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Chapter 1

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7-11

Bibliographic Citation

The siege of Fort Erie: an episode of the war of 1812 / by Louis L. Babcock.

10195727

The siege of Fort Erie: an episode of the war of 1812 / by Louis L. Babcock.

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Text

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THE SIEGE OF FORT ERIE:
An Episode of the War of 1812.

CHAPTER I.

A Brief Sketch of Fort Erie up to 181 4.
One of the first travelers who describes the vicinity of
Buffalo—the first man, in fact, who appreciated the advantages
of the site where Buffalo now stands—was Baron La Hontan,
lord lieutenant of the French colony in Newfoundland, who,
after paying a compliment to Niagara Falls by describing them
as seven hundred or eight hundred feet high, says:
"The Lake Erie is justly dignified with the illustrious name
of Conti, for assuredly 'tis the finest Lake upon Earth. You
may judge of the goodness of the climate from the latitudes of
the Countries that surround it. Its circumference extends to two
hundred and thirty leagues but it affords everywhere such a
charming Prospect that its Banks are deck'd with Oak-Trees,
Elms, Chestnut-Trees, Walnut-Trees, Apple-Trees, Plum-Trees,
and Vines which bear their fine clusters up to the very top of
the Trees upon a sort of ground that lies as smooth as one's
Hand. Such ornaments as these are sufficient to give rise to the
most agreeable idea of Landskape in the World."
He describes the locality as abounding in wild game and
fish and filled with warlike Indians. In a map annexed to his
journal he locates a prospective fort precisely where the city of
Buffalo now stands, which he calls Fort Suppose, and advocates
the erection of a post, which was never built.
7

8
,

The Siege of Fort Erie

In 1764, Bradstreet, in the course of an expedition against
the Indians, saw the necessity of erecting a fortified trading post
near where Fort Erie now stands, and wrote Sir William Johnson suggesting that the acquisition of sufficient land for this
purpose was desirable. Before the English Crown succeeded in
obtaining title to the ground the trading post was abuilding, and
subsequent events soon legalized this trespass upon the hunting
grounds of the Senecas.
After the collapse of Pontiac's conspiracy, the Senecas, fearing lest the English would punish them for their participation in
his scheme, sent some four hundred warriors to Sir William
Johnson to sue for peace. And it was about time, for the terrible
massacre at Devil's Hole, perpetrated by this tribe, was fresh in
the minds of all. This occurred on September fourteenth, 1763,
at Devil's Hole, a few miles from Fort Niagara, when an escort to
a train of twenty-five wagons on the trail from Fort Schlosser to
Fort Niagara was ambushed and almost annihilated by the wily
Senecas, only three men escaping. A small garrison of two
companies at Lewiston, hearing the attack, rushed to the
rescue and was in turn ambushed.' All but eight of these were
killed. When the garrison from Fort Niagara reached the scene,
the ruins of the train, and some eighty scalped bodies, including
those of six officers, alone remained. When the Seneca delegation arrived, Sir William, doubtless bearing this and similar
events in mind, insisted upon a substantial grant of land. This
the Senecas promised to give. Soon afterward they reluctantly
met Sir William Johnson at Fort Niagara and by formal treaty
the English acquired a strip of land four miles wide on each side
of the Niagara from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. This treaty
was concluded on August sixth, 1764.
A clause of the treaty granting this land is here inserted, as
it is of considerable local interest. Parkman's graphic description
of this gathering of the Indians, in his Conspiracy of Pontiac,
will well repay a perusal, for the concourse comprised not only
the Senecas but upwards of two thousand other Indians. Some,

A Brief Sketch of Fort Erie up to 1814

9

even, came from west of the Mississippi. The clause of the
treaty referred to is as follows:
•
"ARTICLE FIFTH. In addition to the grant made by the
Chenussio
Deputys to His Majesty at Johnson Hall in April of
C
the Lands from Fort Niagara to the upper end of the carrying
place beyond Fort Schlosser and four miles in breadth on each
side of the River the Chenussios now surrender up all the lands
from the upper end of the former Grant (and of the same breadth )
to the Rapids of Lake Erie to His Majesty for His sole use and
that of the garrisons but not as private property it being near
some of their hunting grounds so that all that Tract of the breadth
before mentioned from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie shall become
vested in the Crown in •manner as before mentioned excepting
the Islands between the Great Falls and the Rapids which the
Chenussios bestow upon Sir William Johnson as a proof of their
regard and of their knowledge of the trouble he has had with them
from time to time. All which the Chenussios hope will be acceptable to His Majesty and trust that they may have some token of
his favor."
Sir William promptly granted to the Crown all his rights in
the land ceded to him. Porter, in his extremely accurate and
interesting History of Old Fort Niagara, says:
" This was the first tract of land in the limits of the present
Western New York to which the Indian title was absolutely
extinguished; and this remarkable land deal, so vast in the
amount of territory involved, so beneficial to the whites in the
power it gave them for trade and the settlement of the country,
and of such enormous subsequent value in view of very recent
developments along this frontier, was closed * * * within the
historic fortifications of Fort Niagara."
The ground having been acquired, the post at Fort Erie was
soon pressed to completion. A wharf was constructed just above
the rapids, and, no doubt, trade actively commenced with the

lo The Siege of Fort Erie
Indians. Marshall, in his article on the Niagara frontier, describes the post as located at some distance below the remains
of the fort now standing. The part facing the river was built of
stone surrounded by squared pickets, while the balance was
stockaded. He says:
"The foundations of the present fort were laid in 1791. It
must have been a rude fortification as originally constructed, for
the Duke of Liancourt describes it in 1795 as a cluster of buildings surrounded with rough, crazy palisades destitute of ramparts, covered ways, or earthworks. Outside of the fort were a
few lbg houses for the shelter of the officers, soldiers, and workmen. There was also a large government warehouse with an
overhanging story pierced with loopholes for the use of musketry. The stone portion, the ruins of which still remain, was
built in 1806, in the form of a quadrangle, and subsequently
enlarged to more formidable dimensions. The Indian name of
the locality, Gai-gwdah-Oh, signifies 'The Place of Hats.' Seneca tradition relates as its origin that in olden times soon after
the first visit of the white man a battle occurred on the lake
between a party of French in batteaux and Indians in canoes.
The latter were victorious and the French boats were sunk and
the crews drowned. Their hats floated ashore where the fort was
subsequently built, and, attracting the attention of the Indians
from their novelty, they called the locality 'The Place of Hats.'
Prior to the beginning of this century the route usually traveled from Niagara Falls to Buffalo Creek was up the present Canadian side of the river to the Black Rock ferry, where the river was
crossed near where the ferry now plies. The customary route
to Detroit was past Fort Erie and along the northern shore of
Lake Erie. The old fort was built by Bradstreet for the security
of vessels and to provide'a safe place for laying them up in winter,
as well as for a trading post. Its early history was apparently
too prosaic to have left any trace in the writings of travelers
beyond a mere occasional allusion or a meager description.

A Brief Sketch of Fort Erie up to 1814
Christian Schultz, junior, visited Fort Erie in 1807, and
describes it as a small post garrisoned by twenty-eight men, who
at that time were employed in building new works. He remarks
upon the fact that the Americans have no fort or garrison on their
side, "although there is a most commanding situation for that
purpose." A few days before Schultz visited the post the
English had occasion to move one of the guns of the fort. A
curious Yankee, after having looked into the bore, went to the
breech, and, sighting along the piece, discovered it was pointing
directly toward Buffalo. He became enraged, and cursed King
George, his officers, and his soldiers with all his ability, and
promised to return the next- day with a party of his " choice
fellows, and if he found the gun in the same position he would
hang every mother's son of them without judge or jury." It is
probable either that the gun was moved or that the Yankee
failed to keep his promise, for the garrison continued to exist.
The fort's sole claim to importance consisted in its location
upon the trail along the northern shore of Lake Erie and in the
existence of the harbor and the trading place to which it afforded
protection. At no time in its history was its possession of great
strategical value either to the English or to the Americans.



THE SIEGE OF FORT ERIE:
An Episode of the War of 1812.

CHAPTER I.

A Brief Sketch of Fort Erie up to 181 4.
One of the first travelers who describes the vicinity of
Buffalo—the first man, in fact, who appreciated the advantages
of the site where Buffalo now stands—was Baron La Hontan,
lord lieutenant of the French colony in Newfoundland, who,
after paying a compliment to Niagara Falls by describing them
as seven hundred or eight hundred feet high, says:
"The Lake Erie is justly dignified with the illustrious name
of Conti, for assuredly 'tis the finest Lake upon Earth. You
may judge of the goodness of the climate from the latitudes of
the Countries that surround it. Its circumference extends to two
hundred and thirty leagues but it affords everywhere such a
charming Prospect that its Banks are deck'd with Oak-Trees,
Elms, Chestnut-Trees, Walnut-Trees, Apple-Trees, Plum-Trees,
and Vines which bear their fine clusters up to the very top of
the Trees upon a sort of ground that lies as smooth as one's
Hand. Such ornaments as these are sufficient to give rise to the
most agreeable idea of Landskape in the World."
He describes the locality as abounding in wild game and
fish and filled with warlike Indians. In a map annexed to his
journal he locates a prospective fort precisely where the city of
Buffalo now stands, which he calls Fort Suppose, and advocates
the erection of a post, which was never built.
7

8
,

The Siege of Fort Erie

In 1764, Bradstreet, in the course of an expedition against
the Indians, saw the necessity of erecting a fortified trading post
near where Fort Erie now stands, and wrote Sir William Johnson suggesting that the acquisition of sufficient land for this
purpose was desirable. Before the English Crown succeeded in
obtaining title to the ground the trading post was abuilding, and
subsequent events soon legalized this trespass upon the hunting
grounds of the Senecas.
After the collapse of Pontiac's conspiracy, the Senecas, fearing lest the English would punish them for their participation in
his scheme, sent some four hundred warriors to Sir William
Johnson to sue for peace. And it was about time, for the terrible
massacre at Devil's Hole, perpetrated by this tribe, was fresh in
the minds of all. This occurred on September fourteenth, 1763,
at Devil's Hole, a few miles from Fort Niagara, when an escort to
a train of twenty-five wagons on the trail from Fort Schlosser to
Fort Niagara was ambushed and almost annihilated by the wily
Senecas, only three men escaping. A small garrison of two
companies at Lewiston, hearing the attack, rushed to the
rescue and was in turn ambushed.' All but eight of these were
killed. When the garrison from Fort Niagara reached the scene,
the ruins of the train, and some eighty scalped bodies, including
those of six officers, alone remained. When the Seneca delegation arrived, Sir William, doubtless bearing this and similar
events in mind, insisted upon a substantial grant of land. This
the Senecas promised to give. Soon afterward they reluctantly
met Sir William Johnson at Fort Niagara and by formal treaty
the English acquired a strip of land four miles wide on each side
of the Niagara from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. This treaty
was concluded on August sixth, 1764.
A clause of the treaty granting this land is here inserted, as
it is of considerable local interest. Parkman's graphic description
of this gathering of the Indians, in his Conspiracy of Pontiac,
will well repay a perusal, for the concourse comprised not only
the Senecas but upwards of two thousand other Indians. Some,

A Brief Sketch of Fort Erie up to 1814

9

even, came from west of the Mississippi. The clause of the
treaty referred to is as follows:
•
"ARTICLE FIFTH. In addition to the grant made by the
Chenussio
Deputys to His Majesty at Johnson Hall in April of
C
the Lands from Fort Niagara to the upper end of the carrying
place beyond Fort Schlosser and four miles in breadth on each
side of the River the Chenussios now surrender up all the lands
from the upper end of the former Grant (and of the same breadth )
to the Rapids of Lake Erie to His Majesty for His sole use and
that of the garrisons but not as private property it being near
some of their hunting grounds so that all that Tract of the breadth
before mentioned from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie shall become
vested in the Crown in •manner as before mentioned excepting
the Islands between the Great Falls and the Rapids which the
Chenussios bestow upon Sir William Johnson as a proof of their
regard and of their knowledge of the trouble he has had with them
from time to time. All which the Chenussios hope will be acceptable to His Majesty and trust that they may have some token of
his favor."
Sir William promptly granted to the Crown all his rights in
the land ceded to him. Porter, in his extremely accurate and
interesting History of Old Fort Niagara, says:
" This was the first tract of land in the limits of the present
Western New York to which the Indian title was absolutely
extinguished; and this remarkable land deal, so vast in the
amount of territory involved, so beneficial to the whites in the
power it gave them for trade and the settlement of the country,
and of such enormous subsequent value in view of very recent
developments along this frontier, was closed * * * within the
historic fortifications of Fort Niagara."
The ground having been acquired, the post at Fort Erie was
soon pressed to completion. A wharf was constructed just above
the rapids, and, no doubt, trade actively commenced with the

lo The Siege of Fort Erie
Indians. Marshall, in his article on the Niagara frontier, describes the post as located at some distance below the remains
of the fort now standing. The part facing the river was built of
stone surrounded by squared pickets, while the balance was
stockaded. He says:
"The foundations of the present fort were laid in 1791. It
must have been a rude fortification as originally constructed, for
the Duke of Liancourt describes it in 1795 as a cluster of buildings surrounded with rough, crazy palisades destitute of ramparts, covered ways, or earthworks. Outside of the fort were a
few lbg houses for the shelter of the officers, soldiers, and workmen. There was also a large government warehouse with an
overhanging story pierced with loopholes for the use of musketry. The stone portion, the ruins of which still remain, was
built in 1806, in the form of a quadrangle, and subsequently
enlarged to more formidable dimensions. The Indian name of
the locality, Gai-gwdah-Oh, signifies 'The Place of Hats.' Seneca tradition relates as its origin that in olden times soon after
the first visit of the white man a battle occurred on the lake
between a party of French in batteaux and Indians in canoes.
The latter were victorious and the French boats were sunk and
the crews drowned. Their hats floated ashore where the fort was
subsequently built, and, attracting the attention of the Indians
from their novelty, they called the locality 'The Place of Hats.'
Prior to the beginning of this century the route usually traveled from Niagara Falls to Buffalo Creek was up the present Canadian side of the river to the Black Rock ferry, where the river was
crossed near where the ferry now plies. The customary route
to Detroit was past Fort Erie and along the northern shore of
Lake Erie. The old fort was built by Bradstreet for the security
of vessels and to provide'a safe place for laying them up in winter,
as well as for a trading post. Its early history was apparently
too prosaic to have left any trace in the writings of travelers
beyond a mere occasional allusion or a meager description.

A Brief Sketch of Fort Erie up to 1814
Christian Schultz, junior, visited Fort Erie in 1807, and
describes it as a small post garrisoned by twenty-eight men, who
at that time were employed in building new works. He remarks
upon the fact that the Americans have no fort or garrison on their
side, "although there is a most commanding situation for that
purpose." A few days before Schultz visited the post the
English had occasion to move one of the guns of the fort. A
curious Yankee, after having looked into the bore, went to the
breech, and, sighting along the piece, discovered it was pointing
directly toward Buffalo. He became enraged, and cursed King
George, his officers, and his soldiers with all his ability, and
promised to return the next- day with a party of his " choice
fellows, and if he found the gun in the same position he would
hang every mother's son of them without judge or jury." It is
probable either that the gun was moved or that the Yankee
failed to keep his promise, for the garrison continued to exist.
The fort's sole claim to importance consisted in its location
upon the trail along the northern shore of Lake Erie and in the
existence of the harbor and the trading place to which it afforded
protection. At no time in its history was its possession of great
strategical value either to the English or to the Americans.