and several officers from Schenectady. Such utter poppycock! The fellow must have thought Ross’s ego needed a great deal of stroking. He claimed that, after the Johnstown action, Willett had been “so sensible of his defeat that he acknowledged he was much beholden to night coming,” then added that the rebels were said to have been reinforced overnight and by next morning had assembled 1,400 men. While there may have been that number of troops moving about in the Mohawk Valley, they were certainly not all concentrated at Johnstown.
The fellow also provided details of the number of men who had “delivered themselves up as Prisoners of War.” Ross noted that they amounted to the greater part of the men missing from the expedition and noted that none had been taken during the Johnstown action. He added: “There is great reason to believe that the rebels exercised the greatest cruelty on many occasions which I will endeavour to know the truth of. On our part the greatest humanity was shewn nor did the Indians hurt a Woman or Child.” (Perhaps he had not heard of the murder of the prisoner William Scarborough by one of his officers. On the other hand, perhaps the murder was a rebel invention.) He closed, “I every day expect a prisoner from the Mohawk, [i.e., the Mohawk River] having sent out two scouts for that purpose, by which means further particulars may be learned.”45
General Heath wrote another plaintive letter to Governor Clinton on November 13 regarding the extreme distress in the Highlands Department over a lack of bread. When Clinton answered two days later, he offered little encouragement other than to say that he had referred the matter to the state legislature.
On November 14, Heath wrote to Stark to approve the early release of the New Hampshire militia after they returned all public stores that had been temporarily issued, such as ammunition and camp utensils. He enthusiastically mentioned a new supply of clothing for the army, part of which was already in finished inventory and the balance in materials that were on hand for the regimental tailors. He recommended that the paymasters of the New Hampshire Continental regiments at Saratoga be sent to headquarters with their complete, signed returns to be present for the clothing distribution. While it had been his intention to have these two regiments winter in the northern district, there was now some doubt, but Stark was to make preparations as if they would stay and Heath would reserve their last year’s huts for them at the Continental Village until the matter was determined. The regiments’ artificers and small detachments were ordered to rejoin, as soon as it was set where they would winter.46
On November 16, Willett reported to the governor that the inhabitants’ losses during the Ross raid had been slight. “Many of the Horses as well as the Horned Cattle &c were shot and left lying dead without the enemies receiving any advantage from them.” Such a fatuous observation! The rebels had no advantage of them, either, which was precisely the point of the killings. The colonel sought Clinton’s advice about what troops would winter in the Mohawk, noting, “[A] state of security can never be justified as long as the war lasts and this County continues to be a Frontier.” Further, whatever troops were assigned, a quantity of snowshoes should be provided to ensure mobility.47
Political squabbling between New York and Vermont boiled over in the Western Union. On November 20, Vermont’s governor, Thomas Chittenden, accused a Yorker bureaucrat of “warning the People in Vicinity of the New City to pay a Certain Provision Tax to the State of New York.” He reminded the fellow that Vermont had made proposals to New York State to desist in imposing such “coercive Measures” while boundary disputes were unresolved. The official had better comply, or suffer the consequences. As the New City (formerly Lansinghburgh) was firmly in “old” New York, this was a contentious order to say the least. Obviously, such posturing and threats distracted New York from its war effort.
Coincidently, three days later, Governor Clinton forwarded the resolutions of the state legislature relative to the “New Hampshire Grants” for the guidance of the Congressional delegates — note his very deliberate use of the name “Grants” instead of Vermont.48
On November 20, Haldimand applied to the home administration for half pay for the officers of Butler’s Rangers in consideration of the regiment’s continued hard service and its completion to ten companies.
This same day, he confided to Riedesel that, “the misfortune of Lord Cornwallis is nearly certain.” His only remaining doubt was not having received confirmation from Sir Henry Clinton, the C-in-C America who was headquartered in New York City.
On November 23, the governor reported to Lord George Germain the details of the two fall expeditions. Both had “fully answered the Several Purposes for which they were Sent — The Former [St. Leger’s] by Judicious Manoeuvres, gave the Enemy Reason to think they were to penetrate into the Country, and Obliged them to Assemble all the Force they Could Collect at Saratoga & in the neighbourhood of Albany, not Venturing to Detach a Man for the Protection of the Mohawk River.” This was followed by a very complete description of Ross’s endeavour, painting the raid as a major achievement, which, in the sense of endurance and courage, it was. “Major Ross Marched with about 320 Men, without the least Opposition, within twelve miles of Schenectady where he Compleatly destroyed the only remaining Settlement of any Consequence between fort Hunter, Schohary & Schenectady.” He emphasized the troops’ physical accomplishment during their undetected infiltration across enemy territory, noting “The Fatigue the Men had endured in a March of fifteen Days from Oswego, entirely Exposed to very inclement Weather & Short of Provisions.” He played upon Ross’s theme of native misbehaviour in failing to run down Willett’s fleeing Levies, claiming that the troops had been “Shamefully abandoned by the Indians [which] prevented the advantage to be derived from a Rapid Pursuit.” Yet, “the Victory however was decisive,” which the repulse of Willett’s Levies early in the Johnstown action had been.
To explain how Willett managed to overtake Ross at West Canada Creek, he referred to the “unavoidable Delays occasioned by Excessive Fatigue & Hunger, the Party now living Entirely upon Horses they had taken.” Ross was given credit for anticipating Willett’s interception and the rearguard was excused for not repulsing Willett’s van as, “The Enemy had much the Advantage of Ground & their Favorite Object of firing at a Distance, both which precluded a Charge from our Party, which However kept up a heavy fire that did Execution.” Yet, despite this rhetoric, we know from Willett’s reports that he took no casualties at the ford.
Reporting Walter Butler’s death, he described him as “a very Zealous enterprising & promising officer.” The governor concluded:
I have been very Prolix in my account of this little Enterprise to make Your Lordship acquainted with the difficulties attending Incursions in Small Parties into the Enemies Country, & the Many advantages they have Over Troops worn out by Hunger & Fatigue before they reach their object & who have a Retreat to make equally tedious — Major Ross’s Party consisted of picked men enured to Marching & Fatigue. They nevertheless owe their Retreat to the judicious & Spiritted Conduct of their Leader, & to his Prudence in concealing from all with him the Route by Which he determined to effect it.
Very clearly, it was good to be a favourite of the governor.49
