Part 11
Extract of an official letter to the secretary of war, after the sortie of Fort Erie:--“On the morning of the 17th, General Miller was directed to station his command in the ravine, which lies between Fort Erie and the enemy’s batteries, by passing them by detachments through the skirts of the wood; and the 21st infantry, under General Ripley, was posted as a corps of reserve, between the new bastions of Fort Erie, all under cover and out of the view of the enemy. About twenty minutes before three, P. M., the left columns, under the command of General Porter, which were destined to turn the enemy’s right, were within a few rods of the British entrenchments. They were ordered to advance and commence the action. Passing down the ravine, it was judged from the report of musketry, that the action had commenced on our left; orders were given to General Miller to seize the moment and pierce the enemy’s entrenchment, between batteries No. 2 and 3, which orders were promptly and ably executed. Within thirty minutes after the first gun was fired, batteries No. 2 and 3, the enemy’s line of entrenchments, and his two block-houses were in our possession. Soon after, battery No. 1 was abandoned by the British. The guns in each were spiked by us, or otherwise destroyed, and the magazine of No. 3 was blown up. A few minutes before the explosion, the reserve, under General Ripley, was ordered up; as he passed, at the head of his column, he was desired he would have a care that not more of the troops were hazarded than the occasion of the sortie required. General Ripley passed rapidly on.
“Soon after fears were entertained for the safety of General Miller, and an order sent for the 21st to hasten to his support, towards battery No. 1. Colonel Upham received the order and advanced to the aid of General Miller. General Ripley had inclined to the left, and while making some necessary inquiries was unfortunately wounded in the neck, severely, but not dangerously. By this time the object of the sortie was accomplished beyond the most sanguine expectations of the commander and his generals. General Miller had consequently ordered the troops on the right to fall back. Observing this movement, the staff of General Brown was directed along the line, to call in the other corps. Within a few minutes they retired from the ravine, and from thence to camp. Thus one thousand regulars, and an equal portion of militia, in one hour of close action, blasted the hopes of the enemy, destroyed the fruits of fifty days’ labor, and diminished his effective force at least one thousand men.”
After the battle, General Ripley was removed to the American side of the river, and throughout a course of severe suffering for three months his life was despaired of. At the commencement of his convalescence he was removed by short journeys to Albany, where the best medical aid was procured, yet it was nearly a year before he was sufficiently recovered to attend to any military duties. The speedy return of peace caused a reduction in the army, but General Ripley was retained with the brevet and command of major-general. Congress testified their approbation of his gallant services by a vote of thanks, and the presentation of a gold medal, (_See_ Plate VI.;) and the states of New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Georgia, and the country at large, have by honorary tokens and expressions, testified their grateful acknowledgments for his gallantry.
On the return of General Ripley’s health, he removed to his estate at Baton Rouge, near New Orleans, from whence he was elected to Congress. He died in 1834, in the fifty-second year of his age, respected by a numerous circle of friends, who admired his bravery as a soldier, and his virtues as a man.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MEDAL.
OCCASION.--Battles of Chippewa, Niagara and Erie.
DEVICE.--Bust of General Ripley.
LEGEND.--Brigadier-General Eleazer W. Ripley.
REVERSE.--Victory holding up a tablet among the branches of a palm tree, inscribed with “NIAGARA, CHIPPEWA, ERIE.” In her right hand, which gracefully hangs by her side, are a trumpet and laurel wreath.
LEGEND.--Resolution of Congress, Nov. 3, 1814.
EXERGUE.--Battles of Chippewa, July 5th, 1814; Niagara, July 28th, 1814; Erie, Sept. 17th, 1814.
GEN. PETER B. PORTER.
Peter B. Porter was born of very respectable parents, in Salisbury, Connecticut, August 14th, 1773. His father intending him for the profession of the law, entered him at Yale College, in his own state, where he graduated with high honors to himself and great satisfaction to his preceptors.
Having completed his law studies, he established himself in his native town, from whence he was elected to Congress, where he remained as chairman of the “Committee of Foreign Relations” till 1811. At that period this country was preparing for a war with England, with which she had long been threatened, and every buoyant spirit seemed anxious to take up arms in his country’s cause; and no part of the community engaged in it with greater ardor than the members of the bar.
During the same year he was appointed with Governor Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, De Witt Clinton, William North, Simeon De Witt, Thomas Eddy, Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton, the first commissioners in relation to inland navigation, being the incipient step that led, in the sequel, to the noble works of art and improvement, which contributed so largely (whatever excesses may have been committed) to the glory and prosperity of the state of New York. These labors were suspended, however, by the war of 1812, and for these civic duties, General Porter exchanged the privations and dangers of the frontier campaigns. Residing then at Black Rock, he was in the midst of the most eventful and stirring of the border scenes. He rallied the hastily gathered volunteers, who repelled the first invasion of that place in midsummer, 1813; and shared, at the head of his corps, with intrepidity and skill, in those brilliant and memorable battles of the succeeding year.
In the official papers of General Brown to the secretary of war, after the battle of Chippewa, he speaks of General Porter as follows:--“General Scott having selected this plain with the eye of a soldier, his right resting on the river, and a ravine in front, was joined early in the morning of the 5th by General Porter, with a part of the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, and some of the warriors of the Six Nations. At 4 o’clock, P. M., General Porter advanced from the rear of our camp with the volunteers and Indians, (taking the woods, in order to keep out of view of the enemy,) with a hope of bringing his pickets and scouting parties between his (Porter’s) line of march and our camp. As Porter moved, the parties advanced in front of our camp, fell back gradually under the enemy’s fire, in order, if possible, to draw him up to our line. Before 5 o’clock, the advance of General Porter’s command met the light parties of the enemy in the woods, upon our extreme left--the enemy were driven; and Porter, advancing near to Chippewa, met their whole column in order of battle.” He also observes:--“The conduct of General Porter has been conspicuously gallant; every assistance in his power to afford, with the description of force under his command, has been rendered.”
In the official details of the battle of Bridgewater, General Brown also says:--“It was with great pleasure I saw the good order and intrepidity of General Porter’s volunteers, from the moment of their arrival; but, during the last charge of the enemy, those qualities were conspicuous. Stimulated by their gallant leader, they precipitated themselves upon the enemy’s line, and made all the prisoners which were taken at this point of the action.”
In General Gaines’ detailed report of the battle of Fort Erie, the August following, he says:--“General Porter’s brigade, of New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, with our distinguished riflemen, occupied the centre.” After describing the action, General Gaines observes:--“Brigadier-General Porter, commanding the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, manifested a degree of vigilance and judgment in his preparatory arrangements, as well as military skill and courage in action, which proves him to be worthy the confidence of his country, and the brave volunteers who fought under him.” During the next session Congress passed the following resolution:--“Resolved, that the President of the United States be requested to cause a gold medal (_See_ Plate VI.) to be struck, with suitable emblems and devices, and presented to Major-General Porter, in testimony of the high sense entertained by Congress for his gallantry and good conduct in the several conflicts of Chippewa, Niagara and Erie.” In 1816, he was appointed Secretary of State, in place of Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, but he declined the appointment, having been elected to Congress the previous year. Near the close of his congressional term, he was appointed Commissioner, under the British treaty, to run the boundary line between the United States and Canada. In 1817, he was the antagonist candidate to De Witt Clinton, in the democratic canvass held for the nomination of Governor, and at the election received a few votes, cast by politicians in the city of New York, who refused to acquiesce in the nomination of Clinton. In the political controversies of his time General Porter was a prominent participator, until his retirement from public life with Mr. Adams in 1829. Under that administration, and for the last year of it, he discharged the duties of Secretary of War. He was warmly attached to Mr. Clay, and was related to him by the marriage of his second wife. A frontier resident during the last forty years; possessed of large estates on the border--he is identified with the history of western New York, and with its gigantic progress in the great elements of social and physical developments.
General Porter has been distinguished in our annals in civic and martial life, and there are few among us to whom the meed of talents, bravery and patriotism can be more faithfully awarded. His private life was estimable, as his public career was brilliant. In his domestic relations he was ingenuous, affectionate and kind. In his intercourse with mankind his deportment drew around him a numerous circle of friends. The active and useful life of this distinguished servant of his country was closed at his residence at Niagara, March 20th, 1844, in the seventy-first year of his age.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MEDAL.
OCCASION.--Battles of Chippewa, Niagara and Erie.
DEVICE.--Bust of General P. B. Porter.
LEGEND.--Major-General P. B. Porter.
REVERSE.--Victory standing holding a palm branch and wreath in her right hand; and three stands of colors, bearing the inscriptions, “_Niagara, Erie, Chippewa_,” in her left. The Muse of History is recording the above names.
LEGEND.--Resolution of Congress, Nov. 3d, 1814.
EXERGUE.--Battles of Chippewa, July 5th, 1814; Niagara, July 25th, 1814; Erie, Sept. 17th, 1814.
ALEXANDER MACOMB.
Major-General Alexander Macomb, the son of a respectable fur merchant, was born at Detroit, April 3d, 1782. His father removed to New York when he was an infant, and at the age of eight years placed him at school at Newark, New Jersey, under the charge of Dr. Ogden, a gentleman of distinguished talents and high literary attainments. In 1798, a time of great excitement, as invasion by a French army was soon expected, Macomb, although quite a youth, was elected into a corps called the “New York Rangers;” Congress having passed a law receiving volunteers for the defence of the country. In 1799, Macomb obtained a cornetcy, and General North, then adjutant-general of the northern army, who had watched for some time the soldier-like conduct of our hero, received him into his staff as deputy adjutant-general. Macomb, from his intelligence and attention to his profession, soon became the favorite of the accomplished North, and the pet of his senior officers. He was ambitious of distinction, without ostentation, and persevering even to fatigue.
The thick and dark clouds which hung over the country had passed away, the prospect of war had now vanished, the troops were generally disbanded and many of the officers retired to their homes, but our young officer begged to be retained, and was accordingly commissioned as a second lieutenant of dragoons, and dispatched to Philadelphia on the recruiting service; but this service being more form than necessity, gave Lieutenant Macomb an opportunity to associate with the best informed men, and access to the extensive libraries in that city, advantages which he was anxious to improve. When he had raised the number of recruits required, he was ordered to join General Wilkinson on the western frontiers, to visit the Cherokee country, to aid in making a treaty with that nation, a mission which lasted a year. The corps to which Macomb belonged was soon after disbanded, and a corps of engineers formed, to which he was afterwards attached as first-lieutenant, and sent to West Point.
During his residence at West Point, Lieutenant Macomb compiled a treatise upon martial law, and the practice of courts-martial, now the standard work upon courts-martial, for the army of the United States. In 1805, Macomb was sent to superintend the fortifications, which, by an act of Congress, were ordered to be commenced on the frontiers, and promoted to the rank of captain in the engineer corps. In 1808, he was promoted to the rank of major, still acting as superintendent of fortifications. At the breaking out of the war in 1812, he solicited a command in an artillery corps, then about to be raised, which was granted him, and a commission as colonel of the third regiment, dated July 6th, 1812. The regiment was to consist of twenty companies of one hundred and eighteen each. He assisted in raising the numbers required, and in November of that year he marched to Sacket’s Harbor with his troops, where he spent the winter, having command of the whole of the lake frontier. In January, 1814, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and appointed to a command on the east side of Lake Champlain; from which time to the climax of his fame at the defence of Plattsburgh, he was constantly on the alert, in the discharge of his duties. During the summer of 1814, Sir George Prevost, governor-general of Canada, had greatly augmented his forces, by detachments of picked men from the army which had fought in Spain and Portugal, under the Duke of Wellington, and which, of course, from their long and tried military service, were among the best troops in the world; with these it was intended to strike a decisive blow on our frontier, and bring us to terms at once. In this, however, Sir George was mistaken, as the following extract from Brigadier-General Macomb to the Secretary of War will prove, dated Plattsburgh, September 15, 1814:--
“The governor-general of the Canadas, Sir George Prevost, having collected all the disposable force of Lower Canada, with a view of conquering the country as far as Ticonderoga, entered the territory of the United States on the 1st of the month, and occupied the village of Champlain--there avowed his intentions, and issued orders and proclamations, tending to dissuade the people from their allegiance, and inviting them to furnish his army with provisions. He immediately began to impress the wagons and teams in the vicinity, and loaded them with his baggage and stores, indicating preparations for an attack on this place. My fine brigade was broken up to form a division ordered to the westward, which consequently left me in the command of a garrison of convalescents and the recruits of the new regiments--all in the greatest confusion, as well as the ordnance and stores, and the works in no state of defence.
“To create an emulation and zeal among the officers and men, in completing the works, I divided them into detachments, and placed them near the several forts--declaring, in orders, that each detachment was the garrison of its own work, and bound to defend it to the last extremity. The enemy advanced cautiously, and by short marches, and our soldiers worked day and night; so that, by the time he made his appearance before the place, we were prepared to receive him. Finding, on examining the returns of the garrison, that our force did not exceed fifteen hundred men for duty, and well-informed that the enemy had as many thousand, I called on General Mooers, of the New York militia, and arranged with him plans for bringing forth the militia _en masse_.
“The inhabitants of the village fled with their families and effects, except a few worthy citizens and some boys, who formed themselves into a party, received rifles, and were exceedingly useful. General Mooers arrived with seven hundred militia and advanced seven miles on the Beekmantown road, to watch the motions of the enemy, and to skirmish with him as he advanced--also to obstruct the roads with fallen trees, and to break up the bridges. On the lake road, at Dead-Creek Bridge, I posted two hundred men, under Captain Sproul, of the 13th regiment, with orders to abattis the woods, to place obstructions in the road, and to fortify himself; to this party I added two field-pieces. In advance of that position was Lieutenant-Colonel Appling, with one hundred and ten riflemen, watching the movements of the enemy and procuring intelligence. It was ascertained that before daylight, on the 6th, the enemy would advance in two columns, on the two roads before mentioned, dividing at Sampson’s, a little below Chazy village. The column on the Beekmantown road proceeded most rapidly; the militia skirmished with their advanced parties, and, except a few brave men, fell back most precipitately in the greatest disorder, notwithstanding the British troops did not design to fire on them, except by their flankers and advanced patroles.
“Finding the enemy’s columns had penetrated within a mile of Plattsburgh, I dispatched my aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Root, to bring off the detachment at Dead-Creek, and to inform Lieutenant-Colonel Appling that I wished him to fall on the enemy’s right flank; the Colonel fortunately arrived just in time to save his retreat, and to fall in with the head of a column debouching from the woods; here he poured in a destructive fire from his riflemen at rest, and continued to annoy the column until he formed a junction with Major Wool. The field-pieces did considerable execution among the enemy’s columns. So undaunted, however, was the enemy, that he never deployed in his whole march, always pressing on in a column. Finding that every road around us was full of troops, crowding in on all sides, I ordered the field-pieces to retire across the bridge and form a battery for its protection, and to cover the retreat of the infantry, which was accordingly done, and the parties of Appling and Wool, as well as that of Sproul, retired alternately, keeping up a brisk fire until they got under cover of the works. The enemy’s light troops occupied the houses near the bridge, and kept up a constant firing from the windows and balconies, and annoyed us much. I ordered them to be driven out with hot shot, which soon fired the houses and obliged these sharp-shooters to retire. The whole day, until it was too late to see, the enemy’s light troops endeavored to drive our guards from the bridge, but they suffered dearly for their perseverance.
“Our troops being now all on the south side of the Saranac, I directed the planks to be taken off the bridges, and piled up in form of breastworks, to cover our parties intended for disputing the passage, which afterwards enabled us to hold the bridges against very superior numbers. From the 7th to the 11th, the enemy was employed in getting his battering train and erecting his batteries and approaches, and constantly skirmishing at the bridges and fords. By this time the militia of New York and volunteers from Vermont were pouring in from all quarters. I advised General Mooers to keep his force along the Saranac, to prevent the enemy crossing the river, and to send a strong body in his rear to harass him day and night, and keep him in continual alarm. The militia behaved with great spirit after the first day, and the volunteers from Vermont were exceedingly serviceable.
“Our regular troops, notwithstanding the constant skirmishing, and repeated endeavors of the enemy to cross the river, kept at their work, day and night, strengthening their defences, and evinced a determination to hold out to the last extremity. It was reported that the enemy only awaited the arrival of his flotilla to make a general attack. About eight, on the morning of the 11th, as was expected, the flotilla appeared in sight, round Cumberland Head, and at nine, bore down and engaged our flotilla, at anchor in the bay off this town. At the same instant, the batteries were opened on us, and continued throwing bomb-shells, shrapnells, balls and congreve rockets until sunset, when the bombardment ceased; every battery of the enemy being silenced by the superiority of our fire. The naval engagement lasted two hours, in full view of both armies. Three efforts were made by the enemy to pass the river at the commencement of the cannonade and bombardment, with a view of assaulting the works, and had prepared for that purpose an immense number of scaling ladders; one attempt was made to cross at the village bridge; another at the upper bridge; and a third, at a ford, about three miles from the works. At the two first he was repulsed by the regulars; at the ford, by the brave volunteers and militia--where he suffered severely in killed, wounded and prisoners, a considerable body having passed the stream, but were either killed, taken, or driven back. The woods at this place were very favorable to the operations of our militia; a whole company of the 76th regiment was here destroyed--the three lieutenants and twenty-seven men prisoners; the captain and the rest killed. I cannot forego the pleasure of here stating the gallant conduct of Captain McGlassin, of the 15th regiment, who was ordered to ford the river and attack a party constructing a battery on the right of the enemy’s line, within five hundred yards of Fort Brown--which he handsomely executed, at midnight, with fifty men; drove off the working party consisting of one hundred and fifty, and defeated a covering party of the same number, killing one officer and six men in the charge and wounding many. At dusk, the enemy withdrew his artillery from the batteries, and raised the siege; and at nine, under cover of the night, sent off all the heavy baggage he could find transport for, and also his artillery. At two the next morning, the whole army precipitately retreated, leaving the sick and wounded to our generosity; and the governor left a note with a surgeon, requesting the humane attention of the commanding general.