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Old Niagara
County's
Share in the
Battle o£
Lake Erie
Old Niagara County's
Share in the Battle
of Lake Erie
By
Peter A. Porter
^
Publication of the
Niagara Frontier Historical Society
Niagara Falls, N. Y.
1913
■Eur'2
DR. T. H. LUVELL,
President Niaarara Frontier Historical Soeietv
c f f
••,0
11. A. TAYLOR,
Corresponding Secretary, Niagara FiDiitior
Historical Societv.
E. T. WILLIAMS,
Recording Secretary, Niagara Frontier
Historical Society.
1— I
CO
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:2;
73
A-*
OLD NIAGARA COUNTY'S SHARE IN THE
BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE
Niagara County does not forg-et that
she is the daughter of Genesee; nor
that she is also the mother of Erie: and
she is proud both of her ancestor and of
her offspring. A century- ago Niagara
County embraced the whole of the pres-
ent County of Erie; the latter being set
off from her as a separate county in
1819.
Of Perry's fleet of ten armed vessels
on Lake Erie, one half (five in all, four
during that war. The chief ones of this
class were in connection with the con-
trol (first its loss and then its regain)
of the upper lakes, and especially as
regards Perry's victory on Lake Erie;
towards which Black Rock made most
decided contributions.
Five of the nine American vessels
which were captured by the British on
lakes Erie and Huron in July and Au-
gust, 1812, were owned at Black Rock;
COMMODORE O. H. PERRY
of them bought by the United States
within her limits, the other captured
from the British by an expedition which
was planned within, and set out from,
her borders) was made over into gun-
boats, put into fighting trim, and start-
ed out from old Niagara County.
New York's contribution to that fam-
ous fleet has not been sufficiently ap-
preciated.
The War of 1812 was the most impor-
tant and the most long drawn out — as
well as the most disastrous and destruc-
tive event — on the Niagara frontier in
the early days of the United States.
But besides the many operations right
along our river, this frontier bore its
part in some occurrences elsewhere
three of them being captured at the
surrender of IMackinaw. Ebenezer
Crosby, a Niagara County man, had the
contract to build, at Erie, four gun-
boats; three of which formed part of
Perry's victorious fleet. Five vessels
of that fleet, with which Perry was
ready to meet Commodore Barclay's
squadron, were prepared for service in
Scajaquada Creek, in the winter of 1812.
When the war was declared, about
the middle of June, 1812, there were
about 32 vessels, all told, on the upper
lakes. Of these, twenty were owned
by Americans; including one United
States vessel (which curiously was un-
der the control, not of the navy, but of
the war department), the Adams.
nCTF.n B. PORTER.
Twelve were owned by the British, in-
cluding four brigs of war, namely Cale-
donia, Sfi tons; Hunter, 72 tons; Queen
Charlotte, 255 tons; and Lady Prevost,
97 tons. I am aware that it had been
stated on liigh authority and common-
ly accepted as a fact, that when the
war broke out, there were not over fif-
teen vessels, all told, on these upper
lakes, but this is a decided error. In
volume eight of the Proceedings of the
Buffalo Historical Society, there is
given a contemporary list of 24 vessels
which had then been built on those
lakes. Of these, sixteen were Ameri-
can, and eight were British. And in
1812 only one of these 24, a British ves-
sel, had been lost to active service. In
this list the Lady Washington is not
included. She was the first American
vessel on the upper lakes. She was
built at lOrie, and carted over the Cana-
dian Portage, from Chippawa to
Queenstown, sailed out onto Lake On-
tario, and was never heard of again.
In volume seven of that society's pro-
ceedings, there is given a further list
of such vessels, nine in all, owned by
Americans, and none of them included
in the other list. Of these nine, four
are recorded as having been lost; leav-
ing five to be added to the other 23 — a
total of 28 vessels in service on the up-
per lakes on July 1, 1812. Certainly
these two lists, did not contain a com-
plete record. Neither were entirely ac-
curate nor did they pretend to be. Un-
(l(>u))tedly .some vessels were omitted
from Ijoth. Assuming that those there-
in unrecorded numbered only four, 1
make 32 the minimum number of ves-
sels on Lakes Erie and Huron on July
1, 1812.
Then the great problem for both sides
was to secure control of those lakes.
Whichever one had the preponderance
in vessels, and guns thereon, would con-
trol them, and also control the Niagara
portages (then the only route from the
Kast to Detroit and beyond), and abso-
lutely prevent the other side from get-
ting troops, provisions, guns and am-
munition, to its western posts. That
was all there was to be shipped then,
for the war, of course, put an end to
all regular lake commercial business,
except as the four above-noted small
\essels were lured by the \'ery high
freights which could be obtained, to
risk the chances of capture by the Brit-
ish — mainly between Buffalo and Erie.
(Tn July 17th the British captured
.Mackinaw. This is not the place to de-
tail its strategic importance, so far as
its control of the fur trade went, with
the attendant influence of its holders
over the Indians, scattered over a vast
area. Its significance to this article is
that by that capture the Britisli secured
four American vessels; which were
there on commercial business. Three of
them were owned at Black Rock. They
ER ASTUS r, R AXOER .
were the Mary, Captain Rouirli; the
Erie, Captain Norton, and the Friends'
Goodwill, Captain Lee. The fourth was
the Salina, Captain Dubbins, owned at
Erie. At the surrender of Detroit in
August, 1812, the British captured the
United States war vessel, tiie Adams,
and soon afterward they captured the
Cuyahoga Packet at Maiden, and a lit-
tle later the Chippawa. Somewhere on
Lake Erie they also captured the Ran-
ger and the Nancy, both owned by Por-
ter. Barton & Co., of Black P^ock. This
makes nine vessels lost to the .\nurican
side, and added to the British force.
The Connecticut of Black liuck (some
accounts erroneously call her the Com-
mencement) was the first vessel taken
by the British in the war. She was cap-
tured off Buffalo, but was restored to
her owner the next day because she had
been seized before news of the declara-
tion reached the American frontier. The
British (by means of a special courier
sent from Washington by John Jacob
Astor to his agent at Queenston) had
received the news eighteen hours ahead
of our side.
The following letter from General
Peter B. Porter confirms, though not by
name, the capture of the Ranger and
Nancy. All the other vessels owned by
his firm on the upper lakes are account-
ed for by the capture of Mackinaw or,
as noted hereafter, l)y sale to the United
.States giivernment.
Black Rock, August 30, 1812.
The Secretary of War:
Sir — I inclose you a copy of my letter ot
this date to Governor Tompkins, to which
I must beg your serious consideration.
For God's sake, my friend, arouse and put
forth the energies of the nation, and let ub
not be beaten by a petty province. War can
never be waged by tedious and two-penny cal-
culations ot economy in the office at Wash-
ington. The poor, but patriotic, citizens of
Ohio and the frontiers of Xew York are suf-
fering all the miseries of poverty and war.
They alone are called out because, perhaps,
their march to the frontiers is shorter and,
therefore, cheaper, while the rich inhabitants
of Pennsylvania are lolling in security and
ease. As one of the inhabitants of this fron-
tier, I can submit to the loss of property; I
can see wirh composure (which is now ac-
tually presented to my view) my vessels rid-
ing under British colors in a British harbor,
but I cannot endure the degradation of my
country.
Hence, on September 1, 1812, the Brit-
ish had 21 vessels on those lakes, a
clear gain, by capture, of nine within
two months: while the Americans then
had but eleven vessels, a clear loss of
nine; for they had not captured a
single Britisih boat. There was indeed
dire need for the United States to build
vessels at once above Niagara Falls, if
we were to have any chance of success
in the campaign of 1813.
The British absolutely controlled the
upper lakes from August, 1812, until
Perry's victory on Lake Erie in Sep-
teniber, 1813. So, early in September,
1S12, Commodore Chauncey, who com-
manded the United States fleet on Lake
Ontario, and who also had jurisdiction
over the upper lakes, ordered Lieuten-
ant Jesse D. Elliott to pioceed at once
to the Niagara frontier; and with the
concurrence of General Van Ptcnsselaer,
who commanded the army there, to
locate a place where he sihuuld build
two twent.v-gun \essels, six smaller
boats, with barracks for 300 men, who
were to be sent on from the seacoast,
in order to construct those vessels. Be
was also directed to consult with Peter
B. Porter and Erastus Granger at Black
Rock: and was authorized to buy for
the government every vessel he could
secure on the upper lakes. Curious as it
may seem, Elliott and General Van
Rensselaer decided that Scajacjuada
Creek was the most desirable point, pre-
sumably on the sole ground that there
already was a shipyard there, where
a vessel had been built as early as 1803;
and there Elliott actually began his
preparations.
On the morning of October ftth, the
\'ery diay on which the first body of
.ship c-'arpenters (50 in number), reached
Black Rock, two Briti.sh vessels an-
chored under the guns of Fort Erie.
FARMER'S BROTHER
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' were the Caledonia and the De-
troit, the latter the former United
States war vessel Adams, which thf
British bad captured at Detroit. On
the suggestion of Farmer's Brother,
that wise old Seneca, then 80 years old,
Elliott made plans to capture them.
That night ihie led 125 men, in three
boats, boarded both, cut them loose, and
let them drift with the current. He
succeeded in g'etting- the Caledon'ia into
Scajaquada creek, and' thus adding her
to Uncle Sam's navy. The Detroit ran
aground on Squaw Island, and during
the next day sbe was so battered by
the cannon on both sides, as parties
from either shore alternately boarded
her, that the Americans that night car-
ried asihore three of her cannon, and
then destroyed her by fire. They were
determined that, if they could ni.jt own
her, the Britis^h should no longer have
her. She had five gums mounted, and
there were six more in her hold, the lat-
ter Ijeing American cannon, whlcih had
been captured^ at Detroit. She also car-
ried a large quantity of powder and
ball and practically all the American
muskets taken at Detroit. Elliott cap-
tured two guns on the Caledonia, which,
with the three we got from tlie Detroit,
added five cannon to Buffalo's arma-
ment, and they were badly needed.
Eight cannon were also sunk when the
Americans burned the Detroit. She
would have been a valuable prize to our
navy if Elliott had been able to get
her into Scajaquada Creek. As it was,
he deprived the British of the use of
thirteen canmon, and much of the am-
munition and muskets which the Brit-
ish had so recently taken from us. The
picture of her capture is from the one
Elliott himself sent to the war depart-
ment, accompanying his ofhcial report
of tihe expedition, by which he added a
vessel to the United States navy, and
secured the ship from whose deck Perry
himself commanded the little squadron
which siailed from Biuffalo for Erie in
June, 1813. That one night's work had
robbed the British of one tenth of their
navy on the upper lakes, leaving the
relative number of vessels, British,
nineteen; Americans, twelve (with one
Briti-sh boat burned). The next day the
Senecas held a war dance at the Black
Rock navy yard, in Elliott's honor, ant
made b-im a member uf the tribe.
He had seen how easily he had cross-
ed the river, and captured British boats.
Why, he now reasoned, was there not
an equal danger of the British, at any
time, coming over and burning the
boats he was about to build, as well as
those he had just bought for the gov-
ernment? If they did that (and for
such an attack they could easily and
secretly assemble a larger force than
would be provided for the protection of
those vessels), the work of his 300 men
would be lost; the government would
be out large sums and yet would have
no vessel on the upper lakes. Was not
Scajaquada creek too close to the Brit-
ish shore for safety?
He consulted four men; Farmer's
CAPTAIN ,iA:\n:s sloan.
Brother, who had given him such good
advice as to cutting out those two ves-
sels; Captain James Sloan of Buffalo,
who had been his pilot when he cap-
tured them; Captain Daniel Dobbins of
Erie, who was then in Buffalo, and
Captain James Rough. Dobbins had
been captured, as also had Rough, with
his vessel at Mackinaw by the British.
Dobbins had been paroled, and sent in
charge of his vessel, as a cartel, to con-
vey other paroled men to Detroit. There
General Hull insisted on detaining him;
and when Hull surrendered, Dobbins
was again a prisoner. Fiom a friendly
left Washington with a commission in
the United States navy and with in-
structions to report at once to Elliott
and to act under his orders.
All three of those men fully concur-
red with the advice which Porter and
Granger had already given, namely,
that Black Rock was too exposed to
danger and too easily reached by the
enemy, to be a safe selection for a ship-
yard where new vessels were to be con-
structed. They all pointed out the un-
deniable fact that it would be impos-
sible to get the vessels Elliott had just
bought, or new vessels, from the creek
CAPTAIN DANIEL DOBBINS.
British officer he secured a pass and
managed to make his way back to
Erie. From there General Mead sent
him direct to Washington; where he
brought the first news of the fall of
Mackinaw and Detroit to the war de-
partment. He retold that news to the
cabinet in session, and was asked to
rehearse the situation on the lakes; and
also specially asked for his advice as to
the preparations, and the conduct of,
the next season's campaign on the
lakes. His familiarity with the condi-
tions thereon gave great weight to his
advice. He urged the immediate con-
struction by the government of several
vessels and recommended Erie, Pa., as
the best place for their construction. He
into Lake Erie, so long as the British
held Fort Erie. The only means then
known by which vessels could be got
up the rapids at Black Rock was liter-
ally to haul them up by power furnish-
ed by many yokes of oxen, or by large
numbers of men. It would take a whole
day, with either power, to drag each
boat into Lake Erie. And, during a
day, the guns of Fort Erie, and of the
four batteries which the British had
opposite those rapids, could not fail to
destroy a slowly moving \'essel. There
was an expectancy, there was a hope,
that in the spring the Americans would
capture Fort Erie, but there was no
certainty of it. They all decidedly a 1-
vised against building the vessels there.
10
This solid reasoniner convinced Elli-
ott. He decided to build the boats
elsewhere. He got General Van Rens-
selaer's consent; and, largely on Cap-
tain Dob'bins's advice, selected Erie, and
thither he sent more than two thirds of
the carpenters who soon arrived at Buf-
falo. The rest of them he kept at Black
Rock, where they were set to work
transforming the merchant vessels
which he had just bought at Black Rock
into gunboats. These vessels could not
now be got into Lake Erie, in the face
of Fort Erie's guns, so they had to re-
main in the creek. Elliott secured Gen-
eral Van Rensselaer's promise that an
ample force should be detailed to guard
them during the winter.
On December 19, 1812, Captain Dobbins
wrote from Erie to the secretary of the
navy: "In regard to the vessels cut
down and in an unfinished state at
Black Rock, there can be little confi-
dence placed in their safety. The yard
is within reach of the enemy's batteries,
and, if finished, the vessels could be cut
to pieces in passing up the rapids into
the lake." On the very same day the
secretary of war wrote to General Dear-
born, directing him to sanction General
Smyth's retirement. And he added:
"The President feels great anxiety for
the vessels at Black Rock, as the enemy
may seize the opportunity to destr ^y
them." The "opportunity" was the ut-
ter failure of Smyth's widely heralded
and much-prepared plan for the inva-
sion of Canada from that place.
In that creek were six vessels, one
the Canadian brig Caledonia of 85 tons,
which Eliott had just captured, with
her two cannon. The others Elliott had
bought. As I make it out, there were
but four other American boats on that
lake; all small (Dobbins names three of
them: Dove, twenty tons; Eagle, 25
tons; Teazer, twenty tons), all in port
at either Erie or Sandusky. All the other
American vessels on' Lake Erie, and all
such vessels sailing on Lake Huron,
were already prizes in British hands.
Daniel Dobbins says all American ves-
sels on the lakes w'ere either purchased
by the United States or captured by
the British. Of the twenty American
merchant vessels on the upper lakes
when war was declared. Porter, Barton
& Co. of Black Rock seem to have own-
ed five, and to have had a half interest
in two others. That firm also had three
or four boats on Lake Ontario. All of
their vessels, on both lakes, which had
not been captured by the British were
taken over by our government, as were
also all other American boats, both on
Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
At Black Rock Elliott bought five
boats as follows;
The sloop Contractor, of 64 tons, built
at Black Rock in 1803. owned by Por-
ter, Barton & Co., was now renamed
the Trippe.
The schooner Amelia, "0 tons, bulk
at Detroit in 1802, Porter, Barton &
Co. owned a half interest. She had
once been called the General Wilkinson,
and was now renamed the Tigress.
The schooner Ohio, of 60 tons, built
at Erie in 18u6. Porter, Barton & Co.
owned a half interest.
The sahooner Catharine, 90 tons, built
at La Salle, 1810, owned by Townsend,
Bronson & Co. She was renamed the
Somers.
The sloop Connecticut, 25 tons, buill
a.t Black Rock, owned b\- Peter Colt of
that place.
I know that historians name four
vessels of Perry's fleet in the famous
battle as liaving been outfitted at Black
Rock, which is correct. But it iit a
detail which is not often recorded that
six vessels were at Scajaquada Creek
that winter, and that all six of them
sailed from Buffalo under Perry's com-
mand. They were the five just named
and the Caledonia.
The frontispiece shows six vessels.
The Connecticut certainly was at Black
Rock in September. She had been cap-
tured off Buffalo on June 26th, but was
restored the next day, and her owner
would not allow her to leave port again.
The picture — given as a frontispiece —
was published in the Portfolio, in 1815.
The accompanying letterpress says it
"exhibits a correct view, taken on the
spot, of the port of Buffaloe on Lake
Erie, at the time of the landing of a
part of General Harrison's troops."
That publication was issued at Phila-
delphia; in which city was the head
office of the Holland Company — which
then owned Buffalo; was interested in
keeping that village before the public —
and was also a good advertiser.
The picture most certainly does not
"correctly represent" Harrison's land-
ing. It shows six vessels: fi\'e of them
about of a size, the other one smaller.
Xow, Perry's fleet, carrying a part of
Harrison's army, consisted of eight ves-
sels, and they all reached Buffalo to-
gether, on October 24, 1813. One of the
vessels carried the horses; for between
150 and 200 of those troops were cavalry
— Ball's command. Of the other seven,
three were brigs, two schooners, and
two sloops. But three of those vessels
U
were very large for that day on the
lakes. The Niagara carried twenty
guns; the Lady Prevost, thirteen guns;
and the Hunter, ten guns' — the two lat-
ter having been captured by Perry in
the battle.
The wrong number of vessels, and the
fact that it represents NO large vessels
in the fleet, proves conclusively that it
was not Harrison's landing. Again,
Harrison brought 1,300 men: and there
is not even a suggestion of such a num-
ber in the picture.
At this late date it is impossible to
actually produce further proof that the
picture does not represent what it
claims to be; but the deduction is so
plain that it is almost equal to proof.
What happened was undoubtedly this:
Two years after both events occurred.
six vessels from Scajaquada Creek, up
the rapids, into Lake Erie. This done,
they were ordered to embark and £tc-
company the vessels to Erie, as a pro-
tection against a much feared (and, as
it turned out, a very narrowly escaped)
attack from the British fleet, which was
known to be at this end of the lake.
The picture in itself is perfect proof
that Perrj' took six vessels from Buf-
falo; five of them armed, and the small-
est one unarmed. The latter was in-
tended for use as a scout boat. Perry's
success as commodore was dependent
on his getting those five armed \'essels
to Erie, there to join the vessels which
had just been built there. A scout boat
was absolutely necessary for him on
this trip, and was not needed after his
safe arrival. He was very particular
GUNBOATS OF 1812.
the Holland Land Company had the
picture prepared — with the correct
number and sizes of the vessels, and a
correct number of soldiers in boats; to
represent Perry's sailing from Buffalo
for Erie, on June 13, 1813.
Then some bright man and good ad-
vertiser — probably a clerk In^ the com-
pany's office— suggested that the arrival
of a victorious army at the Holland
Land Company's village of Buffalo
would be a better advertisement for the
sale of lots there, than the mere sail-
ing of a part of a fleet that later be-
came famous. So the plate was left
unchanged; but the suggestion was
adopted, so far as the descriptive article
was concerned.
The soldiers in the boats represent,
and correctly, the embarkation of the
200 soldiers who had been' sent from
Fort George to Buffalo, to help haul the
in his orders as to just how those five
armed vessels were to line up on the
trip — both W'hen sailing abreast, and
also when sailing one behind the other.
In those orders he never mentioned the
Connecticut, because she was never in-
tended to be a part of either line. She
was always to be far in advance, "on
.scout duty."
A picture is gi\'en herewith, show-
ing the kinds and sizes of the Ameri-
can gunboats in 1812. They constituted
170, out of a total of 190, of our Ameri-
can navy then. It undoubtedly shows
what those Black Rock vessels looked
like, wihen they had been transformed.
Elliott was ordered to the Lake On-
tario ports in December, and did not
return to Black Rock untii May. From
his departure until Perry's arrival in
February, 1813, Sailing Master Dobbins
was in charge of the upper lakes, under
12
Commodore Chauncey. But Perry was
g'iven a separate and full control of
those upper lakes, and Chauncey was
left in charge of Lake Ontario. Lieu-
tenanl; Angus was in comniiind of the
Black Rock navy yard until 1S13, when
he was ordered to the coast, I^ieutonant
Pettigrew succeeding him ih.ere.
Those six vessels were hauled up on
the banks of Scajaquada Creek, and
during the winter, five were cut down
and made over into gunboats. A strong
guard of soldiers was maintained close
to them, for their protection against an
always feared sudden attack from the
Canadian shore. In the early spring
they were again launched in the creek,
and lay there to await the result of the
contemplated attack by the Americans
of Fort George late in May, which if
had towed them into Scajaquada Creek,
a battery was ordered built, on the
south side thereof, just east of the navy
yard, facing north, and so placed as
to control the bridge over it, which, ex-
cept for the one far to the east (on the
road to Batavia, that is the present
Main street), was the only such struc-
ture o'v'er that stream. Henry Eckford,
who later achieved such fame as a
naval constructor, came here several
times during that winter, for it was
under his plans and directions that five
of those boats were made ready for
warfare.
At the end of May, 1813, the Ameri-
cans captured Fort George, at the
mouth of our river, and the Canadians
Then abandoned the entire frontier.
The Americans at once occupied Fort
VESSELS HAULED UP IN SCAJAQUADA CREEK.
successful would result (as it did) in
their reaching Lake Erie.
Strange as it now seems, during all
that time the British made no attempt
to destroy them. But they knew the
Americans could not get them up into
the lake as long as the British held
Fort Erie. Again they may have reas-
oned that they had better let the Amer-
icans get them into fighting trim, and
then try to capture them, also captur-
ing the villages of Buffalo and Black
Rock.
On the arrival of the ship carpenters,
the little battery near the Block House
was materially enlarged, and strength-
ened, being known thereafter as The
Sailors' Battery. Up to the time El-
liott reached Black Rock, in Septem-
ber, 1812, all the batteries which had
been built thereabouts after the dec-
laration of war, had faced Canada,
there was no defense against a British
attack from the north. But, when El-
liott had bought those five vessels, and
Erie. Perry himself came to Black
Rock on June 1st from Fort George,
at \Ahose capture he had commanded
the seamen, and on June 13th all six
of those vessels had been hauled up
the ra,pids and set sail for Erie. Five
of them were armed. The other, the
<'onnecticut, was unarmed. Perry used
her as a scout, for he was taking every
precaution to enable him to get those
fl^■e armed boats to Erie. It was
not Perry's first visit to Buffalo.
He had been here in March on his
way to Erie, he had then inspected
those ve.'^sels in the creek, and had ex-
pressed approval of the progress that
had been made on them. Five were
now armed with cannon taken from the
batteries at Black Rock; and under
Perry's command, they sailed for Erie
on June 13th. "When Perry returned to
Buffalo that fall, he was the Hero of
Lake Erie. He was accompanied by
General "William Henry Harrison, and
they were publicly feted by the people
13
of the two villages, General Porter pre-
sided at the banquet which they gave
them; and the tw^o villages were illumi-
nated in their honor.
In a History of the Battle of Lake
Erie, written by Captain W. W. Dob-
bins and based on his father's papers,
he says that one of the vessels thus
t;iken from Black Rock "was condemn-
ed on examination after reaching Erie
and sunk in the harbor." That was the
old Amelia (now the Tigress), she
being unrepairable after the battle
was fought. When Perry's fleet left
Erie on August 12th it consisted of
ten vessels, five of which had come
from Black Rock. Of these the Cale-
donia, Trippe, Tigress and Somers took
part in the Battle of Lake Erie on Sep-
tember 10, 1813. The Ohio, under com-
mand of that experienced sailor, Daniel
twelve-year-old-vessel and the war de-
partment had built no fortification to
offset Fort Erie. On August 30, 1812,
Peter B. Porter wrote from Black Rock
to Governor Tompkins: "In March last
I urged on the President and to the
secretaries of war and the navy the ne-
cessity of having a naval force on the
lake superior to that of the British,
which might have been done at an ex-
pense of less than $100,000 (as I then
demonstrated), and ready to act by the
first of July." His good advice was not
heeded.
One or two small sloops are said to
have been built at Black Rock in the
winter of 1812-13. The guard and the
camp of soldiers which the United
States maintained at and near the navy
yard caused their builders to feel that
thev could take the risk of their de-
BRIDGE OVEE SCAJAQUADA CREEK, 1812.
Dobbins, had been sent awaj' a few
days before by Perry for provisions. She
had not got back when Barclay's fleet
(for which Perry had been cruising)
was sighted, and Perry rushed into bat-
tle with nine vessels. Two of his fleet
had been built on the Niagara river;
one (the Somers) at La Salle, the other
(the Trippe) at Black Rock. Of the six
vessels in the British fleet, two were
prizes which had been captured from
the Americans: and one of these (when
captured the Friends Goodwill, re-
named th« Little Belt) was built at
Black Rock.
The navy department had treated
Buffalo and the frontier just as badly
as the war department had treated
them. All the signs had pointed to a
certain declaration of war against
Great Britain for at least eight months
before the President signed the meas-
ure. Yet the navy department had
made no move during that time toward
building any war vessels on the upper
lakes, where its sole strength was one
struction by the British. There was not
a single vessel left in private hands at
thi.s end of the lake. Hence, if, in the
spring of 1813, the Americans should be
able to end the war victoriously, there
would at once be a large amount of
lake business, at very profitable prices,
for any boats that were then ready to
take cargoes.
It should be noted that this Scajaqua-
da Creek derives its name from an old
Indian, a descendant of the Neuters,
who once dwelt hereabouts, John Con-
jocety by name. He dwelt at its mouth,
and his son, Philip, continued to dwell
there until 1807. The erection of the
blockhouse and the presence of the sol-
diers then caused him to remove to the
Seneca village on Buffalo creek. He
died about 1870. and the claim that he
was 102 years old was generally believed
to be correct.
And so, as above narrated, on the
banks of Scajaquada Creek there were
prepared and armed one half of the
number of vessels with which Commo-
14
dore Perry sailed from Erie to attack
the British lake squadron, which result-
ed in the battle of Lake Erie— the only
instance in history where a British fleet,
in its entirety, ever surrendered.
Whether the Americans recovered
those eig'ht cannon from the Detroit, as
her hulk lay in comparatively shallow
water on the west side of Squaw Is-
land, 1 have never been able to learn.
As we controlled both shores of the Ni-
agara river from the last of May until
December in 1813 our men could have
removed them during that period with-
out interference. Can any of my read-
ers throw any light on that point?
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WERT BOOKBINDING
JAN 1989
Graniville, PA
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