THE WAR RAMPS UP
- westmohney
- Sep 17, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: May 30, 2024
I shant Rite much present only His Raglars have drove Our flet Back here ~ Cousin James Cummings
the Battle of Valcour Island
After being driven out of Long Island in August of 1776, George Washington hunkered down with his troops on the island of Manhattan. He was able to successfully defend his position there with the Battle of Harlem Heights which happened on September 16.
Meanwhile, along the Hudson, Benedict Arnold at Fort Ticonderoga had his hands full trying to maintain control of Lake Champlain.
Once the British had retaken Montreal, Arnold knew it was only a matter of time before they moved south to try and capture Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga. Arnold's plan was to take the offensive and engage the British in a naval battle on the lake.
Throughout the month of September, our cousin Juduthan Baldwin's (7C3X) diary was filled with reports of minor skirmishes between the British and the Americans at various spots along Lake Champlain. On October 9th, 1776 Jeduthan mentioned that had dined with General Arthur St. Clair, who would go on to notoriety with his surrender of Fort Ticonderoga to the British in July of 1777. Two days after Jeduthan's dinner with St. Clair, Benedict Arnold headed out with his fleet to to a carefully chosen "narrow, rocky body of water between the western shore of Lake Champlain and Valcour Island." There, he hoped to draw the British into battle.
The Battle of Valcour Island was the first major naval battle in the Revolutionary War. Washington had given Arnold specific orders to only defend an attack from the British without "wanton risk or unnecessary display of power." In spite of the fact that the Americans had only fifteen vessels to the British twenty-five, Washington's cautious strategy didn't fit with Arnold's aggressive battle tactics. Worse still, Arnold had chosen to remain in the Bay of Valcour against advice he'd been given to fight out in open water. Though outnumbered, the Americans still gave it their all and the battle raged for most of the day.
In the end, however, the American's all wasn't good enough. Sunset saw most of their ships either sunk or badly damaged. Arnold's forces sought the safety of the shore and abandoned their vessels to the bottom of the ocean.
With his remaining forces either in retreat on shore or trapped in the bay, Arnold took a page from George Washington's playbook. He used the cover of night to find a small gap between the island and the British forces to quietly slip away and finally reach the safety of Ticonderoga.
Jeduthan's longest diary entry to date was written on October 13th where he described the action at Valcour Island. The information he received came directly from Arnold whose version painted a far rosier picture than what had actually happened:
this morning a Messinger came from the fleet. . .with a letter from Genl. Arnold informing that he had. . .been engaged with the Enemies fleet. . .that we had lost a large Schooner run aground and & burnt by the enemy. . .& that we had about 60 men killed & wounded, but that we had got the better of the Enemy. . .
The real story was more like 11 ships lost and nearly 200 sailors killed or captured. Despite the casualties, however, Arnold's defense of Lake Champlain managed to stall the British onslaught, for the time being at least.
Cousin James Cummings at Valcour
Our cousin James Cummings (4C6X) of Dunstable was one of Arnold's men involved in the Battle of Valcour Island. Four days after abandoning ship, he wrote to his parents from Fort Ticonderoga:
Ticonderoga, Oct. I5, 1776. Honored father & Mother, I offer my Dutey To you And Love to my Brothers and Sister, I have Taken this oppertunity to Let you now that I am Well At present and Blessed be God for it, I hope these Lines will find you the Sam. I shant Rite much present only His Raglars have drove Our flet Back here, we have sustained Loss of Men & Vessels, & the Enemies armey is at Crown point or near their, & we expect them hear Quick. Phillip Butterfleld Is got Better. Jesse Butterfield Is porley yet. Remember me to all Inquirin friends. So I Remain your Dutiful Son. James Cumings
James served at Ticonderoga from August 1776 until his discharge at Albany on 1 Jan 1777. In 1779 he married our cousin Charlotte French (4C6X).
aftermath of Valcour
In his message about the battle, General Arnold failed to mention one key point: The British had taken Crown Point, a mere ten miles from Fort Ticonderoga. That put the enemy firmly in control of Lake Champlain. The rest of Jeduthan's October 13th entry confirms the worst:
We had this day frequent information that our fleet was in a Shattered condition. . .At Sunset the Enemy's fleet, 13 Sail anchored off about four miles from Crown point & made Signal for landing. . .all the buildings at & about Crown point were burnt by our people. some of the Inhabitants ran som 5, some 7 or 8 miles in the woods with women & children in the greatest distress, leaving all there Housel, stough, Cloathing &c to the enemy, or to the flames. a Mellancholly Sight that was seen at Ticonderoga, but we may Expect a more Mallancholly Seen to morrow or soon.
The final line of Jeduthan's entry points out his realization that the front line of defense had now shifted from the American's naval force to the fortifications at Ticonderoga and Mount Independence that he had been working so hard to prepare:
God prepare us for it (British attack) & grant us a Compleat Victory over our Enemy
Jeduthan's log bridge
Throughout the month of September, Jeduthan's diary was filled with reports of minor skirmishes between the British at Crown Point and the Americans at Fort Ticonderoga. In spite of the constant worry of eminent attack, however, he continued working on defensive strategies. One of his main projects was a log bridge meant to hamper British travel on Lake Champlain. Jeduthan's journal entry for Oct 17: "Began to make a log across the Lake or Chain to prevent the (British) shipping coming past the Jersey Redoubt."
Jeduthan's plan involved using the remains of a chain, which already existed from previous defense tactics at Ticonderoga, for his base. Arthur Cohn, in his article "The Great Bridge from Ticonderoga to Independence Point," writes that "[it] was quickly a sound plan, and with Baldwin's skill it was quickly executed."
Cousin Jeduthan's plans didn't end with the log bridge. Another piece to his strategy was to build a working bridge across the lake in order for the troops to pass easily across the lake from Ticonderoga on the west side of the lake to Independence Point on the eastern shore. His journal entry on October 20: "Supt. with Genl. Gates, proposed making a bridge a cross to independent Point, it was approved of by the Genl."
The Americans had something of a scare on October 28th when "several British boats made their appearance." The Americans fired a series of warning shots, fulling expecting battle to begin. Instead, the British ships withdrew. Below is a portion of Jeduthan's entry for that day:
The troops at Ticonderoga, however, were finally able to breathe a huge sigh of relief when, in early November, the British abandoned Crown Point and sailed back to Montreal. The Battle of Valcour and the destruction of the fort at Crown Point by the Americans had probably played a part in their decision to leave. With winter weather just around the corner in the northern climes, Montreal would provide more comfortable winter quarters for the British army. On 3 Nov, Jeduthan duly noted their departure: "a Scout came in & Reported that the Army had left Crown point. . ."
The British retreat gave Jeduthan time to complete his log bridge. On October 29, he recorded in his diary "finished the bridge across the Lake to Independent point so that men could pass." The bridge was a simple affair composed of floating logs. One man described it "as a curious affair. . .composed of Large logs laid the Water fastened to each other with Iron & retained in place by Anchors." According to Cohn, Jeduthan's bridge, "served the immediate need of providing a connection between the two posts and, if they were attacked, allowed for the deployment of troops between them in a more efficient manner."
Below is an early drawing which shows the location of Jeduthan's Bridge spanning the lake from Ticonderoga to Independence:
With his fortifications in place and the British removed from Crown Point, Jeduthan and the rest of the American troops hunkered in for a long winter's respite. So sure was he of a long tenure at Ticonderoga that, on November 13, Jeduthan "began to build me a house."
White Plains
While Benedict Arnold and Cousin Jeduthan shored up defenses in the north, Washington had his hands full down south in New York. In August of 1776, British General William Howe had driven Washington's army out of Long Island and across the river to Manhattan. In October, Howe decided the time had come to press his advantage. Catching wind of the British plans to attack, Washington removed his army 30 miles north of Manhattan to the more strategically beneficial White Plains. He left a small garrison of 1,200 men behind to defend Fort Washington.
The Battle of white Plains took place on October 28. The fighting was intense on both sides but the Americans were badly outnumbered 7,500 to 3,100. Howe was able to maneuver his men to outflank the American defensive position which led to yet another American retreat. This was just the beginning of a series of retreats which would would last two months and drive Washington's troops into New Jersey and, finally, Pennsylvania
Our relatives at White Plains
Our cousin Captain Solomon Kidder (1C7X) was born in Billerica in 1730. He marched on the Alarm of April 19, 1775 and served at Bunker Hill in June of 1775. As an ad he took out on July 30, 1776 proves out, he was not one to suffer deserters. From the American Gazette:
The cause, date and place of Solomon's death are up to question. He has been reported killed at both the Battle of White Plains and the Battle of Monmouth which took place almost two years later in June of 1778. Since Billerica vital records show his death as "Kidder, Solomon, Capt., Nov. 20, 1776, in White Plains, NY," I'm inclined to believe he died at White Plains. He was 46 years of age.
By November 20th, the day Solomon died, Washington's army had moved 25 miles north from White Plains to Peekskill, NY. It's possible that Solomon died in Peekskill from wounds suffered in the White Plains battle.
Jeremiah Crosby (6C9X) was in Solomon's company
Our uncle William Kidder (5U) and our cousin Jeremiah Kidder (3C6X), were both wounded in the battle.
Our journal writing cousin Jeduthan Baldwin's (3C7X) brother, Nahum (3C7X) was a blacksmith from Amherst, NH. He, like Jeduthan, had risen to the rank of colonel. His marching orders for Washington's White Plains campaign were as follows:
. . .this State hath raised one thousand Men who are just beginning their March for New York—They are form’d into two Regiments of five hundred Men each under Coll Thomas Tash, and Coll Nahum Baldwin, who are ordered to march their Regiments forward with all possible speed, & put themselves under Your Direction at New York and continue so until the first of December next.
A year after White Plains, Nahum's home would be robbed and the poor burglar, Jonas Stapleton, received what appears to be unfairly harsh treatment at the hands of the Court:
It is ordered that Stepleton be whipped twenty stripes on the naked back at the public whipping post between the hours of one and two in the afternoon of this third day of October 1777, and that he pay Nahum Baldwin, the owner of the goods stolen, four-four pounds lawful money, being ten-fold damages and cost of prosecution. . .the said Nahum Baldwin be authorized to dispose of said Jonas in servitude to any of His Majesty's subjects for the space of seven years, to commence from this day.
Our cousin Samuel Wyman (3C7X), who had taken the place of Ephraim Warren, was reported sick and didn't take part in the battle.
James Baldwin (4C6X)
John Brigham (5C9X)
John Crosby (4C9X)
Oliver Cummings (4C6X)
Moses Greenleaf (5C6X)
Daniel Kidder (3C6X)
Daniel Kittredge (3C7X)
Corporal Ebenezer Richardson (4C7X)
Fort Washington
George Washington, still in retreat mode, had considered abandoning Fort Washington in Manhattan and having the 1,200 troops stationed there join the rest of his army. Against his better judgement, however, Washington was convinced by General Nathaniel Greene to try and hold the fort at all costs. Reinforcements were sent, raising the troop count to 3,000. British General Howe then made the decision not to pursue the retreating American army, setting his sights instead on Fort Washington.
While preparing for battle, the Hessians fighting with the British spent their time building dwelling huts for themselves. Below is artist John Ward Dunsmore's vision of what these huts might have looked like:
The American Battlefield Trust calls the Battle of Fort Washington "the final devastating chapter in General Washington’s disastrous New York Campaign." On November 16, "Howe launched a three-pronged assault on Fort Washington and its outer defensive works." The Americans valiantly held out in the beginning, "inflicting heavy casualties and repulsing two Hessian charges."
In the end, however, Howe's army of 8,000 proved too strong. At 3:00 in the afternoon, American Colonel Robert Macaw surrendered the fort and all 3,000 men to the British.
Next up: More retreat and a little redemption.
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