Scott ordered to Philadelphia--Appointed adjutant general with the
rank of colonel--Becomes chief of staff to General Dearborn--Death
of General Pike--Leads the advance on Fort Niagara--Anecdote of
Scott and a British colonel--Commands the expedition to
Burlington Heights--March for Sackett's Harbor--Meets a force at
Cornwall--Retreat of Wilkinson--Scott appointed brigadier
general--Attack on and surrender of Fort Erie--Battle of
Chippewa--Lundy's Lane and wounding of Scott--Retreat of the army to
Black Rock--Fort Erie--Visits Europe.
From Washington Colonel Scott was ordered to Philadelphia to take
command of another battalion of his regiment. In March, 1813, he was
appointed adjutant general with the rank of colonel, and about the
same time promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment. Notwithstanding
his command of the regiment, he continued to perform staff duties. At
this time General Dearborn was in command of the American forces at
Fort Niagara, consisting of about five thousand men. In May, Colonel
Scott, with his regiment, joined General Dearborn, and Scott became
chief of staff. He first organized the service among all the staff
departments, several of which were entirely new, and others disused in
the United States since the Revolutionary War. On the British side of
the Niagara was Fort George, situated on a peninsula and occupied by
British troops. Just previous to Colonel Scott's arrival at Niagara
an expedition was landed from the squadron of Commodore Chauncey,
commanded by General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, for the capture of York,
the capital of Upper Canada. The assault was successful, and the place
was taken with a large number of prisoners and valuable stores.
General Pike was killed by the explosion of a magazine. Animated by
the success of General Pike's expedition, General Dearborn determined
to make an assault on Fort George, having the co-operation of
Commodore Chauncey and his naval force. Arrangements were made for an
attack on May 20th. Colonel Scott asked permission to join the
expedition in command of his own regiment, which was granted.
The fleet weighed anchor at three o'clock in the morning, and by four
the troops were all aboard. The place of embarkation was three miles
east of Fort Niagara, and was made in six divisions of boats. Colonel
Scott led the advance guard, at his special request, composed of his
own regiment and a smaller one under Lieutenant-Colonel George
McFeely. He was followed by General Moses Porter having the field
train, then the brigades of Generals John Parker Boyd, William Henry
Winder, and John Chandler, with the reserve under the able Colonel
Alexander Macomb.
Commodore Isaac Chauncey had directed the anchorage of his schooners
close to the shore in order to protect the troops in landing, and to
open fire at any point on the shore where the enemy were suspected to
be. Lieutenant Oliver Hazard Perry joined Commodore Chauncey on the
evening of the 25th, and volunteered his services in assisting in the
debarkation of the troops. This service required the greatest
coolness and skill, as the wind was blowing strong and the current
running rapidly; the vessels were difficult to manage, especially as
they were under almost constant fire of the British guns. Perry
accompanied Scott through the surf, and rendered valuable service. He
it was who as Commodore Perry soon after became known to the world as
the hero of Lake Erie.
The landing was effected on the British shore at nine o'clock in the
morning a short distance from the village of Newark, now known as
Niagara. The line of battle was promptly formed under cover of a bank
ranging from six to twelve feet in height. The line of the enemy was
formed at the top of the bank, consisting of about fifteen hundred
men. The first attempt to ascend was unsuccessful. Scott, in
attempting to scale the bank, received a severe fall, but recovering
himself and rallying his forces, he advanced up the bank and was met
by the enemy's bayonets. The British fell back and reformed under
cover of a ravine, but a vigorous assault of less than half an hour
put them in a complete rout. These forces were assisted by Porter's
artillery and Boyd with a portion of his command, who had landed soon
after the advance forces. The enemy were pursued to the village, where
the Americans were re-enforced by the command of Colonel James Miller.
It was learned from some prisoners that the British garrison was about
to abandon Fort George and preparing to blow up the works. Two
companies were dispatched toward the fort, but on nearing it one of
the magazines exploded, and a piece of timber striking Colonel Scott,
threw him from his horse, resulting in a broken collar bone.
Recovering himself, he caused the gate to be forced, entered the fort,
and with his own hands pulled down the British flag. The fort had
suffered great damage from the artillery fire directed against it from
the opposite shore. The enemy were pursued for five miles, when an
order from General Morgan Lewis recalled Scott when he was in the
midst of the stragglers from the British forces. The American loss was
seventeen killed and forty-five wounded, and that of the British
ninety killed, one hundred and sixty wounded, and over one hundred
prisoners.
It will be remembered that about a year before Colonel Scott was for a
short time a prisoner at Queenstown. Dining one evening with General
Sheaffe and several other British officers, one of them asked him if
he had ever seen the falls of Niagara. He replied, "Yes, from the
American side." To this the officer replied, "You must have the glory
of a successful fight before you can view the cataract in all its
grandeur." Scott replied, "If it be your purpose to insult me, sir,
honor should have prompted you first to return my sword." General
Sheaffe rebuked the officer, and the matter ended.
This same colonel was severely wounded and captured at Fort George.
Colonel Scott showed him every attention and had his wants promptly
supplied. On visiting him one day the British officer said to him: "I
have long owed you an apology, sir. You have overwhelmed me with
kindness. You now, sir, at your leisure, can view the falls in all
their glory."
Within two days, after the capture of Fort George a body of some nine
hundred British troops under command of Sir George Prevost, Governor
General of Canada, landed at Sackett's Harbor, New York, for the
purpose of destroying the stores and a vessel there on the stocks.
General Jacob Brown, who subsequently came to the command of the
United States army, hastily gathered a body of militia, attacked and
drove the enemy back to their vessels, and saved the stores. On June
6th, General Winder, with about eight hundred men, had been
re-enforced at Stoney Creek by a small force under General Chandler.
They were in pursuit of the British forces who had escaped from Fort
George under command of General Vincent. He determined not to await
the attack of the Americans, but to attack himself. He moved out at
night and attacked the center of the American line, which he succeeded
in breaking, and captured both Generals Winder and Chandler; but the
enemy was at last driven back, and a council of war decided on a
retreat. Coming close on this disaster, Colonel Charles G. Boerstler,
with a command of six hundred men, had been sent forward to capture
the Stone House, seventeen miles from Fort George. The British force
was much larger than Boerstler's, and on June 24th he was completely
surrounded and forced to surrender. For some three months the main
body of the army had remained inactive. Colonel Scott during the
happening of the occurrences just related had been engaged in foraging
expeditions for the supply of the army. These expeditions also
resulted in combats between the opposing forces, in all of which Scott
was successful. In July, 1813, he resigned the office of adjutant
general and was assigned to the command of twenty companies, or what
was known as a double regiment.
Burlington Heights, on Lake Ontario, was supposed to be the depot of
military stores for the British, and in September an expedition was
fitted out under Scott's command to capture it; but no stores being
found there, he marched toward York, now called Toronto, where a large
quantity of stores were taken and the barracks and storehouses burned.
General Wilkinson being now in command of the army, a campaign was
inaugurated for the capture of Kingston and Montreal. Kingston was an
important port, and Montreal the chief commercial town of Lower
Canada.
Wilkinson was ordered to concentrate at Sackett's Harbor early in
October. General Wade Hampton was ordered to join him from northern
New York. Wilkinson embarked on October 2d, and Scott was left in
command of Fort George with some eight hundred regulars and part of a
regiment of militia under Colonel Joseph Gardner Swift. Under
directions of Captain Totten, of the engineers, work was rapidly
advanced in placing the fort in tenable condition; but the work was
not completed before October 9th, when, to Scott's surprise, the enemy
near him moved down toward Wilkinson. As authorized by his orders,
Colonel Scott turned the command of the fort over to Brigadier-General
McLure, of the New York militia. It was arranged that Scott was to
join Wilkinson, and that vessels for his transportation should be sent
up to the mouth of the Genesee River.
On his arrival there he received information that Commodore Chauncey,
commanding the fleet, had been detained by the protest of General
Wilkinson against his leaving him, even for a few days. Scott was
then compelled to undertake the long march for Sackett's Harbor by way
of Rochester, Canandaigua, and Utica. The march was accomplished under
many difficulties and with much suffering, as it rained almost
incessantly, and the roads were in the worst of conditions. On his
arrival in advance of his troops, he was appointed to the command of a
battalion under Colonel Macomb. Being in command of the advance of the
army in the descent of the St. Lawrence, he was not present at the
engagement at Chrysler's Farm on November 11th. At that time, in
conjunction with Colonel Dennis, he was forcing a passage near
Cornwall, under fire of a British force, which he routed, and captured
many prisoners.
The day before the occurrence of the affair just mentioned he landed
at Fort Matilda, commanding a narrow place on the river, where he
gained possession of the fort. The expedition which was announced for
the conquest of Canada was, on November 12th, abandoned by its leader
and projector, General Wilkinson, who commanded a retreat. This
occurred when Scott was fifteen miles in advance of Chrysler's Field,
there being no body of British troops between him and Montreal, and
the garrison at the latter place had only four hundred marines and two
hundred sailors.
Wilkinson's defense for his failure was that General Hampton had
refused to join him at St. Regis for fear of lack of provisions and
forage.
After the events just related, Colonel Scott was engaged in preparing
the new levies of troops for the field and arranging for supplies and
transportation for the next campaign.
On March 9, 1814, he was appointed to the rank of brigadier general,
and ordered to join General Jacob Brown, commanding general of the
United States army, then moving toward the Niagara frontier. On the
24th General Brown marched to Sackett's Harbor, where Scott
established a camp of instruction. On assembling of the army at
Buffalo, Scott was assigned to the command of the Ninth, Eleventh, and
Twenty-fifth Regiments of infantry, with a part of the Twenty-second
Regiment and Captain Towson's company of artillery. In addition to
this command there were at this time at Buffalo the commands of
Generals Porter and Eleazer Wheelock Ripley. The whole force was
placed in camp under General Scott's immediate direction. In the
latter part of June General Brown returned to Buffalo, and on the
morning of July 3d Scott's brigade with the artillery of Major Jacobs
Hindman, crossed the river and landed below Fort Erie, while Ripley's
brigade landed a short distance above. Fort Erie was invested,
attacked, and soon surrendered, and on the morning of the 4th Scott's
brigade moved in advance in the direction of Chippewa. He was engaged
for a distance of sixteen miles in a running fight with the British
forces under the Marquis of Tweedale. Toward night the Marquis of
Tweedale crossed the Chippewa River and joined the main army under
General Sir Phineas Riall. Scott then took position on a creek some
two miles from Chippewa. On the east was the Niagara River and the
road to Chippewa, while an the west was a heavy wood. Between the wood
and the river were two streams--the Chippewa and Street's Creek.
General Riall, the British commander, was posted behind the Chippewa,
flanked on one side with a blockhouse and a heavy battery on the
other.
Both of these streams were bridged on the road to Chippewa, the one
over Street's Creek being nearest to Scott, while that over the
Chippewa was nearest to Riall. On the morning of the 5th General Brown
had determined to make the attack, but the enemy, anticipating it,
made the first forward movement, and there were a number of
skirmishes. General Porter, whose command consisted of volunteers,
militia, and friendly Indians, first engaged the British and drove
them back through the woods. General Riall at this moment was seen
advancing with the main body of his army, and the retreating troops
rallied, attacking Porter furiously, and, despite his own coolness and
gallantry, his troops gave way and fled. This was about four o'clock,
and General Brown, being with Porter, saw the advance of the British
force, and meeting General Scott, said to him, "The enemy is
advancing." General Brown then moved to the rear and ordered the
advance of Ripley's brigade. The British army was composed of the One
Hundredth Regiment, under the Marquis of Tweedale, the First Royal
Scots, under Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, a portion of the Eighth or
King's Regiment, a detachment of the Royal Artillery, a detachment of
the Royal Nineteenth Light Dragoons, and some Canadian militia and
Indians. These were supported by a heavy battery of nine guns. Scott
crossed the bridge under fire of this battery, losing a number of men.
After crossing, the commands of Majors Henry Leavenworth and John
McNeil, Jr., formed line in front opposite the center and left of the
enemy. Major Thomas Sidney Jesup moved to the left and advanced to
attack the enemy's right. Towson's battery was on the right, on the
Chippewa road. Seeing that the British lines outflanked him, Scott
ordered the movement of Jesup to the left. The battle now opened,
Jesup holding in check the right wing of the enemy, his position in
the wood concealing him from view. General Scott had now advanced to
within eighty paces of the enemy, and ordering the left flank of
McNeil's battalion formed on the right so that it was oblique to the
enemy's charge and flanking him on the right. Scott called to McNeil's
command, which had no recruits in it: "The enemy say we are good at
long shot, but can not stand the cold iron. I call upon the Eleventh
to give the lie to that slander. Charge!" The charge was made at once,
supported by a corresponding charge of Leavenworth and a flank fire
from Towson's battery. The British broke, and fled in great confusion.
In the meantime Major Jesup, commanding on the left, ordered his men
to advance, which they did, driving the enemy into his intrenchments
across the Chippewa. The British forces engaged were about twenty-one
hundred men, and that of the Americans nineteen hundred. The British
lost in killed, one hundred and thirty-eight; wounded, three hundred
and nineteen; and missing, forty-six. The American loss was sixty
killed, two hundred and forty-eight wounded, and nineteen missing.
General Brown in his official report says: "Brigadier General Scott is
entitled to the highest praise our country can bestow; to him more
than to any other man am I indebted for the victory of July 5th. His
brigade covered itself with glory. Every officer and every man of the
Ninth, Twenty-second, Eleventh, and Twenty-fifth Regiments did his
duty with a zeal and energy worthy of the American character." Two
days after the battle of Chippewa General Scott forced a passage
across the Chippewa, driving the enemy.
[Illustration: NOTE.--The accompanying map indicates the
movements of the troops in the battle of Chippewa. A H show the
position of Majors McNeil and Leavenworth when they made the final
charge. _a_, _a_, _a_, the point to which General Porter drove the
British and Indians. _b_, Street's barn.]
A fort called Messasauga was built after the campaign of 1813 by the
British as a defense to Fort George, and being re-enforced by General
Riall, he moved to Burlington Heights on Lake Ontario. It was General
Brown's intention to capture these forts before beginning further or
more extended operations. With this purpose, he ordered some heavy
guns from Sackett's Harbor; but Commodore Chauncey being sick, and the
enemy having a superior fleet on the lake, the attack on these forts
was abandoned. General Brown then made a feint by moving up the
Niagara and recrossing the Chippewa, with a view to draw the enemy
down and to enable him to obtain supplies from Fort Schlosser. Failing
in this, it was his purpose to send General Scott by the road from
Queenstown and thus force Riall to battle.
On the afternoon of the 25th General Brown received a note from a
militia officer who occupied some posts on the American side of the
Niagara, that a thousand British troops had crossed from Queenstown to
Lewiston, a few miles below the Chippewa. It was thought that the
object of this movement was to capture the American magazines at
Schlosser and cut off supplies from Buffalo. General Brown having
determined to threaten the forts at the mouth of the Niagara, General
Scott's command was put in motion for this purpose. It consisted of
four battalions under Colonel Hugh Brady, and the commands of Majors
Jesup, Leavenworth, and McNeil, Captain Towson's artillery, and
Captain Harris's detachment of cavalry, the whole force aggregating
thirteen hundred men. After a march of two miles some mounted British
officers were discovered on a reconnoitering expedition, their forces
being a short distance off and hidden from view.
General Scott's orders were to march on the forts, as information had
been received that Riall had divided his forces, sending a thousand of
them across the river. He, however, determined to move forward and
give battle. Dispatching Adjutant-General Jones to General Brown with
information that the enemy was in his front, he moved on, and was
astonished to see drawn up in line of battle on Lundy's Lane a larger
force than he had fought at Chippewa; but he determined to give battle
and rely upon re-enforcements being rapidly sent to him. Lieutenant
Richard Douglass was now dispatched to inform General Brown of the
situation. On the night of the 23d Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon
Drummond had arrived at the mouth of the river with re-enforcements.
This was not known to General Brown. Riall had marched down the road
which Scott was to have taken on the 26th, coming by Queenstown, and
had not sent any troops across the Niagara. His re-enforcements were
coming up rapidly. The battle opened late in the afternoon. The
British line, eighteen hundred strong, posted on a ridge in Lundy's
Lane running at right angles with the river, was in front of Scott.
The left of this line was on a road parallel to the river, with a
space grown up with small timber, extending some two hundred yards. He
ordered Major Jesup and Colonel Brady to take advantage of this and
turn the enemy's left from the concealed position which the brushwood
afforded. The other infantry forces had been placed in line with
detachments of cavalry on both sides and held as reserves. The
British, outflanking Scott on the left, made a movement to attack in
flank and fear. This was repelled by Major McNeil with heavy loss.
Jesup had succeeded in his movement, while Brady, Leavenworth, and
Towson were engaged in the front. Jesup had captured General Riall and
a number of other officers far in his front, and then resumed his
line. At nine o'clock the British right was driven back from its
assault on Scott's flank, and his left was turned and cut off. The
center posted on the ridge held its place, supported by nine pieces of
artillery. Another battalion of British troops was on its way as a
re-enforcement, and but a short distance away, when General Brown
arrived on the field, in advance of the reserve. He thus describes in
his report what occurred from the time of his arrival:
"Apprehending that these corps were much exhausted, and knowing that
they had suffered severely, I determined to interpose a new line with
the advancing troops, and thus disengage General Scott and hold his
brigade in reserve. Orders were accordingly given to General Ripley.
The enemy's artillery at this moment occupied a hill which gave him
great advantage and was the key to the whole position. It was
supported by a line of infantry. To secure the victory it was
necessary to carry this with artillery and seize the height.
"The duty was assigned to Colonel Miller. He advanced steadily and
gallantly to his object, and carried the height and the cannon.
General Ripley brought up the Twenty-third (which had faltered) to
his support, and the enemy disappeared from before them. The enemy,
rallying his forces, and, as is believed, having received
re-enforcements, now attempted to drive us from our position and
regain his artillery. Our line was unshaken and the enemy repulsed.
Two other attempts having the same object had the same issue. General
Scott was again engaged in repelling the former of these, and the last
I saw of him on the field of battle he was near the head of his column
and giving to its march a direction that would have placed him on the
enemy's right.... Having been for some time wounded and being a good
deal exhausted by loss of blood, it became my wish to devolve the
command on General Scott and retire from the field; but on inquiry I
had the misfortune to learn that he was disabled by wounds. I
therefore kept my post, and had the satisfaction to see the enemy's
last effort repulsed."
General Brown said to General Miller, when he saw that to win the
battle the artillery on the ridge must be captured, "Sir, can you take
that battery?" He replied, "I will try, sir," and at once moved
forward, conducted by Scott, who was familiar with the ground, and
with his gallant command drove the enemy from its stronghold and
captured the guns.
General Scott, though severely wounded, was not disabled at the time
mentioned in General Brown's report. Having two horses killed under
him, he was at this time on foot, but was finally prostrated by his
two wounds--one in the side, the other in the shoulder. The American
loss was one hundred and seventy-one killed, five hundred and
seventy-two wounded, and one hundred and seventeen prisoners; that of
the British was eighty-four killed, five hundred and fifty-nine
wounded, and two hundred and thirty-five prisoners.
Generals Brown and Scott both being disabled, General Ripley was sent
to bring off the wounded and dead. The captured artillery, owing to
want of horses and harness, was left on the field. The army now fell
back to Chippewa and fortified the place.
It being learned that General Drummond was advancing on Chippewa with
a large force, the place was evacuated and the army retreated to the
ferry near Black Rock. A division was ordered to remain at Fort Erie
and repair the fort, and Brigadier-General Gaines was, by General
Brown's orders, placed in command of the army.
Very soon the British General Drummond appeared in front of Fort Erie
and commenced a regular investment. Cannonading was begun on August
13th and continued at intervals, and on the 15th a heavy British
column assaulted Towson's battery, which was stationed at the
northwest angle of the fort. The assault was repelled by Captain
Towson with the aid of Major Wood, commanding the Twenty-fifth
Regiment. The western angle was then attacked, with a like result. The
British eventually succeeded in obtaining possession of the exterior
bastion of the old fort. Just at this time a number of cartridges in a
building near by exploded, killing many of the British and expelling
them from the fort. The losses in these affairs were: British--killed,
fifty-seven; wounded, three hundred and nine; missing, five hundred
and thirty-nine. American--killed, seventeen; wounded, fifty-six;
missing, eleven.
General Brown resumed command on September 2d, and determined to
attempt to relieve the siege by a sortie on the enemy's works. The
investment had now lasted fifty days, and the British during that time
had erected two batteries and were engaged on a third. The force was
divided into three brigades, two of which were encamped out of range
of the American cannon. At half past 2 P.M. on the 17th the
American troops marched out and the action began. In less than half an
hour the Americans had captured two of the batteries and two
blockhouses. Very soon a third battery was abandoned, the cannon
spiked and dismounted. General Drummond retired on the night of the
21st, and took post in his intrenchments behind the Chippewa. The
British losses in this investment were, in killed, wounded, and
prisoners, nearly a thousand, while the American loss was five hundred
and eleven. Early in November the American army took up winter
quarters in Buffalo, and this brought to a close the war on the
Niagara.
The following statement of the losses on either side in this memorable
campaign is interesting:
--------------------------------------+---------------+---------------
| British loss. | American loss.
--------------------------------------+---------------+---------------
Battle of Chippewa, July 5, 1814 | 507 | 328
Battle of Niagara, July 25, 1814 | 878 | 860
Battle of Fort Erie, August 15, 1814 | 905 | 84
Sortie from Fort Erie, Sept. 17, 1814 | 800 | 511
+---------------+---------------
Total | 3,090 | 1,783
--------------------------------------+---------------+---------------
General Jacob Brown, the commander of this army, became General in
Chief of the United States army March 10, 1821. He died September 24,
1828. General Brown was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, May 9,
1775. He was secretary to Alexander Hamilton, where he acquired
military information and experience, and in 1809 was made a colonel
of militia. In 1810 he was promoted brigadier general, and two years
afterward was assigned to the command of the frontier from Oswego to
Lake St. Francis. In July, 1813, he was appointed a brigadier general
in the United States army and placed in command of the Army of Niagara
with the rank of major general. His subsequent career is briefly
mentioned in this work. He received the thanks of Congress, November
3, 1814, and a gold medal, now in possession of his son, General N.W.
Brown, of Washington City.
General Eleazer W. Ripley became a brevet major general, and resigned
in May, 1820. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the
United States Congress (the Twenty-fourth) from Louisiana, and died
March 2, 1839. Hugh Brady became a brigadier general by brevet.
William McRee resigned as colonel in March, 1819; was afterward
surveyor general of Missouri, and died in 1832. Thomas S. Jesup became
quartermaster general of the army with rank of brevet major general.
Henry Leavenworth died a brigadier general by brevet, July 21, 1834.
John McNeil resigned as brigadier general by brevet; was afterward
surveyor of customs at Boston. Jacob Hindman died a colonel, February
17, 1827. Roger Jones was adjutant general of the army, and brigadier
general by brevet.
General Scott's wounds were so severe and painful that it was a long
time before he was fit for duty. In September, 1814, Philadelphia and
Baltimore were so threatened by the enemy that General Scott took
nominal command for the defense of those cities. Everywhere on his
route he received the highest evidences of the love and esteem of the
people. At Princeton, N.J., he had a distinguished reception, and had
conferred on him by the college the degree of Master of Arts. From
Princeton he proceeded to Baltimore, and on October 16, 1814, assumed
command of the Tenth Military District, with headquarters at
Washington.
The treaty of peace was signed December 24, 1814, and ratified by the
Senate, February 17, 1815. He was tendered the appointment of
Secretary of War, but declined on the ground that he was too young.
When his recommendations for colonel and brigadier general were
presented to the President he expressed in both instances the fear
that he was too young. It was in allusion to this that he gave this
reason. He was then requested to act as Secretary until the arrival of
William H. Crawford, at that period Minister to France, and who had
been appointed Secretary of War. He declined this also, in deference
to Generals Jacob Brown and Andrew Jackson. He was engaged for some
time in reducing the army to a peace establishment, which being
completed he was ordered to Europe for professional purposes. He was
also intrusted with certain important and delicate diplomatic
functions relating to the designs of Great Britain on the island of
Cuba, and the revolutionary struggles between certain Spanish
provinces in America.