Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-04-05
AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL

AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL
| - FACT
An incident of the last war with Great Britain
is related in long letter. published in the Bur-
Iington (Vt) Free Press, which the editor says
| is "from distinguished officer of high rank in
the U. S. army" going to show on what slender
threads hang the destiny Ofmen and issue of bat
Ties The incident has relation to the defence of
Plattsburg, in 1914, by the handful of troops I'M
der Gen. Macomb, against the attack of well
appointed army of $4,000 veterans, under the
command of Sir George Provost. This attack
took place in September, and Gen. lizard had
left Plattsburg the latter part of August for the
Niagara frontier, Cid Sacketts-Harbor, taking
with him 1000 picked troops, leaving about Is,
90, mostly raw recruits and invallds, for the de-
fence of the town. On the approach of the for
midable force under Sir George, the Country was
aroused and some 1900 to 2U0O militia came to
the support of Gen. Macomb, The importance
of the post was felt, for although not regularly
fortified it had been made the depot of large
amounts of ordnance and military stores destined
for the conquest of Canada, and at the time of
the attack contained nearly all of such supplies
west of Ncw-England, north of new-York, and
east of Sacketts-Harbor, the rest having been
concentrated on the frontier of the Lakes.
The capture of the British fleet took place on
the 1th September, but this really created no
necessity for the retreat Of the army, which had
in its power to take the town, destroy the
large lnlllary SlOTCS, anu IOTeCapLuIc tleT leSL
together with the American or most of thcm.-
The great superiority in numbers and discipline
rendered an assault certain. Yet the British ar
my did ingloriousIy fec before handful, COM
paratively, of American undiscipined troops
The reason for this, the officer who details the
incident says, was never fully understood by
him until in 1854, at Washington, the facts
were explained by the Rev. Eleazcr Williams
(of Bourbon memory,) who was in the service
of the u. S. with party Of St Regis Indians,
acting as Rangers, during the war.
1t appears that letter purPOrting to have
been written on the 18th September, by Col.
Elias Fassct, of the 3Oth Infantry, then in COM
mand at Burlington, who might be supposed to
be well posted ms to the movements of forces
and especially the Green Mountain Boys, was
intercepted by Sir George. In this letter Ma
comb was informed, that ten thousand or more
of Vermont militia, Green M0WntdiH BOys, were
on the march towards Alburg, or the northern
part of the Lake, intending to cross and cut off
large force was on its way from Albany on the
South, on the West side of the Lake, and might
be expected soon at Plattsburgh." This letter
had been concocted by MacOmb, and Williams
had been entrusted with arranging the affair
through his Indian Rangers so that it should
under proper circumstances fallinto Sir Georges
hands. The consequences are known. He be-
came alarmed-panic strickland in the night
abandoned his camp, leaving large amount of
ordnance and stores, with many of his.sick, and
fled to Canada The disgust of British officers
was freely expressed at the time, SO far as they
could with prudence give expression to their
feelings. The death Of Sir George prevented an
investigation into his conduct by court of in
quiry which had been ordered in England, and
thus the matter was suffered TO pass away.
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