Morrison's Pensions
THE AMBUSH OF LIEUTENANT SOLOMON WOODWORTH AND HIS PARTY OF SCOUTS
BY JAMES F. MORRISON
There
are many versions on the ambush of Lieutenant Solomon Woodworth and his scouting
party that took place on September 7, 1781. There are different dates given
such as July 2, 1781, September 1780 etc., Woodworth is mentioned as a captain,
and the location of the ambush are just a few of the varying facts.
First, there
was an ambush near Steele's Creek on July 6, 1781 in what is now Herkimer County.
This party of scouts was led by Captain Peter Elsworth of Colonel Marinus Willett's
Regiment of New York State Levies. Elsworth with a few of his men were killed,
Henrich Grem [Crim] was wounded and Conrad Vols [Folts] was captured.
The ambush
of Elsworth's and Woodworth's scouting parties are similar in circumstances
plus Elsworth may not have been remembered as he was not a Tryon County man.
Again it looks like two separate stories have been confused as one.
This article
will prove various parts of Jeptha R. Simms version of the incident, prove
some of the facts wrong and at the same time shed some new light on this almost
forgotten incident of the WAR OF INDEPENDENCE in what was
once known as TRYON COUNTY.
The
following version is excerpted from THE FRONTIERSMEN OF NEW YORK,
JEPTHA R. SIMMS, GEO. C. RIGGS, PUBLISHER, ALBANY, N.Y., 1883, VOL.
II, pp 508-513.
Fate
of Captain Woodworth and his Command.-Solomon Woodworth, mentioned
elsewhere as a pioneer settler of Mayfield, and as having made a brave
defense of the Sacondaga block-house, and the pursuit and destruction of
its assailants, in the spring of 1780, was promised the captaincy of a
company of rangers for the frontier service of New York, if he could enlist
the men; and early in 1781 he received such a commission. To make up his
complement for active service, he had permission to draw from the other
companies in the nine months service. Jacob Shew was thus drafted from
Capt. Putman's company. From that company also were added to Woodworth's,
by draft or enlistment, Jacob [sic,should read John] Dunham, Jacob Burke,
Rynier Van Sickler, David Putman, Daniel Dodge, and Ananias Archy. About
the 1st of July, Capt. Woodworth assembled his men at Fort Plain, moved
up to Fort Dayton and there halted for the night.
Leaving
the latter just before day-light, with his company, consisting of 49 white
men, besides himself, and six Oneida Indians, he proceeded on a secret
expedition-his first, in fact,-up the West Canada creek. The company, from
its having been so recently organized, was without a full complement of
officers, and the most of the men had previously been strangers to each
other. It had, besides the Captain, only a Lieutenant, and Orderly-Sergeant.
The subaltern, whose name was Wilson, had been a British deserter. The Orderly,
John Dunham, was a very promising young man of the Mayfield settlement, whose
father and brother were killed there, by the Indians, early in 1779, as shown
elsewhere.
About 1O
o'clock in the morning, when several miles distant from the fort, Woodworth
struck an Indian trail, evidently but just made, in the dewy grass, and halted
his men. The Oneidas, who were accustomed to judge of numbers by the trail
they left, told the Captain the number of the enemy was much greater than
that of his own men, and advised him to march his troops beside it. He did
so, and a path was left about half as large as the first one made in the grass.
The Indians proposed to return to the fort for more men, but to this the Capatin
would not consent. Shew, who was a former neighbor and intimately acquainted
with Captain Woodworth, advised a halt until Capt. Putman's company of new
levies, then at the fort, could be sent for to strengthen the force; but
to this wise counsel the impetuous commander would not listen. He said that
such a delay would only give the enemy a chance to escape, and that beyond
a doubt they would be able to cope with them if so fortunate as to overtake
them. He suggested that if any of his men were afraid, they were at
liberty to return; but as there were no chicken-hearted warriors in the corps,
he determined to proceed, agreeing to use more caution in his march; and accordingly
an advance-guard was kept out.
The Americans
did not wait for breakfast at the fort, but took a lunch in their knapsacks,
which, in their excitement, they had not halted to eat after striking the
trail; and when they had pursued it some three miles, as the Oneidas had anticipated,
they were suprised and fired upon by a large body of the enemy in concealment.
At this time the men were advancing in three columns: the left one headed
by Lieut. Wilson; the right by Orderly Dunham; the centre by Capt. Woodworth.
The six Indians were formed in rear of the centre column. Owing to obstructions
in their path, the pioneers were nearer the columns than usual at the time.
The enemy, which proved in the sequel to be 81 strong, mostly Indians, and
commanded by Lieut. Clement, a tory from the vicinity of Schenectada, were
chiefly concealed behind fallen trees at the time of their fire; which was
almost a simultaneous one from, at least, 40 or 50 guns. More than half of
Woodworth's command fell at the first fire, though only one of the Oneidas
was wounded: his name was Moses Yockum. He fell with a severe wound in the
hip; was caught up by his red brethern, who instsantly fled in a direction
opposite the attacking party, and all reached the fort in safety.
The Americans
standing after the first fire of the enemy, except their red allies, instantly
took trees. Capt. Woodworth and Shew, who was marching directly behind him,
were unscathed, and sprang under cover of the same tree: a large sugar maple.
For their number, comparatively few guns were discharged by the enemy after
the first fire, as they were desirous of making the remainder of the party
prisoners. From their covert, Shew and his Captain made two shots apiece,
and a few more made by the Americans, but with what effect is unknown. Capt.
Woodworth was a fine marksman, and Shew was not a bad one. At this period,
it is believed that all the Captains in the ranger service carried guns. Shew
made one of his shots at the back of an Indian crawling behind a log, and the
other at a dusky warrior running from one tree to another. The fearless Captain
stood next to the tree and Shew on the outside of him: but having reloaded
his piece, finding himself too much exposed in his present position, the tree
not covering him sufficiently, he sprang off to another large maple about a
rod distant; going to which, three balls from the enemy touched him. One passed
through his cue [queue], cutting much of it off near his head; the second,
passing through his clothes, cut the skin on his belly, and the third grazed
his ankle. Hardly had he got behind the tree when his commander came to it,
and as he had first chosen this position, the Captain took the outside. Just
as he sprang behind Shew, he received a bullet through his breast; his trusty
rifle dropped from his hand and he fell forward upon his breast, exclaiming
as he did so, "O
Lord! I'm a dead man!" Those were his dying words. The blood from his
wound literally covered his companion. He was evidently shot through the
heart, and never spoke after he fell. Such was the fate of an intrepid and
patriotic officer in the border service-a service full of hardships and environed
with constant perils.
Soon after
the fall of their chief, David Putman, a fellow soldier and relative, came
to the tree which still sheltered Shew, to enquire what it was best to do.
The advice of the latter was, to attempt their escape, as they must soon
fall or be captured in that position; and Putman agreed to follow Shew in flight.
The latter sprang off like a deer fleeing for life, on one side of the back
track followed by his comrade; who was less fleet on foot and could not keep
up. After running some distance, Shew caught his foot under a staddle and
fell to the ground, his knapsack which contained food for a day or two, and
a small brass camp kettle, a most servicable article at that period, went over
his head and was lost. As he regained his feet, he heard a whoop directly ahead,
such as the Indian Peter Sword gave to indicate a prisoner, when he was a
captive several years before; and seeing a good place for concealment in bushes
and fallen timber, he crawled into it-at which moment Putman came bounding
along and passed near his hiding place. From his retreat he called to Putman
to share it with him, but fortunately for himself was unheard, and soon after
a whoop satisfied him that the fugitive was a prisoner. Three Indians in pursuit
of Putman ran so near to Shew, that he could have tripped them with his gun-barrel;
several others passed soon after equally near, but did not discover him.
When the enemy assembled to move off, they went back a few rods distant from
him on the opposite side of the trail. The party which took Putman also captured
Joseph Myers, a fellow soldier. Lieut. Wilson and several who started to
run with him on the back track just before Shew did, were all captured. The
fate of the subaltern we may imagine, if he was recognized on reaching Canada
as a British deserter. Putman lived to get back, and possibly a few others.
David Myers
and Rynier Van Sickler succeeded in eluding the enemy and reached the fort
in safety; although the latter lost his gun, a shot from the foe forcing
it from his hands with a broken lock. One of the soldier's named must have
seen Shew fall, for he was reported at the fort as being among those known
to have been slain. He remained in his concealment for several hours, until
the Indians who stripped and scalped all the dead, withdrew with the guns and
other plunder, among which was the well filled knapsacks of the victims; and
then by a circuitous route striking the valley two miles below it, he regained
Fort Dayton; just at nightfall nearly exhausted from the fatigue, hunger and
intense excitment of the day, and was welcomed as one almost risen from the
dead.
The day
after the massacre of Capt. Woodworth and his command, Capt. Putman, was
conducted by Moyer, Van Sickler and the five Indians who were uninjured, to
the field of blood. Shew was so unwell that Capt. Putman, whose company he
again joined, would not allow him to be of the party. A large pit was dug and
25 bodies were collected near together and buried in it. How many more were
killed in attempting to escape and remained unburied is unknown. Capt. Woodworth,
whose body was somewhat disfigured, Sergeant Dunham, Annanias Archey and Daniel
Dodge, are remembered as being buried by the men under Capt. Putman. Having
been together but a short time, many of the company were yet almost strangers
to each other. It was supposed that not over six or eight of Woodworth's men
were made captive, leaving scarcely a dozen survivors at night out of 5O strong
men who left Fort Dayton in the morning, to mete to others such a fate as was
measured to them. Capt. Woodworth's command was surprised perhaps two miles
to the eastward of the West Canada creek, in the present town of Fairfield;
and it was said 30 years ago, that the site of their grave was indicated by
a beech tree near it. Lodowick Moyer told me that this burial was
not far from Eaton's Bush. In 1851, Erastus Hall, of Eaton's Bush,
assured the writer that Capt. Woodworth fell about a mile from West Canada
creek, and two miles west in a direct line from Eaton's Bush. He thought
it was on the land of either Adam Smith or Peter Helmer, a mile from Cross'
Bridge. He said bones had been found in that vicinity. Also in 1851, G.I.
SHEW, of Le
Roy, N.Y., informed me by letter, that Adam Helmer assured him that the place
was marked by a beech tree, on the farm then owned by Mr. Folts, about three
and one-half miles northerly from Herkimer village.
If the hallowed
spot which contains the bodies of this band of martyrs is not near a public
highway, they should be removed to the county seat, deposited near the site
of Fort Dayton, and suitable monument erected to their memory; or place a
monument on the nearest thoroughfare to the place of massacre. Let us take
measures, when practicable, to mark the places where lie buried the Americans
who battled not only for their own but for a WORLD'S FREEDOM.
At the time
of Capt. Woodworth's death, his wife was at Johnstown with two small children,
a son and a daughter. After the war she again married and removed westward.
Capt. Woodworth's brother, Seely Woodworth, who settled near him in Mayfield,
was several times engaged in the militia service during the war. When the
exposed Johnstown settlements were broken up, he moved his family back to Connecticut,
but on the return of peace, he renewed his residence in Mayfield, where he
lived and died.
Some 20
years after the war, Moses Yockum, the Indian named as having been wounded
under Captain Woodworth, called on Jacob Shew and obtained from him a written
certificate, naming the place where, and the time when he was wounded. With
this evidence of his service and suffering he went to Col. Willett; who interested
himself in getting the warrior placed on the pension list. This Fairfield
Battle, if I may thus name it, was, no doubt, the bloodiest transaction
for the numbers engaged, that took place in Tryon county during the Revolution.
Capt. Woodworth, like some of the officers under Herkimer at Oriskany, became
the victim of his own indiscretion. Between the years 1845 and 185O, I had
repeated interviews with Jacob Shew, from whom the circumstances
of this interesting event were obtained. He was, no doubt, its only survivor
at that time, having a vivid recollection of its diabolical yells and horrors.
The
following information was sent to me by Mrs. Jane Dieffenbacher,
Town of Fairfield Historian, Herkimer County. The original document
is in the Herkimer
County Historical Society among the Almira Helmer's Papers. The
writer of this document is believed to be Nancy M. Helmer who
married William Folts. She lived from 1834-1924.
"There
was an incident of revolutionary times that I heard my father relate many
times, told him by his grandfather Helmer when a boy but remembered well,
on west side of North creek there used to be a road called Gulf road opposite
the barn owned by Wm Helmer which you proceed to the top or level land but
then a dense forest where the early settlers had a conflict with the savages & tories
and between 20 & 30 were killed and shortly after some of those that
was left living, cut the names of the killed in the bark of a large beech
tree that (I Nancy M. Folts) saw many times, & could tell letters & spell
the names, as, I wended my way to Sabbath school, my father often spoke of
cutting the names on a younger tree & taking the names on paper for preservation
but always so many other duties, this was neglected and a severe wind storm
broke the greater part off & destroyed, & the names recorded were
lost. The forest as now cleared away for the most part, & most all signs
obliterated when I last saw it, quite a number of years ago, this happened
on my Great-Grand fathers farm."
The following
marker was put up in 1938 on the Smith Road in the Town of Herkimer to mark
the spot of the ambushed scouts.
MAYFIELD MEN
Buried
with 25 of their Men
Where
they fell. They gave
the
Full Measure of De-
votion
to the Cause of Free-
dom.
Captain Soloman
Woodworth,
Sergeant John
Dunham
of the Frontier
Rangers.
Killed in Battle
of West
Canada Creek
Sept.
1780
The following
is a report of the ambush which gives the British point of view of this event.
It was taken from the GOVERNOR FREDERICK HALDIMAND
PAPERS, LETTERS FROM COLONEL GUY JOHNSON, Add. MSS 21767, BRITISH MUSEUM,
ENGLAND.
Account
of an Action between a party of seventy four Onondagas & Cayugas under
Daiquanda & Lieut Jno Clement of Colo Johnson's Department & a party
of the Rebels near the German flats, as delivered to Colo Johnson by Onasadego
an Onondaga Chief who came Express.
That on
the 8th Instant Our Party arrived near the German flats & reconnoitered,
the next morning at Day break the Rebels discharged three cannon from the Fort,
by which the Indians imagined they had been discovered, where upon they sent
out some Young Indian to reconnoitre, who soon brought them word that the Rebels
were approaching on the tracks that the Indians had made the night before.
The Rebels soon after came to where they had their fire place where Lt Clement
and the Indians being at a little distance heard them say, Damn them, they
are gone off. The Indians then resolved to fight them & taking an Advantageous
Situation formed in a half circle suffering the Rebels to advance within pistol
shot of their centre before they discharged a shot. Then poured in a volley
and rushed on the Rebels with their Tomahawks, and Spears who after firing
a few shot were totally defeated. The number of the Enemy was about Forty with
three officers and their Loss was as follows -
Killed Taken
Officers Privates Total Privates Genl
Total
3 19 22 8 30
On our parts two Onondagas were dangerously wounded Lieut Clement having intelligence from the Prisoners that they were part of a party destined for Carleton Island or Oswegatchy to get Prisoners dispatched the Informant with a Letter to Colo Johnson which is this moment come to Hand and Corresponds with the forgoing particulars with this addition that the Prisoners said the Rebels and French were lately totally defeated at the White Plains. Two of the Rebel Officers killed were Capt Solomon Woodward, a noted scouter, & Lieut Willson.
Niagara 18th Sept 1781 G
Johnson
This report
also gives Woodworth the rank of captain, claims Wilson was killed plus a third
officer. This report at least proves Wilson was killed in or just after the
ambush and not taken to Canada as a prisoner. The third officer could be Dunham
but most likely it could have been an officer from the Massachusetts Levies
as Dunham was supposed to be only a sergeant. It is known that at least 3 privates
were part of the scouts and maybe more were drafted out of the Massachusetts
Levies to fill up the company.
A company
at that time would have a captain, 2 lieutenants, 4 sergeants, 4 corporals
and about forty privates. These numbers are close to what Woodworth was supposed
to be commanding at this time.
The following
information may shed some more light on this new company. The source cited
is from COLONEL MARINUS WILLETT'S LETTER AND ORDERLY BOOK FORT RENSSELAER
1781, MANUSCRIPTS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, DOC. NO. 15705.
Woodworth
and Wilson under Colonel Willett's arrangement of August 7, 1781 for the
new levies assigns these two men to Captain Thomas Skinner's Company. Skinner's
men were to be men drafted from the regiments of Colonel William B. Whiting
[Albany County Militia, 17th Regiment], Colonel Jacob Klock [Tryon County
Militia, Second Regiment], and Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Clyde [Tryon County
Militia, First Regiment]. This company with several others were to march
to Fort Rensselaer.
In a letter
to French Engineer Major Louis Villefranche at Fort Herkimer from Colonel Willett
of August 3, 1781 mentions that Wilson had been serving there for some time
as a volunteer and that he is assigned to Captain Skinner's Company as a lieutenant.
Willett also mentions that the part of Skinner's Company at Fort Herkimer were
to march down the valley part way to guard the inhabitants while they were
harvesting their crops. Major Josiah Throop with the remainder of Skinner's
Company would join them after guarding flour being transported to Fort Herkimer.
On August
31st, Colonel Willett writes again to Major Villefranche that he was sending
Captain Peter Van Rensselaer with his company with cattle to Fort Herkimer.
What is interesting is that Colonel Willett orders Captain Joseph Harrison's
Company and the rangers under Wilson back to Fort Rensselaer. He further orders
that Wilson draft 2 men from Van Rensselaer's, 5 from Skinner's and 5 from
Captain Anthony Whelp's Company to join the rangers. He further orders that
half of Harrison's Company and Lieutenant Wilson with his rangers to escort
the field piece down from Fort Herkimer. The other half of Harrison's Company
were to guard the bateaus down from Fort Herkimer.
This proves
that at least by this time there was a company of rangers, they were drafted
from other companies and that they were at Fort Rensselaer by early September.
Woodworth with the rest of the rangers must have been at Fort Rensselaer and
after the two sections were united they returned to Fort Dayton. Perhaps they
were to go to Fort Osewgatchie to take prisoners for intelligence reasons.
There had been rumors that a raiding force would soon attack the Mohawk Valley
from Fort Oswego.
One final
entry in Willett's book that would pertain to the rangers is the following:
Fort
Renselaer 7th Sept. 1781
Sir
By accounts
this moment received the enemy appear to be in Considerable force at the German
Flats. I wish you to move your regiment this way with as much provision as
they can furnish themselves without being detained.
I
am &c.
M
Willett
The following
excerpt was taken from THE CONNECTICUT COURANT AND WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER,
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1781, p 3, Column 2.
"On the 7th instant, intelligence being received at Fort Plain, from Fort Herkimer, that the enemy appeared there in considerable force, measures were immediately taken by Col. Willett, for collecting the militia, and making discoveries; on the 8th it appeared that their numbers had been exaggerated, and that they had returned; however a party of 39 men and two officers, who were sent to reconnoitre, unhappily fell into an ambushcade, whereby at the second fire, Lieut. Woodworth, a truly brave man, was killed; his and ten other bodies were found; only 15 of the party escaped, the remainder we have no account of."
The following reports were taken from the PUBLIC PAPERS OF GEORGE CLINTON, ed. HUGH HASTINGS, ALBANY, N.Y., 19O4, VOL. VII, pp 326-328.
Albany, Sept. 12th, 1781
Sir,
By Sundry letters within five Days from Colo. Willett, the Enemy have been
too Successful in Ambushcading a party of our Men. The following are Extracts
from the above letters:
Fort
Plain Sept. 7, 1781
"By information from Fort Herkimer the enemy are down in force. I am collecting the Militia, and shall pursue them as soon as possible." This is the whole of his Letter of that Date.
Fort Harkimer Sept. 8th 1781
"The Enemy have returned, nor does it appear the Party was anything like so Strong as was at first supposed. I am endeavouring to make every possible discovery. If I make any that will be an Object of pursuit I shall do it, if not, shall return to Fort Plain-please to communicate this, in your Quarter to prevent longer alarms than is necessary."
Fort Plain, Sept. 10th
"I am just returned to this place; the party that Lieut. Woodworth fell in with, and which has occasioned the late alarm-did not appear to be anything like so strong as was represented to me,-they were far gone before we could get near them. Poor Woodworth was taken in by their ambushcade & was unfortunately killed the Second fire; it cost us dear, only fifteen (out of Thirty Nine Men & Two Officers,) Escaped. Eleven of our Men including Woodworth were found Dead. The Remainder with Wilson we have no Account of; Wilson in doubt did everything in his Power. The Enemy were too heavy for him & I fear some of his men left him in the Lurch. It has been an unfortunate affair; we must hope for better hereafter. Please to inform G'l. Stark & Governor Clinton of this Disaster; want of paper prevents me from doing it myself."
I rec'd
your Excellencys favour of the 29th ulto. have applyd but can get no Returns-there
are great deficiencies yet; by the enclosed you will see the Numbers furnished
by the Regiments within this Vicinity. I have applied & remonstrated
repeatedly but it has been of little avail. Cuylers Regiment is complete.
I am with
great Esteem Sir, Your Excellency's Most obedt. Humbl.
Servt.
Governor Clinton [from
Capt. Elihu Marshall]