It Happened Here -- The Battle of Plattsburgh

Part 3, The Battle across the Saranac, and the Conclusion

As the Americans tore off the planking on the bridges across the Saranac River and retired into their own lines, the British occupied the town on the north side of the river.
Farms on the outskirts of town became supply dumps and stables for the British army's horses and mules. Basements and some of the first floors of houses just beyond the battle lines became makeshift hospitals while other houses became quarters for officers.

On Latour Ave., N. of Plattsburgh, off Rte. 9

Oak and Court Sts., Plattsburgh

                                                                                                                                                                          Near where the Saranac empties into the bay, the Royal Artillery constructed batteries to bombard the American forts and keep American ships from getting too close to the British lines. Just north of the batteries, the Delord house became the Royal Artillery headquarters.

Kent-Delord House, Cornelia and Cumberland Av. P'burgh

 Major General DeRottenburg, commander of the left division of the army established his HQ in a house overlooking the town and the Saranac River.  At the highest part of the ridge closest to the Saranac battle lines and Cumberland Bay, Sir George Prevost commandeered the Edward Allen farm for his headquarters. Sir George was the governor of Lower Canada.  A francophone and a staunch supporter of the French Canadians, he ignored the vicious criticism of the British press and was instrumental in keeping the Canadian French loyal to the British Empire throughout the Napoleonic years.  With limited resources, he had successfully countered two years of American attacks, relying heavily on Canadian militia, light cavalry and home guards (voltigeurs, chasseurs and fencibles.) Prevost had promoted the plan for an invasion down the Champlain Valley, and now he was leading it.
 

Rt. 3 and the Northway

The Saranac is a stony wandering river that twists and turns generally in a north eastern direction until it flows into Plattsburgh's Cumberland bay.  Though not deep, its current is fast, making wading across it extremely difficult.  In many places, the south bank is higher than the north bank.

The Saranac from the Bridge St. Bridge

 (like along much of the river, this section was heavily wooded with overhanging trees)

Rte. 9, S.Plattsburgh

The river and the bay form a wide peninsula and across this peninsula the Americans built three forts. Fort Brown, on the bank of the Saranac had cannon that could range up the river or across into the town. Fort Moreau, on the center of the peninsula, was the largest, and Fort Scott had cannon that could defend the American lines from naval assault. Two blockhouses, one near the eastern point of the peninsula, another ahead of fort Moreau, at the center of the peninsula and a fortified stone mill at the upper bridge completed the defensive strong-points. Along much of the line were trenches, and bastions that enabled defenders to fire down the trenches if the lines were breached.

All that remains of Fort Scott are slight mounds, once the parapet, interrupted by embrasures that protected cannon positioned here.

N. end of Ft.Brown Dr. at the former Plattsburgh AF Base

The remains of Fort Moreau were leveled to make way for a parade ground for the military base located there, around the end of the 19th century. Many artifacts, and the skeletal remains of one of its defenders were found.

Firing across the lines became widespread and frequent, while the British army waited five days for the British fleet to arrive. At first they fired from windows and roof tops in the occupied town until the American army commander Alexander Macomb ordered furnace-heated cannon balls to be fired into the buildings, burning down those structures within range, that hid snipers.

Rte 9, at Salmon River, South Plattsburgh

While American militia units suffered from numerous, even widespread desertions, the army was bolstered by many volunteers, citizens with no military affiliation who showed up to lend a hand.  Many came from Vermont and large numbers of these were organized and equipped by William Gilliland Jr.* at his farm on the Salmon river landing, south of Plattsburgh.  "Exempt" units were formed by Revolutionary war veterans and "seniors",officially exempt from militia duty due to their age.  A most unusual group of volunteers came from Plattsburgh, itself.

Plaque commemorating Martin Aiken, Rt. 22, Willsboro

Martin Aiken, was a 21 year old law student who ran the Plattsburgh Academy, a secondary school for boys whose ages were 10 to 17.  With their classes interrupted, the boys, numbering less than twenty decided to form a company and volunteer.  Aiken was prevailed upon to become their captain and 20 year old Azariah Flagg, became their lieutenant. Armed with old family muskets and squirrel guns, the boys, many of whom had hunted for their family's dinner table, followed the militia into battle. They stationed themselves around Mr Halsey's house at Halsey's Corners and when forced back, retreated through the woods in time to help remove the planking from the Dead Creek Bridge, and skirmish with the approaching British. When the Americans were pushed back to their trenches, the boys hiked to Pike's Cantonment at the far western end of the line where volunteers were collecting and being armed to try to get better muskets for themselves. In the the next couple days, they seemed to be everywhere, skirmishing and scouting.**  Three of their number were nearly killed when, returning from a scout, they detoured to recover a box of whiskey and spirits they knew was hidden in a barn. The boys were unscathed as they crossed in a hail of bullets and covering fire.  On the morning of the 11th, as the naval battle raged on the bay Aiken's Volunteers were at the old stone mill near the mouth of the Saranac defending the bridge  as General Brisbane's wing was driven back repeatedly in its attempt to cross it.

Plaque on the Bridge St. Bridge, near the original wooden bridge, Plattsburgh

Martin Aiken survived the battle, became a lawyer and practiced law for many years in the village of Essex, becoming the district attorney for Essex County.

Azariah Flagg was the young editor of the Plattsburgh Republican, a newspaper that would survive to today, becoming the Plattsburgh-Press Republican. 

Rte 22, Willsboro





The stout defense that Sir George observed coming from the American lines convinced him he should attempt to find a crossing point to get around the western end of the American's line and attack them from the south or southwest. On the morning of the 11th he launched attacks and artillery bombardments up and down the line, to hide his main objective, a flanking attack. During the attack British rockets were used, and to everyone's surprise, some of these unguided missiles slammed into the U.S. blockhouse guarding the lower bridge, setting it afire and killing the soldiers inside.

Under the cover of the morning's actions a column of 7000 men was assembled in two divisions commanded by Generals Powers and Robinson. Marching on the north side of the ridge, to avoid being seen, they passed behind General Prevost's HQ before turning south and plunging into the deep tangled woods that covered acres north and south of the Saranac.  Lost in a maze of cart tracks and logging paths they wandered for an hour before realizing they were lost and needed to back-track. Eventually they found the river and the ford leading to Pike's Cantonment, a camp of wooden huts built to house the Army in the first year of the war. At the ford they encountered stiff resistance from a mixed group of 400 militia, volunteerss, and regulars, but were able to force their way through.

Beyond it, perhaps at the Cantonment's parade grounds,Vermont's General Sam Strong had drawn up his mixed assortment of some 2,500 men. Looking at their ragged appearance, he realized they could never stand up to the orderly massed ranks of British regulars in an open battle, and ordered them to withdraw and fight a delaying battle from behind rocks and trees.  The day before, General Macomb had ordered the Americans to hide the road from the Cantonment to the village by felling trees and dragging brush over it. General Powers' division raced ahead, convinced that the retreating Americans would lead them via the shortest route to the American lines.  Following behind, General Robertson realized General Powers men were heading south, away from, not toward the American lines.  Turning left, he prepared to follow the Saranac to the backside of the American lines. He would claim, afterward, he had gotten to a point where he could actually see the Americans in their works.
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On the bay, both fleets lay shattered; its crews decimated and exhausted. A glimmer of hope may have arisen on the British side when they saw the Americans of the Saratoga cease  firing and abandon their cannon.  But hope turned to horror when they realized the Americans were cutting some anchor lines and winding others ("spring lines") around the ship, up to the capstan. ***  Slowly the Saratoga began to pivot in place until a whole new row of undamaged guns was pointed at the Confiance. The Ticonderoga similarly repeated the procedure.  Frantically, the Confiance  tried to turn on her spring cables but with her bow smashed, and several anchors shot away she was unable. A couple broadside from the American's fresh guns decided the issue. Confiance surrendered. Linnet surrendered. The British gunboats scuttled away.  By 11:00 the bay was silent.

Lake Shore Rd., Chazy Landing

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From his hilltop headquarters, George Prevost could hear and see  (at least from the sounds of gunfire and the direction of gunpowder smoke) much of what was going on.  And much of what he observed deeply alarmed him.  Sir George was undoubtedly well aware of what had transpired in the last war with the Americans. Although it was only September he undoubtedly knew that the clock was ticking. He undoubtedly knew how his predecessor in the last war, Governor Sir Guy Carleton had destroyed the enemy Arnold's fleet but had to flee to escape the grasp of winter that came on in the first week of November in 1776. More than most British commanders, this governor of Lower Canada knew how completely and finally winter could shut down military operations.  All summer long he had been urging his naval counterparts to complete their preparations, but to no avail, until Fall was now upon them.

He knew from the last war how dependent the Army was on the Navy--the lifeline it provided in this vast wilderness.  He knew in the last war how a whole army (Cornwalis') had been forced to surrender when its lifeline failed it.  Undoubtedly, Prevost was promptly told when the British ships had "struck their colors" and surrendered, but perhaps he could even see when the firing ceased, and the smoke drifted away the de-masted shattered state of the fleet he depended on.

And finally he could see from the rising musket smoke and hear from the increasing tempo of musket and rifle fire, (now that the bay was silent) how his flanking force in the thick woods was being drawn away and enveloped by American troops that seemed to materialize out of the woods, its self.
Disturbing images of the battles at Saratoga must have flashed through his mind.  In its wars with the Americans, Britain had lost two armies.  Sir George was determined not to lose a third!  The Commander issued a general order for withdrawal.

 The withdrawal proceeded rapidly although the British artillery bombardment continued until 3pm.  (This was to suppress any American attack and--better to use the heavy cannon ammunition up, than have to drag it all the way back to Canada!) Arrangements were made with the Americans to care for the British wounded. Much of the Army's supplies were destroyed. If a wagon broke down, its contents were destroyed****.

Planned for the Centenary, the monument was completed in 1926

The 135 ft obelisk is surmounted by a bronze eagle

From her home in Chazy, Mrs.Hubbell watched with a grim sense of satisfaction as the long columns of red coated infantrymen marched past.  Then suddenly she saw a group of mounted officers she recognized.  As before, they commandeered her house for the night and Mrs Hubbell reminded them of their pledge.  Before they left, they surrendered their purses.




*see my post of 9/8/15 doe an article on Wiliam Gilliland, Sr., a North Country pioneer, "In Sir William's Footsteps"

**General Macomb encountered them frequently on regular inspections of the works during the battle. In his after-action  report he was lavish in his praise for the boys and gave them each a rifle, but was forced to collect them when his quartermaster reminded him he could not give away government property. The U.S. Congress eventually made amends for the recall in 1826 by giving new Hall Model 1824 breech loading rifles to each of the boys--now grown men. Each carried a silver personalized plaque citing their company's contribution. Several of these rifles still exist.

***Capstans were barrel-like winches located on ship's main decks used to pull in or let out anchors, and through block and tackle, sometimes raise or lower heavy sails.  Half a dozen or more sailors would operate them by walking around them  pushing on bars inserted in the capstans to turn them.

****And a final folk story in this battle that has so many stories--In their haste to leave the British left behind many things. Samuel Lowell's home on Boynton Avenue was occupied by General Brisbane and his staff.  Mrs. Lowell "put aside" a keg of British gold, then recovered it after the British hurriedly left.  While this story may be apocryphal, the Lowells did build a fine new house soon after the battle!

A good deal of confusion and contradictions exist about the Battle of Plattsburgh, from its British objective, to the route of the invasion force, to the location and particulars of the battle, itself,  to  the final flanking maneuver of the British in the woods over the upper Saranac. In these articles I have been unable present all the alternatives or to do any of them justice. A reading of these three books, which I heavily relied on will give the interested reader a much better understanding

Everest, Allan S.  The War of 1812 in the Champlain Valley. Syracuse 1981
Fitz-Enz, Col. David G.  The Final Invasion: Plattsburgh, The War of 1812's Most Decisive Battle. New York 2001
Herkalo, Keith A.  The Battles at Plattsburgh, September 11, 1814.  Charleston, SC 2012