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.
                                                                            -----
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

                                                                                                          -----
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

                                                                               

It Happened Here -- The Battle of Plattsburgh

Part 1, Mrs Hubbell's Houseguests

On September 1, 1814 the British Army came calling.  Mrs. Hubbell of Chazy, New York, found herself the unwilling hostess for Major General Frederick Philipse Robinson, and his staff.
General Robinson was in the vanguard of an 11,000 man invasion force  headed south from Chambly, Lower Canada towards Plattsburgh. As he sat down at the family dinner table he remarked how his father had been an American Loyalist at the time of the Revolution who had returned to England after the American victory at Yorktown. He also related how his father had told him Americans tended to be a smallish race of people.  Mrs. Hubbell did not contradict him but smiled and directed a servant to have Phillip Hensinger serve the roast beef. In a moment, the doorway was filled with a 6ft. 7in. teenager of some 260 pounds, carrying the main course. The General laughed, telling his staff, "If the Yankees are all like him, the Lord deliver us." The next morning as the General and staff was leaving, Mrs Hubbell bid them a "Good-bye, for a very little while, but I know you will soon be back and hanging your heads as you come." The General scoffed, promising if that happened, every officer here would throw his purse on her doorstep as they passed.

From the perspective of the British, this American conflict had dragged on far too long, through three summers, and now it was time to put an end to it--now that Napoleon was defeated in Europe and Britain could devote much more of her resources for ending it on terms favorable to the British.  Nearly 15,000 troops were shipped directly from the Peninsular War battlefields and other posts to the New World to humiliate the upstart Americans and show them that, unencumbered by a world war with Napoleon, the British military could operate when and where it wanted to, and the Americans could do little to stop them! Additionally, they hoped to carve off some choice hunks of American territory before they forced the Americans to sue for peace. Right before the Plattsburgh invasion British troops raided Washington DC, pushing the American militia aside and burning federal buildings including the White House.  Their attempt to raid Baltimore, Maryland was repulsed but they succeeded in occupying much of coastal Maine.  They would also attempt to occupy New Orleans. A successful drive down the Lake Champlain--Lake George corridor to Albany might even give them a claim to northern New England, in the peace talks.  Operating with the knowledge that many New Englanders were opposed to the federal government and the war, and that many "north country" New Yorkers, Vermonters and Mainers had actively defied the U.S. Embargo, and for years had smuggled goods into Canada, the notion that at least part of New England could be made a new  British colony seemed not so far fetched as it might first appear.*

Rte 30A, Johnstown

The British had successfully created a diversion, misleading the American War Department into thinking the British build-up in Canada was aimed at an attack on Sackett's Harbor. General George Izard was ordered with 4500 of his fittest men to Sackett's Harbor. Because no roads connected Sackett's Harbor and Plattsburgh,  and because the British had control of the Saint Lawrence River  Izard's troops were forced to march south, and southwest to Johnstown,  then northwest to Sackett's Harbor, a trip of about 285 miles (compared to a direct route today of 170 miles.)                                                                                                                                                      

Norway, Herkimer Co., N.Y.

Left in Plattsburgh were a mere 1,500 regular soldiers, mostly pieces of some 9 regiments, plus the sick and some prisoners of war. General Benjamin Mooers, a farmer/politician who lived north of Plattsburgh called out his New York State Militia but of the 2,500 militiamen called, only 700 responded!

In Vermont, Governor Chittenden was opposed to sending his Vermont militia to fight out of state but General Sam Strong mobilized them anyway.  Most of his militiamen responded

Rte 314, Cumberland Head

and made their way across the lake with the help of the American squadron, and anything else that could float. (An unintended consequence of the British raid on the nation's capitol and the raids on the New England Coast may have been that for the first time Vermonters felt invested in "Mr. Madison's War.)

Mooers' seven hundred untrained militiamen were sent forward to delay the advancing British by skirmishing with them, ripping up

Rte 9, South of Plattsburgh




                     

bridges, and felling trees. How much of this they accomplished remains in dispute, but when a unit of American  mounted dragoons came up behind them, wearing their unit's red jackets and white breeches, the militia assumed they were British. They panicked and dissolved. Most did not stop running until they were back at Pike's Cantonment, far to the west on the American lines. Some would rejoin the battle but most would continue on to their homes.

Beekmantown Rd., by High School

North of Beekmantown the British Army had split, with General Robinson's force following the Beekmantown road to the center of Plattsburgh, and General Brisbane's taking the road that followed along the shore.

Along a rise in the Beekmantown Road, "Culver Hill",  the Americans made their first attempt to oppose the British. Major John Wool leading about 250 regular army infantrymen and 30 militiamen-volunteers fired on the British column killing the lead unit's colonel, and ensign and twelve soldiers before being driven back.

Rte. 22, Beekmantown Rd.

 

Artist rendition of the skirmish at Culver Hill--from a sign at the skirmish site

(note--the British Column appears to extend to the horizon!)

Halsey Court, Tom Miller Rd.,Boynton Ave.

Sniping as they retreated, the Americans next stand was at Halsey's Corners where the Beekmantown Road ended at a "T" on the outskirts of Plattsburgh. There the Americans improvised a surprise for the British column. Along the top of the "T" was a farmer's field bounded by a stone wall**.  The infantry had been joined by Captain Leonard's Light Artillery. Leonard's artillery at the corners consisted of two, small 3 pounders--cannon firing three pound balls. (Most field artillery of the era used 6 or 8 pounders) but Captain Leonard planned to use them for maximum effect. Partially obscured by the stone wall,  the guns were further hidden by a closed rank of soldiers, standing in front. When the long column of British regulars, marching four abreast, were almost in musket range the American infantry scampered out of the way, allowing the cannon to do their bloody work. The little cannon each got off two or three shots before the Americans were driven back.

162 Quarry Rd. (Am. Legion Post)

Two additional stands were made before the Americans were forced back into their lines on the south side of the Saranac River, after tearing off the planking of the bridge over the Saranac.

While the British right wing was battling down Beekmantown road, the left wing was coming down the shore road (today's Rte 9) facing heavy fire as the Americans removed the planking off of the Dead Creek Bridge (later known as Scomotion Creek).

Rte 9, north Plattsburgh

Once they had taken the bridgehead and crossed they came under a new threat--the American fleet.
American Naval Commodore Thomas Macdonough had four ships positioned in Plattsburgh's Cumberland Bay. These were armed with short cannon, known as carronnades that were unable to reach the shore.  But he also had assembled twelve gunboats, mostly built before, and at an earlier stage in the war, to try to interdict smugglers running supplies to Canada. Seventy foot long whaleboats, they each had two long naval guns. Crowded at the narrow bows of the crafts they were difficult to load and reload and could be aimed only by moving the whole boat, but their fire stopped the entire left column, until the Royal Artillery brought up their own 6 pounders, forcing the Americans out of range.

As the day ended skirmishers on both sides had entered the city and had begun a house to house fight, as the vastly outnumbered American Army hunkered down in their forts and trenches, built up along the southern shore of the Saranac River, and awaited the onslaught that they knew was coming the next day. Between 200 and 250 casualties had occurred on the British side this first day.  Around forty five Americans had been killed or wounded.


*Smuggling was a major industry on Lake Champlain. American beef fed the British Army and the British Lake Champlain squadron was built with American masts, American spars and American planks. The New England newspapers often railed against "Mr. Madison's War" and hinted at secession. Some members of Parliament speculated about a new English speaking colony, separate from French-speaking Lower Canada, possibly named "Columbia." 

**Today it is a four way intersection in a development.  Halsey Court is cut off of Beekmantown  Rd. by the Northway.

Next Week-- It Happened Here--The Battle of Plattsburgh, Part 2, The Battle in the Bay


Addenda-- (A new more-or-less regular feature of this blog)  After writing and researching this blog for a few years I have come to appreciate how much things change.  Old NYSHMs disappear--sometimes, but not usually, replaced by more informative tablet-photographic signs. New NYSHMs are created by local organizations, and through the excellent work of the Pomeroy Foundation.  More often I find signs I didn't know existed, or had previously been unable to find, or just hadn't gotten to photograph.  Sometimes the subjects of the signs themselves disappear: historic houses burn or are torn down; graves are moved (see last week's Marker of the Week); etc.  Only very rarely are the subjects of signs. once removed, re-created! But here is a rare example:

Rte. 30, Blenheim

The sign remains, but the bridge is gone.

The Bridge Re-created








On August 28, 2011 Hurricane Irene became stalled over the counties around New York's capital district, dumping heavy rainfall on the area for days. Water rose high enough under the Blenheim Bridge to carry it off its dry-stone piers. In the months that followed, pieces of the bridge were found as far away as thirty miles downstream. A lively debate followed: Should money be allocated to rebuild an historic (but unused) bridge when so many families homes in the valley had suffered significant storm damage? Eventually money was allocated and a new bridge built--15 feet higher than the old one, on concrete abutments.