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 the Cornell University Library. 
 
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 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924032310629 
 
Cornell University Library 
 
 E233 .J67 
 
 Orderly book of Sir John Johnson during 
 
 olln 
 
 3 1924 032 310 629 
 

 h^<^^%^^ 
 
 BRIG. -GEN. SIR JOHN JOHNSON, BART. 
 
ORDERLY BOOK 
 
 or 
 
 SIR JOHN JOHNSON 
 
 DURING THE 
 
 ORISKANY CAMPAIGN, 1776-1777 
 
 ANNOTATED BY 
 
 WILLIAM Lv' STONE 
 
 Author of the Life and Times of Sir William Johnson, Bart.; Burgoyne*8 
 Campaign ; Life and Journals of General and Mrs. Riedesel, &c. 
 
 with an 
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 ILLUSTRATING 
 
 The Life of Sir John Johnson, Bart. ; 
 
 BY 
 
 jM WATTS DE PEYSTER, LL.D., M.A. 
 
 if ANCHOR if 
 
 Author of The Life of [Swedish Field-Marshal] Leonard Torstenson 
 
 [Generalissimo], 18555 Carausuis, 1858; Winter Campaigns, &c,, 
 
 1864; The Personal and Military History of Maj. Gen. 
 
 Phil. Kearny, 1869 j La Royale, The Grand Hunt of the 
 
 Army of the Potomac, 3D-7TH ApaiL, 1872-4; Mary, 
 
 (^uEEN 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. 
 MDCCC LXXXII. 
 
 ; \' I 
 

 TO THE 
 
 ^on. 3oftn ?i^, %tatCn, 
 
 WHOSE GRANDMOTHER, JANE STARIN'J SUFFERED FOR HER 
 PATRIOTISM DURING THE ST/ I^GER CAMPAIGN: 
 
 AND TO 
 
 A FRIEND FROM BOYHOOD, 
 THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY THE ANNOTATOR. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Life and Misfortunes of Sir John Johnson, 
 including the Battles of Oriskany and of 
 Klock's Field -------- I 
 
 Introduction to Orderly Book - - - a 
 
 Orderly Book ____---. i 
 
 Appendix --------- 99 
 
 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 _-___----- 257 
 
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 - - - - ^^ 
 
 Picture of a Batteau ------ j^ 
 
 Portrait of Joel Munsell ------ i 29 
 
 View of Fort Johnson ----- i^g 
 
 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 - - _ - iq6 
 
 View of Johnson Hall - - - - - - 212* 
 
 Facsimile of Washington's Letter - - 215 
 
 Facsimile of Declaration of Independence 220 
 
of 
 

 RESPECT AND AFFECTION 
 
 THIS LABOR IS 
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 TO 
 
 MY LATE VENERABLE FATHER, 
 
 Ixthnic U |3es0tcr, l€. ?B., 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, NEW YORK 
 
 SOCIETY LIBRARY, ST. NICHOLAS CLUB, AND FORMERLY OF 
 
 THE ST. NICHOLAS SOCIETY, 
 
 &C., &C., Sec. 
 
 With a grateful pemembranGe of the assiduity -with -whieh, at an 
 
 early age, the father inspiped. the son with literary tastes 
 
 and intpoduced him to the study of history, thus 
 
 furnishing to him an inestimable pesouree 
 
 in tpouble and a sure solace amid 
 
 many sopfcws. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 " Fidelity, that neither bribe nor threat . 
 
 Can move or warp, and gratitude for small 
 And trivial favours, lasting as the life." 
 
 CowPER. ^''TaskV 
 
 There is perhaps no truer proverb than that which de- 
 clares that '"whoever excuses himself accuses himself." 
 There are exceptions, 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 ; 
 
 Then why puzzle and fret, plot and dream ? 
 He that's wise will just follow his nose, 
 
 Contentedly fish, while he swims with the stream ; 
 'Tis no business op his whekb he gobs." 
 
 '^All around is forethought sure, 
 Fixed will and stern decree. 
 Can the sailor move the main ? 
 Will the potter heed the clay ? 
 Mortal ! where the spirit drives, 
 Thither must the wheels obey. 
 1—a 
 
b Preface. 
 
 " Neither ask, nor fret, nor strive : 
 Where thy path is, thou shall go. 
 He who made the streams of time, 
 Wafts thee down to weal or woe ! " 
 
 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- 
 sequentljf 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 difi'usive 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 M'ork 
 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 
 
Preface. c 
 
 escape from the whigs, patriots, or rebels, in her successful 
 attempt to rejoin lier husband, Sir John, within the royal 
 lines at New York. It is the tradition of the victim, as 
 opposed to the legends of the vietimizers ; 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 whom are numbered the illiterate depending 
 entirely upon the fallible functions of memory. 
 
 This story of Lady Johnson's "Adventures" was 
 written by Miss SussCn 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 Jolmson, 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 
 
// Preface. 
 
 defeat at Langside, 15th of June of that year. Among 
 the heirlooms of this family, a portrait of Mary is pre- 
 served, which 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 delisered by the writer before the New 
 York Historical Society, on Tuesday evening, 6th 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 Freeman 
 Clarke) who 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, word and deed. To Gen. 
 Horatio Rogers, 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. Wm. L. Stone, the pains- 
 taking and indefatigable historian, to Wm. C. Bryant, 
 Esq., of Buffalo, jST. Y., the disinterested champion of the 
 wronged and misrepresented ; to Mr. Henry A. Homes, of 
 the iST. Y. State Library, for much trouble and com-tesy, — 
 to these and to others in lesser degree, but with gi-eat kind- 
 ness, the warmest gratitude is felt and acknowledged. 
 
 „ „ J. WATTS DK PEYSTER. 
 
 KosB Hill, 
 
 Tivoli P. O., Duchess Co., N. Y. 
 
 4th .July, 1882. 
 
 Note. — There are few individuals in the United States who have tlie 
 prerogative of expressing an opinion on the causes and course of the 
 American Revolution superior to that of the writer. Lincoln, in his 
 speech of speeches, at the consecration of the Soldiers' Cemetery at 
 Gettysburg, — an utterance 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 battlefield — " have conse- 
 crated it far above our power to add or to detract ;" " that they save 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 
 Xew York. A great great-uncle, Stephen de Lancey, was one of the most 
 accomplished Executives who ever administered 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 Colony." 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. Anear kinsman andnamesake 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 resist French invasion ; is com- 
 memorated in the dedication of the " Poem on Life," by a famous pri- 
 
f Preface. 
 
 vate 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 severely 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 escaping the eflects 
 of a rifle-shot. Another great-un cle by marriage, afterwards Earl of Gas- 
 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 accumulation of a lifetime and the rest of 
 his accessible property. 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 1812-15. 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 political rancor, nay, 
 persecution. 
 
 A kindred loyalty to the government sent every available relative 
 into 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 itself 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. 
 
THE JOHNSON FAMILY 
 
 OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY* 
 
 (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] conld have acted 
 differently than he did." 
 
 In many respects the two greatest men who 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.," &e., &c. 
 
ii The Johnson Family. 
 
 acting Governor, James de Lancey, and Sir William 
 Johnson, Bart, the "Indian Tamer"— the Conqueror at 
 Lake George in 1755, and the Capturer of Niagara in 
 1759. If space permitted, it would be a very interesting 
 and agreeable task or duty to clear up some historic 
 doubts in regard to the first Sir William and introduce 
 illustrations of his ability which have 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 that originally the family name was not John- 
 son, but Jansen, and that the first who bore it and settled in Ireland was 
 a Hollander, who, like many of his countrymen, went over afterwards 
 with William III. in 1690, won lands and established themselves. If this 
 report 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 this State within a gene- 
 ration after its settlement : the Feuersteins becoming Flints, the Muh- 
 lers Millers, &c., &c. This Jansen story, however, is a myth, like 
 many of the stupidities which are engendered by ignorance or started 
 through envy or other like meannesses in illiterate neighborhoods. Col. 
 Guy Johnson, nephew of Sir William, always retained a touch of the 
 brogue. " His tongue bore evidence of his Irish extraction" (Captain 
 Snyder, in Stone's "Brant," II. 67. 
 
The Johnson Family. iii 
 
 Warren, Knight of .the most Honorable Order of the 
 Bath, Vice-Admiral in the British Navy under George 11. 
 (and well-known for his exploits — among these his co- 
 operation with Sir William Pepperell in the famous expe- 
 dition against Louisburg,. the French Gibraltar in Amer- 
 ica, in 1745), and niece of Admiral Lord Ajlmer, of Bal- 
 rath, County Meath, Ireland. 
 
 "The above Christopher Johnson was son of William 
 Johnson, then called MacSean or MacShane, a general 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., 1st July, 
 1690), aad of Anne Fitzsimmons, of Tallynally, county of 
 Westmeath. William MacSean was, the son of Thomas 
 MacSean and Frances Fay, of the very ancient family of 
 Derrinaganale, county Westmeath. This Thomas MacSean 
 was son of John (CNeil), from whom the MacSeans of that 
 family were called, and was descended from the Eoyal 
 (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 conquered Ireland, 
 1169-70. 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 
 
iv The Johnson Family. 
 
 is an exceptional honor attached to .the patent of nobility 
 conferred upon the first Sir William and his son, Sir John, 
 which is almost unprecedented in British history. 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 the recipient. 
 
 I. WILLIAM JOHNSON, Esq. (afterwards Knight, and 
 Baronet), was born at Smith Town, County Meath, Ireland, 
 and subsequently adopted by his maternal uncle. Admiral Sir 
 Peter Warren, K. B., capturer of Louisburg, &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 Superin- 
 tendent of all the affairs of the Six Nations and other Northern 
 Indians^'' " with no subordination but to Loudon (London ?)." 
 He died 11th 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. Annb, married to Col. Daniel Clauss, of North 
 
 America, and died about 1798. 
 III. Mart, married to Col. Guy Johnson, and had two 
 daughters: 1. Mary, wife of Field 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 Fwmily. v 
 
 The son and heir of Sir William Johnson, Bart. : 
 n. SlE JOHN, of Johnson Hall,* Ti-ynn (afterwards F nlton) 
 County, N. Y., finally of Mount Johnson, Montreal : Colonel of 
 Regiment of Horse in the Northern District of New York, in 
 1773; Major-General of the Militia belonging to the same por- 
 tion of the Province after the decease of his father; iLieut.-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 j^ Colonel, B. A., 21st 
 October, 1782; Brigadier-General of t'Ee Provincial Troops, 
 &c., 14th March, 1782; Superintendent-General and Inspector- 
 
 * To furnish some idea of the condition of insecurity in which 
 the Johnson famUy 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 who 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 win keep your Party sober and in good order, and pre- 
 vent their having any unnecessary Intercourse with the Indians least 
 any difference might arise between them from too much familiarity. 
 
 2d. If any difference should arise between them, if the Indians 
 use any of your party iU, I am to be immediately acquainted with it. 
 
 4th. Tou 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 flre his piece and retreat to the Fort. Another Sentry to be posted 
 at the Grate of the Fort on the outside, who is also to enter the Fort on 
 the advanced Sentry alarming him. 
 
 3d. The Sergeant to take care that the Men's Quarters be kept 
 very Clean and that they wash weU and freshen their Salt Provisions, 
 the neglect of which makes them subject to many Disorders. 
 
 7th. In case of an attack the 3 Bastions to be properly 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 fight from 
 thence, making Use of the Four Wall Pieces and Musquetoons and of 
 the windows fitted for them. 
 
vi The Johnson Family. 
 
 General of the Six Nations of Indians and their Confederates, 
 of all the Indians inhabiting Our province of Quebec and 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 Eastern Townships of Lower 
 Canada. He was Knighted at St. James', London, 22d Nov., 
 
 6th. Whenever an alarm is given by the advanced Sentry, you will 
 order three Patteroes [or Peaeroes, a very small kind of cannon] im- 
 mediately to be fired, that being the signal I have given to the Mo- 
 hawks, and on their 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 9th, 1756. Yrs., 
 
 Alexander TubnBull. Wm. Johnson. 
 
 Note. — On the 10th of August the Marquis de Moutcalm, who had succeeded Baron 
 Dieskau in command of French army, invested Oswego. On the 13th 
 Cause of this the garrison, Shirley and Pepperell's regiments, 1600 men, evacuated 
 absence, and retreated to the old fort across the river, and surrendered on 13th, 
 and both forts levelled. Johnson was at Albany on the 20th 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 Gel-man Flats, which ended Loudoun's campaign and disappointed and In- 
 cetised the Six Nations, who looked for his protection, and gave Sir William mxich 
 trouble ; the Mohawks only remaining reliable, the others for a time negotiating for 
 peace with the French. 
 
 * Gen'l J. W. DE Pbtstek, Btiffalo, March 30, 1882. 
 
 Dear Sir : — I enclose copy of Sir John Johnson'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 gratitude for 
 
The Johnson Family. vii 
 
 1765. (On the death of his father, Sir William (I.), Sir John 
 positively refused to accept the succession to the former's dig- 
 nities and offices in connection with 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 heen 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 [Try on] 
 county.") Sir John married, 30th June, 1773, Mabt, 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) he had issue : 
 » I. William, Lieut-Col., born 1775; married in 1802, Susan — 
 an extraordinary beauty — daughter of Stephen de Laii- 
 
 hls noble defence of Sir John Johnson, and the writer abundant thanks 
 for information, rendered doubly valuable by the courtesies attending 
 its transmission. J. W. db P.] 
 
 GEORGE R. 
 
 [Great Seal.] 
 
 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 John 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 faithful 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 
 such 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 Dtjndas. 
 
viii The Johnson Family. 
 
 cey, Governor of Tobago, and sister of Sir William de 
 Laucey, K. C. B., " Quarterraaster-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. 
 
 3. Susan, diedlunmarried in 1828. 
 II. Adam GokdOn, Hid Baronet. 
 
 III. James Stephen, Captain 28th Regiment, killed at 
 
 Badajoz, born in 1785. 
 
 IV. Robert Thomas, drowned in Canada in 1812. 
 t V. Wakren, Major 68th Regiment, died 1813. 
 
 ' VI. John, of Point Oliver, Montreal, Col. Com'g 6th Bat- 
 talion of Militia, born 8th August ; 1782, married 10th 
 February, 1825, Mary Diana, daughter of Richard 
 Dillon, Esq., 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, 1836 ; killed at Barbadoes. 
 
 4. Archibald Kennedy, born 20th June, 1839. 
 
 1. Maria Diana. 
 
 2. Anne Margaret. 
 
 3. Eliza Theresa. 
 
 4. Mart Anne. 
 
 vii. Charles Christopher, 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 
 
The Johnson Family. ix 
 
 of Admii-al Sir Edward Griffiths, of Jforthbrook 
 House, Hants (Hampshire) (who took the surname of 
 Colpoys), and died 30th September, 1854, leaving : 
 1. William, an officer in 20th Regiment, born 
 
 28th May, 1821, deceased. 
 "2. John Oemsby, Captain Royal' Navy; bom 11th 
 August, 1822. 
 
 3. Chaeles Tuequand, born 17th June, 1825, de- 
 
 ceased. 
 
 4. Edwaed Colpoys, born 11th August, 1855, an 
 
 officer in the Army. 
 
 1. Maeia Bowes, married, 18th June, 1867, Rev. 
 
 Wm. Bell Christian, of Ewanrigg Hall, Cum- 
 berland, and Milntown, Isle of Man. 
 
 2. Maey 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 loveliest, wisest and 
 
 best of women, married in 1805 to Major- 
 General Barnard Foord Bowes, an officer of 
 unusual ability and intrepidity, who fell in the 
 attack upon the forts at Salamanca, 23d June, 
 1812.( See Harper's "Alison," HI., 476 (2) and 
 note f, and other authorities on the War in 
 Spaiu). She died at Anglesey, near Gosport, 
 England, in 1850. 
 
 3. Marianne, died 1st January, 1868. 
 
 Sir John, died 4th Januaiy, 1830, and was succeeded by 
 his eldest surviving son, 
 
 in. Sir Adam Gordon, Lieut.-Col. of the 6th Battalion of 
 Militia, bom 6th May, 1781; who died unmarried 21st May, 
 
X The Johnson Family. 
 
 1843, and was succeeded by his nephew, William George, 
 the present (1882) Bai'onet. 
 
 IV. Sir William George Johnson, of Twickenham, Coun- 
 ty of Middlesex, England, was graduated at Woolwich, and 
 tor the best portion of his life held a commission 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 salmon naiant in water, proper. 
 
 Crest. — An arm, gules, encircled with a ducal crown. Or, the 
 hand grasping a sword, proper, poinard and hilt. Or. 
 
 Motto. — '■'■Nee aspera terrenV '■'■ Difficulties do not stop 
 {or deter) or dismay.'''' " Boldness Wins." 
 
 Sir John Johnson, might have exclaimed, in the words of 
 Dryden : 
 
 " Fortune came smiling to my youth, and woo'd it, 
 And purpl'd greatness met my ripen'd years. 
 When first I came to empire, I was borne. 
 On tides of people crowding to my triumpli : 
 -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 tum'd her loose, yet still she came again. 
 My careless days, and my luxurious nights, 
 At length haye wearied her ; and now she's gone. 
 ****** 
 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 ; 
 /'«« still a heart that swells in scorn of fate." 
 
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " Our knowledge of the future [1861 — 5], can only be a copy of the past [1775-83]." 
 Th. Ribot's ''''Diseases 0/ Memory?^ 
 
 Casar. — " Vou must obey what all obey, the rule 
 
 Of fix'd necessity : against her edict 
 
 Rebellion prospers not." 
 Arnold. — "And when it prospers — " 
 
 Casar. — '* *" Tis no rebellion." 
 
 * * ' * t 
 
 Philibert. — ** How now, fellow ! 
 
 Thou waxest insolent, beyond the privilege 
 
 Of a buflToon." 
 CiEsar. — " You mean, I speak the truth. 
 
 I'll lie — it is as easy ; then you'll praise me 
 
 For calling you a hero." 
 
 Byron's '"'' Deformed Transformed^^ Act 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 fuHy agrees in opinion with the writer (of these manu- 
 scripts), will not communicate them to the public, because the world "will neither hear 
 nor Believe the simple truths but wishes to be deceived.'''' 
 
 ScHLOSSER, ^'■History of the XIX. Century^'' IV., 342. 
 
 "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy 
 falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so : and 
 what will ye do in the end thereof.'* Jeremiah V,, 30, 31. . 
 
 There was a greater and a finer display of Loyalty to 
 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 represent, to the cause of Liberty and 
 Independence, that is to the Confederated Colonies, in 
 3— xi 
 
xii Historical Introduction. 
 
 1775-6. 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 
 war in the British service than Washington ever had to- 
 gether, regulars and irregulars, under the highest pres- 
 sure of voluntary and compulsory service. 
 
 Lorenzo Sabine demonstrates this, and the following 
 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 Jager in Schiller's " WallensteMs 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' 
 Rebellion" than has ever been exhibited, spontaneously, by any people 
 in the world — far more than during the American Revolution. The 
 Loyalists of 1861-3 took up arms for their colors and country and for 
 conscience — for principle ; so did the Loyalists of 1775-6. 
 
Historical Introduction. xiii 
 
 Rebel. New York was Tory. ■ New Jersey — eastern part fol- 
 lowed New Yoi'k, western part Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania 
 was Tory, Maryland was divided ; North 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 party, 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 impossibility. When 
 the goal was reached how did the Confederated Colonies, 
 transmuted 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 Kebels in 
 1865, than to their brethren, if they were, so in fact, by the 
 Colonial authorities in 1782-3. The Duke of Alva was 
 scarcely more cruel for his race, day, prejudices and 
 opportunities than the authorities of the State of New 
 York, Tor 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. 
 
xiv Historical Introd'uction. 
 
 and his ministry, nothing can excuse the animus which 
 permeates 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 1861 settled the interpretation or 
 definition of Loyality — Fealty to the Government and 
 Fidelity to the Flag! If there was any man in the 
 Colonies 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 
 Revolution 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 wrote 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 forward 
 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 
 
Historical Introduction. xv 
 
 many figured at the head of our armies? How many 
 influenced the resolutions of Congress? Of twenty-eight 
 active major-generals — there were thirty, but one re- 
 signed 23d April, 1776, and one was retired in 1778 — 
 eleven were foreigners, and four had learned their trades 
 in the British service. Throwing out those who were 
 promoted, of the fifty-five brigadiers, between 1775 and the 
 close of the war in 1782, twelve were foreigners. 
 
 The two chief agents of independence were Benjamin 
 Franklin and Thomas Paine. The first 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 Britain, and the law is held in more rever- 
 ence there than in the United States. Here license dictates 
 the laws and a respectable minority has to suifer and suc- 
 cumb. There is no law but public opinioif; 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 ? 
 
 The atmosphere breathed by so many of the prominent 
 American families of New York was surcharged with Loy- 
 alty and Fidelity to a rightful Prince. Whether the idea was 
 \\dse 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 Kadcliffe, Earl of 
 Derwentwater, the idol of the Jacobites, was beheaded* 
 
 * "Lord Derwentwatbk's Lights. — There have been several 
 wonderful and most unusual displays of aurora borealls in England 
 
xvi Historical Introduction. 
 
 24th February, 1716 ; that is, on the very day, it is 
 claimed by Col. T. Bailey Myers, that Sir William John- 
 son was born, and the wild fervor of Jacobite Loyalty was 
 still alive when Sir John was a boy. The world was yet 
 ringing with the thrilling, touching 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 Cro-w^n would have been false to manhood if they had 
 not stood by the source of honor whose streams had en- 
 nobled and enriched them. 
 
 Contrast Lokd Deewentwatee's famous " Good Night' ' 
 with a similar poem, evoked by the exile and ruin of the 
 "Westchester de Lanceys. The same spirit manifests itself 
 in both. 
 
 lately, seriously aflfectlng, as they have done here, the telegraphic 
 communicatioii. In Northumberland, the aurora borealis is known 
 among the peasantry by the name of Lord Derwentwater's 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 
 Radcllffe, 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. The vast estates of the Rad- 
 cliflfes were confiscated to the endowment of G-reenwich 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. 
 
Historical Introduction. xvii 
 
 " Farewell to pleasant Dilston Hall, 
 
 My faiher^ s a,n(A&[A seat ; 
 A stranger now must call thee Ms, 
 
 Which gars my heart to greet. 
 Farewell each friendly well-known face, 
 
 My heart has held so dear ; 
 My tenants now must leave their lands. 
 
 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, 
 
 The lav' rocks wake the day. 
 Then fare thee well, brave Witherington, 
 
 And Forster ever true ; 
 Dear Shaftesbury and Errington, 
 
 Receive my last adieu. 
 
 "And fare thee well, George Collingwood, 
 
 Since fate has put us down, 
 If thou and I have lost our lives,/ 
 
 Our King has lost his crown. 
 Farewell, farewell, my lady dear, 
 
 111, ill thou counsell'dst me ; 
 I never more may see the babe 
 
 That smiles upon thy knee.\ 
 
 ' And fare thee well, my bonny grey steed,^: 
 
 That carried me aye so free ; 
 I wish I had been asleep in my 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 the tenants and dependents of Sir 
 Jolm,Johnson. 
 
 ij;^ 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 dieTJ 
 
 t Sir John Johnson had a famous (white or whitey-grey ?) 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 me no more. 
 
 "Albeit that here in London town, 
 
 It is my fate to die ; 
 O carry me to Northumberland, 
 
 In my father's grave to lie ! 
 Then chant my solemn requiem, 
 
 In Hexham's holy 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 RadcliflFe's fallen line. 
 Farewell to pleasant Dilston Hall, 
 
 My father's ancient seat ; 
 A stranger now must call thee his, 
 
 Whicli gars my heart to greet." 
 
 The touching lines, just quoted, are echoes of similar 
 heart-utterances of every nation which has a literature, 
 and which 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 poetry. The gentle Jane was the niece of 
 
Historical Introduction. xix 
 
 Lady Johnson, wife of Sir John, and the sister of the 
 famous Colonel James de Laneey, who organized a Battalion 
 of Loyal Light Horse. "This Troop [the nucleus] is 
 truly ' Elite' of the country, " is the record of the Eoyal 
 Governor. 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 Laneey' s Legion. This, like that of Lauzun, Pulaski, 
 Armand and "Light Horse Harry" Lee, comprised both 
 Horse and Foot. The enterprise was undertaken on the 
 night of 1st July, 1Y81. It failed completely. 
 
 When the success of the Americans was decided, Colo - 
 nelJamesjie_Lanfiey, 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 had 
 lost all. He was a nephew of Sir John Johnson. When 
 about to leave forever his ancestral home, 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- 
 ated with the joyful recollections of early life. The con- 
 sciousness that he beheld them all for the last time, and 
 4 
 
XX Historical Introduction. 
 
 the uncertainties to he enconntered in the strange country 
 to which hanishment was consigning him, conspired to 
 awaken emotions such as the sternest bosom is sometimes 
 compelled to entertain. It was in vain that he struggled 
 to suppress feelings which shook his iron heart. Nature 
 soon obtained the mastery, and he burst into tears. After 
 weeping with uncontrollable bitterness for a few moments, 
 he shook his ancient friend by the hand, ejaculating with 
 diflSculty the words of benediction — ' God bless you, 
 Theophilus [Bailey] !' and spurring forward, turned his 
 back forever upon his native valley"-r-the home of the 
 writer's great-grandparents on the mother's side. 
 
 The following feeling lines were 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 which 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 fiourishing 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 Introdxwtion. xxi 
 
 " Where gentle Bronx clear winding flows 
 
 His shadowing banks between ; 
 "Where bloBSom'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. 
 
 Be Lancey's ancient pine. 
 
 '■' 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. 
 
 He Lancey's ancient pine. 
 
 "And now the stranger's foot explores 
 
 De Lancey^s 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 wKere the waters moan — 
 
 De Lancey's ancient pine. 
 
 " Oh greatness ! o'er thy final fall, 
 
 The feeling heart should mourn. 
 Nor from de Lancey's 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's ancient pine." 
 
'^^r^/@i^ 
 
 /^^ 
 
 ^ttil 
 
 r^ 
 
 ?^ 
 
 ^ 15^ '^^W 
 
 
 
 ^B 
 
 
 
 ^s 
 
 <K f^^^l>^~^^-^jrY 
 
 ^pA 
 
 ?^^^ 
 
 
 
 ^p^s^- 
 
 THE AMERICAN LOYALISTS. 
 
 "At the conclusion of a long war, how are we recompensed for the death of multitudes 
 and 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 they 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 daring. 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." 
 
 Alison's ^'"History of Europe^'' II., ix., 214, 2. 
 
 Fortunately 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 element 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 Georgfe III.," London, 1788, written 
 by (Robert ?) Macfarl'ane, who kept an academy at "Walthamstow, in 
 Essex County, England, seven miles N.N.E. of London, 
 xxii 
 
The American Loyalists. xxiii 
 
 imitated Burgoyne. Tlie German, Knyphausen, strange 
 to say, was the first to perceive the 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, which 
 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 
 Prevost to convert Georgia almost entirely from rebellion 
 to loyalty. Clinton, in 1777, was 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 was 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 American 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 "Coratesse de Kochefort 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 ui-ged the irresist- 
 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 the vigor of an effective 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 
 revolutionaiy 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 TJltras on one side in support of the govern- 
 ment, and aid the Kadieals, 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. , ]^or was 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 
 
xxvi The American Loyalists. 
 
 Loyalists or Tories ; for the term Tory, as used in re- 
 gard to a party adverse to Rebellion 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- 
 fined 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 M'^ho 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, which was not backed by 
 a military force sufficient absolutely to overawe. Massachu- 
 setts was unquestionably 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 occurred in New York, on the 19th-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 M'^hich 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 Loyalists. xxvii 
 
 correct ; and the Declaration was juggled through, and the 
 signatures were appended firom time to time throughout the 
 year, if not a longer period. This accounts for the irre- 
 gular manner they appear 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 Trumbull's famous picture of "The 
 Signing." It depicts the representatives in very dilapi- 
 dated conditions, with blackened eyes, bruised bodies, torn 
 clothes and general tokens of an affray, drawing near to affix 
 their signatures at the table where Hancock presides look- 
 ing like the 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 something very curious about the respect as- 
 tached to this "4th of July." The first Congress of the 
 Colonies signed a "Compact of Union" (R. W. G.'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 
 1YY6. 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 1863, 
 confirmed in the minds of the people. 
 
 The Loyalists, confiding in the power of the Crown, 
 did not take up arms as soon as their adversaries ; and 
 thus, when they did begin to embody, they were at once 
 5 
 
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 — Math the tisual arrogance 
 of their caste, neither sought to utilize, support nor protect 
 their friends when 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 JS^ew France through 
 a contrary course to his, amounting to the same subsequent 
 lack of judgment on the part of the royal British military 
 governors. 
 
 •■^iii 
 
SIR JOHN JOHNSON, 
 
 KNIGHT AND BARONET. 
 
 BoBN 5th Nov., 1742. Died 4th Jan., 1830. 
 
 "The Past appeals to the impartiality of the Future. History replies. But, often, 
 generations pass away ere that reply can be given in a determinate form, For not 
 until the voices of contemporaneous panegycic 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. Then 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, and 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 ''^Life of Charles XII." 
 
 " 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 Otway's Tragedy, '"''The Orphan" i68o. 
 
 Perhaps no man in "the Colonies" who adhered to 
 the Crown, has 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 
 
XXX Sir John Johnson. 
 
 suffer who caused him to suffer. He was the only Loyal- 
 ist who had the opportunity to force the bitter chalice 
 which he had been compelled to drain, back upon the lips 
 of those who filled it for him, and in turn obliged them to 
 quaff the same hateful draught. The de Lanceys 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 quiver. 
 
 The father of Sir John Johnson — the subject of this me- 
 moir — was the famous Sir William Johnson, Bart., Colo- 
 nel in the Eoyal 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 which preceded 
 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 om'u, I consider him 
 as the GREATEST CHAEACTEE OF THE AGE." If ever there 
 was a leader who deserved the Corona Oleagina* of 
 the Romans, it was Sir William. 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 was 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 wreath of olive leaves and the re- 
 ward of a commander through whose instrumentality a triumph had 
 been obtained though not himself in the action by which it was 
 achieved. Aul. Gbll., V., 6. ; Rich. Dict., R. & Q-. A. 
 
Sir John Johnson. xxxi 
 
 tresses which flow down her receding hook. He opened 
 to emigration two of the most productive valleys in 
 the world — the Mohawk and Schoharie; and with the 
 development of their riches rose himself to a height of 
 opulence and influence unequalled in the "Thirteen. 
 Colonies." Just in his dealings with all men, he was 
 particularly so with the Indians, and acquired a power 
 over the latter such as no other individual ever possessed. 
 Transferred from civil jurisdiction to military command he 
 exhibited no less ability in the more dangerous exigen- 
 cies of war, than in the laborious services of peace. 
 He, it was, who. first stemmed the tide of French 
 invasion, and turned it at Lake George, in 1755; re- 
 ceiving both from his sovereign and from Parliament 
 a grateful recognition of his extraordinary services. 
 Nor were the people of the Province of New York less 
 demonstrative in their applause or appreciative of his 
 achievements. At "Johnson Hall" he lived in truly 
 baronial state, and no other provincial magnate ever ex- 
 hibited such afluence 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 Lak e Geor ge over t he 
 veteran„J!ieskau, 8th August, .1X55. New England, 
 always jealous of New Tork, 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- 
 
xxxii ^S^V John Johnson. 
 
 landers who could estimate Johnson 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 wife in 
 Deerfield in that colony. It bears the date of the very 
 day of the battle, which, by the way, was exactly a month 
 less a day subsequent to Braddock's defeat; the Provin- 
 cial by his ability redeeming in New York the incapacity 
 of the Professional and Regular 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 hira before I came 
 from home, in my life; to sum up, he is almost universally be- 
 loved and esteemed by officers and soldiers as a second Marl- 
 borough for coolnsss of head and warmness of heart." 
 
 His next exploit, scarcely less notable and resultive, 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 EdM'ard Gust, 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 militairy 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- 
 
Sir John Johnson. xxxiii 
 
 ral [Prideaux, killed] and added to them everytMng his 
 own genius could suggest. The troops, who respected, 
 and the provincials, who adored him," were not less de- 
 voted than the Six Nations of Indians, who 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 unequal to the demands of public business, he 
 presided at a council, 11th July, 1Y74, 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 Hollandish 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, well-known book, 
 entitled "The Memoirs of an American Lady" — Mrs. 
 Grant, of Laggan. The former was Sir John Johnson, a 
 
xxxiv Sir John Johnson. 
 
 more heroic representative of the transition era of this 
 State, than those whom Success, and its Dupe — History, 
 have placed in the national "Walhalla." While yet a 
 youth this son accompanied his father to his fields of battle, 
 and, when 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 when he was entrusted with 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 capacity 
 — such as stands alone in colonial history. Although his 
 father. Sir "William, was already a knight and baronet for 
 service to the crown, Jojin was himself knighted, at the 
 age of twenty-three ; and thus the old-new baronial hall 
 at Johnstown sheltered two 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 was 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 Johnson. xxxv 
 
 Mrs. Grant, of Laggan, has left us a charming pen-portrait 
 of this bright maiden. 
 
 Inheriting his father's dignities and responsibilities, 
 Sir J«hn Johnson could not have been otherwise than a 
 champion of his sovereign's rights. If he had turned his 
 coat to save his property, like 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_wa^developin^ 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 names. Sufficient to say, might prevailed over right, 
 and Sir John was placed under 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 vague system of paroling is in itself 
 invalid, and that individuals subjected to such a procedure 
 are absolved de facto from any pledges. 
 
 It is both persistent and popular to charge Sir John with 
 having broken his parole. Before even entering into the 
 
xxxvi Sir John Johnson. 
 
 question, it is simple justice to rebut the charge by denial. 
 His superiors did not recognize it, and able men acquainted 
 with military law are not unanimous in holding that a 
 pai-ole, imposed, as it M^as upon him, was 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 parties to every contract, legal, equitable 
 or honorable, and if one party uses duplicity and manifests 
 the intention to alter an agreement by a procedure which 
 would completely change the relation of the parties, what- 
 ever, great or 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 parole to 
 any parties having power to exact it, he was entitled to 
 every right and privilege conferred by a parole. If using 
 the parole as a blind, those by whom it was exacted, un- 
 dertook to withdraw it simultaneously with the substitu- 
 tion of an order for his arrest and close and severe confine- 
 ment, and the latter could only be efi"ected 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 helpless woman, detained 
 as a hostage, it is only fair to believe that there would have 
 been no mercy shown to the defiant husband. The little 
 
Sir John Johnson. xxxvii 
 
 rare work already cited in these pages as an authority, 
 " The Adventures of a Lady in- the War of Independence 
 in America," sets forth the cruelty exhibited towards 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 the French 
 government, for co-operating in the escape of her husband, 
 condemned to death for his adherence to Napoleon in 1816, 
 has always been considered an indelHble stigma upon it. 
 General Oust pronounces him innocent of '■'■treachery.'''' 
 Still, although this lady suiFered 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 
 _ command does not extend beyond this province; but, if 
 Sir John comes one foot within my district with his mur- 
 derous allies — yowr 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 
 which it was conveyed. "I mean. Madam, that if your 
 husband lets his Indians go on scalping our people, we can't 
 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 M'e must save gur people 
 
xxxviii Sir John Johnson. 
 
 from his savages. We hold you and your children as host- 
 ages ; and we consider tliat anotlier such descent as the 
 
 Indians made yesterday on the village of , will justify 
 
 us in the eyes of the whole world in avenging the 
 slaughter of many women and children, as helpless and 
 more innocent than yourself! " 
 
 A prominent maijor-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 ability 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 John. 
 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 '■'■with- 
 out foundation and untrue.'^''* 
 
 In a conversation with Gen. B. B. C , had 5-3-80, 
 
 discussing 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. 
 
Sir John Johvson. xxxix 
 
 those who were styling themselves at the time "faithful 
 subjects of his Majjesty." If faithful subjects, how had 
 Sir John rendered himself liable when the original charges 
 against him were "subsequently proved false?" 
 
 There are some curious circumstances connected with 
 this consideration would require a lawyer's brief to make 
 them plain to common observation. Sufficient to say, 
 everytbing turns on the success of the Revolution. Might 
 made right, and Sir John, who if the Crown had won 
 would have been exalted to the seventh heaven of honor, 
 since the mother country 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 judgment. It is to be hoped the same law does 
 not rule elsewhere. If, however, it was a simple exem- 
 plification 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 
 Count d'Estaing, the first French Commander who 
 brought assistance to this country, had notoriously broken 
 his parole, and yet American writers have never alluded 
 to the fact as prejiidicial to his honor. It 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 
 Jumonville, 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, hoM^ 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. Kegiments and brigades, 
 if not divisions, paroled at Yicksburg, 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, Yiriathus, 
 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, iii Leyden, to the Spanish 
 general Valdez, besieging the place : 
 
 "The fowler plays sweet notes on his pipe when 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 him that he may not have the least opportunity 
 to escape." Sir John had some friends among those who 
 were 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 sprung upon him. 
 
 Sir John fled, but he did not fly imaccompanied ; and 
 among his subsequent associates, oflicers and soldiers, 
 were men of as good standing as those who remained be- 
 hind to proflt by the change of authority. Many of the 
 latter, however, expiated their sins or errors on the day 
 of reckoning at Oriskany. 
 
 " 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 completely destroyed, and when 
 they reached the shores of the St. Lawrence, it was difficult to 
 recognize or understand the gaunt spectres who emerged ii-om 
 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 Johnson's] being 
 removed from Albany.' He is charged by them with having; 
 broken his word of honor, pledged that he would remain pas- 
 
xlii Sir John Johnson. 
 
 give ; but we cdl know that his person would have been seized, had 
 he remained that night [when Col. Dayton arrived] at the Hall." 
 Stone, in his ' Life of Brant' (I., 144), corroborates this. 'After 
 nineteen days of severe hardship, the Baronet and his partisans 
 arrived at Montreal in a pitiable condition — having encountered 
 all of suffering that it seemed possible for man to endure.' 
 Stone then adds [Ibid, 144), and he presents almost the identical 
 idea of the magnanimous Sabine (I., 581): 'Sir John was 
 immediately commissioned 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 the 
 'Royal Greens.' In the month of January following, he found 
 liis way into Mew York, then in possession of the British 
 forces. 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 
 scourge of his own former neighbors. He was unquestionablyi 
 a loyalist from principle, else he would scarcely have hazarded, 
 as he did, and ultimately lost, domains larger and fairer thanl 
 probably ever belonged to a single proprietor in America, j 
 Willian Penn only excepted." -— ' 
 
 Sabine (I., 581) observes: "It is thought that he was a 
 conscientious loyalist; and this may be allowed. He lived in 
 a style of luxury and splendor which few country gentlemen 
 In America possessed the means to support. His domains 
 wei-e 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. * * * rpj^g conduct of the Whigs 
 towards him may have been harsh, and, in the beginning, too 
 harsh for his 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 threatened to undo 
 the work of a century and make Schenectady once more a 
 frontier town. 
 
 Not able to seize the man (Sir John), disappointment 
 determined to capture a woman. 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, 17YY, 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- 
 ■7 
 
xliv St^ John Johnson. 
 
 gale. We had a heroine in our midst who displayed a 
 courage as lofty as theirs; but she is forgotten, because 
 she was the wife of a man who had the courage to avenge 
 her wrongs even upon the victors, and chastise her ene- 
 mies and persecutors as well as his own. 
 
 It was intended at first to embody the whole of Mrs. 
 Colonel Christopher 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 I 
 to the "Appendices " to his Address before the Historical ; 
 Society, on file there ; to pages 76-81, ' ' History of New j 
 York," by Judge Thomas Jones; and to Note XXXL_;i 
 thereto, by Edward Floyd de Laneey, E^. 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, though relying much on the zeal and 
 fidelity of her 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 support. Poor Tony's [one of her husband's faithful 
 negro slaves, who risked so much from affection for the family] 
 chief ground of ciansolation 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, if 
 strength and courage 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 JoJmson. xlv 
 
 questions that would be asked. Fortunately, Grove House 
 was but a little out of the way of their real destination, and as 
 it was probable inquiries might be made there, it would not 
 have been safe for them to take the sleigh on. They, therefore, 
 stopped at the cattle-shed, a little distance from the mansion, 
 and leaving the sleigh and horse there, with one of their 
 heaviest wrappings, as an indication that they intended to 
 return, pursued their way with as much speed as possible in 
 the direction of the British camp. By means of their pass, and 
 avoidance of the larger bodies posted at diffei-ent stations, they 
 went on uninteruptedly to the end of that day; and when they 
 reached a resting place for the night, it was a matter of deep 
 thankfulness to find that, as the Continental camp was protected 
 on that side by a wide river just in a state of partial thaw, that 
 rendered the crossing it dangerous for individuals and imprac- 
 ticable for a body of troops, it had been deemed unnecessary 
 to keep that point very strictly guarded. They easily found, 
 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 suifering. 
 The elder children, too, were both so fagged that Tony 
 and the nurse were obliged to carry them almost without in- 
 termission — so that the poor Lady could hardly be relieved 
 from the bui-den of the infant. They rose, therefore, the next 
 morning, with trembling 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 were near their 
 refuge, and presently he came in to them. Happily 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 from 
 
xlvi Sir John Johnson. 
 
 them, and was taking his meal in another cottage. The soldier 
 did not seem to have been dispatched with any very exact or 
 urgent directions ; but his oiBcor having received a message 
 from the camp near Grove House, to inquire after a party who 
 had been expected there, and had not arrived, sent his servant 
 to gain some information previous to the arrival of more par- 
 ticular instructions. Taking the license which young 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 round 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 off. No sooner was 
 he out of sight 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 the state of the ice showed 
 clearly why its shores were not very carefully guarded. It 
 must here be remarked that the danger of crossing a liver, 
 partially covered with ice, is different from that incuri'ed 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 threaten fearful peril to those who venture 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 crashes 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 
 experienced 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 them 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 party to feign poverty, therefore the gold 
 hitherto hidden in their garments was produced, and each 
 carrying a child made their way with infinite labor and peril of 
 slipping 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 from the guidance of the boat ; yet 
 trembling at the suspension of the feeble cries which till then 
 had wrung 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. Half-an-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 boatman, and though the snow 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 composure the announce- 
 ment of the- Lady's name,* a glance sent oflf 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 tenderness 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 ; Tony weeping with joy and 
 thankfulness over his mistress, and telling her Sir John was 
 coming! The poor mother cast one hopeful glance towards 
 the distance, 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 husband and borne insensible to the quarters of 
 the Commander-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 and 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 thought, 'and my pretty one had been saved.' 
 But the joy and thankfulness of those around her soon stilled her 
 repining. Both her surviving children appeared to be entirely 
 restored to health ; but with the little girl the appearance was 
 
 * Such was the aflfection borne by the " Six Nations" to the Johnson 
 family, that, many years after, when the writer's father visited them, 
 in Canada, and when the survivors of this once mighty Confederation, 
 " the Romans of America," learned that he had married a niece of Lady 
 Johnson, they adopted him with the affectionate pseudonym (according 
 to Sir William George Johnson, Bart.): " Saitat-tsinoxi-iakioj)!," signi- 
 fying, in substance, " One of us." 
 
Sir John Johnson. xlix 
 
 fallacious. After the first week her strength and appetite 
 declined, and her parents had the grief of laying her in an 
 untimely grave, from the destructive effects of cold and ex- 
 posure on a frame previously 3ebilitated 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 
 Independence in America," pages 53-7.) 
 
 It is not the intention of this work to reflect upon, or 
 refer to, Eevolutionary oflScials 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 ^'■vce metis" 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 and their chief-men in the Wyoming Valley, and 
 the "Pennamites "and their executives seeking to enforce 
 the rights of the Penn Patenteen in the Susquehanna 
 Valley, or of the Union party or Loyalists and the South- 
 erners during the "Slaveholder's Pebellion " in 1861-6 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 Sir John Johnson. 
 
 of the American Kevolution necessarily partook of the 
 nature of all three. Presbjterianism, in one form or 
 another, gave energy to the Revolutionary party, while 
 Episcopalianism was, as a rule, the creed of the Eoyalists or 
 Loyalists. The former fought to obtain what the others 
 enjoyed, and families and neighborhoods were divided, 
 and blood poured forth like water, with spiteful savageness, 
 by hands whose vigor was derived from the same veins, 
 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 Rebels 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 Union. 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 offences 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. K 
 
 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 1776. 
 
 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, the Crown frittered away 
 its strength, in some cases in protecting private or vested 
 interests, and never accumulated suflBcient 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 was 
 preparing for his invasion of New York down the Hudson, 
 St. Leger was entrusted with 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-j 
 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 fight the whole 
 available population of Tryon County in arms beside, — 
 
lii Sir John Johnson. 
 
 St. Leger had not more than about 410 whites and an 
 aggregation of 600 to 800 Indians from 22 different tribes, 
 gathered from the remotest points administered by British 
 oflQcers — even from the extreme western shores of Lake 
 {^Superior. To batter this fort he had a few small pieces 
 of ordnance, which were about as effective as pop-guns ; 
 and were simply adequate, 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 Harkheimer. 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 new 
 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 ineflBciency, 
 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 
 
 Eevolution at the North. Indecisive on the field of battle, 
 it was moraJly decisive in results. Harkheimer lost his life, 
 likewise several hundred of his followers, and Tryon 
 County suffered such a terrific calamity, that, to Use the 
 inference of its historian, if it smiled again during the 
 war it smiled through 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 Eevo- 
 lution, to save Fort Stanwix, the key to the JMohawk 
 valley. The rapid advance of this brilliant leader, 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 inadequate 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 aU the fruits of the misdirected efforts of their main 
 army. The nervous Clinton succeeded to the indolent 
 Howe in the field, and the uncertain Haldimand to the 
 determined Carleton in Canada. Haldimand, a Swiss by 
 birth and a veteran by service, was entirely deficient in the 
 
liv Sir John Johnson. 
 
 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. He was so afraid that the 
 French and Provincials would invade and dismember the 
 remaining British possessions in ISTorth America, that he 
 not only crippled Clinton in a measure, by constant de- 
 mands for troops, but he was afraid to entrust siich bril- 
 liant partisans as Sir John Johnson with forces sufficient 
 to accomplish anything of importance. He suffered raids 
 when he should have laimched 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 1T77, the whole of 1Y78, 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 
 M'^ater." 
 
 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,»^xcept to those writers who 
 worship nothing but temporary success, it called forth 
 
Sir John Johnson. Iv 
 
 some of the most scatliing condemnations ever penned by 
 historians. When white 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 every Indian slain and 
 Indian hut consumed in this campaign, a thousand white 
 men, women and children paid the penalty; and it is 
 almost unexceptionally 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 
 his enemies to death in a cavern, or of a Pellissier, a St. 
 Arnaud or a Pretorius. Simmes, in his ' ' History of Sco- 
 harie County," JST. 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 ie fotmd a no less gloomy 
 pictwre.'''' 
 
 Sullivan's ultimate military objective must have been 
 Fort Niagara, the basis, for about a century, of inroads, 
 French and British, upon ~Se^ 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 
 artillery like the Indians, and were not to be dismayed 
 by an "elegant" cannonade as at Newtown. Haldi- 
 mand had sent Sir John Johnson to organize a body of 
 500 (K Y. Col. Doc, viii., 779) white troops, besides 
 
Ivi Sir John Johnson. 
 
 the Indians, and these were rapidly concentrating (Stone's 
 " Brandt,'- II., 10) upon Sullivan, when the latter counter- 
 marched. American historians give 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 M^hich may not be inapplicable. "He 
 departed without being desired." 
 
 Sir John's further aggressive movements M^ere 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. adequate 
 supplies. 
 
 The diligent search for information in regard to the 
 details of the movements upon this frontier, has been 
 hitherto baffled. According to a reliable contemporary 
 record. Sir John Johnson, Col. Butler and Capt. Brandt 
 captured Fort Stanwix on the 2d of IS'ovember, 1Y79. 
 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 Yalley, 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 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ivii 
 
 faithful negro, and. the transport of the treasm-es, in the 
 knapsacks 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 partially -destroyed ; and this may ac- 
 count for a great many gaps and involved questions in 
 narratives connected wich the Johnson family. The 
 "treasure-trove" eventually was of no service to him. 
 God maketh the wrath of man to praise Him; asid 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 especially 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 benefit anyone. 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 " Mbelungen Lied," sank into the treasury of so 
 much of earth's richest spoils, and possessions; the abyss 
 of the sea. 
 
 * According to another tradition — as little reliable, perhaps, as such 
 legends usually are — the vessel did not founder, but was captured by a 
 New England privateer out of Salem, Mass. Another legend attributes 
 Sir John's ill luck and loss to a French letter-of-marque. 
 
Iviii Sir John Johnson. 
 
 There is a curious but complete moral, in the career of Sir 
 John Johnson. Those who from purely selfish motives per- 
 secuted him for his adherence to the crown — loyal from prin- 
 ciple and simply striving to save his own ; perished or suffered 
 some other just punishment. Nevertheless, Sir John, the in- 
 strument of their chastisement, did not profit by his success to 
 the extent of regaining his own, through his triumphant retalia- 
 tion upon his enemies. The course and consequence of the 
 whole original wrong-doing and reprisals realized the prophecy 
 of Isaiah, to the efiect that when the Lord had performed his 
 whole work upon Judah, through the Assyrian, "the rod of his 
 anger and the stafi" of his indignation," he declared that in turn 
 he would punish the instrument, because he had exceeded his 
 commission and made it, as it were, a personal 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 employed 
 to execute his punishment, 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 upon 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 swings, 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 sufiered, 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 
 
Sir John Johnson. lix 
 
 can judge the motive, which is often fidelity to principle, pure 
 and simple, and an execution in rigid obedience to a law that 
 humanity cannot comprehend. 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 1776, and, if the day of evil had not been mercifully 
 shortened for them, the rich district they coveted would have 
 been left to them a desert. 
 
 It is said that Sir John's second invasion of this jesLvl 
 was co-ordinate with the plan of Sir Henry Clinton, of i 
 wliich the basis was the surrender of West Point byj 
 Arnold. If so, tbe former bore to the latter the same 
 relation that the advance of St. Leger did in respect to 
 Burgoyne. St. Leger's failure bui-st the combined move- 
 ment of 1777 ; and the capture of the unfortunate Andre 
 exploded the conception of 1780. Thus Sir John's move- 
 ment, which was to have been one of a grand military 
 series, unhappily for his reputation became an apparent 
 "mission of rengeance," 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 froin France was directed to 
 
Ix Si?' John Johnson. 
 
 another and a distant quarter. The very districts of New 
 York which had rallied to oppose Burgoyne and his 
 lieutenants, -were disaifected. "The poison was actively 
 at work even in Albany." At this time an expedition 
 was meditated against Pittsburgh, to be led by Sir John 
 Johnson and Colonel Connelly, in connection with com- 
 binations among the hostile Indians more extensive than 
 any previously set on foot. "Why these all failed is among 
 the unsolved enigmas of the Eevolution. If they depended 
 on Gen. Haldimand, the explanation is clear. He had 
 not sufficient activity, either of mind or body, to hold the 
 wires, much less to pull them with the requisite energy. 
 Although scarcely one hundred years have passed 
 away since the events considered in this sketch, there 
 are almost as conflicting accounts of the personal appear- 
 ance of Sir John as there are antagonistic judgments in 
 respect to his character. By some he has been repre- 
 sented as over six feet in height ; by others as 'not taller 
 than the ordinary run of men in his district. Doubtless 
 in mature 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 be of him, which i§ in 
 accordance with descriptions, is a red stipple engraving of 
 F. Bartolozzi, K. A., that appeared in some contemporary 
 publication, representing him in uniform. It is not 
 inconsistent with the pictures of him at a more advanced 
 age, ordinarily produced in well-known recent works. 
 
Sir John Joh/nson. Ixi 
 
 These, however, from the costume and expression, seem 
 to have been taken at a much later date. * 
 
 By his inveterate hereditary enemies and historians, 
 so styled, who have adopted traditionary bias as fact, 
 Sir John has been "described as cold, haughty, cruel and 
 implacable, of qiiestionable " courage, and with a feeble 
 sense of personal honor. Mr. Wi ll ian C. Bryant, in his 
 admirable_M.Qgraphical sketch, disposes of this repulsive 
 picture with a single honest sentence: "The detested 
 title of Tory, 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 would appear that 
 every American opposed to French Jacobinism was stig- 
 matized as an aristocrat ; and when Washington approved 
 of Jay's treaty of 1795, six prominent advocates of his 
 policy were hung in effigy and polluted with every mark 
 of indignity ; then burned. Even the likeness of Wash- 
 ington, at full length, on a sign, is reported to have been 
 much abused by the 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 end- 
 
 * Mr. de Lancey, at page 643 (Note Iv.), Vol. 2, appended to Jones' 
 "History of New York," «&c., furnishes a description of Sir John, 
 which tallies exactly with the colored engraving by Bartolozzi, in the 
 writer's possession, which has been reproduced for this work. 
 
 " He was a handsome, well-made man, a little short, with blue eyes, 
 light hair, a fresh complexion, and a firm but pleasant expression. 
 He was quick and decided in disposition and manner, and possessed 
 of great endurance." 
 
Ixii Si/r John Johnson. 
 
 ing in bloodshed. Any one opposed to slavery, when it 
 existed, risked his life, south of "Mason and Dixon's 
 line," if he uttered his sentiments in public. No virtues 
 would have saved him from violence. On the other hand, 
 there were classes and communities at the North who 
 would not concede a redeeming quality to a slaveholder. 
 Passion intensifies public opinion. The masses never 
 reflect. 
 
 Here let a distinction be drawn which very few, even 
 thinking persons, duly appreciate. The rabble are not 
 the people. Knox, in his "Kaces 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 Eome was styled by its own best thinkers 
 and annalists ' ' the cesspool of the world : ' ' and if any 
 modern State deserves this scathing imputation, it is this 
 very State of New York. Count Tallyrand-Perigord said 
 that as long a there is sufficient virtue in the thinking 
 classes to assimilate what is good, and reject what is 
 vicious in immigi-ation, 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. Such a course is 
 politic for demagogues. To them the utterance of the 
 truth is suicidal, because they only could exist through 
 perversions worthy of a Machiavelli. They thrive through 
 political Jesuitism. The Roman populace were main- 
 tained and restrained by '•'•pomem et ci/rcences.''^ The 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixiii 
 
 bulk of modern voters feed like them — to use the Scripture 
 expression — on the wind of delusion ; and it is this method 
 of portraiture which enabled Local Committees to strike 
 down Sir John Johnson, confiscate his property and drive 
 him forth, and "Rings" to carry out their purposes in 
 our very midst to-day. 
 
 People of the present period can scarcely conceive the 
 virulence of vituperation which characterized the political 
 literature of a century since. Hough, in his '•'■Northern 
 Invasion,'''' has a note on this subject which applies to 
 every similar case. The gist of it is this : The opinions 
 of local populations in regard to prominent men were en- 
 tirely biased, if not founded upon their popularity or the 
 reverse. If modern times were to judge of the character 
 of Hannibal by the pictures handed down by the gravest 
 of Koman historians, he would have to be regarded as a 
 man destitute of almost every redeeming ' trait except 
 courage 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 most aifec- 
 tionate of men. Mr. Bryant tells us that he was not 
 "haughty," but, on the contrary, displayed qualities 
 which are totally inconsistent with this defect. "His 
 manners were peculiarly mild, gentle and winning. He 
 was remarkably fond of the society . of children, who, 
 with' their marvellous insight into character, bestowed 
 upon him the full measure of their unquestioning love 
 
Ixiv Sir John Johnson. 
 
 and faith. He was also greatly attached to all domestic 
 animals, and notably very humane and tender in his treat- 
 ment of them." Another writer, commenting upon these 
 traits, remarks ; ' 'His peculiar characteristic of tenderness 
 to children and animals, makes me think that the stories 
 of his inhumanity during the War of the Kevolution can- 
 not be true." 
 
 He was ni:»t ' ' cruel. ' ' A number of anecdotes are re- 
 lated to the contrary by those not peculiarly favorable 
 to him. These in themselves, recorded as they are by 
 partisans of a diiferent order of things to those repre- 
 sented by the Johnsons, are sufficient to raise strong doubts 
 of the truth of the charges brought against him, even if 
 they do not positively disprove such a sweeping judgment. 
 
 The honest Bryant penned a paragraph which is perti- 
 nent in this connection. 
 
 "Sir John, certainly, inherited many of the virtues 
 which shed lustre upon his father's name. His devotion 
 to the interests of his government ; his energetic and en- 
 lightened administration of important trusts; his earnest, 
 championship of the barbarous race which looked up to 
 him as a father and a friend ; his cheerful sacrifice of a 
 princely fortune and estate on what he conceived to be 
 the altar of patriotism, connot be controverted by the 
 most virulent of his detractors. The atrocities which 
 were perpetrated by the invading forces under his com- 
 mand" are precisely those which, in our annals, have 
 attached a stigma to the names of Montcalm and Burgoyne. 
 To restrain an ill-disciplined rabble of exiled Tories and 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixv 
 
 ruthless savages was beyond the power of men M'^hose 
 humanity has never in other instances been questioned. ' ' 
 
 The majority of writers absolved Montcalm; and 
 Bm-goyne disclaimed, and almost conclusively proved, 
 that he was not responsible for the charges brought 
 against him by the grandiloquent Gates and others, who 
 did not hesitate to draw ujDon their imagination to make 
 a point. Sir John, with his own lips, declared, in regard 
 to the cruelties suffered by the Whigs dm-ing his first in- 
 road, 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 were esteemed by his 
 father, and censured the murderer. But how was he to 
 punish ! Can the United States at this day, with all its 
 power, punish the individual perpetrators of cruelties 
 along the "Western frontier and among the Indians ? It is 
 justly remarked that 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 
 churches 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 
 building which his fires could reach. Sir John more than 
 once interposed his disciplined 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 
 
Ixvi Sir John Johnson. 
 
 directed, by his orders or countenance against individuals. 
 Hough, for himself, and quoting others, admits that "no 
 \aolence was oifered to women and children." There is 
 nothing on record or hinted to show that he refused 
 mercy to prisoners; no instance of what was 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 upperhand : no summary hanging 
 of prisoners as at King's Mountain; and it is very 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 h'ands of 
 all, white and red, directed by Johnson, during the war. 
 
 As to the epithet ' ' implacable, ' ' it amounts to nothing. 
 To the masses, anyone who punishes a majority, even 
 tempering justice 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 patriots or rebels of Try on 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 practices, and assuredly 
 did not turn the other cheek to the smiter, or offer his cloak 
 to him who had already stolen his coat. "Will any unpreju- 
 diced person deny that there was great justification for his 
 conduct. The masses a century since and previous could 
 unders.tand nothing that was not brought home to them in 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixvii 
 
 letters of fire and of suffering. Their compassioii and their 
 fury were both the blaze of straw ; and their cruelty was 
 as enduring as the heat of red hot steel, especially when 
 their passions were thoroughly excited in civil and reli- 
 gious conflicts. 
 
 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 Lancoy 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 ailthor says: "Sir John's 
 sympathies were well known, 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 quieting to his conscience. The jealous espionage to 
 which 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 most remarkable productions of the age, writ 
 
 ing with the bias of an American, but nevertheless desirous 
 
 of doing justice to both sidesj makes the following remarks 
 
 10 
 
Ixviii /Sir John Johnson. 
 
 in regard to Sir John Johnson.* "He was known to be a 
 powerful leader of men ; lie possessed the magnetism which 
 inspired devotion." "Enough has been said about his own 
 
 * In regard to the personal appearance of Sir John, there are as wide 
 discrepancies as in the opinions aflfecting his character. This, how- 
 ever, should not he surprising to any close student of history. Greater 
 divergencies present tliemselves in different accounts of the Earl of 
 Bothwell ; some picturing him as strikingly ugly and boorish, others 
 as eminently handsome and courtly; also of the Russian hero Suwarrow, 
 who appears in one portrait as tall and commanding, in another as di- 
 minutive and repulsive, in one an eccentric genius, but still a genius ; in 
 another a buffoon devoid of even courage and ability. Where prejudice 
 mixes the colors and passion holds the brush nothing like truth can be 
 hoped for. '" Homo solus aut dens aut daemon," and party or faction 
 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 juste milieu of feeling or opinion. Mr. Wm. C. Bryant , Sir 
 John's most_geneTOus_American. biographer, presents him as six feet 
 two, and large in proportion. This would almost make him gigantic. 
 His kinsman, Edward F. de Lancey, Esq., historian, draws an entirely 
 different portrait. 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 they impress .beholders with 
 the idea that their physical proportions are as mighty as their intellect 
 and influence. A similar judgment — absit inmdia — 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 exemplars if they had not failed. Such is the opinion Of 
 Proude, 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." The opinions of the people of 
 this colony or State could scarcely be otherwise than unjust and injuri- 
 ous in regard to a man who, to a most important portion of it, resem- 
 bled a tornado or a phenomenal tropical storm. Such cataclysms are 
 not instantaneous developments, but the result of a series of causes. 
 Their immediate effects are never beneficial. Their ultimate effects are 
 often eminently so. The idea that Sir William Johnson committed sui- 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixix 
 
 fearful losses- and the unjustifiable suiferings to which his 
 wife was subjected. She had escaped, thanks to God and 
 herself (1776). " " Thus no restraint could now be imposed 
 
 cide to avoid the dilemma of casting his lot in with rebellion or against 
 the crown is utterly preposterous — one of those insane self-delusions 
 that the American people indulged in, blinded with the idea of their 
 own self-consequence. That a man who owed everything to the 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 beneiits he had received. Centuries since, the 
 the people were not of the consequence in the eyes of the ruling classes 
 that they have since become. In this remark there is no attempt to . 
 presume that the people do not deserve the consideration they are now 
 enabled to exact. But the fact is indisputable that they did not then en- 
 joy it. AVashington and Jefferson, and all the great lights of the Revo- 
 lution, did not regard the masses as the politicians of this day are com- 
 pelled to do. If they could rise from their graves they would marvel 
 at the almost incredible progress made by the mass of humanity, in 
 wringing, even from despots, a consideration for their opinions. 
 
 It is just as ridiculous to imagine that Sir John Johnson would be 
 false to his allfegiance 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, independence 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 
 with those who would have profited by his treason, but would have 
 damned him in greater degree with those whose opinions 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 up 
 his mind, has 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 movements, since his family were safe 
 nnder British protection, and he plunged into the strife 
 with a bitterness scarcely to be equalled. And he was as 
 
 to sit in judgment upon the Johnsons. Again, Sir John Johnson 
 did not desire to have anything to do with the manipulation of the In- 
 dians. After his father's death he was offered the succession of Sir 
 William, as Indian Superintendent under the Crown, and he refused it, 
 and,' at his suggestion, it was given to his cousin Guy. 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 this is an excuse of the latter at the expense of Guy ; but 
 there is a proverb as old as language : " Let 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 Revolu- 
 lution. Among these, none was so prominent as the hated Stamp Act. 
 
 It has been justly said that, in carping or commending, the eyes 
 of most critics are like the turbot's, both on one 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. 340, has 
 summed up the whole matter conclusively against the Colonies, and 
 his verdict is irrefutable : 
 
 "I have no wish to deny that the Stamp Act was a grievance to the American!?; 
 bat it is due to the truth of history that the gross exaggerations which have been re- 
 peated on the subject should be dispelled and that the nature of the alleged tyranny 
 of England should be clearly defined. It cannot be too distinctly stated, that there 
 is not a fragment of evidence that any English statesman, or any class of the English 
 people, desired to raise anything by direct taxation from the colonies for purposes 
 that were purely English. They asked them to contribute nothing to the support of 
 the navy which protected their coasts, nothing to the interest of the English debt. At 
 the close of a war which had left England overwhelmed with additional burdens, in 
 which the whole resources of the British Empire had been strained for the extension 
 and security of the British 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 hear their share in the burden of the Empire by contributing a third 
 part — they would no doubt ultimately have been asked to contribute the whole — of 
 what was required for the maintenance of an army of 10,000 men, intended primarily 
 for their own defence. £100,000 was the highest estimate of what the Stamp Act would 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixxi 
 
 brave and energetic as he was vindictive, Jones says, 
 that he did more mischief to the rebel settlements upon the 
 
 annually produce, and it was rather less than a third part of the expenses of the new 
 army. This was what England asked from the most prosperous portion of her Empire. 
 Every farthing which it was intended to raise in America, jt was intended also to 
 spend there." 
 
 England (Great Britain) was right and just and the Thirteen Colo- 
 nies were wrong and ungenerous ; and yet the best men in the Colonies 
 suffered for their obedience to the orders of legally constituted authority. 
 They were made to suffer officially and personally, in every line and 
 every degree, in succeeding generations. 
 
 The Americans expend volumes of sympathy upon the victims of 
 the British prison-ships. Are they aware that their own side had 
 prison-ships, and on one occasion a number of captives, perished in 
 consequence, by a single accident ? Are they aware that there was 
 a copper mine in Connecticut, to which respectable people were con- 
 signed as laborers, with a want of feeling akin to that with which the 
 Czar Nicholas and his predecessors sent off convoys of noble champions 
 of what they deemed the right, to Siberia. Lynch 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 one of the sufferers at Wyomingjustly observed, upon the very spot 
 and under the shadow of the commemorative monument : " The story 
 has two sides, and I am not going to allow myself to be carried away 
 by the prejudices of tradition." To exonerate Sir John Johnson is to 
 condemn his opponents, and to him and them is applicable the sen- 
 tence of the Highest Authority: " It must needs be that offences come ; 
 but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." Sir John did not 
 inaugurate the conflict. He was defendant, and not plaintiff, either in 
 the courts of law or the ordeal of battle. 
 
 How many of those who stirred up the diflBculty perished at Oris- 
 kany, where first the wager of battle occurred, and how many were 
 impoverished in the course of the conflict ? Again, the Scripture 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 to see the day ? " 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 Waldenses, and was compelled to permit them to return. 
 Spain drove out the Moors, and accepted comparative ruin as the 
 
Ixxii Sir Jolm Johnson. 
 
 frontiers of New York than all tlie partisans in the British 
 service put together." 
 
 The charge of ' ' questionable courage ' ' is utterly ridicu- 
 lous. 
 
 It originated with 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 thrust out the Huguenots, 
 and thereby enriched and fortified hereditary enemies. The Stuarts 
 persecuted the Puritans, and, lo, the American Revolution ! France 
 assisted a rebellion, and the retribution came within fifteen 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 hundred 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 country : centralization, the mistaking of national wealth 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 aeon 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 Refugees had petitioned, and been permitted by Sir Henry 
 Clinton to embody under proper officers, and to retaliate and make reprisals upon the 
 Americans declared to be m actual rebellion against their sovereign. A party of them, 
 who had formerly belonged to the Massachusetts, made an attempt upon Falmouth, 
 in Barnstable county, but were repulsed by the militia. They renewed it, but not suc- 
 ceeding, went off to Nantucket, and landed 200 men, entered the town, broke open 
 warehouses, and carried off large quantities of oil, whalebone, molasses, sugar, coffee, 
 and everything that fell in their 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 
 they left behind they took, notice qf their having been imprisoned, compelled to abandon 
 their dwellings, friends and connections, had their estates sequestered, av.d been them- 
 selves formally banislied, never to return, on pain of death. Thus ciroumstaneed, t/iey 
 conceived t/iemselves warranted, by the laws of God and man, to wage war against their 
 persecutors, and to use every means in their power to obtain compensation for their suf- 
 ferings." 5th April, 1778. Gordon, ni., 836-7. 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixxiii 
 
 been lavished upon Arnold's expedition from the Kenne- 
 bec, across the great divide between Maine and Canada, 
 down to the siege of Quebec, and the same praise has been 
 extended to Clarke for his famous march across the 
 drowned 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, and this, too, 
 at a time when snow and drifts still blocked the Indian 
 paths, the only recognized thoroughfares. No man de- 
 ficient in spirit and fortitude would ever have made such 
 an attempt. Both of the invasions under his personal 
 leading were characterized by similar 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 county, which must 
 
 have been well-known to be remembered after the lapse 
 
 • of a century, seems to be to the effect that in the last battle, 
 
Ixxiv Sir John Johnson. 
 
 known 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 Kun 1st. 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 Wagram, 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 Rensselaer, was gene- 
 rally abused for not capturing Sir John and his troops, 
 although a conrt-martial decided that, while the General 
 did all he coidd, his troops were very "bashfal," as 
 the Japanese term it, about getting under close fire, and 
 they had to be Mdthdrawn 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. Ixxv 
 
 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- 
 turned 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- 
 jDeated retreats of "Washington, "the Father of his Coun- 
 try," before superior enemies, or the withdrawals after 
 Antietam and Gettysbui-g, 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 charge against 
 Sir 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 detachm.ent, 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, Hannibal, 
 11 
 
lxx\i Sir John Johnson. 
 
 Cffisar, Gustavus, Frederic and Napoleon knew when to 
 retreat and wlien to fight — the latter never at the volition 
 of an enemy. Some generals are known to fame by little 
 more than snccessM retreats : those of Baner from Tor- 
 gau, inl637; Vaudomont hefore Villeroi, in 1695 ; Frede- 
 ric before Traun, in 1744 ; Moreau through the Black 
 Forest, iu 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 comparison to the gigantic 
 parallels cited, in connection; but the trite remark must 
 be remembered, that ' ' the destinies of the world were be- 
 ing decided in America (during the Revolution) by colli- 
 sions between mere detachments or squads of men." 
 
 "While van Kensselaer, the scion of a race which dis- 
 played uncommon courage in the Colonial service, was 
 being tried and it was sought to make 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. Haldimand, to whom the German 
 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, who wrote at a time when as 
 yet there were plenty of living contemporaries, distinctly 
 says that Gov. Clinton was with Gen. van Kensselaer 
 just before the battle, and remained at Fort Plain while 
 the battle was taking place a few miles distant. Finally, 
 the testimony taken before the court-martial vindicates 
 that the Americans were vastly superior in numbers to 
 Sir John's Whites and Indians (if not treble or even quad- 
 ruple his force), and it was the want, as usual, of true fight- 
 ing pluck in the Indians, and their abandonment of their 
 white associates, which made the result at all indecisive 
 for the Loyalists. 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, quasi-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 unfairly told, except before the court-mar- 
 tial which exonerated van Eensselaer. Ordinary human 
 judgment makes the philosopher weep and laugh : weep 
 in sorrow at the fallacy of history, and laugh in bitterness 
 at the follies and prejudices of the uneducated and unre- 
 flecting. 
 
 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 
 
Ixxviii Sir John Johnson. 
 
 not suffering 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 who saved the "middle 
 zone" to the Union, and converted the despondency of 
 retreat and defeat into victory. It is a remarkable fact 
 that the majority of people always select two vituperative 
 charges the most repugnant to a man of honor, to hurl at 
 the objects of their dislike, perhaps because they are those 
 to which they themselves are most open — falsehood and 
 poltroonery ; forgetting that it is not the business of a 
 commander 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 world. 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 as the "Stone Age." A man, bred as Sir John 
 had been, who had the courage to give up everything for 
 principle, 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 were 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 off a squirrel's head at a hundred yards — 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixxix 
 
 sucli a man must liave liad 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 had 
 fought on their side instead of fighting so desperately 
 agiainst 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, 
 afiiuence, position or power. If this was true of the 
 father 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 injured him in almost every way that a man could 
 be injured ; and they made that which was the most com- 
 mendable in him — his loyalty to a gracious benefactor, 
 his crime, and punished him for that which they should 
 have honored. They struck ; and he had both the spirit, 
 the power, and the opportunity to strike back. His retali- 
 ation may not have been consistent with the hteral admo- 
 nition of the Gospel, but there was nothing in it inconsistent 
 with the ordinary temper of humanity and manliness. 
 
 Some disciples of '■'■ Indifferentism'''' have argued that 
 Sir John should 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 lawgiver on 
 such as they. 
 
Ixxx Sir John Johnson. 
 
 '■'•It vjas a remarkable law of Solon., that any person 
 who, in the commotions of the JRepuhliG, remained neuter, 
 or mi moiFFEEENT spectator of the contending parties, 
 should he condemned to perpetual banishment.'''' 
 
 The people of this era have no conception 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 been 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 America, George III. 
 found daring champions in the best citizens of the land, and 
 foremost in the front rank of these stood Sir John Johnson. 
 Hume, who is anything but an imaginative or enthusiastic 
 writer, couples loyalty and patriotism together ; and 
 M'ith his philosophical words this vindication of Sir John 
 Johnson is committed to the calm and unprejudiced judg- 
 ment of readers : 
 
 '■'■The most inviolable attachment to the la/ws of ov/r 
 cowitry is , everywhere acknowledged a capital virtue; 
 and where the people a/re not so happy as to ha/oe amy 
 legislature hut a single pekson, the steictest loyalty 
 IS, IN that case, the truest patriotism." 
 
 " Hopes have precarious life ; 
 Thiey are oft blighted, withered, snapt sheer off : 
 But FAITHFULNESS Can feed on sufpkring. 
 And knows no disappointment." 
 
Sir John Johnson. . Ixxxi 
 
 CONSIDERATIONS 
 Bearing upon the Violation — so-styled — of a Parole (?) 
 
 SAID TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY SiR JoHN JoHNSON, BaRT. 
 
 (See text, page xl, supra.) 
 
 The plan on which turns the whole right or wrong of 
 the parole story, as detailed in a letter to General Sulli- 
 van, lith March, 1776, frequently cited, emphasizes 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, was 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 
 words of his enemies, seeking to enmesh him. 
 
 Lossing, who had aU the original papers in his hands, 
 admits (II., 69) a sna/re : "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 Address," Appendix I., 
 page vi., col. 1, 2. 
 
 Dr. F. H. Roof, of Rhinebeck, forwarded, 19th June, 1880, to the 
 writer, a copy of a letter, which is pretty good proof that, in the whole 
 of the paroling business, the relative positions of the parties in anta- 
 gonism, and the circumstances connected therewith, are not only mis- 
 understood, but have been consistently misrepresented. To clear this 
 up is impossible, because the documentary testimony on the loyal side 
 
Ixxxii Sir John Johnson. 
 
 has almost entirely perished or disappeared. This letter -was the pro- 
 perty of Henry Loucks, a brother-in-law of Mr. Roofs father (formerly 
 a law partner of Abraham van Vechten) both now deceased. Upon the 
 back of the original was the following note by Mr. Loucks ; "Sir John 
 Johnson's granddaughter, 1777, Helen McDonald ; presented me by a 
 granddaughter of Jellis Fonda, Oct, 7, 1840. H. L." The date must 
 refer to that of the letter, because Sir John could not have had a grand- 
 daughter capable of writing any letter in 1777; but one of his grand- 
 daughters did marry a Colonel McDonald, and the latter may have 
 been a descendant, a relative, or a connection of the McDonell, or Mc- 
 Donald, who was chief of the Highlanders dependent upon Sir John, 
 who surrendered their arms 20th January (?), 1776, and was one of the 
 six hostages for the rest, seized at that time. 
 
 Copy or Lettbr. — "Sir: Some time ago I wrote you a letter, 
 much to this purpose, 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 the people 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 your proclamation, 
 directing every one of them to return to their farms, and that they 
 should be no more troubled nor molested during the loar. To this they 
 agreed, and have not done anything against the country, nor intend to, 
 if let alone. If not, they will 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 those 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 what daily provocation does. 
 
 "Jenny joins me in compliments to Mrs. Fonda. 
 
 " I am, Sir, 
 
 " Your humble servant, 
 
 " CAiiLACHiB, 15th March, 1777. " Helen McDoNEtL." 
 
 " Major Jbllis Fonda, at Caughnawaga." 
 
 In this connection nothing can be more pertinent than the remarks 
 of " our greatest and our best," General George H. Thomas, at the 
 breaking out of the " Slaveholders' Rebellion," in 1861-3: " In a dis- 
 cussion of the causes given for their action by some cffflcers who de- 
 
Sir John Johnson. Ixxxiii 
 
 serted the Grovernment at the beginning of the Eebellion, I (a friend of 
 Thomas) ventured the assertion that, perhaps, some of them at distant 
 posts had acted ignorantly ; that I had been informed that some of them 
 had been imposed upon by friends and relatives, and led to believe that 
 there was to be a peaceable dissolution of the Union ; that there would 
 be no actual government for the whole country, and by resigning their 
 commissions they 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 oflScers of the army 
 were so ignorant of their own form of government as to suppose 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 Grovernment was, what none of them ad- 
 mitted, having engaged in a rebellion against tyranny, 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 ? ' 
 He promptly replied : ' That is not a supposable case ; the G-overnment 
 cannot dissolve itself; it is the creature of the people, and until they 
 had agreed by their votes — ^that is, the votes of the whole country, not 
 a portion of it — to dissolve it, and it was accomplished in accordance 
 therewith, the Grovernment to which they 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 obhgation 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 reljictance, made direct issue with Thomas. They claimed that 
 their oath of office was obligatory only while they held office, and that 
 all obligation ceased with resignation, especially when their resigna- 
 tions were accepted. This 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 Bights 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 the National Government ; and, in contrast 
 12 
 
Ixxxiv Sir John Johnson. 
 
 with those who claimed their freedom from the obligation of their oath 
 of allegiance, when their resignations had been accepted, carrying this 
 freedom to the extreme sequence, that they could legitimately array 
 themselves in war against the Q-overnment that had just 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 soon 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 t^ke 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. 36, 27. 
 
"Against stupidity the gods are powerless.'' — Goethe. 
 
 '^ When through dense woods primeval bower'd 
 A perfect hail of bullet^ shower'd, 
 Where bold Thayendanega tower'd — 
 Good old Harkheimer prov'd no coward, 
 Commanding at Oriskany ! 
 
 " True to his Teuton 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 Mirhen Sir Johnson's cohort green 
 Charged on the Mohawk rangers keen ; 
 The sole such strife Almanza 'd been 
 As that on the Oriskany ! 
 
 " New York's bold yeomen, Watts, at head. 
 Breasted meet foes — New Yorkers bred — 
 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 ^^Ein- 
 ivanderung^" I., 389, by Miss Marie Blode. 
 
 * The battle of Almanza, fought on the 35th April, 1707, was re- 
 markable in two respects — first, for its result, in that it assured the 
 crown of Spain to Philip 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 
 midst of that conflict, John 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 shot, 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 Oamisa/rds constituted 
 a battalion of 700 men, and the Roman Catholics a full regiment of at 
 least 1000 eflfectives, only one out of every six combatants survived 
 the merciless conflict. Such a slaughter is almost unparalleled in 
 history. 
 
The Battle of Oriskamy. Ixxxvii 
 
 Eugland has never been prolific in great, nay in even 
 moderately great generals, however exuberant in crops of 
 the bravest soldiers. Since Marlborough, who culminated 
 at Hochstedt or Blenheim, 13th August, 1704 — 178 years 
 ago — there have been only three who stand forth as re- 
 markable leaders — Wolfe, Olive and "Wellington. Olive 
 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 Kevolution would have had a different 
 termination. The name of Sir William Johnson, "a 
 heaven-born general, ' ' has been associated with that of Lord 
 Olive by more than one English writer of distinction, and 
 particularly by one of Great Britain's best military an- 
 nalists. Sir Edward Oust. Lord Olive perished by suicide, 
 22d Nov., 1774, and Sir William Johnson, it is insinuated, 
 })ut 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 would have done this, but there was no one to 
 breathe it. Cornwallis might have done so had he oc- 
 cupied an independent position like Marlborough, Wolfe, 
 Olive or Wellington, and have added his name to these 
 illustrious four. 
 
 Unfortunately for England, and luckily for the United 
 States, he was subordinate to successive superiors, who 
 were his inferiors in everything but rank. Gage was 
 
Ixxxviii The Battle of Orishany. 
 
 weak and vacillating ; Howe indolent and self-indulgent ; 
 Burgoyne vain, self-seeking and over-confident; Clinton 
 nervous and afraid of responsibility. Carleton and Oorn- 
 wallis are the only two of high rank that relieve the picture. 
 There were able men in lower grades, but they exercised 
 only restricted influence. The American Eevolution 
 was a political quarrel between parties in England. It 
 was fought out with, so much bitterness that, to injure the 
 Tories, the Whigs were willing to sacrifice the worth, 
 wealth and 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 
 down, 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 riches the prey of Roman flarnes. 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, many on foreign fields of battle, others in prison, 
 not for crime but debt, when rebels were revelling in their 
 sequestrated possessions — and all maetyes ; for there can 
 
The Battle of Oriskomy. Ixxxix 
 
 be no martyrdom vidthoiit a full appreciation of the 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, miless 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 results, but not as to the "why" and the "when," 
 which, after all, to the philosopher, are of the most conse- 
 quence. This remark as to the little weight that can be 
 attached to human recollections, transmitted from genera- 
 tion to generation, is particularly applicable to the Johnson 
 family in the State of JSTew York and especially respecting 
 Sir John Johnson, the last of them who figured in con- 
 nection with the aflFairs of the Mohawk Yalley. If ever 
 a mortal has been the victim of bigotted prejudice and 
 continuous misrepresentation, he is the man. The English 
 translator of von Olausewitz's "Campaign in flussia," in 
 1812, remarks in regard to the action of the Prussian 
 General York, on which hinged the fate of Napoleon, 
 that, whether the Prussian general should be regarded as 
 a traitor or a hero, was not dependent on what he risked 
 or did, but upon subsequent developments based there- 
 upon. The same doubt hangs over the memory of 
 "WaUenstein. That, the last, never can be cleared up, 
 although with time York has received full justice. Sir 
 
xc Tli(> Battle of Orishany. 
 
 John Johnson belongs 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 adventm'er, who owed his start in life to the accidental 
 patronage of his uncle. Admiral Sir Peter Warren. For 
 Sir William Pepperell the best informed would siibstitute 
 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 WiUiam Johnson, Bart., was 
 more directly influential in the 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 
 
The Battle of Orishomy. xci 
 
 colonies or provinces that affected more or less closely 
 the arrogant claims of New England. This is owing to 
 the principle which is most evident in war, that while. the 
 purely defensive, or passive, is scarcely ever, if ever, suc- 
 cessful, the offensive or aggressive, with any proportional 
 power, is almost alw-^ays so. Example, Alexander of 
 Macedon. The offensive-defensive is likewise most ad- 
 visable — witness the triumph of "Frederic II. of Prussia, 
 the greatest man who was ever born a king." 
 
 When, nearly half a century 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 ' 
 proverb, "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 
 imperceptibly 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 " 
 were 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 animus which did or 
 might actuate the authors of such papers ; who has not 
 13 
 
xeii The Battle of Oriskany. 
 
 weighed report against report ; and then, and only then, 
 after a careful study of the character of the actors and 
 consideration of time, place, and circumstances, has formed 
 an opinion for himself. His first story of Oriskany was 
 written in 1859 ; his 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. Subseqiiently he 
 determined to investigate with equal care the Loyal story 
 and British side, pare and simple ; this, with the discovery 
 of Sir John Johnson's "Orderly Book," has brought with 
 it a feeling that, although the moral eifect of the battle, 
 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 Ruler 
 ever accepts, 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, cmd not according to that he hath not." 
 As it was admirably put in his Centennial, by the Hon. 
 Ellis H. Boberts, '■'■ Herkimer^ s glory is that out of suoh a 
 slaughter he snatched the substance.'''' 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 
 cases, however, a heroic leader ofi'ered 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 
 
The Battle of Oriskany. xciii 
 
 another portion failed, ingloriously, 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 moimtains, 
 any similar locality, in fact, is in a military sense a "defile. " 
 The moral similitudes between the 6th July, B. C. 480, 
 and 6th August, A. D. 1777, resemble each other in many 
 respects. Leonidas fell to save Attica and Athens ; 
 Herkimer to relieve Fort Stanwix, and thus ]ireserve his 
 native valley. 
 
 A better parallel 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 
 Boraans to escape. Another apposite example is the 
 battle of Crevant, 31st July, 1423. The French and their 
 Scotch auxiliaries were besieging Crevant, about one hun- 
 dred miles southeast of Paris on the right bank of the 
 Yonne, and the English and Burgundians 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 1833, to 
 maintown its ancient privileges or influence over the whole State, 
 was a collision similar in many respects 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 Campagne 
 (country) to the advantage of neither. 
 
xciv The Battle of Oriskany. 
 
 by Seminole Indians, _28th December, 1835, in Florida, 
 was a miniature of Braddock's overwhelming on the 
 Monongahela, 9th July, 1755. The glory of this success 
 belongs to Langlade, the famous French leader of Indians, 
 who prepared a similar 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 
 grand-tactical vieM'S than professionals, George III. was 
 wiser in his views than his ministers and generals. He 
 suggested a route for Burgoyne which, had fortune favored 
 instead of thwarting it, would have been far more advan- 
 tageous and would have enabled Burgoyne to reach his 
 objective, Albany, without doubt. The movement on 
 this point, in 1777, was 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 
 aifairs in 1777, only a St. Grermaine ; 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 had 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, Amherst ascended the Hudson and descended Lake 
 
The Battle of Orislcwny. xcv 
 
 Champlain, and Prideaux, afterwards Johnson, ascended 
 the Mohawk and captured Niagara. In 1777, Burgoyne as- 
 cended Lake Champlain and descended the Hudson ; St. 
 Leger ascended the St. Lawrence and descended the Mo- 
 hawk; and Howe (afterwards Clinton) was to ascend the 
 Hudson. The Burgoyne of 1777, would have reached his 
 goal had he been the Burgoyne of 1762, and estimated, 
 as then, the value of time, and remembered the orders of 
 his great master in the art of war, Count de la Lippe, 
 through which he avoided, in 1762, a catastrophe similar 
 to that 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," apathy itself, M'ho, 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 manoeuvred in the Jerseys as to occupy the attention 
 of Washington, simply demonstrating in his front with 
 half his army, which half was fully equal to the whole 
 force under Washington af this time, he could have dis- 
 patched at least 7000 men up the Hudson to co-operate 
 with Burgoyne. If Burgoyne had attended to his busi- 
 
xevi The Battle of Oriskany. 
 
 ness thoroughly, and acted with interprise and audacity, 
 and if St. Leger had had from 1500 to 2000 whites, instead 
 of about 400, the history of this continent would have 
 been totally different. All however hinged, first on 
 Howe's paralyzing Washington, second on St. Leger's 
 cleaning out the Mohawk "Valley. The campaign of 1777, 
 as regards the British, was a glaring part of a tissue of 
 blunders. The colonies were at their mercy if they had 
 used the forces, moral and physical, under their control 
 with any judgment — simple common sense. The Duke 
 de Lauzun and other competent military judges confirm 
 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 dominion. The 
 British, like Napoleon in Eussia, were conquered by 
 space. Paradox as it may seem to be, discipline, rigid 
 martinet regulation, may actually, under some conditions, 
 become a disadvantage. Marksmen with 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 Jersey, the broken elevations and extensive 
 marshes around Morristown, as a central citadel, and 
 the spur shot out into the plain opposite the elbow of the 
 
The Battle of OrisJcany. xcvii 
 
 Raritaii, between Bound Brook and Middle Brook, with 
 its gaps for sally-ports, saved the American cause. Num- 
 bers and aim won the first fight at Hoosic {rais-named 
 Bennington), and then, when indiscipline, dissolved in 
 plundering, needed the support of discipline, in the 
 second fight, Warner came in with his Continentals or 
 regulars. Man for man, the colonists were as good as 
 the best British, and, being willing, better than the 
 Germans ■wn-willing combatants. Why not? They were 
 all the same race, and the world has yet to see its equal 
 as enduring and courageous soldiers. 
 
 And here it is pertinent to the occasion to remark, 
 that the declamation and shrieks of the Americans at the 
 employment of the Indians by the British is the sheerest 
 hypocrisy. They would have enlisted the tomahawk 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 tlie savages 
 was nefarious, the Americans would not have objected 
 to its utilization on that account, if they could have con- 
 tracted for, coerced, cajoled or controlled it. Lucky for 
 the Americans a factious opisosition in England and Par- 
 liament used the American War as a weapon of offence 
 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 Innsbriick, 19, 7, 1882), "The English 
 government, like our own, is a government of party ; and 
 the consideration of gaining or losing party-capital out- 
 
xcviii The Battle of Oriskany. 
 
 weighs all others." "Of course the thing [Egypt] was 
 badly managed in many respects." English faction nearly 
 mined Wellington in Spain and colonial congressional 
 discordances and jealousies very nearly occasioned a worse 
 fate for Washington. Even the liberally praised Chatham, 
 iu his hypocritical denunciation of setting the Indian 
 bloodhounds upon the colonists, was reproved or shewn 
 up by General, Lord Amherst, and rebuked by the pro- 
 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 wotdd 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 jiis- 
 tice and forbearance. 
 
 This fact — ijust referred to — in connection with the 
 employment of Indians, which is too little known, is 
 apposite to the support of the American Kevolution 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 oifered 
 to produce, from the depository of papers in the Secre- 
 tary's office, documents written by himself to prove the 
 charge. The dispute grew. still hotter; and at length 
 
The Battle of Oriskany. xcix 
 
 Lord Amherst, Chatham's general, who had commanded 
 om- [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 employing 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 
 "Chathain, when in ofl&ce under George II., had guided 
 and directed everything relating to the war ; had monopo- 
 lized functions which did not belong to him, and had been 
 excessively jealous 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 Paeans 
 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 much principle. 
 
 Let the consideration, however, confine itself to Oris- 
 14 
 
c The Battle of Oriskany. 
 
 kany. It was the tiu-ning point of the Burgoyne campaign 
 and of the American Revolution. Within the scope of 
 the considerations before dwelt upon, it was the Thermo- 
 pylas 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. 
 Carringto n, TJ. 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 "Btirgoyne 
 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, however, distinctly 
 shows that only 500 ratio ns, 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 Eation Eeturns 
 found in the captured camp. 
 
 The same rule of judgment in justice should apply to the 
 
The Battle of Oriskany. ci 
 
 force under St. Leger. The difference 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 couMry 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 
 pedant argued that the Komans had no Medical Depart- 
 ment, because Caesar does not mention one in his Com- 
 
 « 
 
 mentaries. His reasonings were completely demolished 
 by the observation that, on the same plea, Caesar 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 a/rguTnentum ad abswrdum. 
 
 The statement attributed to St. Leger, that he had 675 
 white troops, he never made. It is a deduction of their 
 own by American writers, to make good their case. Any 
 reader desirous of investigating this can easily r^fer to the 
 reports made by St. Leger to Burgoyne and also to Carle- 
 ton. These figures are not in either: Where then are 
 these numbers to be found ? In a letter from Lord 
 
cii The Battle of Orishcmy. 
 
 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 everything 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 theKlng'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, 343 
 
 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, but did not, partly because 
 through the indolence of his superior. Lord St. Germain, 
 he 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. Leger 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 year, as was required for the last; because we 
 then knew that General Schuyler, with a thousand men, was fortified 
 upon the Mohawk. When the different situations of things are con- 
 sidered, viz., the progress of General Howe, the early invasion from 
 
The Battle of Oriskany. ciii 
 
 Canada, the threatening of the Connecticut from Rhode Island, &c., 
 it is not to be imagined that any detachment of such force as that of 
 Schuyler can be supplied by the enemy for the Mohawk. I would not 
 therefore propose it of more (and I have great diffidence whether so 
 much can be prudently afforded) than Sir John Johnson's corps, an 
 hundred British from the Second Brigade, and an hundred 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 mei), then, did St. Leger have? Stedman 
 states he had ' ' a body of light troops and Indians, amount- 
 ing to between TOO and 800 men. ' ' Carrington calls it a 
 ' ' composite army of regulars, Hessian-chasseurs, Koyal- 
 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 commanded 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 80 ; in the English Guards, 
 always kept full, 80 is the figjire (1788) ; 50 to 120, num- 
 ber never fixed (James, 1810, Hoyt, 1811). Had more 
 than a company been sent, a higher officer than a 1st 
 Lieutenant would have been placed in command. £ir. 
 
civ The Battle of Orishany. 
 
 John's regiment, or battalion, only numbered 133. The 
 great mistake is the item generally quoted, 342, which 
 should be under 50. If people would read carefully they 
 would avoid many serious errors M^hich serve to feed and 
 stimulate popular vanity. Col. Glaus 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-Hanau] 
 Chasseurs, which must have secured us success, as every one 
 will allow." Again below Glaus expressly mentions "a 
 COMPANY of CAfflsseMT-s lately arrived." Gan language be 
 clearer and more unmistakable. The proper, or real, 
 not the intended, or ideal, enumeration M'ould give St. 
 Leger about 380 organized troops, besides Eangers. Here 
 again people are led into a serious error because they 
 desire so to be. Butler, and other officers belonging to 
 the Eangers, 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 
 multiplied in certain regiments to insure solidity by 
 example and iniiuence. Such a course M'^as much more 
 a necessity among undisciplined savages. When Butler 
 got back to Quebec he could only collect or muster fifty out 
 of all he had had or had. There was, it is true, quite a 
 numerous staff 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 
 
The Battle of Orishany. cv 
 
 been considerably less than 600 to receive tbem, since, 
 before rations were commuted, 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 Glaus, 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 Eegiment) 
 and 34th (St. Leger' s own) Regiments, B., A. of 100 each ; 
 Sir John Johnson's Koyal-greens, 133 ; and a company of 
 Chasseurs or Eiflemen lately arrived in Canada, from Ger- 
 many, which exactly tallies with von Eelking's published 
 
 * Col. Claus, in his letter of the 16th October, 1777, to Secretary 
 Knox, shows that St. Leger himself alone was to blame for not having, 
 a sufficiency of artillery of the proper 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 sufficient to take it." 
 "TheBrig'r." (St. Leger) had still an opportunity 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 will allow." Here we have a repetition of the self-sufficiency of 
 Braddock and the rejection of the wise counsels of Provincial officers 
 like Washington, in this case represented by Sir John Johnson and 
 Col. Daniel Claus. Oh hackneyed but eternally applicable truism of 
 Euripides : " But the d«mon (directing spirit), when he devises any 
 mischief against a man, first perverts (or stultifies) his friend." 
 
cvi The Battle of Orishany. 
 
 account. These are all the white troops he mentions. 
 The best warriors of the Six Nations were with Burgoyne. 
 The sum total of the savages with St. Leger, according to 
 Col, Daniel Glaus, 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 1T46, 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 
 were over Five Nations : even the Sixth, the Tuscaroras, 
 did not stand on an equal footing with the original Five ; 
 they were simply 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 TOO warriors, who, with their wives, children, 
 other men and women, made up 1400." Deduct the non- 
 combatants and Indians effectives and this, again, demon- 
 strates the number of white soldiers, rank and file, repre- 
 sented by 500 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 Orishcmy. cvii 
 
 "Why St. Leger took witli him so few men and such 
 inadequate cannon is due to the supercilious disregard 
 manifested by professional 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 Claus,* he 
 would have succeeded in August, 1777. Could Colonel 
 (acting Brigadier) Fergusonf have divested himself of his 
 
 * Col. Daniel Claus, writing to Secretary Knox, 6tli November, 1777, 
 shows how the jealousies affecting the supersedure of Sir Guy Carleton 
 by Burgoyne were fatal to all the operations of this campaign. Col. 
 Claus, on applying to Sir Guy for orders, was told he had none to give, 
 and that he (Claus) might do as he pleased. This 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 cam- 
 paign." Verily ! (Col. Doc, VIII., 735.) 
 
 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 opponents, and h^ was not listened to. 
 Americans knew Americans better than Britishers. The result was, 
 St. Leger failed and Ferguson feU, 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 richer, 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. 
 
 16 
 
cviii The Rattle of OrisJcany. 
 
 contempt for the Mountain-men he would not have sacri- 
 ficed 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. He 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- 
 lish never 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 listen to exoteric experience. Mem- 
 bers of a caste or hierarchy 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 Harkheimer ? 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 Oriskany. cix 
 
 many was Harkheimer ambuscaded at first % Not near as 
 many as lie himself had. St. Leger says that, when Sir 
 John was allowed to plan and trap the Americans, he had 
 not 200 of the King's troops in camp, and he .could only 
 spare to the Baronet 80 white men, Eangers aqd Troops, 
 Sir John's Light Company, the Hanau Kifiemen, and But- 
 ler with a few Officers and Eangers 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 flunked and be- 
 haved so badly the remainder of the " Eoyal Greens " were 
 quickstepped into the fight, which would not have added 
 100 to the force besetting Harkheimer. 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 Stephen 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 sub- 
 ject of English rank, the discrepancy would at once be explained. It is 
 very unlikely that a man's brother, at a period 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 vfas proud, or the name 
 of the corps to which he belonged. Stephen Watts, of Oriskany, was a 
 great favorite in his family, and designated by the most afifectionate 
 epithets. What is more, there were a variety of titles of rank in the 
 British Army at that time, two or more of which were often'borne by 
 the same individual. A man might be a " line " Captain, very 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 writing to act as such or thus. Sir John Johnson, Bart, held com- 
 
ex The Battle of OrisTcany. 
 
 As to how many the Americans lost is another disputed 
 point. St. Leger says in his different reports that not over 
 200 (out of 800 or 900) escaped. The smallest list of their 
 casualties comprises 160 killed and about 200 wounded 
 and prisoners. 
 
 In some respects, Gordon, take him all in all, is the 
 best authority for the American devolution when in ac- 
 
 misslons as Major-Gen eral of Militia, as Brigadier-General of the Pro- 
 vincial troops (21st October, 1782), and the date of his commission as 
 " Superintendent-General and Inspector-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, 1782. 
 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 " Eoyal Greens." They must have been 
 known as such or else they would not have been thus designated in 
 the histories written nigheat to their period. Any discrepancy here 
 again is susceptible of lucid solution. At first it was determined to 
 uniform the Provincial corps in green, and some were originally 
 clothed in this color, but had it changed ; others, exceptions to the rule, 
 retained it to the end of the war. Doubtless for valid reasons, rrot now 
 known, it was found more advantageous or economical to issue to the 
 Provincials clothes of the same color as those worn by the Regulars, 
 but with distinctive facings. The same process is now going on 
 throughout the whole British .Army, and evoking a perfect wail of 
 indignation and grief from corps which had won renown in dresses 
 and faciiigs of exceptional color aiid cut. 
 
 "We" [English], observes the author of "International Vanities" 
 (No. m., Titles); in Blackwood's 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 irrespective of military grades pro- 
 perly so called ; our army rank may be [1] Regimental (substantive), 
 [2] Brevet, [3] Local, [4] Temporary, or [5] Honorary, and we might 
 almost add [6] " Relative " to this absurd 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." — lAttelVs Living Age, 
 No. 1556, 4th April, 1874, p. 14.) 
 
The Battle of Oriskomy. cxi 
 
 cord with. Stedman ; but unquestionably Mercy "Warren — 
 daughter of James Otis — political dissertationist, poetess 
 and historian, who wrote in the light and memories 
 of contemporaries, presents facts not to be found elsewhere : 
 Paul Allen's "American Eevolution" is the most philosophi- 
 cal work on this subject. Here 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 misfortvme of General Harkheimer, who had marched 
 for the relief of Fort Stanwix, but with too little precau- 
 tion. At the head of eight or nine hundred militia, he 
 fell into an ambuscade consisting mostly of Indians, and 
 notwithstanding a manly defence, few of them escaped. 
 They were surrounded, routed, and butchered, in all the 
 barbarous shapes of savage brutality, after many of them 
 had become their prisoners, and their scalps carried to 
 their British allies, to receive the stipulated price." 
 
 The Americans claimed a victory 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 fight," 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 the glory of Harkheimer or of his 
 Mohawk men; but the best regular troops have fallen 
 victims to ambuscades from the time of Caesar, and, doubt- 
 less, long before, judging from analogy, down to the pre- 
 sent day. ' ' Eternal fitness of things ' ' is the pertinent phi- 
 losophical sneer of Sardou. Harkheimer against his better 
 
cxii The Battle of Oriskany. 
 
 judgment was plunged into a deadly trap and he suffered 
 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 physical 
 bravery in a trained officer or soldier is extremely rare. 
 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 the 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 ; biit 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 population of this district M^ere 
 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 exceptions "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 Orishany. cxiii 
 
 ing to manifest 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 spbihng the British 
 camp at his leisure without experiencing any loss either 
 in his sortie or return to the fort — during which time his 
 wagons drove out, looted and carried back into the fort 
 twenty-one loads of spoil ; if, again, the garrison derided 
 the besiegers, M'hy did Colonel "Willett and Lieutenant 
 Stockwell volunteer, leave 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 Httle subse- 
 quently? Such facts are hard to reconcile. "Within the 
 fort were T50 (to 950 ?) white men, Americans, who must 
 be considered as good, man for man, as the four to five 
 hundred 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, through- 
 out, uninterrupted, is clearly shown by the thoroughness with which 
 he ransacked the Provincial and Indian camps, 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 twenty-seven. 
 Deduct the men necessarily 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 and-flfty whites, for the savages had 
 all gone to Oriskany with Brant and Sir John Johnson. The wounded 
 men captured had been brought back from the field of fighting during 
 the earlier stages of the battle. 
 
cxiv The Battle of Orishany. 
 
 •works is not worth ten times as many savages, especially 
 demoralized Indians. Again, take the plan of the siege, 
 all the works and posts held by 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 off without 
 being molested. The American story does not hang well 
 together. Common-sense must 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 imme- 
 diately opposed ; but he was afraid of his 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 quadruple 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 with less than three hundred and 
 fifty valid soldiers opposed to at least two thousand, with 
 his worst and most dangerous enemy in his own camp, 
 the barbarians who had proved almost worthless as fight- 
 ing factors. 
 
^ht %mhn§mit 011 iht ^)vl^hmg 
 
 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 field where the Yeomen of York 
 
 Met the Lion and Wolf on their slaughterous stalk ; 
 
 When Oriskany's ripples were crimson'd with blood ; 
 
 And 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. 
 
 To relief of Fort Stanwix 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 passage zn^ but none oui 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 Harkheimer's Mohawkers made victory theirs. 
 For St. Leger was foiled in spite of his snares. 
 
 16 — cxv 
 
cxvi The An^buBcade on the Oriskany. 
 
 The loud braggarts who 'd taunted Harkheimer so free, 
 Ere the fight had begun, were from fight first to flee ; 
 While the stalwart old Chief, who a father had proved, 
 And his life offer'd up for the cause that he loved, 
 'Mid the war-whirl of Death still directed each move, 
 'Mid the rain from the clouds and from more fatal groove 
 Of the deadlier rifle, — and object assured, 
 To him Palm, both as victor 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 
 Their assailants, as numerous, boldly withstood ; 
 And while Death sleeted in from environing screens 
 Of the forest and underbrush, Indians and " Greens" — 
 '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 w^s 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 sufferings 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 soak'd with blood, and the whirlwind of fire 
 
 Rose the 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 '* T hirteen Colonies" won the renown 
 ■ ".S/c semper 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. Leger defeated ; 
 Nor can boast be disproved, on Oriskany's shore 
 Was worked out the grim problem involv'd in the war. 
 
 A Poem, by Gen, J. Watts de Peyster, read at the Centennial Celebration of the 
 Battle of Oriskany, 6th August, 1877. Originally published in the "Centennial Celebra- 
 tions of the State of New York." Albany, 1879. 
 
The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. cxvii 
 
 Burgoyne commenced his march on the 30th 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. Lawrenc e, crosse d 
 Lake Onta rio to Fo rt Oswe go, moved up the Onondaga 
 River eastward, traversed Oneida Lake, and thence pro- 
 ceeded up, and "a chevaly'' Wood Creek, its feeder. Six- 
 ty picked marksmen, under Ma-jor Stephen Watts (of New 
 York city) an ofl&cer 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 FortStan- 
 wix — the site of the present Rome — on the "great port- 
 age " between the headwaters of the Mohawk 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 Fort 
 were completed, its magazines tilled, 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 LieutenaiL.t Bird, 8th (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 
 
cxviii The Ambuscade on the Orishany. 
 
 greatest was sending "Local" Brigadier-General [Lt. 
 Col.] St. Leger witli only 400 to 410 whites (Indians counted 
 as nothing in such an undertaking) to besiege a regular work, 
 held by 750 (or 950 ?) 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 Harkheimer, * Major-General New York State Militia, a 
 brave man although not much of a soldier, summoned the 
 males of the Mohawk Yalley, capable of bearing arms, to 
 meet on the German Flats at Fort Dayton, now bearing 
 his name. He 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 (3d 
 August) that St. Leger actually began the siege of Fort 
 Stanwix. The evening of the 5th, Harkheimer was at 
 
 * Herckheimer or Herkimer, originally Ergemon or Ergemar, 
 according to "Osgood's Middle States," p. 165,.whicliis most likely to 
 have been the original name. Still, loth June, 1764, he signed Nicolas 
 Herckmer to an official paper. 
 
The Ambuscade on the Orishany. cxix 
 
 "The Mills" at the mouth 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 his attack. It is certain that Harkheimer had Indians 
 with him belonging to 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 unfortunately 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. 
 
 Harkheimer moved on the morning of the 6th August, 
 and immediately fell into an altercation with his foiar Colo- 
 nels and other subordinates, and the Try on County Com- 
 mittee-men. He wanted to display some soldierly caution 
 and send out scouts to reconnoitre and throw out flankers 
 to protect, and thus feel, as it were, his way through the 
 woods. For this his ofiicers, with the eifrontery of igno- 
 rance and the audacity of militiamen, styled him a " Tory, " 
 or "a Traitor " and a "Coward," just as the same terms 
 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 
 
cxx The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. 
 
 a sneer?" The bickering lasted for hours, until Hark- 
 lieimer, worn out with the persistency of the babblers, 
 gave the order to "March on." His Oneida Indians should 
 have been most useful at this conjuncture. But these 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- 
 heimer was on the way to the assistance of Col. Ganse- 
 voort in Fort Stanwix, and listened to the coimcils of his 
 second in command. 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 Hesse-Han au Eiflemen, Sir John's own Light Infantry 
 Company, and some Provincials or Rangers with Butler, 
 the total only eighty whites, if St. Leger' s Eeports are 
 trustworthy, and Brant (Thayendanega) and his Indians. 
 Sir John established an ambush about two miles west of, 
 Oriskany.i Just such 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 Eegular Superiors — would have 
 ruined Pitt's grand conceptions for the conquest of the 
 Canadas by destroying the forces under "Wolfe on the Mont- 
 morency, below Quebec, 31st July, 1T59, 
 
 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 Oriskany. cxxi 
 
 veloped this spot with marksmen, leaving an inlet for 
 the entrance of the Americans, but no outlet for their 
 escape. Moreover he placed his best troops — whites — 
 on the road westward where real fighting, if any occiirred, 
 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. Harkheimer's col- 
 umn, without scouts, eclair eurs 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 alight 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 anticipated 
 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 would have 
 filled full their thirst for slaughter — -showed themselves a 
 few moments too soon, so that Harkheimer^s rear-guard 
 was shut out of the trap instead of in, and thus had a chance 
 to_flj. 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 
 
cxxii The Amhuscade on the Oriskany. 
 
 shower which stopped the slaughter, since, in that day of 
 flint-locks, firing amid torrents of rain was an impossibil- 
 ity. Such "a shower of blessing" saved the English at 
 Montmorenci in 1759, Washington after Brandy wine (Gor- 
 don ii., 575) in 1778, and perhaps preserved the city of 
 Washington by terminating the fight at Chantilly 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. Harkheimer, 
 very early in the action, was desperately wounded in the leg 
 by a shot which killed his horse. He caused his saddle to 
 be placed at the foot of a beech tree, and, sitting upon it 
 and propped 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 representative yeoman 
 New 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 camp 
 
The Ambuscade on the Orishany. cxxiii 
 
 for a reinforcement of his " Royal 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 brothers, relatives, 
 connections or neighbors whom Harkheimer'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 fighting had been murderous, 
 the subsequent was horrible. Firearms, as a rule, were 
 thrown aside, the two forces mingled, they grasped 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 Gardenier 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 troops des- 
 tined to assault a breach, 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 commissioned 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, 
 lY 
 
cxxiv The Ambuscade on the Oriskamy. 
 
 nets, and -were found in pairs locked in the embrace of 
 hatred and death. 
 
 There is now no longer the slightest doubt that Sir John 
 Johnson commanded the British Loyalists and Indians at 
 Oriskany. Only one original writer ever questioned the 
 fact, whereas all other historians agree in establishing it. 
 The reports of St. Leger not only prove the presence of Sir 
 John Johnson in command, but they praise his able dispo- 
 sitions for the ambuscade or battle. Family tradition — a 
 sure index to the truth 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, closest fighting. He, like Hark- 
 heimer, besides receiving other 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 half^ikes or espontOES. The last were sym- 
 bols of authority and command, and in an old print St. Leger is repre- 
 sented with an espontcn in his hand. Over a hundred years ago there 
 was a great question whether light double-barrel musketE — something 
 like those furnished to the French military police in Corsica — should 
 not constitute a part of the armament of ofEcers in Ihe French service. 
 The folly of espontons survived down to the beginning of this century 
 in some services, and the canes of Spanish oflBcers to-day 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 neck by a thrust from a bayonet, 
 which passed through, 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 kill him : they refused, and left him by the 
 
The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. cxxv 
 
 Without attempting to develop tlie completeness of this 
 fratricidal butchery, it may be stated as one curious fact 
 that Harkheimer's brother 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 supe^'vision 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, pnts in the mouth of the valiant bastard. Falcon- 
 bridge : 
 
 side of a strea,m under the shade of a bridge (across Oriskany Creek), 
 where he was found two days subsequently covered with fly-blows, but 
 still alive. He was borne by some Indians to Schenectady (Oswego, 
 and then by boat to Montreal), where he remained until sulBciently re- 
 covered to endure a voyage to England, where he was often after seen 
 limping about Chelsea Hospital. [Error. He married a Miss Nugent, 
 and reared a family of distinguished sons in elegant ease.] The sash 
 taken from him is stUl in possession of the Sanders family." — " Legacy 
 of Historical Gleanings," Vol. I., pages 69-70. 
 
 " 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. H. Roof, of Rhinebeck, N.Y.) 
 father.* He lived until 1830. My father, now aged 75, remembers 
 the watch well, and has often mentioned the incident to me, as related 
 to him by his uncle." 
 
exxvi The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. 
 
 " This England [New York] never did (nor never shall) 
 Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror 
 But when it first did help to wound itself 
 ***** 
 
 Come the three corners of the world in arms 
 
 And we shall shock them. Nought shall make us rue 
 
 If England [New York] to itself do rest but true !" 
 
 This savage affair crazed even the Indians. ' It out- 
 stripped their own ferocity. They lost their heads — went 
 mad like wild animals at the sight and smell of blood. 
 They came to the conclusion that the white men had lured 
 them into this very hell of lire and slaughter 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 eveii the fell instincts of the savage. 
 
 As an American, and especially as a Knickerbacker, thb 
 historian cannot but rejoice in the determination exhibited 
 by the people of his State and kindred blood, and of this op- 
 portunityof demonstratingit. Still, as a chronicler of events, 
 there is no evading the concurrent testimony of facts ; of 
 " Kapp's History of his People" (i. e., the Dutch and Ger- 
 man settlers of the Mohawk Valley), and of St. Leger's Re- 
 ports. All of these concur in the evidence, direct and cir- 
 cumstantial, that Harkheimer's little army suffered a iao- 
 fomZ disaster. That this did not remain a defeat and was 
 converted (as was Monmouth) eventually into a ijioral 
 triumph and political as well as a strategical success, was 
 due to the common-sense commandership of Harkheimer. 
 
The Ambuscade on the Orishany. cxxvii 
 
 According to his jjlan, the advance and attack of his col- 
 umn of Mohawk Valley men was to be a combined move- 
 ment, based upon, or involving, a simultaneous sortie from 
 Fort Stanwix. This sortie was not made in time to save 
 Harkheinier's life or the loss of over two-thirds of his 
 command, killed and wounded or prisoners. Nothing pre- 
 served the survivors of Harkheimer's column but the del- 
 uging "shower of blessing." When the iiood began to 
 abate, and not until then, did Willett take advantage of the 
 storm to make his sortie and attack that portion of St. 
 Leger's lines which had been stripped to co-operate in the 
 ambush set for Harkheimer. The siege "w^orks, 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 ; the third, three more small guns — were totally 
 inadequate for siege purposes, whereas there were fourteen 
 pieces of artillery mounted in the fm't. St. Leger did 
 have two six-pounders, but the carriages were found to be 
 so rotten that they 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 on the north side of the fort. These were occupied by 
 250 to 350 regulars and Provincials. Sir John Johnson's 
 camp or works, held by about 133 Loyalist troops, were to 
 the southward. It was against these last, entirely denuded 
 
cxxviii TKe AmhusGade on the Oriskany. 
 
 of their defenders, that "Willett made his sortie. St. 
 Legei-'s works and those of Sir John Johnson were widely 
 separated and independent of each other, and the intervals, 
 to make the circuit of the investment apparently complete, 
 were held, or rather patrolled, by the Indians, who, how- 
 ever, dm'ing the sortie, were all away ambuscading and 
 assaulting Harkheimer. Consequently, Willett's sortie, 
 ho-wever 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, without the 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 fire 
 from the fort or in the attack. All the merit that belongs 
 to his sortie, in a military point of view, is the fact that to 
 save whatever material Willett 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 efiiectually 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 Harkheimer' s column, that its remnant 
 was left in possession of the field, soaked with their blood 
 
The Ambuscade on the Oriskcmy. cxxix 
 
 and covered with their dead and wounded. Tlie glory of 
 Oriskany belongs to the men 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 nqt probable; 
 scarcely possible. They may have been camp colors or 
 markers. The regimental colors are not entrusted to drib- 
 let detachments from regiments. The " Eoyal 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 Kegiment 
 of Foot were certainly left at headquarters, likewise those 
 of the British Thirty-fourth.* The same remark applies 
 to the Hesse-Hanau Chasseurs — a company of Jagers or 
 
 * In corroboration of this view of the subject, take the concluding 
 paragraph ofWashington's letter of July 20, 1779, to the President of 
 Congress, reporting the capture of Stoney Point, on the night of the 
 15-16th July, 1770. In this paragraph 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 Kegiment." 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. 
 
cxxx The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. 
 
 Kiflemen would certainly not have with it the regimental 
 standard. 
 
 As still further proof of this view taken, the camp of 
 the British Kegulars, proper, was not attacked. The fact is; 
 the American story of Willett'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 [when Harkheimer drew near] I had not 250 
 of the King''s troops in camp, the various and extensive opera- 
 tions! was under an absolute necessity of entering into having 
 employed the rest ; and tlierefore [I] could not send [original- 
 ly] above 80 white men, rangers and troops included, with the 
 whole corps of Indians. Sir John Johnson put himself at the 
 head of this party. * * * * * * 
 
 " In relation to the victory [over Harkheimer], 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 wider; but it was not so with 
 
 the Indians, their loss was great. I must be understood Iri^ 
 
 dian computation, being only about 30 killed and wounded, 
 
 and in that number some of their fayoiitjg jjhiefs and confidenl 
 
 tinl warriors were slain. * * JLj As I suspected^theeliemy 
 
 [Willett] made a sally with 250 m,en towards Lieut. Bird's 
 
 post to facilitate the entrance of the relieving corps or bring on 
 
 a general engagement with every advantage they could wish. 
 * * * * * * 
 
 " Immediately upon the departure of Captain Hotes I learned 
 
 that Lieut. Bird, misled by the information of a cowardly In- 
 
 dianthat Sik John was prest, had quitted his post to march to 
 
 his assistance. I commanded the detachment of the King's 
 
 regiment in support of Captain Hoyes by a road in sight of the 
 
The Ambuscade on the Orishany. cxxxi 
 
 garrison, w/wc/i, w)i«/i executive fire from his party, immediately 
 drove the enemy into the fort without any further advantage 
 than frightening some squaws and pilfering the packs of the 
 warriors which they left behind them." 
 
 Col. Glaus (corroborates and explains this : 
 
 " During the action [with Harkheimer], when the garrison 
 found the Indians' camp (who went out against their reinforce- 
 ments) empty, they holdly sally'd out with three hundred men 
 and two field-pieces, and took away the Indians' packs, with 
 their cloaths, wampum and silver work, ' they having gone in 
 their shirts, or naked, to action ;' [Western Indians strip to the 
 buff 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 Orishany'], and a private of 
 Sir John's Regiment, who lay wounded in the Indian camp. 
 The disappointment was rather 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 reports of the 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 have shot down his horses if 
 they had not the courage to exchange fires 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. Leger's expedition abortive. 
 
 In summing up it should be borne in mind that St. 
 Leger had only 375 to 410 regulars and Provincials, in ad- 
 18 
 
cxxxii The Ambuscade on the Oriskany. 
 
 dition to his ten light guns and diminutive mortars, to be- 
 siege a fort, well supplied, mounting fourteen guns, garri- 
 soned with 750 at least, and according to the indefinite 
 language of other authorities, 950 troops of the New York 
 Line, i. e., 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 imderestimated 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 Fort Stanwix, but the self-devotion and desperation 
 of Harkheimer's militia that saved the Mohawk Yalley, 
 and constitutes Oriskany the Thermopylae of the American 
 Revolution ; the 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 occurrences is interesting, the 
 following translation of von Eelking's " Beutchen Eiilfstruppen " (I., 3- 
 33) is presented in regard to the Hesse-Hanau Jager or Rifle Company 
 attached to 8t. Leger's command : 
 
The Amhuscade on the Orishany. cxxxiii 
 
 "Finally it is proper to commemorate in detail an event in con- 
 nection with this campaign which we have alluded to or treated al- 
 ready more at length : the flanking expedition undertaken, as a side- 
 issue, against Fort Stanwix. The Jager or Rifle Company which was 
 assigned to him was the first that the Count of Hesse-Hanau sent over 
 to America. It left Hanau 7th May, 1777, and reached Canada 11th 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. Hildebrand. 
 The march through these distant and sparsely settled districts was long 
 and very laborious, accompanied with 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, eom- 
 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 difiiculties 
 of the river, the route l^y 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 produ ced 
 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 eheval, 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 difficulties 
 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 3d August, the Fort— after the garrison had rejected the 
 demand for a surrender — was assaulted without success. On the 5th, a 
 relieving column of nearly l.'OOO men drew near. St. Leger was aware 
 of its approach in time, and for its reception [Sir John Johnson] placed 
 an amb uscade in the woods. This for the greater part consisted of regu- 
 lar frqopsj and among these were the Hesse-Hanau Jagers. [It was 
 t^intention of the British authorities to send the whole' Regiment or 
 Battalion of Hesse-Hanau 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 diflfers from every one hitherto examined, and shows 
 even yet we are not acquainted with some of the most interesting facts 
 
cxxxiv The Ambuscade on the OrisJcany. 
 
 of this momentous conflict. St. Leger, in his official report, expressly 
 states that he did not send over 80 white men, Rangers and troops In- 
 cluded, with the whole corps of Indians, and that Sir John Johnson 
 was in command. The discrepancy, however, is easily reconcilable 
 with what has been hitherto stated, and explains the late arrival of the 
 " Johnson " or " Royal Greens." 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 south of the Fort entirely destitute 
 of defenders. This established what the writer has always claimed, 
 that Willett encountered no opposition 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 expedition is entirely attri- 
 buted to the misconduct of these savages. Finally, since the Burgoyne 
 expedition depended on St. Leger's success, and his utter military 
 bankruptcy is chargeable to the Indians, and to them alone, therefore — 
 as is clearly shown — the whole British Combined Operations of 1777 
 ended in a catastrophe, through a fatal overestimate of the value of In- 
 dians as a fighting power, or as auxiliaries wherever any hard fighting 
 had to be done, or for any useful purpose whatever involving perse- 
 verance.] 
 
 " 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 plundered his camp. This was a grievous 
 loss to him : because in these almost desert districts pretty much all 
 the necessaries of life had to be carried [along with a column] ; since 
 the British troops we;'e wanting in artillery, and since a second relieving 
 column, 2,000 strong, was approaching under the audacious Gen. Ar- 
 nold, which threw the Indians into such extreme nervous terror that 
 they either scattered or besought that they might be led back again. 
 In consequence of [all] this, St. Leger had to break up the siege on the 
 38d 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, have prevented the tragic fate of Burgoyne' s 
 a/rmy.'" ■ r 
 
 If the disinterested German soldier and historian, von Eelking, 
 does not 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 point of the American Revolution — 
 words are inadequate to express the truth. 
 
^^^(^^ 
 
 %5^^ 
 
 
 f/^^ 
 
 ^ ^k'^^^ 
 
 ^s 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 ^m 
 
 OFTEN STYIiED 
 
 THE BATTLE OF KLOCK'S FIELD. 
 
 19th October, 17J 
 
 ^^ History is not now-a-days consulted as a faithful oracle; it is rather treated, 
 like the old lamp as too rusty, too old and homely, to bear light amidst the blaze of 
 modern illumination, but more valuable as an instrument of incantation, which, by 
 occasional friction upon its surface, may conjure up mighty spirits to do the bidding 
 of a master. Suck an instrument in the hands of a good and faithful magician 
 will not be employed upon baseless fabrications, that new power may dissolve, but 
 in building upon the foundations of Truth, that shall still hold all together, in 
 defiance of the agency of even the same enchantment to destroy the structures it has 
 raised." Southgate's ^""Many Thoughts on Many Things.^^ 
 
 Of all the engagements wMcli have occurred upon the 
 soil of New York, the "cock-pit," 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 have painted every picture, and even gone so far as 
 to malign the State commander, the scion of a family who 
 risked more than any other for the Commonwealth, to con- 
 ceal and excuse the bad conduct of his troops. As for the 
 
 * Sometimes confounded witli that of Stone Arabia (on or near de 
 Peyster Patent) ; East side of Oaroga Creek, where it empties into the 
 Mohawk Eirer, near St. Johnsville, Montgomery County, 8. N. Y., 
 sixty-three miles W. by N. of Albany. 
 CXXXV 
 
cxxxvi Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 leader of the Loyalists, it is no wonder tliat his reputation 
 fared badly at the hands of a community whom he had 
 made to suffer so severely for their sins against justice, his 
 family connections, friends and himself The State Briga- 
 dier-General was wrongfully accused and abused, although 
 acquitted of every charge by his peers,* and highly com- 
 mended for activity, fidelity, prudence, spirit and conduct. 
 The Eoyal 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. 
 
 Eefore attempting to describe what 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," IL, 388) pro^ 
 nounced Sir William Johnson " the greatest chaeaotee 
 OF THE AGE," the ablest man who figm-ed in our imme- 
 mediate Colonial history. He was certainly the benefactor 
 of Central New York, the protector of its menaced fron- 
 tier, the first who 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 
 iTew York's history. He owed everything to the CroM^n 
 and nothing to the People, and yet the People, because he 
 would not betray his duty to the Crown, drove him forth 
 
 . * "French's Gazetteer," 432; Stone's "Brant," IL, 134-5; Stone's 
 " Border "Wars," ii., 136-7 ; Simm's " Schoharie County," 430-1 ; Camp- 
 bell's " Border Wars," 199-301. 
 
Engagement near Fox's Mills. cxxxvii 
 
 and despoiled him. More tlian once he returned in arms 
 to punish and retrieve, at a greater hazard than any to 
 which the mere professional soldier is subjected. By the 
 detestable laws of this embryo State, even a peaceable re- 
 turn subjected him to the risk of a halter ; consequently, 
 in addition to the ordinary perils of battle, he fought, as it 
 were, with 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, 1Y80), 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 — Grovernor Clinton would have shown no pity to 
 one who had struck harder and oftener than any other, 
 and left the record of his visitations in letters of 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, andpoets, 
 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 between this General and 
 his great objective, Magara, 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 
 
cxxxviii Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 (1779) he made himself master of the key of the "great 
 portage" between Ontario and the Mohawk, and his far- 
 ther visitation of the valley eastward was only frustrated 
 by the stormy season on the great lake by which alone he 
 could receive reinforcements and supplies. 
 
 In May, 1780, starting from Bulwagga Bay (near Crown 
 Point) on Lake Champlain, he constructed a military road 
 through 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 his purpose, left behind him a dismal testi- 
 mony of his visitation, and despite the pursuit of aggre- 
 gated enemies, escaped with his recovered plate, rich booty 
 and numerous prisoners. 
 
 It was during this expedition that Sir William's fishing 
 house and summer house on the Sacondaga were destroyed, 
 and it is a wonder Sir John did not burn to the ground the 
 family hall at Johnstown. This was 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 nothing 
 done by the indolent professionals. 
 
 In August-September of the same year, he organized a 
 second expedition at Lachine (nine miles above Montreal), 
 ascended the St. Lawrence, crossed Lake Ontario, followed 
 up the course of the Oswego Kiver, coasted the southern 
 shore of Oneida Lake, until he reached the mouth of Chit- 
 tenango Creek (western boundary of Madison County 
 
Engagement near Fox's Mills. cxxxix 
 
 and eastern of Onondaga County), where he left his 
 hatteaux and canoes, struck oif southeastward up .the 
 Chittenango, then crossing the Unadilla and the Charlotte, 
 (sometimes called the East branch of the Susquehanna), 
 and descended in a tempest of flame into the rich settle- 
 ments along the Schoharie, which he struck at what was 
 known as the Upper Fort, now Fultonham, Schoharie 
 County.* 
 
 Thence he^wasted the whole of this rich valley to the 
 mouth of this stream, and then turning westward completed 
 the devastation of everything which preceding inroads had 
 spared. (Stone's "Brant," II., 124.) The preliminary 
 march through natural obstacles, apparently insurmount- 
 able to an armed force, was one of certainly 200 miles. 
 The succeeding sweep and retreat embraced almost as 
 many. The result, if reported with any correctness, might 
 recall Sir "Walter Scott's lines (" Vision of Don Koderick, " 
 Conclusion II.): 
 
 " While downward on the land his legions press, 
 Before him it was rich with vine and flock, 
 
 And smii'd like Eden in her summer dress, — 
 Behind their march a howling wilderness." 
 
 More than one contemporary statement attests that the 
 invasion carried things back to the uncertainties of the old 
 French inroads and reinvested Schenectady with the dan- 
 
 * If the old maps of this then sayage country are reliable, he may 
 have crossed from the valley of the Charlotte into that of the Mohawk 
 Branch of the Delaware, or the Papontuck Branch further east again. 
 From either there was a portage of only a few miles to the Schoharie 
 Kill. 
 
 19 
 
cxl Engagement neat Fox's Mills. 
 
 gerous honor of being considered again a frontier post. 
 (Hougli's " Northern Invasion," 131, 144. 
 
 The immediate local damage done by Sir John, within 
 the territory affected by his visitation, was nothing in 
 comparison to the consequences, militarily considered, 
 without these. 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 worthless "threatened 
 alarming consequences." Eighty thousand bushels were 
 lost in the Schoharie settlement alone. Washington ad- 
 mits this in a letter to the President of Congress, dated Tth 
 November, 1780. Had the British military 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 Revolution, 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, with Uhland : 
 
 "Forward! Onward! far and forth I 
 An earthquake shout awakes the North. 
 
 Forward ! 
 Forward ! Onward ! far and forth ! 
 And prove what gallant hearts are worth." 
 
 Forward ! " 
 
Engagement near Fox's Mills. cxli 
 
 The terrifying intelligence of the appearance of this 
 little "army of vengeance " aroused the whole energy of 
 coterminous districts ; the militia were assembled in haste, 
 and pushed forward to the point of danger, under Brigadier- 
 General Robert van Eensselaer, of Claverack (now Colum- 
 bia County), who were guided into the presence of their 
 enemy literally by " pillars of fire by night and columns 
 of smoke by day. ' ' Although he knew that he was pur- 
 sued by forces treble or quadruple if not quintuple his own. 
 Sir John continued to burn and destroy up to the very hour 
 when- his troops were obliged to lay aside the torch to re- 
 sume their firelocks. In fact, if the two engagements of 
 the 19th of October, 1770, were contemplated parts of a 
 combined plan to overwhelm Sir John, he actually\fought 
 and burned simultaneously. To whomsoever a contempo- 
 raneous map of this country is accessible, it will be evident 
 how vast a district M'as subjected to this war cyclone. On 
 the very day (19th October) that van Eensselaer was at 
 Fort Plain, the flourishing settlements of Stone Arabia 
 (Palatine Township, Montgomery County), a few miles to 
 the westward, were destroyed. Finding that 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 
 (Simm's "Schoharie County," 426)— 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 130 men of the Massachusetts Levies, 
 
cxlii Engagement nea/r Foo^s Mills. 
 
 and a body of militia — 70 and upwards — whose numbers 
 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 Kensselaer, in or- 
 der to cut Sir John off from his line of retreat, and hold him 
 or " head him " until van Rensselaer could fall upon him 
 with overM'helming >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 immediat,e 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 "ITorthern Invasions " says 40 killed and two 
 prisoners), and sent the survivors flying into van Rensse- 
 laer's lines, to infect them with the terror of the slaughter 
 from which they had just escaped. The Stone Arabia fight, 
 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 prematurely 
 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, 
 
Engagem,ent near Fox's Mills. cxliii 
 
 when a predatory hawk, wearied with his flight, settles on 
 a limb to rest and resist a flock 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 conflagrations 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. 
 
 "What 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 immediately after a few 
 volleys from about tM'O 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 19th May, 1780, was due to 
 this cause (Heath, 336-7-8), -when artificial night, culminating ahout 
 noon, sent the animal creation to roost and repose with less exceptions 
 than during the completest eclipse, and filled the minds of men with 
 apprehension and astonishment. This is not the only "dark day" so 
 recorded. On <Ae 35th October, 1830, at New York, candlelight was 
 necessary at 11 a. m. The 16th May,' 1780, was another " dark day " 
 in Canada, where similar phenomena were observed on the 9th, 15th 
 and 16th October, 1785. On the last, " it is said to have been as dark 
 as a dark night." Several other instances are chronicled. 
 
cxliv Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 Dubois (Hough, 183-5), who stated that shortly after the 
 firing became warm, when within five paces of his general, 
 he could only recognize him by liis voice. Therefore for 
 anyone to pretend to relate what occurred within the lines 
 of Sir John Johnson a few (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 M-'hat was occurring within 
 van Rensselaer's lines, where the officers 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, opposed 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 off, for if taken he knevi' 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 
 Eensselaer and emphasized: — (Stone's "Brant," II., 124- 
 5, &c.) Colonel Stone remarks, "other accounts speak dif- 
 ferently." {lUd, II., 122.) 
 
Engagement nea/r Fox's Mills. cxlv 
 
 Gen. Sir Frederick Haldimand 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 the^er/ec^ satisfaction 
 which I have from the zeal, spirit and actimty with which 
 Sir John Johnson has conducted this arduous enterprise.'''' 
 
 Max von Eelking (II., 199-200), in his compilation of 
 contemporaneous observations, presents the following tes- 
 tim-ony of the judgment and reliability of the superior. Gen. 
 Haldimand, 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 gene- 
 rals; had fought with distinction during the Seven Years' 
 War in Germany. * * * Me was a mam, strictly up- 
 right, kind-hearted amd honorable. * * * Always of 
 a character quite 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 officers Eng- 
 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 Britannic Majesty."' 
 
cxlvi Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 It now seems a fitting time to consider the number of 
 the opposing forces engaged. There has been a studied 
 attempt to appreciate those present under Sir John and to 
 depreciate those at the disposal of Van Kensselaer. The 
 same holds good with regard to the 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 examination 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 ajid but 
 few Indians. The post from A-lbany, 18th October, reported 
 that Sir John's party were "said to be about 500 men 
 come down the Mohawk Eiver. " (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 Montrose, Claverhonse and the Pretender — 
 soon after occurred, and several hundreds abandoned him.* 
 (Simm's "Schoharie County, 399.) 
 
 -. • 
 
 *The actual composition of Sir John Johnson's expeditionary co- 
 
Engagement nea/r Fox's Mills. cxlvii 
 
 Great stress has also been laid on Sir John's being pro- 
 vided with artillery. [The American general did have 
 quite heavy guns for the period and locality, nine pounders.] 
 
 lumn is well known, however often willfully misstated. He had three 
 companies of his own Begiment of "Royal Greens," or "Loyal New 
 Yorkers ;" one company of German Jagers ; one company of British 
 Regulars belonging to the Eighth (Major, afterwards Colonel A. S. de 
 Peyster's) King's Begiment 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 
 British Infantry, and a detachment — sometimes rated by the Americans 
 as high as two hundred men — from Butler's Loyalist or Tory Rangers. 
 Sir John in his reports of casualties mentions these all, except the Twen- 
 tieth Begiment, and no others. Figure this up, and take sixty as a fair 
 allpwance-for the numerical force of a company, which is too large an 
 allowance, basing it on the average strength of British regiments which 
 had seen active service for any length of time on this continent, and 
 sixt^mes siity makes three hundred and sixty, plus two hundred, gives 
 five hundred and sixty. Deduct a fair percentage for the footsore and 
 other casualties inseparable from such service, and it reduces his whites 
 down to exactly what Colonel Harper states was reported to him by 
 an Indian as being at Klock's Field. 
 
 Colonel W. L. Stone (" Brant," II., 105) specifies three companies of 
 Sir 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) company of British Regulars. The In- 
 dian portion of this expedition was chiefly 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 fifty picked troops and Indians. 
 Very few Indians were in the fight of the 19th October, p. m. Other cor- 
 roborations have already been adduced. Simm's ("Schoharie County," 
 399) says that Sir John left Niagara with about 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 eflfec- 
 20 
 
cxlviii Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 Close study exploded this phantasy likewise. That he 
 he had several pieces of extremely light artillery, hardly 
 deserving the name, with him as far as Chittenango 
 
 tive force, " as estimated at the several forts," one thousand men. If 
 this estimate is credited to the several forts who were " panicky," the 
 condition of their vision renders its correctness unworthy of accept- 
 ance. He then goes on to say that several hundred Indians deserted. 
 
 The strength of regiments varied from three hundred and under to 
 six hundred and fifty. It is well known that some American regiments 
 scarcely rose above one hundred rank and file. It is almost unani- 
 mously conceded that Harkheimer had at least four regiments — if not 
 five — the whole comprising only eight or nine hundred men, at Oris- 
 kany. This does not include volunteers, Indians, &c., &c. 
 
 General van Rensselaer, judging from the testimony given before 
 the Court of Enquiry, and his own letters (Simms, 425, &c.), had seven 
 to nine hundred militia when he reached Schenectady. It is very^ard 
 to calculate his ultimate aggregate of militia. He had at first his own 
 Claverack Brigade. The City of Albany Militia and some other Regi- 
 ments had preceded him. Colonel Van Alstyne's Regiment joined him 
 by another route. How did Colonel Cuyler's Albany Regiment come 
 up ? Colonel Clyde reinforced him with the Canajoharie District Regi- 
 ment (Tryon County, for military purposes, was divided into Districts, 
 each of which furnished its quota), likewise (Simm's, 425) " 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 John presented an undaunted front, and what 
 numbers he shocked, repulsed and foiled. Van Rensselaer was after- 
 wards joined by the Continental Infantry, under Colonel Morgan 
 Lewis ; the New York gitas»-regulars or Levies, three or four hun- 
 dred, under Colonel Dubois ; McKean's Volunteers, sixty ; the Indians 
 under Colonel Louis, sixty ; John 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 other troops at 
 hand under different names and peculiarities of service. , It is certain 
 that all the Militia of Albany, Charlotte and Tryon Counties, and every 
 other organization that were accessible, were hurried to meet Sir John, 
 and severe Clinton was not the man to brook shirking. Twenty-three 
 
Engagetnent near Fox's Mills. cxlix 
 
 Creek is true (Hammond's "Madison County," 656). 
 Two of these he sunk intentionally in this stream, or else 
 they went to its bottom accidentally. Thence he carried on 
 two little fom- and three-quarter pounder mortars, prob- 
 ably "Eoyals," and a grasshopper three-pounder. As our 
 armies were well acquainted with the improved Cohorns 
 used at the siege of Petersburg, it is unnecessary to explain 
 that they were utterly impotent against stone buildings, or 
 even those constructed of heavy logs. The Cohorns of 1780 
 were just what St. Leger reported 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 Fort, now Middleburg. Clinton 
 (157) wrote 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 
 transported on bat-horses, just as twelve-pounder moun- 
 tain howitzers are still carried on pack animals. As Sir 
 John's horses, draught and beef cattle, appear to have 
 been stampeded in the confusion of the intense darkness ; 
 
 regiments of Militia musfhscve produced twenty-four hundred men — a 
 ridiculously small figure. lAdd the other troops known to be with van 
 Rensselaer, and he faced the Loyal leader with five or six times as many 
 as thelatter had Dor else the Claverack Brigadier had with him only a 
 startling redundancy of field oflBcers and a disgraceful deficiency of 
 rank and file. 
 
cl Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 almost everytMng which was not upon his soldier's jjer- 
 sons, or had not been sent forward when he " settled " at 
 Klock's Field to check pursuit, had to be left when he drew 
 off. The darkness of the night, as stated, was intensified 
 by the powder smoke and smoke of burning buildings, and 
 the bottom fog which filled the whole valley. Under 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 equipments 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. He received several acces- 
 sions of force, Tryon and Albany County militia ; the dif- 
 ferent colonels and their regiments are especially men- 
 tioned, besides the §"^*as^'-regular command — three or four 
 hundred (Hough, one hundred and fifty) — of Colonel Du- 
 bois' Levies raised and expressly maintained for the defence 
 of the New 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 
 
Engagement near Fox's Mills. cli 
 
 detachment of artillery and two nine-pounders, and a body 
 of horsemen. 
 
 Colonel Stone, writing previous to 1838, says: "The 
 command of General van Rensselaer numbered about fif- 
 teen himdred — a force in every way superior to that of the 
 enemy." It is very probable that he had over two thou- 
 sand, if not many more than this. Stone adds ( ' 'Brant, " II. , 
 119): "Sir John's troops, moreover, were exhoAisted by 
 forced marches, active service, and heavy knapsacks, while 
 those of Van Hensselaer were 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 fighting constantly 
 for three or four days, covering in this exhaustive work a 
 distance of over seventy-five (twenty-six miles straight) 
 miles in the Mohawk Yalley alone (Hough, 152). On the 
 very day of the main engagement they had wasted the 
 whole district of Stone Arabia, destroyed Brown's com- 
 mand in a spirited attempt to hold the invaders, and actu- 
 ally advanced to meet van Hensselaer by the light of the 
 conflagrations they kindled as they marched along. Each 
 British and Loyal soldier carried eighty rounds of ammu- 
 nition, which, together with his heavy arms, equipments, 
 rations and plunder, must have weighed one hundred 
 pounds and upwards per man. Yan Eensselaer's Militia 
 complained of fatigue ; but when did this sort of troops 
 ever march even the shortest testing distance without grum- 
 bHng? 
 
 The Americans figured out Sir John's loss at 9 killed, 
 
clii Engagement near Fox's Mills. 
 
 1 wounded, and 53 missing. His report to General Hal- 1 
 dimand states that throughout his whole expedition he 
 lost in killed, whites and Indians, 9 ; wounded, 7 ; and 
 missing, 48, which must have included the wounded who 
 had to be abandoned ; and desertions, 3 ; the last item is 
 the most remarkable in its significance and insignificance, i 
 (Hough's " ITortheru Invasion, " 136.) 
 
 How the troops on either side were drawn up for the 
 fight appears to have been 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 Eangers — 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 Riflemen or Jagers \ 
 were on the left, in echelon, in advance of the rest about j 
 one hundred and fifty yards, in the orchard. Yan Eens- ' 
 selaer's forces were disposed: Colonel Dubois with the, 
 Levies (^was^-regulars) on the right, "Whites and Indians 
 constituting the central column, and the Albany Militia on 
 the left. [Simm ' s " Schoharie County, ' ' 430. ) Not a single" 
 witness shows where the Continentals, Artillerymen and 
 the Horsemen took position. As for the two nine-pounder 
 fieldpieces, they were left behind, stuck in the mud. It 
 was a toJiu-iohu. 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 
 
Engagement nea/r Fox's Mills. cliii 
 
 yards in advance (192), then broke ; all was confusion. It 
 does not appear that the American Indians accomplished 
 anything. Colonel Dubois' New* York, Levies ran out 
 Brant's Indians, and got in the rear of Sir John's line, and 
 then there was an end of the matter. (Simm's "Scho- 
 harie County," 429-30.) It had become so dark from va- 
 rious causes that, to use a common expression, " a man 
 could not see his hand before his face." 
 
 Yan Eennselaer had now enough to do to keep the 
 majority of his troops together, and retreated from one 
 and a half to three miles, to a cleared hill, where he was 
 enabled to restore some order. The stories of disorder 
 within Sir John's lines, except as regarded the Indians, are 
 all founded on unreliable data ; nothing is known. "When 
 his antagonist fell back, he wavtedapparently until the cSr~«< 
 
 moon rose, and then, or previously, fo rded the riv6r (just 
 above Nathan Christie's — (Simms, 430) — and commenced 
 his retreat, which he was permitted to continue unmolested. 
 
 It is amusing to read the remarks and reasoning of pa- 
 triotic imagination on this event. "By this time," says 
 the Sexagenary, " however, the alarm had spread through 
 the neighboring settlements, and a body of militia, of 
 sufficient force to become the assailants, arrived, it is 
 said, within a short distance of the enemy, near the river, 
 and Sir John Johnson, in consequence, had actually made 
 arrangements to su/rrender. ' ' [Mark the logical military 
 conclusion, Sir John being ready to surrender !] The 
 Americans, however, at this moment fell iacJca short dis- 
 tance [two or three miles] for the sake of occupying a bet- 
 
cliv Engagement near Fox^s Mills. 
 
 ter position dv/ring the night.'''' If Sir John was scared 
 and willing to give up, what need was there of the brave 
 Americans falling back at all, or seeking a better position ? 
 All they had to do was to go forward, disarm the willing 
 prisoners, and gather in the trophies. He had fought a 
 Cumberland Church fight to check pursuit, and there was 
 no Humphreys present to renew it and press on to an Ap- 
 pomattox Court House. He had accomplished his task ; 
 he had completed the work of destruction in the Schoharie 
 and Mohawk valleys. There was nothing more to be 
 wasted. Colonel Stone sums it up thus ("Brant," II., 
 124) : "By this third and most formidable irruption into 
 the Mohawk country during the season. Sir John had com- 
 pleted the entire destruction above Schenectady — the prin- 
 cipal settlement above the Little Falls having been sacked 
 and burned two years before. ' ' French observed that these 
 incursions left " the remaining citizens stripped of almost 
 everything except the soil."* 
 
 I * The forces of Colonel [Sir Jchn] Johnson, a part of which had 
 crossed the river near Caughnawaga, destroyed all the Whig 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 -five miles), 
 and in several instances where dwellings had been t)urned by the In- 
 dians under his command in May (1780), and temporary ones rebuilt, 
 ^ey 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 Rensselaer, 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 
 him] 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 
 
Engagement near Fox^s Mills. civ 
 
 The most cui'ious thing in this connection is the part 
 played by the fiery Governor Clinton. Colonel Stone ex- 
 pressly stated, in 1838, that he was with General van Kens- 
 
 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 much 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 proceeding 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. [Why did they not guard the ford by which Sir John crossed ? 
 They were afraid of him, and glad to let him go 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. ?) (H. N. I. 55) ] moon, some hour 
 in the night. Instead, however, of encamping on the ground from 
 which the enemy had been driven, as a brave officer would have done, 
 he fell back down the river and encamped thrbe miles distant. The 
 troops under Dubois and Harper could hardly be restrained from com- 
 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 encamped on lands owned by the 
 late Judge Jacob G. Klock, spiked their cannon [the diminutive three- 
 pounder grasshopper was all they had], which was there abandoned ; 
 and, soon after the moon appeared, began to move forwa/rd to a fording 
 place jv^t above the residence ofJSathan Christie, and not far from their 
 encampment. Many were the denunciations made by the men under Du- 
 bois and Harper against Van Rensselaer, when they found he did not 
 begin the attack, and had given strict orders that their coimnanders 
 should not. They openly stigmatized the general * * * but, when 
 several hours had elapsed, and he had not yet made his appearance, a 
 murmur of discontent pervaded all. Harper and Dubois were com- 
 pelled to see the troops under Johnson and Brant ford the river, and 
 pass off unmolested, or disobey the orders of their 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 
 the 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 hours before tlie fight, dined with him at Fort 
 Plain, and remained at the Fort when van Kensselaer 
 marched out to the fight. In CoL Stone'j, or his son and 
 namesake's, " Bordei;_ Wars " (II., 122), this statement is 
 repeated. Clinton, in one of his letters, dated 30th October, 
 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, &c. ' ' In describing the engage- 
 ment he says, " the night came on too sOon for wsy" and 
 then afterwards he mentions "the morning after the action 
 
 I arrived with the militia under my immediate command." 
 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 Grovernor 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 "JSTorthern In- 
 vasion, ' ' 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 
 coimtry was aroused, and all the able-bodied males, regu- 
 
 and the death of Col. Brown and his men promptly revenged. — Jacob 
 Beaker, a Schoharie Militiaman. 438-430 Jephtha K. Simm's " History 
 of Schoharie County," 1845. 
 
EngageTnent near Fox's Mills. clvii 
 
 lars and militia, concentrating upon him, Sir John had 
 simply to look to the safety of his command. He retreated 
 by a route parallel to the Mohawk River and to the south 
 of it, pa ssed the Oneida C astle on tjie creek of the same 
 name, the present boundary between Madison and Oneida 
 Counties-, and made for Canasera ga, where h§_hadjeft^is 
 batteaux. Meanwhile van Kensselaer had dispatched an 
 express to Fort Schuyler or Stanwix, now Eome, ordering 
 Captain Yrooman, with a strong detachment from the gar- 
 rison, to push on ahead as quickly as possible and destroy 
 Sir John's little flotilla. A deserter frustrated Bm-goyne'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 attempt made to destroy 
 them. One of Captain Yrooman' s men fell sick, or pre- 
 tended to fall sick, at Oneida Castle (" Hist. Madison Co.," 
 656, &c.), and was left behind. Soon after. Sir John 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 JSangers, who came upon Yroomanis 
 detachment taking their midday meal, 23d November, 1780^ 
 an d "gobbl ed" the whole party. l!^ot a shot was fired, and 
 Captain Yrooman 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 
 
clviii Engagement nea/r Fox's Mills. 
 
 of American writers. It was their purpose to malign Sir 
 John, and they have admirably succeeded in doing so. Sir 
 John Johnson's expedition was a part of a grand strategic 
 plan, based upon 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 conquest of New France in 1759, 
 contemplated a triple attack : down Lake Champlain, 
 across from Oswego, and up the St. Lawrence. The Bur- 
 goyne campaign in 1777 was predicated on the same idea : 
 Burgoyne up 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 play 
 the part Howe should have done and ascend the Hudson. 
 Colonel Carleton M^as 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 Yermont rendered a more numerous col- 
 umn unnecessary. As it was, he penetrated to the Hud- 
 son, and took Fort Anne. Haldimand's nervousness about 
 a French attack upon Canada made him timid about detach- 
 ing a sufficient force ■<\ath Sir John. Moreover, the British 
 
Engagement near Fox's Mills. clix 
 
 regulars were very unwilling to accompany this bold parti- 
 san, M^bose energy insured enormous hardship, labor and 
 suiFering to his followers, to which regulars, more particu- 
 larly German mercenaries, were especially averse. Yon 
 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 Hal- 
 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 oificers in their 
 quarters and murder them all. The complot 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- 
 flicted quietly. These were the reasons that the invasion 
 which was to have been headed by 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 Kensselaer 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 with 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 
 
clx Engagement nem' Fox's Mills. 
 
 Quebec about tbe "middle of September, "—the very time 
 when 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 followed by Arnold in 1776. 
 
 The time necessary to bring Sir John into middle New 
 York, making due allowances for obstacles, was about co- 
 incident with the date calculated for the surrender ot West 
 Point. Arnold made his escape on the 25th of September. 
 Andre was arrested on the 23d of September, and was exe- 
 cuted on the 2d of October following. Major Carleton 
 came up Lake Champlain, and appeared before Fort Anne 
 on the 10th of October (Hough's "Northern Invasion," 
 I., 43), Majjor Houghton [Ihid, 146) simultaneously fell 
 upon the upper settlements of the Connecticut Yalley ; and 
 Major Munro, a Loyalist, started with 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 five 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 hurried from all 
 
Engagement necur Fox's Mills. clxi 
 
 quarters towards the Highlands, 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 17Y7. Meanwhile, the Carletons, 
 certain of the neutrality of Yermont, whose hostilities had 
 been so effective in ITTT, would have captured all the posts 
 on the upper Hudson. In this W^ay the gi-eat plan, which 
 failed in lYTT, was to be accomplished in 1780. Thou- 
 sands of timid Loyalists would have sprung to arms to sup- 
 port Sir John and Clinton, and the severance of the East- 
 ern from the Middle States completed, and perfect comma- 
 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 probahly the effect of Ar- 
 nold'' s treason.'''' On the 21st of the same month General 
 Washington, addressing the President of the Continental 
 Congress, wrote : " 7i5 is thought., amd perhaps not witJb- 
 out foundation, that this incursion was made [by Sir John 
 Johnson] upon the supposition that ArnoWs 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 Engagement nea/r Fox's Mills. 
 
 ing branded as it has been by virulence, and worse, in 
 many cases, by direct misrepresentation. 
 
 "Success is the 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 exposure to suf- 
 fering and peril the test, and not success, there are few 
 men who would stand higher to-day in military annals 
 than Sir John Johnson. 
 
^Kuits 
 
 liave occurred, not only among Militia and Irregulars, but in Eegolar 
 Armies, subjected, in appearance, to the highest state of discipline and 
 the most severe of military codes. These panics, are not only incom- 
 prehensible, but infinitely more disgraceful than the worst which has 
 been attributed to Militia — even American Militia, such as the 
 Knock's Field tohu-bohu in 1780 ; the Bladensburg Eaces in 1814 ; 
 and the dissolution of the Union forces at Bull Run I., in 1861. 
 Nothing, however, can approach what took place in the Austrian 
 army under Joseph II., in 1788. It almost transcends belief, and it 
 might be deemed incredible, if it was not recorded in the following 
 language by the veteran French Marshal Marmont, Duke of Eagusa, in 
 his ■' The Present State of the Turkish BmpireJ' translated by Lt.-Col. 
 Sir Frederick Smith, K. H., Royal British Engineers, London, 1839, 
 pp. xx.-xxiv., "Introduction." 
 
 " At Karansebes (on tjie Temes, 50 miles S. E. of Temesvar, just S. 
 of the Iron Gates Pass) we are reminded of the lamentable catastrophe 
 [Gust's Annals of the Wars," I., iv., 29-30] that befell the troops of 
 Austria, in September, 1788, near this place, in the latter wars [1788-'90] 
 between that power and Turkey. 
 
 "Joseph the Second afforded on this occasion a remarkable instance 
 of the misfortunes which a monarch may bring upon his people by 
 overrating his qualifications as a military commander ; for, though 
 personally brave, he seemed, when the lives of others depended on Ms 
 decision, to be deficient in that moral courage and -presence of mind 
 which are indispensable in a general ; yet he evinced great resolution, 
 as well as indefatigable industry in conducting the civil affairs of the 
 state, and unquestionably possessed superior talent. His political acts 
 have been the subject of much discussion ; how far they may be 
 deserving of praise or censure this is not the . place to enquire ; 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 promptly 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 dominions were concerned, the 
 revolutions that threatened Austria as well as the rest of Europe. 
 22— clxiii 
 
clxiv Panics. 
 
 "In 1789 [1788 ?], Joseph, having collected together 80,000 men, for 
 the purpose of attacking the Turks, established his camp near Karans- 
 bes. The Turks were in a position opposite to the Austrian army, and 
 so placed as to cover the province of Wallachia. All was prepared for 
 the attack ; the generals were assembled in the tent of the Emperor to 
 receive their orders, and everything appeared to promise success to 
 the Austrian army ; but Joseph, feeling a degree of disquietude 
 respecting the result, asked Marshal Lascy if he felt sure of beating 
 the enemy. The Marshal replied, as any sensible [?] man would have 
 done, under similar circumstances, that he hoped for victory, but that 
 he could not absolutely guarantee it. Unhappily this answer so dis- 
 couraged Joseph [where were his own resolution and brains ?] 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 colunms, the infantry being placed 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 1 hat the order had not been issued for withdrawing 
 the piquets of the left wing, . supplied the omission, and suddenly 
 baited the main body to wait for these detachments. [Something 
 similar occurred on the night of 15th December, 1863, when the left 
 wing of the Union army withdrew from before the Rebels, after the 
 disastrous failure of the attack of the 13th, preceding.] The word of 
 command, to ' halt,' was given and repeated in the usual manner ; but, 
 being mistaken for the word 'Allah,' which the Turks are in the habit 
 of shoutingwhen about to fall upon their enemies, many of the Austrian 
 troops believed that they were attacked. This was the case with the dri- 
 vers of the tumbrils, who, seized with panic, put their horses into a trot, 
 in the hope of escaping. The infantry, supposing the noise made by 
 these carriages to be caused by the charge of the enemy, commenced 
 firing in all directions. The havoc they thus created in their own 
 ranks was so great, 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 tcr take up behind the Temes. If, 
 instead of giving way to his alarm, Joseph had attacked the enemy, it 
 is probable that he would have obtained possession of Wallachia with- 
 out losing more than 3,000 or 4,000 men. As it was, he not only lost 
 10,000 by the disaster above mentioned, and 30,000 by sickness, which 
 was the consequence of a prolonged occupation of an unhealthy tract 
 of country, but he raised the courage of the Turks, and thereby 
 deprived his own troops of the confidence they had previously reposed 
 both in him and in themselves." 
 
£.^gutr0i. 
 
 The preceding pages are the 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. Keflection 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- 
 ticj like the mysterious sympathetic nerve on which vitaliza- 
 tion depends. This people is that portion of the community 
 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 
 
clxvi L^ Envoi. 
 
 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 BLuss, 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 asgis 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, with few 
 rarely continue to exist when the downward .road becomes 
 rough and steep. The people, so styled, the masses, are 
 to-day what they were a thousand, yes thousands of years 
 ago, the obtuse instruments of wicked minds. '■'■Panem 
 et Cirdenses" (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, althoiigh few, like 
 William TIL, 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 
 
L ''Envoi. clxvii 
 
 oily tongues or versatile pens, like our successful politi- 
 cians or popular 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 ! Valley 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 the audience, and a triumph inevi- 
 tably must ensue. Endeavor honestly to tell the plain im- 
 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 
 
clxviii L ^ Envoi. 
 
 or writer witli 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 ;i 
 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. Stonb and of himself. The pages 
 numbered with letters comprise his labors, and, having 
 turned them over to Me. Stone, 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 Orderly Book." 
 
Sit Soijn SoJ)n0oti 
 1776 
 
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 
 
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 11. 
 
Introduction. c 
 
 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 in 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 
 
d Introduction. 
 
 with his troops took to the river, and the Indians 
 fled into the woods. The troops under Col. 
 Willett had fair firing at the enemy 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 me 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 British stand-point, see Appendix 
 No. III. 
 
Introduction. e 
 
 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 
 
f 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 ojfficer and Sir John 
 had retreated into Canada, the laughing-stock of 
 their Indian allies. These, as well as many 
 other instances, will make apparent the value of 
 the Orderly 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. Coelum non animum mutant qui 
 trans mare currunt. This action, on the part of 
 the officers, very likely arose from policy as well 
 
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 from 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 
 
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 will 
 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 acconiplished 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 
 
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. 
 
KEY 
 
 TO THE ABBREVIATIONS IN THE 
 
 ORDERLY BOOK. 
 
 C. (before a proper name) - Countersign.- 
 
 C. (in a guard detail) - - Corporal. 
 
 D. - - - - - ^ -r Drum or drummer. 
 G. O. ----- - General order. 
 
 K. R. R. N. Y. - - - King's Royal Reg't 
 
 of New York, Sir 
 John Johnson's 
 Reg't. 
 
 L. _------ Lieutenant. 
 
 P. (before a proper name) - Paroled. 
 
 P. and Pt. (in a guard detail) Privates. 
 
 S, ------- Sergeant. 
 
ORDERLY BOOK 
 
 FOR 
 
 LIEUT. COL. SIR JOHN JOHNSON'S COMPANY' 
 
 1776-1777- 
 
 Col. Sir John Johnson's Command 
 
 ■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, Lieut. Singleton, 
 
 Ens.. Byrne, Ens. Crothers, Ens. CrofFord, Ens. 
 
 Hysted. 
 
 ^ Although this title purports to be 
 only the " Orderly Book of 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 reflex of the daily 
 history of the different regiments engaged 
 in the Expedition. These may be clas- 
 sified as follows : 
 
 1st. " The 34th Regiment." This 
 was St. Leger s own Regiment. It 
 was formed m 1702 in "KToTfolK^ Essex 
 and a<ijoining counties ; and the date of 
 the first colonel's commission was Feb. 
 I2th, 1702. Its u niform w as red, faced 
 with pale yellow . 
 
 2,d. " The_King^W?.oyal_Reg]^menJ^of 
 New York " otherwise called___'J; The 
 Queen's Loyal New Yorkers^' " Sir John 
 Johnson's Regiment," and unofficially by 
 contemporaneous writers, " Johnson's 
 
Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 La Prairie.' 
 
 1776 4th Novemr. Parole, London. Counter- 
 sigtiy Cork. For Guard tomorrow Lt. Walker, 
 
 Royal Greens " from the color of their 
 coats. All Provincial Regiments, how- 
 ever, were originally Pressed in green, and 
 aftervvards Tn red Hke 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 j and when- 
 ever, in the Orderly Book, "The Regi- 
 ment" simply is mentioned, this one is 
 alone referred to. 
 
 •^d. A portion of the 8th Regiment, 
 or "King's Regiment of Fdot^' which 
 w'as"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, 
 Michilimackinac, etc. For a sketch of 
 this Regiment see note in advance. 
 
 ^th. " Butler^ Tory Rangers," under 
 the command of Lieut. Col. John Butler, 
 a brother-in-law oT^Sir John Johnson, 
 and who with his men had lately arrived 
 at Oswego from Niagara to take part in 
 the Expedition. 
 
 5M. One company of the " Hanau 
 Chasseurs^" packed riflemen and trained 
 and skillful soldiers. 
 
 6th. One company of Canadians carry- 
 ing broaOx_es',to"c'uf roads through the 
 woods for the artillery. 
 
 jth. The Indians composed of the 
 MissisagueT^a clan of the Hurons) and 
 a few of the Six Na^mns und^r, the., im- 
 mediate com^mand of Col. Daniel Claus 
 an3 Joseph^_ra_nt (Thayendanegea'l^ 
 
 '^M. 'rhe artillery which consisted 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, espcciany" designated 
 from Whitehall. ^ 
 
 ^ La Prairie de la Magdelaine (Seig- 
 
 niory) is situated on the south side of the 
 St. Lawrencein the county of Huntingdon, 
 L. C. This tract was granted, on the 
 ist of April, 1 647, 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 who 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. 
 
'Johnson'' s Orderly Book. 3 
 
 2 Sergts, 2 Corporals, i 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 vvith 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, ° La Chine, one of the nine Parishes ) 
 
 .in 1776, was forced to fly into Canada, into which the island of Montreal is 
 
 \Major Gray, then lieutenant of the 42d, divided, is a post-village nine miles south- 
 
 jhelped to raise the faithful body-guard of west of the city of IVTontreal, and is! 
 
 i one hundred and thirty Highlanders that situated directly opposite to the Caugh- j 
 
 (accompanied him. Indeed, throughout naWaga village. It is built on a fine j 
 
 this Orderly Boole, one can see that the gravelly beach, at the head of Lake St. \ 
 
 name " Sir John Johnson's Regiment" Louis, which is a broad part of the St. \ 
 
 is well deserved ; for its colonel evidently Lawrence River. At the time of the i 
 
 chose for its officers those of his friends . American Revolution, it contained very I 
 
 whom he knew by personal experience extensive store-houses, belonging to the | 
 
 were staunch and could be relied upon King of Great Britain, in which were \ 
 
 in all emergencies. deposited the presents for the Indians as 
 
4- yohnsofCs 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 i Corp, & 4 Privt. It is the 
 Commanding officer's ords, that 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 they 
 are Quartered, in cutting fire-wood for their own 
 use this winter. 
 
 /soon as they were received from England, more western point, probably Oswego. 
 It is the centre of commerce between Capt. RouviU's company of Canadians 
 Upper and Lower Canada ; and boats for joined at La Chine ; and on the 21st of 
 the North-west Territory start from here. June (as appears by the Orderly Book) St. 
 A railroad now connects La Chine with Leger left La Chine. On that or the 
 Montreal; also, a canal to avoid the rap- next day, Jessup's Corps proceeded (prob- 
 ids of St. Louis. It is a place of con- ably by water) to join Burgoyne's force, 
 siderable importance, and consists, besides which rendezvoused at St. John's. The 
 private dwellings, of a number of store Standard of England was hoisted on the 
 and ware-houses. There is, also, a large " Radeau" (a floating battery on a sort of 
 dry-dock for the repairing of the bat- raft-like vessel), and saluted the forts and 
 teaux. fleet on June 1 3 at St. John's ; and on 
 It further derives importance, in this the 1 6th the fleet slowly started up the 
 connection, from the fact that Sir John Richelieu or St. John's river, being joined 
 /Johnson's Regiment was concentrated at on its slow progress the first few days by 
 ■ La Chine, June 1st, 1777, when St. the troops that were to take part in Bur- 
 jLeger joined it with the detail of his goyne's Expedition. It will thus appear, 
 own regiment, the 34th. In fact, La that St. Leger and Burgoyne got off prac- 
 ^"hine was the rallying, or rather, per- tically at the same time from the neigh- 
 haps, the starting point of St. Leger 's burhood of Montreal. 
 Expedition, as the detachment of the 8th * One wonders whether, when the 
 did not join St. Leger until it reached a names of '* Drogheda" and *' Clonmell" 
 
, 'Johnson'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 the Protector, can to-day easily be dis- 
 
 pass-words of the day, the Irish soldiers tinguished from the more modern por- 
 
 recalled the fact, that those two towns, a tion, by its masonry. There is, also, the 
 
 little more than a century before, had " West Gate" which yet shows the 
 
 been the scenes of Cromwell's most bril- marks of Cromwell's bombardment, 
 
 liant victories and greatest atrocities — and. The surrounding country is beautiful (as 
 
 also, whether from the stand-point of I can testify from personal observation); 
 
 their nationality, they remembered that and on the river Lair, on which stands 
 
 it was a war waged by the "Great Pro- the town, some of the finest butter in 
 
 lector" against their freedom ! and, if Ireland is made. Clonmell, also, is the 
 
 so, did they, as they lay in their tents capital of the • county of Tipperary 
 
 that night, reflecting on the order, draw which is remarkable for its political in- 
 
 a parallel between the fact that their em- dependence of thought and action; many 
 
 ployer (England) was now making them instances having occurred where citizens, 
 
 the instruments for subordinating a peo- imprisoned for political offences, were 
 
 pie also struggling for their liberties.' elected to Parliament while in jail with- 
 
 The town of Clonmell, especially, out any expense to them, and against the 
 
 should have recalled these things to their combined opposition of the Government, 
 
 minds. That town still bears the marks landlords, and a majority of the priests. 
 
 of Cromwell's siege. The old castle in O'Donovan Rossa, for instance, was an 
 
 the centre of the town, which for eight example of this kind, 
 days successfully resisted the cannon of 
 
Johnsoris Orderly Booh, 
 
 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 
 tp be made to the Quarter Master Genl at Montreal 
 from each Corps of the Number of Boats they 
 
 ^ This practicing on snow-shoes 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 che 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 force's — con- 
 sequently, I made ray men practice at 
 long range, and from behind bushes and 
 trees, that they might be enough for 
 them." Stone's Life and 'Journah 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 lath, 
 1756 J and brevet lieut. colonel in 1760. 
 In 1776, having already become distin- 
 guished as an artillery olficer, 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 
 Riedesers 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 exchanged, 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, 1781. Ma- 
 jor General Phillips, at his death, held 
 the office of lieutenant governor of 
 Windsor. Stone^s Burgoyne, Army Lists, 
 Auburey^s Tra'vels. 
 
yohnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 have in Charge, specifying their condition and 
 how furnished with Oars, Setting-Poles, &c. 
 Signed, E. Foy,' Depy. Adjt. General. 
 
 ^ Edward Foy received a commission 
 of first lieutenant in the Royal Artil- 
 lery on the ad of April, 1757, and be- 
 came captain lieutenant on the ist of 
 January, 1759. In the month of July, 
 Following, as a captaifi of one of che 
 British artillery companies or batteries, 
 he acted with such bravery at the battle 
 of Minden as to be specially distinguished 
 on the day after the battle by the com- 
 mander-in-chief in his address to the 
 army. He was 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. 
 Burke, in his History of yirginia^ says 
 that Captain Fpy ** 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 JWinistry to cm- 
 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 Fonvey 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 de facto. 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 
 Pallai as commissary of the troops in 
 Canada j and in the same year was ap- 
 pointed Carelton's deputy adjutant general, 
 a position which he continued to fill 
 until his death in Canada, in 1780. 
 Both his wife and himself were on terms 
 of friendship with General and Mrs. 
 Riedesel. He accompanied Rledesel to 
 America on board the ship Pallas^ 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. MuUer 
 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 of annoyance by 
 
8 
 
 yohnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 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 Adjtof the week. Marking to what 
 time their leave of absence extends, & by whom 
 given. 
 
 Sign'd Arr. Jas. Pomeroy". 
 
 Montreal 12th December 1776 
 Orders received from his Excellency the Com- 
 mander in Chief, dated Quebec, 9th December, 
 1776. 
 
 The Commander in Chief [Carleton^] 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. RUdeiel, N. Y. Col. Doc. 
 
 'Arthur James Pomeroy j 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 j 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 
 guebec, .Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 
 wick, in 1786, 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 many instances of 
 the same character. In fact. Gen. 
 Carleton was one of the best generals, 
 
Johnson s Orderly Booh. 9 
 
 Pleased to appoint Ensign William Doyle' of the 
 24th Regt, To be Lieut, in the room of Lieut. 
 Robert Pennington deceased. No Adjutant, Quar- 
 
 as regards both kindness and justice, that 
 the British Government ever had in 
 America. He was truly a great and a 
 wise man. Gen. Carleton was on warm 
 terms of friendship with Joseph Brant ; 
 and I have in my possession letters from 
 Carleton to Brant to prove this 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- 
 sists 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 i6, 
 1774, and lieutenant, in place of Pen- 
 nington deceased, Nov. ayth, 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 find 
 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 
 {Cot. 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 
 
 2 
 
 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 Gierke, 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; 
 and 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 24th 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 
 the foot 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 of 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: 
 
 *Itis likewise his Majesty's pleasure 
 that }ou 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 yohnso?fs 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 Widov^s ot such of either 
 as have been kill'd in the Service In America, 
 the Pay Master of Regiments, & Captain Shanks 
 
 companies /. e. the light infantry and 
 grenadiers, of all the British regiments 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 of the State of 
 the Expedition, were drawn from the 6 
 regiments of the ist and ad Brigades as 
 stated at the foot of that page. Eraser's 
 Brigade was not numbered, but was known 
 as the Light Brigade, and always led. 
 Besides the above authority, page ix ^f 
 the appendix, State of the Expedition, 
 shows exactly what regular British troops 
 St. Leger had, we know that the 24th 
 wgs with Burgoyne and that no part of 
 it was with St. Leger, except possibly a 
 single officer might have been on detached 
 service, as it is called, on St. Leger's 
 staff, 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, does not furnish 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. I2th, 1776, more than two months 
 before Lord George Germaine issued in 
 London his order to form St. Leger's 
 expedition, as Lord George's letter of 
 March 26th, 1777, to Sir Guy contained 
 that order. The troops in Canada were 
 then lying in winter quarters, the 34th, 
 St. Leger's Regiment, being at Quebec, 
 
 and Sir John Johnson's being at La 
 Chine, La Point Clarr and St. Ann 
 ^Lamys American War^ p. II2J. The 
 order of Dec. 1 2th, in Sir John's Orderly 
 Book is, as you see, signed by Sir Guy's 
 deputy adjutant general and Is transmitted 
 through the head-quarters of Major 
 General Phillips, and being the order of 
 a superior authority and applying to all 
 the troops in Canada, Sir John's Regi- 
 ment was as much amenable to it, as 
 any and all other regiments serving in 
 Canada under Sir Guy were j 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 starte d on_ St 
 Leger's Expedition wJth_^ur£eeXL,ti3ys 
 rations. [Sfr John's Orderly Book]. 
 TKe expression, w ith fourteen days rations 
 means that so many rations had 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. 
 
 From all the above and many other 
 autliorities, but the above will suffice, I 
 knom) that the 24th was not with St. 
 Leger at all, and belh've that Doyle was 
 not with him, though if he was detached 
 on staff duty with St. Leger that would 
 afford no sort of ground for supposing 
 that any of the rest of the 24th was with 
 St. Leger." 
 
 Pennington was commissioned lieu- 
 tenant, Feb. loth, 1770. 
 
yohnson'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, 
 
 Sigrid E. Foy 
 Dept. Adt. General, 
 By order of Major Genl Philips 
 Signd Arr. Jams. Pomeroy, 
 
 Aid de Camp, 
 
 1 I have searched in vain among the 
 archives of the British museum and the 
 files of the newspapers yet preserved in 
 London, to find the precise date and the 
 exact words 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 i8th, 
 1776, is as follows : 
 
 "In a letter, lately received by rhe 
 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 attention which 
 their countrymen have shown them on 
 this occasion ; and we flatter 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 offering 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." 
 
 And again, from the Middlesex four- 
 nal, London, Nov. 23, 1776: 
 
 ^^Canterbury, Nov. 20th, a subscription 
 is sec on foot at Tolpstone, by the mayor 
 and principal inhabitants of that town, 
 
12 Johnson'' s Orderly Book. 
 
 Lachine 
 
 1777 Jan I St. P. Ireland. C. Scotland. For 
 Guard to Morrow, i Sergt & 6 Prvt. The two 
 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. 
 
 — ijth. 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. Lieut 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 a reward of 40 shillings is offered court of St. James, Jan. 3d, 1776, for 
 
 to every able bodied seaman, and 20 encouraging seamen to enter themselves 
 
 shillings for every ordinary seaman over on board his Majesty's ships of war," 
 
 and above his Majesty's bounty, to such and also (Force's American Archiniez^ 
 
 inhabitants of the said town as shall 4th series, vol. iv, p. 146S) an "order in 
 
 voluntarily enter themselves into his council at the court of St. James, 28th 
 
 Majesty's navy." Feb., 1776," to the same effect ; but 
 
 In Force's American Archives, 4th have little or no bearing on this partic- 
 
 Series, vol. iv, p. 543, there is a Pro- ular enquiry, 
 clamation by the King, "given at our 
 
'Johnson'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. 
 Guard to Morrow, i S & 
 officer of the Day. 
 
 —15th. P. Dublin. C, 
 Morrow, i S & 6 P men 
 of the Day. 
 
 C. Charlestown. For 
 6 P men. Ens. Byrns 
 
 Belfast. For Guard to 
 Ens Crothers, officer 
 
 ^ George Singleton of Montreal. This 
 officer 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. Claus to Secretary Knox, N. Y. 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 
 Johnson'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 success^l beyond Col. 
 Willett's most sanguine hopes." We 
 are sorry, however, for the fair fame of 
 this officer, 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. Y., about 1825, was a gentleman of 
 high stan ding, is authority for the state- 
 ment thatL"L'eutenant Singleton, of Sir 
 John Johnson's regiment, being wounded, 
 entreated the savages to kill the prison- 
 
14- 'Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 — 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 Morrow 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 t^jisdeponent can judge, about six or 
 seven^ The original of this affidavit 
 by" Younglove, is still in the office of the 
 Secretary of State, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 General de Peyster and Mr. Edward 
 F. de Lancey, have thought that Willett 
 was wrong in his statement (see quota- 
 tions from the I^arraii'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, among 
 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 nth 
 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 him when 
 
Johnson's Orderly Book. 15 
 
 — 23d. P. Boston, C. Albany. For Guard to 
 Morrow i 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 P njen. Ens Byrns, 
 officer of the Day. 
 
 — 27th. P. Point Clair. C. Inverness. For 
 Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 6 P men. Ens 
 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. 
 
 we attacked their camp, and 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. 
 
1 6 Johnson s Orderly Book. 
 
 —30th. P. Dunkeld. C. Perth. For Guard 
 to Morrow, i Sergt & 7 men. Ens Byrne, officer 
 of the day. 
 
 — 31st.' P. Burk. C. Patrick. For Guard to 
 Morrow 1 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- closed an edifice, called Queen Anne's 
 daroga) now in Montgomery Co. , N. Y.J chapel, to which a parsonage, bui^t of 
 was built at the mouth of the Schoharie- stone, was attached. The old fort was 
 kill during the French and Indian war, torn down at the beginning of the rev- 
 on the site of the Lower Castle of the olution, but it was afterward partially 
 Mohawks, which was, at this time, the restored and often garrisoned. " The 
 most considerable town of that nation, chapel," says Lossing, " was demolished 
 It was scarcely a place of defence being, in i820,__to make room for the Erie 
 in fact, only a wooden building palisadoed, canal." (After the confiscation of the prop- 
 within which, besides the barracks, were erty of Sii' John Johnson, the furniture 
 some thirty cabins of the Mohawk In- of Johnson Hall was sold at auction at 
 dians. There was a house at each Fort Hunter^ When Mr. Lossing visited 
 curtain, and the cannon at each has- the place, the parsonage was still standing 
 tion, were from seven to nine pounders, in the town of Florida, half a mile below 
 It had no ditch, and only a large swing- the Schoharie creek, and a few rods 
 door at its entrance. The palisades en- south of the canal. 
 
'Johnson'' s Orderly Book. 17 
 
 To Morrow, i Sergt & 6 Men. For Ens Craw- 
 ford OfEcer of the Day. 
 
 — 6th. P. Tryon. C. Dunmore. For Guard 
 to Morrow, \ 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. TryppV, hill. For 
 Guard To Morrow, i Sergt, 1 Corpl & 7 Men. 
 Lieut Singleton, Officer of the Day. 
 
 nth. P. Gilbart. C. Tice. For Guard to 
 Morrow i Sergt. i Corpl. & 7 Men. Ens 
 Byrns, officer of the Day. 
 
 —1 2th. P. Maylield C. Sachandaga.^ For 
 
 'Tribe's Hill, situated 20 miles west mentions as worthy of note, that on its 
 of Schenectady on the eastern extremity top there was an apple tree which pro- 
 of the Caughnawaga flats, opposite Fort duced apples without core or seeds. 
 Hunter or the site of the " Lower From its top a fine view is obtained of a 
 Mohawk castle." It was named after few hundred acres of excellent meadow 
 one of the different tribes or femilies of which was formerly the seat of " King 
 the Mohawk nation which dwelt upon Hendrick," the famous sachem of the 
 it ; but whether it was the Bear, Turtle or Mohawks. N. T. Col. Doc, Jeftha R. 
 Wolf tribe is uncertain. It was first set- Simms to the author. 
 tied by, families from Albany in 1725. 
 
 Rev; John Taylor, who visited' the Hill ' The Sacandaga river one of the two 
 
 while on a missionary tour in i go2, chief tributary streams that flow into the 
 
 3 
 
1 8 Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 Guard To Morrow, i Sergt, i CorpL & 7 Men. 
 Ens. Crothers, Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 13th, P. Fojt 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 RiverJ 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 
 Crant Mountain in connection with Sir 
 John Johnson's route from Bulivagga 
 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 the 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 leavds 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 of 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. 19 
 
 mer' ?] For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. i Corpl, 
 & 7 Men. Lieut. Singleton officer of the Day. 
 
 — 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, i Corpl & 9 Men. 
 Lieut. Singleton, Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 1 8th. P. La Prairie. C. Long He'. For 
 Guard To Morrow, i Sergt 1 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 treal than to Quebec. On the east side 
 the early border wars. It was first built of the river St. Anne, and near the St. 
 in I7Z3i and was situated on the Con- Lawrence, is the village of St. Anne, a 
 necticut river on the New Hampshire pretty little hamlet, but having no parti- 
 side, forty miles below Charlestown, or cular history or traditions. 
 Number Four. 
 
 3Longueil, a parish or town on the 
 
 "Lower Canada was originally divided right or south bank of the St. Lawrence, 
 
 into four districts, viz. : Montreal, Three three miles from Montreal, was granted 
 
 Rivers, (Quebec and Gaspe, in the second to the Sieur Charles Le Moine de Lon- 
 
 of which lay St. Anne. The Seigniory gueil (father of Iberville and Bienville, 
 
 of St. Anne, three quarters of a league and the successor of M. de Vaudreuil in 
 
 wide, by two and a half leagues in length, the government of Canada), Nov. 3d, 
 
 and granted to M. Lanaudiere, Oct. 29th, 1672. Near the village, was the ancient 
 
 1 672,- is situated on the south bank of Fort of Longueil (built by Baron de Lon- 
 
 the St. Lawrence, a little nearer to Mon- gueii), one of the many barriers against 
 
20 "JohnsorCs 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. P. 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. 
 
 — 2ist. P. Phillips. C. Eraser. For Guard 
 to Morrow i Sergt. & Men. Ens Crawford, 
 Officer of the Day. 
 
 It is The Commanding officer's Orders that 
 
 the Iroquois, and a military centre during, study," standing belilnd the lower half 
 all of the French, English and American of their doors, the upper half thrown 
 wars. Its site is now covered by a well open, staring into vacancy. Longueil, 
 built church. On landing in the village formerly in the county of Kent, is now 
 from the ferry-boat on which he has thechief town of the county of Cham bly, 
 crsssed the St. Lawrence from Montreal, and is the summer residence of many 
 the tourist feels as if he had been sud- .Wontrealers, some of whom have hand- 
 denly transported into some ancient, some dwellings on the outskirts of the 
 medieval town of France, to which, town. Its present population 152,083. 
 moreover, had been added all the pecu- 
 liarities of an old Canadian town j neat as ^ Gen. Simon Eraser. For a sketch of 
 a pin ; grass in the streets and in the this gallant officer the reader is referred 
 court-yards of the quaint adobe cottages; to Stone's Burgoyne*s Campaign^ and Gen, 
 and the people either going quietly about Rogers*3 HadderCs Journal. 
 their business, or, apparently in a '* brown 
 
Johnson'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 Carefull 
 That The Men Are Clean & their Armes in 
 Good Order. 
 
 — 22d. P. Whymendham. C. Attleburrough. 
 For Guard to Morrow i Sergt. & lo 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. SuffiDlk. For Guard 
 to Morrow i Sergt 65 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 
 
2 2 "Johnson's Orderly Book, 
 
 Morrow i Sergt & lo Private Men. Lieut. 
 Singleton, Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 3d. P. Johnstown. C. Johnson. For 
 Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Ens 
 Byrns, Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 4th. P. Yorkshire. C. Hampshire. For 
 Guard to Morfow 1 Sergt & Private Men. Ens 
 Crothers, Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 5 th. 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 & 10 Private Men. Lieut 
 Singleton, Officer of the Day. 
 
 . — 7th. P. Quebec. C. Three Rivers'. For 
 
 ^ Three Rivers is a town of Canada Ottawa rivers and on the nearer lakes," 
 
 East at the confluence of the rivers St. says Weld, '* are manufactured at Three 
 
 Maurice and St. Lawrence, ninety miles Rivers, and in the vicinity by Indians, 
 
 from Quebec. It contains, among other The birch tree is found in great plenty 
 
 churches, a large Roman Catholic parish near the town; but it is from the more 
 
 church, formerly served by the Recollets, northern part of the country, where the 
 
 or Franciscan Friars; but the Order is now tree attains a very large size, that the 
 
 extinct in Three Rivers. The convent principal part of the bark is procured that 
 
 of St. Ursule, founded by M. de St. canoes are made with. The bark re- 
 
 Vallier, bishop of Quebec, in 1677, is sembles in some degree that of the oak 
 
 also a spacious building. The sisters of tree, but it is of a closer grain, and also 
 
 this convent particularly excel in the much more pliable, for it admits of being 
 
 manufacture of very curious bark-work, rolled up the same as a piece of cloth. 
 
 They use the bark of the birch tree ; and The Indians of this part of the country 
 
 with it they make pocket-books, work- always carry large rolls of it in their 
 
 baskets, dressing-boxes, etc., which they canoes when they go on a hunting party, 
 
 embroider with elk hair dyed of the most for the purpose of making temporary huts, 
 
 brilliant colors. They also make models The bark is spread- on small poles over 
 
 of Indian canoes and the various war- their heads, and fastened with strips of 
 
 like implements used by the Indians, all elm-bark (which is remarkably tough) 
 
 of which handiwork they sell, for the to stakes, so as to form walls on the 
 
 benefit of their convent, to the stray sides." Three Rivers, though long sta- 
 
 tourist who chances to sojourn in their tionary as regards growth, has recently 
 
 neighborhood. *' Nearly all the birch-bark become one of the most thrifty places in 
 
 canoes in use on the St. Lawrence and the province. The district of Three 
 
JohnsorCs Orderly Book. 
 
 23 
 
 Guard to Morrow i S & 10 Pri Men. Ens 
 Byrns Officer of the Day. 
 
 —8th. P. SoreP. C. Chamblee\ For 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. 
 
 — nth. P. Johnson. C. Gray. For Guard 
 to Morrow i Sergt, & i o Privt Men. Ens Byrns 
 Officer of the Day. 
 
 Rivers includes both sides of the St. 
 Lawrence, and is sub-divided into four 
 counties. The village, itself, besides 
 being one of the oldest towns in Canada, 
 is one of the most interesting 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 
 feet, See, Nkolcfi Discovery of the North- 
 ■west, by C. fT. Buturfield. 
 
 ' 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 (the Seigniory of) on the 
 River Richelieu or Sorel, and in the 
 counties of Kent and Bedford, L. C, is 
 three leagues in length by one in depth 
 on each side of that river; andwas granted, 
 on the 29th of Oct., 167Z, to IVl. 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 death," 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 Queen's 
 Bench, assured me of Sir John's extreme 
 pomtj,^ and that he 'i^SsT^rrhrTtiHe, 
 conductmg some litigation in behalf of 
 the baronet." 
 
24- Johnson s Orderly Book. 
 
 1 2th. P. County Tyron. C. Albany. For 
 Guard to Morrow, i Sergt. & lo Privt Men. 
 Ens Crothers Officer (if 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. For 
 Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Lieut 
 Singleton Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 15th. P. Ireland. C. Scotland. For 
 Guard to Morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. Men. Ens 
 Byrne Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 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 
 
 'An old hunter, and a descendant of named after him. Lieut. Cheney owned, 
 
 this officer, is still (1882) living in a log at one time, a large tract of land in the 
 
 shanty in the Adirondacks, between the Adirondacks, but it has been all frittered 
 
 Boreas River (a stream emptying into the away except what is held by the hunter 
 
 Hudson) and Blue Mountain Lake — above named. 
 " Cheney Lake," in that vicinity, being 
 
yohnsorCs 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 oij 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 120'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. 
 
 — 2 1 St. 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- 
 
 4 
 
26 'Johnson's Orderly Booh. 
 
 morrow i Sergt & lo Pt. men. Lieut. Singleton 
 Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 23d. P. Johnstown. C Johnson. For 
 Guard to morrow i Sergt, & to 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 
 to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. men. 
 ford. Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 26th. P. Amboy. C. New 
 Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt, 
 Singleton, Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 27th. P. Philadelphia. C. Anapolis 
 
 For Guard 
 Ens Craw- 
 York. For 
 men. Lieut. 
 
 For 
 
 sonviUe. 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 1768— 1 77 1 
 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 posirively 
 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 caru blanche 
 to ravage and destroy, excited by liquor, 
 shamefully 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 and use them 
 for marks to fire at ! the excuse being, 
 that "such treatment would keep the 
 people from joining the rebel army, and 
 thus the rebellion would be sooner ended ! " 
 
yohnson's Orderly Book. 27 
 
 Guard to morrow i Sergt & 10 Pt. mea. 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, & 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 & 10 Pt. 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 1 Sergt. & 10 Pt men. Ens Wall 
 Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 3d. P. Honduras. C. Goree. For Guard 
 to morrow i Sergt. & 10 Pt. men. Ens Craw- 
 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 
 
"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. Suffolk. For Guard 
 to morrow i 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 Command of Capt. Brown 
 be sent to their Companys that they be Provided 
 in time with Necessaries to take the field when 
 ordered, & 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- succeeded in crawling to a brooic (Oris- 
 
 law of Sir John Johnson and fourth son kany creek) where, by slaking his thirst, 
 
 of Hon. John Watts and Ann de Lancey, he was preserved from speedy death j and 
 
 was born in New York, Dec. 24th, 1754. in the course of two or three days was 
 
 As an officer in Johnson's Royal Greens, found by some Indian scouts, and brought 
 
 he was present at the battle of Oriskany, in into St. Leger's camp. " 
 which action " he was severely wounded The above statement was taken down 
 
 and left on the field, as was supposed, from the lips of his brother, the Hon. 
 
 among the slain. His death was reported John Watts, of New York, by the 
 
 by Col. Willett in his letter to Col. writer's father the late Col. William L. 
 
 Trumbull, and by other authorities. Stone, and is undoubtedly the correct 
 
 Such, however, was not the ftct. Re- version. Mrs. Bonney, however, in her 
 
 viving from faintness produced by loss of Legacy of Historical Gleanings, vol. i 
 
 blood, some time after the action, he p. 69, gives a somewhat different account. 
 
30 yohnson's 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 fit. 
 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 EHzabeth 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 
 I 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 passed 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 kill him ; they refused and left 
 htm 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 sufficiently 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 an admiral in the British 
 navy j another, John Watts, 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 Quebec and a 
 member of assembly in the Canadian 
 parliament. See also, the Parliamentary 
 Register for Watts's conduct at Oriskany. 
 
 1 (( 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 cloth } in shape, similar to the strap 
 of the epaulette ; and terminated at the 
 end 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 Statesservice." 
 Gen^ de Peyster to the author. 
 
'Johnson'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 1 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. & i o 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 Com-manding 
 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 
 
32 'Johnson'' s Orderly Book. 
 
 morrow i Sergt & lo Pt. men. Ens Wall, 
 Officer of the Day. 
 
 — 1 8th. P. Eaton. C. Hingham. For Guard 
 to morrow i sergt. & lo 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 & PHvits, 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 
 7 o'clock. 
 
 ' Oswegatchie (now Ogdensburgh, by the English in 1700, while they were 
 
 N. Y.), in 1740 known as Fort Presen- descending the St. Lawrence to attack 
 
 tation and sometimes La Gazette. It Montreal. Tradition locates one of Gen. 
 
 was garrisoned by the French during a Putnam's most daring exploits at this fort, 
 part of the seven years war, but was taken 
 
Johnson^ s Orderly Booh 33 
 
 — 24th. P. London. C. York. For Guard 
 to morrow 1 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. Suffolk. 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. 
 Leant. 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 
 
34- Johnson's 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. 
 
 — nth. P. Eraser. C. Phillips. For Guard 
 to morrow i & 10 Private' men. Ens Byrne 
 officer of the Day. 
 
 — 12th. P. Edinburgh. C Lieth. For 
 Guard to morrow i Sergt & 8 Privt men. Ens. 
 Crothers officer of the Day. 
 
 — ^I3th. P. Crownpoint. C. Tyconderoga. 
 For Guard to morrow i 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. 
 
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 Quarters. 
 
 — 15th. P. Tyron. C. Howe. 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. Dover. 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 
 
 " Jessup's Corps, or Jessup's Battalion, for convenience in drawing rations, 
 
 the names are used interchangeably, or the clothing, etc., before the expeditions of 
 
 officers that composed it, with the men Burgoyne and St. Leger started. " The 
 
 that went from New York with them in corps were regarded by Sir Guy Carleton," 
 
 the ftil of 1776 to Canada, were ordered writes Gen. Rogers, "rather as refugees 
 
 to Sir John Johnson's regiment merely than as soldiers, though they wished to 
 
Johnson s 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. Edw^ard 
 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. 
 
 be regarded as soldiers ; and finally, in 
 tile 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 hairrSplitting 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. Thus 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 finally, 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 ; and accord- 
 ingly we find the younger brother, iVlajor 
 Jessup, in the spring of 1781, preparing to 
 head 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 
 sheer 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 strength 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, forms 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 baffled pursuers sent 
 after him a few shots, but without effect. 
 " After the revolution," says Col. B. C. 
 Butler of Luzerne, 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 
 
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 
 Volun'teers who have joined the Companies to 
 which they belonge are to Mount Guard In 
 their Proper Turn. 
 
 * Big Falls,' where, for several years, they both the Jessups were included in the 
 
 did a large and thriving business in lumber. New York Act of Attainder and could 
 
 They also built a road from Fort Miller, scarcely have lived in New York after the 
 
 across the plain and around the foot of revolution; besides which Gen. Rogers, a 
 
 Mt. McGregor (near Saratoga Springs), very high authority, writes that he has posi- 
 
 to the present hamlet of Luzerne. The tive proof that at least one of the brothers, 
 
 *Big Falls' was also called ' Jessup's Edward, lived in Canada after the waruntil 
 
 Landing,' from the fact that the lumber his death. Edward Jessup was present 
 
 rafts from the Sacandaga, Hudson and as one of the chief mourners at the funeral 
 
 Schroon rivers, on their way to market, of Sir William Johnson to whom he was 
 
 were landed here, drawn by teams around greatly attached. Holden's History of tie 
 
 the * Big Falls,* and then re-shipped for Toivn of S^eenshury ; Stone's Life of 
 
 Glen's Falls." This statement of Col. Brant ; N. B. Sylvester. 
 Butler, however, is hardly probable, as 
 
Johnson's Orderly Book. 39 
 
 — 21st. P, Dublin. C. London. For Guard 
 to morrow i Sergt & 8 men. Ens Cr others 
 officer of the Day. 
 
 — 22d. P. Templar. C. Preston, For 
 Guard to morrow i Sergt. & 8 Priv. men. Ens 
 Wall Officer of. the Dayl 
 
 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- 
 
40 'Johnson s 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 Deficency 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] 
 accoutrements necessary. 
 
 Point Clair.' 
 
 1777, May 26th. Parole, Aberdeen. Coun- 
 tersign, Inverness. For Guard to morrow Lt. 
 
 ' Three leagues from La Chine (16 and orchards. The houses in these 
 
 miles from Montreal) is Pointe Claike, Canadian villages are all built of mud and 
 
 now a post-village. It contains from 200 small boulders, or paving stones, generally 
 
 to 300 houses, built vi^ith regularity, and one story high, and with doors divided 
 
 forming small streets that cross the main in the middle transversely. The lower 
 
 road at right angles. There is a neat part being shut to keep the children in, 
 
 parish church, a parsonage house, and one and the upper being open, the women 
 
 or two tolerably good houses to receive lean out and talk to each other across the 
 
 strangers. The surrounding scenery is street, in the most primitive style imagin- 
 
 attractive, and it is surrounded by gardens able. 
 
JohnsofCs 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 the superciliousness with which of doing nothing which would prejudice 
 
 he affected to treat the enemy, acknowl- them against the royal cause. 
 edged, in his own mind, the necessity 
 
OfOb yohnsons 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 and 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. Burgqyne. For 
 Guard to morrow Lieut. Walker i Sergt. i C. i 
 D. II Pr. 
 
 Its the commanding officers Orders that the 
 officers Commanding Companys 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. Daleys Compy. in the room of Corporal 
 McGrigar who is transferred to Capt Browns 
 Compy. Francis Albrant soldier in the Colls 
 
Johnson'' s Orderly Booh 41 
 
 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 
 1 2 Privat men. 
 
 The Officers Commanding Companys to See 
 that the taylors keep steady at the Cloathing till 
 finished, 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 1 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 Different 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. SmalP. For 
 
 ' Selected in honor of Major (afterwards Indeed, such was the known character 
 Colonel) Small, a British officer in the of Col. Small, that a billet presented by- 
 Southern department, who, in marked him was regarded as a distinguished mark 
 contrast to the cruelties enacted by the of favor ; security from insult and from 
 English officers generally, showed great any species of imposition being inseparable 
 kindness to the American prisoners, from his presence. "What," exclaims 
 
 6i 
 
4-2 Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 Guard to morrow Ens Phillips i Sergt i Corpl 
 I Drum & 1 2 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 finished 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. Qreen, 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 sifting this morning to Col. Trum- 
 
 bull for my portrait, he having done me 
 the honor to place me ih 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 aloud 
 * kill as many as you can, but spare Small/ 
 and that he actually turned aside muskets 
 that were aimed for my destruction." 
 
'Johnson's 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, 1 Corpl 1 2 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 yohnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 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 of April, 1756, as 
 ensign of the aSth 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 Stanwlx, 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- 
 Jcany, and by his general conduct of the 
 siege of Fort Stanwlx 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., 
 J 780, 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 Montreal, 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 meeting 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 o^ 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. Barry St. Leger. 
 
 -J^ 
 
Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 45 
 
 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 1 3 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 fartlier 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 his 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 officers of a want of energy. 
 Campbell, also, who was an industrious 
 
 as well as a carefiil 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. L eger wa s in a 
 state of intoxication ^uring_jnost of^ the 
 time hJs^_force^ lay _^^ore the fort. 
 riTs 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 general orders $20 for every American 
 scalp, tvhich cannot be denied, fully iusti- 
 iies 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 
 
4^ yohnson'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 of the Indians and Tories (Tories 
 should have been named first, for 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 
 so far as to refuse to see Walter Butler 
 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, the local rank of brigadier. Td 
 explain this, which has 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 territorial 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. Watts 
 dePeyster ; Knox } O'Callaghan; 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 Journaly 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 1 737. He entered the British 
 military service as an ensign in the zSth 
 Foot, April 2,7, 1756, and the next ye^r 
 accompanied his regiment to America 
 where it served under Gen. Abercromble. 
 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 America, 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 48th) '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,, 
 behaved gallantly near the bridge in 
 checking the flight of the French, and 
 was slightly wounded. In July, 1760, 
 he was appointed brigade major prepara- 
 tory to marching to Montreal, and he 
 became major of the 95th Foot, August 
 i6th, 1762. Upon that regiment's being 
 reduced at the peace of 1763 he went 
 upon half-pay. He became a lieutenant 
 colonel in the army. May 25th, 1772, 
 and the Heutenant colonel of the 34th 
 Foot, May 20th, 1775. 
 
"Johnson s Orderly Book, 47 
 
 — 4th. P. King George. Detail of the Guard 
 for to Morrow; 34th Regt i Corpl i Drumr & 
 6 Pr. Kings Royal Regt of New York i Sergt 
 and 12 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 1 S. 12 P.; Jessup's Corps i L. iC. 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 College, 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 as a brigadier, he 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 affair, 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 Tetter to 
 •Gen. McLean, which is as follows : 
 
 ' Head Quarters, 1 
 Quebec, afth July, ^111 • i 
 * * Lieut. Col. St. Leger may be in- 
 formed thit he ought to have seized and 
 sent down here in irons those Canadians 
 whom he mentions having held such 
 conversations 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 j 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 23d, 1777, St. Leger's force 
 was 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 
 
48 
 
 Johnson'' s Orderly Booh 
 
 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 & honorable zeal they have Lately 
 manifested to their King and Countrys interest 
 
 Island of Montreal, Isle of Jesus, Miller 
 Island as far as Couteau du Lac upon the 
 north, and from thence to La Prairie 
 exclusive on the south 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 list": for the last time in 
 1785. Wm. C. Bryant, in the American 
 Historical Record for 1874, 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 
 come down to us to form a clear idea of 
 St. Leger's character. His letter to Gen. 
 Schuyler, dated November 7th, 1781, in 
 reference to some of the latter's silver 
 that had been plundered by a British 
 scouting party, does not reflect upon St. 
 Leger discreditably, but his duplicity in 
 trying to induce the garrison of Fort 
 Schuyler 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 
 officer to send, and by no means reputable 
 for a British officer 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 escape, 
 Ferris says, ' for four days before they 
 
 were retaken, they had nothing for food 
 but teas 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^ Ne'w Tork Colonial Hist. Doc.j viii, 
 714; Annual Register Jor lyj-^, p. i6oj 
 Stvift's History of Middlebury, Vt.^ p. 92 ; 
 S^utbec Gazette, No-v, 25,1784; Haldi- 
 mand's Papers, Register of Letters from Sir 
 G. Carletonj 1776-1778, Vol. 11, p. 24; 
 Idem, General Orders by Sir Guy Carletor. 
 and Gen. Haldimand, 1776-1783, p. zo8; 
 Idem, Register of Letters from Sir Guy 
 Carleton to various persons, 1776— 1778, 
 Vol. I, p. 627 ; Magazine of American- 
 History, VI, p. 289 ; Narrati've of the 
 Military Actions of Colonel Marinus 
 Willettr 
 
 Upon St. 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 f^^ his adventures 
 during his stay in that city is given (as 
 illustrative of this period of his life) in 
 Appendix, No. III. 
 
• yohnsofCs Orderly Book. 49 
 
 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. 1 2 P. ; Jessup's Cofps 1 S. i C. 6 P. 
 Total I L. 2 S. 2 C. I D. 26 P. Ens Wall for 
 the Guard to Morrow. 
 
 —8th. P. St. Johns. C. Oneida. A Weekly 
 
 ' St. Leger, like Clinton, and in fact, to have been a favorite one withfeirTohn,) 
 
 every English officer at t^is time except notwithstanding his subsequent iiard ex-1 
 
 Burgoyne (after his defeat) and the good perience, since in a letter to Joseph B rant.? 
 
 and wise Carleton, seems to have enter- under date of IW^y i6th, 1787, he writes:; 
 
 tained a supreme contempt for his Amer- *^rrnustown Igive little.credit to the re-; 
 
 ican foes. Still, Sir John Johnson, from ports of the American's preparations to\ 
 
 his intercourse with his father, should attack the Posts; * * but 'even such an ) 
 
 have known better, sinccSir William, in attempt can only be made by the lawless ' 
 
 a letter to the Ministry, written shortly rabble on the southern frontiers".fBritrsh 
 
 before his death, particularly warns them regulars, however, were never just to 
 
 against entertaining the erroneous impres- provincials or militia even of their own 
 
 sion that the Americans lucre not brave side. They gave them- invariably the 
 
 and would not fight. Stone's Life of Sir hardest work and no gratitude. See Sted- 
 
 ff^m. Johnson. man and de Peyster. 
 
 The word "Rabble" however, appears 
 
 7 
 
50 Johnson'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 Morrow. 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- cumbersome. It is studded with brass 
 rally used in Lower Canada, and there nails ; and to particular parts of it are 
 is scarcely a farmer, indeed, in the attached small bells, " of no use that I 
 country who does not possess one. It could ever discover," naively says Weld, 
 is a sort of one horse chaise, capable " but to annoy the passenger." Those 
 of holding two people besides the driver, tourists, who have visited Quebec and 
 who sits on a kind of box placed over the have taken one of these unique con- 
 foot-board expressly for his accommoda- veyances (the only ones, in fact, to be 
 tion. The body of the calash is hung procured) to visit the Falls of the Mont- 
 upon broad straps of leather, fastened to morencey, will, on reading this, readily 
 iron rollers that are placed behind, by recall his own particular calash and 
 means of which they are shortened or driver with his little red cap and pipe, 
 lengthened. On each side of the carriage which he hired on that occasion ! 
 is a little door about two feet high, where- 
 by one enters it; and which is useful ' It is a great pity that when St. Leger 
 when shut, in preventing anything firom was so particular in enforcing discipline 
 slipping out. The harness for the horse among his regulars, he did not apply the 
 is, even to the present day, made in the same principles of humanity to the con- 
 old French fashion, extremely heavy and duct of his Indians. Indeed, it is a well 
 
Johnson'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 Younglbve and others, that St. 
 Leger not only offered a reward for each 
 scalp brought in by the Indians, but also 
 in various other ways, encouraged cruelty 
 among his dusky allies. There are many 
 instances to prove this ; let one or two 
 suifice. Col. Gansevoort, writing to Gen. 
 Schuyler from Fort Stanwix, under date 
 of June 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. WiUett 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 fired 
 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- 
 jver that St. Leger offered a reward for 
 scalps, bears the stamp of probability. 
 Certainly, in the war of i8ia, when the 
 principles of humanity might be supposed 
 £0 be further advanced, the British govern- 
 ment, 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 1 8 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 Steivart Pearce, in 
 the American Historical Record^ vol. iii, 
 p. 420. Before, however, dismissing 
 this subject, the reader should, in justice 
 to St. Leger, be referred to that officer's 
 letter to Lieut. Bird printed in this 
 volume just after the Orderly Book. At 
 the same time, it may be remarked that 
 facts prove more than general declarations 
 on paper. 
 
52 Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 Detail of the Guard, 34th Regt 1 S. i D. 9 
 P. ; K. R. Yorkers 2 S. 1 C. 1 5 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 &c 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 store, and that on the left is designed for 
 
 massive stone mansion on the north bank workmen, negroes and other domestics 
 
 of the Mohawk, two and a-half miles The yard-gate is a heavy swing gate well 
 
 west of the village of Amsterdam, N. Y., ironed; it is on the Mohawk river side j 
 
 and seen by the traveler on the right- from this gate to the river there is about 
 
 hand side of the west-bound train. It 200 paces of level ground. The high 
 
 was built by Sir William Johnson, in road passes there [now the N. Y. Central 
 
 1742 (where he resided some twenty R. R.]. A small rivulet coming from 
 
 years previous to his erection of Johnson the north empties itself into the Mohawk 
 
 Hall at Johnstown, N. Y.), and went by river, about 200 paces below the enclosure 
 
 the name of Fort Johnson, Castle John- of the yard. [This stream is now called 
 
 son and Mount Johnson. A writer, in ' Old Fort Creek.'] On this stream there 
 
 giving an itinerary of the Mohawk Valley is a mill about fifty paces distance from' 
 
 between Oswego and Albany, in 1757, the house ; below the mill is the miller's 
 thus describes Fort Johnson : ** Col. [Sir ■ house where grain and flour are stored, 
 
 William] Johnson's mansion is situate and on the other side of the creek 100 
 
 on the border of the left bank of the paces from the mill, is a barn* in which 
 
 river Mohawk, It is three stories high ; cattle and fodder are kept. 150 paces 
 
 built of stone, with port-holes (crenelee's) from Colonel Johnson's mansion at the 
 
 and a parapet and flanked with four bas- north side, on the left bank of the 
 
 tions on which are some small guns. In creek, is a little hill on which is a small 
 
 the same yard, on both sides of the house with port-holes, where is ordinarily 
 
 mansion, there are two 'small houses ; kept a guard of honor of some twenty 
 
 that on the right of the entrance is a men, which serves also as an advanced 
 
yohmon's 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. 
 
 — Jith. P. [ ]. 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 of 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 scene 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, ^^ 
 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 
 1755, was the chief speaker. At the 
 beginning of the public excitement in 
 1775 the "Park" was abandoned by 
 ,Col. Guy Johnson, who accompanied by 
 his family and a few faithful Indians, Bed, 
 by way of Oswego, to Montreal. It is 
 yet (i88a) 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- yohnson's 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^. 
 
 — 12th, P. Sopees. [Esopus, N. Y.] C. Ken- 
 derwhoffe. Detail of the Guard 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 P. 
 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. 
 
 I C. I D. 9 P. K. R. R. N. Y. I L. I 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. c^c^ 
 
 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 [toj Brigr 
 Genl MacLean.' 
 
 ' Colonel Allan MacLean, of Torloish, 
 and a wari^ friend of Sir John Johnson 
 and Colonel Daniel Glaus, with both of 
 whom he firequently consulted, was, in 
 1747, lieutenant in the Scotch Brigadej 
 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 
 guesne, in 1758, and, in the following 
 year, was with Amherst in the expedition 
 up the northern lakes. He raised the 124th 
 Highland regiment in 1759, of which he 
 was appointed major commanding ; but 
 
 it was reduced, in J 763, and Major Mac 
 Lean went on half pay. On 25 May, 
 1 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 Boston, where his 
 scheme got wind ; 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 42d, 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 men. 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 12th November, 1775, just in time 
 
56 
 
 Johnson^ s 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 yvho 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 feet 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 
 of artillery under Lieut. Glenny to go 
 to Brig. Gen. Powers 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 J Broivn's Highland Clans, iv, 24Z, 
 307, 368 ; Smithes Canada, H, 83 ; Gar- 
 neaus Canada, id Ed., 11, 436; Amer- 
 ican Annals, 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 of Netu Tork, as 
 follows : 
 
 " On the morning of October 25, 178 1, 
 a large body of the enemy under Maj. 
 Ross, entered Johnstown with several 
 prisoners, and not a little plunder j 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 
 
"Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 S7 
 
 John McDonald' to be Capt Lieut, in the 
 Room of Capt Lieut Hewetson — 19th June, 
 
 ^777- 
 
 Ens William Byrne to be Lieut in the Room 
 of Lieut Grant — 6th June, 1777. Volunteer 
 Lipscomp to be Ens vice Byrne, Do. 
 
 ^urprisci 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, 
 Tallied under the active and daring Willett, 
 and gave the enemy battle on the Hall 
 farm, in which the latter were finally 
 dented 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 fight, 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 
 Jiemlock stump. He was shot down and 
 killed there, and his companion sur- 
 rounded and made prisoner by a party 
 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 5 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 
 
 ^ This officer, 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 
 upon 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 \^x. hand, 
 by a sudden wrench he brought its owner 
 
58 Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 To Sir John Johnson or officer commdng 
 the Royal Regt of New York. 
 
 Wm Dunbar, Majr of Brigade.' 
 
 Lachine 
 1777, June i4th. 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 i 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 clinched. The man fell and expired, 
 
 as a shield against the arms of the others, proving to be Lieutenant McDonald, one 
 
 until one of his own men, Adam Miller, of the loyalist officers, from Tryon 
 
 observing the struggle, flew to his rescue ; country." — Stances Si. Leger^s Expedition. 
 as the assailants turned upon their new 
 
 adversary, Gardenier rose upon his seat, " This officer was captured with Gen. 
 
 and although his hand was severely Prescott on the fleet while attempting to 
 
 lacerated by grasping the bayonet which escape from Montreal to Quebec, in 
 
 had been drawn through it, he seized his November, 1775. 
 spear lying by his side, and quick as 
 
 lightning planted it to the barb in the ' See note in advance, under Captain 
 
 side of the assailant with whom he had Rouville. 
 
Johnson's Orderly Booh 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. Lieut. 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 the state of New York or the president 
 
 at the battle of Oriskany, and afterwards of the Council of Safety of the said state 
 
 transferred, for greater safety, to the shall direct, and that 1 will observe this 
 
 southern portion of the state. The fol- my parole until released, exchanged or 
 
 lowing is the parole which he gave to the otherwise ordered, 
 
 authorities : Angus McDonell. 
 
 "I, Angus McDonell, lieutenant in Kingston, izth Oct., 1777." 
 the 60th or Royal American regiment, ^^ Whether Angus McDonell violated his 
 now a prisoner to the United States of parole, if indeed, he was released, we are 
 America and enlarged on my parole, do not informed. It is, however, certain 
 promise upon my word of honor that I will that he, as well as Allen McE^nell men- 
 continue within one mile of the house of tioned in the text as ensign in his company, 
 Jacobus Hardenburgh, and in the town was the following year, transferred to 
 of Hurley, in the county of Ulster; and Reading, Pa., where both were kept as 
 that I will not do any act, matter or hostages of Sir John Johnson. See 
 thing whatsoever against the interests of Journals of Congress for the year 1778, 
 America; and further, that I will remove p. 119, 368. 
 hereafter to such place as the governor of 
 
6o Johnson" s Orderly Book. 
 
 Grummerfolk and Ens Craford in Capt Alexr 
 McDonells, Lt. Moure [Moore?], 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 artillery. 
 
 ' Major Ancrum was the officer sent 
 by Brigadier St. Leger to CoL Willctt 
 to summon the garrison to surrender. 
 Speaking of this Col. Willett says : " The 
 success with whicti 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 considerable uneasiness 
 in the enemy's camp. The afternoon of 
 the next day the beating of the chamade 
 and the appearance of a white flag was 
 followed by a request that Col. Butler 
 w)i0 commanded the Indians, with two 
 other officer?, might enter the fort with a 
 message to the commanding officer. 
 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 him. At the other 
 end Colonel Gansevoort, Colonel 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 with 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 cono- 
 mandant, that the colonel has with mucb 
 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 soldiers shall have all 
 their baggage and private property secnred 
 Co them. And in order that the garrison 
 may have a sufficient pledge to this efiiect. 
 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 been taken in the sortie. 
 This was granted; and while the Britisfa 
 surgeon in company with Mr. Woodiufl^ 
 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 Roia- 
 ville. 
 
'Johnson'' s Orderly Book. 6i 
 
 vvho are to be obeyed, as such ; orders coming 
 thro Lt. Hamelton' and Ens Clergis^ are to[be] 
 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., i L. i S. 
 
 C. I D. 1 3 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. 
 Compdny Duty 4 P. 
 
 ' William Osborn Hamilton, St. Leger's as ensign in the 53d, July 10, 1776; 
 private and military secretary. exchanged into 34th, January i, 1777; 
 
 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 yohnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 — 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 
 Kings 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 and 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 & 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 
 «ach for 44 Batteius — 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 
 such — 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 ready to do his duty exactly." 
 
JohnsorCs 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 & their baggage. Major 
 
64. 'Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 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 
 Sublts 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 J regularities 
 committed by the men [he] recommends it in a 
 particular manner to all the officers. 
 
 Buck island'. 
 1777, July 8th. P. Burgoyne. C. PhilHps. 
 
 ' Buck's or Carleton Island, called by 
 the French hie aux Chevreuils^ from the 
 fact that the deer frequented it, as it had 
 good pasturage. In passing on the steam- 
 boat down the St. Lawrence river from 
 Cape Vincent, the tourist will observe a 
 number of stacks of old brick chimneys 
 standing near the §hore on the left side, 
 which are upon ** Buck's Island." The 
 inhabitants near it have always affected 
 a great mystery in regard to the origin of 
 these fortifications, but, in truth, there 
 is no mystery about them. Bouchette, in 
 his History of Canada^ published in 181 5, 
 ^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 
 de 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 stacks of chimneys still to 
 be seen are probably the remains of those 
 *' 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- 
 tions it as one of his stopping places, in 
 1696, in his expedition against theOnon- 
 . 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 of Jefftrson 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 
 the olden time within the county of 
 Jefferson. The island, when first observed 
 by our settlers, was partly cleared. It has 
 an undulating surface, is composed of 
 Trenton lime-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, & 
 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 
 each corps to be given in at twelve o'clock. Capt 
 Potts will direct liquor to be given to the troops 
 
 little elevated above the water, and affords 
 on each side of the island, a safe and 
 ample cove for the anchorage of boats. 
 The area under the hill was completely 
 protected by the worlcs on the heights 
 above ; and ^om 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 wreclcs of 
 vessels in the bottom of the river adjacent. 
 In the rear of the works may be seen the 
 cemetery, 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 oalcen 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 being 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 Vauban, 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 j the counter- 
 scarp vertical j the outer parapet four feet 
 higli, and the glacis formed of material 
 taken from the ditch. The rampart 
 within the ditch was of earth, and is very 
 much dilapidated ; ravelins were made 
 before eacli reentered angle ; and at the 
 alternate salient angles, bastions were so 
 placed as to command the fort at its 
 various approaches very effectually. No 
 knowledge is derived from settlers of the 
 character or the nun^er of the enclosed 
 buildings, except that a range of wooden 
 block-houses, within the entrenchment, 
 was occupied by a corporal's guard and a 
 few invalids. The premises had fallen 
 into decay, and were entirely without 
 defensive works. A few iron cannon 
 were lying on the beach, or under the 
 water near the shore ; and the gates had 
 
66 yohnson^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 Subalterns 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 which 
 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/ ' ^2,' ' 29,' ' 84,* * 21,' * 31,' etc., 
 which occur on the 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 the 
 English 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] as it does not 
 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 
 throws some light upon the subject. 
 From this it appears that, in November, 
 1758, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, at that 
 time, governor of Canada, had drawn up 
 
 a paper on the defences of that country, 
 which was submitted to the Marquis de 
 Montcalm for his revision, and met with 
 his entire approval. He proposed to send 
 1,500 men to defend the approaches of 
 Canada, on the side of Lake Ontario, by 
 the erection of a post at the head of the 
 St. Lawrence and laid out after the plans 
 of 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 frontier 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 the winter. It was intended that the 
 proposed work should be adequate with 
 those lower down for the defence of the 
 latter j 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- 
 
Johnson's 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 have not enabled us to learn whether 
 or not they were carried out to the extent 
 contemplated at that time. No one can 
 stand 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 : "Carl6ton,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 tuai 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 fire-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 still 
 intact. The fortifications extended 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 eastward of Wolf Island. The distance 
 between these shoals is about forty rods. 
 The fishing along the shoals for bass and 
 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 Bouchtttt\ lies some two miles west 
 
68 
 
 yohnson'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 from 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, you 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 weli preserved as if 
 they had been found in a peat bed. At 
 this point a mound was discovered. The 
 skeletons found in if 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 Haldimaiod was in the habit of 
 sending out scalping-parties to annoy our 
 
 frontiers. Thus, Col. Daniel Claus in 
 writing from Montreal to Thayendanegea 
 (Brant) under date of March 3d, 17S1, 
 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 j this party might join you against 
 Palmerstown [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 offer and opinion, 
 and proceed from Carleton Island to Pal- 
 merstown, which place I am sure several 
 of Major Ross's men and 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 
 shall be very happy to see you here." 
 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 
 
Johnson's 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 mien 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 to appoint Coll. Claus* 
 
 point gained. Whereas, were you to set ' Not to be confounded with Fort 
 
 out from Canada, there are so many Anne in Washington Co., N. Y. The 
 
 friends, both whites and Indians, to the Fort St. Anne here mentioned was situated 
 
 rebel cause, that you could not well get on the upper portion of the island of 
 
 to the place undiscovered, which would Montreal, and was often the object of 
 
 not do so well. D. C." Iroquois attacks. One of the wards of 
 
 I am also indebted to Mr. B. B. Burt, the city of JVIontreal still retains the name, 
 of Oswego, N. Y., for valuable informa- 
 tion about this island. ^ Colonel Daniel Claus or Clause, as 
 
70 yohnson'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 morrow. 
 
 the name is sometimes written, was proba- 
 bly a native of the JVIohawk 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- 
 aboutsj until 1759, when he accompanied 
 the expedition to Niagara, whence he 
 went with the army to Montreal, where 
 he was stationed as superintendent of the 
 Canadian Indians. On the 6th of July, 
 1761, he was promoted to a captaincy in 
 the 60th but went on half-pay in 1763, 
 on the reduction of his reginient^^^Haying,^ 
 returned to Fort Johnson, (he continued} 
 to act as one of Sir William's deputies^ 
 and in 1766, assisted at the treaty con-, 
 eluded with Pontiac at Lake Ont ario./ 
 In 1767, he went back to Canada, biit 
 did not remain there, for ha ving marr jed 
 one of the daughters of Sir VVilliarnJohn- 
 80'iip1jy~WlI5irBVwas greatly beloved, he 
 r^Bed near Johnstown until the breaking 
 out of the Revolution, when he retired to 
 Canada. He visited England with Grant 
 in 1776, and arrived in jjuebec, 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 commended 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 was 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, * * 
 
Johnson^ s 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 
 
 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 was not sufficient to take 
 it.. * * * I told him that having exam- 
 ined them separately they 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, which 
 must have secured us success, as every one 
 will allow. However, he was still full 
 of 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 of the 
 expedition and empowered me to act to 
 the best of my judgment for his Majesty's 
 service in the management of the Indians 
 on the expedition 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 before I left Montreal, at my own 
 risque, and with difficulty. Brigadier 
 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 off 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 rather 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 1801. His 
 son succeeded him as deputy superintend- 
 ent of Indian affairs in Canada. Col. 
 Clauses early and long connection with 
 the Indian departments-as interpreter ren- 
 
72 '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 : i i lb of flour, i i of Beef 
 or lo 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 \\ 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 Lanotts'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 sufiicent to protect them from 
 the weather ; each Corps shall receive under their 
 
 dered him thoroughly conversant with intend the impression, critically revise the 
 
 the Iroquois tongue. His services were whole, and correct the sheets as they 
 
 therefore highly useful in superintending came from the press. *' His accurate 
 
 the publication of a correct translation knowledge of the Mohawk language," 
 
 into the Mohawk language of the Book of continues the preface, " qualified him for 
 
 Common Frayer , one thousand copies of the undertaking ; and it is no more 
 
 which were ordered by Gov. Haldimand, than justice to say, that this is only ont 
 
 at the request of the Mohawk Indians to out of many instances of this gentleman's 
 
 be printed under the supervision of Col. unremitting attention to the welfare of 
 
 Glaus, " who," the preface states, " read the Indians." Col. Claus lived for a 
 
 and understood the Mohawk language so number of years ih a large stone house ' 
 
 as to undertake the correction of the book which stood a short distance west of 
 
 for the press." This edition soon became " Guy Park " the residence of Sir Guy 
 
 exhausted ; thereupon the Society for the Johnson. (See preceding note under 
 
 Propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts Castle Johnson.) It was burned down 
 
 resolved to have a new edition printed, many years since. N. Y. Col. Doc. j 
 
 especially as Col. Claus, who was in N. T. Doc Hist. ; Gentleman's Maga- 
 
 £ngland at the time, consented to super- xine ; Stone's Life of Brant, Ed. 
 
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 report 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, 16 P.; 
 34th Regt, I 8. 17 P.; R. Y., 2 L. i S. 27 P.; 
 K. R. R. N. Y. gives the Subaltern for the day 
 
 to morrow. 
 
 10 
 
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 Sergtin 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 " Durham boats," or barges) 
 and the canoes of the Indians, formed so 
 important a part of the Expedition, that 
 a description, of them, gathered from 
 Bouchette and Weld, will be of interest. 
 Batteaux were fiat-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 j 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 rowing 
 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 
 
yohnson'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 witli 
 a favorable wind, when suddenly the 
 horizon grew very dark, and a dreadful 
 storm arose, accompanied with 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 the sides of the 
 batteaux, though the water had b^en 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 qaite 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- 
 Iraders. 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 
 together with threads from the twisted 
 fibres of roots, of trees that grow in the 
 woods. These canoes are made water- 
 tight by being covered 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 
 Martin, whose tragical fate, revealing, by 
 the way, the treachery of St. Leger, is 
 thus referred to in the afiidavit of Moses 
 Younglove, a part of which is quoted in 
 a preceding note. *^ Capt. Martin, of the 
 batteaux-men," says Younglove, ** was 
 delivered to the Indians at Oswego on 
 pretence of his having kept back some 
 
76 Johnson^ s 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 
 centries 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 
 
 useful intelligence." " Moses Young- When James, Duke of Monmouth, 
 
 love,*' writes his grand-nephew, Moses natural son of Charles II, engaged in 
 
 Younglove, a prominent and influential rebellion against his uncle, James II, in 
 
 citizen of Cleveland, Ohio, to the author, 1685, corps of cavalry and infantry were 
 
 under date of Aug. 2d, 1881, " was a quickly raised for the support of the crown, 
 
 man of strong convictions and decided and Robert, Lord Ferrars of Chartly, 
 
 character, not easily turned firom any whose father. Sir Robert Shirley, Bart., 
 
 settled purpose." As stated in a pre- was one of the sufferers in the royal cause 
 
 ceding note, Moses Younglove was a man in the time of Charles I, was appointed 
 
 of great truthfulness and of sterling in- to the command of one of these corps 
 
 tegrity. raised on that occasion ; which, having 
 
 been continued in service to the present 
 
 ' The history of this regiment is an time, now bears the distinguished title of 
 
 exceedingly interesting one, and is as the "8th or King's Regiment or Foot." 
 
 follows : It was in the battle of the Boyne ; and, at 
 
yohnsoTt'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 zs-bd 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 Introduction, at ttie 
 sieges of Limerick, Dublin and Kinsale. 
 It served witli 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 first to storm the citadel 
 at the si'ege of Liege in the same year 
 (1702). In the following year, it was at 
 the siege of Huy and Limburg j and, in 
 X704, toolc part in the great battles of 
 Schellenbergand Blenheim. AtHelixem, 
 it forced the French lines. After the 
 suppression of the rebellion headed by the 
 Pretender and the Earl of Mar in 1716, 
 the regiment was stationed a short time 
 at Glasgow, at which time, George I 
 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 ^o blue, 
 and the regiment was authorized to bear 
 the White Hokse as a regimental badge 
 with the motto Nec aspera terrent. 
 In 1777, at the time of Burgoyne 
 assuming the command of the expedition 
 
 from Canada, the protection of a portion 
 of the Canadian fi'ontiers was confided to 
 it; the regiment also furnishing a detach- 
 ment of one hundred men for 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 12, 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 of 
 Fort Erie and at the battle of Plattsburg 
 where it captured the stand of American 
 colors, which Gen. 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' 
 eluding heroic conduct in numerous battles 
 and sieges which reflect lustre on the 
 British arms, and by excellent behavior 
 under all th» circumstances of colonial 
 and home service, the Sch 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." 
 
y8 yohnsons Orderly Book. 
 
 from the Rebel 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 flour'. 
 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 Soon after, find'fng the Indians were un- 
 
 short the rations had already become even willing to proceed, St. Leger came away 
 
 at this early stage of the campaign. fi-om Salmon creelc and arrived the 
 
 = St. Leger, however, did not in his next day at Oswego with the companies 
 practice carry out these excellent orders, of the 8th and 34.th regiments and about 
 On the contrary, we find Col. Claus 250 Indians.*' CoL Claus to Secy, Knox, 
 •complaining greatly that owing to the Oct. 16, 1777. This conduct of St. 
 action of St. Leger in this particular, he Leger, however, may be partly solved by 
 could with difficulty control those Indians the fact that the English, save in the 
 tunder his command. " On the 24th of notable case of Sir William Johnson, 
 July," Claus writes, " Brig. St. Leger never acquired the knack of managing 
 mentioned my going was chiefly intended the Indians, The French, on the con- 
 to quiet the Indians with him, who were trary, by assimilating, marrying and 
 very drunk and riotous; and Capt. Tice, affiliating with them, handled the red men 
 who was the messenger, informed me admirably. 
 
 that St. Leger ordered the Indians a quart 3 The attention of the re ider is directed 
 
 of rum apiece, which made them all to St. Leger's admirable description of 
 
 beastly drunk, and in which case, it is what the duties of a provost marshal 
 
 not in the power of man to quiet them, '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 
 patrol es 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 woi-d of command ; his guard is 
 to be near headquarters. 
 
 G. O. Commanding officers of the difFrent 
 Corps will derect that the mens tents are struck 
 and the rear turned up every fine day at 10 o'clock 
 and remain so four hours at least to air them 
 
8o * 'Johnson's 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 ofN. 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 1 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. 
 
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 arrny 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 ist) would make it the same by his detail 
 
 order for rations enables us forever to put from the different regiments sent out; 
 
 at rest the long mooted question in regard and Dr. Dwight, \yho visited Fort Stan- 
 
 to the number of men actually engaged wix in 1799, gives, in his Travels, the 
 
 in this expedition against Fort Stanwix, number from 1,500 *to i,Soo; while in 
 
 By contemporaneous writers (among them his History of the American Revolution, 
 
 Judge Thomas Jones in his History of Dr. Gordon who, after all, has always 
 
 Neiu Tork during the Revolution) ini also stood the test for accuracy, differs from 
 
 by those of later date, such, for instance, the above authorities, St. Leger's forces, 
 
 as Col. Wm. L. Stone in his Life of by his estimate, having been only 800. 
 
 Brant, Campbell in his History of Tryon Lord George Germaine, also, in a letter 
 
 County, Lossing, de Peyster, Roberts and to Sir Guy Carleton, dated " Whitehall, 
 
 others, it has invariably been stated that z6th March, 1777," says: "It is the 
 
 St. Leger's force consisted of 1,700 men. King's further pleasure that you put under 
 
 including Indians. General Riedesel, the command of Col. St. Leger : A 
 
 jnoreover (see Riedese/'s yournals. Vol. detachment from the 8th regiment, lOO ; 
 
 11 
 
82 Johnson's 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 ID o'clock; the kings regt, the 34, Captain 
 Watts's Detachment, and Capt Reveil's [Rouville] 
 corps to be compleated with 50 rounds of good 
 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, as 950 all told; and this is without doubt 
 
 100 ; Sir John Johnson's regiment of a correct statement. If, however, the 
 
 New York, 133; Hanau Chasseurs, 342 ; 500 rations included the Indians, the total 
 
 total, 675; together with a sufficient number of white and Indian troops would 
 
 number of Indians and Canadians," be 500, a very much smaller force than 
 
 We are now, however, enabled to state 1,700. . Si. Leger left a portion *of his 
 
 accurately the force employed j and, as force at Oswego, and refused to take more 
 
 usual, we find that Dr. Gordon is more men, though strongly urged to do so by 
 
 nearly correct than any other writer. If Col. Claus (C/aas ?o 5«'_y. .STwo;*?). Indeed, 
 
 we consider that the 500 rations, men- it was undoubtedly owing to the smallness 
 
 tioned in the text, were, as is probably of his force, caused by his foolish belittling 
 
 the case, for the white troops solely, we of the enemy's numbers and bravery, that 
 
 have 500 as the number. Now, in the he failed to capture Fort Stanwix. 
 letter of Col. Claus to Secretary Knox, it 
 
 is expressly stated that the Indians in ^ These two 6 pounders and the two 
 
 this expedition were composed of 150 cohorns (mortars) were left behind by St. 
 
 Misissagues (a tribe of the Hurons) under Leger in his undignified and hasty retreat 
 
 Claus himself, and 300 of the Six Nations and fell into the hands of the Americans, 
 
 un^er Brant. Therefore 500 + 150 f- N. T. Calendar Re-v. Papers, Vol. 11. 
 300 gives the number of St. Leger's force 
 
yohnsofis 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 to 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 such 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 survey. 
 
 For Duty to morrow K regt, 6 P.; and 34th, 
 1 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 Weld's former, keeping as close as possible to the 
 
 Travels in Upper and Loiver Canada in shore, In order to avoid the current, and 
 
 1795—97, a book now quite rare, will to have the advantage of shallow water 
 
 give the reader an excellent idea both of to pole in. The men set their poles 
 
 the manner in which the setting poles together at the same moment, and all 
 
 were used in propelling the batteaux, and work at the same side of the batteaux; 
 
 of the characteristics of the batteaux-men the steersman, however, shifts hia pole 
 
 themselves. occasionally from side to side in order to 
 
 " It was on the aSth of August," keep the vessel in an even direction. The 
 
 [1796] he writes, "that we reached La poles commonly used are about eight feet 
 
 Chine, the next day the ' brigade,' as it in length, extremely light and headed 
 
 •Was called, of batteaux was ready, and in with iron. On coming to a deep bay or 
 
 the afternoon we set out on our voyage, inlet, the men abandon the poles, take to 
 
 Three men are found sufficient to conduct their oars, and strike, if possible, directly 
 
 an empty batteau of about two tons burden across the mouth of the bay ; but in many 
 
 up the St. Lawrence, but if the batteaux places the current proves so strong that it 
 
 be laden, more are generally allowed, is absolutely impossible to stem it by 
 
 They ascend the stream by means of means of oars, and they are obliged to 
 
 poles, oars and sails. Where the current pole entirely round the bay. Whenever 
 
 is very strong, they make use of the the wind is favorable they set their sail j 
 
84 yohnson's .Orderly Book. 
 
 poles and paddles, specifying the size of the bat- 
 teaux. 
 
 — 1 8th. P. Onandaga. . C. Fort Buir. 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 lakes 
 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 
 arc 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 pipey because they are allowed 
 to stop at it and fill their pipes. A French 
 Canadian is scarcely ever without a pipe 
 in his mouth, whether working at the 
 oar or plow j 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, 
 is 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 are 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 salted 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 reading at the time it was 
 written, the text a few sentences in advance 
 under date of the i8th, where the ex- 
 pression ** to be ready to pmk 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 & 34,th 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; and on the 17th of March, 1756, 
 De Levy 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 De Levy that he forth- 
 with ordered a charge, and breaking down 
 the gate, put all but thirty of the garrison 
 to the sword. The French ofBcer 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 Wm. 
 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 ist 
 Battalion of the 60th Royal Americans, 
 was sent by General Abercrombie after 
 his defeat at Ticonder9ga 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 Mohawlc 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 
 
86 
 
 Johnson'' s Orderly Book. 
 
 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 1 cannot, con- 
 sistent with delicacy, announce this to 
 Congress, would it not be right for you 
 to do it, and to General Washington?" 
 
 Although known by the Americans 
 during the war as Fort Schuyler, yet the 
 name did not *' take ; " and it has always 
 been known in history 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 destroyed by fire and a 
 a freshet 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 
 says 700) and commanded by that staunch 
 patriot, Colonel Peter Gansevoort. 
 
 We cannot, 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 allude 
 to the fact that it was on her ramparts 
 during St. Leger's siege, that the stars and 
 stripes were unfurled for the firit time ! 
 In writing of this siege and of the cir- 
 cumstances of the flag, Colonel Stone, in 
 
 his Life of Brant, says : " A besieging 
 army was before the fort, and its garrison 
 was without a flag ! But as necessity is 
 the mother of invention, they were not 
 long thus destitute. 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 j 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 banks 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 made 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 
 
'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 1 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 this 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 flag 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 
 years ago j and let us reverently uncover 
 our heads in memory of the dead who 
 watched and guarded it through the perils 
 of ancient war." 
 
 '■ J.ohn F. Seymour then displayed the 
 flag 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 flag 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 
 no.w reverently preserved. 
 
 ' Point au Baudet, situated in Lake St. 
 
88 Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 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 & mo.rn- 
 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 here which proved to be a tavern, and 
 
 place where the boundary line begins that afforded us a well-drest supper of venison, 
 
 separates Upper from Lower Canada. It and decent accommodation for the night.'* 
 
 was, too, just the spot where a batteau Weld had been obliged, on account of 
 
 might very easily be lost, since when the the surf and the strong south-west wind 
 
 wind comes from the south-west, the then prevailing, to tarry over at the Point 
 
 immense body of water in the lake is until the next morning. To what cir- 
 
 impelled directly towards this point, and cumstance Point au Baudet (Point of the 
 
 a surf breaks in upon the beach, as Donkey) owes its name, is not stated, 
 tremendous as is seen on the sea shore. 
 
 When Weld visited the place in 1796, ' For the following admirable sketch 
 
 " there was," he says, " one solitary house of Oswego, I am indebted to JVlr. B. B. 
 
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-ha^ 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 j 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 creek and Richland in 
 this county. Leaving the shores of the 
 lake they went southward and crossed the 
 outlet of Oneida lake. 
 
 12 
 
 *' In October, 1653, 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 Dablon 
 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. 
 Dablon 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 Onontaguero. 
 In June or July, 1679, Father Hennepin 
 and associates came 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- 
 
90 Johnson'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, 1682, and called Oswego * Techo- 
 naguen ' j and on July 28, 1696, Count 
 Frontenac arrived at Oswego on his ex- 
 pedition against the Onondagas. 
 
 '' The English regarded Oswego as a 
 place of importance, and in 1722 estab- 
 lished a trading house there, and in 1 7 27, 
 under colonial Govornor Burnet, it was 
 strengthened and fortified 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, '743, 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 J 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 1755 Gen. Shirley came to 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 was 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. Bradstreet 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, Gen. 
 Prideaux and Sir William Johnson with 
 an army, arrived at Oswego, on the way 
 to capture Fort Niagara j were engaged' 
 in procuring provisions on the 28th, 29th 
 and 30th, and in making preparations 
 for the march J left Oswego, July ist; 
 arrived before Niagara on the Sth, 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 Lift 
 of Sir PP^illiam Johmon^ you give in the 
 appendix to Vol. n, the journal oi the 
 
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 [illegible] any thing white in the bow'. 
 
 Baronet kept by him during his stay at this 
 time at Oswego, which Is full of interest. 
 Mrs. Grant, also, in her Memoirs of 
 an American Lady^ speaks very pleasantly 
 of the winter of 1759-60, which she 
 spent at Fort Ontario. 
 
 "July or August, 1760, General (after- 
 wards Lord) Amherst left Oswego, with 
 10,000 men for Canada, to destroy the 
 French dominion there j 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 2,0th, 
 
 ** On Tuesday, the 21st of July, 1761 
 (Sunday), Sir William Johnson arrived 
 on his way to Detroit, at Oswego, and on 
 the 2ist held a conference with the 
 Onondaga natives, at which Maj. Duncan, 
 Capt. Gray and several officers of the S^Jth 
 and Gen. Gage's regiments, Lieut. Guy 
 Johnson acting as secretary, with inter- 
 preters and upwards of forty sachems and 
 warriors were present. Sir William 
 opened the meeting by welcoming them 
 to Oswego. For the particulars of this 
 conference see your Life of Sir Pf^il/iam 
 Johmony 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 28th, 1 777, the expedi- 
 tion under Gen. St. Leger 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 was surrendered to 
 the United States, under Jay's treaty, July 
 15, 1796, and on that day the first Amer- 
 ican flag was displayed at the fort. Soon 
 thereafter settlers arrived j 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, 18 14. 
 
 The name Oswego is derived from 
 ' Swa-geh ' of the Onondaga dialect, 
 signifying * Flowing out ' or the * dis- 
 charging place ' of the numerous lakes of 
 Central New York. 
 
 ** At the present time, Oswego is 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 i 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 
 
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 to mor- 
 row Morning at 4 o'clock, for w^hich 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 w^hich 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. ^ "The origin of Rangers, since the 
 Hence (as we know that this sloop with late Sir Wm. Johnson's time, was to in- 
 some guns accompanied the boats for pro- termix them with the Indians, when on 
 tection) it probably meant that when a service, and be commanded by the Indian 
 great danger arose, the ** Charity " would officers. Formerly none but those ac- 
 be signaled to advance, as quickly as quainted with the Indians and their Ian- 
 possible, and aid the convoy. guage were admitted, and received half a 
 
 crown pay j now that distinction, though 
 
 ' Col. Claus, however, in his letter to essentially necessary, is no more made, 
 
 Secretary Knox, above referred to, speaks which makes his commission become an 
 
 of only one company of Chasseurs, and additional useless expense, though very 
 
 that arrived a day or two before the 19th beneficial to him." Col. Claus to Secretary 
 
 of July. Knox, ibth Oct., 1777. 
 
'Johnson'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 [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. The fall proper is 
 about twelve feet with 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 theupperand lower landings. 
 There is a fail of about seventy feet from 
 the head of Oswego Falls to Oswego, and 
 it took five days to go from Oswego to 
 Fort Bull (at 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 J 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 Lundyand Glenie mentioned 
 previously in the text, did efficient service 
 in the events which subsequently took 
 place. Col. St. Leger, in his " Account 
 of Occurrencesat FortStanwix," published 
 in the Appendix to Burgoyne's State of 
 the Expedition^ writes of these officers 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 fifty men, for fourteen days, had 
 mosteffectuallychoked up) and the making 
 a temporary road from Pine 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 pan 
 the whole artillery and stores, with seven 
 
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 
 iironi deserters. At this time, Lieutenant 
 Glenie 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 
 effect 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 falls of at least a mile. It 
 will thus readily be seen how three days 
 could have been spent by St. Lcger in 
 getting around the falls and ready for a 
 start for Fort Stanwix on the 31st of July, 
 at 1 o'clock, p. M. 
 
 2 On the inside of the cover of the 
 Ordeily Book is the following entry: 
 '* Nicholas Hillyer Sergt enters the Col*8 
 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. 
 
 "Nine Mile Point, August 2d, \jjy. 
 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; 
 
96 
 
 Johnsoris 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 Narrative^ 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. WiUett's 
 own words. *' Shortly after this [i, e., 
 the capture of Capt. Butler,] the news of 
 the approach of General Arnold, to relleTc 
 the fort, having reached the enemy, the 
 Indians being already 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 
 Colonpl 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 hii 
 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 
 
yohnson'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 effecting a 
 juncture with General Burgoyne, he was 
 obliged to retreat, wholly baffled in all his 
 designs." Indeed, so great was the panic 
 of the besiegers and such the precipitancy 
 of their flight, that St. Leger left his 
 bombardier asleep in the bomb-baftery. 
 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, the king's 
 troops had themselves become that very 
 *' Rabble " by which term 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 : " * * I have, my dear 
 general, to intrust a little matter to your 
 care during your stay at Fort Edward. 
 I desire to have two batleaux, with their 
 oars, buried as quietly as possible. It 
 would also, be well to shovel earth upon 
 them ; 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 his 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 is 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. 
 inside of Fort Edivard. 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 greatly im- 
 proved. Below the fort, close in with 
 the river, they found the appearance of a 
 grave, with an inscriptl )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, burled 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 t^in his 
 
98 
 
 "Johnson's Orderly Book. 
 
 '* State of the Expedition^'* when, In speak- 
 ing of the reason why, after the action of 
 the 19th of Sept., at Freeman's farm, he 
 did not immediately retreat, he says : 
 "The time also entitled me to expect Lieut. 
 Col. St. Leger's corps would be arrived at 
 Ticonderoga j and secret means had been 
 long concerted to enable him to make an 
 effort to join me with probability of 
 success." 
 
 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. Bee Letter from Col. Claus to 
 Sec'y Knox, N. T. CoL 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 i second, it was expected, upon the 
 
 positive assertion of Sir John Johnson, 
 that at every step of his progress 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 off the last 
 retreat of the army which held the sources 
 of the Hudson against Burgoyne ; third, 
 the alliance of the warlike tribes of the 
 Six Nations was relied upon as insuring a 
 sufficient 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 expedition 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 i this failed from 
 inadequacy of numbers and want of 
 common calibre."^ 
 
 I Sir Henry Clinton's MS. notes to Stedman's *■'• History of the American War," in the Library 
 of the late John Cajter Brown, of 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 
 Arctic, 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; 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 them the one at Black Rock, Conn., and a:nother 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- 
 
lOo Appendix. 
 
 ual' comfort to poor patients. 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 primary 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 labors 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 widow, 
 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. 
 
Appendix, loi 
 
 NO. II. 
 Gen. Marinus Willett. 
 
 Marinus Willett, the authgr of Willett's Narrative, was 
 born at Jamaica, Long Island, July 31st, (O. 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 
 War, 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 off a large quantity of spare 
 arms. Willett, learning of this, resolved to prevent it ; and, 
 though opposed by the mayor and other Tories, he captured 
 the baggage-wagons containing them and brought them back 
 to the city. These arms were afterward used by the first 
 reginvent raised by the state of New York. For this success- 
 
I02 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 York^ 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 opening of 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. Willett 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 the New York Custom House. Afterthe 
 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, 1 78 1 and 
 
Appendix. 1 03 
 
 1782. In 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 nnay 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 bis dwelling, under an 
 
I o^ 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 York, 
 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 New York 
 Commercial Advertiser, at that time edited by my father, Col. 
 William L. Stone, who was Col. Willett's warm friend. " The 
 
Appendix. 1 05 
 
 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 integrity, frankness and 
 decision of character. Perhaps, however, the highest compli- 
 ment that can be paid Col. Willett is, that in Judge Jones's 
 History 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 
 
io6 Appends 
 
 tx. 
 
 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 (i88o). 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 hig 
 many mechanical and scientific inventions, was, in many respects, a remarkable man, 
 fully alive not only to the present, but to the past j 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 print 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, 
 by 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, Vol. I. 
 "Hercheimer got intelligence of the situation of the garrison 
 
io8 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 i,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 Fori: Stanwix on 
 the 2d of August, and the siege began on the 3d. * * * 
 
 " Nicholas Hericimer, 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 not 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 Schuyler (old Fort Schuyler) was on the site of the present 
 city of Utica. See preceding note to Fort Stanwix. 
 
I lO 
 
 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 make 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. 1 1 1 
 
 burying their dead, and made no further attempt at relieving the 
 
 fort. Except the rear they fought bravely. ' We will not take 
 
 upon us to tell of the behaviour of the rear. So far we know 
 
 they took to flight the first firing,' say the committee of German 
 
 Flatts in a letter, informing the Albany committee of the battle 
 
 and asking succor. 
 
 " ' Gentlemen,' their letter concludes, ' we pray you will send 
 us succor. By the death of most part of our committee mem- 
 bers, the field officers in general being wounded, every thing is 
 out of order, the people entirely dispirited ; our county at 
 Esopus unrepresented ; that we cannot hope to stand it any 
 longer without your aid ; we will not mention the shocking 
 aspect our fields do show. Faithful to our country, we remain, 
 your sorrowful brethren, the few members of this committee, 
 
 "Peter J. Daggart, 
 
 " Chairman.' " 
 
112 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, toTascinate 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. ^^ 
 was very popular, and was celebrated for his kind heart and his interest in literary 
 men. He was appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, February 17, 1784, and 
 continued in office until his death in 1787. — Ed. 
 
Appendix. 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 weather being warm, and the great quantity of punch 
 which they had drunk, prevented the topers from feeling 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 Castle 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 
 
11^ Appendix. 
 
 bit, and sluish their faces with 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 was 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 afraid, 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.?" "[endeavored 
 to do so with all my might, but your 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 common punch house ! the thing is surely impossible." 
 
Appendix. 115 
 
 " 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 door, 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 say, 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 remimber any such thing ; but I remimber 
 well the whack yer Excellency's Royal Highness gave me with 
 that same sword over my shoulder, when ye bid me "rise up, 
 Sir Darby Monaghan." 
 
1 1 6 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) — Give 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 yer 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 be 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. iij 
 
 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 Ladyship's 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 they enjoyed 
 for many years. The title^ too, stuck by them till the last ; for 
 after the Duke's departure from his vice-royalty, the affair 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. 
 
1 1 8 Appenaix . 
 
 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 Caughnawaga, 
 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 j one of the Wemple lamily 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 
 church edifice is, I believe, still standing. 
 
 ^ 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 efforts that the trustees have been able to begin the erection of the 
 monument now completing at Schuylerville, N. Y. 
 
 3 Hon. Wm. ]. 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, which then (1798) in- 
 cluded Oneida county, were three fair-minded, intelligent and upright laymen, viz. 
 Henry Starin, judge, and Jedefliah Sanger and Amos Wetmore, justices. Oi^ the 
 first of these men a very graphic, and, I am inclined to think, 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 Washing;ton ; 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. There was also a permanent encampment of Mohawks 
 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. Statin's 
 memory to the day of her death was remark-ably retentive ; and 
 on a winter'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 v-as a plain, honest Dutch farmer, living at German 
 Flats, 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 fulfilling 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 the 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 JDarn 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 
 sheriff (an impulsiveand obliging Irishman, named Colbraith), to procure a jug of 
 ardent spirits, which was quietly circulated around the bar, and from which each one 
 decanted (talcing 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 
 
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 nevi'ly settled country, and the suffer- 
 ings endured by herself and kindred vi^hen 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 
 often of the Starin family who served in the Continental army 
 directly under Washington. To Sampson Sammons, the great- 
 grcat-uncle of Mr. Starin, belongs the honor of having had fired 
 at him \.\\t first shot in the voar 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 j 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 familiar to our ears, ' smiled,' and proceeded with the business 
 of the court. What sort of justice prevailed during 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, Levi'is, 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 
 Oriskanyj 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 my lecture on the Oneida Bar] but unflinching 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 
 ihe unloosed it, and moving down the stream, reached his home safely by noon of 
 that day." 
 
Appendix. 
 
 12 1 
 
 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 of Tryon. See Stone's Brant, 
 Vol. I, pp. 52, 107. Jacob Sammon's grandson, the late Col. 
 Simeon Sammons, of Fonda, N. Y., during our late civil war, 
 equipped, put in marching order, and conducted to Harper's 
 Ferry, eleven hundred men in twen,ty-nine days. When Sam- 
 mons reached Washington and was asked the usual question 
 what he had come for, instead of expressing, as many 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 Petersburgh, 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 on the high bank in their front'. 
 
 ' Judge Hienrich Starin was the author of the celebrated " Yankee Pass," the 
 story regarding which runs as follows; The early Dutch of the Mohawk 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 Judge 
 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 shillings, 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 hurry 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. 
 
 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. Denonville. During the 
 night of the 5th of August, of that year, amid a wild hail and 
 rainstorm, 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 forih to escape 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 $25, which the storelceeper, knowmg it to be first class paper, had pur- 
 chased. Judge Starin at first was utterly astounded, yet confessed that the signature 
 was his and no mistake. Finally, after puzzling his brains fdr 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 
 Statin's brother, the Indian interpreter. " The inn," says the Duke, " was full of 
 people indisposed with the ague. The whole neighborhood was crowded with others 
 in the same condition j and by his [Statin'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." 
 
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 1 1, note I. The following letter is to be read in connec- 
 tion with the above note : 
 
 " British Museum, London, Eng., 1 
 i^th September, 1882. j 
 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 vvithout satisfactory result. 
 I am. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 T. Nichols, 
 Mr. William L Stone. Assistant Secretary." 
 
124 Addenda. 
 
 Page 13, add 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 in his memoir of 
 Gen. Stark, published at Concord, N. H,, in 1831. 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 with 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." Now contrast 
 the above description of this tribe as given by that 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 and comfortable 
 building, and asked their friends to help them dedicate 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^ i. e., 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 : " I think I have discovered the meaning oi 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 tlTe sentence would then read ' a signal 
 for Charier [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, 
 writing in 1795, "that on St. Leger's retreat, the English 
 troops lost more men from the Indians firing on them, than 
 from 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. 
 
 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 the 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 the engraving of 
 Fort Johnson, one of the illustrations of Col. Myers' article 
 on the Tories or Loyalists in America. 
 
fr-Z^^'l^-/ 
 
®o tt)e Header. 
 
 I desire to express my acknowledgements to Colonel Myers, 
 for his 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 iMunsell 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 preeminently known as 
 
I30 
 
 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 of our land. 
 
 William L. Stone. 
 
®t)£ ^ort£0 or CogaltBts 
 
 IN AMERICA; 
 
 BEING SOME TRACINGS FROM THE 
 
 FOOTPRINTS OF 
 
 SIR JOHN JOHNSON and HIS COTEMPORARIES 
 
 IN THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 CONTRIBUTED BY 
 
 THEODORUS BAILEY MYERS. 
 
 ** Ab fas aut ab nefas.^^ 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 ALSO CONTRIBUTED, 
 
 To face. 
 
 View of Fort Johnson _ _ _ _ _ 1^9 
 
 Portrait of Sir William Johnson - - 159 
 Facsimile of Paper signed by the John- 
 sons, Herckmer, Schuyler, and others 161 
 Facsimile of Proclamation of George III 181 
 Portrait of Joseph Brant from plate used 
 
 in "Life of Brant" ------ 196 
 
 View of Johnson Hall from plate used in 
 
 " Life of Johnson " - - - - - - 212^ 
 
 Facsimile of Washington's Letter - - 215 
 
 Facsimile of Declaration of Independence 220 
 
m 
 Ijl 
 
 Mm 
 
 '"< ! I 
 
 ' i 
 
 yiiiliiiilik 
 
 
 
 
 tk. 
 
 
 
 
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 historical 
 collection, mingled with other imported manuscripts, proving 
 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 things 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 upon 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 of 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 which was piled 
 upon him as the exiled adherent of a lost and unpopular cause,'^ 
 
 ' The Life of Sir William Johnson and The Campaigns of General Burgoyne. 
 
 2 As an illustration of the then widely prevailing sentiment, the citizens of Worcester, 
 Mass., voted May 19, 1783, " That in the opinion of this town, it would be truly 
 dangerous to the peace, happiness, liberty and safety of these States, 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 woric. 
 
 These prefatory notes are added at Mr. Stone's suggestion. 
 
 The tasic 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 1 776, only upon a grander scale. Then 
 men weighed their duties and responsibilities, and the relative 
 claims of the flag 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 terms 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 banners were displayed, abandoned their native land, 
 turned parricides, and conspired to involve their country in tuijiult, ruin and blood, 
 to become the subjects of and reside in this government; that it would be not only 
 dangerous, bat inconsistent with justice, policy, our past laws, the public faith, and 
 the principles of a free and independent state, to admit them ourselves, or to have 
 them forced upon us without our consent." * * * * " That until the further order 
 of the government, they (the committees of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety), 
 will, with decision, spirit, and firmness, endeavor to enforce and carry into execution 
 the several laws of tliis 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, suffer 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 enter 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, and in his time a valued citizen. Although not an 
 active partisan he passed into exile through his scruples in 1775, but as an ex- 
 ceptional 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 
 
 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 rrght. 
 
 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 rhe 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 io be already dissatisfied with their new experiment, 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 War 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 Lines, have 
 continued obstinately Non-jurors to the United States to this day. These men 
 during the War suffered much in their property by the payment 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 mun 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 returning from a foreign country, in 
 which adverse Circumstances have detained them, contrary to their Inclinations and 
 
in the Revolution. 143 
 
 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 i8i2 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 against the British Government, who for some time refused to 
 take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States, 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 IVfisery. Those men, from their coming in so late, and by compulsion, 
 to acknowledge the Supremacy of the United States, did not regain eithtr the Friend- 
 ship or Confidence of their Countrymen^ they simply brought their persons and property 
 within the protection of the Law, and even that was in some instances at least, but 
 nominally such. These men, whose political principles have not been changed, 
 wish to remove, if it could be done on any Valuable Terms. But they must think 
 it a hard case 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 Objects before them, to take the part which they then took, but 
 who on reflection and experience perceive their Error, find all those favorable 
 prospects vanished, and in their place Factions and Licentiousness predominant, 
 their persons or Estates loaded witfi 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 i of Allegiance to the New Govern- 
 ment, much may be urged 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- 
 
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 fully examined into, will prove as 
 forcible as anything that can be urged for the former. It is therefore proposed that 
 a General Declaratory Act should be passed, putting the situation of all those who 
 have already 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 who 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 also 
 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 
 administered 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 removing on the C'vacuation of Neiv York is no Objectiony as too 
 many nvere then under an absolute and pressing necessity to remo-ve^ so that their re- 
 mainingy became a favor to those ivho did remo've^ and those forced to submit to the 
 Oath imposed upon them^ are to be considered as being nearly 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 
 ivantedy and in Great Numbers^ in Nova Scotia and Canada^ and as those orders of 
 men find themsel'ves pressed by taxes in the United States and their Commerce restricted 
 as alliens and Foreigners by this and other Nations, and burthened ivith duties and 
 imports by their oivn Government they tvill naturally incline to remove and such an 
 encouragement may probably render Nova Scotia and Canada populous, and rich in a 
 •very feio years. 
 
in the Revolution. 145 
 
 sentiment. Vae victis ! 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 
 through the unremitting attention of its President, Chief Justice Daly, collected in its 
 Map-room one of the most complete series ever formed by a technical institution, 
 affording an 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 5 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 disinterested 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 which 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 fine view of the 
 harbor. His country estate at Fort Neck, is preserved in the family by an entail that 
 prevented confiscation. This, even with the letter books of Governor Cadwallader 
 Golden, published 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. 
 
in the Revolution. 14.7 
 
 and published, have furnished the clew to much information 
 otherwise lost from the woof of history. 
 
 Those who have found entertainment in delving into the 
 controversial folios of partisan writers, full of what appeared 
 to them to be truths, have realized how easily, and honestly, 
 men may differ. 
 
 In England in the varied changes in the control of a divided 
 people, by Charles I, or by the Parliament, the Common- 
 wealth or the Restoration, those of each in turn had 
 the opportunity of disseminating such convictions, to approving 
 readers, and for posterity to consider and compare. As an 
 example of their utility, it was amongst such discordant narra- 
 tions — much of which he styled "Shot Rubbish" — that Car- 
 lyle, and others, have searched analogically for facts, and it was 
 from such neglected authorities that he derived many of the con- 
 clusions, which give color to his illustration of the "Letters and 
 Speeches of Oliver Cromwell," probably destined to survive 
 those crude " Reminiscences " of his own career, which have 
 recently disappointed his appreciators. The peculiarities of his 
 inverted expression, and thought provoking style, once com- 
 prehended, the result of those researches appears to present to 
 the reader, even in a concentrated form, the man, his impulses, 
 and surroundings, often overlooked before in the consideration 
 of the narrative of his remarkable career. 
 
 From the mass of such conflicting testimony, has also been 
 in part exhumed at different periods, the material from which 
 such accepted writers as Hume, Smollett, Gibbon, Robertson, 
 Macauley, Alison, Mahon, and many others less broadly known, 
 have erected with the increasing impartiality attending later in- 
 vestigation. Monuments to their country, creditable to the work- 
 19 
 
148 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 men. Each, in his way has apparently sought to form safe 
 resting places for 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 race, 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 
 diiBcult 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, April 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 Genl 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. 
 
 149 
 
 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 
 as 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, many 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 perform. 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 I should make, and I have reason to think from What I then and have 
 since heard that this matter was settled between these two Generals. Could I have 
 foreseen that it was Possible that this wd have been prevented taking place, I Should 
 I am sure have had no difficulty in Getting the Genls passport Upon which several 
 have gone down. Even after he quitted Albany, Altho I cannot it Seems be so 
 fortunate. Perhaps upon Considering this matter, Your Excellency will be of 
 opinion that Sir Henry Clinton will perform what Genl Gates Relied Upon him for, 
 however diffident your Excellency may be of Genl Jones Who is I believe an Inferior 
 Officer to Sir Henry Clinton. Especially as l' 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, I will be content to go down with one Servant 
 only (Leaving my family and Effects,) upon Parole to return if an Exchange cannot 
 be Effected. I 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 
 
150 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 King William's success at the 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 
 manufacturies, 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. 
 1 have the honour to be With great Esteem 
 
 Yr Ex. Most Obed & 
 
 Very humb. Servt 
 His Ex. Gov. Clinton. John Cruger. 
 
 Governor Clinton's Answer. 
 
 POUGHKEEPSIE, April I9, I778. 
 
 Sir : 
 
 I have 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 
 attempted 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 in 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 — ^a 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, have 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, by 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 afford 
 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 partiality unreasonably 
 brightened, the records of the wrestlers in a world of action. 
 
 The annexation of Texas — a Republic then recently 
 carved out of the territory 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 iiito 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 affected 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 
 
 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 
 go\'ernment 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 that of the supremacy of the flag, 
 hastened to the front. When 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 
 sectionally interested in the acquisition of new territory, continujlly pressed the offer 
 of additional regiments. Those of New Yor|{, 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 rank. 
 
154- Tories or Loyalists 
 
 other nationalities in our ranks was largely increased. In 
 the rising of a government in its force to 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 follow 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 Bluft, while practTcally advancing his plea for the 
 Union, made a more lasting impression than words addressed 
 to applauding galleries, by men of either section fired by zeal, 
 who failed to afterwards emphasize the depth of their convic- 
 tions, by 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', 
 
 s Clarendon in 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 there were 
 no other brand upon the odious and accursed Civil War than that single loss, it 
 must be most infamous to all posterity." He was deeply depressed by the compass 
 which he foresaw in the conflict, frequently cried to himself " Peace, Peace," and 
 doubting its speedy coming j having accompanied the King at Edgehill, Oxford and 
 Gloucester, being his Secretary of State, he threw himselt 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 clainns for redress were pressed too far. Many members 
 of our Continental Congress also displayed by their service in 
 the field, their conviction that a statesman whether involuntary, 
 hereditary or professional, does not lessen his official dignity, 
 by contact in the ranks even with those who had not sympa- 
 thized in the discussion^ until forced into the conflict by results. 
 
 Gallant service in both the council and the field 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 
 
 9 An example of this disinterested appreciation of a double duty, may be cited in 
 Lewis Morris, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of Congress, 
 grandson of a Colonial Governor of New Jersey, in his turn the son of an English 
 officer of Cromweirs army, who had made America his refuge at the Restoration — 
 the proprietor of a Manor of some thousands of acres called Morrifania, in West- 
 chester, New York, and an honored citizen, who, although like the Johnsons', with 
 much to lose personally, for the prospect of a gain by a change of government, threw 
 his fortunes into an opposite scale. His love to freedom, probably hereditary, early carried 
 him into public life, and with his beautiful home desolated, his family scattered, his 
 thousand of acres of woodland felled and the British ships lying within cannon shot 
 of his mansion, he was, at the time this letter was written, sitting in Congress and 
 commanding a disaffected Brigade, in the southern part of Westchester County, the 
 most disloyal portion of a Tory State. It is taken from the original : 
 
 Philadelphia, Sepumber 24, 1776. 
 
 Sir ; 
 
 I had the honor to receive your Letter accompanying the Resolve of Congress re- 
 lative to my return to resume the command of my Brigade, at a time when the 
 State to which I belong is invaded, and particularly as I am honored with a military 
 command, I esteem it my duty to account for my absence. Since my arrival at 
 Philadelphia, the State of New York has had no more than a representative in 
 Congress, and as the Gentlemen of the Committee of Indian Affairs were mostly out 
 of Town, the whole of that necessary business has been devolved upon me. My 
 family have been obliged to desert their home, and meeting ixiith thtm in this place, 
 
 20 
 
156 Tories 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 of all untried enter- 
 prises ; that of uniting with neither party, while coquetting with, 
 and appearing to entertain, the views of both. From any im- 
 putation of 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 yatchsmen so often deplore, an islander boarded the 
 Conquerant, 74 — conveying Generals the Baron de Viomenel, 
 Count de Custine, who soon after led the advanced troops to 
 
 altogether unprovided, I ha've been under the necessity of delaying tht time of my stay 
 until I could fx them in some situation 'where they could be accommodated. This distress 
 of my Family on this occasion made it my particular duty to attend to them, and 
 which I flatter myself will be justifiable upon every principle of justice. The siluafion 
 of my Brigade I was convinced was well known to the Convention, I apprehended 
 that not more than a Colonel's command was left in it, and as such did not think my 
 presence was so absolutely necessary. I have thought that the existence of such a 
 Brigade, in which were so many disaffected persons, was dangerous to the cause as 
 well as to my own life. But being desirous to participate in the virtuous opposition 
 to the British Tyrant, I had determined as 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 that unless we conquer I am ruined. Fowever 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. 
 
 I have the honor to subscribe myself, Sir, Your obliged and Obed't Humble 
 Servant, Lewis Morris, 
 
 (To the President of the Provincial Congress of New York). 
 
 He afterwards returned to service, was a Major General and had, as his fellow 
 officers, three of his sons. Of his own brothers, Staats Long continued in the 
 British service, became a Lieutenant General. Richard was a Judge of Admiralty, 
 and Gouverneur the well esteemed Diplomatist and Congressman. 
 
in the Revolution. 157 
 
 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 to 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 
 Royalist., or Insurgent., but a friend of everybody., as he told us with 
 much simplicity.'" As the arrival of this expected assistance 
 was an occasion 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 condition 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 
 in 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 inspired many good men, mis- 
 
 ^° Journal of Claude Blanchard, edited by Wm. Duane and Thos. Balch, Albany, 
 1876. 
 
 During the season of iS8i, they were said by the Port officials to be more con- 
 tinuous than for sixteen years, and the whole eastern and the north-eastern coast 
 resounded with the music of the fog horn, with little visible to the cruisers' eye. 
 
1^8 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 neighbors were often the fiercest opponents when 
 meeting in strife. 
 
 If, 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 
 influenced his sympathy, aside from the hereditary sense of 
 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 
 

 OK 
 
in the Revolution. 159 
 
 of 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 
 Mi)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 fortified by a pupil of 
 Vauban, garrisoned by regular French troops, and also protected by vessels of war, 
 by 6,000 Provincials, commanded by *' Mr. Pepperel a trader of P'scataqua," as colonel 
 of the largest regiment, was a subject of world-wide wonder at the time, and 
 may still be considered as one of the great military achievements on this continent. 
 Its conception was due to the indefatigable Governor Shirley. 
 
 The Following Commission given by Governor Shirley, when commanding all 
 the Forces in North America, and signed by Lord Stirling, then Mr. Alexander, a 
 young gentleman of fortune, when acquiring as an amateur the military knowledge 
 which he supplemented by his gdllantrv, at the Battle of Long Island and in other 
 service, shows the formality with which Indians were regularly commissioned, and 
 educated in the warfare then waging against the French, subsequently turned against 
 the Colonists whom they were then protecting. While the use of the Indians was 
 complained of by civilized opponents in both cases, their employment had become 
 habitual. 
 
 By His Excellency, Major General Shirley, Commander-in Chief of all 
 HIS Majesty's Forces in North America, 
 
 To Taiuenoe^ Greeting : 
 
 By Virtue of the Power and Authority to me Granted by His Majesty and reposing 
 especial Trust and Confidence in your Faithfulness^ Attachment and Loyalty to His 
 most sacred Majesty, King George the Second. 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 of 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 the 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. Shirley. 
 
 By His Excellency's Command, 
 
 Wm. Alexander, &ec''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 Col6nists in the com- 
 ing struggle was founded. 
 
i^ /neyt^^cAcre^rt^er^ -t^ 
 
 e^-r?(y ^0^z?1^^/r7coL^J0 a>r? 
 
 
 ,. /, 
 
 >r&^7acco>fA iTUyT fltt 
 
 
 /^c2^<a^ d^d iJeat^^ ^^ /^^ ^^ct^ o^f 
 
 ^/i-ft.-^^ 
 
 C^^Y ^^C(/^i<^£i,i^^tz^ ' 
 
 
 
 
 C^Oi^ ^e^ S'OMt 0M7Wf^ 
 
in the Revolution. i6i 
 
 continent. Their letters addressed to him on various affairs of 
 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 Government, which 
 from better local appreciation 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 to 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 of this early backwoods life. As rough in autographic execution 
 as its surroundings, it chances to place on one paper the names, 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 "Herckmer," 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 of 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 ** guider" by the Mohawks, 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 these are others, not unknown in that 
 local history, although making as feeble impression on their times as on the paper, 
 yet as necessary as are the minor connecting links in Genealogy. 
 
1 62 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 oi 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 1715, on 
 
 '3 From Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, founder and 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 Joseph Brant. 
 
 Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, Feb. 27, 1773, 
 Hon. Sir ; 
 
 The bearers, Basteen and Lewis, Indians of the Tribe of Lorett, have been several 
 months at my school, and have from the first appeared to have an uncommon thirst 
 for Learning, have been diligent at their studies and have made good Proficiency for 
 the Time therein. They appear to be rational, manly, spirited, courteous, graceful 
 and obliging far beyond what I have found common to Indians, and I have observed 
 no undue appetite in them for Strong Drink. They have often expressed a desire to 
 see your Honor since they have lived with me, and now at their Desire I have con- 
 sented to their making you this Visit. 
 
 I esteem them the most promising young Indians I have ever seen, and the most 
 likely to answer rtie great and good ends of an Education, and I hope their going 
 among their brethren in your parts will have no bad influence to predjudice or 
 distemper their minds. I have advised them to return as soon as they can after they have 
 suitably expressed their duty and respect to you, as I should be sorry they should lose 
 more time from their Studies than shall be needful and 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, 
 
 Eleazer Wheelock. 
 
 Sir Wm. Johnson, Baronet. 
 
in the Revolution^ 
 
 163 
 
 Bradford'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 keeping 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. Captain Michael 
 Cresap and Mr. Greathead, had by attendant ravages in the 
 valley of the Ohio, on lands protected by 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 he entered the council, he 
 vehemently addressed them, as was his custom, and died before 
 the session was completed — on the eleventh 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 example to those 
 'i\ 
 
164- 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 whether in the growing disfavor 
 for 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 field. 
 
 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, opposing 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, where 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. 
 
 ** It does not appear that he ever revisited England, as was asserted, but it may be 
 recalled that he was 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 country 
 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 be dis- 
 covered how 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 ties. 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 
 
1 66 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 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 
 in, 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, ^^ that the British lion had retreated 
 
 ^5 The following copied from a signed duplicate original, shows the necessity of the 
 government, the relative ability of the States, and the changes in their sub- 
 sequent progress. 
 
 By the United States, in Congress assembled. 
 
 September 4, 1782. 
 
 On the report of a General Committee, consisting of a member from each state, 
 
 Resol'ued, That one million two hundred thousand dollars has been quotaed on the 
 States as absolutely and immediately necessary for payment of the interest on the 
 public debt j and that it be recommended to the Legislatures of the respective States, 
 to lay such taxes as shall appear to them most proper and effectual for immediately 
 raising their quota of the above sum. 
 
 Resol'ved^ That the money so raised in each State, shall be applied towards paying 
 the interest due on certificates issued from the loan office of each State, and other 
 liquidated debts of the United States contracted therein, before any part thereof shall 
 be paid into the public treasury. 
 
 Orderedj That the foregoing Resolutions be referred to the Grand Committee, to 
 assess and report the quota of each State. 
 
 Sept. 10, 1782. 
 On the report of the Grand Committee : 
 
 Resol-ved, Thit $1,200,000 to be raised for the payment of the interest of the 
 domestic debt of the United States, be appropriated to the several States, according 
 to the following quotas, viz : 
 
 New Hampshire, 
 Massachusetts, 
 Rhode Island, 
 Connecticut, 
 New York, 
 New Jeiseyj 
 Pennsylvania, 
 Delaware, 
 Maryland, 
 Virginia. 
 North Carolina, 
 South Carolina, 
 Georgia, 
 
 (Signed), 
 
 $48,000 
 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. 
 
1 68 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 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 Preliminary 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 1812'* — 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- 
 
 '^ In his " Campaigns of tile 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, in the heat of the 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 Parkman 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 
 principle, is like an object seen in two different mediums, that 
 appears crooked and broken, however straight and entire it may 
 be in itself. For this reason there is scarcely a person of figure 
 in England, who does not go by two contrary characters, as 
 opposite to one another as light and darkness." 
 
 '8 The severity of an indiscriminate confiscation was early recognized. In the 
 preliminary Treaty of Peace, formulated at Versailles on the 20th of January, 1783, 
 negotiated by Adams, Franklin, Jay and Henry Laurens, on the part of the United 
 States — all illustrious citizens and principally foreign ministers — the only represent- 
 ative of Great Britain was Richard Oswald, a merchant of London, selected alone 
 to represent her, without the ceremony attending happier negotiations and 
 probably with a view to his acceptability to those he was to meet, as having 
 lately bailed Mr. Laurens from the Tower when captured at sea, on his way to his 
 Mission at the Hague. By that Treaty, condensed in nine brief stipulations, in 
 Article v, "It is agreed that the Congress shall earnestly recommend it to the Legis- 
 latures of the respective States, to provide for the restitution of all estates, rights and 
 properties of persons resident in districts, in the possession of his Majesty's arms, and 
 who have not borne arms against the said United States. And that persons, of any 
 other description, shall have free liberty to go into any part or parts of any of the Thir- 
 teen United States, and therein to remain twelve months unmolested in their endeavors 
 to obtain the restitution of each of their estates, rights and properties, as may have 
 been confiscated ; and that Congress shall also earnestly recommend to the several states 
 
170 Tories 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 ot 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 facile governors, sent 
 generally by tavor, 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' the premises, so as to 
 render the said laws or acts perfectly consistent, not only with justice and equity, but 
 with the spirit of conciliation, which on the return of the blessings of peace should 
 universally prevail. And that Conj^ress shall also earnestly recommend to the 
 several States, that the estatey, 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 has 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 persons 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, suffer any future loss or 
 damage, either in his person, liberty or property, and that those who may be in 
 confinen)ent 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." 
 
in the Revolution. 171 
 
 feudal privileges, induced by the eking out of a small salary by 
 the considerable fees attending the entries, and often, — as 
 existing written evidence proves — by a concealed interest with 
 the grantee. To the foundation of such granted or purchased 
 estates followed their division and use by tenants, or distribu- 
 tion by sale. There were many monopolies, similarly procured, 
 soon also available as sources of wealth and as the crops and 
 productions of the land, the mines, the timber, the naval stores, 
 and the fisheries increased, and their development and control 
 by merchants and shippers accumulated wealth, there followed 
 naturally the introduction of every luxury and appliance, custom 
 and habit of life, used by the privileged class in the mother 
 country. 
 
 The military and civil service brought out many cadets 
 of English families, to find a permanent home by settlement 
 or marriage. As England was politically an aristocracy, 
 the colonies as a part of it, imitated its habits and fostered its 
 restrictions. It has been claimed that with many who had 
 acquired the convexity of affluence, and aspired to position, the 
 exclusion from the higher offices, and the precedence on a state 
 occasion, accorded to some stripling subaltern in a crimson coat, 
 was a grievance harder to be borne than taxation. With pros- 
 perity and wealth came the desire for education, and that culti- 
 vation which should confer on their children some of the ad- 
 vantages which they had seen accorded, to the scions of those 
 privileged families at home. 
 
 The schools of Eton and Harrow, and the Universities of 
 Oxford and Cambridge, were filled with young Americans, who, 
 while studying the humanities, were naturally comparing the 
 
 22 
 
172 Tortes 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. '^ 
 
 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 oiEces 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 
 the place. As an example, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Hay- 
 ward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., and Arthur Middleton, all early 
 movers for redress from grievances, members from South Car- 
 olina 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 half breed — suppofed to be Sir 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 be ivas 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 of too much Madeira, may not have been 
 one of tlie causes ol 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. 173 
 
 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 of 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, Lawyers, Doctors, Judges, Magistrates, 
 Planters and prosperous iVIerchants and Manufacturers were 
 mainly its material ; there was an entire absence of those who 
 devoted themselves to politics or agitation professionally. 
 
 Perhaps the difference 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 of 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 
 
174- Tories or Loyalists 
 
 manly enterprises. While doing the honors of his stately home, 
 with a broad hospitality and benevolence, aided by a wife to 
 whom be was devoted, he had adorned it with many objects 
 of interest, including one of the finest libraries in the colonies. 
 He combined an interest in all that affected 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 a 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 loyalty of his son. 
 
 In many particulars there was a similarity between the position and treatment of 
 Governor Franklin and Sir John Johnson in this year. The following letter is 
 copied from the original and shows the action of Congress. 
 
 Philadelphia, yune 2.4, I'JJ^. 
 Gentlemen : Your Favor respecting the proper measures to be taken with your 
 late Governor, "William Franklyn, Esq., came to Hand on Saturday the 22d inst. 
 But as the Congress did not sit on that Day I 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, 
 
 Presid^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. 
 
 HorCbh Cowvention of Neiv yersey. 
 
in the Revolution. 175 
 
 athletic sports as are now supplemented by polo, lawn tennis, 
 boating and ball matches, in which pleasure is realized 
 through exertion. Such pursuits and pastimes of his lesser 
 existence, were with him only the oil applied to the machinery 
 of an earnest life ! 
 
 In 1766, he " made his tour,'' as was customary then as 
 now, spending two years in Enghnd, cultivating the ac- 
 quaintance of public men to whom his access was easy, 
 obtaining an audience by the young King, who graciously 
 received him, 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 year to his 
 wife — one of the few relics of his then impending ruin, which 
 survive in the hands of his family, and which Dr. Emmet 
 thoughtfully directed to be fac-similed — he 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 
 ignorant imperious dame, but I rejoice that the partner of my 
 life 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 
 in 1768, he was named for a seat in the Council of the colony — 
 
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 by 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 interference 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 expedient for the Settlement of the American Disputes humbly sub- 
 mitted (" offered" erased ) to the consideration of his Majesty's Ministers, by an 
 American, 
 
 The State of American Affairs is so badly alarming at this time^ that any real friend 
 to the British Empire, ought to suggest every probable expedient that occurs to him, 
 for the accommodation of the unhappy disputes between Great Britain and the 
 Colonies — to give the following suggestions their due weight, it must be premised — 
 1st. That the several North American Colonies, fr-^m New Hampshire to South 
 Carolina inclusive, arc able to furnish ^oOjOOO fighting men ; who are in general as 
 fit for service as the English 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 Colonies are now ( even to the astonishment of many Colonists themselves) 
 perfectly united in a determinate opposition to the authority of the British Parliament as to 
 all internal Taxation. 3d. That there is not the least retliaining doubt, if the 
 British Government should proceed to put the late Acts of Parliament, respecting 
 the Massachusetts Bay (or any other Acts which involve the Idea of an absolute 
 uncontrollable power In the British Parliament over the Colonies) j into execution, by 
 force, but that the said Colonics zuould unite by attempting to repel, force by force. To 
 which may be added, what is as well or perhaps better known in Great Britain than in 
 America, to wit : 4tb. That the certain consequences of this unnatural war will be 
 dreadful to both Great Britain and America, and the probable effects thereof may be 
 fatal to the whole British Empire. Matters standing thus and the three first proposi- 
 tions above premised being founded upon the most indubitable facts (of which the 
 writer of this from his general acquaintance with America, is perhaps as competent a 
 
in the Revolution. 177 
 
 Such remonstrances, made in and out of Parliament 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 finally burst. Stockton had already selected his 
 course and indifferent to office, personal exemption, of private 
 
 judge as any man whatever), 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 Governors of the North American Colonies requesting them 
 forthwith to recommend it to their several Assemblies to pass, and to give their own 
 assent to an Act which may be passed by the Legislatures of several Provinces, 
 comprising certain Commissioners thereirj to be 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. and. That to prevent all disputes in 
 future, the said American Commissioners be also empowered to confer and agree with 
 the British Commissioners respecting the future Go'vernment and regulation of the 
 Colonies^ either by framing one general system of Government for all the Colonies 
 on the Continent similar to the British, or by making some material alteration in 
 the present mode of Provincial Government. In either of which systems, some 
 effectual provision may be madeyor the adequate support of the American Go'vernment 
 by the Americans themsel'ves^ and also for the payment ot all such sums of money as 
 may become due from America to Great Britain for the assistance of her Fleets and 
 Army. These determinations of the said Commissioners to be subjected nevertheless, 
 to such alteration as the wisdom of his Majesty and his Parliament of Great Britain 
 may make therein, 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 advised in his royal clemency, to recommend it to his Parliament to suspend the 
 operation of the Boston Port ActSy while the determination of the said Commissioners 
 should be had. The author of the above hints offers them with all humility, and 
 with great diffidence of his own ability on so great and national a question. But some 
 expedient must be immediately fallen upon, or ive shall be inuol'ved in a Ci'vil War, the 
 most obstinate^ divful and tremendous that perhaps enjer occurred since the Creation of the 
 World, He will esteem it a signal blessing of Divine Providence conferred upon 
 him, if any one Idea he hath 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 declared '* That the Americans 
 meant only to amuse by vague expressions of attachment and the strongest professions 
 
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 offered 
 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 magnanimity. 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 som^ 
 influence at home, for on the first day of the following September, Richard Penu 
 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 WOULD BE GIVEN. 
 
 =^ Sanderson*s Signers. 
 
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 there 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, 1781, too 
 soon to know of the effect 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 bv some political organization or machine, supported by 
 the now common outlay. 
 23 
 
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 average 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 ^£200,000 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 Britain 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 ot 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 
 
 23 Doubtless their clandestine trade with the Spanish Colonies, exporting British 
 manufactures in exchange for specie, made stamps more objectionable, but far seeing 
 Walpole claimed, that of every £500,000 so gained by them, one-half would be 
 expended in England. Their friends throughout persistently sustained them in Parlia- 
 ment. Chatham, Rockingham, Newcastle, Camden and Conway amongst the earliest, 
 with such success, that when partially 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, fired on the " Boston Mob," and 
 the concession came too late. 
 
^'A^' ^4.t^£kJ^f .i^v.T-^^-;?.'. -a-^^-P ^-7^^ £^e^7-ae. Me kr^rerri^ ^^^\ 
 /^^z*^ ^T^/" /aX jt? xf-*-^'?T<f^^t^ i^& KfOt'Trf £- -^'/J^^ ■''^/^^t ^^-r-r^' ^f-y'^^^ ^fnv 
 
 tr^i^ ^^ ^A^ irr £ ^ -^^-ti^p^ t^ -^—C^.-y^ i? f^^z^.^yr-/f^ ln^As-^^f^a ^0''f*^^-^A^ 
 
 /^/t-r c^^r-Ac ^y-^Tf^rv /A^c S' i:^-2^<^^-''* /A^'?77 Otf-r^ /*^^^sAA:£^/^ ^^i£^C- 
 
 ■^l^ 
 
 t/jru^ s)Un^f<r!^ t/'T^e-i^aii 
 
 
 
 r'^^Jcr 
 
 a^ /t'^c- ^<«^' ^>^3 ^^ ^^ '-^Z' 
 
 ^' ^^^f^r^r-.^ Zi^..^ 
 
 ■ii^if/^m^' <^' 
 
 /C/i ^^w.,^ -^^/-^^^^^^ 
 
in the Revolution, i8i 
 
 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 have 
 been controlled by generous 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 Tory 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 family born on 
 British soil. 
 
 The accession of George IIP'' to the throne when proclaimed 
 throughout his dominions and colonies., was received every where 
 
 24 It was said of him at that time ** though iiis character was far from yet being 
 perfectly developed, 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 affairs of government. His manners were in the highest degree decorous, his 
 words unblemished, and his personal accomplishments corresponded with 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 the good old King, was immediately absorbed in the transports of 
 joy excited by the auspicious commencement of the reign of the young Monarch who 
 
t82 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 
 by the populace as "The Witch," and doubtless held herself to 
 be 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 " ( Beeton's Universal Biography ), and all his- 
 
 had very lately attained the age of complete majority j being born June 4, 1738." 
 Behham^s Memoirs of George III. 
 
 The late Dean Stanley, in his " Memorials of" Westminster Abbey, " recalls 
 some 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 K.ing seated himself after the ceremony, attracted general notice." ** No 
 actor in the character of Pyrrhus, 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 attendance of the rival to the throne, Prince Charles Edward" ( the Pretender, 
 then in London, under the name of Mr. Brown). " I 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 I 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 preferment. 
 
 The signature of Archbishop Seeker, who aided and endowed Episcopal churches 
 in America, and also officiated at the coronation of Lard Granville, Dunk, Earl of 
 Halifax, and others of the Lords of Council annexed to the order for his proclamation 
 in New York, like that of Guldsboro Banyer, the then Deputy Secretary, may be 
 recalled in connection with our early history. 
 
in the Revolution, 183 
 
 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 
 was 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 taking his oath as a Privy 
 Counsellor, and he at once supplanted his daughter, Princess 
 Amelia, in the Rangership of Richmond Park.^s As 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 Council, familiar with their 
 rights and necessities, he concentrated power in himself. It is 
 just to say, that he pressed the war against 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, by Spain. In the haste with which he 
 availed himself of these successes, securing the results which made 
 
 •3 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 sustained by the whole power of the Govern- 
 ment, of the " Cider Bill," involving a direct tax repugnant to 
 the whole people, especially 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 f^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 pn this to him, fatal question of direct taxation. 
 
 William Henry Drayton — Chief Justice 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 HI in 1763. They revered 
 
 =« He also died in service, a member of Congress at Philadelphia, Feb. 3, 1779. 
 
in the Revolution, 185 
 
 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 £100,000, Mr. Grenville^' his 
 successor as first Commissioner of the Treasury, proposed to 
 collect it by the Stamp Act in 1763, and so partially reimburse 
 her outlay in the Seven Years' War, w'hich 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, 
 
 *^ 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 luhere 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 fixed the soubrequet on Mr. Grenville. Mr. Belsham, 
 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. 
 
i86 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 inCerests 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 the Superintendency 
 
tn 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 of 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 be 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 value of provisions, issued 
 to " said Corps of Royalists and others, between 25th October 
 111']" — 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 of 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 
 
1 88 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 ^vq months after the virtual 
 close of the war at Yorktown, although eight before the nego- 
 
 =^ The last English commander in-chtef in her lost colonies. By escaping from . 
 captivity at Montreal in 1775, passing at night, with muffled oars, through his ad- 
 versaries' forces, throwing himself into Quebec, and rallying its feeble garrison, he 
 saved the city and deprived the adventurous Montgorhery of his victory. The 
 jealousy of Lord George Germaine is said to have confined his service to Canada, 
 and deprived him of the command 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 Burgoyne's recorded appreciation. General Burgoyne was apparently a 
 man of ability, and had been a successful soldier in Portugal. He was a social 
 celebrity also, and owed his progress to family influence. His devotion topleasure is 
 charged to have delayed him — while in fact 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 tor a very heavy artillery and train, increased the need 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 
 «ven to retreat to Canada j an apparent answer would be, that he had but five days 
 provisions when he yielded j inconsi^lerable tor a siege and had no knowledge of 
 Clinton's snjall supplies, sent to Albany. That the whole country encouraged by 
 those disasters, was rising, and troops being hurried forward, while his own were 
 daily reduced ; and that he was in effect captured before he surrendered. It was 
 only at the end of a century, that Gentral Howe's failure to advance to his aid was 
 accounted for, by an explanation, written at the time by Lord Shelburne, and pub- 
 lished by his appreciative grandson, in his life in 1875, by which it appears that 
 Lord George Germaine, also a man of pleasure, 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 to him, for his signature there. The packet unexpectedly sailed 
 ■with only the former, and so produced the complication, while the latter were found 
 pigeon holed in the office 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 
 
in the Revolution. 
 
 189 
 
 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 territory claimed by the United 
 States, proving his later hostility. 
 
 Sir : White Hall, 18 March^ 1782. 
 
 The 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 cilaracter, have also been afforded to readers by the daughters of a more 
 fortunate General, his son Sir John Burgoyne, who are now residing in Hampton 
 Court, in the " Political and Military Sketches " published by their inspiration, by Mr. 
 Fonblanque in 1876. These, with the *' Memoirs of the Marquis of Rockingham," 
 edited by Lord Albemarle 101852, "The correspondence of the Duke of Bedford and 
 Lord Chatham," "The Evelyn's in America, "contributed by J. D. Scull, Oxford, 
 1881, Judge Jones' •* History of New York in the Revolution," and the Gates 
 papers, contributed by Dr. T. A. Emmett to the '* Magazine of 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 Burgoyne and that of 
 Gates, identified 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 rules of 
 technical education and the prestige of former service. Both appear in history fit 
 subjects to point the moral that while success is self recording, misfortune commands 
 its equal right to a reliable record. With probably less natural ability than either. 
 Gen. Carleton combined with courage and decision the additional requisite of business 
 capacity. He appears to have received in all history, that which these brilliant co- 
 temporaries sought for and failed to achieve, as a reward for his unassuming useful- 
 ness and admitted humanity. It has been considered whether there would have been a 
 Saratoga in our roll of victories, had that active commander led the expedition. 
 It was his singular fortune to serve in America through the war, to hold guebec 
 at its outset, and surrender New York at its conclusion. After the peace he became 
 Lord Dorchester and remained in Canada as Commander-in-Chief of the British 
 forces. The eccentric General Charles Lee, another soldier of the school of Bur- 
 goyne and Gates, influenced by his too little faith in Washington as a soldier — after 
 the attempt to hold Fort Washington — and too much in a sense of his own educated 
 superiority, attempted to treat, for a hasty completion ot the war, as Dr. George H. 
 Moore has shown, with an indrmduality 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 recommending 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 your 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 into Canada, 
 and some military movements towards the frontier — probably 
 merely demonstrations — had given it color, we find^' Sir Ferdi- 
 
 ^ He occupied many positions of honor and trust j was a member of the Privy 
 Council, and of Parliament for Weymouth, and created Lord Mendip in 1794. 
 
 30 Sir John had already performed 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 Sorel, 
 in a letter dated Quebec, February 13, 1783, that he had 
 despatched a messenger to the " Chevalier Johnson," to send 
 "five or six of the most active, and expert iVlohawks, to watch 
 the road from Albany to West Point," and suggesting that he, 
 " with his savages and light batallion, fall back a few 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 outlays 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 military pay. 
 
 Accounts of contingent expenses incurred by Sir John 
 Johnson, Baronet, on account of the Government by orders 
 of His Excellency General Haldimand in sundry services be- 
 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 £11 13 4- 
 
 Sept. 10. To do. to Sergeant Haines and party 
 for their services, etc., on a Scout 
 to the County of Tryon 15 10 
 
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 
 • 1 6th 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 Assisting Scouts 
 with Provisions between the 15th 
 Sept., 1778, and the 25th Aug., 
 
 i78i--- ; 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 Haldimand for Extra Ser- 
 vice from the 28th Dec, 1780 to 
 the 13th March, 1782, inclusive at 
 \os. sterling per day X222 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 Lieut. Col. John Campbell. 
 
 Received from Sir John Johnson, Baronet, Superintendent 
 General and Inspector General of Indian Affairs, Two Thou- 
 
in the Revolution. 
 
 193 
 
 sand and fifty-seven Pounds, Thirteen Shills and Eight pence 
 Halifax Currency being the amount of Disbursements paid by 
 me for the Indian Department under my direction from the 
 25th of March to the 24th September, 1783, per acc't and 
 vouchers delivered to him by 
 
 John Campbell. 
 £2057 13 8 Cy. 
 
 Subsistence wanted for the Officers of the Six Nations De- 
 partments from 25 March to 24 Sept., 1783, Inclusive. 
 
 
 Commen- 
 
 
 Nu. of 
 
 
 New York 
 
 Sterli 
 
 ng 
 
 Rank 
 
 cing 
 
 Ending 
 
 Days 
 
 Rate per day 
 
 £ s d 
 
 £ s 
 
 d 
 
 One Col & Super- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 intendents (Pay 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 rec'd from the 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 General to Dec. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14 next) 
 
 25 March 
 
 24 Sept 
 
 184 
 
 (( 
 
 (< (( (( 
 
 300 
 
 
 One Deputy in 
 
 
 
 
 (( 
 
 (( <( n 
 
 100 
 
 
 Canada 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 184 
 
 
 
 
 
 Two Lieutenants 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (Clement & 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Magin). 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 184 
 
 a dollar 
 
 '47 4 
 
 
 
 One Surgeon Mate 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 184 
 
 do 
 
 73 •» 
 
 
 
 One Clerk 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 184 
 
 61. York Cy 
 
 55 4 
 
 
 
 One Commissary 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (Moses Ibbitt) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Invalided and 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 discharged .... 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 184 
 
 a dollar 
 
 73 i^ 
 
 
 
 One Issued as a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Volunteer (John 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Service) 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 .84 
 
 6s. York Cy 
 
 55 4 
 
 
 
 One Interpreter 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (Le Curagine) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Invalided 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 1S4 
 
 a dollar 
 
 73 " 
 
 
 
 Catharine Hare 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 widow of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 late Lieut Hare 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 Pension .... 
 
 184 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 478 8 
 
 279 I 
 
 4 
 
 689 I 4 
 CoL. Guv Johnson. 
 Atnt of Lieut Col Butlers Deputy Agents return hereto annexed paid 
 
 by his draft on the Superintendent General I7'3 4 + 
 
 Two Thousand four hundred & 2 pounds f £2,402 5 8 
 
 E. E. Quebec 25 Octuber 1783. G. John.oh. 
 
 £689 I 4 Col Johnson 
 1713 4 4 Lt Col Butler 
 
 2402 5 8 Sterling 
 
194- Tories or Loyalists 
 
 Received from Sir John Johnson, Baronet, his Majestys 
 Super Intendent General & Inspector General for Indian Affairs 
 in North America the sum of £68g \s ^d sterling for my own 
 and a Deputys Salary, the pay of officers and others employed in 
 his Majestys service in 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 4j- 
 4(3? 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. bf Supt. of the Six Nations. 
 
 Montreal, 4 Jugust, 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. 
 
 £54 15J. N. Y. Currency. Cataragui, 20 August., 1784. 
 Sir: At sight please pay Mr. Robert Hamilton or order the 
 sum of Fifty-four pounds fifteen shillings New York Currency 
 being the amount of my half pay up to the 24 of last March 
 which pass to account as per advice from, 
 
 Sir, Your very humble Servant, 
 
 Ebenezer Allen. 
 To Sir John Johnson Knt 
 
 & Baron Knight (sic) Montreal. 
 Mr. Dobie will please pav the above draft. 
 
 J. Johnson. 
 
 For £50 Currency. Montreal, 20 August, 1784. 
 
 Sir : Please pay to Mrs. Mary Brant^s or order Fifty pounds 
 Halifax Currency in part of her pension from Government 
 from 23 Oct., 83 & 22 Sept. 1784. 
 
 John Johnson. 
 
 To Mr. Richard Dobie, Montreal. 
 
 3* Col. Guy 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. 
 
in the Revolution.- 195 
 
 London, Dec 24, 1784. 
 Received from Sir John Johnson, Baronet, His Majestys 
 Superintendent General and Inspector General of Indian Affairs 
 in North America, Three Hundred Pounds Sterling for my 
 Salary as Superintendent of the Six Indian Nations and their 
 Allies from 25 June to the 24 Dec, 1784, Inclusive. 
 £300. G. Johnson,^'* 
 
 Col. &' 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 the 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 losses 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. 
 
 Quebec, Nov. 9, 1785. , 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 I had the honor to receive your letter of the 6 by express 
 last night at ten o'clock but too late I am sorry to tell you, by 
 two days for producing the effect desired -, Josephss having 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 that the Madona wiii 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 Trip, 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 first as 
 
 34 An interesting letter from Col. Guy Johnson to Sir William, too late for inser- 
 tion here, will be found in Appendix A. 
 
 35 Captain Joseph Brant — Thayendanegea. 
 
 25 
 
ig6 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 not to give 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 return 
 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 yesterday but has brought me no Dis- 
 patches of any consequence. That we must go on with the 
 Indian business as concerted — Iceeping them in good humour as 
 much as possible and preaching up patience — & firmness — 
 but by no means encouraging their breaking out. As to 
 anything you may think proper to do to retain those Chiefs & 
 others of influence, or to eilect 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 
 Invoice, orders shall be given in consequence of your repre- 
 sentation to this efi^ect to deliver up the remainder of them not 
 actually issued for the use of the Indians on your order ; as 
 likewise to comply with your requisition for the same purpose 
 to 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., Henry Hope. 3* 
 
 Superintendent General, &c. &c. 
 
 Joseph Brant here referred to, is. generally recalled by the 
 striking incidents of his 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. A.ber- 
 crombie's Regt.), and had seen much service there. 
 
SEFM IBlKA.H'T-TIEI^'S'ISK'iaivlflEEIlA , 
 
 THE GKEAT CaPTMK OF THE SK NATIONS, 
 
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 Kirkland, " he conducted himself so 
 much like a Christian, and a soldier, that he gained great est , -em." 
 
 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 by 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. 3' He visited England in 1775, and again as that let- 
 ter shows at the end of the war, attracting distinguished attention 
 
 37 This letter as to the rights of his people and his own appreciation of honorable 
 dealing is an example. 
 Sin . Nassau, 30 December^ 179^. 
 
 Your letters of the 17th & 20th November, '94, from Konondaigua, I 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 
 solid basis, for 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 out has nonu 
 been abandoned, the establishing of which I am ivell contjinced -would have been the 
 means of bringing about a lasting and permanent peace. This object so earnestly to be 
 desired has ever made me exert every nerve, wishing for nothing more than mutual 
 justice. This line you^ll recollect nvas offered to Governor St. Clair at Muskingum^ and 
 notwithstanding 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 know, 
 I should be sorry if your efforts -zvere crowned ivith no better success, as your exertions 
 J 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 was 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 I study them not, my 
 
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 Queen. 
 The Duke of Northumberland, Lords Dorchester and Hastings 
 and General Stewart — the son of Bute — who had all served 
 
 principle is founded on justice^ and justice is all I luish for^ and ne'ver shall I exert 
 myself on behalf of any nation or nations, let their opinion oj me be ivhat it ivill^ unless 
 I plainly see they are just and sincere in their pursuits^ doing luhat in e'very respect to 
 justice may belong. When I percei've such are the sentiments of a People no endeavors 
 shall be tvanting on my part to bring neighbors to a good understanding. 
 
 I must again repeat that I am extremely sorry this Boundary so long since pointed 
 out, should have been abandoned, it being an object of 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 effect, to have dealt upon a larger scale, than within the small compass of 
 the Five Nations, the meeting being intended solely to talk over the business 
 of the Boundary and then to have acquainted the whole 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 dieappointed if the Chiefs do 
 not acknowledge your candour, I can for my own part torm no opinion, whether it 
 is so or not, being perfectly ignorant of ivhat has passed^ but e-ver 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 nvell 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- 
 
in the Revolution. 199 
 
 in America, greeted him 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 indefiniteness of the Treaty line, 
 
 doubted right to admit at our Councils who we please — of course the United States 
 have it optional whether they will treat or not with any Nation or Nations when 
 Foreign Agents are present. 
 
 You seem to think in your letter of the 20th that the Senekas are the Nation most 
 concerned in the Trusts in question agreeable to the lines you point out. At the differ- 
 ent Treaties held since the year '83 I allow the Senekas from their proceedings seemed 
 to be the only Nation concerned in that country, although the whole Five Nations 
 have an equal right, one with the other, the country having been obtained by the 
 joint exertions in war with a Powerful Nation formerly living southward of Buffalo 
 Creek called Fries 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 I hope will convince you that the Mohawks have an equal claim and right 
 to receive in proportion with the others 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, which 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 this 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 K.indle the Council Fire &c. This I know to be 
 a mistake, in our speech to General Chapin we wished the President of the United 
 States to send a Commissioner to our Fire Place at Buffaloe 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 faitbfully and sincerely by pointing out the Medicine that 
 would accomplish it, your relinquishing pjrts of your claims in the Indian Country. 
 You alio say I told Genl Chapin at fVinnys that it was the British that pre-vented the 
 Treaty taking place. I said so then and still do. What enabled me to say so -was the 
 Gentlemen belonging to the Indian Department in that quarter interfering in the business. 
 
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 1752, a Delaware chief demanded of him : 
 
 Had the line as pointed out by us been accepted by the United States their interference 
 •would not have prevented Peace then taking place as the Fi've Nations had pledged 
 themsel'ves to see it ratified. As to the business of the White Nations I percei-ve it at 
 present to be a lottery ivhich ivill be uppermost cannot be knotvn until draivn, the most 
 poiverful no doubt ivill succeed, but let who -will be successful our situation is the same^ as 
 ive still have whites to deal ivtth ivhose aims arc generally similar. ITou mention the 
 People of France took the Indian method. All their ivarriors turned out. The Indian 
 zuarriors are altuays ready to turn out to defend their just rights. But Indian ivarriors 
 ■would not be ready to Butcher in an inhuman shocking manner their Kingy Queen. 
 Nobles and others, this is acting ivorse than ivhat is called Savage, The Indians are 
 not entirely destitute of humanity^ but from every appearance it has fed 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 Ohio 
 the Boundary, this I believe is a mistake as the word Ohio was never mentioned at 
 that time. You may rest assured that I do not siverve from any expressions I have 
 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 & that 
 Friendship may I'eign befween 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 2d 
 Vol, of his Life. 
 
in the Revolution. 201 
 
 " Where are the lands of the Indians ? the French claim all on 
 one side of the river, and the English all on the other."^* 
 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, lived 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 hfe 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. 
 
 38 Griswold and Lossing's Washington. 
 
 39 This commission indicating care in its instructions, now unusual in such documents, 
 and wear from use, is that of Walter Butler, noted both for his efficiency and cruelty, 
 killed at Canada Creek, on the 29th of October, 1781, by a force under Col. 
 Marinus Willett, while retreating from a raid to Warren's Bush, and his former 
 home, in the year succeeding the expedition of Sir John. 
 
 Gov Carleton Kpight of the Bath, Captain General and Governor in Chief of the 
 province of Quebec and Territories depending thereon, &c., &c.. General and Com- 
 mander in-Chief of his Majesty's Forces in said Province and the Frontiers thereof 
 ^£_ &c. To Walter Butler, Esq_., Greeting : 
 
 Reposing special trust and Confidence.in your Loyalty, Courage and good Conduct, 
 I do by these Presents Constitute and appoint you to be Caftain in a Corps of Rangers 
 
202 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 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 cause 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 Rebellion. Whereof John Butler, Esq., is 
 Major Commandant. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge the duty 
 of captain by exercising and well disciplining both the Inferior Officers and Soldiers of 
 that Corps, and I do hereby command them to obey you as their Captain, and you 
 are to observe and follow such Orders and directions as you shall from Time to Time 
 receive from me, your Major Commandant, or any other Superior Officer, according 
 to the rules and discipline of War. In pursuance of the trust hereby reposed in you. 
 Gi'ven under my hand and Seal at Arms, at ^ebec, this twentieth day of Decem- 
 ber, 1777, and in the Eighteenth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, George 
 the Thirdy 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 MAisTRt. 
 
 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 raiding in the Indian 
 Territory, and affecting to be a humane man in his way, says: 
 
 " Tell the Herald, that the policy of myself and fol- 
 lowers is 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 living, they have already got them and have no sympathy for 
 those who are poor and want homes. They would rather see 
 the poor inan starve, than to have their picture of the noble 
 redman chasing the wild gazelle over an eternal meadow with 
 a babbling brook, destroyed." 
 
 The writer must be aware that while the area of the Indian 
 Territory is less than 6g,ooo square miles, that of Texas is 
 274,356, large enough it would appear, for the accommodation 
 ot the rights 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." If any person desires to trace the 
 origin 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 in 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 
 
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 August, 1785. 
 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 British Government from the first appearance of 
 a Revolt in North America, that he did his duty as became a 
 faithful Subject in his Department of Superintendent of Indian 
 Nations and kept those Tribes in his Majestys Interest and 
 defeated the Endeavors'of the Rebels to alienate their affections 
 from the King, and to induce them to appear in Arms against 
 his Government. That he assembled a large Body of Indians 
 and joined General Carlton in Canada. 
 
 Thos Gage. 
 Given under my hand this 2ist day of June 1785. 
 
 A'Ir. Chev^^'*' attorney for Sir John Johnson having applied to 
 me for copies of the accounts which Sir Wm. Johnson Super 
 Intendent for Indian Affairs transmitted to my father General 
 Gage deceased during his Commanding His Majestys Troops 
 in America, and for copies of the Warrants he gave for the 
 Payment thereof, I can only say that my fathers papers have 
 not come immediately under my inspection or can I say posi- 
 tively whether the copies of those Accounts and Warrants are 
 with them, but am certain that it was a Rule with him to see 
 accounts made clear and plain and when he gave Warrants for 
 the Payment the Warrants were annexed to the Accounts and 
 transmitted by him to the Pay Office in London where they 
 now no doubt may be found. 
 
 H. Gage."' 
 
 Old Aboresford Nov. 16, 1787. 
 
 To Mr. Chew, Attorney to Sir John Johnson. 
 
 <" Captain Joseph Chew, a prisoner to the French when commanding a detachment 
 reconnoitering 19 June, 1747. A legatee of 250 acres in Sir William Johnson's will, 
 as his " much esteemed friend and old acquaintance " and father of his god son. 
 Also one of the executors. 
 
 4= Henry Viscount Gage, retired Major of the 93 Regt. of Foot, a grandson of 
 Peter Kemble of the Kings Council of New Jersey, also the ancestor of the late 
 well esteemed Gouverneur Kemble, of New York. 
 
2c6 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 Three of thcSL 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^. %d.^ each, for services of "persons em- 
 ployed and sundry disbursements of the Department of Indian 
 Affairs under his buperintendency between 25th Dec, 1786, 
 and 24th March, 1787." 
 
 Quebec, 9th November, 1786. 
 
 Dorchester. 
 
 To the Right Honorable Guy., Lord Dorchester, Capi General and 
 Governor-in- Chief of the Colonies of Quebec, Nova Scotia, Nevi 
 Brunswick £3' their Dependencies, Vice Admiral of the same 
 General and Commander-in-Chief of all His Majestys Forces in 
 Said Colonies £5f in the Island of N ewfoundland i5fc i^c. 
 
 The Memorial of Sir John Johnson Baronet Superintendent 
 General & Inspector General of Indian Affairs. 
 
 Humbly Sheweth. That your Memerialist is in want of 
 £4319 5J. 8d. 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 April, 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. 
 
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 In the matter of Sir John Johnson, Baronet, 
 
 r >, the legal personal representative of Sir 
 
 Stamp William Johnson, Baronet, his late 
 
 ^ Father, deceased, late Superintendent of 
 
 Indian Affairs in North America. 
 Thomas Wallis, late Assistant in the office of the Secretary 
 to the Commander-in-Chief in North America, now of Hertford 
 street, Mayfair, 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 figures 
 "London the 14th of August, 1787," and the name "Fred 
 Haldimand " a[ pearing 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 
 Fred Haldimand,''^ 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 
 directed him to deliver the same to Mr. Chew, attorney to the 
 said Sir William Johnson. Thos. Wallis. 
 
 Sworn at my house in St. John street 1 
 the nth April, 1788, before me. J 
 
 J. A. Eyre. 
 
 Sir John here appears in a civil office usually awarded in 
 
 British Colonies, as a mark of especial consideration. 
 
 43 Born and died at Switzerland, at first in Prussian service, but entered the Eng- 
 lish with Col. Bouquet. Came to America as Lt. Col. 60 Royal American Regt. in 
 1757 ; distinguished at Ticonderoga in 1750; defended Oswego in 1759 ; with 
 Amherst at Montreal in 1760; as Colonel at Pensacola 1767 ; home informing min- 
 istry as to Colonies in 1775 ; b ick as Lieut. General in 1776 j succeeded Carleton as 
 Gov. of Canada in 1778 and until 1784 ; died in 1791. 
 
2o8 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 Quebec, i May^ ^I'^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 1st May 1787, for which I have 
 signed Two Receipts of this Tenor and Date. 
 £50 Sterling. John Johnson. 
 
 Apparently 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 acts, 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 
 
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 for comparison. 
 The absence of Memoirs, Diaries, ^^ and even of comprehensive 
 letters on these details is to be regretted. 
 
 44 This 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. I, pp. 
 101-6-7-12, 364. 
 
 45 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 hh specialty of restoring the dilapidated 
 tombstones of people he had never seen. No writer on American History has eluci- 
 dated more epitapiis 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 naiie 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, 
 
 ,ggo 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- 
 
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 life, 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 unimportant life, much random fact, some of 
 which 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 jotted down the circumstances attending his arrest, parole, 
 
 fronted by well drilled regulars — ignorant by this separation, of the stand de Kalb 
 was making, with the gallant Maryland and Delaware line and a few militia, having 
 the benefit of their near example, that he, with General Caswell and other officers, 
 struggled for 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 ail 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 
 collecting any Force at that Place, adequate to the defence of the Country — I pro- 
 ceeded with all possible despatch hither j 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 error 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 continuea 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. 
 
in the Revolution. 211 
 
 and its claimed infringement or whether he considered it violated 
 and withdrawn by the attempted arrest ; and also if at Klocks 
 Farm he left the field unwounded, deserting a command with 
 which 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 
 holding a Major General's commission, had committed no 
 overt act of hostility against the de facto government, existing 
 when he was arrested by the order of the '■ Provincial Con- 
 gress " of the State, and the ■' Albany Committee " bodies, 
 
 In the field of early southern history there is probably no amateur — amongst the 
 many who are quietly interested in similar labor — who has more liberally con- 
 tributed valuable privately printed facts than Colonel Charles C. Jones, Jr., of 
 Augusta. His "Siege of Savannah in 1779," and another of that of 1864, are 
 amongst his valuable works. While the humane administration of General Ogel- 
 thorpe, the remarkable character who founded Georgia, has been largely recalled by 
 his pen ; his " Historical Sketches of Tomo-chi-chi, the Mico of the Yamacraws " — 
 an important factor in American History in his period, but whose name now would 
 require a special introduction even to many general readers — affords testimony, based 
 on information, of the merit of another Aboriginal ruler. 
 
 The correspondence of General Daniel Morgan, the hero of Cowpens, including 
 much of Washington, and Lifayette especially his friend, having fallen into the writer's 
 collection, in a manner very satisfactory to his family, an opportunity was soon 
 availed of to use it in recalling his usefulness. Happening to receive an invitation 
 from Mayor Courtenay — a zealous appreciator and collector of Charleston Historical 
 Relics which he liberally restores to their appropriate form and place — and a committee 
 of officers and citizens to be present at the centennial celebration of that battle, the key 
 to Y-rktown, it appeared that he would be best represented, by contributing copies 
 of all of the official papers connected with that event. They were recognized, as an 
 articulate apparition or the many writers amidst the scenes of their former action, 
 by the posterity of mary of them ; filled much of the " Chadeston News " of the 
 day, with local, if old, intelligence, and have taken one hundred new chances of pre- 
 servation in a privately printed brochure, neatly prepared by Captain Dawson one of its 
 edirors, who sympathizes in the past, while active in his present. These are re- 
 ferred to here, merely as instances of the value of the preservation, and the recurrence 
 of appropriate opportunity to perform an easy duty. 
 
 27 
 
212 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 created by an uprising of an indie;nant 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 Britain controlled a large por- 
 tion of the Colonies — restive under 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 necessary, in the impending struggle 
 to establish their permanency. To this administration of public 
 affairs, not yet made permanent by the .iction 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 authority 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 Of 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 fhe 
 Indians for resistance, yet there is no clear evidence that he 
 
in the Revolution. 212" 
 
 pursued any course unusual to his position as a citizen and a 
 magistrate, in troubled times. 
 
 But his presence was esteemed a danger in itself and his 
 removal a necessity which knew no law. General Schuyler 
 arrested him, with a large, unresisted military force, in 
 January, 1776; he was sent to Fishkill and submitted to a 
 parole, not to bear arms against the de facto authority which 
 exacted it, or to leave the vicinity of his home. It is probable 
 that he sought in this an opportunity to arrange his affairs, until 
 either concession or suppression restored the authority of his 
 government. For some causes, probably the continued suspicion 
 of danger from his private communications, his capture and con- 
 finement, which would have naturally terminated his protection 
 and the mutuality of his parole was decided upon, and Colonel 
 Dayton stopped at the Hall, on his way to Canada, to make 
 his airest, but found that Johnson, advised of his coming, had 
 escaped into Canada, the nearest accessible stronghold of the 
 authority he recognized. His endurance of nineteen days of 
 terrible suffering in this, his winter journey through the Adi- 
 rondacks, attested his physical courage; and the leaving all he 
 valued behind him, subordinate to a sense of duty, his 
 remarkable loyalty. The romantic incidents attending Lady 
 Johnson's share in her husband's downfall, will doubtless be 
 appropriately given by her kinsman. He cannot fail to show, 
 that her married life justified the promise which Colonel 
 Guy Johnson discerned before that event, when meeting her 
 while in New York as described in the accompanying letter. 
 ( Appendix A. ) 
 
 Such a parole enforced on a citizen by an as yet temporarily 
 constituted and semi-representative body, and the knowledge 
 
2 12 Tories 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 estape 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 Car,oIina. 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 callsyir his 
 service as a soldier, due by that obligation to the King, and 
 when Gen. Greene advanced in 1 781, considering the British 
 
 * See Ramsey's Revolution in S. C, Vol. ii, p. 277, etc. 
 
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 the 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 suffered, 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 years 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 of 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 discussion, 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 afforded 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 opportunity 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 eff^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. identiRed 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 few 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 those 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 prosperity, affording oppor- 
 tunities to individuals which few then enjoyed, and a condensa- 
 tion of events which no 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, 
 
 47 To His Excellency, George Washington, Escl, General, &c., 
 
 Sir : 
 
 Whereas, David Matthews, Esq., stands charged with dangerous Designs and 
 treasonable Conspiracies against the Rights and Liberties of the United Colonies of 
 America. We do, in Pursuance of a certain Resolve of Congress of this Colony 
 of the twentieth day of June, instant, authorize and request you to cause the said 
 David jMatthews to be with all his papers forthwith apprehended and secured, and 
 
2 14 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 grow^n 
 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 unprinted 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 bands 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 Afternoon, June 20, 1776. G. Washington. 
 
 Long Island, yune zad, 1776. 
 
 In obedience to the within Order and Warrant, I sent a Detachment of my Brigade 
 under the Command of Col. Vernon, to the house of 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, notwithstanding great care was 
 taken that none of the Family should have the least opportunity to remove or 
 destroy them. Nathaniel Greene. 
 
 This Paper, if earlier discovered, should have been appropriate additional 
 material for " Minutes "of rhe Trial and Examination of Certain Persons In 
 the Province of Nev/ York, charged with being Engaged in a Conspiracy against 
 the Authority of the Congress and the Liberties of America." Printed in London, by 
 L Bew, in 1786, and reprinted in an edition of one hundred copies, entitled '^Minutes 
 of Conspiracy against the Liberties of America," by fohn Campbell, in Philadelphia, 
 1865, describing the details of " the Hickey Plot" for the poisoning of Washington, 
 

 A' 
 
tn 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 ot thought and action, now conveyed 
 upon paper involves brevity, curtails compliment, and disregards 
 forrh. 
 
 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 IVlorris, the loyalist member of a 
 patriot family, married — was supposed to be the instigator j 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 the 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 Woosrer 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 Richaro Cumberland, the well known 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 
 •78 
 
2i6 Tones or Loyalists 
 
 intelligence, conveyed in well formed characters, with dignified 
 assurances of consideration and respect. It was generally closed 
 with waXj 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 word 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 Timesy in experiments in printing by steam. 
 
 Sir : Drayton, Tuesday Morning, 
 
 Since I wrote to you and enclosed ye Boston Ga'zette^ a messenger is arrived with ye 
 news of ye reduction efforts Washington and Lee, and with despatches from ye Gen- 
 eral, which I make do doubt occasioned the publishing of an Extra Gazette last 
 night. This intelligence would have been brought 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 perfect 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 services of aid or 
 secretary — and, in fact, all educated persons, from sovereign 
 to citizen, found time to convey their thoughts in letters 
 thus carefully expressed and gracefully 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 " to all 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, show his industry ; while their 
 existence witnesses the cotemporary appreciation of one who 
 
2i8 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 character, overwhelmed with active duties, often 
 in temporary quarters 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 find 
 opportunity to correspond with the Government, its members, 
 governors of States, his generals and ofBcers 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 of their own wants or suggestions — all 
 with courtesy, uniformity, amd 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 and onward. While largely controlling 
 the country he had helped so materially to create, he was ready 
 to entertain and use what he considered adaptable to present 
 circumstances, from the experience of wise men of all periods, 
 refined in the crucible of his own broad common sense. 
 
 * Applied from an early poem of William Allen Butler. 
 
in the Revolution. 219 
 
 Even his conclusions, enforced by such admitted and suc- 
 cessful experience, were not always accepted. He had passed 
 to power through triumphal arches raised by a nation's grati- 
 tude, to hold it with a people, and even his cabinet, divided 
 as to his policy ; and to resign it, and return like Cincinnatus 
 to his plough, with an expressed sense of relief. If so living 
 now, he would be rewarded by the universal thanks of those 
 familiar with his name and service^ which did not fully attend 
 him, when two factions disputed over his policy, and many 
 beset him from interest or for place. The highest popularity 
 not spasmodic, attending all great rrien burthened with power 
 and patronage in life, may be claimed to attach to their memory, 
 after they are dead. 
 
 If 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 puljlic place. They show the birth and 
 early progress of the Freedom they are expected to preserve. 
 Some 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, 
 with the adage, " a good thing is worth repeating. " In them 
 
 4^ To Hamilton, Jay, Jefferson and Madison some ot its inspirations were due. 
 
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 in 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 various 
 interests scattered in thirteen colonies, difi^ering 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 of leaving that duty, with the details of Con- 
 federate action, to the future representatives of a free people. 
 Its value would 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 
 
THE UNANIMOUS 
 
 DECLARATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Thirteen United States of AMERICA. 
 
 WHEN, in (he Couric of humui Events, it becomn necel&t)> for unc 
 People 10 dilToWe the FslitictU Bindi which have con ncAed them with 
 •DDiW, pnd to tflume, imong the Powen of the Eirth, the leparatc 
 ■Dd niual SiatioD to nhich the Lawi o( Nature and ofNaturc'D GOD 
 eniicle them, a decent Rerped to li)e Opinion! of Minklitd requicct 
 dm they fliould decUte the Caufes which impel ihcnfi to the Separation. 
 
 Wi hold thefe Truths to be Tetl-evldcnt, that all Men arc created equal, that xhey are 
 endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Righti. that nmong thcfe are Life, 
 LibertT, and the Purluit ot Happinefi. — That to fecure ihele Kighii, Govcrnmcnis ate 
 iollitatedamoiiKMen, deriving their juft Power* from the Con rem of the Go»erned, ihat 
 whenever any Form of Go«rnment hecomes deflruftive of ihefe Ends, it ii the Right of 
 the People to alter or to abolilh it, and to inftiiute new Government, laying its Foun- 
 dation on fuch Principles, "nd organiiing its Poweri In fuch Fotm, as to them fhill fecm 
 mod likely to eSeft their Safely and Happlnefs. Prudence, indeed, will diflaie, that 
 Governments long eftablUhed. Ihould net be chinged for light and iranlient Caufes i and 
 accotdiBfll? ill Experience hath lliewn, that Manltind arc more difpofed to fuffer, while 
 Evils are fufterable, thin to tight ihemfelvM by abolifliing the Foims to which ihey are 
 Bccudomed. But when a long Train ot Abufes and Ufurpaiiona, purfulng inuariably 
 the fame Objeft, evincei a Dtfign to reduce il.em undw abfoluic Dcfponrm. it U iheir 
 Rioht it is their Duty, to throw off fuch Govemmen^ and to provide new Guards for 
 ih^i fMhire Security. Such haa been the patient SoD> nee of ihefe Colonies i and fuch 
 is now the NeceJuiy which (.onltrains them to after their formci 3j-n<:«_ ni 0.uwnmeni. 
 TTie Hiftory of the prefem King ol Great-Britain is a Hiftory of repealed Injuries ono 
 Ufarpadoni, -all having in direit Objecl the Eftablilhment o( an abfolute 1 yrarny over 
 Ihefe Slates. To ptove this, let Fafls be fubraitted to a caodid World. 
 
 He haa refufed his Aflent to Laws, the moft wholefomc and necelTary for the public 
 
 Hb has forbidden his Governors to pafs Laws of immediate and prelTing Importance, 
 uoleb lofpended in their Operation till his AITent (hould be obtained i and when fo fuf- 
 pended. he has utterly neglefled to attend to them. ^^■n o . n , 
 
 Hi has telufed to pifs other Laws for the Accommodation of large Diflrrfls ol People, 
 unlets thofe People would relinquilb the Right of Repretentation in the Lcgiflature, a 
 Right ineftimabic to ihem. and iQtmidable to Tyrant, only. , .,1 . 
 
 I'c has called tooeiher Legiflitive Bodies at Places unufuil, un com for table, and 
 diibnl from the Depofitory ot their public Records, for the folc Purpole of fatiguing 
 dKm into Compliance, with his Meafurci. 
 
 Hi basdilTolved Reprefeotaiive Houfes repeatedly, foroppoling with manly Firmnefi 
 his lovaliona on the Rights of the People. . . ,„. 
 
 He has refufed for a long Time, alter fuch Diffoluoonsi to caufe others to be elefled 1 
 wheieby the Legillative Poweri, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People 
 ■I la/ge for their exercife 1 the State remiiining. in the mean Time, cxpofed to all the Dan- 
 seiB ol InvaGoo Ifom without, and CoovulCona within. , . „ , , 
 
 He has endeavourwJ to prevent the Population ol ihtle States 1 foi that Purpofe ob- 
 ftroainn the Laws for Naturalization ol Foreigners , refotjog to pafs others toencourtgc 
 ibeir Migrations hither, and raifing the Conditions of new Appropnatlons of Lands. 
 
 He hasoblliuaedthe Admlniftralionof Juftice, by .efufing his Aflent to Lawsfor 
 eltabliOiintr Judiciary Powers. , , , .„ , . . ^^ 
 
 Hi haf made JodgM dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, 
 --dtheAmount and Payment ot their Salarka. ,,..,_ ,^.0- 
 
 He haa ereOed a Multitude of new Oflices, and fent hiiher Swarms ot uaccrs to nar- 
 00 1 their Subltancc. 
 
 Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the Confent 
 
 rsfi 
 
 People, andc: 
 Ml has kept among us, i 
 ol OUT LegiQatuiet. . >-■ 1 n 
 
 He has affefted 14 wider the Military mdependent of and fupenor to the Civil Power. 
 Hi has combined with otheriwfubieftui toajuiildiflion foreign tc 
 
 It Conditutlon, 
 
 I and unacknowledged by our Laws } giving his AITent to their AAs of pretended Legif- 
 
 I latioo : 
 
 i For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us : 
 
 i For protedlng them, by a mock Trial, from Punilhnient for an; Murders wh'ch tliey 
 
 I fhould cummic on the Inhabitanis of thet'e States: 
 
 ' FoH cutting olf' our Trade with all Parrs of the World ; 
 
 ' For impofing Taxes on us without our Confent : 
 
 For depriving us, in many Cafes, oi the BcncGia of Trial by Jury : 
 Fob iranfporting us beyond Suas to' be tried for pretended GlTencei : 
 For aboIiQiing the tree Syftcm ol Englifli Laws in a neighbouring Province, ellablilh- 
 ing therein an arbitrary Governmenr, and eitlarging its Boundaries, fo as to render it at 
 once an Example and 6t Inftrument tor introducing the fame abloluie Rule into tbefc 
 Colonies : 
 
 For taking away our Charters, abolifhing our moA valuable Laws, and altering fuo. 
 danientallji the Forms ol our Govcrnmcnis : 
 
 Foa luipending uur own Legidjiurcs, and decUiing themfelves invelled with Power to 
 legiflate lor us in all Cafes whatfoever. 
 
 He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his ProteQion, and waging 
 War againll us. 
 
 Ha has plundered our S'l.-.s, ravaged our Coant, burnt our Towns, and dcltroyed the 
 Lines of our People. 
 
 Pis is, at this Tin^e, tranfporting l>rgr Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete 
 toe Works of Deaih, Dclolarion. and Tyranny, already begun with Circumffances of 
 Cruelty and Perfidy, fcarcely paralleled in the moll barbarous Ages, and totally unworlby 
 the Head ol a civilizcil Naiion, 
 
 He h« conftrained our Fcllow-CiiireiiB, taken Captive on the high Seas, to bear Arms 
 againll their Country, to become the Executioneri of their Friends and Brethren, or to 
 fall themfelvea by their Hands, 
 
 Ha has excited domeflic Infurreflioiis amongll ui, and has endeavoured to bring on 
 the Inhabitants of our Froniieri. the mcrcilcfj Indian Savages, whofc known Rule of 
 Warfare, is an undlAinguiflied Dcnruftion, of all Ages, Sexes, and Condiiloni. 
 
 Ik every Stage of ihefe OpprelTions wc hive Petitioned for Redrefs in the moll bumble 
 Terms r Our repeated Petitions have been aniwered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, 
 whole Charafter i< thus marked by every Act which may dcline a Tyrant, is unfit to be 
 the Ruler of a free People, 
 
 Nor have wc been wanting in Attentions to our Britifh Brethren. We have wirnrd 
 them, from Time 10 Time, of Attempts by their Legifliiurc lo cKicnd an unwarraoiable 
 Juiildidton over us. We have remlnocO them or ilic Clitumftarctf o( our Emigraiion 
 and Seiilement here. Wc have appealed to their native Jullice and Magnanimity, and 
 wc have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to difavow thefe Ufurpair. 
 00), which would ineviiably inictrupt our Connexions and Correrpondcnce, The; too 
 have been tJcat to ihe Voice ot Juflicc and ol Coafanguinity. We mutb, therefore, ac- 
 quiefce in the NeceiTity, which denounces our .^paration, and hold them, as wc hold the 
 Kelt ot Mankind, Ettemiei io War, m Peace Friends. 
 
 We, thcrilorc, tile Kepiefeiiiaiivci of the UNITED STATES or AMEfdCA, in 
 GENERAl- CONGRESS Affcmbled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the Worid 
 for the lUaiiudc ol our Intentioni, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good 
 People ol ihele Colonies, fnlcmnly Publilh and Declare, That ihefe United Colonies arc, 
 and ot Right ought to be, IREE amd INDEl'ENDENT STATESt that they ate 
 abfolved Irum all Allegiance to the Briiilh Crown, and that all political Connexion be- 
 tween them and ihe State ol GrCM-Uritain, is, and ought 10 be, totally diflbived i and 
 that as FREE and INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, 
 conclude I'eace, contraS Alliances, eflablilh Comrrerce, and to do all other Aa* end 
 Thinus which INDEPENDENT STATES may ol Right do. And for the Support 
 ot tbl. Dcdaraiiun.wiih a firm Reliance on the P,o(eftion ol PIVINE PROVIDENCE, 
 we mutually pledge 10 each other out Uvu. our Fiirluiifi, and owfiertd Hsmiur. 
 
 John Hancock, 
 
 • \ ?^* Hems, 
 
 SuUTH'CAlatlHK, 
 
 - Bmifn OtoaoitU, 
 \ Ljtnaa Halt, 
 
 - Cto. JFalltn. 
 
 ff"- Httptr, 
 J=Jtph Ht 
 Jalm Pm 
 
 - Eiward SiakdEC, 
 
 ) 7bV- Hcjmrd, jioir- 
 } Tbmai Ljncb, Jiar- 
 . Arthur MiJiiltlm. 
 
 Smuil Cbafe, 
 »'"■ Pua, 
 Tbf- Siciu, 
 Ciarlu CoTTtn, ef Car- 
 rtSin. 
 
 Ciirg' fCjihe, 
 Richard Hierj Iji, 
 Th: 7#rM 
 BftiJ"- tlo'ri/m, 
 7bc- fJilfin, )'■ 
 Fraud} Liglilfti! Ut, 
 Caritr Braximi. 
 
 Kohl- Mi,rrisy 
 B<iiifi.in r.fjb. 
 Bcnja. Fr.i3kii«, 
 'John Morlea, 
 Cm. C^fur, 
 Ja'. ?."■/'.. 
 
 ya«/i fl'iljci), 
 Gn. Riji. 
 
 r ytfiob Berllell, 
 C Mallbiw Tttmlen. 
 
 r Sam'' jfJaaii, 
 S Jabn /idami, 
 ) Rel^' Trial Paint, 
 ^ ElbrUi^c Girry. 
 
 r Step, ilofiins, 
 i miSant Ellerj. 
 
 ' R^ir Sherman, 
 S SamI- f/oBli igten. 
 
 I giivtr Wileitt. 
 
 ORDERED, ^„r-,.,r.T7i.T(-v 
 
 THAT an authenticated Copy of ihe DECLARATION or INDEPENDENCY, 
 ol Ihe UNITED STATES, and that they be defired to have the fame put on R 
 
 r the fame; be fent to each 
 
 ^^// WtA)//liftftt^i^e^y 
 
 CONGRESS, Jacuarv 18, i???- 
 
 ih the Names ot the MEMBERS of CONGRESS, fubfcribbg t 
 ^^^- By OMer of CONGRESS, 
 
 «/r^ /; X'9 John Hancock, Prefident. 
 
 , /yj/^:. 
 
in the Revolution, 221 
 
 be wicked impositions by legislation, under color of law.''' 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 our 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. 
 
 ■» These grievances urged against the Bills of Parliament for " the better peopling 
 of the Colonies,"in the Congress of 1774, show that England was then charged with 
 transporting a material she desired to be rid of, more dreaded than the " Hessians " 
 so unanimously 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 ^rcaf 
 numbers of Fellows who ha-ve forfeited their li-ves to the Public, for the most atrocious 
 crimes, are annually transported from home to these Plantations. Very surprising, one 
 would think, that Thieves, Burglars, Pickpockets and Cutpurses, and a herd of the 
 most flagitious Banditts upon earth should be sent as agreeable companions to 
 yj" * * * '< But the acts were intended /or the better 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 glory of 
 the crown ? * * * Can Agriculture be promoted when the wild Boar of the 
 Forest breaks down our Hedges and pulls up our Vines } * * How injurious 
 
■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 enajple 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 — should be constantly perfected and studied, even 
 amidst the engrossing activity of the present. 
 
 does it seem to free one part of the Dominions of the Plagues of Manicind 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 iniquitous and absurd ? Should the numberless 
 Villains of London and Westminister, be suffered to escape from their Prisons, to 
 range at large and depredate any other parts of the Kingdom, would not every man 
 join with the Sufferers and condemn the measures as hard and unreasonable -^ * * 
 There are thousands of honest men^ laboring in Europe at four pence a day, starving in 
 spite of all their efforts^ a dead lueight to the respecti've parishes to nvhich they belong ,- 
 •who •without any other qualifications than Common Sense, Health and Strength, might 
 accumulate estates amongst us,, as many have done already. These, and not the others, 
 are the men that should be sent o'ver^ for the better peopling the Plantations.^^ 
 
in the Revolution. 223 
 
 Such information is constantly becoming more valuable 
 to a country wholly unprecedented in history in its absolute re- 
 liance upon the patriotism, education, common sense, and mutual 
 concession of its citizens, as a g;uide for the future, the success 
 of which is necessarily based on such knowledge of the past, on 
 wide spread intelligence, a mutual adaptation, and regard 
 for its founders and its early traditions. If any return were 
 expected, for the labor of compiling and feebly annotating them, 
 beyond an impression that perhaps" the deed in the doing it savors 
 of worth ; " it would be most acceptable in the evidence that they 
 had been the means of impressing upon some earnest reader, the 
 fact, even if controverting one of Mr. Herbert Spencer's theo- 
 ries, that education only can open the knowledge of the origin 
 of a nation, inspire a proper pride in its progress and insure its 
 permanency. (Appendix B.) 
 
 That intelligence and ignorance have rarely existed long 
 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, relying 
 on an exaggerated estimate of their weight, perpetuity and 
 value, by their temporary elevation — above larger roots — may 
 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 judging of 
 present events, than the appreciative study of those of the past. 
 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- 
 
2 2^. 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, and 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 
 lasting 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 
 of all, and scatter wealth,^" without intelligence, industry, or 
 thrift, while he knows that by the substitution of intelligence and 
 education he would in time 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 that 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 large 
 proportion it includes ot those who have never profited by 
 those accessories to self protection from chronic destitution. 
 (Appendix C.) 
 
 50 This anecdote of Herrmann the Magician, in a St. Louis newspaper simply illus- 
 trates the relative value of many new theories. After reaching the market he walked 
 up to a huckster stand kept by a credulous old German named Mrs. Orf, 
 asking her, as he looked over her stock of provisions, whether the eggs she had on 
 hand were good. 
 
 " Yes," replied the old lady, " they are the freshest eggs in the market. If you 
 don't think so just break one and see for yourself." 
 
 The magician picked up the egg and broke it open. To her astonishment three 
 ten-dollar gold pieces rolled from the broken shell, which she grabbed at convul- 
 sively, but Htrrmann ivas too quick for her and pocketed the money^ while she 
 gesticulated wildly and insisted that he should return it on the spot. Instead of 
 complying with her request, however, he broke another egg, from which four ten- 
 dollar gold pieces rolled out among the vegetables. This was too much for Mrs. 
 Orf, who told him to leave instantly as she had no more eggs to luaste. 
 
2 26 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 happen under given con- 
 ditions. Every special 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 both 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 of 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' 
 
 51 A widely read Journal of 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 for salaries ? Are our officials models of purity, capacity, and fidelity? Arc 
 public works conducted with economy ? Is the administration oi^ municipal affairs 
 prudent and business like ? If so, let us continue to think about reform, after the 
 politicians have arranged the division of the spoils j let us hold meetings, appoint 
 committees, pass resolutions, after the succession to the lucrative municipal offices 
 has been decided upon." 
 
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 kissed her legionary eagles scattered over every clime." 
 That its downfall occurred, when its people, palled by success, 
 became luxurious and enervated, with a growing fondness for 
 the appetible, but enfeebling confections, spread before them by 
 political pastry cooks, and neglected the wholesome diet of sub- 
 stantial facts, on which the Conscript fathers subsisted while 
 erecting the edifice, and which they prescribed for the nour- 
 ishment of their posterity. 
 
 The inference of a matter of fact citizen, when told how 
 " Nero " had " fiddled when Rome was burning," " that he must 
 have been very fond of music to lose so grand a spectacle '' might 
 apply to all of us who in neglecting to take an interest in pass- 
 ing events are uninformed to what extent we are excelling Rome 
 in our progress and whether we are avoiding all 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, 
 impressed with the obligation conferred by its generous gift, and 
 skillful transportation to a new world, and conjecture whether 
 the Egyptian or Roman chariots, it looked down upon for ages 
 after its erection, compared in finish and comfort, with a modern 
 brougham ; but not whethdr Western Union, Union Pacific, or 
 anv other Union, will stand as erect and last as long — through 
 the succession of long dynasties of Ptolemies and Caesars to that 
 of " City Fathers," without similar care and scientific assistance. 
 The correspondent at Rome of the "New York Evening Post" 
 recently said " Brescia is still excited by the great theme of 
 
2 28 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 Arnaldo. But we are getting a little too much of this historical 
 archaeology. Manuta is preparing to observe the nineteenth 
 centennary of 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 studying so intently the history of great Italians dead, 
 it were better to improve the present generation, and expect 
 great deeds from those who live." 
 
 Although it is true that Italy has not in later generations 
 equalled those of the past in producing 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 generation a spirit of pride, a desire to emulate, and a search 
 for the appliances with which it was secured. At least it would 
 seem natural to us, living in a country unpeopled by civilization 
 at the time when they were wearing its laurels, to feel grateful 
 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 w^ierd history, the 
 scenes it has witnessed, and the eyes that havfe looked 
 upon it in its forty centuries, the changes of faith, dynasties, 
 and conditions of the human race which it records but of 
 which it 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 Delaplaine, of 
 Philadelphia, an early appreciator of the association between 
 that ancient republic and our own, then young ; at least in the 
 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 the 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 Scipio, and other illustrious men of our city, were 
 accustomed to declare, when they looked upon the portraits of 
 their ancestors, that they felt their minds most vehemently ex- 
 
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 and impressive history of this country than 
 that which would be exhibited in the well-arranged portraits of 
 those by whom its moral and political grandeur was founded 
 and raised to perfection .? The countenance of a Washington 
 would mark the epoch of its military, and of a Franklin 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 away the splendid train of 
 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 amongst 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 they conferred 
 upon the land of their birth." 
 
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 
 
 ^ 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 Bi-Centennial 
 Celebration of the ancient town of Yonjiers — a very interesting occasion with which 
 the contributor as an old resident of the neighborhood 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 PbiUipse 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 present. They tell us much of the history of early events ; they teach us our 
 duties, and create higher standards of patriotis*m 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 for 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 Loyalists 
 
 miles of territory, 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 limited 
 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, particularly of those who are coming 
 to wear the crown which they 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 acquisition of property, gives an additional interest 
 in the nationality to each one who achieves an ownership, 
 however small, and its distribution 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 agents 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'sulFerer by the parliamentary 
 discussion of questions of policy, where its people differ, but 
 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 
 
234- Tories or Loyalists 
 
 power 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 Tyndall, 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 and shrewd observer 
 like Mrs. Grundy — whose views have often become the reflex of 
 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 prpgress in the eradication 
 of the complaints against the government on which we were 
 founded, and the uses we were making of a wonderful legacy, 
 by following past history. 
 
 That gentleman'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 or General de 
 Peyster since it was undertaken, and having no knowledge of 
 what the latter had contributed to this accidentally triple asso- 
 ciation, he fears that in his friendly desire to aid in his natural 
 
in the Revolution. 235 
 
 effort to vindicate the memory of his relative, he may have re- 
 peated or controverted some of the views, which he has doubtless, 
 with his 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 
 aiding 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 
 opinion, in 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, Richfiild, 
 September, 1882. 
 
APPENDIX A. 
 
 COL. GUY JOHNSON'S LETTER (page 212a). 
 
 The following letter from Col. Guy Johnson to his uncle, is also found in Dr. 
 Emmett's collection. It gives some particulars Illustrative of the surroundings of 
 both. 
 
 N. York, Feby. 10, 1773. 
 My dear Sir William, 
 
 I have just now had the pleasure of receiving your very kind letter of the 3d 
 inst., with one from Dr. Dease*, another from Brother Claus, for which I am much 
 obliged to them. It has vexed me a good deal to hear that your Votes did not go 
 up early. They went by John Glen, and Gainef assures me he has forwarded a 
 sett since. As the titles of several bills are altered in the Committees, it may be 
 necessary to acquaint you thai the Road bill and money bill for building a Ct. House, 
 &c., are passed through every form and the Tavern Bill, Swine Bill, Wolf Bill and 
 Ferry Bill, will be in a very few days. You will find me voting on a side that some 
 people might, not expect. It will all be accounted for in due time, but is chiefly 
 owing to certain difficulties imposed on the Governor. The other day they were 
 for saddling a £50 per annum Salary, on the Judges of Circuit, to be paid out of 
 our County, but after much difficulty, I got it laid general on the Province, Major 
 Slcenet is just going for Ireland. He has the other day got his place established as 
 the County town. The Pacquet is arrived. All Peace at home. The General 
 has got the King's leave to go to England, and will sail in June with his family. 
 Haldemand^ comes to take the command; and Governor Tryon (it is said) will 
 have the vacant Red Ribband. He has taken much pains about the Indian matters, 
 Banyarll advises to get an Act for Fairs and Markets in lieu of the Ordinance, but 
 the Governor choses the latter. In the Charter for the Church a description of the 
 Glebe is absolutely necessary and how the right presentation should go. I hope you 
 
 * Dr. John Dease was an Executor and Trustee under Sir William's will. 
 
 t Hugh Galne, editor of the Ntvj Tori Mercury^ printed in Hanover Square ; established in 
 
 1752. 
 
 ± Col. Philip Skene was settled at Skenesborough (now Whitehall), and was actively employed 
 by Burgoyne in his invasion. 
 
 § Gen. Gage came in lieu of Haldimand. 
 
 U Goldsboro Banyar. 
 
238 Toreis or Loyalists 
 
 will continue )uur Parental attention to Polly and the little ones, she is I believe 
 surprised I stay so long and I eagerly wish to return. The girls arc well and much 
 esteemed. The like may be said with great truth ol Sir John. He will return with 
 me and doubtless lay before you, the final determination of the Family here, respect- 
 ing his union which I sec 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 man 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 I 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. f 
 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 explor- 
 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 j 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 intelligent exploration, and is now sucoeeded 
 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 whom Sir John wat 
 mirricd on the 29th of Jane following.; 
 
 t Col. Guy Johnson was then a new Member of the Colonial Assembly. See Stone'i ** Sir 
 William Johnson," vol. z, page 359. 
 
 X Nevj Tork Times ^ Oct. zoth. 
 
in the Revolution. 239 
 
 cases at different conclusions, appears to be an unfinished sketch worthy to be hung 
 by the side of the completed picture, to which Delaplaine referred. If in express- 
 ing his views, as a humanitarian, upon the progress of a sapling torn from the 
 royal oak, any impression of national jealousy is suggested, is it not well to recall the 
 truthful adage " fas est et ab hoste doceri." Mr. Spencer, with the appreciation 
 wanting in the Obelisk, and with some of its experience derived from study of pro- 
 gressive races and their development. After speaking of inferential facts, being asked : 
 
 '* Might not this misrepresentation have been avoided by admitting interviewers?" 
 replies, 
 
 ** Possibly J but, in the first place, I have not been sufficiently v/ell ; and, in the 
 second place, I am averse to the system. To have to submit to cross examination, 
 under penalty of having ill natured things said if one refuses, is an invasion of per- 
 sonal liberty which I dislike. Moreover, there is implied what seems to me an 
 undue love of personalities. Your journals recall a witticism of the poet Heine, who 
 said that * when a woman wiites a novel, she has one eye on the paper and the 
 other on some man — except the Countess Hahn-hahn, who has only one eye.' 
 In like manner, it seems to me that in the political discussions that fill your papers, 
 everything is treated in connection with the doings of individuals — some candidate 
 for oflSce, or some " boss " or wire-puller. I think it not improbable that this 
 appetite for personalties, among other evils, generates this recklessness of statement. 
 The appetite must be ministered to ; and in the eagerness to satisfy its cravings, 
 there comes less and less care respecting the correctness of what is said." 
 
 "Has what you have seen answered your expectations ? " 
 
 " It has far exceeded them. Such bocks about America as I had looked into had 
 given me no adequate idea of tht ivtmemc denjelcpmenu cf material civilization 
 which I have everywhere found. The extent, wealth, and magnificence of your cities, 
 and especially the splendor of New York, have altogether astonished me. Though 
 I have not visited the wonder of the West, Chicago, yet some of your minor modern 
 places, such as Cleveland, have sufficiently amazed me by the marvelous results of 
 one generation's activity. Occasionally, when I have been in places of some 10,000 
 inhabitants, where the telephone is in general use, I have felt somewhat ashamed 
 of our own unenterprising towns, many of which of 50,000 inhabitants and more, 
 make no use of it." 
 
 " I suppose you recognize in these results the great benefit of free institutions?'* 
 
 " Ah, now comes one of the inconveniences of interviewing. I have been in the 
 country less than two months, have seen but a relatively small part of it, and but 
 comparatively few people, and yet you wish from me a definite opinion on a difficult 
 question." 
 
 « Perhaps you will answer, subject to the qualification that you are but giving 
 your first Impressions ?" 
 
 Well, with that understanding, I may reply that, though free institutions have 
 been partly the cause, I think they have not been the chief cause. In the first 
 place, the American people have come into possession of an unparalled fortune — 
 the rnineral wealth and the vast tracts of virgin soil producing abundantly with small 
 cost of culture. Manifestly that alone goes a long way toward producing thi« 
 enormous prosperity. Then they have profited by inheriting all the arts, appliances, 
 and methods developed by older societies, while leaving behind;the obstructions existing 
 in them. They have been able to pick and choose from the products of all past ex- 
 periencej appropriating the good and rejecting the bad. Then, besides these favore 
 of fortune, there are factors proper to themselves. I perceive in American face* 
 generally, a great amount of determination — a kind of "do or die " expression; and 
 
 31 
 
240 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 this trait of character, joined with a power of work exceeding that of any other 
 people, of course produces an unparalleled rapidity of progress. Once more, there is 
 the inventiveness which stimulated by tlie 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 he has special skill niay rightly have the advantage uf it, also hold ihat if a 
 man toils with his brain, perhaps 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 at Washington is sij:nihcant of the attention paid to inventors' claims, and the 
 Nation profits immensely from having in this direction (though not in all others) 
 recognized property in meutal products. Beyond question, in respect of mechanical 
 appliances, the Americans are ahead of all nations. If along with your material 
 progress there went equal progress of a higher kind, there would remain nothing to 
 be wished." 
 
 *' That is an ambiguous qualification. What do you mean by it ?" 
 *' You will understand when I tell you what I was thinking 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 that while there was growing up in them 
 great commercial activity, a development of the arts which made them the envy of 
 Europe, and a building of princely mansions which continue to be the admiration of 
 travelers, their people were gradually losing their freedom." 
 
 '* Do you mean this as a suggestion thar we arc doing the like ?" 
 " It seems to me that, you are. You retain the forms of freedom, but so tar as I 
 can gather, there has been a considerable loss of the substance. It is true that 
 those ivho rule you do not do it by means of retainers armed with swords ; but they 
 do it through regiments of men armed with voting-papers, who 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 prototypes 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 hand Is guided by a power behind, which leaves him 
 scarcely any choice. * Use your political power as we tell you, or else throw it 
 away,' is the alternative offered to the citizen. The political machinery as it is now 
 worked, has little resemblance to that contemplated at the outset of your political 
 life. Manifestly, those who framtd your Constitution never dreamed that 20,000 
 citizens would go to the poll led by a '* boss." America exemplifies, at the other 
 end of the social scale, a change analogous to that which has taken place under 
 sundry 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 ! I 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 j and when he urged against me the ill-wor.king of 
 Buch institutions over here j I habitually replied that the Americans got their form 
 of government by a happy accident, not by normal progress, and that they would 
 have to go back before they could go forward. What has since happened seems to 
 
in the Revolution. 241 
 
 me to have justified that view j and what I see now confirms me in it. America is 
 showing on a larger scale than ever before that ' paper constitutions ' will not work 
 as they 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 throughout 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 been manufactured, and not grown, it will forthwith begin to grow into some- 
 thing diiferent 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." 
 
 "But will not education and the diflPusion of political knowledge fit men for free 
 institutions .?" 
 
 " No. It is essentially a question 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 been made sufficiently clear by the evidence daily 
 disclosed in your papers. Are not the men who officer and control your Federal, 
 State, and municipal organizations — who manipulate your caucusses 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 methods which vitiate the actions of your administra- 
 tions .? Perhaps party newspapers exaggerate these things j but what am I to make 
 of the testimony of your civil service reformers — men of all parties.'' If I under- 
 stand the matter aright, they are attacking, as vicious and dangerous, a system which 
 has grown up under the natural spontaneous working 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 better government 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 right, they will do what is right when they grow up. 
 But, considering what 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 education 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 affairs, 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 the two traits are organically 
 related. I observe that you tolerate various small interferences and dictations which 
 
242 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 Englishmen are prone to resist. 1 am told that the English are remarked on for 
 their tendency to grumble in such cases j and I have no doubt that it is true.** 
 
 " Do you think it v/orth while for 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 troublesome or profitless or unpopular to 
 oppose, which leads Co the habit of acquiescence in wrong and the decay of free in- 
 stitutions. Free institutinns can be maintained only by citizens, each of whom is 
 instant to oppose every illegitimate act, every assumption of supremacy, every official 
 excess of power, however trivial it may seem. As Hamlet says, there is such a 
 thing as ' greatly to find quarrel in a straw * when the straw implies a principle. 
 If, as you say of the Amesican, he pauses to consider whether he can afford 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 against foreign ag- 
 gressions upon national liberty that this vigilance is required than against the insi- 
 dious growth of domestic interferences with personal liberty. In some private 
 administrations which I have been conceined with, I have often insisted, much to 
 the disgust of officials, that instead of assuming, as people usually do, that things are 
 going right until it is proved that they are going wrong, the proper course is tO 
 assume that they are going wrong until it is proved that they are going right. You 
 will find, continually, 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 complex 
 public administrations. People are taught, and, I suppose, believe, that *the heart 
 of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked j ' and yet, strangely 
 enough, believing this, they place implicit trust in those they appoint to this or that 
 function. I do not think so ill of human nature j but, on the other hand, I do* not 
 think so well of human nature as to believe it will do without being watched." 
 
 *' 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 I.? Here, then, comes another of the inconveniences of interviewing. I 
 should have kept this opinion to myself if you had asked me no questions, and now 
 I must either say what I do not think, which I cannot, or 1 must refuse to answer, 
 which, perhaps, will be taken to mean more than I 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 which individuals are dealt with in your journals — the placarding of public 
 men in sensational headings, the dragging of private people and their affairs into 
 print. There seems to be a notion that the public have a right to intrude on private 
 life as far as they like j and this I 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) j but in our daily press, 
 metropolitan and provincial, there is nothing of 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 of railway governments, 
 not only when 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. 243 
 
 worked only by men each of whom is jealous of his own rights, and also sympatheti- 
 cally jealous of the rights of others — will neither himself aggress on his neighbors, 
 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 of this it 
 requires the highest type of human nature — a type nowhere at present existing. 
 We have not grown up to it, nor 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 laiise% faire ? 
 
 ** 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 its special sphere, the main- 
 tenance of equitable relations among citizens, governmental action should be ex- 
 tended and elaborated." 
 
 ** To return to your various criticisms, must I then understand that you think un- 
 favorably of our future ?" 
 
 ** No one can form anything more than vague and general conclusions respecting 
 your future. The factors are too numerous, too vast, too far beyond measure in 
 their quantities and intensities. The world has never before seen social phenomena 
 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 different people, 
 have, in previous cases, been formed by conquest and annexation. Then your im- 
 mense plexus of railways and telegraphs tends to consolidate this vast aggregate of 
 States in a way that no such aggregate has ever before 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 highly probable; but all nations have had, and 
 will have, their troubles. Already you have triumphed over one great trouble, and 
 may reasonably hope to triumph over others. It may, I think, 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, I think, tolerably clear. From biological truths 
 it is to be inferred 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 deleeate their 
 power to any single man ? Would not the competition of increased intelligence for 
 office, 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. 
 
24+ Tories or Loyalists 
 
 APPENDIX C. 
 
 INEVITABLE EFFECTS OF A RAPID PROGRESS ON THE POSITION 
 
 OF REPRESENTATIVES OF EARLIER SETTLERS (page 225). 
 
 These institutions, involving and receiving great attention, and usually conducted 
 with marked integrity and system, naturally include in their management, material as 
 broad as their object. 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 social and business connections, in private life. Any distinct influence, 
 as a recognized or cohesive element, often found in communities, 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 in time create in its own -s-uccessors. 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. 
 When Charles II — claiming under the exploration of the Cabots, in their second 
 voyage in 1497, from their touching the mainland — presented a Dutch colony 
 which he had never possessed, to his brother, the Duke of York, and it was conquered 
 by his agent, Colonel Nicolls in August, 1664, the inhabitants were not only pro- 
 tected in all their rights, 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 Stadtholder of Holland, 
 gradually developed as future King of England, and the loss of a colony by the Dutch 
 was then compensated by the gaining of 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 master, was killed in a sea fight in that war in 1672, on the Duke of York's 
 ship, while still remembered with affection here by those whom he had subdued. His 
 munificent patron had rewarded him with a gift of £200 ! on surrendering his 
 difficult and well administered Governorship. Before that conquest, England's early 
 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. 245 
 
 to the early extension of that toleration in their new one, to those who had fled to 
 America to secure the liberty of conscience, the struggle for which had long 
 desolated the Low Countries in Europe. All then visiting Nieu Amsterdam, the 
 Dutch Records inform us, became subject to this rule "beside the Reformed 
 Religions, no conventicles shall be holden in houses, barns, ships, woods or 
 fields, under penalty of 50 guilders for each person, man, woman or child 
 attending, for the first offence, double for the second, quadruple for the third, 
 and, arbitrary correction for every other." This early exclusiveness was perhaps an 
 omen of their own later exclusion to a great extent from the control of the public 
 affairs of that ancient settlement once the seat of an almost universal prosperity and 
 a type of practical '*Home Rule" in the frugal and primitive administration of its 
 public affairs. Of the six hundred grants for Manors and Estates, once held by them, 
 a small portion remains in the possession of their descendants, if unoccupied, a heavy 
 burthen, by the extravagant and often useless and premature assessments and onerous 
 taxes constantly imposed upon it, in the employment of the labor of those detained 
 by the small proportion of the outlay it receives, from an infinitely larger and more 
 lasting reward, in the wide and bountiful field for its occupation in the less crowded 
 Western territory. 
 
 Perhaps in time, some humane system may be discovered, to advise new comers 
 of the inevitable law of supply and demand which controls the location of their probable 
 success, and that it is governed by the area open for largely agricultural employment. 
 The " Commissioners of Emigration " have reported a pleasant fact for the Western 
 States: That two-thirds of the emigration, including the most provident, join them 
 directly, led by that intelligence which perhaps had caused such former success, while 
 one-third lingers on the sea-board, to compete for employment in crowded and ex- 
 pensive cities, causing the over competition often complained of, and in business re- 
 vulsions accumulated distress. 
 
 APPENDIX D. 
 
 MRS. GRUNDY'S OBSERVATIONS AS TO UTOPIA (page 234). 
 
 In her recent "Observations in Utopia," Mrs. Grundy, as active as extended 
 in her travels and researches, points out many defects in the administration of 
 that model Republic as instructive to our own. She tells us how " Colonel 
 Trusty a watchful consul in Switzerland reported — and perhaps violated the 
 rules of the department, in also disclosing, what every intelligent citizen ha« 
 
24-6 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 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 of 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 thii 
 intelligence upon the earliest Congress for action, to infer that the country did 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. Robbery, 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 wovld 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, that 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 President's veto, an appropriation to render a stream naviga- 
 ble, which, on a careful inspection proved capable of being carried, in the dry season, 
 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 preserving 
 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 
 acquired as to the material of war, have been expected to vote for example, for the 
 
in the Revolution. 24.7 
 
 Utopian Pension Act, or other even humane legislation, not limited by provisions 
 for the strictest personal examination of the claimant, by a responsible officer, supplied 
 with ample evidence of identity and service, with power to test the common 
 assertion that conjectured widows, have claimed in che names of soldiers, they 
 have never seen, long lying in honored graves, and that constructive veterans 
 possibly disabled by a bunion, acquired in too hastily retiring from active service, after 
 the receipt of a bounty, are now in a large number of cases subsisting on an equal 
 allowance with actual veterans," 
 
 *' In our own country Adjutant General Stryker, of New Jersey, a zealous officer, 
 who presents his resignation to each incoming Governor, and is never permitted to sur- 
 render a small salary for a large service, has, with much labor from scant State archives 
 by exhaustive search, with little assistance, and small expense, condensed a roster of the 
 Revolutionary service of every contribution from that fighting little State, from a 
 major general to a wagoner. He has supplemented it, with a similar record of service 
 in the last war, and in its inspection the long lists of '* deserted," probably mainly of 
 those who never intended to serve — mingled with longer ones of gallant veterans, 
 many of whom fell in battle — is a source of surprise to the reader. I have suggested 
 the preparation and use of such works here. Probably these desertions are not in 
 excess of those of other states, in proportion to their population, but they would 
 be a large numeral addition to the Subsistence Roll of an army. Such records for 
 all the States would seem to be invaluable to a conscientious Pension Agent, or a 
 vigilant investigator of fraudulent bounties or claims. They would be read with 
 attention in Utopia." 
 
 ** The action of the Viking of Bashwash, when in charge of the Naval Affairs 
 of Utopia, in restoring to the school under control of his Department, a number 
 of cadets who had resigned to avoid an investigation, under charges unfitting 
 them if proved, for service as officers, was greatly disapproved by those who 
 wished to continue to be proud of their Navy, and that of the honored Com- 
 mander who in strongly protesting, lost the favor of his chief and even his official 
 courtesies, as highly praised." She further says, " the latest amendment to the 
 Constitution of Utopia, which was not passed without opposition, seems worthy of 
 attention. It provides, that every citizen in demanding or collecting interest, rent 
 or any other source of revenue, shall be hereafter required to exhibit to the person 
 of whom payment is asked, at the time of such demand, a certificate to the fact that 
 the creditor had voted at the last election, to be duly certified by the clerk of the 
 Poll, or official evidence of a reasonable excuse, and all debtors, are forbidden to 
 pay without such exhibition. It has already greatly increased the vote of that 
 reserved class, who have heretofore neglected the control of their most valuable in- 
 vestment, by which all others are protected and guaranteed, while attentive to the 
 election of corporate Directors." 
 
 '' Civil Service Reform," is growing in favor with many, from the liberal con- 
 struction of the law. Examinations for appointments are influenced as to their extent 
 by the circumstances. Where strong testimonials are presented, they are held to 
 make a searching series of questions as to capacity, unnecessary, but in their absence 
 greater care is considered necessary. 
 
 The intention of the law is construed to be to enable the government to avail 
 itself of the services of those whose armor has been hacked and broken in the 
 defence of the interests of the party entrusted with the management of public affairs^ 
 and to dispense with the services of good men too engrossed in their duties to give 
 sufficient attention to the interests of the power which protects them. 
 
 32 
 
24-8 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 Their influence, as examples of good citizenship is considered more useful, when 
 scattered unhampered by office amongst the body of the people." 
 
 ** It is rumored that an effisrt 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 printed." 
 
 "The descendants of the Liberators of Utopia are 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 j 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 actio"n 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 
 
in the Revolution, 249 
 
 colonial city, and yet displays an apparent want of appreciation of the causes requisite 
 to the value of his undertaking. He says no one : 
 
 "Can go to Europe and study the system of government there without 
 feeling a very great contempt for it — without feeling that he would like to go 
 as a missionary among those people, to tell them to stand up, to teach them the 
 virtues and the beauties and the philosophy of democracy. (Applause.) One 
 thing, however, would deter him. A man would feel like that, if he knew nothing 
 of the condition of this country. He would be met with the suggestion, however, 
 that he look to his own country — to cities like this great metropolis of yours 
 ruled and robbed by a class of miserable politicians." 
 
 After stating that if Utopia had been " true of Democratic principles " there would, 
 not now, in his opinion " be a crowned head in Europe," he honestly points out as 
 causes of the delay. 
 
 " But what shall we say when over here, where every man is equal before the 
 law, where every citizen has a right to vote, where all power is in the hands of the 
 people, the masses of the workers are but little, if any, better off than on the other 
 side? What is the use of democratic institutions to men who cannot get a living 
 without cringing and buying and selling their manhood. (Applause.) Can we 
 prate and boast of our institutions when we read of people dying of starvation ? when 
 we have alms-houses in every city.'" 
 
 He proposes to exempt improved property from future taxation, but to remove the 
 field for the harvest of the enormous amount of its expenses to the unoccupied 
 portions of the island, and annexed adjacent territory. Speaking of a friend who 
 desired to invest in improvements, he says : 
 
 "If he went to the upper oortion of this island, as he probably would go, he 
 would find there plenty of vacant land that is now of no use to anybody save as the 
 receptacle of rubbish and a browsing place for goats of that species popularly sup- 
 posed to live on old boots and glass bottles. Very naturally he would say, no one 
 is using this land. It is, in fact, in its present condition an eyesore and a nuisance. 
 Let me come on it and I will erect a fine house, which will be an ornament to the 
 neighborhood and an inducement to other people to erect good houses in the vicinity. 
 Or I will build a factory in which I will employ a great number of hands, and turn 
 out every year a large amount of goods that everybody desires. Should we not say 
 to him :—' Go ahead and welcome! Fine houses are better than rubbish-filled 
 lots, and we would rather have factories than goat pastures ?' But we say nothing of 
 
 the kind." , . l 
 
 " On the contrary, Mr. Saunders would be confronted by some one by legal right 
 of a title derived from some of the old Dutchmen who first settled this island and 
 who have been dead and gone long years ago, who would say to him, ' Before you 
 can build your houses or erect your factory you must pay me such and such a sum.' 
 Finding that he could not in any other way get a place upon which to make the 
 improvement he contemplated, Mr. Saunders would probably consent to pay a price 
 which in its nature, would be nothing more nor less than a species of blackmail 
 levied upon a man who wished to improve natural opportunities for tlie benefit of 
 some dog-in-the-manger who could not and would not use them for himself. Hia 
 capital being thus further diminished he would proceed to build his house and erect 
 his factory What then .? As soon as he got them up, along would come a tax 
 eatherer and would say to him, you have built a house, you have erected a factory, 
 and for doing these things the laws of this country fine you to such and such an 
 amount and unless you pay the fine and keep on paying the fine, we will take from 
 you the 'property which is the result of your exertions.' And not satisfied with that, 
 
250 "Tories or Loyalists 
 
 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, and dry goods 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 havej 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 less 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 to give it up, and that those who wanted 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 whole country and see how the same policy would everywhere enormously in- 
 crease wealth." 
 
 In this frank exposition of his theories of home reform, their suggestor overlook s 
 some points imporcant to their value. His ** old Dutchman " for example, is typical 
 for the descendant of the first white settler from 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 besides 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 on green 
 goggles, and affect to be nourished by that dish of shavings, however annually cooked 
 and set before him. In many cases he can " fqr further information apply on the 
 premises " for corroboration of these suggestions. 
 
in the Revolution. 251 
 
 He also neglects to tell, where, when all of this territory is improved by the result 
 of industry, the next field for the imposition of new taxes which with death alone 
 are certain, is to be found. Would not knowledge of such material points in the 
 political^ economy of his own country, give value to suggestions as to the internal 
 difficulties of any other. In seeking for any undiscovered field for additional taxa- 
 tion, on the island of "Outre Mer," he might aid the assessors, and also answer Mr. 
 Pitt's pungent query, "Gentle Shepherd, tell me where ? " 
 
 APPENDIX E. 
 
 REPUTATION AT THE CANNON'S MOUTH AND THE CHANCES 
 IN ITS TRANSMISSION (note, page 160). 
 
 Dr. Timothy Dwight, as the nephew of General Lyman, who with his father 
 was an early settler of the Territory of the Natchez, at least showed a natural senti- 
 ment in vindicating the claim of his uncle as a worthy subordinate, to the merit he 
 considered his due. -Errors have always been claimed to exist in the distribution of 
 credit for service. Time long since accorded the glory of two important victories to Sir 
 William Johnson — one at Lake George In the summer of 1755, when Baron 
 Dieskau, a veteran of the Continental Wars was defeated, another the capture of 
 Niagara, four years later. The whole life of that self educated soldier, had in all 
 its details been sustained by his gallantry, and he early carried his son to the field to 
 teach him theart of war. Possibly he maj have been remiss as Dr. Dwight has 
 claimed, in distributing some of his laurels to his officers, or the New England troops 
 disposed, in the existing jealousy, to claim too many of them. The moment of 
 victory ha^ proved best adapted to settle relative merit, while all present are familiar 
 with facts from observation. That passed, it has often proved as difficult where the 
 credit of victory naturally falls to the Commander — as to ascertain now who aided 
 to win the laurels of Caesar, Hannibal or Philip, if without record in history. 
 
 In cases of disaster, the blame at once falls upon the leader, regardless of who stumbled, 
 and no one competes for a share. His son and successor probably fought as bravely 
 in his detested invasions, and yet wears in some history the willow decreed to failure. 
 Many of the friends of General de Peysterjwill be gratified in his probable success in 
 vindicating the honor and courage of his relative. 
 
 Mrs. Grundy in her *' Observations in Utopia" refers to a notable case of 
 another military muddle in its history, she says : 
 
 *' There was some difference of opinion here, some time since, as to the advantage 
 of the correction of accepted historical error, too late for practical use. In its course, 
 a case was cited as occurring In the former wars of Utopia. It was occasioned by the 
 carelessness or paramount personal engagements of a civilian acting as Secretary to 
 a former honored Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Dauntless, an approved soldier." 
 
252 Tories or Loyalists 
 
 " That gallant officer, 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, preventing his 
 reaching that post in season, caused him to alter his plan on the day before the 
 attack and to order General Fearless, hi» second in command to advance with his 
 light division, giving him an opportunity substantially to flank 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 mainly fighting the 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, ani when the Marshal came up, landed, and received its surrender." 
 
 *' After that great triumph, the commander of the entire force, to whom the hoiior* 
 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 season the glory of the Egyptian campaign, and Nelson that of the Nile," 
 
 "But alas! the Citizen Secretary had affixed to the report, which was not parti- 
 cular in detail, the old diagram of the proposed battle instead of that of the one that 
 ivas actually fought which had been duly prepared, so falsifying his p?:planations. The 
 division commander's statements were discredited by the papers he carried 5 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, wentwith 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 correct an error yet 
 palpable j 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 John. His power to confer it, was through the absence of 
 Governor Tryon, as Col. Guy's letter predicted. Another clerical error, occurs on 
 page 2,07, 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 2.02), 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 
 
 It has been sometimes asked, why such historical papers as the handful used in 
 the preceding pamphlet, are not in the public archi'ves. The answer might be 
 made that few things are in their proper place and yet many are usefiil. 
 
 The fact came to the writer from Mr. Francis A. Stout, a Commissioner of the 
 State Survey, that by the defect of earlier Cartography, many places are found located 
 c'ven 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 some years since — in connection with his project 
 of International Exchange — M. Alexandre Vattemare, found men in one of its 
 chambers packing in boxes the recently printed " Documentary History," knee deep 
 in old manuscripts, which ivere history, but used as fillers. 
 
 On his thoughtful suggestion to the Legislature, that these were not being 
 correctly locatedy action was taken for the conservation of what remained j and the 
 learned Dr. E. B. O'Callaghan — to whom we owe so 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 addressed to private collectors. 
 
 Curious papers pften pass through many hands, as a merchantable article, and 
 their migrations are also as indefinite as those of a circulating bill. Three of the 
 grand collections of Historical manuscripts, once belonging to Rev. Dr. Sprague, of 
 Albany, Mr. Robert Gilmor, of Baltimore, and Mr. Tefft of Savanah, have been 
 broken up, the former, after it had been offered to the Government and State 
 unsucessfuUy, fell into the already large callecticn, 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 fur^the transmission of later facts. It is 
 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 and exhumed from 
 the outbuildings of Johnson Hall, possibly some containing the 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 sucK collection and its accomplishments, it is 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 b> 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 intereiting, 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. 
 
2 54- Tories or Loyalists 
 
 An incident which has occurred before this Appendix is printed, is referred to as 
 practically sustaining some of the views which have been suggested. How supply 
 and demand govern value, how it is increased 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 his life has been doubtless influenced j additionally so as the 
 friendly act of a representative of early patriotism in Massachusetts, 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 (^20,000), 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 replique, in the 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 1 5th of November, for its rededication. 
 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 j 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 Wlnthrop 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 
 Trumbuirs 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 ofHces 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, Reso/'vedj 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. 
 
in the Revolution. 255 
 
 The Mayor announced to Council that Mr. T. Bailey Myers, of New York city, 
 had presented to the city three rare and valuable engravings of great local interest to 
 our citizens : i. Sir Henry Clinton's map of the siege of Charleston, 1780, show- 
 ing the city and the harbor, surrounding country, the fortifications, and position of the 
 fleet under Vice-Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot. 2. An engraved portrait of William 
 Pitt, Earl of Chatham, Secretary of State from the year 1757 to 1768, by James 
 Barry, R, A., September, 1778. 3. " An exact prospect of Charleston, the 
 metropolis of the Province of South Carolina,* an original engraving published in 
 the London Magazine, June, 1762." In this connection, Alderman White — after 
 a preamble again describing this small contribution, which is here omitted — 
 '* presented the following resolutions : Be it ResQl-ved^ That the thanks of the 
 City Council are due and hereby tendered to Mr. T. Bailey Myers for these valued 
 gifts, and we assure him that his liberality is highly appreciated by the citizens of 
 Charleston. Resol'ved^ That these engravings be hung on the walls of the mayor's 
 office and carefully preserved as objects of general interest to our community. 
 These resolutions were also unanimously adopted." Such recollection of past tradi- 
 tions, in an ancient city, which gallantly resisted royalist, loyalist and tory, in the 
 period to which these things refer, is a pleasant evidence of adhesion to early 
 sympathies, and to the united action of the infant states. 
 
 Since the foregoing paper has been printed, even its delay for some illustration, 
 has evidenced how the rapid progress of the world affects the smallest atom. Its 
 suggestion of the claim of " History as a Fine Art," has been by a gratifying coin- 
 cidence, in that interval sustained — with his usual ability — by the Rev. Dr. 
 Howard Crosby, In a paper presented before the Seventy-eighth Anniversary Meeting 
 of the New York Historical Society, while the changes in the method of corres- 
 pondence, has also lately recalled editorial notice in the columns of the "Times." 
 
 Concurrence of thought, we know naturally exists as to many subjects of varied 
 importance in a nation of fifty millions, including great intelligence. Differences of 
 conclusion are often more conspicuous. The comparison of opinions in public in 
 any form, may demonstrate the value of convictions to some, call forth the sympathy 
 of others, who have entertained without expressing them, or at least open them 
 to correction. Thought has always been considered a safe predecessor to action. 
 
 At least, in public affairs it would appear that advanced methods of legislation 
 claim careful deliberate consideration by their presentors as well as by the representative, 
 and that hasty action is only justified where circumstances demand the experiment. 
 This admitted, Dr. Crgsby, who as a private citizen takes an active interest in 
 current public administration, might be induced hereafter to show, how the entire 
 record of American statesmanship — conformed to the example of many of its 
 former ^nd present elements, was affording a noble example of self devotion in 
 constructing history, and that the creation as well as the condensation, had just 
 claim to be considered as a fine Art. 
 
 Many wise and pertinent suggestions, contained in the President's recent message, 
 appear to offer material for the action of statesmanship, rising above party or local 
 considerations, and according with a widely expressed sentiment in favor of such 
 more considerate and prudent legislation as would seem to best assure the prosperity 
 and permanency of our institutions. 
 
■ ■ mm illl llH l lllHi»«»»»»»«-i»»i»- »» n»->»»»«»»m»»n»»»»w» 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 For index to Tories and Loyalists, see page 270. 
 
 A BAW, (Point au Baudet) 
 
 ■^^- description of, 87. 
 
 Abercrombie, Gen., 85. 
 
 Adams, John, xiv. 
 
 Adirondacks, 24. 
 
 Albrant, Quarter Master Fran- 
 cis, 40b. 
 
 Allaire, Lieut., cvi. 
 
 Allen, Commissioner Ira, 44. 
 Paul, CXI. 
 
 Amherst, Gen., xciv, xcvii, 8. 
 
 Ancrum, Maj., carries flag of 
 truce, 60. 
 
 Anderson, Lieut., 74. 
 
 Andersonville Prison, 25. 
 
 Arnold, Gen., Liii, cxiv, CLix, 
 8. 
 
 Ayers, Robt., 106. 
 
 BACON, Wm. J., quoted, 
 118. 
 Batteau, Description of a, 74. 
 Batteaux men, characteristics 
 
 of, 74. 
 Bartram, John, 90. 
 Bemis Heights, 9. 
 Berwick, Duke of, lxxxvi. 
 Bienville, Sieur de, 19. 
 Biographical Notices. 
 
 Carleton, Sir Guy, 8. 
 Claus, Col. Daniel, 69. 
 
 Clerges, Lieut. George, 
 
 61. 
 Cook, Ransom, 106. 
 Doyle, Wm., 9. 
 Foy, Edward, 7. 
 Johnson, Sir John, xxix. 
 McDonald, Alexander, 
 
 56. 
 
 John, 56. 
 McLean, Col. Allen, 55. 
 Phillips, Gen. Wm., 6. 
 Pomeroy, James, 8. 
 Rouville, Capt., 93. 
 St. Leger, Coi. Barry, 44. 
 Starin, Jane Wemple, 118. 
 
 Judge Henry, 118. 
 Watts, Maj. Stephen, 29. 
 Willett, Col. Marinus, 
 
 lOI. 
 
 Rev. Wm. M., 105. 
 Rev. Marinus, 99. 
 Bird, Lieut., cxvi, cxxx, 51, 
 
 95- 
 Blue Mountain Lake, N. Y., 
 
 24. 
 Bonney, Mrs. C. V. R., quoted, 
 
 124, 
 Boice, Sergt. John, i. 
 Boreas River, N. Y., 24. 
 Bouchette, quoted, 64,. 74. 
 Bouquet River, N. Y., 18. 
 
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, Ciil., 46. 
 
 Butler, Lieut Col., 2, 60. 
 
 Walter N., LVi, civ, 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, 
 
 13,57- 
 
 /'^'ALASH, description of a, 
 ^ 50. 
 
 Campbell, Corpl., 1,81. 
 Canaseraga, CLi, CLVii. 
 Cardiff, Wales, 71. 
 Canojoharie, 122. 
 
 Carleton, Sir Guy (Lord Dor- 
 chester), XII, 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. 
 Caughnawaga 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. 
 Charitv, 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, 13, 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. 
 
Indi 
 
 
 259 
 
 Collorton, Lieut., 81, 89. 
 Colwheel, a ship 83. 
 Cook, Capt., I. 
 
 Ransom, 106. 
 Convention Troops, 6. 
 
 Fort Bull Fort Hunter 
 
 Fort Dimber Fort Stanwix 
 
 (Dummer?) Fraser 
 Fort George 
 
 Cornwallis, Lor 
 
 d, LXXXVII, 44. 
 
 Galloway 
 
 Gorce 
 
 
 
 Gordon 
 
 Gray. 
 
 Countersigns : 
 
 
 
 
 Aberdeen 
 
 America 
 
 Hamburgh 
 
 TT 1 ■ 
 
 Hingham 
 
 Adam 
 Albany 
 
 Anapolis 
 Ancrum 
 
 Hampshire 
 Hatfield 
 
 Howe. 
 
 Ambury 
 
 Attleborough. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Inverness 
 
 Ireland 
 
 
 
 Inveraw 
 
 
 Banet 
 
 Bow Bridge 
 
 
 
 Earth 
 
 Britain 
 
 Johnson 
 
 Johnstown. 
 
 Belfast 
 
 Burgoyne 
 
 . J 
 
 Boston 
 
 Burlington. 
 
 KenderwhofFe 
 Kent 
 
 Kintail. 
 
 Cambridge- 
 
 Chilroy 
 
 
 
 shire 
 
 Clonmell 
 
 La Chine 
 
 LongIle(Lon- 
 
 Cadous 
 
 Cork 
 
 Lewisburgh 
 
 gueil) 
 
 Carleton 
 
 Cornwallis 
 
 Lieth 
 
 Lansbausbor- 
 
 Cassel 
 
 Cromathy 
 
 Lipcomb 
 
 ough 
 
 Chambly 
 
 Crothers. 
 
 London 
 
 Lynn 
 
 Charlestown 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 McLean 
 
 Milton 
 
 
 
 Major Small 
 Middlesex 
 
 Mohawk river 
 
 Daly 
 
 Dublin 
 
 Montreal. 
 
 Darnock 
 
 Dulnacardock 
 
 Milford 
 
 
 Dearham 
 
 Dunbarton 
 
 
 
 Detroit 
 
 Dingwall 
 
 Dorer 
 
 Dunmore 
 Dunrobin. 
 
 Nairn 
 New Haven 
 
 New York 
 Noadwilley 
 
 
 New Market 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 
 
 New Port 
 
 Norwich. 
 
 Eaton 
 
 England 
 
 
 
 Edinborough 
 
 Evalick. 
 
 Oneida 
 
 Oswego 
 
 Elizabethtown 
 
 
 Orleans 
 
 Oswegatchie. 
 
26o 
 
 Index. 
 
 Paisley 
 
 Patrick 
 
 Perth 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 Phillips 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 Sacandaga 
 St. James 
 Scotland 
 
 Plymouth 
 Point Clair 
 Powell 
 Preston. 
 
 Stirling 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Taunton Tribe's Hill 
 
 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. 
 
 T^ABLON, 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, 
 
 JOI. 
 
 Anne, 29. 
 
 James, xix, xc. 
 
 Regiment of, loi. 
 
 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. 
 
 261 
 
 PGNUE, Corpl. Edward, 
 
 ■^ 37- 
 
 Eighth (King's) Regiment, cv 
 
 cxvi, 2, 8. 9, 12 ; Sketch 
 
 of, 76, 95. 
 
 FAIRFIELD, Burning of, 
 26. 
 Fay, Commissioner Joseph, 44. 
 Ferguson, Col., c, cvi. 
 Fish House, N. Y., Sir Wm. 
 Johnson's Country Seat, 
 cxxxviii, 18. 
 Five Nations, The, cvi. 
 Fonda, Maj. Jelles, lxxxii. 
 Fonteloy, M. de, 66. 
 Force, Peter, quoted, XLiii. 
 Force's Archives, 11. 
 Fort Anne, N. Y., clx, 69. 
 Bull, Sketch of, 84, 93, 
 
 125. 
 Creek, Old, 52. 
 Dayton, cxviii. 
 Dummer, Sketch of, 19. 
 Frontenac, 44, 10 1. 
 George, CLX, Battle of, 77. 
 Hunter, cxlviii, cliv, 
 
 CLix ; Sketch of, 16. 
 Johnson (Castle) Descrip- 
 tion of, 52, 70, 128. 
 La Prairie, 2. 
 Longueil, 19. 
 Niagara, LV, cxxxvii. 
 Ontario, 91. 
 Oswego, CXVI, cxxxiii, 
 
 CLVIII. 
 
 Paris, CXLii. 
 Plain, Lxxvn, cxn. 
 
 Stanwix (Rome, N. Y.), 
 LIU, CVI, cxv, cxix, 
 cxxvii, CLVii, 13, 44, 
 70 ; Sketch of, 85, 86, 
 93' 96, 97i loi, 106, 
 108, 109. 
 Schuyler, Old, 86, 109, 
 
 no. 
 Schuyler, see Fort Stanwix. 
 St. Anne (Island of Mon- 
 treal), 69. 
 Ticonderoga, 44, 81, lOi. 
 Williams, 85. 
 Fowey, a ship, 7. 
 Foy, Dept. Adj. Gen. Ed., 11. 
 Fox's Mills, Battle near, see 
 
 Klock's Field. 
 Franklin, Benjamin, xv. 
 Fraser, Gen. Simon, 9, 20, an- 
 ecdote of, 123. 
 Fredericksburgh, Battle of, 121. 
 Frederick II, xci. 
 Frey, John, Jog. 
 
 /'~^ AGE, Gen., lxxxvii. 
 
 Gansevoort, Col. Peter, cxvi, 
 
 cxx, 60, 86, 96, 109. 
 Gardenier, Capt. Jacob, cxxiii, 
 
 , 57- 
 Gaspe, 19. 
 Garneau, F. X., quoted, 123, 
 
 125. 
 Gates, Gen., 6. 
 George III, lxxx, xciv, 44. 
 German Flats, in. 
 Germaine, Lord George St., 
 
 XXIV, XXV, XCIV, CII, 
 
 9, 10, 81. 
 
262 
 
 Index. 
 
 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. 
 
 TTALDIMAND, 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. 
 
 HUdebrand, 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. 
 
 T AMES, Dukeof 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. 
 
 Fort (Castle), Sketch of, 
 
 52. 
 Gen. Albert Sidney, clxi. 
 Johnstown, 18, 70. 
 
Index. 
 
 263 
 
 Jones, David, 37. 
 
 Judge Thomas, quoted, 
 
 XXXVIII, 81, loi, 107. 
 Dr. P. E., Chief of the 
 Missisagues, 128. 
 
 T^APP, Frederick, quoted, 
 -*^^ cxxvi. 
 
 Killigrew, Sergt., 77. 
 
 King's Royal Regiment, see 
 
 Eighth Regiment. 
 Kingston, Maj., 9. 
 King's Mountain, Battle of, l, 
 
 LXVI, c, cvi, cxxxvii. 
 Klock's Field (Fox's Mills), 
 
 Lxxv; Battle of, cxxxv, 
 
 CL, CLIX. 
 
 Block-house, cliv. 
 Klock, Judge Jacob C, clv. 
 Knox, Secretary, cv, 2, 13, 92. 
 Knyphausen, Gen., xxiii. 
 Kuysak, a Batteau Mastei, 75. 
 
 T A CHINE, CI, cxxxviii, 
 
 -*-^ description of, 3, 10, 
 
 12, 15, 16, 28, 43, 58, 
 
 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. 
 
 Lavalette, Madame de, xxxvii. 
 Le Cartargne, Quarter Master, 
 
 63. 
 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 offer a 
 
 bounty, 1 1. 
 Long Island in the St. Law- 
 rence, 67. 
 Longeuil, Description of, 19. 
 
 Sieur Charles le Moine de, 
 
 19- 
 
 Long Sauk in the St. I,aw- 
 
 ■ rence, 87. 
 Lossing, Benson J., quoted, 8, 
 
 16, 81. 
 Lundy, Lieut., 93. 
 Luzurne, N. Y., Hamlet of, 
 
 18. 
 
 l\/TcCREA, 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. 
 
264 
 
 Index. 
 
 McLean, Col. Allan, 55. 
 McMonrs, Hugh, 56. 
 McMullen, 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, 
 
 83- 
 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, XCVI, cxxvil, 
 CLI, 98. 
 Monaghan, Sir Darby, his ad- 
 venture with St. Leger, 
 112. 
 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. 
 
 J\JEW BRUNSWICK, 8. 
 
 Newcastle, 11. 
 
 Niagara, lv, cxxxvii, 2, 77, 
 
 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 Indians, 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. 
 
 265 
 
 pAINE, Th( 
 
 Pallas, a ship, 7 
 Palmertown, 
 
 amas, xv. 
 
 near Saratoga 
 
 Gilbart 
 
 Glasgow 
 
 Gray 
 
 Greenock 
 Guadaloupe 
 
 Springs, 68. 
 Palmer, Corpl. John, 40b. 
 
 HaHfax 
 Harover 
 
 Hesse Hanau 
 Hingham 
 
 
 
 Hartford 
 
 Honduras 
 
 Paroles : 
 
 • 
 
 Hathersett 
 
 Howe. 
 
 Aberdeen 
 
 Albany 
 
 Amboy 
 
 America 
 Armagh. 
 
 India 
 Inverness 
 
 Invershire 
 Ireland. 
 
 Barford 
 
 Bristol 
 
 Johnson 
 
 Johnstown. 
 
 Barnet 
 
 Brunswick 
 
 King George 
 
 King's Bridge 
 
 Belfast 
 Berwick 
 
 Burgoyne 
 Burk. 
 
 La Chine 
 
 Lincolnshire 
 
 Boston 
 
 
 La Prairie 
 
 Lochabar 
 
 
 
 Langford 
 
 London. 
 
 Carick 
 
 Chester 
 
 Limerick 
 
 
 Carleton 
 Castle John- 
 son 
 
 Connecticut 
 
 Cork 
 
 County Tryon 
 
 McLean 
 McLou 
 
 Mayfield 
 Montreal. 
 
 Dalwhinney 
 
 Daly 
 
 Dareham 
 
 Dover 
 
 Drogheda 
 
 Dublin 
 
 Newark 
 Newcastle 
 * New York 
 
 Niagara 
 Norfolk 
 Norwich. 
 
 Derby 
 Dornock 
 
 Dunkeld 
 Dunmore. 
 
 Onondaga 
 
 Oswegatchie 
 
 Eaton England 
 
 Eden Essex 
 
 Edinborourgh Exeter. 
 
 Fairfield 
 Fort Anns 
 Fort Erie 
 Fort Hunter 
 
 Fort St. Ann 
 Fort Stanwix 
 Fort William 
 Eraser. 
 
 Patrick Philadelphia 
 
 Perth Amboy Phillips 
 
 Perth Point Clair. 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 St. Leger Sorel 
 
 St. Johns Sterling 
 
 Schenectady Stratford. 
 
 34 
 
265 
 
 Index. 
 
 Sopus (^so- 
 , pus) 
 
 Tain 
 Templar 
 Thotford 
 Thurso 
 
 Walker 
 Wells 
 Whymend- 
 ham 
 
 York 
 
 Q 
 
 UEBEC, CIV, 19, 22. 
 
 Tillibody 
 Tower 
 Trenton 
 Tryon. 
 
 Winchester. 
 
 Yorkshire. 
 
 Pearce, Col. Cromwell, 51. 
 
 Stewart, quoted, 51. 
 Pennington, Lieut. Robt.,g, 10. 
 Pepperell, 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 Abaw {Point au Baudei), 
 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. 
 
 Queen Anne's Chapel, 16. 
 Queen's Loyal New Yorkers, 
 1,9. 
 
 "P ADEAU, a floating bat- 
 
 ^tery, 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), 
 
 23^ 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, 1 , 56. 
 Russell, Corpl., i. 
 
Index. 
 
 267 
 
 Rutland, George Manners, 
 Duke of, 112. 
 
 O ABINE, Lorenzo, quoted, 
 
 "^ XXV. 
 
 Sacandaga River, N. Y., fol- 
 lowed by Sir John 
 Johnson, cxxxviii, 17, 
 
 37- 
 Sackett's Harbor, 77. 
 St. Anne, Siege of, 10, 19. 
 St. Anns's River, 19. 
 St. Germaine, Lord, see Ger- 
 
 maine. 
 St. John's River, 4. 
 St. Johnsville, cliv. 
 St. Lawrence River, cxvi, 3, 
 
 19, 22, 64. 
 St. Leger, 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, 
 
 cxiii, 56, 86. 
 Seymour, Horatio, quoted, 86. 
 
 John F., quoted, 87. 
 Shanks, Capt., 10. 
 Shirley, Sir Robt., 76. 
 Simcoe, Gen. [Gov.], 127. 
 Simms, J. R., quoted, CXLI, 
 
 17. 56- ' 
 Singleton, Lieut. George, I, 
 
 12, 13, breaks his 
 parole, 124. 
 
 Small, Maj., 41. 
 
 Sn ith, Corpl., i. 
 
 Sorel, description of, 23. 
 
 Stanwix, Gen. John, 85. 
 
 Fort, see Fore Stanwix. 
 
 Starin, John H., 118. 
 Jane Wemple, 118. 
 Judge Henry, 118. Anec- 
 dote of 121. 
 
 Stark, Gen., 97. 
 
 Stockwell, Lieut., cxiii. 
 
 Stone, Col. William L., quoted, 
 XLii, cvii, cxxxix, 
 
 CXHV, CXLVII, CL, CUV, 
 
 CLVi, 29, 81, 86, 104, 
 121. 
 William L., quoted, xxxti, 
 
 CLVI, CLXVI. 
 
 Stone .Arabia, cxxxv, cxlii, 
 
 CLIV. 
 
 Stony Point, cxxix. 
 Strabane, Ireland, 8. 
 Street, Sergt. Samuel, I. 
 Sugar House Prison, 25. 
 
268 
 
 Index. 
 
 Sullivan, Gen., Liv. 
 Swegatchie, see Oswegatchie. 
 Sylvester, N. B., quoted, 38. 
 
 HTARLETON, 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, Winslow C, quoted, 
 
 23- 
 Watts, Capt. (Maj.) Stephen, 
 cix, cxvii, cxxiii, 3, 
 
 4, 13, 29- 
 Mary, xxxiv. 
 
 Hon. John, xvm, 29. 
 
 Ross, 30. 
 
 Anne, Countessof 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, cxm. 
 
 cxxviii, 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), 
 
 3°- 
 
Index. 
 
 269 
 
 Wolf Island in tl:e St. Law- 
 rence, 67. 
 Creek, cxxxiii. 
 Wolfe, Gen., xciv, cxx, 
 
 CLXI, 8. 
 
 Wood Creek (outlet of Oneida 
 
 Lake), cxxxiii. 
 Wyoming Valley, xlix. 
 Massacre, cxxxvii. 
 
 Yankee pass. The 
 
 Yell, Col., CLxv. 
 
 celebrated. History of 
 
 121. 
 
 Young, Sergt. Andrew, i. 
 Younglove, Moses, 13, 51 ; 
 affidavit of, 75. 
 Moses C, quoted, 76. 
 
INDEX TO "TORIES OR LOYALISTS." 
 
 A DDISON, Joseph, i68. 
 
 Albemarle, Lord, 189. 
 Amelia, Princess, 183. 
 Armstrong, Gen., 202. 
 
 "D AKER, Senator, 154. 
 
 Balfour, Col. Nesbit, 212^ 
 Banyar, Goldsboro, 182, 236. 
 Bedford, Duke of, 189. 
 Belsham, W., 182. 
 Blanchard, Claude, 157. 
 Bolingbroke, Lord, 181, 182. 
 Boswell, 199. 
 Braddock, Gen , 160 
 Brant, Joseph, 194, 195, 200, 
 
 201. 
 Brant, Molly, 194. 
 Brazil, Emperor of, 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, 231. 
 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. 
 
 Colden, Gov.. 146. 
 
 Cornwallis, Lord, 168. 
 
 Courtenay, iVIayor, 21 1, 217. 
 
 Cresap, Col. Michael, 163. 
 
 Cromwell, Oliver, 147, 149, 
 
 155, 244. 
 Crosby, Rev. Dr. Howard, 
 
 255. 
 Cruger, Mayor, 148. 
 Cullum, Gen. G. W., 168. 
 Cumberland, Richard, 215. 
 Curwen, Judge, 141. 
 Custine, Gen. de, 156. 
 
Index. 
 
 271 
 
 T^ ALY, Chief Justice, 145. 
 
 Dalgetty, Major, 212''. 
 Dartmouth, Lord, 177. 
 Dauntless, Marshal, 251. 
 Dawson, Capt., 211. 
 Dayton, Gen. Elias, 212*. 
 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. 
 Dongan, Gov., 163. 
 Dwight, Rev. Timothy, 160, 
 
 250. 
 Drayton, Chief Justice, 184. 
 
 T7LLIS, 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, 
 
 149, 189, 209. 
 
 George III, 151, 166, 181, 
 
 184. 
 Germaine, Lord George, 186, 
 
 188, 215. 
 Granville, Lord, 182. 
 Greene, Gen. Nathaniel, 212'', 
 
 217. 
 Grenville, Geo., 185. 
 Grundy, Mrs., 234, 245, 
 
 251. 
 
 TLTALDIMAND, General, 
 
 190, 191, 192, 236. 
 Halifax, Lord, 182. 
 Hamilton, Gen. Alex., 219. 
 Hancock, John, 174. 
 Hastings, Marquis of, 198, 
 
 212'', 253. 
 Haynes, Col. Isaac, 212''. 
 Herkimer, General, 161. 
 Henry, Patrick, 224. 
 Hermann, 225. 
 Heyward, Thos., Jr., 172. 
 Howe, Sir Wm., 188. 
 Huntington, Gen. Jed., 146. 
 
 JAY, John, i6g, 214, 219. 
 
 Jefferson, Thos., 219. 
 
 Johnson, Col. Guy, 186, 192, 
 193. 194, 205, 212% 
 236, 252. 
 
 Johnson Hall, 160, 212. 
 
 Johnson, Lady, 212^. 
 
 Johnson, Sir John, 139, 140, 
 158, 174, 186, 187, 
 190, 191, 192, 194, 
 195, 206, 207, 208, 
 211, 212'', 213, 252. 
 
272 
 
 Indi 
 
 ex. 
 
 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. 
 
 1^ EMBLE, Gouverneur, 
 
 205. 
 Kirkland, Rev. Sam'l., 197. 
 Klock's Field, 211, 212^ 
 
 T AURENS, Henry, 169. 
 
 Laurens, Col. John, 173. 
 Lee, Arthur, 178. 
 Livingston, Philip, 214. 
 Livingston, Gov. Wm., 178 
 Logan, the Chief, 163. 
 Louisburg, 159. 
 Lyman, Gen. Phineas, 160. 
 Lynch, Thos. Jr., 172. 
 
 Py/[ACKENZIE,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. 
 
 TSJEWCASTLE, 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., 211. 
 
 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, 23O. 
 Pollock, Dr., 225. 
 Pretender, The, 157. 
 
 QUEENSBURY, Duchess 
 ^ of, 182. 
 
 "DEFUGEES, 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. 
 
 273 
 
 CABIN, Lorenzo, 168. 
 
 Schuyler, Peter, 161. 
 Schuyler, Gen. Philip., 179, 
 
 2I2^ 
 
 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. 
 
 T^HOMPSON, Charles, 
 
 167. 
 Townshend, Charles, 185. 
 Trusty, Col., 245. 
 Tryon County, 212'^, 252. 
 Tryon, Gov., 215, 236. 
 
 ^TOPIA, 245. 
 
 WAN SCHAACK, Peter, 
 
 148. 
 Vattemare, Alexander, 253. 
 Viomenel, Baron de, r56. 
 
 ^yyARWICK, Lord, 199. 
 
 Washington, 211, 213, 214, 
 217, 218, 230, 246. 
 
 Washington, Col. W., 252. 
 
 Wales, Frederick Prince of, 
 181. 
 
 Wales, Princess Dowager, 
 
 183- 
 
 Walpole, Sir Robert, 180. 
 
 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. 
 
 \/ATES,Abraham,Jr., 161. 
 
 Yonkers, 231. 
 York, Duke of, 244.