he  found  resistance,  and  broke  down  all  opposition 
before  him." 


burgoyne's    invasion.  305 

Soon  after  this  affair,  Colonel  Stark,  from  some  supposed  injustice 
toward  him  on  the  part  of  Congress,  quitted  the  continental  service, 
and  returned  to  New  Hampshire. 

When  he  was  urged  by  the  government  of  New  Hampshire  to  take 
the  command  of  their  militia,  he  refused,  unless  he  should  be  left  at 
liberty  to  serve  or  not,  under  a  continental  officer,  as  he  should  judge 
proper.  It  was  not  a  time  for  debate,  and  it  was  known  that  the 
militia  would  follow  wherever  Stark  would  lead.  The  assembly 
therefore  invested  him  with  a  separate  command,  and  gave  him  orders 
to  "  repair  to  Charlestown,  on  Connecticut  river  ;  there  to  consult 
with  a  committee  of  ttie  New  Hampshire  Grants,  respecting  his  future 
operations,  and  the  supply  of  his  men  with  provisions  ;  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  militia,  and  march  into  the  Grants ;  to  act  in  conjunction 
with  the  troops  of  the  new  state,  or  any  other  of  the  states,  or  of  the 
United  States,  or  separately,  as  should  appear  expedient  to  him  ;  for 
the  protection  of  the  people,  and  the  annoyance  of  the  enemy." 

GREEABLY  to  his  orders.  Stark  proceeded 
in  a  few  days  to  Charlestown  ;  his  men  very 
readily  followed ;  and  as  fast  as  they  arrived, 
he  sent  them  forward  to  join  the  troops  of 
Vermont  under  Colonel  Warner,  who  had 
taken  his  situation  at  Manchester.  At  that 
place  he  joined  Warner  with  about  eight 
hundred  men  from  New  Hampshire,  and 
found  another  body  of  men  from  Vermont, 
who  put  themselves  under  his  command  ;  and  he  w-as  at  the  head  of 
fourteen  hundred  men.  Most  of  them  had  been  in  the  two  former 
campaigns,  and  well  officered ;  and  were  in  every  respect  a  body  of 
very  good  troops.  Schuyler  repeatedly  urged  Stark  to  join  the  troops 
under  his  command  ;  but  he  declined  complying.  He  was  led  to  this 
conduct  not  only  by  the  reasons  which  have  been  mentioned,  but  by 
a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  best  method  of  opposing  Burgoyne. 
Schuyler  wished  to  collect  all  the  American  troops  in  the  front,  to 
prevent  Burgoyne  from  marching  on  to  Albany.  Stark  was  of  opinion 
that  the  surest  way  to  check  Burgoyne  was  to  have  a  body  of  men 
on  his  rear,  ready  to  fall  upon  him  in  that  quarter,  whenever  a  favor- 
able opportunity  should  present.  The  New  England  militia  had  not 
formed  a  high  opinion  of  Schuyler,  as  a  general ;  and  Stark  meant 
to  keep  himself  in  a  situation,  in  which  he  might  embrace  any  favor- 
able opportunity  for  action,  either  in  conjunction  with  him,  or  other- 
wise ;  and  with  that  view  intended  to  hang  on  the  rear  of  the  British 
troops,  and  embrace  the  first  opportunity  which  should  present,  to 
make  an  attack  upon  that  quarter.     But  Stark  assured  Schuyler  that 

20 


306  JOHN     STARK. 

he  would  join  in  any  measure  necessaiy  to  promote  the  pubhc  good, 
but  wished  to  avoid  any  thing  that  was  not  consistent  with  his  own 
honor  ;  and  if  it  was  thought  necessary,  he  would  march  to  his  camp. 
He  wrote  particularly,  that  he  would  lay  aside  all  priA"ate  resentment, 
when  it  appeared  in  opposition  to  the  public  good.  But  in  the  midst 
of  these  protestations,  he  was  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  discover 
his  courage  and  patriotism,  by  falling  upon  some  part  of  Burgoyne's 
army. 

While  the  American  army  was  thus  assuming  a  more  respectable 
appearance,  General  Burgoyne  was  making  very  slow  advances 
towards  Albany.  From  the  twenty-eighth  of  July  to  the  fifteenth  of 
August,  the  British  army  was  continually  employed  in  bringing  for- 
ward batteaux,  provisions,  and  ammunition  from  Fort  George  to  the 
first  navigable  part  of  Hudson's  river  ;  a  distance  of  not  more  than 
eighteen  miles.  The  labor  was  excessive  ;  the  Europeans  were  but 
little  acquainted  with  the  methods  of  performing  it  to  advantage,  and 
the  effect  was  in  no  degree  equivalent  to  the  expense  of  labor  and 
time.  With  all  the  efforts  that  Burgoyne  could  make,  encumbered 
with  his  artillery  and  baggage,  his  labors  were  inadequate  to  the  pur- 
pose of  supplying  the  army  with  provisions  for  its  daily  consumption, 
and  the  establishment  of  the  necessary  magazines.  And  after  his 
utmost  exertions  for  fifteen  days,  there  were  not  above  four  days' 
provisions  in  the  store,  nor  above  ten  batteaux  in  Hudson  river. 

In  such  circumstances,  the  British  general  found  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  procure  sufficient  supplies  of  provisions  by  the  way  of 
Fort  George,  and  determined  to  replenish  his  own  magazines  at  the 
expense  o(  those  of  the  Americans.  Having  received  information 
that  a  large  quantity  of  stores  were  laid  up  at  Bennington,  and 
guarded  only  by  the  militia,  he  formed  the  design  of  surprising  that 
place ;  and  was  made  to  believe  that  as  soon  as  a  detachment  of  the 
royal  army  should  appear  in  that  quarter,  it  would  receive  effectual 
assistance  from  a  large  body  of  loyalists,  who  only  waited  for  the 
appearance  of  a  support,  and  would  in  that  event  come  forward  and 
aid  the  royal  cause.  Full  of  these  expectations,  he  detached  Colonel 
Baum,  a  German  officer,  with  a  select  body  of  troops,  to  surprise 
the  place.  His  force  consisted  of  about  five  hundred  regular  troops, 
some  Canadians,  and  more  than  one  hundred  Indians,  with  two  light 
pieces  of  artillery.  To  facilitate  their  operations,  and  to  be  ready  to 
take  advantage  of  the  success  of  the  detachment,  the  royal  army 
moved  along  the  east  bank  of  Hudson  river,  and  encamped  nearly 
opposite  to  Saratoga  ;  having  at  the  same  time  thrown  a  bridge  of 
rafts  over  the  river,  by  which  the  army  passed  to  that  place.  With 
a  view  to  support  Baum,  if  it  should  be  found  necessary,  Lieutenant- 


BATTLE     OF     BENNINGTON.  307 

Colonel  Breyman's  corps,  consisting  of  the  Brunswick  grenadiers, 
light  infantry,  and  chasseurs  were  posted  at  Battenkill. 

-a^W^^B-        ^^ENERAL  STARK  having  received  in- 

e^^B^^^^^^^"^^^      H  -_,  formation  that  a  party  of  Indians  were 

^^tM^m  ff"^  ^'^^'"^   ^^  Cambridge,  sent  Lieutenant-Colonel 

==^=:^^BH|^-    '-^mi-'^'      Greg  on  August  the  13th,  with  a  party 

.— ^^MP:^^B||^^^te  of  two  hundred  men,  to  stop  their  pro- 

^^^^^^tUvi^^S^^^ff  gress.  Toward  night  he  was  informed 
^^SB^^^^ * l!l!ilS!r jpHwL  by  express  that  a  large  body  of  regulars 
^^^^^^^^^^^^;^^^P  was  in  the  rear  of  the  Indians,  and  ad- 
^^^^^^^^^^^g^^^^g  vancing  toward  Bennington.      On  this 

intelligence.  Stark  drew  together  his 
briffade,  and  the  militia  that  w^ere  at  hand,  and  sent  on  to  Manchester 
to  Colonel  Warner,  to  bring  on  his  regiment ;  he  sent  expresses  at 
the  same  time  to  the  neighboring  militia,  to  join  him  with  the  utmost 
speed.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th,  he  marched  with  his  troops, 
and  at  the  distance  of  seven  miles  he  met  Greg  on  the  retreat,  and 
the  enemy  within  a  mile  of  him.  Stark  drew  up  his  troops  in  ordei 
of  battle;  but  the  enemy  coming  in  sight,  halted  upon  a  very  advan- 
tageous piece  of  ground.  Baum  perceived  the  Americans  were  too 
strong  to  be  attacked  with  his  present  force,  and  sent  an  express  to 
Burgoyne  with  an  account  of  his  situation,  and  to  have  Breyman 
march  immediately  to  support  him.  In  the  mean  time,  small  parties 
of  the  Americans  kept  up  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  killed  and 

wounded  thirty  of  them,  with  two  of  their  Indian  chiefs,  without  any 
loss  to  themselves.  The  ground  the  Americans  had  taken,  was  un- 
favorable for  a  general  action,  and  Stark  retreated  about  a  mile,  and 
encamped.  A  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it  was  agreed  to  send  two 
detachments  upon  the  enemy's  rear,  while  the  rest  of  the  troops 
should  make  an  attack  upon  their  front.  The  next  day  the  weather 
was  rainy,  and  though  it  prevented  a  general  action,  there  were  fre 
quent  skirmishes  in  small  parties,  which  proved  favorable  and  encou 
raging  to  the  Americans. 

On  August  the  sixteenth,  in  the  morning.  Stark  was  joined  by 
Colonel  Symonds  and  a  body  of  militia  from  Berkshire,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  attack  the  enemy,  agreeably  to  the  plan  which  had  been 
concerted.  Colonel  Baum,  in  the  meantime,  had  intrenched  on  an 
advantageous  piece  of  ground  near  St.  Koicks  mills,  on  a  branch  of 
Hoosic  river,  and  rendered  his  post  as  strong  as  his  circumstances 
and  situation  would  admit.  Colonel  Nichols  was  detached  with  two 
hundred  men  to  the  rear  of  his  left.  Colonel  Herrick  with  three  hun- 
dred men  to  the  rear  of  his  right  ;  both  were  to  join,  and  then  make 
the  attack.     Colonels  Hubbard  and  Stickney,  with  two  hundred 


308  JOHN     STARK. 

men,  were  ordered  on  the  right,  and  one  hundred  were  advanced 
toward  the  front  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  enemy  that  way. 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  troops  had  taken  their 
station,  and  were  ready  to  commence  the  action.  While  Nichols 
and  Herrick  were  bringing  their  troops  together,  the  Indians  were 
alarmed  at  the  prospect,  and  pushed  off  between  the  two  corps,  but 
received  a  fire  as  they  were  passing,  by  which  three  of  them  were 
killed  and  two  wounded.  Nichols  then  began  the  attack,  and  was 
followed  by  all  the  other  divisions  ;  those  in  the  front  immediately 
advanced,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  action  became  general.  It  lasted 
about  two  hours,  and  was  like  one  continued  peal  of  thunder.  Baum 
made  a  brave  defence  ;  and  the  German  dragoons,  after  they  had 
expended  their  ammunition,  led  by  their  colonel,  charged  with  their 
swords,  but  they  were  soon  overpowered.  Their  works  were  carried 
on  all  sides,  their  two  pieces  of  cannon  were  taken.  Colonel  Baum 
himself  was  mortally  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  and  all  his  men, 
except  a  few,  who  had  escaped  into  the  woods,  were  either  killed  or 
taken  prisoners.  Having  completed  the  business  by  taking  the  whole 
party,  the  militia  began  to  disperse  and  look  out  for  plunder.  But 
in  a  few  minutes  Stark  received  information  that  a  large  reinforce- 
ment was  on  their  march,  and  within  two  miles  of  him.  Fortunately 
at  that  moment  Colonel  Warner  came  up  with  his  regiment  from 
Manchester.  This  brave  and  experienced  officer  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  continental  troops,  which  had  been  raised  in  Vermont. 
Mortified  that  he  had  not  been  in  the  former  engagement,  he  instantly 
led  on  his  men  against  Breyman,  and  began  the  second  engagement. 
Stark  collected  the  militia  as  soon  as  possible,  and  pushed  on  to  his 
assistance.  The  action  became  general,  and  the  battle  continued 
obstinate  on  both  sides  till  sunset,  when  the  Germans  were  forced  to 
give  way,  and  were  pursued  till  dark.  They  left  their  two  field- 
pieces  behind,  and  a  considerable  number  were  made  prisoners.  They 
retreated  in  the  best  manner  they  could,  improving  the  advantages 
of  the  evening  and  night,  to  v/hich  alone  their  escape  was  ascribed. 
In  these  actions  the  Americans  took  four  brass  field-pieces,  twelve 
brass  drums,  two  hundred  and  fifty  dragoon  swords,  four  ammunition 
wagons,  and  about  seven  hundred  prisoners,  with  their  arms  and  ac- 
coutrements. Two  hundred  and  seven  men  were  found,  dead  upon  the 
spot,  the  numbers  of  wounded  w^ere  unknown.  The  loss  of  the  Ameri- 
cans was  but  small ;  thirty  were  slain,  and  about  forty  were  wounded. 
Stark  was  not  a  little  pleased  at  having  so  fair  an  opportunity  to 
vindicate  his  own  conduct.  He  had  now  shown  that  no  neglect  from 
Congress  had  made  him  disaff'ected  to  the  American  cause,  and  that 
he  had  rendered  a  much  more  important  service  than  he  could  have 


BATTLE      OF      BENNINGTON. 


309 


Battle  of  Bennington. 

done  by  joining  Schuyler,  and  remaining  inactive  in  his  camp.  Con- 
gress embraced  the  opportunity  to  assign  to  him  his  rank,  and  though 
he  had  not  given  to  them  any  account  of  his  victory,  or  written  to 
them  at  all  upon  the  subject,  on  October  the  fourth  they  resolved, — 
"  That  the  thanks  of  Congress  be  presented  to  General  Stark,  of  the 
New  Hampshire  mihtia,  and  the  officers  and  troops  under  his  com- 
mand, for  their  brave  and  successful  attack  upon,  and  signal  victory 
over  the  enemy  in  their  lines  at  Bennington  ;  and  that  Brigadier 
Stark  be  appointed  a  brigadier-general  in  the  army  of  the  United 
States."  And  never  were  thanks  more  deserved,  or  more  wisely 
given  to  a  military  officer. 

In  his  official  account  of  the  affair,  General  Stark  thus  writes  :  "  It 
lasted  two  hours,  the  hottest  I  ever  saiv  in  my  life  ;  it  represented  one- 
continued  clap  of  thunder :  however,  the  enemy  were  obliged  to  give 
way,  and  leave  their  field-pieces,  and  all  their  baggage  behind  them; 
they  were  all  environed  within  two  breast-works  with  artillery  ;  but 
our  martial  courage  proved  too  strong  for  them.  I  then  gave  orders 
to  rally  again,  in  order  to  secure  the  victory;  but  in  a  few  minutes 
Was  informed  that  there  was  a  lar^e  reinforcement  on  their  march 


310  JOHN     STARK. 

within  two  miles.  Colonel  Warner's  regiment,  luckily  coming  up  at 
the  moment,  renewed  the  attack  with  fresh  vigor.  I  pushed  forward 
as  many  of  the  men  as  I  could  to  their  assistance  ;  the  battle  con- 
tinued obstinate  on  both  sides  until  sunset ;  the  enemy  was  obliged 
to  retreat ;  we  pursued  them  till  dark,  and  had  day  lasted  an  hour 
longer,  should  have  taken  the  whole  body  of  them," 

On  what  small  events  do  the  popular  humor  and  military  success 
depend  !  The  capture  of  one  thousand  Germans  by  General  Wash- 
ington at  Trenton,  had  served  to  wake  up  and  save  the  whole  conti- 
nent. The  exploit  of  Stark,  at  Bennington,  operated  with  the  same 
kind  of  influence,  and  produced  a  similar  effect.  This  victory  was 
the  first  event  that  had  proved  encouraging  to  the  Americans  in  the 
northern  department,  since  the  death  of  General  Montgomery.  Mis- 
fortune had  succeeded  misfortune,  and  defeat  had  followed  defeat 
from  that  'period  till  now.  The  present  instance  was  the  first  in 
which  victory  had  quitted  the  royal  standard,  or  seemed  even  to  be 
wavering.  She  was  now  found  with  the  American  arms,  and  the 
effect  seemed  in  fact  to  be  greater  than  the  cause.  It  raised  the 
spirit  of  the  country  to  an  uncommon  degree  of  animation  ;  and  by 
showing  the  militia  what  they  could  perform,  rendered  them  willing 
and  desirous  to  turn  out  and  try  what  fortunes  would  await  their 
exertions.  It  had  a  still  greater  effect  on  the  royal  army.  The 
British  generals  were  surprised  to  hear  that  an  enemy,  whom  they 
had  contempl^ed  with  no  other  feelings  than  those  of  contempt, 
should  all  at  once  wake  up,  and  discover  much  of  the  spirit  of  hero- 
ism. To  advance  upon  the  mouth  of  cannon,  to  attack  fortified  lines, 
to  carry  strong  intrenchments,  were  exploits  which  they  supposed 
belonged  exclusively  to  the  armies  of  kings.  To  see  a  body  of 
American  militia,  ill-dressed,  but  little  disciplined,  without  cannon, 
armed  only  with  farmers'  guns  without  bayonets,  and  who  had  been 
accustomed  to  fly  at  their  approach  ;  that  such  men  should  force  the 
intrenchments,  capture  the  cannon,  kill,  and  make  prisoners  of  a 
large  body  of  the  royal  army,  was  a  matter  of  indignation,  astonish- 
ment, and  surprise. 

General  Stark  volunteered  his  services  under  General  Gates  at 
Saratoga,  and  assisted  in  the  operations  which  compelled  his  retreat 
on  the  Hudson,  and  in  the  council  which  stipulated  the  surrender  of 
General  Burgoyne,  nor  did  he  relinquish  his  valuable  services  till  he 
could  greet  his  native  country  as  an  independent  em^pire.  General 
Stark  was  of  the  middle  stature,  not  formed  by  nature  to  exhibit  an 
erect  soldierly  mien.  His  manners  were  frank  and  unassuming,  but 
he  manifested  a  peculiar  sort  of  eccentricity  and  negligence,  which 
precluded  all  display  of  personal  dignity,  and  seemed  to  place  him 


CHARACTER     OF     STARK. 


311 


BuTgoyne's  xetieat  on  tlie  Hudson. 

among  those  of  ordinary  rank  in  life.  His  character  as  a  private 
citizen  was  unblemished,  and  he  was  ever  held  in  respect.  For  the 
last  few  years  of  his  life,  he  enjoyed  a  pecuniary  bounty  from  the 
government.  He  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years, 
eight  months,  and  twenty-four  days,  and  died  May  8th,  1822. 

General  Stark's  high  character  as  a  commander,  was  fully  appre- 
ciated by  the  British.  When  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  about 
to  commence,  some  one  asked  General  Gage  whether  he  thought  the 
provincials  would  stand  the  assault  of  the  royal  troops.  "Yes,"  said 
he,  "  if  one  John  Stark  is  amongst  them — he  served  under  me  at 
Lake  George,  and  was  a  brave  fellow." 

Stark's  address  to  the  soldiers  at  Bennington  has  ever  been  ad- 
mired as  a  fine  specimen  of  laconic  military  eloquence.  "  We  must 
conquer,  my  boys,  or  Molly  Stark's  a  widow."  Nothing  could  have 
more  forcibly  reminded  them  of  the  homes  and  altars  which  they 
were  about  so  nobly  to  defend. 

When  he  was  in  the  heat  of  the  action  at  Bunker  Hill,  a  soldier 
reported  to  him  that  his  son,  a  youth  of  sixteen,  had  fallen.  "  Is 
this  a  time  for  private  grief,  with  the  foe  in  our  face,"  exclaimed  the 
veteran,  and  the  soldier,  whose-  report  turned  out  in  the  sequel  to  be 
unfounded,  was  forthwith  ordered  back  to  his  duty. 


312 


JOHN     STARK. 


General  Stark's  "  tomb,"  says  the  author  of  Washington  and  the 
Generals  of  the  Revolution,  "  is  built  upon  the  banks  of  the  Merri- 
mack, upon  a  rising  ground  commanding  a  view  of  a  long  reach  of 
river  and  country.  His  monument  is  an  obelisk  of  granite,  (granite 
should  be  the  only  material  to  commemorate  the  great  men  of  our 
Revolution  :)  the  inscription  simply — 'Major  Creneral  Starh.^  "  We 
could  wish  it  were  less,  and  yet  more  than  this,  "  John  Stark." 


Lake  George. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JOSEPH  WARREN. 


HIS  early  martyr  to  the  cause  of 
freedom  was  born  in  Roxbury,  near 
Boston,  in  the  year  1741.  His 
father  was  a  respectable  farmer  in 
that  place,  who  had  held  several 
municipal  offices,  to  the  acceptance  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  Joseph,  with  several  of  his 
brothers,  was  instructed  in  the  elementary 
branches  of  knowledge,  at  the  public  gram- 
mar school  of  the  town,  which  was  distinguished  for  its  successive 
instructors  of  superior  attainments.  In  1755  he  entered  college, 
where  he  sustained  the  character  of  a  youth  of  talents,  fine  manners, 
and  of  a  generous  independent  deportment,  united  to  great  personal 
courage  and  perseverance.  An  anecdote  will  illustrate  his  fearless- 
ness and  determination  at  that  age  when  character  can  hardly  be 
said  to  be  formed.     Several  students  of  Warren's  class  shut  them- 

313 


314 


JOSEPH     WARREN. 


Warren  studying  Medicine. 

selves  in  a  room  to  arrange  some  college  affairs  in  a  way  which  they 
knew  was  contrary  to  his  wishes,  and  barred  the  door  so  effectually 
that  he  coald  not  without  great  violence  force  it :  but  he  did  not 
give  over  the  attempt  of  getting  among  them ;  for  perceiving  that 
the  window  of  the  room  in  which  they  were  assembled  was  open, 
and  near  a  spout  which  extended  from  the  roof  of  the  building  to 
the  ground,  he  went  to  the  top  of  the  house,  slid  down  to  the  eaves, 
seized  the  spout,  and  when  he  had  descended  as  far  as  the  window, 
threw  himself  into  the  chamber  among  them.  At  that  instant  the 
spout,  which  was  decayed  and  weak,  gave  way  and  fell  to  the  ground. 
He  looked  at  it  without  emotion,  said  that  it  had  served  his  purpose, 
and  began  to  take  his  part  in  the  business. 

On  leaving  college  in  1759,  Warren  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  medicine,  under  the  direction  of  Doctor  Lloyd,  an  eminent 
physician  of  that  day,  whose  valuable  life  has  been  protracted  almost 
to  the  present  time.  Warren  was  distinguished  very  soon  after  he 
commenced  practice;  for  when  in  1764  the  small-pox  spread  in 
Boston,  he  was  among  the  most  successful  in  his  method  of  treating 


ORATION  ON  THE  BOSTON  MASSACRE. 


315 


Boston  Massacre. 


that  disease,  which  was  then  considered  the  most  dreadful  scourge 
of  the  human  race  ;  and  the  violence  of  which  had  baffled  the  efforts 
of  the  learned  faculty  of  medicine  from  the  time  of  its  first  appear- 
ance. From  this  moment  he  stood  high  among  his  brethren,  and, 
was  the  favorite  of  the  people  ;  and  what  he  gained  in  their  good 
will  he  never  lost.  His  personal  appearance,  his  address,  his  courtesy 
and  his  humanity,  won  the  way  to  the  hearts  of  all ;  and  his  know- 
ledge and  superiority  of  talents  secured  the  conquest.  A  bright  and 
lasting  fame  in  his  profession,  with  the  attendant  consequences, 
wealth  and  influence,  were  within  his  reach,  and  near  at  hand :  but 
the  calls  of  a  distracted  country  were  paramount  to  every  considera- 
tion of  his  own  interests,  and  he  entered  the  vortex  of  politics  never 
to  return  to  the  peaceful  course  of  professional  labor. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1775,  Warren  delivered  an  oration  in  com 
memoration  of  the  Boston  massacre.     It  was  at  his  own  solicitation 
that  he  was  appointed  to  this  duty  a  second  time.     The  fact  is  illus- 
trative of  his  character,  and  worthy  of  remembrance.     Some  British 
officers  of  the  army  then  in  Boston,  had  publicly  declared  that  it 


316  JOSEPH      WARREN. 

should  be  at  the  price  of  the  life  of  any  man  to  speak  of  the  event  of 
March  5th,  1770,  on  that  anniversary.  Warren's  soul  took  fire  at 
such  a  threat,  so  openly  made,  and  he  wished  for  the  honor  of  braving 
it.  This  was  readily  granted  ;  for  at  such  a  time  a  man  would  pro- 
bably find  but  few  rivals.  Many  who  would  spurn  the  thought  of 
personal  fear,  might  be  apprehensive  that  they  would  be  so  far  dis- 
concerted as  to  forget  their  discourse.  It  is  easier  to  fight  bravely, 
than  to  think  clearly  or  correctly  in  danger.  Passion  sometimes 
nerves  the  arm  to  fight,  but  disturbs  the  regular  current  of  thought. 
The  day  came,  and  the  weather  was  remarkably  fine.  The  old  South 
Meeting-house  was  crowded  at  an  early  hour.  The  British  officers 
occupied  the  aisles,  the  flight  of  steps  to  the  pulpit,  and  several  of 
them  were  within  it.  It  was  not  precisely  known  whether  this  was 
accident  or  design.  The  orator,  with  the  assistance  of  his  friends, 
made  his  entrance  at  the  pulpit  window  by  a  ladder.  The  officers 
seeing  his  coolness  and  intrepidity,  made  way  for  him  to  advance  and 
address  the  audience.  An  awful  stillness  preceded  his  exordium. 
Each  man  felt  the  palpitations  of  his  own  heart,  and  saw  the  pale  but 
determined  face  of  his  neighbor.  The  speaker  began  his  oration  in 
a  firm  tone  of  voice,  and  proceeded  with  great  energy  and  pathos. 
Warren  and  his  friends  were  prepared  to  chastise  contumely,  prevent 
disgrace,  and  avenge  an  attempt  at  assassination. 

The  scene  was  sublime  ;  a  patriot,  in  whom  the  flush  of  youth  and 
the  grace  and  dignity  of  manhood  were  combined,  stood  armed  in  the 
sanctuary  of  God  to  animate  and  encourage  the  sons  of  liberty,  and 
to  hurl  defiance  at  their  oppressors.  The  orator  commenced  with  the 
early  history  of  the  country,  described  the  tenure  by  which  we  held 
our  liberties  and  property,  the  affection  we  had  constantly  shoviT.1  the 
parent  country,  and  boldly  told  them  how,  and  by  whom  these  bless- 
ings of  life  had  been  violated.  There  was  in  this  appeal  to  Britain — 
in  this  description  of  sufi^ering,  agony  and  horror,  a  calm  and  high- 
souled  defiance  which  must  have  chilled  the  blood  of  every  sensible 
foe.  Such  another  hour  has  seldom  happened  in  the  history  of  man, 
and  is  not  surpassed  in  the  records  of  nations.  The  thunders  of 
Demosthenes  rolled  at  a  distance  from  Philip  and  his  host — and 
Tully  poured  the  fiercest  torrent  of  his  invective  when  Catiline  was 
at  a  distance,  and  his  dagger  no  longer  to  be  feared :  but  Warren's 
speech  was  made  to  proud  oppressors  resting  on  their  arms,  whose 
errand  it  was  to  overawe,  and  whose  business  it  was  to  fight. 

If  the  deed  of  Brutus  deserved  to  be  commemorated  by  history, 
poetry,  painting  and  sculpture,  should  not  this  instance  of  patriotism 
and  bravery  be  held  in  lasting  remembrance  ?    If  he 
"  That  struck  the  foremost  man  of  all  this  world," 


BATTLE     OF     LEXINGTON. 


317 


Battle  of  Lezington. 


was  hailed  as  the  first  of  freemen,  what  honors  are  not  due  to  him, 
who,  undismayed,  bearded  the  British  lion,  to  show  the  world  what 
his  countrymen  dared  to  do  in  the  cause  of  liberty  ?  If  the  statue  of 
Brutus  was  placed  among  those  of  the  gods,  who  were  the  preservers 
of  Roman  freedom,  should  not  that  of  Warren  fill  a  lofty  niche  in 
the  temple  reared  to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  our  birth  as  a 
nation  ? 

If  independence  was  not  at  first  openly  avowed  by  our  leading 
men  at  that  time,  the  hope  of  attaining  it  was  fondly  cherished,  and 
the  exertions  of  the  patriots  pointed  to  this  end.  The  wise  knew 
that  the  storm,  which  the  political  Prosperos  were  raising,  would  pass 
away  in  blood.  With  these  impressions  on  his  mind,  Warren  for 
several  years  was  preparing  himself  by  study  and  observation,  to  take 
a  conspicuous  rank  in  the  military  arrangements  which  he  knew 
must  ensfte. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1775,  by  his  agents  in  Boston,  he  discovered 
the  design  of  the  British  commander  to  seize  or  destroy  our  few 
stores  at  Concord.  He  instantly  despatched  several  confidential 
messengers  to  Lexington,  The  late  venerable  patriot,  Paul  Revere, 
was  one  of  them.  This  gentleman  has  given  a  very  interesting 
account  of  the  difficulties  he  encountered  in  the  discharge  of  this 
duty.     The  alarm  was  given,  and  the  militia,  burning  -wath  resent- 


318  JOSEPH     WARREN. 

ment,  were  at  daybreak  on  the  nineteenth,  on  the  road  to  repel  insuit 
and  aggression.  The  drama  was  opened  about  sunrise,  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  house  of  God,  in  Lexington.  Warren  hastened  to  the 
field  of  action  in  the  full  ardor  of  his  soul,  and  shared  the 'dangers 
of  the  day.  While  pressing  on  the  enemy,  a  musket-ball  took  off  a 
lock  of  his  hair  close  to  his  ear.  The  lock  was  rolled  and  pinned, 
after  the  fashion  of  that  day,  and  considerable  force  must  have  been 
necessary  to  have  cut  it  away.  The  people  were  delighted  with  his 
cool,  collected  bravery,  and  already  considered  him  as  a  leader,  whose 
gallantry  they  were  to  admire,  and  in  whose  talents  they  were  to 
confide.  On  the  14th  of  June,  1775,  the  Provincial  Congress  of 
Massachusetts  made  hira  a  major-general  of  their  forces,  but  previous 
to  the  date  of  his  commission,  he  had  been  unceasing  in  his  exertions 
to  maintain  order  and  enforce  discipline  among  the  troops,  which 
had  hastily  assembled  at  Cambridge,  after  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
He  mingled  in  the  ranks,  and  by  every  method  and  argument  strove 
to  inspire  them  with  confidence,  and  succeeded  in  a  most  wonderful 
manner  in  imparting  to  them  a  portion  of  the  flame  which  glowed  in 
his  own  breast.  At  such  a  crisis  genius  receives  its  birthright — the 
homage  of  inferior  minds,  who  for  self-preservation  are  willing  to  be 
directed.  Previous  to  receiving  the  appointment  of  major-general, 
he  had  been  requested  to  take  the  ofiice  of  physician  general  to  the 
army,  but  he  chose  to  be  where  the  wounds  were  to  be  made,  rather 
than  were  they  were  to  be  healed.  Yet  he  lent  his  aid  and  advice  to 
the  medical  department  of  the  army,  and  was  of  great  service  to  them 
in  their  organization  and  arrangements. 

He  was  at  this  time  president  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  having 
been  elected  the  preceding  year  a  member  from  the  town  of  Boston. 
In  this  body  he  discovered  his  extraordinary  powers  of  mind,  and 
his  peculiar  fitness  for  responsible  offices  at  such  a  juncture.  Cau- 
tious in  proposing  measures,  he  was  assiduous  in  pursuing  what  he 
thought,  after  mature  deliberation,  to  be  right,  and  never  counted 
the  probable  cost  of  a  measure,  when  he  had  decided  that  it  was 
necessary  to  be  taken.  When  this  Congress,  which  was  sitting  at 
Watertown,  adjourned  for  the  day,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  hastened 
to  the  camp.  Every  day  '  he  bought  golden  opinions  of  all  sorts  of 
men  ;'  and  when  the  troops  were  called  to  act  on  Breed's  Hill,  he 
had  so  often  been  among  them  that  his  person  was  known  to  most 
of  the  soldiers. 

Several  respectable  historians  have  fallen  into  some  errors  in  de- 
scribing the  battle  in  which  he  fell,  by  giving  the  command  of  the 
troops  on  that  day  to  Warren,  when  he  was  only  a  volunteer  in  the 
fight.     He  did  not  arrive  on  the  battle-ground  until  the  enemy  had 


B  TTLE     OF     BUNKER    HILL. 


319 


commenced  their  movements  for  the  attack.  As  soon  as  he  made 
his  appearance  on  the  field,  the  veteran  commander  of  the  day,  Colo- 
nel Prescott,  desired  to  act  under  his  directions,  but  Warren  declined 
taking  any  other  part  than  that  of  a  volunteer,  and  added,  that  he 
came  to  learn  the  art  of  war  from  an  experienced  soldier,  vi^hose 
orders  he  should  be  happy  to  obey.  In  the  battle  he  was  armed  with 
a  musket,  and  stood  in  the  ranks,  now  and  then  changing  his  place 
to  encourage  his  fellow-soldiers  by  words  and  by  example.  He  un- 
doubtedly, from  the  state  of  hostilities,  expected  soon  to  act  in  his 
high  military  capacity^  and  it  was  indispensable,  according  to  his 
views,  that  he  should  share  the  dangers  of  the  field  as  a  common 
soldier  with  his  fellow-citizens,  that  his  reputation  for  bravery  n  ight 
be  put  beyond  the  possibility  of  suspicion.  The  wisdom  of  such  a 
course  would  never  have  been  doubted,  if  he  had  returned  in  safety 
from  the  fight.  In  such  a  struggle  for  independence,  the  ordinary 
rules  of  prudence  and  caution  could  not  govern  those  who  were 
building  up  their  names  for  future  usefulness  by  present  exertion. 
Some  maxims  drawn  from  the  republican  writers  of  antiquity,  were 
worn  as  their  mottos.  Some  precepts,  descriptive  of  the  charms  of 
liberty,  were  ever  on  their  tongues,  and  some  classical  model  of 
Greek  or  Roman  patriotism,  was  constantly  in  their  minds.  Instances 
of  great  men  mixing  in  the  rank  of  common  soldiers,  were  to  be 
found  in  ancient  times,  when  men  fought  for  their  altars  and  their 
homes.  The  cases  were  parallel,  and  the  examples  were  imposing. 
When  the  battle  was  decided,  and  our  people  fled,  Warren  was  one 
of  the  last  who  left  the  breastwork,  and  was  slain  within  a  few  yards 
of  it  as  he  was  slov,'ly  retiring.  He  probably  felt  mortified  at  the 
event  of  the  day,  out  had  he  icnown  how  dearly  the  victory  was  pur- 
chased, and  how  little  honor  was  gained  by  those  who  won  it,  his 
heart  would  have  been  at  rest.  Like  the  band  of  Leonidas,  the 
vanquished  have  received  by  the  judgment  of  nations,  from  which 
there  is  no  appeal,  the  imperishable  laurels  of  victors.  His  death 
brought  a  sickness  to  the  heart  of  the  community,  and  the  people 
mourned  his  fall,  not  with  the  convulsive  agony  of  a  betrothed  virgin 
over  the  bleeding  corpse  of  her  lover — but  with  the  pride  of  the 
Spartan  mother,  who,  in  the  intensity  of  her  grief,  smiled  to  see  that 
the  wounds  whence  life  had  flown  were  on  the  breast  of  her  son — 
and  was  satisfied  that  he  had  died  in  defence  of  his  country.  The 
worth  of  the  victim,  and  the  horror  of  the  sacrifice,  gave  a  higher 
value  to  our  liberties,  and  produced  a  more  fixed  determination  to 
preserve  them. 

The  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  has  often  been  described,  and  of  late  its 
minutest  details  given  to  the  public ;  but  never  was  the  military, 


320 


JOSEPH     WARREN. 


Death  of  Warren. 

moral,  and  political  character  of  that  great  event  more  forcibly 
drawn,  than  in  the  following  extract  from  the  North  American 
Review,  for  July,  1818  : — 

"  The  incidents  and  the  result  of  the  battle  itself,  were  most 
important,  and  indeed,  most  wonderful.  As  a  mere  battle,  few  sur- 
pass it  in  whatever  engages  and  interests  the  attention.  It  was 
fought  on  a  conspicuous  eminence,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
a  populous  city  ;  and  consequently  in  the  view  of  thousands  of  spec- 
tators. The  attacking  army  moved  over  a  sheet  of  water  to  the 
assault.  The  operations  and  movements  were  of  course  all  visible 
and  all  distinct.  Those  who  looked  on  from  the  houses  and  heights  of 
Boston  had  a  fuller  view  of  every  important  operation  and  event,  than 
can  ordinarily  be  had  of  any  battle,  or  than  can  possibly  be  had  of 
such  as  are  fought  on  a  more  extended  ground,  or  by  detachments  of 
troops  acting  in  different  places,  and  at  different  times,  and  in  some 
measure  independently  of  each  other. — When  the  British  columns 
were  advancing  to  the  attack,  the  flames  of  Charlestown,  (fired,  as  is 
generally  supposed,  by  a  shell,)  began  to  ascend.     The  spectators. 


-=#=»=^= — =si=w<=^^ — =^m-- 


m 


iii 


BATTLE      OF     BUNKER     HILL.  323 

far  outnumbering  both  armies,  thronged  and  crowded  on  every  height 
and  every  point  which  afforded  a  view  of  the  scene,  themselves  con- 
stituting a  very  important  part  of  it. 

The  troops  of  the  two  armies  seemed  hke  so  many  combatants  in 
an  amphitheatre. — The  manner  in  which  they  should  acquit  them- 
selves, was  to  be  judged  of,  not  as  in  other  cases  of  mihtary  engage- 
ments, by  reports  and  future  history,  but  by  a  vast  and  anxious 
assembly  already  on  the  spot,  and  waiting  with  unspeakable  concern 
and  emotion  the  progress  of  the  day. 

In  other  battles  the  recollection  of  wives  and  children  has  been 
used  as  an  excitement  to  animate  the  warrior's  breast  and  nerve  his 
arm.  Here  was  not  a  mere  recollection,  but  an  actual  presence  of 
them  and  other  dear  connexions,  hanging  on  the  skirts  of  the  battle, 
anxious  and  agitated,  feeling  almost  as  if  wounded  themselves  by 
every  blow  of  the  enemy,  and  putting  forth,  as  it  were,  their  own 
strength,  and  all  the  energy  of  their  own  throbbing  bosoms,  into 
every  gallant  effort  of  their  warring  friends. 

But  there  was  a  more  comprehensive  and  vastly  more  important 
view  of  that  day's  contest,  than  has  been  mentioned, — a  view,  indeed, 
which  ordinary  eyes,  bent  intently  on  what  was  immediately  before 
them,  did  not  embrace,  but  which  was  perceived  in  its  full  extent 
and  expansion  by  minds  of  a  higher  order.  Those  men  who  were 
at  the  head  of  the  colonial  councils,  who  had  been  engaged  for  years 
in  the  previous  stages  of  the  quarrel  with  England,  and  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  look  forward  to  the  future,  were  well  apprised 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  events  likely  to  hang  on  the  business  of  that 
day.  They  saw  in  it  not  only  a  battle,  but  the  beginning  of  a  civil 
war,  of  unmeasured  extent  and  uncertain  issue.  All  America  and 
all  England  were  likely  to  be  deeply  concerned  in  the  consequences. 
The  individuals  themselves,  who  knew  full  well  what  agency  they 
had  had  in  bringing  affairs  to  this  crisis,  had  need  of  all  their  courage ; 
— not  that  disregard  of  personal  safety,  in  which  the  vulgar  suppose 
true  courage  to  consist,  but  that  high  and  fixed  moral  sentiment, 
that  steady  and  decided  purpose,  which  enables  men  to  pursue  a 
distant  end,  with  a  full  view  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  before 
them,  and  with  a  conviction  that,  before  they  arrive  at  the  proposed 
end,  should  they  ever  reach  it,  they  must  pass  through  evil  report 
as  well  as  good  report,  and  be  liable  to  obloquy,  as  well  as  to  defeat. 

Spirits,  that  fear  nothing  else,  fear  disgrace ;  and  this  danger  is 
necessarily  encountered  by  those  who  engage  in  civil  war.  Unsuc- 
cessful resistance  is  not  only  ruin  to  its  authors,  but  is  esteemed,  and 
necessarily  so,  by  the  laws  of  all  countries,  treasonable.  This  is  the 
case,  at  least  till  resistance  becomes  so  general  and  formidable  as  to 


324  JOSEPH     WARREN. 

assume  the  form  of  regular  war.  But  who  can  tell,  when  resistance 
commences,  whether  it  will  attain  even  to  that  degree  of  success  ? 
Some  of  those  persons  who  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
in  1776,  described  themselves  as  signing  it,  '  as  with  halters  about 
their  necks.'  If  there  were  grounds  for  this  remark  in  1776,  when 
the  cause  had  become  so  much  more  general,  how  much  greater  was 
the  hazard,  when  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought  ? 

These  considerations  constituted,  to  enlarged  and  liberal  minds, 
the  moral  sublimity  of  the  occasion  ;  while  to  the  outward  senses  the 
movement  of  armies,  the  roar  of  artillery,  the  brilliancy  of  the  reflec- 
tion of  a  summer's  sun,  from  the  burnished  armor  of  the  British 
columns,  and  the  flames  of  a  burning  town,  made  up  a  scene  of  extra- 
ordinary grandeur." 

This  eminence  has  become  sacred  ground.  It  contains  in  its 
bosom  the  ashes  of  the  brave  who  died  fighting  to  defend  their  altars 
and  their  homes.  Strangers  from  all  countries  visit  this  spot,  for  it 
is  associated  in  their  memories  with  a  Marathon  and  Plataea,  and 
all  the  mighty  struggles  of  determined  freemen.  Our  citizens  love 
to  wander  over  this  field — the  aged  to  awake  recollections,  and  the 
youthful  to  excite  heroic  emotions.  The  battle-ground  is  now  all 
plainly  to  be  seen — the  spirit  of  modern  improvement,  which  would 
stop  the  streams  of  Helicon  to  turn  a  mill,  and  cause  to  be  felled 
the  trees  of  Paradise  to  make  a  rafter,  has  yet  spared  this  hallowed 
height. 

If  "the  days  of  chivalry  be  gone  forever,"  and  the  high  and  en- 
thusiastic feelings  of  generosity  and  magnanimity  be  not  so  widely 
diflfused  as  in  more  heroic  ages,  yet  it  cannot  be  denied  but  that  there 
have  been,  and  still  are,  individuals  whose  bosoms  are  warmed  with 
a  spirit  as  glowing  and  ethereal  as  ever  swelled  the  heart  of  "mailed 
knight,"  who,  in  the  ecstasies  of  love,  religion  and  martial  glory, 
joined  the  war-cry  on  the  plains  of  Palestine,  or  proved  his  steel  on 
the  infidel  foe.  The  history  of  every  revolution  is  interspersed  with 
brilliant  episodes  of  individual  prowess.  The  pages  of  our  own  his- 
tory, when  fully  written  out,  will  sparkle  profusely  with  these  gems 
of  romantic  valor. 

The  calmness  and  indifference  of  the  veteran  "  in  clouds  of  dust 
and  seas  of  blood,"  can  only  be  acquired  by  long  acquaintance  with 
the  trade  of  death  ;  but  the  heights  of  Charlestown  will  bear  eternal 
testimony  how  suddenly,  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  the  peaceful  citi- 
zen can  become  the  invincible  warrior — stung  by  oppression,  he 
springs  forward  from  his  tranquil  pursuits,  undaunted  by  opposition, 
and  undismayed  by  danger,  to  fight  even  to  death  for  the  defence  of 
his  rights.     Parents,  wives,  children   and  country,  all  the  hallowed 


CHARACTER     OF     WARREN.  325 

properties  of  existence,  are  to  him  the  talisman  that  takes  fear  from 
his  heart,  and  nerves  his  arm  to  victory. 

In  the  requiem  over  those  who  have  fallen  in  the  cause  of  their 
country,  which 

"  Time  with  his  own  eternal  lips  shall  sing," 

the  praises  of  Warren  will  be  distinctly  heard.  The  blood  of  those 
patriots  who  have  fallen  in  the  defence  of  republics,  has  often  "  cried 
from  the  ground"  against  the  ingratitude  of  the  country  for  which  it 
was  shed.  Toward  Warren  there  was  no  ingratitude — our  country  is 
free  from  this  stain.  Congress  were  the  guardians  of  his  honor,  and 
remembered  that  his  children  were  unprotected  orphans.  Within  a 
year  after  his  death.  Congress  passed  the  following  resolutions  : — 

That  a  monument  be  erected  to  the  memory  of  General  Warren, 
in  the  towni  of  Boston,  with  the  following  inscription  : 

IN    HONOR    OF 

JOSEPH  WARREN, 

MAJOR  GEITERAI.  OF  HASSACHUSETTS  BAT. 

HE  DEVOTED  HIS  LIFS! 

TO     THE     LIBERTIES     OF     HIS     COUNTRY,       • 

AND  LN  BRAVDLY  DEFliNDINO  THUM, 
FELL  AIT  EAHLT  TICTIM 

IN  THB 

BATTLE    OP    BUNKER    HILL, 

June  17, 1775. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  as 
an  acknowledgment  of  his  services 
and  distinguished  merit,  have  erected 

.THIS  MONUMENT, 

TO  TTT.q 

MEMORY. 

It  was  resolved  likewise,  "  That  the  eldest  son  of  General  Warren 
should  be  educated  from  that  time  at  the  expense  of  the  United 
States."  On  the  first  of  July,  1780,  Congress  recognizing  these 
former  resolutions,  further  resolved  "  That  it  should  be  recommended 
to  the  executive  of  Massachusetts  Bay  to  make  provision  for  the 
maintenance  and  education  of  his  three  younger  children.  And  that 
Congress  would  defray  the  expense  to  the  amount  of  the  half  pay  of 


32(3 


JOSEPH     WARREN. 


a  major-general,  to  commence  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  continue 
till  the  youngest  of  the  children  should  be  of  age." 

The  other  heroes  of  Bunker  Hill  have  their  memory  consecrated 
in  the  splendid  granite  monument  erected  by  subscription  on  the 
battle  ground. 

The  corner  stone  of  this  monument  was  laid  by  Lafayette,  on  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  battle  (June  17th,  1825,)  in  the  presence 
of  myriads  of  spectators.  Many  of  the  aged  survivors  of  the  battle, 
witnessed  the  scene,  and  the  eloquence  of  Webster  gave  it  additional 
interest.  Such  august  ceremonials  seldom  occur  in  the  history  of 
any  country. 


Bunker  Hill  Monument. 


COLONEL  WILLIAM  WASHINGTON, 


OLONEL   in  the    Americari 
army,  was  the  eldest  son  of 


Baily  Washington,   Esq.,  of 
Stafford  county,  in  the  state 
of  Virginia  ;  and  belonged  to 
a  younger  branch  of  the  original  Wash- 
ington family. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
and  at  an  early  period  of  life,  he  had 
entered  the  army,  as  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  infantry  under  the  command 
of  General  Mercer.  In  this  corps,  h? 
had  acquired  from  actual  service,  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  pro 
fession  of  arms.  > 

He  fought  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island  ;  and  in  his  retreat  through 
New  Jersey,  accompanied  his  great  kinsman,  cheerful  vmder  the 
gloom,  coolly  confronting  the  danger,  and  bearing,  with  exemplary 
fortitude  and  firmness,  the  heavy  misfortunes  and  privations  of  the 
time. 

In  the  successful  attack  on  the  British  post  at  Trenton,  Captain 
Washington  acted  a  brilliant,  and  most  important  part.  Perceiving 
the  enemy  about  to  form  a  battery,  and  point  it  into  a  narrow  street, 

327 


328 


WILLIAM     WASHINGTON. 


James  Monroa 


against  the  advancing  American  column,  he  charged  them,  at  the 
head  of  his  company,  drove  them  from  their  guns,  and  thus  prevented 
certainly  the  effusion  of  much  blood,  perhaps  the  repiilse  of  the  assail- 
ing party.  In  this  act  of  heroism,  he  received  a  severe  wound  in 
the  wrist.  It  is  but  justice  to  add,  that  on  this  occasion,  Captain 
Washington  was  ably  and  most  gallantly  supported  by  Lieutenant 
Monroe,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  who  also  sustained  a 
wound  in  the  hand. 

Shortly  after  this  adventure,  Washington  was  promoted  to  a 
majority  in  a  regiment  of  horse.  In  this  command  he  was  very 
actively  engaged  in  the  northern  and  middle  states,  with  various 
success,  until  the  year  1780.  Advanced  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  placed  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  composed 
of  the  remains  of  three  that  had  been  reduced,  by  sickness  and  battle, 
he  was  then  attached  to  the  army  under  General  Lincoln,  engaged 
in  the  defence  of  South  Carolina. 

Here  his  service  was  various,  and  his  course  eventful ;  marked  by 
a  few  brilliant  strokes  of  fortune,  but  checkered  with  two  severe 
disasters.  Tho  first  of  these  reverses  was  at  Monk's  Corner,  where 
he  himself  commanded ;  the  other  at  Leneau's  Ferry,  where  he  was 
second  in  command  to  Colonel  White. 


COLONEL    Washington's    stratagem.  329 

Inured  to  an  uncommon  extent  and  variety  of  hard  service,  and 
sufficiently  disciplined  in  the  school  of  adversity,  Colonel  Washing- 
ton, although  a  young  man,  was  now  a  veteran  in  military  experi- 
ence. Added  to  this,  he  was  somewhat  accustomed  to  a  warm 
climate,  and  had  acquired,  from  actual  observation,  considerable 
knowledge  of  that  tract  of  country  which  was  to  constitute  in  future 
the  theatre  of  war. 

Such  was  this  officer  when  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  of  cavalry, 
he  was  attached  to  the  army  of  General  Greene. 

One  of  his  partisan  exploits,  however,  the  result  of  a  well-con- 
ceived stratagem,  must  be  succinctly  narrated. 

Having  learned,  during  a  scouting  excursion,  that  a  large  body 
of  loyalists,  commanded  by  Colonel  Rugeley,  was  posted  at  Rugeley's 
mill,  twelve  miles  from  Camden,  he  determined  on  attacking  them.. 

Approaching  the  enemy,  he  found  them  so  secured  in  a  large  log 
barn,  surrounded  by  abattis,  as  to  be  perfectly  safe  from  the  opera- 
tions of  cavalry. 

Forbidden  thus  to  attempt  his  object  by  direct  attack,  his  usual 
and  favorite  mode  of  warfare,  he  determined  for  once  to  have  re- 
course to  policy. 

Shaping,  therefore,  a  pine  log  in  imitation  of  a  field-piece,  mount- 
ing it  on  wheels,  and  staining  it  with  mud  to  make  it  look  like  iron, 
he  brought  it  up  in  military  style,  and  affected  to  make  arrangements 
to  batter  down  the  barn. 

To  give  the  stratagem  solemnity  and  effect,  he  despatched  a  flag 
warning  the  garrison  of  the  impending  destruction,  and  to  prevent 
bloodshed,  summoned  them  to  submission. 

Not  prepared  to  resist  artillery.  Colonel  Rugeley  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons :  and  with  a  garrison  of  one  hundred  and  three,  rank  and  file, 
surrendered  at  discretion. 

In  the  spring  of  1782,  Colonel  Washington  married  Miss  Elliot,  of 
Charleston,  and  established  himself  at  Sandy  Hill,  her  ancestral  seat. 

After  the  conclusion  of  peace,  he  took  no  other  concern  in  public 
affairs  than  to  appear  occasionally  in  the  legislature  of  South  Carolina. 

When  General  Washington  accepted  the  command  in  chief  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Adams,  he 
selected  as  one  of  his  staff,  his  kinsman  Colonel  William  Washing- 
ton, with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  Had  other  proof  been  want- 
ing, this  alone  was  sufficient  to  decide  his  military  worth.  Colonel 
Washington  died  on  the  6th  of  March,  1810. 

In  private  life  he  was  a  man  of  unsullied  honor,  united  to  an 
amiable  temper,  lively  manners,  a  hospitable  disposition,  and  a  truly 
benevolent  heart. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JAMES  CLINTON. 

ENERAL   CLINTON  was  the 

fourth  son  of  Colonel  Charles 
Clinton,  and  was  born  in  Ulster 
county,  New  York,  August  19th, 
1736.  In  common  with  his 
brothers,  he  received  an  excellent  education. 
In  the  critical  and  eventful  affairs  of 
nations,  when  their  rights  and  interests  are 
invaded.  Providence,  in  the  plenitude  of  its 
beneficence,  has  generally  provided  men 
qualified  to  raise  the  standard  of  resistance, 
and  has  infused  a  redeeming  spirit  into  the  community,  which  enabled 
it  to  rise  superior  to  the  calamities  that  menaced  its  liberty  and  its 
prosperity.  History  does  not  record  a  more  brilliant  illustration  of 
this  truth  than  the  American  Revolution.  In  defiance  of  the  most 
appalling  considerations,  constellations  of  the  most  illustrious  men, 
pierced  the  dark  and  gloomy  clouds  which  enveloped  this  oppressed 
people,  and  shone  forth  in  the  councils  and  the  armies  of  the  nation. 
Their  wisdom  drew  forth  the  resources,  and  their  energy  vindicated 
the  rights  of  America.  They  took  their  lives  in  their  hands,  and 
liberty  or  death  was  inscribed  on  their  hearts.  Amidst  this  gallant 
band,  General  Clinton  stood  deservedly  conspicuous.  To  an  iron 
constitution  and  an  invincible  courage,  he  added  great  coolness  in 
action  and  perseverance  in  effort.  The  predominant  inclination  of 
330 


"%■ 


SERVICE  IN  THE  OLD  FRENCH  WAR.         331 

his  mind  was  to  a  military  life,  and  by  a  close  attention  to  the  studies 
connected  with  it,  he  prepared  himself  to  perform  those  duties  which 
afterward  devolved  upon  him,  and  thereby  established  his  character 
as  an  intrepid  and  skilful  officer. 

In  the  war  of  1756,  usually  denominated  the  old  French  war,  Clin- 
ton first  encountered  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of  a  military  life.  He 
was  a  captain  under  Colonel  Bradstreet,  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Fron- 
tenac,  and  rendered  essential  service  in  that  expedition  by  the  capture 
of  a  sloop  of  war  on  Lake  Ontario. 

His  company  was  placed  in  row-galleys,  and  favored  by  a  calm, 
compelled  the  French  vessels  to  strike,  after  an  obstinate  resistance. 
His  designation  as  captain  commandant  of  the  four  companies,  raised 
for  the  protection  of  the  western  frontiers  of  the  counties  of  Orange 
and  Ulster,  was  a  post  of  great  responsibility  and  hazard,  and  demon- 
strated the  confidence  of  the  government.  The  safety  of  a  line  of 
settlements,  extending  at  least  fifty  miles,  was  intrusted  to  his  vigi- 
lance and  intrepidity.  The  ascendency  of  the  French  over  the  ruth- 
less savages,  was  always  predominant,  and  the  inhabitant  of  the 
frontiers  was  compelled  to  hold  the  plough  with  one  hand,  for  his 
sustenance,  and  to  grasp  his  gun  with  the  other,  for  his  defence  ; 
and  he  was  constantly  in  danger  of  being  awakened,  in  the  hour  of 
darkness,  by  the  war-whoop  of  the  savages,  to  witness  the  conflagra 
tion  of  his  dwelling  and  the  murder  of  his  family. 

After  the  termination  of  the  French  war,  Mr.  Clinton  married 
Mary  De  Witt,  and  he  retired  from  the  camp  to  enjoy  the  repose  of 
domestic  life. 

When  the  American  revolution  was  on  the  eve  of  its  commence- 
ment, he  was  appointed,  on  the  30th  June,  1775,  by  the  continental 
congress,  colonel  of  the  third  regiment  of  New  York  forces.  On 
the  25th  of  October  following,  he  was  appointed  by  the  provincial 
congress  of  New  York,  colonel  of  the  regiment  of  foot  in  Ulster 
county  ;  on  the  8th  of  March,  1776,  by  the  continental  congress, 
colonel  of  the  second  battalion  of  New  York  troops  ;  and  on  the  9th 
of  August,  1776,  a  brigadier-general  in  the  army  of  the  United 
States  ;  in  which  station  he  continued  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
war,  having  the  command  dmhe  New  York  line,  or  the  troops  of  that 
state  ;  and  at  its  close  he  was  constituted  a  major-general. 

In  1775,  his  regiment  composed  part  of  the  army  under  General 
Montgomery,  which  invaded  Canada ;  and  he  participated  in  all  the 
fatigues,  dangers,  and  privations  of  that  celebrated,  but  unfortunate 
expedition. 

In  October,  1777,  he  commanded  at  Fort  Clinton,  which,  together 
with  its  neighbor.  Fort  Montgomery,  constituted  the  defence  of  the 


332  JAMES     CLINTON. 

Hudson  river,  against  the  ascent  of  an  enemy.  His  brother,  the 
governor,  commanded  in  chief  at  both  forts.  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
with  a  view  to  create  a  division  in  favor  of  General  Burgoyne,  moved 
up  the  Hudson  with  an  army  of  four  thousand  men,  and  attacked 
those  works,  which  were  very  imperfectly  fortified,  and  only  de- 
fended by  five  hundred  men,  composed  principally  of  militia.  After 
a  most  gallant  resistance,  the  forts  were  carried  by  storm.  General 
Clinton  was  the  last  man  who  left  the  works,  and  not  until  he  was 
severely  wounded  by  the  thrust  of  a  bayonet ;  pursued  and  fired  at 
by  the  enemy,  and  his  attending  servant  killed.  He  bled  profusely, 
and  when  he  dismounted  from  his  war-horse,  in  order  to  effect  his 
escape  from  the  enemy,  who  were  close  on  him,  it  occurred  to  him 
that  he  must  either  perish  on  the  mountains  or  be  captured,  unless 
he  could  supply  himself  with  another  horse  ;  an  animal  which  some- 
times roamed  at  large  in  that  wild  region.  In  this  emergency  he 
took  the  bridle  from  his  horse,  and  slid  down  a  precipice  of  one  hun- 
dred feet  to  the  ravine  of  the  creek  which  separated  the  forts,  and 
feeling  cautiously  his  way  along  its  precipitous  banks,  he  reached 
the  mountain  at  a  distance  from  the  enemy,  after  having  fallen  into 
the  stream,  the  cold  water  of  which  arrested  a  copious  effusion  of 
blood.  The  return  of  light  furnished  him  with  the  sight  of  a  horse, 
which  conveyed  him  to  his  house,  about  sixteen  miles  from  the  fort, 
where  he  arrived  about  noon,  covered  with  blood  and  laboring  under 
a  severe  fever.  In  his  helpless  condition  the  British  passed  up  the 
Hudson,  within  a  few  miles  of  his  house,  and  destroyed  the  town  of 
Kingston. 

The  cruel  ravages  and  horrible  irruptions  of  the  Iroquois,  or  Six 
Nations  of  Indians,  on  our  frontier  settlements,  rendered  it  necessary 
to  inflict  a  terrible  chastisement,  which  would  prevent  a  repetition 
of  their  atrocities.  An  expedition  was  accordingly  planned,  and 
their  principal  command  was  committed  to  General  Sullivan,  who 
was  to  proceed  up  the  Susquehanna,  with  the  main  body  of  the  army, 
while  General  Clinton  was  to  join  him  by  the  way  of  the  Mohawk. 

The  Iroquois  inhabited,  or  occasionally  occupied  that  immense 
and  fertile  region  which  composes  the  western  parts  of  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania,  and  besides  their  ovm|  ravages,  from  the  vioijiity 
of  their  settlements  to  the  inhabited  parts  of  the  United  States,  they 
facilitated  the  inroads  of  the  more  remote  Indians.  When  General 
Sullivan  was  on  his  way  to  the  Indian  country,  he  was  joined  by 
General  Clinton  with  upwards  of  sixteen  hundred  men.  The  latter 
had  gone  up  the  Mohawk  in  batteaux,  from  Schenectady,  and  after 
ascending  that  river  about  fifty-four  miles,  he  conveyed  his  batteaux 
■rom  Canajoharie  to  the  head  of  Otsego  lake,  one  of  the  sources 


'* 


of  the  Susquehanna.    Finding  the  stream  of  water,  in  that  river,  too 
low  to  float  his  boats,  he  erected  a  dam  across  the  mouth  of  the  lake, 
which  soon  rose  to  the  altitude  of  the  dam.  Having  got  his  batteaux 
ready,  he  opened  a  passage  through  the  dam  for  the  water  to  flow. 
This  raised  the  river  so  high  that  he  was  enabled  to  embark  a]l  his 
troops ;  to  float  them  down  to  Tioga,  and  to  join  General  Sullivan 
in  good  season.     The  Indians  collected  their  strength  at  Newtown  ; 
took  possession  of  proper  ground,  and  fortified  it  with  judgment,  and 
on  the   29th  August,    1779,   an   attack  was  made  on  them;  their 
works  were  forced,  and  their  consternation  was  so  great,  that  they 
abandoned  all  further  resistance  ;  for,  as  the  Americans  advanced 
into  their  settlements,  they  retreated  before  them  without  throwing 
any  obstructions  in  their  way.  The  army  passed  between  the  Cayuga 
and  Seneca  lakes,  by  Geneva  and  Canandaigua,  and  as  far  west  as 
the  Genessee  river,  destroying  large  settlements  and  villages,   and 
fields  of  corn  ;  orchards  of  fruit-trees,  and  gardens  abounding  with 
esculent  vegetables.     The  progress  of  the  Indians  in  agriculture, 
struck  the  Americans  with  astonishment.     Many  of  their  ears  of 
corn  measured  twenty-two  inches  in  length.  They  had  horses,  cows, 
and  hogs  in  abundance.     They  manufactured  salt  and  sugar,  and 
raised  the  best  of  apples  and  peaches,  and  their  dwellings  were  large 
and  commodious.     The  desolation  of  their  settlements,  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  provisions,  and  the  conflagration  of  their  houses,  drove 


336  JAMES     CLINTON. 

them  to  the  British  fortresses  of  Niagara  for  subsistence,  where,  living 
on  salt  provisions,  to  vv^hich  they  v\^ere  unaccustomed,  they  died  in 
great  numbers,  and  the  eifect  of  this  expedition  was,  to  diminish  their 
population ;  to  damp  their  ardor ;  to  check  their  arrogance  ;  to 
restrain  their  cruelty,  and  to  inflict  an  irrecoverable  blow  on  their 
resources  of  extensive  aggression.  General  Williamson  and  Colonel 
Pickens  also  attacked  the  Indians,  and  drove  them  into  the  settled 
towns  of  the  Creeks,  about  the  same  time. 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  the  war.  General  Clinton'' was  sta- 
tioned at  Albany,  where  he  commanded,  in  the  northern'  department 
of  the  Union,  a  place  of  high  responsibility,  and  requiring  uncommon 
vigilance  and  continual  exertion.  An  incident  occurred,  when  on 
this  command,  which  strongly  illustrates  his  character.  A  regiment 
which  had  been  ordered  to  march,  mutinied  under  arms,  and  peremp- 
torily refused  obedience.  The  general,  on  being  apprised  of  this, 
immediately  repaired  with  his  pistols  to  the  ground  :  he  went  up  to 
the  head  of  the  regiment  and  ordered  it  to  march  ;  a  silence  ensued, 
and  the  order  was  not  complied  with.  He  then  presented  a  pistol  to 
the  breast  of  a  sergeant,  who  was  the  ringleader,  and  commanded 
him  to  proceed  on  pain  of  death  ;  and  so  on  in  succession  along  the 
line,  and  his  command  was,  in  every  instance,  obeyed,  and  the  regi- 
ment restored  to  entire  and  complete  subordination  and  submission. 

General  Clinton  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  the  capture  of 
Cornwallis,  where  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  usual  intrepidity. 

His  last  appearance  in  arms,  was  on  the  evacuation  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  by  the  British.  He  then  bid  the  commander-in-chief  a 
final  and  aflfectienate  adieu,  and  retired  to  his  ample  estates,  where 
he  enjoyed  that  repose  which  was  required  by' a  long  period  of  fatigue 
and  privation. 

He  was,  however,  frequently  called  from  his  retirement  by  the 
unsolicited  voice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  to  perform  civic  duties.  He 
was  appointed  a  commissioner  to  adjust  the  boundary  line  between 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  which  important  measure  was  amicably 
and  successfully  accomplished.  He  was  also  selected  by  the  legis- 
lature for  an  interesting  mission,  to  settle  controversies  about  lands 
in  the  west,  which  also  terminated  favorably.  He  represented  his 
native  county  in  the  assembly,  and  in  the  convention  that  adopted 
the  present  constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  he  was  elected, 
without  opposition,  a  senator  from  the  middle  district ;  all  which 
trusts  he  executed  with  perfect  integrity,  M'ith  solid  intelligence,  and 
with  the  full  approbation  of  his  constituents. 

The  temper  of  General  Clinton  was  mild  and  affectionate,  but 
-vhen  raised  by  unprovoked  or  unmerited  injury,  he  exhibited  extra- 


DEATH     OF     CLINTON. 


337 


ordinary  and  appalling  energy.  In  battle  he  was  as  cool  and  as 
collected  as  if  sitting  by  his  fireside.  Nature  intended  him  for  a 
gallant  and  efficient  soldier,  when  she  endowed  him  with  the  faculty 
of  entire  self-possession  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  dangers. 

He  died  on  the  22d  of  December,  1812,  and  was  interred  in  the 
family  burial-place  in  Orange  county  ;  and  his  monumental  stone 
bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"  Underneath  are  interred  the  remains  of  James  Clinton,  Esquire. 

He  was  born  the  9th  of  August,  1736;  and  died  the  22d  of 
December,  1812. 

His  life  was  principally  devoted  to  the  military  service  of  his 
country,  and  he  had  filled  with  fidelity  and  honor,  several  distin- 
guished civil  offices. 

He  was  an  officer  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  the  war  preceding  ; 
and,  at  the  close  of  the  former,  was  a  major-general  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States.  He  was  a  good  man  and  a  sincere  patriot,  per- 
forming, in  the  most  exemplary  manner,  all  the  duties  of  life  ;  and 
he  died,  as  he  lived,  without  fear,  and  without  reproach.'' 


Britisli  Costume,  1777. 
22 


MONG  the  many  distinguished 
patriots  of  the  Revolution,  who 
have  become  tenants  of  the  tomb, 
'/  e  v^;\\v^\f   the  services  of  none  will  be  more 
x/ iHk     ^tsiA  readily  acknowledged,  than  those 
of  the  late  venerable  George  Clinton,     He 
is  descended  from  a  respectable  and  worthy 
family,  and  was  born    on   the  26th   July, 
1739,  in  the  county  of  Ulster,  in  the  colony 
of  New  York.     His  father,  Colonel  Charles 
Clinton,  was  an  emigrant  from  Ireland. 

In  early  youth  he  was  put  to  the  study  of  law ;  but  long  before  he 
became  a  man,  he  rallied  under  the  standard  of  his  country,  and 
assisted  Amherst  in  the  reduction  of  Montreal.  In  this  campaign  he 
lobly  distinguished  himself  in  a   conflict  on  the  northern  waters, 

338 


ELECTED     GOVERNOR     OF     NEW     YORK.  339 

when,  with  four  gun-boats,  after  a  severe  engagement,  he  captured  a 
French  brig  of  eighteen  guns. 

This  war  being  ended,  he  returned  again  to  his  favorite  pursuit,  the 
science  of  the  law,  and  placed  himself  under  the  tuition  of  Chief 
Justice  Smith,  where  he  became  a  student  with  Governeur  Morris, 
between  whom  and  himself,  a  difference  of  political  opinion,  in  after 
life  wrought  a  separation. 

He  had  scarcely  commenced  as  a  practitioner,  when,  in  1765,  the 
storm  appeared  to  gather  round  his  native  land,  and  the  tyrannic  dis- 
position of  the  mother  country  was  manifested.  Foreseeing  the 
evil  at  hand,  with  a  mind  glowing  with  patriotism,  correct  and  quick 
in  its  perceptions ;  and  hke  time,  steady  and  fixed  to  the  achieve- 
ment of  its  objects,  he  abandoned  the  advantages  of  the  profession  to 
which  he  had  been  educated,  and  became  a  member  of  the  colonial 
legislature  ;  where  he  ever  displayed  a  love  of  liberty,  an  inflexible 
attachment  to  the  rights  of  his  country,  and  that  undaunted  firmness 
and  integrity,  without  which  this  nation  never  would  have  been  free ; 
and  which  has  ever  formed  the  most  brilliant,  though  by  no  means 
the  most  useful  trait  of  his  character.  He  was  chief  of  the  Whig 
party. 

In  this  situation  he  remained,  contending  against  the  doctrine  of 
British  supremacy  ;  and  with  great  strength  of  argument,  and  force 
of  popularity,  supporting  the  rights  of  America,  till  the  crisis  arrived 
when,  in  1775,  he  was  returned  a  member  of  that  patriotic  congress, 
who  laid  the  foundation  of  our  independence.  While  in  this  vener- 
able body,  it  may  be  said  of  him  with  truth,  that  "  he  strengthened 
the  feeble  knees,  and  the  hands  that  hang  down."  On  the  4th  of 
July,  1776,  he  was  present  at  the  glorious  declaration  of  independ- 
ence, and  assented  with  his  usual  energy  and  decision,  to  that  mea- 
sure, but  having  been  appointed  a  brigadier-general  in  the  militia,  and 
also  in  the  continental  army,  the  exigencies  of  his  country  at  that 
trying  hour,  rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  take  the  field  in  person, 
and  he  therefore  retired  from  congress  immediately  after  his  vote  was 
given,  and  before  the  instrument  was  transcribed  for  the  signature 
of  the  members  ;  for  which  reason  his  name  does  not  appear  among 
the  signers. 

A  constitution  having  been  adopted,  for  the  state  of  New  York, 
in  April,  1777,  he  was  chosen  at  the  first  election  under  it,  both 
governor  and  lieutenant-governor,  and  was  continued  in  the  former 
office  for  eighteen  years.  In  this  year  he  was  also  appointed  by 
congress  to  command  the  post  of  the  Highlands,  a  most  important 
and  arduous  duty.  The  design  of  the  enemy  was  to  separate  New 
England  from  the  rest  of  the  nation,  and  by  preventing  succor  from 


340  aEORGE     CLINTON, 

the  east,  to  lay  waste  the  middle  and  southern  country.  Had  this 
plan  been  carried  into  effect,  American  liberty  would  probably  have 
expired  in  its  cradle.  It  was  then  that  his  vast  and  comprehensive 
genius  viewed  in  its  true  light  the  magnitude  of  the  evil  contem- 
plated ;  and  Jie  roused  to  a  degree  of  energy  unknown  and  unex- 
pected. It  was  then  that  Burgoyne  was,  with  the  best  appointed 
army  ever  seen  in  America,  attempting  to  force  his  way  to  Albany, 
and  Howe  attempting  to  effect  a  junction  with  him  at  that  important 
place. 

The  crisis  was  all  important,  and  Clinton  did  not  hesitate — he  de- 
termined at  all  hazards  to  save  his  country.  With  this  view,  when 
Howe  attempted  to  ascend  the  river,  Clinton  from  every  height  and 
angle  assailed  him.  His  gallant  defence  of  Fort  Montgomery,  with 
a  handful  of  men,  against  a  powerful  force  commanded  by  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  was  equally  honorable  to  his  intrepidity  and  his  skill.  The 
following  are  the  particulars  of  his  gallant  conduct  at  the  storming 
of  forts  Montgomery  and  Clinton,  in  October,  1777. 

"  When  the  British  reinforcements,  under  General  Robertson, 
amounting  to  nearly  two  thousand  men,  arrived  from  Europe,  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  used  the  greatest  exertion,  and  availed  himself  of 
every  favorable  circumstance,  to  put  these  troops  into  immediate 
operation.  Many  were  sent  to  suitable  vessels,  and  united  in  the 
expedition,  which  consisted  of  about  four  thousand  men,  against  the 
forts  in  the  Highlands.  Having  made  the  necessary  arrangements, 
he  moved  up  the  North  river,  and  landed  on  the  4th  of  October  at 
Tarrytown,  purposely  to  impress  General  Putnam,  under  whose 
command  a  thousand  continental  troops  had  been  left,  with  a  belief, 
that  his  post  at  Peekskill  was  the  object  of  attack.  At  eight  o'clock 
at  night,  the  general  communicated  the  intelligence  to  Governor 
Clinton,  of  the  arrival  of  the  British,  and  at  the  same  time  expressed 
his  opinion  respecting  their  destination.  The  designs  of  Sir  Henry 
were  immediately  perceived  by  the  governor,  who  prorogued  the 
assembly  on  the  following  day,  and  arrived  that  night  at  Fort  Mont- 
gomery. The  British  troops  in  the  mean  time,  were  secretly  con- 
veyed across  the  river,  and  assaults  upon  our  forts  were  meditated  to 
be  made  on  the  6th,  which  were  accordingly  put  in  execution,  by 
attacking  the  American  advanced  party  at  Doodletown,  about  two 
miles  and  a  half  from  Fort  Montgomery.  The  Americans  received 
the  fire  of  the  British,  and  retreated  to  Fort  Clinton.  The  enemy 
then  advanced  to  the  west  side  of  the  mountain,  in  order  to  attack 
our  troops  in  the  rear.  Governor  Clinton  immediately  ordered  out 
a  detachment  of  one  hundred  men  toward  Doodletown,  and  another 
of  sixty,  with  a  brass  field-piece,  to  an  eligible  spot  on  another  road. 


CAPTURE  OF  FORT  CLINTON.  343 

They  were  both  soon  attacked  by  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy,  and 
compelled  to  fall  back.  It  has  been  remarked,  that  the  talents,  as 
well  as  the  temper  of  a  commander,  are  put  to  as  severe  a  test  in 
conducting  a  retreat,  as  in  achieving  a  victory.  The  truth  of  this 
Governor  Clinton  experienced,  when,  with  great  bravery,  and  the 
most  perfect  order,  he  retired  till  he  reached  the  fort.  He  lost  no 
time  in  placing  his  men  in  the  best  manner  that  circumstances  would 
admit.  His  post,  however,  as  well  as  Fort  Clinton,  in  a  few  minutes 
were  invaded  on  every  side.  In  the  midst  of  this  disheartening  and 
appalling  disaster,  he  was  summoned,  when  the  sun  was  only  an  hour 
high,  to  surrender  in  five  minutes ;  but  his  gallant  spirit  sternly 
refused  to  obey  the  call.  In  a  short  time  after,  the  British  made  a 
general  and  most  desperate  attack  on  both  posts,  which  was  received 
by  the  Americans  with  undismayed  courage  and  resistance.  Officers 
and  men,  militia  and  continentals,  all  behaved  nobly.  An  incessant 
fire  was  kept  up  till  dusk,  when  our  troops  were  overpowered  by 
numbers,  who  forced  the  lines  and  redoubts  at  both  posts.  Many  of 
the  Americans  fought  their  way  out,  others  accidentally  mixed  with 
the  enemy,  and  thus  made  their  escape  effectually ;  for,  besides 
being  favored  by  the  night,  they  knew  the  various  avenues  in  the 
mountains.  The  governor,  as  well  as  his  brother.  General  James 
Clinton,  who  was  wounded,  were  not  taken." 

Howe,  driven  to  madness  by  the  manly  resistance  of  his  foes, 
inconsiderately  landed  and  marched  into  the  country,  and  immortal- 
ized his  name  by  burning  Kingston  and  other  villages.  But  the  great 
object  of  the  expedition,  the  forming  a  conjunction  with  Burgoyne, 
was  happily  defeated,  by  the  capture  of  that  general,  and  America 
was  free. 

From  this  moment,  for  eighteen  years  in  succession,  he  remained 
the  governor  of  New  York,  re-elected  to  that  important  station  by  a 
generous  and  wise  people,  who  knew  how  to  appreciate  his  wisdom 
and  virtue,  and  their  own  blessings.  During  this  period,  he  was 
president  of  the  convention  of  that  state,  which  ratified  the  national 
constitution  :  when,  as  in  all  other  situations,  he  undeviatingly  mani- 
fested an  ardent  attachment  to  civil  liberty. 

After  the  life  of  labor  and  usefulness,  here  faintly  portrayed  ;  worn 
with  the  fatigues  of  duty,  and  with  a  disease  which  then  afflicted 
him,  but  which  had  been  removed  for  the  last  eight  years  of  his  life  ; 
having  led  his  native  state  to  eminent,  if  not  unrivalled  importance 
and  prosperity,  he  retired  from  public  life,  with  a  mind  resolved  not 
to  mingle  again  with  governmental  concerns,  and  to  taste  those 
sweets  which  result  from  reflecting  on  a  life  well  spent. 

In  1805  he  was  chosen  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  by 


344 


GEORGE      CLINTON 


the  same  number  of  votes  that  elevated  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  presi 
denoy ;  in  which  station  he  discharged  his  duties  with  unremitted 
attention  ;  presiding  with  great  dignity  in  the  senate,  and  evincing, 
by  his  votes  and  his  opinions,  his  decided  hostihty  to  constructive 
authority,  and  to  innovations  on  the  estabhshed  principles  of  repub- 
lican government. 

He  died  at  Washington,  when  attending  to  his  duties  as  Vice- 
President,  and  was  interred  in  that  city,  where  a  monument  was 
erected  by  the  filial  piety  of  his  children,  with  this  inscription,  written 
by  his  nephew  : — 

"  To  the  memory  of  George  Clinton.  He  was  born  in  the  state 
of  New  York,  on  the  26th  July,  1739,  and  died  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington, on  the  20th  April,  1812,  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age." 

"  He  was  a  soldier  and  statesman  of  the  Revolution.  Eminent  in 
council,  and  distinguished  in  war,  he  filled,  with  unexampled  useful- 
ness, purity,  and  ability,  among  many  other  offices,  those  of  Governor 
of  his  native  state,  and  of  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 
While  he  lived,  his  virtue,  wisdom,  and  valor  were  the  pride,  the 
ornament,  and  security  of  his  country,  and  when  he  died,  he  left  an 
illustrious  example  of  a  well  spent  life,  worthy  of  all  imitation." 


to  the 
affe  of 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ANDREW  PICKENS. 

HIS  able  commander  was  born  in 
Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  13th  of  September,  1739. 
His  ancestors  were  driven  from 
France  by  the  revocation  of  the 
edict  of  Nantz.  They  first  settled  in 
Scotland,  and  afterwards  in  the  north  of 
Ireland.  His  father  emigrated  to  Penn- 
B^^-  sylvania,  from  whence  he  removed  to 
Augusta  county,  Virginia,  and  soon  after 
Waxhaws,  in  South  Carolina,  before  Andrew  had  attained  the 
manhood. 

345 


t 


346  ANDREW     PICKENS. 

Like  many  of  our  most  distinguished  officers  of  the  Revolution, 
he  commenced  his  mihtary  services  in  the  French  war,  which 
terminated  in  1763,  when  he  began  to  develope  those  quahties 
for  which  he  was  afterwards  so  eminently  distinguished  In  the 
year  1761,  he  served  as  a  volunteer  with  Moultrie  and  Marion, 
in  a  bloody  but  successful  expedition,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Grant,  a  British  officer,  sent  by  General  Amherst  to  command 
against  the  Cherokees.  After  the  termination  of  the  war,  he 
removed  to  the  Long  Cane  settlement,  and  was  wholly  engaged 
for  several  years  in  the  usual  pursuits  of  a  frontier  country ;  hunting 
and  agriculture. 

At  an  early  period  he  took  a  decided  stand  against  the  right 
claimed  by  Great  Britain,  to  tax  her  colonies  without  their  con- 
sent ;  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  was  appointed 
captain  of  militia.  The  distinguished  part  which  he  acted  in  the 
struggle  for  independence,  has  been  recorded  by  the  historian,  and 
the  principal  events  can  only  be  alluded  to  in  the  present  sketch. 
His  zeal  and  skill  were  rewarded  by  his  country,  by  his  being 
rapidly  promoted  to  the  respective  commands  of  major,  colonel, 
and  brigadier-general.  In  the  most  despondent  time,  when  this 
section  of  the  Union  was  overrun  by  the  enemy,  and  suffered  from 
the  tories  all  the  horrors  of  civil  war,  he  remained  unshaken,  and 
with  Marion  and  Sumpter  kept  up  the  spirit  of  resistance.  He 
commanded  in  chief  in  the  expedition  against  the  Cherokees,  in 
1781  ;  and  such  was  his  success,  that  in  a  few  days,  with  an  incon- 
siderable force,  he  subdued  the  spirit  of  that  then  powerful  nation, 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  peace  so  permanent  that  it  has  not  since 
been  disturbed. 

At  Kettle  Creek  his  conduct  was  equally  distinguished  and  suc- 
cessful ;  with  half  the  force  he  defeated,  after  a  severe  contest,  a 
large  body  of  tories,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Boyd.  The 
results  of  this  victory  were  highly  important.  It  broke  the  spirit  of 
the  tories,  and  secured  the  internal  peace  for  a  considerable  time  of 
the  interior  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia.  No  less  conspicuous  was 
his  conduct  at  the  Cowpens.  He  there  commanded  the  militia  forces ; 
and,  animated  by  the  spirit  and  courage  of  their  commander  in  that 
important  battle,  they  fairly  won  an  equal  share  of  glory  with  the 
continentals,  under  Colonel  Howard.  For  his  gallantry  and  conduct 
on  that  occasion,  Congress  voted  him  a  sword.  At  the  Eutaw  he 
commanded,  with  Marion,  the  militia  of  the  two  Carolinas  ;  but  in 
the  early  part  of  the  action  received  a  severe  wound  in  his  breast 
by  a  musket  ball.  His  life  was  providentially  saved  by  the  ball 
striking  the  buckle  of  his  sword. 


FALL     OF     CHARLESTON. 


347 


N  that  dark  hour  of  the 
Revolution,  when  Charles- 
ton fell,  and  the  victorious 
Britons  spreading  themselves 
over  the  country,  advanced  into 
the  interior,  the  revived  resent- 
ments of  the  royalists  com- 
pelled Colonel  Pickens,  and  the 
steady  adherents  of  the  cause 
^,  of  freedom,  to  abandon 
their  habitations  and 
country,  and  seek  for 
refuge  in  North  Caro- 
lina. So  soon,  how^ever, 
as  General  Greene  had 
taken  command  of  the  army,  and  ordered  General  Morgan  to  enter 
the  M^estern  division  of  the  state,  to  check  the  aggressions  of  the 
enemy,  and  to  revive  the  drooping  spirits  of  the  whig  inhabitants, 
Colonel  Pickens  was  found  the  most  active  among  his  associates, 
seconding  his  enterprises,  and  by  gentleness  and  conciliation  attach- 
ing new  adherents  to  the  cause.  Of  his  intrepid  conduct  at  the 
battle  of  the  Cowpens,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  speak.  It  is  a 
w^ell-known  fact,  that  he  not  only  prevailed  upon  his  riflemen  to 
retain  their  fire  till  it  could  be  given  with  deadly  effect,  but,  when 
broken,  and  compelled  to  retreat,  that  he  rallied  them ;  and  what 
had  never  before  been  effected  with  militia,  brought  them  a  second 
time  to  meet  their  enemy,  and  by  continued  exertion  to  accomplish 
their  final  surrender. 

Peace  being  restored,  the  voice  of  his  country  called  him  to  serve 
her  in  various  civil  capacities  ;  and  he  continued,  without  interrup- 
tion, in  public  employment  until  about  1801.  By  the  treaty  of 
Hopewell,  with  the  Cherokees,  in  which  he  was  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners, the  cession  of  that  portion  of  the  state  now  called  Pendleton 
and  Greenville,  was  obtained.  Soon  after  he  settled  at  Hopewell, 
on  Keowee  river,  where  the  treaty  was  held.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  legislature,  and  afterwards  of  the  convention  which  formed  the 
state  constitution.  He  was  elected  a  member  under  the  new  consti 
tution,  until  1794,  when  he  became  a  member  of  Congress.  De- 
clining a  re-election  to  Congress,  he  was  again  returned  a  member 
to  the  legislature,  in  which  post  he  continued  until  about  1811. 
Such  was  the  confidence  of  General  Washington  in  him,  that  he 
requested  his  attendance  at  Philadelphia,  to  consult  with  him  on  the 
practicability  and  best  means  of  civilizing  the  southern  Indians  ;  and 


348  ANDREW     PICKENS. 

he  also  offered  him  the  command  of  a  brigade  of  light  troops,  under 
the  command  of  General  Wayne,  in  his  campaigns  against  the 
northern  Indians  ;  which  he  declined.  In  1794,  when  the  militia 
was  first  organized  conformable  to  the  act  of  Congress,  he  was 
appointed  one  of  the  two  major  generals ;  which  commission  he 
resigned  after  holding  it  a  few  years.  He  was  employed  by  the 
United  States  as  a  commissioner  in  all  the  treaties  with  the  southern 
Indians,  until  he  withdrew  from  public  life. 

Determining  to  enjoy  that  serenity  and  tranquillity  which  he  had  so 
greatly  contributed  to  establish,  with  the  simplicity  of  the  early  times 
of  the  Roman  republic,  he  retired  from  the  busy  scenes  of  life,  and 
settled  on  his  farm  at  Tomussee,  (a  place  peculiarly  interesting  to 
him,)  where  he  devoted  himself  with  little  interruption  to  domestic 
pursuits  and  reflection  until  his  death.  In  this  tranquil  period,  few 
events  happened  to  check  the  tenor  of  his  happy  and  virtuous  life. 
Revered  and  beloved  by  all,  his  house,  though  remote  from  the  more 
frequented  parts  of  the  state,  was  still  the  resort  of  numerous  friends 
and  relations ;  and  often  received  the  visits  of  the  enlightened 
traveller.  Such  was  the  gentle  current  of  his  latter  years  ;  still,  of 
earthly  objects,  his  country  was  the  first  in  his  affections.  He  viewed 
with  great  interest  our  late  struggle,  and  the  causes  which  excited  it, 
distinctly  perceiving,  that  in  its  consequences  the  prosperity,  inde- 
pendence and  glory  of  his  country  were  deeply  involved;  he  was 
alive  to  its  various  incidents.  In  this  hour  of  danger  the  eyes  of  his 
fellow  citizens  were  again  turned  to  their  tried  servant ;  without  his 
knowledge  he  was  again  called  by  the  spontaneous  voice  of  his  fel- 
low citizens  into  public  service.  Confidence  thus  expressed  could 
not  be  disregarded  ;  he  accepted  a  seat  in  the  legislature  in  1812,  and 
was  pressed  to  serve  as  governor  at  this  eventful  crisis,  which,  with 
his  characteristic  moderation  and  good  sense,  he  declined.  He 
thought  the  struggle  should  be  left  to  more  youthful  hands. 

General  Pickens  died  in  South  Carolina,  on  the  1 1th  of  October, 
1817. 

In  his  domestic  circumstances  he  was  fortunate  :  by  industry  and 
attention  he  soon  acquired  a  competency ;  and  never  desired  more. 
He  married  in  early  life,  has  left  a  numerous  and  prosperous  off- 
spring, and  his  consort,  the  sister  of  John  E.  Calhoun,  formerly  a 
senator  in  Congress,  died  but  a  few  years  before  him. 

Of  his  private  character  little  need  be  said  ;  for  among  its  strong- 
est features  was  simplicity  without  contrariety  or  change  ;  from  his 
youth  to  age  he  was  ever  distinguished  for  a  punctual  performance 
of  all  the  duties  of  life.  He  was  from  early  life  a  firm  believer  in 
the  christian  religion,  and  an  influential  member   of  the   Presby- 


DEATH     OF     PICKENS. 


349 


terian  church.  The  strong  points  of  his  character  were  decision 
and  prudence,  accompanied,  especially  in  youth,  with  remarkable 
taciturnity.  He  was  of  middle  stature,  active  and  robust ;  and  en- 
joyed, in  consequence  of  the  natural  goodness  of  his  constitution,  and 
from  early  and  combined  temperance  and  activity,  almost  uninter- 
rupted health  to  the  last  moments  of  his  life.  He  retained  much 
of  his  strength  and  nearly  all  his  mental  vigor  in  perfection ;  and 
died,  not  in  consequence  of  the  exhaustion  of  nature,  or  previous 
sickness ;  for  the  stroke  of  death  fell  suddenly,  and  while  his  personal 
acquaintances  were  anticipating  the  addition  "^  many  years  to  his 
life. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  PHILIP  SCHUYLER. 


ENERAL  SCHUYLER  was  a 

native  of  New  York,  a  member 
of  one  of  the  most  respectable 
families  in  that  state,  and  highly 
merits  the  cjiaracter  of  an  intel- 
ligent and  meritorious  officer.  As  a  private 
gentleman,  he  was  dignified  but  courteous, 
his  manners  urbane,  and  his  hospitality  un- 
bounded. He  was  justly  considered  as  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  champions  of 
liberty,  and  his  noble  mind  soared  above 
despair,  even  at  a  period  when  he  experienced  injustice  from  the 
public,  and  when  darkness  and  gloom  overspread  the  land.  He  was 
able,  prompt,  and  decisive,  and  his  conduct  in  every  branch  of  duty, 
marked  his  active  industry  and  rapid  execution. 

He  received  his  commission  from  Congress,  June  19th,  1776,  and 
was  ordered  to  take  command  of  the  expedition   against  Canada ; 
but,  being  taken  sick,  the  command  devolved  upon  General  Mont- 
350 


BURGOYNES     INVASION. 


351 


gomery.  On  his  recovery,  he  devoted  his  time,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  General  St.  Clair,  used  every  effort  to  stay  the  progress  of  a 
veteran  and  numerous  army  under  Burgoyne,  who  had  commenced 
his  march  from  Canada,  on  the  bold  attempt  of  forming  a  junction  at 
Albany  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

The  duties  of  General  Schuyler  now  became  laborious,  intricate, 
and  complicated.  On  his  arrival  at  head-quarters  he  found  the  army 
of  the  north  not  only  too  weak  for  the  objects  intrusted  to  it,  but 
also  badly  supplied  with  arms,  clothes,  and  provisions.  From  a  spy 
he  obtained  information  that  General  Burgoyne  had  arrived  at  Que- 
bec, and  was  to  take  command  of  the  British  force  on  their  contem- 
plated expedition. 

A  few  days  removed  the  doubts  which  might  have  existed  respect- 
ing the  intentions  of  Burgoyne.  It  was  understood  that  his  army 
was  advancing  towards  the  lakes. 

Genera]  Schuyler  was  sensible  of  the  danger  which  threatened  his 
department,  and  made  every  exertion  to  meet  it.  He  visited  in  per- 
son the  different  posts,  used  the  utmost  activity  in  obtaining  supplies 
of  provisions  to  enable  them  to  hold  out  in  the  event  of  a  siege,  and 
had  proceeded  to  Albany  both  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  the 
supplies,  and  of  expediting  the  march  of  Nixon's  brigade,  whose 
arrival  was  expected ;  when  he  received  intelligence  from  General 
St.  Clair,  who  was  intrusted  with  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga,  that 
Burgoyne  had  appeared  before  that  place. 

N  the  course  of  the  preceding  winter  a 
plan  for  penetrating  to  the  Hudson  from 
Canada  by  the  way  of  the  lakes,  was 
completely  digested,  and  its  most  minute 
parts  arranged  in  the  cabinet  of  St. 
James.  Genera]  Burgoyne,  who  assisted 
in  forming,  it,  was  intrusted  with  its 
execution,  and  was  to  lead  a  formidable 
army  against  Ticonderoga,  as  soon  as 
the  season  would  permit.  At  the  same 
time,  a  smaller  party,  under  Colonel  St.  Leger,  composed  of  Cana- 
dians, new  raised  Americans,  and  a  few  Europeans,  aided  by  a  power- 
ful body  of  Indians,  was  to  march  from  Oswego  to  enter  the  country 
by  the  way  of  the  Mohawk,  and  to  join  the  grand  army  on  the 
Hudson. 

The  force  assigned  for  this  service  was  such  as  the  general  him- 
self deemed  sufficient ;  and,  as  it  was  the  favorite  plan  of  the  min- 
ister, no  circumstance  was  omitted  which  could  give  to  the  numbers 
employed  their  utmost  possible  efficacy.    The  troops  were  furnished 


352  PHILIP     SCHUYLER. 

with  every  military  equipment  which  the  service  required ;  the  as- 
sisting general  officers  were  of  the  first  reputation,  and  the  train  of 
artillery  was,  perhaps,  the  most  powerful  ever  annexed  to  an  army 
not  more  numerous. 

But  valor,  perseverance  and  industry  could  avail  nothing  against 
such  vast  numbers  as  now  assailed  the  northern  army.  Ticonderoga 
was  evacuated,  and  stores,  artillery,  and  military  equipage  to  an  im- 
mense amount,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Knowing  the  inferiority  of  his  numbers,  and  that  he  could  only 
hope  to  save  his  army  by  the  rapidity  of  his  march,  General  St.  Clair 
reached  Charlestown,  thirty  miles  from  Ticonderoga,  on  the  night 
succeeding  the  evacuation  of  the  fort. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  at  Stillwater,  on  his  way  to  Ticonderoga, 
General  Schuyler  was  informed  of  the  evacuation  of  that  place,  and 
on  the  same  day,  at  Saratoga,  the  total  loss  of  the  stores  at  Skeens- 
borough,  was  also  reported  to  him.  From  General  St.  Clair  he  had 
heard  nothing,  and  the  most  serious  fears  were  entertained  for  the 
army  commanded  by  that  officer.  His  force,  after  being  joined  by 
Colonel  Long,  consisted  of  about  fifteen  hundred  continental  troops, 
and  the  same  number  of  militia.  They  were  dispirited  by  defeat, 
without  tents,  badly  armed,  and  had  lost  a  great  part  of  their  stores 
and  baggage.  That  part  of  the  country  was  generally  much  alarmed, 
and  even  those  who  were  well  affected,  discovered,  as  is  usual  in 
such  circumstances,  more  inclination  to  take  care  of  themselves  than 
to  join  the  army. 

In  this  gloomy  state  of  things  it  is  impossible  that  any  officer 
could  have  used  more  diligence  or  judgment  than  was  displayed  by 
Schuyler. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Anne,  Burgoyne  found  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  suspend  for  a  time  all  further  pursuit,  and  to  give  his 
army  some  refreshment. 

In  the  present  state  of  things,  unable  even  to  looic  the  enemy  in 
the  face,  it  was  of  unspeakable  importance  to  the  American  general 
to  gain  time.  This  short  and  unavoidable  interval  from  action,  there- 
fore, was  seized  by  Schuyler,  whose  head-quarters  were  at  Fort 
Edward,  and  used  to  the  utmost  advantage. 

The  country  between  Skeensborough  and  Fort  Edward  was  almost 
entirely  unsettled,  covered  with  thick  woods,  of  a  surface  extremely 
rough,  and  much  intersected  with  creeks  and  morasses.  As  far  as 
Fort  Anne,  Wood  creek  was  navigable  with  batteaux ;  and  artillery, 
military  stores,  provisions  and  heavy  baggage  might  be  transported 
up  it. 

The  first  moments  of  rest,  while  Burgoyne  was  reassembling  his 


EVACUATION  OF  TICONDEROGA, 


353 


forces  at  Skeensborough,  were  employed  by  Schuyler  in  destroying 
the  navigation  of  Wood  creek,  by  sinking  numerous  impediments  in 
its  course,  and  in  breaking  up  the  bridges,  and  othervi^ise  rendering 
impassable  the  roads  over  which  the  British  army  must  necessarily 
march.  He  was  also  indefatigable  in  driving  all  the  live-stock  out 
of  the  way,  and  in  bringing  from  Fort  George  to  Fort  Edward,  am- 
munition and  other  military  stores  which  had  been  deposited  at  that 
place,  of  which  his,  army  was  in  much  need,  and  which  it  was  essen- 
tial to  bring  away  before  the  British  could  remove  their  gun-boats 
and  army  into  the  lake,  and  possess  themselves  of  the  fort. 

While  thus  endeavoring  to  obstruct  the  march  of  the  enemy,  he 
was  not  inattentive  to  the  best  means  of  strengthening  his  own  army. 
Reinforcements  of  regular  troops  were  earnestly  sohcited.  The 
militia  of  New  England  and  New  York  were  called  for,  and  all  his 
influence  in  the  surrounding  country  was  exerted  to  reanimate  the 
people,  and  to  prevent  their  defection  from  the  American  cause. 

I  HE  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga  was  a 
shock  for  which  no  part  of  the  United 
States  was  prepared.  Neither  the 
strength  of  the  invading  army  nor  of 
the  garrison  had  been  anywhere  under- 
stood. The  opinion  was  common  that 
no  reinforcements  had  arrived  at  Que- 
bec that  spring,  in  which  case  it  was 
believed  that  not  more  than  five  thou- 
sand men  could  be  spared  from  the 
defence  of  Canada.  Those  new  raised 
regiments  of  New  England  and  New 
York,  which  had  been  allotted  to  the  northern  department,  had  been 
reported,  and  were  believed  by  the  commander-in-chief,  and  by  Con- 
gress, as  well  as  by  the  community  at  large,  to  contain  a  much  greater 
number  of  eflectives  than  they  were  found  actually  to  comprehend. 
In  addition  to  these,  the  officer  commanding  the  garrison,  was  empow- 
ered to  call  to  his  aid  such  bodies  of  militia  as  he  might  deem  necessary 
for  the  defence  of  his  post.  A  very  few  days  before  the  place  was 
invested.  General  Schuyler,  from  an  inspection  of  the  muster  rolls, 
had  stated  the  garrison  to  amount  to  five  thousand  men,  and  the 
supply  of  provisions  to  be  abundant.  When,  therefore,  it  was  under- 
stood that  a  place,  on  the  fortifications  of  which  much  money  and 
labor  had  been  expended  ;  which  was  considered  as  the  key  to  the 
whole  western  country,  and  supposed  to  contain  a  garrison  nearly 
equal  to  the  invading  army,  had  been  abandoned  without  a  siege  ; 
that  an  immense  train   of  artillery,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 

23 


354  PHILIP     SCHUYLER. 

twenty-eight  pieces,  and  all  the  baggage,  military  stores,  and  provi- 
sions, had  either  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  or  been  destroyed ; 
that  the  army  on  its  retreat  had  been  attacked,  defeated,  and  dis- 
persed ;  astonishment  pervaded  all  ranks  of  men ;  and  the  conduct 
of  the  officers  was  almost  universally  condemned.  Congress  directed 
a  recall  of  all  the  generals  of  the  department,  and  an  inquiry  into 
their  conduct.  Through  New  England  especially,  the  most  malignant 
aspersions  were  cast  on  them,  and  General  Schuyler,  who,  from 
some  unknown  cause,  had  never  been  viewed  with  favor  in  that  part 
of  the  continent,  was  involved  in  the  common  charges  of  treachery, 
to  which  this  accumulation  of  unlooked  for  calamity  was  very  gener- 
ally attributed  by  the  mass  of  the  people. 

On  the  representations  of  General  Washington,  the  recall  of  the 
officers  was  suspended  until  he  should  be  of  opinion  that  the  state  of 
things  would  admit  of  such  a  measure ;  and  on  inquiry  afterward 
made  into  the  conduct  of  the  generals,  they  were  acquitted  of  all 
blame.  When  the  resolutions  were  passed,  directing  an  inquiry  into  the 
conduct  of  Schuyler  and  St.  Clair,  appointing  a  committee  to  report 
on  the  mode  of  conducting  the  inquiry,  and,  in  the  meanwhile,  recall- 
ing them  and  all  the  brigadiers  who  had  served  in  that  department, 
General  Washington  was  requested  to  name  a  successor  to  Schuyler. 
On  his  expressing  a  wish  to  decline  this  nomination,  and  representing 
the  inconvenience  of  removing  all  the  general  officers.  Gates  was 
again  directed  to  repair  thither  and  take  the  command  ;  and  the  reso- 
lution to  recall  the  brigadiers  was  suspended,  until  the  commander- 
in-chief  should  be  of  opinion  that  it  might  be  carried  into  effect  with 
safety.  Schuyler  retained  the  command  until  the  arrival  of  Gates, 
which  was  about  the  21st  of  August,  and  continued  his  exertions  to 
restore  the  affairs  of  the  d^epartment,  which  had  been  so  much  de- 
pressed by  the  losses  consequent  on  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga. 
That  officer  felt  acutely  the  disgrace  of  being  recalled  in  this  critical 
and  interesting  state  of  the  campaign,  but  nobly  submitted  to  the 
decision  of  his  superiors  in  rank. 

If  error  be  attributed  to  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  certainly 
no  portion  of  it  was  committed  by  Schuyler.  His  removal  from  the 
command  was  probably  unjust  and  severe,  as  the  measure  respected 
himself.  The  patriotism  and  magnanimity  displayed  by  the  ex- 
general,  on  this  occasion,  does  him  high  honor.  All  that  could  have 
been  effected  to  impede  the  progress  of  the  British  army,  had  been 
done  already.  Bridges  were  broken  up,  causeways  destroyed,  trees 
felled  in  every  direction,  to  retard  the  conveyance  of  stores  and 
artillery. 

On  Gates's  arrival.  General  Schuyler,  without  the  slightest  indica 


MAGNANIMITY     OF     SCHUYLER. 


355 


tion  of  ill-humor,  resigned  his  command,  communicated  all  the  intel- 
ligence he  possessed,  and  put  every  interesting  paper  into  his  hands, 
simply  adding,  "  I  have  done  all  that  could  be  done,  as  far  as  the 
means* were  in  my  power,  to  injure  the  enemy  and  to  inspire  confi- 
dence in  the  soldiers  of  our  own  army,  and  I  flatter  myself  with 
some  success  ;  but  the  palm  of  victory  is  denied  me,  and  it  is  left  to 
you,  general,  to  reap  the  fruits  of  my  labors.  I  will  not  fail,  how- 
ever, to  second  your  views  ;  and  my  devotion  to  my  country  will 
cause  me  with  alacrity  to  obey  all  your  orders."  He  performed  his 
promise,  and  faithfully  did  his  duty,  till  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne 
put  an  end  to  the  contest.  Another  anecdote  is  recorded  to  his  honor. 
General  Burgoyne,  dining  with  General  Gates,  immediately  after  the 
convention  of  Saratoga,  and  hearing  General  Schuyler  named  among 
the  officers  presented  to  him,  thought  it  necessary  to  apologize  for  the 
destruction  of  his  elegant  mansion  a  few  days  before,  by  his  orders. 
"  Make  no  excuses,  general,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  I  feel  myself  more 
than  compensated  by  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  at  this  table."  The 
court  of  inquiry,  instituted  on  the  conduct  of  Generals  Schuyler  and 
St.  Clair,  resulted  with  the  highest  honor  to  them.  General  Schuy- 
ler, though  not  invested  with  any  distinct  command,  continued  to 
render  important  services  in  the  military  transactions  of  New  York, 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Congress  ;  and  represented  the  state 
of  New  York  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  when  the  present 
government  commenced  its  operations.  In  1797  he  was  again  ap- 
pomted  a  senator.  He  died  at  Albany,  November  18th,  1804,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 


General  Scliuyler's  Residence,  Schuyleryille, 


COLONBI,   -WADSWOBTH  AND    HIS  SON, 

From  an  original  painting  at  the  Wadsworth  Athenseum,  Hartford,  Connecticut. 

COLONEL  JEREMIAH  WADSWORTH. 


J^  im  ^M  i  HE  brief  notice  which  our  limits  permit  us  to  insert 
i  ^^  \  I  °^  *^^^  gentleman's  services  to  his  country,  is  ex- 
i  lllol  ^  tracted  from  an  Address  delivered  before  the  Con- 
necticut Historical  Society,  by  their  president,  the 
Honorable  Thomas  D^y. 

Jeremiah  Wadsvi^orth  was  born  at  Hartford,  on  the 
12th  of  July,  1743.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
but  a  little  more  than  four  years  old.  Tradition  says 
of  him,  that  in  his  early  youth,  he  was  inclined  to 
action  and  sport,  rather  than  to  study.  While  he  was  yet  of  a  tender 
age,  his  mother  placed  him  under  the  care  and  in  the  service  of  her 
brother,  Matthew  Talcot,  Esq.,  a  merchant  in  Middletown,  exten- 
sively concerned  in  navigation.  When  he  was  about  eighteen  years 
of  age,  he  was  taken  with  spitting  blood ;  and  his  flesh  began  to 
waste  away.  Under  these  circumstances,  he,  by  the  advice  of  his 
friends,  readily  accepted  the  place  of  a  seaman  before  the  mast,  in 
one  of  his  uncle's  vessels.  Here  he  soon  recovered  his  health. 
After  several  voyages — generally  short  ones — in  this  capacity,  he 
356 


SERVICES     IN     THE     REVOLUTION.  357 

became,  first  the  mate,  and  afterwards  the  master  of  a  vessel.  He 
was  thus  at  sea  at  least  ten  years.  Faithful  and  efficient  in  his  busi- 
ness, he  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  employer,  and  of  all 
who  had  dealings  with  him. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  period,  he  married  Miss  Mehitabel 
Russell,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  William  Russell  of  Middletown. 
After  his  mother's  death  in  1773,  he,  with  his  family — a  wife  and 
three  children — removed  to  Hartford,  and  occupied,  in  common  with 
his  sisters,  the  paternal  mansion-house. 

The  Revolutionary  war,  which  commenced  when  he  was  about 
thirty-two  years  old,  deprived  him  of  his  employment  at  sea.  But 
he  had  become  too  much  a  man  of  business  to  be  idle.  It  was  seen, 
that  his  experience  and  tact  in  buying  and  selling  cargoes,  might  be 
turned  to  a  profitable  account — profitable  to  his  country  as  well  as 
to  himself — in  furnishing  supplies  for  the  army.  He  was  offered  the 
place  of  deputy-commissary  under  Colonel  Joseph  Trumbull,  which 
he  accepted  ;  and  so  satisfactorily  did  he  execute  its  duties,  that  on 
the  resignation  of  his  principal,  not  long  afterwards,  he  was  appointed, 
by  Congress,  as  his  successor  in  office.  After  the  arrival  of  the 
French  troops,  he  became  commissary  of  the  French  army,  and 
acted  in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

His  official  situation,  his  knowledge  of  the  country  and  its  re- 
sources, his  insight  into  the  characters  and  motives  of  men,  and  his 
sound  common  sense  on  all  subjects,  rendered  it  useful,  not  to  say 
necessary,  for  the  principal  officers  of  the  American  and  French 
army  to  hold  frequent  consultations  with  him.  He  shared  largely 
in  their  confidence — especially  in  that  of  the  commander-in-chief. 
Hence  they  were  often  his  guests  ;  and  his  house  was  always  open 
to  them.  The  following  apostrophe  to  this  house  after  its  removal, 
is  not  less  authentic  as  a  record  of  historical  facts,  than  its  diction  is 
graceful : 

"  Fallen  dome — ^beloved  so  well, 
Thou  could'st  many  a  legend  tell 
Of  the  chiefs  of  ancient  fame, 
Who,  to  share  thy  shelter,  came. 
Rochambeau  and  La  Fayette 
Round  thy  plenteous  board  have  met, 
With  Columbia's  mightier  son. 
Great  and  glorious  Washington. 
Here,  with  kindred  minds,  they  plann'd 
Rescue  for  an  infant  land  ; 
While  the  British  Uon's  roar 
Echo'd  round  the  lelgur'd  shore." 

Let  me  add,  in  my  own  plain  prose,  that  General  Washington  was 
enjoying  the  hospitality  of  this  house,  with  Count  de  Rochambeau, 
ait  the  time  Arnold  was  perpetrating  treason  at  West  Point,  and 


358  JEREMIAH     WADSWORTII. 


Colonel  WadswoTth-'s  Vovage  to  France. 

returned  to  take  a  hasty  breakfast  at  the  traitor's  table,  an  hour  after 
he  had  fled  from  it,  and  immediately  before  the  discovery  of  his 
guilt. 

In  July,  1783,  after  the  cessation  of  hostilities  and  a  few  weeks 
before  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed,  Colonel  Wadsworth  embarked 
for  France,  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  an  account  of  his  adminis- 
tration to  the  proper  officers  of  the  French  government,  and  obtain- 
ing a  final  settlement  with  them.  He  arrived  in  France  in  August, 
after  a  passage  of  twenty-seven  days.  So  correctly  had  his  accounts 
been  kept,  and  so  satisfactory  had  his  official  conduct  been,  that  a 
settlement  was  effected  without  difficulty ;  and  the  large  balance  in 
'his  favor  was  honorably  paid.  In  the  latter  part  of  March,  1784, 
he  left  France,  and  passed  over  to  England,  where  he  remained  until 
some  time  in  July  following.  Thence  he  went  to  Ireland,  where  he 
spent  about  six  weeks  ;  and  then  returned  to  America.  He  arrived 
in  Delaware  Bay,  after  a  passage  of  fifty-six  days. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  funds  he  received  from  the  French 
government  he  invested  in  French,  English  and  Irish  goods,  which 
he  brought  home  and  sold  in  Hartford  and  Philadelphia.  This,  with 
the  care  and  management  of  his  other  property,  afforded  him  suffi- 
cient employment  in  the  way  of  business,  without  trenching  upon  his 
social  and  domestic  enjoyments.    , 

During  this  period,  he  caused  some  improvements  in  the  agricul- 
ture of  his  neighborhood,  by  successful  experiments  on  his  own  land. 
He  also  introduced  into  the  state  breeds  both  of  horses  and  horned 
cattle,  superior  to  those  which  had  been  previously  raised  here. 


WADSWORTH     A     MEMBER     OF     CONGRESS.  359 

When  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  was  referred  to  the 
people  of  the  several  states  for  their  consideration,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  of  this  state  from  his  native  town,  and 
not  only  took  a  deep  interest  in  its  proceedings,  but  largely  shared 
its  labors  and  responsibilities.  Though  his  education  and  habits  had 
not  especially  fitted  him  for  public  debate,  yet  his  natural  good  sense 
surmounted  every  difficulty  of  this  sort,  and  he  became  an  efficient 
advocate  of  the  constitution.  After  its'  adoption,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  first  Congress,  with  such  men  as  Roger  Sherman, 
Jonathan  Trumbull  and  others,  for  his  colleagues.  He  was  re-elected 
to  the  second  Congress,  and  afterwards- to  the  third.  After  serving 
his  state  and  country,  in  this  capacity,  for  six  years,  he  resigned  his 
seat,  or  declined  a  further  election.  In  May,  1795,  the  next  session 
of  the  general  assembly  of  this  state  after  the  expiration  of  the  third 
Congress,  he  was  chosen  a  representative  of  his  native  town  in  the 
popular  branch,  and  was,  at  the  same  time,  elected  by  the  freemen 
of  the  state  an  assistant,  or  member  of  the  council.  He  took  his  seat 
in  the  latter  body,  and  was  annually  re-elected  to  that  station  until 
1801,  when,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  omitted.  He  died  on  the 
30th  of  April,  1804,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children — a  son  and 
a  daughter. 

I  have  not  time,  if  I  had  the  requisite  materials  and  qualifications, 
for  a  full  dehneation  of  his  character.  It  may  be  sufficient  for  the 
present  occasion  to  mention  a  few  characteristic  qualities,  which 
those  who  knew  him  best  love  to  cherish  in  their  memories.  To  a 
sunny  cheerfulness  of  temper  he  united  very  vivid  recollections  of 
past  events,  combining  important  historical  truths  with  pleasant  anec- 
dotes ;  and  these  he  related  so  well  as  to  entertain  and  delight  his 
hearers.  He  was  a  most  firm  friend  ;  and  to  those  whom  he  loved 
his  generosity  was  unbounded,  whilst  his  firmness  and  integrity  kept 
at  bay  the  inquisitive  and  the  intriguing.  He  gave  encouragement 
to  industrious  people  by  advice,  and  when  their  necessities  required 
it,  by  pecuniary  assistance.  No  man,  since  the  days  of  Job,  could 
with  more  truthfulness  appropriate  his  declaration — "  I  was  a  father 
to  the  poor ;  and  the  cause  which  I  knew  not  I  searched  out." 
Colonel  Humphreys,  than  whom  few  had  better  opportunities  of 
knowing  him,  says — "  He  was  always  the  protector  and  the  guardian 
of  the  widow,  the  fatherless  and  the  distressed."  In  relation  to  his 
public  character,  the  same  distinguished  witness  testifies  as  follows  : 
"  No  man  in  this  country  was  ever  better  acquainted  with  its  re- 
sources, or  the  best  mode  of  drawing  them  forth  for  the  public  use. 
His  talents  for  and  dispatch  of  business,  was  unrivalled.  His  services, 
at  some  periods  of  the  war,  were  incalculable." 


360 


JEREMIAH     WADSWORTH. 


M.  De  Warville,  a  respectable  French  gentleman,  who  travelled 
in  this  country  in  1788,  thus  speaks  of  him  :  "  Hartford  is  the  resi- 
dence of  one  of.  the  most  respectable  men  in  the  United  States — 
Colonel  Wadsworth.  He  enjoys  a  considerable  fortune,  which  he 
owes  entirely  to  his  own  labor  and  industry.  Perfectly  versed  in 
commerce  and  agriculture  ;  universally  known  for  the  service  he 
rendered  the  American  and  French  armies  during  the  war ;  gene- 
rally esteemed  and  beloved  for  his  great  virtues,  he  crowns  all  his 
qualities  by  an  amiable  and  singular  modesty.  His  address  is  frank, 
his  countenance  open,  and  his  discourse  simple.  Thus  you  cannot 
fail  to  love  him  as  soon  as  you  see  him." 

I  will  conclude  this  im.perfect  sketch  by  adopting  the  general 
summary,  which  appeared  in  one  of  the  public  prints  of  this  city, 
immediately  after  his  decease  :  "  In  all  the  public  and  private  rela- 
tions of  life,  he  was  esteemed  and  respected.  By  his  death,  his 
family  have  lost  a  tender,  affectionate  and  beloved  relative  ;  the 
poor  a  kind  and  beneficent  father  ;  the  town  its  greatest  benefactor, 
and  the  country  one  of  its  firmest  friends  and  most  able  and  faithful 
patriots." 


Monument  of  General  Mercer,  at  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  HUGH  MERCER. 


;E  are  indebted  for  the  facts 
contained  in  the  following 
notice,  to  the  address  of 
Wilham  B.  Reed,  Esq.,  de- 
livered on  the  occasion  of 
the  re-interment  of  General  Mercer's 
remains,  at  Laurel  Hill,  in  1840. 

Hugh  Mercer  was  born  near  Aber- 
deen, in  Scotland,  about  the  year  1723  ; 
emigrated  to  America  in  the  year  1747, 
in  consequence  of  his  participation  in 
the  rebellion  of  the  Scotch  in  favor  of  the  Pretender,  Charles  Edward, 
in  the  tv^'o  preceding  years.  To  enter  the  service  of  that  unfortunate 
prince  he  had  quitted  his  occupation  as  a  physician ;  encountering 
the  dread  penalties  of  treason,  to  aid  the  rebel  cause  by  his  example, 
and  its  sick  and  wounded  supporters  by  his  surgical  skill.     In  the 

unfortunate  battle  of  Culloden,  the  cause  of  Charles  Edward  was 

361 


362 


HUGH     MERCER. 


lost ;  he  himself,  became  a  wanderer,  and  exile  offered  the  only  safety 
to  his  faithful  followers.  ** 

Among  these,  none  was  more  worthy  or  more  devoted  than  Hugh 
Mercer,  who  buried  himself,  the  memory  of  his  sin,  in  the  western 
frontier  of  Pennsylvania,  near  where  now  stands  the  town  of  Mer- 
cersburg,  in  Franklin  county. 

His  history  presents  a  complete  blank  from  this  time  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  French  and  Indian  wa  in  1755,  when  we  find 
him  engaged  as  a  captain  in  a  provincial  force  of  three  hundred  men, 
led  by  Colonel  John  Armstrong.  This  body  of  troops,  organized 
and  equipped  by  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  marched  in  1756, 
from  Fort  Shirley  to  the  Alleghany  river,  through  a  hostile  country, 
and  reached  the  Indian  town  of  Kittaning,  within  twenty-five  miles 
of  the  French  garrison  at  Fort  Du  Quesne,  without  making  their 
advance  known  to  the  enemy.  The  town  was  immediately  assaulted, 
and  after  a  short  and  bloody  conflict  carried  by  storm,  and  totally 
destroyed.  The  principal  Indian  chiefs  were  killed  in  the  battle  ; 
the  provincial  officers  of  rank  were  nearly  all  wounded.  "  Captain 
Mercer's  company,"  says  the  covenanter-like  report  of  Colonel  Arm- 
strong— "  himself  and  one  man  wounded — seven  killed — himself  and 
ensign  are  missing."  It  was  even  so.  He  had  been  severely  wounded 
in  the  engagement,  and  carried  to  the  rear,  and  was  accidentally  left 
behind  by  the  little  army  when  it  set  out  on  its  return.  On  the  night 
after  the  battle,  he  found  himself  deserted  and  wounded,  obliged  to 
make  his  way  alone  to  the  settlements,  with  death  by  a  hundred 
chances  ; — by  his  wound,  by  wild  beasts,  by  the  hands  of  his  more 
wild  enemies,  and  by  starvation — all  before  him.  But  his  spirit  sunk 
not  at  the  prospect.  After  reposing  a  few  hours  upon  the  battle-field, 
he  set  out  upon  his  fearful  pilgrimage.  For  weeks  he  wandered 
through  the  forest,  depending  for  sustenance  upon  its  roots  and 
berries,  and  finally,  when  his  strength  seemed  completely  exhausted, 
he  reached  Fort  Cumberland,     , 

REAT  must  have  been  the  suffer- 
ings of  Mercer  on  this  occasion, 
as  we  learn  by  the  narrative  of 
one  who  was  acquainted  with  the 
facts,  that   he  actually  killed  a 
rattle-snake  and   subsisted   entirely  on  its 
flesh  during  several  days  previous  to  his 
arrival  at  Fort  Cumberland. 

In  the  capacity  of  a  lieutenant-colonel,  he 
accompanied  the  army  of  General  Forbes, 
and  was  left  by  him  in  charge  of  Fort  Du  Ques:ne  after  its  reduction. 


BATTLES     OF     TRENTON     AND     PRINCETON.  365 

It  was  on  this  expedition  that  he  first  became  acquainted  with  the 
Virginia  Colonel,  George  Washington.  The  nature  of  the  trust 
confided  to  Colonel  Mercer  at  this  time,  may  be  learnt  from  a  letter 
written  by  Washington  to  Governor  Fauquier,  in  December,  1751. 
"  The  general,"  says  he,  "  has  in  his  letters,  told  you  what  garrison 
he  proposed  to  leave  at  Fort  Du  Quesne,  but  the  want  of  provisions 
rendered  it  impossible  to  leave  more  than  two  hundred  men  in  all ; 
and  these  must,  I  fear,  abandon  the  place  or  perish.  Our  men  left 
there  are  in  such  a  miserable  condition,  having  hardly  rags  to  cover 
their  nakedness,  and  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  in 
this  rigorous  season,  that  sickness,  death,  and  desertion,  if  they  are 
not  speedily  supplied,  must  destroy  them."  Colonel  Mercer,  how- 
ever, kept  the  garrison  together,  and  maintained  the  post  until  it  was 
relieved,  when  he  retired  from  the  service,  and  resumed  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Fredericksburg,  in  Virginia. 

Foremost  among  the  citizens  of  Virginia  to  enrol  his  name  on  the 
list  of  those  who  were  ready  to  raise  the  standard  of  freedom.  Colonel 
Mercer  drew  upon  himself  the  public  attention,  and  in  June,  1776, 
he  was  presented  by  Congress  with  a  commission  as  a  brigadier- 
general,  most  probably  at  the  instance  of  General  Washington  him- 
self. General  Mercer  accepted  the  appointment,  left  his  home,  his 
wife  and  children,  as  it  proved,  forever,  and  joined  the  army  at  New 
York.  During  the  eventful  campaign  of  1776,  and  the  retreat 
through  the  Jerseys,  General  Mercer  was  in  the  most  active  service 
under  the  immediate  orders  of  General  Washington.  And  when, 
in  the  words  of  Washington  himself,  the  game  seemed  nearly  up,  he 
shared  the  confidence  and  firmness  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and 
concerted  with  him  and  Generals  Greene  and  Reed  the  change  in 
the  policy  of  the  war,  which  first  manifested  itself  in  the  no  less 
desperate  than  successful  attack  upon  the  Hessians  at  Trenton. 

On  the  night  of  the  second  of  January,  1777,  when  the  two  hostile 
armies  lay  at  Trenton,  expecting  a  battle  in  the  morning,  a  council 
of  war  was  assembled  to  consider  the  alternative  of  a  battle  with  an 
overwhelming  force,  burning  to  revenge  the  Hessians,  or  an  impracti- 
cable dispiriting  retreat.  At  that  council.  General  Mercer  proposed 
to  boldly  abandon  the  field,  and  march  upon  Princeton  and  the  maga- 
zines at  Brunswick.  It  seemed  again  the  counsel  of  despair,  but  it 
was  supported  by  the  voice  of  reason  and  brave  determination,  and 
it  was  adopted  without  dissent.  The  officers  hastened  to  the  head 
of  their  troops,  and  the  daring  plan  was  successfully  executed 
before  the  dawn  of  day.  The  tired  soldiers  of  Britain  slept  soundly 
in  their  tents,  in  anticipation  of  an  easy  victory  on  the  morrow,  while 
their  well  disciplined  sentinels  listened  in  the  still,  cold  night  for  any 


366 


HUGH     MERCER. 


evidence  of  retreat  on  the  part  of  the  Americans.  They  could  not 
be  deceived.  There  w^ere  the  American  fires  ;  the  American  senti- 
nels plainly  seen  by  their  light,  marching  steadily  to  and  fro,  and  all 
the  night  long  American  soldiers  worked  noisily  in  their  intrench- 
ments.  At  daybreak,  the  sound  of  cannon  announced  that  Washington 
was  at  Princeton.  General  Mercer  led  the  van  in  the  night  march.  At 
the  dawn  of  day,  a  large  body  of  British  troops  was  discovered  on  the 
march  to  Trenton,  and  Mercer  boldly  threw  his  brigade  between  them 
and  their  reserve  at  Princeton,  to  force  on  a  general  action.  Colonel 
Hazlet,  however,  fell,  mortally  wounded,  by  the  first  fire,  and  his 
troops  were  thrown  into  momentary  disorder,  while  General  Mer- 
cer's horse  was  killed,  and  he  was  left  alone  and  dismounted  upon 
the  field.  Single-handed,  he  encountered  a  detachment  of  the  enemy. 
He  was  beaten  to  the  earth  with  the  butt  ends  of  their  muskets, 
and  savagely  and  mortally  stabbed  with  their  bayonets.  General 
Washington  then  restored  the  battle,  and  won  the  victory  by  his 
personal  exposure  and  daring  gallantry,  and  when  the  brief  struggle 
was  ended,  General  Mercer  was  found  upon  the  field,  bleeding  and 
insensible,  by  his  aid.  Major  Armstrong,  the  son  of  the  colonel  under 
whom  Mercer  had  served  at  Kittaning.  He  was  carried  to  a  neighbor- 
ing farm  house,  where  he  lingered  in  extreme  suffering  until  the  12th 
of  January,  when  he  expired  in  the  arms  of  Major  Lewis,  the  nephew 
of  Washington.  His  body  w^as  brought  to  Philadelphia  on  the  14th 
of  January,  and  buried  in  Christ  Church  graveyard  ;  whence  it  was 
taken,  on  the  26th  of  November,  1840,  and  reinterred  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies  at  Laurel  Hill  cemetery,  Philadelphia. 


Tho  house  where  Geneial  Mercer  died. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  THOMAS  MIFFLIN. 


.HOMAS  MIFFLIN,  born  m 
Philadelphia,  in  1744,  was  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
passed  through  the  usual  col- 
legiate course  with  honor,  and  was  then 
placed  in  the  counting-house  of  William 
Coleman,  of  whom  Dr.  Franldin  has 
said  that  he  possessed  "  the  coolest, 
clearest  head,  the  best  heart,  and  the 
exactest  morals  of  almost  any  man  he 
ever  met  with."  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Thomas  Mifflin  made  a 
voyage  to  Europe,  and  visited  several  parts  of  it  with  a  view  to  his 
own  improvement.  On  his  return,  he  entered  into  business  with  one 
of  his  brothers,  and  his  talents  and  manners  soon  made  him  a  favor- 
ite with  his  fellow-citizens.  In  1772,  when  he  was  only  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  two  burgesses  who 

367 


368 


THOMAS     MIFFLIN. 


represented  the  city  of  Philadelphia  in  the  provincial  legislature , 
and  he  gave  so  much  satisfaction  to  his  constituents  by  his  course  as 
to  be  re-elected  in  the  following  year,  Benjamin  Franklin  being  at 
this  time  chosen  as  his  colleague.  In  1774,  he  wb-s  appointed  by 
the  legislature  a  delegate  to  the  first  Congress,  in  which,  as  its  pro- 
ceedings were  kept  secret,  we  can  only  infer  the  activity  of  Mifflin 
by  the  frequency  with  which  his  name  appears  upon  its  committees. 
A  town  meeting  was  called  in  Philadelphia  upon  receipt  of  the 
news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  to  which  Mr.  Mifflin  delivered  a 
very  animated  address.  He  urged  upon  his  fellow-citizens  a  steady 
adherence  to  the  resolutions  that  were  adopted. 

ET  us  not  be  bold,"  he  said,  "  in 
declarations,  and  afterwards  cold 
in  action.  Let  not  the  patriotic 
feelings  of  to-day  be  forgotten 
,  to-morrow,  nor  have  it  be  said 
of  Philadelphia  that  she  passed 
noble  resolutions,  slept  upon 
them,  and  afterwards  neglected 
them."  What  he  thus  recom- 
mended to  others,  he  put  in 
practice  himself.  He  was  ap- 
pointed major  of  one  of  the  vol- 
unteer regiments  that  were  formed  for  domestic  defence.  He  panted, 
however,  for  more  active  service,  and  flew  to  Boston,  where  the 
poorly-equipped  army  of  America,  confined  itself  to  blockading  the 
British  under  General  Gage  in  the  town  of  Boston.  A  detachment 
of  the  enemy  having  been  sent  to  Lechmore's  point  for  the  purpose 
of  collecting  cattle,  Mifflin  led  a  party  to  oppose  them,  and  with 
half-disciplined  militia  succeeded  in  driving  back  the  British  regu- 
lars. General  Craig,  who  witnessed  this  achievement,  stated  that 
he  "  never  saw  a  greater  display  of  personal  bravery,  than  was  ex- 
hibited on  this  occasion,  in  the  cool  and  intrepid  conduct  of  Colonel 
Mifflin." 

Shortly  after  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  Mifflin  was  appointed  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  by  Congress,  at  his  age  one  of  the 
highest  honors.  During  the  whole  revolutionary  war,  however,  he 
had  scarcely  an  opportunity  of  distinguishing  himself,  being  engaged 
upon  the  necessary  and  responsible  but  irksome  duty  of  quarter- 
master-general. At  any  time,  the  acceptance  of  this  office  by  a  man 
of  an  active  military  spirit  is  an  act  of  self-denial.  To  General 
Mifflin  it  was  particularly  so,  as  he  had  to  organize  a  new  depart- 
ment in  a  disordered  and  impoverished  state  of  the  country,  certain 


ELECTED  GOVERNOR  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.      369 

that  almost  every  measure  either  offended  the  people  or  disappointed 
the  government.  This  duty  General  Mifflin  found  to  be  the  most 
obnoxious  to  his  feelings,  and  for  a  time  the  most  prejudicial  to  his 
character  of  any  that  he  was  called  upon  to  perform.  Congress, 
however,  entertained  so  high  an  opinion  of  his  talents  as  to  place 
his  name  with  those  of  Washington  and  Gates,  when  they  directed 
a  committee  to  have  a  conference  touching  the  frontiers  towards 
Canada. 

In  November,  1776,  General  Washington  sent  him  from  Newark 
with  a  confidential  letter  to  Congress,  who  directed  him  to  remain 
near  them,  that  they  might  avail  themselves  of  his  information  and 
judgment.  When  the  American  army  lay  opposite  Trenton,  fearing 
and  expecting  dissolution.  General  Mifflin  was  directed  to  proceed 
through  the  adjacent  counties,  "  to  exhort  and  rouse  the  militia  to 
come  forth  in  defence  of  their  country."  A  committee  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature  accompanied  him.  He  set  out  immediately, 
assembled  the  people  in  every  suitable  place,  and  from  the  pulpit  in 
the  church,  the  bench  in  the  court,  and  in  the  meeting-house,  every 
where  his  eloquence  was  exerted  with  the  happiest  effect.  The  cap- 
ture of  the  Hessians  spread  a  gleam  of  sunshine  over  the  country 
which  aided  his  efforts,  and  he  was  soon  enabled  to  make  quite  a 
respectable  addition  to  the  army  in  New  Jersey.  Congress  testified 
their  sense  of  his  services  by  conferring  on  him,  in  February,  1777, 
the  rank  of  major-general.  In  the  course  of  this  year  his  health 
became  so  much  impaired  by  the  incessant  fatigue  of  his  department 
that  he  requested  leave  to  resign,  which  was  not  only  refused,  but 
his  duties  were  increased  by  being  appointed  a  member  of  a  new 
board  of  war.  Until  the  close  of  the  Revolution  he  labored  in  the 
cause,  without  so  much  glory,  perhaps,  as  others,  but  not  less  use- 
fully. He  retained  his  hold  upon  the  affections  of  his  fellow  citizens, 
and  the  confidence  of  the  legislature,  who  appointed  him,  in  1783,  a 
member  of  Congress.  On  the  3d  of  November,  in  that  year,  he  was 
elevated  to  the  dignified  station  of  president  of  that  body.  In  this 
capacity  he  received  at  Annapolis,  from  the  first  of  his  countrymen, 
the  resignation  of  that  commission  which  had  borne  him  to  immortal 
glory,  and  his  country  to  independence.  The  scene  was  highly 
affecting,  and  the  feelings  of  those  who  witnessed  it  were  yet  more 
excited  by  the  dignified  address  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  the 
manly  and  simple  eloquence  of  President  Mifflin's  reply. 

General  Mifflin  was  afterwards  a  member  of  the  supreme  execu- 
tive council  of  Pennsylvania,  and  president  of  the  convention  for 
the  formation  of  the  state  constitution.  He  was  elected  the  first 
governor  under  the  new  constitution,  and  he  held  this  office  nine 

24 


370  THOMAS     MIFFLIN. 

years.  It  being  limited  to  that  extent,  he  was  elected  to  the  state 
legislature  a  short  time  before  the  close  of  his  term,  and  died  while 
attending  the  sittings  of  that  body,  at  Lancaster,  on  the  21st  of 
January,  1800,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Almost  the  only  incident  of  his  administration  which  called  for 
unusual  conduct  was  the  "whiskey  insurrection  of  1794,"  and 
General  Mifflin  put  himself  at  the  head  of  that  portion  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania militia  which  went  on  the  service,  under  the  orders  of 
General  Lee,  governor  of  Virginia,  who,  during  the  war,  had  been  his 
inferior  in  rank.  In  this  he  exhibited  a  praiseworthy  compliance 
with  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  which,  rendering  the 
president  commander-in-chief,  authorized  him  to  assign  particular 
services  to  such  officers  as  he  thought  proper. 

In  view  of  his  Vi^hole  character,  the  sincerity  of  his  attachment 
to  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  the  sacrifice  of  his  whole  life  to  her 
service,  may  justify  us  in  excusing  the  single  error  of  his  career,  his 
connection  with  the  cabal  against  General  Washington.  This  stain 
upon  his  memory  has  led  the  historians  of  our  country,  and  biogra- 
phers of  her  great  men,  too  frequently  to  pass  by  in  silence  his  many 
and  arduous  services,  and  good  feeling  displayed  by  him  towards 
General  Washington  in  the  subsequent  portion  of  his  life.  Who  has 
not  his  faults  ? 

In  concluding  this  sketch  of  the  life  of  General  Mifflin,  we  quote 
the  words  of  the  celebrated  William  Rawle: — "  Thus  ended  the  che- 
quered career  of  Thomas  Mifflin — brilliant  in  its  outset — troubled 
and  perplexed  at  a  period  more  advanced — again  distinguished,  pros- 
perous, and  happy — finally  clouded  by  poverty,  and  oppressed  by 
creditors.  In  patriotic  principle,  never  changing — in  public  action, 
never  faltering — in  personal  friendship,  sincerely  warm — in  relieving 
the  distressed,  always  active  and  humane — in  his  own  affairs,  impro- 
vident— in  the  business  of  others,  scrupulously  just." 


COLONEL  DAVID  HUMPHREYS. 


AVID  HUMPHREYS  was  bom  in  the  yeai 
1753,  in  the  town  of  Derby,  in  the  state 
of  Connecticut.  His  father,  Daniel  Hum 
phreys,  who  was  the  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  that  town,  sent  his  son  to 
Yale  College,  where  he  entered  as  a  fresh- 
man in  1767.  He  graduated  here  in  1771, 
having  during  his  stay  formed  habits  of  intimacy  with 
Trumbull  and  Dwight,  who  united  with  him  in  exert- 
ing a  talent  for  poetry  in  behalf  of  their  country  and 
her  freedom.  His  active  and  ambitious  character  soon 
led  him  to  seek  an  opportunity  of  being  useful  to  his  country  in  the 
field,  and  he  entered  the  revolutionary  army  at  an  early  period  as  a 
captain.  In  October,  1777,  he  was  a  major  of  brigade  under  General 
Parsons,  at  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Montgomery,  and  he 
there  probably  formed  an  acquaintance  with  General  Putnam,  which 
led  to  his  becoming  an  aid  to  that  officer,  in  which  capacity  we  find 
him  acting  in  1778.  The  honor  of  possessing  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  Parsons  and  Putnam  would  alone  be  sufficient  proof  of  his 

371 


372  DAVID     HUMPHREYS. 

worth  ;  but,  in  addition,  he  had  the  singular  good  fortune  to  be  alHed 
on  terms  of  family  intercourse  with  Generals  Greene  and  Washing- 
ton He  was  appointed  aid  and  mihtary  secretary  to  the  commander- 
in-chief  in  the  early  part  of  1780,  after  which  he  constantly  resided 
with  Washington,  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  confidence  and  friendship, 
and  the  participation  in  his  arduous  duties,  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

On  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  the  captured  standards  were 
delivered  to  his  charge,  and  in  November,  1781,  Congress  resolved, 
"that  an  elegant  sword  be  presented  in  the  name  of  the  United  States 
in  Congress  assembled,  to  Colonel  Humphreys,  aid-de-camp  of 
General  Washington,  to  whose  care  the  standards  taken  under  the 
capitulation  of  York  were  consigned,  as  a  testimony  of  their  opinion 
of  his  fidelity  and  ability ;  and  that  the  board  of  war  take  order 
thereon."  This  resolution  was  carried  into  effect  in  1786,  and  the 
sword  presented  by  General  Knox,  with  a  highly  complimentary 
letter.  Colonel  Humphreys  attended  General  W^ashington  to  Anna- 
polis, when  the  commander-in-chief  went  thither  to  resign  his  com- 
mission. 

Colonel  Humphreys,  in  a  poem  written  shortly  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  alludes  to  his  own  agency  in  the  struggle,  in  the  following 
graceful  lines  : — 

"  I,  too,  perhaps,  should  Heaven  prolong  my  date, 
The  oft-repeated  tale  shall  oft  relate  ; 
Shall  tell  the  feelings  in  the  first  alarms, 
Of  some  bold  enterprise  the  unequalled  charms ; 
Shall  tell  from  whom  I  learnt  the  martial  art, 
With  what  high  chief  I  played  my  early  part : 
With  Parsons  first,  whose  eye,  with  piercing  ken. 
Reads  through  their  hearts  the  characters  of  men  •- 

Then  how  I  aided,  in  the  following  scene. 
Death  daring  Putnam,  then  immortal  Greene ; 
Then  how  great  Washington  my  youth  approved, 
In  rank  preferred,  and  as  a  parent  loved. 

(For  each  fine  feeling  in  his  bosom  blends  -       ' 

The  first  of  heroes,  patriots,  sages,  friends,) 
With  him,  what  hours  on  warlike  plans  I  spent 
Beneath  the  shadow  of  th'  imperial  tent. 
With  him,  how  oft  I  went  the  nightly  round, 
Through  moving  hosts,  or  slept  on  tented  ground ; 
.  From  him,  how  oft,  (nor  far  below  the  first 

In  high  behests  and  confidential  trusts,) 
From  him,  how  oft  I  bore  the  dread  commands. 
Which  destined  for  the  fight  the  eager  bands : 
With  him,  how  oft  I  passed  th'  eventful  day, 
Rode  by  his  side,  as  down  the  long  array, 
His  awful  voice  the  columns  taught  to  form. 
To  point  the  thunder,  and  to  pour  the  storm." 

In  July,  1784,  Colonel  Humphreys  accompanied  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son in  a  visit  to  Europe,  in  the  capacity  of  secretary  to  the  commission 


CHA.RACTER     OF     COLONEL     HUMPHREYS,  373 

for  negotiating  treaties  of  commerce  with  foreign  powers.  Afterwards, 
in  1787,  he  was  actively  employed  in  the  suppression  of  "  Shay's 
rebellion,"  as  it  was  called.  In  1788,  while  on  a  visit  to  Mount 
Vernon,  he  wrote,  among  other  things,  his  celebrated  "  Life  of  Gene- 
ral Putnam."  In  1789,  he  was  employed  in  diplomatic  service  at 
home,  and  in  1790,  he  was  sent  to  Portugal  as  minister.  In  1797, 
he  was  transferred  from  the  court  of  Lisbon  to  that  of  Madrid,  where 
he  continued  until  the  year  1802.  While  minister  to  Spain,  he  super- 
intended the  formation  of  treaties  with  Algiers  and  Tripoli. 

fEFORE  returning  to  the  United  States,  he 
purchased  a  flock  of  one  hundred  sheep,  of 
the  best  merino  breed,  and  forwarded  them 
to  America.  Besides  this  important  and 
valuable  addition  to  the  manufacturing  inter- 
ests of  the  country,  he  introduced  several 
Arabian  horses  and  good  varieties  of  English 
cattle.  In  testimonial  of  his  labors  in  this 
useful  field,  the  trustees  of  the  Massachusetts 
Society  for  Promoting  Agriculture,  transmitted  to  him,  in  December, 
1802,  a  gold  medal. 

From  1802  to  1812,  Colonel  Humphreys  lived  in  private.  At 
that  time,  he  became  a  representative  to  the  state  legislature  from 
the  town  of  Derby,  and  bore  an  active  part  in  organizing  the  state 
troops  for  purposes  of  local  defence.  In  1812,  he  took  command 
of  a  corps  of  state  troops  composed  of  volunteers,  exempt  by  law 
from  military  duty,  of  which  he  was  created  the  special  commander, 
with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  His  public  services  terminated 
with  the  limitation  of  that  appointment. 

Colonel  Humphreys  received  while  in  active  life  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  three  American  colleges,  and  was 
associated,  as  a  member,  with  many  literary  institutions  in  Europe 
and  America.  The  last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  New  Haven 
and  Boston,  and  were  chiefly  occupied  with  concerns  of  a  private 
nature.  He  died  of  an  organic  disease  of  the  heart,  at  New  Haven, 
on  the  21st  of  February,  1818,  aged  sixty-five  years.  His  remains 
were  interred  in  the  burial  ground  of  that  city,  and  a  lofty  and 
durable  granite  monument  has  been  erected  over  them. 

His  biography  in  the  National  Portrait  Gallery,  upon  which  we 
have  relied  for  the  facts  contained  in  the  foregoing  sketch  of  his  life, 
furnishes  the  following  personal  description  of  him.  "  Colonel  Hum- 
phreys was,  in  personal  form,  of  lofty  stature  and  commanding 
appearance  ;  and,  whatever  peculiarities  may  have  blended  with  his 
manners   and   address,  impressed   those  who  viewed  him  even  as 


374 


DAVID     HUMPHREYS. 


strangers,  with  the  conviction  that  he  possessed  high  intellectual  as 
well  as  physical  powers.  His  early  reputation  as  a  scholar ;  his 
indulgence  in  poetic  enthusiasm,  fostered  by  youthful  associates  of 
kindred  feelings  ;  the  countenance  and  support  of  the  ablest  officers 
of  the  Revolution ;  his  free  admission  to  councils  on  which  an  em- 
pire's fate  depended  ;  and  finally,  his  long  residence  at  European 
courts,  were  well  adapted  to  affect  the  mind  of  a  young  man  with 
sentiments  of  self-esteem  that  gave  to  his  manners  the  appearance, 
perhaps,  of  vanity  and  ostentation.  He  was  fond  of  dress  and 
equipage  ;  and  although  his  sentiments  and  public  conduct  were  such 
as  to  prove  his  devoted  attachment  to  republicanism,  yet,  like  John 
Hancock,  he  was  not  insensible  to  the  brilliancy  of  courtly  style. 
His  fondness  for  display,  (since  it  must  be  acknowledged  as  a  trait 
in  his  character,)  is  redeemed  by  the  consideration  that  he  made,  on 
all  occasions,  his  personal  gratifications  secondary  and  obedient  to 
public  duty. 


COLONEL  JOHN  TRUMBULL. 


OLONEL  TRUMBULL  was 

born  at  Lebanon,  on  the  6th 
of  June,  1756.  His  father, 
Joseph  Trumbull,  was  at  a 
very  early  age  placed  at  Har- 
vard College,  where  he  became  a  dis- 
tinguished scholar,  acquiring  a  sound 
knowledge  of  the  Hebrew,  I^atin  and 
Greek  languages.  He  graduated  with 
honor  in  1727.  He  died  in  1785, 
having  been  governor  of  the  state  of 
Connecticut  by  annual  election,  during  the  entire  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  was  the  only  person  who,  being  first  magistrate  of  a 
colony  in  America,  before  the  separation  from  Great  Britain,  retained 
the  confidence  of  his  countrymen  through  the  Revolution,  and  was 
annually  re-elected  governor  to  the  end  of  that  eventful  period. 
The  mother  of  Colonel  Trumbull  was  the  great  grand-daughter  of 

375 


376  JOHN     TRUMBULL.. 

John  Robinson,  the  father  of  the  pilgrims,  who  led  our  Puritan  an 
cestors  out  of  England  in  the  reign  of  James  VI.  and  resided  with 
them  some  years  at  Leyden  in  Holland,  and  in  1620  emigiated  with 
them  to  Plymouth  in  Massachusetts,  where,  among  other  acts  of 
wisdom  and  piety,  was  laid  the  foundation  of  that  system  of  educa- 
tion in  town  schools,  which  has  of  later  years  become  so  widely 
extended  in  the  United  States,  forming  the  glory  and  defence  of  the 
country. 

Colonel  Trumbull,  immediately  after  his  birth,  was  attacked  by 
convulsion  fits,  which  recurred  daily,  and  increased  in  violence  and 
frequency  till  he  was  nearly  nine  months  old, — the  cause  was  hidden 
from  the  medical  men  of  the  vicinity, — when  one  of  his  father's 
^arly  friends,  Dr.  Terry  of  Suffield,  an  eminent  physician,  called 
accidentally  to  make  him  a  passing  visit,  and  was  requested  to  look 
at  the  unhappy  child.  lie  immediately  pronounced  the  disease  to  be 
caused  by  compression  of  the  brain  ;  the  bones  of  the  skull,  instead 
of  uniting  in  the  several  sutures,  and  forming  a  smooth  surface,  had 
slipped  over  each  other,  forming  sensible  ridges  on  the  head,  by 
which  means  the  brain  not  having  room  to  expand,  convulsions  fol- 
lowed. He  said  that  medicine  was  useless,  and  that  nothing  but  the 
untiring  care  of  the  mother  could  effect  the  cure  ;  and  this  could  be 
done  only  by  applying  her  hands  to  the  head  of  the  child  daily,  and 
gently  and  carefully  drawing  the  bones  apart.  If  relief  was  not  ob- 
tained by  this  means  the  child  would  die  early,  or  should  it  live, 
would  become  an  idiot. 

The  instructions  of  Dr.  Terry  were  followed  by  the  mother  of 
Trumbull  with  unremitted  care ;  by  degrees  favorable  symptoms 
appeared,  the  convulsions  became  less  and  less  frequent,  until,  at 
about  three  years  old,  the  natural  form  of  the  head  was  restored, 
and  they  ceased  entirely. 

Lebanon  was  long  celebrated  for  having  the  best  school  in  New 
England.  It  was  kept  by  Nathan  Tisdale,  a  native  of  the  place,  from 
the  time  he  graduated  at  Harvard  College  to  the  day  of  his  death,  a 
period  of  thirty  years,  with  an  assiduity  and  fidelity  of  the  most 
exalted  character,  and  became  so  widely  known  that  he  had  scholars 
from  the  West  India  Islands,  Georgia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  as 
well  as  from  the  New  England  and  northern  colonies. 

With  this  excellent  scholar  John  Trumbull  was  placed  at  a  very 
early  age  ;  his  early  sufferings  and  his  subsequent  docility  soon  made 
him  a  favorite. 

John's  mind,  which  had  so  long  been  repressed  by  disease,  seemed 
to  spring  forward  with  increased  energy  as  soon  as  the  pressure  upon 
the  brain  Avas  removed.     Pie  early  displayed  a  singular  facility  in 


TRUMBULL    S     EARLY     LIFE. 


377 


acquiring  knowledge,  particularly  of  languages,  so  that  at  the  age  of 
six  years  he  could  read  Greek  with  perfect  ease.  At  this  early  age 
he  had  a  contest  with  the  late  Rev.  Joseph  Ley  man,  pastor  of  Hat- 
field, in  Massachusetts,  a  boy  several  years  his  senior.  They  read 
the  first  five  verses  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  ;  Leyman  missed  one 
word,  John  not  any,  and  therefore  gained  the  victory.  His  know- 
ledge of  the  Greek  language  at  this  early  age  was  very  imperfect, 
but  he  knew  the  forms  of  the  letters,  the  words,  and  their  sounds, 
and  could  read  them  accurately.  His  taste  for  drawing  began  to 
dawn  early ;  but  this  was  not  the  result  of  natural  genius,  but  is 
traced  by  himself  to  mere  imitation.  His  sister.  Faith,  had  acquired 
some  knowledge  of  drawing,  and  had  even  painted  in  oil  two  heads 
and  a  landscape.  These  were  hung  in  his  mother's  parlor,  and  were 
among  the  first  objects  that  struck  his  infant  eye.  He  endeavored 
to  imitate  them,  and  for  several  years  the  nicely  sanded  floors,  (for 
carpets  were  at  that  time  unknown  in  Lebanon,)  were  constantly 
scrawled  with  his  rude  attempts  at  drawing. 

When  John  was  five  years  old,  an  accident  of  a  serious  nature  be- 
fel  him.  He,  in  playing  with  his  sisters,  fell  headlong  down  a  flight 
of  stairs,  and  was  taken  up  insensible  ;  the  forehead  over  the  left  eye 
was  severely  bruised.  He  however  soon  recovered,  but  with  the  loss 
of  sight  of  his  left  eye,  the  optic  nerve  of  which  must  have  been 
severely  injured  in  the  fall. 

When  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  a  circumstance  occurred  which 
deserves  to  be  written  upon  adamant.  Tn  the  wars  of  New  England 
with  the  aborigines,  the  Mohegan  tribe  of  Indians  early  became  the 
friends  of  the  English.  The  government  of  this  tribe  had  become 
hereditary  in  the  family  of  the  celebrated  chief  Uncas.  During  the 
time  of  the  mercantile  prosperity  of  John's  father,  he  had  employed 
several  Indians  of  this  tribe  in  hunting  animals,  whose  skins  were 
valuable  for  their  fur.  Among  these  hunters  was  one  named  Zachary, 
of  the  royal  race,  an  excellent  hunter,  but  as  drunken  and  worthless 
an  Indian  as  ever  lived.  When  he  had  passed  the  age  of  fifty,  several 
members  of  the  royal  family  who  stood  between  Zachary  and  the 
throne  of  his  tribe,  died,  and  he  found  himself  with  only  one  life 
between  him  and  empire.  In  this  moment  his  better  genius  resumed 
its  sway,  and  he  reflected  seriously,  "How  can  such  a  drunken 
wretch  as  I  am,  aspire  to  be  the  chief  of  this  honorable  race — ^what 
will  my  people  say — and  how  will  the  shades  of  my  noble  accestors 
look  down  indignant  upon  such  abase  successor?  Can  I  succeed 
the  great  Uncas  ?  I  will  drink  no  more  !"  This  resolution  was  never 
broken. 

John  had  heard  this  story,  but  did  not  entirely  believe  it,  for,  young 


378 


JOHN     TRUMBULL 


Tlie  Indian  Chief  Zacliary', 

as  he  then  was,  he  already  partook  in  the  prevaihng  contempt  for 
Indians.  In  the  beginning  of  May,  the  annual  election  of  the  prin- 
cipal officers  of  the  (then)  colony  was  held  at  Hartford,  the  capital. 
Mr.  Joseph  Trumbull  attended  in  an  official  capacity,  and  it  was 
customary  for  the  chief  of  the  Mohegans  also  to  attend.  Zachary 
had.  succeeded  to  the  rule  of  his  tribe,  and  the  old  chief  was  in  the 
habit  of  coming  a  few  days  before  the  election,  and.  dining  with  his 
brother  governor.  While  seated  at  dinner  one  day,  John  conceived 
the  mischievous  thought  of  trying  the  sincerity  of  the  old  man's 
temperance,  and  thus  addressed  him: — "  Zachary,  this  beer  is  excel- 
lent ;  will  you  taste  it  ?"  The  old  man  dropped  his  knife  and  fork, 
and  his  black  eyes  sparkled  with  indignation.  "  John,"  said  he, 
"you  do  not  know  what  you  are  doing.  You  are  serving  the  devil, 
boy  !  Do  you  not  know  that  I  am  an  Indian  ?  I  tell  you  that  I  am, 
and  that,  if  I  should  but  taste  your  beer,  I  could  never  stop  till  I  got 
to  rum,  and  become  again  the  drunken,  contemptible  wretch  your 
father  remembers  me  to  have  been.  John,  wliile  you  live,  never 
again  tempt  any  man  to  break  a  good  resolution.''''  John's  parents 
frequently  reminded  him  of  this  scene,  and  charged  him  never  to 
forget  it.  Zachary  lived  to  pass  the  age  of  eighty,  and  sacredly  kept 
his  resolution. 

About  this  time  the  mercantile  failure  of  John's  father  took  place  ; 
in  one  season  nearly  all  his  vessels  and  all  the  property  he  had  upon 
the  ocean  were  swept  away,  and  he  was  a  poor  man  at  so  late  a 
ueriod  of  life,  as  left  no  hope  of  retrieving  his  affairs.  The  want  of 
pocket  money  now  prevented  John  from  mingling  much  with  his 


TRUMBULL  AT  COLLEGE. 


379 


young  companions,  and  he  gradually  acquired  a  solitary  habit,  and 
after  school  hours  withdrew  to  his  own  room  to  a  close  study  of  his 
favorite  pursuit,  drawing. 

T  the  age  of  twelve  years,  John 
had  advanced  so  rapidly  in  his 
studies,  that  he  might  have  been 
admitted  to  enter  college  ;  he 
was  thoroughjy  versed  in  the 
Latin  and  Greek  languages,  and 
in  geography,  both  ancient  and 
modern.  He  had  also  read  with 
care,  Rollin's  and  Crevier's  his- 
tories. In  arithmetic  alone,  he 
met  with  difficulties.  He  be- 
came puzzled  by  a  sum  in  divi- 
sion, where  the  divisor  consisted 
of  three  figures.  At  length,  how- 
ever, the  question  was  solved, 
and  he  went  rapidly  through  the  lower  and  higher  branches  of  mathe- 
matics, so  that  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  and  a  half 
years,  it  was  stated  by  his  master,  that  he  was  fully  qualified  to  enter 
Harvard  College  in  the  middle  of  the  third  or  junior  year.  This  was 
approved  of  by  his  father,  and  proposed  to  him.  In  the  mean  time, 
his  fondness  for  drawing  and  painting  had  grown  with  his  growth, 
and  when  his  father  informed  him  of  his  intention  to  place  him  at 
college,  he  ventured  to  remonstrate  with  him,  and  desired  that  he 
might  be  placed  under  the  instruction  of  Mr.  Copley,  an  eminent 
artist  of  Boston,  father  of  Lord  Lyndhurst,  the  late  lord  chancellor 
of  England ;  by  this  means  he  would  possess  a  profession,  and  the 
means  of  supporting  himself — perhaps  of  assisting  the  family.  He 
was,  however,  overruled  by  his  father,  and  in  January,  177  2,  was 
sent  to  Cambridge,  passed  the  examination  in  form,  and  was  readily 
admitted  to  the  junior  class,  who  were  then  in  the  middle  of  the 
third  year,  so  that  he  had  but  one  year  and  a  half  to  remain  in  col- 
lege. During  his  stay  at  college  he  became  acquainted  with  a  French 
family  residing  at  Cambridge.  This  family,  besides  the  parents,  com- 
prised several  children  of  both  sexes  ;  in  their  society  Trumbull 
made  good  progress,  and  there  laid  the  foundation  of  a  knowledge  of 
the  French  language,  which  in  his  after  life  was  of  eminent  utility. 

Several  paintings  were  executed  by  him  during  his  stay  in  college, 
one  of  which  received  so  much  approbation  from  the  professors  and 
students  of  the  college,  that  he  ventured  to  show  it  to  Mr.  Copley, 
and  had  the  pleasure  to  hear  it  commended  by  him  also.     In  July, 


380  JOHN      TRUMBULL. 

1773,  he  was  graduated  with  honor,  and  returned  to  Lebanon.  In 
the  autumn  of  this  year,  1773,  Nathan  Tisdale,  his  former  master, 
had  a  stroke  of  paralysis  which  disabled  him  entirely  from  performing 
his  duties.  Trumbull,  with  the  approbation  of  his  father,  took  charge 
of  the  school  until  the  following  spring,  when  Mr.  Tisdale  had  so  far 
recovered  as  to  be  able  to  resume  his  invaluable  labors. 

N  the  summer  of  1774,  the  angry  discussions 
between  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies  began 
to  assume  a  very  serious  tone. 

Trumbull  soon  caught  the  growing  enthu- 
siasm ;  his  father  was  now  governor  of  the 
colony  and  a  patriot. 

John  Trumbull  sought  now  for  military  in- 
formation, acquired  what  knowledge  he  could, 
and  soon  formed  a  company  from  among  the  young  men  of  the  school 
and  the  village,  M;ho  taught  each  other  to  use  the  musket  and  to 
march  ;  in  fact,  military  exercises  and  studies  became  the  favorite 
occupation  of  the  day. 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1775,  Trumbull  entered  the  army  as 
adjutant  of  the  first  Connecticut  regiment,  which  was  stationed  at 
Roxbury,  near  Boston,  From  this  place  he  had  a  distant  view  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

Soon  after  this  battle,  General  Washington  arrived  and  took  com- 
mand of  the  army.  On  his  arrival,  Trumbull  was  informed  that  the 
commander-in-chief  was  desirous  of  obtaining  a  correct  plan  of  the 
enemy's  works  in  front  of  the  Americans'  position  on  Boston  Neck. 

This  plan  was  drawn  by  Trumbull,  and  shown  to  Washington, 
who  was  so  well  pleased  with  it,  that  he  appointed  Trumbull  his 
second  aid-de-camp.  Trumbull  now  found  himself  in  the  family  of 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  dignified  men  of  his  age,  surrounded 
at  his  table  by  the  principal  officers  of  the  arm.y,  and  in  constant 
intercourse  with  them — it  was  also  his  duty  to  receive  company,  and 
do  the  honors  of  the  house  to  many  of  the  first  people  of  the  country, 
of  both  sexes.  To  this  duty  Trumbull  found  himself  unequal,  and 
was  gratified  when  he  received  the  appointment  of  major  of  brigade 
at  Roxbury.  In  this  situation  he  soon  attracted  the  attention  of 
Gates,  and  became  in  some  degree  a  favorite  with  him. 

In  June,  1776,  Gates  having  been  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  northern  department,  which  was  then  understood  to  be  Canada 
and  the  northern  frontier,  appointed  Trumbull  as  one  of  his  adjutants, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

Colonel  Trumbull  proceeded  with  General  Gates  to  Crown  Point 
His  first  duty  on  his  arrival  at  this  place  was  to  procure  a  return  of 


TRUMBULL     LEAVES     THE     ARMY. 


381 


the  number  and  condition  of  the  troops.  He  found  the  whole  of  offi- 
cers and  men  to  be  five  thousand  two  hundred,  and  the  sick  that 
required  the  attentions  of  an  hospital  were  two  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred ;  so  that  when  they  were  sent  ofT,  v\  ith  the  number  of  men 
necessary  to  row  them  to  the  hospital,  which  had  been  established  at 
the  south  end  of  Lake  George,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  there  would 
remain  at  Crown  Point  but  the  shadow  of  an  army.  This  post  was 
therefore  abandoned,  and  the  army  fell  back  to  Ticonderoga. 

While  the  army  remained  at  this  latter  post,  Colonel  Trumbull 
assisted  in  completing  its  defences,  and  drew  several  plans  of  the 
same,  for  the  American  generals  ;  he  also  advised  a  new  plan  of 
defence,  as  the  present,  he  said,  was  impracticable  with  an  army  of 
less  than  ten  thousand  men.  His  plan,  although  a  correct  one,  was 
however  rejected. 

OLONEL  TRUMBULL  remained  with  the 
northern  division  of  the  army  till  the  latter 
part  of  November,  at  which  time  the  greater 
part  of  the  troops  under  General  Gates  pro- 
ceeded to  Albany,  and  from  thence  to  Newtown 
to  join  the  forces  under  General  Washington, 
where  they  arrived  a  few  days  before  his  glori- 
ous victory  at  Trenton. 
General  Arnold  and  Colonel  Trumbull  were  ordered  to  join  the 
forces  under  General  Spencer,  at  ProAddence.  While  at  this  post  a 
slight  misunderstanding  occurred  with  respect  to  the  date  of  the  com- 
mission of  Colonel  Trumbull  as  adjutant-general,  which  caused  him 
to  resign. 

Immediately  after  his  resignation  he  returned  to  Lebanon,  resumed 
his  pencil,  and  after  some  time  went  to  Boston,  where  he  thought  he 
could  pursue  his  studies  to  more  advantage.  There  he  hired  the 
painting  room  built  by  Mr.  Smibert,  the  patriarch  of  painting  in 
America,  and  found  in  it  several  copies  by  him  from  celebrated  pic- 
tures in  Europe.  These  copies  were  very  useful  to  him,  as  there 
remained  in  Boston  no  artist  capable  of  giving  him  instruction,  Mr. 
Copley  having  gone  to  Europe. 

At  this  period  a  club  was  formed  in  Boston  of  young  men  fresh 
from  College.  This  club  met  in  Colonel  Trumbull's  rooms,  regaled 
themselves  with  a  cup  of  tea  instead  of  wine,  and  discussed  subjects 
of  literature,  politics,  and  war.  Among  its  members  were  Rufus 
King,  Christopher  Gore,  Wilham  Eustis,  Thomas  Dawes,  and  other 
men  who  in  afterlife  became  distinguished. 

The  war  was  a  period  little  favorable  to  regular  study  and  delibe 
rate  pursuits  ;  Trumbull's  habits  were  often  desultory.     A  deep  and 


382 


JOHN     TRUMBULL. 


settled  regret  of  the  military  career  from  which  he  had  been  driven, 
and  to  which  there  appeared  to  be  no  possibility  of  an  honorable  re- 
turn, preyed  upon  his  spirits  ;  and  the  sound  of  a  drum  would  not 
unfrequently  call  from  his  eye  an  involuntary  tear. 

In  the  year  1778,  a  plan  was  formed  for  the  recovery  of  Rhode 
Island  from  the  hands  of  the  English,  by  the  co-operation  of  the 
French  fleet  under  the  command  of  Count  D'Estaing,  and  a  body  of 
American  troops,  under  the  command  of  General  Sullivan.  Colonel 
Trumbull  seized  this  occasion  to  gratify  his  love  of  a  militarv  life, 
and  offered  his  services  to  General  Sullivan,  as  a  volunteer  aid-de- 
camp. His  offer  was  accepted,  and  he  attended  him  during  the 
enterprise  ;  after  which  he  returned  to  Boston  and  again  resumed  his 
pencil,  pursuing  the  study  of  painting  with  great  assiduity  during  the 
following  year.  His  friends,  however,  were  dissatisfied  with  his 
pursuit,  and  at  length  persuaded  him  to  undertake  the  management 
of  a  considerable  speculation,  which  required  a  voyage  to  Europe, 
and  which  (on  paper)  promised  great  results.  They  were  to  furnish 
funds,  he  to  execute  the  plan  and  share  with  them  the  expected 
profits. 

Colonel  Trumbull,  during  his  residence  in  Boston,  became  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Temple,  afterwards  Sir  John,  and  consul  genera] 
of  Great  Britain  in  New  York.  This  gentleman  was  acquainted 
with  Mr.  West,  in  London,  and  strongly  urged  Trumbull  to  go  there 
and  study  with  him.  Connected  as  Colonel  Trumbull  was,  and  hos- 
tile as  his  conduct  had  been,  he  did  not  believe  this  could  be  done 
with  safety  during  the  war ;  but  Mr.  Temple  was  confident,  that 
through  the  influence  of  his  friends  in  London,  permission  could  be 
obtained  from  the  British  government.  Mr.  Temple  shortly  after 
went  to  London,  and  before  Colonel  Trumbull  was  ready  to  embark 
on  his  commercial  pursuit,  he  received  information  from  him,  "  that 
if  he  chose  to  visit  London  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  fine  arts, 
no  notice  would  be  taken  of  his  past  life — that  so  long  as  he  avoided 
all  political  intervention,  and  pursued  the  study  of  the  arts  with 
assiduity,  he  might  rely  upon  being  unmolested." 

Thus  Colonel  Trumbull  found,  that  in  the  event  of  the  failure  of 
his  mercantile  project,  the  road  was  open  for  pursuing  his  study  of 
the  arts,  with  increased  advantages. 

The  number  of  his  drawings  and  pictures  executed  before  his  first 
voyage  to  Europe,  and  before  he  had  received  any  instruction  other 
than  was  to  be  obtained  from  books,  was  sixty-eight. 

Colonel  Trumbull  embarked  at  New  London  about  the  middle  of 
May,  1780,  on  board  the  French  ship,  La  Negresse,  of  twenty-eight 
guns,  bound  to  Nantes. 


VOYAGE     TO     FRANCE. 


383 


TrumbuIL's  VoyEige  to  Prance. 


The  passage  was  a  pleasant  one  ;  they  met  neither  enemy  nor  ac 
cident,  and  in  about  five  w^eeks  they  approached  the  coast  of  France. 

As  the  ship  stood  across  the  bay  towards  the  entrance  of  the  Loire, 
and  approached  the  land,  Colonel  Trumbull  was  very  much  struck 
with  the  total  dissimilitude  to  the  shores  of  America ;  there,  all  was 
new,  here  everything  bore  marks  of  age ;  the  coast  was  lofty,  the 
very  rocks  looked  old  ;  and  the  first  distinct  object,  was  a  large  con 
vent,  whose  heavy  walls  seemed  gray  with  age,  and  were  surrounded 
by  a  noble  grove  of  chestnut  trees,  apparently  coeval  with  the  building. 

On  entering  the  city  of  Nantes,  everything  was  new, — a  new  style 
of  architecture — a  sea-port  of  great  bustle  and  activity — and  a  people 
whose  appearance,  manners,  and  language,  were  entirely  strange. 
Colonel  Trumbull  remained  but  two  or  three  days  at  Nantes,  and 
then  set  out  for  Paris,  en  poste.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Paris, 
he  received  information  that  Charleston  in  South  Carolina  had  been 
taken,  and  that  the  British  were  overrunning  the  southern  states, 
almost  without  opposition. 

This  news  was  fatal  to  his  commercial  project,  for  his  funds  con- 


884 


JOHN     TRUMBULL. 


Dr.  rranklin. 

sisted  in  public  securities  of  Congress,  the  value  of  which  was  anni- 
hilated by  adversity.  He  therefore  remained  but  a  short  time  in 
Paris,  where  he  knew  few  except  Dr.  Franklin,  and  his  son  Temple 
Franklin  ;  John  Adams,  and  his  son  John  Q.,  then  a  boy  at  school,  of 
tourteen  ;  and  Mr.  Strange,  the  eminent  engraver,  and  his  lady. 

Having  obtained  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  West,  from  Dr. 
Franklin,  Trumbull  set  off  for  London.  Immediately  after  his  arrival, 
he  gave  Mr.  Temple  notice  of  it ;  and  through  him  the  secretary  of 
state  received  information  of  Trumbull's  residence. 

Colonel  Trumbull  presented  the  letter  of  Dr.  Franklin,  to  Mr.  West, 
and  was  of  course  most  kindly  received.  He  remained  with  Mr. 
West  until  the  15th  of  November,  1780,  when  news  arrived  in  Lon- 
don of  the  treason  of  General  Arnold,  and  the  death  of  Major  Andre. 
A  warrant  was  immediately  issued  for  Trumbull's  arrest,  which  was 
put  in  execution,  and  he  was  confined  in  Tothill-fields,  Bridewell, 
where,  although  safely  guarded,  he  was  treated  with  marked  civility 
and  respect. 

The  moment  Mr.  West  heard  of  the  arrest  of  Colonel  Trumbull, 
he  hurried  to  Buckingham  House,  asked  an  audience  of  the  king,  and 
was  admitted.  He  stated  to  the  king,  in  what  manner  Trumbull  had 
been  employed  during  his  residence  in  London,  and  requested  that 
he  might  be  released.  This  request,  however,  the  king  refused,  urging 


TRUMBULL     IMPRISONED. 


385 


'    -^ 


Benjamin  West. 

that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  the  law,  and  must  abide  the  result ;  but 
he  pledged  his  royal  promise  that  in  the  worst  possible  event  of  the 
law,  his  life  should  be  safe. 

Colonel  Trumbull  remained  in  prison  till  June,  1781,  when  he  was 
released  by  an  order  from  the  king,  on  condition  that  he  would  leave 
the  kingdom  in  thirty  days,  (and  not  return  till  after  peace  was 
restored.)  He  remained  in  London  some  days  after  his  release,  and 
then  determined  to  return  to  America  by  the  shortest  route,  Amster- 
dam. He  embarked  for  America  in  the  early  part  of  August,  on 
board  the  frigate  South  Carolina,  at  Amsterdam ;  but  unfortunately 
a  heavy  gale  sprang  up,  and  the  vessel  was  obliged  to  steer  for  the 
port  of  Corunna  in  Spain,  where  Trumbull  remained  till  December, 
when  he  embarked  on  board  the  Cicero  for  America,  where  he  arrived 
early  in  January.  Shortly  after  his  return  to  America  he  was  seized 
with  a  dangerous  illness  which  confined  him  to  his  bed  for  several 
months.  As  soon  as  he  had  recovered  sufficient  strength,  he  engaged 
in  a  contract  with  his  brother,  for  the  supply  of  the  army.  This 
duty  brought  him  into  frequent  intercourse  with  his  early  friend. 
General  Washington,  by  whom  he  was  kindly  received. 

As  soon  as  he  received  the  news  of  the  signing  of  the  preliminaries 
of  peace,  he  determined  to  return  to  London  to  resume  his  study  of 

25 


386  JOHN     TRUMBULL. 

the  arts,  and  accordingly,  closing  all  other  business  he  embarked  in 
December,  1783,  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  for  London. 

He  arrived  in  London,  1784,  and  presented  himself  immediately 
to  Mr.  West,  who  received  him  most  cordially.  His  studies  with  Mr. 
West,  and  at  the  academy,  were  resumed  with  ardor.  In  the  summer 
of  1785,  he  began  to  meditate  seriously  the  subjects  of  national 
history — the  events  of  the  Revolution,  which  were  afterwards 
the  great  objects  of  his  professional  life.  The  death  of  General 
Warren  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  of  General  Montgomery  at 
the  attack  on  Quebec,  were  first  decided  upon  as  being  the  earliest 
'important  events,  in  point  of  time;  and  Colonel  Trumbull  not  only 
regarded  them  as  highly  interesting  passages  of  history,  but  felt,  that 
in  painting  them,  he  would  be  paying  a  just  tribute  of  gratitude  to  the 
memory  of  eminent  men,  who  had  given  their  lives  for  their  country. 

Mr.  West  witnessed  the  progress  of  these  two  pictures  with  in- 
terest, and  strongly  encouraged  Colonel  Trumbull  to  persevere  in 
the  work  of  the  history  of  the  American  Revolution,  which  he  had 
thus  commenced. 

About  this  time  Trumbull  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Jefferson, 
then  minister  of  the  United  States  in  Paris,  whom  political  duties 
had  called  to  London.  He  encouraged  Trumbull  to  persevere  in 
his  pursuit,  and  kindly  invited  him  to  come  to  Paris,  and,  during  his 
stay,  to  make  his  house  his  home.  Trumbull's  two  paintings  met 
his  warm  approbation. 

Mr.  Jefferson's  kind  invitation  was  received  by  Colonel  Trumbull 
with  pleasure,  and  during  his  stay  at  Paris  he  commenced  the  com- 
position of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  which  he  was  assisted 
by  Mr.  Jefferson  with  information  and  advice.  His  paintings  above 
mentioned  procured  him  an  introduction  to  all  the  principal  artists 
of  France,  In  September  and  October,  1786,  Colonel  Trumbull 
made  a  tour  through  Germany,  visiting  all  the  works  of  art,  and 
returned  to  London  in  November,  his  brain  half  turned  by  the  atten- 
tion which  had  been  paid  to  his  paintings  in  Paris,  and  by  the  mul- 
titude of  fine  things  which  he  had  seen. 

He  immediately  resumed  his  labors  on  American  subjects,  espe- 
cially the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  also  made  various  studies 
for  the  Surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  ;  but  in  this  he  found  consider- 
able difficulty.  Some  progress  was  also  made  in  the  composition  of 
some  of  the  other  subjects,  especially  of  the  battles  of  Trenton  and 
Princeton. 

In  May,  1787,  having  heard  from  Mr.  Poggi  (an  eminent  Italian 
artist)  the  story  of  the  Sortie  from  Gibraltar,  he  painted  it.  This 
painting  elicited  the  praise  and  commendation  of  all  who  viewed  it 


TRUMBULL     RETtRNS     TO     AMERICA. 


387 


Mr.  Jefferson. 

It  was,  in  the  opinion  of  the  celebrated  connoisseur,  Horace  Walpole, 
afterwards  Lord  Orford,  "  the  finest  picture  he  had  ever  seen,  painted 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  Alps." 

In  the  autumn  of  1787,  Colonel  Trumbull  again  visited  Paris, 
where  he  painted  Mr.  Jefferson  tn  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  the  French  officers  in  the  Surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  He 
again  visited  Paris  in  1789,  and  witnessed  the  first  outbreaks  of  the 
French  Revolution,  and  the  destruction  of  the  Bastile,  During  his 
stay  in  Paris,  he  had  an  important  conversation  with  the  Marquis 
de  la  Fayette,  which,  by  the  wish  of  the  latter,  he  reported  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States. 

Soon  after  this  conversation  Colonel  Trumbull  returned  to  Lon- 
don, and  Mr.  Jefferson  having  obtained  leave  of  absence  for  a  few 
months,  they  both  embarked  for  the  United  States,  in  different  ships  ; 
Trumbull  for  New  York,  Jefferson  for  Norfolk,  in  Virginia,  Colonel 
Trumbull  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  26th  of  November,  1789.  He 
found  the  government  of  the  United  States  organized  under  the  new 
constitution,  with  General  Washington  as  President.  Trumbull  lost 
no  time  in  communicating  to  Washington  the  state  of  political  affairs, 
and  the  prospects  of  France  as  explained  to  him  by  M.  La  Faye+te, 
and  having  done  this,  he  proceeded  immediately  to  visit  his  family 


388 


JOHN     TRUMBULL, 


Jolin  Jay. 

and  friends  in  Connecticut.  His  father  died  in  1785,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  His  brother  and  friend  Colonel  Wadsworth  of 
Hartford,  were  members  of  the  house  of  representatives  in  Con- 
gress ;  and  vt-ith  them  he  returned  to  New  York  to  pursue  his  v\^ork 
of  the  Revolution.  While  in  this  city  he  obtained  many  portraits 
for  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  Surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis, 
and  of  General  Washington  in  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton. 
In  April,  1790,  he  opened  his  subscription  list  for  the  engravings 
from  his  first  two  pictures  of  Bunker  Hill  and  Quebec,  which  had 
been  contracted  for  with  Mr.  Miiller,  of  Stutgard,  in  Germany,  and 
Mr.  Clements,  of  Denmark.  He  obtained  the  names  of  the  presi- 
dent, vice-president,  many  of  the  senators,  and  of  many  of  the  prin- 
cipal citizens  of  New  York. 

In  May  he  went  to  Philadelphia — but  in  July  was  again  in  New 
York,  and  painted  for  the  city  a  full-length  portrait  of  General 
Washington.  In  February  of  the  following  year  he  was  at  Charles- 
ton, S.  C,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  portraits.  In  the  following 
June  he  returned  to  Connecticut,  and  painted  the  portrait  of  General 
George  Clinton.  In  1792  he  visited  Philadelphia,  and  painted  a 
portrait  of  General  Washington  for  the  city  of  Charleston,  S.  C. 

In  May,  1794,  he  embarked  with  Mr.  Jay  for  Great  Britain  as  his 
private  secretary.  When  his  duty  of  secretary  was  ended,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Stutgard  to  examine  the  progress  of  his  engravmg  of 
Bunker  Hill.  In  1795  he  was  engaged  in  a  brandy  speculation, 
from  which,  although  at  first  it  promised  great  results,  he  in  the  end 


TRUMBULL      AGAIN      VISITS      LONDON. 


389 


gained  nothing-.  In  August,  1796,  he  returned  to  London,  where 
he  received  from  Mr.  Pickering,  (through  Mr.  King,)  secretary  of 
state  of  the  United  States,  a  commission  and  instructions,  appointing 
him  an  agent  for  the  relief  and  recovery  of  American  seamen  im- 
pressed by  Great  Britain  ;  and  before  he  had  time  to  return  an 
answer,  he  received  notice  from  the  commissioners,  who  had  been 
appointed  by  the  two  nations  to  carry  into  execution  the  seventh 
article  of  the  treaty  negotiated  by  Mr.  Jay,  that  they  had  appointed 
him  the  fifth  commissioner.  The  importance  of  the  latter  situation 
left  no  room  for  hesitation  as  to  accepting  it :  the  other  duty  he  de- 
clined accepting.  His  duties  as  commissioner  he  faithfully  per- 
formed; and  when  they  adjourned  to  meet  on  the  first  of  November, 
1797,  he  took  a  journey  to  Stutgard  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
the  engraving  of  Bunker  Hill,  which  was  then  completed.  Having 
received  his  picture  and  copper-plate  from  Mr.  Muller,  and  obtained 
passports  to  Paris,  he  set  off  from  Stutgard,  and  arrived  in  Paris 
about  the  middle  of  October.  The  duties  of  his  commission  required 
his  presence  in  London  the  first  of  November.  In  Paris,  however, 
he  met  with  difficulties  in  consequence  of  the  revolution,  which 
prevented  his  reaching  London  until  the  2d  of  November.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  commission  was  not  concluded  till  the  spring  of  1804. 
As  soon  as  the  commission  was  dissolved,  Colonel  Trumbull  took 
passage  on  board  a  vessel  bound  to  New  York.  The  passage  was  a 
boisterous  one,  the  vessel  did  not  reach  New  York  until  the  27th  of 
June,  having  had  a  passage  of  sixty-three  days. 

RUMBULL  now  established  himself  in  New 
York  as  a  portrait  painter,  and  met  with  con- 
siderable success.  In  1807  he  WTOte  a  criti- 
cism, ridiculing  President  JeflTerson's  project 
of  naval  defence  by  gun-boats. 

In  December,  1808,  he  again  embarked 
for  London,  where  he  arrived  on  the  7th  of 
January,  1809.  He  was  kindly  received  by 
Mr.  West,  and  resumed  his  profession,  which 
he  continued  until  the  early  part  of  1810, 
when,  finding  that  his  receipts  were  not  equal 
to  his  expenses,  and  that  he  was  compelled  to  borrow,  he  determined 
to  return  to  America.  In  this,  however,  he  was  disappointed,  for 
the  declaration  of  war,  in  1812,  put  an  end  to  all  mutual  inter- 
course between  the  two  countries.  He  was,  in  consequence,  detained 
in  England  till  the  end  of  the  war,  and  obliged  to  run  in  debt  for  the 
means  of  subsistence. 

Peace  between  the  two  countries  being  restored,  he,  in  the  latter 


390  JOHN     TRUMBULL. 

part  of  1815,  returned  to  America,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  New  York.  In  the  early  part  of  the  following  year, 
having  been  informed  that  Baltimore  had  resolved  to  have  pictures 
of  the  late  successful  defence,  he  offered  proposals  for  painting. 
The  project  was  however  abandoned,  on  account  of  the  expense  that 
would  be  incurred. 

Trumbull  was  now  advised  to  go  to  Washington,  and  there  offer 
his  great,  but  long  suspended  project  of  national  paintings  of  subjects 
from  the  Revolution.  Congress  being  in  session,  the  visit  was  made, 
and  the  result  was,  that  a  contract  was  made  for  four  paintings,  at  a 
price  of  eight  thousand  dollars  for  each.  The  paintings  were  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  Surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  Sur- 
render of  General  Burgoyne,  and  the  Resignation  by  General  Wash- 
ington of  his  commission  to  Congress. 

The  last  picture  was  scarcely  finished,  when  he  had  the  misfortune 
to  lose  his  wife,  (April,  1824,)  who  had  been  the  faithful  and  beloved 
companion  of  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  last  twenty-four  years. 

His  contract  with  the  government  being  honorably  fulfilled,  and 
his  debts  paid,  Trumbull  found  himself,  at  the  age  of  three  score  and 
ten  years,  about  to  begin  the  world  anew.  His  best  friend,  his  wife, 
was  removed  from  him,  and  his  having  no  child  to  soothe  his  declining 
years,  brought  upon  him  a  sense  of  loneliness. 

His  sight,  however,  was  good,  his  hand  steady  :  "  Why,  then,"  said 
he,  "  shall  I  sink  down  into  premature  imbecility  ?" 

He  therefore  resolved  to  begin  a  new  series  of  paintings,  of  a 
somewhat  smaller  size  than  those  in  the  Capitol,  While  engaged 
in  painting  one  of  these  he  was  attacked  by  the  cholera;  but  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days  it  passed  away,  and  without  any  serious  con- 
sequences. 

Colonel  Trumbull  was  still  unable  to  earn  a  present  subsistence, 
being  reduced  to  the  necessity,  for  this  purpose,  of  disposing  piece- 
meal of  his  furniture,  plate,  &c.  From  this  state  of  embarrassment 
he  was  at  length  relieved,  by  an  arrangement  which  he  made  with 
the  corporation  of  Yale  College  in  the  month  of  December,  1831, 
and  by  which  he  bestowed  upon  this  institution  his  imsold  paintings, 
in  exchange  for  an  annuity  of  $1000  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
These  paintings  are  deposited  for  exhibition  in  the  "  Trumbull  Gal- 
lery," in  New  Haven  :  the  most  remarkable  among  them  are,  "  The 
battle  of  Bunker's  Hill ;"  "  The  death  of  General  Montgomery  at 
Quebec  ;"  "  The  Declaration  of  Independence ;"  "  The  battle  of 
Trenton  ;"  "  The  battle  of  Princeton  ;"  "  The  surrender  of  General 
Burgoyne  ;"  "  Surrender  of  General  Cornwallis  ;"  "  Washington 
resigning  his   commission ;"   "  Our   Saviour  with  little   children ;" 


DEATH  OF  COLONEL  TRUMBULL. 


391 


"  The  woman  accused  of  adultery ;"  "  Peter  the  Great  at  Narva," 
&c.  Colonel  Trumbull,  during  the  later  years  of  his  life,  resided  at 
New  Haven.  His  death  took  place  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the 
10th  of  November,  1843,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Colonel  Trumbull  may  be  considered  one  of  the  most  interesting 
among  the  many  remarkable  characters  called  into  action  and 
developed  by  our  revolutionary  war.  All  that  we  know  of  him  tends 
to  raise  him  in  our  estimation  as  a  soldier,  a  gentleman,  and  an  artist. 
When  accidentally,  as  he  thought,  but  providentially  as  the  event 
proved,  he  was  excluded  from  the  army,  he  deemed  it  a  great  mis- 
fortune, but  it  forced  upon  him  the  cultivation  of  his  art,  and  made 
him  the  painter  of  the  Revolution.  His  noble  historical  paintings 
are  the  most  precious  relics  of  that  heroic  age,  which  the  nation 
possesses.  They  are  justly  prized  above  all  price  ;  and  the  latest  pos- 
terity will  rejoice  that  Trumbull  laid  down  the  sword  to  take  up  the 
palette  and  pencil. 


COLONEL  JOHN  LANGDON. 


OHN  LANGDON  was  born  at  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  in  December,  1739.  He 
received  an  early  education  at  the  grammar 
school  of  his  native  place,  which  was  then 
taught  by  the  celebrated  Major  Hale.  He 
was  afterwards  placed  apprentice  to  an  emi- 
nent merchant,  where  he  conducted  himself 
with  such  propriety,  as  to  win  the  approbation 
and  confidence  of  his  employer.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  apprenticeship,  he  went  to  sea 
as  supercargo ;  and  soon  after  obtaining  a 
vessel  of  his  own,  made  several  voyages  to  London  and  the  West 
Indies.  He  finally  settled  himself  as  a  merchant,  in  which  line  of 
business  he  continued  until  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary 
war.  During  the  whole  dispute  with  Great  Britain,  he  took  a  de- 
cided part  with  the  colonists,  and  was  chosen,  first  a  representative 
892 


A     DELEGATE     TO     CONGRESS. 


393 


to  the  general  court,  and  in  the  spring  of  1775,  a  delegate  to 
Congress. 

After  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Mr.  Langdon,  accompanied  by  John 
Sullivan  and  Thomas  Pickering,  raised  a  company  of  men  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Fort  William  and  Mary,  on  Great  Island,  disarmed  the 
garrison,  and  conveyed  the  arms  and  ammunition  to  a  place  of  safety. 
A  number  of  barrels  of  gunpovv^der,  w^hich  formed  part  of  the  booty, 
was  subsequently  highly  useful  at  Bunker  Hill. 

This  affair  evinced  the  enterprising  spirit  of  Langdon,  and  al- 
though small  in  itself,  was  of  very  great  importance  in  inspiring 
courage  and  enthusiasm  throughout  his  native  state.  So  fully  was 
his  gallantry  appreciated,  that  when  the  royal  government  would  have 
arrested  and  prosecuted  him,  the  inhabitants  declared  their  resolu- 
tion to  remain  by  him  at  all  hazards. 

In  1775,  "we  find  Langdon  a  delegate  to  the  general  Congress  of 
the  colonies,  and  the  following  year  continental  agent  for  the  navy. 
Under  his  inspection  were  built  a  number  of  ships  of  vrar — among 
others,  the  Raleigh,  Ranger,  America,  [a  74,]  Poi'tsmouth,  &c.  On 
the  arrival  of  the  important  supplies  of  warlike  stores  from  France, 
in  four  large  ships,  which  were  accompanied  by  other  vessels,  he 
received  and  disposed  of  the  same  by  order  of  Congress.  He  after- 
wards commanded  an  independent  company  with,  the  rank  of  colonel, 
and  especially  signalized  himself  in  the  frequent  alarms  of  the 
enemy's  approach  during  the  winter  of  1775-6.  He  was  prevented 
from  signing  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  his  duties  as  navy 
agent ;  but  when  it  was  publicly  proclaimed,  he  drew  up  his  com- 
pany before  the  State  House,  and  hailed  its  annunciation  with  the 
greatest  joy. 

While  Burgoyne  was  rapidly  approaching  New  York,  in  1777, 
Colonel  Langdon  was  speaker  of  the  assembly  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  when  means  were  wanting  to  support  a  regiment,  to  oppose  the 
British  genera],  he  gave  all  his  hard  money,  pledged  his  plate,  and 
applied  to  the  same  purpose  seventy  hogsheads  of  rum.  His  speech 
on  this  occasion  is  worthy  of  lasting  remembrance.  "  I  have  three 
thousand  dollars  in  hard  money  ;  I  will  pledge  my  plate  for  three 
thousand  more.  I  have  seventy  hogsheads  of  Tobago  rum,  which 
shall  be  sold  for  the  most  it  will  bring — these  are  at  the  service  of  the 
state.  If  we  succeed  in  defending  our  firesides  and  homes,  I  may  be 
remunerated,  if  we  do  not,  the  property  will  be  of  no  value  to  me. 
Our  old  friend  Stark,  who  so  nobly  maintained  the  honor  of  our  state 
at  Bunker's  Hill,  may  be  safely  intrusted  with  the  conduct  of  the 
enterprise,  and  we  will  check  the  progress  of  Burgoyne." 

This  patriotic  speech  infused  zeal  into  the  assembly.     A  brigade 


394  JOHN     LANGDON. 

was  raised  with  the  means  thus  furnished,  which  under  Brigadier- 
General  Stark,  achieved  the  memorable  victory  of  Bennington. 
Colonel  Langdon  was  a  volunteer  in  the  army  that  captured  Burgoyne, 
as  also  in  the  expedition  against  Rhode  Island,  in  1778.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war,  performing  various 
duties,  which  gained  him  the  respect  and  gratitude  of  his  country. 
_^^^^^^^^^^^^^=^^--^  N  1785,  Colonel  Langdon  was  governor 
'' 'T??ia^^^p^^^^^^^^^^  of  New  Hampshire,  and  in  1787,  dele- 
^  '^^^^ff      ^  o^^^  ^°  ^^®  convention  that  framed  the 

&  ^^^'  ral         ^^^  stitution,  he  was  one  of  the  first  United 

Bl  .  ^^^^g|^  ~"~>,p^=^    States  senators  from  New  Hampshire, 

^f_jrz^g^^;4^H^^^E:  when  the  votes  for  the  first  president 
^^^^^^^^S^^B^^^H  were  to  be  counted,  and  was  appointed 
^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^B  president  'pro  tem/pore  of  that  august 
-' — '  ■  "  ^^^fe"^^  body.  His  letter  to  General  Washing- 
ton; informing  him  of  the  result,  is  as  follows. 

New  York,        7 
mh  April,  1789.  > 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  your  Excellency,  the  infor- 
mation of  your  unanimous  election  to  the  office  of  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America.  Suffer  me,  sir,  to  indulge  the  hope,  that 
so  auspicious  a  mark  of  public  confidence,  will  meet  your  approba- 
tion, and  be  considered  as  a  pledge  of  the  affection  and  support  you 
are  to  expect  from  a  free  and  enlightened  people. 

I  am,  sir,  with  sentiments  of  respect,  &c.,  John  Langdon. 

Mr.  Langdon  was  still  president  of  the  senate  at  the  inauguration 
of  Washington  and  Adams  ;  and  remained  a  member  for  twelve 
years.  In  1801,  President  Jefferson,  with  many  of  his  friends,  soli- 
cited him  to  accept  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  navy — but  this  he 
declined.  In  1805,  he  was  elected  governor  of  his  state,  and  again 
in  1810.  In  the  year  following  he  retired  from  public  service, 
repeatedly  declining  the  appointment  for  the  navy,  as  also  the  nomi- 
nation for  Vice  President,  in  1812.  He  died  after  a  short  illness, 
September  18th,  1819. 

Governor  Langdon  was  noted  for  his  integrity,  patriotism,  and 
hospitality.  During  his  whole  life,  he  entertained  numerous  visitors 
at  his  own  expense,  and  frequently  extended  his  favors  to  strangers, 
or  foreigners  of  distinction.  He  was  a  zealous  professor  of  religion, 
to  the  duties  of  which  he  gave  a  considerable  share  of  his  attention. 
In  the  party  politics  of  the  Union  he  acted  with  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his 
associates  ;  but  was  honored  and  trusted  by  both  sides.  The  influ- 
ence of  his  name  was  great  throughout  the  Union. 


COLONEL  AARON  BURR. 


OLONEL  AARON  BURR,  a  character 
fraught  with  deep  and  mysterious  interest  to 
every  American,  was  born  on  the  6th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1756,  at  Newark,  New  Jersey.  His  father 
was  President^  Burr,  of  Princeton  College,  and  his 
mother,  a  daughter  of  the  celebrated  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards, of  the  same  institution.  Both  his  parents 
dying  while  he  was  but  an  infant,  his  education  devolved  upon  a  private 
instructor.  The  mind  that  was  afterwards  to  be  marked  by  such 
strange  vicissitudes,  soon  began  to  display  its  daring  character  ;  for, 
when  but  four  years  old,  Aaron  ran  away  in  consequence  of  some 
misunderstanding  with  the  teacher,  and  was  not  recovered  for  three 
or  four  days. 

"When  six  years  old,  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  his  uncle, 
Timothy  Edwards,  at  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts,  where  he  remained 
until  his  entrance  into  college.  During  this  time  he  made  an  attempt 
to  escape  from  his  uncle,  and  embark  on  a  sea  voyage  ;  but  he  was 
intercepted  and  brought  back  to  his  residence. 

395 


396  AARON     BURR. 

In  1769  he  entered  Princeton  College,  Here  he  pursued  his 
studies  with  such  assiduity,  that  he  soon  became  the  first  scholar  in 
his  class.  This  however,  does  not  seem  to  have  arisen  from  a  genuine 
love  of  knowle  !«  ,  but  from  an  anxiety  not  to  be  thought  below  his 
fellows  ;  for  after  he  had  obtained  pre-eminence,  he  suddenly  sunk 
into  dissipation  and  indolence,  so  that  his  last  year  at  college  was  as 
remarkable  for  his  neglect  of  study,  as  the  former  one  had  been  for 
his  application.  In  the  meanwhile,  he  formed  acquaintance  with 
individuals  who  afterwards  became  renowned  in  diiferent  depart- 
ments of  intellect — among  others  Matthias  Ogden,  afterwards  a 
colonel,  Samuel  Spring,  D.  D.,  and  William  Paterson,  subsequently 
judge  in  the  United  States  supreme  court. 

After  leaving  college,  he  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  pplite  litera- 
ture, and  having  ample  means  at  his  disposal,  soon  made  rapid 
advances.  At  this  time  also,  his  mind  seems  to  have  been  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  religion,  and  he  communicated  his 
feelings  to  the  venerable  Dr.  Bellamy,  of  x!onnecticut.  With  that 
eminent  divine  he  remained  for  two  years,  reading  on  the  topics  of 
religion,  and  pursuing  his  former  studies. 

Burr  left  this  hospitable  mansion  for  the  residence  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  Judge  Reeve,  at  whose  house  he  resided  until  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  in  April,  1775.  He  had  already  formed  his  opinion  of 
the  contest  between  England  and  her  colonies,  and  by  study  had 
become  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  theory  of  tactics.  He  accord- 
ingly wrote  to  his  friend  Ogden,  to  join  the  army  with  him,  and  they 
set  out  together  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  A 
sight  of  the  army  disappointed  him.  It  was  without  organization  or 
discipline  ;  and  distracted  by  dissolute  habits,  and  constant  conten- 
tions about  rank.  Soon  after  joining,  Burr  was  attacked  by  a  violent 
fever,  but  left  his  couch,  to  join  the  expedition  of  General  Arnold 
against  Quebec. 

In  that  disastrous  expedition,  young  Burr  encountered  his  full  share 
of  hardship.  He  was  one  of  a  small  party  that  penetrated  through  the 
woods  separately,  and  whose  sufferings  were,  if  possible,  even  greater 
than  those  of  the  main  body.  Burr  suffered  less  than  his  companions 
from  hunger,  on  account  of  his  abstemious  habits.  On  one  occasion, 
he  was  very  nearly  killed  by  the  passage  of  his  boat  down  a  fall 
twenty  feet  high. 

When  the  army  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  Chaudiere,  Burr  was 
sent  in  the  disguise  of  a  priest,  with  a  verbal  communication  to 
General  Montgomery.  On  the  way,  he  encountered  a  variety  of 
danger  and  adventure,  but  reached  Montgomery  and  delivered  his 
message  with  such  accuracy  and  good  sense,  that  the  general  im 


HIS      DIFFICULTIES     WITH      ARNOLD.  397 

mediately  adopted  him  as  one  of  his  military  family.  During  the 
siege  and  assault  of  Quebec,  he  won  the  approbation  of  all  the 
officers,  by  his  courage  and  endurance,  and  received  on  one  occa- 
sion the  superintendence  of  a  small  advance.  He  was  by  General 
Montgomery  when  he  fell,  and  besides  himself,  but  one  of  the  attend- 
ants escaped  unhurt.  Arnold  then  assumed  the  command  ;  but  Burr 
seems  to  have  been  unfriendly  to  him,  as  he,  on  one  occasion,  posi- 
tively refused  to  convey  a  communication  from  him  to  the  town,  on 
account  of  its  objectionable  contents. 

ARLY  in  1776,  the  army  moved  from  Mon- 
treal, in  its  homeward  march.  On  the  way 
the  difficulties  with  Arnold  increased,  until  at 
length  Burr,  who  was  now  a  major,  left  him 
'abruptly,  in  company  with  four  men.  This 
was  against  the  express  command  of  Arnold. 
When  the  major  arrived  at  Albany,  he  re- 
ceived an  invitation  from  Washington  to  join 
his  head-quarters,  which  he  accepted.  The 
connection  was  not  happy — it  gave  rise  to  prejudices  which  were 
never  afterwards  abandoned.  Soon  after  he  became  aid  to  General 
Putnam,  a  situation  more  congenial  to  his  wishes.  While  here  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  Miss  Moncrieffe,  afterwards  the  notorious 
Mrs.  Coglar,  and  was  no  doubt  the  cause  of  her  subsequent  dissolute 
character. 

Major  Burr  was  in  the  disastrous  battle  of  Long  Island,  where  he 
displayed  his  wonted  activity  and  courage.  He  had  previously  made 
a  careful  reconnoissance  of  the  enemy,  and  given  his  opinion  to 
Putnam  against  a  battle.  In  the  subsequent  retreat  to  New  York, 
he  behaved  so  well  as  to  win  the  entire  confidence  of  General 
McDougall,  who  conducted  it. 

The  British  soon  followed  the  American  army,  and  Washington 
found  it  necessary  to  abandon  all  hope  of  defending  the  city  against 
an  overwhelming  force.  During  the  second  retreat.  Burr  performed 
an  action  characteristic  of  his  boldness  and  energy.  Either  through 
mistake  or  mismanagement,  one  brigade  was  left  in  New  York,  and 
posted  themselves  on  an  eminence  called  Bunker's  Hill,  which  was 
in  full  view  of  the  enemy.  Burr  was  at  this  time  on  a  scout  for 
fugitives,  and  on  observing  the  brigade  he  rode  up  to  it.  and  asked 
who  commanded,  and  what  they  did  there.  General  Knox  presented 
himself.  The  major  urged  him  to  retreat  immediately,  as  otherwise 
his  detachr»ent  would  be  cut  to  pieces.  Knox  answered  that  a 
retreat  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  was  impossible,  announcing  his  inten- 
tion of  defending  the  fort.     Burr   replied  that  the  place   was  not 


398  AARON     BURR. 

tenable,  that  it  would  be  taken  at  a  single  discharge,  and  those  of  the 
garrison  who  escaped  being  shot  would  be  hung  like  dogs.  He  then 
exhorted  the  men  to  follow  him,  and  actually  led  them  to  camp  in 
sight  of  the  enemy,  with  the  loss  of  only  about  thirty. 

URING  the  retreat  through  the  Jerseys, 
and  the  subsequent  active  campaign  of 
General  Putnam  in  that  quarter.  Burr 
continued  to  behave  so  well  as  to  challenge 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  men  and 
officers.  In  June,  1777,  he  was  appointed  lieu- 
tenanant  colonel  of  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Mal- 
colm, at  that  time  stationed  in  New  York.  Soon 
after,  he  received  the  chief  command  through  the  voluntary  absence 
of  the  colonel.  He  performed  active  service  in  drilling  the  troops 
and  cutting  up  the  enemy's  picket  guards,  but  soon  received  orders 
to  join  the  main  army,  which  he  did  in  November. 

At  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  Burr  commanded  a  brigade  consisting 
of  his  own  and  another  regiment,  and  was  very  active  in  reconnoiter- 
ing  the  enemy,  and  harassing  their  skirmishers.  His  own  loss  was 
severe,  and  he  had  had  a  horse  shot  under  him.  From  constant  ex- 
posure to  fatigue  and  heat  for  three  days,  with  very  little  sleep,  he 
contracted  a  disease,  which  aiFected  him  for  some  years,  yet  so  great 
was  his  endurance  that  not  only  did  he  continue  in  the  performance 
of  every  duty,  but  did  not  even  mention  his  indisposition  to  the  other 
officers. 

In  the  investigation  of  General  Lee's  conduct,  which  followed  this 
battle,  Burr  was  one  of  the  few  who  took  part  with  that  officer  in 
opposition  to  Washington.  While  aid-de-camp  to  the  commander, 
in  1776,  he  had  imbibed  inveterate  prejudices  against  him,  which 
continued  throughout  life,  and  for  the  exercise  of  which  he  never 
suffered  himself  to  lose  an  opportunity. 

Burr  was  again  intrusted  with  a  separate  command  in  the  state 
of  New  York,  but  his  constantly  increasing  ill  health,  forced  him  to 
adopt  the  mortifying  resolution  to  resign  his  rank  and  command. 
This  was  absolutely  necessary.  His  constitution  was  shattered  ;  he 
could  no  longer  attend  to  any  active  duty.  His  military  career  ended 
with  his  resignation,  except  that  he  led  the  students  of  East  Haven 
College  against  Governor  Tryon,  in  1779.  In  this  affair  he  per- 
formed good  service,  and  ever  afterwards  mentioned  the  confidence 
evinced  by  these  young  men  in  his  military  abilities,  with  proud 
exultation.  ^ 

After  leaving  the  army,  Burr  was  for  some  time  incapacitated  for 
any  active  business,  but  as  health  slowly  returned,  he  applied  himself 


APPOINTED     ATTORNEY     GENERAL.  401 

with  ardor  to  his  old  profession  ol  law.  By  the  rules  of  court,  it  was 
required  that  every  student  should  have  completed  three  years  legal 
study,  prior  to  admission  at  the  bar.  Colonel  Burr  applied  for  an 
exemption  from  this  rule,  in  consequence  of  his  having  served  in  the 
field,  while  he  might  have  been  pursuing  his  studies.  This  was 
opposed  by  all  the  lawyers,  but  the  court  decided  in  his  favor,  pro- 
vided he  would  stand  a  rigid  examination  of  qualifications.  He 
accordingly  passed  a  trying  ordeal,  conducted  by  the  opponents  of 
his  claims,  came  oflf  victorious,  and  was  admitted.  His  license  bears 
date,  January  19th,  1782.  He  commenced  first  in  Albany.  This 
was  in  April ;  and  in  the  following  July  (2d,  1782,)  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Theodosia  Prevost.  Upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  British 
troops  from  New  York,  consequent  upon  the  establishment  of  peace, 
he  entered  that  city,  and  soon  acquired  an  extensive  practice. 

'ARLY  in  1784,  Burr  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  New  York  legislature,  and  was  re- 
markable for  taking  part  onl}*  in  matters  of 
importance.  At  this  time,  he  seems  to  have 
been  wholly  destitute  of  ambition,  and  ani- 
mated only  with  a  sincere  desire  to  serve  his  coun- 
try. On  the  14th  of  February,  1785,  he  was 
appointed  chairman  of  a  committee  from  the  house, 
to  act  conjointly  with  one  from  the  senate,  in  revising  the  state  laws. 
He  also  introduced  some  important  bills,  and  warmly  advocated  the 
abolition  of  slavery.  His  opposition  to  the  bill  for  incorporating  a 
body  of  the  tradesmen  and  mechanics  of  New  York  city,  caused 
much  excitement,  and  for  a  while  endangered  both  his  property  and 
life.  A  serious  riot  was  prevented  in  a  great  degree  by  his  firmness. 
From  this  time  until  1788,  Burr  took  little  part  in  politics.  About 
that  time,  discussions  concerning  a  national  constitution  to  supersede 
the  articles  of  confederation,  began  to  agitate  the  public  mind.  To 
these,  a  man  like  Colonel  Burr  could  not  be  indifferent.  When  the 
new  constitution  was  under  debate  in  the  New  York  legislature,  he 
took  part  with  the  party  calling  themselves  anti-federalists,  who, 
although  opposed  to  the  old  code,  preferred  amending  it,  rather  than 
adopting  a  new.  In  1789  George  Clinton  and  Robert  Yates  were 
candidates  for  the  office  of  governor  of  the  state.  The  latter  was 
the  personal  and  political  friend  of  Colonel  Burr,  and  received  his 
warm  support.  Clinton  was  elected  ;  but  so  little  did  the  opposition 
of  Burr  affect  the  opinion  he  always  entertained  of  his  talents  and 
integrity,  that  he  immediately  appointed  the  colonel  as  attorney 
general,  an  office  at  that  time,  involving  deep  and  lasting  interests  of 
the  state.     One  of  these  occurred  in  1790,  when  with  the  treasurer 

26 


402  AARON     BTTRR. 

and  auditor,  he  was  appointed  on  a  board  of  commissioners,  "to 
report  on  the  subject  of  the  various  claims  against  the  state,  for  ser- 
vices rendered,  or  injuries  sustained,  during  the  ■jvar  of  the  revolu 
tion."  "  The  task,"  says  his  biographer,  "  was  one  of  great  delicacy, 
and  surrounded  with  difficulties.  On  Colonel  Burr  devolved  the 
duty  of  making  that  report.  It  was  performed  in  a  masterly  man- 
ner. When  presented  to  the  house,  notwithstanding  its  magnitude, 
involving  claims  of  every  description  to  an  immense  amount,  it  met 
with  no  opposition  from  any  quarter.  On  the  5th  of  April,  1792, 
the  report  was  ordered  to  be  entered  at  length  on  the  journals  of  the 
assembly,  and  formed  the  basis  of  all  future  settlements  with  public 
creditors  on  account  of  the  war.  In  it,  the  various  claimants  are 
classified ;  legal  and  equitable  principles  are  established,  and  applied 
to  each  particular  class.  The  report  occupies  eighteen  folio  pages 
of  the  journals  of  the  assembly." 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1791,  the  term  of  office  of  General  Schuyler 
as  United  States  senator,  expired.  Burr  succeeded  him.  His  policy 
in  this  body  was  similar  to  that  which  had  characterized  him  in  the 
state  legislature. 

In  1792  Clinton  was  again  elected  for  governor,  but  in  a  manner, 
that  gave  strong  reason  to  suspect  extensive  fraud.  This  led  to  angry 
discussion  and  intense  popular  excitement.  Colonel  Burr  strongly 
advocated  the  election  of  Clinton,  and  from  this  time  his  course  as  a 
politician  may  be  dated. 

When  Washington  delivered  his  address  to  Congress,  (October 
25th,  1791,)  the  senate  ordered,  "  That  Messrs.  Burr,  Cabot,  and 
Johnston,  be  a  committee  to  prepare  and  report  the  draft  of  an 
address  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  in  answer  to  his  speech, 
delivered  this  day  to  both  houses  of  Congress  in  the  senate  cham- 
ber." Accordingly,  on  the  following  day.  Burr  reported  an  answer, 
which  was  adopted  without  amendment  or  alteration.  He  was 
employed  on  various  other  committees  during  this  session,  and  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  defeating  an  important  "  act  for  the  more 
effectual  protection  of  the  south-western  frontier  settlers."  He  con- 
tinued in  the  senate  until  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  during  which  time 
he  also  practised  at  his  profession.  In  1793,  he  advocated  the  claim 
of  Mr.  Gallatin,  from  Pennsylvania,  to  a  seat  in  the  senate,  his  right 
being  contested.  Burr  was,  however,  overruled  by  a  resolution, 
declaring,  "  That  the  election  of  Albert  Gallatin  to  be  a  senator  of 
the  United  States  was  void,  he  not  having  been  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  the  term  of  years,  required  as  a  qualification  to  be  a 
senator  of  the  United  States."  In  the  same  year  he  opposed  the 
nomination  of  his  friend,  John  Jay,  as  envoy  extraordinary  to  Eng- 


BURRS     DOMESTIC      AFFLICTIONS. 


403 


James  Madison. 

land,  a  circumstance,  which  gave  considerable  pain  to  that  amiable 
character.  He  subsequently  opposed  the  treaty  made  by  that  gentle- 
man, and  proposed  several  amendments,  which  were  rejected. 

When  the  subject  of  appointing  a  minister  to  the  court  of  France, 
in  the  place  of  Gouverneur  Morris,  was  before  Congress,  the  opposi- 
tion party  decided  upon  recommending  Colonel  Burr.  This  was 
done  by  a  committee,  of  whom  Madison  and  Monroe  were  members. 
When  the  application  was  presented,  Washington  paused  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  observed,  that  it  was  his  invariable  custom,  never  to 
intrust  a  responsible  station  to  any  individual  in  whose  moral  charac- 
ter he  could  not  repose  full  confidence.  This  interview  was  twice 
repeated,  but  the  President  remaining  firm.  Burr's  appointment  was 
defeated. 

In  the  spring  of  1794,  Mrs.  Burr  died,  and  in  1801,  the  colonel's 
only  daughter  was  married  and  removed  to  South  Carolina.  These 
domestic  afflictions  seem  to  have  destroyed,  in  a  great  measure, 
those  fine  feelings,  which  had  ever  marked  the  colonel  in  his  domestic 
relations,  and  henceforth  his  life  is  a  dark  and  exciting  picture  of 
passion  and  intrigue. 

In  1799,  Burr  became  involved  in  certain  transactions  with  the 
Holland   Land  Company,  which  caused  so  much  suspicion  of  his 


404 


AARON     BURR. 


Jolin  Adams, 


integrity,  as  to  give  rise  to  a  report  that  he  had  received  twenty 
thousand  dollars  for  dishonest  secret  service.  One  of  the  most 
active  traducers  of  Burr  was  John  B.  Church,  whose  language  was 
so  pointed  as  to  elicit  a  challenge  from  the  colonel.  This  was 
accepted,  and  the  parties  met  at  Hoboken,  on  the  2d  of  September, 
1799.  Mr.  Church's  second  was  Abijah  Hammond,  Esq.  Burr's, 
Edanus  Burke,  of  South  Carolina.  The  principals  fired  one  shot, 
and  then  settled  their  dispute  amicably. 

When  the  first  presidential  term  of  Mr.  Adams  was  about  to  close, 
the  utmost  anxiety  was  evinced  throughout  the  country,  both  by 
his  friends  and  opponents,  for  his  re-election.  Colonel  Burr  applied 
himself  with  unparalleled  activity  to  secure  the  election  of  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson, the  democratic  candidate.  For  this  purpose  he  applied  him- 
self to  the  complete  organization  of  the  party  in  New  York,  knowing 
that  the  success  of  the  contest  depended  upon  the  vote  of  that  state. 
He  was  singularly  successful ;  and  though  opposed  by  General 
Hamilton,  he  managed  to  keep  the  field  as  a  partisan  canvasser,  and 
at  the  same  time  be  nominated  for  the  state  legislature.  The  legis- 
lature itself  was  democratic,  and  thus  democratic  electors  were  chosen 
from  New  York.  Under  the  old  constitution,  the  presidential  candi- 
date who  received  the  highest  number  of  votes  became  president, 


BURR     ELECTED     VICE-PRESIDENT. 


405 


and  his  most  successful  riva  ,  vice-president.  Burrs  talents  and 
services  were  appreciated  by  the  democratic  party  ;  he  was  placed 
on  the  same  ticket  with  Jef'erson  ;  and  by  a  strange  fatality,  each 
received  the  same  number  of  votes. 

The  choice  of  president  now  devolved  upon  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives ;  thirty-six  ballotings  took  place,  during  which  a  scene  of 
excitement  prevailed  rarely  surpassed  in  a  legislative  body.  The 
details  are  little  creditable  either  to  some  of  the  members,  or  to 
Mr.  Jefferson  himself;  but  our  hmits  forbid  us  to  enlarge.  The 
vote  was  finally  cast  for  Thomas  Jefferson  as  President,  and  Aaron 
Burr,  Vice-President. 

ROM  the  moment  of  his  accession  to  this  high 
office,  fate  seemed  to  have  marked  him  out  as 
her  peculiar  victim.  Every  action,  every  word 
the  most  trival,  was  watched  by  his  enemies 
with  argus  eyes  ;  and  among  these  enemies 
the  most  virulent  were  those  who  had  been  his 
warmest  political  friends.  He  was  accused  of 
leaguing  with  the  federal  party,  in  order  to  obtain  the  presidency 
through  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  even  the  names  of  his 
political  associates  were  published  in  most  of  the  journals  with  the 
greatest  confidence.  Much  of  this  was  no  doubt  false  ;  but  the 
silence  of  Burr  upon  it,  caused  by  an  adherence  to  a  long  adopted 
rule  of  conduct,  tended  to  give  it  confirmation  with  the  people. 
Slowly  his  downward  course  now  commenced  ;  and  in  1804,  he  who 
three  years  before  could  command  the  triumphant  vote  of  a  nation 
for  almost  any  office  in  its  bestowal,  was  opposed  successfully  at  a 
public  meeting  in  New  York,  as  a  nominee  for  governor.  He  was 
supported  however  by  a  portion  of  the  democratic  party ;  but  being 
opposed  by  the  remainder,  as  well  as  by  the  federalists  under  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  he  was  defeated.  This  led  to  the  duel  between  that 
great  man,  and  the  colonel,  which  terminated  in  the  death  of  Hamil- 
ton. It  is  sufficient  here  to  observe,  that  all  party  feelings  were 
merged  in  feelings  of  sorrow  for  Hamilton,  and  consequent  indigna- 
tion against  his  opponent.  The  last  public  duty  performed  by  the 
latter,  was  acting  as  president  of  the  senate  in  the  case  of  Judge 
Samuel  Chase,  who  was  impeached  before  the  United  States  Senate 
for  "  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors."  After  the  vote  of  the  mem- 
bers had  been  taken  without  yielding  a  decision.  Colonel  Burr  said, 
"there  not  being  a  constitutional  majority  on  any  one  article,  it 
becomes  my  duty  to  pronounce  that  Samuel  Chase,  Esq.,  is  acquitted 
on  the  articles  of  impeachment  exhibited  against  him  by  the  house  of 
representatives  " 


40G  AARON     BURR. 

We  come  now  to  a  period  in  the  life  of  Burr  fraught  with  thrilling 
and  mysterious  interest  both  to  himself  and  his  country.  We  refer 
to  his  attempted  invasion  of  Mexico,  and.  alleged  treason.  As  all  the 
evidence  of  nearly  half  a  century  has  failed  to  explain  the  true  nature 
of  his  motives  in  connection  with  these  transactions,  we  shall  barely 
state  what  facts  have  been  clearly  ascertained,  without  giving  an 
opinion  upon  them. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  difficulties  arose  between 
Spain  and  the  United  States,  concerning  the  navigation  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, which  for  a  while  threatened  a  war  between  the  two  countries. 
In  1805  and  1806,  Burr  passed  through  most  of  our  western  terri- 
tory, and  engaged  in  considerable  speculations  for  land,  in  order  to 
establish  new  and  isolated  settlements.  His  love  of  military  enter- 
prise, led  him  to  take  an  interest  in  the  {Existing  national  dispute,  until 
finally  he  was  induced  to  believe  that  a  separation  of  Mexico  from 
Spain,  might  be  accomplished  by  a  force  from  the  United  States. 
Something  similar  to  this  idea  had  haunted  him  long  before  this 
period,  and  he  now  began  maturing  a  plan  for  its  accomplishment. 
He  found  the  contemplated  war  popular  in  the  west,  and  by  artful 
representations,  induced  the  population  of  that  quarter  to  believe 
that  he  was  authorized  to  raise  an  army  for  Mexico.  He  received 
from  Colonel  Lynch  six  hundred  thousand  acres  of  territory,  by  pur- 
chase, and  by  some  means  the  interest  on  this  land,  in  wdiich  many 
worthy  citizens  were  concerned,  became  blended  with  his  grand 
scheme  of  invasion.  He  conferred  confidentially  with  General  Wil- 
kinson, who  was  then  in  command  of  some  six  hundred  men,  with 
whom  the  adherents  of  Burr  were  to  unite.  Wilkinson,  who  was  the 
American  commander-in-chief,  despatched  one  Clarke  to  Mexico,  to 
ascertain  the  disposition  of  the  inhabitants  toward  the  mother 
country,  and  enlist  friends  for  the  enterprise.  Many  priests  and 
military  officers  were  favorable  to  the  project,  and  agreements  were 
entered  into  between  the  parties  for  mutual  security.  Burr  also 
visited  General  Jackson,  who  entered  warmly  into  his  plans.  Subse- 
quently, however,  that  officer  declared  in  a  letter,  that  if  it  was  in- 
tended merely  to  invade  Mexico  he  would  aid  the  project  to  the  best 
of  his  ability,  but  if  Burr  had  treasonable  designs  against  the  United 
States,  as  was  reported,  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  him. 

These  bold  movements  could  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  people  of 
our  country,  and  especially  of  Burr's  numerous  enemies.  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson ordered  his  arrest  on  a  charge  of  treason.  He  was  taken  on 
the  Tombigbee  river,  Mississippi  territory,  and  arrived  at  Richmond, 
Virginia,  on  the  26th  of  March,  1807.  Several  other  persons  were 
arrested  about  the  same  time,  the  principal  of  whom  was  the  cele- 


BURR    S     TRIAL     FOR     TREASON. 


4  07 


William  Wirt. 


Drated  Blennerhassett.  The  trial  came  on,  May  22d,  before  the 
Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  Judge  Marshall  presiding. 
About  a  month  after,  the  grand  jury  presented  two  bills,  one  for  trea- 
son, the  other  for  misdeme.anor.  After  obtaining  a  jury,  the  trial  on 
the  first  indictment  commenced,  August  17th,  and  continued  un- 
til the  first  of  September.  The  jury  returned  as  follows  : — "  We 
of  the  jury  say,  that  Aaron  Burr  is  not  proved  to  be  guilty  under 
this  indictment  by  any  evidence  submitted  to  us.  We  therefore  find 
him  not  guilty."  Burr  objected  to  this  verdict  as  informal,  asserting 
that  the  jury  had  no  right  to  depart  from  the  usual  and  simple  form, 
guilty,  or  not  guilty.  The  court  overruled  the  objection,  and  entered 
the  verdict  as  not  guilty.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  celebrated 
William  Wirt  first  attracted  public  attention  to  his  brilliant  talents  by 
taking  part  as  an  attorney  and  pleader  in  this  trial. 

On  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  the  trial  commenced  on  the  second 
indictment.  The  charge  was,  in  substance,  "  that  Aaron  Burr  did  set 
on  foot  a  military  enterprise  to  be  carried  on  against  the  territory  of 
a  foreign  prince  ;  namely,  the  province  of  Mexico,  which  was  within 
the  territory  of  the  king  of  Spain,  with  whom  the  United  States  were 
at  peace."  Much  excitement  prevailed  at  the  trial,  but  the  jury  re- 
turned a  verdict  of  '  not  guilty.' 

Next  year  (June  7th,)  Burr  left  a  land,  whose  every  quarter  must 
have  been  painful  to  him,  and  sailed  for  England.  Here  he  was  an 
object  of  distrust  to  government,  and  although  respected  by  many 


408  AARON     BURR. 

distinguished  characters,  was  finally  ordered  from  the  kingdom.  He 
next  repaired  to  France,  where  he  received  still  worse  treatment  from 
Napoleon,  being  not  only  most  strictly  watched,  but  even  refused  a 
passage  to  his  own  country.  His  life  at  this  time,  appears  to  have 
been  one  of  wretchedness,  and  his  pecuniary  means  were  so  low, 
that  he  was  frequently  reduced  to  the  utmost  distress.  At  length  he 
was  permitted  to  leave  France  for  Amsterdam,  from  whence  he  sailed 
for  America.  On  the  way,  he  was  captured  by  an  English  frigate, 
and  conveyed  to  Yarmouth.  Here  he  was  obliged  to  remain  for  five 
months  ;  so  that  it  was  not  until  the  8th  of  June,  1812,  four  years 
after  leaving  his  native  country,  that  he  again  reached  its  shores. 

The  subsequent  career  of  Colonel  Burr  may  be  comprised  in  a  few 
words.  He  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  the  bar,  with  a  success 
as  rapid  as  it  was  flattering.  All  ambitious  projects  seemed  now  to 
have  left  his  bosom ;  and  he  rarely  took  part  in  politics,  unless  at 
the  presidential  contest,  and  then  only  among  particular  friends.  The 
death  of  his  grandson,  Aaron  Burr  Allston,  and  the  loss  of  his  only 
daughter,  in  a  ship  supposed  to  have  been  wrecked  or  captured  by 
pirates,  severed  the  last  domestic  ties  which  held  him  to  earth,  and 
exerted  a  perceptible  influence  on  all  his  subsequent  life.  "  For  two 
or  three  years  before  his  death,"  says  his  biographer,  "  he  suffered 
under  the  effects  of  a  paralysis.  Much  of  the  time,  he  was  in  a 
measure  helpless,  so  far  as  locomotion  was  concerned.  His  general 
health  however,  was  tolerably  good,  by  using  great  precaution  in  his 
diet.  He  had  long  abstained  from  the  use  of  either  tea  or  coffee,  as 
affecting  his  nervous  system.  His  mind  retained  much  of  its  vigor, 
and  his  memory,  as  to  events  of  long  standing,  seems  to  have  been 
unimpaired.  Under  sufferings  of  body  or  mind  he  seldom  complained  ; 
but  during  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  became  more  restive  and 
impatient.  The  friends  of  his  youth  had  gone  before  him;  all  the 
ties  of  consanguinity  which  could  operate  in  uniting  him  to  the 
world,  were  severed  asunder.  To  him  there  remained  no  brother, 
no  sister,  no  child,  no  lineal  descendant.  He  had  numbered  four- 
score years,  and  seemed  anxious  for  the  arrival  of  the  hour  when  his 
eyes  should  be  closed  in  everlasting  sleep. 

In  the  summer  of  1836,  Colonel  Burr  was  removed  to  Staten 
Island  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  Here  he  expired,  on  the  14th 
of  September,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  His  remains  were 
afterwards  removed  to  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  in  accordance  with 
his  own  request,  and  interred  in  the  college  ground,  with  the  honors 
of  war,  and  in  presence  of  a  large  body  of  spectators. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  was  born  in  the 
Island  of  Nevis,  in  the  British  West  Indies, 
on  the  eleventh  of  January,  1757.  His  ances- 
try vv^ere  Scottish.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  Island  of  St.  Croix,  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Knox,  a  Presby- 
terian divine,  who  gave  to  his  mind  a  strong- 
religious  bias  that  never  left  it.  At  an  early 
age  he  was  placed  as  a  clerk  in  the  counting- 
house  of  a  Mr.  Cruger,  a  merchant  of  St.  Croix,  in  whose  service 
he  began  to  display  the  wonderful  talents  which  have  made  his  name 
so  distinguished.  At  the  age  of  twelve,  we  find  him  writing  to  a 
school-fellow  :  "  I  contemn  the  grovelling  condition  of  a  clerk,  to 
which  my  fortune  condemns  me,  and  would  willingly  risk  my  life, 
though  not  my  character,  to  exalt  my  station ;  I  mean  to  prepare 
the  way  for  futurity." 

All  his  leisure  moments  were  devoted  to  study,  and  nothing  was 

409 


410  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 

omitted  that  could  exalt  his  mind  or  increase  his  knowledge.  He 
wrote  an  account  of  the  hurricane  that  swept  over  some  of  the  West 
India  islands,  in  1772,  so  graphic  and  elegant,  as  to  excite  general 
admiration,  and,  though  he  had  published  it  anonymously,  his 
authorship  was  discovered.  His  gratified  friends  determined  to  send 
him  to  New  York,  that  he  might  receive  a  liberal  education.  Arriving 
at  New  York  in  October,  1772,  he  studied  with  Mr.  Francis  Barber, 
afterwards  Colonel  Barber,  of  the  revolutionary  army,  until  the  close 
of  1773,  when  he  entered  King's,  now  Columbia  College,  New 
York.  A  mind  endowed  in  so  extraordinary  a  manner  as  was  his, 
could  not  refrain  from  taking  an  active  side  in  the  great  questions  of 
colonial  rights,  then  under  discussion.  Several  anonymous  tracts 
and  elaborate  pamphlets  proceeded  from  his  pen,  in  which  he  took 
the  broadest  ground  in  the  defence  of  the  colonists,  and  ui^ged  the 
policy  of  encouraging  domestic  manufactures,  and  the  production,  in 
the  south,  of  cotton,  that  the  whole  continent  might  be  able  to  clothe 
itself.  In  the  course  of  these  publications,  he  became  involved  in  a 
controversy  with  Dr.  Cooper,  the  head  of  the  college,  and  other  able 
logicians,  in  which  he  displayed  such  great  powers,  that  the  learned 
doctor  held  to  be  absurd  the  idea  that  so  young  a  man  as  Hamilton 
could  be  his  opponent.  In  July,  1774,  Hamilton  appeared  at  a  public 
meeting,  held  where  the  Park  now  is,  in  front  of  the  City  Hall,  New 
York,  and  made  a  speech  characterized  by  eloquence  and  force.  He 
was  then  seventeen  years  of  age. 

|N  the  following  year,  while  still  at  college, 
^^g  he  joined  a  volunteer  corps  of  militia  in 


^*  "^  """^  -~"  =  New  York,  and  studied  and  reduced  to 
'^1  '  _  practice,  the  details  of  military  tactics. 
~J'  '  '^  J^^^^^^S^J  ^t  the  same  time  he  was  busily  engaged 
^^— ^— ^^i ~^^^"^-°~ ^  ^^  investigating  the  several  points  of 
__^^^^^^He=.--=^'^  -  political  science,  relative  to  commerce, 
^^^^^^^^^_?T^^.  the  balance  of  trade,  and  the  circulating 

On  the  14th  of  March,  1776,  he  was  appointed  captain  of  a  pro- 
vincial company  of  artillery,  in  New  York  city,  and  in  that  rank  he 
was  soon  in  active  service.  He  brought  up  the  rear  in  the  retreat  of 
the  army  from  Long  Island,  and  succeeded  in  attracting  the  notice 
and  esteem  of  Washington  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  the  W^hite 
Plains,  in  October  of  that  year.  Unflinching  in  the  cause,  and  ac- 
tive in  his  duty,  he  remained  at  the  head  of  his  company  during  the 
retreat  through  the  Jerseys,  at  Trenton  and  at  Princeton.  On  the 
first  of  March,  1777,  he  was  made  aid-de-camp  to  General  Wash 
ington,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel ;  and  he  continued  to  be  a 


SERVICES     AT     MONMOUTH     AND     YORKTOWN 


411 


member  of  the  family  of  the  commander-in-chief  until  the  year 
1781.  General  Washington  called  him  his  "principal  and  most 
confidential  aid."  In  that  station  he  had  every  opportunity  of 
making  known  his  talents  and  accomplishments.  His  knowledge  of 
the  French  language,  joined  to  his  kindness  and  his  desire  to  be  of 
use  to  them,  won  upon  the  French  officers  in  the  service  of  our 
country,  and,  among  others,  General  La  Fayette  and  Baron  Steuben, 
became  strongly  attached  to  him.  The  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  latter  officer  enabled  Colonel  Hamilton  to  become  fully  ac- 
quainted with  his  merits,  and  he  therefore  recommended  him  to  Gene- 
ral Washington  as  the  most  suitable  person  for  the  important  office 
of  inspector  general,  while  Hamilton's  own  abilities  were  tested  by 
the  task  of  designating  the  powers  and  duties  of  this  new  officer. 

N  November,  1777,  Colonel  Hamilton 
w^as  sent  to  Albany,  to  obtain  a  rein- 
forcement of  three  brigades  from  Gene- 
ral Gates  for  the  army  opposed  to 
General  Howe  in  Philadelphia,  and  he 
succeeded  in  getting  two  of  the  three 
without  displaying  his  absolute  au- 
thority to  the  irascible  Gates,  who 
showed  much  reluctance  to  complying 
with  the  requisition.  By  the  advice 
and  persuasions  of  Colonel  Hamilton,  the  battle  of  Monmouth  was 
resolved  upon  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  a  council 
of  war  ;  and  the  young  soldier  displayed  the  greatest  gallantry  in  the 
battle,  fighting  under  the  orders  of  General  La  Fayette.  In  October, 
1780,  he  earnestly  recommended  the  appointment  of  General  Greene 
to  the  command  of  the  southern  army,  as  a  general  "whose  genius," 
he  said,  "  carried  in  it  all  the  resources  of  war."  When  he  retired 
from  the  family  of  General  Washington,  he  still  retained  his  rank  in 
the  army,  and  was  exceedingly  desirous  to  obtain  a  separate  com- 
mand in  some  light  corps  in  the  army.  He  was  gratified,  after  some 
time,  with  the  command  of  a  corps  of  light  infantry,  attached  to  the 
division  under  the  command  of  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette.  He  led 
the  night  attack  upon  one  of  the  enemy's  redoubts  at  Yorktown, 
which  were  carried  with  a  rapidity  and  bravery  only  equalled  by  the 
more  modern  exploits  of  American  arms.  The  active  service  of  the 
army  being  now  ended.  Colonel  Hamilton  turned  his  attention  to  the 
profession  of  the  law,  fitted  himself  for  its  practice  with  amazing 
facility,  and  was  admitted,  in  1782,  to  the  bar  of  the  supreme  court 
of  New  York. 

Although  the  principal  labor  of  the  correspondence  of  the  com- 


412  ALEXANDER   HAMILTON. 

mander-in-chief  had  fallen  upon  Colonel  Hamilton  while  an  aid,  he 
had  nevertheless  found  time  to  investigate  the  burdens  that  pressed 
most  heavily  upon  the  colonies  during  the  war.  The  loss  of  public 
credit  through  the  enormous  issues  of  paper  currency,  and  the  conse- 
quent inability  of  the  government  and  the  army  to  sustain  them- 
selves and  support  the  war,  called  forth  all  his  energies  to  find  a 
means  of  relief.  His  letters  upon  the  subject  to  Robert  Morris,  in 
1779,  produced  the  formation  of  the  Bank  of  Pennsylvania,  which 
by  lending  its  aid  to  the  national  bank,  established  also  by  the  sug- 
gestion and  according  to  the  plan  of  Hamilton,  enabled  it  to  retrieve 
in  a  measure  the  credit  of  the  country,  and  support  the  army  till  the 
conclusion  of  the  war. 

OLONEL  HAMILTON,  in  1780,  wrote  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Duane,  a  member  of  Congress  from  New 
York,  on  the  state  of  the  nation,  which  is  the 
most  able  paper  upon  the  subject  that  appeared 
during  the  war.  In  his  plan  for  remedying  the 
defects,  contained  in  the  letter,  he  sketched  the 
outline  of  our  present  constitution,  almost  as  it 
was  afterwards  adopted.  He  was  then  just  twenty-three  years  of 
age.  He  resumed  this  subject  in  a  series  of  anonymous  essays  in  a 
country  paper  of  New  York,  in  the  winter  of  178  1—2,  with  his  usual 
ability.  The  New  York  legislature  elected  him  to  Congress  in  1782, 
to  the  proceedings  of  which  body  he  speedily  gave  a  new  and  more 
vigorous  tone.  In  all  he  did,  his  clear  and  sound  reasoning,  and 
the  manly  and  graceful  powers  of  his  mind  were  conspicuous.  His 
labors  in  the  public  service  were  incessant.  He  was  the  foremost 
man  of  the  New  York  delegation  to  the  convention,  for  the  forma- 
tion of  the  constitution  ;  his  counsels  and  almost  unanswerable  argu- 
ments were  heard  upon  every  important  point,  and,  after  its  adoption, 
he  entered  the  field  as  its  most  able  defender.  Of  the  eighty-five 
papers  published  over  the  signature  of  "Pw^Zms,"  and  collected  into 
the  two  volumes  called  "  The  Federalist,"  he  wrote  more  than  fifty. 
The  others  were  the  work  of  Mr.  Madison  and  Mr.  Jay.  The 
familiarity  with  the  subject,  acquired  in  preparing  these  immortal 
documents,  and  his  participation  in  the  proceedings  of  the  convention, 
enabled  him  to  bring-  all  the  wisdom  of  the  commentator  to  aid  his 
eloquence  as  an  orator,  when  it  became  his  duty  to  defend  the  con- 
stitution in  the  New  York  state  convention,  assembled  to  adopt  or 
reject  it. 

His  triumphant  success  in  managing  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the 
nation,  after  the  formation  of  the  new  government,  under  President 
Washington,  is  too  well  known  to  require  repetition.     Whenever  the 


DEATH     OF     HAMILTON. 


413 


name  of  Washington  is  mentioned  as  the  founder  of  our  happy- 
government,  the  memory  of  Hamilton  will  suggest  itself  as  its 
brightest  ornament  and  the  firmest  pillar  of  its  support.  Jt  was  by 
the  advice  of  Hamilton  that  General  Washington  issued  his  famous 
proclamation  of  neutrality,  in  April,  1793,  which  afterwards  formed 
the  ground-work  of  the  foreign  policy  of  the  first  president,  and  by 
his  advice  Mr.  Jay  was  sent  to  conclude  his  famous  treaty  with  Great 
Britain,  as  minister  extraordinary,  in  1794.  Although  he  had  retired 
from  the  cabinet  when  Mr.  Jay's  treaty  became  the  subject  of  popular 
discussion,  yet  he  defended  its  wisdom  and  justice  in  a  series  of 
papers  over  the  signature  of  Camillus,  in  the  summer  of  1795.  Few 
among  American  state  papers  are  more  able  than  these  productions. 
Colonel  Hamilton  was  again  involved  in  a  political  discussion,  on 
the  occasion  of  the  ill  treatment  received  by  our  government  from 
the  French  republic.  His  essays  upon  this  subject  were  published 
under  the  signature  of  Titus  Manlius,  and  suggested  the  proper 
course  to  be  that,  which  was  shortly  afterwards  adopted  by  the 
government.  At  the  recommendation  of  General  Washington,  Colo- 
nel Hamilton  was  appointed  inspector-general  of  the  small  army  that 
was  raised  in  anticipation  of  hostilities  with  France  in  1798. 

N  the  winter  of  1804,  Colonel  Aaron  Burr 
was  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  governor 
of  the  state  of  New  York.  At  a  public 
meeting.  Colonel  Hamilton  declared  that 
he  considered  Colonel  Burr  an  unsafe  and  unfit 
person  to  be  placed  in  such  an  office  ;  expressions 
for  which  Colonel  Burr  thought  proper  to  call  him 
to  an  account  in  the  next  year,  after  he  had  been 
defeated.  Colonel  Hamilton,  opposed  as  he  was  to  the  practice  of 
duelling,  nevertheless  thought  it  necessary  to  meet  him  in  the  field. 
He  fell  on  the  12th  of  July,  1806,  mourned  most  sincerely  by  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country.  The  subsequent  mysterious  conduct  of 
Colonel  Burr,  while  it  proved  the  justice  of  Hamilton's  opinion,  pro- 
duced no  effect  upon  his  character,  in  comparison  with  the  odium  he 
incurred  by  his  conduct  in  the  dispute  with  the  lamented  Hamilton. 
The  last  years  of  the  life  of  Colonel  Hamilton  were  devoted  to  the 
practice  of  the  law  in  New  York,  where  he  enjoyed  an  overwhelming 
share  of  business.  The  able  author  of  his  biography  in  the  National 
Portrait  Gallery,  says  of  him  :  "  He  was  a  great  favorite  with  the 
New  York  merchants,  and  he  justly  deserved  to  be  so,  for  he  had 
uniformly  proved  himself  to  be  an  enlightened,  intrepid,  and  perse- 
vering friend  to  the  commercial  prosperity  of  the  country.  He  was 
a  great  master  of  commercial  law,  as  well  as  of  the  principles  of 


414 


ALEXANl^ER    HAMILTON. 


international  jurisprudence.  There  were  no  deep  recesses  of  the 
science  which  he  did  not  explore.  He  would  occasionally  draw  from 
the  fountains  of  the  civil  law,  and  illustrate  and  enforce  the  enlight- 
ened decisions  of  Mansfield,  by  the  severe 
judgment  of  Emerigon,  and  the  lucid 
commentaries  of  Valin.  In  short,  he  con 
ferred  dignity  and  high  reputation  on  the 
profession,  of  which  he  was  indisputably 
the  first  of  the  first  rank,  by  his  indefati 
gable  industry,  his  thorough  researches, 
his  logical  powers,  his  solid  judgment,  his 
winning  candor,  and  his  matchless  elo- 
quence." 

The  popularity  of   General   Hamilton 
with  the  merchants  of  New  York  was  not 
a  transient   one.      So   late   as   the  year 
1835,  his  statue  was  placed  by  them  in 
the  Exchange  of  the    great   commercial 
metropolis,  destined  unfortunately  to  be 
destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  that  year.   A 
cotemporary  journalist  says  : 
"  If  any  specimen  of  statuary  can  impress  the  beholder  with  exalted 
ideas  of  the  art  of  sculpture,  it  is  the  statue  of  Alexander  Hamilton, 
To  look  upon  it,  is  to  see  Hamilton  himself ;  and  to  feel  almost 
conscious  that  we  are  in  his  living  presence.     When  we  disburthen 
ourselves  of  the  impression  that  it  is  him,  the  mind  is  filled  with  admi- 
ration at  the  triumph  of  that  noble  art  that   can  make  the  marble 
almost   warm   with  life.     There    stands  the  form    of  Hamilton  in 
majesty,  yet  repose  ;  there  is  the  broad  and  noble  forehead,  the  ma- 
jestic and  thoughtful  brow,  the  free,  intelligent,  commanding  eye  ; 
you  almost  perceive  the  temples  throb,  you  mark  every  line  of  fea- 
ture, and  every  expression  of  countenance.     The  limbs  and  form  are 
chastely  imagined,  and  the  whole  is  invested  with  dignity  and  grace, 
eloquence  and  power.     The  Roman  toga  hangs  gracefully  over  the 
left  shoulder  ;  the  right  hand,  resting  upon  an  oblong  polished  pedestal, 
holds  a  scroll,  which  may  represent  the  act  empowering  the  funding 
of  the  national  debt,  with  the  seal  of  government  appended  ;  the  left 
arm  hangs  gracefully  by  his  side.     It  is  almost  a  speaking  statue; 
beautiful  in  design,  and  wonderful  in  the  execution,  which  has  carried 
the  minutest  parts  to  extraordinary  perfection.     What  a  powerful 
conception,  strong  imagination,  discriminating  taste,  excellent  judg- 
ment, and  skilful  hand,  must  distinguish  the  artist  who    can  chisel 
such  a  '  human  form  divine,'  to  which  we  may  apply  the  adage, 


STATUE      OF     HAMILTON. 


415 


naseitur,  non  fit.  Of  this  order  we  may  class  Mr.  Ball  Hughes  of 
New  York,  to  whose  skilful  hand  the  country  is  indebted  for  this  -mag- 
nificent production.  For  him,  the  statue  of  Hamilton  speaks  higher 
and  more  enduring  encomiums  than  the  most  lavish  praise.  To  look 
on  this  statue,  or  the  monument  of  Bishop  Hobart  in  Trinity  Church, 
or  the  busts  of  Edward  Livingston  and  others,  is  to  be  convinced  of 
his  superior  talents. 

"  The  statue  of  Hamilton  was  chiselled  from  a  solid  block  of  white 
Italian  marble,  weighing  nine  tons  ;  was  about  two  years  in  the  hands 
of  the  artist,  and  weighs  now  one  and  a  half  tons.  It  is  purely  white, 
highly  finished,  and  finely  contrasts  with  the  blue  granite  pedestal  on 
which  it  stands,  fourteen  feet  high.  It  adorns  the  centre  of  the  great 
room  in  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  where  it  was  first  exposed  to  view 
about  the  middle  of  April  last.  It  was  erected  by  the  merchants  of 
the  city,  at  a  cost  of  six  thousand  to  eight  thousand  dollars.  We  are 
happy  to  coincide  with  Colonel  Trumbull  in  this  matter,  in  thinking 
that  '  there  are  very  few  pieces  of  statuary  in  Europe  superior  to 
this,  and  not  twenty-five  sculptors  in  the  universe  who  can  surpass 
this  work.' " 


Tomb  of  Hamiltxin. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  WILLIAM  HEATH. 


AJOR    GENERAL    WILLIAM    HEATH    was 

born  in  Massachusetts,  on  the  second  of  March, 
1737,  and  was  of  the  fifth  generation,  on  whom 
the  family  estate  had  devoh^ed.  His  education 
was  plain,  and  suited  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
Although  hred  to  a  farmer's  life,  he  very  early 
displayed  a  fondness  for  military  life.  By  the 
reading  of  military  works,  he  became  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  profession  of  arms.  In  1765,  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  ancient  and  honorable  artillery  company  of  Boston.  Immedi- 
ately after  this,  at  the  solicitation  of  the  colonel  of  the  first  regiment 
of  Suffolk  militia,  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Bernard  to 
command  the  colonel's  own  company.  He  subsequently  served  as 
lieutenant,  and  aftewards  as  captain  of  that  ancient  and  honorable 
corps,  into  which  he  had  first  been  received.  A  strong  private 
attachment  grew  up  between  Governor  Bernard  and  Captain  Heath, 
notwithstanding  a  difference  of  opinion  with  respect  to  the  troubles 
which  were  then  in  embryo. 

About  the  time  of  the  Boston  massacree,  1770,  Captain  Heath 
commenced  a  series  of  addresses  to  the  public,  signed  "  A  Military 
Countryman."  In  these  addresses,  he  pointed  out  to  the  colonists 
the  importance  of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  arms,  and  an  acquaint- 
ance with  military  discipline. 

Governor  Hutchinson,  successor  to  Bernard,  in  reorganizing  the 
Suffolk  militia,  left  Captain  Heath  out  of  his  command,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  known  attachment  to  the  colonial  rights.  When, 
however,  the  crisis  had  so  far  advanced,  that  the  colonists  determined 

to  choose  their  own  officers,  to  prepare  for  a  final  appeal  for  redress 
416 


APPOINTED     A     MAJOR      GENERAL. 


417 


Governor  Hu.tc'hinson. 


of  grievances,  Captain  Heath  was  chosen  by  the  officers  of  the  first 
regiment  pf  militia  of  Suffolk  county  to  be  their  colonel. 

In  1775,  the  Provincial  Congress,  which  then  held  their  sittings  at 
Cambridge,  appointed  Colonel  Heath  one  of  their  generals.  The 
generals  then  appointed  were  authorized  to  oppose,  with  the  troops 
under  their  respective  commands,  the  carryinginto  execution  of  the  act 
of  the  British  parliament,  for  the  better  regulation  of  the  province 
of  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
impolitic  measures  the  British  ministry  could  have  adopted  ;  instead 
of  its  producing  the  anticipated  result,  it  only  served  to  blow  into 
a  flame  the  embers  of  discontent,  which  sound  policy  would  have 
induced  them  to  extinguish.  Resistance  to  this  act,  and  to  others 
equally  tyrannical,  was  regarded  by  the  colonists  as  an  imperative 
duty. 

General  Heath  was  actively  employed  in  the  fulfilment  of  the 
duties  assigned  him,  both  as  a  general  officer  and  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  of  safety,  of  which  latter  he  had  been  made  a  member. 
The  battles  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill  witnessed  his  devotion 
to  the  colonial  rights.  The  day  following  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
he  appointed  Mr.  Joseph  Ward  his  aid-de-camp  and  secretary.  A 
few  days  subsequent  to  the  battle.  General  Heath  was  ordered  with 
four  regiments  to  Roxbury,  where  he  remained  until  July.  In  the 
organization  of  the  army  by  the  Continental  Congress,  General  Heath 
was  the  fourth  brigadier  general  in  numerical  order,  previous  to 

27 


418 


WILLIAM     HEATH. 


which  arrangement  being  known  in  camp,  he  had  received  a  commis- 
sion of  major-general  from  the  Provincial  Congress. 

BOUT  the  time  the  Americans  were  fortify- 
ing themselves  in  Cambridge  and  Roxbury, 
General  Heath  prevailed  upon  Captain 
Henry  Knox,  of  the  Boston  grenadiers,  to 
join  the  army.  The  disposition  of  Knox 
did  not  require  much  eloquence  to  induce 
him  to  engage  in  the  defence  of  the  colo- 
nies. He  subsequently  rose  to  the  chief 
command  of  the  artillery,  and  was  de- 
servedly high  in  the  public  estimation 
throughout  the  war. 
On  the  night  of  the  23d  of  November,  1775,  General  Heath  was 
ordered  with  a  detachment  to  Cobble's  Hill,  to  complete  the  works 
begun  the  preceding  evening  by  a  fatigue  party  under  General  Put- 
nam. While  the  work  was  going  on,  General  Heath  pointed  out  to 
his  men  how  to  act,  so  as  to  receive  the  least  possible  injury  from  the 
fire  of  the  enemy's  floating  batteries  in  the  adjacent  waters.  Heath 
was  relieved,  as  Putnam  had  been,  and  his  men  retired  from  the 
position  uninjured  and  unmolested.  The  main  army  remained  in  the 
vicinity  of  Boston,  occasionally  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  until 
March,  1776.  The  defensive  works  which  had  been  thrown  up 
during  this  period  were  of  much  service,  so  much,  in  fact,  that  the 
British  garrison  were  obliged  to  evacuate  Boston  on  the  17th  of 
March,  and  retire  to  Halifax. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  General  Heath  was  ordered  to  New  York 
with  the  troops  under  General  Putnam,  destined  for  the  defence  of 
that  important  station.  In  the  following  August,  Generals  Spencer, 
Greene,  Sullivan  and  Heath,  respectively  received  from  Congress 
commissions  as  major-generals,  dating  from  the  9th  of  the  same 
month. 

After  his  promotion,  the  command  of  the  troops  posted  above 
King's  bridge,  and  of  all  troops  and  stations  on  the  north  end  of 
York  Island,  was  given  him.  While  the  main  body  of  the  enemy 
were  engaged  in  active  operations  on  Long  Island,  a  brig  and  two 
ships  anchored  a  little  above  Frog  Point.  General  Heath  detached 
Colonel  Graham,  with  his  regiment,  to  prevent  any  of  their  crews 
from  landing.  The  different  operations  of  the  enemy  kept  the 
general  incessantly  engaged  in  the  duties  of  his  station. 

In  September,  in  consequence  of  information  which  he  had  re- 
ceived, General  Heath  devised  a  plan  for  carrying  oflT  some  British 
with  their  baggage,  who  were  remaining  on  Montrefore  Island.    The 


heath's    services    in    new    .tersev.  419 

plan  however  failed,  the  detachment  was  compelled  to  return,  with  the 
loss  of  fifteen  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing-.  During  this  month 
the  various  movements  of  the  British  gave  the  general  full  em- 
ployment. 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  the  Hessians  at  Trenton,  and  the 
battle  of  Princeton,  which  General  Washington  communicated  to 
General  Heath  in  the  beginning  of  J-anuary,  1777,  he  was  ordered 
to  move  his  force  towards  New  York,  to  impress  a  belief  on  the 
enemy,  that  that  city  was  the  object  of  his  attention.  The  object 
of  this  feint  was  to  afford  the  enemy  an  opportunity  of  facilitating 
their  retreat  through  New  Jersey. 

In  pursuance  of  these  orders  the  general  was  engaged  in  carrying 
them  into  execution  until  the  10th  of  March,  when  he  obtained 
leave  of  absence  from  the  commander-in-chief,  for  a  short  time  to 
visit  his  family.  On  his  return  he  was  invested  with  the  command 
of  the  eastern  department,  in  consequence  of  the  resignation  of 
General  Ward.  He  therefore  immediately  retraced  his  steps  to 
Boston,  in  order  to  assume  the  duties  incumbent  upon  him  in  the  sta- 
tion assigned  him. 

The  active  duties  of  so  important  a  station  occupied  the  general's 
attention  incessantly ;  and  when  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  took 
place,  his  troops  being  sent  prisoners  to  Boston,  the  charge  of  them 
of  course  fell  upon  General  Heath  as  commander  of  the  eastern 
department  of  the  army.  This  was  a  delicate  duty,  and  attended 
with  considerable  difficulty. 

The  numerous  difficulties  which  had  impeded  the  fulfilment  of  the 
articles  of  the  capitulation  of  the  British  army  to  General  Gates, 
were  so  far  removed  by  the  latter  part  of  March,  as  to  permit  the 
return  of  General  Burgoyne  to  England.  After  General  Burgoyne's 
departure,  General  Heath  entered  into  a  negotiation  with  the  British 
General  Pigot  for  the  future  supply  of  the  whole  captive  army. 
This  act  received  the  approval  of  Congress. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  a  British  officer  was  shot  by  an  American 
sentinel ;  the  moment  General  Heath  became  acquainted  with  the 
circumstance,  he  ordered  the  sentinel  placed  under  arrest,  and  a 
coroner's  inquest  to  be  held  over  the  body  of  the  deceased,  and  ac- 
quainted General  Phillips  with  the  circuriistance,  and  the  proceedings 
which  he  had  ordered  thereon.  It  appeared  by  the  coroner's  inquest, 
that  the  deceased,  (Lieutenant  Brown,  of  the  twenty-first  regiment,) 
in  company  with  two  females,  had  attempted  to  pass  the  line  of 
sentinels  without  complying  with  the  necessary  formalities.  Some 
little  difficulty  now  occurred  between  General  Phillips,  the  senior 
captive  officer,  and  General  Heath,  but  Heath  was  steady  to  his  duty, 


420  WILLIAM     HEATH. 

and  Phillips  was  obliged  to  submit.  In  the  case  of  Brown's  death,  the 
course  pursued  by  General  Heath  received  the  approval  of  Congress, 
as  appeared  by  a  resolution  passed  by  that  body,  July  7th,  1778. 

On  the  12th  of  November,  1778,  General  Heath  was  replaced  in 
the  eastern  department  by  General  Gates,  and  on  the  2d  of  April, 
the  command  again  devolved  upon  him.  He  remained  in  Boston  till 
June,  when  he  received  orders  from  General  Washington  to  join  the 
main  army.  On  the  23d  of  June  he  was  invested  with  the  command 
of  all  the  colonial  troops  east  of  the  Hudson  river.  This  change  of 
situation  brought  him  again  into  the  duties  of  the  field,  from  which 
his  situation  at  the  head  of  the  eastern  department  had  for  some  time 
relieved  him.  On  the  30th  of  June,  he  received  a  notification  from 
John  Jay,  Esq.,  President  -of  Congress,  announcing  his  election  as  a 
commissioner  of  the  board  of  war,  with  a  salary  of  four  thousand 
dollars  per  annum,  retaining  at  the  same  time  his  rank  in  the  army. 
This  proffer  of  Congress  Heath  declined,  as  he  manifested  a  wish  to 
remain  in  the  station  which  he  then  held. 

On  the  1 1th  of  July,  General  Heath,  according  to  orders  from  Gen- 
eral Washington,  marched  his  division  for  Bedford,  in  Connecticut, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  14th,  and  finding  that  the  British  shipping 
had  gone  down  the  Sound  toward  New  York,  he  took  a  strong  position 
between  Bedford  and  Ridgefield.  In  order  to  withdraw  the  attention 
of  the  British  from  Connecticut,  General  Washington  planned  the 
surprise  of  Stony  Point,  which  General  W^ayne  so  gallantly  executed. 
On  the  Americans  removing  from  Stony  Point,  General  Heath  was 
ordered  to  proceed  with  his  division  to  Peekskill,  and  supersede  Gen- 
eral Robert  Howe.  He  also  prevented  General  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
from  executing  his  design  of  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  General  Howe, 
by  taking  possession  of  all  the  passes  in  the  highlands.  General 
Heath  was  actively  engaged  with  his  division  until  the  end  of  the 
campaign.  On  the  28th  of  November  General  Washington  invested 
him  with  the  command  of  all  the  troops  and  posts  on  the  Hudson 
river.  This  was  considered  the  key  of  communication  between  the 
eastern  and  southern  states. 

In  the  latter  end  of  February,  he  obtained  permission  from  Wash- 
ington to  visit  his  family  and  friends  in  New  England.  In  June  he 
was  ordered  to  repair  to  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  to  meet  the 
commander  of  the  French  forces  and  fleet,  which  were  daily  expected. 
The  fleet  arrived  at  Newport,  on  the  1 1th  of  July,  and  the  general 
repaired  thither,  where  he  was  introduced  to  Count  Rochambeau, 
and  the  Chevalier  Ternay,  commanders  of  the  French  land  and  sea 
forces.  Here  commenced  a  close  intimacy  between  General  Heath 
and  Count  Rochambeau,  which  lasted  during  the  whole  war. 


SURRENDER     OF     CORNWALLIS. 


421 


Count  Booham'beau. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  General  Heath,  left  Newport,  m  order  to 
take  command  of  West  Point,  in  place  of  General  Greene,  who  had 
been  ordered  to  supersede  General  Gates  in  the  southern  states. 
Complimentary  letters  of  leave  passed  between  Generals  Rocham- 
beau  and  Heath.  On  the  17th  General  Heath  assumed  the  command 
of  West  Point,  and  the  predatory  excursions  of  the  enemy  afforded 
him  sufficient  employ.  In  July,  1781,  he  was  appointed  to  com- 
mand the  right  wing  of  the  main  army,  then  encamped  at  Phillips- 
burg, 

Tn  the  following  August,  General  Washington  confidentially  com- 
municated to  General  Heath,  a  blow,  which  he  intended  to  strike  the 
enemy,  for  which  purpose  he  detached  a  portion  of  the  army  south- 
ward, leaving  Heath  in  command  of  the  main  army  during  his  absence, 
with  orders  to  act  only  on  the  defensive.  On  the  28th  of  October, 
he  received  a  despatch  from  Washington,  announcing  the  success  of 
the  meditated  blow,  which  had  terminated  in  the  surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis  and  the  British  army  at  Yorktown,  in  Virginia. 

General  Washington  returned  from  the  south  in  the  following  April, 
and  established  his  head-quarters  at  Newburg,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Hudson  river.     On  resuming  the  command,  General  Washington 


422 


WILLIAM     HEATH. 


"Wasliirigton's  Head-Quarters  at  NewbTxrg. 

publicly  returned  his  thanks  to  General  Heath  for  the  successful 
execution  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  during  his  absence. 

The  army  being- now  inactive,  General  Heath,  by  leave  of  the  com- 
mander4«n-chief,  proceeded  on  the  5th  of  December  to  visit  his  farm 
in  Roxbury,  and  returned  to  head-quarters  at  Newburg  on  the  14th 
of  April  following.  The  revolutionary  contest  had  now  drawn  to  a 
close  ;  news  had  been  received  that  a  treaty  of  peace  had  been  signed ; 
and  on  the  19th  of  April  the  welcome  tidings  were  published  at  head- 
quarters. General  Heath  was  the  first  officer  who  ordered  and  gave 
directions  for  the  guard  at  Prospect-hill,  in  1775,  after  the  battle  of  the 
19th  of  April  in  that  year,  and  he  was  left  the  last  general  of  the  day 
in  the  main  army  to  perform  the  duties  affixed  to  that  station,  1783. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  General  Heath  received  a  letter  from  Gen- 
eral Washington,  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of  him,  which  was 
couched  in  the  strongest  language  of  friendship.  On  the  same  day 
General  Heath  started  for  his  residence  in  Massachusetts,  where,  on 
his  arrival,  he  exchanged  the  habiliments  of  a  soldier  for  the  garb  of 
a  private  citizen.  The  general  in  the  evening  of  his  days  reposed  in 
domestic  felicity,  enjoying  the  reward  of  his  toils,  in  the  warm  affec- 
tion of  a  people  in  whose  cause  his  life  had  frequently  been  placed  in 
jeopardy.  General  Heath  died  at  his  seat  in  Roxbury,  January  24th, 
1814,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 


COLONEL  ZEBULON  BUTLER. 


EBULON  BUTLER  was  born  at  Lyme,  in 
the  state  of  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1731. 
He  entered  early  in  life  into  the  service  of  his 
country  in  the  provincial  troops  of  his  native 
state.  In  this  service  he  remained,  actively 
employed,  for  several  years,  and  rose  from  the 
rank  of  an  ensign  to  the  command  of  a  com- 
pany. He  partook  largely  in  the  transactions 
of  the  war  between  the  English  and  French,  on  the  frontiers  of 
Canada,  particularly  in  the  campaign  of  1758,  at  Fort  Edward, 
Lake  George,  Ticonderoga,  and  Crown  Point.  In  1761  he  was 
again  at  Crown  Point,  and  at  that  time  held  the  rank  of  captain. 
The  history  of  these  transactions  is  well  known,  and  need  not  here 
be  repeated.  In  June,  1762,  Captain  Butler  sailed  with  his  com- 
pany, and  the  other  provincial  troops,  to  reinforce  the  British,  then 
besieging  the  Havana ;  and  on  the  20th  of  July,  the  vessel  in  which 
he  sailed  was  shipwrecked  on  a  reef  of  rocks  on  the  island  of  Cuba. 
They  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape  to  the  shore,  where  they  re- 
mained nine  days,  and  were  then  taken  on  board  a  man  of  war.  Five 
other  ships  were  discovered  also  shipwrecked  on  the  same  side  of 
the  island  ;  and  after  waiting  until  these  were  relieved,  they  again 
steered  for  Havana.     They  arrived  and  anchored  with  the  rest  of 

the  fleet  on  the  9th  of  August,   and  the  next  day  landed   and  en- 

423 


424  ZEBULON     BUTLER. 

camped.  The  sufferings  and  the  success  of  the  British  at  the  siege 
of  Havana  are  matters  of  history.  Captain  Butler  shared  in  the 
dangers  of  the  remainder  of  the  siege,  as  well  as  in  the  honors  and 
profits  of  the  surrender,  which  took  place  shortly  after  the  arrival 
of  the  reinforcements. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  1762,  Captain  Butler  sailed  out  of  the 
harbor  of  Havana,  on  his  return,  on  board  the  Royal  Duke  transport. 
On  the  7th  of  November,  in  latitude  35,  she  ship  sprung  a  leak,  and 
it  was  by  the  greatest  exertions  for  three  days  that  she  could  be  kept 
afloat  until  the  men  were  transferred  to  other  ships.  When  this 
was  accomplished  they  left  the  Royal  Duke  to  sink.  He  arrived  at 
New  York  on  the  21st  day  of  December. 

When  the  aggressions  of  the  British  ministry  compelled  their 
American  colonies  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of  their  rights,  Captain 
Butler  was  among  the  first  to  tender  his  services  to  his  country.  His 
offer  was  accepted,  and  he  was  appointed  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the 
Connecticut  line.  In  this  capacity  he  was  with  the  army  in  the  cam- 
paign of  1777,  in  New  Jersey,  and  served  until  1779,  when  he  was 
appointed  colonel  of  the  second  Connecticut  regiment,  to  rank  as 
such  from  the  13th  of  March,  1778.  Some  time  previous  to  this, 
Colonel  Butler  had  become  interested  in  lands  purchased  of  the 
Indians  by  the  Susquehanna  company,  lying  in  the  valley  of  Wyo- 
ming, and  adjacent  to  the  Susquehanna  river.  He  had  visited  the 
valley,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  it,  that  he  determined  to 
remove  into  it.  This  flourishing  settlement  had  been  established 
by  the  people  of  Connecticut,  and  was  claimed  by  them  by  virtue  of 
their  charter  and  their  purchase  from  the  Indians.  It  consisted  of 
several  large  townships,  beautifully  situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
river  ;  and  that  part  of  it  which  is  included  in  the  valley  of  Wyoming 
was,  and  still  is,  one  of  the  most  delightful  spots  in  our  country.  Its 
situation,  soil,  and  scenery,  cannot  be  surpassed.  It  had  long  been 
the  favorite  abode  of  the  savages,  and  they  viewed,  with  peculiar 
animosity,  its  occupancy  by  strangers.  The  war  in  which  the  colo- 
nists were  engaged  with  the  mother  country,  and  the  encouragement 
and  protection  held  out  by  the  British  to  the  Indians,  afforded  the 
latter  a  good  opportunity  for  gratifying  their  wicked  designs,  in  the 
destruction  of  this  remote  settlement.  This  they,  in  conjunction 
with  the  British  tories,  effectually  accomplished  in  July,  1778. 

This  settlement,  at  an  early  period  of  our  revolutionary  struggle, 
had  been  drained  of  its  effective  force,  by  furnishing  two  companies, 
of  ninety  men  each,  to  the  continental  army.  Soon  after  the  depar- 
ture of  these  troops,  the  Indians  began  to  assume  a  hostile  attitude, 
and  their  conduct,  together  with  other   suspicious    circumstances, 


ATTACK      ON      WYOMING.  427 

led  the  inhabitants  to  suspect  that  some  mischief  was  meditating 
against  them,  though  they  did  not  apprehend  an  immediate  attack. 
For  their  better  security,  several  stockade  forts  were  built  in  the 
different  townships,  and  a  company  of  rangers  was  raised,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Hewitt.  This  company  was  destined  to  remain 
in  the  valley  for  its  defence,  and  to  ascertain  by  its  scouts  the  move- 
ments of  the  Indians,  some  of  whom  were  located  at  their  Indian 
towns,  about  fifty  miles  up  the  Susquehanna.  In  the  spring  of  1778, 
the  settlers,  fearing  an  attack,  sent  an  express  to  the  board  of  war, 
to  represent  the  danger  in  which  the  settlement  at  Wyoming  was  of 
being  destroyed  by  the  Indians  and  tories,  and  to  request  that  the 
men  who  had  gone  from  the  valley,  and  joined  the  continental  army, 
might  be  ordered  to  return,  and  assist  in  the  defence  of  their  homes. 
Their  request  was  granted,  and  a  company,  commanded  by  Captain 
Spalding,  composed  of  what  remained  of  the  two  companies  before 
mentioned  as  having  been  enlisted  at  Wyoming,  set  out  for  the  valley, 
and  were  within  two  days'  march  of  it,  on  the  day  of  the  fatal  battle. 
About  the  first  of  June,  the  same  year,  a  scouting  party  from  Captain 
Hewitt's  company  discovered  a  number  of  canoes,  with  Indians,  on 
the  river  at  some  distance  above  the  settlement,  and  a  few  days  after 
a  party  of  Indians  attacked,  and  killed  or  made  prisoners,  nine  or  ten 
men,  while  at  work  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  about  ten  miles  above 
the  fort.  Many  circumstances  indicated  the  approach  of  a  large 
body  of  the  enemy.  Such  was  the  situation  of  the  settlement  when 
Colonel  Butler  arrived.  This  was  the  latter  part  of  June,  and  but  a 
few  days  before  the  battle.  On  the  first  of  July,  the  militia  under 
the  command"  of  Colonel  Denison,  with  all  others  who  were  capable 
and  willing  to  bear  arms,  assembled  at  the  fort  in  Wilkesbarre,  being 
the  principal  fort.  They  made  an  excursion  against  the  enemy,  killed 
two  Indians,  and  found  the  bodies  of  the  men  who  had  been  mur- 
dered by  them.  When  they  returned,  each  man  was  obliged  to  go 
to  his  own  house  and  furnish  himself  with  provisions,  as  there  were 
none  collected  at  the  fort.  In  consequence  of  this  dispersion,  they 
were  not  able  to  assemble  again  until  the  3d  of  July,  Avhen  their 
whole  strength  amounted  to  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men. 

It  probably  would  have  been  greater,  but  many  of  the  settlers 
chose  rather  to  remain  in  the  other  forts  for  the  purpose  of  defending 
their  families  and  property,  in  which  they  naturally  felt  a  greater  in- 
terest than  in  the  general  welfare.  Of  the  whole  force,  consisting 
of  the  militia  Captain  Hewitt's  company  of  rangers,  and  a  few 
volunteers,  including  several  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  regular  army, 
who  happened  to  be  in  the  valley.  Colonel  Butler  w^as  requested  to 
take  the  command.    The  whole,  as  before  stated,  amounted  to  about 


428  ZEBULON     BUTLER. 

three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  indifferently  furnished  with  arms  and 
ammunition. 

As  the  enemy  had  entered  the  valley  at  the  upper  end,  and  had 
advanced  directly  towards  the  fort,  in  which  the  settlers  were  as- 
sembled, the  object  of  the  savages  was  supposed  to  be  to  attack  them 
in  the  fort.  The  enemy  had  taken  fort  Wintermote,  and  one  other 
small  fort,  and  burnt  them,  and  were  burning  and  laying  waste  the 
whole  country  in  their  progress.  Colonel  Butler  held  a  consultation 
with  the  officers,  and  it  was  decided  to  be  best  to  go  out  and  inter- 
cept the  progress  of  the  enemy,  if  possible,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
scene  of  devastation  which  they  witnessed.  Being  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  country,  they  marched  out  some  distance  from  the  fort,  and 
formed  on  the  bank  of  a  creek,  in  a  very  advantageous  situation. 
Here  they  lay  concealed,  expecting  that  the  enemy  would  advance 
to  attack  the  fort,  and  knowing  that  if  they  did  so  they  would  pass 
the  place  where  the  Americans  were  in  ambush.  In  this  situation 
they  remained  near  half  a  day,  but  no  enemy  appearing,  a  council 
was  called,  in  which  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
expediency  of  advancing  and  attacking  the  enemy,  or  of  returning  to 
the  fort,  there  to  defend  themselves  until  the  arrival  of  Captain 
Spalding's  company,  which  was  daily  expected.  On  the  one  hand, 
the  hope  of  succour,  and  their  uncertainty  as  to  the  strength  of  the 
enemy,  were  urged  as  reasons  for  returning  ;  and  on  the  other,  the 
destruction  of  the  whole  country,  which  would  inevitably  follow  such 
a  step,  together  with  the  insufficiency  of  the  fort,  and  the  want  of 
provisions  to  enable  them  to  stand  a  siege,  were  powerful  reasons  in 
favor  of  risking  an  immediate  battle.  Captain  Lazarus  Stewart,  a 
brave  man,  famous  in  the  country  for  his  exploits  among  the  Indians, 
and  whose  opinion  had  much  weight,  urged  an  immediate  attack  ; 
declaring  that  if  they  did  not  march  forward  that  day  and  attack  the 
enemy,  he  would  withdraw  with  his  whole  company.  This  left  them 
no  alternative,  and  they  advanced  accordingly. 

They  had  not  gone  above  a  mile,  before  the  advance  guard  fired 
upon  some  Indians  who  were  in  the  act  of  plundering  and  burning  a 
house.  These  fled  to  their  camp,  and  gave  the  alarm  that  the  Ameri- 
cans were  approaching.  Fort  Wintermote  was  at  this  time  the  head- 
quarters of  the  enemy.  Their  whole  force,  consisting  of  Indians, 
British,  and  tories,  was,  as  near  as  could  be  afterwards  ascertained, 
about  one  thousand  men,  and  was  commanded  by  Colonel  John  But- 
ler, an  officer  of  the  British  army,  and  an  Indian  chief  called  Brandt. 
They  were  apparently  unapprised  of  the  movements  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, until  the  return  to  the  main  body  of  those  Indians  who  had 
been  fired  upon.     They  immediately  extended   themselves  in  a  line 


OPERATIONS     IN     WYOMING. 


iQ9 


Brandt. 


from  the  fort,  across  a  plain  covered  with  pine  trees  and  underbrush. 
When  formed,  the  right  of  the  enemy  rested  on  a  swamp,  and  their 
left  on  Fort  Wintermote.  The  Americans  marched  to  the  attack 
also  in  a  line,  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  leading  on  the  right  wing, 
opposed  by  Colonel  John  Butler,  at  the  head  of  the  British  troops, 
painted  to  resemble  Indians  ;  Colonel  Denison  was  on  the  left,  and 
opposed  by  Brandt  and  the  Indians.  In  this  position,  the  parties 
engaged,  and  each  supported  its  ground  for  some  time  with  much 
firmness.  At  length  the  Americans  on  the  right  had  the  advantage 
of  the  fight,  having  forced  the  enemy's  left  wing  to  retire  some  dis- 
tance. But  on  the  left  the  battle  soon  wore  a  different  aspect.  The 
Indians,  having  penetrated  the  swamp,  were  discovered  attempting 
to  get  into  their  rear.  Colonel  Denison  immediately  gave  orders 
for  the  left  to  fall  back  and  meet  them  as  they  came  out  of  the 
swamp.  This  order  was  misunderstood,  and  some  of  the  men  or  offi- 
cers cried  out,  "the  colonel  orders  a  retreat."  The  left  immediately 
gave  way,  and  before  they  could  be  undeceived  as  to  the  object  of 
the  order,  the  line  broke,  and  the  Indians  rushed  on  with  hideous 
yells.  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  who  had  continued  on  horseback 
throughout  the  day,  finding  that  the  right  wing  was  doing  well,  rode 
towards  the  left.  When  he  got  a  little  more  than  half-way  down 
the  line,  he  discovered  that  his  men  were  retreating,  and  that  he  was 


430 


ZEBTJLON     BUTLER. 


between  the  two  fires,  and  near  the  advancing  line  of  the  enemy. 
The  right  had  no  notice  of  the  retreat,  until  the  firing  on  the  left 
had  ceased,  and  the  yelling  of  the  savages  indicated  their  success. 
This  wing,  no  longer  able  to  maintain  its  ground,  was  forced  to 
retreat,  and  the  rout  soon  became  general.  The  officers  were  prin- 
cipally killed  in  their  ineffectual  attempts  to  rally  the  men.  The 
defeat  was  total,  and  the  loss  in  killed  was  variously  estimated  at 
from  two  to  three  hundred  of  the  settlers.  Of  Captain  Hewitt's  com- 
pany but  fifteen  escaped.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  also  consider- 
able. Colonels  Butler  and  Denison,  although  much  exposed  to  the 
enemy's  fire,  escaped.  Colonel  Butler  collected  four  or  five  men 
together  in  their  flight,  directed  them  to  retain  their  arms,  and  when 
any  of  the  Indians,  who  were  scattered  over  the  plain,  hunting  for 
their  victims,  approached  the  little  party,  they  fired  upon  them,  and 
by  this  means  they  secured  their  retreat  to  Forty  fort.  Many  of  the 
settlers,  at  the  commencement  of  their  flight,  had  thrown  away  their 
arms,  that  they  might  be  better  able  to  escape.  But  this  was  of  no 
avail,  for  the  Indians  overtook  and  killed  them  with  their  tomahawks. 

HE  few  that  escaped,  assembled  at  Forty 
fort ;  but  the  inhabitants  were  so  much 
disheartened  by  their  defeat,  that  they 
were  ready  to  submit  upon  any  terms 
that  might  be  offered.  The  enemy  re- 
fused to  treat  with  Colonel  Butler,  or  to 
give  quarter  to  any  continental  officer  or 
soldier.  Indeed,  it  had  been  determined, 
if  they  were  taken,  to  deliver  them 
into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Colonel 
Butler  then  left  the  valley,  and  proceeded 
to  a  place  on  the  Lehigh,  called  Gnaden- 
hutten.  On  the  fourth  of  July,  Colonel  Denison  and  Colonel  John 
Butler  entered  into  articles  of  capitulation  for  the  surrender  of  the 
settlement.  By  these  articles  it  was  stipulated,  among  other  things, 
that  "  the  lives  of  the  inhabitants  should  be  preserved,"  and  that  they 
should  "  occupy  their  farms  peaceably ;"  that  "  the  continental  stores 
should  be  given  up,"  and  that  "the  private  property  of  the  inhabit- 
ants should  be  preserved  entire  and  unhurt."  The  enemy  then 
marched  into  the  fort  ;  but  the  conditions  of  the  capitulation  were 
entirely  disregarded  on  their  part.  The  Indians  plundered  the 
inhabitants  indiscriminately,  and  stripped  them  even  of  such  of  their 
wearing  apparel  as  they  chose  to  take.  Complaint  w-as  made  to 
Colonel  John  Butler,  who  turned  his  back  upon  them,  saying  he 
could  not  control  the  Indians,  and  walked   out  of  the  fort.     The 


OPERATIONS  IN  WYOMING.  431 

people,  finding  that  they  were  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  tories  and 
savages,  fled  from  the  valley,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way,  about 
fifty  miles,  through  the  wilderness,  to  the  nearest  settlement  of  their 
friends,  leaving  their  property  a  prey  to  the  enemy.  All  the  houses 
on  the  north-west  side  of  the  Susquehanna  were  plundered  and  burnt. 
They  afterwards  plundered  and  burnt  the  town  of  Wilkesbarre. 
Having  accomplished  their  hellish  purpose  of  destruction  and  desola- 
tion, the  main  body  of  the  enemy  returned  to  Niagara,  taking  with 
them  all  the  horses,  cattle,  and  other  property  which  they  did  not 
think  proper  to  destroy,  leaving  behind  them  nothing  but  one  vast, 
melancholy  scene  of  universal  desolation. 

It  may  be  proper  to  notice  the  generally  received  opinion,  that 
Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  and  Colonel  John  Butler  were  cousins.  This 
is  a  mistake.  Both  the  parties  denied  having  any  knowledge  of  any 
relationship  subsisting  between  them. 

From  Gnadenhutten,  Colonel  Butler  wrote  to  the  board  of  war, 
giving  an  account  of  the  fatal  disaster  of  the  third  of  July.  He  then 
went  to  Stroudsburg,  in  Northampton  county,  where  he  found  Cap- 
tain Spalding's  company,  and  some  fugitives  from  Wyoming.  Colo- 
nel Butler  was  ordered  to  collect  what  force  he  could,  and  with 
Spalding's  company  return  and  retake  possession  of  the  country.  This 
he  did  in  the  month  of  August  following.  On  his  return  to  the  valley, 
he  found  some  straggling  Indians,  and  also  a  small  party  driving  off 
cattle.  These  were  soon  dispersed,  and  their  booty  taken  from  them. 
He  immediately  erected  a  fort  at  Wilkesbarre,  and  established  a 
garrison.  By  orders  from  the  board  of  war,  he  continued  in  the  com- 
mand of  the  place  until  the  fall  of  1780,  during  which  time  the 
garrison  and  the  inhabitants  generally  suffered  from  the  incursions 
of  the  Indians.  Several  lives  were  lost,  and  they  killed  a  number 
of  the  Indians,  though  no  general  battle  was  fought.  General  Sulli- 
van's expedition  checked  for  a  while  their  ravages.  He  arrived  in 
Wyoming  in  the  spring  of  1779,  and  as  soon  as  proper  arrangements 
could  be  made,  he  marched  into  the  country  of  the  Indians,  leaving 
Colonel  Butler  in  the  command  of  Wyoming. 

By  orders  from  General  Washington,  dated,  "  Head-Quarters, 
New  Windsor,  December  29th,  1780,"  Colonel  Butler  was  directed 
to  deliver  the  post  at  Wyoming  to  Captain  Alexander  Mitchell,  and 
to  march  with  the  men  under  his  command  and  join  the  army.  This 
was  stated  by  General  Washington  to  be  in  consequence  of  "  Con- 
gress having,  in  order  to  remove  all  cause  of  jealousy  and  discontent 
between  the  states  of  Pennsylvania  and  Connecticut,  directed  me  to 
withdraw  the  present  garrison  of  Wyoming,  and  replace  them  with 
troops  from  the  continental  army,  not  belonging  to  the  line  of  Penn- 


432 


ZEBULON  BUTLER. 


sylvania  or  Connecticut,  or  citizens  of  either  of  said  states."  In 
obedience  to  these  orders,  he  repaired  to  head-quarters,  and  remained 
with  the  army  during  the  rest  of  the  war. 

In  the  unhappy  dispute  between  the  citizens  of  Connecticut  and 
Pennsylvania,  arising  out  of  the  claims  which  the  latter  advanced  to 
the  lands  on  the  Susquehanna,  upon  which  the  former  had  settled. 
Colonel  Butler  took  an  active  part  in  favor  of  the  Connecticut  set- 
tlers. He  considered  them  as  acting  on  the  defensive,  and  the 
others  as  the  aggressors.  Open  hostilities  commenced  between  the 
parties  as  early  as  1769,  and  were  continued  until  after  the  revolu- 
tionary war.  The  New  England  people  were  twice  driven  from  their 
settlements,  though  they  returned  immediately  with  reinforcements, 
and  repossessed  themselves  of  the  country.  Many  lives  were  lost 
on  both  sides,  and  innumerable  hardships  endured,  during  this  unfor- 
tunate contest.  No  very  general  engagement  ever  took  place  between 
the  parties.  The  principal  array  of  forces  which  was  at  any  time 
made  against  each  other,  was  at  the  defeat  of  Captain  Plunket,  in 
1775.  This  officer  had  marched  from  Northumberland,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  dispossessing  the  settlers  at  Wyoming,  and  taking  possession 
of  it  themselves  in  the  name  of  the  Pennsylvania  claimants.  Colonel 
Butler  with  a  party  of  settlers  met  them  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
valley,  defeated  them,  and  drove  them  back.  The  decree  of  Tren- 
ton, as  it  is  called,  put  an  end  to  hostilities,  by  determining,  that  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  extended  over  the  disputed 
territory.  To  this  determination  Colonel  Butler,  with  most  of  the 
settlers,  yielded.  After  the  war  he  continued  to  reside  at  Wyoming, 
and  received  appointments  under  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  particu- 
larly the  situation  of  lieutenant  of  the  county.  He  died  at  Wilkes- 
barre,  on  the  28th  of  July,  1795,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  ANTHONY  WALTON  WHITE. 


NTHONY    W.   WHITE, 

sprang  from  an  ancient 
and  honorable  family,  re- 
sident, previously  to  1650, 
in  the  west  of  England, 
which  through  six  successive  genera- 
tions of  its  existence  on  this  continent, 
was  notable  for  its  attachment  to  mili- 
tary life.  Anthony  White,  the  first 
ancestor  of  the  name  that  came  from 
England,  was  a  zealous  officer  in  the 
royalist  army,  who  distinguished  himself  sufficiently  in  the  civil  wars 
to  win  the  approbation  of  his  unfortunate  master,  equally  with  the 
dislike  of  the  Roundheads.  Shortly  after  the  execution  of  Charles, 
still  faithful  to  his  house,  and  more  and  more  digusted  with  the 
political  aspect  of  the  times,  having  secured  by  some  means  or 
other  the  remnant  of  a  large  fortune,  he  sailed,  originally  with 
the  intention  of  settling  in  Virginia ;  the  vessel,  however,  stopping 
at  the  Bermuda  Islands  he  there  became  fixed,  and  subsequently, 


28 


433 


434 


ANTHONv     W       WHITE, 


WiUiam  HL 

intimately  connected  with  the  government  of  those  islands.  Upon 
the  restoration,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  King's  council,  and 
chief  of  one  of  the  groups,  an  office  which  appears  to  have  been 
hereditary,  as  it  w^as  attached  to  the  elder  branch  of  the  family  for 
several  generations.  At  the  commencement  of  the  political  differ- 
ences which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Prince  of  Orange 
as  William  III.  of  England,  and  his  wife  upon  the  throne,  Anthony 
White,  the  second  of  the  name,  inheriting  his  father's  military,  but 
not  his  political  predilections,  became  an  active  partisan  of  the 
whigs,  and  being  appointed  a  lieutenant-colone],  served  with  the 
army  in  Ireland,  till  hostilities  terminated  in  the  battle  of  the  Boyne. 
As  a  reward  for  his  services,  he  was  shortly  afterwards  sent  out  to 
his  native  islands,  as  a  member  of  the  king's  council  in  their  govern- 
ment, and  as  chief  justice  of  the  whole  group.  He  was  succeeded  as 
chief  of  .one  of  the  groups  by  his  eldest  son,  Leonard  White,  who, 
with  the  hereditary  thirst  still  unquenched,  had  obtained  in  the 
early  part  of  his  life,  a  commission  in  the  British  navy,  and  served 
with  honorable  distinction  in  the  wars  of  the  succession.     Anthony 


WHITE     ENTERS     THE     ARMY.  435 

White,  the  eldest  son  of  of  Leonard  White,  in  extreme  youth,  about 
1715,  sailed  for  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  his  health, 
by  the  change  of  climate.  After  a  year's  residence  there,  he  married 
into  a  distinguished  family  of  Dutch  descent,  and  his  health  again  be- 
coming delicate,  he  soon  after  sailed  for  home,  and  died  on  the 
passage  out.  His  widow,  as  if  to  restore  the  broken  military  suc- 
cession, married  an  officer  of  distinction  in  the  British  navy,  and  the 
son  and  only  child,  after  having  amassed  a  large  fortune  by  various 
civil  offices  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  obtained  through  the  influ- 
ence of  his  family,  and  farmed  out  to  great  advantage,  at  last  took 
up  the  profession  of  arms.  He  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant- 
colonel,  in  1751,  and  saw  some  service  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war  which  followed.  Upon  the  occurrence  of  the  events  which  im- 
mediately preceded  the  declaration  of  independence,  being  advanced 
in  years,  he  retired  altogether  from  public  life,  but  beheld  with  pride 
and  satisfaction  his  only  son  select  that  party  whose  principles  had 
already  infected  all  the  chivalry  of  the  country. 

Anthony  Walton  White,  the  sixth  of  the  name,  and  the  last  repre- 
sentative of  the  family  in  America,  was  the  fourth  child,  and  only 
son  of  Anthony  White,  and  Elizabeth  Morris, — daughter  of  Governor 
Lewis  Morris, — and  was  born  on  the  7th  July,  1750,  at  his  father's 
country  seat,  near  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  taking  the  names  of 
his  father,  and  his  relative,  and  godfather,  Mr.  William  Walton  of 
New  York.  Of  his  early  life,  there  are  no  records  to  show  him 
the  hero  of  romantic  adventures,  and  the  possessor  of  the  martial 
spirit  of  his  family.  The  only  son  of  a  family  eminently  in  the  pa 
tronage  of  the  government,  and  educated  under  the  supervision  of 
his  father,  with  the  expectation  of  inheriting  large  estates,  he  was 
intended  for  no  particular  profession  or  occupation,  other  than  that 
pertaining  to  a  large  landholder,  in  a  young  country  half  wilder- 
ness, as  yet,  and  in  times,  when  the  mutterings  of  political  difficul- 
ties were  first  becoming  audible,  though,  in  1761,  at  the  early  age 
of  eleven,  we  find  him  with  the  insatiable  cupidity  characteristic  of 
the  servants  of  a  monarchy,  in  possession  of  several  important  and 
lucrative  offices,  farmed  in  like  manner  as  those  of  his  father,  and  no 
doubt  with  equal  benefit.  Without  any  event  to  distinguish  his  life,  he 
remained  thus,  the  nominal  holder  of  these  offices,  quietly  pursuing 
his  studies  with  his  father,  and  assisting  him  in  the  care  of  his  estate, 
till  the  outbreak  of  the  memorable  Revolution,  when  an  ardent  dis- 
position, and  a  sincere  love  of  country,  induced  him  to  seek  adventure 
in  the  martial  service  of  his  native  land.  In  October,  1775,  he  re- 
ceived his  first  military  appointment,  as  aid  to  General  Washington, 
in  whose  military  family,  first  hearing  the  din  of  war,  he  continued 


436  ANTHONY     W.     WHITE. 

till  commissioned  by  Congress,  in  February,  1776,  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  third  battalion  of  New  Jersey  troops,  and  as  commander 
of  the  outposts  of  the  army  under  Washington,  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  service  at  the  north,  till  1780.  In  February  of  that  year,  he 
was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  commandant  of  the  first  regiment  of 
cavalry,  and  shortly  afterward,  was  ordered  by  General  Washington 
to  the  south,  to  take  command  of  all  the  cavalry  in  the  southern 
army.  In  July,  of  1780,  having  been  repeatedly  urged  by  General 
Gates  to  hasten  the  equipment  of  the  cavalry,  and  with  all  despatch 
to  join  the  army,  then  about  marching  to  meet  Cornwallis  in  South 
Carolina,  despairing  of  assistance  from  the  government  of  Virginia, 
which  had  passed  resolutions  for  the  purpose,  but  was  unable  at 
that  time  to  carry  them  into  effect,  Colonel  White,  actuated  with  an 
honorable  zeal  for  the  service,  procured  upon  his  own  personal  credit, 
the  funds  necessary  to  remount  and  support  for  a  short  time  two 
regiments,  with  which  he  marched  to  join  General  Gates,  but  not  in 
time  for  the  unfortunate  battle  of  the  16th  of  August,  at  Camden, 
lost  from  a  want  of  calvary.  Early  in  the  spring  of  178  1,  Colonel 
White  was  ordered  to  Virginia,  again  to  co-operate  with  the  army 
under  La  Fayette,  against  Cornwallis,  and  was  engaged  in  skirmish- 
ing with  various  success  against  the  celebrated  Colonel  Tarleton, 
until  the  junction  of  the  army  under  General  Washington,  from  the 
north,  with  that  under  La  Fayette,  and  the  capture  of  Cornwallis  at 
Yorktown. 

In  December  following,  Colonel  White,  with  his  command,  again 
marched  southward  to  the  Carolinas,  where  he  was  employed  for 
some  months  in  watching,  and  endeavoring  to  check  the  operations 
of  his  old  friend,  though  enemy,  Colonel  Tarleton.  From  thence  he 
proceeded  to  Georgia,  where  he  contributed  largely,  by  the  boldness 
of  his  charge,  with  a  part  of  the  cavalry,  in  effecting  a  happy  result 
to  the  manoeuvre  of  General  Wayne,  on  the  21st  of  May,  1782, 
before  Savannah.  Upon  the  evacuation  of  that  place  by  the  British 
forces,  he  returned  to  South  Carolina,  and  entered  Charleston,  imme- 
diately after  the  retirement  of  the  enemy,  where  the  generosity  that 
distinguished  him  was  again  exemplified,  by  his  becoming  security 
for  the  payment  of  debts  incurred  by  the  officers  and  men  of  his 
regiments,  who  had  entered  the  city  in  want  of  almost  all  the  neces- 
saries of  life.  By  agreements  between  himself  and  his  officers  and 
men,  he  was  to  be  protected  from  ultimate  loss,  by  payments  in 
tobacco — which  seems  to  have  been  the  only  sustained  currency  of 
the  times, — contracted  to  be  delivered  to  him  at  Charleston,  on  a 
certain  distant  day.  Owing  to  the  failure  of  the  crops  of  that  year, 
or  to  the  inability  of  the  officers  to  fulfil  their  contracts.   Colonel 


MARRIAGE     OF     WHITE. 


437 


White  was  obliged,  for  the  satisfaction  of  his  creditors,  to  part  with 
property  at  the  enormous  sacrifices  peculiar  to  that  period.  With 
this  transaction  commenced  a  series  of  unfortunate  pecuniary  diffi- 
culties, which  at  last  reduced  him  from  wealth,  to  dependency  upon 
the  precarious  charity  of  his  country. 

N  the  spring  of  1783,  Colonel  White,  while 
still  in  Charleston,  was  married  to  the 
young,  beautiful,  and  wealthy  Margaret 
Ellis,  of  that  place,  who,  at  the  early  age 
of  fifteen,  brought  up  in  the  terrible  school 
of  a  city  held  by  a  foreign  and  mercenary 
enemy,  exhibited  the  accomplished  mind, 
and  firmness  of  temper,  which  still  charac- 
terize and  sustain  her,  in  the  sunken  fortune 
of  her  old  age. 

In  the  spring  of  1784,  after  the  full  establishment  of  peace,  Colo- 
nel  White  with  his  family  came  north,  to  spend  in  retirement  the 
remainder  of  a  life,  upon  which  fortune  had,  with  a  few  trifling 
exceptions  as  yet,  shed  only  a  pleasant  light.  Unhappily  for  his 
expectations,  he,  about  this  time,  was  persuaded  to  embark  in  a 
speculation  proposed  by  two  of  his  friends,  late  officers  in  the  army 
in  which  he  was  to  furnish  only  the  trifling  items  of  name  and  funds, 
and  in  return,  to  receive  the  undoubtedly  splendid  dividends  from  the 
adventure.  The  active  members  in  the  association,  in  the  three 
years  of  its  operations,  succeeded  only  in  the  accumulation  of  enor- 
mous debts,  which  he,  as  the  only  responsible  party,  was  obliged  to 
satisfy.  Ignorant  of  all  manner  of  business,  liberal  to  extravagance, 
and  careless  in  his  general  style  of  living,  he  beheld  with  consterna- 
tion, creditors  of  whom  he  had  never  before  heard,  like  the  Shylocks 
of  reality,  demand  of  him  what,  to  a  man  of  like  constitutional 
habits,  was  life  itself.  In  satisfying  them  he  utterly  sunk  his  own 
estates,  to  which,  by  the  death  of  his  father,  he  had  but  just  suc- 
ceeded. 

In  1793,  he  removed  from  New  York  Island,  where  he  had  resided 
since  the  war,  to  the  city  of  New  Brunswick,  in  his  native  state, 
where  he  remained  during  the  rest  of  his  life,  holding  several 
important  offices,  together  with  the  rank  of  adjutant,  and  afterward 
brigadier-general  conferred  upon  him  by  the  state. 

In  1794,  he  entered  again  for  a  short  time,  upon  military  life, 
being  appointed  by  President  Washington,  general  of  cavalry  in  the 
expedition  under  Lee,  against  the  western  insurgents,  in  the  delicate 
management  of  which,  he  won  not  only  unqualified  approbation  of 
the  government,  and  the   esteem  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  district 


438  ANTHONY     W.     WHITE. 

in  which  the  army  was  quartered,  but  also  the  respect  and  gratitude 
of  the  prisoners,  whom  upon  the  close  of  the  expedition  he  conducted 
to  Philadelphia. 

For  several  years  after  his  last  active  military  employment,  General 
White  lived  in  peaceful  seclusion  at  his  home  in  the  city  of  New 
Brunswick,  dividing  his  time  between  his  books,  and  the  fascinating 
and  accomplished  society  around  him,  of  which  Governor  Paterson, 
and  Colonel  John  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  his  brothers-in-law,  his  guest 
and  friend  the  celebrated  Kosciusko,  and  Judge  Morris,  of  New 
Jersey,  formed  the  most  notable  ornaments. 

But  misfortune  still  jDursued  him,  and  unseen  and  unanticipated, 
came  upon  him  with  that  greater  terribleness,  which  in  ancient 
unchristian  times  would  have  been  attributed  to  the  malignancy  of 
some  unpropitiated  deity.  The  fortune  of  his  wife,  which  even  the 
depreciation  of  the  currency,  and  the  insolvency  of  the  states, 
had  still  left  great,  was  almost  completely  wrecked  by  the  cupidity 
and  improvidence  of  a  man,  alike  distinguished  in  public  and  private 
life,  and  in  whom  a  confidence  had  been  reposed,  deserving  of  a 
better  return.  Broken  in  spirit,  health,  and  fortune.  General  White, 
shortly  after  this  occurrence,  thought  he  saw  an  angel  of  comfort 
lovingly  approach  him,  when  he  meditated  upon  the  gratitude  of 
republics.  Impressed  with  the  justice  of  his  claims  and  the  neces- 
sity of  his  circumstances,  he  petitioned  Congress  for  the  repayment 
of  the  m.oney  he  had  expended  in  1780,  for  the  support  of  his  regi- 
ments, and  which  in  the  settlement  of  his  accounts  with  the  state  of 
Virginia,  had  not  been  allowed  for  want  of  full  legal  evidence.  In 
consequence  of  the  confusion  of  the  times,  this  had  unfortunately 
been  lost.  After  frequently  raising  his  hopes,  and  as  often  depress- 
ing them,  Congress  at  last  resolved  that  the  government  was  adverse 
to  all  claims  of  revolutionary  officers  just  or  otherwise. 

Baffled  in  his  expectations  of  relief,  and  now  well  instructed  in  the 
great  truth,  that  on  earth,  belief  in  the  attainment  of  justice,  was  as 
often  visionary  as  many  a  dream  of  youth,  and  broken-hearted  by 
this  striking  exemplificSftion  of  the  neglect  and  ingratitude  of  repub- 
lics, for  those  who  serve  them,  General  White  shortly  after  died, 
at  the  early  age  of  fifty-three,  leaving  ta  his  widow  and  daughter, 
the  same  comfortable  reflections,  that  hastened,  prematurely,  his 
own  decease. 

In  person.  General  White  was  tall  and  elegantly  formed,  and  was 
remarkable  for  the  extreme  regularity  of  his  features,  and  the  fine 
expression  of  his  face,  the  dignity  and  grace  of  his  manner,  the  scru- 
pulous attention  to  his  dress,  which  distinguished  the  gentleman  of 
his  time,  and  for  the  excellence  of  his  horsemanship.     Early  com- 


CHARACTER     OF     GENERAL     WHITE. 


439 


misioned  in  the  cavalry  service,  he  soon  became,  perhaps,  the  most 
accomphshed  and  effective  rider,  and  the  best  master  of  horse  in  the 
army,  and  through  hfe  retained  the  soldierly  bearing  for  which  he 
was  noted  during  his  military  career. 

The  character  of  General  White,  briefly,  might  be  recorded  by 
those  two  words,  with  which  the  poet,  in  his  elevated  ideas,  of 
humanity,  w^ell  described  the  noblest  work  of  God.  He  was  gay, 
without  approaching  licentiousness  ;  a  man  of  the  world,  without 
hypocrisy  or  degradation  of  the  affections,  ardent  and  impetuous  to 
rashness,  hospitable  to  extravagance,  possessing  the  spirit  of  chivalry 
without  its  Quixotism,  vain  and  proud  in  the  contemplation  of  his 
own  rectitude,  yet  never  offending  the  self-love  of  others,  generous 
and  charitable,  while  forgetful  of  his  own  interests.  A  patriot,  with- 
out thought  of  reward  or  distinction,  practising  the  principles  of 
Christianity,  without  displaying  them  by  moroseness,  bigotry,  or 
Pharisaical  ostentation,  and  to  the  time  of  his  death,  eminently 
maintaining  with  integrity  the  public  and  private  relations  of  life, 
in  which  destiny  had  placed  him.  Born  a  favorite  child  of  fortune, 
while  such,  he  possessed,  and  exercised,  and  rejoiced  in  all  the  bril- 
liant and  fascinating  qualities,  with  which  men  shine  in  society,  and 
when  in  later  years  he  saw  wealth,  and  with  it  its  eclat,  take  to  itself 
wings,  though  dismayed  and  despondent,  still  he  faltered  not  in  the 
principles  that  had  characterized  his  life,  but  wrapping  about  him 
the  robe  of  patient  endurance,  like  the  stern  old  Roman,  died  v/ith 
the  grace  that  became  one  who  could  not  with  dignity  complain. 


BRIGADIEE,  GENERAL  JONATHAN  WILLIAMS. 


ONATHAN  WILLIAMS  was  born  in  Boston, 
in  the  year  1750,  and  from  his  childhood,  he 
received  the  best  English  education,  which  the 
opportunities  of  that  place  then  afforded.  In- 
tended for  the  profession  of  his  father,  who 
was  largely  engaged  in  commercial  affairs, 
Jonathan  was  early  taken  from  school  and 
placed  in  the  counting-house.  Desirous  of  im- 
proving himself,  he  devoted  his  evenings  and  other  leisure  moments 
to  the  acquirement  of  knowledge  ;  by  this  means  he  gained  con- 
siderable proficiency  in  the  classics,  and  a  ready  and  familiar 
acquaintance  with  the  French  language,  both  in  speaking  and  writing 
it.  His  being  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits,  enabled  him  to  make 
a  number  of  voyages  to  many  of  the  West  India  Islands,  and  to 
various  parts  of  Europe.  His  letters  of  business  from  these  places 
displayed  much  maturity  of  observation  and  judgment.  In  the  year 
1770,  he  made  his  first  voyage  to  England,  in  company  with  his 
440 


HE     VISITS     FRANCE. 


441 


brother  and  an  tincle,  Mr.  John  Williams,  who  had  been  a  local  com- 
missioner under  the  British  government.  On  his  arrival  in  London, 
he  w^as  received  with  great  kindness  by  his  grand-uncle,  Dr.  Franklin, 
who  insisted  upon  his  making  his  residence  his  home,  during  his 
stay  in  England.  Mr.  Williams  remained  about  a  year  in  England, 
during  which  time  he  travelled  through  a  considerable  part  of  it. 
In  1772,  he  again  went  to  England.  In  consequence  of  his  relation- 
ship with  Dr.  Franklin,  he  was  in  his  various  voyages  intrusted  with 
letters  and  communications  on  the  then  engrossing  subject  of  the 
political  relations  between  England  and  America  ;  by  this  means  he 
became  acquainted  with  the  most  prominent  men  of  that  day,  and 
though  then  very  young  in  mental  cultivation  and  resources,  he  was 
their  fit  companion. 

In  a  letter  written  in  September,  1774,  from  England,  to  his 
father,  he  says :  "  With  regard  to  politics,  nothing  has  occurred,  nor 
do  I  think  any  thing  will  happen  till  the  parliament  sits,  when  I  dare 
say  there  will  be  warm  work,  and  I  have  great  hope  that  American 
affairs  will  wear  a  better  aspect ;  for  the  ministry,  I  have  reason  to 
think,  will  find  a  greater  opposition  than  they  expect. 

"Unanimity  and  firmness  must  gain  the  point.  I  can't  help  repeat- 
ing it,  though  I  believe  I  have  written  it  twenty  times  before.  The 
newspapers  which  used  to  be  the  vehicles  of  all  kinds  of  abuse'on 
the  poor  Bostonians,  are  now  full  of  pieces  in  our  favor.  Here  and 
there  an  impertinent  scribbler,  like  an  expiring  candle  flashing  from 
the  socket,  shows,  by  his  scurrility,  the  weakness  of  his  cause,  and 
the  corruptness  of  his  heart." 

In  1775,  he  made  a  short  visit  to  France,  of  w-hich,  in  one  of  his 
letters,  he  thus  speaks  :  "  I  have  passed  two  months  in  the  most 
agreeable  manner  possible,  except  with  regard  to  my  reflections  rela- 
tive to  my  unhappy  country,  which  always  attend  me  wherever  I  go. 
I  found  throughout  France  a  general  attention  to  our  disputes  with 
Britain,  and  to  a  man,  all  that  country  are  in  our  favor.  They  sup- 
pose England  to  have  arrived  at  its  pinnacle  of  glory,  and  that  the 
empire  of  America  will  rise  on  the  ruins  of  this  kingdom  ;  and  I 
really  believe,  that  when  we  shall  be  involved  in  civil  war,  they  will 
gladly  embrace  the  first  opportunity  of  renewing  their  attacks  on  an 
old  enemy,  who  they  imagine  will  be  so  weakened  by  its  intestine 
broils,  as  to  become  an  easy  conquest." 

The  early  destiny  of  Mr.  Williams  separated  him  from  the  country 
to  which  he  afterwards  lived  to  devote  years  of  usefulness  and  good 
example.  In  1777,  he  was  appointed  commercial  agent  of  the 
United  States,  and  resided  principally  at  Nantes.  In  September, 
1779,  he  was   married,  at  the  hotel  of  the   Dutch  ambassador  at 


44-2 


JONATHAN     WILLIAMS. 


Paris,  to  Mariamne,  the  daughter  of  William  Alexander,  of  Edin- 
burgh. In  1783,  he  received  a  commission  from  the  Farmers  General 
of  France,  to  supply  them  with  tobacco,  which  was  then,  as  it  now  is, 
a  government  monopoly.  After  this  appointment,  he  removed  to  St. 
Germains,  where  he  resided  until  1785,  when  he  returned  with  Dr. 
Franklin  to  the  United  States.  In  1788,  he  sailed  for  the  last  time 
to  England,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  his  family  to  Philadelphia, 
which  he  had  selected  as  the  place  of  his  future  residence.  On  his 
return,  in  1790,  he  was  met  with  the  melancholy  news  of  the  death 
of  his  earliest,  best,  and  kindest  friend,  Dr.  Franklin.  Mr.  Williams 
purchased  a  country  seat  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  near  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  mathematical  investigation, 
botany,  medicine,  and  the  law,  and  he  acquired  sufficient  of  the  last, 
to  be  for  several  years  an  intelligent  and  valuable  judge  of  the  court 
of  common  pleas  in  Philadelphia. 

In  17  94,  he  accompanied  the  forces  sent  to  quell  the  western 
insurrection  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1800,  he  was  appointed  a  major 
in  the  United  States  artillery,  and  soon  after  a  colonel  in  the  corps 
of -engineers,  and  chief  of  the  military  academy  at  West  Point.  The 
fortress  at  New  York  which  bears  his  name,  was  constructed  whilst 
he  was  in  the  engineer  department.  It  is,  however,  as  the  head  of 
the^ military  academy,  that  he  rendered  the  most  service  to  his  coun- 
try. Under  his  direction,  the  institution  steadily  advanced  in  charac- 
ter, and  all  who  were  acquainted  with  its  regulations  and  discipline, 
acknowledo^ed  its  advantag-es.  But  it  was  not  until  the  heroic  deeds 
of  M'Rae,  Gibson,  Wood,  and  Macomb  had  so  largely  contributed  to 
an  honorable  peace,  in  the  war  of  1812,  that  the  military  school 
became  a  source  of  interest  and  pride  with  the  nation.  These  accom- 
plished and  intrepid  officers  were  first  taught  to  be  thorough  soldiers 
by  Colonel  Williams. 

Colonel  Williams,  prevented  by  his  peculiar  station  from  sharing 
the  duties  of  the  field,  had  obtained  a  promise,  that  in  case  of  attack, 
the  fortifications  he  had  constructed  in  the  harbor  of  New  York  should 
be  placed  under  his  command.  At  the  near  prospect  that  the  enemy 
would  invade  the  city,  he  claimed  the  fulfilment  of  that  promise, 
which  was  refused  him  ;  and  after  a  protracted  correspondence  wdth 
the  war  department,  upon  the  subject,  he  resigned  his  commission  in 
the  army  of  the  United  States.  Immediately  after  his  resignation 
he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  of  New  York  a  brigadier-general. 

In  the  autumn  of  1814,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress 
from  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  But  he  did  not  live  to  requite  by  his 
abilities  and  experience,  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1815,  his  useful  life  terminated.     Although 


HIS     DEATH. 


443 


he  had  attained  his  sixty-fifth  year,  his  mind  had  lost  none  of  its 
peculiar  endowments  ;  nor  had  his  body  yielded  to  the  decrepitude 
of  old  age.  Had  he  been  permitted  to  take  his  seat  in  the  highest 
council  of  his  country,  he  might  have  added  to  his  honors,  and  won 
a  statesman's  fame.  But  the  hand  of  an  all-wise  Providence  had 
determined  otherwise,  and  by  his  touch  consecrated  the  memory  of 
the  useful  citizen,  the  firm  patriot,  and  the  accomplished  soldier. 


COLONEL  FRANCIS  BARBER. 


OLONEL  BARBER  was 
born  in  the  year  1751,  in 
Princeton,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  was  educated. 
After  leaving  Princeton  Col- 
lege he  took  charge  of  the  academy 
at  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  which 
soon  became  celebrated  for  the  high 
\  state  of  perfection  to  which  he  brought 
it.  While  he  was  thus  employed, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  and  several 
others  of  those  who  afterwards  became 
distinguished  in  public  affairs,  received  the  benefits  of  his  instruction. 
The  necessities  of  the  country,  induced  Francis  to  abandon  his 
peaceful  occupation,  and  he  entered  the  army  at  an  early  period. 
He  and  his  brother  William  were  officers  in  the  Jersey  line  ;  his 
brother  John  held  a  command  in  the  New  York  line.  During  the 
year  1776,  Francis  received  two  commissions,  one  from  Congress, 
dated  the  ninth  of  February,  appointing  him  major  of  the  third  bat- 
talion of  Jersey  troops ;  the  other,  which  bore  date  the  eighth  of 
November,  was  from  the  New  Jersey  legislature,  appointing  him 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  third  Jersey  regiment.  This  appointment 
was  confirmed  by  Congress  in  the  commencement  of  the  following 
444 


DEATH  OF  COLONEL   BARBER.  445 

year,  and  soon  after,  Colonel  Barber  became  assistant  inspector-gene- 
ral of  the  army,  under  Baron  Steuben.  The  Baron  addressed  a  letter 
to  him  at  the  time,  in  which  he  anticipates,  from  the  character  of 
Colonel  Barber,  a  rapid  advance  in  the  character  of  the  troops  under 
his  inspection.  That  his  expectations  were  realized,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  high  estimation  in  which  Colonel  Barber  was  held  by  the 
commander-in-chief  and  other  general  officers.  The  rigidness  of  his 
discipline,  however,  did  not  make  Colonel  Barber  unpopular  with  the 
men.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Trenton,  Princeton,  Brandy- 
wine,  Germantown,  and  Monmouth.  In  this  latter  conflict,  he  was 
severely  wounded,  yet  the  correspondence  of  General  Washington 
shows  that  his  disability  from  field  service  did  not  prevent  him  from 
employing  his  active  mind  in  the  service  of  the  cause.  In  1779,  as 
adjutant-general,  he  served  under  General  Sullivan,  in  his  Indian 
campaign,  and  received  a  wound  at  the  battle  of  Newtown.  He 
was  very  highly  complimented  by  General  Sullivan  at  the  close  of 
the  campaign,  for  his  meritorious  conduct.  He  was  actively  engaged 
at  the  battle  of  Springfield,  w^here  his  brother-in-law.  Lieutenant 
Ogden,  was  slain. 

To  Colonel  Barber  was  assigned  the  difficult  task  of  reducing  to 
subordination  the  Jersey  line,  at  the  time  of  its  mutiny.  In  the  face 
of  their  threat  to  shoot  any  officer  who  should  molest  them,  Colonel 
Barber  entered  upon  the  execution  of  this  duty,  and  his  personal 
popularity  had  the  influence  of  restraining  many  of  the  mutinous, 
and  of  preparing  the  way  for  the  final  success  of  General  Washing- 
ton's measures  to  restore  order. 

In  1781,  Colonel  Barber  accompanied  the  army  to  Yorktow^n,  and 
was  present  at  its  siege  and  capture.  The  termination  of  the  war 
soon  followed,  but  on  the  day  when  General  W^ashington  intended 
to  communicate  to  the  officers  the  news  of  peace,  the  life  of  Colonel 
Barber  was  brought  to  a  sudden  close.  Many  of  the  officers,  and 
such  of  their  wives  as  were  in  camp,  were  invited  to  dine  with  the 
commander-in-chief,  and  among  them  Colonel  Barber  and  his  wife. 
He  was  acting  as  officer  of  the  day  at  the  time,  and  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duty,  happened  to  pass  a  place  where  some  soldiers  were 
felling  a  tree,  which  accidentally  fell  upon  him,  crushing  horse  and 
rider  instantly  to  death.  His  seeming  untimely  fate  was  universally 
lamented,  and  his  widow  received  letters  of  sympathy  and  condolence 
from  many  in  every  rank,  who  knew  his  virtues  and  deplored  his  loss 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  THADDEUS  KOSCIUSKO. 


HE  American  revolutionary  contest 
is  memorable,  for  having  called  into 
its  service  the  aid  of  many  distin- 
guished foreigners,  soldiers  of  liberty,  and 
volunteers  in  the  cause  of  an  oppressed 
people,  struggling  to  defend  their  liberties. 
Among  the  most  celebrated  of  these,  was 
Kosciusko,  one  of  the  first  and  bravest  of  the 
Polish  patriots.     Although  it  does  not  appear 
that  he  performed  much,  or   any  very  impor- 
tant service,  in  the  American  war,  yet  from  his  distinguished  cha- 
446 


HIS    SERVICE    IN    POLAND. 


447 


racter  as  a  patriot,  and  the  noble  struggles  he  has  made,  in  defence 
of  the  independence  of  his  own  country,  and  to  realize  the  last 
hopes  of  his  friends,  a  sketch  of  his  life  cannot  but  be  interesting, 
and  properly  belongs  to  a  work  containing  the  memoirs  of  the  mili- 
tary heroes  of  the  American  revolutionary  war.  This  high-minded 
patriot  was  first  distinguished  in  the  war  which  terminated  in  the 
first  dismemberment  of  Poland  by  Russia,  Austria,  and  Prussia. 

Poland  had  long  been  distracted 
with  dissensions,  often  breaking  out 
into  civil  war ;  and  particularly  since 
the  conquest  of  the  country  by  Charles 
XII,  of  Sweden,  which  led  to  the  in- 
terference of  Russia,  and  afterward 
that  dangerous  neighbor  always  had  a 
strong  party  in  Poland,  and  generally 
a  controlling  influence.  Charles  XII. 
conquered  Augustus,  and  compelled 
him  to  abdicate  in  favor  of  Stanislaus 
Leczinski,  whom  he  had  previously 
.caused  to  be  elected  king.  The  armies 
of  the  Czar,  which  Augustus  had 
Charles  2IL  availed  himself  of,  had  not  been  suffi- 

cient to  save  him  from  this  humiliating  result.  The  battle  of  Pul- 
towa  overthrew  the  power  of  Charles  ;  and  Augustus  was  restored  by 
the  aid  of  Russia,  the  latter  taking  care  to  be  well  paid  for  its 
friendly  interference.  During  the  reign  of  this  prince,  and  his  son, 
Augustus  II.,  Poland  was  little  better  than  a  Russian  province,  sur- 
rounded by  Russian  troops  ;  and  the  country  torn  to  pieces  by 
contentions  among  the  nobles,  they  were  kept  on  the  throne  only  by 
the  power  of  Russia. 

On  the  death  of  Augustus  II.  in  1764,  Catharine  II.  Empress  of 
Russia,  compelled  the  Diet  to  elect  Stanislaus  Poniatowski,  a  Pole 
of  noble  rank,  who  had  resided  for  some  time  at  Petersburgh,  and 
made  himself  agreeable  to  the  empress,  who  supposed  that  his 
election  would  promote  the  influence  and  designs  of  Russia.  This 
increased  the  disorders,  and  inflamed  the  rage  of  the  two  great 
parties,  the  Russian  and  anti-Russian,  towards  each  other.  At  this 
time,  to  their  political  causes  of  dissension,  were  added  those  of 
religion.  The  Protestants,  who  in  Poland  were  called  dissidents, 
had  long  been  tolerated,  but  still  suifered  under  many  civil  disabili- 
ties, which  were  greatly  increased  by  a  decree  that  was  pas?ed 
during  the  interregnum  that  preceded  the  election  of  Poniatowski. 
They  were,  in  a  great  measure,  denied  the  free  exercise  of  religioUjB 


448  THADDEUS     KOSCIUSKO. 


Catliarine  II. 


worship,  and  excluded  from  all  political  privileges.  This  unjust  and 
impolitic  measure  roused  the  spirit  of  the  protestants;  they  peti- 
tioned and  remonstrated ;  they  applied  to  the  courts  of  Russia, 
Prussia,  Great  Britain,  and  Denmark,  all  of  which  remonstrated  to 
the  government  of  Poland,  but  without  any  essential  effect.  Some 
unimportant  concessions  were  made,  which  did  not  satisfy  the  dissi- 
dents, who  were  determined  to  maintain  their  rights  with  their  blood, 
being  encouraged  to  this  determination  by  assurance  of  support  from 
Russia,  Austria,  and  Prussia.  The  Catholics  we^re  not  behind  their 
opponents  in  preparations  for  war,  the  "  Confederation  of  the  Barr" 
formed  the  bulwark  of  their  strength  and  hopes.  With  both  parties, 
religion  and  liberty  became  the  watchword  and  a  signal  for  war. 
The  confederates,  as  the  Catholics  were  denominated,  not  only  wished 
to  overcome  their  opponents,  but  to  dethrone  Stanislaus,  and  rescue 
the  country  from  the  influence  of  Russia.  This  desperate  civil  war 
was  very  gratifying  to  the  ambitious  neighbors  of  Poland,  who,  a 
considerable  time  before,  had  entered  into  a  secret  treaty  for  the 
conquest  and  partition  of  Poland.  The  armies  of  Russia,  Prussia, 
and  Austria  invaded  the  country  in  various  directions,  and  seized  on 
different  provinces. 

The  confederates,  or  the  anti-Russian  party,  comprising  most  of 
the  distinguished  Polish  patriots,  made  a  resolute  and  determined 
struggle  ;  but,  being  feebly  supported  by  Saxony  and  France,  and 
having  to  contend  with  numerous  forces  of  the  coalition  which  invaded 
the  country,  as  well  as  those  of  their  opponents  at  home,  they  were 


PARTITION     OF     POLAND. 


449 


defeated  in  every  quarter,  and  the  country  left  a  prey  to  the  three 
royal  plunderers.  They  issued  a  manifesto,  declaring'  that  the  dis- 
sensions and  disorders  of  Poland  had  rendered  their  interference 
necessary,  and  that  they  had  adopted  combined  m.easures  for  the  re- 
establishment  of  good  order  in  Poland,  and  the  settlement  of  its  ancient 
constitution,  and  to  secure  the  national  and  popular  liberties  of  the 
people  on  a  solid  basis.  But  the  security  and  protection  which  they 
afforded  to  unhappy  Poland,  was  like  that  which  the  wolf  affords  to 
the  lamb,  and  the  tears  they  shed  over  her  misfortunes,  were  like 
those  of  the  crocodile  when  preying  on  its  victim.  Instead  of  secur- 
ing the  right  of  the  dissidents,  which  was  the  professed  object  of 
the  war,  the  combined  sovereigns  thought  only  of  aggrandizing  them- 
selves ;  and,  after  great  difficulty,  they  finally  succeeded  in  dividing 
the  spoil,  a  treaty  for  the  partition  of  Poland  being  concluded  at 
Petersburg,  in  February,  1772.  Russia  took  a  large  proportion  of 
the  eastern  provinces  ;  Austria  appropriated  to  herself  a  fertile  tract 
on  the  southwest,  and  Prussia  the  commercial  district  in  the  north- 
west, including  the  lower  part  of  Vistula  ;  lea.ving  only  the  central 
provinces,  comprising  Warsaw  and  Cracow,  the  modern  and  ancient 
capital.  Thus  w^as  Poland  despoiled  by  three  royal  robbers,  which 
Europe  witnessed,  not  without  astonishment,  but  without  any  effectual 
mterference.  The  courts  of  London,  Paris,  Stockholm,  and  Copen- 
hagen, remonstrated  against  this  violent  usurpation,  which  probably 
had  as  much  effect  as  was  expected — none  at  all. 

|N  this  unjust  and  cruel  war,  Kosciusko  had  taken 
an  active  and  zealous  part  in  defence  of  the  in- 
dependence of  his  country  :  but  his  patriotism  and 
exertions  were  unavailing;  the  patriotic  Poles  could 
not  resist  the  power  of  faction  and  the  invading 
armies  of  three  formidable  neighbors.  To  strengthen 
their  acquisitions,  the  allied  powers  insisted  on  Sta- 
nislaus convoking  a  diet  to  sanction  the  partition  ; 
and,  notwithstanding  the  influence  of  three  power- 
ful armies,  the  diet  refused  to  ratify  this  injustice 
for  a  considerable  time  ;  but,  by  promises  of  favors,  and  by  profuse 
use  of  money  among  the  members,  together  with  the  influence  of 
military  force,  a  majority  of  six  in  the  senate,  and  of  one  in  the 
assembly,  was  at  length  obtained  in  favor  of  the  iniquitous  measure, 
and  commissioners  were  appointed  to  adjust  the  terms  of  the  parti- 
tion. This  completed  the  humiliation  and  degradation  of  Poland, 
and  occasioned  many  of  her  most  distinguished  patriots  to  leave 
their  dismembered  and  unhappy  country.  This  took  place  in  May, 
1773.     Kosciusko  was  among  those  who  retired  from  the  country. 

29 


450  TPIADDEUS     KOSCIUSKO. 

The  war  that  broke  out  between  the  American  colonies  and  Great 
Britain,  opened  a  field  for  military  adventurers  from  Europe,  it  being 
supposed  that  America  was  destitute  of  men  of  military  science  and 
experience,  and  being  justly  regarded  as  a  contest  for  liberty,  between 
an  infant  people,  few  in  number,  and  with  feeble  means,  and  the 
most  powerful  nation  on  earth,  many  patriots  of  the  old  world 
repaired  to  America  as  volunteers  in  the  cause  of  freedom.  The 
first  events  and  successes  of  the  contest,  and  the  dignified  attitude 
assumed  by  the  solemn  declaration  of  independence,  produced-  the 
most  favorable  impression  abroad,  which  brought  many  distinguished 
foreigners  to  our  shores  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1777.  The 
distinguished  Polish  patriot,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  brief  notice, 
and  his  countryman,  Count  Pulaski,  were  among  the  number.  It  is 
not  known  at  what  time  either  of  them  arrived,  but  it  is  believed  it 
was  early  in  the  year  1777,  as  the  latter  was  present  and  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine.  So  many  foreigners 
of  distinction  arrived,  that  Congress  was  embarrassed  in  giving  them 
employment,  corresponding  with  their  expectations  and  rank  ;  and, 
from  the  commissions  which  were  given  to  foreigners,  disagreeable 
jealousies  were  produced  among  the  native  officers  of  the  continental 
army.  Kosciusko,  like  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  and  others,  had  been 
influenced  wholly  by  patriotic  motives  and  an  ardent  attachment  to 
liberty ;  he  had  no  occasion  to  acquire  military  fame,  and  he  pos- 
sessed a  soul  which  raised  him  infinitely  above  becoming  a  mer- 
cenary soldier.  He  wanted  neither  rank  nor  emolument ;  his  object 
was  to  serve  the  cause,  not  to  serve  himself.  He  however  received 
a  colonel's  commission,  and  was  employed  under  General  Greene,  in 
the  southern  campaign  of  178 1.  In  the  attack  on  Ninety-Six,  a  very 
strong  post  of  the  enemy  in  South  Carolina,  Kosciusko  being  a  skil- 
ful engineer,  Greene  intrusted  to  him  the  important  duty  of  preparing 
and  constructing  the  works  for  the  siege.  He  continued  in  the  ser- 
vice until  after  the  capture  of  Cornwalhs  at  Yorktown,  which  termi- 
nated all  the  important  operations  of  the  war. 

On  leaving  America,  Kosciusko  returned  to  his  native  country, 
where  he  exerted  himself  for  the  improvement  of  the  political  con- 
dition of  his  countrymen,  and  promoting  the  general  prosperity.  In 
1789,  he  was  made  major-general  in  the  Polish  army.  He  served 
with  distinction  in  the  campaign  of  1792  against  the  Russians,  but 
king  Stanislaus  having  soon  after  submitted  to  the  will  of  the  Empress 
Catharine,  and  Poland  being  occupied  by  Russian  troops,  Kosciusko 
with  several  other  officers  left  the  service,  and  withdrew  to  Germany. 
When  the  revolution  broke  out  in  Poland,  at  the  beginning  of  1794, 
Kosciusko  was  put  at  the  head  of  the  national  forces,  which  were 


Kosciusko's    defence    of   Poland. 


451 


E!osciusi:o  ■wounded 


hastily  assembled,  and  in  a  great  measure  were  destitute  of  arms  and 
artillery.     In  April,  1794,  he  defeated  a  numerically  superior  Rus- 
sian force  at  Raclawice.     Again  in  the  month  of  June,  he  attacked 
the  united  Russians  and  Prussians  near  Warsaw,  but  was  defeated, 
and  obliged  to  retire  into  his  intrenched  camp  before  the  capital.  He 
then  defended  that  city  for  two  months  against  the  combined  forces 
of  Russia  and  Prussia,  and  obliged  them  to  raise  the  siege.     Fresh 
Russian  armies,  however,  having  advanced  from  the  interior  under 
Suwarrow  and  Fersen,  Kosciusko  marched  against  them  with  twenty- 
one  thousand  men.    The  Russians  were  nearly  three  times  the  num- 
ber, and  on  the  10th  of  October  the  battle  of  Macziewice  took  place, 
about  fifty  miles  from  Warsaw,  After  a  desperate  struggle  the  Poles 
were  routed,  and  Kosciusko  being  wounded,  was  taken  prisoner,  ex- 
claiming that  there  was  an  end  of  Poland.     The  storming  of  Praga 
by   Suwarrow,    and  the   capitulation    of   Warsaw   soon    followed. 
Kosciusko  was  taken  to  St.  Petersburg  as  a  state  prisoner,  but  being 
afterwards  released  by  the  emperor  Paul,   he  proceeded  to   Lon- 
don.    He  was  here  treated  with  great  consideration,  on  account  of 
his   eminent   services   and  sufferings  in  the   cause  of  his   country 
While  residing  in  London,  he  was  still  suffering  with  wounds  which 
he  had  received  in  his  last  battle  with  the  Russians.     His  portrait 
was  painted  several  times,  reclining  upon  a  sofa,  as  in  the  accom- 
panying engraving  ;  once  we  beheve  by  Mr.  West,     After  residing 
some  time  in  London,  he  returned  to  America,  where  he  was  received 
as  the  illustrious  defenders  of  our  country  are  always  received,  with 
every  mark  of  distinction. 


452 


THADDEUS     KOSCIUSKO. 


He  went  to  France  in  1798.  Napoleon  repeatedly  endeavored  to 
engage  Kosciusko  to  enter  his  service  as  Dombrovi^ski  and  other 
Polish  officers  had  done,  and  to  use  the  influence  of  his  name  among 
his  countrymen  to  excite  them  against  Russia ;  but  Kosciusko  saw 
through  the  selfish  ambition  of  the  conqueror,  and  declined  appear- 
ing again  on  the  political  stage.  A  proclamation  to  his  country, 
which  the  French  Moniteur  ascribed  to  him  in  1806,  was  a  fabrica- 
tion. 

He  continued  to  live  in  retirement  in  France  mitil  1814,  when  he 
wrote  to  the  emperor  Alexander,  recommending  to  him  the  fate  of 
his  country.  In  1815,  after  the  establishment  of  the  new  kingdom 
of  Poland,  Kosciusko  wrote  again  to  the  emperor,  thanking  him 
for  what  he  had  done  for  the  Poles,  but  entreating  him  to  extend 
the  benefit  of  nationality  to  the  Lithuanians  also,  and  offering  for 
his  boon  to  devote  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  his  service.  Soon 
after  he  wrote  to  Prince  Czartorinski,  testifying  likewise  his  grati- 
tude for  the  revival  of  the  Polish  name,  and  his  disappointment  at 
the  crippled  extent  of  the  new  kingdom,  which,  however,  he  attri- 
buted not  to  the  intention  of  the  emperor,  but  to  the  policy  of  his 
cabinet,  and  concluded  by  saying  that,  as  he  could  be  of  no  further 
use  to  his  country,  he  was  going  to  end  his  days  in  Switzerland. 

In  1816,  Kosciusko  settled  at  Soleure  in  Switzerland,  where  he 
applied  him.se]f  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died  in  October,  1817, 
in  consequence  of  a  fall  from  his  horse.  His  remains  were  removed 
to  Cracow,  by  order  of  Alexander  of  Russia,  and  placed  in  the  vaults 
of  the  kings  of  Poland.  His  countrymen  subsequently  raised  a 
colossal  monument  to  his  memory  on  a  plain  near  Cracow. 

A  beautiful  monument  to  his  memory,  has  been  erected  at  West 
Point,  by  the  cadets  of  the  Military  Academy,  at  an  expense  of 
about  five  thousand  dollars. 


Eosciusko  s  Monument  at  West  Point. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  MORGAN  LEWIS. 

)ONG  life  and  distinguished  honors  crowned  the  services 
of  this  noble  patriot  of  the  Revolution.     He  was  the 
son    of  Mr.  Francis  Lewis,  one  of  the   signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  and  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  on  the    16th    of  October,    1754.     He  graduated  at 

453 


454 


MORGAN      LEWIS. 


The  house  in  -wliioli  General  Frazer  died,  Stillwater. 

Princeton  College,  1773,  when  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  the 
law,  in  the  office  of  Mr.  John  Jay,  afterwards  chief  justice  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  1775,  Mr.  Lewis 
joined  the  American  army  under  General  Washington,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Boston,  and  continued  in  active  service  till  the  peace. 
During  the  contest  he  distinguished  himself  on  various  occasions. 
He  is  mentioned  in  General  Stephen's  despatches  as  having  behaved 
gallantly  at  the  battle  of  Germantown.  His  services  were  particu- 
larly conspicuous  at  Saratoga,  where  he  held  the  office  of  quarter- 
master general,  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  under  General  Gates,  and 
were  extremely  valuable.  In  the  action  at  Bemis's  Heights,  he  shared 
with  Arnold,  Morgan  and  other  active  officers  the  perils  and  honors 
of  the  day.  Morgan  on  this  occasion  is  said  to  have  performed  an 
act  to  w^hich  he  referred  w^ith  compunction  on  his  death-bed.  When 
General  Frazer  was  apparently  turning  the  tide  of  war  in  favor  of 
the  British,  he  took  a  few  of  his  choice  riflemen  aside  and  said, 
"that  gallant  officer  is  General  Frazer;  I  admire  and  respect  him, 
but  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  die  ;  take  your  stations  in  that 
wood  and  do  your  duty."  Within  a  few"  moments  General  Frazer 
fell  mortally  wounded.  He  was  supported  by  two  officers  till  he 
reached  his  tent ;  he  said  he  saw  the  man  who  shot  him,  and  that  he 
was  a  rifleman  posted  in  a  tree.  He  was  subsequently  taken  to  the 
house  at  Stillwater  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and  there  breathed 
his  last. 

After  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  Colonel  Lewis  was  engaged  in 
the  operations  undertaken  by  General  Clinton,  in  the  northern  part 
of  New  York,  against  Sir  John  Johnson's  mixed  force  of  British 
regulars  and  savages. 

At  the  end  of  the  war,  he  resumed  his  profession  of  the  law,  and 
was  shortly  after  elected  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  from  the 


SERVICES     IN     THE     LATE     WAR.  455 

city  of  New  York.  He  next  represented  in  the  same  body  the 
county  of  Dutchess,  whither  he  had  removed  ;  and  was  then  appointed 
successively  a  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  attorney-general 
of  the  state,  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  and  (1801)  chief  justice 
of  the  same  court.  In  1804,  he  was  elected  governor  of  New  York  ; 
in  18  10,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  senate  of  that  state  ;  and  in 
1812,  he  was  appointed  quartermaster  general  of  the  United  States 
army,  with  the  rank  of  a  brigadier-general. — The  last  mentioned  office 
he  held,  however,  only  for  about  ten  months,  being  promoted  in 
March,  1813,  to  the  rank  of  a  major-general.  In  the  earlier  part  of 
the  campaign  of  that  year,  he  acted  under  the  orders  of  General 
Dearborn  on  the  Niagara  frontier ;  and,  in  the  latter  part  of  it,  he 
accompanied  General  Wilkinson  in  his  expedition,  down  the  river 
St.  Lawrence,  against  Montreal.  In  1814,  he  was  intrusted  with 
the  command  of  the  forces  destined  for  the  defence  of  the  city  and 
harbor  of  New  York  from  an  apprehended  attack  of  the  enemy. — 
From  the  close  of  the  w^ar  in  1815,  down  to  the  period  of  his  death, 
General  Lewis  lived  in  retirement  from  all  public  duties,  with  the 
single  exception  of  an  oration  which  he  delivered  (he  being  then  in 
his  seventy-eighth  year,)  by  the  request  of  the  corporation  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  on  the  22d  of  February,  1832;  that  day  being  the 
centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the  "  Father  of  his  country." 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  DAVID  WOOSTER. 


HE  family  papers  of  General 
Wooster  were  destroyed  by  the 
British,  at  the  sacking  of  the 
town  of  New  Haven,  in  1779, 
and  the  biographers  of  this  able 
officer  can  learn  nothing  of  his 
ancestry  and  his  early  years, 
except  that  he  was  born  in 
Stratford,  Connecticut,  on  the 
2d  of  March,  1710,  and  that 
he  graduated  at  Yale  College 
in  1738.  In  1739  we  find  him  employed  as  captain  of  a  vessel, 
armed  by  the  colony,  to  guard  and  protect  the  coast  during  the 
Spanish  war.  Soon  after,  he  married  the  daughter  of  President 
Clap,  of  Yale  College.  He  was  employed  as  a  captain  in  Colonel 
Burr's  regiment,  sent,  as  part  of  the  Connecticut  troops,  against 
Louisburg.  He  greatly  distinguished  himself  at  the  siege  and  cap- 
ture of  that  place.  He  was  retained  among  those  who  garrisoned 
the  fortress,  and  afterwards  selected  to  take  charge  of  a  cartel-ship 
for  France  and  England.  In  England  he  was  received  with  marked 
honor,  presented  to  the  king,  and  the  young  American  officer  became 
the  favorite  of  the  court.  The  king  admitted  him  into  the  regular 
456 


SERVICES     IN     THE     REVOLUTION. 


457 


service,  and  he  was  made  a  captain  in  Sir  William  Pepperell's  regi- 
ment, v^ith  half  pay  for  life.  After  the  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle 
he  returned  to  his  family,  but  the  commencement  of  the  French  war 
in  1756  again  called  him  to  the  field,  and  during  its  continuance  he 
rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  When  he  was  restored  to 
his  home  by  the  peace  of  1763,  he  carried  with  him  many  marks 
of  the  valor  which  had  won  him  promotion.  He  next  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  in  New  Haven,  where  he  was  appointed  collector 
of  the  customs.  The  favors  shown  him  by  royalty,  however,  had  not 
weaned  him  from  the  love  of  his  country,  and  though  an  officer  in 
the  British  regular  service,  entitled  to  half  pay  for  his  life,  and  a 
revenue  officer,  he  gave  up  all  in  her  behalf.  His  pen  and  sword 
were  among  the  first  employed  in  the  contest  for  liberty,  and  his  life 
was  early  given  to  seal  his  fidelity  to  the  cause.  When  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  April  19tli,  1775,  had  fairly  begun  the  contest,  he 
immediately  employed  his  energies  and  talents  in  devising  a  plan 
for  getting  possession  of  some  of  the  fortresses  held  by  the  British 
arms  in  the  colonies,  and  with  a  few  others,  on  their  own  risk  and 
responsibility,  sent  Ethan  Allen  and  Benedict  Arnold  to  Ticonderoga, 
which  was  surprised  and  taken  on  the  10th  of  May.  This  bold  step 
seems  to  have  taken  the  Congress  no  less  than  the  garrison  wholly  by 
surprise.  When  informed  of  it,  they  recommended  that  an  inventory 
of  the  cannon  and  military  stores  found  in  the  fort  should  be  taken, 
'  in  order  that  they  may  be  safely  returned  when  the  restoration  of 
the  former  harmony  between  Great  Britain  and  these  colonies,  so 
ardently  wished  for  by  the  latter,  shall  render  it  prudent  and  con- 
sistent with  the  overruling  care  of  self-preservation." 

General  Wooster  was  the  third  on  the  list  of  eight  brigadier-gene- 
rals appointed  by  Congress  on  the  22d  of  June,  1775.  He  had 
command  in  Canada  during  the  unfortunate  campaign  of  177  6, 
where  suffering  and  want,  with  the  small-pox,  proved  the  worst 
enemies  of  the  army.  On  his  return  from  this  trying  situation, 
he  requested  Congress  to  order  a  court  of  inquiry,  by  which  he  was 
acquitted  of  all  blame. 

E  was  next  appointed  major-general  of  the  militia 
of  Connecticut,  and  during  the  winter  of  1776, 
and  1777,  he  was  employed  in  protecting  his 
1^  state  against  the  enemy.  While  engaged  in  this 
duty,  the  British  with  two  thousand  men  from 
New  York  landed  between  Norwalk  and  Fair- 
field, and  destroyed  the  magazines  at  Danbury. 
The  rain  prevented  the  troops  ordered  from  New  Haven  from  arriving 
in  time  to  prevent  this  damage,  but  Generals  Wooster  and  Arnold 


458 


DAVID     WOOSTER. 


with  six  hundred  men,  collected  by  General  Silliman,  attacked  the 
enemy  in  his  retreat.  The  inequality  of  numbers  was  so  great, 
however,  that  the  militia  gave  way,  and  General  Wooster,  while 
endeavoring  to  rally  them,  received  a  mortal  wound.  His  wife  and 
son  came  to  attend  him  at  Danbury.  He  told  them  he  was  dying, 
but  with  the  strong  hope  and  persuasion  that  his  country  would  gain 
her  independence.  His  death  took  place  on  the  second  of  May, 
1777,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 

Congress  in  appreciation  of  his  naerits  and  services  passed  resolu- 
tions for  erecting  a  monument  to  his  memory,  made  an  appropriation 
for  the  purpose,  and  requested  the  governor  of  Connecticut  to  carry 
it  into  execution ;  but  the  remains  of  this  gallant  officer  and-  patriot 
still  lie  in  an  unmarked  grave,  in  the  village  he  died  defending. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JOHN  BROOKS. 


OHN  BROOKS  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Medford,  near  Boston,  in  the  year  1752.  His 
ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of 
li  the  country,  and  they  had  followed  in  suc- 
cession the  occupation  of  farming,  in  which 
Governor  Brooks  himself,  passed  the  earliest 
years  of  his  life.  He  surmounted  the  diffi- 
culties that  lay  in  the  way  of  his  receiving  a 
good  education,  and  acquired  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  ancient  languages,  to  commence  his  favorite  study, 
that  of  medicine.  Having  obtained  his  degree,  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  town  of  Reading,  where  he  was 
found  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  prepared  to  take  arms 
in  defence  of  his  country.  He  became  commander  of  a  company  of 
minute  men,  whom  he  learned  to  train,  by  observing  the  drilling  of 
the  British  soldiery  in  Boston.  Aroused  by  the  news  of  the  advance 
of  the  British  upon  Lexington,  he  led  his  company  against  them, 
posted  them  behind  a  stone  wall  commanding  the  road  from  Concord 
to  Boston,  at  a  place  where  it  passed  over  a  marsh  by  a  bridge  and 
causeway.  From  this  point  he  annoyed  them  severely  as  they  were 
retreating  to  Boston,  and  after  they  had  passed,  joined  the  American 

459 


460 


JOHN     BROOKS. 


/^^f^^'^t. 


^M^& 


Brooks's  Provincials  annoying  tlie  Britisli  on  their  retreat  from  Concord. 

forces  in  pursuit.  He  became  a  major  in  Colonel  Bridge's  regiment, 
when  the  army  was  organized.  Serving  apart  from  his  regiment,  he 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  going  the  rounds  with 
Colonel  Prescott,  and  working  in  the  intrenchments  during  the  night. 
At  daylight  in  the  morning,  it  became  apparent  that  the  enemy  were 
about  to  make  an  attack,  and  Colonel  Prescott  desired  that  this 
should  be  made  known  to  the  general-in-chief,  with  a  request  for 
reinforcements.  Major  Brooks  performed  this  duty,  and,  for  want 
of  a  horse,  he  accomplished  his  mission  on  foot,  but  with  promptitude 
and  success.  He  was  afterwards  attached  to  Colonel  Webb's  regi- 
ment, in  which  he  assisted  in  throwing  up  the  intrenchments  on 
Dorchester  Heights,  which  compelled  the  evacuation  of  Boston. 
Major  Brooks  served  under  Washington  on  Long  Island,  and  at  the 
battle  of  the  White  Plains,  his  gallantry  and  the  discipline  of  his 
soldiers  gained  him  much  credit.  He  was  engaged  in  active  service 
during  the  campaign  in  the  Jerseys,  and  as  a  lieutenant-colonel, 
commanding  a  regiment,  in  the  campaign  against  Burgoyne.  In 
the  battles  preceding  the  surrender  of  that  officer.  Colonel  Brooks 
bore  a  conspicuous  part.  He  turned  with  his  regiment  the  line  of 
the  enemy,  and  storming  successfully  the  redoubt  occupied  by  the 
Germans,  in  the  decisive  action  of  the  7th  of  October.  Colonel 
Trumbull  has  given  him  a  place  among  the  principal  actors  in  his 
celebrated  painting  of  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 

Colonel  Brooks  was  with  his  regiment  at  Valley  Forge,  where  he 
assisted  materially  in  bringing  the  new  military  system  of  Baron 


HIS     DEATH.  461 

Steuben  into  use.  As  adjutant-general  to  General  Lee,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  On  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
he  was  again  employed  in  perfecting  the  discipline  of  the  army. 
When  the  famous  Newburg  letters  were  published,  and  the  com- 
mander-in-chief was  involved  in  doubt  and  uncertainty  as  to  the 
course  that  the  officers  would  pursue,  he  rode,  according  to  an  anec- 
dote related  by  the  late  Chief  Justice  Parker,  of  Massachusetts,  up 
to  Colonel  Brooks,  to  learn  how  he  and  his  officers  were  affected. 
Finding  him,  as  he  expected,  to  be  sound,  he  requested,  him  to  keep 
his  officers  in  their  quarters,  to  prevent  them  from  attending  the 
insurgent  meeting.  Brooks  replied,  "  Sir,  I  have  anticipated  your 
wishes,  and  my  orders  are  given."  Washington,  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  Colonel  Brooks,  this  is  just 
what  I  should  have  expected  from  you." 

Retiring  in  poverty,  from  the  service  of  his  country.  Colonel 
Brooks  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Medford,  with  great 
success.  He  was  made  major-general  of  the  third  division  of  the 
Massachusetts  militia,  and  frequently  elected  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature of  that  state.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
framed  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  labored  to  secure 
the  adoption  by  his  own  state,  of  the  new  frame  of  government.  In 
the  organization  of  the  army  of  the  United  States,  in  1798,  General 
Brooks  received  the  tender  from  Washington,  of  the  command  of  a 
brigade,  which,  however,  he  declined.  In  1816,  General  Brooks 
became  governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  filled  that  office  for  six  suc- 
cessive terms. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  gubernatorial  chair,  he  continued  his 
public  services  in  various  capacities.  He  continued  till  his  death 
president  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati,  and  other  useful  public  bodies.  During  his  life,  he  was 
honored  by  Harvard  University  with  the  degrees  of  master  of  arts 
and  doctor  of  laws.  On  the  11th  of  February,  1825,  he  went  from 
his  home  to  attend  the  funeral  of  General  Eustis,  his  revolutionary 
associate,  and  successor  in  the  governorship  of  Massachusetts.  On 
the  2d  of  March,  of  the  same  year,  he  died  himself,  aged  seventy- 
three.  We  cannot  better  close  this  sketch,  than  by  quoting  from 
Chief  Justice  Parker's  memoir,  the  following  extract.  "  Though 
the  style  of  his  living  was  conformable  to  his  limited  means,  yet  the 
order  and  regularity  of  his  household,  the  real  comfort  of  his  enter- 
tainments, the  polite  deportment  of  the  host,  struck  strangers,  even 
those  accustomed  to  magnificence,  as  a  happy  specimen  of  republi- 
cansimplicity,  and  of  generous,  but  economical  hospitality.  Bred  in 
the  best  school  of  manners — a  military  association  of  high-minded, 


462 


JOHN    BROOKS. 


accomplished  officers — his  deportment,  though  grave  and  dignified 
like  Washington's,  was  nevertheless  vi^arm  and  affectionate.  On  all 
ceremonious  occasions,  ceremony  seemed  to  become  him  better  than 
any  one  else.  In  the  chair  of  state,  when  receiving  the  gratulations 
of  a  happy  people  on  the  birthday  of  their  independence  ; — on  the 
spacious  common,  paying  honors  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States; — on  the  military  field,  reviewing  our  national  guard,  the 
militia; — at  his  own  humhle,  but  honored  mansion,  taking  to  his 
breast  his  early  friend,  the  nation's  guest ;  what  young  man  of  taste 
and  feeling  could  be  unmoved  at  his  soldierly  air,  his  graceful 
demeanor,  covering,  but  not  impairing  the  generous  feelings  of  a 
warm  and  affectionate  heart !  If  the  writer  does  not  mistake,  he  was 
one  of  the  last  and  best  samples  of  that  old  school  of  manners,  which, 
though  it  has  given  way  to  the  ease  and  convenience  of  modern 
times,  will  be  regretted  by  some,  as  having  carried  away  with  it  many 
of  the  finest  and  most  delicate  traits  of  social  intercourse." 

We  place,  as  a  suitable  appendage  to  this  notice  of  Governor 
Brooks,  the  old  monument  formerly  standing  on  Beacon  Hill,  in  Bos- 
ton, the  capital  of  the  state  ov-er  whose  destinies  Governor  Brooks 
presided.  It  was  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  bore  inscriptions  com- 
memorating the  most  important  events  of  the  revolution. 


Old  Monument  on  Beacon  Hill,  EoBton. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  BARON  DE  KALB. 


towards  the  mother  country. 


HIS  excellent  officer  was  born  in 
Germany,  about  the  year  1717. 
When  young,  he  entered  the  ser- 
vice of  France,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  forty-two  years,  and  ob- 
tained the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 
In  1757,  during  the  war  between 
England  and  France,  he  was  sent, 
by  the  French  government,  to  the 
American  colonies,  in  order  to  learn 
the  points  in  which  they  were  most 
vulnerable,  and  how  far  the  seeds  of 
discontent  might  be  sown  in  them 

He  was  seized,  while  in  the  perform- 

463 


464 


BARON     DE     KALB. 


ance  of  this  commission,  as  a  suspected  person,  but  escaped  detec 
tion.  He  then  went  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  until  its  conquest 
by  the  British,  after  which  he  returned  to  France.  In  1777,  during 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  he  came  a  second  time  to  the  United 
States,  and  offered  his  services  to  Congress.  They  were  accepted, 
and  he  was  soon  after  made  a  major-general.  At  first,  he  was  placed 
in  the  northern  army,  but  when  the  danger  which  threatened  Charles- 
ton from  the  formidable  expedition  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  1778, 
rendered  it  necessary  to  reinforce  the  American  troops  in  the  south, 
a  detachment  was  sent  to  them  consisting  of  the  Maryland  and  Dela- 
ware lines,  which  were  put  under  his  command.  Before  he  could 
arrive,  however,  at  the  scene  of  action,  General  Lincoln  had  been 
made  prisoner,  and  the  direction  of  the  whole  southern  army  in  con- 
sequence devolved  upon  the  Baron  until  the  arrival  of  General  Gates, 
August  15th,  1780,  who  had  been  appointed  to  the  command. 

Four  days  after  this,  General  Gates  found  himself  at  Camden, 
with  three  thousand  seven  hundred  men,  of  whom  only  one  thousand 
were  regular  troops,  in  the  presence  of  two  thousand  British  vete- 
rans, led  by  Lord  Cornwallis. 

HE  enemy  were  drawn  up  in 
one  line,  extending  across  the 
whole  ground,  and  flanked  by 
the  swamps  on  both  sides.  Col- 
onel Webster  was  stationed  on 
the  right,  and  Lord  Rawdon  on 
the  left ;  in  front  of  the  line,  the 
artillery,  with  four  field-pieces, 
were  posted;  the  reserve  were 
posted  at  two  stations  in  the  rear,  near  the  centre  of  each  wing, 
at  each  of  which  was  one  six-pounder  ;  and  the  cavalry  occupied  the 
road  in  the  rear,  which,  with  the  reserve,  formed  the  second  line. 
General  Gates  changed  the  first  disposition  of  his  troops  :  the  second 
Maryland  brigade  and  the  Delaware  regiment  were  posted  on  the 
right,  under  General  Gist:  the  centre  was  occupied  by  General 
Caswell,  with  the  North  Carolina  .militia  ;  and  the  Virginia  militia, 
commanded  by  General  Stevens,  were  placed  ori  the  left,  being 
opposed  to  the  best  troops  of  the  enemy.  The  artillery  was 
divided  among  the  several  brigades  ;  and  the  first  Maryland  bri- 
gade, under  General  Smallwood,  formed  the  reserve.  The  line  of 
battle  was  intrusted  to  the  Baron  de  Kalb,  who  was  posted  on 
the  right,  great  reliance  being  placed  on  his  experience  and  known 
intrepidity  ;  he  was  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  whole  line,  and 
direct  his  exertions  where   circumstances  miffht  indicate.     General 


BATTLE     OF     CAMDEN. 


465 


Gates  was  stationed  in  the  road,  between  the  reserve  and  the  front 
line. 

The  action  was  commenced  by  a  vigorous  attack  on  the  American 
left,  by  the  enemy's  right,  which  were  their  best  troops  ;  this  was 
immediately  followed  by  the  discharge  of  artillery  from  our  centre, 
and  the  action  was  soon  commenced  along  the  whole  line.  The 
Virginia  militia  on  our  left,  unable  to  stand  the  vigorous  assault 
of  the  British  veterans,  after  one  fire  threw  down  their  arms  and 
fled  ;  and  their  pernicious  example  was  immediately  followed  by 
the  North  Carolina  brigade  in  our  centre  ;  and  all  the  exertions  of 
their  officers,  and  of  General  Gates  in  person,  to  rally  them  was 
ineffectual :  filled  with  consternation,  they  continued  their  cowardly 
flight  until  they  reached  a  place  of  safety.  The  centre  of  the 
American  line  being  thus  broken,  the  right,  consisting  of  the  Mary- 
land brigade  and  Delaware  regiment,  led  by  the  gallant  De  Kalb, 
had  to  sustain  the  whole  force  of  the  action.  De  Kalb  and  Gist 
were  pushing  on  with  decided  advantage,  at  the  time  the  militia 
gave  way,  which  stopped  their  advance,  and  brought  the  whole  fire 
of  the  enemy  upon  them;  animated  by  their  brave  leader,  they 
resolutely  sustained  this  unequal  contest  for  a  considerable  time,  and 
until  all  the  other  troops  had  retreated :  several  times  were  the 
enemy's  van  driven  in  with  loss.  General  Smallwood,  with  the 
first  Maryland  brigade,  which  had  formed  the  reserve,  advanced  and 
took  the  place  of  the  fugitives  on  the  left,  which  exposed  him  to  the 
whole  corps  of  Webster's  veterans,  on  the  enemy's  right.  The  shock 
was  too  heavy  for  militia ;  three  times  was  General  Smallwood 
compelled  to  give  way,  and  with  determined  valor  three  times  did  he 
return  to  the  charge,  and  would  probably  have  maintained  his 
ground  had  not  the  remaining  regiment  of  North  Carolina  militia, 
which  for  some  time  seemed  resolved  to  retrieve  the  disgrace  of  their 
countrymen,  finally  gave  way,  which  compelled  Smallwood's  regi- 
ment to  retire  in  some  disorder  from  so  unequal  and  destructive  a 
contest.  This  left  the  right  the  second  time  exposed  to  the  whole 
force  of  the  enemy.  Few,  but  undismayed,  the  brave  continentals, 
animated  by  the  heroic  conduct  of  their  chief,  made  a  determined 
effort  to  sustain  the  honor  of  the  field  alone.  From  the  vast  superi- 
ority of  the  enemy,  their  fire  was  heavy  and  destructive,  and  could 
not  be  returned  with  the  same  effect ;  De  Kalb,  therefore,  placed  his 
last  hopes  on  the  bayonet,  and,  making  a  desperate  charge,  drove 
the  enemy  before  him  with  considerable  advantage.  But  at  this  time, 
Cornwallis,  perceiving  that  the  American  cavalry  had  left  the  field, 
ordered  Colonel  Tarlton  to  charge  with  his  cavalry  ;  and,  having 
concentrated  his  whole  force    the  charge  was  made  with  the  usual 

30 


466 


VAKON     DE     KALB. 


Battle  of  Camden  and  deatli  of  De  Kalb. 


impetuosity  of  that  daring  officer.  This  was  decisive  of  the  des- 
perate conflict,  and  fatal  to  the  gallant  officer  who  is  the  subject  of 
this  brief  notice.  Fatigued  from  their  long  and  arduous  efforts,  the 
heroic  continentals,  who  had  sustained  almost  the  whole  burden  of 
the  day,  were  unable  to  withstand  the  charge  ;  and  their  gallant 
leader,  who  was  himself  a  host,  having  fallen,  they  were  compelled 
to  leave  a  field  which  they  had  so  honorably  defended,  and  seek 
safety  by  flight.  The  victory,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  Americans 
was  complete  ;  and  the  fugitives  were  pursued  for  more  than  twenty 
miles.  The  troops  under  De  Kalb,  on  the  right,  sufl^ered  as  might 
be  supposed,  most  severely ;  the  Delaware  regiment  was  nearly 
destroyed,  two  companies  only  being  left,  and  more  than  one-third 
of  the  continentals  were  killed  and  wounded. 

Perhaps  no  officer  ever  exerted  himself  more,  in  a  single  action, 
than  did  the  Bafon  de  Kalb  on  this  occasion  ;  he  did  all  that  man 
could  do  to  retrieve  the  fortune  of  the  day,  exposing  himself  to  con- 
stant and  imminent  danger.  He  received  eleven  wounds  in  the 
course  of  the  action  ;  but  kept  his  post  and  continued  his  exertions 
until  the  last,  which  proved  mortal.  As  he  fell,  his  aid,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  de  Buysson,  caught  him  in  his  arms,  to  save  him  from  the 
uplifted  bayonets  of  the  enemy,  which  he  warded  off  by  receiving 
them  in  his  own  body.     In  his  last  moments  the  baron  dictated  a 


DEATH      OF     DE     KALB. 


467 


letter  to  General  Smallwood,  who  succeeded  to  his  command,  ex- 
pressing a  warm  affection  for  the  Americans  and  the  cause  in  which 
they  were  engaged,  and  his  admiration  of  the  conduct  of  th«  troops 
under  his  immediate  command,  whose  bravery  and  firmness,  in  so 
unequal  a  contest,  he  said,  had  called  forth  the  commendation  even 
of  the  enemy  ;  and  concluded  by  expressing  the  satisfaction  he  felt 
in  having  fallen  in  the  defence  of  the  independence  and  liberties  of 
America,  a  cause  so  dear  to  the  lovers  of  liberty  and  the  friends  of 
humanity,  in  Europe  as  well  as  America.  He  survived  only  a  few 
days  :  an  ornamental  tree  was  planted  at  the  head  of  his  grave,  near 
Camden,  and  Congress,  duly  sensible  of  his  merits,  passed  a  resolu- 
tion directing  a  monument  to  be  erected  to  his  memory,  with  very 
honorable  inscriptions,  at  Annapolis,  in  Maryland  ;  but  the  resolu- 
tion, it  is  believed,  has  never  been  carried  into  effect,  and  the  grati- 
tude and  plighted  faith  of  the  nation  both  remain  unredeemed.  He 
was  in  the  forty-eighth  year  of  his  age  ;  most  of  his  life  had  been 
spent  in  military  employments,  and  the  last  three  years  in  America, 
with  distinguished  reputation. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  GEORGE  R.  CLARKE. 


PHfT^HIS  gentleman,  who  was  a  colo- 
1/  JIl  u  nel  in  the  service  of  Virginia, 
against  the  Indians,  in  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  was  among  the 
best  soldiers,  and  better  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  warfare  than  any  officer  in 
the  army.  While  his  countrymen  on  the 
sea-board  were  contending  with  the  Bri- 
tish regulars,  he  was  the  efficient  pro- 
tector of  the  people  of  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  and.  Pennsylvania 
from  the  inroads  of  the  savages.  The  history  of  his  exploits  would 
fill  a  volume  ;  and  for  hair-breadth  escapes  and  hardy  enterprise, 
would  hardly  have  a  'parallel.  We  are  only  enabled  to  give  an 
extract : 

The  legislature  of  Virginia  claiming  the  country  conquered  by 
Colonel  Clarke,  comprehended  it  within  the  new  country,  which 
they  erected  by  the  name  of  Illinois.  A  regiment  of  infantry,  and 
one  troop  of  cavalry  were  voted  for  its  protection  ;  the  command  of 
which  was  given  to  Colonel  Clarke,  whose  former  regiment  was  dis- 
solved, by  the  expiration  of  its  term  of  service,  and  who  well  merited 
this  new  expression  of  public  confidence,  by  the  entire  success  of  his 
468 


SERVICES     IN     THE     WEST. 


469 


late  enterprises,  by  his  known  courage,  by  his  uncommon  hardihood, 
by  his  mihtary  talents,  and  by  his  singular  capacity  for  Indian 
warfare. 

The  famihes  who  came  to  the  falls  of  Ohio  with  Colonel  Clarke, 
in  1778,  were  the  first  settlers  at  that  place.  Considering  their 
exposed  situation  on  the  extremity  of  Kentucky,  detached  seventy 
miles  from  the  other  settlements,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  several  hostile 
tribes  of  Indians,  and  British  posts,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  erect 
their  first  cabins  on  the  principal  island  in  the  falls,  and  there  they 
made  corn  in  that  year. 

Greatly  were  these  adventurers  interested  in  the  success  of  Colo- 
nel Clarke's  expedition.  Nor  was  it  long  before  they  heard  of  the 
fall  of  Kaskakias.  Pleasing  as  was  this  intelligence,  it  did  not 
afford  to  them  the  wanted  security. 

There  was  yet  post  St.  Vincents,  more  immediately  in  their  neigh- 
borhood, and  replenished  with  Indians.  The  capture  of  this  place 
was  to  them  the  mandate  of  liberation  from  their  insular  situation, 
and  an  invitation  to  remove  to  the  Kentucky  shore.  Hence  the  origin 
of  the  settlement  at  the  site  of  Louisville. 

4.  stand  being  once  made  at  the  Falls,  and  the  garrison  freed  from 
the  contracted  and  inconvenient  limits  of  the  island,  soon  accumu- 
lated strength  from  accession  of  numbers,  and  importance  from  its 
becoming  the  residence  of  Colonel  Clarke  with  his  regiment. 

The  year  1779  early  felt,  in  various  ways,  the  eflfect  of  Colonel 
Clarke's  expedition  and  success  ;  a  general  confidence  prevailed  in 
the  country,  which  extended  itself  abroad ;  and  while  it  brought 
more  emigrants  into  Kentucky,  it  encouraged  an  extension  of  the 
settlements.  About  the  first  of  April,  a  block-house  was  built  where 
Lexington  now  stands,  and  a  new  settlement  began  there  under  the 
auspices  of  Robert  Patterson,  who  may  be  considered  an  early  and 
meritorious  adventurer,  much  engaged  in  the  defence  of  the  country ; 
and  who  was  afterwards  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Several 
persons  raised  corn  at  the  place  that  year,  and  in  the  autumn,  John 
Morrison,  afterwards  a  major,  removed  his  family  from  Harrodsburg, 
and  Mrs.  Morrison  was  the  first  white  woman  at  Lexington  ;  so 
named  to  commemorate  the  battle  at  Lexington,  the  first  which  took 
place  in  the  war  of  the  revolution. 

In  this  year,  Colonel  Clarke  descended  the  Ohio,  with  a  part  of 
his  regiment,  and  after  entering  the  Mississippi,  at  the  first  high  land 
on  the  eastern  bank,  landed  the  troops,  and  built  Fort  Jetferson. 

In  a  military  view,  this  position  was  well  chosen  ;  and  had  it  been 
well  fortified,  and  furnished  with  cannon,  would  have  commanded 
the  river.     Without  a  doubt,  at  some  future  day,  it  will  be  a  place 


470 


GEORGE     R.     CLARKE. 


of  great  importance  in  tne  western  country.  It  is  within  the  limits 
of  Kentucky,  and  never  should  be  alienated.  A  suitable  garrison  at 
that  place,  should  it  ever  be  necessary,  would  hold  in  check  both  the 
upper  and  lower  Mississippi. 

"N  1781,  Colonel  Clarke  received  a 
general's  commission,  and  had  the  chief, 
command  in  Kentucky.  A  row-galley 
was  constructed-  under  his  direction, 
which  was  to  ply  up  and  down  the 
Ohio,  as  a  moving  battery  for  the  north- 
western frontier,  and  which  is  supposed 
to  have  had  a  very  good  effect  in  fright- 
ening the  Indians,  for  none  dared  to 
attack  it  ;  nor  were  they  so  free  as 
theretofore  in  crossing  the  river  ;  indeed  there  is  a  tradition,  that  its 
passage  up  the  Ohio  once  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Licking,  had  the 
effect  to  stop  an  expedition,  which  a  formidable  party  of  Indians  had 
commenced  against  Kentucky. 

The  character  of  this  veteran  is  well  developed  in  the  following 
extract,  recently  published,  from  the  "  Notes  of  an  Old  Officer  :" 

"  The  Indians  came  into  the  treaty  at  Fort  Washington  in  the 
most  friendly  manner,  except  the  Shawahanees,  the  most  conceited 
and  most  warlike  of  the  aborigines,  the  first  in  at  a  battle,  the  last 
at  a  treaty.  Three  hundred  of  their  finest  warriors,  set  off  in  all 
their  paint  and  feathers,  filed  into  the  council  house.  Their  number 
and  demeanor,  so  unusual  at  an  occasion  of  this  sort,  was  altogether 
unexpected  and  suspicious.  The  United  States  stockade  mustered 
seventy  men. 

In  the  centre  of  the  hall,  at  a  little  table,  sat  the  commissary, 
General  Clarke,  the  indefatigable  scourge  of  these  very  marauders  ; 
General  Richard  Butler,  and  Mr.  Parsons ;  there  were  present  also, 
a  Captain  Denny,  who,  I  believe,  is  still  alive,  and  can  attest  this 
story.  On  the  part  of  the  Indians  an  old  council  sachem  and  a  war 
chief,  took  the  lead  ;  the  latter,  a  tall,  raw-boned  fellow,  with  an 
impudent  and  villanous  look,  made  a  boisterous  and  threatening 
speech,  which  operated  effectually  on  the  passions  of  the  Indians, 
who  set  up  a  prodigious  whoop  at  every  pause.  He  concluded  by 
presenting  a  black  and  white  wampum,  to  signify  they  were  prepared 
for  either  event,  peace  or  war.  Clarke  exhibited  the  same  unaltered 
3nd  careless  countenance  he  had  shown  during  the  whole  scene,  his 
head  leaning  on  his  left  hand,  and  his  elbow  resting  on  the  table  ;  he 
raised  his  little  cane  and  pushed  the  sacred  wampum  off  the  table 
with  very  little  ceremony  ;  every  Indian  at  the  same  moment  started 


ANECDOTE  OF  GENERAL  CLARKE.         471 

from  his  seat  with  one  of  those  strange>  simultaneous,  and  pecuharly 
savage  sounds,  which  startle  and  disconcert  the  stoutest  hearts,  and 
can  neither  be  described  nor  forgotten. 

Parsons,  more  civil  than  military  in  his  habits,  was  poorly  fitted 
for  an  emergency  that  probably  embarrassed  even  the  hero  of  Sara- 
toga, the  brother  and  father  of  soldiers.  At  this  juncture  Clarke 
rose  ;  the  scrutinizing  eye  cowered  at  his  glance  ;  he  stamped  his 
foot  on  the  prostrate  and  insulted  symbol,  and  ordered  them  to  leave 
the  hall.     They  did  so,  apparently  involuntarily. 

They  were  heard  all  that  night  debating  in  the  bushes  near  the 
fort.  The  raw-boned  chief  was  for  war,  the  old  sachem  for  peace  ; 
the  latter  prevailed  ;  and  the  next  morning  they  came  back  and  sued 
for  peace." 

General  Clarke  died  at  his  seat,  at  Locust  Grove,  near  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  on  the  13th  of  February,  1817,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year 
of  his  age.  He  had  justly  acquired  the  appellation  of  the  father  of 
the  western  country.  A  newspaper,  in  his  immediate  neighborhood, 
thus  feelingly  noticed  his  death: 

"  Could  our  feeble  talents  enable  us  to  delineate  the  distinguished 
acts  of  patriotism,  of  valor,  and  philanthropy,  that  characterized  the 
existence  of  this  illustrious  chief,  what  a  spectacle  would  we  present 
to  the  admiring  world  !  While  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  wealth 
and  political  glory,  can  we  be  unmindful  that  these  are  the  proud 
trophies  bequeathed  us  by  the  toils  and  valor  of  this  illustrious  man? 
Early  in  life  he  embarked  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  This  western 
country  was  the  great  theatre  of  his  actions.  Bold  and  enterprising, 
he  was  not  to  be  dismaj-'ed  by  the  dangers  and  difficulties  that 
threatened  him,  by  a  force  in  number  far  his  superior,  and  removed 
to  a  region  never  before  trodden  by  a  civilized  American.  He  esti- 
mated the  value  of  its  favorable  result  ;  he  relied  on  his  skill  and 
courage  ;  he  knew  the  fidelity  of  his  little  band  of  associates,  and, 
for  him,  it  was  enough.  With  this  little  band  of  Spartans,  he  is  seen 
piercing  the  gloom  of  the  sequestered  forests,  illuminating  them  in 
quick  succession  with  the  splendor  of  his  victories,  and  early  inviting 
his  countrymen  to  a  residence  his  courage  and  skill  had  purchased 
for  them." 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  WILLIAM  SMALLWOOD. 


)HIS  gallant  officer  bore  a  distin 
guished  part  in  the  revolutionary 
war.  He  was  a  native  of  the  state 
of  Maryland,  and  joined  the  cause 
of  his  country  in  August,  1776. 
He  was  at  that  time  colonel  of  a 
battalion,  with  which  he  arrived  in 
New  York  city,  on  the  eighth  of  that 
month.  In  the  stirring  scenes  at- 
tending the  defeat  of  the  Americans 
at  Long  Island  and  White  Plains, 
he  performed  a  distinguished  part,  and  was  rewarded  (October  23d,) 
by  his  appointment  as  brigadier-general.  In  August  of  the  follow- 
ing year,  he  led  the  Mai'yland  militia  in  Sullivan's  attempt  on  Staten 
Island.  While  Washington  was  using  every  exertion  to  defend 
Philadelphia  against  Sir  William  Howe,  Smallwood  mustered  about 
twelve  hundred  militia  from  his  native  state,  and  hastened  to  join 
the  main  army.  This  he  did  September  28th,  1777,  although  S'ick- 
ness  had  reduced  the  number  of  his  troops  to  one  thousand.  In  the 
battle  of  Germantown  he  behaved  with  much  bravery  at  the  head  of 
472 


HIS     DEATH. 


473 


the  Marylanders  and  Jersey  men,  and  in  the  retreat  displayed  all  the 
coolness  and  ability  of  a  veteran  commander.  In  December  of  the 
same  year  he  was  ordered  by  Washington  to  Wilmington,  in  order  to 
preA^ent  that  town  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  who  were 
at  that  time  marching  against  it.  Early  in  1779,  the  enemy  made  a 
similar  attempt  upon  Elizabethtown.  To  repel  this,  Smallwood,  with 
the  Maryland  division  of  the  army,  and  General  St.  Clair,  with  the 
Pennsylvania  division,  were  put  in  motion  by  different  routes  to  form 
a  junction  at  the  Scotch  Plains,  and  proceed  to  reinforce  General 
Maxwell,  and  act  as  circumstances  might  require.  The  troops  were 
reccjled,  however,  before  they  had  advanced  far,  in  consequence  of 
intelligence  being  received  of  the  sudden  retreat  of  the  enemy. 

General  Smallwood  was  with  Gates  in  the  disastrous  campaign 
of  that  officer  in  the  south.  In  the  fall  of  1780,  he  was  named  as 
the  officer  to  receive  the  appointment  of  major-general  from  the  state 
of  Maryland,  and  was  accordingly  commissioned  by  Congress.  On 
account  of  some  misunderstanding  with  the  Baron  Steuben  about 
rank,  he  left  the  southern  army,  and  even  hinted  at  a  determination 
to  resign. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  continued  in  his  native  state  until 
1785,  when  he  was  elected  to  Congress.  He  became  governor  of 
Maryland  the  same  year,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that  office  until 
1788.  After  this  he  retired  to  private  life,  until  1792,  when  his 
death  occurred. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  ARMAND  TUFIN, 

MARQUIS  DE  LA  KOUERIE. 

HIS  gentleman  was  a  native  of  Brit- 
tany, who  was  ten  years  in  the 
French  service,  in  the  early  part  of 
his  life,  and  subsequently  entered  the 
monastery  of  La  Trappe,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  disappointment  in  love. 
He  left  France  in  1776,  to  enter  the 
American  service,  bearing  despatches 
from  Dr.  Franklin.  Having  narrowly 
escaped  capture  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Delaware,  he  arrived  safely  at  Phila- 
delpiiia,  and  delivered  his  despatches. 
"  At  his  own  request,"  says  Mr. 
Sparks,  "  he  was  commissioned  to 
raise  a  partisan  corps  of  Frenchmen,  not  exceeding  two  hundred 
474 


HIS     DEATH.  475 

men.  It  was  thought  that  some  advantage  would  result  from  such 
a  corps,  by  bringing  together  into  a  body  such  soldiers  as  did  not 
understand  the  English  language." 

He  served  with  La  Fayette,  and  was  in  an  affair  with  the  enemy 
at  Gloucester  Point,  near  Philadelphia,  in  1777,  where  he  behaved 
with  spirit. 

It  appears  by  a  letter  of  Washington,  dated  at  Valley  Forge,  25th 
March,  1778,  that  the  colonel's  corps  being  reduced  below  fifty  men, 
Congress  had  determined  to  incorporate  it  into  some  regiinent,  and 
he  was  desirous  to  raise  a  new  one. 

In  1779,  Washington  mentions  his  corps  as  serving  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  also  in  Sullivan's  division,  with  whom  he  had  served  in 
the  expedition  to  Rhode  Island. 

In  July,  1779,  Armand's  independent  corps  is  mentioned  as  com- 
posing a  part  of  General  Robert  Howe's  division  ordered  to  repair 
to  Ridgefield. 

In  December,  1779,  General  Washington  writes  to  Colonel  Ar- 
mand,  (as  he  was  always  called,)  "  I  have  the  most  favorable  opinion 
of  your  conduct  and  services,  particularly  in  the  course  of  the  last 
campaign,  in  which  circumstances  enabled  you  to  be  more  active 
and  useful." 

We  learn  by  another  of  Washington's  letters  to  the  colonel,  in 
1780,  that  the  board  of  war  recommended  the  incorporation  of  his 
corps  with  the  late  Pulaski's,  and  that  Washington  recommended  his 
being  ordered  with  his  men  to  Georgia.  At  the  same  time  Wash- 
ington incloses  him  an  ample  certificate  of  merit. 

During  his  term  of  service,  Colonel  Armand  had  frequently  applied 
for  promotion  without  success  ;  and  in  1781  he  returned  to  France. 
But  he  soon  returned,  served  in  the  southern  states  under  General 
Greene,  and  on  the  26th  of  March,  1783,  obtained  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general. 

He  subsequently  returned  to  France,  married  a  lady  of  fortune, 
took  an  active  part  in  the  revolution,  and  died  before  it  was  closed. 


i» 

^^4W^^  -  • 

"^^B 

^^^^^^- 

BRIGADIEK  GENERAL  COUNT  PULASKI. 


HIS  gallant  soldier  was  a  native  of  Poland, 
whose  disastrous  history  is  well  known.  Vainly 
struggling  to  restore  the  lost  independence  of 
his  country,  he  was  forced  to  seek  personal 
safety  by  its  abandonment.  Pulaski,  with  a 
few  men,  in  the  year  1771,  carried  oif  king 
Stanislaus  from  the  middle  of  his  capital, 
though  surrounded  by  a  numerous  body  of 
guards,  and  a  Russian  army.  The  king  soon  escaped,  and  declared 
Pulaski  an  outlaw.  Hearing  of  the  glorious  struggle  in  which  we 
were  engaged,  he  hastened  to  the  wilds  of  America,  and  associated 
himself  with  our  perils  and  our  fortunes.  Congress  honored  him 
with  the  commission  of  brigadier-general,  with  a  view,  as  was 
rumored,  of  placing  him  at  the  head  of  the  American  cavalry,  the 
line  of  service  in  which  he  had  been  bred.  But  his  ignorance  of  our 
language,  and  the  distaste  of  our  officers  to  foreign  superiority,  stifled 
this  project.  He  was  then  authorized  to  raise  a  legionary  corps, 
appointing  his  own  officers. 

Indefatigable  and  persevering,  the  Count  collected  about  two 
hundred  infantry  and  two  hundred  horse,  made  up  of  all  sorts,  chiefly 
of  German  deserters.    His  officers  were  generally  foreign,  with  some 

476 


SIEGE      OF     SAVANNAH,  477 

Americans.  With  this  assemblage,  the  Count  took  the  field ;  and 
after  serving  some  time  in  the  northern  army,  he  was  sent  to  the 
south,  and  fell  at  the  battle  of  Savannah.  There  slumbers  the 
gallant  Pole,  the  immortal  Pulaski,  who  threw  himself  into  the  arms 
of  America,  and  professed  himself  the  champion  of  her  rights  ;  and 
in  the  unfortunate  affair  of  Savannah,  sealed  with  his  blood,  the 
rising  liberties  of  his  adopted  country. 

He  was  sober,  diligent  and  intrepid,  gentlemanly  in  his  manners, 
and  amiable  in  heart.  He  was  very  reserved,  and  when  alone, 
betrayed  strong  evidence  of  deep  melancholy.  Those  who  knew 
him  intimately,  spoke  highly  of  the  sublimity  of  his  virtue,  and  the 
constancy  of  his  friendship.  Commanding  this  heterogeneous  corps, 
badly  equipped  and  worse  mounted,  this  brave  Pole  encountered 
difficulties  and  sought  danger.  Nor  is  there  doubt,  if  he  had  been 
conversant  in  our  language,  and  better  acquainted  with  our  customs 
and  country,  he  would  have  become  one  of  our  most  conspicuous 
and  useful  officers. 

General  Lee,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  this  sketch,  gives  the 
following  account  in  his  memoirs,  of  the  attack  on  Savannah,  where 
it  will  be  found  the  intrepid  Pulaski  made  a  gallant  effort  to  retrieve 
the  fortune  of  the  day. 

"  On  the  9th  of  October,  1779,  the  allied  troops  under  the  Count 
d'Estaing  and  General  Lincoln,  moved  to  the  assault.  The  serious 
stroke  having  been  committed  to  two  columns,  one  was  led  by 
d'Estaing  and  Lincoln  united,  the  other  by  Count  Dillon  ;  the  third 
column  moved  upon  the  enemy's  centre  and  left,  first  to  attract 
attention,  and  lastly  to  press  any  advantage  which  might  be  derived 
from  the  assault  by  our  left. 

The  troops  acted  well  their  parts,  and  the  issue  hung  for  some 
time  suspended.  Dillon's  column,  mistaking  its  route  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  morning,  failed  in  co-operation,  and  very  much  reduced 
the  force  of  the  attack  ;  while  d'Estaing  and  Lincoln,  concealed  by 
the  same  darkness,  drew  with  advantage  near  the  enemy's  lines 
undiscovered.  Notwithstanding  this  loss  of  concert  in  assault  by 
the  two  columns  destined  to  carry  the  enemy,  noble  and  determined 
was  the  advance.  The  front  of  the  first  was  greatly  thinned  by  the 
foe,  sheltered  in  his  strong  and  safe  defences,  and  aided  by  batteries 
operating  not  only  in  front  but  in  flank. 

Regardless  of  the  fatal  fire  from  their  covered  enemy,  this  unap- 
palled  column,  led  by  Lincoln  and  d'Estaing,  forced  the  abattis  and 
planted  their  standards  on  the  parapet.  All  was  gone,  could  this 
lodgment  have  been  maintained.  Maitland's  comprehensive  eye 
saw  the  menacing  blow  ;  and  his  vigorous  mind  seized  the  means  of 


478 


COUNT     PULASKI. 


warding  it  off.  He  drew  from  the  disposable  force,  the  grenadiers 
and  marines,  nearest  to  the  point  gained.  This  united  corps  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Glazier  assumed  with  joy  the  arduous  task  to 
recover  the  lost  ground.  With  unimpaired  strength  it  fell  upon  the 
worried  head  of  the  victorious  column ;  who,  though-  piercing  the 
enemy  in  one  point,  had  not  spread  along  the  parapet ;  and  the 
besieged  bringing  up  superior  force,  victory  was  suppressed  in  its 
birth.  The  triumphant  standards  were  torn  down  ;  and  the  gallant 
soldiers,  who  had  gone  so  far  towards  the  goal  of  conquest,  were 
tumbled  into  the  ditch  and  driven  through  the  abattis.  About  this 
time  that  Maitland  was  preparing  this  critical  movement,  count 
Pulaski,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  horse,  threw  himself  upon  the 
works  to  force  his  way  into  the  enemy's  rear.  Receiving  a  mortal 
wound,  this  brave  officer  fell ;  and  his  fate  arrested  the  gallant  effort 
which  might  have  changed  the  issue  of  the  day.  Repulsed  in  every 
point  of  attack,  the  allied  generals  drew  off  their  troops.  The 
retreat  was  effected  in  good  order ;  no  attempt  to  convert  it  into 
rout  being  made  by  the  British  general.  Count  d'Estaing,  who,  with 
General  Lincoln,  had  courted  danger  to  give  effect  to  the  assault, 
was  wounded.  Captain  Tawes,  of  the  provincial  troops,  signalized 
himself  by  his  intrepidity  in  defending  the  redoubts  committed  to  his 
charge,  the  leading  points  of  our  assault.  He  fell  dead  at  the  gate, 
with  his  sword  plunged  into  the  body  of  the  third  enemy,  whom  he 
had  slain." 

Pulaski  died  two  days  after  the  action,  and  Congress  resolved  that 
a  monument  should  be  erected  to  his  memory. 


Battle  of  Savannah,  death  of  Pulaski. 


COLONEL  SETH  WAENER. 


MONO  the  persons  who  have  performed 
important  services  to  the  state  of  Ver- 
mont, Colonel  Seth  Warner  deserves  to 
be  remembered  with  respect..  He  was 
born  at  Woodbury,  in  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut, about  the  year  1744,  of  honest 
and  respectable  parents.  Without  any 
other  advantages  for  an  education  than 
were  to  be  found  in  the  common  schools 
of  the  town,  he  was  early  distinguished 
by  the  solidity  and  extent  of  his  understanding.  About  the  year 
1763,  his  parents  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Bennington,  and  soon 
after  removed  to  that  town  with  their  family.  In  the  uncultivated 
state  of  the  country,  in  the  fish,  with  which  the  rivers  and  ponds 
were  furnished,  and  in  the  game,  with  which  the  woods  abounded, 
young  Warner  found  a  variety  of  objects  suited  to  his  favorite  in- 
clinations and  pursuits  ;  and  he  soon  became  distinguished  as  a  for- 
tunate and  indefatigable  hunter. 

His  father,  Captain  Benjamin  Warner,  had  a  strong  inclination  to 
medicinal  inquiries  and  pursuits  ;  and  agreeably  to  the  state  of  things 
in  new  settlements,  had  to  look  for  many  of  his  medicines  in  the 
natural  virtues  of  the  plants  and  roots,  that  were  indigenous  to  the 
country.  His  son  Seth  frequently  attended  him  in  these  botanical 
excursions,  contracted  something  of  his  father's  taste  for  the  busi- 
ness, and  acquired  more  information  of  the  nature  and  properties  of 
the  indigenous  plants  and  vegetables,  than  any  other  man  in  the 

country.     By  this  kind  of  knowledge  he  became  useful  to  the  fami- 

479 


480 


SETH     WARNER. 


lies  in  the  new  settlements,  and  administered  relief  in  many  cases 
where  no  other  medical  assistance  could  at  that  time  be  procured. 
By  such  visits  and  practice  he  became  known  to  most  of  the  fami- 
lies on  the  west  side  of  the  Green  Mountains  ;  and  was  generally 
esteemed  by  them  a  man  highly  useful  both  on  account  of  his  infor- 
mation and  humanity. 

About  the  year  1763,  a  scene  began  to  open  which  gave  a  new 
turn  to  his  active  and  enterprising  spirit.  The  lands  on  which  the 
settlements  were  made,  had  been  granted  by  the  governors  of  New 
Hampshire,  The  government  of  New  York  claimed  jurisdiction  to 
the  eastward  as  far  as  Connecticut  river :  denied  the  authority  of 
the  governor  of  New  Hampshire  to  make  any  grants  to  the  west  of 
Connecticut  river  ;  and  announced  to  the  inhabitants  that  they  were 
within  the  territory  of  New  York,  and  had  no  legal  title  to  the  lands 
on  which  they  had  settled.  The  controversy  became  very  serious 
between  the  two  governm-ents,  and  after  some  years  spent  in  alterca- 
tion, New  York  procured  a  decision  of  George  HI.  in  their  favor. 
This  order  was  dated  July  20,  1764,  and  declared  "the  western 
banks  of  the  river  Connecticut,  from  where  it  enters  the  province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  as  far  north  as  the  forty-fifth  degree  of  northern 
latitude,  to  be  the  boundary  line  between  the  said  two  provinces  of 
New  Hampshire  and  New  York."  No  sooner  was  this  decree  pro- 
cured, than  the  governor  of  New  York  proceeded  to  make  new 
grants  of  the  lands,  which  the  settlers  had  before  fairly  bought  of 
the  crown,  and  which  had  been  chartered  to  them  in  the  king's  name 
and  authority  by  the  royal  governor  of  New  Hampshire.  All  be- 
came a  scene  of  disorder  and  danger.  The  new  patentees  under 
New  York  brought  actions  of  ejectment  against  the  settlers.  The 
decisions  of  the  courts  at  Albany  were  always  in  favor  of  the  New 
York  patentees  ;  and  nothing  remained  for  the  inhabitants  but  to  buy 
their  lands  over  again,  or  to  give  up  the  labors  and  earnings  of  their 
whole  lives  to  the  new  claimants  under  titles  from  New  York. 

During  this  scene  of  oppression  and  distress,  the  settlers  discovered 
the  firm  and  vigorous  spirit  of  manhood.  All  that  was  left  to  them, 
was  either  to  yield  up  their  whole  property  to  a  set  of  unfeeling  land- 
jobbers,  or  to  defend  themselves  and  property  by  force.  They 
wisely  and  virtuously  chose  the  latter ;  and  by  a  kind  of  common 
consent,  Ethan  Allen  and  Seth  Warner  became  their  leaders.  No 
man's  abilities  and  talents  could  have  been  better  suited  to  the  busi- 
ness than  Warner's.  When  the  authority  of  New  York  proceeded 
with  an  armed  force  to  attempt  to  execute  their  laws,  Warner  met 
them  with  a  body  of  Green  Mountain  boys,  properly  armed,  full  of 
resolution,    and  so   formidable   in  numbers   and    courage,  that  the 


SERVICES     IN     NEW     HAMPSHIRE. 


481 


Earl  of  Percy. 

governor  of  New  York  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  method  of  pro- 
ceeding. When  the  sheriff  came  to  extend  his  executions,  and  eject 
the  settlers  from  their  farms,  Warner  would  not  suffer  him  to  proceed. 
Spies  were  employed  to  procure  intelligence,  and  promote  division 
among  the  people  ;  when  any  of  them  were  taken,  Warner  caused 
them  to  be  tried  by  some  of  the  most  discreet  of  the  people  ;  and 
if  declared  guilty,  to  be  tied  to  a  tree  and  whipped.  An  officer  came 
to  take  Warner  by  force  ;  he  considered  it  as  an  affair  of  open  hos- 
tility, engaged,  wounded  and  disarmed  the  officer;  but,  with  the 
honor  and  spirit  of  a  soldier,  spared  the  life  of  an  enemy  he  had 
subdued.  These  services  appeared  in  a  very  different  light  to  the 
settlers,  and  to  the  government  of  New  York ;  the  first  considered 
him  as  an  eminent  patriot  and  hero  ;  to  the  other  he  appeared  as  the 
first  of  villains  and  rebels.  To  put  an  end  to  all  further  exertions, 
and  to  bring  him  to  an  exemplary  punishment,  the  government  of 
New  York,  on  March  9th,  1774,  passed  an  act  of  outlawry  against 
him ;  and  a  proclamation  was  issued  by  W.  Tryon,  governor  of  New 
York,  offering  a  reward  of  fifty  pounds  to  any  person  w^ho  should 
apprehend  him.  These  proceedings  of  New  York  were  beheld  by 
him  with  contempt ;  and  they  had  no  other  effect  upon  the  settlers, 
than  to  unite  them  more  firmly  in  their  opposition  to  that  govern- 
ment, and  in  their  attachment  to  their  own  patriotic  leader  thus 
wantonly  proscribed. 

In  services  of  so  dangerous  and  important  a  nature,  Warner  was 

31 


482 


SETH     WARNER. 


engaged  from  the  year  1765  to  1775.  That  year  a  scene  of  the 
highest  magnitude  and  consequence  opened  upon  the  world.  On  the 
19th  of  April,  the  American  war  w^as  begun  by  the  British  troops 
at  Lexington,  when  the  infantry  of  Major  Pitcairn  and  the  artillery 
of  the  Earl  of  Percy  were  compelled  to  retreat  by  the  hardy  yeo- 
manry of  Massachusetts,  Happily  for  the  country,  it  was  commenced 
with  such  circumstances  of  insolence  and  cruelty,  as  left  no  room 
for  the  people  of  America  to  doubt  what  was  the  course  which  they 
ought  to  pursue.  The  time  was  come,  in  which  total  subjection,  or 
the  horrors  of  war,  must  take  place.  All  America  preferred  the 
latter ;  and  the  people  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  immediately 
undertook  to  secure  the  British  forts  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point.  Allen  and  Warner  immediately  engaged  in  the  business. 
Allen  took  the  command,  and  Warner  raised  a  body  of  excellent 
troops  in  the  vicinity  of  Bennington,  and  both  marched  against 
Ticonderoga.  They  surprised  and  took  that  fortress  on  the  morning 
of  the  tenth  of  May ;  and  Warner  was  sent  the  same  day  with  a 
detachment  of  the  troops  to  secure  Crown  Point.  He  effected  the 
business,  and  secured  the  garrison,  with  all  the  warlike  stores,  for 
the  use  of  the  continent. 

The  same  year  Warner  received  a  commission  from  Congress  to 
raise  a  regiment,  to  assist  in  the  reduction  of  Canada.  He  engaged 
in  the  business  with  his  usual  spirit  of  activity  ;  raised  his  regiment 
chiefly  among  his  old  acquaintance  and  friends,  the  Green  Mountain 
Boys,  and  joined  the  army  under  the  command  of  General  Mont- 
gomery, The  Honorable  Samuel  SaflTord  of  Bennington  was  his 
lieutenant-colonel.  Their  regiment  conducted  with  great  spirit,  and 
acquired  high  applause,  in  the  action  at  Longueil,  in  which  the 
troops  designed  for  the  relief  of  St.  Johns  were  totally  defeated  and 
dispersed,  chiefly  by  the  troops  under  the  command  of  Colonel  War- 
ner. The  campaign  ended  about  the  20th  of  November,  in  the  course 
of  which,  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point,  Chamblee,  St.  Johns,  Montreal, 
and  a  fleet  of  eleven  sail  of  vessels  had  been  captured  by  the  Ameri- 
can arms.  No  man  in  this  campaign  had  acted  with  more  spirit  and 
enterprise  than  Colonel  Warner.  The  weather  was  now  become 
severe,  and  Warner's  men  were  too  miserably  clothed  to  bear  a  win- 
ter's campaign  in  the  severe  climate  of  Canada,  They  were  accord- 
ingly now  discharged  by  Montgomery  with  particular  marks  of  his 
respect,  and  the  most  affectionate  thanks  for  their  meritorious  ser- 
vices. 

Warner  returned  with  his  men  to  the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  but 
his  mind  was  more  than  ever  engaged  in  the  cause  of  his  country. 
Montgomery  with  a  part  of  his  army,  pressed  on  to  Quebec,  and  on 


HIS     SERVICES     AT     QUEBEC.  485 

December  31st,  was  slain  in  an  attempt  to  carry  the  city  by  storm. 
This  event  gave  an  alarm  to  all  the  northerrr  part  of  the  colonies  ; 
and  it  became  necessary  to  raise  a  reinforcement  to  march  to  Quebec 
in  the  midst  of  winter.  The  difficulty  of  the  business  suited  the 
genius  and  ardor  of  Warner's  mind.  He  was  at  Woodbury,  in  Con- 
necticut, when  he  heard  the  news  of  Montgomery's  defeat  and  death  ; 
he  instantly  repaired  to  Bennington,  raised  a  body  of  men,  and 
marched  in  the  midst  of  winter  to  join  the  American  troops  at  Que- 
bec. The  campaign  during  the  winter  proved  extremely  distressing 
to  the  Americans  ;  in  want  of  comfortable  clothing,  barracks,  and 
provisions,  most  of  them  were  taken  by  the  small-pox,  and  several 
died.  At  the  opening  of  the  spring,  in  May,  1776,  a  large  body  of 
British  troops  arrived  at  Quebec  to  relieve  the  garrison.  The  Ameri- 
can troops  were  forced  to  abandon  the  blockade,  with  circumstances 
of  great  distress  and  confusion.  Warner  chose  the  most  difficult 
part  of  the  business,  remaining  always  with  the  rear,  picking  up  the 
lame  and  diseased,  assisting  and  encouraging  those  who  were  the 
most  unable  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  generally  keeping  but  a 
few  miles  in  advance  of  the  British,  who  were  rapidly  pursuing  the 
retreating  Americans  from  post  to  post.  By  steadily  pursuing  this 
conduct,  he  brought  off  most  of  the  invalids  ;  and  with  this  corps  of 
the  infirm  and  diseased,  he  arrived  at  Ticonderoga,  a  few  days  after 
the  body  of  the  army  had  taken  possession  of  that  post. 

Highly  approving  his  extraordinary  exertions,  the  American  Con- 
gress, on  July  5th,  1776,  the  day  after  they  had  declared  inde- 
pendence, resolved  to  raise  a  regiment  out  of  the  troops  which  had 
served  with  reputation  in  Canada.  Warner  was  appointed  colonel ; 
Safford  lieutenant-colonel  of  this  regiment ;  and  most  of  the  other 
officers  were  persons  who  had  been  distinguished  by  their  opposition 
to  the  claims  and  proceedings  of  New  York.  By  this  appointment 
he  was  again  placed  in  a  situation  perfectly  agreeable  to  his  inclina- 
tion and  genius  ;  and  in  conformity  to  his  orders  he  repaired  to  Ticon- 
deroga, where  he  remained  till  the  close  of  the  campaign. 

"  On  January  16th,  1777,  the  convention  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Grants  declared  the  whole  district  to  be  a  sovereign  and  independent 
state,  to  be  known  and  distinguished  ever  after  by  the  name  of  Ver- 
mont. The  committee  of  safety  in  New  York  were  then  sitting,  and 
on  January  20th,  they  announced  the  transaction  to  Congress,  com- 
plaining in  high  terms  of  the  conduct  of  Vermont,  censuring  it  as  a 
dangerous  revolt  and  opposition  to  lawful  authority  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  remonstrating  agaihst  the  proceedings  of  Congress  in  appointing 
Warner  to  the  command  of  a  regiment  independent  of  the  legislature, 
and  within  the  bounds  of  that  state  ;  "  especially,"  said  they,  "as  this 


486 


SETH     WARNER. 


Colonel  Warner  hatl^een  constantly  and  invariably  opposed  to  the 
legislature  of  this  state,  and  hath  been,  on  that  account,  proclaimed 
an  outlaw  by  the  late  government  thereof.  It  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  recall  the  commissions  given  to  Colonel  Warner  and  the  officers 
under  him,  as  nothing  else  will  do  us  justice."  No  measures  were 
taken  by  Congress  at  that  time,  either  to  interfere  in  the  civil  con- 
test between  the  two  states,  or  to  remove  the  colonel  from  his  com- 
mand. Anxious  to  effect  this  purpose,  the  convention  of  New  York 
wrote  further  on  the  subject,  on  March  1st,  and  among  other  things 
declared,  "that there  was  not  the  least  probability  that  Col.  Warner 
could  raise  such  a  number  of  men  as  would  be  an  object  of  public 
concern."  Congress  still  declined  to  dismiss  so  valuable  an  officer 
from  their  service.  On  June  23d,  Congress  was  obliged  to  take  up 
the  controversy  between  New  York  and  Vermont  ;  but  instead  of 
proceeding  to  disband  the  colonel's  regiment,  on  June  30th,  they 
resolved  "  that  the  reason  which  induced  Congress  to  form  that  corps, 
was,  that  many  officers  of  different  states  who  had  served  in  Canada, 
and  alleged  that  they  could  soon  raise  a  regiment,  but  were  then 
unprovided  for,  might  be  reinstated  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States."  Nothing  can  give  us  a  more  just  idea  of  the  sentiments 
which  the  American  Congress  entertained  of  the  patriotic  and  mili- 
tary virtues  of  the  colonel,  than  their  refusing  to  give  him  up  to  the 
repeated  solicitations  and  demands  of  so  respectable  and  powerful  a 
state,  as  that  of  New  York. 

HE  American  army  stationed  at  Ticonde- 
roga  were  forced  to  abandon  that  fortress, 
on  July  6,  1777,  in  a  very  precipitate 
and  irregular  manner.  The  colonel  with 
his  regiment  retreated  along  the  western 
part  of  Vermont,  through  the  towns  of 
Orwell,  Sudbury,  and  Hubbardton.  At 
the  last  of  these  towns  the  advanced 
corps  of  the  British  army  overtook  the 
rear  of  the  American  troops,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th  of  July.  The  American 
army,  all  but  part  of  three  regiments,  were  gone  forward  ;  these  were 
part  of  Hale's,  Francis'  and  Warner's  regiments.  The  enemy 
attacked  them  with  superior  numbers,  and  the  highest  prospect  of 
success.  Francis  and  Warner  opposed  them  with  great  spirit  and 
vigor  ;  and  no  officers  or  troops  could  have  discovered  more  courage 
and  firmness  than  they  displayed  through  the  whole  action.  Large 
reinforcements  of  the  enemy  arriving,  it  became  impossible  to  make 
any  effectual  opposition.     Francis  fell  in  a  most  honorable  discharge 


BATTLE     OF     BENNINGTON. 


487 


of  his  duty.  Hale  surrendered  with  his  regiment.  Surrounded  on 
every  side  by  the  enemy,  but  calm  and  undaunted,  Colonel  Warner 
fought  his  way  through  all  opposition,  brought  off  the  troops  that 
refused  to  capitulate  with  Hale,  checked  the  enemy  in  their  pursuit, 
and  contrary  to  all  expectations,  arrived  isafe  with  his  troops  at  Man- 
chester. To  the  northward  of  that  town  the  whole  country  was 
deserted.  The  colonel  determined  to  make  a  stand  at  that  place  ; 
encouraged  by  his  example  and  firmness,  a  body  of  the  militia  soon 
join.ed  him ;  and  he  was  once  more  in  a  situation  to  protect  the 
inhabitants,  harass  the  enemy,  and  break  up  the  advanced  parties. 

N  the  16th  of  August,  the  \icinity  of 
Bennington  became  the  seat  of  a  memo- 
rable battle.  Colonel  Baum  had  been 
despatched  by  General  Burgoyne  to 
attack  the  American  troops  and  destroy 
the  magazines  at  Bennington.  General 
Stark,  who  commanded  at  that  place, 
had  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  the 
enemy,  and  sent  orders  on  the  morning 
of  the  16th,  to  Colonel  Warner,  at 
Manchester,  to  march  immediately  to  his  assistance.  In  the  mean 
time.  Stark  with  the  troops  which  were  assembled  at  Bennington, 
had  attacked  the  enemy  under  Colonel  Baum,  and  after  a  severe 
action  had  captured  the  whole  body.  Just  as  the  action  was  finished, 
intelligence  was  received  that  a  large  reinforcement  of  the  enemy 
had  arrived.  Fatigued  and  exhausted  by  so  long  and  severe  an 
action.  Stark  was  doubtful  whether  it  was  possible  for  his  troops  to 
enter  immediately  upon  another  battle  with  a  fresh  body  of  the 
enemy.  At  that  critical  moment  Warner  arrived  with  his  troops  from 
Manchester.  Mortified  that  he  had  not  been  in  the  action,  and 
determined  to  have  some  part  in  the  glory  of  the  day,  he  urged 
Stark  immediately  to  commence  another  action.  Stark  consented, 
and  the  colonel  instantly  led  on  his  men  to  battle.  The  Americans 
rallied  from  every  part  of  the  field,  and  the  second  action  became  as 
fierce  and  decisive  as  the  first.  The  enemy  gave  way  in  every 
direction ;  great  numbers  of  them  were  slain,  and  the  rest  saved 
themselves  altogether  by  the  darkness  of  the  night.  Stark  ascribed 
the  last  victory  very  much  to  Colonels  Warner  and  Herrick  ;  and 
spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  their  superior  information  and  activity, 
as  that  to  which  he  principally  owed  his  success.  The  success  at 
Bennington  gave  a  decisive  turn  to  the  affairs  of  that  campaign. 
Stark,  Warner,  and  the  other  officers,  with  their  troops,  joined  the 
army  under   General  Gates.      Victory   every  where   followed  the 


488 


SETH     WARNER. 


attempts  of  the  northern  army  ;  and  the  campaign  terminated  in  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne  and  his  whole  army,  at  Saratoga,  on  October 
17th,  1777. 

The  contest  in  the  northern  department  being  in  a  great  measure 
decided  by  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  Warner  had  no  farther  oppor- 
tunity to  discover  his  prowess  in  defence  of  his  beloved  state  ;  but 
served  occasionally  at  different  places  on  the  Hudson  river,  as  the 
circumstances  of  the  war  required,  and  always  with  reputation. 
Despairing  of  success  in  the  northern  parts,  the  enemy  carried  the 
war  into  the  southern  states  ;  and  neither  New  York  nor  Vermont 
any  longer  remained  the  places  of  distinguished  enterprise.  But 
such  had  been  the  fatigues  and  exertions  of  the  colonel,  that  when  he 
returned  to  his  family  in  Bennington,  his  constitution,  naturally  firm 
and  vigorous,  appeared  to  be  worn  down,  and  nature  declined  under 
a  complication  of  disorders,  occasioned  by  the  excessive  labors  and 
sufferings  he  had  passed  through. 

Most  of  those  men  who  have  been  engaged  with  uncommon  ardor 
in  the  cause  of  their  country,  have  been  so  swallowed  up  with  the 
patriotic  passion,  as  to  neglect  that  attention  to  their  private  interests 
which  other  men  pursue  as  the  ruling  passion.  Thus  it  proved  with 
Colonel  Warner  ;  intent  at  first  upon  saving  a  state,  and  afterwards 
upon  saving  a  country,  his  mind  w^as  so  entirely  engaged  in  those 
pursuits,  that  he  had  not  made  that  provision  for  his  family,  which 
to  most  of  the  politicians  and  land  jobbers  was  the  ultimate  end  of 
all  their  measures  and  exertions.  With  a  view  the  better  to  support 
his  family,  he  removed  to  Woodbury  ;  where,  in  the  year  1785,  he 
ended  an  active  and  useful  life,  in  high  estimation  among  his  friends 
and  countrymen. 

His  family  had  derived  little  or  no  estate  from  his  services.  After 
his  death  they  applied  to  the  general  assembly  of  Vermont  for  a  grant 
of  land.  The  assembly,  with  a  spirit  of  justice  and  generosity, 
remembered  the  services  of  Colonel  Warner,  took  up  the  petition, 
and  granted  a  valuable  tract  of  land  to  his  widow  and  family ;  a 
measure  highly  honorable  to  the  memory  of  Colonel  Warner  and  of 
that  assembly.     ' 


MAJOR  GENERAL  GILBERT  MOTTIER  LA  FAYETTE. 


HIS  illustrious  champion  of 
the  freedom  of  man  was 
born  at  the  Castle  of  Cha- 
vaniac,  in  Auvergne,  on  the 
6th  of  September,  1757. 
A  few  months  after  his  birth  his  father 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Minden.  As 
Marquis  de  La  Fayette,  he  was  now  at 
the  head  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  and 
distinguished  of  the  noble  families  of 
France.  He  was  educated  at  the  college  of  Louis  le  Grand,  in  Paris, 
placed  at  court,  as  an  officer  in  one  of  the  guards  of  honor,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  was  married  to  the  grand-daughter  of  the  Duke 

489 


490 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FA.YETTE. 


Silas  Deane. 

de  Noailles.  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  the  young 
Marquis  de  La  Fayette  entered  upon  a  career  so  little  to  be  expected 
of  a  youth  of  A^ast  fortune,  of  high  rank,  of  powerful  connexions,  at 
the  most  brilliant  and  fascinating  court  in  the  world. 

"  The  self-devotion  of  La  Fayette  in  the  cause  of  America,"  says 
Mr.  Adams,  in  his  eulogy,  "  was  twofold.  First,  to  the  people, 
maintaining  a  bold  and  seemingly  desperate  struggle  against  oppres- 
sion, and  for  national  existence.  Secondly,  and  chiefly,  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  their  declaration,  which  then  first  unfurled  before  his  eyes 
the  consecrated  standard  of  human  rights.  To  that  standard,  with- 
out an  instant  of  hesitation,  he  repaired.  Where  it  would  lead  him, 
it  is  scarcely  probable  that  he  himself  then  foresaw.  It  was  then 
identical  with  the  stars  and  stripes  of  the  American  union,  floating 
to  the  breeze  from  the  Hall  of  Independence,  at  Philadelphia.  Nor 
sordid  avarice,  nor  vulgar  ambition,  could  point  his  footsteps  to  the 


LA    FAYETTE    OFFERS    HIS     SERVICES    TO     FRANKLIN.  491 


La  Fayette  offering  his  Services  to  Dr.  Franklin. 

pathway  leading  to  that  banner.  To  the  love  of  ease  or  pleasure 
nothing  could  be  more  repulsive.  Something  may  be  allowed  to  the 
beatings  of  the  youthful  breast,  which  make  ambition  virtue,  and 
something  to  the  spirit  of  military  adventure,  imbibed  from  his  pro- 
fession, and  which  he  felt  in  common  with  many  others.  France, 
Germany,  Poland,  furnished  to  the  armies  of  this  union,  in  our  revo- 
lutionary struggle,  no  inconsiderable  number  of  officers  of  high  rank 
and  distinguished  merit.  The  names  of  Pulaski  and  I)e  Kalb  are 
numbered  among  the  martyrs  of  our  freedom,  and  their  ashes  repose 
in  our  soil  side  by  side  with  the  canonized  bones  of  Warren  and  of 
Montgomery.  To  the  virtues  of  La  Fayette,  a  more  protracted 
career  and  happier  earthly  destinies  were  reserved.  To  the  moral 
principle  of  political  action,  the  sacrifices  of  no  other  man  were 
comparable  to  his.  Youth,  health,  fortune  ;  the  favor  of  his  king ; 
the  enjoyment  of  ease  and  pleasure  ;  even  the  choicest  blessings  of 
domestic  felicity — he  gave  them  all  for  toil  and  danger  in  a  distant 
land,  and  an  almost  hopeless  cause  ;  but  it  was  the  cause  of  justice, 
and  of  the  rights  of  human  kind. 

The  resolve  is  firmly  fixed,  and  it  now  remains  to  be  carried  into 
execution.     On  the  7th  of  December,   1776    Silas  Deane,  then  a 


492 


GILBERT     M.     LA    FAYETTE. 


La  Fayette  leaving  France. 

secret  agent  of  the  American  Congress  at  Paris,  stipulates  with  the 
Marquis  de  La  Fayette  that  he  shall  receive  a  commission,  to  date 
from  that  date,  of  major-general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States ; 
and  the  marquis  stipulates,  in  return,  to  depart  when  and  how  Mr, 
Deane  shall  judge  proper,  to  serve  the  United  States  with  all  possible 
zeal,  without  pay  or  emolument,  reserving  to  himself  only  the  liberty 
of  returning  to  Europe,  if  his  family  or  his  king  should  recall  him. 
Neither  his  family  nor  his  king  were  wilhng  that  he  should  depart; 
nor  had  Mr.  Deane  the  power,  either  to  conclude  this  contract,  or  to 
furnish  the  means  of  his  conveyance  to  America.  Difficulties  rise 
up  before  him  only  to  be  dispersed,  and  obstacles  thicken  only  to  be 
surmounted.  The  day  after  the  signature  of  the  contract,  Mr. 
Deane's  agency  was  superseded  by  the  arrival  of  Doctor  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee,  as  his  colleagues  in  commission ;  nor  did 
they  think  themselves  authorized  to  confirm  his  engagement.  La 
Fayette  is  not  to  be  discouraged.  The  commissioners  extenuate  no- 
thing of  the  unpromising  condition  of  their  cause.  Mr.  Deane  avows 
his  inability  to  furnish  him  with  a  passage  to  the  United  States. 


BATTLE      OF     BRANDYWINE. 


493 


'  The  more  desperate  the  cause,'  says  La  Fayette,  <the  greater  need 
has  it  of  my  services ;  and,  if  Mr.  Deane  has  no  vessel  for  my  pass- 
age, I  shall  purchase  one  myself,  and  w\l\  traverse  the  ocean  with  a 
selected  company  of  my  own,' 

Other  impediments  arise.  His  design  becomes  known  to  the  Bri- 
tish ambassador  at  the  court  of  Versailles,  who  remonstrates  to  the 
French  government  against  it.  At  his  instance,  orders  are  issued 
for  the  detention  of  the  vessel  purchased  by  the  marquis,  and  fitted 
out  at  Bordeaux,  and  for  the  arrest  of  his  person.  To  elude  the  first 
of  these  orders,  the  vessel  is  removed  from  Bordeaux  to  the  neigh- 
boring port  of  passage,  within  the  dominion  of  Spain.  The  order 
for  his  own  arrest  is  executed;  but,  by  stratagem  and  disguise,  he 
escapes  from  the  custody  of  those  who  have^him  in  charge,  and,  be- 
fore a  second  order  can  reach  him,  he  is  safe  on  the  ocean  wave, 
bound  to  the  land  of  independence  and  of  freedom. 

It  had  been  necessary  to  clear  out  the  vessel  for  an  island  of  the 
West  Indies  ;  but,  once  at  sea,  he  avails  himself  of  his  right  as  owner 
of  the  ship,  and  compels  his  captain  to  steer  for  the  shores  of  eman- 
cipated North  America.  He  lands,  with  his  companions,  on  the  25th 
of  April,  1777,  in  South  Carolina,  not  far  from  Charleston,  and  finds 
a  most  cordial  reception  and  hospitable  welcome  in  the  house  of 
Major  Huger." 

Immediately  on  his  arrival,  La  Fayette  received  the  offer  of  a 
command  in  the  continental  army,  which  he  declined,  and  forthwith 
raised  and  equipped  a  body  of  men  at  his  own  expense,  and  then 
entered  the  service  as  a  volunteer,  without  pay.  He  lived  in  the 
family  of  Washington,  and  soon  gained  a  strong  hold  in  the  affec- 
tions of  that  discriminating  judge  of  character. 

La  Fayette  was  appointed  a  major-general  in  July,  1777,  and  was 
attached  to  the  army  at  the  time  when  Washington  marched  to 
Brandywine,  with  a  view  to  intercept  General  Howe  in  his  intended 
descent  on  Philadelphia.  In  the  battle  which  ensued,  La  Fayette 
was  wounded.  Mr.  Adams  thus  eloquently  notices  La  Fayette's  par- 
ticipation in  this  affair. 

"  Let  us  pass  in  imagination  a  period  of  only  twenty  years,  and 
alight  upon  the  borders  of  the  river  Brandywine.  Washington  is 
commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States  of  America 
— war  is  again  raging  in  the  heart  of  his  native  land — hostile  armies 
of  one  and  the  same  name,  blood,  and  language,  are  arrayed  for 
battle  on  the  banks  of  the  stream;  and  Philadelphia,  where  the 
United  States  are  in  Congress  assembled,  and  whence  their  decree 
of  independence  has  gone  forth,  is  the  destined  prize  to  the  conflict 
of  the  day.     Who  is  that  tall,   slender  youth,  of  foreign  air  and 


494 


GILBERT     M.    LA     FAYETTE. 


Lafayette  •wotinded  at  Brandy-wine. 

aspect,  scarcely  emerged  from  the  years  of  boyhood,  and  fresh  from 
the  walls  of  a  college  ;  fighting,  a  volunteer,  at  the  side  of  Washing- 
ton, bleeding,  unconsciously  to  himself,  and  rallying  his  men  to 
secure  the  retreat  of  the  scattered  American  ranks  ?  It  is  Gilbert 
MoTTiER  DE  La  Fayette — the  son  of  the  victim  of  Minden ;  and  he 
is  bleeding  in  the  cause  of  North  American  independence,  and  of 
freedom." 

While  associated  with  Washington  as  a  member  of  his  military 
family  at  his  head-quarters  on  the  Brandywine,  and  on  other  occa- 
sions. La  Fayette  had  made  still  further  progress  in  the  esteem  of  his 
illustrious  friend. 

"  The  merits  of  La  Fayette  to  the  eye  of  Washington,"  says  Mr. 
Adams,  "  are  the  candor  and  generosity  of  his  disposition — the 
indefatigable  industry  of  application,  which,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
months,  has  already  given  him  the  mastery  of  a  foreign  language — 
good  sense — discretion  of  manners,  an  attribute  not  only  unusual  in 
early  years,  but  doubly  rare  in  alliance  with  that  enthusiasm  so 
signally  marked  by  his  self-devotion  to  the  American  cause  ;  and, 
to  crown  all  the  rest,  the  bravery  and  military  ardor  so  brilliantly 


RETREAT     AT     BARREN     HILL. 


495. 


manifested  at  the  Brandy  wine.  Here  is  no  random  praise :  no 
unmeaning  panegyric.  The  cluster  of  qualities,  all  plain  and  simple, 
but  so  seldom  found  in  union  together,  so  generally  incompatible 
with  one  another,  these  are  the  properties  eminently  trustworthy,  in 
the  judgment  of  Washington  ;  and  these  are  the  properties  which 
his  discernment  has  fomid  in  La  Fayette,  and  which  urge  him  thus 
earnestly  to  advise  the  gratification  of  his  wish  by  the  assignment  ©f 
a  command  equal  to  the  rank  which  had  been  granted  to  his  zeal 
and  his  illustrious  name. 

The  recommendation  of  Washington  had  its  immediate  effect ; 
and  on  the  first  of  December,  1777,  it  was  resolved  by  Congress, 
that  he  should  be  informed  it  was  highly  agreeable  to  Congress,  that 
the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  should  be  appointed  to  the  command  of  a 
division  in  the  continental  army. 

He  received,  accordingly,  such  an  appointment ;  and  a  plan  was 
organized  in  Congress  for  a  second  invasion  of  Canada,  at  the  head 
of  which  he  was  placed.  This  expedition,  originally  projected  with- 
out consultation  with  the  commander-in-chief,  might  be  connected 
with  the  temporary  dissatisfaction,  in  the  community  and  in  Con- 
gress, at  the  ill  success  of  his  endeavors  to  defend  Philadelphia, 
which  rival  and  unfriendly  partisans  were  too  ready  to  compare  with 
the  splendid  termination,  by  the  capture  of  Burgoyne  and  his  army, 
of  the  northern  campaign,  under  the  command  of  General  Gates.  To 
foreclose  all  suspicion  of  participation  in  these  views,  La  Fayette 
proceeded  to  the  seat  of  Congress,  and,  accepting  the  important 
charge  which  it  was  proposed  to  assign  to  him,  obtained,  at  his  par 
ticular  request,  that  he  should  be  considered  as  an  officer  detached 
from  the  army  of  Washington,  and  to  remain  under  his  orders.  He 
then  repaired  in  person  to  Albany,  to  take  command  of  the  troops 
who  were  to  assemble  at  that  place,  in  order  to  cross  the  lakes  on 
the  ice,  and  attack  Montreal ;  but,  on  arriving  at  Albany,  he  found 
none  of  the  promised  preparations  in  readiness — they  were  never 
effected.  Congress  some  time  after  relinquished  the  design,  and  the 
Marquis  was  ordered  to  rejoin  the  army  of  Washington. 

In  the  succeeding  month  of  May,  his  military  talent  was  displayed 
by  the  masterly  retreat  effected  in  the  presence  of  an  overwhelming 
superiority  of  the  ei\,emy's  force  from  the  position  at  Barren  Hill. 

He  was  soon  after  distinguished  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth  ;  and 
in  September,  1778,  a  resolution  of  Congress  declared  their  high 
sense  of  his  services,  not  only  in  the  field,  but  in  his  exertions  to 
conciliate  and  heal  dissensions  between  the  officers  of  the  French 
fleet  under  the  command  of  the  Count  d'Estaing  and  some  of  the 
native  officers  of  our  army.     These  dissensions  had   arisen   in  the 


496 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FAYETTE. 


La  Fayette  at  Monraouth. 

first  moments  of  co-operation  in  the  service,  and  had  threatened 
pernicious  consequences. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1776,  the  combined  wisdom  of  the  Count 
de  Vergennes  and  of  Mr.  Turgot,  the  prime  minister,  and  the  finan- 
cier of  Louis  the  Sixteenth,  had  brought  him  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  event  most  desirable  to  France,  with  regard  to  the  controversy 
between  Great  Britain  and  her  American  colonies,  was,  that  the 
insurrection  should  be  suppressed.  This  judgment,  evincing  only 
the  total  absence  of  all  moral  considerations,  in  the  estimate,  by 
these  eminent  statesmen,  of  what  was  desirable  to  France,  had  under- 
gone a  great  change  by  the  close  of  the  year  1777.  The  declaration 
of  independence  had  changed  the  question  between  the  parties.  The 
popular  feeling  of  France  was  all  on  the  side  of  the  Americans.  The 
daring  and  romantic  movement  of  La  Fayette,  in  defiance  of  the 
government  itself,  then  highly  favored  by  public  opinion,  was  fol- 
fowed  by  universal  admiration.  The  spontaneous  spirit  of  the  people 
gradually  spread  itself  even  over  the  rank  corruption  of  the  court ; 
a  suspicious  and  deceptive  neutrality  succeeded  to  an  ostensible 
exclusion  of  the  insurgents  from  the  ports  of  France,  till  the  capitu- 
lation of  Burgoyne  satisfied  the  casuists  of  international  law  at 
Veiflsailles,  that  the  suppression  of  the  insurrection  was  no  longer  the 
most  desirable  of  events  ;  but  that  the  United  States  were,  de  facto, 
sovereign  and  independent,  and  that  France  might  conclude  a  treaty 
of  commerce  with  them,  without  giving  just  cause  of  offence  to  the 
step-mother  country.  On  the  9th  of  February,  1778,  a  treaty  of  com- 
merce between  France  and  the  United  States  was  concluded,  and  with 
it,  on  the  same  day,  a  treaty  of  eventual  defensive  alliance,  to  take 
effect  only  in  the  event  of  Great  Britain's  resenting,  b)^  war  against 
France,   the   consummation  of  the   commercial    treaty.     The  war 


L\  FAYFTTE   RE  TUBNS  TO  FRANCE. 


497 


Conclusion  of  tlie  Treatywitli  France. 

immeaiately  ensued,  and  in  the  summer  of  1778,  a  French  fleet, 
under  the  command  of  Count  d'Estaing,  was  sent  to  co-operate  with 
the  forces  of  the  United  States  for  the  maintenance  of  their  inde- 
pendence. 

By  these  events  the  position  of  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  was 
essentially  changed.  It  became  necessary  for  him  to  reinstate  him- 
self in  the  good  graces  of  his  sovereign,  offended  at  his  absenting 
himself  from  his  country  without  permission,  but  gratified  with  the 
distinction  which  he  had  acquired  by  gallant  deeds  in  a  service  now 
become  that  of  France  herself.  At  the  close  of  the  campaign  of 
1778,  with  the  approbation  of  his  friend  and  patron,  the  commander- 
in-chief,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  president  of  Congress,  repre- 
senting his  then  present  circumstances  with  the  confidence  of  affection 
and  gratitude,  observing  that  the  sentiments  which  bound  him  to  his 
country  could  never  be  more  properly  spoken  of  than  in  the  presence 
of  men  who  had  done  so  much  for  their  own.  "  As  long,"  continued 
he,  "  as  I  thought  I  could  dispose  of  myself,  I  made  it  my  pride  and 
pleasure  to  fight  under  American  colors,  in  defence  of  a  cause  which 
I  dare  more  particularly  call  ours,  because  I  had  the  good  fortune  of 
bleeding  for  her.  Now,  sir,  that  France  is  involved  in  a  war,  I  am 
arged,  by  a  sense  of  my  duty,  as  well  as  by  the  love  of  my  country, 
to  present  myself  before  the  king,  and  know  in  what  manner  he 

32 


498 


GILBERT     M.     LA     lAVLllL. 


judges  proper  to  employ  my  services.  The  most  agreeable  of  all 
will  always  be  such  as  may  enable  me  to  serve  the  common  cause 
among  those  whose  friendship  I  had  the  happiness  to  obtain,  and 
whose  fortune  I  had  the  honor  to  follow  in  less  smiling  times.  That 
reason,  and  others,  which  I  leave  to  the  feelings  of  Congress,  engage 
me  to  beg  from  them  the  liberty  of  going  home  for  the  next  winter. 

*'  As  long  as  there  were  any  hopes  of  an  active  campaign,  T  did 
not  think  of  leaving  the  field  ;  now,  that  I  see  a  very  peaceable  and 
undisturbed  moment,  I  take  this  opportunity  of  waiting  on  Con- 
gress." 

In  the  remainder  of  the  letter  he  solicited  that,  in  the  event  of  his 
request  being  granted,  he  might  be  considered  as  a  soldier  on  fur- 
lough, heartily  wishing  to  regain  his  colors  and  his  esteemed  and 
beloved  fellow-soldiers.  And  he  closes  with  a  tender  of  any  ser- 
vices which  he  might  be  enabled  to  render  to  the  American  cause  in 
his  own  country. 

On  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  accompanied  by  one  from  General 
Washington,  recommending  to  Congress,  in  terms  most  honorable  to 
.the  Marquis,  a  compliance  with  his  request,  that  body  immediately 
passed  resolutions  granting  him  an  unlimited  leave  of  absence,  with 
permission  to  return  to  the  United  States  at  his  own  most  convenient 
time  ;  that  the  president  of  Congress  should  write  him  a  letter  re- 
turning him  the  thanks  of  Congress  for  that  disinterested  zeal  which 
had  led  him  to  America,  and  for  the  services  he  had  rendered  to  the 
United  States  by  the  exertion  of  his  courage  and  abilities  on  many 
signal  occasions  ;  and  that  the  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the  United 
States  at  the  court  of  Versailles  should  be  directed  to  cause  an  ele- 
gant sword,  with  proper  devices,  to  be  made,  and  presented  to  him 
in  the  name  of  the  United  States.  These  resolutions  were  commu- 
nicated to  him  in  a  letter  expressive  of  the  sensibihty  congenial  to 
them,  from  the  president  of  Congress,  Henry  Laurens. 

He  embarked  in  January,  177  9,  in  the  frigate  Alliance,  at  Boston, 
and  on  the  succeeding  12th  day  of  February,  presented  himself  at 
Versailles.  Twelve  months  had  already  elapsed  since  the  conclusion 
of  the  treaties  of  commerce  and  of  eventual  alliance  betwe,en  France 
and  the  United  States.  They  had,  during  the  greater  part  of  that 
time,  been  deeply  engaged  in  war  with  a  common  cause  against 
Great  Britain,  and  it  was  the  cause  in  which  La  Fayette  had  been 
shedding  his  blood ;  yet,  instead  of  receiving  him  with  open  arms, 
as  the  pride  and  ornament  of  his  country,  a  cold  and  hollow-hearted 
order  was  issued  to  him,  not  to  present  himself  at  court,  but  to  con- 
sider himself  under  arrest,  with  permission  to  receive  visits  only  from 
his  relations.     This  ostensible  mark  of  the  royal  displeasure  was  to 


SERVICES     IN     FRANCE. 


499 


Henry  Latireiis, 

last  eight  days,  and  La  Fayette  manifested  his  sense  of  it  only  by  a 
letter  to  the  Count  de  Vergennes,  inquiring  whether  the  interdiction 
upon  him  to  receive  visits  was  to  be  considered  as  extending  to  that 
of  Doctor  Franklin.  The  sentiment  of  universal  admiration  which 
had  followed  him  at  his  first  departure,  greatly  increased  by  his 
splendid  career  of  service  during  the  two  years  of  his  absence, 
indemnified  him  for  the  indignity  of  the  courtly  rebuke. 

He  remained  in  France  through  the  year  1779,  and  returned  to 
the  scene  of  action  early  in  the  ensuing  year.  He  continued  in  the 
French  service,  and  was  appointed  to  command  the  king's  own  regi- 
ment of  dragoons,  stationed  during  the  year  in  various  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  and  holding  an  incessant  correspondence  with  the  ministers 
of  foreign  affairs,  and  of  war,  urging  the  employment  of  a  land  and 
naval  force  in  aid  of  the  American  cause,  "  The  Marquis  de  La 
Fayette,"  says  Doctor  Franklin,  in  a  letter  of  the  4th  of  March, 
1780,  to  the  president  of  Congress,  "who,  during  his  residence  in 
France,  has  been  extremely  zealous  in  supporting  our  cause  on  all 
occasions,  returns  again  to  fight  for  it.  He  is  infinitely  esteemed  and 
beloved  here,  and  I  am  persuaded  will  do  everything  in  his  power  to 
merit  a  continuance  of  the  same  affection  from  America." 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  it  was,  on  the 
16th  of  May,  1780,  resolved  in  Congress,  that  they  considered  his 
return  to  America  to  resume  his  command,  as  a  fresh  proof  of  the 
disinterested  zeal  and  persevering  attachment  which  have  justly 


500 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FAYETTE. 


recommended  him  to  the  public  confidence  and  applause,  and  that 
they  received  with  pleasure  a  tender  of  the  further  services  of  so 
gallant  and  meritorious  an  officer. 

From  this  time  until  the  termination  of  the  campaign  of  1781, 
by  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornv^^allis  and  his  army  at  Yorktown, 
his  service  was  of  incessant  activity,  always  signalized  by  military 
talents  unsurpassed,  and  by  a  spirit  never  to  be  subdued.  At  the 
time  of  the  treason  of  Arnold,  La  Fayette  was  accompanying  his 
commander-in-chief  to  an  important  conference  and  consultation 
with  the  French  general,  Rochambeau  ;  and  then,  as  in  every  stage 
of  the  war,  it  seemed  as  if  the  position  which  he  occupied,  his  per- 
sonal character,  his  individual  relations  with  Washington,  with  the 
officers  of  both  the  allied  armies,  and  with  the  armies  themselves, 
had  been  specially  ordered  to  promote  and  secure  that  harmony  and 
mutual  good  understanding  indispensable  to  the  ultimate  success  of 
the  common  cause.  His  position,  too,  as  a  foreigner  by  birth,  a 
European,  a  volunteer  in  the  American  service,  and  a  person  of  high 
rank  in  his  native  country,  pointed  him  out  as  peculiarly  suited  to 
the  painful  duty  of  deciding  upon  the  character  of  the  crime,  and 
upon  the  fate  of  the  British  officer,  the  accomplice  and  victim  of  the 
detested  traitor,  Arnold. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  campaign  of  178  1,  when  Cornwallis,  with 
an  overwhelming  force,  was  spreading  ruin  and  devastation  over  the 
southern  portion  of  the  Union,  we  find  La  Fayette,  with  means 
altogether  inadequate,  charged  with  the  defence  of  the  territory  of 
Virginia.  Always  equal  to  the  emergencies  in  which  circumstances 
placed  him,  his  expedients  for  encountering  and  surmounting  the 
obstacles  which  they  cast  in  his  way  are  invariably  stamped  with  the 
peculiarities  of  his  character.  The  troops  placed  under  his  command 
for  the  defence  of  Virginia,  were  chiefly  taken  from  the  eastern  regi- 
ments, unseasoned  to  the  climate  of  the  south,  and  prejudiced  against 
it  as  unfavorable  to  the  health  of  the  natives  of  the  more  rigorous 
regions  of  the  north.  Desertions  became  frequent,  till  they  threatened 
the  very  dissolution  of  the  corps.  Instead  of  resorting  to  military 
execution  to  retain  his  men,  he  appeals  to  the  sympathies  of  honor. 
He  states,  in  general  orders,  the  great  danger  and  difficulty  of  the 
enterprise  upon  whi",}!  he  is  about  to  embark ;  represents  the  only 
possibility  by  which  it  can  promise  success,  the  faithful  adherence 
of  the  soldiers  to  their  chief,  and  his  confidence  that  they  will  not 
abandon  him.  He  then  adds,  that  if,  however,  any  individual  of  the 
detachment  was  unwilling  to  follow  him,  a  passport  to  return  to  his 
home  should  be  forthwith  granted  him  upon  his  application.  It  is 
to  a  cause  like  that  of  American  independence  that  resources  like 


SUPPLIES     THE     TROOPS      WITH     CLOTHING. 


501 


this  are  congenial.  After  these  general  orders,  nothing  more  was 
heard  of  desertion.  The  very  cripples  of  the  army  preferred,  paying 
for  their  own  transportation,  to  follow  the  corps,  rather  than  to 
ask  for  the  dismission  which  had  been  made  so  easily  accessible  to 
all. 

But  how  shall  the  deficiencies  of  the  military  chest  be  supplied  ? 
The  want  of  money  was  heavily  pressing  upon  the  service  in  every 
direction.  Where  are  the  sinews  of  war?  How  are  the  troops  to 
march  without  shoes,  linen,  clothing  of  all  descriptions,  and  other 
necessaries  of  life  ?  La  Fayette  has  found  them  all.  From  the 
patriotic  merchants  of  Baltimore  he  obtains,  on  the  pledge  of  his 
own  personal  credit,  a  loan  of  money,  adequate  to  the  purchase  of 
the  materials  ;  and  from  the  fair  hands  of  the  daughters  of  the  monu- 
mental city,  even  then  worthy  so  to  be  called,  he  obtains  the  toil  of 
making  up  the  needed  garments. 

La  Fayette,  a  youth  of  twenty-two,  was  now  destined  to  be  opposed 
in  strategy  to  the  accomplished  veteran  general.  Earl  Cornwallis. 
Undervaluing  the  talents  and  resources  of  his  young  opponent,  the 
earl  incautiously  wrote  to  Europe,  in  a  letter  which  was  intercepted, 
"  the  hoy  cannot  escape  we."  But  the  British  general  reckoned  with- 
out his  host. 

On  being  informed  that  General  Philips,  in  returning  up  the  river, 
had  landed  at  Brandon  on  the  southern  bank,  and  that  Cornwallis 
was  marching  northward,  La  Fayette  perceived  that  a  junction  of 
their  forces  was  intended ;  and  suspecting  that  Petersburgh  was  the 
appointed  place  of  meeting,  he  endeavored  to  anticipate  them  in  the 
occupation  of  that  town.  But  the  march  of  General  Philips  was 
so  rapid  that  he  entered  it  before  him,  and  frustrated  his  design. 
La  Fayette,  with  ^his  little  army,  consisting  of  one  thousand  conti- 
nentals, two  thousand  militia,  and  sixty  dragoons,  took  a  position  at 
Richmond,  and  exerted  himself  in  removing  the  military  stores  to 
places  of  greater  security. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  Cornwallis  left  Petersburgh,  crossed  James 
river  at  Westover,  thirty  miles  below  La  Fayette's  encampment,  and, 
being  joined  by  a  reinforcement  from  New  York,  marched  at  the 
head  of  upwards  of  four  thousand  veterans  towards  Richmond.  But 
La  Fayette  evacuated  that  town  on  the  27th,  and  retired  towards  the 
back  country  ;  inclining  his  march  towards  the  north,  so  that  he 
might  easily  form  a  junction  with  General  Wayne,  who  w^as  hasten- 
ing to  reinforce  him  with  eight  hundred  men  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line.  Cornwallis  eagerly  pursued  his  retreating  foe  as  far  as  the 
upper  part  of  Hanover  county  ;  but  finding  it  impossible  to  overtake 
La  Fayette,  or  to  prevent  his  junction  with  General  Wayne,  he  at 


502 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FAYETTE. 


length  altered  the  course  of  his  march,  and  turned  his  thoughts  to 
more  attainable  objects. 

In  Virginia  the  British  committed  fearful  devastations,  and  de- 
stroyed much  valuable  property ;  but  Cornwallis,  though  at  the  head 
of  a  superior  army,  gained  no  important  advantage  over  his  opponent. 
He  had  pushed  La  Fayette  across  the  Rappahannock,  but  was  unable 
to  prevent  his  junction  with  General  Wayne,  which  was.  accomplished 
at  Racoon  ford  on  the  7th  of  June.  La  Fayette,  thus  reinforced 
immediately  repassed  the  Rappahannock,  and  advanced  towards  the 
British  army. 

In  the  course  of  those  movements  Cornwallis  had  got  completely 
between  the  marquis  and  the  stores  of  the  state,  which  were  deposited 
at  different  places,  but  principally  at  Albemarle  Old  Court-house 
high  up  the  Fluvanna,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  Those  stores 
were  an  object  of  importance  to  both  armies  ;  and,  early  in  June,  the 
British  commander,  after  having  dispensed  with  the  services  of 
Arnold,  and  allowed  him  to  return  to  New  York,  directed  his  march 
to  Albemarle  Court-house.  La  Fayette  was  anxious  to  preserve  his 
magazines  ;  and,  while  the  British  army  was  more  than  a  day's  march 
from  Albemarle  Court-house,  by  a  rapid  and  unexpected  movement 
he  suddenly  appeared  in  its  vicinity.  The  British  general  easily 
penetrated  his  design  ;  and,  being  between  him  and  his  magazines, 
took  a  position  near  the  road,  so  that  he  could  attack  him  with 
advantage  if  he  attempted  to  advance.  During  the  night,  however. 
La  Fayette  discovered  and  cleared  a  nearer  but  long  disused  road, 
and  passed  the  British  army  unobserved ;  and,  in  the  morning, 
Cornwallis,  with  surprise  and  mortification,  saw  his  adversary  strongly 
posted  between  him  and  the  stores. 

Perceiving  that  the  Americans  could  not  be  attacked  unless  under 
great  disadvantages,  and  believing  their  force  greater  than  it  really 
was,  Cornwallis  abandoned  his  enterprise  and  began  a  retrograde 
movement,  and,  in  two  night  marches,  fell  back  upwards  of  fifty 
miles.  On  the  17th  of  June  he  entered  Richmond,  but  left  on  the 
20th,  and  continued  his  route  to  Williamsburgh,  W'here  the  main 
body  of  his  army  arrived  on  the  25th. 

The  American  army  followed  him  at  a  cautious  distance.  On  the 
19th,  La  Fayette  was  joined  by  Baron  Steuben  with  his  detachment, 
which  increased  the  American  army  to  four  thousand  men;  of  whom 
two  thousand  were  regulars,  but  only  fifteen  hundred  were  disciplined 
troops.  That  of  Cornwallis  appears  to  have  been  somewhat  more 
numerous,  and  consisted  entirely  of  veterans  :  it  was  also  provided 
with  a  well-mounted  body  of  calvary,  which  had  spread  terror  and 
devastation  over  the  country,  and  greatly  intimidated  the  militia. 


EXPLOIT     AT     THE     SIEGE     OF     YORKTOWN. 


505 


Though  La  Fayette  kept  about  twenty  miles  behind  the  main  Dody 
of  the  British  army,  yet  his  light  parties  hung  on  its  rear,  and  skir- 
mishes occasionally  ensued.  A  sharp  encounter  happened  near 
Williamsburgh  between  the  advanced  guard  of  the  Americans,  under 
Colonel  Butler,  and  the  rear  guard  of  the  British  under  Colonel 
Simcoe,  in  which  both  suffered  considerable  loss.  Part  of  the 
British  army  marched  to  Colonel  Simcoe's  assistance,  and  the 
Americans  were  obliged  to  retreat.  Although  La  Fayette  encouraged 
skirmishes  and  partial  conflicts,  yet,  distrusting  his  new  levies  and 
militia,  he  cautiously  avoided  a  general  battle.  While  the  British 
army  remained  at  Williamsburgh,  the  Americans  occupied  a  strong 
encampment  twenty  miles  from  that  place." 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  follow  the  subsequent  operations 
of  La  Fayette  in  Virginia.  The  result  was  that  Cornwallis  was 
finally  driven  into  Yorktown  and  besieged  by  the  combined  armies 
of  France  and  the  United  States  under  Count  Rochambeau  and 
General  Washington.  One  exploit  of  La  Fayette  at  the  siege, 
however,  must  not  be  passed  over. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  1 1th  of  October,  1781,  the  besiegers,  laboring 
W'ith  indefatigable  perseverance,  began  their  second  parallel,  three 
hundred  yards  nearer  the  British  works  than  the  first ;  and  the  three 
succeeding  days  were  assiduously  employed  in  completing  it.  During 
that  interval  the  fire  of  the  garrison  was  more  destructive  than  at  any 
other  period  of  the  siege.  The  men  in  the  trenches  were  particularly 
annoyed  by  two  redoubts  towards  the  left  of  the  British  works,  and 
about  two  hutidred  yards  in  front  of  them.  Of  these  it  was  neces- 
sary to  gain  possession;  and  on  the  14th  preparations  were  made 
to  carry  them  both  by  storm.  In  order  to  avail  himself  of  the  spirit 
of  emulation  which  existed  between  the  troops  of  the  two  nations, 
and  to  avoid  any  cause  of  jealousy  to  either,  the  attack  of  the  one 
redoubt  was  committed  to  the  French  ;  and  that  of  the  other  to  the 
Americans.  The  latter  were  commanded  by  the  Marquis  de  La 
Fayette  ;  and  the  former  by  the  Baron  de  Viominel. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th,  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  parties 
marched  to  the  assault  with  unloaded  arms.  The  redoubt  which  the 
Americans  attacked  was  defended  by  a  major,  some  inferior  officers, 
and  forty-five  privates.  The  assailants  advanced  with  such  rapidity 
without  returning  a  shot  to  the  heavy  fire  with  which  they  were 
received,  that  in  a  few  mmutes  they  were  m  possession  of  the  work, 
having  had  eight  men  killed,  and  twenty-eight  wounded  in  the 
attack.  Eight  British  privates  were  killed  ;  the  major,  a  captain, 
an  ensign,  and  seventeen  privates  were  made  prisoners.  The  rest 
escaped.     Although  the  Americans  were  highly  exasperated  by  the 


506 


GILBERT     M.     LA    FAYETTE. 


La  Fayette  si      u 


Torkto-wn. 


recent  massacre  of  their  countrymen  in  Fort  Griswold  by  Arnold's 
detachment,  yet  not  a  man  of  the  British  was  injured  after  resistance 
ceased.     Retaliation  had  been  talked  of,  but  was  not  exercised. 

The  French  party  advanced  wdth  equal  courage  and  rapidity,  and 
were  successful ;  but  as  the  fortification  which  they  attacked  was 
occupied  by  a  greater  force,  the  defence  was  more  vigorous,  and  the 
loss  of  the  assailants  more  severe.  There  were  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men  in  the  redoubt ;  of  whom  eighteen  were  killed,  and  forty- 
two  taken  prisoners;  the  rest  made  their  escape.  The  French  lost 
nearly  one  hundred  men  killed  or  wounded.  During  the  night  these 
two  redoubts  were  included  in  the  second  parallel ;  and,  in  the  course 
of  next  day,  some  howitzers  were  placed  on  them,  which  in  the  after- 
noon opened  on  the  besieged. 

Earl  Cornwallis  and  his  garrison  had  done  all  that  brave  men  could 
do  to  defend  their  post.  But  the  industry  of  the  besiegers  was  per- 
severing, and  their  approaches  rapid.  The  condition  of  the  British 
was  becoming  desperate.  In  every  quarter  their  works  were  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  fire  of  the  assailants.  The  batteries  already  playing 
upon  them  had  nearly  silenced  all  their  guns  ;  and  the  second  paral- 
lel was  about  to  open  on  them,  which  in  a  few  hours  would  render 
the  place  untenable.  His  attempt  to  escape  by  crossing  the  river  on 
the  1 6th  was  unsuccessful. 

At  ten  in  the  forenoon  of  the  17th,  Earl  Cornwallis  sent  out  a  flag 
of  truce,  with  a  letter  to  General  Washington,  proposing  a  cessation 
of  hostilities  for  twenty-four  hours,  in  order  to  give  time  to  adjust 
terms  for  the  surrender  of  the  forts  at  Yorktown  and  Gloucester 
Point.  To  this  letter  the  American  general  immediately  returned 
an  answer,  expressing  his  ardent  desire  to  spare  the  further  effusion 
of  blood,  and  his  readiness  to  listen  to  such  terms  as  were  admis- 


SURRENDER     OF     CORNWALLIS. 


507 


Moore's  House  at  Yorktown. 


sible  ;  but  that  he  could  not  consent  to  lose  time  in  fruitless  negotia- 
tions, and  desired  that,  previous  to  the  meeting  of  commissioners, 
his  Icfrdship's  proposals  should  be  transmitted  in  writing,  for  which 
purpose  a  suspension  of  hostilities  for  two  hours  should  be  granted. 
The  terras  offered  by  Lord  Cornwallis,  although  not  all  deemed 
admissible,  were  such  as  induced  the  opinion  that  no  great  difficulty 
would  occur  in  adjusting  the  conditions  of  capitulation  ;  and  the 
suspension  of  hostilities  was  continued  through  the  night.  Mean- 
while, in  order  to  avoid  the  delay  of  useless  discussion.  General 
Washington  drew  up  and  transmitted  to  Earl  Cornwallis  such 
articles  as  he  was  willing  to  grant,  informing  his  lordship  that,  if  he 
approved  of  them,  commissioners  might  be  immediately  appointed  to 
reduce  them  to  form.  Accordingly,  Viscount  Noailles  and  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Laurens,  whose  father  was  then  a  prisoner  in  the 
Tower  of  London,  on  the  18th  met  Colonel  Dundas  and  Major  Ross 
of  the  British  army  at  Moore's  house,  in  the  rear  of  the  first  paral- 
lel. They  prepared  a  rough  draught,  but  were  unable  definitively  to 
arrange  the  terms  of  capitulation.  The  draught  was  to  be  submitted 
to  Earl  Cornwallis  :  but  General  Washington,  resolved  to  admit  of 
no  delay,  directed  the  articles  to  be  transcribed  ;  and,  on  the  morning 
of  the  19th,  sent  them  to  his  lordship,  with  a  letter  expressing  his 
expectation  that  they  would  be  signed  by  eleven,  and  that  the  garri- 
son would  march  out  at  two  in  the  afternoon.  Finding  that  no  better 
terms  could  be  obtained.  Earl  Cornwallis  submitted  to  a  painful 
necessity;  and,  on  the  19th  of  October,  surrendered  the  posts  of 
Yorktown  and  Gloucester  Point  to  the  combined  armies  of  America 


508 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FAYETTE. 


and  France,  on  condition  that  his  troops  snould  receive  the  same 
honors  of  war  which  had  been  granted  to  the  garrison  of  Charlestown, 
when  it  surrendered  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  The  army,  artillery, 
arms,  accoutrements,  military  chest,  and  public  stores  of  every 
description,  were  surrendered  to  General  Washington  ;  the  ships  in 
the  harbor  and  the  seamen  to  Count  de  Grasse. 

This  was  the  last  vital  struggle  of  the  war,  which,  however,  lin- 
gered through  another  year  rather  of  negotiation  than  of  action. 
Immediately  after  the  capitulation  at  Yorktown,  La  Fayette  asked 
and  obtained  again  a  leave  of  absence  to  visit  his  family  and  his 
country,  and  with  this  closed  his  military  service  in  the  field,  during 
the  revolutionary  war.  But  it  was  not  for  the  individual  enjoyment 
of  his  renown  that  he  returned  to  France.  The  resolutions  of  Con- 
gress accompanying  that  which  gave  him  a  discretionary  leave  of 
absence,  while  honorary  in  the  highest  degree  to  him,  were  equally 
marked  by  a  grant  of  virtual  credentials  for  negotiation,  and  by  the 
trust  of  confidential  powers,  together  with  a  letter  of  the  warmest 
commendation  of  the  gallant  soldier  to  the  favor  of  his  king.  The 
ensuing  year  was  consumed  in  preparations  for  a  formidable  combined 
French  and  Spanish  expedition  against  the  British  Islands  in  the 
West  Indies,  and  particularly  the  Island  of  Jamaica  ;  thence  to 
recoil  upon  New  York,  and  to  pursue  the  offensive  war  into  Canada. 
The  fleet  destined  for  this  gigantic  undertaking  was  already  assem- 
bled at  Cadiz  ;  and  La  Fayette,  appointed  the  chief  of  the  staff,  was 
there  ready  to  embark  upon  this  perilous  adventure,  when,  on  the 
30th  of  November,  1782,  the  preliminary  treaties  of  peace  were 
concluded  between  his  Britannic  Majesty  on  one  part,  and  the  allied 
powers  of  France,  Spain,  and  the  United  States  of  America,  on  the 
other.  The  first  intelligence  of  this  event  received  by  the  American 
Congress  was  in  the  communication  of  a  letter  from  La  Fayette. 

The  importance  of  his  services  in  France  may  be  seen  by  consult- 
ing his  letters  in  the  Correspondence  of  the  American  Revolution, 
(Boston,  1831.) 

La  Fayette  now  received  pressing  invitations  to  revisit  this  country. 
Washington,  in  particular,  urged  it  strongly  ;  and  for  the  third  time 
he  landed  in  the  United  States,  August  4,  1784.  On  his  arrival,  he 
was  received  with  all  the  warmth  of  old  friendship  by  General  Wash- 
ington, at  Mount  Vernon. 

He  subsequently  visited  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Bos- 
ton and  the  other  principal  places  in  the  country,  and  was  everywhere 
received  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  delight. 

Previous  to  his  return  to  France,  Congress  appointed  a  deputation, 
consisting  of  one  member  from  each  state,  "  to  take  leave  of  him 


LA  FAYETTE  RETURNS  TO  FRANCE. 


509 


Mount  Vernon. 


on  behalf  of  the  country,"  and  assure  him  "  that  these  United  States 
regard  him  with  particular  affection,  and  will  not  cease  to  feel  an 
interest  in  whatever  may  concern  his  honor  and  prosperity." 

He  returned  to  France,  and  arrived  at  Paris  on  the  25th  of  January, 
1785. 

He  continued  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the  concerns  of  the  United 
States,  and  exerted  his  influence  with  the  French  government  to 
obtain  reductions  of  duties  favorable  to  their  commerce  and  fisheries. 
In  the  summer  of  1786,  he  visited  several  of  the  German  courts, 
and  attended  the  last  great  review  by  Frederick  the  Second  of  his 
veteran  army — a  review  unusually  splendid,  and  specially  remarkable 
by  the  attendance  of  many  of  the  most  distinguished  military  com- 
manders of  Europe.  In  the  same  year  the  legislature  of  Virginia 
manifested  the  continued  recollection  of  his  services  rendered  to  the 
people  of  that  commonwealth,  by  a  complimentary  token  of  gratitude 
not  less  honorable  than  it  was  unusual.  They  resolved  that  two 
busts  of  La  Fayette,  to  be  executed  by  the  celebrated  sculptor, 
Houdon,  should  be  procured  at  their  expense  ;  that  one  of  them 
should  be  placed  in  their  own  legislative  hall,  and  the  other  pre- 
sented, in  their  name,  to  the  municipal  authorities  of  the  city  of 
Paris.  It  was  accordingly  presented  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  then  minister 
plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  in  France,  and,  by  the  permis- 
sion of  Louis  the  Sixteenth,  was  accepted,  and,  with  appropriate 
solemnity,  placed  in  one  .of  the  halls  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville  of  the 
metropolis  of  France. 

After  his  return  to  his  native  country,  La  Fayette  was  engaged  in 


510 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FAYETTE. 


Frederick  the  Great. 

endeavoring  to  mitigate  the  condition  of  the  Protestants  in  France, 
and  to  effect  the  abolition  of  slavery.  In  the  assembly  of  the  nota- 
bles, in.  1787,  he  proposed  the  suppression  of  lettres  de  cachet,  and 
of  the  state-prisons,  the  emancipation  of  the  Protestants,  and  the 
convocation  of  the  representatives  of  that  nation.  When  asked  by 
the  Count  d'Artois,  since  Charles  X.,  if  he  demanded  the  States- 
General — "  Yes,"  was  his  reply,  "  and  something  better."  Being 
elected  a  member  of  the  States-General,  which  took  the  name  of 
National  Assembly,  (1789,)  he  proposed  a  declaration  of  rights,  and 
the  decree  providing  for  the  responsibility  of  the  officers  of  the 
crown. 

The  first  movements  of  the  people  in  the  state  of  insurrection, 
took  place  on  the  12th  of  July,  1789,  and  issued  in  the  destruction 
of  the  Bastile,  and  in  the  murder  of  its  governor,  and  of  several  other 
persons,  hung  up  at  lamp-posts  or  torn  to  pieces  by  the  frenzied 
multitude,  without  form  of  trial,  and  without  shadow  of  guilt. 

The  Bastile  had  long  been  odious  as  the  place  of  confinement  of 
persons  arrested  by  arbitrary  orders  for  offences  against  the  govern- 
ment, and  its  destruction  was  hailed  by  most  of  the  friends  of  liberty 
throughout  the  world  as  an  act  of  patriotism  and  magnanimity  on 
the  part  of  the  people.  The  brutal  ferocity  of  the  murders  was 
overlooked  or  palliated  in  the  glory  of  the  achievement  of  razing  to 
its  foundations,  the  execrated  citadel  of  despotism.  But  as  the 
summary  justice  of  insurrection  can  manifest  itself  only  by  destruc- 
tion, the  example  once  set,  became  a  precedent  for  a  series  of  years 


APPOINTED     COMMANDER     OF     NATIONAL     GUARDS.     511 


Capture  of  the  Bastile. 

for  scenes  so  atrocious,  and  for  butcheries  so  merciless  and  horrible, 
that  memory  revolts  at  the  task  of  recalling  them  to  the  mind. 

Two  days  after  the  attack  on  the  Bastile,  La  Fayette  was  appointed 
(July  14,)  commander-in-chief  of  the  national  guards  of  Paris.  The 
court  and  national  assembly  were  still  at  Versailles,  and  the  popu- 
lace of  Paris,  irritated  at  this,  had  already  adopted,  in  sign  of  oppo- 
sition, a  blue  and  red  cockade,  (being  the  colors  of  the  city  of  Paris,) 
July  26th.  La  Fayette  added  to  this  cockade  the  white  of  the  royal 
arms,  declaring  at  the  same  time,  that  the  tri-color  should  go  round 
the  world. 

On  the  march  of  the  populace  to  Versailles,  (October  5th  and  6th,) 
the  national  guards  clamored  to  be  led  thither.  La  Fayette  refused 
to  comply  with  their  demand,  until,  having  received  orders  in  the 
afternoon,  he  set  off  and  arrived  at  ten  o'clock,  after  having  been 
on  horseback  from  before  daylight.  He  requested  that  the  interior 
posts  of  the  chateau  might  be  committed  to  him  ;  but  this  request 
was  refused,  and  the  outer  posts  only  were  intrusted  to  the  national 
guards.  This  was  the  night  on  which  the  assassins  murdered  two 
of  the  queen's  guards,  and  were  proceeding  to  further  acts  of  violence, 
when  La  Fayette,  at  the  head  of  the  national  troops,  put  an  end  to 
the  disorder,  and  saved  the  lives  of  the  royal  family.  In  the  morning 
he  accompanied  them  to  Paris. 

La  Fayette  voted  in  the  assembly  for  the  institution  of  the  jury, 
for  the  suppression  of  hereditary  nobility,  for  the  political  equality  of 
all  citizens,  &c.  Mistrusting  the  effect  of  individual  ambition  in 
revolutionary  times,  he  moved  and  carried  a  resolution  to  the  effect 
that  the  same  person  should  not  have  the  command  of  the  national 
guards  of  more  than  one  department  at  once.  He  himself,  refused  the 
appointment  of  lieutenant-general  of  the  kingdom.     In  conjunction 


512 


GILBERT     M.     LA     FAYETTE. 


La  Fayette  Commander  of  the  National  Guard. 

with  Bailly,  he  instituted  the  club  of  the  Feuillans,  which  supported 
the  constitutional  monarchy  on  a  popular  basis.  After  the  king's 
forced  return  from  the  flight  of  Varennes,  La  Fayette  supported  the 
decree  by  which  the  king  was  restored  to  the  exercise  of  his  regal 
office  on  swearing  to  the  new  constitution.  Upon  this,  the  repub- 
lican party  broke  out  into  an  insurrection,  which  La  Fayette  and  the 
national  guards  put  down  on  the  Champ  de  Mars.  Soon  afterwards 
La  Fayette  gave  in  his  resignation,  and  retired  into  the  country  ; 
but  the  war  of  the  first  coalition  having  begun,  he  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  army  of  Flanders,  and  he  defeated  the  allies 
at  Phillipeville  and  Mauberge.  He  was,  however,  hated  by  the 
Jacobins  at  Paris,  and  mistrusted  by  the  court.  On  the  16th  of 
June,  1792,  he  wrote  a  strong  letter  to  the  legislative  assembly, 
denouncing  the  plots  of  those  men,  "  who,  under  the  mask  of  demo- 
cratic zeal,  smothered  liberty  under  the  excess  of  their  license." 

He  soon  after  repaired  to  Paris,  and  demanded  of  the  lagislative 
assembly  the  punishment  of  the  outrages  committed  against  the 
king  at  the  Tuileries,  on  the  20th  of  June.  But  the  republican 
party  was  already  preponderating  in  the  assembly,  and  La  Fayette 
found  he  was  not  safe  in  Paris.  It  is  said,  that  he  then  proposed  to 
the  king  and  the  royal  family,  to  take  shelter  in  his  camp  at  Com- 
piegne  ;  but  the  advice  was  rejected  by  Louis,  or  rather  by  those 
around  him,  who  placed  all  their  confidence  in  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick and  the  Prussians. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  the  Jacobins  of  Paris  burnt  La  Fayette  in 
efligy  in  the  Palais  Royal.  La  Fayette  having  returned  to  his  camp, 
publicly  expressed  to  his  officers  his  disapprobation  of  the  attack  on 
the  Tuileries  of  the  10th  of  August,  and  on  the  15th  of  that  month, 
lie  arrested  the  commissioners  sent  by  the  legislative  assembly  to 


IMPRISONED     AT     OLMUTZ. 


518 


La  Fa.yette  imprisoned  at  Olmutz. 

watch  him.  Upon  this  he  was  outlawed,  and  was  obliged  to  cross 
the  frontiers  with  a  few  friends.  How  far  was  La  Fayette  at  that 
moment  of  disappointed  patriotism  and  deep  mortification,  from 
imagining  that,  when  all  the  bloody  scenes  and  disgraceful  cabals  of 
the  French  revolution  should  have  passed  away,  he  would  once  more 
become  the  idol  of  his  fickle  countrymen. 

His  first  intention  on  leaving  the  French  court,  was  to  repair  to 
some  neutral  country,  but  he  was  arrested  by  the  Austrians,  and 
carried  to  the  fortress  of  Olmutz,  in  Moravia,  where  his  wife  and 
daughter  soon  after  joined  him,  to  console  him  in  his  confinement. 
He  remained  in  prison  for  five  years,  and  was  released  at  last  by  the 
treaty  of  Campo-Formio,  but  not  approving  of  the  arbitrary  conduct 
of  the  Directory  he  repaired  to  Hamburgh,  and  did  not  return  to 
France  till  after  the  19th  Brumaire,  1799.  Here  he  found  himself 
again  in  opposition  to  Bonaparte's  ambition,  and  he  voted  against  the 
consulship  for  life,  refused  all  employment  under  that  chief,  and  re- 
tired to  the  country,  where  he  applied  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  1815,  he  was  returned  to  the  house  of  representatives  convoked 
by  Napoleon,  on  his  return  from  Elba.  After  the  defeat  at  Water- 
loo, he  spoke  strongly  against  any  attempt  to  establish  a  dictatorship, 
and  moved  that  the  house  should  declare  its  sittings  permanent,  and 
that  any  attempt  to  dissolve  it  should  be  considered  as  treason. 

When  Lucien  appealed  to  the  assembly  not  to  forsake  his  brother 
in  his  adversity,  La  Fayette  replied  with  great  animation,  "  We  have 
followed  your  brother  through  the  burning  sands  of  Syria,  as  well  as 
to  the  frozen  deserts  of  Russia  ;  the  bleached  bones  of  two  milhons 
of  Frenchmen  scattered  all  over  the  globe  attest  our  devotion  to 
him  ;  but  that  devotion,"  he  added,  "  is  now  exhausted,  as  his  cause 
is  no  longer  the  cause  of  the  nation." 

33 


514 


GILBERT     M.     LA    FAYETTE. 


\    f -f^^ 


Napoleon. 


After  the  forced  dissolution  of  the  legislative  assembly  by  the  allied 
troops,  La  Fayette  protested  against  that  violence,  and  retired  to  his 
country  residence  at  Lagrange.  In  1818,  he  was  returned  after  a 
great  struggle  to  the  chamber  of  deputies  for  the  department  of  La 
Sarthe.  During  that  and  the  following  session  he  spoke  in  favor 
of  constitutional  liberty,  and  against  exceptional  laws,  but  to  no 
effect. 

In  August,  1824,  he  landed  at  New  York,  on  a  visit  to  the  United 
States,  upon  the  invitation  of  the  president,  and  was  received,  in 
every  part  of  the  country,  with  the  warmest  expressions  of  delight 
and  enthusiasm.  He  was  proclaimed  by  the  popular  voice,  "  the 
guest  of  the  nation,"  and  his  presence  was  everywhere  the  signal  for 
festivals  and  rejoicings.  He  passed  through  the  twenty-four  states 
of  the  Union  in  a  sort  of  triumphal  procession,  in  which  all  parties 
joined  to  forget  their  dissensions,  in  which  the  veterans  of  the  war 
renewed  their  youth,  and  the  young  were  carried  back  to  the  doings 
and  sufferings  of  their  fathers.  Having  celebrated,  at  Bunker  Hill, 
the  anniversary  of  the  first  conflict  of  the  revolution,  and,  at  York- 
town,  that  of  its  closing  scene,  in  which  he  himself  had  borne  so 
conspicuous  a  part,  and  taken  leave  of  the  four  ex-presidents  of  the 
United  States,  he  received  the  farewell  of  the  President  in  the  name 


DEATH     OF     LA     FAYETTE. 


517 


of  the  nation,  and  sailed  from  the  capital  in  a  frigate  named,  in  com- 
pliment to  him,  the  Brandywine,  September  7,  1825,  and  arrived  at 
Havre,  where  the  citizens,  having  peaceably  assembled  to  make  some 
demonstration  of  their  respect  for  his  character,  were  dispersed  by 
the  gendarmerie.  In  December  preceding,  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  made  him  a  grant  of  tw^o  hundred  thousand  dollars 
and  a  township  of  land,  "in  consideration  of  his  important  services 
and  expenditures  during  the  American  revolution."  The  grant  of 
money  was  in  the  shape  of  stock,  bearing  interest  at  six  per  cent., 
and  redeemable  December  31,  1834.  In  August,  1827,  he  attended 
the  obsequies  of  xManuel,  over  whose  body  he  pronounced  a  eulogy. 
In  November,  1827,  the  chamber  of  deputies  was  dissolved.  La 
Fayette  was  again  returned  a  member  by  the  new  elections. 

In  1830,  being  iri^e  house  of  deputies,  he  was  foremost  among 
the  members  who  resisted  the  arbitrary  ordonnances  of  Charles  X. 
He  then  called  out  again  the  national  guards,  and  placed  himself  at 
their  head.  Faithful  to  his  old  constitutional  principles,  he  proposed 
Louis  Philippe  as  King  of  the  French,  stating  his  conviction  that  a 
monarchy,  based  on  popular  institutions,  was  the  government  best 
suited -to  France.  During  the  trials  of  the  ex-ministers,  he  exerted 
himself  zealously  to  save  them  from  popular  fury.  Of  the  subse- 
quent differences  between  him  and  Louis  Philippe  concerning  views 
of  foreign  and  domestic  policy,  several  versions  have  been  given. 
La  Fayette  died  at  Paris  on  the  20t.h  of  May,  1834,  and  his  funeral 
took  place  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  being  attended  by  nume- 
rous friends,  foreigners  as  well  as  French  peers  and  deputies,  who 
showed  the  high  sense  which  they  entertained  of  the  character  of 
the  deceased.  He  was  interred,  according  to  his  own  direction,  in 
the  same  grave  with  his  wife.  "  He  was,"  says  an  English  writer, 
♦'  one  of  the  few  public  men  whose  character  passed  unscathed 
through  the  ordeal  of  half  a  century  of  revolution."  This  is  no 
slight  praise.  It  was  fairly  earned  by  qualities  not  often  combined, 
chivalry  and  prudence,  high  daring  and  cool  judgment,  courtly  grace 
and  stern  honesty  and  integrity  of  purpose.  La  Fayette  lived  long 
enough  to  see  thousands  of  powerful  enemies  swept  into  oblivion ; 
and  he  performed  services  enough  to  mankind  to  receive  the  un- 
bounded gratitude  of  Europe  and  America. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 


HIS  distinguished  officer  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  29th  of  January,  1756,  and 
completed  his  education  at  Princeton  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  the  year  1774 
Two  years  afterwards  he  was  appointed,  at 
the  instance  of  Patrick  Henry,  commander 
of  one  of  six  companies  of  cavalry,  raised  in 
his  native  state,  under  the  command  of  Colo- 
nel Bland.  As  General  Washington  stood  in 
much  need  of  reinforcements,  the  Virginia  legislature  tendered  the 
services  of  these  companies  to  Congress,  who  accepted  the  offer, 
and  they  joined  the  army  in  September,  1777.  The  young  captain, 
serving  under  the  eye  of  the  commander-in-chief,  rapidly  acquired 
his  esteem  and  confidence  by  soldierly  conduct,  and  the  strict  disci- 
pline maintained  in  his  ranks.  The  constant  attention  which  he 
bestowed  upon  the  horses  and  equipments  of  his  soldiers,  enabled 
him  at  all  times  to  move  with  celerity,  which  with  cavalry,  is  one 
of  the  first  elements  of  success.  Captain  Lee's  merit  is  sufficiently 
attested  by  the  fact  that  General  Washington .  selected  his  company 
to  be  his  body  guard  in  the  battle  of  Germantown. 

Being  generally  employed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  British  lines,  a 
plan  was  formed  by  the  enemy  to  surprise  and  cut  off  him  and  his 
518 


JOINS  THE  ARMY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  519 

troop.  In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1778,  he  was  surrounded 
in  his  quarters,  a  stone  house,  by  two  hundred  of  the  enemy's 
cavalry.  Ten  of  his  men  only  were  in  the  house  with  him,  four  who 
acted  as  patrols  having  been  captured  by  the  enemy  as  he  approached, 
and  the  others  being  absent  in  search  of  forage.  He  however 
defended  the  house  resolutely,  and  the  enemy  were  obliged  to  retreat 
with  the  loss  of  four  men  killed,  four  wounded,  and  several  horses. 
Captain  Lee  had  only  two  of  his  men  wounded,  and  the  patrols  and 
a  quartermaster-sergeant  who  was  out  of  the  house,  made  prisoners. 
General  Washington  complimented  and  congratulated  him  upon  his 
escape,  in  a  private  letter,  and  Congress  rewarded  him  for  his  con- 
duct upon  this  and  other  occasions,  with  a  commission  as  major.  He 
was  assigned  the  command  of  an  independent  partisan  corps  of  two 
troops  of  horse,  which  was  afterwards  increased  by  the  addition  of 
another  cavalry  company  and  a  body  of  infantry. 

In  command  of  this  corps,  on  the  19th  of  July,  1779,  he  surprised 
the  British  post  of  Povvles  Hook,  and  captured  the  garrison  of  a 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  with  the  loss  of  only  two  killed  and  three 
wounded.  The  humanity  of  Major  Lee  was  conspicuously  displayed 
in  the  kindness  shown  to  the  prisoners  at  this  time,  when  the  cruel 
conduct  of  the  enemy  had  given  ample  cause  for  retaliation.  His 
"  prudence,  address,  and  bravery,"  in  this  affair,  were  rewarded  by 
Congress  with  a  gold  medal. 

In  17  80,  he  was  sent  with  his  legion  to  the  south,  where  he  joined 
the  army  under  General  Greene.  He  had  previously  been  raised  to 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  His  legion  formed  the  rear-guard  of 
General  Greene's  army  during  the  celebrated  retreat  of  that  ofRcei 
before  Lord  Cornwallis.  On  one  occasion,  a  sharp  action  took  place 
between  his  corps  and  that  of  the  British  Colonel  Tarleton.  In  his 
charge.  Colonel  Lee  killed  eighteen  of  Tarleton's  dragoons,  and 
made  a  captain  and  fifteen  privates  prisoners.  Having  effected  his 
escape  into  Virginia,  General  Greene  sent  Colonels  Lee  and  Pickens 
into  North  Carolina,  to  encourage  the  patriots  in  that  state,  and  to 
keep  a  watch  upon  the  movements  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  In  the  per- 
formance of  this  duty,  he  formed  a  plan  to  surprise  Colonel  Tarleton. 
On  the  march  to  attack  that  officer,  the  legion  encountered  several 
messengers,  sent  by  Colonel  Pyle,  a  zealous  tory,  to  apprise  Tarle- 
ton of  his  situation,  and  his  anxiety  to  join  him  with  four  hundred 
royalists  under  his  command.  The  dragoons  mistook  Colonel  Lee's 
legion  for  that  of  Tarleton,  and  freely  communicated  their  intelli- 
gence. Colonel  Lee  attempted  to  profit  by  the  error,  and  would  have 
captured  the  whole  of  the  royalist  force  without  bloodshed,  had  they 
not  discovered  some  of  the  militia  under  Pickens,  and  commenced  a 


520 


HENRY     LEE. 


fire.  A  short  conflict  ensued,  in  which  ninety  of  the  enemy  were 
slain,  many  wounded,  and  the  remainder  dispersed.  Colonel  Lee 
particularly  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court- 
house, repulsing  with  loss,  the  onset  of  Tarleton's  dragoons,  and 
afterwards  maintained  a  separate  action  on  the  American  left,  keep- 
ing the  enemy  at  bay  until  ordered  to  retreat. 

ETWEEN  the  time  of  this  action  and  that  at  Camden 
he  was  very  successful  in  capturing  the  enemy's  forts. 
Afterwards  he  marched  to  aid  Pickens  in  taking  Au- 
gusta in  Georgia,  whose  commander  Colonel  Brown  had 
rendered  himself  obnoxious  to  the  Americans.  '  The 
fort  was  taken,  and  Brown  would  have  been  made  to 
expiate  his  offences  with  death,  but  for  the  precau- 
tions of  Colonel  Lee,  who  caused  a  company  of  his  legion  to  guard 
him  until  he  could  be  placed  in  safety.  On  his  way  to  Augusta,  Lee 
had  surprised  Fort  Godolphin,  and  taken  a  large  quantity  of  military 
stores. '  He  now  marched  to  join  General  Greene  in  besieging 
Ninety-Six,  and  when  the  approach  of  Lord  Rawdon  made  it  neces- 
sary to  capture  that  place  by  storm  or  raise  the  siege,  he  led  one  of 
the  assaulting  columns.  He  was  completely  successful,  but  the  other 
column  failed  to  accomplish  its  object,  and  the  siege  was  ended  by  the 
retreat  of  General  Greene.  At  Eutaw  Springs,  he  was  conspicuous 
for  his  good  conduct  at  the  head  of  his  infantry.  He  was  sent 
directly  afterwards  on  a  special  mission  to  the  commander-in-chief, 
to  request  him  to  prevail  on  the  Count  de  Grasse  to  co-operate  in  an 
attack  upon  Charleston.  He  arrived  at  Yorktown  a  few  days  before 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  and  returned  to  the  south  after  witness- 
ing that  ceremony.  He  soon  afterwards  retired  from  the  army  and 
married  Matilda,  the  daughter  of  Philip  Ludwell  Lee,  on  whose 
estate  in  Westmoreland  county  he  settled.  He  carried  with  him  in 
his  retirement  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  General  Greene,  who 
stated  that  his  services  had  been  greater  than  those  of  any  one  man 
attached  to  the  southern  army.  From  1786  until  the  adoption  of  the 
federal  constitution  he  represented  Virginia  in  Congress  ;  and  he  was 
a  member  of  the  convention  of  that  state  which  ratified  that  consti- 
tution. He  afterwards  served  as  a  memb?r  of  the  legislature  of 
Virginia,  and  in  1792,  was  elected  governor  of  that  state.  In  1795, 
he  was  sent  by  Washington  to  quell  the  formidable  whiskey  insur- 
rection in  Pennsylvania,  which  he  effected  without  bloodshed.  He 
was  honored  by  being  appointed  a  general  in  the  army  organ- 
ized by  Washington  in  anticipation  of  the  war  with  France.  In 
1799,  he  was  again  chosen  as  a  representative  to  Congress,  and 
while  there,  selected  to  pronounce  a  funeral  eulogium  on  Washing- 


DEATH     OF      GENERAL     LEE. 


521 


ton.  In  that  production  he  originated  the  celebrated  summary  of 
the  virtues  of  the  deceased, — "  First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first 
in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 

Pecuniary  embarrassments,  the  result  of  his  .extravagant  hospi- 
tahty,  greatly. distressed  him  during  the  last  years  of  his  life.  Con- 
fined within  the  bounds  of  Spottsylvania  county  on  account  of 
pecuniary  obligations,  in  1809,  he  produced  his  famous  history  of 
the  southern  campaigns,  a  work  of  great  value  as  the  bold  and  manly 
record  of  an  eye-witness  and  principal  actor. 

In  1814,  General  Lee  happened  to  be  in  Baltimore,  where  he  took 
part  in  the  defence  of  a  house,  the  publication  office  of  an  obnoxious 
paper,  against  the  assaults  of  a  mob.  Fire-arms  were  employed  by 
the  defenders,  and  two  of  the  assailants  were  killed  and  others 
wounded.  The  military  arriving  effected  a  compromise,  and  the 
defenders  were  placed  for  safety  in  the  Baltimore  jail.  But  the  mob 
reassembled  in  the  night,  attacked  the  jail,  forced  the  doors,  and 
murdered  or  mangled  its  inmates.  General  Lee  was  severely 
wounded.  Finding  that  his  health  decayed  in  consequence,  he  went 
to  the  West  Indies  in  the  hope  of  restoring  it,  but  his  expectations 
were  not  realized.  He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1818,  and 
died  on  the  25th  of  March  in  that  year,  on  Cumberland  Island,  near 
St.  Mary's,  Georgia,  at  the  residence  of  General  Greene's  daughter, 
Mrs.  Shaw. 


/^^^ 


MAJOR  GENERAL  LACHLIN  McINTOSH. 


ACHLIN  McINTOSH  was  born  at 
Borlam,  near  Inverness,  in  Scotland, 
in  the  year  1727,  being  the  second 
son  of  the  leader  of  the  Borlam  branch  of  the 
Mcintosh  clan.  His  father  participated  in  the 
rebellion  of  1715,  though  only  fourteen  years 
of  age,  and  its  unsuccessful  termination  brought 
ruin  upon  his  house.  In  abject  poverty,  he  re- 
mained near  his  former  estates  until  1736,  when 
he  was  invited  to  Georgia  by  General  Ogle- 
thorpe, where  he  arrived  in  February  of  the  following  year.  He  took 
part  in  Oglethorpe's  expedition  to  Florida,  commanding  a  company 
of  Highlanders,  which  suffered  severely  from  its  obstinate  bravery. 
Captain  Mcintosh  himself  was  severely  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
and  sent  to  Spain,  whence  he  only  returned  after  several  years  con- 
finement, to  die  of  a  broken  constitution  in  the  arms  of  his  family. 
General  Oglethorpe,  on  his  return,  placed  the  two  oldest  sons  of 
Captain  Mcintosh  in  his  regiment  as  cadets,  and  would,  in  due  time, 
have  procured  commissions  for  them.  But  he  was  recalled  to  Eng- 
land during  the  preparations  that  were  making  to  meet  the  expected 
rebellion  of  1745,  and  just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  sailing,  he 
detected  William  and  Lachlin  Mcintosh,  the  latter  then  but  thirteen 

522 


JOINS     THE      ARMY. 


523 


years  of  age,  secreted  on  board  another  vessel,  in  which  they  meant 
to  reach  Scotland,  and  make  an  effort  to  re-establish  the  fallen  for- 
tunes of  their  own  house,  in  the  service  of  the  Stuarts.  The  general 
had  them  brought  into  his  own  cabin,  showed  them  his  duty  as  an 
officer  of  the  British  government,  and  the  hopelessness  of  the  efforts 
of  the  Stuarts,  and  then  reminding  them  of  his  affection  for  his 
father  and  themselves,  besought  them  to  return  on  shore  and  keep 
their  own  secret,  promising  on  his  own  part  silence  and  oblivion. 
They  gave  him  their  word,  and  parted  with  him  for  ever. 

Lachhn  Mcintosh  afterwards  went  to  Charleston,  where  he  was 
taken  into  the  family  and  counting-room  of  Henry  Laurens.  He 
remained  there  some  years,  when  he  abandoned  the  pursuits  of  trade, 
returned  to  Georgia,  married,  and  supported  himself  by  a  new  pro- 
fession, that  of  general  land  surveyor.  He  soon  obtained  indepen- 
dence in  the  pursuit  of  his  business,  but  his  life  was  ruffled  by  a 
constant  series  of  persecutions  from  Governor  Wright,  of  Georgia, 
whose  enmity  he  incurred  by  his  advocacy  of  the  rights  of  citizens 
of  South  Carolina  to  lands  under  Governor  Wright's  jurisdiction. 

This  train  of  injuries  prepared  him  early  for  the  approaching  con- 
flict, and  he  was  universally  regarded  as  the  man  who  should  lead 
the  troops  which  Georgia  might  raise  for  the  revolution.  When  hos- 
tilities commenced,  he  commanded  the  first  regiment  that  was  raised, 
and  when  this  force  was  increased  he  became  brigadier-general.  A 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  course  to  be  pursued  with  regard  to 
the  royalists,  made  Button  Gwinnett,  then  governor  of  Georgia,  to  be 
his  enemy,  and  again  he  suffered  severely  from  the  enmity  and  hatred 
of  the  civil  authority.  Gwinnett  had  offered  himself  as  commander 
of  the  Georgia  forces,  when  Mcintosh  was  chosen,  and  disappointed 
ambition  added  force  to  his  vindictive  feelings.  William  Mcintosh, 
who  had  raised  a  company  of  cavalry  almost  wholly  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, became  disgusted  at  the  tyranny  exhibited  towards  his  brother, 
and  threw  up  his  command.  But  Lachlin  was  more  cool ;  he  waited 
until  the  term  of  Gwinnett's  office  expired,  and  then  told  him  what 
was  his  opinion  of  him  and  his  actions.  Gwinnett  challenged  him. 
Both  fired  with  pistols  at  eight  feet,  and  both  were  wounded  severely, 
Gwinnett  died.  After  his  recovery,  Mcintosh  asked  and  received 
permission  to  join  the  central  army,  under  General  Washington, 
whose  confidence  he  soon  succeeded  in  acquiring.  The  commander- 
in-chief  having  learned  his  merit,  requested  him  to  undertake  the 
difficult  task  of  defending  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia 
against  the  Indians,  and  though  it  took  him  from  the  prospect  of 
military  distinction  to  an  inglorious  but  most  dangerous  defensive 
war,  his  sense  of  duty  to  the  country  made  him  accept  the  appoint 


524 


LACHLIN     MACINTOSH. 


merit.  Under  his  command  the  people  knew  repose,  and  the  Indians 
were  taught  to  respect  the  arms  of  the  colonies.  Yet  he  had  but  a 
few  hundred  men,  and  his  opponents  were  the  same  Indians  who  had 
before  defeated  Braddock,  and  who  afterwards  ruined  the  armies  of 
Harmar  and  St.  Clair. 

General  Mcintosh  was  recalled,  just  as  he  was  about  to  make  an 
attem.pt  upon  Detroit,  in  order  to  take  part  in  the  ill-omened  attack 
upon  Savannah.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  self-sufficiency  of  Count 
d'Estaing,  the  commanding  officer,  that  city  might  have  been  taken  ; 
as  it  was,  the  expedition  utterly  failed.  The  French  troops  and 
fleet  went  to  sea  ;  the  Americans,  under  Generals  Lincoln  and 
Mcintosh,  fell  back  upon  Charleston,  where  they  were  almost  imme- 
diately besieged  by  General  Clinton.  The  gallant  defence  and  final 
capitulation  of  the  city,  not  only  reflected  honor  upon  the  defenders, 
but  it  closed  in  a  great  measure  the  military  life  of  General  Mcintosh, 
who  did  not  resume  his  command  after  the  end  of  his  detention  as  a 
prisoner.  When  he  was  released,  he  retired  with  his  family  to  Vir- 
ginia, carrying  with  him  a  recommendation  to  the  state,  in  the  shape 
of  a  letter  to  Governor  Jeflerson,  signed  by  two  general  officers,  six- 
teen field  officers,  and  one  hundred  officers  of  lower  grade.  They 
begged  that  he  might  be  treated  in  every  respect  as  an  officer  of 
the  Virginia  line,  entitled  to  lands  and  other  emoluments  and  advan- 
tages, given  for  the  encouragement  of  officers,  as  well  on  account 
of  his  uncommon  sufferings  and  sacrifices  on  behalf  of  the  service, 
as  for  his  conduct  in  command  of  a  part  of  the  Virginia  line,  and 
the  services  he  had  rendered  on  the  frontiers  of  Virginia. 

General  Mcintosh  remained  in  Virginia  with  his  family  until  the 
British  troops  were  driven  from  Savannah.  When  he  returned  to 
Georgia,  he  found  his  personal  property  had  been  all  wasted,  and  his 
real  estate  diminished  in  value.  He  lived  in  retirement  and  in  some 
degree  of  poverty,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Savannah,  in 
1806  in  his  seventy-ninth  year. 


GENERAL  JAMES  JACKSON. 


AMES  JACKSON  was  born  at  Moreton-Hampstead, 
in  Devonshire,  England,  September  21st,  1757. 
He  inherited  the  most  repubhcan  principles  from 
his  father,  and  with  the  permission  of  that  parent, 
joyfully  sought  for  a  home  in  the  new  world,  where 
he  might  be  upon  an  equality  with  his  fellow  men. 
X,  He  came  to  Georgia  in  1772,  and  commenced  read- 
ing law  in  the  office  of  Samuel  Farley,  a  celebrated 
Mi  attorney.  His  studies  were  interrupted  by  the 
breaking  out  of  the  revolution ;  he  warmly  espoused 
the  cause  of  liberty,  and  bore  a  musket  in  the 
American  service  when  he  was  but  nineteen  years 
of  age,  in  the  attack  upon  Savannah.  His  intre- 
pidity was  so  remarkable,  that  he  received  the  thanks  of  Governor 
Bullock,  and  was  soon  afterwards  appointed  to  the  command  of 
a  volunteer  company  of  light  infantry.  Towards  the  close  of  the 
year  1778,  he  was  made  brigade-major  of  the  Georgia  militia,  and 
when  that  had  no  longer  an  existence,  he  enrolled  himself  as  a  volun- 
teer in  a  company  made  up  of  officers  who  had  no  commands.  On 
his  way  to  join  this  company,  barefoot  and  penniless,  he  was  captured 
by  some  of  their  number,  suspected  of  being  a  spy,  tried,  convicted, 

525 


526 


JAMES     JACKSON. 


and  condemned  to  execution.  He  was  only  saved  from  death  by 
being  recognized  when  under  the  gibbet,  by  Peter  Deveaux,  a  well- 
known  gentleman,  afterwards  member  of  the  executive  council  of 
Georgia.  His  life  had  been  certainly  sacrificed  but  for  the  oppor- 
tune arrival  of  this  gentleman. 

In  March,  1780,  he  was  unhappily  engaged  in  a  duel  with  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Wells,  who  lost  his  life.  Major  Jackson  was  himself 
wounded  in  both  knees,  and  cojifined  by  his  injuries  for  months.  His 
surgeons  abandoned  his  case,  as  he  persisted  in  refusing  to  submit 
to  amputation,  and  his  recovery  was  for  a  long  time  doubtful. 

After  his  return  to  the  camp,  he  served  with  distinction  throughout 
the  war,  signalizing  his  valor  whenever  occasion  offered.  When 
the  British  evacuated  Savannah,  July  12,  1782,  General  Wayne 
directed  Colonel  Jackson  to  receive  the  keys,  and  take  possession 
of  the  town,  "  in  consideration  of  his  severe  and  fatiguing  service 
in  advance."  At  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  in  the  face  of  the  whole 
army,  he  seized  the  colors  of  the  71st  British  regiment  at  the  utmost 
risk  of  his  life,  and  afterwards  presented  the  commander  of  the 
British  infantry,  Major  M'Arthur,  as  a  prisoner  to  General  Morgan. 
At  Tennant's  Tavern,  during  the  retreat  of  General  Greene,  his 
boldness  brought  him  into  the  most  imminent  danger  from  the  sabres 
of  Tarleton's  cavalry.  He  was  with  Lee  and  Pickens  when  they 
destroyed  Pyle's  corps  of  tories,  and  General  Pickens,  speaking  of 
his  independent  operations  in  Georgia,  prevjous  to  the  taking  of 
Augusta,  says  that  "  Major  Jackson's  exertions  in  the  early  period  of 
the  siege,  laid  the' ground  work  for  the  reduction  of  that  place." 

He  commanded  an  American  garrison  at  Augusta,  after  its  sur- 
render, and  maintained  his  position,  although  he  was  for  a  time  cut 
off  from  all  communication  with  the  Americans  and  surrounded  by 
British  troops.  But  emissaries  from  Savannah  excited  treason  in  his 
camp,  and  a  plot  was  formed  among  the  infantry  to  murder  him  in 
his  bed,  bayonet  his  officers,  and  deliver  the  governor  of  Georgia  as 
a  prisoner  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  An  incorruptible  dragoon 
gave  information  of  the  plan,  and  the  colonel  ordered  out  his  cavalry, 
caused  the  infantry  to  parade  without  arms,  and  then  charged  upon 
them  with  the  dragoons,  arrested  and  tried  the  ringleaders,  and 
promptly  executed  those  who  were  condemned.  Nothing  could 
exceed  the  fidelity  and  good  conduct  which  after  this  occurrence 
characterized  his  corps. 

In  July  1782,  the  general  assembly  of  Georgia  voted  and  presented 
him  with  a  house  and  lot  in  Savannah,  as  a  testimonial  of  their  sense 
of  his  merits.  He  now  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  it  yield  him  a  competency.     In 


HIS     DEATH. 


527 


1783,  be  was  elected  a  member  of  tbe  Georgia  legislature,  and  in 
tbe  following  year  was  made  colonel  of  the  first  regiment  of  Georgia 
militia.  He  was  promoted  to  be  brigadier-general  in  1786,  and  was 
elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Georgia  Cincinnati  Society.  In 
1788,  when  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  governor  of  Georgia, 
which  dignity  however  he  declined,  declaring  that  neither  his  age, 
nor  experience  would  justify  his  acceptance.  He  was  then  made 
major-general  of  the  militia  of  the  state,  and  sent  to  represent 
Georgia  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  While  in  this  capacity 
he  died  at  Washington,  January  19,  1806.  His  temper  was  impetu- 
ous, his  oratory  brilliant,  his  courage  undaunted,  his  devotion  to 
liberal  principles  unyielding,  and  his  love  for  Georgia,  "  his  country" 
as  he  called  it — his  strongest  passion. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  PETER  MUHLENBERG. 

ETER  MUHLENBERG,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  1745.  In  early  life 
he  yielded  to  the  wishes  of  his  venerable 
father,  the  patriarch  of  the  German  Luther- 
an church  in  Pennsylvania,  by  becoming  a 
minister  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  parti- 
cipating in  the  spirit  of  the  times,  exchanged 
his  clerical  profession  for  that  of  a  soldier. 
Having  in  his  pulpit  inculcated  the  principles  of  liberty,  and  the 
cause  of  his  country,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  enlisting  a  regiment  of 
soldiers,  and  he  was  appointed  their  commander.  He  entered  the 
pulpit  with  his  sword  and  cockade,  preached  his  farewell  sermon,  and 
the  next  day  marched  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  to  join  the  army. 

In  the  year  1776,  he  became  a  member  of  the  convention,  and 
afterwards  a  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  that  state.  In  the  year  1777, 
he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general  in  the  revolutionary  army,  in 
which  capacity  he  acted  until  the  termination  of  the  war  which  gave 
liberty  and  independence  to  his  country,  at  which  time  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  major-general.  General  Muhlenberg  was  a 
particular  favorite  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  he  was  one  of 
those  brave  men,  in  whose  coolness,  decision  of  character,  and 
undaunted  resolution,  he  could   ever   rely.     It   has   been  asserted 

528 


HIS     SERVICES     IN     PENNSYLVANIA. 


529 


v^rith  some  degree  of  confidence,  that  it  was  General  Muhlenberg, 
who  commanded  the  American  storming  party  at  Yorktow^n,  the 
honor  of  which  station  has  been  attributed,  by  the  different  histories 
of  the  American  revolution,  to  another  person.  It  is,  however,  a 
well  known  fact,  that  he  acted  a  distinguished  and  brave  part  at  the 
siege  of  Yorktown. 

After  the  peace,  General  Muhlenberg  was  chosen  by  his  fellow 
citizens  of  Pennsylvania  to  fill  in  succession  the  various  stations  of 
vice-president  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania, 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives,  and  senator  of  the  United 
States  ;  and  afterwards  appointed  by  the  president  of  the  United 
States,  supervisor  of  the  excise  in  Pennsylvania,  and  finally,  collector 
of  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  which  office  he  held  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  In  all  the  above  military  and  political  stations.  General 
Muhlenberg  acted  faithfully  to  his  country  and  honorably  to  himself. 
He  was  brave  in  the  field,  and  firm  in  the  cabinet.  In  private  life 
he  was  strictly  just ;  in  his  domestic  and  social  attachments,  he  was 
affectionate  and  sincere  ;  and  in  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow 
citizens,  always  amiable  and  unassuming. 

He  died  on  the  1st  day  of  October,  1807,  in  the  sixty-second  yeai 
of  his  age,  at  his  seat  near  Schuylkill,  Montgomery  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. 


34 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  CHRISTOPHER  GADSDEN. 


1724. 


HRISTOPHER  GADSDEN, lieu- 
tenant-governor of  South  Carolina, 
and  a  distinguished  friend  of  his 
country,  was  born  about  the  year 
So  high  was  his  reputation  in  the 
colony  in  which  he  lived,  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  delegates  to  the  Con- 
gress, which  met  at  New  York  in  October, 
1765,  to  petition  against  the  stamp-act. 

Judge  Johnson,  in  his  life  of  General 
Greene,  says,  "There  was  at  least  one 
man  in  South  Carolina,  who,  as  early  as  1766,  foresaid  and  foretold 
the  views  of  the  British  government,  and  explicitly  urged  his  adhe- 

530 


GADSDEN     A     PRISONER. 


531 


rents  to  the  resolution  to  resist  even  to  death.  General  Gadsden,  it 
is  well  known,  and  there  are  still  living  witnesses  to  prove  it,  always 
favored  the  most  decisive  and  energetic  measures.  He  thought  it  a 
folly  to  temporize,  and  insisted  that  cordial  reconciliation  on  honor- 
able terms  was  impossible.  When  the  news  of  the  repeal  of  the 
stamp-act  arrived,  and  the  whole  community  was  in  ecstasy  at  the 
event,  he,  on  the  contrary,  received  it  with  indignation,  and  privately 
convening  a  party  of  his  friends  beneath  the  celebrated  Liberty-tree, 
he  there  harangued  them  at  considerable  length  on  the  folly  of  re- 
laxing their  opposition  and  vigilance,  or  indulging  the  fallacious  hope 
that  Great  Britain  would  relinquish  her  designs  or  pretensions.  He 
drew  their  attention  to  the  preamble  of  the  act,  and  forcibly  pressed 
upon  them  the  absurdity  of  rejoicing  at  an  act  that  still  asserted  and 
maintained  the  absolute  dominion  over  them.  And  then  reviewing 
all  the  chances  of  succeeding  in  a  struggle  to  break  the  fetters  when- 
ever again  imposed  on  them,  he  pressed  them  to  prepare  their  minds 
for  the  event.  The  address  was  received  with  silent  but  profound 
devotion,  and  with  linked  hands,  the  whole  party  pledged  themselves 
to  resist ;  a  pledge  that  was  faithfully  redeemed  when  the  hour  of 
trial  arrived.  It  was  from  this  event  that  the  Liberty-tree  took  its 
name.  The  first  convention  of  South  Carolina  held  their  meeting 
under  it." 

He  was  also  chosen  a  member  of  the  Congress  which  met  in 
1774  ;  and  on  his  return  early  in  1776,  received  the  thanks  of  the 
provincial  assembly  for  his  services.  He  was  among  the  first  who 
advocated  republican  principles,  and  wished  to  make  his  country 
independent  of  the  monarchical  government  of  Great  Britain. 

URING  the  siege  of  Charleston,  in  1780,  he 
remained  within  the  lines  with  five  of  the 
council,  while  Governor  Rutledge,  with  the 
other  three,  left  the  city,  at  the  earnest  re- 
quest of  General  Lincoln.  Several  months 
after  the  capitulation,  he  was  taken  out  of 
his  bed  on  the  27th  of  August,  and,  with 
most  of  the  civil  and  military  officers,  trans- 
ported in  a  guard-ship  to  St.  Augustine. 
This  was  done  by  the  order  of  Lord  Corn- 
wall is,  and  it  was  in  violation  of  the  rights 
of  prisoners  on  parole.  Guards  were  left  at 
their  houses,  and  the  private  papers  of  some  of  them  were  examined. 
A  parole  was  offered  at  St.  Augustine,  but  such  was  the  indignation 
of  Lieutenant-governor  Gadsden,  at  the  ungenerous  treatment  which 
he  had  received,  that  he  refused  to  accept  it,  and  bore  a  close  con- 


532 


CHRISTOPHER     GADSDEN. 


finement  in  the  castle  for  forty-two  weeks,  with  the  greatest  forti- 
tude. 

Garden,  in  his  Anecdotes  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  particulars  :  "  The  conduct  of  the  British  com- 
manders towards  this  venerable  patriot,  in  the  strongest  manner 
evinced  their  determination  rather  to  crush  the  spirit  of  opposition, 
than  by  conciliation  to  subdue  it.  The  man  did  not  exist  to  whose 
delicate  sense  of  honor,  even  a  shadow  of  duplicity  would  have 
appeai^ed  more  abhorrent,  than  General  Gadsden.  Transported  by 
an  arbitrary  decree,  with  many  of  the  most  resolute  and  influential 
citizens  of  the  republic,  to  St.  Augustine,  attendance  on  parade  was 
peremptorily  demanded  ;  when  a  British  officer  stepping  forward, 
said,  '  Expediency,  and  a  series  of  political  occurrences  have  rendered 
it  necessary  to  remove  you  from  Charleston  to  this  place  ;  but,  gen- 
tlemen, we  have  no  wish  to  increase  your  sufferings  ;  to  all,  therefore, 
who  are  willing  to  give  their  paroles,  not  to  go  beyond  the  limits 
prescribed  to  them,  the  liberty  of  the  town  will  be  allowed  ;  a 
dungeon  will  be  the  destiny  of  such  as  refuse  to  accept  the  indul- 
gence.' The  proposition  was  generally  acceded  to.  But  when 
General  Gadsden  was  called  to  give  this  new  pledge  of  faith,  he 
indignantly  exclaimed,  '  With  men  who  have  once  deceived  me,  I  can 
enter  into  no  new  contract.  Had  the  British  commanders  regarded 
the  terms  of  the  capitulation  of  Charleston,  I  might  now,  although 
a  prisoner,  under  my  own  roof,  have  enjoyed  the  smiles  and  conso- 
lations of  my  surrounding  family ;  but  even  without  a  shadow  of 
accusation  proffered  against  me,  for  any  act  inconsistent  with  my 
plighted  faith,  I  am  torn  from  them,  and  here,  in  a  distant  land,  in- 
vited to  enter  into  new  engagements.  I  will  give  no  parole.'  '  Think 
better  of  it,  sir,'  said  the  officer,  '  a  second  refusal  of  it  will  fix  your 
destiny  :  a  dungeon  will  be  your  future  habitation.'  '  Prepare  it, 
then,'  said  the  inflexible  patriot,  '  I  will  give  no  parole,  so  help  me 

aod: 

"  When  first  shut  up  in  the  castle  of  St.  Augustine,  the  comfort 
of  a  light  was  denied  him  by  the  commandant  of  the  fortress.  A 
generous  subaltern  offered  to  supply  him  with  a  candle,  but  he  de- 
clined it,  lest  the  officer  should  expose  himself  to  the  censure  of  his 
superior. 

"  After  Andre's  arrest.  Colonel  Glazier,  the  governor  of  the  castle, 
sent  to  advise  General  Gadsden  to  prepare  himself  for  the  worst ; 
intimating,  that  as  General  Washington  had  been  assured  of  retalia- 
tion, if  Andre  was  executed,  it  was  not  unlikely  that  General  Gads- 
den would  be  the  person  selected.  To  this  message  he  replied, 
*  That  he  was  always  prepared  to  die  for  his  country ;  and  though 


DECLINES      THE      OFFICE      OF     GOVERNOR. 


533 


he  knew  it  was  impossible  for  Washington  to  yield  the  right  of  an 
independent  state  by  the  law  of  war,  to  fear  or  affection,  yet  he 
would  not  shrink  from  the  sacrifice,  and  would  rather  ascend  the 
scaffold  than  purchase  with  his  life  the  dishonor  of  his  country.'" 

In  1782,  when  it  became  necessary,  by  the  rotation  established, 
to  choose  a  new  governor,  he  was  elected  to  this  office  :  but  he  de- 
clined it,  in  a  short  speech,  to  the  following  effect :  '■  I  have  served 
my  country  in  a  variety  of  stations  for  thirty  years,  and  I  would  now 
cheerfully  make  one  of  a  forlorn  hope  in  an  assault  on  the  lines  of 
Charleston,  if  it  was  probable,  that,  with  the  loss  of  life,  you.  ray 
friends,  would  be  reinstated  in  the  possession  of  your  capital.  What 
I  can  do  for  my  country,  I  am  willing  to  do.  My  sentiments  in  favor 
of  the  American  cause,  from  the  stamp-act  downwards,  have  never 
changed.  I  am  still  of  opinion  that  it  is  the  cause  of  liberty  and  of 
human  nature.  The  present  times  require  the  vigor  and  activity  of 
the  prime  of  life  ;  buf  I  feel  the  increasing  infirmities  of  old  age  to 
such  a  degree,  that  I  am  conscious  I  cannot  serve  you  to  advantage. 
I  therefore  beg,  for  your  sakes,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  public,  that 
you  would  indulge  me  with  the  liberty  of  declining  the  arduous 
trust."  He  continued,  however,  his  exertions  for  the  good  of  his 
country,  both  in  the  assembly  and  council :  and  notwithstanding  the 
injuries  he  had  suffered,  and  the  immense  loss  of  his  property,  he 
zealously  opposed  the  law  for  confiscating  the  estates  of  the  adhe- 
rents to  the  British  government,  and  contended  that  sound  policy 
required  to  forgive  and  forget. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  HENRY  DEARBORN. 


I   1 


ENRY  DEARBORN  was  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  New  Hampshire, 
who     emigrated     from     the 
county  of  Devonshire,  in  Eng- 
land.   He  received  a  medical  education 
under  the  instruction   of   Doctor   Hall 
Jackson,    of   Portsmouth,    who   was    a 
distinguished  surgeon  in  the  revolution- 
ary army,  and  justly  celebrated  as  one  of 
the  most   able  physicians   which   New 
England  has  produced.     Dearborn  was 
settled   in   the  practice  of  physic    at  Nottingham-square,  in   New 
534 


HIS     SERVICES     AT     BUNKER     HILL.  535 

Hampshire,  three  years  previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  revo- 
lutionary vi^ar,  where,  with  several  gentlemen  of  the  neighborhood, 
he  employed  his  leisure  hours  in  military  exercises  ;  being  convinced 
that  the  time  was  rapidly  approaching,  when  the  liberties  of  his 
country  must  either  be  shamefully  surrendered,  or  boldly  defended 
at  the  point  of  the  sword. 

This  band  of  associates  were  determined  to  be  prepared,  and 
equipped  themselves  for  the  last  resort  of  freemen. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  April,  1775,  notice  by  an  express 
was  received  of  the  affair  of  the  preceding  day,  at  Lexington.  He 
assembled  with  about  sixty  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  made  a 
rapid  movement  for  Cambridge,  where  they  arrived  the  next  morning 
at  sunrise — having  marched  a  distance  of  fifty-five  miles  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours.  After  remaining  several  days,  and  there  being 
no  immediate  occasion  for  their  services,  they  returned.  It  being 
determined  that  a  number  of  regiments  should  be  immediately  raised 
for  the  common  defence,  Dearborn  was  appointed  captain  in  the  first 
New  Hampshire  regiment,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  John 
Stark.  Such  was  his  popularity,  and  the  confidence  of  the  people 
in  his  bravery  and  conduct,  that  in  ten  days  from  the  time  he  received 
his  commission,  he  enlisted  a  full  company,  and  joined  the  regiment 
at  Medford,  on  the  15th  of  May.  Previous  to  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  he  was  engaged  in  a  skirmish  on  Hog  Island,  whither  he  had 
been  sent  to  prevent  the  cattle  and  other  stock  from  being  carried 
off  by  the  British,  and  soon  after  took  a  part  in  an  action  with  an 
armed  vessel  near  Winnesimet  Ferry. 

On  the  morning  of  the  glorious  17th  of  June,  information  was 
received  that  the  British  were  preparing  to  come  out  from  Boston, 
and  storm  the  works  which  had  been  thrown  up  on  Breed's  Hill  the 
night  before  by  the  Americans.  The  regiment  to  which  he  was 
attached  was  immediately  paraded,  and  marched  from  Mystic  to 
Charlestown  Neck. 

Dearborn's  company  composed  the  flank  guards  of  the  regiment. 
They  crossed  the  Neck  under  a  galling  fire  from  the  British  men  of 
war,  and  the  floating  batteries,  and  having  sustained  some  loss, 
arrived  at  Bunker's  Heights.  The  enemy  were  landing  on  the  shore 
opposite  Copp's  Hill,  when  Stark  advanced  and  formed  his  regiment 
on  the  declivity  of  Breed's  Hill,  in  rear  of  a  rail  fence,  which  ran 
from  the  redoubt,  commanded  by  the  gallant  Colonel  Prescott,  to 
Mystic  river.  The  action  soon  commenced,  and  the  Americans 
stood  their  ground  until  their  ammunition  was  entirely  expended. 
Dearborn  was  posted  on  the  right  of  the  regiment,  and  being  armed 
with  a  fusee,  fired  regularly  with  his  men. 


536 


HENRY    DEARBORN. 


In  Septembei',  he  volunteered  his  services  to  join  the  expedition  of 
Arnold  up  Kennebeck  river,  and  through  the  wilderness  to  Quebec. 
lie  was  permitted  to  select  a  company  from  the  New  Hampshire 
regiment  for  this  arduous  service.  Thirty-two  days  were  employed 
in  traversing  the  hideous  wilderness,  between  the  settlements  on  the 
Kennebeck  and  the  Chaudiere  river,  during  the  inclement  months  of 
November  and  December,  in  which  every  hardship  and  fatigue  of 
which  human  nature  is  capable,  was  endured  indiscriminately,  by 
the  officers  and  troops,  and  a  large  portion  of  them  starved  to  death. 
^^^^^  N  the  highlands,  between  the  Kennebeck 
and  St,  Lawrence,  the  remnant  of  pro- 
visions was  divided  among  the  com- 
panies, who  were  directed  to  make  the 
best  of  their  way  in  separate  divisions 
to  the  settlements  on  the  Chaudiere. 
The  last  fragment  of  food  in  most  of 
the  companies  was  soon  consumed,  and 
Dearborn  was  reduced  to  the  extremity 
of  dividing  his  favorite  dog  among  his 
suffering  men.  When  they  reached  the  Chaudiere,  from  cold,  extreme 
hardships,  and  want  of  sustenance,  his  strength  failed  him,  and  he 
was  unable  to  walk  but  a  short  distance,  without  wading  into  the 
M^ater  to  invigorate  and  stimulate  his  limbs.  With  great  difficulty 
he  reached  a  poor  hut  on  the  Chaudiere,  when  he  told  his  men  he 
could  accompany  them  no  further,  and  animated  them  forward  to  a 
glorious  discharge  of  their  duty.  His  company  left  him  with  tears 
in  their  eyes,  expecting  to  see  him  no  more.  Dearborn  was  here 
seized  with  a  violent  fever,  during  which  his  life  was  despaired  of 
for  ten  days,  being  without  medicine,  and  with  scarcely  the  common 
necessaries  of  life.  His  fine  constitution  at  last  surmounted  the 
disease,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  travel,  he  proceeded  to  Point 
Levi  in  a  sleigh — crossed  over  to  Wolfe's  Cove,  and  made  his  unex- 
pected appearance  at  the  head  of  his  company,  a  few  days  before 
the  assault  on  Quebec.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  thirty- 
first  day  of  December,  1775,  in  a  severe  snow  storm,  and  in  a  climate 
that  \\e&  with  Norway  in  tempests  and  intense  cold,  the  attack  was 
commenced.  Dearborn  was  attached  to  the  corps  under  General  Ar- 
nold, who  was  wounded  early  in  the  action  and  carried  from  the  field. 
Lieutenant-colonel  Green  succeeded  in  the  command.  They  stormed 
the  firsf  barrier,  and  entered  the  lower  town.  Montgomery  had 
already  bled  on  immortal  ground,  and  his  division  having  made  a  preci- 
pitate and  most  shameful  retreat,  as  soon  as  their  general  fell,  the  corps 
under  Greene  was    exposed  to  a  sanguinary  but  unavailing  contest. 


MADE     PRISONER     AT     QUEBEC.  537 

ROM  the  windows  of  the  houses,  which  being 
constructed  of  stone,  each  was  a  castle,  and 
from  the  tops  of  the  parapets,  a  destructive 
fire  was  poured  upon  the  assailants,  which 
threatened  inevitable  destruction  to  every  one 
who  should  appear  in  the  streets.  The  Ameri- 
can troops  maintained  this  desperate  warfare 
until  at  last  they  were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  surrendering  in 
small  parties. 

The  whole  corps  led  on  by  General  Arnold,  were  killed  or  made 
prisoners  of  war.  The  officers  were  put  into  rigid  confinement,  and 
every  day  were  tauntingly  told,  that  in  the  spring  they  would  be  sent 
to  England,  and  hanged  as  rebels. 

In  May,  1776,  Majors  Meigs  and  Dearborn  were  permitted  to 
return  on  their  parole.  They  were  sent  round  to  Halifax  in  the 
frigate  Niger,  and  treated  with  the  usual  contumely  and  hauteur  of 
English  officers.  On  their  arrival  at  Halifax,  they  were  put  on  board 
another  ship  of  war,  and  the  commander  instructed  by  General  Howe, 
to  land  them  in  some  port  of  New  England.  After  the  ship  had 
cruised  with  them  on  board  for  upwards  of  thirty  days,  during  which 
period  they  met  with  the  grossest  insults,  they  were  put  on  shore  at 
Penobscot  bay,  from  whence  they  proceeded  to  Portland  by  land. 

In  the  fore  part  of  the  following  March,  Dearborn  was  exchanged, 
and  appointed  a  major  to  the  third  New  Hampshire  regiment,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Alexander  Scammel,  and  early  in  May  arrived 
with  the  regiment  at  Ticonderoga. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  the  post  of  Ticonderoga  was  abandoned,  on 
the  approach  of  General  Burgoyne's  army.  General  St.  Clair  re- 
treated with  the  main  body  of  the  troops,  by  land,  through  Vermont 
to  Hudson  river,  near  Saratoga,  and  soon  after  continued  to  retreat, 
until  the  army  had  crossed  the  Mohawk  river,  near  its  junction  with 
the  Hudson,  where  considerable  reinforcements  were  met,  and  Gene- 
ral Gates  assumed  the  command  of  the  northern  army. 

Soon  after  the  capture  of  the  British  detachment  under  Baum,  at 
Bennington,  by  General  Stark ;  and  the  retreat  of  General  St. 
Leger  from  Fort  Stanwix,  General  Gates  advanced  to  meet  the 
enemy,  who  was  encamped  near  Saratoga.  When  the  enemy  arrived 
at  Stillwater,  a  corps  of  light  infantry  was  formed,  by  detachments 
from  the  line,  consisting  of  five  full  companies,  and  the  command 
given  to  Major  Dearborn,  with  orders  from  General  Gates  to  act  in 
concert  with  Colonel  Morgan's  regiment  of  riflemen,  which  had 
joined  the  army  a  few  days  previous.  A  strong  position  was  selected, 
called  Bemis's  Heights,  and  immediately  occupied  by  the  American 


538  HENRY     DEA.RBORN. 

army.  The  riflemen  and  Dearborn's  corps  of  light  infantry,  en- 
camped in  advance  of  the  left  of  the  main  line.  The  British  army 
had  advanced  from  Saratoga,  and  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  within  three  miles  of  General  Gates's  position. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  September,  the  advanced  pickets 
announced  that  the  right  wing  of  the  British  army  was  still  in  mo- 
tion, when  Morgan  and  Dearborn,  who  commanded  separate  corps, 
received  orders  from  General  Arnold  to  make  a  forward  movement, 
to  check  the  approaching  column.  These  orders  were  promptly 
obeyed,  and  the  advanced  guard,  consisting  of  tories  and  other  irre- 
gulars, was  soon  met  and  attacked  with  spirit,  in  which  conflict  they 
killed  and  wounded  a  considerable  number  of  the  enemy,  and  made 
twenty-two  prisoners.  The  action  soon  after  became  general,  and 
continued  until  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  on  the  same  ground  on 
which  it  commenced  ;  neither  party  having  retreated  more  than 
twenty  or  thirty  rods,  and  that  alternately,  so  that  the  dead  of  both 
parties  were  mingled  together. 

Dearborn,  with  his  light  corps,  covered  the  left  of  the  main  line, 
while  Morgan  covered  the  right.  The  loss  was  severe  on  both  sides, 
and  especially  in  the  New  Hampshire  line.  Lieutenant-colonels 
Adams  and  Colburn  being  killed.  Dearborn  was  promoted  to  a  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and  was  at  that  time  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of 
his  age.  As  his  light  corps  were  constantly  employed  in  reconnoiter- 
ing,  frequent  actions  occurred  between  the  pickets  and  advanced 
parties  of  the  enemy. 

In  the  campaign  of  1778,  Dearborn  served  with  the  main  army, 
and  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  the  spirited  conduct  of  Cilley's  de- 
tached regiment,  of  which  Dearborn  was  lieutenant-colonel,  attracted 
particularly  the  attention  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

FTER  Lee  had  made  a  precipitate  and  unex- 
pected retreat,  Washington,  among  other  mea- 
sures which  he  took  to  check  the  advance  of 
the  British,  ordered  Cilley's  regiment  to  attack 
a  body  of  troops  which  were  passing  through  an 
orchard  on  the  right  wing  of  the  enemy. 

The  regiment  advanced  under  a  heavy  fire, 
with  a  rapid  step  and  shouldered  arms.  The 
enemy  filed  oflf  and  formed  on  the  edge  of  a  morass.  The  Americans 
wheeled  to  the  right,  received  their  second 'fire,  with  shouldered  arms, 
marched  up  within  eight  rods,  dressed,  gave  a  full  fire  and  charged 
with  the  bayonet.  The  British  having  sustained  considerable  loss, 
fled  with  precipitation  across  the  morass,  where  they  were  protected 
by  the  main  body  of  the  enemy. 


DEARBORN     APPOINTED     SECRETARY     OF     WAR.  539 

^^.:^vr'~"s^  OLONEL  DEARBORN,  was  then  des- 
|f^  /  patched  to  the  commander-in-chief  to  ask 
■-jfy  \i  what  further  service  was  required;  when 
"  ',./  he  approached,  Washington  inquired,  with 
evident  pleasure  at  their  gallant  conduct,  "  tvhat 
troops  are  those  V  "  Full-blooded  Yankees  from 
New  Hampshire,  sir,"  replied  Dearborn.  Wash- 
ington expressed  his  approbation  in  explicit  terms, 
and  directed  that  they  should  fall  back  and  refresh  themselves,  as 
the  heat  was  very  oppressive  and  the  troops  much  fatigued. 

In  the  general  orders  of  the  next  day,  General  Washington  be- 
stowed the  highest  commendations  on  the  brilliant  exploit  of  the 
regiment. 

In  1779,  Dearborn  accompanied  General  Sullivan  in  his  expe- 
dition against  the  Indians,  and  had  an  active  share  in  the  action 
of  the  29th  of  August  with  the  united  forces  of  tories  and  Indians 
at  Newtown.  During  the  campaign  of  1780,  he  was  with  the 
main  army  in  Jersey. 

In  1781,  he  was  appointed  deputy  quartermaster-general,  with 
the  rank  of  colonel,  and  served  in  that  capacity  with  Washington's 
army  in  Virginia.  He  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  the  cap- 
ture of  Lord  Cornwallis  and  his  army.  Colonel  Scammel  being 
killed  during  the  siege,  Dearbon  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
first  New  Hampshire  regiment,  and  was  ordered  to  the  frontier  gar- 
rison at  Saratoga  during  the  campaign  of  1782.  In  November  he 
joined  the  army  at  Newburgh. 

After  the  American  independence  was  secured  and  acknowledged 
by  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  Colonel  Dearborn,  with  his  companions 
in  arms,  who  had  survived  the  fatigues,  hardships  and  dangers  of  the 
war,  returned  to  the  pursuits  of  private  life. 

In  June,  1784,  he  removed  from  New  Hampshire  to  Kennebeck, 
in  the  district  of  Maine.  In  1787  he  was  elected  brigadier-general 
of  the  mihtia,  and  soon  after  appointed  a  major-general.  President 
Washington  appointed  him  marshal  for  the  district  of  Maine  in  the 
year  1780.  He  was  twice  elected  to  represent  the  district  of  Ken- 
nebeck in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  accession  of  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  presidency,  he  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  of  war,  and  continued  in  that  office  until  March, 
1809,  when  he  resigned,  and  was  appointed  collector  for  Boston, 
and  in  February,  1812,  he  received  a  commission  as  senior  major- 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States. 

The  shameful  surrender  of  General  Hull  at  Detroit,  and  subse- 
quent unfortunate  transactions  on  the  Niagara  at  Queenstown  Heights, 


540  HENRY     DEARBORN. 

frustrated  the  plans  of  the  campaign  of  1812.  Notwithstanding 
these  severe  checks,  General  Dearborn  did  not  relax  in  activity,  for 
as  soon  as  he  had  ordered  his  army  into  winter-quarters  at  Platts- 
burgh  and  Burlington,  he  was  constantly  employed  in  recruiting  the 
army,  and  making  preparations  for  opening  the  campaign  early  in 
the  following  spring. 

Previous  to  the  general's  departure  from  Albany,  in  the  month  of 
February,  1813,  he  had  ordered  Generals  Lewis  and  Boyd  to  the 
Niagara  frontier,  directing  the  former  to  prepare  boats  and  scows, 
erect  batteries,  and  make  every  necessary  arrangement  for  an  attack 
and  descent  on  Fort  George.  General  Dearborn,  after  giving  these 
orders,  repaired  to  Utica  and  Whitestown,  made  there  arrangements 
for  the  transportation  of  troops  down  the  Oswego  to  Sackett's  Har- 
bor, and  gave  the  necessary  direction  relative  to  all  the  military 
stores  for  the  ensuing  campaign.  These  accomplished,  he  proceeded 
to  Sackett's  Harbor,  agreeably  to  a  plan  of  operations  which  had 
been  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the  secretary  of  war,  and 
which  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  Major-General  Dearborn  to  carry 
into  effect. 

The  projected  plan  was  to  capture  and  destroy  Little  York  ;  this 
would  give  Commodore  Chauncey  the  command  of  the  lake,  render 
it  impossible  to  furnish  their  troops  and  Indians  with  stores,  and 
cut  off  all  communications  between  Kingston  and  Maiden. 

The  plan  was  disclosed  at  the  harbor,  only  to  Commodore  Chaun- 
cey and  General  Pike.  General  Lewis,  then  at  the  Niagara,  was 
also  advised  of  the  movement,  and  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  for  an 
immediate  attack  on  Fort  George.  After  the  capture  of  York,  the 
troops  were  to  be  transported  to  Niagara,  and  make  an  instant  attack 
on  Fort  George.  This  being  effected,  the  army  was  to  have  been 
transported  back,  to  Sackett's  Harbor ;  from  whence,  with  an  addi- 
tional number  of  troops  collecting  by  previous  orders,  they  were  to 
make  an  attack  on  Kingston  in  its  rear  ;  while  the  fleet  would  batter 
the  town,  fortifications,  and  the  fleet  in  front. 

With  this  system  of  operations  in  view.  General  Dearborn  sailed 
with  1600  men,  as  soon  as  the  ice  permitted  the  fleet  to  leave  the 
harbor.  York  was  taken  April  27th,  with  all  the  stores  of  the  British 
army ;  a  ship  of  thirty  guns  burnt,  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  of 
fourteen  guns  made  a  prize.  The  Earl  of  Moira  had  previously 
sailed  for  Kingston. 

Upon  the  success  of  the  first  part  of  the  expedition.  General  Dear- 
born sent  an  express  to  inform  General  Lewis  what  he  had  done,  and 
to  notify  him  of  his  intended  arrival  with  the  army  at  Fort  Niagara, 
at  which  post  the  general  arrived  a  few  days  after ;  when  he  learnt 


INVASION     OF     CANADA. 


541 


Commodore  Cliauncey. 

that  General  Lewis  was  at  Judge  Porter's,  opposite  Niagara  falls, 
fourteen  miles  from  his  troops.  Upon  further  inquiry,  to  the  disap 
pointment  and  mortification  of  General  Dearborn,  it  was  further 
learnt,  that  no  step  had  been  taken  by  General  Lewis  to  prepare  for 
the  contemplated  attack.  The  batteries  were  not  even  commenced  ; 
the  boats  necessary  to  make  the  descent  were  not  furnished.  Gen- 
eral Dearborn  had  felt  a  previous  attachment  for  General  Lewis,  and 
out  of  respect  to  him,  transmitted  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
in  which  the  violent  storms  were  assigned  as  a  public  reason  for  the 
delay  of  the  movement,  and  postponement  of  the  intended  attack  ; 
but  lest  improper  advantage  should  be  taken  of  this  circumstance,  to 
the  prejudice  of  General  Dearborn,  (which  afterwards  proved  to  be 
the  case,)  another  letter  was  transmitted,  which  particularly  detailed 
the  real  causes  of  the  delay. 

The  general,  thus  circumstanced,  knowing  the  enemy  would  be 
reinforced  before  the  boats  to  be  built  would  be  in  readiness  to  pass 
over  the  army,  desired  Commodore  Chauncey  to  return  to  Sackett's 
Harbor,  and  in  the  interim  bring  up  General  Chandler's  brigade. 
During  this  period,  five  batteries  were  erected  above  Fort  Niagara, 
and  the  boats  which  had  been  commenced,  were  ordered  to  be  finished 
with  all  expedition,  and  brought  round  to  Four  Mile  Creek  ;  the  last 


542 


HENRY  DEARBORN. 


was   effected,  on  the  river,  under  the  fire  of  five  of  the  enemy's 
batteries,  without  any  loss. 

Immediately  on  the  return  of  the  fleet  with  General  Chandler's 
brigade,  the  general  issued  an  order  which  never  has  been  published, 
*'  that  on  the  next  day  the  troops  should  breakfast  at  two  o'clock, 
strike  tents  at  three,  and  embark  at  four  o'clock."  The  situation 
and  position  of  the  country  had  been  previously  obtained  by  spies, 
the  place  of  landing  designated,  and  the  plan  of  attack  delineated ; 
which  was  submitted  to  Generals  Lewis,  Chandler,  Winder,  and 
Boyd,  and  met  their  full  approbation. 

Excessive  fatigues,  and  frequent  exposures  to  storms,  had  pro 
duced  a  violent  fever,  which  ten  days  previous  to  the  attack  on  Fort 
George  confined  General  Dearborn  to  his  bed.  The  morning  after 
the  general  order  was  announced  for  the  attack.  General  Lewis 
called  on  him,  and  said  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  be 
embarked.  General  Dearborn  then,  having  some  suspicions  of  the 
military  character  and  energy  of  General  Lewis,  replied,  the  attack 
should  be  made  when  ordered  ;  that  he  was  prepared,  and  no  further 
delay  would  be  allowed. 

The  morning  of  the  attack  General  Dearborn  was  mounted  on  his 
horse,  by  assistance,  before  four  o'clock,  in  opposition  to  the  opinion 
of  his  physicians,  and  against  the  remonstrances  of  the  officers  of 
the  staff.  He  rode  to  the  place  of  embarkation  ;  saw  all  the  troops 
on  board  the  fleet  and  boats.  General  Lewis,  who  had  the  immediate 
command,  now  first  made  his  appearance,  and  expressed  his  great 
astonishment  at  the  unexpected  rapidity  with  which  this  movement 
had  been  made.  This  exertion  had  so  exhausted  General  Dearborn, 
that  he  was  taken  from  his  horse,  led  to  a  boat,  and  conveyed  on 
board  the  Madison.  On  his  way  to  Four  Mile  Creek,  Dr.  Mann, 
hospital  surgeon  of  the  army,  meeting  General  Dearborn,  said  to  him, 
"  I  apprehend  you  do  not  intend  to  embark  with  the  army." — The 
general  replied^  "  I  apprehend  nothing,  sir  ;  I  go  into  battle,  or  perish 
in  the  attempt." 

From  the  first  dawn  of  day,  and  while  the  army  was  embarking, 
a  most  tremendous  fire  of  hot  shot  and  shells  from  Fort  Niagara  and 
the  new  erected  batteries,  was  opened  on  Fort  George,  and  con- 
tinued until  the  block-houses,  barracks  and  stores  were  enwrapped 
in  flames,  and  the  guns  silenced. 

General  Dearborn,  from  his  great  exertions,  added  to  his  ill  state 
of  health,  was  unable  to  support  himself  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  on  his  feet  at  a  time  ;  but  he  was  nevertheless  frequently  up, 
watching  these  interesting  movements.  The  troops  had  all  landed, 
when  General  Lewis,  (who  ought  to  have  preceded  ^the  reserve,) 


MISCONDUCT     OF     LEWIS. 


543 


still  remained  on  board.  His  delay  astonished  General  Dearborn, 
who,  exercising  his  usual  delicacy  with  him,  merely  suggested  to  him, 
whether  he  ought  not  to  land,  and  then  retired.  Within  twenty 
minutes  General  Dearborn  again  came  on  deck,  and  finding  General 
Lewis  still  on  board,  ordered  him  to  land.  The  enemy  now  had 
fallen  back  between  the  village  of  Newark  and  Fort  George,  After 
General  Lewis  had  landed,  one  hour  and  a  half  had  passed  away,  and 
four  thousand  men  formed  in  order  of  battle,  with  a  fine  train  of 
artillery,  were  seen  standing  still,  while  the  enemy,  not  more  than 
twelve  hundred  in  number,  was  manoeuvring  for  a  retreat.  At  this 
moment.  General  Dearborn  forgot  his  debility,  and  insisted  on  being 
carried  on  shore  :  but  by  the  strong  solicitations  of  those  about  him, 
was  prevailed  upon  to  remain  on  board  ;  and  in  agon}'-  at  the  delay, 
sent  his  deputy  adjutant-general,  Beebe,  to  General  Lewis,  with 
orders  "to  move  instantly,  surround  the  enemy,  and  ciit  them  up." 
General  Lewis,  even  after  this  order?  waited  an  hour  before  Generals 
Boyd,  Chandler  and  Scott,  with  all  their  arguments,  could  induce 
him  to  advance,  and  then  only  to  the  south  side  of  Newark,  perhaps 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  his  first  position,  where  the  line  was 
again  formed,  and  continued,  until  the  enemy  had  retreated  in  the 
rear  of  Fort  George,  and  took  the  route  to  Queenstown  Heights. 
Colonel  Scott,  however,  pursued  the  retreating  broken  army  without 
orders,  three  miles,  and  would  not  desist  in  his  pursuit,  until  four 
aids-de-camp  of  General  Lewis  had  been  despatched  to  order  his 
return.  Late  in  the  day,  the  ship  Madison  moved  up  the  Niagara 
river  in  front  of  Fort  George,  where  General  Dearborn  was  taken  on 
shore  and  carried  to  his  quarters  much  exhausted.  Meeting  with 
General  Lewis,  he  expressed  his  disapprobation  of  his  conduct,  and 
ordered  him  to  put  the  army  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  Instead  of  which,  he  did  not  move  till  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  Upon  his  arrival  at  Queenstown  Heights,  he  learned 
that  the  enemy  had  made  a  rapid  movement  towards  the  head  of  Lake 
Ontario,  a  few  hours  previous,  by  the  Beaver  Dam,  and  sent  back  a 
report  to  this  effect. 

Some  cause,  never  distinctly  explained,  led  to  the  retirement  of 
General  Dearborn  from  the  command  of  the  army. 

The  tide  of  war  had  been  changed  by  the  capture  of  York  and 
Fort  George.  Hitherto  the  arms  of  the  United  States  had  been 
disgraced,  and  accumulated  disasters  marked  the  events  of  the  pre- 
ceding campaigns.  An  uninterrupted  series  of  defeats  had  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  nation,  which  was  at  length  dissipated  by  the 
splendid  achievements  of  the  army  under  the  direction  of  General 
Dearborn.     The  prospects  very  likely  to  grow  out  of  the  matured 


544 


HENEY     DEARBORN. 


plans  of  Dearborn,  promised  such  a  continued  success,  as  must 
drive  the  enemy  into  Lower  Canada,  and  place  the  American  flag 
over  the  posts  of  Kingston  and  Montreal.  Some  w^ill  have  it,  that 
envy  or  ambition  led  to  the  superseding  of  General  Dearborn.  Hints, 
in  the  shape  of  "  extracts  of  letters  from  respectable  officers  of  the 
army,"  w^ere  circulated  through  the  medium  of  the  public  papers, 
unfavorable  to  the  military  character  of  the  general.  These  seem  to 
have  been  totally  disregarded  by  Dearborn,  vi^ho  placed  full  reliance 
on  the  know^ledge  he  presumed  the  president  had  of  his  integrity, 
zeal,  and  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  his  country  ;  thus  fortified, 
and  fully  conscious  of  the  integrity  of  his  own  heart,  he  smiled  at 
the  indications  of  the  impending  storm  which  was  hovering  in  the 
horizon  for  his  destruction.  The  storm  however  at  length  broke 
over  the  general's  head,  and  sent  him  from  the  army.  The  honor 
of  conquering  Canada  was  reserved  for  General  Armstrong.  If  the 
secretary  of  war  could  have  meant  thus  to  have  promoted  any 
ulterior  object  of  his  own  personal  ambition,  the  disastrous  move- 
ments of  the  army,  under  his  guidance,  caused  those  hopes  to  wither. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1 5th  July,  there  was  considerable  agitation 
in  camp  in  consequence  of  a  report  that  Gen.  Dearborn  had  received 
orders  to  retire  from  the  command  of  the  army  at  Fort  George.  This 
report,  on  inquiry,  was  found  to  be  well  grounded  ;  and  General  Boyd 
and  all  the  field  officers  immediately  assembled  and  addressed  to  the 
senior  general  warm  and  earnest  solicitations  for  him  to  remain  in 
command  ;  to  which  he  made  a  suitable  reply. 

At  one  o'clock,  the  officers  repaired  to  head-quarters,  to  take  leave 
of  their  chief,  who  had  directed  their  successful  efforts  in  retrieving 
the  honor  of  the  American  arms,  and  who  had  been  present  with 
them  in  scenes  of  privation  and  danger. 

There  was  no  general  ever  gave  a  firmer  countenance  to  an  army 
in  the  hour  of  clanger  than  General  Dearborn.  Disdaining  to  court 
popularity,  he  had  acquired  the  confidence  of  every  officer,  as  fully 
appears  by  their  unsolicited  expressions  of  it. 

On  the  same  day  the  general  took  a  most  feeling  and  affectionate 
leave  of  his  brethren  in  arms  ;  he  was  accompanied  to  the  Niagara 
by  the  officers  who  had  served  so  happily  under  him  ;  every  appro- 
priate honor  was  paid  to  the  departing  chief,  a  salute  was  fired  from 
the  ramparts  of  the  fort,  and  a  troop  of  horse  received  him  on  the 
opposite  shore,  and  conducted  him  beyond  Lewis's  Tower. 

From  Utica  he  addressed  a  letter,  dated  July  24th,  1813,  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  This  letter  was  dictated  by  mag- 
nanimity and  firmness  ;  it  concludes  with  the  following  expressions  : 
"  I  shall  never  complain  of  being  so  disposed  of,  as  the  good  of  the 


ORDERED     TO     NEW     YORK.  545 

service  may  require,  but  the  manner  of  performing  an  act  gives  a 
character  to  the  act  itself,  and  considering  the  particular  manner  Q.xi& 
time  of  my  removal  from  command,  I  trust  it  will  not  be  deemed 
improper  to  afford  me  the  satisfaction  of  an  inquiry,  for  investigating 
any  parts  of  my  conduct,  that  may  have  been  deemed  improper,  and 
on  which  my  suspension  from  command  may  have  been  predicated." 

A  few  days  after  he  reached  his  seat  in  Roxbury,  his  letter  to  the 
president  was  acknowledged,  in  a  reply,  dated,  August  8th,  1813. 
This  reply  is  full  of  esteem  and  affection,  yet  holds  out  little,  if  any, 
prospect,  that  the  inquiry,  which  the  general  solicited,  would  be 
attended  to  :  the  president  concludes  by  observing,  "  I  am  persuaded 
that  you  will  not  lose  in  any  respect  by  the  effect  of  time  and  truth." 

On  the  17th  of  the  same  month,  General  Dearborn  again  addressed 
the  president  in  a  letter  in  which  he  says,  "  To  suspend  an  officer  ot 
my  grade  and  situation  in  command,  except  by  the  sentence  of  a 
court  martial,  or  the  opinion  of  a  court  of  inquiry,  is  such  a  strong 
measure,  as  on  general  received  principles,  could  only  be  justified  by 
the  most  unequivocal  and  outrageous  misconduct  of  the  officer  ;  and 
I  cannot  permit  myself  to  doubt  but  that  on  reflection,  it  will  be  con- 
sidered proper  to  afford  me  a  hearing  before  a  suitable  military  tri- 
bunal, previous  to  my  being  again  ordered  on  duty." 

Notwithstanding  General  Dearborn  had  requested  not  to  be  ordered 
on  duty  until  his  military  conduct  had  been  investigated  by  a  com- 
petent military  tribunal,  a  different  course  was  pursued  by  the  pre- 
sident. He  received  a  letter  from  the  war  department,  dated  24th 
December,  1813,  directing  him  to  repair  to  New  York,  and  to  take 
command  of  that  post,  as  it  was  apprehended  an  attack  might  be 
made  on  that  place  by  the  enemy. 

The  danger  which  menaced  his  country  extinguished  every  other 
consideration  in  the  breast  of  this  citizen  ;  he  repaired  to  New  York, 
and,  from  thence,  reiterated  his  request,  to  be  indulged  by  an  inquiry 
into  his  past  military  conduct.  Although  this  wish  of  the  general 
was  never  effectually  attended  to,  yet  it  appears,  that  in  a  letter  to 
him  from  the  secretary  of  state,  dated  June  15th,  1814,  he  is  pro- 
mised, that  he  will  be  gratified  by  the  inquiry  he  courts,  "  when  it 
may  be  done  without  injury  to  the  service."  The  secretary,  on  this 
occasion,  observes,  "  My  own  idea  is  that  you  require  no  vindication 
in  the  case  alluded  to  ;  that  public  opinion  has  already  done  you 
justice." 

The  high  opinion  the  president  entertained  of  the  talents  and  in- 
tegrity of  General  Dearborn,  was  sufficiently  evinced  by  his  nomina- 
tion of  the  general  to  fill  the  important  office  of  secretary  of  war 
This  was  not  acceded  to  by  the  senate. 

35 


546 


HENRY     DEARBORN. 


After  the  nomination,  a  number  of  the  senators  waited  on  the 
president,  and  he  then  gave  them  his  opinion  of  General  Dearborn, 
and  explained  to  them  the  whole  transaction,  which  had  done  so 
much  injury  to  a  faithful,  zealous,  patriotic  and  deserving  officer. 
They  were  astonished,  affirming  that  if  this  development  had  preceded 
the  nomination,  it  would  have  been  instantly  confirmed. 

General  Dearborn  was  subsequently  appointed  collector  of  the 
port  of  Boston,  and  in  1822,  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Portugal. 
Two  years  after,  he  returned  to  America  at  his  own  request.  He  died 
in  1829,  aged  seventy-eight. 

One  of  General  Dearborn's  biographers  gives  the  following  charac- 
teristic anecdote. 

Major-general  Dearborn  was  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  gene- 
rals who  distinguished  themselves  in  thewarof  1812—14.  Hewas 
equally  a  favorite  with  the  soldiers  he  commanded  ;  his  habits  of 
dignified  familiarity  endeared  him  to  them,  and  their  dangers  and  pri- 
vations were  always  lightened  by  having  him  share  them.  During 
one  of  the  summer  campaigns  in  the  north,  there  occurred  a  suc- 
cession of  violent  thunder  storms,  which  endangered  the  magazine. 
The  sentinels  posted  on  duty  near  these  storehouses,  regarded  their 
death  as  certain  should  they  be  exploded  by  lightning,  and  they 
almost  invariably  deserted  their  posts  on  the  coming  of  a  storm. 
General  Dearborn  knew  of  this  practice,  and  feared  its  effect  upon 
the  discipline  of  the  troops.  He  knew  that  he  could  not  force  men 
to  be  morally  brave,  but  thought  that  they  might  be  shamed  by  ex- 
ample. One  night,  therefore,  when  he  saw  a  storm  approaching,  he 
marched  to  the  magazine  when  the  sentinels  were  being  changed, 
and  announced  his  intention  of  assisting  to  keep  the  watch.  He 
folded  his  cloak  about  him,  calmly  laid  himself  down  on  the  top  of 
the  magazine,  and  remained  there  until  after  a  violent  storm  had 
passed.  For  several  nights  he  slept  on  the  magazine,  alike  regard- 
less of  the  lightning's  flash  and  the  torrent  of  rain,  until  the  soldiers 
entreated  him  to  return  to  his  tent,  assuring  him  that  the  magazine 
would  be  well  guarded  in  future. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JOHN  CADWALADER. 


3HIS  gallant  officer,  born  iii 
Philadelphia,  was  distinguish- 
ed for  his  zealous  and  inflexi 
ble  adherence  to  the  cause  of 
America,  and  for  his  intrepidity 
as  a  soldier,  in  upholding  that  cause 
during  the  most  discouraging  periods 
jM|  of  danger  and  misfortune.  At  the  dawn 
l^ft  of  the  revolution,  he  commanded  a  corps 
^  of  volunteers,  designated  as  '■'■the  silk 
stocking  covvpany,''''  of  which  nearly  all 
the  members  were  appointed  to  commissions  in  the  line  of  the 
army.  He  afterwards  was  appointed  colonel  of  one  of  the  city 
battalions  ;  and,  being  thence  promoted   to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 

547 


548 


JOHN     CADWALADER. 


general,  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops, 
in  the  important  operations  of  the  winter  campaign  of  1776,  and 
1777.  He  acted  with  his  command,  and  as  a  volunteer,  in  the 
actions  of  Princeton,  Brandywine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth,  and 
other  occasions  ;  and  received  the  thanks  of  General  Washington, 
whose  confidence  and  regard  he  uniformly  enjoyed. 

When  General  Washington  determined  to  attack  the  British  and 
Hessian  troops  at  Trenton,  he  assigned  him  the  command  of  a  divi- 
sion. In  the  evening  of  Christmas  day,  1776,  General  Washington 
made  arrangements  to  pass  the  river  Delaware,  in  three  divisions  : 
one,  consisting  of  five  hundred  men,  under  General  Cadwalader, 
from  the  vicinity  of  Bristol ;  a  second  division,  under  the  command 
of  General  Irvine,  was  to  cross  at  Trenton  ferry,  and  secure  the 
hridge  leading  to  the  town.  Generals  Cadwalader  and  Irvine  made 
every  exertion  to  get  over,  but  the  quantity  of  ice  was  so  great,  that 
they  could  not  effect  their  purpose.  The  third,  and  main  body, 
which  was  commanded  by  General  Washington,  crossed  at  M'Kon- 
key's  ferry ;  but  the  ice  in  the  river  retarded  their  passage  so  long, 
that  it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  the  artillery  could  be 
got  over.  On  their  landing  in  Jersey,  they  were  formed  into  two 
divisions,  commanded  by  Generals  Sullivan  and  Greene,  who  had 
under  their  command  brigadiers  Lord  Sterling,  Mercer  and  St.  Clair  : 
one  of  these  divisions  was  ordered  to  proceed  on  the  lower,  or  river 
road,  the  other  on  the  upper  or  Pennington  road.  Colonel  Stark, 
with  some  light  troops,  was  also  directed  to  advance  near  to  the 
river,  and  to  possess  himself  of  that  part  of  the  town,  which  is  beyond 
the  bridge.  The  divisions  having  nearly  the  same  distance  to  march, 
were  ordered  immediately  on  forcing  the  out-guards,  to  push  directly 
into  Trenton,  that  they  might  charge  the  enemy  before  they  had  time 
to  form.  Though  they  marched  different  roads,  yet  they  arrived  at 
the  enemy's  advanced  post  within  three  minutes  of  each  other.  The 
out-guards  of  the  Hessian  troops  at  Trenton  soon  fell  back,  but  kept 
up  a  constant  retreating  fire.  Their  main  body  being  hard  pressed 
Dy  the  Americans,  who  had  already  gof  possession  of  half  their  artil- 
lery, attempted  to  file  off  by  a  road  leading  towards  Princeton,  but 
were  checked  by  a  body  of  troops  thrown  in  their  way.  Finding 
they  were  surrounded,  they  laid  down  their  arms.  The  number 
which  submitted,  was  twenty-three  officers,  and  eight  hundred  and 
eighty-six  men.  Between  thirty  and  forty  of  the  Hessians  were 
killed  and  wounded.  Colonel  Rahl  was  among  the  former,  and  seven 
of  jiis  officers  among  the  latter.  Captain  Washington,  of  the  Vir- 
ginia troops,  and  five  or  six  of  the  Americans  were  wounded.  Two 
were  killed,  and  two  or  three  were  frozen  to  death.    The  detachment 


BATTLE     OF     PRINCETON. 


549 


in  Trenton,  consisting-  of  the  regiments  of  Rahl,  Losberg  and  Kni- 
phausen,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  about  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  a 
troop  of  British  light  horse.  All  these  were  killed  or  captured,  except 
about  six  hundred,  who  escaped  by  the  road  leading  to  Bordentown. 
The  British  had  a  strong  battalion  of  light  infantry  at  Princeton, 
and  a  force  yet  remaining  near  the  Delaware,  superior  to  the  Ameri- 
can army.  General  Washington,  therefore,  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  thought  it  most  prudent  to  recross  into  Pennsylvania,  with 
his  prisoners. 

The  next  day  after  Washington's  return,  supposing  him  still  on 
the  Jersey  side,  General  Cadwalader  crossed  with  about  fifteen 
hundred  men,  and  pursued  the  panic-struck  enemy  to  Burlington. 

The  merits  and  services  of  General  Cadwalader,  induced  the  Con- 
gress, early  in  1778,  to  compliment  him  by  an  unanimous  vote,  with 
the  appointment  of  general  of  cavalry ;  which  appointment  he  de- 
clined, under  an  impression  that  he  could  be  more  useful  to  his 
country  in  the  sphere  in  which  he  had  been  acting. 

HE  victory  at  Trenton  had  a  most  happy 
effect,  arid  General  Washington,  finding 
himself  at  the  head  of  a  force  with 
which*  it  was  practicable  to  attempt 
something,  resolved  not  to  remain  in- 
active. Inferior  as  he  was  to  the  enemy, 
he  yet  determined  to  employ  the  winter 
in  endeavoring  to  recover  the  whole,  or 
a  greater  part  of  Jersey.  The  enemy 
were  now  collected  in  force  at  Prince- 
ton, under  Lord  Cornwallis,  where  some  w^orks  were  thrown  up. 
Generals  Mifflin  and  Cadwalader,  who  lay  at  Bordentown  and  Cross- 
wicks,  with  three  thousand  six  hundred  militia,  were  ordered  to  march 
up  in  the  night  of  the  first  of  Janunry,  1777,  to  join  the  commander- 
in-chief,  whose  whole  force,  with  this  addition,  did  not  exceed  five 
thousand  men.  He  formed  the  bold  and  judicious  design  of  aban- 
doning the  Delaware,  and  marching  silently  in  the  night  by  a  circui- 
tous route,  along  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy,  into  their  rear  at 
Princeton,  where  he  knew  they  could  not  be  very  strong.  He 
reached  Princeton  early  in  the  morning  of  the  third,  and  would  have 
completely  surprised  the  British,  had  not  a  party,  which  was  on  their 
way  to  Trenton,  descried  his  troops,  when  they  were  about  two 
miles  distant,  and  sent  back  couriers  to  alarm  their  fellow  soldiers  in 
the  rear.  A  sharp  action  ensued,  which  however  was  not  of  long 
duration.  The  militia,  of  which  the  advanced  party  was  principally 
composed,  soon  gave  way.     General  Mercer  was  mortally  wounded 


550 


JOHN     CADWALADER, 


while  exerting  himself  to  rally  his  broken  troops.  The  moment  was 
critical.  General  Washington  pushed  forward,  and.  placed  himself 
between  his  own  men  and  the  British,  with  his  horse's  head  fronting 
the  latter.  The  Americans,  encouraged  by  his  example,  made  a 
stand,  and  returned  the  British  fire.  A  party  of  the  British  fled  into 
the  college,  and  were  attacked  with  field  pieces.  After  receiving  a 
few  discharges  they  came  out  and  surrendered  themselves  prisoners 
of  war.  In  this  action  upwards  of  one  hundred  of  the  enemy  were 
killed  on  the  spot,  and  three  hundred  taken  prisoners.  The  Ameri- 
cans lost  only  a  few,  but  Colonels  Haslet  and  Potter,  two  brave  and 
valuable  ofl!icers,  from  Delaware  and  Pennsylvania,  were  among  the 
slain. 

General  Cadwalader's  celebrated  duel  with  General  Conway, 
arose  from  his  spirited  opposition  to  the  intrigues  of  that  officer,  to 
undermine  the  standing  of  the  commander-in-chief.  The  anecdote 
relative  to  the  duel,  in  "  Anecdotes  of  the  Revolutionary  War,"  by 
Alexander  Garden,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  is  not  entirely 
correct. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  General  Conway  was  dangerously 
wounded,  and  while  his  recovery  was  doubtful,  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
General  Washington,  acknowledging  that  he  had  done  him  injustice. 

Among  many  obituary  notices  of  General  Cadwalader,  the  follow- 
ing outline  of  his  character,  in  the  form  of  a  monumental  inscription, 
is  selected  from  a  Baltimore  paper,  of  the  24th  of  February,  1786  : 

IN    MEMORY 

OF 

GENERAL  JOHN  CADWALADER, 

Who   died,  February  the   10th,  1786, 

AT   SHKEWSBURT,   HIS   SEAT  IN  KENT   COUNTY 

In  the  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 


This  amiable  and  worthy  gentleman,  had  served  his  country 
with  reputation,  in  the  character  of  a  Soldier  and  Statesman : 
He  took  an  active  part,  and  had  a  principal  share  in  the 
late  Eevolution,  and,  although  he  was  zealous  in  the  cause 
of  American  freedom,  his  conduct  was  not  marked  with  the 
least  degree  of  malevolence  or  party  spirit;  those  who 
honestly  differed  from  him  in  opinion,  he  always  treated 
with  singular  tenderness.  In  sociability  and  cheerfulness  of 
temper,  honesty  and  goodness  of  heart,  independence  of 
spirit,  and  warmth  of  friendship,  he  had  no  siiperior,  and 
few,  very  few  equals:  Never  did  any  man  die  more  la- 
mented by  his  friends  and  neighbors:  To  his  family  and 
near   relations,  his  death  was  a   stroke  still  more  severe. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  PELEG  WADSWORTH. 


fpnipilHIS  brave  officer  belonged  to  the 
1/     )fll     il    Massachusetts    militia.     We    find 
no  detailed  particulars  of  his  life. 
But  we  deem  the  following  notice 
of  his  brave  defence  of  his  house,  and  rela- 
tion   of  his    subsequent    captivity,  by   Dr. 
Dwight,  too  interesting  to  be  omitted. 

After  the  failure  of  the  expedition 
against  the  British  garrison  at  Penobscot, 
General  Peleg  Wadsworth  was  appointed 
in  the  spring  of  1780,  to  the  command  of 
a  party  of  state  troops  in  Camden,  in  the  district  of  Maine.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  period  for  which  the  troops  were  engaged,  in 
February  following.  General  Wadsworth  dismissed  his  troops,  retain- 
ing six  soldiers  only  as  his  guard,  and  he  was  making  preparations 
to  depart  from  the  place.  A  neighboring  inhabitant  communicated 
Ijis  situation  to  the  British  commander  at  Penobscot,  and  a  party  of 
twenty-five  soldiers,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Stockton,  Avas  sent 
to  make  him  a  prisoner.  They  embarked  in  a  small  schooner,  and 
landing  within  four  miles  of  the  general's  quarters,  they  were  con- 
cealed at  the  house  of  one  Snow,  a  methodist  preacher,  professedly 
a  friend  to  him,  but  really  a  traitor,  till  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
where  they  made  their  arrangements  for  the  attack  on  the  general's 
quarters.     The  party  rushed  suddenly  on  the  sentinel,  who  gave  the 

5S1 


552 


PELEG     WADSWORTH. 


alarm,  and  one  of  his  comrades  instantly  opened  the  door  of  the 
kitchen,  and  the  enemy  were  so  near  as  to  enter  with  the  sentinel. 
The  lady  of  the  general,  and  her  friend  Miss  Fenno,  of  Boston,  were 
in  the  house  at  the  time ;  and  Mrs.  Wadsworth  escaped  from  the 
room  of  her  husband  into  that  of  Miss  Fenno.  The  assailants  soon 
became  masters  of  the  whole  house,  except  the  room  where  the 
general  was,  and  which  was  strongly  barred,  "and  they  kept  up  a 
constant  firing  of  musketry  into  the  windows  and  door,  except  into 
those  of  the  ladies'  room.  Gen.  Wadsworth  was  provided  with  a 
pair  of  pistols,  a  blunderbuss,  and  a  fusee,  which  he  employed  with 
great  dexterity,  being  determined  to  defend  himself  to  the  last 
moment.  With  his  pistols  which  he  discharged  several  times,  he 
defended  the  windows  of  his  room,  and  a  door  which  opened  into  the 
kitchen.  His  blunderbuss  he  snapped  several  times,  but  unfortunately 
it  missed  fire  ;  he  then  seized  his  fusee,  wdiich  he  discharged  on  som« 
who  were  breaking  through  one  of  the  windows,  and  obliged  them  to 
flee.  He  next  defended  himself  with  his  bayonet,  till  he  received  a 
ball  through  his  left  arm,  when  he  surrendered,  which  terminated  the 
contest.  The  firing,  however,  did  not  cease  from  the  kitchen,  till  the 
general  unbarred  the  door,  when  the  soldiers  rushed  into  the  room ; 
and  one  of  them,  who  had  been  badly  wounded,  pointing  his  musket 
at  his  breast,  exclaimed  with  an  oath,  '  you  have  taken  my  life,  and 
I  will  take  yours.'  But  Lieutenant  Stockton  turned  the  musket  and 
saved  his  life.  The  commanding  officer  now  applauded  the  general 
for  his  admirable  defence,  and  assisted  in  putting  on  his  clothes, 
saying,  '  you  see  we  are  in  a  critical  situation ;  you  must  excuse 
haste.'  Mrs.  Wadsworth  threw  a  blanket  over  him,  and  Miss  Fenno 
applied  a  handkerchief  closely  around  his  wounded  arm.  In  this 
condition,  though  much  exhausted,  he  with  a  wounded  American 
soldier,  was  directed  to  march  on  foot,  while  two  British  wounded 
soldiers  were  mounted  on  a  horse  taken  from  the  general's  barn. 
They  departed  in  great  haste.  When  they  had  proceeded  about  a 
mile,  they  met  at  a  small  house  a  number  of  people  who  had  collected, 
and  who  inquired  if  they  had  taken  General  Wadsworth.  They 
said  no,  and  added  that  they  must  leave  a  wounded  man  in  their 
care  ;  and  if  they  paid  proper  attention  to  him,  they  should  be  com- 
pensated ;  but  if  not,  they  would  burn  down  their  house ;  but  the 
man  appeared  to  be  dying.  General  Wadsworth  was  now  mounted 
on  the  horse,  behind  the  other  wounded  soldier,  and  was  warned  that 
his  safety  depended  on  his  silence.  Having  crossed  over  a  frozen 
mill  pond,  about  a  mile  in  length,  they  were  met  by  some  of  their 
party  who  had  been  left  behind.  At  this  place  they  found  the  British 
privateer  which  brought  the  party  from  the  fort ;  the  captain,  on 


CAPTURE     OF    WADSWORTH. 


553 


being  told  that  he  must  return  there  with  the  prisoner  and  the  party, 
and  seeing  some  of  his  men  wounded,  became  outrageous,  and 
damned  the  general  for  a  rebel,  demanded  how  he  dared  to  fire  on 
the  king's  troops,  and  ordered  him  to  help  launch  the  boat,  or  he 
would  put  his  hanger  through  his  body.  The  general  replied  that  he 
was  a  prisoner,  and  badly  wounded,  and  could  not  assist  in  launching 
the  boat.  Lieutenant  Stockton,  on  hearing  of  this  abusive  treatment, 
in  a  manner  honorable  to  himself,  told  the  captain  that  the  prisoner 
was  a  gentleman,  had  made  a  brave  defence,  and  was  to  be  treated 
accordingly,  and  added,  that  his  conduct  should  be  represented  to 
General  Campbell.  After  this  the  captain  treated  the  prisoner  with 
great  civility,  and  afforded  him  every  comfort  in  his  power.  General 
Wadsworth  had  left  the  ladies  in  the  house,  not  a  window  of  which 
escaped  destruction.  The  doors  were  broken  down,  and  two  of  the 
rooms  were  set  on  fire,  the  floors  covered  with  blood,  and  on  one  of 
them  lay  a  brave  old  soldier  dangerously  wounded,  begging  for  death, 
that  he  might  be  released  from  misery.  The  anxiety  and  distress  of 
Mrs.  Wadsworth  was  inexpressible,  and  that  of  the  general  was 
greatly  increased  by  the  uncertainty  in  his  mind  respecting  the  fate 
of  his  little  son,  only  five  years  old,  who  had  been  exposed  to  every 
danger  by  the  firing  into  the  house ;  but  he  had  the  happiness  after- 
ward to  hear  of  his  safety.  Having  arrived  at  the  British  post,  the 
capture  of  General  Wadsworth  was  soon  announced,  and  the  shore 
was  thronged  with  spectators,  to  see  the  man  who,  through  the 
preceding  year,  had  disappointed  all  the  designs  of  the  British  in  that 
quarter  ;  and  loud  shouts  were  heard  from  the  rabble  which  covered 
the  shore  ;  but  when  he  arrived  at  the  fort,  and  was  conducted  into 
the  officers'  guard-room,  he  was  treated  with  politeness.  General 
Campbell,  the  commandant  of  the  British  garrison,  sent  his  compli- 
ments to  him,  and  a  surgeon  to  dress  his  wounds  ;  assuring  him  that 
his  situation  should  be  made  comfortable. 

N  the  morning.  General  Camp- 
bell invited   him  to  breakfast, 
and    at   table   paid   him   many 
compliments  on  the  defence  he 
had  made,  observing,  however, 
that  he  had  exposed  himself  in  a  degree  not 
perfectly  justifiable.     General  Wadsworth 
replied,  that  from  the  manner  of  the  attack, 
he  had  no  reason  to  suspect  any  design  of 
_  taking   him    alive,    and   that    he    intended, 

^  therefore,  to  sell  his  life   as  dearly  as  pos- 

sible.    '  But,  sir,'  says  General  Campbell,  '  I  understand  that  the 


554 


PELBG     WADSWORTH. 


captain  of  the  privateer  treated  you  very  ill ;  I  shall  see  that  matter 
set  right.'  He  then  informed  the  prisoner,  that  a  room  in  the  offi- 
cers' barracks  within  the  fort  was  prepared  for  him,  and  that  he 
should  send  his  orderly  sergeant  daily  to  attend  him  to  breakfast  and 
dinner  at  his  table.  Having  retired  to  his  solitary  apartment, 
and  while  his  spirits  were  extremely  depressed  by  a  recollection  of 
the  past,  and  by  his  present  situation,  he  received  from  General 
Campbell  several  books  of  amusement,  and  soon  after  a  visit  from 
him,  kindly  endeavoring  to  cheer  the  spirits  of  his  prisoner  by  con- 
versation. Not  long  after,  the  officers  of  the  party  called,  and  among 
others  the  redoubtable  captain  of  the  privateer,  who  called  to  ask 
pardon  for  what  had  fallen  from  him  when  in  a  passion  :  adding  that 
it  was  not  in  his  nature  to  treat  a  gentleman  prisoner  ill ;  that  the  un- 
expected disappointment  of  his  cruise  had  thrown  him  off  his  guard, 
and  he  hoped  that  this  would  be  deemed  a  sufficient  apology.  This 
General  Wadsworth  accepted.  At  the  hour  of  dining  he  was  invited 
to  the  table  of  the  commandant,  where  he  met  with  all  the  principal 
officers  of  the  garrison  ;  from  whom  he  received  particular  atten- 
tion and  politeness.  General  Wadsworth  soon  made  application  to 
the  commandant  for  a  flag  of  truce,  by  which  means  he  could  trans- 
mit a  letter  to  the  governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  another  to  "Mrs. 
Wadsworth  :  this  was  granted,  on  the  condition  that  the  letter  to  the 
governor  should  be  inspected.  The  flag  was  intrusted  to  Lieutenant 
Stockton,  and  on  his  return,  the  general  was  relieved  from  all  anxiety 
respecting  his  wife  and  family.  General  Campbell,  and  the  officers 
of  the  garrison,  continued  their  civilities  for  some  time,  and  endea- 
vored, by  books  and  personal  visits,  to  render  his  situation  as  plea- 
sant as  circumstances  would  admit  of.  At  the  end  of  five  weeks, 
his  wound  being  nearly  healed,  he  requested  of  General  Campbell 
the  customary  privilege  of  a  parole,  and  received  in  reply,  that  his 
case  had  been  reported  to  the  commanding  officer  at  New  York,  and 
that  no  alteration  could  be  made  till  orders  were  received  from  that 
quarter.  In  about  two  months,  Mrs.  Wadsworth  and  Miss  Fenno 
arrived  ;  and  General  Campbell  and  some  of  the  officers  contributed 
to  render  their  visit  agreeable  to  all  concerned.  About  the  same 
time,  orders  were  received  from  the  commanding  general  at  New 
York,  which  were  concealed  from  General  Wadsworth ;  but  he  finally 
learned  that  he  was  not  to  be  paroled  nor  exchanged,  but  was  to  be 
sent  to  England  as  a  rebel  of  too  much  consequence  to  be  at  liberty. 
Not  long  afterward,  Major  Benjamin  Burton,  a  brave  and  worthy 
man,  who  had  served  under  General  Wadsworth  the  preceding  sum- 
mer, was  taken  and  brought  into  the  fort,  and  lodged  in  the  same 
room  with  General  Wadsworth.     He  had  been  informed,  that  hoik 


ESCAPES     FROM     PRISON. 


555 


himself  and  the  genera]  were  to  be  sent,  immediately  after  the  re- 
turn of  a  privateer,  now  out  on  a  cruise,  either  to  New  York  or 
Halifax,  and  thence  to  England.  The  prisoners  immediately  resolved 
to  make  a  desperate  attempt  to  effect  their  escape.  They  were  con- 
fined in  a  grated  room  in  the  officers'  barracks,  within  the  fort.  The 
walls  of  this  fortress,  exclusively  of  the  depth  of  the  ditch  surround- 
ing it,  were  twenty  feet  high,  with  fraising  on  the  top,  and  chevaux- 
de-frise  at  the  bottom.  Two  sentinels  were  always  in  the  entry, 
and  their  door,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  of  glass,  might  be  opened 
by  these  watchmen  whenever  they  thought  proper,  and  was  actually 
opened  at  seasons  of  peculiar  darkness  and  silence.  At  the  exterior 
doors  of  the  entries,  sentinels  were  also  stationed ;  as  were  others 
in  the  body  of  the  fort,  and  at  the  quarters  of  General  Campbell. 
At  the  guard-house  a  strong  guard  was  daily  mounted.  Several  sen- 
tinels were  stationed  on  the  walls  of  the  fort,  and  a  complete  line 
occupied  them  by  night.  Without  the  ditch,  glacis  and  abattis,  an- 
other complete  set  of  soldiers  patroled  through  the  night  also.  The 
gate  of  the  fort  was  shut  at  sunset,  and  a  picket  guard  was  placed 
on  or  near  the  isthmus  leading  from  the  fort  to  the  main  land. 

The  room  in  which  they  were  confined  was  railed  with  boards. 
One  of  these  they  determined  to  cut  off  so  as  to  make  a  hole  large 
enough  to  pass  through,  and  then  to  creep  along  till  they  should 
come  to  the  next  or  middle  entry  ;  and  then  lower  themselves  down 
into  this  entry  by  a  blanket.  If  they  should  not  be  discovered,  the 
passage  to  the  walls  of  the  fort  was  easy.  In  the  evening,  after  the 
sentinels  had  seen  the  prisoners  retire  to  bed.  General  Wadsworth 
got  up  and  standing  on  a  chair,  attempted  to  cut  with  his  knife  the 
intended  opening,  but  soon  found  it  impracticable.  The  next  day 
by  giving  a  soldier  a  dollar  they  procured  a  gimlet.  With  this 
instrument  they  proceeded  cautiously,  and  as  silently  as  possible  to 
perforate  the  board,  and  in  order  to  conceal  every  appearance  from 
their  servants,  and  from  the  officers  their  visitors,  they  carefully 
covered  the  gimlet  holes  with  chewed  bread.  At  the  end  of  three 
weeks  their  labors  w^ere  so  far  completed  that  it  only  remained  to  cut 
with  a  knife  the  parts  which  were  left  to  hold  the  piece  in  its  place. 
When  their  preparations  were  finished,  they  learned  that  a  privateer 
in  which  they  were  to  embark  was  daily  expected.  In  the  evening 
of  the  18th  of  June,  a  very  severe  storm  of  rain,  with  great  dark- 
ness and  almost  incessant  lightning,  came  on.  This  the  prisoners 
considered  as  the  propitious  moment.  Having  extinguished  their 
hghts,  they  began  to  cut  the  corners  of  the  board,  and  in  less  than 
an  hour  the  intended  opening  was  completed.  The  noise  which  the 
operation  occasioned  was  drowned  by  the  rain  falling  on  the  roof 


556 


PELEG     WADSWORTH. 


Major  Burton  first  ascended  to  the  ceiling,  and  pressed  himself 
through  the  opening.  General  Wadsworth  next,  having  put  the 
corner  of  his  blanket  through  the  hole,  and  made  it  fast  by  a  strong 
wooden  skewer,  attempted  to  make  his  way  through,  standing  on  a 
chair  below,  but  it  was  with  extreme  difficulty  that  he  at  length 
eifected  it,  and  reached  the  middle  entry.  From  this  he  passed 
through  the  door  which  he  found  open,  and  made  his  way  to  the  wall 
of  the  fort,  and  had  to  encounter  the  greatest  difficulty  before  he 
could  ascend  to  the  top.  He  had  now  to  creep  along  the  top  of  the 
fort  between  the  sentry  boxes  at  the  very  moment  when  the  relief 
was  shifting  sentinels,  but  the  falling  of  heavy  rain  kept  the  senti- 
nels within  their  boxes,  and  favored  his  escape.  Having  now  fas- 
tened his  blanket  round  a  picket  at  the  top,  he  let  himself  down 
thorough  the  chevaux-de-frise  to  the  ground,  and  in  a  manner  aston- 
ishing to  himself  made  his  way  into  the  open  field.  Here  he  was 
obliged  to  grope  his  way  among  rocks,  stumps  and  brush,  in  the 
darkness  of  night,  till  he  reached  the  cove  ;  happily  the  tide  had 
ebbed,  and  enabled  him  to  cross  the  water  about  a  mile  in  breadth, 
and  not  more  than  three  feet  deep.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing General  Wadsworth  found  himself  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
fort,  and  he  proceeded  through  a  thick  wood  and  brush  to  the  Penob- 
scot river,  and  after  passing  some  distance  along  the  shore,  seven 
miles  from  the  fort,  he  met  Burton  advancing  towards  him.  He  had 
encountered  difficulties  also,  and  such  were  the  perils  they  surmount- 
ed, that  their  escape  may  be  considered  almost  miraculous.  They 
still  had  to  cross  Penobscot  river,  and  fortunately  they  found  a  canoe 
with  oars  on  the  shore.  While  on  the  river  they  saw  a  barge  with  a 
party  of  British  from  the  fort  in  pursuit  of  them,  but  by  taking  an 
obhque  course,  and  plying  their  oars  to  the  utmost,  they  happily 
eluded  their  pursuers  and  arrived  safe  on  the  western  shore.  After 
wandering  for  several  days  and  nights,  exposed  to  extreme  fatigue 
and  cold,  and  with  no  other  food  than  a  little  dry  bread  and  meat, 
which  they  brought  in  their  pockets,  they  reached  the  settlements  on 
the  river  St.  George,  and  no  further  difficulties  attended  their  return 
to  their  respective  families. 


« 

e. 

/m^^hM 

iiPi;i;'-  '1  ' 

^ 

1 

J 

ii^l 

L 

<l^^^^ 

^^ 

^ 

MAJOR  GENERAL  WILLIAM  PRESCOTT, 

ILLIAM  PRESCOTT,  was  an  officer  distinguished 
by  the  most  determined  bravery,  who  became 
conspicuous  from  the  circumstance  of  his  having 
commanded  the  American  troops  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker's  Hill,  on  the  memorable  17th  of  June, 
1775.  He  was  born  in  1726,  at  Goshen,  in  Massachusetts, 
and  was  a  lieutenant  of  the  provincial  troops  at  the  capture 
of  Cape  Breton,  in  1758.  The  British  general  was  so  much 
pleased  with  his  conduct  in  that  campaign,  that  he  offered 
him  a  commission  in  the  regular  army,  which  he  declined, 
to  return  home  with  his  countrymen.  From  this  time  till  the 
approach  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  remained  on  his  farm  at 
Pepperel,  filling  various  municipal  offices,  and  enjoying  the  esteem 
and  affection  of  his  fellow  citizens.  As  the  difficulties  between  the 
mother  country  and  the  colonies  grew  more  serious,  he  took  a 
deeper  and  more  decided  part  in  public  affairs. 

In  1774,  he  was  appointed  to  command  a  regiment  of  minute  men, 
organized  by  the  provincial  congress.  He  marched  his  regiment  to 
Lexington,  immediately  on  receiving  notice  of  the  intended  opera- 
tions of  General  Gage  against  Concord  ;  but  the  British  detachment 
had  retreated  before  he  had  time  to  meet  it.  He  then  proceeded  to 
Cambridge,  and  entered  the  army  that  was  ordered  to  be  raised;  and 
the  greater  part  of  his  officers  and  privates  volunteered  to  serve  with 
him  for  the  first  campaign. 

On  the  1 6th  of  June,  three  regiments  were  placed  under  him,  and 

557 


558 


WILLIAM     PRESCOTT. 


he  was  ordered  to  Charlestown  in  the  evening,  to  take  possession  of 
Bunker's  Hill,  and  throw  up  works  for  its  defence.  When  they 
reached  the  ground,  it  was  perceived  that  Breed's  Hill,  which  is  a 
few  rods  south  of  Bunker's  Hill,  was  the  most  suitable  station.  The 
troops  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Gridley,  an  able  engineer,  were 
busily  engaged  in  throwing  up  a  small  redoubt  and  breastwork,  which 
latter  was  formed  by  placing  two  rail  fences  near  together,  and  fill- 
ing the  interval  with  new  mown  hay  lying  on  the  ground.  There 
was  something  in  the  rustic  materials  of  these  defences,  hastily 
made,  in  a  short  summer's  night,  within  gunshot  of  a  powerful 
enemy,  that  was  particularly  apposite  to  a  body  of  armed  husband- 
men, who  had  rushed  to  the  field  at  the  first  sound  of  alarm. 

As  soon  as  these  frail  works  were  discovered  the  next  morning, 
the  British  commander  made  preparations  to  get  possession  of  them. 
General  Howe,  with  various  detachments,  amounting  to  near  five 
thousand  men,  was  ordered  to  dislodge  the  "  rebels."  The  force 
which  Colonel  Prescott  could  command  for  the  defence  of  the 
redoubt  and  breastwork,  was  about  twelve  hundred  men.  Very  few 
of  these  had  ever  seen  an  action.  They  had  been  laboring  all  night 
in  creating  these  defences  ;  and  the  redoubt,  if  it  could  be  so  called, 
was  open  on  two  sides.  Instead  of  being  relieved  by  fresh  troops, 
as  they  had  expected,  they  were  left  without  supplies  of  ammunition 
or  refreshment ;  and  thus  fatigued  and  destitute,  they  had  to  bear 
the  repeated  assaults  of  a  numerous,  well  appointed,  veteran  army. 
They  destroyed  nearly  as  many  of  their  assailants,  as  the  whole  of 
their  own  number  engaged  ;  and  they  did  not  retreat  until  their 
ammunition  was  exhausted,  and  the  enemy,  supplied  with  fresh 
troops  and  cannon,  completely  overpowered  them. 

Colonel  Prescott  lost  nearly  one  quarter  of  his  own  regiment  in 
the  action.  When  General  Warren  came  upon  the  hill,  Colonel 
Prescott  asked  him  if  he  had  any  orders  to  give  ;  he  answered,  "  No, 
colonel,  I  am  only  a  volunteer ;  the  command  is  yours."  When  he 
was  at  length  forced  to  tell  his  men  to  retreat  as  well  as  they  could, 
he  was  one  of  the  last  who  left  the  intrenchment.  He  was  so  well 
satisfied  with  the  bravery  of  his  companions,  and  convinced  that  the 
enemy  were  disheartened  by  the  severe  and  unexpected  loss  which 
they  had  sustained,  that  he  requested  the  commander-in-chief  to 
give  him  two  regiments,  and  he  would  retake  the  position  the  same 
night. 

He  continued  in  the  service  until  the  beginning  of  1777,  when  he 
resigned  and  returned  to  his  home  ;  but  in  the  autumn  of  that  year, 
he  went  as  a  volunteer  to  the  northern  army  under  General  Gates, 
and  assisted  in  the  capture  of  General    Burgoyne.     This  was  his 


CHARACTER  OF  GENERAL  PRESCOTT. 


559 


last  military  service.  He  was  subsequently,  for  several  years,  a 
member  of  the  legislature,  and  died  in  1795,  in  the  seventieth  year 
of  his  age. 

General  Prescott  was  a  genuine  specimen  of  an  energetic,  brave, 
and  patriotic  citizen,  who  was  ready  in  the  hour  of  danger,  to  place 
himself  in  the  van,  and  partake  in  all  the  perils  of  his  country  ;  feel- 
ing anxious  for  its  prosperity,  without  caring  to  share  in  its  emolu- 
ments ;  and  maintaining  beneath  a  plain  exterior  and  simple  habits,  a 
dignified  pride  in  his  native  land,  and  a  high-minded  love  of  freedom. 

The  immediate  results  of  this  engagement  were  great  and  various. 
Though  the  Americans  were  obliged  to  yield  the  ground  for  want  of 
ammunition,  yet  their  defeat  was  substantially  a  triumph.  The 
actual  loss  of  the  British  army  was  severe,  and  was  deeply  felt  by 
themselves  and  their  friends.  The  charm  of  their  invincibility  was 
broken.  The  hopes  of  the  whole  continent  were  raised.  It  was 
demonstrated,  that  although  they  might  burn  towns,  or  overwhelm 
raw  troops  by  superior  discipline  and  numbers,  yet  the  conquest  at 
least  would  not  be  an  easy  one.  Those  patriots,  who,  under  the 
most  arduous  responsibility,  at  the  peril  of  every  thing  which  men  of 
sense  and  virtue  can  value,  hazarded  in  the  support  of  public  prin- 
ciples, present  ruin  and  future  disgrace,  though  they  felt  this  onset 
to  be  only  the  beginning  of  a  civil  war,  yet  were  invigorated  by  its 
results,  which  cleared  away  some  painful  uncertainties  ;  while  the 
bravery  and  firmness  that  had  been  displayed  by  their  countrymen, 
inspired  a  more  positive  expectation  of  being  ultimately  triumphant. 

In  the  life  of  James  Otis,  by  William  Tudor,  of  Boston,  from 
which  work  the  foregoing  is  taken,  the  following  note  is  made  rela- 
tive to  the  battle.  '•  The  anxiety  and  various  emotions  of  the  people 
of  Boston,  on  this  occasion,  had  a  highly  dramatic  kind  of  interest. 
Those  wlio  sided  with  the  British  troops  began  to  see  even  in  the 
duration  of  this  battle,  the  possibility  that  they  had  taken  the  wrong 
side,  and  that  they  might  become  exiles  from  their  country.  While 
those  whose  whole  soul  was  with  their  countrymen,  were  in  dreadful 
apprehension  for  their  friends,  in  a  contest,  the  severity  of  which 
was  shown  by  the  destruction  of  their  enemies. 

"  After  the  battle  had  continued  for  some  time,  a  young  person 
living  in  Boston,  possessed  of  very  keen  and  generous  feelings,  bor- 
dering a  little  perhaps  on  the  romantic,  as  was  natural  to  her  age, 
sex,  and  lively  imagination,  finding  that  many  of  the  wounded  troops 
brought  over  from  the  field  of  action  were  carried  by  her  residence, 
mixed  a  quantity  of  refreshing  beverage,  and  with  a  female  domestic 
by  her  side,  stood  at  the  door,  and  oflTered  it  to  the  sufl"erers  as  they 
were   borne    along,   burning  with   fever,    and  parched  with  thirst 


560 


WILLIAM     PRESCOTT. 


Several  of  them,  grateful  for  the  kindness,  gave  her,  as  they  thought, 
consolation,  by  assuring  her  of  the  destruction  of  her  countrymen. 
One  young  officer  said,  'never  mind  it,  my  young  lady,  vre  have 
peppered  'em  well,  depend  upon  it.'  Her  dearest  feelings,  deeply 
interested  in  the  opposite  camp,  were  thus  unintentionally  lacerated, 
while  she  was  pouring  oil  and,  wine  into  their  wounds." 

General  Henry  Lee,  in  his  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the  Southern 
Department,  makes  the  following  remark,  in  relation  to  Prescott  and 
his  gallant  band : 

"  When  future  generations  shall  inquire,  where  are  the  men  who 
gained  the  brightest  prize  of  glory  in  the  arduous  contest  which 
ushered  in  our  nation's  birth  ?  upon  Prescott  and  his  companions  in 
arms,  will  the  eye  of  history  beam.  The  military  annals  of  the 
world  rarely  furnish  an  achievement  which  equals  the  firmness  and 
courage  displayed  on  that  proud  day  by  the  gallant  Americans  ;  and 
it  certainly  stands  first  in  the  brilliant  events  of  the  war." 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JOHN  FROST. 


HIS  gentleman  was  descended  from 
Nicholas  Frost,  Esq.,  who  emigrated 
from  Devonshire,  England,  in  1630, 
and  settled  in  Kittery,  (now  Eliot,)  in 
the  county  of  York,  Maine,  on  an  estate 
which  is  still  in  possession  of  his  lineal 
descendant,  Joseph  Frost,  Esq.  Charles, 
the  only  son  and  heir  of  Nicholas,  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  as  he  was  return- 
ing on  horseback  from  divine  service  on  the  Sabbath,  in  the  year 
1697.  His  wife,  who  was  mounted  on  another  horse,  escaped  the 
fate  of  her  husband.*  One  of  his  sons,  the  Honorable  John  Frost, 
who  was  married  to  a  sister  of  Sir  William  Pepperell,  the  hero  of 
Cape  Breton, t  settled  at  New  Castle,  New  Hampshire,  where  he 

*  This  incident  is  characteristic  of  the  perilous  scenes  of  our  early  colonial  history.  Several 
of  General  Frost's  family  connexions  are  mentioned  in  the  annals  of  Maine,  as  having  served 
in  the  early  Indian  wars. 

f  Sir  William  Pepperell  commanded  the  celebrated  expedition  against  Cape  Breton,  in 
1745,  and  received  his  title  for  his  services  on  that  occasion. 

36  561 


562 


JOHN     FIIOST. 


Halif;ix. 

rose  to  office  and  distinction  under  the  colonial  government  of  the 
province. 

John  Frost,  his  second  son,  inherited  the  estate  in  Kittery  from 
^  his  father  in  1768,  and  left  it  to  his  son,  John,  the  subject  of  the 
present  notice. 

Brigadier-General  John  Frost  was  born  in  Kittery,  May  5th,  1738. 
He  was  married  vihen  quite  young  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Ebenezer 
Nowell,  Esq.,  of  York,  Maine.  Soon  after  this  event,  toward  the 
close  of  the  seven  years'  war,  commonly  called  the  old  French  war, 
at  a  period  when  the  people  of  the  colonies  had  become  extremely 
exasperated  at  the  long  continuance  of  the  struggle,  and  were  fully 
determined  to  accomplish  the  expulsion  of  the  French  from  Canada, 
Mr.  Frost,  following  the  spirited  example  of  several  other  gentlemen 
in  his  neighborhood,  enlisted  a  company  of  men,  entered  the  army 
as  acaptain,  and  served  in  the  expedition  against  Louisburg,  in  1758. 
This  expedition,  consisting  of  twenty  ships  of  the  line,  eighteen 
frigates,  and  fourteen  thousand  men  under  the  command  of  General 
Amherst,  sailed  from  Halifax  on  the  28th  of  May,  and  reduced  the 
almost  impregnable  fortress  of  Louisburg,  which  was  surrendered  on 
the  26th  of  July.  General  Wolfe  and  General  Montgomery  both 
took  a  part  in  this  enterprise,  and  Wolfe  by  his  energy  and  decision 
contributed  greatly  to  the  successful  result. 

In  the  next  campaign,  1759,  Captain  Frost  served  in  another 
expedition  under  General  Amherst,  in  which  the  important  fortresses 
of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  were  captured,  and  in  the  subse- 
quent campaign  of  1760,  he  assisted  at  the  capture  of  Montreal,  by 


SERVICES     IN     THE      REVOLUTIONARY     V^TAR. 


563 


which  the  conquest  of  Canada  was  completed.  He  then  retired  to 
his  estate  in  Kittery,  where  he  remained  until  the  opening  of  the 
revolutionary  war. 

Ever  attached  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  he  was  among  the  first  to 
take  up  arms  in  the  service  of  his  country.  In  the  first  campaign  of 
the  revolution  he  served  at  the  siege  of  Boston  as  lieutenant-colonel 
in  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Moulton  of  York.  His  oldest  son,  John, 
then  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  accompanied  him  as  a  private  soldier. 
At  the  opening  of  the  next  campaign,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Frost  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  marching  under  the  standard 
of  Washington  to  the  theatre  of  action  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
signalized  himself  in  several  of  the  hard  fought  battles  which  took 
place  before  the  retreat  of  Washington  to  Philadelphia.  When  Bur- 
goyne's  invasion  took  place,  Colonel  Frost's  regiment  served  under 
Gen.  Gates  in  the  successful  defence  of  our  territory,  and  the  colonel 
was  one  of  those  New  England  officers  who  performed  such  effective 
service  in  the  battles  of  Stillwater  and  of  Bemis's  Heights. 

After  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  Colonel  Frost  joined  the  central 
division  of  the  army  under  General  Washington,  and  was  present  at 
the  battle  of  Monmouth.  In  speaking  of  this  battle,  subsequently,  he 
often  referred  to  the  intense  heat  of  the  day,  evidenced  by  the  fact 
that  great  numbers  of  the  soldiers  actually  perished  with  the  heat, 
or  with  the  effect  of  suddenly  drinking  cold  water  while  over-heated 
with  the  fatigues  of  the  action. 

After  this.  Colonel  Frost  continued  to  serve  in  the  middle  and 
southern  states  until  the  close  of  the  war,  at  which  time  he  had  risen 
to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

After  General  Frost's  retirement  to  private  life,  at  the  termination 
of  hostilities,  he  resumed,  as  usual,  the  cultivation  of  his  fine  estate 
in  Kittery.  But  he  was  soon  called  to  public  duties,  being  appointed 
one  of  the  justices  of  the  court  of  sessions  of  York  county,  Maine, 
and  a  member  of  the  council  of  the  governor  of  Massachusetts,  which 
then  included  Maine.  Towards  the  close  of  his  life  he  relinquished 
all  public  employments.  He  died  in  Kittery,  in  July,  1810,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy-two.  Of  the  family  of  General  Frost,  one 
or  more  members  performed  service  in  every  war  in  which  this  country 
has  been  engaged,  from  the  earliest  colonial  times  to  the  present  day. 
Several  of  his  ancestors  fell  in  the  early  Indian  wars.  His  brother 
William  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  revolution.  His  oldest  son  John,  as 
already  stated,  fell  in  that  war.  His  son  George  and  two  grandsons 
were  engaged  in  the  naval  service  during  the  war  of  1812,  in  which 
service  George  was  lost  at  sea.  His  grandson,  Rev.  Nathaniel  Frost, 
is  now  a  chaplain  in  the  navy  of  the  United  States. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ARTEMAS  WARD. 

RTEMAS  WARD,  the  first  major-general  in  the 
American  army,  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college 
in  1743,  and  was  afterwards  a  representative  in  the 
legislature,  a  member  of  the  council,  and  a  justice 
of  the  court  of  common  pleas  for  Worcester  county, 
Massachusetts.  When  the  war  commenced  with  Great  Britain, 
he  was  appointed  by  congress  first  major-general,  June  17, 
1775.  After  the  arrival  of  Washington  in  July,  when  dispo- 
sition was  made  of  the  troops  for  the  siege  of  Boston,  the 
command  of  the  right  wing  of  the  army  at  Roxbury  was 
intrusted  to  General  Ward.  He  resigned  his  commission  in  April 
1776,  though  he  continued  for  some  time  longer  in  command  at  the 
request  of  Washington.  He  afterwards  devoted  himself  to  the  duties 
of  civil  life.  He  was  a  member  of  congress  both  before  and  after 
the  adoption  of  the  present  constitution.  After  a  long  decline,  in 
which  he  exhibited  the  most  exemplary  patience,  he  died  at  Shrews- 
bury, October  28,  1800,  aged  seventy-three  years.  He  was  a  man 
of  incorruptible  integrity.  So  fixed  and  imyielding  were  the  princi- 
ples which  governed  him,  that  his  conscientiousness  in  lesser  concerns 
was  by  some  ascribed  to  bigotry.     His  life  presented  the  virtues  of 

the  Christian. 
564 


! 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  WILLIAM  EATON. 


HE  subject  of  this  memoir  was 
born  at  Woodstock,  in  Con- 
necticut, on  the  23d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1764.  His  father  was 
a  plain  farmer,  who  support- 
ed his  family  by  farming  in 
the  summer,  and  by  teaching 
school  during  the  winter  sea- 
son, for  which  latter  occupation 
he  is  represented  as  having 
been  well  qualified.  He  died 
on  the  23d  of  November,  1804. 
William  early  discovered  an 
eagerness  for  knowledge,  and  a  dislike  of  manual  labor ;  his  chief 
delight  being  a  book  or  a  pen,  or  the  sports  of  the  field.  He  received 
from  his  father  an  elementary  education.  When  he  was  ten  years 
of  age,  his  parents  removed  from  Woodstock  to  Mansfield,  where 

566 


566 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


his  fearlessness  and  love  of  adventure  were  such  as  frequently  to 
endanger  his  life. 

T  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  home,  and  without  the 
knowledge  of  his  parents,  enlisted  in  the  army, 
but  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  his  health, 
he  returned  home  in  about  a  year.  When  his 
health  permitted  he  again  joined  the  army,  and 
remained  in  the  service,  until  the  spring  of  1783, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged,  having  been 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  sergeant. 

After  this  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  the  latter  part  of 
1784,  where  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  classical  languages, 
under  the  Reverend  Mr.  Nott,  of  Franklin.  In  October  1785,  he 
was  admitted  as  a  freshman  ii)  Dartmouth  College,  (N.  H.)  with  the 
privilege  of  teaching  school  in  the  winter  months.  Eaton  began  his 
occupation  as  a  teacher  in  November,  1785,  at  Windham,  and  con- 
tinued until  June  1786,  giving  only  a  small  portion  of  his  time  to 
collegiate  studies.  During  the  summer  of  this  year,  he  returned  to 
his  father's  farm  in  Mansfield,  where  he  divided  his  time  between 
agricultural  and  literary  studies.  In  November  he  recommenced  his 
school  in  Windham,  and  continued  it  till  the  spring  of  the  following 
year.  In  May  he  was  re-admitted  into  the  freshman  class  of  Dart- 
mouth College.  Here  he  remained  until  May,  1790,  supporting 
himself,  in  part,  by  teaching  school  during  the  winter  months.  In 
August,  1790,  he  received  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  ;  and 
delivered,  with  a  classmate,  Wm.  Jackson,  a  poetical  dialogue,  at 
the  commencement  of  that  year. 

His  collegiate  studies  being  completed,  he  again  opened  school  in 
Windsor,  which  he  continued  till  August,  1791.  In  the  month  of 
October  following,  he  was  chosen  clerk  to  the  house  of  delegates  of 
the  state  of  Vermont. 

In  March,  1792,  he  received,  through  the  influence  of  the  honor- 
able Stephen  R.  Bradly,  a  senator  of  the  United  States  from  Ver- 
mont, a  commission  of  captain  in  the  army,  and,  under  orders  from 
the  war  department,  proceeded  in  May  to  Bennington,  (Vermont,) 
to  take  command  of  the  recruits  then  assembling  under  his  ensign, 
Charles  Hyde. 

In  August,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Eliza  Danielson,  widow  of 
General  Danielson,  of  Union,  Connecticut,  and  immediately  after- 
ward departed  with  his  wife  to  Windsor,  Vermont. 

Having  received  marching  orders,  Captain  Eaton  in  September 
proceeded  with  his  company  to  Albany,  and  from  thence  to  New 
York  and  Philadelphia.     At  the  latter  place  he  was  joined  by  some 


TRIED     BY     A     COURT     MARTIAL. 


567 


other  troops,  and  ordered  to  procefdwilh  them  to  Pittsburg,  and 
report  himself  to  General  Wayne.  Shortly  afterwards  he  joined  the 
army  at  Legionville. 

In  May,  1793,  Captain  Eaton,  with  the  army,  arrived  at  Cincin- 
nati. During  his  continuance  with  the  western  army,  he  was  engaged 
in  various  skirmishes  and  scouting  parties,  and  assisted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  Fort  Recovery.  In  February,  1794,  he  obtained  leave  ot 
absence,  and  returned  to  Brimfield  by  way  of  Philadelphia.  In  June, 
by  request  of  the  secretary  of  war,  he  engaged  in  the  recruiting  ser- 
vice at  Springfield.  He  remained  in  this  service  till  October,  1795, 
when  he  marched  with  his  troops  to  St.  Mary's,  Georgia. 

Soon  after  arriving  at  this  station.  Captain  Eaton  commenced  the 
erection  of  Fort  Pickering,  at  Colerain. 

The  principal  objects  of  the  force  at  St.  Mary's,  were  to  keep  the 
Creek  Indians  in  check,  and  to  repress  any  acts  of  violence  on  the  part 
of  the  citizens  of  Georgia  towards  the  inhabitants  of  Florida.  The 
arrival  of  commissioners,  in  the  month  of  May,  1796,  who,  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States,  effected  a  treaty  with  the  Creek  Indians, 
accomplished  the  chief  object  for  which  the  troops  had  been  marched 
to  that  station. 

During  Eaton's  stay  at  this  station,  a  raisunelerstanding  took  place 
between  him  and  Colonel  Gaither,  and  other  officers  ;  and  in  the 
month  of  August  he  was  arrested  and  tried  by  a  court  martial.  This 
affair  is  of  some  consequence,  as  an  attempt  was  made  by  Colonel 
Burr,  during  his  trial  at  Richmond,  to  destroy  or  set  aside  the  credi- 
bility and  even  the  competency  of  Eaton's  testimony,  on  account  of 
the  various  charges  preferred  against  him.* 

He  was  charged  with  speculating  on  the  men  under  his  command, 
in  the  furnishing  them  with  clothing  ;  with  detaining  bounty  money, 
and  paying  to  his  men,  in  lieu  thereof,  goods  at  an  advanced  price  ; 
with  selling  the  public  corn ;  with  defrauding  the  men  under  his 
command  of  rations  due  them  ;  with  disobedience  of  orders,  and 
with  liberating  a  soldier  who  had  caused  the  death  of  another,  and 
tearing  the  charge  in  a  contemptuous  manner. 

These  charges  were  ably  refuted,  but  the  court  martial  sentenced 
him  to  a  two  months'  suspension  from  command.  This  decision  was 
sent  to  Colonel  Gaithers,  for  his  approval ;  but  on  receiving  it  that 
officer  imprisoned  Eaton  in  Fort  Pickering,  despatched  the  proceed- 
ing of  the  court  to  the  secretary  of  war,  and  after  a  month's  confine- 
ment ordered  his  prisoner  to  the  seat  of  government.     The  sentence 

•  For  a  full  statement  of  the  trial  which  took  place,  we  refer  the  reader  to  his  letter  to 
Mr.  Pinckney,  secretary  of  war,  which,  with  the  charges  against  him,  and  his  defence*  may 
be  found  in  a  "  Life  of  General  Eaton,"  published  in  Brookfield,  in  1813. 


;68 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


of  the   court  was  not  confirmed   by  the  secretary  of  war,   and  on 
apphcation  to  him,  Eaton  was  permitted  to  retain  his  rank. 

In  July  of  the  following  year,  (1797,)  Captain  Eaton  was  com- 
missioned by  the  secretary  of  state  to  procure  information  relative 
to  Blount's  conspiracy,  and  to  arrest  the  person  of  Dr.  Romayne,  and 
secure  his  papers.     This  he  accomplished  in  two  days. 

HORTLY  after  this,  he  was  appointed  consul 
of  the  United  States  for  the  kingdpm  of 
Tunis,  and  prior  to  his  departure  for  that 
country  was  charged  with  despatches  to  Mr. 
Gerry,  then  at  Cambridge,  and  about  sailing 
for  France.  After  delivering  the  despatches 
he  returned  to  Brimfield,  where  he  spent  the 
autumn.  In  the  winter  he  visited  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  till  the  following  March, 
when  he  returned  home.  On  the  12th  of  November  following,  he 
received  notice  from  the  secretary  of  state,  that  the  vessels  destined 
for  Algiers  were  ready  to  sail.  He  took  leave  of  his  family,  and  on 
the  18th,  arrived  at  Philadelphia. 

From  this  period  dates  the  most  important  part  of  Eaton's  public 
life.  The  theatre  of  his  action,  was  now  in  a  barbarous  country, 
the  character  of  which  gave  ample  scope  to  his  vigorous  character, 
and  his  love  of  strange  adventure. 

On  the  22d  of  December  1798,  Mr.  Eaton  embarked  on  board  the 
United  States  brig  Sophia,  bound  to  Algiers.  In  company  with  the 
Sophia  were  the  Hero,  a  vessel  of  350  tons,  laden  with  naval  stores 
for  the  Dey  of  Algiers;  the  Hassan  Bashaw,  a  brig  of  275  tons, 
the  Skjoldabrand,  a  schooner  of  250  tons,  and  the  Lela  Eisha  :  the 
four  latter  named  vessels  were  destined  by  the  United  States,  to  be 
delivered  to  the  Dey  of  Algiers  as  payment  of  stipulations  and  arrear- 
ages due  him. 

Eaton  arrived  in  Algiers,  February  9th,  1799,  where  he  remained 
in  company  with  Mr.  O'Brian  the  consul-general  of  the  United  States 
for  the  Barbary  coast,  until  March. 

The  vessels  that  sailed  with  the  Sophia  were  delivered  to  the 
Regency,  and  on  the  22d  of  February  the  consuls  were  presented 
at  the  palace.  The.  following  extract  from  Eaton's  journal,  gives  an 
account  of  the  ceremonies  on  that  occasion. 

"February  22d. — Consul  O'Brian,  Cathcart,  and  myself,  Captain 
Geddes,  Smith,  Penrose,  and  Maley,  proceeded  from  the  American 
house  to  the  court-yard  of  the  palace,  uncovered  our  heads,  entered 
the  area  of  the  hall,  ascended  a  winding  maze  of  five  flights  of  stairs, 
to  a  narrow  dark  entry  leading  to  a  contracted  apartment,  of  about 


AUDIENCE     OF     THE     DEY. 


569 


twelve  by  eight  feet,  the  private  audience  room.  Here  we  took  off 
our  shoes,  and,  entering  the  cave,  (for  so  it  seemed)  with  small 
apertures  of  light  with  iron  grates,  we  were  shown  to  a  huge  shaggy- 
beast,  sitting  on  his  rump,  upon  a  low  bench,  covered  with  a  cushion 
of  embroidered  velvet,  with  his  hind  legs  gathered  up  like  a  tailor  or  a 
bear.  On  our  approach  to  him,  he  reached  out  his  fore  paw  as  if  to 
receive  something  to  eat.  Our  guide  exclaimed,  "  Kiss  the  Dey's 
hand  !"  The  consul-general  bowed  very  elegantly,  and  kissed  it,  and 
we  followed  his  example  in  succession.  The  animal  seemed  at  that 
moment,  to  be  in  a  harmless  mode  ;  he  grinned  several  times,  but 
made  very  little  noise.  Having  performed  this  ceremony,  and  stand- 
ing a  few  moments  in  silent  agony,  we  had  leave  to  take  our  shoes 
and  other  property,  and  leave  the  den,  without  any  other  injury  than 
the  humility  of  being  obliged,  in  this  involuntary  manner,  to  violate 
the  second  commandment  of  God,  and  offend  common  decency. 

"  Can  any  man  believe  that  this  elevated  brute  has  seven  kings  of 
Europe,  two  republics,  and  a  continent  tributary  to  him,  when 
his  whole  naval  force  is  not  equal  to  two  line  of  battle  ships  ?  It 
is  so  !" 

On  the  2d  of  March,  Mr.  Eaton  sailed  from  Algiers  for  Tunis,  but 
owing  to  contrary  winds,  did  not  reach  his  destination  until  the  12th. 
IS  first  interview  with  the  Bey  was  obtained 
for  him  on  the  15th.  The  immediate  busi- 
ness which  he  had  to  discuss  with  the  govern- 
ment of  Tunis,  grew  out  of  an  article  in  a 
treaty  negotiated  by  Mr.  Fannin,  (acting 
American  agent,)  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States.  The  particulars  of  this  dispute  were 
as  follows  : 

In  August,  1797,  Joseph  Etienne  Fannin,  a  French  merchant, 
residing  at  Tunis,  and  agent  for  the  United  States  there,  negotiated 
a  treaty  with  the  regency  of  Tunis.  After  some  discussion  by  the 
senate  of  the  United  States,  in  March,  1798,  this  treaty  was  ratified 
with  the  exception  of  the  fourteenth  article,  which  was  in  these 
words  : 

"  XIV.  The  citizens  of  the  United  States  of  America,  who  shall 
transport  into  the  kingdom  of  Tunis  the  merchandize  of  their  coun- 
try, in  the  vessels  of  their  nation,  shall  pay  three  per  cent.  duty.  Such 
as  may  be  laden  by  such  citizens  under  a  foreign  flag  coming  from 
the  United  States  or  elsewhere,  shall  pay  ten  per  cent,  duty.  Such 
as  may  be  laden  by  foreigners  on  board  of  American  vessels  coming 
from  any  place  whatever,  shall  also  pay  ten  per  cent.  duty.  If  any 
Tunisian   merchant  wishes  to  carry  merchandize  from  his  country. 


570  WILLIAM     EATON. 

under  any  flag  whatever,  into  the  United  States  of  America,  and  on 
his  own  account,  he  shall  pay  three  per  cent,  duty." 

Though  the  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  United  States  senate,  with 
the  exception  of  the  above  mentioned  article,  there  were  objection- 
able stipulations  in  others,  which  the  United  States  agents  were,  by 
the  secretary  of  state,  instructed  to  have  modified;  the  14th  article 
to  read  as  follows  : 

"  Article  XIV.  All  vessels  belonging  to  the  citizens  and  inhabit- 
ants of  the  United  States,  shall  be  permitted  to  enter  the  different 
ports  of  the  kingdom  of  Tunis,  and  freely  trade  with  the  subjects 
and  inhabitants  thereof,  on  paying  the  usual  duties  that  are  paid  by 
all  other  nations  at  peace  with  the  regency.  In  like  manner  all 
vessels  belonging  to  the  subjects  and  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom  of 
Tunis  shall  be  permitted  to  enter  the  different  ports  of  the  United 
States,  and  freely  trade  with  the  citizens  and  inhabitants  thereof,  on 
paying  the  usual  duties  that  are  paid  by  all  other  nations  at  peace 
with  the  United  States." 

Besides  being  instructed  to  have  certain  articles  of  the  treaty 
modified,  the  American  agents  were  to  offer  the  government  of  Tunis 
a  sum  of  money  as  an  equivalent  for  the  naval  and  military  stores, 
stipulated  to  be  delivered  at  Tunis  by  the  United  States.  The  value 
of  these  stores  at  Tunis  was  estimated  at  $35,000.  The  agents 
were  instructed  to  increase  the  sum  to  $100,000,  if  thought  neces- 
sary. Should  the  Tunisian  government  insist  upon  the  delivery  of 
the  stores,  and  refuse  to  alter  the  disputed  article  without  an  addi- 
tional stipulation,  the  agents  were  authorized  to  offer  $5,000  in 
cash,  and  in  case  the  alternative  was  an  immediate  war,  they  were 
to  ofl'er  $10,000. 

If  the  agents  found  all  their  efforts  to  preserve  peace  ineffectual, 
they  were  to  keep  the  negotiation  pending  as  long  as  possible  ;  and 
in  order  that  effectual  measures  might  be  taken  to  secure  American 
vessels  from  the  perils  of  an  anticipated  war,  they  were  instructed 
to  despatch  letters  to  the  consul-general  at  Algiers,  to  the  American 
consuls  in  all  the  ports  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  to  the  American 
ministers  in  Spain  and  Portugal. 

Under  these  perplexing  difficulties,  Mr.  Eaton  succeeded  in  having 
the  disputed  article  amended,  though  not  to  the  extent  he  wished. 
After  this  he  proposed  sending  forward  a  cruiser  as  an  equivalent  for 
the  stipulated  stores.  The  bey  made  answer  that  one  cruiser  would 
not  be  enough.  "I  have  a  head,"  said  he,  "you  cannot  overreach 
me."  "  If  you  act  politically,"  continued  he,  "  you  will  make  me  a 
compliment  of  a  cruiser  in  addition  to  the  stipulated  stores."  Eaton 
replied,  that  whatever  the  United  States  had  agreed  to,  they  would 


DEMAND     OF     A     PRESENT.  571 

give.  "  I  do  not  suppose,"  said  the  bey,  "  you  will  study  to  cheat 
me  ;  this  is  a  characteristic  of  low  life  ;  but  I  find  you  closely 
attached  to  your  interest ;  so  we  all  are." 

The  bey  retired,  and  the  American  agents  withdrew  to  the  Sapi» 
tapa's  (the  keeper  of  the  seals,)  department,  where  the  alterations 
were  inserted  in  the  original  treaty.  The  sapitapa  took  this  oppor- 
tunity to  demand  a  present  for  the  bey,  as  it  was  a  custom  of 
all  other  nations.  The  American  agents,  however,  preremptorily 
refused. 

On  the  26th  of  March,  the  treaty  as  amended,  was  delivered  to 
the  American  agents  by  the  bey.  The  demand  of  a  present  for  the 
bey  was  again  made  by  the  sapitapa,  and  again  refused.  "  We  told 
him,"  said  Eaton,  in  his  journal,  "that  the  bey  had  not  admitted  us 
to  the  privileges  of  all  other  nations  ;  he  ought  not  therefore  to 
expect  the  usages  from  us.  He  had  refused  us  a  salute,  except  on 
terms  repugnant  to  our  hpnor  and  our  interest.  He  had  extorted 
from  us  the  concession  of  suffering  our  merchantmen  to  be  pressed 
into  his  service,  and  had  exacted  threefold  the  duty  in  his  ports,  which 
he  had  received  from  any  other  nation.  He  had  therefore  less  pre- 
text to  claim  of  us  the  same  considerations.  At  any  rate,  we  should 
make  no  stipulation  of  this  kind.  The  negotiation  was  closed.  This 
was  entering  upon  a  new  negotiation,  which  neither  our  instructions 
nor  our  inclination  led  us  to  enter  upon." 

Mr.  Fannin,  who  was  present  at  this  interview,  said  that  he  had 
received  a  letter  from  the  consul-general,  instructing  him  to  make 
the  necessary  provision  to  meet  this  demand.  When  called  upon  to 
produce  the  letter,  by  Mr.  Eaton,  he  could  not ;  and  thus  proved  to 
Mr.  Eaton  that  Fannin  was  manifestly  in  the  interest  of  the  court, 
and  prepared  to  countenance  all  their  projects  of  plunder.  On  the 
1st  of  April  Mr.  Cathcart  embarked  in  the  brig  Sophia  for  Tripoli. 

The  demand  for  a  present  for  the  bey  was  frequently  reiterated, 
but  Mr.  Eaton  as  frequently  refused  compliance.  "  It  is  hard,"  says 
Mr.  Eaton,  in  a  letter  to  the  secretary  of  state,  "to  negotiate  where 
the  terms  are  wholly  ex  parte.  The  Barbary  powers  are  indulged 
in  the  habit  of  dictating  their  own  terms  of  negotiation.  Even  the 
English,  as  the  consul  himself  informed  me,  on  his  arrival  and  re- 
ception here,  had  furnished  him  a  present  in  cash  and  other  articles, 
valued  in  England  at  seventeen  thousand  pounds  sterling.  But  Tunis 
trembles  at  the  voice  of  England.  This,  then,  must  be  a  political 
intrigue  of  England  to  embarrass  the  other  mercantile  Christian 
nations  ;  and  it  has  the  effect.  To  the  United  States  they  believe 
they  can  dictate  terms.  Why  should  they  not  ?  Or  why  should  they 
believe  it  will  ever  be  otherwise  1  They  have  seen  nothing  in  America 


572  WILLIAM     EATON. 

to  controvert  this  opinion.  And  all  our  talk  of  resistance  and  re- 
prisal they  saw  as  the  swaggering  of  a  braggadocio.  They  are  at 
present  seriously  concerned,  through  fear  that  the  English  and  Ame- 
ricans are  in  offensive  and  defensive  alliance.  The  report  is  current, 
and  I  have  taken  occasion  to  cherish  it  by  being  seen  frequently  with 
the  British  consul,  dining  with  him,  and  holding  secret  intercourse. 
But  whatever  stratagem  may  be  used  to  aid  our  measures,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  there  is  no  access  to  the  permanent  friendship  of  these 
states,  without  paving  the  way  with  gold  or  cannon  balls  ;  and  the 
proper  question  is,  which  method  is  preferable  ?  So  long  as  they  hold 
their  own  terms,  no  estimate  can  be  made  of  the  expense  of  main- 
taining a  peace.  They  are  under  no  restraints  of  honor  nor  honesty. 
There  is  not  a  scoundrel  among  them,  from  the  prince  to  the  mu- 
leteer, who  will  not  beg  and  steal.  Yet  when  I  proposed  to  the 
sapitapa  to-day  to  substitute  money  in  lieu  of  the  present,  he  said 
that  the  bey  had  too  high  a  sense  of  honor  to  receive  a  bribe  ;  he 
would  receive  a  present ;  but  it  would  affront  him  to  offer  him 
money," 

Although  the  bey  had  refused  to  listen  to  a  cash  proposition,  Mr. 
Eaton,  on  the  14th  of  April,  made  him  a  tender,  and  proposed  fifty 
thousand  dollars  in  full  of  all  demands.  This  was  refused,  and 
answer  made,  "  that  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
offered  in  lieu  of  the  stores,  it  would  not  be  accepted."  "  Consult 
your  government,"  said  the  bey,  "  I  give  them  six  months  to  give 
me  an  answer  and  to  send  the  presents.  If  they  come  in  that  time, 
well ;  if  not,  take  down  your, flag  and  go  home." 

N  the  4th  of  July,  Mr.  Eaton  again  waited  on  the 
bey,   and  requested  him   to   state  what  sum  would 
satisfy  his  claims,  and  cancel   his  demands.     "  No 
sum   whatever ;    you  need  not  think  more   of  it," 
was  the  sharp  reply.     Mr.  Eaton  now  considered 
the  ultimatum  which  he  had  been  instructed  to  pro- 
pose, as  finally  rejected  ;    and  was  convinced  that  the  com- 
merce of  the  United  States  had  been  marked  out  as  an  object 
of  Tunisian  piracy. 

In  July,  the  bey  demanded  from  all  tributary  nations,  in- 
cluding the  American,  immediate  supplies  of  naval  stores,  and  that  a 
ship  should  be  chartered  by  our  consul  to  bring  out  the  American  con- 
tribution without  delay.  After  some  days  discussion,  however,  the 
demand  was  dropped. 

Considering  it  necessary  that  his  government  should  be  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  existing  state  of  affairs,  Mr.  Eaton  directed  Dr. 
Shaw,  of  the  brig  Sophia,  to  be  ready  on  the    12th  of  October,  to 


NEGOTIATIONS     WITH     THE     BEY. 


573 


proceed  to  England,  and  consult  with  the  American  minister  there 
concerning  certain  jewels,  demanded  by  the  bey  as  a  present,  and 
the  mode  of  procuring  them  at  the  lowest  price  ;  to  carry  a  memo- 
randum of  the  same  to  the  United  States,  and  to  transmit  a  copy  to 
the  consul  at  Tunis.  Hence,  he  was  to  proceed,  with  these  instruc- 
tions, to  Philadelphia,  the  seat  of  government.  This  measure  of 
Mr.  Eaton's  received  the  approbation  of  the  consul-general  at  Al- 
giers ;  and  the  bey  himself  regarded  it  as  a  proof  of  a  sincere  inten- 
tion to  fulfil  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  information  was  received  by  Mr.  Eaton, 
through  Mr.  O'Brian,  that  the  frigates  United  States  and  Constitu- 
tion would  probably  bring  out  the  articles  intended  for  the  bey.  He 
immediately  communicated  this  to  the  bey,  with  an  assurance  that 
the  vessels  would  probably  arrive  in  January,  but  to  the  astonish- 
ment and  mortification  of  the  bey,  he  was  disappointed. 

HE  prospect  of  a  speedy  ad- 
justment again  became  cloud- 
ed, until  the  arrival  of  the 
Sophia,  March  24th,  1800, 
when  Mr.  Eaton  received  a 
communication  from  the  se- 
cretary of  state,  and  a  letter 
from  the  president  to  the 
bey  ;  the  former  containing 
instructions  relative  to  the 
purchase  of  the  jewels.  The 
president's  letter  was  so  flat- 
tering to  the  bey,  that  he 
thanked  God,  and  expressed 
a  wish  for  the  safe  and 
speedy  arrival  of  the  ship  spoken  of.  For  his  services  in  managing 
these  aflfairs,  Eaton  receiA^ed  the  approbation  of  the  president,  and 
the  warmest  expressions  of  friendship  from  Mr.  Pickering,  then 
secretary  of  state. 

On  the  r2th  of  April,  1800,  the  ship  Hero  arrived  at  Tunis,  with 
a  portion  of  the  stipulated  stores,  naval  and  military,  of  a  quality 
superior  to  anything  heretofore  seen  in  Tunis.  This  removed  all 
apprehension  of  war  for  the  present,  and  relieved  Mr.  Eaton  from 
many  embarrassments.  His  designs  against  the  Americans  being 
stopped,  the  bey  now  let  loose  his  corsairs  upon  the  commerce  of 
Denmark.  On  the  28th  of  June  he  declared  war  against  the  king 
of  Denmark,  in  consequence  of  an  old  dispute,  and  ordered  the 
consul-general,  Mr.  Hammekin,  to  quit  the  kingdom.     Hammekin 


574 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


solicited  Mr.  Eaton  to  take  charge  of  the  Danish  affairs.  This  pro- 
position was  acceded  to,  as  there  were  no  rival  interests  between  the 
two  nations. 

By  the  16th  of  July,  eight  Danish  vessels  had  been  captured, 
and  their  crews  amounting  to  about  one  hundred  men,  were 
reduced  to  slavery.  The  estimated  value  of  the  ships,  cargo, 
and  slaves,  was  four  hundred  and  eleven  thousand  dollars.  The 
masters  of  six  of  the  captured  vessels  desired  Eaton  to  redeem  their 
property,  with  the  understanding  that  they  would  open  a  credit  at 
Leghorn.  Mr.  Eaton  examined  the  vessels,  made  an  offer  which 
was  accepted ;  the  bargain  concluded,  and  the  mode  of  payment 
fixed  ;  but  the  Danish  masters  failed  to  fulfil  their  promises,  and  in 
consequence  Mr.  Eaton  was  left  with  six  vessels  as  yet  unpaid  for. 

Although  an  opportunity  was  now  offered  him  for  realizing  a  hand- 
some profit  from  the  sale  of  this  property,  yet,  after  all  the  difficulties 
had  been  adjusted,  he  surrendered  the  vessels  to  their  respective 
masters,  simply  on  the  condition  of  his  credit  with  the  government 
being  redeemed,  and  his  disbursements  repaid.  This  act  of  disin- 
terested generosity,  received  the  acknowledgments  of  the  Danish 
admiral  on  the  spot,  and  subsequently  the  most  emphatic  expressions 
of  gratitude  from  the  Danish  monarch. 

Towards  the  end  of  November,  1800,  the  ship  Anna  Maria  arrived 
at  Tunis,  with  naval  stores,  to  the  amount  of  twelve  thousand 
dollars. 

The  cargo  of  the  Anna  Maria  did  not  satisfy  the  avarice  of  the 
bey,  he  still  demanded  a  present  of  jewels,  and  so  frequent  were  his 
demands  that  orders  were  finally  given  to  Eaton,  to  purchase  them 
in  England,  by  means  of  the  American  minister  there. 

While  Mr.  Eaton  was  arranging  matters  peaceably  with  the  Bey 
of  Tunis,  the  affairs  of  the  United  States  were  verging  to  a  war  with 
Tripoli. 

The  Bashaw's  demands  were  exorbitant,  and  the  examples  of  other 
Christian  nations,  in  submitting  to  his  degrading  exactions,  made  it 
absolutely  impossible  for  Mr.  Cathcart,  the  American  consul,  to  nego- 
tiate with  any  success.  In  February,  1801,  all  American  vessels 
were  cautioned  to  quit  the  Mediterranean,  on  account  of  the  threats 
of  the  bashaw,  who  was  at  that  time  fitting  out  corsairs  against  the 
American  merchantmen.  Mr.  Cathcart  was  obliged  to  leave  Tripoli, 
trusting  Mr.  Nissen,  (the  Danish  ambassador,)  with  the  affairs  of  the 
United  States  during  his  absence,  Eaton  immediately  opened  a 
correspondence  with  that  gentleman,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
arrangements  for  the  comfort  and  subsistence  of  all  American 
prisoners  that  might  be  carried  into  any  of  the  Tripolitan  ports. 


DEMANDS     OF     TRIPOLI.  575 

Cathcart's  despatches  were  sent  to  Mr.  Eaton,  to  be  forwarded  by 
him  to  the  United  States.  In  these  despatches  were  mentioned  the 
demands  of  the  Bashaw,  on  condition  of  sparing  the  United  States, 
Two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  prompt  payment,  and 
twenty-five  thousand  annually.  "  If  our  government,"  says  Eaton,  in 
a  letter  accompanying  these  despatches,  "  yield  these  terms  to  the 
Bashaw  of  Tripoli,  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  to  make  provisions 
for  a  requisition  of  double  the  amount  for  the  Bey  of  Tunis.  Algiers 
will  also  be  respected  according  to  rank.  If  the  United  States  will  have 
a  free  commerce  in  this  sea,  they  must  defend  it.  There  is  no  alterna- 
tive. The  restless  spirit  of  these  marauders  cannot  be  restrained." 
?N  addition  to  the  presents  already  received  from  the 
United  States,  the  Bey  of  Tunis  demanded  forty 
iron  twenty-four  pounders  as  a  token  of  friendship 
of  the  American  president ;  and  a  few  days  subse- 
quently, a  supply  of  ten  thousand  stand  of  arms ; 
and,  ordered  Eaton  to  state  these  demands  to  his 
government  without  delay.  This  Eaton  positively 
refused  to  do,  insisting  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  United  States 
to  comply  with  such  unreasonable  demands.  "  The  Bey  of  Tunis," 
said  he,  "  has  already  received  large  presents  from  the  United 
States,  and  a  sense  of  gratitude  ought  to  restrain  the  bey  from 
making  so  extraordinary  a  demand,"  The  minister  of  the  bey 
replied  to  Eaton,  "  Your  peace  depends  on  your  compliance  with 
this  demand  of  my  master."  "  If  so,"  said  Eaton,  "  on  me  be  the 
responsibility  of  breaking  the  peace,     I  wish  you  a  good  morning," 

Eaton,  finding  his  representations  treated  with  apparent  neglect, 
became  disgusted  with  his  situation,  and  repeatedly  requested  per- 
mission to  return  home.  But  the  president,  Mr,  Jefferson,  who  had 
just  succeeded  Mr,  Adams,  unwilling  to  lose  the  services  of  so 
efficient  an  agent,  urged  him  to  remain  at  his  post. 

Under  the  new  administration  the  affairs  with  the  Barbary  powers 
took  a  more  active  turn.  Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  the  news 
that  war  had  been  declared  by  Tripoli,  preparations  were  made  foi 
fitting  out  a  sufficient  force,  to  protect  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States  in  the  Mediterranean. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1801,  Commodore  Dale  arrived  at  Tunis,  ir 
the  United  States  frigate  President,  in  company  with  the  Enterprise, 
the  Essex,  and  the  Philadelphia.  The  arrival  of  this  fleet  produced 
a  strong  sensation  at  the  palace. 

Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  this  fleet  at  Tunis,  Eaton  issued  a 
circular,  declaring  Tripoli  in  a  state  of  blockade,  and  that  all  vessels 
attempting  to  enter  that  port  would  be  dealt  with  according  to  the 


576 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


CommodoTe  Dale. 


laws  of  nations  in  such  cases.  Application  was  instantly  made  to 
Eaton  to  modify  the  blockade,  so  as  not  to  affect  the  interests  of 
Tunis.     This  Eaton  firmly  refused  to  do. 

The  American  fleet  arrived  before  Tripoli  on  the  26th  of  July.  The 
bashaw  proposed  a  truce,  but  his  terms  were  rejected.  In  a  letter  to 
Commodore  Dale,  Eaton  says,  "  Tripoli  is  in  great  distress.  The 
corsairs  are  all  at  sea.  She  is  starving  in  her  capital,  and  will  be 
thrown  into  consternation  at  your  unexpected  appearance.  If  this 
position,  which  the  good  providence  of  God  gives  us,  can  be  sternly 
held  for  a  few  months,  Tripoli  will  be  compelled  to  ask  for  peace  on 
our  own  terms.  The  object  is  so  desirable,  that  it  seems  worth 
exertions  ;  more  especially  so,  as  Algiers  and  Tunis  are  looking  to 
this  rupture  as  a  precedent  for  their  intercourse  wdth  the  United 
States." 

A  few  years  before  the  American  war,  the  reigning  Bashaw  of 
Tripoli  had  usurped  the  throne,  which  had  been  rightfully  held  by 
his  elder  brother,  Hamet  Caramelli,  whom  he  had  driven  into  exile 
It  was  now  suggested  to  restore  the  banished  prince,  and  thus  inflict 
a  signal  chastisement  on  the  reigning  bashaw.  In  order  to  carry  out 
this  scheme,  Eaton  sought  out  Hamet,  who  was  at  that  time  residing 
at  Tunis,  under  the  protection  of  the  bey.     Hamet  willingly  entered 


Eaton's  voyage  to  Naples.         577 

into  the  scheme.  It  was  agreed  between  them  that  Hamet  should 
make  an  attack  by  land  while  the  vessels  of  the  United  States 
engaged  in  active  operations  by  sea. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Samuel  Lyman,  member  of  Congress,  Eaton 
urged  that  Tripoli  should  be  bombarded,  and  vessels  sent  for  that 
purpose.  He  also  volunteered  to  assist  the  enterprise,  in  any  charac- 
ter, consistent  with  his  former  rank  and  present  station,  with  two 
thousand  light,  active  troops  ;  urging  that  as  affairs  in  Tunis  were 
tranquil,  he  would  be  of  more  service  at  Tripoli  than  at  Tunis,  as 
he  was  acquainted  with  all  the  tactics  of  the  Barbary  land  forces, 
and  for  this  reason  would  probably  have  some  influence  in  assisting 
the  manoeuvres  of  an  assault.  "  If  such  an  enterprise  should  be 
resolved  on,  an  adjutant  and  inspector-general  to  the  troops,  would 
be  requisite.  I  should  he  willing  to  take  that  office  upon  myself 
during  the  war."  Had  these  suggestions  of  Eaton  been  listened  to, 
the  project  would  doubtless  have  been  crowned  with  complete, 
success. 

On  the  1st  of  December,  the  ship  Peace  and  Plenty  arrived  at 
Tunis  with  another  supply  of  naval  and  military  stores  for  the  bey. 
Immediately  after,  Mr.  Eaton  left  the  aflfairs  of  the  United  States  in 
the  hands  of  Dr.  William  Turner,  of  the  United  States  navy,  and 
obtained  permission  of  the  bey  to  take  a  short  voyage  for  his  health. 

He  arrived  at  Naples  on  the  21st  of  December,  and  while  there, 
obtained  permission  from  the  king  to  land  Moorish  prisoners  on  his 
territory,  should  any  such  be  taken  by  the  Americans.  He  also 
obtained  permission  from  the  king  of  Sardinia,  who  happened  to  be 
in  Naples,  for  the  American  fleet  to  enter  the  ports  of  his  island  and 
procure  provisions. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1802,  he  arrived  at  Leghorn,  but  the 
voyage  not  being  as  beneficial  to  his  health  as  he  had  expected,  he 
resolved  to  return  immediately  to  Tunis.  His  departure  was  hastened 
by  the  receipt  of  intelligence  that  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  was  making 
overtures  to  Hamet,  in  order  to  frustrate  the  contemplated  enterprise 
against  his  territories.  He  arrived  at  Tunis  on  the  12th  of  March, 
and  found  Hamet  on  the  point  of  yielding  to  the  solicitations  of  the 
bashaw,  who  had  offered  him  the  government  of  Derne,  a  province 
of  Tripoli. 

Eaton  represented  the  impropriety  of  such  a  step  to  Hamet,  and 
the  probable  consequences  to  himself,  telling  him  that  in  case  he 
yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  the  bashaw,  he  and  his  retinue  should 
be  sent  as  prisoners  of  war  to  the  United  States.  This  determined 
language  of  Eaton  produced  its  desired  eflfect  upon  Hamet,  and  he 
readily  yielded  to  any  terms  that  the  consul  saw  fit  to  prescribe. 

37 


578 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


Comraodore  Bainbridge. 


Eaton  therefore  sent  Hamet  to  Malta,  there  to  await  the  arrival  of 
the  American  fleet,  then  proceed  with  it  to  Tripoli,  and  demand  the 
restitution  of  his  throne  and  his  rights. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  Mr.  Eaton  was  summoned  before  the  bey,  and 
offered  a  proposition  of  peace  with  Tripoli,  through  the  mediation 
of  the  government  of  Tunis.  A  small  present  was  also  demanded 
for  the  bashaw.  This  was  positively  refused,  and  an  angry  discus- 
sion ensued. 

Mr.  Eaton  gave  an  account  of  his  arrangements  with  Hamet  to 
Captains  Barron  and  Bainbridge,  of  the  squadron,  immediately  after 
their  arrival.  These  gentlemen  strenuously  opposed  the  scheme, 
and  "  Captain  Murray,"  says  Eaton,  "  coincided  with  their  views, 
and  rejected  the  scheme  in  an  air  of  authority  and  reprimand  which 
I  should  not  expect  even  from  the  highest  departments  of  govern- 
ment." 

On  the  6th  of  July,  the  American  brig  Franklin  was  captured  by 
a  Tripolitan  corsair,  and  carried  into  Biserta.  The  vessel  and  cargo 
were  sold  to  the  commercial  agent  of  the  bey,  and  the  men  were 
chained  in  the  hold  of  a  Tripolitan  galley.  Every  effort  was  made 
to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  unhappy  prisoners,  and  to  procure 
their  release,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  until  set  at  liberty  through  the 


EATON     RETURNS     TO     THE     UNITED     STATES.  579 

interposition  of  Algiers.  Eaton's  measures  with  Hamet  had  involved 
him  in  an  expense  of  twenty-three  thousand  dollars,  which  he  was 
unable  to  pay,  all  his  means  having  been  exhausted  by  the  rapacity 
and  extortion  of  the  pirates,  among  whom  he  had  spent  the  last  four 
years.  He  was  viewed  by  the  regency  with  a  jealous  eye,  and  re- 
garded as  an  enemy  to  the  Barbary  interests.  Accordingly,  on  the 
arrival  of  Commodore  Morris  at  Tunis,  the  bey  seized  him  as  secu- 
rity for  payment.  Eaton  warmly  remonstrated  against  this  act  of 
violence,  urging  that  he  alone  was  responsible,  in  his  representative 
capacity.     His  plea  was  unavailing. 

DAY  or  two  subsequent  to  this  proceeding,  Mr. 
Eaton,  the  commodore,  Mr.  Cathcart  and  Mr. 
Rogers,  waited  on  the  bey  at  his  palace. 
Eaton  spoke  in  strong  terms  against  the  na- 
tional indignity  and  breach  of  hospitality,  in 
thus  detaining  the  commodore  ;  stated  that 
he  had  large  means  in  his  possession  of  meet- 
ing the  debt,  and  declared  that  he  had  been 
prevented  from  making  a  more  seasonable  payment  by  the  frauds 
of  his  (the  bey's)  minister,  who  had  absolutely  robbed  him.  An 
angry  discussion  ensued,  which  ended  in  Mr.  Eaton  being  ordered 
to  quit  the  coimtry.  He  replied,  "  I  shall  depart  with  the  consolation 
that  I  have  not  been  your  slave." 

Eaton  arrived  at  Boston  May  5th,  1803,  and  soon  after  joined  his 
family  at  Brimfield,  from  whom  he  had  been  separated  four  years 
and  a  half.  In  the  summer  he  repaired  to  Washington  for  the  pur- 
pose of  adjusting  his  accounts,  and  of  urging  the  adoption  of  vigor- 
ous measures  against  Tripoli,  after  which  he  returned  to  Brimfield. 

In  January,  1804,  he  again  repaired  to  Washington,  to  complete 
his  unfinished  business.  The  department  of  state  having  refused  to 
pay  the  money  expended  in  concerting  measures  with  the  exiled 
bashaw,  and  other  smaller  claims,  Eaton  addressed  a  long  and  able 
letter  to  the  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives.  In  this,  he 
explained  the  grounds  on  which  the  expenditures  had  been  made, 
defended  by  able  argument  his  proposed  attack  on  Tripoli ;  drew 
with  vigor  the  character  and  policy  of  the  Barbary  powers,  and  the 
necessity  of  an  eflfectual  naval  and  military  display  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  proved  conclusively  his  disinterestedness  and  integrity 
by  indisputable  facts. 

In  April  he  was  appointed  navy  agent  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Barbary  powers.  Receiving  information  shortly  after  that  the  exiled 
bashaw  had  taken  the  fielA,  and  gained  some  advantages,  he  pro- 
posed to  the  president  an  effectual  co-operation. 


580  WILLIAM     EATON. 

The  president  at  first  determined  to  send  out  as  a  loan,  some  field 
artillery,  a  thousand  stand  of  arms,  and  forty  thousand  dollars,  and 
Eaton  undertook  to  lead  the  enterprise. 

Before  however  the  squadron  was  ready  to  take  its  departure 
information  was  received  that  the  exiled  bashaw  had  retired  to  Alex- 
andria, in  Egypt,  for  want  of  supplies. 

Eaton  was  now  ordered  upon  the  expedition  without  any  special 
instructions  for  himself  or  Commodore  Barron.  His  situation  was 
embarrassing,  as  he  bore  with  him  no  evidence  of  the  friendly  dis- 
position of  his  government  towards  Hamet. 

Eaton,  in  June,  embarked  on  board  the  squadron  destined  for 
the  Mediterranean,  consisting  of  the  frigates  John  Adams,  the 
President,  the  Congress,  the  Essex,  and  the  Constellation,  under 
the  command  of  Commodore  Barron,  and  Captains  Rogers,  Bar- 
ron, Campbell,  and  Chauncey.  On  the  first  of  December,  they 
entered  the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  and  on  the  8th  arrived  at  Grand 
Cairo,  where  they  were  received  with  every  mark  of  respect  by  the 
viceroy. 

In  the  war  raging  in  Egypt  between  the  Mariieluke  Beys  and  the 
government  of  the  viceroy,  Hamet,  by  a  series  of  disasters,  was 
forced  to  join  the  former.  Eaton,  on  receiving  information  of  this 
fact,  immediately  solicited  an  audience  of  the  viceroy  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  a  letter  of  amnesty  for  the  bashaw.  This  audience 
was  granted,  and  the  viceroy  was  so  pleased  w^th  the  ingenious 
flattery  of  Eaton,  that  he  granted  a  letter  of  amnesty  to  the  exile, 
and  permission  to  pass  the  Turkish  lines  unmolested. 

Despatching  secret  couriers  with  the  letter  of  amnesty  and  the 
passport  of  safe  conduct,  Eaton  proceeded  to  Alexandria,  there'  to 
await  the  arrival  of  a  letter  from  Hamet,  relative  to  a  place  of  in- 
terview. Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Alexandria,  Hamet  wrote  that 
he  had  selected  a  place  of  interview,  near  Lake  Fayoum  on  the 
border  of  the  desert,  and  about  one  hundred  land  ninety  miles  from 
the  sea-coast. 

Notwithstanding  the  hazards  of  travelling  through  a  country 
exposed  to  all  the  horrors  of  civil  war,  Eaton  left  Alexandria  with 
two  officers  from  the  Argus,  and  an  escort  of  twenty-three  men  ;  but 
they  had  proceeded  but  about  seventy-five  miles  on  their  route  when 
they  found  themselves  arrested  at  the  Turkish  lines.  Their  situation 
was  now  extremely  embarrassing. 

The  Turkish  commander's  suspicions  were  however  soon  quieted 
by  the  flattery  of  Eaton  ;  he  complimented  him  for  his  correctness 
of  military  conduct,  and  obtained  an  ^dience,  in  which  he  stated 
his  plans,  and  their  beneficial  results  to  the  Turkish  interests  in 


EA.TON     MARCHES     ACROSS     THE     DESERT.  581 

Egypt.  The  Turk  finally  yielded,  and  calling  a  young  Arab  chief  to 
his  tent  despatched  him  in  search  of  Hamet. 

As  soon  as  Eaton  was  joined  by  Hamet,  they  proceeded  to  Alex- 
andria ;  but  here  they  were  exposed  to  new  difficulties,  by  the 
intrigues  of  the  French  consul,  who  represented  the  Americans  as 
English  spies  m  disguise.  Their  progress  was  not  however  much 
impeded  ;  for  the  bashaw  having  resolved  to  march  by  land  to 
Derne  and  Bengazi,  moved  round  Lake  Moeris,  and  formed  his  camp 
at  Arab's  Tower,  thirty  miles  west  of  the  old  fort  of  Alexandria. 

In  March,  1805,  the  caravan  was  arranged  at  Arab's  Tower,  and. 
the  forces  organized. 

The  whole  number  of  the  forces  did  not  exceed  four  hundred, 
including  Christians,  Greeks,  and  Arabs.  The  caravan  consisted  of 
about  one  hundred  camels  and  a  few  asses. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  the  march  across  the  desert  was  commenced  ; 
but  they  had.  not  proceeded  over  fifteen  miles,  ere  some  difficulties 
occurred  with  the  camel  drivers  ;  they  demanded  the  hire  for  theii 
camels  paid  in  advance.  This  demand  was  refused.  The  bashaw 
was  irresolute  and  despondent.  Money,  it  appeared,  was  the  onl)^ 
stimulus  that  could  give  motion  to  the  camp.  Eaton  saw  this,  and 
immediately  ordered  the  Christians  under  arms,  and  feigning  a 
countermarch,  threatened  to  abandon  the  expedition  and  the  bashaw. 
This  project  had  its  desired  effect  ;  the  march  was  immediately 
resumed.  On  the  18th,  the  caravan  arrived  at  the  Arab  castle 
Masroscah.  Here  Eaton  learned  for  the  first  time  that  the  caravan 
was  freighted  only  to  this  place,  nor  could  they  be  induced  to  proceed 
further  unless  they  were  previously  paid.  The  march  was  again 
resumed,  but  was  very  slow,  chiefly  through  indecision  and  want 
of  energy  on  the  part  of  the  bashaw ;  on  the  28th  they  arrived  at 
the  castle  Shemees.  Their  progress  thus  far  had  been  through  an 
almost  barren  and  uninhabited  wilderness.  Meanwhile  the  force? 
under  the  bashaw  and  Eaton  had  somewhat  increased  in  numbers, 
by  the  addition  of  several  tribes  of  the  Arabs  favorable  to  the  exiled 
bashaw.  On  the  30th  the  march  was  resumed,  the  forces  now 
amounting  to  about  twelve  hundred  men.  The  trials  of  Eaton  from 
the  30th  of  March  to  the  10th  of  April  were  severe.  Provisions 
were  scanty,  and  the  Arabs  on  that  account  frequently  mutinied,  and 
threatened  to  abandon  the  expedition.  On  the  10th  of  April  a  cou- 
rier arrived  in  Eaton's  camp  with  information  that  the  American 
vessels  expected,  were  lying  off  Bomba  and  Derne,  loaded  with  pro- 
visions. Despondency  was  now  changed  to  enthusiasm,  but  on 
arriving  at  Bomba  no  vessels  were  to  be  seen.  The  port  was  entirely 
desolate,  not  a  single  foot  trace  of  a  human  being  was  to  be  seen. 


582  WILLIAM    EATON. 

Eaton's  situation  was  distressing  in  the  extreme.  The  vessels  had 
been  seen  by  many  of  the  Arab  couriers,  and  Eaton  concluded  that 
they  had  left  the  coast  in  despair  of  his  arrival. 

After  consultation,  the  enraged  Arab  chiefs  resolved  to  abandon  the 
forces  of  Eaton  and  the  bashaw  the  next  morning.  Eaton  kept  up 
fires  all  night  on  a  high  mountain  in  the  rear  of  the  camp.  These 
fires  had  the  desired  effect.  At  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the 
ship  Argus,  Captain  Hull,  hove  in  sight.  At  twelve  o'clock  Eaton 
went  on  board,  and  provisions  and  water  were  sent  ashore  to  the 
almost  famished  men.  The  next  day,  the  17th,  the  sloop  Hornet 
arrived,  laden  with  provisions. 

On  the  23d,  the  necessary  provisions  being  landed,  the  march 
towards  Derne  was  resumed.  The  face  of  the  country  was  now 
changed  ;  they  were  approaching  cultivated  fields,  for  the  first  time 
since  leaving  Egypt.  Orders  were  immediately  issued  by  the  bashaw 
for  no  one  to  touch  the  growing  harvest.  He  who  transgressed  this 
injunction  was  to  lose  his  right  hand.  On  the  24th,  they  encamped 
in  a  fertile  valley,  about  five  hours  march  from  Derne. 

At  six  o'clock  the  next  morning,  orders  were  given  for  marching, 
but  the  Arabs  and  Bedouins  mutinied,  and  refused  to  proceed  further. 
After  much  persuasion,  however,  and  the  promise  of  two  thousand 
dollars  to  be  shared  among  the  chiefs,  they  were  prevailed  on  to 
advance,  and  at  two  o'clock  p.  m,  of  that  day  they  encamped  on  an 
eminence  overlooking  Derne. 

In  reconnoitering  the  city,  Eaton  discovered  that  the  governor's 
defence  consisted  of  a  water  battery  of  eight  nine-pounders  towards 
the  north-east,  some  temporary  breastworks  and  walls  of  old  build- 
ings to  the  south-east,  and  along  the  bay,  one-third  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city,  who  were  in  the  interest  of  the  reigning  bashaw,  had 
provided  their  terraces  and  the  walls  of  their  houses  with  loopholes. 
In  addition  to  these  defences,  the  governor  had  also  a  ten-inch 
howitzer  mounted  on  the  terrace  of  his  palace. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  to  the  bey, 
with  terms  of  amity,  on  condition  of  allegiance  and  fidelity.  The 
flag  was  returned  by  the  bey  with  the  laconic  answer,  "  My  head  or 
yours !" 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  a  favorable  breeze  enabled  the  Hornet 
and  Nautilus  to  approach  the  shore,  which  at  that  point  was  a  steep 
and  rugged  declivity  of  rocks.  With  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  one 
of  the  field-pieces  was  landed  and  drawn  up  the  precipice.  The 
forces  under  Eaton  and  the  bashaw  now  advanced  to  their  posi- 
tions. A  fire  was  opened  upon  the  shipping,  which  was  returned  by 
Lieutenant  Evans,  who  had  stood  in  and  anchored  within  one  hun- 


CAPTURE     OF    DERNE. 


583 


Commodore  HulL 

died  yards  of  the  battery.  Lieutenant  Dant  anchored  in  position  to 
bring  his  guns  to  bear  upon  the  battery  and  city.  Captain  Hull 
brought  the  Argus  to  anchor  a  little  south  of  the  Nautilus,  and  near 
enough  to  the  city  to  throw  a  twenty-four  pound  shot  into  the  town. 
Lieutenant  O'Bannon,  with  a  detachment  of  six  American  marines, 
twenty-four  cannoniers,  and  twenty-six  Greeks,  together  with  a  few 
Arabs  on  foot,  took  position  on  an  eminence,  directly  opposite  to  a 
considerable  body  of  the  enemy,  who  had  their  post  in  a  ravine  in 
the  south-east  quarter  of  the  town.  The  bashaw  took  possession  of 
an  old  castle  overlooking  the  town  on  the  south  south-west,  and  dis- 
played his  cavalry  upon  a  plain  in  his  rear.  At  a  quarter  before  two 
o'clock,  the  action  between  the  Americans  and  the  Tripolitans  became 
general.  In  less  than  one  hour  the  battery  was  silenced,  but  not 
altogether  abandoned  ;  those  who  did  abandon  it,  joined  the  enemy 
opposed  to  Eaton's  small  force.  This  augmentation  of  the  enemy's 
force  threw  that  of  Eaton's  into  confusion.  A  charge  was  now  his 
last  and  only  resort.  His  force  rushed  upon  the  enemy,  although 
they  were  outnumbered  ten  to  one.  The  enemy  fled  in  confusion, 
but  kept  up  a  constant  fire  from  every  palm-tree  and  partition  in  the 
way  of  their  retreat.     Eaton  received  a  ball  through  his  left  wrist 


584 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


Capture  of  Derne. 


which  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his  rifle  ;  but  Lieutenant  O'Ban- 
non  urged  forward  the  forces  under  his  command,  and  amid  a  heavy 
fire  of  musketry,  forced  their  way  to  the  battery,  which  they  took 
possession  of,  and  planting  the  American  flag  upon  its  ramparts, 
turned  its  guns  upon  the  flying  enemy.  The  fire  of  the  vessels, 
which  had  been  suspended  during  the  charge,  was  now  opened  upon 
the  town.  The  bashaw,  with  little  difficulty,  had  obtained  posses- 
sion of  the  palace  of  the  bey  ;  and  a  few  minutes  after  four  o'clock 
the  troops  under  Eaton  and  the  bashaw  had  obtained  complete  pos- 
session of  the  town,  after  an  action  of  about  two  hours  and  a  half. 
All  remained  quiet  till  the  1 3th  of  May,  when  the  bey,  having  re- 
ceived correct  information  of  the  number  of  Christians  on  shore, 
and  assured  that  the  forces  under  Hamet  and  Eaton  would  desert  on 
the  approach  of  Joseph  Bashaw's  forces,  advanced  with  a  large  force 
and  attacked  a  detachment  of  about  one  hundred  of  Hamet's  cavalry, 
who  were  posted  about  a  mile  from  the  town.  This  force  defended 
themselves  bravely,  but  were  at  last  compelled  to  give  way  to  supe- 
riority of  numbers.  The  enemy  pursued  them  under  a  fire  from  the 
vessels,  even  to  the  palace  of  the  bashaw.  Although  they  were  now 
exposed  to  a  galling  fire  from  the  houses  in  the  vicinity  of  the  palace, 
they  seemed  determined  to  obtain  possession  of  the  person  of  the 


CONCLUSION     OF     A     TREATY, 


585 


bashaw.     Fortunately,  however,  a  well-directed  volley  of  one  of  the 
nine-pounders   killed  two   of   the    enemy  near  the   palace.     They 
instantly  sounded  a  retreat,  and,  abandoning  the  town  at  all  quar 
ters,  they  were  pursued  by  Hamet's  cavalry  until  they  came  under 
the  fire  of  the  vessels. 

The  enemy  showed  themselves  frequently  after  this,  but  would 
not  hazard  another  engagement  until  the  1 1th  of  June,  when  having 
received  fresh  reinforcements  of  Arabs,  they  again  commenced  the 
attack.  After  an  action  of  four  hours  they  retreated,  leaving  their 
horses  in  possession  of  the  bashaw. 

In  the  evening  of  the  1 1th  of  June,  Eaton  received  a  letter  from 
Colonel  Lear,  American  consul-general,  informing  him  that  peace 
had  been  concluded  with  the  reigning  bashaw,  and  desiring  him  to 
evacuate  the  town. 

The  colonel  had  been  appointed  a  commissioner  to  negotiate  a 
peace  with  Tripoli,  under  the  instructions  and  advice  of  Commo- 
dore Barron,  commander  of  the  American  naval  forces  in  the  Medi- 
terranean. 

Agreeably  therefore  to  the  instructions  of  the  commodore  he 
repaired  to  Tripoli,  in  the  Essex,  on  the  26th  of  May,  and  immedi- 
ately opened  a  communication  with  the  bashaw.  The  demands  of 
the  bashaw  were  $200,000  for  peace  and  ransom,  and  on  the  part 
of  the  Americans,  the  delivery  of  all  the  Tripolitans  in  their  posses- 
sion, and  the  restoration  of  all  their  property. 

These  terms  were  indignantly  rejected,  and  the  following  proposed 
which  were  finally  accepted  :  "  That  a  mutual  exchange  of  prisoners 
should  take  place,  and  as  the  bashaw  had  a  balance  of  more  than 
two  hundred  in  his  favor,  $60,000  were  offered  as  a  ransom  for  them, 
but  not  one  cent  should  he  have  for  peace.  Colonel  Lear  in  his  letter 
to  General  Eaton,  giving  an  account  of  the  conclusion  of  pea  e  with 
the  bashaw,  mentions  that  the  only  terms  he  could  procure  from  the 
bashaw,  for  his  exiled  brother,  were,  that  in  case  he  should  leave 
his  dominions,  his  wife  and  family  should  be  restored  to  him. 

The  preliminaries  of  peace  were  concluded  on  the  3d  of  June, 
and  the  next  day  the  American  prisoners  were  released. 

Eaton  was  dissatisfied  with  the  terms  upon  which  peace  had  been 
concluded  ;  considering  that  Mr.  Lear  had  been  too  hasty. 

His  appointment  as  navy  agent  of  the  United  States  having  ceased 
with  the  war,  he  left  Syracuse  on  the  6th  of  August,  and  arrived  at 
Hampton  Roads  in  November.  At  Richmond  and  Washington,  he 
was  honored  by  the  citizens  with  public  dinners.  The  president,  in 
his  message  to  Congress,  made  honorable  mention  of  his  name  and 
services. 


586 


WILLIAM     EATON. 


The  legislature  of  Massachusetts  voted  a  tract  of  ten  thousand 
acres  of  unappropriated  public  land  to  him,  his  heirs,  and  assigns. 

In  May,  General  Eaton  was  elected  by  the  inhabitants  of  Brim- 
field  a  representative  in  the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts, 
and  in  the  same  month  was  summoned  to  attend  the  trial  of  Aaron 
Burr  and  others,  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  (Virginia).  This  prevented 
his  appearance  at  the  legislature,  until  the  commencement  of  its 
second  session,  in  December.  The  town  which  had  sent  him,  was 
decidedly  federal,  and  expected  from  him  a  course  of  political  conduct 
agreeable  to  their  wishes  ;  but  the  delivery  of  a  speech  in  which  he 
condemned  the  conduct,  and  impeached  the  integrity  of  Chief  Justice 
Marshall,  occasioned  the  withdrawal  of  the  confidence  of  both  parties. 

The  latter  part  of  General  Eaton's  life  was  unhappy.  He  died 
June  1st,  181 1,  and  was  buried  on  the  4th,  with  military  honors. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JAMES  WILKINSOK. 


ENERAL  WILKINSON  was 

a  native  of  Calvert  county, 
Maryland,  born  about  the  year 
1757.  He  vv^as  educated  under 
the  care  of  a  private  tutor,  un- 
til he  arrived  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
when  he  commenced  the  study  of  law 
at  Philadelphia,  At  this  time  he  seems 
to  have  imbibed  a  taste  for  military 
affairs  ;  and  at  the  opening  of  the  revo- 
lution, he  joined  the  army  of  General 
Washington,  then  besieging  Boston.  After  the  evacuation  of  that 
city,  he  joined  Arnold's  command,  but  was  soon  afterwards  ordered 
to  the  main  army,  and  fought  in  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Prince- 
ton.    During  the  campaign  against  Burgoyne,  he  joined  the  staff  of 

587 


588 


JAMES     WILKINSON. 


General  Gates,  by  whom  he  was  appointed  adjutant-general.  His 
advice  is  said  to  have  been  solicited  and  followed  by  the  general  in 
several  important  measures. 

At  the  close  of  the  revolution,  Wilkinson  engaged  in  various  specu- 
lative transactions  which  do  not  seem  to  have  yielded  a  compensation 
equal  to  his  wishes.  During  the  prospect  of  war  with  France  he 
again  entered  the  army,  and  was  employed  at  various  military  posts 
in  the  south  and  west.  Afterwards  he  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
employed  to  negotiate  the  Louisiana  treaty. 

The  command  of  the  expedition  fitted  out  by  government  against 
Montreal  and  Kingston,  during  the  war  of  1812,  devolved  on  Gene- 
ral Wilkinson.  The  overthrow  of  Proctor  by  General  Harrison  had 
rendered  this  a  comparatively  easy  undertaking.  He  left  Fort  George, 
October  2d,  1813,  and  after  attending  to  the  depot  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  crossed  Lake  Ontario  towards  the  St.  Lawrence.  He 
entered  the  river  on  the  2d  of  November,  having  encountered  part 
of  the  British  fleet  on  the  previous  day,  and  driven  it  back.  The 
immediate  command  in  this  affair  devolved  on  Brigadier-General 
Brown.  On  the  7th,  he  forwarded  a  summons  to  General  Hampton, 
requesting  him  to  join  the  expedition  ;  but  this  was  not  obeyed.  The 
British  continued  to  annoy  the  boats,  during  their  descent  down  the 
river,  until  the  debarkation  of  a  part  of  the  American  forces  at 
Chrystler's  fields.  During  the  greater  part  of  this  time,  General 
Wilkinson  was  so  unwell,  as  to  be  totally  unfit  for  duty,  and  the 
command  devolved  on  General  Boyd. 

In  the  action  at  Chrystler's  field,  the  British  attacked  in  two  sec- 
tions. A  party  also  threw  themselves  into  Chrystler's  house,  and  by 
firing  from  this  secure  position,  repulsed  a  brigade  of  the  Americans, 
with  the  loss  of  one  cannon.  Soon  after,  the  whole  British  line  were 
forced  to  give  ground.  They  then  retired  to  their  camp,  and  the 
Americans  re-embarked. 

In  this  action,  which  lasted  two  hours,  the  forces  on  each  side  were 
about  equal,  numbering  seventeen  hundred.  But  those  of  the  Ameri- 
cans were  but  raw  recruits,  while  the  British  were  veterans.  The 
loss  of  the  former  was  three  hundred  and  thirty-nine,  of  whom  one 
hundred  and  two  were  killed. 

In  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  General  Hampton  to  join  the 
expedition.  General  Wilkinson  concluded  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
continue  it,  and  accordingly  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Canada 
and  went  into  winter  quarters  at  French  Mills. 

Early  in  February,  the  general  received  orders  from  government, 
to  break  up  his  encampment  and  retire  to  Plattsburg.  On  the  12th 
and  13th,  he  destroyed  his  flotilla,  burned  his  barracks,  and  marched 


HIS     DEATH. 


591 


by  divisions  towards  the  place  designated,  in  the  following  month, 
he  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  La  Colle  mill,  being  obliged  to 
retire  with  the  loss  of  one  hundred  and  forty  men.  Immediately  after 
this  affair  he  was  recalled  by  government,  and  his  conduct  during 
the  whole  expedition,  made  the  subject  of  a  court  martial.  He  was 
acquitted  of  all  blame. 

After  the  war.  General  Wilkinson  removed  to  Mexico,  where  he 
owned  much  landed  property.   He  died  there  December  28th,  1825. 


/7^^ — <\M~^ — 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  ZEBULON  MONTGOMERY  PIKE. 


EBULON  M.  PIKE  was 
born  at  a  place  called  Ala- 
matunk,  now  by  corruption 
Lamberton,  New  Jersey, 
January  5,  1779.  His  fa- 
A'^hose  name  was  Zebulon,  was  an 
■  in  the  army  of  the  United  States 
time  of  his  son's  birth,  and  never 
bigher  than  the  rank  of  major. 
After  having  received  a  common  school 
education  in  early  youth,  Zebulon  Mont- 
gomery entered  as  a  cadet  into  a  com- 
pany then  under  his  father's  command,  in  which  he  served  some  time 
on  the  IFnited  States  western  frontiers.  Thus,  it  may  be  justly  said, 
that  he  had  been  almost  nurtured   a  soldier  from  his  cradle.     His 

deficiency  of  early  education  was  subsequently  supphed  by  close 
592 


MARRIAGE      OF     PIKE.  593 

and  ardent  study  ;  hence  he  became  a  proficient  in  the  Latm,  French, 
and  (afterwards)  in  the  Spanish  languages,  and  was  skilled  in  the 
mathematical  and  astronomical  sciences,  the  fruits  of  industrious 
application. 

A  short  lapse  of  time  intervened,  when  the  commission  of  ensign 
and  afterwards  of  lieutenant  in  the  first  regiment  of  the  United 
States  infantry"  was  given  him.  Spurning  idleness  in  the  calm  of 
peace,  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge. 
But  he  panted  for  glory  and  martial  renown.  He  seemed  to  be 
endued  with  a  spirit  not  ill-suited  to  the  chivalric  notions  of  the 
middle  ages.  Notwithstanding  the  multifarious  objects  which  attracted 
his  attention  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  Cupid  seems  to  have  in 
flicted  a  wound  in  his  bosom,  for  Hymen  spread  his  net,  and  our  hero 
was  caught  in  the  enticing  snare. 

In  March,  1801,  he  married  Miss  Clarissa  Brown,  of  Cincinnati, 
Kentucky,  who  bore  him  several  children,  only  one  of  whom  (a 
daughter)  survives. 

Among  other  habits  of  mental  discipline.  Pike  had  a  practice  of 
inserting  upon  the  blank  pages  of  some  favorite  volume  such  striking 
maxims  of  morality,  or  sentiments  of  honor,  as  occurred  in  his  read 
ing,  or  were  suggested  by  his  own  reflections.  He  used  a  small 
edition  of  Dodsley's  "  Economy  of  Human  Life"  for  this  purpose. 
Soon  after  his  marriage,  he  presented  this  volume  to  his  wife,  who 
long  preserved  it  as  one  of  the  most  precious  memorials  of  her  hus- 
band's virtues.  An  extract  from  one' of  the  manuscript  pages  of  this 
volume  was  published  in  a  periodical  work  soon  after  his  death.  It 
was  written  as  a  continuation  of  the  article  "  Sincerity,"  and  is 
strongly  characteristic  of  the  author. 

"  Should  my  country  call  for  the  sacrifice  of  that  life  which  has 
been  devoted  to  her  service  from  early  youth,  most  willingly  shall 
she  receive  it.  The  sod  which  covers  the  brave  shall  be  moistened 
by  the  tears  of  love  and  friendship  ;  but  if  I  fall  far  from  my  friends, 
and  from  you,  my  Clara,  remember  that  *  the  choicest  tears  which 
are  ever  shed  are  those  which  bedew  the  unburied  head  of  a  soldier,' 

and,  when  these  lines  shall  meet  the  eyes  of  our  young ,  let 

the  pages  of  this  little  book  be  impressed  on  his  mind,  as  the  gift  of 
a  father  who  had  nothing  to  bequeath  but  his  honor  ;  and  let  these 
maxims  be  ever  present  to  his  mind  as  he  rises  from  youth  to  man- 
hood : 

"  1.  Preserve  your  honor  free  from  blemish  ! 

"  2.  Be  always  ready  to  die  for  your  country  ! 

"  Z.  M.  Pike. 
"  Kaskaskias,  Indiana  Territory." 

38 


594  ZEBULON     M.     PIKE. 

On  the  old  peace  establishment  of  our  army,  then  composed  only 
of  a  few  regiments,  and  employed  altogether  in  garrisoning  a  few 
frontier  posts,  promotion  w^as  slow,  and  the  field  of  action  limited 
and  obscure.  For  several  years,  Lieutenant  Pike  panted  in  vain  for 
an  opportunity  of  gratifying  that  "  all  ruling  passion"  which,  to  use 
his  own  words,  "  swayed  him  irresistibly  to  the  profession  of  arms, 
and  the  pursuits  of  military  glory." 

At  length,  in  1805,  a  new  career  of  honorable  distinction  was 
opened  to  this  active  and  aspiring  youth.  Soon  after  the  purchase 
of  Louisiana,  the  government  of  the  United  States  determined  upon 
taking  measures  to  explore  their  new  territory,  and  that  immense 
tract  of  wilderness  included  within  its  limits.  Besides  ascertaining 
its  geographical  boundaries,  it  was  desirable  to  acquire  some  know- 
ledge of  its  soil  and  natural  productions  ;  of  the  course  of  its  rivers 
and  their  fitness  for  the  purpose  of  navigation,  and  other  uses  of 
civilized  life  ;  and  also  to  gain  particular  information  of  the  num- 
bers, character  and  power  of  the  tribes  of  Indians  who  inhabited' 
this  territory,  and  their  several  dispositions  towards  the  United  States. 
With  these  views,  while  Captains  Lewis  and  Clarke  were  sent  to 
explore  the  unknown  sources  of  the  Missouri,  Pike  was  despatched 
on  a  similar  expedition  for  the  purpose  of  tracing  the  Mississippi  to 
its  head. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  1805,  Pike  accordingly  embarked  at  St. 
Louis,  and  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi,  with  twenty  men,  in  a  stout 
boat,  provisioned  for  four  months  ;  but  they  were  soon  obliged  to 
leave  their  boats,  and  proceed  on  their  journey  by  land,  or  in  canoes, 
which  they  built  and  carried  with  them  on  their  march,  after  leaving 
their  large  boat.  Pike's  own  journal  has  been  for  some  time  before 
the  public,  and  affords  a  much  more  satisfactory  narrative  of  the 
expedition  than  the  narrow  limits  of  a  work  of  this  kind  can  allow. 
For  eight  months  and  twenty  days  this  adventurous  soldier  and  his 
faithful  band  were  almost  continually  exposed  to  hardship  and  peril, 
depending  for  provisions  upon  the  precarious  fortunes  of  the  chase  ; 
enduring  the  most  piercing  cold,  and  cheerfully  submitting  to  the 
most  constant  and  harassing  toils.  They  were  sometimes,  for  days 
together  without  food,  and  they  frequently  slept  without  cover,  on 
the  bare  earth  or  the  snow,  during  the  bitterest  inclemency  of  a 
northern  winter.  During  this  voyage.  Pike  had  no  intelligent  com- 
panion upon  whom  he  could  rely  for  any  sort  of  advice  or  aid,  and 
he  literally  performed  the  duties  of  astronomer,  surveyor,  command- 
ing officer,  clerk,  spy,  guide,  and  hunter ;  frequently  preceding  the 
party  for  many  miles,  in  order  to  reconnoitre,  or  rambling  for  whole 
days  in  search  of  deer  or  other  game,  for  provision,  and  then  return- 


PIKE'S     WESTERN     EXPEDITION. 


596 


Piie's  Voyage  on  tlie  Mississippi 

mg  to  his  men  in  the  evening,  hungry  and  fatigued,  he  would  sit 
down  in  the  open  air,  to  copy  by  the  light  of  a  fire  the  notes  of  his 
journey,  and  to  plot  out  the  courses  of  the  next  day. 

His  conduct  towards  the  Indians  was  marked  with  equal  good 
sense,  firmness,  and  humanity  ;  he  every  where,  without  violence  or 
fraud,  induced  them  to  submit  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States ;  and  he  made  use  of  the  authority  of  his  country  to  put  an 
end  to  a  savage  warfare,  which  had,  for  many  years,  been  carried  on 
with  the  utmost  cruelty  and  rancor  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Chip- 
peways,  two  of  the  most  powerful  nations  of  aborigines  remaining 
on  the  North  American  continent.  He  also  every  where  enforced 
with  effect,  the  laws  of  the  United  States  against  supplying  the 
savages  with  spirituous  liquors.  Thus,  while  he  wrested  their  toma- 
hawks from  their  hands,  and  compelled  them  to  bury  the  hatchet, 
he  defended  them  from  their  own  vices,  and,  in  the  true  spirit  of 
humanity  and  honor,  rejected  with  disdain  that  cruel  and  dastardly 
policy  which  seeks  the  security  of  the  civilized  man  in  the  debase- 
ment of  the  savage. 

In  addition  to  the  other  objects  of  Pike's  mission,  as  specifically 
detailed  in  his  instructions,  he  conceived  that  his  duty  as  a  soldier 


596  ZEBULON     M.     PIKE. 

required  ot  him  an  investigation  of  the  views  and  conduct  of  the 
British  traders,  within  the  limits  of  our  jurisdiction  ;  and  an  inquiry 
into  the  exact  limits  of  the  territories  of  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  This  duty  he  performed,  says  the  author  of  a  former  sketch 
of  his  biography,  with  the  boldness  of  a  soldier,  and  the  politeness 
of  a  gentleman  ; — he  might  have  justly  added,  with  the  disinterested- 
ness of  a  man  of  honor,  and  the  ability  and  discretion  of  an  enlightened 
politician.  He  found  that  the  North  West  Company,  by  extending 
their  establishments  and  commerce  far  within  the  bounds  of  the 
United  States,  and  even  into  the  very  centre  of  Louisiana,  were  thus 
enabled  to  introduce  their  goods  without  duty  or  license  into  our 
territories,  to  the  very  great  injury  of  the  revenue,  as  well  as  to  the 
complete  exclusion  of  our  own  countrymen  from  all  competition  in 
this  trade.  He  perceived,  besides,  that  these  establishm.ents  were 
made  subservient  to  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  influence  over  the 
savages,  dangerous  tO'  the  peace,  and  injurious  to  the  honor  and 
character  of  our  government,  and  he  thought  it  evident  that,  in  case 
of  a  rupture  between  the  two  powers,  all  these  posts  would  be  used 
as  rallying  points  for  the  enemy,  and  as  places  of  deposit  for  arms  to 
be  distributed  to  the  Indians,  to  the  infinite  annoyance,  if  not  total 
ruin,  of  all  the  adjoining  territories. 

An  opportunity  was  now  presented  to  him  of  enriching  himself  for 
life,  by  merely  using  the  power  vested  in  him  by  law,  and  seizing 
upon  the  immense  property  of  the  company  which  he  found  illegally 
introduced  within  our  territory.  But,  having  been  hospitably  received 
at  one  of  their  principal  posts,  his  high  sense  of  honor  would  not 
permit  him  to  requite  their  hospitality  by  a  rigorous  execution  of  the 
laws.  Jt  is  probable,  too,  that  he  thought  so  violent  a  measure  might 
lead  to  collisions  between  the  two  governments,  without  tending  to 
produce  any  permanent  beneficial  efl^ect ;  and  he  cheerfully  sacrificed 
all  views  of  personal  interest  to  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  true 
interest  and  honor  of  his  country.  By  means  of  reprimands  and 
threats  to  the  inferior  traders,  and  a  frank  and  spirited  remonstrance 
to  the  director  of  the  Fond  du  Lac  department,  he  succeeded  in 
procuring  a  stipulation,  that  in  future  no  attempt  should  be  made  to 
influence  any  Indian  on  political  affairs,  or  on  any  subjects  foreign 
to  trade,  and  that  measures  should  be  immediately  taken  to  prevent 
the  display  of  the  British  flag,  or  any  other  mark  of  power  within 
our  dominion  ;  together  with  a  promise  that  such  representations 
should  be  immediately  made  to  the  company,  and  such  an  arrange- 
ment eff'ected  with  regard  to  duties,  as  would  hereafter  set  that 
question  at  rest. 

His  conduct  with  regard  to  this  subject  was,  at  the  time,  viewed 


pike's    second   expedition.  597 

with  cold  approbation,  but  the  events  of  the  subsequent  war  bore 
ample  testimony  to  his  sagacity  and  foresight. 

Within  two  months  after  his  return  from  this  expedition,  Pike  was 
selected  by  General  Wilkinson  for  a  second  perilous  journey  of  hard- 
ship and  adventure.  The  principal  purpose  of  this  expedition  was,  like 
that  of  the  former,  to  explore  the  interior  of  Louisiana  territory.  He 
was  directed  to  embark  at  St.  Louis,  with  the  Osage  captives,  (about 
forty  in  number,)  who  had  been  rescued  from  their  enemies,  the 
Potowatomies,  by  the  interference  of  our  government,  and  to  trans- 
port them  to  the  principal  village  of  their  nation  ;  and  he  was 
instructed  to  take  this  opportunity  to  bring  about  interviews  between 
the  different  savage  nations,  and  to  endeavor  to  assuage  animosities, 
and  establish  a  permanent  peace  among  them.  He  was,  after  accom- 
plishing these  objects,  to  continue  his  route  into  the  interior,  and  to 
explore  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributary  streams,  especially  the 
Arkansas  and  Red  rivers,  and  thus  to  acquire  such  geographical 
information  as  might  enable  government  to  enter  into  definitive 
arrangements  for  a  boundary  line  between  our  newly  acquired  terri- 
tory and  North  Mexico. 

In  the  course  of  this  second  journey,  our  adventurous  soldier,  after 
leaving  the  Osage  village,  encountered  hardships,  in  comparison  of 
which  the  severities  of  his  former  journey  seemed  to  him  ease  and 
luxury. 

Winter  overtook  the  party  unprovided  with  any  clothing  fit  to 
protect  them  from  cold  and  storms.  Their  horses  died,  and  for 
weeks  they  were  obliged  to  explore  their  way,  on  foot,  through  the 
wilderness,  carrying  packs  of  sixty  or  seventy  pounds  weight,  beside 
their  arms,  exposed  to  the  bitterest  severity  of  the  cold,  relying 
solely  on  the  produce  of  the  chase  for  subsistence,  and  often,  for  two 
or  three  days,  altogether  without  food.  This  part  of  his  journal 
contains  a  narrative  of  a  series  of  sufferings  sufficient  to  make  the 
"  superfluous,  and  lust-dieted"  son  of  luxury  shudder  at  the  bare 
recital.  Several  of  the  men  had  their  feet  frozen,  and  all,  except 
Pike  and  one  other,  were  in  some  degree  injured  by  the  intensity  of 
the  cold.     He  thus  relates  the  history  of  two  of  these  dreary  days  : 

"  1 8th  January,  Sunday. — The  doctor  and  myself,  who  formerly 
were  untouched  by  the  frost,  went  out  to  hunt  something  to  preserve 
existence  ;  near  evening  we  wounded  a  buffalo  with  three  balls,  but 
had  the  mortification  to  see  him  run  off  notwithstanding.  We  con- 
cluded it  was  useless  to  go  home  to  add  to  the  general  gloom,  and 
went  amongst  some  rocks,  where  we  encamped,  and  sat  up  all  night ; 
from  the  intense  cold  it  was  impossible  to  sleep.  Hungry  and  with- 
out cover. 


598  ZEBULON     M.     PIKE. 

"  19th  January,  Monday. — We  again  took  the  field,  and  after 
crawHng  about  one  mile  in  the  snow,  got  near  enough  to  shoot  eight 
times  among  a  gang  of  buffaloes,  and  could  plainly  perceive  two  or 
three  to  be  badly  wounded,  but  by  accident  they  took  the  wind  of 
us,  and,  to  our  great  mortification,  all  were  able  to  run  off.  By  this 
time  I  had  become  extremely  weak  and  faint,  it  being  the  fourth  day 
since  we  had  received  sustenance,  all  of  which  we  were  marching 
hard,  and  the  last  night  had  hardly  closed  our  eyes  to  sleep.  We 
were  inclining  our  course  to  a  point  of  woods,  determined  to  remain 
absent  and  die  by  ourselves,  rather  than  return  to  our  camp  and 
behold  the  misery  of  our  poor  lads,  when  we  discovered  a  gang  of 
buffaloes  coming  along  at  some  distance.  With  great  exertions,  I 
made  out  to  run  and  place  myself  behind  some  cedars,  and  by  the 
greatest  good  luck  the  first  shot  stopped  one,  which  we  killed  in  three 
more  shots,  and  by  the  dusk  had  cut  each  of  ns  a  heavy  load,  with 
which  we  determined  immediately  to  proceed  to  the  camp,  iii  order 
to  relieve  the  anxiety  of  our  men,  and  carry  the  poor  fellows  some 
food.  We  arrived  there  about  twelve  o'clock,  and  when  I  threw 
my  load  down,  it  was  with  difficulty  I  prevented  myself  from  falling  ; 
I  was  attacked  with  a  giddiness  of  the  head,  which  lasted  for  some 
minutes.  On  the  countenances  of  the  men  was  not  a  frown,  nor  a 
desponding  eye,  but  all  seemed  happy  to  hail  their  officer  and  com- 
panions, yet  not  a  mouthful  had  they  eat  for  four  days.  On  demand- 
ing what  were  their  thoughts,  the  sergeant  replied,  the  most  robust 
had  determined  to  set  out  in  search  of  us  on  the  morrow,  and  not 
return  unless  they  found  us  or  had  killed  something  to  preserve  the 
lives  of  their  starving  companions." 

In  the  course  of  this  long,  toilsome,  and  perilous  march.  Pike 
displayed  a  degree  of  personal  heroism  and  hardihood,  united  with  a 
prudence  and  sagacity  which,  had  they  been  exerted  on  some  wider 
theatre  of  action,  would  have  done  honor  to  the  most  renowned 
general.  The  reader  may,  perhaps,  smile  at  this  remark,  as  one  of 
the  wild  exaggerations  of  a  biographer,  anxious  to  dignify  the  cha- 
racter of  his  hero  ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  great  men  owe  much  of  their 
splendor  to  fortuitous  circumstances,  and  if  Hannibal  had  made  his 
famous  march  across  the  Alps  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  foot, 
instead  of  an  army,  his  name,  if  it  had  reached  us,  would  have  come 
down  to  posterity  with  much  less  dignity  than  that  of  our  hardy 
countryman.  There  are  passages  in  Pike's  journal  of  his  second 
expedition,  which  had  they  been  found,  with  proper  alterations  of 
place  and  circumstance,  related  by  Plutarch,  or  Livy,  of  one  of  their 
heroes,  would  have  been  cited  by  every  schoolboy  as  examples  of 
military  and  heroic  virtue.   Take,  for  instance,  the  account  of  Pike's 


PIKE    S     SECOND     EXPEDITION. 


601 


firm  and  prudent  conduct  in  repressing  the  first  symptoms  of  discon- 
tent in  his  Httle  band,  and  his  address  upon  this  occasion  to  the 
mutineer,  and  they  will  be  found  to  need  but  little  of  the  usual 
embellishments  of  an  eloquent  historian,  to  be  made  worthy  of  Han- 
nibal himself. 

"  24th  January,  Saturday. — We  sallied  out  in  the  morning,  and 
shortly  after  perceived  our  little  band,  marching  through  the  snow, 
(about  two  and  a  half  feet  deep,)  silent  and  with  downcast  counte- 
nances. We  joined  them,  and  learnt  that  they,  finding  the  snow  to 
fall  so  thickly  that  it  was  impossible  to  proceed,  had  encamped  about 
one  o'clock  the  preceding  day.  As  I  found  all  the  buffaloes  had  quitted 
the  plains,  I  determined  to  attempt  the  traverse  of  the  mountain,  in 
in  which  we  persevered  until  the  snow  became  so  deep  it  was  impos- 
sible to  proceed,  when  I  again  turned  my  face  to  the  plain,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  the  voyage  found  myself  discouraged,  and,  for  the 
first  time,  I  heard  a  man  express  himself  in  a  seditious  manner  ;  he 
exclaimed,  '  that  it  was  more  than  human  nature  could  bear,  to  march 
three  days  without  sustenance,  through  snows  three  feet  deep,  and 
carry  burdens  only  fit  for  horses,'  &c.  &c. 

^  S  I  knew  very  well  the  fidelity 
and  attachment  of  the  majority 
of  the  men,  and  even  of  this 
poor  fellow,  and  that  it  was  in 
ray  power  to  chastise  him  when 
I  thought  proper,  I  passed  it  by 
for  the  moment,  determined  to 
notice  it  at  a  more  auspicious 
time.  We  dragged  our  weary 
and  emaciated  limbs  along  until 
about  ten  o'clock.  The  doctor  and  myself,  who  were  in  advance, 
discovered  some  buffaloes  on  the  plain,  when  we  left  or  loads  and 
orders  written  on  the  snow,  to  proceed  to  the  nearest  woods  to  en- 
camp. We  then  went  in  pursuit  of  the  buffaloes,  which  were  on  the 
move. 

"  The  doctor,  who  was  then  less  reduced  than  myself,  ran  and  got 
behind  a  hill,  and  shot  one  down,  which  stopped  the  remainder.  We 
crawled  up  to  the  dead  one,  and  shot  from  him  as  many  as  twelve 
or  fourteen  times  among  the  gang,  when  they  removed  out  of  sight. 
We  then  proceeded  to  cut  up  the  one  we  had  shot,  and  after  pro- 
curing each  of  us  a  load  of  the  meat,  we  marched  for  the  camp,  the 
smoke  of  which  was  in  view.  We  arrived  at  the  camp  to  the  great 
joy  of  our  brave  lads,  who  immediately  feasted  sumptuously.  After 
our  repast,  I  sent  for  the  lad  who  had  presumed  to  speak  discon- 


602  ZEBULON     M.     PIKE. 

tentedly  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  addressed  him  to  the  follow- 
ing- effect :  '  Brown,  you  this  day  presumed  to  make  use  of  language 
which  was  seditious  and  mutinous  ;  I  then  passed  it  over,  pitying 
your  situation,  and  attributing  it  to  your  distress,  rather  than  to  your 
inclination  to  sow  discontent  amongst  the  party.  Had  I  reserved 
provisions  for  ourselves,  whilst  you  were  starving  ;  had  we  been 
marching  along  light  and  at  our  ease,  whilst  you  were  weighed  down 
with  your  burden,  then  you  would  have  had  some  pretext  for  your 
observations  ;  but  when  we  were  equally  hungry,  weary,  emaciated, 
and  charged  with  burden,  which  I  believe  my  natural  strength  is  less 
able  to  bear  than  any  man's  in  the  party ;  when  we  were  always 
foremost  in  breaking  the  road,  reconnoitering,  and  the  fatigues  of  the 
chase,  it  was  the  height  of  ingratitude  in  you  to  let  an  expression 
escape  w^hich  was  indicative  of  discontent ;  your  ready  compliance 
and  firm  perseverance  I  had  reason  to  expect,  as  the  leader  of  men 
and  my  companions  in  miseries  and  dangers.  But  your  duty  as  a 
soldier  demanded  your  obedience  to  your  officer,  and  a  prohibition 
of  such  language,  which,  for  this  time  I  will  pardon,  but  assure  you, 
should  it  ever  be  repeated,  I  will  revenge  your  ingratitude  and  punish 
your  disobedience  by  instant  death.  I  take  this  opportunity,  like- 
wise, to  assure  you,  soldiers,  of  my  thanks  for  the  obedience,  per- 
severance and  ready  contempt  of  every  danger  which  you  have 
generally  evinced  ;  I  assure  you  nothing  shall  be  wanting  on  my 
part  to  procure  you  the  rewards  of  our  government  and  gratitude  of 
your  countrymen.' 

"  They  all  appeared  very  much  affected,  and  retired  with  assurances 
of  perseverance  in  duty." 

Amidst  these  distresses,  after  a  three  months  winter's  march,  they 
explored  their  way  to  what  they  supposed  to  be  the  Red  river. 
Here  they  were  met  by  a  party  of  Spanish  cavalry,  by  whom  Pike 
was  informed,  to  his  great  astonishment,  that  they  were  not  on  the 
Red  river,  but  on  the  Rio  del  Norte,  and  in  the  Spanish  territory. 
All  opposition  to  this  force  would  have  been  idle,  and  he  reluctantly 
submitted  to  accompany  the  Spaniards  to  Santa  Fe,  to  appear  before 
the  governor.  Though,  to  his  great  mortification,  his  expedition  was 
thus  broken  off,  all  hardship  was  now  at  an  end.  He  was  treated  on 
lhe  road  with  great  respect  and  hospitality,  though  watched  .and 
guarded  with  great  jealousy ;  but  he  still  insisted  on  wearing  his 
sword,  and  that  his  men  should  retain  their  arms.  Indeed,  it  was 
his  resolution,  had  he  or  any  of  his  people  been  ill  used,  to  surprise 
the  guard,  carry  of?"  their  horses,  and  make  the  best  of  their  way  to 
Apaches. 

When  he  arrived  at  Santa  Fe,  his  whole  dress  was  a  blanket  coat, 


pike's    rapid    promotion.  60:] 

blue  trowsers,  moccasons  and  a  scarlet  cloth  cap  lined  with  a  fox  skin  ; 
his  men  were  in  leather  coats,  with  leggins,  &c.,  and  had  not  a  hat 
in  the  whole  party.  But  he  appeared  before  the  governor  with  his 
usual  spirit,  and  insisted  on  being  treated  with  the  respect  due  to  an 
American  officer.  From  Santa  Fe  he  was  sent  to  the  capital  of  the 
province  of  Biscay,  to  be  examined  by  the  commandant-general, 
where  he  was  well  received  and  entertained  for  some  time  ;  after 
which  he  was  sent  on  his  way  home,  under  the  escort  of  a  strong 
party  of  horse.  He  arrived  with  his  little  band  at  Natchitoches,  on 
the  1st  of  July,  1807. 

The  most  vexatious  circumstance,  attending  this  unexpected  sequel 
to  the  expedition,  was  the  seizure  of  all  his  papers,  except  his  private 
journal,  by  the  Spanish  government.  He  had  been  fitted  out  with 
a  complete  set  of  mathematical  and  astronomical  instruments,  and 
had  made  frequent  and  accurate  observations.  He  had  thus  ascer- 
tained the  geographical  situation  of  the  most  important  points  with 
much  precision,  and  had  collected  materials  for  an  accurate  map  of 
a  great  part  of  the  country  which  he  traversed.  The  seizure  of  these 
papers  is  a  real  loss  to  the  cause  of  science.  It  is,  however,  in  per- 
fect conformity  to  that  narrow  and  purblind  policy,  which  the  old 
Spanish  government  uniformly  manifested  in  the  administration  of  its 
colonies. 

Pike,  upon  his  return,  received  the  thanks  of  the  government ;  a 
committee  of  the  house  of  representatives  expressed  their  high  sense 
of  his  "  zeal,  perseverance,  and  intelligence,"  and  the  administration, 
much  to  its  honor,  bestowed  upon  him  a  more  solid  testimony  of 
approbation,  by  a  rapid  promotion  in  the  army.  He  was  immediately 
appointed  captain,  shortly  after  a  major,  and,  upon  the  further  enlarge- 
ment of  the  army,  in  1810,  a  colonel  of  infantry. 

URING  the  intervals  of  his  military  duties, 
he  prepared  for  the  press  a  narrative  of  his 
two  expeditions,  accompanied  by  several 
valuable  original  maps  and  charts.  This  was 
published  in  8vo.,  in  1810.  The  work  is 
rather  overloaded  with  unnecessary  detail, 
and  the  language  is  careless  and  often  inac- 
curate ;  the  last  fault  is,  however,  in  a  great 
measure  to  be  attributed  to  several  disadvan- 
tageous circumstances  under  which  the  work  went  to  press,  while 
the  author  was  at  a  distance,  engaged  in  public  service.  Still  it  is 
sufficiently  evident  that  the  volume  is  not  the  composition  of  a  scholar. 
But  it  bears  the  strongest  marks  of  an  acute,  active,  busy  mind, 
unaccustomed  to  scientific  arrangement,  or  speculation,  but  filled 


604  ZEBULON     M.     PIKE. 

with  a  variety  of  knowledge,  all  of  a  useful,  practical  kind.  Though 
entirely  unacquainted  with  botany,  zoology,  and  mineralogy,  as 
sciences.  Pike  had  a  liberal  curiosity,  which  taught  him  to  look  upon 
every  object  with  the  eye  of  a  philosopher,  and  to  despise  no  sort  of 
knowledge,  though  he  might  not  himself  perceive  its  immediate 
utility.  Above  all,  the  narrative  has  that  unstudied  air  of  truth  which 
is  so  apt  to  evaporate  away  in  the  processes  of  the  book-makmg 
traveller.  It  retains  all  the  clearness  and  freshness  of  first  impres- 
sions, and  we  are  never  for  a  moment  left  in  doubt,  whether  the 
writer  and  the  traveller  are  the  same  person. 

Immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war.  Pike  was  stationed  with 
his  regiment  upon  the  northern  frontier,  and,  upon  the  commence- 
ment of  the  campaign  of  1813,  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general. 

There  was  a  tincture  of  enthusiasm  in  Pike's  character  which 
communicated  itself  to  his  whole  conduct ;  in  whatsoever  pursuit  he 
engaged,  he  entered  upon  it  with  his  whole  soul.  But  the  profes- 
sion of  arms  had  been  always  his  favorite  study — his  "  life's  employ- 
ment and  his  leisure's  charm."  Having  served  through  every  gradation 
of  rank,  almost  from  a  private  up  to  a  general,  and  very  often  em- 
ployed in  separate  and  independent  commands,  he  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  all  the  minutiae  of  discipline.  The  veteran  of  a 
peace  establishment  is  too  apt,  from  the  want  of  greater  objects,  to 
narrow  his  mind  down  to  the  little  details  of  a  military  life,  until,  at 
length,  every  trifle  swells  up  into  ideal  importance,  and  the  cut  of 
a  coat  or  the  tying  of  a  neckcloth  seems  big  with  the  fate  of  nations. 
Pike  was  extremely  attentive  to  all  the  particulars,  even  to  the  most 
minute  points,  of  discipline  and  dress  ;  yet  he  gave  them  their  due 
importance,  and  no  more.  He  did  not  wish  to  degrade  the  soldier 
into  a  mere  living  machine  ;  and  while  he  kept  up  the  strictest  dis- 
cipline, he  labored  to  make  his  men  feel  that  this  severity  arose  not 
from  caprice  or  ill-temper,  but  from  principle,  and  that  it  had  for  its 
sole  object  their  own  glory,  their  ease,  their  health  and  safety.  Care- 
less of  popularity,  and  negligent  of  the  arts  by  which  good-will  is 
often  conciliated  where  there  is  no  real  esteem,  he,  by  the  unassum- 
ing simplicity  and  frankness  of  his  manners,  and  the  'undeviating 
honor  of  his  conduct,  bound  to  himself  the  hearts  of  all  around  with 
the  strong  ties  of  respect  and  attention. 

Thus  self-formed  and  thus  situated,  the  eyes  of  the  army  were 
anxiously  cast  towards  him  as  the  chosen  champion  who  was  to 
redeem  their  reputation  from  that  disgrace  with  which  it  had  been 
stained  by  a  long  series  of  disasters.  The  day  for  which  his  heart 
had  long  panted  at  length  arrived — a  bright  day  of  glory  for  the 
hero — of  gloom  and  sorrow  for  his  country.  He  was  selected  for  the 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  YORK.  605 

command  of  the  land  forces  in  an  expedition  against  York,  the  capital 
of  Upper  Canada,  and  on  the  25th  of  April  sailed  from  Sackett's 
Harbor,  in  the  squadron  commanded  by  Commodore  Chauncey,  The 
day  before  the  expedition  sailed,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  father,  pro- 
phetic of  his  fate. 

"I  embark  to-morrow  in  the  fleet  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  at  the  head 
of  a  column  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  choice  troops,  on  a  secret 
expedition.  If  success  attends  my  steps,  honor  and  glory  await  my 
name  ;  if  defeat,  still  shall  it  be  said  that  we  died  like  brave  men, 
and  conferred  honor,  even  in  death,  on  the  American  name. 

"  Should  I  be  the  happy  mortal  destined  to  turn  the  scale  of  war, 
will  you  not  rejoice,  O  my  father  ?  May  heaven  be  propitious,  and 
smile  on  the  cause  of  my  country  !  But  if  we  are  destined  to  fall, 
may  my  fall  be  like  Wolfe's — to  sleep  in  the  arms  of  victory." 

On  the  27th  of  April,  General  Pike  arrived  at  York,  with  about 
seventeen  hundred  chosen  men,  .and  immediately  prepared  to  land. 
The  spot  which  was  selected  for  landing,  was  the  site  of  an  old 
French  fort  called  Toronto,  of  which  scarcely  any  vestiges  now  re- 
main. The  plan  of  attack  was  formed  by  General  Pike  himself,  and 
clearly  and  minutely  detailed  in  his  general  orders,  which  were 
directed  to  be  read  at  the  head  of  every  corps  :  every  field-officer 
was  also  directed  to  carry  a  copy  of  them,  in  order  that  he  might  at 
any  moment  refer  to  them,  and  give  explanations  to  his  subordinates. 
Everything  was  arranged,  and  every  probable  exigency  provided  for, 
with  admirable  method  and  precision. 

There  is  one  paragraph  of  these  orders  which  is  deeply  stamped 
with  that  unity  of  character  so  visible  throughout  all  his  actions,  and 
which  is,  in  truth,  one  of  the  strongest  marks  of  a  powerful  and  origi- 
nal mind. 

"  No  man  will  load  until  ordered,  except  the  light  troops  in  front, 
until  within  a  short  distance  of  the  enemy,  and  then  charge  bayonets  ; 
thus  letting  the  enemy  see  that  we  can  meet  them  with  their  own 
weapons.  Any  man  firing  or  quitting  his  post  without  orders  must 
be  put  to  instant  death,  as  an  example  may  be  necessary.  Platoon 
oflicers  will  pay  the  greatest  attention  to  the  coolness  and  aim  of  their 
men  in  the  fire  ;  their  regularity  and  dressing  in  the  charge.  The 
field  officers  will  watch  over  the  conduct  of  the  whole.  Courage  and 
bravery  in  the  field  do  not  more  distinguish  the  soldier  than  humanity 
after  victory ;  and  whatever  examples  the  savage  allies  of  our 
enemies  may  have  given  us,  the  general  confidently  hopes,  that  the 
blood  of  an  unresisting  or  yielding  enemy  will  never  stain  the  w^eapons 
of  the  soldiers  of  his  column.  Property  must  be  held  sacred  ;  and 
any  soldier  who  shall  so  far  neglect  the  honor  of  his  profession  as  to 


606  ZEBULON     M,     PIKE. 

be  guilty  of  plundering  the  inhabitants,  shall,  if  convicted,  be  punished 
with  death.  But  the  commanding  general  assures  the  troops,  that 
should  they  capture  a  large  quantity  of  public  stores,  he  will  use  his 
best  endeavors  to  procure  them  a  reward  from  his  government." 

As  soon  as  the  debarkation  commenced,  a  body  of  British  grena- 
diers was  paraded  on  the  shore,  and  the  Glengary  Fencibles,  a  local 
force  which  had  been  disciplined  with  great  care,  and  had  repeatedly 
proved  itself  fully  equal  to  any  regular  force,  appeared  at  another 
point.  Large  bodies  of  Indians  were  also  seen  in  different  directions, 
while  others  filled  the  woods  which  skirted  the  shore.  General 
Sheaffe  commanded  in  person. 

Forsyth's  riflemen  were  the  first  to  land,  and  they  effected  their 
purpose  under  a  heavy  fire  of  musquetry  and  rifles  from  the  Indians 
and  British.  As  soon  as  the  fire  from  the  shore  commenced,  Major 
Forsyth  had  ordered  his  men  to  rest  for  a  few  moments  upon  their 
oars,  and  return  the  fire.  At  this  moment  Pike  was  standing  upon 
the  deck  of  his  ship.  He  saw  the  pause  of  his  first  division,  and, 
impatient  at  the  delay,  exclaimed,  "  I  can  stay  here  no  longer,  come, 
jump  into  the  boat  ;"  and,  springing  into  it,  followed  by  his  staff, 
was  immediately  rowed  into  the  thickest  of  the  fire. 

The  infantry  had  followed  the  riflemen,  and  formed  in  platoons  as 
soon  as  they  reached  the  shore.  General  Pike  took  the  command 
of  the  first  platoon  which  he  reached,  and  ordered  the  whole  to  pre- 
pare for  a  charge.  They  mounted  the  bank,  and  the  enemy,  after  a 
short  conflict,  broke  at  once,  and  fled  in  disorder  towards  the  works. 

At  that  moment  the  sound  of  Forsyth's  bugles  was  heard,  announ- 
cing his  success  at  another  point.  Its  effect  upon  the  Indians  was 
almost  electrical ;  they  gave  a  horrible  yell,  and  fled  in  every  direc- 
tion , 

The  whole  force  being  now  landed  and  collected,  was  again  formed 
and  led  on  by  General  Pike,  in  person,  to  attack  the  enemy's  works. 
— They  advanced  through  the  woods,  and  after  carrying  one  bat- 
tery by  assault,  in  the  most  gallant  manner,  moved  on  in  columns 
towards  the  main  works.  The  fire  of  the  enemy  was  soon  silenced 
by  our  artillery,  and  a  flag  of  surrender  was  expected,  when  a  terri- 
ble explosion  suddenly  took  place  from  the  British  magazine,  which 
had  been  previously  prepared  for  this  purpose.  Pike,  after  aiding  in 
removing  a  wounded  man  with  his  own  hands,  had  sat  down  on  the 
stump  of  a  tree  with  a  British  sergeant,  who  had  been  taken,  and  was 
employed  with  Captain  Nicholson  and  one  of  his  aids  in  examining 
the  prisoner.  The  explosion  was  tremendous  ;  an  immense  quantity 
of  large  stones  were  thrown  in  every  direction  with  terrible  force, 
and  scattered  destruction  and  confusion  around  among  our  troops 


DEATH     OF     GENERAL     PIKE.  609 

The  general,  his  aid,  Captain  Nicholson,  and  the  prisoner,  tell 
together,  all,  excepting  the  aid,  mortally  wounded.  General  Pike 
was  struck  on  the  breast  by  a  heavy  stone.  Shortly  after  he  received 
the  blow,  he  said  to  his  wounded  aid,  "  I  am  mortally  wounded  ! — 
write  to  my  friend  Duane,  and  tell  him  what  you  know  of  the  battle, 
and  to  comfort  my  wife."  In  the  same  broken  manner,  he  afterwards 
added  several  other  requests  relating  to  his  private  affairs. 

The  command  devolved  on  Colonel  Pearce,  of  the  1 6th  regiment 
of  infantry,  who  sent  a  flag  to  the  enemy,  demanding  an  immediate 
surrender  at  discretion.  The  stipulation  that  private  property  should 
be  respected,  was  the  only  condition  asked,  and  was  unhesitatingly 
granted.  The  British  general,  and  a  part  of  his  troops,  had  previously 
escaped. 

The  troops  were  instantly  formed  again  after  the  explosion,  and, 
as  a  body  of  them  passed  by  their  wounded  general,  he  said,  "  Push 
on,  brave  fellows,  and  avenge  your  general."  While  the  surgeons 
were  carrying  him  out  of  the  field,  a  tumultuous  huzza  was  heard 
from  our  troops  ;  Pike  turned  his  head  with  an  anxious  look  of 
inquiry ;  he  was  told  by  a  sergeant,  "  The  British  union  jack  is 
coming  down,  general — the  stars  are  going  up  !"  He  heaved  a  heavy 
sigh,  and  smiled.  He  was  then  carried  on  board  the  commodore's 
ship,  where  he  lingered  for  a  few  hours.  Just  before  he  breathed 
his  last,  the  British  standard  was  brought  to  him ;  he  made  a  sign 
to  have  it  placed  under  his  head,  and  expired  without  a  groan  ! 

His  death  was  a  great  public  misfortune. 


3d 


Deatli  of  General  Coviugton. 


\      . 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  LEONARD  COYINGTON. 

HIS  gentleman  was  born  in  the  state 
of  Maryland,  about  the  26th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1768.  His  ancestry  was  highly 
respectable,  and  left  to  their  posterity 
a  valuable  landed  estate,  which  de- 
volved, at  the  decease  of  his  father, 
on  young  Covington,  His  father's 
name  was  Levin,  and  the  subject  of 
this  memoir  was  the  elder  of  two 
sons.  In  his  native  state,  he  received 
an  elegant  English  and  mathematical 
and  partial  Latin  education.  His  pur- 
suit in  life  after  the  death  of  his  father,  was  designed  by  his  mother 
to  be  husbandry,  on  his  patrimonial  estate.  But  his  inclination  led 
him  to  a  far  different  pursuit — tJie  science  of  war.  Defensive  warfare 
is  both  just  and  honourable  ;  the  study  of  the  art  is  equally  patriotic 
and  useful,  when  pursued  for  noble  purposes  :  but  he  who  makes 
it  a  profession  through  life,  regardless  of  the  welfare  of  his  country^ 
is  the  passive  slave  of  tyranny.  No  such  ignoble  feelings  animated 
Covington's  breast. 
€10 


DEATH      OF     GENERAL     COVINGTON.  611 

He  entered  the  army  with  a  cornet's  commission  in  the  cavalry, 
shortly  after  the  defeat  of  General  St.  Clair,  by  the  Indians,  in  1791, 
near  the  Miami  villages.  In  the  action  with  the  savages  near  Fort 
Recovery,  his  bravery  was  put  to  the  severest  trial.  His  horse  was 
shot  under  him.  By  his  conduct  and  bravery  in  the  severe  action 
on  the  Miami,  which  followed,  he  won  the  admiration  and  esteem  of 
his  brethren  in  arms,  and  the  plaudits  of  his  general.  After  General 
Wayne  had  reduced  the  savages  to  submission,  Covington  resigned 
his  post  in  the  army,  and  retired  to  his  farm,  occupying  himself  with 
useful  pursuits  of  civic  life.  The  high  estimation  in  which  he  was 
held  by  his  fellow  citizens,  is  best  tested  by  the  various  stations  to 
which  their  suffrages  elevated  him.  He  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the 
senate  of  Maryland  ;  afterwards  to  the  house  of  representatives  of 
the  congress  of  the  United  States,  and  subsequently  was  appointed 
one  of  the  electors  of  president  and  vice-president  of  the  United 
States.  Being  firmly  attached  to  republican  principles,  his  votes  and 
influence  were  not  lost  in  the  elevation  of  Mr.  JeflTerson  to  the  pre- 
sidential chair. 

In  the  year  1809,  when  the  injuries  which  Great  Britain  was 
heaping  upon  his  country  gave  rise  to  the  embargo  law,  he  accepted 
a  lieutenant-colonel's  commission  of  the  regiment  of  dragoons,  then 
the  only  one  in  the  United  States  army.  In  consequence  of  ms 
station  in  Louisiana,  he  formed  an  attachment  to  that  newly  acquired 
section  of  the  United  States,  and  purchased  a  plantation  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi,  not  far  from  Natchez,  to  which  he  removed  his  family. 
In  the  increase  of  the  army,  after  the  commencement  of  hostilities 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  in  1812,  he  was  pro- 
moted from  a  colonel  of  horse,  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and 
commanded  at  the  Natchez  when  an  invasion  was  expected  in  that 
section  of  the  Union.  When  the  storm  had  blown  over,  he  repaired 
to  the  northern  frontier  where  his  services  were  more  immediately 
wanted.  With  his  brigade,  he  set  out  with  General  Wilkinson  in  his 
expedition  against  Montreal,  in  the  autumn  of  1813,  the  failure  of 
which  resulted  from  the  conduct  of  General  Hampton,  who  evaded 
the  consequences  by  an  early  resignation. 

In  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  General  Covington  with  his  brigade, 
was  ordered  in  conjunction  with  General  Swartwout,  to  outflank 
the  British  if  possible,  and  capture  his  artillery.  Covington,  while 
voluntarily  leading  a  detachment  of  his  brigade  to  a  charge,  was 
mortally  wounded,  and  died  in  three  days  afterwards.  He  was  buried 
with  military  honors  at  French  Mills,  at  a  place  now  called  Mount 
Covington,  regretted,  beloved,  and  esteemed  by  the  whole  army. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JAMES  MILLER. 


^^j  ENERAL  MILLER  was  born  April  25th,  1776,  at  Peter- 
borough, Hillsborough  county,  N.  H.  He  was  destined  by 
his  father  for  agricultural  pursuits,  but  preferring  intellectual 
labor  he  received  a  limited  education  at  the  district  school, 
and  afterwards  entered  Williams  College,  where  he  studied  law. 
After  commencing  practice,  he  continued  in  this  profession  until  the 
outrage  upon  the  Chesapeake,  when,  through  the  solicitations  of  his 
friends,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Jefferson,  [July  8,  1808,] 
as  major  in  the  fourth  regiment  of  regular  infantry.  He  remained 
in  Boston  until  1811,  in  which  year  he  was  promoted  to  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  shortly  afterwards  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  thence  to 
Pittsburg.  He  subsequently  joined  the  army  of  Governor  Harrison, 
and  proceeded  with  it  to  the  Tippecanoe  ground.  On  the  road  he 
assisted  in  the  construction  of  Fort  Harrison,  which  was  afterwards 
successfully  defended  against  a  large  party  of  Indians,  by  Captain 

612 


BATTLE     OF     QUEENSTOWN     HEIGHTS.  613 

Taylor.  Severe  sickness  obliged  him  to  remain  at  this  place,  during 
the  subsequent  movements  of  the  army,  so  that  he  missed  the  battle 
of  Tippecanoe.  He  ever  afterwards  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  the 
distinguished  man,  who  commanded  this  famous  expedition. 

When  the  main  army  of  the  Americans  under  General  Hull 
marched  toward  Detroit,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller  joined  it  at 
Urbana.  He  was  soon  afterwards  sent  from  Detroit  with  six  hun- 
dred men,  and  two  field  pieces  to  open  a  communication  with  the 
settlements  on  the  Ohio.  On  the  road  he  was  attacked  by  several 
hundred  British  and  Indians  led  by  Tecumseh,  Walk-in-the-Water, 
and  other  chiefs.  A  severe  conflict  ensued  in  which  the  enemy  were 
signally  defeated  and  driven  into  the  neighboring  woods.  On  his 
return  to  the  main  army,  he  conducted  a  detachment  into  Canada, 
and  distinguished  himself  for  his  enterprise  and  gallantry. 

In  the  capture  of  Fort  George,  Colonel  Miller  performed  an  efficient 
part,  and  in  company  with  Colonel  Winfield  Scott  pursued  the  British 
until  repeatedly  recalled.  At  Queenstown  Heights  he  accomplished 
the  most  glorious  achievement  of  the  battle,  and  one  of  the  most 
glorious  of  the  war — that  of  carrying  the  key  of  the  enemy's  position 
where  most  of  their  batteries  were  posted,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
and  while  everything  was  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  night.  The 
British  made  the  most  daring  charges  in  order  to  recover  their  guns, 
but  they  were  each  time  driven  back  by  the  intrepid  colonel.  For 
his  gallantry  at  Chippewa  he  was  made  a  brigadier-general.  In  the 
celebrated  siege  of  Fort  Erie,  he  assisted  in  the  sortie  which,  accord- 
ing to  General  Brown,  destroyed  by  one  hour's  close  fighting,  more 
than  a  month's  hope  and  labor  of  the  enemy. 

Congress  rewarded  General  Miller  with  a  vote  of  thanks,  and  a 
gold  medal,  inscribed  on  it  the  words  Chippewa,  Niagara  and  Erie, 
with  *  I'll  try,'  the  colonel's  answer  to  General  Brown,  when  asked  if 
he  could  take  the  British  batteries  at  Queenstown. 

After  the  war  General  Miller  was  appointed  collector  of  the  port 
at  Salem,  Mass.,  at  which  place  he  now  resides. 


BREVET  MAJOR  GENERAL  E.  PENDLETON  GAINES. 

ENERAL  GAINES  is  one  of  the  oldest  officers  in  the 
army,  having  received  the  rank  of  ensign  of  the  10th 
infantry,  January  10th,  1799.  He  was  born  March  20th, 
vl  It!  1777,  in  Culpepper  county,  Virginia,  a  place  at  that  time 
frequently  subjected  to  all  the  horrors  of  Indian  vi^arfare. 
Under  the  excellent  instructions  of  his  mother,  he  received  an  early 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  integrity  and  honor  which  have  so 
remarkably  distinguished  him,  in  all  his  intercourse  with  the  army 
and  society.  At  the  same  time  the  constant  watchfulness  and  activity 
required  by  the  life  of  a  settler,  in  a  neighborhood  infested  by  prowl- 
ing savages,  gave  him  that  hardiness  of  constitution,  which  was  after- 
wards so  nobly  devoted  to  his  country. 

From  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  the  regular  army,  until  the 
war  of  1812,  he  continued  to  study  all  the  works  on  military  affairs 
614 


APPOINTED     BRIGADIER     GENERAL.  617 

within  his  reach.  In  the  meanwhile  he  was  employed  as  a  surveyor 
in  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Butler,  and  performed  his  duties  with 
much  ability.  In  1804,  he  was  appointed  military  collector  of  the 
port  of  Mobile,  a  post  of  no  little  delicacy,  on  account  of  the  attitude 
of  Spain  towards  the  United  States  at  that  time.  About  two  years 
afterwards,  the  movements  of  Colonel  Burr  had  so  alarmed  govern- 
ment, that  the  president  issued  orders  to  military  officers  in  the  west 
to  arrest  him.  This  was  done  by  Gaines,  who  had  then  become 
captain ;  and  for  his  promptness  and  activity  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Jefferson,  United  States  marshal.  The  details  of  the  trial 
of  Burr  are  too  well  known  to  be  repeated.  He  was  acquitted,  and 
although  Gaines  had  acted  strictly  in  obedience  to  orders,  yet  he 
became  an  object  of  hatred  to  most  of  the  colonel's  numerous  and 
powerful  friends. 

At  the  opening  of  the  war  of  1812,  General  Gaines  had  risen  by 
regular  gradation  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  was  then  intrusted 
with  the  duties  of  adjutant-general,  and  appointed  to  the  north-west- 
ern army.  Sickness  prostrated  him  for  awhile,  but  on  his  recovery 
he  joined  the  northern  troops,  and  accompanied  Generals  Brown  and 
Macomb  in  their  expedition  down  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  affair 
resulted  in  the  battle  of  Chrystler's  Fields,  [Nov.  11,  1813,]  when 
Colonel  Gaines  commanded  the  twenty-fifth  regular  regiment,  and 
acted  an  efficient  part. 

Gaines  was  now  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and 
when  Fort  Erie  was  captured  by  Generals  Ripley  and  Scott,  he  re- 
ceived command  of  that  post.  The  importance  of  his  office  was 
soon  to  be  proven.  Determined  to  recapture  the  fort  at  all  hazards, 
the  British  laid  siege  to  it  with  a  whole  brigade,  and  commenced 
[August  5th,  1814]  a  vigorous  cannonade.  Soon  after  reinforce- 
ments arrived  under  General  Drummond. 

On  the  night  of  the  14th,  heavy  volleys  of  shot  and  shell  were 
poured  into  the  fort,  damaging  some  of  the  works,  and  exploding  a 
magazine  with  fearful  report.  The  object  of  this  was  soon  apparent. 
The  night  w-as  unusually  dark  ;  and  at  two  o'clock  next  morning 
more  than  two  thousand  picked  troops  moved  in  separate  columns 
to  assault  the  works.  The  right  column,  numbering  one  thousand 
three  hundred  men,  were  driven  back  with  immense  loss,  numbers 
being  drowned  in  a  neighboring  lake.  They  twice  rallied,  but  were 
finally  repulsed.  The  other  column,  after  the  most  desperate  fight- 
ing, during  which  they  succeeded-  in  partially  entering  the  works, 
were  defeated  at  all  points,  and  drew  off  their  shattered  ranks  with 
the  loss  of  the  leaders.  Colonels  Scott  and  Drummond.  The  imex- 
pected  explosion  of  a  magazine  increased  their  confusion.     The  loss 


618  E.     PENDLETON     GAINES. 

of  this  column  was  five  hundred  and  eighty-two,  of  whom  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  were  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-two 
prisoners.  In  this  assault  the  motto  of  the  enemy  was,  "  No  quarter 
to  the  Yankees,"  and  during  their  temporary  occupation  of  part  of 
the  fort,  they  slaughtered  all  within  reach,  under  circumstances  of 
savage  cruelty  which  would  disgrace  Indians. 

The  total  loss  of  the  British  in  this  affair,  was  about  one  thousand, 
that  of  the  Americans  seventeen  killed,  fifty-six  wounded,  and  eleven 
captured. 

The  siege  and  bombardment  of  the  fort  continued  until  September 
17th,  when  General  Brown  destroyed  the  enemy's  works  by  his  bril- 
liant sortie.  Previous  to  this,  [August  28th,]  General  Gaines  had 
been  so  severely  wounded  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell,  as  to  be  com- 
pelled to  retire  to  Buffalo.  For  his  heroic  defence,  he  was  brevetted 
major-general,  and  received  the  thanks  of  Congress,  together  with  a 
gold  medal,  commemorative  of  the  defence.  His  native  state.  New 
York,  and  Tennessee  also,  each  voted  him  a  fine  sword. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  General  Gaines  was  ordered  to  the  south, 
and  took  part  in  the  Seminole  campaign  of  1817.  This  war  was  one 
of  the  utmost  tediousness,  affording  however  no  opportunity  for  the 
display,  or  even  exercise  of  military  talents.  The  course  pursued 
by  General  Jackson,  the  commanding  officer,  of  marching  into  a 
neutral  territory,  and  taking  possession  of  its  towns,  laid  him  open 
to  the  censure  of  government ;  but  as  Gaines  acted  as  a  subordinate 
no  blame  could  be  attached  to  him.  Not  long  after,  the  latter  offi- 
cer was  assigned  the  command  of  the  western  department. 

In  1832,  we  find  Gaines  marching  against  Black  Hawk,  whose 
principal  village  he  entered  without  opposition.  When  the  Florida 
war  broke  out,  (1835,)  he  was  near  New  Orleans,  and  immediately 
commenced  organizing  a  force  sufficient  for  the  suppression  of  all 
opposition.  With  this  army,  numbering  twelve  hundred  men,  he 
proceeded  to  Fort  Brooke  on  Tampa  Bay,  where  he  arrived  in  Janu- 
ary, 1836.  Not  finding  the  enemy  in  the  neighborhood,  as  he  had 
expected,  he  pushed  forward  with  all  speed  toward  their  country. 
While  crossing  the  Ouithlacoochie,  he  was  attacked  by  a  large  bodj 
of  Indians,  whom  he  drove  back.  The  attack  was  renewed  next 
day  (February  28th,)  with  similar  success.  Being  encumbered  with 
wounded  and  baggage,  the  general  determined  to  halt  and'  erect  a 
breastwork.  This  was  assaulted  on  the  29th  by  a  large  body  of 
Indians,  who  poured  in  a  continual  fire,  and  afterwards  set  on  fire 
the  long  prairie  grass  around.  A  change  of  wind  saved  the  fort,  and 
the  Indians  were  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  General  Gaines  had 
thirty-two  men  killed  and  wounded,  and  he  himself  w^as  shot  in  the 


FLORIDA     WAR. 


621 


Black  Ha-wlc 


lip.  Skirmishes  followed  until  the  5th  of  March,  when  Osceola  the 
Indian  leader,  requested  a  parley.  This  was  granted,  and  the  chiefs 
seemed  willing  to  lay  aside  hostilities  ;  but  the  appearance,  during 
the  conference,  of  General  Clinch  from  Fort  Drane,  with  reinforce 
ments,  induced  the  belief  that  the  Americans  wished  to  surround 
them,  and  accordingly  they  fled  in  confusion.  * 

Shortly  after  this  transaction.  General  Gaines  was  informed  that 
government  had  appointed  General  Scott  to  supersede  him,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  he  retired  from  Florida. 

During  the  period  of  suspense  and  fear  which  followed  the  invest- 
ing of  General  Taylor's  positions  by  the  Mexicans  in  1846,  General 
Gaines  summoned  a  large  volunteer  force,  for  the  relief  of  his  brother 
officer.  The  battles  of  the  8th  and  9th  of  May  relieved  Taylor  from 
embarrassment,  and  gave  occasion  to  government  for  criticising  the 
course  of  General  Gaines.  He  was  deprived  by  the  president  of  com- 
mand, and  summoned  to  Fortress  Monroe  for  trial  by  court  martial. 
The  veteran's  defence  was  masterly,  displaying  an  accurate  know- 
ledge of  the  civil  and  military  laws  of  the  country,  as  well  as  o 
oratory  and  composition.  The  court  decided  that  he  had  no  authority 
for  mustering  the  volunteers,  other  than  the  urgent  necessity  of  the 
case  ;  but  complimented  his  patriotism,  and  recommended  that  no 
further  proceedings  should  be  had  in  the  case.  General  Gaines  was 
then  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  eastern  department,  and  has 
his  head-quarters  at  New  York. 


GOVERNOR  ISAAC  SHELBY. 


SAAC  SHELBY  was  born  December  1 1th,  1750,  near 
Hagerstown,  Maryland,  His  father  was  General  Evan 
Shelby,  a  native  of  Wales,  but  who  came  with  his 
father  to  America  when  but  a  boy,  and  settled  in  the 
abovementioned  colony.  The  constant  danger  to  which 
every  emigrant  was  then  exposed,  from  the  incursions 
of  the  Indians,  made  his  life  one  of  continued  activity 
and  danger.  Nature  had  fitted  him  for  such  scenes, 
and  he  soon  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  in  resisting  and 
avenging  the  outrages  of  the  savages.  Soon  after  a  more  formidable 
foe  appeared,  and  the  colonies  became  involved  in  the  old  French  war. 
The  horrors  of  that  terrible  period  are  familiar  to  all ;  men  were 
called  from  their  peaceful  cottages,  not  to  face  a  regular  foe  in  regu- 
lar battle,  but  to  wander  through  wilds,  and  swamps,  and  forests  in  vain 
622 


ACTION  WITH  THE  INDIANS.  623 

quest  of  a  few  straggling  savages,  who  perhaps  the  evening  before 
had  fired  the  dwelUng  of  their  neighbor,  and  butchered  the  inmates. 
In  such  scenes  as  these  Shelby  won  for  himself  a  high  reputation 
for  coolness,  bravery,  and  unremitting  labor.  Before  the  war  ended, 
we  find  him  a  captain  of  rangers.  He  behaved  himself  handsomely 
in  the  expeditions  against  Fort  du  Quesne,  and  in  the  one  under 
Forbes  he  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  advance.  Through- 
out his  subsequent  career,  and  especially  in  the  revolution,  he  con- 
tinued to  serve  his  country  in  a  manner  creditable  to  himself,  and 
beneficial  to  it. 

'  The  education,  then,  of  young  Shelby,  like  that  of  most  other 
heroes  of  the  revolution,  was  derived  from  the  scenes  of  activity  and 
danger  around  him  ;  and  although  sent  to  school  at  a  tender  age,  his 
attainments  in  learning  do  not  seem  to  have  advanced  further  than 
the  rudiments  of  a  plain  English  education.  His  habits  and  charac- 
ter were  similar  to  those  of  his  parent.  Before  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old,  we  find  him  acting  as  deputy  sheriflf  for  Frederick  county, 
an  office  which  he  seems  to  have  filled  with  ability.  When  of  age, 
he  removed  with  his  father  to  the  Western  Waters  of  Virginia,  be- 
yond the  Alleghany  mountains,  where  he  was  principally  engaged  in 
tending  cattle. 

Early  in  the  year  1774,  diflSculties  took  place  among  the  north- 
western Indians,  in  consequence  of  their  ill-treatment  by  the  whites. 
Several  parties  were  murdered  in  cold  blood  by  some  colonists  under 
Cresap  and  Greathouse  ;  no  age  nor  sex  were  spared.  Among  the 
slain  were  some  relatives  of  the  distinguished  warrior,  Logan,  and  he 
immediately  determined  on  revenge.  Through  his  influence  the 
Delawares,  Shawanese,  Cayugas  and  other  tribes,  united  in  an 
attack  upon  a  settlement  on  the  Muskingum,  where  one  man  was 
killed  and  two  were  taken.  On  the  reception  of  this  news,  the 
Virginia  legislature  ordered  the  raising  of  three  thousand  troops, 
part  of  whom  were  to  act  on  the  Great  Kanhctwa,  and  the  other 
against  the  settlements  more  remote.  The  first,  consisting  of  eleven 
hundred  men,  under  General  Lewis,  marched  to  Point  Pleasant,  and 
encamped  to  wait  the  arrival  of  Governor  Dunmore,  who  led  the 
other  division.  On  the  10th  of  October,  intelligence  reached  the 
general  that  a  large  body  of  Indians  was  rapidly  approaching,  and 
soon  after  a  reconnoitering  party,  which  had  been  advanced  by  the 
commander,  was  driven  back,  with  the  loss  of  Colonel  Lewis, 
brother  of  the  general,  and  some  others.  Another  regiment  was 
now  advanced,  and  the  Indians  took  refuge  in  a  log  breast-work, 
from  whence  they  poured  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  provincials.  A 
savage    combat    ensued,    which   lasted    till  late   in   the    afternoon, 


624  ISAAC     SHELBY. 

during  M^hich  General  Lewis  lost  many  men,  including  Colonels 
Field  and  Fleming.  The  Indians  were  commanded  by  Red  Eagle, 
Logan,  Cornstalk,  and  other  chiefs,  and  fought  with  such  determined 
bravery  that  the  commander  found  it  necessary  to  throw  a  detach- 
ment in  their  rear.  The  care  of  this  body  was  intrusted  to  Captain 
Shelby,  assisted  by  Captains  Stewart  and  Matthews.  He  attacked  the 
enemy  with  such  vigor  that  they  fled  in  dismay  across  the  river,  sup- 
posing that  a  reinforcement  had  arrived.  The  Americans  lost  fifty- 
five  killed,  and  eighty-seven  wounded  ;  the  loss  of  the  Indians  was 
never  ascertained. 

Both  Isaac  Shelby  and  his  father  were  in  this  battle,  and  the  for- 
mer acted  as  lieutenant  in  his  parent's  company.  A  fortification  was 
subsequently  erected  on  the  ground,  and  the  defence  of  it  intrusted 
to  young  Shelby.  This  post  he  occupied  about  nine  months  when  it 
was  destroyed  by  order  of  the  governor. 

fHELBY,  was  a  warm  advocate  of  the  rights  of  the 
colonists  against  the  aggressions  of  the  mother 
country.  He  thought  much  upon  the  subject,  and 
although  possessing  little  influence  beyond  the 
circle  of  his  personal  acquaintance,  yet  he  exerted 
himself  with  them  in  a  manner  altogether  praise- 
worthy. In  1777  he  was  appointed  commissary  of  supplies 
for  a  large  body  of  militia,  which  though  an  arduous  task 
was  performed  with  satisfaction  to  all.  He  was  also  intrusted 
with  the  defence  of  the  back  settlements,  and  with  the 
provisions  of  a  treaty  soon  to  be  concluded  with  the  Cherokee  Indi- 
ans. In  the  two  following  years  he  was  chiefly  occupied  in  obtaining 
supplies  for  different  portions  of  the  army,  when  he  acted  with  his 
usual  energy  and  sound  judgment. 

In  1780,  the  distressed  condition  of  the  southern  country,  made 
the  services  of  every  true  patriot  doubly  valuable.  The  success  of 
Cornwallis  and  his  ofiicers,  together  with  the  dissatisfaction  existing 
in  that  portion  of  the  Union,  caused  many  of  the  friends  of  Congress 
to  despair  of  ultimate  success.  A  few  there  were  however,  whom 
no  misfortune  could  dampen,  no  danger  intimidate.  They  maintained 
the  conflict,  amid  swamps,  forests  and  mountains,  and  though  not 
obtaining  any  decisive  victory,  tended  to  harass  the  enemy  and  keep 
alive  the  spirit  of  opposition. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year.  Colonel  Ferguson's  riflemen  had  become 
very  famous  for  their  success  against  American  scouting  parties,  and 
their  general  conduct  in  battle.  They  were  considered  the  best 
marksmen  of  Cornwallis's  army,  and  being  used  to  success,  con- 
sidered themselves  as  invincible. 


SKIRMISH     AT     CEDAR     SPRING. 


625 


HIS  officer  was  detached  to  raise  a  royal 
militia  from  among  the  disaffected  inhabi- 
tants, and  was  so  active  and  successful  that 
in  a  short  time  he  found  himself  at  the  head 
of  about  twenty-five  hundred  men.  At  the 
same  time,  his  efforts  incited  corresponding 
exertion  among  the  friends  of  Congress,  and 
active  partisans  had  collected  a  small  force 
and  united  with  each  other,  to  act  as  circum- 
-  pljpr  stances  might  warrant.  Shelby  was  then  in 
)^  m^  Virginia  ;  but  receiving  notice  of  these  move- 
/  K  ments  he  exerted  himself  in  raising  a  small 
force,  with  which  he  marched  into  the  Caro- 
linas.  He  joined  the  camp  of  General  McDowell,  with  the  three 
hundred  men,  and  soon  after,  in  company  with  Lieutenant-Colonels 
Clarke  and  Sevier,  he  was  sent  to  attack  a  British  garrison  on  the 
Pacolet.  The  enemy  were  commanded  by  Captain  Patrick  Moore, 
and  occupied  a  strong  and  well  defended  fort.  Moore  surrendered 
without  firing  a  shot,  and  nearly  a  hundred  royalists,  with  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  muskets,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 

This  affair  gave  renewed  energy  to  the  patriots  of  that  quarter, 
and  numbers  of  miHtia  joined  themselves  to  the  different  comman- 
ders. Colonels  Clarke  and  Shelby  hastened  on  toward  Ferguson's 
force,  to  harass  his  movements  and  intercept  supplies.  Meanwhile 
Colonels  Campbell  of  Virginia,  Cleveland  and  McDowell  of  North 
Carolina,  and  Lacey,  Hill,  and  Hawthorn,  of  South  Carolina,  were 
actively  engaged,  in  the  same  enterprise.  The  difficulties  under- 
gone by  these  gallant  officers  and  their  men  were  appalling.  "  Some 
of  them  subsisted,"  says  Ramsay,  "for  weeks  together  without  tasting 
bread,  or  salt,  or  spirituous  liquors,  and  slept  in  the  woods  without 
blankets.  The  running  stream  quenched  their  thirst ;  at  night  the 
earth  afforded  them  a  bed,  and  the  heavens,  or  at  most,  the  limbs  of 
trees  were  their  only  covering.  Ears  of  corn  or  pumpkins  thrown 
into  the  fire,  with  occasional  supplies  of  beef  or  venison,  killed  and 
roasted  in  the  w^oods,  were  the  chief  articles  of  their  provisions. 

Some  attempts  of  the  British  officer  to  attack  Colonel  Shelby  at  a 
disadvantage  were  unsuccessful.  On  the  first  of  August  however, 
his  van  engaged  the  American  force  at  Cedar  Spring,  and  a  skirmish 
took  place  which  lasted  half  an  hour.  The  British  main  body  then 
approached  and  Shelby  and  Clarke  retreated,  with  about  fifty  prison- 
ers. A  rapid  pursuit  commenced,  but  the  enemy  were  baffled,  and 
the  two  colonels  with  their  prisoners,  placed  beyond  danger. 

This  affair  gained  the  commendation  of  General  McDowell,  and 

40 


626  .  ISAAC     SHELBY. 

soon  after  Shelby,  Clarke,  and  Williams,  against  a  body  of  tories  and 
mounted  militia,  stationed  on  the  Enoree  river.  On  the  19th  of 
August,  after  riding  all  night  they  encountered  a  party  of  Ferguson's 
army  with  whom  they  exchanged  shots,  and  a  few  were  killed  on 
both  sides.  The  colonels  were  on  the  point  of  advancing,  when  a 
farmer  arrived  with  the  intellingence,  that  on  the  previous  day, 
Ferguson  had  been  reinforced  by  six  hundred  regulars.  This 
news  disconcerted  the  original  plan,  and  it  became  equally 
dangerous  to  advance  or  retreat. 

APTAIN  INMAN  was  sent  with  twenty-five 
men,  to  harass  the  enemy,  and  the  remain- 
der determined  to  construct  a  fort  of  logs 
and  brush,  and  await  the  arrival  of  the  Bri- 
tish. Inman  soon  became  engaged,  and  by  an  artful 
retreat  drew  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  in  disorder 
after  him,  while  fondly  hoping  that  they  had  defeated 
the  whole  American  force.  The  colonel  led  them  to  within  one  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  log  fort,  when  the  next  moment  they  received  a 
heavy  fire  from  the  concealed  garrison.  A  fierce  battle  then  ensued, 
and  the  Americans  were  driven  from  their  breastwork  ;  but  at  this 
critical  moment,  the  British  commander,  Innes,  their  last  surviving 
officer,  was  shot  down,  together  with  the  leader  of  the  tories.  Cap- 
tain Hawsey,  and  the  enemy  broke  in  disorder.  They  were  pursued 
across  the  Enoree.  In  this  spirited  action  they  lost  one  hundred  and 
fifty  wounded  and  captured,  and  sixty-three  killed.  The  Americans 
had  four  killed  including  the  lamented  Captain  Inman,  and  nine 
wounded.  Among  the  latter  were  Colonel  Clarke  and  Captain 
Clarke. 

As  soon  as  Ferguson  received  notice  of  this  defeat,  he  hurried 
on  his  whole  force  in  hope  of  overtaking  the  victors,  and  recovering 
the  prisoners.  The  party  hurried  to  their  horses,  and  were  on  the 
point  of  starting  on  another  enterprise,  when  an  express  reached 
them  with  news  of  the  total  defeat  of  General  Gates  at  Camden, 
and  urging  immediate  retreat,  as  the  British  were  maturing  plans 
to  cut  off  all  the  partisan  corps.  Their  situation  was  now  one  of 
imminent  danger.  A  vastly  superior  enemy  was  before  and  behind, 
men  and  horses  were  worn  down  by  excessive  labor  and  privation, 
and  they  were  encumbered  with  prisoners.  Their  plan  was  soon 
formed  ;  they  resolved  to  retreat  by  the  mountains,  and  in  order  to 
receive  as  little  interruption  as  possible  from  the  prisoners,  they 
divided  them  equally  among  the  parties,  assigning  one  to  every 
three  men.  They  marched  a  night  and  two  days  without  dismount- 
ing for  a  sing-le  moment,  while  the  army  of  Ferguson  were  close  in 


BATTLE     OF     KINg's     MOUNTAIN.  627 

pursuit.  The  Americans  however  gained  the  mountains  and  were 
safe.  The  prisoners  were  secured,  and  Shelby  pushed  on  to  the 
Western  Waters  in  Virginia.  Baffled  of  the  fruits  of  his  toilsome 
march,  Ferguson  established  himself  at  Gilbert-town,  and  issued 
proclamations  against  the  rebels  of  the  surrounding  district.  He 
was  soon  to  feel  that  the  spirit  of  opposition,  though  smothered,  was 
not  extinguished.  At  the  instigation  of  Shelby,  himself,  Sevier  and 
Campbell,  collected  about  one  thousand  men  at  Doe  Run,  among 
the  Alleghanies,  and  determined  to  fall  upon  Ferguson  at  night.  On 
the  26th  of  September  they  commenced  their  march,  and  were  soon 
joined  by  Colonels  Cleveland,  Lacey,  and  Williams,  with  six  hundred 
men,  all  burning  to  avenge  late  outrages  of  the  tories.  By  the  recom- 
mendation of  Colonel  Shelby,  Colonel  Campbell  was  appointed 
commander ;  and  immediately  set  out  with  nine  hundred  and  ten 
horsemen. 

'  ^  NDOUBTEDLY  for  devotedness  to 
-y^p^^  the  object,  and  unflinching  persever- 
)^  ance,  this  pursuit  had  few  equals 
during  the  war.  Agreat  part  of  the  time 
'(  they  rode  through  rain  so  excessive,  as  to  com- 
pel the  men  to  wrap  their  clothing  around  their 
firelocks,  to  prevent  the  spoiling  of  the  powder  ; 
and  although  within  convenient  distance  of 
several  bodies  of  tories,  they  did  not  turn  from 
their  course  to  attack  them.  On  the  7th  of 
October,  1780,  they  came  up  with  Ferguson,  strongly  encamped  on 
King's  Mountain.  He  had  taken  up  this  position,  preparatory  to 
attacking  Colonel  Clarke,  who  was  returning  from  an  unsuccessful 
assault  upon  Augusta.  The  Americans  formed  themselves  into  three 
divisions  ;  the  right  was  led  by  Sevier,  and  included  the  companies 
of  McDowell  and  Winston  ;  the  left  by  Cleveland,  and  the  centre 
by  Campbell  and  Shelby.  When  near  the  enemy,  the  whole  force 
dismounted,  and  the  right  wing  marched  to  the  attack,  while  the 
remaining  columns  took  a  circuitous  route  in  order  to  fall  upon  the 
enemy  at  different  points.  Cleveland's  men  opened  a  galling  fire 
from  behind  trees,  but  were  furiously  charged  with  the  bayonet,  and 
compelled  to  give  way.  At  this  moment,  Colonel  Shelby  opened  his 
fire,  also  from  among  trees  ;  Ferguson  met  this  new  danger  with 
unshaken  fortitude,  and  the  colonel  was  obliged  to  retire.  Campbell 
had  now  gained  the  summit,  and  opened  with  deadly  effect,  but  was 
also  forced  from  his  position.  The  whole  American  force  then 
returned  together  and  the  battle  raged  with  great  fury  for  nearly  an 
hour.     Ferguson  then  received  a  ball  and  fell  dead  :  and  soon  after 


628  ISAAC      SHELBY. 

the  enemy  beat  a  parley.     Terms  were  immediately  adopted,  and  the 
whole  force  became  prisoners  of  war. 

The  loss  of  the  British  in  this  affair  was  three  hundred  killed  and 
wounded,  and  one  hundred  regulars,  and  seven  hundred,  royalists 
taken.  The  Americans  lost  about  sixty.  Colonel  Williams  of  South 
Carolina,  a  most  active  and  esteemed  officer,  was  killed.  Fifteen 
nundred  muskets  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  victors. 

The  news  of  this  important  event,  filled  the  patriots  of  the  south 
with  exultation,  and  tended  to  atone  in  a  small  degree  for  the  defeat 
of  Gates.  The  legislature  of  North  Carolina  voted  their  thanks  to 
the  men  and  officers,  together  with  a  sword  to  each  of  the  latter. 

A  large  share  of  the  glory  of  this  battle  is  justly  due  to  Colonel 
Shelby,  not  only  for  his  undaunted  courage  and  general  good  con- 
duct while  before  Ferguson,  but  inasmuch  as  its  plan  originated  with 
him.  He  is  also  said  to  have  suggested  the  detaching  of  Morgan 
from  the  main  array,  which  advice  was  followed  by  General  Greene, 
and  resulted  in  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens. 

'HEN  Lord  Cornwallis  had  been  driven  into 
Virginia  by  General  Greene,  the  latter  officer 
ordered  Colonel  Shelby  to  march  from  the 
Western  Waters  with  five  hundred  riflemen,  in 
order  to  jom  Marion,  and  assist  in  cutting  off 
the  anticipated  retreat  of  his  lordship  through 
North  Carolina.  This  was  in  the  autumn  of 
1781.  Shelby  joined  the  American  general, 
but  the  fall  of  Yorktown  soon  after  changed  the  proposed  plan,  and 
Marion  was  ordered  to  the  south.  At  this  time  the  British  held  a 
strong  post  near  Monk's  Corner,  but  where  a  number  of  Hessians 
were  understood  to  be  in  a  state  of  mutiny.  In  order  to  take  advan- 
tage of  this  circumstance,  Marion  detached  Colonel  Mayhem  with  a 
strong  body  of  dragoons,  who  were  ordered  to  push  their  operations 
with  vigor,  as  the  army  of  the  enemy  were  within  a  few  miles. 
Shelby  was  the  second  in  command.  On  arriving  before  the  enemy, 
the  colonel  ascertained  that  the  disaffected  soldiers  had  been  sent  to 
Charleston.  The  British  regulars  surrendered.  This  was  the  last 
active  service  performed  by  Colonel  Shelby  during  the  Revolution. 
He  obtained  leave  to  attend  the  North  Carolina  assembly,  and  the 
acknowledgment  of  our  independence  by  Great  Britain  soon  termi- 
nated the  war. 

While  a  member  of  the  assembly,  he  gave  repeated  proofs  of  legal 
and  diplomatic  ability,  and  was  appointed  on  several  important  com- 
mittees.    When  the  war  closed,  he  married  a  daughter  of  Captain 


ELECTED     FIRST     GOVERNOR     OF     KENTUCKY. 


631 


Nathaniel  Hart,  and  settled  in  Kentucky.  He  assisted  at  the  con- 
vention which  separated  that  territory  from  Virginia,  and  the  one 
that  formed  a  constitution  ;  and  w^as  elected  the  first  governor  of 
Kentucky. 

From  this  period  until  the  w^ar 
of  1812,  Governor  Shelby  sel- 
dom appears  on  the  stage  of  pub- 
lic events.  At  that  time  he  was 
recalled  from  retirement  by  a 
second  election  to  the  office  of 
chief  magistrate  of  the  state. 
This  was,  perhaps,  the  most  try- 
ing period  of  his  life  ;  the  west- 
ern frontier  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  was  bordered  by  tribes  of 
hostile  Indians,  urged  on  to  deeds 
of  barbarism  by  Tecumseh  and 
British  emissaries,  and  safe  from 
retaliation  in  impenetrable  for- 
ests. It  was  the  duty  of  the 
governor  to  defend  this  territory, 
to  do  which  an  army  was  to  be 
TecumseiL  raised  immediately  from  among 

men  who  had  never  been  in  battle,  and  had  no  knowledge  of  military 
operations.  Notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  the  governor  assidu- 
ously labored  at  his  difficult  task,  and  although  still  further  embar- 
rassed by  the  surrender  of  General  Hull,  he  succeeded  in  organizing 
an  army  of  four  thousand  men,  with  which  he  marched  in  person 
into  Canada.  He  fought  under  General  Harrison  at  the  Thames, 
where  his  conduct,  notwithstanding  his  advanced  age,  elicited  the 
greatest  applause.  "  The  venerable  governor  of  Kentucky,"  says 
Harrison,  in  his  official  despatch,  "  at  the  age  of  sixty-six,  pre- 
serves all  the  vigor  of  youth,  the  ardent  zeal  which  distinguished 
him  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  the  undaunted  bravery  which  he 
manifested  at  King's  Mountain."  And  again,  "  In  communicating 
to  the  President  my  opinion  of  the  conduct  of  the  officers  who  served 
under  my  command,  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  mention  that  of  Governor 
Shelby,  being  convinced  that  no  eulogium  of  mine  can  reach  his 
merits.  The  governor  of  an  independent  state,  greatly  my  superior 
in  years,  in  experience,  and  in  military  character,  he  placed  himself 
under  my  command,  and  was  not  more  remarkable  for  his  zeal  and 
activity,  than  for  the  promptitude  and  cheerfulness  w-ith  w^hich  he 
obeyed  my  orders."     In   President  Madison's    annual  message  of 


632 


ISAAC      SHELBY. 


December  7th,  1813,  he  says,  "This  result,  [the  victory  of  the 
Thames,]  is  signally  honorable  to  Major-General  Harrison,  by  whose 
military  talents  it  was  prepared,  and  to  the  spirit  of  the  volunteer 
militia,  equally  brave  and  patriotic,  who  bore  an  interesting  part  in 
the  scene  ;  more  especially  to  the  chief  magistrate  of  Kentucky,  at 
the  head  of  them,  whose  heroism,  signalized  in  the  war  which 
established  the  independence  of  his  country,  sought,  at  an  advanced 
age,  a  share  in  hardships  and  battles  for  maintaining  its  rights  and 
ils  safety." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  retired  to  private  life,  and  for  about 
three  years  lived  in  domestic  seclusion.  He  thought  proper  to  decline 
the  office  of  secretary  of  war,  tendered  to  him  at  the  accession  of 
President  Monroe,  but  was  subsequently  engaged  with  General  Jack- 
son in  negotiating  the  "  Chickasaw  treaty,"  by  which  the  posses- 
sions of  that  tribe,  west  of  the  Tennessee,  were  ceded  to  the  United 
States, 

Governor  Shelby  died  on  the  18th  of  July,  1826,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six.  His  disease  was  apoplexy  ;  but  he  had  been  for  some 
years  afflicted  by  lameness,  resulting  from  a  paralytic  attack. 


GENERAL  WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


HE  observation,  that  ingratitude  is  the  sin  of  repubhcs, 
does  not  apply  to  the  United  States.  On  the  contrary, 
there  is  a  disposition  in  our  countrymen  to  reward 
with  the  highest  honors  those  who  have  distinguished 
hemselves  by  hard  service  in  their  cause.  In  more 
than  one  instance  they  have  sought  out  those  who  had  won  distinc- 
tion in  defence  of  the  state,  in  the  glorious  and  heroic  epochs  of  their 
history,  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  upon  them  high  honors  and 
rewards  and  this  too,  long  after  the  period  of  danger  had  passed. 
When  La  Fayette  visited  our  shores,  nearly  half  a  century  after  he 
had  fought  by  the  side  of  Washington,  the  gratitude  of  the  republic 
was  found  to  be  still  warm ;  and  twenty-seven  years  subsequent  to 
his  last  brilliant  military  action,  General  Harrison  was  receiving,  in 
the  acclamations  which  summoned  him  to  the  first  office  in  the  nation, 
the  assurance  that  his  countrymen  did  not  prove  ungrateful. 

Benjamin  Harrison,  the  father  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  patriots  of  the  revolution.  When  John 
Hancock  was  elected  president  of  Congress,  and  modestly  hesitated 
to  assume  that  important  station,  it  was  Benjamin  Harrison  who 
placed  him  with  a  gentle  force  in  the  presidential  chair,  exclaiming, 
"  We  will  show  mother  Britain  how  little  we  care  for  her,  by  making 
a  Massachusetts  man  our  president,  whom  she  has  excluded  from 
pardon  by  public  proclamation,"  In  fact,  Harrison,  acting  in  the 
spirit  of  those  times  of  disinterested  self-sacrifice,  postponed  his  own 

633 


634  WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 

pretensions  in  favor  of  Hancock.  His  name  is  enrolled  for  immor- 
tality among  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  independence.  At  a 
subsequent  period,  as  governor  of  Virginia,  he  exerted  all  the  ener- 
gies of  his  powerful  mind  in  applying  the  resources  of  that  great  state 
to  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  the  revolution. 

William  Henry  Harrison,  third  son  of  Benjamin  Harrison,  was  born 
at  Berkley,  in  Charles  City  county,  Virginia,  on  the  9th  of  February, 
1773,  and  educated  at  Hampden  Sidney  College.  His  father  died, 
in  1791;  and  having  expended  his  fortune  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try during  the  revolution,  he  left  his  children  little  inheritance,  save 
the  example  of  his  patriotism  and  love  of  liberty.  Dependent  on  his 
own  exertions  for  support,  young  Harrison  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  medicine  ;  but  before  long,  hostilities  of  the  Indians  in  the 
north-west  breaking  out,  he  determined  to  relinquish  his  professional 
pursuits,  and  dedicate  his  life  to  the  defence  of  his  country.  This 
inclination,  resisted  by  his  guardian,  Robert  Morris,  was  heartily 
approved  by  Washington,  the  intimate  friend  of  his  father,  and  then 
President  of  the  United  States.  He  fully  appreciated  the  generous 
motives  of  Harrison,  and  gave  him  a  commission  as  ensign  of  artil- 
lery in  the  troops  destined  to  operate  on  the  Ohio. 

The  service  in  which  Harrison  now  engaged  was  arduous  and 
unpromising.  The  territory  which  had  become  the  theatre  of  war, 
was  filled  with  hostile  savages,  incited  to  every  atrocity  of  barbarous 
warfare  by  their  allies,  the  British,  who,  in  utter  contempt  of  the 
stipulations  of  the  treaty  concluded  at  the  termination  of  the  revo- 
lution, still  held  possession  of  numerous  military  posts  within  our 
territory,  and  afforded  shelter,  protection,  and  supplies,  to  the  Indians 
who  were  devastating  our  defenceless  frontier.  Between  1783  and 
1789,  it  is  estimated  that  fifteen  hundred  men,  women,  and  children, 
were  killed  or  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians,  on  the  waters  of  the 
Ohio,  and  an  incalculable  amount  of  property  plundered  or  destroyed. 
The  war  which  had  now  formally  commenced  had  hitherto  been  most 
disastrous  for  the  United  States.  General  Harmar  had  been  defeated 
and  his  army  dispersed.  General  St.  Clair,  with  a  still  larger  force, 
suffered  a  no  less  calamitous  defeat,  by  the  confederate  Indians  under 
Little  Turtle.  The  whole  country  was  filled  with  consternation  :  and 
many  who  would  have  readily  engaged  to  serve  against  a  civilized 
enemy,  shrunk  from  exposure  to  the  rifle  and  tomahawk  of  the  mer- 
ciless Indian. 

At  this  juncture.  General  Anthony  Wayne,  who  had  signalized 
himself  by  some  of  the  most  brilliant  exploits  performed  during  the 
revolutionary  war,  was  selected  by  Washington  to  organize  and  com- 
mand a  new  army  for  the  defence  of  the  north-western  frontier 


BATTLE      OF     THE     MIAMI. 


635 


Battle  of  tlie  Miami 


Severe  exercises,  toilsome  marches,  incessant  watching-,  and  hard 
fare  on  the  way,  and  peril  in  the  field,  were  the  lot  of  the  troops  led 
by  Wayne  to  retrieve  the  losses  of  his  predecessors,  and  deliver  the 
north-west  from  the  horrors  of  savage  warfare. 

In  such  a  service,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  did  Harrison  commence 
his  brilliant  career.  On  receiving  his  commission,  he  hastened  to 
join  his  regiment  at  Fort  Washington,  (on  the  present  site  of  Cin- 
cinnati,) where  he  arrived  just  after  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair. 

In  his  first  service,  the  command  of  an  escort  to  Fort  Hamilton, 
he  displayed  so  much  ability,  as  to  elicit  the  warm  commendation  of 
St.  Clair. 

In  1792,  Harrison  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant ;  and 
on  joining  the  legion  under  General  Wayne,  was  selected  by  him  as 
an  aid-de-camp. 

Wayne's  army  left  Pittsburg  late  in  1792,  proceeded  to  Legion- 
ville,  thence  to  Fort  Washington,  and  finally  to  Greenville,  towards 
the  Miami.  Negotiations  for  peace  had  gone  on  meanwhile  without 
results. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1794,  the  army  of  Wayne  met  the  com- 
bined force  df  hostile  Indians,  and  a  considerable  number  of  the 
volunteers  and  Detroit  militia,  on  the  banks  of  the  Miami,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  British  post  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  and  gained  a 
brilliant  and  decisive  victorv-     Harrison's  conduct  in  this  battle  was 


636  WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 

noticed  with  approbation  in  the  general's  official  despatch  to  the 
president ;  and  his  bravery  in  rallying  the  troops  to  battle  is  remem- 
bered by  the  veterans  who  still  survive  that  well-fought  field.  This 
battle  terminated  the  war,  and  occasioned  the  surrender  of  the 
frontier  posts  in  our  territory  so  long  held  by  Great  Britain.  Pre- 
viously to  this,  however,  Harrison,  who  had  been  advanced  to  the 
rank  of  captain,  was  placed  in  command  of  Fort  Washington,  with 
discretionary  powers,  implying  the  confidence  of  his  commander, 
and  with  various  difficult  duties  arising  out  of  the  still  disturbed 
condition  of  the  country.  While  in  this  command.  Captain  Har- 
rison married  the  daughter  of  John  Cleaves  Symmes,  the  founder 
of  the  Miami  settlements,  a  lady  who  was  his  estimable  companion 
through  life,  and  who  still  lives  to  witness  the  veneration  in  which 
his  memory  is  held. 

On  the  death  of  General  Wayne,  in  1797,  Harrison,  perceiving 
that  the  exigencies  of  the  war  had  passed,  resigned  his  commission 
in  the  army,  and  was  immediately  appointed  secretary  of  the  North- 
Western  Territory.  In  this  situation  he  had  ample  opportunities  of 
becoming  familiar  with  the  characters,  w^ants  and  wishes  of  his  coun- 
trymen who  were  settled  on  the  border. 

On  the  2d  December,  1799,  Harrison  took  his  seat  in  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  as  the  delegate  of  the  North-Western 
Territory,  The  service  which  in  this  station  he  rendered  to  the 
whole  western  country,  deserves  to  be  remembered.  It  forms  a 
part  of  the  chain  of  evidence  by  which  it  is  clearly  proved  that  he 
was  always  a  true  republican,  a  firm  friend  of  popular  rights.  The 
mode  of  selling  the  public  lands  at  that  time,  interposed  a  moneyed 
speculator  between  the  settler  and  the  government ;  since  the  small- 
est lots  ever  sold  by  the  government,  except  in  peculiar  situations, 
consisted  of  four  thousand  acres.  Harrison  introduced  and  procured 
the  passage  of  a  law  which  provided  that  the  public  lands  should  be 
off'ered  at  public  sale  in  half  sections  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  ;  that  lands  not  bid  off  at  public  sales  should  remain  for  pri- 
vate entry  at  the  minimum  government  price  ;  and  that  for  the  con- 
venience of  settlers,  land  offices  should  be  opened  in  the  region  of 
the  sales.  How  far  this  act,  which,  after  the  ancient  fashion  of 
naming  a  law  after  its  proposer,  should  be  called  the  Harrison 
Law,  has  been  instrumental  in  promoting  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
western  country,  the  western  people  well  understand.  They  know 
that  it  was  the  corner-stone  of  their  prosperity.  Instead  of  render- 
ing the  mass  of  the  people  the  tenants  of  great  proprietors,  as  the 
old  system  would  have  done,  it  has  rendered  almost  every  man  a 
freeholder ;  and  the  freeholders  thus  enfranchised  by  Harrison,  were 


NEGOTIATES     TREATIES    WITH     THE     INDIANS. 


637 


afterwards  the  patriot  soldier  who  assisted  him  to  defend  the  soil 
which  he  had  thus  enabled  them  to  own. 

On  the  division  of  the  North-Western  Territory,  by  which  the  new 
territory  of  Indiana  was  created,  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
influenced  by  the  high  character  of  Harrison  for  ability  and  integrity, 
as  well  as  by  bis  well-earned  popularity,  appointed  him  its  governor. 
He  entered  upon  the  arduous  duties  of  this  office  in  1800.  The 
new  territory  embraced  the  whole  region  since  divided  into  Indiana, 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin  ;  and  Louisiana  and  Michigan  were  at  one 
time  appended  to  it.  As  there  was  no  legislature,  all  the  functions 
of  government  were  of  course  devolved  on  the  executive  ;  and  well 
did  Harrison  acquit  himself  in  this  immeasurably  important  and 
difficult  station.  The  country  was  but  thinly  settled,  and  the  In- 
dians, naturally  disposed  to  be  restless  and  jealous,  were  kept  in  a 
state  of  perpetual  irritation  by  the  agents  of  the  British  government, 
who  supplied  them  with  arms  and  ammunition  as  well  as  ardent 
spirits,  and  were  constantly  inciting  them  to  murder  and  plunder  in 
the  territory  of  the  United  States.  Against  such  a  system  the  pacific 
attempts  of  our  government  to  civilize  and  christianize  the  savages 
could  avail  but  little.  With  the  country  in  such  a  state,  the  office 
of  governor  was  one  which  required  consummate  prudence,  ability 
and  decision  of  character ;  but  as  if  its  duties  were  not  sufficient  to 
call  forth  the  utmost  energies  of  Harrison,  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  180^, 
appointed  him  also  general  and  sole  commissioner  to  treat  with  the 
Indian  tribes  of  the  north-west  on  the  subject  of  their  lands  and 
boundaries. 

In  this  latter  capacity  he  concluded  thirteen  important  treaties 
with  the  different  tribes,  and  obtained  cessions  on  the  most  advan- 
tageous terms,  of  not  less  than  sixty  millions  of  acres  of  lands, 
embracing  a  large  portion  of  the  richest  lands  in  the  north-west.  By 
one  of  these  treaties  he  obtained  for  the  United  States  fifty-one 
million  acres  of  land  at  once — the  largest  tract  ever  ceded  to  our 
government  in  a  single  treaty. 

By  concluding  these  treaties,  he  also  for  a  long  time  successfully 
resisted  the  machinations  of  the  British  agents  to  embroil  our  people 
with  the  savages  ;  and  taught  the  latter  to  respect  his  firmness, 
moderation  and  integrity. 

The  pacific  policy  of  our  government  towards  the  Indians,  main- 
tained at  a  period  when  the  British  agents  were  constantly  stimulating 
the  Indians  to  make  aggressions  on  the  people  of  the  north-west, 
rendered  the  situation  of  Governor  Harrison  a  most  difficult  and 
trying  one. 

The  approach  of  a  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 


638 


WILLIAM     H,     HARRISON. 


States  was  easilj  foreseen  by 
the  more  intelligent  Indians, 
in  the  increased  earnestness 
and  boldness  with  which  the 
British  agents  urged  them  to 
open  hostilities.  Two  of  them 
required  no  urging.  They  were 
the  celebrated  Tecumseli  and 
his  twin  brother,  the  Prophet. 
These  Shawanese  chiefs  had 
been  engaged,  since  1806,  in 
forming  a  combination  of  all 
the  western  tribes,  for  the  de- 
struction of  the  western  set- 
tlements. Tecumseh  was  an 
extraordinary  man.  To  great 
energy,  sagacity,  and  boldness 
of  character,  he  added  the  ac- 
The  Propiiet.  complishmcnts  of  a  first  rate 

warrior,  negotiator  and  orator.  ,  His  brother,  01-li-wa-chi-ca,  called 
the  Prophet,  though  far  his  inferior  in  courage  and  ability,  was  able 
to  render  the  most  efficient  aid  to  Tecumseh's  designs,  in  his  charac- 
ter oi  medicine  man,  which  being  supposed  by  the  Indians  to  confer 
supernatural  powers  and  inspired  authority,  gave  him  unbounded 
influence  over  their  uninformed  and  superstitious  minds.  The  turbu- 
lent and  daring  outcasts  from  various  tribes,  repaired  in  multitudes  to 
the  rendezvous  which  they  had  established  on  the  Wabash,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Tippecanoe,  which  was  called  the  Prophet's  Town. 
Here  their  warlike  designs  were  concocted  and  matured ;  and  hence 
Tecumseh  went  forth  on  his  periodical  missions  to  the  various  tribes 
to  gain  their  co-operation  in  the  intended  attack  on  our  whole  north- 
western frontier.  Among  the  pretexts  for  war  which  he  urged,  was 
the  doctrine  that  all  the  lands  in  North  America  were  the  common 
property  of  all  the  tribes,  and  that  no  sale  of  any  part  could  be  valid 
without  the  consent  of  all — an  ingenious  sophistry,  but  evidently  of 
British  rather  than  Indian  origin.  At  any  rate,  it  afforded  Tecumseh 
a  pretext  for  interfering  with  every  Indian  treaty,  and  defeating  all 
the  efforts  of  General  Harrison  to  maintain  the  peace  of  the  frontiers. 
When  the  treaty  of  Fort  Wayne  took  place,  Tecumseh  was  absent, 
and  on  his  return  he  threatened  with  death  some  of  the  chiefs  who 
had  signed  it.  Hereupon,  Governor  Harrison  dispatched  a  message 
to  inquire  the  cause  of  his  dissatisfaction  with  the  treaty,  and  inviting 
him  to  come  to  Vincennes  and  exhibit  his  pretensions  ;  assuring  him 


Jf' 


COUNCIL     OF     VINCENNES. 


639 


Council  of  Vincennes. 


that  if  they  were  valid,  the  land  acquired  by  the  treaty  should  be 
given  up  or  ample  compensation  made  for  it. 

Tecumseh  accepted  the  invitation,  but  treacherously  brought  w^ith 
him  four  hundred  armed  warriors,  instead  of  thirty,  as  directed.  At 
the  council  he  claimed  for  all  the  Indians  of  the  country,  a  common 
right  to  all  the  lands  in  it ;  denied  the  right  of  any  tribe  to  sell  any 
portion  of  it  without  the  consent  of  all,  and  pronounced  the  treaty 
of  Fort  Wayne  null  and  void.  Harrison  replied,  that  when  the  whites 
came  to  this  continent,  they  found  the  Miamis  in  occupation  of  all 
the  country  of  the  Wabash,  at  which  time  the  Shawanese  dwelt  in 
Georgia,  from  whence  they  were  driven  by  the  Creeks  ;  that  the 
Miamis  had  consulted  their  own  interest,  as  they  had  a  right  to  do, 
in  selling  their  own  lands  on  terms  satisfactory  to  themselves  ;  and 
that  the  Shawanese  had  no  right  to  come  from  a  distant  country, 
and  undertake  to  control  the  Miamis  in  the  disposition  of  their  own 
property.  Scarcely  were  these  words  interpreted,  when  Tecumseh 
fiercely  exclaimed,  "  It  is  false  !"  and  giving  a  signal  to  his  warriors, 
they  sprang  to  their  feet  and  raised  their  weapons,  while  Tecumseh 
continued  to  address  the  Indians  in  a  loud  voice  and  with  violent 
gestures.  At  this  critical  moment  the  courage  and  decision  of  Har- 
rison prevented  a  scene  of  bloodshed  and  horror.  He  rose  immedi- 
ately and  drew  his  sword  ;  but,  restraining  his  guards,  he  calmly,  but 
authoritatively,  told  Tecumseh,  that  "  he  was  a  bad  man,  that  he 


640 


WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 


would  have  no  further  talk  with  him  ;  and  that  he  must  return  to  his 
camp  and  take  his  departure  from  the  settlements  immediately  ;"  and 
with  that  the  council  was  dissolved  ;  and  Tecumseh  and  his  warriors, 
awed  by  the  courage  and  decision  of  Harrison,  withdrew  in  silence. 

The  next  morning,  Tecumseh,  perceiving  that  he  had  to  deal  with 
a  man  as  vigilant  and  bold  as  himself,  apologized  for  the  affront  which 
he  had  offered,  and  requested  another  conference.  In  the  second 
council  he  behaved  with  greater  moderation,  and  told  the  governor 
that  white  men  (British  agents,  undoubtedly,)  had  advised  him  to  do 
as  he  had  done,  and  that  he  was  determined  to  maintain  the  old 
boundary.  This  the  governor  said  he  would  report  to  the  president : 
and  the  council  ended.  Governor  Harrison  then  went  to  Tecumseh's 
camp,  attended  only  by  an  interpreter.  He  was  courteously  received  : 
but  the  chief  would  not  recede  from  his  demands  ;  and  as  he  was 
not  yet  ready  to  commence  hostilities,  the  matter  rested  here  for  a 
while. 

As  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  became  more 
probable,  the  boldness  of  the  Indians  increased.  Marauding  expedi- 
tions and  murders  on  the  frontiers  became  more  and  more  frequent, 
till  Governor  Harrison  was  directed  to  move  with  an  armed  force 
towards  Tippecanoe,  the  centre  and  head-quarters  of  all  their  in- 
trigues, where  a  thousand  hostile  Indians  were  assembled  whom  he 
was  directed  to  disperse.  His  force  was  about  nine  hundred  men, 
militia  and  volunteers  of  Indiana  and  Kentucky,  and  United  States 
troops,  whom  he  had  carefully  drilled  and  trained  for  the  peculiar 
kind  of  service  which  such  a  war  required.  He  marched  from  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  October  20,  1811.  As  he  was  ordered 
to  act  only  on  the  defensive,  the  Indians  were  left  to  choose  their 
own  time  for  the  attack.  In  conformity  with  the  uniform  policy  of 
our  government,  he  was  required  to  attempt  conciliation,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  be  ready  for  resistance  to  any  hostile  movement  on  the 
part  of  the  Indians.  To  prevent  surprise,  he  laid  out  a  wagon  road 
on  one  bank  of  the  Wabash,  which  led  the  Indians  to  expect  he 
would  pass  on  that  side  ;  and  then  suddenly  changing  his  route, 
crossed  to  the  other  bank,  and  thus  marched  to  the  Prophet's  Town 
without  interruption.  He  arrived  on  the  6th  of  November.  His 
offers  of  peace  were  rejected  with  insult.  Urged  by  his  officers  to 
attack  the  town,  his  deference  to  the  orders  he  had  received  to  act 
only  on  the  defensive,  induced  him  to  persevere  in  his  pacific  course 
so  long  as  any  possibility  remained  of  the  Indians  complying  with 
the  demands  of  government.  At  length  the  prophet  sent  three  In- 
dians to  propose  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  and  a  meeting  the  next 
day  to  agree  upon   the  terms  of  peace.     But   Harrison  knew  the 


BATTLE     OF     TIPPECA.NOE. 


641 


Battle  of  Tippecanoe. 

treacherous  character  of  his  enemy,  and  was  not  thrown  off  his 
guard.  The  best  spot  in  the  neighborhood  for  resisting  a  night 
attack  was  chosen  for  an  encampment ;  the  men  lay  upon  their  arms 
all  night ;  and  every  precaution  was  taken  to  guard  against  surprise. 
Just  before  dawn,  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  while  the  governor  was 
conversing  with  his  aids,  awaiting  the  signal  for  the  troops  to  turn 
out,  one  of  the  sentinels  gave  the  alarm  by  firing  his  piece,  which 
was  immediately  followed  by  the  war-whoop,  and  a  desperate  charge 
on  the  left  flank. 

At  that  point,  the  guard  giving  way,  the  charge  of  the  savages  was 
received  by  the  united  regulars  and  volunteers  under  Captains  Bar- 
ton and  Guiger,  in  the  rear,  who  rose  ready  armed,  formed  in  their 
appointed  posts,  and  gallantly  stood  their  ground.  Upon  the  first 
alarm,  the  governor  mounted  his  horse  and  proceeded  to  the  point 
of  attack,  and  finding  the  line  weakened  there,  ordered  up  two  com- 
panies from  the  rear  centre  to  reinforce  it. — Meanwhile,  the  camp 
fires  had  been  extinguished  so  as  not  to  afford  light  to  the  Indians. 
As  the  governor  rode  across  the  camp,  Major  Joseph  H.  Davies,  of 
Kentucky,  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the  west,  asked  permis- 
sion to  charge  a  body  of  Indians,  concealed  behind  some  trees  near 
the  left  of  the  front  line.  In  attempting  this  brave  exploit  he  fell,  as 
did  also  Colonel  Isaac  White,  of  Indiana,  who  served  as  a  volunteer 
under  him.  After  which,  the  charge  was  repeated  and  the  Indians 
dislodged  from   their  cover  by  Captain  Snelling.     Perceiving   the 

41 


642 


WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 


Harrison  pardoning  the  Negro. 


attack  now  to  be  severely  felt  on  the  right  flank,  the  governor  led 
up  another  company  to  reinforce  it,  while  doing  vi^hich,  his  aid, 
Colonel  Owen  of  Kentucky,  fell  by  his  side.  By  this  time,  the  battle 
had  become  general,  and  was  nobly  maintained  on  all  sides  until  the 
day  dawned,  when  the  right  and  left  flanks  having  been  strengthened, 
a  simultaneous  charge  was  made  against  the  Indians  on  each  side, 
who  w^ere  thus  put  to  flight  with  great  loss,  and  a  glorious  victory 
crowned  the  toils  and  dangers  of  the  American  troops. 

During  the  action,  the  Prophet  remained  secure  on  a  near  emi- 
nence, chanting  a  war  song,  and  animating  his  followers  with  the 
assurance  of  miraculous  aid  from  the  Great  Spirit  in  their  favor,  so 
as  to  insure  to  them  a  victory.  Tecumseh  himself  was  not  present, 
being  at  the  south,  endeavoring  to  combine  the  tribes  of  that  quarter 
against  the  United  States.  But,  animated  by  the  Prophet,  the  Indians 
fought  with  desperate  and  unprecedented  valor,  band  to  hand,  so  as 
to  render  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  one  of  the  most  memorable  and 
decisive  engagements  ever  fought  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites. 
The  Indians  attacked  boldly,  advancing  and  retreating  by  a  rattling 
sound,  made  with  deer  hoofs.  They  were  encountered  with  cor- 
responding valor  and  resolution  by  Harrison's  brave  and  spirited  men. 
The  governor  himself  was  unwearied  in  his  exertions,  personally 
inspecting  and  co-operating  in  all  the  operations  of  the  engagement, 
ordering  every  important  movement,  repeatedly  leading  the  troops 


HIS     SERVICES     IN     THE     WAR     WITH     ENGLAND.         643 

into  action  as  any  change  of  their  position  became  requisite,  and 
sharing  all  the  perils  of  the  battle  not  only  equally  with  the  rest, 
but  more,  because  his  person  was  more  conspicuous  on  horseback, 
known  to  every  Indian. 

Exposure  in  the  field  was  not  the  only  danger  incurred  by  the 
governor.  The  Indians  had  intended  to  assassinate  him.  Two 
Winnebagoes  first  undertook  the  enterprise,  but  subsequently  a  negro 
was  sent  into  the  camp  for  the  purpose.  He  was  detected  in  the 
attempt,  whilst  waiting  near  the  governor's  markee,  and  afterwards 
tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  But  moved  by  compas- 
sion, the  governor  pardoned  the  wretched  assassin,  and  ordered  him 
to  be  discharged.  Harrison's  magnanimity  on  this  occasion,  was 
equal  to  his  courage  and  decision  in  the  field. 

The  victory  of  Tippecanoe  decided  the  fate  of  the  war.  Its  im- 
portance in  delivering  the  north-west  from  the  horrors  of  savage 
massacre  and  conflagration  was  fully  appreciated  at  the  time,  as  is 
sufficiently  evinced  by  the  decisive  testimony  then  borne  to  the 
merits  of  the  victorious  general  and  his  patriotic  troops,  and  the 
grateful  recognition  of  their  services  in  the  highest  quarter.  Mr. 
Madison,  then  president  of  the  United  States,  the  legislature  of  In- 
diana, and  the  legislature  of  Kentucky,  all  gave  public  testimonials 
of  approbation,  in  which  the  exalted  character  and  ability  of  Gover 
nor  Harrison  were  most  cordially  recognized. 

The  narrow  limits  of  this  notice  render  it  impossible  to  recount  in 
detail  the  important  services  rendered  by  General  Harrison,  during 
the  late  war  with  Great  Britain.  We  can  only  bring  into  view  the 
more  prominent  points  in  the  history  of  that  eventful  period.  War 
was  declared  on  the  18th  of  June,  1812.  No  sooner  was  this  event 
known  than  all  eyes  were  turned  towards  Harrison,  as  the  most  suit- 
able officer,  to  lead  the  American  forces  as  commander-in-chief  of 
that  military  district :  and  it  was  in  obedience  no  less  to  the  dictates 
of  wisdom  and  sound  policy  than  to  the  acclamations  of  public  senti- 
ment in  the  west,  that  Governor  Scott,  of  Kentucky,  gave  him  a 
brevet  commission  of  major-general  in  the  militia  of  Kentucky,  and 
authorized  him  to  take  command  of  the  detachment  for  Detroit.  In 
the  midst  of  preparations  which  this  honorable  trust  imposed,  intel- 
ligence was  received  of  the  fall  of  that  place  through  the  misconduct  of 
Hull.  To  increase  the  dismay  spread  through  the  country  by  this 
intelligence,  the  people  of  the  north-west  soon  after  learnt  that  the 
government  had  appointed  another  than  their  favorite  general  to  take 
the  command.  Though  General  Harrison  received  the  appointment 
of  brigadier-general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  he  declined  to 
accept  it,  until  apprised  whether  his  acceptance  should  make  him 


644 


WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 


subordinate  to  General  Winchester.  In  this  he  did  but  consult  the 
wishes  of  those  around  him,  who  were  only  induced  to  march  under 
Wuichester  by  the  hope  that  Harrison  would  ultimately  receive  the 
chief  command.  Still,  learning  that  Fort  Wayne  was  invested  by  a 
large  body  of  Indians,  he  hastened  to  relieve  it.  He  reached  the  fort 
on  the  12th  of  September,  but  found  the  besieging  army  had  aban- 
doned its  position  and  fled  at  his  approach.  After  this  he  resumed 
his  duties  as  governor  of  Indiana. 

When  the  president  learned  the  actual  state  of  affairs,  that  Harri- 
son was  the  choice  of  the  whole  western  people,  and  that  he  had 
already  been  engaged  in  extensive  operations  for  the  defence  of  the 
frontier,  he  appointed  him  to  the  chief  command  in  the  north-west. 
The  task  thus  assigned  to  him  was  by  far  the  most  difficult  which 
was  undertaken  by  any  general  during  the  war.  This  will  be  easily 
understood  by  any  one  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  glance  at  the 
map,  and  observe  the  extent  of  frontier  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the 
British  and  their  savage  allies,  by  the  fall  of  Detroit ;  remembering 
at  the  same  time  that  the  forces  necessary  for  its  defence  were  to 
be  raised  and  organized  chiefly  in  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  at  a  great 
distance  from  the  principal  scene  of  action,  and  marched  across  a 
wilderness  of  forests  and  marshes  to  the  points  of  attack  ;  and  that 
the  only  impression  to  be  made  on  the  enemy  was  by  carrying  the 
war  ultimately  into  Canada,  which  Harrison,  having  accomplished 
the  defensive  part  of  l\,is  operations,  was  finally  enabled  to  do  with 
the  most  brilliant  success.  The  powers  conferred  upon  him  were 
ample,  and  the  objects  prescribed  by  the  department  of  war  were 
the  internal  defence  of  the  country,  the  recapture  of  Detroit,  and 
the  invasion  of  Canada.  His  forces  were  undisciplined  recruits  and 
militia  volunteers,  full  of  ardor  and  patriotism,  but  destitute  of  the 
habits  or  experience  of  the  soldier,  and  to  be  held  in  obedience  rather 
by  personal  influence  than  the  force  of  authority.  With  these  he 
was  to  act  against  the  experienced  officers  and  well-disciplined  troops 
of  Britain,  aided  by  innumerable  hordes  of  savages.  The  consum- 
mate address  displayed  by  General  Harrison  in  retaining  the  obedi- 
ence and  attachment  of  his  soldiers  is  well  illustrated  by  an  incident 
which  occurred  on  his  arrival  in  Winchester's  camp,  at  Fort  Defiance. 
Soon  after  he  had  retired  to  rest,  he  was  awakened  by  Colonel  Allen 
and  Major  Hardin,  to  be  informed  that  Allen's  regiment  was  in  open 
mutiny,  determined  to  bandon  the  expedition  and  return  home  ;  and 
that  all  their  own  attempts  to  bring  their  men  back  to  their  duty 
were  utterly  in  vain.  General  Harrison  ordered  the  alarm  to  beat 
the  ensuing  morning  instead  of  a  reveille.  This  brought  all  the  men 
to  arms,  and  when  paraded  at  their  posts  they  saw,  with  surprise. 


SIEGE      OF     FORT     MEIGS.  645 

General  Harrison  appear  amongthem.  He  began  his  address  to  them 
by  lamenting  the  discontents  which  existed  among  men  he  so  highly 
esteemed  ;  but  it  was  because  of  its  dishonor  to  them  ;  for  govern- 
ment could  dispense  with  their  services  ;  and  all  those  who  were 
disheartened  that  they  did  not  find  in  the  woods  the  luxuries  and 
comforts  of  home,  had  full  liberty  to  return.  But  what  would  be 
their  reception  from  the  old  and  young,  who  had  greeted  them  on 
their  march  to  the  scene  of  war,  as  their  country's  gallant  defenders? 
To  be  seen  returning  before  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service, 
without  having  struck  a  blow  !  If  their  fathers  did  not  drive  their 
degenerate  sons  back  to  recover  their  tarnished  honor  on  the  field  of 
battle,  would  not  their  mothers  and  sisters  hiss  them  from  their  pre- 
sence ?  But,  if  they  were  prepared  thus  to  encounter  the  scorn  and 
contempt  of  their  friends  at  home,  they  could  go,  and  the  govern- 
ment would  look  elsewhere  for  braver  and  better  men  to  defend  the 
country  in  its  hour  of  need.  This  appeal  was  irresistible  ;  the  gene- 
rous men  of  Kentucky  returned  by  acclamation  to  their  duty ;  and 
no  more  faithful  troops  than  they  served  in  the  whole  war. 

We  must  refer  our  readers  to  the  history  of  the  late  war  for  an 
account  of  the  disastrous  defeat  of  General  Winchester  at  the  river 
Raisin,  which  was  followed  by  the  cold-blooded  massacre  of  the 
American  prisoners  by  the  Indians,  at  the  command  of  the  infamous 
General  Proctor,  an  event  which  had  a  most  prejudicial  effect  on  the 
whole  operations  of  the  campaign.  Winchester's  movement  had 
been  not  only  without  the  knowledge  or  consent  of  Harrison,  but 
contrary  to  his  plan  of  operation ;  but  Avhen  apprised  of  his  course 
he  made  all  possible  exertions  to  protect  Winchester  from  the  appre- 
hended consequences  of  his  ow^n  ill-advised  acts.  On  learning  his 
disaster,  the  army  which  had  advanced  to  support  him,  after  receiving 
a  reinforcement  under  General  Leftwich,  resumed  the  position  at  the 
rapids  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Miami,  where  a  strong  fortification 
was  erected  as  the  winter  quarters  of  the  army,  which  was  called 
Camp  Meigs,  in  honor  of  the  governor  of  Ohio.  This  position  being 
attacked  by  the  British,  became  the  scene  of  a  brilliant  triumph  to 
the  arms  of  the  United  States.  Harrison  commanded  the  defence 
in  person.  The  enemy  made  his  appearance  on  the  26th  of  April, 
1813,  consisting  of  a  numerous  force  of  British  and  Indians,  com 
manded  by  General  Proctor.  Three  powerful  batteries  were  soon 
constructed  directly  opposite  the  American  camp.  Meanwhile,  our 
troops  had  thrown  up  a  breastwork  of  earth,  twelve  feet  in  height, 
traversing  the  camp  in  rear  of  the  tents,  so  that  when  the  batteries 
of  the  enemy  were  completed  and  mounted,  and  his  fire  opened,  the 
tents  of  the  Americans  beins;  removed  to  the  rear  of  the  traverse, 


646 


WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 


Siege  of  Fort  Meigs. 


were  completely  protected.  A  severe  fire  was  kept  up  on  both  sides 
until  the  4th  of  May,  when  news  was  brought  of  the  approach  of  a 
reinforcement  of  Kentucky  militia,  under  General  Clay.  General 
Harrison  instantly  determined,  by  making-  a  sortie  at  the  moment  of 
his  arrival,  to  compel  the  enemy  to  raise  the  siege.  In  obedience  to 
his  orders,  General  Clay  detached  eight  hundred  of  his  men  to  land 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Miami,  to  attack  the  British  batteries  situated 
there,  and  fought  his  way  safely  into  the  camp.  A  part  of  the  o-arri- 
son  under  Colonel  Miller,  made  a  sortie  from  the  camp,  gallantly 
assaulted  and  carried  the  battery  on  the  eastern  bank,  rhade  a  num- 
ber of  prisoners,  and  drove  the  British  and  Indians  from  their  lines. 
Meanwhile,  Dudley  had  landed  his  troops,  and  charged  and  carried 
the  two  other  batteries,  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  Unfortunately, 
his  troops  being  too  secure  after  this  success  were  drawn  into 
an  ambuscade.  The  result  was  the  destruction  of  the  detachment 
three-fourths  of  whom  were  made  captives  or  slain.  The  British 
again  covered  themselves  with  infamy  by  giving  up  their  prisoners 
to  be  massacred  by  the  savages.  The  shooting  and  tomahawkintj- 
of  these  unfortunate  men  went  on  before  the  eyes  of  Proctor  and 
the  whole  British  army,  until  Tecumseh  suddenly  arriving,  exclaimed, 
"  For  shame  !  it  is  a  disgrace  to  kill  defenceless  prisoners  !"  A  savage 
taught  a  British  general  a  lesson  of  humanity  ! 

This  unfortunate  incident  did  not  prevent  the  success  of  General 


OPERATIONS     ON     L  A.  K  E     ERIE. 


647 


Building  of  the  I'leet  on  Lake  Erie. 

Harrison's  well-timed  attack.  Resolved  to  raise  the  siege,  Proctor 
first  dispatched  a  flag  of  truce,  requiring  a  surrender  of  the  fort  and 
army,  as  the  only  means  of  saving  the  latter  from  the  tomahawks 
and  scalping  knives  of  the  savages.  This  insult  Harrison  cautioned 
Proctor  not  to  repeat.  He  disdained  to  reply  to  it ;  and  the  British 
commander  hastily  broke  up  his  camp,  and  retreated  in  disgrace  and 
confusion  towards  Maiden.  A  second  attack  which  he  made  on  Fort 
Meigs  in  May  following,  with  a  large  force  of  British  and  Indians, 
was  attended  with  a  like  result.  Foiled  in  this  attempt,  he  landed  a 
part  of  his  force  at  Lower  Sandusky,  in  order  to  reduce  a  small  out- 
post, called  Fort  Stephenson.  The  gallantry  of  Major  Croghan 
inflicted  another  severe  disgrace  upon  the  British  arms  in  this  aff'air, 
which  has  been  made  the  occasion  of  censure  on  General  Harrison, 
because  he  had  previously  ordered  the  post  to  be  evacuated.  But 
the  testimony  of  Croghan  himself,  to  the  penetration  and  able  gene- 
ralship evinced  by  Harrison's  order,  has  long  since  settled  that  point. 
General  Harrison  had  been  the  first  to  recommend  to  the  govern- 
ment the  creation  of  a  naval  force  on  Lake  Erie  sufficient  to  cope 
with  the  British,  and  open  the  way  into  Canada  by  the  lakes.  He 
was  now  to  reap  the  fruits  resulting  from  the  adoption  of  that  judi- 
cious advice.  Perry's  victory  was  gained  on  the  10th  of  September, 
1813.  On  the  27th,  Harrison  with  his  whole  army,  had  landed  on 
the  Canada  shore.  The  army  landed  in  high  spirits  ;  but  the  enemy 
had  abandoned  his  strong  hold,  and  retreated  to  Sandwich, — after 
dismantling  Maiden,  burning  the  barracks  and  navy  yard,  and  strip- 
ping the  adjacent  country  of  horses  and  cattle.  General  Harrison 
encamped  that  night  on  the  ruins  of  JIalden, 


648 


WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 


BattLe  of   the  Thames. 


The  pursint  of  the  enemy  was  resumed  next  day,  and  on  the  5th 
of  October  he  was  overtaken  at  a  place  ever  memorable  as  the  battle 
ground  of  one  of  the  most  honorable  and  decisive  actions  fought 
during  the  war.  It  was  a  vi^ell  chosen  spot  near  the  river  Thames. 
But  Proctor  had  committed  the  error  of  forming  his  men  in  open 
order.  Harrison  therefore  ordered  Colonel  Johnson,  with  his  mounted 
regiment,  to  charge  them  in  column,  which  was  done  with  brilliant 
success  ;  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the  British  regular  force  were 
killed,  wounded,  or  captured.  On  the  left  the  Indians  rushed  on  the 
mounted  men,  and  fought  bravely  until  Tecumseh  fell,  as  is  supposed 
by  the  hand  of  Colonel  Johnson.  Proctor,  a  coward  and  a  barbarian, 
deserted  his  troops,  and  fled  with  a  part  of  his  suite,  leaving  his 
baggage,  military  stores,  and  official  papers,  to  the  victor.  Three 
pieces  of  brass  cannon  which  had  been  captured  from  the  British, 
during  our  Revolutionary  struggle,  at  Saratoga  and  Yorktown,  and 
afterwards  surrendered  by  Hull  at  Detroit,  were  recaptured  in  this 
battle.  Governor  Shelby  commanded  the  Kentucky  troops,  and 
Colonel  (General)  Cass,  and  Commodore  Perry  acted  as  volunteer 
aids  to  General  Harrison.  ' 

Thus  Harrison  had  gloriously  accomplished,  by  his  own  abilities 
and  the  co-operation  of  the  gallant  people  of  the  west,  all  that  he 
undertook  in  assuming  the  command  of  the  American  forces  in  the 
north-west.     The  news  of  this  great  victory  spread  joy  throughout 


RESIGNATION      OF     HARRISON,  65] 

the  country.  Mr.  Madison,  in  his  letter  to  Congress,  spoke  of  the 
result  as  "  signally  honorable  to  Major-General  Harrison,  by  whose 
military  talents  it  was  prepared."  "  The  victory,"  said  I\lr.  Cheves, 
in  Congress,  "was  such  as  would  have  secured  to  a  Roman  general, 
in  the  best  days  of  the  republic,  the  honors  of  a  triumph.  Congress 
in  1818  authorized  the  president  to  cause  two  gold  medals  lo  he 
struck,  emblematical  of  the  victory,  and  presented  to  General  Harri- 
son, and  Governor  Shelby. 

Having  entirely  defeated  the  enemy  in  Upper  Canada,  Harrison 
advanced  with  a  part  of  his  army  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  where  he  left 
the  troops,  and  proceeded  to  the  seat  of  government,  and  then  to 
Ohio,  where  his  immediate  duties  required  his  presence. 

In  the  subsequent  campaign  the  secretary  of  war  thought  fit  to 
take  such  a  course  as  required  General  Harrison  to  resign  his  com- 
mand. The  secretary  thus  deprived  the  country  of  the  services  of 
him,  "who,"  in  the  words  of  Colonel  Johnson,  "during  the  latew^ar, 
was  longer  in  active  service  than  any  other  general  officer,  was 
perhaps  oftener  in  action  than  any  of  them,  and  never  sustained 

A    DEFEAT." 

Mr.  Madison  still  continued  to  distinguish  General  Harrison  by 
marks  of  his  confidence.  He  appointed  him  commissioner  to  nego- 
tiate important  treaties  with  various  tribes  of  Indians,  in  1814,  and 
again  in  1815.  He  was  subsequently  a  representative,  and  after 
that  a  senator  in  Congress,  from  Ohio ;  and  a  minister  plenipoten- 
tiary to  Colombia.  While  in  this  situation  he  wrote  the  celebrated 
and  ever-memorable  letter  to  Bolivar,  advising  him  to  desist  from  the 
despotic  designs  which  he  entertained  at  that  period.  For  any  other 
individual  this  letter  alone  would  constitute  a  sufficient  claim  to 
immortality.  But  it  is  now  regarded  as  only  one  among  many  evi- 
dences of  Harrison's  abilities  as  a  statesman,  and  his  exalted  senti- 
ments as  a  republican. 

On  his  return  from  Colombia,  General  Harrison  retired  to  his  farm 
at  North  Bend,  on  the  Ohio  river,  a  few  miles  below  Cincinnati. 
Never  having  sought  personal  aggrandizement,  nor  availed  himself 
of  his  numerous  public  situations  to  acquire  a  fortune,  he  was  at  this 
time  poor,  and  accordingly  accepted  the  office  of  clerk  to  the  Ham- 
ilton county  court,  which  he  occupied  until  the  time  of  his  election 
as  chief  magistrate  of  the  United  States. 

At  the  close  of  Jackson's  administration,  in  1835,  General  Har- 
rison was  the  whig  candidate  to  succeed  him.  He  was  defeated  by 
a  small  majority.  In  1840  he  was  again  the  candidate,  and  received 
the  presidency  by  an  overwhelming  vote. 

The  venerable  chief  left  North  Bend  in  February,  1841,  and  pro- 


652 


WILLIAM     H.     HARRISON. 


ceeded  toward  the  capital.  His  progress  w'as  marked  with  the  utmost 
enthusiasm  ;  and  the  ceremonies  of  initiation  and  delivering  of  the 
inaugural  address  were  conducted  on  a  scale  of  magnificence  and 
popular  joyfulness  never  exceeded. 

On  the  17th  of  March  the  new  president  issued  his  proclamation, 
calling  an  extra  session  of  Congress,  to  convene  on  the  3 1st  of 
May,  and  take  into  consideration  the  state  of  the  country. 

On  Saturday,  (March  27th,)  after  several  days'  previous  indispo- 
sition, the  president  was  seized  with  a  chill,  and  other  symptoms  of 
fever.  These  were  followed  by  bilious  pleurisy,  which  ultimately 
baffled  all  medical  skill,  and  ended  his  useful  and  virtuous  life  on 
Sunday  morning,  April  4th.  His  last  words  were,  "  Sir,  I  wish  you 
to  understand  the  principles  of  the  government.  I  wish  them  carried 
out.  I  ask  nothing  more."  His  funeral  took  place  on  the  7th,  and 
was  two  miles  in  length. 

In  person  General  Harrison  was  tall  and  slender,  and  from  the 
effects  of  habitual  activity  and  temperance,  enjoyed  much  bodily 
vigor.  He  had  a  fine  dark  eye,  remarkable  for  its  keenness,  fire  and 
intelligence,  and  his  face  was  strongly  expressive  of  vivacity  of  mind 
and  benevolence  of  character.  The  general  had  a  most  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  history  and  policy  of  the  United  States  ;  and  from 
the  moderation  of  his  political  views  and  feelings  as  a  party  man, 
although  firm,  frank  and  consistent,  he  was  well  calculated  for  the 
high  station  given  him  by  the  people,  and  which  it  is  believed  he 
would  have  filled  with  ability,  and  to  general  satisfaction. 


COLONEL  GEORGE  CROGHAN 

AS  born  at  Locust  Grove,  near  the  falls  of  Ohio,  on 
the  15th  of  November,  1791.  His  father,  Major 
William  Croghan,  left  Ireland  at  an  early  period,  was 
appointed  an  officer  in  our  revolutionary  army,  and 
discharged  his  duties  as  such,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  commander-in-chief.  His  mother  is  the  daughter  of  John  Clark, 
Esq.,  of  Virginia,  a  gentleman  of  vi'orth  and  respectability,  who 
exerted  himself  greatly,  and  contributed  largely  towards  the  support 
of  the  revolutionary  contest.  He  had  five  sons  ;  four  of  whom  were 
officers  in  the  revolutionary  army.  General  William  Clark,  who 
together  with  Captain  Lewis,  explored  the  western  boundary  of  the 
United  States,  and  who  was  afterwards  the  governor  of  Louisiana,  was 
too  young  to  participate  with  his  brothers  in  the  achievement  of  that 
event.  The  military  talents  of  George  R.  Clark,  have  obtained  for 
him  the  flattering  appellation  of  "  the  father  of  the  western  country." 
Col.  Croghan  has  always  been  esteemed  generous  and  humane ;  and, 
when  a  boy,  his  manly  appearance  and  independence  of  sentiment  and 
action,  commanded  the  attention  and  admiration  of  all  who  knew  him. 

653 


654  GEORGE     CROGHAN. 

While  in  the  state  of  Kentucky,  his  time  was  principally  occupied 
with  the  study  of  his  native  tongue — geography — the  elenaents  of 
geometry — and  the  Latin  and  the  Greek  languages.  In  these  differ- 
ent branches  of  literature  he  made  a  respectable  progress. 

In  the  year  1808,  he  left  Locust  Grove,  for  the  purpose  of  prose- 
cuting his  studies  in  the  University  of  William  and  Mary.  In  this 
institution  he  graduated  as  A.  B.  on  the  4th  of  July,  1810;  and 
delivered,  on  the  day  of  his  graduation,  an  oration  on  the  subject  of 
expatriation.  This  oration  was  deemed  by  the  audience,  concise, 
ingenious,  and  argumentative,  and  was  pronounced  in  a  manner 
which  did  great  credit  to  his  oratorical  powers.  The  ensuing  sum- 
mer he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  on  law,  and,  on  the  termination 
of  the  course,  returned  to  his  father's,  where  he  prosecuted  the  study 
of  the  same  profession,  and  occasionally  indulged  himself  in  miscella- 
neous reading.  Biography  and  history  have  always  occupied  much 
of  his  attention.  He  is  (as  his  countenance  indicates,)  rather  of  a 
serious  cast  of  mind ;  but  no  one  admires  more  a  pleasant  anecdote, 
or  an  unaffected  sally  of  wit.  With  his  friends,  he  is  affable  and 
free  from  reserve — his  manners  are  prepossessing  ;  he  dislikes  osten- 
tation, and  was  never  heard  to  utter  a  word  in  praise  of  himself. 

In  the  autumn  of  1811,  was  fought  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe. 
This  was  the  first  opportunity  that  offered  for  the  display  of  his 
military  talents.  He  embraced  it  with  avidity — he  left  his  father's 
house  in  the  character  of  a  volunteer,  and  was  appointed  aid  to 
General  Harrison.  On  the  7th  of  November,  an  attack  was  made 
on  the  troops  under  the  command  of  that  officer  ;  the  enemy  were 
repulsed  with  valor  ;  and,  during  the  engagement,  young  Croghan 
evinced  the  greatest  courage,  activity  and  military  skill.  His  services 
were  acknowledged  by  all ;  and  he  exhibited  such  proofs  of  a  genius 
for  war,  that  many  of  his  companions  in  arms  remarked,  that  "  he  was 
born  a  soldier."  A  cant  saying  among  the  troops  of  Tippecanoe, 
Vv^as  "  to  do  a  main  business,"  and  during  the  battle  he  would  ride  from 
post  to  post,  exciting  the  courage  of  the  men  by  exclaiming,  "  Now 
my  brave  fellows,  now  is  the  time  to  do  a  main  business."  Upon  the 
return  of  the  troops  from  Tippecanoe,  they  were  frequently  met  by 
persons  coming  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  their  children  or  friends. 
Among  the  number  of  these  was  a  very  poor  and  aged  man,  whose 
son  was  slain  in  the  battle.  Croghan  having  ascertained  the  situation 
of  the  old  man,  and  observing  his  inability  to  perform  much  bodily 
labor,  regularly  made  his  fires  for  him  every  morning,  and  supplied 
him  with  provisions,  clothes  and  money.  Many  acts  of  this  kind  are 
related  of  him  by  the  soldiers  and  officers  of  Tippecanoe. 

After  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and  upon  the  prospect  of  a  speedy 


CROGHAN  AT  FORT  STEPHENSON.  655 

declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain,  he  expressed  a  desire  to 
join  the  army.  Recommendatory  letters  of  the  most  flattering  kind 
were  written  by  Generals  Harrison  and  Boyd,  to  the  secretary  of  war, 
and  upon  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  he  was  appointed  captain 
in  the  17th  regiment  of  infantry.  He  was  stationed  sometime  at 
Clark  cantonment,  near  the  falls  of  Ohio  ;  but  had  not  been  long  in 
command  there,  before  he  was  ordered  to  march,  with  what  regulars 
he  had,  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  north-western  army,  then  at 
Detroit.  Before  they  had  proceeded  far  they  heard  of  Hull's  surren- 
der. Shortly  after  this,  to  the  Americans,  unfortunate  event.  Governor 
Harrison,  who  had  received  a  major-general's  commission  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  was  appointed  to  command  the  United  States  forces  on  the 
north-western  frontier. 

Captain  Croghan  commanded  a  short  time.  Fort  Defiance,  on  the 
Miami  of  the  Lakes  ;  but  after  the  defeat  of  General  Winchester, 
he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Meigs,  upon  which  the  enemy  designed  an 
attack.  Here  General  Harrison  commanded  in  person.  Every 
disposition  both  for  attack  and  defence,  was  made  by  the  conflicting 
parties.  The  siege  began  on  the  28th  of  April,  and  on  the  9th  of 
May  following,  the  besiegers  commenced  their  retreat  covered  with 
disgrace.  Here  Croghan  particularly  signalized  himself  with  his 
corps,  by  several  handsome  and  brilliant  charges  on  the  enemy.  For 
his  conduct  on  this  occasion,  he  received  the  particular  notice  of  the 
commanding  general ;  and  was  shortly  after  advanced  to  a  majority, 
and  was  stationed  with  his  battalion  at  Upper  Sandusky.  From  this 
he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Stephenson,  twenty  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  Sandusky  river,  with  orders  from  General  Harrison  to  destroy  the 
stores  and  abandon  the  fort,  if  the  enemy  made  his  appearance. 
Learning  that  the  enemy  designed  to  attack  him  he  disobeyed  his 
orders,  and  immortalized  his  fame.  He  labored  day  and  night  to 
place  the  fort  in  a  state  of  defence. 

The  necessity  of  cutting  a  ditch  round  the  fort  immediately  pre- 
sented itself  to  him.  This  was  done — but  in  order  to  render  the 
enemy's  plans  abortive,  should  they  even  succeed  in  leaping  the 
ditch,  which  was  nine  feet  wide  and  six  deep,  he  had  large  logs 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  fort,  and  so  adjusted  that  an  inconsiderable 
weight  would  cause  them  to  fall  from  their  position,  and  crush  to 
death  all  who  might  be  situated  below. 

A  short  time  before  the  action,  he  wrote  the  following  concise  and 
impressive  letter  to  a  friend  :  "  The  enemy  are  not  far  distant :  I 
expect  an  attack — I  will  defend  this  post  to  the  last  extremity. 
I  have  just  sent  away  the  women  and  children,  that  I  may  be 
able  to  act  without  encumbrance.     Be  satisfied :  I  hope  to  do  my 


656 


GEORGE     CROGHAN. 


Defence  of  Fort  Stephenson, 

duty.     The  example  set  me  by  my  revolutionary  kindred  is  before 
me — let  me  die  rather  than  prove  unworthy  of  their  name," 

On  the  first  of  August,  General  Proctor  made  his  appearance  be- 
fore the  fort.  His  troops  consisted  of  five  hundred  regulars,  and 
about  seven  hundred  Indians  of  the  most  ferocious  kind.  There 
were  but  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  cfifective  men  in  the  garrison, 
and  the  works  covered  one  acre  of  ground.  The  pickets  were  about 
ten  feet  high,  surrounded  by  a  ditch,  with  a  block-house  at  each 
angle  of  the  fort,  one  of  which  contained  a  six-pounder.  This  was 
the  exact  state  of  the  post  at  the  time  the  enemy  appeared.  The 
first  movement  made  by  the  enemy  was  to  make  such  a  disposition 
of  his  forces  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  garrison,  if  they  should 
be  disposed  to  attempt  it.  He  then  sent  Colonel  Elliot  with  a  flag, 
to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  fort.  He  was  met  by  Ensign  Shipp. 
The  British  ofiScer  observed  that  General  Proctor  had  a  number  of 
cannon,  a  large  body  of  regular  troops,  and  so  many  Indians,  whom 
it  was  impossible  to  control,  that  if  the  fort  was  taken,  as  it  must 
be,  the  whole  of  the  garrison  would  be  massacred.  Shipp  answered, 
that  it  was  the  determination  of  Major  Croghan,  his  oflicers  and 
men  to  defend  the  garrison  or  be  buried  in  it,  and  that  they  might  do 
their  best.  Colonel  Elliot  addressed  Mr.  Shipp  again — "  You  are  a 
fine  young  man,  I  pity  your  situation  ;  for  God's  sake  surrender,  and 
prevent  the  dreadful  slaughter  that  must  follow  resistance."  Shipp 
turned  from  him  with  indignation,  and  was  immediately  taken  hold 
of  by  an  Indian,  who  attempted  to  wrest  his  sword  from  him.  Major 


DEFENCE  OF  FORT  STEPHENSON.  657 

Croghan,  observing  what  passed,  called  to  Shipp  to  come  into  the 
fort,  which  was  instantly  obeyed,  and  the  action  commenced.  The 
firing  began  from  the  gun-boats  in  the  rear,  and  was  kept  up  during 
the  night. 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning,  three  six-pounders,  which  had 
been  planted  during  the  night,  within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of 
the  pickets,  began  to  play  upon  the  fort,  but  with  little  effect.  About 
four  p.  M.  all  the  enemy's  guns  were  concentrated  against  the  north- 
western angle  of  the  fort,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  breach.  To 
counteract  the  effect  of  their  fire.  Major  Croghan  caused  that  point 
to  be  strengthened  by  means  of  bags  of  flour,  sand,  and  other  mate- 
rials, in  such  a  manner  that  the  picketing  sustained  little  or  no  injury. 
But  the  enemy,  supposing  their  fire  had  sufficiently  shattered  the 
pickets,  advanced,  to  the  number  of  five  hundred,  to  storm  the  place, 
at  the  saeae  time  making  two  feints  on  different  points. 

The  column  which  advanced  against  the  north-western  angle,  was 
so  completely  enveloped  in  smoke,  as  not  to  be  discovered  until  it 
had  approached  within  eighteen  or  twenty  paces  of  the  lines,  but  the 
men  being  all  at  their  posts,  and  ready  to  receive  it,  commenced  so 
heavy  and  galling  a  fire  as  to  throw  the  column  into  confusion  ;  but 
being  quickly  rallied,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Short,  the  leader  of  the 
column,  exclaimed,  "  Come  on  my  brave  fellows,  we  will  give  these 

d d  yankee  rascals  no  quarters,"  and  immediately  leapt  into  the 

ditch,  followed  by  his  troops  :  as  soon  as  the  ditch  was  entirely  filled 
by  the  assailants,  Major  Croghan  ordered  the  six-pounder  which  had 
been  masked  in  the  block-house,  to  be  fired.  It  had  been  loaded 
with  a  double  charge  of  musket  balls  and  slugs.  The  piece  com- 
pletely raked  the  ditch  from  end  to  end.  The  first  fire  levelled  the 
one  half  in  death  ;  the  second  or  third  either  killed  or  wounded 
every  one  except  eleven,  who  were  covered  by  the  dead  bodies.  At 
the  same  time,  the  fire  of  small  arms  was  so  incessant  and  destruc- 
tive, that  it  was  in  vain  the  British  officers  exerted  themselves  to 
lead  on  the  balance  of  the  column  ;  it  retired  in  disorder  under  a 
shower  of  shot,  and  sought  safety  in  an  adjoining  wood.  The  loss 
of  the  enemy  in  killed  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty,  besides  a 
considerable  number  of  their  allies.  The  Americans  had  but  one 
killed  and  seven  slightly  wounded.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  3d, 
the  enemy  retreated  down  the  river,  after  having  abandoned  con- 
siderable baggage. 

The  garrison  was  composed  of  regulars,  all  Kentuckians  ;  a  finer 

company  of  men  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  United  States,  perhaps 

not  in  the  world.     They  were  as  humane  as  courageous.     This  is 

proved  by  their  unceasing  attention  to  the  wounded  enemy  after 

■42 


658  GEORGE      CROGHAN. 

their  discomfiture  ;  during  the  night  they  kindly  received  into  the 
fort,  through  the  fatal  port-hole  of  the  block-house,  all  those  who 
were  able  to  crawl  to  it ;  to  those  unable  to  move,  they  threw  can- 
teens filled  with  water.  They  even  parted  with  their  clothes  to 
alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  wounded. 

Notwithstanding  his  disobedience  of  orders,  for  the  successful 
defence  of  this  post,  Major  Croghan  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant-colonel. 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  an  expedition  for  the  recapturing  of 
Michilimackinac,  was  intrusted  to  his  command.  This  was  fitted 
out  from  Detroit. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  the  troops  were  landed  at  St.  Joseph's  ;  and 
the  fort,  which  had  been  evacuated,  set  on  fire.  Major  Holmes  was 
then  ordered  to  the  Sault  St.  Mary's,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  up 
the  enemy's  establishment  at  that  place.  He  arrived  the  day  after ; 
but  the  north-west  agent  had  received  notice  of  his  approach,  and 
succeeded  in  escaping  with  a  considerable  amount  of  goods,  after 
setting  fire  to  a  vessel  above  the  falls :  the  design  of  this  latter 
measure  was  frustrated.  The  vessel  was  brought  down  the  falls  on 
the  25th,  but  having  bilged,  was  destroyed.  Considerable  property 
belonging  to  the  enemy  was  taken. 

On  tne  4th  of  August,  a  landing  of  the  troops  under  Croghan  and 
Morgan  was  effected,  at  Mackinac  ;  but  the  strength  of  the  enemy's 
works  rendered  it  impossible  to  carry  the  place  by  storm,  with  a 
small  number  of  troops  ;  and,  after  a  severe  conflict,  a  retreat  became 
indispensable,  and  was  accordingly  effected. 

Although  this  expedition  proved  unsuccessful  in  its  issue,  its  failure 
was  not  ascribable  to  any  misconduct  on  the  part  of  the  commanding 
officer.  Everything  was  done  that  vigilance,  bravery  and  perseverance 
could  achieve. 

The  American  loss  was  thirteen  killed,  fifty-one  wounded,  and  two 
missing — loss  of  the  enemy  not  known. 

After  this,  affair,  Colonel  Croghan  determined  to  remain  on  Lake 
Huron  for  a  time,  with  three  companies,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking 
up  any  depots  which  the  enemy  might  have  on  the  east  side  of  the 
lake. 

He  learned  that  the  only  line  of  communication  from  York  to 
Mackinac,  &c.,  was  by  the  way  of  Lake  Simcoe  and  Nautawasaga 
river,  which  empties  into  Lake  Huron,  about  one  himdred  miles  south- 
east of  Cabot's  Head, 

On  the  13th  of  August,  the  fleet  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  that 
river,  and  the  troops  were  quickly  disembarked  on  the  peninsula 
formed  between  the  river  and  lake,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  a  camp. 


SERVICES      IN     MEXICO. 


659 


On  reconnoitering  the  position  thus  taken,  it  was  discovered  that 
the  enemy's  schooner  Nancy  was  drawn  up  in  the  river  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  above,  under  cover  of  a  block-house,  erected  on  a  com- 
manding situation  on  the  opposite  shore. 

On  the  following  morning,  a  fire  for  a  few  minutes  was  kept  up 
by  the  shipping  upon  the  block-house,  but  with  little  effect.  At  twelve 
o'clock,  two  howitzers  being  placed  within  a  few  hundred  yards, 
commenced  a  fire,  which  lasted  but  a  few  minutes,  when  the  block- 
house blew  up  ;  at  the  same  time,  fire  was  communicated  to  the 
Nancy,  (by  the  bursting  of  one  of  our  shells,)  which  was  so  quickly 
enveloped  in  flames  as  to  render  any  attempts  which  might  have 
been  made  to  save  her  unavailing,  giving  the  enem.y  barely  time  to 
make  his  escape  before  an  explosion  took  place. 

The  loss  of  the  Nancy  was  severely  felt  by  the  enemy  ;  her  cargo 
consisting  (at  the  time  of  her  being  on  fire)  of  several  hundred  bar- 
rels of  provisions,  intended  as  a  six  months'  supply  for  the  garrison 
at  Mackinac 

Colonel  Croghan  afterwards  returned  to  Detroit. 

Colonel  Croghan  continued  in  active  service  during  the  remainder 
of  the  war,  and  some  time  after  the  reduction  of  the  army  he  re- 
signed his  commission.  In  May,  1817,  he  was  married  to  a  daughter 
of  John  R.  Livingston,  Esq.,  at  New  York,  having  in  the  March 
previous  resigned  his  commission.  He  was  then  appointed  post- 
master at  New  Orleans,  but  in  1825  re-entered  the  army,  and  was 
assigned  the  post  of  inspector-general.  He  has-  served  as  such 
twenty-two  years.  Colonel  Croghan  joined  the  army  in  Mexico 
after  the  taking  of  Matamoras,  and  behaved  with  distinguished  gal- 
lantry at  Monterey  and  Buena  Vista.  Subsequently  government 
ordered  him  to  the  United  States. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ELEAZAR  WHEELOCK  RIPLEY. 


r-ffi^issi 


:AS  born  at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  the  seat  of 
Dartmouth  College,  April  15th,  1782.  He  is  the 
grandson  of  the  venerable  and  pious  founder  of  that 
institution,  Dr.  Eleazar  Wheelock,  whose  name  he 
bears,  and  nephew  of  the  learned  president.  Hon- 
orable John  Wheelock,  LL.^  D.  His  father,  the  Reverend  Syl- 
vanus  Ripley,  a  graduate  of  the  first  class,  and  the  first  professor 
of  divinity  in  the  college,  died  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1787, 
universally  respected  and  beloved.  Of  a  young  family  of  six  children 
left  in  circumstances  not  affluent,  to  the  care  of  an  intelligent  and 
pious  mother,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  son,  then  in 
the  fifth  year  of  his  age. 

He  pursued  with  assiduity  the  studies  preparatory  for  admission 
into  college  ;  and  having  completed  his  academic  course,  he  received 
the  first  honors  of  the  University  in  1800.  He  then  applied  himself 
to  the  study  of  the  law,  and  shortly  afterwards  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  county  court  of  York  county,  in  the  district  of  Maine, 
state  of  Massachusetts.  At  the  bar  he  manifested  talents  which 
ranked  him  among  the  higher  order  of  barristers,  and  procured  him  a 
popularity  that  introduced  him  to  a  seat  in  the  legislature  of  his 
native  state,  as  a  representative  from  the  town  of  Winslow,  or  Water- 
ville,  as  soon  as  the  qualification  of  age  would  admit.  In  that  body 
ne  was  not  an  inefficient  member.  His  political  course  was  marked 
660 


ATTACK     ON     YORK.  661 

with  action  based  on  the  principles  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  rights  of  mankind.  To  contend  with  pohtical  oppo- 
nents who  had  evinced  talents,  such  as  ranked  them  high  as  states- 
men, was  a  task  of  no  ordinary  magnitude,  and  he  who  undertook  it, 
if  triumphant,  was  sure  to  stand  high  in  party  honors. 

In  January,  1812,  he  was  elected  speaker  of  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts,  in  the  place  of  the  honorable  Joseph  Story,  who  had 
then  just  been  elevated  to  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court  of 
the  United  States.  At  this  period,  he  had  scarcely  attained  his  thirtieth 
year,  so  fast  were  his  "  blushing  honors  thickening  on  him."  The 
subsequent  session  of  the  legislature  was  held  in  May  :  he  was  not  a 
member.  Having  removed  to  Portland,  he  was  chosen  a  senator 
from  Cumberland  and  Oxford,  and  took  his  seat  accordingly,  in  the 
senate  of  Massachusetts.  In  the  March  following,  he  disappointed 
all  the  fond  anticipations  of  his  friends  in  regard  to  his  rising  great- 
ness, by  accepting  a  lieutenant-colonel's  commission  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States.  The  relations  then  existing  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  it  was  rightly  supposed,  would 
eventuate  in  an  open  rupture,  and  he  had  directed  his  attention  to 
the  tented  field,  to  avenge  the  wrongs  heaped  on  his  country  by  that 
haughty  and  overbearing  nation.  On  the  eve  of  the  declaration  of 
Wcir  he  had  been  intrusted  by  General  Dearborn  with  the  command 
of  the  forts  and  harbors  on  the  extreme  eastern  coast  of  the  Union. 
In  this  station,  he  manifested  an  activity  in  disciplining  his  men  and 
strengthening  the  fortifications,  which  proclaimed  his  worth  as  an 
officer.  In  September,  1812,  he  marched  from  Portland  and  reached 
Plattsburgh  in  October,  a  distance  of  more  than  four  hundred  miles. 
Here  he  joined  the  northern  army  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
Bloomfield.  After  the  campaign  had  closed,  he  retired  into  winter 
quarters  at  Burlington  in  Vermont,  where,  by  unwearied  exertions, 
he  increased  his  regiment  to  seven  hundred  men  before  the  following 
spring.  His  regiment  became  remarkable  for  its  accuracy  in  disci- 
pline and  neatness  of  dress. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1813,  Lieutenant-Colonels  Ripley,  Gaines, 
and  Scott,  were  promoted  at  the  same  time  to  the  rank  of  colonel. 

In  ten  days  of  that  month,  Colonel  Ripley  marched  his  regiment 
from  Plattsburgh  to  Sackett's  Harbor.  At  the  attack  on  York  in 
Upper  Canada,  April  27th,  he  first  drew  his  sword  for  his  country. 

General  Dearborn,  with  seventeen  hundred  chosen  troops,  em- 
barked at  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  having  arrived  before  York,  confided 
the  immediate  command  in  the  attack  to  the  gallant  General  Pike. 

The  American  army,  having  debarked,  formed  in  two  lines.  The 
21st  regiment,  divided  into  six  platoons,  with  Colonel  McClure's 


662  ELEAZATl     W       RIPLEY. 

volunteers  on  their  flanks,  composed  the  second  line.  Thus  disposed, 
they  moved  on  to  the  attack  in  columns,  when  the  British  general, 
panic-struck,  retreated,  blowing  up  one  of  his  magazines.  The 
explosion  was  tremendous,  and  friend  and  foe  were  its  common  vic- 
tims— General  Pike  was  mortally  wounded,  and  died  smiling  in  the 
arms  of  victory.  Colonel  Ripley  was  slightly  wounded,  and  the 
command  devolved  on  Colonel  Pearce,  of  the  16th  regiment,  until 
General  Dearborn  came  on  shore.  The  British  General  Sheaffe, 
was  distinctly  seen  on  his  retreat,  and  the  wounded  Colonel  Ripley 
pressed  his  pursuit  without  delay.  The  apprehension  of  another 
explosion,  produced  an  hour's  delay,  which  enabled  the  fugitive  foe 
to  escape.  The  town,  containing  public  property  of  great  value,  was 
captured.  Some  excesses  by  the  American  soldiery,  were  at  first 
committed.  To  put  a  stop  to  this,  General  Dearborn  ordered  Colo- 
nel Ripley  and  his  regiment,  as  a  town  guard,  to  protect  private 
property.  The  colonel  executed  the  command  w^th  the  strictest 
propriety,  and  under  circumstances  very  honorable  to  himself — for 
spoils  which  by  the  rules  of  war  were  his,  he  spurned  to  touch.  By 
some  unaccountable  neglect,  he  remained  on  duty  three  days  and 
nights  without  sleep.  Incessant  duty  and  fatigue  impaired  his 
health.  The  army  after  it  again  disembarked  at  Niagara,  was  sickly, 
in  consequence  of  its  exposure  to  rains  for  a  week  on  board  the  fleet. 

Colonel  Ripley  was  present  at  the  capture  of  Fort  George,  on  the 
27th  of  May  ;  but  was  not  present  in  the  action  on  Stony  Creek, 
when  Generals  Chandler  and  Winder  were  taken  by  surprise.  In 
order  to  afford  him  an  opportunity  to  repair  his  feeble  health,  Gene- 
ral Dearborn  ordered  his  regiment,  diminished  by  hard  service,  to 
convoy  the  prisoners  to  Oswego,  and  then  proceed  to  Sackett's  Har- 
bor. Having  accomplished  this  duty,  he  was  detained  at  that  post 
several  days  by  severe  sickness.  His  devotion  to  the  military  art, 
induced  him  to  resist  every  advice  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  to  withdraw 
for  some  time  from  the  duties  of  his  station.  His  attachment  to 
Fame,  induced  him  to  press  forward  and  make  every  sacrifice  to 
enter  the  portals  of  her  Temple. 

Preferring  the  British  mode  of  drill,  he  made  his  regiment  per- 
fectly acquainted  therewith,  prior  to  their  embarkation  under  Gene- 
ral Wilkinson,  in  the  intended  attack  against  Montreal,  the  failure 
of  which,  was  owing  to  the  incapacity  of  the  then  secretary  of  war, 
and  General  Hampton. 

In  descending  the  river  St.  Lawrence  for  the  attack  on  Montreal, 
a  severe  duty  was  necessary — every  corps  of  the  army  was  exposed 
to  the  attacks  of  a  vigilant  foe.  The  1 1th  of  November,  was  dis- 
tinguished by  the  battle  of  Williamsburgh,  where  the  lamented  and 


APPOINTED     BRIGADIER     GENERAL.  665 

brave  Covington  fell.  Colonel  Ripley,  with  his  regiment,  commenced 
the  action.  His  conduct  throughout  the  contest,  was  marked  with 
peculiar  bravery.  The  troops  fought  in  great  confusion,  and  the  battle 
lasted  for  three  hours.  In  giving  orders,  the  fence  on  which  he  stood, 
was  carried  away  by  a  cannon  ball.  The  part  of  his  regiment  in 
action,  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  thirty-nine  men,  of  which 
about  eighty  were  killed  or  wounded.  He  went  into  winter  quarters 
at  French  Mills,  in  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  General  Hampton 
to  unite  with  General  Wilkinson.  Here  his  regiment,  at  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  army,  was  united  with  the  1 1th.  His  wife,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1811,  repaired  to  him  in  camp,  against  the  entrea- 
ties of  friends,  in  order  to  assist  him  in  his  feeble  state  of  health.  In 
the  midst  of  winter,  the  cantonment  was  ordered  to  be  broken  up, 
and  the  army  ordered  to  repair  to  the  Niagara  frontier.  Colonel 
Ripley  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  Albany  to  forward  on  artillery 
and  stores  for  the  ensuing  campaign.  At  this  time  the  consolidated 
regiments  were  restored.  On  the  18th  of  April,  Colonel  Ripley  was 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  He  took  leave  of  the 
officers  and  men  of  his  regiment,  on  this  occasion,  who  manifested 
for  him  every  token  of  respect,  the  officers  having  presented  him  an 
elegant  sword  as  a  grateful  recollection. 

A  short  time  previous  to  this.  General  Scott,  in  the  absence  of 
General  Brown,  took  the  command  of  the  army  at  Buffalo.  This 
officer  used  every  exertion  to  promote  a  strict  and  necessary  disci- 
pline. Each  corps  was  anxious  to  excel.  General  Ripley  devoted 
his  time  to  the  instruction  of  his  brigade. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  Brown  at  Buffalo,  in  June,  1813,  it 
was  determined  to  invade  the  upper  province,  in  order  to  attack  Fort 
George  and  recover  Fort  Niagara,  and  thence  to  march  round  the 
lak-  to  Kingston.  This  project  General  Ripley  opposed  with  all  his 
talents,  for  he  was  sensible  that  the  army,  which  consisted  of  less 
than  three  thousand  regular  troops,  was  too  feeble  to  accomplish  the 
proposed  object.  He  had  already  accompanied  three  invasions  of 
Canada,  with  an  incompetent  force.  He  knew  that  Fort  Erie, 
directly  opposite  to  Buffalo,  must  immediately  fall ;  but  in  respect 
to  the  ultimate  objects,  he  saw  no  prospect  of  success.  Although 
the  invasion  brought  high  honor  to  the  American  arms — in  gaining 
which  he  had  a  full  participation — yet  the  result  justified  his  opinions. 
Not  one  of  the  grand  objects  proposed  was  accomplished. 

In  making  the  necessary  arrangements,  the  ninth,  eleventh  and 
twenty-fifth  regiments  were  assigned  to  the  brigade  of  General  Scott, 
while  General  Ripley  had  the  twenty-first,  under  Major  Grafton,  with 
which  were  incorporated,  during  the  campaign,  one  company  of  the 


666  ELEAZAR     W.     RIPLEY. 

seventeenth,  under  Captain  Chunn,  and  one  company  of  the  twelfth 
under  Lieutenant  McDonald,  He  had  also  a  battalion  of  the  twenty- 
third  regiment  under  Major  McFarland,  consisting  principally  of 
recruits  lately  received  and  imperfect  in  discipline.  The  four  regi 
ments  first  mentioned  were  of  New  England,  and  the  last  one  of 
New  York. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  the  American  army  crossed  the  Niagara  river. 
General  Scott  with  the  main  body  crossed  from  the  bo  tts  below  Fort 
Erie,  while  General  Ripley,  with  the  twenty -first,  in  two  United 
States'  schooners,  passed  up  the  lake  and  disembarked  a  mile  above 
the  fort,  which  was  immediately  invested.  It  was  surrendered  the 
same  day  without  the  necessity  of  firing  a  gun.  The  next  day  the 
army  marched  to  Chippewa,  at  which  place  General  Brown  arrived 
with  the  reserve  under  General  Ripley  at  one  o'clock  at  night.  The 
battle  of  July  5th  covered  General  Scott  and  his  brigade  with  merited 
honor,  for  in  the  open  field  and  fair  combat  he  achieved  a  complete 
victory  over  superior  numbers.  General  Ripley  had  no  opportunity 
to  encounter  the  enemy.  The  American  army  was  encamped  on  the 
south  side  of  Street's  creek,  distant  two  miles  and  an  half  from  the 
enemy's  strong  work  on  the  north  side  of  Chippewa  creek.  The 
action  was  fought  on  the  intermediate  plain.  For  a  considerable  time 
after  the  engagement  commenced.  General  Ripley's  brigade  remained 
drawn  up  in  order  of  battle,  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  artil- 
lery, the  shot  from  which  ranged  through  his  line — although  he  was 
very  solicitous  to  advance.  At  length  he  w"as  ordered,  but  at  too 
late  a  period,  to  take  the  twenty-first  regiment  and  pass  to  the  left 
of  the  camp,  skirt  the  woods  so  as  to  keep  out  of  view,  and  fall  upon 
the  rear  of  the  enemy's  right  flank.  "  This  order,"  says  General 
Brown,  "  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  the  greatest  exertions  were  made 
by  the  twenty-first  regiment  to  gain  their  position  and  close  with  the 
enemy,  but  in  vain."  General  Ripley  was  obliged  to  ford  Street's 
creek  to  the  left  of  the  bridge,  crossing  a  morass  almost  impassable 
— when  he  arrived  on  the  Chippewa,  the  battle  was  over.  Had  this 
detour  been  suffered  to  be  made  as  soon  as  the  action  commenced, 
the  enemy  must  have  lost  many  prisoners ;  and  if  the  retreat  across 
Chippewa  drawbridge  to  his  works  could  have  been  cut  oflf.  General 
Riall's  whole  force  would  inevitably  have  been  captured.  Prudence, 
indeed,  might  forbid  the  commanding  general  to  send  out  a  party  of 
his  reserve  on  such  a  duty,  at  the  very  beginning  of  an  action,  the 
result  of  which  was  doubtful ;  but  the  detour  wz^  ordered  before  the 
result  of  the  action  could  be  foreseen.  General  Brown  says,  "  from 
General  Ripley  and  his  brigade  I  have  received  every  assistance  that 
I  gave  them  an  opportunity  of  rendering." 


MOVEMENTS     AFTER     THE     BATTLE     OF     CHIPPEWA.    667 

[HE  American  troops  gained  a  splendid  victory,  but  the 
enemy  was  yet  secure  in  a  position  of  great  strength 
behind  a  deep  creek,  which  could  not  be  forded  within 
a  distance  of  forty  miles.  It  was  determined  to  con- 
struct a  bridge  and  force  a  passage. — July  8th,  Gen- 
eral Ripley  was  detached  on  this  duty.  Crossing  the  bridge  over 
Street's  creek,  he  opened  a  road  two  or  three  miles  through  the  woods 
on  the  left,  and  reaching  the  Chippewa  one  or  two  miles  above  the 
British,  planted  his  heavy  train  of  artillery  for  the  protection  of  the 
artificers,  and  even  began  to  construct  the  bridge  without  exciting 
alarm  or  being  molested.  But  the  British  soon  appeared  with  several 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  opened  a  fire  of  shells  and  round  shot,  which 
was  returned  so  vigorously  with  grape  and  canister  as  to  force  them 
to  retreat.  Hearing  this  tremendous  cannonade  of  our  eighteen- 
pounders  at  a  point  which  he  supposed  inaccessible  to  our  artillery. 
General  Riall,  instead  of  strengthening  the  party  whicb  he  had  de- 
tached, immediately  abandoned  his  strong  position,  and  retired  pre- 
cipitately upon  Queenstown.  The  whole  American  army  encamped 
the  same  night  in  the  enemy's  works,  having  encountered  but  little 
of  the  resistance  which  might  have  been  made  to  the  passage  of  the 
Chippewa,  and  which  perhaps  could  have  been  made  with  complete 
success. 

July  9th,  the  United  States  army  proceeded  to  Queenstown. 
General  Riall  retired  to  Fort  George,  leaving  a  sufficient  garrison 
encamped  at  Twelve  Mile  creek,  three  miles  distant  from  the  Ame- 
rican camp,  making  every  exertion  to  call  out  the  militia,  and  sending 
down  the  lake  for  regular  troops.  General  Ripley,  persuaded  that 
this  was  a  favorable  moment  for  a  decisive  action,  strongly  urged  the 
necessity  of  immediately  pursuing  the  enemy.  But  our  troops 
remained  ten  days  idle  at  Queenstown,  and  then  attempted  to 
besiege  Fort  George.  In  the  meantime  General  Riall's  army  recov- 
ered from  the  late  panic,  and  was  strengthened  by  the  large  numbers 
of  militia,  called  out  en  masse.  Had  our  troops  remained  three  days 
longer  before  Fort  George,  their  safety  would  have  been  put  to  the 
most  imminent  hazard,  for  within  that  time  strong  reinforcements 
arrived  from  Kingston  to  the  enemy,  so  th.at  Riall  would  have  been 
emboldened  to  seize  a  strong  position  in  our  rear.  This  position 
must  have  been  carried  by  our  army  in  order  to  effect  a  retreat  ;  for 
being  destitute  of  boats,  it  was  impossible  to  cross  the  Niagara  below 
the  falls.  But  on  the  22d  of  July  our  troops  fell  back  to  Queenstovra 
Heights,  and  on  the  24th  to  Chippewa. 

About  this  time  General  Ripley's  brigade  was  strengthened  by  the 
veteran  battalion  of  the  23d  regiment,  under  Major  Brooke,  from 


668  ELEAZAR     W.    RIPLEY. 

Plattsburgh ;    and   Colonel  Miller,  who  was  promoted  to  the  21st, 
arrived  and  took  command  of  that  regiment. 

The  memorable  battle  of  Niagara  Falls,  July  25th,  covered  General 
Ripley  and  his  brigade  with  military  glory ;  which,  though  not  so 
durable  as  the  thunder  of  the  cataract,  will  yet  be  as  permanent 
as  the  memory  of  the  action  and  as  the  honors  which  are  awarded 
to  the  brave. 

The  British  having  received  strong  reinforcements  from  Kingston, 
were  put  in  motion  in  pursuit  of  the  American  army.  A  column  of 
five  hundred  British,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tucker,  was  detached 
to  Lewistown,  on  the  American  side  of  the  Niagara,  to  capture  the 
American  sick  and  baggage.  General  Riall  advanced  from  his 
encampment  at  Twelve  Mile  creek  by  the  Lundy  Lane  road,  which 
intersects  the  river  road  just  below  the  falls  ;•— and  Genera]  Drum- 
mond  marched  from  Fort  George,  on  the  river  road  direct  to  Chip- 
pewa. General  Brown,  who  was  now  meditating  the  pursuit  of 
General  Riall,  and  a  long  march  to  Burlington  Heights,  did  not 
apprehend  that  the  enemy  was  near  him,  and  in  a  capacity  to  fight. 
To  recall  Colonel  Tucker  from  the  American  side  of  the  river 
and  to  prevent  his  marching  towards  Buffalo,  General  Brown  deter- 
mined to  make  a  movement  towards  Queenstown,  seven  miles  below 
the  falls. 

General  Scott,  who  was  detached  with  about  one  thousand  men, 
marched  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  when  he  reached  the  junction  of  the 
Lundy  Lane  road  with  the  road  down  the  river,  he  found  General 
Riall,  who  had  just  arrived  from  the  Twelve  Mile  creek,  occupying 
a  strong  position.  The  action  immediately  commenced,  at  the  distance 
of  about  three  miles  from  the  American  camp.  As  soon  as  the  firing 
was  heard.  General  Ripley  formed  his  brigade,  and  by  order  of  Gen- 
eral Brown  advanced  to  the  support  of  General  Scott.  His  brigade 
that  morning  reported  seven  hundred  and  thirty  men  fit  for  duty  ;  of 
these  a  hundred  or  more  were  on  guard,  or  out  of  camp  when  he  was 
ordered  to  march.  He  proceeded  instantly,  and,  with  his  uncommon 
rapidity,  his  men  actually  running  a  part  of  the  way,  had  arrived  on  the 
ground  between  sunset  and  dark.  At  this  time.  General  Scott's  bri- 
gade having  suffered  extre^nely  by  the  tremendous  fire  of  the  enemy's 
artillery  of  nine  pieces  planted  on  a  height  in  the  centre  of  their  line, 
was  covered  in  the  woods.  General  Ripley,  as  is  stated  by  General 
Brown,  was  ordered  to  disengage  and  relieve-  General  Scott,  by  form- 
ing a  new  line  ;  but  the  precise  order  was,  that  he  should  form  on  the 
right  of  General  Scott ;  and  this  was  the  only  order  which  he  received  . 
except  the  order  at  the  close  of  the  action  to  retire  from  the  field. 
His  aid,  Lieutenant  McDonald,  bringing  intelligence  that  the  right  of 


BATTLE      OF     NIAGARA.  671 

General  Scott  would  bring  him  in  the  woods  out  of  the  fight,  he 
resolved  to  advance  directly  towards  the  enemy.  As  he  advanced, 
the  fire  of  the  battery  was  directed  at  his  brigade.  Two  shrapnell 
shells  only,  striking  the  23d  regiment,  killed  and  wounded  twenty- 
four  men.  To  remain  exposed  to  this  dreadful  fire,  was  impossible, 
for  his  brigade  also  would  soon  be  cut  to  pieces.  There  was  no 
alternative  but  either  to  carry  the  battery  or  abandon  the  field. 
Having  made  his  decision,  General  Ripley  put  his  brigade  in  motion 
to  execute  the  desperate  enterprise.  Regardless  of  the  enemy's  fire, 
he  marched  down  the  road  until  he  arrived  within  a  short  distance  in 
front  of  the  height.  Here  the  smoke  and  darkness  favored  him,  and 
being  in  a  hollow,  the  shot  passed  over  his  head.  In  order  to  execute 
his  intentions,  he  formed  in  hne  his  gallant  21st  regiment,  in  which 
as  well  as  in  Colonel  Miller,  he  had  perfect  confidence,  directly 
fronting  the  battery.  He  determined  to  lead  himself  the  23d  regi- 
ment, which  consisted  partly  of  recruits,  and  required  his  presence, 
and  attack  the  enemy's  left  flank  to  divert  their  attention  from 
the  21st. 

AVING  made  his  arrangements,  he  marched  oflf 
the  23d  regiment  a  little  to  the  right,  then  giving 
it  a  direction  towards  the  battery,  led  his  troops 
to  the  attack,  being  himself  on  horseback. 
Receiving  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  the  regiment 
faltered,  but  he  immediately  rallied  it  and  re- 
,  newed  the  action.  Colonel  Miller  made  the 
assault  in  front  with  determined  bravery  ;  and  the  line  of  infantry, 
posted  for  the  support  of  the  artillery,  being  dispersed  by  the  attack 
on  the  flank,  the  battery  was  carried  at  the  first  charge.  Confident 
that  the  utmost  efforts  would  be  directed  to  the  recovery  of  this 
position  and  of  the  artillery.  General  Ripley  immediately  sent  his  aid 
to  General  Brown,  to  apprise  him  of  what  had  been  done,  and  to 
request  him  to  remove  and  secure  the  cannon,  but  the  request  was 
disregarded.  Advancing  his  line  some  distance  in  front  of  the  bat- 
tery, the  23d  regiment  with  Towson's  artillery,  was  formed  on  the 
right  of  the  21st.  A  part  of  the  first  regiment,  imder  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Nicholas,  was  stationed  on  the  left,  and  on  the  extreme  left 
the  brave  General  Porter  with  his  volunteers.  Before  the  close  of 
the  battle,  the  25th  regiment  also,  under  Major  Jessup,  was  directed 
to  be  brought  up,  and  was  formed  on  the  right  of  the  whole.  In  this 
order  the  attack  was  awaited.  General  Ripley  directed  the  front 
rank  to  kneel,  and  that  not  a  gun  should  be  fired  until  the  enemy  had 
delivered  his  fire — then,  that  deliberate  aim  should  be  taken.  As 
the  British  advanced  to  the  attack,  they  received  such  a  deadly  fire, 


672  ELEAZAR     W.     RIPLEY. 

as  to  be  driven  again  down  the  hill.  These  charges  were  repeated 
five  or  six  times  with  the  same  result.  At  this  period,  General 
Scott,  eager  to  strike  a  decisive  blow,  threw  himself  before  General 
Ripley's  line  without  apprising  him  of  the  movement,  attacked  the 
enemy,  but  was  wounded  and  repulsed.  Being  between  two  fires, 
it  is  supposed,  that  in  consequence  of  the  darkness  and  confusion, 
he  suffered  from  both.  Obstinate  and  indignant  at  the  loss  of  the 
battery,  and  at  the  result  of  every  attempt  to  recover  it,  the  British 
torces  advanced  with  heroic  determination.  General  Ripley's  brigade, 
and  other  troops  under  his  command,  were  formed  as  before.  Not- 
withstanding a  most  destructive  fire,  the  enemy  pressed  on  and 
engaged  with  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Overcome  by  numbers,  our 
troops  on  the  right  and  left  gave  way  ;  Towson  was  obliged  to  spike 
and  abandon  his  pieces,  and  total  discomfiture  seemed  unavoidable. 
But  a  part  of  the  central  brigade,  animated  by  the  gallantry  of  their 
commander,  remained  firm  ;  the  flanks  were  rallied  by  his  exertions, 
and  the  exertions  of  the  brave  officers,  and  the  enemy  was  again 
forced  down  the  hill.  This  was  the  termination  of  the  conflict,  for 
at  this  period,  after  the  enemy  had  been  repulsed  in  the  last  attack, 
General  Ripley  received  an  order  from  General  Brown  to  collect  his 
wounded,  and  retire  immediately  to  camp.  Upon  going  to  his  rear, 
and  finding  that  the  cannon  had  not  been  removed,  and  '  the  trophies 
of  victory'  had  not  been  accomplished  according  to  his  request,  he 
ordered  a  detachment  of  Porter's  volunteers  to  drag  them  off  the 
ground  ;  but  the  want  of  ropes  rendered  it  necessary  to  leave  them 
behind.  Besides,  the  men  after  fighting  five  or  six  hours,  were 
exhausted  by  fatigue,  and  incapable  of  exertion.  Nor  was  it  safe  to 
linger  in  the. rear,  for  the  enemy  immediately  pressed  up  the  hill,  and 
actually  took  several  prisoners  by  the  side  of  the  artillery.  As  Gene- 
ral Ripley  marched  from  the  field  ofbattle,but  two  platoons  of  General 
Scott's  brigade  under  Major  Leavenworth,  could  be  collected  ;  and 
of  the  whole  army,  it  was  estimated  by  several  officers,  that  no  more 
than  five  hundred  men  returned  with  him  to  camp,  the  rest  having 
been  dispersed. 

Such  was  the  heroic  enterprise,  which  was  projected,  ordered  and 
executed  by  General  Ripley,  who  was  on  horseback,  and  frequently 
in  front  during  the  whole  engagement.  Two  musket  balls  pierced 
his  hat,  another  struck  a  button  off  his  coat,  and  another  wounded 
his  horse.  The  principal  oflEicer  belonging  to  the  brigade,  that  fell, 
was  the  brave  Major  McFarland  of  the  23d.  Of  six  generals  present, 
four  were  severely,  and  one  slightly  wounded.  General  Ripley 
alone,  although  exposed  to  every  danger,  was  unhurt.  In  this  action, 
there  was  a  greater  loss  of  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  than  occurred 


RIPLEY     AT     FORT     ERIE,  673 

in  any  battle  during  the  war  of  the  revolution — the  British  acknow- 
ledging a  loss  of  eight  hundred  and  seventy-eight ;  and  our  loss  but 
seven  hundred  and  forty-three.  The  last  charge,  about  the  hour  ol 
midnight,  was  a  fearful  and  tremendous  conflict. 

After  the  return  to  camp,  General  Brown,  who  states  that  he  had 
assigned  the  command  to  General  Ripley,  yet  ordered  him,  as  the 
day  dawned,  "  to  put  himself  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  meet  tl# 
enemy  if  he  appeared."  He  was  ordered  to  take  his  own  brigade 
and  Porter's  volunteers.  He  marched  accordingly  ;  but  after  cross- 
ing the  Chippewa,  was  ordered  to  furnish  refreshments  to  the  men. 
At  this  time,  and  not  before,  the  first  of  General  Scott's  brigade  was 
added  to  his  command.  Coming  in  sight  of  the  enemy,  and  finding 
that  they  occupied  the  battle  ground,  retaining  their  cannon,  he 
halted  his  troops,  determined  not  to  risk  a  general  action  with  an 
enemy  '  superior  in  numbers  and  position.'  The  wisdom  of  abandon- 
ing the  battery  in  the  night,  in  order  to  take  it  again  in  the  morning, 
was  to  him  inexplicable.  If  he  was  beaten,  he  knew  that  he  had  no 
place  of  retreat,  and  that  the  whole  army  would  be  lost ;  whereas, 
if  the  enemy,  by  a  miracle,  should  again  be  dislodged  and  beaten, 
they  would  retire  in  safety  to  Fort  George.  He  therefore  determined 
to  exercise  that  prudence  which  indeed  is  not  always  reputable,  but 
which  is  essential  to  the  character  of  a  good  general,  and  frequently 
necessary  to  the  safety  of  an  army.  General  Porter  concurring  with 
him  in  opinion  respecting  the  impolicy  of  the  proposed  attack,  he 
now  resolved  to  be  actual,  and  not  merely  nominal,  commander  of 
the  army.  For  the  sake  of  harmony,  however,  he  first  made  a  repre- 
sentation to  General  Brown,  who  at  length  ordered  the  troops  to 
return  to  camp,  and  soon  crossed  over  himself  to  the  American  side 
of  the  river. 

Our  army,  now  left  in  the  uijquestioned  command  of  General 
Ripley,  was  in  a  critical  situation,  for  the  whole  effective  strength, 
regulars  and  volunteers,  did  not  exceed  two  thousand  men.  Sending 
off  the  sick  and  wounded.  General  Ripley  burnt  the  bridge  over  the 
Chippewa,  and  commenced  his  retreat  in  good  order  upon  Erie,  de- 
stroying every  bridge  as  he  passed  it,  to  impede  the  advance  of  the 
enemy.  He  encamped  for  the  night  opposite  to  Black  Rock.  July 
27th,  he  took  up  a  position  opposite  Bufl^alo  ;  his  right  resting  on 
Fort  Erie,  and  his  line  extending  about  eight  hundred  yards  to  Snake 
Hill  on  the  left.  Here  he  determined  to  fortify,  designating  himself 
the  line  of  defence.  Majors  McRee  and  Wood  were  the  engineers. 
The  old  Fort  Erie,  which  was  extremely  feeble,  was  strengthened, 
and  a  strong  work,  called  Fort  Williams  or  Towson's  battery,  was 
constructed  on  Snake  Hill.     These  two  principal  works  were  con- 

43 


674 


ELEAZAR    W.    RIPLEY. 


ncctecl  by  a  line  of  intrenchments  and  traverses,  which  extended 
also  on  the  right  from  Fort  Erie  to  Niagara  river.  On  the  left  from 
Snake  Hill  to  the  lake  there  was  an  abattis.  Thus  a  triangular  space 
was  inclosed.  The  whole  army  labored  on  the  lines  through  the  day, 
and  some  of  the  more  athletic  in  the  night.  During  the  whole  night, 
one  third  of  the  officers  and  men  were  kept  up  to  the  works,  attended 
b^  General  Ripley  or  some  one  of  his  family,  ready  to  resist  a  sud- 
den attack.  By  such  great  exertions  a  respectable  defence  was  in  a 
few  days  constructed.  It  was  four  or  five  days  before  General 
Drummond,  with  a  much  superior  force,  encamped  opposite  Black 
Rock,  having  unaccountably  lost  an  opportunity,  which  could  not  be 
retrieved.     To  his  surprise  he  found  our  troops  strongly  fortified. 

General  Gaines,  who  arrived  from  Sackett's  Harbor  on  the  4th  or 
5th  of  August,  being  superior  in  rank,  took  the  command  at  Fort 
Erie ;  but  the  system  of  vigilance  and  defence  which  had  been  insti- 
tuted, was  continued.  General  Ripley  resumed  the  command  of  his 
brigade,  which  was  stationed  on  the  left  flank. 

HE  camp  at  Fort  Erie 
was  attacked  by  the 
British  on  the  15th  of 
August.  They  were  re- 
pulsed. On  this  occa- 
sion the  dispositions  of 
General  Ripley  were  so 
judiciously  made  that 
he  received  no  orders 
from  the  commanding 
officer,  General  Gaines. 
The  particulars  of  this 
affair  are  distinctly  given  in  consequence  of  the  unwarrantable  report 
of  General  Brown  of  September  1st,  censuring  him  "  for  not  meeting 
and  beating  the  enemy  on  the  26th  of  July."  Apprehensive  of  the 
designs  of  the  British,  General  Ripley  ordered  up  his  whole  brigade 
to  the  works,  and  apprised  (by  his  aid)  General  Gaines  of  the  inten- 
tions of  the  British,  who  were  advancing,  fifteen  hundred  strong,  on 
the  left  by  the  Point  Abino  road,  secretly,  with  no  flints  in  their  guns, 
relying  on  the  bayonets  for  success.  Lieutenant  Belknap,  of  the 
twenty-third,  who  commanded  the  picket  guard  two  hundred  yards  in 
advance,  first  discovered  the  enemy,  gave  them  his  fire,  and  retired  in 
good  order.  His  exertions  to  save  his  men  had  nearly  cost  him  his 
life,  as  he  was  so  hard  pushed  that  he  was  bayoneted  when  entering 
the  sally  post,  but  recovered.  The  attack  was  so  much  resisted  by 
a  destructive  fire  from  Towson's  battery  and  the  twenty-first  regi- 


SIEGE     OF     FORT    ERIE.  675 

ment  of  infantry,  under  Major  Wood,  who  commanded  in  the  absence 
of  Colonel  Miller,  then  on  business  at  Buffalo,  that  they  were  com- 
pelled to  retreat.  The  enemy  renewed  the  attack,  and  were  again 
repulsed.  Two  hundred  of  the  British  waded  into  the  lake  in  order 
to  pass  the  American  abattis,  and  gain  possession  of  their  works. 
These  were  repulsed  by  a  destructive  fire  of  two  companies  of 
reserve  under  Captain  Marston,  ordered  down  to  the  water's  edge 
by  General  Ripley.  The  British  were  repulsed  on  his  flank,  with 
the  loss  of  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  prisoners ;  and  General 
Ripley  detached  five  companies  to  aid  the  American  right.  The 
loss  of  the  British  was,  by  their  own  report,  nine  hundred  and  five, 
while  that  of  the  Americans  amounted  only  to  eighty-four.  General 
Gaines  did  not  judge  it  prudent  to  make  a  sortie.  General  Gaines 
was  wounded  in  his  quarters  by  a  shell  on  the  28th  of  August,  and 
General  Ripley  was  continued  by  General  Brown  in  command  during 
the  siege,  which  lasted  for  six  weeks.  He  was  frequently  exposed 
to  danger  from  the  numerous  shells  which  the  enemy  threw  into  the 
fort  during  its  investment.  The  report  of  General  Brown  induced 
General  Ripley  to  demand  a  court  of  inquiry.  Fearful  of  its  result. 
General  Brown  refused  the  equitable  request.  In  order  to  wipe  away 
the  stigma,  ungenerously  attempted  to  be  cast  on  his  reputation. 
General  Ripley  applied  to  the  secretary  at  war  for  redress,  and  the 
secretary  promised  that  a  court  of  inquiry  should  be  held  as  soon  as 
the  officers  requisite  for  holding  such  a  court  could  be  spared  from 
the  service.  In  executing  a  sortie  on  the  17th  of  September,  Gene 
ral  Ripley  commanded  the  reserve,  which  he  early  brought  up  to 
support  the  advance.  After  the  British  batteries  were  carried.  Gene- 
ral Brown  committed  the  whole  to  General  Ripley's  command,  with 
orders  to  act  as  circumstances  might  require.  The  general  attempted 
an  attack  on  the  enemy's  camp,  and  was  wounded  in  the  advance  by 
a  musket-ball,  and  carried,  apparently  dead,  to  Fort  Erie.  The 
attempt  was  successful — the  cannon  of  two  or  three  of  their  batte- 
ries were  spiked,  and  the  Americans  returned  to  their  quarters,  the 
loss  of  both  parties  being  nearly  equal.  At  the  close  of  the  cam- 
paign Fort  Erie  was  abandoned,  and  the  American  army  crossed  over 
to  Buffalo.  Ripley's  wound  was  very  dangerous,  and  his  sufferings 
were  excruciating.  He  travelled  by  slow  stages,  and  arrived  at 
Albany  in  February,  1815,  and  finally  recovered.  As  soon  as  the 
service  permitted,  Generals  Dearborn,  Bissel,  and  Major  Porter  were 
appointed  a  court  of  inquiry,  and  witnesses  summoned,  according  to 
General  Ripley's  request.  General  Brown  used  every  exertion  to 
prevent  the  sitting  of  the  court,  but  General  Ripley  persisted  in  his 
request.     However,  to   save  the  reputation   of  General  Brown  in 


676 


ELEAZAR     W.     RIPLEY. 


public  opinion,  an  order  from  the  secretary  at  war,  by  direction  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  was  received  in  March,  dissolv- 
ing the  court,  and,  as  a  salvo  for  Ripley's  wounded  feelings,  a  major- 
general's  commission  by  brevet  was  awarded  him,  bearing  date  the 
25th  of  July,  preceding  the  day  on  which  the  battle  of  Niagara  was 
fought.  Peace  shortly  after  was  announced,  which  caused  a  reduc- 
tion in  the  army.  The  general  had  not  occasion  to  say  entirely  that 
republics  are  ungrateful,  whatever  may  have  been  the  disposition  of 
the  cabinet  towards  him,  in  awarding  to  others  undeserved  honors. 
The  legislature  of  the  state  of  Georgia  passed  him  a  vote  of  thanks 
• — that  of  New  York  a  vote  of  thanks  and  a  sword  ;  and  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  a  vote  of  thanks  and  a  gold  medal,  as  a 
recognition  of  his  valuable  services.  On  the  reduction  of  the  army, 
the  voice  of  the  public  in  his  favor  was  such  that  he  was  continued 
on  the  peace  establishment ;  although  some  others  who  had  spent 
their  lives  in  their  country's  service,  through  intrigue  and  cabal,  were 
thrown  into  the  vale  of  obscurity  and  private  life. 

General  Ripley  resigned,  a  major-general  by  brevet,  in  May,  1820. 
He  subsequently  practised  law  in  New  Orleans  ;  and  was  a  member 
of  the  twenty-fourth  Congress,  from  Louisiana.  He  died  on  the  2d 
of  March,  1837. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JOHN  ARMSTRONG. 

^ENERAL  ARMSTRONG,  son  of  the  officer  of  the 
same  name  who  served  in  the  old  French  war,  was 
born  in  1758,  at  Carlisle,  Pa.  When  eighteen  he 
joined  the  army  as  a  volunteer,  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Revolution,  was  in  the  northern  campaign 
under  Washington,  and  fought  under  him  at  Princeton.  Here 
he  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery,  and  when  General 
Mercer  fell,  received  him  in  his  arms.  He  afterwards  joined 
the  staff  of  General  Gates,  received  the  rank  of  major,  and 
acted  as  such  until  the  peace.  He  was  author  of  the  celebrated 
Newburg  addresses,  which  produced  an  intense  sensation  throughout 
the  army. 

Major  Armstrong  was  secretary  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  during 
the  gubernatorial  term  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and  subsequently  member  of 

the  old  Congress.     About  the  year   1789  he  married  a  daughter  of 

677 


678  JOHN     ARMSTRONG. 

Chancellor  Livingston.  In  1800,  he  was  chosen  United  States  senator 
from  New  York,  and  while  still  serving  in  that  capacity  received  the 
appointment  of  minister  to  France,  from  President  Jefferson,  a  station 
which  he  filled  six  years. 

Soon  after  the  declaration  of  war  by  the  United  States  against 
Great  Britain  in  1812,  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general"  in  the 
United  States  army,  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  district 
embracing  the  city  and  harbor  of  New  York  ;  and  in  February  of  the 
following  year,  he  succeeded  Dr.  Eustis  as  secretary  of  war.  This 
office  he  accepted  with  the  greatest  reluctance,  having  no  confidence 
in  the  fitness  of  the  generals  whom  the  president  (Mr.  Madison)  had 
appointed  to  the  chief  command  of  the  American  forces,  and  expect- 
ing only  defeat  and  disaster  until  they  should  be  superseded  by 
younger,  and  more  active  as  well  as  more  able  men.  They  had,  it 
is  true,  seen  and  done  some  service  in  the  revolution,  but  only  in 
subordinate  capacities  ;  and,  becoming  enervated  by  a  repose  of 
thirty  years,  they  had,  according  to  General  Armstrong,  "  lost  all 
ambitious  aspirations,  while  they  had  forgotten  all  they  ever  knew, 
and  were  ignorant  of  the  later  improvements  in  military  science."  In 
this  condition  of  things,  the  new  secretary  of  war  adopted  the  step, 
with  difficulty  acquiesced  in  by  Mr.  Madison,  of  transferring  his 
department  of  the  government  from  Washington  to  Sackett's  Harbor, 
that  he  might  be  near  the  .scene  of  the  operations  to  be  directed,  from 
the  state  of  New  York,  against  Canada.  But  even  his  presence  was 
unable  to  counteract  the  evils  resulting  from  the  mistaken  appoint- 
ments which  had  been  made.  The  generals  in  command  were  not 
deterred  from  setting  aside  his  instructions  as  to  the  plan  of  the 
campaign  (of  1813);  and,  superadding  to  their  other  disqualifica- 
tions that  of  quarrelling  among  themselves,  the  result  of  the  efforts 
made  for  the  conquest  of  Canada  was  precisely  such  as  General 
Armstrong,  before  going  into  office,  had  predicted  as  hkely,  under 
the  circumstances,  to  ensue. — The  capture  of  Washington,  in  August, 
1814,  led  to  General  Armstrong's  retirement  from  the  war  office, 
an  act  which  terminated  his  political  career.  That  no  especial  blame 
could  be  attached  to  him  for  this  untoward  event,  must  be  manifest, 
when  we  are  told  that  the  individual  (General  Winder)  who  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  forces  which  had  been  assembled  for  the 
defence  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  who  commanded  against  the 
enemy  in  the  action  at  Bladensburg,  had  been  appointed  by  the  presi- 
dent to  this  post  "  against  the  advice  of  the  secretary,"  as  also,  that  the 
latter  had,  under  a  decision  of  the  president,  been  constrained  "to 
leave  the  military  functionaries  to  a  discharge  of  their  own  duties,  on 
their  own   responsibility."     Public  opinion,  however,  without  any 


DEATH      OF     ARMSTRONG. 


679 


minute  inquiry  into  the  causes  of  the  disaster  which  had  happened, 
very  naturally  perhaps,  fixed  upon  the  head  of  the  war  department  of 
ihe  administration  as  a  principal  object  of  blame.  Mr.  Madison,  though 
aware  of  the  injuslice  of  the  clamor  raised  against  the  secretary,  and 
in  no  wise  disposed  to  take  any  step  of  a  nature  calculated  to  affect 
the  reputation  of  this  officer  injuriously,  was  induced,  from  motives 
of  precaution,  to  yield  to  it  to  a  certain  extent.  He  intimated  to 
General  Armstrong  that  a  brief  visit  to  his  family  would  give  time 
for  the  ebullition  of  passion  and  prejudice  to  subside,  when  he  would 
be  able  to  return  and  resume  the  functions  of  his  office  under  more 
favorable  circumstances.  But  the  general  regarded  this  intimation 
as  itself  an  act  of  injustice,  and  felt  indignant  at  its  having  been 
given.  Determining  to  exercise  his  functions  wholly  or  not  at  all, 
he  sent  in  his  resignation,  which  the  president  accepted. 

In  his  retirement,  General  Armstrong's  pen  was  employed  on 
various  subjects  connected  with  the  public  good,  or  belonging  to  the 
history  of  his  own  times.  Among  the  fruits  of  his  literary  labors, 
we  have  a  treatise  upon  gardening,  and  another  upon  agriculture, 
that  are  held  in  high  esteem  ;  a  review  of  General  Wilkinson's 
memoirs,  in  which  he  handles  the  author  with  great  severity;  several 
biographical  notices  ;  and  a  history,  in  two  volumes,  of  the  last  war. 
It  was  his  intention  to  leave  behind  him  a  history  of  the  war  of  the 
revolution,  a  work  in  which  he  had  made  some  progress,  and  which, 
had  he  been  permitted  to  finish  it,  would,  there  is  no  doubt,  have 
been  invested  w-ith  no  ordinary  interest,  from  the  fact  of  his  personal 
knowledge  of  the  distinguished  men,  and  most  of  the  important 
events  of  that  period. — Towards  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1842, 
he  fell  into  a  decline,  and  gradually  wasting  away,  he  breathed  his 
last,  in  the  full  possession  of  his  mental  faculties,  and  in  the  eighty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age,  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1843.* 


*  Encyclopedia  Americana. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  SAMUEL  SMITH. 


'ENERAL  SMITH  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  July  27th,  1752.  Soon  after  his 
birth  his  father  removed  to  Maryland,  where  he  took,  a 
conspicuous  part  in  political  affairs.  The  son  received  a 
liberal  education,  and  afterwards  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  The  aggressions  of  Great  Britain  toward  her  colonies  early 
engaged  his  attention,  and  in  January  1776,  he  obtained  a  captaincy 
in  Colonel  Smallwood's  regiment.  He  was  with  the  army  in  its 
disastrous  campaign  in  the  middle  states,  and  at  the  opening  of  the 
year  1777,  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  in  the  battle  of  Brandywine.  When  Lord  Howe, 
having  obtained  possession  of  Philadelphia,  was  using  every  exertion 
to  open  a  communication  with  his  fleet,  he  was  intrusted  with  the 
defence  of  Fort  Mifflin  on  the  Delaware,  and  during  seven  weeks 
held  it  against  the  eflforts  of  the  entire  British  fleet.  His  gallantry 
680 


HIS     DEATH. 


681 


on  this  occasion  elicited  warm  approbation  from  Washington,  and 
admiration  even  from  the  enemy.  Congress  rewarded  him  with  a 
sword  and  their  thanks.  He  fought  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
and  took  part  in  the  subsequent  operations  of  that  campaign.  After 
the  war  he  remained  in  the  army,  was  given  command  of  the  Mary 
land  militia  in  the  Whiskey  riots,  and  afterwards  used  his  utmost 
efforts  in  support  of  the  new  constitution.  In  the  war  of  1812,  he 
was  appointed  major-general  of  the  militia  ;  and  when  the  British  at- 
tacked Baltimore,  he  received  the  chief  command  of  the  troops  des- 
tined to  oppose  them.  He  remained  with  the  army  some  time  after 
this  event,  but  eventually  retired  to  domestic  enjoyment.  Once 
only  was  his  retirement  interrupted  by  a  military  duty.  This  was 
in  1836,  when  a  popular  outbreak,  consequent  upon  the  derangement 
of  the  currency,  took  place  in  Baltimore.  It  was  quelled  without 
bloodshed.  General  Smith  filled  several  important  civil  offices.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  popular  branch  of  Congress  for  sixteen  years, 
and  of  the  senate  for  twenty-three.  In  1837,  he  was  elected  mayor 
of  Baltimore,  which  office  he  held  until  the  infirmities  of  age  warned 
him  to  resign.     He  died  April  22d,  1839,  aged  eighty-seven. 


Battle  Monument,  Baltimore. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  PETER  B.  PORTER. 


ENERAL  PORTER  was  born  August  14th, 
1773,  at  Salisbury,  Connecticut.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  College,  and  afterwards  practised 
law  with  success.  He  gradually  acquired 
popularity,  and  was  elected  a  representative 
to  Congress,  where  he  remained  until  the 
V^^**^^^  opening  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  then  took 
charge  of  the  militia  on  the  northern  frontier,  and  performed  valuable 
service  during  the  active  campaigns  in  that  quarter. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1812,  he  accompanied  General  Smyth's  expe- 
dition into  Canada,  as  the  second  in  command.  Smyth  contemplated 
a  more  effectual  invasion  of  this  province  than  that  which  had 
recently  failed  ;  and  on  finding  his  forces  inadequate,  published  a 
proclamation  inviting  volunteers  to  join  him.  This  was  so  successful, 
that  on  the  27th  of  November,  his  army  had  swelled  to  four  thousand 
five  hundred  men.  Of  these,  the  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  volun- 
teers were  commanded  by  General  Porter,     The  expedition  had  pro- 

682 


GENERAL     SMYTh's     EXPEDITION.  683 

vided  for  its  use  seventy  public  boats,  each  carrying  forty  men,  five 
boats  belonging  to  individuals,  having  one  hundred  men,  and  a  num- 
ber of  smaller  ones. 

Before  setting  out  for  Canada,  General  Smyth  published  a  second 
proclamation,  stating  his  ability  and  determination  to  take  the  coun- 
try in  a  short  time,  inviting  all  patriots  to  join  his  standard,  and 
excusing  the  failure  of  former  enterprises,  on  the  score  of  the  inca- 
pacity of  their  leaders.  This  was  soon  afterw^ards  follov^ed  by  one 
from  General  Porter,  in  vt'hich  he  set  forth  the  necessity  of  the  volun- 
teers speedily  co-operating  with  Smyth. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  28th,  the  boats  put  off 
from  the  American  shore,  but  they  had  not  proceeded  one-fourth  of 
the  way  across,  when  the  British  batteries  opened  a  galling  fire,  and 
five  of  them  were  obliged  to  return.  In  one  of  these  was  Colonel 
Winder  of  the  14th  infantry,  who  commanded  the  troops  to  whom 
this  hazardous  duty  was  assigned.  The  command  of  the  14th 
devolved  therefore  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Boerstler,  who  was  in 
one  of  the  advance  boats  with  several  resolute  infantry  officers.  A 
severe  fire  of  musketry  and  of  grape  shot  from  two  pieces  of  flying 
artillery,  was  poured  upon  this  part  of  the  squadron,  but  they  eff'ected 
their  landing  in  good  order,  formed  on  the  shore,  and  advanced  to 
the  accomplishment  of  their  object. 

Lieutenant  Commandant  Angus  and  his  officers,  assisted  by  Samuel 
Swartwout,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  an  enterprising  citizen,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  at  the  station,  acted  as  volunteers  after  the  landing  of 
the  troops,  and  joining  their  little  band  of  sailors  to  the  regulars, 
under  Captain  King  of  the  15th,  they  stormed  the  enemy's  principal 
batteries  and  drove  him  to  the  Red  House,  where  he  rallied  with  two 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  commenced  a  rapid  fire  of  musketry 
upon  the  assailants.  Sixty  regulars  and  fifty  sailors  composed  the 
whole  American  force.  The  success  at  the  battery,  the  guns  of 
which  were  spiked,  was  followed  up  by  a  desperate  assault  upon  the 
Red  House.  The  sailors  charged  with  boarding  pikes  and  cutlasses, 
the  regulars  with  the  bayonet,  and  after  a  hard  and  destructive 
engagement,  they  routed  the  enemy,  fired  the  house  in  which  he 
quartered,  and  made  about  fifty  prisoners.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Boerstler  attacked  and  dispersed  the  enemy  lower  down  the  river, 
and  took  also  several  prisoners.  Every  battery  between  Chippewa 
and  Fort  Erie,  was  now  carried  ;  the  cannon  spiked  or  destroyed, 
and  sixteen  miles  of  the  Canadian  frontier  laid  waste  and  deserted. 
The  boats  returned  with  the  wounded  and  the  prisoners,  leaving 
Captain  King  and  twelve  men,  who  were  so  anxious  to  complete  the 
destruction  of  every  breastwork  and  barrack  of  the  enemy,  that  they 


684  PETER     B.     PORTER. 

resolved  on  remaining  in  possession  of  the  conquered  ground,  until 
the  main  body  of  the  army  should  cross  over  the  strait,  and  march 
to  the  assault  of  the  British  forts.  Sailing  Master  Watts  fell  at  the 
head  of  his  division  of  the  sailors,  while  he  was  gallantly  leading 
them  on.  Midshipman  Graham  received  a  severe  wound,  which 
caused  an  amputation  of  a  leg.  Seven  out  of  twelve  of  the  navy 
officers  were  wounded.  Captain  Morgan  of  the  12th,  Captain 
Sprowl  and  Captain  Dix  of  the  13th,  and  Lieutenant  Lisson,  the 
two  latter  of  whom  were  badly  wounded,  took  a  very  distinguished 
part  in  the  engagement. 

At  sunrise  part  of  the  remaining  troops  at  Buffalo  began  their 
embarkation.  They  numbered  about  two  thousand  under  the  imme- 
diate command  of  General  Porter.  Two  thousand  more  paraded 
on  shore,  awaiting  a  second  embarkation.  About  five  hundred  British 
appeared  on  the  opposite  shore.  When  the  troops  had  become 
impatient  with  waiting,  General  Smyth  unexpectedly  ordered  them  to 
disembark,  silencing  their  murmurs  with  the  assurance,  that  the 
expedition  was  postponed,  only  in  order  to  place  the  boats  in  abetter 
condition.  The  regiments  then  retired  to  their  quarters,  and  the 
enemy  commenced  laboring  actively  upon  their  disabled  batteries. 

On  the  29th  (Sunday)  the  troops  were  ordered  down  to  the  navy 
yard  so  as  to  be  ready  for  crossing  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock. 
The  point  and  time  of  embarking  would  have  exposed  the  Americans 
to  the  whole  British  fire.  This  was  perceived  by  the  officers,  who 
waited  on  the  commander  with  their  objections  to  his  plan.  He 
accordingly  altered  both,  determining  to  land  the  troops  five  miles 
below  the  navy  yard  before  daylight  on  Tuesday  morning. 

On  Monday  evening,  seven  boats  for  Colonel  Swift's  regiment  and 
eight  for  the  new  volunteers,  were  brought  up  the  river  and  placed 
at  different  points,  so  that  the  noise  and  confusion  of  embarking  the 
whole  at  one  place  might  be  avoided.  At  half  an  hour  after  three, 
these  boats  were  occupied  and  took  their  station  opposite  the  Navy 
Yard.  The  regulars  were  to  proceed  on  the  right.  General  Tanne- 
hill's  volunteers  in  the  centre,  and  the  New  York  volunteers  on  the 
left.  General  Porter,  with  a  chosen  set  of  men,  was  appointed  to 
proceed  in  front  to  direct  the  landing,  and  to  join  the  New  York 
volunteers  when  on  the  opposite  shore.  On  the  arrival  of  the  boats 
which  were  to  compose  the  van.  General  Porter  found  that  the  artil- 
lery were  embarking  in  the  scows  with  as  much  haste  as  possible  ; 
but  one  hour  elapsed  before  the  regular  infantry  attempted  to  follow, 
when  Colonel  Winder,  at  the  head  of  the  fourteenth,  entered  the 
boats  with  great  order  and  silence.  Everything  seemed  to  promise 
a  speedy  and  successful  issue  ;  the  troops  to  be  embarked  were  now 


/ 


INDIGNATION      OF     THE     TROOPS.  687 

nearly  all  in  readiness  to  proceed  ;  General  Porter  dropped  to  the 
front  of  the  line  with  a  flag,  to  designate  the  leading  boat,  and  the 
word  only  was  wanted  to  put  off.  The  front  of  the  hne  was  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  when  the  rear  was  observed  to  be 
retarded,  and  General  Porter  received  orders  from  General  Smyth 
to  disembark  immediately.  He  was  at  the  same  time  informed  that 
the  invasion  of  Canada  was  abandoned  for  the  season,  that  the  regu- 
lars were  ordered  into  winter  quarters,  and  that,  as  the  services  of 
the  volunteers  could  now  be  dispensed  with,  they  might  stack  their 
arms  and  return  to  their  homes.  Previously  to  this  order,  an  inter- 
view had  taken  place  between  General  Smyth  and  a  British  major, 
who  came  over  with  a  flag.  The  scene  of  discontent  which  followed 
was  without  parallel.  Four  thousand  men,  without  order  or  restraint, 
indignantly  discharged  their  muskets  in  every  direction.  The  per- 
son of  the  commanding  general  was  threatened.  Upwards  of  one 
thousand  men,  of  all  classes  of  society,  had  suddenly  left  their  homes 
and  families,  and  had  made  great  sacrifices  to  obey  the  call  of  their 
country,  under  General  Smyth's  invitation.  He  possessed  their 
strongest  confidence,  and  Was  gaining  their  warmest  aff"ections  ;  he 
could  lead  to  no  post  of  danger  to  which  they  would  not  follow. 
But  now,  the  hopes  of  his  government,  the  expectations  of  the  peo- 
ple, the  desires  of  the  army,  were  all  prostrated,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  hear  the  bitter  reproaches  and  the  indignant  epithets  of  the  men 
whom  he  had  promised  to  lead  to  honor,  to  glory,  to  renown.  The 
inhabitants  refused  to  give  him  quarters  in  their  houses,  or  to  pro- 
tect him  from  the  rage  of  those  who  considered  themselves  the 
victims  of  his  imbecility  or  his  deceit.  He  was  obliged  constantly 
to  shift  his  tent  to  avoid  the  general  clamor,  and  to  double  the  guard 
surrounding  it ;  and  he  w"as  several  times  fired  at  when  he  ventured 
without  it.  An  application  was  made  to  him  by  the  volunteers,  to 
permit  them  to  invade  the  enemy's  territory  under  General  Porter, 
and  they  pledged  themselves  to  him  to  take  Fort  Erie  if  he  would 
give  them  four  pieces  of  flying  artillery.  This  solicitation  was 
evaded,  and  the  volunteer  troops  proceeded  to  their  homes,  execrat- 
ing the  man  whom  they  had  respected,  and  the  general  on  whose 
talents  and  whose  promises  they  had  placed  the  most  generous  reli- 
ance. 

In  his  defence  of  this  disgraceful  aifair.  General  Smyth  indulged 
in  the  assertion  "  that  the  volunteers  and  the  neighboring  people  were 
dissatisfied,  and  that  it  had  been  in  the  power  of  the  contracting 
agent  [General  Porter]  to  excite  some  clamor  against  the  course 
pursued,  as  he  found  the  contract  a  losing  one,  and  would  wish  to  see 
the  army  in  Canada  that  he  might  not  be  bound  to  supply  it. 


688  PETER     B.     PORTER. 

This  unwarrantable  assertion  drew  forth  some  recrimination  from 
General  Porter,  which  eventuated  in  a  duel ;  but  the  affair  was  after- 
wards amicably  settled. 

At  Chippewa  General  Porter  commanded  the  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania  volunteers,  with  some  Indians  as  part  of  General 
Scott's  brigade.  In  the  afternoon,  he  left  the  American  camp, 
advanced  through  the  woods  and  came  upon  the  British  scouting 
parties  in  such  a  position  as  to  place  them  between  his  own  fire  and 
that  of  the  American  main  army.  Soon  after  he  encountered  the 
whole  British  column  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle.  Here  he  behaved 
with  great  gallantry  until  reinforced  ;  and  received  the  personal  com- 
pliments of  the  commander-in-chief,  General  Brown. 

General  Brown  thus  mentions  his  services  in  the  action  at  Nia- 
gara : — 

"  It  was  with  great  pleasure  I  saw  the  good  order  and  intrepidity 
of  General  Porter's  volunteers  from  the  moment  of  their  arrival,  but 
during  the  last  charge  of  the  enem.y,  those  qualities  were  conspicuous. 
Stimulated  by  their  gallant  leader,  they  precipitated  themselves  upon 
the  enemy's  line,  and  made  all  the  prisoners  which  were  taken  at  this 
point  of  the  action." 

After  the  battle  General  Porter  marched  with  the  army  to  Fort 
Erie,  where  his  volunteers,  together  with  the  riflemen,  occupied  the 
centre.  He  was  present  at  the  memorable  defence  of  that  place, 
and  by  his  conduct  won  the  following  notice  from  General  Gaines  : — 

"  Brigadier-General  Porter,  commanding  the  New  York  and  Penn- 
sylvania volunteers,  manifested  a  degree  of  vigilance  and  judgment 
in  his  preparatory  arrangements,  as  well  as  military  skill  and  courage 
in  action,  which  proves  him  to  be  worthy  the  confidence  of  his  country 
and  the  brave  volunteers  who  fought  under  him." 

For  his  bravery  on  the  Niagara  frontier  General  Porter  was 
presented  by  Congress  with  a  gold  medal,  together  with  the  thanks 
of  that  body.  After  the  war  he  was  again  elected  to  Congress,  and 
received  during  his  terms  marks  of  esteem  from  several  public  bodies. 
He  acted  as  secretary  of  war  under  President  Adams,  and  on  the 
change  of  administration  retired  to  private  life.  After  a  long  season 
of  domestic  tranquillity,  he  died  at  Niagara,  N.  Y.,  [March  20th, 
1844,]  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  NATHAN  TOWSON. 


ENERAL  TOWSON  is  a  native  of  Maryknd.  He  was 
born  in  the  vicinity  of  Baltimore,  January  22d,  1784,  and 
is  the  youngest  of  twelve  children.  He  early  improved 
the  limited  means  of  knowledge  within  his  reach,  and 
before  the  age  of  sixteen  had  become  distinguished  among 
his  acquaintances  for  his  habits  of  study.  In  1801,  he  went  to 
Kentucky,  and  soon  after  to  Louisiana.  The  unsettled  condition  of 
our  relations  with  France,  rendered  that  territory  a  subject  of  dispute  ; 
and  various  volunteer  companies  were  formed  to  defend  it  should 
actual  hostilities  occur.  One  of  these  young  Towson  joined  as  an 
artillerist.  Soon  after,  he  was  appointed  commander  of  the  Natchez 
volunteer  artillery.  He  then  returned  home,  where  he  remained 
until  the  outrage  on  the  Chesapeake,  when  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  adjutant  of  the  7th  Maryland  militia  regiment. 

On  the   15th  of  March,   1812,  he  entered  the  regular  army  as 

44  689 


690  NATHAN     TOWSON. 

artillery  captain  ;  and  when  war  was  declared  he  joined  the  second 
regiment  of  artillery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Winfield 
Scottj  with  whom  he  proceeded  to  Genera]  Dearborn's  army. 

Thence  he  was  immediately  ordered  to  Black  Rock,  to  protect  the 
vessels  that  were  then  fitting  out  for  the  lake  service  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Elliott  of  the  navy.  On  the  morning  after  the 
arrival  of  Scott  with  his  artillery,  at  Black  Rock,  two  of  the  ene- 
my's vessels  came  down  the  lake  and  anchored  under  the  guns  of 
Fort  Erie.  Lieutenant  Elliott  immediately  formed  a  plan  to  capture 
them,  and  communicating  it  to  General  Smyth  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Scott,  asked  for  the  co-operation  and  assistance  of  the  army.  The 
two  companies  under  Scott  volunteered  for  this  service,  to  a  man : 
but  as  they  were  not  all  required,  the  number  was  filled  by  draft. 
The  artillery  furnished  thirty  men  and  two  officers  ;  and  as  the  rank 
of  the  two  captains,  Towson  and  Barker,  had  not  been  settled,  they 
cast  lots  for  the  command,  and  fortune  decided  in  favor  of  Towson. 
The  expedition  was  fitted  out  in  two  boats  ;  the  one  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Elliott,  who  had  with  him  Lieutenant  Roach  of 
the  artillery,  and  Lieutenant  Presstman,  a  young  gentleman  of  Bal- 
timore, to  command  the  infantry  ;  the  other  boat,  under  the  command 
of  Sailing-master  Watts,  had  twenty  sailors  and  twenty-eight  artil- 
lerists under  Towson.  The  plan  was,  to  ascend  the  lake  with  muffled 
oars,  drop  down  with  the  current,  make  a  simultaneous  attack  upon 
the  two  brigs  which  lay  under  cover  of  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and 
carry  them  by  boarding.  In  ascending  the  lake,  the  boat  which 
carried  Towson  got  ahead,  and  lost  sight  of  the  other ;  and  was 
hailed  and  fired  at  by  the  Detroit,  which  lay  highest  up  the  lake. 
Sailing-master  Watts,  supposing  that  his  pilot  had  not  kept  near 
enough  to  the  shore,  to  make  a  successful  attack  upon  the  Caledonia, 
ordered  him  to  pass  that  vessel ;  but  Towson,  who  differed  with  him 
in  opinion,  assumed  command  of  the  boat,  and  peremptorily  ordered 
the  pilot  to  lay  her  along-side  of  that  vessel.  This  order  was  exe- 
cuted without  opposition,  and  in  a  few  seconds.  In  attempting  to 
fasten  the  grapplings,  all  missed  their  aim  but  one  ;  and  the  boat 
necessarily  fell  astern,  exposed  to  a  severe  and  destructive  fire  from 
the  cabin  windows  and  deck  of  the  brig.  The  boat,  however,  was 
hauled  alongside,  and  in  less  than  two  minutes  the  brig  was  boarded 
and  carried.  The  attention  of  the  Detroit  was  so  closely  engaged 
by  this .  enterprise,  that  the  approach  of  Lieutenant  Elhott  in  the 
other  boat  was  not  observed  ;  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  carry  that 
vessel  without  loss,  and  with  but  little  difficulty.  Both  brigs  were 
immediately  got  under  way,  and  both  unfortunately  grounded  in  the 
Niagara  river,  within  point-blank-shot  of  the  Canada  shore.  Adv^n-*^ 


HIS     SERVICES     A.T     FORT     GEORGE.  693 

tage  was  taken  of  this  disaster  by  the  enemy ;  who,  as  soon  as  day 
dawned,  brought  up  a  few  field-pieces,  and  opened  a  battery  on  the 
brigs.  The  sailing-master  and  pilot  left  the  vessel,  with  the  prisoners, 
about  sunrise.  Captain  Towson  remained  on  board,  took  out  the 
greater  part  of  the  cargo,  (consisting  of  furs,)  and  succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  brig  afloat  about  sunset ;  but  not  being  versed  in  navigation, 
and  all  the  sailors  except  two  having  deserted  in  landing  the  cargo, 
he  ran  aground  a  second  time,  near  Squaw  Island.  In  the  night. 
Colonel  Schuyler,  who  had  just  taken  the  command  at  Black  Rock, 
received  intelligence  that  General  Brock  had  crossed  the  Niagara 
below,  with  a  formidable  force,  and  was  marching  to  attack  him. 
Lieutenant  Elliott  sent  an  officer  with  this  information  to  Captain 
Towson,  with  combustibles,  and  an  order  to  set  fire  to  the  brig. 
Towson  would  not  permit  this  order  to  be  executed,  but  believing 
his  presence  with  his  company  necessary,  in  the  event  of  an  attack 
on  shore,  he  left  a  faithful  non-commissioned  officer  and  two  men  on 
board,  with  orders  to  fire  and  abandon  her,  if  it  should  appear  that 
the  enemy  were  likely  to  succeed  in  forcing  the  troops  to  retire  to 
the  main  body  at  Flint  Hill.  This  did  not  happen  ;  General  Brock 
had  not  crossed  the  Niagara,  as  reported  ;  and  thus,  by  the  judicious 
management  of  Captain  Towson,  was  the  Caledonia  reserved  to 
make  one  of  the  gallant  Perry's  victorious  fleet. 

After  the  battle  of  Queenstown,  Captain  Towson  received  com- 
mand of  the  artillery  of  Van  Rensselaer's  army,  and  soon  went  into 
winter  quarters  at  Black  Rock,  where  he  remained  until  the  opening 
of  the  campaign  of  1813.  He  participated  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
George,  and  at  Stony  Creek  was  the  senior  officer  of  artillery.  He 
behaved  in  a  manner  that  elicited  commendations  from  the  enemy 
themselves.  Through  some  mistake  he  was  ordered  to  cease  firing. 
This  enabled  the  British  to  approach  very  near  him,  as  the  action  was 
fought  on  a  dark  night.  A  charge  was  made,  his  guns  captured, 
together  with  seventeen  men,  and  a  few  artillerists  killed.  Towson 
himself  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands  soon  after,  but  managed  to  escape 
and  subsequently  recaptured  two  of  his  guns. 

After  the  return  of  the  army  to  Forty  Mile  Creek,  the  enemy's 
fleet  made  its  appearance  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  June,  from 
which  a  schooner  was  despatched  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  our 
boats,  which  lay  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  with  the  baggage  of  the 
army,  about  to  be  sent  to  Fort  George.  With  a  view  to  prevent  the 
accomplishment  of  this  object,  Captains  Towson  and  Archer  were 
ordered,  with  four  field-pieces,  to  the  shore,  with  w-hich  they  played 
their  parts  so  well  that  the  schooner  was  soon  compelled  to  seek 
safety  by  a  return  to  the  fleet.     The  praise  of  this  little  affair  was 


694 


NATHAN     TOWSON. 


lost  to  Captain  Towsou  by  the  official  report:  for  Major-General 
Lewis,  who  was  then  in  command  of  that  part  of  the  army,  attri- 
buted, the  exploit  to  Captain  Totten,  of  the  engineers,  who  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  repulse  of  the  schooner,  and  who  was  hrevetted 
on  that  report. 

After  this  affair,  Towson  continued  actively  engaged  in  drilling 
his  corps,  until  they  received  a  discipline  and  importance  equalled 
by  none  in  the  northern  army.  In  the  first  battle  of  Niagara,  [Sep- 
tember 5th,  1814,]  he  again  conducted  the  operations  of  the  artillery. 
The  number  of  pieces  was  the  same  on  both  sides  ;  but  those  of  the 
enemy  were  twenty-four  pounders,  and  Towson's  but  six.  At  the 
commencement  of  the  action  the  enemy's  fire  was  active  and  destruc- 
tive ;  but  their  battery  was  at  length  silenced,  their  ammunition 
wagon  blown  up,  and  their  guns  saved  only  by  the  exertions  of  their 
dragoons.  At  this  time  Towson  could  not  see  the  enemy  in  conse- 
quence of  an  inflammation  of  the  eyes  ;  but  on  their  being  pointed  out 
to  him  by  General  Scott,  he  opened  upon  them  an  oblique  fire  of 
canister  which  materially  contributed  to  their  defeat.  "  This  oblique 
attack  of  the  artillery,"  says  General  Wilkinson,  "  and  the  perpen- 
dicular fire  of  the  American  line,  was  insupportable,  and  their  valor- 
ous troops  yielded  the  palm  and  retreated  precipitately,  leaving  their 
killed  and  wounded  on  the  field,  but  carrying  off  their  artillery. 
Comparing  small  with  great  things,  here,  as  at  Minden,  the  fate  of 
the  day  was  settled  by  the  artillery  :  and  the  American  Towson  may 
deservedly  be  ranked,  with  the  British  Phillips,  Drummond  and  Foy." 

In  this  battle  Towson's  company  suffered  severely.  Both  his 
lieutenants  were  wounded,  and  out  of  thirty-six  men,  his  total  loss 
was  twenty-seven.  During  the  whole  action  he  was  exposed  to  the 
severest  fire  of  the  enemy,  whose  advantages,  position  and  superiority 
of  cannon,  until  the  arrival  of  reinforcements,  precluded  all  hope  of 
silencing  them, 

When  the  army  retired  to  Fort  Erie,  Towson's  company,  number- 
ing but  forty  men,  was  stationed  on  the  left  flank  of  the  encampment. 
On  the  morning  of  August  15th,  in  conjunction  with  Major  Wood, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  infantry,  he  repulsed  the  right  column  of 
the  enemy,  consisting  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  in  several  attempts  to 
assault  the  works.  Such  was  the  vivacity  of  the  fire  from  his  battery 
that  the  enemy  gave  to  it  the  name  of  light  house  ;  and  it  was  after- 
wards familiarly  called  by  the  American  troops,  "  Towson's  light 
house." 

After  the  close  of  the  war.  General  Towson  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  troops  in  the  harbor  of  Boston,  and  in  1816  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  Caleb  Bingham,  Esq.,  of  that  place.     He  was 


HIS      SERVICES     AS     PAYMASTER      GENERAL.  695 

afterwards  stationed  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  in  1819  was  appointed 
paymaster-general  of  the  army.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  disburs- 
ing departments  of  the  government ;  and  for  the  last  twenty  years 
since  General  Towson  has  been  at  the  head  of  it,  near  forty  millions 
of  dollars  have  been  disbursed,  all  over  the  Union,  without  loss  to 
the  United  States. 

In  1834,  th^  president  recommended  that  an  additional  brevet  be 
conferred  on  such  officers  as  had  distinguished  themselves  in  the 
late  war,  to  date  ten  years  after  the  war  brevet,  provided  they  had 
served  faithfully  during  that  time.  The  senate  concurred  in  this, 
which  entitled  General  Towson  to  rank  as  a  brevet  brigadier-general 
from  the  15th  of  August,  1824,  ten  years  after  "  the  defence  of 
Fort  Erie." 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  the  citizens  of  Buffalo  presented  General 
Towson  an  elegant  sword,  with  inscriptions  expressive  of  their  ad- 
miration and  gratitude  for  his  services  in  defence  of  their  frontier. 
This  was  the  more  complimentary,  as  he  was  the  only  officer  who 
received  such  a  mark  of  approbation ;  and  as  those  who  presented 
the  sword  were  eye-vv^itnesses  of  the  operations  of  the  army  on  that 
frontier,  and  of  the  conduct  of  its  officers.  His  native  state  (Mary- 
land) also  presented  him  a  sword,  on  which  is  inscribed  the  names 
of  the  actions  in  which  he  was  most  conspicuous. 

The  Cincinnati  of  Maryland  elected  him  an  honorary  member  ; 
and  Brown  University  of  Rhode  Island  conferred  on  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  A.  M. 

During  the  war  with  Mexico,  General  Towson  has  served  as  pay- 
master-general of  the  army. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  ROGER  JONES. 


ENERAL  JONES,  the  present  adjutant-general  of  the 

United  States  army,  is  a  native  of  Westmorland  county, 

Virginia,  and  entered  the  army  January  6th,  1809,  as  a 

vV    its     lieutenant  of  marines.     He  remained  as  such  until  July 

6th,  1812,  when  he  was  appointed  captain  of  artillery. 

[n  the  following  year  he  was  actively  engaged  at  the  taking  of  Fort 

George,  [May  27th,]  and  in  the  battle  of  Stony  Creek,  [June  5th,] 

where  he  was  conspicuous  on  account  of  his  bravery,  and  received  a 

bayonet  wound.     On  the  13th  of  August  he  was  transferred  to  the 

staff  as  assistant  adjutant-general  with  the  brevet  of  major. 

At  the  opening  of  the  campaign  of  1814,  Major  Jones  belonged.to 

General  Brown's   staff,  and  marched  with  that  able   officer  to  the 

frontier.     He  was  present  at  the  crossing  of  the  Niagara,  the  taking 

of  Fort  Erie  [July  3d,]  and  the  battle  of  Chippewa,  [July  5th].    For 

his  distinguished  services  on  the  latter  occasion,  he  was  brevetted 

major  in  his  own  artillery  corps.     His  conduct  was  marked  with  the 
696 


SERIES     OF     PROMOTIONS.  697 

same  bravery  at  the  second  battle  of  Niagara  [July  25th],  and 
received  high  commendation  from  the  commander  in  chief.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Fort  Erie  [August  15th].  He  displayed 
great  bravery  in  the  sortie  from  the  fort,  and  was  rewarded  by 
President  Madison  with  the  brevet  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  He 
performed  the  duties  of  adjutant-general  to  the  army  until  its  dis- 
bandment  in  May  1815.  When  he  parted  from  Major-General 
Brown,  that  officer  presented  him  with  a  sword  as  a  testimonial  of 
his  personal  esteem.  Just  before  the  close  of  the  war,  Generals 
Brown,  Scott  and  Porter,  each  addressed  letters  to  the  secretary 
of  war,  Mr.  Monroe,  warmly  recommending  Brevet  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Jones  for  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of  the  24th  infantry. 

The  admirable  discipline  which  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jones  intro- 
duced into  his  company,  caused  him  to  be  retained  its  head  until 
1818,  when  through  the  recommendation  of  Generals  Brown,  Scott, 
and  others,  he  was  appointed  adjutant-general  of  the  northern  division 
with  the  brevet  of  colonel.  At  the  reduction  of  the  army  in  1821, 
he  was  retained  in  his  full  lineal  rank,  and  assigned  to  the  3d  regi- 
ment of  artillery.  On  the  7th  of  March,  1825,  he  was  appointed 
adjutant-general  of  the  whole  army,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  On 
February  17th,  1827,  he  became  major  of  second  artillery,  in  the 
regular  line.  March  1829,  he  was  brevetted  colonel,  and  June  17th, 
1832,  brigadier-general. 

In  October,  1844,  General  Jones,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mason,  and 
Governor  Butler,  Cherokee  agent,  received  orders  from  the  President 
to  proceed  to  the  Cherokee  nation,  in  order  to  investigate  and  report 
upon  the  discontents  and  difficulties  among  that  tribe.  Jones  drew 
up  an  able  report,  which  eventuated  in  the  formal  pacification  of  the 
following  year. 

As  adjutant-general,  General  Jones'  services  were  of  great  value- 
during  the  Florida  war,  and  other  Indian  outbreaks  during  the  boun- 
dary troubles,  and  in  all  other  periods  menacing  recourse  to  arms. 
But  above  all  is  the  country  largely  indebted  to  him  for  his  exertions 
during  the  Mexican  war.     The  increase  of  the  regular  army  to  more 
than  double  its  previous  numbers  ;  the  raising  and  equipping  of  some 
fifty  thousand  volunteers  ;    the  legislation  necessary  to   meet   the 
change  from  peace  to  war,  and  to  place  the  enlarged  military  estab 
lishment  upon  the  proper  basis  ;  the  voluminous  orders  and  corre 
spondences  rendered  indispensable  by  the  movements  of  the  armies, 
&c.,  have  all  been  superintended  by  him.     It  will   not  therefore  be 
considered  hyperbolical  to  assert,  that  no  small  share  of  the  efficiency 
of  our  armies  is  the  result  of  the  skilful  administration  of  Adjutant 
General  Jones. 


MAJOR  ISAAC  ROACH. 


SAAC  ROACH  was  born  in  the  district  of  Southwark 
and  county  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  24th  of  February, 
1786.  His  maternal  ancestors  were  Irish.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  emigrated  to 
this  country  as  early  as  1740. 

His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Delaware,  and  a 
seaman  by  occupation,  immediately  on  the  commence- 
ment of  hostilities  between  the  colonies  and  Great 
Britain,  entered  the  naval  service  of  his  country,  and  continued  in  it 
as  first  lieutenant  of  the  navy  of  Pennsylvania  until  the  war  of  inde- 
pendence was  over. 

Lieutenant  Roach  commanded  the  armed  vessel  or  gun-boat  Con- 
gress, and  was  actively  engaged  all  the  war  in  the  naval  defence  of 
the  Delaware  river  and  bay.     He  was  also  an  officer  in  the  actior 

698 


PROCEEDS  TO  THE  CANADA  FRONTIER.       699 

between  the  Hyder  Ali  and  the  British  ship  General  Monk.  The 
brig  which  Lieutenant  Roach  commanded  was  captured  by  the 
enemy.  He  succeeded  however  in  retaking  her,  and  in  the  attempt 
was  dangerously  wounded.  He  held  commissions  successively  under 
Washington,  Adams,  Jefferson,  and  Madison,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  years  after  the  peace,  was  in  active  service  till  his  death, 
in  1817. 

The  example  of  such  a  parentage  was  not  without  its  influence  on 
the  conduct  of  his  son.  Taught  from  earliest  infancy  to  believe  that 
next  to  what  is  due  to  a  bountiful  Providence,  the  main  duty  is  that 
of  the  citizen  to  the  state,  the  child  of  a  revolutionary  sire  could  find 
no  sacrifice  so  great,  no  privation  so  severe  as  to  deter  him  from  the 
full  discharge  of  this,  his  chief  obligation. 

Before  the  declaration  of  war  by  the  United  States,  in  1812,  and 
in  that  interval  of  doubt  when  no  one  was  able  to  discern  the  issue 
of  peaceful  negotiation  for  the  redress  of  injury,  or  the  atonement 
of  insult — when  our  neutral  commerce  was  destroyed,  and  our 
national  flag  degraded  by  European  belligerents — when  our  gov- 
ernment was  pausing  on  the  question  whether  it  should  submit, 
or  attempt  desperately  to  redress  its  wrongs,  and  when  the  public 
mind  was  not  quite  prepared  for  the  last  resort,  the  gallant  and 
chivalric  youth,  Isaac  Roach,  Jr.,  immediately  after  the  attack  of 
the  Leopard  on  the  Chesapeake,  with  some  of  his  friends,  organ- 
ized a  corps  of  volunteer  artillery,  and  joined  the  regiment  then 
commanded  by  Captain  Connelly,  and  afterwards  by  Colonel  John 
Goodman  of  Philadelphia.  It  was  in  this  company,  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  present  General  Prevost,  that  Roach  and  his  gallant 
and  lamented  associate,  M'Donough,  commenced^their  military  life. 

Anxious,  however,  for  a  participation  in  more  active  duty,  imme- 
diately on  the  declaration  of  war,  our  young  volunteer  applied  for  a 
commission  in  the  regular  service,  and  obtained  the  appointment  of 
second  lieutenant  in  the  second  regiment  of  United  States  artillery, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Winfield  Scott.  In  July,  1812,  he 
joined  the  regiment,  then  forming  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Schuylkill, 
and  was  appointed  adjutant. 

ARLY  in  September,  1812,  Colonel  Scott  apphed 
for,  and  obtained  orders  to  proceed  to  the  Canada 
frontier,  with  the  companies  of  Captain  Towson 
and  Captain  J.  N.  Barker,  and  on  the  5th  of  Octo- 
ber, this  little  band,  to  which  Lieutenant  Roach 
was  attached,  amounting  all  told  to  one  hundred 
and  sixty  men,  arrived  at  Buffalo.  Never,  perhaps, 
did  young  soldiers  commence  a  career  more  darkly  shadowed  with 


700  ISAAC     ROACH. 

gloom.  Hull's  surrender  at  Detroit  was  fresh  in  the  public  mind, 
and  the  prospect  of  our  military  character  being  redeemed  was 
brightened  only  by  reliance  on  the  gallantry  of  the  new  troops  and 
new  officers  who  were  then  taking  the  field. 

The  first,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  actions  that  occurred  on 
the  Niagara  frontier  took  place  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Phila- 
delphia troops  at  Bufl^alo.  We  noticed  it  in  our  sketch  of  General 
Towson ;  but  must  now  show  the  part  taken  in  it  by  Adjutant  Roach. 
Henry  Clay,  in  his  speech  on  the  new  army  bill,  in  1813,  speaking 
of  the  exploit  we  are  now  about  to  describe,  said  that,  "  whether 
placed  to  maritime  or  land  account,  for  judgment,  skill  and  courage, 
it  had  never  been  surpassed." 

Fort  Erie  was  at  .this  time  in  the  undisturbed  possession  of  the 
British,  and  directly  under  its  guns  lay  at  anchor  two  large  vessels 
of  war,  the  Detroit  and  the  Caledonia,  destined  to  cruise  against  any 
naval  force  that  might  be  raised  on  the  lake.  Lieutenant  Elliott  of 
the  United  States  navy,  then  commanding  at  Bufifalo,  conceived  the 
design  of  cutting  out  and  capturing  these  vessels,  and  as  soon  as  the 
plan  was  known,  young  Roach,  with  the  consent  of  his  commanding 
officer,  volunteered  to  join  the  expedition.  His  ofl^er  was  gladly 
accepted,  and  it  was  determined  that  he  should  go  in  one  of  the 
attacking  boats  with  Elliott,  and  be  accompanied  by  fifty  volunteer 
artillerymen  from  his  own  regiment. 

Every  thing  being  in  readiness,  the  boats  manned,  arms  ready,  the 
oars  muffled,  at  about  eight  o'clock  of  the  night  of  the  8th  of  October, 
the  expedition  hauled  out  from  the  creek  below  Bufifalo,  The  boats 
were  pushed  silently  up  against  the  rapid  current  of  the  Niagara  to 
the  mouth  of  Buff'alo  creek.  The  plan  was  to  row  thence  up  into 
Lake  Erie  till  they  reached  the  opposite  shore,  above  the  fort,  and 
thus  advance  to  the  attack  from  a  quarter  from  which  none  would  be 
expected.  Here  the  expedition  was  joined  by  a  detachment  of  the 
5th  infantry,  under  Ensign  Prestman.  The  tide  on  the  bar  being 
low,  all  hands  were  obliged  to  lighten,  and  wading  up  to  their 
shoulders  in  the  lake  pushed  the  boats  over.  Having  fairly  got  into 
the  lake,  the  boats  were  rowed  several  miles  up  along  the  American 
shore  before  a  crossing  was  made.  The  expectation  was  that  the 
vessels  would  be  taken  by  surprise,  but  the  light  which  was  burning 
in  the  caboose  of  the  Detroit,  whilst  it  enabled  the  assailants  to  steer 
directly  to  their  object,  showed  them  they  had  a  vigilant  adversary 
to  contend  with.  When  within  half  a  mile  of  the  brig,  orders  were 
given  to  the  men  to  be  silent,  and  to  reserve  their  fire  till  they  should 
board.  The  helm  was  taken  by  Adjutant  Roach,  and  orders  given 
to  have  the  grapplings  ready  the  moment  the  boat  was  laid  alongside. 


CAPTURE  OF  THE  DETROIT  AND  CALEDONIA. 


703 


As  the  boats  approached  within  musket  range  they  were  hailed  from 
the  brig,  and  no  answer  being  given,  were  received  with  a  heavy  but 
ill-directed  fire  of  musketry. — Roach  laid  the  boat  directly  alongside 
the  brig,  head  to  tide,  and  after  grappling  her  securely,  with  Lieu- 
tenant Elliott,  and  followed  by  his  gallant  crew,  sprang  upon  the 
enemy's  quarter-deck.  A  fierce  but  short  personal  conflict  gave  the 
assailants  complete  possession  of  the  brig.  The  attack  by  Towson 
and  his,  comrades  on  the  Caledonia,  though  accidentally  less  pro- 
pitious in  the  onset,  owing  to  a  mistake  in  steering  the  boat,  was 
equally  successful,  and  thus  the  two  armed  British  brigs  were  com- 
pletely captured. 

NTIL  this  time  the  British  garrison  did 
not  seem  to  realize  the  danger  of  their 
friends.  No  sooner,  however,  was  the 
first  movement  made  to  get  under  way 
than  a  heavy  cannonade  was  opened  on  the  brigs, 
which  the  American  victors  were  wholly  unable 
to  return  with  any  effect.  The  first  guns  fired 
at  the  enemy  on  that  frontier  were  those  fired  by 
Roach  and  his  comrades  from  the  Detroit.  It 
may  be  mentioned  incidentally,  that  the  first  shot 
fired  from  the  British  lines  during  the  war, 
owing  to  its  elevation,  passed  over  the  Detroit,  at  which  it  was  aimed, 
and  killed  a  gallant  oflEicer  on  the  American  shore,  (Major  Cuyler, 
of  the  New  York  militia.)  The  wind  becoming  lighter,  the  brig's 
crew,  instead  of  being  able  to  get  out  into  the  lake  and  out  of  gun- 
shot, were  obliged  to  sheer  over  to  the  opposite  shore,  all  the  time 
within  the  range  of  the  guns  from  the  fort,  and  in  attempting  to  get 
into  harbor  both  vessels  grounded  on  the  bar.  Rather  than  that  the 
enemy  should  have  the  satisfaction  of  destroying  the  prizes,  for 
which  they  were  known  to  be  making  active  preparations,  orders 
were  given  by  the  commanding  general  to  burn  one  or  both  in  case 
they  could  not  be  set  afloat.  The  Detroit  was  accordingly  destroyed. 
The  Caledonia  being  a  lighter  vessel  was  saved,  and  was  subse- 
quently added  to  the  fleet  of  the  gallant  Perry. 

The  attempt  to  "  cut  out"  an  enemy  where  the  attacking  party 
are  compelled  to  climb  up  the  perpendicular  sides  of  vessels  of  war, 
from  small  boats,  and  opposed  at  every  step  by  men  as  desperate  as 
themselves,  is  a  daring  enterprise,  and  Captain  Marryatt  says,  "  it 
is  considered,  in  the  British  navy,  the  most  desperate  of  all  ser- 
vices." 

The  annals  of  the  war  present  no  more  brilliant  incident  than  that 
which  has  just  been  described.     A  mere  handful  of  raw  recruits,  not 


704  ISA.AC     ROACH. 

one  of  whom  had  ever  faced  an  enemy,  or  been  in  battle,  within 
three  days  after  their  arrival  near  a  scene  of  action,  volunteering 
and  succeeding-  in  an  enterprise  of  an  almost  desperate  character  in 
itself,  and  against  veteran  soldiers,  was  a  briUiant  affair  indeed.  The 
intelligence  of  it  produced  a  great  sensation,  and  the  happiest  effect 
among  the  troops  then  beginning  to  concentrate  on  the  Niagara,  and 
it  redounded  to  the  honor  of  all  who  were  engaged  in  it,  and  of  no 
one  more  than  our  young  soldier. 

This  brilliant  victory  was  scarcely  achieved  before  Lieutenant 
Roach  was  engaged  in  active  and  perilous  service  as  a  volunteer  in 
another  quarter.  It  being  contemplated  by  the  commanding  general. 
Van  Rensselaer,  at  Lewistown,  to  attack  the  British  posts  at  Queens- 
town,  Colonel  Scott  determined  to  march  his  corps  and  transport  his 
artillery  to  that  point.  The  condition  of  the  roads  being  such  as  to 
delay,  if  not  entirely  prevent,  the  transportation  of  ordnance  from 
Buffalo,  Lieutenant  Roach  proposed  to  have  it  carried  down  the 
river  as  far  as  navigable  in  boats.  The  suggestion  was  readily 
adopted,  and  by  his  exertions,  and  under  his  supervision,  carried  into 
effect. 

The  second  regiment  of  artillery  arrived  at  Lewistown  about  two 
hours  before  the  troops  embarked  for  the  attack  on  Queenstown 
Heights.  It  was  the  plan  of  General  Van  Rensselaer  that  but  few 
of  the  regular  troops  should  cross,  and  that  the  attack  should  be 
made  altogether  by  the  militia.  Colonel  Scott's  regiment  was  there- 
fore ordered  to  remain  on  the  American  shore,  and  to  cover  with 
their  artillery  the  crossing  of  the  boats.  The  attack  was  made  with 
great  spirit  and  success,  and  a  desperate  conflict  ensued  on  the 
heights  above  the  town.  The  British  commander-in-chief,  General 
Brock,  and  his  aid,  Major  Macdonald,  were  killed,  and  the  fortune 
of  war  was  for  a  longtime  with  our  gallant  troops.  The  names  of 
Fenwick  and  Van  Rensselaer  wall  always  be  associated  with  this 
brilliant  exploit.  Within  a  short  time  after  the  attack  commenced, 
and  while  Roach  and  his  commanding  officer  were  directing  the  artil- 
lery on  the  American  shore,  a  message  was  received  from  General 
Van  Rensselaer  that  he  had  occasion  for  an  officer  of  artillery.  Roach 
immediately  volunteered,  and  dismounting,  threw  himself  into  the 
boat  that  was  waiting,  and  was  in  a  few  moments  on  British  soil,  and 
in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  which  was  by  this  time  raging  with 
renewed  fury,  in  consequence  of  the  enemy  having  been  reinforced 
by  new  troops,  composed  of  regulars  and  Lidians,  from  Fort  George 
and  the  neighborhood.  In  the  midst  of  the  action,  Lieutenant  Roach 
was  severely  wounded  by  a  rifle  ball,  fired  from  an  adjacent  thicket. 
His  uniform  and  plume  made  him  a  conspicuous  object  for  the  hid- 


BATTLE      OF     QUEENSTOWN     HEIGHTS.  707 

den  savages.  The  surgeons  being  unable  to  attend  to  the  wounded 
on  the  field,  they  were  removed  to  the  American  shore,  where  due 
attention  was  paid  to  them.  The  exposure  incident  to  this  affair, 
and  his  wound,  brought  on  a  severe  fever,  which  reduced  Lieutenant 
Roach  to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  and  seriously  impaired  his  consti 
tution.  His  inability  to  attend  to  duty,  and  the  suspension  of  active 
operations  on  the  lines  for  the  season,  induced  him  to  apply  for  orders 
for  Philadelphia,  at  that  time  the  head-quarters  of  his  regiment, 
Colonel  Scott  having  been  taken  prisoner  at  Queenstown.  This 
request  was  immediately  granted,  and  on  the   26th   of  December, 

1812,  he  returned  to  his  aged  parents  at  Philadelphia,  bringing 
them  in  the  honors  he  had  gained  a  full  consolation  for  his  wounds 
and  sufferings. 

Almost  immediately  after  his  return.  Roach  was  attached  to  the 
staff  of  General  Izard,  and  accompanied  that  officer  to  New  York, 
whither  he  was  despatched  to  command  the  defences  of  that  city 
and  harbor.  Finding  this  mode  of  life  unsuited  to  his  enterprising 
habits,  he  set  out  for  Washington,  and  in  person  applied  to  the  secre- 
tary at  war  for  duty  on  the  Canadian  frontier.  General  Armstrong 
not  only  acceded  to  this  wish,  but  tendered  him  a  captain's  commis- 
sion in  the  23d  infantry,  which  was  promptly  accepted,  and  in  May, 

1813,  Roach  was  again  with  the  army  on  the  lines.  Our  troops 
were  then  stationed  at  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Niagara — 
the  enemy  across  the  river  at  Fort  George.  Soon  after,  it  being 
determined  to  attack  the  enemy's  position,  Captain  Roach,  though 
an  infantry  officer,  was  selected  by  Colonel  Scott  to  take  charge  of 
a  small  field-piece,  and  join  the  advance  which  was  to  make  the 
assault.  In  carrying-  the  fort.  Captain  Roach  was  again  severely 
wounded  in  the  right  arm,  this  being  the  second  time  within  twelve 
months,  and  each  time  when  in  the  foremost  rank  of  an  attacking 
party. 

On  the  afternoon  of  June  23d,  an  order  came  to  Fort  George  for 
a  portion  of  the  troops  to  join  a  party  which  was  to  march  up  the 
Niagara,  under  command  of  Colonel  Boerstler.  Captain  Roach, 
though  but  partially  convalescent,  and  scarcely  able  to  draw  his 
sword,  joined  the  party,  which  during  that  night  commenced  its 
march.  The  disastrous  events  of  the  next  day  need  not  be  detailed 
here.  They  are  matter  of  history.  After  advancing  to  some  dis- 
tance beyond  Queenstown,  the  American  troops  were  attacked  by  a 
large  body  of  British  and  Indians.  The  gallantry  and  untiring  reso- 
lution of  all  the  subordinate  officers  displayed  in  a  conflict  which 
lasted  from  9,  a.  m.  to  12,  m.,  with  an  overwhelming  force,  could  not 
save  this  devoted  corps  from  the  effect  of  the  incapacity  of  the  com- 


708  ISAAC      ROACH. 

manding  officer,  who,  after  a  late  retreat  had  been  commenced,  sur- 
rendered to  the  enemy  without  a  word  of  consultation  with  his 
officers.  During  the  whole  day,  Roach's  corps  had  been  in  action, 
and  had  succeeded  in  repelling  the  enemy  at  every  point  from  which 
they  had  attempted  an  attack.  The  prisoners,  after  being  plundered 
and  otherwise  maltreated  by  the  Indian  auxiliaries  of  the  enemy, 
were  taken  to  the  British  head-quarters,  at  Burlington  Heights,  and 
soon  after,  all  except  Roach  were  discharged  on  parole.  He  being 
unwilling  to  pledge  his  word  not  again  to  bear  arms  against  the 
enemy,  and  thinking  that  a  chance  of  escape  might  occur,  remained 
a  prisoner,  and  being  put  on  board  the  fleet,  was  thence  removed  to 
Kingston,  and  finally  to  Montreal  and  Quebec — the  impregnable 
fortress  and  key  of  Lower  Canada. 

The  narrative  of  Captain  Roach's  sufferings  and  escape  from  this 
celebrated  fortress,  is  one  of  deep  and  most  romantic  interest. 

There  are  few  fortified  places  in  the  world — none  on  this  continent 
— more  completely  impregnable  than  Quebec.  Situated  at  the  inter- 
section of  the  rivers  St.  Charles  and  St.  Lawrence,  the  heights  of 
Cape  Diamond,  on  which  the  citadel  is  placed,  rise  in  imposing  gran- 
deur directly  from  the  edge  of  the  water  on  the  east.  The  passage 
below  the  cliffs  on  all  sides  is  very  narrow,  and  on  the  side  of  the  pre- 
cipitous hills,  and  within  high  parapets,  is  situated  the  upper  town  of 
Quebec.  The  visitor  who,  when  on  a  tour  of  pleasure,  for  the  first 
time  views  the  sombre  majesty  of  this  scene,  can  best  realize  what 
must  have  been  the  feelings  of  Roach  and  his  gallant  companions 
when  they  saw  what  they  thought  this  spot  of  hopeless  imprisonment. 
The  chance  of  escape  seemed  inappreciably  small ;  upwards  of  four 
thousand  troops  composed  the  garrison,  and  so  soon  as  the  brief 
season  of  summer  in  these  northern  latitudes  should  pass  away,  they 
had  to  anticipate  the  horrors  of  a  Canadian  winter,  during  which  all 
the  comforts  of  domestic  luxury  are  requisite  to  sustain  physical 
existence. 

After  enduring  a  variety  of  preliminary  indignities  which  seemed  to 
be  the  certain  portion  of  our  American  captives.  Roach  and  his  com- 
panions, some  of  them  of  higher  rank  and  greater  age,  were  admitted 
to  a  partial  parole,  and  on  giving  their  word  not  to  violate  the  laws, 
or  attempt  an  escape,  were  stationed  at  Beauport,  a  small  Canadian 
village,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  about  five  miles  below 
Quebec.  The  river  St.  Charles  empties  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  some 
distance  above  Beauport.  The  fellow  prisoners  of  Captain  Roach 
at  Beauport,  were  Generals  Winchester,  Chandler,  and  Winder, 
Colonel  Lewis,  and  the  venerable  Major  Madison,  of  Kentucky, 
Major  Vandeventer,  of  the  army,  and  Lieutenant  Sidney  Smith,  of 


IMPRISONED     AT      QUEBEC.  709 

the  United  States  Navy.  Besides  these  there  were  several  other 
officers,  and  a  considerable  body  of  rank  and  file,  all  prisoners  of  war. 
Some  time  prior  to  the  month  of  October,  1813,  the  privileges 
which  the  prisoners  had  previously  enjoyed  had  been  gradually 
restricted ;  some  of  the  officers  had  been  removed  to  Halifax,  and  in 
consequence  of  an  ofler  having  been  made  by  General  Scott  to  the 
governor  of  Lower  Canada,  Sir  George  Prevost,  to  exchange  an 
officer  of  high  rank  for  Captain  Roach,  he  was  more  vigilantly 
watched,  and  considered  as  one  whom  it  was  most  desirable  to  control. 
On  the  23d  of  October,  1813,  whilst  the  mess  of  paroled  prisoners 
were  seated  at  table,  the  house  was  surrounded  by  a  body  of  cavalry, 
whose  commanding  officer  informed  the  inmates  that  he  had  an  order 
for  the  close  confinement  of  twenty-three  commissioned  and  as  many 
non-commissioned  officers,  as  hostages.  Captain  Roach  was  third 
on  the  list ;  his  friends,  Vandeventer  and  Sidney  Smith,  were  to  share 
his  prison.  Jn  his  own  mind  his  course  was  soon  determined  on,  and 
the  British  major  was  informed  by  Roach  that  from  that  moment  the 
obligation  of  the  parole  was  at  an  end,  and  that  as  a  prisoner  he 
should  have  a  prisoner's  privilege  of  being  at  liberty  to  try  to  escape. 
Acting  with  this  design.  Roach  availed  himself  of  a  few  moments 
private  conversation  with  his  venerable  friend,  Major  Madison,  who 
was  not  on  the  list  of  hostages,  and  who  was  therefore  to  remain  at 
Beauport,  to  arrange  a  plan  of  confidential  correspondence — so  that, 
by  means  of  apparently  casual  and  innocent  phrases,  secret  meaning 
might  be  conveyed. 

The  prison  house  to  which  the  captives  were  transferred,  ^as  a 
strong  stone  building,  used  as  the  common  jail,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  city,  between  the  St.  Johns  and  St.  Louis  gate.  It  was  built 
on  a  rocky  declivity,  being  three  stories  high  on  one  side,  and  five 
on  the  other.  No  sooner  were  the  prisoners  immured  in  this  place 
than  they  began  to  plan  some  mode  of  escape.  After  much  consul- 
tation it  was  determined  that  the  attempt  should  be  made  by  letting 
themselves  down  from  the  roof,  next  to  which  their  chamber  was,  to 
the  street,  by  strips  of  carpet  tied  together.  Roach  was  to  direct 
the  immediate  escape  from  the  fortress,  and  Major  Vandeventer 
command  afterwards.  If  a  boat  could  be  secured,  and  the  passage 
of  the  river  (then  full  of  floating  ice)  made,  they  were  to  take  what 
is  called  Craig's  Road,  through  the  township  settlements,  and  gain 
the  wilderness  which  lies  near  the  Canada  and  Maine  boundaries. 

The  peculiar  peril  of  this  enterprise  is  scarcely  conceivable. 
Besides  the  risk  of  discovery,  and  the  personal  danger  in  escaping 
from  such  a  height,  a  strong  guard  was  quartered  about  one  hundred 
yards  on  the  left  of  the  house,  and  five  sentinels,  with  loaded  muskets, 


710  ISAAC     ROACH. 

were  in  and  around  the  prison.  The  gates  of  the  city  were  closely 
guarded,  and  the  bridge  across  the  St.  Charles  river  was  closed  by 
a  gate  which  was  never  opened  after  night.  The  passage  of  the 
river,  at  any  time  hazardous,  was  peculiarly  so  at  this  season  of 
commencing  winter ;  and  even  if  escape  were  practicable  through 
the  Canadian  settlements,  the  chance  of  perishing  in  the  wilderness 
was  very  great.  Still  these  discouragements,  backed  as  they  were 
by  the  remonstrances  of  their  friends  at  Beauport,  who  secretly 
wrote  to  implore  them  not  to  attempt  an  escape,  were  insufficient  to 
deter  our  gallant  countrymen.  A  letter,  written  as  agreed  upon,  was 
sent,  however,  by  Captain  Roach  to  Major  Madison,  and  carried  by 
a  British  officer,  who  little  suspected  its  contents,  requesting  him  to 
procure  a  boat  to  cross  the  river,  and  a  guide  to  lead  the  party  through 
the  settlements.  The  night  of  Saturday,  November  27th,  was  fixed 
for  the  attempt. 

RELIMINARY  arrangements  were  soon  made;  each 
of  the  three  had  his  haversack  filled  with  provisons,  a 
letter  was  written  to  the  mayor  of  the  city,  exonerat- 
ing the  guard  and  all  other  British  subjects  from  any 
knovi'ledge  or  participation  in  the  scheme,  and  the 
carpet  which  had  been  used  in  their  room,  and  which 
had  been  taken  up  on  pretence  of  having  it  cleaned,  was  ripped  and 
tied  into  knots,  to  be  used  for  the  descent.  The  iron  grating  at  the 
windows  had  already  been  removed  by  watch-spring  saws.  As  soon 
as  the  officer  had  gone  his  rounds  for  the  night  the  conspirators  were 
at  work,  and  watching  the  time  when  the  back  of  the  sentry  was 
turned,  one  end  of  the  carpet  was  lashed  to  a  rafter,  and  the  other 
let  down  to  the  street.  No  sooner  was  this  done,  than  Roach  swung 
himself  down,  and  was  immediately  followed  by  his  two  companions. 
All  reached  the  ground  safely  but  Major  Vandeventer,  who  aftei 
sliding  dow^n  a  considerable  distance,  and  thinking  himself  near  the 
ground,  relinquished  his  hold  of  the  carpet,  and  fell.  He  received 
a  severe  bruise  and  sprain,  which  subsequently  added  not  a  little 
to  the  troubles  and  difficulties  of  the  party.  No  sooner  had  they 
reached  the  ground  and  remained  long  enough  hidden  behind  a  corner 
of  the  wall  to  allow  the  sentinel  to  pass,  whose  faculties  were  no 
doubt  somewhat  benumbed  by  the  cold,  which  was  in  painful  contrast 
with  the  Spanish  climate  he  had  been  so  long  enjoying,  than  they 
made  the  best  of  their  way  through  the  streets  to  the  St.  John's  gate. 
As  they  approached  they  walked  leisurely  by  the  sentry,  who  after  a 
challenge,  supposing  them  to  be  people  of  the  town,  allow^ed  them  to 
go  by  without  molestation.  After  passing  the  several  gates,  they  at 
last  crossed  the  bridge  over  the  ditch,  and  then,  for  the  first  time  did 


ESCAPE     FROM     PRISON.  711 

they  breathe  freely,  or  dare  to  flatter  themselves  with  the  hope  of 
success. 

The  road  to  Beauport  was  frozen  and  rough,  and  Major  Vande- 
venter's  lameness  retarded  the  party  considerably.  No  time  was  to 
be  lost,  and  Captain  Roach  pushed  on  in  advance  to  ascertain  how 
they  could  best  cross  the  river  St.  Charles.  On  approaching  the 
bridge  he  found  the  gate  fastened  and  the  keeper  apparently  asleep. 
It  at  once  suggested  itself  that  if  they  could  pass  unobserved,  it 
might  tend  to  defeat  the  pursuit  of  which  they  would  soon  be  the 
objects.  On  examining  the  gateway  it  was  found  that  the  only  mode 
of  escape  was  by  climbing  outside  at  a  considerable  distance  above 
the  water  and  at  great  risk.  This  was  at  last  accomplished,  and 
soon  after  they  crossed  the  river  the  fugitives  heard  the  drums  beat- 
ing to  arms,  and  the  bells  ringing  in  Quebec,  their  escape  having 
been  discovered.  A  party  of  cavalry  was  despatched  in  the  direction 
of  Beauport,  and  on  arriving  at  the  St.  Charles  bridge,  and  after 
arousing  the  gate-keeper,  being  told  that  no  one  had,  or  could  have 
passed,  they  returned  to  the  city — so  effectual  was  the  stratagem  of 
the  fugitives. 

On  arriving  at  Beauport  they  found  their  friends  prepared,  though 
scarcely  daring  to  expect  their  arrival.  A  guide  had  been  procured, 
and  a  boat  to  cross  the  St.  Lawrence.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  as 
the  passage  must  be  made  under  cover  of  darkness,  and  in  a  short 
time  our  three  daring  soldiers  were  afloat  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  here 
nearly  four  miles  wide,  and  filled  with  floating  ice.  After  narrowly 
escaping  several  boats  filled  with  armed  men,  who  had  been  des- 
patched in  pursuit,  they  reached  the  south  bank  of  the  river ;  the 
snow  was  then  fast  falling,  and  not  only  was  their  guide  unwilling  to 
proceed  farther,  but  Major  Vandeventer's  lameness  had  so  much 
increased,  as  to  compel  them  to  remain  quiet  for  a  few  hours.  They 
accordingly  scooped  themselves  out  a  place  of  repose  in  the  snow, 
and  lying  close  to  each  other,  slept  soundly  till  daylight.  They 
then  resumed  their  march,  and  having  narrowly  escaped  diflferent 
parties  of  regulars  and  militia  who  were  in  pursuit,  succeeded  in 
crossing  the  Chaudiere,  and  gaining  the  road  to  the  settlements. 
Following  this  route,  through  a  great  variety  of  perils,  and  at  much 
risk,  suffering  from  the  excessive  cold,  and  being  but  inadequately 
protected  from  the  weather,  they  hoped  to  reach  the  wilderness  that 
lies  between  the  British  and  American  settlements,  and  then  defy 
pursuit.  In  the  excitement  of  the  escape  from  their  prison,  they 
seemed  to  lose  sight  of  the  imminent  danger  of  perishing  from  cold 
and  privation  in  the  almost  trackless  wilderness  which  they  were  so 
anxious  to  reach.   Providence  however,  ordained,  it  otherwise.   On  the 


712  ISAAC     ROACH. 

fourth  day  after  leaving  Quebec,  they  reached  the  house  of  a  Cana- 
dian named  Charledeauluce,  the  last  habitation  north  of  the  wilder- 
ness. Here  they  were  obliged  to  remain  all  night,  in  consequence 
of  the  increasing  illness  of  one  of  the  party.  Lieutenant  Smith,  who 
had  been  severely  frost-bitten  the  first  night  after  crossing  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  an  Indian  guide  to  con- 
duct them  farther.  Whilst  engaged  negotiating  with  their  host  for 
such  assistance  on  the  following  day,  the  house  was  surrounded  by 
a  large  body  of  Canadian  militia,  sent  in  pursuit,  and  our  gallant 
adventurers,  after  all  their  sufferings  and  dangers,  were  obliged  to 
surrender,  and  with  the  best  grace  they  could  assume,  submit  to 
their  hard  fate. 

Such  was  the  issue  of  this  most  gallant  and  romantic  adventure, 
projected  by  Captain  Roach,  and  executed  by  the  energy  and  resolu- 
tion of  himself  and  his  companions.  To  escape  from  the  walls  of 
an  impregnable  citadel,  and  to  elude  a  garrison  of  four  thousand  of 
Wellington's  veteran  troops — to  cross  a  river  like  the  St.  Lawrence, 
filled  with  floating  ice,  in  a  leaky  and  crazy  canoe — to  penetrate  for 
seventy  miles,  in  the  dead  of  a  Canadian  winter,  through  a  country 
filled  with  exasperated  pursuers — to  endure  all  the  hardships  of  such 
an  attempt  under  such  circumstances — required  an  amount  of  daring 
and  heroic  endurance  which  deserved  complete  success. 

Their  return  to  Quebec  was  the  signal  for  new  privations  and 
indignities.  The  British  authorities,  incensed  at  even  the  partial 
success  of  this  attempt  to  escape,  and  stung  to  madness  by  the 
reflection  that  three  Americans  had  eluded  all  their  vigilance,  and 
defied  all  their  care,  could  find  no  restraint  too  severe  for  their 
prisoners.  All  the  Americans  were  closely  immured>  and  even  the 
poor  comforts  they  had  before  enjoyed  were  now  denied  them.  The 
access  of  all  friendly  visitors  w^as  cut  off,  and  their  fate  seemed 
destined  to  be  made  darker  and  darker  still.  Such  treatment  instead 
of  disheartening  our  young  soldiers,  seemed  to  give  a  new  impulse 
to  exertion  and  adventure.  A  new  scheme  of  escape  was  projected 
and  agreed  on  by  Roach  and  Vandeventer,  and  some  measures  taken 
to  carry  it  into  execution,  when  an  order  came  from  Sir  George  Pre- 
vost  to  release  the  three  hostages  on  parole. 

The  rest  of  this  dreary  winter  was  passed  within  the  walls  of 
Quebec,  and  it  was  not  until  the  following  December  (1814)  that  an 
€xchange  of  prisoners  took  place,  and  Captain  Roach  and  his  com- 
panions returned  home. 

Roach  immediately  joined  his  old  commander,  now  Major-General 
Scott,  and  was  preparing  again  to  take  the  field,  with  the  rank  of 
assistant  adjutant-general,  when  the  news  of  peace   arrived.     On 


APPOINTED     TREASURER     OF     THE    U.    S.    MINT. 


713 


both  the  reductions  of  the  army  Captain  Roach  was  retained,  and 
continued  in  active  duty,  commanding  at  Fort  McHenry,  Fort  Co- 
lumbus and  Fort  MifRin,  until  1823,  when  having  attained  the  rank 
of  major,  he  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  private  hfe. 

In  October,  1838,  Major  Roach  was  elected  Mayor  of  Philadel- 
phia by  the  Common  Council  of  that  city,  and  filled  that  office  one 
year.  He  was  noted  for  unremitting  attention  to  the  duties  of  his 
office,  promptness  and  firmness  in  discharge  of  duty,  and  strict 
enforcement  of  the  laws  against  immorality  and  disorder.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1841,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Tyler  treasurer  of  the 
United  States  Mint,  an  office  whose  duties  he  faithfully  discharged 
until  April,   1847.     Since  this  time  he  has  remained  in  private  life. 


United  State*  Mint,  Philaclelphia. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JACOB  BROWN. 


'HE  ancestors  of  General  Brown  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land with  William  Penn,  in  the  first  settlement  of  the 
colony  of  Pennsylvania,  and  for  successive  generations, 
have  been  respectable  members  of  the  society  of 
Friends.  The  general  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  received  a  plain  country  education,  taught  a  country 
school  in  his  early  years,  according  to  report,  and  acquired  a  know- 
ledge of  surveying,  the  practice  of  which  art  led  him  to  emigrate,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three,  to  the  state  of  New  York,  where  he  became 
acquainted  with  an  agent  who  had  the  direction  of  a  large  landed 
concern  in  the  vicinity  of  the  waters  of  Lake  Ontario.  With  this 
man  he  contracted  for  a  tract  of  several  thousand  -acres  of  land  not 
far  from  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  began  its  settlement  in  1799.  Here 
he  resided  in  the  laudable  pursuits  of  agricultural  improvement,  be- 
loved and  respected.  In  1808,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
714 


BROWN     APPOINTED     BRIGADIER     GENERAL.  715 

New  York  Agricultural  and  Philosophical  Society.  His  acceptance 
in  1809  of  a  colonelcy  (the  first  military  office  he  ever  held)  in  the 
New  York  militia,  proclaimed  him  no  longer  a  member  of  that  reli- 
gious fraternity  to  which  his  family  had  been  for  ages  attached.  In 
consequence  of  the  rage  of  party  spirit,  the  appointments  made  by 
the  New  York  Council  of  Appointment,  particularly  in  times  of 
peace,  are  governed  often  more  by  the  consideration  of  political 
influence  of  the  person  to  be  commissioned,  than  by  his  capacity  to 
discharge  the  duties  annexed  to  the  station  they  design  him  to  fill. 
Considerations  of  this  nature,  no  doubt,  induced  Colonel  Brown's 
promotion  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  in  1811,  as  he  was  not 
led  to  this  important  station  by  gradation  or  singular  military  ser- 
vices. Practices  of  this  kind,  while  they  reflect  no  dishonor  on 
persons  thus  appointed,  deserve  the  highest  censure,  because  while 
the  elevation  is  not  derived  from  conspicuous  talents,  it  tramples  on 
the  rights  of  seniority  in  commission. 

It  is  thus  accounted  for,  that  at  the  commencement  of  hostilities 
on  the  part  of  the  United  States  against  Great  Britain,  an  important 
frontier  of  the  state  of  New  York  was  found  under  the  military 
command  of  General  Jacob  Brown.  Of  the  first  detachment  of  New 
York  militia,  called  into  actual  service  of  the  United  States,  one 
brigade  was  committed  to  his  charge.  That  the  subsequent  develop- 
ment of  General  Brown's  military  character  cannot  be  ascribed  to 
the  wisdom  and  foresight  of  that  body  to  whom  he  owed  his  com- 
mission, the  preceding  observations  will  amply  warrant ;  hence  it  is 
but  fair  to  infer,  that  his  subsequent  military  career  is  ascribable 
chiefly  to  his  prowess  and  talents,  perhaps  not  unaided  with  execu- 
tive favor. 

The  general's  first  command  embraced  the  whole  line  of  frontier 
from  Oswego  to  St.  Regis,  a  distance  of  more  than  three  hundred 
miles.  Within  this  line  was  included  the  important  post  of  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor,  the  security  of  which  being  essential  to  the  success  of 
ulterior  operations,  constituted  the  first  object  of  his  attention. 
Having  fortified  this  in  the  best  manner  his  time  and  scanty  means 
would  allow,  he  reconnoitered  in  person  the  shores  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  provided  as  far  as  practicable  for  the  defence  of  the 
country.  His  transportation,  a  short  time  afterwards,  of  a  party  of 
four  hundred  men  from  Sackett's  Harbor  to  Ogdensburgh,  manifested 
firmness  of  purpose  and  intrepidity  of  spirit.  The  roads  were  im- 
passable for  baggage  and  artillery,  and  the  enemy  was  in  undisputed 
possession  of  the  lake  and  river.  On  the  subject  of  a  passage  by 
water,  there  existed  but  one  opinion  ;  an  attempt  at  it  was  con- 
sidered as  fraught  with  destruction.     The  general,  however,  having 


716 


JACOB     BROWN. 


Defence  of  Ogdensburglx 


been  ordered  to  proceed,  was  bent  on  obedience.  He  accordingly 
embarked  with  his  troops  in  the  best  flotilla  he  could  provide  for  the 
purpose,  and,  determined  to  fight  his  way  through  whatever  might 
oppose  him,  arrived  in  safety  at  his  place  of  destination. 

While  stationed  at  Ogdensburgh,  he  so  galled  and  harassed  the 
enemy,  in  their  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  that,  impatient  of 
further  annoyance,  they  fitted  out  a  formidable  expedition  for  his 
capture  or  destruction.  The  number  of  men  they  despatched  on 
this  enterprise  was  upwards  of  eight  hundred,  commanded  by  some 
of  their  best  officers,  and  provided  with  everything  deemed  neces- 
sary to  ensure  success.  The  American  force  opposed  to  them  was 
less  than  four  hundred.  Notwithstanding  this  vast  numerical  differ- 
ence. General  Brown  forced  the  enemy  to  retreat  precipitately,  with 
considerable  loss  in  boats  and  men,  not  one  of  his  party  having 
received  even  a  wound.  No  further  attempts  were  made  to  dislodge 
him  during  the  continuance  at  that  post. 

His  term  of  service  having  soon  afterwards  expired,  the  general 
returned  to  his  family  at  Brownville,  and  resumed  his  agricultural 


ATTACK     ON     SACKETT's     HARBOR.  717 

pursuits.  In  the  spring  of  1813,  General  Brown  again  took  the 
field,  and  once  more  was  intrusted  with  the  defence  of  Sackett's 
Harbor,  then  menaced  by  a  serious  attack  from  the  enemy. 

AH  the  regular  troops,  except  about  four  hundred,  who,  from  their 
recent  arrival  on  the  spot,  were  but  little  better  than  fresh  recruits,  had 
been  removed  from  the  harborto  co-operate  in  t-he  meditated  reduction 
of  Fort  George.  The  furniture  of  the  cannon  having  been  carried  off  to 
complete  the  outfit  for  the  same  service,  the  batteries  were  nearly  in  a 
dismantled  state.  Nor  could  any  efficient  aid  be  derived  from  the  co- 
operation of  the  fleet,  inasmuch  as  that,  with  the  exception  of  two 
small  schooners,  all  was  employed  in  the  expedition  up  the  lake.  In 
fact,  considering  its  exposed  situation,  and  the  vital  importance  of  the 
post,  Sackett's  Harbor  had  been,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  military 
men,  left  in  a  most  unprotected  and  perilous  condition.  To  aid  in  its 
defence,  General  Brown  embodied,  with  all  practicable  promptitude, 
a  few  hundred  militia  from  the  adjacent  district,  who  had  scarcely 
arrived  when  the  enemy  made  his  appearance.  The  general's  situa- 
tion was  critical  in  itself,  and  to  the  heart  of  a  soldier  trying  in  the 
extreme.  It  was  his  duty  to  meet  the  fire,  perhaps  the  bayonets  of 
veterans,  with  a  handful  of  raw  undisciplined  troops,  many  of  them 
but  a  few  days  from  the  bosom  of  their  families,  their  domestic  feel- 
ings si  ill  awake — and  their  habits  of  civil  life  perfectly  unbroken, 
none  of  w^hom  having  ever  before  faced  an  enemy  in  the  field.  But 
his  own  activity,  valor  and  skill,  aided  by  the  determined  bravery  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Backus,  of.  the  regular  army,  supplied  all  defi- 
ciencies. Arrangements  were  made  to  receive  the  enemy  with  a 
warm  and  galling  fire  at  his  place  of  landing,  and  to  contest  the 
ground  with  him  in  his  advance  tow^ards  the  fort. 

The  regiment  of  United  States  troops  were  stationed  in  the  rear, 
while  General  Brown,  at  the  head  of  his  new  levies,  occupied  in 
person  the  first  post  of  danger.  On  the  second  fire  the  militia  broke 
and  fled  in  disorder,  but  were  rallied  again  by  the  exertions  of  their 
commander. — During  the  remainder  of  the  conflict,  which  was  warm 
and  continued  some  time  with  varying  success,  the  presence  of  the 
general  was  everywhere  felt ;  applauding  the  brave,  encouraging  the 
timid,  and  rallying  the  flying,  till  his  efforts  were  ultimately  crowned 
with  victory.  In  consequence  of  the  firm  front  presented  by  the 
regulars,  and  the  judicious  disposition  of  a  body  of  militia  threat- 
ening his  rear,  the  enemy,  without  accomplishing  his  object,  was 
compelled  to  relinquish  the  contest,  and  retreat  in  great  haste,  and 
in  some  disorder,  to  his  place  of  embarkation. 

General  Brown,  returning  once  more  to  private  life,  was  offered  the 
command  of  a  regiment  in  the  regular  army.     This  offer  he  unhesi- 


718 


JACOB     BROWN. 


Defence  of  Sackett's  Harbor. 

tatingly  declined.  The  acceptance  of  it  would  have  placed  him 
below  officers  whom  he  might  then  command,  and,  as  the  regiment 
was  yet  to  be  raised,  a  considerable  time  must  have  elapsed  before 
he  could  possibly  have  taken  the  field.  In  plain  terms,  he  felt  him- 
self entitled  to  a  higher  rank.  Nor  was  it  long  till  the  government 
appointed  him  a  brigadier-general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States. 

The  first  service  in  which  General  Brown  was  engaged  under  his 
new  appointment,  was  the  superintendence  and  direction  of  the 
arrangements  for  transporting  from  Sackett's  Harbor,  down  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  army  command  by  General  Wilkinson,  in  the  autumn 
of  the  year  1813,  inthd  abortive  expedition  for  the  reduction  of 
Montreal.  For  the  completion  of  these  arrangements  from  the  time 
of  their  commencement,  only  three  weeks  were  allowed. 

In  the  expedition  down  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  during  the  course  of 
the  winter  that  succeeded,  the  duties  and  services  in  which  General 
Brown  was  engaged  were  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  operations 
and  well-being  of  the  army,  and  in  all  of  them  he  acquitted  himself 
with  distinguished  reputation. 

In  the  winter  of  18  13—14,  the  enemy  having  gained  possession  of 


ATTACK     ON     KINGSTON.  721 

Fort  Niagara,  and  being  in  considerable  force  on  the  opposite  shore, 
a  determination  was  formed  to  remove  once  more  the  seat  of  war  to 
that  frontier.* 

•  General  Armstrong  was  Secretary  of  War. — Possessed  of  the  science  and  the  spirit  of 
the  modern  art  of  war,  his  mind  was  occupied  more  in  the  application  of  the  enlarged  plan 
of  a  system  where  large  armies  move  than  on  the  particular  modes  adapted  to  small  armies 
and  regions  so  extensive  and  unsettled :  he  possessed  the  ambition  of  great  enterprise,  but 
his  mind  appeared  to  confound  the  most  opposite  circumstances,  and  to  suppose  that  the  same 
principles  would  apply  to  every  place  and  every  kind  of  character;  the  want  of  judgment 
which  may  be  traced  perhaps  to  an  undervaluation  of  men  in  general,  was  most  conspicuous 
in  his  unfortunate  choice  of  men  unfit  to  execute  his  designs,  or  his  rejection  of  those  who 
are  most  fit,  or  his  desire  to  execute  every  thing  himself. 

The  greatest  disasters  arose  out  of  these  unfortunate  circumstances.  He  had  meditated  a 
bold  and  important  design — it  was  to  attack  Kingston,  in  Canada ;  but  his  mode  of  opera- 
tion was  circuitous — his  means  disproportionate — he  was  wholly  unprovided  with  means  of 
subsistence  to  support  a  successful  enterprise — and  unfortunate  in  the  choice  of  a  chief  to 
conduct  it.  Perhaps  history  offers  no  example  of  a  series  of  blunders  so  preposterous  and 
ludicrous,  and  yet  so  unfortunate  as  to  their  issue  and  the  bloodshed  which  followed  without 
any  other  effect. 

With  a  view  to  the  attack  on  Kingston,  he  determined  that  the  officer  who  was  to  com- 
mand should  not  be  himself  apprised  of  the  service  until  at  the  moment  when  he  was 
ordered  to  execute  it.  For  this  purpose,  he  issued  an  order  to  Brigadier-general  Jacob 
Brown,  then  commmanding  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  for  an  attack  on  Kingston  with  the  force 
under  his  command,  and,  contemporaneously,  a  large  body  of  New-York  militia  were  ordered 
to  join  him ;  to  act  as  a  reinforcement  and  to  occupy  the  positions  evacuated  by  the  army 
carried  into  Canada. 

Enclosed  in  this  letter  officially  addressed  to  the  general,  there  was  another ;  this  letter 
was  in  the  hand-writing  of  the  war-minister,  and  in  terms  ordered  the  general  with  all  his 
force,  excepting  only  a  small  guard,  to  move  upon  Niagara  by  forced  marches ;  that  the  voice 
of  the  country  exclaimed  against  its  possession  by  the  enemy ;  and  directed  it  to  be  taken  at 
all  hazards.  He  was  advised  that  when  he  should  reach  the  valley  of  Onondaga,  about 
midway  between  Sackett's  Harbor  and  Niagara,  that  he  would  here  be  joined  by  Colonel 
Gaines  and  a  numerous  additional  force,  and  artillery  and  stores. 

The  General,  on  perusing  the  order  to  go  against  Kingston  and  the  enclosure  directing  his 
march  upon  Niagara,  appears  to  have  overlooked  the  use  that  was  hinted  rather  than  ordered 
to  be  made  use  of.  The  enclosure  was  in  fact  intended  to  be  used  as  a  deception  on  the 
enemy,  and  General  Brown  was  expected  to  contrive  some  means  by  which  this  letter  should 
be  intercepted  by  the  enemy  ;  who  would  thereby  be  induced  to  withdraw  their  forces  from 
Kingston  to  reinforce  Niagara  and  Fort  George  ;  and  thus  prepare  the  way  for  the  success  of 
the  masked  design  upon  Kingston.  Instead  of  obeying  the  orders  which  were  regularly 
issued  from  the  war  department.  General  Brown,  not  conceiving  the  drift  of  the  letter  of 
General  Armstrong,  which  was  to  have  fallen  intentionally  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
determined  to  act  upon  it,  regardless  of  the  other.  He  consequently  marched  his  troops  to 
attack  Niagara  and  Fort  George.  When  he  reached  Onondaga  Hollow  he  found  no  troops 
there  as  the  letter  had  promised.  He  was  surprised,  and  knew  not  what  to  do.  Meeting, 
however,  with  Colonel  Gaines  shortly  after,  by  mere  accident,  he  informed  Gaines  of  his 
situation  and  disappointment.  General  Brown  exhibited  his  orders  and  letter  to  Gaines,  who 
immediately  perceiving  the  intentions  of  Armstrong,  informed  him  that  he  ought  to  have 
acted  upon  his  orders,  to  have  contrived  to  have  let  the  letter  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Upon  this  a  despatch  was  sent  on  immediately  to  General  Armstrong  apprising  him  of  the 
blunder. 

The  minister  of  war,  to  save  the  character  of  a  favorite  officer  of  the  cabinet,  directed 
an  immediate  change  of  operations  instead  of  what  he  had  intended,  and  ordered  that 
the  pretended  attack  on  Niagara  and  Fort  George,  instead  of  serving  onl}'  as  a  ruse-de- 
guerre,  should  become  the  basis  of  military  operations  for  that  campaign.  To  this 
blunder  of  a  general,  and  the  complacency  of  a  war-minister  to  screen  his  favorite,  is 
ascribed  the  useless  devastation  and  carnage  which  took  place  on  the  Niagara  frontier, 
during  that  summer  and  autumn ;  an  event  which  will  long  be  remembered  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  its  vicinity. 

46 


722  JACOB     BROWN. 

General  Brown,  after  his  arrival  upon  the  Niagara  frontier,  with 
the  troops  intended  to  act  under  his  immediate  command,  having 
received  information  that  the  enemy  was  preparing  an  expedition 
from  Kingston  against  Oswego,  detached  Colonel  Mitchell  with  his 
battalion  of  artillery,  armed  with  muskets,  to  the  arduous  and  import- 
ant service  of  retrograding  as  expeditiously  as  possible  to  the  defence 
of  Oswego  river,  where  was  deposited  an  immense  quantity  of  public 
property,  together  with  the  ordnance  stores,  and  naval  equipments 
for  the  Ontario  fleet  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  The  colonel  arrived  at 
Oswego  from  Batavia,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  miles, 
in  four  and  a  half  days  march,  and  such  was  the  order  and  regularity 
of  this  rapid  movement,  that  the  soldiers  were  not  injured,  nor  any 
left  behind.  The  fort  of  Oswego  was  found  unoccupied,  and  only 
nominally  a  fortification.    Time  had  destroyed  every  external  defence. 

Indeed  it  was  worth  occupancy  only  on  account  of  the  barracks. 
The  exertions  preparatory  for  the  expected  attack  were  proportionate 
to  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion.  The  guns,  which  had  been  con- 
sidered as  unfit  for  service,  were  reproved,  and  with  the  batteries 
prepared  for  action. 

The  British  Ontario  fleet,  commanded  by  Sir  James  Lucas  Yeo, 
having  on  board  more  than  two  thousand  regular  troops,  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant-General  Drummond,  arrived  on  the  morning 
of  the  5th  of  May,  and  anchored  off"  the  fort,  within  the  efl^ective 
range  of  the  guns  of  the  fleet.  The  attack  commenced,  and  a 
constant  fire  was  kept  up  during  the  day  on  the  fort  and  batteries. 
A  powerful  flotilla  attempted  repeatedly  to  land  the  troops,  but  such 
was  the  destructive  effect  of  the  artillery  from  the  batteries,  under 
the  direction  of  that  excellent  officer,  Captain  Boyle,  that  the  enemy 
was  repulsed  with  great  Joss  of  men  and  several  of  the  boats.  The 
policy  of  the  commanding  officer  in  pitching  his  tents  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  river,  and  his  skilful  manoeuvring  of  his  troops  on  the  right, 
had  the  desired  eflject  to  deceive  the  enemy  with  respect  to  his  num- 
bers. The  British  troops  were  re-embarked,  the  fleet  left  its  anchor- 
age, and  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  apparently  relinquished. 

The  next  morning  the  fleet  returned,  and,  anchoring  within  half 
cannon  shot  of  Captain  Boyle's  batteries,  renewed  and  continued 
the  cannonade  with  great  vigor.  Captain  Boyle  and  Lieutenant 
Legate  were  not  idle.  Their  batteries  and  skilful  arrangements  pro- 
tected their  men,  whilst  the  British  ship  the  Wolf,  suff'ered  severely 
in  men,  masts,  and  rigging.  She  was  repeatedly  set  on  fire  with  hot 
shot. 

Colonel  Mitchell  knowing  the  fort  to  be  untenable,  and  finding  it 
impossible  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  enemy  who  was  now  approach- 


ATTACK     ON     FORT     OSWEGO.  725 

irig  the  shore  at  different  points  in  great  force,  informed  his  officers 
of  his  determination  to  fight  as  long  as  the  honor  of  our  arms  and 
the  interest  of  his  country  should  require  it,  and  afterwards  effect  a 
retreat  to  the  main  depot  at  the  Falls,  the  protection  of  which  was 
the  great  object  of  his  march. 

When  the  enemy,  under  the  cover  of  the  fleet,  had  landed  and 
advanced  on  the  plain,  the  firing  from  the  shipping  and  gun  boats 
ceased.  Colonel  Mitchell  took  this  favorable  opportunity  to  deploy 
his  battalion  from  a  ravine  in  rear  of  the  fort,  where  he  had  been 
compelled  to  remain,  to  avoid  the  immense  shower  of  grape  from  the 
whole  fleet.  He  now,  with  Spartan  bravery,  advanced  with  two 
companies,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Melvin  and  Lieutenant 
Ansart,  (the  latter  commanding  the  excellent  company  of  Captain 
Romayne,  who  was  detached  on  important  duty  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river,)  and  attacked  the  enemy  advancing  to  the  fort,  whilst  Cap- 
tain Mclntire  and  Captain  Pierce,  gallantly  engaged  and  beat  off  a 
vastly  superior  force  of  the  enemy's  light  troops,  who  had  been  de- 
tached for  the  purpose  of  preventing  a  retreat.  Captain  Boyle  kept 
up  a  deadly  fire  on  the  boats  landing,  and  on  the  enemy  advancing. 
The  contest  was  as  daring  as  it  was  unequal  ;  for  the  ground  was 
maintained  by  the  Americans  against  the  main  body  of  the  enemy, 
until  a  party  of  them  had  carried  Captain  Boyle's  batteries,  and 
ascended  the  bastions  of  the  fort  in  rear  of  his  left  flank.  Colonel 
Mitchell  says,  in  his  report,  that  having  done  the  enemy  as  much 
harm  as  was  in  his  power,  "  he  retreated  in  good  order."  The  force 
of  the  enemy  on  shore  was  much  more  than  two  thousand  soldiers 
and  sailors,  whilst  the  Americans  did  not  exceed  three  hundred 
soldiers,  and  about  thirty  sailors  under  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Pearce 
of  the  navy. 

The  entire  loss  of  the  enemy,  in  his  several  attacks  on  Colonel 
Mitchell's  position,  was  upwards  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  in  killed 
and  wounded,  including  among  the  latter  several  officers,  while  that 
of  the  Americans  did  not  exceed  fifty  in  number. 

The  determined  bravery  displayed  by  our  troops  in  the  field,  and 
on  the  retreat,  merits  the  admiration  and  applause,  not  only  of  the 
army,  but  of  the  whole  nation.  Colonel  Mitchell  wore  his  full  uni- 
form on  the  day  of  action,  and,  while  retreating,  was  particularly 
singled  out  by  the  British  officers  as  a  mark  for  the  aim  of  their 
sharp  shooters.  The  colonel,  on  his  retreat,  dismounted  under  a 
brisk  and  galling  fire  of  musketry,  and  gave  his  horses  to  Captain 
Pierce,  who  was  exhausted  in  consequence  of  ill  health,  and  to  a 
wounded  sergeant,  thereby  saving  them,  by  his  bravery  and  humanity, 
from  the  bayonets  of  a  mortified  and  exaperated  foe. 


726  JACOB     BROWN. 

Colonel  Mitchell  reported,  in  the  warmest  language,  the  gallant  con- 
duct of  his  whole  detachment.  Those  excellent  officers,  whose  names 
have  not  been  mentioned  in  this  sketch,  but  who  ought,  from  their 
heroism,  to  be  made  known  to  their  country,  were  Adjutant  Charles 
Macomb,  Lieutenant  Daniel  Blaney,  Lieutenant  William  King,  Lieu- 
tenant Robb,  Lieutenant  William  McClintock,and  Lieutenant  Charles 
Newkirk.  Lieutenant  Blaney  from  Delaware,  a  young  officer  of 
high  promise,  and  a  favorite  in  the  corps,  was  killed,  gallantly  fight- 
ing at  the  head  of  his  platoon.     He  rests  in  a  tomb  of  honor. 

The  result  of  this  affair  was  a  victory  to  the  Americans.  In  con- 
sequence of  their  obstinate  resistance  at  the  fort,  persevered  in  for 
two  entire  days,  the  enemy  relinquished  the  whole  object  of  the 
expedition.  Public  property  to  the  amount  of  more  than  a  million 
of  dollars  was  saved. 

This  was  the  first  affair  in  General  Brown's  brilliant  campaign.  It 
was  the  precursor  of  the  glory  afterwards  achieved  on  the  Niagara 
frontier,  by  those  distinguished  troops,  who  were  ordered  by  the 
commanding  general,  when  they  "  should  come  in  contact  with  the 
enemy  to  bear  in  mind  Oswego  and  Sandy  Creek." 

The  patriotic  General  Ellis,  with  his  brigade,  the  militia  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  the  Indian  warriors  of  the  Oneida  and  Onondaga 
nations,  made  expeditious  marches  to  join  Colonel  Mitchell,  and 
afford  protection  to  the  important  depot  he  had  been  despatched  to 
protect.  The  colonel  was  further  reinforced  by  a  detachment  of 
riflemen,  under  the  command  of  Major  Appling,  of  the  United  States 
arm.y.  The  enemy,  although  prepared  with  proper  pilots  and  boats 
to  ascend  the  river,  made  no  further  attempts  to  accomplish  his  im- 
portant object,  which  would  have  given  him  the  undisputed  superi- 
ority of  the  lake  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  The  enemy, 
having  raised  a  few  navy  guns,  that  were  sunk  by  Captain  Woolsey, 
burnt  the  barracks  and  robbed  some  of  the  inhabitants,  with  great 
precipitation,  on  the  same  night,  abandoned  the  fort,  and  returned 
without  a  single  laurel  on  his  brow. 

Another  expedition  terminated  in  the  plunder  of  private  property 
at  Sodus,  and  a  complete  defeat  at  the  mouth  of  Genesee  river  by 
militia,  under  the  command  of  that  excellent  officer,  General  Peter 
B.  Porter. 

The  commanding-  officer  of  the  Canadas,  being  foiled  in  his 
attem.pts  to  capture  the  public  stores  on  the  Oswego  river,  now 
blockaded  and  threatened  Sackett's  Harbor,  with  the  double  view  of 
making  a  diversion  in  favor  of  the  British  army  on  the  Niagara  fron- 
tier, and  at  the  same  time  of  retarding  and  intercepting  all  trans- 
portation by  water. 


BATTLE  OF  SANDY  CREEK.  727 

In  this  situation,  Sackett's  Harbor  was  considered  in  danger. 
Colonel  Mitchell  was  ordered  to  reinforce  that  post.  He  left  Oswego 
Falls  in  command  of  Major  Appling,  with  orders  as  soon  as  Captain 
Woolsey  should  be  ready  to  sail,  to  embark  his  riflemen  on  hoard 
the  flotilla,  for  its  protection  against  the  light  boats  of  the  enemy. 
Captain  Woolsey,  by  his  well-directed  demonstrations  and  reports, 
having  induced  the  enemy  ofT  Oswego  to  believe  that  all  the  guns 
and  naval  stores  were  to  be  sent  up  the  Oneida  lake,  to  be  trans- 
ported to  the  harbor  by  land,  soon  found  a  favorable  opportunity  to 
run  his  boats  with  the  heavy  cannon,  anchors  and  cables  into  Lake 
Ontario.  Every  exertion  was  made,  and  every  precaution  taken  in 
this  important  and  hazardous  enterprise,  to  run  by  the  blockading 
squadron  in  the  night,  into  Sackett's  Harbor.  Captain  Woolsey 
escaped  discovery  until  he  arrived  near  the  mouth  of  Sandy  Creek, 
twenty  miles  from  Sackett's  Harbor,  when  he  was  observed  by  a 
detachment  of  gun-boats,  manned  with  upwards  of  tivo  hundred 
choice  sailors  and  marines  from  the  fleet,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Popham,  of  the  Royal  Navy.  Captain  Woolsey  wisely  ran 
his  boats,  protected  by  riflemen,  up  Sandy  Creek,  as  far  as  practi- 
cable, and  gave  information  to  General  Gaines  and  Commodore 
Chauncey  of  his  situation.  The  next  morning,  being  the  30th  of 
May,  Captain  Popham  ascended  Sandy  Creek  with  his  gun-boats, 
in  the  expectation  that  the  rich  and  important  prize  in  view,  (viz. 
all  the  guns,  cables  and  anchors  for  the  ships  Superior  and  Mohawk,) 
would  be  obtained  without  much  danger  or  opposition.  The  marines 
were  landed  and  put  in  order  of  battle.  The  gun-boats,  forming  a 
powerful  battery,  were  placed  in  a  situation  to  co-operate  with  them. 
At  this  moment  Major  Appling,  who  was  in  the  woods  near  the  place 
of  landing,  advanced  and  opened  on  them  a  fatal  fire.  It  was  re- 
turned by  the  enemy,  but  his  artillery  and  musketry  had  no  effect. 
The  contest  was  short.  The  enemy,  falling  in  every  direction  under 
the  unerring  aim  of  the  American  marksmen,  soon  surrendered.  Our 
whole  loss  on  the  occasion  was  one  killed  and  two  wounded.  The 
loss  of  the  enemy  was  fifty-six  killed  and  wounded,  including  officers. 

Two  post-captains,  four  lieutenants  of  the  navy,  and  a  hundred 
and  fifty-six  sailors  and  marines  were  made  prisoners. 

Four  gun-boats,  mounting  one  sixty-eight  pound  carronade,  one 
long  twenty-four  pounder,  one  long  twelve  pounder,  one  five  and  a 
half  inch  cohorn,  with  Sir  James  Yeo's  elegant  gig,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  ordnance  stores,  were  the  trophies  of  this  important 
victory. 

The  riflemen  under  the  gallant  Major  Appling  were  the  only  troops 
engaged.     They  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  officers 


728 


JACOB     BROWN. 


and  men.     The  Indian  warriors  and  militia  were  not  on  the  battle 
ground  until  after  a  proposal  was  made  to  surrender. 

Colonel  Mitchell,  who  arrived  with  reinforcements  immediately 
after  the  action,  reported  to  General  Gaines  that  "  Major  Appling 
planned  and  executed  this  brilliant  affair,  so  honorable  to  our  arms, 
so  deserving  of  the  applause  of  the  nation,  and  so  important  as 
effecting  the  ulterior  operations  of  the  campaign." 

Major  Appling  was  deservedly  raised  by  brevet  in  quick  succes- 
sion to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel :  he  received, 
moreover,  the  thanks  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
applause  of  the  commanding  general  of  the  army,  for  this  distin- 
guished achievement. 

HE  preceding  campaign  being  darkened  by 
disasters.  General  Brown  and  his  officers 
were  fully  sensible  of  the  deep  stake  which 
both  themselves  and  their  country  held  on  the 
issue  of  the  present. 

The  movements   of    the   army  were  con- 
ducted with  celerity,  silence,  and  vigor.    Gen- 
eral   Brown    had     advanced    on   his    march 
almost   to    Buffalo,  before   it  was   generally 
known  that  he  had  left  his  encampment  at  Sackett's  Harbor. 

The  first  achievement  of  General  Brown,  on  entering  the  enemy's 
territory,  was  the  reduction  of  Fort  Erie,  the  garrison  of  which 
surrendered  with  but  little  resistance.  He  then  declared  martial  law, 
and  made  known  his  views  in  a  proclamation. 

Xo  sooner  had  the  General  made  the  necessary  arrangements  in 
relation  to  the  occupancy  and  security  of  Fort  Erie  than  he  marched 
to  attack  the  enemy,  who  lay  intrenched  in  his  works  at  Chippewa. 
On  the  morning  of  the  4th  July,  General  Scott,  with  his  brigade, 
and  a  corps  of  artillery,  advauced.  After  some  skirmishing  with  the 
enemy,  he  selected  a  judicious  position  for  the  night ;  his  right  resting 
on  the  river,  and  a  ravine  in  front  ;  at  eleven  at  night.  General  Brown 
joined  him  with  the  reserve  under  General  Ripley,  and  a  corps  of 
artillery  under  Major  Hindman — afield  and  battering  train  were  also 
brought  up  ;  General  Porter  arrived  in  the  morning,  with  a  part  of 
the  Xew  York  and  Pennsylvania  volunteers,  and  some  of  the  warriors 
of  the  Six  Nations. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  5th,  the  enemy  attacked  the  pickets  ; 
by  noon  he  showed  himself  on  the  left  of  the  army,  and  attacked 
one  of  the  pickets,  as  it  was  returning  to  camp.  Captain  Treat,  who 
commanded  the  picket,  retired,  leaving  a  wounded  man  on  the  ground. 
Captain  Biddle,  of  the  artillery,  promptly  assumed  the  cotnmand  of 


BATTLE      OF     CHIPPEWA.  729 

this  picket,  led  it  back  to  the  wounded  man,  and  brought  him  off  the 
field. 

General  Brown  very  improperly  ordered  Captain  Treat  to  retire 
from  the  army,  and  ordered  that  his  name  and  that  of  another  officer 
should  be  struck  from  the  roll  of  the  army. 

Captain  Treat  demanded  a  court  of  inquiry  ;  it  was  not  granted; 
but  a  court-martial  was  ordered  at  Fort  Erie.  The  left  division  of 
the  army  marched  to  Sackett's  Harbor  soon  after,  and  the  court  was 
dissolved. 

Captain  Treat  immediately  proceeded  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  by 
permission  from  Major-General  Izard,  and  requested  another  court- 
martial.  Major-General  Brown,  on  the  5th  of  April,  1815,  after  the 
repeated  solicitations  of  Captain  Treat,  issued  an  order,  organizing 
a  court,  consisting  of  Colonel  McFeely,  President ;  Lieutenant-Co- 
lonel Smith,  Major  Croker,  Major  Boyle,  Major  MuUany,  Major 
Chane,  Captain  White,  members ;  Captain  Seymour,  supernume- 
rary;  Lieutenant  An,derson,  13th  regiment.  Judge  Advocate. 

The  court  met,  and  proceeded  on  the  trial  the  6th  April,  1815,  at 
Sackett's  Harbor.  They  closed  the  investigation  on  the  8th  of  May, 
when  Captain  Treat  was  honorably  acquitted. 

The  sentence  of  the  court  was  approved  by  Major-General  Brown, 
and  promulgated  on  the  28th  of  June,  at  Sackett's  Harbor. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  General  Porter  advanced  with 
the  volunteers  and  Indians,  in  order  to  induce  the  enemy  to  come 
forth.  General  Porter's  command  met  the  light  parties  of  .the  enemy 
in  the  woods.  The  enemy  was  driven,  and  Porter  pursued  until  near 
Chippewa,  where  he  met  their  whole  column  in  order  of  battle.  The 
heavy  firing  induced  a  belief  that  the  entire  force  of  the  enemy  was 
in  motion,  and  prepared  for  action.  General  Scott  was  ordered  to 
advance  with  his  brigade  and  Towson's  artillery.  The  general  ad- 
vanced in  the  most  prompt  and  officer-like  manner,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  was  in  close  action  with  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy.  By 
this  time  General  Porter's  command  had  given  way,  and  fled  in  dis- 
order, notwithstanding  the  great  exertions  of  the  general  to  rally 
them.  This  retreat  left  the  left  flank  of  General  Scott's  brigade 
greatly  exposed.  Captain  Harris  was  directed,  with  his  dragoons, 
to  stop  the  fugitives,  behind  the  ravine,  fronting  the  American  camp. 
General  Ripley,  with  the  21st  regiment,  which  formed  part  of  the 
reserve,  passed  to  the  left  of  the  camp,  under  cover  of  the  wood,  to 
relieve  General  Scott,  by  falling  on  the  enemy's  right  flank,  but  be- 
fore the  21st  could  come  into  its  position,  the  line  commanded  by 
General  Scott  closed  with  the  enemy.  Major  Jessup,  commanding 
the  left  flank  battalion,  finding  himself  pressed  in  front  and  flank. 


730  JACOB     BROWN. 

and  his  men  falling  fast  around  him,  ordered  his  battalion  to  "  sup- 
port arms  and  advance" — the  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  amidst  the 
most  deadly  and  destructive  fire.  Having  gained  a  better  position, 
he  poured  on  the  enemy  a  fire  so  galling  as  caused  him  to  retire. 
The  enemy's  entire  line  now  fell  back  and  continued  to  retreat  until 
at  the  sloping  ground  descending  toward  Chippewa,  when  they  broke 
and  fled  to  their  works. 

General  Brown,  finding  the  pursuit  of  the  troops  checked  by  the 
batteries  of  the  enemy,  ordered  up  his  ordnance,  in  order  to  force 
the  place  by  a  direct  attack,  but  was  induced  by  the  report  of  Major 
Wood  and  Captain  Austin,  who  reconnoitered  the  enemy's  works, 
the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  the  advice  of  his  officers,  to  order  the 
forces  to  retire  to  camp.  The  American  troops,  on  no  occasion, 
behaved  with  more  gallantry  than  on  the  present.  The  British  regu- 
lars suflfered  defeat  from  a  number  of  men,  principally  volunteers 
and  militia,  inferior  to  the  vanquished  enemy  in  everything  but  cour- 
age ;  and  the  gallant  Brown,  a  woodsman,  "  a  soldier  of  yesterday," 
put  at  defiance  the  military  tactics  of  the  experienced  Major-Gene- 
ral  Riall. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  General  Brown's  army  was  encamped  above 
Chippewa,  near  the  battle  ground  of  the  5th.  The  brigade  under 
General  Scott  moved  past  Chippewa,  and  halted  at  Bridgewater,  in 
view  of  Niagara  falls.  At  half  past  four,  p.  m.,  the  battle  was  com- 
menced by  the  enemy.  The  enemy,  being  numerically  superior  to 
the  Americans,  he  was  able  to  extend  his  line  so  as  to  attempt  to 
flank.  In  order  to  counteract  the  apparent  view  of  General  Riall,  he 
wslS  fougJit  in  detachments — he  was  charged  in  column.  The  ground 
was  obstinately  contested  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when 
General  Brown  decided  to  storm  a  battery,  which  the  enemy  had  on 
a  commanding  eminence.  Colonel  Miller  commanded  on  this  enter- 
prise, which  was  so  resolutely  entered  on,  that  the  enemy,  unable  to 
withstand  the  charge,  retired  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  and  abandoned 
his  cannon.  The  enemy  now  gave  way,  and  was  pursued  some  dis- 
tance. The  American  army  then  betook  itself  to  the  securing  of 
prisoners,  and  bringing  off"  the  wounded. 

While  the  army  was  thus  employed.  General  Drummond  arrived 
with  a  reinforcement  to  the  enemy,  when  he,  unexpectedly  to  the 
Americans,  renewed  the  battle,  with  a  view  to  recover  his  cannon. 
The  army,  having  quickly  formed,  resisted  the  attack  with  courage; 
and,  after  a  close  engagement,  the  enemy  was  repulsed,  as  he  was 
in  two  other  similar  attempts.  The  American  army  having  effected 
the  removal  of  nearly  all  the  wounded,  retired  from  the  ground  a 
little  before  midnight,  and  returned  to  camp. 


RESULTS  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  NIAGARA. 


733 


On  the  morning  after  the  battle,  which  is  called  the  Battle  of 
Niagara,  the  Americans,  under  Generals  Ripley  and  Porter,  recon- 
noitered  the  enemy,  who  did  not  show  any  disposition  to  renew  the 
contest,  and  then  burned  the  enemy's  barracks  and  a  bridge  at 
Chippewa,  after  which,  they  returned  to  Fort  Erie. 

HE  enemy  was    believed   to  have  lost 
between  twelve  hundred   and  thirteen 
hundred  men,  including  Major-General 
Riall,   who  was    wounded,   and,  with 
eighteen  other  officers    and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  non-commissioned  ofli- 
cers  and  privates,  taken  prisoners.  The 
Americans   lost — killed,  one  hundred 
and  seventy-one  ;  wounded,  five  hun- 
dred and   seventy-two ;    missing,  one 
hundred    and    seventeen — total,   eight 
hundred  and  sixty. 
The  British  force  engaged,  amounted  by  their 
own  confession,  to  four  thousand  five  hundred  men, 
mostly  or  wholly  regulars,  beside  a  host  of  Indians  ; 
the  American  force  did  not  exceed  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  men,  consisting  in  a  great  propor- 
tion of  the  militia  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York. 
General  Brown  received  two  wounds,  but  con- 
tinued to  command  until  the  action  ended.    The 
general  was  obliged,  by  the  severity  of  his  wounds, 
to  retire  from  the  command,  which  devolved  on 
General  Ripley. 

In  the  space  of  a  few  weeks,  he  was  again  at  the  head  of  his  army, 
within  the  walls  of  Fort  Erie.  In  the  interim,  the  troops  in  that 
fortress  had  been  much  harassed  and  pressed  by  the  enemy,  now 
become  superior  in  a  still  higher  degree  by  reinforcements,  and 
exasperated  to  madness  by  their  late  defeats.  An  assault  of  the 
works  had  been  attempted,  but  was  gallantly  repelled  by  the  Ameri- 
can forces  then  under  the  command  of  General  Gaines.  Not  long 
afterwards,  that  officer  received  a  serious  wound  from  the  bursting 
of  a  shell,  which  obliged  him  to  retire,  for  a  time,  from  service. 

Menaced  in  front  by  a  powerful  enemy,  and  having  a  river  of  diffi- 
cult passage  in  their  rear,  the  troops  of  Fort  Erie  began  to  be  con- 
sidered in  a  very  perilous  situation ;  but  while  General  Drummond  was 
engaged  in  formidable  arrangements  intended  for  the  destruction  of 
the  American  forces.  General  Brown  was  still  more  actively  employed 
in  devising  means  for  their  safety  and  glory. 


734  JACOB     BROWN. 

By  the  middle  of  September,  the  enemy  had  nearly  completed  a 
line  of  batteries  to  command  the  fort,  which,  when  in  full  operation, 
would  have  rendered  the  position  of  the  Americans  at  least  unsafe, 
if  not  untenable.  On  the  17th  of  September,  the  day  before  the  fire 
from  the  batteries  was  to  commence.  General  Brown  made  a  sortie, 
not  in  the  form  of  a  "  night  attack,"  of  which  a  distinguished  British 
officer  had  so  bitterly  complained,  but  in  the  face  of  day,  drove  the 
enemy  from  his  strong  hold  with  the  loss  of  more  than  eight  hundred, 
men,  spiked  his  cannon,  anddestroyed  his  works. 

Shortly  after  the  destruction  of  his  works,  General  Drummond 
retreated  from  before  Fort  Erie,  and  fell  back  on  Fort  George,  leaving 
the  American  army  in  security  and  repose.  The  conflict  in  that  quarter 
being  now  apparently  at  an  end.  General  Brown  was  transferred  from 
the  Niagara  frontier  to  the  command  of  Sackett's  Harbor. 

In  some  of  the  movements  of  his  army  on  the  Canada  frontier. 
General  Brown  has  been  accused  of  betraying  an  ignorance  of  mili- 
tary affairs,  ill-suited  to  his  station,  and  an  obstinacy  of  disposition 
which  only  yielded  to  those  whom  he  conceived  to  be  armed  with 
executive  favor  and  superior  knowledge. 

Soon  after  the  events  which  we  have  just  narrated,  an  end  was  put 
to  the  war  with  Great  Britain  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  1815.  General 
Brown  remained  on  the  peace  establishment  of  the  army,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  northern  military  division.  In  1821  he  became 
commander-in-chief ;  from  which  time  till  his  death,  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  February,  1828,  he  resided  at  Washington  city.  The 
disease  of  which  he  died  is  said  to  have  been  in  consequence  of 
another  wound  contracted  by  him  at  Fort  Erie,  during  the  war,  and 
from  the  effects  of  which  he  had  never  since  been  wholly  exempted. 

"  General  Brown,"  says  a  cotemporary,  "  possessed  in  an  eminent 
degree  the  various  qualifications  requisite  for  being  a  successful 
military  chief.  To  great  personal  bravery  he  united  a  moral  courage, 
that  on  no  emergency  was  found  to  waver  ;  and  to  an  excellent 
judgment  in  determining  the  objects  it  was  in  his  power  to  accom- 
plish with  the  means  at  his  disposal,  and  skill  in  combining  his 
measures,  he  added  great  firmness  and  decision  of  character,  an 
untiring  activity,  and  the  faculty  of  gaining  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  those  with  whom  he  had  intercourse,  and  especially  of  all 
subjected  to  his  authority.  Nothing,  in  short,  seems  to  have  been 
wanting  to  give  him  a  place  in  the  foremost  rank  of  military  com- 
manders, excepting  a  longer  period,  and  a  wider  field  of  action," 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ANDREW  JACKSON. 

■^HIS  gentleman  was  of  Irish  ancestry.  His  grandfather  par- 
took of  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of  the  army  of  King  Wil- 
liam, at  the  siege  of  Carrickfergus,  an  eventful  period  in 
English  and  Irish  history.  His  youngest  son  Andrew,  with 
his  wife  and  their  two  sons  emigrated  to  South  Carolina,  in  the  year 
1765,  and  purchased  a  farm  forty-five  miles  from  Camden,  in  the 
then  Waxhaw  settlement,  where  Major-General  Andrew  Jackson  was 
born  on  the  15th  of  March,  1767.  In  early  infancy  he  lost  his 
father,  in  consequence  of  which  his  elder  brothers  received  merely  a 
common  school  education,  because  of  the  small  patrimony;  the 
youngest,  Andrew,  was  placed  at  an  academy  at  the  Waxhaw  meet- 
ing-house, under  the  care  of  a  Mr.  Humphries,  where  he  received 
the  rudiments  of  a  liberal  education,  his  mother  designing  him  for  the 
ministerial  office.  The  revolution  which  ended  in  the  emancipation 
of  his  country  from  British  thraldom  having  begun,  his  studies  were 
interrupted  by  the  ravages  of  a  ruthless  enemy,  who  made  an  incur- 
sion into  that  quarter  of  his  native  state.     Consequently,  with  his 

735 


736 


ANDREW     JACKSON. 


brother  Robert,  by  his  mother's  permission,  he  joined  the  American 
army  at  fourteen  years  of  age.  His  eldest  brother  had  previously 
pursued  the  same  course,  and.  died  of  heat  and  fatigue  at  the  battle 
of  Stono. 

The  superiority  of  the  British,  in  numbers  and  discipline,  caused 
the  Americans  to  retire  into  North  Carolina,  from  which  they  returned 
to  South  Carolina  in  small  parties,  after  they  had  learned  of  the 
crossing  the  Yadkin  by  the  British,  under  Cornwallis.  Lord  Raw- 
don  was  then  in  possession  of  Camden,  and  had  desolated  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

In  the  attack  upon  the  Waxhaw  settlers  after  their  return,  a  party 
of  the  British  under  a  Major  Coffin  captured  the  two  young  Jack- 
sons  by  a  ruse-de-guerre.  While  prisoners,  both  were  wounded 
severely  with  swords  by  two  British  officers,  for  refusing  to  perform 
menial  services  required  of  them.  The  wound  of  Andrew  was  in 
his  left  hand,  that  of  his  brother  on  his  head,  which  terminated  his 
existence  shortly  after  their  exchange,  which  took  place  a  few  days 
before  the  memorable  battle  of  Camden.  Worn  down  with  grief  and 
affiiction,  his  mother  expired  shortly  after,  near  Charleston,  leaving 
Andrew  an  unprotected  orphan  then  confined  to  a  bed  of  sickness, 
which  had  nearly  closed  his  sorrows  and  his  woes. 

After  his  recovery  he  did  not  again  join  the  army,  but  spent  with- 
out restraint  a  part  of  his  patrimony  before  reflection  had  warned 
him  of  the  consequences.  Finding,  however,  that  his  exertions  alone 
were  to  waft  him  through  the  tumultuous  sea  of  life,  he  returned  to 
his  studies  at  New  Acquisition,  near  Hill's  iron  works,  under  a  Mr. 
McCulloch.  Here  he  completed  his  academic  course  as  far  as  the 
place  in  which  he  lived  and  his  limited  means  would  permit.  Having 
relinquished  all  thoughts  of  the  clerical  profession,  in  1784,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  he  repaired  to  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  and  studied 
law  under  Spruce  McKay,  Esq.,  and  afterwards  under  Colonel  John 
Stokes.  In  the  winter  of  1786,  he  was  licensed  to  plead  at  the  bar, 
and  remained  at  Sahsbury  until  1788,  when  he  accompanied  Judge 
McNairy,  to  the  state  of  Tennessee.  Although  it  was  his  intention 
to  have  returned,  he  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  place,  that  he 
determined  to  make  Nashville  his  future  residence.  Here  the  road 
to  preferment  was  open  and  plain,  and  his  industry  and  application 
to  business,  soon  paved  the  way  for  his  future  elevation.  He  was 
several  years  attorney  for  the  district  wherein  he  resided.  The 
frontiers  of  Tennessee  were  much  indebted  to  his  energy  and  patriot- 
ism for  defence  against  the  remorseless  depredations  of  the  savages. 
When  that  section  of  the  United  States  was  about  to  be  admitted  a 
separate  member  of  the  federative  body,  in  1796,  he  was  chosen  a 


WAR     OF     1812.  737 

member  of  the  convention  for  the  formation  of  the  state  constitution. 
The  same  year  he  was  elected  one  of  the  representatives  in  Con- 
gress from  Tennessee,  and  in  the  following  year,  the  legislature  of 
that  state  appointed  him  one  of  their  senators  to  the  senate  of  the 
United  States.  This  situation  he  resigned  in  1799.  He  succeeded 
Major-Genera]  Conway  in  the  command  of  the  militia  of  that  state, 
which  formed  but  one  division.  He  retained  his  commission  of 
major-general  of  militia,  until  May,  1814,  when  he  was  appointed 
to  the  same  rank  in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  Immediately 
after  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  he  was 
appointed  to  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state 
of  Tennessee.  This  he  likewise  held  but  a  short  time,  and  retired 
to  an  elegant  farm  about  ten  miles  from  Nashville,  on  Cumberland 
river. 

HE  clouds  which  hovered  over  the  political  horizon  of 
America  for  some  years,  at  last  burst  furiously  into  a 
tornado,  and  war  was  declared  by  the  American  govern- 
[^^^T  ment  against  Great  Britain  on  the  18th  of  June,  1812, 
in  order  to  avenge  itself  of  the  manifold  injuries  heaped 
upon  its  citizens  from  a  spirit  of  commercial  jealousy,  by  the  British 
crown,  during  its  long,  and  unjustijfiable  contest  with  France.  Jack- 
son's military  talents  had  unfolded  themselves  in  the  various  occa- 
sions when  he  had  to  inflict  chastisement  on  the  tawny  sons  of  the 
forest  for  disturbing  the  repose  of  the  frontier  settlements. 

Congress  having  passed  two  laws  in  the  year  1812,  authorizing 
the  President  of  the  United  States  to  accept  the  services  of  fifty 
thousand  volunteers.  General  Jackson  addressed  the  militia  of  his 
division  on  the  subject,  and  twenty-five  hundred  with  himself  at  their 
head,  tendered  their  services  to  their  country. 

This  being  accepted  in  November  the  same  year,  he  was  directed 
to  descend  the  Mississippi  with  this  force  for  the  defence  of  the  lower 
country,  which  appeared  to  be  menaced. 

The  troops  accordingly  rendezvoused  at  Nashville  on  the  10th  of 
December,  ready  to  proceed  to  the  object  of  destination.  The  weather 
was  at  that  time  severe,  and  the  ground  covered  with  snow.  How- 
ever, they  began  to  descend  the  Ohio  on  the  7th  of  January,  and 
having  reached  the  Mississippi,  they  descended  to  Natchez,  where 
his  orders  directed  him  to  halt  and  wait  for  further  instructions.  He 
encamped  his  troops  on  a  healthy  spot,  two  miles  from  Washington, 
Mississippi  territory.  Here  he  received  an  order  from  the  war  de- 
partment, dated  January  5th,  directing  him  to  dismiss  them  in  con- 
sequence of  the  cause  ceasing  which  called  forth  their  services  in 
that  quarter,  and  directing  him  to  deliver  over  to  General  Wilkinson, 

47 


738  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

the  United  States  commanding  ofBcer  in  that  section,  all  the  public 
property  in  his  possession.  At  this  time  he  had  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men  on  his  sick  list,  fifty-six  of  whom  were  confined  to  their 
beds.  This,  with  the  low  state  in  which  many  were  with  regard 
to  their  finances,  and  the  promise  he  had  made  their  relations  to  act 
the  father  to  them,  determined  him  not  to  obey  so  impolitic  and  so 
unjust  an  order  as  that  which  had  emanated  from  the  secretary  at 
war,  the  author  of  "  The  Newburgh  Letters,"  so  famed  as  the  stick- 
ler for  "  soldiers'  rights,"  of  which  determination  he  made  the  war 
department  duly  acquainted. 

An  attempt  was  made  at  this  time  to  enlist  men  from  his  corps  for 
the  regular  army,  which  he  totally  prohibited,  determining  to  carry 
with  him  such  of  the  United  States  property  as  was  necessary  for 
the  return  of  his  forces  to  their  original  place  of  rendezvous  prior  to 
their  discharge. 

His  resolve  to  disobey  his  instructions  from  the  war  department 
respecting  the  discharge  of  his  men  at  that  distance  from  their  homes, 
he  communicated  to  his  field  officers  whom  he  had  convoked  for  the 
purpose ;  and  notwithstanding  their  assent,  three  of  his  colonels, 
Martin,  Allcorn  and  Bradley,  with  some  platoon  officers,  veiled  with 
the  mantle  of  night,  retired  into  conclave,  the  result  of  whose 
deliberations  was,  a  recommendation  to  him  of  an  immediate  dis- 
charge of  his  troops  in  compliance  with  his  orders.  This  dupli- 
city of  conduct  he  treated  with  the  indignation  he  conceived  it 
merited. 

'HEN  once  taken  his  resolution  was  as  unalter- 
able as  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians. 
Notwithstanding  the  remonstrative  letter  of 
General  Wilkinson,  General  Jackson  ordered 
the  quartermaster  to  furnish  the  means  neces- 
sary to  convey  the  sick  and  baggage  of  his 
army  back  to  Tennessee.  Seeming  to  comply 
the  quartermaster  procured  eleven  wagons, 
but  on  the  day  allotted  for  the  troops  to  commence  their  return  march, 
he  came  forward  and  discharged  them  all,  in  order  to  defeat  the 
general's  intention,  by  which  it  was  judged  the  regular  army  might 
procure  a  multitude  of  recruits.  General  Jackson,  however,  seized 
upon  the  wagons  ere  they  left  his  encampment,  and  thus  frustrated  a 
design  the  quartermaster  had  in  view  ;  of  which  disappointment  the 
latter  informed  General  Wilkinson  by  express. 

Jackson  arri^'^ed  with  his  troops  at  Nashville,  in  May  following,  when 
he  disbanded  them  according  to  order,  with  the  exception  of  place, 
and  advised  the  President  of  the  United  States  of  the  course  he  had 


MASSACRE      AT     FORT     MIMMS.  741 

pursued  and  his  reasons  therefor.     On  the  march  he  deprived  him- 
self of  the  comforts  allotted  his  rank,  for  the  benefit  of  the  sick. 

Their  repose  was  but  of  short  duration.  The  Creek  Indians 
between  the  Chatahoochee  and  Tombigbee  rivers  began  to  manifest 
strong  symptoms  of  a  hostile  conduct  towards  their  white  neighbors 
in  the  United  States,  and  this  was  by  no  means  allayed  by  the  con- 
duct of  the  Northern  tribes,  who  at  the  instigation  of  Great  Britain, 
were  preparing  to  "  let  slip  the  dogs  of  war"  on  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  the  United  States. 

At  this  time  there  appeared  among  the  Shawanese  an  impostor 
calling  himself  "  the  Prophet,"  who,  at  the  instigation  of  British 
agents,  urged  the  various  tribes  to  lift  the  tomahawk,  and  no  longer 
smoke  the  calumet  of  peace.  The  brother  of  this  villain,  named 
Tecumseh,  was  sent  to  the  Southern  Indians  to  excite  a  like  hostile 
temper.  To  effect  these  objects  every  artifice  which  duplicity  and 
cunning  could  suggest  was  resorted  to,  and  the  success  of  these 
machinations  was  evidenced  in  the  manifold  cruelties  exercised  on 
those  whom  chance  or  the  fortune  of  war  threw  into  their  way.  On 
the  decrepitude  of  old  age  or  the  imbecility  of  infancy,  alike  did  the 
savages  display  their  hellish  refinements  in  torture  and  death.  At 
first  these  intrigues  were  veiled  in  secrecy ;  and  the  garb  of  deceit 
was  first  thrown  aside  at  Fort  Mimms  on  the  30th  of  August,  when 
the  savages  having  provided  themselves  with  arms  and  ammunition 
from  the  Spaniards  at  Pensacola,  slaughtered  in  the  most  cruel  and 
ferocious  manner  nearly  three  hundred  men,  women  and  children, 
who  had  fled  thither  for  safety,  seventeen  only  escaping  to  bear  the 
doleful  tale  to  the  United  States. 

isS^  PEEDILY  the  news  of  the  massacre  at 
Fort  Mimms  electrified,  as  it  were,  the 
whole  state  of  Tennessee  to  avenge  their 
murdered  brethren.  The  legislature  of 
that  state  enacted  a  law  authorizing  the 
state  executive  to  call  into  actual  ser- 
vice three  thousand  five  hundred  militia, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  devastation 
and  the  sword  into  the  heart  of  the 
Creek  country,  and  appropriated  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  their  equipment  and  support.  The 
Creeks  were  divided  into  two  parties  ;  the  war  party  prevailed,  and 
the  other  had  to  look  to  the  United  States  for  protection.  The  war 
party  had  gathered  a  formidable  body,  and  were  directing  their  course 
towards  the  frontiers  of  Tennessee,  when  the  governor  of  that  state 
issued  his  order  to  General  Jackson  to  call  out  immediately  two 


U 


742  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

thousand  militia,  to  rendezvous  at  Fayetteville.  Jackson,  at  this 
time,  was  confined  in  consequence  of  a  fractured  arm  received  in  a 
duel  a  short  time  before. 

Notwithstanding  this,  he  with  alacrity  obeyed  the  call.  He  ordered 
Colonel  CoiFee  with  his  cavalry,  five  hundred  strong,  and  mounted 
riflemen,  to  proceed  with  all  speed  to  Huntsville,  in  order  to  cover 
the  frontier  until  the  infantry  could  come  up.  A  part  of  this  latter 
force  was  composed  of  the  volunteers  who  had  descended  the  Mis- 
sissippi with  Jackson  the  preceding  season.  The  4th  of  October  was 
the  time  appointed  for  the  assemblage.  The  general  had  not  suffi- 
ciently recovered  from  his  wound  when  the  day  for  assemblage 
arrived.  He  consequently  addressed  them  on  the  subject  of  the 
campaign  through  the  medium  of  his  aid,  Major  Reid.  His  first  care 
was  the  establishment  of  strict  and  wholesome  regulations  in  camp, 
which  he  caused  to  be  rigidly  observed.  The  greatest  obstacles  he 
encountered  in  this  campaign  proceeded  from  the  contractor's  depart- 
ment, the  direction  of  which  he  was  obliged  to  change  more  than 
once. 

HE  friendly  Creeks  acted  in  unison,  and  served  as  spies 
in  conveying  information  regarding  the  situation  of  the 
war  party.  The  Ten  Islands  seemed  to  be  their  place 
of  rendezvous,  and  to  this  place  was  the  march  of  the 
army  directed.  They  had  reached  almost  to  the  Coosa 
river,  and  as  yet  the  East  Tennessee  troops  had  not  formed  a  junc- 
tion. On  the  march,  the  28th  October,  twenty-nine  prisoners  of  both 
sexes  and  all  ages  were  brought  into  camp,  from  Littafucliee,  (a  town 
on  the  head  of  Canoe  creek,  which  empties  into  the  Coosa,)  by  a 
detachment  of  two  hundred  cavalry,  under  Colonel  Dyer,  despatched 
for  the  purpose.  Failures  of  contracts  continued  to  obstruct  the 
march  of  the  army. 

In  the  beginning  of  November,  General  Jackson  learned  from  some 
prisoners  and  negroes  brought  in,  that  the  enemy  were  posted  in  force 
at  Tallushatchee,  distant  about  thirteen  miles  on  the  south  banks  of 
the  Coosa.  General  Cofl^ee,  with  a  body  of  nine  hundred  men,  was 
sent  to  dislodge  them.  This  service  he  completely  effected,  having 
killed  one  hundred  and  eighty-six,  and  taken  eighty-four  women  and 
children  prisoners,  with  the  loss  of  five  killed  and  forty-one  wounded. 
His  dead  being  buried,  and  his  wounded  taken  care  of,  he  joined  the 
main  army  the  same  evening. 

Jackson  took  the  necessary  steps  to  create  a  depot  at  the  Ten 
Islands,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Coosa,  supported  by  strong  picketing 
and  a  chain  of  block-houses.  He  then  designed  to  descend  the 
Coosa  to  its  confluence  with  the  Tallapoosa,  near  which  he  was 


BATTLE      OF      TALLADEGA.  745 

informed  the  savages  were  in  force.  The  army  exerted  their  strength 
in  hastening  the  execution  of  the  general's  design,  and  the  works 
were  dignified  with  the  name  of  "  Fort  Strother."  On  the  7th  of 
December,  in  the  evening,  he  was  advised  of  a  hostile  force  collected 
about  thirty  miles  below,  who  meditated  an  attack  on  Talladega,  in 
which  the  friendly  Indians  were  shut  up,  momently  expecting  an 
assault. 

Notwithstanding  the  disappointment  he  experienced  from  the 
jealous  conduct  of  General  Cocke,  who  was  of  equal  grade  with 
himself,  General  Jackson  moved  his  force  judiciously  to  attack  the 
enemy,  in  their  then  position,  before  they  attempted  an  assault  upon 
the  friendly  Creeks,  or  by  a  circuitous  movement  could  steal  upon 
his  encampment  at  Fort  Strother.  Arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  Talla- 
dega, every  disposition  of  force  was  made  to  insure  victory.  The 
attack  began.  The  savage  foe  was  routed,  and  victory  was  com- 
plete. The  force  of  the  enemy  was  ten  hundred  and  eighty,  of  whom 
two  hundred  and  ninety-nine  were  left  dead  on  the  field  of  battle — 
many  were  killed  in  the  flight,  and  few  escaped  unhurt.  There  were 
not  less  of  them  than  six  hundred  put  liors  de  combat,  while  the 
Americans  lost  only  fifteen  killed  and  eighty  wounded,  several  of 
whom  died  afterwards. 

To  detail  the  difficulties  General  Jackson  had  to  encounter  in  pro- 
viding sustenance  for  his  troops,  in  quelling  mutinies,  resulting  from 
deprivations,  and  in  surmounting  difficulties,  springing  from  the 
jealousies  of  rival  officers,  would  too  far  exceed  the  limits  of  this 
work,  which  consequently  confines  the  writer  to  a  brief  sketch  of 
the  more  important  transactions  of  his  life.  It  is  sufficient  to  men- 
tion that  the  conduct  of  General  Cocke  to  weave  for  himself  a  dis- 
tinct chaplet  for  his  own  brow,  was  deleterious  to  the  public  service, 
and  in  a  great  degree  marred  the  operations  of  General  Jackson, 
who,  if  well  seconded  by  his  contractors  and  the  troops  under  the 
general  from  East  Tennessee,  would  have  inflicted  an  early  castiga- 
tion,  greater  by  far  than  they  experienced  at  Talladega,  and  have 
put  a  speedy  termination  to  the  Creek  war.  Thus  would  many 
valuable  lives  have  been  saved  to  families  and  to  the  state,  which 
were  immolated  on  the  altar  of  a  mean  and  jealous  ambition. 
Wherever  the  general  met  the  foe  he  was  triumphant — his  troops 
were  brave,  but  they  were  neither  just  to  their  own  fame  nor  to  their 
country,  for  whose  sake  patriotism  cried  aloud  for  the  greatest  sacri- 
fices. 

At  the  battle  of  Talladega,  the  Hillabees  were  the  most  distin- 
guished suflerers,  shortly  after  which  they  sued  for  peace.  General 
Jackson  was   disposed  to  comply  with  their  wishes,   provided  the 


746 


ANDREW     JACKSON. 


instigators  of  the  war,  the  property  and  prisoners  taken  from  the 
Americans  and  friendly  Creeks,  and  the  murderers  of  the  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  at  Fort  Mimms,  were  given  up.  On  the  morn- 
ing that  Jackson's  despatch  was  written  to  General  Cocke,  inform- 
ing of  the  proposition  of  the  Hillabees,  General  White,  acting  under 
Cocke's  orders,  had  attacked  a  Hillabee  town,  killed  sixty,  and  made 
two  hundred  and  fifty-six  prisoners.  This  event  procrastinate(i  the 
Creek  war  ;  for  not  one  of  the  remainder  of  the  Hillabees  were 
afterwards  known  to  ask  for  quarter,  but  fought  until  death  termi- 
nated their  struggle. 

After  encountering  all  the  difficulties  which  resulted  from  the 
mutinous  disposition  of  his  otherwise  brave  and  patriotic  troops,  who 
returned  home,  he,  on  the  2d  of  January  following,  received  an  ac- 
cession of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  new  troops,  officered  by  men  of 
their  own  choice.  The  difficulties  respecting  the  comm.and  of  these 
by  General  Coffee  under  Jackson  being  adjusted,  the  army,  less  than 
nine  hundred  strong,  began  its  march  from  Fort  Strother  to  Talla- 
dega, where  were  collected  about  two  hundred  friendly  Cherokee 
and  Creek  Indians.  These  afforded  an  aggregate  army  of  about 
one  thousand  men,  badly  armed  and  as  badly  equipped,  with  which 
Jackson  was  to  invade  the  hostile  Creek  territory,  that  he  might 
create  a  diversion  in  favor  of  General  Floyd,  who  was  advancing 
with  the  forces  from  Georgia.  It  was  thought  about  this  time  that 
the  information  was  correct,  that  the  warriors  from  fourteen  towns, 
near  Tallapoosa,  were  to  unite  their  strength  and  attack  Fort  Arm- 
strong. Arriving  at  Talladega,  General  Jackson  received  advice 
from  the  commander  of  Fort  Armstong  that  that  post  was  menaced. 
ALLING  on  some  trails  on  the  21st  of  Janu- 
ary, General  Jackson  discovered  by  his  spies, 
that  the  enemy  was  not  three  miles  distant. 
At  the  dawn  of  tlie  2 2d,  the  savages  com- 
menced a  furious  attack  on  the  American 
left,  under  Colonel  Higgins,  which  bore  the 
brunt  of  the  action.  In  half  an  hour  the  In- 
dians were  routed  and,chased  two  miles  from 
the  field  of  battle.  The  defeat  was  complete. 
The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  only  five 
killed  and  twenty  wounded.  This  was  fought  at  an  Indian  town 
called  Emuckfaw.  Having  returned  from  the  pursuit  of  the  routed 
enemy,  General  Jackson  despatched  General  Coffee  with  four 
hundred  men  to  destroy  the  Indian  encampmient,  if  not  too  strong. 
Having  reconnoitered  its  position,  he  judiciously  returned  to  the  main 
body  without  making  an  attack. 


SECOND  BATTLE  OF  EMUCKFAW.  747 

In  less  than  an  hour  after  his  return  to  camp,  the  savages  com 
menced  an  attack,  by  way  of  feint,  on  Jackson's  right,  which  gave 
Genera]  Coffee  the  chance  of  fighting  them  in  equal  combat.  The 
conflict  lasted  about  one  hour,  with  nearly  the  same  loss,  when,  by 
means  of  a  reinforcement  from  General  Jackson,  the  Indians  were 
defeated.  General  Coffee  was  severely  wounded,  but  continued  to 
fight  while  the  battle  lasted.  In  the  mean  time  Jackson's  whole 
force  was  attacked,  which  terminated  in  the  overthrow  of  the  savages. 
This  was  called  the  second  battle  of  the  Emuckfaw. 

Jackson  prepared  litters  for  his  wounded,  and  commenced  his 
return  to  the  Ten  Islands,  taking  every  precaution  to  prevent  the 
savages  from  attacking  by  surprise.  The  next  day,  (January  23d,) 
however,  as  he  was  crossing  a  creek  at  a  place  called  Enotichopco, 
the  savages  began  another  battle,  and  the  confusion  that  ensued  by 
giving  way  of  part  of  the  American  force,  had  nearly  proved  fatal  to 
them.  The  savages  were,  however,  by  the  resolute  bravery  of  a  part 
of  the  Americans,  totally  defeated.  The  whole  American  loss  in  the 
several  conflicts  fought  during  these  two  days,  was  twenty  killed  and 
seventy-five  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  Indians  was  more  than  two 
hundred  who  never  returned  from  battle. 

General  Jackson,  having  transported  his  camp  equipage  and  pro- 
visions down  the  Coosa  river,  directed  his  volunteers  and  company 
of  artillery  to  be  marched  home  and  honorably  dismissed. 

On  the  3d  of  February,  the  governor  of  Tennessee  (Blount),  issued 
his  order  for  a  detachment  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  militia  of 
the  second  division,  to  rendezvous  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month, 
for  three  months  service,  in  conformity  to  a  law  of  Congress.  Gene- 
ral Cocke  brought,  by  requisition,  about  two  thousand  men  from 
West  Tennessee,  badly  armed,  and  at  the  same  time  pursued  a  highly 
dishonorable  and  disgraceful  line  of  conduct,  to  produce  the  failure 
of  the  campaign.  Jealous  of  another's  fame,  envy  was  the  fiend  that 
meanly  lurked  in  his  bosom. 

Colonel  Williams  arrived  at  camp  with  six  hundred  men  badly 
armed.  General  Johnson  with  his  brigade  arrived  on  the  14th  of 
February,  General  Doherty,  from  East  Tennessee,  had  arrived,  and 
Jackson  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  raw  and  undisciplined  army 
of  five  thousand  men.  To  repress  a  spirit  of  mutiny,  which  exhibited 
itself  in  times  of  scarcity  and  inactivity,  an  example  was  become 
necessary,  A  private  of  the  name  of  John  Wood  had  manifested  a 
mutinous  disposition,  was  taken  into  custody,  a  court-martial  was 
called,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  be  shot.  This  was  rigidly  executed, 
and  it  produced  the  happiest  consequences. 

The  infamous  conduct  of  General  Cocke,  in  endeavoring  to  produce 


748  ANDREW     JACKSON.  ' 

the  disaffection  of  General  Doherty's  brigade,  in  order  to  defeat  the 
object  of  the  campaign,  induced  General  Jackson  to  issue  orders  to 
Doherty,  to  seize  and  send  to  Fort  Strother,  every  officer,  regardless 
of  rank,  who  should  be  guilty  of  exciting  mutiny  in  camp. 

Apprehensive  of  consequences,  Cocke  timely  retired,  and  escaped 
punishment. 

Colonel  Dyer  was,  about  this  time,  despatched  with  six  hundred 
men  to  the  head  of  Black  Warrior  to  disperse  any  Indians  that  might 
be  in  force  in  that  quarter,  and  otherwise  cut  off  their  supplies  of  the 
army.  After  eight  days  march  along  the  banks  of  the  Cahawba,  the 
detachment  returned  to  camp.  They  had  fallen  in  with  a  trail,  but 
discovered  no  enemy. 

Having  dismissed  all  invalids  and  troops  badly  equipped,  General 
Jackson  commenced  his  march  for  Fort  Strother,  on  the  14th  of 
March,  and  arrived  on  the  3  1st  at  the  mouth  of  Cedar  creek,  on  the 
site  of  Fort  Williams.  Here  he  left  Brigadier-General  Johnson, 
with  an  adequate  force  for  the  protection  of  the  fort,  and  eight  days 
provision  ;  and  began  his  march  on  the  24th,  for  the  Tallapoosa,  by 
way  of  Emuckfaw,  in  order  to  dislodge  the  Indian  encampment,  near 
the  Oakfusky  villages,  which  had  been  surveyed  and  left  unattacked 
by  General  Coffee  on  the  22d  of  January,  on  account  of  its  strong 
position.  On  the  27th,  after  fifty-two  miles  march,  he  arrived  at 
the  village  of  Tohopeka.  Here  the  Indians  were  strongly  posted 
at  the  Horse-Shoe,  and  it  was  necessary  to  dislodge  them.  The  dis- 
lodgement  was  effected  with  great  skill  and  bravery.  This  battle 
was  the  death  blow  to  the  hopes  of  the  savage  war-party.  So  bloody 
was  the  conflict,  that  only  four  savages  surrendered  prisoners,  with 
three  hundred  women  and  children.  Some  few  escaped,  but  they 
generally  met  death  with  a  bravery  becoming  a  better  cause.  Jack- 
son's loss  was,  including  the  friendly  Indians,  fifty-five  killed  and  one 
hundred  and  forty-six  wounded.  Having  accomplished  the  object  of 
his  march,  he  returned  with  his  troops  unmolested,  to  Fort  Williams. 
He  paraded  his  army  on  the  2d  of  April,  and  delivered  them  a  most 
pertinent  address  on  the  destruction  of  the  Tallapoosa  confederacy. 

Learning  that  the  savages  had  collected  in  force  at  Hoithlewalee, 
not  far  from  a  place  called  the  Hickory  Ground,  he  left  his  sick  and 
wounded  at  the  fort  under  command  of  Brigadier-General  Johnson, 
and  began  his  march  with  all  his  disposable  troops  on  the  7th  of 
April  to  attack  the  enemy  at  Hoithlewalee,  and  to  effect  a  junction 
with  the  North  Carolina  troops  under  General  Graham,  and  the 
Georgia  troops  under  Colonel  Milton,  who  were  advancing  on  the 
south  of  the  Tallapoosa.  Owing  to  the  rains,  which  occasioned  a 
swell  in  the  creeks,  he  did  not  reach  the  place  of  attack  until  the 


SURRENDER     OF    WE  ATIIERF  ORD. 


749 


Treaty  of  the  Hiciroiy  Ground. 


enemy,  being  apprised  of  his  approach,  had  fled,  leaving  him  nothing 
but  an  empty  village,  which  a  part  of  his  army  who  had  passed  the 
creek,  destroyed.  This  was  on  the  13th,  and  on  the  next  day  he 
formed  a  junction  with  the  Georgia  troops. 

About  this  time,  the  head  warriors  of  the  tribes  settled  on  the 
Hickory  Ground,  and  sued,  for  peace.  The  general  required,  as  a 
proof  of  their  sincerity,  that  they  should  remove  and  settle  in  the  rear 
of  the  army  and  to  the  north  of  Fort  Williams.  In  the  mean  time, 
detachments  w^ere  sent  out  to  scour  the  country  in  various  directions. 
He  then  proceeded  with  the  army  to  the  site  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Coosa,  where  Fort  Jackson  was  to  be  built.  Weatherford,  the  prin- 
cipal of  actors  in  the  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms,  presented  himself 
voluntarily  before  General  Jackson,  as  a  supplicant  for  peace,  and 
behaved  with  the  dignity  of  a  fallen  hero,  which  would  grace  the 
character  of  a  man  in  the  most  civilized  ages  of  any  nation  or  coun- 
try. Determined  not  to  be  outdone  in  magnanimity,  Jackson  suffered 
him  to  depart,  leaving  it  optional  with  himself  to  make  good  his 
professions  for  peace,  or  collect  the  scattered  remnant  of  his  nation 
to  prosecute  the  war.  He  at  the  same  time  informed  him,  that 
should  he  prefer  the  latter,  if  taken  in  arms,  his  life  should  pay  the 
forfeit  of  his  crimes. 

General  Pinckney  arrived  on  the  20th  of  April,  and  took  upon 
himself  the  command. 


750  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

Having  accomplished  the  object  of  the  compaign  by  the  total 
destruction  of  the  confederacy  and  re-establishment  of  peace,  Gene- 
ral Pinckney  directed  the  return  of  the  West  Tennessee  troops  to 
their  homes,  and  caused  seven  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  from 
General  Doherty's  brigade  from  East  Tennessee,  whose  time  of  ser- 
vice had  not  nearly  expired,  to  be  detailed  for  garrisoning  the  line 
of  forts.  Four  hundred  men  had  been  left  to  garrison  Fort  Williams. 
The  country  had  been  scoured  for  fugitive  savages — Jackson  pro- 
ceeded with  the  remainder  of  his  troops  on  his  march  home,  crossed 
Tennessee  river,  reached  Camp  Blount  near  Fayetteville,  and  dis- 
charged his  troops  from  further  service. 

The  dispersed  war  party  had  taken  refuge  within  the  Floridas, 
particularly  at  Pensacola.  In  consequence  of  the  resignation  of 
General  Hampton,  General  Jackson  received  a  commission  from  the 
war  department,  dated  the  22d  of  May,  constituting  him  a  brigadier- 
general,  and  major-general  by  brevet  in  the  regular  army  of  the 
United  States.  General  Harrison  shortly  after  resigned,  and  Jackson 
was  appointed  a  major-general,  to  supply  the  vacancy.  He  was  directed 
by  his  government  to  open  a  treaty  with  the  Indians,  for  which  pur- 
pose he  arrived  at  the  Alabama  with  a  small  retinue,  on  the  10th  of 
July,  and  on  the  10th  of  August  effected  the  execution  of  a  treaty 
highly  satisfactory  to  the  United  States. 

In  consequence  of  a  deviation  from  the  strict  laws  of  neutrality  by 
the  Spanish  governor  of  West  Florida,  in  the  aid  and  succor  he 
afforded  the  hostile  Indians,  General  Jackson  turned  his  attention 
towards  Pensacola,  Three  hundred  English  troops  had  landed  and 
were  fortifying  themselves  at  the  mouth  of  the  Appalachicola.  They 
were  also  employed  in  instigating  the  savages  to  further  acts  of 
hostility-  With  this  fact,  the  general  became  acquainted  on  his  way 
to  the  Alabama ;  and  despatched  information  of  the  fact  to  his 
government.  On  his  arrival  at  Fort  Jackson  he  used  all  diligence  to 
make  himself  fully  acquainted  with  the  state  of  affairs  with  the 
Spaniards,  English,  and  savages.  On  account  of  the  perfidious  con- 
duct of  the  governor  of  Pensacola,  he  opened  a  correspondence  with 
that  oflicer,  who  exposed  the  duplicity  of  his  demeanor  in  the  imbe- 
cility of  his  logic.  Having  disposed  of  affairs  at  Fort  Jackson,  he 
started  next  day  for  Mobile,  In  consequence  of  the  storm  which  he 
was  satisfied  was  gathering  in  that  quarter,  he  lost  no  time  in  putting 
the  country  in  as  good  a  posture  of  defence  as  his  limited  means 
would  admit.  His  whole  disposable  force  of  the  United  States 
troops  consisted  of  the  third  and  parts  of  the  forty-fourth  and  thirty- 
ninth.  The  patriotism  of  the  people  of  Tennessee  was  again  to  be 
tested.    General  Coffee  was  written  to  by  Colonel  Butler,  to  advance 


CONQUEST      OF     FLORIDA.  751 

as  speedily  as  possible  with  all  the  mounted  troops  he  could  collect. 
The  colonel  who  had  received  the  request  at  Nashville,  on  the  9th 
of  September,  was  to  follow  with  all  the  volunteers  he  could  procure, 
with  the  least  possible  delay.  In  fourteen  days,  Captains  Baker  and 
Butler  arrived  at  Mobile  with  two  companies  of  newly  enlisted  regu- 
lar troops  ;  and  the  Tennessee  troops  commenced  their  march  with 
alacrity  and  spirit. 

■HE  arrival  at  Pensacola  of  Colonel  Nicholls  with  a 
small  British  squadron,  the  attack  on  Fort  Bowyer,  at 
which  the  British  were  valiantly  repulsed  by  one-tenth 
of  their  numbers,  and  their  reception  by  Governor 
Marquinez,  at  Pensacola,  after  their  repulse,  deter- 
mined General  Jackson  to  proceed  against  that  capital. 

General  Coffee  arrived  with  his  brigade,  consisting  of  tw^o  thou- 
sand eight  hundred,  at  the  Cut-off,  a  place  above  Fort  St.  Stephens, 
and  was  visited  in  his  encampment  by  Genera]  Jackson  on  the  26th 
of  October.  One  thousand  of  the  brigade  engaged  as  mounted  men, 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  subsisting  cavalry,  without  a  murmur, 
dismounted,  and  left  their  horses  behind,  to  serve  as  infantry. 

The  British  and  Spaniards,  divining  the  intentions  of  Jackson, 
made  every  disposition  for  the  defence  of  Pensacola.  The  Ameri- 
can army,  three  thousand  strong,  took  up  their  line  of  march  on 
the  2d  of  November,  and  encamped  before  it  on  the  6th.  Deter- 
mined to  dislodge  the  British  from  that  post,  he  previously  demanded 
of  Governor  Marquinez  an  explanation  of  his  conduct.  The  flag 
bearing  the  demand  was  fired  upon  and  the  officer  returned.  The 
British  flag,  the  day  before  the  attack,  waved  on  the  ramparts  in 
unison  with  the  Spanish — the  following  day  the  Spanish  waved  alone 
to  protect  a  foe  of  the  United  States  under  its  dastardly  banners. 
Subsequent  communications  took  place  ;  the  governor  lodged  all  his 
faults  on  the  shoulders  of  his  English  friends.  P'rom  the  deceitful 
behavior  of  the  Spaniards,  no  reliance  was  to  be  placed  on  their 
professions,  and  it  became  necessary  to  use  force.  The  place  was 
taken — the  British  driven  away — the  Spaniards  humbled — the  Bar- 
rancas forts,  fourteen  miles  distant,  commanding  the  harbor,  blown 
up  by  the  British.  The  blovsing  up  of  the  Barrancas  was  a  great 
mortification  to  the  Spaniards,  and  at  the  same  time  defeated  Gene- 
ral Jackson's  object  of  retaining  possession  of  the  town  and  fortifi- 
cations, until  the  pleasure  of  his  government  should  be  made  known, 
as  he  bottomed  his  conduct  on  the  urgency  of  the  case  without  await- 
ing their  pleasure.  The  left  column,  in  this  attack,  alone  met  with 
resistance.  The  Americans  had  twenty  wounded  and  none  killed. 
In  consequence  of  the  destruction  of  the  Barrancas,  General  Jack- 


752 


ANDREW     JACKSON, 


Fortiiying  of  New  Orleans. 


son  relinquished  the  possession  of  Pensacola  to  Governor  Marqainez, 
who  immediately  set  about  re-constructing'  the  Barrancas.  In  this 
work  the  British  commanding  officer  proffered  assistance.  Marqui- 
nez  answered  that  when  help  was  needed,  he  should  apply  to  his 
friend  General  Jackson. 

In  consequence  of  the  result  of  this  expedition,  the  Indians  in 
Florida,  finding  themselves  without  British  aid,  fled  to  the  Appala- 
chicola,  and  some  fled  on  board  the  British  shipping,  and  were  after- 
wards put  on  shore  to  act  for  themselves.  Major  Blue  of  the  29th 
regiment  was  despatched  to  dislodge  the  Indians  at  Appalachicola, 
assisted  by  General  Mcintosh  with  the.  Georgia  troops  then  in  the 
Creek  country.  Having  effected  this  object,  they  were  ordered  to 
the  defence  of  Mobile. 

General  Winchester  arrived  at  the  Alabama,  and  Jackson  delivered 
to  him  the  command  of  that  portion  of  territory  on  the  22d  of 
November,  and  hastened  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  conceived  his 
presence  most  necessary. 

In  taking  possession  of  the  command  of  Louisiana  he  found  some- 
what of  a  new  theatre  of  action.  The  legislature  of  the  territory 
had  seconded  the  general's  views  in  every  measure  of  defence  ;  and 
prior  to  his  relinquishment  of  the  Mobile  command,  he  had  con- 
tinually corresponded  with  Governor  Claiborne  for  that  object.  It 
was  now  become  manifest,  that  some  point  on  the  Mississippi  was 
the  object  of  attack  by  the  enemy,  and  more  especially  New  Orleans. 


FORTIFYING     NEW     ORLEANS.  753 

Obstructions  and  defences  were  made  as  barriers  to  all  the  passes 
which  led  that  way.  Gun-boats  were  sent  to  Lake  Borgne.  Every 
defence  was  made  when  the  British  appeared  off  the  coast,  at  Cat 
and  Ship  island,  within  a  short  distance  from  the  American  lines.  On 
the  13th  of  December  the  enemy  moved  off  in  his  barges  towards 
Pass  Christian. 

In  the  act  of  bringing  off  a  small  depot  of  public  stores  at  the  bay 
of  St.  Louis,  the  gun-boat  Sea-Horse,  Johnson  commander,  in  a 
second  attack  from  the  enemy,  was  blown  up  by  her  crew,  who  with 
her  commander  retreated  by  land. 

On  the  14th,  the  American  gun-boat  fleet,  consisting  of  five  vessels, 
one  hundred  and  eighty-two  men,  and  twenty-three  guns,  was  attacked 
by  a  British  force  of  forty-three  gun-boats,  twelve  hundred  men,  and 
forty-three  guns.  The  Americans  were  vanquished  with  the  loss  of 
six  killed  and  thirty-five  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  British  was  not 
less  than  three  hundred.  Notwithstanding  the  prowess  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, they,  from  motives  of  hum.anity  and  unyielding  necessity, 
surrendered  to  a  superior  force. 

This  unexpected  blow  marred  in  prospective  all  the  views  of 
Jackson.  He  apprised  General  Winchester  of  the  unhappy  disaster, 
the  probable  result,  and  gave  his  advice  respecting  measures  to  be 
pursued,  in  order  toward  off  the  consequences. 

While  his  clouds  of  danger  thickened,  the  sky  of  his  reputation  was 
brightening.  He  inspirited  his  troops,  and  the  population  generally. 
Expecting  that  the  blow  would  be  directed  against  New  Orleans,  he 
exerted  every  energy  for  the  protection  of  that  important  post. 
Having  reviewed  and  addressed  the  militia  on  the  importance  of  the 
occasion,  he  despatched  an  express  in  quest  of  General  Coffee, 
which  reached  him  on  the  17th  of  December,  and  that  officer  by  the 
most  persevering  industry,  encountering  difficulties  by  disease  and 
weather,  arrived  within  fifteen  miles  of  New  Orleans  on  the  19th,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  On  the  20th,  he  halted  within 
four  miles  of  that  city.  The  troops  had  braved  the  dangers  of  weather 
and  climate  in  a  march  of  more  than  eight  hundred  miles  without 
murmur.  Such  is  the  fortitude  of  men,  when  engaged  in  support  of 
the  native  dignity  of  their  character.  General  Carroll  was  likewise 
advancing  with  a  brigade  for  defensive  operations,  of  which  he 
advised  General  Jackson  by  his  aid.  Colonel  Hynes. 

However  feeble  his  force  might  be,  he  determined  to  meet  the 
enemy  on  the  threshold  of  their  landing.  The  government  of  the 
United  States  were  continually  advised,  both  of  his  apprehensions 
and  means  of  defence.  Assistance  poured  in  in  some  sections  and 
disappointments  in  others,  and  chagrin  often  crowned  his  exertions. 

48 


754  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

The  path  the  general  had  to  tread  was  thorny  in  the  extreme, 
assailed  as  he  was,  by  the  wiles  of  the  enemy  on  one  side,  and  dis- 
content from  the  disaffected  on  the  other. 

The  period  arrived  which  tested  the  sternness  of  his  character. 
Imbecility,  fear,  and  treason,  uniting  against  the  direct  path  of  patri- 
otism, he  was  constrained  for  the  safety  of  the  state,  to  proclaim 
martial  law  at  New  Orleans.  The  event  showed  the  wisdom  of  the 
measure  to  avoid  deleterious  results  from  the  conflicting  passions 
which  then  agitated  the  public  mind.  Smothering  treason  wherever 
it  appeared,  and  concentrating  every  other  feeling  into  one  common 
reservoir  to  repel  a  common  foe,  Jackson  was  obliged  to  act,  not 
according  to  law,  but  circumstances.  General  Carroll  joined  Coffee's 
encampment  on  the  21st  of  December,  and  reported  himself  accord- 
ingly. The  Kentucky  troops  had  not  yet  arrived ;  and,  notwith- 
standing the  greatest  vigilance,  the  British  effected  a  landing  within 
seven  miles  of  New  Orleans.  The  secretness  of  the  embarkation  was 
ascribed  to  the  treachery  of  the  naturalized  Spanish  fishermen  who 
supplied  that  market  with  fish.  Their  debarkation  was  announced 
to  the  general  after  the  capture  of  the  guard  at  Bayo  Bienvenue,  on 
the  22d  of  December.  A  knowledge  of  this  event  threw  the  city 
into  the  greatest  consternation.  Signal  guns  were  fired — expresses 
were  forwarded — forces  were  concentrated,  and  every  preparation 
adopted  for  defence. 

General  Jackson  advanced  against  him,  determined  to  attack  him 
in  his  first  position.  The  attack  was  made  in  the  night  of  the  23d 
of  December,  at  half  past  seven  o'clock.  It  was  commenced  by  a 
fire  from  the  schooner  Caroline,  which  dropped  down  the  river,  in 
order  to  open  on  the  rear  of  the  camp.  This  was  the  signal  for 
General  Coffee  to  fall  on  the  right,  while  General  Jackson  attacked 
the  left  near  the  river.  It  resulted  honorably  to  the  American  arms  ; 
and  gave  a  decisive  check  to  the  enemy.  The  enemy's  force  amounted 
to  about  three  thousand  men  ;  that  of  General  Jackson  did  not  exceed 
fifteen  hundred.  The  conflict  lasted  an  hour,  and  was  supported 
with  great  firmness.  General  Jackson  remained  on  the  field  until 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  he  took  a  new  position  two  miles 
nearer  the  city  ;  having  lost  in  this  affair,  twenty-four  killed,  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  wounded,  and  seventy-four  missing — total  two 
hundred  and  thirteen. 

The  enqmy  succeeded  on  the  27th,  in  blowing  up  the  Caroline, 
(she  being  becalmed,)  by  means  of  hot  shot,  from  a  land  battery, 
erected  in  the  night.  On  the  28th,  he  advanced  with  his  whole 
force,  against  General  Jackson,  in  the  hope  of  driving  him  from  his 
position,  and  with  this  view  opened  a  fire  of  bombs  and  rockets,  at 


ACTION     OF     THE     FIRST     OF     JANUARY.  757 

the  distance  of  about  half  a  mile.  The  enemy  was  repulsed,  with  a 
loss  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  men.  The  Americans  lost 
seven  killed  and  had  eight  wounded. 

On  Sunday  morning-,  the  1st  of  January,  1815,  the  enemy  had 
advanced  within  six  hundred  yards  of  the  American  breastworks, 
under  cover  of  night  and  a  heavy  fog,  and  had  erected  the  preceding 
night,  three  different  batteries,  mounting  in  all  fifteen  guns,  from 
sixes  to  thirty-twos.  About  eight  o'clock,  when  the  fog  cleared  off, 
they  commenced  a  most  tremendous  fire  upon  the  Americans,  but  it 
was  amply  returned  by  them,  and  a  heavy  cannonading  was  kept  up, 
without  the  least  interval  on  either  side,  except  that  occasioned  by 
the  explosion  of  a  magazine  in  the  rear  of  one  of  the  American  bat- 
teries, and  another  magazine  in  the  night,  owing  to  the  enemy's 
Congreve  rockets.  By  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  Americans 
bad  dismounted  all  the  enemy's  guns  except  two.  They  retreated, 
during  the  night,  to  their  strong  hold,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from 
the  American  camp.  Twice  did  the  enemy  attempt  to  storm  and 
carry  the  American  batteries,  but  were  as  often  deceived.  On  New- 
Year's  day  the  loss  of  the  Americans  was  eleven  killed  and  twenty- 
three  badly  wounded.  That  of  the  enemy,  from  the  accounts  of  two 
prisoners  taken  on  that  day,  and  three  deserters  afterwards,  must 
have  been  much  greater. 

C CORDING  as  the  woodsmen  arrived  to  the  aid  of 
General  Jackson's  army,  they  were  disposed  of  to 
the  best  advantage,  for  the  purpose  of  defence  ; 
but  these  forces  not  being  of  a  very  efiicient 
nature,  especially  as  the  men  could  not  be  all  pro- 
vided with  the  necessary  arms,  the  general  could 
not  attempt  any  thing  against  an  enemy,  who  was 
thus  left  to  pursue,  undisturbed,  his  laborious  operations. 

During  the  days  of  the  6th  and  7th,  the  enemy  had  been  actively 
employed  in  making  preparations  for  an  attack  on  Jackson's  lines. 
With  infinite  labor  they  had  succeeded  on  the  night  of  the  7th  in 
getting  their  boats  across  from  the  lake  to  the  river,  by  widening 
and  deepening  the  canal,  on  which  they  had  effected  their  disem 
barkation. 

General  Jackson  was  on  the  left  side  of  the  river,  patiently  waiting 
the  attack.  General  Morgan,  with  the  New  Orleans  contingent,  the 
Louisiana  militia,  and  a  detachment  of  Kentucky  troops,  occupied  an 
intrenched  camp  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  protected  by  strong 
batteries  on  the  bank,  superintended  by  Commodore  Patterson.* 

•  A  portion  of  the  fortification  of  New  Orleans  was  composed  of  bales  of  cotton. 


758  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

On  Sunday,  the  8th,  at  half  past  six  o'clock,  a.  m.,  the  enemy 
began  a  very  heavy  cannonade  upon  the  American  lines,  from  his 
batteries  of  eighteen  and  twelve  pounders,  supported  by  the  mus- 
ketry of  two  thousand  five  hundred  men,  who  marched  in  close 
columns,  and  advanced  nearer  than  musket-shot  distance  to  the  in- 
trenchments,  armed  with  rockets,  obuses  and  fascines,  to  storm  the 
batteries  :  they  directed  their  principal  attack  against  the  head  of 
the  line,  flanked  by  the  river,  and  upon  the  left  resting  upon  the 
cypress  swamp,  as  well  as  against  the  tirailleurs  and  riflemen,  placed 
above  the  said  swamp  ;  the  roaring  of  the  guns,  and  firmg  of  the 
musketry  lasted  two  hours  and  a  quarter;  the  enemy's  mortars, 
although  directed  against  the  centre,  did  no  harm  to  the  troops  ;  the 
bursting  of  their  bombs  in  their  works  had  no  effect.  Two  British 
oflicers  and  one  French  engineer,  of  the  name  of  Rennie,  who  had 
gained  the  summit  of  the  American  parapet,  were  killed,  or  wounded 
and  made  prisoners ;  (the  engineer  and  one  colonel  were  killed  ;)  after 
this  affair,  the  field  in  front  of  the  works  was  strewed  with  British 
wounded  and  killed. 

General  Jackson  thus  briefly  details  the  particulars  of  the  attack  : 

"  In  my  encampment  everything  was  ready  for  action  ;  when  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  the  enemy,  after  throwing  a  shower  of 
bombs  and  Congreve  rockets,  advanced  their  columns  at  my  right 
and  left,  to  storm  my  intrenchments.  I  cannot  speak  sufficiently  in 
praise  of  the  firmness  and  deliberation  with  which  my  whole  line 
received  their  approach.  More  could  not  have  been  expected  from 
veterans  inured  to  war.  For  an  hour  the  fire  of  small  arms  was  as 
incessant  and  severe  as  can  be  imagined.  The  artillery,  too,  directed 
by  officers  who  displayed  equal  skill  and  courage,  did  great  execu- 
tion. Yet  the  columns  of  the  enemy  continued  to  advance  with 
firmness  which  reflects  upon  them  the  greatest  credit.  Twice  the 
column,  which  approached  me  on  my  left,  were  repulsed  by  the 
troops  of  General  Carroll,  those  of  General  Coffee,  and  a  division 
of  the  Kentucky  militia,  and  twice  they  formed  again,  and  renewed 
the  assault.  At  length,  however,  cut  to  pieces,  they  fled  in  con- 
fusion from  the  field,  leaving  it  covered  with  their  dead  and 
wounded." 

Simultaneously  with  the  attack  on  General  Jackson's  lines,  an 
attack  was  made  on  the  works  of  General  Morgan.  Had  the  enemy 
been  met  with  resolution  in  this  attack,  it  must  have  produced  his 
entire  destruction  ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  Kentucky  reinforcements 
fled,  drawing  after  them,  by  their  example,  the  remainder  of  the 
forces  and  leaving  the  batteries  to  the  enemy ;  not,  however,  until 
after  the  guns  were  spiked.     While  General  Jackson  was  preparing 


BATTLE     OF      NEW      ORLEANS. 


759 


Battle  of  New  Orleans. 


to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  the  captured  battery,  the  British  troops 
were  withdrawn,  and  the  post  re-occupied  by  the  Americans. 

The  return  of  the  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  taken  at  the 
battle  of  Mac  Prardies'  plantation,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi, 
on  the  morning  of  the  8th  January,  1815,  and  five  miles  below  the 
city  of  New  Orleans,  consisted  of — killed,  seven  hundred  ;  wounded, 
fourteen  hundred  ;  prisoners,  five  hundred — ^total,  two  thousand  six 
hundred. 

Among  the  slain  was  General  Sir  Edward  Packenham,  the  chief, 
and  General  Gibbs,  the  third  in  command ;  General  Keane,  the 
second  in  command,  was  severely  wounded.  General  Lambert  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command. 

His  total  loss  in  the  different  engagements  was  not  less  than  five 
thousand  six  hundred.  The  loss  to  the  Americans,  on  the  8th,  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  was  thirteen  killed,  thirty-nine  wounded,  and 
nineteen  missing ;  total  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  this  day, 
seventy-one  ;  of  this  number  there  were  but  six  killed,  and  seven 
wounded,  in  the  action  of  the  line. 

The  enemy  intended  to  pass  Fort  St.  Philip  in  order  to  co-operate 
with  the  land  forces  in  the  attack  at  New  Orleans.  On  the  9th 
January,  at  half  past  three,  p.  m.,  the  enemy's  bomb  vessels  opened 
their  fire  against  the  fort,  from  four  sea  mortars,  two  of  them  thirteen 
inches,  and  two  of  ten,  at  so  great  a  distance,  that  the  shot  from  the 
fort  could  not  reach  him.     The  enemy's  fire  continued  with  little 


760 


ANDREW     JACKSON. 


intermission,  and  with  little  interruption  from  the  fort,  during  the 
10th,  nth,  12th,  13th,  14th,  15th,  16th,  and  17th.  On  the  evening 
of  the  17th,  a  heavy  mortar  was  got  in  readiness  and  opened  on  the 
enemy,  with  great  effect.  At  daylight  on  the  1 8th,  the  enemy  retired 
after  having  thrown  upwards  of  one  thousand  heavy  shells,  besides 
small  shells  from  the  howitzers,  round  shot  and  grape,  which  he 
discharged  from  boats,  under  cover  of  the  night.  Scarcely  ten  feet 
of  the  garrison  remained  untouched  ;  yet  the  loss  of  men  was  small, 
consisting  of  two  killed,  and  seven  wounded.  This  saving  of  men 
was  owing  to  the  great  pains  taken  by  the  officers  to  keep  their  men 
under  cover. 

All  the  enemy's  movements  after  the  action  of  the  8th  of  January, 
were  calculated  to  securie  his  retreat,  should  such  prove  necessary, 
as  appearances  then  indicated  that  it  would.  Their  intention  was, 
however,  masked  by  a  menacing  attitude,  as  if  preparing  for  a  renewal 
of  the  attack  on  Jackson's  line.  They  had  erected  batteries  to  cover 
their  retreat,  in  advantageous  positions,  from  their  original  encamp- 
ment to  the  Bayou,  through  which  they  entered  Lake  Borgne.  The 
cannon  placed  on  these  batteries  could  have  raked  a  pursuing  army 
in  every  direction.  The  situation  of  the  ground  through  which  they 
retired,  was  protected  by  canals,  redoubts,  intrenchments  and  swamps, 
on  the  right,  and  the  river  on  the  left. 

After  the  action  of  the  8th,  the  artillery  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
was  constantly  employed  in  annoying  the  enemy.  An  attempt  to 
storm  his  batteries  would  have  produced  great  slaughter  among  the 
Americans,  been  doubtful  of  success,  and  might  possibly  have  in- 
duced the  enemy  to  delay  his  departure  ;  therefore  General  Jackson 
resolved  to  secure  the  advantage  obtained  with  the  least  possible  loss 
or  hazard. 

All  hope  which  the  enemy  had  of  reducing  Fort  St.  Philip  had 
vanished  ;  and  on  the  night  of  the  18th  they  precipitately  decamped, 
and  returned  to  their  shipping,  leaving  behind  them  eighty  of  their 
wounded,  fourteen  pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  and  an  immense  num- 
ber of  ball,  having  destroyed  much  of  their  powder. 

Mr.  Shields,  purser  in  the  navy,  on  the  16th  and  17th  of  January, 
in  letters  to  his  friend,  says  : 

"  The  day  after  the  gun-boats  were  taken,  I  was  sent  down  under 
a  flag  of  truce,  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  our  officers  and  men,  with 
power  to  negotiate  an  exchange,  especially  for  the  wounded.  But 
the  enemy  would  make  no  terms — they  treated  the  flag  with  con- 
tempt, and  myself  and  the  surgeon,  who  was  with  me,  as  prisoners, 
until  the  18th  instant.  He  has  now  lowered  his  tone,  and  begs  the 
exchange  that  we  ofiered.    Defeat  has  humbled  the  arrogance  of  the 


JACKSON    S     ADDRESS     TO     THE     SOLDIERS.  761 

enemy,  who  had  promised  his  soldiers  forty-eight  hours  pillage 

AND  RAPINE  IN  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   ORLEANS  !  !" 

The  watchword  and  countersign  of  the  enemy,  on  the  morning  of 
the  8th,  was  BEAUTY  and  BOOTY,  Comment  is  unnecessary  on 
these  significant  allusions  held  out  to  a  licentious  soldiery. 

Thus  ended,  in  disgrace  and  discomfiture  to  the  enemy,  an  expedi- 
tion which  occupied  several  months  in  its  preparation,  and  was  com- 
posed of  at  least  ten  thousand  troops,  drawn  from  almost  every  part 
of  the  world,  where  the  British  had  garrisons  or  soldiers.  Nothing 
was  left  undone  to  secure  the  occupation  of  an  immense  province, 
and  the  command  of  a  river  extending  thousands  of  miles  through 
the  most  fertile  countries  in  the  world ;  and  on  which  several  of  the 
United  States  depended  as  an  outlet  and  market  for  their  produce. 

From  an  official  account,  it  appeared  that  the  number  of  men 
under  command  of  General  Jackson,  and  actually  engaged  against 
the  enemy,  on  the  8th  January,  amounted  to  four  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  ninety-eight.  The  enemy's  force,  by  his  account,  exceeded 
ten  thousand. 

By  an  article  in  a  Jamaica  paper  of  the  3d  December,  it  was  stated 
that  the  expedition  then  prepared  to  go  against  the  United  States, 
under  command  of  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane  and  Major-General 
Keane,  (the  same  that  afterwards  entered  the  Mississippi,)  consisted 
of  one  ship  of  eighty  guns,  five  of  seventy-four,  three  of  fifty,  one 
of  forty-four,  six  of  thirty-eight,  two  of  thirty-six,  three  of  thirty- 
two,  three  of  sixteen,  two  of  fourteen,  and  three  of  six  guns — total, 
twenty-nine  vessels,  carrying  one  thousand  and  eighty-four  guns  ;  be- 
sides a  great  number  of  cutters,  transports,  &c. 

On  the  21st  January,  General  Jackson  directed  an  address  to  be 
publicly  read  at  the  head  of  each  of  the  corps  composing  the  lines 
near  New  Orleans.  It  must  have  been  a  difficult  and  delicate  task 
to  do  justice  t©  individuals  where  all  acted  so  well,  proving,  in  the 
general's  words,  "that  a  rampart  of  high-minded  men  is  a  better 
defence  than  the  most  regular  fortification." 

This  address  contained  the  following  emphatical  paragraph. 

"  Reasoning  always  from  false  principles,  they  (the  enemy,)  ex- 
pected little  opposition  from  men  whose  officers  even  were  not  in 
uniform,  who  were  ignorant  of  the  rules  of  dress,  and  who  had  never 
been  caned  into  discipline — fatal  mistake  !  a  fire  incessantly  kept  up, 
directed  with  calmness,  and  with  unerring  aim,  strewed  the  field  with 
the  brave  officers  and  men  of  the  column  which  slowly  advanced, 
according  to  the  most  approved  rules  of  European  tactics,  and  was 
cut  down  by  the  untutored  courage  of  the  American  militia.  Unable 
to  sustain  this  galling  and  unceasing  fire,  some  hundreds  nearest  the 


762  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

intrenchments  called  for  quarter,  which  was  granted — the  rest, 
retreating,  were  rallied  at  some  distance,  but  only  to  make  them  a 
surer  mark  for  the  grape  and  canister  shot  of  our  artillery,  which, 
without  exaggeration,  mowed  down  whole  ranks  at  every  discharge  ; 
and,  at  length,  they  precipitately  retreated  from  the  field." 

lEVERAL  desperate  characters,  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  as  well  as  foreigners,  natives 
of  different  countries,  had  associated  themselves 
into  a  band  of  pirates,  under  their  chief  Lafitte, 
and  had  taken  up  their  residence  in  the  island 
of  Barrataria,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  government  of  the  United  States  caused 
this  unlawful  establishment  to  be  broken  up.  The  expedition  against 
the  Barratarians,  took  possession  of  all  the  piratical  vessels,  their 
prizes,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  arms  and  property,  without 
opposition,  on  the  16th  of  September,  18  14.  The  vessels  thus  taken, 
consisted  of  six  schooners  and  one  felucca,  cruisers  and  prizes  of  the 
pirates,  one  brig,  a  prize,  and  two  armed  schooners,  both  in  line  of 
battle  with  the  armed  vessels  of  the  pirates.  The  establishment  on 
shore,  which  was  also  taken  possession  of,  consisted  of  about  forty 
houses.  The  pirates  had  mounted  on  their  vessels  twenty  pieces  of 
cannon,  of  different  calibres,  and  their  number  consisted  of  between 
eight  hundred  and  one  thousand  men,  of  all  nations  and  colors.  The 
expedition  against  the  pirates  was  under  command  of  Commodore 
Patterson  of  the  navy,  having  on  board  a  detachment  of  land  troops, 
under  command  of  Colonel  Ross. 

The  Barratarian  pirates  took  part  in  the  defence  of  New  Orleans 
against  the  British,  and  were  both  active  and  serviceable.  It  was, 
also,  satisfactorily  ascertained,  that  they  had,  previous  to  their  dis- 
persion, refused  an  alliance  with  the  British,  rejecting  the  most 
seducing  terms  of  invitation.  Induced  by  these  considerations,  and 
at  the  recommendation  of  the  general  assembly  of  the  state  of  Lou- 
isiana, the  president  of  the  United  States  granted  to  such  of  them  as 
aided  in  defence  of  New  Orleans,  a  full  pardon  for  all  offences  against 
the  laws  of  the  United  States,  committed  previous  to  the  8th  of 
January,  1815. 

Upon  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  a  portion  of  the  French  popula- 
tion obtained  from  the  resident  French  consul,  certificates  of  French 
citizenship.  The  general  allowed  their  validity  ;  but  sent  these  alien 
exempts  from  military  duty,  under  a  military  guard,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  from  his  camp  and  besieged  city,  to  Baton  Rouge, 
in  the  interior. 

A  printer  had  misrepresented  that  General  Jackson's  order  of 


ARREST      OF     GENERAL     JACKSON,  763 

removal  applied  indiscriminately  to  the  whole  French  population. 
The  French  consul,  Toussard,  a  second  timo,  resisted  the  martial 
law,  by  claiming  for  his  king,  individuals  of  the  city  militia.  He 
even  erected  a  standard,  and  under  pretext  of  the  violations  of  the 
liberty  of  the  French  citizens,  invited  them  to  revolt.  General  Jack- 
son, considering  further  forbearance  as  criminally  endangering  the 
lives  of  even  these  mongrel  citizens,  and  as  calculated  to  betray  the 
city  to  the  enemy,  arrested  this  consul ;  but  a  judge  (Hall)  of  the 
supreme  court,  issued  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  to  compel  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  prisoner.  The  general,  still  determined  to  maintain  his 
martial  law,  and  thereby  bind  together  this  heterogeneous  population 
to  the  defence  of  the  city,  ordered  the  judge  into  confinement,  and 
to  be  removed  without  the  lines  of  defence.  Boldly  indeed,  and  with 
an  unyielding  spirit,  the  general  compelled  and  controlled  the  public 
safety. 

After  the  peace  was  officially  known  at  New  Orleans  to  have  been 
ratified,  and  when  the  martial  law  had  ceased  to  operate.  General 
Jackson  was  cited  to  answer  before  the  judge,  whom  he  had  arrested, 
to  show  cause  why  an  attachment  should  not  issue  against  the  gene- 
ral for  a  contempt  of  the  court  in  sundry  particulars  relating  to  the 
writ  of  habeas  corpus.  The  general,  disdaining  to  evade  a  requisi- 
tion of  the  law,  submitted  himself  to  the  court,  and  by  his  counsel, 
offered  to  present  to  it  his  defence  in  writing,  but  which  was  contu- 
meliously  rejected  without  being  read.  This  trial,  which  precluded 
also  a  jury, -was  continued  from  day  to  day  for  several  days,  when 
on  the  last  day  General  Jackson  walked  into  the  court-house  with 
admirable  composure,  and  exemplary  respect  for  the  high  authority 
which  called  him  thither.  He  approached  the  judge  with  a  paper 
in  his  hand,  having  dispensed  with  the  friendly  offices  of  the  profes- 
sional gentleman  who  had  managed  his  case  before.  The  judge  in- 
formed the  general  that  there  w^ere  interrogatories  to  be  pronounced 
to  him  to  which  he  was  desired  to  respond  :  the  general  replied  that 
he  would  not  answer  them,  saying,  "  Sir,  my  defence  in  this  accu- 
sation has  been  offered,  and  you  have  denied  its  admission,  you  have 
refused  me  an  opportunity  of  explaining  my  motives,  and  the  neces- 
sity for  the  adoption  of  the  martial  law  in  repelling  an  invading  foe," 
pointing  out  at  the  same  moment  his  objections  to  that  mode  of  pro- 
ceeding under  which  the  inquiry  was  had,  to  know  whether  or  not 
the  attachment  should  issue.  "  I  was  then  with  these  brave  fellows 
in  arms,"  (alluding  to  the  surrounding  crowd.)  "You  were  not,  sir." 
The  judge  went  on  to  read  his  opinion.  The  general  interrupted  him 
with  much  apparent  deliberation,  saying,  "  Sir,  state  facts,  and  con- 
fine yourself  to  them.  Since  my  defence  is,  and  has  been  precluded, 


764  ANDREW     JACKSON. 

let  not  censure  constitute  a  part  of  this  sought-for  punishment." 
To  which  the  judge  replied — "  Jt  is  with  delicacy,  general,  that  I 
speak  of  your  name  and  character — I  consider  you  the  saviour  of 
the  country  ;  but  for  your  contempt  of  authority,  or  that  effect,  you 
will  pay  a  fine  of  one  thousand  dollars."  Here  the  general  inter- 
rupted, by  filling  a  check  for  that  sum,  on  the  bank,  and  presenting 
it  to  the  marshal,  which  was  received  in  discharge.  The  general 
then  retired,  observing,  on  his  passage  to  the  door,  *'  It  will  be  my 
turn  next." 

At  the  door  he  was  received  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  exclaim- 
ing populace,  with  which  the  streets  and  avenues  were  filled.  A 
coach  waited  at  the  door  of  the  court-house,  into  which  he  was  car- 
ried and  seated,  the  shafts  and  handles  of  which  were  eagerly  seized 
by  the  people.  In  this  way  he  was  precipitated  through  the  streets, 
to  the  French  cofTee-house,  among  the  shouts  of  Vive  le  Gfeneral 
Jackson,  and  denouncing  his  prosecutors,  thence  to  the  American 
coffee-house,  where  the  general  addressed  the  crowd  as  follows  : 

"  Fellow  Citizens  and  Soldiers : — Behold  your  general,  under  whom 
but  a  few  days  ago  you  occupied  the  tented  field,  braving  all  the 
privations  and  dangers  in  repelling  and  defeating  your  country's 
exterior  enemies,  under  the  rules  and  discipline  of  the  camp,  so 
indispensable  to  the  hope  of  victory  ;  rules  which  were  predicated 
upon  necessity,  and  which  met  the  approbation  of  every  patriot. 
Behold  him  now,  bending  under  a  specious  pretext  of  redressing 
your  country's  civil  authority,  which,  though  wrought  through  pre- 
judice, he  scorns  to  deny  or  oppose,  but  cheerfully  submits  to  what 
is  inflicted  upon  him,  now  that  the  difficulties  under  which  we  groaned 
are  removed,  and  the  discipline  of  the  camp  summons  you  no  more 
to  arms.  It  is  the  highest  duty  and  pride  of  all  good  men  to  pay 
their  tribute  of  respect  to  the  guardian  of  our  civil  liberties.  Remem- 
ber this  last  charge,  as  in  a  few  days  I  expect  to  leave  you ,  it  may 
serve  as  a  lesson  to  yourselves  and  posterity." 

Mr.  Davezac  gave  the  substance  of  the  preceding  remarks  from 
the  general  in  French  ;  after  which  the  general  was  conducted  to  the 
coach,  and  drawn  to  his  quarters  in  Fauxbourg  Marigny,  followed  by 
the  multitude,  echoing,  Vive  le  Creneral  Jackson. 

The  fine  was  afterwards  paid  by  a  voluntary  subscription  of  one 
dollar  each,  by  one  thousand  citizens. 

Addresses,  which  seemed  necessarily  to  comprise  the  mass  of  the 
city  population  of  New  Orleans,  were  presented  to  the  general,  not 
only  approving,  but  extolling,  in  the  most  grateful  language,  his 
military  conduct.  Congress  also  passed,  unanimously,  resolutions 
of  thanks  to  the  general  for  the  defence  which  he  made,  and  an 


GENERAL     JACKSON     ELECTED     PRESIDENT.  765 

emblematic  gold  medal,  with  devices  of  his  splendid  achievements, 
has  been  ordered  to  be  presented  to  him.  Addresses  and  resolutions 
of  thanks  from  other  and  minor  bodies  from  various  parts  of  the 
Union,  also  evince  the  gratitude  of  this  numerous  people  to  the 
general,  for  his  almost  unequalled  victories. 

Peace  having  been  promulgated,  the  militia  w^ere  discharged.  The 
general  was  relieved  in  his  command  by  General  Gaines,  and  returned 
to  Nashville,  welcomed  by  his  fellow  citizens  with  the  greatest  applause. 

When  the  army  was  reduced  to  a  peace  establishment.  General 
Jackson  was  retained  in  the  service,  and  appointed  to  command  the 
southern  military  district.  In  the  summer  of  18  17,  he  was  appointed 
a  commissioner  to  treat  with  the  Creek  Indians  respecting  a  purchase 
of  land,  which  having  effected,  he  returned  to  Nashville  with  his 
suite  in  the  month  of  August. 

General  Jackson's  next  public  employment  was  the  conduct  of  the 
war  against  the  Seminole  Indians,  in  1818.  With  a  force  composed 
of  Tennessee  volunteers  and  Georgia  militia,  he  penetrated  into 
Florida  to  the  retreats  of  the  savages  and  fugitive  slaves  who  had 
joined  them,  and  set  fire  to  their  villages.  He  likewise  took  pos- 
session, without  hesitation,  of  several  of  the  Spanish  posts  in  that 
region,  whence  the  Indians  had  been  supplied  with  arms  and  ammu- 
nition, and  executed  tw^o  Englishmen  who  had  been  actively  engaged 
in  this  trade.  The  posts  were  restored  by  the  orders  of  the  govern- 
ment ;  but  an  attempt  in  the  house  of  representatives  in  Congress 
to  inflict  a  censure  upon  General  Jackson,  for  the  irregularity  of  his 
proceedings,  was  defeated,  after  very  protracted  debates,  by  a  con- 
siderable majority.  When  Florida  was  transferred  by  Spain  to  the 
United  States,  he  was  appointed  the  first  governor  of  the  new  terri- 
tory (in  1821).  He  resigned  this  office,  and  returned  to  his  farm  near 
Nashville,  in  the  following  year.  In  1823,  hew^as  once  more  chosen  to 
represent  the  state  of  Tennessee  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  but 
resigned  his  seat  in  that  body  on  becoming  a  prominent  candidate  for 
the  presidency.  Of  the  electoral  votes  which  were  given  in  the  end  of 
the  year  1824,  he  received  ninety-nine,  Mr.  Adams  eighty-four,  Mr. 
Crawford  forty-one,  and  Mr.  Clay  thirty-seven.  The  election  de- 
volved, by  the  provisions  of  the  constitution,  on  the  members  of  the 
house  of  representatives  in  Congress,  voting  by  states,  and  Mr. 
Adams  was  selected  to  be  the  president.  In  1828,  and  again  in 
1832,  General  Jackson  was  chosen  to  fill  that  high  office;  in  the 
former  instance,  by  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  of  the  electoral 
votes  to  eighty-three  given  in  favor  of  Mr.  Adams  ;  and,  in  the  latter, 
by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  electoral  votes  above  his 
opponent,  Mr.  Clay. 


766 


ANDREW     JACKSON. 


The  session  of  Congress  of  1 8 29—3 0.  M^hich  was  the  first  after 
the  induction  of  General  Jackson  into  the  presidential  chair,  was 
signalized  by  the  passage  of  the  bill  for  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
from  the  states  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Mississippi,  to  the  territory- 
assigned  to  them  as  their  permanent  abode  beyond  that  river. — In 
July,  1832,  the  bill  for  the  recharter  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
after  passing  both  the  senate  and  house  of  representatives  of  the 
United  States,  failed  to  become  a  law,  through  the  application  of  the 
president's  veto.  This  year  was,  however,  especially  remarkable  for 
the  attitude  assumed  by  South  Carolina  in  relation  to  the  general 
government,  to  induce  it  to  retrace  the  steps  which  it  had  taken  for 
the  encouragement  or  protection  of  American  manufactures.  A  con- 
vention of  delegates,  assembled  at  Columbia  in  that  state,  declared 
the  acts  of  Congress  imposing  duties  on  commodities  from  abroad, 
for  any  other  purposes  than  that  of  revenue,  to  be  unconstitutional, 
and  of  no  binding  force  upon  their  constituents, — a  measure  which 
has  received  the  name  of  nullification.  The  general  government, 
on  the  one  hand,  prepared  to  maintain  the  authority  of  the  laws  of 
the  Union  by  force,  should  this  become  necessary  ;  and,  on  the  other, 
the  people  of  South  Carolina  seemed  to  have  made  up  their  minds 
deliberately  to  resist,  by  every  means  in  their  power,  any  attempt 
that  might  be  made  to  coerce  them  into  submission.  Everything 
indeed,  portended  the  outbreak  of  a  civil  war,  when  tranquillity  was 
restored,  by  the  enactment  by  Congress  in  March,  1833,  of  the 
famous  "  compromise  act,"  which  gradually  reduced  the  tariff  of 
duties  on  imported  commodities  to  a  certain  rate,  at  which  it  was 
intended  they  should  afterwards  be  continued. — A  bill  for  distributing 
the  proceeds  of  the  public  lands  among  the  states,  passed  the  United 
States  senate  in  January,  and  the  house  of  representatives  in  March, 
1833,  but  did  not  receive  the  signature  of  the  president.  And  it 
was  in  this  year,  that  the  measure  was  adopted  of  the  removal  of  the 
government  deposits  from  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  already 
noticed  in  a  previous  part  of  the  present  article.  The  resolution  of 
the  senate,  condemning  the  course  pursued  by  the  president,  remained 
on  the  records  of  that  body,  notwithstanding  the  president's  protest, 
until  expunged  by  a  resolution  passed  by  it  in  January,  1837,  a  few 
weeks  only  before  the  termination  of  General  Jackson's  presidential 
career. — In  1834,  a  danger  arose  of  a  hostile  collision  between  the 
United  States  and  France,  on  account  of  the  refusal  of  the  French 
chamber  of  deputies  to  make  the  appropriation  required  for  the  execu- 
tion of  the  treaty  concluded  in  1831,  by  which  the  French  govern- 
ment stipulated  to  make  indemnity  for  spoliations  committed  on 
American  commerce  during  the  reign  of  Napoleon.     In  December, 


DEATH  OF  GENERAL  JACKSON. 


767 


the  president,  in  consequence,  recommended  reprisals  to  be  made 
upon  French  commerce,  in  the  event  of  the  indemnity  being  any- 
longer  withheld  ;  in  January,  1835,  the  French  government,  offended 
with  this  recommendation,  and  with  the  language  of  the  president 
respecting  France,  in  his  message  to  Congress,  recalled  its  minister 
from  the  United  States  ;  and,  on  the  2d  of  March  following,  on  the 
motion  of  Mr,  John  Quincy  Adams,  the  house  of  representatives 
unanimously  resolved,  "that  in  the  opinion  of  this  house,  the  treaty 
with  France,  of  the  4th  of  July,  1831,  should  be  maintained,  and  its 
fulfilment  insisted  upon."  Fortunately,  a  change  about  this  time 
occurred  in  the  French  ministry,  and  the  indemnity  bill  passed  the 
chamber  of  deputies  on  the  18th  of  April,  but,  with  the  condition 
annexed,  that  the  money  (twenty-five  million  francs)  was  not  to  be 
paid  until  the  French  government  should  have  received  satisfactory 
explanations,  with  regard  to  the  president's  message  of  the  pre- 
ceding December.  This  condition,  however,  having  been  complied 
with,  the  treaty  was  executed  without  any  further  delay,  and  a  good 
understanding  was  restored  between  the  two  countries. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1837,  Jackson's  second  presidential  term 
expired.  After  having  witnessed  the  inauguration  of  his  successor, 
he  retired  to  the  Hermitage,  where  he  remained  in  the  enjoyment  of 
uninterrupted  peace  until  June  8th,  1845,  the  date  of  his  decease. 
"  The  violence  of  political  strife,"  says  a  recent  writer,  "  will  long 
confuse  men's  judgments  of  his  character  and  abilities  as  a  whole  ; 
but  all  will  accord  to  him  the  praise  of  great  firmness,  energy,  de- 
cision and  disinterestedness — of  remarkable  military  skill  and  ardent 
patriotism." 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ALEXANDER  MACOMB. 


AJOR-GENERAL  ALEXANDER  MACOMB 
was  descended  from  Irish  ancestors.  His  father 
represented  the  city  of  New  York  in  the  legisla- 
ture of  the  state,  in  the  years  1787  and  1788, 
and  during  his  life  maintained  the  character  of 
an  active  and  useful  citizen.  Five  of  his  sons 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  either  in  the  regular 
army  or  in  the  militia.  Alexander  was  born  in  Detroit,  where  his 
father  was  then  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  on  the  3d  of  April,  1782. 
At  that  time  Detroit  was  a  military  post,  and  the  earliest  associa- 
tions of  the  mind  of  the  future  general  were  of  a  martial  cast.  At 
768 


MACOMB     AT     SCHOOL.  769 

the  ag^  of  eight  years  he  was  sent  to  school  at  the  Academy  at  New- 
ark, New  Jersey.  While  he  was  there,  the  excitement  produced  in 
this  country  by  the  progress  of  the  French  Revolution  reached  its 
height,  and  the  heroes  of  the  Newark  Academy  were  no  less  enthu- 
siastic in  their  determination  to  support  our  national  rights  than  their 
countrymen  of  larger  growth.  They  joined  in  the  task  of  throwing 
up  works  around  New  York,  to  defend  it  in  case  of  the  expected  war 
with  Great  Britain. 

"  The  ensuing  winter  furnished  new  occasions  for  these  miniature 
military  operations.  The  students  agreed  to  erect  a  fort  of  snow, 
and  to  divide  themselves  into  two  parties,  one  of  which  to  garrison 
the  fort,  and  the  other  to  attack  it.  The  Latin  and  Greek  teacher 
at  the  academy  was  a  Scotchman  of  the  name  of  Irquart,  who  pos- 
sessed deep-rooted  prejudices  against  the  French,  and,  finding  that 
they  were  not  so  enthusiastically  admired  as  formerly  by  1  he  Ame- 
ricans, sought  to  create  animosities  among  the  students,  who  were 
pretty  equally  divided  in  point  of  number.  The  fort  being  com- 
pleted, these  little  communities,  as  representatives  of  their  respective 
nations,  determined  to  toss-up  for  the  possession  of  the  fort,  and  each 
choose  a  commander.  The  French  won  ;  and  a  day  was  fixed  on 
for  the  siege  and  attack.  The  French  boys  secretly  repaired  to  the 
fort  the  previous  night,  with  frozen  snow-balls,  and  arranged  them  in 
their  magazines,  and  along  the  parapets.  At  dawn  of  the  appointed 
day,  the  parties  were  at  their  respective  stations,  Macomb  heading 
the  Americans.  The  besieging  party,  before  commencing  the  attack, 
threw  up,  under  the  fire  of  the  fort,  a  sort  of  epaulment,  to  cover 
themselves  from  the  balls  of  the  besieged.  The  Scotch  schoolmaster 
happened  that  day  to  get  into  the  academy  at  an  earlier  hour  than 
usual,  and  watched,  with  intense  eagerness,  the  operations  of  the 
belligerents,  which  were  going  on  at  no  great  distance  from  his  posi- 
tion. The  assailants  having  prepared  a  sufficient  quantity  of  muni- 
tions for  the  bombardment,  the  fire  was  opened  on  the  fort,  and 
returned  with  great  spirit  and  efl^ect,  several  of  the  besieging  party 
having  been  struck  with  the  ice-balls,  and  brought  to  the  ground. 
The  Americans  conceived  the  use  of  this  missile  to  be  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  war ;  and  their  leader  instantly  proposed  to  assault  the 
fort,  and  carry  it  by  storm.  This  proposal  was  hailed  with  three 
cheers,  and  almost  as  immediately  executed.  Under  a  tremendous 
and  well-directed  fire  of  the  ice-balls,  the  works  were  stormed,  the 
magazines  seized,  and  the  arms  turned  against  the  French.  The 
Scotchman  now  caused  the  bell  to  be  rung  for  school ;  and,  after 
severely  upbraiding  the-  besieged  party  for  their  treachery,  he  applied 
his  leathern  thong  to  their  leader,  calling  him  the  domned  French  mon, 

49 


770  ALEXANDER     MACOMB. 

until  our  hero,  by  his  intercession,  procured  his  release,  andjet  him 
go  on  parole." 

His  education  was  completed  under  the  personal  superintendence 
of  his  father,  who  caused  him  to  be  particularly  instructed  in  mathe- 
matics and  drawing,  and  paid  such  attention  to  his  bodily  exercises 
as  laid  the  foundation  for  a  hale,  robust  constitution.  On  the  28th 
of  May,  1798,  Macomb  became  a  member  of  the  New  York  Rangers, 
a  volunteer  company  composed  of  the  young  gentlemen  of  New 
York,  to  which  a  single  black  ball  denied  admission.  On  the  organi- 
zation of  the  army,  by  General  Washington,  he  applied  for  a  com- 
mission without  the  knowledge  of  his  friends,  and  was  appointed  a 
cornet  of  light  dragoons,  his  commission  dating  the  10th  of  January, 
1799.  General  Hamilton  hearing  of  his  application  for  a  commission, 
seconded  it,  with  the  remark,  that  he  was  "  young,  active  and  ambi- 
tious." General  North  became  adjutant-general,  and  was  stationed 
in  New  York,  near  the  head-quarters  of  General  Hamilton,  and 
Macomb,  though  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  was  appointed  to  his 
staff.  He  was  thus  thrown  into  constant  association  with  some  of 
the  most  scientific  and  practical  officers  of  the  revolutionary  army, 
and  after  learning  in  the  most  thorough  manner  all  the  duties  of  the 
soldier  and  officer,  young  Macomb  was  allowed  by  General  Hamil- 
ton to  go  to  Montreal,  to  observe  the  tactics  of  the  British  regular 
force  stationed  there. 

On  his  return  to  the  United  States  he  found  himself  retained  in 
the  military  establishment,  as  second  lieutenant  in  one  of  the  old 
troops  of  dragoons  ;  receiving  his  commission  from  the  hand  of  Pre- 
sident Jefferson,  on  the  10th  of  February  1801. 

He  was  ordered  on  the  recruiting  service  to  Philadelphia,  where 
he  employed  his  leisure  in  studying  the  science  of  fortification  and 
military  topography.  Having  raised  a  handsome  body  of  recruits, 
Macomb  marched  them  to  join  the  army  under  General  Wilkinson  at 
Pittsburg.  Although,  as  a  dragoon  officer,  entitled  to  be  mounted, 
yet  having  a  number  of  subaltern  officers  of  infantry  under  his  com- 
mand, he  declined  any  exclusive  personal  indulgence,  and  proceeded 
with  the  party  on  foot  a  distance,  by  the  ancient  route,  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  miles.  A  humorous  occurrence,  not  devoid  of 
interest  in  a  military  point  of  view,  happened  to  the  detachment  on 
the  way,  which  is  still  well  remembered  by  the  inhabitants  near 
Turtle  creek.  An  officer  of  superior  rank,  heading  a  small  body  of 
recruits,  overtook  Macomb's,  at  Chambersburg,  and  uniting  forces, 
assumed  the  command  of  the  whole.  The  party  now  consisting  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  with  the  usual  complement  of 
women,  halted  in  the  morning  on  an  island  near  the  crossing  place  at 


ANECDOTE.  771 

Turtle  creek.  This  was  in  the  month  of  May,  when  heavy  showers 
are  frequent  in  the  mountains  bordering  the  creek.  Macomb,  being 
officer  of  the  day  and  learning  the  intention  of  the  commanding 
officer  to  encamp  on  the  island,  remonstrated  against  the  measure, 
alleging  that  the  island,  lying  under  the  mountains,  was  obviously 
liable  to  be  Inundated,  pointing  out  at  the  same  time  the  drift  wood 
on  the  head  of  the  island,  as  an  evident  indication  of  that  fact.  The 
commanding  officer,  disdaining  the  representations  of  his  junior, 
authoritatively  ordered  the  tents  to  be  pitched.  The  camp  was  soon 
formed — the  men  became  busy  in  brushing  up  their  arms  and  accou- 
trements— and  the  women  in  washing  their  clothes.  At  tattoo,  they 
retired  to  rest.  But  the  day  had  scarcely  closed,  when  appalling 
thunder  indicated,  too  clearly,  a  coming  flood.  Pouring  down  the 
sides  of  the  mountains,  the  rain  soon  swelled  the  water  of  the  creek, 
w^hich  at  noon  was  nearly  dry,  to  a  level  with  the  island.  Through 
the  pitchy  darkness  of  the  night,  the  lightnings  revealed  the  approach- 
ing danger.  The  torrents  continued  to  pour,  and  the  floods  to  rise. 
The  drums  beat  to  arms — the  tents  were  struck — the  w^agons  were 
made  fast  to  any  fixture — the  women  scrambled  into  the  wagons,  and 
the  men  up  the  trees — and  the  horses  were  swum  by  their  drivers 
across  the  creek.  In  this  plight,  so  ludicrous  if  it  had  not  been 
dangerous,  in  which  they  remained  through  the  night,  daylight  both 
exposed  and  relieved  them.  The  inhabitants  came  to  their  rescue 
on  floats,  from  which,  on  returning,  many  were  swept  by  the  force 
of  the  stream,  and  floated  about  like  the  fragments  of  a  wreck.  On 
main  land  once  more,  from  the  disagremen  of  accompanying  a 
drenched  and  all  but  drowned  party,  which  a  little  while  before  had 
worn  a  most  soldier-like  appearance,  and  which  Macomb  had  spared 
neither  pains  nor  expense  in  equipping  and  ornamenting,  he  was 
extricated  by  his  commanding  officer,  who,  having  now  dearly  bought 
an  useful  lesson  in  the  art  of  castramentation,  and  learned  to  appre- 
ciate Macomb's  advice,  despatched  him  to  General  Wilkinson  for 
fresh  supplies  of  provisions  and  clothing. 

In  1801,  he  accompanied  General  Wilkinson,  who  had  been 
appointed  a  commissioner  with  General  Pickens  and  Colonel  Hawkins 
to  treat  with  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  south-west  territory.  About 
ten  months  were  spent  in  the  mission,  during  which  Macomb  kept 
a  minute  journal  in  which  he  noted  the  courses  and  distances  of 
streams  and  positions,  the  productions  of  the  soil  and  the  geographical 
and  geological  features  of  the  country.  He  also  constructed  a  topo- 
graphical map,  which  was  sent  to  the  war  office,  and  received  the 
marked  approbation  of  President  Jefferson. 

While  on  this  commission  the  army  had  been  again  reduced,  but 


772  ALEXANDER     MACOMB. 

he  was  retained  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  corps  of  engineers,  a  flatter- 
ing mark  of  the  esteem  in  which  his  talents  and  merits  as  a  draughts- 
man and  engineer  were  held. 

He  was  ordered  to  West  Point,  where  he  remained  until  June 
1805,  when  he  was  appointed  captain  in  the  corps  of  engineers. 
During  this  portion  of  his  life  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  his  studies 
on  military  exercises,  except  when  he  was  called  from  them  to  attend 
a  court  martial,  sometimes  as  member,  and  sometimes  as  judge 
advocate.  He  acted  in  this  latter  capacity  at  the  trial  of  Colonel 
Butler  for  disobedience  in  refusing  to  comply  with  the  order  of  Gen- 
eral Wilkinson  requiring  the  hair  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  to  be 
cropped.  The  gallant  old  veteran  retained  his  queue  at  the  risk  of  a 
reprimand  for  breach  of  discipline.  During  this  trial  Macomb  exhi- 
bited so  correct  a  knowledge  of  military  law  and  the  mode  of  proceed- 
ing, that  several  of  the  members  of  the  court  requested  him  to  prepare 
a  treatise  as  a  guide  for  the  conduct  of  courts  martial ;  a  work  which 
he  executed  while  engaged  in  superintending  the  erection  of  public 
works  at  Mount  Dearborn,  S.  C.  After  receiving  the  approbation  of 
Generals  Davie  and  Pinckney  it  was  printed,  presented  to  the  govern- 
ment, received  the  approbation  of  the  president,  and  adopted  as  the 
standard  for  the  guidance  of  courts  martial. 

Macomb  rose  gradually  in  his  profession,  honored  from  time  to 
time  with  the  confidence  and  approbation  of  the  heads  of  the  depart- 
ment. At  the  time  the  war  of  1812  was  determined  on,  he  held 
the  rank  of  colonel  of  engineers,  and  the  office  of  adjutant-general 
of  the  army.  These  he  abandoned  when  active  service  in  the 
field  was  to  be  found,  and  received  the  appointment  of  colonel 
of  the  third  regiment  of  artillery,  which  was  forthwith  raised, 
equipped,  organized  and  disciplined  under  his  auspices.  It  soon 
became  a  model  for  most  of  the  others  in  the  service.  Marching  to 
Sackett's  Harbor  in  November,  1812,  he  spent  the  winter  in  com- 
mand of  the  whole  lake  frontier.  In  January,  1814,  he  was  raised 
to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  appointed  to  a  command  on  the 
east  side  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  from  this  time  until  the  battle  of 
Plattsburgh,  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  arduous 
duties.  During  the  summer  of  1814,  Sir  George  Prevost,  the  go- 
vernor-general of  the  Canadas,  having  greatly  augmented  his  forces, 
by  detachments  from  the  army  that  had  reaped  laurels  in  Spain  and 
Portugal,  under  Wellington,  determined  to  strike  a  decisive  blow  on 
the  frontier,  in  the  hope  of  terminating  the  contest. 

While  he  lay  at  Odletown,  trusting  to  the  superiority  of  his  num- 
bers, and  the  terrible  appearance,  perhaps,  of  his  invincibles,  he 
permitted  his  camp  to  be  open  to  any  American  citizen  who  chose 


PREVOST    S     INVASION.  775 

to  enter  it,  and  endeavored  by  its  arrangement  to  magnify  its  really 
great  strength.  A  body  of  merchants  accompanied  the  expedition 
with  a  view  of  disposing  of  their  goods  in  the  conquered  parts  of  the 
United  States.  The  news  of  the  capture  of  Washington  at  this  time 
reached  Macomb,  who  with  true  military  courtesy  sent  the  papers 
containing  an  account  of  it  to  the  British  general,  with  his  compli- 
ments. He  thus  gave  to  this  atfair  the  appearance  of  an  ordinary 
occurrence  of  war,  and  taught  the  enemy  that  he  considered  it  no 
augury  of  defeat. 

The  effect  of  all  these  things  upon  others,  however,/ was  different. 
Day  after  day  he  received  communications  from  the  most  respectable 
inhabitants,  urging  him  to  send  the  public  stores  up  the  lake,  and 
retire,  that  he  might  save  them,  his  troops  and  the  town  of  Platts- 
burgh  from  the  inevitable  destruction  that  impended.  A  retreat 
before  such  a  force  would  not  be  dishonorable,  but  to  remain  would 
be  a  wanton  sacrifice  of  lives  and  property.  After  a  time,  the  un- 
flinching general  answered  their  petitions.  His  answer  was  conveyed 
in  a  letter  to  the  secretary  of  war,  which  we  quote.  It  is  dated 
Plattsburgh,  September  16th,  1814. 

"  The  governor-general  of  the  Canadas,  Sir  George  Prevost,  having 
collected  all  the  disposable  force  of  Lower  Canada,  with  a  view  of 
conquering  the  country  as  far  as  Ticonderoga,  entered  the  territory  of 
the  United  States  on  the  first  of  the  month,  and  occupied  the  village 
of  Champlain,  there  avowed  his  intentions,  and  issued  orders  and 
proclamations,  tending  to  dissuade  the  people  from  their  allegiance, 
and  inviting  them  to  furnish  his  army  with  provisions.  He  imme- 
diately began  to  impress  the  wagons  and  teams  in  the  vicinity,  and 
loaded  them  with  baggage  and  stores,  indicating  preparations  for  an 
attack  on  this  place.  My  fine  brigade  was  broken  up  to  form  a 
division  ordered  to  the  westward,  which  consequently  left  me  in  the 
command  of  a  garrison  of  convalescents  and  the  recruits  of  the  new 
regiments,  all  in  the  greatest  confusion,  as  well  as  the  ordnance  and 
stores,  and  the  works  in  no  state  of  defence. 

To  create  an  emulation  and  zeal  among  the  officers  and  men,  I 
divided  them  into  detachments,  and  placed  them  near  the  several 
forts,  declaring  in  orders,  that  each  detachment  was  the  garrison  of 
its  own  work,  and  bound  to  defend  it  to  the  last  extremity.  The 
enemy  advanced  cautiously  and  by  short  marches,  and  our  soldiers 
worked  day  and  night ;  so  that,  by  the  time  he  made  his  appearance 
before  the  place,  we  were  prepared  to  receive  him.  Finding,  on 
examining  the  returns  of  the  garrison,  that  our  force  did  not  exceed 
fifteen  hundred  men  for  duty,  and  well  informed,  that  the  enemy  had 
as  many  thousand,  I  called  on  General  Mooers   of  the  New  York 


776  ALEXANDER     MACOMB. 

militia,  and  arranged  with  him  places  for  bringing  forth  the  militia 
en  masse. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  village  fled  with  their  families  and  effects, 
except  a  few  worthy  citizens  and  some  boys,  who  formed  themselves 
into  a  party,  received  rifles,  and  were  exceedingly  useful.  General 
Mooers  arrived  with  seven  hundred  militia,  and  advanced  several 
miles  on  the  Beekmantown  road,  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  enemy, 
and  to  skirmish  with  him  as  he  advanced,  also  to  obstruct  the  roads 
with  fallen  trees,  and  to  break  up  the  bridges.  On  the  lake  road,  at 
Dead  Creek  bridge,  I  posted  two  hundred  men,  under  Captain 
Sprou],  of  the  13th  regiment,  with  orders  to  abattis  the  woods,  to 
place  obstructions  in  the  road,  and  to  fortify  himself;  to  this  party  I 
added  two  field-pieces.  In  advance  of  that  position  was  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Appling,  with  one  hundred  and  ten  riflemen,  watching  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  and  procuring  intelligence.  It  was  ascer- 
tained that  before  daylight  on  the  6th,  the  enemy  would  advance  in 
two  columns,  on  the  roads  before  mentioned,  dividing  at  Sampson's, 
a  little  below  Chazy  village.  The  column  on  the  Beekmantown 
road  proceeded  most  rapidly ;  the  militia  skirmished  with  their 
advanced  parties,  and,  except  a  few  brave  men,  fell  back  most  pre- 
cipitately, in  the  greatest  disorder,  notwithstanding  the  British  troops 
did  not  design  to  fire  on  them  except  by  their  flankers  and  advanced 
patrols. 

Finding  the  enemy's  columns  had  penetrated  within  a  mile  of 
Plattsburgh,  I  despatched  my  aid-de-camp.  Lieutenant  Root,  to 
bring  off"  the  detachment  at  Dead  Creek,  and  to  inform  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Appling  that  I  wished  him  to  fall  on  the  enemy's  right  flank  ; 
the  colonel  fortunately  arrived  just  in  time  to  save  his  retreat,  and  to 
fall  in  with  the  head  of  a  column  debouching  from  the  woods  ;  here 
he  poured  in  a  destructive  fire  from  his  riflemen  at  rest,  and  con-* 
tinned  to  annoy  the  column,  until  he  formed  a  junction  with  Major 
Wool.  The  field-pieces  did  considerable  execution  among  the  enemy's 
columns.  So  undaunted,  however,  was  the  enemy,  that  he  never 
deployed  in  his  whole  march,  always  pressing  on  in  a  column.  Find- 
ing that  every  road  around  us  was  full  of  troops,  crowding  in  all 
sides,  I  ordered  the  field-pieces  to  retire  across  the  bridge,  and  form 
a  battery  for  its  protection,  and  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  infantry, 
which  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  parties  of  Appling  and  Wool, 
as  well  as  that  of  Sproul,  retired  alternately,  keeping  up  a  brisk  fire 
until  they  got  under  cover  of  the  works.  The  enemy's  light  troops 
occupied  the  houses  near  the  bridge,  and  kept  up  a  constant  firing 
from  the  windows  and  balconies,  and  annoyed  us  much.  I  ordered 
them  to  be  driven  out  with  hot  shot,  which  soon  fired  the  houses  and 


BATTLE     OF     PLATTSBURGH. 


777 


oblig-ed  these  sharp-shooters  to  retire.  The  whole  day,  until  it  was 
too  late  to  see,  the  enemy's  light  troops  endeavored  to  drive  our 
guards  from  the  bridge,  but  they  suffered  dearly  for  their  perse- 
verance. 

Our  troops  being  all  on  the  south  side  of  the  Saranac,  I  directed 
the  planks  to  be  taken  off  the  bridges,  and  piled  up  in  form  of  breast- 
vv^orks,  to  cover  our  parties  intended  for  disputing  the  passage, 
which  afterwards  enabled  us  to  hold  the  bridges  against  very  supe- 
rior numbers.  From  the  7th  to  the  1 1th,  the  enemy  was  employed 
in  getting  his  battering  train,  and  erecting  his  batteries  and  ap- 
proaches, and  constantly  skirmishing  at  the  bridges  and  fords.  By 
this  time  the  militia  of  New  York  and  volunteers  from  Vermont, 
were  pouring  in  from  all  quarters.  I  advised  General  Mooers  to 
keep  his  force  along  the  Saranac,  to  prevent  the  enemy  crossing  the 
river,  and  to  send  a  strong  body  in  his  rear,  to  harass  him  day  and 
night,  and  keep  him  in  continual  alarm.  The  militia  behaved  with 
great  spirit  after  the  first  day,  and  the  volunteers  from  Vermont  were 
exceedingly  serviceable. 

Our  regular  troops,  notwithstanding  the  constant  skirmishing,  and 
repeated  endeavors  of  the  enemy  to  cross  the  river,  kept  at  their 
work,  day  and  night,  strengthening  their  defences,  and  evinced  a 
determination  to  hold  out  to  the  last  extremity.  It  was  reported  that 
the  enemy  only  awaited  the  arrival  of  his  flotilla  to  make  a  genera] 
attack.  About  eight,  on  the  morning  of  the  1 1th,  as  was  expected, 
the  flotilla  appeared  in  sight,  round  Cumberland  Head,  and  at  nine, 
bore  down  and  engaged  our  flotilla,  at  anchor  in  the  bay*  off  this 
town.  At  the  same  instant,  the  batteries  were  opened  on  us,  and 
continued  throwing  bomb-shells,  shrapnells,  balls  and  Congreve  rock- 
ets until  sunset,  when  the  bombardment  ceased  ;  every  battery  of 
the  enemy  being  silenced  by  the  superiority  of  our  fire.  The  naval 
engagement  lasted  two  hours,  in  full  view  of  both  armies.  Three 
efforts  were  now  made  by  the  enemy  to  pass  the  river  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  cannonade  and  bombardment,  with  a  view  of 
assaulting  the  works,  and  had  prepared  for  that  purpose  an  immense 
number  of  scaling  ladders  ;  one  attempt  was  made  to  cross  at  the 
village  bridge  ;  another  at  the  upper  bridge ;  and  a  third  at  a  ford, 
about  three  miles  from  the  works.  At  the  two  first  he  was  repulsed 
by  the  regulars  ;  at  the  ford,  by  the  brave  volunteers  and  militia — 
where  he  suffered  severely  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  a  con- 
siderable body  having  passed  the  stream,  but  were  either  killed,  taken 
or  driven  back.     The  woods  at  this  place  were  very  favorable  to  the 


*  Burlington  Bay,  where  the  Battle  of  Lake  Champlain  was  fought. 


778  ALEXANDER     MACOMB. 

operations  of  our  militia;  a  whole  company  of  the  76th  regitnent 
was  here  destroyed — the  three  lieutenants  and  twenty-seven  men 
prisoners  ;  the  captain  and  the  rest  killed.  I  cannot  forego  the 
pleasure  of  here  stating  the  gallant  conduct  of  Captain  McGlassin, 
of  the  1 5th  regiment,  who  was  ordered  to  ford  the  river  and  attack 
a  party  constructing  a  battery  on  the  right  of  the  enemy's  line, 
within  five  hundred  yards  of  Fort  Brown,  which  he  handsomely  exe- 
cuted, at  midnight,  with  fifty  men  ;  drove  off  the  working  party, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  defeated  a  covering  party 
of  the  same  number,  killing  one  officer  and  six  men  in  the  charge, 
and  wounding  many.  At  dusk,  the  enemy  withdrew  his  artillery 
from  the  batteries,  and  raised  the  siege  ;  and  at  nine,  under  cover  of 
the  night,  sent  off  all  the  heavy  baggage  he  could  find  transport  for, 
and  also  his  artillery.  At  two  the  next  morning,  the  whole  party 
precipitately  retreated,  leaving  the  sick  and  wounded  to  our  genero- 
sity, and  the  governor  left  a  note  with  a  surgeon,  requesting  the 
humane  attention  of  the  commanding  general. 

Vast  quantities  of  provisions  were  left  behind  and  destroyed;  also, 
an  immense  quantity  of  bomb-shells,  cannon-balls,  grape-shot,  ammu- 
nition, flints,  &c,  &c. ;  intrenching  tools  of  all  sorts,  also  tents  and 
markees.  A  great  quantity  has  been  found  in  the  ponds  and  creeks, 
and  buried  in  the  ground,  and  a  vast  quantity  carried  off  by  the 
inhabitants.  Such  was  the  precipitance  of  his  retreat,  that  he 
arrived  at  Chazy,  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  before  we  had  discovered 
his  departure.  The  light  troops,  volunteers  and  militia,  pursued 
immediately  on  learning  his  flight ;  and  some  of  the  mounted  men 
made  prisoners,  five  dragoons  of  the  19th,  and  several  others  of  the 
rear  guard.  A  continued  fall  of  rain,  and  a  violent  storm,  prevented 
further  pursuit.  Upwards  of  three  hundred  deserters  have  come  in, 
and  many  are  hourly  arriving.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed, 
wounded,  prisoners,  and  deserters,  since  his  first  appearance,  cannot 
fall  short  of  two  thousand  five  hundred,  including  many  officers, 
among  whom  is  Colonel  Wellington  of  the  Buffs.  Killed  and 
wounded  on  the  American  side ;  thirty-seven  killed,  sixty-six  wounded 
— missing  twenty ;  making  one  hundred  and  twenty-three.  The 
whole  force  under  Sir  George  Prevost  amounted  \o  fourteen  thousand. 
The  conduct  of  the  officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers 
of  my  command,  during  this  trying  occasion,  cannot  be  represented 
in  too  high  terms." 

Our  account  of  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh  would  be  incomplete 
without  the  following  official  despatch  of  Commodore  Macdonough, 
giving  a  most  vivid  description  of  his  glorious  victory  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain. 


MACDONOUGH    S     OFFICIAL     DESPATCH. 


779 


Comraodoxe  Macdonouglx 


U.  S.  Ship  Saratoga,  Plattsbttrgh  Bat,") 
September  13th,  1814.      3 

Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  give  you  the  particulars  of  the  action 
which  took  place  on  the  1 1th  instant,  on  this  lake. 

For  several  days  the  enemy  were  on  their  way  to  Plattsburgh  by 
land  and  water,  and  it  being  well  understood  that  an  attack  would 
be  made  at  the  same  time,  by  their  land  and  naval  forces,  I  deter- 
mined to  await,  at  anchor,  the  approach  of  the  latter. 

At  eight  A.  M.  the  look-out  boat  announced  the  approach  of  the 
enemy.  At  nine,  he  anchored  in  a  line  ahead,  at  about  three  hun- 
dred yards  distance  from  my  line  ;  his  ship  opposed  the  Saratoga, 
his  brig  to  the  Eagle,  Captain  Robert  Henley  ;  his  galleys,  thirteen 
in  number,  to  the  schooner,  sloop,  and  a  division  of  our  galleys  ;  one 
of  his  sloops  assisting  their  ship  and  brig,  the  other  assisting  their 
galleys.     Our  remaining  galleys  with  the  Saratoga  and  Eagle. 

In  this  situation,  the  whole  force  on  both  sides,  became  engaged, 
the  Saratoga  suffering  much  from  the  heavy  fire  of  the  Confiance. 
I  could  perceive  at  the  same  time,  however,  that  our  fire  was  very 
destructive  to  her.  The  Ticonderoga,  Lieutenant  Commandant 
Cassin,  gallantly  sustained  her  full  share  of  the  action.     At  half  past 


780 


ALEXANDER  MACOMB, 


Battle  of  Lake  Cliamplain. 

ten  o'clock,  the  Eagle  not  being  able  to  bring  her  guns  to  bear,  cut 
her  cable,  and  anchored  in  a  more  eligible  position,  between  my  ship 
and  the  Ticonderoga,  where  she  very  much  annoyed  the  enemy,  but 
unfortunately,  leaving  me  exposed  to  a  galling  fire  from  the  enemy's 
brig.  Our  guns  on  the  starboard  side  being  nearly  all  dismounted, 
or  not  manageable,  astern  anchor  was  let  go,  the  bower  cut,  and  the 
ship  winded  with  a  fresh  broadside  on  the  enemy's  ship,  which  soon 
after  surrendered.  Our  broadside  was  then  sprung  to  bear  on  the 
brig,  which  surrendered  in  about  fifteen  minutes  after. 

The  sloop  that  was  opposed  to  the  Eagle,  had  struck  some  time 
before,  and  drifted  down  the  line  ;  the  sloop  which  was  with  their 
galleys  having  struck  also.  Three  of  their  galleys  are  said  to  be  sunk, 
the  others  pulled  off.  Our  galleys  were  about  obeying  with  alacrity, 
the  signal  to  follow  them,  when  all  the  vessels  w^ere  reported  to  me 
to  be  in  a  sinking  state  ;  it  then  became  necessary  to  annul  the  sig- 
nal to  the  galleys,  and  order  their  men  to  the  pumps.  I  could  only 
look  at  the  enemy's  galleys  going  off  in  a  shattered  condition,  for  there 
was  not  a  mast  in  either  squadron  that  could  stand  to  make  sail  on ; 
the  lower  rigging  being  nearly  shot  away,  hung  down  as  though  it 
had  been  just  placed  over  mast  heads. 

The  Saratoga  had  fifty-five  round  shot  in  her  hull,  the  Confiance 
one  hundred  and  five.  The  enemy's  shot  passed  principally  just  over 
our  heads,  as  there  were  not  twenty  whole  hammocks  in  the  nettings 
at  the  close  of  the  action,  which  lasted,  without  intermission,  two 
hours  and  twenty  minutes. 

The  absence  and  sickness  of  Lieutenant  Raymond  Perry,  left  me 


BATTLE     OF     LAKE     CHAMPLAIN. 


Burlington  Bay. 

without  the  services  of  that  excellent  officer ;  much  ought  fairly  to 
be  attributed  to  him  for  his  great  care  and  attention  in  disciplining 
the  ship's  crew  as  her  first  lieutenant.  His  place  was  filled  by  a  gal- 
lant young  officer,  Lieutenant  Peter  Gamble,  who,  I  regret  to  inform 
you,  was  killed  early  in  the  action.  Acting  Lieutenant  Vallette 
worked  the  first  and  second  division  of  guns  with  able  eff'ect.  Sail- 
ing-master Brum's  attention  to  the  springs,  and  in  the  execution  of 
the  order  to  wind  the  ship,  and  occasionally  at  the  guns,  met  my 
entire  approbation  :  also  Captain  Youngs,  commanding  the  acting 
marines,  who  took  his  men  to  the  guns.  Mr.  Beale,  purser,  was  of 
great  service  at  the  guns,  and  in  carrying  my  orders  throughout  the 
ship,  with  Midshipman  Montgomery.  Masters  mate,  Joshua  Justin, 
had  command  of  the  third  division  ;  his  conduct  during  the  action, 
was  that  of  a  brave  officer.  Midshipmen  Monteath,  Graham,  William- 
son, Piatt,  Thwing,  and  Acting  Midshipman  Balwin,  all  behaved  well, 
and  gave  evidence  of  their  making  valuable  officers.  The  Saratoga 
was  twice  set  on  fire,  by  hot  shot  from  the  enemy's  ship. 

I  close,  sir,  this  communication,  with  feelings  of  gratitude,  for  the 
able  support  I  received  from  every  officer  and  man  attached  to  tlie 
squadron  which  I  have  the  honor  to  command. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c., 

T.  Macdonougii. 
Honorable  William  Jones,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


That  the  governor  general  of  the  Canadas,  with  fourteen  thousand 
veteran  invincibles  of  Wellington — with  soldiers  who  had  conquered 


782  ALEXANDER     MACOMB. 

in  the  most  sanguinary  fields  of  Europe,  and  established  with  their 
life's  blood,  an  imperishable  fame — that  he  should  abandon  the 
conquest  of  the  United  States,  and  retreat  to  Canada  before 
fifteen  hundred  regular  Yankee  troops  and  their  voluntary  comrades 
of  the  militia,  was  too  incredible.  The  people  could  not  be  made 
to  believe  it  for  a  considerable  time,  but  when  conviction  came,  their 
gratitude  knew  no  bounds.  The  papers  every  where  in  the  United 
States  teemed  with  eulogy  of  the  defence  of  Plattsburgh.  The 
legislatures  of  the  several  states  passed  resolves  of  thanks  to  the 
officers  and  men  ;  and  General  Macomb  was  noticed  with  especial 
commendation,  particularly  by  his  own  state  and  the  state  of  Ver- 
mont. The  state  of  New  York  complimented  him  with  a  superb 
sword,  presented  by  Governor  Tompkins  ;  and  the  city  of  New  York 
gave  him  its  freedom  in  a  gold  box,  presented  by  its  mayor,  De  Witt 
Clinton  ;  it  also  requested  him  to  sit  for  his  portrait,  to  be  placed  in 
its  gallery  of  distinguished  patriots.  Nor  Avas  the  national  legislature 
unmindful  of  the  great  debt  of  gratitude  which  the  country  owed 
him.  Congress  passed  a  vote  expressive  of  their  sense  of  his  ser- 
vices, and  directed  that  a  gold  medal  should  be  struck,  emblematical 
of  his  triumph  at  Plattsburgh,  to  be  presented  by  the  president  of 
the  United  States.  The  president  also  conferred  on  Macomb  the 
rank  of  major-general  by  brevet,  the  commission  bearing  date  on  the 
day  of  the  victory. 

Such  was  the  anxiety  manifested  in  England  for  the  result  of  the 
gigantic  enterprise  thus  defeated,  that  the  gazettes  of  London  had 
already  proclaimed  the  successful  invasion  of  New  York,  and  the 
capture  of  Plattsburgh. 

The  Bri^sh  commissioners  at  Ghent  were  looking  with  sanguine 
confidence,  for  the  official  accounts  of  the  progress  of  the  British  a;rms 
in  America,  expecting  to  stand  in  an  attitude  for  dictating  to  our 
envoys  the  conditions  of  peace.  The  London  publications  having 
flattered  their  hopes,  by  announcing  a  false  issue  to  the  contest,  they 
heightened  their  demands,  insisting  on  our  recognition  of  the  Indian 
tribes  as  independent  nations,  and  urging  other  pretexts  and  preten- 
sions, to  protract  a  pacification,  until  their  receipt  of  authentic  intelli- 
gence. When  it  came,  the  spell  of  this  splendid  enchantment  was 
broken  ;  and  broken  too,  by  a  mere  guard  of  Yankee  soldiers,  and 
hasty  collection  of  patriotic  yeomanry,  who  hold  in  fee  the  soil  they 
till !  The  affair  of  Plattsburgh,  auspiciously  for  our  honor  and 
interests,  closed  the  negotiations  of  Ghent,  and  set  the  seal  to  the 
treaty  of  peace.* 

*  Richards's  Memoir  of  Macomb. 


CHARACTER     OF     MACOMB. 


783 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  General  Macomb  was  stationed  at 
Detroit,  in  command  of  the  north-western  frontier.  In  1821,  he 
came  to  Washington  to  take  the  office  of  chief  of  the  engineer 
department,  and  when  General  Brown  died  in  1835,  he  succeeded 
him  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army.  He  resided  in  this  capacity 
at  the  seat  of  government  until  his  death,  on  the  25th  of  June,  1841. 

General  Macomb  was  in  person  above  the  ordinary  height,  with  a 
countenance  indicative  of  great  firmness,  but  exceedingly  youthful 
in  its  expression  ;  a  feature  which  frequently  led  persons  to  ask  him 
on  being  introduced,  if  he  were  the  son  of  the  old  general.  His 
manners  were  elegant  and  polished,  yet  popular,  and  his  conversation 
was  characterized  by  learning,  strong  good  sense,  and  great  vivacity. 
His  whole  life  shows  his  character  as  a  man  to  have  been  as  estima- 
ble as  his  public  career  was  illustrious.  His  perceptions  were  quick, 
and  his  resources  abundant ;  in  action  he  was  prompt,  persevering  and 
powerful,  stimulated  by  danger,  and  confirmed  in  his  purpose  by 
obstacles.  Second  only  to  his  transcendant  merit  as  a  warrior,  is 
that  exhibited  in  the  respectful  disposition  ever  manifested  by  him 
towards  the  civil  administration  ;  a  disposition  which  enabled  him 
to  pass  his  whole  life  in  the  service  of  his  country  in  every  grade  of 
his  profession,  and  still  escape  a  single  arrest  or  serious  embarrassment. 


PlattEbtirsh. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  DUNCAN  McARTHUR. 


general 
March 


N  the  history  of  the  war  of 
1812,  we  find  frequent  men- 
tion of  General  McArthur. 
This  brave  officer  received 
his  appointment  as  brigadier- 
in  the  United  States  army, 
12th,  1813.     Previous  to  this. 


he  had  been  engaged  as  colonel  in  the 
northern  campaign,  under  General  Hull, 
and  used  all  his  influence  to  induce  that 
officer  to  continue  the  expedition  against 
Canada.  After  the  retreat  to  Detroit,  he  was  sent,  [August  13th,] 
in  company  with  Colonel  Cass  and  four  hundred  men,  to  open  a 
communication  with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller,  who  had  just  achieved 
the  victory  of  Maguaga.  On  the  15th,  Brock  commenced  his  can- 
nonade of  Detroit,  and  General  Hull  sent  expresses  for  the  detach- 
ment to  return.  These  did  not  reach  Colonel  McArthur  until  after 
the  capitulation  had  been  signed  ;  and  the  first  intelligence  he  re- 
ceived of  that  event,  was  a  note  from  General  Hull,  informing  him 
that  his  detachment,  together  with  the  Ohio  volunteers,  then  ad- 
vancing, had  been  included  in  its  terms.    There  being  no  alternative, 

784 


CONCLUDES     A     TREATY     WITH     THE     INDIANS.         785 

he  was  obliged  to  submit,  and  was  carried  into  Canada  as  a  prisoner 
of  war. 

After  being  exchanged,  McArthur  joined  the  army  of  General 
Harrison  during  its  pursuit  of  the  infamous  Proctor.  In  crossing 
Lake  Erie,  his  brigade  formed  a  reserve  in  the  rear.  On  arriving  at 
Sandusky,  he  was  ordered  to  take  possession  of  Detroit,  which, 
together  with  Maiden,  the  enemy  had  just  abandoned.  He  therefore 
missed  a  participation  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  Information  had 
also  been  received  that  several  thousand  Indians  had  retired  a  small 
distance  into  the  woods,  with  instructions  to  attack  General  Harri- 
son's army  on  its  passage  from  Sandusky. 

Immediately  after  taking  possession  of  this  place,  General  McAr- 
thur was  visited  by  the  Ottawa,  Chippewa,  Pottawatamie,  Miami, 
and  Kickapoo  Indians,  who  requested  peace.  "  They  have  agreed 
to  take  hold  of  the  same  tomahawk  with  us,"  says  the  general's 
report,  "  and  to  strike  all  who  are,  or  may  be  enemies  to  the  United 
States,  whether  British  or  Indians.  They  are  to  bring  in  a  number 
of  their  women  and  children,  and  leave  them  as  hostages,  while  they 
accompany  us  to  war.  Some  of  them  have  already  brought  in  their 
women,  and  are  drawing  rations." 

General  McArthur  remained  in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the 
v/ar,  but  seems  to  have  left  it  shortly  after  that  event. 


60 


BRIGADIEE  GEKERAL  WILLIAM  H.  WINDER. 


our  inquiries  respecting  the 
personal  history  of  this  brave 
officer,  we  have  found  but 
scanty  materials.  He  was 
born  in  Maryland  in  1775. 
He  was  educated  for  the  bar,  and 
practised  law  in  Baltimore,  until  the 
opening-  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  was 
then  commissioned  as  colonel,  in  which 
capacity  he  joined  General  Dearborn's 
E,rmy.     On  the   12th  of  March    1813, 


^  was  made  brigadier-general. 
In  the  attack  on  Fort  George,  General  Winder's  brigade  followed 
immediately  after  General  Boyd,  and  was  actively  engaged  until 
the  close  of  the  assault.  Immediately  after  this  success  General 
Dearborn,  receiving  information  that  the  enemy  had  occupied  a 
position  at  Beaver  Dam,  ordered  General  Lewis  to  that  place  with 
the  brigades  of  Winder  and  Chandler,  assisted  by  some  artillery  and 
light  troops.     The  expedition  took  possession  of  several  posts,  and 

786 


BATTLE      OF     BLADENSBURG.  787 

finally  of  Fort  Erie.  At  this  place  General  Lewis  halted  on  ascer- 
taining that  the  enemy  had  abandoned  Beaver  Dams, 

On  returning  to  Fort  George,  General  Lewis  received  intelligence 
that  the  British  officers,  Proctor  and  Vincent,  were  endeavoring  to 
unite  their  forces,  and  march  down  upon  the  American  army.  To 
prevent  this.  General  Winder  was  despatched  [June  1st]  with  his 
own  and  part  of  Chandler's  brigade,  and  subsequently  joined  by 
Chandler  with  his  remaining  troops.  At  Forty  Mile  creek  they 
learned  that  Vincent  had  taken  a  stand  at  Burlington  Heights,  near 
Stony  creek,  and  both  brigades  were  immediately  marched  to  that 
place.  Here  they  encamped  in  so  careless  a  manner  that  the  British 
general  determined  on  an  attack.  This  was  made  on  the  morning 
of  June  6th,  at  two  o'clock.  The  enemy  advanced  without  firing 
a  gun,  and  speedily  took  possession  of  five  pieces  of  artillery,  which 
were  turned  upon  their  former  owners.  The  two  generals,  who  but 
an  hour  before  had  separated  from  council,  were  instantly  on  horse- 
back. Chandler  took  command  of  the  right  wing.  Winder  of  the  left. 
IgnorAnt  of  the  loss  of  the  artillery,  and  supposing  that  the  American 
troops  had  mistaken  the  enemy,  they  both  rode  up  to  it  after  the 
first  discharge,  in  order  to  prevent  a  repetition.  They  were  instantly 
taken  prisoners.  Unapprised  of  this  event,  the  remaining  officers 
took  each  his  own  plan  of  defence,  and  the  greatest  confusion  ensued. 
The  darkness  of  the  night  increased.  Different  companies  fired  on 
each  other.  The  infantry  were  engaged  with  the  artillery,  the  cavalry 
with  the  infantry  or  with  both.  This  continued  until  Captain  Towson, 
who  was  stationed  in  the  rear,  opened  his  artillery  with  a  tremendous 
blast  upon  the  enemy,  and  threw  them  also  into  confusion.  Soon 
after  day  dawned.  Colonel  Burn  assumed  the  command,  rallied  his 
troops,  charged  the  British,  and  together  with  Colonel  Milton  saved  the 
army.  Major  Armstrong,  who  although  engaged  during  the  whole 
action  had  not  lost  one  man,  nobly  seconded  his  efforts  and  the  rout 
of  the  enemy  soon  became  total.  In  this  affair  the  Americans  lost 
sixteen  killed,  thirty-eight  wounded,  and  ninety-nine  taken — among 
the  latter  two  generals. 

After  being  exchanged.  General  Winder. remained  in  the  army, 
and  when  the  British,  under  General  Ross,  attacked  Washington, 
he  was  intrusted  with  the  command  in  that  quarter.  With  about 
five  thousand  men  he  offered  battle  to  Ross,  but  this  the  latter  de- 
clined, marching  by  another  road,  while  Winder  fell  back  to  Battal- 
ion Old  Fields.  The  armies  met,  however,  at  Bladensburg,  where, 
after  a  spirited  resistance,  the  Americans  were  defeated. -The  British 
then  entered  Washington  without  further  opposition. 

In  the  defence  of  Baltimore,  under  General  Smith,  Winder  led  a 


788 


WILLIAM     H.     WINDER. 


BladensbuTg. 


detachment  of  United  States  dragoons,  and  was  of  the  utmost  ser- 
vice both  during  the  action  and  after  the  retreat  of  the  enemy.  His 
position  gave  him  a  full  view  of  the  bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry, 
which  during  the  movements  on  land  had  been  attacked  by  the 
British  fleet,  assisted  by  a  large  land  force.  While  the  English  were 
advancing  along  the  Philadelphia  road,  the  frigates  and  bomb  ships 
of  the  fleet  approached  within  striking  distance  of  the  fort.  Colonel 
Armistead  had  already  disposed  his  force  to  maintain  the  cannonade 
with  vigor ;  a  company  of  regular  artillery,  under  Captain  Evans  ; 
and  another  of  volunteer  artillery,  under  Captain  Nicholson,  manned 
the  bastions  in  the  Star  fort ;  Captains  Bunbury  and  Addison's  sea 
fencibles,  and  Captain  Berry's  and  Lieutenant  Pennington's  artillery, 
were  stationed  at  the  water  batteries,  and  about  six  hundred  infantry, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stewart,  and  Major  Lane,  were  placed  in 
the  outer  ditch,  to  repulse  an  attempt  to  land.  The  bombardment 
commenced. 

All  the  batteries  were  immediately  opened  upon  the  enemy,  but  the 
shot  falling  very  far  short  of  his  vessels,  the  firing  ceased  from  the 
fort,  or  was  maintained  only  at  intervals,  to  show  that  the  garrison 
had  not  sunk  under  the  tremendous  showers,  of  rockets  and  shells, 
incessantly  thrown  into  the  batteries.  Thus  situated,  without  the 
power  of  retaliating  the  attack  of  the  enemy.  Colonel  Armistead  and 
his  brave  men  endured  their  mortification  with  an  unyielding  spirit, 


BRITISH     REPULSED     AT     BALTIMORE. 


791 


during  the  whole  bombardment,  which  continued  until  seven  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  14th. 

Under  cover  of  the  night,  the  British  commanders  despatched  a 
fleet  of  barges  to  attack  and  storm  Fort  Covington. — The  attempt 
was  repulsed,  however,  and  the  assailants  retired,  with  an  immense 
loss,  to  their  bomb  vessels,  and  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday  the 
whole  stood  down  the  river,  and  rejoined  Admiral  Cochrane's  fleet. 
The  loss  in  the  fort  amounted  to  four  killed,  and  twenty-four 
wounded  :  among  the  killed  were  two  gallant  young  volunteer  officers. 
Lieutenants  Clagget  and  Clem.  The  entire  loss  of  the  enemy  has 
not  yet  been  ascertained.  That  of  the  Americans  on  the  field  of 
battle  did  not  fall  short  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  which,  being  added 
to  the  killed  and  wounded  in  the  fort  makes  a  total  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-eight.  The  invaders  having  thus  retired  from  what  they 
called  a  demonstration  upon  Baltimore,  the  safety  of  the  citizens 
was  secured,  and  the  different  corps  were  relieved  from  further  duty. 
The  sight  of  these  operations  gave  new  zest  to  Winder's  troops,  and 
contributed  materially  to  the  repulse  of  the  British  land  forces. 

General  Winder  remained  in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law.    His  death  occurred  in  1824. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  LEWIS  CASS. 


USTTCE   can  hardly  be  done  to 
the  civil  and  military  merits  of 
this  gentleman  in  the  scanty  limits 
allowed  for  our  sketch  of  his  life. 
General  Cass,  son  of  a  revolution- 
ary officer,  was  born  in  Exeter,  New  Hamp- 
shire, October  9th,    1782.     After  studying- 
law  under  Governor  Meigs,  he  commenced 
practice  in  1802,  and  acquired  public  esteem 
so  rapidly,  that  four  years  afterwards  he  was 
elected  to  the  Ohio  legislature.     Next  year 
he  became  marshal  of  Ohio. 

At  the  opening  of  the  war  of  1812,  Cass  was  appointed  colonel 
of  the   Ohio   volunteers,   and  joined   the    army   of   General  Hull. 
He  immediately  became  one  of  the  most  active  officers  of  the  expe- 
dition, and  used  all  his  influence  to  make  it  successful,  by  a  rapid 
792 


CASS     JOINS     THE     ARMY     OF     HARRISON.  793 


Battle  of  MagoagsL 


descent  upon  the  British  main  posts.  So  stronglj  did  he  express  his 
disapprobation  of  the  retreat  from  Canada,  that  he  became  an  object 
of  aversion  to  the  commanding  general. 

While  the  army  lay  at  Detroit,  Colonels  Cass  and  McArthur  were 
sent  to  assist  Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller,  who  had  just  achieved  the 
victory  of  Maguaga.  This  active  officer  had  been  sent  with  five 
hundred  men,  mostly  regulars,  to  open  a  communication  with  the 
river  Raisin,  in  order  to  obtain  supplies.  On  the  afternoon  of  August 
9th,  1812,  while  proceeding  with  great  vigilance  he  was  suddenly 
fired  on  by  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  British  and  Indians  under 
Major  Muir  and  Tecumseh.  They  were  behind  intrenchments 
screened  by  tall  trees.  Notwithstanding  the  suddenness  of  the 
attack.  Colonel  Miller  maintained  his  ground,  repeatedly  charged  the 
enemy,  drove  them  into  Brownstown,  and  would  have  captured  the 
whole  detachment,  but  for  the  timely  aid  of  their  boats.  In  a  few 
days  he  was  joined  by  Colonels  Cass  and  McArthur  ;  but  all  further 
operations  were  arrested  by  Hull's  surrender. 

Colonel  Cass  remained  a  prisoner  until  the  spring  of  1813,  when 
he  was  exchanged.  In  the  summer  he  was  made  brigadier-general, 
and  joined  the  army  of  General  Harrison.  He  was  present  at  the 
victory  of  the  Moravian  towns.  In  October,  1813,  he  became 
governor  of  Michigan  territory.  From  this  time  until  1825  he  was 
engaged  in  various  negotiations  with  the  Indians,  by  which  peace 
was  to  a  great  extent  firmly  established  between  them  and  the  white 
settlers.     In   1828,  when  the  Historical  Society  of  Michigan  was 


794 


LEWIS     CASS. 


organized,  he  was  chosen  president.  He  was  afterwards  elected  a 
member  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  the  Columbian  Insti- 
tute, the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  and  several  other  literary 
and  scientific  bodies.  He  also  received  from  Hamilton  College,  New 
York,  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  In  July,  183 1,  he  was  appointed  secre- 
tary of  war  by  President  Jackson.  The  events  of  that  period  belong 
rather  to  national  history  than  to  biography ;  but  it  may  be  relevant 
to  remark,  that  in  his  responsible  station  Cass  discharged  all  duties 
in  a  manner  that  met  the  approbation  of  a  large  portion  of  his  coun- 
trymen, as  well  as  of  the  president.  In  1836,  during  the  difficulties 
with  France  concerning  the  indemnity,  he  was  appointed  envoy 
extraordinary  and  minister  plenipotentiary  to  that  power,  and  con- 
tributed to  the  subsequent  amicable  adjustment  of  all  disputes.  He 
was  chosen  United  States  senator  for  Michigan  in  1845,  for  the 
term  ending  1851. 


Remains  of  tlie  Barracks  at  Greentush, 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JAMES  WINCHESTER. 


|HE  time  of  General  Winchester's  birth  we  have  not  any 
knowledge  of.  He  served  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and 
afterwards  retired  to  a  magnificent  estate  in  Tennes- 
see, where  he  lived  in  a  style  of  luxurious  enjoyment 
until  the  opening  of  the  war  of  1812.  On  the  27th 
of  March,  18  12,  he  was  appointed  brigadier-general,  and  given  com- 
mand of  the  Kentuckians,  destined  to  reinforce  the  north-western 
army.  In  doing  so,  he  temporarily  succeeded  General  Harrison, 
an  unfortunate  circumstance,  since  the  latter  had  long  been  the 
acknowledged  favorite  of  the  troops.  On  arriving  at  the  rendezvous, 
(Fort  Wayne,)  he  received  the  command  from  General  Harrison, 
who  also  exerted  himself  to  place  at  Winchester's  disposal  all  sup- 

795 


796  JAMES      WINCHESTER. 

plies  and  other  necessaries  for  a  successful  prosecution  of  the  cam- 
paign. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  General  Winchester  marched  from 
Wayne  toward  the  Miami  rapids.  He  reached  Fort  Defiance  at  the 
junction  of  the  Au  Glaise  with  the  Miami  on  the  2d  of  October, 
having  had  several  skirmishes  Vt'ith  the  Indians,  in  which  he  lost 
seven  killed  and  one  wounded.  Harrison  joined  the  army  in  its 
march,  and  having  been  lately  appointed  its  commander,  he  now 
assumed  command.  On  reaching  the  fort.  General  Tupper,  of  the 
Ohio  volunteers,  with  a  detachment  of  one  thousand  men,  proceeded 
towards  the  rapids.  Harrison  then  left  the  immediate  command  to 
Winchester,  and  proceeded  to  Franklinton,  to  organize  and  bring  on 
the  reinforcements. 

While  the  commander-in-chief  was  busily  engaged  in  raising  sup- 
plies, General  Winchester  proceeded  to  the  rapids,  and  commenced 
a  fortification.  While  thus  engaged,  he  received  a  pressing  call  from 
the  inhabitants  of  Frenchtown,  on  the  river  Raisin,  for  assistance, 
as  the  Indians  had  lately  appeared  in  great  force  near  that  place. 
Colonel  Lewis,  with  three  hundred  men,  was  sent  to  their  relief; 
and  on  ascertaining  that  the  enemy  had  already  obtained  possession 
of  the  village,  he  attacked  them,  [December  18th,]  drove  them  from 
all  their  strong-holds,  and  into  the  neighboring  woods.  On  the  20th 
he  was  joined  by  General  Winchester  with  the  main  body. 

The  whole  force,  numbering  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men,  was 
now  seventy  miles  from  succor,  in  an  exposed  situation,  within  twenty 
miles  of  Maiden,  where  was  a  much  superior  British  army.  From 
Maiden,  to  Frenchtown  was  a  solid  bridge  of  ice,  on  which  the  Bri- 
tish could  cross  to  the  American  encampment  in  six  hours.  The 
expedition  had  been  undertaken,  not  on  the  principles  of  military 
prudence,  but  of  inconsiderate  zeal  and  humanity,  and  against  the 
express  request  of  General  Harrison.  On  ascertaining  that  it  had 
taken  place,  that  officer  was  filled  with  the  most  serious  apprehen- 
sions, expressing  his  fears  to  Governor  Meigs  in  strong  terms,  and 
requesting  further  succors.  He  then  pressed  on  with  all  the  troops 
he  had  collected  at  Sandusky,  in  order  to  gain  the  rapids,  and  be  in 
a  situation  to  support  the  detachment.  The  British  were  not  slow 
in  improving  their  advantage.  On  the  evening  of  January  21st, 
Colonel  Proctor  left  Maiden,  with  six  hundred  British  and  one  thou- 
sand Indians,  under  Splitlog  and  Roundhead,  and  early  next  morning 
commenced  a  furious  attack  upon  the  Americans. 

Large  bodies  of  Indians  were  stationed  in  the  rear,  to  intercept  a 
retreat.  After  sustaining  an  unequal  contest  for  twenty  minutes, 
the  right  wing  broke  and  (led  across  the  river,  where  they  were  nearly 


MASSACRE     AT     THE     RIVER     RAISIN. 


797 


Massacre  at  the  River  Raisin. 

all  massacred  by  a  body  of  Indians.  Two  companies  of  fifty  men 
each  sent  to  their  assistance,  shared  the  same  fate.  General  Win- 
chester and  Colonel  Lewis,  in  rallying  them,  were  made  prisoners. 
The  left  wing  fought  with  distinguished  valor  against  treble  their 
number  until  eleven  o'clock,  when  the  general  capitulated  for  them, 
stipulating  for  their  safety  and  honorable  treatment, — especially  of 
the  wounded.  Three  hundred  and  ninety-seven  were  slain  or  mas- 
sacred;  the  remainder  taken  prisoners.  Sixty-four  wounded  Ame- 
ricans being  left  on  the  ground,  were  carried  into  houses  by  the 
inhabitants.  The  British  acknowledged  a  loss  of  twenty-four  killed 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  wounded ;  but  this  was  much  less 
than  the  actual  number. 

Early  on  the  22d,  a  large  body  of  Indians  came  in,  stripped,  toma- 
hawked and  scalped  the  sufferers,  plundered  and  set  fire  to  the 
houses,  and  consumed  the  dead  and  dying  in  one  undistinguished 
conflagration.  One  single  instance  will  show  the  height  of  barbarity 
with  which  the  British  conducted  this  dreadful  butchery.  Captain 
Hart  being  wounded  in  the  knee,  was  recognized  by  Captain  Elliot, 
an  American  in  the  British  service,  who  had  been  a  class-mate  and 
particular  friend  of  Captain  Hart,  at  Princeton  College.  Elliot 
assured  his  wounded  friend  that  he  should  be  taken  to  Maiden,  and 
treated  humanely  until  he  recovered.  On  the  following  day  he  was 
torn  from  his  bed  by  Indians,  and  although  carried  away  by  a  brother 


798 


JAMES      WINCHESTER. 


officer,  was  again  assaulted.  At  length  an  Indian  agreed  to  convey 
him  to  Maiden  for  one  hundred  dollars.  On  the  way  the  two  were 
met  by  some  Indians,  who  claimed  the  captain  as  their  prisoner ; 
and  on  the  refusal  of  his  guide  to  give  him  up,  they  tore  him  from 
his  horse,  killed  and  scalped  him.  He  was  a  most  amiable  man,  and 
had  lately  married  the  sister  of  the  celebrated  Henry  Clay. 

The  rights  of  sepulture  were  refused  to  the  slain,  as  Proctor 
alleged,  that  the  Indians  would  not  permit  it.  The  few  remaining 
wretched  inhabitants  privately  buried  Captain  Hart  and  some  others  ; 
but  on  ascertaining  it,  the  savages  threatened  all  with  instant  death 
if  they  buried  any  more.  The  mangled  remains  of  the  slain  lay, 
therefore,  exposed  in  the  fields,  by  the  sides  of  the  road,  and  in  the 
woods,  to  the  amount  of  more  than  two  hundred,  a  prey  to  wild 
beasts. 

General  Winchester  was  taken  with  a  few  other  prisoners  to 
Canada,  but  was  afterwards  exchanged. 

In  November,  1814,  he  arrived  in  Alabama,  preparatory  to  assum- 
ing the  command  in  that  district,  while  General  Jackson  marched  to 
the  relief  of  New  Orleans,  against  which  Sir  Edward  Packenham 
with  a  large  naval  and  military  force  was  proceeding.  After  Jack- 
son's departure,  (November  22d,)  General  Winchester  established  his 
head-quarters  at  Mobile,  where  he  was  highly  useful  in  forwarding 
troops  and  supplies  to  New  Orleans,  and  in  reporting  the  movements 
of  the  British  and  Spanish  forces.  After  the  capture  of  Fort  Bowyer, 
about  thirty  of  the  enemy's  vessels,  with  some  boats  and  barges, 
anchored  within  sight  of  Mobile,  apparently  with  the  design  of 
making  an  attack.  General  Winchester  made  every  preparation  to 
receive  them,  although  his  garrison  consisted  of  but  three  hundred 
and  sixty  men.     No  assault  was  however  made. 

General  Winchester  remained  at  Mobile  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
but  appears  to  have  left  the  army  soon  after  that  event.  Of  his  sub- 
sequent life  we  have  no  information. 


COLONEL  RICHAED  M.  JOHNSON. 

HIS  gentleman  is  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Kentucky.  When  an  infant,  he  was  sent 
with  his  mother  and  other  women  and  chil- 
dren, to  take  refuge  in  a  fort  successfully 
defended  only  by  about  thirty  men,  against 
the  assaults  of  a  savage  foe  nearly  five  hun- 
dred strong.  His  father  was  then  absent  in 
Virginia  on  business.  Kentucky  once  formed 
a  part  of  that  state,  and  was  denominated 
"New  Virginia,"  of  which  the  eccentric  Daniel  Boone  was  the  first  set- 
tler. Johnson's  early  education  was  limited  to  a  country  school.  After 
this,  four  years  application  in  a  country  grammar  school,  prepared 
him  for  the  study  of  the  law,  the  practice  of  which  he  began  at  nine- 
teen years  of  age.     When  twenty-two  years  old,  he  was  ushered  intc 

799 


800  RICHARD     M.     JOHNSON. 

public  life.  After  serving  two  years  as  a  member  of  the  legislature 
of  his  native  state,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  He  has  been  always 
attached  to  the  republican  party,  and  supported  his  vote  in  the 
national  legislature,  for  war  to  resist  the  aggressions  of  Great  Britain, 
by  his  personal  services  in  the  field.  Here  he  displayed  the  native 
dignity  of  his  character  for  courage,  perseverance,  and  enterprise. 
His  early  rustic  employments  had  braced  his  constitution,  as  it  were, 
with  iron  nerves. 

After  the  successful  defence  of  Fort  Stephenson,  when  Governor 
Shelby  repaired  to  the  scenes  of  warfare  with  four  thousand  mounted 
Kentuckians,  to  reinforce  General  Harrison  in  the  Michigan  territory, 
Johnson  commanded  a  mounted  regiment,  while  the  residue,  from 
imperative  circumstances,  consented  to  act  as  infantry.  Governor 
Shelby's  division  arrived  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  north-western 
army  on  the  17th  of  September,  1813,  shortly  after  Perry's  victory. 

With  this  force,  he  halted  at  Fort  Meigs,  with  orders  to  advance 
to  Detroit  by  land,  while  the  commander-in-chief  approached  it  by 
water.     He  was  to  be  informed  by  express  of  every  movement. 

On  the  30th  of  September,  he  arrived  at  Detroit,  and  immediately 
began  to  cross  the  river  in  boats.  At  this  time  the  British  army  was 
on  its  retreat  up  the  river  Thames,  and  Johnson's  mounted  regiment 
formed  a  part  of  the  force  selected  to  pursue  it. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  October,  the  general  proceeded 
with  Johnson's  regiment,  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  bridges 
over  the  different  streams  that  fall  into  Lake  St.  Clair  and  the 
Thames.  These  streams  are  deep  and  muddy,  and  are  unfordable 
for  a  considerable  distance  into  the  country.  A  lieutenant  of  dra- 
goons and  thirty  privates,  who  had  been  sent  back  by  General  Proctor, 
to  destroy  the  bridges,  were  made  prisoners  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Thames ;  from  them  the  general  learnt  that  the  enemy  had  no 
information  of  their  advance. 

The  baggage  of  the  army  was  brought  from  Detroit  in  boats,  pro- 
tected by  a  part  of  Commodore  Perry's  squadron.  In  the  evening, 
the  army  arrived  at  Drake's  farm,  eight  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Thames,  and  encamped.  This  river  is  a  fine,  deep  stream,  navigable 
for  vessels  of  considerable  burthen,  after  the  passage  of  the  bar  at 
its  mouth,  over  which  there  is  generally  seven  feet  water.  The  gun- 
boats could  ascend  as  far  as  Dalson's,  below  which  the  country  is 
one  continued  prairie,  and  at  once  favorable  for  cavalry  movements, 
and  for  the  co-operation  of  the  gun-boats.  Above  Dalson's  the 
aspect  of  the  country  changes  ;  the  river,  though  still  deep,  is  n,ot 
more  thaTi  seventy  yards  wide,  and  its  banks  high  and  woody. 


"URSUIT     OF     THE     BRITISH.  801 

At  Chatham,  four  miles  from  Dalson's,  and  sixteen  miles  from 
Lake  St.  Clair,  is  a  small  deep  creek,  where  the  army  found  the 
bridge  taken  up,  and  the  enemy  disposed  to  dispute  their  passage, 
and  upon  the  arrival  of  the  advance  guard,  commenced  a  heavy  fire 
from  the  opposite  bank,  as  Avell  as  a  flank  fire  from  the  right  bank 
of  the  river.  The  army  halted  and  formed  in  order  of  battle.  The 
bridge  v/as  repaired  under  cover  of  a  fire  from  two  six-pounders. 
The  Indians  did  not  relish  the  fire  from  our  cannon,  and  retired. 
Colonel  Johnson,  being  on  the  right,  had  seized  the  remains  of  a 
bridge  at  McGregor's  mills,  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  Indians.  He 
lost  on  this  occasion  two  killed  and  four  wounded.  The  enemy  set 
fire  to  a  house  near  the  bridge,  containing  a  considerable  quantity 
of  muskets  ;  the  flames  were  extinguished  and  the  arms  saved.  At 
the  first  farm  above  the  bridge,  they  found  one  of  the  enemy's  ves- 
sels on  fire,  loaded  with  arms  and  ordnance  stores.  Four  miles 
higher  up  the  army  took  a  position  for  the  night.  Here  they  found 
two  other  vessels,  and  a  large  distillery  filled  with  ordnance  and 
stores  to  an  immense  amount,  in  flames.  Two  twenty-four  pounders, 
with  their  carriages,  were  taken,  and  a  large  quantity  of  balls  and 
shells  of  various  sizes. 

The  army  was  put  in  motion  early  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth. 
The  general  accompanied  Colonel  Johnson  ;  and  Governor  Shelby 
followed  with  the  infantry.  This  morning  the  army  captured  two 
gun-.boats  and  several  batteaux  loaded  with  provisions  and  ammuni- 
tion. At  nine  they  reached  Arnold's  mills,  where  there  was  a  ford- 
ing place,  and  the  only  one  for  a  considerable  distance.  Here  the 
army  crossed  to  the  right  bank,  the  mounted  regiment  fording,  and 
the  infantry  in  the  captured  boats.  The  passage,  though  retarded 
for  want  of  a  suflScient  number  of  boats,  was  completed  by  twelve 
o'clock. 

IGHT  miles  above  the  ford,  they  passed  the 
ground  where  the  British  force  had  encamped 
the  night  before.  The  general  directed  the 
advance  of  Colonel  Johnson's  regiment  to 
accelerate  their  march,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  distance  of  the  enemy.  The 
ofl^cer  commanding  it  shortly  after  sent  word 
back  that  his  progress  was  stopped  by  the 
enemy,  who  were  formed  across  our  line  of  march. 

The  army  was  now  within  three  miles  of  the  Moravian  town,  and 
within  one  mile  of  the  enemy.  The  road  passed  through  a  beech 
forest  wdthout  any  clearing,  and  for  the  first  two  miles  near  to  the 
bank  of  the  river.     At  the  distance  of  fifty  rods  from  the  river  is  a 

51 


802  RICHARD      M,     JOHNSON. 

swamp  running'  parallel  to  it,  and  extending  all  the  way  to  the  Indian 
village  ; — the  intermediate  ground  dry,  the  surface  level,  the  trees 
lofty  and  tliick,  with  very  little  underwood  to  impede  the  progress 
of  man  or  horse,  except  that  part  which  borders  on  the  swamp. 

Across  this  narrow  strip  of  land,  the  British  force  was  drawn  up 
in  line  to  prevent  the  advance  of  the  American  army.  Their  left, 
resting  on  the  river,  was  defended  by  four  pieces  of  cannon  ;  near 
the  centre  were  two  other  pieces.  Near  the  swamp  the  British  line 
was  covered  by  a  large  Indian  force,  who  also  lined,  the  margin  of 
the  swamp  to  a  considerable  distance.  The  British  troops  amounted 
to  six  hundred  ;  the  Indians  probably  to  twelve  hundred. 

As  it  was  not  practicable  to  turn  the  enemy  in  flank,  it  became 
necessary  to  attack  them  in  front.  General  Harrison  did  not  long 
hesitate  in  his  choice  of  the  mode  of  attack.  It  was  as  novel  as  it 
was  successful. 

The  troops  at  his  disposal  might  amount  to  three  thousand  men  ; 
yet,  from  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  ground,  one  half  of  this  force 
could  not  advantageously  engage  the  enemy. 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  regulars,  under  Colonel  Ball,  occupied 
the  narrow  space  between  the  road  and  river  ;  they  were  ordered  to 
advance  and  amuse  the  enemy  ;  and,  if  an  opportunity  offered,  to 
seize  his  cannon,  A  small  party  of  friendly  Indians  was  directed  to 
move  under  the  bank.  Colonel  Johnson's  regiment  was  drawn  up  in 
close  column,  with  its  right  a  few  yards  distant  from  the  road,, with 
orders  to  charge  at  full  speed  as  soon  as  the  enemy  delivered  his  fire. 
— The  Kentucky  volunteers,  under  Major-General  Henny,  were 
formed  in  the  rear  of  the  mounted  regiment,  in  three  lines  extending 
from  the  road  to  the  swamp.  General  Desha's  division  covered  the 
left  of  Johnson's  regiment.  Governor  Shelby  was  at  the  crotchet, 
formed  by  the  front  line  and  General  Desha's  division.  This  was  an 
important  point.  General  Cass  and  Commodore  Perry  volunteered 
■as  aids  to  General  Harrison,  who  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
front  line  of  infantry,  to  direct  the  movements  of  the  cavalry,  and  to 
^ive  them  the  necessary  support.     Such  was  the  order  of  battle. 

The  army  moved  in  this  order  till  the  mounted  men  received  the 
fire  of  the  enemy,  at  the  distance  of  two  hundred  yards.  The  charge 
was  beat,  and,  in  an  instant,  one  thousand  horse  werenn  motion  at 
full  speed  :  the  right,  led  on  by  Colonel  Johnson,  broke  through  the 
British  lines  and  formed  in  their  rear.  The  enemy's  pieces  were  not 
loaded ;  their  pieces  were  not  fixed,  and  they  surrendered  at  discretion : 
th^  whole  was  the  work  of  a  minute.  In  breaking  through  their 
ranks,  our  men  killed  twelve  and  wounded  thirty-seven  of  the  British 
regulars.     The  shock  was  unexpected.     They  were  not  prepared  to 


BATTLE     OF     THE     THAMES.  803 

resist  it ;  some  were  trampled  under  the  feet  of  our  horses  ;  others 
were  cut  down  by  the  soldiers  ;  very  few  were  shot,  for  the  fire  was 
not  general.  Had  the  enemy  shown  the  least  symptoms  of  resistance, 
after  their  lines  were  broken  through,  the  greater  part  would  liave 
been  destroyed  ;  but  they  were  passive.  Never  was  terror  more 
strongly  depicted  on  the  countenances  of  men.  Even  the  officers 
were  seen  with  uplifted  hands,  exclaiming,  "quarters!"  There  is 
no  doubt  but  that  they  expected  to  be  massacred,  believing  that 
the  Kentuckians  vi'ould  retaliate  the  bloody  scenes  of  Raisin  and 
Miami. 

N  the  left  the  contest  was  more  serious  ;  Colonel 
Johnson,  who  commanded  on  that  flank  of  his 
regiment,  received  a  terrible  fire  from  the  Indians, 
which  was  kept  up  for  some  time.  The  colonel 
led  the  head  of  his  column  into  the  hottest  of  the 
enemy's  fire,  and  was  personally  opposed  to 
Tecuniseh.  At  this  point,  a  condensed  mass  of 
savages  had  collected.  Yet,  regardless  of  danger, 
he  rushed  into  the  midst  of  them  ;  so  thick  were  the  Indians,  at  this 
moment,  that  several  might  have  reached  him  with  their  rifles.  He 
rode  a  white  horse,  and  was  known  to  be  an  officer  of  rank  ;  a  shower 
of  balls  was  discharged  at  him,  some  of  which  took  effect.  His 
horse  was  shot  under  him,  and  his  clothes,  his  saddle,  and  his 
person  were  pierced  with  bullets. — At  the  moment  his  horse  fell, 
Tecumseh  rushed  towards  him  with  an  uplifted  tomahawk,  to  give 
the  fatal  stroke  ;  but  Johnson's  presence  of  mind  did  not  forsake  him 
in  this  perilous  predicament  ;  he  drew  a  pistol  from  his  holster,  and 
laid  his  daring  opponent  dead  at  his  feet.  He  was  unable  to  do  more, 
the  loss  of  blood  deprived  him  of  strength  to  stand.  Fortunately, 
at  the  moment  of  Tecumseh's  fall,  the  enemy  gave  way,  which 
secured  him  from  the  reach  of  their  tomahawks.  He  received  five 
shots — three  in  the  right  thigh,  and  two  in  the  left  arm.  Six  Ameri- 
cans and  twenty-two  Indians  fell  within  twenty  yards  of  the  spot 
W'here  Tecumseh  was  killed,  and  the  trains  of  blood  almost  covered 
the  ground.  , 

The  Indians  continued  a  brisk  fire  from  the  margin  of  the  swamp, 
which  made  some  impression  on  a  line  of  Kentucky  volunteers  ;  but 
Governor  Shelby  brought  up  a  regiment  to  its  support,  and  their  fire 
soon  became  too  warm  for  the  enemy.  A  part  of  Colonel  Johnson's 
men  having  gained  the  rear  of  a  part  of  the  Indian  line,  the  rout 
became  general.  A  small  party  of  Indians  attempted  to  gain  the 
village  by  running  up  the  narrow  strip  of  dry  land,  but  they  Avere 
soon  overtaken  and  cut  down.     The  Indians  fought  bravely,  and 


804  RICHARD     M.     JOHNSON. 

sustained  a  severe  loss  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  death  of  Te- 
cuniseh  was  to  them  an  irreparable  loss.  The  American  army  had 
fifteen  killed  and  thirty  wounded. 

General  Proctor  abandoned  his  army  at  the  moment  Johnson's 
regiment  beat  the  charge.  He  was  supported  in  his  flight  by  about 
fifty  dragoons.  Some  of  the  mounted  men  who  pursued  him,  were 
at  one  time  within  one  hundred  yards  of  him,  but  were  too  weak  to 
attack  his  guard.  His  carriage  and  papers  were  taken.  So  rapid 
was  his  retreating  journey,  that  in  twenty-four  hours  he  found  him- 
self sixty-five  miles  distant  from  the  field  of  contest.  After  this 
afi'air,  a  suspension  of  arms  took  place  ;  the  Indians  sued  for  peace ; 
and  Governor  Shelby's  forces  were  discharged. 

The  patience  and  fortitude  with  which  Colonel  Johnson  endured 
the  anguish  of  his  wounds,  and  the  incredible  fatigues,  severities  and 
privations  of  his  passage  from  Detroit  to  Sandusky,  and  from  thence 
to  Kentucky,  surpassed,  if  possible,  his  courage  on  the  field  of  battle. 
In  the  boisterous  month  of  November,  amid  almost  incessant  rains — 
with  five  severe  wounds  which  had  barely  begun  to  heal,  he  was  con- 
veyed from  his  lodgings  in  Detroit,  to  a  boat  but  ill  provided  with 
hands,  and  with  scarcely  a  cover  from  the  chilling  storms  of  the 
season.  Finally,  after  ninety  hours  of  unremitted  exertion,  the  party 
arrived  at  Fort  Stephenson,  at  midnight.  Here  the  boat  was  aban- 
doned— and  he  was  placed  on  a  litter,  suspended  between  two  horses 
— the  rains  recommenced,  but  the  route  was  continued — a  dreary 
wilderness,  streams  unfordable,  bad  roads,  numerous  rivers,  and  a 
distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  separated  the  party  from  Kentucky. 
Yet  all  these  formidable  impediments  were  overcome  with  inflexible 
perseverance  and  astonishing  celerity. 

After  spending  eight  or  ten  weeks  in  Kentucky,  he  was  so  far 
recovered  from  his  wounds,  that  he  repaired  to  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, and  resumed  his  seat  in  Congress.  The  fame  of  his  exploits 
had  preceded  him  ;  and  he  was  every  where"  received  with  distin- 
guished testimonials  of  respect  and  admiration. 

Colonel  Johnson  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  of 
the  United  States  from  Kentucky,  from  the  year  1807  to  1819,  and 
from  1829  to  1837. 

In  1836,  there  being  no  election  of  vice-president  by  the  people. 
Colonel  Johnson  was  elected  to  that  office  by  the  senate,  Mr.  Van 
Buren  having  been  elected  president  by  the  people.  Since  the 
completion  of  his  service  as  vice-president.  Colonel  Johnson  has 
not  appeared  on  the  arena  of  public  life. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


S  the  history  of  our  country  is  a  narrative  of  wild  and 
daring  achievements,  of  gloomy  despondencies  and  hair- 
breadth escapes,  so  the  biographies  of  her  generals  are 
checkered  with  high-souled  exploits  and  romantic  adven- 
tures, unsurpassed  in  the  history  of  the  world.  From 
the  first  general  war  in  which  the  colonists  were  involved,  down  to 
the  present  time,  our  military  men  seem  to  have  delighted  in  danger 
and  feats  of  daring.  The  lives  of  the  American  generals  furnish 
the  elements  of  romances,  as  wonderful  as  the  legends  of  Germany 
or  the  tales  of  the  Crusades. 

These  glorious  characters  are  not  confined  to  a  bygone  age.  During 
years  of  peace,  their  energies  have  slumbered  in  obscurity  ;  but  when 
the  war  trump  shook  our  land  once  more,  and  called  our  hardy  sons 
to  protect  the  national  honor,  then  at  the  first  blast,  an  army  sprang 

up  terrible  from  former  inactivity,  and  eager  for  action.    First  among 

805 


806 


ZACIIARY     TAYLOR. 


Defence  of  Tort  Harrison. 


these,  he  on  whom  every  eye  was  fixed,  on  whom  every  expectation 
leaned,  was  General  Taylor.  Tried  in  the  darkest  hours  of  calamity, 
he  stood  up  like  a  guiding  spirit  to  lead  our  hosts  to  victory  :  and 
more  potent  than  assembled  armies,  he  rolled  back  the  Mexican 
legions  from  our  soil,  and  won  for  himself  a  place  among  the  greatest 
of  American  heroes. 

Born  in  1784,  in  Orange  county,  Virginia,  Zachary  Taylor  received 
his  early  impressions  among  scenes  to^  which  at  present  we  have  no 
parallel.  The  burning  cottage,  the  midnight  massacre,  the  yells  of 
Indians,  the  smothered,  shrieks  of  the  mother  and.  her  infant,  were 
seen  or  heard  night  after  night,  on  the  v^ide  plains  of  Virginia.  Whole 
families  robbed  of  their  supporters,  stripped  of  their  property,  were 
driven  into  the  closer  settlements,  to  excite  the  charity  of  their  coun- 
trymen. Amid  these  tragic  sights,  young  Zachary  lived  and  grew. 
He  listened  from  infnncy  to  dark  tales  of  Indian  war — the  time 
that  tried  men's  souls — and  of  Indian  murders  ;  and  even  while  at 
school,  learned  to  anticipate  the  time  when  he  should  assist  in  defend- 
ing his  fireside  from  savage  violence. 

But  another  field  was  soon  opened  for  him,  more  useful  and 
glorious,  than  a  war  with  the  Indians.  The  attack  on  the  Chesa- 
peake, [June  1807,]  roused  our  country,  and  multitudes  indignant 
at  the  repeated  injustice  of  England,  and  determined  on  revenge, 
voluntarily  entered  the  army.  Among  these  was  young  Taylor,  who 
received  his  commission  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  seventh  infantry, 
May  3d,  1808.     He  commenced  his  military  career  m  a  manner. 


DEFENCE  OF  FORT  HARRISON.  807 

rarely  afforded  to  a  youth  of  his  age.  It  was  by  the  defence  of  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  north-western  frontier,  September  4th,  1812. 

Late  at  night,  the  captain  was  roused  from  a  sick  bed  by  the  g-un 
of  a  sentry.  Rushing  into  the  fort  he  heard  the  dismal  cry  of  fire, 
and  soon  perceived  that  a  block-house,  forming  part  of  his  defences, 
had  been  fired  by  a  large  body  of  Indians,  who  had  commenced  an 
attack.  The  ensuing  scene  was  appalling.  Paralyzed  at  sight  of 
the  flames  and  by  the  shouts  of  the  Indians,  the  men  (but  eighteen 
in  number)  threw  down  their  arms,  and  ran  backward  and  forward  in 
the  wildest  disorder.  Women  and  children,  the  unfortunate  ones  of 
the  garrison,  rushed  into  the  burning  fort,  and  with  shrieks  that  rose 
above  the  uproar  of  battle,  prayed  to  be  saved.  The  flames  rolled  and 
tossed  in  blinding  columns,  while,  certain  of  their  prey,  the  Indians 
poured  volley  after  volley  of  musketry  through  the  openings,  and 
rushed  toward  the  burning  building,  to  enter  at  the  moment  it  fell. 
Two  men  leaped  the  barrier  in  despair. 

Amid  the  horrors  of  that  dreadful  night,  one  man  was  cool  and 
self-possessed.  This  was  Captain  Taylor.  The  sight  of  danger,  the 
exulting  yells  of  an  army  of  savages,  only  roused  his  energies,  and 
displayed  his  true  character.  He  replaced  the  arms^of  the  soldiers, 
provided  for  the  fall  of  the  block-house,  saved  the  neighboring  build- 
ings, and  dissipated  all  fear.  Then  the  tones  of  his  well-know^i  voice 
rang  along  the  lines,  and  as  an  echo  to  their  sound,  every  gun  in  the 
fort  poured  forth  upon  the  astonished  Indians.  A  pause  succeeded, 
the  sharp  noise  of  the  ramrod  was  heard,  and  then  another  volley 
swept  away  chief  and  follower.from  the  assailant's  army.  All  fear 
was  gone  ;  the  eye  of  the  young  commander  was  fixed  on  each  man, 
and  victory  was  felt  to  be  certain.  Again  and  again  the  Indians 
rushed  forward,  and  in  impotent  rage  threw  their  bow^s  and  guns 
toward  the  fort.  When  morning  came,  they  were  gathered  like  a 
dark  cloud  in  the  rear  of  the  fort ;  while  the  loud  cheers  of  the  little 
garrison,  told  that  its  gallant  defenders  were  safe. 

We  next  see  Taylor  amid  the  swamps  and  dangers  of  Florida.  He 
has  received  the  rank,  of  colonel,  and  is  intrusted  with  the  manage- 
ment of  that  war,  which  cost  the  nation  so  much  treasure  and  valu- 
able life.  On  the  25th  of  December,  1836,  he  reached  the  banks 
of  Lake  Okee-chobee,  at  the  head  of  one  thousand  men.  The  march 
had  been  a  dreadful  one — through  swamps  and  wilds,  where  the  white 
man  had  never  trodden,  and  where  every  inch  of  ground  had  to  be 
opened  or  cut  through.  Rivers  and  lakes  were  forded,  bridges  built, 
and  causeways  erected,  in  the  midst  of  an  utter  wilderness. 

Under  cover  of  the  thick  and  dark  morasses,  the  Indians  waited 
impatiently  the  arrival    of   the  Americans   upon  the   lake.     They 


808 


ZACHARY     TAYLOR. 


Battle  of  Okee-chobea 


had  sent  the  challeng-e  which  brought  our  army  so  far,  and  had 
taken  every  precaution  to  secure  victory.  When  the  advance 
of  the  Americans  had  nearly  crossed  the  lake,  a  peal  of  mus- 
ketry rang  upon  the  air,  and  many  of  those  brave  men  sunk 
down  in  the  agonies  of  death.  The  mud  and  water  was  waist  deep, 
an  impenetrable  swamp  was  before  them,  and  they  were  in  full  range 
of  a  savage  enemy  whom  they  could  not  see.  There  was  a  pause, 
and  the  heart  of  the  bold  soldier  grew  faint.  Instantly,  "  onward," 
rang  along  their  line,  and  Colonel  Gentry  their  commander,  moved  to 
the  front.  Forgetting  all  clanger,  they  returned  the  fire  of  the  Indians, 
and  struggled  on  after  their  gallant  commander.  But  their  progress 
was  short.  The  colonel  was  cut  down  in  the  moment  of  triumph, 
and  overcome  with  panic  at  the  melancholy  sight,  the  volunteers 
rushed  backward,  recrossed  the  lake,  and  fled  to  their  camp.  Then 
the  enemy  were  sure  of  victory.  Pouring  from  their  retreat,  they 
leaped  upon  the  very  banks  of  the  swamp,  and  with  loud  shouts, 
prepared  for  a  pursuit.  But  the  same  man  who  years  before  had 
driven  back  their  hordes  from  Fort  Harrison,  now  retrieved  the  day 
at  Okee-chobee.  Plunging  into  the  water  on  horseback,  he  led  his 
army  across,  although  exposed  to  the  musket  of  every  Indian.  Now 
the  battle  begins  in  earnest.  Riding  from  rank  to  rank,  the  noble 
commander  inspirits  his  troops,  and  drives  them  to  the  stubborn 
charge.  The  noise  of  battle,  the  shouts  of  officers,  and  groans  of 
the  dying,  rolled  along  the  quiet  vales  of  Florida,  and  told  the 
sickenino:  tale  of  blood  and  carnaore.     Now  hand  to  hand  the  fierce 


BATTLE     OF     OKEE-CHOBEE.  809 

combatants  seize  each  other's  weapons,  and  wrestle  for  renown  and 
victory  in  the  jaws  of  death.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Thompson,  while 
urging  on  his  troops,  fell  mortally  wounded.  Lieutenant  Center,  his 
aid,  cast  one  lingering  look  at  him,  and  the  next  moment  leapt  into 
the  air,  and  fell  dead  by  his  side.  Officer  after  officer,  man  after 
man  was  swept  away,  until  some  companies  had  but  four  or  five 
unwounded.  But  the  bayonet  of  disciplined  troops  did  its  accus- 
tomed work.  The  Indians  rolled  back  in  confused  heaps,  until  they 
reached  their  encampment  at  the  extreme  verge  of  the  lake.  Then 
the  battle  was  renewed,  and  for  two  hours  raged  with  a  fury  unknown 
in  the  annals  of  the  Florida  struggle.  But  the  genius  of  Taylor  was 
again  triumphant.  The  savages  were  stormed  in  their  huts,  driven 
into  the  interior,  and  completely  dispersed. 

iNDOUBTEDLY  this  was  the  greatest  victory 
1^  of  the  war ;  and  yet  it  was  bought  with  a  price. 
When  the  fierce  hurry  of  passion,  the  tramp  of 
infuriated  armies  was  over,  the  unhappy  victims 
of  the  struggle  called  for  attention.  One  hun- 
dred and  twelve  officers  and  soldiers  lay  moan- 
ing on  the  ground  in  agony.  The  shout  of  vic- 
tory, the  glory  of  a  national  triumph,  did  not  arrest  the  ebb  of  their 
life-blood.  To  these  Colonel  Taylor  now  directed  his  attention.  He 
soothed  their  anguish,  attended  to  their  wounds,  and  removed  them 
to  the  comforts  of  the  camp. 

In  1844,  General  Taylor  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
army  of  observation  in  Texas.  His  march  from  Corpus  Christi  to 
the  Rio  Grande,  is  a  narration  of  wonderful  and  romantic  events. 
The  great  American  Desert  was  to  be  crossed,  where  all  vegetation 
was  stunted,  and  every  river  and  lake  filled  with  salt  water.  Here 
and  there  dense  prickly  pears,  green  and  beautiful  in  the  distance, 
mocked  the  eye  with  the  appearance  of  cultivation  and  plenty.  Then 
streams,  cold  and  clear,  caused  the  blood  to  thrill  through  the  veins 
of  the  exhausted  soldiers  ;  but  the  waters  were  salt,  and  loathsome, 
and  at  tasting  them,  the  troops  looked  upon  each  other  with  fearful 
foreboding.  Drooping  with  thirst  and  weariness,  the  army  moved 
over  the  burning  sand,  their  feet  parched  and  blistered  with  the  heath, 
and  their  cattle  dropping  at  every  step.  Men  who  subsequently  faced 
death  with  alacrity,  now  grew  still  and  melancholy  ;  and  their  un- 
echoing  tread  seemed  like  the  muffled  march  to  a  funeral. 

But  at  length  their  suff'erings  terminated.  They  emerged  from 
the  desert,  and  far  in  the  distance  a  white  line  was  observed  glitter- 
ing in  the  sun.  Fresh  loater  was  spoken  with  startling  energy,  and 
as  though  accelerated  by  a  super-hum.an  impulse,  every  man  sprung 


810 


ZACHARy  TAYLOR. 


Corpus  Christi. 

onward.  Nearer  and  nearer  they  drew,  until  the  waves  could  be 
distmctly  recognized  sparkling  in  the  distance.  Now  their  eager- 
ness became  uncontrollable.  Sweeping  along  in  rapid  marches,  the 
troops  reached  the  brink,  dashed  down  their  arms  and  equipments, 
and  rushed  in  headlong.  It  was  a  moment  when  discipline  yields  to 
necessity,  and  General  Taylor  exulted  and  revelled  with  his  troops 
as  the  commonest  soldier. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  the  American  flag  was  waving  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Round  their  national  banner  the  weary 
troops  sat  down  to  enjoy  once  more  the  luxury  of  rest.  They  had 
crossed  streams  and  deserts,  forded  rivers,  endured  hardships  of  hun- 
ger, thirst,  fatigue  and  heat,  had  captured  Point  Isabel,  and  established 
there  a  military  depot.  The  limit  of  their  authority  was  reached, 
and  they  now  sat  down  on  the  great  river  to  await  the  commence- 
ment of  hosiilities,  or  an  order  to  return  home. 

The  death  of  Colonel  Cross,  and  subsequently  of  Lieutenant  Por- 
ter, roused  the  army  from  its  security.  Then  Captain  Thornton  with 
his  command  was  captured,  and  immediately  after  the  Mexicans,  grown 
bold  by  success,  crossed  the  Rio  Grande,  and  spread  themselves 
along  the  neighboring  plains.  Spies  were  sent  out  from  the  Ameri- 
can fort,  but  one  by  one  they  returned,  with  the  information  that 
crowds  were  still  crossing,  and  that  all  communication  with  Point 
Isabel  was  cut  off.  A  period,  dark  and  trying,  was  settling  over  the 
army.  They  were  deprived  of  all  immediate  communication  with 
the  government  or  their  main  depot,  and  surrounded  by  a  hostile 
army  many  times  superior  to  themselves.     Yet  not  for  one  moment 


THE     MARCH     FROM     P  O  IN  T  •!  S  A  B  E  L. 


811 


Capture  of  Captain  Thornton. 


did  they  despond ;  confident  that  the  motto  of  their  leader  was  vic- 
tory Dr  death,  they  leaned  upon  him  as  a  strong  pillar,  and  felt  that 
there  was  that  in  his  genius  and  firmness  which  must  finally  insure 
success.  Nor  was  this  confidence  diminished,  when  Captain  Walker, 
of  the  rangers,  arrived  at  the  fort,  after  escaping  innumerable  dan- 
gers, and  reported  the  critical  condition  of  Point  Isabel. 

Aware  of  the  importance  of  re-opening  his  communication,  the 
general  left  his  fort  on  the  1st  of  May,  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  his 
way  to  Point  Isabel.  Strange  to  say,  he  reached  it  in  safety,  replen- 
ished his  stores,  recruited  his  army,  and  set  out  [May  7th]  on  his 
return.  That  night  the  troops  slept  on  the  open  plain,  and  early  on 
the  following  morning,  recommenced  their  solitary  march.  At  noon 
they  reached  a  wide  prairie,  flanked  by  pools  of  fresh  water,  and 
bounded  in  the  distance  by  long  rows  of  chapparal.  In  front  of  the 
latter  were  drawn  up  in  battle  array  six  thousand  Mexicans,  in  one 
unbroken  line  a  mile  in  length.  It  was  a  thrilling  sight.  Long  rows 
of  bayonets,  glittering  in  the  sunbeams,  together  with  the  lances  of 
the  horsemen,  and  hundreds  of  pennants  and  national  flags,  formed 
a  spectacle  brilliant  and  exciting.  Undaunted  by  the  overwhelming 
numbers  of  their  adversaries,  each  soldier  forgot  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey,  and  pressed  forward  with  the  highest  enthusiasm.  Nearer 
and  nearer  the  armies  approached,  until  but  six  hundred  yards  inter- 
vened between  them.  Then  suddenly  a  roar  like  thunder  shook  the 
ground,  and  volumes  of  smoke  burst  from  the  batteries  to  the  Mexican 


812 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


Point  Isabel 


left,  and  rolled  away  in  the  distance.  Battery  after  battery  followed 
in  rapid  succession,  till  the  ground  rocked  and  trembled,  the  whole 
field  was  dense  with  smoke,  and  the  balls  tore  up  the  earth  and  grass 
in  whirling  fragments.  For  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  pause,  and 
the  Americans  placed  their  guns  in  battery.  This  done  the  action 
commenced  in  earnest,  Ringgold,  Duncan  and  Churchill  sustaining  the 
whole  force  of  the  enemy's  fire.  At  every  discharge  of  these  gallant 
cannoneers,  the  Mexican  cavalry  reeled  to  and  fro,  while  scores  sunk 
down  in  mangle(J  masses,  beneath  the  tread  of  their  companions. 
The  rattling  of  artillery  wagons,  as  they  swept  to  different  stations, 
the  galloping  of  horses  and  rushing  of  armed  men,  the  shouts  of 
command  and  moans  of  the  dying,  mingled  fearfully  over  that  solitary 
plain.  Dismayed  by  the  havoc  of  his  cavalry,  the  Mexican  general 
collected  their  scattered  fragments,  and  prepared  for  a  charge.  At 
this  movement,  the  third  and  fifth  infantry  regiments,  who  had  hitherto 
taken  no  part  in  the  battle,  were  ordered  forward  to  meet  the  enemy. 
But  the  huge  masses  bore  on  amid  a  tremendous  fire  from  the  third 
regiment  assisted  by  Ridgely's  guns  until  they  arrived  at  the  fifth. 
This  was  formed  into  a  square  to  support  Lieutenant  Ridgely.  That 
brave  officer  planted  his  guns  in  the  very  front  of  the  lancers,  and 
rode  from  rank  to  rank,  amid  showers  of  balls  and  bullets.  His 
horse  fell  dead,  and  four  others  maddened  with  the  smoke  and  uproar, 
plunged  headlong,  before  the  muzzles  of  the  cannon  and  directly 
between  the  two  armies.     There  was  a  moment  of  sickening  dread, 


BATTLE      OF     PALO     ALTO, 


813 


Battle  of  Palo  Alto. 


for  without  horses  the  artillery  would  be  unmanageable.  In  the  next 
Ridgely  sprang  forward,  and  drew  the  animals  to  their  stations.  A 
pealing  shout  followed  this  daring  action,  echoed  by  roars  of  artillery 
and  the  hurryings  of  the  enemy's  retreat.  At  this  uncertain  moment 
Colonel  Twigg.s  came  down  on  them  with  the  third  infantry  supported 
by  Major  Ringgold:  Heavy  balls  crushed  through  their  crowded 
columns,  mowing  down  whole  regiments,  and  piling  man  and  steed 
in  one  long  black  line  of  death. 

While  the  cavalry  were  breaking  before  our  artillery,  the  prairie 
grass  became  ignited,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  stirring  spectacle 
of  a  prairie  on  fire  was  added  to  the  more  terrible  one  of  a  battle. 
Thick  masses  of  smoke  rose  between  the  two  armies  hiding  them 
from  each  other  and  from  the  light  of  the  sun.  Gradually  the  Avork 
of  death  slackened,  until  at  last  silence  brooded  once  more  over  the 
plain,  interrupted  only  by  the  crackling  of  flames  or  an  occasional 
command. 

But  the  cessation  was  only  temporary.  Under  cover  of  the  dark- 
ness, each  army  formed  a  new  line  of  battle,  and  after  an  hour's 
intermission  the  action  re-commenced.  The  appetite  for  blood,  the 
darker  passions  of  human  nature,  had  been  aroused  ;  and  now  man 
saw  his  brother  and  companion  fall  by  his  side,  or  heard  from  every 
quarter  the  shrieks  of  suffering  wretches,  with  scarcely  one  feeling 
of  compunction.  The  artillery  led  the  battle  ;  and  both  armies  fought 
with  a  heroism  rarely  surpassed  in  the  history  of  American  warfare. 
In  the  very  midst  of  it,  one  man  rode  along  the  van  of  our  troops  on 


814  ZACHARY     TAYLOR. 

a  white  horse,  and  exhorted  them  to  duty.  At  sight  of  him  wild 
shouts  of  exultation  rose  above  the  shock  of  contending  armies,  and 
each  soldier  forgot  that  he  was  rioting  in  blood  and  danger. 

No  man  sustained  the  honor  of  his  country  better  on  that  day  than 
did  Major  Ringgold.  The  very  soul  of  the  artillery  force,  he  watched 
with  thrilling  interest  the  effect  of  every  gun,  and  saw  with  the 
pride  of  a  soldier  the  terrible  havoc  in  the  enemy's  ranks.  His  calm, 
collected  bearing  and  chivalric  bravery,  were  the  admiration  of  every 
beholder.  Yet  he  was  to  shine  but  for  a  moment.  Death  had  marked 
him  as  its  victim,  and  fixed  the  dear  price  of  his  glory.  While  super- 
intending the  eighteen  pounders,  a  cannon-ball  struck  his  right  thigh, 
passed  completely  through  the  shoulders  of  his  horse,  and  out  through 
his  left  thigh,  tearing  away  all  the  muscles  that  opposed  its  course. 

The  last  charge  of  the  cavalry  was  met  by  Captain  Duncan's  bat- 
tery, assisted  by  the  8th  infantry  and  Ker's  dragoons.  Before  the 
fire  of  these  companies  the  horsemen  fell  back  in  confused  masses, 
and  the  day  was  won.  Night  brought  repose  to  the  weary  soldiers, 
who  sank  upon  the  field,  in  their  equipments,  while  the  artillerists 
lay  down  beside  their  pieces. 

Thus  one  battle  was  won  ;  but  another  more  dark  and  dreadful, 
and  which  was  to  drive  the  Mexican  from  Texas  forever,  was  in 
reserve  for  the  following  day.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
(May  9th,)  the  Americans  arrived  in  front  of  a  deep  gorge,  known 
as  the  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  flanking  the  road  on  each  side,  and 
covered  with  impenetrable  chapparal,  of  prickly  pear,  Spanish  needle 
and  other  thorny  plants.  Here  the  legions  of  Mexico  had  concealed 
their  forces,  and  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  their  opponents.  Heavy 
batteries  were  posted  in  the  gorge,  so  as  to  rake  the  road  from  both 
sides,  while  the  infantry  should,  at  the  same  time,  employ  their 
musketry  from  the  chapparal.  The  cavalry  were  stationed  so  as  to 
support  the  rest  of  the  army,  and  act  according  to  emergencies. 

About  four  o'clock,  quick  discharges,  of  musketry  were  heard  in 
the  direction  of  the  chapparal.     The  battle  had  begun.     A  party  of 
skirmishers  had  engaged  some  Mexican  cavalry,  and  after  retreating 
a  short   distance   rallied,  and  in  turn   drove  back  their  opponents. 
Meanwhile  the  main  army  moved  toward  the  gorge  at  a  rapid  march, 
eager  to  finish  the  work  commenced  at  Palo  Alto.     Riding  throuo^h 
their  columns,  the  commander  exhorted  each  man  to  prepare  for  the    j 
approaching  struggle,  and  complete  the  measure  of  their  worth  and    j 
glory.  Shouts  of  gratitude  and  exultation  gave  assurance  that  his  words    j 
were  not  idly  spoken.    Every  eye  flashed,  every  bosom  heaved  with    } 
the  intensity  of  excitement ;  and  the  hurrying  tread  announced  that    j 
very  soon  the  two  armies  would  again  face  each  other  in  mortal  strife,    j 


BATTLE  OF  RESACA  DE  LA  PALMA. 


815 


Battle  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma. 

At  length  when  near  the  Resaca,  the  Mexican  artillery  broke  forth 
in  discharges,  which  echoed  and  re-echoed  along  the  gorge,  and 
ploughed  up  the  ground  and  rocks  in  every  direction.  The  troops 
immediately  halted.  Then  one  regiment  after  another  moved  toward 
tiie  ravine,  regardless  of  the  iron  shower  that  hailed  around  and 
above  them.  In  advance  of  all  was  Lieutenant  Ridgely,  whose 
batteries  poured  forth  uninterrupted  discharges  of  shot  and  canister. 
Closely  following  were  the  heavy  columns  of  the  8lh  infantry,  suc- 
ceeded by  the  remainder  of  the  army.  For  thirty  minutes  the  artil- 
lerists stood  between  the  opposing  forces,  while  the  balls  dashed, 
and  bounded,  and  whistled  around  them,  and  the  wailings  of  mangled 
companions  rung  in  their  ears,  The  cavalry  dashed  upon  them  until 
the  horses  almost  leaped  upon  the  cannon;  yet  they  faltered  not. 
Throwing  aside  all  superfluous  clothing,  grim  with  smoke  and  pow- 
der, and  sweltering  in  the  burning  sun,  these  heroes  stood  hand  to 
liand  with  death,  and  amid  blood,  and  uproar,  and  thunder,  wrenched 
victory  from  the  enemy.  Their  leader  managed  a  gun  with  his  own 
hand,  like  the  commonest  soldier,  and  refused  to  mount  his  horse 
until  the  cavalry  were  broken. 

A  shout  terrible  to  the  Mexicans,  rang  from  the  American  troops 
on  beholding  this  retreat,  and  a  pursuit  immediately  commenced. 
Batteries  groaning  with  heavy  cannon  were  wheeled  into  action,  and 
opened  upon  the  Americans.  Clamor  and  misery  followed  their  course, 
but  still  our  troops  pressed  forward.     Then  the  flash  of  thousands  of 


816  ZACHARY     TAYLOR. 

muskets  burst  forth  from  the  chapparal  which  seemed  as  a  wall 
of  living  fire.  Whole  companies  sunk  down  beneath  the  feet  of  their 
companions,  and  the  artillery  was  almost  dismantled.  Still  the 
soldiers  advance.  The  bursts  of  artillery,  the  roar  of  musketry,  and 
shouts  of  command,  formed  a  scene  incapable  of  description.  But 
dashing  through  death  and  horror,  our  troops  reached  the  thicket, 
and  sprang  forward  to  the  fierce  trial  of  the  bayonet.  Suddenly  a.11 
noise  was  hushed,  save  that  sickening  one,  whose  short,  quick  sound 
chills  the  blood — the  grating  of  bayonet  with  bayonet  as  they  leap 
sternly  at  opposing  bosoms.  Then  there  was  another  shout — the 
chapparal  was  gained. 

Sure  of  victory,  the  troops  now  attempted  to  drive  the  Mexicans 
from  their  batteries.  But  here  their  progress  was  arrested.  Manned 
by  the  Tampico  veterans,  and  commanded  by  the  brave  La  Vega, 
these  guns  swept  down  every  thing  before  them,  and  covered  the 
retreat  of  the  infantry.  At  the  same  time  the  cavalry  prepared  for 
another  charge. 

Perceiving  that  nothing  decisive  could  be  accomplished  while  the 
Mexicans  retained  these  guns.  General  Taylor  ordered  Captain  May 
to  charge  them  with  his  dragoons.  That  order  was  welcome.  As 
the  captain  rode  back  to  his  command,  each  eye  was  bent  upon  him 
with  an  almost  agonizing  expression.  "  Men,"  he  exclaimed,  "  follow," 
and  instantly  that  troop  were  plunging  towards  the  rocks  of  the 
Resaca.  On  they  swept  like  some  living  thunderbolt  until  they 
reached  Colonel  Ridgely,  by  whom  they  were  halted  till  he  had 
drawn  the  enemy's  fire.  Then  those  fiery  horsemen,  with  their  arms 
bared  to  the  shoulder,  and  their  sabres  glittering  in  the  sun,  swept 
on  toward  the  opposing  batteries.  Grim  and  silent,  the  enemy 
awaited  their  approach,  with  the  ignited  matches  close  to  the  cannon. 
Nearer  and  nearer  the  dragoons  approached  ;  it  seem.ed  like  mocking 
death — one  of  those  terrible  moments  when  the  mind  dares  not  think. 
A  roar  like  thunder  broke  the  suspense,  and  eighteen  horses  with 
seven  men,  reared  and  screamed,  and  fell  dead.  Lieutenant  Sackett 
was  thrown  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy  ;  Lieutenant  Inge  was  sho5 
through  the  throat.  Bat  nought  could  stop  the  survivors.  Leaping 
on  the  breaches  of  the  cannon,  they  overthrew  the  cannoneers,  and 
drove  back  the  Tampico  regiment  with  their  sabres.  These  were 
repulsed  but  a  moment — they  rushed  back  to  their  stations,  seized 
the  horses'  bridles,  and  fought  hand  to  hand  with  the  riders.  Again 
they  were  rolled  back,  and  again  returned,  climbing  over  heaps  of 
their  fallen  companions,  and  planting  their  standard  by  the  principal 
battery.  La  Vega,  their  general,  black  with  the  filth  of  battle,  stood 
among  his  fallen  heroes,   and   called  the  survivors    to  their  posts 


DEFENCE     OF     FORT     BROWN.  817 

Nobly  did  they  second  his  call,  and  closed  about  him  like  a  wall  of 
iron.  But  concentrating  his  force,  May  again  rushed  on  them,  break- 
ing their  ranks,  and  capturing  La  Vega  himself.  Slowly  and  sullenly 
that  shattered  band  left  their  guns.  Tearing  the  flag  from  its  staff, 
one  of  them  wrapped  it  around  his  body  and  attempted  to  escape  ;  but 
weary  and  wounded,  fell  down  through  loss  of  blood  and  was  captured. 
Thus  was  won  the  battle  of  Resaca.  Flight  and  confusion  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Mexicans,  and  as  the  setting  sun  shed  his  last  ray,  it 
flashed  over  mangled,  broken  forms,  and  plunging  horses,  and  gar- 
ments rolled  in  blood.  Crowds  of  fugitives  fled  toward  the  river, 
pursued  by  the  fierce  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  tramp  of  vengeful 
cavalry.  One  by  one  fell  in  the  road  from  exhaustion  and  terror; 
whole  parties  were  swept  into  the  river  by  the  rushing  cavalry,  until 
the  water  foamed  and  boiled  with  the  awful  mass.  Their  only  bark 
pushed  from  the  shore  with  its  heavy  freight,  and  then  one  shriek 
of  anguish  rose  up  from  the  wretches  on  shore.  Eleven  hundred 
men  who  had  marched  with  warrior  pride  to  the  field  of  Palo  Alto, 
were  now  lying  still  and  cold  on  the  plains  of  Texas. 

-rOR  had  the  little  fort  on  the  river  been 
idle.  On  the  3d  of  May,  all  the  bat- 
teries in  Matamoras  opened  a  heavy 
cannonade,  and  soon  after  the  Mexicans 
crossed  the  river,  and  poured  forth 
heavy  discharges  from  their  field  bat- 
tery. But  the  little  garrison  were  not 
dismayed.  Hour  after  hour,  day  and 
night,  surrounded  by  many  times  their 
number,  they  hurled  defiance  at  the  foe, 
and  prepared  for  the  fierce  struggle  of  an  assault.  When  their 
amm.unition  was  almost  exhausted,  they  sat  sullenly  down  and 
waited  the  onset  of  the  enemy.  On  the  6th,  their  commander  Major 
Brown,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  bomb,  yet  still  his  men  bore  on. 
On  the  8th,  the  sound  of  distant  cannon  broke  upon  their  ears  ;  they 
sprang  upon  the  parapets  and  listened  ;  again  and  again  it  echoed 
along,  and  then  wild  cheers  followed  each  report.  They  knew  that 
General  Taylor  had  met  the  enemy  ;  and  when  on  the  following  day 
his  little  army  emerged  from  the  neighboring  thickets,  in  pursuit  of 
the  Mexicans,  one  shout  arose  from  the  fort,  that  drowned  for  a 
moment  the  noise  of  battle. 

The  capture  of  Matamoras,  and  the  neighboring  ports,  followed 
these  victories.  After  refreshing  his  troops,  and  receiving  reinforce- 
ments. General  Taylor  marched  for  Monterey,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  which  he  arrived  on  the  19th  of  September. 

52 


818  ZAC  11  ARY     TAYLOR. 

On  the  21st  this  strong  city  was  attacked  at  two  stations  by  the 
mani  army,  while  General  Worth  led  a  division  against  the  forts  on 
a  neighboring  hill.  The  details  of  this  fearful  struggle  are  a  series 
of  rapid  movements,  brilliant  assaults  and  chivalric  combats.  Gene- 
rals Twiggs  and  Butler,  Colonel  May's  dragoons  and  the  Texas 
volunteers  hecaine  involved  between  three  fires  directed  against  them 
from  strongly  built  forts.  Here,  hour  after  hour,  they  stood  in  the 
jaws  of  death,  while  the  old  town  rocked  with  the  thunder  of  artil- 
lery ;  companions  dropping  on  every  side,  and  the  balls  ringing  and 
whistling  in  showers  around  them.  High  over  the  scene  of  slaughter 
May  and  Twiggs  were  heard  exhorting  their  heroes  to  the  charge  ; 
while  Butler's  troops,  sweeping  on  with  the  bayonet,  overthrew  the 
opposing  cavalry,  and  rushed  almost  to  the  guns  of  the  fort.  But 
Mexico  saw  her  danger,  and  calling  all  her  troops  around,  prepared 
to  meet  it.  At  each  burst  of  lurid  flame,  the  balls  broke  and  crushed 
the  living  masses,  until  our  companies  were  completely  riddled.  In 
gloomy  rage  the  troops  were  torn  from  the  bloody  scene,  while  the 
shouts  of  exulting  Mexicans  rent  the  air. 

But  the  triumph  of  the  latter  was  short.  Captain  Backus  having 
climbed  upon  a  tannery  near  the  fort,  poured  into  it  a  deadly  fire  of 
musketry.  Before  the  astonishment  attending  this  unexpected  attack 
had  subsided.  General  Quitman  descended  upon  it  like,  a  torrent, 
leaped  the  embrasures,  wheeled  round  the  cannon,  and  drove  off  the 
Mexicans  with  the  bayonet. 

Now  the  battle  recommenced  with  renewed  fury.  Exasperated 
by  their  loss,  the  Mexicans  launched  from  thirty  heavy  cannon  an 
avalanche  of  liquid  fire,  that  tore  up  massive  stones  and  bulwarks, 
and  scattered  them  into  the  air  like  leaves  in  autumn.  Whole  sec- 
tions melted  under  this  appalling  shower,  and  General  Butler  was 
wounded,  and  retired  from  the  field.  The  rapid  charges  of  Colonel 
Garland  against  the  second  fort  were  unsuccessful,  and  the  command 
was  withdrawn  to  the  captured  station. 

About  this  time  a  body  of  lancers  wound  slowly  round  the  wall 
of  the  city,  toward  the  battery  opposite  the  citadel.  At  seeing  them, 
Captain  Bragg  galloped  forward,  and  by  a  few  well-directed  charges 
drove  them  back,  with  loss. 

On  the  23d,  a  grand  attack  was  made  upon  all  the  Mexican  sta- 
tions. Maddened  by  heavy  losses,  the  American  rangers  hurst  into 
the  houses,  tore  the  skirmishers  from  the  windows,  and  bored  through 
the  side  walls  toward  the  central  plaza.  The  dull  sound  of  the  pick- 
axe contrasted  strangely  with  those  terrible  reports  which  were 
shaking  earth  and  air,  and  crushing  the  haughtiest  buildings.  Streets 
and  squares  were  thus  passed  until  the  troops  were  in  the  vicinity  of 


B-VTTLE      OF     BUENA      VISTA. 


!5iy 


Street  Fight  at  Monterey. 

the  principal  plaza.  Here  they  halted,  issued  from  the  houses,  and 
commenced  a  cannonade.  This  renewed  the  general  action.  Soon 
the  walls  of  the  great  cathedral  were  observed  to  totter,  and  at 
length  with  an  awful  crash  a  portion  fell  inwards.  A  wild  shout 
arose  from  the  assailants,  the  cannon  ceased  for  one  moment,  and 
then  dimly  borne  over  the  tumult,  came  the  wail  of  suffering  anguish. 
A  roar  of  artillery  succeeded,  as  though  death  were  ashamed  that 
its  work  should  be  known.  Until  near  sunset  our  troops  toiled,  and 
fought,  and  wrestled  for  the  victory,  although  opposing  a  securely 
intrenched  foe  of  three  times  their  number.  They  were  then  with- 
drawn to  await  the  arrival  of  General  Worth's  division. 

This  officer,  after  capturing  the  Bishop's  Palace  and  other  re- 
doubts, had  entered  the  city  and  penetrated  toward  the  square,  on 
the  side  opposite  General  Taylor.  Night,  however,  closed  the  scene 
of  carnage,  and  both  armies  prepared  for  a  final  struggle  on  the 
ensuing  day. 

On  the  24th,  proposals  for  a  capitulation  were  received  from  the 
Mexican  General  Ampudia,  and  negotiations  ensued  which  resulted 
in  a  surrender  of  the  city  and  public  stores  to  the  army  of  General 
Taylor.  The  enemy  marched  into  the  interior  on  parole,  the  officers 
and  soldiers  retaining  most  of  their  arms,  together  with  a  battery  of 
artillery 

The  crowning  point  of  General  Taylor's  career  was  the  battle  of 
Buena  Vista,     Hitherto  we  have  seen  him  contending:  with  generals 


S20  ZACHARY     TAYLOR. 

of  little  popularity  ;  now  he  was  to  engage  one,  on  whom  the  nation 
leaned  with  entire  confidence,  and  to  second  whom,  it  was  willing 
to  make  any  sacrifice  of  men  or  money.  j. 

Buena  Vista  is  a  small  village  about  seven  miles  south  of  Saltillo. 
At  some  distance  from  it  is  the  deep  gorge  of  Angostura,  surrounded 
by  rocks,  hills  and  ravines,  and  holding  the  key  of  a  position  which 
for  defensive  warfare,  is  perhaps  not  surpassed  by  any  other  on  the 
continent.  Here  with  his  little  army  of  five  thousand  men,  General 
Taylor  waited  for  twenty-one  thousand  under  the  best  general  in 
Mexico.  It  was  a  brilliant  sight  to  behold  that  host,  stretching  over 
the  distant  hills,  in  hurried  march  to  the  scene  of  slaughter.  Far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery  flashed  in  the 
morning  sun  and  shaded  all  the  plain.  Then  they  scattered  in  every 
direction,  arranging  their  artillery,  moving  into  line,  and  choosing 
stations  for  the  attack.  In  the  afternoon,  a  party  of  lancers  wound 
round  the  heights  to  the  left  of  the  American  position,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  making  a  charge.  They  were  followed  by  some  infantry 
companies,  and  one  of  artillery,  who  commenced  an  attack  in  that 
quarter.  The  noise  of  cannon  sounded  strangely  along  those  solitary 
chfFs,  and  the  echoes  bounded  from  one  to  the  other,  as  though  in 
playful  mockery.  Considerable  skirmishing  took  place,  and  the 
troops  of  both  armies  mancEuvred  till  night. 

Scarcely  had  daylight  appeared  in  the  east  on  the  23d,  than  the 
trampling  of  men,  the  gallop  of  horses,  and  the  roar  of  cannon,  told 
that  the  fearful  drama  was  opening.  Reinforced  during  the  night, 
the  enemy  now  poured  upon  our  left  a  living  mass  that  seemed  clad 
in  fire  and  steel.  All  along  that  moving,  shouting  mass,  thousands 
of  muskets  united  their  startling  vollies,  while  a  pall  of  smoke  rolled 
along  the  rocking  heights,  and  hid  the  combatants  from  view.  Yet 
in  that  terrible  moment,  ere  the  excitement  of  contest  had  strung  the 
nerves  to  indifference,  Coloned  Marshall  beheld  unmoved,  the  rush- 
ings  of  an  army,  and  calling  his  little  band  around  him,  prepared  for 
their  charge.  Gallantly  did  they  wrestle  for  victory  for  three  dread- 
ful hours,  till  many  a  gallant  form  sank  low,  and  the  sharp  rocks  ran 
red  with  human  blood.  When  the  sun  arose  the  armies  were  rushing 
and  rolling  over  the  bloody  plain,  while  high  over  all,  the  din  of  war 
soared  above  the  scene  and  rolled  in  broken  echoes  in  the  distance. 

Yet  this  was  but  the  beginning  of  the  fray.  At  eight  o'clock,  one 
dense,  deep  column  came  on  in  steady  movement  against  the  Ameri- 
can centre.  The  eye  of  Washington  and  his  artillerists  watched  their 
movement,  as  he  waited  in  stern  silence  their  approach.  On  they 
came,  over  rocks  and  ledges,  and  ravines,  rising  and  lowering,  as  if 
the  whole  mass  were  gifted  with  one   soul.     They  passed  artillery 


BATTLE     OF      B  U  E  N  A.     VISTA. 


821 


range,  and  a  wild  shout  arose,  the  fond  anticipation  of  victory.  Ere 
its  tones  had  ebbed  away,  another  noise  was  heard — the  sound  of 
death.  From  side  to  side  of  that  living  column  ihe  heavy  balls 
ploughed  their  maddening  way,  sweeping  down  tlie  young,  the  brave, 
the  ambitious  in  weltering  heaps.  Then  the  thrilling  cries  of  com- 
mand, the  closing  of  the  severed  ranks,  and  the  onward  tread  suc- 
ceeded. But  a  second  and  third  time  that  dread  battery  poured 
forth,  tearing  and  scattering  the  column  like  the  sweep  of  a  hurricane. 
Panic-struck,  the  lines  rolled  back,  and  when  another  roar  came 
forth  thousands  sent  up  a  yell  of  horror,  and  rushed  back  over  groan- 
ing piles,  and  flying  masses,  leaving  behind  them  their  bleeding, 
dying  comrades. 

With  grief  and  dismay  the  Mexican  general  beheld  the  rout  of 
this  column,  and  prepared  to  redeem  it.  lender  cover  of  the  rocks, 
his  cavalry  and  a  large  infantry  force  united  in  one  body,  and  issued 
forth  to  assault  the  left  wing.  This  had  been  the  first  point  of  attack, 
and  was  now  reinforced  by  the  Illinois  and  Indiana  regiments,  and 
the  artillery  of  Captain  O'Brien. 

IDING  along  his  lines,  General  Lane 
pointed  to  the  coming  hosts,  and  called 
on  each  man  to  remember  that  he  was 
an  American.  Throwing  the  artillery 
rapidly  forward  he  ordered  the  second 
Indiana  regiment  to  support  it,  and 
placing  himself  by  the  soldiers  of 
Illinois,  watched  the  progress  of  his 
foe.  They  came  in  massive .  column, 
certain  of  victory,  shouting  as  though 
in  pursuit.  Then  the  battle  opened. 
Every  eye  was  fixed  upon  this  quarter,  and  many  a  brave  heart  who 
all  that  morning  had  toiled  amid  blood  and  death,  now  grew  sick  at 
the  anticipated  result.  Sweeping  through  the  heavy  Mexican  phalanx, 
the  shot  mowed  down  whole  columns,  and  levelled  the  cavalry  like 
an  Alpine  storm,  yet  sternly  the  lines  closed,  and,  without  giving  a 
glance  at  the  wounded,  pressed  on.  Then  another  road  opened; 
swords  and  mangled  masses  flew  in  the  air,  and  scores  of  horses 
rolled  over  each  other  in  death.  Yet  now  the  blood  of  Mexico  was 
aroused.  With  pale  compressed  lips,  and  eyes  that  flashed  fire,  they 
spurned  the  dead  beneath  their  feet,  and  pressed  forward.  The 
American  force  began  to  melt  at  their  approach,  and  the  artillery  was 
surrounded  with  the  dead.  But  sweeping' over  the  field  through 
death  and  smoke.  General  Lane  urged  his  troops  to  be  firm  ;  while 
O'Brien,  leaping  from  his  horse  seized  a  gun,  and  though  the  balls 


823  ZACHARY     TAYLOR. 

leaped  and  whistled  around  hin),  kept  the  artillerists  to  their  guns 
Now  a  horse  would  plunge  and  fall  dead,  then  a  ball  would  tear  a 
comrade  from  his  side,  and  sweep  amid  the  supporting  infantry. 
Still  the  battle  went  on,  rocking  and  thundering  in  the  mountains  and 
flaming  along  the  plain  like  the  eruption  of  a  volcano. 

But  there  was  a  page  dark  and  unfortunate  in  this  tale  of  glory. 
At  this  moment,  when  the  energies  of  the  every  man  was  required  to 
ensure  victory,  the  Indiana  regiment  moved  rapidly  from  their  station 
and  commenced  an  inglorious  retreat.  Appalled  at  the  sight,  the 
staff-officers  galloped  across  their  path,  and  seizing  the  regimental 
colors  called  the  troops  to  remember  their  country.  But  the  appeal 
was  vain ;  a  few  brave  spirits  disengaged  themselves  from  the  mass, 
but  the  rest  left  the  field  and  its  glory,  to  be  won  by  worthier  hands. 

Inspired  by  this  success,  the  Mexicans  poured  on  in  exulting 
shouts,  which  drowned  the  hurry  of  battle.  Sure  of  victory,  each 
lancer  rose  in  his  stirrup,  and  dashed  down  on  the  artillery,  in  the 
fiercest  haste.  Yet  those  gallant  few,  were  undismayed.  Exhausted 
with  incessant  labor,  and  deserted  by  their  infantry,  they  bore  up 
through  danger  and  uproar,  until  every  horse  was  killed  or  wounded, 
and  but  a  few  men,  standing  here  and  there  told  where  the  company 
had  been.  Yet  the  stern  captain  refused  to  yield,  until  his  soldiers, 
less  i;i  number  than  the  cannon,  fell  into  confusion.  Then  remount- 
ing his  wounded  horse  he  sullenly  ordered  a  retreat ;  the  next 
moment  the  opposing  cavalry  dashed  on  the  battery,  and  his  guns 
were  lost. 

But  at  that  moment  the  shrill  voice  of  General  Wool  came  rinffinsr 
Dver  the  field — '  Illinois,  Illinois  to  the  rescue,'  and  then  the  fiery  sons 
of  the  west,  panting  for  conflict  and  revenge,  opened  their  voUies  of 
musketry.  But  that  living  avalanche  was  not  to  be  stopped.  Then 
the  Mississippians  planted  them.selves  in  the  fatal  path  and  awaited 
the  struggle.  All  around  farther  than  sight  could  reach,  horsemen, 
artillery  and  infantry,  were  concentrating  upon  these  devoted  regi- 
ments. The  wild  blood  danced  through  every  form,  and  hope,  and 
fear,  were  intensely  bent  upon  one  point.  Still  the  tall  form  of  Wool 
was  seen,  gliding  from  company  to  company,  shouting  that  stirring 
appeal  and  filling  every  heart  with  fire. 

But  before  the  charge  another  voice  was  heard,  more  thrilling, 
more  potent  than  that  of  Wool.  Sweeping  along  on  his  white  horse, 
General  Taylor  rode  between  the  armies,  while  his  name  went  up 
from  three  thousand  voices,  and  each  soul  was  wound  to  enthusiasm 
at  the  mighty  shout.  Before  that  wide  battle  cry  was  over  the 
Mexicans  were  towering  upon  our  troops  for  the  final  struggle.  Then 
Captain  Bragg  galloped  into  battery,  and  the  next  moment  thousands 


BA.TTLE     OF     BUENA     VISTA. 


823 


beutj  il  Tiyloi  at  tucn  i  \  ibta. 

of  rifles,  muskets  and  heavy  ordnance,  were  scattering  death  amid  op- 
posing multitudes.  The  armies  reeled  to  and  fro,  under  the  dreadful 
discharges,  while  whole  ranks  sank  down  beneath  their  comrades'  feet. 
The  reputation  of  each  nation,  each  general,  each  soldier  was  at  stake. 
Again  and  agai*!!,  the  enemy  were  poured  upon  our  ranks,  and  as  often 
rolled  back  before  the  showers  of  iron  hail  that  crushed  and  over- 
whelmed their  columns.  Sometimes  there  was  a  pause,  and  the  moans 
of  the  dying  and  shrieks  of  the  wounded  rose  on  the  air.  Then  the 
battling,  the  trampling  and  shouting,  mingled  in  one  horrible  din,  and 
mounted  up  to  heaven.  Nobly  did  our  troops  do  their  duty.  Every 
advance  of  the  Mexicans  was  met  with  unshaken  fortitude,  and  each 
soldier  fought  as  though  victory  rested  with  him.  Broken  and  repuls- 
ed, the  enemy  commenced  their  disastrous  retreat.  Strewed  over  the 
ledges  and  gullies,  or  piled  in  black  masses,  their  dead  and  disabled 
marked  the  whole  line  of  their  march.  Yet  over  these  the  terrified 
lancers  rode,  grinding  them  into  the  earth,  and  completing  what  the 
artillery  had  begun.  Ranks  were  trodden  down  by  their  comrades,  or 
whirled  over  the  slippery  rocks.  Then  they  burst  among  the  infantry, 
overthrowing  column  after  column,  and  scattering  the  flower  of  the 
army  like  chafl^.  On  the  shouting  Americans  poured,  blighting  those 
splendid  companies  with  their  terrible  discharges,  and  sweeping  the 
entire  field.  Still  the  war-cry  of  Wool,  the  shout  for  Taylor  went  up 
and  urged  the  troops  to  pursuit.  Far  in  advance  of  their  companions, 
the  Kentucky  regiment,  under  Clay  and  McKee,  pushed  after  the 
fugitives,  until  they  became  entangled  among  the  ravines  and  passes, 
on  the  left.     Seizing  this  favorable  moment,  the  cavalry  wheeled 


824 


ZACHARY     TAYLOR. 


around  and  attacked  these  troops  with  their  whole  force,  and  the 
fearful  work  once  more  connmenced.  All  day  those  gallant  sons  of 
Kentucky  had  toiled  and  fought ;  and  now  pent  up  among  rocky 
gorges,  and  facing  an  entire  army,  they  struggled  on  till  night.  Their 
colonels  fell  dead  ;  but  round  their  bodies  the  soldiers  gathered,  and 
fought  hand  to  hand  with  their  criJel  foe.  But  the  contest  was  too 
unequal.  Back  through  the  ravines,  where  they  had  lately  passed 
in  triumphant  pursuit,  they  were  now  driven,  and  the  day  once  more 
seemed  lost.  But  the  artillery  again  met  the  enemy,  drove  them 
back,  and  secured  the  victory.     General  Taylor  had  triumphed. 

Overcome  by  exhaustion,  the  Americans  sank  upon  the  field  in 
their  equipments,  and  night  closed  iipon  the  scene  of  slaughter. 
Two  thousand  friends  and  foes  were  already  on  the  field,  dead,  dying 
and  wounded.  Groans  of  agony,  shrieks  of  pain,  had  succeeded  to 
the  thrilling  shouts  of  the  day,  and  were  making  night  hideous.  In 
the  morning  those  mangled  heaps  were  bounding  and  elastic  with 
life  ;  now  they  were  maimed  for  ever. 

This  great  battle,  by  far  the  most  remarkable  of  the  war,  was  the 
last  mihtary  achievement  of  General  Taylor.  The  smallness  of  his 
force,  repeatedly  diminished  to  increase  that  of  General  Scott,  hin- 
dered him  from  advancing  into  the  interior ;  and  he  remained  inactive 
near  Monterey  until  December,  1847,  when  he  obtained  leave  of 
absence,  in  order  to  visit  the  United  States.  His  reception  was  most 
enthusiastic,  and  in  every  city  through  which  he  passed  preparations 
on  the  most  masrnificent  scale  were  made  for  his  entertainment. 


Dei'ence  of  Tort  Brown. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  WINFIELD  SCOTT. 


IRGINIA,  which  has  given  so  many  valuable 
men  to  our  country,  was  the  birthplace  of 
the  present  commander-in-chief  of  the  Ameri- 
can forces.  He  was  born  near  Petersburg, 
June  13th,  1786.  Of  his  childhood  we  know 
nothing,  except  that  he  received  his  early 
education  at  a  village  school,  and  was  after- 
wards placed  at  William  and  Mary  College, 
where  he  studied  law.  The  unsettled  con- 
dition of  our  foreign  relations  caused  him  to  abandon  his  profession, 
and  turn  his  attention  to  military  affairs.  In  1807,  after  the  affair  of 
the  Chesapeake,  he  joined  a  troop  of  Petersburg  horse,  and  in  the 
following  year  (May  3d,)  entered  the  regular  army  as  captain  of  light 
artillery.  His  commission  was  given  him  by  President  Jefferson  in 
person. 

The  military  career  of  General  Scott  has  been,  rapid  and  brilliant. 
From  its  very  commencement,  fortune  seems  to  have  marked  him 

825 


826 


WINFIELD     SCOTT, 


Queenstown. 

as  her  peculiar  favorite.  At  Queenstown  Heights,  M'hen  but  a  colonel, 
an  accident  placed  him  in  chief  command  of  a  regiment,  in  which 
station  he  behaved  wnth  such  consummate  skill  and  bravery,  as  to 
win  the  highest  approbation.  Having  crossed  the  river  with  a  small 
parly,  he  routed  a  company  of  the  British,  and  was  following  them 
rapidly,  when  an  overwhelming  force  advanced  against  him.  At 
this  stirring  moment  a  soldier  rushed  up  to  him  with  the  intelligence 
that  the  militia  who  had  been  ordered  to  support  his  movement  could 
not  be  induced  to  cross  the  river.  Death  now  stared  him  in  the 
face  ;  but,  undismayed  by  the  intelligence,  he  called  his  little  band 
round  him,  and  prepared  for  the  encounter.  The  British  came 
pouring  on  in  one  huge  mass,  while  the  Indians  from  behind  rocks 
and  trees,  seconded  their  movements.  Yet  with  a  spirit  worthy  of 
that  terrible  day,  the  Americans  rallied  around  their  commander,  and 
for  some  time  maintained  the  attack  with  unflinching  firmness.  They 
then  began  to  waver,  and  many  lowered  themselves  down  the  steep 
bank  to  the  river's  edge.  Scott  then  determined  on  a  capitulation. 
At  the  risk  of  his  life  he  bore  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  British  general, 
obtained  honorable  terms,  and  surrendered  his  command. 

Scott  was  soon  exchanged,  and  on  May  27th,  1813,  led  the 
advance  of  the  Americans  in  the  attack  upon  Fort  George.  He 
crossed  the  Niagara  amid  a  shower  of  musketry  from  a  concealed 
foe,  moved  rapidly  up  the  rugged  bank,  clearing  it  of  the  enemy  as 


CAPTURE  OF  FORT  GEORGE. 


827 


Capture  of  Fort  George. 

he  went,  and  passed  on  toward  the  fort.  The  remainder  of  the 
command  then  arrived,  captured  the  fort  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
while  Scott  with  his  own  hand  tore  down  the  British  flag.  A  hot 
pursuit  of  the  enemy  then  commenced,  and  lasted  until  night. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  the  battle  of  Chippewa,  (July  5,  1814,)  the 
services  of  General  Scott  were  many  and  arduous.  For  a  Avhile  he 
sustained  the  shock  of  the  combined  British  army,  and  afterwards 
led  the  brilliant  charge  which  decided  the  fortune  of  the  day.  Three 
weeks  after,  (July  25th,)  a  more  decisive  battle  took  place  near  the 
Niagara  Falls.  It  was  commenced  by  General  Scott,  who  in  passing 
a  wood  with  his  division,  unexpectedly  found  himself  in  front  of  the 
entire  British  army.  Unable  to  retreat  without  -seriously  marring 
the  prospects  of  the  day,  he  awaited  their  attack  and  sustained  it 
firmly  until  the  main  body  came  to  his  assistance.  The  sun  had  now 
set,  yet  hour  after  hour  the  fierce  conflict  rolled  on  ;  and  the  thun- 
ders of  artillery,  the  rushings  of  combat,  and  shouts  of  officers, 
mingled  with  the  deafening  roar  of  the  falls,  and  rolled  far  and  wide 
along  the  plains  of  Canada.  On  the  awful  scene  the  pale  full  moon 
looked  down  with  a  soft  lustre,  contrasting  strangely  with  the  work 
of  death  below. 

As  the  battle  went  on,  Scott's  command  became  engaged  between 
two  British  columns,  and  was  in  danger  of  being  outflanked.  By 
active  manoeuvring,  he  escaped  this  danger,  and  uniting  with  some 


828 


WINFIELD     SCOTT. 


fresh  troops  under  General  Ripley,  assisted  in  driving  back  the 
enemy's  two  wings,  and  keeping  possession  of  the  ground  they  had 
occupied. 

But  the  centre  of  the  enemy,  defended  by  a  park  of  heavy  artil- 
lery, still  remained  firm.  To  complete  the  victory,  it  was  necessary 
to  capture  this  position,  although  the  undertaking  was  apparently 
desperate.  General  Brown  rode  to  Colonel  Miller,  and  said,  "  Sir, 
can  you  take  that  battery  ?"  "  1  will  try,  sir,"  was  the  answer,  and  his 
command  was  immediately  in  motion.  General  Scott  being  well 
acquainted  with  the  road,  accompanied  the  colonel  as  guide.  Few 
charges  in  the  history  of  our  country  have  ever  equalled  that.  En- 
veloped in  shrouds  of  smoke,  line  after  line  thinning  before  them, 
while  far  in  the  distance  one  terrible  roar  and  sheet  of  flame  burst 
forth,  then  closed,  then  re-opened  again,  those  iron  men  followed 
their  colonel  in  silence.  Around  them  the  ground  was  reeling  with  the 
awful  reports,  yet  they  heard  nothing,  heeded  nothing.  Nearer  and 
nearer  they  swept  to  that  battery,  and  louder,  and  quicker,  and 
fiercer  the  artillery  sent  its  blasting  showers  into  their  melting  ranks. 
One  moment  there  was  a  pause  in  the  march  ;  but  the  loud  voice  of 
the  leader  rising  over  the  uproar  of  battle  reinspired  each  heart. 
Now  the  flames  flashed  in  their  faces,  and  the  foe  could  be  seen,  like 
evil  spirits,  wrapped  in  fire,  and  controlling  the  work  of  death  ;  then, 
like  one  wide  volcano,  every  cannon  opened  its  last  tremendous  blast, 
and  groans  and  shrieks  of  horror,  as  man  rolled  over  man,  told  of 
its  awful  eff'ect.  Fierce  foemen  sprang  to  the  struggle  of  death,  and 
the  massive  smoke  hid  their  deeds  from  view.  The  ring  of  the  bayo- 
net, the  rushings  of  soldiery,  broke  through  the  awful  gloom,  suc- 
ceeded by  the  stern  tones  of  resentment,  and  one  wild  shout  of 
victory.  The  battery  was  carried.  Again  and  again  the  enemy 
stormed  along  the  height  to  regain  it ;  but  the  tall  form  of  Scott 
gliding  among  his  troops,  filled  each  American  with  fire,  and  the 
broken  columns  of  Britain  rolled  back  in  wild  disorder.  And  when 
those  captured  guns  opened  upon  their  reeling  ranks,  one  by  one 
they  broke  and  fled,  and  the  victory  was  gained. 

In  this  engagement  General  Scott  was  twice  wounded,  and  for 
a  while  his  life  was  despaired  of.  After  lingering  in  New  York  for 
about  a  month,  he  was  carried  to  Philadelphia,  and  placed  under  the 
care  of  Drs.  Chapman  and  Physick,  who  at  length  restored  him  to 
health. 

Not  long  after  the  conclusion  of  the  w^ar.  General  Scott  was  com- 
missioned to  visit  Europe,  and  ascertain  the  disposition  of  difl^erent 
monarchies  respecting  the  revolutionary  movements  of  Spanish 
America.     He  employed  his  leisure  in  recruiting  his  health  and  per 


BLACK     HAWK     WAR.  829 

fecting  himself  in  a  knowledge  of  European  tactics,  of  which  he 
prepared  a  valuable  digest. 

The  long  peace  succeeding  the  war  of  1812  afforded  little  oppor- 
tunity for 'the  display  of  military  abilities.  Yet  during  this  time, 
Scott  w^as  not  unprofitably  employed.  His  favorite  profession  en- 
grossed his  attention,  and  from  time  to  time  led  to  suggestions  to  the 
war  department  on  various  interesting  points. 

In  1832  Scott  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  "  Black  Hawk's 
war."  The  history  of  the  individual  who  gave  title  to  this  move- 
ment is  replete  with  those  tales  of  wild  and  cruel  daring  which  at 
that  time  rendered  the  name  of  Indian  one  of  terror.  Black  Hawk 
was  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  in  early  life  had  been  distinguished 
among  the  western  tribes  for  his  bravery  and  energy,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  his  numerous  expeditions.  When  Illinois  was  admitted  into 
the  Union,  and  the  continual  tide  of  emigration  rendered  the  situa- 
tion of  the  Indians  somewhat  cramped,  they  became  dissatisfied,  and 
regarded  the  whites  as  robbers  of  a  territory  the  right  to  which  the 
red  men  had  never  legally  yielded.  So  great  was  the  influx  of  emi- 
gration, that  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  soon  completely  surrounded, 
and  the  new  settlers  found  it  necessary  to  encroach  on  their  lands  in 
order  to  hasten  their  departure  to  the  west. 

In  1827,  when  these  tribes  were  absent  upon  a  fishing  excursion, 
the  whites  fired  their  village,  and  reduced  forty  houses  to  ashes.  The 
Indians  however  did  not  resent  this  act,  but  quietly  rebuilt  their 
dwellings.  Aggressions  were  then  continued  upon  them  until  at 
length  the  Indians  took  up  arms.  About  the  same  time  the  American 
government  sold  all  the  lands  belonging  to  the  red  men,  and  advised 
them  to  remove.  Indignant  at  being  forced  to  abandon  the  graves 
of  their  ancestors,  a  number  from  each  tribe  rallied  around  Black 
Hawk,  and  determined  to  remain  at  all  hazards.  Accordingly  after 
having  been  transported  beyond  the  Mississippi  they  recrossed  that 
river,  alleging  that  they  had  been  invited  by  the  Potawatamies,  near 
Rock  river,  to  spend  the  summer  with  them  and  plant  corn  on  their 
lands.  They  did  no  harm  along  the  road,  and  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  hostilities  would  not  at  that  time  have  commenced,  if 
the  whites  had  acted  equally  well.  But  they  provoked  the  Indians 
in  the  most  brutal  manner.  A  small  party  in  advance  of  the  main 
body  were  attacked  by  some  mounted  militia,  and  all  murdered 
except  one.  He  carried  news  of  the  massacre  to  Black  Hawk,  who 
at  once  determined  on  revenge.  He  therefore  planned  an  ambuscade 
into  which  the  militia  were  enticed,  who  on  receiving  the  fire  of  the 
Indians  became  panic  struck,  and  fled  in  disorder  with  the  loss  of 
fourteen  men. 


830  WINFIELD     SCOTT- 

HE  Indians  now  separated  themselves  into  small 
^  parties,  proceeded  in  different  directions,  and  fell 
upon  the  settlements,  which  at  that  time,  were 


thinly  scattered  over  the  greater  portion  of  the 
state.  Here  they  committed  such  outrages,  that 
the  whole  state  was  in  the  greatest  excitement 
Governor  Reynolds  ordered  out  two  thousand 
additional  militia,  who,  on  the  10th  of  June  assembled  at  Hennepin, 
on  the  Illinois  river,  and  were  soon  engaged  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians, 

On  May  20th,  1832,  the  Indians  attacked  a  small  settlement  on 
Indian  creek,  killed  fifteen  persons  and  took  considerable  plunder. 
On  the  14th  of  June,  five  more  persons  were  killed  at  Galena. 
General  Dodge  being  in  the  neighborhood,  set  out  with  thirty  mounted 
men,  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  On  the  road  he  killed  twelve 
unarmed  Indians  and  soon  after  came  up  with  Black  Hawk  on  the 
Wisconsin.  A  battle  was  fought  in  which  the  Indians  were  defeated 
with  considerable  loss. 

On  the  first  of  August,  Black  Hawk  fell  in  with  the  Warrior  steam- 
boat, and  not  wishing  to  fight,  displayed  two  white  flags.  The 
Americans  however  fired  upon  him,  and  a  battle  ensued,  in  which  the 
chief  lost  twenty-three  killed  and  a  number  wounded.  Next  day  the 
army  of  General  Atkinson  overtook  the  Indians  and  fought  a  great 
battle,  in  which  the  hostile  force  was  entirely  annihilated,  losing  in 
killed  and  wounded  upwards  of  two  hundred. 

During  these  unhappy  transactions  General  Scott  was  sent  with 
one  thousand  men,  to  arrest  by  a  decisive  blow  the  progress  of  all 
hostilities.  He  embarked  on  the  lakes  in  July,  and  was  hastening 
to  the  seat  of  war,  when  an  enemy,  more  formidable  than  the  Indian 
rifle,  attacked  his  troops  and  broke  up  the  expedition.  This  was  the 
Asiatic  cholera,  which  in  1832,  passed  over  our  country  like  the 
simoom,  sweeping  into  one  Avide  grave  the  young  and  old,  the  soldier 
and  citizen.  Of  the  whole  expedition  that  sailed  from  Buffalo,  no 
more  than  four  hundred  and  fifty  arrived  at  Chicago.  After  paying 
every  attention  to  his  suffering  soldiers,  Scott  set  out  for  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  joined  General  Atkinson  the  day  after  his  battle  with  Black 
Hawk.  He  immediately  commenced  preparations  for  receiving  the 
submission  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

But  the  pestilence  had  a  shaft  for  the  wild  west,  as  well  as  for  the 
Atlantic  stales.  Early  in  August  symptoms  of  disease  appeared  at 
Rock  island,  and  in  a  few  days,  the  minister  of  death  was  pouring 
his  wrathful  vial  upon  those  devoted  men.  Companies  melted  down 
to  mere  shadows,  and  the  survivors,  forgetting  military  discipline,  left 
the  camp  and  fled  wildly  into  the  interior.    But  the  lonely  wilderness 


SCOTT     PACIFIES     THE     INDIANS. 


831 


was  no  refuge  from  the  plaguC.  One  by  one  they  sank  upon  the 
road-side,  and  moaned  and  writhed  in  the  agonies  of  death.  The 
citizen  barred  his  door  at  their  approach,  and  the  husbandman  left 
his  cottage  forever.  For  miles  around  the  Mississippi,  dead  soldiers 
were  scattered  here  and  there,  under  trees,  rocks  and  bushes,  in  some 
places  mangled  and  partially  devoured  by  the  wolves  and  hogs. 

Amid  these  terrible  scenes,  Scott  displayed  qualities  more  noble 
than  those  which  had  covered  him  with  glory  at  Niagara.  He  might 
have  intrusted  the  sick  to  physicians,  and  shut  himself  from  con- 
tamination, excusing  all  deserters  by  the  circumstances  under  which 
they  labored.  But  he  acted  another  part.  He  moved  from  couch 
to  couch,  comforting  the  afRicted,  cheering  the  desponding,  and  set- 
ting an  example  to  all.     He  was  physician,  comforter,  father. 

In  about  a  month,  the  cholera  began  1o  disappear,  and  soon  this 
dread  foe  was  found  no  more  in  the  army.  Negotiations  then  com- 
menced with  the  Indians,  and  were  conducted  in  a  spirit  of  harmony 
rarely  witnessed  between  the  red  man  and  the  white.  By  his  admi- 
rable attention  to  the  wants  and  little  national  vanities  of  the  Indians, 
General  Scott  won  their  affection,  and  hastened  to  a  great  extent 
their  peaceable  removal  to  the  west.  The  two  great  chiefs,  Keokuck 
and  Black  Hawk,  became  his  personal  friends,  and  visited  him  some 
years  after,  while  in  the  eastern  states. 

After  his  return  from  these  scenes,  Scott  had  been  with  his  family 
but  a  few  days  when  he  received  notice  to  repair  immediately  to 
Washington.  The  state  of  South  Carolina  was  in  arms  against  the 
general  government  on  the  subject  of  nullification.  These  difficulties 
had  arisen  in  consequence  of  the  tariff"  of  1828,  which  imposed 
duties  on  imported  goods,  higher  than  had  ever  been  laid  before, 
and  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  protecting  American  manufacturers. 
South  Carolina  and  some  of  the  other  southern  states  resented  this 
act  as  unjust  to  themselves  and  unconstitutional,  demanding  at  the 
same  time  its  repeal.  The  dispute  continued  until  1832,  when  the 
legislature  of  South  Carolina  passed  an  act  ordering  a  convention  of 
the  people,  to  take  into  consideration  the  several  acts  of  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  imposing  duties  on  foreign  imports  for 
the  protection  of  domestic  manufactures,  or  for  other  unauthorized 
objects  ;  to  determine  on  the  character  thereof,  and  to  devise  the 
means  of  redress.  This  body  met  at  Columbia,  November  19th, 
and  passed  an  ordinance,  "  to  provide  for  arresting  the  operation  of 
certain  acts  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  purporting  to  be 
taxes,  laying  duties  and  imposts  on  the  importation  of  foreign  com- 
modities." This  instrument  pronounced  the  tariff"  null,  void,  and  no 
law,  nor  binding  upon  the  state,  its  officers  or  citizens  ;  declaring  it 


832  WINFIELD     SCOTT. 

unlawful  to  enforce  duties  under  the  &ct,  and  declaring  [Section  6th,] 
"  if  the  general  government  should  employ  force  to  carry  into  effect 
lis  laws,  or  endeavor  to  coerce  the  state  by  shutting  up  its  ports, 
that  South  Carolina  would  consider  the  Union  dissolved,  and  w'ould 
proceed  to  organize  a  separate  government."  Matters  were  now 
approaching  a  crisis.  The  least  spark  of  rashness  or  obstinacy  would 
explode  the  train  which  had  so  long  been  gathering,  and  plunge  the 
country  into  the  horrors  of  civil  war. 

It  was  for  the  purpose  of  being  intrusted  with  the  military  com- 
mand in  the  south,  that  Scott  received  orders  to  report  himself  at 
Washington.  His  arrival  in  Charleston,  (November  28th)  was  the 
signal  for  the  greeitest  excitement.  For  delicacy,  perplexity,  and 
singularity,  the  situation  in  which  he  now  was,  had  never  before  been 
realized  by  an  American  general.  The  slightest  act,  an  expression 
of  opinion,  a  single  look  on  his  part  might  have  severed  the  Union 
for  ever.  The  importance  of  the  duties  assigned  to  the  general  by 
the  government,  is  manifested  by  the  fact,  that  the  injunction  of 
secrecy  still  rests  upon  the  greater  part  of  his  instructions. 

On  the  10th  of  December,  President  Jackson  issued  a  proclama- 
tion, avowing  the  supremacy  of  the  general  government,  condemning 
the  proceedings  of  the  nullifiers  and  South  Carolina  legislature,  and 
calling  on  every  citizen  to  rally  round  the  cause  of  the  Union.  The 
refractory  state  was  not  however  intimidated.  She  protested  against 
the  proclamation,  and  still  determined  to  maintain  her  cause  at  all 
hazard. 

Things  were  in  this  condition  when  Congress  met.  The  debates 
in  this  body  upon  the  tariff  and  nullification  were  long,  animated, 
and  exciting ;  but  resulted  in  nothing,  except  increased  exasperation 
of  the  two  parties,  until  February  10th,  when  Mr.  Clay  introduced 
a  compromise  bill,  w^hich  met  the  approbation  of  the  South  Carolina 
members,  and  terminated  all  further  proceedings,. 

The  part  performed  by  General  Scott  at  this  period  cannot  be  too 
highly  appreciated.  Great  actions,  deeds  on  whose  consequences 
are  suspended  the  fate  of  nations,  are  not  confined  to  the  battle  field. 
Often  their  operations  are  silent  and  unnoticed,  like  the  pivots  of 
machinery,  which  though  supporting  and  controlling  the  whole  struc- 
ture, are  themselves  unseen.  The  course  pursued  by  the  general, 
with  regard  to  both  parties,  will  ever  be  admired  by  the  statesman, 
the  patriot,  and  the  philanthropist. 

We  next  behold  General  Scott  amid  the  vexatious  operations  of 
the  Seminole  war.  In  January,  1836,  he  was  ordered  to  Florida, 
where  he  arrived  about  the  middle  of  February. 

A  glance  at  the  cause  of  hostilities  in  this  quarter  will  be  neces- 


WAR     IN     FLOEIDA. 


833 


Omatbla. 

sary,  in  order  to  understand  the  true  position  of  General  Scott,  upon 
assuming  the  command.  A  treaty,  providing  that  the  Creeks  and 
Seminoles  should  remove  to  the  west,  had  been  violated  by  the  cele- 
brated chief,  Osceola,  who  for  this  cause  was  arrested  and  put  in 
irons.  Soon  after,  some  Indians  were  assaulted  by  the  whiles,  and 
a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  two  or  three  were  wounded  on  each 
side.  On  the  6th  of  August,  1835,  a  mail  carrier  was  murdered  by 
a  party  of  Indians,  who  subsequently  escaped  all  pursuit.  Soon 
after,  [September,]  a  friendly  chief,  Omathla,  was  murdered  under 
similar  circumstances. 

These  occurrences  induced  General  Clinch,  then  commanding  in 
that  quarter,  to  call  on  the  general  government  and  that  of  Florida 
for  reinforcements.  From  the  latter  he  received  six  hundred  and 
fifty  troops,  with  which  he  proceeded  toward  the  Withlacoochee. 
On  the  23d  of  December,  a  part  of  this  force,  consisting  of  the 
companies  of  Captains  Gardner  and  Frazer,  United  States  army, 
commanded  by  Major  Dade,  marched  from  Tampa  Bay  toward  Fort 
King.  On  the  28th,  this  command,  consisting  of  eight  officers  and 
one  hundred  and  two  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates,  were 
attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  cut  to  pieces.  But  four  escaped. 
During  the  battle,  a  small  breastwork  was  constructed,  which  proved 
to  be  the  grave  of  both  officer  and  soldier.     When  the  firing  had 

53 


834  WINFIELD     SCOTT. 

ceased,  the  Indians  rushed,  into  the  fort,  scalped,  and  massacred  the 
wounded,  and  carried  away  everything  of  value.  This  was  the 
most  melancholy  transaction  of  the  whole  war. 

On  the  31st,  another  action  was  fought  betw-'een  a  detachment  of 
General  Clinch's  army,  numbering  two  hundred  men,  and  six  hun- 
dred Indians.  The  latter  were  defeated  with  heavy  loss.  Soon 
after.  General  Gaines  arrived  in  Florida,  but  confined  his  operations 
to  the  collecting  of  supplies  for  a  vigorous  campaign.  He  then  trans- 
ferred his  command  to  General  Clinch,  and  returned  to  New  Orleans. 
Clinch  retired  with  his  whole  force  to  Fort  Drane,  losing  five  killed 
and  sixty  wounded. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  aflfairs  when  General  Scott  assumed 
the  chief  command.  He  divided  the  army  into  three  columns,  and 
marched  through  the  hostile  country  to  Tampa  Bay.  Here  the 
troops  were  obliged  to  halt  in  consequence  of  sickness  and  absolute 
want  of  provisions.  Those  that  were  fit  for  duty  were  divided  into 
parties,  and  scoured  different  parts  of  the  territory.  They  were  not 
able  to  effect  anything  of  importance.  The  Indians  were  hidden  in 
impenetrable  swamps,  in  places  never  visited  by  white  men,  and 
where  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  a  military  force  to  follow  them. 
The  expedition  consequently  languished,  and  in  July,  Scott  was 
superseded,  and  set  out  for  Washington. 

As  great  dissatisfaction  was  evinced  on  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  this  campaign  was  conducted,  a  court  of  inquiry  was  convened, 
[Oct.  3d,  1836,]  to  investigate  the  conduct  of  General  Scott  during 
the  Florida  and  Creek  campaign.  The  court  unanimously  acquitted 
the  general,  expressing  their  opinion  "  that  the  plan  of  the  cam- 
paign adopted  by  General  Scott,  was  well  calculated  to  lead  to 
successful  results,  and  that  it  was  prosecuted  by  him,  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable, with  zeal  and  ability,  until  recalled  from  the  command." 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1837,  the  steamboat  Caroline  was 
destroyed  by  a  party  of  British  from  Canada.  When  the  news 
reached  Washington,  Scott  was  promptly  despatched  to  the  frontier, 
to  repress  the  outbreaks,  which  had  arrived  at  an  alarming  height, 
and  to  repel  the  aggressions  of  Britain.  Scott  performed  these  duties 
in  a  manner  the  highest  degree  lionorable  and  praiseworthy.  He 
journeyed  along  the  whole  extent  of  the  frontier,  from  Maine  to 
Michigan,  organized  citizen  soldiery  from  the  peaceable  portion  of 
the  borderers,  and  addressed  large  meetings  of  the  rioters.  In  his 
progress  he  always  went  unarmed,  except  having  his  sword,  and  he 
was  scarcely  ever  attended  by  troops.  His  appeals  to  the  patriot- 
ism and  honor  of  the  people  were  attended  with  the  happiest  eff'ects. 
Masses  broke  up  their  secret  associations,  and  returned  to  their 


SUPERINTENDS  THE  REMOVAL  OF  THE  INDIANS.   835 


General  Scott  planning  tie  Floxida  Campaign. 


homes.  Others  who  had  become  disaffected,  concluded  to  leave  the 
settlement  of  troubles  w^ith  the  general  government ;  and  all  approved 
of  the  course  of  General  Scott.  All  dissensions  finally  ceased,  and 
the  veteran  general  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  had 
contributed  in  no  little  measure  to  the  prevention  of  a  devastating 
war. 

Early  in  1838,  General  Scott  was  sent  to  the  Cherokee  country 
in  order  to  hasten  the  transportation  of  the  Indians  to  the  West. 
This  he  did  so  as  to  win  the  approbation  of  the  government  and  the 
affections  of  the  unfortunate  Cherokees.  *'  To  this  distinguished 
man,"  says  the  Reverend  Doctor  Channing,  "belongs  the  rare  honor 
of  uniting  with  military  energy  and  daring  the  spirit  of  a  philanthro- 
pist. His  exploits  in  the  field,  which  placed  him  in  the  first  rank  of 
our  soldiers,  have  been  obscured  by  the  purer  and  more  lasting  glory 
of  a  pacificator  and  a  friend  of  mankind.  In  the  whole  history  of 
the  intercourse  of  civilized,  with  barbarous  or  half  civilized  commu- 
nities, we  doubt  whether  a  brighter  page  can  be  found  than  that  which 
records  his  agency  in  the  removal  of  the  Cherokees.     As  far  as  the 


836  WINFIELD     SCOTT. 

wrongs  done  to  this  race  can  be  atoned  for,  General  Scott  has  made 
the  expiation. 

"  In  his  recent  mission  to  the  disturbed  borders  of  our  country,  he 
has  succeeded  not  so  much  by  policy  as  by  the  nobleness  and 
generosity  of  his  character,  by  moral  influences,  by  the  earnest  con- 
viction with  which  he  has  enforced  on  all  with  whom  he  has  had  to 
do,  the  obligations  of  patriotism,  justice,  humanity  and  religion.  It 
would  not  be  easy  to  find  among  us  a  man  who  has  won  a  purer 
fame,  and  I  am  happy  to  offer  this  tribute,  because  I  would  do  some- 
thing, no  matter  how  little,  to  hasten  the  time  when  the  spirit  of 
Christian  humanity  shall  be  accounted  an  essential  attribute,  and  the 
brightest  ornament  of  a  public  man." 

After  these  transactions  Scott  again  repaired  to  the  Canada 
border,  in  order  to  repress  the  difficulties  which  had  again  arisen  on 
the  subject  of  boundary.  Here  he  remained  until  the  question  was 
adjusted  by  the  treaty  negotiated  by  Lord  Ashburton  and  Daniel 
Webster. 

When  the  movements  of  the  Mexicans  against  General  Taylor  on 
the  Rio  Grande  rendered  war  between  our  country  and  Mexico 
inevitable,  General  Scott  submitted  a  plan  of  operations  to  govern- 
ment, having  for  its  basis  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  hostilities.  This 
was  rejected  by  the  war  department.  The  general  then  requested 
permission  to  join  Taylor  with  large  reinforcements,  and  be  ready 
for  an  advance  upon  the  enemy's  capital  at  a  moment's  warning. 
This  was  also  disapproved,  and  Scott  was  obliged  to  remain  inactive 
at  Washington  until  November,  1846,  when  he  received  authority 
from  Secretary  Marcy  to  organize  a  force  independent  of  that  under 
Genera]  Taylor,  and  proceed  with  it  to  the  Gulf  coast.  In  obedience 
to  this  order,  he  reached  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  1st  of  January,  and 
immediately  commenced  preparations  for  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz. 
On  the  9th,  the  troops,  numbering  eleven  thousand,  were  landed  on 
the  wide  beach,  near  the  city.  "  A  more  stirring  spectacle,"  says 
an  eye-witness,  "  has  probably  never  been  witnessed  in  America. 
In  the  first  line  there  were  no  less  than  seventy  heavy  surf  boats, 
containing  nearly  four  thousand  regulars,  all  of  whom  expected  to 
meet  the  enemy  before  they  reached  the  shore.  Yet  every  man  was 
anxious  to  be  first,  and  plunged  into  the  water  waist  deep.  When 
they  reached  the  shore,  the  stars  and  stripes  were  instantly  floating, 
a  rush  was  made  for  the  sand-hills,  the  troops  pressing  onward  amid 
loud  shouts.  Three  long  and  loud  cheers  rose  from  their  comrades 
still  on  board,  awaiting  to  be  embarked,  and  meanwhile  the  tops  and 
every  portion  of  the  foreign  vessels  were  crowded  with  spectators 
of  the  scene. 


BOMBARDING     VERA     CRUZ.  839 

On  the  22d,  after  summoning  the  city  to  surrender,  General  Scott 
opened  his  batteries,  and  the  bombardment  was  com.menced  in  regu- 
lar form.  Its  details  present  scenes  of  the  most  thrilling  interest, 
of  individual  heroism  and  intense  suffering.  The  enemy  were  supe- 
rior in  number  to  their  assailants,  and  both  city  and  castle  were 
bristling  with  infantry.  Yet  while  bombs  and  balls  were  falling 
round  them  thick  as  a  summer  shower,  the  Americans  labored  at 
their  trenches,  erected  batteries,  and  completed  their  investment. 
All  night,  while  the  terrible  drama  went  on,  fiery  streams,  carrying 
winged  messengers  of  death,  traversed  the  air,  shattering  the  flinty 
rocks  like  chaff,  or  crushing  through  walls  and  houses  into  the  streets 
of  Vera  Cruz.  Houses  and  battlements  shook  with  the  explosions, 
while  the  heavy  Gulf  tossed  and  lashed,  as  though  participating  in 
the  fearful  uproar.  Sweeping  up  and  down,  between  the  fires  of 
both  armies,  the  tall  form  of  General  Scott  thrilled  each  soldier  as 
it  had  done  a  former  army,  near  the  roar  of  Niagara ;  while  here 
and  there  the  American  officers  stood  upon  their  guns  and  watched 
the  flaming  fires,  as  they  drove  into  the  city.  Rows  of  buildings 
were  heard  crashing  in  the  streets,  while  wailings  of  death  from 
thousands  of  voices  told  of  the  fearful  consequences.  Then  the 
stern  old  castle  would  vomit  forth  its  discharges,  the  balls  plunging 
and  hissing  in  the  w^ater,  or  rattling  like  fallen  meteors  along  the 
shores. 

Such  was  the  scene  during  the  night  of  the  22d.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  one  of  those  terrific  storms,  denominated  northers,  set  in,  and 
a  suspension  of  hostilities  became  necessary.  The  ocean  dashed 
and  roared  along  the  shore,  so  as  to  render  any  communication  with 
the  fleet  impossible  ;  while  showers  of  sand  filled  the  trenches  of  the 
Americans  as  soon  as  opened,  blinding  the  laborers  and  scattering 
their  materials.  This  subsided  during  the  night,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  the  bombardment  recommenced  w^ith  increased  spirit — 
several  new  batteries  having  been  opened  in  the  morning.  The 
heaviest  walls  crumbled  before  the  iron  bolts  that  were  hurled 
against  them,  while  scores  of  men,  women  and  little  children  were 
engulfed  under  their  ruins.  The  terrified,  shrieking  masses  flew 
from  station  to  station,  as  one  after  another  became  untenable,  until 
at  length  no  place  was  secure.  Heavy  bombs,  loaded  with  powder 
and  small  shot,  fell  and  exploded  among  dense  groups,  crushing  and 
mangling  hundreds. 

At  length  the  citizens  crowded  to  General  Morales,  and  demanded 
the  opening  of  a  negotiation  for  the  surrender  of  the  city,  if  not  the 
castle.  This  was  refused,  and  though  clamor  and  anarchy  were  loud 
against  him,  the  general  kept  his  soldiers  to  their  posts,  and  an 


840 


WINFIE.LD     SCOTT. 


The  Araerican  Fleet  saluting  tlie  Castle  after  the  surrender  of  Vera  Cruz. 


nounced  his  resolution  to  die,  rather  than  surrender.  Then  despair, 
tumult,  discord  ran  wild  through  the  city.  Morales  was  deposed, 
and  General  Landero  appointed  in  his  place.  Negotiations  for  capitu- 
lation immediately  ensued,  and  on  the  29th  the  garrison  marched 
from  both  city  and  castle,  laid  down  their  arms,  and  departed  to  the 
interior.  The  Mexican  flag  was  hauled  down,  and  as  our  own  ran 
up,  it  was  saluted  by  the  guns  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa  and  the  fleet. 

The  Mexican  army  was  dismissed  on  condition  of  not  again  serving 
in  the  war,  unless  exchanged.  The  officers  and  soldiers  retained 
their  side-arms  and  all  private  effects.  The  public  stores  and  mili- 
tary property,  with  both  city  and  castle,  were  yielded  to  the  United 
States. 

This  siege  will  ever  be  remarkable  for  the  great  strength  of  the 
place  attacked,  the  vigor  of  the  besiegers,  and  their  comparatively 
insignificant  loss.  Two  officers  were  killed,  and  a  few  soldiers. 
The  number  of  killed  and  wounded  among  the  Mexicans  is  un- 
known, but  was  no  doubt  very  great. 

After  refreshing  his  men  for  about  two  weeks,  General  Scott 
advanced,  [April  8th,]  toward  the  capital.  On  the  17th  he  arrived 
at  the  Sierra  Gordo,  where  General  Santa  Anna  had  stationed  him- 
self with  eleven  thousand  men.  The  Sierra  is  a  strong  pass,  situated 
among  lofty  rocks,  and  entirely  controlling  the  road  toward  the  inte- 
rior. The  Mexican  general  had  fortified  it  so  carefully  that  it  was 
considered  impregnable,  except  in  front.  Further  along  the  road 
was  another  hill  similarly  fortified,   and  defended  by  General  La 


BATTLE     OF     SIERRA     GORDO.  841 

Vega,  with  three  thousand  men.  Besides  these  principal  works,  bat- 
teries were  placed  at  different  points  on  the  road,  so  as  to  sweep 
directly  across  it.  In  front  of  all  these  stations  was  the  Rio  de  la  Plan, 
a  small  stream  between  deep  rugged  banks.  The  road  itself  was 
broken  up  by  gorges,  hills  and  ravines.  Such  was  the  position  which, 
although  defended  by  eleven  thousand  men,  General  Scott  was  about 
to  storm  with  eight  thousand. 

iNE  of  the  most  remarkable  circumstances 
of  this  battle,  was  the  scientific  accuracy 
with  which  its  every  vicissitude  with  one 
exception  was  foretold  by  the  American 
general's  order,  (No.  Ill,)  which  although 
written  on  the  17th  day  of  April,  is  an 
exact  narration  of  every  part  of  the  action 
except  that  relating  to  General  Pillow. 

Undoubtedly  an  attempt  to  carry  Sierra 
Gordo  by  an  attack  in  front,  leading  the 
troops  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  batteries, 
would  have  been  rashness.  The  American  general,  therefore,  opened 
a  new  road  in  rear  of  the  hill,  and  favorable  to  an  immediate  passage 
to  the  Jalapa  road,  should  the  fort  be  carried.  This  labor  was  effected 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  17th,  during  which  time  some  of  our  troops 
became  engaged  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Mexicans  and  carried  a  small 
advance  redoubt.  During  the  night  the  troops  were  engaged  in  lifting 
the  cannon  up  the  steep  rocks  and  preparing  for  the  assault  of  the 
following  day.  For  eight  hours  they  thus  toiled,  although  previously 
worn  down  by  long  marches,  want  of  rest,  and  heavy  labor. 

At  daylight  on  the  18th,  General  Twiggs  moved  to  the  attack  upon 
Sierra  Gordo.  The  struggle  was  fierce  but  short.  Mexico's  feeble 
sons  shrunk  convulsively  before  American  valor,  and  Sierra  Gordo 
was  won. 

Meanwhile  General  Shields  with  his  volunteers,  attacked  the 
redoubt  in  front.  Emulating  the  example  of  their  comrades  under 
Twiggs,  the  troops  rushed  on  under  a  most  galling  fire,  without 
pausing  for  a  moment.  Their  general  fell  by  a  ball  through  the 
lungs,  but  the  fort  was  carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  The 
division  then  hastened  to  the  Jalapa  road  to  intercept  the  flight  of 
the  enemy 

Pillow  was  unsuccessful  ;  but  he  kept  General  La  Vega  engaged 

until  the  fall  of  Sierra  Gordo,  and  finally  assisted  in  capturing  him. 

On  the  enemy's  side  all  was  now  flight  and  confusion.     That  vast 

army  which  in  the  morning  had  appeared  utterly  impregnable,  was 

broken,  scattered,  annihilated.     Generals  Santa  Anna,  Canalizo,  and 


842  WINFIELD     SCOTT. 

others  fled  through  a  narrow  pass  to  Puebla.  Three  thousand  troops, 
five  generals,  forty-three  pieces  of  brass  artillery,  and  an  immense 
quantity  of  small  arms  and  military  stores  were  the  rewards  of 
victory. 

The  total  loss  of  the  Americans  was  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  ; 
that  of  the  Mexicans  exclusive  of  prisoners  and  deserters,  about  one 
hundred  more. 

Within  less  than  a  month  after  this  battle,  the  towns  of  Jalapa, 
Perote,  and  Puebla,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  The  army 
remained  at  the  latter  place  until  the  8th  of  August,  when  it  resumed 
its  advance  toward  the  capital.  After  passing  round  lake  Chalco, 
by  an  unfrequented  road,  in  order  to  avoid  the  strong  fortress  of 
El  Penon,  the  troops  reached  SanAugustin,  [August  18th,]  a  village 
twelve  miles  south  of  the  city.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day, 
a  reconnoissance  of  the  fortress  of  San  Antonio  took  place,  during 
which  Captain  Thornton  was  killed,  but  a  heavy  rain  rendered  an 
attack  upon  it  that  evening  impracticable.  The  troops  bivouacked 
on  the  open  plain,  without  tents  or  blankets,  and  exposed  to  a, 
drenching  rain. 

At  one  o'clock,  p.  m.,  on  the  19th,  Generals  Twiggs  and  Pillow, 
assisted  by  Generals  P.  F.  Smith  and  Cadwalader,  attacked  the  fortifi- 
cation of  Contreras,  defended  by  thousands  of  Mexicans  with  twenty- 
two  pieces  of  cannon.  The  assault  upon  this  place  was  continued  for 
six  hours,  during  which  time  one  incessant  cannonade  shook  the 
ground  for  miles  around.  At  the  same  time,  a  large  body  of  Mexican 
cavalry  appeared  in  rear  of  the  fort,  as  though  preparing  for  a  charge. 
About  this  time  General  Scott  arrived,  and  perceiving  the  great  force 
of  the  enemy,  ordered  up  General  Shields  to  assist  Cadwalader  and 
Colonel  Riley,  in  watching  the  lancers,  and  also  reinforced  Generals 
Smith  and  Pillow.  But  the  Mexicans  were  not  dismayed.  One 
wide  peal  of  artillery  burst  from  their  heavy  guns,  and  the  fort  was 
hid  from  view  by  fire  and  smoke.  Companies  diminished  fearfully 
before  their  plunging  vollies;  and  a  position  which  General  Smith 
had  assumed  with  his  artillery  was  before  night  abandoned.  Each 
effort  of  the  assailants  was  met  in  mad  career  and  foiled.  The 
troops  finally  paused,  night  fell  on  the  fearful  struggle,  and  still  Con- 
treras was  not  gained.  Weary  and  disappointed,  they  sank  down 
amid  the  rocks  and  gorges  of  the  battle  field.  The  commander 
retired  to  San  Augustin.  At  intervals  during  the  whole  night,  rain 
fell  in  torrents,  completely  drenching  the  troops,  and  preventing  them 
from  building  fires. 

Before  dayhght  on  the  20th,  the  commander,  accompanied  by 
Genera]  Worth,  set  out  for  Contreras,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 


BATTLE     OF     CIIURUBUSCO.  845 

combined  attack  upon  the  fortress.  The  roar  of  cannon,  with  rapid 
discharges  of  musketry  and  rifles  soon  assured  him  that  the  attack 
had  already  begun.  Still  he  hastened  forward,  until  a  single  horse 
man  was  seen  spurring  across  the  rugged  plain  with  furious  haste. 
It  was  Colonel  Mason,  the  bearer  of  glorious  tidmgs.  Contreras 
had  been  taken  by  General  Smith.  The  intrepid  Riley  had  led  the 
van  through  a  long  rugged  gorge,  marched  directly  up  to  the  fort, 
and  carried  it  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Several  hundred  of  the 
enemy  were  killed,  thirteen  hundred  taken  prisoners,  including 
Generals  Blanco,  Salas,  Garcia  and  Mendoza,  and  a  large  amount 
of  stores,  with  twenty-two  field  pieces  captured.  The  enemy  fled 
towards  San  Pablo  and  Churubusco,  rapidly  pursued  by  the  Ameri- 
cans ;  while  at  the  same  time  General  Worth  moved  upon  San 
Antonio.  This  was  speedily  abandoned  by  the  garrison,  who  retired 
to  Churubusco. 

The  enemy  now  concentrated  their  troops  in  the  fortification  of 
Churubusco,  which  had  been  constructed  in  the  short  space  of 
thirty-eight  hours.  The  cathedral  and  other  buildings  near  the  fort 
were  scaffolded  for  infantry,  and  every  roof  was  lined  with  armed 
men.  All  the  stores  and  artillery  saved  from  Contreras,  San  Pablo, 
San  Antonio,  and  San  Augustin,  together  with  a  large  quantity  from 
the  city,  were  here  collected. 

This  place  was  attacked  by  General  Worth,  with  the  flower  of  the 
American  army.  The  thick  growth  of  vegetation  covering  the  hill 
on  which  the  redoubt  was  built,  embarrassed  for  a  short  time  the 
operations  of  the  Americans,  and  exposed  them  to  considerable  loss. 
But  this  difficulty  being  surmounted,  they  advanced  steadily  toward 
their  object  and  carried  it  in  a  very  short  time.  The  enemy  threw 
down  their  arms,  and  fled  by  thousands  toward  the  city,  while  the 
Americans  led  by  Worth,  drove  on  in  hurried  pursuit.  Many  of  the 
enemy  were  killed  in  the  flight,  and  the  whole  road  was  strewn  wnth 
arms  and  clothing  thrown  away  by  the  fugitives.  The  pursuit  con- 
tinued until  the  Mexicans  were  within  the  city. 

"  After  so  many  victories,"  says  General  Scott,  "we  might,  with  but 
little  additional  loss,  have  occupied  the  capital  the  same  evening. 
But  Mr.  Trist,  commissioner  &c.,  as  well  as  myself,  had  been 
admonished  by  the  best  friends  of  peace — intelligent  neutrals  and 
some  American  residents — against  precipitation  ;  lest  by  w^antonly 
driving  away  the  government  and  others  dishonored,  we  might  scatter 
the  elements' of  peace,  excite  a  spirit  of  national  desperation,  and  thus 
indefinitely  postpone  the  hope  of  accommodation.  Deeply  impressed 
with  this  danger,  and  remembering  our  mission — to  conquer  a  peace — 
the  army  very  cheerfully  sacrificed  to  patriotism,  to  the  great  wish  and 


846 


WINFIELD     SCOTT. 


want  of  our  country,  the  ec?a^  which  would  have  followed  an  entrance 
sword  in  hand  into  a  great  capital.  Willing  to  leave  something  to 
this  republic  of  no  immediate  value  to  us,  on  which  to  rest  her  pride 
and  to  recover  temper,  I  halted  our  victorious  corps  at  the  gates  of 
the  city  (at  least  for  a  time),  and  have  them  now  cantoned  in  the 
neighboring  villages,  where  they  are  well  sheltered  and  supplied  with 
all  necessaries. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  being  about  to  take  up  battering  or 
assaulting  positions,  to  authorize  me  to  summon  the  city  to  surrender 
or  to  sign  an  armistice  with  a  pledge  to  enter  at  once  into  negotiations 
for  a  peace,  a  mission  came  out  to  propose  a  truce.  Rejecting  its 
terms,  I  despatched  my  contemplated  note  to  President  Santa  Anna, 
omitting  the  summons.  The  22d,  commissioners  were  appointed 
by  the  commanders  of  the  armies  ;  the  armistice  was  signed  the  23d, 
and  ratifications  exchanged  the  24th." 

The  first  article  of  the  armistice  stipulated  that  "  hostilities  shall 
instantly  and  absolutely  cease,  between  the  armies  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  the  United  Mexican  States,  within  thirty 
leagues  of  the  capital  of  the  latter  states,  to  allow  time  to  the  com- 
missioners appointed  by  the  United  States,  and  the  commissioners 
to  be  appointed  by  the  Mexican  republic  to  negotiate.  The  armistice 
shall  continue  as  long  as  the  commissioners  of  the  two  governments 
may  be  engaged  on  negotiations,  or  until  the  commander  of  either 
of  the  said  armies  shall  give  formal  notice  to  the  other  of  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  armistice  for  forty-eight  hours  after  such  notice." 

Negotiations  then  commenced  between  Mr.  Trist  the  American 
plenipotentiary,  and  the  authorities  of  Mexico,  but  the  hopes  of  the 
friends  of  peace  were  destined  to  be  disappointed.  The  Mexicans 
made  demands  which  were  considered  inadmissible.  All  efforts  at 
compromise  were  ineffectual,  and  on  the  6th  of  September  the 
ultimatum  ofl'ered  by  Mr.  Trist  on  the  2d  was  rejected,  and  the 
negotiations  closed.  On  the  same  day  General  Scott  wrote  to  the 
Mexican  commander,  charging  him  with  violating  the  armistice  by 
refusing  the  passage  of  supplies  from  the  capital  to  the  American 
army,  and  threatening  the  recommencement  of  hostilities  in  case 
satisfaction  was  not  given.  Santa  Anna  replied  in  a  similar  strain, 
expressing  his  astonishment  at  the  reception  of  such  a  charge,  and 
accusing  the  Americans  of  intercepting  the  communications  with 
the  capital,  and  of  committing  outrages  upon  peaceable  citizens. 
He  intimated  his  perfect  willingness  for  another  appeal  to  arms,  with 
a  determination  to  use  every  effort  to  repel  invasion. 

The  armistice  being  terminated.  General  Worth  was  sent  (Septem- 
ber 8th)  to  attack  the  Molinos  del  Rey,  a  strongly  fortified  station  in 


BATTLE      OF     MOLINOS     DEL     REY. 


849 


front  of  Chapultepec.  When  our  troops  were  near  the  works,  the 
enemy  opened  upon  them  a  heavy  fire,  which  mowed  down  whole 
companies.  For  a  moment  the  advance  wavered  ;  but  the  reserve 
led  by  Cadwaladev  swept  to  their  van,  restored  order  and  continued 
the  march.  At  this  critical  moment  four  thousand  lancers,  taking 
advantage  of  the  temporary  confusion,  came  towering  down,  their 
long  pennants  gleaming  in  the  sun,  and  their  spears  set  for  a  charge. 
Colonel  Duncan  opened  two  pieces  of  his  battery  upon  them,  followed 
immediately  after  by  Captain  Drum;  while  Major  Summer  with  two 
squadrons  of  dragoons,  and  Captain  Ruff's  company  of  mounted 
rifles,  passing  rapidly  down  under  fire  from  the  enemy's  works, 
charged  the  head  of  their  column.  Under  the  rapid  discharges  of 
artillery  their  crowded  ranks  melted  powerless  away,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  whole  force  M^as  flying  in  confusion.  Twice  they  turned 
and  rallied,  but  were  finally  scattered  before  the  superior  prowess 
of  our  artillerists. 

HE  Americans  then  united  against  the  fortification, 
which,  after  a  vigorous  struggle,  was  carried.  Seven 
pieces  of  artillery,  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition, 
small  arms,  &c.,  with  about  six  hundred  prisoners, 
were  the  rewards  of  victory.  But  to  win  these, 
some  of  the  best  officers  in  the  army  had  been  sacri- 
ficed, and  but  two  of  their  whole  number  escaped  having  their 
horses  killed  under  them.  So  terrible  was  the  fire  of  the 
enemy,  that  while  our  cavalry  were  passing  in  front  of  the 
fort,  to  charge  the  column  of  lancers — a  space  of  time  not 
greater  than  ten  seconds — they  sustained  a  loss  of  six  officers  wound- 
ed, thirty-two  privates  killed  and  wounded,  and  one  hundred  and  five 
horses.  The  total  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  seven  hundred- 
and  eighty-nine.  On  the  1  Ith,  a  column  of  cavalry  sallied  from  the 
fort  on  the  San  Antonio  road,  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  Captain 
Magruder's  battery,  which  was  stationed  with  the  picket  within  about 
eight  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy.  When  within  fair  range,  the 
captain  opened  upon  them  with  shot  and  shell,  driving  them  back  to 
the  fort  in  some  confusion.  The  enemy  then  directed  their  fire 
upon  the  battery,  but  with  no  other  effect  than  killing  one  man. 

About  sundown,  General  Twiggs,  with  the  balance  of  his  divi- 
sion, arrived  at  Piedad,  and  General  Pillow  with  his  command  moved 
to  the  south  of  Tacubaya,  and  occupied  a  position  west  of  Chapul- 
tepec ;  Quitman's  troops  were  stationed  on  the  road  from  Tacubaya 
to  the  city  of  Mexico.     Worth  remained  in  Tacubaya. 

At  daylight  on  the  12th,  all  the  batteries  opened  upon  Chapul- 
tepec.    When    Captain  Steptoe,   of   Twiggs's  division,  commenced 

54 


850 


WINFIELD     SCOTT. 


his  fire,  several  heavy  cohjmns  of  the  enerhy  left  their  position,  and 
canne  within  cannon  ran^e.  They  were  driven  back  with  loss.  The 
captain  then  turned  his  attention  to  a  fort  fronting  Chapultepec,  and 
after  an  hour's  cannonading  drove  the  enemy  from  it,  and  silenced 
their  guns.  All  day  the  siege  batteries  continued  their  heavy  fire 
upon  the  castle,  riddling  its  buildings  and  sweeping  its  defenders 
from  the  heights.  -As  they  fell,  the  fierce  survivors,  forgetting  the 
ties  of  humanity  in  the  uproar  of  battle,  tore  them  from  the  works, 
threw  them  into  wells  and  ditches,  and  went  on  with  their  terrible 
work. 

On  the  following  day,  General  Scott  selected  the  divisions  of 
Worth  and  Twiggs,  the  flower  of  his  army,  to  storm  the  fortress. 
When  they  began  their  march,  the  heavy  batteries  on  both  sides 
were  opened,  and  the  strongest  companies  dwindled  away  to  a  scat- 
tered remnant.  Hour  after  hour  did  three  thousand  troops  wrestle 
with  four  times  their  number,  stationed  behind  almost  impregnable 
works.  But  they  were  toiling  for  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  far-famed 
halls  of  Montezuma.  The  star  of  victory  still  beamed  on  American 
valor,  while  the  remembrance  of  Sierra  Gordo,  Contreras  and 
Churubusco,  brooding  over  the  sons  of  Mexico,  withered  all  hope 
or  effort, — Chapultepec  fell. 

"About  four  o'clock  next  m,orning,"  says  General  Scott,  (Sep- 
tember 14,)  "a  deputation  of  the  ayuntamiento  (city  council)  waited 
upon  me  to  report  that  the  federal  government  and  the  army  of 
Mexico  had  fled  from  the  capital  some  three  hours  before ;  and  to 
demand  terms  of  capitulation  in  favor  of  the  church,  the  citizens 
and  the  municipal  authorities.  T  promptly  repHed  that  I  would  sign 
no  capitulation  ;  that  the  city  had  been  virtually  in  our  possession 
from  the  time  of  the  lodgments  efTected  by  Worth  and  Quitman,  the 
day  before  ;  that  I  regretted  the  silent  escape  of  the  Mexican  army; 
that  I  should  levy  upon  the  city  a  moderate  contribution  for  special 
purposes  ;  and  that  the  American  army  should  come  under  no  terms 
not  self-imposed — such  only  as  its  own  honor,  the  dignity  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  spirit  of  the  age  should,  in  my  opinion,  impe- 
riously demand  and  impose." 

About  daylight,  Generals  Worth  and  Quitman  were  ordered  to 
enter  the  city.  Quitman  proceeded  to  the  grand  plaza,  planted 
guards,  and  raised  the  United  States  flag  on  the  national  palace. 
General  Scott  and  the  whole  array  followed  soon  after,  taking  pos- 
session of  the  city  with  much  pomp. 

The  flying  government  had  released  about  two  thousand  convicts 
from  the  public  prisons,  and  throughout  that  and  the  following  day, 
these  continued  to  fire  from  windows  and  tops  of  houses  upon  the 


CAPTURE      OF      MEXICO 


851 


City  of  Mexico. 

American  troops,  killing  some  and  wounding  many.  At  first  the  artiU 
lery  was  tried  on  them,  but  owing  to  their  concealed  position  it  was 
not  effective.  The  rifle  regiment  and  some  of  the  infantry  were  then 
sent  in  pursuit,  and  the  evil  was  soon  arrested. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  assault  was  very  severe.  Gene- 
rals Pillow  and  Shields  were  each  wounded,  together  with  other 
valuable  officers.  The  total  loss  in' the  valley  of  Mexico  from  the 
19th  of  April  until  the  time  of  taking  the  city,  was  two  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  three  men,  of  whom  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  were  officers.  Their  achievements  equal  in  magnitude  any 
military  operations  of  American  history.  They  utterly  dispersed  an 
army  of  thirty  thousand  men,  taking  a  number  of  prisoners  equal  to 
themselves  ;  seized  seventy  pieces  of  artillery,  stormed  San  Antonio, 
San  Pueblo,  Contreras,  Churubusco,  Molino  and  Chapultepec,  and 
entered  the  capital  in  triumph. 

General  Scott  proclaimed  martial  law  in  Mexico,  but  permitted 
the  people  to  continue  their  usual  business  avocations.  All  excesses 
of  the  soldiery  were  rigidly  punished,  while  at  the  same  time  the 
citizens  and  their  soldiery  w^ere  taught  that  they  could  not  insult  the 
American  character  with  impunity. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JOHN  E.  WOOL. 


O  general  in  Mexico,  possesses  more  abilities 
for  carrying  on  a  long  and  intricate  campaign, 
than  does  the  distinguished  individual  who 
forms  the  subject  of  this  article.  His  prompt- 
ness, bravery,  astonishing  energy,  his  povv^ers 
of  concentration  and  indefatigable  persever- 
ance, rank  him  among  the  first  of  those  who 
have  rendered  his  country  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world.  His  services,  with  the  exception  of  those  at 
Buena  Vista,  have  been  rather  solid  than  brilliant  ;  but  have  in  a 
great  measure  constituted  the  springs  of  that  machinery  which  has 
resulted  in  the  total  overthrow  of  the  Mexican  power. 

John  E.  Wool  was  born  in  Orange  county,  New  York,  but  having 
lost  his  father  in  infancy,  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  his  grand- 
father, (in  Rensselaer  county,)  vvhere  he  remained  until  twelve  years 

852 


BATTLE     OF     PLATTSBURGH,  853 

of  age.  He  then  entered  a  mercantile  establishment  in  the  city  of 
Troy,  and  was  advancing  rapidly  in  esteem  and  favorable  prospects, 
when  a  heavy  fire  stripped  him  of  every  thing.  The  approach  of 
war  with  Great  Britain  turned  his  attention  to  the  army,  and  in 
April,  1812,  he  was  commissioned  captain  in  the  13th  United  States 
infantry. 

The  young  soldier  soon  found  an  opportunity  to  display  his  military 
ardor.  At  the  battle  of  Queenstown  Heights,  he  accompanied  Colonel 
Van  Rensselaer  with  three  hundred  men  to  the  Canada  side.  These 
received  a  tremendous  fire  from  the  enemy,  but  pushed  on,  although 
almost  every  officer  was  killed  or  w'ounded.  Van  Rensselaer  him- 
self being  badly  wounded,  delivered  the  command  to  Captain  Wool. 
Inspired  by  the  enthusiasm  of  their  young  leader,  the  troops  pressed 
up  the  rugged  ascent,  stormed  the  British  batteries,  and  swept  them 
wath  the  bayonet.  A  party  from  Fort  George  reinforcing  the  enemy 
they  again  advanced,  and  fought  hand  to  hand  with  their  unyielding 
foe.  Some  American  soldier,  awed  by  the  numerical  superiority  of 
the  British,  hoisted  a  white  flag  ;  but  dashing  it  to  the  ground.  Wool 
rode  over  it,  and  continued  the  conflict.  The  British  were  a  second 
time  driven  from  the  heights  with  the  loss  of  General  Brock. 

For  his  conduct  in  this  action  Wool  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
major  in  the  29th  regiment  of  infantry. 

But  he  was  soon  to  add  fresh  laurels  to  those  which  he  had  ac- 
quired in  Canada.  During  the  engagements  attendant  on  the  siege 
of  Plattsburgh,  (September,  1814,)  his  conduct  in  several  severe 
skirmishes  gave  high  promise  of  future  abilities.  On  the  5th,  he  was 
stationed  on  the  Beekmantown  road  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
to  watch  a  column  of  British  four  thousand  strong.  Between  the 
two  forces  ran  the  Deep  creek,  which  it  was  the  object  of  the  enemy 
to  cross.  Notwithstanding  the  disparity  in  numbers.  Major  Wool 
met  his  adversary  at  every  point,  repulsed  each  attempt  at  crossing, 
and  thus  hindered  an  attack  upon  the  American  main  army,  while  it 
was  engaged  in  constructing  works  of  defence.  The  unequal  con- 
test was  maintained  over  a  space  of  five  miles  along  the  creek,  and 
no  less  than  three  hundred  of  the  enemy  fell.  "  The  conduct  of  the 
officers,  non-commissioned  officers,  and  soldiers  of  my  command," 
says  General  Macomb,  in  his  official  report,  "  during  this  trying  occa- 
sion, cannot  be  represented  in  too  high  terms."  Among  those  particu 
larly  noticed  was  Major  Wool. 

After  the  war.  Wool  was  appointed  inspector-general  of  the  army, 
an  office  which  he  occupied  for  more  than  twenty-five  years.  His 
duties  required  personal  attendance  from  time  to  time  at  every  station 
connected  with  our  military  department.     They  embraced  operations 


854  JOHN     E.      WOOL. 

in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  her  western  territories.  All 
the  country  north-west  of  Michigan  was  at  the  time  of  his  appoint- 
ment one  vast  wilderness,  with  a  few  military  posts  scattered  along 
Green  Bay,  the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri  and  great  lakes.  Over  this 
vast  region,  from  Maine  to  Texas,  from  Florida  to  Council  Bluffs, 
General  Wool  was  obliged  to  travel  annually. 

But  the  extent  of  country  to  he  traversed  was  the  least  part  of  the 
difficulty.  Solitary  prairies  were  often  crossed  where  nothing  but  the 
foot  of  the  hunter  and  his  prey,  had  ever  disturbed  the  stillness  ; 
roads  w^ere  to  be  opened,  temporary  bridges  built,  woods  explored, 
and  mountains  crossed,  by  a  handful  of  men,  whose  only  impulse 
was  derived  from  the  master  spirit  that  led  them.  Often,  while 
journeying  from  one  station  to  another,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  the 
road  would  be  blocked  up  by  snow,  and  the  whole  party  be  obliged 
to  pass  a  sleepless  night  either  in  the  woods,  or  on  a  plain,  where  no 
human  habitation  was  for  miles  around.  Scarcity  of  provisions  was 
often  added  to  other  difficulties,  and  sometimes  imminent  hazard 
was  run  by  the  unavoidable  employment  of  Indian  guides. 

To  a  man  less  talented  than  Wool  this  situation  would  have  pre- 
sented insuperable  difficulties  ;  to  him,  however,  they  merely  afforded 
an  opportunity  to  display  the  untiring  energy  which  forms  so  large 
an  ingredient  of  his  character.  All  great  duties  he  attended  to  per- 
sonally, and  to  as  many  others  as  time  would  permit.  No  labor 
stopped  him,  nor  expense,  nor  privation  ;  whatever  was  wrong,  he 
removed  ;  whatever  advantageous,  he  improved.  Under  his  super- 
visal  the  inspectorship  obtained  a  respectability  and  importance  un- 
known before,  and  the  plans  he  devised  for  its  operation  have  been 
the  basis  of  all  similar  ones  since  his  resignation. 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  Mexican  war,  General  Wool's 
services  have  been  distinguished  for  zeal,  promptness  and  efficiency. 
His  employment  was  voluntary,  and  immediately  after  tendering  it 
to  government,  he  was  invited  to  Washington,  where  he  received 
instructions  from  Congress  to  proceed  to  the  West,  and  organize  for 
service  the  volunteers  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Tennessee,  Ken- 
tucky and  Mississippi.  He  entered  upon  duty  early  in  June,  and 
finished  his  task  in  six  weeks.  During  that  short  period,  he  visited 
nearly  all  the  western  states,  communicated  with  governors,  official 
authorities,  and  tfie  departments  at  Washington,  and  stationed  the 
volunteers  at  different  places.  Day  after  day  troops  poured  in  by 
thousands,  undisciplined,  unarmed,  entirely  unacquainted  with  camp 
life,  and  unprepared  for  duty  or  subordination.  Their  wants  were 
to  be  met,  their  questions  answered,  the  elements  of  instruction  of 
Scott  imparted  to  them,  and  a  division  made  for  the  army  of  Gene- 


HIS     MARCH     THROUGH     MEXICAN     PROVINCES.  855 

r-al  Taylor.  The  fact  that  in  July  Wool  sent  to  the  Rio  Grande  ten 
thousand  of  such  troops  as  fought  at  Buena  Vista,  while  a  division  of 
six  thousand  more  remained  with  him  at  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  is 
the  highest  eulogium  that  can  he  passed  upon  his  military  abilities. 
ENERAL  WOOL  had  been  instructed  to  march  his 
division  through  Texas,  Coahuila  and  New  Mexico, 
and  join  General  Taylor  on  the  Rio  Grande.  His 
progress  through  these  provinces  affords  an  illus- 
trious example  of  the  triumphs  of  discipline,  and 
his  ability  to  bring  military  subordination  from  a  heteroge- 
neous mass.  All  provisions  were  paid  for,  the  peace  and 
property  of  the  inhabitants  respected,  the  soldiers  restrained 
from  committing  any  excesses,  and  the  whole  expedition  con- 
ducted more  like  a  friendly  journey  than  the  advance  of  a 
hostile  army.  The  Mexicans  w^ere  astonished  and  delighted  with 
this  treatment.  Accustomed  to  the  plunderings,  extortion  and  out- 
rage of  their  own  civil  struggles,  they  had  no  other  idea  of  an  army 
but  as  a  band  of  robbers  and  assassins  ;  but  the  sight  of  six  thou- 
sand foreign  men,  moving  through  their  territory  without  disorder, 
paying  for  all  supplies,  committing  no  enormities,  and  conducted  by 
a  general  whose  word  was  unappealable  law,  was  as  new  to  them  as 
unexpected.  Reaction  of  feeling  took  place  ;  and  our  army  had 
advanced  but  a  few  hundred  miles  before  they  began  to  experience 
the  usual  effects  of  mildness  and  forbearance.  Annoyances  of  the 
outer  companies  ceased,  supplies  were  furnished  in  large  quantities, 
and  the  sick  and  wounded  taken  into  houses,  and  kindly  provided 
for. 

Crossing  the  boundary  between  our  country  and  Mexico,  the 
troops  arrived  on  the  enemy's  soil  October  12th,  1846.  They  then 
marched  about  four  hundred  miles  to  the  city  of  Parras,  situated 
near  a  lake  of  the  same  name.  In  their  march  they  took  peaceable 
possession  of  Presidio  del  Rio  Grande,  Nava,  San  Fernando,  Santa 
Rosa,  Monclova  and  Parras,  cities  containing  from  five  thousand  to 
fifteen  thousand  souls,  excepting  Nava,  which  numbers  two  thousand. 
The  troops  spent  some  time  at  each  of  them,  acquainting  themselves 
with  Mexican  manners  and  customs,  and  enjoying  an  apparently  cor- 
dial intercourse  with  the  citizens. 

The  line  of  march  extended  through  great  varieties  of  scenery, 
marked  by  high  and  barren  mountains,  to  the  south  and  west,  covered 
with  traces  of  rich  ores.  These  W'ere  succeeded  by  sterile  plains 
and  table  lands,  scantily  supplied  with  water  ;  while  in  the  interior 
were  beautiful  fertile  valleys,  embosoming  the  quiet  Mexican  cities, 
towns  and  haciendas,   surrounded  in  the  hazy  distance  by  cloud- 


856  JOHN     E.     WOOL. 

capped  mountains  covered  with  cedar.  Following  this  would  be  a 
picture  of  lonely  desolation,  where  nothing  but  sterility  met  the  eye 
of  the  anxious,  toil-worn  and  thirsty  soldier.  The  effect  of  the  long 
marches  through  these  regions,  of  the  drill  exercise  and  strict  dis- 
cipline enforced  by  General  Wool,  was  most  salutary  upon  the  health 
of  the  army. 

After  accomplishing  this  march  General  Wool  stationed  himself 
at  Monclova  and  Agua  Nueva,  where  he  employed  his  time  in  per- 
fecting the  army  discipline,  and  in  repressing  disorders. 

Early  in  January,  all  the  regular  force  except  Washington's  artillery 
and  a  squadron  of  dragoons,  were  taken  from  General  Wool  to  rein- 
force the  army  of  General  Scott.  This  left  him  with  only  his 
volunteers,  and  such  recruits  as  were  soon  to  arrive. 

At  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  Wool  had  a  rare  opportuntity  to  dis- 
play not  only  the  results  of  previous  labors,  but  his  personal  bravery 
and  generalship.  To  him  the  management  of  the  details  of  the  battle 
was  intrusted,  and  nobly  did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  his  station. 
His  eagle  eye  pierced  through  the  designs  of  the  enemy  as  they 
moved  to  the  battle  on  the  morning  of  the  22d,  and  with  that  prompt- 
ness and  accuracy  which  bespeak  the  soldier,  he  arranged  his  troops 
to  meet  them.  Amid  the  dark  scenes  of  the  following  day,  when 
the  maddening  hosts,  were  shaking  earth  and  air,  his  voice  was  heard 
amid  the  rushings  of  horsemen,  the  din  of  artillery,  the  shrieks  of  the 
sufferer.  No  movement  of  that  intricate  field  perplexed  him,  no 
repulse  disheartened  him.  Now  he  stood  by  the  batteries  and  watched 
their  awful  sweepings,  now  he  dashed  through  the  shattered  ranks 
of  Kentucky,  now  his  voice  rang  like  a  spirit's  through  the  trembling 
air,  calling  Illinois  and  Mississippi  to  the  rescue.  The  broken  ranks 
of  Indiana  hurried  by  him  in  wild  disorder,  without  disturbing  the 
confidence  of  his  piercing  glance  ;  and  with  like  calmness  did  he 
witness  the  danger  of  the  Kentuckians.  The  chivalric  officers  who 
were  his  bosom  friends,  and  who  looked  to  him  as  to  a  father,  were 
falling  thick  around  him  ;  yet  still  he  stood  between  two  armies,  as 
one  in  whose  grasp  hung  the  scales  of  victory. 

The  great  loss  of  officers  in  this  celebrated  battle  forms  one  of  its 
most  striking  as  well  as  melancholy  characteristics.  No  less  than  sixty- 
five  were  killed,  comprising  nearly  one  fourth  of  the  whole  number 
that  bore  commissions.  Of  these  none  were  more  lamented  than 
Colonels  Hardin,  Yell,  McKee  and  Clay.  These  all  fell  during  the 
severe  struggle  toward  the  close  of  the  day.  Colonel  Clay  was 
carried  some  distance  by  his  men  after  being  wounded  ;  but  finding 
escape  impossible,  he  begged  them  to  leave  him  to  his  fate.  He 
was  immediately  surroundedby  the  savage  enemy,  and  almost  hacked 


BATTLE     OF     BUENA     VISTA. 


857 


to  pieces  while  bravely  fighting  w^ith  his  sword  as  he  lay  on  the 
ground. 

After  this  engagement  Wool  established  his  head-quarters  at  Agua 
Nueva,  where  he  employed  himself  in  repressing  disturbances  between 
the  soldiery  and  inhabitants,  and  in  watching  the  guerilla  bands. 
Skirmishing  with  some  of  the  latter  took  place,  but  no  considerable 
party  was  either  defeated  or  captured.  In  the  spring  of  1847, 
extensive  preparations  were  made  for  a  descent  upon  San  Luis 
Potosi,  the  great  interior  depot  of  the  Mexicans  ;  but  when  the  army 
was  about  marching,  a  second  demand  was  made  [July,]  for  troops 
to  reinforce  General  Scott.  The  expedition  was  therefore  abandoned, 
and  the  two  heroes  of  Buena  Vista  forced  to  resume  a  state  of 
inactivity. 

Thus  by  long  and  laborious  services.  Wool  has  won  a  reputation, 
second  to  few  in  the  army.  It  is  lamentable  however  that  the  genius 
which  has  afforded  such  brilHant  display  of  its  abilities  should  be 
cramped  and  confined,  rendered  as  it  were  useless  to  the  country 
which  it  is  able  to  serve  so  well.  Yet  we  trust  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  these  shackles  will  be  removed,  and  Wool  again  be 
permitted  to  reap  the  rewards  of  his  patient  and  valuable  services 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  DAVID  E.  TWIGGS. 


ENERAL  TWIGGS  was  born 
in  Richmond  county,  state  of 
Georgia,  in  1790.  He  is  son 
of  Major-General  John  Twiggs, 
who  acted  so  efficient  a  part  in 
the  Revolution  as  to  be  styled  "  The 
saviour  of  Georgia."  Young  Twiggs  studi- 
ed law  under  General  Thomas  Flournoy, 
and  had  just  completed  a  thorough  theo- 
retical course,  when  the  opening  of  the  war 
of  1812  caused  him  to  direct  his  atten- 
tion to  a  new  field  of  distinction.  Through  the  influence  of  his  father 
he  obtained,  [March  8th,  1812,]  a  commission  in  the  array  as  cap- 
tain of  the  8th  infantry,  and  served  throughout  the  war.  He  was 
afterwards  with  General  Jackson  in  his  Indian  wars,  and  appointed 
to  receive  the  surrender  of  Fort  St.  Mark. 
858 


■•oC^U^/) 


SERVICES     IN     THE     FLORIDA     WAR. 


859 


Major  Binggold. 

General  Twiggs  had  a  command  in  the  expedition  against  Black 
HaM'k,  but  was  prevented  from  taking  the  field  by  the  cholera  of  1832 
In  the  following  year  he  was  appointed  by  President  Jackson  to  super 
intend  the  -arsenal  at  Augusta,  while  difficulties  with  the  nullifiers 
existed.  He  was  in  the  Florida  war,  and  after  the  massacre  of 
Dade's  detachment,  accompanied  General  Gaines  as  second  in  com- 
mand during  the  march  from  Tampa  Bay  to  Fort  King.  In  this 
march  considerable  skirmishing  took  place  with  the  Indians,  in  which 
Twiggs  was  conspicuous  for  personal  bravery.  He  was  rewarded 
by  the  appointment  of  colonel  of  the  2d  regiment  of  dragoons,  and 
joined  General  Scott  in  his  Florida  campaign. 

During  the  greater  part  of  General  Taylor's  march  from  Corpus 
Christi  to  the  Rio  Grande,  Twiggs  was  second  in  command.  Bj 
his  energy  and  coolness  he  performed  efficient  service  at  the  passage 
of  the  Colorado  ;  and  when,  as  the  army  advanced,  Pomt  Isabel 
was  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  he  was  sent  to  arrest  the  conflagration, 
and  drive  off  the  incendiaries.     He  rode  into  town  at  full  gallop. 


860  DAVID     E.     TWIGGS. 

obliged  General  Garcia  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  to  retire, 
and  saved  several  of  the  burning  houses.  He  then  took  possession 
of  the  place  for  General  Taylor,  who,  arriving  soon  after,  proceeded 
to  fit  it  for  the  reception  of  stores. 

Twiggs  accompanied  the  commander  in  his  passage  from  the  Rio 
Grande  to  Point  Isabel,  [May  1st  and  2d,]  and  fought  under  him  the 
battles  of  the  8th  and  9th.  His  duties  here  were  very  arduous. 
The  command  of  the  whole  right  wing  devolved  upon  him,  compris- 
ing the  infantry  of  Mcintosh,  Ringgold's  artillery,  Morris  and  Allen's 
infantry,  Churchill's  artillery,  part  of  the  4th  brigade,  under  Gar- 
land, and  the  dragoons  of  Kerr  and  May.  The  services  of  the  artil- 
lery on  both  sides  are  well  known  ;  while  the  charge  of  Captain 
May  swept  the  cannon  of  the  enemy  from  the  gorge  of  Resaca,  and 
secured  the  final  victory. 

The  conduct  of  Colonel  Twiggs,  in  these  battles,  was  rewarded 
by  government,  [June  30th,  1846,]  by  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
brigadier-general.  When  Matamoras  capitulated,  he  was  appointed 
military  governor ;  and  by  a  strict  attention  to  the  rights  of  both 
parties,  and^  rigid  enforcement  of  discipline,  soon  restored  order 
among  the  citizens,  and  established  all  branches  of  business  on  a 
permanent  foundation. 

ENERAL  TWIGGS  partook  largely  of  the 
difficulties  attending  the  siege  of  Monterey. 
W^hen  Worth's  troops  filed  off"  for  the  Hill 
of  Independence,  Twiggs  was  sent  with 
the  first  division  to  make  a  diversion  left  of  the 
town,  with  the  double  purpose  of  attacking  the  ad- 
vance forts,  and  of  favoring  the  movement  of  his 
brother  officer.  The  fire  upon  his  soldiers  was  most 
severe,  and  their  loss  in  proportion.  The  artillery  advanced  to  their 
support,  opening  upon  the  first  fort  and  citadel  with  considerable 
eff'ect.  The  Mexicans,  however,  maintained  the  position  with  obsti- 
liacy,  confiding  in  the  strength  of  their  works,  and  the  position  of 
their  raking  batteries.  But  no  difficulty  could  arrest  the  progress 
of  our  troops,  or  of  their  intrepid  leader.  Under  showers  of  heavy 
musketry,  cannon  and  howitzers,  they  rushed  on  with  fixed  bayonets, 
gained  possession  of  the  work,  and  turned  the  cannon  upon  the  city. 
But  their  labor  was  not  yet  over.  All  day  they  had  toiled  and  fought, 
amid  blazing  batteries,  and  death  and  horror,  until  nature  was  almost 
exhausted.  Still  there  was  no  rest.  The  clear  voice  of  Twiggs  ran 
through  the  fort  calling  each  soldier  to  his  station.  Filling  the  streets 
and  squares,  the  Mexicans  came  pouring  on  to  recover  the  redoubt ; 
while  heavy  ordnance  were  so  stationed  as  to  intercept  all  retreat. 


rWlGGSAT     MONTEREY. 


861 


Colonel  Watson. 


Hour  after  hour,  through  the  deepening  gloom  of  midnight,  those 
weary  men  stood  by  their  cannon,  worked  the  heavy  batteries,  and  kept 
the  swarms  of  Mexico  at  bay.  One,  more  exhausted  than  his  com- 
panions, would  sink  at  his  post,  but  only  to  rise  again,  shake  off  his 
languor,  and  begin  anew  the  work  of  death.  Even  after  the  Mexi- 
cans were  jepulsed,  no  reinforcement  arrived  until  the  evening  of  the 
second  day. 

On  the  23d,  we  find  Twiggs  in  close  conflict  with  the  inner 
redoubts  of  the  city,  and  the  buildings  surrounding  the  central  plaza- 
Here  his  troops  were  exposed  without  shelter  to  all  the  enemy's  bat- 
teries, and  continued  vollies  of  musketry  from  an  unseen  foe.  Yet 
undismayed,  following  such  officers  as  Twiggs,  Watson  and  Butler, 
they  swept  along  the  rocking  streets,  carrying  house  after  house, 
until  they  had  planted  themselves  before  the  principal  plaza.  Then 
the  struggle  grew  dreadful.  Whole  companies  m.elted  down  to 
shattered  skeletons  ;  while  the  stony  walls  of  Monterey  rocked  under 
the  fearful  explosions.  General  Butler  was  wounded  and  obliged  to 
retire,  and  the  second  post  of  honor  devolved  upon  Twiggs.     Riding 


862 


DAVID     E.     TWIGGS. 


along  by  his  artillery,  he  exhorted  each  man  to  do  his  duty,  pointing 
to  the  lofty  towers  of  the  centre,  as  the  rewards  of  their  labor. 
Before  those  batteries,  walls  which  had  stood  the  ravages  of  two 
centuries,  crumbled  to  atoms,  and  the  front  top  of  the  large  cathedral 
was  beat  down  into  the  plaza.  Colonel  Watson  was  among  the  killed. 
General  Twiggs  remained  at  Monterey  until  early  in  1847,  when 
he  was  ordered  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  assist  in  the  attack  upon 
Vera  Cruz.  After  the  landing  had  been  effected,  he  received  orders 
to  occupy  a  position  north  of  the  city,  which  conld  be  reached  only 
by  a  long  march  over  a  rugged  ascent.  At  nine  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  March  11th,  his  men  were  put  in  motion,  and  with  the 
mounted  rifles  in  advance,  commenced  their  arduous  work.  On 
account  of  the  rocks,  horses  were  frequently  useless  in  drawing  the 
cannon,  which  had  then  to  be  pulled  or  lifted  by  the  men.  In  this 
manner'  ravines,  ridges  and  heights  were  passed,  which  but  a  few 
hours  previous,  presented  difficulties  apparently  insurmountable. 
The  advance  of  the  column  arrived  at  their  destination  about  two 
o'clock,  p.  M.,  and  the  rear  closed  up  at  sundown.  The  nature  of  a 
siege  generally  prevents  a  display  of  individual  abilities  ;  yet  a  num- 
ber of  the  generals  in  this  memorable  assault  are  mentioned  by  the 
commander  with  honor.     Among  these  was  Twiggs. 

N  the  march  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  in- 
terior. General  Twiggs  led  the  van  of 
the  army.  They  advanced  through  the 
most  beautiful  natural  scenery,  and  in 
three  days  reached  a  great  mountain 
ridge,  in  view  of  the  volcano  of  Orizaba. 
Among  these  towering  heights,  the  Mex- 
ican chief  was  intrenched  with  eleven 
thousand  men.  The  main  army  had 
not  yet  arrived ;  yet  after  a  careful  re- 
connoissance,  (April  12th,)  the  intrepid 
veteran  determined  to  lead  his  single 
division  to  the  assault.  But  in  the  midst  of  his  preparations,  Major 
General  Patterson  arrived,  and  ordered  the  attack  to  be  delayed  until 
the  arrival  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

On  the  17th,  Twiggs  stormed  the  redoubt  below  Sierra  Gordo. 
During  the  night,  a  thousand  men  of  his  division  were  sent  to  place 
a  battery  on  the  captured  height.  The  night  was  one  of  total  dark- 
ness ;  and  yet  three  twenty-four  pieces  were  to  be  carried  up  steep 
rocks  five  hundred  feet  high,  by  men  who  had  toiled  during  five  days, 
amid  ravines,  mountain  ridges,  and  rapid  torrents.  Yet  weary  as 
they  were,  parched  and  enervated  by  thirst,  they  advanced  cheer 


BATTLE     OF     SIERRA     GORDO. 


863 


Battle  of  Sierra  Goxdo. 

fully  to  their  laborious  task.  Five  hundred  men  drag  their  heavy 
cannon  in  slovi^  and  painful  tread  up  the  rugged  ascent.  There  they 
pause,  lock  their  wheels,  and  sink  exhausted  upon  the  ground.  The 
remaining  five  hundred  now  advance,  begin  their  part,  go  some  dis- 
tance, stop,  and  fall  to  rest.  Thus  alternately  moving  and  pausing, 
they  accomplish  the  work. 

Morning  opened  with  a  sight,  thrilling  to  the  soldier's  bosom.  Far 
stretching  over  the  plain  the  veterans  of  Palo  Alto,  Monterey  and 
Vera  Cruz,  were  marching  and  countermarching  under  the  eye  of 
their  general.  High  on  precipitous  cliffs,  the  few  guns  of  the  weary 
detachment  were  planted,  shaded  by  the  flag  of  our  union  ;  while 
higher  still  black  rows  of  cannon,  thousands  of  muskets  and  lances, 
defended  the  frowaiing  bulwarks  of  Sierra  Gordo. 

Soon  the  peals  of  heavy  ordnance,  the  rattling  of  musketry,  the 
wild  war  shout  ringing  and  rolling  amid  the  mountain  cliffs,  announce 
the  opening  of  the  battle.  Up  those  dizzy  heights,  Twiggs  and  his 
men  are  climbing.  All  along  the  road,  dust  and  smoke  and  fire,  the 
blasts  of  batteries,  and  sweeping  of  shot,  are  before  them.  On  they 
move  with  boding  silence,  their  van  under  Colonel  Harney.  Friends, 
companions,  are  falling  round,  but  they  falter  not.  Companies  are 
annihilated,  regiments  shattered  under  that  driving  hail ;  yet  still 
they  press  on.  Nearer  and  neater  they  approach,  while  fiercer,  and 
wilder,  and  more  terrible  grows  the  opposing  fire.  Now  amid  death 
and  uproar,  Harney  leaps  forward,  as  his  shout  rings  like  a  spectre 
voice  through  that  awful  uproar.     The  next  moment  one  withering 


864  DAVID     E       IWIGGS. 

sheet  of  fire,  blazes  like  a  volcano  around  him,  his  voice  is  drowned, 
and  his  form  lost.  But  he  lives  ;  his  sword  is  gleaming  through  the 
smoke,  and  yet,  dancing  as  it  did  befbre,  is  the  wide  starry  flag  that  he 
bears.  No  one  pauses,  nor  has  time  to  pause  ;  Harney  is  before 
them,  and  the  eye  of  Twiggs  pierces  through  each  recess  of  their 
columns.  The  astonished  Mexicans,  behold  their  coming  and  tremble ; 
then,  Harney  is  on  the  wall,  his  men  roll  on  like  an  avalanche,  and 
the  day  is  gained.  The  prophetic  confidence  of  Scott,  as  expressed 
in  his  general  order,  had  not  been  misplaced. 

After  six  days  fighting  and  laboring,  Twiggs  might  have  been 
justified  in  retiring  for  some  time  to  rest ;  but  in  the  arrangements 
consequent  to  the  battle  he  was  as  active  and  indefatigable  as  he 
had  beer,  before  ;  and  on  the  19th  we  find  him  taking  possession  of 
Jalapa. 

Twiggs  accompanied  the  commander  in  his  march  to  the  capital, 
and  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  August  assisted  in  the  capture  of 
Contreras  and  Churubusco.  The  former  place  was  defended  by 
twelve  thousand  men,  and  twenty-two  pieces  of  artillery.  The 
troops  commenced  the  assault  at  about  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  the 
10th,  and  continued  fighting  until  night.  After  sleeping  on  the 
open  field  amid  heavy  rains,  it  was  renewed  on  the  following  morn- 
ing. Soon  after  daylight  all  the  works  were  in  possession  of  the 
Americans,  together  with  the  cannon  and  two  thousand  prisoners. 

After  this  victory  the  brigades  of  Twiggs  and  Pillow  continued 
their  march  to  San  Angel  and  Coyoacan,  so  as  to  get  in  the  rear  of 
San  Antonio,  which  the  enemy  hastily  abandoned,  retreating  to  a 
bridge  over  a  stream  of  water  that  crossed  the  road  where  they  had 
a  large  fortification.  A  few  hundred  yards  to  the  left  of  the  road, 
was  another  fortification,  containing  a  large  convent,  well  garrisoned 
and  fortified.  Here  the  troops  united  with  those  of  General  Worth, 
and  after  sustaining  a  heavy  fire  for  about  an  hour,  assisted  that 
gallant  officer  in  carrying  the  fortress.  The  army  then  moved  against 
Churubusco,  which  was  captured  after  two  hours  resistance.  In 
this  assault,  Twiggs  directed  his  eflforts  principally  against  the  church 
and  outer  fort.  In  the  terrible  battles  attending  the  capture  of  the 
capital,  Twiggs  bore  his  full  share.  His  veteran  voice  was  heard 
amid  the  echoing  cannon  of  Chapultepec,  and  along  the  roadside 
to  Mexico.     He  is  now  with  the  commander  at  the  capital. 

A  daring  bravery,  and  unflinching  independence  are  the  principal 
constituents  in  the  character  of  General  Twiggs.  Moving  under  the 
genius  of  Taylor,  he  covered  his  name  with  glory,  in  the  campaign 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  during  the  march  into  the  interior,  he  has  won 
for  himself  a  station  among  our  generals  scarcely  second  to  any. 


BREVET  MAJOR  GENERAL  WELLIAM  J.  WORTH. 


ENERAL  WORTH  was  born 
in  the  state  of  New  York,  and 
seems  to  have  been  intended 
by  his  parents  for  mercantile 
pursuits  ;  but  the  disputes  be- 
tween our  country  and  England  arising 
from  the  outrages  of  the  latter  upon  the 
high  seas,  fired  his  mind  with  eagerness 
to  enter  that  profession  in  which  he  has 
since  become  so  famous.  On  the  19th  of 
March,  1813,  he  applied  for  and  obtained 
a  commission  as  first  lieutenant  in  the  23d  infantry.  Soon  after,  he 
became  acquainted  with  Colonel  Scott,  and  was  taken  by  that  dis- 
tinguished man  into  his  staff.  In  the  capacity  of  aid-de-camp,  he 
fought  under  him  at  Chippewa,  and  received  the  commendations  of 

55  865 


866 


WILLIAM     J.     WOBTH. 


Battle  of  Palaiklalklaba. 

General  Brown;  and  soon  after  he  was  promoted  (August    19th, 
1814,)  to  the  rank  of  captain. 

In  the  great  battle  of  Niagara,  Worth  was  again  with  General 
Scott,  in  the  thickest  of  the  fray,  delivering  orders,  bringing  up  com 
panics,  and  performing  all  the  trying  duties  of  his  station.  Frequently 
he  was  between  two  fires,  and  on  several  occasions  narrowly  escaped 
being  killed.  The  battle  was  fought  at  night ;  which  circumstance 
caused  so  much  confusion,  that  hostile  troops  occasionally  passed 
each  other  without  knowing  it,  and  leaders  of  brigades  even  headed 
for  a  short  time,  companies  of  their  antagonists.  Brown  and  Scott 
were  both  severely  wounded,  and  with  them  Worth.  The  gallantry 
of  the  latter  elicited  from  his  superiors  the  most  flattering  notices, 
and  he  was  soon  after  raised  to  the  rank  of  major.  In  this  capacity 
he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Major  Worth  was  intrusted  with  the  superintendence  of  the  military 
instruction  in  West  Point  Academy,  a  duty  which  he  discharged  in  a 
manner  highly  creditable  to  bis  promptness,  efficiency,  and  military 
knowledge.  He  was  breveted  lieutenant-colonel,  July  25th,  1824, 
appointed  major  of  ordnance  in  1832,  and  colonel  of  the  8th  infantry 
on  the  7th  of  July,  1838. 

In  May,  1841,  Worth  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the 
Florida  war.  In  that  territory  he  was  doomed  to  contend  with  the 
same  mortifying  difficulties  that  had  baffled  all  former  commanders. 
More  than  one  thousand  troops  were  disabled  by  sickness.  The 
Indians  however  had  become  discouraged  by  the  battle  of  Okee- 


BATTLE      OF     MONTEREY.  867 

chobee,  and  in  August,  Wild  Cat  and  Coacochee  surrendered  with 
their  parties.  Other  surrenders  took  place,  until  Worth  announced 
to  the  department  that  the  Florida  war  was  ended.  In  this,  how- 
ever, he  was  mistaken  ;  and  having  left  the  territory,  he  was  ordered 
back,  in  consequence  of  the  recommencement  of  hostilities. 

On  the  r9th  of  April,  Colonel  Worth  found  the  Indians  in  force 
in  the  big  hammock  of  Palaklaklaha  near  the  Okeehumphee  swamp. 
He  attacked  them,  and  after  a  sharp  conflict,  cleared  the  swamp  and 
gained  a  complete  victory.  The  pursuit  continued  till  dark  and  was 
renewed  on  the  following  day,  the  troops  marching  each  day  more 
than  twenty  miles. 

This  action  was  the  last  important  incident  of  the  Florida  war. 
Worth  was  rewarded  by  the  brevet  of  brigadier-general.  In  May, 
1842,  he  received  the" surrender  of  Hallush  Tustenuggee  with  eight 
of  his  band,  and  in  the  following  August  announced  in  general  orders 
that  the  Florida  war  was  ended 

N  the  march  of  General  Taylor  toward  the  Rio 
Grande,  W^orth  was  second  in  command,  and 
planted  the  national  flagon  the  banks  of  that  river 
with  his  own  hand.  While  preparations  were 
making  for  the  erection  of  a  fort,  Colonel  Twiggs 
arrived,  and  claimed  command  next  to  Taylor,  in 
consequence  of  his  commission  as  colonel  being 
dated  previous  to  Worth's.  The  latter  officer 
refused  to  yield,  alleging  that  his  having  the  brevet  of  brigadier- 
general  gave  him  the  priority.  This  involved  the  old  question  of 
brevet  rank,  a  source  of  much  dissension  both  in  this  country  and 
England.  The  matter  was  referred  to  General  Taylor,  who  decided 
in  favor  of  Twiggs.  Worth  then  threw  up  his  commission,  retired 
to  Washington,  and  sent  in  his  resignation  to  the  adjutant-general. 
This  was  done  under  the  belief  that  hostihties  would  not  take  place  ; 
and  on  receiving  intelligence  of  Taylor's  danger,  Worth  immediately 
requested  permission  to  proceed  again  to  the  Rio  Grande.  This  was 
granted,  and  he  arrived  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  capture  of  Mata- 
moras. 

At  Monterey,  General  Worth  was  intrusted  with  the  comm.and  of 
a  division,  to  act  against  the  forts  west  of  the  city.  The  movement 
was  separate  and  independent  of  the  commander-in-chief.  He 
marched  from  camp  on  the  20th,  and  bivouacked  near  the  principal 
Mexican  fortress  called  the  Bishop's  Palace.  Next  morning,  after  a 
toilsome  march,  the  troops  arrived  near  a  hill  commanded  by  large 
bodies  of  Mexicans.  Here  a  raking  fire  was  opened  upon  them, 
which  increased  as  they  advanced  ;  but  they  rushed  on,  sweeping  the 


S6ft 


WILLIAM     J.      WORTH. 


StoiiLung  of  the  Bishop's  Palace. 

Mexicans  before  them,  until  a  large  body  of  cavalry  appeared  in 
sight.  A  fierce  conflict  ensued,  in  which  Captain  McCulloch's  ran- 
gers attacked  the  enemy  hand  to  hand,  and  after  a  desperate  conflict 
drove  them  from  the  height. 

Two  companies  of  artillery  and  four  of  the  Texas  rangers  under 
Captain  C,  F.  Smith,  were  sent  to  storm  the  second  height.  In  this 
perilous  undertakmg  they  were  exposed  to  the  whole  fire  of  the 
enemy,  while  advancing  over  a  space  of  five  hundred  yards.  They 
moved  with  alacrity,  and  were  soon  hidden  from  the  remainder  of 
the  army  by  a  ridge  of  rocks.  The  7th  infantry  under  Captain 
Miles  was  then  sent  to  their  assistance,  and  by  taking  a  diflferent 
route,  arrived  first  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  Both  detachments  were 
soon  advancing  up  the  hill,  driving  the  Mexicans  before  them.  In  the 
hurry  of  pursuit,  the  Americans  entered  the  fort  at  the  summit, 
together  with  the  enemy ;  and  soon  the  American  flag  was  flying, 
and  each  gun  employed  against  the  Bishop's  Palace.  The  victory, 
although  destructive  to  the  enemy,  was  attended  with  very  little  loss 
on  the  part  of  their  assailants. 

The  attack  upon  lhe  palace  was  intrusted  to  Colonel  Chikls.  He 
left  camp  at  three  o'clock  a.  m.,  of  the  22d,  and  with  three  companies 
marched  over  a  road  of  the  most  harassing  kind,  until  he  arrived 
within  one  hundred  yards  of  a  Mexican  breastwork  of  sand-bags. 
Colonel  Staniford  and  Major  Scott  then  arrived  with  a  howitzer,  and 


CAPTURE     OF      THE     BISHOP's      PALACE.  869 

the  assault  commenced.  For  awhile  the  discharges  of  every  species 
of  fire-arms  was  deafenino-;  but  the  o^rim  walls  of  the  castle  defied 
the  efforts  of  the  Americans, 

URING  the  attack,  a  large  body  of  cavalry  and 
infantry  advanced  without  the  Palace  to  attack 
the  rangers.  This  was  the  siarnal  for  renewed 
efforts.  The  Mexicans  were  charged,  broken,  and 
driven  into  the  works.  So  close  was  the  pursuit 
that  several  rangers  entered  the  gates  with  their 
antagonists.  They  were  speedily  seconded  by  the  remainder  of  the 
detachment,  and  after  a  slight  resistance,  the  Bishop's  Palace  was 
taken,  and  the  garrison  made  prisoners. 

During  these  important  operations  General  Worth  behaved  with 
all  the  judgment  and  intrepidity  of  a  veteran.  Whenever  duty  called 
he  was  in  the  thickest  danger,  and  each  soldier  looked  to  him  with 
implicit  confidence  in  his  ability. 

"  On  the  23d,  General  Worth  entered  Monterey  with  his  whole 
division,  and  w^as  soon  involved  in  the  stirring  events  attending  its 
assault.  As  he  rode  from  post  to  post  amid  the  shots  that  were 
flying  thick  and  fast  around  him,  his  fine  form  seemed  to  grow  with 
the  danger,  and  the  sadness  of  a  previous  day  was  entirely  absorbed 
in  the  excitement  of  action,  and  flush  of  victory.  Here  he  remained 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  until  news  reached  him  that  terms  of 
capitulation  were  about  to  be  offered,  when  he  ceased  all  further 
operations."* 

Worth  formed  part  of  the  commission  to  negotiate  terms  of  capitu- 
lation for  the  city  ;  and  some  time  after  its  capitulation  he  was  sent 
to  Saltillo  with  twelve  hundred  men  and  eight  pieces  of  artillery. 
In  December  he  apprised  General  Taylor  of  the  expected  attack  of 
Santa  Anna  upon  that  position,  and  received  large  reinforcements  ; 
but  in  January  1847,  he  was  sent  to  Vera  Cruz  to  assist  in  General 
Scott's  operations  against  that  city.  His  troops  were  the  first  to 
organize  after  the  landing  near  the  castle  ;  and  none  were  more  con- 
stantly and  efficiently  in  service  during  the  siege.  He  was  president 
of  the  American  commissioners  during  the  negotiations  for  surrender, 
and  afterwards  was  appointed  by  General  Scott  military  governor  of 
the  city. 

At  Sierra  Gordo,  Worth's  brigade  occupied  the  rear  of  the  enemy's 
position  on  the  main  road  to  the  capital,  and  assisted  in  cutting  off 
retreat  and  capturing  the  fugitives.  When  all  the  Mexican  works 
were  carried,  he  joined  in  the  pursuit,  and  on  the  22d  captured  the 

•  Rough  and  Ready  Annual. 


870 


WILLIAM     J.     WORTH. 


Puebla  de  loe  Angelos. 

city  of  Perote  with  its  castle.  On  the  1 5th  of  May,  he  took  posses- 
sion of  Puebla,  after  having  had  a  slight  skirmish  with  a  body  of 
Santa  Anna's  cavalry. 

Worth's  division  bore  a  full  share  in  the  toilsome  march  from 
Puebla  to  the  capital.  On  the  18th  of  August  it  reached  a  fortifica- 
tion near  San  Antonio,  and  on  the  same  evening  detached  a  party 
to  reconnoitre  that  place.  While  in  this  service  Captain  Thornton 
was  killed  by  a  ball  from  a  Mexican  battery.  A  heavy  rain  then 
ensued,  frustrating  all  hopes  for  an  assault  that  afternoon,  and  all 
the  troops  were  withdrawn  to  a  neighboring  hacienda. 

General  Worth  was  engaged  in  the  fierce  conflicts  of  the  19th  and 
20th  of  August,  when  he  captured  San  Antonio,  San  Pablo,  and, 
together  with  Generals  Twiggs  and  Pillow,  Churubusco.  In  all  these 
brilliant  assaults,  his  veterans  won  the  highest  commendations  from 
the  general-in-chief  and  the  army.  He  thus  describes  the  pursuit 
after  the  capture  of  Churubusco. 

The  fire  was  then  turned  upon  the  church,  and,  after  a  few  rounds, 
several  white  flags  were  thrown  out  by  the  enemy,  the  fire  ordered  to 
cease,  and  an  officer  despatched  to  accept  the  surrender  of  the  place. 
To  this  period  there  had  been  no  perceptible  abatement  of  the  fire 
from  the  town  in  the  direction  of  our  troops  attacking  the  opposite  face. 


BATTLE     OF     CHURUBUS  CO.  871 

Immediately  thereafter,  our  troops  in  the  vicinity  pushed  on  to  the 
point  where  portions  of  Garland's  and  Clarke's  brigades  were  yet 
engaged  in  hand-to-hand  conflicts  with  the  masses  of  infantry  on 
the  left  and  rear  of  the  captured  field  work  first  referred  to  ;  but, 
under  the  triple  influence  of  our  musketry,  the  capture  of  the  tete 
de  pont,  and  the  silencing  of  the  fire  in  the  town,  (directed  upon 
other  divisions  of  our  army,)  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  was  soon 
discovered  to  be  in  full  and  confused  retreat.  Pressing  along  the 
highway  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  the  division  was  soon  intersected 
by  the  brigade  of  General  Shields' approaching  from  the  left,  with 
the  remainder  of  his  brave  command,  consisting  of  the  South  Caro- 
lina and  New  York  regiments,  and  also  by  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Graham,  with  the  small  remains  of  his  battalion  of  the  1 1th 
regiment  of  infantry  ;  these  were  a  portion  of  the  main  army  assault- 
ing, in  the  opposite  direction  of  the  town,  the  right  and  reserve  of 
the  enemy,  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  general-in-chief. 
The  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  by  the  first  division  acting  in  concert  and 
cordial  co-operation  with  these  forces,  was  continued  to  within  one 
mile  and  a  half  of  the  gate  of  Mexico,  (La  Candelaria.)  At  this 
point,  ignorant  first  of  the  magnitude  of  the  defences  at  the  garita, 
and  secondly  of  the  ulterior  views  of  the  general-in-chief,  I  ordered 
a  halt  of  the  united  forces,  after  consulting  with  Major-General  Pil- 
low and  Brigadier-General  Shields.  Colonel  Harney  coming  up  at 
this  instant  with  two  squadrons  of  cavalry,  was  permitted  to  make 
a  dash  at  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  retiring  forces.  In  the  eager  pur- 
suit, the  head  of  the  column  pressing  on  too  closely,  and  disregard- 
ing or  not  hearing  the  commander's  recall,  came  under  fire  of  the 
battery,  and  suffered  severely.  The  ground  on  which  the  troops 
operated,  off  the  high  road,  is  remarkably  intersected  ;  loose  soil, 
growing  grain,  and  at  brief  intervals  deep  ditches,  for  the  purpose 
of  drainage  and  irrigation. 

When  I  recur  to  the  nature  of  the  ground,  and  the  fact  that  the 
division,  (two  thousand  six  hundred  strong  of  all  arms,)  was  engaged 
from  two  to  two  and  a  half  hours  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  with 
from  seven  thousand  to  nine  thousand  of  the  enemy,  having  the 
advantage  of  position,  and  occupying  regular  works — which  our  engi- 
neers will  say  were  most  skilfully  constructed — the  mind  is  filled  with 
wonder,  and  the  heart  with  gratitude  to  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers 
whose  steady  and  indomitable  valor  has,  under  such  circumstances, 
aided  in  achieving  results  so  honorable  to  our  country — results  not 
accomplished,  however,  without  the  sacrifice  of  many  valuable  lives.. 
The  little  professional  skill  the  commander  may  have  possessed,  was 
intensely  exerted  to  spare  the  men  ;  and  yet,  with  the  utmost  care, 


872  WILLIAM     J.     WORTH. 

we  ha^  to  mourn  the  loss,  in  killed  and  w^ounded,  of  thirteen  offi- 
cers, and  three  hundred  and  thirt3''-six  rank  and  file.  Our  country 
will  lament  the  fate,  and  honor  the  memory  of  these  brave  men,  A 
list  of  captured  ordnance  has  already  been  handed  in,  as  also  of  pri- 
soners, from  generals  down  to  privates.  Of  prisoners,  we  paused 
to  make  but  few ;  although  receiving  the  surrender  of  many,  to  dis- 
arm and  pass  them  was  deemed  sufficient.  Among  them,  however, 
are  secured  twenty-seven  deserters  from  oui  own  army,  arrayed  in 
the  most  tawdry  Mexican  uniforms.  These  wretches  served  the 
guns — the  use  of  which  they  had  been  taught  in  our  own  service — 
and  with  fatal  effect  upon  the  persons  of  their  former  comrades." 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice.  General  Worth  accompanied 
the  commander-in-chief  in  a  reconnoissance  of  the  Molinos  del  Rey; 
and  on  the  following  day,  [September  8th,]  he  was  sent  against  that 
place.  Contrary  to  expectation,  a  severe  struggle  ensued,  in  which 
it  became  necessary  to  send  Brigadier-General  Cadwalader  to  Worth's 
assistance.     Worth's  report  of  this  affair  is  as  follows  : 

"  As  the  enemy's  system  of  defence  was  connected  with  the  hill  and 
castle  of  Chapultepec,  and  as  my  operations  were  limited  to  a  specific 
object,  it  became  necessary  to  isolate  the  work  to  be  accomplished, 
from  the  castle  of  Chapultepec  and  its  immediate  defences.  To 
effect  this  object,  the  following  dispositions  were  ordered — Colonel 
Garland's  brigade  to  take  possession  on  the  right,  strengthened  by 
two  pieces  of  Captain  Drum's  battery,  to  look  to  El  Molino  del  Rey 
as  well  as  any  support  of  this  position  from  Chapultepec  ;  and  also 
within  sustaining  distance  of  the  assaulting  party  and  the  battering 
guns,  which  under  Captain  Huger,  were  placed  on  the  ridge,  five  or 
six  hundred  yards  from  El  Molino  del  Rey,  to  batter  and  loosen  this 
position  from  Chapultepec.  An  assaulting  party  of  five  hundred 
picked  men  and  officers,  under  command  of  Brevet  Major  George 
Wright,  8th  infantry,  was  also  posted  on  the  ridge  to  the  left  of  the 
battering  guns,  to  force  the  enemy's  centre.         *         *         *         * 

Accordingly,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  8th,  the 
several  columns  were  put  in  motion,  on  as  many  different  routes  ; 
and  when  the  gray  of  the  morning  enabled  them  to  be  seen,  they  were 
as  accurately  in  position  as  if  posted  in  midday  for  review. 

The  early  dawn  was  the  moment  appointed  for  the  attack,  which 
was  announced  to  our  troops  by  the  opening  of  Huger's  guns  on  El 
Molino  del  Rey,  upon  which  they  continued  to  play  actively  until 
this  point  of  the  enemy's  line  became  sensibly  shaken,  when  the 
assaulting  party,  commanded  by  Wright,  and  guided  by  that  accom- 
plished officer,  Captain  Mason,  of  the  engineers,  assisted  by  Lieu- 
tenant Foster,  dashed  gallantly  forward  to  the  assault.     Unshaken 


ASSAULT     ON     THE     CA  S  A     M  A  T  A.  873 

by  the  galling  fire  of  musketry  and  canister  that  was  showered  upon 
them,  on  they  rushed,  driving  infantry  and  artillery-men  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet.  The  enemy's  field  battery  was  taken,  and.  his  own 
guns  were  trailed  upon  his  retreating  masses  ;  before,  however,  they 
could  be  discharged,  perceiving  that  he  had  been  dispossessed  of 
this  strong  position  by  comparatively  a  handful  of  men,  he  made  a 
desperate  effort  to  regain  it. 

Accordingly  his  retiring  forces  rallied  and  formed  with  this  object. 
Aided  by  the  infantry,  which  covered  the  house-tops  (within  reach 
of  which  the  battery  had  been  moved  during  the  night),  the  enemy's 
whole  line  opened  upon  the  assaulting  party  a  terrific  fire  of  mus- 
ketry, which  struck  down  eleven  out  of  the  fourteen  officers  that 
composed  the  command,  and  non-commissioned  officers  and  men  in 
proportion ;  including,  amongst  the  officers,  Brevet  Major  Wright, 
the  commander ;  Captain  Mason  and  Lieutenant  Foster,  engineers, 
all  severely  wounded.  This  severe  shock  staggered,  for  the  moment, 
that  gallant  band.  The  light  battahon,  held  to  cover  Huger's  bat- 
tery, under  Captain  E.  Kirby  Smith,  (Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith 
being  sick,)  and  the  right  wing  of  Cadwalader's  brigade,  were 
promptly  ordered  forward  to  support,  which  order  was  executed  in 
the  most  gallant  style  ;  the  enemy  was  again  routed,  and  this  point 
of  his  line  carried,  and  fully  possessed  by  our  troops.  In  the  mean- 
time, Garland's  (1st)  brigade,  ably  sustained  by  Captain  Drum's 
artillery,  assaulted  the  enemy's  left,  and,  after  an  obstinate  and  very 
severe  contest,  drove  him  from  this  apparently  impregnable  position, 
immediately  under  the  guns  of  the  castle  of  Chapultepec.  Drum's 
section,  and  the  battering  guns  under  Captain  Huger,  advanced  to 
the  enemy's  position,  and  the  captured  guns  of  the  enemy  were  now 
opened  on  his  retreating  forces,  on  which  they  continued  to  fire  until 
beyond  their  reach. 

While  this  work  was  in  progress  of  accomplishment  by  our  centre 
and  right,  our  troops  on  the  left  were  not  idle.  Duncan's  battery 
opened  on  the  right  of  the  enemy's  line,  up  to  this  time  engaged  ; 
and  the  second  brigade,  under  Colonel  Mcintosh,  was  now  ordered 
to  assault  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy's  line.  The  direction  of 
this  brigade  soon  caused  it  to  mask  Duncan's  battery — the  fire  of 
which,  for  the  moment,  was  discontinued  ;  and  the  brigade  moved 
steadily  onto  the  assault  of  Casa  Mata,  which,  instead  of  an  ordinary 
field  intrencbment,  as  was  supposed,  proved  to  be  a  strong  stone 
citadel,  surrounded  with  bastioned  intrenchments  and  impassable 
ditches — an  old  Spanish  work,  recently  repaired  and  enlarged.  When 
within  easy  musket  range,  the  enemy  opened  a  most  deadly  fire 
upon  our  advancing  troops,  which  was  kept  up  without  intermission, 


874  WILLIAM     J.     WORTH. 

until  our  gallant  men  reached  the  very  slope  of  the  parapet  of  the 
work  that  surrounded  the  citadel. 

By  this  time,  a  large  proportion  of  the  command  was  either  killed 
or  wounded,  amongst  whom  were  the  three  senior  officers  present, — 
Brevet  Colonel  Mcintosh,  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  Scott,  of  the 
4th  infantry,  and  Major  Waite,  8th  infantry  ;  the  second  killed,  and 
the  first  and  last  desperately  wounded.  Still,  the  fire  from  the  cita- 
del was  unabated.  In  this  crisis  of  the  attack,  the  command  was, 
momentarily,  thrown  into  disorder,  and  fell  back  on  the  left  of  Dun- 
can's battery,  where  they  rallied.  As  th£  second  brigade  moved  to 
the  assault,  a  very  large  cavalry  and  infantry  force  was  discovered 
approaching  rapidly  upon  our  left  flank,  to  reinforce  the  enemy's 
right.  As  soon  as  Duncan's  battery  was  masked,  as  before  men- 
tioned, supported  by  Andrews'  voltiguers,  of  Cadwalader's  brigade, 
it  moved  promptly  to  the  extreme  left  of  our  line,  to  check  the 
threatened  assault  on  this  point.  The  enemy's  cavalry  came  rapidly, 
within  canister  range,  when  the  whole  battery  opened  a  most  effective 
fire,  which  soon  broke  the  squadrons,  and  drove  them  back  in  dis- 
order. During  this  fire  upon  the  enemy's  cavalry.  Major  Sumner's 
command  moved  to  the  front,  and  changed  direction  in  admirable 
order,  under  a  most  appalling  fire  from  the  Casa  Mata.  This  move- 
ment enabled  his  command  to  cross  the  ravine  immediately  on  the 
left  of  Duncan's  battery,  where  it  remained,  doing  noble  service, 
until  the  close  of  the  action.  At  the  very  moment  the  cavalry  were 
driven  beyond  reach,  our  own  troops  drew  back  from  before  the 
Casa  Mata,  and  enabled  the  guns  of  Duncan's  battery  to  re-open 
upon  this  position,  which,  after  a  short  and  well  directed  fire,  the 
enemy  abandoned.  The  guns  of  the  battery  were  now  turned  upon 
his  retreating  columns,  and  continued  to  play  upon  them  until  beyond 
reach.    > 

He  was  now  driven  from  every  point  of  the  field,  and  his  strong 
lines,  which  had  certainly  been  defended  well,  were  in  our  posses- 
sion. In  fulfilment  of  the  instructions  of  the  general-in-chief,  the 
Casa  3Iata  was  blown  up,  and  such  of  the  captured  ammunition  as 
was  useless  to  us,  as  well  as  the  cannon  moulds,  found  in  El  Molino 
del  Rey,  were  destroyed.  After  which,  my  command,  under  the 
reiterated  orders  of  the  general-in-chief,  returned  to  quarters  at 
Tacubaya,  with  three  of  the  f;nemy's  four  guns,  (the  fourth  having 
been  spiked,  was  rendered  unserviceable  ;)  as  also  a  large  quantity 
of  small  arms,  with  guns  and  musket  ammunition,  and  exceeding 
eight  hundred  prisoners,  including  fifty-two  commissioned  officers. 

By  the  concurrent  testimony  of  prisoners,  the  enemy's  force  ex- 
ceeded fourteen  thousand  men,  commanded  by  General  Santa  Anna 


ADVANCE     UPON     THE     CITY.  ^75 

in  person.  His  total  loss,  killed,  (including  the  2d  and  3d  in  com- 
mand. Generals  Valdarez  and  Leon,)  wounded  and  prisoners,  amounts 
to  three  thousand,  exclusive  of  some  two  thousand,  who  deserted 
after  the  rout. 

My  command,  reinforced  as  before  stated,  only  reached  three 
thousand  one  hundred  men,  of  all  arms.  The  contest  continued  two 
hours  ;  and  its  severity  is  painfully  attested  by  our  heavy  loss  of 
officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates,  including  in  the  two 
first  classes  some  of  the  brigthest  ornaments  of  the  service." 

URING  the  operations  preparatory  to  the  storm- 
ing of  Chapuhepec,  Worth  was  incessantly  in 
action.  While  the  attack  was  raging  at  that 
place,  one  brigade  of  his  division  was  sent  to 
reinforce  General  Pillow,  and  soon  after,  with 
his  remaining  force,  he  received  orders  to  assist 
in  the  pursuit.  We  annex  his  admirable  de- 
scription of  the  advance  to  the  capital : — 

"  After  advancing  some  four  hundred  yards,  we  came  to  a  battery 
which  had  been  assailed  by  a  portion  of  Magruder's  field  guns — 
particularly  the  section  under  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Jackson,  who, 
although  he  had  lost  most  of  his  horses,  and  many  of  his  men,  con- 
tinued chivalrously  at  his  post,  combating  with  noble  courage.  A 
portion  of  Garland's  brigade,  which  had  been  previously  deployed 
in  the  field  to  the  left,  now  came  up  with,  and  defeated  the  enemy's 
right  ;  the  enemy's  left  extending  in  the  direction  of  the  Tacubaya 
aqueduct,  on  which  Quitman's  division  was  battling  and  advancing. 
Pursuing  the  San  Cosme  road,  we  discovered  an  arched  passage 
through  the  aqueduct,  and  a  cross  route  practicable  for  artillery,  for 
a  considerable  distance  over  the  meadows,  in  the  direction  of  the 
battery,  and  left  of  the  enemy's  line,  which  was  galling,  and  endea- 
voring to  check  Quitman's  advance.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan, 
with  a  section  of  his  battery,  covered  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith's 
battalion,  was  turned  off  upon  this  route,  and  advancing  to  within 
four  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  lines,  (which  was  as  far  as  the 
nature  of  the  ground  would  permit,)  opened  an  effective  fire — first 
upon  the  battery,  and  then  upon  the  retreating  troops,  great  num- 
bers of  whom  were  cut  down.  Having  thus  aided  the  advance,  and 
cleared  the  front  (being  favorably  situated)  of  my  gallant  friend 
Quitman,  as  far  as  it  was  in  my  power,  this  portion  of  my  command 
was  withdrawn.  The  2d  brigade  now  coming  up,  the  advance  upon 
the  main  road  was  continued.  We  soon  came  up  with  and  carried 
a  second  battery,  and  afterwards  a  third,  both  of  them  strong  works, 
and  enfilading  the  road.     This  brought  us  to  the  Campo  Santo,  or 


876  WILLIAM     J.     WORTH. 

English  burying-ground,  near  which  the  road  and  aqueduct  bend  to 
the  right.  At  this  point  the  general-in-chief  came  up,  with  his  staff, 
and  instructed  me  to  press  on,  carry  the  garita  San  Cosme,  and,  if 
possible,  penetrate  to  the  Alameda.  Shortly  after,  Brigadier-Gene- 
ral Cadwalader  reported  to  me,  by  the  order  of  the  general-in-chief, 
and  later,  between  eight  and  nine  p.  m.,  Colonel  Riley,  with  the  2d 
brigade,  2d  division.  The  former  was  left  in  position  at  the  Campo 
Santo,  to  hold  that  point,  and  look  to  the  left  and  rear.  The  latter, 
coming  up  after  the  firing  had  ceased,  was  halted  in  rear  of  the  1st 
division,  and  entered  the  city  with  it  on  the  morning  of  the  14th. 

Here  we  came  in  front  of  another  battery,  beyond  which,  distant 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  sustaining  it,  was  the  last 
defence,  or  the  garita  of  San  Cosme.  The  approach  to  these  two 
defences  was  in  a  right  line,  and  the  whole  space  was  literally  swept 
by  grape,  canister  and  shells,  from  a  heavy  gun  and  howitzer,  added  to 
which  severe  fires  of  musketry  were  delivered  from  the  tops  of  the 
adjacent  houses  and  churches.  It  hence  became  necessary  to  vary 
our  mode  of  operations.  Garland's  brigade  was  thrown  to  the  right, 
within  and  masked  by  the  aqueduct,  and  instructed  to  dislodge  the 
enemy  from  the  buildings  in  his  front,  and  endeavor  to  reach  and  turn 
the  left  of  the  garita,  taking  advantage  of  such  cover  as  might  offer, 
to  enable  him  to  effect  these  objects.  Clark's  brigade  was  at  the 
same  time  ordered  to  take  the  buildings  on  the  left  of  the  road,  and 
by  the  use  of  bars  and  picks,  burrow  through  from  house  to  house, 
and  in  like  manner,  carry  the  right  of  the  garita.  While  these 
orders  were  being  executed,  a  mountain  howitzer  was  placed  on  the 
top  of  a  commanding  building  on  the  left,  and  another  on  the  church 
San  Cosme  on  the  right,  both  of  which  opened  with  admirable  effect. 
The  work  of  the  troops  was  tedious,  and  necessarily  slow,  but  was 
greatly  favored  by  the  fire  of  the  howitzers.  Finally,  at  5  o'clock, 
both  columns  had  reached  their  positions,  and  it  then  became  neces- 
sary, at  all  hazards,  to  advance  a  piece  of  artillery  to  the  evacuated 
battery  of  the  enemy,  intermediate  between  us  and  the  garita. 
Lieutenant  Hunt  was  ordered  to  execute  this  duty,  which  he  did  in 
the  highest  possible  style  of  gallantry ;  equally  sustained  by  his 
veteran  troops,  with  the  loss  of  one  killed  and  four  wounded,  out 
of  nine  men,  although  the  piece  moved  at  full  speed  over  a  dis- 
tance of  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  ;  reaching  the  breastwork, 
he  came  muzzle  to  muzzle  with  the  enemy.  It  has  never  been  my 
fortune  to  witness  a  more  brilliant  exhibition  of  courage  and  conduct. 
The  moment  had  now  arrived  for  the  final  and  combined  attack  upon 
the  last  stronghold  of  the  enemy  in  my  quarter;  it  was  made  by  our 
men  springing,  as  if  by  magic,  to  the  tops  of  the  houses  into  which 


ENTERING     THE      CITY.  877 

they  had  patiently  and  quietly  made  their  way  with  the  bar  and  pick, 
and  to  the  utter  surprise  and  consternation  of  the  enemy,  opening  upon 
him,  within  easy  range,  a  destructive  fire  of  musketry.  A  single 
discharge,  in  which  many  of  his  gunners  were  killed  at  their  pieces. 
was  sufficient  to  drive  him  in  confusion  from  the  breastwork;  when 
a  prolonged  shout  from  our  brave  fellows  announced  that  we  were 
m  possession  of  the  garita  of  San  Cosme,  and  already  in  the  city  of 
Mexico, 

T  this  point  we  again  had  the  pleasure  to 
meet  the  president  general-in-chief,  took 
one  of  his  aid-de-camps,  Captain  Jose 
Ma  Castanary,  and  several  superior 
officers,  with  many  other  equally  unim- 
portant prisoners  ;  and  one  of  my  most 
gallant  and  leading  subalterns  had  the 
gratification  of  eating  his  excellency's 
well-prepared  supper. 
The  remainder  of  the  division  vv  as  now 
marched  within  the  city  gate,  and  Captain  Huger,  of  the  ordnance, 
who  had  been  directed  by  the  general-in-chief  to  report  to  me,  with 
heavy  guns,  some  time  before,  was  desired  to  advance  a  twenty-four 
pounder  and  a  ten-inch  mortar,  place  them  in  position  at  the  garita, 
obtain  the  direction,  and  open  a  few  shot  and  shell  upon  the  grand 
plaza  and  palace,  assumed  to  be  about  sixteen  hundred  yards  distant. 
This  battery  opened  at  nine  o'clock,  three  shots  being  fired  from  the 
gun  and  five  from  the  mortar.  They  told  with  admirable  effect,  as  at 
one  o'clock  at  night  a  commission  from  the  municipality  came  to  my 
advanced  post  with  a  flag,  announcing  that  immediately  after  the 
heavy  guns  opened,  the  government  and  army  commenced  evacuating 
the  city,  and  that  the  commission  was  deputed  to  confer  with  the 
general-in-chief,  to  whose  head-quarters  it  was  passed  under  assistant 
Adjutant-General  Mackall.  At  five  a.  m.  on  the  14th,  my  troops  and 
heavy  guns  advanced  into  the  city,  and  occupied  the  Alameda,  to  thq^, 
point  where  it  fronts  the  palace,  and  there  halted  at  six  o'clock,  the 
general-in-chief  having  instructed  me  to  take  a  position  and  await 
his  further  orders.  Shortly  afterwards,  a  straggling,  assassin-like  fire 
commenced  from  the  house-tops,  which  continued  in  various  parts 
of  the  city  through  the  day,  causing  us  some  loss.  The  first  shot, 
fired  at  a  group  of  officers  at  the  head  of  my  column,  struck  down 
Colonel  Garland,  badly  wounded ;  and  later  in  the  day,  Lieutenant 
Sydney  Smith  was  shot  down,  mortally  wounded — since  dead. 

The  free  use  of  heavy  battering  guns  upon  every  building  from 
which  fire  proceeded,  together  with  musketry  from  some  of  our  men 


878 


WILLIAM     J.     WORTH. 


thrown  out  as  skirmishers,  soon  quelled  these  hidden  and  dastardly 
enemies.  About  the  time  of  our  entrance  into  the  city,  the  convicts 
in  the  different  prisons,  to  the  number  of  some  three  thousand  men, 
were  liberated  by  order  of  the  flying  government,  armed  and  distri- 
buted in  the  most  advantageous  houses,  including  the  churches,  con- 
vents, and  even  the  hospitals,  for  the  purpose  of  exciting,  if  possible, 
the  entire  population  of  the  city  to  revolt,  and  effect,  by  secret  and 
dastardly  means,  what  the  whole  Mexican  army  had  been  unable  to 
accomplish.  This  was  no  time  for  half-way  measures  ;  and  if  many 
innocent  persons  suffered  incidentally,  under  the  just  infliction  of 
punishment  we  found  it  necessary  to  bestow  on  these  miscreants 
from  the  jails,  the  responsibility  should  rest  upon  the  barbarous  and 
vindictive  chief  who  imposed  upon  us  the  necessity." 

We  pass  over  the  events  of  General  Worth's  life  subsequent  to  the 
capture  of  Mexico,  as  not  yet  sufficiently  understood  to  form  a  part 
of  his  biography. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  GIDEON  J.  PILLOW. 


j— ,IDEON  PILLOW,  the  father  of  the  present 
general,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  son  of  John  Pillow,  and  Ursula  John- 
son, who  soon  after  his  birth,  emigrated  to 
Tennessee.  This  state  was  then  [1789], 
a  wilderness,  infested  by  tribes  of  Lidians, 
most  of  whom  were  hostile  to  the  white 
settlers.  In  a  skirmish  with  some  of  these, 
Gideon,  the  father,  was  killed,  and  the  care 
of  the  family,  numbering  eight  children, 
devolved  on  the  two  eldest  sons,  William  and  Gideon.  Each  of 
these  young  men  distinguished  himself,  in  the  numerous  expeditions 
against  the  Indians,  and  during  the  Creek  war  William  served  as 
colonel  under  General  Jackson.     He  is  still  living,  on  his  farm  in 


880  GIDEON     J.     PILLOW. 

Maury  county.  Gideon  died  February  26th,  1830,  leaving  his  widow 
with  six  children,  among  whom  was  the  subject  of  our  present  sketch. 

Gideon  J.  Pillow  was  born  in  Williamson  county,  Tennessee,  June 
10th,  1806.  After  graduating  at  the  Nashville  University  [October 
1827,]  he  studied  law,  and  in  1829  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  His 
practice  soon  became  extensive  and  lucrative.  On  the  24th  of 
March  1831,  he  married  Miss  MaryE.  Martin,  of  Maury  county,  by 
whom  he  has  seven  children.  In  1844  he  was  appointed  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  National  convention,  which  met  at  Baltimore.  Within 
some  years  he  has  devoted  himself  principally  to  agriculture,  into 
which  he  introduced  several  improvements.  His  farm  is  five  miles 
east  of  Columbia. 

Pillow  was  appointed  inspector-general  of  the  state  militia,  by 
General  Carroll ;  and  on  the  organization  of  the  force  destined  to 
act  against  central  Mexico,  he  was  named  by  President  Polk,  major- 
general. 

In  the  hardships  attending  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz,  General  Pillow 
had  the  first  opportunity  of  displaying  his  military  talents.  It  was 
improved  in  a  manner  creditable  to  himself  and  his  brigade.  His 
men  were  continually  on  duty,  encountering  hardships  of  the  most 
trying  nature,  but  animated  by  the  exhortations  and  example  of  their 
leader.  After  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  Pillow  was  appointed  one  of 
the  commissioners  to  negotiate  a  surrender. 

The  day  previous  to  the  attack  upon  Sierra  Gordo,  General  Pillow's 
duties  were  defined  in  general  orders  as  follows  : — 

"  Brigadier-General  Pillow's  brigade  will  march  at  six  o'clock, 
to-morrow  morning,  along  the  road  he  has  carefully  reconnoitered,  and 
stand  ready  as  soon  as  he  hears  the  report  of  arms  on  our  right — 
sooner,  if  circumstances  should  favor  him — to  pierce  the  enemy's 
line  of  batteries  at  such  point — the  nearer  the  river  the  better — as 
he  may  select.  Once  in  the  rear  of  that  line,  he  will  turn  to  the 
right  or  left,  or  both,  and  attack  the  batteries  in  reverse,  or,  if  aban- 
doned, he  will  pursue  the  enemy  with  vigor  until  further  orders." 

The  positions  thus  marked  out  were  situated  near  the  river,  and 
garrisoned  by  nearly  three  thousand  men  under  General  La  Vega. 
Pillow's  brigade  charged  vigorously,  headed  by  the  Tennessee 
troops  ;  but  so  determined  was  the  resistance  of  the  Mexicans,  that 
it  was  obliged  to  retire  ;  a  second  attempt  was  attended  by  like 
results  :  while  reorganizing,  the  fate  of  the  enemy's  main  body  under 
Santa  Anna  became  known,  and  La  Vega  surrendered.  The  follow- 
ing paragraph  from  General  Scott's  report  exculpates  Pillow  from  any 
blame : — 

"  General  Pillow  and  his  brigade  twice  assaulted  with  great  daring 


BA.TTLE     OF     CONTRERAS. 


881 


Battle  of   Contreras. 


the  enemy's  line  of  batteries  on  our  left ;  and  though  without  success, 
they  contributed  much  to  distract  and  dismay  their  immediate  oppo- 
nents." 

At  Contreras,  Pillow's  division,  comprising  the  brigades  of  Smith, 
Pierce,  and  Cadwalader,  was  the  principal  one  engaged.  The  attack 
commenced  on  the  afternoon  of  August  19th,  and  was  continued 
until  night  with  a  violence,  rarely  equalled  in  Mexican  battles.  The 
enemy  had  twenty-two  pieces  of  excellent  cannon,  all  of  which  were 
well  served.  They  numbered  about  seven  thousand,  and  were 
entrenched  behind  walls,  which  apparently  defied  all  assault.  The 
Americans  suffered  great  loss,  and  at  the  approach  of  night  heavy 
rains  obliged  them  to  desist.  They  lay  on  the  field  all  night,  with- 
out tents  or  blankets,  with  the  water  pouring  in  streams  around 
them.  Before  daylight  next  morning  they  were  again  led  to  the 
assault,  and  after  a  short  but  fierce  struggle,  stormed  the  works  and 
entered  them  sword  in  hand. 

In  this  aifair  the  Americans  numbered  about  four  thousand  five 
hundred  men.  Beside  being  engaged  with  the  garrison,  they  were 
perpetually  in  danger  from  about  twelve  thousand  infantry  and 
cavalry,  who  hovered  in  sight  during  the  whole  assault.  Seven 
hundred  Mexicans  were  killed,  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  captured, 
including  four  generals  and  eighty-four  other  officers.  Many  colors 
and  standards,  all  the  cannon  and  immense  stores  of  ammunition  &c., 
were  also  taken.     During  both  days,  General  Pillow  set  an  example 

56 


882  GIDEON     J.     PILLOW. 

to  his  men  of  coolness,  bravery  and  skill,  wiiich  exerted  a  most 
beneficial  effect  throughout  the  army. 

After  this  victory,  Pillow  moved  against  the  fortification  of  San 
Antonio  ;  but  the  garrison  of  this  place,  on  learning  the  fate  of 
Contreras,  hastily  abandoned  their  vt^orks  and  fell  back  upon  Churu- 
busco.  "  Upon  the  receipt  of  this  information,"  he  writes  in  his  official 
report,  "the  general-in-chief  immediately  ordered  Brigadier-General 
Twiggs's  division  to  move  forward  and  attack  the  work  on  the  enemy's 
right,  and  directed  me  to  move  with  Cadwalader's  brigade  and  assault 
the  tete  de  pont  on  its  left.  Moving  rapidly  in  execution  of  this 
order,  I  had  great  difficulty  in  passing  the  command  over  some 
marshy  fields  and  wide  and  deep  ditches,  filled  with  mud  and  water. 
I  was  compelled  to  dismount  in  order  to  cross  these  obstacles,  which 
were  gallantly  overcome  by  the  troops,  when  the  whole  force  gained 
the  main  causeway ;  at  which  place  I  met  General  Worth,  with  the 
advance  of  his  division,  moving  upon  the  same  work.  It  was  then 
proposed  that  our  united  divisions  should  move  on  to  the  assault  of 
the  strong  tete  de  pont,  which  with  its  heavy  artillery  enfiladed  the 
causeway.  This  being  determined  upon,  the  troops  of  the  two  divi- 
sions moved  rapidly  to  attack  the  work  on  its  left  flank,  and  notwith- 
standing the  deadly  fire  of  grape  and  roundshot  from  the  work, 
which  swept  the  roadway  with  furious  violence,  on  and  onward  these 
gallant  troops  moved  with  impetuous  valor,  and  terrible  and  long  was 
the  bloody  conflict.  But  the  result  could  not  be  doubted.  At  length 
the  loud  and  enthusiastic  cheer  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  soldier  told  that 
all  was  well,  and  the  American  colors  waved  in  triumph  over  the 
bloody  scene." 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice  and  the  destruction  of  the 
Molino  del  Rey,  Pillow  was  ordered,  (September  12th,)  to  occupy 
the  latter  position  with  his  division,  preparatory  to  assaulting  Cha- 
pultepec.  This  drew  him  into  frequent  skirmishing  with  the  enemy 
during  the  whole  day.  He  describes  these  desultory  operations, 
together  with  those  of  the  13th,  as  follows  : — 

"  Having  organized  a  force  for  this  purpose,  under  command  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Herbert,  at  daylight  his  command  moved  steadily 
and  in  beautiful  order,  under  a  hot  fire  of  shot  and  shell  from  Cha- 
pultepec,  and  seized  the  mills.  I  ordered  Brigadier-General  Cad- 
walader  with  his  brigade,  to  hold  possession  of  this  position,  and  to 
defend  the  approaches  (which  unite  at  that  place)  from  the  city  of 
Mexico  and  from  Santa  Fe.  In  a  short  time  afterwards  an  immense 
body  of  lancers,  with  a  considerable  force  of  infantry,  made  their 
appearance  in  the  valley  above  me,  and  moved  steadily  forward  in 
the  direction  of  my  position  until  almost  within  reach  of  my  field- 


BATTLE      OF     CHAPULTEPEC.  883 

pieces.  With  Brigadier-General  Pierce's  brigade,  Magruder's battery, 
and  Major  Sumner's  fine  command  of  dragoons,  (that  officer  having 
now  reported  to  me  for  duty,)  I  made  every  arrangement  for  their 
reception.  Having  thus  executed  the  orders  of  the  g-enerai-in-chief, 
*to  take  possession  of  the  mills,  to  hold  them,  and  frqm  this  position 
defend  the  batteries  intended  to  be  opened,  preparatory  to  the  assault 
upon  Chapultepec,  and  not  to  provoke  a  general  engagement  with  the 
enemy,'  I  did  not,  under  my  orders,  feel  myself  at  libery  to  become 
the  assailant,  and  the  enemy  regarding  'prudence  as  the  better  part 
of  valor,' did  not  think  proper  to  assail  me.         *         *         *         * 

General  Pillow  thus  describes  the  capture  of  Chapultepec  :  "  All 
being  now  ready  and  eager  for  the  conflict,  I  ordered  the  batteries  of 
my  division  silenced,  and  the  command  to  advance — the  general-in- 
chief  having  silenced  the  heavy  batteries. 

"  Having  completed  the  dispositions  for  the  assault,  while  a 
heavy  cannonade  was  going  on,  Brigadier-General  Cadwalader  was 
directed  to  see  to  the  proper  execution  of  my  orders. 

"  The  voltigeurs,  having  driven  the  enemy  from  the  wood,  rapidly 
pursued  him  until  he  retreated  into  the  interior  fortification.  Close 
in  their  rear  followed  the  9th  and  1 5th  regiments,  with  equal  impetu- 
osity, until  these  three  regiments  occupied  the  exterior  works  around 
the  summit  of  Chapultepec. 

"  Captain  McKenzie's  command  had  not  yet  come  up.  The  5th, 
6th,  and  8th  regiments  of  infantry  of  General  Worth's  division, 
ordered  forward  as  a  reserve,  advanced  to  their  positions  and  formed. 
As  soon  as  Captain  McKenzie's  command  was  in  position  with  the 
ladders,  the  work  was  almost  instantly  carried,  and  the  Mexican  flag 
torn  from  the  castle  by  the  gallant  Major  Seymour  of  the  9th  regi- 
ment, and  the  American  run  up  in  its  place," 

General  Pillow's  total  loss  in  these  conflicts,  was  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  men.  The  division  captured  nearly  eight  hundred  prison- 
ers. Next  day  it  entered  with  the  remainder  of  the  army  into  the 
city  of  Mexico. 

General  Pillow  is  in  size  rather  below  the  medium  height.  He  is 
remarkable  for  vigor  and  activity  of  body,  and  possesses  considerable 
physical  strength.  His  person  is  elegant,  and  he  possesses  an  urbanity 
of  disposition  that  renders  him  a  favorite  in  whatever  sphere  he 
moves.  He  is  said  to  be  a  devoted  Christian,  having  the  bible  for 
his  constant  companion  even  in  the  camp. 


MAJOE,  GENERAL  WILLIAM  0.  BUTLER. 


ENERAL  BUTLER,  one  of  the  heroes  of 
Monterey,  was  born  of  a  family  memorable  for 
its  military  renown.  His  grandfather  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  but  emigrated  to  America 
about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and  set- 
^  tied  in  Pennsylvania,  When  the  war  of  inde- 
pendence broke  out,, the  whole  male  portion  of 
his  descendants,  five  stalwart  sons,  entered  the 
army.  The  patriotism  of  the  sire  and  his  children  became  so  cele- 
brated that  Washington  once  gave  as  a  toasl — "The  Butlers  and 
their  five  sons."  La  Fayette  was  accustomed  to  say  of  them — 
"  When  I  wanted  a  thing  well  done,  I  ordered  a  Butler  to  do  it." 

The  subject  of  this   biography  was  the   second   son   of  Percival 

Butler,  the   fourth  in    order  of   these  five   revolutionary   brothers. 

William  0.  Butler  had  just  finished  his  collegiate  course,  and  was 

preparing  to  study  law,  when  the  war  of  1812  broke  out.    The  sur- 

884 


BUTLER     WOUNDED     AT     MONTEREY.  885 

render  of  Detroit  aroused  the  patriotism  of  every  American,  espe- 
cially of  the  sons  of  Kentucky.  Among-  those  who  enlisted  was 
young  Butler ;  he  entered  as  a  private  in  Captain  Hart's  company 
of  infantry ;  but  before  the  army  marched,  was  elected  a  corporal. 
Soon  after  he  was  made  an  ensign  in  the  17th  infantry.  This  wing 
of  the  army,  under  General  Winchester,  advanced  on  the  river  Rai- 
sin, which  they  reached  after  a  toilsome  march  in  the  dead  of  vnnter. 
No  historian  has  as  yet  done  justice  to  the  privations  endured  by 
these  brave  Kentuckians.  Butler  was  present  at  both  the  actions 
on  the  Raisin,  and  on  each  occasion  displayed  great  intrepidity.  In 
the  first  battle,  which  was  fought  on  the  18th  of  January,  1814,  the 
Americans  were  victorious.  In  the  second  and  more  memorable  one, 
which  occurred  four  days  later,  they  were  defeated.  In  this  latter 
conflict  Butler  received  a  dangerous  wound. 

Butler  was  one  of  the  few  wounded  who  escaped  the  massacre, 
by  which  Proctor  violated  his  word,  and  earned  for  himself  an  im- 
mortality of  shame.  The  young  officer  was  marched  through  Canada 
to  Fort  Niagara,  suffering  with  pain,  hunger,  fatigue  and  the  incle- 
mency of  the  weather.  His  natural  buoyancy  of  spirit  did  not,  how- 
ever, give  way,  even  under  these  discouraging  circumstances  ;  and 
he  whiled  away  his  leisure  by  cultivating  poetry,  for  which  he  had 
some  talent.  In  1814  he  was  exchanged,  and  joined  General  Jack- 
son in  the  south,  with  the  rank  of  captain.  He  arrived  at  head- 
quarters just  in  time  to  join  in  the  attack  on  Pensacola,  being  the 
only  officer,  at  the  head  of  the  new  Tennessee  levies,  who  was  thus 
prompt.  Following  General  Jackson  to  New  Orleans,  he  participated 
in  the  action  of  the  23d  of  December,  1814,  which  was  preliminary 
to  the  great  battle  of  the  8th,  and  exercised  a  powerful  influence  on 
the  fortunes  of  that  day.  During  the  conflict,  the  commander  of  the 
regiment  got  lost  in  the  darkness,  when  Butler,  as  senior  officer, 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  men,  and  led  them  to  repeated 
charges.  He  also  fought  at  the  more  decisive  battle  of  the  8th. 
For  his  meritorious  conduct  in  this  campaign,  he  was  made  a  major 
by  brevet.  Soon  after,  General  Jackson  appointed  him  his  aid-de- 
camp, in  which  situation  he  continued  until  he  retired  from  the  army. 

In  1817,  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  Butler  retired  to  private  life. 
He  now  resumed  the  study  of  the  law,  married,  and  settled  on  his 
patrimonial  possessions  at  the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  and  Kentucky 
rivers.  Here,  for  twenty-five  years,  he  resided  in  comparative  re- 
tirement, a  mode  of  life  admirably  suited  to  his  refined  tastes  and 
his  fondness  for  domestic  life.  Without  a  particle  of  what  is  usually 
called  ambition,  he  had  no  desire  for  popular  office,  except  so  far  as 
he  believed  he  could,  by  holding  public  trusts,  be  conducive  to  the 


886  WILLIAM      O.     BUTLEH. 

common  weal.  At  last,  in  a  political  crisis,  he  was  induced  by  his 
friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  Congress.  Twice  he  was  elected, 
and  would  have  been  a  third  time,  perhaps,  had  he  not  absolutely- 
declined.  In  1844  he  became  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  go- 
vernor of  Kentucky,  when  he  assisted,  by  his  general  popularity, 
considerably  to  diminish  the  usual  majority  of  the  whig  party  :  and 
this,  notwithstanding  his  opponent  was  an  estimable  man.  Butler 
belongs  to  the  democratic  side  in  politics.  He  has  never,  however, 
been  considered  a  violent  partisan. 

When  the  war  with  Mexico  broke  out,  he  was  created  a  major- 
general.  He  marched  with  the  Kentucky  and  other  volunteers  to 
the  aid  of  General  Taylor,  and  was  with  that  hero  at  Monterey.  In 
this  terrible  siege  Butler  was  second  in  command,  and  while  leading 
his  men  with  great  bravery  during  the  street  fight,  he  was  wounded 
and  carried  from  the  field. 

General  Butler  continued  with  the  army  for  several  months  after 
the  storming  of  Monterey,  and  was  in  supreme  command  at  Saltillo 
and  other  places.  At  last  his  wound,  which  had  never  healed, 
becoming  excessively  painful,  and  Santa  Anna's  advance  being,  it 
was  believed,  no  longer  to  be  dreaded,  he  solicited  and  obtained  leave 
of  absence,  and  returned  to  the  United  States,  where  he  has  since 
remained. 

"In  person,"  says  Kendall,  "  General  Butler  is  tall,  straight,  and 
handsomely  formed;  exceedingly  active  and  alert — his  mien  is  in- 
viting^his  manners  graceful — his  gait  and  air  military — his  counte- 
nance frank  and  pleasing — the  outline  of  his  features  of  the  aquiline 
cast,  thin  and  pointed  in  expression — the  general  contour  of  his  head 
is  Roman. 

"  The  character  of  General  Butler  in  private  life  is  in  fine  keeping 
with  that  exhibited  in  his  public  career.  In  the  domestic  circle, 
care,  kindness,  assiduous  activity  in  anticipating  the  wants  of  all 
around  him — readiness  to  forego  his  own  gratifications  to  gratify 
others,  have  become  habits  growing  out  of  his  affections.  His  love 
makes  perpetual  sunshine  at  his  home. 

"  Among  his  neighbors,  liberality,  affability,  and  active  sympathy 
mark  his  social  intercourse,  and  unbending  integrity  and  justice  all 
his  dealings.  It  is  too  much  the  habit  in  Kentucky,  v^'ith  stern 
and  fierce  men,  to  carry  their  personal  and  political  ends  with  a  high 
hand.  General  Butler,  with  all  the  masculine  strength,  courage, 
and  reputation  to  give  success  to  attempts  of  this  sort,  never  evinced 
the  slightest  disposition  to  indulge  the  power,  whilst  his  well-known 
firmness  always  forbade  such  attempts  on  him.  His  life  has  been 
one  of  peace  with  all  men,  except  the  enemies  of  his  country." 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  A.  QUITMAN. 

5^ENERAL  QUITMAN  joined  the  army  of  occupa- 

|Q  tion  during  its  march  from  Matamorasto  Monterey. 
if  He  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  second 
:  brigade,  volunteers,  and  on  the  21st,  distinguished 
^  himself  by  storming  a  battery  and  strong  stone 
house  belonging  to  the  enemy.  Early  next  morning,  he  was 
ordered  to  relieve  Colonel  Garland's  command,  which  had 
occupied  the  captured  posts  since  nine  o'clock  of  the  pre- 
vious morning.  The  march  hither  exposed  his  brigade  to  a 
severe  fire  of  artillery  from  the  works  stillin  the  enemy's  pos- 
session, crossed  by  a  fire  from  the  citadel.  When  he  reached  the 
stations  to  be  occupied,  a  heavy  cannonade  was  opened  upon  him 
from  surrounding  fortresses,  and  continued  with  little  intermission 
all  day.     During  this  time,  the  general  was  planning  an  attack  upon 

the  surrounding  works  ;  but  in  the  evening  the  appearance  of  some 

887 


888  JOHN     A,     QUITMAN. 

fifteen  hundred  Mexican  infantry  apparently  ready  for  assault,  caused 
him  to  abandon  the  idea  of  defensive  operations.  He  accordingly 
remained  in  his  position  all  night,  the  troops  being  obliged  to  sleep 
upon  their  arms.  Next  morning  it  was  discovered  that  the  enemy 
had  abandoned  the  works  in  his  vicinity,  and  retired  toward  the 
heart  of  the  city.  The  general  then  ordered  Colonel  Davis  to  take 
possession  of  the  abandoned  works,  which  was  immediately  done. 

General  Quitman  now  carefully  reconnoitered  the  interior  works, 
reporting  his  observations  to  the  commander-in-chief,  from  whom  he 
received  permission  to  advance  toward  them,  and  if  practicable  to 
occupy  them.  "  Wishing  to  proceed  with  caution,"  says  the  general, 
"under  the  qualified  permission  of  the  commanding  general,  I  sent 
out  a  party  of  riflemen  under  Lieutenant  Graves,  to  reconnoiter,  sup- 
porting them  at  some  distance  by  a  company  of  Tennessee  infantry 
under  Captain  McMurray.  Some  active  movements  of  the  enemy 
in  the  vicinity,  induced  me  to  halt  this  party,  and  to  order  out  Colo- 
nel Davis  with  two  companies  of  his  command  and  two  companies 
of  Tennessee  troops  to  advance  on  these  works.  A^  the  troops 
advanced,  armed  men  were  seen  flying  at  their  approach.  Upon 
reaching  the  redoubt  which  had  attracted  our  attention,  we  perceived 
that  it  was  open,  and  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  from  the  stone 
buildings  and  walls  in  the  rear.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  select 
another  position  less  exposed.  Posting  the  two  companies  of  infantry 
in  a  position  to  defend  the  lodgment  we  had  effected,  I  directed 
Colonel  Davis  to  post  his  command  as  he  might  deem  most  advan- 
tageous for  defence  or  active  operations,  intending  here  to  await 
further  orders  or  reinforcements.  In  reconnoitering  the  place,  several 
shots  were  fired  at  Colonel  Davis  by  the  enemy,  and  several  files  of 
the  riflemen  who  had  advanced  to  the  slope  of  a  breastwork  which 
had  been  thrown  across  the  street  forthe  defence  of  thecity,  returned 
the  fire.  A  volley  froto  the  enemy  succeeded.  Our  party  having 
been  reinforced  by  additions  from  the  riflemen  and  infantry,  a  brisk 
firing  was  soon  opened  on  both  sides,  the  enemy  from  the  house-tops 
and  parapets  attempting  to  drive  us  from  the  lodgment  we  had 
efl^ected.  A  considerable  body  of  the  enemy  securely  posted  on  the 
top  of  a  large  building  on  our  left,  which  partially  overlooked  the 
breastwork,  continued  to  pour  in  their  fire,  and  killed  private  Tyree, 
whose  gallant  conduct  at  the  breastwork,  had.  attracted  the  attention 
of  both  his  colonel  and  myself.  From  this  commencement,  in  a  short 
time  the  action  became  general.  The  enemy  appearing  to  be  in  great 
force,  and  firing  upon  our  troops  from  every  position  of  apparent 
security,  I  dispatched  my  aid,  Lieutenant  Nichols,  with  orders  to 
advance  the  whole  of  my  brigade,  which  could  be  spared  from  the 


±j 


SIEGE     OF     MONTEREY. 


889 


Charge  of  Mexican  Cavalry  at  JVLontere3'. 

redoubts  occupied  by  us.  A  portion  of  the  Mississippi  regiment 
under  Major  Bradford,  advanced  to  the  support  of  the  troops  engaged, 
but  Lieutenant-Colonel  Anderson  with  a  part  of  the  Tennessee  regi- 
ment, was  required  to  remain  for  the  protection  of  the  redoubts  in 
our  possession.  With  this  additional  force  more  active  operations 
upon  the  city  were  begun.  Detachments  of  our  troops  advanced, 
penetrating  into  buildings  and  occupying  the  flat  roofs  of  houses, 
and  by  gradual  approaches  driving  the  enemy  back.  They  had  been 
engaged  more  than  an  hour,  when  they  were  reinforced  by  a  detach- 
ment of  dismounted  Texas  rangers,  commanded  by  General  Hender- 
son, w'ith  whose  active  and  effectual  co-operations  the  attack  upon 
the  city  w^as  gradually  but  successfully  prosecuted.  Buildings, 
streets  and  courts,  were  occupied  by  our  troops  without  much  loss, 
until  after  being  engaged  for  about  five  hours,  having  advanced 
within  less  than  two  squares  of  the  great  plaza.  Apprehensive  that 
we  might  fall  under  the  range  of  our  own  artillery,  which  had  been 
brought  up  to  our  support,  and  our  ammunition  being  nearly  exhausted, 
active  operations  were  ordered  to  cease  until  the  effect  of  the  bat- 
teries w'hich  had  been  brought  forward  into  one  cf  the  principal 
streets  could  be  seen." 

General  Quitman  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz,  but  was 
not  able  to  reach  the  army  at  Sierra  Gordo  in  time  to  share  in  that 
battle.  ^During  the  actions  of  the  19th  and  20th  of  August,  he  was 
ordered  by  General  Scott  to  occupy  a  position  in  reserve,  which  de 


L 


890  JOHN     A.     QUITMAN. 

barred  him  from  a  participation  in  those  glorious  achievements. 
Part  of  his  division,  however,  (Shields's  brigade)  was  actively 
engaged. 

In  the  attack  upon  Chapultepec,  Quitman  with  his  whole  division 
was  engaged.  On  the  day  previous,  (September  12th,)  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  preparations  for  attack ;  and  at  night  he  advanced 
strong  parties  to  prevent  the  Mexicans  reinforcing  the  garrison. 
Several  skirmishes  took  place,  and  the  artillery  was  employed  to 
rake  the  roads  to  the  fortress.  At  dawn  he  opened  all  his  batteries 
upon  the  castle,  and  was  answered  with  great  spirit  by  the  garrison. 
Meanwhile  active  preparations  were  in  progress  for  assaulting  the 
works.  Ladders,  pickaxes  and  crows  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  a 
pioneer  party,  of  select  men  from  the  volunteer  division,  who  were 
to  accompany  the  storming  party  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men, 
under  Major  Twiggs.  General  Smith  was  ordered  to  move  in  reserve 
on  the  right  fla:nk  of  the  assaulting  column,  protect  it  from  skir- 
mishers, and  if  possible  cross,  during  the  assault,  the  aqueduct  lead- 
ing to  the  city,  turn  the  enemy  and  cut  off  their  retreat.  These 
dispositions  being  effected,  the  whole  command  advanced  to  the 
attack  at  a-  preconcerted  signal,  with  confidence  and  enthusiasm. 
At  the  base  of  the  hill  constituting  part  of  Chapultepec,  and  directly 
across  the  line  of  the  troops'  advance,  were  heavy  batteries  flanked 
on  the  right  by  strong  buildings,  and  on  the  left  by  a  heavy  stone 
wall,  about  fifteen  feet  high,  which  extended  around  the  base  of  the 
hill  toward  the  west. 

The  troops  advanced  over  a  low  meadow,  intersected  by  wet 
ditches,  and  covered  with  grass.  A  severe  fire  was  poured  upon  them 
from  the  fortress,  the  batteries,  and  breastworks.  General  Shields 
was  then  directed  to  make  an  oblique  movement,  so  as  to  bring  his 
command  to  the  v/all,  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  In  doing  so,  he  re- 
ceived a  severe  wound  in  the  arm,  but  no  persuasion  could  induce 
him  to  retire  from  the  field.  At  the  same  time.  General  Smith 
drove  back  the  skirmishing  parties  of  the  enemy,  and  placed  his 
batteries  behind  General  Quitman,  so  as  to  throw  shot  and  shells 
into  the  fortress. 

Quitman  now  gave  the  signal  for  his  storming  parties  to  advance. 
They  rushed  forward  with  energy.  The  Mexicans  fought  with  more 
than  usual  firmness,  and  for  a  short  time  the  contest  was  hand  to 
hand — bayonets  crossing  and  rifles  clubbed.  But  the  charge  was 
irresistible.  All  the  batteries  were  carried,  the  works  occupied,  and 
the  ascent  to  Chapultepec  was  laid  open  on  that  side.  Five  hundred 
and  fifty  prisoners,  including  one  hundred  officers,  seven  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  one  thousand  muskets,  were  caj^tured.     At  the  same 


CAPTURE     OF     MEXICO.  891 

time  another  portion  of  the  division  entered  the  main  fortress,  simul- 
taneously with  Pillow's  troops. 

Without  pausing  for  rest,  the  division  commenced  its  march  for 
the  city,  taking  the  Belen  road.  One  fortification  after  another  was 
stormed  under  most  galling  fires,  until  the  general  had  reached  the 
garita,  or  principal  gateway,  into  the  city.  Here  the  resistance  was 
vigorous,  being  conducted  by  Santa  Anna  in  person.  It  was  finally 
carried,  and  the  riflemen  rushed  forward  to  occupy  the  arches  of  the 
aqueduct,  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  citadel.  Here  the  ammu- 
nition of  the  heavy  guns  became  exhausted,  and  about  the  same  time 
the  lamented  Captain  Drum  received  a  mortal  wound.  Lieutenant 
Benjamin  shared  the  same  fate.  General  Quitman  thus  describes 
the  operations  at  that  point  :- 

"  The  enemy,  now  perceiving  that  our  heavy  ammunition  had  been 
expended,  redoubled  their  exertions  to  drive  us  out  of  the  lodgment 
we  had  effected.  A  terrific  fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms  was 
opened  from  the  citadel,  three  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  batte- 
ries on  the  Pasco,  and  the  buildings  on  our  right  in  front.  Amid  this 
iron  shower,  which  swept  the  road  on  both  sides  of  the  aqueduct,  it 
was  impossible  to  bring  forward  ammunition  for  our  large  guns. 
While  waiting  the  darkness  to  bring  up  our  great  guns  and  place 
them  in  battery,  the  enemy,  under  cover  of  their  guns,  attempted 
several  sallies  from  the  citadel  and  buildings  on  the  right,  but  were 
readily  repulsed  by  the  skirmishing  parties  of  rifles  and  infantry. 
To  prevent  our  flank  from  being  enfiladed  by  musketry  from  the 
Pasco,  Captains  Naylor  and  Loeser,  2d  Pennsylvania  regiment,  were 
ordered  with  their  companies  to  alow  sand-bag  defence,  about  a  hun- 
dred yards  in  that  direction.  They  gallantly  took  this  position,  and 
held  it  in  the  face  of  a  severe  fire  until  the  object  was  attained." 

The  division  remained  in  this  situation  until  dawn  of  the  follow- 
ing morning,  when  a  white  flag  was  sent  from  the  city  to  head- 
quarters. General  Quitman  was  soon  after  ordered  to  press  forward 
and  take  possession  of  the  national  capitol ;  and  he  had  the  honor 
of  planting  on  that  noble  edifice  the  only  foreign  flag  that  ever  waved 
there  since  the  conquest  of  Cortez.  He  was  appointed  military 
governor  of  the  city,  a  station  which  he  filled  until  December,  1847, 
when  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  has  since  visited  all  our 
principal  cities. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  JAMES  SHIELDS. 


ENERAL  SHIELDS  is  a  native 
of  Ireland.     At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Mexican  war  he  held 
a  civil  appointment  at  the  seat 
of    government.      He    vi^as    ap- 
pointed   brigadier-general    of    the    regular 
army,  July  1st,  1846.     He  joined  the  divi- 
sion of  the  centre,   and  proceeded  with  it 
to   Agua   Nueva,  but  was  afterwards  sent 
to   Vera   Cruz.     During  the   siege    of  that 
place,  he  performed   a  distinguished  part. 
At  Sierra  Gordo  he  conducted  his  volunteers  against  one  of  the  ene- 
my's main  works,  and  received  a  shot  through  the  lungs  which  im- 
mediately paralyzed  him.     Contrary  to  expectation  he  recovered. 
During  the  first  attack  on  Contreras  (August  19th  1847,)  General 
692 


SHIELDS     AT     CHURUBUSCO.  893 

Shields  was  stationed  at  the  hacienda  of  San  Augustine,  but  late  in  \he 
afternoon  he  was  ordered  forward  to  assist  Colonel  Morgan  of  Pil- 
low's division,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  general-in-chief  to  occupy 
the  Mexicans'  position.  Night,  and  the  commencement  of  heavy 
rains,  arrested  the  operations,  and  the  troops  remained  under  arms 
until  morning. 

At  daylight  on  the  following  morning,  Shields  pushed  forward  to 
the  attack.  On  arriving  near  Contreras,  he  found  that  General 
Smith  had  already  planned  an  attack  upon  it,  and  was  moving  with 
his  troops  to  the  assault.  With  commendable  delicacy.  General 
Shields  refrained  from  assuming  command,  although  he  was  the 
superior  officer.  Marching  to  the  neighboring  hamlet,  he  reserved 
to  himself  the  double  task  of  holding  it  with  the  New  York  and 
South  Carolina  volunteers,  against  ten  times  his  numbers,  hovering 
between  him  and  the  city,  and,  in  case  the  camp  in  his  rear  should 
be  carried,  of  facing  about,  and  cutting  off  the  enemy's  retreat.  In 
both  these  objects  he  was  singularly  successful.  When  Contreras 
was  carried  he  left  his  fires  burning  at  the  hamlet  to  induce  the 
belief  of  his  still  being  there,  and  moved  rapidly  to  a  concealed 
position,  from  whence  he  was  enabled  to  open  a  fire  upon  the  flying 
masses,  as  destructive  as  it  was  unexpected. 

The  valuable  service  performed  by  Shields  at  Churubusco,  is  thus 
described  by  General  Scott.  "  In  a  winding  march  of  a  mile  around 
to  the  right  this  temporary  division  [two  brigades  and  a  rifle  com- 
pany,] found  itself  on  the  edge  of  an  open  wet  meadow,  near  the 
road  from  San  Antonio  to  the  capital,  and  in  the  presence  of  some 
four  thousand  of  the  enemy's  infantry,  a  little  in  rear  of  Churubusco 
on  that  road.  Establishing  the  right  at  a  strong  building,  Shields 
extended  his  left  parallel  to  the  road,  to  outflank  the  enemy  towards 
the  capital.  But  the  enemy  extending  his  right  supported  by  three 
thousand  cavalry,  more  rapidly  (being  favored  by  better  ground)  in 
the  same  direction,  Shields  concentrated  the  division  about  a  hamlet, 
and  determined  to  attack  in  front.  The  battle  was  long,  hot,  and 
varied ;  but  ultimately,  success  crowned  the  zeal  and  gallantry  of 
our  troops,  ably  directed  by  their  distinguished  commander  Brigadier- 
General  Shields."       ********* 

Shields  took  three  hundred  and  eighty  prisoners,  including  officers  ; 
and  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  rage  of  the  conflict  between  him 
and  the  enemy,  just  in  the  rear  of  the  tete  de  pont  and  the  convent, 
had  some  influence  on  the  surrender  of  those  formidable  defences. 

"As  soon  as  the  tete  de  pont  was  carried  the  greater  part  of 
Worth's  and  Pillow's  forces,  passed  that  bridge  in  rapid  pursuit  of 
the  flying  enemy.     These  distinguished  generals  coming  up  with 


894 


JAMES     SHIELDS. 


Brigadier-General  Shields,  now  also  victorious,  the  three  continued 
»o  press  upon  the  fugitives  to  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  capital. 
Here  Colonel  Harney  with  a  small  part  of  his  brigade  of  cavalry 
rapidly  passed  to  the  front  and  charged  the  enemy  up  to  the  nearest 
gate." 

Shields  acted  a  glorious  part  in  the  attack  upon  Chapultepec.  On 
the  afternoon  of  September  1 1th,  he  vi^as  ordered  by  General  Quit- 
man, to  the  village  of  Piedad,  and  at  night  to  Tacubaya.  Active 
preparations  for  storming  the  castle  were  continued  on  the  12th. 
Next  day,  after  a  toilsome  march,  the  storming  parties  commenced 
their  operations  upon  the  w^orks  ;  and  vi'hile  they  halted  for  a  short 
time  under  cover  of  some  ruined  buildings,  Shields  was  directed  to 
move  his  command  obliquely  to  the  left,  across  the  low  ground  to  the 
wall  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  In  doing  so  he  was  severely  wounded, 
but  refused  to  leave  the  field,  and  continued  pursuing  the  enemy  until 
the  army  had  arrived  before  the  city. 

Since  the  capture  of  Mexico,  General  Shields  has  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  visited  most  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  Union. 
His  reception  everywhere,  was  such  as  his  distinguished  services 
deserve. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  ROBERT  PATTERSON. 


ENERAL  PATTERSON  is  a  native  of  Strabane, 
county  Tyrone,  Ireland.  He  was  born  the  12th  of 
!^  January,  1792.  His  father  emigrated  to  America  on 
the  failure  of  the  Irish  rebellion,  in  which  he  was  an 
actor,  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  He  seems  to  have 
intended  his  son  for  the  mercantile  profession,  and  in 
1806  obtained  for  him  a  situation  in  the  establishment 
of  Edward  Thompson,  who  was  then  extensively  engaged  in  com- 
merce. Here  he  remained  until  1811,  when  his  father  emigrated  to 
Tennessee.  For  some  reasons  now  unknown,  he  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania about  the  time- of  the  declaration  of  war  with  Great  Britain, 
and  through  the  intercession  of  his  friends  obtained  a  commission 
as  lieutenant.  On  April  19th,  1814,  he  was  raised  to  captain,  and 
served  as  such  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

During  the  long  peace  that  ensued,  General  Patterson  employed 

himself  in  mercantile  pursuits,  by  which  he  amassed  a  considerable 

895 


896 


ROBERT     PATTERSON. 


fortune.  When  Harrisburg  became  the  theatre  of  the  lawless  pro- 
ceedings known  as  the  "  Buckshot  war,"  he  was  employed  by  the 
state  authorities  to  restore  peace.  He  was  also  serviceable  in  the 
riots  of  1844,  at  Philadelphia,  at  which  time  it  was  found  necessary 
to  order  a  large  force  to  that  city  from  diiferent  parts  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1846,  immediately  after  receiving  intelligence 
of  the  taking  of  Matamoras,  the  President  of  the  United  States 
appointed  Patterson  major-general  in  the  regular  army,  in  which 
capacity  he  proceeded  to  the  Rio  Grande.  When  the  army  of  occu- 
pation marched,  under  General  Taylor,  toward  Monterey,  Patterson 
was  left  at  Matamoras  as  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces  in  that 
district.  During  the  movements  against  Santa  Anna,  subsequent  to 
the  capitulation  of  Monterey,  he  was  unable  to  perform  active  ser- 
vice in  consequence  of  indisposition.  In  January,  1847,  he  joined 
Scott's  army  before  Vera  Cruz,  and  was  present  during  the  siege  of 
that  city.  Sickness  obliged  him  to  remain  near  the  coast,  after  the 
army  marched  for  the  capital ;  but  he  arrived  near  Sierra  Gordo  one 
day  before  the  battle  of  April  18th.  He  was  not  in  the  battle,  but 
arrived  on  the  ground  during  the  enemy's  retreat,  and  assuming  the 
command  of  Twiggs's  brigade,  joined  in  the  pursuit.  He  was  soon 
after  permitted  to  return  to  Philadelphia  with  the  volunteers,  whose 
time  of  service  had  expired.  After  arriving  at  that  city,  he  was 
tendered  a  public  dinner  by  a  number  of  citizens,  as  a  testimonial 
of  their  esteem. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1847,  General  Patterson  was 
again  ordered  to  the  seat  of  war.  He  arrived  safely  at  Vera  Cruz, 
assumed  command  of  the  neighboring  region,  and  commenced  vigor- 
ous measures  for  the  suppression  of  the  numerous  guerilla  bands 
who  infested  it.  Several  famous  chiefs  were  captured  and  hung. 
In  this  employment  he  remained  until  after  the  taking  of  the  Mexi- 
can capital,  when  he  set  out  to  join  the  army  of  General  Scott.  He 
reached  the  city  of  Mexico  in  the  latter  part  of  November. 


BEIG.  GEN.  GEORGE  CADWi^ADER. 


\ZJ 


\^ 


ENERAL  GEORGE  CADWALADER  was  Dorn 
^v>**  in  Philadelphia,  and  is  grandson  of  General  John 
Cadwalader,  who  conducted  one  of  the  divisions 
of  Washington's  army,  in  the  expedition  against 
Trenton,  (December  26th,  1776,)  and  was  subse- 
quently famous  as  a  soldier  and  statesman.  The 
illustrious  deeds  of  his  ancestor,  united  with  his 
own  personal  worth,  has  given  the  present  general  a  hold  on  the 
confidence  and  affection  of  his  fellow  citizens,  inferior  to  that  of  no 
military  man  in  Pennsylvania.  During  the  riots  in  Kensington,  in 
1844,  he  was  sent  hj  General  Patterson,  through  permission  of  the 
authorities,  to  restore  peace  ;  and  performed  his  delicate  task  in  a 
manner  creditable  to  himself  and  satisfactory  to  all.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  suppressing  the  far  more  dangerous  disturbances  of  the 
following  July,  at  Southwark.  He  was  appointed  brigadier-general 
in  the  regular  army,  March  3d,  1847. 

57  897 


898 


GEORGE      CAD  W  A  LADE  R. 


In  the  following  July,  General  Cadwalader  encountered  a  body  of 
Mexicans  at  the  national  bridge,  and  defeated  them.  Previous  to 
this,  Captain  Bainbridge  with  a  small  reconnoitering  party  had  been 
roughly  handled  by  a  large  Mexican  force,  and  Colonel  Mcintosh 
on  his  way  to  the  main  army  with  his  command  and  an  escorting 
train,  compelled  to  halt  and  await  reinforcements.  General  Cad- 
walader's  movements  at  this  time,  and  his  subsequent  victory  are 
thus  detailed  in  a  letter  from  the  seat  of  war  : — 

"  On  the  day  Captain  Bainbridge's  party  left  Mcintosh's  camp, 
General  Cadwalader  had  arrived  with  a  force  of  eight  hundred  men 
and  two  howitzers,  and  pushed  on  towards  the  national  bridge.  On 
approaching  the  bridge.  General  Cadwalader  occupied  the  heights 
commanding  the  bridge,  from  which  the  enemy  had  fired  on  Cap- 
tain Bainbridge's  party,  where  he  was  attacked  by  a  large  force  of 
the  Mexicans,  posted  on  the  ridges  and  in  the  chapparal,  and  some 
hard  fighting  was  carried  on  for  several  hours,  the  Mexicans  losing 
over  one  hundred  men,  and  General  Cadwalader  losing  some  fifteen 
killed,  and  some  thirty  or  forty  wounded.  The  Mexicans  were 
repulsed.  The  bridge  was  successfully  passed  by  General  Cadwala- 
der, who  was  on  his  way  to  Jalapa." 

In  this  action,  the  newly  raised  volunteers  under  Lieutenant 
Biakely,  charged  the  enemy's  defences  on  each  side  and  completely 
swept  them.  In  passing  through,  he  received  a  heavy  fire  from  a 
party  on  the  ridge,  by  which  one  man  was  killed  and  four  were 
wounded,  among  the  latter  Biakely  himself  in  the  leg.  Shortly 
afterward  the  whole  command  was  attacked  by  a  large  party  of 
guerillas,  who  kept  up  a  considerable  fire  for  a  long  time.  The 
Mexicans  lost  about  e  hundred  in  this  affair,  the  Americans  about 
half  that  number,  including  fifteen  who  were  killed. 

The  battles  before  the  city  of  Mexico  afforded  a  new  field  of  dis- 
tinction for  General  Cadwalader,  where  he  gained  for  himself  a 
reputation  worthy  of  his  illustrious  lineage.  When  Contreras  was 
assaulted,  (August  19th,)  by  Smith's  brigade,  a  body  of  several  thou- 
sand cavalry  were  observed  approaching  for  the  purpose  of  relieving 
the  garrison.  Cadwalader  was  sent  with  his  small  command  to  keep 
these  in  check,  and  so  effectually  did  he  perform  this  duty  that  no 
decisive  effort  was  made  to  throw  reinforcements  into  the  fortress. 
When  the  fort  was  taken,  next  day,  he  joined  in  the  pursuit  of  the 
flying  foe,  and  was  instrumental  in  their  entire  discomfiture. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  he  formed  a  reserve  to  assist  General 
Worth  in  the  storming  of  Molino  del  Rey.  Contrary  to  expectation, 
Worth  found  the  enemy  so  strongly  posted,  that  his  troops  were 
obliged  to  give   ground  until  Cadwalader  arrived  to  his  assistance. 


CADWALADER     BEFORE     MEXICO 


899 


Cadwalader  checking  the  Mexican  Cavaliy. 

That  part  of  the  action  following  the  temporary  repulse  of  the 
Americans,  is  thus  described  by  a  soldier  who  participated  in  it  : — 

"  General  Cadwalader,  seeing  the  situation  of  affairs,  moved  his 
brigade  forward  to  retrieve  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  The  volligeurs, 
the  advance  regiment,  was  sent  off  to  the  left,  to  protect  Duncan's 
light  battery,  which  was  playing  on  the  mill,  and  to  keep  in  check  a 
large  force  of  the  enemy,  who  then  occupied  a  height  near  the  scene 
of  action.  The  duty  was  performed  and  the  enemy  driven  back 
several  times.  *  *  *  The  11th  had  to  charge  over  the  same  ground 
where  fell  so  many  of  our  gallant  troops,  and  every  one  looked  for 
its  annihilation.  Their  gallant  leader,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham, 
sat  on  his  horse  in  the  coolest  manner,  and  gave  his  commands,  as 
collectedly  as  when  on  a  parade.  *  *  *  Now  the  enemy  is  vomiting 
his  grape  and  canister  upon  them,  and  they  leave  a  train  of  dead 
and  dying.  But  their  gallant  commander  waves  his  sword  and  they 
rush  forward  in  full  run.  *  *  *  The  Mexicans  are  giving  way  before 
our  gallant  little  band,  who  are  now  dealing  vengeance  and  death  on 
the  murderers  of  their  slaughtered  countrymen." 

In  the  attack  upon  Chapultepec,  and  the  capture  of  Mexico,  Gen- 
eral Cadwalader  again  distinguished  himself,  and  won  for  his  native 
state  a  reputation  second  to  none.  He  entered  with  the  army  into 
the  capital,  and  has  remained  there  until  the  present  time. 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  STEPHEN  WATTS  KEARNY. 


ENERAL     KEARNY,    is    a 

native  of  New  Jersey,  and  a 
jTgsio  graduate  of  Princeton  College. 
W  On  the  12th  of  March,  1812, 
he  was  appointed  first  lieu- 
tenant of  the  13th  infantry.  He  fought 
under  Captain  Wool  at  Queenstown,  and 
was  taken  prisoner  with  the  detachment 
of  Colonel  Scott.  After  being  exchanged 
he  served  with  credit  until  the  return  of 
peace.  After  the  war  he  was  employed 
by  government  in  the  west,  where,  for 
many  years,  he  endured  all  the  labors  of  a  border  life,  but  gained 
invaluable  information  concerning  the  geography,  topography,  &c., 
of  the  distant  regions  he  visited. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1846,  Kearny  was  appointed  brigadier- 
900 


CONQUEST     OF      CALIFORNIA.  901 

general  in  the  regular  army,  and  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the 
forces  destined  to  act  against  California  and  New  Mexico.  One 
month  after  (June  30th),  he  marched  from  Fort  Leavenworth  the 
rendezvous,  toward  Santa  Fe.  His  force  numbered  sixteen  hundred 
volunteers  and  regulars.  After  a  march  of  eight  hundred  and  seventy 
miles,  often  over  burning  deserts,  destitute  of  water  and  vegetation, 
he  took  possession  of  the  city  about  the  middle  of  August.  The 
oath  of  submission  to  the  United  States  w  as  administered  to  the 
civil  and  military  authoritres,  and  a  proclamation  issued  by  the  general 
claiming  all  New  Mexico  for  his  government,  and  calling  on  the 
inhabitants  to  remain  peaceable.  After  permitting  some  of  the 
Mexican  rulers  to  continue  in  office,  and  appointing  Americans  in 
place  of  others,  Kearny  marched  for  California.  On  the  road  he 
learnt  that  that  country  had  already  been  conquered  by  Colonel 
Fremont,  and  sent  back  therefore  the  greater  part  of  his  forces  to 
Santa  Fe. 

The  general  had  not  proceeded  far  before  he  found  that  his  fond 
hopes  of  a  quiet  submission  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  were  not 
to  be  realized.  The  Santa  Feans  became  restless,  and  guerilla 
parties  distributed  throughout  the  territory,  kept  up  a  spirit  of  oppo- 
sition. On  the  6th  of  December,  he  encountered  one  hundred  and 
sixty  of  the  enemy  near  the  San  Pascual.  They  w^ere  commanded 
by  Andreas  Pico.  Captain  Johnson  charged  them  furiously  with  the 
advance,  and  was  followed  by  dragoons.  After  a  slight  resistance, 
the  enemy  gave  way.  Their  loss  was  considerable.  Kearny  had 
nineteen  men  killed,  including  Captains  Johnson  and  Moore,  and 
Lieutenant  Hammond,  and  fifteen  wounded.  The  general  was 
wounded  in  two  places. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1847,  General  Kearny  arrived  at  Ciudad 
de  los  Angelos,  near  which  were  the  head-quarters  of  Commodore 
Stockton,  who  had  lately  assumed  command  of  the  American  forces 
in  California.  Here  a  battle  was  fought  with  a  considerable  Mexi- 
can force,  in  which  the  latter  was  defeated.  The  loss  on  each  side 
was  trifling. 

Commodore  Stockton  now  assumed  command  of  the  whole  terri- 
tory, both  as  civil  and  military  governor.  To  this  General  Kearny 
objected,  claiming  for  himself  supreme  authority,  inasmuch  as  he 
held  his  commission  directly  from  the  president.  Colonel  Fremo.nt 
became  involved  in  the  difficulty,  in  consequence  of  agreeing  with 
Stockton.  The  latter  left  the  territory  soon  after,  and  General 
Kearny  arrested  Fremont  for  disobedience  of  orders.  The  general 
then  returned  to  the  United  States,  where  he  is  at  present. 


LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  JOHN  C.  FKEMONT. 


iOLONEL  FREMONT  was  born  in  South  Caro- 
lina, and  received  his  appointment  as  second 
lieutenant  of  the  topographical  engineers,  July 
7th,  1838.  For  several  years  before  the  war 
between  our  country  and  Mexico,  he  was  engaged, 
under  the  distinguished  Nicollet,  at  different  times, 
in  exploring  our  western  regions,  studying  the  productions  of  those 
distant  parts,  and  the  habits  of  the  Indians,  and  conducting  scientific 
expeditions  into  New  Mexico.  On  the  death  of  Nicollet  he  continued 
the  exploration  as  commander  of  different  expeditions. 

In  May,  1845,  orders  were  given  to  Colonel  Fremont  to  organize 
a  force  of  sixty-two  men,  and,  crossing  the  Rocky  Mountains  into 
Oregon,  to  find,  if  possible,  a  shorter  route  from  the  base  of  the 
great  mountain  ridge  to  the  mouth  of  the   Columbia  river.     Other 

objects  of  less  importance  were  designed  by  the  expedition.    On  the 
902 


HIS     MOVEMENTS     IN     CALIFORNIA.  903 

route  Colonel  Fremont  found  it  necessary  to  pass  through  the  terri- 
tory of  California,  including  a  part  of  the  populated  region.  In  the 
winter  of  1845,  he  approached  the  town  of  Monterey,  the  capital 
of  Alta  California,  and  halting  his  comnaand  within  one  hundred 
miles,  he  went  to  the  town  alone,  in  order  to  explain  to  the  magis- 
trates the  objects  of  the  expedition,  and  obtain  authority  for  wintering 
in  the  vicinity.  The  Mexican  governor  acknowledged  himself  satis- 
fied, and  granted  the  valley  near  the  San  Joaquin  for  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  Americans. 

When  the  expedition  reached  the  valley,  they  were  surprised  by 
the  intelligence  that  General  Castro,  with  a  large  Mexican  force  of 
horse,  foot  and  artillery,  were  marching  against  him..  Reports  were 
also  circulated  among  the  inhabitants  that  the  real  object  of  the 
Americans  was  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  country,  in  order  to 
render  the  knowledge  so  acquired  serviceable,  if  war  should  occur. 
Determined  to  maintain  his  position,  Colonel  Fremont  withdrew  his 
men  to  a  hill,  raised  the  national  flag,  and  commenced  fortifying  his 
camp.  After  remaining  three  days  he  broke  up  his  camp,  and  pro- 
ceeded toward  Oregon.  About  the  middle  of  May  he  had  reached 
the  Haraath  lake,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  were  hundreds  of  hostile 
Indians,  who,  excited  by  the  Mexicans,  were  eager  for  his  destruc- 
tion. Before  he  had  decided  upon  his  future  course,  Castro  again 
approached  him  with  four  hundred  men  and  some  artillery.  He  now 
determined  to  act  on  the  defensive,  and  after  defeating  Castro,  to 
conquer  the  whole  province  in  the  name  of  the  United  States.  This 
bold  resolution  was  taken  at  a  time  when  no  prospect  of  succor 
appeared,  and  before  news  of  Taylor's  victories  in  May,  or  of  the 
declaration  of  war  had  penetrated  those  distant  regions. 

On  the  1 1th  of  June,  two  hundred  horses,  destined  for  Castro's 
camp,  were  taken  by  twelve  of  Fremont's  men.  Four  days  after, 
an  attack  was  made  on  a  small  fortification  called  Sonoma.  It  was 
surprised,  the  garrison  captured,  together  with  nine  brass  cannon, 
and  more  than  two  hundred  muskets.  After  leaving  this  place,  its 
small  garrison  was  threatened  by  Castro's  forces.  On  receiving  intel- 
ligence of  this  movement,  Fremont  immediately  returned,  and  sent 
out  scouting  parties.  One  of  these,  numbering  twenty  men,  attacked 
more  than  three  times  their  number  of  Mexican  cavalry,  under  De 
la  Torre,  and  defeated  them.  Fremont  then  declared  the  province 
independent  of  Mexican  control,  and  having  augmented  his  force  to 
one  hundred  and  sixty  men,  by  volunteers  from  the  settlers,  he  began 
a  rapid  pursuit  of  Castro.  On  arriving  at  Ciudad  de  los  Angelos, 
he  was  joined  by  the  American  force  under  Commodore  Stockton, 
and  apprised  of  the  existence  of  the  war.     The  city  was  then  occu- 


904 


JOHN     C.     FREMONT. 


pied  as  an  American  station,  a  territorial  government  established, 
and  Fremont  appointed  governor. 

In  the  dispute  between  Kearny  and  Stockton.  Colonel  Fremont 
took  part  with  the  latter,  and  was  consequently  arrested  by  the 
general,  and  sent  to  the  United  States.  He  arrived  at  Washington 
about  the  middle  of  September,  1847,  and  reported  himself  to  the 
adjutant  general  under  arrest.  A  court  martial  was  organized,  and 
after  a  laborious  investigation  of  more  than  two  months'  duration, 
rendered  a  decision  which  tended  rather  to  enhance  the  character  of 
Colonel  Fremont  in  the  public  esteem. 


Mexican  Gentlemen. 


COLONEL  JOHN  COFFEE  HAYS. 


HIS  brave  officer  was  born  in 
Wilson  county,    Tennessee, 
about  the  year  1818.  His  life 
has  been  a  series  of  daring 
adventures.     He    performed 
valuable  service  in  the  Texan  revolution, 
and  afterwards  fought  many  battles  with 
the   Camanche   and    other  Indians.     In 
these  he    displayed  so  much    coolness, 
skill   and  valor,  that  his  name  was  re- 
garded with  awe  by  the  savages.    A  nar- 
rative of  his  personal  adventures  during 
this  desultory  border  warfare  would  fill  a  large  volume.     He  was 

905 


906  JOHN     C.     HAYS. 

subsequently  employed  as  a  surveyor,  in  which  occupation  he  con- 
tinued with  occasional  interruptions,  until  the  war  between  Mexico 
and  the  United  States. 

On  receiving  news  of  the  battles  near  the  Rio  Grande,  he  imme- 
diately voluntered  his  services  to  the  state  government  of  Texas,  and 
was  appointed  colonel  of  the  mounted  rifles.  He  joined  General 
Taylor  after  the  taking  of  Matamoras,  and  soon  gave  indications  that 
he  was  in  a  sphere  of  duty  highly  congenial  to  his  feelings.  By 
order  of  the  commander  he  took  possession  of  Camargo.  During  the 
march  to  Monterey  his  men  weie  conspicuous  for  their  indefatigable 
execution  of  the  most  laborious  duties.  In  the  operations  before 
Monterey,  "  Hays's  Texas  rangers"  was  a  spell  word  of  terror  to  the 
Mexicans.  "  The  general  feels  assured,"  says  Worth,  in  his  order 
subsequent  to  the  capitulation,  "  that  every  individual  in  the  com- 
mand unites  with  him  in  admiration  of  the  distinguished  gallantry 
and  conduct  of  Colonel  Hays  and  his  noble  band  of  Texan  volun- 
teers. Hereafter  they  and  we  are  brothers,  and  we  can  desire  no 
better  guarantee  of  success  than  by  their  association." 

The  personal  appearance  of  Colonel  Hays  is  thus  described  by  his 
friend  and  companion  Lieutenant  Reid. 

"  As  we  cast  our  eye  around  the  group,  we  tried  to  single  out  the 
celebrated  partisan  chief,  and  were  much  surprised  when  presented 
to  a  delicate  looking  young  man,  of  about  five  feet  eight  inches  in 
stature,  and  told  that  he  was  our  colonel.  He  was  dressed  very 
plainly,  and  wore  a  thin  jacket  with  the  usual  Texan  hat,  broad 
brimmed  with  a  round  top,  and  loose  open  collar  with  a  black  hand- 
kerchief tied  negligently  about  his  neck.  He  has  dark  brown  hair 
and  a  large  and  brilliant  hazel  eye,  which  is  restless  in  conversation, 
and  speaks  a  language  of  its  own  not  to  be  mistaken,  with  very 
prominent  and  heavy  arched  eyebrows.  His  broad,  deep  forehead 
is  well  developed  ;  he  has  a  Roman  nose  with  a  finely  curved  nostril, 
a  large  mouth  with  the  corners  tending  downwards  ;  a  short  upper 
lip,  while  the  under  one  projects  slightly,  indicative  of  great  firm- 
ness and  determination.  He  was  naturally  of  a  fair  complexion,  but 
from  long  exposure  on  the  frontier,  has  become  dark  and  weather- 
beaten.  He  has  rather  a  thoughtful  and  care-worn  expression  from 
the  constant  exercise  of  his  faculties  ;  and  his  long  acquaintance 
with  dangers  and  difficulties,  and  the  responsibilities  of  a  commander, 
have  given  him  an  habitual  frown  when  his  features  are  in  repose. 
He  wears  no  whiskers,  which  gives  him  a  still  more  youthful  appear- 
ance, and  his  manners  are  bland  and  very  prepossessing,  from  his 
extreme  modesty." 


LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  CHARLES  A.  MAY. 


,OLONEL  MAY  was  born  in  the  city  of 
wm^'^  Washington,  and  is  son  of  the  late  Dr.  May. 
^  He   served   in  the    second   Florida  war   as 

lieutenant  in  the  2d  dragoon  regiment,  and  toward 
the  close  of  that  arduous  struggle  succeeded  in  cap- 
turing the  famous  Indian  chief,  Philip.  After  this 
event,  he  appears  to  have  remained  in  Washington 
until  the  opening  of  the  Mexican  war,  when,  like  many  others  who 
had  served  in  Florida,  he  joined  the  corps  of  observation,  under 
General  Taylor. 

May's  services  on  the  Rio  Grande  form  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
pages  in  the  history  of  that  eventful  period.  As  captain  of  dragoons, 
he  accompanied  the  army  (May  1,  1846)  in  the  march  from  the  fort 
opposite  Matamoras  to  Point  Isabel,  when  the  latter  was  threatened 
by  a  superior  force.     During  the  cannonading  of  Fort  Brown  by  the 

907 


908  CHARLES      A.      MAY. 

batteries  in  Matamoras,  May  was  sent,  in  company  with  Captain 
Walker,  to  open  a  communication  with  that  post.  Passing  by  night 
along  the  front  and  one  flank  of  the  Mexican  host,  he  arrived  safely 
at  his  destination,  and  despatched  Walker  to  the  fort.  About  day- 
light he  commenced  his  return,  and  in  a  few  hours  arrived  safe  at 
Point  Isabel. 

In  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto,  May  was  ordered  to  strengthen  the 
left  flank  of  the  army,  and  support  Captain  Duncan's  battery.  In 
doing  so,  he  sustained  some  loss.  Toward  the  close  of  the  day,  fur- 
ther orders  were  issued  to  his  squadron  for  charging  the  enemy's 
cavalry  ;  but  this  he  was  unable  to  perform  in  consequence  of  the 
great  disparity  of  force.  On  the  following  day,  he  made  his  famous 
charge  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  "  I  remained  in  position,"  says  his 
official  report,  "  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  when  I  received 
orders  to  report  with  my  squadron  to  the  general.  I  did  so,  and  was 
ordered  by  the  general  to  charge  the  enemy's  batteries  and  drive  them 
from  their  pieces,  which  was  rapidly  executed,  with  the  loss  of  Lieu- 
tenant Inge,  seven  privates,  and  eighteen  horses  killed,  and  Sergeant 
Muley,  nine  privates,  and  ten  horses  wounded.  *  *  *  We  charged 
entirely  through  the  enemy's  battery  of  seven  pieces.  *  *  *  The  charge 
was  made  under  a  heavy  fire  of  the  enemy's  batteries,  which  accounts 
for  my  great  loss.  After  gaining  the  rising  ground  in  the  rear,  I 
could  rally  but  six  men,  and  with  these  I  charged  their  gunners,  who 
had  regained  their  pieces,  drove  them  oflT,  and  took  prisoner  General 
Vega,  whom  I  found  gallantly  fighting  in  person  at  his  battery." 

While  May's  squadron  was  passing  down  to  this  charge,  it  was 
stopped  by  Lieutenant  Ridgely,  and  detained  until  he  had  drawn 
the  enemy's  fire.  But  for  this  timely  interference  of  the  intrepid 
artillerist.  May's  command  might  have  been  annihilated  before 
reaching  the  Mexican  position. 

May  was  present  at  Monterey,  although  the  greater  part  of  his 
command  was  out  of  service,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  opera- 
tions. At  Buena  Vista  he  was  in  company  with  Pike's  squadron, 
and  moved  through  every  part  of  the  field  with  such  irresistible 
eflfect,  as  to  strike  terror  into  the  enemy.  On  one  occasion  he 
manoeuvred  more  than  an  hour  to  draw  a  detachment  of  six  thou- 
sand lancers  into  a  ravine,  where  he  could  rake  them  with  Bragg's 
battery,  and  then  follow  up  the  confusion  in  their  ranks  by  a  vigorous 
charge.  At  the  moment  when  he  seemed  sure  of  success,  hostili- 
ties were  temporarily  stopped  by  a  flag  of  truce  to  Santa  Anna  from 
the  American  general.  His  mortification  and  chagrin,  at  this  unex- 
pected disappointment,  were  extreme.  Soon  after  this  battle  Colonel 
May  returned  to  the  United  States,  where  he  still  remains. 


MAJOR  BENJAMIN  McCULLOCH. 


vAJOR  McCULLOCH  is  a  native  of  Ruth- 

^J    erford  county,  Tennessee.     His  father  was 

Ij   an  officer  under  General  Jackson  during 

the  wars  with  the  southern  Indians.     The 

major  was  born  about  the  year  1814.    Being  placed 

at  school  at  an  early  age,  he  acquired  an  education 

superior  to  that  which  commonly  falls  to  the  share 

of  a  woodsman's  son.     At  fourteen  he  left  school, 

and  while  engaged  in  the  arduous  life  of  a  western  settler,  soon 

distinguished  himself  by  his  intrepidity  and  success.    Hunting  bears 

was  a  favorite  amusement  in  which  he  excelled.    At  twenty-one  he  left 

Dyer  county,  whither  his  father  had  removed,  and  went  to  St.  Louis 

to  join  a  company  of  trappers.     In  this  he  was  disappointed ;  and 

after  ineffectual  efforts  to  unite  himself  with  other  expeditions,  he 

decided  to  remain  in  the  United  States. 

909 


910  BENJAMIN     MCCULLOCH 

The  war  between  Texas  and  Mexico,  roused  McCulloch  from  his 
obscurity,  and  he  immediately  determined  on  joining  the  expedition 
of  Colonel  Crockett  destined  for  Texas.  Much  to  his  disappoint- 
ment the  expedition  left  the  place  of  rendezvous,  some  days  before 
his  arrival  there.  Eager  however  to  join  them  at  all  hazards,  he  set 
out  by  himself,  but  on  arriving  at  the  Brazos  was  taken  sick.  The 
next  intelligence  of  the  expedition  was  in  connection  with  the ., 
massacre  of  the  Alamo.  His  disappointment  had  saved  his  life. 
Subsequently  he  fought  at  San  Jacinto,  and  was  with  the  expedition 
which  fought  at  Mier,  previous  to  its  surrender.  He  then  settled  in 
Gonzales  county,  and  pursued  the  occupation  of  surveyor. 

Major  McCulloch  joined  the  army  of  occupation  immediately 
after  the  capture  of  Matamoras.  He  was  then  stationed  at  Reynosa 
with  the  battalion  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Watson,  but  afterwards 
sent  against  China,  which  he  entered  without  opposition.  With  his 
rangers  he  was  employed  as  a  scout,  during  the  march  to  Monterey, 
and  exercised  such  continual  vigilance  that  the  general  was  informed 
of  all  Ampudia's  movements,  almost  as  soon  as  they  were  executed. 
General  Taylor  pronounced  his  services  invaluable.  In  advancing 
toward  the  town  of  Marin,  McCulloch  formed  the  advance  ;  and  at 
the  village  of  Ramos  they  routed  two  hundred  Mexican  horsemen. 
Marin  was  captured  without  opposition. 

At  Monterey,  McCulloch  was  a  terror  to  the  Mexican  lancers. 
He  marched  with  the  second  division,  and  on  the  hills  around  the 
Bishop's  Palace  had  several  fierce  skirmishes  with  the  enemy,  in  all 
of  which  he  was  successful.  He  was  with  Smith's  party  at  the 
storming  of  Federacion  Hill,  and  the  capture  of  the  Bishop's  Palace. 
On  the  23d,  his  men  were  employed  in  breaking  open  doors  and 
windows  at  Monterey,  and  digging  through  houses  toward  the  prin- 
cipal plaza. 

After  the  fall  of  Monterey,  Major  McCulloch  with  sixteen  rangers 
was  sent  to  San  Antonio.  On  the  way  he  had  a  fight  with  some 
Indians,  but  experienced  no  loss.  He  was  afterwards  employed  in 
watching  the  movements  of  Santa  Anna,  and  on  several  occasions 
escaped  capture,  only  by  the  most  collected  courage.  Almost  all 
the  knowledge  by  which  General  Taylor  was  enabled  to  make  his 
masterly  arrangements  at  Buena  Vista,  was  obtained  through  McCul- 
loch. In  the  battle  the  major  was  conspicuous  for  coolness,  skill 
and  bravery,  eliciting  high  commendation  from  Generals  Taylor  and 
Wool.  At  the  disbandment  of  the  Texas  rangers  soon  after  this 
battle.  Major  McCulloch  returned  home. 


CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  HAMILTON  WALKER. 

APTAIN  WALKER'S  life  was  one  of 
darings  and  romantic  adventure.  During 
]ife  he  possessed  an  influence  over  the 
afTections  of  his  countrymen  of  which  few 
men  could  claim  a  share  ;  and  even  after  his  death 
the  name  of  the  Texas  ranger  is  a  spell  word  to  con- 
jure up  feelings  deep  and  powerful. 
Captain  Walker  was  born  about  the  year  18  "17,  in  Prince  George 
county,  Maryland.  He  served  with  distinction  in  the  Florida  war 
under  Colonel  Harney.  In  1834,  he  joined  Hays's  rangers,  and  soon 
after  with  fourteen  other  associates  he  fought  eighty  Camanche 
Indians,  leaving  thirty-three  of  them  upon  the  ground.  He  was  run 
through  the  body  with  a  spear,  but  recovered.  He  was  with  the 
Mier  expedition,  and  when  captured,  was  marched  with  other 
prisoners  into  Perote.  The  sufferings  of  these  men  are  well  known  ; 
they  were  several  times  decimated,  and  after  escape  were  recaptured 

911 


912 


SAMUEL     H.     WALKER. 


and  subjected  to  the  most  intense  sufferings.  Walker  with  eight 
men  finally  escaped  ;  but  so  emaciated  were  they  on  reaching  Texas, 
that  the  captain  describes  their  cheek  bones  as  standing  out  like 
cow's  horns. 

While  General  Taylor  lay  at  Fort  Brown,  prior  to  the  opening  of 
the  Mexican  war,  Walker  arrived  at  Point  Isabel  and  offered  his 
services  to  Major  Munroe.  He  several  times  passed  between  the 
two  depots  with  but  a  few  men,  and  when  the  whole  Mexican  army 
was  on  the  alert  to  intercept  him.  On  one  occasion  he  was  surprised 
with  seventy-five  men,  by  fifteen  hundred  Mexicans,  and  driven  into 
Point  Isabel.  On  another  occasion,  with  twelve  men  he  routed  six 
times  his  number. 

Walker  fought  with  bravery  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma. 
He  was  rewarded  by  government  by  the  commission  of  captain  in 
the  regiment  of  mounted  rifles.  He  afterwards  visited  his  native 
state,  and  raised  a  company  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  rangers,  with 
whom  he  proceeded  to  the  seat  of  war,  and  cleared  the  vicinity  of 
the  main  army  of  the  guerilla  parties.  On  the  20th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1847,  he  fought  at  the  battle  of  La  Hoya,  under  Colonel 
Wynkoop.  On  the  9th  of  October  he  was  sent  by  General  Lane  in 
advance  of  that  officer's  command  to  take  possession  of  Huamantla. 
Walker  galloped  into  the  city,  routed  a  small  force  stationed  there, 
and  captured  their  cannon.  Most  of  his  men  then  dismounted,  and 
separated  from  each  other.  While  in  this  condition  they  were  unex- 
pectedly charged  by  a  large  body  of  infantry  and  lancers,  and  driven 
into  the  main  plaza.  Here  they  fought  heroically,  charged  the  enemy 
and  drove  them  back.  But  in  the  conflict,  the  gallant  captain  fell 
mortally  wounded.  His  death  was  mourned  by  the  army  and  his 
country  as  a  national  calamity. 


COLONEL  JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


OLONEL  DAVIS,  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Kentucky  in  1808.  After  passing  through 
the  Transylvania  University  and  the  National 
Academy  at  West  Point,  he  entered  the  army 
as  Brevet  second  Lieutenant  of  the  first  In- 
fantry, July  1,  1828.  He  remained  w^ith  this 
branch  of  the  service  until  March  4,  1833, 
vrhen  he  was  transferred  to  the  first  regiment  of  dragoons,  but  re- 
signed his  commission  in  1835.  Returning  to  Mississippi  the  state 
of  his  adoption  he  engaged  largely  in  cotton  planting,  by  which  he 
seems  to  have  acquired  some  wealth.  In  1844  he  was  appointed 
democratic  Presidential  elector  for  Mississippi,  and  in  the  following 
year  was  elected  a  member  of  the  representative  branch  of  the 
national  Legislature.  In  the  summer  of  1846,  immediately  after 
General  Taylor's  call  upon  the  state   Governors  for  more  troops, 

58  ff:3 


914 


JEFFERSON      DAVIS. 


City  and  Citadel  of  Monterey. 

Jefferson  Davis  was  chosen  Colonel  of  the  first  regiment  of  Missis- 
sippi Volunteers.  Fired  with  the  ardent  enthusiasm  of  the  day,  he 
immediately  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress  and  joined  his  regiment : 
then  en  route  for  Mexico,  They  were  attached  to  General  Quitman's 
brigade,  and  during  the  summer  of  1846,  joined  General  Taylor, 
previous  to  his  march  on  Monterey. 

During  the  operations  before  Monterey,  Colonel  Davis's  Mississip- 
pians  were  engaged  in  storming  the  redoubts  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  city,  where  the  battle  raged  with  more  violence  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  field.  The  walls  and  houses  on  this  side  were  one  great 
fort,  the  defences  of  which  being  almost  impervious  to  cannon  shot, 
had  to  be  carried  inch  by  inch  with  the  bayonet.  Every  street  and 
alley  was  raked  with  the  enemy's  fire,  the  discharges  crossing  and 
recrossing  each  other  in  every  direction.  Colonel  Croghan,  the 
veteran  hero  of  Fort  Sandusky,  pronounced  the  scene  unprecedented 
in  his  experience.  Through  these  murderous  showers.  Colonel  Davis 
led  his  shattered  columns,  their  ranks  thinning  at  every  step,  and  the 
groans  of  dead  and  dying,  adding  horror  to  the  din  of  battle.  When 
near  the  enemy's  second  fort  they  poured  forth  their  rifle  vollies,  and 
rushed  forward  to  scale  the  walls.  At  the  same  moment  the  Tennes- 
see troops  were  advancing  toward  the  same  object.  Amid  withering 
fires,  with  the  dead  dropping  in  scores  around,  these  representatives 


Battle  of  Buena  Vista. 

of  sister  states,  strove,  in  noble  rivalry  for  precedence.  Nothing 
could  surpass  the  brilliant  charge  of  Davis's  men,  and  they  arrived 
first  at  the  fort.  Colonel  McClung  leaped  the  ditch,  mounted  the 
parapet,  and,  sw^ord  in  hand,  sprang  headlong  among  the  enemy. 
In  one  dense  mass  the  whole  regiment  followed  shouting  tones  of 
victory,  which  rang  above  the  uproar  of  battle.  The  garrison  were 
routed  as  though  by  magic,  and  one  of  the  strongest  positions  of 
the  town  secured  to  the  Americans.  During  the  whole  three  days 
that  the  siege  lasted  Colonel  Davis's  labors  were  equally  dangerous 
and  successful.  He  was  honored  by  the  general-in-chief,  by  being 
appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  negotiate  the  capitulation, 
and  has  ever  been  one  of  the  warmest  defenders  of  that  measure. 

But  great  as  were  the  colonel's  services  in  this  battle,  his  military 
fame  depends  principally  upon  his  heroic  conduct  at  Buena  Vista. 
At  one  crisis  of  that  eventful  struggle,  he  sustained  the  united  shock 
of  the  Mexican  cavalry  and  infantry,  and  by  his  masterly  conduct, 
not  only  preserved  his  little  handful  of  riflemen  from  being  over- 
whelmed, but  saved  the  American  army  from  inevitable  defeat. 
His  men  were  posted  on  a  plateau,  behind  the  Kentucky,  and  second 
Indiana  regiments.  The  mortifying  retreat  of  the  latter  is  well 
known.  Colonel  Davis  used  every  exertion  to  arrest  it,  but  in  vain. 
Their  withdrawal  left  his  troops  exposed  to  the  charge  of  an  immense 
body  of  lancers  and  infantry,  who  elated  by  success,  made  the  field 
ring  with  their  shouts,  overwhelmed  Captain  Brien  and  captured  his 


916  JEFFERSON     DAVIS. 

guns,  and  then  poured  on  against  the  Mississippians.  This  was  the 
decisive  moment,  when  a  retreat  would  have  been  ruin.  Undismayed 
by  the  fearful  odds,  the  Colonel  threw  his  command  into  the  form 
of  a  V  with  the  opening  toward  the  enemy ;  while  riding  coolly  along 
the  ranks,  he  exhorted  them  to  remember  that  the  honor  of  their  native 
state  was  entrusted  to  their  hands.  The  appeal  was  electrifying. 
Each  forgot  all  danger  in  his  eagerness  to  close  with  the  enemy.  On 
the  Mexicans  rushed  at  a  full  gallop.  They  were  allowed  to  approach 
near  enough  for  their  features  to  become  visible,  when  one  wide 
sheet  of  fire  opened  to  their  astonished  gaze,  pouring  forth  a  storm 
of  iron  hail  that  swept  down  horse  and  rider  in  promiscuous  slaughter. 
Rallying,  they  renewed  the  charge,  but  again  and  again  were  they 
beaten  back,  until  fear  and  confusion  destroyed  all  obedience,  and 
their  officers  in  vain  urged  them  on.  Struck  with  dismay  the  lace- 
rated columns  heaved  back,  as  in  mad  confusion  horse  trod  down 
horse,  crushing  into  the  earth  wounded  and  dying.  It  was  a  horrible 
moment,  but  it  wrested  from  Santa  Anna,  the  victory  of  Buena 
Vista. 

In  this  action  Colonel  Davis  was  severely  wounded,  and  not  long 
after  he  returned  to  the  United  States.  He  now  occupies  a  seat  in 
the  Senate  chamber  of  Congress,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  the 
executive  of  Mississippi  in  1847. 

Besides  passing  through  the  trying  events  of  the  Mexican  war, 
Colonel  Davis  was  engaged  with  the  army  in  the  pursuit  of  Black 
Hawk,  and  as  a  member  of  the  dragoon  regiment  assisted  in  con- 
quering the  Camanches  and  Pawnee  Indians  in  1836.  In  1835  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Knox  Taylor,  the  second  daughter  of 
the  present  Major-General  Taylor,  but  she  died  during  the  same 
year.  Colonel  Davis  is  said  to  have  been  offered  a  brevet  of  briga- 
dier general,  and  to  have  declined  it. 


916  JEFFERSON     DAVIS. 

guns,  and  then  poured  on  against  the  Mississippians.  This  was  the 
decisive  moment,  when  a  retreat  would  have  been  ruin.  Undismayed 
by  the  fearful  odds,  the  Colonel  threw  his  command  into  the  form 
of  a  V  with  the  opening  toward  the  enemy ;  while  riding  coolly  along 
the  ranks,  he  exhorted  them  to  remember  that  the  honor  of  their  native 
state  was  entrusted  to  their  hands.  The  appeal  was  electrifying. 
Each  forgot  all  danger  in  his  eagerness  to  close  with  the  enemy.  On 
the  Mexicans  rushed  at  a  full  gallop.  They  were  allowed  to  approach 
near  enough  for  their  features  to  become  visible,  when  one  wide 
sheet  of  fire  opened  to  their  astonished  gaze,  pouring  forth  a  storm 
of  iron  hail  that  swept  down  horse  and  rider  in  promiscuous  slaughter. 
Rallying,  they  renewed  the  charge,  but  again  and  again  were  they 
beaten  back,  until  fear  and  confusion  destroyed  all  obedience,  and 
their  officers  in  vain  urged  them  on.  Struck  with  dismay  the  lace- 
rated columns  heaved  back,  as  in  mad  confusion  horse  trod  down 
horse,  crushing  into  the  earth  wounded  and  dying.  It  was  a  horrible 
moment,  but  it  wrested  from  Santa  Anna,  the  victory  of  Buena 
Vista. 

In  this  action  Colonel  Davis  was  severely  wounded,  and  not  long 
after  he  returned  to  the  United  States.  He  now  occupies  a  seat  in 
the  Senate  chamber  of  Congress,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  the 
executive  of  Mississippi  in  1847. 

Besides  passing  through  the  trying  events  of  the  Mexican  war, 
Colonel  Davis  was  engaged  with  the  army  in  the  pursuit  of  Black 
Hawk,  and  as  a  member  of  the  dragoon  regiment  assisted  in  con- 
quering the  Camanches  and  Pawnee  Indians  in  1836.  In  1835  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Knox  Taylor,  the  second  daughter  of 
the  present  Major-General  Taylor,  but  she  died  during  the  same 
year.  Colonel  Davis  is  said  to  have  been  offered  a  brevet  of  briga- 
dier general,  and  to  have  declined  it. 


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