Chapter 8

After graduating from Hamilton College in 1818, Gerrit Smith (1797-1874) assumed the management of the vast estate of his father, and greatly increased the family fortune, but he soon turned his attention to reform and philanthropy. He first became an active temperance worker, and then, after seeing an anti-slavery meeting at Utica broken up by a mob, took up the cause of abolition. He was one of the leading organizers of the Liberty party (1840), and later was nominated for president by various reform parties, notably the Free Soil Party (1848 & 1852). He was likewise the candidate of the anti-slavery party for governor of New York in 1840 and 1858. In 1853 he was elected to Congress as an independent, whereupon he issued an address declaring that all men have an equal right to the soil; that wars are brutal and unnecessary; that slavery could not be sanctioned by any constitution, state or federal; that free trade is essential to human brotherhood; that women should have full political rights, and that alcoholic liquors should be prohibited by state and federal enactments. He resigned at the end of his first session and gave away numerous farms of 50 acres each to indigent families; attempted to colonize tracts in Northern N.Y. with free negroes; assisted fugitive slaves to escape--Peterboro, his home village, 22 miles southwest of Utica, became a station on the "Underground railroad"--and established a nonsectarian church, open to all Christians of whatever shade of belief, in Peterboro. He was an intimate friend of John Brown of Osawatomie, to whom he gave a farm in Essex County. His total benefactions probably exceeded $8,000,000.

Utica is situated on ground rising gradually from the river. There are many fine business and public buildings, especially on Genesee St., the principal thoroughfare, and the city is known for the number of its institutions, public and private. It has some fine parks. In the Forest Hill Cemetery are the graves of Horatio Seymour and Roscoe Conkling.

Horatio Seymour (1810-1886) was a member of the N.Y. Assembly (1842-1845), Mayor of Utica (1843) and Governor of the State (1854-1855). In 1854 he vetoed a bill prohibiting intoxicating liquors in the state. In 1863-1865 he was again governor and opposed Lincoln's policy in respect to emancipation, military arrests and conscription. He was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate against Grant in 1868, but carried only eight states. He died at Utica at the home of his sister, who was the wife of Roscoe Conkling.

Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888) was a lawyer and political leader who attracted attention in public life because of his keenness and eloquence in debate, his aggressive leadership, and his striking personality. He was born in Albany and was admitted to the bar at Utica in 1850. Having joined the Republican party at the time of its formation, he served for several years as representative in Congress, and in 1867 was elected senator from N.Y. He labored for the impeachment of President Johnson and was one of the senatorial coterie that influenced Grant. He was disappointed in his ambition to be nominated for president in 1876, and in 1880 he was one of the leaders of the unsuccessful movement to nominate Grant for a third presidential term.

Here also is the famous Oneida stone of the Oneida Indians on which the warriors used to have their ears slit to prepare them for battle, and on which, too, they used to place the scalps of their enemies. The stone was brought here from Oneida Castle.

Utica has varied and extensive manufactures (17,000 employees), with a total annual output of about $60,000,000. Among its products are hosiery and knit goods, cotton goods, men's clothing, foundry products, plumbing and heating apparatus lumber products, food preparation, boots and shoes, and brick, tile and pottery, as well as a number of others. Utica is the shipping point for a rich agricultural region, from which are shipped dairy products (especially cheese), nursery products, flowers (especially roses), small fruits and vegetables, honey and hops.

We pass on the right, a short distance north of the river, the picturesque Deerfield Hills, a beginning of the scenic highlands which stretch away towards the Adirondack Mts. Fifteen miles north of Utica on West Canada Creek, are Trenton Falls,* which descend 312 feet in two miles through a sandstone chasm, in a series of cataracts, some of them having an 80-foot fall. The falls are reached on the branch line of the New York Central leading from Utica to the Adirondacks.

244 M. ORISKANY, Pop. 1,101. (Train 51 passes 1:30p; No. 3, 2:39p; No. 41, 6:56p; No. 25, 7:49p; No. 25, 11:17p. Eastbound No. 6 passes 3:36a; No. 26, 4:21a; No. 16, 9:36a; No. 22, 11:32a.)

The battle of Oriskany, an important minor engagement of the Revolutionary War, was fought in a little ravine about 2 M. west of Oriskany, Aug. 6, 1777. Two days before, Gen. Nicholas Herkimer had gathered about 800 militiamen at Ft. Dayton (on the site of the present city of Herkimer) for the relief of Ft. Schuyler which was being besieged by British and Indians under Col. Barry St. Leger and Joseph Brant. On the 6th, Herkimer's force, on its march to Ft. Schuyler, was ambushed by a force of 650 British under Sir John Johnson and 800 Indians under Joseph Brant, in the ravine west of the village. The rear portion of Herkimer's troops escaped from the trap, but were pursued by the Indians, and many of them were overtaken and killed. Between the remainder and the British and Indians there was a desperate hand-to-hand conflict, interrupted by a violent thunderstorm, with no quarter shown by either side. About this time a sortie was made from Ft. Schuyler and the British withdrew, after about 200 Americans had been killed and as many taken prisoner. The loss of the British was about the same. Gen. Herkimer, though his leg had been broken by a shot at the beginning of the action, continued to direct the fighting on the American side, but died on Aug. 16 as a result of the clumsy amputation of his leg.

Before the engagement, Gen. Herkimer, realizing that the British had a superior force, pleaded for delay, hoping for a signal that the American forces at Ft. Schuyler were ready to co-operate in the battle. His subordinate officers, however, retorted that they "came to fight, not to see others fight" and finally accused Herkimer of being a "Tory and a coward." Gen. Herkimer, thoroughly enraged, gave the order to march.

The battle, though indecisive, had an important influence in preventing St. Leger from effecting a junction with Gen. Burgoyne, which would have materially assisted the latter's intention to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. An obelisk on the hill to the left marks the spot where the battle took place.

251 M. ROME. Pop. 26,341. (Train 51 passes 1:37p; No. 3, 2:47p; No. 41, 7:07p; No. 25, 7:57p; No. 19, 11:23p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 3:28a; No. 26, 4:15a; No. 16, 9:28a; No. 22, 11:24a.)

The portage at this place, between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek (to the northwest), which are about a mile apart, gave the site its Indian name, De-i-wain-sta, "place where canoes are carried from one stream to another," and its earliest English name, "The Great (or Oneida) Carrying Place." Its location made it of strategic value as a key between the Mohawk Valley and Lake Ontario. Wood Creek flows into Oneida Lake, and thus formed part of a nearly continuous waterway from the Hudson to the Great Lakes. Two primitive forts were built in 1725 to protect the carrying place, but these were superseded by Ft. Stanwix, erected about 1760 by Gen. John Stanwix, at an expense of L60,000. The first permanent settlement dates from this time. In Oct. and Nov. of 1768, Sir William Johnson and representatives of Virginia and Pennsylvania met 3,200 Indians of the Six Nations here and made a treaty with them, under which, for L10,460 in money and provisions, they surrendered to the crown their claims to what is now Kentucky, West Virginia and the western part of Pennsylvania.

This treaty, the last great act of Sir William Johnson, probably averted another Indian war. Great preparations were made for feasting the Indians who attended the council. It is said that 60 barrels of flour, 50 barrels of port, 6 barrels of rice and 70 barrels of other provisions were sent to the meeting place. There was a prolonged period of speech making, but the treaty was finally signed on Nov. 5, 1768. One of the features of this treaty was the sale to Thomas Penn (1702-1775) and Richard Penn (1706-1771), second and third sons of William Penn (founder of Pa.), of the remaining land in the province of Pa., to which they claimed title. This transaction involved L2,000 of the total payment made to the Indians.

The fort was immediately dismantled, but was repaired by the Continentals after 1776 and renamed Ft. Schuyler, in honor of Gen. Philip Schuyler and so is sometimes confused with Old Ft. Schuyler at Utica. The 3rd Regiment of New York line troops under Col. Peter Gansevoort, occupied the fort in 1777. The first U.S. flag made according to the law of June 14, 1777, was raised over Ft. Schuyler on Aug. 3rd of that same year, one month before the official announcement by Congress of the design of the flag, and was almost immediately used in action. The first fight under the colors was the battle of Oriskany in which the soldiers of the fort became involved.

The basic idea of the present flag was evolved by a committee composed of George Washington, Robert Morris, and Col. George Ross with the assistance of Betsy Ross. The flag made by Mrs. Ross, though it is sometimes referred to as the first U.S. flag, was actually prepared as a tentative design or pattern for submission to Congress. On the 14th of June, 1777, Congress resolved "that the flag of the U.S. be thirteen stripes, alternates red and white, that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." This was the original of the national flag. The flag at Ft. Stanwix was a hasty makeshift put together under direction of Col. Marinus Willet, who found it difficult to obtain materials because the fort was hemmed in by the British. In his diary Col. Willet relates that "white stripes were cut out of an ammunition shirt; the blue out of a camlet cloak taken from the enemy at Peekskill, while the red stripes were made of different pieces of stuff procured from one and another of the garrison."

After the War of Independence, three commissioners for the U.S. made a new treaty with the chiefs of the Six Nations at Ft. Schuyler (1784). In 1796 a canal was built across the old portage between Wood Creek and the Mohawk. In the same year the township of Rome was formed, receiving its name, says Schoolcraft, "from the heroic defence of the republic made here." The country surrounding Rome is devoted largely to farming, especially vegetables, gardening and to dairying. Among the manufactures are brass and copper products, wire for electrical uses, foundry and machine-shop products, locomotives, knit goods, tin cans and canned goods (especially vegetables).

264 M. ONEIDA, Pop. 10,541. (Train 51 passes 1:53p; No. 3, 3:05p; No. 41, 7:25p; No. 25, 8:12p; No. 19, 11:42p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 3:15a; No. 26, 4:02a; No. 16, 9:11a; No. 22, 11:10a.)

The city of Oneida is comparatively modern, but the village of Oneida Castle across the river to the south dates back to the time when this was the chief settlement of the Oneida Indians, who moved here about 1600 from the site of what is now Stockbridge in the same county.

The name Oneida is a corruption of the name Oneyotka-ono or "people of Stone," in allusion to the Oneida stone, a granite boulder near Oneida Castle which was held sacred by this tribe of the Iroquois. An early traveler who visited the castle in 1677 wrote that the "Onyades have but one town, doubly stockaded, of about one hundred houses." The rest of the tribe lived around Oneida Lake, in the region southward to the Susquehanna. They were not loyal to the Iroquois League's policy of friendliness to the English, but inclined towards the French, and were practically the only Iroquois who fought for the Americans in the War of Independence. As a consequence they were attacked by others of the Iroquois under Joseph Brant and took refuge within the American settlements till the war ended, when the majority returned to their former home, while some migrated to the Thames River district, Ontario. Early in the 19th century they sold their lands, and most of them settled on a reservation at Green Bay, Wis., some few remaining in N.Y. State. The tribe now numbers more than 3,000, of whom about two-thirds are in Wisconsin, a few hundred in N.Y. State and about 800 in Ontario. They are civilized and prosperous.

The history of the modern city of Oneida goes back to 1829, when the present site was purchased by Sands Higinbotham, who is regarded as the founder of the town and in honor of whom one of the municipal parks is named. In the southeastern part of the city is the headquarters of the Oneida Community, originally a communistic society but now a business corporation, which controls important industries here, at Niagara Falls and elsewhere.

The Oneida Community was founded in 1847 by John Humphrey Noyes (1811-1866), and attracted wide interest because of its pecuniary success and its peculiar religious and social principles. Noyes was originally a clergyman, but broke away from orthodox religion to found a sect of his own in Putney, Vt., where he lived. This sect was known as the "Association of Perfectionists" and formed the nucleus of the community which Noyes later established at Oneida. The principles of the new community were based on the idea that true Christianity was incompatible with individual property, either in things or in persons. Consequently the new community held all its property in common. Marriage in the conventional sense of the word was abolished. The community was much interested in the question of race improvement by scientific means, and maintained that at least as much scientific attention should be given to the physical improvement of human beings as is given to the improvement of domestic animals. The members claimed to have solved among themselves the labor question by regarding all kinds of service as equally honorable, and respecting every person in accordance with the development of his character.

The members had some peculiarities of dress, mostly confined, however, to the women, whose costumes included a short dress and pantalets, which were appreciated for their convenience if not for their beauty. The women also adopted the practice of wearing short hair, which it was claimed saved time and vanity. Tobacco, intoxicants, profanity, obscenity, found no place in the community. The diet consisted largely of vegetables and fruits, while meat, tea and coffee were served only occasionally.

For good order and the improvement of the members, the community placed much reliance upon a very peculiar system of plain speaking they termed mutual criticism. Under Mr. Noyes' supervision it became in the Oneida Community a principal means of discipline and government.

The community had its first financial success when it undertook the manufacture of a steel trap invented by one of its members. Later the community engaged in a number of other enterprises, both agricultural and manufacturing. In the meantime they were subjected to bitter attacks on account of the radical beliefs of its members, especially regarding marriage. Noyes, the founder, recognized that in deference to public opinion it would be necessary to recede from their social principles, and accordingly the community was transformed into a commercial corporation in 1881.

Among the manufactures of Oneida are furniture, silver-plated ware, engines and machinery, pulley, steel vaults and hosiery. About 6 M. to the northwest is Oneida Lake, a small lake of considerable beauty, 18 M. long and 5 M. wide.

SYRACUSE TO BUFFALO

290 M. SYRACUSE, Pop. 171,717. (Train 51 passes 2:31p; No. 3, 3:45p; No. 41, 8:10p; No. 25, 8:50p; No. 19, 12:25p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 2:40a; No. 26, 3:28a; No. 16, 8:30a; No. 22, 10:35a.)

The Syracuse region first became known to Europeans through its salt deposits along the shore of Onondaga Lake which had been discovered and used by the Indians.

Syracuse lies within the ancient tribal headquarters of the Onondaga Indians, one of the six tribes forming the League of the Iroquois. Their territory extended northward to Lake Ontario and southward to the Susquehanna River. They were the official guardians of the council fire of the Iroquois, and their chief town, near the site of the present Onondaga (a few miles south of Syracuse) consisted of some 140 houses. This was in the middle of the 17th century, when the tribe was estimated as numbering between 1,500 and 1,700. Later the tribe divided, some of them migrating to the Catholic Iroquois settlements in Canada. About 500 Onondagas still live on a reservation south of Syracuse.

Although situated in a favorable trading location at the foot of the valley of Onondaga Creek where the latter joins Onondaga Lake, no settlement was made here until several years after the close of the War of Independence. The first white settler was Ephraim Webster, who built a trading post near the mouth of the creek in 1786. The village grew slowly. Between 1800 and 1805 a dozen families settled here, and the place received the name of Bogardus's Corners from the name of the proprietor of a local inn. In order to obtain money for the construction of a public road, the state government, which had assumed control of the salt fields, sold in 1809 some 250 acres embracing the district now occupied by Syracuse's business centre to Abraham Walton of Albany for $6,550--about $26.50 an acre. The town went under various names--Milan, South Saline, Cossitt's Corner, etc.--until 1824 when the present name was adopted. In 1818 Joshua Forman bought an interest in the Walton tract, had a village plotted and became the "founder" of the city.

Several political events of national importance have occurred in Syracuse. The Free Soil movement in N.Y. began at the Democratic State convention held here in 1847, when the split occurred between the "Barnburner" and "Hunker", factions of the Democratic party.

These factions grew out of a dispute over questions involving the Erie Canal. The "Barnburners" were the radical element, determined to oust the "reactionaries" in office no matter at what cost to the party, and were given their name from the old instance of the Pennsylvania farmer who burned his barns to get rid of the rats. The "Barnburners" opposed the extension of the Erie Canal and, after 1846, the extension of slavery in the Territories. The "Hunkers," conservative and influential, were so called from the Dutch "honk," which signifies "station" or "home." Thus, "honker" or "hunker" meant one who "stayed put," and was opposed to progress.

The famous "Jerry Rescue," manifesting the strong anti-slavery sentiment in Syracuse, took place in 1851, following the enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850.