Battles of the Revolutionary War, 1775-1781 by William J. Wood

Author:William J. Wood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 1989-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Now began what could be called the “campaign of the Clintons.” Sir Henry was opposed by an American Clinton, Major General George Clinton, who was also governor of New York. The governor had a brother, Brigadier General James Clinton. George commanded Fort Montgomery; James commanded Fort Clinton.

Sir Henry left 1,000 men at Verplanck’s Point and with the remaining 2,000 moved up the west side of the Hudson, sending 900 men under Lieutenant Colonel Campbell against Fort Montgomery, while Sir Henry himself led the remainder to Fort Clinton. The British successfully stormed both forts, though suffering a combined loss of over 300 killed and wounded. The 600 Americans in the two forts took an even heavier proportion of losses: 250 killed, wounded, or missing.

On the next day, 7 October, the British broke the boom-and-chain barrier that blocked the Hudson from Fort Montgomery to the east bank. On the same day they captured Fort Constitution. Sir Henry then sent an expedition under General Vaughan, with 1,700 and a flotilla, to “feel his way to General Burgoyne.” On 16 October Vaughan burned Esopus (now Kingston), the New York capital, but never came closer than forty-five miles to Albany. On 22 October he was ordered to withdraw down the Hudson. Meanwhile, Sir Henry sat down on 8 October at Fort Montgomery, and wrote Burgoyne: “Nous y voici and nothing now between us and Gates; I sincerely hope this little success of ours may facilitate your operations. In answer to your letter of 28 September [carried by] Captain Campbell, I shall only say I cannot order you or even advise you for reasons obvious.2 I heartily wish you success.”

Sir Henry’s note was carried by Daniel Taylor, who carried the message encased in a silver bullet. He was captured and was observed to have swallowed something. George Clinton, whose men had grabbed Taylor, ordered a strong emetic administered which made the unfortunate “spy” give up the bullet. The bullet was opened and found to contain Sir Henry’s message. At this stage of the game, the mishap was just a sample of the bad luck that was running Burgoyne’s way.

Clinton had gone as far as he dared go in what he had considered, from start to finish, a diversion. As it happened, his journey up the Hudson did cause Gates no end of worry, but never to the point where he would move even a detachment to oppose Clinton’s operation. On the British side, the northward thrust had raised Burgoyne’s hopes, all for nothing, for on the day before Sir Henry’s bullet message was written, Burgoyne was already fighting his last battle at Saratoga.

DURING LATE SEPTEMBER GATES’S FORTUNES CONTINUED to rise, even while Burgoyne’s were continuing to run out. The murder and scalping of Jane McCrae on July 27 had fed fuel to the fires of rebel passion that were flaming throughout the countryside. That one event did more to arouse the Patriots and raise volunteers for Gates’s army than all of the depredations of Tories and Indians in New York could possibly have caused.

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