Winfield Scott was born on the 13th of June, 1785, in the county of
Dinwiddie, near Petersburg, Virginia. Designed for the profession of
the law, he received a liberal education, and graduated at William and
Mary College in that state. In 1806, having completed his studies, he
commenced practice at the bar, with talents and acquirements which
bade fair to introduce him to a very lucrative business. In 1807, the
aggressions upon our defenceless commerce, by European powers, and the
outrage upon the frigate Chesapeake, roused the indignant feelings of
the nation. Redress was promptly called for, and the more ardent of our
countrymen prepared for an immediate war. One of the first measures,
at the next session of Congress, was to pass a bill for the increase
of the army, and young Scott forsook the law, and was appointed a
captain in a regiment of light artillery; in which capacity he remained
prosecuting, with his usual zeal, his military studies, until the
declaration of war in 1812, which opened a more arduous field for the
exercise of his brilliant talents.
On the 6th of July, 1812, Scott was promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel in the second regiment of artillery; and arrived on
the Niagara frontier, with the companies of Towson and Barker, and was
posted at Black Rock, to protect the navy yard at that place.
On the 13th of October, the attack upon Queenstown, under Colonel
Solomon Van Rensselaer, took place.
On the day previous, Lieutenant-Colonel Scott had arrived with his
regiment at Schlosser, twelve miles from Lewiston. The object of
this movement was to dispossess the enemy from the fort and village
of Queenstown Heights, and thus to make a lodgment for the American
troops on the Canada shore, the invasion of Canada being then the
leading object of the northern campaign. Anxious to be near the scene
of action, Scott obtained permission to march his regiment to Lewiston,
and to use his artillery as circumstances might direct. In the early
part of the action which followed he bore no part; but Colonels Van
Rensselaer and Fenwick having fallen severely wounded, Colonel Scott’s
request to cross the river was finally acceded to. The enemy was driven
from the heights, which were now in the possession of the Americans,
who gallantly repulsed an attack under General Brock, who had come up
with reinforcements, but was himself killed in the engagement.
On his arrival, Colonel Scott found the troops in great disorder.
Announcing his name and rank, he immediately formed them into line.
Colonel Scott’s attention was first directed to an eighteen pounder,
which the enemy, in his retreat, had left in the hands of the
Americans, after having hastily spiked it; and he proceeded in person
to direct the measures for rendering the piece again useful. Returning
in a short time, he was surprised to find a large body of Indians
preparing to attack the American lines, while the troops, already in
some confusion, were on the point of giving way. His presence soon
changed the state of affairs, and the savages were compelled to make a
hasty retreat. With an unanimous burst of enthusiasm, the line suddenly
rallied from right to left, threw itself forward upon the enemy,
putting him to precipitate flight, and leaving the ground strewed with
the dead and wounded. In this manner successive conflicts were kept up,
till a reinforcement of British arrived, under the command of Major
General Sheaffe.
Colonel Scott now perceiving that a crisis must be near at hand, every
effort was made by the commanding officers to induce the American
militia, on the opposite side of the river, to cross over to the
assistance of their countrymen, but in vain. Entreaty was wasted upon
them, and as all the boats were upon the American side, the little band
under Scott was left to await a fate from which there was no retreat.
All had now been done that was required by honor, and longer resistance
would only have sacrificed in vain the lives of brave men. Terms of
capitulation being agreed upon, Colonel Scott surrendered into the
hands of the enemy his whole force, now reduced to one hundred and
thirty-nine regulars, and one hundred and fifty-four militia; in all
two hundred and ninety-three men. Thus ended the battle of Queenstown
Heights; an engagement desultory in its movements, but unfortunate
in its results. From Queenstown, Scott was sent to Quebec; whence,
upon being exchanged, he soon after embarked for Boston. Previous to
this, however, one of those scenes occurred in which the decision of
character of Colonel Scott was most strikingly displayed.
When the prisoners were embarked on board the transport to be conveyed
to Boston, they were first mustered on the deck by British officers,
and every man whose accent betrayed his British birth, was set apart
to be sent to England as a traitor, there to be tried and executed. As
soon as Scott became aware of what was going on, he instantly forbade
his soldiers to make further answer. Twenty-three had already been
set apart for a shameful death. After the command from their Colonel,
no threats from the British officer could induce the men again to
speak. Scott, amidst constant interruptions from the British officer,
addressed the men, encouraged them to be of good cheer, and solemnly
pledged himself to them, that if a hair of the head of one of them
was touched, because of their having served in the American army,
retaliation should be made upon British prisoners in the hands of the
Americans. These twenty-three men, all Irish, were, nevertheless,
put in irons and sent to England, bearing with them the pledge of a
gallant soldier, who, they knew, would not fail them. His first care,
on his arrival at Boston, was to lay the whole circumstances before
the secretary of war, who communicated the same to Congress. A law was
passed vesting the President with the power of retaliation, and two
months after, at the capture of Fort George, Scott having made many
prisoners, true to his pledge, selected twenty-three of his prisoners,
and confined them to abide the fate of the twenty-three naturalized
Americans. In making this selection, Scott was careful not to include a
single Irishman.
The British authorities saw the peril, and, it may be presumed, the
injustice of the step they had taken, and not one of the prisoners was
tried or harmed. The sequel to the foregoing narrative is told by his
biographer, and must be read with interest. In July, 1815, when peace
had been some months concluded, and Scott (then a major-general), was
passing along on the East River side of the city of New York, he was
attracted by loud cheers and bustle on one of the piers. He approached
the scene, and great was his delight to find that it was the cheer of
his old Irish friends, in whose behalf he had interfered at Quebec, and
who had that moment landed in triumph, after a confinement of more than
two years in English prisons! He was quickly recognized by them, hailed
as their deliverer, and nearly crushed by their warm-hearted embraces!
Twenty-one were present, two having died natural deaths. Scott had not
then recovered from the wounds he had received in the bloody battle of
the Niagara, and was about to embark on a voyage to Europe. Yet, in
conformity with the promises of friendship he had made with these men,
he found time to write to the departments at Washington, and solicit
for them their patents for land bounties, and their long arrearages of
pay. He was successful, and they were at length restored both to their
adopted country and their promised rewards. Several of these brave
sons of Ireland are yet alive, and can testify to the truth of this
narrative.
Shortly after the capture of York, the capital of Upper Canada, in
1813, Colonel Scott joined the army at Fort Niagara. He joined in the
capacity of adjutant-general, (chief of the staff,) under the command
of Major-General Dearborn. Though thus engaged in staff duties, he
insisted upon the right, and it was conceded, of commanding his own
regiment on extraordinary occasions. On the British side of the
Niagara was a peninsula, of which Fort George was the defence. This
position General Dearborn was determined to carry. The first act of
Colonel Scott was in leading the advanced column of the attack, which
so completely succeeded that the enemy was driven from the work and
the field; and but for repeated and peremptory orders, Scott would
probably have captured the whole British force. Fort George, the colors
of which had been taken down by Colonel Scott himself, became the head
quarters of the American troops, and in command of it Colonel Scott was
left, when the main body of the army went down the St. Lawrence, in
the summer of that year, to attack Montreal. The whole summer passed
without any attack from the British, when Scott obtained permission to
turn Fort George over to General McLure, of the New York militia, and
to join the main army at Sacket’s Harbor; marching to the mouth of the
Genesee river, where the commander-in-chief promised that transports
should meet him. It is well known that the expedition, after exciting
much expectation, finally resulted in utter failure. The troops endured
great fatigue, and encountered considerable danger in the difficult
and perilous navigation of the St. Lawrence, without obtaining an
opportunity of distinguishing themselves or benefiting their country.
This unlucky campaign was, however, brilliantly redeemed by that of the
following year. On the 9th of March, 1814, Colonel Scott was promoted
to the rank of Brigadier-General, and he joined General Brown on his
route to Niagara, in the commencement of the next month.
Soon after General Brown was called to Sacket’s Harbor, and the
command, in consequence, devolved upon General Scott, who immediately
assembled the army and established a camp of instruction. His whole
attention was now given to perfecting the discipline of the troops,
to give them that celerity and combination of movement, which in
modern times has made war a science, and rendered individual prowess
of so little avail. For two months and a half the troops were drilled
daily, from seven to nine hours each day, until finally they exhibited
a perfection of discipline never before attained in our army. They
were now prepared to meet on terms of equality the veteran troops of
the enemy, and they soon had an opportunity of showing the advantages
they had derived from their instruction. In June, Major General Brown
reached Buffalo with reinforcements, and in the commencement of the
next month the campaign was opened.
The Niagara was passed on the 3d of July in two brigades, Scott’s and
Ripley’s, the former below, the latter above Fort Erie, which almost
immediately surrendered. On the morning of the 4th, the army moved
towards Chippewa, General Scott’s brigade being in advance; and on the
evening of the same day, took up a position on the bank of Street’s
Creek, about two miles distant from the British encampment. The stream
was in front of the American position, having beyond it an extensive
plain; its right rested upon the Niagara, and its left upon a wood. On
the following day the British militia and the Indians having occupied
the wood, commenced annoying the American piquets from it, until
Brigadier General Porter, at the head of his brigade of militia and
friendly Indians, drove the enemy from the wood back upon the Chippewa.
The British regulars being here supported by their whole army, drawn
out in line and advancing to the attack, General Porter, in his turn,
was compelled to give way. The heaviness of the firing informed
General Brown of the advance of the main body of the enemy. It was now
about four o’clock in the afternoon. General Scott was at this moment
advancing with his brigade to drill upon the plain, on which the battle
was afterwards fought. On the march he met General Brown, who said
to him, “The enemy is advancing. You will have a fight.” Beyond this
brief remark, Scott received no further orders during the day. General
Brown passed to the rear, to put Ripley’s brigade in motion, and to
reassemble the light troops behind Street’s Creek. It was not till he
arrived at the bridge over Street’s Creek, two hundred yards to the
right of his camp of the night before, that Scott saw the enemy.
The army of Riall had crossed the bridge over Chippewa, and displayed
itself on the plain before described. It was composed of the one
hundredth regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel, the Marquis of Tweedale;
the first, or Royal Scots, under Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon; a portion
of the eighth, or King’s own regiment; a detachment of the royal
artillery; a detachment of the royal nineteenth light dragoons; and a
portion of Canada militia and Indians. The main body of these troops
were among the best in the British army. This force was supported by a
heavy battery of nine pieces, within point blank range of the American
troops. Under the fire of this battery, the corps of General Scott
passed the bridge in perfect order, but with some loss. His first and
second battalions, under Majors Leavenworth and McNeil, after crossing,
formed a line to the front, which brought them opposed respectively to
the left and centre of the enemy. The third battalion under Major, (now
General) Jessup, obliqued in column to the left, and advanced to attack
the right of the enemy, which extended into the wood. Captain (now
General) Towson with his artillery, was stationed on the right, resting
in the Chippewa road. General Scott soon perceived that, although there
were no intervals in the British line, yet their right wing outflanked
his left.
To remedy this difficulty, the movement of Jessup was caused, and the
interval between the battalions of Leavenworth and McNeil on the plain,
was greatly enlarged. These evolutions were executed rapidly and with
great precision, under the fire of both musketry and artillery. The
action soon became general; Jessup, having engaged and broken off the
right wing of the enemy, while their main body continued to advance,
gave their army a new flank. Taking advantage of this circumstance, and
assisted by the enlarged interval between the battalions of Leavenworth
and McNeil, General Scott threw the battalion of the latter forward
upon its right flank, so as to stand obliquely to the charge of the
enemy, outflanking them upon the right. This movement, executed with
precision, together with the steadiness of our troops and the heavy
fire from the artillery, decided the fate of the day. The British army
retreated a short distance in good order, then broke, and fled in
confusion to their entrenchments, beyond the Chippewa. Thus was the
whole British line fairly routed, in a field action, on an open plain.
They fled to their entrenchments beyond the Chippewa, hotly pursued by
Scott, to the distance of half-musket shot of Chippewa bridge. He took
many prisoners, leaving the plain strewed with the dead and wounded
of both nations. Justly, indeed, did General Brown, in his official
report of the battle, say:--“Brigadier-General Scott is entitled to the
highest praise our country can bestow: to him, more than to any other
man, I am indebted for the victory of the 5th of July.”
The fight was fierce and bloody in an unwonted degree, the killed
on both sides amounting to eight hundred and thirty, out of about
four thousand engaged--more than one in five. This gallant action
was followed in just three weeks by another yet more decisive of the
courage and discipline of the American army--that at Lundy’s Lane.
General Riall, unknown to General Brown, had been largely reinforced
by General Drummond from below; and when, on the morning of the 26th
of July, General Scott, in advance, was on a march to attack General
Riall’s forces, he suddenly came upon the British troops, which,
reinforced that very day by Drummond, were themselves bent on attack.
Scott had with him but four small battalions, commanded by Brady,
Jessup, Leavenworth and McNeil; and Towson’s artillery, with Captain
Harris’ detachment of regular and irregular cavalry. The whole column
did not exceed one thousand three hundred men. With this small force,
Scott found himself in the presence of a superior body. His position
was critical, but it was one of those where promptness and decision of
action must supply the want of battalions.
Dispatching officers to the rear to apprise General Brown that the
whole British army was before him, General Scott at once engaged the
enemy, who all the while believed they had to do with the whole of
General Brown’s army, not at all expecting that a mere detachment of it
would venture upon the apparently desperate course of encountering such
greatly superior numbers as the British knew they had in the field. The
battle began about half an hour before sunset. The armies were drawn
out near the shores of that rapid river whose current mingles lake
with lake; and as his able biographer beautifully observes:--“Hard by
was the CATARACT, whose world of waters rushes over the precipice, and
rushing, roars into the gulf below! The ceaseless spray rises up, like
incense, to the Eternal FATHER! The beams of sun, and moon, and stars,
fall ceaselessly on that spray, and are sent back in many-colored hues
to the source of light! So it was when, wheeling into the field of
battle, the slant beams of the setting sun, returning from the spray,
encircled the advancing column with rainbow colors! The sun went down,
to many an eye, no more to rise on earth! With the darkness came the
greater rage of battle--charge after charge was made. For a time the
faint beams of the moon struggled with the smoke, and gave a little
light to the combatants; but it was but little. The moon itself became
obscured, and no light, save the rapid flashes of musket and cannon,
pierced the heavy clouds. The fight raged in the darkness of the night.
From the height on the ridge, the battery of the enemy still poured its
deadly fire. It was then the gallant Miller said, ‘I WILL TRY.’ It was
then that Scott piloted his column through darkness to Lundy’s Lane. It
was then that brave regiment charged to the cannon’s mouth. The battery
was taken. The victory rests with the American army.”
Twice had Scott charged through the British lines--two horses had been
killed under him--he was wounded in the side--and about eleven o’clock
at night, on foot, and yet fighting, he was finally disabled by a
shot which shattered the left shoulder, and he was borne away about
midnight from the battle--his commander, General Brown, having been
previously, in like manner, carried away wounded from the field. The
wounds of General Scott, which were severe, confined him for a long
time; nor had he again an opportunity of distinguishing himself before
the conclusion of peace put an end to all active service in the field.
In the mean time his sufferings were alleviated by the testimonials of
the approbation and gratitude of his countrymen. Congress ordered a
vote of thanks, and a gold medal (_See_ Plate V.). Virginia and New York
each presented valuable swords. He was also elected an honorary member
of the Cincinnati, and numberless states named new counties after
him. In the long interval of comparative inaction which followed the
close of the war, General Scott’s services were made available to the
general government,--first, in that most painful task of reducing the
army to a peace establishment, which necessarily imposed on the general
great responsibility. The next important benefit rendered, and which,
perhaps, was not the least of all the many he was capable of rendering,
was to translate from the French, prepare, digest, and adapt to our
service, a complete system of military tactics. In the execution of
this trust, his previous military studies gave him great facilities and
advantages over his brother officers.
In March, 1817, General Scott was married to Miss Maria Mayo, daughter
of John Mayo, Esq., of Richmond, Virginia--a lady whose charms and
accomplishments are much admired both in this country and in Europe.
They have had several daughters, but no living son.
Such is the brief memoir of General Winfield Scott, extracted from his
life, so ably portrayed by Edward D. Mansfield, Esq. General Scott is
now in the sixty-second year of his age, and retains, to a remarkable
degree, all the vigor and buoyancy of youth. At the head of our armies
at war with a neighboring republic, all eyes are directed to him as the
chief of that gallant band upon whom must depend the honor and success
of our arms.