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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Los diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. srrata to pelure, >n it U 32X 12 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ■E'BartolenLR*- BRIG. -GEN. SIK JOHN JOHNSON, BART. ■"*3»- MhUtiml ^mt& Mo. U ( ORDERLY BOOK OF SIR JOHN JOHNSON DURING THE ORISKANY CAMPAIGN, 1776-1777 ANNOTATED BY WILLIAM L. STONE Author of the Life and Times of Sir William Johnson, Bart.; Burgoyne's Campaign ; Life and Journals of General and Mrs. Riedesel, &c. with an HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION illustrating The Life of Sir John Johnson, Bart. ; BY J. WATTS DE PEYSTER, LL.D., M.A. •^ ANCHOR if Author of The Life of [Swedish Field-Marshal] Leonard Torstenson [Generalissimo], 1855; Carausuis, 1858; Winter Campaigns, &c., 1864; The Personal and Military History of Maj. Gen. Phil. Kearny, 1869; La Royale, The Grand Hunt of the Army OF the Potomac, 3D-7TH Apkil, 1872-4; Mary, guEEN OF Scots, 1882; &c., &c. ' and SOME TRACINGS FROM THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE TORIES OR LOYALISTS IN AMERICA CONTRIBUTED BY Theodorus Bailey Myers. ALBANY JOEL MUNSELL'S SONS. M UCCC l.XXXll. V sf^t******^******^^ TO THE Won. Sofin ®. Statin, WHOSE GRANDMOTHER, JANE STARIN, SUFFERED FOR HER PATRIOTISM DURING THE ST. LEGER CAMPAIGN". AND TO A FRIEND FROM BOYHOOD, THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, BY THE ANNOTATOR. H i f i ' W il ^ '^''aS ^ *.. . . ..iL-a-i- B :! \ CONTENTS. -.4 Life and Misfortunes of Sir John Johnson, including the Battles of Oriskany and of Klock's Field ^ Introduction to Orderly Book - - - a Orderly Book -------- Appendix -------"" VV I. Rev. Marinus Willett. II. Gen. Marinus Willett. III. Oriskany from a British Standpoint. IV. Sir Darby Monaghan. V. Jane Wemple Starin. VI. Addenda consisting of additional notes. The Tories or Loyalists in the Revolution 1 37 Indexes -------"" 3/ PLATES. To face. Portrait of Sir John Johnson, - - - - Title. Portrait of Frederic de Peyster - Dedication. Map of Mohawk Valley illustrating the Battle of Oriskany and Klock's Field clxii Portrait of J. Watts de Peyster - - clxv Portrait of Barry St. Leger > -, - - 44 Portrait of King Hendrick - - - - ^3 Picture of a Batteau ------ y^ Portrait of Joel Munsell ------ 129 View of Fort Johnson ----- 1^^ Portrait of Sir William Johnson - - 159 Facsimile of Paper signed by Johnson, Herckmer, Schuyler, and others - - 161 Facsimile of Proclamation of George III 181 Portrait of Joseph Brant . _ _ - ig6 View of Johnson Hall - - - - - - 212* Facsimile of Washington's Letter - - 215 Facsimile of Declaration of Independence 220 fi t Cfte Cife antr JWisfottuned of I i^ Hi u Wit] WITH RESPECT AND AFFECTION THIS LABOR 18 DEDICATED TO MY LATE VENERABLE FATHER, Ixthtxit bt |)cij0ter, €€. Do PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY, ST. NICHOLAS CLUB, AND FORMERLY OF THE ST. NICHOLAS SOCIETY, &c., &c.,' &c. With a grateful remembrance of the assiduity -with -whioh, at an early age, the father inspired the son vrith literary tastes and introduced him to the study, of history, thus furnishing to him an inestimable resource in trouble and a sure solace amid many sorrows. ■■^j>mM •**■ i! cla; Th^ otli tlie cir( bee liin Ch u 1 r^l .'^JJI' PREFACE. t " Fidelity, that neither bribe nor threat Can move or warp, and gratitude for small And trivial favours, lasting as the life." CowpBR, ''Task." There is perhaps no truer proverb than that which de- clares that '"whoever excuses himself accuses himself." There are excei)tions, however, to this as well as to every other rule — although, even in the case of this little work, there would have been no necessity of explanation had circumstances — as conceited mortality vainly imagines — been in reality under human control. Man, let him delude himself as he will, is anything but a free agent. As Canon Charles Kingsley makes one of his characters sing, in "The Saint's Tragedy," " 'Tis Dame Circumstance licks Nature's cubs into shape : Tlieu why puzzle and fret, plot and dream V He that's wise will juwt follow his nose, Contentedly tiah, while he swims with the stream ; 'Tib no business op his where he goes." '^All armind is forethougJd sure, FixKD wii-ii and stern decree. Can the sailor move the main ? Will the putter heed the clay ? Mortal ! where the spirit drives. Thither must the wheels obey. \—a iil? 1 ; hfll b Preface. " Neither ask, nor fret, nor strive : Where thy path is, thou sJialt go. He who made the streams of time. Wafts tJiee down to weal or woe f " A variety of causes delayed the preparation of the his- torical treatise assigned to the writer, as an Introduction to Wm. L. Stone's " Orderly Book of Sir John Johnson, 1776-7." Among these impediments was the expectation of receiving new facts from Europe. While thus delaying, Nature stepped in and demonstrated that a long series of violations of her laws — one of them excessive mental labor — would terminate in the arrest of all work. It was at first intended to furnish a complete and de- tailed narrative of the whole career of Sir John Johnson, Bart., without limitation as to the space required. Sub- sequently a definite number of pages was assigned. To condense without injury to clearness is not only a rare gift, but also a question of severe labor, of time, and of thought. One of the most celebrated of English writers, when asked to epitomize one of his diffusive works, in order to render it more accessible to general readers, re- marked, "I have not time to condense." It was also in- tended to present in this connection a reprint of a rare little work, entitled "Adventures of a Lady [Mary (Watts) Johnson, wife of Sir John Johnson, Bart.] in the War of Independence in America." This little duodecimo work of 57 pp. has a very curious history, and is very valuable as a presentation of the traditions of the Johnson family in regard to the wrongs inflicted upon Lady Mary (Watts) Johnson, and the sufferings undergone by her in making her tf the his- fduction ohnson, ectatioTi elayiug, series of i mental I and de- Johnson, id. Sub- ned. To ly a rare e, and of h writers, works, in eaders, re- ^as also in- t of a rare try (Watts) the War of 3cimo work iry valuable iison family ary (Watts) . making her Preface. o escape from the M-^higs, patriots, or rebels, in her successful attempt to rejoin her husband, Sir John, within the royal lines at New York. It is the tradition of the victim, as opposed to the legends of the victimizers ; it is the me- morial of the persecuted, as a set-off to the stories of the persecutors; it is the production of a cultivated mind, in contrast to the recollections of many received as authori- ties, among M'hom are numbered the illiterate depending entirely upon the fallible functions of memory. This story of Lady Johnson's "Adventures" was written by Miss Susan Griffiths Colpoys — daughter of Admiral Griffith Colpoys, of the British Navy — who mar- ried Colonel Christopher Johnson, B. A., sixth son of Sir John Johnson, Bart. She was, consequently, sister-in- law of Adam Gordon Johnson, third Baronet, son of Sir John, and aunt of Sir William G. Johnson, the present and fourth Baronet, the grandson of Sir John Johnson, the second Baronet. The publication referred to was re- ceived, and the main particulars in regard thereto were derived from Sir William G. Consequently, also, Mrs. Col. Johnson had every opportunity of hearing all the incidents from those most interested in the occurrences and cognizant of the sad facts of the case. It was the youngest daughter of this Mrs. Col. Chris- topher Johnson who married Mr. Henry Curwen, who inherited the ancestral abode of the Curwens, the historic estate of "Workington Hall," noted as having been the temporary residence or place of detention of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1568, when she fled from Scotland after her 1 ■ d Preface. defeat at Langside, 16th of June of tliat year. Ainoni,^ the heirlooms of this family, a portrait of Mary is pre- served, M'hich is said to have been presented by the queen herself to Sir (Knight, not Baronet) Henry Curwen, then master or owner of Workington Hall. In an address delivered by the writer before the New- York Historical Society, on Tuesday evening, Hth Janu- ary, 1880, the case of Sir John Johnson was treated with great care, and to this was annexed two voluminous ap- pendices, presenting at length quotations from original authorities which explained and bore out the views ex- pressed in the paper itself These supplements likewise embraced accounts of the principal actions in which Sir John was second or chief in command. Even to cite in this introduction the full titles of all the works examined would occupy more space than could possibly be conceded to such a list, and the reader must be content with the pertinent remark of a well-known writer (James J'reeman Clarke) w^ho says, in his introduction to the "Legend of Thomas Didymus," "I present no list of the authorities from which my facts are derived, but will merely say that the result of much study may be sometimes contained in the form given to a single sentence." To friends who have interested themselves no thanks are sufficient for their assistance in thought, M^ord and deed. To Gen. Horatio Kogers, of Providence, R. I., the diligent investi- gator and digester of the facts and fancies, the narratives and traditions of the past ; to Col. T. Bailey Myers, of New York city, the true friend, the generous and genial Preface. e collector and collator ; to Mr. Wru. I^. Stone, the pains- taking and indefatigable historian, to Wm. C. Bryant, Esq., of Buffalo, N. Y., the disinterested champion of the wronged and misrepresented ; to Mr. Henry A. Homes, of the N. Y. State L'^ i'ary, for much trouble and courtesy, — to these and to others in lesser degree, but with great kind- ness, the warmest gratitude is felt and acknowledged. „ „ J. WATPS i.K PEYSTKR. "Rose Hili,,' Tivoli P. O., Duchess Co., N. Y. 4th July, 1883. 1' 1 !■■';■ {.- ;'\ % M 4 ■Ak Note. — There are few individuals in the United States who have the Itrero/ftitive of expressing an opinion on the causes and course of the American Revolution superior to that of the writer. Lincoln, in his speech of siieeches, at the consecration of the; Soldiers' Cemetery at Gettysburg, — an uttei'ance declared by English critics to be second only to Scriptural simplicity and sublimity — said that the brave men living and dead who struggled here — that is on the battlelield — " have conse- crated it far above our power to add or to detract ;" " that they gave the last full measure of devotion" to the cause that they espoused. The writer's ancestors and relatives " gave the last full measure of devotion" to the cause that they deemed right, and that they espoused. They were among the most wealthy and the most influential in the province of New York. A great great-uncle, Stephen de Lancey, was one of the most accomplished Executives who ever administer d public affairs. His brother was a Brigadier-General, and common relatives held commis- sions in the British service, from general down to cornet. A great uncle, James de Lancey, was Colonel of Light Horsemen, comprising " the Elite of the Colon3^" His daring enterprises won for him the title of "the Outlaw of the Bronx," and "the terror of the region," "the debat- able ground," of Westchester County. A near kinsman and namesake was Major of the 8th or King's Regiment of Foot. He was among the ear- liest officers to visit Lake George ; he built the first frame building at Nia- gara Falls ; won the affections of whites and redskins on the far lakes ; left a work, styled " Miscellanies," which is a mine of facts for histo- rians; rose to be colonel of his regiment, and of another, the "Dum- fries Gentlemen Volunteers," raised to lesist J>ench invasion ; is com niemorated in the dedication of the "Poem on Life," by a famous pri- Hi Prefaoe. vatc in his corps, the poet Burns ; died full of years and honors, and was buried with rites only equalled on one other occasion, in the grave- yard of St. Michael's Church, lamented and revered by all who knew him. Both grandfathers held royal commissions, the first as the last royal Recorder of the city of New York, and the other as a captain, from 17 to 25, and was severtly wounded, but recovered. Three great-uncles by blood were shot on the battlefield : one killed ; another desperately wounded, losing a leg ; a third by almost a miracle esca|)ing the effects of a rifle-shot. Another gniat-uncle by mirriage, afterwards Earl of Cas- silis, was a captain in the British navy ; a second was Sir John Johnson; a third (James) was major, afterwards colonel of the British artillery, threatened by the mob with burial alive, and, escaping their rage, lost literary treasures, the accumulati(m of a lifuMme and the nst of lus accessible projierty. The writer's great-grandfather. President of the King's Council, who, if the crown had succeeded, was to have been the Lieutenant-Governor and acting Governor of the Province— in place of his father-in-law, the distinguished Colden — who had main- tained the rights of the people against military assumption, narrowly escaped death at the hands of the mob, left the country, was attainted, had his wealth confiscated a year subsequently to his departure, died an exile, straightened in means, and laid his bones in a foreign grave. His noble wife died of a broken heart. This list of martyrs might be greatly augmented. • The same Loyalty which sent these men to the front during the Re- volution, actuated their descendants during the war of lol2-l5. The writer's father and four uncles, beside other relatives who were of suf- ficient age, were all in arms for the United States. One cousin, after- wards a major-general, the conqueror of New Mexico and of Califor- nia, died in consequence of the aggravation of i)oUtIcal rancor, nay, persecution. A kindred loyalty to the government sent every available relative info the field during the Slaveholders' Rebellion, and cost the lives of five out of six of those nearest and dearest. Loyalty, when it pays "the last full measure of devotion," has a right to make iti^elf heard ; Loyalty which shuns no danger and fears no consequence, is a better in- terpreter of Duty than mere passion incited by prospective advantages. To risk the loss of all is a better proof of honesty than the chance of winning something in a desperate game. And it is not only injustice, but spite that would endeavor to attribute unworthy motives to devotion such as was testified by those who threw life, property and all that men hold dear into the scale, and lost all from motives of Loyalty to Autho- rity and Fidelity to the Flag. I 1 THE JOHNSON FAMILY OF THE MOHAWK VALLP^Y* !? (Original motto of Sir William Johnson, Bart.) "I cannot see," observes a gentleman (of New York Whig antecedents and ancestry), at once an historical scholar, a practical soldier and an accomplished man of business, "how a man so formed and trusted in himself and his family [as Sir John Johnson] could have acted differently than he did." In many respects the two greatest men M'ho adminis- tered the affairs of the colony or province, or, even since, of the State of New York, were Lieutenant-Governor, * The following genealogy of the Johnson family is compiled from various sources : from memoranda furnished by the present Baronet, Sir William George Johnson, from Burke's " Peerage and Baronetage of Great Britain, from Sabine's "Loyalists of the American Revolution," from Wm. L. Stone's "Life of Sir William Johnson, Bart.," &c., &c. i ii The Johnson Fom.ih/, w acting Governor, »raninH de Luncey, und Sir Willium .roluiHon, IWt., the "Indian Turner" — the Con([uer()r at Lake (Teor<;e in 1756, and tlie Captiirer of Niagara in I75J). If space permitted, it M^oukl he a very interesting and agreeahle task or duty to dear up some liistoric douhts in regard to the first Sir William and introduce illustrations of his ability which liave never been presented to the American public. It is marvellous what ridiculous nonsense has been published in regard to the antecedents and adventures of this remarkable man. The following is the literal truth, furnished from a most authentic source : "The Hon. Sir William Johnson, Bart., in America, was the son of Christopher Johnson, Esq., of Smith- Town, County Meath (Ireland), a gentleman of great re- pute and renown, descended from a distinguished Irish family,* and of Anne Warren, daughter of Michael War- ren, Esq., of the same county, and sister of Sir Peter * It has been bruited tliat originally the family name was not John- son, but Jansen, and that the lirst wlio bore it and settled in Ireland was a Hollander, who, like many of his countrymen, went over afterwiirdu with William III. in 1690, won lands and established themselves. If this rejmrt had a grain of truth in it, that the name should become angli- cised immediately would be nothing remarkable, since hundreds of similar and of far greater transmutations and travesties, some amount- ing to simple absolute translations, occurred in tliis State within a gene- ration after its settlement : the Feuersteins becoming Flints, tlie Muh- lers Miller.**, &c., &c. This Jansen story, however, is a myth, like many of the stupidities wliich are engendered by ignorance or started through envy or other like meannesses in illiterate neighborhoods. Col. Guy Johnson, nephew of 8ir AVilliam, always retained a touch of the brogue. " His tongue bore evidence of his Irish extraction" (Captain Snyder, in Stone's " Brant," II. 07. The Johnson Family, iii Wurreii, Kni<;lit of the iiiost Ilonoriible Order of tlio Bath, Vice-A(hiiiral in tiie Britisli Niivy uiuUt George II. (and well-known for his oxi)loit8 — anion^ these his co- oi)eration with 8ir William Pe])porcll in the famous expe- dition ugainst Louishurg, the French Gibraltar in Amer- ica, in 1745), and niece of Admiral Lord Ajlmer, of lial- rath. County Meath, Ireland. "The above Christopher Johnson was son of William Johnson, then called MacSean or MacShane, a j^eneral of very great repute and credit in that part of Ireland (coun- ty Meath, whose principal river is the Boyne, famous for the victory of William III. over James II., let July, IfiOO), and of Anne Fitxsinnuons, of Tally nally, coimty of Westmeath. William MacSean M'^as the son of Thomas MacSean and Frances Fay, of the very ancient family of Derrinaganale, county Westmeath. This Thomas MacSean was son of John (O'Neil), from whom the MacSeans of that family were called, and was descended from the Royal (Irish) family of Dungannon, County Tyrone, formerly princes of Ulster and monarchs of Ireland, " antecedent to Christianity" and "before the coming of St. Patricke." The family of Warren (here referred to), of Warrentown, is the head and stock of several illustrious families of that name in Ireland, and the founder was one of the principal followers of Earl Strongbow when he concjuered Ireland, 1109-70. This family of Warren is descended in a direct legal line from the Marquises of Warrene, in Normandy, France. According to Sir William George Johnson, Bart., there 2 a- - \k IV The Johnson Family. is an exceptional lienor attaclied to the patent of nobility conferred npon the lirst Sir William and his son, Sir John, which is almost unprecedented in British histoiy. The patent which perpetuates the baronetcy in this family con- tains a clause which gives the title of "Knight" or "Sir" to the eldest son on his attaining his majority, an extraor- dinary clause, as knighthood as a rule is not hereditary, but is conferred for special services and terminates with the life of thf> recipient. I. WILLIAM JOHNSON, Esq. (afterwards Knight and Hnronet), was born at Sniitli Town, County Meath, Ireland, and subsequently adopted by his maternal uncle. Admiral Sir Peter Warren, K. B., capturer of Louisbuig, &c., and went out with him to North America, where he rose to the rank of Colonel in the British Army, Major-General of the Provincial Forces and (or) of the Militia, 16th April, 1783, and distin- guished himself as a military commander during the French (American) War (1754-63), and as a negotiator with Indian tribes. He was created a Baronet 27th Nov., 1755. In 1756 he received his commission as " Colonel, Agent and Sole Snperin- tendent of all the affairs of the Six Nations and other Northern fndians;' " with no subordination but to Loudon (London ?)." He died 11 th July, 1774, of chronic malignant dysentery, aged 59, at his seat, Johnson Hall, Tryon County, New York, leaving by Catherine Wisenberg [ Weissenberg ?], his wife : I. JOHN, his heir. II. AxNK, married to Col. Daniel Clauss, of North America, and died about 1708. in. Mauy, married to Col. Guy Johnson, and had two daughters: 1. Mary, wife of Fieki Marshal Lord Clyde, queller of the East India Mutiny, originally Sir Colin Campbell, and mother of Gen. Sir Guy Camp- bell ; 2. Julia. The Johnson Famih/. v The son and heir of Sir William Jolinson, Bart. : II. Sir JOHN, of Johnson Hall,*Tryon (afterwards Fulton) County, N. Y., finally of Mount Johnson, Montreal : Colonel of Regiment of Horse in the Northern District of New York, in 1 778 ; Major-General of the Militia belonging to the same por- tion of the Province after the decease of his father; Lieut.-Col. commanding the Loyal or Provincial " King's Royal Regiment of New York," otherwise "The Queen's Loyal New Yorkers;" or "Johnson's or Queen's Royal Greens;" Colonel, B. A., rilst October, 1782; Brigadier-General of the Provincial Troojis, <fec., 14th March, 1782; Superintendent-General and Inspector- * To lurnish some idea of tlu' condition of insecurity in whit^h the Johnson family lived, and the state of preparation maintained at the Hall — the family home — a semi-fortification, the following order, copied from the original by Col. T. Bailey Myers, is inserted entire. It was by a father v/ho was so careful in his instruction, who was so capable in the handling of men, so conscientious in his labors, adminis- trative, executive and military, and so fortunate in his enterprises, Sir John Johnson was brought up and prepared for the arduous career which, absorbed the best portion of his active life. " 1st. You will keep your Party sober and in good order and pre- vent their having any uunecessarj^ Intercourse with the Indians least any difi'eronce might arise between them from too much familiarity. 3d. It' any ditl'erence should arise between them, if the Indians use any of your party ill, I am to be inunediately acquainted with it. 4th. You will in the day time keep one Sentry on the Eminence; to the Northward of the House, who upon seeing the enemy advance is to tire his i)iece and retreat to the Fort. Another Sentry to be posted at the Gate of the Fort on the outside, who is also to enter the Fort on the advanced Sentry alarming him. 8d The Sergeant to tai^e care that the Men's Quarters be kept very Clean and that they wash well and freshen their Salt Provisions, the neglect of which makes them subject to manj' Disorders. 7th. In case of an attack the 3 Bastions to be i)roperly manned and the 2 curtains also, there mixing some of my People with yours. The remainder of my People to man the Dwelling House and tight from thence, making Use of the Four Wall Pieces and Musquetoons and of the windows fitted for them. fsHI my VI The Johnson Family. General of tlie Six Njitions of Indiiuis .-ind their Confederates, of all the Indians inliabiting Our province of Quebec atid the Frontier, 16th September, 1791 (a copy of Sir John's com- mission is appended as a note) ; * Colonel-in-Chief of the six Battalions of the Militia of the Eastein Townships of Lower Canada. He was Knighted at St. James', London, r22(l Nov., 6th. Whenever an alarm is given by the advanced Sentry, you will order three Patteroes [or Peaeroes, a very small khid of cannon] im- mediately to be fired, that being the signal I have given to the Mo- hawks, and on tlieir approach near the Fort, when challenged, they are to answer "George" as distinct as they can, then to be admitted if prac- ticable. 5th. When there are no Indians here the Gates to be locked at 8 o'clock in ye Evening and opened at Six in the Morning, first looking around about to see that all is safe and clear, the advanced Sentry then to be posted Every Day. The men's arms and ammunition to be kept in Good Order. To FoKT Johnson, I am. Sir, Lieut. August the 9tli, 1756. Yrs., Alexander Turn Bull. Wm. Johnson. Note.— On the 10th of August the Marquis de Moutcalni, who had succeeded Baron Dieskau In command of French army, invested O.-wego. On the 13th Cause of this the garrison, Shirley and PepperellV regiments, KiOO men, evacuated absence. and retreated to the old fort across the river, and surrendered on 13th, iind both forts levelled. Johnson was at Albany on the ;JOth when the news arrived, and was sent by Ld. Loudon with two battalions of militia to German Flats to support Gen. Webb, who had started from Albany for the relief of the garrison two days before the surrender, but, on receiving intelligence of it, retreated with precipi- tancy to German Flats, which ended Loudoun's campaign and disappointed and In- censed the Six Nations, who looked for his protection, and gave Sir William nuich trouble ; the Mohawks only remaining reliable, the others for a time negotiating for peace with the French. * Gen'l J. W. DE Peyster, Buffalo. March 30, 1882. Dear Sir :— I enclose copy of Sir Jolin Johns<.n's commission as Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs. The original is bound up in a collection of autographs and documents in my possession, and could not be detached without mutilation. Possibly this may be of some slight service to you. Very respectfully yours, Wm. C. Bryant. [To whom the Johnson family owe a heavy debt of grtititude for «' The Johnson Family. vn 1765. (On the death of his father, Sir William (L), Sir John positively refused to accept the succession to the former's dig- nities and oflices in connection Avith the Indians, and they were conferred upon his cousin, Guy Johnson, who exercised them throughout the Revolutionary War, and thus Sir John and Col. Guy have often been confounded, to the disadvantage of Sir John. Sabine says, "Col. Guy Johnson's intemperate zeal for his royal master caused the first affray in that [Tryon] county.'') Sir John married, 30th June, 1773, Maky, daughter of Hon. John Watts, Senior, Esq., some time President of the King's Council of New York, and by her (who died 7th Au- gust, 1815) lie had issue: I. William, Lieut-Col., born 1775; married in 1802, Susan — an extraordinary beauty — daughter of Stephen de Laii- his noble defence of Sir John Johnson, and the writer abundant thanks for information, rendered doubly valuable by the courtesies attendinsi; its transmission. J. W. de P.] GEORGE R. [Great Skal.] George the Third, by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To our trusty and well-beloved Sir Jolm Johnson, Bart., Greeting : We reposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Loyalty, Fidelity and Ability do by these Presents constitute and appoint you to be Superintendent General and Inspector General of our Faithful Subjects and Allies, the Six United Nations of Indians and their Confederates, and of their Affairs, and also of our fiiithful Allies the Indians inhabiting Our Provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, in America, and the frontiers of our said Provinces, and of their affairs : And you are to observe and follow sucli Orders and Directions as you shall receive from Our Commander in Chief of Our Forces in Our said Provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, or. in case of his absence, from the Officer who may be left in the Command of the said Forces for the Time being. Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Sixteenth day of Septem- ber, 1791, In the Thirty First Year of Our Reign. By His Majesty's Command, Henry Di:ndas. n;t ; Vlll . The Johnson Family. W ^\ ^. \ ¥ cey, Governor of Tobago, and sister of Sir William de Lancey, K. C. B., " Quartermaster-General of Welling ton's army," killed at Waterloo; and died 1812, leav- ing by her (who married secondly, 1815, General Sir Hudson Lowe, K.C.B., and died 1832) three daughters : 1. Charlotte, married in 1820, Alexander Count Balmain, Russian Commissioner at St. Helena, and died in 1824. 2. Mary, died unmarried in 1814. n. Susan, died' unmarried in 1828. II. Adam Gordon, Hid Baronet. III. James Stephen, Captain 28th Regiment, killed at Badajoz, born in 1785. IV. Robert Thomas, drowned in Canada in 1812. V. Warken, Major 68th Regiment, died 1813. VI. John, of Point Oliver, Montreal, Col. Com'g Gth Bat- talion of JNIilitia, born 8th August ; 1782, married lOtli February, 1825, Maiy Diana, daughter of Richard Dillon, Escj., of Montreal, and died 23d June, 1841, leaving issue : 1. William George, successor to his uncle, and present (in 1882) Baronet. 2. Charles, Captain Madras Artillery, born 4th February, 1833. 3. James Stephen, Lieut. 14th Foot, born 5th March, 183G; killed at Barbadoes. , Ahohihald Kennedy, born 2()th June, 1839. Maria Diana. Anne Margaret. Elixa Theresa. Mary Anne. VII. Charles CnnisrorHEU, of Argenteuil, Canada East, born 29th October, 1798: Lieut.-Col. in the Army; Knight of the second class of the Persian Order of the Lion and Sun; married 1818, Susan, eldest daughter 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. The Johnson Family. IX of Admiral Sir Edward Griffiths, of Northbrook House, Hants (Hampshire) (who took the surname of Colpoys), and died iJOth September, 1854, leaving: 1. William, an officer in 20th Regiment, born 28th May, 1821, deceased. 2. John Okmsby, Captain Royal Navy; born 11th August, 1822. .'J. Charles Turquand, born 17th June, 1825, de- ceased. 4. Edward Colpoys, born 11th August, 1855, an officer in the Army. 1. Maria Bowes, married, 18th June, 1867, Rev. Wm. Bell Christian, of Ewanrigg Hall, Cum- berland, and Milntown, Isle of Man. 2. Mary Anne Susan. viii. Archibald Kennedy, born in 1792, married, 13th Sep- tember, 1818, Maria Johnson, daughter of Patrick Langan, Esq., of Montreal, died 8th October, 1866. 1. Anne, married to Col. Edward Macdonnell, De- puty Quartermaster General to the Forces in Canada, who died in 1812. 2. Catharine Maria, one of the lo v^eliest, wisest and best of women, married in 1805 to Major- Gcneral Barnard Foord Bowes, an officer of unusual ability and intrepidity, who fell in the attack upon the forts at Salamanca, 23d June, 1 812.( See Harper's "Alison," HI., 476 (2) and note f, and other authorities on the War in Spain). She died at Anglesey, neai* Gosport, England, in 1850. 3. Marianne, died 1st January, 1868. Sir John, died 4th January, 1830, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, HI. Sir Adam Gordon, Lieut.-Col. of the 6th Battalion of Militia, born 6th May, 1781 ; who died unmarried 21 st May, ll X The John sot) Family. 1843, and was succeeded by his nephew, William (^eorgk, the present (1882) Baronet. IV. Sir William Georok Johnson, of Twickenham, Coun- ty of Middlesex, Enghuid, was graduated at Woolwich, and for the best portion of his life held a comniission in the British Army as Captain of Artillery, and acted, in the discharge of va- rious staff duties, at different posts, and once upon the Island of St. Helena; born 19th December, 1830; succeeded as IV. Baro- net at the decease of his uncle, in May, 1843. Arms. — Argent, two lions counter-rampant, supporting a dexter hand gules; in chief, three estoilles of the last, and in has, a salnioii naiant in water, proper. Crkst.— An arm, gules, encircled with a ducal crown. Or, the hand grasping a sword, proper, poinard and hilt, Or. Motto.- -"ATec. aspera te'n-entr ''Difficulties do not stop {or deter) or dismay.'' " Boldness Wins." Sir John Johnson, might have exclaimed, in the words of Dryden : " Fortune Ciime smiling to my youtli, and woo'd it, And purpl'd greatness met my ripen'd years, Wlien first I came to empire, I was borne, On tides of people crowding to my triurnj)!! : The wish of nations, and the willing world Receiv'd me as its pledge of future peace. I was so great, so happy, so belov'd. Fate could not ruin me, 'til I took pains. And work'd against my fortune ; chid her from me, And turn'd her loose, yet still she came again. My careless days, and my luxurious nights. At length have wearied her ; and now slie's gone. ***** It Oh ! I am now so sunk from what I was. Thou find'st me at my low-water mark : The rivers that ran in, and rais'd my fortunes. Are all dried up, or take another course. What I have left is from my native spring ; Pve still a heart that swells ill scorn of fate." F;s;:j,'fi(iPj HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. '• Our knowledge of the fiitiiie | ,861—5], can only be a copy of the past [1775-83!." Th. Ribot's "Diseases 0/ Mepnory." Ciesar.—" You must obey what ali obey, the rule Of fix'd necessity : against her edict Rebellion prospers not." Arnold. — "And wlien it prospers—" Ca>s<ir. — " ■ Tis no rebellion." * * * ♦ Phtlibi-rt.— '• How now, fellow ! Thou waxest insolent, beyond the privilege Of a buffoon." CeFsar.—" You mean, I speak the truth. I'll lie— it is as easy ; then you'll praise me For calling you a hero." Bvron's '^De/oriiied Trnns/ortucii" .-Xct I., Scene II. Posselt, in his " History of Gustavus III., of Sweden." after mentioning that he has had a number of manuscripts communicated to him by a high and competent authority, says, "the author, although he fully agrees in opinion with the writer (of these manu '- scripts), will not communicate them to the public, because the world will neither hea> nor believe tlie simple truths but wishes to be deceived." ScHi.osSER, "History of the XIX. Century:' IV., 34a. "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means ; ai.J my people love to have it so • and what will ye do in the end thereof." Jeremiah V., 30, 31 ilia; "W\ [I, There was a greater and a finer display of Loyalty t the Government, that is, to the Union and to the Flag, in 1861, ten times over, than of patriotism or whatever it may be said to i-epresent, to the cause of Liberty and Independence, that is to the Confederated Colonics, in 3— xi HHSMM Xll Historical Introduction. 1775-(j, In 1861 there was a universal popular fervor at the North, totally disinterested — an uprising of the people.* In 1775-6, as a national feeling, it was exactly the reverse. There were more native Americans in the course of the Avar in the British service than Washington ever had to- gether, regulars and irregulars, under the highest })res- sure of voluntary and compulsory service. Lorenzo Sabine demonstrates this, and the follow^ing letter is too pertinent and corroborative to be omitted. It is from the pen of a very able Federal general, and one of the most reflecting men of this generation, who is like- wise a collateral relation of one of the most prominent Continental generals. In it the writer says : " The more I read and understand the American Revolu- tion, the more I wonder at our success. I doubt if there were more than two States decidedly whig — Massachusetts and Vir- ginia. Massachusetts (morally) overlapped New Hampshire — and the northern part of Rhode Island — and dragged them after her. [These seemed to realize the dependence of the Second .lager in Schiller's " Wallenstein'' s Lager^'' or camp — " Freedom must ever with might entwine, I live and will die by Wallenstein."] The Massachusetts people were Aryan (by race), with a strong injection of Jewish (instincts). The population of Southern Rhode Island and Connecticut were divided — more loyal than * There was more patriotism shown at the North, among all classes and conditions of men, during the first two years of the " Slaveholders' Hebellion" than has ever been exhibited, spontaneously, by any people in the world— far more than during the American Revolution. The Loyalists of 1861-2 took up arms for their colors and country and for conscience— for principle ; so did the Loyalists of 1775-6. Historical Introd/uction. xni Rebel. New Y^ork was Tory. New Jersey — eastern part fol- lowed New York, western part Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was Tory, Maryland was divided ; Nortli Carolina partly fol- lowed her, partly South Carolina. South Carolina had many Tories. Georgia followed South Carolina. Two parties con- stituted the strength of the Whigs — the Democratic Commun- ists of Massachusetts and wherever their organization extended and the (Provincial) aristocracy of Virginia, which was loyal to the King but would not bend to the aristocratic Parliament. The Scotch (Protestant not Papist) Irish in New York, Pennsyl- vania and North Carolina were Rebels to the backbone. The Dutch families in New York [not in authority], the Huguenots in South Carolina, likewise. The Church j)arty, the Germans, the Catholic Irish and the Quakers were Loyalists. The Dis- senters everywhere were Rebels." Without the active assistance of France and Spain, and the silent influence of other powers, jealous or envious or inimical to Great Britain, the achievement of American Independence would have been an hnpossibility. When the goal was reached how did the Confederated Colonies, transnmted into the United States, show their gratitude to France and Spain? Again, there was more honesty, mercy, magnanimity, more charity or philanthropy manifested to the liebels in 1865, than to their brethren, if they were so in fact, by tlie Colonial authorities in 1782-8. The Duke of Alva was scarcely more cruel for liis race, day, prejudices and opportunities than the authorities of the State of New York, for their blood and their era. Not one sentence of this introduction is written to uphold Great Britain. Even accepting Lecky's depreciatory estimate of George III. I il XIV Jlistorlcal Introduction . and his ministry, notliing can excuse the animus which jiormeates the enactments of New York against the Loyal- ists, stigmatized as Tories, who were certainly as honest and self-sacrificing in their convictions as their opponents. The uprising of 18H1 settled the interpretation or (letinition of Loyality — Fealty to the Government and Fidelity to the Flag! If there was any man in the Cohmies who was a decided enemy to the Crown it was .John Adams, and yet he it was who declared, or rather wrote these remarkable words : " For my own part there was not a moment during the lievolution when I would not have given anything I possessed for a restoration to the state of things before the contest began, provided we could have a sufficient security for its continuance." The idea thus expressed by John Adams with the pen, was nothing more than Sir John Johnson MTote in fiercer colors with the sword, at the sacrifice of such a magnificent property that John Adams would have regarded a portion of it as an elegant competency. What have Native Americans gained by all that has been undergone? Would their leaders have taken the stand that they did, if they could have looked foi'ward and foreseen the present condition of things ? Is material prosperity the highest good ? The wish has been attributed to Jefferson, the "Apostle of Democracy?" that an ocean of fire rolled between his country and the old world, to pre- serve it from the evils of emigration. Foreigners in a great measure engineered the American Revolution. How Wixtorli'dJ Introiht'fhni. XV iiiMTiy Hgured at tlie head of our Hrinics ^ How many iiiHiicticod the resolutions of Congress? Of twenty-eight active major-generals — there were thirty, but one re- signed 28(1 April, 177t>, and one was retired in 1778 — eleven were foreigners, and four had learned their trades in tlie British service. Throwing out those who were promoted, of the fifty-tive brigadiers, between 1775 and the elose of tlie war in 1 7^2, twelve were foreigners. The two chief agents of inde})endence were Benjamin F'ranklin and Thomas Paine. The tirst was an accidental American, just born in this country, and the latter an Englishman. Individual rights are more respected and regarded to- day in Great Ibitain, and the law is held in more rever- ence there than in the Uirited States. Here license dictates the laws and a respectable minority has to sutler and suc- cmnb. There is no law but public opinion, right or wrong, and the atrocious influence of political greed and grasping monopoly. Is that worse than a royal will, tempered by a constitutional representation i The atmosphere breathed by so many of the prominent American families of Ncm'^ York was surcharged with Loy- alty and Fidelity to a rightful Prince. Whether tlie idea was wise or foolish, right or wrong, nothing was considered as much a man's personal duty as the maintenance of his honor. The young and charming Lord James Radcliffe, Earl of Derwentwater, tlie idol of the Jacobites, was beheaded* * "Lord Dkkwkni'watkk's Lights. — There have been several wonderful and most unusual displays of aurora borcalis in England ■M XVI Jlistoi'ical Introd uctlon . 24th Fobnmry, 171fi ; tliat is, on tlic very day, it is claimed by Col. T. Ruiley Myers, that Sir William John- son was born, and the wild fervor of Jacobite Loyalty whs still alive when Sir John mus a boy. The world was yet ringing with the thrilling, tonching and trumpet-toned ballads which celebrated the virtues and sacrifices of those who dared and died for the Stuarts. With such examples before them, men who had been elevated and rewarded by the Crown would have been false to maidiood if they had not stood by the source of honor whose streams had en- nobled and enriched them. Contrast Lord Dkrwkntwater's famous " Good Nieht" with a similar poem, evoked by the exile and ruin of the Westchester de Lanceys. The same spirit manifests itself in both. lately, .seriously aflectintf, as they have done here, the telegraphic communication. In Norfhumberfand, the aurora borealis is icnown among the peasantry by the name of Lord Derwentvvater 8 Lights. In the attempt to place the Stuarts on the throne, the Earl of Derwent- water, head of the great Roman Catholic north country family of Radcliffe, took a conspicuous part, and paid the penalty on the scaffold. On the night of his execution there was a brilliant display of the aurora borealis, and the simple peasantry, by whom their lord, a man of high and amiable character, was greatly beloved, associated the phenomena with the death of the unfortunate young nobleman. "There is also a legend, which yet lingers amidst the homesteads of the property which once was his, that the water in the moat of Dilstone Castle, the family seat, turned blood red on that same fatal night. This notion is likely to have arisen from the reflection of the sky [crimson with the aurora] in the water. Tlie vast estates of the Rad- clifl'es were confiscated to the endowment of Greenwich Hospital, and are now worth about £60,000 a year. A maniac, calling herself Countess of Derwentwater, has lately been claiming them." Post Nov. 29, 1870. IHstorical Introduction. XVII " Farewell to i)lt'aH)int DilHton Hall, My father' H ancient neat ; A Mtranf/er imw iniigt call thee Ma, Wliicli garH my heart to greet. Farew<'ll each friendly well-known face, My heart has held so dear; My tenants now muni leave their lundii, Or hold their lives in fear* " No more along the banks of Tyne, I'll rove in autumn grey ; No more I'll hear at early dawn, Tlu' lav" rocks wake the day. Then fare thee well, brave Witherington, And Forster ever true ; Dear Shaftesbury and Errlngton. Receive my last adieu. "And fare thee well, George Collingwood, Since fate has put ub down, j^ If thou and I have lowt our lives. Our King has lost his crown. Farewell, farewell, my lady dear, 111, ill thou counsell'dst me ; / 7iever more may see the babe That smiles upon thy knec.\ " And fare thee well, my bonny grey steed,:): That carried me aye so free ; I wish I had been asleep in ray bed, The last time I mounted thee. This warning bell now bids me cease. My trouble's nearly o'er ; * True to the letter as regards ihe tenants and dependents of Sir John Johnson. f Lady Johnson's child, born in captivity, died in consequence of the exposure attending her escape from the Whigs or Rebels, and Sir John only looked upon it to see it die. X Sir John Johnson had a famous (white or whitey-grey V) charger, which was captured during the invasion of 1780. (See Simm's "Scho harie," 386.) xviii Historical Introduction. Yon Sun that rises from the sea, Shall rise on nie no more. "Albeit that here in London town, It is my fate to die ; O carry me to Nortlmmberland, In my ftvther's grave to lie ! Then chant my solemn requienj, In Hexham's holj'^ towers ; And let six maids of fair Tynedale, Scatter my grave with flowers. "And when the head that wears the crown, Shall be laid low like mine, Some honest hearts may then lament. For Radclitte's fallen line. Farewell to pleasant Dilston Hall. My father's ancient seat ; A stranger now must call thee his, Vv hich gars my heart to greet." The toucliing lines, just quoted, are echoes of similar heart-utterances of every nation wdiich has a literature, and M^hich has been torn by civil war. Several poems of exquisite pathos attest the deep feeling of the Huguenot exiles driven by bigotry from France and from the sunny homes they were never again to behold. Many years ago, among old family records, the writer found some verses in manuscript which embody the same sentiments as those which characterize " Lord, Derwent water's Good Night." They refer to the desolation which fell upon the domain in Westchester County, N. Y., where his grandfather, Hon. John Watts, Jr., married, 2d October, 1775, the lovely Jane de Lancey— a couple so fitted for each other in every respect, that the festival was suitably commemorated in prose and |)oetry. The gentle Jane was the niece of IRstori^^al Introduction . XIX Lady Johnson, wife of Sir John, and the sister of tlie famous Colonel James de Lancey, who organized a Battalion of Loyal Light Horse. "This Troop [the nucleus] is truly 'Elite' of the country,'' is the record of the Royal G( \ jrnor. Their commander, stigmatized by his oppo- nents as the "Outlaw of the Bronx," became "the terror of the region" between the Harlem river and the High- lands. He was fearless and indefatigable, and, on one occasion, came near "gobbling" Washington. So formid- able did he prove, that Washington's "first offensive de- sign" — after his junction with Lauzun's Legion and the ad- vanced corps of Rochambeau — was an attempt to destroy de Lancey' s Legion. This, like that of Lauzun, Pulaski, Arniand and "Light Horse Harry" Lee, comprised botli Horse and Foot. The enterprise was undertaken on the night of 1st July, 1781. It failed completely. When the success of the Americans was decided, Colo- nel James de Lancey, the hero of so much sterling fact and romantic fiction, went forth an exile — a sad fate for so brave and conscientious a soldier, although he was rewarded by the bounty and confidence of the King for whom he liad lost all. He was a nephew of Sir John Johnson. When about to leave forever his ancestral liome, the " "Outlaw of the Bronx' mounted his horse, and, riding to the dwell- ings of his neighbors [early associates and constant friends through life] bid them each farewell. His paternal fields and every object presented to his view were associ- Jited with'the joyful recollections of early life. The con- sciousness that he beheld them all for the last time, and -am XX Historical Introduction. the uncertainties to be encountered in the strange country to which banishment was consigning him, conspired to awaken emotions sncli as the sternest bosom is sometimes compelled to entertain. It was in vain that he struggled to suppress feelings whicli shoo.k his iron heart. Nature soon obtained the mastery, and he burst into tears. After weeping with uncontrollable bitterness for a few moments, lie shook his ancient friend b}' the hand, ejaculating with difficulty the w^ords of benediction — 'God bless you, Theophilus [Bailey] !' and spurring forward, turned his back forever upon his native valley"— the home of the writer's great-grandparents on the mother's side. The following feeling lines M^ere written by a stranger, an Englishman, who visited the old de Lancey manor, in Westchester County, N. Y., expecting to find there, still existing, some memorials of that gallant, courtly and emi- nent race w^hich once directed the development of the colony and province. But, alas, in the same manner that war, exile, confiscation and death had smitten and scat- tered the proud owners, even so had flood, fire and change laid waste or altered their ornate possessions. A solitary pine., towering aloft in natural majesty, alone survived to mark the spot where once a flourishing loyal race ex- tended its stately hospitalities, and enjoyed the sweets of a home, the abode of prosperity and the shelter of extra- ordinary hereditary capacity. A contrast so marked be- tween the past and the present moved even the alien, and in poetic numbers he testified his sympathy and recorded the desolation : Historical Introduction. XXI " Where gentle Bronx clear winding flows His shadowing banlcs between ; Where blossom'd bell and wilding rose Adorn the brightest green ; Memorials of the fallen great, The rich and honor'd line, Stands high in solitary state, De Lancey's ancient jnne. " There, once at early dawn array'd. The rural sports to lead. The gallant master of the glade Bestrode his eager steed ; And once the light-foot maiden came, In loveliness divine, To sculpture with the dearest name, De Lancey'a ancient pine. "And now the stranger's foot explores De Lancey'a wide domain, And scarce one kindred heart restores His memory to the plain ; And just like one in age alone, The last of all his line Bends sadly where the waters moan— De Lancey^s ancient pine. " Oh greatness ! o'er thy final fall, The feeling heart should mourn. Nor from de Lancey'a ancient Hall With cold rejoicing turn : No ! no ! the satiate stranger stays When eve's calm glories shine, To weep— as tells of other days De Lancey'a ancient pine." rF!%^ ■" i THE AMERICAN LOYALISTS. "At the conclusion of a long war, how are we recompensed for the death of multitudes •md the expense of millions, but by contemplating the sudden glories of paymasters and agents, contractors and commissaries, whose equipages shine like meteors, and whose palaces rise like exhalations." * Dr. Johnson. "Thus perished the party of the Gironde ; reckless in its measures, culpable for its rashness, but illustrious from its talents, glorious in its fall. It embraced all the men who were philanthropists from feeling, or Republicans from principle ; the brave, the humane, the benevolent. But with them were also combined within its ranks numbers of a baser kind ; many who employed their genius for the advancement of their ambition, and were careless of their country provided tRey elevated their party. It was overthrown by a fac- tion of coarser materials, but more determined character, * * ♦ Adorned by the most splendid talents, supported by the most powerful eloquence, actuated at times by the most generous intentions, it perished * * * Such ever has, and ever will be, the result of revolutionary convulsions in society when not steadily opposed in the outset by a firm union of the higher classes of the community ; in the collision of oppo- site factions the virtuous and the moderate will too often be overcome by the reckless and the during. Prudence clogs their enterprise; virtue checks their ambition; humanity paralyzes their exertions. They fall because they recoil from the violence which becomes, in disastrous times, essential to command success in revolutions." Ai.i.son's ^''History of Europe y'' II., ix., 214, 2. FfU'tmiately for the colonies, Carleton was not in favor with the British authorities at home, and Burgoyne, sub- stituted in 1777, had neither the wisdom nor the generosity to develop an elehient of strength which Carleton had found so efficacious and trustworthy. Clinton, in this regard, * This sentence was adopted as the motto of a somewhat scarce " History of the First Ten Years of George III.," London, 1788, written by (Robert ?) Macfarlane, who kept an academy at Walthamstow, in Essex County, England, seven miles N.N.E. of London. xxii The Aiiierican Loyalists. xxiii imitated Biirgoyne. The German, Kny})hau8en, strange to say, was the first to perceive tlie truth and organize a military organization of the Loyalists that could be relied on upon every occasion. He raised, in 1779-80, six thou- sand good troops among the citizens of New York, wdiicli made this city — the grand base of the British forces — se- cure. A course similar to that of Carleton, after the cap- ture of Savannah by Campbell, in December, 1778, enabled Provost to convert Georgia almost entirely from rebellion to loyalty. Clinton, in 1777, w^as as unwise on the Lower Hudson as Burgoyne had been on the Upper. Cornwallis had all the sense of Carleton without his astuteness. His advice to the Loyalists of the Carolinas was admirable. He counselled them not to take up arms and embody until he was near enough at hand to protect and support them ; until they had gathered strength to stand and go alone. His policy in this regard would have worked wonders, had it not been for the intervention of a new element, which had not entered into the calculations of any of the Royal com- manders. This "w^as the appearance upon the scene of the mountaineers of the AUeghanies, who were aroused to action by the fugitives from the districts occupied by the temporary victors. Cornwallis, although severe, was just ; and it is somewhat remarkable that it was not until 1866 that a little book appeared, entitled "The Last Ninety Days of the War in North Carolina," in which justice is done to the previously misrepresented Marquis. Cornwal- lis did hang a number; but American historians are very careful not to state that those hanged were taken "red XXIV The Ai)ierican Loyalists. hand," "with American arms in their hands and with British protections in their pockets." It was only through the generosity of Cornwallis that the Loyalists with him in Yorktown were enabled to get off with safety when the place was taken. The whole of this matter is misunderstood, and has never been clearly placed before the people. Too many of the influential Loyalists acted in 1775-6 like the French nobility in 1790-2. Louis de Lomenie, in his "Comtesse de Rochefort et ses Amis" (p. 297), has some remarks on this subject which are pertinent. "To explain so prompt a downfall of the French aristocracy of the eighteenth century, writers have often urged the in-esist- ible impetuosity of the Democratic movement. We do not deny this impetuosity, but it is nevertheless necessary to recognize that if this aristocracy, in place of being a mere shadow of what it should have been, had retained tlie vigor of an eflfective patri- ciate (higher or better class) and a living body, it would not with- out utility, perhaps, for the cause of liberty, have tempered the revolutionary movement, or, at least, have opposed to it a stronger resistance than it did. It was broken at the first shock, because this formerly flourishing branch of the great national tree" was not true to itself. Lomenie goes on to give other rea- sons which were peculiar to France, whereas in America, although the causes were apparently different, they were at bottom the same, viz.: the better classes had "given hostages to fortune," and this, according to the proverbs of all time, unnerves men until it is too late. It is inconceivable how the Loyalist strength in the co- lonies was misapplied, frittered away or wasted. The re- The American Loyalists. XXV suit only shows that in all revolutions the Middle or Neutral — generally styled the Conservative — party only embarrass the Ultras on one side in support of the govern- ment, and aid the Eadicals, on the other side, by attempt- ing to arrest or mediate ; thus affording time for the organi- zation of the latter, which converts rebellion into revolution. In all political crises or cataclysms, a renaissance through blood, the best, the conservative class, the cham- pions of right, pure and simple, furnish the first and the bulk of the victims. Thus it was in America. The daring and reckless with comparatively little to lose, with grand exceptions, it is true, fell upon the intellectual and wealthy, who adhered to the government under which they had thriven. The myrmidons of the Crown — selfish, indolent, self-satisfied professionals — were as cruel in their inaction as the leaders of faction were merciless in their exactions. The persecution of the Tories was determined with cold-blooded calculation, since the Saxon can not plead in excuse the excitability of the Celtic or Latin races ; what he does he does advisedly. Nor w^as the desertion of the Loyalists at the Peace of Paris, 1783, less disgraceful on the part of Great Britain. It was fiercely denounced in the House of Commons; it was justly stigmatized in the House of Lords. Even Lord St. Germain redeemed himself in a measure by his eloquent advocacy of the brave party who had abandoned everything for honor — principle, the mother-country; its highest representative of these, the Crown. Lorenzo Sabine has demonstrated all this, laid open the iniquity, revealed the truth, vindicated the fl ''"' '' im XXVI The American Loyalists. Loyalists or Tories ; for the term Tory, as used in re- gard to a party adverse to Kebellion or Revolution, dur- ing- 1775 to 1783, is a title of honor and not a term of reproach. When the difficulties between the Crown and the Colonies first began to develop into positive ideas of ulti- mate resistance on the side of the latter, the party for inde- pendence was in a comparatively small minority and con- finod to particular disaffected localities. If the whole popu- lation had then resolved itself into two camps, the matter might have been decided promptly and for many years to come. As it happened, those who had much to lose were too timid to act instantly and resolutely ; and those who had little or nothing to lose became bolder and bolder in the pres- ence of an irresolute antagonism, M'hich M'as not backed by a military force sufficient absolutely to overaw^e. Massachu- setts was muiuestionably in earnest from the first ; but an- tagonism to the Crown was its normal condition. It had always been the hot-bed of what might be harshly termed, from a British point of view, sedition. Although the first bloodshed occui-red in New York, on the 19tli-20th January, 1770, it would not have led to any comparatively general outbreak, had it not been for the terrible uproar following the second bloodshed at Boston, 5th March, 1770, and the consequences which ensued from the latter. The very assemblage which considered the Declaration of Independence, in 1776, did not unanimously vote or agree in the act to sever the connection between the colonies and the mother country. The date accepted, 4th of July, is in- The American Loyaliata. XXVIl correct; and tlje Declaration was juggled throiigli, and the signatures were appended from time to time throughout the year, if not a longer period. This accounts for the irre- gular manner tliey ap[)ear on the document, since the latest were inserted wherever a vacant space was found. It be- came a sort of test oath. The Judge published an admirable burlesque, or pa- rody, or caricature of Trumbuirs famous picture of "The Signing." It depicts the representatives in very dila})i- dated conditions, with blackened eyes, bruised bodies, torn clothes and general tokens of an aflfray, drawing near to affix their signatures at the table where Hancock presides look- ing like tlie genius of an Irish wake. There is as much truth as poetry in the conception, for the Declaration was not agreed to with anything like unanimity or the generally conceived harmony. There is eomething very curious about the respect as- tached to this "4tli of July." The first Congress of the Colonies signed a "Conqjact of Union" (li. W. (Jr.'sG.W. and his Gens.," II., 15), on the 4th of July, 1754, at Al- bany. This may account for the selection of this day in 177H. The fact that two of our ex-Presidents, who had signed the Declaration, died on the same date, added ad- ditional significance, which a series of victories, from East to West along the whole line on the same day, in 1868, confirmed in the minds of the people. The Loyalists, confiding in the power of the CroMMi, did not take up arms as soon as their adversaries ; and thus, when they did begin to embody, they were at once 6 f %■' JjV;; i ■ :| XXVlll The American Loyalists. crushed by stronger and better organized masses. The British professional leaders — as a rule throughout all time, and especially in this country— with the usual arrogance of their caste, neither sought to utilize, support nor protect their friends Avhen they did come together, and even treated them with superciliousness and neglect, if they did not absolutely sacrifice them when they appeared as auxil- iaries. Carleton was the first who had the wisdom to call this element into play, and through it he saved Canada, just as the French had previously lost Xcm' France through a contrary course to his, amounting to the same subse(|U(^nt lack of judgment on the part of the royal British military governors. SIR JOHN JOHNSON, KNIGHT AND BAllONET. BoHN 5th Nov.. i7ii. Dibd 4th Jan., WiO. "The Past appeals to the impartiality of the P'uture. History replies. But, often, generations pass away ere that reply can be given in a determinate form. I'or not until the voices of contemporaneous panegyric and censure are hushed ; not until passionate pulses have ceased to beat ; not until flattery has lost its power to charm, and calumny to vilify, can the verdict of history be pronounced. 'J'hen from the clouds of error and pre- judice the sun of truth emerges, and light is diffused in bright rays, of ever increasing refulgency and breadth. * * * Every age has its own heroes — men who seem to em- body the prevailing characteristics of their relative epochs, anil to present to after ages the idealized expression of their chief tendencies. Such men must be judged by no ordi- nary standard. History must view their actions as a whole, not subject them to separate tests, or examine them through the lenses of partial criticism and narrow-minded prejudice." Oscar II., King of Sweden, in his "/.//<■ <•/ C/iar/es A'//." " I would serve my king ; Serve him with all my fortune here at home. And serve him with my person in the wars ; Watch for him, fight for him, bleed for him, and die for him, As every true-born subject ought !" Thomas Otwav's Tragedy, '^T/te Orphan" 1680. Perhaps no man in "tlie Colonies" who adhered to tlie Crown, lias been so cruelly misjudged and consistently misrepresented as Sir John Johnson. Every possible charge, derogatory to him, has been raked up and brought out against him. Why? Because he did not submit quietly to what he deemed injustice, but struck back boldly and severely — made himself felt, made those xxix i\X sir John Johnmn. suffer who cuiisod him to Huft'er. Ho was the only Lt)jal- ist who had tfie opportunity to force the bitter clialico whicli lie had been eonipelled to drain, back u])on the lips of those who filled it for hini, and in turn obliged them to (luaff the same hateful (lrau«;ht. The de Lanceya and many other Loyalists fought just as boldly and as bitterly, and as persistently, but they never had the same opportunity as Sir John to make every fibre of antagonism <piiver. The father of Sir John Johnson —the subject of this me- moir—was the famous Sir William Johnson, Bart., Colo- nel in the Royal Army, Major-General in the Provincial service and British Superintendent of Indian Affairs. This gentleman was, perhaps, the most prominent man in the province of New York during the decade wliich ])receded the Declaration of Independence. Peter Van Schaack, a very noted lawyer of the period, wrote, July, 1774, a few days after the Baronet's decease: "I own, I consider him as the GREATEST CHARACTER OF THE AOK." If ever there was a leader who deserved the Corona Oleagina* of the Romans, it was Sir AVilliam. Whether a Jansen— a descendant of one of those indomitable Hollanders who 'assisted to subdue Ireland, and anglicised their names— or of English race, proper. Sir William M^as a strong ex- ample of those common-sense men who know how to seize Fortune by the forelock and not clutch in vain the * This Corona Oleagina, was a wrcatli of olive leaves and the re- ward of a con mander through whose Instrumentality a triumph had been obtained though not himself in the action by which it was achieved. Aul. Gbi.l., V., 0. ; Rich. Dict., R. & G. A. /Sf'r John John Hon. XXXI tresses M'liich flow down lior r<^cedin<j buck. Ho opened to ennfifratioii two of the most productive valleys in the world — the Moluiwk and Schoharie; and with the development of their riches rose hini:ielf to a heiu^ht of o])uk'nce aii<l influence unequalled in the "Thirteen Colonies." Just in his dcalinjLTs with all men, he was particularly so with the Indians, and accpiircd a })ower over the latter such as no other individual ever ])osscssed. Transferred from ci\ il jurisdiction to military connnand he exhibited no less ability in the more dangerous exi<ijen- cies of war, than in the laborious services of peace. He, it was, wlio first stennned the tide of French invasion, and turned it at Lake George, in 1755; le- ceiving botli from his sovereign and from Pai-liament a grateful recognition of his extraordimiry services. Nor were the peopl- of the Province of New York less demonstrative in tin applai se or appreciative of his achievements. At "Johnson Hall" he lived in truly baronial state, and no other jirovincial magnate ever ex- hibited such affluence and grandeur as was displayed by him in his castle and home (Fort Johnson) on the Mohawk. His greatest achievement, in immediate as well as ultimate results, was his victory at Lake George over the veteran Dieskau, 8th August, 1755. New England, always jealous of New York, has endeavored as usual to transfer the laurels from Johnson to one of her own people. As king, country and countrymen accorded the honor and reward to Johnson, "success," in his case, "proved the test of merit." That there were New Eng- II + ftp*; 11 xxxn Sir John Johnson. landers w\\o could estimate Johiisoii at his true value, let the following letter (Stone's "Sir W. J.," I., 521) attest. It is from Surgeon Williams, of Massachusetts, to his wafe in Deerfield in that colony. It bears the date of the very day of the battle, M^hicli, by the way, M^as exactly a njonth less a day subsequent to Braddock's defeat; the Provin- cial by his ability redeeming in Xew York the incapacity of the Professional and Eegular in Pennsylvania:" "I must say," wrote Williams, "he [Johnson] is a complete gentleman, and willing to please and oblige all men ; familiar and free of access to the lowest sentinel ; a gentleman of un- common smart sense and even temper; never saw him in a ruffle, or use any bad language — in short, I never was so dis- appointed in a person in the idea I had of him before I came fiom home, in my life ; to sum up, he is almost universally be- loved and esteemed by otKcers and soldiers as a second Marl- borough for coohisss of head and loarmness of hearV His next exploit, scarcely less notable and result! ve, was the defeat of a superior French force seeking to relieve Fort Niagara, and his capture of this noted stronghold, 24th July, 1759. The distinguished British general and military historian, Sir Edward Oust, in his "Annals of the Wars," refers in the following language to this not- able exploit of Sir William: "This gentleman, like Clive, was a self-taught general, who, by dint of innate courage and natural sagacity, without the help of a military edu- cation or military experience, rivalled, if not eclipsed the greatest commanders. Sir William Johnson omitted no- thing to continue the vigorous measures of the late gene- Sh' John JohuHon. XXXlll ral [Prideuux, killed] and added to tlieni everything bis own genius could suggest. The troops, who respected, and the provincials, Mdio adored him," were not less de- voted than the Six JSTations of Indians, w^ho gladly fol- lowed his own ever fortunate banner and the less fortunate guidon of his no less valiant and loyal son. Thus, with a sway hard to comprehend at the present day, beloved, respected and feared by law-breakers and evil-doers, the mortal enemies of his semi-civilized wards — the Six Nations — he lived a life of honor ; and died, not by his own hand, as stated by prejudiced tradition, but a victim to a chronic debilitating disease, and to that ener- gy which, although it never bent in the service of king or country, had to yield to years and nature. Sick, and thereby une([ual to the demands of public business, he presided at a council, 11th July, 1774, spoke and directed, until his ebbing strength failed, and could not be restored by the inadequate remedial measures at hand on the bor- ders of the wilderness. To no one man does central New York owe so much of her physical development as to Sir William Johnson. Wedded, in 1739, to a Tlollandish or German maiden, amply endowed with the best gifts of nature, both physical and mental, "good sound sense, and a mild and gentle disposition," Sir William was by her the father of one son, born in 1742, and two daughters. The latter are sufficiently described in a charming, Mell-known book, entitled "The Memoirs of an American Ladv" — Mrs. Grant, of Laggan. The former was Sir John Johnson, a XXXIV Sir Jolin Joltnson. more lieroic representative of tlie transition era of this State, tlian those whom Success, and its />w^e— Hi tory, have placed in the national '' Walhalla/' While yet a youth this son accompanied his father to his fields of battle, and, Mdien the generality of boys are at school or college, witnessed two of the bloodiest conflicts on which the fate of the colony depended. He had scarcely attained major- ity Mdien he was entrusted wath an independent command, and in it displayed an ability, a fortitude, and a judg- ment worthy of riper years and wider experience. Sent out to England by his father in 1765, "to try to wear off the rusticity of a country education, '' immediately upon his presentation at court he received from his sovereign an acknowledgment— partly due to the reputa- tion of his parent, and partly to his own tact and cai)acity —such as stands alone in colonial history. Although his fathei-. Sir William, \vas already a knight and baronet for service to the crown, John was himself knighted, at the age of twenty-three ; and thus the old-new baronial hall at JohnstoAvn sheltered tvA'-o recipients, in the same family and generation, of the accolade of chivalry. There is no parallel to this double knighthood in American biography, and but few in the family annals of older countries. This M^as the era when "New York was in its happiest state." In the summer of 1773, and in his thirtieth year. Sir John Johnson married the beautiful Mary — or, as she was affectionately called, "Polly "—Watts, aged nineteen. Sir John Johnmn. XXXV Mrri. Grant, of Laggan, has left is a cliariniiig pen-portrait of this bright maiden. Inheriting his father's dignities and responsibilities, Sir John Johnson conld not have been otherwise than a champion of his sovereign's rights. If he had turned his coat to save his property, lik^ some of the prominent patriots, he would have been a renegade, if not worse. Some of the lights of patriotism had already cast longing glances upon his rich possessions in the Mohawk Valley. Its historian intimates (Simms, 120) that in a successful rebellion the latter counted upon dividing his princely domains into snug little farms for themselves. The germ of anti-rentism was developing already ; although it took over sixty to seventy years to thoroughly enlist legislative assistance, and perfect spoliation in the guise of modern agrarian law. Surrounded by a devoted tenantry, backed by those "Romans of America," the "Six Nations," those "Indians of the Indians," the Iroquois, it was not easy "to bell the cat" by force. It is neither politic nor intended to revive hereditary animosities by the mention of nanies. Sufficient to say, might prevailed over right, and Sir John was placed imder what the Albany Com- mittee choose to define a "parole." Modern courts of inquiry, especially in the United States since 1860, have decided that such a vaurue svstem of parolinii' is in itself invalid, and that individuals subjected to such a ])rocedure are absolved de facto from any pledges. It is both persistent and po[)ular to charge Sir John with having broken his parole. Before even entering into the 6 «5 'i. XXXVl Sir John Johnson. i> 'I ([uestion, it is simple justice to rebut the charge by deuiah riis superiors did not recognize it, and able men accpiainted M^tli military law are not unanimous in holding tluit a parole, imposed, as it was upon him, \^'as binding either in law or honor. But, even if it were valid, he did not break it, since the very self-constituted authority that imposed it, abrogated it by its own action. There are two i)artie8 to every contract, legal, equitable or honorable, and if one party uses duplicity and manifests the intention to alter an agreement by a jirocedure which would completely change the relation of the parties, what- ever, great oi- small, could come within or under the legal signification of fraud, or even deception, or "a snare," abrogates every contract. If Sir John gave a i)ai-ole to any parties having power to exact it, he was entitled to every right and privilege conferred by a parole. If using the i)arole as a blind, those by whom it was exacted, un- dertook to withdraAv it simultaneously with the substitu- tion of an order for his arrest and close and severe confine- ment, and the latter could only be effected by treachery to the obligations of the former, common justice must concede that the discovery of' such an intention put an end to the obligation of the parole. The treatment of Lady Johnson subsequent to her husband's escape is the very best proof of the animus which dictated the course against Sir John. If a body in authority could hold the utmost penalty over the head of a hcljJess woman, detained as a hostage, it is only tair to believe that there woidd have been no mercy shown to the defiant husband. The little il Sir John Johnson. XXX VI 1 rare work already cited in tliese pages as an authority, " The Adventures of a Lady in the War of Inde])endence in America," sets forth tlie cruelty exliihited tow^ards Lady Johnson, and, until that can be shown to be false, it must be accepted as a trustworthy witness. The treatment of Madame de Lavalette, by tlie French government, for co-operating in the escape of her Inisband,' condemned to death for his adherence to Napoleon in 1815, has always been considered an indellible stigma upon it. General Cust pronounces him innocent of '•''treachery.''^ Still, although this lady suffered a rigorous solitary con- finement of twenty-six days, no one dreamed, even at this period, of the intensest feeling and bitterest animosity, or intimated, that she should, or would be, held as a hostage for the conduct of her husband. "Now, Madam," is the language addressed to Lady Johnson, as quoted by her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Colonel Christopher Johnson, "My connnand does not extend beyond this province; but, if 8ir John comes one foot within my district with his mur- derous allies — your fate is sealed ! "How, sir; what do you mean? What can I do!" gasped the lady, overcome for the moment by the information and the manner in Avhich it was conveyed. "1 mean, Madam, that if your husband lets his Indians go on scalping our people, we canH prevent then shooting you '^' * Your case. Madam, is different from all others. Sir John [Col. Guy was Superin- tendent of the Indians, not Sir John] has power over the Indians, whom no one else can control. We have no wish to injure you individually ; but we must save our people XXXVllI sir John Johnson. tVoiii liis savages. We hold i/ou and yoxir children ax host- (Kjes ; and wo consider that another such descent as the Indians made yesterday on the village of , vnll justify us in the eyes of the whole world in avenging the slaughter of many w^omen and children, as helpless and more innocent than yourself! " A prominent major-general, a regular officer, dis- tinguished in his profession as well as with his pen, to whom the question of this parole -was submitted, decided in favor of Sir John, and a lawyer of standing and an historian of ahility has argued this question at length in his Notes, XXX., xxxi., to the " History of New York, " by Judge Thomas Jones, who, likewise, exonerates Sir ,lohn. Mr. de Lancey after furnishing his proofs, sums up the matter in these words : " The common charge of historical writers, that Sir John broke his parole, is therefore ^''vnth- o^ it foundation and untrue.'''"*' In a conversation with Gen. B. B. C , had 5-3-80, discusf'ing the question of paroles, this gentleman, author of "Battles of the American Kevolution,'' who had given the closest attention to original documents at home and in England, furnished additional arguments as to the impossibility of the right to impose a parole on Sir John. Johnson was put upon parole, so called, by * In the Appendices (" Proofs Considered") to the writer's Address on Sir .John Johnson, Bart., delivered before the New York Historical Society, at its annual meeting, 6th January, 1880, Mr. de Lancey has not only been quoted at length, but additional evidence printed derived from other and various sources. Sf'r John Johnson. XXXI X tliosi' who were styliiii:; themselves at tlie time "faithful subjects of his Majesty." If faithful subjects, how had Sir John rendered himself liable when the orijLjinal charges a<::ainst him were " subse<|uentl y j)rove(l false?" There are some curious circumstances connected with this consideration would recjuire a lawyer's brief to make them ])lain to conmion observation. Sufficient to say, everythinu; turns on the success of the devolution. Might made right, and Sir .lohn, who if the Crown had won would have been exulted to the seventh heaven of honor, since the mother c(^untry failed, is thrust down into the lowest nether depths by those who rose on his fall and profited by the confiscation of his extensive estates. Such is human jndgment. ft is to be hoped the same law does not rule elsewhere. If, however, it was a simple exem- jilification of "might makes right," there is no more to be said. That is the supreme law of this country to- day ; no other. Here it is not only pertinent but just to remark, that (^ount d'Estaing, the first French C/onnnander who brought assistance to this country, had notoriously broken his parole, and yet American writers have never alluded to the fact as prejudicial to his honor, ft did not serve their purpose. The French held that Washington once violated his parole; and Michelet, a devoted friend to liberty and this country, feelingly refers to the case of .Fumonville, to demonstrate one of the heart-burnings which France had to overcome in lending assistance to the revolted colonies. Marshall, in his "Life of Wash- xl Sir John Johnson. ington, " enters into a detailed explanation of this event ; but it only shows that if national antagonism is so difficult to reconcile, how much more so is the intenser spite of civil differences after blood has been shed. How many South- ern officers, in spite of their paroles, met the Union troops on battlefield after battlefield. Regiments and brigades, if not divisions, paroled at Vicksburg, were encountered, it is averred, within a few weeks in the conflicts around Chattanooga. French generals, paroled by the Prussians, it has also been charged, did not hesitate to accept active commands in even the shortest space of time. Circum- stances alter cases, and under those which govern in re- spect to him, the charge against Sir John was a pretext ; but, weak as it is, it is not true. Power in all ages has not been delicate in its choice of means to destroy a dan- gerous antagonist. It would have been well for some of the noblest histor- ical victims, such as Abner, Amasa, Sertorius, Viriathus, Abd el-Kader, Osceola,— if they had comprehended the spirit of these verses (Ecclesiasticus xii., 10, 16) as well as the reply of van der Does, in Leyden, to the Spanish general Valdez, besieging tlie place : "The fowler plays sweet notes on his pipe M'hen he spreads his net for the bird." Sir John was to have been simultaneously released from his parole and made a prisoner. The officer who carried the communication discharging Sir John from his parole, was the bearer also of directions to arrest him as soon as he had read it, "and make him a close prisoner, and care- Sir John Johnson, xli fully guard liitn that ho may not have the least opportunity to escape." Sir John hud some friends amonij^ those who M^ere now in power, and received intelligence of what was going on. He exercised ordinary discretion, and escaped before the trap — a "".snare," as Lossing styles it — could be S})rung u])on him. Sir John fled, but he did not fly unaccompanied; and among his subsequent associates, oflficers and soldiers, were men of as good standing as those who remained be- hind to profit by the change of authority. Many of the latter, however, expiated their sins or errors on the day of reckoning at ( )ri8kany. " Sir John, after nineteen days of inconceivable hardships, reached Montreal with his companions in a state of fatigue and destitution which they could not have survived many days longer. The regular roads were so entirely occupied by the rebels, that they had to take a circuitous route through the thickets of the forests. The few provisions the Indians had prepared were soon exhausted, and they had to subsist on roots ; their boots and clothes were coiu])lete]y destroyed, and when they reached the sliores of the St. Lawrence, it was difficult to recognize or understand the gaunt spectres who emerged from the ' bush,' to seek shelter and a passage across [the St. Law- rence] from the wondering ' habitans' of the first settlement they came to. But a few weeks sufficed to restore Sir John to his usual vigor, both of mind and body ; and, before he was able to assume an active command, he was at work organizing a force of Loyalists, of which he is the colonel, and his frequent irruptions into the territory held by the Continentals, as they call themselves, were the causes of your [Lady .Tohnson's] being removed from Albany. He is charged by them with having broken his word of honor, pledged that he would remain pas- i II : «J ,1 xHi Sir John JoJuisnn. sive ; but we all know that his person wmdd have been seized^ had he remained that nifjlu [wlieii Col. Dayton arrived] at the llalV Stone, in his 'Life of Brant' (I., 14-t), corroV)oratcs this, 'After nineteen days of severe hardship, the Baronet and liis partisans arrived at Montreal in a pitiable condition — having encountered all of suft'ering that it seemed possible for man to endure.' Stone then adds {Ibid, 144), and he presents almost the identical idea of tlie niagnanimoiis Sabine (I., 581): 'Sir Jolin was immediatelv conunissioned a colonel in the British service, and raised a command of two battalions, composed of those who accompanied him in his flight, and other American loyalists who subsequently followed their example. They were called tlie 'Royal Greens.' In the month of January following, he found his way into Xew York, then in possession of the British ibrces. From that period he became, not only one of the most active, but one of the bitterest foes of his own countrymen of any who were engaged in that contest — and repeatedly the scoiirge of his own former neighbors. He was unquestionably a loyalist from principle, else he would scarcely have ha/arded, as he did, and ultimately lost, domains larger and fairer than probably ever belonged to a single proprietor in America, Willian Penn only excepted." Sabine (I., 581) observes: "It is thought that he was a conscientious loyalist; and this may be allowed. lie lived in a style of luxury and splendor which few country gentlemen in America possessed the means to support. His domains were as large and as fair as those of any colonist of his time, the estate of Lord Fairfax only excepted; and no American hazarded more, probably, in the cause of the Crown. Faith- fulness to duty is never a crime; and, if he sacrificed his home, his fortune, and his country, for his principles, he deserves admiration. * * * r^^iQ conduct of the Whigs towards him may have been harsh, and, in the beginning, too harsh for liis offences." The majority of those who were most active in wrong- Sir John Johnson. xliii ing the family of Sir William Johnson experienced severe punishment, either in themselves or their surroundings, and the consequences of their injustice tlircatened to undo the work of a century and make Schenectady once more a frontier town. Not able to seize the man (Sir John), disii})pointment determined to capture a wonuin. The victim was his wife. Why? The answer is in the words of a letter preserved in the series of the well-known Peter Force, which says: "It is the general opinion of people in Tryon County, that while Lady Johnson is kept as a kind of hostage, Sir John will not carry matters to excess." Lady Johnson must have been a bold woman ; for even when under con- straint, and in the most delicate condition that a woman can be, she exulted in the prospects of quickly hearing that Sir John would speedily ravage the country on the Mohawk river to redress his own and her wrongs and suffering. To quote another letter from the highest authority, ''It has been hinted that she is a good se- curity to prevent the effects of her husband's virulence." With a determination even superior to that exhibited by her husband, because she was a woman and he a man. Lady Johnson in midwinter, January, 1777, in disguise, made her escape through hardships which would appal a person in her position in the present day. Through the deepest snows, through the extreme cold, through lines of ingrates and enemies, she made her way into the loyal city of New York. Her story reads like a romance. People cite Flora MacDonald, Grace Darrell, Florence Nightin- 1 £3ii xHv Sir John Johnson. gale. Wo had a heroine in onr midst who <ii8])layed u courage as loi'ty as theirs ; but slie is forgotten, because she M'as the wife of a man who had the courage to avenge her wrongs even upon the victors, and chastise lier ene- mies and persecutors /IS well as his own. It was intended at first to embody the whole of Mrs. Colonel Chri8toj)her Johnson's story of her step-mother's wrongs ; but this sketch, as it is, will far outrun all pre- vious calculation. For particulars, the reader is referred to the "Appendices" to his Address before the Historical Society, on file there; to pages 76-81, "History of New York," by Judge Thomas Jones; and to Note XXXI. thereto, by Edward Floyd de Lancey, Esq. The conclu- sion of the story of her escape, after she had parted from her sister, is too interesting and too touching to be omitted. "We must now follow the course of the poor dispirited, agitated mother, who, thou<>;h relying much on the zeal and fidelity of hor devoted servants, yet felt keenly the loss of her active and affectionate sister [Anne Watts, afterwards Countess of Cassilis], whose stronger health and spirits were such an inestimable sup])ort. Poor Tony's [one of her Imsband's faithful negro slaves, who risked so much from affection for the family] chief ground of consolation arose from the conviction that, being so very near the British lines, they could not fail of reaching them — they were almost within sight, he said! Poor fellow, strength and coinage could have insured the safety of his mis tress and her children, he would have carried them or fought for them till he had dropped ; but, as resistance to sentries was out of the question, the present business of all was to be prepared to exercise self command, and to reply with composure to the Sir John JohnHon. Aw questions thnt would be asked. Fortunately, Grove Ilotise was but a little out of the way of their real disiinntion, and as it was probable inquiries iniLjht be made there, it would not have been safe for them to take the slei<j;h on. Tlu-y, therefore, Hto|)i)ed at the cattle-shed, a little distance from the mansion,, and leaving the slrigh and horse there, with one of their heaviest wrapjjings, as an indication that they intended to return, pursued their wny with as much speed as possible in the diiection of the British camp, liy means of tlu'ir pass, and avoidance of the larger bodies posted at different stations, they went on uninteruptedly to the end of that day; and when they reached a resting pl.'ice for the night, it was a matter of deep thankt'ulness to find that, as the Continental camp was ))rotected on that side by a wide river just in a state of partial thaw, that rendered the crossing it dangerous for iiulividuals and imprac- ticable for a body of troops, it had been deemed unnecessary to keep that point very strictly guarded. They cusily foimd, as usual, a meal and a bed; but the anxiety of the Lady was cruelly aggravated by the state of her infant, who depending entirely on the nourishment derived from its unfortunate mother, participated in her physical exhaustion and suffering. The elder children, too, were both so fagged tliat Tony and the imrse were oblitjed to carry them ahnost without in- termission — so that tlie poor Lady could hardly be relieved from the burden of the infiint. They rose, therefore, the next morning, with trend)ling frames and spirits, their sole consola- tion being that they were but two miles from the river; yet how to cross it was a question that could only be solved on its banks. While taking their breakfast, a soldier was seen looking about in the few cottages that weie near their refuge, and presently he catne in to them. Hapitily there was no sign of travelling about them, and supposing them to be the established inhabitants, he began explaining his business by asking after some people who had arrived in a sleigh driven by a black. Most fortunately, also, Tony had separated IVoui i xlvi Sir Jolm Johnson. them, and was taking his meal in another cottage. The soldier did not seem to have been dispatched with any very exact or ur<ijent directions; but his officer having received a message from the camp near Grove House, to inquire after a party who had been expected there, :uid had not arrived, sent his servant to gain some information previous to the arrival of more ])ar- ticuhir instructions. Taking the license v/hich yoang and in- experienced soldiers are apt to exercise, of using their own judgment, the man said, 'If the Britishers were sending women and children over to us, we'd send them back pretty smartly; but if any of the stupid fellows who are taking old George's pay, instead of fighting foi- their country, have a mind to have their wives with them, why, I say, let 'em have the keep of 'em ; and I think my captain don't much ap- prove of being sent woman-hunting, and not even a written order. However, if you hear anything of 'em, you can let me know. I'm going by the lane I'ound the corner out there, for I believe there's a kind of an inn to be found ;' and, so saying, he wished them good-bye, and marched oiF. No sooner was he out of siglit than the terrified females summoned Tony, and with steps quickened by fear set off towards the river. It was no great distance, and on reaching it tiie state of the ice showed clearly why its shores were not very carefully guarded. It must here be remarked th:it the danger of crossing a river, partially covered with ic3, is different from that incurred in a milder climate. As long as the ice lasts, it is much too thick to give way to the heaviest weights ; but when repeated thaws have loosened its firm adherence to the shore, it breaks into enormous masses, which, driving and struggling against each other, and the force of the current, partially released from its winter bondage, form at once one of the grandest exhibitions of Nature, and tnreaten fearful peril to those who venturf to attempt a passage. But, like most dangers to which the na- tives of a country are habituated, they often risk their lives even for an inconsiderable motive, and it is not uncommon to Sir John Johnson. xlvii see a sleigh passing the well-marked road over the ice, which in two hours afterwards is floating away like a vast field, un- broken till it crnshes against another mass, when both pile upon each other in awful grandeur, till further additions shove them on to final destruction. "By the side of a mighty stream in this state, stand the fugitives, hopeless of escape, and supposing that the hour has come when they must yield themselves back to captivity, — a bitter anticipation after all their toils and dangers. Tony's exi)srienced eye, however, described, and pointed out to the Lady that the centre of the river was tolerably clear, and that if they could take advantage of one of those moments when the opposing masses were locked against each other, a boat might land thetn on the opposite side. But could a boat be found ? Yes. They see one, and a man in it, paddling about, apparently seeking a safe nook wherein to bestow his little vessel. Tony chose a point nearest the shore, and springing over fissures and firm pieces of ice, succeeded in making the man hear. He was one of those bold, careless characters, who rather enjoyed the risk, as well as the acquirement of the dollars often lavishly bestowed for a passage. It was now un- necessary for the paity to feign poverty, therefore the gold hitherto hidden in thi-ir garments was ])roduced, and each carrying a child made their way with infinite labor and peril of 8li[)ping to the frail vessel, which was to be guided among masses that might in an instant be in motion to crush or over- whelm them. The poor Lady clasped her infant closer and closer to her bosom, not venturing to speak lest she should withdraw Tony's attention tVom the guidance of the boat; yet trembling at the suspension of the feeble cries which till then had wrunsr her heart with anguish. The little face was chilled, and the eyes closed ; but though she feared the worst, she yet hoped that it was but the sleep of exhaustion. Halfan-hour, which seemed an interminable period, brought them to the opposite shore. The British tents were within sight, gold xlviii /Sir John Johnson. was tlirown to the boatnmii, and thoiigli tlie snoAV was deep and soft, and the Lady staggered with weakness, she struggled on through a mile which yet separated them from the first line of sentries. Indians were the first who spied the party, and though they received with their usual conijiosure the announce- ment of the Lady's name,* a glance sent off two of their num- ber towards the camp, while the others, wrapping some furs around the Lady and her infant, lifted them with the utmost care and tendei-ness in their powerful arms, till they were met by the messengers returning with blankets and mattrasses, hastily formed into litters. On these all were carefully de- posited and carried on swiftly ; I'ony weeping with joy and thankfulness over his mistress, and telling her Sir John was coming! The poor mother cast one hopeful glance towards tlie di><tance, and another of anxiety upon her infant, who just opened its little eyes, and ere she could see that it was the last convulsion of the sinking frame, she was clasped in the arms of her husbatul and borne insensible to the quarters of the Comtnander-in-Chief, where every care and comfort was bestowed on her and her children that their exhausted state required. The first delight of being restored to her husband and seeing her children at rest ami in safety was marred by the anguish of missing the little loved one, whom she had borne through so much sorrow and suffering. 'But a few hours sooner,' she thopght, 'and my pietty one had been saved.' But the joy and thankfulness of those .iround her soon stilled her repining. ]ioth her surviving ehildri'u appeared to be entirely restored to health; but with the little girl the appearance was * Such was the affection borne by the "£ix Nations" to the Johnson family, thit, many years afier, when the wiiter'r. father visited them, in Ounada, and when tlic survivors of this onre mfirhty (/onfederalion, " the Remans of America," learned that lie liad married a niece of Lady Johnton, Ihey adopted him with the v 'M( nate pseudonym (according to Sir William George Johnson, Bart.): "Saitat-t^iINou-iakion," signi- fying, in substance, " One of us." mm sir John Johnson. xlix fallacious. After the first week her strength and appetite declined, and her parents had the grjef of laying her in an untimely grave, from the destructive eftects of cold and ex- posure on a fi'anie pieviously debilitated by illness during her mother's captivity, when she could not procure either advice or proper medicines," (" Adventures of a Lady in the War of Iiidependence in America," pages 53-7.) It is not the intention of tliis work to reflect upon, or refer to, Revolutionary officials further than is absolutely necessary. The Johnson family, the loyalists, their friends and advocates, present an entirely different statement of facts from those which may be styled the popular account, which is that of the victors, realizing the bitter force of the proverb ^^vcb victis.''^ The judgments pronounced by either of these are not more severe in their conclusions and opprobrious in their language than the terms used in the various accounts of the contests between the settlers and their leaders of the New Hampshire Grants, now Vermont, and the authorities of New York and their agents ; or of the collisions between the Connecticut settlers und their chief-men in the Wyoming Valley, and the " Penjiamites " and their executives seeking to enforce the rights of the Penn Patentees in the Susquehanna Valley, or of the Union party or Loyalists and the South- erners during the "Slaveholder's Rebellion " in 1861-5 and since. There is nothing so bitter and spiteful, so barbarous and revengful and unforgiving as the rancor and re- course of political struggles and those arising from religious antagonisms, except family feuds. The conflict « 1 1 1 Sir John Johnson. h of the American Eevolution necessarily partook of the nature of all three.- Presbyterianism, in one form or another, gave energy to the Eevolutionaj'y party, while Episcopalianism M'as, as a rule, the creed of the Eoyalists or Loyalists. The former fought to obtain what the others enjoyed, and families and neighborhoods w^ere divided, and blood poured forth like water, with spiteful savageness, by hands whose vigor was derived from the same vei7is^ under the impulse of the same brains, of race, kinman- ship and connection, family ties and associations. This was especially exemplified in the two bloodiest and de- cisive encounters of the war. King's Mountain at the South, and Oriskany at the North. In the Carolinas and in the Mohawk Valley, mortals on both sides sometimes surpassed demons in their enmity, because in both, par- ticularly in the latter, fathers, sons, brothers, cousins and former friends exchanged shots, crossed steel and applied the torch. Men of this day cannot conceive the feelings of that, and to judge the Loyalists or Tories by the stories of the Kebels or Patriots is just as fair as to credit the charges of an ultra fire-eating Southerner against Loyal men and the invading troops of the LTnion. Furthermore, if the fury of the antagonism in the Carolinas equalled that in New York, there was a vast contrast in the legis- lation that followed the peace. The Carolinas excelled in magnanimity and New York in ungenerous severity. There the oftences of the Loyalists were condoned from respect to their gallantry and convictions; in New York the consfiscations and penalties were continued in force Sir John Johnson. U and the Loyalists, true-men, were compelled to live and die, as a rule, in poverty, pain, exile and proscription. All this occurred prior to the spring of 1TT6. Sir Guy Carleton, undoubtedly the grandest character among the British military chieftains, at this time, acting independently, in America, received Sir John with open arms, and immediately gave him opportunities to raise a regiment, which made itself know and felt along the frontier, throughout the war. With a fatal parsimony of judgment and its application, tlie Crown frittered away its strength, in some cases in protecting private or vested interests, and never accumulated sufficient troops at de- cisive points and moments. The arrival of these was too often delayed and even afterwards they were diverted from objects of highest importance to points where success could produce no lasting result. In 1777, when Burgoyne Avas preparing for his invasion of New York down the Hudson, St. Loger was entrusted M'itli a similar advance down the Mohawk. Sir Henry Clinton, an able strategist and a brave soldier, but an indolent, nervous mortal, and an inefficient commander, recorded a sagacious opinion on this occasion — endorsed by Continental Nathaniel Greene — viz., that to St. Leger was assigned the most important part in the programme with the most inadequate means of carrying it out. To play this part successfully, re- quired a much larger force; and yet — to take a fort garri- soned by at least 750 (perhaps 950) not inefficient troops, with sufficient artillery (14 pieces ?), and tight the whole available population of Tryon County in arms beside,— 8 ii lii Sir John Johnson. St. Leger had not more than abont 410 whites and an aggregation of 600 to 800 Indians from 22 different tribes, gathered from the remotest points administered by British officers— even from the extreme western shores of Lake Supei-ior. To batter this fort he had a few small pieces of ordnance, which were about as effective as pop-gnns; and were simply adeqnate, as he says in his report, of "teasing," without injuring the garrison. St. Leger's second in command was Sir John Johnson. For the relief of Fort Stanwix, Major (or only Brigadier) General Ilarkheimer. Sir John's old antagonist, gathered up all the valid men in Tryon county, variously stated at from 800 and 900 to 1000, constituting four embodied regi- ments of militia, besides numerous volunteers of all grades and standing, a few mounted men (Hoffman), and some Oneida Indians. These latter, traitors to a fraternal bond of centuries, seemed about as useless to their wqw associates as they were faithless to their old ties. To meet Harkheimer, Brigadier-General St. Leger allowed Sir John Johnson to proceed in person and carry out the able plan conceived by the latter. It is now clearly established beyond a doubt that his ability planned and his determin- ation fought the battle of Oriskany. Had the Indians shown anything like the pluck of white men, not a Pro- vincial would have escaped. In spite of their inefficiency, Sir John's whites alone would have accomplished the business had it not been for "a shower of blessing" sent by Providence, and a recall to the assistance of St. Leger. As it was, this was the bloodiest battle of the "" } Sir John Johnson. liii Revolution at the North. Indecisive on the field of battle, it was morally decisive in results. Harkheimer lost his life, likewise several hundred of his followers, and Trjon County sufi^ered such a terrific calamity, that, to use the inference of its historian, if it smiled again during the war it smiled tlirough tears. The iron will of Schuyler, another old, almost life-long personal and political antago- nist of Sir John, sent Arnold, the best soldier of the Revo- lution, to save Fort Stanwix, the key to the Mohawk valley. The rapid advance of this brilliant leadei', and the dastardly conduct and defection of the Indians, preserved the beleaguered work ; and St. Leger and St. John were forced to retire. On this salvation of Fort Stanwix and NOT on, properly speaking, Hoosic or Walloomscoik, mis- called Bennington, nor on Saratoga, hinged the fate of the Burgoyne invasion and the eventful certainty of independ- ence. No part of the failure is chargeable to Sir John. As before mentioned, the English war administration seemed utterly inadeipiate to the occasion. They had not been able to grapple with its exigencies while the colo- nies were "doing for themselves," as Mazzini expressed it. When France and Spain entered the list, and Bur- goyne' s army had been eliminated from the war problem, they seem to have lost their heads; and, in 1778, aban- doned all the fruits of the misdirected efforts of their main army. The nervous Clinton succeeded to the indolent Howe in the field, and the uncertain Ilaldimand to the determined Carleton in Canada. Ilaldimand, a Swiss bv birth and a veteran by service, was entirely deficient in the i,m liv Sir John Johnson. I» ... It ! priceless practical abilities in which his predecessor ex- celled. Those who knew him considered him an excellent professional soldier, but for administration and organiza- tion his gifts were small, lie was so afraid that the French and Provincials would invade and dismember the I [remaining British possessions in North America, that he i jnot only crippled Clinton in a measure, by constant de- ' mands for troops, but he was afraid to entrust such bril- liant partisans as Sir John Johnson with forces sufficient to accomplish anything of importance. He suifered raids when he should have launched invasions, and he kept al- most every available company and battalion for the defence of a territory, which, except in its ports, was amply pro- tected by nature and distance. Washington played on his timidity just as he afterward fingered the nervousness of Clinton. Thus the rest of 1777, the whole of 1778, and the greater part of 1779 was passed by Sir John in com- paratively compulsory inactivity. He was undoubtedly busy. But like thousands of human efforts which cost such an expenditure of thought and preparation, but are fruitless in marked results, their records are " writ in water. ' ' In 1779 occurred the famous invasion of the territory of the Six Nations by Sullivan. In one sense it was triumphant. It did the devil's work thoroughly. It con- verted a series of blooming gardens, teeming orchards and productive fields into wastes and ashes. It was a disgrace to developing civilization, and, except to those writers who worship nothing but temporary success, it called forth I Sir John Johnson. Iv some of the most, scathing condemnations ever penned by historians. AVhen M'liite men scalp and flay Indians, and convert the skins of the latter' s thighs into boot-tops, the qnestion suggests itself, which were the savages, the Continental troops or the Indians. It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that, for evei'y Indian slain and Indian hut consumed in this campaign, a thousand white men, women and children paid the penalty ; and it is almost imexceptionally admitted that the inextinguishable hatred of the redskins to the United States dates from this raid of Sullivan, worthy of the Scottish chief who smoked liis enemies to death in a cavern, or of a Pellissier, a St. Arnaud or a Pretorius. Simmes, in his "History of Sco- harie County," N. Y., commenting on Sir John's devasta- tions in 1880, remarks: "Thus was revenged the destruc- tion of the Indian possessions in the Chemung and Gene- see Valleys the year before by General Sullivan ; which^ had they a historian^ would he found a no less gloomy picture.'''' Sullivan's idtimate military objective must have been Fort Niagara, the basis, for about a century, of inroads, French and British, upon Xew York. Why he did not make the attempt requires a consideration would occupy more space than can be assigned in this memoir. There were adversaries in his front who did not fear pop-gun artillerv like the Indians, and were not to be dismaved by an "elegant" cannonade as at Newtown. Ilaldi- mand had sent Sir John Johnson to organize a body of 500 (N. Y. Col. Doc, viii., 779) white troops, besides lifi w Ivi sir John Johvson. the Indians, and those were rapidly concentrating (Stone's " Brandt,'' TI., 10) npon Snllivan, when the latter counter- marched. American historians n:ive their reasons for this retreat; British writers explain it very differently. In any event this Expedition was the last military com- mand enjoyed by Sullivan. The Scripture here affords an expression which may not be inapplicable. "He departed without being desired." Sir John's further aggressive movements Avere pre- vented by the early setting in of winter, which rendered the navigation of Lake Ontario too dangerous for the certain dispatch of the necessary troops and adecjuate supplies. The diligent search for information in regard to the details of the movements upon this frontier, as been hitherto baffled. According to a reliable contemporary record. Sir John Johnson, Col. Butler and Capt. Brandt captured Fort Stanwix on the 2d of November, 1779. This is the only aggressive operation of the year attributed to him. In 1780 Sir John was given head, or let loose, and he made the most of his time. In this year he made two incursions into the Mohawk Valley, the first in May and the second in October. There is a very curious circumstance connected with the first of these raids. The burial of his valuable plate and papers, and the guarding of the secret of this deposit by a faithful slave, although sold into the hands of his master's enemies; the recovery of the silver through this I Sir John JolknHon. Ivii faithful negro, and the transport of the treasures, in the kiuipsacks of forty soldiers, through the wilderness to Canada; has been related in so many books that there is no need of a repetition of the details. One fact, however, is not generally known. Through dampness the papers had been wholly or i)artially destroyed ; and this may ac- count for a great many gaps and involved questions in narratives connected with the Johnson family. The "treasure-trove" eventually was of no service to him. God maketh the wrath of man to praise Him ; and al- though Sir John was the rod of His anger, the staff of His indignation and the weapon of His vengeance for the injustice and barbarisms shown by the Americans to the Six Nations, but es])ecially during the preceding year, the instrument was not allowed to profit, personally, by the ser- vice.* The silver and other articles, retrieved at such a cost of peril, of life, of desolation and of suffering, was not des- tined to beneiit anvone. What, amid fire and sword and death and devastation, had been wrenched from the enemy was placed on shipboard for conveyance to England, and, by the "irony of fate," the vessel foundered in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and its precious freight, like that described in the "Nibelungen Lied," sank into the treasury of so much of earth's richest spoils and possessions, the abyss of the sea. * Acco ■ ^g to another tradition — as little reliable, perhaps, as such legends iisua..^ I'c — the vessel did not founder, but was captured by a New England i)rivatecr out of Salem, Mass. Another legend attributes Sir John's ill luck and loss to a French lettcr-of -marque. Ill ] It fl # Vlll Sir John Johnson. There is a curious but coni])letc moral in the career of Sir JoliM Johnson. Those who from purely selHsli motives i)er- sei'Ute<l him for liis a<Uu'renee to tlie crown — loyal I'rom prin- ciple antl sim|)ly strivinii; to save his own ; perislied or sulieretl some other just punishment. Nevertheless, Sir Jolm, the in- strument of their chastisement, did not profit by his success to the extent of regaininuj his own, throujih his triumphant retalia- tion ujton his enemies. The course and consecjuence of the whole oriujinal wrong-doinjr and reprisals realized the prophecy of Tsaiah, to the effect that when the Loi'd hail ]»erformed his wiiole Avork ui)on Judah, throutjjh the Assyrian, "the rod of his anger and the staf!" ol his iiulignation," he declared that in turn he woidd punish the. instrument, because he had exceeded his commission and made it, as it were, a jjorsonal matter. Judah, the Whigs, were to be scourged to the bone for their sins, but the flail, the Loyalists, were not to profit personally by it. This is just about the view that the honest Sabine takes of the whole matter and agrees with the expression of Zechariah, that God was "sore displeased" with those whom he emj)loyed to execute his pmiishment, because he " was but a little dis- pleased, and they helped forward the affliction." So it is ever, alas, in this world. As Ecclesiasticus impresses n])on its readers, there is an existing and unerring law of compensation. The pendulum of what "will be" sweeps far to the right, but the law of " must be " gravitates and the momentum brings it back as far to the left ; and thus it swhigs, to and fro, as long as the impetus of cause and result continues to exert their forces ; like a thousand agencies, great and small, scourging the world : the west like Attila, the east like Tamerlane ; a continent, Europe, like Napoleon, or a country apart, Italy, like Hannibal; a province, as the Lowlands of Scotland, like Montrose, or a district, the Mohawk and Schoharie Valleys, like Johnson. When the mission is fulfilled and the victims have suffered, the agent perishes or the instrument is laid aside ; the former often dying peaceably, tranquilly, trustingly ; be- cause, however man may judge the act, it is God, alone, who K — iSir John Johnmn. lix {•;m JMdge tlie motive, wliicli is oIUmi titlclity to principle, pure jiiid simple, an<l an execution in rii^id obedience to a law that humanity cannot coinprehend. Men in their wrath sow the wind to reap the whirlwind of the passions they arouse. The Whigs of the Mohawk Valley worked their will upon the Tories in 177(5, and, if the day of evil had not been mercifully shortened for them, the rich district they coveted would have been lefl to them a desert. It 18 said that Sir John's second invasion of this year was co-ordinate with tlie plan of Sir Henry Clinton, of which the basis was tlie siu'render of West Point by Arn(^hl. If so, the former bore to the latter the same relation that the advance of St. Leger did in respect to Burgoyne. St. Leger' s failure burst the combined move- ment of 1777 ; and the capture of the unfortunate Andre exploded the conception of 1780. Thus Sh* John's move- ment, which was to have been one of a grand military series, unhappily for his reputation became an apparent "mission of vengeance," executed, however, with a thoroughness which was felt far beyond the district upon which the visitation came — came in such a terrible guise, that a hundred years have scarcely weakened the bitter- ness of its memories. Whatever else may be debited to him, it can be said of Johnson, as of certain, but few, other honest, earnest, Loyal men, who have offended the masses, that he did his work effectively. Even in 1781 Sir John was still a menace to the frontier. Affairs in New York and Vermont, along Lake Champlain, were in a very unsatisfactory condition. All the assist- ance that could be hoped for from France was directed to 9 Ix 8i7' John Johnmn. anotLor mul a distant quarter. Tl.. very districts of Kew Jork wJueli l.ad rallie.l to oj.pose ]^,urgoyne and Ids li eutenants, were disaffected. - Tl.e poison 'was actively at work even in All.any." At tl.is time an expedition Nvas n.editated a^i^ainst Pittsburgli, to be led l,y 8ir Jolin .Johnson and ( olonel Connelly, in connection "with oo,n- ">"'ations an.ong the lu.stile Indians n.ore extensive than any previously set on foot. Why these all failed is an.on.^ the unsolved enii^n.as of the Tievohition. If they depended on Gen. Ilaldin.and, the explanation is clear. He had not sufficient activity, either of n.ind or body, to hokl the w.res, much less to pull them with the requisite ener^^v. AIthou,i,d. scarcely one hundred years have passed away since the events considered in this sketch, there are a^nost as conflicting accounts of the personal appear- ance of Sir John as there are antagonistic judgments in '•e8i.ect to his characte,-. By son.e h(> has been repre- sonted as over six feet in height; by others as n.)t taller than tl.e ordinary run of men in his <listrict. Doubtless in nuiture years he was a stout or stalwart figure, and this, always at least to some extent, detracts from height, and deceives unless everything is in exact proportion. The only likeness in existence, said to l)e of him, which is in accordaiK-e with descriptions, is a red stij>ple engraving of F. Bartolo/zi, R. A., that appeared in some contemporary publication, representing i,im in imiform. it is not inconsistent with the pictures of him at a more advanced age, ordinnrilv produced in well-known recent works. /Sir John Johnsoi}. Ixi Tlieso, however, from the costume and expression, seem to have been taken at a much hiter date.* By his inveterate liereditary enemies and historians, so styled, who have adopted traditionary bias as fact, Sir John has been 'described as cold, haughty, cruel and implacable, of questionable " courag-e, and with a feeble sense of ])ersonal honor,, Mr. Willian C. Bryant, in his admirable biogra])hical sketch, disposes of this repulsive pi(!ture with a single honest senteiice : "The detested title of Tori/^ in fact, was a synonym for all these uii- amiable qualities." According to a recently found sketch of Charleston, South Carolina, published in 1854, it w^ould ap[)ear that every American opposed to French Jacobinism was stig- matized as an aristocrat; and when Washington approved of .lay's treaty of 17!>5, six prominent advocates of his j)olicy were hung in <i^^y and [)olluted with every mark of iiidijjnitv ; then burned. Even the likeness of Wash- ington, at full length, on a sign, is re])orted to have been much abused by tlu> rabble. These patriots experienced the same treatment accorded to the character of Sir John. The procession at Poughkeepsie, in this State, to ratify the adoption of the Federal Constitution, came near enJ- * Mr. (le Lfinccy. at paj?e 642 (Note Iv.), Vol. 2, iipi)eiul<'d to Jones' "Hl&tory of New York," «fec., {'urnishea a description of Sir John, whicli tal.ies rxactly witli the colored enirravin!; by Bartolo'^/i, in the writer's possession, which lias been reprodiieed for th's work. "lie was a handsonie, well-made man, a little short, with blue eyes, liij^lit hair, a fresh complexion, and a lirm but pleasant expression. 1I(! was cpiick iiiid decided in disposition and manner, and possessed offrreat endurance." 1x1 i Sir John Johnson. ing in bloodslied. Any one opposed to slavery, M'lien it existed, risked his life, sontli of "Mason and Dixon's line," if he nttered his sentiments in pnblic. No virtues wonld have saved him from violence. On the other hand, there were classes and comnmnities at the North who M^ould not concede a redeeming quality to a slaveholder. Passion intensifies public opinion. The masses never reflect. Here let a distinction l)e drawn which very few, even thinking persons, duly ai)i)reciate. The rabble are not the peoijle. Knox, in his "Races of Men," draws this distinction most clearly. And yet in no country to such an extent as in the United States is this mistake so often made. Old Tiome was styled by its own best thinkers and annalists "the cesspool of the world:" and if any modern State vleserves this scathing im])utation, it is this very State of New York. Count Tallyrand-Perigord said that as long a there is sufiicient virtue in the thinking cLisses to assimilate what is good, and reject what is vicious in in)migration, there is true progress and real prosperity. When the poison becomes superior to the resistive and assimilative power, the descent begins. It is to pander to the rabble, not the people, that men like Sir John Johnson are misrepresented. S leh a course is politic fur demagogues. To them the utterance of the truth is suicidal, because they only could exi^t through pervers- ins worthy of a Machiavelli. They thrive through political Jesuitism. The Roman po])ulace were njahi- tained and restrained by '' panem et eireences:' The <S'/r John Johnston. Ixiii Imlk of inodeni voters feed like tliein — to use the Scripture exi)re8si()n — on the wind of dehisi(»n ; and it is this method of portraiture wdiicli eiuibled Local Committees to strike down Sir John Johnson, coniiscate his property and drive him forth, and "Rings" to carry out their purposes in our very midst to-day. People of the present poi jd can scarcely conceive the virulence of vituperation wliicli characterized the political literature of a centurv since. IIoui>;h, in his '"''l^ovthern InvaaUm^'''' has a note on this subject which applies to every similar case. The gist of it is this : The opinions of local populations m regard to prominent men >vere en- tirely biased, if not foimded upon their popularity or the reverse. If modern times w^ere to judge of the character of Hannibal by the pictures handed down by the gravest of Roman historians, he would have to be regarded as a man destitute of almost every redeeming trait except cour.age and ability or astuteness; whereas, when the truth is sifted out, it is positively certain that the very vices attributed to the great Carthaginian should be trans- ferred to his Latin adversaries. Sir John was not cold. He was one of the n>ost affec- tionate of men. Mr. Ih-yant tells us that he was not "haughty."'' but, on the contrary, displayed (jualities which are totally inconsistent with this defect. "His numners were peculiarly mild, gentle and winning. He was remarkably fond of the society of children, who, with their marvellous insiiiht into character, bestowed upon him the full measiire of their uiKpiestioning love I lii m Ixiv Sir J aim Johnson. and faith. Tie was als- greatly attaclied to all domestic animals, and notably very humane and tender in his treat- ment of them." Another writer, commenting upon these traits, remarks: " Ills peculiar characteristic of tenderness to children and animals, makes me think that the stories of his inhumanity during the War of the Revolution can- not be true." He was not "cruel." A number of anecdotes are re- lated to the contrary by those not peculiarlv favorable to him. These in themselves, recorded as they are by partisans of a different order of things to those repre- sented by the Johnsons, are sufficient to raise strong doubts of the truth of the charges brought against hinC esen if they do not positively disprove such a sweeping judgment. The honest Bryant penned a paragraph winch is perti- nent in this connection. "Sir John, certainly, inherited many of the virtues Mdn-ch shed lustre upon his father's name. His devotion to the interests of his government; his energetic and en- lightened administration of important trusts T his eai-nest championship of the barbarous race Mdiich looked uj) to Inm as a father and a friend ; his cheerful sacrifice of a princely fortune and estate on what he conceived to be the altar of pati-iotism, connot be controverted by the most virulent of his detractors. The atrocities which ■,vere perpetrated by the invading forces under his con.- mand are precisely those which, in our annals, have attached a stigma to the names of Montcalm ami Burgoyne. To restrain an ill-disciplined rabble of exiled To.-ies and Sir John Johnson. Ixv I'utliless savages was beyond tlie power of men whose liunianity has never in other instances been (questioned. " The majority of writers absolved Montcahn ; and Burgoyne dischiimed, and ahnost conchisively proved, that he was not responsible for the charges brought against him by the grandiloquent Gates and others, wdio did not hesitate to draw upon their imagination to make a i)oint. Sir John, with his own lips, declared, in regard to the cruelties suffered by the Whigs during his first in- I'oad, that '"their Tory neighbors, and not himself, were blamable for those acts." It is said that Sir John much regretted the death of those who \vere esteemed by his father, and censured the murdei'cr. But how was he to punish! Can the United States at this day, with all its l)ower, punish the individuul pt ipetrators of cruelties along the Western frontier and among the Indians I It is justly remarked tliai if the ''Six Nations" had an his- torian, the Chemung and Genesee valleys, desolated by Sullivan, would present no less glaring a picture than of those of the Schoharie and Mohawk, which experienced the visitations of Sir John. He, at all events, ordered '•hurches and other buildings, certainly the houses of nomi- nal friends, to be spared. Sullivan's vengeance was indis- criminate, and left nothing standing in the shape of a l)uilding which ids fires could reach. Sir John more than once interposed his discii)lined troops between the savages and their intended victims. He redeemed captives with his own money; and while without contradiction he pun- ished a guilty district with military execution, it was not * 9 Ixvi Sir John Jolmson. directed by liis orders or countenance against individuals. Hough, for liiniself, and quoting others, admits that "no violence was offered to women and chiklren." There is nothing on record or hinted to show tliat he refused mercy to prisoners; no instance of wdiat M^as termed " Tarleton's quarter " is cited ; nothing like the wholesale slaughter of Tories by Whigs at the South whenever the latter got the chance or up})erhand : no summary hanging of prisoners as at King's Mountain ; and it is \qy^ ques- tionable if cold-blooded peculation in the American ad- ministrative corps did not kill off incalculably more in the course of a single campaign, than fell at the hands of all, white and red, directed by Johnson, during the war. As to the epithet '"in. placable," it amounts to nothing. To the masses, anyone who punishes a majority, even tempering justico with mercy, provided he moves in a sphere above the plane of those who are the subjects of the discipline, is always considered not only unjust but cruel. The ])atriots or rebels of Tryon county had worked their will on the liberties of the family and the properties of Sir John Johnson ; and he certainly gave them a good deep draught from the goblet they had originally forced upon his lips. He did not live up to the Christian code which all men preach and no man }>ractices, and assuredly did riot turn the other cheek to the smiter, or offer his cloak to him M'ho had already stolen his coat. Will any unpreju- diced pei'son deny that ther.e was great justilication for his conduct. The masses a century since and previous could understand nothing that was not brought homo to them in '■ 1] iSi?' John Johnson. Ixvii letters of fire and of suffering. Tlieir conipassioii unci their fury were both tlie blaze of straw ; and tlieir cruelty was as enduring as the heat of red hot steel, especially when their passions were thoroughly excited in civil and reli- gious cQnflicts. There is only one more charge against Sir John to dis- pose of, viz., that "his courage was questionable." The accusation in regard to his having a "feeble sense of per- sonal honor" rests upon the stereotyped fallacy in regard to the violation of his parole. This has already been treated of and declared, by experts, to be unsustained by justice. In fact, Mr. Edward Floyd de Lancey has proved that he did not do so. In this connection it is necessary to cite a few more pertinent words from the impartial William C. Bryant. This author says: "Sir John's sympathies were well knoM'n, and he was constrained to sign a pledge that he would remain neutral during the struggle then impending. There is no warrant for sup- posing that Sir John, when he submitted to this degrada- tion, secretly determined to violate his promise on the convenient plea of duress, or upon grounds more rational and ([uieting to his conscience. The jealous espionage to v/hich he was afterwards exposed — the plot to seize upon his person and restrain his liberty — doubtless furnished the coveted pretext for breaking faith with the 'rebels.' " Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, whose "History of New York" is one of the Inost renuirkable productions of the age, writ ing witli the bias of an American, but nevertheless desirous of doing justice to both sides, makes the following remarks ' 10 <:vi 41 1 f Ixvii 11 /Sir John Johnson. in rc'giird to Sir John .lolmsoii.* "lie was known to be a l>owei'fnl loader of men ; lie possessed the niagnetisni which ins])ired devotion." " Enougli has been said abont liis own * In rcf^ard to tlic jJiTsonal appcaranceof Sir John, tlierearo as wide discrt'|)anci('8 as in the opinions atlccting liis cliaracter. This, liow- cvor, should not he siujirising to any close student of liistory. Greater divergencies present tliemselves ia different accounts of tlie Earl of Bothwell ; some i)icturin^ him as striliin^ly u<i;ly and boorisli, otl\ers as eminently handsome and courtly; also of the Russian hero Suwarrow, wlio api)ears in one portrait as tall and comnumdins', in another as di- minutive and repulsive, in one an eccentric genius, but still a genius ; in another a butl'oon devoid of even courage and ability. Where prejudice mixes the colors and passion holds the brush notliuig like truth can be hoped tor. " Homo soIuh aut deuft aut daemon" and party or facti(ui elevate a friend or an ally to the former, or sink an enemy or oppo- nent to the latter. This is particularly the case in civil wars. In them there is no jnste tnilieu of feeling or opinion. Mr. Wm. C. Bryant, Sir John's most generous American biographer, i)resents him as six feet two, and large in projtortion. This would almost make him gigantic. His kinsman, Edward F. de Lancey, Esq., historian, draws an entirely different jjortrait. It would be hard to reconcile such contrasts, were it not that some men, like the late General, our great George H. Thomas, are so erect and imposing that thej impress beholders with the idea that their physical proportions are as mighty as their intellect and influence. A similar judgment — nbnf iitvidia — is apposite, as to the moral characteristics of Sir John. It has been remarked that failure is the greatest crime that mortal- ity recognizes, and that some of the most cruel tyrants would be ac- cepted as exem])lar8 if they had not failed. Such is the opinion of Fronde, in regard to the Duke of Alva. He justly remarks : " Re- ligious " — yes, more especially political history — " is partial in its ver- dicts. The exterminators of the Canaanites are enshrined among the saints, and had the Catholics come off victorious, the Duke of Alva would have been a second Joshua." Tlie opinions of the peoi)le of this colony or State could scarcely be otherwise than unjust and injuri- ous in regard to a man who, to a most important jiortjon of it, resem- bled a tornado or a phenomenal tropical stoim. Such cataclysms are not instantaneous developments, but the result of a series of causes. Their innnedi.ite effects are never beneficial. Their ultimate effects are often eminently so. The idea that Sir Willisim Johnson conmiitted sui-" ■MHWiW S'h' John Johnson. Ixix fearful losses and the unjustifiable sufi'erin^s to wliich his wife was subjected. She had escaped, thanks to God and herself (1776)." "Thus no restraint could now be imposed cide to avoid tlic dilenmm of casting liis lot in with rebellion or against the crown is utterly preposterous — one of those insane self-delusions that the American i)eople indulged lii, blinded with tlie idea of their own 8elf-consei(Ucuce. That a man who owed everything to tiie King, who had pre-eminently distinguished and rewarded him, should go over to the enemies of that monarch, would have stamped him at once as unworthy of the very benelits he had received, t^enturies since, the the people were not of the consequence in the eyes of the riding classes that they have since become. In this remark there is no attempt to presume that the peo]de do not deserve the consideration thej' are now enabled to exact. But the fact is indisputable that they did not then en- joy it. Washington and Jetl'erson, and all the great lights of the Revo- lutitm, did not regard the masses as the politicians of this day are com- pelled to do. If they could rise from their graves they woidd marvel at the almost incredible i)rogress made by the mass of humanity, in wringing, even from desjiots, a consideration for their oj)inions. It is just as ridiculous to imagine that Sir John .Johnson would be false to his allegiance as to imagine that Sir William killed himself to avoid changing his uniform. None of the most ardent patriots, so styled, desired in 1775 that complete severance of ties between the mother country and the colonies which the success of the latter gradu- ally more and more concreted into a fixed determination. The wisest could not have foreseen the armed intervention of France and Spain, and yet, without this, inde]H'ndence could not have been secured. The event was still doubtful in 1781, and it was only a concurrence of cir- cumstances beyond mortal control that decided the struggle. For Sir John .Johnson to have turned his back on all those characteris- tics which, by generous minds, are regarded as the finest qualities in man — gratitude, loyalty, consistency — might have made him popular wiia those who would have profited by his treason, but would have damned him in greater degree with those whose oi)inions he valued. It is just about as sensible to expect an impartial verdict upon Montrose and Claverhouse from the Whigs and Covenanters of Scotland as from the people of central New York upon Sir John Johnson. No man who is connected by the ties of blood or interest, or who has made uj) his mind, lias a right to sit upon a jury ; and no one imbued with the prejudices of the Mohawk Valley, or its historians, has a moral right Ixx Sir John Johnson. upon Sir John\s luoveiiientH, since his fkniily were siite under British protection, and he plun<;'ed into the strife with a bitterness scarcely to ho ecpudled. iVnd he was as to sit in jiulgnu'nt ujjon the Jolinsons. Again, Sir Jolin Jolinson did not desire to liave anytlilns to do witli the manipululion of the In- dians. After Ills fatlior'H deatli he was offered the HucceHsion of Sir William, as Indian Snperinteudent under the Crown, and he refused it, and,' at his suggestion, it was given to his cousin (iuy. These two have been often confounded : and, on one occasion, when a public de- fense of Sir John was being made, a descendant of sufferers at the hands of the Indians rose to objurgate Sir John, and had his whole ground cut from under him by the simple demonstration that the party inculpated by him was Colonel Guy, and not Sir John. Let no one think that lliis is an excuse of the latter at the expense of Guy ; but there is a [)roverb as old as language : " I^et each man claim his own credit, or bear his own blame." The Whigs, or Patriots, or Rebels, of 1774-6, made out a long list of grievances against the Crown, on which they founded the Kavolu- lution. Among these, none was so prominent as the hated Stamp Act. It has been justly said that, in carping or connnending, the eyes of most critics are like the tiirbot's, both cm (me side. This has never been shown more clearly than the American consideration of the Stamp Act. William Edward Hartpole Lecky, in his " History of England in the Eighteenth (Century," 1883, Vol. III., Chap. 12, p. H40, has summed up the whole matter conclusiv((ly against the Colonies, and his verdict is irrefutable : "I have no wish to deny that th(! Slump Act wiis a giicvuiice to the Amerifanc; but it U due to the truth of history th.it the fjrosit e.mggeratioiix which luive l)ueu re- peated on tiie 8ul)ject should be dispelled and that the nature of the allej,'ed tyninny of l<!ngland should be clearly dcllned. It cannot be too distinctly stated, that there is not a fraijment of evidence that any Knglish statesman, or any class of the Knjjli.sh people, desired to raise anything by direct ta.xation from the colonies for purposes that were purely English. TlK-y asked them to contribute nothing to the support of the navy wliii'h i)roteeted their coasts, nothing to the interest of the English debt. At the close of a war which had left Knglaiul ov<'rwhelmed with additional burdens, in which the whole resources of the British Empire had been strained for the extension and security of the liritisli territory in America, by which the American colonists had gained incomparably more than any other of the subjects of the crown, the colonies were asked to bear their share in the burden of the Empire by contributing a third liiirt— lliey would no doubt ultimately have been asked to contribute the whole— of what was retiuired for the maintenance of an army of 10,000 men, intended primarily for tlieir own defence. .£100.000 was the highest estimate of what th<.' Stamp Act would sir John Johnsot). Ixxi brave and t'lUMtri'tic as lie was vindictive, Joiies nays, that lie did more iniseliief to the rebel settlenientH upon the aiimmlly pnxiuic, mid it was inllicr Ifcg ilian a ihinl pari, of the expenseg of tin; new army. 'I'll is was what Kiif;l«ii<i askt'd from the mnnt proHperniii* portion of her Kmplrc. Bvpry farthinfr which it whs intoiuled to raise in America, it was iiiten(h'd also to spend there." Eiii^^Iaiul (Great Britain) was riglit imd juHt antl tlie Thirteen Colo- nies were wronf^aiid uiiijenerous ; and yet tlie best men in tlie Colonies suflered for their obedience to the orders of legally constitnted anthority. They we.e niiule to sutler oillcially and personally, in every line and every degree, in sueceeding generations. Tlie Anierieans expend volumes, of sympathy upon the victims of the British |)ris()n-ships. Are they aware that their own side had prison-ships, and on one occasion a number of eaplives perished in coiifieijuence, by a single accident V Are they aware that there was a copper mine in Coiniecticut, to whicli respectable people were con- signed as laborers, with a want of feeling akin to that with which the Czar Nicholas and his jiredecessois sent otl' convoys of noble champions of what they deemed the right, to iSiberia. LjMich law was as active among the Patriots as on the so-styled borders of civilization, and the term does not emanate from the semi-barbarous West, but from the anti- revolutionary times and centre of Vermont. As an honest descendant of on(! of the sufferers at Wyomingjiistly observed, ui)on the very spot iind under the shadow of the commemorative monument : "The story lias two sides, and I am not going to allow myself to be cjirried away by the prcjiidice.s of tradition." To exonerate Sir John Johnson is to condemn his op|)onents, and to him and tliem is applicable the sen- tence of the Highest Authority: " It must needs be that ottenees come ; but woe to that man by whom the offence conieth." Sir John did not inaugurate the conflict. He was defendant, and not plaintiff, cither in the courts of law or the ordeal of battle. How many of tliose who stirred up the difliculty i)erished at Oris- kany, where first the wager of battle occurred, and how many were impoveri.^-hed in the course of the c(mHict ? Again, the Scri|)turc ob- serves : " Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee." Good, undoubt- edly, was evolved out of the evil that was done, but how many of those who were its agents lived lO see the day V "The mills of the gods grind slowly ;" and time with God is nothing. The grist can only be valued when His time has come. Piedmont or Sardinia, Italy, ex- pelled the Waldcn.ses, and was compelled to permit them to return. Spain drove out the Moors, and accepted comparative ruin as the m S^J %. ^ na. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) !.0 I.I -IIM IIM 2.0 116 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 • M 6" — ► ^... /} "-l VI o w ^ J Photographic Sciences Corpordtion 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY 14580 (716) 872-4503 V \\ ;\ %^^.. %^ ■i> w- } k !l Ixxii *SV/' pJolm Johnson. frontiers of New York than all the partisans in the British service put together." The charge of " (piestionahle eonrage " is utterly ridicu- lous. It originated M'ith his personal enemies, and, if such evidence were admissible, it is disproved by facts. There is scarcely any amount of eulogy which has not price of bigoted oppression. France tlirust out the Hus;uenots, and thereby enriched and fortified hereditary enemies. The Stuarts ])ersecnted the Puritans, and. lo, the American Revolution ! France assisted a rebellion, and the retribution came within lifteen years. The Americans drove out the Loyalists.* and they constituted the bone and sinew, the industry and wealth of the Dominion of Canada. The Seven United States, or Provinces of Holland, two hundred to three hundre*^ years ago, were the "Asylum of Thought," the " Refuge" of persecuted mankind, and the freest country in the world. They fell before their time, from three causes, which are destined to wreck this coimtry : centralization, the mistaking of national w^ealth for na tional greatness, and the mistaking of the virulence of political parti- sanship for the virtue of patriotism. These three disintegrated the whole structure of the body politic, and, when the storm arose and beat upon it, the condition of the fabric revealed itself in ruins. The gods of Homer nod, and an a;on has passed away. God shuts his eyes to the evil, and centuries pass away before the expiation comes ; but it does come. * "A number of Loyal Uerugees had pi'titioncd, and been permitted by Sir Henry Ollntcm to cmb.idy under proper officers, and to retaliate and make reprisals upon tlie Americans declared to be in actual rebellion ajraiiist tl'oir sovereiKn. A party of them, who liad formerly belonged to the MassachusL-tts, made an atte/npt upon Falmouth, in Barnstable county, but were repulsed by the militia. They rerewed it, but not suc- ceeding, went off to Naniticket, and landed S-HX) men, entered the town, broke Qi)en wnreliouses, and carried olf large quantities of oil, whalebone, molassen, siiirar, coffee, and everything that fell in tlieir way. They also carried off two brigs, loaded for the West Indies, two or three schooners, and a large number of boats. In a proclamation !hey left belnnd they took notice of their hariiir/ been imprinoiied, compelled to abandon their dwellini/n, friendu and coiinectionn, had their estates neqiiestered, and been them- gelBesfortMUly banished, never to return, on pain of death. Thus ciramiKtanced, they conceived themxelctx tvarranted, by the latvs or' God and man, to nw/e war against their persecutors, and to use every means in their iwwer to obtain comi}enmtion for their st{f- fetinffg." 5th April, 177H. Gord(m, ni., 230-7. BH Sir John Johnson. Ixxiii been lavished upon Arnold's expedition from the Kenne- bec, across the great divide between Maine and Canada, doMai to the siege of Quebec, and the same praise has been extended to Clarke for his famous march across the droMmed lands of Indiana. Arnold deserves all that can be said for him, and so does Clarke, and everyone who has displayed equal energy and intrepidity. It is only surprising that similar justice has not been extended to Sir John. It is universally conceded that, when he made his escape from his .persecutors, in 1776, and plunged into the howling wilderness to preserve his liberty and honor, he encountered all. the suffering that it seemed possible for a man to endure. Even Napoleon admitted that Courage is secondary to Fortitude. As one, well ac- quainted with the Adirondack wilderness, remarked, "such a traverse would be an astonishing feat, even under favor- able circumstances and season, at this day." Sir John was nineteen days in making the transit, ^md this, too, at a time when snow and drifts still blocked the Indian paths, the only recognized thoroughfares. Xo man de- iicient in spirit and fortitude would ever have made such an attempt Both of the invasions under his personal leading were characterized by sin.ilar daring. In some cases the want of intrepidity was assuredly on the part of those who hurled the epithet at him. American writers admit it by inference, if not in so many words. One of the traditions of Tryon c'ountv, which nmst have been well-known to be remembererl after the lapse of a century, .seems to be to the effect that in the last battle ^m Ixxiv !i Sir John Johnson. knoM^n as the fight on Klock's Field, or near Fox's Mills, both sides ran away from each other. In degree this was the case at Bull Run Ist. Were it true of both sides, it would not be an extraordinary occurrence. Panics, more or less in proportion, have occurred in the best of armies. There was a partial one after Wagrum, after Guastalla, after Solferino, and at our first Bull Kun. But these are only a few among scores of instances that might be cited. What is still more curious, while a single personal enemy of Sir John charged him with quitting the field, his antagonist. Gen. van Eensselaer, was gene- rally abused for not capturing Sir John and his troops, although a conrt-martial decided that, while the General did all he could, his troops were very "bashful," as the Japanese term it, about getting under close fire', and they had to be withdrawn from it to keep the majority from going to the rear. The fact is that the Ameri- can State Levies, quasi-regulars, under the gallant Col. Brown, had experienced such a terrible defeat in the morning, that it took away from the militia all their ap- petite for another fight with the same adversaries in the evening. Sir John's conduct would have been excusable if he had quitted the field because he had been wounded, and a wound at this time, in the thigh, in the midst of an enemy's country, was a casualty which might have placed a man "fighting," so to speak, "with a halter around his neck," at the mercy of an administration which was not slow, with or without law, at inflicting cruelties, and even '.'hanging in haste and trying at leisure." But Sir John did Sir John Johnson. jxxv not quit the field prematurely. He was not there to fight to oblige his adversaries ; his tactics were to avoid any battle which was not absolutely necessary to secure his re- treat. He repulsed his pursuers and he absolutely re- tiirned to Canada, carrying with him as prisoners an American detachment which sought to intercept and im- pede his movements. To qualify Sir John's evasion from Klock's Field as evincing want of courage, is to stigmatize as such the re- peated retreats of Washington, "the Father of his Coun- try," before superior enemies, or the witlidrawals after Antietam and Gettysburg, or from Petersburg, of Lee the Idol of the South. A successful retreat or escape in desperate circumstances is credited to a general as equivalent to a victory. To bring such a chai^ge against bir John on this occasion is as just as to censure Frede- ric the Great for disappearing from the field of Liegnitz when he had made Loudon "get out of that," as did van Rensselaer's militia, and then did not wait to be fallen upon with crushing force by Daun and Lascy re- presented in this case by Colonels Duboise and Harper who had more men than he could oppose to them Sir John's capture of Yrouman's detachment, sent to intercept him, will complete the parallel as a set off to Frederic's tricking Soltikoff, advancing for a similar purpose to complete the toils, in 1760. "I know," said St. Paul (Phillipians iv., 12), "both how to be abased, and I know how to abound." This remark applies eminently to war. Alexander, Hannil)al, I a Ixxvi Sir John John no n. i ■ 1-' ! Cresar, Giistuvus, Frederic and Napoleon knew when to retreat and when to figlit— tlie hitter never at the voh'tlon of an enemy. Some generals are known to fame by little more than successful retreats : those of Baner from Toi-- gau, in 1637 ; Vandoniont before Villeroi, in 1695 ; Frede- I'ic before Trann, in 1744 ; Moreau tlirongh the Black Forest, in 1796, and a hundred others are cited as brilliant efforts of generalship, better than victories, when a thou- sand successful battles are forgotten as unworthy of ex- emplary citation. This little work, it is true, is treating of operations which are mere pigmies in coniparison to the gigantic parallels cited, in connection ; but the trite i -mark must be remembered, that "the destinljs of the world were be- ing decided in America (during the Revolution) by colli- sions between mere detachments or squads of men." While van Rensselaer, the sciou of a race M^hicli dis- played uncommon courage in tlie Colonial service, was being tried and it was sought to nuike him a scape-goat for the shortcomings of his superiors and inferiors, Sir John was receiving the compliments, in public orders, of his own superior, Gen. Haldinumd, to whom the Gci.nan officers in America have given in their published corre- spondence and narratives, the highest praise as a profes- sional soldier, and therefore, professionally, a judge of military merit. What is more, as a farther demonstration of the injustice of ordinary history, the severe Governor Clinton was either with van Rensselaer or near at hand, and consequently as much to blame as the latter for the sir John Johnson. Ixxvii escape of Sir John. Stone, vvlio wrote at a time when as yet there were plenty of living conten.poraries, distinctly says that Gov. Clinton was with (Jen. van Rensselae",. just before the battle, and renniined at Fort Plain wliile the battle M^as taking place a i^^^r miles distant. Finally the testimony taken before the court-martial indicate! that the Americans were vastly superior in nund,ers to Sir JohnVs Whites and Indians (if not treble or even quud- niple his force), and it was the want, as usual, of true light- ing pluck in the Indians, and their abandonment of their .white associates, which nuide the result at all indecisive for the Lo^'alists. Had the redskins stood their ground some of the militia ought not to have stopped short of Schenectady. All accounts agree that the invaders had been over-worked and over-weighted, foot-sore and fatigued, having performed extraordinary labors and marches' whereas, except as to ordinary expeditiousness, the' Americans, (piasi-regulars and militia, were fresh and in light marching order, for they were just from home. So much stress has been laid on this fight, because it has been always untiiirly told, except before the court-mar- tial which exonerated van Rensselaer. Ordinary human .ludgment makes the philosopher weep and laugh : weep "1 sorrow at the fallacy of history, and laugh in bitterness at the tolhes and prejudices of the uneducated and unre- fleeting. Some of the greatest commanders who have ever lived have not escaped the accusation of want of spirit at one time or another. Even Napoleon has been blamed for Sit \ Ixxviii Sir John Johnson. I not suifei'ing himself to be killed at Waterloo, thus ending his career in a blaze of glory. Malice vented itself in such a charge against the gallant leader wdio saved the "middle zone" to the Union, and coir er ted the despondency of retreat and defeat into victory. It is a remarkable fact that the majority of people always select two vituperative ch arges the most repugnant to a man of honor, to hurl at the objects of their dislike, perhaps because they are those to w^hicli they themselves are most open — falsehood and poltroonery ; forgetting that it is not the business of a conmiander to throw^ away a life which does not belong to himself individually but to the general welfare of his troops. Mere "physical courage," as has been well said by a veteran soldier, "is largely a question of nerves." Moral courage is the God-like quality, the lever which in all ages has moved this w^orld. Moreover it is the corner- stone of progress; and without it brute insensibility to danger would have left the nineteenth century in the same condition a? the " Stone Age." A man, bred as Sir John had been, who had the courage to give up everything for princij)le, and with less than a modern battalion of whites plunge again and again into the territory of his enemies, bristling with forts and stockaded posts, who could put in the field forty-five regiments (?), of which seventeen w^ere in Albany and five in Tryon counties — the actual scenes of conflict — besides distinct corps of State levies raised for the protection of the frontiers — in which every other man was his deadly foe, and the majority capital marksmen, that could shoot oflf a squirrel's head at a hundred yards — Sir John Johnson. Ixxix 8ucli a man must have had a very large amount of the hero in his composition. Americans would have been only too willing to crown him with this halo, if he iiad fought on their side instead of %hting so desperately against them. In conclusion, readers, your attention is invited for a short space to a few additional considerations. Sir William Johnson was the son of his own deeds and the creature' of the bounty of his sovereign. He owed nothing to the people. They had not added either to his influence, affluence, position or power. If this was true of thi fatlier as a beneficiary of the Crown, how much more so of the son. The people undertook to deprive the latter of that which they had neither bestowed nor augmented They in.iured him in almost every way that a man could be injured ; and they made that which was tlie most com niendable in hin.-his loyalty to a gracious benefactor, his crime, and punished him for that which they sliould have honored. They struck; and he had both the spirit, the power, and the opportunity to strike back. His retail' ation may not have been consistent with the literal admo nition of the Gospel, but there was notliing in it inconsistent with the ordinary temper of liumanity and manliness Some disciples of '^ DuUfferentism^^ have argued that Sir John sliould have remained neutral, like Lord Fairfax and retained his popularity and saved his property by the sacrifice of his principles. These forget the severe judg- ment of the ancient Greek philosopher and laM^giver on such as they. I' Ixxx Sir John Johnson. .i y .1 'i "/iJ toas a remarkable law of So/ on, that any j><'rnon whOy in the comniotiona of the Rcp^iblle.^ remained neuter^ or a/n indiffekknt apectator of the contending partien^ should he condemned to perpetual banis/utteut.''^ The people of this era have no eonceptioii of the fear- ful significance of Loyalty, one hundred years since. Loyalty, then, was almost paramount to religion ; next after a man's duty to his God was his allegiance to his prince. ''''Noblesse oblige'''' has heen blazoned as the high- est commendation of the otherwise vicious aristocracy of France. It is charged that when the perishing Bourbon dynasty was in direst need of defenders it discovered them "neither in its titled nobility nor in its native soldiers," but in mercenaries. Whereas, in iVmerica, George III. found daring champions in the best citizens of the land, and foremost in the trout rank of these stood Sir John Johnson. Hume, who is anything but an imaginative or enthusiastic writer, couples loyalty and patriotism together ; and with his philosophical words this vindication of Sir John Johnson is connnitted to the calm and unprejudiced judg- ment of readers : "77i6 most Inviolable attachment to the laws of our country is everywhere acknowledged a capital virtue ,' and where the people a/re not so happy as to have any legislature hut a single person, the strictest loyalty IS, IN that case, the truest patriotism, )? " Hopes have precarious life ; They are oft bliglited, withered, snapt sheer off: Rut FAITHFULNESS Can feed on suffeuing, 'And knows no disajypoiniment." <ii Sir John Johuson. CONSIDERATIONS Ixxxi BkAUINCJ UPOX TMK VlOr.ATION-SO-STY,,KD-OK a Pau,„.k (?) SAin I„ HAVE HKKV GIVEN HY SiB JoHN JoHNSON, BaUT. (See text, page xl, nupra.) Tlie plan on wl.icli turns the wliole ri^r],t or wron^r of tlio parole story, as detailed in a letter to General Snlli. van, 14th March, 1776, frequently eited, eniphasizes the directions to Dayton, that care must be taken to prevent Sir John Johnson from being apprised of the real design of his opponents. Fortunately the communication des- patched, although cunningly conceived, M^as not sufficient- ly ingenious to conceal the latent intention. As van der Does, in Leyden, wrote to Valdez, the Spanish general be- sieging, and trying to delude him, its governor, into sur- rendering the town: -The fowler plays sweet notes on his pipe when he spreads his net for the bird"-even so the Loyalist leader was not deceived by the specious wordri of his e!iemies, seeking to enmesh him. Lossing, who had all the original papers in his hands, admits (II., 69) a s^mre : "The wily baronet was not to be caught in the snare laid for him by Schuyler."— J. W. de P.'s "Sir John Johnson's Addres.^," Appendix I.' page vi., col. 1, 2. ' Dr. F. H. Roof, of Rhind.cck. fonvarded, Iflth .Tune. 1880, to the vnter. a eopy o a letter, wldch i.s pretty good proof that in th Jh .iromsm, and tlie crcumstances oonheeted therewith, are not only mis- understood, but have been eonsisten.ly misrepresented. To cTar this up .s impossible, beeause the documentary testimony on the loyal side .1' m Ixxxii Sh' John '/(thnsnn. ! has alinoHt cntirt'ly perishrd or disappcnrcd. Tliis letter was the pro- I)erty of Henry Loiicks, abrother-h>-hiw of IMr. Koof's father (formerly :i hiw partner of Abraham van Veeliten) botli now deeeased. Upon tlie huek of the original was the followin lote by Mr. lioucks ; '' Sir John Johnson's granddaughter, 1777, Hele. McDonald ; presented me by a granddaughter of Jellis Fonda, Oet, 7, 1840. II. L." The dale must refer to tlial of tiie letter, beeause Sir John eouhl not have had a grand- daughter callable of writing any letter in 1777; but one of his grand daughters did marry a Colonel McDonald, and the latter may have , I»een a descendant, a relative, or a connection of the McDonell, or Mr- i>w//«W, who was chief of the Highlanders dependent upon Sir John, who surrendered their arms 20th January (?), 1770, and was one of the six hostages for the rest, seized at that time. Coi'v OF TiETTEU. — " Siu : Souic time ago I wrote you a letter, much to this jiurpose, concerning the Inhabitants of this Bush being made prisoners. There was no such thing then in agitation as you was pleased to observe in your letter to me this morning. Mr. Billie Laird came amongst tlie peoi)le to give them warning to go in to sign and swear. To this they will never consent, being already prisoners of General Schuyler. His Excellency was pleased by youi proclamation, directing every one of them to return to their farmn, itnd that they should be no more troubled nor molested dxiriug the war. To this they agreed, and hme not done anything against the country, nor intend to, if let alone. If not, tJiey tcill lose their lives before being taken prison- ers AGAIN. They begged the favour of me to write to Major Fonda and the gentlemen of the committee to this purpose. They blame neither the one nor the other of you gentlemen, but tliose ill-natured fellows amongst them that get up an excitement about nothing, in order to in- gratiate themselves in your favour. They were of very great hurt to your cause since May last, through violence and ignorance. I do not know what the consequences would have been to them long ago, if not prevented. Only think ichat daily provocation does. "Jenny joins me in compliments to Mrs. Fonda. " I am. Sir, " Your humble servant, " Callachie, 15th March, 1777. "Helen McDonell." " Major Jellis Fonda, at Caughnawaga." In this connection nothing can be more pertinent than the remarks of " our greatest and our best," General Geokge H. Thomas, at the breaking out of the " Slaveholders' Rebellion," in 1861-2: " In a dis- cussion of the causes given for their action by some cffflcers who de- Sir John Johnaon. Ixxxiii sorted the Government at the hej^inninij of tlie Rehellion, I (a friend of Tlioniaa) ventured the aHsertion tliat, perhaps, .sonie of them at distant posts had aeted ignorantly; that I liad been informed that some of tliem liad been imposed upon by friends and relatives, and led to believe that there was to be a peaeeable dissolution of the Union ; that there would be no actual iijovernment for the whole country, and by resigning their commissions tliey were only taking the necessary steps towards re- turning to the allegiance of their respective States. He replied, 'That this was but a poor excuse ; he could not believe officers of the army were so ignorant of their own form of government as to sujjpose such proceedings could occur ; and as they had sworn allegiance to the Go- vernment, they were bound to adhere to it, and would have done so if they had been so inclined.' He said, ' there was no excuse whatever in a United States officer claiming the right of secession, and the only ex- cuse for their deserting the Government was, what none of them ad- mitted, having engaged in a rel)ellion against tj'ranny, because the tyranny did not exist, and they well knew it.' I then asked him ; ' Sup- posing such a state of affairs existed, that arrangements were being made for a peaceable dissolution by the Government, the North from the South, and that it was in progress, what would you have done ?' lie promptly replied : ' That is not a supposable case ; the Government cannot dissolve itself; it is tlie creature of the people, and until they had agreed by their votes — tliat is, tlie votes of the whole country, not a iiortion of it — to dissolve it, and it was accomplished in accr)rdance therewith, the Government to which tliey had sworn allegiance re- mained, and as long as it did exist I should have adhered to it.' " There is in this extract a clear recognition of the obligation of his oath to support the Government, and at this very point the better class of Southern officers who joined the Rebellion, and who perhaps took this step with reluctance, made direct issue with Thomas. They claimed that their oath of office was obligatory only while they lield office, and that all obligation ceased with resignation, especially when their resigna- tions were accepted. Tliis assumption rests upon the supposed fact that supreme allegiance is due to a single State rather than to the Union of the States or nation represented by the General Government. The subtle logic, by which the doctrine of State Rights was carried to the complete negation of the national unity, or autonomy, had no force with General Thomas, although he greatly regretted the necessity of choosing between the General Government and his own State, in alle- giance with other Southern States. And although he had not enter- tained Northern views of the institution of Slavery, he did not hesitate to maintain his allegiance to tlie National Government ; and, in contrast 12 111 m Ixxxiv Sir John Johnson. with those who claimed their freedom from the obligation of their oath of allecriance, when their resignations had been accepted, carrying this freedom to the extreme sequence, that they could legitimately array themselves in war against the Government that had jufet freed them. Thomas believed that there was a moral and legal obligation that for- bade resignation, with a view to take up arms against the Government. And from this point of view he condemned the national authorities for accepting the resignation of officers, when aware that it was their inten- tion to join the Rebellion as oon as they were in this way freed from the obligation of their oath of allegiance. In his view, resignation did not give them freedom to take up arms against the General Government, and, resting upon this ground, he did not wait till his own State had seceded to make up his own decision, but made it in entire indepen- dence of her probable action in the national crisis." — Chaplain Thomas B. Van Home's " Life of Gen. George H. Thomas," pp. 26, 27. 1. " Against STUPioiTV the gods are powerless."— G( " When through dense woods primeval bower'd A perfect hail of bullets shower'd, Where bold Thayendanega tower'd— Good old Harkheimer prov'd no coward, Commanding at Oriskany ! " True to his 'J'euton lineage, Foremost amidst the battle's rage, As bold in fight, in council sage, Most glorious as he quit the stage Of life, by the Oriskany ! "Although he felt the mortal wound. Though fell in swathes his soldiers 'round, Propp'd 'gainst his saddle, on the ground, He calmly smok'd, gave counsel sound, 'Mid war-whirl at Oriskany ! " War never fiercer sight has seen Than when Sir Johnson's cohort green Charged on the Mohawk rangers keen ; The sole such strife Almanza 'd been As thai on the Oriskany ! " New York's bold yeomen. Watts, at head, Breasted meet foes— New N'orkers l)red — There, eye to eye, they fought, stabb'd, bled ; Bosom to bosom strove, fell dead In ambush of Oriskany ! Ixxxv Ixxxvi The Battle of Oriskany. "Alone can Berwick's shudder tell What fury rul'd that moment fell, When Frenchman's steel hiss'd Frenchman's knell ; Horrent made the sole parallel To battle of Oriskany ! " Teeth with like frantic fury set, There Frank died on Frank's bayonet — Here neighbor death from neighbor met, — With kindred blood both fields were wet, Almanza* and Oriskany ! "And, ceas'd the storm whose rage had vied. With ruthless shock of fratricide. There lay the Mohawk Valley's pride Just as they fought, stark, side by side. Along the red Oriskany ! " Though neither force could triumph claim In war's dread, dazzling, desp'rate game, Enkindled there, the smould'ring flame Of Freedom blazed, to make thy name • All glorious, Oriskany!" "Anchor" (J. W. de P.), in Chas. G. Jones' Military Gazette^ Nov., i860. These verses were exquisitely translated into German, and printed in Kapp's"A"/«- uHinderung'^ I., 389, by Miss Marie Blode. * The battle of Almama, fought on the 25th April, 1707, was re- in-irkable in two respects — first, for its result, in that it assured the crown of Spain to Pliilip V. ; second for a bloody episode, which it is said the Duke of Berwick, bigoted and pitiless as he always proved himself to be, could never recall without a shudder of horror. In the mic'st of that conflict, Jo/in Cavalier, the expatriated French Protestant hero, with his battalion of fellow-exiles, the Camisards, or Huguenots of Languedoc, found themselves opposed to a regiment of French Roman Catholics, who it is supposed had been chiefly instrumental in applying the atrocities of the Dragonnades against their native Pro- testant brethren. No sooner had they recognized each other, than the two corps, without exchanging a sliot, rushed to the attack with the bayonet, and engaged in such a mutual, inveterate slaughter that, ac- cording to the testimony of Marshal, the Duke of Berwick, not over three hundred survived of both corps. As the Camisards constituted a battalion of 700 men, and the Roman Catholics a full regiment of at least 1000 effectives, only one out of every six combatants survived tlie merciless conflict. Such a slaughter is almost un])aralleled in history. The Battle of Oriahany. Ixxxvii England lias never been prolific in great, nay in even nioderately great generals, however exuberant in crops of the bravest soldiers. Since Marlborough, who culminated at Ilochstedt or Blenheim, 13th August, 1704 — 178 years ago— tliere have been only three who stand forth as re- markable leaders — AVolfe, Clive and Wellington. Clive was destined to the command against the revolted colonies, and if he had displayed in America the tremendous power, influence and fortune he exerted in Hindostan, the history of the American Eevolution would have had a diiferent termination. The name of Sir William Johnson, "a heaven-born general," has been associated with that of Lord Clive by more than one English writer of distinction, and particularly by one of Great Britain's best military an- nalists, Sir Edward Gust. Lord Clive perished by suicide, 22d Nov., 1774, and Sir William Johnson, it is insinuated, hut falsely, in the same manner on 11th July, 1774. He died of chronic, malignant dysentery. American affairs were desperate enough in 1776 and 1777, in 1780, and even in 1781, to need only a feather's weight in the scale to sink it into ruin. A breath of genius M'ould have done this, but there w^as no one to l)reathe it. Cornwallis might have done so had he oc- cupied an independent position like Marlborongh, Wolfe, Clive or Wellington, and have added liis name to these illustrious four. Unfortunately for England, and luckily for the United States, he was subordinate to successive superiors, who M-ere his inferiors in everything but rank. Gage was ■■t?j If. II Ixxxviii The Battle of Oviskany. m weak and vacillating ; Howe indolent and self-inclnlgent ; Burgoyne vain, self-seeking and over-confident; Clinton nervous and afraid of responsibility. Oarleton and Corn- wallis are the only two of liigli rank that relieve the picture. There were able men in lower grades, but they exercised only restricted influence. The American Revolution was a political quarrel between parties in Enghmd. It was fought out with so much bitterness that, to injure the Tories, the Whigs were willing to sacrifice the worth, wealth i, id welfare of the empire. Without this wordy fight in Parliament, the bloody conflict in America would not have lasted six months. It was the story of Hannibal over again. The violence of faction in the senate house of Carthage, at home, sacrificed the hero who was breaking doM'n, abroad, the deadly enemy of his country, and the oligarchs in Africa carried this spite so far that, with the fall of the victimized hero, fell the commonwealth which he sustained. No wonder he burst out into a sardonic fit of laughter when he saw the oligarchs, ab- ject, broken-hearted, hopeless, weeping the bitterest tears on feeling the ruin they had caused when they beheld their own riclies the prey of Roman flames. The Loyalists of America were representatives of the spirit of the Barcidse — faint imitations of the genius, but strong representatives of the feeling which lay beneath it. Like Hannibal they expiated their patriotism and loyalty — all in exile, some in poverty, numy on foreign fields of battle, others in prison, not for crime but debt, Mdien rel)el8 were revelling in their sequestrated possessions — and «7/ martyrs; for there can fci "^1 i J 'f^ht Battle of Oriahany. Ixxxix si if K\ be no martjrdoiu without a full appreciation of tlse cause — a complete perception of the result and a perfect willing- ness to suffer for principle. Tradition can scarcely be deemed worthy of satisfying legitimate importance, or perhaps more properly speak- ing of serious consideration, by a historian, unless sup- ported or corroborated by other irrefutable testimony, less susceptible of the influence of time and the weakness of the human structure. Even physical proofs, if they continue to subsist, are only trustworthy as to locality or residts, but not as to the ''why" and the "when," wliich, after all, to the philosopher, are of the most; conse- quence. This remark as to the little weight that can be attached to hvnnan recollections, transmitted from genera- tion to generation, is particularly applicable to the Johnson family in the State of New York and especially respecting Sir John Johnson, the last of them who figured in con- nection with the affairs of the Mohawk Valley. If ever a mortal has been the victim of bigotted prejudice and continuous misrepresentation, he is the man. The English translator of von Clausewitz's "Campaign in Russia," in 1812, remarks in regard to the action of the Prussian General York, on which hinged the fate of Napoleon, tliat, whether the Prussian general should be regarded as a traitor or a hero, Avas not dependent on what he risked or did, but npon subsecpient developments based there- upon. The same doubt hangs over the memory of Wallenstein. That, the last, never can be cleared up, although with time York has received full justice. Sir xc TJke Battle of Orishani/. \ John Johnson helongs. to the category of Wallenstein, be- cause he failed, justifying the maxim — "to appear abso- lutely able a man must always be successful." Human success, as a rule, is the counterfeit of merit in the ma- jority of cases ; as regards the recipient of the reward, a sham. It is often the greatest of impostors. It has cer- tainly been so in American history. And, yet, it is the fallacy which is always accepted by the masses — who never reason — as the reality. One of the closest students of American history, con- siders that the two men greatest in themselves who exerted an influence on the colonies were Sir William Pepperell, Captor of Louisburg, and Sir William Johnson, "the In- dian Tamer." In regard to the latter, public opinion has been led astray. It believes that he was little better than an adventurer, who oM^ed his start in life to the accidental patronage of his uncle. Admiral Sir Peter Warren. For Sir William Pepperell the best informed would substitute Hon. James de Lancey, who for so many years was Lieutenant and acting Governor of the Province of New York. Of him the great Pitt remarked, "Had James de Lancey lived in England, he would have been one of the first men in the kingdom." William, afterwards Sir William Johnson, Bart., was more directly influential in tlie arrest which involved the overthrow of the French power in America than any other individual ; and that this does not appear in popular his- tory is due to the local antagonisms, prejudices, and in- terests, which have obscured all the narratives of the ft The Battle of Oriakany. xci colonies or provinces that affected more or less closely the arrogant claims of New England. This is owing to tlie principlp which is most evident in war, that while the purely defensive, or passive, is scarcely ever, if ever, suc- cessfnl, the offensive or aggressive, with any proportional power, is almost always so. Example, Alexander of Maeedon. The off'ensive-defensive is likewise most ad- visable — witness the triumph of "Frederic II. of Prussia, the greatest man who Avas ever born a king." When, nearly half a (entury ago, the writer first had his attention directed to American history, he placed great faith in standard works, accepted by older men, as un- questionable authority. As he investigated more closely this faith became gradually chilled and in many cases killed. Then he came to appreciate the force of the Latin --^iroverb, " Hear the other side." A sterner scrutiny and harsher judgment was now applied to every book, nor were apparent facts alone subjected to microscopic exam- ination. Attention was directed to the motives which hnperceptibly or visibly guided the pens or influenced the periods of our most popular and polished writers. With St. Paul he perceived that those ' ' who seemed to be pillars " M^ere not stone or marble but deceptions, stucco or frailer material. All this led to the conviction that no one can prepare a satisfactory narrative, especially of a battle, who does not go back to original documents on both sides, or at least to the works in which they have been reproduced ; who has not reflected upon the aninius which did or inight actuate the authors of such papers ; who has not 18 m^ XCll The Battle of OrisJcany. weiglied report against report ; and then, and only then, after a careful study of tlie character of the actors and consideration of time, phice, and circumstances, has formed an opinion for liimself. His first story of Oriskany was written in 1859; liis second in 1869; his third in 1878; his fourth in 1880. In all these he continued to pin faith to the American side of the story. Suhsequently he determined to investigate with equal care the Loyal story and British side, pure and sim])le ; this, with the discovery of Sir John Johnson's "Orderly Book," has hrought with it a feeling that, although the moral effect of the hattle, particularly upon the Indians, was to a great extent de- cisive, the physical circumstances were not so creditable. It was a sacrifice rather than a conflict; an immolation, a holocaust which Heaven accepted, as the Great liuler ever accei)ts, not according to what is actually given, but according as man purposeth in his heart to give. "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." As it was admirably put in his Centennial, by the Hon. Ellis H. Roberts, ^ '- Herkimer^ s glory is that out of such a slimghter he snatched the snhstance.'''' This is a sentence will live, for it is the concrete truth in a very few admir- able words. In comparing Oriskany to Thermopylae, there is no intention to contrast the physical circumstances. In both case*, however, a heroic leader offered himself for the defence of his country and lost his life in consequence. In both cases a portion of the troops did their duty and m ^ The Battle of (hisJcanf/. XCllI anotlici" ])ortioii failed, innjlorioualj, to do so. Eventually, the Greeks, like the Mohawkers, were surrounded and few escaped death, wounds or captivity. A pass, whether across a marsh, or through a wood, or among mountains, any similar locality, in fact, is in a military sense a " delile." The moral similitudes between the ()th July, B. C. 480, and 6th August, A. D. 1777, resemble each other in numy resi)ects. Leonidas fell to save Attica and Athens; Herkimer to relieve Fort Stanwix, and thus ])reserve his native vallev. I' A better pai-allel to certain phases of Oriskany is the battle of Thrasimene, B. C. 217. In the latter case the Gauls, like the Indians in 1777, rushed in too soon, and thus by their precipitation enabled a small portion of the Romans to escape. Another apposite example is the battle of Crevant, 31st July, 1428. The French and their Scotch auxiliaries were besieging Ci-evant, about one hun- dred miles southeast of Paris on the right bank of the Yonne, and the English and Bui j:,undian8 advanced to relieve the place. In this case the result of Oriskany^ was reversed under similar circumstances, and the besiegers were almost all slain or captured. During the Austro- Hungarian war Gen. Guyon nearly came to grief in a sim- ilar trap during the winter of 1848-9. Dade's massacre * The fight, disastrous for Bale or Basel city, striving, in 18;J3, to niaintown its ancient privileges or influence over the whole State, was a collision similar in many res])ect8 to Oriskany. It led to a rup- ture between the Past and Present, and ended in a division of the canton into two half- cantons. Bale Ville (city) and Bale Canipagne (country) to the advantage of neither. ■ i XCIV The Battlt' of Oriskany. by Seminole r?i(iian8, 28th December, 1S35, in Florida, Avas a miniature of Braddock's overvvlielming on the Monongahela, SHb Jnly, 1755. The glory of this snoeess belongs to Langlade, the famous French leader of Indians, who prepared a simihir trap for Wolfe on the Montmorenci, in 1759. In the latter the great English leader was only saved by the supercilious self-sufficiency of the French re- gular superior officers, who rejected the proposition of the partisan. It is somewhat curious that in the same way that the Provincials seemed to have better strategical as well as grsmd-tactical views than professionals, George III. was wiser in his views than his ministers and generals. He suggested a route for Burgoyne which, had fo"tune favored instead of thw-arting it, would have been far more advan- tageous and would have enabled Burgoyne to reach his objective, Albany, witlK)ut doubt. The movement on this point, in 1777, w-as simply reversing the plan which was triumphant against Canada in 1759. Alas for England, there was no Pitt at the head of military and colonial affairs in 1777, only a St. Germaine ; no Wolfe, but a Burgoyne ; no Amherst, but a Howe and then a Clinton ; no Prideaux or Sir William Johnson, but a St. Leger. Sir William Johnson's son might have rivalled his father's fortune bad opportunity favored or circumstances per- mitted. Like that of 1759, the operations of 1777 were not simple, but complex, triple. In 1759, Quebec was the first objective. Against it Wolfe ascended the St. Law- rence, Andierst ascended the Hudson and descended Lake The Battle of OrUkanij. xcv Cliumplain, and Pridcuux, afterwards .lolinson, anctMidctl the Mohawk and captured Niagara. In 1777, Burgoyne as- cended Lake Chanii>hiin and dencended the Hudson ; St. Leger ascendcHl the St. Lawrence and dcHcended tlie Mo- hawk ; and Howe (afterwards Clinton) was to ascend the Hudson. The Bm-goyne of 1777, would have reached liis goal had he been the Burgoyne of 1702, and estimated, as then, the value of time, and remembered the oi-ders of his great master in the art of war. Count de la Lii)pe, tlirouc,h which he avoided, in 1702, a catastrophe similar to (hat of Saratoga. Everything contributed to insure the Burgoyne fiasco. Where Carleton would have succeeded Burgoyne must have failed. The most important function was entrusted to St, Leger with the most inadequate means. St. Leger was greatly to blame because he did not listen to Sir John Johnson and Colonel Daniel Claus, and because he underestimated the adversaries he had to encounter and the obstacles he had to overcome. The greatest culprit, however, was Sir William Howe, "the most indolent of mortals," a})athy itself, who, with or- dinary Judgment, energy, and even a spirit of lukewarm camaraderie^ could have even remedied the shortcomings of Burgoyne and the blunders of St. Leger. If Howe had so nuuneuvred in the Jerseys as to occupy the attention of Washington, simply demonstrating in his front with half his army, which half was fully eipial to the whole force under Washington at this time, iie could have dis- patched at least 7000 men uj) the Hudson to co-operate with Burgoyne. Tf Burgoyne had attended to his busi ill XCVI Tlu- liattlf of fJrt'nk(()it/. ii ness th()i()u<i:lily, and acted with interprlse an<l audacity, and if St. Leger liad had from 1500 to 2000 whites, instead of about 400, the history of tliis continent wouhl have been totally different. All however hinged, first on llowo's paralyzing Washington, second on St. Leger' s cleaning out the Mohawk Valley. The camj)aign of 1777, as regards the British, was a glaring ])art of a tissue of blunders. The colonies M'ere at their mercy if they had used the forces, moral and physical, u:ider their control with any judgment — simple connnon sense. The Duke de Lauzun and other competent military judges coidirm these views. It is ridiculous, however, in a mere military point of view, to claim that all the advantages in this contest were in favor of the British. They might have been, had they utilized the Loyalists, respected them, shown energy and activity, and forgotten professional conceit and iner- tion in zeal for the crown and patriotic desire to maintain and extend the glory of the imperial donunion. The Jiritish, like Napoleon in Russia, M'ere conquered by s])ace. Paradox as it may seem to be, discipline, rigid martinet regidation, may actually, under some conditions, become a disadvantage. Marksmen wdth some idea of drill may be better than strictly line regulars in a new, a wooded, and a rough or mountainous country. The range of heights extending from northeast to southwest across New Jersev, the broken elevations and extensive marshes around Morristown, as a central citadel, and the spnr shot out into the plain opposite the elbow of the The llattU' of (h'lukatu/. xcvii liarituiu hctwccn Bound Brook tiiul MuUlIc Brook, with its ^ai)s tor sally-ports, saved the American cause. Nuni- hers and diin won the first tight at Iloosic {mU-uained Bennington), and then, when indiscipline, dissolved in plundering, needed the support of discipline, in the second tight, Warner came in with his Continentals or regidars. Man for man, tlie colonists were as good as the hest British, and, being nulling^ better than the (rcrmans <«;<.-willing combatants. Why not? They were all the same race, and the M'orld has yet to see its ecpial as enduring and courageous soldiers. And here it is pertinent to the occasion to remark, that the declanuition and shrieks of the Americans at the omj)loyinent of the Indians by the British is the sheerest hypocrisy. They would have enlisted the tonuihawk and scalping-knife without the slightest repugnance if they could have bid as high as the crown, or would have paid cash down as honestly. If the assistance of the savages was nefarious, the Americans would not have objected to its utilization on that account, if they could have con- ti'acted for, coerced, cajoled or controlled it. Lucky for the Americans a factious opposition in England and Par- liament used the American War as a weapon of otfence against the crown, just as the Whigs in America professed loyalty to the King, but opposition, nay bitter animosity, to the Ministry and Parliament. As Gen. C. S. W. wrote (from Innsbruck, l!>, 7, 1882), '^The English government, like our own, is a government of party ; and the consideration of gaining or losing jjarty-capital out- xcvm Hie Battle of OrlsJi'any. veighti all others." "Of course tlie thing [Egjpt] was badly managed in many respects." Englisli faction nearly mined Wellington in Spain and colonial congressional discordances and jealousies very nearly occasioned a worse fate for Wasliington. Even the liberally praised Chatham, in his hypocritical denunciation of setting the Indian bloodhounds upon the colonists, was reproved or shewn up by General, Lord Andierst, and rebuked by the \n'o- duction of his orders, when Prime Minister, for letting them loose upon the French. The Americans courted the assistance of the Indians with assiduity, but the latter foresaw the fate which would attend the success of the colonists, as their chiefs in council foretold, and remained faithful to the old country, which had always protected and fostered them and treated them with jus- tice and forbearance. This fact — ;]ust referred to — in connection with the employment of Indians, Avhich is too little known, is apposite to the support of the American Revolution in Parliament. The Earl of Chatham (Pitt) denounced in the House of Lords the employment of the wild Indians in conjunction with the British troops, although he himself, nineteen years before, had used Indians in the same man- ner against the French and the Canadians. In advocating his views he waxed still more loud and indignant, -'pour- ing out fresh volumes of words. " " Ministers then offered to i)roduce, from the depository of papers in the Secre- tary's office, documents written by himself to prove the '•^'nrge. The dispute grew still hotter; and at length t The Battle of OriskoMy. xcix Lord Amherst, Chatham's general, who liad commanded our [the British] troops in that Canadian war, was so loudly appealed to on all sides, that he found himself compelled to acknowledge that he had followed the ex- ample of the French in e'.nploying savages, which he would not have done without express orders from government at home. He even offered to produce the orders, if his majesty would permit him." * * * * * Lord Denbigh rather happily called Chatham "The great oracle with the short memory," and stated that "Chatham, when in office under George 11. , had guided and directed everything relating to the war ; had monopo- lized functions wliicli did not belong to him, and had been excessively jealons of any interference by others, whether boards or ministers." The Lords who supported Chatham now seemed in- clined to lay the question by, as far as it concerned his veracity or correctness of memory. According to Lord Brougham, when Lord Bute heard what had passed on this occasion in the House of Lords, and that Chatham had denied his having employed the red men (or Indians), he exclaimed with astonishment, "Did Pitt really deny it? Why, I have his letter still by me, singing lo Pa-.ans of the advantages we were to gain through our Indian allies." As a political question, Whigs against Tories, the cause of the Colonies was fought with as much virulence with words, in Parliament, as,, with weapons, in America, and in many cases with just as nmch principle. Let the consideration, however, confine itself to Oris- 14 The Battle of Oriskany. ij. kany. It was the turning point of the Biirgoyne campaign and of the American Revolution. Within the scope of the considerations before dwelt upon, it was the Thermo- pylae of the Colonies. In regard to the numbers at Oriskany there are such discrepancies in the various accounts that it is almost impossible to reconcile them. The Americans exaggerate the English numbers to excuse Harkheimer's coming short of decided success, and to exalt the determination of the garrison. How many the latter comprised is by no means certain. Stedman (4to, I., 334} says 750 men, but Gen. Carrington, IT. S. A., one of the most careful of investiga- tors, uses language (323) that would justify the belief that it consisted of 950 men. If only 750 "under cover " it ought still to have been a full match for the whole heterogeneous corps that St. Leger brought against it. The "Burgoyne scare " was upon the whole country and the garrison of Fort Stanwix felt the effects of it. Prior to the discovery of Johnson's Orderly Book, it has always been stated that St. Leger had 675 white troops with him : the Orderly Book, hoM ever, distinctly shows that only 500 rations were issued. This demon- strates conclusively that the white troops, at most, could not have exceeded that number. The Americans, to swell the numbers of British and Loyal Provincials under Col. Ferguson, encountered at King's Mountain, 7th October, 1780, based their calculations on the Bation Retm-ns found in the captured camp. The same rule of judgment in justice should apply to the I I: The Battle of Oriskany. ci force under St. Leger. The diiference between 400 and 675 can be easily accounted for in various ways, even if exact proof did not exist to establish the smaller number. Ex- perts, including Napoleon, consider that an army of 100,000 on paper rarely can put 80,000 effectives in the field. In a new country subject to local fevers, when men are called upon to discharge the severest labors at the hottest period of the year, this ratio would, most likely, be greatly increased. Consequently, if St. Leger had 675 at Lachine, near Montreal, it would not be extraordinary if he left a number of invalids behind, besides those, especially indivi- duals foreign to the country and service, who dropped out on the road. There is no mention in this Orderly Book of a list of sick or casualties, and yet it is impossible but that there must have been both. A highly educated l)edant argued that the Romans had no Medical Depart- ment, because Csesar does not mention one in his Com- mentaries. His reasonings were completely demolished by the observation that, on the same plea, Csesar had no dis- eases in his camp, because he does not allude to them in any of the accounts of his campaigns, which is what the scholars call an argumentum ad absurdtim. The statement attributed to St. Leger, that he had 675 white troops, he never made. It is a deduction of their OMHi by American Avriters, to make good their case. Any reader desirous of investigating this can easily refer to the reports made by St. Leger to Burgoyne and also to Carie- ton. These figures ra-e not in either : Where then are these numbers to be found ? In a letter from Lord \0 en The Battle of Orlskany. George Germain to General Carleton, 26th March, 1777, he says : "From the King's knowledge of the great preparations made by you last year to secure the command of the lakes, and your atten- tion to this part of the service during the winter, his Majesty is led to expect that everytliing will be ready for General Burgoyne's pass- ing the lakes by the time you and he shall have adjusted the plan of the expedition. '• It is the King's further pleasure that you put under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel St. Leger, *' Detachment from the 8th Regiment, . . . 100 Detachment from the 34th Regiment, . . . 100 Sir John Johnson's Regiment of New York, 133 Hanau Chasseurs, 342 675 " Together with a sufficient number of Canadians and Indians ; and after having furnished him with proper artillery, stores, provisions, and every other necessary article for his expedition, and secured to him every assistance in your power to afford and procure, you are to give him orders to proceed forthwith to and down the Mohawk River to Albany, and put himself under the command of Sir William Howe." Mark this : not Burgoyne, but Sir William Howe, who was expected to co-operate, Liit did not, partly because through the indolence of hi^ superior. Lord St. Germain, lie did not receive his orders on time. On the 28th February, one month previous, Burgoyne considers that even a smaller force than the 675 assigned by St. Lv^ger would be sufficient. He only mentions 233 white troops. These are his exact words : " Not, to argue from probability, is so much force necessary for this diversion this ycir, as w'as required for the last ; because we then knew that General Schuyler, with a thousand men, was fortified upon the ]\Iohawk. When the difi'erent situations of things are con- sidered, viz., the progress of General Howe, the early invasion from 1 The Battle of Orlskany. * • • cm Canada, the tlircatening of the Connecticut from Rliode Island, &c., it is not to be imagined tjiat any detachment of such force as tliat of Sclniyler can be supplied by tlie enemy for the Mohawk. I would not therefore propose it of more (and I have great diffidence whether so ranch can be prudently afforded) than Sir John Johnson's corps, an hundrcHl British from the Second Brigade, and an himdred more from the 8th Regiment, with four pieces of the lightest artillery, and a body of savages ; Sir John Johnson to be with a detachment in person, and an able field officer to command it. I should wish Lieutenant-Colonel St. Leger for that employment." How many men, then, did St. Leo;er have? Stedman states he had " a body ofliglit troops and Indians, amount- ing to between 700 and 800 men." Carrington calls it a "composite army of regulars, Hessian-chasseurs. Royal- greens, Canadians, axemen, and non-combatants, who, as well as the Indians, proved an ultimate incumbrance and curse to the expedition." St. Leger did not have 342 Hanau-chasseurs, nor anything like it. This is now known to be an error ; he had only one company. Why ? Be- cause only one company had arrived when he started. It was connnanded by a 1st Lieutenant, Jacob Hilderbrand. There could be no mistake here, because Germans are the most methodical people, and the journals of many of their officers exist, which were written with no idea of their ever seeing the light in print, with no intent to deceive or to influence public opinion. What is more, a company at that time ranged from 50 to SO ; in the English Guards, always kept full, SO is the figure (1T8S) ; 50 to 120, num- ber never fixed (James, ISIO, Hoyt, 1811). Had more than a company been sent, a higher officer than a 1st Lieutenant woidd have been placed in command. Sir i! i CIV The Battle of OrisJcany. John's regiment, or battalion, only nuniLered 133. The great mistake is the item generally (juotecl, 342, which should be under 50. If people would read carefully they would avoid many serious errors which serve to feed and stimulate popular vanity. Col. Clans corroborates von Eelking. "And here [at Buck's Island] the Brig'r had still an opportunity and time for sending for a better train of artillery, and wait for the junction of the [Hesse-IIanau] Chasseurs, ivhich vmst have secured us success, as every one will allow." Again below Claus expressly mentions "« cojiPANY of Chasseurs lately arrived." Can language be clearer and more unmistakable. The proper, or real, not the intended, or ideal, enumeration would give St. Leger about 380 organized troops, besides Rangers. Here again i^eople are led into a serious error because they desire so to be. Butler, and other officers belonging to the Bangers, did not have regular white commands at Oriskany, but, as officers, were distributed among the Indians to steady them. This was according to French military usage ; officers, in France, at this time, were often multii)lied in certain regiments to insure solidity by example and influence. Such a course was much more a necessity among undisciplined savages. When Butler got back to Quebec ho could only collect or muster fifty out of all he had had or had. There was, it is true, quite a numerous staif of Whites serving with the Indians. The discovery of the " Orderly Book " should settle the mat- ter. The number of rations issued would not have been falsified. This establishes the fact that there must have 1v The Battle of (h'ishany. cv been considerably less than 500 to receive tlieni, since, before rations were conmnitecl, officers were entitled to more than one, especially when they had servants to feed, and in those days no commissioned officer took the field without one or more servants. Colonel Clans, Deputy, Acting Superintendent of the Indians, is very explicit in his letter to Secretary Knox. He blames St. Leger for mis- calculating the force and efficiency of the enemy and for not taking with him more troops and more powerful artil- lery when he could have had a full sufficiency of both.* Undoubtedly there were detachments from the 8th (Major, afterwards Colonel, A. S. de Peyster's llegiment) and 34tli (St. Leger's own) Regiments, ]^. A. of 100 each ; Sir John Johnson's Royal-greens, 133; and a company of Chasseurs or Riflemen lately arrived in Canada, from Ger- numy, which exactly tallies with von Eelking's published * Col. Chuis, in his letter of the l()th October, 1777, to Secretary Knox, sliows that St. Leuer liimself alone was to blame for not having L snftlciency of artillery of the i>ro))er calibre in his expedition against Fort Stanwix. Col. Claus demonstrates that the Americans expected the siege which followed, and prisoners taken agreed in their story re- vealing the precautions necessary to insure success. St. Leger con- cedes that "if they [Americans] intended to defend themselves in that fort [Stanwix], our [British] artillery was not sullicient to take it." "The Brig'r." (St. Leger) had still an oi)portunity and time of sending for a better train of artillery, and wait for the junction of the Chas- seurs (German Jaegers) which must have secured us success, as every one Avill allow." Here we have a repetition of the self-sufllciency of Braddock and the rejection of the wise counsels of Provincial oltlcers like Washington, in this case represented by Sir John Johii.son and Col. Daniel Clans. Oh hackneyed but eternally ajjplicable truism of Euripides : " But the dienum (directing spirit), when he devises any mlochief against a man, lirst perverts (or stultifies) his friend." ^i J " CVl The Battle of Oriskany. account. These are all the wliite troops lie mentions. The best Marriors of the Six Nations were with Burgoyne. The sum total of the savages with 8t. Leger, according to Col. Daniel Claus, their Superintendant in the absence of Col. Guy Johnson, was 800. Among these were 150 Mississaugues, who were accepted as a Seventh by the Six Nations, in 1746, but the alliance did not long continue. In 1755 the Iroquois Confederation found their Seventh member in the ranks of the enemy. The fact is there never wore over Five Nations : even the Sixth, the Tuscaroras, did not stand on an equal footing with the original Five ; they were sim])ly tolerated. The Mississaugues were afterwards expelled or dropped from the Confederation. They were a miserable set, "drunk and riotous from the start," unreliable throughout, robbers and murderers of the associated Whites at the end. They came from the neighborhood of Lake Nippissing, to the northward of Georgian Bay. Gordon (American) puts St. Leger' s In- dians "at 700 warriors, who, with their wives, children, other men and women, made up 1400." Deduct the non- combatants and Indians eftectives and this, again, demon- strates the number of white soldiers, rank and iile, repre- sented by 600 rations, less than 400. The Americans estimated the King's troops at King's Mountain at 1125, from the number of rations issued that morning according to the returns captured ; whereas, it is well-known, accord- ing to the Diary of Lieut. Allaire, recovered within two years, that Ferguson had only 906 or 907, of whom over 800 were raw militia. The Battle of Oriakany. evil Wliy St. Leger took with him so few men and sucli inadequate cannon is due to the supercilions di8re<i;ard manifested by ])rofessional British officials for the advice of American provincial officers. All the ability he did show was due to the advice of Sir John Johnson (Stone's "Brant," I., 226). Wherever he did so, he was successful, and where he did not, he failed. Had Braddock followed the councils of Colonel Washington, he would have escaped the catastrophe in M'hich he fell, in July, 1755. Had St. Leger listened to the suggestions of Colonel Clans, *^ he would have succeeded in August, 1777. Could Colonel (acting Brigadier) Fergusonf have divested himself of his * Col. Dauiol Clans, writing? to Secretary Knox, 6tli November, 1777, shows how the jealousies afrectin<^ the supersedure of Sir Guy Carleton by Bur j?oy lie were fatal to all tlie operations of this campaign. Col. Claus, on ai)i)]ying to Sir Guy for orders, was told he had none to give, and that he (Claus) nught do as he pleased. TJiis was a curious re- mark for a chief to make to a subordinate. One fact of interest is dis- closed by this letter, viz., that Sir John Johnson, after the failure at Fort Stanwix, was to proceed to join Burgoyne. Why he did not is explained by the concluding sentence of this paragraph of the commu- nication of Col. Claus: "Such friques [freaks?) and jealousies I am afraid have been rather hurtful to our Northern operations last can\- paign." Verily ! (Col. Doc, VIII., 725.) f Johnson and Claus told St. Leger what he wanted and what to do, and he would not hearken, and did not succeed. De Peyster advised Fer- guson as to the character of his opj)onents, and he was not listened to. Americans knew^ Americans better than Britishers. The result was, St. Leger failed and Ferguson fell, and with the failure of the one and the fall of the other, it was not the interests of England that suffered only, because the "mother country" came out of the war riclier, greater and mightier than ever, but the Loyalists, dupes of their faith in the Home Government, her ability to conquer, and her determination to preserve the rights of all, to punish the guilty and to recompense the faithful. 15 n It #' M cvni The Battle of OrisJcany. contempt for the Mountain-men he would not have saeri- ijced his detachment in October, 1780. Captain (acting Col- onel) de Peyster, an American Provincial, his second in com- mand, knew the value of the exquisite picked sharpshooters who were about to assail his superior, in far preponderating numbers. PTe indicated the course which would have secured immediate relief and eventual success. Ferguson was too fearless or perhaps reckless to listen to his sub- ordinate and the result was a defeat from which the Eng- lisli n ;ver recovered at the South. It was exactly the same with the French regulars. They would never pay the slightest heed to the warning of the Canadian provin- cial leaders, experts in forest-craft and Indian fighting, and thus the Bourbons lost New France. Arrogance in epaulets will never liston to exoteric experience. Mem- bers of a caste or liierarchy never pay due attention to the sagacity of intuitive external practical observation which does not exhibit the tonsure or the shoulder-strap. West Point and the regular army pooh ! pooh ! silently or audibly, everything that is not stamped with their cabalistic emblems or has not joined in the chorus "Benny Havens, Oh !" It has been so since the world began, and brave men will be massacred through "red tape " until the era of common-sense arrives, if it ever does come, to bless" mortality — until the descent of the New Jerusalem. How many men had Ilarkheimer ? Estimates vary from 800 to 1000. There were four regiments of militia, some faithful Oneidas, numerous volunteers of all ranks, a bloom of colonels and officials, and a few mounted men. By how The Battle of OrUkany. cix many was irarkheinier ambuscaded at first!! Not near as many as he liimself had. St. Leger says that, wlien Sir John was aUowed to plan and traj) the Americans, he had not 200 of tlie King's troops in camp, and he could only spare to the Baronet 80 white men, Hangers and Troops, Sir John's Light Company, the Ilanau liifiemen, and But- ler with a few Ottieers and Rangers and the whole corps of the Indians. Here again is incontrovertible circumstantial proof that St. Leger's white troops, present and detached, assembled and scattered between his camp and his depot, or base, at Fort Bull on Wood Creek, did not exceed from 350 to 400 men. After the Indians had fiunked and be- haved so badly the remainder of the " lioyal Greens " were quickstepped into the fight, Mdiich would not have added 100 to the force besetting Ilarkheimer. Consequently the latter could not have been engaged at any time with as many as 200 whites.* * Mr. Stone (pages e and/) emphasizes the fact that Steplien Watts is only mentioned as Captain in the " Orderly Book," whereas he was generally known as Major. If he had turned to his own note on the suh- ject of English rank, the discrepancy would at once be exjilaincd. It is very unlikely that a man's brother, at a i)eriod when the lines of titular distinction were firmly drawn and closely observed, would not have known the rank borne by a brother of whom he was proud, or the name of the corps to which he belonged. Stephen AVatts, of Oriskany, was a great favorite in his family, and designated by the most att'ectionate epithets. What is more, there were a variety of titles of rank in the British Army at tliat time, two or more of which were often borne l)y the same individual. A man might be a "line" Captain, verj' likely " brevet " Major or Lieutenant-Colonel, a " local," " temporary" or "provincial" Colonel or Brigadier, and a militia Major-General. In some cases he did not receive an actual commission, but was delegated in Avriting to act as such or thus. Sir John Johnson, Bart, held com- liii \i% lit 't ex • The Battle of Ovhlann. As to liow many tlic Aniericjins loHt is anoilior disputod point. St. Lcger Hays in his ditteront rt'ijorts that not over 200 (ont of 800 or !>00) escaped. The smallest list of their casualties comprises 100 killed and about 200 wounded and prisoners. In some' respects, Gordon, take him all in all, is the best authority for the American Revolution when in ac- n missions as Major-Genera] of Militia, as Brigadier-General of the Pro- vincial troops (2ist October, 1782), and the date of his conimisHion as " Sui»crintendent-Gcneral and In8])eotor-General of the Six Nations of Indians and their Confederates of all the Indian nations inhabiting Our Province of Quebec and the Frontiers," is of March 14th, 1783. In 1777, as Lieutenant-Colonel, he was commanding his regiment. Here again Mr. Stone is emphatic. " He says that this regiment is nowhere mentioned as the " Koyal .Greens." They must have been known as such or else they would not have been thus designated in the histories written nighest to their period. Any discrepancy here again is susceptible of lucid solution. At first it was determinM to uniform the Provincial corps in green, and some were originally clothed in tliis color, but had it changed ; others, e.xceptions to the rule, retained it to the end of the war. Doubtless for valid reasons, not now known, it was found more advantageous or economical to issue to the Provincials clothes of the same color as those worn by the Kegulars, but with distinctive facings. The same process is now going on tlirousrliout the whole British Army, and evoking a perfect wail of indignation and grief from corps wliich had won renown in dresses and facings of exceptional color and cut. "We" [English], observes the author of "International Vanities" (No. III., Titles), in BlnekwoocVs Magazine, " have carried this adoring love of variety of names and titles even into our army, where we have created five kinds of rank altogether irreapectite of military grades pro- perly so called; our army rank maybe [1] Regimental (substantive), [2] Brevet, [3] Local, [4| Temporary, or [5] Honorary, and we might almost add [6] " Relative" to this absvrd list, which no other nation can understand. In our navy, at all events, rank is rank ; there our officers are in reality what they say they are." — LittelVs Living Age, No. 1556, 4th April, 1874. p.' 14.) The Ihittle of Orhhuny. CXI cord witli Stcdiuan ; but un<|ue8tu)iiiil»ly Afori-y Warren — (laughter of JauieH Otis — political dissertationist, poetess and liistorian, wlio wrote in the light and memories of contemporaries, ju'esents facts not to be found elsewhere : Paul Allen's ''American Revolution" isthemostphiloaoplii- cal work on this subject. Hero let it be remarked, that Mrs. Warren says: "Their danger" — that is the peril of the garrison of Fort Stanwix — " was greatly enhanced by the ntlsfortune of General Ifarkheimer, who liad marched for the relief of Fort Stanwix, but with too little precau- tion. At the head of eight or liine hundred nnlitia, ho fell into an ambuscade consistlnrj in< <fl'i of Indians^ and notwithstanding a manly defence, f<"' of them escaped. They were surrounded, routed, and butchered, in all the barbarous shapes of savage brutality, after many of them had become tlieir i)risoners, and their scalps carried to their British allies, to receive tlie stipidated pric3." The Americans claimed a victorv because the survivors were allowed to retire unmolested. This was due to the fact that the Indians had long since "voted themselves out of the tight," and because the white troops, misled by the false reports of "a cowardly Indian," were recalled to the defense of their camp. There is no intention in this little work to detract from tlie glory of Harkheimer or of his Mohawk men ; but the best regular troops have fallen victims to ambuscades from the time of CfBsar, and, doubt- less, long before, judging from analogy, do^\•n to the pre- sent day. "Eternal fitness of things" is the pertinent phi- losophical sneer of Sardou. Harkheimer against his better iH cxii The Battle of Oriskany. m judgment was plunged into a deadly trap and lie suflPered awfully, as is the universal result under such circumstances. Personal enemies, with the presumption of ignorance and the bitterness of spite, have presumed to insinuate that Sir John was wanting in courage. Want of physic a bravery in a trained officer or soldier is extremely rai j. Moral cowardice has very few and God-like exceptions. As one among numerous proofs that Sir John was deficient in neither quality, physical or moral, it is admitted by friend and foe that "Sir John Johnson proposed to follow the blow given to tli*" reinforcement (who were chiefly Mohawk river people) to march down the country with about 200 men, and I intended joining him with a suf- ficient body of Indians ; but the Brigadier (St. Leger) said he could not spare the men, and disapproved of it." It was an admitted fact, however positively it may be denied now, at this day, that the poi)uhition of this district were stunned by the catastrophe at Oriskany. Is it any won- der ? There was the ' ' Mourning of Egypt ' ' throughout the Mohawk valley. Scarcely a house but wept its dead or missing. It was not until the flaming sword of Arnold and the flashing bayonets of his 2000 regulars, volunteers and militia showed themselves that resolution lifted its head and hearts once more pulsated with the throbbing of hope. "False as a bulletin," has passed into a proverb. Justice would seem to require that, since bulletins or re- ports are with few excei)tions ' ' special pleas, ' ' the state- ments of both parties concerned should be compared in the light of common-sense, and the verdict given accord- The Battle of OrisTcany. CXlll ing to niaiiifest probabilities. It is the popular notion that Willett's sortie* was a magnificent feat of arms. Why was it ? If he found no difficulty in spoiling the British camp at his leisure without experiencing any loss either in his sortie or return to the fort — during \vliich time his wagons drove out, looted and carried bade into the fort twenty-one loads of si)oil ; if, again, the garrison derided the besiegers, why did Colonel Willett and Lieutenant Stockwell volunteer, ]oave the fort to seek assistance from Schuyler, more than a hundred miles away, against a foe who, according to American accounts, had shown so little vigor during the sortie and had effected so little subse- quently? Such facts are hard to reconcile. Within the fort were 750 (to 950?) white men, Americans, who nmst be considered as good, man for man, as the four to five liundred Englishmen and Americans opposing them ; and no one will pretend that an armed white man behind *■ That Willett's sortie was entirely destitute of peril and, throutrli- out, luiinterruiited, is clearly shown by the thor()ugliness with which lie ransaclted the Provincial and Indian cam])s, and the complete lei- sure that was afforded for "looting " them, with only a remote chance of reprisals by the absent enemy. All told, St. Leger had only (?) four hundred and ten Whites. At first he sent out eighty of these, and. perhaps, subsequently, one hundred went to the assistance of Sir John, hurried to the scene of action by the report of a cowardly Indian. This would leave St. Leger at most two hundred and tAventy-seven. Deduct the men necess-irily on detached duty, and any one who is willing to judge fairly will believe the British commander, that he had only two hundred Whites and no savages with him when Willett made the sortie with two hundred antl fifty whites, for the savages had all gone to Oriskany with Brant ami Sir John Johnson. The wounded men captured had been brought back from the field of fighting during the earlier stages of the battle. if smsmmm liliiii CXIV The Battle of Oriskany. works is not worth ten times as nitmy savages, especially demoralized Indians. Again, take the plan of the siege, all the works and posts held l)y St. Leger's whites were on the west of the Mohawk. At all events four to five hundred men could not effect a perfect investment of the fort. For this St. Leger had to depend in a great measure upon his In- dians, and nothing shows the untrustworthiness of Indians, either as fighters or scouts, than that Willett and Stockwell could creep out without being observed and get ofl:* without being molested. Tlie American story does not hang well together. Common-sense nmst endorse St. Leger' s report, ignoring its magniloquence, which is of no consequence. St. Leger took little account of the troops to whom he was innne- diately opposed ; but he was afraid of bis demoralized savage contingent, whose insubordination had ruined his ambuscade at Oriskany — whose anxiety for fighting, but not their thirst for blood, had been allayed in the fight with Harkheimer ; and thus when a force of whites, at least (piadruple his own men of Saxon blood, were advancing under the best Ameri- can executive, Arnold, to co-operate with the garrison, really much superior to the besiegers of the same race, St. Leger found himself wiih less than three hundred and fifty valid soldiers opjiosed to at least iwo thousand, with his worst and most dangerous enemy in his own camp, the barbarians who had proved almost worthless as figli - ing factors. It ^liiliw^aife 011 file TOri^liaiiii AND SORTIE FROM FORT STANWIX. Old Seventeen Hundred and Seventy-seven, Of Liberty's throes, was the crown and the leaven. Just a century since, August Sixth, was the day When Great Britain's control was first stricken away. Let us sing then the fieli'. where the Yeomen of York Met the Lion and Wolf on their slaughterous stalk ; When Oriskany's ripples were crimson'd with blood ; .\nd when strife fratricidal polluted its flood. Oh, glorious collision, forever renowned ! While America lives should its praises resound, And stout Harkheimer's name be the theme of the song, Who with Mohawk's brave sons broke the strength of the strong. I'o relief of Fort Stan\vi.x the Yorkers drew nigh, To succor stout Gansevoort, conquer or die ; And if unwise the counsels that brought on the fight, In the battle was shown that their hearts were all right. If their Chief seemed so prudent that " subs" looked askance. Still one shout proved their feeling, their courage— "Advance." Most unfortunate counsel ! The ambush was set. Leaving one pass.-jge /«, but none out of the net,— Of outlets not one, unless 'twas made by the sword Through encompassing ranks of the pitiless horde. Sure never was column so terribly caught, Nor ever has column more fearlessly fought : — Thus Ifarkheimer's Mohawkcrs made victory theirs. For St. Leger was foiled in spite of his snares. 16 — cxv m CXVl The Amhuscade on the (Jriskany. The loud braggarts who 'd taunted Harkheiiner so free, Ere the fight had begun, were from fight first to flee ; While the stalwart oUl Chief, who a father had proved. And his life offer'd up for the cause that he loved, 'Mid the war-whirl of I leath still directed each move, 'Mid the rain from the clouds and from more fatal groove Of the deadlier rifle, — and oViject assured, To him Palm, both as vic4or and martyr, inured. Search the annals of War and examine with care If a parallel fight can discovered be, there. When nine hundred green soldiers beset in a wood 'I'heir assailants, as numerous, boldly withstood ; And while Death sleeted in from environing screens Of the forest and underbrush, Indians and "Oreens" — "Gainst the circle without, took to cover within, Formed a circle as deadly— which as it grew thin Into still smaller circles then broke, until each Presented a round that no foeman could breach, Neither boldest of savage nor disciplined troops: — Thus they fought and they fell in heroical groups — But though falling still fighting they wrench'd from the foe The great object they marched to attain, and altho' The whole vale of the Mohawk was shrouded in woe, Fort Stanwix was saved by Oriskany's throe. No New Birth, no advance in the Progress of Man, Has occurred since the tale of his suflerings began. Without anguish unspeakable, deluge of blood. The Past's buried deep 'neath th' incarnadine flood. So, when, at Oriskany, slaughter had done Its fell work with the tomahawk, hunting knife, gun ; From the.earth so.ik'd with 'i^lood, and the whirlwind of fire Rose til'! living's reward and the fallen's desire. Independence ! For there, on Oriskany's shore. Was wrought out the death-wrestle deciding the war ! If our country is free and its flag, first displayed On the ramparts of Stanwix, in glory's arrayed ; If the old " Thirteen Colonies" won the renown "5.'V setii/>er tyrannis : — beat Tyranny down ; There, there, at Oriskany, the wedge first was driv'n. By which British Invasion was splinter'd and riv'n : Though 't Hoosic and " Sar'tog" the work was completed. The end was made clear with St. I.eger defeated ; Nor can boast he disproved, on Oriskany's shore Was worked out the grim problem involved in the war. A Poem, by Oen. J. Watts de Peyster, read at the Centennial Celebration of the Battle of Oriskany, 6th .August, 1877. t)riginally published in the "Centennial Celebra- tions of the State of New York." Albany, 1879. i» The Amhuscade on the Oriskany. cxvu Burgoyne commenced his march on the 80th of June, ascended Champlain ; bridged, corduroyed and cleared twenty-one miles between this" Lake and the Hudson, and watered his horses in this river on the 28th of July. From Montreal, St. Leger ascended the St. Lawrence, crossed Lake Ontario to Fort Oswego, moved up the Onondaga Kiver eastward, traversed Oneida Lake, and thence pro- ceeded up, and "a cAdya/," Wood Creek, its feeder. Six- ty picked marksmen, under Major Stephen Watts (of New York city), an officer of Sir Johnson's Battalion of Refugees from the Mohawk, known as the "Royal Greens," pre- ceded his march and effectively cleared the way. About this date, St. Leger' s advance appeared before Fort Stan- wix — the site of the present Rome — on the "great port- age " between the headwaters of the IVCohawk and the feeders of the streams which unite with the ocean through the Gulf of St. Lawrence. St. Leger was to sweep in and gather supplies for Burgoyne as well as to operate mili- tarily against Gansevoort, in Fort Stanwix. About the same time the necessary repairs of this F>)rt were completed, its magazines filled, its garrison aug- mented under Colonel Gansevoort and Lieutenant-Colonels Marinus Willett and Mellon, and simultaneously the invest- ment was initiated' by the advance guard of the British, under Lieutenant Bird, 8tli (King's Regiment of) Foot, a famous organization, dating back to 1685. ' On the 3d August, 1777, St. Leger arrived before Fort Stanwix and the siege began. Amid the mistakes and blunders of this campaign, the f 1 cxviii The A)nhuscade on the Oriskany. greatest was sending "Local" Brigadier-General [Lt. Col.] St. Leger with only 400 to 410 whites (Indians counted as nothing in such an undertaking) to besiege a regular work, lield hy 750 (or !)50 ?) comparatively good troops. Besides this, St. Leger had only a few light pieces, barely sufficient to harass and inefficient to breach or destroy. The carriages of his two six-pounders were rotten, and had to be replaced when actually in battery. Still the " Burgoyne scare " was upon the colony, and nothing had been done as yet to dissi- pate it, to restore confidence, or to demonstrate how base- less was the terror. [" The Albanians were seized with a panic, the people ran about as if distracted, and sent off their goods and furniture."] Seeing the importance of relieving Fort Stanwix, Nicho- las Ilarkheimer,* Major-General New York State Militia, a brave man although not much of a soldier, sunnnoned the males of the Mohawk Valley, capable of bearing arms, to meet on the German Flats at Fort Dayton, now bearing his name, lie cast his lot in with the revolted colony, al- though his own brother was a Local Colonel in the British service, and many other relations and connections as well as friends were in the opposite camp. The Militia of the Mohawk rendezvoused at Fort Dayton on the very day i?>d August) that St. Leger actually began, the siege of Fort Stanwix. The evening of the 5th, Harkheimer was at * Herckheimer or Herkimer, originally Erf^eraon or P^rfrenmr, according to "Osgood's Middh; States," p. I(i5, -which is most likely to have been tlie original name. Still, lath June, 1764, he signed Nicolas Ilerckmer to an official paper. The Amhuscade on the Ortskanij. exix " Tlie Mills'' at tlienioutli of Oriskany Creek, some seven to nine miles from Fort Stanwix, and in communication with the garrison, which was to make a sortie in combination with liis attack. It is certain that TFarkheimer liad Indians with him belonging co the " Oneida House," or tribe of the " Six Nations," but how many is nowhere stated. They were of little account. One of them, however, gave the militia the best kind of advice, but as usual was not lis- tened to. This tribe, or a large portion of it, had been de- tached from the British interest by agents of the Albany Committee. Their decision resulted unfortutiately for them ; while they accomplished little for the Americans, they brought ruin upon themselves by their defection from the ties of centuries. After the impending battle, the other Five Nations swooped down upon them and nearly destroyed them. Ilarkheimer moved on the morning of the 6th August, and immediately fell into an altercation with his four Colo- nels and other subordinates, and the.Tryon County Com- mittee-men. He Avanted to display some soldierly caution and send out scouts to reconnoitre and throw out Haidcers to protect, and thus feel^ as it were, his way through the woods. For this his officers, with the effrontery of igno- rance and the audacity of militiamen, styled him a "Tory," or " a Traitor " and a "Coward," just as the saniic erms of reproach, with as little Justice, were applied to Sir John Johnson. Abuse is the weapon of little minds, and sneers of those deficient in the very qualities which they deny to others they dislike. "Who can defend himself against if ,,iiT, cxx The Ainhuscade on the Oi'lshiny. a sneer r' The bickeriiiu' lasted for liours, until Tlark- lieinier, worn out with the persistency of the babhlers, gave the order to "March on." His Oneida Indians should have been most useful at this conjuncture. But tliese traitors to a confederacy " of ages of glory," dreading to meet as foes those whom they had deserted as friends, clung close to the main body, and forgot their usual cunning and wood- craft. Meanwhile Gen. St. Leger was well aware that Hark- heinier wt:s on tlie way to the assistance of Col. Ganse- voort in Fort Stanwix, and listened to the councils of his second in connnand, Sir John Johnson, and adopted his plan to set a trap for the approaching column. According- ly St. Leger detached Sir John with a company of Jaegers, or Ilesse-IIanau liiHemen, Sir John's own Light Lifantry Company, and some Provincials or Rangers with Butler, the total only eighty whites, if St. Leger's I^eports are trustworthy, and Brant (Thayendanega) and his Indians. Sir John established'an ambush about two miles west of Oriskany. Just sucli an ambuscade under the partisans, de Beaugeu and Langlade, absolutely annihilated Brad- dock in 1755 ; just such, again, under the same Langlade — had he been listened to by Regular Superiors — -would have ruined Pitt's grand conceptions, for the concpiest of the Canadas by destroying the forces under Wolfe on the Mont- morency, below Quebec, 31st July, 1759. Harkheimer had to cross a deep, crooked, S-shaped ravine, with a marshy bottom and dribble, spanned by a causeway and bridge of logs. Sir John completely en- The Amhuscade on the Orishiny. cxxi veloped tliis spot with marksmen, leaving an inlet for the entrance of the Americans, hut no outlet for their escape. Moreover he phiced his hest troops — whites — on the road westward M'here real fighting, if any occurred, had to be done, and to bar all access to the fort. No plans were ever more judicious, either for a hattue of game or an ambuscade for troops. Ilarkheimer's col- umn, without scouts, eclaireurs or flankers, plunged into the ravine and had partly climbed the opposite crest and attained the plateau, when, with his wagon train huddled together in the bottom, the surrounding forest and dense underwood was alive with enemies and aliij:ht with the blaze of muskets and rifles, succeeded by yells and war whoops, just as the shattering lightning and the terrifying thunder are almost simultaneous. Fortunately for the Americans, the Indians antici])ated the signal to close in upon them. The savages — violating their promises to restrain their passions, and disregarding the very plan they had agreed to, and which w^ould have tilled full their thirst for slaughter — showed themselves a few moments too soon, so that Ilarkheimer's rear-guard was shut o}it of the trap instead of m, and thus had a chance to fly. They ran, but in many cases they were outrun by the Indians, and suffered almost as severely as their com- rades whom they had abandoned. Then a butchery en- sued such as had never occurred on this continent, and if the entrapped Americans engaged had not shown the cour- age of desperation they would all have been sacrificed. But Heaven interposed at the crisis, and sent down a deluging f l\ cxxu 77<e Ambuscade' on the Orhkany. I r. •■ I sliower wliich stopped tlie slaughter, since, in tliut day of Hint-locks, firing amid torrents of rain was an iniijossibii- ity. Such "a shower of Messing" saved the English at Montniorenci in 1759, Washington after Brandywine (Gor- don ii., 575) in 1778, and i)erhai)s preserved the city of Washington by terminating the fight at Cluuitilly in 1862. A similar downpour on the 17th June, 1815, certainly had a considerable influence on the Waterloo campaign. Ex- amples may be added ad nauseam. This gave the Ameri- cans time to recover their breath and senses. ITarkheimer, very early in the action, was desperately wounded in the leg by a shot which killed his horse, lie caused his saddle to be placed at the foot of a beech tree, and, sitting u})on it and pro])ped against the trunk, he lit his pipe, and, while quietly smoking, continued to give orders and make dispo- sitions which saved all who did escape. His orders on this occasion were perhaps the germ of the best subsequent rifle tactics. He behaved like a hero, and perished a mar- tyr to his ideas of Liberty, dying in his own home at " Dan- ube," two miles below Little Falls ("Little Portage"), ten days after the engagement, in consequence of a bun- gling amputation and subsequent ignorant treatment. The monument he so richly deserved, which was voted both by Congress and his State, to the eternal disgrace of both, has never been erected, and this grand rei)resentative yeoman I^ew Yorker has no public memorial of his qualities and services. When the shower was about over, Sir John Johnson, seeing that the Indians were yielding, sent (?) back to canq) The Amhf(8oade on the Orhhmy. cxxiu for a reinforceiueiit of liis " Roytil Greens," under his bro- ther-in-law, Maj. Stephen Watts, or else they were sent them to end the matter more speedily. These, although they disguised themselves like Mohawk Valley Militia, were recognized by the Americans as brotliers, relatives, connections oi* neighbors whom TIarkheimer's followers had assisted in driving into exile and poverty. These Loy- alists were presumably coming back to regain what they had lost and to punish if victorious. At once to the fury of battle was added the bitterness of mutual hate, spite and vengeance. If the previous figliting had been murderous, the subsequent was horrible. Firearms, as a rule, were thrown aside, the two forces mingled, they grasj^ed each other by the clothes, beards and hair, slashed and stabbed with their hunting knives, thrust with " spears"* and bayo- * There is a great deal of talk about fighting with "spears" in this battle. "Captain Gardenior slew three with his spear, one after the other." Colonel Willett and Lieutenant Stockwell, "each armed with a spear," crept out of the fort to seek relief, &c. That the Indians used spears is very likely, because a weapon of this sort is primitive and in ordinary use among savages. Storming parties, or iroops des- tined to assault a breacli, it is true, were furnished with something resembling "boarding pikes," peculiar to the Navy. That the English and American troops or Militia employed such a weapon is ridiculous. These " spears " were Espontons, which were the badges of military rank. "To trail a half pike" was a term once recognised as equiva- lent to holding a commission. As late as 1811 "the Militia Law of the United States required that the cojnmissioned officers shall severally be armed with a sword or hanger and esponton." The latter was a short pike, about eight feet in length. Colonels carried them, just as in the previous century sergeants bore halberts. " To bring a man to the halberts" expressed the idea of the infliction of corporal punishment. This explains how Colonel Willett and Captain Gardenier and Lieutenant Stockwell came to be furnished, 17 I % cxxiv The AmhusGade on the Orhkany. nets, and were fovind in j)airH locl<t'd in tlie embrace of hatred and deatli. There is now no longer the nliirhtest doubt that Sir John Jolinson connnanded the Tiritisli Loyalists and Indians at Oriskany. Oidy one oriji;! vriter ever ([iiestioned the fact, whereas all other histi ans agree in establishing it. The reports of St. Leger not only prove the presence of Sir John Johnson in coniniand, but they praise his able diispo- sitions for the ambuscade or battle. Family tradition — a sure index to the trutli if not the very truth itself — and con- temporary publications remove every doubt. Sir John's brother-in-law, Major Stephen "Watts, of New York city, dangerously wounded, appears to have been second in com- mand, certainly of the white troops, and most gallantly prominent in the bloodiest, o "est fighting. He, like ITark- heimer, besides receiving r terrible wounds, lost his leg* in this action ; but, unlike the latter, under equally dis- advantageous circumstances, preserved his life. NOT with spears, but with lialf-pikeR or espontons. The last were sym- bols of authority and command, and in an old print St. Leger is repre- sented with an esponton in his hand. Over a hundred years ago there was a great question whether light double-barrel muskets — something like those furnished to the French military police in Corsica— should notconstitutu a part of the armament of offlcers in the French service. The folly of espontons survived down to the beginning of this century in some services, and the canes of Spanish offlcers today may be repre- sentatives of the obsolete espontons. * " Major (Stephen) Watts was wounded through the leg by a ball (he eventually lost his limb), and in the neckby a thrust from a bayonet, which passed through, back of the windpipe, and octasimiod such an efiusion of blood as to induce not only him but his captors to suppose (after leading him two or three miles) that he must die in consequence. He begged his captors to kill him: they refused, and left him by the The Ainhu8oade on the Orlskany. GXXV WitliiHit iittciiipting to (leveloj) the coinplutoiioss ofthis t'ratricidul butchery, it may be statod as one curioub fact that Harkhcinier's brotlier was not only, according to some narratives, a titular British colonel, but certainly a sort of quartermaster to St. Leger, and especially charged with the supervision of the Indian auxiliaries who were the cause of the General's death and the slaughter of so many of their common kinsmen, connections, friends and neigh- bors. All the Revolutionary battles on New York soil were, more or less, family collisions, and realized the boast which Shakespeare, in the closing lines of his Tragedy of King John, puts in the mouth of the valiant bastard, Falcon- bridge : V side of a st renin under the shiide of a bridge (across Orislcany Creek), where he was found two days subsequentiy covered with tly-blows, but still alive. He was borne by some Indians to Schenectady (Oswego, and then by boat to Montreal), where lie remained until sutHcieiitly re- covered to endure a voyage to England, where lie was often after seen limping about Chelsea Hospital. [Error, lie married a Miss Nugent, and reared a family of distinguished sons in elegant ease.] The sash taken from him is still in possession of the Sanders family." — "Legacy of Historical Gleanings," Vol. I., pages 09-70. " The soldier who carried the Major to the stream — and received the (Major's) watch as a reward — was named Failing, a private in Gen- eral Herkimer's (own, or original) regiment. He sold the watch for $300, Continental money, to his Lieutenant, Martyn G. Van Alstyne, who would never part with it, &c. M. G. Van Alstyne was First Lieu- tenant, in the Seventh Company, General Herkimer's (own, or original) regiment, and was a great-uncle of my (F. II. Hoof, of Hhinebeck, N.Y.) father. He lived until IBiJO. My father, now aged 75, remembers the watch well, and has often mentioned the incident to me, as related to him by his uncle." I;' i' I III Hi nil l: f !i H l:H:?n K4 cxxvi The Anihuscade on the Oriskany. " This England [New York] never did (nor never shall) Lie at the proud foot of a concpieror But when it first did liclp to wound itself. ***** Come the three corners of the world in arms And we shall shock theui. Nought shall make us rue If England [New York] to itself do rest hut true !" This savage affair cVazed even tlie Indians. It out- stripped their own ferocity They lost their heads — went mad like wild animals at tlie sic^ht and smell of blood. Tliev came to the conclusion that the white men had lured them into this verv hell of tire and slau<»;hter to extermi- nate them. The arena of battle became a maelstrom of bloodshed, and the Indians tomahawked and stabbed friend and foe alike, and in the wild whirl and cataclysm of pas- sions, more powerful than their own, suffered a loss which appalled even the fell instincts of the savage. As an American, and especially as a Knickerbacker, the historian cannot but rejoice in the determination exhibited by the people of his State and Icindred blood, and of this op- portimityof demonstrating it. Still, as a chronicler of events, there is no evading the concurrent testimony of facts ; of "Kapp's History of his People" {i. <?., the Dutch and Ger- man settlers of the Mohawk Valley), and of St. Leger'sKe- ports. All of these concur in the evidence, direct and cir- cumstantial, that Ilarkheimer's little army suffered a tac- tical disaster. That this did not remain a defeat and was converted (as was Monmouth) eventually into a moral triumph and political as well as a strategical success, was due to the common-sense commandership of Harkheimer. 1 The Amhuscade on the Oriskany. cxxvii According to liis plu.i, the advance and attack of .his col- umn of MohaM'k Valley men was to be a combined move- ment, based upon, or involving, a simultaneous sortie from Fort Stanwix. llils sortie teas not made in time to save Harkheimer's life or the loss of over two-thirds of his connnand, killed and M'ounded or prisoners. Nothing pre- served the survivors of Harkheimer's column but the del- uging "shower of blessing." When the flood began to abate, and not until then, did Willett take advantage of the storm to make liis sortie and attack that portion of St. Leger's lines which had been stripped to co-operate in the ambush set for Ilarkheimer. The siege works, or lines of investment — to apply a formal term to very trifling imita- tions — were very incomplete. To style them "lines of in- vestment" is a misnomer. St. Leger's three batteries — the first, three light guns ; the second, four diminutive mortars ; tlie third, three more small guns — were totally inadequate for siege purposes, whereas there were fourteen pieces of artillery mounted in the fort. St. Leger did have two six-pounders, but the carriages were found lo be so rotten that tliey had to be reconstructed on the spot, and consequently could not have been of service when most needed. lie refers to this fact by implication in his report. The redoubts to cover the British batteries, St. Leger's line of approaches and his encampment were all u\\ the north side of the fort. Tliese were occupied by 250 to 850 regulars and Provincials. Sir John Johnson's canq) or works, held by about 133 Loyalist troops, were to the southward. It was against these last, entirely denuded \ \ ■■= i rm cxxviii The Amlmscade on the Oriskamj. of their defenders^ that Willett made his sortie. St. Leger's M'orks and those of Sir Jolin Johnson were wide y separated and independent of each other, and tlie intervals, to make the circuit of tl»e investment apparently complete, M'ere held, or rather patrolled, by the Indians, who, how- ever, during the sortie, M'^ere all away ambuscading and assaulting Harkheimer. Consequently, Willett' s sortie, however successful in its results as to material captured, and as a diversion, was utterly devoid of peril. That he had time to plunder Sir John Johnson's camp, and three times send out seven wagons, load them, and send them back into the post, v.'ithout tlie loss of a man, is unanswer- able proof that he met with no opposition. He surprised and captured a small squad of prisoners (?) — five, an offi- cer (commissioned or non-commissioned) and four privates — and saw a few dead Indians and whites, but nowhere does it appear whether they had been killed by the lire from the fort or in the attack. All the merit that belongs to his sortie, in a military point of view, is the tact that to save whatever material AVillett did not have time to re- move. Sir John Johnson had to extricate and hurry back his "Royal Greens " from the battle-ground of Oriskany, four to five and a half miles away ; leaving the stage of collision with the expectation that the completion of the bloody work would be effectually performed by the In- dians. These, however, had already got their fill of fight- ing, and to this alone was due the result, so fortunate for the survivors of Ilarkheimer's column, that its remnant was left in possession of the field, soaked with their blood The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. cxxix i?i and covered witli their dead and wounded. Tlie glory of Oriskany belongs to the nien of the Mohawk Valley, only in that, although they were "completely entrapped," they defended themselves with such desperation for five or six hours, and finally displayed so much restored courage, that they were able to extricate even a few fragments from the slaughter pit. That Willett captured " five British stand- ards," or five British stand of colors, is not probable; scarcely possible. They may have been camp colors or markers. The regimental colors are not entrusted to drib- let detachments from regiments. The " Boy al Greens " may have had a color, a single flag, although this is very doubtful, because, if only 133 constituted their whole strength, they formed a very weak — a mere skeleton — ■ battalion. The colors of the Eighth or King's Begiment of Foot were certainly left at headquarters, likewise those of the British Thirty-fourth.^ The same remark applies to the llesse-Hanau Chasseurs — a company of Jagers or * In corroboration of this view of the subject, take tlie concludin>^ parai^raph of Washington's letter of July 20, 1779, to the President of Congress, reporting the capture of Stoney Point, on the night of the 15-l(5tli July, 1770. In this paragra{)h he states that " two standards" were taken, " one belonging to the garrison [this was not a standard proper, but what is technically called a garrison flag] and one [a stand- ard proper] to the Seventeenth Regiment." Stoney Point was held by a British force only a few less than the white besieging force before Port Stanwix. The garrison was composed of detachments from four different regular organizations, and yet these had only one standard, proper, which belonged to the Seventeenth. Of this regiment there were six companies, the majority of it in the works, where also the Lieut. -Colonel commanding had his permanent quarters. w cxxx T/ie Ambuscade on the Orishanij. 1!*- Riflemen would certainly not have with it the regimental standard. As still further proof of this view taken, the camp of the British Regulars, prop< •, was not attacked. The tact is, the American story of Winett's sortie has an atmosphere of myth about it. St. Leger's report to Burgoyne, and likewise to his immediate superior, Carleton — the latter the most circumstantial — present the most convincing evi- dence of truthfulness. St. Leger writes to Carleton: " At the time [Avhon llarkheinier drew near] / had not '2")() of the King''s troops in camp^ tiie various antl extensive opera- tions I was under an absolute" necessity of entering into having employed tlie rest ; and therefore [I] could not send [original- ly] above SO ichite men, rangers and troops included, with the wliole corps of Indians. Sir John Johnson put himself at the head of this party. * * * * * * "In relation to the victory [over Harkheimcr], it was equally complete as if the whole [of the Americans] had fallen; nay, more so, as the 200 [out of 800 or 900 or 1,000] who escaped served only to spread the panic Avider; but it was not so with the Indians, their loss was great. I nuist be understood In- dian eomputatio7i, being only about iM) killed and wounded, and in that number some of their favoiite chiefs and confiden- tial warriors were slain. * * * As I suspected, the enemy [Willett] made a sally with 250 men towards Lieut. Binn's post to facilitate the entrance of the relieving corps or bring on a general engagement with every advantage they could wish. ****** " Innnediately upon the departure of Captain Hoyks I learned that Lieut. Bird, misled by the information of a cowardly In- diantaat Sin John was prest, liad quitted his post to march to his assistance. I commanded the detachment of the King's regiment in support of Captain IIoyks by a road in sight of the The Ambuscade on the Qriskany. ex XXI gari'ison, winrji., toith txeciitive fire from his party, huinPxUutehj drove the ene)iiy into the fort without any furt/ier advuutaye than frightening some squaws and pilfering the pac/cs of the loaiTiors which they left behind thein^ Col, Cliius corroborates and explains this : " During tlie action [with Ilarkheinier], wlien the garrison f'ovuul the Indians' camp (who went out against their rcinforce- nients) empty, they boldly sally'd out with three luindred men and two field-pieces, and took away the Indians' packs, Avith tlieir cloaths, wampum and silver work, ' they having gone in their shirts, or naked, to action ;' [Western Indians strip to the buit' for fighting to this day] and when they found a party advancing from our camp, they returned with their spoil, tak- ing with them Lieut. Singleton [wounded about the same time with Major or Captain Watts at Oriskany], and a private of Sir John's Regiment, who lay wounded in the Indian camp. The disappointment was ratlier greater to the Indians than their loss, for they had nothing to cover themselves at night, or against the weather, and nothing in our camp to supply them till I got to Oswego." Nothing beneficial could have resulted from collusion in the rc])orts of tlie British and Loyal officers. The fact that Willett sent his seven wagons out and in, three times, shows there could have been no enemy encountered, for riflemen in the woods could at least liave shot down his horses if they had not tlie courage to exchange flres with his men. It was Harkheimer who knocked all the fight out of the Indians, and it was the desertion of the Indians, and this alone, that rendered St. Legor's expedition abortive. In sunmiing up it should be borne in mind that St. Leger had only 375 to 410 regulars and Provincials, inad- 18 1 ; ;^i I ■ M; ; 1'' ■t ■, !l !l I cxxxii The Ambuscade on the OrisJcany. dition to liis ten liglit guns and diminutive mortars, to be- siege a fort, well supplied, mounting fourteen guns, garri- soned with T50 at least, and according to the indefinite language of other authorities, 950 troops of the New^ ork Line, /. c\, to a certain degree, Regulars. Nevertheless, St. Leger continued to press the siege, with at most 410 whites against 750 to 950 whites, from the 6th until the 22d August, and when he broke up and retreated at the news of Arnold's approach with a force magnified by rumor, it was almost altogether on account of the infamous conduct of the Indians. All the evidence when sifted justifies his remarks that the Indians "became more formidable than the enemy we had to expect." By enemy he meant Arnold's column, hastening his march against him and the garrison in his immediate front, and yet neither St. Leger nor Burgoyne underestimated the American troops — not even the Militia, especially when the latter were fighting under cover or behind works. The gist of all this lies in one fact — it was not the de- fense of Fcrt Stanwix, but the self-devotion and desperation of Ilarkheimer's militia that saved the Mohawk Valley, and constitutes Oriskany the Thermopylae of the American Revolution ; tlie crisis and turning-point against the Bri- tish,* of the Burgoyne campaign; and the ''''Decisive Con- flict'''' of America's Seven Years' War for Independence. * As everything in regard to these recurrences is interci^ting, Uie following translation of von Eelking's " DeutcJien Hiilfdnippen " (I., 3- 23) is presented in regard to the Hesse-Hanau Jager or Rifle Coini)any attached to St. Leger's command : The Amhuscade 07i the Orlshany. cxxxiii " Finally it is i)roper to commemorate iu detail an event in con- nection witli this campaign which we have alluded to or treated al- ready more at length : the Hanking expedition undertaken, as a side- issue, against Fort Stanwix. The Jager or Ritle Comp.iny which was assigned to him was the tirst that the Count ofllesse-IIanau sent over to America. It left Hanau 7th May, 1777, and reached Canada Uth of June. It was at once sent forward by the Governor (Carleton) to join the troops which had already started up the St. Lawrence and assigned to the column of St. Leger. It was commanded by Lieut, llildebraud. The march through these distant and sparsely settled districts was long and very laborious, accompanied Avith all kinds of dangers and obsta- cles. In order to avoid the almost impenetrable wilderness, a greater circuit was made across Lake Ontario. The corps of St. Leger, com- prising detachments from so many different organizations, started in the beginning of July from the neighborhood of Montreal as soon as the expected Indian force had been assembled there. The transportation in flat boats 150 miles up the river was very slow ; the more so because, every now and then, the boats had to be taken ashore and carried by hand around the rapids or cataracts. Having overcome the ditHculties of the river, the route lay across the broad Ontario Lake to Fort Oswe- go on the south shore. There a day was devoted to rest, in order that the troops might recover to some extent from the exhaustion produced by their previous exertions. Thence the route followed a stream (Os- wego River] and a small lake [Oneida] inland in a southerly direction ; [thence a cheval, and up. Wood Creek] the troops marched to the Mo- hawk, on which stood Fort Stanwix, held by the enemy [Americans]. The march was extremely laborious, since not only natural ditliculties had to be overcome, but also the artificial obstacles which the Ameri- cans had placed in the way to hinder the advance of their opponents. " On the ;kl August, the Fort — after the garrison had rejectod the demand for a surrender — was assaulted without success. On the 5th, a relieving column of nearly 1 ,000 men drew near. St. Leger was aware of its ai)i)roach in time, and for its reception [Sir John Johnson] placed an ambuscade in the woods. This for the greater part consisted of regu- lar troops, and among Viiese were the Hesse-Hanau Jagers. [It was the intention of the British authorities to send the whole Regiment or Battalion of llesse-IIanau Chasseurs or Riflemen, but only one com- pany arrived in time, and only one company-, not over 40 or 50 men, was furnished to St. Leger.] The rest were Indians." [This account differs from every one hitherto examined, and shows even yet we are not acquainted with some of the most interesting facta c'xxxiv The Ambuscade on the Orlsl'ant/. !|i of this luoiiR'iilouH conttic't. St. Lf/jfor, in his orticial report, cxpri'Msly states tlmt he did not send over 80 wiiitc men. Hangers and troops in- cluded, witli tiie wliole corjts of Indians, and tliat Sir John Johnson was in conunand. The discrepancy, however, is easily reconcilable with what lias lieen hitherto stated, and explains the late arrival of the "Johnson" or " Royal (rreens." These latter must have remained in camp to hold the garrison in check. When the Indians began to slink out of the fight, the Royal Greens must have been hurried to the scene of action, leaving their lines to the soutii of the Fort entirely destitute of defenders. This established what the writer has always claimed, that Wlllett encountered no opjjosition at all in his sortie, and that the ordinary accounts of it are no better than a myth. Furthermore, every- thing demonstrates irrefutably the total unreliability of the Indians as fighters; and that the failure of St. Leger's e.\i)edition is entirely attri- buted to the misconduct of these savages. Finally, since the IJurgoyne exjiedition dejiended on St. Leger's success, und his utter military bankruptcy is chargeable to the Indians, and to them alone, therefore — as is clearly shown — the whole British ("ombined ()])erations of 1777 ended in a catastrophe, through a fatal overestimate of the viilue of In- dians as a fighting power, or as auxiliaries wherever jiny hard fighting had to be done, or for any useful purpose whatever involving i)er8e- verancc.) " The surprise was such a perfect success scarcely one-half the mi- litia escaped. While St. Leger had thus scattered his troops, the be- sieged made a sortie and j)lundcred his camji. This was a grievous loss to him : because in these almost desert districts pretty uuich all the necessaries of life had to be carried [along with a column] ; since the British troops were wanting in artillery, and since a second relieving column, 2,000 strong, was approaching under the audacious Gen. Ar- nold, which threw tlie Indians into such extreme nervous terror that they either scattered or l)esought that they might be led back again. In consequence of |all| this, St. Leger had to break up the siege on the 2tld August, and, abandoning tents, guns and stores, retreat at once. " So ended this operation which, if it had turned out more success- fully, would, in any event, /lave j)r evented the tragic fate of Bur goyne's army.''' If the disinterested German soldier and historian, von Eelking, does/tof demonstrate that the success of Burgoyne depended on that of St. Leger, and that this was completely frustrated by Oriskany, thus making Oriskany the turning jioint of the American Kevolution — words are inadeciuate to express the truth. * H H nil 'll rt f^ !];i(|e»i|i*iti near ^0h'§ g%\h OFTEN STYI.KU THE BATTLE OF KLOCK-S FIELD. IOtii Octouki!, 17H0. " f/isto>-_Y is Hot H(>u>-a-days iOHSiilitd as a faHh/nl oracle : it is rather treated like tlie olJ lanii) as too rusty, too old and hoiiiely, to bear liglit amidst the blaze of iiK.dern illumiiuitinii, but more valuable as an instrument of incantation, whicli, by occasional friction upon its surface, may conjure up miglity spirits to do the liiddinj; of a master. Such an iiisiiuinent in tlie iiamis of a good aiui faitli/ul magician will not be employed upon baseless J'abrications, that new (inwer may dissolve, but in building upon t/ie foundations of Truths that shall still hold all together, in defiance of the agency of even the same enchantment to destroy the structures it has raised." Soitiigatk's 'M/(i«j' Thoughts on Many 'J'/iings." Of all the ongagenionts wliich liave occurred upon tlie soil of Kew York, the "cock-i)it," or "the Flanders," of the Colonies, there is none which has been so much mis- represented as this. There is very little basis for the nar- rative generally accepted as history. Envy, hatred and malice liave painted every picture, and even gone so tar as to malign the State commandei', the scion of a family who risked more than any other for theCoimnonwealth, to con- ceal and excuse the had conduct of his trooi)s. As for the * Somt'timcs oonfouniU'd Avith tliat of Stone Arabia (on or near de Pcystcr Patent); East side of Caroga Creek, where it ein|)tieH into the ^lohawk Uiver, near St. Johnsville, Montgomery County, S. N. Y., sixty-three miles W. by N. of Albany. cxxxv ^ cxxxvi Enyayement near Foie'a Mills. loader of tlio Loyalists, it is no woiider that his reputation fared badly at the hands of a coniniunity wlioiu he had made to suffer so severely for their sins ai::ain8t justice, his family connections, friends and himself. The State Bri<:;a- dier-General was wrongfully accused and abused, although acquitted of every charge by his peers,* and highly com- mended for activity, iidelity, prudence, spirit and conduct. The Royal leader, like the State commander, was also sub- jected to the false accusation of want of courage, on the statement of a personal enemy ; but, like his antagonist, received the highest commendation of his superior, a vete- ran and proficient. Before attempting to describe M'hat actually occurred on the date of the collision, a brief introduction is necessary to its comprehension. The distinguished Peter Van Schaack (Stone's " Sir William Johnson," II., 388) pro- nounced Sir AVilliam Johnson " the gkeatest cuaracter OF THE AGE," the ablest man who figured in our imme- modiate Colonial history. He was certainly the benefactor of Central New York, the protector of its menaced fron- tier, the first Mdio by victories stayed the flood-tide of French invasion. His son. Sir John, succeeded to the bulk of his vast possessions in the most troublous times of New York's history. He owed everything to the Crown and nothing to the People, and yet the People, because he would not betray his duty to the Crown, drove him forth * " Frencli's Gazetteer," 432 ; Stone's " Brant," II., 124-5 ; Stone's " Border Wars," ii., 126-7 ; Simni's " Schoharie County," 430-1 ; Camp- bell's "Border Wars," 199-201. Engagement near Fox's Mills. cxxxvii and despoiled liiiu. More tliaii once lie returned in arms to punish and retrieve, at a greater liazard than any to whicli the mere professional soldier is suhjected. Jiy the detestahle laws of this emhryo State, even a i)eaceahle re- turn subjected him to the risk of a halter ; consequently, in addition to the ordinary perils of battle, he fought, as it were, witlx a rope around his neck. There was no honor- able captivity for him. The same pitiless revenge which, after King's Mountain (S. C), in the same month and year (7th October, 1780), strung up a dozen Loyalist officers and soldiers would have sent him speedily to execution. The coldly cruel or unrelentingly severe — choose between the terms — Governor Clinton \vould have shown no i)ity to one who had stnu'k harder and oftener Vnan any other, and left the record of his visitations in letters M' fire on vast tablets of ashes coherent with blood. In 1777, through the battle-plans of Sir John, a major- ity of the effective manhood of the Mohawk — among these some of his particular persecutors — perished at Oriskany. Neither Sir John Johnson nor Brant had anything to do with Wyoming. This is indisputable, despite the bitter words and flowing verses of historians, so called, and poets, drawing false fancy pictures of what never had any actual existence. In 1779, his was the spirit which induced the Indians to make an effort to arrest Sullivan, and it was Sir John, at length, interposed I'Otween this General and his great objective, Niagara, if it was not the very know- ledge that Sir John was concentrating forces in his front that caused Sullivan to turn back. In the following autumn I J! cxxxviii K))(j<t(ji'tni')it ih'ar /'o,r\s JZ/V/.v. (177i>) ho iiuulo hiiiiselt' master of the kev of tlu> "^roftt portage'' between Ontario and the ^[olla^vk, and his far- ther visitation of the valk^v eastward was onlv frustrated by tlie stormy season on the <:^reat lake by whieli ah)ne he conhl receive reinforcements and supplies. In May, 17<S(), starting from Ihdwagga IJay (near Crown Point) on Lake Champlain, lie constructed a military road thi'ough the wilderness — of which vestiges are still plainly visible — ascended the Sacondaga, crossed the intervening watershed, and fell (on Sunday night, :21st May) with the suddenness of a waterspout upon his rebellious birthplace, accomplished liis purpose, left behind him a dismal testi- mony of his visitation, and despite tlie })ursuit of aggre- gated enemies, escaped with his recovered plate, rich booty and numerous prisoners. It was dm'ing this expedition that Sir William's fishing house and summer house on the Sacondai«;a were destroved, and it is a wonder Sir John did not burn to the ground the family hall at Johnstown. This m';is not a raid, but an in- vasion, which depended for success upon, at least, demon- strations by the British forces in New York. As in 1777 and 1779, and again in the fall of 1780, there was nothitig done by the indolent professionals. In August-September of the same year, he orgunizeil a second expedition at Lac^ ' w- -iles above Montreal), ascended the St. T wv .,.. .ako Ontario, followed up the course of i Os\\\ Ri\ i, coasted the southern shore of Oneida Lake, unM he reached the mouth of Cliit- tenango Creek (western boundary of Mu'lison County KntjtK/enunt near /^o.r^s M!Ih. cxxxix mid oastorn of Onondui^a (\)uuty), wlicrc he loft liis batteaux aiul canoos, struck off soutlieaHtward up tlu5 Chittenati^o, tlieu erossiiiii^ the Uuadilla and tlio Charlotte, (soiuetiiiK's called the Kast branch of the Sus(iuehaMiia), and deHcended in a tempest of tlaiiu' into the rich settle- ments alonii' the Schoharie, which he struck at what was known as the Upper Fort, now Fultonham, Scihoharie Oounty.* Thence lie wasted the whole of this ridi valley to the mouth of this stream, and then turnin*.'; westward completed the devastation of every thin<j: whi(!h precediujjj inroads had spared. (Stone's "Brant," II., PJ4.) The })relimiuary inarch throu<j:h natural obstacles, ai)i)arently insnrnu»unt- able to an armed force, was one of certainly 200 miles. The succeeding swoi']) and retreat embraced almost as many. The result, if reported with any correctness, might recall Sir ^y alter Scott's lines (" Vision of Don lloderick," Conclusion II.): " Wliile downward on the land his k'gions press, Before liini it was rich witli vine and llocli, And sniii'd like Eden in her sunnner ilress, — Beldnd llieir niarcli a iiowiiny; wilderness." More than one contem])orary statement attests that the invasion carried things back to the uncertainties of the old Frencli inroads and reinvested Schenectady with the dan- * If the old maps of this Mien savatre eonntry are reliable, he may have crossed from the valley of the Charlotte into that of the Mohawk Branch of the Delaware, or the Papontnck Branch further oast usjain. From either there was a portujje of only a few miles to the Schoharie Kill. 11» < cxl Emjayeiiient near Fo\t 8 2[Uls. geroiis honor of beirip:; considered again a frontier post. (Uongh's ^'Northern Invasion," 181, 144. The immediate local damage done by Sir John, within the territory affected by his visitation, Avas nothing in comparison to the consequences, militarily considered, withont i\iQ^Q. The destruction of breadstuffs and forage was enormous. Washington and the army felt it, since the districts invaded and wasted were granaries on which the American commissariat and quartermaster's depart- ment depended in a great measure for the daily rations which they had to provide. The number of bushels of wheat and other grain rendered woi-thless "threatened alarming consequences." Eighty thonsand bushels were lost in the Schoharie settlement alone. Washington ad- mits this in a letter to the President of Congress, dated 7th November, 1780. Had the British militarv authorities in New York and in Canada been alive to the advantages to be derived from the condition of affairs in Central New York, they might have enabled Sir John to strike a blow that would have shaken the fabric of Eevolution, throughout the Middle States, at least. Alas ! they seem to have been possessed with the spirit of inertion and incapacity, and the abandoned Loyalists might have exclaimed, witli Uhland : "Foi'Avard! Onward! far and forth ! An eartliquake shout awakes the North. Forward ! Forward ! Onward ! far and forth ! And prove what gallant hearts are worth.'* Forward ! " Vi ' i- I Engagement near Fon.'^s Mills. cxli The terrifying intelligence of the a})pearauce of this little "arniy of vengeance " aroused the whole energy of coterniinons districts ; the militia were assembled in haste, and pushed forward to the point of danger, under Brigadier- General Robert van Rensselaer, of Claverack (now Colum- bia County), who were guided into the presence of their enemy literally by " pillars of lire by night and columns of smoke by day." Although he knew that he was pur- sued by forces treble or quadruple if not ipiintuple his own, Sir Jolm continued to burn and destroy up to the very hour when his troops were obliged to lay aside the torch to • e- sume their firelocks. In fact, if the two engagemeni/S of the 19th of October, 1770, were contemplated })arts of a combined plan to overwhelm Sir John, he actually fouglit and burned simultaneously. To whomsoever a contempo- raneous map of this country is accessible, it will be evident how vast a district was subjected to this war cyclone. On the very day (19th October) that van Rensselaer Avas at Fort Plain, the flourishing settlements of Stone Arabia (Palatine Township, Montgomery Comity), a few miles to the westward, were destroyed. Findingthat he must fight, either to arrest pursuit or to insure retreat, Sir John hastily assembled some of his wearied troops, while others kept on burning in every direction, to engage the garrison of Fort Paris — constructed to protect the Stone Arabia settlement (Sinnn's "Schoharie County," -ISO) — which marched out to intercept him under Colonel Brown, an officer of un- doubted ability and of tried courage. Brown's immediate force consisted of IPO men of the Massachusetts Levies, % cxlii Engaxjement near Foic's Mills. ami a body of militia — 70 aiul upwards — wliose imiiibers and co-operation seemed to have been studiously concealed by almost every writer at the period ; that there were mi- litia present is unquestionable. It is almost, if not abso- lutely, certain that Brown marched out of Fort Paris in pursuance of the orders and plan of van Rensselaer, in or- der to cut Sir John otf from his line of retreat, and hold him or "head him" imtil van Eensselaer could tall upon him with overwhelming numbers. The same failure to co- operate in executing a very sensible piece of strategy sac- rificed Harkheimer to Sir John at Oriskany, some three years previously, and resulted in a similar catastrophe. To appreciate and to forestall was the immediate and only so- lution. Sir John attacked Colonel Brown — like "now, on the head," as Suwarrow phrased it — about 9 or 10 a. m., killed him and about 100 of his men, and captured several (Hough's " Korthern Invasions " says 40 killed and two prisoners), and sent the survivors fiying into van Rensse- laer's lines, to infect them with the terror of the slaughter from which they had just escaped. The Stone Arabia tight, in which Colonel Brown fell, was only two miles distant from the "Nose," where van Rensselaer's forces had al- ready arrived. They heard the firing just as twilight was melting into night, in a valley where the latter prenuiturely reigned through the masses of smoke from burning build- ings, which brooded like a black fog, sensible to the touch. Van Rensselaer came upon the position where Sir John had "settled" himself to resist. This "settled" is most apposite. It recalls a spectacle often visible in our woods, Engagement near Fore's Mills. c'xliii when a predatory hawk, wearied with his lii^ht, settles on a limb to rest and resist a Hock of encompassing furious crows, whose nests he has Just invaded. To refer back to the darkness occasioned by smoke, it may be necessary to state that the dwellers of cities or old cultivated districts have no conception of the atmospheric disturbance occasioned by extensive conHagrations in a wooded country.* It is only lately that forest fires, commingled with fog, so obscured the atmosphere along the coast, to the east- ward, that lamps and gas were necessary in the middle of the afternoon. AVhat is more, the evening air in October is often heavy through a surcharge of dampness, especially along large streams and in bottom lands. To such as can imagine this condition of the atmosphere, it will at once become evi- dent how much it was augmented innnediately after a few volleys from about two thousand muskets, the smoke of the conflagrations, and the explosions of the powder, render- ing objects invisible almost at arms' length. This is estab- lished by the testimony of a gallant American officer. Col. * The dark day in Massachusetts, of IDth May. 1780, was due to this cause (Ilcatli, '^80-7-8), when artificial night, culminating about noon, sent the animal creation to roost and repose with less exceptions than during the conii)letest eclipse, and tilled the minds of men with ajjprehension and astonishment. This is not the only "dark day" so recorded. On the 25th October, 1820, at New York, candlelight was necessary at U \. m. The 16th May, 1780, Avas another "dark day" in Canada, where similar jilienomena were observed on the Otli, 15th and 10th October, 1785. On the last, " it is said to liave been as dark as a dark night." Several other instances are chronicled. cxliv Engagonent near Eox's Mills. Dubois (IIoii^-li, 183-5), wlio stated tliat shortly after tlie firingLecaine warm, wlieu M'itliiii five paces of his general, he coiikl only recognize him by his voice. Therefore for anyone to pretend to relate what occurred witliin the lines of Sh' John Johnson a fcM' (15?) minutes after volleys had been exchanged along the whole fronts, is simply drawing upon the "imagination for facts." Consequently, when the American writers say that the enemy broke and ran, it was simply attributing to them what M'^as occurring witliin van Rensselaer's lines, where the oiticers could not restrain the rear from firing over and into the front, and from breaking beyond the power of being rallied. Doubtless, as always, the regulars on both sides behaved as well as circumstances permitted. Sir John's Indians, opjjosed to the American Continentals and Levies for the defence of the frontiers, it is very likely gave way almost at once. Brant, their gallant and able leader, was wounded in the heel, and therefore unable to move about, encourage them and hold them up to their work. Thus crippled he had enough to do to get of^', for if taken he knew well that his shrift would be short and his "despatch" speedy, if not "happy." Sir John was also struck in the thigh, and was charged with quitting the field. The only evidence of this is derived from one of his bitter personal enemies, surcharged with spite and a desire for vengeance. How bitterly he felt can be easily conceived, when he turned upon van Rensselaer and emphasized: — (Stone's "Brant," II., 124- 5, ifec.) Colonel Stone remarks, " other accounts speak dif- ferently." {Ihid, II., 122.) Knijiujement near Fox's Mills. cxlv Gen. Sir Frederick Ilaldiinand wrote to the home go- vernment that Sir John "had destroyed the settlements of Schoharie and Stone Arabia, and laid waste a large extent of country," which was most true. It was added : "He had several engagements with the enemy, in which he came off victorious. In one of them, near Stone Arabia, he killed a Col. Brown, a notorious and active rebel, with about one hundred officers and men." " I cannot finish without expressing to your Lordship i\\e perfect satisfaction which I have from the zeal^ spirit and actlvltij v^lthwhlch Sir John Johnson has conducted this arduous enterprise^ Max von Eelking (II., 199-200), in his compilation of contemj)oraneou8 observations, presents the following tes- timony of the judgment and reliability of the superior. Gen. Ilaldimand, who reported, officially, in such flattering terms of the result of Sir John's expedition. He says of Haldimand that "he passed, according to English ideas, for one of the best and most trustworthy of British (jene- rals I had fought with distinction during the Seven Years' War in Germany. * * * lie teas a man strictly up- rlffht, I'lndJiearted and honorable. * ''^' * Always of a character (piite formal and punctilious as to etiquette, he was very fastidious in his intercourse, and did not easily make new acquaintances. '^ * * He required continual activity from his subordinates. * * -^ A Brunswick officer considers him one of the most worthy ojfcers En<j- land has ever had. * * * This was about the charac- ter of the man to whom now the fate of the Canadas was intrusted by his Ihitannic Majesty." t I* cxlvi Enyayement iiem' Fox's Mills. Tt now seems a fitting time to consider the number of the opposing forces engaged. Tliere has been a studied attempt to appreciate tliose present under Sir John and to depreciate those at the disposal of Van Kensselaer. The same hohls good with regard to tlie losses of the former ; whereas the casualties suffered by the latter are studiously concealed. No two works agree in regard to the column led by Johnson. It has been estimated even as high as 1500, whereas a critical examinatio.i of its component parts de- monstrates that it could not have comprised much more than a third of this number at the outset. As all Sir John's papers were lost in the Egyptian darkness of the night of the 19th October, it is necessary to fall back upon contem- poraneous works for every detail. The product of this calculation exactly agrees with the statement embodied in the testimony of Colonel Harper : "The enemy's force was about 400 white men and but few Indians. The post from Albany, 18th October, reported that Sir John's party M'ere "said to be about 500 men come down the Mohawk River." (Hough's "Northern Invasion," 122.) When Sir John struck the Charlotte or Eastern Susque- hanna he was joined by several hundred Indians. But a quarrel founded on jealousy — similar to such as was the curse of every aggregation of Scottish Highland tribes, even under IMontrose, Claverhouse and the Pretender — soon after occurred, and several hundreds abandoned him.''' (Simm's " Schoharie County, 399.) * The actual composition of Sir Jolin Johnson's expeditionary co- Kn<ja<jement near Fo.v's 21 Ills. cxlvii nreat stress has also been laid on Sir Jolin's l)oiii(if pro- vided with artillery. [The Aineriean general dul have quite heavy guns for the i)eriod and locality, nine pounders.] luinn is well known, howovcr Df'tcu willfully niisstatt'd. lie had three conipanios of his own Hcginii'nt of "Royal Greens," or "Loyal New Yorkers ;" one company of German Jajjers ; one com])any of British Uejrulars belonsrinij to the Ei;j:hth (Major, afterwards Colonel A. S. de Peyster's) Kins^'s Kegiment of Foot, which performed duty by detach- ments all along the frontier from Montreal to the farthest west, and in every raid and hostile movement — besides detachments — a company or platoon from the Twentieth, and (?) also from the Thirty-fourth Britisli Infantry, and a detachment — sometimes rated by the Americans as high as two hundred men — from Butler's Loyalist or Tory Hangers. Sir John in his reports of casualties mentions these all, except the Twen- tieth Kegiment, and no others. Figure this up, and take sixty as a fair allowance for the numerical force of a company, which is too large an allowance, basing it on the average strength of British regiments which liad seen active service for any length of time on this continent, and six times sixty makes three hundred and sixty, plus two hundred, gives five hundred and sixty. Deduct a fair percentage for Ihe footsore and other casualties insejiarable from such service, and it reduces his whites down to exactly what Colonel Harper states was repo'led to him by an Indian as being at Klock's Field. Colonel W. L. Stone (" Brant," II., 105) specifiesthree companies of 8ir John's own Regiment of Greens, one company of German Jagers, a detachment of two hundred men (doubtful authority cited) from Butler's Rangers, and one (only one) companj' of British Regulars. The In- dian portion of this expedition was chietly collected under Brant at Tioga Point, on the Susquehanna, which they ascended to Unadilla. Stone's language, " besides Mohawks," is ambiguous. Sir John had few Indians left — as was usually the case with these savages — when thay had " to face the music." Governor Clinton (Hough's " Northern Invasion," 154) estimates Sir John's force at seven hundred and tifty picked troops and Indians. Very few Indians were in the fight of the l!)th October, p. m. Other cor- roborations have already been adduced. Simm's ("Schoharie County," 399"' says that Sir John left Niagara witli ai>out five hundred British, Royalist and German troops, and was joined by a large body of Indians and Tories under Captain Brant, on the Susquehanna, making his effec- 20 cxlviii KiKjcKjcment near Fo,i^» Mills. Close study exploded tliis pliiintasy likewise. That lie he liad several pieces of extremely liulit artillei'y, hardly deserviiii^ the name, with him as far as Chitteiiango tivc force, "as cstiinntcd Mt the scvcnil forts," one thousand men. If this estimate is credited to the several forts wiio were " paniclvy," the condition of their vision renders its correctness unworthy of accei)t- ance. He then goes on to say that several liundred Indians deserted.. Tl)e strenytli of rciuiments varied from tliree hundred and under to six hundred and lifty. It is well known that some American regiments scarcely rose above one hundred rank and file. It is almost unani- mously conceded that Ilarkheimer had at least four reginuMits — if not five — the wliole com])risinu: only eiL'ht or nine hundred men, at Oris- kany. This does not include volunteers, Indians, &c., &c. General van Rensselaer, judiring from the testimony given before the (7ourt of En((uiry, and his own letters (Sinims, 425, itc.), had seven tonine luindred militia when he reached Schenectady. It is very hard to calcidate his ultimate aggregate of unlit ia. He had at first his own Claverack Brigade. The City of Albany Militia and . some other Regi- ments had preceded hiin. (%)lonel Van Alstyne's Regiment Joined him by another route. How did Colonel (Uiyler's Albany liegiment com(! up ? Colonel Clyde reinforced him with theCanajoharie District Regi- ment (Tryon County, for military purposes, was divided into Districts, each of which furnished its (piota), likewise (Simm's, 4'25) "the Scho- harie Militia" " near Fort Hunter." This dissection might be followed out further to magnify the American force, and show against what tremendous odds Sir .lohn presented an undaimted front, and what numbers he shocked, repulsed and foiled. V^in Rensselaer was after- wards joined by the Continental Infantry, under Colonel ^Morgan Lewis; the New York (7?/«si-regulars or Levies, three or four hun- dred, under Colonel Dubois ; McKean's Volunteers, sixty ; the Indians under Colonel Louis, sixty ; .lohn Ostrom, a soldier present, adds (Simm's " Schoharie County," 424) two hundred Indians under Colonel Harper, the Artillery and the Horse. The Militia of Albany County were organized into seventeen regiments ; of Charlotte County into one; of Tryon County inte five ; besides these there were otln'r troops at hand luider different names and peculiarities of service. It is certain that all the ]\lilitia of Albany, Charlotte and Tryon Counties, and every other organization that were accessible, were iuirried to meet Sir John, and severe Clinton was not the man to brook shirking. Twenty-three Knijagement near Fod-'s Mills. cxiix Creek is true (Uaininond's "Madison County," ()5(>). Two of these lie sunk intentionidly in this stream, or else they went to its hottoin accidentally. Thence he carried on two little four and tliroe-(inartc>r })ounder mortars, prob- ahly "Royals," and a <:;'rasshopi)er three-juninder. As our armies were well ac(iuainted with the improved Cohorns used at the sie^e of Petersburg, it is unnecessary to ex})lain that thoy were utterly impotent against stone buildings, or even those constructed of heavy loin's. The Cohorns of 1780 were just W'hat St. Leger re])orted of them in 1777 — that they were good for "teazing, " and nothing more. Even one of these Sir John submerged in a marsh after his at- tempt upon the Middle Yo\% now Middleburg. C/linton (157) M' rote that both were "concealed [abandoned] by the Loyalists on their route from Schoharie." Most likely it was an impediment. And nothing is af- terwards mentioned of the use of the other. The "grass- hopper " three-pounder derived its name from the fact that it was not mounted upon wheels, but upon iron legs. It was one of those almost useless little guns which were trans})orted on bat-horses, just as twelve-i»ounder moun- tain howitzers are still carried oi: pack animals. As Sir John's horses, draught and beef cattle, appear to have been stampeded in the confusion of the intense da''knes8 ; rcfyimcnts of Militia vmitt have produced twenty-four hundred men — a ridiculously small figure. Add the other troops known to be Avith van Rensselaer, aiul he faced the Loyal leader with five or six times as many as the latter had ; or else the Claverack Brijjfadier had with him only a startling redundancy of field oiVicers and a disgraceful deficiency of rank and file. 1 cl Entidijement near Fox's Mills. almost everytliintj: wlii'ch was not upon liis soldier's per- sons, or had not been sent forward Mdien lie "settled " at Klock's Field to cheek pursuit, had to he left when he drew off. The darkness of the night, as stated, was intensified by the pow^ler smoke and smoke of hurniui; buildings, and the bottom fog whidi filled the whole valley. Tinder such circumstances small objects could not be recovered in the hurry of a march. The Americans made a great flourish over the capture of Sir John's artillery. The original report was compara- tively lengthy, but simply covered the little "grasshopper," fifty-three rounds of ammunition, and a few necessary im- plements and ecpiipments for a piece, the whole suscep- tible of transport on two pack-saddles. Most probably the bat-horses were shot or disabled or " run off" in the melee. It is even more difficult to arrive at van Rensselaer's numbers The lowest figure when at Schenectady is seven hundred. This perhaps indicated his own Claverack (now Columbia County) Brigade. ITe received several acces- sions of force, Tryon and Albany County militia ; the dif- ferent colonels and their regiments are especially men- tioned, besides the quasi-YQ^wXar command — three or fom* hu7idred (irough, one hundred and fifty) — of Colonel Du- bois' Levies raised and expressly maintained for the defence of the N^ew York Northern Frontier; Captain M'Kean's eighty Independent Volunteers ; sixty to one hundred In- dians, Oneida warriors, under Colonel Louis : a detachment of regular Infantry under Colonel Morgan Lewis, who led the advance (Stone's "Brant," II., 120): a company or Ent/agement near Fox* 8 M1U«, cU detaclmieiit of artillt'i'v jiiid two nine-pouiulcrs, and si liody of horsoiueu. Colonel Stone, writing previous to 1838, says: " Tlie command of General van Rennselaor numbered about tif- teen hundred — a force in every way superior to that of the enemy." It is very probable that he liad over two thou- sand, if not many more than this. Stone adds ("Brant," 11., 11!)) : " Sir John's troops, moreover, were exhausted by forced marches, active service, and heavy knapsacks, wliile those of Vari Rensselaer M'^ere fresh in the field. " Sir John's troops had good reason to be exhausted. Besides their march from Canaseraga, one hundred and fifty miles, they had been moving, destroying and lighting constantly for three or four days, covering in this exhaustive work a distance of over seventy-live (twenty-six miles straight) miles in the Mohawk Valley alone (Hough, 152), On the very day of the main engagement they had wasted tlie wdiole district of Stone Arabia, destroyed Brown's com- mand in a spirited attempt to hold the invaders, and actu- ally advanced to meet van Rensselaer by the light of the conflagrations they kindled as they marched along. Each British and Loyal soldier carried eighty rounds of amnni- nition, which, together with his heavy arms, e(piii)ments, rations and plunder, must have weighed one Imndred pounds and upwards per man. Yan Rensselaer's Militia complained of fatigue ; but when did this sort of troops ever march even the shortest testing distance without grum- bling? - The Americans figured out Sir John's loss at 9 killed, clii h'rujKgement near Fo^k Mllh. 7 wounded, and r)8 iiiiHsiii<jj. IHh report to (Jenerul TTid- diinuud states tliat tlirou^liout his whole ex[)edition he lost in killed, whites and Indians, !> ; wounded, 7; and missing, 48, M'hieh must iuive inchuU'd the wounded who had to be ahandoned ; and (U'sertions, J5 ; the last item is the most remarl<al)ie in its significanee and insignitieance. (Hough's "Northern Invasion," VMS.) TIow the troops on either side were drawn up for the tiglit ai)pears to luivi' heen pretty well settled, for there was still light enough to make this out, if no more. Sir John's line extended from the river to the orchard near Klock's house. His Rangers — Loyalists — were on the right, with their right on the bank of the Mohawk. His regular troops stood in column in the centre on the Flats. Brant's Indians and the Hesse-Hanau RiHemen or Jagers were on the left, in echelon, in advance of the rest about one hundred and fifty yards, in the orchard. Van Rens- selaer's forces were disposed : Colonel Dubois with the Levies (</v«w/-regulars) on the right, AVhites and Indians | constituting the central column, and the Albany Militia on the left. [Sinnn's " Schoharie County," 430.) Not a single witness shows where the Continentals, Artillervmen and the Horsemen took ]X)sition. As for the two nine-pounder fieldpieces, they were left behind, stuck in the mud. It •wasatohu-ho/m. The regulars on both sides behaved -well, as they almost always do. With the first shots the militia began to fire — Cuyler's Regiment, four hundred yards away from the enemy — the rear rank ran over and into those in front, two hundred and fifty to three hundred En(j(i(ieinent near Fir.c'a Mllh. cliii yards in advance (102), then broke ; all was confusion. It does not appear that the American Indians accomplished anything. Colonel Dubois' New York Levies ran t)ut Brant's Indians, aiul got in the rear of Sir John's line, and then there was an end of the nuitter. (Sinuu's ''Scho- harie County," 429-30.) It had become so dark from va- rious causes that, to use a conniion expression, " a man could not see his hand before his face." Van Rennselaer had now enough to do to keej) the majority of his troops together, and retreated from one and a half t<) three miles, to a cleared hill, where he was enabled to restore some order. The stories of disorder within Sir .lohn's lines, except as regarded the Indians, are all founded on unreliable data; nothing is known. When his antagonist fell back, he waited apparently until the moon rose, and then, or previously, forded the river (just above Nathan Christie's — (Sinnns, 430) — and commenced his retreat, which he was permitted to continue unmolested. It is amusing to read the remarks aiul reasoning of pa- triotic inuigination on this event. "By this time," says the Sexagenary, " hoM'ev^er, the alarnj had s[)read through the neighboring settlements, and a body of militia, of suiRcient force to become the 'assailants, orrlved., it is said, within a nhort dhtanee of the enemy ^ near the river ^ and Sir John Johnson, in consequenoe^ had actually made arrangements to surrender.'''' [Mark the logical military conclusion, Sir John being ready to surrender!] The Americans., hov^ever., at this moment fell hach a short dis- tance [two or three miles] for the sake of occupying a bet- cliv Knf/agemcnt near Fo.i^s Mills. ter 2>^sHion (hiring the night.'''' If Sir Jolin was seared and willing to give ii]>, what need was there of the brave Americans falling back at all, or seeking a better position? All they had to do M^as to go forward, disarm the willing prisoners, and gather in the trophies, lie had fought a Cnniberland Church fight to check pursuit, and there was no Humphreys present to renew it and press on to an Ap- pomattox Court Honse. He had accomplished his task ; he had completed the \vork of destruction in the Schoharie and JVrohawk valh^ys. There was nothing more to be wasted. Colonel Stone sums it up thus (" Brant," II., 124): " By this third and most formidal)le irruption into the Mohawk country during the season, Sir John had com- pleted the entire destruction above Schenectady — the prin- cipal settlement above the T.ittle Falls having been sacked and burned two yeai's before. " French observed that these incursions left "the remaining citizens stripped of abnost everythiiig except the soih"'" * The forces of Colonci [Sir Jolm] .Johnson, !i part of Avhich had crossed tlie river near Caujj:lina\vu!i;a, destroyed all the Whi<? property, not only on the south, but on the north side, from Fort Hunter to the [Anthony's N. T. 60] Nose (some twenty-three to twenty-tive uiJles), and in several instances where dwellings had been burned by the Tn- dians under his command in May (1780), and temi)orary ones rv>built, they were also consumed. * * * After Brown fell, the enemy, scat- tered in small bodies, were to be seen in every direction plundering and burning the settlements in Stone Arabia. In the afternoon Gene- ral van liensselaer, after being warmly censured for his delay by Col. Harper and several other officers, crossed the river at Fort Plain, and began the pursuit in earnest. The enemy were overtaken | awaited 'lim I on the side of the river above St. Johnsville, near a stockade and blockhouse at Klock's, just before night, and a smart brush took place between the British troops and the Americans under Col. Dubois, in Engayement near J^o./Z's Mills. olv Tlie most curious tiling in this connection is the part played by the fiery Governor Clinton. Colonel Stone ex- pressly stated, in 1888, that he was with General van Ilens- which several on each side were killed or wounded. Johnson was compelled to retreat to a peninsula in the river, where he encamped with his men nmeh wearied. His situation was such that he could have been taken with ease. Col. Dubois, with a body of Levies, took a station above him to prevent his proceedintf up the river ; Gen. van Rensselaer, with the main army, below ; while Col. Harper, with the Oneida Indians, gained a position on the south side of the river nearly opposite. I Why did they not j^uard the ford by which Sir.Tohr crossed ? Tliey were afraid of liim, and triad to let him j^o if he only would go away. \ The general gave express orders that the attack .should be renewed by the troops under his own immediate command at the rising of the [full (between 10 and 11 p. .m. V) (H. N. I. 55) | moon, some hour in tiie night. Instead, however, of encamping on tlie ground from which the eneni)' had been driven, as a brave officer would have done, Jiefell back down the river and encamped thher miles distant. The troops under Du'oois and Harjjer could hardly be restrained from coin- mencing the attack long before the moon arose ; but when it did, they waited with almost breathless anxiety to hear the rattle of van Rensse- laer's musketry. The enemy, who encain])cd on lands owned by tlie late Judge Jacob C5. Klock, spiked their cannon |the diminutive tbree- l)ounder grasshopper was all they had], which was there abandoned: aitd. soon after the moon appeared, began tomo-ve forward to a fording place jusi above the rcndence of JSathan Christie., and not far from their encampment. Many were tlie denunciations made liy tlie men under Du- bois and Harper aguinst Van Rensselaer, when they found he did not begin the attack, and had given strict orders that tlieir commanders should not. They openly stigmatii'cd the general * * * but, when several hours liad elapsed, and lie had not yet made his appearance, a murmur of discontent p( rvaded all. Harper and Dubois were com- pelled to see the troops under Johnson and Brant ford the river, and pass o^ unmolested, or disobey the orders of tiieir commander, when they could, unaided, have given them most advantageous battle. Had those brave colonels, at the moment the enemy were in the river, taken tlie responsibility of disobeying their commander, as Murphy had done three days before, and commenced the attack in front and rear, the consequences must have been very fatal to the retreating army, 21 clvi Engagement near Fox's Mills. selaer a few lioiirs before the fight, dined with him at Fort Plain, and remained at the Fort wiien van Rensselaer marclied out to the fight. In Col. Stone's, or his son and namesake's, " Border Wars" (II., 122), this statement is repeated. Clinton, in one of his letters, dated 80th Octoher, does not make the matter clear. He says (Hough, 151) : "On receiving this intelligence [the movements of the Brit- ish] I immediately moved up the river, in hopes of being able to gain their front, etc." In describing the engage- ment he says, "the night came on too soon for ws/" and then afterwards he mentions "the morning after the action I arrived with the militia under my immediate conmiand." This does not disprove Stone's account. Aid-Major Lan- sing testified before the court-martial that the Governor took command on the morning of the 21st. It is not likely that Governor Clinton would have found it pleasant to fall into the hands of Sir John, and Sir John would have been in a decidedly disagreeable position if the Governor could have laid hands upon him. There was this difference, however ; Sir John was in the fight (Colonel Dubois wrote II A. M., the day after the fight (Hough's "Northern In- v'asion," 118). Prisoners say Sir John was wounded through the thigh) which he might have avoided ; and the Gover- nor might have been. Anyone who will consider the mat- ter dispassionately will perceive that, now that the whole country was arouf;od, and all the able-bodied males, regu- and *hc dentil of Col. ikown and his men i)ronipt1y revenged. — Jacob Becker, a Schoharie AAlitiaman. 428-430 Jephtha H. Simm's " History of Schoharie County," 1845. Engagement near Fox's 3[iUs. clvii lars and militia, concentrating upon him, Sir Jolm had simply to look to the safety of his cominand. lie retreated by a route parallel to the Mohawk River and to the south of it, jDassed the Oneida Castle on the creek of the same name, the present boundary between Madison and Oneida Counties, and made for Canaseraga, where he had left his hatteaux. Meanwhile van Rensselaer had dispatched an express to Fort Schuyler or Stan^\ax, now Rome, ordering Captain Vrooman, with a strong detachment from thegar- i.son, to push on ahead as (|uickly as possible and destroy Sir John's little liotilla. A deserter frustrated Burgoyne's last and best chance to escape. Two Oneida Indians, al- ways unreliable in this war, revealed the approach of Sir John, and by alarming saved the forts in the Schoharie valley. And now another such chance enabled Sir John to save his boats and punish the attem])t made to destroy them. One of Captain Vrooman's men fell sick, or pre- tended to fall sick, at Oneida Castle (" Hist. Madison Co.," 05(5, etc.), and was left behind. Soon after, Sir Jolm ar- rived, and learned from the invalid the whole plan. There- upon he sent forward Brant and his Indians, with a de- tachment of Butler's Rangers, who came upon Vrooman's detachment taking their midday meal, 28d Xovend)er, 1780, and "'gobbled" the whole party. JS^ot a shot was tired, and Captain Vrooman and his men were carried off prisoners in the very boats they were dispatched to destroy. If any reader supposes that this invasion of Sir John Johnson's was a simple predatory expedition, he has been kept in ignorance of the truth through the idiosyncrasies olviii Engmjement nea/r Eoic^s 311 Us. of American writers. It was tlieir purpose to malign Sir .lolin, and tliey have admirably succeeded in doing so. Sir .lolm flolmson's expedition was a part of a grand strategic plan, based ui)on the topography of the country, which rendered certain lines of operation inevitable. Ever since, the English built a fort at Oswego, as a menace to the French then in possession of Canada, this port and Nia- gara were bases for hostile movements against Canada. Pitt's great plan, the concjuest of New France in 1759, contemplated a triple attack ; down Lake Champlain, across from Osv.-ego, and up the St. Lawrence. The Bur- goyne cam])aign in 1777 was predicated on the same idea: Burgoyne uj) Champlain, St. Leger from Oswego down the Mohawk, and Howe up the Hudson. Clinton's plan for the fall of 1780 was almost identical, although every- thing hinged on the success of Arnold's treason and his delivering up West Point. Clinton himself was to jday the part Howe should have done and ascend the Hudson. Colonel Carleton was to imitate Burgoyne on a smaller scale, and move up Champlain to attract attention in that direction ; and Sir John was to repeat the St. Leger move- ment of 1777, and invade the Mohawk valley. Arnold's failure frustrated Clinton's movement. Carleton at best was to demonstrate, because the ambiguity (or consistent self-seeking) of Vermont rendered a more numerous col- umn unnecessary. As it was, he i)enetrated to the Hud- son, and took Fort Anne. Haldimand's nervousness about a French attack upon Caiuida made him timid about detach- ing a sufficient force with Sir John. Moreover, the British Engagement near Fox's 31 ills. clix regulars were very unwilling to accompany this bold parti- san, whose energy insured enormous hardship, labor and suft'ering to his followers, to whicli regulars, niore particu- larly German mercenaries, were especially averse. Von Eelking informs us of this, and furthermore that a terrible mutiny came very near breaking out among the British troops under Johnson in the succeeding June, when Ilal- dimand proposed to send Sir John on another expedition against Pittsburg. The plan of the mutineers (von Eel- king, II., 197) was to fall upon the British officers in their (piarters and nmrder tiiem all. The coniplot was disco- vered, but it was politic to hush the whole matter up, which was accordingly done. Doubtless there was hang- ing or shooting and punishment enough, but it was in- fliced quietly. These were the reasons that the invasion which was to have been headed bv Sir John Johnson was converted into a destructive raid, and this explains why Sir John was so weak-handed that he could not dispose of van liensselaer on Klock's Field as completely as he an- nihilated Brown in Stone Arabia. • Finally, to divest Sir John Johnson's expedition of the character of a mere raid, it is only necessary to compare some dates. Arnold's negotiations Avitli Sir Henry Clin- ton came to a head about the middle of September. It was not settled until the 21st-22d of that month. It is not con- sistent with probability that Haldimand in Canada was ignorant that a combined movement was contemplated. To justify this conclusion, von Eelking states (II., 195) that three expeditions, with distant objectives, started from II clx Engagement near Fox's Mills. Qnehec about the "middle of September, " — the very time wlieii Clinton and Arnold were concluding their bargain ; — the first, under Sir John Johnson, into the Schoharie and Mohawk vallies ; the second, under Major Carleton, which took Forts Anne and George, towards Albany ; and the third, under Colonel Carleton, reversing the direction of the route follow^ed by Arnold in 1775. The time necessary to bring Sir John into middle Xew York, making due allowances for obstacles, was about co- incident with the date calculated for the surrender ot West Point, Arnold made his escai)e on the 25th of September. Andre was arrested on the 23d of September, and was exe- cuted on the 2(1 of October following. Major Carleton came up Lake Champlain, and appeared before Fort Anne on the 10th of October (Hough's "Northern Invasion," I., 48), Major Houghton [Ibld^ 146) simultaneously fell upon the upper settlements of the Connecticut Valley ; and Major Munro, a Loyalist, started witli the intention — it is believed — of surprising Schenectady; but, for reasons now unknown, stopped short at Ballston, attacked this settle ment on midnight of the 16th of October, and then retired, carrying off a number of prisoners. Such a coincidence of concentrating attacks from four or iive different quarters by as many different routes could not have been the result of accident. Circumstances indicate that Sir Henry Clin- ton was first to move in force upon West Point, and make himself master of it through the treasonable dispositions of Arnold. This would have riveted the attention of the whole country. Troops would have been liurried from all Engagement near Eox's Mills. clxi quarters towards the Iliglilaiuls, and the whole territory around Albany denuded of defenders. Thus it was ex- pected that Sir John would have solved the problem which St. Leger failed to do in 1777. Meanwhile, the Carletons, certain of the neutrality of Yerniont, whose hostilities had been so eifective in 1777, would have cui)tured all the posts on the upper Hudson. In this way the great plan, which failed in 1777, was to be accomplished in 1780. Thou- sands of timid Loyalists would have S[)rung to arms to sup- port Sir John and Clinton, and the severance of the East- ern from the Middle States completed, and perfect comm ii- munication established between New York and Montreal. It would have taken but very little time for Clinton to double his force from Loyal elements along the whole course of the Hudson, as can be demonstrated from re- cords, admissions and letters of the times. The majority of the people were tired of the war, and even Washington despaired. On the 17th October, 1780, Governor Clinton wrote to General Washington : ^^ This enterprise of the enemy [Sir John Johnson] is jprohaMij the effect of Ar- nohVs treason.'''' On the 21st of the same month General Washington, addressing the President of the Continental Congress, wrote: '•'• It is th( (ght, and perhaps not with- mit foundation., that this incursion wasmade [by Sir John Johnson] upon the supposition that ArnoUVs treachery had succeeded. ' ' If Arnold's treason had not been discovered in time, the name of Sir John Johnson might stand to-day in his- tory in the same class beside that of Wolfe, instead of be- clxii h^iiycKjement near Fox's Mills. i"g branded as it l.as l,oen bj virulence, and wcrse, in many cases, by direct misrepresentation. "Success is tbe test of merit," said the unfortunate Kebel General Albert Sydney Johnson-" a hard rule " he added, " but a just one." It is both hard and unjust, and were courage, merit, self-devotion and exj3osure to suf- fering and peril the test, and not success, there are few Hien who would stand higher to-day in military annals than Sir John Johnson. IIP 3X., » ,f^ Wixnics liavc occiirreil, not only among Militia and [rreyulars, but in Reoulau Armies, subjected, in iipjx'ariinee, to tlio liiii;liest slate of diseiidine and tlie most severe of mililary ecxies. These panics are not only ineom- prcliensible, but infinitely more disgraceful than the worst which has been attributed to Militia — even American Militia, such as the Ki.ock's Field tohn-hohu in 1780; the Bladensburg liaees in 1814; and the dissolution of the Union forces at Hull Hun 1., in 1861. Nothing, however, can approach what took place in the Austrian army under .loseph II., in 1788. It almost transcends belief, and it miglit be deemed inciedible, if it was not recorded in the following language by the veteran French Marshal Marmont, Duke of Ragusa, in his "The Present State of the Turkish Empire," translated by Lt.-Col. Sir Frederick Snntli, K. II., Royal bilt'^li Engineers, Lond(m, 1839, pj). xx.-xxiv., "Introduction." "At Karansebes (on the Temes, 50 miles S. E. of Temesvar, just S. of the Iron Gates Pass) we are reminded of the lamentable catastrophe [Cust's Annals of the Wars," I,, iv., 2i)-;}0l that befell the troops of Austria, in September, 1788, near this place, in the latter wars [1788-'90] between that power and Turkey. " Josei)h the Second atlbrded on this occasion a remarkable instance of the misfortunes Avhicli a monarch may bring upon his people by overrating his qualifications as a military connnauder ; for, though personally brave, he seemed, when the lives of others depended on his decision, to be deficient in that moral courage and i)resence of nnnd which are indispensable in a general ; yet he evinced great resolutiim, as well as indefatigable indu.stry in conducting the civil affairs of the state, and untjuestionably possessed sui)erior talent. His ])()litical acts have been the subject of much discussion ; liow f\ir they may be deserving of praise or censure this is not the i)lace to en(iuire ; but it is impossible to deny that the views of this monarch were directed to promoting the welfare of his country. By moving in advance of public opinion, and by prom])tly effecting those changes in the national institutions which the circumstances of the times seemed to demand, he nipped in the bud, so far as his own donnnions were concerned, the revolutions that threatened Austria as well as the rest of Europe. 22— clxiii Mi clxiv J\l)) ic8. " In 1780 1 1788 ?1, .Inspph, hiivin^' rollecti'd toijjL'lhor 80,000 men, for tlie purpose of attuckin;; tlic Turks, cstabli.shtMl Imh camp near Karans- bi's. The Tnrks were in a positicm opposite to the Austrian army, and so i)laeed as to rover tiie jirovinee of Wallachia. All was prepared for the attack; tlie ^'cnerala were assemhicvl in liie tent of (he Emperor to rec(!ive their orders, and everything appeared to promise success to tlie Austrian army ; l)Ut Joseph, feelihi; a deirree of discpiietude respecting tlie result, asked Marslial Lasey if lie felt sure of Ixating the enemy. Tlie IMarsh.il replied, as any sensible |V| man would have done, under similar circumstances, that he hojicd for victory, but that he could not absolutely guarantee it. Unhappily th.is answer so dis- couraged Joseph (where were liis own resolution and brains v] that he immediately abandoned the intention of attacking the Turks, and resolved to retire behind the Temes. "The plan of retreat was arranged, and the army was formed in parallel columns, the infantry being iilaced in the centre, the cavalry on the flanks, and the baggage in the intervals. The Austrians com- menced their march at midnight, but shortly afterwards Marshal Lascy, discovering that the order had not been issued for withdrawing the piquets of the left wing, supplied the omission, and suddeiilj' halted the main body to wait for these detacliments. [Sometliing similar occurred on the night of ir)th December. 186'»;, Avhen the left wing of th(( Union army withdrew from before the Hebels, alter the disastrous failure of the attack of the tSth, preceding.] The word of command, to 'halt,' w'us given and repeated in the usual manner ; but, being mistaki'n for the word 'Allnli,' which the Turks are in the habit of slioutingwhcn about to fall upon their enemies, many of the Austrian troops believed that they were attacked. Tliis Avas the case with the dri- vers of the tumbrils, who, seized with puuic, put their horses into a trot, in the liope of escaping. Tlie infantry, sui)posing the noise made by these carriages to be caused by the chargi of the enemy, commenced tiring in all directions. The havoc they thus created in their own ranks was so grent, that no less than 10,000 men are said to have been killed or wounded during the darkness of the night. At daylight the mistake was discovered, and the Austrian army then retreated to the position the Emperor had intended to take up behind the Temes. If, instead of giving way to his alarm, Joseph had attacked the enemy, it is probable that he would liave obtained ])Osses8ion of Wallachia with- out losing more than 3,000 or 4,000 men. As .it was, he not only lostt 10,000 ))y the disaster above mentioned, and 20,000 by sickness, which was the consequence of a prolonged occupation of an unhealthy tract of country, but he raised the courage of tlie Turks, and thereliy deprived his own troops of the confidence they liad previously reposed both in him and in themselves." ^ ' 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // V :/ >'^ MP.. <? U. ^ (/. 1.0 I.I 1.25 ilM |||||22 MO II 2.0 1.4 1.8 1.6 <^ //, o el e. e-A 'm oi m' ■•>■' /> O /, // / /A Photographic Sciences Corporation A A m. 4^~ ,\ s V \\ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^9) .V ^v ^ L<P fe' m. cp- vV %'%n^ox. The preceding images are tlie result of a promise, made in haste and repented at leisure ; but kept to the letter, as man's word of honor should be, at whatever cost it may be to him. Eeflection soon led to regret that the pledge had ever been given ; because, as a friend wisely observed, " the people of this country have sucked in fiction as fact with their mothers' milk, and no amount of reason could reverse the verdict of success, however obtained." No philosopher believes in the judgment of the people, so styled-the people, as usually understood, are the simple dupes and pack and prey of the bold and the designing, who possess the serpent guile of pandering to their lusts and to their passions. There is a people, invisible but influential, running through every portion of the body poli- tic, like the mysterious sympathetic nerve on which vi'taliza- tion depends. This people is that portion of the conmmnity referred to when Elijah said, ' ' I, even I only, am left ; ' ' and God answered that he had reserved to himself seven thou- sand who had not bowed the knee to Baal nor worshipped him. Unfortunately this minority entertain opinions which, for their own preservation, discretion teaches them to keep clxv " II c )| clxvi L'' Envoi. ) m out of sight as much as possible. They are like the Jews of the Middle Ages, who had to conceal their riches, lest the people, so called, by violence then, by votes now, should ' 'go for them, " make a raid upon their dwellings, and " rabble " them. Once in a while a bold exponent of the ideas of the minority comes forward, like an Arnold of Brescia, a Savonarola, a Huss, a Zwingli or a Luther, and inaugurates a moral revolution, generally with fatal and terrible effect to himself: for instance, the first three were burned at the stake, and Zwingli was murdered on the battlefield. Luther, thanks to the segis of Providence, died a natural death, but lived long enough to feel the disgust that invades the bosom of every able and true man who reaches the period when the decay of the bodily facul- ties — that is, of the resistive and recuperative powers — be- gins to quench the hopes and illusions which, w'\t\\ few rarely continue to exist when the downward road becomes rough and steep. The people, so styled, the masses, are to-day what tliey were a thousand, yes thouisands of years ago, the obtuse instruments of wicked minds. ^'•Panem et Clrcenses'''' (Food and Pleasure) was and is and ever will be their watchword : their bellies and their eyes ; in our days, their ears. All great men see through the utter emptiness of popular applause, although few, like William III., have the cold, caustic cynicism to express the conviction publicly. When the mob received him with cheers, he simply remarked, the same class that cries "Hosanna" to-day will shout "Crucify him" to- morrow. Bold, bad men, with serpents' intellects and I^NftaMB^ L"* Envoi. clxvii oily tongues or versatile pens, like our successful politi- cians or j)opular favorites of the press, conduct or excite the "many headed" at their pleasure. The verdict of the people, " by a vast majority, " recalls the anecdote of the lamented wit, Arthur Gilman, recently deceased, in regard to Colonel Yell, of Yellville, a member of one of the southwestern legislatures. The Yellville Bank had gone up suddenly, and the funds had disappeared under* the receivership of the said colonel. For this the Hon- orable Kurnel Yell was called upon for an explanation. In a speech, as involved as one of the calculated deceptive utterances of Cromwell, the colonel furnished no clue to the disappearance of the assets of the Bank, or the par- ticular pockets into which they had eventually found their winding way ; but he covered his tracks, and awakened the enthusiasm of the Legislature and crowded galleries by a hifalutin (high-for-newton) glorification of the Stars and Stripes " that was kalkerlated to stir the heart of the most fastidious." Pronounce an oration or write a book or ar- ticle thunderous with citations of the "patriot sires ;" shout out or italicize "Bunker Hill! Old Put! Yalley Forge ! Brutal Butchers! Washington, the Father of his Country! Traitor Arnold!" and "the Captors of Andre," at judicious intervals ; abuse " the mother country," multiply the vir- tues which do not exist in tlie audience, and a triumph inevi- tably must ensue. Endeavor honestly to tell the plain un- varnished truth, and hold the mirror up to nature, and the result is either the silence of contemptuous might or incon- sequent stupidity, or a storm such as furnishes the speaker ■-!S I \ ■i\ II It: <l clxviii L"* Envoi. li - or writer with a full realization of the vulgar but expressive proverb of " having as good a chance as a specimen of the feline genus without claws in the dominion of Abaddon." The preceding pages were furnished solely to oblige a diligent fellow-laborer and a .prospector in the historical mining wilderness of the American Revolution. While the writer holds himself responsible for his facts and opinions, he wishes it to be perfectly understood that he has nothing to do with the publication itself and the profits of the conjoint work of W. L. Stonk and of himself. The pages numbered with letters comprise his labors, and, having turned them over to Mr. Stonk, subscribers must consider that the writer's responsibility ends then and there and their business relations are altogether with the Editor of " Sir John Johnson's Orderlv Book." i liinm'fi-rTi-»r-Ti-«-,,^. — ^ ^..^^ 1778 M '•■' I [11 ( I _ ' i 1,11 INTRODUCTION. N December, 1776, Burgoyne, dissatisfied with his subordinate position under Carleton, con- cocted with the British Min- istry a plan for the Campaign of 1777. An army, admirably appointed and under his command, was to pro- ceed to Albany, by way of Lakes Champlain and George ; while another large force, under Sir William Howe, was to advance up the Hudson in order to cut off communication between the Northern and Southern Colonies, in the expec- tation that each section, being left to itself, would be subdued with little difficulty. Con- temporaneously with the descent of Burgoyne upon Northern New York, Lieut. Col. Barry St» Leger, with the Loyalists and Indians under Sir W^ 'HHK': H-ii l^^^^l l^^^H ^K4 ^Iv" '^.UT.ti flHI b Introduction, John Johnson and Joseph Brant respectively, was dispatched by that general from Montreal by the way of the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario to Oswego. From that post, St. Leger, availing himself of Oneida Lake and Wood Creek, was to penetrate the country to the Mohawk river, with a view of forming a junc- tion from that direction with Burgoyne on the latter's arrival at Albany. As is well known, the progress of Colonel St. Leger was stopped at Fort Stanwix ; the advance of Arnold, des- patched by Schuyler, compelling him to raise the seige of that Fort and retreat into Canada — a circumstance which left Schuyler and, later. Gates, free to concentrate the American forces in opposition to the advancing army of Burgoyne. Conversing in the fall of 1880, with the late Rev. Marinus Willett' of Port Chester, N. Y., a grandson of Colonel Marinus Willett, of Fort Stanwix fame, he mentioned to me that he was the possessor of a manuscript Orderly Book kept by an officer of Sir John Johnson during his campaign against Fort Stanwix in 1777 — one of the Orderly Books captured by his grandfather in his memorable sortie from Fort ' For sketches of Rev. Marinus Willett, and Col. Marinus Willett, see ap- pendices Nof. 1 and II. Introduction. Stanwix against the camp of Sir John Johnson. The facts of this sortie (which, it will be remem- bered, took place while the battle of Oriskany was 1 progress), are told by Col. Willett in his Narrative in these words — which, as the book has now become exceedingly rare, we quote : " Col. Willett lost not a moment in sallying forth from the gate of the fort. As the enemy's sen- tries were directly in sight of the fort, his move- ments were necessarily very rapid. The enemy's sentries were driven in, and their advanced guard attacked, before they had time to form the troops. Sir John Johnson, whose regiment was not two hundred yards distant from the advanced guard, and who, himself, it being, very warm, was in his tent with his coat off, had not time to put it on before his camp was forced. So sudden and rapid was the attack, that the enemy had not time to form so as to make any opposition to the torrent that poured in upon them. Flight, therefore, was their only resource. Adjoining the camp of Sir John Johnson was that of the Indians. This, also, was soon taken ; so that a very few minutes put Col. Willett in possession of both these encampments. Sir John %\ h I A M Introduction. with his troops took to the river, and the Indian?: fled into the woods. The trr-^ps under Col. Willett had fair firing at the ehjmy while they were crossing the river. The quantity of camp equipage, clothing, blankets and stores, which Col. Willett found in the two camps, rendered it necessary to hasten a messenger to the fort and have the wagons sent, seven of which were stored in the fort with horses. These wagons were each three times loaded, while Col. Willett and his men remained in the camps of the enemy. Among other articles, they found five British flags ; the baggage of Sir John Johnson, with all his papers ; the baggage of a number of other officers, with memoranda, journals, and orderly books, containing all the information which could be desired.'" Mr. Willett agreed with nie that the contents of the Orderly Book should be put into perma- nent form to provide against its loss by fire or other casualties ; and he thereupon kindly loaned it to me to copy and publish in the Magazine of American History. The Orderly Book was ac- cordingly printed in that valuable publication in the March and April numbers for 1881, though ' For an account of this sortie from the Britisli stand-point, see Appendix No. III. Introduction. with but very few annotations, as neither space nor time permitted extended notes. This Orderly Book is of great value in several particulars. It shows, the intimate relation which existed between the campaign of Gen. Burgoyne and the expedition of Col. Barry St. Leger — as, for example, the order given at Lachine on the 20th of June, that the officers under St. Leger and Johnson should send their baggage to Albany in the train of Burgoyne ; it establishes the exact number of men engaged in the expedition by the quantity of rations issued and the boats required, by which we find that instead of St. Leger having (as has always been believed) 1700 men, he had barely 950, Indians included; it states the names of the detachments from the different regiments which formed the expedition, by which we learn, among other items, that Sir John Johnson's regiment never, in a single instance, in this Orderly Book, although elsewhere invariably known as such, is called "The Royal Greens;" it affords the means of knowing the true rank held by different officers — as, for example, " Major " Watts is never spoken of save as " Captain ;" it elucidates a mooted question as to -i-- 1 ,;i a I! / Introduction, the rank of Lieut. Col. Barry St. Leger, who was made an acting Brig. Gen. on this occasion ; and it develops the fact that possibly a part, at least, of St. Leger's troops joined the army of General Burgoyne, after that officer and Sir John had retreated into Canada, the laughing-stock of their Indian allies. These, as well as maiiy other instances, will make apparent the value of the Orderlv Book to the student of our Revolu- tionary annals. There is another feature of this Orderly Book which has, I think, a touching significance. I allude to the character of the Paroles and Countersigns. A glance at them shows that they are, in many instances, the names of towns in Ireland, Scotland and England — the homes, un- doubtedly, of many of the troops composing this Expedition ; and there can be no question that those having in charge the selection of the Paroles and Countersigns for each day, took special pains to designate those towns which would remind their men of the loved ones they had left behind. Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare curruni. This action, on the part of the officers, very likely arose from policy as well .. -jav -K. ;ja.' g . - i>.vv:^.^--;'.'. n'w.wggw 'i . g g i gnia ' jjfl ' mn.i i uuujii i i i j Introduction, g as sentiment ; for one can well imagine that the names of their homes would vividly bring to the minds of the soldiers those who across the broad Atlantic were watching for reports of their pro- gress and valor — thus presenting them with a constant as well as an additional incentive to do well. Some of the Countersigns, moreover, such as " Cork,"." Limerick" and " Kinsale" would naturally bring to the minds of the men of the 8th or King's Regiment of Foot, the fact that their own Regiment was present under William the III, at the beseiging of those places — a cir- cumstance which, in itself, would be an incen- tive to great deeds. The Orderly Book is written in many different handwritings, some so bad as to be nearly unde- cipherable — not froiii the lapse of time, for the book is exceedingly well preserved in its parch- ment cover — but from the fact that some of the writers evidently spelled by sound, and were obliged, amid the fatigues of camp life, to take down hurriedly the words of the commanding officer. Indeed, the wonder is that, under such circumstances, anything was written that could be at all deciphered. It should be further stated that while the general spelling and the names of m r ^ w w '.• h Introduction, towns and places have been corrected, the varia- tions in spelling of the proper names of persons have been in nearly all cases preserved. It w^ill also be noticed that the last order is dated at "Oswego Falls," the 31st of July, 1777, two days previous to the advance of St. Leger's army appearing before the walls of Fort Stanwix, and six days before the battle of Oriskany. Before closing, I desire to acknowledge the kind assistance which has been given me, in the way of suggestions, by my old College mates and friends, Mr. Franklin Burdge of New York city, the accomplished author of " Simon Boerum ;" Mr. Edward F. de Lancey, the scholarly editor of "Jones's History of New York during the Revolutionary War ;" General John Watts de Peyster, the brilliant military critic ; and General Horatio Rogers of Providence, R. I., who is now engaged in annotating the Manuscript Journal of Lieutenant Hadden of the Royal Artillery, kept by him while an artillery officer in Canada and under Burgoyne. General Rogers brings to his task a comprehensive knowledge of his subject, great conscientiousness, and powers L'.'-'_.'i'.. ■■ - tS^— ^'f^'f .< V -jr.. Introduction, i of thorough research — traits which cannot fail to make his work, when published, an invalua- ble contribution to our Revolutionary history. WILLIAM L. STONE. Jersey City Heights, N. J., May, 1882. ( i I KEY TO THE ABBREVIATIONS IN THE ORDERLY BOOK. C. (before a proper name) C. (in a guard detail) - - D. ....... a o. - K. R. R. N. Y. ... P. (before a proper name) - P. and Pt. (in a guard detail) S. Countersign. Corporal. Drum or drummer. General order. King's Royal Reg't ofNew York, Sir John Johnson's Reg't. Lieutenant. Paroled. Privates. Sergeant. ORDERLY r^OOK lit m ' '■ ■ FOR LIEUT. COL. SIR JOHN JOHNSON'S COMPANY* I 7 7 6-1 7 7 7 Col. Sir John Johnson's Command 'I AM'L Street, Sergt. ; Sam'l Moss, Sergt. ; John Boice, Sergt. ; Mc- Grigor, Sergt. CorpL Crowse, Corpl. McGrigor, Corpl Russell, Corpl. Cook, Sergt. Hillyer, Corpl. Smith, Corpl. Campbell, Sergt. Andw. Young, I^ieut. Singleton, Ens. Byrne, Ens. Crothers, Ens. Crofford, Ens. Hysted. " Although this title purports to be only the " Orderly Book ot Sir John Johnson's Company " (all right flank companies were considered as commanded by colonels as honorary captains but in reality were commanded by a captain lieutenant ranking after Full captains), yet the Book, in the various orders issued, is, of course, a reHex of the daily history of the different regiments engaged in the Expedition. These may be clas- sified as follows : \st. "The 34th Regiment." This was St. Leger's own Regiment. It was formed in 170a in Norfolk, Essex and adjoining counties ; and the date of the first colonel's commission was Feb. 1 2th, 1702. Its uniform was red, faced with pale yellow. id. ''The King's Royal Regiment of New York " otherwise called " The (Queen's Loyal New Yorkers," " Sir John Johnson's Regiment," and unofficially by contemporaneous writers, " Johnson's \i If V T '■ t 2 'Johnson's Orderly Book, La Prairie.' 1776 4th Novemr. P^ro/?, London. Counter- sigriy Cork. For Guard tomorrow Lt. Walker, Royal Greens " from the color of" their coats. All Provincial Regiments, how- ever, were originally dressed in green, and afterwards in red like regulars. This Regiment was made up of the disaffected Tories and Loyalists of the Mohawk Valley, being recruited chiefly from Sir John's friends and neighbors ; and when- ever, in the Orderly Book, " The Regi- ment" simply is mentioned, this one is alone referred to. 31/. A portion of the 8th Regiment, or " King's Regiment of Foot," which was stationed in detachments along the Western Lakes at what were called the Upper Posts, i. e., those the most remote from Quebec, such as Niagara, Detroit, Michiliniackinac, etc. P'or a sketch of this Regiment see note in advance. ^th. " Butler's Tory Rangers," under the command of Lieut. Col. John Butler, a brother-in-law of Sir John Johnson, and who with liis men had lately arrived at Oswego from Niagara to take part in the Expedition. 5?//. One company of tlie " Hanau Chasseurs," picked riflemen and trained and skillful soldiers. bth. One company of Canadians carry- ing broad axes to cut roads through the woods for the artillery. •jth. The Indians composed of the Missisagues (a clan of the Hurons) and a few of the Six Nations under the im- mediate command of Col. Daniel Claus and Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea). %th. The artillery which ronsisted of such pieces as could easily be transported in boats, and which was made up, accord- ing to Col. Claus's letter to Secretary Knox ot Oct. 16, 1777, of two six pounders, two threes, and four cohorns or small mortars, especially designated from Whitehall. ' La Prairie de la Magdelaine (Seig- niory) is situated on the south side of the St. Liwrenccin the county of Huntingdon, L. C. This tract was granted, on the ist ' f April, 1647, to the Order of Jesuits whose possessions were once so large and valuable within that province. On the death of the last of that order settled in Canada, it devolved on the Crown, to whom it now belongs. In front of the Seigniory is the village of La Nativite de Notre Dame, or La Prairie, formerly called Fort La Prairie from having once had a rude defence thrown up to protect it from the surprises or open attacks of the Iroquois or Six Nations wlio pos- sessed the country in its vicinity. Such posts were established in many places in the early periods of the colony, while the Indians remained sufficiently powerful to resist the encroachments of the settlers. At present, none of them retain, either in Canada or the United States, a vestige of their ancient form, while but very few possess even the name by which they were originally known. The position of La Prairie was at this time extremely favorable for mili- , tary operations, from the numerous roads that diverge from it in different directions, and particularly on account of its being the point where communication could be made to Montreal and thence with the main road leading to St. John's, and thence again, by Lake Champlain to the American colonies. This was the route taken by Burgoyne. Indeed, from its contiguity to the line of boundary sepa- rating Canada from the United States, this part of the district was fated to bear the brunt of war against the Lower Pro- vince; and in 1812, a British corps of observation was encamped towards the centre of La Prairie to watch the motions of Gen. Dearborn, who had there assem- bled a considerable force on the frontiers. rll yohnsons Orderly Book, 3 2 Sergts, 2 Corporals, 1 Drumr & 15 Privates. The Kings' Royal Regt of New York to hold themselves in Readiness to leave this Quarter Immediately. 1776 7th Nov. P. Lachine. C. Point Clair. Major Gray.' Capts Brown & Delly, with their Compns to march* off Immediately to Point Clair & to be Quartered as follows : The Major & Capt Delly, with their Companies at Point Clair & Capt Brown With a Detachment of a Sergt and ten from the Cols Compy, a Corporal & 4 Men from Capt Watts and Capt McDonald's Comps to be at St. Anns, the Cols Comps and Capt Watts, together with the Staff to be Quar- tered in the Parish of Lachine in the following manner. The (lower) Capt Watt's in the Upper parts of the Parish of Lachine. For Guard to- morrow I S. I C. & 9 men. Compns duty i S. I C. 5 p. Lachine.^ 1776 8th November. P. McLou. C. Phil- ;'»! ' At the time that Sir John Johnson, in 1776, was forced to fly into Canada, Major Gray, then lieutenant of" the 42d, helped to raise the faithful body-guard of one hundred and thirty Highlanders that accompanied him. Indeed, throughout this Orderly Book, one can see that the name " Sir John Johnson's Regiment" is well deserved ; for its colonel evidently chose for its officers those of his friends whom he knew by personal experience were staunch and could be relied upon in all emergencies. " La Chine, one of the nine Parishes into which the island of Montreal is divided, is a post-village nine miles south- west of the city of Montreal, and is situated directly opposite to the Caugh- nawaga village. It is built on a fine gravelly beach, at the head of Lake St. Louis, which is a broad part of the St. Lawrence River. At the time of the American Revolution, it contained very extensive store-houses, belonging to the King of Great Britain, in which were deposited the presents for the Indians as •"i 4 yobnsorCs 'Orderly Book, ips. For Guard tomorrow, i Serg. i Corporal and 9 privates. 1776 9th Novmr. P. Carick. C. Cork. For Guard to Morrow, i Corp & 4 Privates. 1776 loth Novmr. P. Gray. C Week. For Guard to Morrow 1 Corp, 6c 4 Privt. It is the Commanding officer's ords, th-at Capt. Watts's Comps hold themselves in readiness to March to Point Clair to Morrow Morning at 9 o'clock where they shall receive provisions — Capt Daly's Comp are to Receive Provisions at Lachine, 1776 I 2th November, P. Drogheda. C. Clon- mell.' For Guard to Morrow i Corpl. & 4 men. The Commanding officer desires that the men assist the Inhabitants in whose houses rhey are Quartered, in cutting fire-wood for their own use this winter. soon as they were received !rom England. It is the centre of' commerce between Upper and Lower Canada ; and boats for the North-west Territory start from here. A railroad now connects La Chine with Montreal; also, a canal to avoid the rap- ids of St. Louis. It is a place of con- siderable importance, and consists, besides •private dwellings, of a number of store and ware-houses. There is, also, a large dry-dock for the repairing of the bat- teaux. It further derives importance, in this connection, from the fact that Sir John Johnson's Regiment was concentrated at La Chine, June ist, 1777, when St. Leger joined it with the detail of his own regiment, the 34th. In fact, La Chine was the rallying, or rather, per- haps, the starting point of St. Leger'S Expedition, as the detachment of the 8ih did not join St. Leger until it readied a more western point, probably Oswego. Capt. RouvilTs company of Canadians joined at La Chine ; and on the 21st of June (as appears by the Orderly Book) St. Leger left La Chine. On that or the next day, Jessup's Corps proceeded (prob- ably by water) to join Burgoyne's force, which rendezvoused at St. John's. The Standard of England was hoisted on the " Radeau" (a floating battery on a sort of raft-like vessel), and saluted the forts and fleet on June i 3 at St. John's ; and on the 1 6th the fleet slowly started up the Richelieu or St. John's river, being joined on its slow progress the first few days by the troops that were to take part in Bur- goyne's Expedition. It will thus appear, that St. Leger and Burgoyne got off prac- tically at the same time from the neigh- borhood of Montreal. ' One wonders whether, when the names of '* Drogheda" and '' Clonmell" il! ■J4| 'Johnsori's Orderly Book, 5 1776 31st December. P. Howe. C. Carleton. For guard tomorrow, i Serg. and 6 men. Ens. Crawford officer of the day. The two Com- panys that are Cantoned here, to hold themselves in Readiness to march towards Point Clair Thurs- day next if the weather permit. 1777 4th January. P. London. C. Edinburgh. For Guard tomorrow i Sergeant & 6 privates. Ens. Crawford, officer of the day. Orderly Provost M. The Camp Equipage to be examined & kept in good condition — The troops, likewise, will hold themselves in readiness to march on the Shortest Notice ; they are frequently to be as- sembled on their Regimental Alarm-Posts, & March to the Alarm-Post of the Brigade when were announced to the troops, as the pass-words of the day, the Irish soldiers recalled tiie fact, that those two towns, a little more than a century before, had been the scenes of Cromwell's most bril- liant victories and greatest atrocities — and, also, whether from the stand-point ot their nationality, they remembered that it was a war waged by the " Great Pro- tector" against their freedom ! and, if so, did they, as they lay in their tents that night, reflecting on the order, draw a parallel between the fact that their em- ployer (England) was now making them the instruments for subordinating a peo- ple, also struggling for their liberties ? The town of Clonmell, especially, should have recalled these things to their minds. That town still bears the marks of Cromwell's siege. The old castle in the centre of the town, which for eight days successfully resisted the cannon of the Protector, can to-day easily be dis- tinguished from the more modern por- tion, by its masonr There is, also, the " West Gate" wmch yet shows the marks of Cromwell's bombardment. The surrounding country is beautiful (as I can testify from personal observation) ; and on the river Lair, on which stands the town, some of the finest butter in Ireland is made. Clonmell, also, is the capital of the county of Tipperary which is remarkable for its political in- dependence of thought and action ; many instances having occurred where citizens, imprisoned for political offences, were elected to Parliament while in jail with- out any expense to them, and against the combined opposition of the Government, landlords, and a majority of the priests. O'Donovan Kossa, for instance, was an example of this kind. 11 6 yohnsons Orderly Book, the Weather will permit — They will practice Marching on Snow-Shoes, as soon as they receive them.' Reports are to be made by all the Brit- ish to Major General Philips/ and by all the Germans to Major General Riedesel where the alarm Posts are, both of the Regiments and the Brigades in order to be forwarded to the Com- mander in Chief — A Statement likewise to be given in of the Camp Equipage — Reports are also to be made to the Quarter Master Genl at Montreal from each Corps of the Number of Boats they • This practicing on snow-shois un- doubtedly originated with General Ried- esel. Indeed, he alone of all the gen- erals sent out by the mother country seems to have put aside tactics fitted only for a parade in Hyde Park or for maneu- vering on the plains of Flanders, and adopted such drilling as would best suit the changed condition of affairs. Indeed, during the time Riedesel was in Canada with the *' Brunswick Contingent" he, with the practical strategy and acuteness of observation which always distinguished him, had employed himself in drilling his men to meet the style of fighting adopted by the Americans. Thus, in one of his letters, he writes, " I per- ceived that the American riflemen al- ways shot further than our forces — con- sequently, I made my men practice at long range, and from behind buslies and trees, that they might be enough for them." Stone's Life and yournah of General Riedesel. In the same way, as will be seen fur- ther on, St. Leger insists upon his troops employing their spare moments in practicing at a mark. Both Riedesel and St. Leger were thus only anticipating, Creedmoor. ' Major General William Phillips was appointed captain of artillery, May 12th, 17156; and brevet lieut. colonel in 1760. In 1776, having already becjme distin- guished as an artillery officer, and given proof of exceptional strategical skill, he was appointed major general in Bur- goyne's Expedition. At the battle of the 19th of September, 1777, he greatly assisted General Riedesel in bringing up his command, which — together with Riedesel's efforts — was the sole means of retrieving the fortunes of that day. In the battle of the 7th of October, 1777, (fought on the same ground) both his aides were wounded ; and he, himself, shortly after, shared the fate of Bur- goyne's army, which surrendered to Gates, Oct. 17th, 1777. He followed the " Convention Troops" to Virginia; and having, meanwhile, been ex'changed, he was sent from New York in the Spring of 1781, with 2,000 men, to join Ar- nold, then at the Chesapeake. He did not, however, long survive his misfor- tunes, as he was'carried off by a fever at Petersburg, Va., May 13, 178 1. Ma- jor General Phillips, at his death, held the office of lieutenant governor of Windsor. Stone's Burgoyne, ^rmy Lists, Auburey's Tra-vels. yohnsons Orderly Book, / have in Charge, specifying their condition and how furnished with Oars, Setting-Poles, 6cc. Signedy E. Foy,' Depy. Adjt. General. ' Edward Foy received a commission of first lieutenant in the Royal Artil- lery on the 2d of April, 1757, and be- came captain lieutenant un the ist of January, 1759. In the month of July, following, as a captain of cne of the British artillery companies or batteries, he acted with such bravery at the battle of Minden as Cu be specially distinguished on the day after th': battle by the com- mander-in-chief in his address to the army. He Wj promoted to a captaincy in February, 1764, and accompanied Lord Dunmore, as his private secretary, to New York in 1770, and went thence with his Lordship to Virginia, in 1772. Burkfy in his History of yirgiiiia, jays that Captain Foy '• resigned his office as governor of New Hampshire for the pur- pose of accepting the inferior post of private secretary to Dunmore," and attri- butes the circumstance to "some latent purpose of the British Ministry to em- ploy his talents in carrying out those measures which had already been de- vised." O'Callaghan, however, thinks that this cannot be the case, as Foy was gazetted lieutenant governor of New Hampshire only in July, 1774, nearly two years after his arrival in Virginia, and four years after he had become Lord Dunmore's secretary. During his stay in that colony, Capt. Foy unfortu- nately shared much of the odium that attached to the governor, with whom he retired on board the Foiuey on the 8th of June, 1775. In the address of the House of Burgesses on the 19th of June, following, they accused the governor of "giving too much credit to some persons who, to the great injury of the com- munity, possessed much too large a share of his Lordship's confidence," alluding to Capt. Foy, as " an Englishman of vio- lent passions and hostile prejudices against us," and who was considered governor df facio. The Countess of Dunmore sailed soon after and arrived in England in August, 1775, Capt. Foy returning home about the same time, with despatches for the minis- try. In the Spring of 1776, however, he returned to America, in the ship Pal/at as commissary of the troops in Canada ; and in the same year was ap- pointed Carelton's deputy adjutant general, a position which he continued to rill until his death in Canada, in 17S0. Both his wife and himself were on terms of friendship with General and Mrs. Riedesel. He accompanied Riedesel to America on board the ship Pii//iis, both occupying the same state-room. The companionship seems to have been mu- tually agreeable. Speaking of their ex- periences on the voyage, Riedesel, who preceded his wife to America, writes to her as follows ; << * * Near all were sea sick. The cook could not cook. Muller could not dress me. Valentine could find nothing. To sum up, great lamen- tation and great blundering arose on all sides. Hungry, I had nothing to eat. Finally, Captain Foy and myself cooked a pea soup in the sailor's kitchen, and eat cold roast beef, which made up our whole dinner. Monday the weather was some- what milder, and some of the people became better, though most of them re- mained sick. Captain Foy and I once more cooked a portable bouillon soup, a cod with anchovy sauce, a ragout from roast beef, and a piece of roast veal with potatoes. On Tuesday, the cook still could do nothing, and Foy and myself again did the cooking." Capt. Foy was a man of large frame and of a powerful physique. His wife was an American lady, who seems, at times, to have caused her husband a good deal ol' annoyance by ■W 8 ^Johnson's Orderly Bock, General Orders by Major General Philips Montreal 5th December 1776 Officers coming to Montreal upon Leave for a longer Time than two days, are to give in their Names to the Adjt of the week, Marking to what time their leave of absence extends, & by whom given. SigndPiYw Jas. Pomeroy'. Montreal 12th December 1776 Orders received from his Excellency the Com- mander in Chief, dated Quebec, 9th December, The Commander in Chief [Carleton'J has been ,• •«! her love of ease and unwillingness to make those sacrifices which are insepara- ble from the life of a soldier's wife. Life of Gen. Riedesel, N. T. Col. Doc. ' Arthur James Pomeroy; at this time captain in the ist Dragoons, com- missioned captain, Oct. 5th, 1776. * Sir Guy Carleton (Lord Dorchester). He was born at Strabane, Ireland, in 1722, and died Nov. 10, 1808. Enter- ing the guards at an early age, he became a lieutenant in 1748. He was with the Duke of Cumberland, as an aide, in the German campaign ; and served with Amherst and Wolfe in America. He was governor of Canada from 1772 to 1 78 1, though Burgoyne succeeded him as military leader in 1777, when he re- ceived the order of knighthood. In 1781, he succeeded Sir Henry Clinton as commander-in-chief of the British army in America. He was made governor of Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Bruns- wick, in I786,in which year, as a re- ward for long and faithful service, he was raised to the peerage, being created Baron Dorchester ; and from that year until 1796, he was governor of British North America, his administration being marked by mildness, and justice. He was succeeded in his title and estate by his eldest son Thomas. As Mr. Lossing very justly remarks : " It is due to his memory to say, that he doubtless was opposed to the employment of savages against the Americans." He was cer- tainly a very humane man. as his great kindness to all American prisoners proves. His paroling and taking care of the Americans captured by him when he defeated' Montgomery and Arnold at Quebec, is but one of r.any instances of the same character. In fact. Gen. Carleton was one of the best generals, yoh?nons Orderly Book. Pleased to appoint Ensign William Doyle' of the 2.4th Regt, To be Lieut, m the room of Lieut. Robert Pennington deceased. No Adjutant, Quar- , as regards both kindneii and justice, th.it the British Government ever liad in America. He was truly a great and a wise man. Gen. Carletun was on warm terms of" friendship with Joseph Brant ; and I have in my possession letters from Carleton to Urant to prove thii state- ment — a fact which in itself shows that Brant could not have been the " monster" that he has been painted. ' The copy of the British army list, which is in the Astor Library and con lists of ninety folio volumes (stilted), has been carefully and extensively corrected by the pen of some former owner, probably a military man of high rank, as the book- plate shows. By this it appears that William Doyle became ensign, July 16, 1774, and lieutenant, in place of Pen- nington deceased, Nov. 27th, 1776, Doyle was wounded at Bemis Heights, Oct. 7, 1777 ; and being afterward captured with Burgoyne, his signature appears attached to the Cambridge Parole. He seems to have lived to a good age, since we rind that he became a lieutenant general, Aug. 1 2th, 18 19. It is quite possible that Doyle was with St. Leger until the latter's retreat into Canada, when he left him to join Burgoyne. We know that ic was the intention of Sir John Johnson to rejoin the British army at Saratoga after St. Leger's defeat {Col. Claus to Minister Knox), though for some reason which does not appear, he failed to do so. It is a very common thing, for an officer to be detached from his regiment on staff' duty. Thus Captain Edward Foy of the Royal Artillery (men- tioned in the text), was at this time on detached service as Sir Guy Carleton's deputy adjutant general. Captain Arthur James Pomeroy of the ist Dragoons (also mentioned in the text) was on detached service as an aide to Gen. Phillips, though his regiment was not in Canada, nor America during the Revolutionary war. Other familiar illus- trations of this with Burgoyne, were Major Kingston, Burgoyne's adjutant general, a brevet major and captain of invalids in Ireland; Sir Francis Clerke, Burgoyne's secretary, a lieutenant in the 3d Foot Guards which gave him the army rank of captain, owing to the double rank which formerly obtained in the Guards; .ind Richard Rich Wilford, one of Bur- goyne's aides, was a lieutenant in the 2d or Queen's Royal Regiment. A mili- tary friend, however, does not take this view; and under date of Jan. 22, 1882, writes to me as follows : " I do not believe that William Doyle was with St. Leger, at all, whether he was or not, the 24.th was not, as that was the only British regiment that Bur- goyne had the whole of with him. For this statement, see Lord George Ger- maine's letter to Sir Guy Carleton of March 26, 1777, printed in The State of the Expedition, appendix viii. At ;he toot of the page one would suppose that the 8th and 24th Regiments did not accompany Burgoyne, and were ex- pressly ordered out of or to be exempted from Burgoyne's command. This is true of the 8th but not ot the 24th and the error is in the brackets including more than the words ' (except of the 8th Regi- ment).' The order or letter should have been punctuated thus: ' It is likewise his Majesty's pleasure that you put under the command of Lieutenant General Burgoyne The grenadiers and light infantry of the army (except of the 8th regiment) and the 24th regiment as the advanced corps under the command of Brigadier General Fraser.' Fraser had all the light lO ^ohnsoii's Orderly Book, ter Master, or Surgeons Mate doing duty as Such in any Regt is to be returned a Volunteer. A bounty having been granted by the London Mer- chts to Such Soldiers, or Saylors as may have been wounded, and to the Widows ot such of either as have been kill'd in the Service In America, the Pay Master of Regiments, & Captain Shanks companies ;. c. tin- light intantiy and grenadiers, of" all the British regioients in Canada except of the 8th or King's Regi- ment. Besides the light companies as above, Fraser had in his brigade, his own regiment, the 24th. he being its lieut. colonel. The 300 men spoken of" higher up on page viii, appendix ot the State ot the Expedition, were drawn from the 6 regiments of the ist and 2d Brigades as stated at the toot of' that page. Kraser's Brigade was not numbered, but was known as the Light Brigade, and always led. Besides the above authority, page ix of the appendix. State of the Expedition, shows exactly what regular British troops St. Leger had, we know that the 24th was with Burgoyne and that no patt of it was with St. Leger, except possibly a single officer might have been on detached seivice, as it is called, on St. Leger's, stati", St. Leger then being an acting brigadier. Of this, however, I see no evidence whatever, and the reference to William Doyle in Sir John's Orderly Book, dees not t'urnish the least possible authority for any belief that Doyle was with St. Leger. That reference is an order from Sir Guy Carleton, the British commander-in-chief in Canada, issued Dec. I 2th, 1776, more than two months before Lord George Germaine issued in London his order to form St. Leger's expedition, as Loid George's letter of March 26th, 1777, to Sir Guy contained that order. The troops in Canada were then lying in winter quaiters, the 34th, St. Leger's Regiment, being at ^"•^'"^'^j and Sir Joim Johnson's being at La Chine, La Point Clair and St. Ann \^Liimb\i ^'JmcriiUiii (t^ai\, p. 112I. The order of Dec. 12th, in Sir [ohn'? O.derly Book is, as you see, signed by Sir Guy's dejiuty adjutant general and is transmitted through the head-quarters of Major General Phillips, ani being th- ordei of a superior autiioriry and applying to all the troops in Canada, Sir |ohn's Regi- ment was as much amenable to it, as any and all other regiments serving in Canada under Sir Guy were; and hence it appears in his Orderly Book. Sir John Johnson's Regiment did not leave its winter quarters at La Chine (that being the regimental head-quarters) till June 21, 1777, when it started on St. Leger's Expedition with fourteen days rations. | Sir John's Orderly Book]. The expression, with fourteen days rations, means that so many rations liad been issued to the regiment's possession by the commissary, the rest of the stores and provisions for the expedition remaining in the hands of the commissary for future issues. I'rom all the above and many other authorities, but the above will suffice, I knciv that the 24th was not with St. Leger at all, and belicT'c that Doyle was not with him, though if he was detached on stall' duty with St. Leger tliai would afford no sort of ground for supposing that any o( the rest of the 24th was with St. Leger." Pennington was commissioned lieu- tenant, Vch. loth, 1770. ^ Johnson s Orderly Book, II are desired to transmit to Mr. Dunn Receiver General of the Province a list of the Soldiers and Saylors who have been kill'd or wounded in the course of the Campaign." Ten Dollars will be paid to the latter, not having already received it, & Five Pounds to the Widows of the former, Producing Certificates from the Officer Under whose Command their Husbands Respectively Served. Signd E. FoY Dept. Adt. General, By order of Major Genl Philips Signd Arr. Jams. Pomeroy, Aid de Camp. ' \ have searched in vain among the archives of the British museum and the files of the newspaper* yet preserved in London, to rind the precise date and the exact »vords in which this "bounty" (or more properly, pension) was given by the "London merchants." Force's arch- ives also are silent. The only items which are at all germane to the subject are the following extracts. The first, from the Annual Register for July iSth, 1776, is as follows ; "In a letter, lately received by the committee at the London Tavern, ap- pointed to conduct the voluntary contri- butions in favor of the soldiers serving in North America, their wives and children, from the officers appointed by General Howe to conduct it on the spot, is the following paragraph : 'This Board, as well as the officers and soldiers in general, are sensible of the great attentiijn which their countrymen hive shown them on tills occasion; and we Hatter ourselves that the future operations of the army, in reducing the deluded inhabitants of this country to a just sense of their duty, will merit their approbation. The So- ciety may be assured that the Board will exert themselves to render their benevo- lent designs as beneficial as possible, and would suggest that there should be sent to them soap, leather, combs, leggings, etc' " This, also, from the Gentleman's Mag- azine, for December, 1776 : " On Nov. 22d, the magistrates of Whitehaven issued an order ottering two guineas bounty for every able sailor that should enter voluntarily, with the proper officer, there to serve the Royal Navy, in which they were followed by the gentlemen of the town ; so that every sailor, who enters there, will receive £9 4s, The corporation of Newcastle have offered the same bounty with that of Whitehaven." .Vnd again, from the Middlesex 'Jour- nal, London, Nov. 23, 1776: ^'■Canterhurf, Nov. 2o;h, a subscription is set on foot at Tolpstone, by the mayor and principal inhabitants of that town. ,M 12 yohnsorCs Orderly Book, 'Is: ! i Lachine 1777 Jan ist. P. Ireland. C. Scotland. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 6 Prvt. The tv/o Companys of the Kings Royal Regt of New York Cantoon'd at Lachine to parade tomorrow morning opposite to Mr. Henis | i. e. his planta- tion] at Seven o'clock, fully accouter'd — The Guard to Mount at 7 o'Clock. — 5th. P. Patrick. C. Daly. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt, & 6 Privts. Ens Byrne, Officer of the Day. — 6th. P. Ireland. C. Cromarthy. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 6 Prvts. Lieuc Singleton, Officer of the Day. — 7th. P. Gray. C. Evalick. For Guard to Morrow 1 Sergt & 6 Prvts. Ens Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 8th. P. Berwick. C. Tweed. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 P. Ens Crawford Officer of the Day. — 9th. P. Tain. C. Dingwall. For Guard whereby 'i reward of 40 sliillings is offered to every able bod.ed seaman, and 20 shillings for every ordinary seaman over and above his Majesty's bounty, to such inhai;itants of the said town as shall voluntarily enter themselves into his Majesty's navy." In Forcj's American Archives, 41 li Series, vol. iv, p. 543, there is a Pro- clamation by the King, "given at our court of St. James, Jan. 3d, 1776, for encouraging seamen to enter themselves on board his Majesty's ships of war," and also (Force's American Archi-ves, 4th series, vol. iv, p. 1468) an "order in council at the court of St. James, 28th Feb., 1776," to the same effect; but have little or no bearing on this partic- ular enquiry. yohnson's Orderly Book, 13 to Morrow i S & 6 P. Lieut. Singleton,' Officer of the day. — loth. P. London. C. Weymouth. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 Privates. Ens Byrns, officer of the Day. — nth. P. New York. C.Albany. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 men. Ens. Crothers, officer of the Day. — 1 2th P. Edinburgh. C Lieth, For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 men. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. — 13th. P. York. C. Boston. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 P men. Lieut Singleton, officer of the day. 14th. P. Philadelphia. C. Charlestown. For Guard to Morrow, i S & 6 P men. Ens. Byrns officer of the Day. — 15th. P. Dublin. C. Belfast. For Guard to Morrow, i S & 6 P men. Ens Crothers, officer of the Day. \* m ' George Singleton of Montreal. This otiicer was a lieutenant in Captain Stephen Watt's company, and being wounded in the battle of Oriskany, and carried back into the Indian camp near Fort Stanwix, was taken prisoner by Col. Willett in his sortie from thit Fort, while the action was still in progress. Col. Clans to Secretary Knox, N. T. Col. Doc. Speaking of this sally, Willett, In his Narrative, says : "Several pris- oners were brought into the Fort, among whom was a Mr. Singleton, a lieutenant of the light infantry company of Sir John (ohnson's regiment. A few Indians and some troops were found dead in their camps, and, no doubt, several were killed in crossing the river. Upon the whole, the enterprise was successful beyond Col. Willett's most sanguine hopes." We are sorry, however, for the fair fame of this orticer, that he should have been guilty of an act of shameful cruelty. Moses Younglove, a surgeon of Gen. Herkimer's brigade of militia, who was taken prisoner by St. Leger, and who, moreover, until his decease at Hudson, N. v., about 1825, was a gentleman of high standing, is authority for the state- ment that "Lieutenant Singleton, of Sir John Johnson's regiment, being wounded, entreated the savages to kill the prison- I ' 14 yohnson's Orderly Book, >' ?i — 1 6th. P. Tain. C. Dingwall. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 P men. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. — 17th P. Armagh. C.Galloway. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 P men. Lieut. Singleton, officer of the Day. — 1 8th. P. Thurso. C. Week. For Guard to Morrow, i S & 6 P men. Ens Byrns, officer of the Day. — 19th. P. Glasgow. C. Dumbarton. For Guard to xMorrow i S & 6 P men. Ens Crothers, officer of the Day. — 20th. P. Tillibody. C. Sterling. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 men. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. 2 1 St. P. Perth. C. Lieth For Guard to Morrow, i S & 6 P men. Lieut. Singleton, officer of the Day. — 22d. P. York, C. Cadrous. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 men. Ens Byrns, officer of the Day. ers, which they accordingly did, as nigh as this deponent can judge, about six or seven." The original of tiiis affidavit by Ybunglove, is still in the office of the Secretary of State, Albany, N. Y. General de Feyster and Mr. Edward F. de Lancey, have thought that Willett was wrong in his statement (see quota- tions from the Narrati-ve, in the "Intro- duction " to the Orderly Book, and Appendix No. iii) that Sir John Johnson was in his camp when he made the sortie, and in proof of this they, air'ong other things, refer to St. Leger's account of occurrences at Fort Stanwix," cited by Burgoyne in his defence, in which the writer asserts that Sir John was engaged in the action at Oriskany. Willett's authority, however, for his statement, was this same Lieut. Singleton. In a letter which Willett wrote a few days after the sortie, to a Hartford newspaper, dated at the German Flats, on iith of August, he says : "One of the prison- ers is a Mr. George Singleton, of Mon- treal, a lieutenant in Captain Watt's company. Mr. Singleton told me that Sir John Johnson was with liim when yohnsons Orderly Book, »5 — 23d. P. Boston. C. Albany. For Guard to Morrow 1 S & 6 P men. Ens Crothers officer of the Day. — 24th. P. Fraser. C. Gordon. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 men. Ens Crawford officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officers orders. That the Comps Lying at Upper Lachine Do Duty in Conjunction with the Two Comps of the King's Royal Regt. of New York of Lower Lachine. — 25th. P. Montreal. C. Quebec. For Guard to Morrow i S & 6 men. Lieut Singleton, officer of the Day. — 26th. P. La Prairie. C. Lachine. For Guard to Morrow i Sert & 6 Pmen. Ens Byrns, officer of the Day. — 27th. P. Point Clair. Guard to Morrow i Sergt Crothers, officer of the Day. — 28th. P. London. C. Barnet. For Guard to Morrow i Serg. & 6 P. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. — 29th. P. Inverness. C. Nairn. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 7 men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. C. Inverness. & 6 P men. For Ens n<. we attacked their camp, ind that he the fight was still going on, so Sir John thinks he ran to the river." But both may also have returned to the camp for statements may be correct ; and as Sin- some purpose at the same time. Indeed, gleton, who had most certainly been it is not impossible to reconcile both in the engagement at Oriskany, was views, and have each one entirely con- carried back to the camp wounded while sistent with the true facts of the case. ill ;f4- '■i i6 ^Johnsons Orderly Book. — 30th. P. Dunkeld. C. Perth. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 7 men. Ens Byrne, officer of the dav. — 31st. P. Burk. C. Patrick. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 7 men. Ens Crothers officer of the Day. Lachine 1777 February ist P. New York. C. Albany. For Guard to Morrow i S & 7 Men. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. — 2d. P. Fort Hunter.' C. Johnstown. For Guard to Morrow 1 Sergt & 7 men. Lieut. Singleton, officer of the Day. — 3d. P. Tower C. St. James. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 7 Men Ens Byrnes. Offi- cer of the Day. — 4th. P. Norwich. C. Norfolk. Ens Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 5th. P. Invenshire. C. Inveraw. Guard ' Fort Hunter (Indi.in name, Dyion- darogaj now in Montgomery Co., N. Y., was built at the mouth of the Schoharie- kill during the French and Indian war, on the site of the Lower Castle of the Mohawks, which was, at this time, the most considerable town of that nation. P was scarcely a place of defence being, in fact, only a wooden building palisadoed, within whirh, besides the barracks, were some thirty cabins of the Mohawk In dians. There was a house at each curtain, and the cannon at each bas- tion, were from seven to nine pounders. It had no ditch, and only a large swing- door at its entrance. The palisades en- closed an ediliLC, called yueen Anne's chapel, to which a parsonage, built of stone, was attached. The old fort was torn down at the beginning of the rev- olution, but it was afteiward partially restored and often garrisoned. " The chapel," says Lossing, " was demolished in 1820, to make room for the Erie canal." After the confiscation of the prop- erty of Sir John Johnson, the furniture of Johnson Hall was sold at auction at Fort Hunter. When Mr. Lossing visited the place, the parsonage was still standing in the town of Florida, half a mile below the Schoharie creek, and a few rods south of the canal. 'Johnson's Orderly Book. 17 To Morrow, i Sergt & 6 Men. For Ens Craw- ford Officer of the Day. . — 6th. P. Tryon. C. Dunmore. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 7 Men. Lieut. Singleton officer of the Day. It is Majr Grays ord's that Patr McDonell of Capt Dalys Corny & Dan'll Campbell of the Colls Compy be appointed Corp'ls in his Compy. — 7th. P. Dalwhinnie. C. Dulnacardock. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt. & i Corp. & 6 Men. Ens Byrns, officer of the Day. —8th. P. Bristol. C. Barth. For Guard To Morrow, 1 Sergt & 6 Men. Ens Crothers Offi- cer of the Day. — 9th. P. York. C. Albany. For Guard To Morrow, i Sergt i Corpl & 7 Men. — loth. P. Schanactdy. C Trypp's", hill. For Guard To Morrow, 1 Sergt, 1 Corpl & 7 Men. Lieut Singleton, Officer of the Day. iith. P. Gilbart. C. Tice. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. i Corpl. & 7 Men. Ens Byrnt., officer of the Day. — 1 2th. P. Maytield C. Sachandaga.' For 'Tribe's Hill, situated 20 miles west of Schenectady on the eastern extremity of the Caughnawaga flats, opposite Fort Hunter or the site of the " Lower Mohawk castle." It was named after one of the ditiijrent tribes or families of the Mohawk nation which dwelt upon it ; but whether it was the Bear, Turtle or Wolf tribe is uncertain. It was first set- tled by families from Albany in 1725. Rev. John Taylor, who visited the Hill while on a missionary toui in 1802, mentions as worthy of note, that on its top there was an apple tree which pro- duced apples without core or seeds. From its top a fine view is obtained of a few hundred acres of excellent meadow which was formerly the seat of •' King Hendrick," the famous sachem of the Mohawks. N. Y. Col. Doc, Jeptha R. Simms to the author. ' The Sacandaga river one of the two chief tributary streams that flow into the ! nil. i8 Johnson's Orderly Book, Guard To Morrow, i Sergt, i Corpl. & 7 Men. Ens. Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 13th. P. Fort Stanwix. C. Oswego. For Guard to Morrow 1 Sergt. i Corpl, & 7 Men. Ens Crawford Officer of the Day. — 14th. P. Niagara. C. Fort Dimber [Dum- Hudson. The Sacandaga, which enters the Hudson at Luzerne, was the objec- tive point with Sir John Johnson in his raids from Canada into the Mohawk valley. His course, on these occasions, was down Lake Champlain to Bulwagga bay on that lake ; and thence to Schroon Lake, and " Crane Mountain," in War- ren Co., N. Y., whence there was a direct trail to the Sacandaga River. In this connection, the following letter to Gen. de Peyster is in point. Jersey City Heights, Jan. 8, 1880. Dear Sir — In reply to your letter asking for some particulars in regard to Crane Mountain in connection with Sir John Johnson's route from Buliuagga Bay in Lake Champlain to Cherry Valley^ I would say that my attention was first called to it in the fall of 1852, while on a deer-stalking expedition in the Adiron- dacks, by an old hunter, who had often been surprised at such evidences of careful military work in places where he supposed white feet had never trodden until a comparatively recent date. A careful examination was thereupon un- dertaken by me, resulting in the con- clusion that Johnson's raid either was by no means so precipitate as has hitherto been believed, or else that he had with him a skilled engineer with men under him who were accustomed to work with great celerity. Although the road is now overgrown with bushes and scrub timber, yet a very little observation reveals a well made corduroy road underneath (still in excel- lent preservation), with the gap in the forest where the primeval trees were cut down for tlu: road. This road, coming down from the valley of the Bouquet and Schroon rivers, meets the base of Crane Mountain at its north-western side, and following around the base of the mountain leaves it on its south-eastern point, and goes off" in a well defined trail to the Sacandaga. Thence crossing that stream it is lost in the forest in a bee line to the Fish House, Johnstown, and the Cherry Valley settlement. It is, I may remark here, a great mis- take to imagine that the whites were the first to know this region — the truth being that all this wilderness was as well known to the Iroquois, not to speak ot previous races, as one's own library is to its owner. Crane Mountain at the present time (not so much from its height, though it is a high mountain, as from its peculiar posi- tion in the Adirondack chain), can be seen from any direction within a radius of seventy miles. Crane Mountain was of course, as prominent a landmark in 1780, as it is now; and in descending from the valley of the Schroon, it was undoubtedly seen and seized upon as a point to make for, on Johnson's way to the Sacandaga. Indeed, it has been made the base of the trigonometrical survey of the northern section of New York State. I am sincerely rejoiced that Sir John John- son has at length found so able a de- fender as yourself, and I remain. Yours cordially, Wm. L. Stone. 'Johnson's Orderly Book. •9 mer' ?] For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. i Corpl, & 7 Men. Lieut. Singleton officer of the Da^. — 15th. P. Fort Erie. C. Detroit. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt, i Corpl, and 7 Men. Ens Byrns Officer of the Day. — 1 6th. P. St. Anns\ C. Point Clair. For Guard To Morrow, i Sergt, i Corpl, & 9 Men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. — 17th. P. La Chine. C. Montreal. For Guard To Morrow i Sergt, 1 Corpl & 9 Men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer ijf the Day. — 18th. P. La Prairie. C. Long Ile^ For Guard To Morrow, i Sergt i Corpl. & 9 Men. Ens Byrns, Officer of The Day. — 17th. [Sic] P. Eden. C. Adam. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & Eight men. Ens Crawford Officer of the Day. It is the Com- manding Officer's Orders that the Guard Shall Consist of one Sergt, & Eight private Men for the future, & be Removed from here to Lower ■This fort is frequently spoken of in the early border wars. It was first built in 1723, and was situated on the Con- necticut river on the New Hampshire side, forty miles below Charlestown, or Number Four. 'Lower Canada was originally divided into four districts, viz. : Montreal, Three Rivers, Quebec and Gaspe, in the second of which lay St. Anne. The Seigniory of St. Anne, three quarters of a league wide, by two and a half leagues in length, and granted to M. Lanaudi' re, Oct. 29th, 1672, is situated on the south bank of the St. Lawrence, a little nearer to Mon- treal than to Quebec. On the east side ot the river St. Anne, and near the St. Lawrence, is the village of St. Anne, a pretty little hamlet, but having no parti- cular history or traditions. j Longueil, a parish or town on the right or south bank of the St. Lawrence, three miles from Montreal, was granted to the Sieur Charles Le Moine de Lon- gueil (father of Iberville and Bienville, and the successor of M. de Vaudreuil in the government of Canada), Nov. 3d, 1672. Near the village, was the ancient Fort of Longueil (built by Baron de Lon- gueil), one of the many barriers against w 20 Johnson's Orderly Book, La chine Where the King's Stores Are, they. will keep two Sentries by Day & two by Night, the One over the Prisoners, & the Other at the Kings Stores. — 1 8th. [Sic] P. Howe. C. Fraser'. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt. & Eight Men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. It is the Com- manding Officers Orders that the Officer of the Day Visit the Guard twice Every Day & Make a Report to him of What Ever happens Relative to the Service. — 19th. r. Johnson. C. Gray. For Guard To Morrow i Sergt. & 8 Men. Ens Byrns, Officer of the Day. — 20th. P.Norwich. C London. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt, and 8 Men. Ens Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 2 1 St. P. Phillips. C Fraser. For Guard to Morrow 1 Sergt. 6c Men. Ens Crawford, Officer of the Day. It is The Commanding officer's Orders that the Iroquois, and a military centre during all of the French, English and American wars. Its site is now cuvered by a well built church. On landing in the village from the ferry-boat on which he has crossed the St. Lawrence from Montreal, the tourist feels as if he had been sud- denly transported into some ancient, medievil town of France, to which, moreover, had been added all the pecu- liarities of an old Canadian town ; neat as a pin j grass in the streets and in the court-yards of the quaint adobe cottages; and the people either going quietly about their business, or, apparently in a " brown study," standing behind the lower half of their doors, the upper half thrown open, staring into vacancy. Longueil, formerly in the county of Kent, is now the chief town of the county of Chambly, and is the summer residence of many Montrealers, some of whom have hand- some dwellings on the outskirts of the town. Its present population is 2,083. ' Gen. Simon Fraser. For a sketch of this gallant officer the reader is referred to Stone's Bargoyne's Campaign, and Gen, Rogers's Haddeti's jfournal. yohnson'^s Orderly Book, 21 the two Comp'ys Quartered here March to Point Clair To Morrow Morning at 7 O'Clock. The Non Commissiend Officers will be Very Careful! That The Men Are Clean & their Armes in Good Order. — 22d. P. Whymendham. C Attleburrough. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. & 10 Men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. — 23d P. Thotford. C. New Market. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. & 10 Men. Ensign Byrns Officer of the Day. — 24th. P. Strattford. C, Bow Bridge. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. & 10 Men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. —25th. P. Norfolk. C. Suffolk. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Men. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. — 26th. P. Essex. C. Kent. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. 27th. P. Walker. C. Crothers. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. & 10 men. Ens. Byrns officer of the day. —28th. P. Daly. C Watts. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. 1777 March ist. P. India. C. Britain. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Private Men. Ens Crawford Officer of the Day. — 2d. P. Tyron. C. Howe. For Guard to h I f'i: r fV'.atlW'-i '! mi ■ m r i i Man ( ( i ■ !^.= 2 2 yohnsorCs Orderly Book. Morrow i Sergt & lo Private Men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. — 3d. P. Johnstown. C. Johnson. Guard to Morrow 1 Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Byrns, Officer of the Day. — 4th. P. Yorkshire. C. Hampshire. Guard to Morrow i Sergt & Private Men. Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 5th. P. Exeter. C. York. For Guard to Morrow I Sergt. & 10 Pt. Men. Ens Crawford, Officer of the Day. —6th. P. Halifax. C. Boston. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt 6c 10 Private Men. Lieut Singleton, Officer of the Day. — 7th. P. Quebec. C. Three Rivers'. For For Ens For Ens ' Three Rivers is a town of" Canada East at the confluence of the rivers St. Maurice and St. Lawrence, ninety miles from (Quebec. It contain , among other churches, a large Roman Catholic parish church, formerly served by the Recollets, or Franciscan Friars; but the Order is now extinct in Three Rivers. The convent of St. Ursule, founded by M. de St. Vallier, bishop of Quebec, in 1 677, is also a spacious building. The sisters of tlys convent particuLily excel in the manufacture of very curious bark-work. They use the bark of the birch tree ; and with it they make pocket-books, work- baskets, dressing-boxes, etc., which they embroider with elk hair dyed of the most brilliant colors. They also make models of Indian canoes and the various war- like implements used by the Indians, all of which handiwork they sell, for the benefit of their convent, to the stray tourist who chances to sojourn in their neighborhood. " Nearly all the birch-bark canoes in use on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers and on the nearer lakes," says Weld, '* are manufactured at Three Rivers, and in the vicinity by Indians. The birch tree is found in great plenty near the town ; but it is from the more northern part of the country, where the tree attains a very large size, that the principal part of the bark is procured that canoes are made with. The bark re- sembles in some degree that of the oak tree, but it is of a closer grain, and also much more pliable, for it admits of being rolled up the same as a piece of cloth. The Indians of this part of the country always carry large rolls of it in their canoes when they go on a hunting party, for the purpose of making temporary huts. The bark is spread on small poles over their heads, and fastened with strips of elm-bark (which is remarkably tough) to stakes, so as to form walls on the sides." Three Rivers, though long sta- tionary as regards growth, has recently become one of the most thrifty places in the province. The district of Three yohnson's Orderly Book, 23 Guard to Morrow i S & 10 Pri Men. Ens Byrns Officer of the Day. —8th P, Sorel'. C. Chamblee\ Fo- Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Priv't Men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. — 9th. P. Montreal. C. Burgoyne. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 10 Privt Men. Ens Crawford officer of the Day. — loth. P. Carleton. C. Phillips. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. & 10 Privt Men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. — iith. P. Johnson. C. Gray. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt, & 10 Privt Men. Ens Byrns Officer of the Day. Rivers includes bo''h sides of the St. Lawrence, and io sub- divided into four counties. The village, itself, besides beint one of ih'; olfii . towns in Canada, is one of the most iiiteresting on account of its historical associations ; it having been for a long time the home of Nicolet (the discoverer of the Northwest), while acting as interpreter between the French and the western tribes. For this latter fact, See, Nico/et's Disco-very of the Nortb- ivest, by C. ff^. Butterfield, ' Sorel is situated at the mouth of the river of the same name (also called the Richelieu), which runs from Lake Cham- plain into the St. Lawrence. It was laid out in 1787; and is the only town on the St. Lawrence, between Montreal and (Quebec, wherein English is the chief language. The river of Sorel is deep at its mouth, and affords good shelter for ships from the ice, at the breaking up of winter ; but it is not navigable far beyond the town, even in flat-bottomed boats, on account of the rapids. ^ " Chambly (tht .iory of) on the River Richelieu or Sorel, and in the counties of Kent and Bedford, L. C, is three leagues if\ length by one in depth on each side of that river; andwas granted, on the 29th of Oct., 1672, to M. de Chambly. At one time, this valuable property was owned by five persons, among whom were Sir John Johnson and Col. de Rouville, the latter of whom is mentioned in the text towards the end of the Orderly Book. Sir John Johnson must eventually have lost the benefit of this property, since he was in very poor cir- cumstances in the latter part of his life. " When in Montreal shortly before Sir John Johnson's H:ath," writes to me Mr. Winslow C. Watson, under date of Feb. 26, 1879, " Hon. Dominick Mondelet, then a leading advocate of the Canadian bar and afterwards Judge of the j;2ueen's Bench, assured me of Sir John's extreme poverty, and that he was, at the time, conducting some litigation in behalf oi the baronet." R.'q iHi ' '!.• 24. Johnson* s Orderly Book» 1 2th. P. County Tyron. C. Albany. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt. & 10 Privt Men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. — 13th. P. Newcastle. C, Tweed. For Guard to Morrow, i Sergt. & 10 Privet Men. Ens Crawford, Officer of the Day. It is the Commanding Officers Orders that the Sergts, Corpls, Drummers, & Private Men of the Kings Roy'l New York attend Exercise to Morrow Morning At Eleven O'Clock — they are to Meet at the post above Capt Chenies'. — 14th. P. England C. America. Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Singleton Officer of the Day. — 15th. P. Ireland. C. Scotland. Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Byrne Officer of the Dav. — 1 6th. P Philadelphia. C. New York. For Guard to Morrow 1 Sergt. & 10 Privt. Men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. It is the Com- manding Officers Orders that an Exact Account be taken of the Clothing, Shirts, Shoes & Stockings &c of the Men of Every Comp, & the Quantity of them — an officer of each Comp to Attend at the time — & that the Account be given in to the Commanding Officer At Point Clair. That all For Lieut For Ens 'An old hunter, and a descendant of this officer, is still (1882) living in a log shanty in the Adirondacks, between the Boreas River (a stream emptying into the Hudson) and Blue Mountain Lake — " Cheney Lake," in that vicinity, being named after him. Lieut. Cheney owned, at one time, a large tract of land in the Adirondacks, but it has been all frittered away except what is held by the hunter above named. Johnson's Ordefly Book, 25 the Officers for the future Attend Exercise ot the Men from the hour of Eleven till One in the Afternoon if the Weather Permit. A Court Martial to Sit on Wednesday Next to try Such Prisoners as may be brought before them. — 17th. P. St. Patrick. C. Chiloy. For Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Ens. Crawford, Officer of the Day. — 1 8th. P. Lochaber. C Kintail. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 men. Lieut. Singleton Officer of the Day. A Regimental Court Martial to Sit to morrow at 12 o'Clock. Lieut Singleton, President. Members, Ens Crothers, Ens Craw- ford. To try Such Prisoners as may be brought before them. — 19th. P. Barford. C. Melton. For Guard to morrow 1 Sergt, & 10 Privt men. Ens. Byrne Officer of the Day. — 20th. P. Hatthersett. C. Eaton. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 Privt men. Ens Cro- thers, Officer of the Day. — 21st. P. Dareham. C Yarmouth. For Guard to morrow 1 Sergt & 10 Privt men. Ens Crawford Officer of the Day. — 22d. P. Howe. C. Tryon.' For Guard to ' The words " Howe and Tryon " as were any British officers more blood- paroles and countersigns were fittingly thirsty than St. Leger, Howe and Tryon designated by St. Leger, a man who re save, perhaps, Tarleton, and Cunningham sembled those generals in all their cruel the keeper of the Liberty St. Sugar House propensities. Indeed, we much doubt if, prison, the prototype, by the way, of the during our revolutionary struggle, there Richmond Tobacco House and Ander- P;-'! 26 yohnsorCs Orderly Book, % morrow i Sergt & lo Pt. men. Lieut. Singleton Officer of the Day. — 23d. P. Johnstown. C. Johnson. For Guard to morrow i Sergt, & 10 Pt. men. Ens Byrne, Officer of the Day. — 24th. P. Quebec. C. Orleans. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Privt men. Ens Cro- thers. Officer of the Day. A Regtl Court Martial to Sit to morrow Morning At 10 O'Clockat the Commanding Officers Quarters. Lieut. Walker, President. Ens Crothers, Ens Crawford Mem- bers, to try Such Prisoners as may be brought before them. — 25th. P. Albany. C. Boston. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Ens Craw- ford, Officer of the Day. — 26th. P. Amboy. C. New York. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. — 27th. P. Philadelphia. C. Anapolis For sonville. The query arises : Were these names given out to incite the troops to cruelty, as were other paroles and coun- tersigns (see our Introduction) designated as incentives to valor ? William Tryon had figured as an oppressor in 17 68-1 771 in North Carolina, and, becoming gover- nor of New York, which he held when the war broke out, like the other royal gov- ernors, was compelled to yield to popular indignation which (being a cruel and narrow-minded man) he retaliated as a military leader. It was he who, later in the war, laid Danbury, Fairfield and Nor- walk in ashes, when there was positively nothing to be gained in a strategic point of view, by the destruction of those places. At Fairfield, for example, the brutal Hes- sians, to whom Tryon gave a carte hlanche to rai age and destroy, excited by liquor, shame'^ully and cruelly treated the women who fell into their hands, whole families being "• driven into the swamps for shelter against their infernal lusts." It has also been asserted, and not denied, that after the battle of Long Island, Howe allowed his troops and especially the Hessians, to tie up American prisoners a;id use them for marks to fire at ! the excuse being, that "such treatment would keep the people from vjoining the rebel army, and thus the rebellion would be sooner ended!" I yohnsorCs Orderly Book, 27 Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Ens Byrns, Officer of the Day. It is Major Gray's Orders that Officers Commanding Comp'nys Give in a Regular Return of different Comp'nys Weekly to the Quarter Master in order to draw their Provisions According to said Return ; & When a Man is Absent or does not chuse to draw his Rations, the Officer of th. Comp'ny to wich he belongs is to Give in his name, at the foot of Said Return, Mentioning, if Absent, at what Place, the Qr. Master is to Make a Monthly Return to the Paymaster of the number of Ra- tions for Said Month, &c in that Return Give in a List of the Officers & Men who may be, or does not chuse to Draw Provisions. It is Major Gray's Orders that the Officers Commanding Companys will Examine the Accounts Given in to them by the Quarter Master, for making the Mens Clothing & other Necessarys furnished them, & if there are any errors in Said Account, to furnish the Quarter Master with an Account of them in Writing Immediately. — 28th. P. Fort Erie. C. Detroit. For Guard to morrow i Sergt, & 10 Pri. men. Ens Crothers officer of the Day. — 29th. P. Barnet. C Hatfield. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 Pt. men. Ens Craw- ford, Officer of the Day. the Commission'd Non Commis'd officers & Private men of the Kings Royal Regt'ment of New York to be 28 Johnson's Orderly Book, under arms the 31st of March, Monday Next at Capt Dalys Quarters. — 30th. P.London. C.Middlesex. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Lieut. Sin- gleton officer of the Day. — 31st. P. Limerick. C Clonmell. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & loPt. men. Ens Byrne Officer of the Day. LACHINE 1777 April ist. P. Gray. C. Johnson. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. — 2d. P. Kinsbridge. C. Howe. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 Pt men. Ens Wall Officer of the Day. — 3d. P. Honduras, to morrow i Sergt. & ford Officer of the Day. — 4th. P. Eraser. C. Phillips. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Lieut. Single- ton Officer of the Day. — 5th. P. Montreal. C. Lachine. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Ens. Byrne Officer of the Day. — 6th. P. Glasgow. C.Aberdeen. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 Pt men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. — 7th. P. Bristol. C. York. For Guard to C. Goree. For Guard 10 Pt. men. Ens Craw- 'Johnson's Orderly Book. 29 morrow i Sergt. & 10 Pt. men. Ens Wall, Officer of the Day. —8th. P. Wells. C. Lynn. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. 10 Pt. men. Ens Crawford officer of the Day. It is the Commanding Offi- cers Orders that the two Companys Cantoon'd at Lachine Shall be Under Arms to morrow Morning At eleven o'clock at the Commanding Officers Quarters. —9th. P. Norfolk. C. SuffiDlk. For Guard to morrow 1 Sergt. & 10 Pt men. Lieut. Mor- rison Officer of the Day. A Review of Arms Accourtrements and Necessaries on friday at Eleven O'clock as the Major desires that the men from St. Anns Under the Commr.nd of Capt. Brown be sent to their Companys that they be Provided in time with Necessaries to take the field when ordered, 6c Capt. Brown to take the Light In- fantry Comp'ny, which he is to Compleat Im- mediately from the Battalion : the old men from Capt. Watt's' Compy change their coats with ' Captain Stephen Watts, brother-in- law of" Sir John Johnson and fourth son of Hon. John Watts and Ann de Lancey, was born in New York, Dec. 24th. 1754. As an officer in Johnson's Royal Greens, he was present at the battle of Oriskany, in which action " he was severely wounded and left on the field, as was supposed, among the slain. His death was reported by Col. Willett in his letter to Col. Trumbull, and by other authorities. Such, however, was not the fact. Re- viving from faintness produced by loss of blood, some time after the action, he succeeded in crawling to a brook (Oris- kany creek) where, by slaking his thirst, he was preserved from speedy death ; and in the course of two or three days was found by some Indian scouts, and brought into St. Leger's camp." The above statement was taken down from tlie lips of his brother, the Hon. John Watts, of New York, by the writer's father the late Col. William L. Stone, and is undoubtedly the correct version. Mrs. Bonney, however, in her Legacy of Historical Gleanings^ vol. i p. 69, gives a somewhat different account, 1 ', 9^,'. [ t 1 a ■'-■ . I 30 yohnsorCs Orderly Book, those from other Companys who shall come in their places ; if their Coats do not Answer let the wings be taken off & given to those that come in' ; Capt. Brown to fix that as he thinks lit. Lieut. Morrison to change off the Colonel's Compy ; Lt. Singleton off the Majors & Lt. McDonold off Capt. McDonolds Comp'y, that they may be no farther Disputes in Regard to the Officers Ranks; & Left by Sir John a list of them to be seen, According to their Ranks from the Adjutant in the Regimental Book. — loth P. Perth Amboy. C Elizabeth Town. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. and lo Private men. Ens Burn Officer of the Day. so far, at least, as relates to the manner of Watt's escape, which is as follows : " Major Watts [his rank, at this time, as 1 have observed in my Introduction, was captain] was wounded through the leg by a ball, and in the neck by a thrust from a bayonet which passe.' through the back of the windpipe, and occasioned such an effusion of blood as to induce not only him but his captors to suppose (after leading him two or three miles) that he must die in consequence. He begged his captors to kih him ; they refused and left him by the side of a stream (Oriskany creek ) under the shade of a bridge, where he was found two days subsequently, covered with fly blows, but still alive He was borne by some Indians to Schen- ectady where he remained (after losing his leg) until suflicier.tly recovered to bear a voyage to England." Soon after his arrival in England he married a Miss Nugent ; and as Gen. de Peyster, his grandnephew, informs the writer, died in elegant retire- ment surrounded by a noble family of equally brave sons. Of these sons, one, Ross Watts, was dn admiral in the British navy ; another, John Walts, was a captain in the British army and was present at the capture of Washington and the battle of New Orleans, and subsequently, mayor and deputy of Wellington, as governor of Walma Castle; and still another, Robert Nugent, was secretary in 2"^''^'^ ^"•^ * member of assembly in the Canadian parliament. See also, the Parliamentary Register for Watts's conduct at Oriskany. I «'< Wings,' as connected with uni- forms, were once worn as a substitute for epaulettes ; certainly, during the revolu- tion in the English service. They were of clotii ; in shape, similar to the strap of the epaulette ; and terminated at the eno with a gold or silver fringe for officers, and of coarser materials for lower grades. They are sometimes seen in old pictures; and officers of long service have a dim sort of recollection that they were for- merly worn in the United States service." Gen. de Feysler to the author. yohnson^s Orderly Book. 31 — nth. P. Phillips. C. Fraser. For Guard to morrow 10 Privates, i Sergt. Ens Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 1 2th. P. London. C. Edinburgh. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. 10 Private men. Officer of the Day, Ensign Wall. The Com- misson'd, Non Commisson'd Officers and Men of the King's Royal Regt. of New York to be Under Arms to morrow morning at 7 o'Clock. — 13th, P. Dornoch. C. Dunrobin. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 P Ens Crawford Officer of the Day. The Private men of the King's Royal Regt. of New York to be under Arms to morrow morning at 7 o'Clock. — 14th. P. Dunmore. C. Howe. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Private men. Lieut. Morrison Officer of the Day. — 15th. P. Johnson. C. Tryon. For Guard to morrow i Sergt and 10 Private men. Ens Burn, Officer of the Day. Its the Commanding Officers Orders that the Compy's Cantoon'd at Lachine Shall be Under Arms to morrow Morn- ing at Nine O'Clock ; the Non Commission'd Officers to See that the men Are Clean, and their Arms in Good Order ; they are to Parade at the Commanding Officers Quarters. — 1 6th, P. Inverness. C. Nairn. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Priv. men. Ens Cro- thers Officer of the Day. — 17th. P. York. C. Albany. For Guard to i !B ■ i: \ 1: If V 32 yohnsorCs Orderly Book. morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. Ens Wall, Officer of the Day. — 1 8th. P. Eaton. C. Hingham. For Guard to morrow i sergt. & 10 Pt. men. Ens Craw- ford officer of the Day. — 19th. P. Dublin. C. Cork. For Guard to morrow i Sergt and ten Private men. Lieut. Morrison Officer of the Day. — 20th P. Bristol. C. Barth. For Guard to morrow i Sergt and 10 P men. Ens Burn, Officer of the Day. — 2 1 St. P. Lincolnshire. C. Cambridgeshire. For Guard to morrow, i Sergt. and 10 Private men. Ens Crothers Officer of the Day. — 22d. P. Niagara C. Oswagoachey.' For Guard to morrow i Sergt. 10 Private men. Ens Wall, Officer of the Day. — 23d. P. Derby. C. Clonmell. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 men. Ens Crawford, Officer of the Day the Commis'd Non Com- miss'd officers. Drums & Privits, men of the. Kings Royal Regt. of New York, to Hold them- selves In Readiness to March to Point Clair on Saturday Morning 26th of April. They are to Parade at the Commanding Officer's Quarters at / o'clock. ' Oswegatchie (now Ogdensburgh, N. Y.), in 1740 known as Fort Presen- tation and sometimes La Galktie. It was garrisoned by the French during a part ot the seven years war, but was taken by the English in 1700, while they were descending the St. Lawrence to attack Montreal. Tradition locates one of Gen. Putnam's most daring exploits at this fort. Johnson's Orderly Book, 33 — 24th. P. London. C. York. For Guard to .morrow i Sergt. & 10 P. men. Ens Byrne Officer of the Day. — 25th. P. Bristol. C. Barth. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 P. men. Ens Byrne Officer of the Day. — 26th. P. Boston. C. Norwich. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 P men. Ens. Crothers, Officer of the Day. — 27th. P. Hingham. C. Dearham. For Guard to morrow i Sergt and 10 Private men. Ens Wall, Officer of the Day. —28th. P. Norfolk. C. Suffi)lk. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 10 P men. Ens. Craw- ford, Officer of the Day. — 29th. P. Dover. C. Plymouth. For Guard to morrow, i Sergt. & 10 Priv. men. Leaut. Morrison, Officer of the Day. — 30th. P. Ireland. C. Scotland. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pri. men. Ens. Byrne Officer of the Day. 1777 May, 1ST. P. Quebec. C. Orleans. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Priv. men. Ens. Crothers, Officer of the Day. the Commiss'd Non Commiss'd officers. Drummers, & private men of the Kings Royal Regt. of New York to hold themselves in Readiness to March to Point Clair to morrow Morning at 7 o'clock; thay are 6 I i 34- yohnsorCs Orderly Book, to Parade at the Commanding Officers Quarters at La Chine. — 2d. P. Halifax. C Boston. For Guard tomorrow i Sergt & lo men. Ens Wall officer of the Day. — 3d. P. Belfast. C Dublin. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 men. Ens Crawford,* Officer of the Day. it is the Commanding officers orders that all the officers for the future to Ex- ercise their own Companys. — 4th. P. Cork. C. Dublin. For Guard to morrow, i Sergt & 10 P. men. Lieut. Morrison, Officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officers orders that two men from each Company be ordered to attend the ammunition tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning, & also that the old men who are in- capable to exercise attend for the same purpose. — 5th. P. America. C. England. For Guard to morrow i Sergt, & 10 P men. Lieut. Walker, Officer of the Day. — 6th. P. Montreal. C. Lachine. For Guard •to morrow i Sergt. & 10 Priv. men. Ens Byrne, Officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officers orders that two men from each Company attend constantly every fair day at 8 o'Clock in the morning in order to air the ammunition ; also that the old men, who are incapable of learn- ing the exercise, attend for the same purpose with a Non Commissioned officer. Johnson's Orderly Book, 35 — 7th. P. New York. C. Amboy. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Priv. men. Ens. Crothers, officer of the Day. — 8th. P. Guadaloupe. C Lewisburgh. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Private men. Ens Wall, officer of the Day. — 9th. P. Hanover. C. Hamburg. For Guard to morrow i Sergt, 10 Private men. Ens Crawford, officer of the Day. It is the commanding officer's orders that the Commiss'd Non Commiss'd officers Drumers & Privets March to Point Clair to morrow Morning at 8 o'clock, if the Weather Permits ; thay are to Parade at the Commanding officers Quarters. — loth. P. Bristol. C. York. For Guard to morrow 1 Sergt & 10 Private men. Lieut. Morrison officer of the Day. — iith. P. Eraser. C Phillips. For Guard to morrow i & 10 Private men. Ens Byrne officer of the Day. — 1 2th. p. Edinburgh. C Lieth. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 8 Privt men. Ens. Crothers officer of the Day. — 1 3th. P. Crownpoint. C. Tyconderoga. For Guard to morrow 1 Sergt & 8 Privt men. Ens Wall, officer of the Day. — 14th. P. Fort William. C. Fort George. For Guard to morrow 1 Sergt & 8 Privts. Lieut. Walker, officer of the Day. ii « U' < II % wmk 1 m 1 ' 'K ' 1 '^ ' '' ii' '^■' f^ j4_ ' ^a m i .:l' 36 Johnson'' s Orderly Book, The Commission'd Non Commiss'd officers, Drum'rs, & Private men of the Kings Royal Regt. of New York to March to Point Clair to morrow Morning at 7 o'clock. They will Parade at the Commanding officers Quarter — 15th. P. Tyron. C F. we. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pr. men. Ens Byrne, officer of the Day. It being Reported to the Commanding Officer [St. Leger] that Several of the Soldiers make a practice of Gunning with their Regimental Fire Locks, he Desires for the future to say any Soldier who shall be guilty of Using their Arms to that purpose, if they shall, they may Depend they will be punished as the Martial Law Directs. — 1 6th. P. Quebec. C. 1^. /er. For Guard to morrow, i Sergt & 10 Pr. men. Ens. Crothers, Officer of the Day. The Regt. are to keep themselves in Readi- ness to March at a Days Warning ; the Trowsers & Every thing else to be Ready on Saturday Next : the whole of the Taylors of the Regt. to be kept at Work & free from Duty till then for that purpose — Jessup's Corps' to see that thay are • JesBup's Corps, or Jessup's Battalion, the names are used interchangeably, or the officers that composed it, with the men that went from New York with them in the fall of 1776 to Canada, were ordered to Sir John Johnson's regiment merely for convenience in drawing rations, clothing, etc., before the expeditions of Burgoyne and St. Leger started " The corps were regarded by Sir Guy Carleton," writes Gen. Rogers, "rather as refugees than as soldiers, though they wished to yohnsons Orderly Book, 37 Ready in Case of Orders for their Marching, & to have their Clothing Ready according to the Above Orders for the Regt. — Corp. Edward Egnue of Capt. Brown's Compy having Recei'd his Sentence of the General Court Martial is now Reduced to Serve in the Ranks as a Private Soldier. 6 be regarded as soldiers \ and finally, in the spring of 1777, a corps was raised known as ' Jessup's Corps'. Before that Sir Guy called them '' Jessup's party," and very strongly criticised the use of the term 'corps.'" As long as they were with Sir John, receiving pay as soldiers, he treated them as such, notwithstanding Sir Guy's hair-splitting in regard to them. The 34th entered at Quebec, Sir John's regiment at La Chine, Pointe Claire, etc., and Jessup's corps or party was with the latter. Thui. they continued until spring. Sir John on May i6th, commanding that " Jessup's corps to see that they are ready in case of orders for their marching " — until tinuHy, as mentioned in a previous note, they left, June i6th, to join Bur- goyne's army. After this expedition, and indeed, until the close of the war, the Jessup brothers were actively engaged in the bitter partisan warfare which was such a feature of those times j and accord- ingly we find the younger brother. Major iessup, in the spring of 1781, preparing to ead a party from Point au Fez against Pal- merstown near the present village of Sara- toga Springs. David Jones, so famous as the betrothed lover of the unfortunate Jane McCrea, held a commission in this corps, as did also his brother Daniel. The " Big Fall," on the Hudson river about ten miles above Glen's Falls, where the entire volume of water pours over a •heer descent of nearly seventy feet, is named " Jessup's Big Falls," after the commander of this corps. " Above the fall is what is called • the race ' where. for a distance of about three hundred yards, the river runs down a sharp decline, gathering itrength and impetus for the final leap. Still higher up, is a gorge in the rocks where the river finds passage in a cleft about fourteen feet wide. Here legend says that Jessup jumped across the river and made his escape at the outbreak of the revolution from the sheriff of Albany county." There is also another tradition connected with this romantic river and St. Leger's expedition. Some five miles above the scene of Jessup's feat, near the mouth of the Sacandaga, and where now is the pleasant hamlet of Luzerne, the Hudson, rushing through a narrow gorge between high and rocky cliffs, forins what are called '• Jessup's Little Falls." At this spot the river is barely twelve feet wide ; and the story goes that, in 1777, a British scout was endeavoring to find his way down the Sacandaga to communicate to Burgoyne the fact of the defeat of St. Leger before the walls of Fort Stanwix. As he ap- proached this spot, he was waylaid by a party of patriots who had followed up his trail, when, to save his life, he rushed down the rocky bank, leaped the river at a bound, and clambering up the rocky bank, escaped. His batfled pursuers sent after him a few shots, but without effect. " After the revolution," says Col. B. C. Butler of Lucerne, N. Y., " Ebenezer and Edward Jessup, who were large and suc- cessful speculators in wild lands, and who had previously bought this particular tract from the Mohawks, settled at the li[ 38 Johnson's Orderly Book. The Regt. & other Partys, Under the Com- mand of Major Gray, are to be Under Arms Saturday Next at the Usual Place of Exercise at the Bay if the Weather Permits. — 17th. P. Langford. C. Lunsbansborogh. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 8 Priv. men. Ens Wall, Officer of the Day. — 1 8th. P. Chester. C. Newport. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Privet men. Ens Crawford, Officer of the Day. — 19th. P. Stirling. C. Perth, for guard tomorrow one Sergt and 10 private men. Lieut. Walker, officer of the Day. — 20th. P. London. C Edinburgh. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 8 Priv. men. Ens Byrne, Officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officers orders that the Volunteers who have joined the Companies to which they belonge are to Mount Guard In their Proper Turn. * Big Falls,' where, for several years, they did a large and thriving business in lumber. They also built a road from Fort Miller, across the plain and around the foot of Mt. McGregor (near Saratoga Springs), to the present hamlet of Luzerne. The ' Big Falls ' was also called ' Jessup's Landing,' from the fact that the lumber rafts from the Sacandaga, Hudson and Schroon rivers, on their way to market, were landed here, drawn by teams around the ' Big Falls,' and then re-shipped for Glen's Falls." This statement of Col. Butler, however, is hardly probable, as both the Jessups were included in the New York Act of Attainder and could scarcely have lived in New York after the revolution; besides which Gen. Rogers, a very high authority, writes that he has posi- tive proof that at least one of the brothers, Edward, lived in Canada after the war until his death. Edward Jessup was present as one of the chief mourners at the funeral of Sir William Johnson to whom he was greatly attached. Ho/den's History of the Toiun of ^eenshury / Stone's Life of Brant ; N. B. Sylvester. • sSf, 'Johnson'' s Orderly Book, 39 — 21st. P. Dubli... C. London. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 8 men. Ens Ci others officer of the Day. — 22d. P. Templar. C. Preston. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 8 Priv. men. Ens Wall Officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officer's orders that the Commisson'd Non Commisson'd officers & Soldiers of the King's Royal Regt. of New York to be Under arms this Evening at the Usual Place of Exercise at four o'clock ; the Non Com- mission'd officers are to see that the mens arms are in Duty order ; their Regtl's Clean ; their Regt'l hats well Cocked, & their hair Properly Dressed, So as to appear Decent Saturday Next at the Review. — 23d. P. Greenock. C. Paisley. For Guard to morrow i Sergt & 8 Priv. men. Ens Crawford, Officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officers orders the Com- misson'd Non Commissined officers, Drumers & Privts of the King's Royal Regt of New York to be Under arms for Exercise to morrow Morning at 7 o'clock. — 24th. P. Walker. C. Lipscomb. For Guard to morrow, i Sergt. & 8 men. Ens Crothers officer of the Day. It is the Commanding officers orders that the two Companys Cantoon'd at Lachine hold them- '^ (• '*^f^ ii 40 yohnsons Orderly Book. selves in Readiness to March to Point Clair on monday Next at 6 o'Clock in the morning ; the officers to be Careful that the mens arms, ammu- nition, accoutrements and necessaries are in good order on Tuesday Morning next at the genl Review. The Commissioned Non Commis- sioned officers. Drums, and private men to [meet at] roll calling tomorrow morning at Nine o'clock at the Commanding officers Quarters & to Receive the Deiicency of the Cartridges. — 25th. P. Inverness. C. Darnock. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 6 private men. Ens Wall, Officer of the Day. The Commissioned, Non Commiss'ed officers. Drummers & Private men to appear at 6 o'clock to morrow Morning at the Commanding officers Quarters in Uniforms with their Arms [and] accoutremencs necessary. Point Clair.' 1777, May 26th. Paroky Aberdeen. Coun- tersigriy Inverness. For Guard to morrow Lt. ' Three leagues from La Chine (i6 miles from Montreal) is Pointe Claire, now a post-village. It contains from 200 to 300 houses, built with regularity, and forming small streets that cross the main road at right angles. There is a neat parish church, a parsonage house, and one or two tolerably good houses to receive strangers. The surrounding scenery is attractive, and it is surrounded by gardens and orchards. The houses in these Canadian villages are all built of mud and small boulders, or paving stones, generally one story high, and with doors divided in the middle transversely. The lower part being shut to keep the children in, and the upper being open, the women lean out and talk to each other across the street, in the most primitive style imagin- able. i yohnsons Orderly Book, ^oa McKenzie, i Sergt. i Corpl. i Drum and 12 Private men. Its the Commanding officers orders that all the Regt. get their Arms and Cloathing Clean and in good order, and appear Under Arms to morrow morning at Seven o'clock on the field as they are to be Reviewed by the Genl — the officers com- manding Comp's, to give in an Exact field Return to the Adjt. to morrow at Seven o'clock. The Officers Commanding Companys to give a Return of what Camp Kettles they have in charge and of what they want to Compleat at a Kettle to Six Men — the Return to be given in to the Quarter- master this Evening at 4 o'clock ; the officers will give particular orders to their Men to do no Damage to the Barns where they are Lodged, and be very Carefull of fire, and Particularly not to smoke in the Barns ; any of the Soldiers that is found Guilty of Meddling with any of the In- habitants Effects may Depend on Being Punished According to the Martial Law.' The sick men that are Quartered in the Country are to be Re- moved to the Village that they may be Con- venient to the Doctor. An Officer of Each Compy to Attend this Evening at 4 o'Clock and Receive what Arms they want to Compleat their Comp'nys. ' It is evident that St. Leger, notwith- both of" conciliating the inhabitants, and standing tlie superciliuusness witii which of doing nothing which would prejudice he affected to treat tlie enemy, acknowl- them against the royal cause, edged, in his own mind, the necessity 1. ■. 'W' \oh Johfisons Orderly Book, — 27th. P. St. Leger. C. Ireland. For Guard to morrow i Sergt. i Corporal, i Drum, and 1 1 Private Men. Leut. McDonnel Officer of the Day. The Commission'd officers an Non Commis- sion'd, Drums and Private Men of the Kings Royal Regt. of New York to be Under arms to morrow morning at 7 o'clock for Exercise ; Jessup's Corps are to be at Point Clair to be Exercised till Further orders. — 28th. P. Carleton. C. Burgoyne. For Guard to morrow Lieut. Walker i Sergt. i C. i D. II Pr. Its the commanding officers Orders that the officers Commanding Coilipanys give in a Return this Evening at 4 o'clock to the Qur Master of what Cloathing they want to Compleat thair Compys & that the Men Attend to morrow morning at 8 o'clock at the Taylors Shop to have their Measures taken. The Officers Command- ing Compys to give in thair Monthly Return to the Commanding officer to morrow morning at 9 o'clock. The Regt to be Under Arms to morrow morning at 7 o'clock for Exercise. Its the Commanding [officer's] orders that Thomas Miller & John Palmer be Appointed Corpls in Capt Brown's Compy, and James Plant Appointed in Capt. paleys Compy. in the room of Corporal McGrigar who is transferred to Capt Browns Compy. Francis Albrant soldier in the Colls * 'Johnson's Orderly Book, 4.1 Compy to attend the Qur Master and Do no Other Duty for the future. — 29th. P. Phillips. C. Frazer. For Guard to morrow Ens Crothers i S. iC. i Drummer and 12 Privat men. The Officers Commanding Companys to See that the taylors keep steady at the Cloathing till jfinished, no Excuse to be taken : the Regt to be under Arms at 6 o'clock Every morning while the weather is Good, and in the afternoon firing Ball. — 30th. P. Johnson. C. Watts. For Guard to morrow Ens Crawford i Sergt i Corpl i Drum- mer & 12 Private men. The Commanding Officer Desires that officers Would be more Particular in Giving the Monthly Returns — Field Returns, Morning Re- ports, Reports of the Sick, or any other Returns that may be Wanted Relative to Military Duty- & that they Would furnish themselves with a Copy of the Diffisrent Returns that they may have occasion for : the Regt to hold themselves in Readiness to March to Lachine at an hours Warning. — 31st. P. Col. McLean. C. Majr. Small'. For » Selected in honor of Major (afterwards Colonel) Small, a British officer in the Southern department, who, in marked contrast to the cruelties enacted by the English office^rs generally, showed great kindness to thv. American prisoners. 6J Indeed, such was the known character of Col. Small, that a billet presented by him was regarded as a distinguished mark of favor; security from insult and from any species of imposition being inseparable from his presence. " What," exclaims 4-2 Johnson s Orderly Booki Guard to morrow Ens Phillips i Sergt i Corpl 1 Drum & 12 Private men The Regt to March to La Chine to morrow Morning at 6 o'clock — the Officers & Men to carry no more Necessarys with them than what they want for 9 or ten Days to Shift themselves with, what Baggage the men Leave behind to be put in the Store this Evening at 4 o'clock; & every Compy's Baggage by itself — the Quarter Master Sergt to see that there is Cloathing taken for the use of the Recruits which the Taylors are to make at Lachine; what Cloathing is finished to be Given Out to the Recruits; & Sergt Hillyer to pack up what is not finish'd to be Carri'd along to Morrow, i S i C & 12 Old Men to be left behind as Guard for the Stores & to Attend Garden, " must have been the delightful sensations of his heart, who, idolized by his own troops, saw himself, at the same time, coveted as a friend and reverenced as a protector by the helpless families of the enemy with whom he contended ! The sympathies of his benevolence shielded them from harm, and was re- paid with ten-fold gratitude. He assuaged their sufferings and relieved their wants ; and every prayer which they offered to Heaven, was mingled with ardent solicita- tions for blessings on his head." So heartily was this humane conduct appre- ciated by Gen. Green, that, towards the close of the war, he visited, under a flag of truce, that general by the latter's cordial invitation, the visit being free from every restriction. After the war. Col. Small meeting Garden in London, told him the following anecdote in these words "I have been sitting this morning to Col. Trum- bull for my portrait, he having done me the honor to place me in a very con- spicuous situation in his admirable repre- sentation of the battle of Bunker hill. He has exhibited me as turning aside the bayonet aimed by a grenadier at the breast of Gen. Warren. I would certainly have saved his life if it had been in my power to do so, but when I reached the spot on which his body lay, the spark of life was already extinguished. It would have been a tribute due to his virtues and to his gallantry, and to me a sacred duty, since I am well apprised, that when, at a particular period of the action, I was left alone and exposed to the fire of the whole American line, my old friend Putnam saved my life by calling a'oud ' kill as many as you can, but spare Sm ill,' and that he actually turned aside musl ets that were aimed for my destruction." Johnson'^ Orderly Book. 43 the Sick. Surgeons Mate to Remain in Point Clair to take Care of the Sick untill further Or- ders — the Regt not to fire Ball this After noon. A Cart will attend Each Company to Carry the Officers Baggage & the Men's Provisions. Compy Duty for Gd. 2 Privates. Lachine. 1777 June I St. P. [■ C. [ ] For Guard to morrow i Sergt, i Corpl 12 P men. Lieut McKenzie Officer of the day. The Officers to Attend Roll call every Even- ing and morning and make the Report to the Commanding Officer. They are to take particular Care that the men shall not be straying from their Quarters: the Regt to be under arms at 6 o'clock to Morrow morning : the Taylors to begin Directly to work at the men's Cloathing and to keep Close at them till they are finished ; they are to work in Mr. Pridones Garret. — 2d. P. New York. The guards to be mounted every morning at 7 o'clock — rolls to be call'd twice every Day; in the morning after guard mounting and in the evening after retreat beating at 7 o'clock — All officers to attend at the head of their Company — all beats to be taken from the 34th Regt — the troops to be exercised 3 times a day for an hour each time — the commanding officers will observe the kind of Discipline laid down by Colonel St. 44- yohnsotCs Orderly Book, |( m itii Leger'. The kings royal regiment of New York to Fire balls by Divisions till Further orders — the hours of exercise will be half after 4 in the morning, at mid Day and at half past 5 in the evening — it is understood that the mid Day exer- cise is to be For the guard men only for whom some shady place will be chosen by the Com- manding officer — a weekly state of the Different corps to be given in every monday morning to lieutenant Crofts. For the future a subalterns guard to be mounted consisting of one subaltern ' Barry St. Leger entered the regular army on the 27th ot April, 1756, as ensign ot the 28th regiment of Foot, and coming to America the following year, he served in the French war, learning the habits of the Indians and gaining much experience in border warfare. That he profited by this early training is evident from the fact that when he was chosen by George III (at Burgoyne's recommendation) to be the leader of the expedition against Fort Stanwix, he justi- fied their confidence in his advance from Oswego by his precautions, as shown by the orders given from day to day in this Orderly Book, by his stratagem at Oris- kany, and by his general conduct of the siege of Fort Stanwix up to the panic produced by the rumor of the approach of Arnold which forced him to raise it. Indeed, as Hon. Ellis H. Roberts says in his admirable address at the Oriskany Centennial, "that he was a wise com- mander, fitted for border warfare, his order of march bespeaks him." After his unfortunate expedition against Fort Stanwix, he was promoted in Nov., 1780, to colonel in the army, the highest rank he ever attained ; and commanding scouts and rangers on the northern frontier, under the immediate command of General Haldimand, then lieutenant governor of Canada, he occasionally carried on a guerilla warfare, his head-quarters being at Mo:itreal. It was he, who, in the summer of 178 1, proposed the plan for the capture of Gen. Schuyler which, however, failed in its object. In the autumn of the same year (1781) St. Leger, in obedience to the orders of Haidimand, who was anxious to persuade Vermont to throw herself into the arms of her legitimate sovereign, ascended Lake Champlain, with a strong force to Ticonderoga, when he rested in the ex- pectation of meetiwg the Vermont com- misioners Ira Allen and Joseph Fay, meanwhile a rumor of the capture of Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown was wafted along upon the southern breeze, the effect of which was such upon the people, as to induce Allen and Fay to write to the British commis- sioners with St. Leger, that it would be imprudent at that particular conjuncture for him to promulgate the royal procla- mation, and urging delay to a more aus- picious moment. The messenger with these despatches had not been longer than an hour at the head-quarters of St. Leger at Ticonderoga, before the rumor respecting Cornwallis was confirmed by Col. Harry St. Legek. r \.%MSnt, a, yohnsori's Orderly Book. +5 one sergeant one Corporal i Drummer and i8 privates. The 34th regt to furnish to morrow I subaltern i corporal i Drummer and 5 pri- vates; the King's royal regt of New York and Jessup's Corps to Furnish i sergeant and 13 pri- vate men. — 3d. P. Johnstown. A Strict and Punctual Adherence to all orders Given, is the life and soul of Military Operations; without it Troops are but confus'd & ungovernable multitudes ever liable to Destruction & sure never to acquire honour to themselves or gain advantage to their Country : therefore Col. St Leger Acquaints the Troops he has the Honour to Command, that the few Necessary Orders he means to give Must an express. The effect was prodigious. All ideas of farther operations in that quarter were instantly abandoned ; and before evening of the same day, St. Leger's troops and stores were re-em- barked, and with a fair wind he made sail immediately, back to St. John's St. Leger possessed decided literary and scholastic talent, as is abundantly proved both by liis letters lo Burgoyne and the British Ministry and by his book which he afterwards published entitled " St. Leger's Journal of Occurrences in America." We do not, however, quite agree with Mr. Roberts when he says that St. Leger was "prompt, tenacious, fertile in re- sources, and attentive to detail." He certainly made a most undignified retreat, and has moreover, been accused by his subaltern oiticers of a want of energy. Campbell, also, who was an industrious as well as a careful and painstaking his- torian, and had many conversations with those who knew St. Leger and in other ways, had ample facilities for verifying his facts, writes, that St. Leger was in a state of intoxication during most of the time his forces lay before the fort. His lack of judgment is also clearly dem- onstrated by Col. Glaus in his letter to the Secretary (see note on Glaus in ad- vance). O'Gallaghan, speaking of St. Leger, says, that when he died, in 1789, he had acquired no distinction in his pro- fession, and rather intimates that this was singular. It does not, however, appear to us singular if the statement of his in- temperate habits is correct. But although he was evidently a polished gentleman and an accomplished scholar, his en- couragement of Tory and Indian atrocities while on this expedition, such as offering in gen( il orders .$20 for every American scalp, A-iiich cannot he denied, fully iusti- fies the phillipic of Arnold when he char- acterized him as little better than a barbar- ian. In this connection however, it is but justice to state that many of the British m 46 Johnson's Orderly Book, Instantly and privately [be] attended to without Discretionary Interpretations whatsoever. A De- tail of the Guard for to Morrow. 34 Regt, i C. I Drum. & 6 Privates: Kings Royal Regt N. York, I Subaltern i Sergt & 12 Private. Regt orders, for Guard to Morrow Ens Mc Kenzie. officers did not approve of the cold-blood villainies ot'the Indians and Tories (Tories should have been named first, fur they often excelled the Indians in bloodthirsti- ness and did things at which the latter, even recoiled in horror). General Carle- ton (Lord Dorchester), General Haldi- mand and even Burgoyne were among this number ; and Haldimand, indeed, went 80 far as to refuse to see Walter IJutler when after the Cherry Valley massacre he went to Quebec. It will be observed that for the purposes of the expedition against Fort Stanwix, St. Leger received, as mentioned in the text, thp local rank of brigadier. To explain this, which hab given so much trouble to all historians from Dr. Gordon down to Col. Stone and Judge Campbell, it is only necessary to state that the British service recognized a number of military commissions which are unknown in others, among them " acting," " territor- ial " and " local," For instance, in the cases of Carleton and Clinton, they were full generals in America, but only lieuten- ant generals elsewhere. This explains how Ferguson is variously known as line major, bre-vet colonel and territ rial brigadier general for the command of militia. This also explains why so many officers of this expedition have at different times such various ranks, as for instance, McLean, Rouville, Gray, etc. Gen. J. fVaits dePefster; Knox; O'Callag/ian ; Ed. By the courtesy of Gen. Horatio Rogers, of Providence, R . I. , we append to the above sketch, the following notice of St. Leger, which will appear as a note to Gen. Rogers's Hadden's jfolirnal, soon to be published. Gen. Rogers says: " Barry St. Leger, a nephew of the fourth Viscount Doneraile, was of Hugue- not descent, and was born in or about the year 1737. He entered the British military service as an ensign in the 28th Foot, April 27, 1756, and the next year accompanied his regiment to America where it served under Gen. Abercrombie. He seems to have been allowed to jump the grade of lieutenant, and he was pro- moted to a captaincy in the 48th Foot, then likewise in Americ.i, March 24th, 1758. He participated in the siege and capture of Louisburg in 1758, and accom- panied Wolfe to Quebec in 1759, par- ticipating in the battle on the Heights of Abraham. The last order, given by the dying Wolfe was, ' Go, one of you, my lads to Colonel Burton, tell him to march Webb's regiment' (the 4Sth) 'with all speed to Charles's river to cut off the retreat of the fugitives from the bridge.' St. Leger. who was in Webb's regiment, beha-ed gallantly near the bridge in checking the flight of the French, and was ;5lightly wounded. In July, 1760, he was appointed KrigaHc ■ MJor preparu- tory to marr real, and he becanie m 1' Foot, August .^'h, I-'' iment's being -ace 1763 he went all-p.. le bi aie a lieutenant ci .1 in tl army. May 2Sth, 1772, and the lie tenant colonel of the 34th Foot, May ■>>> '775 'Johnsott's Orderly Book. +7 — 4th. P. King George. Detailof the Guard for to Morrow ; 34th Regt i Corpl i Drumr & 6 Pr. Kings Royal Regt of New York i Sergt and 1 2 privates. Regt Orders for Guard to Morrow Ens Craw- ford. — 5th. P. Burgoyne. Detail of the Guard for to Morrow, 34th Regt i C. i D. 7 P. ; R. York- ers I S. 1 2 P. ; Jessup's Corps i L. 1 C. 7 P. To- tal I L. I S. 2 C. I D. 26 P. — 6th June. P. Gray. C. Ancrum. Every "The Annual Register for 1773, under date of April 7th, contains a notice of the marriage of " Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger, nephew of the late Lord Viscount Doneraile, and fellow of St. Peter's CoUcgc, Cambridge, to Lady Mansel, widow of Sir Edward Mansel, of Trinsaran, South Wales." "In the spring of 1776 his regiment formed a part of the re-inforcement sent over to Sir Guy Carleton, and he accom- panied it to Canada. He took part in Sir Guy's operations in 1776, and the next year, acting a.^ a brigadier, lie led the force which was intended to move from Oswego by the way of Oneida Lake and Wood creek to the Mohawk, thence down the river to Albany, where a junc- tion was to be effected with Burgoyne. The termination of the ati'air, so unfor- tunate for its commander, is well known. His report to Gen. Burgoyne of his ope- rations before Fort Stanwix, or Schuyler, dated Oswego, August 27th, 1777, is to be found in the appendix of the State of the Expedition. "Sir Guy Carleton evidently thought St. Leger lacking in vigor in disciplining his troops, as shown by the former's letter to Gen. McLean, which is as follows : * Head Quartirs, \ yuEBtc, 24th July, 1777. / * * Lieut. Col. St. Leger may be in- formed that he ought to have seized and sent down here in irons those Canadians whom he mentions having held such conver8:Uirns to, and occasioned the de- sertion of, Capt. Rouville's company. Two men for each deserter are to be de- manded, upon pain of military execution, from the parishes to which the deserters belong; and the captains of militia are to be enjoined to find the deserters them- selves, and safely conduct them to where you shall direct, in order to their being sent prisoners to the companies from which they deserted, there to be tried and punished.' " September 2 3d, 1777, St. Leger's force WIS sent to Ticonderoga to be subject to Gen. Burgoyne's orders, but, as commu- nication with Burgoyne was interrupted, St. Leger did not proceed south of Ticon- deroga, and when that fortress was aban- doned in November of that year, he returned to Canada. He became a colonel in the army November 17th, 1780, and a brigadier general in the army in Canada, October 21st, 1782, his com- mand consisting of the troops ' on the +8 Johnson s Orderly Book, Soldier off Duty or Regt work must be under Arms at the times appointed Except those noty- fy'd by the Surgeon as too ill to appear — the want of any part of their Necessarys will not be admitted as an Excuse. Coll : St. Ledger thinks proper to observe to the Kings Royal Regt of New York, That the Surest Method of Making the Noble 6c honorable zeal they have Lately manifested to their King and Countrys interest Island of Moirtieal, Isle of Jesus, Miller isl.ind as far as. Couteau du Lac upon the north, and from thence to La Prairie exclusive on tiie soutii side of the river St. Lawrence.' He was commandant of his Majesty's forces in Canada in the autumn of 1784, and his name appears in the army li'f* for the last time in 1785. Wm. C. Bryant, in the American Hhtorkal Record tor 1 874, p. 435, says he died in 1789, when he was a little past fifty years of age. *' It is not easy from the data that have ':ome down to us to form a clear idea of St. Leger's character. His letter to Gen. Schuyler, dated November 7th, 178 I, in refertnce to some of the latter's silver that had been plundered by a British scouting party, does not reflect upon St. Leger discreditably, but iiis duplicity in tying to induce the garrison of Fort Scfiuyler to surrender, cannot legitimately be included under the term, military strategy, and his message holding out the terrors of unrestrained savage allies was so barbarous that Col. Willett character- ized it as * a degrading one for a British oriicer to send, and by no means reputable for a British otiicer to carry.' The testi- mony of Squire Ferris, likewise, who was an American prisoner in Canada in the spring of 1779, is of the most unflattering description. Speaking of a party of fellow prisoners who had attempted to es^ i, Feriis says, • for four days before they were retaken, thry had nothing for food but tea, and were so weak they could hardly walk. The forces at St. John's were commanded by Col. St. Leger, a brutal drunkard, who ordered the prisoners to be ironed together, and put them in a dungeon for fourteen days, at the end of which time, and ironed hand in hand to each other, they were sent to Chamblee, and from there by the rivers Sorel and St. Lawrence to Quebec' •' Authorities : Army Lists; Stone's Bur- goyne's Campaign and St. Leger's Expedi- tion ; New Tori: Colonial Hist. Doc., viii, 714 ; Annual Register for I'J'Ji, p. I 60 5 Stui/t's History of Middlehury, Vt., p. 92 j i^ebec Gazette, No-v. 25, 1784; Haldi- mand's Papers, Register of Letters from Sir G. Carleton, 1776-1778, Vol. 11, p. 24: Idem, General Orders by Sir Guy Carletoi. and Gen. Haldimand, I776-I783,p. 208; Idem, Register of Letters from Sir Guy Carleton to -various persons, 1776-1778, Vol. I, p. 627 ; Maga'zine of American History, vi, p. 289 ; Narrative of the Military Actions of Colonel Alarinus milett'." Upon 8t. Leger's return home after the war, he was stationed for a time in Dub- lin, where he seems to have led a rolick- ing kind of life with a few choice spirits like himself. One of his adventures during his stay in that city is given (as illustrative of this period of his life) in Appendix, No. III. yohnson's Orderly Book. +9 take the Effect they ardently wish for, as well as to Repossess themselves of the peace & property which has been most illegaly wrested from them, is to give a Constant & unwearied attention to the learning of Military Discipline which will give them Superiority over the Confused Rabble they have to deal with.' All orders Relative to the men to be read to them at the Evening Pa- rade By an officer of each Compy. Detail of the Gd. for to morw : 34th Regt i C. i D. 5 P. ; K. R. Y. I L. I S. 8 P. ; Jessup's Corps 5 P. Total 1 L. I S. I C. I D. 18 P. Ens Byrne for Guard to Morrow. — 7th. P. Oswegatchie. C. Fort Stanwix. Details of the Guard for to Morrow. 34th Regt I C. 8 P. ; Kings Royal Regt N. York i L. i S. I C. I D. 12 P. ; Jessup's Corps i S. i C. 6 P. Total I L. 2 S. 2 C. I D. 26 P. Ens Wall for the Guard to Morrow. — 8lh. P. St. Johns. C. Oneida. A Weekly ' St. Leger, like Clinton, and in fact, every English officer at t^iis time except Burgoyne (after his defeat) and the good and wise Carleton, seems to have enter- tained a supreme contempt for his Amer- ican foes. Still, Sir John Johnson, from his intercourse with his father, should have known better, since Sir William, in a letter to the Ministry, written shortly before his death, particularly warns them against entertaining the erroneous impres- sion that the Americans ivere not braue and iu:>uld not fij^^t. Stone's Life of Sir fVm. yohnson. The word "Rabble" however, appears to have been a favorite one with Sir John, notwithstanding his subsequent hard ex- perience, since in a letter to foseph Brant, under date of May i6th, 1787, he writes: " I must own I give little credit to the re- ports of the American's preparations to attack the Posts; * * but even such an attempt can only be made by the lawless rabble on the southern frontiers". British regulars, however, werr never just to provincials or militia even of their own side. They gave them invariably the hardest work and no gratitude. See Sted- man and de Peyster, f- 50 yohnson's Orderly Book, State[ment] shall be given in to Morrow Morn- ing to Lt. Crafts of the Strength of each Corps. Detail of the Guard for to Morrcw. 34th Regt 1 C. 6 P. ; K. R. R. N. Y. i L. i S. i D. 7 P. Jessup's Corps 5 P. Genl Orders. — the Corps Under the Com- mand of Coll St. Leger to be Paid Subsistence to the 24th of August. — 9th. P. Burgoyne. C. Phillips. General Ordes — When any Calash' or Carts, horses or Men are wanting for the service, Application must be Made for an Order from Coll St Leger, the officers and Non Commiss'd officers being in every Sense Responsible for the behaviour of their men must keep a Strict eye Upon their Conduct. By which Means a stop will be put to the Frequent Complaints Made that are not only Dishonour- able to a Soldier but some Deserving the Cord.^ ' The calash is a carriage very gene- rally used in Lower Canada, and there is scarcely a farmer, indeed, in the country who does not possess one. It is a sort of one horse chaise, capable of holding two people besides the driver, who sits on a kind of box placed over the foot-board expressly for his accommoda- tion. The body of the calash is hung upon broad straps of leather, faster.ed to iron rollers that are placed behind, by means of which they are shortened or lengthened. On each side of the carriage is a little door about two feet high, where- by one enters it ; and which is useful when shut, in preventing anything from slipping out. The harness for the horse is, even to the present day, made in the o' ""fench fashion, extremely heavy and cumbersome. It is studded with brass nails ; and to particular parts of it are attached small bells, " of no use that I could ever discover," naively says Weld, " but to annoy the passenger." Those tourists, who have visited Quebec and have taken one of these unique con- veyances (the only ones, in fact, to be procured) to visit the Falls of the Mont- morencey, will, on reading this, readily reca'.l his own particular calash and driver with his little red cap and pipe, which he hired on that occasion ! " It is a great pity that when St. Leger was so particular in enforcing discipline among his regulars, he did not apply the same principles of humanity to the con- duct of his Indians. Indeed, it is a well yohnson's Orderly Book, 51 A Patrol must go from the Main Guard at Tattoo Beating, which is to make Prisoners of all sol- diers or Non Commiss'd Officers they find in them — They are likewise to order to their Can- tonments all Stragglers. known fact substantiated by the affidavits of Moses Younglove and others, that St. Leger not only offered a reward for each scalp brought in by the Indians, but also in various other ways, encoutaged cruelty among his dusky allies. There are many instances to prove this ; let one or two suffice. Col. Gansevoort, writing to Gen. Schuyler from Fort Stanwix, under date o^Junc 26th, 1777, says: "Col. Madison was killed and scalped. Capt. Gregg was shot through his back, tomahawked and scalped, and is still alive." "About noon," also says the late Col. Stone in his account of this expedition, '' on the 3d of July, Col. Willett was startled by the report of musketry. Hastening to the parapet of the glacis, he saw a little girl running with a basket in her hand, while the blood was trickling down her bosom. On investigating the facts, it appeared that the girl, with two others, was picking berries, not two hundred yards from the fort, when they were tired upon by a party of Indians and two of the number killed. One of the girls killed was the daughter of an invalid, who had served many years in the British Artillery. He was entitled to a situation in the Chelsea Hospital, but had preferred rather to remain in the cultivation of a small piece of ground at Fort Stanwix, than again to cross the ocean." The statement of Younglove, more- )ver that St. Leger offered a reward for icalps, bears the stamp of probability. Certainly, in the war of 1812, when the principles of humanity might be supposed to be further advanced, the British govern- iiiijnt, to put it mildly, approved, at least, of the taking of scalps by the Indians, In the manuscript history of the i6th Pennsylvania Infantry in the service of the United States during the war of I X 1 2, commanded by Col. Cromwell Pearce, occurs this passage : " In the reports of brigade Major Charles D. Hunter and Lieutenant Hayden of the fatigue party who buried the dead at the battle of York, Upper Canada, now Toronto, made to Cromwell Pearce, colonel of the 1 6th U. S. Infantry, and upon whom the command devolved after the death of Gen. Zebulon M. Pike, they say : 'A human scalp was found suspended in the Legislative Hall near the speaker's chair, an emblem of the manner and spirit in which his Britannic Majesty carried on the war.' Of this and some other trophies Commodore Chauncey gave the following account in a letter to the secretary of the navy : ' Sir : I have the honor to present to you, by the hands of Lieutenant Dudley, the British standard taken at York on the 27th of April last, accom- panied by the mace, over which hung a human scalp. These articles were taken from the Parliament House by one of my officers and presented to me. The scalp I caused to be presented to General Dearborn, who, I believe, still has it in his possession.'" See Stewart Pearce, in the American Historical Record, vol. in, p. 420. Before, however, dismissing this subject, the reader should, in justice to St. Leger, be referred to that officer': letter to Lieut, Bird printed in this volume just after the Orderly Book. At the same time, it may be remarked that facti prove more than general declarations on paper. A- 52 Johnson^ s Orderly Book. Detail of the Guard. 34th Regt i S. i D. 9 P.; K. R. Yorkers 2 S. i C. 15 P. ; Jessup's Corps I L. I C. 4 P. Total i L. 3 S. 2 C. i D. 28 P. Regt Orders — A Regtl Court Martial to sit to Morrow Morning at 1 1 o'clock, Lt. Singleton President. Members — Ens Burne, Ens McKen- zie, Ens McDonell & Ens Phillips, to try such Prisoners as may be brought before them. — 10th. P. Castle Johnson.' C. Fort Hun- ter. Detail of the Guard for to Morrow, 34th to Give I S. 6 P.; K. R. R. N.Y. i L. i S. i C. 9 P. ; Jessup's Corps i S. 3 P. Total i L. i C. 18 P. R. O. Its the Commanding Officers Positive • Castle, or Fort Johnson, an old massive stone mansion on the north bank of the Mohawk, two and a-half miles west of the village of Amsterdam, N. Y., and seen by the traveler on the right- hand side of the west-bound train. It was built by Sir William Johnson, in 1742 (where he resided some twenty years previous to his erection of Johnson Hall at Johnstown, N. Y.), and went by the name of Fort Johnson, Castle John- son and Mount Johnson. A writer, in giving an itinerary of the Mohawk Valley between Oswego and Albany, in 1757, thus describes Fort Johnson : " Col. [Sir William] Johnson's mansion is situate on the border of the left bank of the river Mohawk. It is three stories high; built of stone, with port-holes (crenelee's) and a 1 ipet and flanked with four bas- tions on hich are some small guns. In the same yard, on both sides of the mansion, there are two [small houses ; that on the right of the entrance is a store, and that on the left is designed for workmen, negroes and other domestics The yard-gate is a heavy swing gate well ironed ; it is on the Mohawk river side; from this gate to the river there is about 200 paces of level ground. The high road passes there [now the N. Y. Central R. R.]. A small rivulet coming from the north empties itself into the Mohawk river, about 200 paces below the enclosure of the yard. [This stream is now called • Old Fort Creek.'] On this stream there is a mill about fifty paces distance from the house ; below the mill is the miller's house where grain and flour are stored, and on the other side of the creek 100 paces from the mill, is a barn in which cattle and fodder are kejit. 150 paces from Colonel Johnson's mansion at the north side, on the left bank of the creek, is a little hill on which is a small house with port-holes, where is ordinarily kept a guard of honor of some twenty men, which serves also as an advanced yohnsorCs Orderly Book, 53 orders that the Men do Not wear their shoes when they go out a fishing. G[eneral] After Orders. At the Evening Exercise After the priming and loading Motions are over, the 34th and K. R. R. N. Y. will be Joined, the 34th making the Right Wing, while the others form the left. This Body will be Exercis'd by Lt Crofts of the 34th Regt. — nth. P. [ J. C. [ J. Detail of the Guard for to Morrow. 34th Regt to give i S. I C. I D. 9 P. ; K. R R. N. Y. 1 L. 2 S. I C, 14 P.; Jessup's Corp S. 5 P. Total i L. 3 S. 2 C, I D. 28 P. G. O A field Return of each Corps to be given to Lieut Crofts whenever the Men are Un- post." The mansion is still (1882) standing, a substantial specimen of" the domestic architecture ot'that period. A mile and one-half east of Castle John son is ''Guy Park," long the residence of Col Guy Johnson, the nephew and son-in-law of Sir William. Like Fort Johnson and Johnson Hall, it was often the bcene of Indian conferences, among the most noted of which was a council held between the Mohawk nation and delegates from the Albany and Tryon County Committees, in May, 1775, on which occasion Little Abraham, the principal sachem of the Lower Mohawk Castle and the brother of King Hendrick, killed at the battle of Lake George in 1751;, was the chief speaker. At the beginning of the public excitement in 1775 the "Park" was abandoned by fc-Col. Guy Johnson, who accompanied by his family and a few faithful Indians, fled, by way of Oswego, to Montreal. It is yet (2882) standing (the first stone house west of Amsterdam and greatly enlarged from the original) on the banks of the Mohawk, and on the left of trains going west. . 54- Johnso?i'5 Orderly Book, der arms for the Information of the Command- ing officer — Its Lieut Coll Sir John Johnsons orders that the Commissioned, Non Commiss- ioned officers Drummers and Private Men of the Kings Royal Regt of New York attend Exercise Every Day for the future at the hour appointed. Ens Phillips for Guard to Morrow. — 1 2th. P. Sopees. [Esopus, N. Y.] C. Ken- derwhoffe. Detail of the Guar ' for to Morrow 34th Regt to give 1 S. 5 P. ; K. R. R. N. Y. 2 S. I C. I D. 9 P. ; Jessup's Corps i L. 4 ?♦ Total I L. 2 S. 1 C. I D. 18 P. — 13th. P. Howe. C. Cornwallis. Detail of the Guard for to Morrow 34th Regt to give i S. iC. iD. 9P. K. R. R.N. Y. I L. 1 S. I C. 14 P. ; Jessup's Corps i S. 5 P. Total i L. 3 S. 2 C. I D. 28 P. G| eneral] 0[rders]. As Cleanliness and a Strict Attention to Duty are Indespensable Ne- cessaries in a Soldier, Colonel St Leger Desires the troops Under his Command may be Immediately furnished with Necessarys & Each a black Stock. Officers must Inspect their Men Every morning, when they will correct any Man that comes Slovenly to the Parade ; they will Likewise Re- member that for the future he will impute to their Inattention the un-Soldier Like Parade he Observed this Morning. ^ "Johnson's Orderly Book, 55 Head Quarters Montreal — 17th June 1777. G. O, Those Regments & other Departments who have not Rendered Receipts for provisions & Rum are desired to send forthwith the three Receipts of the same tenor & Date According to a form Sent for that purpose to Complete a Settlement with the Com- missary Genii to the 24th of May ; the troops intended to Remain in Canada & Stationed in the District of Montreal to Report [to| Brigr Genl MacLean.' l^ ' Colonel Allan MacLean, ot'Torloish, and a warm friend of Sir John Johnson and Colonel Daniel Claus, with Loth of whom he frequently consulted, was, in 1747, lieutenant in the Scotch Brigade, which also went by the name of the " Dutch Brigade," from the circumstance of its being at the time in the pay of the States General. In cutting his way through the French lines at the famous seige of Bergen op Zoom, Lieutenant MacLean was taken prisoner and imme- diately admitted to parole by General Lowendahl, with this complimentary address : " had all conducted themselves at you and your brave corps, have done, I should not now be master of Bergen op Zoom." Having left the Dutch service he obtained a company in the 62d or First Highland Battalion on its organiza- tion in 1757. With this regiment whose number was afterwards changed to the 77th, he came to America and served under Forbes at the taking of Fort Du {^uesne, in 1758, and, in the following year, was with Amherst in the expedition up the northern lakes. He raised the 1 14th Highland regiment in 1759, of which he was appointed major commanding ; but it was reduced, in 1763, and Major Mac Lean went on half pay. On 25 May, I 77 1 , he became lieutenant colonel in the army, but was not again called into active service until 1775, when the scheme was concocted to raise men in America to support the royal cause. With that warrant and some followers. Col. Mac- Lean came to New York in the spring of 1775; next visited Bostcm, where his scheme got wind j then hastened back to New York ; repaired to Col. Guy Johnson on the Mohawk river, and thence pro- ceeded to Oswego and so to Canada, where he collected in the course of the summer, a body of men, chiefly Scotch refugees and disbanded soldiers, formerly belonging to the 4zd, 77th and 78tb Highlanders, under the title of the Royal Highland Emigrants." On the approach of the American army by Lake Cham- plain. Colonel MacLean was ordered to St. Johns with a par-y of militia but got only as far as St. Denis when he was deserted by his ir.en. Quebec being next threatened by the American army under Arnold, Col. MacLean made the best of his way to that city, which he entered on the I2th November, 1775, just in time 56 yohnsorCs Orderly Book. — 1 8th June 1777. Promotions. His Excel- ency the Commander in Chief has been pleased to make the following Promotions in the Army Under his Command : Royal R. N. Y. Alex. McDonald' to be Capt in the Room of Lieut. Brown who returned to the 31st Regt — 6th June, 1777. to prevent the citizens surrendering the place to the Americans. His conduct during the seige is mentioned in the hand- somest terms. But after all his zeal, his corps was not yet recognized, though he had at the outset been promised estab- lishment and rank for it. He therefore returned to England, where he arrived on the 1st September, 1776, to seek justice for himself and men. Returning to America, he did good service ; and dur- ing the Burgoyne campaign he was often trusted by Sir Guy Carleton. This is evident from the fact that, after the fail- ure of St. Leger's expedition, Carleton (according to the Haldimand papers) ordered McLean to take command of Lt. Col. St. Leger's corps and the 31st Regiment, together with a detachment oi artillery under Lieut. Glenny to go to Brig. Gen. Powel's relief, who at last accounts, had been attacked and besieged at Ticonderoga by the American Col. Brown." The 31st and the artil- lery detachment were to return to Canada after the object of the errand was accomp- lished, but Lt. Col. St. Leger, and the rest of the troops sent, were to be subject to Gen. Burgoyne's orders. His regiment, however, were not re- ceived until the close of 1778, when the regiment, which consisted of two battalions, one in Canada and one in Nova Scotia, became the 8th Foot. In January, 1780, he was appointed colonel in the army. The Royal Highland Emi- grants were disbanded in 1783 and Col. MacLean died in 1784, Callahan Army Lists ; Broiun''s Highland Clans, iv, 242, 307, 368; Smith's Canada, 11, 83; Gar- neau's Canada, zd Ed., 11, 436; Amer- ican Annals f I. ' Alexander McDonald and the John McDonald, mentioned a line or two in advance, were Tory roman catholic Scotchmen, who, until the beginning of hostilities, had resided in the vicinity of Johnstown in the Mohawk Valley. Having been permitted by Gen. Schuyler to revisit their families, they, in the month of March, 1777, again ran off to Canada, taking with them the residue of the roman catholic Scotch settlers, together with some of the loyalist Ger- mans, their former Neighbors. In 1778, Alexander McDonald, who appears to have been a man of considerable enter- prise and activity, collected a force of three hundred Tories and Indians, and fell with great fury upon the frontiers, the Dutch settlements of Schoharie, especially, feeling " all his barbarity and exter- minating rage." One example of his cruelty and bloodthirstiness is given by Sims, in his Trappers cf New York, as follows : " On the morning of October 25, 1 78 I, a large body of the enemy under Maj. Ross, entered Johnstown with several prisoners, and not a little plunder ^ among which was a number of human scalps taken the afternoon and night previous, in settlements in and adjoining the Mohawk valley ; to which was added the scalp of Hugh McMonts, a constable, who was yohnsori's Orderly Book. 57 John McDonald' to be Capt Lieut, in the Room of Capt Lieut Hewetson — 19th June, Ens William Byrne to be Lieut in the Room of Lieut Grant — 6th June, 1777. Volunteer Lipscomp to be Ens vice Byrne, Do. surprises and killed as they entered Johns- town. In the course of the day the troops from the garrisons near and the militia from the surrounding country, rallied under the active and daring Willett, and gave the enemy battle on the Hall farm, in which the latter were finally defeated with loss, and made good their retreat into Canada, Young Scarsborough was then in the nine months' service, and while the action was going on, him self and one Crosset left the Johnstown fort, where they were on garrison duty, to join in the right, less than two miles distant. Between the Hall and woods they soon found themselves engaged. Crosset after shooting down one or two, received a bullet through one hand, but winding a handkerchief around it he continued the fight under cover of a hemlock stump. He was shot down and killed there, and his companion sur- rounded and made prisoner by a p.irty of Scotch troops commanded by Capt. McDonald. When Scarsborough was captured, Capt. McDonald was not present, but the moment he saw him he ordered his men to shoot him down. Several refused ; but three, shall I call them men ? obeyed the dastardly order, and yet he possibly would have survived his wounds, had not the miscreant in authority cut him down with his own broadsword. The sword was caught in its first descent, and the valiant captain drew it out, cut- ting the hand nearly in two." This was the same McDonald who, in 1779, figured in the battle of the Chemung, together with Sir John and Guy John- son and Walter N. Butler. 8 ' Tills oHicer, of Sir John Johnson's regiment, was killed in the battle of Oriskany by Capt. Jacob Gardenier, an officer, who during that memorable day, performed prodigies of valor. The cir- cumstances of his death were as follows : At the beginning of the action, John- son's " Royal Greens " (so called, un- officially, on account of their green coats), disguised themselves as American troops and by this ruse approached very near to Herkimer's command before the trick was discovered. •' Johnson's men con- tinued to advance until hailed by Gar- denier, at which moment one of his own soldiers, observing an acquaintance, and supposing him a friend, ran to meet him, and presented his hand. It was grasped, but with no friendly gripe, as the credu- lous fellow was dragged into the opposing line and informed that he was a prisoner. He did not yield without a struggle ; during which Gardenier, watching the action and the result sprung forward, and with a blow from his spear levelled the captor to the dust and liberated his man. Others of the foe instantly set upor. him, of whom he slew the second and wounded a third. Three of the dis- guised Greens now sprang upon him, and one of his spurs becoming entangled in their clothing, he was thrown to the ground. Still contending, however, with almost superhuman strength, both of his thighs were transfixed to the earth by the bayonets of two of his assailants, while the third presented a bayonet to his breast, as if to thrust him through. Seizing this bayonet with his left hand, by a sudden wrench he brought its owner 58 Johnson's Orderly Book, f ' To Sir John Johnson or officer commdng the Royal Regt of New York. Wm Dunbar, Majr of Brigade.' Lachine 1777, June 14th. P. Connecticut. C. Phila- delphia. G. O. The party of Artillery Under Lieut Glennie^ to be Reinforced Immediately by a Corpl & 20 Men from the 8th, 34th, & Kings Royal Regt of New York — 8th & 34th Regt will give 5 each & the New York Regt 10 — the 8th Regt will give the Corpl. Detail of the Guard for to Morrow 34 Regt I S. 6 P.; K. R. R. N. Y. i S. 2 S. 1 D. 9 P. ; Jessup's Corps i C. 3 P. Ensn Crothers for guard to morrow. — 15th. P: Trenton. C. Burlington. Details of the Guard for to Morrow. 34th Regt 1 S. i C. I D. 9 Privates ; K. R. R. N. Y. i L. 2 S. i C. i D. 14 Privates; Jessup's Corps, 5 Privates. G. O. A Corpl and 10 private Men with down upon himself", where he held him as a shield against the arms of the others, until one of his own men, Adam Miller, observing the struggle, flew to his rescue; as the assailants turned upon their riev adversary, Gardenier rose upon his seat, and although liis hand was severely lacerated by grasping the bayonet which had been drawn through it, he seized his spear ly>ng by his side, and quick as lightning planted it to the barb in the side of the assailant with whom he had clinched. The man fell and expired, proving to be Lieutenant McDonald, one of the loyalist officers, from. Tryon country." — Stone's St. Leger's Expedition. ' This officer was captured with Gen. Prescott on the fleet while attempting to escape from Montreal to Quebec, in November, 1775. = See note in advance, under Captain Rouville. yohn son's Orderly Book, 59 hand hatchets to go to Morrow to lower La- chine at 5 o'clock to cut boughs to Cover the Batteaux. As Coll. St. Leger wishes not to take the K. Regt of New York from their Exercise the Above Party is to be given by the Detach- ment of the 34th Regt. Officer of the Guard to Morrow Ens McDonell. Compy Duty Gd S. I C. D. 4 P. After orders. Its Lieut. Colonel Sir John Johnson's orders that Capt. Lt. McDonell, Wm Byrnes & Ens Richard Lipscom do Duty in this Compy. Lieut. Morrison. Lieut. Anderson & Ens Phil- lips in Major Gray's Company. L^eut. James Mc Donell and Ens Allan McDonell in Capt Angus McDonell's' Compy, Lt. Kenneth McKenzie, Lt George Singleton and Ens John McKenzie in Capt. Watt's Compy, Lt. Richard Walker and Ens. Crothers in Capt. Daily's Company. Lt. \ ' Angus McDonell was taken prisoner at the battle of Oriskany, and afterwards transferred, for greater safety, to the southern portion of the state, The fol- lowing is the parole which he gave to the authorities : "I, Angus McDonell, lieutenant in the 60th or Royal American regiment, now a prisoner to the United States of America and enlarged on my parole, do promise upon my word of honor that I will continue within one mile of the house of Jacobus Hjrdenburgh, and in the town of Hurley, in the county of Ulster ; and that I will not do any act, matter or thing whatsoever against the interests of America ; and further, th.U I will rem jve hereafter to such place as the govern ir of the state of New York or the president of the Council of Safety of the said state shall direct, and that I will observe this my parole until released, exchanged or otherwise ordered. Angus McDonell. Kingston, izth Oct., 1 777." Whether Angus McDonell violated his parole, if indeed, he was released, we are not informed. It is, however, certain that he, as well as Allen McDonell men- tioned in the text as ensign in his company, was the following year, transferred to Reading, Pa., where both were kept as hostages o( Sir John Johnson. See yournals of Cmrresi for the year 1 778, p. 1 19. 368. r ■'1 1 M i>> 60 JohnsorCs Orderly Book, Grummerfolk and Ens Crafbrd in Capt Alexr McDonells, Lt. Moure [Moore ?J, Lt Wilkeson & Ens Walle in Capt Duncan's compy, till fur- ther orders. — 1 6th. P. Newark. C. Boston. Capt An- crum' is appointed to Do the Duty of Adjt Genl assisted by Lieut. Crofts, Lt. Lundy% Deputy Qr. Mr Genl, Mr Piety conductor of aitillery, ' Major Ancrum was the utticer sent by Brigadier St. Leger to Col. Willett to summon the garrison to surrender. Speaking ottiiis Col. Willett says: "Tlie success with which the sortie from the fort was attended, added to the loss the enemy and especially the Indians had sustained in the action with General Herkimer, created consider.tble uneasiness in the enemy's camp. The afternoon of the next day the beating of the chamade and the appearance of a white Hag was followed by a request that Col. Butler wlio commanded the Indians, with two Other orticer-=, might enter the fort with a message to the commanding orficer. Permission having been granted, they were conducted blindfolded into the fort and received by Colonel Gansevoort in his dining-room. The windows of the room were shut and the candles lighted, a table also was spread covered with crackers, cheese and wine. Three chairs placed at one end of the table were occu- pied by Col. Butler and two other officers who had come with Urn. At the other end Colonel Gansevoort, Colon ' Mullen and Colonel Willett were seated. Chairs were also placed around the table for as many officers as could be accommodated, while the rest of the room was nearly filled by the other officers of the garrison indiscriminately, it being desirable that the officers in general should be witnesses to all that might take place. After passing around the wine w th a few com- monplace compliments, Major Ancrum, one of the messengers, with a very grave stiff air and a countenance full of import- ance spoke in nearly the following words : 'I am directed by Colonel St. Leger, the officer who commands the army now in- vesting the garrison, to inform the com- mandant, tliat the colonel has with much difficulty prevailed on the Indians to agree that if the garrison withoui further resist- ance shall be delivered up with the public stores belonging to it, to the investing army, the officers and soldiersshall have all their baggage and private property secured to them. And in order that the garrison may have a sufficient pledge to this effect, Colonel Butler accompanies me to assure them that not a hair of the head of any one of them shall be hurt.' * * "■* Col. St. Leger's deputation seeing no likelihood of their terms being acceded to, asked per- mission for the surgeon who accompanied their flag to visit such of their wounded prisoners as had oeen taken in the sortie. This was granted ; and while the British surgeon in company with Mr. Woodruff, the surgeon of the garrison was visiting the wounded. Major Ancrum proposed a cessation of arms for three days. As the garrison had more reason to fear the want of ammunition than provisions this proposition was agreed to ; soon after which the flag returned to their camp and the troops of the garrison enjoyed a brief interval of tranquility and ease." ' See note in advance on Capt Rou- ville. yohnsons Orderly Book, 6i vvho are to be obeyed, as such ; orders coming thro Lt. Hamelton' and Ens Clergis* are to|beJ Looked Upon as from the commanding officer of the Expedition — the corps of the Batteau Guard is to send a written Report Every morn- ing to the officer of the Main Guard which will Report it to the commanding officer. Detail of the Guard. 34th Regt., L. i S. C. D. 5 P. ; Kings R. R. N. Y. i L. i S. i C. i D. 9 P. ; Jessup's Corps, L. S. C. D. 4 P. Total 1 L. 2 S. I C. I D. 18 P. — 17th. P. Fairfield. C. Newhaven. G. O. The corps under the command of Col St.. Leger to hold themselves in Readiness to march on the Shortest Notice. Detail of the Guard. 34th Regt., 1 L. i S. C. I D. 13 P.; Ks. R. R. N. Y., L. 2 S. 2 C. D. 15 P. Total I L. 3 S. 2 C. I D. 28 P. Regtl orders. The Commission'd NonCom- mission'd Officers Drums & private men of the Kings Royal Regt of New York to be under Arms to Morrow Morning at 5 O'clock — the officers will be very particular that their mens Arms are in Good Order & their Regtls Clean so as to appear Decent at the Genl. Review. Company Duty 4 P. 'William Osborn Hamilton, St. Leger's as ensign in the 53d, July 10, 1776J private and military secretary. exchanged into 34th, January i, 1777 j became a lieutenant therein November "Lieutenant George Clerges of the 34th 5th, 1782, and appears last in army lists regiment. He entered the British army in 1783. 62 ^Johnson's Orderly Book, J — 1 8th. P. Edinburgh. C. Inverness. G. O. 34th Regt takes the Guard to Morrow. For Guard to morrow Ens Clergis. Regtl orders — the Commiss'd Non Com- miss'd Officers, Drums & Private men of 'the Kiiigs Royal Regt of N. York; to be Under arms this Evening at 5 o'clock. — 19th. P. Swansey. C. Monmouth. Forty eight Batteaux to be Delivered to the Royal Regt of New York ; Forty Five Felling axes & 3 broad axes to be Delivered to that Regt. Sev- enty Five Felling axes a:nd two broad axes [for] the use of the 34th regt which are to be distrib- uted amongst the boats at the discretion of the respective commanding Officers. A number of thole pins to be provided for each boat according to the patterns given to the carpenter, "wooden Punches to be made by the: boats crews — two fishing lines 6r. hooks in proportion to be deliv- ered to each boat. The K. R. R. N. Y. are to take 440 barrels of provision allowing 10 barrels each for 44 Batteaus — the rum or brandy deliv- ered out is to be put into the officer's boats for security — his excellency the commander in chief ■has pleased to appoint Roville [Rouville'] esqr to be captain in a Comp. of Canadians in the room of Capt McKay Resigned — he is to be obeyed as sucii- — the royal Regt of New York to give the ' Lieutenant de Rouville, at one time, " a good officer, very vigilant and active, in command of Chambly. Described as ever leady to do his duty exactly." _ Johnson s Orderly Book, 63 guards to morrow. Lieutenant Gummerfolk. For guard to morrow, i L. 2 S. 2 C. i D. 28 P. After orders. The K. R. R. V. York to be compleated with 14 days provision commencing Saturday the 21 June — their boats to be loaded at the Kings stores on Friday, and from thence brought up to their quarters the same day to be ready to push off at point of day on Saturday — their Division is to be supplied with three pilots, LeCatargne the quarter master is to give a re- ceipt for the number of barrels and the specie the division carries to the commissary at Lachine and is to be accountable for them. It is expected that the several captains have laid in necessaries for their men for the campaign. — 20th. P. Hartford. C. Milford. The 34th Regt to take the Guards to morrow. Ens Phillips I Sergt. I Corl & 32 Privates to Be left at La- chine in order to go with the baggage of the K. R. R. N. Y. over Lake Champlain to Crown Point & then proceed after the army under the command of General Burgoyne with the bag- gage as far as Albany if he should proceed to that place — ten old men to Be left at Point Clair, — 2 1 St. Forty boats to contain 400 barrels of provisions & 7 of rum — the remainder to be left at Colonel St. Leger's Quarters — the barrels to be distributed in such proportion as to make room for the Officers 6c their baggage. Major 6+ Johnson's Orderly Bool, \ r ■ Gray must see that the companys provided accord- ing to seniority. The Capt. or Officers com- manding compys to be in the front — the oldest Subhs in the rear and the youngest in the cen- ter — 34 precedes; squads of boats abreast when practicable. As Sir John has reason to appre- hend from the many Companys that have been made that there may be many [ir|regularities committed by the men [he] recommends it in a particular manner to all the officers. Buck island'. 1777, July 8th. P. Burgoyne. C Phillips. ' Buck's or Carleton Island, called by the French hlc aux Chei'ifuils^ from the fac^t that tiie deer frequented it, as it had good pasturage. In passing on the steam- boat down the St. Lawrence river from Cape Vincent, the tourist wi.l observe a number of stacks of old brick chimneys standing near the shore 011 the left side, which are upon " Buck's Island." The inhabitants near it have always atll.;ted a great mystery in regard to the origin of these fortifications, but, in truth, there is no mystery abt)Ut them. Bouchette, in his History cf Canaiia, published in 1815, States, that Carleton Island was converted into a large magazine or depot for military supplies and general rendezvous in 1774 75 by the British government in anticipation of trouble with her American colonies. "We should infer, even if Rochefoucault <le Liancourt, in his travels, did not say so expressly, that the name of the island was changed to Carleton in honor of that general who was then in command of Canada. The stac!:s of chimneys still to be seen are probably the remains of these "ovens" to which the Orderly Book refers, in which the bread for the troops was baked. The English government reserved this island in its sale to Macomb; and, in 1796, a corporal and three men were in charge. The island, however, had evidently been fortified by the French many years before 1774, the time spoken of by Bouchette; for Count Frontenac men- tioi.j it as one ot his stopping places, in I 696, in his expedition against the Onon- dagas, at which time, Captain du Luth was left on the island with a garrison of forty men, masons, etc., with orders to "complete the fort." Dr. Hough, in his History oj jfejferson County , gives the following interesting account of the present appearance of the ruins. *' The ruins of Fort Carleton, on ' Carleton ' or * Buck Island,' are the most interesting relics of tht; olden time within the county of Jerterson. The island, when fi, . bserved by our settlers, was partly cleared. It has an undulating surface, is composed of Trenton linie-stone, and is very fertile. The surface near its head, where the fort is located, rises by an easy grade to a spacious plane fifty feet above the river (St. Lawrence) which is precipitous in front and overlooks a small palisade but ' 'Johnson'' s Orderly Book, 65 For Guard Ens Crawford, i S. i C. i D. & 16 P. the Batteaux to be taken up to the store to morrow morning at 4 o'clock and Unloaded, 6c such as wants repairing to be drawn up ; the Taylors of the Regt begin to work to morrow morning to compleat the mens cloathing. — 9th. P. Frazer. C Powel. Lieut Burnet of the Kings Regt to act as Adgt to the Division till further orders. A return of the strength of "ich corps to be given in at twelve o'clock. Capt Potts will direct liquor to be given to the troops Tittle elevated above the water, and utFords on each side of the island, a safe and ample cove for the ani borage of boats. The area under the hill was completely protected by the works on the heights above ; and from its great fertility afforded an abundance of culinary vegetables for the garrison. Traces occur, showing that cannon were planted on conspicuous points ; and the trace of a submerged wharf is still seen, as are also wrecks of vessels in the bottom of the river adjacent. In the rear of the works may be seen the cemeteiy, but time has defaced the in- scriptions upon the headstones except on one grave, which has the following : *' I. Farrar, D. 23 Fy., 1792." Forty years ago carved oaken planks were standing at many of the graves. Several chimneys are seen outside of the entrenchments, and on the plain in front of the fort, about a dozen still stand within the works which are built of stone in a permanent and massive manner, the flags beiiig very small and the bases en- larged and well founded. Near the brow of the hill is a circular well about ten feet in diameter, and supposed to be as deep, at least, as the level of the river ; but being partly filled with rubbish, this 9 cannot be determined. Here are also excavations supposed to be for magazines. The plan of the fort shows it to have been after Vaub.in, and forms three- eighths of a circle of about 800 feet diameter, the abrupt face of the hill, which was doubtless protected by a stockade, not requiring these defences which were furnished to the rear. The ditch is excavated in rock, four feet deep and twenty-two feet wide. The covert way is twenty-four feet wide ; the counter- scarp vertical ; the outer parapet four feet high, and the glacis formed of materia! taken from the ditch. The rampart within the ditch was of earth, and is very much dilapidated; ravelins were made before each reentered angle; and at the alternate salient angles, bastions were so placed a= to commjtid the fort at its various approaches very effectually. No knowledge is derived from settlers 'jf the character or the number of ihe enclosed buildings, except that a range of wooden block-houses, within the entrenchment, was occupied by i corporal's guard and a few invalids. The premises had fallen into decay, and were entirely without defen,?ive works. A few iron cannon were lying on the beach, or under the water near the shore ; and the gates had 66 yohnsori's Orderly Book. when at work as he shall think proper according to the service they perform. Regl. Orders. Lt. McDonell, i S. i C. i D. & i6 P. — loth. Genl Orders, by Brigadier Genl St. Leger. Lt. Colonel St. Leger is appointed to act as Brigadier Genl ; Chevelier St. Oaris ap- pointed Lt. in Capt. Buvilie's [Rouville's] Compy of Canadians. Two Subakerns and 50 men to attend the Deputy Qr Master General to Clear Ground sufficient to exercise the army ; the party been robbed of their hinges for the iron which had been pawned by the soldiers. The premises have at all times furnished a great abundance of relics, among wiiich were coins, buttons, etc., whose inscrip- tions and devices, without exception in- dicate an English origin, and a period not earlier than the french war. The figures ' 34,' ' i2,' ' 29.' ' 84,' ' 21,' « 31,' etc., whicli occur on th'j buttons found, often accompanied by the device of the thistle, anchor, crown, etc., doubtless designate the regiments to which their wearers belonged. This station was used by tiie iingli.,h during and after the Revolution and garrisoned by invalid troops. Having carefully examined every author we have been unable to ascertain the precise time of the erection of this fort. It certainly did not exist before 1758 [Dr. Hough is not speaking of the fort built by Frontenac but of the more modern one j as it does :iot occur in any of the list of stations previous to that period ; but a MS. is preserved among the Paris documents in the archives of the State at Albany, that throvs some light upon the subject. From this it appears that, in November, 1758, the Marquis d^. Vaudreuil, at that time, governor of Canada, had dr;\wn up a paper on the defences of that country, which was submitted to the Ma.quis de Montcalm for his revision, and met with jiis entire approval. He proposed to send 1,500 men to defend the approaches of Canada, on the side of Lake Ontario, by tlie erection of a post at the head of the St. Lawrence and laid out after the plans if M. de Fonteloy, who was to be sent for that purpose. The station, thus chosen and fortified, would, at, the same time, become the head of the fiontier and an entrepot for every military operation in that quarter, instead of Frontenac, ' which can never be regarded as such, as the English might enter the St. Lawrence without exposing themselves, or giving any knowledge of their passage.' The place was to be made susceptible of defence by an army and have magazines for stores and barracks for the lodgment of troops in tiie winter. It was intended that the proposed work should be adequate with those lower down for the defence of the latter; and it was designed to put in command an active, disinterested and capable man to accelerate the work and render the operation complete. Such a* man the chevalier was considered to be, and he was accordingly named as the per- yohnsorCs Orderly Book, 67 to be furnished with proper Utensils for that purpose. The Kings Regt. and the 34th form one Corps [and] will encamp on the right. The Hessian Chasseurs on the Left, and the R. R. of New York in the center, Lt. Collerten will choose out the proposed ground on the Right of the Army for his party of Artillery and will be- gin Immediately to prepare Bark Huts for His Ammunition. The Irregulars will be arranged by the Deputy Qr Master Genl. Colonel Close [Col. Daniel Claus] will take ground for the In- dian Allies. Signed Wm Crofts, Lt 34th Regt. son to have the chief direction and com- mand of the work. Such are the outlines of the plan ; and the means within our reach liave not enabled us to learn whether or not they were carried out to the extent contemplated at that time. No one can stai'd upon the spot occupied by this ruin and survey its natural advantages for de- fence, the ample bay for shipping which it overlooks, and the complete command of the channel which it affords without being convinced that its site was admirably chosen, and that, in its selection, the pro- jectors were guided by much discretion.'" Mr. L. B. Pike, of Saratoga Springs, who takes great interest in such matters, and who, having spent many summers on the St. Lawrence, has made a study of this island, writes to me as follows, under date of Aug 9th, 1881 : "Carleton,or Buck's Island is situated about five miles down the St. Lawrence from Light House Point and east of Cape Vincent, and is probably three miles long by half a mile broad. Fort Carleton ioa% at the extreme west end of the island ; for, at the present time, there is nothing left of the fort save a few chimneys with their lire-places. both of which are in a perfect state of preservation, the latter being thirty feet high. The well, which was dug for the use of the garrison inside of the walls through a sandstone rock and which is one hundred and fifty feet deep, is 'till .intact. The fortifications -ytended from one side of the island to the other, making access to the water easy on either side. The island, which is quite precipitous, is one solid piece of rock having a layer of earth on the top two feet and one-half in depth. This soil is quite fertile and sus- tains several beautiful farms and orchards. For three-quarters of a mile west of Carleton Island the water is so shoal that, at times, a row-boat can scarcely be taken over it. Very deep water is then met with, and finally another shoal which runs out from the eastwardof Wolf Island. The distance between these shoals is about forty rods. The fishing along the shoals for bass ^nd muscalonge [Mr. Pike is the champion fisherman of that region] is the best in this part of the river. • Wolf Island ' [originally called Wolf Island, then Long Island and now again Wolf Island, see B9ucheHe\ lies some two miles west 68 Johnson'' s Orderly Book. For this Duty Ks Regt i L. i6 P. ; R. R. N. Y. I L. I S. I C. 34 P. For Guard Ens Mc- Kenzie. It is the Commanding officer's Orders that Jos. Locks & John Laurance be appointed Sergts in Capt Duvan's Compy ; Jacob Shall, Wm. Taylor, Phillip Coach, Corpls in said Compy and be obeyed as such. and up the river tVoni Carleton Island. Button Bay on its east end, was un- doubtedly the regular camp of' the Indians employed in either the French or English service, perhaps both, for, at the present time, yuu may pick up stone arrow-heads in the water. Three years ago, several feet of the shore of Button Bay was washed away by a strong east wind, disclosing a large Indian burial ground. Here my daughter and Mr. H. M, Livingston of Saratoga Springs found some large Indian spears and innumerable arrow-heads, and also some skulls. These skulls, which were incased in mica (the work of the Indians before burial) were even to the teeth as well preserved as if they had been found in a peat bed. At this point a mound was discovered. The skeletons found in it showed that the burials had taken place in a time of peace, as the bodies had been laid in perfect order instead of having been hurriedly piled promiscuously on top of each other. Another circumstance which leads me to suppose this to have been an Indian camp during our early colonial history, is that people have often found here musket barrels, very long, like the old fashioned French fowling-pieces. I send you with this Jetter a remarkably perfect arrow- head, I found at this place a week since." Carleton Island was also, during the Revolution used as a rendezvous whence General Haldimand was in the habit of sending out scalping- parties to annoy our frontiers. Thus, Col. Daniel Glaus in writing from Montreal to Thayendanegea (Brant) under date of March 3d, 1781, says : "The General [Haldimand] has for some time intended sending a party of about sixty chosen loyalists, under the command of Major Jessup, toward Fort Edward ; this party might join you against Falmerstown [near the present village of Saratoga Springs, N. Y.,] could you ascer- tain the time and place, which might be nearly done by calculating the time your express would take to come from Carleton Island, your march from thence, and Major Jessup's from Point au Fez, alias Nikadiyooni. * * ''' Should you upon this adopt the general's otier and opinion, and proceed from Carleton Island to Fal- merstown, which place I am sure several of Major Ross's men r.nd others at the island are well acquainted with, I wish you the aid of Providence with all the success imaginable; in which case it will be one of the most essential services you have rendered your king this war, and cannot but by him be noticed and re- warded; your return by Canada will be the shortest and most eligible, and we sliall be very happy to see you Iiere." And, again, as a postscript to the same letter, he writes : " P. S. The great advantage of setting out from Carleton Island, is the route, which is so unexpected a one, that there is hardly any doubt but you will surprise them, which is a great yohnsons Orderly Book, 69 — nth. P. Fort St. Ann.' C. Noadwilley. G. O. Lt. Crofts of the 34th Regt is ap- pointed Major of Brigade for this expedition. Guards to Mount every morning at 8 o'clock, the Retreat to be at 7 o'clock in the evening and tattoo at 9 o'clock. An officer of each Corps to attend for Genl Orders at the Major of Brigades's tent every Day at 12 o'clock. One Sergt and 8 private men of Captain Buvelles Company of Canadians to parade to Morrow morning to go to Oswegatchie for Provisions and 4 privates will parade at the same hour, who will receive further orders from Lt. Rudyard Engineer. Regtl O. For Guard to morrow, i S. i C. D. 8 P. men. Ens McKenzie is to do [duty] in Capt McDonell's Compy, Ens Crothers in Major Grays, & Ens Crawford in Capt Daly's till fur- ther orders. The officers commanding compys to give in their Monthly Return to morrow morning at 6 o'clock and be very carefull that they are not false. Compy Duty Gd i D. 3 P. — 1 2th. P. Gray. C. Mohock River. His Majesty has been Pleased '.o appoint Coll. Claus* Ml point gained. Whereas, were you to set out from Canada, there are so many tViends, both whites and Indians, to the rebel cause, that you could noi well get to the place undiscovered, which would not do so well. D. C." I am also indebted to Mr. B. B. Burtj uf Oswego, N. y., for valuable informa- tion about this island. ' Not to be confounded with Fort Anne in Washington Co., N. Y. The Fort St. Anne here mentioned was situated on the u|)per portion of the island of Montreal, and was often the object of Iroquois attacks. One of the wards of the city of Montreal still retains the name. ■' Colonel Daniel Glaus or Clause, as yo Johnson's Orderly Book. to be superintendent of the Indian Department on this expedition ; A Sub. of the Day is con- stantly to remain in Camp who will see all pub- lick orders executed and to whom all reports of any thing extraordinary will be made for the in- formation of the Brigadier. All orders relative to the Soldiers shall be read to them at the Eve- ning Parade by an officer of the Company. For fatigue to morrow — K's Regt 22 P. ; K's R. N. y., I S. 36 P.; Canadians, i S. 12 P. The Kings Regt to Give the Sub. of the Day to morrcw. the name is sometimes written, was ['loba bly a native of the Mohawk valley, where he acquired in early life a knowl- edge of the Iroquois language, and was in consequence attached as interpreter to the department of General Sir William John- son, whom he accompanied as lieutenant of rangers in the expedition against Dieskau. In 1756, he was appointed lieutenant in the 60th or Royal -American regiment, and continued at Johnstown, or there- abouts, until 1759, when he accompanied the expedition to Niagara, whence he went with the army *.o Montreal, where he was stationed as superintendent of the Canadian Indians. On the 6th of July, 1 761, he was promoted to a captaincy in the 60th but went on half pay in 1763, on the reduction of his regiment. Having returned to Fort Johnson, he continued to act as one of Sir William's deputies, and in 1766, assisted at the treaty con- cluded with Pontiac at Lake Ontario. In 1767, he went back to Canada, but did not remain there, for having married one of the daughters of Sir William John- son, by whom he was greatly beloved, he resided near Johnstown until the breaking out of the Revolution, when he retired to Canada. He visited England with Grant in 1776, and arrived in Quebec, ist June, 1777, with a commission as deputy super- intendent of, and with instructions to bring the Indians to cooperate with the British army in the campaign of that year. He accordingly accompanied those tribes in the expedition against Fort Stanwix under Brigadier General St. Leger, who commendej his exertions on that occasion. Col. Claus, however, did not, by any means reciprocate these sen- timents of St Leger. In a letter, dated at Montreal, Oct. i6th, 1777, he com- plains bitterly of the obstacles which had been thrown in his way in assembling and equipping with arms and vermillion the Indians under his command, and plainly hints that the failure of the expedition against Fort Stanwix w.'s due to the lack of judgment on the part of its commanding general. " The Missisagues and Six Nations," he writes, " St. Leger intended should accompany him in an alert [i. e., a scouting party] to Fort Stanwix by a short cut through the woods, from a place called Salmon creek on Lake Ontario, about twenty miles from Oswego, in order to surprise the garrison and take it with small arms. Between sixty and seventy leagues from Montreal my reconnoitering party returned and met me with five prisoners. I immediately forwarded the prisoners to the Brigadier [St. Leger] who was about fifteen leagues in our rear. * * yohnsorCs Orderly Book, 71 — 13th. P. Carleton. C. McClain [McLean]. The state of provisions at this post to be given by the D. Commissary general as soon as possible this day [toj the Brigadier — no bisquet to be de- livered but by his particular orders, or small bar- rels of pork, to be broke open ; no arrears of provisions to be reed at this post ; such persons as may have any rations due to them to this day and properly certified to the D. C. General may receive the value of them in cash, the usual draw- back being made at 6i pds. ration, or a certificate from him that such Rations are due, which will "',' 1 ■ -i' ' % '■ :.■>': «'" '' 1 ' On St. Leger's arrival within a few leagues of Buck Island, he sent for me, and talking over the intelligence the rebel prisoners gave, he owned that if they in- tended to defend themselves in that fort, our artillery w.is not rutHcient to take it, * * * I told him that having exam- ined them separately tliey agreed in their story. And here the Brigadier [St. Leger] had still an opportunity and time of send- ing for a better train of artillery and waiting for the junction of the Chasseurs, wliich must have secured us success, as every one will allow. However, he was still full oi his alert [the scout] making but little of the prisoners' intelligence. On his arrival at Buck Island the 8th July, he put me in orders as superintendent oi the expedition and empowered me to act to the best of my judgment for liis Majesty's service in the management of the Indians on the expediti(>n as well as what regarded their equipments, presents, etc., he being an entire stranger thereto. There was then a vessel at the island which had some Indian goods on board, which Col. Butler had procured for the expedition but upon examination I found that almost every one of the above articles I demanded at Montreal were deficient and a mere im- possibility to procure them at Buck Island had I not luckily provided some of those articles ov.'"- e I left Montreal, at my own risque, and with difficulty. Brigndicr St. Leger found out thirty stands of arms in the artillery store at Swegachy and I added all my eloquence to satisfy the Indians about the rest." Col. Claus consequently found himself finally greatly out of pocket for sums advanced by him- self for the Indian expenses of the expe- dition ; and Carleton putting otf payment on various pretexts, he was obliged to go to Montreal to arrange matters with the people from whom he had obtained the Indian goods. " Such like freques and jealousies," he says, '' I am afraid have been ratiier hurtful to our northern ope- rations last campaign." After peace was declared, he went to England to obtain some remuneration for his losses, as his name had been included in the outlawry act, and his property confiscated. He died at Cardiff, Wales, in the latter part of 1787. His wife survived him thirteen years and died in Canada in i8oi. His son succeeded him as deputy superintend- ent of Indian affairs in Canada. Col. Claus's early and long connection with the Indian departments as interpreter ren> iii m- J 2 Johnson's Orderly Book, be delivered from the Kings Stores at a more convenient time; no person to draw more than one ration pr day viz : li lb of Hour, li of Beef or 'o oz. of pork, & such troops as choose to draw one pound of flour pr. day shall receive from the D. Q. master General the value weekly of the remainder at li lbs.; all public store[sJ not immediately pertaining to any particular corps to be put in charge of the Detachments under the orders of Capt Potts of the King's Regt. at this post ; the Detachment of the King under the Command of Capt Ls.notts's will furnish a re- lief of 1 Sergt I Corpral and 12 privates every day to the above Detachment. The D. Quarter- master General will direct a hut to be built im- ediately within the lines of the incampment of Capt Potts's Detachment to receive all publick stores and is to be sufficent to protect them from the weather ; each Corps shall receive under their dered him thoroughly conversant with the Iroquois tongue. His services were therefore highly useful in superintending the publication of a correct translation into the Mohawk language of the Book of Common Prayer, one thousand copies of which were ordered by Gov. Haldiniand, at the request of the Mohawk Indians to be printed under the supervision of Col. Claub, " who," the preface states, " read and understood the Mohawk language so as to undertake the correction of the book for the press." This edition soon became exhausted ; thereupon the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts resolved to have a new edition printed, especially as Col Glaus, who was in England at the time, consented to super- intend the impression, critically revise the whole, and correct the sheets as they came from the press. " His accurate knowledge of the Mohawk language," continues ihe preface, " qualified him for the undertaking ; and it is no more than justice to say, that this is only one out of many instances of this gentleman's unremitting attention to the welfare of the Indians." Col. Glaus lived for a number of years in a large stone house which stood a short distance west of " Guy Park " the residence of Sir Guy Johnson. (See preceding note under Castle Johnson.) It was burned down many years since. N. T. Col. Doc. ; A'^. Y. Doc. Hist. ; Gentleman s Maga- zine { Stances Li/e of Brant, Ed, _<«f 'Johnson's Orderly Book. 73 charge a certain number of Boats; all the over- plus boats for publick stores will come under the charge of C. Potts's Detachment and Each Corps will be answerable for the particular attention for the safety of the boats given unto their charge, and to re'^ort to the Superintendent any repairs they may want. Each corps after Expending what provisions they have reed, to draw weekly their rations, and they will sign an order for all provisions drawn for such persons on this Expe- dition in his majestys service who do not belong to any particular Corps. Colonel Claus will as- certain the number of Indians absolutely neces- sary to be fed at this post of which he will give directions to the Brigades who will give direc- tions that the S. rations be issued dayly to the Indians, and Colonel Claus will appoint a person from the Indian Department who speaks the Missaga [Misissagua] language to attend the de- livery of said provisions which by him is to be Reed in bulk delivered in Camp to Indian De- partment, and the D. Commissary General will deliver no provisions to any person but under the assignment of Commanding officers of Corps and detachments and the Deputy Quartermaster General. Lieut. Burnet of the King's Regt is appointed Superintendent of the King's Batteaux. For Fatigue to morrow. King's Regt, i6 P. ; 34th Regt, I S. 17 P.; R. Y., 2 L. I S. 27 P.; K. R. R. N. Y. gives the Subaltern for the day to morrow. 10 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) VQ <^ /^ ^a W ^: (fi ^- V? # . ^? / / o 7 1.0 ■-II Br- M IIIII2.5 iM IIIII2.2 I.I 12.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 •• 6" ► Photographic Sdences Corporation -^\.% ^ iV ^ iV \ \ ^\^ l^^"^ ^"^^x <^> 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14380 (716) 872-4503 r^^ ^^ 'W 74 "Johnson's Orderly Book. Regtl Orders. For guard to morrow Ens Lipscomb, i S. i C. and lo privates. S. Craw- ford of M. Gray's Comp*y to do duty, [illegible] McDonell's Compy. C. Campbell is appointed Sergt in Major Gray's Company in the Room of S. Crawford. John Raley is appointed Corpl, in M. Gray's Company in the Room of Corporal Campbell. The officers commanding companys to be very partic- ular that the mens arms and accutrements be in good order as they are to be reviewed to morrow at Guard mounting; all the Boats that want re- pairing in the different compys their numbers to be given in immediately to the Quartermaster. Lieut Anderson officer for the day to morrow. — 14th. Morning Orders. All leaky and damaged batteaux' belonging to the different • The batteaux of' the army (afterwards known as " Duihani boats," or barges) and the canoes of the Indians, formed so important a part of the lixpedition, that a description of them, gathered from Bouchette and fVeld, will be ol interest. Batteaux were flat-bottomed boats, having a plank around them to walk on or to pole, from thirty-five to forty feet long, each extremity terminating in a point: six feet of beam in the centre ; usual weight, four and one-half tons ; worked by oars ; a mast sail ; capable of carrying 1,500 lbs. of cargo ; drag ropes for turning, and long poles for " setting " them through the currents and rapids. The sides were about four feet high, and for the conveni- ence of the rowers, four or five benches were laid across, sometimes more, according to the length of the batteau. Four men managed them in summer, but, in the fall, another rower was always) added. " It is," says Weld, " a very awkward sort of ves- sel, either for lowing or sailing, but it is preferred to a boat with a keel for two very obvious reasons : first, because it draws less water, at the same time that it carries a larger burden ; and secondly, because it is much safer on lakes or large rivers, where storms are frequent. A proof of this came under our observation the day of our leaving Montreal [this was in 1796]. We had reached a wide part yohnsoti's Orderly Book. 75 corps to be immediately hauled on shore and turned up on their own ground, ready for repair under the directions of Lieut. Burnet, and any boats that may have been drawn up before the present directions of ground took place not with- in the the present line of incampment and to be Immediately Launched, and brought to the ground of their Regiment to prevent confusion. Mr. Charles Miller is appointed Batteau Master in the room of Mr. Kuysak and is to be attended [obeyed] as such.' of the river, and were sailing along with a favorable wind, when suddenly the horizon grew very dark, and a dreadful storm arose, accompanied witli loud peals of thunder and torrents of rain. Before the sail could be taken in, the ropes which held it were snapped in pieces, and the waves began to dash over tlie sides of the batteaux, though the water had been quite smooth five minutes before. It was im- possible now to counteract the force of the wind with oars, and the batteau was consequently driven on shore, but the bottom of it being quite flat, it was carried smoothly upon the beach without sustain- ing any injury, and the men leaping out drew it up on dry land, where we remained out of all danger till the storm was over. A keel-boat, however, of the same size, could not have approached nearer to the shore than thirty feet, and there it would have stuck fast in the sand, and probably have been filled with water." For a graphic description of the manner in which these batteaux were handled and propelled by the batteaux-men, and an account of the habits of this class of boat- men, see note in advance, under date of the 17th of June. From La Chine to the North-west, canoes were and still are, employed by the fur- traders. They seldom exceed thirty feet in length, six feet in breadth, each end, like the batteaux, terminating in a sharp point. The frame is composed of small pieces of light wood covered with birch- bark, cut into convenient slips, sewed tngether with threads from the twisted fibres of roots of trees that grow in the woods. These canoes are made water- tight by being coveted with a sort of gum that adheres firmly, and becomes perfectly hard. No iron-work of any description, not even a nail, is employed \ and when complete the canoe weighs about 500 lbs. In managing the canoes, the Indian uses but his paddle and makes his way with amazing expedition. "It was on one of these Indian canoes," says Sergeant Lamb in his Memoirs, " that General Sir Guy Carleton, accompanied by an aide de camp, passed undetected through the enemy's fleet from Montreal to Quebec, to put the city in a state of defence." ' Mr. Miller was succeeded by Captain Mattin, whose tragical fate, revealing, by the way, the treachery of St. Leger, is thus referred to in the affidavit of Moses Vounglove, a part of which is quoted in a preceding note. *' Capt. Martin, of the batteiux-men," says Younglove, " was delivered to the Indians at Oswego on pretence of his having kept back some lit;- i •; 1*? ■ " - i;; m 76 yohnson^ Orderly Book. Signed, W. Ancrum, D. Ajt. General. A return of the number of caulkers and car- penters belonging to the different corps to be given in Immediately to the D. A. G. and they will be ready to attend Mr. Burnet at one o'clock. P. Brunswick. C. Kent. No person what- soever to trade rum or any spirituous liquors for any thing which the Indians may have to dispose of; those people will be Informed by their officers that it is necessary to have the C. S. to pass the Gentries and guards of the Comp — and they will strongly recommend to them not to leave their incampment after dark lest they should be sub- jected to Inconveniencies from the difficulty of pronouncing or Remembering the pass- word ; no Soldier or any of the Corps Canadians on any account to fire their arms unless to discharge them after bad weather and then in the presence of an Officer — No trader on this Island to sell any Rum or spirituous liquor without the assign- ment of Capt Potts of the King's Regt' ; any If' useful intelligence." " Moses Young- love," writes his grand-nephew, Moses Younglove, a prominent and influential citizen of Cleveland, Ohio, to the author, under date of Aug. ad, 188 1, " was a man of strong convictions and decided character, not easily turned from any settled purpose." As stated in a pre- ceding note, Moses Younglove was a man of great truthfulness and of sterling in- tegrity. I The history of this regiment is an exceedingly interesting one, and is as follows : When James, Duke of Monmouth, natural son of Charles II, engaged in rebellion against his uncle, James II, in 1685, corps of cavalry and infantry were quickly raised for the support of the crown, and Robert, Lord Ferrars of Chartly, whose father. Sir Robert Shirley, Bart., was one of the sufferers in the royal cause in the time of Charles I, was appointed to the command of one of these corps raised on that occasion ; which, having been continued in service to the present time, now bears the distinguished title of the " 8th or King's Regiment of Foot." It was in the battle of the Boyne ; and, as yohnson^s Orderly Book, 77 officer wanting such things will send their orders to be countersigned by him to prevent forgeries and Impositon ; the guard of the camp not to turn out but once a day to the Brigadier nor are they to take notice of him unless in his Uniform. Sergt Killigrew of the 34th Regt is appointed provost Martial at 2s-6d pr day for the Expedi- tion and to be obeyed as such ; his guard to be proportioned to the number of prisoners ; a Cor- poral and 4 private men from the line to mount at the usual time to morrow morning for this duty ; all prisoners Except those styled officers mentioned in the Incruductiun, at the sieges of Limerick, Dublin and Kinsale. It served with bravery From 1696-1701, in the Netherlands, Ireland and Holland ; and, in 1702, on the elevation of the Princess Anne to the throne, was desig- nated "The Queen's Regiment." It was among the tirst to storm the citadt:! at the siege of Liege in the same year (1702). In the following year, it was at the siege of Huy and Limburg ; and, in 1704, took part in the great battles of Schellenbcrgand Blenheim. At Helixem, it forced the French lines. After the suppression of the rebellion headed by the Pretender and the Earl of Mar in 17 1 6, the regiment was stationed a short time at Glasgow, at which time, George 1 showed his appreciation of its good behavior on all these occasions by con- ferring on it the distinguished title of " The King's Regiment of Foot." On obtaining this title, the facing of the uniform was changed from yellow to blue, and the regiment was authorized to bear the White Horse as a regimental badge with the motto Nic aspera terrent. In 1777, at the time of Burgoyne asouming the command of the expedition from Canada, the protection of a portion of the Canadian frontiers was confided to it ; the regin. ;nt also furnishing a detach- ment of one hundred men fur St. Leger's command, in his campaign against Fort Stanwix. In 1809, it assisted in the capture of Martinique. Again, in the war of 18 1 2, it greatly distinguished itself. It participated in the actions at Fort George and Sackett's Harbor, Chippawa and Niagara; and was also at the siege oi Fort Erie and at the battle of Plattsburg where it captured the stand of American colors, which Gsn. Sir George Prevost sent to England to be laid at the feet of his Royal Highness, the Prince Regent. The Historical Record of the British army (London, 1844) thus concludes a sketch of this regiment. " Distinguished by a long period of meritorious service, in- cluding heroic conduct in numerous battles and sieges which reflect lustre on the British arms, and by excellent behavior under all the circumstances of colonial and home service, the 8th or the King's Regiment possesses a high and an un- tarnished reputation, and ranks among the corps which deservedly possess the confidence of the crown and kingdom." f:.'^l ■MBH i mM 'i ' .fl^H ' . ■si ^ '- .'' 4^H ^ ^ :'|fl 1 1; |l r 'V 'r ■ '1 ^-jB 78 Johnson'' s Orderly Book, from the Pvcbel army to go on all fatigues daily, a man of the Guard to attend them ; the Rations pr. day for all Rebel prisoners of whatever dis- tinction to be an oz. of pork and pound of flourV. For duty to morrow — K's Regt, 17 P. ; 34th Regt, I C. 16 P. ; R. R. Regt, 3 L. i S. i C. 32 P. Regt Orders. For Guard to morrow Ens Lipscomb. i. i. 2. and 20 private men. Its Major Gray's orders that an officer of a Compy shall Read to the men the Gen. Orders against trafficking with the Indians with Rum% and that the officers imployed in seeing the Batteaus car- ried over the long Sault shall give in an Exact list of the number of Boats brought up by each squad. — 15th. P. London. C. Edinburgh. The duty of the Provost Marshal'. The care of all ' This order affords a glimpse of how short the rations had already become even at this early stage of the campaign. ' St. Leger, however, did not in his practice carry out these excellent orders. On the contrary, we find Col. Claus complaining greatly that owing to the miction of St. Leger in this particular, hi; could with difficulty control those Indians lunder his command. " On the 24th of July," Claus writes, " Brig. St. Leger mentioned my going was chiefly intended to quiet the Indians with him, who were very drunk and riotous; and Capt. Tice, who was the messenger, informed me that St. Leger ordered the Indians a quart of rum apiece, which made them all beastly drunk, and in which case, it is not in the power of man to quiet them. Soon after, finding the Indians were un- willing to proceed, St. Leger came away from Salmon creek and arrived the next day at Oswego with the companies of the 8th and 34th regiments and about 250 Indians." Col. Claus to Sec'y. Knox, Oct. 16, 1777. This conduct of St. Leger, however, may be partly solved by the fact that the English, save in the notable case of Sir William Johnson, never acquired the knack of managing the Indians. The French, on tne con- trary, by assimilating, marrying and affiliating with them, handled the red men admirably. 3 The attention of the roder is directed to St. Leger's admirable description of what the duties of a provost marshal should be. Johnson's Orderly Book. 79 prisoners taken in battle, spies and deserters is Intrusted to them forthwith ; he will have a guard strong in proportion to their number ; all disorders in the camp fall under his cognizance ; he is to have the control of all settlers and traders selling Liquor, and have authority for Impressing such as he finds disobedient to General Orders ; he is to regulate all markets that may be formed in the Camp, and appoint proper places for them, and likewise to protect with his authority and guard all persons comming with provisions to the troops ; he is from time to time to send out patroles from his guard and when necessary at- tend them himself to take prisoners all marauders and stragglers ; all his reports are to be made to the D Quartermaster General — only for the In- formation of the Commander-in chief cases rel- ative to the economy of the Comp, and to the D. A. General all Extraordinary matters ; as spies, deserters, &c. &c. In cases of Executions he is to the Martial law what the Sheriff of a County is to the Civil ; he is to be provided with an Ex- ecutioner when this he Requests and when a more honourable death by fire arms is granted he will give the word of command ; his guard is to be near headquarters. G. O. Commanding officers of the diff'rent Corps will derect that the mens tents are struck a.id the rear turned up every fine day at 10 o'clock and remain so four hours at least to air them I ' ^i- If ~ , 7M ' ' '^'' '''ffl ]^H 1 m - 1 '1 8o JohnsorCs Orderly Book. perfectly ; their streets must be swept every morn- ing; no washing, cleaning of arms or accoutre- ments or doing any thing in them that may ren- der them filthy and Consequently unwholesome must be suffered. The K. R. R. of New York will Expend that part of their ammunition which [is] fit for ser- vice in firing at marks Every morning in presence of their officers. For duty — K. R. Regt, i L. i S. 17 P. ; 34th Regt, I L. 2 C. 15 P. ; K. R. R. N. Y., I L. I S. 32 P. 34th Regiment to give the subaltern of the Day to morrow, i man to be sent |as] orderly over the adjt General. Regt. Orders. For Guard to morrow Lieut. Walker, i S. i C. i D. 16 private men — all the men of the R, Regt of N. Y. to fire two Rounds of Ball Cartridge each to morrow morning at 10 o'clock. — i6th. Morning Orders. The Kings Royal Regt of N. York to send one Sergt and i 2 care- ful men to the artillery at 8 o'clock to examin the Ammunition. Signed, Wm Crofts, Major Brigade. P. Bristol. C. Taunton. For duty to mor- row K. Regt, 4 P. ; 34th Regt, i C. 6 P. ; K. R. Regt N. Y., 1 L. I C. 5 P. Its Sir John's orders that the officers Com- manding Companys Settle with their men Before to morrow night and pay them the Ballance of their accts to the 24th of August Inclusive. If f ill Johnson's Orderly Book, 8i Its Major Gray's Orders that [the officers] see that the men wash their cloathing and clean their arms to Morrow as there are but few men for duty ; they will likewise Examine their Neces- saries of which they will give a report in writing to Major Gray. — 17th. P. Winchester. C. York. The Brigadier has the satisfaction to inform the Corps in this expedition that Fort Ticonderoga, a large Quantity of provision & artillery & stores with their whole stock of live cattle were abandoned by the rebels to the grand army the 6th instant ; that many prisoners were taken & many killed, and that at the moment the advanced corps of Indians were in hot pursuit ; the troops on this expedition to hold themselves in readiness to em- bark on an hours notice; 40 Days provision for 500 men to be immediately sorted to be ready to be embarked on boats which the superintend- ents will point out'. Lieutenant Collorton will ' As hinted in the Introduction, this order for rations enables us forever to put at rest the long mooted question in regard to the number of men actually engaged in this expedition against Fort Stanwix. By contemporaneous writers (among them Judge Thomas Jones in his Hhtory of Neiv York during the Revolution) and also by those of later date, such, for instance, as Col. Wm, L. Stone in his Life of Brant, Campbell in his History of Tryon County, Lossing, de Peyster, Roberts and others, it h^s invariably been stated that St. Leger's force consisted of 1,700 men, including Indians. General Riedesel, moreover (see RiedesePs yournah, Vol. 11 1st) would make it thr; same by his detail from the different regiments sent out; and Dr. Dwight, who visited Fort Stan- wix in 1799, gives, in his Tra-vels, the number from 1,500 to 1,800; while in his History of the American Revolution, Dr. Gordon who, after all, has always stood the test for accuracy, differs from the above authorities, St. Leger's forces, by his estimate, having been only 800. Lord George Germaine, also, in a letter to Sir Guy Carleton, dated " Whitehall, 26th March, 1777," says: "It is the King's further pleasure that you put under the command of Col. St. Leger : A detachment from the 8th regiment, 100 ; |:^ rV t 82 JohnsorCs Orderly Book, \\ prepare ammunition For two 6 pounders' & 2 Cohorns and 50 rounds ball cartridges per man for 500 men and make a demand of the number of large boats that will be sufficent For their transports ; all ovens to be set at work to bake 6 Days bread For 500 men; great care must be taken that it will be well soakt to keep in that time ; each corps to find what bakers they have [and report] to the Deputy Commissary general at 10 o'clock; the kings regt, the 34, Captain Watts's Detachment, and Capt Reveil's [Rouville corps to be compleated with 50 rounds of gooc ammunition Immediatly. All those corps who have it not in their own stores will make a de- mand on the artillery and give a receipt agreable to the forms they require ; it is absolutely neces- sary that the officers commanding Corps should provide their men with some sort of cases to a detachment from the 34th regiment, 100 ; Sir John Johnson's regiment of New York, 133; Hanau Chasseurs, 342; total, 67 s ; together with a sufHcient number of Indians and Canadians." We are now, however, enabled to state accurately the force employed ; and, as usual, we find that Dr. Gordon is more nearly correct than any other writer. If we consider that the 500 rations, men- tioned in the text, were, as is probably the case, for the white troops solely, we have 500 as the number. Now, in the letter of Col. Claus to Secretary Knox, it is expressly stated that the Indians in this expedition were composed of 150 Misissagues (a tribe of the Hurons) under Claus himself, and 300 of the Six Nations under Brant. Therefore 500 >■ 150 1 300 gives the number of St. Leger's force as 9joall told ; and this is without doubt a correct statement. If, however, the 500 rations included the Indians, the total number of white and Indian troops would be 500, a very much smaller force than 1,700. Si. Leger left a portion of his force at Oswego, and refused to take more men, though strongly urged to do so by Col. Claus (C/a«ifo ^Vc'j. Knox). Indeed, it was undoubtedly owing to the smallness of his force, caused by his foolish belittling of the enemy's numbers and bravery, that he failed to capture Fort Stanwix. ' These two 6 pounders and the two cohorns (mortars) were left behind by St. Leger in his undignified and hasty retreat and fell into the hands of the Americans. N. T. Calendar Ke-v. Papers, Vol. 11, Johnsoris Orderly Book, 83 keep their locks dry through the woods in rainy weather ; the master of the Ship Colwheel and Mr. Miller, the Chief Ship Carpenter with any other carpenters or seamen they think proper to call For assist or advise with, and to take an exact and particular Survey of the State and con- dition of the Sloop Charity, and to make the re- port to the brigadier in writing this Day, signi- fying therein whether their works and timber will admit of sucli repair as will enable her to sail the lakes again with any probability of safety. Lieu- tenant Barnet of the kings regt will preside on this sur/ey. For Duty to morrow K regt, 6 P.; and 34th, I C. 7 P.; the kings royal yorkers, i L. i C. 10 P. A return to be given in immediately by each -corps to lieutenant Barnet of the kings regt of the number of batteaux', painters, oars, setting- ' The following extract from ff^e/J's Tra-vels in Upper and Loiver Canada in 1795-97, a book now quite rare, will give the reader an excellent idea both of the manner in which the setting poles were used in propelling the batteaux, and of the characteristics of the batteaux-men themselves, " It was on the 28th of August," [1796] he writes, " that we reached La Chine, the next day the ' brigade,' as it was called, of batteaux was ready, and in the afternoon we set out on our voyage. Three men are found sufficient to conduct an empty batteau oi about two tons burden up the St. Lawrence, but if the batteaux be laden, more are generally allowed. They ascend the stream by means of poles, oars and sails. Where the current ii very strong, they make use of the former, keeping as close as possible to the shore, in order to avoid the current, and to have the advantage of shallow water to pole in. The men set their poles together at the same moment, and all work at the same side of the batteaux } the steersman, however, shifts his pole occasionally from side to side in order to keep the vessel in an even direction. The poles commonly used are about eight feet in length, extremely light and headed with iron. On coming to a deep bay or inlet, the men abandon the poles, take to their oars, and strike, if possible, directly across the mouth of the bay ; but in many places the current proves so strong that it is absolutely impossible to stem it by means of oars, and they are obliged to pole entirely round the bay. Whenever the wind is favorable they set their sail ; 84 'Johnson'' s Orderly Book. poles and paddles, specifying the size of the bat- teaux. — 1 8th. P. Onandaga. C. Fort jjuH'. The advance Guards consisting of all the officers & but it is only at the upper end of the river, beyond the rapids, or on the laiies or broad parts of it where the current is not swift, that the sail by itself is sufficient to impel them forward. " The exertion it requires to counteract the force of the stream by means of poles and oars is so great, that the men are obliged to stop very frequently to take breath. The places at which they stop are regularly ascertained \ some of them, where the current is very rapid, are not more than half a mile distant one from the other ; others one or two, but none of them more than four miles apart. Each of these places, the boatmen, who are almost all French Canadians, denomi- nate ' une p'lpty because rhey are allowed to stop at it and fill their pipes. A French Canadian is scarcely ev«r without a pipe in his mouth, whether working at the oar or plow ; whether on foot, or on horseback; indeed, so much addicted are the people to smoking, that by the burn- ing of tobacco in their pipes, they com- monly ascertain the distance from one place to another. Such a place, they say, it three pipes off, that is, it is so far off that you may smoke three pipes full of tobacco whilst you go thither. A pipe as in the most general acceptation of the word, seemed to be about three-quarters of an English mile. '•The men, who arc engaged in conduct- ing batteaux in Canada, are, as I have before observed, a very hardy race. When the weather is fair, they sleep on the grass at night, without any other covering than a short blanket, scarcely reaching down to their knees ; during wet weather a sail or blanket to the weather side spread on poles stuck into the ground in an inclined direction, is all the shelter they deem necessary. On setting out, each man is furnished with a certain allowance of lalted pork, biscuit, pease and brandy; the pease and biscuit they boil with some of the pork into porridge, and a large vessel full of it is generally kept at the head of the batteaux, for the use of the crew when they stop in the course of the day. This porridge, or else cold fat salted pork, with cucumbers, constitutes the principal part of their food. The cucumber is a fruit that the lower classes of French Canadians are extremely fond of; they use it however in a very in- different state, as they never pull it until it has attained a large size, and is become yellow and seedy. Cucumbers thus mellow, chopped into small pieces without being peeled, and afterwards mixed with sour cream, is one of their favorite dishes." From the above extract, it may be seen that a person reaaing at the time it was written, the text a few sentences in advance under date of the 1 8th, where the ex- pression " to be ready to fu^h in the morning " is used, would not have needed the explanatory word "ahead " which we have inserted in brackets At that time, the phrase " to be ready to push at a moment's warning " was used, and under- stood in reference to the poling operation, as if, now, one should say, " to be ready to sail in the morning," or " to be ready to row in the morning," the verb "to push " being at that time used in a strictly conventional or technical sense, and not as we at the present day employ the term " to push forward," i. e., " to start." * Fort Bull, situated about half-way on the Oneida portage, played a prominent part in the early border warfare of New York. It had always given the French 'Johnson s Orderly Book, 85 80 rank & file of the Kings h, 34th Regts, the Tribe of Misisagey Indians, with what is on the Island of the Six Nations, & the officers and rangers will move to morrow Morning at 4 o'clock. The Kings & 34th Regts will Receive 10 Boats Each for their men & twenty days pro- vision. The officers will be allowed a proper portion of Boats for their Baggage on their way to Oswego, those boats will be man'd by the Su- pernumeraries of each corps. Capt. Ruvielle's corps of Canadians will remove the same time & carry 20 Days provisions for 500 men. The Corps will be assisted by a proper number of men [from] the Ks and 34th to mount the Rapids from Os- wego to Fort Stanwix'. The provision boats as ( trouble j and on the 17th of" March, 1756, DeLevy with three hundred men, suddenly appeared before it and summoned it to surrender. This summons. Sir Wm. Johnson having meanwhile supplied the commander with abundance of ammuni- tion, was answered by a shower of bullets. This so exasperated Dc Levy that he forth with ordered a charge, and breaking down the gate, put all bt: thirty of the garrison to the sword. The French ofHcer then burned the fort, and having destroyed forty thousand pounds of powder, returned with his prisoners into Canada with the loss of only three men. Stone's Sir Wtti. Johnson, Vol. 11, p. I. ' This fort has quite a history. In 1758, General John Stanwix, who came to America in 1756, as colonel of the 1st Battalion of the 60th Royal Americans, was sent by General Abercrombie after his defeat at Ticonderoga to build a fort on the ruins of old Fort Williams (named after Capt. William Williams of Sir William Pepperell's regiment, who was in command of the fort for a short time) near the rise of the Mohawk river on the Oneida Carrying Place at the head of boat navigation, the site of the present city of Rome, N. Y. '' It was a strong square fortification, having bomb-proof bastions, a glacis, covert way, and a well picketed ditch around the ramparts." Its position was important in a military point of view, for it commanded the portage between the Mohawk and Wood creek, and was a key to communication between the Mohawk valley and Lake Champlain. The works cost the British and Colonial government two hundred and sixty-six thousand four hundred dollars, yet when the Revolution broke out the fort and its outposts were in ruins. Accordingly, in 1776, it was repaired by Colonel Dayton, who, to please his patron, Gen. Philip E m 86 'Johnson's Orderly Book, 4'^ well as those of the officers baggage are to be Loaded this Evening ready to push [ahead] at a moment's warning in the morning. The advance Corps to carry 6 Days provision in bread & pork to shut out any possibility of want of provision from Delays or Disappointments of the Ks ves- Schuyler, changed its name to Fort Schuyler. In a manuscript letter, now in my possession and before me as I write, under date of " German Flats, Aug. 8th, 1776," General Schuyler writes to Col. Dayton as follows : " * * * I thank you for the honor you have done me in calling the fort by my name. As I cannot, con- sistent with delicacy, announce this to Congre s, would it not be right for you to ■' it, and to General Washington ?" Although known by the Americans during tlie war as Fort Schuyler, yet the name did not •' take ; " and it has always been known in histoiy by its original one, "Fort Stanwix." Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) must not be confounded with the one built on the present site of Utica, N. Y., which latter has been known as ••Old Fort Schuyler" to distinguish it from Fort Schuyler of Fort Stanwix fame. Fort Stanwix was dcotroyed by fire and a a fr'shet in 1781, and was never rebuilt. At the time of St. Leger's siege, the fort was garrisoned by the 3d New York Con- tinental regiment, a company of artillery, and a small body of infantry, consisting in all of six hundred men (de Lancey gays 700) and commanded by that staunch patriot. Colonel Peter Gansevoort. We cannct, however, dismiss Fort Stanwix without noticing one incident in particular, which, if for no other reason, must always make this fort memorable in our Revolutionary annals. We alude to the fact that it was on her ramparts during St. Leger's siege, that the stars and stripes were unfurled for the fir%t time ! In writing of this siege and of the cir- cumstances of the Hag, Colonel Stone, in his Life of Brant, says : •' A besieging army was before the fort, and its garrison was without a fljg ! Cat as necessity it the mother of invention, they were not long thus destitufc. Stripes of white were cut from ammunition shirts, blue from a camlet cloak captured from the enemy} while the red was supplied from the petti- coat of a soldier's wife; and thus fur- nished, commenced the celebrated siege of Fort Schuyler" [Stanwix]. In the late Oriskany centennial, Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour, speaking of this flag in his address of welcome, at its close eloquently said : " It is a just source of patriotic pride to those who live in this valley [i. e., the Mohawk valley] that the flag of our country ^with the stars and stripes) was first displayed in the face of our enemies on the b.-nks of the Mohawk. Here it was baptized in the blood of battle. Here it first waved in triumph over a retreating foe. When the heroic defenders of Fort Stanwix learned in that remote fortress the emblem adopted by the Continental Congress for the standards to be borne by its armies, they hastened to make one in accordance with the mandate, and to hang it out from the walls of their fortress. It was rudely niade of such materials cut from the clothing of the soldiers as were fitted to show its colors and its designs. But no other standard however skillfully wrought upon silken folds could equal in interest the first flag of our country worked out by the unskillful hands of brave men amid the strife of war and under the fire of beleaguering foes. It was to rescue it from its perils that the J.. "l\ Johnson'' s Orderly Book, 87 sels ; the officer command'gin chief finds himself under the painfull necessity of putting a short stop to the currency of Trade by ordering that the crews of the boats that come to unload on the Island may go one trip with provision to Oswego for which they will be paid. Every Brigade of provision boats, which arrived before the return of the vessals from Niagara, Capt Potts will push forward to Oswego with all Expedition. Regtl Orders. For Guard to morrow En- sign Wall, 1 S. I C. I D. 15 P. Each officer Commanding Companys is to pay 3 Dollars, Each subaltern i Dollar to the Quartermaster in order to pay the men that carry'd the batteaux over the Long Sault, & the officers of the Colonels Com- pany to pay Three Dollars extraordinary [for] the batteau that was lost at Point Abaw' in place men of tliis valley left their homes and marched through the deep forest to this spot. ♦' It was to uphold the cause of which it was the emblem that they battled here. Time has destroyed that standard, but I hold in my hand another banner hardly less sacred in its associations with our history. It is the riag of our State which was borne by the regiment commanded by Colonel Gansevoort, not only here at the beginning of the Revolutionary war, but also when it ended by the surrender of the British army at Yorktown. The brave soldier who carried it valued it beyond all earthly possessions. He left it as a precious heir- loom to his family. They have kept it, with such faithful care that now after a century has rolled away its folds can be displayed in this valley to another genera- tion who will look upon it with a devotion equal to that felt by those who followed it on the battle fields of the Revolution. When it is now unfurled let it receive the military honors accorded to it a hundred yeari ■ oj and let us reverently uncover our heads in memory of the dead who watched and guarded it through the perils of ancient war." ''John F. Seymour then displayed the riag upon which the vast audience gave three rousing cheers and lifted their hats. " All the military presented arms and the band played the * Star Spangled Banner.' " This riag was the standard of the Third New York regiment commanded by Col. Peter Gansevoort, who at the disbandment of the army retained it in his own posses- sion and handed it down to his son, the late Peter Gansevoort, from whom it descended to his daughter Mrs. Abraham Lansing, of Albany, in whose hands it is now reverently preserved. ' Point au Baudet, situated in Lake St. 8i % ■ >!' !' \ ■■ 88 Johnson's Orderly Book. 'W^ji of Five paid to the Indians for finding the 5th Batteau, and for the future whatever Companys shall lose Batteaux or provisions by negligence shall pay the whole value & be liable to censure besides; as men seem to be careless about their arms & Accoutrements it is the Commanding officers orders that at Roll Call evening 6c morn- ing the men appear with their arms, and who- ever loses any of them shall be obliged to pay for the same. — 19th. P. Hesse Hanau. C. Cassel. The troop [i. e. Bugle-callJ will assemble the advan- ced corps, & upon the beating the second troop, they will embark. Each corps will be allowed 1 boat to carry such things as will be immediately wanted, which will move with the Artillery and provisions destined for Fort Stanwix. The re- mainder will stay at Oswego' till a general clear- ance of that post. The whole Brigade of Cana- dians that brought up the Hessians to be employed in carrying provisions to Oswego after giving Eight hands to strengthen Capt Rouvilles Com- pany. The Artillery under the conduct of Lt Francis in the St. Lawrence, and the place where the boundary line begins that separates Upptr from Lower Canada. It was, too, just the spot where a batteau might very easily be lost, since when the wind comes from the south-west, the immense body of water in the lake is impelled directly towards this point, and a surf breaks in upon the beach, as tremendous as is seen on the sea shore. When Weld visited the place in 1796, •• there was," he says, " one solitary house here which proved to be a tavern, and afforded us a well-drest supper of venison, and decent accommodation for the night." Weld had been obliged, on account of the surf and the strong south-west wind then prevailing, to tarry over at the Point until the next morning. To what cir- cumstance Point au Baudet (Point of the Donkey) owes its name, is not stated. ' For the following admirable sketch of Oswego, 1 am indebted to Mr. B. B. m "Johnson's Orderly Book. 89 Collerton to carry 20 days Provision for their own Detachment. Three of the Rebel Prisoners now in the Provo Guard who have taken the oaths of allegiance to the King are to be em- ployed as Batteau men to Lt. Glennie's Detach- ment to which will be added 10 Men of the Royal Yorkers which takes two boats from their proper line of transports. Burt, of that city, who, though heavily burdened with professional duties, kindly found time to prepare it. Mr. Burt is well known, together with Mr. O. H. Marshall, and Mr. Wm. C. Bryant, of Buffalo, N. Y., as one who has made the early history of Lake Ontario a profound study; and this sketch from his pen, will, I believe, be highly appreciated by all historical students. Mr. Burt writes : " The Onondaga Indians have a tradi- tion that Ta-oun-ya-ivat-hay the deity that presides over fisheries and hunting grounds came down from above in his white canoe, and selected a couple of warriors from among the Onondagas, who met him at Oswego. They together passed up the Oswego river and removed all obstructions to navigation so that canoes could pass in safety. " The first European that discovered Lake Ontario was Champlain, in 1615. In the month of October of that year he left Canada to go to a fortified village of the Iroquois, in the Onondaga county. He crossed the outlet of Lake Ontario with an armed party of ten Frenchmen and some Indian allies ; and after passing many islands followed the eastern shore of the lake to a point where they landed. After leaving their canoes, they proceeded about four leagues over a sandy tract, and came to a very beautiful country. This was the town of Sandy cieek and Richland in this county. Leaving the shores of the lake they went southward and crossed the outlet of Oneida lake. 12 " In October, 1 65 3, Father Joseph Poncet, a Jesuit missionary, on a return from a visit to the Mohawk country went through Oswego on his way down the St. Law- rence river. " In July, or early in August, 1654, the Jesuit Father, Simon Le Moyne, visited Oswego on his way to Onondaga, and on the 1 6th of August of that year discovered the salt springs at Salina. "On the 29th day of October, 1655, Father Chanmonot and the Jesuit Dabion arrived at Ontiahantaque (Oswego), and encamped there for a day or two, on their way to Onondaga. They describe it as a large river discharging into Lake Ontario. Dabion gave a description of the place. '' In 1656, the expedition that founded the colony Genentaha, on Onondaga lake, was at Oswego. The historian of the party said : * On the 7th July we arrived, about ten o'clock in the evening at the mouth of the river [Oswego] which flows from the Lake Genentaha [Onondaga], on the bank of which we proceeded to erect a dwelling for the night. The next day we found the currents of water so rapid that it required all our force to sur- mount them.' " On a French map made by Franquelin, in 1679, Oswego is called OnontJguero. In June or July, 1679, Father Hennepin and associates cume to Oswego in a brig- antine, and erected a bark cabin half a league in the woods for divine service and to avoid the intrusion of the savages, who came to trade for powder, etc., and par- \ I ^SBB8S9 wm 90 yohnsori's Orderly Book, — 19th. After Orders. The several corps to proceed in 2 lines dressing. The leading boats, the officer commanding in chief & the staff to Lead ; the lines to be followed by the Artillery, Kings Regt, Capt Ruvill's Company, & 2 Merchts boats & 34th Regt. ticularly brandy. M. De Chesnau wrote a letter to Count Frontenac, dated July 28, i68z, and called Oswego ' Techo- naguen ' ; and on July 28, 1696, Count Frontenac arrived at Oswego ■ 1 his ex- pedition against the Onondaga '' The English regarded Oswego as a place of importance, and in 1722 estab- lished a trading house there, and in 1727, under colonial Govornor Burnet, it was strengthened and FortiHed and named ' Fort Oswego'; and on some maps it was called ' Fort Pepperell,' and was the first fort constructed there. "John Bartram on a trip from Philadel- phia to Canada arrived in Oswego on the 25th day of July, 1743, and described the place as follows : ' On the point formed by the entrance of the river [into Lake Ontario] stands a fort or trading castle ; it is a strong stone house encom- passed with a stone wall near twenty feet high, and 120 paces round, built of large square stones curious for their softness. I cut my name in it with my knife. The town consists of about seventy log houses, of which one-half are in a row near the river, the other half opposite them. On the other side of a fair were two Streets, divided by a row of posts in the midst where each Indian has his house to lay his goods, and where any of the traders may traffic with him.' " In 1753 Gen. Shirley cameto Oswego with the intention of attacking Fort Niag- ara, then in the possession of the French, but there being a delay in getting supplies and a difficulty in obtaining transports, the expedition was abandoned for that year. Lieut. Col. Mercer wai left with about 700 men and during that fall and ensuing winter and spring constructed two new forts : ' Fort Ontario ' on the east and ' Oswego new fort ' or • Fort George ' on the west side of the river. "All of these forts were captured by Mont- calm, August 14, 1756 and destroyed, and Oswego abandoned by the French. Soon thereafter the English again occupied the place and rebuilt Fort Ontario on nearly the site of the fort which still bears that name, and was the only one rebuilt. "The first vessel constructed by the English on Lake Ontario, was at Oswego in 1755 At that time the French called Oswego ' Chouaguen.' "Gen. Bradst.eet accompanied by 3,000 men remained in Oswego for a short time, in August, 1758, on his way to capture Fort Frontenac. "On the 27th day of June, 1759, Oen. Prideaux and Sir William Johnson with an army, arrived at Oswego, on the way to capture Fort Niagara ; were engaged in procuring provisions on the 28th, 29th and 30th, and in making preparations for the m.irch j left Oswego, July ist; arrived before Niagara on the 8th, and August 8th invested and took the fort ; after which the army in two vessels and accompanied by Sir William Johnson (Prideaux having, meanwhile, been killed at Niagara), returned to Oswego on Tues- day the 7th of August. Sir William remained here several days engaged in rebuilding Fort Ontario in a pentagon form, and passing his leisure moments in shooting and fishing. In your own Life of Sir fVilliam yohnson^ you give in the appendix to Vol. 11, the journal of the 1 •)' Johnson's Orderly Book, 91 Signals to be observ'd by the Detach'mt ; the Ensign hoisted a mid ships and one musket a Signal for all boats to put off. The Ensign hoisted in the bow and one musket a signal for all boats to put ashore. A Signal to be made by any boat in Distress, three successive muskets ; a signal for \ii/egible\ any thing white in the bow'. Baronet kept by him during his stay at this time at Oswego, which is full ot' interest. Mrs. Grant, also, in her Memoirs of an American LaiJy, speaks very pleasantly of the winter of 1759-60, which she spent at Fort Ontario. "July or August, 1760, General (after- wards Lord) Amherst loft Oswego, with 10,000 men for Canada, to destroy the French dominion there ; and on the 9th of July of the same year, Col. Woodhull, with a collection of troops from Massa- chusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New Jersey and the 44th Highlanders, arrived at Oswego and en- camped near Fort Ontario on the i6th of July. His journal closes with the army at Oswego, July 20th. '* On Tuesday, the 21st of July, 176 1 (Sunday), Sir William John>on arrived on his way to Detroit, at Oswego, and on the 2ist held a conference with the Onondaga natives, at which Ma) Duncan, Capt. Gray and several officers of the S^th and Gen. Gage's regiments, Lieut. Guy Johnson acting as secretary, with inter- preters and upwards of forty sachems and warriori were present. Sir William opened the meeting by welcoming them to Oswego. For the particulars of this conference see your Life of Hir IVilliam Johnson, Vol. 11, p. 435-438. '* July 23 to 31, 1766, there was an Indian council at Oswego, at which Pontiac and other chiefs and Sir William Johnson were present. "July 27th and 28 th, 1777, the expedi- tion under Gen. St. Lei;er left Oswego and in August fought at the battle of Oriskany. " Oswego although not a battle ground during the Revolution, was garrisoned by a strong British force, and was a place of general rendezvous for the English and their allies. Brant, Johnson and others. The p'ace continued in the possession of the English until it wag surrendered to the United States, under Jay's treaty, July I 5, 1796, and on that day the first Amer- ican (lag was displayed at the fort. Soon thereafter settlers arrived ; the first, Neil McMullen, a merchant from Kingston, who had furnished supplies to the fort prior to its surrender. He brought a frame and put up a house, which is sup- posed to have been the first frame house built, " Oswego was captured by the English May 6, 1814. The name Oswego is derived from * Swa-geh ' of the Onondaga didlect, signif)inB 'Flowing out' or the 'dis- charging place ' of the numerous lakes of Central New York. " At the present time, Oswego it a thriving city of about 23,000 inhabitants, possess- ing excellent advantages for commerce on the lake and canal, also railroad facilities ; has a fine water power, large manufac- tories ; beautifully situated, healthy and , in other respects a desirable place for busi- ness as well as residence." ' Not being able fully to make out this word in the MS., I have said, in the text, " illegible." Still, it looks to me like ! I; k \\ ••■Mhw 92 Johnson's Orderly Book, All signals to be Repeat'd by commanding offi- cers of corps. The Detachment of Royal Artillery under the command of Lieut. Glennie, the R. R. N. York- ers, the Companies of Chasseurs' & officers & Rangers^ of the Indian Department & Canadians Destined for the transport of provisions are to hold themselves in Readiness to embark tc mor- row Morning at 4 o'clock, for which purpose the officers commandn'g the different Corps are to see that their Boats are loaded this evening; all the ovens to be Imploy'd this evening in Bakeing for the Hessians. Three Canadians out of each of the 7 boats to be Imploy'd as Steersmen to the Royal Yorkers & Hessians, for which in equal Number agreeable to the proportion |of] each Corps, Receipts must be given for the Provision boats. The whole to proceed in the Following order. First, The Command'g officer with such of the staff & Indian Department as are on the Ground. "the charity," i. e., the sloop Charity. Hence (as we know that this sloop with some guns accompanied the boats for pro- tection) it probably meant that when a great danger arose, the " Charity " would be signaled to advance, as quickly as possible, and aid the convoy. ' Col. Glaus, however, in his letter to Secretary Knox, above referred to, speaks of only one company of Chasseurs, and that arrived a day or two before the 19th of July. " " The origin of Rangers, since the lute Sir Wm. Johnson's time, was to in- termix them with the Indians, when on service, and be commanded by the Indian officers. Formerly none but those ac- quainted with the Indians and their lan- guage were admitted, and received half a crown pay ; now that distinction, though essentially necessary, is no more made, which makes his commission become an additional useless expense, though very beneficial to him." Col. Clans to Secretary Knoxy i(}th Oct., 1777. yohn son's Orderly Book, 93 Oswego Falls' — 1777 July 31st. P. York. The Detach- ment of the Royal artillery under the command of Lieut. Glenne, the R. R. of N. Y. of Capt. Buvills I Rouville]^ company of Canadians to take in their loading immediat'ly ; each captains boat in the royal Yorkers to carry 4 barrels, 10 lieut boats 5 each, lieutenant Anderson J. Wilkerson to carry 4 Barrels each, the privates' boats to carry 6 each, and to hold themselves in readiness ' Oswego Falls are about twelve miles south-east from Oswego on the Oswego river. In early times, the river was called " Onondaga," and the falls after the name of the river. Tiie fall proper is about twelve feet vsith rapids for about a mile below, which rendered it necessary to have a carrying place on the east side of the river of about a mile, the termini being called the upper and lower landings. There is a fall of about seventy feet from the head of Oswego Falk to Oswego, and it took five days to go *rom Oswego to Fort Bull fat the carrying place at Fort Stanwix) and only three and a-half days to come from Fort Bull to Oswego. This arose from having to contend with the currents in the river. In 1759, a fort was constructed near the eastern end of the falls ; thus, between Oswego and Fort Stanwix, there were three forts, viz. : the fort at Oswego Falls, Fort Brewerton at the outlet of Oneida Lake, and Fort Bull at the carrying place between the Mohawk river and Wood creek. About 1792, settlements were made at the upper and lower landings of the carrying place and also at the westerly end of the falls. It has always been a good place for catching eels in weirs. B. B. Burt. The reader should be informed that the hiatus which here occurs in the Orderly Book between the 19th and the 3 1st of July is due to the fact that at that time the troops of St. Leger and Sir John Johnson were passing from Buck's (Carle- ton) Island to Oswego Falls in boats. - Captain Rouville, together with Lieutenants Lundy and Glenie mentioned previously in the text, did erticient service in the events which subsequently took place. Col. St. Leger, in his " Account of Occurrences at FortStanwix," published in the Appendix to Burgoyne's State of the Expeiiition^ writes of these otticers as follows; "The 4th and 5th of August were employed in making arrangements for opening Wood creek (which the enemy, with the indefatigable labor of one hun- dred and tifty men, for fourteen days, had most effectually choked up) and the making a temporary road from Fine Ridges upon Fish creek, sixteen miles from the fort, for a present supply of provision and the transport of our artillery. The first was effected by the diligence and zeal of Capt. Bouville [Rouville] * * while Lieutenant Lundy, acting as assistant quartermaster, had rendered the road in the worst of weather, sufficiently practicable to pass the whole artillery and stores, with seven I \\\ ;i 94 yohnson's Orderly Book. to embark at 2 o'clock this afternoon to proceed in the Following order.' Royal artillery. Six Companys of the Kings R. R. of N. Y. Capt Rouvill's Company of Canadians, Lieut Col's Company. The officers commanding companys not to allow their boats to fall back or put ashore without orders or a sig- nal for that purpose*. days provision, in two days. * * * It was found that our cannon had not the least effect upon the sod-work of the Fort [Stanwix], and that our royals [cohorns] had only the power of teazing, as a six- inch plank was a sufficient security for their powder magazine, as we learned from deserters. At this time. Lieutenant Olenie of the artillery, whom I appointed to act as assistant engineer, proposed a conversion of the royals (if I may use the expression) into howitzers. The in- genuity and feasibility of this measure striking me very strongly, the business was set about immediately and soon exe- cuted, when it was found that nothing prevented their operating with the desired efliect but the distance, their chambers being too small to hold a sufficiency of powder." ' There is a rapid in Oswego and within one mile of the lake, and several others between that city and Oswego Falls; while, as mentioned in the last note but one, there was a carrying place around the rails of at least a mile. It will thus readily be seen how three days could have been spent by St. Leger in getting around the falls and ready for a start for Fort Stanwix on the 3 ist of July, at 2 o'clock, p. M. ' On the inside of the cover of the Ordeily Book is the following entry ; " Nicholas Hillyer Sergt enters the Col's Company loth of April, 1777, then can- toned at Lachine." End of the Orderly Book. "Johnson's Orderly Book, 95 In order that this interesting document may 'be brought down to the latest date attainable, I append here, in the text, as a fitting ending, the last official paper of this expedition on the English side, as far as known. It was, as will be seen, written by St. Leger but a few hours previous to his appearance before the walls of Fort Stanwix ; his advance, meanwhile, having arrived under the walls of that fort on the evening of the day on which the letter was written. The letter is ad- dressed to Lieutenant Bird of the 8th Regiment, who had, on the 31st of July, been sent by St. Leger in advance with some sixty of his men and a few Indians. General St. Leger to Lieutenant Bird. **Nwe Mile Pointy August 2d, IJJJ. Sir: I this instant received your letter, contain- ing the account of your operations since you were detached, which I with great pleasure tell you have been sensible and spirited ; your resolution of investing Fort Stanwix is perfectly right ; and to enable you to do it with greater effect, I have detached Joseph [Thayendanegea] and his corps of Indians to re-inforce you. You will observe that I will have nothing but an investiture made; i 96 Johnson'' s Orderly Book. ,-?. and in case the enemy, observing the discretion and judgment with which it is made, should offer to capitulate, you are to tell them that you are* sure I am well disposed to listen to them ; this is not to take any honor out of a young soldier's hands, but by the presence of the troops to pre- vent the barbarity and carnage which will ever obtain where Indians make so superior a part of a detachment ; I shall move from hence at eleven o'clock, and be early in the afternoon at the en- trance of the creek [Wood creek]. I am. Sir, your most obt. and humble Ser't Barry St. Leger. Lieut. Bird, ^th Reg't:'' ' Before closing this subject, it may be well, especially as fVillett^s Narrati-ve, as stated in the Introduction, has become very rare and difficult to procure, to give the result of the expedition of St. Leger against Fort Stanwix in Col. Willett's own words. "Shortly after this [i. e., the capture of Capt. Butler,] the news of the approach of General Arnold, to relicTC the fort, having reached the enemy, the Indiansbeingalready extremely disaffected, in consequence of the ill success of the siege, and Colonel St. Leger, finding that the mulish obstinacy, as he termed it in a letter written to General Burgoyne, of the garrison, could not readily be over- come, on the 22d of August, the siege was suddenly abandoned after it had been carried on twenty days. Throughout the whole of the siege. Colonel St. Leger, certainly, made every effort in his power to render it successful. Having sent after Colonel Willett's departure, to Colonel Gansevoort a written summons to sur- render, which he found as unavailing as his message to Major Ancrum, he com- menced approaching by sap, and had formed two parallels, the second of which brought him near the edge of the glacis, but the fire of the musketry from the covert way, rendered his further progress very difficult; besides, his ordinance was not sufficiently heavy to make any im- pression from the battery which he had erected. The only way in which he could annoy the garrison, was with his shells, and this was so trifling, as to afford him but a poor prospect of success. It appears, that he made large calculations upon intimidating the garrison with threats ; and, perhaps, his expectations were the more sanguine, as Ticonderoga had been but a little time before aban- doned, upon the approach of Gen. Bur- goyne. The unexpected and hasty retreat of Col. St. Leger, and his host of In- dians, accompanied by Sir John John- son, whose influence among the settlers along the Mohawk river, it was sup- posed, would procure considerable rein- forcements, defeated all the calculations that had been made in the event of the success of St. Leger, which was hardly 'Johnson's Orderly Book. 97 doubted. Great indeed was the disappoint- ment and mortification, when, instead of Colonel St. Leger taking the fort, and, by this means obtaining possession of the Mohawk country, as well as ejecting a juncture with General Burgoyne, he w.is obliged to retreat, wholly batticd in all his designs." Indeed, so great was the panic of the besiegers and such the precipit.incy of their Hight, that St. Leger left his bombardier asleep in the bomb-battery. They also left their tents standing, their provisions, artillery ammunition, their entire camp-equipage and large quantities of other articles enhancing the value of the booty. In very truth, r!ie king's troops had themselves becoMc that very " Rabble" by which ter.i St. Leger in his orders, had so pompously designated the Americans ! Upon the raising of the siege of Fort Schuyler, or Fort Stanwix, as the public always preferred calling it, St. Leger hastened with his scattered forces back to Oswego, and thence to Montreal. From that post he proceeded to Lake Champlain, passing up the same to Ticonderoga for the purpose of joining the army of Bur- goyne. While neither himself, nor Sir John carried this intention out, some of their officers did, as has been seen in a preceding note. It is, however, very certain that St. Leger fully intended to join Burgoyne. Thus Gen. Burgoyne, in a secret and confidential letter to Gen. Riedesel under date of Sept. lo, 1777, writes as follows : " * * 1 have, my dear general, to intrust a little matter to your care during your stay at F'ort Edward. I desire to have two batteaux, with their oars, buried as qu'etly as possible. It would also, be well to shovel earth upon them j and to give them still more the appearance of graves, a cross might be placed Upon each hillock. All this must be done in the night, and only by trust- worthy soldiers. The teamsters cannot be relied on. The use for which these batteaux are intended, is to help Lieut. Col. St. Leger in crossing the river, in case of circumstances forcing him to 13 march without hii ships. This officer has been forced by the bad conduct of the Indians, to retreat on the road to Oswego. He has however, accom- plished this without loss, and it now on his march to the army. I have sent him orders as to the necessary measures of precaution he is to take upon arriving on the island at the lower end of Lake George. If he finds that the enemy are not in the vicinity of the road leading to the army, and he can keep the march of twenty- four men a secret, he is to cross the river near Fort Edward, at the same time notifying me in advance of his movement, that I may be able to facilitate it from my side. I have told him where he will find the batteaux, viz. insiJe of Fori F.divard. I had given orders to Brigadier General Powell to have your reserve cross at the same time with Colonel St. Leger, and to leave those only behind that belong to the regiment of Prince Frederick." The sequel to this burying of the batteaux is thus told by Dr. Gordon. In writing in regard to the cutting off of Bur- goyne by Gen. Stark's capture of Fort Edward, he says: "The Americans who had been ordered there [Fort Edward] made a discovery, which they greatiy im- proved. Below the fort, close in with the river, they found the appearance of a grave, with an inscripti )n on a board ; • Here lies the body of Lieutenant ." They were at a loss what it should mean. On searching, they discovered three batteaux [Riedesel with his usual prudence, had, it seemed, buried three in- stead of two] instead of a body. These the enemy had concealed. Having none of their own, they, by the help of them sent scouting parties across the river [the Hudson] which by falling into a track a mile and a-half beyond, discouraged the enemy's parties from attempting an escape that way." Thus, Burgoyne's and Rie- desel's efforts only redounded to the aid of their enemies ! It was undoubtedly to this action of Riedesel in burying the batteaux that Burgoyne refers to in his 98 "Johnson's Orderly Book. . • ^ •' State (f the Expedition" when, in speak- ing i)f' tlic reason why. after tin- action of the 19th of Sept., at Frrenian'e farm, he did not immediately ictreat, he says : •'The tJnie also entitled me to expect Lieut. Col. St. Lcger'g corps would be arrived at Ticonderoga ; and ietrei means had been long concerted to enable him to make an ertort to join me with probability of luccess." The miscarriage of St. Leger's expedi- tion, as it has been well epitomised by S. N. Dexter North, was due to the miscal- culation of the home government which planned it. The force under his com- mand was a picked one, but altogether too small. See Letter from Col. Claus to Secy Knox, N. 7'. Co/. Doc, Vol. viii, p. 719. "There were three good reasons," continues Mr. North, "to ex- cuse and explain this blunder. First, St. Leger's advance was through an unpro- tected country and against undisciplined forces; second, it was expected, upon the positive assertion of Sir John Johnson, that at every step of his piiigrcfs his army would be swelled by a rising tide of Mohawk valley loyalists, until it should reach Albany an irresistible force, sweep- ing all before it and cutting oft the last retreat of the army which held the sources of the Hudson against Burguyne ; third, the alliance of the warlike tribes of the Six Natiotis was relied upon as insuting a suflicient augmentation of forces and a terribly effective cooperation." Each of these three expectations failed in turn, and the brilliant plan miserably miscarried. In short, as Sir Henry Clinton pithily remarks of the expediti>in of St. Leger : " If Burgoyne meant to have established himself in Albany, and was sure he could be subsisted there, perhaps he had better have made this [i. e., St. Leger's Expedi- tion] his principal attack ; this failed from inadequacy of numbers and want of common calibre."' • Sir Henry Clinton's MS. notes to Stcdman's " History of the American War," in the Library of the late John Carter Brown, ot Providence, R, I. End. APPENDIX. NO. I. Rev. Marinus Willett. The Rev. Marinus Willett was born in October^ 1826, and died on the 23d of February, 1881. His father was a physician in New York city. In his younger days, Mr. Willett shipped before the mast for a trip to China, and be- came a great favorite with all on board. Returning to New York, he was made fourth officer of the ill-fated steamship Jrctic, commanded by Capt. Luce, and only left her as she started on her last voyage in which she was lost. Shortly after, he received the appointment of third officer in the packet - ship Ashburton \ but his mother dying about this time, he gave up the sea as a vocation, choosing in its place the profession of the ministry. He studied first at Columbia College j then at the University of Pennsylvania ; and finally graduated at Williams, He prepared for the ministry at the Union Theologi- cal Seminary in New York city ; and after his ordination be- came pastor in succession of several Presbyterian churches, among .'.lem the one at Black Rock, Conn., and another at Washington Heights, N. Y. About ten years before his death, he was appointed chaplain of Ward's, Hart's and Ran- dall's Islands, by Commissioner Bowen. He was devoted to his work and found particular happiness in administering spirit- ^V ! 'I II 'I ■« I ■ 4 iii •m ■m k .:■:;. lOO Appendix, ual comfort to poor patiento. He left, as a rich heritage to his children, an official record not often equalled for success and devotion to the suffering. Indeed, it was this very self- sacrificing spirit, which was the prirnary cause of his death. Notwithstanding he had been in ill health for some nine months previous to his decease, and had been urged not to attempt to perform his hbors as chaplain, at least until the weather be- came milder and more settled, he persisted, in the face of wind and storm, in crossing the East River in an open boat nearly every day in the week, to visit the Islands, and always on Sun- days to hold service. Indeed, the officials and physicians of the different institutions on the three Islands, speak of Mr, Willett in terms of unqualified praise, as a Christian minister who seemed to live only to better his fellow-men. Mr. Willett was, for many years, a member, and later, the secretary, of the society of the Cincinnati, of which his grandfather (after whom he was named) was one of the original members. He was also a member of the St. Nicholas society. He left a wic^--w, a daughter, and two sons, one of whom, at the time of his father's death, was a purser of a ship then cruising in the Indian Ocean. He was buried on the 26th of February, from the South Dutch church, corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty- First street, New York, Dr. Howard Crosby conducting the services which were unusually impressive. i' iv "% Appendix, lOI NO. II. Gen. Marinus Willett. Marinus Willett, the author of Willetfs Narrative, was born at Jamaica, Long Island, July 31st, (G. S.), 1740. He was the youngest of six sons of Edward Willett, a Queen's county farmer, and of excellent family — a younger branch, indeed, of that of Judge Thomas Jones, so well known as the author of the History of New York during the Revolutionary IVar, recently edited by Edward F. de Lancey, and published under the auspices of the N. Y. His. Soc. Owing to his family becoming much reduced in its circumstances, young Willett came to New York city and served for a time as a constable, which, in those days, was a position fully as dignified as that of sheriff is now. He early became imbued with a military spirit, and joined the army under Abercrombie as a lieutenant in Col. de Lancey's regiment in 1758. He was in the disas- trous battle at Ticonderoga, and accompanied Bradstreet against Fort Frontenac. Exposure in the wilderness injured his health, and he was laid up by sickness at Fort Stanwix until the end of the campaign. Willett espoused the cause of the colonies when the troubles with the mother country first began. When the British troops in the New York garrison were ordered to Boston after the fight at Lexington, they attempted, in addition to their own, to carry ofi^ a large quantity of spare arms. Willett, learning of this, resolved to prevent it ; and, though opposed by the mayor and other Tories, he captuted the baggage-wagons containing them and brought them back to the city. These arms were afterward used by the first regiment raised by the state of New York. For this success- •('■; • / m* t I 02 Appendix, ful attempt to baffle the British, he drew down on him the bitter hatred of all who were opposed to colonial independence ; and hence it is a matter of no surprise when, in speaking of him in his Tory History of New Tork, Judge Jones says '' he became a principal leader in all mobs in New York prior to the actual commencement of the rebellion." He was appointed second captain of a company in Col, Mc Dougall's regiment and accompanied Montgomery in his Northern expedition against Quebec. He was placed in command of St. John's, and held that post until January, 1776. In the same year, he was appointed lieutenant colonel; and, at the openingof the campaign of 1777, was placed in command of Fort Constitution on the Hudson. In May of this year, he was ordered to Fort Stanwix, where he performed signal service, as mentioned in the Introduction ; and for which he was voted a sword by congress. This vote of congress, unlike the playful amusement in which that body has, until lately, seemed inclined to indulge, viz: of voting monuments to Herkimer, Steuben, Pulaski, and others, and allowing its action to end in a vote merely, was. we are glad to state, carried out ; and the sword was sent direct to Col. VVillett by John Hancock. This sword, which is owned by the widow of the late Rev. Mr. Willett, has for several months past been in the careful keeping of a jeweller on William street near th z New York Custom House. After the retreat of St. Leger and Johnson, Willett was left in command of Fort Stanwix, and remained there until the summer of 1778, when he joined the army under Washington, arriving in time to participate in the battle of Monmouth. He accompanied Sullivan in his campaign against the Senecas in 1779, and was actively engaged in the Mohawk valley in 1780, 1781 and Appendix, 103 1782. ]n 1783, he was for a little time in command of the northern portion of New York state, having his head-quarters at Albany. A MS. letter, now before me, from Willett to Washington, dated "Albany, 30th Jan., 1783," and signed " M. Willett, Col. Commanding," bears on its back the follow- ing endorsement also in his handwriting. " Permit the bearer Thomas Clump (express rider) to pass to head-quarters at New Burgh. Should any accident happen to his horse or himself, all magistrates and other friends are humbly requested to afford him such assistance as he may stand in need of, in order that his dispatches may not be delayed. And any necessary expenses which may accrue on this account, I promise to settle. M. WILLETT, Col. Commanding." In 1792, he was sent by Washington to treat with the Creek Indians at the south ; and the same year he was appointed a brigadier general in the army intended to act against the north- western tribes. This appointment, however, he declined, as he was conscientiously opposed to the expedition. He was for some time sheriff' of New York city, and was elected its mayor in 1807. He was also chosen one of the electors of president and vice-president in 1824, and was made president of the Electoral College. He died in New York city at *' Cedar Grove " (as his residence in Broome street was called), full of years and honors, Sunday evening, Aug. 23d, 1830, the an- niversary of his battle with Major Ross and Walter Butler, in the 91st year of his age. The funeral of Col. Willett took place on Tuesday, the 24th of August. The coffin was con- veyed into the garden in the rear of his dwelling, under an V: 1?. 11 m if ''i li i|ii; m m I Wi: 104. Appendix, arbor, which in life had been his favorite resort ; a gate was thrown open in the rear, so that the number of visitors who were anxious to view his remains might pass through without confusion. It was estimated that not less than ten thousand persons availed themselves of the opportunity. The procession formed at his residence, the pall-bearers being Col, Troup, Col. Fish, Col. Trumbull, Col. A. Ogden, Major General Morton, Major Fairlie, J. Pintard, Esq., and Mr. Dominick. The bier was attended by the members of the Cincinnati society, the members of the court of errors, the members of the common council, the judges of the different courts, together with an immense concourse of citizens in carriages and on foot, accompanied by a troop of horse and a corps of New York state artillery. The procession moved to Trinity church ; and the remains, after services conducted by Rev. Dr. De Witt, were deposited in Trinity church-yard. During the afternoon ninety minute-guns were fired on the battery, and volleys of musquetery over the grave. I am informed by an old and highly esteemed resident of New York, who at that time lived near Col. Willett in Broome street, that the funeral procession, car- riages included, extended nearly the entire distance from Broome street to Trinity church. Indeed, in view of these public and private manifestations of grief which, on his decease, so spontaneously gushed forth, it is a little surprising that the accomplished and genial editor of Jones's History of New Tork^ in alluding to Willett's death, could find nothing more to say about him than that " his latter life, after the war was a very respectable one." The following notice appeared in the A^^it; Tork Commercial Advertiser, at that time edited by my father, Col. William L. Stone, who was Col. Willett's warm friend. " The Appendix, 105 coffin of Col. Willett was made of pieces of wood, collected by himself, many of them from different revolutionary battle fields. The corpse, in compliance with the written request of the de- ceased, was habited in a complete suit of citizen's apparel, in- cluding an old fashioned three-cornered hat, which had been presented for that purpose." In the personal character of Col. Willett, as has been justly remarked, " there were traits of chivalry and daring, so fearless and ardent, that in another age, he would have commanded the deepest and greatest admiration." Virtue, philanthropy and patriotism guided every step, and adorned every act of his eventful and public life ; while in his private life he was distinguished for ir tegrity, frankness and decision of character. Perhaps, however, the highest compli- ment that can be paid Col. Willett is, that in Judge Jones's Historv of New Tork^ in which that gentleman assails with violence nearly all the actors in the events he describes, the worst he can say of him, after admitting that he was possessed of courage, is the remark quoted above regarding his being a principal leader of revolutionary mobs ! A son of Col. Willett is yet (1882) living near me on Jersey City Heights, N. J. He is still remarkably hale and hearty and in the full enjoyment of his physical and mental powers. He, it was, who, as a labor of filial piety, edited and published his father's Narrative. In a recent conversation with him he said that the engraving which forms the frontispiece of that work is a most miserable likeness of his father, in proof of which he showed me an exquisite sketch (in crayon) of the colonel, which certainly differs greatly from the engraving in the Narrative. Mr. Willett also informed me that until lately (when they were stolen from him) he had in his possession some six original 14 I! io6 iii Apptadix, autograph letters from Washington to his father, two of whicn were couched in terms of warm commendation to Col. Willett for his successful sortie from Fort Stanwix. Mr. Willett has long been favorably known as the author of works of a religious cast, he having written, among other books, The Life of Summer- field^ The Life of the Messiah, The Restitution of all Things,^ etc. To see and converse, in the year of our Lord, 1882, with the son of an Indian fighter of the old French war, and a distinguished soldier of the Revolution, not only is a very great privilege, but brings the early colonial days vividly before the mind, making them indeed seem as of yesterday.' ' In this connection one cannot but recall another similar instance of a man who died but recently (1880). His name was Ransom Cook, of Saratoga Springs, whose father-in-law was Robert Ayers, the person who conveyed to Jane McCrea the message of her lover David Jones. Mr. Cook, who had become greatly distinguished by hit many mechanical and scientific inventions, was, in many respects, a remarkable man, fully alive not only to the present, but to the past ; and when in the year of our Lord, 1880, we talked with him whose wife was the daughter of one who knew Jane McCrea intimately, past events no longer seemed dim and shadowy but actual realities ! Appendix. 107 NO. III. Oriskany from a British Standpoint. Before going to press, I submitted my manuscript to a friend for whose judgment I have a profound respect, with the request that he would make any suggestions which might occur to him. He promptly responded by giving me several valuable hints, and among others the following : ''In your Introduction you should give the other side of the story, as well as Willett's ac- count of how he came by the Orderly Book. Johnson was with his regiment fighting when the sortie was made. Willett's story was not true. However, print it as you propose, but also prmt a part of the note of the editor of Jones's History of New York during the Revolution, which is No. LXIII. p. 701, Vol. I. Jones's text shows that Sir John suggested or rather proposed the plan to St. Leger, the result of which was the defeat of Oriskany. This fact you might also mention. " Before asking my friend's opinion, I had already endeavored (and I think successfully, see note on page 13) to reconcile the apparent discrepancy between Willett's and Jones's accounts, hy showing how it might easily have happened that Sir John was not only in the attack on Herkimer, but also in the camp at the time of Willett's sortie. Nevertheless, in justice to the other side, I herewith give the note of the editor in Jones's History, above referred to, first preceding it with Jones's account of the action at Oriskany in his text. Extract from Jones's History, p. 216, Fol. I. "Hercheimer got intelligence of the situation of the garrison I r^ W iili: Jill 1 08 Appendix, [at Fort Stanwix] and determined to raise the siege if possible, if not, at least to throw in reinforcements, with large supplies of every kind of provisions and stores. To effect this, he collected a body of about 1,000 militia, in which every person of note in the country, who were in the interest of congress, served either as officers or volunteers. When everything was in readiness, Hercheimer marched for the relief of the fort, having under his escort about 400 wagons loaded with stores and provisions of every kind. St. Leger had soon information of these proceedings ; Sir John Johnson proposed meeting them in the woods, lying in ambush and taking them by sur- prise. This being agreed to by St. Leger, Sir John proceeded with a part of his own corps, a few Canadians, and the Indians, the distance of a few miles, and waited the coming of the enemy. Spies were sent out, who soon returned with an ac- count of their approach, their distance, and their route. An ambush was laid, and so artfully concealed, that the first inti- mation the rebels had of an enemy being at hand, was a heavy fire in their rear, in their front, and upon both flanks. Numbers fell. A battle ensued in the Indian method of fighting. The rebels behaved with resolution, but were totally defeated. Several of the Indians were killed, and among them some of their Sachems. The other part of the detachment suffered little. In the action General Hercheimer and almost every leading man in the rebel interest in the county of Tryon, were killed. Not a man got into the fort, and the wagons, pro- visions, and stores were all either taken or destroyed. " Extract from the editor's note to the above note^ LXIII, Vol i. " St. Leger's corps passed through the Oneida Lake on the Appendix, 109 31st of July, 1777 ; his van appeared before Fore Stanwix on the 2d of August, and the siege began on the 3d. * * * " Nicholas Herkimer, or Herckheimer, as the name was ori- ginally spelled, was appointed brigadier of the Tryon county militia, when it was separated from that of Albany county, and formed into a brigade by itself, by the provincial convention, Sept. 5th, 1776, John Frey at same time being appointed his brigade major. An official letter of the provincial convention to the New York delegates in congress, dated Aug. 14th, 1777, written by Robert R. Livingston, says : ' We have 700 militia out in Tryon county, and the governor has also ordered 200 men to Scoary [Schoharie] where the Whigs are besieged by Tories and Indians.' The committee of Tryon county, on the 17th of July, unto the committee of safety, at Kingston. ' Fort Schuyler' fortifications are noi: yet finished, and the garrison consists of but 300 able men. General Schuyler ordered 200 men of our militia for a reinforcement, but with all trouble possible, and repeated orders, no more but about 80 men could be brought there.' In the same letter they say that the militia were in such a discouraged state that, the weak hearted (which by this time being the greatest number) are fully resolved and declare openly, upon actual invasion of the enemy, to render themselves up to their protection, if the county be not in time succored with troops, and that from neglect of such succors more than half of our inhabitants are resolved not to lift up arms in defence of this country.' "Col. Peter Gansevoort, with the 3d New York Continentals, took command in April, 1777, and began the erection of the ' Fort Stanwix just after it was erected was called " Fort Schuyler " for a short time. The real Fort Scliuyler (old Fort Schuyler) was on the site of the present city of Utica, See preceding note to Fort Stanwix. ■« i:l X iir ^1 IP- 'il ii^ !!i ! Ihi I (' p. ?•■ 'I'M, I lO !i I Appendix. fort. On the ist of August, he received a reinforcement of about 200 men, with several batteaux loaded with provisions and ammunition, the tardy result of Schuyler's orders, which increased his force to about 700 men. " Herkimer on the 17th of July, had issued a proclamation calling out all the Tryon county militia from the ages of 16 to 60, but only succeeded in getting about 700 by the 5th of August, when he encamped at the confluence of the Oriskany creek with the Mohawk. He sent that night a messenger to Gansevoort asking him to nake a sortie when he should appear, and to notify the arrival of his messenger by three guns in succession. " His officers and men taunting him with cowardice for delay- ing to move, the next day he ordered them to march before the signal was heard ; the result was the defeat described by the author Helmer, the messenger arrived at the fort at i p. m., at 2 Gansevoort sent out a sortie of 206 men under Marinus Willett, who ransacked and plundered the slightly guarded camp of Johnson, who was engaged in the battle about a mile from the fort, and there learning the defeat of Herkimer, retreated back to the fort with their plunder, which, in the words of Helmer, 'at a reasonable computation amounted at least to one thousand pounds,' ' not one man being killed or wounded.' " Herkimer, desperately wounded in the leg, bore himself nobly « in the action, was afterward removed to his own home in the town of Danube on the Mohawk, and died thereafter an ampu- tation, on the i6th of August, 1777, and is buried in the family graveyard near the house. ^ "The remains of Herkimer's command retreated to old Fort Schuvler (now Utica), carrying their wounded, but without appendix, j ^ j burning , he, dead, and .ade „„ ru„h„ a„e„,p, a. relieving .h. p n ":„':/::■ r^ ""'^'" "--^ ' we „,„ „o,i : / us to tell of the behaviour of the rear «^m a and':::,.: r::""™'"« "^ ^'^^-^ -"--« - -h?::: us l'c?o7:''^B7;i;;t,h"f r"?'"'"' : *= ^^^ ^™ -" ^-f bers, the field officer, ".eLrTh '^'" °' """. ""^-"i"" ■"=■« o". of order, the^eiplfr^ e ;'d^°?et''- ""^ """6 '•' Esopus unrepresented ; that we cannof h ' "1"'"^ « longer without your ad • we will ? ^' '° "^"'' " ^ny aspect our fields'do show.' Fairh 1|7„ '"""'™ ""= ^'"'^''^"8 .our sorrowful Brethren, .b^^^teXsTS cT.S "Peter J. Daggart, ' ^^ Chairman."'' \ I 1 i ! I 12 Appendix, NO IV. Sir Darby Monaghan. The Duke of Rutland' when lord lieutenant of Ireland frequently indulged himself in incognito rambles, with a few boon companions, through the meaner parts of Dublin, in the course of which he occasionally met with strange adventures. One evening, his Grace, Col. St. Leger, and one or two others, having entered into a public house in the Liberty, they found the landlord (who had served under St. Leger in America) to be so comical a blade, that they invited him to sit down to supper with them. Darby Monaghan, who knew his Grace by sight, took good care that the entertainment should be such as to give every satisfaction to his guests, and he con- trived so to season it with an abundant flow of native wit and drollery, that they were quite delighted with him. His wine and whiskey punch were so good that by two in the morning they were all quite jolly, and ready to sally out into the street, in quest of adventures. This however, was prevented by the politic Darby, who contrived, by the humor of his songs, and the waggery of his jests, to^fascinate them to the spot, until one after another, they fell drunk under the table. During their libations, and after Darby had said several good things in succession, the Duke in a fit of good humor, and by way of a joke, turned round to him, and said, " by Jove ! landlord, you are a glorious fellow, and an honor to your country. What can I do for you my boy ? [Hiccup.] I'll ' Charles Manners, fourth Duke of Rutland, was the eldest son of the General, Marquis of Granby. He succeeded his grandfather, the third Duke, in 1779. He was very popular, and was celebrated for his kind heart and his interest in literary men He was appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, P'ebruary 17, 1784, and continued in office until his death in 1787. — Ed. m j^ppendix. 113 knight you my lad ? so — [hiccup again] — down upon your marrow bones this instant!" — "Your Grace's high commands shall be obeyed," said Darby kneeling. The Duke drew his sword, and although Colonel St. Leger endeavored to prevent his carrying the joke too far, he struck him over the shoulder, and uttered the ominous words, " Rise up Sir Darby Mo- naghan !" Darby, having humbly thanked his Grace, and sworn fealty to the King of England in a bumper, an immense bowl of punch was ordered in ; this was filled and refilled, until at length the whole party became blind drunk, as before stated. The weatner being warm, and the great quantity of ( jnch which they had drunk, prevented the topers from feeL ^ Any inconvenience from the hardness of their couch, and they slept as soundly as they would have done on a down bed, either at the Castie or the lodge. Darby, who, from long seasoning, was soon enabled to overcome the effects of the whiskey, rose betimes, and, having bustled about, soon prepared a com- fortable breakfast of tea, coffee and chocolate, for the sleeping partners of his debauch. When all was ready, not liking to rouse them by shaking or otherwise, he stepped into the room upon tiptoe and gently opened the window shutters. The sun shining in full upon them, they soon awoke from their slumbers, wondering where they were. The landlord, who was listening at the door, speedily put an end to their suspense, by thrusting in his black head, and nodding to his Grace, assuring him, "that they were safe and sound, and not a bone broke, in Darby Monaghan's own comfortable and fashionable hotel ; also, that if his Honor's Grace and the other gentlemen would just shake themselves a 15 , I W 114- Appendix, ti I ; \i/ bit, and sluish their faces wit'u a little nice cold spring water, they might fall to without any more delay, for there was a breakfast fit for a laird laid out for them in the next room." This intelligence was received with much pleasure by the party, who, having put themselves in decent trim, adjourned to the breakfast room, where they found everything of the best laid out in homely style ; but what pleased them the most, was Darby's attention in bringing in a bottle of whisky under one arm, and one of brandy under the other. Pouring out several glasses, he presented them to each, according to their choice ; taking the blessed Vargin to witness that a glass of good spirits was the best maidicine iver envinted for weakness of the stomach, after straitching it with punch the overnight. Darby's courtesy vvas taken in good part ; and after he had retired, the conversation turned upon his extraordinary humor. At length Col. St. Leger, seeming to recollect himself, said, '' I am af.aid, my Lord Duke, your Excellency made a bit of a blunder last night ; you conferred the honor of knighthood on this same landlord." — " Did I, by heaven ! " exclaimed his Grace. ^' That you did," replied the colonel. " Bless me, how unfortunate ! why didn't you prevent me ? " " 1 endeavored to do so with all my might, but vour Excellency's arm was too potent ; and I preferred seeing your weapon fall upon his shoulder, rather than have it thrust into me." " What an unfortunate affair ! " exclaimed the Duke, rising ; " but I suppose the fellow doesn't recollect the circumstance more than myself ; let us call him in. I wouldn't have such a thing reported at St. James's for the world ; I should be recalled, and be the laughing stock of every one at the Court. Zounds ! to knight the landlord of a comm*. t punch house ! the thing is surely impossible." Appendix. "5 " Both possible and true," replied the Colonel; "but let us ring for him, and see what he himself says about the matter." Darby, who was in attendance on the outside of the 'ioor, heard all that passed, and resolved to resist every attempt to deprive him of his newly acquired honors. On entering the room the following dialogue took place. Duke — I say, landlord, we were all quite jolly last night ? Darby — Your honor's noble Grace may say that same ; we drank thirteen whacking bowls of punch among five of us. Duke — Ah ! so we did, I believe — thirteen to the dozen — and you supped with us ? Darby — Many thanks to your Grace's Excellency, Darby Monaghan did himself that same honor. Duke — No honor at all, my good fellow. But I sav. Darby, do you recollect any thing particular that I did in the way of joke, you know ; some foolish thing, when we were all as drunk as fiddlers ? Darby — Certainly, your Dukeship may say that, any how. I dare say the colonel well remimbers you filling up the last bowl from the whisky jug, instade of from that containing the hot water. By the powers ! I could not stand that ; it set me off whizzing like a top, and does not remember one single thing after we emptied it. Duke — [Laughing] — Oh, then you don't remember my drawing my sword and threatening to run you through the body } Darby — The Lord above foriver presarve yer Dukeship's Highness from cru'l murder and sudden death all the days of yer life ! I don't remlmber any such thing ; but I remimber well the whack yer Excellency's Rpyal Highness gave me with that same sword over my shoulder, when ye bid me "rise up, Sir Darby Monaghan." f r. ' ii6 Appendix. Duke — You do ? eh! But that was all in jest, you know Darby -, and so we must think no more about it. Darby — Long life to your Highness ! but I took it in right arnest ; more by token that my shoulder aches at this moment with the blow ; but I mustn't mind that, for it was given upon an honorable occasion, and resaived with good will — so thanks to yer Excellency for all the favors now and hereafter. Duke — But you don't presume to suppose, my good fellow, that I actually conferred upon you the honor of knighthood } Darby — By the powers ! your Highness, but I do. Sure I wouldn't be after doing your Highness such discredit as to think ye meant to break yer royl word to man or mortal. Duke — Oh the devil ! — [whispering] — I say Colonel what is to be done ? Colonel — [Whispering) — (jive him some berth, and make him promise to say nothing about the frolic. Duke — Well, Darby, I don't mean to act scurvily towards you. I can give you a tidewaiter's place, or something in the excise, that will bring you in about one hundred and fifty pounds a year, and make you independent for life. Darby — [Kneeling, and kissing the Duke's hand] — Let me go on my merry bones once again, to thank yet Royl High- ness for being so good and merciful to poor Darby Monaghan ! He'll niver forget to remimber to pray for yer excellency to the blessed saints, on Sunday or holiday. Duke — Well, then. Darby, it is settled that you give up the title, and that nothing shall ever be said about last night's adventure ? Darby — Give up the title ! yer Grace ? and not bt* called Sur ! after all? I thought the hundred and fifty pounds a -year was to keep up my style as a true and loyal knight. Appendix, nj Duke -No, faith! you sha'n't have place and title too, so choose without delay. Darby _ [Pausing] _ Well, yer Grace, if yer Excellency plaises' I'd rather keep the title ; for, d'ye see, it 'ill be such a wonderment for a punch house to be kept by Sir Darby Monaghan, that I'll soon have all the custom of Dublin city ; and that 'ill be better than a tidewaither's place, any how. Duke -[Laughing.]- Well, then, what more argument about that matter, you shall have a place of about two hundred and fifty pounds a-year, and you must give up your knighthood this instant. Darby — [Going out] — Plase your Excellency, then, I'll just step up stairs, and ax hir Ladyshifs advice ; and, I'dare say she'd rather have the money. So I'll inform your Honor's Grace in a twinkling. Her Ladyship was accordingly consulted on this important question ; and she wisely, and without hesitation, voted for the income of two hundred and fifty pounds, which thc-y enjoyed for many years. 7'he title, too, stuck by them till the last ; for after ;he Duke's departure from his vice-royalty, the afl^air was bruited abroad, to the great amusement of the middle and lower orders in Dublin, who never failed to address the fortunate couple by the appellations of *« Sir Darby and Lady Monaghan.'^ London Clubs. ! if: I ff i! m ii8 ^ppenaix. NO. V. Jane Wemple Starin'. One of the sufferers by St. Leger's raid, was Jane Wemple Starin, the grandmother of Hon. John H. Starin, ex M. C, from the state of New York'. The trials of this heroic and patriotic woman, if given in detail, would fill many pages. Hon. John H. Starin, writing to the author in regard to his (Mr. Starin's) grandmother, says : " My grandmother, jane Wemple Starin, was of Dutch descent, her maiden name being Jane Wemple. She lived in the present village of Fultonville, Montgomery Co., N. Y., before there was any village there, her house, indeed, being the only one. It was on the south bank of the Mohawk river opposite Caughnawiga, and was kept as an inn. It was the headquarters of the mail route to the north and west, which crossed the river at this point by a ford. My grandfather was an Indian interpreter, and his brother, my great uncle, was the first judge in that part of the State. ^ The inn also was a kind of halting-place ' Her maiden name was Jane Wemple; one of the VVemple family who, together with the Fondas, Vroomans and Veeders, founded, in 1762, the Dutch church at Caughnawaga, the present village of Fonda, Montgomery Co., N. Y, The original ciiurch edifice is, I believe, still standii'g. » It is probably due to this fact that Mr. Starin has always shown such interest in the Saratoga Monument Association of which he is the president. Indeed, it is solely to his etforts that the trustees have been able to begin the erection of the monument now completing at Schuylerville, N. Y. 3 Hon. Wm. f. Bacon gives the following account of Mr. Starin's great uncle in his exceedingly able and instructive address on " The Early Bar of Oneida," de- livered in 1875 in Utica, N. Y. We quote : "The first incumbents of the Herkimer Common Pleas, ivhich then (1798) in- cluded Oneida county, were three fair-minded, intelligent and uprig'it laymen, viz. Henry Starin, judge, and Ji-dediah Sanger and Amos Wetmore, justices. Of the first of these men a very graphic, and, I am inclined to tiiink, a very just sketch, is given by our former highly esteemed townsman, William Tracy, Esq., of New York, Appendix. 119 for bands of western Indians who were on their way east to visit their Great Father at Washington ; and often at night the halls of the inn would be so thickly filled with sleeping red men that my grandfather could hardly pick his way among them. Th( )f Mohawks lere was also a permanent encampment 01 iviohawi just beyond the inn ; while directly in its front, there were several eel-wiers that the Indians had built in the river, one of which still (1882) is plainly to be seen. "My grandmother, who died at Syracuse, N. Y., in 1841, at the age of nearly 85 years, was a very neat old lady ; and I well recall the short gown (spun and woven by herself) that she wore, and the pocket fastened by a string around her waist, and worn underneath the gown, which had to be pulled up whenever she wanted to reach her pocket. She always carried in it some tidbit for the boys." Mrs. Starin's memory to the day of her death was remarkably retentive ; and on a wintei's night, while the flames went roaring up the in the two most valuable and entertaining lectures delivered by him in this city, more than thirty years ago. Starin was a plain, honest Dutch farmer, living at German Jlats, of limited education, but with a large stock of common sense and sound judg- ment, and, above all, an incorruptible integrity. His sense of the inviolability of contracts and the duty of fulrilling them, is well illustrated in the amusing but well authenticated incident of his refusing a discharge to an applicant for the benefit of the insolvent act until he had paid all his debts, to be relieved from which, it need hardly be said, was the very object and purpose of tlie application. '•The first record we have of any court held within the territory of what is now the County of Oneida, is in October, 1793, when a Court of Common Pleas was held in a barn belonging to Judge Sanger, in the town of New Hartford, and over this court Judge Starin presided, assisted by Justices Sanger and Wetmore. An incident occurred at this session of the court, which is so amusing and illustrative, that I venture to reproduce it substantially as it is related by Tracy, in the lectures already alluded to. The day was cold and chilly, and the barn of course had no appliances for creating artificial warmth. In the absence of these, and with a view to keeping their faculties awake, some of the attending lawyers had induced the sherifi'(an impulsive and obliging Irishman, named Colbraith), to procure a jug of ardent spirits, which was quietly circulated around the bar, and from which each one decanted (taking it like oysters raw from the shell) the quantity that would suffice to keep them up to concert pitch. While this was going on, the judges, who were . ili r. ' i I20 Appendix, hugh chimney, and the fire-light merrily played among the flitches of bacon hanging from the smoked rafters overhead, she would recount to her grandchildren gathered around, her many adventures in a newly settled country, and the suffer- ings endured by herself and kindred when forced to fly on the approach of the savage hordes of St. Leger. Mr. Starin comes, indeed, of good old revolutionary stock. His grandfather, the Indian interpreter mentioned above, fought throughout the war for American Independence, and was one of ten of the Starin family who served in the Continental army directly under Washington. To Sampson Sammons, the great- great-uncle of Mr. Starin, belongs the honor of having had fired at him x.\\q first shot in the luar of the Revolution west of the Hudson ; while his son, Jacob Sammons, in attempting to erect suffering from the cold without any such adventitious relief, consulted together, and concluded that rather than freeze in their seats they would adjourn the court until the ensuing day. Just as they were about to announce this conclusion, and to call on the sheriff to make the usual proclamation, the latter sprang up with the jug in his hand, and handing it up to the Bench, exclaimed, ' Oh, no, no. Judge, don't adjourn yet. Take a little gin; that will keep you warm. 'Taint time to adjourn yet.* Tradition says the court yielded to the soft persuasion, and in the language now common and tamiliar to our ears, ' smiled,' and proceeded with the business of the court. What sort of justice prevailed duiing the remainder of that day, the* historian of the incident does not tell us, and cotemporary tradition is silent on the subject." Judge Bacon, (who is the best living authority on the subject) also kindly writes me the following additional particulars of Judge Starin. " Judge Starin was born about eleven miles below the city of Utica, in the county of Herkimer, which then included within its limits what are now the counties of Oneida, Madison, Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence. He was a militia officer at the be- ginning of the Revolution, and is reputed as having been present at the battle of Oriskany ; and from that time held the position of colonel of the Tryon County Militia during the remainder of the war. He had not only good common sense and great integrity (as I state in mv lecture on the Oneida Barj but untiinching courage and loyalty and many attempts were made to capture him by the enemy, which, by his great shrewdness and presence of mind, he escaped j but finally, on one occasion, he was surprised by the Indians and shut up in a wigwam overnight, his captors pro- posing to burn him alive the next morning. But in the dead of night he escaped through an opening, and fleeing swiftly he eluded pursuit by taking to the water and following the bed, until fortunately, finding a canoe among the willows on the bank he unloosed it, and moving down the stream, reached his home safely by noon of that day." Appendix. 12 I a liberty-pole at Caughnawaga in 1775, was struck down by a loaded whip in the hands of Col. Guy Johnson, and returned to his father's house bearing upon his body the first scars of the Revolutionary contest in the county cf Tryon. See Stone^s Brantj Vol. I, pp. 52, 107. Jacob Sammon's grandson, the late Col. Simeon Samnions, of Fonda, N. Y., during our late civil war, equipped, put in marching order, and conducted to Harper's Ferry, eleven hundred men in twenty-nine days. When Sam- mons reached Washington and was asked the usual question what he had come for, instead of expressing, as manv did, a desire for easy quarters near the capitol, he answered " to fight by "; and as evidence of the sincerity of his purpose he brought home two bullets in his body. Again, at the springing of a mine in front of Petersbuigh, he leaped over the parapet and, though his foot was shattered by a bullet, caught the standard and planted it in triumph on the works of the enemy. He was also, we believe, engaged at Fredericksburgh, and was near the late Col. Welcome B. Sayles of the 7th R. I. Vols, when that gallant and meritorious officer fell (mortally wounded by a shell) while waving his hand to encourage his men who were crossing the river on pontoon bridges in the face of a galling fire from the enemy stationed u the high bark in their front'. ' Judge Hienrich Stirin was the author of the celebrated "Yankee Pass," the story regarding which runs as follows: The early Dutch of the Moluwk Valley were very strict in keeping the Sabbath ; and the legal penalties for such infringment were rigorously enforced. Now it chanced that one Sunday morning as [udiie Starin was going to church, he met a Yankee peddler on horseback quietly jogging along on his way east. Straightway the judge arrested him, and having received from the offender the customary fine of four sliilling , was asked by the latter if — now that the penalty had been paid — he would not give him a pass to travel the remainder of" the day, especially as he was in a liurry to finish his journey, and did not wish to be delayed ? To this seemingly reasonable request the judge consented, and requested the Yankee (as he had not his glasses by him) to write it out himself and he would sign it. This having been done, the judge affixed his signature to the document and the peddler went on his way. Some weeks afterwards, the judge 16 122 Addenda, I! ADDENDA. Notes that should have appeared in their proper places, but were accidentally omitted. Page 3, note 2, add : La Chine also derives an additional and melancholy interest from the fact that it was the scene of a most shocking massacre in the summer of 1689, in conse- quence of the incapacity of Gov. Dcnonville. During the night of the 5th of August, of that year, amid a wild hail and rain storm, 1,400 Iroquois warriors crossed Lake St. Louis, and before daybreak had surrounded every house at La Chine within a radius of several miles. At a given signal the in- vaders raising the dreadful warhoop fell upon the sleeping inmates of the little hamlet, and dragged the sleepers from their beds. Those houses that could not be forced were fired and the terrified settlers rushed forth to "scape the flames, only to be stricken down by the tomahawks of the savage incendiaries stationed at the doors. Unborn infants were torn from their mother's wombs, and fathers were compelled to throw their children into the flames. Two hundred persons were literally happening to be in Kane's store in Canajoharie, was presented with a sight note of hand for 825, which the storekeeper, know/ng it to be first class paper, had pur- chased. Judge Starin at first was utterly astounded, yet confessed thai the signature was his and no mistake. Finally, after puzzling his brains for several minutes and having had described to him the person who sold the note, he suddenly exclaimed, *' Confound it ! It's that d Yankee Pass ! " However, the judge, enjoying the joke, although at his expense, cheerfully took up the note, but ever more steered clear of Yankees — particularly those seeking passes on the Sabbath day ! In 1795, that amiable and philosophical traveler, the Duke de la Rochefoucault Liancourt on his way east from Niagara', tarried over night at the inn kept by Judge Starin's brother, the Indian interpreter. " The inn," says the Dujce, " was full of people indisposed with the ague. The whole neighborhood was crowded witJi others in the same condition ; and by his [Starin's] account, numbers of travelers are daily arriving, who have not escaped the influence of the tainted air, and of the contagion which prevails in the district of the Genesee." li Addenda, 123 roasted alive ; others died under prolonged tortures \ while many more were carried away prisoners to be reserved for a lingering and horrible death at a future time. " The fair island upon which the sun shone brightly erewhile," says the historian M. Garneau, " was lighted up by fires of woe ; houses, planta- tions and crops were reduced to ashes, while the ground reeked with blood up to a line a short league apart from Montreal city. The savages crossed to the opposite shore, the desola- tion behind them being complete ; and forthwith the entire parish of La Chine was wasted by fire, and many of its people massacred." The year that this tragical incident took place, has ever since been known in Canadian annals as " The year of the Massacre." The massacre at Schenectady, six months later, was done in reprisal for that of La Chine, which was at- tributed to English instigations. Page II, note I. The following letter is to be read in connec- tion with the above note : (( British Museum, London, Eng., "I ifih September^ 1882. / Dear Sir : Mr. Bond [the librarian-in-chief ] is on vacation, but I have lost no time in having a search made, both in the department of MSS., and that of Printed Books for the infor- mation you desire. Mr. Scott, of the department of MSS., reports that the in- formation has been already sought for in vain ; and that fresh researches prove equally fruitless. Mr. Bullen, keeper of the department of Printed Books, has caused the " London Gazette " and the "Gentleman's Magazine " to be consulted for the particulars, but without satisfactory result. 1 am. Dear Sir, Yours faithfully, T. Nichols, Mr. William L Stone. Assistant Secretary" Ill-' 124 Addenda, P^g^ I3» '^^^ to the note on Lieut. George Singleton, the following : Lieut. Singleton was sent by Col. Willett to Schenectady, where he remained many months upon parole, but when sufficiently recovered, he broke that and ran off" with some Tories. — Bonney's Historical Gleanings. Page 20, note i, add : Although I give in my Burgoyne's Campaign^ a sketch of Gen. Fraser, I omitted a well authenti- cated anecdote of him, which should be preserved, as showing one of that officer's many noble and admirable qualities. The anecdote is thus told by Jonathan Eastman ii; his memoir of Gen. Stark, published at Concord, N. H., in 183 1. Mr. Eastman says : " Two of the American officers taken at Hub- bardstown relate the following anecdote by him [Eraser]. He saw that they were in distress, as their continental paper would not pass* with the English ; and offered to loan them as much as they wished for their present convenience. They took three guineas. He remarked to them, 'Gentlemen, take what you wish — give me your due bills, and when we reach Albany I trust to your honor to take them up ; for we shall doubtless overrun the country, and I shall probably have an opportunity of seeing you again.' Gen. Fraser fell in the battle of the 7th of Oct. ; the notes were consequently never paid ; but the signers of them could not refrain from shedding tears at the fate of this gallant and generous enemy." Page 64, add to note on Buck (Carleton) Island : " The celebrated Jemima Wilkinson," says Rochefoucault," in 1794, thought of removing her family and establishment from Bluff" Point on Crooked Lake, N. Y., and of settling in Carleton Island on the Lake of Ontario, where she would enjoy the Addenda. 125 satisfaction of living under the English Government, which, by her account, had proffered her a grant of land." Page 84, note i, add : Fort Bull was a block-house sur- rounded by palisades and furnished with loop-holes ; " but formed in such a strange manner," says Garneau, "that the latter served as a protection to assailants, who could fire under cover at the defenders within, and whose persons were completely exposed." The palisades having been cleared away wiih hatchets, the fort, as stated in note on page 84, was taken by assault, and the entire garrison, except thirty, put to the sword. Page 85, as a note to " Missisagues," read : ^' The Mis- sisagues," writes the Hon. Wm. C. Bryant to the author, *' were Algonquins. They composed the Eagle Tribe of the Ojibawa nation, and resided on the western shore of Lake Ontario near the site of the present city of Toronto. Their descendants occupy a Reserve on the Grand River, given them by the British Iroquois." Speaking of this tribe, the Duke Rochefoucault Liancourt, who visited it in 1795, says : "• About forty miles from Kingston are some villages of the Missasogas [Missisagues] ; and wandering tribes of the same nation are constantly rambling about the banks of the Lake [Ontario], pass a few nights in one place and a few in another, cross the river on the confines of the United States, and stop in the islands ; hunting and fishing are their only employments. They are the filthiest of all the Indians, I have hitherto seen, and have the most stupid appearance. They are said to live poorly, to be wicked and thievish, and men, women and children all given to drinking. The uncommon severity of the winter in this country, occasions not the least -alteration in their mode of 126 Addenda, living. In their small canoes they carry with them some rolls of the bark of soft birch, which serve to cover the huts built in the form of a cone, wherein they sleep, and which are supported merely by some slight props, on which rest these portable walls, that at the top leave a passage for the smoke." / contrast the above description of this tribe as given by ti. .£ kindly and faithful chronicler, Liancourt, with its present condition. On the 13th of September of this year (1882), a large body of Red-men met to dedicate the council-house which the Mis- sisagues have erected on their reservation. The Missisagues, who now number only 220 persons, own 2,000 acres of land divided into fifty-acre farms, and all under cultivation ; they maintain a church and a school, and have ^200,000 in the government funds. Thinking that their prosperity entitled them to the convenience of a council-house in which to transact their business, they erected a neat 7 :omfortable building, and asked their friends to help thti. ledicale it. About 1,500 members of the Six Nations and Indian delegates from remote points were present. Songs, speeches, dances, the music of brass bands and an abundant dinner made up the regular programme, and the afternoon closed with the formal adoption of the wife of Dr. P. E. Jones, chief of the Missisa- gues. Mrs. Jones is a white lady, and her husband a regularly educated physician, is a gentleman of many accomplishments. She was received into the tribe under the name of Wabunooqua, "Lady of the Morning." This incident illustrates in a striking manner the good fruits of Canada's Indian policy compared with the shameful and rascally one pursued by the United States. Page 9 1, in a note to " a signal for [illegible] anything white in the bow." I have said I thought that in the MS., the word Addenda. 127 that seems illegible looks like the Charity^ /'. /., the sloop Charity. My friend, General de Peyster, however, thinks otherwise ; and I confess his explanation is the most plausible. He writes me as follows : " 1 think I have discovered the meaning of the illegible word on page 91. You thought it was "Charity." I think it was a signal to Charier^ which was the old French maritime term (according to a French dictionary published in 1799), signifying 'to carry all sail that the masts will bear.' In this case, therefore, it meant a signal to hurry up or to make all possible speed ; and the sentence would then read ' a signal for Charter [i. e., a hurrying up], anything white in the bow.' " Page 96, as a note to St. Leger's letter to Lieut. Bird, read : St. Leger's fears of a " carnage " was not unfounded, though he probably did not foresee that this " carnage " would be — as the event proved — perpetrated upon his own troops. " I learned from General Simcoe," says Rochefoucault Liancourt, v'riting in 1795, "that on St. Leger's retreat, the English tr. ips lost more men from the Indians firing on them, than fron» the pursuit of the Americans." Neither is this testimony that of one friendly to the Americans. On the contrary, Gen. Simcoe was most bitterly hostile to the colonies, cherishing his animosity long after they had gained their independence. " The hatred of the governor [Gen. Simcoe] against the United States," writes in 1796, Rochefoucault Liancourt, occasions him, on the slightest occasion, to overleap all the bounds of prudence and decency, which he carefully observes in all other matters. He was a zealous promoter of the American war, in which he took a very active, yet very unfortunate part. The calamitous issue of the war has still more exasperated his hostility ; and it was with the sincerest grief I listened to his boasting of 128 Addenda. I i the numerous houses he had fired during that unfortunate con- flict, and of his intention to burn a still greater number in case of a rupture. In short, the whole of his intentions on this subject was such as the most violent party rage alone can inspire * * * His hatred against fhe rebels is so violent : and his displeasure, occasioned by the surrender of the forts is so strong ; that the ch-^rge preferred against him by the United States, of his having last year assisted the Indians as much as he could, without making himself openly a party in the dispute, seems not devoid of foundation." Page 52, The note, containing a description of Fort (Castle) Johnson, should be read in connection with ^he engraving of Fort Johnson, one of the illustrations of Col. Myers' article on the Tories or Loyalists in America. ;• tri'^t^ ///6- ®o ll)c ftcabcr. I desir« to express my acknowledgements to Colonel Myers, for hib kindness in furnishing at my solicitation the accompany- ing paper. In using some material, which, he had purposed to devote to a privately printed volume, he has laid myself and the subscribers under additional obligations. Indeed, my thanks can- not be too warmly expressed to General de Peyster and himself — as well known historical amateurs — in this "tripartite " publi- cation ; and more particularly, since by a coincidence, both of those gentlemen (together with Mr. Burt who kindly furnished the sketch of Oswego, page 88), have aided me at an unusual period for mental labor, when they themselves were far from well. In the case of the former gentleman, in addition to his own physical weakness, he has recently suffered from a severe afflic- tion in which those interested in American History have deeply sympathized, viz : the loss of his honored father, the late President of the New York Historical Society. I wish also to thank Mr. Frank Munsell for the typo- graphical excellence of the " Orderly Book," and likewise, for his kindness in contributing to it at my request and at his own expense, the beautiful engraving of his father, the late Joel Munsell. Mr. Frank Munsell inherits all the great love for the preservation of the historical and antiquarian lore of our country which made his late lamented father so pre^^ ninently known as iBm one of the most enthusiastic, faithful and reliable delvers in this particular mine. In fact, it is not too much to say that but for the late Joel Munsell, many choice nuggets of history would have been utterly lost to the historical scholarship c' our land. William L. Stone. ®l)e STmics or Coyaltsta IN AMERICA; BEING SOME TRACINGS FROM THE FOOTPRINTS OF SIR JOHN JOHNSON and HIS COTEMPORAPIES IN THE REVOLUTION. CONTRIBUTED BY THEODORUS BAILEY MYERS. " Abfas out ah nefas." ■tr . 1 ILLUSTRATIONS ALSO CONTRIBUTED, View of Fort Johnson .... Portrait of- Sir Willmm Johnson - . Facsimile of Paper signed by the John- sons, Herckmer, Schuyler, and others Facsimile of Proclamation of George III Portrait of Joseph Brant from plate used in " Life of Brant " - . . . View of Johnson Hall from plate used in "Life of Johnson " - . . . . Facsimile of Washington's Letter - - Facsimile of Declaration of Independence To face. '39 '59 i6i i8i 196 212" 215 220 '.^S^Bi 1$ I: i" ' i; r ill Ml i: 1 ^yHi^: , 1. 1,' 1 Miii'l'li'l r,i II* iv 1:.' !ifl:i: •'I!!:, ,•'11111:11 11 ill if 'IV ' P'l ; ■1^1 I I li il'^;!li:l:i;.' ii'lHl'li'l! :il!i if' rrV4'''i:l.ij ■ 4 :: II i ;!'. ii'iil ii HI'' [ iiliLi. 'iii 1 iii'i i|l:!;;Miiit:,:r |lli:;i:'.:,:iiii: «•;:;■' THE Tories or loyalists, HE accompanying waifs, possessing in themselves as little intrinsic interest as continuity, are a few random footprints of Sir John Johnson's life of exile, spared by the tides of a century which have effaced many of his once deeper im- pressions on American affairs. They casually fell into the writer's histr rical collection, mingled with other imported manuscripts, provi: ^i at least, that some antiquarian in the old world had considered them worthy of preservation. The knowledge that amongst such fragments have been found the key to valuable facts, and the elucidation of past events obscured by time, has, as we know, caused a growing interest in the preservation in public or private collections or in print, of anything of a public character, produced by the brain and hands of men who made some mark on their time before passing away. What seems of little value to one, may become of interest to another, and we know that there are few rhings existing which have not a place when the problem of supply and demand is solved. Even a rock which has long cumbered the ground becomes valuable when broken up and concreted into a wall. 18 140 Tories or Loyalists Although these papers referred to throw very little, and that a later light ufion the unfortunate career of Sir John Johnson, which will be found more fully considered by experienced hands in the preceding pages, they have a value as a means of pre- senting incidentally, such letters of his cotemporaries as space permits, connected with events in which he participated. In themselves they contain little of historical interest and treat more of counting of the cost of war than of its more interesting details. Some investigator o\ facts may find in them a suggestion, or possibly a warning, against the repetition of such unremunera- tive outlay, attending the more valuable loss of blood. To another, they may seem no more instructive, than the brick which the fool in the fable carried with him in his travels, as an illustration of the house in which he lived. The knowledge that Mr. Stone, who has already supplemented his father's valuable service in furnishing interesting details of struggles between the colonists of France and England, and those of the Revolution on that debatable ground, the northern frontier, in which the romantic Valley of the Mohawk was often a base of British operations,' was occupied in connection with General de Peyster ( an enthusiastic student and commen- tator on many of the military events of both continents), in preparing a brochure intended to illustrate the military career of Sir John Johnson, and aiming in a biographical sketch, to remove some of the unanswered obloquy whi ' ,^ led upon him as the exiled adherent of a losr nnd 1 ' The Life of Sir William Johnson and The Cam, o of Ot se,« Bur^.yne. of Worcester, ■As an illustration of the then widely prevailing sentiii.ent, thei <;ens c Mass., voted May 19, 1783, " That in the opinion of this to 1, it would be truly dangerous to the peace, happiness, liberty and safety of these Suites, to suffer those in the Revolution. 141 with an Orderly Book as a basis, has induced the contribution of these fragments as an annex to their work. These prefatory notes are added at Mr. Stone's suggestion. The task of Gen. de Peyster would seem to any unbiased reader to be a natural one to a collateral descendant thus qualified, and infinitely more practicable since our own experiences in the great Civil War. In the division of section, family and friends which it induced, in the bitterness of the feeling and vehement denun- ciation of motive and action it called forth, were reproduced those of the Revolution of 1776, only upon a grander scale. Then men weighed their duties and responsibilities, and the relative claims of the fiati under which they were born, or those of the states in which they were located, and compared the grievances which had caused the separation from Great Britain with those claimed to have succeeded under that subsequent Union of the States, In recalling the teims of ridicule and reproach engendered by hatred, exchanged between the defenders of that Union and the Confederates, and the little credit given by either who, the moment the bloody bmners were displayed, abandoned their native land, turned parricides, and consjiired to involve their country in tumult, ruin and blood, to become the subjects ot' and reside in this government; that it would be not only dangerous, but inconsistent with justice, policy, our past laws, the public taith, and the principles of a tree and independent state, to admit them ourselves, or to have them forced upon us without our consent," - ■ -* * " That until the furthei order of the government, they (tiie committees of Correspondence. Inspection and Safety), will, with decision, spirit, .ind tirmness, endeavor to enforce and carry into execution the se-. eral laws of this Commonwealth, respecting these enemies of our rights, and the rights of mankind ; give information, should they know of any obtruding them- selves into any part of this State, sutfer none to remain in this town, but cause to be confined immediately, for the purpose of transportation according to law, any that may presume to tMiter it." These were the general terms meted out to the Tories, recorded in the "Journal and Letters of Samuel Curwen, Judge of Admiralty," a " Harvard Man " of 1735, '""'' '" ^'^ '""'^ ^ valued citizen. Although not an active partisan he passed into exile through his scruples in 1775, '"'' *^ *" ^''" ceptlonal case was allowed to return, in the ensuing year, to live and die at his old home in Salem, in 1802. 142 Tories or Loyalists P to the sense of duty which actuated their opponents, we can understand, now that temporary feeling is rapidly passing away, that in the earlier struggle there clearly frequently existed as honest and as opposite convictions of right. Surely the time has arrived when we can discuss without temper, the motives, and appreciate the loyalty to their gov- ernment, the sacrifice of life and property, and the sufferings by confiscation and exile of that valuable material for continued citizenship --numbering at least twenty thousand of the inhabi- tants of a sparsely settled and devastated country — then trans- ferred as Refugees into Nova Scotia and Canada^ to form 3 The following paper endorsed "160, Proposals for a General Naturalization Bill," from the contents and the appearance of the carefully written manuscript, and of the observations which follow it, was evidently submitted to Parliament soon after the Peace — it is considered worthy of a place, as showing the value attached by the British Government to her exiled adherents, and her desire to retain them in her remaining Colonies, as to her a tried element of population. It will be observed that while providing for all classes of Tories, it ingeniously invites the ''Rebels," whom it assumes lO be already dissatisfied with their new ;xperiment, to join them. "The Inhabitants of the United States who took part with the British Gov- ernment by remaining or by continuing within the Lines during the Wr.r in America, and who have since removed into any part of the British Dominions having never done anything to forfeit their original rights and privileges as British Subjects, are in that respect, in the same situation as at first, and have no want of any act of Parliament on that account. Some of the Americans who did not remove within the Lliies, have continued obstinately Non-jurors to the United States to this day. These men during the Wir suffered much in their property by the pavment of double Taxes, and underwent many personal inconveniences, and even insults, and though their situation may be rendered somewhat more Tolerable by the Peace, yet it must be sufficiently disagreeable to induce them to change it, and to remove within the British Dominions, as soon as they conveniently can do it. In what light are they to be regarded, on their arrival in Nova Scotia, or Canada, or elsewhere in the British Dominion? Are they still British Subjects, or mu-t they be at the expense of soliciting Acts of Naturalization ? They were originally Natural Born Subjects, they took the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain, and they have never taken any other Oath of Allegiance, how then can they consistently with common reason and equity be regarded as Aliens, and on their arrival in the British Dominions, to claim privileges which are their birthright, and which they have never forfeited by any Act of Theirs, be put to the expense of being naturalized .-' Are they not rather to be treated as subjects re, ning from a foreign country, in which adverse Circumstances have detained them, contrary to their Inclinations and i 1 * in the Revolution, 143 1 t ■<■ the best elements of population in a country in which they declared on their sad departure, they expected to endure " nine months of winter and three of cold weather in each year." When the subsequent war of 18 12 was carried to, and across the Canadian frontier, our soldiers found in this rejected material their most determined opponents. They naturally had little in common with those, once their countrymen, but then only geo- graphically their neighbors, still politically their foes, and the Wishes ? There are in the United States, men of a different description, who collectively form a numerous Body, men who from the first uniformly refused to take any active part igainst the British Government, who for some time refused to take the Oath of Ah.giance to the United Stares, but were by the force of Vexations, personal insult, and menances, finally brought to submit to preserve their estates from confiscation, and themselves and families from suffering the last extremities of Want and Misery. Those men, from their coming in so late, and by compulsion, to acknowledge the Siipremacy of the United States, Jiii not regain either the Friend- ship or Confidence of their Countrymen, they simply brought their persons and property within the protection of the Law, and eveii that was in some instances at least, but nominally such. These men, whose political principles have not been changed, wish to remove, it it could be done on any Valuable Terms. But they must think it a hard cjse to be considered as Aliens, and be obliged to sue for Acts of Na- turalization, at a great and ruinous expense and Loss of Time, and to pray and pay dearly to be declared, what they are conscious in their Hearts, that they have ever been, British Subjects. The last and most numerous Class, and who have neither Law or Equity to urge, but good policy only, are Merchants, the middle and lower Orders of Farmers,' Shipwrights, Fishermen and Sailors. That is, those of them who voluntarily, and without any Force or compulsion, took an early and active part in favor of the Revolution, who at the Time judging from appearances and repre- sentations made to them, of Absolute Subjection and Slavery on the one hand, and the prospect of Liberty, an exemption from Taxes, and unbounded and unrestrained Commerce on the other, were naturally led, and as it were necessarily impelled, by the Motives and Object'; before them, to take the part which they then took, but who on reflection and experience perceive tlieir Error, find all those favorable prospects vanished, and in their place Factions and Licentiousness predominant, their persons or Estates loaded with intolerable Taxes, and their Commerce, more circumscribed and burthened than ever, they are solicitous to regain their former political situation, by removing within the British Dominions, and returning to their Ancient and hereditary Allegiance, if they can be received and admitted to the same privileges, as others of their rank and orders in Life, are entitled to. With regard to the first, that is, the Loyalists already removed, there can be no question. For the two next, the actual non-jurors who are as such to this day, and those who by Violence and Menances, were forced to take Oath; of Allegiance to the New Govern- ment, much may be u/ged in their favor, both in Law and Equity. As to the re-admission of the latter, by much the most numerous Body, and rapidly increasing, political considerations and motives alone can be urged, and those if all the circum- ^"^•1. 144- Tories or Loyalists occupants of their forfeited homes. Compare this adjustment in 1783 with the more wise policy of our government in the late struggle, where, after the suppression of armed resistance, the citizens were soon restored to civil rights, and their property — not lost by military results, and the attendant reduction of values — and were reunited in a common administration of public affairs. History written in the progress or at the termination of a war, is usually formed like the government by the victorious stances are understood, and the consequences tuUy examined into, will prove as forcible as anything that can be urged for the former. It is therefore proposed tl it a General Declaratory Act should be passed, putting the situation of all those who have alreaii. removed from the United States, and Settled in any part of the British Dominions, beyond any future question or doubt, declaring that all who were formerly British Subjects in any part of the United States or born of Parents wjio were British Subjects in those States, previous to the late Treaty of" Peace, shall on their removal into any part of the British Dominions in America, either on the Continent, or in the West India Islands, and on taking and subscribing the Oath and declara- tion which shall be acquired by them, shall be admitted to all the rights and pri- vileges of' free and natural born subjects of Great Britain, provided that their removal, and taking the Oath be within four years from the passing such Act, provided al?o that they bring certificates of their having been formerly British Subjects, in the United States when Colonies, or the Children of such Subjects. The oaths to be admmistered by Magistrates named for that purpose, and recorded in the public Records of" the province or Colony where the same shall be taken. 1st Observation. There will be no objection to that part of such an Act, as refers to the Declared, and actually removed Loyalist. 2d Observation. In regard to the two second, no material exception can be taken to persons continuing. Non-jurors are Loyalists, not yet removed within the British Dominion, their not rfino'ving on the evdatatlan of New York is no Ohjectlon, ai too many luere then under an ahiolttte and pressing necessity to remo've, so that their re- maining, became a fa-vor to those luho did remove, and those forced to submit to the Oath imposed upon them, arc to be considered as being nearif in the same predicament. But 3dly, if these are admitted, it is hardly possible to prevent the last description from coming in under their Character, not inconsistent with that of a Merchant, a Farmer, a Shipwright, a Fisherman, or a Sailor, these orders of men are immediately ivar.ted, and in Great Numbers, in No-va ^cotia and Canada, and as those orders of men find themselves pressed by taxes in the United States and their Commerce restricted as ./Aliens and Foreigners by this and other Nations, and hurtbered with duties and imports by their oivn Go-vernment they will naturally incline to remove and such an encouragement may probably render Nova Scotia and Canada populous, and rich in a very fen' yetrs. in the Revolution. H5 sentiment. Vae viciis ! It is left to posterity in most cases to do justice to the unfortunate. In Painting and Cartography, truth to nature, and accuracy, are indispensible to value. We continue our appreciation of Old Masters, and admire and even yet sail by the carefully based and grandly executed Charts of the earlier centuries ; while we also accept the new school of Art, as well as the improved Maps which several nations, notably including our own vie in perfecting."* Why should not History, which records, the action of what is held as nature's noblest work, be ranked as a kindred art ? While it would be the act of a vandal to alter an old masterpiece, it may be the duty of an humble painter to restore it, and the right of all Artists to seek to improve upon it. No careful cross reader has failed to detect palpable errors in history, possibly injected in hasty compilation, from ill founded rumor, misconception, or partisan zeal, perhaps allowed to remain until too late for available cotemporaneous correction, by the indifference, or individuality, of even a worthy actor. It would seem as though in all ages, men, while naturally desiring to be recorded as famous in public affairs, or in the field, have permitted the notable achievements of their assistants to be condensed in their own. Often the resort to Official Records has corrected hasty narrative and changed * An examination of the progress of this science in essential details, although artistic embellishment is less used than formerly, would appear interesting to every one connected with some portion of the surface delineated. The American " Geographical Society," only a few years since still a problematical undertaking, now grown into a widely appreciated and amply sustained fact ; has largely througl- the unremitting attention of its President, Chief Justice Daly, collected in its Map-ro im one of the most complete series ever formed by a technical institution, affording .:n opportunity to those who would appreciate Cartography to examine its claim to be recognized as high Art, 146 Tories or Loyalists the complexion of what has long been accepted as facts. Such investigations even centuries after, when applied to the his- tory of our late war, or that we are now making, will doubtless prove the shears of Nemesis and continue to clip off a surplus fringe of long seated error. To aid in such researches and to make its illustration more complete. Old letters, Documents and Diaries ^ of public interest have each a use. Letters we oftenest rely upon for cotem- porary testimony. Diaries kept for personal reference or amusement, even when meagre in detail, but written without the intention of publication, or of influencing the views of others, and so possessing the value of disinteres«"f'H testimony at the period as to events, persons and dates, have furnished valuable acquisitions to printed history for the reason that they were records of personal impression only and reserved until excitement had passed away. The Orderly Books or Diaries of regiments, have also afforded interesting details of service, against accepted error or conflicting testimony, fixing dates, positions, the number and description of a force, and the com- pass of its movements, and when annotated by a skillful hand 5 The " History of New York, in the Revolutionary War," by the able but cynical Judge Thomas Jones — published through the liberality of" one of his relatives, Mr. John D. Jones, and ably edited by another, Mr. Edward Floyd de Lancey, under the auspices of the New York Historical Society in 1879, with copious notes and re- ferences, is a rich mine to which any person interested in this subject, may pro- fitably turn from this merely suggestive commentary. The fierce impartiality with which he criticises Whig and Tory, soldier and civilian, induces additional credence to the many curious facts he recorded in exile, of men and events with wliich he was familiar. A letter from General Huntington to his son, while occupying his fine town house, east of the City Hall, — in that collection — expresses gratitude to him for planting the fruit he was enjoying at his quarters, and its tine view of the harbor. His country estate at Fort Neck, is preserved in the family by an entail that prevented ccr. scation. This, even with the letter books of Governor Cad wallader Golden, pubiK ed by that Society, cross read with Judge William Smith's "His- tory of the Province of New York," would in themselves afford an opening for a research similar to that of Carlyle, for the truthful inwardness of affairs at that period, in the city. tn the Revolution. 147 oThtwtfl''1V'"\'"""'^'' "^ clew ,0 much info^aHon otherwise lost from the woof of history. Those who have found entertainment In delving into the controversial folios of partisan writers, full of wha't appea re peoole^'f t,'" T" r''^ '''""^" '" "'^ """-o' of » divided peo , by Charles I, or hy ehe Parliament, the Common- wealth or the Restoration, those of each i„ ,urn had te opportunity of disseminating such convictions, to approving readu , and tor posterity to consider and compare As an example ot their utilit,, ,, was amon.st such discordant narra- .ons much ot which he stvled "Shot Rubbish "-ihatC yle, and others, have searched analogically for facts, and it was" f om such neglected authorities that he derived many of the co i^cminiscences of his own career, which have recently disappointed his appreciators. The pecu arities o h averted expression, and though, provoking'style, one com rehen e . the result of .hose researches a^,ears .L prese: To the leader, even ,1, a concentrated form, the man, his impulses and surroundings, often overlooked before in the con side' t „' ot the narrative of his remarkable career. From the mass of such conflicting .es.imonv, has also been ■n part exhun.ed a. different periods, ,he materia from wh ch Macauley, Alison, Mahon, and many o.hers less broadly known have ereced with the increasing impartiality attending later^n! vestigation. Monuments to their country, creditable to'.he wol 14-8 Tories or Loyalists men. Each, in his way has apparently sought to form safe resting places tor conviction, by substituting what, after careful inspection, appeared to possess the solidity of fact, for what the impulse of the hour had concreted, but time, and closer in- vestigation, pronounced unreliable. Some of such investigators, have been impressed with certain coincidences between that Great English Revolution, and our own of I 776. Arising, in each case amongst the same 1 ice, firm in con- viction and resolute in assertion, inspired by similar complaints of oppression and sense of right, resulting alike in divided sentiment as to the proper extent of Prerogative, and the remedy against its encroachments, involving at first, heated discussion in public assemblies, filling the minds of many well meaning citizens with doubt as to a course rendered difficult to fix upon by conflicting ties or interests, and finally precipitating in one case the Mother Country and in the other her Colonies, into the horrors of Civil War, seeming in many particulars to be but the renewal of a suspended conflict. By the result of both of these domestic struggles many who had in former peaceful times been held as valuable citizens, were impoverished and driven into exile* — in the former from the *The following is a letter from John Cruger, Esq., Mayor of New York from 1739 to 1744, and from 1757 to 1766. and Speaker of the Assembly of 1775. He was then a prisoner on parole at the residence of his brother-in law Peter Van Schaack, the celebrated lawyer, whose wife soon after died from want of proper med- ical treatment in New York, access to which the regulations of war precluded. KiNDERHooK, ^pril 12, 1778. Sir I have Rec'd your favor & am Extremely Sorry that any Impediment has arisen in the Way of my going to New York. When I Reed GenI Gates' permission Upon Condition of my Engaging to fulfil the Exchange he proposed, I wrote him I did not chuse to go Upon a condition which it might be out of my in the Revolution, H9 varied successes, drawn from both of the contending factions — affording opportunity to each in turn, to develope the smaller characteristics of nature, in the uses of success as an opportunity for the harsh assertion of authority, in resorting to confiscation, exile and individual suffering, in the changes of property as well ?.s of place. Now, if we can judge from history and observation, both Cavalier and Roundhead are looked back upon by their descend- ants and their successors with equal respect, and their actions as the result of conviction, with a common pride. The impressions of the past have been more readily forgotten, in the activity of the present by a large portion of a people, attached like our own to a government which has developed, in the ex- perience of past strife the elasticity of its institutions, and of a progressive energy in rebounding after a strain, to even a stronger tension. One element of its population, manv of the people of Ireland, from circumstances yet adhere to their old prej- udices, and still recall Cromwell's severity in his invasion, and power to pertorm. Upon which he wrote me as your Excellency Will Recollect from his Letter, that he looked to Sir Henry Clinton for the performance of Any Engagement 1 should make, and I have reason to think from What I then and have since heard that this matter was settled between theae two Generals. Could I have foreseen that it was Possible that this wd have been prevented taking place, 1 Should 1 am sure have had no diHiculty in Getting the Gcnis passport Upon which several have gone d<jwn, Even after he quitted Albany, Altho 1 cannot it Seems be so fortunate. Pet iiaps upon Consideiinj; this matter, Your Excellency will be of opinion tliat Sir Henry Clinton will perform what Geiil Gates Relied Upon him for, however ditHdent your Excellency may beof GenI Jones Who is 1 believe an Inferior Officer to Sir. Henry Clinton. Especially as I shall then go down Upon the Confi- dence between him and Genl Gates & not upon any promise of Genl Jones. If your Excellency still entertain doubts, 1 will be content to go down with one Servant only (Leaving my family and Effects,) upon Faiule to return if an Exchange cannot be Effected. 1 sincerely Request of Your Excellency, so far as you consistently can, to take my situation, into Consideration, and I hope when you Reflect on ye age and Infirmity of my sister and Self, & the great Inconveniency which we Labour Under here. You Will Readily fall upon some Means to Extricate Us Out of our Difficultys I50 Tories or Loyalists King William's success at jlie Battle of the Boyne, with equal bitterness. They had never cheerfully transferred their adhesion from the house of Stewart to either the Prince of Orange or that of Hanover. Many of them, including those of the best ele- ment had been driven by that war and its results, into France and other countries, often to become from choice soldiers, in many cases still represented by their descendants, with the same courage which turned the current of the fight at Fontenoy, and made the command of the regiment Dillon, long hereditary. Others came to America, replacing the departed loyalists, soon exceeding them in numbers, and rapidly increasing as we know, until in many sections they form a very large element of popula- tion. Their hereditary prejudices and their natural tendency to politics, perhaps inspired by the consideration of their grievances, the apparent error of the government in not fostering their manutacturies, industries and universal education, have perhaps united to produce for generations political agitations and Which I shall be happy to Retaliate by Every means in my power, to procure the Enlargement of any family, which may be desirous of moving out of New York. I have the honour to be With great Esteem Yr Ex. Most Obed & Very humb. Servt His Ex. Gov. Clinton. John Cruger. Sir: Governor Clinton's Answer. PoUGHKEEFSIE, April 19, 1778. I h.-jve received your letter of the 12th Instant & in Answer thereto, am reduced to the necessity of Informing you that I cannot consent to your going to New York in any other way than that of exchange. The conduct of Messrs. Wallace, Sher- brooke & several others who were indulged to go in on Parole & to return, or send out some citizens, in exchange, has rendered the like indulgence to others altogether improper. At any rate the intercourse between the Country & City will be totally prohibited for some Weeks to come as the Commanding Officer, were I ever so willing, will not suffer any Persons to pass the Posts below. I shall be always ready Sir to grant you every Indulgence consistent with the Duty of my Office. I am Sir Your Most Obedt. Servt, John Cruger, Esq. (George Clinton.) in the Revolution. 151 misunderstandings at home, and probably induced an immense emigration, who by becoming citizens, necessarily separate themselves politically from their country and have in the sea- board cities especially, largely acquired that control of which they were deprived in their old home, centuries ago. It is a singular paradox, attending the gigantic prosperity of the country, that while one large class of citizens neglect, in the excitement of business occupations, even the ordinary duty of electors, another often abandon the opportunities for solid prosperity and wealth, attracted by the glitter of authority and perhaps ephemeral salary, and in seeking office devote their lives to '' politics," and their advancement to the control of its dispensers. While the majority of the people of Great Britain accepted the House of Hanover cheerfully, if coldly, they took no interest in the complications of the first two sovereigns, in protecting their birthplace and Principality on the continent. Its position involved them in the '' Seven Years' War" — without eventual advantage, and imposed upon them a heavy indebted- ness, partially to meet which, in the reign of George III, the attetnpted taxation of his American colonies, also its seat, was resorted to, which afforded them their opportunity. The history prepared by a conquered enemy is generally little accepted by the victor, beyond its use a\ illustrating some strategic detail. Its statements of any motives, or of rights invaded, or injustice done, would be as indifferently received as the argument of a case after the jury had retired — ^ barren effort which is believed to have at times affected intellects. That of the English writers, as to the Revolutionary war has rarely been generally accepted or studied, in search for even minor particulars, by those satisfied with results. In our own histories, 152 Tories or Loyalists while doing justice to the general details of" the origin and pro- gress of the conflict, little attention was naturally given to per sonal conviction, or to apparent necessity, as influencing the action of any ally of the enemy, while resisting the success of a struggle for Independence. Tory and Hessian, hive been rated with the Indian, and all considered the worst elements of a bad cause, best remembered as the perpetrators of those ravages of war, impressed more strongly, bv tradition and early history, upon the communities where they occur, than any nobler action, and therefore more likely to survive. That they soon departed, leaving neither apologist nor vindicator, seems to afl^brd a sufficient reason for some just consideration of their then position, a century later. We have realized some "modern instances " since, where prejudice has unduly obscured, or partialicy unreasonably brightened, the records of the wrestlers in a world of action. The annexation of Texas — a Republic then recently carved out of the territoi_ of a friendly power, while it slum- bered — may be recalled by some as having presented a ques- tion of such then apparently vast importance, as to have seemed for a time to shake the foundation of our own government. Strict constructionists of law, and those watchful of the integrity of our avowed national policy, entered into vehement protest against an act for which they could discover no authority, and its inevitable result, in a war with a weaker power, to acquire by force a terri- tory, then looked upon without coveting it, by a large portion of the people. The debates in Congress on the subject, will sur- vive as long as the government they aflected by their results, as characterized by marked ability and vehemence, for there were surely many statesmen in Congress at that period. When the war was precipitated, all differences were speedily buried and the in the Revolution, 153 Is je le |e Maxim " Our Country Right or Wrong," silenced dissent or opposition and carried brave men of both factions in concert to the field.' Many Americans residing in Mexican Territory, under such protection as it could afford to their property, naturally placed themselves under their national colors. We can conceive that if the Mexican forces had then been able to Invade the United States, the action of her citizens residing within their borders and enjoying their protection would have been a subject for jealous scrutiny ! Their duty to the flag under which they were born, unless abandoned by a new alle- giance, could not be questioned, while its exercise against the government that had protected them would have been considered as an act of aggravated hostility. In our Civil War the manhood of the country of an avail- able age largely buried political dissensions, and when the question was narrowed to ihat of the supremacy of the flag, hastened to the front. Wlien such voluntary material for its maintenance seemed exhausted, the additional inducement of large bounties was added to the customary pay to stimulate patriotism, or compensate for the time diverted from personal enterprise. It was then noticed that the representation of 7 The anxiety to obtain service in this war, and the enthusiasm which attended its progress, when once precipitated must be recalled by many. More troops were offered than could be used, and the Southern and Southwestern States, more sectionaliy interested in the acquisition of new territory, continujlly pressed the offer of additional regiments. Those of' New York, which succeeded in obtaining orders, did good service in Mexico and California, while others offered could find no place. The contributor recalls how, although opposed to the annexation from surrounding association, and scarcely qualified by age as an elector, happening to be, for the second time, aid de camp to a notable Governor of the old school, and thus a Colonel on the Peace Establishment, inspired by the sentiment of the moment, he committed that operation so painful to all soldiers, actual or implied, waived his rank and raised a company, in a regiment which was so denied the privilege of fame or the possibility of failure. The effort was an effect of the electricity with which all were charged, impressing even a titular soldier with the value of his sword, rather than of his tank. 154- Tories or Loyalists other nationalities in our ranks was largely increased. In the rising of a government in its force i j preserve its existence, the way was necessarily subordinated to the means, and all were acceptable. Even the Chinese, valueless as an elector, would have been welcome in the hour of danger, to fight for a nationality open to all others, as the home of liberty. It was noticeable also, that when hostilities finally ensued, many who had long excited by their persistent eloquence the people of both sections to seek for. to cherish, if not to magnify differences, until a perhaps inevitable conflict was precipitated, did not crowd into the ranks, or if in Congress, all toUow the example of that gallant Senator, Edward D. Baker, a proto-martyr of that body in the conflict, who falling at the head of his regiment at Balls Bluff, while practically advancing his plea for the Union, made a more lasting impression than words a*.ldressed to applauding galleries, by men of either section fired by zeal, who failed \o afterwards emphasize the depth of their convic- tions, bv service in the field. Those who did this followed an old precedent, established by members of both houses of Parliament in the English Civil War, where, as an example, Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland^ 8 Clarendon «i his " History of the Great Rebellion " thus records the virtues of one who might have been an agreeable and instructive associate, *' he was a person of such prodigious parts of learning and knowledge, and of that inimitable sweetness and delight in conversation, and of so flowing and obliging a humanity and goodness to mankind, and of that primitive simplicity and integrity of life, that if tiitre were no other brand upon the odious and accursed Civil War than that single loss, it must be most infamous to ail posterity." He was deeply depressed by the compass which he foresaw in the conriict, frequently cried to himself " Peace. Peace," and doubting its speedy coming ; having accompanied the King at Edgehill, Oxford and Gloucester, being hia Secretary of State, he threw himself as a volunteer into the front rank of Lord Byron's regiment, at the battle of Newberry, and was killed by a musket ball. " Thus Falkland died the generous and the just," at least another martyr to honest convictions. in the Revolution. 155 a conscientious patriot, and one of the first to rise in Parliament in opposition to grievances, was also one of the earliest to vol- untarily die in defence of his sovereign, when he considered that the claims for redress were pressed too far. Many members of our Continental Congress also displayed by their service in the Held, their conviction that a statesman whether involuntary, heredirarv or professional, does not lessen his official dignity', by contact in the ranks even with those who had not svmpa' thized in the discussion, until forced into the conflict by results. Gallant service in both the council and the Held would appear to be unanswerable evidences of at least honest convictions.'^ The Trumpeter, in another fable, would appear to have been properly denied immunity, as a non-combatant, for the reason that he incited bloodshed by his noisy brass. It had already I .L;'^m"''""''''c-' "''' Ji»i"terc-sted appreciation of a double duty, may be cited in Lewis Morns, a S.gner of the Declaration of Independence, a member of Co™, g^ndson Of a Colonial Gov.-rnor of New Jersey, in his tur^ the son ot an EnS orticer ot Cromweirs army, who had made America his refuge at the Restoruion!- the proprietor of a Manor of some thousands of acres called Morri.^ania. h W^sZ Chester, New York, and an honored citizen, who. although like the lohnson ' with much to lose personally, for the prospect of a gair! by a change of government 'threw h.s fortunes into an opposite scale. His love to i.eedom probably here'ditary"rrly carried him into public life, and with his beautiful home desolated, hi, family^sca t '^ed Ws thousand of acres of woodland felled and the British ships lying within c nn .n .ho of h.s mansion he was, at the time this letter was written, sitting in ConKre..Vnd command.ng a disaffected Brigade, in the southern part of Westchester 3 tv he most disloyal portion of a Tory State. It is taken from the original • SiK Phii.adki.i-hia, Septemhfr 14, 1776. uL^""^ ''*'' ^"""'' '° '■"""'"-■ >""•■ ^'^"'-■'' -'^'^""'P-'nying the Resolve of Congress re- Scte^o;L,^,TV" '""""■ I'^r—-'^ of my Brigade, at a time when the command !/ '"^ " '"1'''^''*' '"'* particularly as I am honored with a military PhTl /? ;• T^ " ""y ''"'y '" ^^^^"""^ ^"^ -^y ''^'^^''^- since my arrival at Ph.ladelphia the State of New York has had „o more than a representat ve in rrown' Jh "it" t"^'""" "'■'*'^ Committee of Indian Affairs remVu" of Town, the whole of that necess.iry business has been devolved upon me AU tam.ly ha.rhr.u ohU^a to dncn their homr, and ...t,n, .,ith thll 7u f^/ace 20 i« I 156 Tof^ies or Loyalists been discovered, that it was easier to excite than to allay a conflict, and that only the peacemaker was blessed. There is a middle course, which caution has often suggested to personal interest, in the consideration ot all untried enter- prises ; that of uniting with neither party, while coquetting with, and appearing to 'entertain, the views of both. Yxoxu any im- putation oi such littleness, at least. Johnson and his Tory associates would appear to have been free, as the evidence of their offence was in their undisguised cooperation. When the French fleet, with Rochambeau's army, was groping its way in search of Newport and towards Yorktown, on the loth of July, 1780, through Martha's Vineyard, and the fogs which vatchsmen so often deplore, an islander boarded the Conquerani, 74 — conveying Generals the Baron de Viomenel, Count de Custine, \vho soon atter led the advanced troops to altijgrthtr uvprtii'idid, I hni'e been under the necessily oj de!a\in^ the time of my stay until I could /ix them in some situation ivhere they cou/d he accommodated. This distress of my Family nn this occis-ion made it my partiiular duty to attend to them, and which I Hatter myself will be justih-^ble upon every principle of justice. The situation of my Brigade 1 was convinced was well known to the Convention, 1 apprehended that not more than a Colonel's comrrand was left in it, and .'s such did n(;t think my presence was so absolutely necessary. 1 iiave tliought that the existence of such a Brigade, in wh'ch were so many disaffected persons, was dangerous to the cause ao well as to my own life. But being desirous to participate in the virtuous opposition to the British Tyrant, I had determined ns soon as possible to join Gen. Washington and contribute my assistance to him, prompted in the first instance by a Love of my Country, and in the next place the preservation of my property, being thoroughly convinced chat unless we coni]uer I am ruined. However in obedience to the command of Convention I shall prepare with all possible expedition to set out for Westchester, and will endeavor to execute any orders they may be pleased to give to the utmost of my ability. 1 have the honor to subscribe myself, Sir, Your obliged and Obed't Humble Servant, Lewis Mcrris. (To the President of the Frovincial Congress of New York). lie afterwards returned to service, was a Major General and had, as his fellow ofBcers, ihree of his sons. Of his own brothers, Staats Long continued in the British service, be-'^me a Lieutenant General. Richard was a )udge of Admiralty, and Gouverncnr the, well esteemed Diplomatist and Congressman. p in the Revolution, 1.57 the Peninsula and performed valuable service there, and many officers and men of those auxilliaries -and who was useful as a pilot bringing valuable information, as lo the Americans still holding Rhode Island,- "he was a good man " - says the Chief Commissary who was daily bottling up facts for our later refreshment- "and displayed intelligence. He was neither a Royal, St, or Insurgent, but a friend of everybody, as he told us with much smplicityr As the arrival of this expected assistance was an occaston for the expression of pleasure, and as the struggle it was coming to aid in terminating had long given opportunity for the formation of an opinion, it seems clear that he was a Loyalist, and yet in a conditio., to avail himself of the rapidly approaching success, with all the privileges of a patriot. But courage based upon even erroneous conviction may claim respect. A generous opponent after success in defeating an object which from principle he has opposed, is often the earliest reconciled, and a heart conscious of the duty of loyalty, most open to forgive an honest but mistaken conception. Thus, in later years, after time for comparison of events and reflection, such appreciation has even extended over the seas to the adherents of the Pretender, who lost their lives and estates .n a hopeless effort to restore the unfortunate house of Stuart to whom their fathers owed allegiance ; when realizing how that history has also in a way repeated itself in our own land, largely colonized by the exiles of both parties in England's civil wars and how a similar sentiment in>pired many good men, mis- ^^■■'^un.a. of C.au.ie Blanch...., edit., by Wn,, Duane and Thos. Balch, Albany, resounded with the .usi/of ^e fo, hot::^;:^.^;;;^;^^^^:;::;^'; -- I : 158 Tories or Loyalists takenly as the result proved, to endeavor to sustain the exist- ing government ; and some incidentally to follow or imitate such a leader as Sir John Johnson, in his effort to reclaim his inherit- ance by the same force that had been used in his eviction. His Scotch, Irish and German tenantry and his Indian allies, whose memory has come down to us as terrible as that of the " Black Douglas " with which babies of the Border were once hushed to sleep, were the same appliances long turned by his predecessor with general approval against the French. The barbarities attending his expedition, if greater than those recorded in all that partisan warfare, may, at this distance of time, be attributed to the bitter sentiment of divided neighborhood and broken friendship, the retaliation of the exile against him who retained or had acquired his home. In our recent struggle we learned again that many foreign soldiers voluntarily came as has been stated, and accepted service on either side, for glory or for pay, indifferent to the cause; and also that old neighbois were often the fiercest opponents when meerng in strife. U^ in the light of that experience, there was one whose adhesion to the British Government in 1776 appears most readily accounted for, it would seem to be that of Sir John Johnson. His position as an officer in his King's service made it natural to a soldier ; the personal honor of knight- hood from the King's hand while in London, must have infl*. -need liis sympathy, aside from the hereditary sense *^ gratitude for the great bounties and trust conferred on his father. That father dying in 1774 escaped the responsibility which fell upon his son. It is unnecessary to fully recall the career /y* in the Revolution, 159 o.- Sir William Johnson who was probably the most remarkable, if not the most distinguished, character in American colonial history. His coming as a youth from Ireland into the then wild M.,hawk valley as the agent of his uncle, Admiral Sir Peter Warren, whose "great and veteran service" to this State, was rewarded in part with the means to secure an estate of 15 000 acres named - Warren's Bush " and afterwards by the gift from the City of New York of a suburban estate-called Chelsea and now embedded in its limits-especially for his service in the capture of Louisburg ;" his succession from a pioneer planter and country store keeper to the control of the Six Nations of Indians, once the most powerful race on the Northern Amer- ican Continent, who were likened to the Romans from the extent of their invasions from their northern home, west to the Falls of the Ohio, and south to the waters of Carolina. "The capture of Louisburg, the key to Canada, skillfully /brtified b- , n„nii t Vauban, j;arnsoned by regular Fienrh troon= inH .1 fortined by a pupil of IHE hoi-LowiNG CoMMrssroN L'iven bv Governoi SMrl^,, ,.,K the Forces in North Arror,, , .nS ; !i , "f'""' ^''"•l^y, when commanding all young gentleman o -1^3 ^ ■ ^^ ^"'^ ^^""''"tS then Mr. Alexander, a service, showV the form Jitv with whh n '' "^ ^'^""^ '"^ '" '''^^' educated in the -.rfare t ' w 1^ a^a n t h^K ""t 'T''^' ^o-mi.sioned, and the coion^sts whom the t::; :%:!: „f w"-i'e' t'Tr^rri ''■'"'' ^.plained of by ci.li.d opponent/in Both^as:'ti;t:;iyl::;^ l!:^'-— To Taw^woif, Greeting : cspe^ J?:::t"::; conh;;ri;;orK/7 ^t^ ? "'^ ^^^-^^ -^-^-'"^ most sacred Majesty, KinrSelrJ the wl / H ""'' ""'. '^"''''' ^" "'" J y, nt v^eorge tneJjecond. I do appoint you, the said Tawenoe, i6o Tories or Loyalists They might then become the balance of power between the English and French colonies, and are now, from the loss of such civilizing authority mainly extinct, enjoying in happier hunt- ing grounds, freedom from the inevitable progress of the white man, before which they steadily pass away, making room for advancing cultivation. Soon, his acquisition i.f military and civil power, of influence and estate, until he had become a viceroy in authority, with a princely personal domain, showed a rapid appreciation of his new surroundings. His intimate knowledge of the character of the Indians, his justice and wisdom in their control, their devotion to him, and his adaptation to their customs and language ; his defence of the French border and his expeditions into their dominions, until dying a Baronet, a Major General, and Super- intendent of Indian affairs, are matters that should be familiar to every reader. His home, "Johnson Hall," was the theatre of much romantic incident connected with colonial history, and visited at intervals by most of the distinguished men on the to be Lieutenant of Indians employed in •■he present Expedition for removing the French Encroachments at Niagara, and elsewhere on Lake Ontario, and you are faithfully to discharge the Duty of a Lieutenant of the Indians aforesaid. Given under my Hand and Seal at Arms, at the Camp at Oswego, on Lake Ontario, the first day of September, 1755. W. Shirlf.v. By His Excellency's Command, Wm. Alexander, Scc'y, ' Sir William Pepperel died a baronet, and his successor living to be deprived, his estate also passed into exile. It may be proper to mention, as one of the historical doubts which confuse the reader, that Dr. Dwight has claimed for General Lyman, the second in command, the principal credit for the defeat of Baron Dieskau near Lake George, by Sir William Johnson (Appendix) with the New England, New York and New Jersey Provincials, which aided to relieve the alarm created by Gen. Brad- dock's disaster, with another division of the army. There was great jealousy at this time between the New England and New York Provincial Troops. It was on such evidences of their skill in arms, that the self reliance of the Colonists in the com- ing struggle was founded. Ui 'lZ€/-t -to i^C^fL^^iy/^^ ,^^'^^^/^; QdJf^^'^ &Mr}-m^^ 'Mf tB-ClMt 0AA7Wr FHOM 1 Ht OKIGINAL IN IHt COlLEr.TION Or T.a.w in the Revolution, i6i J^ 4^-? f 'JVf continent. Their letters addressed to him on various affairs ai state, with replies showing condensation of varied intelligence, conveyed in the graceful penmanship of a ready writer, are still preserved — some in the collection referred to — attesting a life of labor in the public service. In this however, he found opportunity to attend to many personal duties, incident to his position and capacity. Isolated, and only restricted by the orders of the Governineni, which from better local apprec iation of necessities, he alone, as its agent, had ventured to disregard; with an increasing neighbor- hood of many nationalities, English, Scotch, Irish, German and Hollander, as compatriots or tenantry, appealing lo him for counsel in every relation' of life, from the cradle to* the grave, he advised and protected the living, and was burthened with trusts by the dead,'^ cheerfully fulfilling his duties to the lowly as a bountiful benefactor, and hospitably entertaining them with the great, who resorted to the hall, when amusing their leisure time with hardy sports and athletic games. He appears to have afforded an example to those charged with the control of the destinies of aggregates of men. ** The accompanying document appears worthy of reproduction, as a pen sketch affording a glimpse ot this early backwoods lite. As rough in autographic execution as its surroundings, it chances to place on one paper the na nes, and to show the meet- ing, of some historical celebrities of border life, friends soon to be divided in strife. The two Johnsons, General Nicholas "Herckmcr," as he boldly but roughly writes himself, — in the year in which he was erecting^ the spacious brick mansion called his '"Castle", which survives him near Little Falls, — destined afterwards to sit on the saddle of his dead horse, reclining against a tree, smoking his pipe, and issuing his orders, when mortally wounded in the battle nf Oriskany, by the Tories and Indians of St. Leger and Sir John. Colonel Peter Schuyler, for a time acting as Colonial Governor of New York, called " Quider" by the Mohav/ks, whom he had led successfully against the French, and whom they trusted and loved, and Abraham Yates, Jun., subsequently an early Senator, both of the last at times Mayors of the important border city of Albany. With tht-se are others, not unknown in that local history, although nuking as feeble impression on their times as on tiie paper, yet as necessary as are the minor connecting links in Genealogy. BL\j4!|t I02 Tories or Loyalists He devoted much attention also, to' the erection of churches and schools — even selecting with his intimate knowl- edge of the Mohawk dialect, the hymns to be sung — and to the education '3 and spiritual welfare of his savage neighbors, in his relations with whom there was much to recall the habits of the Patriarchs, and to account for this special interest in their progress which was probably remembered in the fidelity of four of the tribes, the Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and Mohawks, to his son, while the Oneidas alone supported the Americans, after vigorous efforts had been made to secure them all. One of the latest objects of his attention was the publication of a new edition of the '' Book of Common Prayer," to supply the place of the '' Mohawk Prayer Book " printed in 1 7 15, on ■■J From Rev. Elea/.cr Wheelock, founder Jiid President of Dartmouth College, and celebrated for his success and usefulness in his extended labors to educate and civilize the Indians. Amongst his pupils was Josepli Brant. Darimouih CoLM-.fiE, IN Ntw Hami'shike, Veh. 27, 1773, Hon. Sik -. The bearers, Ba^teen and Lewis. Indians of fhe Tribe of Lorett, h.ive been several months at my school, and liave from the first appeared to have an uncommon thirst for Le.uning, have been diligent ac their stud;r;s and have made good Proficiency for the Time therein. They appear to be rational, manly, :j/:rited, courteous, graceful and obligiiij,' far bey'>nd what I have found common to Indians, \nA I have observed no undue appetite in tlieni for Stronj; Urink. They have often expressed a desire to gee your Honor since they have lived with mi-, and now at their Desire 1 have con- tented to their making you this Visit. I esteem them the most promising young Indians I have ev(.r seen, and the most likely to answer the great and good ends of an Education, ano I liope their going among their brethren in your parts will have no bad influence to predjudice or distemper their minds. 1 haveadvised'them to return as soon as they can after thgy have luitably expressed their duty and respect to you, as 1 should be sorry they should lose more time from their Studies than shall be needful aiid also as they will likely have occasion to take several other Journeys soon after their return. I wish your Honor the Divine Presence, Direction and Blessing in the important Business Providence has assigned you in Life and beg leave to assure you that I am with much Esteem and Respect, Your Honor's most obedient and very humble servant, £lf.az£r Wheki.ock. Sir Wm. Johnson, Baronet. I tn the Revolution^ 163 Hradford's celebrated Press, even then unobtainable and now of great value as one of the rarest of American books. Although his treaties with them showed the concession of great grants of unoccupied territory to the King's domain, he protected them in their occupancies and reserved rights with a jealous care, which would afford a model for later " Indian Agencies.'' He carried into effect the policy which Governor Dongan had foreshadowed, of ket^ping the control of the Indians on British soil and protecting them from the zealous Missionary efforts of their French neighbors, to consolidate them with their own tribes. Like Lord Chatham, he died in harness, devoting his last hours to duty. The progress of prospecting for locations on Indian lands was already active in 1774. Capttin Michael Cresap and Mr. Greathead, had by attei.dant ravages in the valley of the Ohio, on l.inds protected bv Treaty obligations, aroused Logan and other chiefs, friendly to the whites. It was the old story, with which we have been familiar from youth, being repeated. The entire Indian race on the continent sympathized, the Six Nations were preparing to take arms, even Johnson trembled at the prospect. He invited them to a Great Council, and appealed to their old relations as a guarantee for justice. Sick, when lie entered the council, he vehemently addressed them, as was his custom, and died before the session was completer' — on the elevCiith of July, 1774^ in his sixtieth year; but his parting words carried their wonted influence, and peace was preserved. He combined some of the characteristics of Nestor with those of Ulysses, and surely presents in his administration of his public trust and mainly in his private life, an exarr.ple to those IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I IIIM ii:ii^-5 If m IM III 2.2 I "^ IIIIM III 1.8 125 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ^ Photographic Sciences CorpoFcition 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 S. <V ^^ ^V \ \ rv ^V" ,v 6^ W^ <i>^ >> L<P i?< 6^ i '■ ■ '■ '1 164 El *j Tories or "Loyalists charged with large duties and responsibilities. In the plentitude of his evidences of his master's favor and the pressing variety of his occupations, it is doubtful uhethcr in the growing disfavor foi the taxes on stamps or tea, he found time even to consider the reasons for a change of government, or felt that a seat in Parliament would have increased his own importance or rep- resentative control. '■♦ It is no reflection upon the purity of the motives, or the wisdom of the action of the fathers of our country that such cases of those thus personally impressed with other views, should have existed, but it is merely another instance of the sometimes honest diversity of opinion and policy which has made the world a battle lield. It may be assumed that then as now, men were governed by individuality and subordinated all to the duty of loyalty, combined in such cases with a sense of interest ; and one can easily see how possessing all they could hope for, both father and son struggled to retain it, as would now the holder of a similar valuable estate, franchise, or monopoly, against legislative absorbtion, opp : 'ig opinion, or even suggested amendment. We see, even in the peaceful walks of life, one man of other- wise noble character, loose self control in asserting a grievance or supporting a right against another, v/here both are honest, and one, inevitably wrong. Such material, when aggregated even for social purposes, will at times divide in sentiment, and struggle in a ballot, to decide what is humane or right or what is regular, and by the vote of the majority, produce a result in suppressing without altering a deeply seated conviction. '4 It does not appear that he ever revisited Kngland, as was asserted, but it may be recalled that he w.is the first white man — borne b\ the Indians on a litter — who resorted to the " Saratoga Springs" for medicinal relief. in the Revolution, 165 Such difFerences are apparently but miniature representations of the elements aggregated in civil war: A reference to a disin- terested party has often remedied the one as a mediation may avoid the other. John Bright, that life long advocate of peace, who has lived through many wars, has recently presented a remedy against their recurrence. "The policy and aspect of our countiy and of the world will be changed, if the demon war is confined to the cases in which there seems to Christian and rational men no escape from the miseries it inflicts on mankind." This seems a glittering generality only, until it can he dis- covered hnv the passion and perhaps the ignorance by which it is generally incited can be induced — best before any use of violence— to submit to such proper arbitration, and then who would be admitted to be " rational men " by any usual method of selection. At least the position of those who sustained the existing govern- ment at the Revolution would not appear to have been open to any such solution. A large body of the people had finally settled upon a new form, to which all must submit, without reference to former complication, interest, or tivjs. There was no intermediate course, nor opportunity to temporize, espe- cially for one prominent from position. The " Tory " then fought for his sovereign and the existing laws, often after years of resistance to their exactions in every appeal but that of arms, as distasteful then as now. The con- servative element had favored to the last, endurance to con- test, of which property and business were to bear the cost. Many, even of the leading patriots of the Revolution during its' progress gave their testimony, that they did not at its outset con- template separation, but only to urge concession by the threat t i66 Tories or Loyalists Iff supported by force ; some of them favored mutual conciliation to the end, most prayed for peace. We have been educated to consider the action of those who were satisfied with the existing government in 1776, as well as that of those who had realized and sought for peaceful redress from grievances,and when they culminated in war adhered to their old flag, indiscriminately, as absolutely indefensible; to apply to all of them the epithet "Tory," as equivalent to "Traitor," and to forget that the even worse detested " Hessian " was only an involuntary German soldier in jackboots and bearded, then unusual in America, whose sword was again sold under treaty obligations, by his Hereditary Prince to a kinsman. King George HI, in that war. We have not cared to recognize his hostility to us as compulsory, his presence that of the involuntary victim of an obnoxious custom in the old World, and that he was of the same race — and if an officer, of its educated and then privileged class — famed from the period of Charlemagne in the battle fields of the world, for their achievements, among the more recent of which we can now recall their instrumentality — including the death of two Princes of Brunswick — in the earlier conflicts, in the overthrow of two Emperors of the Bonaparte dynasty, and its suppression. The Tory was not allowed to remain after the Revolution had succeeded, to submit to the result of what he had from habit and education rejected, when pressed upon him by arms. It would seem to be improper, after the expiration of a cen- tury, to question the action of the brave men — carefully selected to represent the popular sentiment, and clearly influenced by more than usual intelligence — as to their policy in the smallest detail, in securing our national existence, or to believe that they could have acted in this important particular, without in the Revolution. 167 a better knowledge than we can even yet appreciate, of their position and of their necessities. We know that our country was exhausted in men and means when the contest ended,'s that the British lion had retreated '5 The following copied from a signed duplicate original, shows the necessity of the By thk United States, in Congress assembl ED. ^ , . September 4, 1782. WW That one million two hundred thousand dollars has been quotaed on the ^Sc d\t h' I r'"='^-^^'y "««^^a'y f- payment of the interest on the fo 1 V ih ; V n ' ^^^"'"•"-'^«'' '- 'he Legislatures of the respective States' ai inAh.i \"" ti T""' '' '^'"^ '""" P^°P" *"<! «^ff"'"al for immediatei; raising their quota of the above sum. ' th^lLlZt 7*"'' '^" ""-T"^ '° "'''!^'" "•^'^ ^'^'•=' ^f^^" ''^ ^PP'i^'l towards paying n -T. ?^ J on certificates issued from the loan office of each State, and oLf liquidated debts of the United States contracted therein, before any part thereof shall be paid into the public treasury. ^ *^ tnereor snail Ordered, That the foregoing Resolutions be referred to the Grand Committee to assess and report the quota of each State. o"i""ccce, to On the report of the Grand Committee : Resof-ved, That $1,200,000 to be raised for the domestic debt of the United States, be appropriated to the following quotas, viz : New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jeisey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, (Signed), Sept. 10, 1782. payment of the interest of the to the several States, according 5,000 192,000 28,800 133,200 54,000 66,000 180,000 16,800 132,000 174,000 88,800 72,000 14,400 $1,200,000 Chas. Thompson, Secretary. If* i68 Tories or Loyalists 4- n grimly, still holding his Canadian territory as a lair, which could be used after the repose he also needed, as a base for the concen- tration of another effort, perhaps including the Loyalists and exchanged Hessian prisoners. That the private contributions made in England to aid the government, after the capture of Burgoyne, might be renewed and concert increased, after the surrender of Cornwallis, inspired by national chagrin. They perhaps felt that a Preliminarv Peace wrung from a mortified enemy, was really a truce, depending on England's adjustment of her difficulties with France. That the forces of that ally, had hurried the attack upon Yorktown, to seek new laurels in the West Indies, and might never return, and that even Defin- itive Treaties had often been broken. Even after that Peace, they probably doubted its 'Continuance — as was justified by the war of ibi2'^ — and from these considerations, looked upon the continued presence of the Tory element as likely to prove a lasting danger. A reference to " Sabine's Loyalists" will readily show, in the records of many of them in the Colonial and Revolutionary wars, that they were largely men of military experience'^ and the ques- "5 In his "Campaigns of the War of 1812 and 15," recently published, General Cullum — who will be remembered by posterity for his life labor in recording the military records of all of the graduates of the military academy — throws much light ' on a dark subject. Intending to do justice to the officers of his own — - the Engineer corps, he has apparently afforded the best account of the strategic failure of a war gallantly fought in the field, but so disgracefully managed in the Bureau, as to leave an impression, in many competent minds, that it was intended to be a failure, to avoid the annexation of Canada, then by reason of the scarcity of British Troops and other circumstances apparently possible. '7 The '* Letters from the Marquis de Montcalm, Governor General of Canada, &c.," published by Almon, in London, in 1777, '" f^*-' ^^^^ '^^ t^he controversy — and at once declared, even in Parliament, to contain predictions manufactured after the results were verified — are still a subject of discussed authenticity, although mainly settled by recent developments by Francis Parkmnn and others, to have been simulated. At least they appear to contain a valuable cotemporary view of the condition of the then Colonies, the material of their population, and the probability of their speedily turning their arms against their mother country, when the danger of the French as a hostile neighbor was removed. in the Revolution, 169 tion for the victors to pass upon, was whether a cordial acceptance of the result of their recent overthrow could be relied upon, and a new allegiance could divest them of their old attachment or entirely subordinate them to the impressions and duties, necessary to reliable citizenship. It has been claimed, that as they included in their number many large holders of property, and that its forfeiture —on which new fortunes were speedily founded -the release of debts and arrears before the war, to, and the cancelling of contracts with them, were also used as influences against an amnesty on even severe conditions,'^ such as had usually then been extended to the Indians, after their conquest, by most of the colonies. It was said by Addison, that "a man of merit in a different prmciple, is like an object seen in two different mediums, that appears crooked and broken, however straight and er.tire it' may be m Itself. For this reason there is scarcelv a person of figure >n England, who does not go by two contrary characters, as opposite to one another as light and darkness." '« The severity of an indiscriminate confiscation was early recognized Tn ^K prelimina.y Treaty of Peace, foimulated at Versailles on the loth 7 r o negotiated by Adams, Franklin lav and Hen v , u January, ,783, States- all ^Uustriou's citizens ln:',r^:'Xl^Z^:Z^'' E "V^ ''"'"' ativeot Great B.itain was Richard Oswald a n.e'dJnt t ~h ? '"'^f'""'- to represent her, without the ceremony auen^ n. h '"' '"'""^ ''°"" probably with a view to his acceptabilit/ ^^th . t ^^lo "I^'""^'""^ ^""^ lately bailea Mr. Laurens from the Towe when cauturedT . ' '' ''"""^ Mission at the Hague Bv that T.earv c 7 "t^'"''''^.^' «^=>. «" his way to his Article v.",t is a,Ld th!t^L'"^/„ '.St",;: '^e^Im 'l^ "'^"'f "^^' '" latures of the respective States, to provide fo, the rSJtion oTTl t /" '^\^-%^^- properties of persgns resident in di trius, in the p, si io' "f 1 M "•' ''^^'" '""^ who have not borne arms against the said U ted'LS " An th^t''"'' """' '"' other description, shall have free libertv m ,r„ InV ^ persons, ot any teen United'statJs, an t e.ei t , ma . w e I'th '"' " ^'^ f. ^^l^^ '^^ Thir- to obtain the restit'ution of each of " rotates St and" "' '" '^''' ""'"''"'' becnconHscated^andthatCongressshallaisSeXe^ol^rrsevr/ls^:: i ! m I ■ ¥ 170 lories or Loyalists It may be noticed that the persons here incidentally alluded to, may be mostly classed as persons of figure at the period and that Addison's impression was as applicable to the colonies as to the mother country. The customs of the one had been early introduced into the other, in the habits of life, and the adoption of many of the ideas and principles which governed at home. The acquisition of land has been as we know, from the earliest period one of the most marked instincts of man. None knew better than the settlers the traditional influence attending land secured by entail, as the basis of the perpetuation of families at home, and many younger sons and connections of such privileged owners were then amongst the first comers. Nor were they slow after their arrival in seeking for similar endow- ments. A vast area of readily productive land, forests, fisheries and mines, lay open to new colonists ; and lacile governors, sent generally by favor, to better their estates — at least before dis- sensions demanded more efficient selections — were ready to promote grants of crown lands, and even manors with some a reconsideration and revision of the acts and laws regarding tlie premises, so as to render the said laws or acts perfectly consistent, not only with justice and equity, but with the spirit of conciliat'on, which on the return of the blessings of peace should universally prevail. And that Congress shall also earnestly recommend to the several States, that the estates, rights and properties of such last mentioned persons, shall be restored to them, they refunding to any persons who may be now in posses- sion, the bona fida price (where any iia^ been given) which such persons may have paid on purchasing any of said lands or properties, since the confiscation. And it is agreed, That all peisons who have any interest in confiscated lands, either by debts, marriage settlements, or otherwise, shall meet with no legal impediment in the prosecution of their just rights." It was also agreed by Article vi. "That there shall be no future confiscations made, nor any prosecutions commenced against any person or persons for, or by reason of the part which he or they may have taken in the present war, and that no person shall, on that account, sutfer any future loss or damage, either in his person, liberty or property, and that those who may be in confinenicnt on such charge at the time of the ratification of the Treaty in America, shall be immediately set at liberty, and the prosecution so commenced be discontinued." tn the Revolution. 171 feudal privileges, induced by the eking out of a small salary by .he considerable fees attending the entries, and often,- as ex,st,ng written evidence proves- by a concealed interest with es. ,es ,0 owed the,r divis.on and use by tenants, or distribu- t'on by sale. There were many n.onopolies, snnilariy procured -on also available as source, of weahh and as the crops and' produc„ons of the land, the mines, tl,e t,n,ber, the naval Les. and the fisherres rncreased, and their development and contro by merchants and shippers accumulated wealth, there followed and hab,t o! l„e, used by the privileged class in the nrother country. The military and civil service brought out manv cadets of Enghsh fam.hes, to find . pe.manent home bv settlement or marnage. As England was polnically an ' aristocracy, the colon,es as a part of it, imitated its habits and fostered iL .red t e convex.ty of affluence, and aspired to position, the exclusron from the higher offices, and the precedence on a ^tate occasron, accorded to some stripling subaltern in a crimson coat was a gr.evance harder to be borne than taxation. With pro, ' penty and wealth came the desire for education, and that cu t -" vat,on wh.ch should confer on their children some of the ad vantages which they had seen accorded, to the scions of th t pnvdegcd families at home. The schools of Eton and Harrow, and the Universities of Ox ord and Cambr.dge, were filled with young Americans, who wh,le studymg the humanities, were naturaHy comparmg the' 5 E r I mam 1 / ^ Tones or Loyalists political privileges which surrounded them, with those of their home. Those in London, during the period of the dissensions referred to, watched the progress of events in the galleries of Parliament and studied statesmanship there, often with their profession in the purlieus of the Temple and the Inns of Court, both indis- pensible in the coming events in that distant home. Probably in their social intercourse they felt the sense of inferiority as colonists, impressed upon them by the home born young Britons, ever conscious of national and often of personal superiority — with whom they were associated, and already dreamed of political and social equality. '9 Their home constituency, combining a large element of veterans taught to wield arms in the border wars, conscious of their power ; and of those devoted to the pursuits of peace, conceded in the selection for such offices as were left to their choice, the claims of superior education and larger opportunity for the study of public affairs ; for in those days, the place sought the man as generally as in the present, men seek As an example, Edward R ph ?dg{ lay- ward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., and Arthur Middleton, all early movers for redress from grievances, members from South Car- olin^i of the early Congresses, and its Signers of the Declaration, '9 An amusing instance of the social line then drawn, is given by Col. Stone. When William, an halt breed — suppo'ed to be Sii William's boy, and an associate of young Brant at Dr. Wheelock's school, was directed by his instructor's son to saddle a horse, he refused, saying he was not a Gentleman. When asked to define what a gentleman was, he replied, " a person who keeps race horses and drinks Madeira wine, and that is what neither you nor your father do." It is not probable that this impression originated with the boy, but it suggests whether the keeping of too many race horses, and the drinking ot too much Madeira, may not have been one of the causes ot the distinction he describes finding its decadence in the progress of events and the development of new elements of citizenship, rapidly dividing property and power with these earlier comers. in the Revolution. ^IZ g^er Stone, ssociate son to define drinks )robable cping of vc been progress dividing were, with Charles Coatesworth Pinckney, John Laurens and many others early in the field from that, and a large number who served in both from other Colonies — recently educated in England. The Congress that declared the country free, which was probably as representative of the ability of the American people as any that succeeded it, was, according to the custom ot the day, composed of such "men of figure " in the colonies as the people at the time, considered best suited to protect their common interest. The Clergy, Lawvers', Doctors, Judges, Magistrates, Planters and prosperous Merchants and Manufacturers were mainly its material ; there was an entire absence of those who devoted themselves to politics or agitation professionally. Perhaps the dift'erence of sentiment, which soon divided the people in arms, may be illustrated by hastily referring to the career of one member of that celebrated body, who, while occupying in many particulars the same position as the John- sons, was overwhelmed and mainly forgotten in the ruin he brought upon himself, in the honest assertion of antipodal con- victions. Richard Stockton, of New Jersey, would appear to have been symmetrically, in every relation, such a " person of figure." Born at Princeton, in 1730, on the extended estate of his fathers, carefully educated as his position justified, and his natural abilities made easy, he graduated at Nassau Hall, in 1748, under the tutelage of President Burr. When fitted by professional training, he readily asserted his position, as one of the ablest (if a distinguished bar. The cultivation of his mind, is said to have kept pace with that of a graceful and attractive person, physically fitted for endurance and superiority in all I 17+ Tories or Loyalists I ;!' manly enterprises. While doing the honors of his stately home, with a broad hospitality and benevolence, aided by a w'fe to whom he was devoted, he had a ' rned it with many objects of interest, including one of the finest libraries in the colonies. He cotnbined an interest in all that afJ'ected the public, with an appreciation of every social pleasure, uniting in the gayeties of the little Viceregal Court of his Governor, Sir William Franklin,"" while already considering the grievances charged against his delegated action. He is claimed by his honorable character, and sympathetic manners, to have earned the ap- preciation of all. Devoting his leisure to the improvement of his mind, body and estate, on the latter he bred the choicest horses and cattle, he was celebrated for his mount as well as for his seat, for his skill as a marksman, and in such " Governor Franklin was .-» protege of Lord Bute, by whose influence and that of his father — when courted by the administration — he was created Governor of New Jersey without any marked service above that of a captain in the French War. On his release he returned to Europe. His more memorable father who could con- trol lightning failed in influencing the loyalt) of bis son. In many particulars there was a .similarity between the position and treatment of Governor Franklin and Sir John Johnson in this year. Tlie following letter is copied from the original and shows the action of Congress. Philadelphia, ^j^une 24, 1776. Gentlemen : Your Favor respecting the proper measures to be taken with your late Governor, William Franklyn, Esq., came to Hand on Saturday the zid inst. But as the Congress did not sit on that Day 1 could not lay it before them till Monday. 1 now do myself the Honour of enclosing to you the Resolve of Congress which they have this day passed with Regard to the Treatment of him. You will therefore perceive the Congress have directed him to be sent to Connecticut under a guard. I shall write to Gov. Trumbull to treat him as a Prisoner should he refuse to give his Parole in Writing. I have the Honour to be Gentlemen your most obed't and very humble serv't. John Hancock, FresiJ't. The other resolves herewith transmitted, are of such a Nature that no arguments are necessary to enforce them. You will be pleased to attend to them as soon as possible. Hon'hle Convention of New "Jtrsey. tn the Revolution. ^11 a.hle„c spor., as are now supplemented by polo, lawn tennis, boating and ball .natches, in which pleasure is realized through exert,on. Such pursuits and pastimes of his lesser existence, were with him only the oil applied to the machinery ot an earnest life ! In .766, he -made his tour," as was customary then as now, spending two years in Kngl,nd, cultivating the ac qua,n.ance ot public men to whom his access was easy, ob.a,nn,g an audience by the young King, who graciously received h,m, and communing with some leaders, with whom he was destined to hold early intercourse, and to whom he, even then, probably imparted his growing apprehensions. In an unpublished letter, written in London in that vear to his wtfe-one of the few relics of his then impending ruin, which survive ,n the hands of his family, „nd which Dr. Emmet .houghtfully directed to be facsimiled - be says, '. I have had a perfect state of health since I left you, blessed be God Almighty, and let me tell you that all the Elegance and Grandeur I have yet seen in these Kingdoms, in different families where I have been received, serves but to increase the pleasure I have for some years enjoyed in my Domestick con- nections I see not a sensible, obliging, tender wife, but the Image of my dear Emelia, is full in view. I see not a haughty ■gnorant imperious dame, but I rejoice that the partner of my hte IS so much her opposite. But why need I talk so gallantly ' You knew me long ago, as well as you would should I write a volume on this endearing topic." The fitness of a man so constituted and prepared for public usefulness, was not then long overlooked. Returning m 1768, he was named for a seat in the Council of the colony-! 1a I 176 Tories or Loyalists at the time an honored place, and, in 1774, elevated to the Supreme Bench, acquitting himself with credit in each position. When he saw the political clouds which he had carefully watched, about to break, he had prepared himself by study of precedents, and communion with wise men, for the result, and made every effort to avert it. The annexed appeal, copied from the original draft — written with a firm and graceful chirography, but in ink as faded bv time as any general memory of his service — expressing the result of such conclusion in dignified and manly terms, and showing by its impersonal form, the writer's appreciation of the etiquette, which prevented a direct inteiference with public affairs beyond his control — was submitted to the minister without concealment of author- ship or the avoidance of responsibility, by the hand of a friend." " An Exi'KDiENT for thk Seiti.ement of the American Disputes humbly sub- mitted (" offered" erased ) to the consideration ot" his Majesty's Ministers, by an American. The State of American Affairs is so l>a'il\< alarming at thii rinif, that any real friend to the British Empire, ought to suggest every probable expedient that oicurs to him, for the accommodation of the uniiappy disputes between Great Britain and tho Colonies — to give the following suggestions their due weight, it must be premised — I3t. Tliat the several North American Colonies, from New Hampshire to South Carolina inclusive, a'v a/'/e to furnis/i 500,000 /i^Af/wi^ men ; who are in general as fit for service as the Englisli Militia, and many of them much more so, having been in active service in the last war. 2nd. That the great body of the people of these several Colonic? are ni \v ( even to the astonishment of many Colonists themselves ) perfectly united in c determinate oppoiition to the authority of the Britiih Parliament as to all internal Taxation. 3d. That there is not the least remaining doubt, if the British Government should proceed to put the late Acts of Parliament, respecting the Massachu'etts Bay (or any other Acts which involve the Idea of .\n absolute uncontrollable power in the British Parliament over the Colonies) \ into execution, by force, but that the saiij Colonies luouLl unite hy atlemptint^ 10 repel, fnrce hi force. To which may be added, what Is as well or perhaps better known in Great Britain than in America, to wit : 4th. That the certain consequences of this unnatural war will be dreadful to both Great Britain and America, and the prohahle etiects thereof may be fatal to the whole British Empire. Matters standing thus and the three first proposi- tions above premised being founded upon the mort indubilable facts (of which the writer of this from his general acquaintance with America, is perhaps as competent a in the Revolution, 177 im, the A— jouth as been rhese , es ) ,15 iO the •cting solute m, by To han in Ul be nay be roposi- :h the etent 1 Such remonstrances, oiade in and out of Parliameni by the friends of America, desirous of preserving with honor its early institutions, failed to attract attention, and the storm of oppo- sition to them finall)> burst. Stockton had already selected his course and indift'erent to office, personal exemption, or private judge as any man wliatever), it is humbly proposed to his Majesty's Ministers whether it would not be proper, ist. That a royal Instruction be immediately obtained and sent over to the several Gove/nors of the North American Colonies requesting them forthwith to .ecommend it to their several Assemblies to pass, and to give their own assent to an Act which may be passed by tho Legisl itures of several Provinces, comprising certain Commissioners therein to he named to repair to England, with power to confer with his Majesty's Ministers, or with Commissioners to be appointed by Parliament, respecting the grand points in dispute between Great Britain and America, and finally to determine thereupon. 2nd. That to prevent all disputes in future, the said American Commissiiners be also empowered to confer and agree with the British Commissioners respecting the future Go-vemment and regulation of the Colonies, either by framing one general system I't" Government for all the Cdiniei on the Continent similar to the British, or by making some niaterial alteration in the present mode of Provincial Government. In either of wliich systems, some effectual provision may be madeycr the adequate support of the American Government by the Americans themsel-ves, and also for the payment of all such sums of money as may become due tVom America to Great Britain for tlie assistance of her Fleets and Army. Thete deteiminations ot the said Commissioners to be subjected nevertheless, to such alteration as the wisdom of his Majesty and his Parliament of Great Britain may make tlierein, and as shall be agreed to by the several Provincial Legislatures. 3d. That upon such instructions being given to the several Governors, his Majesty to be a<lvised in his royal clemency, to reconiinend it to his Parliament to suspend the operation of the Boston Port Acts, while the determination of the said Commissioners should be had. The author of the above hints oMers them with all humility, and with great diffidence of his own ability on so great and national a question. But some expedient must he immediately fallen u^^on, or ive shall he imjol-ved in a Ciii'l War, the most ohstinate, aivful and tremendous that perhaps ei'er occurred since the Creation of the fVorld. He will esteem it a signal blessing of Divine Providence conferred upon him, if any one Idea he iiath suggested may be of any use at this dreadful crisis. And if otherwise, he will at least be able to comfort himself with the uprightness of his intentions in this feeble attempt, and with the assurance that he can do no harm, either to himself or any other person December 12, 1774. Endorsed by the writer — on this the corrected draught — " Hints transmitted to Lord Dartmouth, Secretary of State for America, through the hands of Samuel Smith, Esq., of London, Merchant." This Appeal, and many similar ones we know, were made in vain to a govern- ment impressed by unwise counsels, and a King who declaied "'That the Americans meant only to amuse by vague expressions of attachment and the strongest professions ll^ ifi if "- ft ■I.; 1 '.. f 178 Tories or Loyalists interest, accepted a seat in the then rebel Congress. While the Declaration of Independence was being considered, he listened in silence, and with profound attention to the debate, but with a grave face and a sad heart," when under later usages, a member who had determined to risk his life for the benefit of his " constituency," might have suggested some trifling amendment, to remind them at once of his presence at an important crisis, and the superior grasp of his intellect to that of the illustrious committee who reported it. It has been suggested that the Congress of 1776, was limited in its mem- bership to men whose merit had been recognized in the ad- ministration of their own private interests and duties, a valued experience to those assuming a public trust. Many of them had shown this also in the colonial assemblies, where the honor had compensated for the expense, beyond the trifling allow- ance. When the proper moment arrived he signed it, accepted it as the chart by which he was fated to sail to his personal shipwreck, overwhelmed while aiding to secure the privileges we enjoy. In devoting himself to the cause, he declined the honors ofl^ered to him, to compensate for those he had sacrificed. On a tie vote, between himself and William Livingston — another de- voted and able patriot — on the first election for governor, he de- clined further contest with so worthy a man, and also refused the Chief Justiceship, probably won by his magnanimitv. With of loyalty, while they were preparing for a general revolt, for the purpose of" establishing an independent Empire." At least, the policy suggested by Mr. Stockton had somi: influence at home, for on the first day of the following September, Richard Penii and Arthur Lee delivered to Lord Dartmouth a petition from Congress to the King . embodying the above views and probably borrowed from them, and were informed that NO ANSWER WOULPl BE GIVEN. "Sanderson's Signers. lal res tie le- ith filing soms ing ned in the Revolution, 179 his colleague Clymer, he visited the'camp of the Northern army, and consulted with the gallant Schuyler, as to details already tending th.ere to a great triumph. Soon, the ravages of war reached and destroyed that happy home, his Family was driven into exile, his lands were laid waste, and his favorite horses appropriated by the raiders. Then, to complete his misfortunes, when captured by them, he was carried into New York, and from his prominent position as a recent King's officer, " ignominiously thrown into a common jail," and confined with such cruelty that when exchanged, upon the special remon- strances of Congress, conveyed by Washington, his shattered health unfitted him for further usefulness, and a lingering life of suffering was the final fulfillment of his remarkable promise, which terminated on the twenty-eighth of February, 178 1, too soon to know or the efi^ect of the artillery at Yorktown, in consummating the freedom for which, after exhorting his children to remember that " the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom," he had died a martyr. In many countries such service would be recorded by monuments '• more lasting than brass," and his '• fete day " remembered and celebrated ; in the engrossing present of what he aided to create, is it not doubtful if his name is known to all of those even in his native State, where some evidently concentrate in themselves and in their surround- ings, the beginning and end of all interest in the perpetuation of their existence as freemen. Is it not equally so, if he were living, whether those services would command a sufficient vote of appreciation to return him to Congress, if vigorously op- posed by some political organization or machine, supported by the now common outlay. 23 m r8o Tories or Loyalists But our national existence appears largely due to the folly of its rulers, even more than to the resistance of the colonies. When relieved of a hostile neighbor by the conquest of Canada, they needed no longer the protecting assistance of the parent gov- ernment. The continuous border warfare with the French then ended, and also that with all of the Indians, surrounding the upper lakes, in the successful defence of Detroit and the defeat of Pontiac. During the continuance of these wars, they had been compelled to keep an avera;2;e of 25,000 troops under arms, and had made a valuable expenditure of thirty thousand lives. They claimed a large balance, some ,£350,000 for outlays. A vote of ^6200, 000 by Parliament on the recommendation of George III at once on his accession, while admitting the necessity for such assistance, seems inconsistent with a claim soon after made for a revenue of <£ 100,000 by direct taxation. In 1775 the debt of Great Bvitain was estimated at three hundred millions and its interest charges in 1776, £4,800,000 of which £19,000 was claimed as for the expenses of the first year of the war. There had been dissensions between the Governors and the Assemblies, and a successful resistance to the foreign taxes on sugar and molasses. Writs of assistance ordering the Collection, had been reluctantly granted, and little used. An uncomfortable relation had grown up between the colonies, now a prosperous and warlike people, and their mother country. Sir Robert Walpole^3 had years before divined that their direct taxation was »3 Doubtless their clandestine trade with the Spanish Colonies, exporting British manufartures in exchange tor specie, made stamps more objectionable, but far seeing Walpole claimed, that ot every £500,000 so gained by them, one-halt would be expended in England. Their friends throughout persistently sustaitied them in Parlia- ment. Ctiatham, Rockingham, Newcastle, Camden and Conway amongst the earliest, with such success, that when jiartially to aid the East India Company, three pence a pound on tea was. on motion of Lord North alone persisted in, — on the 5th of March, 1770 — Captain Preston had on that day, tired on the " Boston Mob," and the concession came too late. s n y !- n le of ;n IS, :s. /s. of :he t a ect ted 76, ises the ; on :ion, :able :rous ibert 1 was British seeing juld be Farlia- ;arliest, pence a 5th of b," and f/^^^*^^'^''^/ r^. p'/»;v' f^^nffa //<y?7</ /^^zt^ A'/- ,W /f tUafuvir^ ^fe \^a>^r>e <//7Vj» ''i^i!^', #»•///> o/f-r^f. /A <*^-7'<V/r fri» >/4'e. — G ^/.f^rv ^fh ^ /^^/^/WM^^^-''''^ ^/€ ^^.^- .^ ^^//^-^^^ FROM THf. ORISINAL IN THt COLLCC I ION OF T B M, in the Revolution. i8i 5 V to '*disturb a hornets' nest," and left it as he said — as many political questions are bequeathed — "to those who should come after him, who had more courage than himself;" and the judicious Pitt, when it was suggested as a source of needed revenue, expressed his unwillingness to " burn his fingers with an American Tax." What the course of events would have been, if Frederick, Prince of Wales, had lived to succeed his father, is a subject for conjecture. He appears to !iave been controlled by ger.trous impulses, and advanced ideas of government, was frank and ingenuous in his carriage, while doubtless a subject for " calculation" or at least observation as to his future, as an heir apparent of mature years is apt to be. It was asserted that he favored dividing the control of his father's Whig advisors — representing the ruling party since the Protestant succession — and admitting the long neglected Torv element to share it, and to neutralize the in- fluence of both, by subordinating every element to the develop- ment, in his expected reign — of Bolingbroke's ideal government, ruled by a *' Patriot King.'' Dying in his father's lifetime, at the age of forty-four, his son succeeded directly on the decease of his grandfather on the 26th of October, 1760, at the age of twenty -two, having been the first of his familv born on British soil. The accession of George IIP"* to the throne when proclaimed throughout his dominions and colonies^ was received cverv where 24 It was said of him at that time "thou(;h his ciiaracter was far from yet being perfectly (ieveloped, a very strong and apparently just partiality predominated in his favor. During the late reign he had uniformly abstained from all public interference in the afj-'airs of government. His manners were in the highest degree decorous, his words unblemished, and his personal accomplishments corresponded witii the eleva- tion of his rank and station. All appearances seemed to augur a reign of unin- terrupted glory and felicity, and the regret which the nation for a moment felt at the sudden demise of tlie good old King, was immediately absorbed in the transports of joy excited by the auspicious commencement of the reign of the young Monarch whj ''HP .:jr ■n Ms -is I. ;. 182 Tories or Loyalists with demonstrations of hope and joy. The people mainly at last, attached to his family, augured from his character and youth, a relief from every existing complication. Their griev- ances and prayers for redress were early addressed to the new monarch, and steadily pressed on his attention, with increasing emphasis. The hand of his mother — a Princess who was known hy the populace as "The Witch," and doubtless held herself to he capable and executive — seems to have shaped his destiny as woman has often influenced the destinies of mankind. His father, apparently no mean judge of character, speaking of John Stewart, Earl of Bute, whom he had first seen at the Duchess of Queensbury's fete, acting as ''Lothario" in the "Fair Penitent," apparently soon as an intimate at Leicester House, epigrammatically described him as '■ a fine showy man who would make an excellent ambassador in any court, where there was no business " f Beeton's Universal Biography ), and all his- had very lately attained the age of complete majority; being born June 4, 1738." Belsham^s Alcmoirs of George III. The late Dean Stanley, in his " Memorials of Wei-tminster Abbey, " recalls gome details of the coronation of George III, that Archbishop Seeker who officiated, had baptized, confirmed and married, the King. That the princely style in which the young King seated himself after the ceremony, attracted general notice." " No actor in the character of Fyrrhus, in the ' Distrest Mother,' " says Bishop Newton, who was present, " not even Booth himself, ever ascended the throne with so much grace and dignity." That the most interesting peculiarity of the coronation was the un- noticed attend.ince of the rival to the throne, Frince Charles Edward" ( the Pretender, then in London, under the name of Mr. Brown). " 1 asked my Lord Marshal," says David Hume, "'the reason for this strange fact." "Ay." says he, "a gentleman told me so, who saw him there, and whispered in his ear, * Your Royal Highness is the last of all mortals whom I should expect to see here." "It was curiosity that led me," said the other, " but I assure you," added he, "that the person who is the cause of all this pomp and magnificence, is the man 1 envy least," Could he have realized what that rival would soon suffer from the losses here treated of, he would not have envied him the more, on that day that he inherited those troubles, with the pieferment. The signature of Archbishop Seeker, who aided and endowed Episcopal churches in America, and also officiated at the coronation of Lord Granville, Dunk, Earl of Halifax, and others of the Lords of Council annexed to the order for his proclamation in New Yo. I:, like that of Goldsboro Banyer, the then Deputy Secretary, may be recalled in connection with our early history. in the Revolution, 183 rches »rl of jtlon ay be torians appear to agree in failing to approve of the man. He was, says Belsham — apparently an impartial writer — "a nobleman haughty in his manners, contracted in his capacity, despotic in his sentiments, and mysterious in his conduct, who M'as successfully insinuating himself into the confidence of the Princess of Wales, and of her son." Only Sunday intervened between the old King's death, and his talcing his oath as a Privy Counsellor, and he at once supplanted his daughter. Princess Amelia, in the Rangership of Richmond Parleys ^s the Mentor of the Prince he became a rapid meteor, shooting upward from place to place, from that position to Secretary of State, then to first Lord of the Treasury, and ruler of the Ministry of the Nation, of the Princess Dowager, and of his Sovereign. The latter had learned to thoroughly accept his infallibility and to adopt his ideas, which culminated in his misfortunes, and loss of colonies and intellect. Lord Bute drove from the counsels of his well intending master, all other advisers, including those apparently essential to his prosperity. Some refused to serve as his colleagues, others were supplanted in securing place and emolument for himself and his creatures. While in thus depriving America of friends in the Counr I, familiar with their rights and necessities, he concentrated power in himself It is just to say, that he pressed the war agiinst the Allies on the con- tinent, with vigorous success, on sea and land, bringing them to their knees, and negotiating the Peace of Fontainbleau in November, 1762, with France, Spain and Portugal, by which Canada and all Louisiana east of Mississippi was finally ceded, by France ; East and West Florida and all their territory east and south-east of that river, bv Spain. In the haste with which he availed himself of thesesuccesses,securingthe results wliich made »5 Possibly to please her sister-in-law. 184. Tories or Loyalists the "Georgian Era" memorable, he immensely increased the area of the colonies. He neglected to provide any indemnity for Prus- sia as a faithful ally, from her position liable to future retaliation, and won those caustic, but just criticisms with which that Frederick, who was great with both pen and sword — after having protected his then exposed condition by a treaty with Russia and Sweden, has embalmed his memory in his (Euvres du Roi de Prusse. This, and the forcing through with great difficulty, even sustair.el bv the whole power of the Govern- ment, of the " Cider Bill," involving a direct tax repugnant to the whole people, especiallv to the " Country Party," and the agricultural interests, and so establishing a precedent for those which cost the recent acquisitions in America, and their base, were the crowning results of a power which he suddenly resigned, when — as he admitted '' single in a Cabinet of his own creating, with no soul in the House of Lords to support him, but two Peers." All of this unwise exercise of authority appears to have originated in the Princess Dowager's rejection, of what the world have since united in approving, as the wise judgment of her husband, and allowing the needy schemer he distrusted, the unrestricted control of that of his son, particu- larly on this to him, fatal question of direct taxation, William Henry Drayton — Chief [ustice of South Caro- lina — who was in the habit of engrafting ardent precepts of patriotism with those of law, in his charges to the grand jury and also of contributing his salary to their promotion,^^ ex- pressed the universal sense of the Colonies in one of these de- livered on the 15th of October, 1776. " Never were a people more wrapped up in a King than the Americans were in George III in 1763. They revered »* He also died in service, a member of Congress at Philadelphia, Feb. 3, 1779. in the Revolution. 185 y X- e- and obeyed the British Government because it protected them, they fondly called Great Britain home, but from that time her counsels took a ruinous turn ; ceasing to protect they sought to ruin America, the Stamp Act, Declaratory law and duties upon Tea and other articles, at once proclaimed the injustice, and an- nounced to Americans that they had but little room for hope, infinite space for fear. In vain they petitioned for redress." But England needed money ; and the means as proposed to the King, by Bute, seemed to him adequate and proper. In an effort to add to her revenue the 1 100,000, Mv. Grenville'^ his successor as first Commissioner of the Treasury, proposed to collect i^ by the Stamp Act in 1763, and so partially reimburse her outlay in the Seven Years' War, which had in part originated in the defence of her Colonies. In this she thoroughly aroused them, already exasperated, to a forcible resistance, so sig- nificant as to strengthen the hands of its opponents in Par- liament sufficiently to effect the repeal of that already obsolete act. Even then there was a chance for reconciliation, for which the Colonies still steadily petitioned and labored through their agents and friends. But the fumes of the " Cider Bill " had influenced the royal head, he persevered in his policy, and the brilliant Charles Townshend, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, »7 In the course of the debate on the Cider Bill, Mr. Grenville, annoyed by Mr. Pitt's ridicule of its subject, replied, " The Right Honorable Gentleman complains of the hardship of this Tax; why does he not tell us where we can lay another tax instead of it ? " repeating two or three times emphatically, "Tell me ivhere you can lay another tax." Mr. Pitt thus unseasonably appealed to, replied in a musical tone, in the words of a favorite air, "Gentle Shepherd tell me where," which, amused the House and hxed the soubrequet on Mr. Grenville. Mr. Bclsham, who related it in 1795, did not view it even then as wholly a joke. "Little certainly," says he, " did this minister imagine how fertile would be the invention of his successors, or how thoroughly subdued by time and custom the spirits of the people." This tax, however, was also soon obsolete from non usor. 79- i' I 186 Tories or Loyalists four years later essayed to increase the still insufficient revenue, by the substitution of a more remunerative duty upon tea, glass, paper and painters' colors, under the impression that the form and not the substance of the taxation was unpalatable, but even when limited to tea alone, its attempted enforcement was, as we know, the immediate cause of the loss of her Colonies, at least at that time. It was a small beginning to a mighty result, the spark that caused a great conflagration, in which, in spite of the efforts of Lord North, into whose hands and those of Lord George Germain, — whom Belsham emphasizes as "so famous, or rather infamous, under his former appellation of Lord George Sackville," — after several intermediate unsuccessful ministries it fell, to make the final efforts to extinguish it by conciliation, too long delayed, or by force ; and so to officiate, in the final dismemberment of a portion of Great Britain's dominions, now vastly larger and greater, than the whole at that period. The Tory interests were then remorselessly burned. The few details of public outlay referred to in these old papers, only valuable here as connected with the subject, are, it will be seen, trifling items of the then immense expendi- ture of the British Government in that fruitless struggle for a small additional Revenue, and additions to her indebtedness always very great, but easily carried in ordinary times by the appreciation of her Funded Debt, as a security by the world. From these fragments, we can discern the continued confidence of the Government in Sir John Johnson, after the military results elsewhere referred to, and that he was entrusted with the care and control of his former allies and neighbors, apparently as the superior of Col. Guy Johnson, on whom t^e Superintendency '.igi— g! in the Revolution. 187 devolved at the decease of Sir William, probably so arranged in order to allow him to devote his uninterrupted attention to the care of an estate, then only second to that of Penn's in size, and to enjoy it as a landed gentleman. Perhaps, as a clear judge of character in ordinary cases, he distrusted the qualities of his son to assume the Superintendency ; an impression which seems oftener to prevail with an elderly man, than that cf a too high appreciation ot the ability of any apparent successor. In the event, fate did not free him from the cares from which his father may have hoped to relieve him, after having himself long borne their weight. It may he noticed that the following order providing for the relief of several corps of Loyalists belonging to General Burgoyne's Army, and other Refugees, deducts the valueof provisions, issued to " said Corps of Royalists and others, between 25th October 1777" — three months after the conclusion of the foregoing Diary — '* and 24th April, 1778," and probably includes the troops it treats of, as then still under command. Guy Carleton^ Knight ot' the Bath^ General and Commander- in-chief of his Majesty* s Forces in the Province of .Quebec and frontiers thereof. You are hereby directed and required to pay or cause to be paid to Sir John Johnson, Bart., or to his assigns, the sum of six thousand four hundred and sixty seven pounds, eleven shillings and six pence, sterling dollars at four shillings and eight pence each, being the allowance made for the present relief of several corps of Royalists, belonging to General Bur- goyne's army, and sundry other persons who have taken refuge in this Province from the Rebellious Colonies, as per annexed accounts. You will also deduct the sum of one thousand and twenty- four pounds, six shillings and eight pence sterling, being the amount of provisions issued to the said corps of Royalists and others, between 25th October, 1777, and 24th April, 1778. 24 I i ■'« 1^ IE: I I .11 188 Tories or Loyalists And this, with the acquittances of the said Sir John Johnson, Bt., or his assigns, shall be your sufficient Warrant and Dis- charge. Given under my hand, at Quebec, this 29th of April, 1778. Guy Carleton.'^ To John Powell, Esq., Dy. Paymaster General, His Majesty's forces at Quebec. This appointment — dated five months after the virtual close of the war at Yorktown, although eight before the nego- ''^ The last English commander in-chief in her lost colonies. By escaping from captivity at M(.ntreal in 1775, passing at night, with muttied oars, through his ad- versaries' forces, thi owing himself into (Quebec, and rallying its feeble garrison, he javed the city and deprived the adventurous Montgomery ot his victorv. The jealoufy of Lord George Germaine is said to have confined his service to Canada, and deprived him of the commanu of the expedition led by Burgoyne. His loyal endurance of this slight, and his cordial assistance with the favorite of the hour, won for him Burgoync's recorded appreciation. General Burgoyne was apparently a man of ability, and hid been a successful soldier in Portugal. He was a social celebrity also, and owed his progress to family influence. His devotion to pleasure is charged to have Qelayed him — while in tact probably waiting for rhe promised cooperation of General Howe — when celerity of movement appears to have offered the only chance for either advance or escape It has also been claimed, mainly by those not present, that his delay near Fort Edward, to procure horses for a very heavy artillery and train, increased the net-; of provisions, all of which the disasters of the detachments on' his flanks at Fort Stanwix and Bennington, prevented his securing, while they crippled an originally small force, to swing so far from its base. It was also asserted, that he should have held Fort Edward, prepared to advance when he had satisfactory intelligence from below, or even to retreat to Canada 5 an apparent answer would be, that he had out five days provisions when he yielded ; inconsi.lerable for a siege and had no knowledge of Clinton's small supplies, sent to Albany. That the wtiole country encouraged by those disasters, was rising, and troops being hurried forward, while his i.'vn were daily reduced; and that he was in effect captured before he surrendered. It was only at the end of a century, that General Howe's failure to advance to his aid was accounted for, by an explanation, written at the time by Lord Slielburne, and pub- lished by his appreciative grandson, in his life in 1875, by which it appears that Lord George Germaine, also a man of pleisure, being engaged to dine in the country, signed the orders for Burgoyne, but those for Gen. Howe requiring to be rewritten, were to be sent ro him, for his signatuie there. The packet unexpectedly sailed with only the former, and so produced the complication, while the h'tter were found pigeon holed in the otfiie of that valuable public servant, years afterwards, and so America gained a battle only second in value from its results. This blunder, as many other explanations just to that officer, and perhaps the best conception of the good and M in the Revolution, 189 or lays of by was ub- that ten, ailed Dund 80 d tiation of the Preliminary Peace — creating him Superin- tendent General of all Indians at Quebec and the frontier Provinces, including his old neighbors four of the Six Nations — might imply that his hopes as a soldier had ended, with those for the restoration of his inherited domain. The evidence however exists of his continued interests in the differences with the Indians, still occupying the te>-ritorv claimed bv the United States, proving his later hostility. Sir : White Hall, 18 March^ 1781. Tlic King has been graciously pleased to appoint you Superintendent General, and Inspector General of the Six Nations of Indians and their Confederates and also of the evil in his character, have also been .uForded to readers by the dau,'hters of" a more fortunate General, his son Sir John Buryoyne, who are now residing in Hampton Court, in the " Political and Military Sketches " publi>ii(,"d by their inspiration, by Mr. Fonblanque in 1876. These, with the " Memoirs of the Marquis of Rockingham," edited by Lord Albemaile 101852, "The correspondence of the Duke of Bedford and Lord Chatham,'" " Tiie Evelyn's in America, "contributed by |. D. Scu!!, Oxfoiu, 1881, Judge Jones' "History of New York in the Revolution," <md the Gates papers, contributed by Dr. T A. Emmett to the •' Magazine oi American History," are all among the recent proofs of the mellowing influence of Time upon History. There appear to be many coincidences in the career of Burgoync and that of Gates, identilied as they were in service and in eventual destiny. Both types of the conventional gentleman, brilliant and epigrammatic with the pen and audacious with the sword. Equally open to a generous impulse, the error of self appreciation and a desire for rapid glory, both based some impression of infallibility on the lules of technical education and the prestige of former service. Botn appear in history tit subjects to point the moral that while success is self recording, misforluiic commands its equal right to a reliable record. With probably less natural ability than either, Gen. Carleton combined with courage jnd decision the additional requisite of business capacity. He appear,-, to have received in all history, that which these brilliant co- temporaries sought for and failed to acliieve, as a reward for his unassuming useful- ness ,ind admitted humanity. It has been considered whether there would have been a Saratoga in our roll of victories, had that active cotnmander led the expedition. It was his singul.11 fortune to serve in America through the war, to hold {^'^'^bec at its outset, and surrender New York at its conclusion. After the peace he became Lord Dorchester and remained in Canada as Commander-in-Chiet oi the British forces. Th'! eccentric General Charles Lee, another soldier of the school of Bur- goync and Gates, influenced by his too little faith in Washington as a soldier — after the attempt to hold I'ort Washington — and too much in a sense of his own educated luperiority, attempted to treat, for a hasty completion ot the w.ir, as Dr. George H, Moore has shown, with an individuality too intense, to conceive its exercise treason- able. 190 Tories or Loyalists Indians in the Province of Quebec, and in the Provinces lying on the Frontiers thereof. lam happy to inform you of this Mark of His Majesty's Favor and Confidence and as it conveys to you most authentically His Royal Approbation of your former services, it will, I am sure, impress you with the warmest Sentiments of Duty and Gratitude, and excite you to exert your utmost endeavors to render your present appointment beneficial to the Public, by establishing a strict economy through all branches of your Department, which will be the best means of rf.commending yourself to His Majestys future Favor and Attention. You will see by the terms of your warrant that you are to follow such Orders and instructions as you shall receive from the Commander-in-Chief of His Majestys Forces in the Provinces of Quebec, I have signified to General Haldimand His Majestys Pleasure that he should make you such Allowances for your Services and Ex- penses as he shall judge adequate and proper. I have therefore only to signify to you His Majestys Commands that you do with all possible expedition return to Quebec and take upon you the exercise of the very important office to which you are appointed and immediately after vour arrival address yourself to General Haldimand or the Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Forces who will give you orders for your further proceedings, which you are in all cases to pay the most exact and punctual obedience. Sir, Your Most Obedient humble servant. Sir John Johnson, Bar.3° W. Ellis.'? But, when at this interval there arose a report, that the Amer- icans were advancing to carry their successes wito Canada, and some military movements towards the frontier — probably merely demonstrations — had given it color, we find^' Sir Ferdi- '9 He occupied many positions of honor and trust ; was a member of the Privy Council, and of Parliament for Weymouth, and created Lord Mendip in 1794. 30 Sir John had already performel similar duties probably with local rank. He was at this time in his thirty-sixth year. 3' Riedesel Memoirs. in the Revolution. 191 nand Haldimand, commanding in Canada, alive to the danger, communicating to Baron von Riedesel, in command at Sore!, in a letter dated Quebec, February 13, 1783, that lie had despatched a messenger to the " Chevalier Johnson," to send "five or six of the mosrt active, and expert Mohawks, to watch the road from Albany to West Point," and suggesting that he, " with his savages and light batallion, fall back a hw miles, even about Point au Fer," which shows him at that date again in active service. The one thousand pounds a year furnished him, liberal pay at that time, no doubt, if poorly compensating for his own lost rev- enue, attests that the outlavs of his government, had not yet been checked by its reverses. We can gather from another paper, that he had been engaged at that time on picket duty, in the neighborhood of his old home, scouting, having soldiers and scouts " piloted," secreting and procuring intelli- gence, all incident to border expeditions, probably entrusted to him from his knowledge of localities and perhaps involving some of those inhumanities, which tradition have laid to his account. For fourteen months of this service, General Haldimand appears to have compensated him at the rate of ten shillings sterling a day, a liberal allowance also, at existing values, but implying that he was not then under regular militaiy pay. Accounts of contingent expenses incurred by Sir John hnson. Baronet, on account of the Government by orders s be- in sundry service Jo of His Excellency General Haldimand tween the 25 Dec, 1780, and the 13 March, 1782. 1781. Aug. 5. To cash to Michael Lett and party for their Services and Expenses on a Scout to Tryon County Sept. 10. To do. to Sergean: Haines and party for their services, etc., on a Scout to the County of Tryon £11 13 4 [5 10 o *j — III 192 Tories or Loyalists 1782. Nov. 10. To Peter Prunner, late of the Albany Bush, in the County of Tryon, for Piloting soldiers and scouts em- ployed in the service and supplying them with Provisions between the i6th June, 1779, and the 28th September, 1782 36 80 Dec. 15. To do. to Wm. Parker, Sen., for Provi- sions and Surveying, and procuring Intelligence and assisting Scouts Provisions between the 15th Sep- tember, 1778, and the 25th Aug., 1781 30 ** 20. To do. to Wm. Kennedy, for sundry services in secreting and procuring intelligence and Assistini;; Scouts with Provisions between the 15th » Sept., 1778, and the 25th Aug., 178' •••; 35 15 6 To cash paid to the late Samuel Mc- Kay, Esq., for Provisions overpaid for by him for his Corps 39 15 6 To an allowance from his Excellency General Flaldimand for Extra Ser- vice from the 28th Dec, 1780 to the 13th March, 1782, inclusive at \0s. sterling per day j6222 237 17 I Currency =£406 19 5 John Johnson, Other papers refer merely to routine duty ; in them " Molly Brant " is recalled as a pensioner, and Colonels Guy Johnson, Butler, and John Campbell, all familiar names in partisan war- fare, as connected still with the government service. Receipt of T-ieut. Col. John Campbell. Received from Sir John Johnson, Baronet, Superintendent General and Inspector General of Indian Affairs, Two Thou- in the Revolution, 193 H f / r> ^"'^'? Pounds, Thirteen Shills and Eight pence Halifax Currency being the amount of Disbursemenfs paid by r.K 'f 'I'k u"^"" P'^P^'^'"^"^ under my direction from the 15th of March to the 24th Septen-ber, 1783, per acc't and vouchers dehvered to him by ' / ^' P X2057 13 8 Cy. J''"'' Campbell. Subsistence wanted for the Officers of the Six Nations De- partments from 25 March to 24 Sept., 1783, Inclusive. Rank One Col & Super- intendents (Hay rec'd from the General to Dec. 24 next) One Deputy in Canada Two Lieutenantb (Clement & Magin) Qne Surgeon Mate One Clerk . . . . One Commissary (Moses Ibbitt) Invalided and discharged , . , One Issued as a Volunteer (John Service) . . . One Interpreter (Le Coragine) Invalided Catharine Hare widow of the late Lieut Hare Pension ... J Commen cing is March do do do do Ending No. of Days 24 Sept do do do do do do do do do do do do 184 184 184 184 184 184 Rate per day ^ew York Sterling £ t d « « u «< w (< a dollar do 6s. York Cy doUa 184 184 184 6f. York Cy a dollar 147 4 73 12 55 4 73 12 55 4 73 11 300 100 478 o 8 CoL. Guy Johnson. Amt of Lieut Col Butlers Deputy Apents return hereto annexed paid by his draft on the Superintendent General 10 279 I 4 689 I 4 »7i3 4 4 Two Thousand four hundred & 2 pounds S. c~ .„, , . E. E. Quebec 25 October 17811. ^2,40258 r./:s„ , . 0? r u '^ G. JoHNgOH. ±-089 I 4 Col Johnson 171 3 4 4 Lt Col Butler 2402 5 8 Sterling W\ "^\-- fr" m 194 Tories or Loyalists Received from Sir John Johnson. Baronet, his Majestys Super Intendent General & Inspector General for Indian Aft'airs in North America the sum of £68q is ^d sterling for my own and a Deputys Salary, the pay of officers and others employed in his Majestys service -n the Indian Department under my Super- intendency, from the 25 March to 24 Sept., 1783, andlcertifie that the said Sir John Johnson also pay the sum of ,£1713 45 4<5^ for the pay of Lieut. Col. Butler, Deputy Agent, that of the officers and others employed in his Majestys service in the Indian Department in the district of Niagara as per the above list &c. G. Johnson, 3* Col. & Supt. of the Six Nations. Montreal, 4 August^ 1784. Sir : Please pay to Mr. Charles McCormick or Order Sixty Eight Pounds twelve & sixpence currency being the amount of his pay from 25 March to the 24 September 1784 as Clerk & Commissary of Indian Stores for the District of Detroit. John Johnson. Mr. R. Dobie, Merchant. X54 15^. N. Y. Currency. Cataragui, 20 August.^ '784. Sir: At sight please pay Mr. Robert Hamilton or order the sum of Fifty-tour pounds fifteen shillings New York (^urrency being the amount of my half pay up to the 24 of last March which pass to account as per advice from. Sir. Your verv humble Servant, Ebenezer Allen. To Sir John Johnson Knt & Baron Knight (sic) Montreal. Mr. Dobie will please pay the above draft. J. J0HN8ON. For £50 Currency. Montreal, 20 August., 1784. Sir : Please pay to Mrs. Mary Brant33 or order Fifty pounds Halifax Currency in part of her pension from Government from 23 Oct., 83 h 22 Sept. 1784. John Johnson. To Mr. Richard Dobie, Montreal. 3* Col. Guv Johnson, nephew, son-in-law, some time secretary and named as successor to Sir William Johnson. 33 The widow of Joseph Brant [Thayendanegea] who survived her husband thirty years. tn the Revolution . 195 D , - „ , London, Dec. 24, 1784. Kece.vtd from Sir John Johnson, Baronet, His Majestys Superintendent General and Inspector General of Indian Affairs in North America, Three Hundred Pounds Sterling for my ba ary as Superintendent of the Six Indian Nations and their Allies from 25 June to the 24 Dec, 1784, Inclusive ^300. ^ ^ ^ G. J0HNS0N,34 CfA. Cff Superintendent of the Six Nations. A letter from Major General Hope, Commander-in-Chief &c., to Sir John is apparently interesting, as throwing further light on a"restless escapade, which is referred to in tlie life of that early representative of the possibilities and effect of educa- tion, even upon a savage mind. He had determined at this time to seek in person, the indemnity for the 'osses of his people, which Sir John — who wished to prevent his absence, at what he considered an important moment, had failed to secure in his own recent visit. Dear Sir: Quebec, A^.. 9, 1785. I had the honor to receive vour letter of the 6 bv express last night at ten o'clock but too late I am sorry to tell you by two days for producing the effect desired ; Joseph35 navir.g come to the resolution suddenly of taking passage in the Packet which sailed on Sunday at eleven o'clock in the forenoon • having been made to believe as he said tbat the Madona was not a safe conveyance from having so few hands, but rather, I am apt to believe from some suspicion that he had entertained of being disappointed in getting away at all if he deferred it till the last 1 rip, or perhaps artfully wishing to avoid the knowledge of your sentiments which he might expect that the arrival of David at Montreal would produce. In short, my dear Sir John he was bent upon going and is off notwithstanding my different* attempts to dissuade him— offered in such a manner' at f^rst as 34 An interesting letter from Col. Guy Johnson to Sir William too hte for in,P.- tion here, will be found a Appendix A. viniam, too late tor insei- 35 Captain Joseph Briat — Thayendanegea. 25 i i . 1, i iiij. ■!■■ 196 Ivories or Loyalists not to pive him surprize, and at last without disguise of his acting contrary to yours and my wishes and inclinations — all however to no purpose. I have therefore with much regret to returr you the letter addressed to Joseph, your other Packet to the Dep. Paymaster General was sent to him. I congratulate you on the arrival of the Dallis with your things — she got up vestciday but has brought me no Dis- patches of any consequence. That th th< we must go on wi Indian business as concerted — keeping them in good humour as much as possible and preaching up patience — & firmness — but bv no means encouraging thtir breakmg out. As to anything you may think proper to do to retain those Chiefs & others of influence, or to effect these purposes above mentioned, I shall most readily acquiesce in. With respect to the tools you speak of that were by mistake inserted in the Loyalists Ii )rd( dl b nvoice, orders st^au be given in consequence or your repre- sentation to this effect to deliver up the remainder of them not actually issued {ox the use of the Indians on your order; as hkewise to comply with your requisition for the same purpose 10 deliver any other articles out of the stores reserved for the use of the Loyalists, being perfectly convinced that from your equal desire to supply and knowledge of the wants of both, that no partial use will ever be made of such discretionary latitude lodged with you. I return you many thanks and am most flattered by your obliging professions and wishes to myself — request you will make my respects to Lady Johnson and Mrs. Claus, and I am Dear Sir with unfeigned regard Your very faithful and obedient humble servant Sir John Johnson, Bart., Superintendent General, &c. &c. Henry Hope. 3* Joseph Brant here referred to, is generally recalled by the striking incidents of bis life, A pure blooded Onondaga, the son of a chief, but educated by Sir William's care at Dr. Wheelock's celebrated Moor 36 General Hope was in America in 1775 as Major of the 44th Foot (Gen. Aber- crombie's Regt.), and had seen much service there. he ber- F-fH-: .^ in the Revolution, 197 school, he proved an apt scholar, soon fitted as an interpreter to Dr. Charles Jeffry Smith, a self sustaining young missionary. Gallantly protecting him when attacked by the Indians, and performing all his duties satisfactorily he won at this period the testimony of Rev. Samuel Kirlcland, " he conducted himself so much like a Christian, and a soldier, that he gained great est ;ein." Later, he interested himself in the work of the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign parts " and labored with them for the civilization of his people. When becoming the chief of the Six Nations he wielded a great authority and cooperated with Sir William Johnson, to whom he became allied, as well bv affinity as by gratitude. In their close association he doubtless developed the appreciation of the position of his people, and the capacity to vindicate it with an able pen.^^ He visited England in 1775, and again as that let- ter shows at the end of the war, attracting distinguished attention i^ This Icttfr ad to tin- rights of' his people and his own appreciation ot' honorable dealing is an example. Sir : Nassau, 30 Dectmher, 1794. Your letters ot" the 17th i 20th November, '94, from Konondaigua, 1 have now before me and have to say, that at all of our meetings during the whole of last summer, our thoughts were solely bent on fixing a boundary line between the con- federate Indians and the United States, so as that peace might be established on a lolid basis, Tor which reason we pointed out the line we did, well knowing the justness of it and that it would be ratify 'd by the whole Indian confederacy. As an indi'vidual I must regret to find that the Boundary so pointed nut hits nottt been abandoned, the establishing of ivhich I am well con-vinccd -would have been the means of bringing about a lasting and permanent peace. This object so earnestly to be desired has e-ver made me exert every nerve, wishing for nothing more than mutual justice. This line you'll recollect -was offered to Gotiernor St. Clair at Muskingum, and nofwithstanding the two successful campaigns of the Indians after this, I still adhered to the same and still do, this I hope will satisfy you that my wish ever was for Peace, the offer made -was rejected by Mr. St Clair, and -what the consequences has been you -well knovj, I should be sorry if your efforts were crowned -with no better success, as your exertions I hope are not influenced by similar motives with his. Tou must also recollect that I differed even with my friends respecting this Boundary, and to the two last messages you then received my name luas to neither of them, because I thought them too unreasonable, this made me take more pains and trouble to bring the Indians and you to an understand- ing than I "was under any obligation to do — 'Otherwise than humanity dictated to me, having nothing but our mutual interest in view, and as to Politics T study them not, my i r 4 198 Tories or Loyalists partially from his reputation, but also as the chief of the best known tribes of the American Savages, a lion worthy of ex- hibition. He probably realized then, as he appears to have done, in all the different duties he performed, as their ruler and protec- tor, their inferiority to the white man from the want of that education, which made him sensitive as to their ignorance. His visit, however, was marked with much appreciation. The King received him, with good humor, even when he refused to kiss his hand, but offered that mark of homage to the pueen. The Uuke of Northumberland, Lords Dorchester and Hastings and General Stewart — the son of Bute — who had all served frihcipk is Jnunded on jmritr, and jusiicf is all J wis/i Jor^ and ntncr shall I exert m\ self on behalf of any nation or nations, let their opinion of me he iv/iat it tvill, unlets I plainly see they are just and sincere in their pursuits, doing ivhaf in every respect to justice may belong. Pt^hen I perceive such are the senlirncnts of a People no endeai'ors shall be tuaniin^ on my part to bring neighbors to a good understanding. I must ag.iin ici'L-at that I am extremely sorry this Boundary so long since pointed out, should have been abandoneil. it being an (bjeet ot" such magnitude and which much depends on the whole Indian confederacy being interested. I should therefore have supposed it would have been more tor our mutual interest and would have had a better etFect, to h.i\e dealt upon a larger scale, than witliin the small compass of the F'ive Nations, lie meeting being intended solely to talk over the business of the Boundary and then to have acquainted the wiiole confederacy with what had passed, so that something final could have been determined on as all that part of the country is common to the whole. You say on your part everything has been openly and fairly explained and that you shall be disappointed if the Chiefs do not acknowledge your candour, I can for my own part form no opinion, whether it is so or not, biing perfectly ignorant of nvhal has passed, but ci'er look upon it that business fairly transacted should be adhered to as sacred. And that you are still ready to make peace with the Western Nations, this has made me say much about the Boundary line, in order that peace and friendship might be established between you, this obliges me to say they ought to have been included in this treaty and to have been consulted with as well as those who were there, they being equally interested with the Six Nations as to this line, ^s to the British they are an independent nation, as ivell as the United States or the Indian Nations and of course act for themsel-ves as all other White nations do. My mentioning in my letter to you that I was sorry Mr. Johnson was looked upon as a Spy, was because I knew the Five Nations so often erred in their transactions with the White People, it being myself in person from the wish of the Indians that requested Mr. Johnson should go to the Treaty in con- sequence of which request he was permitted. I was well aware at the same time of the reception he would meet with, as we are an independent People I ever thought our Council should be private, but must at the same time say, we have an un- ■Hi khrii II in the Revolution. 199 in America, greeted hi'n as a brother veteran and Lords War- wick and Percy, and Dr. Johnson's James Boswell, ordered his portraits, the last, a high testimony that he was a '* lion. ' Yet doubtless he realized his own questionable position, when seeking any trust, with his cultivated nature disguised by the face of a savage. The accompanying letter of Washing- ton displays the general want of confidence in them, by all who were prejudiced against his race. He adhered to the British Government throughout the war, and after the Treaty of Peace, in which no provision was made as to the territory of his people, struggled to retain what they had formerly possessed. The indefinitenei;s of the Treaty line, doubted rifiht to admit at our Councils vvlio we pieasr of course the United States have it (iptional wlietlier tliey wiil treat or not with *»v Vation or Nations when Foreign Agents are present. You seem to tliiiilt in your letter of (he 20th that the rkas are the Nation most concerned in tile Trusts in question agreeable to the lines )intout. At the dirf'er- ent Treaties held since the year '83 I allow the Senekas from th»;ir proceedings seemed to be the only Nation concerned in that country, although the whole I'ive Nationi have an equal right, one with the other, the country having been obtained by the joint exertions in war with a I'owerful Nation formerly living southward of Buffalo Creek called Eries and another Nation then living at Tioga Point, so that by our successes all the country between that and the Mississippi became the joint property of the Five Nations, all other nations now inhabiting this great Tract of Country was allowed to settle by the Five Nations. This 1 hope will convince you that the Mohawks have an equal claim and right to receive in proportion with the otliers of the Five Nations, but as I am ignorant of the Transaction, knowing nothing of what has passed and what was the result of the Treaty, must therefore defer saying anything further on the subject until I know the particulars, whi:h I hope will be ere long. As to the others of the Five Nations residing on the Grand River they must answer for themselves. I am not so par* ticular in thi< as I might be, seeing no great necessity for it, as I hope to see General Chapin ere long. In reading the Speech you have sent me I perceive that you say we requested you might be sent to Kindle the Council Fire &c. This I know to be a mistake, in our speech to General Chapin we wished the President of the United Statet to send a Commissioner to our Fire Place at Buflaloe Creek (your name being mentioned). Not that you was to come and kindle a Council Fire elsewhere — & that you requested our assistance to bring about a Peace, &c. — You did and every- thing has been done by us faithfully and sincerely by pointing out the Medicine that would accomplish it, your relinquishin.i parts of your claims in the Indian Country. You alio say I told Gjnl CJiipi'i at fVinnys that it was the British that prevented the Treaty taking place. I said so then and still do. fVhat enabled me to say so ivas the Gentlemen belonging to the Indian Department in that quarter interfering in the business. ' in' % ' & 200 Tories or Loyalists which long remained as flexible as a wire fence, moved back and forth at will, even looking for the sources of the Mississippi at the Lake of the Woods, instead of Itaska lake, far below, and which required four subsequent treaties, an arbitration, and a war, to settle ; seems a reasonable cause for discussions, attempts at treaties, and long complications. These letters to Colonels Pickering and Monroe are merely suggestions of the many records existing of his capacity and persistency, in seeking to protect and retain what his forefathers had held by an undisputed title, before even the Johnsons had come with the authority of conquest, to divide it. When Gist, the companion of Washington, was exploring the valley of the Ohio, in i 752, a Delaware chief demanded of him : Had the line as pointed out by ui been accepted by the United States their interference viou/d not have prevented Peace then taking place as the Five Nations had pledged themselves to see it ratified. As to tht. business nf the White Nations I perceive it at present to he a lottery ivhich luill be uppermost cannot be knoiun until drawn, the molt poiuerful no doubt will succeed, but /,•' "who tuill he successful our situation is the same, as •we still have tvhites to deal loith whose aims are generally similar. You mention the People of France took the Indian method. All their "warriors turned out. The Indian warriors are alivays ready to turn out to defend their just rights. But Indian ivarriors would not he ready to Butcher in an inhuman shocking manner their King, ^een, Nobles and others, this is acting worse than "what is called Savage. The Indians are not entirely destitute of humanity, hut from every appearance it has fled from France. I must therefore say the French have not acted as the Indians do. You likewise mention that you told the Deputies from the Westward who met you at this place, that though you was willing to run a new line yet it was impossible to make the Ohfo the Boundary, this I believe is a mistake as the word Ohio was never mentioned at that time. Tou may rest assured that I do not swerve from any rxpres.uons I havt made use of. I know the necessity for being candid, especially at this critical juncture. I still earnestly hope that Peace may be established -without further bloodshed 6f that Friendship may reign between the People of the United States and the Indian Nations, this be assured is the Sincere wish of Sir, Your Most Obedient Humble Servant Timothy Pickering, Esqr. Jos. Brant. Col. Pickering had been employed for some years in these negotiations as being a member of the President's Cabinet as Post Master General and in this year made Secretary of War. Another very interesting and able letter of Brant to Colonel James Monroe in four neatly written pages is omitted, as partially printed in the id Vol. of hit Life. in the Revolution. fiK 20I " Where are the lands of the Indians ? the French claim all on one side of the river, and the English all on the other."38 Such was the position of the heritage which Brant believing that he was born to maintain and transmit, was then loosing. Failing, as many have done before and since, he retired into Canada and^spent his later years under the protection of those with whom he had made common cause, but personally so delicately accepting their bounty, as in one instance to question his own right to a pension, as a retired military officer. Thomas Campbell, liv.d to correct — in afoot note — his record of Brant's cruelty, in his widely read " Gertrude of Wyoming,-' but its subject who had grieved over it, had died too soon for the comforting retraction; His absence on that occasion, threw the weight of the massacre on a white savage, Colonel John Butler, who doubtless had the same authority as that conferred on his kinsman and subordinate by the commis- sion annexed. 39 Brant was, however, present at the battle of Minisink, where great cruelty was displayed, for which he has been censured. If he was responsible for it, it detracts from many other evi- dences of his humanity in warfare, and shows the trace of the savage element in his character, when fired by war. 3* Griswold and Lossing's Washington. 39 This commission indicating care in its instructions, now unusual in such documents killed at C.nada Creek, on the 29th of October, ,78,. bv a force unlr r 1 Mar.nus W.IIetr, while ret,ea,ing from a raid to Warren's Buhnd hi formt home, in the year succeedmjj the expedition of Sir fohn. Guy Carleton, Knight of the Bath, Captain General and Governor in Chief of the province of (Quebec and Territories depending thereon, &c., &c . General and Com .andeMn-Cinef of his lUajescy's For.es in said Provide, a^d the^^^rn^Lrth'rof '^•» . T" VV ALTER Butler, EsQ_., Greeting- 1 d^rr? '''p"''' """'A '"'^- <-''^"«'"^"^-^> >""^ Loyalty, Courage and good Conduct. I do by these Presents Constitute and appoint you to be Qaptu,nin a Corp. of Rang,r\ % ifti'ii 202 Tories or Loyalists i'i He would appear to have been a man of large capacity ; and his record a noticeable evidence of the result of its development in time of peace, by the same wise appliances, now interesting to examine in use, at the school at Hampton, Va., in charge of General Armstrong, and probably at the two others, at Forest Grove for the western, and Carlisle for the eastern section. Such efforts, are in accordance with the dying suggestions of Brant to his nephew, " Have pity on the poor Indians ; if you can get any influence with the great, endeavor to do them all the good you can." His life by Colonel Stone, a work of singular interest, gives full detail of his career, in part early collected in his old neighbor- hood — a fine edition of it printed by the late Joel Munsell, of Albany, largely with his own hand, assists to v;iuse the latter to be recalled by some collectors, as the Albany "Caxton." It is just to record a dissenting opinion as to the proper treat- ment of the remaining Aboriginees. It differs from those of Colonel Brisbane, and other regular officers who have served amongst them, and of some who have visited the border posts and studied the effect of the contact of races. Captain Payne to serve with the Indians during the RLbcllion. Whereof' 'John Butler^ Esy., is Major Commandant. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of captain by exercising and well discipli'iing both the Inferior OHicers .iiid Soldiers of that Corps, and 1 do hereby command them to obey you as their Captain, and you are to observe and follow sucii Oidcrs and directions as you shall from Time to Time receive from me, your Major Commandant, or any other Superior OHicer, according to the rules and discipline of War. In pursuance of the trust hereby reposed in you. Giiien under my hand and Seal at Arms, at iiijicbec, this twentietli day of Decer.' ber, 1777, and in tlie Eighteenth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, George the T/iird, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, Guy Carleton. By His Excellency's Command. Francis Le Maistre. Walter Butler, Esq., Captain of a Corps of Rangers, to serve with the Indians during the Rebellion. in the Revolution, 203 recently arrested by our troops when raidi„g in the Indian remtory, and affecting to be a humane man in his way, says : " Tell the Herald, that the policy of myself and fol- lowers ,s not to resist the government, so we came along with the troops when we were told to come. * * * * "There is a class of people who are eternally howling that they are afraid the white man may crowd the Indian. They are the people who sit in their houses, cut their coupons and read gush about the poor Indian. They don't want farms and a hvmg, they have already got them and have no symoathy for those who are poor and want homes. They would rather see the poor .nan starve, than to have their picture of the noble redman chasing the wild gazelle over an eternal meadow with a babbhng brook, destroyed." The writer must be aware that while the area of the Indian 1 erntory ,s less than 69,000 square miles, that of Texas is 274,356, large enough it would appear, for the accommodation or the nghts of the settler, and the native. That there is a vast area of land in the west and south-west, already open « to those who want farms." \i any person desires to trace the or.gm and progress of such methods as he proposes, for securing the territory of the '' noble red man," without consideration or equivalent, he can find them successively detailed m this " Life of Brant," and many other works referring to the same period. If such acquisitions are still indispensible to the progress of civilization, might we not devise a way of acquiring the territory consistent with its teachings, which would be more creditable in future history than that of involving constant collision and shedding of blood 26 i? "i •■m n liti: 204 Tories or Loyalists Lord Sydney simply recognizes Johnson's official position, in fixing a temporary salary, which even with the difference in the value of money, would be a moderate compensation now for a subordinate civil officer. Whitehall, 20 Jugust^ 17^5* Sir: I am sorry that it is not in my power before your departure for Quebec, to acquaint you that some decision had taken place with respect to your salary as Superintendent of Indian Affairs. I hope that it will very shortly be fixed, in the meantime I am authorized to inform you that you may draw upon the Com- mander-in-chief in Canada, for the usual salary of One Thousand pounds per annum, until you receive further direction from me. I flatter myself that I shall be able to write to you fully upon this subject by the next Packet that sails for Quebec, and you may be assured that no endeavour of mine will be wanting to obtain the augmentation of your salary which you desire, and place it upon a permanent footing, I have the honor to be, with regard, Sir, Your Most Obedient Humble Servant, Sydney. '*° Sir John Johnson, Bart. No British officer in service in the Revolution, would appear to have left America with more reciprocal hostile feeling than General Gage, the earliest commander of the King's Troops in that war. The certificate of his son has no interest, beyond a reference to his father's habit of business. *° Hon. Thomas Townshend who on the dissolution of Lord North's ministry had become Lord Sydney. in the Revolution, 205 General Gage's certificate to Sir John's Deputy. I certify that Colonel Guy Johnson took an active part in favour of the Br.t.sh Government from the first appearance of S n ^A I '" ^u O^-P?,'-^"?^"^ "^" Superintendent of Indian ltT\ ^^\^T '*'"'' -^''^^^ '" ^'' ^^^Uestys Interest and defeated the Endeavors of the Rebels to alienate their affections f om the K.ng, and to induce them to appear in Arms again h.s Government. That he assembled a huge Bodv of Indian and joined General Carlton in Canada. ' ^. Thos Gage. Oiven under my hand this list day of June 1785. lii Mr. Chew.' attorney for S.r John Johnson having applied to me fo. cop,es of the accounts which Sir Wm. Jolv.s ii Super Intendent for Ind.an Affairs transmitted to mv father Genera Gage deceased dur.ng h,s Commanding His Maiestys Troops .n Amer-ca and for copies of ri.e Vv'-arrants he^ .L o the Payment thereo . I can only say that my fathers %pers have not come immediately under my inspection or can I^sav posi- tivelv whether the cop.es of those Accounts and Warrants are w.th them, but am certain that it was a Rule with him to see accounts made clear and plain and when he gave Warrants for he Payment the Warrants were annexed to die Account and transmuted bvh.m to the Pay Office in London where tev now no doubt mav be found. rMj A, ^- Gage.-*" Uld Aboresford Nov. 16, 1787. To Mr. Chew. Attorney to Sir John Johnson. Also one of the executors. "'^ S'Ja son. -t-^ Henry Viscount Gage, retired M.ijor of the q^ Rest of Fn ,f ^ Peter Kemble of the Kings Council of New fersey alsf "the ll \ ^T k°1 "' well esteemed Gouverneur Kemble, of New York. ^' ""''°'" "^ '^^ ''^^ i,:- i 206 Tories or Loyalists Three of these jetsams of Time, suggest the continued ex- pense which Great Britain was incurring in the charge of her Indian population even in time of peace, and whether it was in consideration of their former service in war. Guy^ Lord Dorchester General and Commander-in-chief of his Majesty' s Forces in North America, To Thomas Boone, Deputy Paymaster General, etc.. War- rant to pay Sir John Johnson, etc., etc.. Nine Thousand pounds sterling in dollars at 4^. 8^., each, (or services of "persons em- ployed and sundry disbinsements of the Department of Indian AfFairs under his J)uperintendency between 25th Dec, 1786, and 24th March, 1787." Quebec, 9th November, 1786. Dorchester. To the Right Honorable Guy^ Lord Dorchester^ Capt General and Governor-in- Chief of the Colonies of Quebec ^ Nova Scotia, Nev> Brunswick y their Dependencies^ Vice Admiral of the same General and Commander-in-Chief of all His Majesty s Forces in Said Colonies is in the Island of Newfoundland isfc ^c. The Memorial of Sir John Johnson Baronet Superintendent General & Inspector General of Indian Affairs. Humbly Sheweth. That your Memorialist is in want of £4319 55. Sd. sterling to enable him to pay Persons employed in the Department of Indian Affairs under his Superintendency between the 25 December 1786 and 24 December 1787 as per abstract annexed. We therefore pray your Excellencys Warrant on the Deputy Paymaster General for the above sum. John Johnson. Quebec 16 Jpril, 1788. Another order by Lord Dorchester, in favor of Sir John as Superintendent and Inspector General of Indian Affairs, for Two Thousand pounds, for incidental expenses, between 25th December, 1786, and 24th December, 1787. 1^ V in the Revolution. 207 Both signed by Dorchester and Captain Francis Le Maistre, the Governor's A. D. C. and Secretary and endorsed by Sir John Johnson. This doubtless to be used in a claim for indemnity, refers to a useful officer of the British Government in Canada during the Revolution. In the Exchequer Stamp In the matter of Sir John Johnson, Baronet, the legal personal representative of Sir William Johnson, Baronet, his late feather, deceased, late Superintendent of Indian Affairs in North America. 1 homas Wa hs, late Assistant in the office of the Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief in North America, now of Hertford street Mayfan- in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, maketh oath and saith, that he has known General Sir Frederick Haldimand for fourteen years and that the words and fijrures London the 14th of August, 1787," and the name "Fred Haldimand a} pearmg to be written and subscribed at the foot of the account and certificate marked with the letter X now produced are the proper handwriting of the said General Sir l^^red Haidimand,« and were written and subscribed by him in the presence of this deponent, and the said General Sir Fred Haldimand after he had so subscribed the same, delivered the said produced account and certificate to this deponent, and ^'!f^^^ h.m to deliver the same to Mr. Chew, attorney to the said Sir Wilham Johnson. Thos. Wallis. bworn at my house in St. John street 1 the nth April, 1788, before me. / J. A. Eyre. Sir John here appears in a civil office usually awarded in British Colonies, as a mark of especial consideration. lisrvvki; of r'"^ « Switzerland at first in Prussian service, but entered the £ng- ,7c-7 di . hT -^•""^'" ^'"'"" ■'^ ^'- '^"l- ^° ^"y-l American Regt. fn 1757; distinguished at Ticonderog. in ,7505 defended Oswego in ,7co -with itt™ Cr"'"" '" '''^' f '^^"""^' " ^'^"^^^"'^ 1767; home informingTin S o/c?n h"'"'" '775 5 b.ck as Lieut. General in 1776 J succeeded Carleton as Ctov. of Canada in 1778 and until 1784; died in 1791. i! ilii f il I r, m 208 Tories or Loyalists Quebec, i May^ "^l^l- Received from Henry Caldwell, Esq., Acting Receiver General of the Province of Quebec the sum of Fifty Pounds Sterling, being for my Salary as a Member of the Legislative Council of the Province, from ist November, 1786, to 30 April, 1787, pursuant to his Excellency, Governor Lord Dorchester's warrant dated ist May 1787, for which I have signed Two Receipts of this Tenor and Date, £50 Sterling. John Johnson. Apparentlv a moderate compensation compared with that of later law-makers, and especially well earned if the quality of legislation was equivalent to its quantity. In this it would markedly differ from much that has been condensed into portly volumes as the brain food offered by the deliberative wisdom of other bodies when sitting for a similar period. Perhaps he divined how much easier it is to enact, than in all cases to comprehend. How doubtful the intention of the law maker often proves to others, and how much special legislation is rendered unnecessary by general ^cts, if sought for. He doubtless dis- covered, as many legislators have, that there were more debaters than listeners, more movers than seconders, and that it is easier to criticise than to originate. The remaining letter borrowed from a friend's exhaustive collection of Americana merely displays neighborly kindness to one who sympathised in sentiment and destiny, by taking refuge from imprisonment for political offences in Canada with the writer. Dr Sir Johnsons Hall 25 July 1775. The bearer will deliver you some provisions & clothes and Mr Clement will give you a paper containing a Ten pound note which I received from Mrs White this morning. The Indians having desired some cash from me to expend when they come m in the Revolution. 209 amongst the inhabitants in Canada, which I have not to give them I must beg you will supply them & charge it to Colonel Johnson. If you have forgot anything and I can be of service to you I beg you'll mention it. God bless you. To Alexander White Esq. Yrs J. Johnson.^ These random notes as to the Johnsons suggest reflections as to the quality of loyalty, even in an adversary, to one whose sympathies, studies and collections, have for years been de- voted to appreciative illustration of the achievements of their opponents and a jealous watchfulness to their use. Although sketched from a different standpoint, he trusts that his conclu- sions will accord with those which a friend is preparing under different inspirations, at a point too remote tor comparison. The absence of Memoirs, Diaries,''^ and even of comprehensive letters on these details is to be regretted. *4 Thh and one other letter belonging to Dr. Thomas Addis Emmett, all of the other letters and papers in that of" the contributor. As to Sheriff White and the circum- stances under which it was written, vide Stone's " Life of Brant," Vol. 1, pp. 101-6-7-12, 364. ''S There appears to be a resemblance — probably often noticed by others, between the useful oyster fisher, who delves with his rake into the muddy bottom, for the bivalve and the less widely appreciated labor of one who dives for costly pearls in the turbid waters of' forgotten fact. Many amateur Collectors of fragmentary history are scattered over the country purchasing and articulating disjointed material, and quietly working with the devotion voluntarily displayed by Old Mortality in bis specialty of restoring the dilapidated tombstones of people he had never seen. No writer on American History has eluci- dated more epitaphs of the humbler patriots, than Dr. Lossing, whose "Field Books" are in effect. Biographical Lexicons. Another instance of a renaissance of valuable historical waifs, germain to the na'ne of Burgoyne, elsewhere referred to, as connected with one associated with his career once as his fellow soldier, then his conqueror, and styled by him his " Accoucheur ! " A large portion of the military papers, and order books, of General Gates, after slumbering in his muniment box for over threescore years, had recently a new birth, in falling into the remarkable Emmet Collection, A part of them through the active enterprise of Mr. John Austin Stevens, were used to add value of the word "Resurgam " by their publication in the October, 1880 — Gates — number of the "Magazine of American History." They arise to dispel many errors, disseminated in American History. They show, that after his probably ill-advised advance at Camden, when driven from a remote part of the field by the precipitate flight of the North Carolina militia — con- I H'f ii! 2IO Tories or Loyalists Without these evidences, many, intending to leave an honor- able record, will always go down to posterity as responsible from their position, in political or military lite, for action of their associates, which they personally abhorred, perhaps opposed, in its progress, or at worst finally submitted to, from fear of retaliation, on some proper object. Samuel Pepys, who recorded in his Diary with the ex- periences of an unmiportant life, much random fact, >ome of whtch subsequently become of historical interest, is now being recalled — two centuries later — by the erection of a Memorial in London, in the place where he worshipped and rests. It would have been interesting if Johnson himself, or some Pepysian an- notator of events, sharing his confidence and his tent or home, had jc^tted down the circumstances attending his arrest, parole, fronted by well drilled regulars — ignorant by this separation, oi the stand de Kalb was making, with the gallant Maryland and Delaware line and a few militia, having the benefit ot their near example, that he, with General 'Caswell and other officers, struggled tor many miles to rally them, so " flying " with them before the pursuing enemy, in an effort to bring them back. That instead of his " hair growing grey as he fled," in his letter to the President of" Congress, Hillsborough, 20th August, 1780, he says, " By this time the militia had taken to the woods in all directions, and I concluded with General Caswell, to retire towards Charlotte, I got there late in the night — but reflecting that there was neither arms, ammunition, nor any prospect of coUectmg any Force at that i'lace, adequate to the defence of the Country — I pro- ceeded with all possible despatch hither ; to endeavour to fall upon some plan, in conjunction with the Legislature of this State, for the defence of so much thereof as it is yet possible, to save from the enemy." Whatever the en or in his strategy may have been — and it is always easier to criticize than to plan, his course from his arrival seems by many letters energetic, and that of one intent on developing order out of chaos. While mortified with the condition into which he had fallen, he does not appear to have lost heart or hope, and continueo his exertions apparently conscious that his prestige as a soldier was lost, until he was superceded by General Greene, who reaped a harvest of laurels on the ground on which his own crop had been blighted. A recently printed sketch of Colonel Anthony Walton White — who com- manded, with Col. Lee, detachments of Continental Cavalry lying near, and only waiting for their horses to have filled a special want at Camden, and whose equip- ment appears to have been a cause of special anxiety to General Gates — published with a fine military portrait by Sharpies, and prepared under the direction of his grand- son, Mr. Evans, is another interesting renaissance. i in the Revolution, 211 and its claimed infringement or whether he considered it violated and withdrawn by the attempted arrest ; and also if at Kloclcs Farm he left the field unwounded, deserting a command with wh.ch he evidently displayed marked courage, in the contest of the day. As to the facts connected with the parole, careful consideration even in the absence of such evidence, would doubtless now convince any fair opponent, that the judgment of some history has been biased, by the then obnoxious position of the actor. It was exacted, by a display of force, from one who although hold.ng a Major General's co.nmission, had committed no overt act of hostility against the ^. >,/. government, existing when he was arrested by the order of the '• Provincial Con- gress " of the State, and the - Albany Committee " bodies, m/n"v wh*^'^'^ "' "'l^ """'"" '''■■'"■'y '"''''- '^ ^'"^'^^y "" amateur -amongst the many whu are quietly mt.rested in similar labor _ who has more liber^nv tnhu.ed valuable privately printed facts than Colonel Ch. des C onfi f Augusta H,s "S.ege ot Savannah in 177c,," and another of th .tot Vil' anumgst h.s valuable works. While the humane administratil of Gener^ftrr thorpe, the remarkable character who founded Georgia, has been lar.X ^eJaleH^h h.s pen ; h. '< Historical Sketches of Tomo-chi-chi, tt-Mi o the YaLc ! " ' rtqunc a special int.oduction even to many general re.ders - affords testimony ba..H ..n_ information, of the merit of another Aboriginal ruler. t^t.mony, based The correspondence of General Daniel Morgan, the hero of Cowpens, including cially his friend, having fallen into the writer's much of Washington, and Lifayette esoe 11 ■ . o > •/ "r'^'-'""; '"o iiiuiiu, iiavinK rallen into the «/ri^Pl•'. of orticers and citizens to be present at the centennial celebration of that b urL T. I faTi':ftr'rt;^-''r^^''^'" '"--^-"''^ '-^^-^ -p-nted % t s tpti of all of the ofhc ul papers connected with that event. They were recoLmi.ed . 1 articulate apparition or the many writers amidst the scenes'of the fSe let on 27 iii^ it i » 212 ^lories or Loyalists ' ■Hi created by an uprising of an indignant people, and six months after that incident occurred, formed by the Declaration of In- dependence into part of a nation de jure. If it had been executed after that period, doubtless the sense of obligation would have been stronger upon a soldier, but at the time the authority of Great B' controlled a large por- tion of the Colonies — restive ui . its restraint — and its local authorities were in power at New York, as in Canada, still recognized as the only lawful rulers by a large portion of the people. To a person representing large interests, and the head of a family, this interregnum must have been a period for anxiety, and adhering to the old government, made him a subject for suspicion and dislike, to those who had so aggregated for the as- sertion of grievances, still hoping for concessions to justify their dissolution, but preparing if necessa . in the impending struggle to establish their permanency. 1 s administration of public affairs, not yet made permanent by ihe nction of Congress on the 4th of the ensuing July, he had refused to give his ad- hesion, to sign the articles of association, or to recognize its au- thority, declaring that he would " rather that his head should be cut off," than unite in a conflict with his native government, the authoritv of which he doubtless hoped would be soon re- asserted. In this, he became an obstacle to the popular movement, and was from his influence and authority, a subject for supression or control. His every movement was watched and discussed, and it was claimed that he was fortifying his house, organizing his retainers, and co-operating with the Indians for resistance, yet there is no clear evidciicc that he i % 1 i W| St K.', 6'f C B O I: m the Revolution. ! 212 pursued any course unusual ,o his position as a citizen and a magistrate, m trouh'ed times. But his presence was esteemed a danger in itself and hi, tnova, a necessity which knew ,„ W. Genera, Schuy arrested h,m w,th a large, unresisted „,ili,ary force in January, ,776; he was sent to Fishkil, and submitted 't," exacted ,t, or to leave the vicinity of his home. It is p-„bable ha. eh, ,„ ,,, ^„ „p_,_,^,^^. ^ ^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^J^obab either concession or suppression restored the authority ;f his g vern^ent.. For son,e causes, probably the continued suspicion of danger Irom his private communications, his capture and cTn finement. which would have naturally terminated his protect on and he mutuality of his parole was decided upon, an Col e Dayton stopped at the Hall, on his way to Canada, to malt h,s arrest, hut found that Johnson, advised of his coming had escaped into Canada, the nearest accessible stronghold !f utority he recognised. His endurance of nineLn davs of terr ble suffering in this, his winter journev through the Adi- rondacks attested his physical courage; and the leaving alf he value behind him, subordinate to a sense of dutv hi remarka le lovalty. The romantic incidents attending La Johnson s share in her husband's downfall, will doubtless be appropriately given by her kinsman. He cannot tail to show ^ . her married life justified the promise which Colonel Guy Johnson discerned before that event, when meeting her while in New York as He«rr;k«^ • u ^ ( Appendix A. , ''"' '" ''^ ^^-P-vIng letter. Such a parole enforced on a citizen by an as ,et temporarily constituted and semi-representative body, and the knowledge 212 lories or Loyalists that it was to be substituted by imprisonment, from precaution and not for crime, would appear to differ materially from one exacted after conquest in the field, and that its essence was in the application of Major Dugald Dalgetty's maxim, ^'' fides et fiducia relativa sunt." Many expert military critics have considered the question of the obligations of paroles, with varied latitude. Some have pro- nounced this one no longer obligatory on a prisoner, who was aware of its intended breach by the giver, and that the law of nature overrode the dictates of a nice sense of honor — best appreciated in another — and an escape after warning of the intention of the withdrawal of protection was as justifiable before, as after its execution. But there is a precedent apparently applicable, which illus- trates the- difference of sympathy from surroundings, and how the same claimed offence is viewed by the friends or enemies of the actor. Those who have remembered the blame which has attached to Sir John, should examine the different sentiments called forth for one who suffered for what he alone was censured. This parallel case, was that of Colonel Isaac Hayne, * a promi- nent patriot in South Carolina. He had served in the defence of Charleston, with the cavalry operating outside of the city, but not included in the capitulation. Afterwards he considered that the protection of his family residing on the Edisto, required that he should accept a parole from the captors, only obtained, by signing with a protest as to service, the oath of allegiance, prescribed by Sir Henry Clinton's proclamations. This exposed him to the annoyance of frequent callsyor his service as a soldier, due by that obligation to the King, and when Gen. Greene advanced in 1781, considering the British * See Ramsey's Revolution in S. C, Vol. ii, p. 277, etc. z * in the Revolution, 212 control ended, he again took the field, was captured, tried, and executed, by Lord Rawdon, at the instigation of Col. Nesbit Balfour, the commandant, recalled there still as a tyrant. The whole country was filled with denunciation of this cruelty. The Duke of Richmond censured it in Parliament and Balfour was rendered notable for his unfeeling disregard to the appeal of his family and friends for mercy, while fhe name of Hayne is remembered, by collectors of American History, as a martyr to a popular and successful cause. Had Sir John been cap- tured in either of his bold invasions, made additionally perilous by that impending charge, he might have sufl^ered, even by the influence of his exasperated neighbors, from whom he had parted with mutual antipathy. His daring on such other occa- sions, discredits the tradition of his flight, unwounded, in advance of his command, at Klocks Field, and makes it seem an instance of misrepresentation unanswered, and accepted by credulous History as the gift of irresponsible tradition. It is notable that the " Annals of Tryon County," which William W. Campbell, an estimable gentleman and painstaking collector, residing at Cherry Valley, prepared many vears ago,* in connection with a society formed at that place for the col- lection of Local History, in describing the battle, and alluding to the bravery of Johnson's troops, omits this sudden departure which must have reached him there in rumor, rejected as fact. The tradition of his flight from Klocks Field without refer- ring to his disabled condition, perhaps arose with exasperated neighbors while suffering from his undoubtedly vindictive ravages, whose patriotism was naturally stimulated by the possession of his abandoned property, and from whom any sympathy would be as unnatural as that .^{ the huntsman for a * Border Warfare of New York and Annals, etc., 1849. 212 Tories or Loyalists wounded stag, which had ceased to stand at bay. That his accepted government appreciated the audacity of his three incursions, and subsequently repeatedly honored him with commands and places of trust, proves at least their continued confidence in his courage and honor. That any of these questions should remain open for i cussion, more than a cen- tury afterwards sustains the views elsewhere expressed, of the untold value of impartial and carefully prepared cotemporary history. In any event he had opportunity to regret in a long life of exile, the beautiful home which he had lost by the rigor with which his native State adhered to its rule of confiscation. He resided afterwards in Canada, and is still represented by many distinguished descendants. When he died he aft'orded to pos- terity an opportunity to consider that best test for judgment of the action of another " put yourself in his place." Although prompted by a sense of the justice of availing of the opportunitv to say a word in defence of those whose records have left their names unpopular, the writer is satisfied that their vindication has been delayed too long to influence some whose opinions are hereditary, and have never been modified by the softening efl^ects of research.** One who has given his attention to historical collections, and has completed series of the letters of the Signers, the Generals, and the prominent actors of the Colonial and Revo- lutionary periods, has naturally sought for information as to their inner, as well as their printed lives, and incidentally as to ♦* It appears proper to say that these sentiments, — not influenced by any personal considerations, — are somewhat contrary to the writer's earlier and more crude convictions, derived from antecedents, in that period, and from the early settlement of New York, identified with the popular cause, and often then and since by succes- sion, under the union of the States, aiding — sometimes effectively — in its civil lervice, and in every war. in the Revolution, 213 those of their cotemporaries, and of the circumstances which governed all of them. This naturally inspires a comparison with the more familiar ones of their successors, and of their relative administration of public trust. It may even induce a conjecture as to the result — if it were possible to make the experiment — of placing the members of the Congress of 1776, in the seats of a i^^ of its recent representatives. The alternative, by a substitution of many of our present for those past law-makers, would give occu- pation for a stronger imagination, in realizing the uses of the modern appliances of legislation in tho«^e time-honored chairs. Were such transpositions of men of the present for those of that important crisis possible, might it not be less difficult, even after a century of brilliant national prosperitv, affording oppor- tunities to individuals which {^^ then enjoyed, and a condensa- tion of events which .10 other nation has probably ever witnessed in a similar period, to select a substitute for Sir John Johnson, were he all that vague tradition and prejudice has pictured him' to be, using every appliance that he is said to have resorted to in seeking to claim an inheritance of which he felt himself unjustly deprived, than to discover a second Washington, de- ferring compensation, neglecting, in his negation of self, his own ample estate, to battle to secure the property of others, subjecting himself to the jealousy of those who coveted his honors, but not the cares and exposure^? which earned them, To His Excellency, George Washington, Esq,, General, &c., 47 Sir Whereas David Matthews, Esq, stands charged with dangerous Designs and rrra wT"- ''V'""' ''" '''^'^'^ ^"'^ ^"'•^-"^^ "^" ^^e united Colonie of America. We do ,n Pursuance of a certain Resolve of Congress of this Colonv of the twentieth day of June, instant, authorize and request ycu to cause the said David Matthews to be with all his papers forthwith apprehended and secured and '■i f lif^' 111 ii 214 Tories or Loyalists devoting his manhood to his country, and finally epitomising his life, as an example to the temporarily refractory troops at Newburg, by saying — when compelled to resort to his glasses in deciphering his conclusive appeal to their patriotism and endurance — " You see gentlemen, that I have not only grown gray, but blind, in your service." To write the name of Washington is a temptation to the digression of an American pen, even when proposing to speak more specially of those whom he conquered, and only incident- ally of the victors. Collectors of unprinied Historical Material — often classed as Autographs — were long accustomed to attach some im- portance, in discerning the character and surroundings of the writer, both to his manner of expression, and his chirography. This theory has been sustained by many able authorities, includ- ing Dr. Joseph G. Cogswell, formerly of the Astor Library. that returns be made to us of" the manner in which this Warrant shall be executed in order that the same may be made known to the said Congress. Given under our hands this twenty-first day of" June, 1776. Philip Livingston, John Jay, Gov. Morris. General Greene is desired to have the within Warrant executed with precision and exactness, by one o'clock the ensuing morning, by a careful officer. Friday Afteknoon, "June 20, 1776. G. Washington. Long Island, yiint 22d, 1776. In obedience to the within Order and Warrant, I senta Detachment of" my Brigade under the Command of" Col. "Vernon, to the liouseof the within named David Matthews, Esq., at Flat Bush, who surrounded his house and seized his person precisely at the hour of" one this morning. After having made him a Prisoner, diligent search was made after his Papers but none could be found, notwitiistanding great care was taken that none of" the Family should have the least opportunity to remove or destroy them. Nathaniel (Jrekne. This Paper, if earlier discovered, should have been appropriate additional materia) for " Minutes of" the Trial and Examination of' Certain Persons in the Province of New York, charged with being Engaged in a Conspiracy against the Authority of" the Congress and the Liberties of" America." Printed in London, by I. Bew, in 1786, and reprinted in an edition of one hundred copies, ""ntitled "Minutes of Conspiracy against the Liberties of America," by |ohn Campbell, in Philadelphia, 1865, describing the details of " the Hickey Plot" for the poisoning of Washington, :?it \r m i-. m d ^1:30^^'^^'^^^, ^ /^!aJ^aQ. — . C^^-&^(2aj^£2^uA'^t^ ^::^:^^y^^^L^ ^^2/^(2,^^^^ ^2:a.^t-^i-^js^ «^< ^c^^^^a^^K^ !^^s8<t^^EU£:<j^^ X^jZ^j -ol^^aJJ ^C^X iz<fcaL6L ;^ /^ ^r^a^^::^ ^/L^ /^^«-. y'^T^S^I^JZ-Y ^yi 'i*-^^ te^ A ^^aSJ2f>- ^ a^-i^ ^-i«^ KRCM THt OWGINAL IN TI{E COLLtCTION Or T9V in the Revolution, 215 Any even fancied value in this belief, is becoming obsolete as applicable to later correspondence, in an unprecedented progress, crowding the events of life, and increasing the value of the hour. Rapidity of thought and action, now conveyed upon paper involves brevity, curtails compliment, and disregards form. In the day when magazines were scarcely known, news- papers were small and rare, devoted principally to advertise- ments, with current events condensed, and even discussion by tracts occasional ; a letter, as a comprehensive means of com- munication, was an important channel of intelligence. Its dignified foolscap, or " letter size ; " emblazoned with water line, and adorned by a gilt edge, was covered by a carefully selected " quill," with at least three pages of public or private by that man, one of his Life Guards, who was executed. Governor Tryon, who was quartered on the Duchess of Gordon, a vessel lying in the harbor — and singularly named after the lady whom Gen. Staats Long Morris, the loyalist member of a patriot family, married — was su|)posed to be the instigator; the medium was David Matthews, the Mayor, who admitted supplying money at least, for arms, and who was sentenced to death, but reprieved and sent to Connecticut, from whence he escaped ; the method to poison Washington with green peas which were provided, and on being tested on some poultry, proved fatal ; and the result to be a rising in arms, in case of success. It was detected by tlu- disclosure made through his house- keeper, the daughter of Samuel Frances, the innkeeper at the corner of Broad and Pearl, where Washington afterwards bid adieu to his officers. The seat of the conspiracy, was Cortie tavern, between " Richmond Hill,"' "Bayard's Woods," and " Lispenard's meadow," near the now intersection of Spring and Wooster streets. This order of arrest was issued on the next day, only three days before Lord Howe's arrival, soon followed by the Battle of Long Island, the retreat of Washington, and the British occupation of the city, attended by the confusion in which, Matthews probably escaped. A trifling circumstance, the careful erasing of a word with a penknife, over which the word "within," is written in Washington's endorsement, displays the coolness and method in writing referred to, even at a moment when his life was beset by assassins. The other papers above alluded to as printed, were those of the Secretary of the Committee of Congress signing this order for arrest. The accompanying letter is from RichariJ Cumberland, the well knovvn essayist and author of many plays and brochures, a retired Secretary of the Board of Trade, and apparently, from the contents of a number of letters from which it is selected, an attache and purveyor of Lord George Germain, State Secretary, is addressed to William Woodfall, before the public at this period, and prosecuted by the Crown as the publisher of the " Letters 28 2l6 Tones or Loyalists r .< intelligence, conveyed in well formed characters, with dignified assurances of consideration and respect. It was generally closed with wax, and impressed with the seal, which then dangled from the writer's "•• fob," all in such form as to make it pre- sentable to a friend, or to a neighborhood, according to its privacy or public import. Then conveyed in a ^' mastship " or packet, in a lumbering "stage-wagon," or by a private ex- press, its receipt was a sensation, and it was generally preserved as an object of value, often to arise years afterwards, permanent from its solid material, and perhaps to find new appreciation in a historical collection, to solve a doubt, or suggest an inquiry. Rare papers like rare paintings still command competition, showing continued appreciation. ( Appendix E. ) Such was the ^'^golden age" of the collectors only recently terminated by the Telegraph, where each won! has a cost as well as a value ; the Postal Card, commanding condensation and of Junius." He has an equally surviving recollection, as associated with the original Mr. Walter, of the London Times, in experiments ii\ printing by steam. Sir : Drayton, Tuesday Morning, Since I wrote to you and enclosed ye Boston Gazette, a messenger is arrived with ye news of ye reduction of forts Washington and Lee, and with despatches from ye Gen- eral, which I mike do doubt occasioned the publishing of an Extra Gazette last night. This intelligence would have been 'wrought us to town directly, if Lord George had not been indisposed with a cold and swelled face, so that we shall not be in town till Friday morning. Anything in my power to communicate to you shall readily be done, and I am very sorry that my distance makes it not practicable by this opportunity. Ye loyal Mayor of New York has made his escape from Litchfield and returned to that City. He reports the situation of the people in Connecticut to be that of men heartily weary of their cause and its conductors. That the hospitals are miserably attended and served, where great numbers are lost for want of common care. That there are small, or no hopes, of another Army being raised, the eyes of the common people being generally open to their situation. That a sovereign contempt for their officers prevails universally, that they say Lee (Gen. Charles ) will not engage for fear of being taken and hanged and that ye fame and popularity of Gen. Washington is greatly gone down. Many particulars may occur worthy the public notice when I return to town and get my letters, &c. I am. Sir, Your Most Obedient Ser'vt, Mr. William Woodfall. R. Cumberland. in the Revolution, 217 disclaiming privacy, and the Monograph, with such Napoleonic terseness and brief detail as is necessary to intelligibility with little regard to form. These last appliances tended in our recent war, to condense such full narratives of action as had been usual in the past, leaving it to the comprehensive and indispensable newspapers, published in keeping with the progress of the age, and to their correspondents to form the public sentiment of its course and results as they appeared to them. It remains for the government to perf„-ct its history, by instituting a careful analysis of such narrative, and by the use of the public records, the last of which is believed to be now in progress, and if so will correct many errors, known to have often unavoidably crept into more hastily prepared impressions. At the period now referred to, such notable persons in its history as Washington, Sir Henry Clinton, Greene, Cornwallis, and Gates — when dispensing with the -crvices of aid or secretary— and. in fact, all educated persons fr m sovereign to citizen, found time to convey their thoughts in letters thus carefully expressed and gracefullv executed, as though to combine in both contents and form, a courtesy to the person ad- dressed, and to suggest if not to prove, that the writer was, as a " gentleman of the old school," at least " toall polite." Perhaps, letters of this period which are preserved, commend in their ensemble this style, which is necessarily passing away from the causes referred to. At least it recalls its recollection with respect, to say that it everywhere characterizes the manner of communicating the plainest sentiments by Washington ! The large number of his letters, still carefully preserved, sliow his industry ; while their existence witnesses the cotemporary appreciation of one who 2l8 Tories or Loyalists used " not dim enigmas doubtful to discern, " but expressed himself in *' simple truths that every man may learn. "* How so prominent a chiuacter, overwhelmed with active duties, often in temporajy (juait -rs and with few conveniences but always with assistants about him to perform the manual part of the work — should largely from preference, with his own hand Hnd opportunity to correspond with the Government, its members, governors of States, his generals and officers of every grade, his family and personal friends, the representatives of foreign govern- ments and interests, even with citizens scarcely known to him — but alive to the value ot their own wants or suggestions — all with courtesy, uniformity, and neatness, is as remarkable as the variety of the topics and the smallness of the material for sub- sequent criticism. These letters collected would seem manually the work of a clerkly copyist rather than originals, the brain and hand work of the founder of a great nation, simply recording, even while creating, much of its history, amidst conflict and doubt. Many of these have found their place in print, all might be condensed with advantage, into a sort of complete letter writer for the use of schools. With a character naturally strong, developed by a capable and devoted mother, an ordinary education and the adventurous experience of his youth, Washington is marked, by a course of life, ever leading upward ana onward. While largely controlling the country he bad helped so materially to create, he was ready to entertain and use what he r ' Japtable to present circumstances, from the cxpCt men of all periods, refined in the crucible cad mmon sense. ■* Applied from an early poen. jI Willia Allen Butler. w in the Revolution, 219 Even his conclusions, enforced l,y such admitted and suc- cessful experience, were not always accepted. He had passed to power through triumphal arches raised by a nation's g.ati- tude, to hold it with a people, and even his cabinet, divided as to h.s policy i and to resign it, and return like Cincinnatus to h.s plough, with an expressed sense of relief. If so living now, he would be rewarded by the universal thanks of tho:e familiar with his name and service, which did not fully attend him, when two factions disputed over his policy, and many heset h.m from interest or for place. The highest popularity not spasmodic, attending all great men burthened with power and patronage in life, may he claimed to attach to their memory, after they are dead. W this be so, his parting words when surrendering his highest and final authority —'and which probably combined with his own judgment that of others-^ whom his confidence in itself proved also worthy of lasting, attention - cannot, it would seem, be too often recalled as embodying past experience, with a far seeing warning for the future, increasing in value as it addresses a larger auditory. At least an annual public reading of that Farewell Address, with that of the Declaration of Independence -to the fulfill- • ment of the purposes of which it applies -and their study also in our schools, would appear to be necessary instruction to all who may aspire to public place. They show the birth and early progress of the Freedom they are expected to preserve bome have always referred to them as opening truths which are already new to millions of unfamiliar ears. Those more accus- tomed to such teachings -could console themselves, if present, w.th the adage, " a good thing is worth repeating. " In them' "» To Hamilton, Jay, Jefferson and Madison some of its inspirations were due. ilif 220 Tories or Loyalists every elector once familiar with their spirit would observe, that in traveling too rapidly in an engrossing present, we may leave behind such less recent but indispensible companions m our country's progress, to follow newer and sometimes falser lights. By such constant recurrence to the grievances the latter re- counts against the British Government, each hearer could discover what was renounced by the founders, and whether by any subsequent legislation, we have voluntarily subjected our- selves to any similar burthens. With this conviction the accompanying, taken from a very rare cotemporary certified copy of the Declaration, more interesting since the damage to the original in its transfer, is inserted. The Declaration of Independence, appears in effect an ably drawn and dignified recital of grievances imposed by Parliament, and which had become intolerable to a people growing in in- telligence and importance. Its incisive tone, and confident assertion, were well calculated to reach an auditory of v uious interests scattered in thirteen colonies, differing in population, antecedents and interests, and to arouse them to concerted action. It rejects the further control of the makers of existing laws, while it suggests no substitution of better ones, evidently with the intention oi leaving that duty, with the details of Con- federate action, to the future representatives of a free people. Its value wouid appear to be in the position it asserted at a time when the hope of success appeared dark, and in recording the opinion of its patriot founders as to what were then held to In congress, July 4, 1776. the unanimous DECLARATION O F T H E Thirteen United States of AMERICA. /. WH F. N, In the Courfe of human f->eDis, it becomri n«cf Hary for one Propte to difTolve the raliiical Bandi which hive coniieficd thcin with anoiher, fid to aaiims, imong tSe Poweri of the Earth, ihf lepaiate and equal Station to which the l.awi of Nature and of NttufcS GOD entitle them, a decent KtfpeCl to the Opiniont of Mankind requitci that they (hould declare the Caufei which impel them to the Scpaiation. \Vt hold (hefe Truths to be fclf-cvidem, that all Men are created equal, that ihry are endowed, by their Cbbatoh, with certain unalienable Kigh:i, ih?t among thefe arc Life, Liberty, and the I'urtuit ol Ilappinefi.— That to (ecure thei'e Uights, Go*errmeni* aie inflituiedamonn Men, deriving their juft I'owera from the Confeni of ihe Governed, ihit whenever any Form of Government become! deilruftive of ihcfe Ends, it is the Ri((ht of the People to alter or to abolilh it, and to infliwtc new Gover;iment, laying its Foun- ditioa on I'uch Principlei, and organizing its Powers in fuch Form, at to them Oiitl Teem mofl likely to effeifl ihcir Salety and Happined. Prudence, indeed, will dirtate, thit Governiiienti lorii cftablifticd, ihould not be chingcd for light and trsnfieni Cji.frs j and accordingly all F.iperience hith (hewn, that Mankind air more difpofed to futfrr, wiiilc Etftis are fuRcrable, thin to right themfclvei by abolifliing the Foims lo whith they are accullomed. Hut when a lon^ Train ot Abufr* and UTurpationi, puifuing inumbl/ the l»me Objeft, evincci a Dcfi^n to reduce tl.cin undir abfulute llefpotifm. it ii their Right, it ii tl-eit Duty, to ihiow vff fuch Governtnctif, and 10 provide new Guardi for ihf'i fwhtre Secutity. .Such has been the patient Suff" nceof thrfe CoIO(iif«t anH furh h now the Nfceiniy which totiiiraini them to aner tfjeu fortnet 0)rft«M -j fr-w^.-tmeot. The HiUnry of rhc prcfent Kinn ot Great- Britain ii a [IiHory of repeated Injurici ana Ulurpaiioni, all having in direct Object the Eftabtifbmeni ot an abfulute iyranny over ihefe States. To prove thia, let Fadti be Tubmittcd to a candid World. H^ hai refufcd his Aflcnt to Laws, the mofl wholcfomr and necerTary Tor the public Good. Ha hai forbiil'' his Governors to pafs Lawi of immediate and prtffing Importance, unlets lufpendfd i.. ihtir Operation till his AfTent fliouid be cfiaincd t »n I when fo fu(- nendcd, he hai utterly neglrfted to attend to them. Ha has tefufed to pafs other Laws (or the Accommodation of large Jlflrifli of People, unlrli thofe Peoph would rclinquiflt the Right of Keprclentatlun iti the Lcgilliture, 1 Kiulu inertimable to them, and lormidible to Tyranti only. t'.r. hii called together Lcgitlitivc Bodies at Places unufjil, uncomfortable, and dlflant from the Depofitory ol their public Jtecordi, for the fole Purpole ot (atigulng them into Cmiplianct with hi* Meafuret. Hi hudifTolved Keprerentiiive Houlcs repeatedly, loropporiag with manly Firmnefs his Invarioiii on the Righti of the People. Ha has refufed for a long Time, alter fuch Diflblutiom, to caufe others to be elefled 1 whereby the Lfgiftativc Powers, incapable ot Annihilation, have returned to (he Peuplt at Urge (or ihcir excrcifc 1 the l>u(c rcrraining, in the mean Time, expofcd to all th: Dan. gen ol Invafion Irom without, and Convulfiotis within. lit has endeavoured to prevent the Population of thefe Statei i foi that Purpofe ob- flrutting the Lpw* for Naturalizitioi ol Foreigners i tefufrngto pafs oihcrsto?ncoi;rige their Mit//ationi hither, and taifina the Conditioni of new AppfOtiriationi of Lands. Ha hasobftturted the Adm'nimaiionof JuHiic, by .efufing hii AfTtnt lo Laws for tltablifhing Judicury lowers. Ha has made Judcci dependent on his Will alone, lor the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amour.t and Payment of thcT Salarii:s. He has erefled a Multitude of new Offices, and fcnt hither Swanm cf Ofllceri co har- rafl our People, and eat out their Subftance. , He has kept among uj, in ri.-iies o* Peace, Standing Armies, wiihoin th-^ CoDf^■nt 1 ol our Legidatuics. i Ht hasalTfdedto.aarilfr the Mili.ary independent of and fuperlor to the Civil Power. Ha h<u combined wittiMhcisiufubjeClui toa Jutiidi£liun loreignto ourConnituiiun, 1 t and unacknowledged Liy our Laws 1 giving hii Allent to their AAi of pKtended Legif- ( lation : ( For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among tis : [ t'uA ptotrfling them, by a mock Tiial, from Punithmeni foi any Murders whKh ihejr \ fhould commit on the Inhabitants nf tbrte States; f Fur cutting olf our Trjde with all Parrs of the World : I FoK iinpuling Taxes on us with tut our Ccnfent : [ I'DR depriving ui, in many Caics, ol the BentBts of Trial by Jury : [ For tianfpuriin^ us beyond Sca» tobe tried for pretended OHl-ncei ; ! /-'or atwlilhing the trci: Syllmi of Lnnliifi Laws in a neighbouring Province, eflaMifh- l in^ ttierein an arbitrary tiovernmeni, and enlargioE; its Buundaiiei, To as to render it at ' onLC an Example and fit Inflrumcnt tor introducing the fame ablolute Rule into thefe Colonics : For taking away oiir Charters, abolifbing our moH valuable Laws, and altering fun- damentally tite Forms o( our (jovcrnmcnis : FuH. iuipendingouro^h Le^iiljturei, and declaring themfclvei inveftcd riifi Power to Jegidate for us in ail Cafes wh^tluevcr. He has abdicated Government here, by declirinj us out of his Proleftion, and waging War agiinft us. He has plundered our Sea^, ravaged our Coafli, burnt our Towns, and dedroyed the Lives of our People. Ht 11, at this Time, traii'iiorting hroP Armies of foreign Merceniries to romptete nic Works of i)eath, OefoUtion, and I'yranny, already begun with Circumftjncra of Cruelty and Petfidy, fcarcely pirallrled in (he moft ba-barous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation. Hi has conllrained our Fellow-Citiatnj, taken Captive on the hiah Sen, to bear Arms agaiuU their Country, to Income the Lire Jiioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themrelves by their Hands. k I't^'f* **'''' ^"^""**^'*^" *'"°"B'* "'' ""^ f>*' endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, th( r "cile'i Indian Savages, whcfe known Rule of V*attare, u an uod iff ingui Died nefltufliun, ,* all Ages, 3e«i, and Conditions. Im every Stage of tlnfc OpprcOions we hav , Petitioned for Redrefs in the mod humble rernu; Our repeated I'ettiuns have been a- ,wc'ed only by repeated Injjry. A Priiue, whole ChariCler a thui nuiUed by every .c\ which msy define a Tyram, is unlit to be the Ruler oi a tree People. Nor ha»e we been wanting in Attcrtmns to our Briiifh Brethren. We have warned Ihctn, (rom lime to Time, oi Aitrmpli by ihfir LegiHiturc to exrcnd an ufiwarriniahle Juritdiction ovvr bS. We have reminded them ui i.l.c C'n(.umft«ncef ol our Kmigntion and Settler.ient here. We have appealed to their native Ju(\ice and Magnanimity, a^d we have conjureit them by the 1 in of Otr common Kindred to difavow thefe Ufurpaii- Oni, »*hii.h would inevitabjy imcrrupt our Connexions and Correfpandrnce. I'hey lo-j have been dc.it toilic Voitc ut Jufticeand of Cuidangumi.y. We mult, therefore, a*- qmelcc in the NereiFity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold Kcft ot Mankind, J-.nemiet in War, m P'.ace Friendi. Wf, theretore, the Kepfcfentativn ut the UNITLD STATES or AMERICA, u. GENERAL CONGRFSS AtTrmbled, appealing to the Supreme Judgrof the World fur the KeAitudc ul our Intcntiani, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People ot thcic C'ulontes, lolcmnly Puhiifh and Ueclare, That theli; United Colonici are, andol Kight 0044(11 to be, FCLL and INDUPENOLNT STATL'J; that they are ablolved tiomall Atiegiance to the Britilfi Crown, and that all political Connekion be- tween them and the State 01 Grrai-llritain, is, and ought to be, loialty difTulvedi and that as FREE and INDEPENDLNT SrAIKS, they have full Power to levy War, LuncliiJe Peace, contract Alliances, eljabli!)! Comn'crce, and to do all other A(\% and ihin^fs which INUEPhNUEM' STA TIiS .Tiay of Kight da And lor the Svyyoti ol this Dcclatation,wnn a titni Reliance on the Pioredion oi PlViNE PRt)VIUI-:NCE, we mutually pledge lo each tKher our Lrvr;, our fertunj, and Q)iTjatrtd IhnHr. John Hancock, - Bmun CMnrif, 1 LyiunlM, ' an. IfsUn. GitTgi tiytbe. QIOIOIA, Riebtr/t Hinry Ut, Ti'. 7^//r>». htK}*- llar'i!f.n. * ■ II - IlKttr, ihc: mjtn, r- No»TH C/Mi«tlii«, < 7ytph Umii, Fraiiis iJgUftil Im < : JabnP.m. Catitr Braxton. < SuVTH'CAanilKA, - < Edmrd Ruliiii. 1 7*.'- Hnn-trJ, iuv ■ 1 Ihtmal l.)H:tt >.'■ r &marl Chdfi, PiNHiyiVAUlA, Rtpf Mmiu BttijtniH Rtifh, tt'.nja. Fra^lihn, yj'H Mtrttn, Cts. Cfymtr, «"< ftta. MAHrtAMD, •Ill' ilm, Ctt. 'Tjyivf, Charlts CjrrtU, ./ Car. Jamtjtr,i/7n, ta'Unt. [ &», Rtjt. DaLAWARI, Kaw-YoRKi i Cto. Rtad. S Phil. U'.tHlfi" V Lrtarfj Mgrrii. r RUhJ- SttthtH, Nr%t'.jEiiuv, \ h-a-Hepkm/0», JUh liert, AbrA. Clark. Ntw HamphiirIi ■1^ irrrfpit, MAlsACMyjlTTc Sat. tllM)C<IlLAt4n HD P.OVIBINCt, tSt. 5 7>lm Mini, P ««*'■ Irw; />«», *• tltri^i Cm}. f Slip, i/cfkini, [ mmtm ElUrj. Htllr Shtrmtt, ) Sjm'.Hawli^M, I H" WOum, ■ Qhvaiyikul. Ik congress, jAM;A«ir 13, 1777. ORDEKET), H A T in lulhtr gl the UNITED STATES, and that the; be Jclircd lu hive Cx Itme put on KECURU. rry H a r m luihrnciciieii Copy of ihc DF.CLAH ATION of INDF.PENDENCy, whhtht Nimci ot tlit MEMCLRS of CONGRESS, fubfctibing tht fim«; b« rem 10 eirh B/ 0M« of CONGRESS, <>i''v..r C—yj'' John Hancock, Prejident. BALriMow, in Ma^ylanp frtalc*! H; M^av Kathakini (ioi«dakp. i-'rcv, trli CdUsCfiOl ff/"' ."/?.<.' II m Vi in the Revolution, 22 1 be wicked impositions by legislation, under color of law.49 Our present legislation therefore, is subject to a comparison with that of the obnoxious Parliament as there specially denounced, as well as to discover the extent and value of the improvements It is making under the present limit Congress attaches to Its power. In this view it may be considered the chart by which the ship of state was expected by them to be navigated. Either to appreciate the history of the details in which that power originated, or its use in the present and future it would appear that education in oar past was indispensable to every citizen, and that it was especially the duty of those who inherited their rights from the founders, to qualify themselves not only to understand and protect the enjoyment of the legacy bequeathed to them, free from the effects of any alleged abuses of legislation, but to interest themselves, to arouse a similar sentiment in those who have rapidly joined them. Not to recall as an empty phrase, but to illustrate, that Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty, by observing the proceedings of all bodies acting with delegated power, and if practicable, by wisely influencing the discretion with which that authority is conferred, by the individual citizen. of rhe'^Crnl"' -'""k T'' '"''"" '^^ ^'"'^ "^" f^-'^li^'^'^nt for " the better peopling of the Colonies, .„ the Congress of 1774, show that England was then charged with transporting a material she desired to be rid of, more dreaded than the " Hessiar- so unammously denounced a few years later. The laws of the Colonies then de- prived them of every privilege beyond that of residence. "That It was too well known that in pursuance of divers Acts of Parliament ^reat number, of Kdlonvs -who ha.c forfaud their /,.« to the Fuhlic, for the ,.ou lociZs crtmes are annually transported from home to these Plantat.ons. Very surprising one would think, that Thieve., Burglars, Pukpockets and Cutpurses, and a herd of ^h, n^ost fl^ag.tK,u8 Band.tts upon earth should be sent as agreeable compan1j;,s to And will rhU„ 5"' , ''*' T'' '"f'^"'l«'V«'- th'' letter peopling of the Colonies ! And Will thieves and murderers be conductive to that end ? What advantage can we reap from a Colony of unrestrainable Renegadoes ? Will they exalt the gh.ry of the crown * * "^ Can Agriculture be promoted when the wild Boa, of ^thc Forest breaks down our Hedges and pulls up our Vines ? * * How injuriou! wmmmmm 222 Tories or Loyalists At the present time, with a population swollen by emigra- tion in a single year beyond its great natural increase, by nearly three-quarters of a million, the growing importance of the teach- ing of history in all our schools would seem to impress itself on all who desire to preserve our integrity. Many are coming to us naturally ignorant of our past and present and its cost to our forefathers and value to us and to them, and who cannot become parts of a homogeneous population advantageously until they have accepted intelligently our institutions in place of those under which they were born, and to which they were possibly hostile, rejecting as impracticable a dual nationality. A knowledge of American history would appear as requisite as those simple elements of education which enable the elector — and perhaps future ruler — to read an amendment of a constitution, on which by a steady extension of the privileges won in that struggle, he is soon qualified to vote. All details of the past — on a more liberal construction of some of which it is hoped that this use of these papers may possibly throw a ray of additional light, more useful than that of their earlier cremation, which some weary reader may already consider — shcjuld be constantly perfected and studied, even amidst the engrossing activity of the present. ■i^^ ^ if itii does it seem to free one part of the Dominions of the Plagues of Mani^ind and cast them upon another ? Should a law be proposed to take the poor of one Parish, and billet them upon another, would not all the world but the parish to be relieved, ex- claim against such a project as iniquit(/us and absurd ? Should the numberless Villains of London and Westminister, be suffered to escape from their Prisiins, to range at large and depredate any other parts of the Kingdom, would not eveiy man join with the Sufferers and condemn the measures as hard and unreasonable '" * * There are thousands of honest mcn^ laboring in Europe at four pence a day, startling in ipite of all their efforts, a dead iveight to the respccti-ve parishes to ivhich they belong ; v)ho ivithoul any other qualifications than Common Sense, Health and Strength, might accumulate estates amongst us, as many ha'oe done already. These, and not the others^ are the men that should be sent oi<er, for the better peopling the Plantations.^'' m in the Revolution, 2-^3 Such information is constantly becoming more valuable to a country wholly unprecedented in history in its absolute re- i'ance upon Ae patriotism, education, common sense, and mutual concession of its citizens, as a ,uide for the future, the success of which .s necessarilv based on such knowledge of the past, on w.de spread intelligence, a mutual adaptation, and regard for .ts founders and its early traditions. If anv return were expected, for the labor of compiling and feebly annotating them beyond an .mpression that perhaps " the deed in the doing it savors' of worth ; » u would be most acceptable m the evidence that they had been the means of impressing upon some earnest reader, the tact, even .f controverting one of Mr. Herbert Spencer's theo- ries, that educauon only can open the knowledge of the origin of a nat.on, u^spire a proper pride in its progress and insure Its permanency. (Appendix B.) That intelligence and ignorance have rarely existed Ion. together without one asserting the control. That while some particles of this great aggregate _ content to float like the smaller esculant, on the surface of a seething caldron, relvin. on an exaggerated estimate of their weight, perpetuity and value, by their temporary elevation _ above larger roots - ny.y sneer at such researches, as to the truly great men, and the earlier unsuccessful aspirants, long since buried underground ; as un- necessary to uneducated citizenship, and disparaging to spontan- eous statesmenship ; it has been the universal testimony of men of broader development and experience, that nothing can give a greater facility to. a person of natural capacity, in judgin. of present events, than the appreciative study of those of the plu He can then discover many old masks on the faces of new actors on the public stage, and that they are often too large for the new wearer. That the best critical analysis applicable to new theo- 29 m >: 224. Tories or Loyalists ries of government, is based upon a knowledge of their success or failure in earlier times. That few things are on investigation discovered to be purely original, anu that many projects have always been sus- tained by facts, some by fiction, and others by selfish interest. To prepare himself by study, using the ample means supplied for education or reading, would then appear to be the natural means of availing of the privilege every American enjoys. With these we readily discover the relative progress of nations, that where intelligence is habitually developed, it results asa necessity in the prosperity for the many ; or where neglected, all others are subordinated to the advantage of the few. By such research it is easy to discover that there have been many political orators in the country, since the days of Patrick Henry, and many financiers, since Robert Morris, but none who more faithfully devoted available talents to the public. That there have also been many manipulations and fluctuations in finance since their time, in which fortunes changed in owner- ship, and rulers of the Change rose and fell. That there have been political questions and popular uprisings, involving bitter feeling, and threatening violence, in which the sober, common sense of the country — much of it grounded on the study of the similar crises in the past — has arisen in its might, come to the front, and with a strong hand torn the excited actors apart. It can be seen by reflection that to continue to accomplish this, the body politic must continue in vigorous health. That it demands no less care than in its youth, that like the human sys- tem, it requires the healthy circulation of the blood in every organ, to insure vigorous manhood and well preserved longevity. in the Revolution. 225 That knowledge, equally divided, is the only practicable and Jast.ng communism, and that the crafty demagogue, as a cunning alchemist, with ignorance as the metal to be fused and mingled with rejected theories, proposes a panacea to satisfy the cravings o\ alK and scatter weaith,5o without intelligence, industry, or thnft, wh.le he knows that by the substitution of intelligence and education he would in nme produce the results to which he claims attention by pretending to seek, but in doing so feels that he must expose the empty charlatanism of a distribution of money without that of the elements thai would continue the equality of its division; unless accompanied by that of education and Its frequent companion, thrift, valuable qualities calcu- lated to ensure its care and increase. Those who voluntarily assume the labor and outlay, incurred in the management of those princely private charities, which make New York, even alone, an asylum for the world's unfor- tunates, can give practical testimony, both as to the immense increasing clientage which presses for relief, and the very lar.e proportion it includes of those who have never profited by those accessories to self protection from chrome destitution (Appendix C.j 5" This anecdote of Herrmann t lie MaL'iri in :n,<f r trates the relative value of „,anv new the."' Af er read,i;:r''^''f ''T'' '""^■ up to a huckster stand kept by a credulous u7 '"*^'^'"« ^'^^ '"^''kec he walked do;t^h^;;:s.trr^;::^^^::;L:?^^-^ -- - ^^- -^^^ u,.. te:iia:T;:x^:tx;"^ortrr i^^iSrwhi'h r -''t'--^ ^'"- gesticulated wildly and insisted th t l/e shtuld r trC' t „ 'f^ ""'"-'' "'^"^ '^' cotnply,ng with her request, however, he tit an he egT 'ithich";- '"' "' dollar gold pieces rolled out among the ve-erables Thl ^'""' ^'="- Orf, who told him . W .....^ .. !/.: wt L.^^J/Lr .'""'^' '""" '^''- 226 Tories or Loyalists Dr. Pollock, in a recent essay, has .told us that " The ultimate object of natural science is to predict events — to say with approximate accuracy what will liappen under given con- ditions. Every sp.'cial department of science occupies itself with predicting events of a particular kind ; note, also, that each science occupies itself only with those conditions which are material for its own purposes." The laws of science naturally govern Doth men and nations. While all of their details are too unlimited for the capacity of a single mind, it would appear that each of those controlled by them may realize in his own experience, some valuable developments without assuming to devote himself to any specialty. In a like manner, some study of the rise and progress of government, and of the conditions which have influenced prosperity or decadence, may cause the reader to feel that he is more capable of " predicting events of a particular kind," such as those incident to the homo- geneous association of men for the difficult task of govern- ment. But, while the study of science may be properly di- vided, does it not seem that in the constant observation of every detail or the administration of a republican government, where each citizen is equally interested in its safety and success, if not in its control, all should devote their relative capacity, in seeking to apply to it all those principles which have proved to have been " conditions which are material '' to perpetuity in former experience, and to reject such errors as have often re- sulted in national disaster ? S' 5' A widely read Journal ot the day would appear to confirm the value of uniting the progress of those material " conditions ' in enquiring as to those of the great metropolis : " Are there no dangers to-day ? Is the tax levy a myth, with its ten millions fur salaries? Are our officials models of purity, capacity, and fidelity r Are public works conducted with economy ? Is the administration o'" municipal atiairs prudent and business like ? If so, let us continue to think about reform, after the politicians have arranged the division of the spoils ; let us hold meetings, appoint committees, pass resolutions, after the succession to the lucrative municipal offices has been decided upon." «s^ii in the Revolution, 227 It is repeating a possibly Forgotten truth, that Rome was in- wardly the weakest in the zenith of her greatest outward prosperity, - when the sun " it was said - in its whole meridian course k.ssed her legionary eagles scattered over every clime." 1 hat us downfall occurred, when its people, palled by success, became luxurious and enervated, with a growing fondness for the appefble, but enfeebling confections, spread before them by pol.t.cal pastry cooks, and neglected the wholesome diet of sub- stant.al tacts, on which the Conscript fathers subsisted while erectmg the edifice, and which they prescribed for the nour- ishment of their posterity. .. J*" 11°?'.' "^ ' """" "'■ •'" ^'•'^^"' "-h™ 'M how Nero had '-fiddled when Rome wh,, burning." " ,hat he mu.se have been very fond of music ,0 lose so grand a spectacle - might apply to al! of us who in neglecting ,0 take an interest in pass- ■ng events are uninformed to what extent we are excelling Rome m our progress and whether we are avoiding „// of the errors which finally culminated in her downfall. Another prosperous one, borne rapidly along by the present luxurious appliances, may only glance upon the Obelisk .mpressed with the obligation conferred by ,.s generous gift, and' sk.lltul transportation ,0 a new world, and conjecture whether the Egyptian or Roman chariots, it looked down upon for aaes after „s erectton, compared in finish and comfort, with a modern broughan, ; but not whether Western Union, Union Pacific or any other Union, will stand as erect and last as long- through <l.e succession of long dynasties of Ptolemies and C.sars to that of 'C,ty Fathers," without similar care and scientific assistance I he correspondent at Rome of the '-New York Evenin,; Post" recently said •• Brescia is still excted by the great theme of 228 Tories or Loyalists \ ¥ Arnaldo. But we are getting a little too much of this historical archaeology. Manuta is preparing to observe the nineteenth centennary r<\' Virgil ; Arezzo will soon keep that of Guido Monaco, the inventor of musical notes ; Arpim that of Cicero, and Urbino that of Raphael. Some one sagely observes " tha^ instead of studyinc so intently the historv of great Italians dead, it were better to improve the present generation, and expect great deeds from those who live," Although it is true tliat Italv has not in later generations equalled those of thf past in prodiicinjj additions to her long line of illustrious names; and that her progress in this has been outstripped by many nations, unborn when she was already grey, it is proper to remember her heavy fall in the race of destiny, and how slow the recovery is. If the traveler in that classic land still finds himself rather dreaming of her former greatness than awakened to evidences of a new progress, would it not appear that it was therefore more especially needed to recall past triumphs, to inspire in a later gener?f'on a spirit of pride, a desire to emulate, and a search for the appluiices with which it was secured. At least it would seem natural to us, livint: in a country unpeopled by civilization at the time when they were wearing its laurels, to feel gateful that we are able to profit by the results of their early labors, which we enjoy in our schools, galleries and industries, and that each remembrance of their name, recalling their example may perhaps inspire imitation of their progress. That in their own land the persistence in thus recording those memories, must with wider educational preparation, in time incite many additional aspirants, to the fame of those whose self erected monuments tower so near them, and still inspire such efforts, in keeping their memory green. in the Revolution, 229 Have not such revivals of the past, often held to be senti- mental, a practical use? What reflecting man can pause near that ■ Obelisk without recalling its werd history, the scenes ,t has witnessed, and the eyes that ha., looked upon It in .ts forty centuries, the changes of faith, dynasties and conditions of the human race which it records but of which ,t cannot speak ? He may study its rugged silence, read there the history, the progress, vicissitudes and relative per- petuation of men and things, and gain a lesson of the littleness of a single life, which passes away without some honored record only adding another to the billions who have tread beneath its shadow. Nearly three-quarters of a century ago Joseph Dclaplaine, of Philadelphia, an early appreciator of the association between that ancient republic and our own, then young ; at least in ^»^- coincidence of the early development of greatness, said-with an uninterrupted flow of enthusiasm - in the prospectus of the -Collection of the Portraits of Distinguished Americans," which still usefully recalls his own name: " With a pride similar to his who, in the mansion of his ancestors, loves to dwell upon the venerable array of their portraits which surrounds him ; and by the almost living glances which dart from the canvas, feels him self unconsciously awed to virtue, will the unborn citizens of this expanding hemisphere, day after day, delight to sojourn amidst the forms of i\.^ fathers of their country^ and depart from the exhibition with newer and stronger aspirations after virtuous renown ! ' I have often,' to quote the language of the historian of the Jugurthinian war, 'heard that Quintus Maximus and Publius Sc.pio, and other illustrious men of our city were accustomed to declare, when th.y looked upon the portr'aits of " their ancestors, that they felt their minds most vehemently 'ex ■ i " t I li «li'^ i lit ■ftrii^ 230 Tories or Loyalists cited to virtue. Not, indeed, that the impression or the figure produced such powerful effects upon them, but by the recollec- tions of the achievements of these great characters, that a flame was created in their breasts not to be quelled until they should have reached an equal elevation of fame and glory.' * The history of such men,' says the learned translator of Plutarch, * is a continuous lesson of practical morality,' and what could be a more pleasing ami impressive history of this country than that which would be exhibited in the well-ananged portraits of those bv whom its moral and political grandeur was founded and raised to perfection ? The countenance of a Washington would nvAxk the epoch ut its military, and of a Frani<liii of its philosophical glory ; and all the galaxy of genius around them, while furnishing the materials for memory to work upon, would create new heroes, and stimulate new sages^ new statesmen and new orators.'^ " When time shall have swept awav the splendid train oi our earliest philosophers, statesmen and warriors, to swell the gathering of the grave ; when the tongue of genius shall moulder in gloomy silence ; when the eye of the orator shall be closed in darkness, and the spiritual fires of its glance no longer kindle the dormant intellects around \ when the warrior's arm shall be sinewless, and by the side of his decaying form the sword of his triumphs shall lie rusting ; when the patrons of the soil shall have become an ingredient in its physical amal- gama ; a generous and grateful posterity will rank amont;st the first of its public institutions^ that which will afford them, in effects, the delights of a sweet and familiar intercourse with beings endeared to them by the brilliance of their talents, and their virtues, as well as by the benefits which thev conferred upon the land of their birth." Ifi Ji in the Revolution, 231 Since this enthusiastic patriot thus wrote, with many of his subjects still alive, a large portion of a century has given us better light than he possessed ! Many had then been born under the sway of a government which they once loving, had lived to hate, and doubtless the most modest of those who had aided in its downfall hoped that their names would survive, often recalled in history and the succession of their descendants. ** They witnessed, as it were, the setting out of a small train, at moderate speed, which we see vastly extended by increase and emigration, wheeling at a terrific speed over a widely extended track. One later accession, that of California, with nearly 189,000 square 11 's he of a- the in ith ino red 5» Horatio Seymour a life long appreciator and collector, of' the records of the achievements of' those who opened the way to the many honors that have been con- ferred upon or offered to him, in reply to an invitation to unite in the Ui-Centennial Celebration of the ancient town of Yonkers — a very interesting occasion with which the contributor as an old resident of the neighborliood was gratified in being remem- bered, in its management — has lately written to its Mayor some valuable truths sustaining these impressions. "I regret that the state of my health will not allow me to attend the Bi-Centen- nial Celebration at Phillipse Hall at Yonkers. It is gratifying to learn that through- out our State there is shown a desire to mark with monuments spots of historic interest, and to collect and preserve all things which throw light upon the history of the past. These things not only show but they create a spirit of patriotism, they give value and interest to the scenes which they mark or illustrate. By them the past speaks to the presen They lell us much of the history of early events ; they teach us our duties, and .:ate higher standards of patriotism and virtue. Monuments, historical societies, and all arrangements to collect and preserve papers and objects relating to the past, not only teach us of the acts and virtues of the dead, but they also show the character of the living and mark the civilization of the people. Monuments in enduring stone have f'or many centuries been silent but potent teachers of duty and devotion to the public welfare. Even now, after the lapse of many centuries, if their time-worn remains were swept away, the world would feel the loss of objects which remind us of our duties to the public. Heretofore we have reason to mourn the want of historical collections through- out our State which would show its citizens had a just sense of the great and varied events of its history. This dishonored not the dead but the living. Your celebra- tion, and others of a like character, prove that our citizens are waking up to their duties, and mean to make the public familiar with its events, the most varied and far reaching of any portion of our country." 30 232 Tories or Loyalist: miles of territcry, over 68,000 more than the whole of Great Britain, best illustrates the development of her rebellious child. By the suppression of the Tory or his departure, by the absorption of those men of figure who then largely owned the colonies or controlled their affairs, by the extension of a iimiteri franchise to one unbounded and unprecedented in its beneficence, by the want of much consideration for family service, in public affairs, and by the omission to a great extent of any veneration for official position, we are all now equals before the law ; coequal sovereigns like the old Electors Palatine who chose by vote the Emperor. Still those patriot fathers would seem to be the parents by adoption of every citizen, particularlv of those who are coming to wear the crown which tbey created, at least until by the prosperity open to most who seek it, they in turn, create positions, dating from their birth or arrival in the New World in which each one, equalling the usefulness of those predeces- sors may claim to be the " Rudolph of Hapsburg " of his own family, by contributing as honored a portrait and name as theirs to posterity. The acquipition of property, gives an additional interest in the na'icnality to each one who achieves an ownership, however small, and its distrib'^tion amongst many in such divisions is the greatest guarantee of perpetuity. A State will be found, in all time, to have been most prosperous, where property was most divided, and where the extremes of the very rich, and the very poor, are exceptional, for the reason that the hundreds of one man by the laws of nature are as valuable to him as the millions of another. But there is a common security under a thoroughly popular form of government, that even the man who owns one dollar, is a stockholder. We watch our in- vestment, in all other securities, and if in stocks study the daily in the Revolution. 233 prices. Do we sufficiently realize that they are mere - con- nections" with the honest administration and prosperity of the government, and exist in its permanency alone ? Would it not seem that any vigilance displayed, in the selection of trus- tees of those lesser securities, with a view to their prosperity and honor, must apply with greater force to that of the govern- ment, which is the trunk line. If a stockholder suspects that his property is controlled by directors forced upon him by bargain and traffic, by primaries to which he has no access, by organizations, machines or rings ormed to control the a'^ents and property of any corporation, in the interests of a self-selected few, would he not if he had read of it, conceive that it was in danger of returning to a class government, more dangerous than the one that was annihilated by the Revolution of 1776 ? If the air were tainted by the fumes of a conflagration would he not seek for its location and flood it with water for the common good ; and if it was filled with nauseous rumors of selfish, and even dishonest combinations, for the control of his corporate property, turn his attention to the necessity of vigilance and of putting trusted parties in its charge ? All political history shows that two parties are necessary to a State, each a safety valve to the other, that a community is no sufl^erer by the parliamentary discussion of questions of policy, where its people difter, b.,t that when such issues are avoided, by the fear of either or both parties, to assume a policy, then there is greater danger in com- binations of the worst element in both, for impure and selfish leg- islation. That all coalitions have been looked upon with doubt, we gather from such history, that the most competent, are' often the most modest, in claiming place, while all countries have been supplied with varied voluntary material for office and ^fll f 234 Tories or Loyalists povyer from the best, down to such as that which assassinated a president, because a worthless life seemed to him unfitting for reward, as a minister to Austria or consul to Paris ! Doubtless many cultivated readers, versed — as an example — in the teachings of Spencer, Huxley and 'lyndall, perhaps from the absence of an appreciative taste, disregard the lessons of that history, of which most men, are unknowingly forming part, either by action or its neglect. All concede the value of patriotism, many are often critical as to its presence as an impulse ; possibly few consider that merely as an accomplishment it can be acquired by the study of its many results, or of the effects of its absence. A less cultivated but patriotic arid shrewd observer like Mrs. Grundy — whose views have often become the reflex ot public opinion — is in many cases more useful, than a more learned perfunctionary and statistical manipulator. (Appendix D.) In complying with his promise to the editor, the contributor has sought, in adding some material connected wirh his under- taking, to incidentally consider our progress in the eradication of the complaints against the government on which we were founded, and the uses we we;e making of a wonderful legacy, by following past history. That gentlerrsan's thoughtful note, at the end of his own contribution — as to the difficulties under which they have been loosely thrown together, gives the opportunity to say that he has neither seen the manuscript, nor is he responsible for its contents, its contribution being purely voluntary. Not happening to have met either himself ^; General de Peyster since it was undertaken, and having no knowledge of what the latter had contiibutetl to this accidentally triple asso- ciation, he fears that in his friendly desire to aid in his natural in the Revolution. 23 c effort to vindicate the memory of his relative, he may have re- peated or controverted some of the views, which he has doubtless, with h.s usual independency, asserted. In either such event, it has been his object to express the sympathy study teaches to humanity, as to the unfortunate fate and hardships of the Loyal- ists. In doing this he does not feel that he detracts from his own fealty to the government formed on their ruin, in which it is his pride to have been bred to feel the responsibility of aidmg to hand it down, as a home of freedom wisely adminis- tered, to future generations. This explanation appears proper to account for any apparent want of cohesion, or accord, in the expression of individual, and therefore possibly conflicting opmion, m arriving at a common purpose, of recalling the memory of historical characters. On a final reading of this contribution, it suggests some resem- blance to a trunk hastily packed for a journey, with an oppor- tunity for selection from a sufficient wardrobe, which when resorted to, is found to contain some articles better fitted for the seclusion of a private apartment, than for public use, and to lack, many others more adaptable, but improvidently left at home. Spring House, Richfield, September, 1882. m^ «' K APPENDIX A. COL. GUY JOHNSON'S LETTER (page ziza). £tn both The following letter from CoL Guy Johnson to his uncle, is also found in Dr nmetts collection. It gives some ,urticubrs illustrative of the surroundings of Mv DEAR S,R William, ^^ ^"'"'' ^'''■'- '°' '773- I have just now had the pleasure of receiving your very kind letter n^ rl,„ .a mat., with one from Dr. Dease*, another from Brother CI us! t w, ieh am muc^h obhged to them. It has vexed me a gooa deal to hear that your vltes did nT.o up early. They went by John Glen, and Gainef assures me he has fo wa^de/! sett since.. As the titles of several bills are altered in the Comm t es t itt necessary to acquamt you tha: the Road bill and money bill for buill" C ' Sst &c., are passed through every term and the Tavern Bill, Swine Bill, Wolf BHl and Ferry B.l , w,ll be m a very few days. You will tind me voting on a sL tha ome people might not expect. It will all be accounted for in due dme but i hS! ^oT'saVdV"." '"^'"''" '"P""'^ ""^'^'^ ^"^^--' The othTr 'day they were for saddling a 450 per annum Salary, on the Judges of Circuit, to be paid out of our County, but afte, much difficulty, I got it hid general on th'e Province Maior the'^S;ty'"t"w'n'"'T; ' p'"'" "*^ '" ^.'^ "'" ''' ^^' ^'^ P'^^ estauk^d' cne i^ount) town. The Pacquet i~ arrived. All Peace at homp Th- n i has got the King's leave to go to Lngland, and wiirsaiM June witi his^miW Haldemand^, comes to take the command; and Governor Tryon /it is aidTwili have ,he vacant Red Ribband. He has taken much pains aboutThe ndin matte Bany^arjl advises to get an Act for Fairs and Markets in lieu of the Ordinare but' the Governor choses the latter. In the Charter for the Church a desc inttnof th. Glebe .s absolutely necessary and how the right presentation should gt^ropeyo: + m,'.h° r' """ T-*' an Executor and Trustee under Sir William's will ^^i^Hugh Game, editor 0, the iV«„ r.ri A7,.„.,, printed in Han^v^f'square ; established in b/B^u^'goyneTn^VsTn^a^o"'"'" " Skenesborougn (now Whitehail), and wa, actively employed § Gen. Gage came in lieu ofHaldimand. y Goldsboro Banyar. 11 m f 411111 1 1^: m 1 238 Toreis or Loyalists will ccntinuf )our Parental attention to Polly and the little ones, she is 1 believe surprised 1 stay so long and I eagerly wish to return. The girls are well and much esteemed. The like may be said with great truth of Sir John. He will return with me and doubtless lay before you, the final determination of the Family here, resj^ect- ing his union which I see nothing to prevent. The lady* is a fine Genteel Girl, much esteemed as well on acco't of the goodness of her Temper, as of her uncommon abilities, and she is ready to follow him anywhere. The m-n calls for my Letter, so that I can only beg a continuance of your cor- respondence, which yields me much real pleasure, and assure you once more of the Cordial Wishes 1 offer for your Health and happiness, and the true Affection with which I subscribe myself, My dear Sir, Your dutiful son and faithful servant, G. Johnson. t Sir Wm. Johnson, Bt. APPENDIX B. MR. HERBERT SPENCER'S FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA (page 223). The immense progress of America, attracting the attention of Europe, makes it the field for that observing travel, long confined to the seats of departed greatness. The Emperor of Brazil, Petermann, Nordenskjold and a Baker Pacha, all notable in exnlor- ation, Hughes, Dean Stanley, Thackeray, Dickens, observers of character, the Prince of Wales, and Alexis and the Duke of Argyle, have come to us in late years; others are following, some of them less known but fully as competent, to view and estimate its reputed greatness. Dr. Mackenzie, an eminent specialist of London, has recently made a wide, rapid and irtelligent exploration, and is now succeeded by Herbert Spencer, noted for the independence with which he has often asserted advanced ideas on questions intended to affect humanity. He who looks at him- self in' a glass, often derives a different impression from that of another, who disinterestedly criticises a portrait satisfactory to the owner. An interview, given to the public since the foregoing crude inferences were printed, J and arriving in some • Miss Mary Watts, daughter of John Watts, Esq., of New York, to whoti Sir John wai married on the 19th of June following,; t Col. Guy Johnson was then a new Member of the Colonial Assembly. See Stone's " Sir William Johnson," v&l. 2, page Jjg. X Nfw Tork Timet, Oct. lOth. in the Revolution, 239 replied' not th.s m.srepresentat.on have been avoided by admitting interrwcrsV' " Possibly; but, in the first place, I have not been sufficiently v/ell • and in rh lecond place, I am averse to rhe Qvsfpn, r 1 '"""-";""y v/eu , and, in the « V ^ • ^ '""" ^^''" ^"^wered your expectations ? " given m^;:^ ^deTu^e ;5eT;/,zf ^.^i^f ^^ ^--" -/ ''^^ 'ooked into had which I haveever wter tun/ tL 1" wShtnT" '^f .r"'"' /-'^'■^"''o" and especially the 'splendor of" New Yc / n^?; J^^^^^^^ ni.,n,ficence of your citie,, I have not visited the wonder of h e We't CM ' " . ^"on'shed me. Though wmmmmm •• I suppose you Kcogm.e in tht.e ,„ul„ ,h. jreat benelir of free i„„i,„,i„„, y All, now comes one ot the inconveniences of interviewin,. I h,.. k " ' c conntc, less than two months, ha.e seen t„, a ,dS, sntll „at of ^ J L ;™;r.. "' "" '"'"■• '"' >" '"" ""^ f'»- -"tfin™ X on a' drfficu" yo:Si;;»iol'' •""""• ='''^"* '°"" ■"'"'"•'"■■"' '""y" -'-Si-in, f ;:;;.r?."ca.-,1™"f ttlTaL't't Sttte/'c-nie-'t™' T, ' enotmoos ptospetit^Th; ' th^ha! ° oS".; i'^LS a',"" e afr'""?' '"" seneta,,.,, a ,.„at amoont of Je'tetLnatior-^r'S o^r/^^^.i; "■ t "^n fa'n'J 01 240 Tories or Loyalists this trait of character, joined with a power of' worlt exceeding that of any other people, of course produces an unparalleled rapidity of progress. Once more, there ii the inventiveness wliich stimulated by the need for economizing labor, has been so wisely fostered. Among us in England there are many foolish people who while thinking that a man who toils with his hands has an equitable claim to the product, and if iie has special skill may rightly liave the advantage of it, also liold that if a man toils with his brain, peihaps for years, and, uniting genius with perseverance, evolves some valuable invention, the public may rightly claim the benefit The Americans have been more far-seeing. The enormous museum of patents which I saw .It Washington is significant of the attention paid to inventors' claims, and the Nation profits immensely Irom having in this direction (though not in all others) recognized property in mci.tal products. Beyond question, in respect of meciianical appliances, the Americans are ahead of all nations. If along wltli your material progress there went equal progress of a higher kind, there would remain nothing to be wisiied." " That is an ambiguous qualification. What do you mean by it ?'* " You will understand when I tell you what I was tiiinking of the other day. After pondering over what I have seen of your vast manufacturing and trading es- tablishments, the rush of traffic in your street cars and elevated railways, your gigan- tic hotels and Fifth-avenue palaces, I was suddenly reminded of the Italian republics of the Middle Ages, and recalled the fact tlmt while there was growing up in them great commercial activity, a development of the .irts which made tlieni the envy of Europe, and a building of prince' y mansions which continue to be the admiration of travelers, their people were gradually losing their treedom." " Do you mean this as a suggestion that we are doing the like ?" " It seems to me that you are. You retain the forms of freedom, but so far as I can gather, there lias been a considerable loss of the substance. It is true tliat those ivlw rule fou do not d(> it by means of retainers armed wit'] swords ; but they do it through regiments of men armed with voting-papers, vA\q obey the word of command as loyally as did the dependents of the old feudal nobles, and who thus enable their leaders to override the general will and make the community submit to their exactions as effectually as their pr(>totypes of old. It is doubtless true that each of your citizens votes for the candidate he chooses for this or that office from President downward, but his iiand is guided by a power behind, whicli leaves iiim EC. rccly any ch(>ice. ' Use your political power as we tell yciu, or else throw it away,' is the alternative offered to the citizen. The political machinery as it is now worked has I'ttle resemblance to that contemplated at the outset of your political life. Manifestly, those who framed your Constitution never dreamed that 20,000 citizens would go ro the poll led by a *' boss." America exemplifies, at the other end of the social scale, a change analogous to that whic': has taken place under lundry despotisms. You know that in Japan, before the recent revolution, the divine ruler, the Mikado, nominally supreme, was practically a puppet in the hands of his chief Minister the Shogun. Here it seems to me that the ' sovereign people ' is fast becoming a puppet which moves and speaks as wire-pullers determine." " Then you think that republican institutions are a failure." " By no means 1 1 imply no such conclusion. Thirty years ago, when often dis- cussing politics with an English friend, and defending republican institutions, as I always have done and do still; and when he urged against me the ill-working of such institutions over here ; I habitually replied that tlie Americans got their form of government by a happy accident, not by noimal progress, and that they would have to go back before they could go forward. What has since happened seems to 1 in the Revolution, 24.1 I of m Id to me to have justified that view ; and what I see now confirms me in i'. America ii showing on a larj;er scale than ever before that ' paper constitutions ' will not work as thi:y are intended to work. The truth, first recognized by Mackintosh, that * constitutions are not made, but grow,' which is part of the larger truth that societies tlirouj^hout their whole organizations are not made but grow at once, when accepted, disposes of the notion that you can work, as you hope, any artificially de- vised system of government. It becomes an inference that if your political structure has lieeii manufactured, and not grown, it will forthwith begin to grow into some- thing ditfercnt from that intended — something in harmony with the natures of citizens and the conditions under which the society exists. And it evidently has been so with you. Within the forms of your Constitution there has grown up this organization of professional politicians, altogether uncontemplated at the outset, which has become in large measure the ruling power." " Hut will not education and the diffusion of political knowledge fit men for free institutions?" " No. It is essentially a qufstion of character, and only in a secondary degree a question of knowledge. But for the universal delusion about education as a panacea for political evils, this would have iieen made sufficiently clear by the evidence daily disclosed in your papers. Arc not the men who officer and control your Federal, State, and municipal organizations — v/ho manipulate y^ur caucusscs and conven- tions, and run your partisan campaigns — all educated men ? And has their educa- tion prevented them from engaging in or permitting, or condoning, the briberies, lobbyings, and other corrupt metliods which vitiate the actions of your administra- tions .' Perhap.s party newspapers exaggerate these things; bur what am I to make of the testimony of your civil service reformers — men of all parties ? I' I under- stand the matter aright, they are attacking, as vicious and dangerous, a system which has grown up under the natural spontaneous v..,'':"ng of your free institutions — are exposing vices which education has proved powerless to prevent." " Of course, ambitious and unscrupulous men will secure the offices, and educa- tion will aid them in their selfish purposes; but would not those purposes be thwarted, and lietter govcr.iment secured, by raising the standard of knowledge among the people at large ?" "Very little. The current theory is that if the young are taught what is right, and the reasons why it is ri^ht, they will do what is right when they grow up. But, considering %vhat religious teachers have been doing these 2,000 years, it seems to me that all history is against the conclusion, as much as is the conduct of these well educated citizens I have referred to, and I do not see why you expect better results among the masses. Personal interests will sway the men in the ranks as they sway the men above them, and the educatii)n which fails to make the last consult public good rather than private good will fail to make the first do it. The benefits of political purity are so general and remote, and the profit to each indivi- dual so inconspicuous, that the common citizen, educate him as you like, will habitually occupy himself with his personal afTairs, and hold it not worth his while to fight against each abuse as soon as it appears. Not lack of information, but lack of certain moral sentiments, is the root of the evil." " You mean that people have not a sufficient sense of public duty .' " Well, that is one way of putting it; but there is a more specific way. Probably it will suprise you if I say that the American has not, I think, a sufficiently quick sense of his own claims, and, at the same time, as a necessary consequence, not a sufficiently quick sense of the claims of others — for tlie two traits are organically related. I observe that you tolerate various small interferences and dictations which .1 il^ii^ 242 Tories or Loyalists Englishmen are prone to resist. I am told that the English are remarked on for their tendency to grumble in such cases ; and 1 have no doubt that it is true." " Do you think it worth vvliilc tor people to make themselves disagreeable by re- senting every trifling aggression ? We Americans think it involves too much loss of time and temper and doesn't pay." "Exactly. That is what I mean by character. It is this easygoing readiness to permit small trespasses because it would be lioublesome or profitless or unpopular to oppose, which leads to t.\w. habit ot acquiebcence in wrong and the decay of free in- stitutions. Free institutii ns can be maintained only by citizens, each of whom is instant to oppose every illegitimate act, every asiumption of supremacy, every oHicial excess of power, however trivial it may seem. As Hamlet says, there is such a thing as 'greatly to find quarrel in a straw' wh'.n the straw implies a principle. If, as you say of tiie American, he pauses to consider whether he can atlord the time and trouble — 'whether it will .pay' — corruption is sure to creep in. All these lapses from higher to lower forms begin in trifling ways, and it is only by incessant watchfulness that they can be prevented. As one of your early statesmen said : " The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." But it is far less ayaina foreign ag- gressions upon national liberty that this vigilance is required than against the insi- dious growtii of domestic interferences with personal lil)eity. In some private administrations which 1 hav* been conccined with, I have often insisted, much to the disgust of oliicials, that instead of assuming, ns people usually do, that things are going right until it is proved that they are going wrong, the proper course is to issume that they are going wrong until it is proved that they are going right. You will find, coniinually, that private corporations, such as joint stock banking com- panies, come to grief from not acting upon this principle. And what holds of these small and simple private administrations, holds still more of the great and comply public administrations. People are taught, and, I suppose, believe, that 'the heart of man is deceitful above all tilings and desperately wicked ; ' and yet, strangely enough, believing this, tliey place implicit trust in tho^e they appoint to this or that function. 1 do not think so ill of human nature ; but, on the other hand, I do not think so well of human nature as to believe it will do without being watchtJ." "You hinted that while Americans do not assert their own individualties suffi- ciently in small matters, they, reciprocally, do not sufficiently respect the indivi- dualities of others." "Did 1? Here, then, comes another of the inconveniences of interviewing. I should have kept this opmion to niycelf if you had asked me no questions, and now I must cither say what 1 do not think, which I cannot, or 1 must refuse to answer, which, perhaps, will be taken to mean more than 1 intend, or I must specify at the risk of giving offense. As the least evil I suppose I must do the last. The trait I refer to comes out in various ways, small and great. It is shown by the disrespectful manner in whicli individuals are dealt with in \ our journals — the placarding of public men in sensational headings, tlie dragging ot private people and their affairs into print. There seems to be a notion that the public have a right to intrude on private hfe as far as they like j and this 1 take to be a kind of moral trespassing. It is true that during the last few years we have been discredited in London by certain weekly papers which do the like (except in the typographical display); but in our daily press, metropolitan and provincial, there is nothing oi the kind. Then, in a larger way, the trait is seen in this damaging of private property by your elevated railways with- out making compensation ; and it is again seen in the doings cf railway governments, not only v/hen overriding the rights of shareholders, but in dominating over courts of justice and State governments. The fact is that free institutions can be properly in the Revolution, 2+3 worked only by men each of whom ia jealous of his own rights, and also sympatheti- cally jealous of the rights of others — will neither himself aggress on his neighbori, in small things or great, nor tolerate aggression on them by others. The Republi- can form of Government is the highest form of Government, but because (jf this it requires the highest type of human nature — a type nowhere at present existing. We have not grown uj) to it, nr)r have you." " But we thought, Mr. Spencer, you were in favor of free government in the sense of relaxed restraints, and letting men and things very much alone — or what is called laiiics faire f " That is a persistent misunderstanding of my opponents. Everywhere, along with the reprobation of government intrusion into various spheres where private activities should be left to themselves, I have contended that in ils special sphere, the main- tenan' of e(|uital)le relations among citizens, governmental action should be ex- tendeu and elaborated." " To return to your various criticisms, must I then understand that you think un- favorably of our future ?" " No one cin Unrn anything more than vague and general conclusions respecting your future. The factors ard too numerous, too vast, too fjr beyond measure in their quantities and intensities. The world has never before seen social phenomf-na at all comparable with those presented in the United States. A society spreading over enormous tracts while still preserving its political continuity, is a new thing. This progressive incorporation of vast bodies of immigrants of various bloods has never occurred on such a scale before. Large empires, composed of ditferent people, have, in previous cases, been formed by conquest and annexation. Then your im- mense plexus of railways and tclegr.'',plis tends to consolidate this vast aggregate of States in a way that no such aggregate hus ever bjfo.x been consolidated. And there are many minor co-operating causes unlike those hitherto known. No one can say how it is all going to work out. That there will come hereafter troubles of various kinds, and very grave ones, seems hijjhly probable; but all na'ions have had, and will have, their troubles. Already you have tiiumplied over one great trouble, and may reasonably hope to triumph over others. It may, I thinU, be reasonably held that both because of its size and the heterogeneity of its components, the American nation will be a long time in evolving its ultimate form, but that its ultimate form will be high. One great result is, 1 think, tolerably clear. From biological truths it is to be interred that the eventual mixture of the allied varieties of the Aryan race forming the population, will produce a more powerful type of man than has hitherto existed, and a type of man more plastic, more adaptable, more capable of undergoing the modifications needful for complete social life. I think that whatever difficulties they may have to surmount, and whatever tribulations they may have to pass through, the Americans may reasonably look forward to a time when they will have pro- duced a civilization grander than any the world has known." Could this be so, were educated citizens largely in the majority, equally fitted to contend at the polls for a number of places necessarily limited in proportion to those who would seek them } Would the intense national individuality, when more widely educated then readily aggregate — as is correctly stated — by thousands, and delegate their power to any single man .' Would not the competition of increased intelligence lor oriice, govern success more by fitness, and cause a net to be drawn, with closer meshes over our political sea .'' On the solution of such questions the permanancy of actual government of the people, by the people hinges. .^a. %. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /!/ V 1.0 I.I 12.2 14° 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 i.6 1 -1 6" ► Of, % V. % ■el m r ^-.,> /^ '''* ^;;i Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY )4580 (716) 872-4503 ^\' ^4^ ^^ o 6^ <i ■% n>' <? % s> W. i I 6^ 244- Tories or Loyalists APPENDIX C. INEVITABLE EFFECTS OF A RAPID PROGRESS ON THE POSITION OF REPRESENTATIVES OF EARLIER SETTLERS (page 225). ^1 1 .1 ' 1 1 These institutio.is, involving and receiving great attentiem, anil usually conducted writh marked intej;rity and system, naturally include in their management, matciial as broad as their obji;ct. In many of them, may be prominently found the descendants of the original Dutch and English settlers, now rarely met with in the record of public trusts. Their influence and control, has mainly become gradually limited to these, and to their sorial and business connections, in private li<^e. Any distinct influence, as a recognized or cohesive element, often found in com .n unities, has been lost in the mighty wave of emigration and its increase, which where aggregated controls the selec- tion of most of its representatives. This is more evident at points near to the place of its arrival, and it is necessarily free from the influence of such earlier tradition, and sentiment, as it may ir time create in its own successors. Investigation de- velopes such changes of authority in all history, as continuous as the rolling waves sometimes reaching the beach, at others breaking too early, from their acquired force. Under other institutions they are more frequently the result of conquest than of a friendly acceptance with unlimited legal hospitality, as an element of control. Wht. Charles II — claiming under the exploration of the Cabots, in their second voyage in 1497, from their touching the mainland — presented a Dutch colonv which he had never possessed, to his brotiier, the Duke of York, and it was conquered by his agent, Color?l Nicolls in August, 1664, the inhabitants were not only pro- tected in all their i'yhts, by that humane commander, but retained many local positions of authority, after the invasion. Its capture, caused a war between England and the Dutch Provinces, through which a William the Stadtholdcr of Holland, gradually developed as future King of England, and the loss of a colony by the Dutch was then compensated by the gaining ot a crown by a Dutchman. That war was at its origin considered an ungrateful return for the kindness which both of those Princes had experienced when in exile, from the authorities of the Netherlands, unawed by Cromwell's displeasure. Colonel Nicolls, apparently infinitely superior to his mabter, wus killed in a sea fight in that war in 1672, on the Duke of York's ship, while still remembered with atlection here by those whom he had subdied. His munificent patron had rewarded him with a gitt of £200 ! on surrendering his difficult and well administered Governorship. Before that conquest, England's ta.-ly colonies about Nieu Amsterdam — some of them under its sufferance — had been a source of apprehension to its burghers. Their original institutions seemed to have been compassed by the example of their original home, and not to have been adapted in the Revolution, to the early extension of that toleration in th 245 America to secure "the Tibertv'oTrn.!-'; '"''''' ""t^ °"*'' *° *''°**' ^^"^ ^""^ ^^^ *« desolated the Low Countries „' EuroprTn'tht ^'.^"«S'\f- ^^^^ ^^^ Jong Dutch Records inform us becam.'^ k- . ^'"''"8 ^'«" Amsterdam, the Religions, no JvenTicIes' sha Te tjT' ■" u'' '"^'^ "''"'''^ '^'^ ^^^-'^^d fields, under penalty of 50 guiid^s S^ea^h °""' ''""^' ^'^'P^' """"^^ ^ attending, for the first ofttnce doubl// 1 P'"""' '"'"' ^'""^" ">■ •^^'i'd and, arbitrary correction for every o^he " Thi/ "r"'' .''"'^'■"P'^ '°' '^' '^"''' omen of their own later exclusion rn -,'„ . I ««='"sivenes8 was perhaps an affairs of that ancient settlemtt on « hf "at of ?; ^^ ^'^^°""°' "^' ^''^ ^^''^^ a type of pr-.ctical "Home Rule" in th. e , ? '?'°" ""'versal prosperity and public affairs. Of the six hundred HIT ff} P^mitive administration of its a small portion remaiL i" the poi^sLTo;^^^ '".' Estates, once held by them, burthen, by the extravagant anr~use 3 aTd r""''"'^' if unoccupied, a heav; taxes constantly imposed upon it n the emnf P^'="'^5"';« assessments and onerous by the small proportion ot fhe outlav it re"^ ^"J'"' °^ '^' ^'^°' "^ '^"^'^ ''""'""^ lasting reward, in the wide nd bou„ti} 1 fi" d'f ' T '" '"^""^'^ '''^" ^"^^ «"-«= Western territory. fountitul field for its occupation in the less crowded oftS:itrr;ru;pYy^:rdernrhicV; i^^rr; ^" .^^^'- -- — success, and that it is governed bvthT?. ?"?°^' '^"^ '""''"" "^'^^'^ P^"bable The « Commissionerslf Emtation " h? °^'" '"V'^'^^^ agricultural employment. States: That two-thlrds of" fe em "ration in^rH''' ' .^'"'^"^ '^^^ ^°'- '^^e Western directly, led by that intelligence whfchperh oh.? ''>«,'"««^ P/'-vident, join them one third lingers on the seiboard, to c'o^tt: f r emf ''"^ ^"- "" ^"""' "'"«= pensive cities, causing the over com li^T*^ T ^""Pl^yment in crowded and ex- vulsions accumulated di^tresl "'"P'""°" "^'^'^ complained of, and in business re- APPENDIX D. MRS. GRUNDY'S OBSERVATIONS AS TO UTOPIA (page .34). In her recent "Observations in Utonia " Mr. r,., ,j 24-6 Tories or Loyalists :i:-ii ■M long known to apply to many nationalities and cities of Europe — that some of the Cantons of Switzerland were shipping their convicts to Utopia, and suggested that an inspection for such contraband or" peace, be made at the time of departure, to which no respectable passenger could apparently object. When some compatriots evidently without appreciation that every country has proved able to produce more criminals than its prosperity requires, remonstrated, a junior official replied, that the consul had been reprimanded, and were he not a meritorious veteran would be re- moved. Would it not be fair, in the absence of any evidence of the pressure of this intelligence upon the earliest Congress for action, to infer that the country diJ desire an accession of such criminals to the honest portion of its citizenship, and their closer proximity to their homes and families. Could this vital suggestion have been over- looked, especially by that successor who had first excelled even, the founder of this Republic in a temperate and frugal denial in the viands of the executive table, and had displayed his unparalled clemency in restoring to rank so many dispensed with for its neglect by the judgment of their fellow officers — always a painful duty. With a vast area of territory yet to be occupied, the quality as well as the extent of new accessions would seem to interest every citizen. The outrages daily recorded, rarely prove when investigated to be the acts of settled residents but generally of those of a floating and fungus growth who prefer to eat the grapes rather than to labor in the vineyard. Rct^^cry, generally attended by the use of arms and often by the shedding of blood, does not seem to be deterred by the fear of a short and relatively comfortable confinement, with the hope of escape or pardon, by the influence of those perhaps more ready to overlook the wrongs of others, than they would be their own. The shooting of two policemen, at early evening, in a frequented village, while attempting to arrest three successful burglars, loaded with plunder secured in a neighboring town, within the writer's hearing, recalls the value of the Consul's suggestion, and the possibility of these very criminals, being of those he attempted to exclude ; an apparently less effective inspection at landing has since been legalized." " Can the thought be entertained, tiiat with our Washington at the head of government, and substantially the " Father of his Country " he would if advised of it have neglected this warning, as to what would appear to affect the healthy development of any country." "It would be interesting, if it were possible," she adds, " to hear the criticism of some modern legislation here, and the tracing of its results, by one of our own time honored statesmen — Benjamin Franklin for example — accustomed to be driven from place to place of meeting, legislating with a halter in plain view in case of failure, and sur- rounded by the hardships of war, and the need of means for its progress, yet with the whole country's best interests always steadily in view. It might provoke even him to mirth, to foreshadow that refinement of push pole navigation, coming as one of the results of a progress based on those sacrifices, when a "constituency " here would demand, in the face of the Piesident's veto, an appropriation to render a stream naviga- ble, which, on a careful inspection proved capable of being carried, in the dry seaton, in a box drain a foot square. It would have pleased him as a broad philanthropist, to know, that in a recent bill, a provision requiring such inspection hereafter, was a desirable feature, and probably still more so to learn that the value of the method resorted to in the State of New York, of vetoing sections in a bill, and so preservinf the interests of proper subjects of legislation had suggested itself also to this Utopian Congress. " " Could so wise a patriot as Franklin, with such intelligence as he had necessarily ■cquired as to the material of war, have been expected to vote for example, for the ill in the Revolution, 24.7 Kn£r;;^:^Ux:^-:n/r7^ legis.a.io„.„ot ,i.ited by provisions with an.ple evider^ce „f denti v .fl """"'l ^^ ' ^"P""«ible officer, supplied assertion that conjectured ^^1 h ^"y'"' Y' •'^ P°^'" ^'^ '"^ ^'^'^ "-'"O" have never seen? oT/ fvinT i„ h .''"'"'''^ '" '^^ "'"''' ^^ soldiers, they possiblydisabedbyabSnio'ac aired in'r 1""f' ^A ^''f ""^tractive vet'erans the receipt of a bountyTe now in -.7 ''^^'y-et.nng from active service, after allowance with aS veterans " '" "'"''" "^ ""^ ^"''^'^^'"« on an'equal wh': p^L^^rrsr^nYti^nt^ht"^^^^^^^^^^^^ °^'^^"; j--^' ^ -^-^ °««^ render a small salary for a large serviceTrwit^ZTl' K /' """ P"'"'"'^'^ ^" ^"^■ by exhaustive search with lit^L asX!n ' J , ''"'' ^''''"' '""' ^''^'^ ^''^hiv'^s Revolutionary servi e of e" rv n^^ ^ '"^f^'- "^^he major general trrvajL He h^'"" 'T •"''" '^^''"'"t' ''"'« State, from a in heLt war and in 1? ^upp emented it, with a similar record of service those who TevVint nde" ^^^rve"" ^''^ -« 'i^^.^"'-" ^-rted," probably mainly "f many of whom fell in battle U~^f ^''^ '""^" °"" "^ e^"''"^ ^^^'='■=^"3, the preparation and L'^ ' ;irw:ZT:rf "KbJvt "I"' ' '^'^--"^'S-^^'l excess of those of other state In nro,. V I u^ '" '^"'^'^'""^ ^re not In be a large numeral addLn t^, e ffit^^^^^^^ all the Sta.vs would seem to be inv,i?,.h ? • " "'"y- ^""^^ '^"^""^^ f°' vigilant investigator oT'audu ent bo^ es oVcZr^Th" ^'--f V^^'^"^' "^ « attention in Utopia " •'"unties or claims. They would be read with of uToKtrrtLlngTo^felS^^^^^^^^^^ Naval Affairs of cadets who had rested to avoid n •" "^'' Department, a number them if proved, for 3ce as offi"" '"^"''Sf'^^". ""der charges unf.ting wished to'conti'nue to be proud of heir vL'"'^^^ disapproved by those who mander who in strongly protS lo t L^av^' 7 1 1- f '^' ^""'''"^ ^°'"- courtesies, as highly praised "st f .u ?!!"'' chief and even his official Constitution of UtXwhch was nlro^^^^^ latest amendment to the attention. It provides tha ev^rv c^tl/ " ^^ T '^PP"^'^'""' ^^^n^^ worthy of or any other soLce o?'revenue sha be ^" T'"""'''-"'. ''^'''''"^ '■"'"^='' '-"^ of whom payment is asked at'thetiL fT^ 'T"'''^ '° "'^"'" ^" ^'^'^ P^""" the creditor^ad vLd a the last ewM .'\'^'T?^^' ' '''''^'''' '^ '^'^ f^" t^^*' Poll, or official ev£c'e ^ \tVona "e'^'e L,'; t'j '^^ '' '""^ f''^ "' ^^^ pay without such exhibition hh^.luTT' , '''""' '"'^ f^^bidden to reserved class, who have Wofore nSle ted fhf"/ l"TT- '^^ '"'' "'' '^at vestment, by which all others are orotIS 'f '"""■°' "^ "^?'' '"°" ^^'"^"e in- election of corporate Directors " ^ guaranteed, while attentive to the stlSfofre'^i: j'^trmi'nrtiSnsT ^ '" '^^"^ "''^ "?^"y'^^°'" ''^^ ^'^-^-n- by the circumstan^s wie ." t ^PPl"''"-^"^"" '"'""""' " ^° "^'^^ -^«="' make a searching series o7qu tio^sfs to ca?"! "'" ^'"'""'l^' '^'^ "^ ^'^^^ ^'> g.eater care is considered ne«ssary '^''"^' unnecessary, but in their absence The intention of the law is consmifH tr. k„ »„ li i itself of the services of h^^ Xl ^J^' "^t '"'="^''1^ '^' government to avail defence of the interests of the party itru^wdi"" "' ^"^ b,„ken in the and to dispense with the services of "^L^l "management of public affairs, sufficient a^ttention to ^^:^::i^:'o^:^ ;z;:;^-:^;: £^ '''-' '^ ^^- 32 248 Tories or Loyalists Their influence, as examples of good citizenship is considered niore useful, /hen scattered unhampered by office amongst the body of thf people." " It is rumored that an effort will be made at the next session of the Utopian Congress, to rescind its novel rule requiring the insertion of pellets of cotton in the ears of a member addressing the chair, after ten minutes speaking* with a view to confining the length of his remarks to the suggestions of the mind, and not to allow them to be led on by the pleasant music of the voice, after the material suggestions have been made. Its intention was to economize valuable time, where all speeches may be elaborated and pintel." "The descendants of ihe Liberators of Utopia arc rarely found in official position. They comfort themselves by feeling that like Alcibiades they may be 'esteemed too just.' Great attention is given by the farmers here to the breeding of blooded stock, and fabulous prices are paid for animals of approved pedigree." "This letter from a candidate for the Utopian Congress to the committee who had the power to nominate him ; and to their credit did so, has been much dis- cussed, its candor questioned, and its contents pronounced as "toffy," but it has been doubted, largely by those who had spoiled their digestion by its excessive use. Others consider that it is a good old fashioned doctrine." "Still, that there may be no possibility of mistake, and in simple fairness to the gentlemen who have the matter in control, I take this public way of saying with as much emphasis as may be, that from careful observation and a somewhat intimate acquaintance with the inner workings of both the great political parties, I am con- vinced that the one greatest curse of our political system is the corrupt use of money and patronage in elections. Were I nominated, I should not directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid one dollar to secure an election. Further than this, I may say that, believing the work of office seeking, place brokerage, and position peddling to be no part of the duty of a member of Congress, I should, if elected, refuse posi- tively to take any part in the general scramble for places in the departments, an occupation which can only be engaged in by neglecting legitimate and necessary work in the house at the sacrifice of self-respect, and to the serious detriment and disgrace of the public service. In short, I could only accept the nomination with the distinct understanding that, in addition to earnestly and sincerely subscribing to all the time-honored principles of my party, I should enter the canvass upon the clean new platform of honest, progressive, and independent Republicans. If there be any gentleman who would vote for my nomination on other terms, I beg him to refrain from doing so. His action could only result in disappointment." He was defeated. It may occur to some weary reader, why some of these notes, apparently discon- nected from the subject, are worked in to his annoyance. Simply because it appears that the use made by any nationality, of discussion of the action of either or all of its former rulers, is the strongest censure that can be inflicted by their posterity on those who opposed its creation, and questioned its future integrity, where so many were to be trusted with its control. Mr. Henry George, who has lately bearded the British Lion in his den, and con- tended with the Dragon which prevented the universal prosperity and happiness of the human race, as fearlessly as did his namesake, the patron saint of the now oppressors, has on his return hastily plucked a handful of feathers, principally exotic, from the terminal portion of the Utopian "Bird of Freedom." He alludes truthfully, to the ex- travagance and uncleanliness of " Outre Mer," its great maritime and again largely tn the Revolution. 249 as a m.ss.onary among those people, to Te thL ^ ^^ "";' '"^ ^°"''' '"^« ^^ 6° v.rtues and the beauties and the philo,„nh ^ ^1 "'""^ "P' ^° f"^'' ^hem the thmg, however, would deter him A m n wl'ldl fiT'^T^' • ('^PP'^"'^-) One of the condition of this country. He would be J ^ '^t '^'' '^ ^' '^"'^^ "''^''ing that he look to his o.n couLry _ to Ss ikT' h"' ""= ^"ggestion. howeve' ruled and robbed by a class of miserable p" i ici ns " ^"'"' "'''"'"'''' "^ y^" After statmg that ifUtopia had been "true of n^„ • . . not now, in his opinion « be a crowned head ^n ^J"'''''^ I'T^^"' " '^''^ ^°"ld. causes of the delay. "'^ ^""^ '" Europe," he honestly points out as " But what shall we say when ov<.r N„r„ u law where every citi.en iL a right .vote 'wherTall""' "''''■'" "''"^' '''^°- '^' people, the masses of the workers are but ttle if ? T" "J-" '^' ^""^' "^ '^'^ s'de ? What is the use of democratic in, i.^' ^' '''"" °^ '''^" °" ^^e other without cringing and buyinganj ell nT their" '° u'". "''° """"^ ^et a living prate and boast of our institutions when wf rtZf?""^"l- (^PP'-^""') Can wf we have alms-houses in every cityT" ^ of people Hymg of starvation ? when ^^'^r'zz:::rst::^^Z2:z^T '--'-' '- - --- ^^^ port,ons of the island, and annex.Ta JjacTnt " ^rito l' T"'^- '" ?^ """""P''^'^ desired to .nvest in improvements he says ^^"'^°'y- Speakmg of a friend who w:^LXe'pi:x:f^rb:L;t:^:^^: ^^ -^^^'^ ---^ .^.he receptacle of rubbish and a browsing , lice b ™ 7 T '° '"^''"''y ^^"^^ ^« '^e posed to live on old boots and g ,ss b„ £ V^ ' n'' .^P"'" P"P"'^'-Jy ="P- is using this land. It is, in fact, n it present .^-'^^''^ ^' ^''"''^ ''y^ "° «"= Let me come on it and i will e t a fine W K ." '" '^''°"' ''"^ ' ""'""«• neighborhood and an inducement t^ other peole't'' "'" ^f '" "^"^""^"^ '« ^^^^ Or I will build a factory in which I wilTeCov ." ^^^" «"°^''°"^« '" '^e vicinity, out every year a large amount of g ol haTe II I / •"'" fu'^^"'^^' '^' '-" to h,m : - « Go ahead and welcome I Fin. h ^ ^ '^T^'' ^'"'"''^ «« "ot say ...and we would rather have .ctories ^ ^::^^Z:^''%:^ ^^^^^j . of : Se trir a fomf ^7the i^-i^utc^rTr .^^ --- °- ^^ '--' ^'^'^^ who have been dead and gone W years a^owh t' ''''^"^ '^''' ''^"^'^ ^"d can build your houses or ertt your^cto' vou Z" ^°"''' ''^ '° ^'''^> ' B«f°^e you Finding that he could not in any cth TVav ^ ^^ """ ""' '"""^ ' ^""^•' improvement he contemplated, Mr Saundm wonW I uuT" ^^''^ '° "'^^'^ f^e which, in its nature, would be nothing me nor",ertS '^"""^ '"/u^^ ' P"« levied upon a man who wished to improve nanll • • 'P"'"' °^ blackmail some dog-in-the-manger who cou^d Z anVwoild n^r'^T''' '"' "'^ '"="'=fi^ "^ capital being thus further diminished he Touirp^oceed tTbuiirh-'^H ''""''• "'" his factory. What then > As soon as he ^nf /h . ^" ''°"''= '""^ erect gatherer and would say to him, you hav^ buift a t" ""'' '^T^ ^""''^ '=°'"<= > ^ax you the property wJch ^ L ^^ :?^^- -£■"« ^at^^i £S ^l^ 250 Tories or Loyalists M ! ; t'.. if Mr. Saunders* skill and prudence and energy enabled him, after all this, to make money, and his providence enabled him to lay it up, the taxgatherer would hunt him up in all sorts of ways and demand new fines and fresh penalties. " Now, what I contend is, that it is stupid in us to thus hamper and vex and fine the men who enrich our city and our country, and that when we want money for common uses it would be much wiser for us to go for them to a man who is merely holding land in order to compel those who would improve it to pay him a high price. " Whether I am a fool or a philosopher, a philanthropist or an incendiary, there is one thing I am firmly convinced of — that houses and factories and steamships and railroads, ?nd dry gocids and groceries are good things for any community to have and that that is the richest community that has most of them. "Now, the more you tax those things the less of them you will havcj but tax the value of land as much as you please and you will have none the less land, and it will be none the les^ useful. Tax land up to its full value and what would happen Why simply that those who are holding land of which they make no use, would be compelled togive it up, and that those who \ 'anted to make use of it could go and take it and improve it and use it without paying to the non-user anything for the privilege. *' Consider, gentlemen, how this city would grow, how enormously wealth would increase, if all taxes were abolished which now bear on the production and accumu- lation and exchange of wealth. Consider how quickly the vacant spaces on this island would fill up could land not improved, be had by them who wanted to improve it, without the payment of the prices now demanded. Then extend your view to the v/hole country and see how thf same policy would everywhere enormously in- crease wealth." In this frank exposition of his theories of home reform, their suggestor overlook 8 some points important to their value. His " old Dutchman " for example, is typical for the descendant of the first white settler fr^ ti Holland on the island of *' Outre Mer " and as such has at least the same rights as though he had been descended from the early natives of any Isle however fair and green, has long since ceased to own any considerable part of it. The territory is already largely covered besiides his " old boots and glass bottles " with the shanties of what is known as a squatter colonization who usually pay no rent and often reluctantly yield to dispossession before the progress of a more permanent improvement. On the other hand the poor old Dutchman has submitted for years to the exactions of repeated assessments, valuable to the contractor and the politician, as a means o subsistence to a constituency, in which the owner as a unit is disregarded where the greatest good is sought for the greatest number. Moreover he overlooks what the records will show, that a large portion of this property has already been sold for taxes, and assessments too onerous to be paid on wholly unproductive property, and that his additional taxes would be only a further lien on what is already forfeited or mainly for sale at far less than its accumulated cost. That to raise the enormous expenses of the city, unprecedented in the world for its area, would be like the nourishment of the Pelican which is said to feed on its own blood, or gleaning a field after it had been both harvested and pastured upon. The tax bills alone would soon cover its area as with a blanket. His friend should realize before any location, what those longer familiar with the subject have learned ; to count in the cost the yearly reminder of this past civic ex- travagance, and its present increase in his estimate of its use, or else to put en green goggles, and affect to be nourished by that dish of shavings, however annually cooked and set before him. In many cases he can " for further information apply on the premises " for corroboration of these suggestions. in the Revolution, 251 o^^^^XXZlllnlZ'i^l rj'".:.""^?" ^-i,ory i, improved by the resuU arecmain is ^^^CtlJ^lZZXl^T'T' ^'''^^ with death alone politic., economy of hi. ;wn^ t^/^teT^^^^^^^^^^ points in the diAcul ics of any othe.- In seek^n. V„r • ''"eS"*'^"' "^ '« the internal tion, on the ialand of "Outre Mer"h! SLh/.lT°r°''"^'^ ^'''^ ^°^ '"''»''''>"='' ^^«- Pitt's pungent query, "Gentle Sh^phtdriei'r^l' whir"""' '"' '''" '•"^"^ ^^• APPENDIX E. REPUTATION AT THE CANNON'S MOUTH AND THE CHANCES IN ITS TRANSMISSION (note, page ,60). " <■«>>. was''lnT;H;t^t£:?thVTe;ri:o;^^'f7h;N^ V'"^"'-''° -'^^ '^'»^«'^er ment in vindicating the cla mSs unct aTf 'V"' 'T "^"^^'^ ^ "^^"'"^'l '-"ti- considered his due.' Errors "uve always ten larL^"''-'''"^^'^^ '° ^'"^ '"''"^ »>= credit for service. Time long since aTcTde/rh^o <: ''•" '" ^l^^ distribution of William Johnson-one at Lake Gele " fi"'"" """^ ""Portant victories to Sir Dieskau, a' veteran of the C^nten'^aT^Sa "Jas^StTd" a"' tV^^"''^" ^^^"^ Niagara, four yeais later. The whole life of fh.^,/.' "°^''" ""^ "Pf"^<= of its details been sustained by his gaTlantrv an<l he • ''^•'^rf'^ ^°''^'"' ''^'^ i" «» teach him the art of war. Possib Iv he m, I J """^'^ ^'' '°" '° '^^ fi^Jd to claimed, in distributing some ofTisLrelsTJ ""T^^ '' Dr. Dwight has disposed, in the existing jealousv to cbt^ °^""' °^f^'e New England troops victory has proved best fdlptedt^o' settle reTative" T? "l^T/ '^'"^ "'^--^ '^ with facts from observation That p sed k ha, T ' '"''"'/" P"""^"' ""^ ^^'"'"^ credit of victory naturally falls to the cl'. ^''"^''^ '' ^'^'^"'^ "'''•^'"'^ ^^e to win the lau/els of Ca sar Hannit o^Si " iT^'k '" '''''''"' """ -^° ^'^^d In cases of disaster theblamr^f^n. f n P^'^'Pv'^«"thout record in history. and no one co^^s t Thare Hi^l^^'^n^d '"'"' "^f '''^^^"^■^'^° '^^ in his detested invasions. anSyet wear in som. h T'"'l' ^'t'^^^ ^""^'^^ '' ^'^'^^Y Many of the friends of icnera de Pe s ter 3 t '-fl ^'"^ '^"^"'^ "^ ^«""^«^- vindicating the honor and courage of ^^1"' '"'^'' '" ^"^ ^^^''^''^'^ ^"""^ '" an^^;:;;:;fi.ri:i:JtS^::LX"'°^'-' ^^.rs to . notab. case of of the c:rtL^T:cc^:fd"hiSf;r;or"trir f'^ '"-v ^ ^'^^ ^^--^^^ a case was cited as occurring in the f mer ^aVf Utol'^Tt' w ""' '" "J 1°""*=' carelessness or paramount personal engagements of a 'iW"" ^•°"'"^" a former honored Commander-in-Chief, IZZ Da^n;^;';;^ ^^'p^ov^^s^l^ " » 252 Tories or Loyalists " That gallant oHicer, had Intended to lead the attack in person, at the great battle of " Ouvrir la Porte," and to head his forces, as he had often done. He had prepared the plan of the engagement before it occurred, showing his special command in the advance. The burning of a bridge in front of his position, p.-eventing his reaching that post in season, caused him to alter his plan on the day before the attack and to order General Fearless, hit second in command to advance with his light divisI.R, giving him an opportunity substantially to Hank the fortifications, necessarily passing under a heavy fire and to attack the enemy supporting them in great force, if he found it practicable, before he — with every possible exertion — could come to his relief with the needed support of heavier artillery, and equalize the struggle, and shell out the batteries. The division commander with a very inadequate force, and mainly with a small section of it, only succeeded by a desperate coup de main in passing the works, meeting at and above them, the entire force of the enemy and mair.ly fighting tlie battle with the single division in the advance, before his commander could possibly reach the enemy and gallantly complete the victory, Gen. Fearless reaching the important post above them in advance of all support, an-1 when the Marshal came up, landed, and received its surrender." '♦ After that great triumph, the commander of the entire force, to whom the honor of both its conception and achievement would naturally be given, sent his division commander — whom he loved, with the intelligence, to the seat of government, in- tending that he should receive his reward in thanks and promotion for the glory he had so materially aided in securing eventually for himself, as Napoleon alone concen- trated in due seaion the glory of the Egyptian campaign, and Nelson that of the Nile." •' But alas ! the Citizen Secretary had afhxed to the report, which was not parti- cular in detail, the old diagram of the proposed battle instead of that of the one that •was actually fought which had been duly prepared, so falsifying his explanations. The division commander's statements were discredited by the papers he carried ; history of this notable feat of arms was written and illustrations executed at once, based on the erroneous account, in most of which the real leader was not referred to or included, as all present knew to be due. All this mortification fell upon the gallant division commander, in place of the merit his remarkable achievement claimed, and although the Commander-in Chief made ample correction of the records, and of the blunder of his subordinate, some years after when convinced of his error, the wound the mistake had given to a sensitive and modest nature, went with him to the grave. The Secretary yet survives, but some of the people here think he was a little more careless as to the record of another than he could have been of his own, and wonder that when he read the accounts, every where printed, of his conjectured position in the line on that old battle day, he too did not do something for history, by correcting his contribution to its many errors." To avoid such delay, and to coi/ect an error yet palpable ; it is proper to say after closer research, that Sir William offered the suc- cession to the Superintendency of Indian Affairs, to his son in his lifetime, and that he asked to be relieved from its duties { page 187 ). It is claimed that Lieut. Governor Golden — whose valuable "History of the Five Nations" had been published in 1727, and shows his knowledge of this trust — urged its acceptance on Sir fohn. His power to confer it, was through the absence of Governor Tryon, as Col. Guy's letter predicted. Another clerical error, occurs on page 207, stating that Col. Bouquet was born at and not in Switzerland, and one on page 210, places Colonel Lee, where Colonel William Washington actually was, waiting for equipments soon effectually used at Cowpens. As to the Indian schools (page 202), new light has shown that this wise humanity is due more to personal benevolence than to the liberality of the Government. m the Revolution, 253 on sion the eless the yet suc- Ithat iFive bed le of vas. Inity It hag been sometimes asked, why such historical papers as the handful used in the preceding pamphlet, are not in the public archi'vei. The answer might be made that few things are in their proper place and yet many are usctul. The fact came to the writer from Mr. Francis A. Stout, :i Commissioner of the State Survey, that by the defect of earlier Cartography, many places are found located tven miles away from their actual geometrical position. And yet generations have lived and died in them, and there is probably no diminution of the area or acreage, which some would realize more than this defective location. When visiting our State Capital son-e years since — in connection with his project of International Exchange — 'M. Ai, ^andre Vattemare, found men in one of its chambers packing in boxes the recently printed '• Documentary History," knee deep in old manuscripts, which luere history, but used as fillers. On his thoughtful sugge. rion to the Legislature, that these were not being correctly located, action was taken for the conservation of what remained; and the learned Dr. E. B. O'Callaghan — to whom we owe 30 much of our State History and from whom the writer had this fact, was created Curator, and laboriously catalogued those relics. Even afterwards — certainly without his knowledge, some were abstracted and Mr. John Bigelow, when Secretary of State, properly sought to reclaim them ; even by circulars nddressed to private collectors. Curious papers often pass through many hands, as a merchantable article, and their migrations are also as indetin'te as those of a circulating bill. Three of the grand collections of Historical manu.cripts, once belonging to Rev. Dr. Sprague, of Albany, Mr. Robert Gilmor, of Bal'imore, and Mr. TefFt of Savanah, have been broken up, the former, after it haa been offered to the Government and State unsucessfuUy, fell into the already la-ge collection, of a private gentleman in Phila- delphia, where it is likely to be preserved. During the Civil War j as one of its evils, the high price of old paper, while the cruisers ruled commerce and shut out other material, brought out from many garrets and similar receptacles, a store of historical material of forgotten, or unknown value, to feed the paper mills, and weave material for^the transmission of later facts. It i» believed that more unprinted history, was then ground up, than even now exist in public or private collections. It is stated that at that time, many old papers were discovered iiid exhumed from the outbuildings of Johnson Hall, possibly some containing th» key to this research. Such papers are rarely sought for public collections when exposed at public or private sale, but fall, on conditions showing at least consideration for the value of the lives of others — into the private collections of a few antiquarians, sometimes to be reduced to print for private circulation. Many find their way from Europe, especially from England. Lately the military papers of Lord Rawdon and Sir Henry Clinton, including beautifully executed military maps made by the Royal Engineers in America have been broken up and distributed here. As an illustration of devotion to such collection and its accomplishments, it it only just to say, that there does not probably exist a more comprehensive memorial of the men of mark who have been connected with American History since the settlements, than that formed by Dr. Emmett — elsewhere referred to. That hidden in his library and known only to few, in notably fine condition, by restoration and exhaustive illustration with portraits and views, is probably the most valuable and intelligible monument to them, erected by a single hand, from many sources, in hours devoted to recreation in an active and useful life. There are a number of others, very complete and interesting, even superior to it in some details, but as an entirety it may claim to be unequalled in condition, and it is the result of years of research. 254 Tories or Loyalists I- 4;, ': 'I ;, An incident which has occurred before thii Appendix is printed, is referred to as practically sustaining some of the views which have been suggested. How tuppiy and demand govern value, how ic is increabcd when a thing is put in the right place, and how recognition of the past shows solid progress in the present. The venerable Robert C. Winthrop, has done a good work, in restoring the portrait of one by whom hia life has been doubtless influenced ; additionally so as th' friendly act of a representative of early patriotism in Mass;;cliusetts, in sympathizing with those of South Carolina. The old City Hall, of Charleston, South Carolina, had been completely restored and beautified, the interior entirely rebuilt with twelve spacious rooms, all with a remarkable economy (Ijijo^oo), creditable to the city officials, and suggestive to those of other cities. In its park, a life sized statue of Pitt, Earl of Chatham, erected by the citizens in their gratitude for the, repeal of the Stamp Act, and thrown down after Clinton's capture, has been remounted on a new pedestal, with the old inscription tablet sought out and replaced. Even the signs of mutilation are suggestive to patriotism and of a possible similar restoration of its headless repUque^ in tlic keeping of the New York Historical Society. The Common Council and citizens of Charleston, showing their appreciation of the renewal of their civic home, assembled on the i 5th of November, for its redcdication. The Mayor — Mr. Courtenay, whose heart had been in this work, made a sug- gestive opening address, effectively recalling the early history of the city, its position, and his hopes in its course, referring to the services of his first predecessor — after the Intendancy — the distinguished Robert Y. Hayne ; who had accepted the position, after serving as Governor and United States Senator. He showed how Hayne had labored for facilities of communication with the interior, and for the progress of the city, incidentally comparing these details of his life to those of De Witt Clinton. He then recalled a resolution passed by the citizens on his decease in 1839, to place his marble bust in the City Hall, and suggested its re-enactment, which, after other spirited addresses, was unanimously adopted. As the News and Courier reports : " Mayor Courtenay then said : During the visit of Governor Winthrop to this city in 1880, he visited the Council Chamber to see the portraits and other works of art owned by the city. He called the attention to the neglected condition of " Trumbull's Washington," a full length portrait of great value and historic interest, and urged that it be placed in proper hands for restoration, proffering his services in advising and superintending the work. By unanimous vote of the City Council the picture was forwarded to Governor Winthrop, and has been wonderfully renewed, and now presents as fine an appearance as when originally painted. It was completed last spring, and was received in the Boston Museum of Art and kept on exhibition during the summer and fall months, and is again restored to its familiar place on the walls of our chamber. Alderman Rogers thereupon offered the following resolution : Whereas, Our distinguished fellow countryman, Governor Winthrop, of Massachusetts, while on a visit to this city in 1880, and enjoying its relics of our olden time, became greatly interested in the preservation of our Trumbull's Washington, and wisely suggested its repair and restoration, and to further this end offered his most valuable services of supervision and care of this work ; and whereas, through his kind offices the work of restoration has now been finally completed, and this valued picture of our city, now in its old power and life, again adorns our walls. Be it, therefore, Resol-ved, That the City Council of Charleston gratefully acknowledge and appreciate the valuable aid and kind personal service of Governor Winthrop in the successful accomplishment of the work of restoration of our great painting of Trumbull's Washington. The resolu- tion was unanimously adopted. '« the Revolution. Ftt Ear' Y'^r'^ '"'"' ^^^'"' Arbu^th"" ''z a'"!" ''""."'"""'-P"^'''"* "^ 'J'' ^'«, tarl „f Chatham, Secretarv of S^« > , '="Sf»ve(l portra t of William B'-y. R. A.. September/ ;;r,V.Vr ^^"' '^57 to .768; by^^,^^^^ motn>po,s of the Province of'south ^Calltna ""' ■'""''"'' "'' Charleston. Th" the /.<,„</„„ Magazine, fune 1762" In ?i' ' "" °'''«'"''' «="«ravi„g published in ■.preamble again desc/ibinVthl smaH olVr""'""' ''''^'^''^- ^h t' _ ,^^^^^ ^presented the following 'resolutirs Tit S"' y'S'' '^ ^"' -'"^"^ - SVJw"' '"''u^"'^ ''-•''ytende;edt Mr T7|/''f! the thanks of the S ', ^'-' '"'"'■'= f^"" that his liberality is hi n" ""''=y. Myers for these valued Ch r est .„. R, , ,i^ That these e„g J „« b "^ ''^'"r^'^' '^ ""= '^'^'-- "^ rt •' ^\":'''^^"y preserved as objtcts^f ,:'''"?«•"" ^'"= ^^''^ "^ the mayor', rhce resolufons were also unanimou y ,,0 ted"" ' T""./". ""^ community h- evidenced ^^^\^^t';';ZS7'' ''Vl'V''^^ '^^ — "l-tration i=::r^;;rSv:f;;if^^^^^ "xt^:t;r^EL^;^:-..e^^^^^^ 'mportance in a nation of fifty millions i„c J; '■ '" """"^ ''"Ejects of varied one u.on a.e often more o.nsp ZV Th "L^?""'"*^'"^ Difference" of any form, may demonstrate the value of convictionrt''"'"" "' "^''"'""^ '" P"'"ic in " .'thers who have entertained withou^e , ' " '" 'T'' "'' ^"'"^'' ^''« ^yn^P^thy to correction. Thought has always been /'^•f">' "^'"'' "^ ■'^ '"^t "Pen fhem At lea.t, in public aff.irs it wou, ) Z-ar "h ^ . ' '^^' Predecessor t, ction 'r\"-^">d'-''iberateconsideratirn y tEL /''•'"^'^'^ "'ethods of legisla io„ and that hasty action is only justrfied whe^ "" "' ^'■■" '' ^^ '^'^ represenrat ve This admitted, Or. Crosby, dho a a „'''"'"'''""' ''^"'^"d the experiment' current public administration, migh b/iX h?'""/'"^" •^" ^'-■^'^'^ '"ter^ in record of American statesmanship ''r"."'"^'' '" ^^ow, how the enti ^ former and present elements was'^^;;-"'"™"'^ '"^ '^'^ example of many «? r. constructing history, and th 't The ^e ^a! "", ''^ '^^^'^ °' -'^ <^-oti<; " clarm to be considered as a fine Art '' "'" '^ ^'''^ '^"ndensation. had Jul" appen::5i"i,;-;i:--K;D;rr'"^' '- l'- '-'^-^'^ -e„t message considerations, and according wthrwi 1 ''"'"''>' '"'"'' ''"''^ Party o loS more considerate and prudonrl. 1 • ^ expressed sentiment in favor nf ! I and permanency of"oVr7nt;itutS:"'"" '' ^""'^ "^ - ^est assu" tt^-^r^o^pSj Sj,' • I i i M Errata. Page H6, Read in note 5 : the value of T ^ t , :> . rne value of Judge Jones's work 'S that of a cotemporaneous narrative of the •ncdents of a storm, its angry personal impres- sions avowedly the result of his sufferings are subjects for comparison with other authorities. Kead Frederick for Ferdinand. Transpose rehtiva sunt. Foot note to read : This paper, if earlier dis- covered, should have been appropriately used in restoring the original records, if preserved Read, on eleventh line, any puhlic corporation. Others noted in Apppvn.v i? a 1 . ^^-..ed fro. i„eo„ve„r :ftferr:::hV;Lr""" IQO, 21 2'' 214, ^^h ^C writ- II 1 INDEX. For index to Tories and Loyalists, see page 270. ^BAW, (Point au Baudet) description of, 87. Abercrombie, Gen., 85. Adams, John, xiv. Adirondack', 24. Albrant, Quarter Master Fran- cis, 40b. . Allaire, Lieut., cvi. Allen, Commissioner Ira, 44. f^aul, ex J Amherst, Gen., xciv, xcvii, 8. Ancrum, Maj., carries flag of truce, 60. Anderson, Lieut., 74. Anderson ville Prison,* 25 Arnold, Gen., Liii,cxiv,cLix, o. Aycis, Robt., 106. BACON W„,. J., q„„,,d, 118. Batteau, Description of a 74 Batteaux men, characteristics D °^' 74- Bartram, John, 90. Bemis Heights, 9. Berwick, Duke of, lxxxvi. Bienville, Sieur de, 19 Biographical Notices. Carleton, Sir Guy, 8 Glaus, Col. Daniel, 69 Cierges, Lieut. George, Cook, Ransom, 106. ^oyle, Wm., 9. Foy, Edward, 7 Johnson, Sir John, xxix. McDonald, Alexander, 56. ' John, 56. McLean, Col. Allen, 55. ^h.lhps, Gen. Wm., 6 ^omeroy, James, 8. Kouville, Capt., 93 St. Leger, Col. Barry, 44. ^tarin Jane Wemple, 118 Judge Henry, 118. Watts, Maj. Stephen, 29. W.llett, Col. Marinu? lOI, ' Rev. Wm. M., 105. Kev. Marinus, 90. B-rd, Lieut., cxvi, cxxx! 51, 95. -* ' Blue Mountain Lake, N. Y., Bonney, Mrs. C.V.R., quoted, Boice, Sergt. John, i. Boreas River, N. Y 24 Bouchette, quoted, 64, 74. Bouquet River, N. Y. 18. -f 258 Index , Brant, Jos., LVi, cxx, cxxxvii, cxLVii, CLii, 2, 9, 49, 95- Bronx River, xxi. Brown, Capt., 329. Col., CXLII, CLIV, CLIX. John Carter, 98. Brunswick Contingent, 6. Bryant, Wm. C, quoted, lxi, Lxvi, 48, 89, 125. Buck's (Carleton's) Island, civ. description of, 64. 71, 123. Bull, Fort, see Fort Bull. Bulwagga Bay (Lake Cham- plain), cxxxviii, 18. Burgoyne, Gen., Li, xciv, cii, CXXXII, CLVII, 2, 4, 6, 9, 47, 96. Burnet (Barnet), Lieut., 65, 75, 76, 83. Burt, B. B. , quoted, 69, 88, 89. Burton, Ci.)l., 46. Rutlci, Lieut Cc!., 2, 60. Walter N., lvi, cr/, 57. Col. B. C, quoted, 37. Butler's Rangers, cxLVii, CLVII, 2. Butterfield, C. W., quoted, 23. Button Bay (St. Lawrence), 68. Byrne, Ensign Wm., i, 12, i3>57- /'"^ALASH, description of a, ^ 50. Campbell, Corpl., i, 81. Canaseraga, CLI, clvii. Cardiff, Wales, 71. Canojoharie, 122. Carleton, Sir Guy (Lord Dor- chester), Xll, XVI, LI, xcv, CI, cxxx 7, 8, 10, 46, 56, 75» 81. Maj., CLViii. Island, see Buck's Island. Carrington, Gen. H. B., quoted, c, cm. Caroga Creek, cxxxv. Caughnavvaga Flats, 17. Village (Fultonville, N. Y.), Lxxxi, 118. Chambly, M. de, 23. Village, description of, 23, 62. Champlain Lake, XLVi, CLX, 2, 18,63. Chanmonot, Father, 89. Charity, The Sloop, 91, 122. Cheney, Capt., 24. Lake, N. Y., 24. Cherry Valley Settlement, 18. Massacre, 46. Chippewa, Battle of, 77. Chittenango Creek, cxxxviii, CXLVIII. Cincinnati, Society of, 100. Claus, Col. Daniel, civ, cxxxi, 2, 9, i3> 45, 67, 69, 73>92- Clerges, Lieut., George, 61. Clinton, Gov. George, cxlvii, CXLVIII, clviii, clxi. Sir Henry, xxii, xxvi, Li, Lix, cLix, 8, 98. Clonmell, 4. Clump, Thos., rides express for Col. Willett, 103.' Coach, Sergt. Philip, 68. Index, Collorton, Lieut., 8i, 89. ^-olwheel, a ship 82 Cook, Capt., if ^' Ransom, 106. Convention Troops, 6 Cornwallis, Lord, Lxxxvn, 44. Countersigns : Aberdeen Adam Albany Ambury 259 Banet Barth Belfast Boston Cambridge- shire Cadous Carleton Cassel Chambly Charlestown Daly Darnock Dearham Detroit Dingwall Dorer America Anapolis Ancrum Attleborough. Bow Bridge Britain Burgoyne Burlington. Chilroy Clonmell Cork Cornwallis Cromathy Crothers. Dublin Dulnacardock Dun barton Dunmore Dunrobin. ^,^^°» England Ldmborough Evalick. Jilizabethtown Fort Bull Fort Hunter Fort D.mber Fort Stanwix (Dummer?) Fraser i'ort George Galloway Qorce Gordon Qray. Hamburgh Hampshire Hatfield Inverness Invfraw Hingham Howe. Ireland Johnson Johnstown. Kenderwhoffe Kintail. Kent I^a Chine Lewisburgh Lieth Lipcomb London McLean Major Small Middlesex Milford LongIle(Lon- gueil) Lansbausbor- ough Lynn Milton Mohawk river Montreal. Nairn New York New Haven Noadwilley New Market Norfolk New Port Norwich. Oneida Orleans Oswego Oswegatchie. 26o Index. '^■i '^Ij Paisley Patrick Perth Philadelphia Phillips Quebec. Sacandaga St. James Scotland Plymouth Point Clair Pow.ll Preston. Stirling Suffolk. Taunton Tribe's H'll Three Rivers Tryon Tice Tweed. Ticonderoga Watts Week Yarmouth Weymouth York. Court of St. James, 12. Crane Mountain, N. Y., de- scription of, 18. Crawford, Ensign, 5, 12, 15. Creedmoor, 6. Creek Indians, 103. Crevant, Battle of, xciii. Crofts, Lieut. Wm., 44, 50, 57, 67, 80. Cromwell, Oliver, 5. Crooked Lake, N. Y,, 123. Crosby, Rev. H , 100. Crowthers, Ensign, i, 12, 13. Crown Point, cxxxviii, 63. Crowse, Corpl., i. Cumberland, Duke of, 8. Cunningham, Keeper of the Sugar House Prison, 25. Cust, Gen., xxxvii. Cuyler, Col., cxLVii. "TJABLON, thejesuit, 89. Daggart, Peter J., iii. Daly, Capt., 4. Danbury, 26. Dayton, Col., Lxxxi, 86. Dearborn, Gen. Henry, 2. D'Estaing, Count, xxxix. De Lancey, Edward F., quoted, XXXVIII, Lxi, Lxvi, 14, lOI. Anne, 29. James, xix, xc. Rtgiment of, 10 1. Legion of, xix. De Levy, Chevalier, 85. Delly, Capt., 3. Denbigh, Lord, xcix. Derwentwater, Lord, xvi. Denonville, Gov., 122. DePeyster, Gen. J. Watts, Poem by,. Lxxxv, quoted, 14, 30, 81, 127. Col. A. S., cv, cviii. Detroit, 2. De Witt, Rev. Dr., 104. Dieskau, Gen., xxxi. Dilston Castle, Tradition of, XVI. Doyle, Ensign Wm., 9. Drogheda, 4. Dubois, Col., cxLViii, clii, CLV. Dunbar, Maj, Wm., 58. Dunmore, Lord, 7. Dunn, Receiver General, 11. Duvan, Capt., 68. Dwight, Dr., quoted, 81. Index, £GNUE, Corpl. Edward, Eighth (King's) Regiment, cv cxvi 2^8.9,12; Sketch o^ 76, 95. 261 PAIRFIELD, Burning of, Fay, Commissioner Joseph, 44. Ferguson, CoJ., c, cvi. ^^ i-'sh House, N. Y., Sir Wm. Johnson's Country Seat cxxxviii, J 8. ^ive Nations, The, cvi Fonda Maj. Jeiles, lxxxii. ^ontelov, M. de, 66. Force Peter, quoted, XLiii. l*orce's Archives, ij ^°"^""%N. Y.,cLx,69. Bu]l,^Sketch or, 84,^93, Creek, Old, 52. Dayton, cxvin. Dummer, Sketch of, 19 i:^rontenac, 44, ,01. C^eorge,CLx, Battle of, 77. Hunter, cxlviii, cliv, CLix; Sketch of, 16. Johnson (Castle) Descrip- tion of, 52, 70, 128. i^a rrairie, 2. LongueiJ, 19. Niagara, lv, cxxxvii Ontario, 91. Oswego, cxvi, cxxxiii, CLVIII. ' Paris, cxLii. Plain, Lxxvii, cxli. Stanwix (Rome, N. Y.) ^"i, CVI, cxv, cxix' CXXVII, CLVII, ,0, 44 70 ; Sketch of, %\^ 86, 93' 9^, 97, loi, 106, ^08, 109. ' Schuyler, Old, 86, log. no. ^' Schuyler, see Fort Stanwix. i5t. Anne (Is'and of Mon- treal), 69. Ticonderoga, 44, 81,101. Wilhams, 85. £;ovvey, a ship, 7. Foy Dept. Adj. Gen Ed., n Fox's Mills, Battle near see Klock's Field, ^ranklm, Benjamin, xv Fraser, Gen. Simon, 9, 20, an- ecdoteof, 123. FreH^'-'^^r"''^*^' Battle of, 121. ■rredenck II, xci. Frey, John, J09. * (^AGE, Gen., lxxxvii. Gansevoort, Col. Peter, cxvi cxx 60, 86, 96, 109. " Gardenier, Capt. Jacob, cxxiii, Gaspe, 19. Garneau, F. X., quoted, 12, 125. -^^ Gates, Gen., 6 George III, lxxx, xciv, 44. German Plats, m Germaine, Lord George St , XXIV, XXV, XCIV, cii! 9, 10, 8r. ' 262 Index, V • ! ', m Glenney, Lieut., 56, 92, 93. Gordon, Dr., quoted, cvi, 82. Grant, Lieut., 57. Gray, Maj., 3, 64, 81. Green, Gen., 42. Gregg, Col., 51. Gummerfolk, Lieut., 63. Guy Park, Sketch of, 53. Guyon, Gen., xciii. pJALDIMAND, Gen., lv, ^ ^ CXLIV, CLIX, 44, 56, 68. Hamilton, Wm. O., St. Leger's Sec'y, 61. Harkheimer, Gen. Nicholas, Lii, cviii, cxxv, 107, 109. Harper, Col., cxlvi, cliv, clv. Headquarters. Buck Island, 64. La Chine, 3, 12, 16, 28, 43, 58. La Prairie, 2. Montreal. 8, 55. Oswego Falls, 93. Point Clair, 40. Hendrick, King, 17, 53. Henis, Mr., 12. Hennepin, Father, 89. Hesse Hanau Chasseurs (Ja- gers), cxxix, cxxxiii, CLII, 2. Hildebrand, Lieut. Jacob, cm. Hillyer, Capt. Nicholas, i, 94. Holden, Dr. A. B., quoted, 38. Hoosic (Bennington), xcvii. Hough, Franklin B., quoted, CXL, CXLVII, 64, 66. Howe, Sir Wm., xciv, xcv, cii, II, 25. Hoyes, Capt., cxxx. Hunter, Maj. Charles D., 51. Hysted, Ensign, i. IBERVILLE, 19. Isle aux Chevreuils (Buck Island), 64. TAMES, Duke of Monmouth, J 76. Jessup, Maj. Edward, 37, 68. Ebenezer, 37. Jessup's Corps, 4 ; Sketch of, 36, 40b. Johnson, Sir John, xvii xxix, LXXXIX, cvii, CXII, CXIX, cxxiv, CXXVII, CXXX, CXLIV, CLII, CLX, 2, 3, 9, 14, 16, 18, 23, 49, 107. Lady John, xvii, xliii. Sir Wm., xxx, lxxxvii, XC, XCIV, cxxxvi, 38, ^ 70,78- Sir Wm. George, xlviii. Col. Guy, cvi, 53, 121. Mrs. Col. Cristopher, XXXVII, XLIV. Family, Genealogy of, iv. Hall, XXXI, 16. Foit (Castle), Sketch of, 52. Gen. Albert Sidney, CLxi. Johnstown, 18, 70. Index, Jones, David, 37. Judge Thomas, quoted, XXXVIII, 81, loi, 107. Dr. P. E,, Chief of the Missisagues, 128. f^AP: , Frederick, quoted, cxxvi. Killigrew, Sergt., 77. King's Royal Regiment, see Eighth Regiment. Kmgston, Maj., 9. King's Mountain, Battle of, l, LXVI, c, cvi, cxxxvii. ' Kiock's Field (Fox's Mills), Lxxv; Battle of, cxxxv, CI., CLIX. Block-house, cliv. Klock, Judge Jacob C, clv. Knox, Secretary, cv, 2, 13, 92. Knypliausen, Gen., xxiii. Kuysak, a BatteauMaste-, 75. T A CHINE, CI, cxxxviii, description of, 3, 10, 12. 15, 16,28, 43,58, A.75> 94. Massacre at, 122. Nativite de Notre Dame, Village of, 2. Prairie, 2. Lair River, 5. Lamb, Sergt., quoted, 75. Lanandiere, M. de, 19. Lanotts, Capt , 72. Lansing, Aid Maj., xcvi. Mrs. Abraham, 87. Laurance, Sergt. John, 68. Lauzun, Duke de, xcvi. 263 Lavalette, Madame de, xxxvii. Le Cartargne, Quarter Master, Lewis, Col. Morgan, cl. Lipscomb, a Volunteer, 74, 78 Little Falls Postage, cxxii' CLIV. ' Livingston, H. M., 68. Robt. M., 109. Lock, Sergt. Joseph, 68. Lomenie, Louis de, xxiv. London Merchants oftir a bounty, 11. Long Island in the St! Law- rence, 67. Longeuil, Description of, 19. Sieur Charles le Moine de, r ^9. Long Sault in the Sr. Law- rence, 87. Lossing, Benson J., quoted, 8, 16,81. Lundy, Lieut., 93. Luzurne, N. Y., Hamlet of, 18. . jyjcCREA, Jane, 106. McDonald, Capt., 3. Alexander, 56. John, 56. McDonell, Angus, 59, 40b. Helen, lxxxii. McGregor, Mount, 38. McGrigar, Corpl., i, 40b. McKay, Capt., 62. ^ McKean, Capt., cl. McKenzie, Lieut. Kenneth, 43. 59» 40a. Ensign John, 46, 52, 59. !r ft 264 Index. McLean, Col. Allan, 55. McMonts, Hugh, 56. McMuUen, Neil, 91. Macomb, Gen., 64. Madison, Col., 51. Marlborough, Duke of, LXXXVII. Marshall, O. H., 89. Martin, Capt. of Batteaux, ..75- Michilimackinac, Post at, 2. Miller, Quarter Master Thos., 75- Batteau Master Charles, 75- Mr., chief ship carpenter, Missisagues (Eagle Tribe of the Ojibawa Nation), cvi, 2, 85, 125. Mohawkers (Militia), cxi, CXVIII, CXXIII. Mohawk Lower Castle, 16. River, cxxxv, cxlvi, 96. Valley, lix, t^cvi, cxxvii, CLI, 98. Monaghan, Sir Darby, his ad- venture with St. Leger, 1 12. Mondelet, Hon. de, 23. Montcalm, Gen., 66. Montgomery, Gen,, 66. Montmorenci, cxxii. Montreal, xli, 4, 6, 19, 70. Montrose, cxlvi. Moore, Lieut., 60. Morgan, Col., cxlviii. Morrison, Lieut., 29. Moss, Sergt. Sam., i. Mount McGregor, near Sara- toga Springs, 38. Munroe, Maj., clx. Myers, Col. T. Bailey, xvi, 124. ]\JEW BRUNSWICK, 8. Newcastle, ii. Niagara, lv, cxxxvii, 2, "jy^ 87. Nicolet, Father, 23. Norfolk, 26. North, Dexter N., quoted, 98. Q'CALLAGHAN, Dr. E. ^-^ B., quoted, 7. Ogden, Col. A., 104. Ogdensburgh, see Oswegatchie. Oneida Carrying-Place, 85. Castle, cLVii. Lake,cxvi,cxxxviii, 108. Onondaga Lidians, 89. River, cxvi. Ontario, Lake, cxxxiii, cxxxviii, 89, 124. Oriskany, L., Battle of, lxxxv, 15, 107. Creek, cxix. Centennial, 44, 86. Oswegatchie (Ogdensburgh), 32, 71- Oswego, 4, 85 ; Sketch of, 88. River, cxxxiii. Falls, Sketch of, 93, 94. Rapids, 85. Ottawa River, 22. Index, pAINE, Thomas, xv. Pallas, a ship, 7. Palmertown. near Saratoga Springs, 68. Palmer, Corpl. John, 40b. 26; Paroles : Aberdeen Albany Am boy Barford Barnet Belfast Berwick Boston Carick Carleton Castle John- son Dalvvhinney Daly Dareham Derby Dornock America Armagh. Bristol Brunswick Burgoyne Burk. Chester Connecticut Cork County Tryon Dover Drogheda Dublin Dunkeld Dunmore. Eaton England *:dpn Essex Edinborourgh Exeter. Fairfield Fort Anns Fort Erie Fort Hunter Fort St. Ann Fort Stanwix Fort William Eraser. Gilbart Glasgow Gray Halifax Haiover Hartford Hathersett India Inverness Johnsnn King Gjorge La Chine La Prairie Langford Limerick McLean McLou Newark ' Newcastle New York Greenock Guadaloupe Hesse Hanau Hingham Honduras Howe. Invershire Ireland. Johnstown. King's Bridge. Lincolnshire Lochabar London. Mayfield Montreal. Niagara Norfolk Norwich. Philadelphia Phillips Point Clair. 34 Onondaga Oswegatchie. Patrick Perth Amboy Perth Qiiebec. St. Leger St. Johns Schenectady Sorel Sterling Stratford. 26^1 Index, M Sopus (iKso- pus) Tain Tetnplar Thotford Thurso Walker Wells Why mend- ham York Tillih.dy Tower Trenton Try on. Winchester. Yorkshire. Pearce, Col. Cromwell, 51. Stewart, quoted, 51. Pennington, Lieut. Robt., g, 10. Peppercll, Sir Wm., xc. Phillips, Gen. Wm., 6, 7, 11, Pike, L. B ,67. Col. Zebulon, 51. Pitt, Earl of Chatham, xciv, XCVIII. Plant, Corpl. James, 40b. Point A haw { Point au Baudet)^ a canoe lost at ; Des- cription of, 87. Clair, 3, 4, 10 ; Descrip- tion of, 40. Pomeroy, Adj. Gen. James, 8, 9, II. Point au Fez, 68. Pontiac, 70. Potts, Capt., 65, 73, 76. Powel, Gen., 56. Prevorst, Sir George, 77. Prideaux, Gen., 90. Putnam, Gen. Israel, 42. QUEBEC, CIV, 19, 22. pueen Anne's Chapel, 16. Queen's Lo)'al New Yorkers, I, 9. "DADIiiAU, a floating bat- tcry, 4. Raley, Corpl. John, 74. Riedesel, Gen., exercises his men on snow-shoes, 6 ; quoted, 81, 97. Madame, 7. Richelieu River, 4, 23. Roberts, Ellis H., quoted, xcii, 44,81. Rochefoucault Liancourt. Duke de la, quoted, 121, 124, 125, 127. Rochefort. Comtesse de, xxiv. Rogers, Gen. Horatio, quoted, 20, 38, 46. Rome, N. Y. (Fort Stanwix), 85. Roof, Dr. F. H., lxxxi, cxxv. Rossa, O'Donovan, 5. Ross, Maj., 56. Rouville, Col. de (Bouville), 231 47> 62, 66, 85, 90, 93- Royal Greens, Johnson's Regi- ment of, cv, cix, ex, CXXIII, CXXIX, CXLVII, CLV, I, 2, 3, 37, 57. Royal Highland Emigrants, Regiment of, i, 56. Russell, Corpl., i. Indi ex. 267 Rutland, George Manners, Duke of, 112. C A BINE, Lorenzo, quoted, *^ XXV. Sacandaga River, N. Y., fol- lowed by Sir John Johnson, cxxxviii, 17, Sackett's Harbor, 77. St, Anne, Siege of, 10, 19. St. Anuj's River, 19. St. Germaine, Lord, see Ger- niaine. St. John's River, 4. St. Johnsville, cliv. St. Lawrence River, cxvi, 3, 19, 22, 64. St. Legcr, Col. Barry, Li, Lix, xcv, c, cvii, ex, cxx, CXXX, CLXI, 40a, 44, 46, 66, 70, 78, 96, 112, 120, 127. St. Louis, Lake, 3, 122. St. Maurice River, 22. St. Nicholas Society, 100. St. Oaris, Chevalier de, 66. St. Ursula, Convent of, 22. Schenectady, Massacreat, 123. Shall, Sergt. Jacob, 68. Sammons, Sampson, 120. Jacob, 120. Col. Simeon, 121. Sanger, Judge Jedediah, 118. Saratoga, Old, 9, Springs, 38, 67, 68. Monument Association, 118. Sayles, Col. Welcome B., 121. Schenectady, cliv. Schoharie Creek, cxxxix, 16. Schroon River, N. Y., 18. Schuyler, Gen. Philip, xxxi, cxin, 56, 86. Seymour, Horatio, quoted, 86. John F., quoted, 87. Shanks, Capt., 10. Shirley, Sir Robt., 76. Simcue, Gen. [Gov.], 127. Simms, J. R., quoted, cxLi, I7> 56. Singleton, Lieut. George, i, 12, 13, breaks his parole, 124. Small, Maj., 41. Sn ith, Corpl., i. Sorel, description of, 23. Stanwix, Gcii. John, 85. Fort, see Fort Stanwix. Starin, John H., 1 18. Jane Wemple, 1 18. Judge Henry, 118. Anec- dote of 121. Stark, Gen., ■97. Stockwell, Lieut., cxiii. Stone, Col. William L., quoted, XLii, CVII, cxxxix, CXLIV, CXLVII, CL, CLIV, CLVi, 29, 81, 86, 104, 121. William L., quoted, xxxii, CLVI, CL.S.VI. Stone Arabia, cxxxv, cxLii, CLIV. Stony Point, cxxix. Strabane, Ireland, 8. Street, Sergt. Samuel, i. Sugar House Prison, 25. 268 Index, V ^1- n Sullivan, Gen., liv. Swegatchie, see Oswegatchie. Sylvester, N. B,, quoted, 38. 'yARLETON, Col., 25. Taylor, Rev, John, 17. Thirty-fourth Regiment (St. Leger'sown),cv; sketch of, I, Thomas, Gen. George H., LXXXII. Three Rivers, 19, description of, 22. Ticonderoga, see Ft. Ticon- deroga. Tioga Point, cxlvii. Tipperary County, 5. Tribe's Hill, description of, 17. Trumbull, Col. John, 29, 42, 104. Tryon Co., xliii ; tradition of, Lxxiii, 21. Commissioners, cxix. Governor, 25, 26. Tuscarora Indians, cvi. Twenty-Fourth Regiment, 9. WALIERE, Bishop of * Quebec, 22. Van Alstyne, Lieut. M. G., CXXV, CXLVIII. Van Rensselaer, Gen. Robt., LXXIV, LXXVII, CXLI, CXLVI, CLI, CLIV. Van Schaack, Peter, xxx, cxxxvi. Vaudreuil, M. de, 19. Von Eelking, quoted, cv, CXXXIV, CXLV. Vrooman, Capt., clvii. VyALKER, Lieut., 2, 80. Wall, Ensign, 35, 87. Warr n. Sir Peter, xc. Gen , 42. Washington, Gen., xcv, CXL, CLXI. Watson, Winslovi' C, quoted, 23- Watts, Capt. (Maj.) Stephen, cix, cxvii, cxxiii, 3, 4, i3» 29- Mary, xxxiv. Hon. John, xviii, 29. • Ross, 30. Anne, Countess of Caselis, XLIV. Weld, the Traveller, quoted, 22, 74, 83, 88. Wellington, Duke of, xcviii. West Point, clx. Wetmore, Judge Amos, 118. Whitehall, Court at, 2. Wilford, Richard R., 9. Wilkinson, Jemima, thinks of removing to Buck (Carleton) Island, 123. Willett, Col. Marinus, cxiii. cxx III, 13, 29,60,101, Rev. Marinus, 99, 194. Rev. Wm. M., 105. Williams, Surgeon Thos., XXXII. Capt. William, 85. Wings (a part of an uniform), 30- cv. Index, 269 '^°'"rtcl6V"" ''• '^^"- Yankee pass, Th. Creek, cxxxiii. ^^''' ^°'-' ^^x^- Wolfe, Gen., xciv, cxx, celebrated, History of CLxi, 8. 121. Wood Creek (outlet of Oneida Young, Sergt. Andrew, i. ___ Lake), cxxxiii. Youngiove, Moses, 1-2 ci • Wyoming Valley, xlix. affidavit of, IS Massacre, cxxxvii. Moses C, quoted, 76. INDEX TO "TORIES OR LOYALISTS." i A DDISON, Joseph, i68. Albemarle, Lord, 189. Amelia, Princess, 183. Armstrong, Gen., 202. t) AKER, Senator, 154. Balfour, Col. Nesbit, 2i2^ Banyar, Goldsboro, 182, 236. Bedford, Duke of, 189. Belsham, W., 182. Blanchard, Claude, 157. Bolingbrolce, Lord, 181, 182. Boswell, 199. Braddock, Gen , 160 Brant, Joseph, 194, 195, 200, 201. Brant, Molly, 194. Brazil, Emperor ot, 238. Brunswick, Dukes of, 166. Burr, Prest, 173. Burgoyne, Gen., 140, 187, ' 188, 189. Bute, Lord, 174, 183. Butler, Col. John, 192, 193, 200. Butler, Capt. Walter, 201. Butler, Wm. Allen, 218. r"ALIFORNIA,23i. Campbell, Col. John, 192, 193- Campbell, Thomas, 201. Campbell, Wm. W., Canada, 212''. Carleton, Sir Guy (Dorches- ter), 187, 189, 198, 202, 205. Carlyle, Thomas, 147 Caswell, Gen., 210. Charles I, 147. Charles II, 225, 244. Charles Edward, Prince, 182. Charleston, 212^,. Chatham, Lord, 163, 180,254. Chapin, Gen., 199. Chelsea, 159, Chew, Joseph, 205. Clarendon, Lord, 154. Clinton, Gov. Geo., 150. Clinton, Sir Henry, 149,212'', 217, 253, 255. Clymer, Geo., 179. Cogswell, Dr., 214. Coldcn, Gov.. 146. s Cortiwallis, Lord, 168. Courtenay, Mayor, 211,217. Cresap, Col. Michael, 163. Cromwell, Oliver, 147, 149, I55i 244. Crosby, Rev. Dr. Howard, 255- Cruger, Mayor, 148. CuUum, Gen. G. W., 168. Cumberland, Richard, 215. Curwen, Judge, 141. Custine, Gen. de, 156. Ind^ J^ALY, Chief Justice, 145. Dalgetty, Major, iia''. Dartmouth, Lord, 177. Dauntless, Marshal, 251. Dawson, Capt., 21 r. Dayton, Gen. Elias, 2I2^ Dease. Dr. John, 236. Declaration of Independence, 212, 220, 221. Delaplaine, Joseph, 229, 239. de Lancey, Edward Floyd, 146. ^ ' de Peyster, Gen. J. Watts, 140, 141, 234, 251. JJongan, Gov., 163. Dwight, Rev. Timothy, 160, 250. Drayton, Chief Justice, 184. jpLLIS, Welbore, 190. Emmet, Thos. Addis, 175, 188, 209, 238, 253. Evans, Walton White, 210. PALKLAND, Viscount, _ 154. Fontainbleau, Peace of, 183. Franklin, Benjamin, 169, 230, 246. Franklin, Sir William, 174. Frederick the Great, 184. Fearless, General, 251. ^AGE, Gen, and Lord, 205, 236. Gaine, Hugh, 236. Gates, Gen. Horatio, 127, H9i 189, 209. , ex» 2 J I George HI, 15,, 166, 181, 184. Germame, Lord George, 186 188, 215. Granville, Lord, 182. Greene, Gen. Nathaniel, 212", 217. Grenville, Geo., 185. Grundy, Mrs., 234, 245, 251. PJALDIMAND, General, ^90, 191, 192, 236. Halifax, Lord, 182. Hamilton, Gen. Alex., 219. Hancock, John, 174. Hastings, Marquis of, 198, 2I2^ 253. Haynes, Col. Isaac, 2I2^ Herkimer, General, 161. Henry, Patrick, 224. Hermann, 225. Hey ward, Thos., Jr., 172. Howe, Sir Wm., 188. Huntington, Gen. Jed., 146. JAY, John, 169, 214, 219. Jefferson, Thos., 219. Johnson, Col. Guy, 186, 192, '93» i94> 205, 212% ^ ^ 236, 252. Johnson Hall, 160, 212. Johnson, Lady, 2I2\ Johnson, Sir John, 139, 140, 158, 174, 186, 187, 190, 191, 192, 194, I95j 206, 207, 208, 211, 212S213, 252. 272 Index. f Johnson, Sir Wm., 140, 160, 162, 163, 172, 187, 197, 238,251. Jones, Judge Thos., 146. Jones, John D., 146. Jones, Gen. Valentine, 149. Jones, Col. Chas. C, 211. l^ EMBLE, Gouverneur, 205. Kirkland, Rev. Sam'l,, 197. Klock's Field, 211, 212^ J^AURENS, Henry, 169. Laurens, Col. John, i 73. Lee, Arthur, 178. Livingston, Philip, 214. Livingston, Gov. Wm., 178 Logan, the Chief, 163. Louisburg, 159. Lyman, Gen. Phineas, i6o. Lynch, Thos. Jr., 172. ]yjACKENZIE,Dr., 238. Madison, James, 219. Matthews, Mayor of New York, 213. Maximus, Quintus, 229. Middleton, Arthur, 172. Mikado, 240. Montcalm, Marquis de, 168. Monroe, Col. James, 200. Moore, Geo. H., LL. D., 189. Morgan, Gen. Daniel, 211. Morris, Gouverneur, 214. Morris, Lewis, 155. Morris, Robert, 224. Munsell, Joel. 202. KTEV/CASTLE, Duke of, 180. Nicolls, Gov., 244. Nieu Amsterdam, 244. North, Lord, 180. Northumberland, Duke of, 198. QBELISK, The, 229, 227, . 239- Ouvrir la Porte, 251. Outre Mer, 248. Ogelthorpe, Gen., 21 1. Oswald, Richard, 169. pENN, Richard, 178. Pepperel, Sir Wm., 160. Pepys, Samuel, 210. Percy, Lord, 199. Pinckney, Gen. C. C, 173. Pickering, Timothy, 200. Plutarch, 230. Pollock, Dr., 225. Pretender, The, 157. QUEENSBURY, Duchess of, 182. TD EFUGEES, 142. Richfield, 235. Richmond, Duke of, 212'. Riedesel, Gen., 191. Rochambeau, Ct., 156. Rockingham, Lt., 180, 189. Rome, 226, 227. Rudolph of Hapsburg, 232. Rutledge, Edward, 172. Index. e of, 273 of, 227, less CABIN, Lorenzo, 168. Schi yiei, Peter, 161. Schuyler, Gen. Philip., 179, 212*. Scipio, Publius, 229. Scull, I. D., 189. Seymour, Gov,, 231. Shelburn, Ld., 188. Shirley, Gov. Wm., 160. Skene, Col. Philip, 238. Smith, Judge Mill, 146. Smith, Rev. Chas. Jeffry, 197. Spencer, Herbert, 223, 234, 238. Sprague, Rev. Dr., 253. Stanley, Dean, 182. St. Ledger, Col., 161. Stewart, Gen., 198. Stirling, Lord, 160. Stockton, Richard, 173. Stockton, Emelia, 175. Stone, W. L., 140. Stout Francis A., 252. Stryker, Adj't Gen., 246. Sydney, Lord, 204. ^HOiMPSON, Charles, 167. Townshend, Charles, 185. Trusty, Col., 245. Tryon County, 212*^, 252. Tryon, Gov., 215, 236. IJTOPIA, 245. YAN SCHAACK, Peter, 148. Vattemare, Alexander, 253. Viomenel, Baron de, 156. ^yARWICK, Lord, 199. Washington, 211, 213, 214, 217, 218, 230, 246. Washington, Col. W., 252. Wales, Frederick Prince of 181. Wales, Princess Dowaj'cr, '83. Walpole, Sir Robert, i8o. Watts, Mary, 238. Watts, John, 238. White, Col. A. W., 210. White, Alderman, 255. Wheelock, Rev. Eleazer, 162, 172. William III, 150. William, Stadtholder, 244. Winthrop, Robert C, 254. Woodfall, Wm., 215, 216. Y^TES, Abraham, Jr., 161. Yonkers, 231. York, Duke of, 244.