"ST. LEGER made another effort to induce them to do so," continued
Captain Raymond. "On the 9th he sent a written demand offering about the
same terms as before.
"Gansevoort replied in writing: 'Sir, your letter of this date I have
received, in answer to which I say, that it is my determined resolution,
with the force under my command, to defend this fort to the last
extremity, in behalf of the United States, who have placed me here to
defend it against all their enemies.'"
"Did the British give it up then, papa?" asked Grace.
"No; they began digging and making preparations to run a mine under the
strongest bastion of the fort, while at the same time they sent out an
address to the people of Tryon County, signed by Clause, Johnson, and
Butler, urging them to submit to British rule, asserting that they
themselves were desirous to have peace, and threatening that in case of
refusal all the horrors of Indian cruelty would be visited upon them.
Also they called upon the principal men of the valley to come up to
Fort Schuyler and compel its garrison to surrender, as they would be
forced to do in the end."
"Did the men in the fort give up then, papa?" queried Grace.
"No, no indeed, little daughter!" he replied. "They were brave men, and
staunch patriots, and had no intention to surrender so long as they
could possibly hold out; but fearing ammunition might give out, their
supply of provisions too, they resolved to send word to General
Schuyler, who was then at Stillwater, asking for aid from him in their
sore extremity.
"Of course it would be a hazardous attempt, but Colonel Willett offered
to be the messenger, and one stormy night he and Lieutenant Stockwell
left the fort at ten o'clock by the sally-port, each armed with a spear,
and crept along the morass on hands and knees, to the river, which they
crossed upon a log. Their way lay through a tangled wood and they soon
lost it. The bark of a dog presently warned them that they were near an
Indian camp, and fearing to either advance or retreat they stood still
there for several hours.
"But at length the dawn of day showed them where they were, so that they
were able to find the right road and pursue their way. They took a
zigzag course, now on land, now through the bed of a stream, to foil any
attempt on the part of some possible pursuer to gain upon them by the
scent of their footsteps.
"They arrived safely at the German Flats, mounted fleet horses, and sped
down the valley to the quarters of General Schuyler. On arriving they
learned that he had already heard of the defeat of Herkimer, and was
preparing to send succor to the besieged in the fort.
"Meanwhile St. Leger was pressing his siege, and the garrison, hearing
nothing of the successful journey of their messengers, or of aid coming
to them from any quarter, many of them began to grow despondent and to
hint to their commander that it might be best to surrender, as their
supply of both provisions and ammunition was getting low.
"But Gansevoort was too brave and hopeful to think of so doing. He told
the despondent ones that in case help did not arrive before their
supplies were exhausted, they would sally forth in the night and cut
their way through the enemy's camp.
"But relief came in an unexpected manner, that always reminds me of that
siege of Samaria by the host of the Syrians, in the days of Elisha the
prophet of Israel, and the way the Lord took to deliver them, causing
'the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, even the
noise of a great host; and they said one to another, Lo, the King of
Israel hath hired against us the Kings of the Hittites and the Kings of
the Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the
twilight, and left their tents and their horses, and there asses, even
the camp as it was, and fled for their lives.' For suddenly and
mysteriously the British, Indians, and Tories besieging Fort Schuyler
did the same--fled, leaving tents, artillery, and camp equipage behind
them."
"Why, papa, how very strange!" exclaimed Lulu, "were they really
frightened in the same way?"
"Not exactly the same but somewhat like it," replied her father.
"General Schuyler, then at the mouth of the Mohawk, had made an appeal
to his men for volunteers to go to the relief of Gansevoort and his men,
now besieged by the enemy in Fort Schuyler, and Arnold and his troops,
most of them Massachusetts men, responded with alacrity and, joined by
the First New York regiment, they marched at once.
"Arnold's force was much smaller than that of St. Leger's and he
resorted to stratagem as the only means of securing his end. A half
idiot, a nephew of General Herkimer, named Hon-Yost Schuyler, a coarse,
ignorant fellow, had been taken prisoner along with that Walter Butler
who had been arrested while carrying to the people of Tryon County the
call for them to force the defenders of Fort Schuyler to surrender,
tried and condemned as a spy.
"The same thing had befallen Hon-Yost, but his mother plead for him, and
though at first Arnold was inexorable, he at length agreed to release
the fellow on condition that he would go to Fort Schuyler and alarm St.
Leger with the story that the Americans were coming against him in force
to compel the raising of the siege.
"Hon-Yost seemed not at all unwilling, readily gave the required
promise, and his mother offered to remain as a hostage for his faithful
performance of the duty; but Arnold chose instead Nicholas, the brother
of Hon-Yost, as his security.
"Hon-Yost managed the business with great adroitness. Before leaving he
had seven bullets shot through his coat, which he showed to the British
and Indians on arriving at their encampment as proof of 'a terrible
engagement with the enemy.' He was acquainted with many of the Indians,
and when he came rushing into the camp almost out of breath with haste
and fright, apparently, telling this story, with the added information
that the Americans were coming and he had barely escaped with his life,
his hearers were very much alarmed.
"They asked what were the numbers of the Americans, and in reply he
shook his head mysteriously, pointing as he did so to the leaves on the
trees, as if he would say that they were numberless.
"The Indians, who had been uneasy and moody ever since the battle of
Oriskany, and were at the moment of Hon-Yost's arrival holding a pow-wow
to plead with the 'Great Spirit' to guide and direct them, at once
resolved to flee, and told St. Leger of their decision.
"He sent for Hon-Yost, questioned him, and was told that Arnold would be
there in twenty-four hours with two thousand men.
"Hon-Yost had come in to the camp alone, he and the Oneida chief having
laid their plans before hand, the chief to arrive a little later than
the other, so that they would not appear to be in collusion, and just as
Hon-Yost finished his story to St. Leger, the chief and two or three
straggling Indians of his tribe, who had joined him on his way, came in
with the same story of the near approach of a large body of Americans.
One told St. Leger that Arnold had three thousand men with him; another
that the army of Burgoyne was cut to pieces. They pretended that a bird
had brought them news that the valley below was swarming with warriors.
"The savages were now thoroughly alarmed, and all the bribes and
promises of St. Leger could not induce them to remain any longer; they
suspected foul play and would not touch the strong drink he offered, and
when, finding that they would go, he asked them to take the rear in
retreating, they indignantly refused, saying, 'You mean to sacrifice us.
When you marched down you said there would be no fighting for Indians;
we might go down and smoke our pipes; numbers of our warriors have been
killed, and you mean to sacrifice us also.'
"The council broke up, the Indians fled, the panic was communicated to
the rest of the army, and they fled in terror to their boats on Oneida
Lake, the Indians making merry over their flight, hurrying on after them
with the warning cry: 'They are coming, they are coming!' So alarmed
were the Tories and British troops that they threw away their knapsacks
and their arms as they ran. Also the Indians killed or robbed many of
them and took their boats, so that St. Leger said, 'they became more
formidable than the enemy we had to expect.'"
"And did the Americans chase them that time, sir?" asked Walter.
"Yes; Gansevoort at once sent word to Arnold that the British were
retreating, and Arnold sent nine hundred men in pursuit. The next day he
himself reached the fort; but he and his men presently marched back to
the main army, then at Stillwater, leaving Colonel Willett in command of
Fort Schuyler.
"So ended the siege of which Lossing says that 'in its progress were
shown the courage, skill, and endurance of the Americans everywhere so
remarkable in the revolution.'"
"Yes, sir," said Walter; "but will you please tell what became of
Hon-Yost?"
"Yes; he went with the British as far as Wood Creek, then managed to
desert and at once carried the news of Arnold's approach to Fort
Schuyler. He went back to Fort Dayton, afterward fled with his family
and fourteen of his Tory friends, and joined Sir John Johnson. When the
war was over he returned to the valley, where he died in 1818."