Morrison's Pensions
Various Newspaper Stories.
November 11, 1778
NEW YORK This day, a party of Tories, Indians, and Regulars, under the command
of Colonel Butler, made a descent on the fort at Cherry Valley. An officer
who was in the fort, gives the following account of the affair:
On Saturday
night, 7th of November, an express arrived from Fort Stanwix, informing that
an Oneida Indian had acquainted them that he sat in council in the Seneca country
with the Six Nations, and other tribes, and that they had concluded to attack
Fort Alden, in Cherry Valley. On Sunday morning a sergeant and twelve men were
sent on the road by Beaver Dam, towards the enemy, to continue five days;
another scout, with a non-commissioned officer, and five men, were sent on
the road to Springfield, to continue four days; these two roads being the only
avenues from the enemy's country to this place, except an old Indian path that
had been neglected by us. At the same time, we sent by the same roads scouts
in the morning, which returned at night. On Wednesday, the 11th, it rained
very hard; the enemy came by the above-mentioned path, past by two houses,
and lodged themselves in a swamp a small distance back of Mr. Wells' house,
head-quarters; at half-past eleven, A.M., Mr. Hamlin came by and discovered
two Indians, who fired upon him, and shot him through the arm; he rode to Mr.
Wells', and acquainted the colonel, the lieutenant-colonel, major, and adjutant
being present; the two last (the house at this time being surrounded
by Indians) got to the fort through their fire; the colonel was shot near the
fort. The enemy, eight hundred in number, consisting of five hundred Indians,
commanded by Brant, fifty Regulars under Captain Colvill, and another captain
with some of Johnson's Rangers, and above two hundred Tories, the whole under
Colonel Butler's command, immediately surrounded the fort, excluding
several officers who were quartered out of the garrison, and had gone to dinner;
they commenced a very heavy fire upon the fort, which held three and a half
hours, and was as briskly returned; they were so near as to call to the fort
and bid the 'damn'd rebels" to surrender, which was answered with three
cheers, and a discharge of cannon and musketry. At four P.M., the enemy withdrew.
Captain Ballard sallied out with a party, which the enemy endeavored to cut
off, but were prevented by a reinforcement.
The next
day they made it their whole business to collect horses, cattle, and sheep,
which they effected, and at sunset left the place. The enemy killed, scalped,
and most barbarously murdered, thirty-two inhabitants, chiefly women and children,
also Colnel Alden, and the following soldiers of this regiment, viz.: Robert
Henderson, Gideon Day, Thomas Shrridan, Pelletiah Adams, Simeon Hopkins, Benjamin
Worcely, Thomas Holden, Daniel Dubley, Thomas Knowles, and Oliver Deball. The
following officers were taken prisoners, viz.: Lieutenant-Colonel Stacey, Lieutenant
Aaron Holden, Ensign Garret, Surgeon's Mate Francis Souza De Bierve, and thirteen
privates; burnt twenty-four houses with all the grain, &c., took above
sixty inhabitants prisoners, part of whom they released on going off. They
committed the most inhuman barbarities on most of the dead. Robert Henderson's
head was cut off, his skull bone was cut out with the scalp. Mr Willis' sister
was ripped up, a child of Mr. Willis', two months old, scalped, and arm cut
off; the clergyman's wife's leg and arm cut off, and many others as cruelly
treated. Many of the inhabitants and soldiers shut out from the fort, lay all
night in the rain with the children, who suffered very much. The cattle that
were not easy to drive, they shot. We were informed by the prisoners they sent
back, that the lieutenant-colonel, all the officers and Continental soldiers,
were stripped and drove naked before them.
The fort
was commanded by the brave Major Whiting, of Dedham, in Massachusetts, and
the two cannon under the direction of the brave Captain Hickling, of Boston,
who was chief engineer in building the fort, and whose assistance contributed
in saving it.
New-Jersey Gazette, December 31 [1778]
SOURCE:
THE DIARY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1775-1781, FRANK MOORE, WASHINGTON
SQUARE PRESS, N.Y., 1967, pp 33O-332.
A simular report appeared in THE CONNECTICUT COURANT AND WEEKLY
INTELLIGENCER, DECEMBER 22, 1778, PAGE 3, COLUMN 1. There are very few
differences, spelling, grammar etc. but for the most part the NEW JERSEY
GAZETTE is verbatim.
It was reported on Wednesday last, that a party of Tories and Indians, under command of the noted Col. Butler, had fell in with a party of Continental troops, under Col. Alden, near Cherry Valley, and a great part of the latter most inhumanely butchered but as the accounts are so various, we are advised to omit any farther particulars for the present. It is said Col. Alden escaped, and has arrived at Albany.
SOURCE: THE CONNECTICUT COURANT AND WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, NOVEMBER
27, 1778, PAGE 3, COLUMN 2.
POUGHKEEPSIE, Nov. 23.
By accounts, though not circumstantial, from the northward, the enemy have struck us in that quarter, another blow, which they had long threatened, and we had reason to expect, but seem to have made no more advantage of the intimations, than if we had heard nothing at all of the matter. - A body of the enemy, consisting of about 7OO Savages and Tories, under the command of Brant and Butler, with a company of British soldiers, came down to Cherry-Valley, which they entirely massacred several of the inhabitants, men, women and children, indiscriminately; with Col. Alden of the Continental army, some officers and privates of his regiment; and made prisoners of Lieut. Col. Stacey of the same regiment with a number of the inhabitants, men and women, whom they carried off with them, after having invested and attacked Fort Alden ( a small picket fort in Cherry-Valley) without effect.
SOURCE:HE INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE AND UNIVERSAL ADVERTISER, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1778, PAGE 3, COLUMN 1.
BOSTON, December 24, 1778.
A gentleman
from Albany assures us, 'tis a fact, that the brave Col. Alden, killed at the
late action of Cherry Valley, was offered quarter when taken by the infamous
Col. Butler, but hero like, nobly disdaining the proposal, immediately discharged
his pistol at him, which, unlucki'y missing its object, he was instantly tomahawk'd
by the Indians. Who would not lament the loss of an officer, supporting such
a character.
SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE AND UNIVERSAL ADVERTISER, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1778, PAGE 3, COLUMN 2.
We
are favoured by a friend with the following true copy of a letter,
from WALTER BUTLER, Capt. of the Rangers to Major General SCHUYLER, wrote
since the action at Cherry Valley.
Cherry Valley, November 12, 1778
SIR,
I AM induced by humanity, to permit the prisoners, whose names
I send you herewith, to remain lest the inclemency of the weather, and their
naked situation, should prove fatal to them; and expect that you will relieve
an equal number of our people in your hands; amongst whom I expect you will
permit Mrs. Butler, and family, to come to Canada: But if you insist upon it,
I do engage to send you, moreover, an equal number of yours, taken either by
the Indians or Rangers; and will leave it to you to name the prisoners. I have
done every thing in my power to restrain the Indians in their fury, from hurting
women and children, or killing the prisoners who fell into our hands; and would
have more effectually prevented them, but they were to much enraged by the
late destruction of their village Onohoghquago, by your people; and shall always
continue to act in the same manner - as I look upon it beneath the character
of a soldier, to wage war with women and children. I am sure that you are conscious
that Col. Butler or myself have any desire that your women or children should
be hurt: But be assured, that if you persevere in detaining my father's family
with you, that we shall no longer take the same pains, in restraining the Indians
from making prisoners of women and children, as we have heretofore done. I
am Sir, your humble servant
WALTER
BUTLER (Capt. of the Rangers)
To General SCHUYLER, Albany.
SOURCE:HE
INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE AND UNIVERSAL ADVERTISER, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24,
1778, PAGE 3, COLUMNS 2 & 3. MAJOR
GENERAL MORGAN LEWIS
The
following item is an obituary of Morgan Lewis followed by a letter from
Jeptha R. Simms in which he corrects errors in General Lewis obituary.
This
is a valuable lesson of how statements like these can alter the historical
facts and obscure what really happened. I have added a few facts at the
end that might clear up some of the confusion.
Death
of Morgan Lewis - The New York papers record the death, in that city, on Saturday
last [April 7th], of the venerable and distinguished patriot of the Revolution,
Major General Morgan Lewis, President General of the Society of the Cincinnati
of the United States. He fought gallantly in the army of the Revolution which
he entered in 1775, and was particularly distinguished on several
occasions. In 18O4 he was elected governor of New York State; and since that
time has filled various offices of high trust and dignity, and always with
great credit to himself, and usefulness to the State.
In 1812,
he entered the Army, and performing valuable services to the country, and was
finally appointed a Major General.
Mr
Horton: I observe in an obituary notice of the death of Ex-Gov. Lewis,
an error, which, as it is calculated to mislead future writers, I must
request you to correct. It is stated in the communication from Maj. Popham,
that Mr. Lewis was engaged with Gen. Clinton in a battle at Stone Arabia
in the Revolution except the one in 178O, in which the
brave Col. John Brown commanded the Americans; when he was overpowered
by numbers and slain. Gen Clinton was stationed at Canajoharie in the early
party of 1779, preparing to join Sullivan in his expedition against the
Indians of Western, N.Y., but was an actor in no battle in the Mohawk Valley.
Yours
very Respectfully, J R Simms, Fultonville
April 12th, 1844
Both were
copied from The Montgomery Whig, Saturday, April 13, 1844, page 2, Vol. 4 No.
6, T R Horton, Fultonville.
Unfortunately
I haven't seen a copy of the earlier printed version of Lewis' obituary that
Simms mentions which might have had some other interesting facts or inaccuracies.
The following
are some other facts and dates that relate to Morgan Lewis. He was Colonel
and Deputy Quartermaster-General for the Northern Department and to which he
was appointed to on September 12, 1776. He was also Brigadier General and Quartermaster
General of the United States Army from April 3, 1812 to March 2, 1813. He was
appointed Major General on March 2, 1813 and he was discharged on June 15,
1815.
It is hard
to say why it was said that he participated in the Battle of Stone Arabia which
was fought on October 19, 178O but it is well documented as to who were the
officers in that particular battle.
The confusion
could be in part because Governor George Clinton arrived later with more troops
and joined Brigadier General Robert Van Rensselaer in pursuit of the enemy
under Sir John Johnson. There could be added confusion because there was a
Major Morris R. Lewis from the Albany County Militia under General Van Rensselaer
and who participated at the Battle of Klocksfield in the afternoon of October
19, 178O.
It
is known that General James Clinton, brother to Governor Clinton, was
not at either battle otherwise he would have been in command instead of Colonel
John Brown at Stone Arabia or General Van Rensselaer at Klocksfield.
In the official
Court of Inquiry held in 1781 to investigate the conduct of General Van
Rensselaer in his pursuit of and battle with the enemy under Sir John Johnson
are more facts to consider. In the testimony from several others including
from Henry Glen that it was Glen who organized the wagons and supplies for
Van Rensselaer's army. Glen who was a quartermaster himself did not march with
the army nor does he mentioned Morgan Lewis or for that matter does anyone
say who was in charge of the supply wagons. There is no mention
of Lewis being any part of this campaign in the correspondence during that
time or in the Court of Inquiry.
In conclusion
the present facts still prove what Simms had
said in 1844 about General Lewis were the correct facts. Simms was one of
the best historians in the nineteenth century and we are most fortunate for
his interest and effort in preserving the history of the Mohawk
Valley.