Major-General Alexander Macomb, the son of a respectable fur merchant,
was born at Detroit, April 3d, 1782. His father removed to New York
when he was an infant, and at the age of eight years placed him
at school at Newark, New Jersey, under the charge of Dr. Ogden, a
gentleman of distinguished talents and high literary attainments. In
1798, a time of great excitement, as invasion by a French army was soon
expected, Macomb, although quite a youth, was elected into a corps
called the “New York Rangers;” Congress having passed a law receiving
volunteers for the defence of the country. In 1799, Macomb obtained
a cornetcy, and General North, then adjutant-general of the northern
army, who had watched for some time the soldier-like conduct of our
hero, received him into his staff as deputy adjutant-general. Macomb,
from his intelligence and attention to his profession, soon became the
favorite of the accomplished North, and the pet of his senior officers.
He was ambitious of distinction, without ostentation, and persevering
even to fatigue.
The thick and dark clouds which hung over the country had passed
away, the prospect of war had now vanished, the troops were generally
disbanded and many of the officers retired to their homes, but our
young officer begged to be retained, and was accordingly commissioned
as a second lieutenant of dragoons, and dispatched to Philadelphia
on the recruiting service; but this service being more form than
necessity, gave Lieutenant Macomb an opportunity to associate with
the best informed men, and access to the extensive libraries in that
city, advantages which he was anxious to improve. When he had raised
the number of recruits required, he was ordered to join General
Wilkinson on the western frontiers, to visit the Cherokee country,
to aid in making a treaty with that nation, a mission which lasted a
year. The corps to which Macomb belonged was soon after disbanded, and
a corps of engineers formed, to which he was afterwards attached as
first-lieutenant, and sent to West Point.
During his residence at West Point, Lieutenant Macomb compiled a
treatise upon martial law, and the practice of courts-martial, now the
standard work upon courts-martial, for the army of the United States.
In 1805, Macomb was sent to superintend the fortifications, which, by
an act of Congress, were ordered to be commenced on the frontiers, and
promoted to the rank of captain in the engineer corps. In 1808, he
was promoted to the rank of major, still acting as superintendent of
fortifications. At the breaking out of the war in 1812, he solicited
a command in an artillery corps, then about to be raised, which was
granted him, and a commission as colonel of the third regiment, dated
July 6th, 1812. The regiment was to consist of twenty companies of one
hundred and eighteen each. He assisted in raising the numbers required,
and in November of that year he marched to Sacket’s Harbor with his
troops, where he spent the winter, having command of the whole of
the lake frontier. In January, 1814, he was promoted to the rank of
brigadier-general, and appointed to a command on the east side of Lake
Champlain; from which time to the climax of his fame at the defence of
Plattsburgh, he was constantly on the alert, in the discharge of his
duties. During the summer of 1814, Sir George Prevost, governor-general
of Canada, had greatly augmented his forces, by detachments of picked
men from the army which had fought in Spain and Portugal, under the
Duke of Wellington, and which, of course, from their long and tried
military service, were among the best troops in the world; with these
it was intended to strike a decisive blow on our frontier, and bring
us to terms at once. In this, however, Sir George was mistaken, as the
following extract from Brigadier-General Macomb to the Secretary of War
will prove, dated Plattsburgh, September 15, 1814:--
“The governor-general of the Canadas, Sir George Prevost,
having collected all the disposable force of Lower Canada,
with a view of conquering the country as far as Ticonderoga,
entered the territory of the United States on the 1st of the
month, and occupied the village of Champlain--there avowed his
intentions, and issued orders and proclamations, tending to
dissuade the people from their allegiance, and inviting them
to furnish his army with provisions. He immediately began to
impress the wagons and teams in the vicinity, and loaded them
with his baggage and stores, indicating preparations for an
attack on this place. My fine brigade was broken up to form a
division ordered to the westward, which consequently left me in
the command of a garrison of convalescents and the recruits of
the new regiments--all in the greatest confusion, as well as
the ordnance and stores, and the works in no state of defence.
“To create an emulation and zeal among the officers and men,
in completing the works, I divided them into detachments, and
placed them near the several forts--declaring, in orders, that
each detachment was the garrison of its own work, and bound to
defend it to the last extremity. The enemy advanced cautiously,
and by short marches, and our soldiers worked day and night; so
that, by the time he made his appearance before the place, we
were prepared to receive him. Finding, on examining the returns
of the garrison, that our force did not exceed fifteen hundred
men for duty, and well-informed that the enemy had as many
thousand, I called on General Mooers, of the New York militia,
and arranged with him plans for bringing forth the militia _en
masse_.
“The inhabitants of the village fled with their families
and effects, except a few worthy citizens and some boys, who
formed themselves into a party, received rifles, and were
exceedingly useful. General Mooers arrived with seven hundred
militia and advanced seven miles on the Beekmantown road, to
watch the motions of the enemy, and to skirmish with him as
he advanced--also to obstruct the roads with fallen trees,
and to break up the bridges. On the lake road, at Dead-Creek
Bridge, I posted two hundred men, under Captain Sproul, of
the 13th regiment, with orders to abattis the woods, to place
obstructions in the road, and to fortify himself; to this party
I added two field-pieces. In advance of that position was
Lieutenant-Colonel Appling, with one hundred and ten riflemen,
watching the movements of the enemy and procuring intelligence.
It was ascertained that before daylight, on the 6th, the
enemy would advance in two columns, on the two roads before
mentioned, dividing at Sampson’s, a little below Chazy village.
The column on the Beekmantown road proceeded most rapidly; the
militia skirmished with their advanced parties, and, except a
few brave men, fell back most precipitately in the greatest
disorder, notwithstanding the British troops did not design to
fire on them, except by their flankers and advanced patroles.
“Finding the enemy’s columns had penetrated within a mile of
Plattsburgh, I dispatched my aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Root,
to bring off the detachment at Dead-Creek, and to inform
Lieutenant-Colonel Appling that I wished him to fall on the
enemy’s right flank; the Colonel fortunately arrived just
in time to save his retreat, and to fall in with the head
of a column debouching from the woods; here he poured in a
destructive fire from his riflemen at rest, and continued to
annoy the column until he formed a junction with Major Wool.
The field-pieces did considerable execution among the enemy’s
columns. So undaunted, however, was the enemy, that he never
deployed in his whole march, always pressing on in a column.
Finding that every road around us was full of troops, crowding
in on all sides, I ordered the field-pieces to retire across
the bridge and form a battery for its protection, and to cover
the retreat of the infantry, which was accordingly done, and
the parties of Appling and Wool, as well as that of Sproul,
retired alternately, keeping up a brisk fire until they got
under cover of the works. The enemy’s light troops occupied the
houses near the bridge, and kept up a constant firing from the
windows and balconies, and annoyed us much. I ordered them to
be driven out with hot shot, which soon fired the houses and
obliged these sharp-shooters to retire. The whole day, until
it was too late to see, the enemy’s light troops endeavored to
drive our guards from the bridge, but they suffered dearly for
their perseverance.
“Our troops being now all on the south side of the Saranac,
I directed the planks to be taken off the bridges, and piled
up in form of breastworks, to cover our parties intended for
disputing the passage, which afterwards enabled us to hold the
bridges against very superior numbers. From the 7th to the
11th, the enemy was employed in getting his battering train
and erecting his batteries and approaches, and constantly
skirmishing at the bridges and fords. By this time the militia
of New York and volunteers from Vermont were pouring in from
all quarters. I advised General Mooers to keep his force along
the Saranac, to prevent the enemy crossing the river, and to
send a strong body in his rear to harass him day and night, and
keep him in continual alarm. The militia behaved with great
spirit after the first day, and the volunteers from Vermont
were exceedingly serviceable.
“Our regular troops, notwithstanding the constant skirmishing,
and repeated endeavors of the enemy to cross the river, kept
at their work, day and night, strengthening their defences,
and evinced a determination to hold out to the last extremity.
It was reported that the enemy only awaited the arrival of
his flotilla to make a general attack. About eight, on the
morning of the 11th, as was expected, the flotilla appeared
in sight, round Cumberland Head, and at nine, bore down and
engaged our flotilla, at anchor in the bay off this town.
At the same instant, the batteries were opened on us, and
continued throwing bomb-shells, shrapnells, balls and congreve
rockets until sunset, when the bombardment ceased; every
battery of the enemy being silenced by the superiority of our
fire. The naval engagement lasted two hours, in full view of
both armies. Three efforts were made by the enemy to pass the
river at the commencement of the cannonade and bombardment,
with a view of assaulting the works, and had prepared for that
purpose an immense number of scaling ladders; one attempt was
made to cross at the village bridge; another at the upper
bridge; and a third, at a ford, about three miles from the
works. At the two first he was repulsed by the regulars; at the
ford, by the brave volunteers and militia--where he suffered
severely in killed, wounded and prisoners, a considerable
body having passed the stream, but were either killed, taken,
or driven back. The woods at this place were very favorable
to the operations of our militia; a whole company of the
76th regiment was here destroyed--the three lieutenants and
twenty-seven men prisoners; the captain and the rest killed. I
cannot forego the pleasure of here stating the gallant conduct
of Captain McGlassin, of the 15th regiment, who was ordered
to ford the river and attack a party constructing a battery
on the right of the enemy’s line, within five hundred yards
of Fort Brown--which he handsomely executed, at midnight,
with fifty men; drove off the working party consisting of one
hundred and fifty, and defeated a covering party of the same
number, killing one officer and six men in the charge and
wounding many. At dusk, the enemy withdrew his artillery from
the batteries, and raised the siege; and at nine, under cover
of the night, sent off all the heavy baggage he could find
transport for, and also his artillery. At two the next morning,
the whole army precipitately retreated, leaving the sick and
wounded to our generosity; and the governor left a note with
a surgeon, requesting the humane attention of the commanding
general.
“Vast quantities of provision were left behind and destroyed;
also, an immense quantity of bomb-shells, cannon-balls,
grape-shot, ammunition, flints, &c. &c.; intrenching tools
of all sorts, also tents and marquees. A great quantity has
been found in the ponds and creeks, and buried in the ground,
and a vast quantity carried off by the inhabitants. Such was
the precipitance of his retreat, that he arrived at Chazy,
a distance of eight miles, before we had discovered his
departure. The light troops, volunteers and militia, pursued
immediately on learning his flight; and some of the mounted men
made prisoners, five dragoons of the 19th, and several others
of the rear guard. A continued fall of rain, and a violent
storm, prevented further pursuit. Upwards of three hundred
deserters have come in, and many are hourly arriving. The loss
of the enemy in killed, wounded, prisoners and deserters,
since his first appearance, cannot fall short of two thousand
five hundred, including many officers, among whom is Colonel
Wellington, of the Buffs. Killed and wounded on the American
side; thirty-seven killed, sixty-six wounded--missing, twenty;
making one hundred and twenty-three. The whole force under Sir
George Prevost amounted to _fourteen thousand_. The conduct
of the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of my
command, during this trying occasion, cannot be represented in
too high terms.
“I have the honor, &c.
“ALEX. MACOMB.”
This victory was as brilliant as it was unexpected. The event had a
most happy effect on the negotiations then going on at Ghent, and
unquestionably hastened the treaty of peace. Testimonials of respect
poured in upon General Macomb from every quarter of the country.
Congress voted the thanks of the country and a gold medal, (_See_ Plate
VII.) The President promoted him to the rank of major-general, dating
his commission on the day of his victory.
At the conclusion of the war General Macomb was stationed at his
native town, Detroit, and appointed to the command of the northwestern
frontier. In 1821 he was called to Washington, to take the office of
chief of the engineer department; the duties of which he discharged to
the general satisfaction of the government and army, until the death
of General Brown, in 1835; he was then nominated to that station,
which nomination was confirmed by the senate, and he succeeded him as
commander-in-chief of the army. In this capacity he continued to reside
at the seat of government, where he died on the 25th of June, 1841,
aged fifty-nine years.