Chapter X: Part 10

Kingston, therefore, remained unmolested,--and the army at Sacketts Harbor continued inactive, till the opening of the lake navigation in the spring of 1813, when General Dearborn proceeded against York with the greater part of his forces. A portion of Colonel Macomb’s regiment took part in the expedition, but their commander himself, much against his own inclination and wishes, was left at Sacketts Harbor,--it being deemed of the highest importance that an officer of skill and ability should be placed in command of that post.

Having made every possible preparation for the defence of Sacketts Harbor, and received permission to join General Dearborn on the Niagara frontier, Colonel Macomb sailed up the lake, in company with Commodore Chauncey, with the remainder of his regiment, and joined the main army on the twenty-fourth of May; passing, in the night, a schooner dispatched by the general-in-chief, with an officer on board, bearing positive orders for him to remain at the post he had left. The arrangements for the attack on Fort George had previously been made; but a sort of second reserve was formed, under Colonel Macomb, consisting of his regiment and the marines. The attack was made on the twenty-seventh of May, and was eminently successful. None of the troops participated in the action, except the advanced guard under Colonel Scott, and the brigade of General Boyd; consequently, Colonel Macomb had no opportunity to gather the laurels he longed to win; and, immediately after the battle took place, he was ordered to return to Sacketts Harbor, with four companies of his regiment.

Upon what trifling, and apparently unimportant circumstances, does the destiny of individuals, like that of nations, depend!--The temporary absence of Colonel Macomb from Sacketts Harbor enabled General Brown, then only an officer of the militia, to distinguish himself, and to obtain a high command, followed by rapid promotion, in the regular service; while the former, though equally brave and patriotic, was defeated in his most ardent hopes, by his impatience and anxiety to meet the enemy in the field.

[Sidenote: EXPEDITION DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE.]

In the summer of 1813, General Wilkinson relieved General Dearborn in the command of the Northern army. Colonel Macomb accompanied him in the fruitless and unfortunate movement down the St. Lawrence, in the autumn of that year.[31] He was placed at the head of the _corps d’élite_, which consisted of his own regiment, the 20th infantry, Forsyth’s rifles, and Major Herkimer’s New York volunteers, numbering, in all, about twelve hundred men. On the march over land, to avoid the fire of the British batteries at Prescott, he led the advance; and when the army resumed its progress down the river, he was detached with his corps, to remove obstructions from the stream, and drive the enemy’s skirmishers and light troops from the line of the route. While on this service, several slight affairs occurred with the enemy, in which he and the officers and men of his command, displayed commendable zeal and gallantry.

Being in the advance, Colonel Macomb had no part in the action fought on the eleventh of November, near Williamsburg. After the death of General Covington, who fell on that occasion, Macomb succeeded to the command of his brigade, and conducted it to the winter quarters of the army, at French Mills, where he was placed in command of the artillery.

On the twenty-fourth of January, 1814, Colonel Macomb was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and, on the receipt of his commission, was regularly assigned to the command of Covington’s brigade. In conformity with orders from the War Department, the cantonment at French Mills was broken up in February, 1814, and the troops divided into two columns,--one moving to Sacketts Harbor, under General Brown, and the other proceeding to Plattsburg and Burlington, under Generals Wilkinson and Macomb. The latter was appointed to the command of the troops on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, and established his headquarters at Burlington.

In the month of March following, General Wilkinson concentrated his forces at Champlain, on the New York frontier, in order to make a demonstration, or attack, as might be most practicable, upon the British outposts. General Macomb joined him with his brigade, and proceeded, with the column, to La Cole Mill, on the St. John’s, a strongly fortified position of the enemy. An attempt was made to carry the work on the thirtieth of March, which wholly failed of success. General Macomb, who had opposed, to the last, the order of attack laid down by the commanding general, and suggested an entirely different plan of operations, commanded the reserve, and displayed his usual ability in covering the retrograde march to Odletown.

[Sidenote: INVASION OF NEW YORK.]

Shortly after this affair, General Wilkinson was recalled, and General Macomb assumed the command of the army, till the arrival of General Izard. Commodore Macdonough was then actively engaged in constructing and equipping his fleet, at Vergennes. Early in May, the enemy’s flotilla appeared off Plattsburg, on their way towards the naval dépôt, intending, doubtless, to destroy the vessels and stores. General Macomb instantly penetrated their design, and dispatched the light artillery under Captain Thornton, to man the batteries which he had caused to be erected on Otter Creek, to protect the dépôt. The British flotilla attempted to pass up the creek, but were so roughly handled by the American batteries, that they judged it expedient to return to the Isle Aux Noix.

When General Izard arrived at Plattsburg and took the command, General Macomb resumed his position at Burlington, till the departure of the former, on the twenty-seventh of August, 1814, with the greater part of his troops, to reïnforce General Brown on the Niagara frontier.

Meanwhile, the British force in the Canadas had been largely augmented, by the arrival of successive detachments from Wellington’s victorious army on the Garonne. At the close of the month of August, there were, at least, sixteen thousand regular soldiers, under the orders of the governor-general, Sir George Prevost,--twelve thousand of whom were in the lower province. This formidable force was designed for the invasion of the United States, by the way of Lake Champlain, in conjunction with the fleet then preparing to coöperate with it, under Commodore Downie. At the same time, a strong naval expedition, under Sir John Sherbrooke and Admiral Griffith, was moving along the New England coast, landing at different places on their route, and encountering but a feeble opposition, except on the part of the regular troops or the navy. These two movements were parts of a general plan, formed by the Prince Regent and his cabinet--based, in all probability, on the well-known disaffection in the New England States. But Sir George Prevost found, to his cost, that the want of patriotism manifested in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, was not shared, to any considerable degree, by the yeomen of New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.

The preparations of the English commander for the projected invasion were nearly completed, when General Izard set out for the theatre of General Brown’s operations. General Macomb, whose brigade was now broken up, was left in command at Plattsburg, to which he again removed his headquarters. His whole force numbered about twenty-five hundred men, most of whom, however, were convalescents, or new recruits belonging to different regiments; there was but one organized battalion in the entire command; many were sick; and, on examination, it was found that there were only fifteen hundred fit for duty. This was, indeed, a dilemma; and especially so, as there was no time given to bring up new regular troops,--it being announced, on the first of September, that the advance of Sir George Prevost’s army had that day crossed the lines at Odletown, where he was issuing his proclamations inviting the inhabitants to remain neutral, and impressing wagons and teams--thus plainly indicating his intention to sweep down the western shore of the lake, in the direction of Plattsburg.

General Macomb never paused to count the number of his enemies, or to consider his own weakness, any further than was necessary for the defence of his position, which he was determined to maintain at all hazards. General Mooers, of the New York militia, was invited to consult with him, and to coöperate in the obstruction of the enemy’s advance, with all the troops under his orders. Messengers sped off in every direction, bearing spirited appeals from General Macomb, to arouse the people of Vermont and New York; and every exertion was made, in the meantime, to reduce the confusion prevailing at Plattsburg into something like order, and to strengthen the fortifications prepared to resist the “rushing onslaught” of the British legions. A spirit of emulation was carefully fostered among the officers and men, who were divided into detachments, and placed near the different forts; General Macomb announcing, in orders, that each party must be the garrison of its own work, and defend it to the last extremity.

[Sidenote: DEFENCES OF PLATTSBURG.]

The village of Plattsburg is situated on the north-western bank of the Saranac river, which flows into Cumberland bay, an arm of Lake Champlain. On the south-east, between the river and the bay, there is a triangular peninsula, from four to six hundred yards wide. The American works were constructed, under the direction of Major Totten, of the engineers, on this peninsula. There were, at first, three redoubts, and two strong blockhouses. The principal work, called, by General Izard, Fort Moreau, stood in the centre,--having on its right, on the Saranac, Fort Brown, and on its left, resting on the lake, Fort Scott; so named by General Macomb, in honor of his gallant brothers in arms. Fort Brown and Fort Scott were deemed inaccessible, on their water fronts, as the banks of the river and bay were high and precipitous. On all the other sides, the several works were surrounded by deep and wide ditches; they were defended by _caponnières_; and each glacis was covered with rows of abattis. The blockhouses occupied favorable positions for guarding the river, and the ravines on the northern bank leading to the redoubts. The general afterwards constructed a fourth redoubt, which he called Fort Gaines, in advance of the other forts, on the south side of the river.

All the works occupied by the American troops were well supplied with artillery, and their position was further strengthened, by the presence of the fleet under Commodore Macdonough, which lay moored in the bay on the right of their position. Besides the regular garrisons detailed for the different redoubts, General Macomb formed four small corps of observation,--placing two hundred and fifty men under Major Wool, of the 29th infantry; two hundred under Major Sproul, of the 13th; one hundred rifles under Captain Grosvenor, of the 26th; and one hundred and ten rifles under Lieutenant Colonel Appling. These corps were thrown forward on the different routes, to watch the movements of the enemy. Most of the citizens of Plattsburg had fled with their families and effects, but a small party of young men remained behind, received rifles, and organized themselves into a separate company. They also did good service as skirmishers.

[Sidenote: ADVANCE OF SIR GEORGE PREVOST.]

The advance of Sir George Prevost was slow and cautious. The example and fate of Burgoyne were before him, and he desired to profit by the lesson. He wished to penetrate into the country as far as Crown Point and Ticonderoga, before the winter set in, but he did not care to be caught in a trap. He therefore felt his way at every step, repeatedly urging Captain Downie, however, to hasten the completion and equipment of his fleet. Without the command of the lake he naturally felt that his position, far advanced into the enemy’s country, would be extremely hazardous and insecure. On the third of September, the whole British army entered the town of Champlain, and on the following day moved forward upon Plattsburg. They found the roads blocked up with felled trees, the passes obstructed by _chevaux-de-frise_ and abattis, and the bridges broken down,--the corps of observation pushed out by General Macomb having faithfully obeyed his orders, to impede, in every way, the progress of the enemy’s troops.

The eloquent appeals of the American general to the yeomanry of Vermont and New York were nobly answered. Hundreds and thousands of the brave Green Mountain boys, and the patriotic militia and volunteers of New York, daily poured into his camp. Those who were destitute he furnished with arms, and all were supplied with provisions. The militia were, of course, organized and enrolled under their respective commanders, but the volunteers, at his suggestion, usually separated into small parties, to lie in wait in the woods, to fall upon detached parties of the enemy, to annoy their flanks, to harass them by every possible means, and to obtain information and intercept stragglers.

On the fourth of September, General Mooers, with seven hundred militia, advanced about seven miles on the Beekmantown road,--which passes over the swelling uplands overlooking the lake, and the lower, or lake road, on its margin,--to reconnoitre, and obstruct the approaches. Captain Sproul was then at Dead Creek bridge, on the lake road, with his corps and two pieces of artillery; while Lieutenant Colonel Appling and his rifles, who had been stationed on the Great Chazy, were still further in front. When the enemy moved forward, on the fourth instant, Appling retreated leisurely before them, tearing up the bridges, cutting down trees and flinging them across the road, and throwing every possible obstruction in the way of their advance.

[Sidenote: BATTLE OF PLATTSBURG.]

Sir George Prevost halted his troops at Little Chazy, on the fifth instant, and it was the same day ascertained by General Macomb, that they would take up the line of march on the following morning, in two columns, on the Beekmantown and lake roads, which divided below Chazy village. The general was urged by many warm and zealous friends, to abandon Plattsburg to its fate, to remove the stores while there was yet time, and to retire higher up the lake. He was not the man to follow such advice; though a retreat, under the circumstances, could not justly have been termed dishonorable. He had already decided to dispute every inch of ground, and he felt confident, that if the narrow peninsula, between the Saranac and the Champlain, should, indeed, prove the Thermopylæ of himself and his gallant little band of regular soldiers, the sacrifice would not be in vain. The militia and volunteers who had flocked around his standard, or were operating in the neighborhood, numbered from eight to ten thousand men, and before the enemy could have improved any advantage gained over his command, the forests around them would have been filled with an overwhelming force of citizen soldiers, burning with impatience to drive back the invader.

In the evening of the fifth instant, Major Wool was ordered forward with his corps, to support the militia on the Beekmantown road. It was designed to reïnforce him with two pieces of artillery, before daylight; but the officer having charge of the guns did not join him in season. At early dawn on the sixth, the enemy were in motion. The column on the Beekmantown road, consisting of the divisions of Generals Power and Robinson, pushed forward with great rapidity. Major Wool and his men withstood them for some time with matchless hardihood and bravery, killing Lieutenant Colonel Wellington, of the Buffs, the leader of the advanced parties; but the militia were seized with an unhappy panic, occasioned, in part, by the red coats of the New York cavalry, stationed as look-outs on the hills, whom they mistook for the British soldiers. The firmness and intrepidity of Major Wool and his command failed to encourage them, and their premature flight soon compelled him to retire.

The right column of the enemy having approached within one mile of Plattsburg, General Macomb dispatched his aid, with orders to Captain Sproul, to fall back by the lake road; and to Lieutenant Colonel Appling, to attack the British right. Appling retired just in time to escape being cut off; as he soon after encountered the head of a detachment from the left column, which had made a _détour_ through the woods for that purpose. A destructive fire from his rifles, at rest, checked their advance, and enabled him to effect his retreat in safety. The different corps, under Appling, Wool, and Sproul, now united, and slowly continued their retrograde movement; the field pieces were kept actively playing; the gunboats lying off the mouth of Dead Creek, poured a lively and galling fire upon the enemy; and their advanced parties were severely handled.

[Sidenote: SKIRMISHING.]

Every road and lane leading into Plattsburg was now full of British soldiers. The artillery, which had supported the American advanced corps, was pushed across the bridge in the town, where it was placed in battery, to cover the retreat of the infantry, who retired in alternate detachments. As the last platoons reached the southern bank of the river, the planks of all the bridges spanning the stream were torn up, by order of General Macomb, and breastworks formed from them, to protect the parties left to guard the crossings. The enemy promptly entered the town, flattering themselves that the victory was more than half completed. The heavy artillery in the redoubts immediately opened on them, and the staff officers, who ascended the roofs and balconies to reconnoitre, were speedily dislodged by the hot shot, poured upon them “like burning lava,” while the buildings of which they had taken possession were set on fire. The British commander, discovering that his men were suffering considerably from the fire of the heavy metal, and not being prepared to force the passage of the river, drew off the main body of his army,--leaving only a few light troops to skirmish at the different fords and bridges,--and encamped in a semicircle, about two miles from the American forts. It was of the highest importance that the weakness of his army should be concealed from the enemy, and General Macomb took extraordinary precautions to prevent their obtaining any positive information, and to deceive them in regard to his real strength. All the troops were paraded at guard-mounting; and, as several days elapsed before anything of moment transpired on either side, a portion of the barracks constructed for General Izard’s army was burned every night, to prevent the enemy from approaching the works unobserved, and to march the troops through the light, as if they were reïnforcements just arriving from the opposite shore of the lake.

From the evening of the sixth of September, till the morning of the eleventh, Sir George Prevost was zealously engaged in planting his batteries, both open and masked, and bringing up his heavy artillery. During all this time he refrained from offensive operations, though there were constant skirmishes between advanced corps of the two armies, at the bridges and fords. The reason alleged for the delay on his part, was the want of his battering train, that came up very slowly; but the absence of the fleet under Captain Downie, which had not yet arrived,--and without which, as appeared in the sequel, he dared not make an attempt on the American position,--was, probably, the main consideration that influenced him.

In the meantime, a lively and effective cannonade was directed upon the enemy’s lines from the American forts,--the sullen thunder of their artillery echoing for many a mile through the sweeping forests whose rich foliage enamelled the borders of Lake Champlain. The repeated assaults of the enemy at the different crossings of the river were repelled with ease and alacrity; and on one occasion, Captain M‘Glassin, of the 15th infantry, gallantly crossed the river in the night, with fifty men; attacked a working party one hundred and fifty strong, constructing a battery opposite Fort Brown; defeated both them and their support, also one hundred and fifty in number, killing seven of the enemy; and completely demolished the work. The regular troops, besides performing regular tours of duty at the bridge and fords, labored incessantly, in strengthening the fortifications.

On the night of the tenth of September, General Macomb was apprised of the intention of the enemy to make an attack the next day; and, by his orders, the roads and passes leading to the south of his position, as he suspected they designed to turn it, were covered with felled trees, and strewed with leaves, so as to deceive them, and a new road was opened leading towards Salmon river.

[Sidenote: REPULSE OF THE ENEMY.]

At the earliest dawn of day, before the welkin began to glow with the purple light of morning, a general movement was reported, by the advanced parties, to be making in the enemy’s camp; and when objects could be distinguished from the main line, all their different corps were observed under arms. Shortly afterwards, the British fleet rounded Cumberland head. As the Confiance, the flag ship of Captain Downie, entered the bay, she scaled her guns,--the signal agreed on with Sir George Prevost for the commencement of the action. A desperate conflict, of rather more than two hours’ duration, now took place between the rival squadrons, at the termination of which Commodore Macdonough obtained a signal triumph over his opponent, who fell mortally wounded in the action.

Nearly all the enemy’s vessels were captured or destroyed, and their crews, with the exception of those who were killed during the engagement, were taken prisoners.

Sir George Prevost only waited to give his men their breakfast, when the attack was ordered on the land. Showers of bombs, shrapnels, balls, and rockets, were hurled across the river; and immediately after the bombardment commenced, the enemy advanced to force a passage across the stream, and assault the American works, in three columns--one approaching the bridge in the village, another the upper bridge, and the third a ford about three miles above the forts--all of which were provided with scaling ladders. The attack was vigorously met by the American artillerists; fire answered fire; and the ringing shot and shout resounded far and wide.

The two columns of the enemy which attempted to pass the bridges, were gallantly driven back by the regulars; the remaining column was led astray in the woods--the artifices of the American commander being entirely successful--and after spending a long time in marching and countermarching to no purpose, wearied and worn with fatigue, they arrived in sight of the American works, only to hear the glad shouts of victory at the brilliant success of the brave Macdonough. A further advance was no longer to be thought of; the recall was sounded; the scaling ladders were thrown down; and a hasty retreat was made. The volunteers and militia stationed in this quarter, pressed warmly upon them, and succeeded in cutting off an entire company of the 76th foot, not a single man of whom escaped. The cannonade was kept up till sunset, when the enemy’s batteries were all silenced by the effective fire from the American forts.

Before another morning dawned, Sir George Prevost and his powerful army had all disappeared, like “the baseless fabric of a vision.” Their sick and wounded were left behind, with a message to the American general commending them to his kindness and generosity. Vast quantities of provisions were also abandoned or destroyed, together with large stores of ammunition, tents, and intrenching tools. The retreat was made so unexpectedly, and with such extraordinary precipitance, that it was not discovered till the enemy had nearly reached Chazy, about eight miles distant. The light troops, volunteers, and militia, were instantly detached in pursuit of the flying Britons; but a violent storm of rain impeded their progress, and they were only able to capture a few prisoners, and to cover the escape of between three and four hundred deserters. Sir George Prevost succeeded in effecting his return to Canada, without further molestation, where he resigned the command of the army and demanded a court martial. Before the investigation took place, he died, as it is said, of grief and mortification at the ill-success of an expedition so well equipped and provided, and upon which depended so many hopes and expectations.

The actual loss of the British army in this expedition was only two hundred and fifty killed and wounded, but there were over four hundred deserted in the retreat. Of the Americans, there were thirty-seven killed, sixty-two wounded, and twenty missing.

The double victory of Macomb and Macdonough was everywhere hailed by their countrymen with acclamations of joy. The legislatures of New York and Vermont were foremost in offering their thanks and congratulations. The freedom of the city of New York was presented to General Macomb, in a gold box, and the State legislature voted him a magnificent sword. Congress also passed a vote of thanks, and ordered that a gold medal, emblematical of the victory, should be struck and presented to him. The brevet of major general was likewise conferred on him--his commission bearing date on the memorable eleventh of September, 1814.

[Sidenote: RETURN OF PEACE.]

Upon the conclusion of the treaty of peace, the negotiations for which were undoubtedly hastened to a close by the disastrous result of the expedition under Sir George Prevost, the army was reduced to the peace establishment, which was fixed at ten thousand men. Two major generals, and four brigadier generals, were retained in the service; among them was General Macomb, who stood at the head of the brigadiers. He was now assigned to the command of the 3rd military department, and established his headquarters at New York; subsequently he was transferred to the 5th department, and removed to Detroit. While in charge of the latter department, he established the posts at Fort Gratiot, Chicago, Mackinaw, Prairie du Chien, St. Peter’s, and St. Mary’s. So highly was he esteemed by the people of Detroit, that when he was called to Washington, on the further reduction of the army, in June, 1821, to take charge of the Engineer Bureau, an address, in their name, with a piece of plate, was presented to him, by Governor Cass; and the clergy, and all the most prominent citizens, called upon him to take their leave, and express their regret at his departure.

General Macomb now removed to Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, in order to enter upon the duties of his appointment as Chief Engineer. His military studies, his talents and experience, eminently fitted him for this post; and it is not strange, therefore, that he should have received, as he did, the repeated thanks of every head of the War Department, during his administration of the affairs of the engineer bureau. Millions of dollars were appropriated under his directions, not a single cent of which was unaccounted for to the government.

In the first year of his residence at Georgetown, General Macomb was called upon to mourn the loss of his excellent wife, who had so long shared with him the toils and dangers, the hardships and sufferings, of a soldier’s life. He was married a second time, in May, 1826, to Mrs. Harriet Balch Wilson, a lady richly meriting the praise awarded to the possessor of so many graces and accomplishments.

On the death of General Brown, in February, 1828, General Macomb was raised to the full rank of major general, and appointed General-in-Chief of the army. His claims to this preference were disputed by Generals Scott and Gaines, the two brigadiers; but President Adams, and his successor, General Jackson, decided in favor of Macomb, on the ground that his military service was the longest, and that, even if this were not the case, the Executive possessed the unquestioned right to go beyond the pale of the army, if thought advisable, in making the selection.

While at the head of the army, General Macomb devised and recommended various plans for its improvement, and that of the military school at West Point, many of which were adopted by Congress, or the War Department, and all of which would no doubt materially conduce to the elevation of the military character of the country. He was not again required to take the field, except that he was absent for a few months in Florida, during the second Seminole war, and, in 1839, concluded a treaty of peace with the refractory Indians, which proved to be illusory and deceptive.

[Sidenote: HIS DEATH.]

As General Macomb advanced in years, he grew somewhat corpulent, and became subject to apoplectic attacks. On the occasion of the funeral ceremonies of President Harrison, in the city of Washington, he commanded the funeral escort; and his tall and manly form, his noble and dignified presence, rendered him the most conspicuous personage in that brilliant pageant. But little more than two months elapsed, when he was struck by the same relentless enemy of our race. He died in a fit of apoplexy, on the twenty-fifth of June, 1841, universally lamented by his associates and brethren in arms, and by his numerous friends and acquaintances throughout the Union.

The personal appearance of General Macomb was decidedly in his favor. He was above the ordinary height, and, until a few years previous to his death, was finely proportioned. His eyes were blue, and beamed with intelligence and kindness. His look was lofty and imposing, and his whole cast of countenance indicated great decision and firmness, coupled with intellectual ability of the highest order.

He was polished and easy in his manners; at all times accessible; but never forgetting his own self-respect, or losing sight of the dignity of his position. In his military career, he evinced unusual promptness and energy, appropriately tempered by wisdom and prudence. He made no pretences to extraordinary courage; but a braver soldier, in the better sense of the term, never lived. His scientific attainments in the line of his profession, and in general literature, were remarked, and admired, by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. He was singularly accurate in his judgment; correct and exact in the discharge of every duty; patient and assiduous, but decided, in anything he undertook. His disposition and character were equable; and he wore well, as a soldier and a citizen,--as a friend, a father, and a husband.

FOOTNOTES:

[28] Vol. I. p. 288.

[29] Colonel Williams, the chief of the corps of
Engineers, resigned his commission in 1812, for the
reason that he was denied a command in the line of
the army, which he solicited.

[30] The post was attacked in May, 1813, (see Memoir
of General Brown, _ante_,) but not until after the
withdrawal of the troops for the expedition against
York and Fort George.

[31] See Memoir of General Brown, _ante_.

ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE.

This gallant officer, whose fate so closely resembles that of the chivalric, ardent, and romantic Montgomery, was bred in a camp, lived a soldier’s life, and died a soldier’s death.

“Brief brave, and glorious, was his young career!”

Like Sidney before the walls of Zutphen, he perished in the hour of victory, when he had just plucked the coronal of his fame; like him, too, rejoicing that his death was for the honor of his country.

General Pike was descended from a family of soldiers. One of his ancestors, Captain John Pike, was highly distinguished, according to the traditionary accounts, in the early Indian wars of the colony. His father, Major Zebulon Pike, entered the army of the United States as a captain of infantry, in 1792, having served, with high credit, in the levies of the previous year, and was promoted to the rank of major in 1800. His son, the hero of this sketch, was born at Lamberton, New Jersey, the residence of the family for many generations, on the fifth day of January, 1779. While he was yet a child, his father removed to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and thence to Easton. In his boyhood, he was remarkable both for his spirit and bravery, and his thoughtful and studious habits. He enjoyed but few advantages, and obtained a knowledge only of the ordinary branches of an English education.

At an early age, he accompanied his father to the western frontiers of the Union, and served for some time as a cadet in his company. On the third of March, 1799, he received a commission as ensign in the 2nd infantry, and on the twenty-fourth of April, 1800, was promoted to a first lieutenancy in the same regiment. During the year 1800, he was transferred to the 1st infantry. Unlike most of the young officers around him, who contented themselves with going through the customary routine of barrack duty, he devoted all his leisure time to reading and study. Without the aid of an instructor, he became tolerably well acquainted with the French, Latin, and Spanish languages, and made considerable proficiency in mathematics and general science. He was not indifferently versed in polite literature, though much could not have been expected from him in this respect, as his reading and studies were very desultory in their character. He possessed an inquiring mind, habits of investigation and reflection, and was a nice observer of men and things; he was likewise patient and assiduous in his efforts to improve his mind,--but all these good qualities did not make up for the absence of a regular system.

In March, 1801, Pike was married to Miss Clarissa Brown, of Cincinnati. He was tenderly and devotedly attached to his wife, and had several children by her, only one of whom, a daughter, survived him.

[Sidenote: EXPEDITION UP THE MISSISSIPPI.]

After the purchase of Louisiana from France, Mr. Jefferson projected several expeditions of discovery in the territory newly acquired. Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Clarke were selected to ascend the Missouri, to cross the mountains, and trace the Columbia river to its mouth; and about the same time, Lieutenant Pike was ordered by his commanding officer, General Wilkinson, to conduct an expedition to the sources of the Mississippi. On the ninth of August, 1805, he left St. Louis in a keel boat, seventy feet long, with provisions for four months; his whole party consisting of one sergeant, one corporal, and seventeen private soldiers. There was not a scientific man attached to the expedition; his men were totally unacquainted with the country; and Pike himself was required to perform the duties, as he remarks in the Preface to his published Narrative, “of astronomer, surveyor, commanding officer, clerk, spy, guide, and hunter.”

He was absent on this expedition nearly nine months. He visited a great number of Indian tribes, attended several councils, made treaties with them, and purchased valuable tracts of land. On the sixteenth of October he erected a stockade, and established a winter station for his men, two hundred and thirty-three miles above the falls of St. Anthony. He was determined to pursue his explorations still further, and accordingly commenced his preparations as soon as practicable. While he remained at the encampment, its tedious monotony was relieved by the excitement of the chase. In December, he continued his journey in canoes and on foot--his men drawing their baggage on sleds over the frozen snow. After visiting Sandy, Leech, and Red Cedar lakes, and making his surveys and examinations, he returned to his stockade, where he had left his sergeant, and invalid soldiers, on the eighteenth of February, 1806. He was compelled to wait here till the breaking up of the ice in the spring, when he descended the river to St. Louis, arriving there on the thirtieth of April.

General Wilkinson was so well pleased with the manner in which Lieutenant Pike had conducted the expedition up the Mississippi, that within four months after his return, he selected him to undertake a similar enterprise. On the fifteenth of July, 1806, he embarked at St. Louis, with his party, consisting of one lieutenant, one sergeant, two corporals, sixteen privates, and an interpreter, together with forty Osage captives, who had recently been recovered from their enemies, the Potowatomies. Dr. Robinson, a professional gentleman, accompanied the expedition as a volunteer.

Proceeding up the Missouri river to the Osage country, Lieutenant Pike restored the captives to their friends, and then made his way to the Pawnee towns, with whom he partially succeeded in cultivating friendly relations. His efforts, however, were in a great measure frustrated, by their proximity to the Spanish settlers of New Mexico, a large body of whom had lately visited their country.

Having fulfilled the duties required of him in the Indian country, Lieutenant Pike proceeded to obey his further instructions, to explore the territory lying on the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers. After leaving the Indian neighborhood, he and his party encountered the severest hardships and fatigues. On reaching the Arkansas, he directed Lieutenant Wilkinson to descend the river to the military post on its lower waters, with seven men of the party. He then held on his way with the remainder of his command, and, at length, after days and weeks of toil and suffering--he and his men being compelled for a portion of the time to carry seventy pounds each on their backs--he arrived on what he supposed to be the bank of the Red river, but which proved to be the Rio Grande.

[Sidenote: TAKEN PRISONER TO CHIHUAHUA.]

While encamped in the vicinity of the river, he was visited by a detachment of Spanish and Mexican lancers, by whom he was conducted to Santa Fé. The Spaniards were at that time extremely inimical towards the people of the United States, and it was probably supposed that Pike was connected with the expedition of Colonel Burr. He was treated with great respect, however, but was carefully watched, and shortly afterwards sent, with his party, to Chihuahua, the residence of the Captain-general of the Internal Provinces, under a strong escort. All his papers, with the exception of his private journal, were here taken from him, and he was then permitted to return home, accompanied by an escort, by way of San Antonio and Nacogdoches,--though he was forbidden to take any notes, or make any observations, on the route. He evaded this prohibition, by making his memoranda on small scraps of paper, which were concealed in the gunbarrels of his men. On the first of July, 1807, the long and arduous expedition terminated, by the arrival of himself and party at Natchitoches.

On his return to the United States, Pike found himself promoted to the rank of captain. His conduct received the express approbation of the Secretary of War, and his zeal, perseverance, and intelligence, elicited a high, but richly deserved encomium, from a committee of Congress. He subsequently prepared a Narrative of his Expedition, abounding in interesting and useful information, and accompanied with valuable maps and charts, which was published in 1810.

In 1809, Pike was raised to a majority in the 6th infantry, and, in 1810, was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 4th infantry. Being engaged on detached service at the southwest, he was not present at the battle of Tippecanoe, in November, 1811, in which his regiment bore so prominent a part. While holding the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was appointed deputy quartermaster general, the duties of which office he discharged with commendable fidelity and punctuality.

On the twentieth day of May, 1812, Colonel Pike was present at a numerous meeting of the citizens of Philadelphia, held in the State House yard, the object of which was to embolden the government to declare war against Great Britain. He took no part in the proceedings, but was not an uninterested spectator. His whole soul was in his profession; his heart glowed with the noble ambition of the soldier; and he gladly welcomed these expressions of the popular will, as the certain indications that he would soon be summoned to the field. He panted for action, for glory and fame. His ardent wish was soon gratified, by the declaration of war in June following, and on the increase of the army, in July, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 15th infantry.

Shortly after receiving his new commission, Colonel Pike proceeded to the Champlain frontier, where he was stationed for some months, under the immediate orders of General Dearborn, with a command consisting of twenty-five hundred men. He found the troops in great need of discipline, and labored earnestly and indefatigably to correct the difficulty. No regular system of tactics had then been adopted; some officers adhering to that of “Old Steuben,” in vogue during the revolution, and others adopting the more modern French system. Pike was active in his temperament, enthusiastic, ambitious to excel, and, perhaps, too fond of innovations. He felt himself at liberty to choose for himself, and therefore drilled his own regiment in three ranks, according to the French mode; the rear rank being provided with short guns and long pikes. They made a bristling appearance in the charge, but were not very serviceable, and soon became known in the army as “Pike’s regiment of _pikes_.” After his death the short guns and pikes were no longer used.

One of the innovations introduced by Pike, was that of drilling his men with snow shoes, in anticipation of a winter campaign in Canada; and there are many amusing anecdotes related of the singular appearance presented by his men when going through their manœuvres and evolutions on parade.

[Sidenote: INCURSION INTO CANADA.]

In October, 1812, Colonel Pike made a successful incursion into Canada, with his regiment; the northern army being then stationed near the frontier, in the town of Champlain. On the nineteenth instant, he surprised a body of British and Indians stationed at a blockhouse, destroyed a large quantity of public stores, and returned to camp without sustaining much loss. In the winter of 1813, he was assigned to the command of a brigade, and was ordered from Plattsburg to Sacketts Harbor, in consequence of a report that Sir George Prevost designed to attack that post.[32]

At the opening of the campaign of 1813, Pike was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and accompanied General Dearborn in his expedition against York. It was the great fault committed by our generals in the war of 1812, that no permanent lodgment was made on the Canada shore, between Kingston and Montreal. Had this been done, the two provinces would have been effectually detached, and the upper one must of necessity have submitted to the authority of the United States. The instructions issued from the War Department to General Dearborn, in the spring of 1813, specified Kingston and York, Forts George and Erie, as suitable points of attack. It was, of course, designed that an attempt should be first made on Kingston; but the commanding general was deceived by a false report as to its strength, intended by the enemy to produce that effect, and therefore selected York, the capital of Upper Canada, now known as Toronto.

Pike was constantly employed at Sacketts Harbor, in drilling the men intended for the expedition, which was to be a secret one,--it being understood that he was to have the actual command of the forces, though General Dearborn decided to accompany him. The troops, to the number of about seventeen hundred men, were embarked on board Commodore Chauncey’s fleet, on the twenty-third of April, 1813, and set sail on the twenty-fifth instant. On the morning of the twenty-seventh, they hove in sight of York, and the landing instantly commenced, in the small boats, under the direction of General Pike, who had previously made all the necessary arrangements, and issued the most precise orders, which were directed to be read at the head of every corps.

[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST YORK.]

It was originally designed that the debarkation should take place on the open shore, near the ruins of old Fort Toronto, about two miles above York; but the prevalence of a strong east wind forced the boats on a part of the coast fringed with trees and underbrush, which afforded an excellent cover to the enemy’s sharpshooters. Major Forsyth led the descent with his rifle corps. His men cheered lustily as their boats skimmed over the blue waters, and rapidly neared the beach. The alarm had already been communicated to General Sheaffe, the commandant of the garrison at York; a strong body of grenadiers, with the Glengary fencibles, were paraded on the shore to oppose the landing; a still larger force of regulars and militia, at least seven hundred strong, were observed in the rear; and there were five or six hundred Indians scattered through the woods in detached parties.

As Major Forsyth approached the shore, a heavy fire of musketry and rifles was poured on his command. He at once ordered his men to rest a few seconds on their oars, and return the enemy’s fire. General Pike was at this moment standing on the deck of his ship, intently surveying the scene with his glass. Observing what he thought a cowardly pause on the part of the advance, he exclaimed to his staff, “I can stay here no longer,--come, jump into the boat!” As he spoke, he leaped into the boat, followed by his officers, gave the order to make way, and pushed into the thickest of the fire.

Meantime, Major Forsyth and his men had gallantly driven the enemy from the bank, and effected a landing. They then sheltered themselves behind the trees and bushes, and opened a lively fire. The first volley of the enemy had killed their armorer, the best shot in the corps, and they now made the woods ring with the shrill report of their pieces, and their loud shouts for vengeance.

General Pike soon landed, with Major King’s infantry, the light artillery under Major Eustis, the volunteer corps of Colonel McClure, and Lieutenant Riddle’s rifles. The general placed himself at the head of the platoon first formed, and ordering the rest to follow, dashed up the bank under a fierce shower of bullets from the grenadiers. His noble example inspired his men with confidence. Willing hearts found ready hands. At the word they sprang forward with the utmost vivacity and firmness, and charged impetuously upon the enemy, who almost immediately broke, and retired in disorder towards their works in the town. At the same instant, Forsyth’s bugles pealed forth their merry notes of victory. The effect on the Indians was electrical; they gave a loud yell and fled in every direction; but the Glengary fencibles still maintained an irregular fire. A fresh body of grenadiers now issued from the wood, and made a dash at Major King’s regiment; at first, the latter faltered under the terrible crash of the bayonet, but they speedily rallied, returned the charge with a will, and drove the enemy from the field.

All the troops having landed, they were formed in order of attack, and led on by General Pike in person, against the enemy’s works. Advancing through the wood, they came within range of a twenty-four pounder gun planted in one of the batteries. The battery was stormed and cleaned in an instant. A second work was soon after entered, which had previously been abandoned. The assailants then moved forward, in columns, upon the principal intrenchment, whither the enemy had retreated. On approaching it, the barracks appeared to have been evacuated. Suspecting some trick, General Pike ordered a halt, and sent Lieutenant Riddle forward to reconnoitre.

[Sidenote: EXPLOSION OF THE MAGAZINE.]

In the meanwhile, General Pike, ever as humane and generous, as he was brave, had aided in removing a wounded British soldier with his own hands to a place of safety, and then sat down on the stump of a tree with one of the enemy’s sergeants who had been taken prisoner. He was busily employed in examining him, with the assistance of his aids, when the hill-side was suddenly convulsed as if with the throes of an earthquake. The magazine in the main work of the enemy exploded with a deafening roar. Huge volumes of smoke darkened the air; vast columns of flame shot up towards the sky; and large masses of fragments were thrown into the air, where they hung suspended for a moment, and then descended with a sharp hissing sound, crushing into the earth both friends and foes within a circuit of three hundred yards.[33] The magazine was constructed of stone, and one of the heaviest masses fell upon the group gathered about General Pike. All, except one of the aids, were mortally wounded,--the general himself receiving a severe contusion on the breast.

The American troops for an instant recoiled before this terrible catastrophe; but they were quickly reformed by Colonel Pearce, of the 16th infantry, who now assumed the command, and his subordinate officers; the lively strains of martial music soon reïnspired them; and they were again led forward to the attack, rending the air, as they advanced, with their loud hurrahs. As they filed past the suffering, but heroic Pike, whose breast and sides were literally crushed in, he said, “Push on, my brave fellows, and avenge your general!”--They instantly dashed on with redoubled zeal; though the plume of their gallant leader was no longer to be seen, his influence was still upon them; and in a few hours the victory was completed, by the capture of the town and fort; General Sheaffe making a precipitate retreat with his regulars, in the direction of Kingston. The public buildings and barracks were destroyed, and the military stores removed; and the place was then abandoned. The enemy lost about two hundred men in killed and wounded, and nearly three hundred were taken prisoners. The loss of the Americans was three hundred and twenty killed and wounded, principally caused by the explosion of the magazine. Between thirty and forty of the enemy were also killed and wounded by the explosion.

[Sidenote: HIS DEATH.]

After the advance of the troops, Pike was taken up by some of his men, under the direction of the surgeons, to be conveyed on board the ship. As they reached the shore of the lake, a loud prolonged shout was heard, evidently proceeding from his brigade. The cheering sound revived the dying hero. Like Wolfe upon the plains of Abraham, he turned his head with an inquiring look. This was noticed by a sergeant beside him, who instantly cried, “The British union jack is coming down, general--the stars are going up!” Pike struggled to speak, but the effort was vain; he heaved a deep sigh, and a glad smile lighted up his fine features. He was then rowed to the Commodore’s ship and taken on board. He lingered a few hours in great pain, being unable to articulate a single syllable. Just before he breathed his last, as his eye was glazing in death, the British standard was brought to him; he made a sign to have it placed under his head, and calmly breathed his last.

The personal intrepidity of General Pike was not his only good quality. He was devotedly attached to his profession, and jealous of the preservation of its honor,--as was evinced by the orders issued on the morning of the fatal twenty-seventh of April. Among them was one, in which he prohibited any molestation of the persons or property of private citizens, and strictly enjoined upon his troops that they should refrain from committing outrages of every character, however much they might be provoked. He was pure-minded, frank and ingenuous; firm in danger, and resolute in adversity; blameless in life, and heroic in death,--exemplifying, under circumstances that required the exhibition of unusual fortitude and resignation, the truthful sentiment of the Roman poet--

“Dulce, et decorum est, pro patria mori!”

On the day previous to the embarkation at Sacketts Harbor, General Pike addressed a letter to his father, in which he said: “I embark to-morrow in the fleet at Sacketts Harbor, at the head of a column of fifteen hundred choice troops, on a secret expedition. If success attend my steps, honor and glory await my name; if defeat, still shall it be said that we died like brave men, and conferred honor, even in death, on the American name. Should I be the happy mortal destined to turn the scale of war, will you not rejoice, O my father? May Heaven be propitious, and smile on the cause of my country! But if we are destined to fall, may my fall be like Wolfe’s--to sleep in the arms of victory!”

[Sidenote: HIS CHARACTER.]

The hero’s wish was gratified. The same breeze that fanned his cheek, and cooled the aching forehead on which the death-damp was rapidly gathering, unfurled the victorious banner, welcomed, as it shook its star-gemmed folds above the heads of his brave soldiers, with a deafening shout that went up like the gush of many waters. He desired no higher, or greater distinction, in life, than to serve his country in the tented field--he asked no nobler death than that which awaited him, in the hour of his proud triumph:--

“He died, as hearts like his should die,--
In the hot clasp of victory!”

FOOTNOTES:

[32] See Memoir of General Macomb, _ante_.