It Happened Here--A Desperate Alarum

 

Frequent in the history of the American colonial wars and revolutionary war are stories of sudden raids and the response to these raids. There are numerous accounts of solitary messengers making desperate flights to warn others of danger or to mobilize forces. Thanks to the 19th century work of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, every schoolchild knows the name Paul Revere. The NYSHM's point to at least three of these incidents in New York State, and unlike Revere all three of these messengers made it! One of these, Adam Helmer,  I related in NYSHMS: It Happened Here  on 3/24/13 .  Here is another.
 

In May 1689 Great Britain declared war on France. While this was precipitated by events in Europe, for some time tensions had been heating up in the area between the New York and New France over their frontiers and throughout Iroquoia,. For decades the trade in beaver pelts had been critical to the relationships between the Indians and the Europeans. Now beaver was becoming scarce. The Iroquois began to pressure and intimidate the less powerful tribes to their west to direct their supply of beaver through them to their Dutch / English markets. English traders had made direct inroads with the Western tribes in the Lake Huron area and even in the Hudson's Bay area, deep within what the French considered was their natural economic domain. The French struck back against the English traders capturing large numbers of them and confiscating over 50.000 beaver pelts. They retaliated against the Iroquois by sending an army to destroy Seneca towns in the heart of Iroquoia. in 1687. While officially neutral, the English Governor promised the Iroquois powder, lead and protection for their families. The traders in Schenectady and Albany continued to support and supply their Iroquois trading partners. For the next year the Iroquois kept up a low level war of attack against individual French traders in the woods, and French colonists on the edges of French settlements. In the summer of 1689 the Iroquois struck back with two major raids against the French villages of Lachine and LaChesnaye near Montreal.

In addition to the economic issues, the Iroquois were upset at the successes of the Jesuit fathers in converting their own people. By ones and twos over the decades Jesuits had been bringing Iroquois to their faith. In 1671 Jesuits had convinced fifteen Mohawk converts to settle among Huron converts near Quebec. A few years later 200 Mohawks had left Iroquoia to build a new town near Montreal. Then, a contingent of "praying Indians" led by their war chief Kryn had actually participated in the attacks on the Seneca towns.

NYS 147, Sacandaga Rd. Glenville

 While this was happening, political turmoil was brewing in the English colonies that would have disastrous consequences for Schenectady. In 1688-89 English protestant forces in England conspired to oust their king, James II and put on the throne a Protestant sovereign from Holland.*  When word of this "Glorious Revolution" reached the English colonies, the Provincial governor Edmund Andros was arrested in Massachusetts and Deputy Governor Nicholson operating in New York City was sent packing back to England as rumors swirled that James II's catholic colonial officials intended to support a counter-revolution and even deliver the colony into the hands of the French. One Jacob Leisler, a wine merchant, rose to the head of an ad-hoc Committee of Safety elected from New York City and the surrounding towns, and was appointed acting Lieutenant Governor. Soon the colony was split by parties who either supported Leisler or who felt his government was illegitimate. At a time when towns on the frontier should have been mobilizing and building up their defenses, more often than not, they were paralyzed by officials appointed under the old governor bickering with Leisler appointees, with townspeople uncertain who was in charge. No where was this more apparent than in the small village of Schenectady.

While confusion and indecision reigned throughout much of the New York colony, the ouster of the pro-Catholic James II also alarmed the French. They began to make ambitious plans to attack Albany and carry their invasion through to New York. But Quebec could not amass sufficient troops or supplies for a full scale invasion. Nevertheless, the raids on Lachine and LaChesnaye demanded a response. Schenectady was selected as a target.

In January a raiding party of 114 Canadians and 96 Indians headed south. Traveling on frozen lakes-- Champlain, Ste Sacrement (Lake George) and Saratoga, then connecting with the trail that led from Saratoga to Albany and Schenectady, they paused at the trail's divide to reconsider whether to attack Albany or Schenectady. Perhaps Albany's larger size or the presence of cannon at Albany were deciding factors. Perhaps Kryn's impassioned speech urging them to attack Schenectady a town he knew gave aid and comfort his Mohawk brothers he hated, swayed the raiders, or perhaps they simply decided to carry through their orders.
 

Cor. Front St. and N. Church St, Schenectady

The last 37 miles was an extremely difficult nine day trek, with warmer weather turning the snow to knee deep slush. As they approached Schenectady the temperature plummeted and a blizzard set in. They intended to wait until an hour or two after midnight but decided to attack sooner, rather than endure the bitter cold any longer. They crossed the frozen Mohawk River and divided into two parties to enter the northern and southern gates. In the darkness and blizzard conditions the southern gate could not be found and the southern attack party rejoined the group outside the north gate. Nineteenth century historians recall traditional stories that the attackers found a sleeping town with the north gate left ajar, guarded only by children's snowmen. In any event, the political dissention of the Leisler rebellion had resulted in a breakdown of authority and Schenectady had failed to follow through with the most rudimentary precautions for their safety, including keeping a guard posted. The raiders filtered in, surrounding the town, placing themselves between the stockade and the houses with about seven attackers per household. With shots and war whoops they burst through doors and fell on the sleeping inhabitants. Only a few households were able to put up any resistance. Some of the younger inhabitants were selected for captivity. Most were put to the sword and the scalping knife. In the darkness and chaos a surprising number were able to escape the stockade and find sanctuary in the wilderness. In a matter of hours all but five of some sixty to eighty buildings lay in ashes. Sixty inhabitants were dead and twenty seven were being lead into captivity. Only one or two French raiders had died, and one was seriously wounded. 

Among those who escaped were the Schermerhorn brothers. In the years before the last decade of the 17th Century, Symon Schermerhorn lived in Schenectady with his brother Reyer, sons of Jacob Jansen Schermerhorrn, one of the most prominent traders at Beverwyck (Albany). Like many other Schenectadians, Symon may have had several sources of income--perhaps he did some farming; perhaps he did some trading in beaver pelts. Though the English extended the monopoly in fur trade to Albany, that the Dutch had given to Beverwyck before them, the prohibition against trading in furs was largely ignored in Schenectady. The little settlement on the Mohawk River continued to have a natural advantage, being the western-most town that Iroquois bringing in their furs would reach first. It was also a natural point of departure for the "boslopers," Dutch hunter/fur traders who ventured far into Indian country to hunt furs themselves and/or contact groups of Indians coming in to trade furs. Giving them presents to entice them, the boslopers acted as agents for fur traders in the towns, steering Indians to their clients/partners, sometimes brokering deals in the woods. So aggressive were their tactics, often, that emissaries of the Iroquois tribes more than once registered complaints with the English authorities that boslopers were forcing goods on fur laden Indians and even beating them if they failed to respond favorably. The fact that Symon Schermerhorn was mentioned in plans by former Governor Dongan to set up trading expeditions with western Indians suggests he may have been actively involved in the fur trade. Whatever the nature of his business, Symon was successful enough that he owned several slaves, three he reported killed in the 1690 massacre.

N. Church St., near Front St., Schenectady

We probably will never know the exact circumstances of Symon Schermerhorn's escape from the burning town. Like many other townspeople, he was able to escape in the snow and the darkness during the mayhem of the attack. Perhaps his three slaves created a diversion that enabled him to mount his horse and escape. Perhaps they unbarred and opened the south gate -- the one the attackers had been unable to find in the dark, through which he probably escaped. We do know, however, he escaped in a fusillade of musket fire and was struck in the hip. His horse was also hit and later died from blood loss and exhaustion. We know that when he escaped the stockade he had two choices before him. He could have taken the more direct cart road (King's Highway) to Albany some 15 miles through the largely unpopulated pine barrens. Or he could have taken the winding River Road, some 20 miles, and alert the families in homesteads along the river. In spite of his and his horse's injuries he chose the longer River Road. As the snows piled up he rode some five hours spreading the alarm along this route, not stopping until he reached the gates of Albany to deliver his warning, before collapsing.
 

NYS 5, State St., Corner of Ferry St.

After the attack, many of the survivors returned to their burned out town. Reyer returned to work his farm, labeled on an early map, as Bouwery Number 4 on the flat lands along the Mohawk in front of Schenectady . He promoted and managed a project for harvesting timber for masts and spars for the King's Navy, hauling the timber to the Mohawk, to float them down the river, over the Cohoes falls and down the Hudson where they were to be taken aboard ship for England. He returned as a member of the provincial assembly from Schenectady and village magistrate, a position he was appointed to, the result of his support of Jacob Leisler's government. He continued as a leader of the pro-Leisler faction in Schenectady, surviving his leader who was hung but later exonerated by Parliament. By the end of his life he had become one of the three wealthiest men in Schenectady with an estate valued at over 100 Pounds. (The average estate was less than 25 pounds.) 
 
Many other survivors, however, did not return. Symon was one of these. Symon survived his wound, and moved to New York City. He became the operator of a sloop on the Hudson, transporting cargo between Albany and Manhattan until his death in 1697.
 

  

 Marker of the Week -- ...so the first Meeting of the "First Ever Temperance 
                                                     Organization" was held WHERE (?!)

NYS 32, Gansevoort