Arthur St. Clair
9th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled February 2, 1787 to October 29, 1787
Revolutionary War Major General
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Arthur St.
Clair was born in Thurso, Scotland on March 23, 1734 and died in Greensburg,
Pennsylvania on August 31, 1818. There is much debate over President St. Clair's
Lineage and even his year of birth. The Clan Sinclair in U.S.A,. for instance
maintains that St. Clair's actual name in Scotland was Sinclair and he was born
March 23, 1736 -- (clarified
by clicking here).
St. Clair's
life, more then any other U.S. President, was comprised of sterling and stark
contrasts. Enjoying a great family inheritance in his youth only to end his life
in desolate poverty; crossing the Delaware with Washington to capture Trenton
and Princeton while later loosing Fort Ticonderoga under his own command;
presiding as President of the United States in the Congress Assembled that
produced the U.S. Constitution and Northwest Ordinance only to be removed by
President Jefferson as Governor of the Northwest Territory for opposing Ohio
Statehood.
St. Clair
attended the University of Edinburgh and studied medicine, serving part of an
apprenticeship with the renowned anatomist, William Hunter. In 1757, St. Clair
changed his career path by purchasing a commission as ensign in the 60th Foot
Infantry. He came to America with Admiral Edward Boscawen's fleet in 1757 to
exchange blows in the War for Empire. He served under General Jeffrey Amherst at
the capture of Louisburg on July 26th, 1758. On April 17, 1759 he received a
lieutenant's commission and was assigned to the command of
General James Wolfe.
At the Battle of the Plains, which decided the fate of the French in America,
St. Clair took a notable part:
"Then came the fatal struggle on the plains during which Lieutenant St. Clair
seized the colors, which had fallen from the hand of a dying soldier, and bore
them until the field was won by the British."
One year later
on duty in Boston, St. Clair married
Phoebe
Bayard in May of 1760 at the Trinity Episcopal Church. Phoebe was the
daughter of Balthazar Bayard & Mary Bowdoin whose grandfather was James Bowdoin
of Boston. In 1762 he resigned his commission and moved to Bedford, Pennsylvania
to survey land for the
Penn's. By 1764 the couple decided to settle permanently in Ligonier
Valley, Pennsylvania. St. Clair purchased land and erected mills, becoming the
largest landowner in western Pennsylvania and a prominent British subject.
In 1770 he was
made surveyor of the district of Cumberland. He subsequently became a justice of
the court, of quarter sessions and of common pleas, a member of the proprietary
council, a justice, recorder, and clerk of the orphans' court, and Prothonotary
of Bedford and Westmoreland counties. His offices were located in the basement
of Bedford's "Espy House" that still stands today. George Washington would later
utilize the same home as his Whiskey Rebellion headquarters while St. Clair
served as his Northwest Territorial Governor.
As
Prothonotary of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, Arthur St. Clair had a wide
range of duties. In 1771 no other western Pennsylvania counties existed.
Bedford County encompassed present-day counties of Fayette, Westmoreland,
Washington, Greene and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana and Armstrong
counties. This September 24th, 1771 Arthur St. Clair to William Allen gives a
sampling of what his position entailed in the wild wild west of Colonial
America.
September 24th, 1771 Arthur St. Clair to William Allen -
Courtesy of the Author
Sir
I am sorry to inform you that the Murder of two Six Nation Indians has lately
happened in our County. The Murderer is now in our Gaol. I had him taken to
Fort Pitt and confined there for a few days that the Indians might see him and
know that we were inclined to do them Justice and took the information against
him before them. They appeared to be well satisfied with it and declared in
their way that their Hearts should still be well towards their Brothers tho'
this affair had given them much uneasiness. It has unluckily fallen in a bad
Family as the People killed were near Relations to the Chief of the Six
Nations in that part of the Country. That you may be the better acquainted
with the Circumstances I have inclosed a copy of the Information and you will
please to give Order for the Fellows Trial when you think Proper.
From
the Appearance of things at first I flatter'd myself this County would soon be
brought into good Order, but the Prospect is at present much altered, the
People to the westward of the Allegany Mountain forming dangerous Associations
to oppose the execution of the Laws. The Sherrif was lately escorted out of a
settlement upon the Youghiogeny by a Body of Armed Men and threatned severly
if he ever returned to execute his Office till the western line of the
Province was run; and a number had the audacity to go to Col. Wilson, who is a
Magistrate in that Quarter, and insist on his signing their Association; but
he behaved with great spirit. Sized and confined their ring-leader and obliged
them to relinquish their Agreement and burn the Paper before his Face. God
knows where these things will end. I wish we have not something like the
regulating scheme in Carolina. I have enclosed a copy of the Sheriff’s
Deposition to Mr. Shippen together with Col. Wilson’s letter to me that he may
lay them before Council. I am extremely glad to hear of Mr. Penn and his Lady
and Mr. Allen’s safe arrival in England and am with great respect
Sir
Your most obedient and very humble Servant
Arthur St. Clair.
September 24th, 1771 Arthur St. Clair to William Allen -
Courtesy of the Author
By 1774
Arthur St. Clair had risen in favor and was now the Magistrate as well as
Prothonotary in the newly formed Westmoreland County. Colonial Virginia was in a bitter border dispute with the Penn's of
Pennsylvania over large parts of the new Pennsylvania County including Fort
Pitt.. Peace had reigned at
Fort Pitt for 8
years but Britain was still in great debt from the War for Empire. A decision
was made to abandon the Fort and in the confusion of the withdrawal, John
Connolly quickly garrisoned the three rivers for Virginia:
“appeared on the ground, and having the authority and blessings of Lord
Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, took possession of Fort Pitt.”
The Fort, upon
Connolly’s seizure, was renamed Fort Dumore in honor of Virginia's Colonial
Governor. At the Fort Dunmore, in his official role of Captain Commandant of the
Virginia Militia, Connolly issued a proclamation, calling on the people of
Western Pennsylvania to meet him, as a militia, on the 25th of January 1774. Arthur St. Clair
was the King's magistrate
of Westmoreland County that was founded February 26, 1773 and was the
first county in the colony of Pennsylvania west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Westmoreland County in 1774 included the present-day counties of Fayette,
Washington, Greene and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana and Armstrong
counties. St. Clair was appalled by Connolly's seizure and issued a warrant for
his arrest. Connolly was arrested the Virginia Captain was imprisoned in
the jail
at Hannastown the Westmoreland County seat.
In asserting
the claims of Virginia, Lord Dumore insisted that Magistrate St. Clair should be
punished for his temerity in arresting his Captain by dismissal from office.
Governor Penn declined to remove St. Clair instead commending him as a superior
magistrate by providing proper legal notice to Mr. Connolly who refused to
surrender the Fort.
Mr. St. Clair is a gentleman, who for a long time had the honor of serving
his majesty in the regulars with reputation, and in every station of life has
preserved the character of a very honest, worthy man; and though, perhaps, I
should not, without first expostulating with you on the subject, have directed
him to take that step, yet you must excuse my not complying with your Lordship's
re1cttisition of stripping hire, on this occasion, of his offices and
livelihood, which you will allow me to think not only unreasonable, but somewhat
dictatorial.
Counter arrests
and much correspondence followed, but the controversy was soon obscured by the
stirring events of Lord Dunmore's War. Disturbances were renewed by Connolly on
several border fronts and once again he was arrested. The Virginia Colonial
Governor ordered the counter arrest of three of the Pennsylvania justices and in
an exchange Connolly was released. The Boundary Troubles between Virginia and
Pennsylvania were finally settled by the Continental Congress while Arthur St.
Clair was commissioned in the Revolutionary War.
About The Forgotten Presidents' Medallions
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The artwork is not to be copied by anyone by any means
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Klos.
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Arthur St.
Clair, who was appointed colonel of one of the Pennsylvania regiments, received
his recruiting orders on the 10th of January. St Clair raised and trained a
regiment in the dead of winter. Colonel St. Clair then marched six companies of
the regiment from Pennsylvania to Canada, a distance of several hundred miles,
and joined the American army in Quebec on April 11th, 1776.
General
Montgomery, who in the fall of 1775 defeated the British at Chamblee, St. Johns,
and Montreal, gave Congress a fair prospect of expelling the British from Canada
annexing that province to the United Colonies. Unfortunately the General was
defeated and killed before St. Clair's arrival after the disastrous affair at
Three Rivers. St. Clair, therefore, could only aid General Sullivan in the
retreat as second in command under General Thompson. St. Clair's familiarity
with British military strategy and the Canadian wilderness were key assets that
helped save the Northern army from capture.
According to 18th Century military historian David Ramsay:
The Americans were soon repulsed and forced to retreat. In the beginning of the
action General Thomson left the main body of his corps to join that which was
engaged. The woods were so thick, that it was difficult for any person in
motion, after losing sight of an object to recover it. The general therefore
never found his way back. The situation of Colonel St. Clair, the next in
command became embarrassing. In his opinion a retreat was necessary, but not
knowing the precise situation of his superior officer, and every moment
expecting his return, he declined giving orders for that purpose. At last when
the British were discovered on the river road, advancing in a direction to gain
the rear of the Americans, Colonel St. Clair in the absence of General Thomson,
ordered a retreat.
Colonel St. Clair having some knowledge of the country from his having served in
it in the preceding war, gave them a route by the Acadian village where the
river de Loups is fordable. They had not advanced far when Colonel St. Clair
found himself unable to proceed from a wound, occasioned by a root which had
penetrated through his shoe. His men offered to carry him, but this generous
proposal was declined. He and two or three officers, who having been worn down
with fatigue, remained behind with him, found an asylum under cover of a large
tree which had been blown up by the roots. They had not been long in this
situation when they heard a firing from the British in almost all directions.
They nevertheless lay still, and in the night stole off from the midst of
surrounding foes. They were now pressed with the importunate cravings of hunger,
for they were entering on the third day without food. After wandering for some
time, they accidentally found some peasants, who entertained them with great
hospitality. In a few days they joined the army at Sorel, and had the
satisfaction to find that the greatest part of the detachment had arrived safe
before them. In their way through the country, although they might in almost
every step of it have been made prisoners, and had reason to fear that the
inhabitants from the prospect of reward, would have been tempted to take them,
yet they met with neither injury nor insult. General Thomson was not so
fortunate. After having lost the troops and falling in with Colonel Irwine, and
some other officers, they wandered the whole night in thick swamps, without
being able to find their way out. Failing in their attempts to gain the river,
they had taken refuge in a house, and were there made prisoners.
In recognition
of this service St. Clair was promoted to Brigadier-General on August 9th, 1776
and ordered to join George Washington to organize the New Jersey militia.
Ramsay reports of these desperate times:
This retreat
into, and through New-Jersey, was attended with almost every circumstance that
could occasion embarrassment, and depression of spirits. It commenced in a few
days, after the Americans had lost 2700 men in Fort Washington. In fourteen days
after that event, the whole flying camp claimed their discharge. This was
followed by the almost daily departure of others, whose engagements terminated
nearly about the same time. A farther disappointment happened to General
Washington at this time. Gates had been ordered by Congress to send two
regiments from Ticonderoga, to reinforce his army. Two Jersey regiments were put
under the command of General St. Clair, and forwarded in obedience to this
order, but the period for which they were enlisted was expired, and the moment
they entered their own state, they went off to a man. A few officers without a
single private were all that General St. Clair brought off these two regiments,
to the aid of the retreating American army. The few who remained with General
Washington were in a most forlorn condition. They consisted mostly of the troops
which had garrisoned Fort Lee, and had been compelled to abandon that post so
suddenly, that they commenced their retreat without tents or blankets, and
without any utensils to dress their provisions. In this situation they performed
a march of about ninety miles, and had the address to prolong it to the space of
nineteen days. As the retreating Americans marched through the country, scarcely
one of the inhabitants joined them, while numbers were daily flocking to the
royal army, to make their peace and obtain protection. They saw on the one side
a numerous well appointed and full clad army, dazzling their eyes with the
elegance of uniformity; on the other a few poor fellows, who from their shabby cloathing were called ragamuffins, fleeing for their safety. Not only the common
people changed sides in this gloomy state of public affairs, but some of the
leading men in New-Jersey and Pennsylvania adopted the same expedient. Among
these Mr. Galloway, and the family of the Allens of Philadelphia, were most
distinguished. The former, and one of the latter, had been members of Congress.
In this hour of adversity they came within the British lines, and surrendered
themselves to the conquerors, alleging in justification of their conduct, that
though they had joined with their countrymen, in seeking for a redress of
grievances in a constitutional way, they had never approved of the measures
lately adopted, and were in particular, at all times, averse to independence.
On the day General Washington retreated over the Delaware, the British took
possession of Rhode-Island without any loss, and at the same time blocked up
commodore Hopkins' squadron, and a number of privateers at Providence.
When George
Washington and St. Clair retreated over the Delaware, the boats and barges along
the east side of the Delaware River were removed and garrisoned by the remnants
of the Continental Army. This act halted the progress of the British Forces
into Pennsylvania in the winter months of November and December. The English
commanders, sure of eminent conquest once the Delaware River froze, deployed
their army in Burlington, Bordentown, Trenton, and on other waterfront towns in
New Jersey.
On the
Pennsylvania side of the river, General Washington ordered Generals Sullivan and
St. Clair to recruit and train troops as the Continental Army was in desperate
need of reformation. Together, with the Philadelphia troop recruiting successes
of General Mifflin, Sullivan and St. Clair raised over 2000 new troops to
support the Revolution. St. Clair and Sullivan joined Washington's beleaguered
400 troops in Pennsylvania and prepared for Washington's Delaware crossing to
Trenton, New Jersey. On Christmas night 1776 St. Clair's Continental troops, now
under Washington's command, crossed into New Jersey and attacked the Hessians at
dawn on the 26th. Twenty-two Hessians were killed, 84 wounded and 918 taken
prisoner. Ramsay account of the surprise attack states:
Of all events, none seemed to them more improbable, than that their late
retreating half naked enemies, should in this extreme cold season, face about
and commence offensive operations. They [The British] indulged themselves in a
degree of careless inattention to the possibility of a surprise, which in the
vicinity of an enemy, however contemptible, can never be justified. It has been
said that colonel Rahl, the commanding officer in Trenton, being under some
apprehension for that frontier post, applied to general Grant for a
reinforcement, and that the general returned for answer. 'Tell the colonel, he
is very safe, I will undertake to keep the peace in New-Jersey with a corporal's
guard.'
In the evening of Christmas day, General Washington, made arrangements for
recrossing the Delaware in three divisions; at M. Konkey's ferry, at Trenton
ferry, and at or near Bordentown. The troops which were to have crossed at the
two last places were commanded by generals Ewing, and Cadwallader, they made
every exertion to get over, but the quantity of ice was so great, that they
could not affect their purpose. The main body which was commanded by General
Washington crossed at M. Konkey's ferry, but the ice in the river retarded their
passage so long, that it was three o'clock in the morning, before the artillery
could be got over. On their landing in Jersey, they were formed into two
divisions, commanded by general Sullivan, and Greene, who had under their
command brigadiers, lord Stirling, Mercer and St. Clair: one of these divisions
was ordered to proceed on the lower, or river road, the other on the upper or
Pennington road. Col. Stark, with some light troops, was also directed to
advance near to the river, and to possess himself of that part of the town,
which is beyond the bridge. The divisions having nearly the same distance to
march were ordered immediately on forcing the out guards, to push directly into
Trenton, that they might charge the enemy before they had time to form. Though
they marched different roads, yet they arrived at the enemy's advanced post,
within three minutes of each other. The out guards of the Hessian troops at
Trenton soon fell back, but kept up a constant retreating fire. Their main body
being hard pressed by the Americans, who had already got possession of half
their artillery, attempted to file off by a road leading towards Princeton, but
was checked by a body of troops thrown in their way. Finding they were
surrounded, they laid down their arms. The number which submitted was 23
officers, and 885 men. Between 30 and 40 of the Hessians were killed and
wounded. Colonel Rahl, was among the former, and seven of his officers among the
latter. Captain Washington of the Virginia troops, and five or six of the
Americans were wounded. Two were killed, and two or three were frozen to death.
The detachment in Trenton consisted of the regiments of Rahl, Losberg, and
Kniphausen, amounting in the whole to about 1500 men, and a troop of British
light horse. All these were killed or captured, except about 600, who escaped by
the road leading to Bordentown.
The British had a strong battalion of light infantry at Princeton, and a
force yet remaining near the Delaware, superior to the American army. General
Washington, therefore in the evening of the same day, thought it most prudent to
re-cross into Pennsylvania, with his prisoners.
The effects of this successful enterprise were speedily felt in recruiting
the American army. About 1400 regular soldiers, whose time of service was on the
point of expiring, agreed to serve six weeks longer, on a promised gratuity of
ten paper dollars to each. Men of influence were sent to different parts of the
country to rouse the militia. The rapine, and impolitic conduct of the British,
operated more forcibly on the inhabitants, to expel them from the state, than
either patriotism or persuasion to prevent their overrunning it.
On the 28th, Washington re-crossed the Delaware and took possession of
Trenton. The British detachments that had been distributed over the New Jersey
river towns had now assembled at Princeton. These troops were also reinforced by
a British detachment from New Brunswick, N.J. commanded by General Cornwallis.
From this position the English planned to overwhelm Washington, by sheer
numbers, hoping to defeat the Continental Army on January 2nd. Realizing this
Washington carefully considered his options. A retreat to the city of
Philadelphia would have shattered the Continental Army's confidence that
permeated the new nation after their Victory at Trenton. George Washington
decided to stand, fight and see what opportunities may arise in the heat of what
would be a manageable late afternoon battle. The Continental forces readied
their defenses.
The British
began their advance from Princeton at 4 P.M. attacking a body of Americans that
were posted with four field pieces just north of Trenton. This overwhelming
military action required the forces to retreat over Assunpink Creek. Here
Washington had posted cannons on the opposite banks of the creek. The cannons,
together with musket fire, stalemated the pursuing British at the bottleneck
created by the bridge. The British fell back out of reach of the cannons, and
made camp for the night. The Americans remained defiantly camped on the other
side cannonading the enemy until late in the evening.
Washington
called a council of war that night on January 2, 1777 with his troops camped
along Assunpink Creek. Many of St. Clair's Biographers, and even St. Clair
himself, claim that the movement that culminated in the Victory at Princeton the
following day was his recommendation to the council. The General's biographers
purport that not only did St. Clair direct the details of the march but also his
own brigade marched at the head of the advancing army.
Washington's
decision to go around the British lines at night and advance on Princeton was
brilliant. The plan was a smashing success and British losses were estimated at
400 to 600 killed, wounded or taken prisoner. General Cornwallis and his troops
were forced to withdraw into Northern New Jersey to protect key towns recently
conquered by the British. Ramsay reports on the battle:
The next morning presented a scene as brilliant on the one side, as it was
unexpected on the other. Soon after it became dark, General Washington ordered
all his baggage to be silently removed, and having left guards for the purpose
of deception, marched with his whole force, by a circuitous route to Princeton.
This maneuver was determined upon in a council of war, from a conviction that it
would avoid the appearance of a retreat, and at the same time the hazard of an
action in a bad position, and that it was the most likely way to preserve the
city of Philadelphia, from falling into the hands of the British. General
Washington also presumed, that from an eagerness to efface the impressions, made
by the late capture of Hessians at Trenton, the British commanders had pushed
forward their principal force, and that of course the remainder in the rear at
Princeton was not more than equal to his own. The event verified this
conjecture. The more effectually to disguise the departure of the Americans from
Trenton, fires were lighted up in front of their camp. These not only gave an
appearance of going to rest, but as flame cannot be seen through, concealed from
the British, what was transacting behind them. In this relative position they
were a pillar of fire to the one army, and a pillar of a cloud to the other.
Providence favoured this movement of the Americans. The weather had been for
some time so warm and moist, that the ground was soft and the roads so deep as
to be scarcely passable: but the wind suddenly changed to the northwest, and the
ground in a short time was frozen so hard, that when the Americans took up their
line of march, they were no more retarded, than if they had been upon a solid
pavement.
General Washington reached Princeton, early in the morning, and would have
completely surprised the British, had not a party, which was on their way to
Trenton, descried his troops, when they were about two miles distant, and sent
back couriers to alarm their unsuspecting fellow soldiers in their rear. These
consisted of the 17th, the 40th, & 55th regiments of British infantry and some
of the royal artillery with two field pieces, and three troops of light
dragoons. The center of the Americans, consisting of the Philadelphia militia,
while on their line of March, was briskly charged by a party of the British, and
gave way in disorder. The moment was critical. General Washington pushed
forward, and placed himself between his own men, and the British, with his
horse's head fronting the latter. The Americans encouraged by his example, and
exhortations, made a stand, and returned the British fire. The general, though
between both parties, was providentially uninjured by either. A party of the
British fled into the college and were there attacked with field pieces which
were fired into it. The seat of the muses became for some time the scene of
action. The party which had taken refuge in the college, after receiving a few
discharges from the American field pieces came out and surrendered themselves
prisoners of war. In the course of the engagement, sixty of the British were
killed, and a greater number wounded, and about 300 of them were taken
prisoners. The rest made their escape, some by pushing on towards Trenton,
others by returning towards Brunswick. The Americans lost only a few, but
colonels Haslet and Potter, and Captain Neal of the artillery, were among the
slain. General Mercer received three bayonet wounds of which he died in a short
time. He was a Scotchman by birth, but from principle and affection had engaged
to support the liberties of his adopted country, with a zeal equal to that of
any of its native sons. In private life he was amiable, and his character as an
officer stood high in the public esteem.
While they were fighting in Princeton, the British in Trenton were under
arms, and on the point of making an assault on the evacuated camp of the
Americans. With so much address had the movement to Princeton been conducted,
that though from the critical situation of the two armies, every ear may be
supposed to have been open, and every watchfulness to have been employed, yet
General Washington moved completely off the ground, with his whole force,
stores, baggage and artillery unknown to, and unsuspected by his adversaries.
The British in Trenton were so entirely deceived, that when they heard the
report of the artillery at Princeton, though it was in the depth of winter, they
supposed it to be thunder: The Battle of Princeton was another important
Continental Victory as it further raised the moral of the troops and the nation.
The surprised British troops quickly evacuated Princeton on the onslaught and to
Washington's delight; they re-deployed their troops from quartering Bordentown
and Trenton to New Brunswick. The British also decided to evacuate their troops
from Newark and Woodbridge holding under force only Amboy, along with New
Brunswick, in Central New Jersey. The British retreat from the victories of
Trenton and Princeton sparked a resurrection of patriotism that kept George
Washington and his troops invigorated throughout the winter of 1777.
General
Washington, upon St. Clair's council, retired to Morristown, as its passes and
hills afforded geographical shelter to his suffering army. The negative outlook
that had ceased these United States of America in the Fall of 1776 had all but
dissipated in the northern hills of New Jersey. Recruiting that had been
painfully measured just before the Battle of Trenton was successfully
rehabilitated. It soon became clear to everyone that George Washington would
quickly organize and train a permanent regular force to resume the offensive in
the spring.
While in
Morristown, the New Jersey militia was re-charged and conducted several
successful skirmishes killing forty and fifty Waldeckers at Springfield. These
were the same soldiers who were, but a month before, overrun by the British
without even meager opposition. George Washington remained, throughout his
incredible life, steadfastly loyal to Arthur St. Clair recognizing the
Pennsylvania general's deeds and council during the campaigns against Trenton
and Princeton. It was a beginning of a friendship that would positively serve
the United States, beyond anyone's expectations, for the next 24 years. For his
service in 1776 and 1777 St. Clair was promoted to Major-General.
Arthur St.
Clair's next call to action was by John Hancock who ordered him to defend Fort
Ticonderoga. This upstate New York fort was built to control the strategic route
between the St. Lawrence River in Canada and the Hudson River to the south.
Overlooking the outlet of Lake George into Lake Champlain, it was considered a
key to the continent. The fort was used in the War for Empire and largely
abandoned except for British military stores that remained there at the
beginning of the Revolution. In 1775, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold surprised
the British and captured Fort Ticonderoga. The cannons and armaments were used
in the siege of Boston, which drove the British out of Massachusetts. The fort
was garrisoned with 12,000 troops to counter any invading force coming into
America from Canada.
In 1776 with Washington's losses
troops deserted and were moved to more pressing posts in Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. By the spring of 1777 Fort Ticonderoga had fallen in disrepair with only
a handful of troops protecting the northern passage When it became clear that
the British, under General Burgoyne, were marching to retake the position,
Congress hastily ordered Major General Arthur St. Clair to command and defend
Fort Ticonderoga, by a letter
Philadelphia, April 30, 1777 John Hancock to Arthur St. Clair -
Courtesy of the Author
Sir:
The Congress
having received intelligence of the approach of the enemy towards Ticonderoga
have thought proper to direct you to repair thither without delay. I have it
therefore in charge to transmit the enclosed resolve [not present] and to direct
that you immediately set out on the receipt hereof.
John Hancock,
Presidt.
To: Maj. Gen.
Arthur St. Clair.
Major-General St. Clair arrived in early June
and set about preparations for defense. Although Congress desperately wanted to
retain Fort Ticonderoga, St. Clair was only spared some 2,500 men and scarce
provisions to hold it. A minimum garrison of 10,000 men was required to check
the British advance. Burgoyne's army consisted of 8,000 British regulars and
2,500 auxiliary troops. When Burgoyne arrived in the area, St. Clair was
outflanked as the British placed artillery batteries atop nearby Mount Defiance.
St. Clair's force was too small to cover all exposed points. In his scramble to
post his men St, Clair made the decision not to fortify the steep assent to the
mountain top which he deemed impassable for heavy artillery. The British were
now capable of bombarding Fort Ticonderoga without fear of retaliation by the
Americans. St. Clair and his officers held a council of war, and decided to
evacuate the fort. Matthias Alexis Roche de Fermoy, by orders of Congress, and
against the protest of George Washington was made the commander of Fort
Independence, opposite Fort Ticonderoga. Fermoy made a grave military error that
almost caused St. Clair the loss of a large number of his forces. Upon the
retreat of St. Clair from Ticonderoga, Fermoy set fire to his quarters on Mount
Independence at two o'clock on the morning of July 6th, 1777 thus revealing to
Burgoyne St. Clair's evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga. Had it not been for this,
St. Clair would have made good his retreat with minimal causalities and loss of
his supplies.
St. Clair fled through the woods,
leaving a part of his force at Hubbardto. These troops were attacked and
defeated by General Fraser on July 7th, 1777, after a well-contested battle. On
July12th St. Clair reached Fort Edward with the remnant of his men. St. Clair
reported:
"I know I
could have saved my reputation by sacrificing the army; but were I to do so, I
should forfeit that which the world could not restore, and which it cannot take
away, the approbation of my own conscience".
St. Clair's action forced General
Burgoyne to divide his forces between pursuit of St. Clair and garrisoning Fort
Ticonderoga. Burgoyne, after a long and arduous trek through the New York
frontier, made an unsuccessful attempt to break through American Forces and
Capture Saratoga. Burgoyne retreated and ordered his troops to entrench in the
vicinity of the Freeman Farm. Here he decided to await support from Clinton, who
was supposedly preparing to move north toward Albany from New York City. He
waited for three weeks but Clinton never came. With his supply line cut and a
growing Continental Army he decided to attack on October 7th ordering a
recon-naissance-in-force to test the American left flank. This attack was
unsuccessful and Burgoyne loss General Fraser primarily due to Benedict Arnold's
direct counter-attack against the British Center.
That evening the British retreated
but kept their campfires burning brightly to mask their withdrawal. Burgoyne's
troops took refuge in a fortified camp on the heights of Saratoga. Clinton never
arrived, the Continental Forces swelled to over 20,000. Faced with overwhelming
numbers, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17, 1777 to General Horatio Gates who
was hailed the "Hero of Saratoga". This was one of the great American
victories of the war and made the British retention of Fort Ticonderoga
untenable. This surrender shocked the European Nations and direly needed foreign
aid poured into US coffers from France and the Netherlands.
Despite this
outcome General St. Clair was accused of cowardice by the same faction (Conway
Cabal) that sought the ousting of George Washington as Commander-in-Chief
for "The Hero of Saratoga". Despite the Conway Cabal and charges
George Washington remained loyal to St. Clair who remained with his army
throughout the court-martial. St. Clair was with Washington at Brandywine on
September 11th, 1777, acting as voluntary aide. A court-martial was held in
1778, and Major-General St. Clair was acquitted, "with the highest honor, of
the charges against him," which verdict was approved by congress. The court
inquiry concluded
"... the facts brought out by the court martial spoke eloquently in favor of
St. Clair. Burgoyne's army, when he met St. Clair, numbered 7,863. St. Clair had
less than 2200 men, all of whom were ill fed and half clad. Burgoyne surrounded
him with 142 guns, while St. Clair had less than 100-second rate cannon of
various sizes and these were served by inexperienced men. It is scarcely
necessary to defend his retreat in this age of general intelligence."
Lafayette wrote
to St. Clair,
"I cannot tell you how much my heart was interested in anything that happened
to you and how I rejoiced, not that you were acquitted, but that your conduct
was examined."
John Paul Jones
wrote,
"I pray you be assured that no man has more respect for your character,
talents, and greatness of mind than, dear General, your most humble servant."
St. Clair
assignment after the ordeal was to assist General John Sullivan in preparing his
expedition against the Six Nations and later was appointed a commissioner to
arrange a cartel against the British at Amboy on March 9th, 1780. St Clair was
then appointed to command the corps of light infantry in the absence of
Lafayette, but did not serve, owing to the return of General George Clinton. He
was a member of the court-martial that condemned Major Andre, commanded at West
Point in October 1780, and aided in suppressing the mutiny in the Pennsylvania
line in January 1781.
St. Clair remained active during the
1780's Campaigns raising troops and forwarding them to the south to Lafayette
and Washington. Congress in an attempt to protect Philadelphia from another
British occupation ordered St. Clair's to round up troops to defend the city
from what was believed to be an imminent attack by General Clinton:
Philadelphia, September 19, 1781 Charles Thomson to Arthur St. Clair -
Courtesy of the Author
By the United States in Congress Assembled September 19, 1781 Ordered that
Major General St. Clair cause the levies of the Pennsylvania line now in
Pennsylvania to rendezvous at or near Philadelphia with all possible exposition.
Extract from the minutes
Charles Thompson
Specifically
the Journals of the Continental Congress reported:
The report of the committee on the letter from Major General St. Clair was
taken into consideration; Whereupon, The Committee to whom were referred the
letter of the 28th. of August last from Major General St Clair, beg leave to
report-- That they have conferred with the Financier on the subject of the
advance of money requested by General St Clair for officers and privates of the
Pennsylvania line, and that he informs your Committee that it is not in his
power to make the said advances--
That your Committee know of no means which enables Congress at present to
make the advance requested by General St Clair: and they are therefore of
opinion that his application ought to be transmitted to his Excellency the
President and the Supreme Executive of the State of Pennsylvania with an earnest
request that they will take the most effectual measures in their power to enable
General St Clair to expedite the march of the troops mentioned in his letter.
Ordered, That the application of Major General St. Clair be transmitted to
his Excellency the president and the supreme executive council of the State of
Pennsylvania and they be earnestly requested to take the most effectual measures
in their power to enable General St. Clair to expedite the march of the troops
mentioned in his letter.
Washington
continued he maneuvers surrounding Cornwallis at Yorktown. When Congress
realized that the British were not going to attack Philadelphia; orders were
hastily given to St. Clair to move his forces south to Yorktown. St. Clair
joined Washington at Yorktown only four days before the surrender of Lord
Cornwallis.
In November he
was placed in command of a body of troops to join General Nathanael Greene, and
remained in the south until October 1782. St. Clair writes of this period:
"When the army marched to the southward, I was left in Pennsylvania to
organize and forward the troops of that State and bring up the recruits that had
been raised there. The command of the American Army was kept open for, the
General intending to take it upon himself. Formally, the command of the allied
army, which hitherto he ha had only done actually. After sending off the
greatest part of that line under General Anthony Wayne, and on the point of
following them, Congress became alarmed that some attempt on Philadelphia would
be made from New York, in order to diver General Washington from his purpose
against Lord Cornwallis, and they ordered me to remain with the few troops I had
left, to which it was purposed to add a large body of militia, and to form a
camp on the Delaware: of this I immediately apprised Washington, who had written
to me, very pressingly, to hasten on the reinforcements of that State; informing
me of the need he had of them, and, as he was pleased to say, of my services
also. He wrote again on the receipt of my letter, in a manner still more
pressing, and I laid that letter before Congress, who, after considerable delay
and much hesitation, revoked their order, and I was allowed to join the Army at
Yorktown, but did not reach it until the business was nearly over, the
capitulation been signed in five or six days after my arrival.
From thence I was sent with six regiments and ten pieces of artilleray, to
the aid of general Greene in South Carolina, with orders to sweep, in my way,
all those British Posts in North Carolina; but they did not give me trouble,
for, on my taking direction towards Willmington, they abandoned that place and
every other post they had in that country, and left me at liberty to pursue the
march by the best and most direct route; and on the 27th of December, I joined
General Greene, near Jacksonburgh."
The war was
effectively over after this assignment and Arthur St. Clair was furloughed and
returned home in 1782. His Ligonier estate, including the mill which he had
opened for communal use, was in ruins. Titles to his lands were not carefully
managed and squatters occupied key tracts. St. Clair noted in a letter that he
lost £20,000 on one piece of real estate alone. His biographer William Henry
Smith summed up his homecoming plight: as:
"The comfortable fortune, and the valuable offices, which were all his in
1775, and eight years of the prime of life were all gone ---- all given freely,
and without regret, for freedom and a republic."
St. Clair,
though still a major-general, was elected to the Council of Censors. He was an
active member and drafted the report of the Censors, who were charged with
correcting defects in the Pennsylvania Constitution. St. Clair's authored the
recommendations calling for a new Pennsylvania State constitutional Convention.
The measure, however, was defeated as less then 2/3rds of the People supported
the Resolution. In that same year he was elected Vendue-master of Philadelphia
(auctioneer) which was thought to be a very lucrative position in City
government. The victory in the war left the State with a lot of property to be
sold of which St. Clair received a portion of the revenue. St. Clair later, as
President, declared he lost money in that office fronting expenses that were
never reimbursed by the financially distressed city.
In the summer
of 1783, while General St. Clair was still discharging his duties as Vendue-master
of Philadelphia, a crisis gripped the confederation government that would doom
it from ever assembling at Independence Hall again. President Boudinot and the
United States in Congress Assembled on a hot summer day were faced with a mutiny
of soldiers in Philadelphia surrounding their session at Independence Hall.
Congress called out the Pennsylvania militia but it failed to come to the
rescue. The Government of the United States of America, the Delegates of
Congress Assembled, were held hostage in Philadelphia's famed Independence Hall.
The mutineers demands were made in very dictatorial terms, that,
"unless their demand were complied with in twenty minutes, they would let in
upon them the injured soldiery, the consequences of which they were to abide."
Word was
immediately sent, by President Boudinot, to General St. Clair and his presence
requested. General St. Clair rushed to the scene and confronted the mutineers.
St. Clair then reported to President Boudinot, Congress and the State
legislators of Pennsylvania his assessment and the demands of the mutineers.
Congress then directed him
" ... to endeavor to march the mutineers to their barracks, and to announce
to them that Congress would enter into no deliberation with them; that they must
return to Lancaster, and that there, and only there, they would be paid."
After this,
Congress appointed a committee to confer with the executive of Pennsylvania, and
adjourned awaiting St. Clair’s signal that it was safe to evacuate the
building.. The Journals of the United States in Congress report on Saturday,
June 21, 1783:
The mutinous soldiers presented themselves, drawn up in the street before the
statehouse, where Congress had assembled. The executive council of the state,
sitting under the same roof, was called on for the proper interposition.
President DICKINSON came in, and explained the difficulty, under actual
circumstances, of bringing out the militia of the place for the suppression of
the mutiny. He thought that, without some outrages on persons or property, the
militia could not be relied on. General St. Clair, then in Philadelphia, was
sent for, and desired to use his interposition, in order to prevail on the
troops to return to the barracks. His report gave no encouragement.
In this posture of things, it was proposed by Mr. IZARD, that Congress should
adjourn. It was proposed by Mr. HAMILTON, that General St. Clair, in concert
with the executive council of the state, should take order for terminating the
mutiny. Mr. REED moved, that the general should endeavor to withdraw the troops
by assuring them of the disposition of Congress to do them justice. It was
finally agreed, that Congress should remain till the usual hour of adjournment,
but without taking any step in relation to the alleged grievances of the
soldiers, or any other business whatever. In the mean time, the soldiers
remained in their position, without offering any violence, individuals only,
occasionally, uttering offensive words, and wantonly pointing their muskets to
the windows of the hall of Congress. No danger from premeditated violence was
apprehended, but it was observed that spirituous drink, from the tip-pling-houses
adjoining, began to be liberally served out to the soldiers, and might lead to
hasty excesses. None were committed, however, and, about three o'clock, the
usual hour, Congress adjourned; the soldiers, though in some instances offering
a mock obstruction, permitting the members to pass through their ranks. They
soon afterwards retired themselves to the barracks.
Thanks to
Arthur St. Clair's ability to reason with the mutineers, President Boudinot, the
Delegates and the Pennsylvania legislators passed through the files of the armed
soldiers without being physically molested. The committee, with Alexander
Hamilton as chairman, waited on the State Executive Council of Pennsylvania to
insure the Government of the United States protection when Congress was ready to
convene the following day. Elias Boudinot, receiving no pledge of protection by
the Pennsylvania militia advised an adjournment of the United States in Congress
Assembled on June 24th to Princeton, New Jersey.
Continued at
Arthur St Clair