CAPTAIN LAUCHLAN CAMPBELL'S NEW YORK COLONY.
The fruitful soil of America, together with the prospects of a home and
an independent living, was peculiarly adapted to awaken noble
aspirations in the breasts of those who were interested in the welfare
of that class whose condition needed a radical enlargement. Among this
class of Nature's noblemen there is no name deserving of more praise
than that of Lauchlan Campbell. Although his name, as well as the
migration of his infant colony, has gone out of Islay ken, where he was
born, yet his story has been fairly well preserved in the annals of the
province of New York. It was first publicly made known by William Smith,
in his "History of New York."
Lauchlan Campbell was possessed of a high sense of honor and a good
understanding; was active, loyal, of a military disposition, and,
withal, strong philanthropic inclinations. By placing implicit
confidence in the royal governors of New York, he fell a victim to their
roguery, deception and heartlessness, which ultimately crushed him and
left him almost penniless. The story has been set forth in the following
memorial, prepared by his son:
"Memorial of Lieutenant Campbell to the Lords of Trade. To the Right
Honourable the Lords Commissioners of Trade, &c. Memorial of Lieut.
Donald Campbell of the Province of New York Plantation. Humbly
Showeth,
That in the year 1734 Colonel Cosby being then Governor of the
Province of New York by and with the advice and assent of his Council
published a printed Advertisement for encouraging the Resort of
Protestants from Europe to settle upon the Northern Frontier of the
said Province (in the route from Fort Edward to Crown Point)
promising to each family two hundred acres of unimproved land out of
100,000 acres purchased from the Indians, without any fee or expences
whatsoever, except a very moderate charge for surveying & liable only
to the King's Quit Rent of one shilling and nine pence farthing per
hundred acres, which settlement would at that time have been of the
utmost utility to the Province & these proposals were looked upon as
so advantageous, that they could not fail of having a proper effect.
That these Proposals in 1737, falling into the hands of Captain
Lauchlin Campbell of the Island of Isla, he the same year went over
to North America, and passing through the Province of Pennsilvania
where he rejected many considerable offers that were made him, he
proceeded to New York, where, tho' Governor Cosby was deceased,
George Clarke Esqr. then Governor, assured him no part of the lands
were as yet granted; importuned him & two or three persons that went
over with him to go up and visit the lands, which they did, and were
very kindly received and greatly caressed by the Indians. On his
return to New York he received the most solemn promises that he
should have a thousand acres for every family that he brought over,
and that each family should have according to their number from five
hundred to one hundred and fifty acres, but declined making any Grant
till the Families arrived, because, according to the Constitution of
that Government, the names of the settlers were to be inserted in
that Grant. Captain Campbell accordingly returned to Isla, and
brought from thence at a very large expense, his own Family and
Thirty other Families, making in all, one hundred and fifty-three
Souls. He went again to visit the lands, received all possible
respect and kindness from the Government, who proposed an old Fort
Anna to be repaired, to cover the new settlers from the French
Indians. At the same time, the People of New York proposed to
maintain the people already brought, till Captain Campbell could
return and bring more, alledging that it would be for the interest of
the Infant Colony to settle upon the lands in a large Body; that,
covered by the Fort, and assisted by the Indians, they might be less
liable to the Incursions of Enemies.
That to keep up the spirit of the undertaking, Governor Clarke, by a
writing bearing date the 4th day of December, 1738, declared his
having promised Captain Campbell thirty thousand acres of land at
Wood Creek, free of charges, except the expence of surveying & the
King's Quit Rent in consideration of his having already brought over
thirty families who according to their respective numbers in each
family, were to have from one hundred and fifty to five hundred
acres. Encouraged by this declaration, he departed in the same month
for Isla, and in August, 1739, brought over Forty Families more, and
under the Faith of the said promises made a third voyage, from which
he returned in November, 1740, bringing with him thirteen Families
the whole making eighty-three Families, composed of Four Hundred and
Twenty Three Persons, all sincere and loyal Protestants, and very
capable of forming a respectable Frontier for the security of the
Province. But after all these perilous and expensive voyages, and
tho' there wanted but Seventeen Families to complete the number for
which he had undertaken, he found no longer the same countenance or
protection but on the contrary it was insinuated to him that he could
have no land either for himself or the people, but upon conditions in
direct violation of the Faith of Government, and detrimental to the
interests of those who upon his assurances had accompanied him into
America. The people also were reduced to demand separate Grants for
themselves, which upon large promises some of them did, yet more of
them never had so much as a foot of land, and many listed themselves
to join the Expedition to Cuba.
That Captain Campbell having disposed of his whole Fortune in the
Island of Isla, expended the far greatest part of it from his
confidence in these fallacious promises found himself at length
constrained to employ the little he had left in the purchase of a
small farm seventy miles north of New York for the subsistence of
himself and his Family consisting of three sons and three daughters.
He went over again into Scotland in 1745, and having the command of a
Company of the Argyleshire men, served with Reputation under his
Royal Highness the Duke, against the Rebels. He went back to America
in 1747 and not longer after died of a broken heart, leaving behind
him the six children before mentioned of whom your Memoralist is the
eldest, in very narrow and distressed circumstances."
All these facts are briefly commemorated by Mr. Smith in his History
of the Colony of New York, page 179, where are some severe, though
just strictures on the behavior of those in power towards him and the
families he brought with him, and the loss the Province sustained by
such behavior towards them.
"That at the Commencement of the present War, your Memoralist and
both his brothers following their Father's principles in hopes of
better Fortune entered into the Army & served in the Forty Second,
Forty Eighth and Sixtieth Regiments of Foot during the whole War, at
the close of which your Memoralist and his brother George were
reduced as Lieutenants upon half pay, and their youngest Brother
still continues in the service; the small Farm purchased by their
father being the sole support of themselves and three sisters till
they were able to provide for themselves in the manner before
mentioned, and their sisters are now married & settled in the
Province of New York.
That after the conclusion of the Peace, your Memoralist considering
the number of Families dispersed through the Province which came over
with his Father, and finding in them a general disposition to settle
with him on the lands originally promised them, if they could be
obtained, in the month of February, 1763, petitioned Governor
Monckton for the said lands but was able only to procure a Grant of
ten thousand acres, (for obtaining which, he disbursed in Patent and
other fees, the sum of two hundred Guineas), the people in Power
alledging that land was now at a far greater value than at the time
of your Memoralist's Father's coming into the Province, and even this
upon the common condition of settling ten Families upon the said
lands and paying a Quit Rent to the Crown. Part however of the People
who had promised to settle with your Memoralist in case he had
prevailed, were drawn to petition for lands to themselves, which they
obtained, tho' they never could get one foot of land before, which
provision of lands as your Memoralist apprehends, ought in Equity to
be considered as an obligation on the Province to perform, so far as
the number of those Families goes, the Conditions stipulated with his
Father, as those Families never had come into & consequently could
not now be remaining in the Province, if he had not persuaded them to
accompany him, & been at a very large expence in transporting them
thither.
That there are still very many of these Families who have no land and
would willingly settle with your Memoralist. That there are numbers
of non commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Regiments disbanded
in North America who notwithstanding His Majesty's gracious
Intentions are from many causes too long to trouble your Lordship
with at present without any settlement provided for them, and that
there are also many Families of loyal Protestants in the Islands and
other parts of North Britain which might be induced by reasonable
proposals and a certainty of their being fulfilled, to remove into
the said Province, which would add greatly to the strength, security
and opulence thereof, and be in all respects faithful and serviceable
subjects to His Majesty.
That the premisses considered, particularly the long scene of
hardships to which your Memoralist's Family has been exposed, for
Twenty Six years, in consideration of his own and his Brothers'
services, & the perils to which they have been exposed during the
long and fatiguing War, and the Prospect he still has of contributing
to the settlement of His Majesty's unimproved country, your
Memoralist humbly prays that Your Lordships would direct the
Government of New York to grant to him the said One Hundred thousand
Acres, upon his undertaking to settle One Hundred or One Hundred and
Fifty Families upon the same within the space of Three years or such
other Recompence or Relief as upon mature Deliberation on the
Hardships and Sufferings which his Father and his Family have for so
many years endured, & their merits, in respect to the Province of New
York which might be incontestably proved, if it was not universally
acknowledged, may in your great Wisdom be thought to deserve.
And your Memoralist: &c., &c., &c.[94]
May, 1764."
It was the policy of the home government to settle as rapidly as
possible the wild lands; not so much for the purpose of benefiting the
emigrant as it was to enhance the king's exchequer. The royal governors
apparently held out great inducements to the settlers, but the sequel
always showed that a species of blackmail or tribute must be paid by the
purchasers before the lands were granted. The governor was one thing to
the higher authorities, but far different to those from whom he could
reap advantage. The seeming disinterested motives may be thus
illustrated:
Under date of New York, July 26, 1736, George Clarke, lieutenant
governor of New York, writes to the duke of Newcastle, in which he says,
it was principally
"To augment his Majesty's Quit rents that I projected a Scheme to
settle the Mohacks Country in this Province, which I have the
pleasure to hear from Ireland and Holland is like to succeed. The
scheme is to give grants gratis of an hundred thousand acres of land
to the first five hundred protestant familys that come from Europe in
two hundred acres to a family, these being settled will draw
thousands after them, for both the situation and quantity of the Land
are much preferable to any in Pensilvania, the only Northern Colony
to which the Europeans resort, and the Quit rents less. Governor
Cosby sent home the proposals last Summer under the Seal of the
Province, and under his and the Council's hands, but it did not reach
Dublin till the last day of March; had it come there two months
sooner I am assured by a letter which I lately received, directed to
Governor Cosby, that we should have had two ships belonging to this
place (then lying there) loaded with people but next year we hope to
have many both from thence and Germany. When the Mohocks Country is
settled we shall have nothing to fear from Canada."[95]
The same, writing to the Lords of Trade, under date of New York, June
15, 1739, says:
"The lands whereon the French propose to settle were purchased from
Indian proprietors (who have all along been subject to and under the
protection of the Crown of England) by one Godfrey Dellius and
granted to him by patent under the seal of this province in the year
1696, which grant was afterwards resumed by act of Assembly whereby
they became vested in the Crown; on part of these lands I proposed to
settle some Scotch Highland familys who came hither last year, and
they would have been now actually settled there, if the Assembly
would have assisted them, for they are poor and want help; however as
I have promised them lands gratis, some of them about three weeks ago
went to view that part of the Country, and if they like the lands I
hope they will accept my offer (if the report of the French designs
do not discourage them:) depending upon the voluntary assistance of
the people of Albany whose more immediate interest it is to encourage
their settlement in that part of the country."[96]
That Captain Campbell would have secured the lands there can be no
question had he complied with Governor Clarke's demands, although said
demands were contrary to the agreement. Private faith and public honor
demanded the fair execution of the project, which had been so expensive
to the undertaker, and would have added greatly to the benefit of the
colony. The governor would not make the grant unless he should have his
fees and a share of the land.
The quit rent in the province of New York was fixed at two shillings six
pence for every one hundred acres. The fees for a grant of a thousand
acres were as follows: To the governor, $31.25; secretary of state, $10;
clerk of the council, $10 to $15; receiver general, $14.37; attorney
general, $7.50; making a total of about $75, besides the cost of survey.
This amount does not appear to be large for the number of acres, yet it
must be considered that land was plenty, but money very scarce. There
were thousands of substantial men who would have found it exceedingly
difficult to raise the amount in question.
It is possible that Captain Campbell could not have paid this extortion
even if he had been so disposed; but being high-spirited, he resolutely
refused his consent. The governor, still pretending to be very anxious
to aid the emigrants, recommended the legislature of the province to
grant them assistance; but, as usual, the latter was at war with the
governor, and refused to vote money to the Highlanders, which they
suspected, with good reason, the latter would be required to pay to the
colonial officers for fees.
Not yet discouraged, Captain Campbell determined to exhaust every
resource that justice might be done to him. His next step was to appeal
to the legislature for redress, but it was in vain; then he made an
application to the Board of Trade, in England, which had the power to
rectify the wrong. Here he had so many difficulties to contend with that
he was forced to leave the colonists to themselves, who soon after
separated. But all his efforts proved abortive.
The petition of Lieutenant Donald Campbell, though courteously
expressed, and eminently just, was rejected. It was claimed that the
orders of the English government positively forbade the granting of over
a thousand acres to any one person; yet that thousand acres was denied
him.
The injustice accorded to Captain Campbell was more or less notorious
throughout the province. It was generally felt there had been bad
treatment, and there was now a disposition on the part of the colonial
authorities to give some relief to his sons and daughters. Accordingly,
on November 11, 1763, a grant of ten thousand acres, in the present
township of Greenwich, Washington county, New York, was made to the
three brothers, Donald, George and James, their three sisters and four
other persons, three of whom were also named Campbell.
The final success of the Campbell family in obtaining redress inspired
others who had belonged to the colony to petition for a similar
recompense for their hardships and losses. They succeeded in obtaining a
grant of forty-seven thousand, four hundred and fifty acres, located in
the present township of Argyle, and a small part of Fort Edward and
Greenwich, in the same county.
On March 2, 1764, Alexander McNaughton and one hundred and six others of
the original Campbell emigrants and their descendants, petitioned for
one thousand acres to be granted to each of them
"To be laid out in a single tract between the head of South bay and
Kingsbury, and reaching east towards New Hampshire and westwardly to
the mountains in Warren county. The committee of the council to whom
this petition was referred reported May 21, 1764, that the tract
proposed be granted, which was adopted, the council specifying the
amount of land each individual of the petitioners should receive,
making two hundred acres the least and six hundred the most that
anyone should obtain. Five men were appointed as trustees, to divide
and distribute the land as directed. The same instrument incorporated
the tract into a township, to be called Argyle, and should have a
supervisor, treasurer, collector, two assessors, two overseers of
highways, two overseers of the poor and six constables, to be elected
annually by the inhabitants on the first day of May. The patent,
similar to all others of that period, was subject to the following
conditions:
An annual quit rent of two shillings and six pence sterling on every
one hundred acres, and all mines of gold and silver, and all pine
trees suitable for masts for the royal navy, namely, all which were
twenty-four inches from the ground, reserved to the crown."[97]
The land thus granted lies in the central part of Washington county,
with a broken surface in the west and great elevations and ridges in the
east. The soil is rich and the whole well watered.
The trustees were vested with the power to execute title deeds to such
of the grantees, should they claim the lands, the first of which were
issued during the winter and spring of 1764-5 by Duncan Reid, of the
city of New York, _gentleman_; Peter Middleton, of same city,
_physician_; Archibald Campbell, of same city, _merchant_; Alexander
McNaughton,[98] of Orange county, _farmer_; and Neil Gillaspie, of
Ulster county, _farmer_, of the one part, and the grantees of the other
part.
While the application for the grant was yet pending, the petitioners
greatly exalted over their future prospects, evolved a grand scheme for
the survey of the prospective lands, which should include a stately
street from the banks of the Hudson river on the east through the tract,
upon which each family should have a town lot, where he might not only
enjoy the protection of near neighbors, but also have that companionship
of which the Highlander is so particularly fond. In the rear of these
town lots were to be the farms, which in time were to be occupied by
tenants. The surveyors, Archibald Campbell, of Raritan, New Jersey, and
Christopher Yates, of Schenectady, who began their labors June 19, 1764,
were instructed to lay off the land as planned, the street to extend
from east to west, twenty-four rods wide and extending through the width
of the grant as near the center as practicable, and to set aside a glebe
lot for the benefit of the school master and the minister. North and
south of the street, and bordering on it, the surveyors laid off lots
running back one hundred and eighty rods, varying in width so as to
contain from twenty to sixty acres. These lots were numbered, making in
all one hundred and forty-one, seventy-two being on the south side of
the street, and the remainder on the north. The farms were also
numbered, also making one hundred and forty-one.
In the plan no allowance had been made for the rugged nature of the
country, and consequently the magnificent street was located over hills
whose proportions prevented its use as a public highway, while some of
the lots were uninhabitable.
The following is a list of the grantees, the number of the lot and its
contents being set opposite the name:
Lot. Name. Acres.
1. Catharine Campbell 250
2. Elizabeth Cargill 250
3. Allan McDonald 300
4. Neil Gillaspie 450
5. Mary Campbell 350
6. Duncan McKerwan 350
7. Ann McAnthony 250
8. Mary McGowne 300
9. Catherine McLean 300
10. Mary Anderson 300
11. Archibald McNeil 300
12. Dougall McAlpine 300
13. David Lindsey 250
14. Elizabeth Campbell 300
15. Ann McDuffie 350
16. Donald McDougall 300
17. Archibald McGowne 300
18. Eleanor Thompson 300
Lot. Name. Acres.
19. Duncan McDuffie 350
20. Duncan Reid 600
21. John McDuffie 250
22. Dougall McKallor 550
23. Daniel Johnson 350
24. Archibald Campbell 250
25. William Hunter 300
26. Duncan Campbell 300
27. Elizabeth Fraser 200
28. Alexander Campbell 350
Glebe lot 500
29. Daniel Clark 350
43. Elizabeth Campbell 300
44. Duncan McArthur 450
45. John Torrey 300
46. Malcolm Campbell 300
47. Florence McKenzie 200
48. John McKenzie 300
49. Jane Cargill 250
50. John McGowan 300
59. John McEwen 500
60. John McDonald 300
61. James McDonald 400
62. Mary Belton 300
72. Rachael Nevin 300
73. James Cargill 400
Lots 29, 43, 44, 50, and 62 are partly in the present limits of the
township of Greenwich, and the other lots, from 29 to 73, not above
enumerated, are wholly in that township and in Salem. The following lots
are located north of the street:
Lot. Name. Acres.
74. John Cargill 300
75. Duncan McDougall 300
76. Alexander Christie 350
77. Alex. Montgomery 600
78. Marian Campbell 250
79. John Gilchrist 300
80. Agnes McDougall 300
81. Duncan McGuire 500
82. Edward McKallor 500
83. Alexander Gilchrist 300
84. Archibald McCullom 350
85. Archibald McCore 300
86. John McCarter 350
87. Neil Shaw 600
88. Duncan Campbell 300
89. Roger McNeil 300
90. Elizabeth Ray 200
91. James Nutt 300
92. Donald McDuffie 350
93. George Campbell 300
94. Jane Widrow 300
95. John McDougall 400
96. Archibald McCarter 300
97. Charles McAllister 300
98. William Graham 300
99. Hugh McDougall 300
100. James Campbell 300
101. George McKenzie 400
102. John McCarter 400
103. Morgan McNeil 250
104. Malcolm McDuffie 550
105. Florence McVarick 300
106. Archibald McEwen 300
107. Neil McDonald 500
108. James Gillis 500
109. Archibald McDougall 450
110. Marian McEwen 200
111. Patrick McArthur 350
112. John McGowne, Jr 250
113. John Shaw, Sr 300
114. Angus Graham 300
115. Edward McCoy 300
116. Duncan Campbell, Jr. 300
117. Jenette Ferguson 250
118. Hugh McEloroy 200
119. Dougall Thompson 400
Lot. Name. Acres
120. Mary Graham 300
121. Robert McAlpine 300
122. Duncan Taylor 600
123. Elizabeth Caldwell 250
124. William Clark 350
124. William Clark 350
125. Barbara McAllister 300
126. Mary Anderson 300
127. Donald McMullin 450
130. John Shaw, Sr 300
131. Duncan Lindsey 300
132. Donald Shaw
133. John Campbell 300
Each of the foregoing had a "street lot," with a corresponding number,
as before mentioned, which contained one-tenth of the area of the farm
lots; that is, a lot of two hundred acres had a "street lot" of twenty
acres, and so on.
Ten lots comprehended between Nos. 127 and 146 are now within the
township of Fort Edward. The number of these lots and the persons to
whom granted were as follows, varying in area from 250 to 500 acres:
Lot 128, Duncan Shaw; 129, Alex. McDougall; 134, John McArthur; 135,
John McIntyre; 136, Catharine McIlfender; 137, Mary Hammel; 138, Duncan
Gilchrist; 139, John McIntyre; 140, Mary McLeod; 141, David Torrey.
The lots originally belonging to Argyle township, but now forming a part
of Greenwich, were numbered and allotted as follows:
Lot. Name. Acres.
30. Angus McDougall 300
31. Donald McIntyre 350
32. Alexander McNachten 600
33. John McCore 300
34. William Fraser 350
35. Mary Campbell 250
36. Duncan Campbell, Sr. 450
37. Neil McFadden 300
38. Mary Torry 250
39. Margaret McAllister 250
40. Robert Campbell, Jr 450
41. Catharine Shaw 250
51. Charles McArthur 350
52. Duncan McFadden 300
53. Roger Reed 300
54. John McCarter 300
65. Hugh Montgomery 300
66. Isabella Livingston 250
67. Catharine McCarter 250
68. Margaret Gilchrist 250
42. John McGuire 400
43. Elizabeth McNeil 200
44. Duncan McArthur 450
29. Daniel Clark 250
50. John McGowan, Sr 300
55. Ann Campbell 300
56. Archibald McCullom 350
57. Alexander McArthur 250
58. Alex McDonald 250
59. John McEwen 500
62. Mary Baine 300
63. Margaret Cargyle 300
64. Neil McEachern 450
69 Hannah McEwen 400
70. John Reid 450
71. Archibald Nevin 350
Many of the grantees immediately took possession of the lands alloted to
them; but others never took advantage of their claims, which, for a
time, were left unoccupied, and then passed into the hands of others,
who generally were left in undisputed possession. This state of affairs,
in connection with the large size of the lots, had the effect of
retarding the growth of that district.
Before the arrival of the settlers, a desperado, named Rogers, had taken
possession of a part of the lands on the Batten Kill. He warned the
people off, making various threats; but the Highlanders knowing their
titles were perfect, disregarded the menace, and set about industriously
clearing up their lands and erecting their houses. One day, when
Archibald Livingston was away, his wife was forcibly carried off by
Rogers, and set down outside the limits of the claim, who also proceeded
to remove the furniture from the premises. He was arrested by Roger
Reid, the constable, and brought before Alexander McNaughton, the
justice, which constituted the first civil process ever served in that
county. Rogers did not submit peaceably to be taken, but defended
himself with a gun, which Joseph McCracken seized, and in his endeavor
to wrest it from the hands of the ruffian, he burst the buttons from off
the waist-bands of his pantaloons, which, as he did not wear suspenders,
slipped over his feet. The little son of Rogers, fully taking in the
situation, ran up and bit McCracken, which, however, did not cause him
to desist from his purpose. Rogers was conveyed to Albany, after which
all trace of him has been lost.
The township of Argyle, embracing what is now both Argyle and Fort
Edward, was organized in 1771. The record of the first meeting bears
date April 2, 1771, and was called for the purpose of regulating laws
and choosing officers. It was called by virtue of the grant in the
Argyle patent. The officers elected were: supervisor, Duncan Campbell,
who continued until 1781, and was then succeeded by Roger Reid; town
clerk, Archibald Brown, succeeded in 1775 by Edward Patterson, who, in
turn, was succeeded in 1778 by John McNeil, and he by Duncan Gilchrist,
in 1780; collector, Roger Reid, succeeded in 1778 by Duncan McArthur,
and the latter in 1781 by Alexander Gilchrist; assessors, Archibald
Campbell and Neal Shaw; constables, John Offery, John McNiel;
poor-masters, James Gilles, Archibald McNiel; road-masters, Duncan
Lindsey, Archibald Campbell; fence viewers, Duncan McArthur, John
Gilchrist.
The following extracts from township records are not without interest:
1772.--"All men from sixteen to sixty years old to work on the roads
this year. Fences must be four feet and a half high."
1776.--"Duncan Reid is to be constable for the south part of the
patent and Alexander Gillis for the north part; George Kilmore and
James Beatty for masters. John Johnson was chosen a justice of the
peace."
1781.--"Alexander McDougall and Duncan Lindsey were elected tithing
men."
In order to make the laws more efficient, on March 12, 1772, the county
of Charlotte was struck off from Albany, which was the actual beginning
of the present county of Washington. As Charlotte county had been named
for the consort of George III. and as his troops had devastated it
during the Revolution, the title was not an agreeable one, so the state
legislature on April 2, 1784, changed it to Washington, thus giving it
the most honored appellation known in the annals of American history.
For several years after 1764 the colony on the east, and in what is now
Hebron township, was augmented by a number of discharged Highland
soldiers, mostly of the 77th Regiment, who settled on both sides of the
line of the township. It is a noticeable fact that in every case these
settlers were Scotch Highlanders. They had in all probability been
attracted to this spot partly by the settlement of the colony of Captain
Lachlan Campbell, and partly by that of the Scotch-Irish at New Perth
(Salem), which has been noted already in its proper connection. These
additional settlers took up their claims, owing to a proclamation made
by the king, in October, 1763, offering land in America, without fees,
to all such officers and soldiers who had served on that continent, and
who desired to establish their homes there.
Nothing shows more clearly than this proclamation the lofty position of
an officer in the British service at that time as compared with a
private. A field officer received four thousand acres; a captain three
thousand; a lieutenant, or other subaltern commissioned officer, two
thousand; a non-commissioned officer, whether sergeant or corporal,
dropped to two hundred acres, while the poor private was put off with
fifty acres. Fifty acres of wild land, on the hill-sides of Washington
County, was not an extravagant reward for seven years' service amidst
all the dangers and horrors of French and Indian warfare.
Many of these grants were sold by the soldiers to their countrymen.
Their method of exchange was very simple. The corporal and private would
meet by the roadside, or at a neighboring ale-house, and after greeting
each other, the American land would immediately be the subject for
barter. The private, who may be called Sandy, knew his fifty acres was
not worth the sea-voyage, while Corporal Donald, having already two
hundred, might find it profitable to emigrate, provided he could add
other tracts. After the preliminaries and the haggling had been gone
through with, Donald would draw out his long leather purse and count
down the amount, saying:
"There, mon; there's your siller."
The worthy Sandy would then dive into some hidden recess of his garments
and bring forth his parchment, signed in the name of the king by "Henry
Moore, baronet, our captain-general and governor-in-chief, in and over
our province of New York, and the lands depending thereon, in America,
chancellor and vice-admiral of the same." This document would be
promptly handed to the purchaser, with the declaration,
"An' there's your land, corporal."
Many of the soldiers never claimed their lands, which were eventually
settled by squatters, some of whom remained thereon so long that they or
their heirs became the lawful owners.
The famous controversy concerning the "New Hampshire grants," affected
the Highland settlers; but the more exciting events of the wrangle took
place outside the limits of Washington county, and consequently the
Highland settlement. This controversy, which was carried on with
acrimonious and warlike contention, arose over New York's officials'
claim to the possession of all the land north of the Massachusetts line
lying west of the Connecticut river. In 1751 both the governors of New
York and New Hampshire presented their respective claims to the
territory in dispute to the Lords of Trade in London. The matter was
finally adjusted in 1782, by New York yielding her claim.
In 1771 there were riots near the southern boundary of Hebron township,
which commenced by the forcible expulsion of Donald McIntire and others
from their lands, perpetrated by Robert Cochran and his associates. On
October 29th, same year, another serious riot took place. A warrant was
issued for the offenders by Alexander McNaughton, justice of the peace,
residing in Argyle. Charles Hutchison, formerly a corporal in
Montgomery's Highlanders, testified that Ethan Allen (afterwards
famous), and eight others, on the above date, came to his residence,
situated four miles north of New Perth, and began to demolish it.
Hutchison requested them to stop, but they declared that they would make
a burnt offering to the gods of this world by burning the logs of that
house. Allen and another man held clubs over Hutchison's head, ordered
him to leave the locality, and declared that, in case he returned, he
should be worse treated. Eight or nine other families were driven from
their homes, in that locality, at the same time, all of whom fled to New
Perth, where they were hospitably received. The lands held by these
exiled families had been wholly improved by themselves. They were driven
out by Allen and his associates because they were determined that no one
should build under a New York title east of the line they had
established as the western boundary.
Bold Ethan Allen was neither to be arrested nor intimidated by a
constable's warrant. Governor Tryon of New York offered twenty pounds
reward for the arrest of the rioters, which was as inefficient as
esquire McNaughton's warrant.
The county of Washington was largely settled by people from the New
England states. The breaking out of the Revolutionary War found these
people loyal to the cause of the patriots. The Highland settlements were
somewhat divided, but the greater part allied themselves with the cause
of their adopted country. Those who espoused the cause of the king, on
account of the atrocities committed by the Indians, were forced to flee,
and never returned save in marauding bands. There were a few, however,
who kept very quiet, and were allowed to remain unmolested.
There were no distinctive Highland companies either in the British or
Continental service from this settlement. A company of royalists was
secretly formed at Fort Edwards, under David Jones (remembered only as
being the betrothed of the lovely but unfortunate Jane McCrea), and
these joined the British forces. There were five companies from the
county that formed the regiment under Colonel Williams, one of which was
commanded by Captain Charles Hutchison, the Highland corporal whom Ethan
Allen had mobbed in 1771. In this company of fifty-two men it may be
reasonably supposed that the greater number were the sons of the
emigrants of Captain Lauchlan Campbell.
The committee of Charlotte county, in September 21, 1775, recommended to
the Provincial Congress, that the following named persons, living in
Argyle, should be thus commissioned: Alexander Campbell, captain; Samuel
Pain, first lieutenant; Peter Gilchrist, second lieutenant; and John
McDougall, ensign.
Captain Joseph McCracken, on the arrival of Burgoyne, built a fort at
New Perth, which was finished on July 26th, and called Salem Fort.
Donald, son of Captain Lauchlan Campbell, espoused the cause of the
people, but his two brothers sided with the British. Soon after all
these passed out of the district, and their whereabouts became unknown.
The bitter feelings engendered by the war was also felt in the Highland
settlement, as may be instanced in the following circumstance preserved
by S.D.W. Bloodgood:[99]
"When Burgoyne found that his boats were not safe, and were in fact
much nearer the main body of our army than his own, it became
necessary to land his provisions, of which he had already been short
for many weeks, in order to prevent his being actually starved into
submission. This was done under a heavy fire from our troops. On one
of these occasions a person by name of Mr.----, well known at Salem,
and a foreigner by birth, and who had at the very time a son in the
British army, crossed the river at De Ruyter's, with a person by name
of McNeil; they went in a canoe, and arriving opposite to the place
intended, crossed over to the western bank, on which a redoubt called
Fort Lawrence had been placed. They crawled up the bank with their
arms in their hands, and peeping over the upper edge, they saw a man
in a blanket coat loading a cart. They instantly raised their guns to
fire, an action more savage than commendable. At the moment the man
turned so as to be more plainly seen, when old M---- said to his
companion, 'Now that's my own son Hughy; but I'm dom'd for a' that if
I sill not gie him a shot,' He then actually fired at his own son, as
the person really proved to be, but happily without effect. Having
heard the noise made by their conversation and the cocking of the
pieces, which the nearness of his position rendered perfectly
practicable, he ran round the cart, and the ball lodged in the felly
of the wheel. The report drew the attention of the neighboring
guards, and the two marauders were driven from their lurking place.
While retreating with all possible speed, McNeil was wounded in the
shoulder, and, if alive, carries the wound about with him to this
day. Had the ball struck the old Scotchman, it is questionable
whether any one would have considered it more than even handed
justice commending the chalice to his own lips."
A map of Washington County would show that it was on the war path that
led to some terrible conflicts related in American history. Occupying a
part of the territory between the Hudson and the northern lakes, it had
borne the feet of warlike Hurons, Iroquois, Canadians, New Yorkers, New
Englanders, French, English, Continentals and Hessians, who proceeded in
their mission of destruction and vengeance. As the district occupied by
the Highlanders was close to the line of Burgoyne's march, it
experienced the realities of war and the tomahawk of the merciless
savage. How terrible was the work of the ruthless savage, and how
shocking the fate of those in his pathway, has been graphically related
by Arthur Reid, a native of the township of Argyle, who received the
account from an aunt, who was fully cognizant of all the facts. The
following is a condensed account:
During the latter part of the summer of 1777, a scouting party of
Indians, consisting of eight, received either a real or supposed injury
from some white persons at New Perth (now Salem), for which they sought
revenge. While prowling around the temporary fort, they were observed
and fired upon, and one of their number killed. In the presence of a
prisoner, a white man,[100] the remaining seven declared their purpose
to sacrifice the first white family that should come in their way. This
party belonged to a large body of Indians which had been assembled by
General Burgoyne, the British commander, then encamped not far distant
in a northerly direction from Crown Point. In order to inspire the
Indians with courage General Burgoyne considered it expedient, in
compliance with their custom, to give them a war-feast, at which they
indulged in the most extravagant manoeuvres, gesticulations, and
exulting vociferations, such as lying in ambush, and displaying their
rude armored devices, and dancing, and whooping, and screaming, and
brandishing their tomahawks and scalping knives.
The particular band, above mentioned, was in command of an Iroquois
chief, who, from his bloodthirsty nature, was called Le Loup, the
wolf,--bold, fiercely revengeful, and well adapted to lead a party bent
on committing atrocities. Le Loup and his band left New Perth _en route_
to the place where the van of Burgoyne's army was encamped. The family
of Duncan McArthur, consisting of himself, wife and four children, lived
on the direct route. Approaching the clearing upon which the dwelling
stood, the Indians halted in order to make preparations for their
fiendish design. Every precaution was taken, even to enhancing their
naturally ferocious appearance by painting their faces, necks and
shoulders with a thick coat of vermilion. The party next moved forward
with stealthy steps to the very edge of the forest, where again they
halted in order to mature the final plan of attack.
Fortunately for the McArthur family, on that day, two neighbors had come
for the purpose of assisting in the breaking of a horse, and, when the
Indians saw them, and also the three buildings, which they mistook for
residences, they became disconcerted. They decided as there were three
men present, and the same number of houses, there must also be three
families.
The Indians withdrew exasperated, but none the less determined to seek
vengeance. With elastic step, and in single file they pressed forward,
and an hour later came to another clearing, in the midst of which stood
a dwelling, occupied by the family of John Allen, consisting of five
persons, viz., himself and wife and three children. Temporarily with
them at the time were Mrs. Allen's sister, two negroes and a negress.
John Allen was notoriously in sympathy with the purposes of the British
king. When the Indians stealthily crept to the edge of the clearing they
observed the white men busily engaged reaping the wheat harvest. They
decided to wait until the reapers retired for dinner. Their white
prisoner begged to be spared from witnessing the scene about to be
enacted. This request was finally granted, and one of the Indians
remained with him as a guard, while the others went forward to execute
their purpose.
When the family had become seated at the table the Indians burst upon
them with a fearful yell. When the neighbors came they found the body of
John Allen a few rods from the house. Apparently he had escaped through
a back door, but had been overtaken and shot down. Nearer the house, but
in the same direction, were the bodies of Mrs. Allen, her sister, and
the youngest child, all tomahawked and scalped. The other two children
were found hidden in a bed, but also tomahawked and scalped. One of the
negroes was found in the doorway, his body gashed and mutilated in a
horrible manner. From the wounds inflicted on his body it was thought he
had made a desperate resistance. The position of the remaining two has
not been distinctly recollected.
George Kilmore, father of Mrs. Allen and owner of the negroes, who lived
three miles distant, becoming anxious on account of the prolonged
absence of his daughter and servants, on the Sunday following, sent a
negro boy on an errand of inquiry. As the boy approached the house, the
keen-scented horse, which he was riding, stopped and refused to go
farther. After much difficulty he was urged forward until his rider got
a view of the awful scene. The news brought by the boy spread rapidly,
and the terror-stricken families fled to various points for protection,
many of whom went to Fort Edward. After Burgoyne had been hemmed in, the
families cautiously returned to their former homes.
From Friday afternoon, July 25th, until Sunday morning following, the
whereabouts of Le Loup and his band cannot be determined. But on that
morning they made their appearance on the brow of the hill north of Fort
Edward, and then and there a shocking tragedy was enacted, which
thoroughly aroused the people, and formed quite an element in the
overthrow and surrender of Burgoyne's army. It was the massacre of Miss
Jane McCrea, a lovely, amiable and intelligent lady. This tragedy at
once drew the attention of all America. She fell under the blow of the
savage Le Loup, and the next instant he flung down his gun, seized her
long, luxuriant hair with one hand, with the other passed the scalping
knife around nearly the whole head, and, with a yell of triumph, tore
the beautiful but ghastly trophy from his victim's head.
It is a work of superogation to say that the Highland settlers of Argyle
were strongly imbued with religious sentiments. That question has
already been fully commented on. The colony early manifested its
disposition to build churches where they might worship. The first of
these houses were humble in their pretensions, but fully in keeping with
a pioneer settlement in the wilderness. Their faith was the same as that
promulgated by the Scotch-Irish in the adjoining neighborhood, and were
visited by the pastor of the older settlement. They do not appear to
have sustained a regular pastor until after the Peace of 1783.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 94: "Documentary and Colonial History of New York," Vol. VII,
p.630. Should 1763 be read for 1764?]
[Footnote 95: _Ibid_, p.72.]
[Footnote 96: _Ibid_, Vol. VI, p.145.]
[Footnote 97: On record in library at Albany in "Patents," Vol. IV, pp.
8-17.]
[Footnote 98: See Appendix, Note I.]
[Footnote 99: The Sexagenary, p. 110.]
[Footnote 100: Samuel Standish, who was present at the time of the
murder of Jane McCrea, and afterwards gave the account to Jared Sparks,
who records it in his "Life of Arnold." See "Library of American
Biography," Vol. III, Chap. VII.]