The Baroness

 The North Spy, the fourth novel in the Yankee Doodle Spies series, contains a trove of historical persons as fascinating as any of the fictional characters I developed for the story. However, one of the most interesting personalities in the campaign still needs to receive representation. I strike a mea culpa for leaving out the remarkable woman who was part of it all, and I hope to make up for it with this post.

Fredericka Charlotte Louise von Masow

Military Brat

The lady in question is a German-born daughter of a senior officer in the army of Frederick the Great. Presumably named for her father's sovereign and military overlord, Fredericka Charlotte Louise von Masow was born in 1746 in Brandenburg, Prussia. The young aristocrat received an excellent education via tutors hired by her father, Count Hans Jurgen Detloff von Masow, as the general brought his family with him in various assignments. Nicknamed the Baroness, Fredericka and her sisters blossomed into beautiful, educated, and refined young women and attracted many young officers.

Frederick the Great

Military Match

One of these was a dashing (was there another kind?) young cavalry officer, Friedrich Adolphus von Riedesel. The two aristocrats married in 1762, and Fredericka settled into the life of a military wife in a comfortable Berlin home, where she soon bore two children. Unfortunately, neither baby survived infancy. 

von Riedesel as dashing young Hussar

Friederich's military duties uprooted the family. Some sixteen years later, he was a dragoon captain in the army of the Duke of Brunswick, a north German principality. Fredericka and her children lived with him in a lavish house in Wolfenbuettel. But the peacetime idyll was about to end for Fredericka and her family. 

Summons to War

When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, the British soon found themselves short on manpower, so the king pulsed his continental "cousins" for help. The Duke leased his army to King George of England, as did several other minor German princes, most notably the Prince of Hesse-Kassel. The Americans soon referred to all the German auxiliaries serving the British as "Hessians."

Brunswick Grenadier

In 1776 Friederich was promoted to general and, at the head of a force of German professionals, sailed to Quebec.

Follow the Drum

Family traditions die hard, and Fredericka was determined to accompany her husband, but being heavy with child forced her to remain behind. However, a year later, she was able to pack up her children, along with servants and baggage, and make her way to Belgium, France,  and then to England, where they boarded a ship and made the dangerous Atlantic crossing to North America.

Atlantic crossing

The thirty-one-year-old Baroness and her three daughters arrived in Quebec just in time to witness some of the most dramatic events of the struggle between the American colonies and Britain. The cheerful and determined Fredericka had ignored the dire warnings of the primitive lifestyle and savagery of the New World. But Quebec was essentially a French provincial town, and she quickly settled in.

Camp Follower

The British had sent a new army to Canada as part of General John Burgoyne's ambitious plan to divide the colonies by an invasion from the north aimed at linking with British forces that would march north from New York and join together at Albany. Over 8,000 British regulars, Canadians, Indians, and Germans made up Burgoyne's well-equipped force. 

Camp Followers

Accompanying them was a contingent of camp followers made up of provisioners and a sizeable number of women who provided services such as cooking, cleaning and repairing clothing, and, most importantly, caring for the sick and wounded. So women accompanying the army were a norm in 18th-century warfare. However, a high-born and refined noblewoman rarely followed the gun. But the beautiful Fredericka's blue eyes, dark hair, and graceful manner quickly won the hearts of the officers and men who met her.

Blitzkrieg

Not quite a blitzkrieg, but by early July 1777, the invading forces quickly traversed Lake Champlain and took the mightiest bastion in North America,  Fort Ticonderoga. The army soon moved south, pursuing the fleeing rebels to Fort Edward and Fort George. Could the fall of Albany be far off? 

Fort Ticonderoga

Fredericka and her children (plus servants) made their way through the verdant wilderness to join her husband at Fort George. The primeval beauty of the land was impressive, but soon, the savagery of warfare overwhelmed them.

The extensive 200-mile supply line resulted in supply shortages just as the army seemed to be closing in on its objective. So General Burgoyne dispatched von Riedesel and his German troops to foray through the New York forests and fields to requisition livestock, foodstuffs, and wagons. 

Distance stressed British supply

Von Riedesel objected due to the uncertainties and distances involved. But he complied, informing his wife it was too dangerous for her to accompany him. She refused to stay behind and insisted on joining his column, which suffered defeat at the hands of John Stark and the New Hampshire militia at Bennington.

Witness to Calamity

Despite the worsening supply situation, Burgoyne pressed south, and his army fought two battles against the Americans at Freeman's Farm in September and Bemis Heights in October. By now, the army was almost half its initial size, but morale remained high. The Americans had rallied large contingents of militia to reinforce the continental regiments under the new commander, General Horatio Gates. Both battles were bloody affairs. Fredericka tended to the wounded in both clashes. She even came under fire at Bemis Heights from the American artillery that ranged in on the house that served as a makeshift hospital. Gathering her girls, they took shelter in the cellar while cannon balls peppered the building. 

Bemis Heights

Bemis Heights was costly in many ways, but perhaps the most significant loss was the death of British General Simon Fraser, who fell to a sniper at the height of the battle. The gentlemanly Fraser and Fredericka had formed a close bond. The day after, she attended his funeral, a most somber event. The British withdrew to Saratoga, but growing numbers of rebels cut their supply lines, and Burgoyne was forced to sue for terms. In this case, "a convention" rather than an admission of surrender. But this euphemism could not erase the reality of more than 4,000 regulars falling to the rebels.

Death of Simon Fraser

Saratoga Surrender

In many ways, what should have been the end of Fredericka's American adventure was just the beginning. On 17 October 1777, after witnessing the anguish of her husband and the entire army ground arms and standards before the watchful eyes of the Americans, our Baroness joined her husband and the rest of "The Convention Army" in captivity. Most of the officers were eventually repatriated to Britain most of the army wound up marching south for an extended period of imprisonment.

Surrender at Saratoga

American Sojourn

General Phillip Schuyler, former commander of the Northern Department and wealthy and influential politician, invited her and her daughters to his Albany estate. Following this visit, she traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where most prisoners initially stayed. As a senior officer, her husband and his family were treated as guests and joined in the active social life around Boston.

Phillip Schuyler

The Old Dominion

In late 1778 Frederika, her husband, and the girls were provided a carriage and escorted south along with many other prisoners. The Americans ordered this because of food shortages and the danger of the prisoners trying to escape to the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island. The family suffered from hunger along the way and a perilous journey through the brutal winter's snow, ice, and mud. The locals did not treat them well. Frederika handled these hardships with grace and a positive attitude. Her husband, the general, not so much.

Governor Thomas Jefferson

The long and tortuous journey south ended in the Virginia piedmont town of Charlottesville in January 1779. Life improved in the Old Dominion. The family settled on a nearby estate, living a happy plantation lifestyle. Her husband took up gardening, and she took to the piano. They were introduced to the planter social scene and were guests of Thomas Jefferson, now Governor of Virginia.

New York State of Mind

Later that year, the von Riedesels were directed to travel north. Her husband would be paroled, pending his official exchange for captured (at Charleston) American General Benjamin Lincoln. Once there, life changed. New York was British, and the Loyalist population treated them well. They initially stayed at Governor Tryon's residence. Fredericka met (and charmed) numerous notables of the British garrison, including General Cornwallis, General Patterson, and the commander-in-chief, General Henry Clinton. 

General Henry Clinton

Her husband later obtained a comfortable home with elegant furnishings, and they became immersed in the society of occupied New York. They spent summers at General Clinton's country estate, and he often visited them, on one occasion in the company of notorious spymaster Major John Andre.

Major John Andre

A smallpox outbreak caused the entire family to undergo the primitive vaccination process of the day. When the exchange became official and his parole ended, General von Riedesel received command of the British garrison on Long Island. The family accompanied him there, and Frederika gave birth to another girl whom she aptly named Amerika.

O Canada

In September 1781, the family left New York for Canada, where several of the general's German regiments remained. He was getting over a second bout of the fever. Life in Canada proved pleasant as the level of fighting reduced drastically after Yorktown. By 1783, British troops and their expensive auxiliaries were slowly departing for home or to defend other parts of the empire. 

Canadian interlude

Royal Audience

The von Riedesels sailed after the last Germans departed but stopped in England, where King George and his queen received the ever-popular Fredericka and her husband. She regaled Queen Charlotte and the royal princesses with tales of her adventures in the wonderous and anguished New World. 

In der Heimat

The return to Germany proved bittersweet. Fredericka rejoiced to see her husband reunited with his old command, and the locals welcomed them to the Heimatland (Homeland). But she had memories of suffering that made an impression that would not fade. Too many promising young men had suffered hardship and were maimed, wounded, or buried in a faraway land.

General Friederich von Riedesel

Retirement and Remembrance

The von Riedesels then returned to Brunswick, where von Riedesel commanded the Brunswick troops. After six years, they retired to Lauterbach castle. After the death of her husband in 1800, Frederika spent most of her time in Berlin, where she founded a home for military orphans. She also built a house for the poor in Brunswick. Frederika passed away on 29 March 1808. But she had captured her incredible life of adventure in her memoirs. Compiled from her letters and diary, they provided a unique view of the war in the New World – a woman's perspective. 

The Baroness in later years

The North Spy

 The past several Yankee Doodle Spies posts have profiled the people, places, and things featured in my forthcoming novel, The North Spy. This installment breaks from those themes to give readers more background and set the scene for the upcoming action.

General Washington's Dilemma

As the winter's snows of 1777 turn to spring's flowering, General George Washington faces a dilemma. He knows the British Army, coiled up in winter quarters, will strike like a snake at the first opportunity to take the American capital, Philadelphia. But where and how? Rumors abound: Back across the Jerseys by land? Up the Delaware River by sea? Or maybe some combination? But another option proves the most problematic: a movement north to link with a British Army forming in Canada.

General George Washington

Diverse Approaches

General Washington did not know that the British armies in New York and Canada would soon be working at cross purposes. Washington has the Yankee Doodle Spies, in the form of Major Benjamin Tallmadge's troop of the 2nd Continental Line Dragoons, patrolling, scouting, and spying in the hope of discerning what the British commander in New York, Major General Sir William Howe, has in mind. Despite the soundness of Major General John Burgoyne's "three-pronged" plan to join with Howe at Albany and cut the colonies in two, Howe vacillates.

General William Howe

Northern Storm Clouds, Southern Squalls

The competent but often plodding Howe is under much fire for not taking the rebel capital in 1776 and is determined to finish the job and thrash Washington. As Burgoyne musters his forces, numbering over 8,000 men south of Montreal, for a move across Lake Champlain and down the North (Hudson) River, he is unaware that Howe has set his eyes south. Howe does order his second in command to remain in New York City with a few thousand men and help Burgoyne if feasible. We will see how that works.

General John Burgoyne

Hopeless Mission

Enter Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed, who Washington sends on a daunting if the not hopeless, mission to penetrate Burgoyne's Army, ostensibly to report back on its strength and objectives. Washington's "Intelligence Advisor" and senior intelligence officer, Colonel Robert Fitzgerald, provides Creed with secret orders that will put him in contact with an agent in Canada. Now all Creed has to do is figure out a plan to get there, find the agent and work his way into the British Army!

Jeremiah Creed must cover a vast wilderness for his mission

To the North

Along the way, Creed will meet old friends and encounter new enemies. He will face ruthless Canadian backwoodsmen, fierce Iroquois (Mohawk) warriors, and an army of British regulars and German auxiliaries itching to bring the war to the Americans by any means necessary. Creed must use deception and guile at each phase of his journey. Creed also faces a crisis of conscience as he must deceive and manipulate people in a way he never has.

Creed must face Iroquois warriors

This is a story of tradecraft and daring as much as action – and there is enough action to fill Lake Champlain with blood!

TurningPoint

Americans rally to the Cause as the new commander of the Northern Department, General Horatio Gates, takes command. The armies collide in a series of battles, and Jeremiah Creed is in the mix.  The Saratoga campaign is arguably the most important of the American Revolutionary War and its turning point. The North Spy provides my take on it, closely following the actions of British and American commanders and soldiers who collide in deep forests, shimmering lakes, and coursing rivers of the great north. Spoiler alert: Burgoyne's army surrendered to the American rebels at Saratoga in October 1777, bringing France openly into the fight.

Saratoga  surrender: the Turning Point

The North Spy is due for release in December 2022 by Legatum Books. Available at Amazon.com

Patriot Scoundrel Part 2

Patriot Schemer

Resignation from the Continental Army did not mean James Wilkinson's military career had ended. Like many of that era and throughout American history, Wilkinson dealt with failure and frustration by going west. In some ways, his resignation was the beginning of a new military career.

Go West, Young Man

After trading his Continental commission for a state commission, Wilkinson became a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia in 1782. The following year, he became a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly. But the canny Wilkinson realized the real potential of developing the new nation's western lands and, in 1784, moved to the Kentucky territory, which was still part of Virginia. Wilkinson immediately got involved in local politics and began advocating for the territory's three counties to separate from the Old Dominion.

Kentucky was claimed by Virginia

Wilkinson's first foray into international affairs occurred a few years later. In April 1787, he traveled to  New Orleans, the largest city and capital of the Spanish colony of Louisiana, and met with the Governor, Esteban Rodríguez Miró. The issue was one of the major concerns of Americans living west of the Appalachian Mountains – the hefty tariffs imposed for transiting goods down the Mississippis River. At the time, transporting goods east was economically prohibitive, slow, and physically challenging. This forced the settlers in Kentucky and other western territories to look west, a notion that would draw Wilkinson himself into the embrace of the new lands. The governor agreed to allow Kentucky to have a trading monopoly on the River. How Wilkinson convinced the governor is the genesis of the real controversy that swirled around James Wilkinson. How did this militia general and backwoods envoy of a primitive territory of gringos pull it off? 

Agent 13

Wilkinson saw the potential of the west linked to the Spanish, who controlled the continent's interior and the lower Mississippi River. It seems Wilkinson engaged in a quid pro quo with the Spanish, offering to represent their interests with the American settlers in the west. In August that year, he swore an affidavit of intent to become a Spanish citizen and swore allegiance to the "Most Catholic King of Spain." Before departing New Orleans for Charleston, SC, he wrote a sort of manifesto in code and cipher, explaining to the Spanish his ideas on "the political future of western settlers" and urging the admission of the western settlers (Kentuckians) as subjects of Spain.

Governor Esteban Rodriquez Miro

Kentucky Failure

When he returned to Kentucky in early 1788, Agent 13 began a covert campaign to move the sticks in the direction of Spain. He strenuously opposed the proposed US Constitution, the adoption of which would have led to statehood. At a Kentucky convention on the Constitution in November, he schmoozed and charmed many members and got himself named a committee chairman. The canny Wilkinson knew many westerners made joining the Union conditional upon the Union engaging Spain on Mississippi navigation rights. And there was a widespread belief the "easterners" would not go to bat for the over-mountain settlers. Fortunately, Wilkinson's proposal to link separation from Virginia to separation from the United States and a treaty with Spain failed.

Wilkinson cynically used the Constitutional debate 

to promote his scheme

A Desperate Gambit

Wilkinson pivoted from this failure with a new proposal to his Spanish masters. He requested a large tract of land along the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers (today's Vicksburg), a $7,000 pension for himself, and pensions for several prominent Kentuckians. But Madrid did not want complications with the new nation and ordered Miro to break off contact with Agent 13 regarding Kentucky and prohibited any pensions. But, perhaps hedging their bets, Wilkinson continued to receive secret funds.

Wilkinson sought  thousands of acres near today's Vicksburg

When the Bugle Calls

North of Kentucky, the Ohio Territory was in flames as the American settlers clashed with the native tribes in a series of savage Indian wars. In 1791, Brigadier General Wilkinson of the Kentucky Militia returned to the new US Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He rose to the rank of brigadier general. At the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, Wilkinson commanded the right wing of Major General Anthony Wayne's newly formed American Legion. The resounding victory broke the back of the Indian tribes and eventually forced the British to abandon their forts on America's northwest frontier. Within two years, Agent 13 was the senior officer in the US Army, but in 1798, Wilkinson was dispatched to the south. 

Serving with Mad Anthony Wayne 

at Fallen Timbers

Louisiana Days

By June 1800, he was again the Army's senior general and, in effect, commander in chief. How such a man could gain those heights is an interesting question. Regardless, he commanded during a critical period in the nation's past – the French Pseudo War, Barbary Pirates, and tensions with Britain. And ironically, the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon Bonaparte (Spain had ceded the vast trans-Mississippi region to France)  took him back to Louisiana, where he eventually became governor of the vast territory he once conspired with Spain over. 

The Louisiana Purchase made America 

a continental power

Now dual-hatted as governor of the Louisiana Territory and commanding officer of the Army, Wilkinson got involved with Aaron Burr. Burr, the disgraced former Vice President and murderer of Alexander Hamilton, had made his way to New  Orleans with a vague scheme to seize Mexico from moribund Spain, which was under Napoleon's heel. They hoped to make the territory an independent nation, perhaps with Burr as its President. Wilkinson went so far as to send Zebulon M. Pike to scout the Southwest in preparation for a military venture.

Aaron Burr

Foiled Plot & A Double Cross

But the British government, which secretly backed Burr's plan, withdrew its support. Now nervous of a failed attempt that would backfire on him,  Wilkinson sent a dispatch to President Thomas Jefferson accusing Burr of treason. Burr went on the run but was arrested in Alabama on 19 February 1807 for treason and sent to Richmond, Virginia, for trial. Meanwhile, Wilkinson cut a deal with the Spanish to keep the border with Texas (part of Mexico) neutral while declaring martial law in New Orleans. The audit trail of events is murky, and the details are unprovable, with one side betraying the other (Wilkinson seemingly double-crossing everyone). Burr was acquitted at a treason trial presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall in Richmond, Virginia. The Burr trial did set the legal precedent for future treason trials.

Chief Justice John Marshall

In 1810, Wilkinson took a second wife, Celestine Laveau. Governor Wilkinson got caught up in several other scandals and faced another court-martial in 1811 but was acquitted.

War with Britain, Again

In 1812, the long-simmering tensions with Great Britain broke into open warfare. In the fall of 1813, newly promoted Major General James Wilkinson took command of the American Northern Army and planned an invasion of Canada. Wilkinson launched a campaign to capture the British naval base at Kingston, sail up the St. Lawrence River, and attack Montreal. This provided a chance for Wilkinson to prove his mettle on the field of battle.

Battle of Chrysler's Farm ended Wilkinson's military career

Poor coordination and even poorer weather hampered his two-pronged movement, and soon Wilkinson's main column was on its own. Several engagements pushed the Americans back, and a final battle occurred at Chrysler's Farm. The British-Canadian forces soundly beat the Americans in a five-hour fight under snowy conditions. 

Final Court Martial

Wilkinson's invasion had left his base vulnerable to attack. As a result, British and Canadian forces captured Fort George and Fort Niagara in December. His final campaign was over. He faced a court martial for his actions – this time convicted. The patriot scoundrel's conviction finally brought his long and sketchy military career to a dishonorable end.

Major General Wilkinson's career ended

with a final court-martial 

Last Post and Scheme

But resilient as ever, Wilkinson wrangled an appointment as America's Envoy to Mexico during the struggle for Independence against Spain. When Mexico won in 1821, Wilkinson leveraged his position to request a land grant in Texas. It was a long wait for the new Mexican government's approval, and the 68-year-old Wilkinson died in Mexico City on 28 December 1825 and was buried there in a vault under Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel - the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel.

The American scoundrel ended his  life in a foreign capital

Agent 13's Legacy

During his life, many suspected the murky Wilkinson connection to the Spanish. But nothing could be proven. When surveying Missippi's boundary, American cartographer Andrew Ellicot reported his suspicions to President Thomas Jefferson but was rebuffed. One wonders whether Wilkinson was an American double agent, or perhaps the Americans thought he was their double agent. Regardless, James Wilkinson was a proven schemer, mover, and shaker who managed to put himself at the center or, better still, in the shadows of some of the most dramatic touch points in America's early years.

An agent's tools of the trade: the cipher wheel

Patriot Scoundrel

An Early American Enigma

As I continue to profile characters in or mentioned in my upcoming novel, The North Spy, there is one in a cameo role who seemed to be at the periphery of interesting events–– not always in a good way. And that is an understatement. James Wilkinson is one of those enigmatic characters who managed to place himself where he could do the most good for–– himself! 

James Wilkinson

Various historians and writers use James Wilkinson's own writings, and his account of things, while first-hand, is not unbiased. Wilkinson appears in The Cavalier Spy and The North Spy, and I do not portray him very favorably. He becomes a bit of a foil for my protagonist, Jeremiah Creed, and adds a certain ambiguity to things. This will be part 1 of a 2-part treatment of Wilkinson.

Chesapeake Roots

Maryland was the birthplace of James Wilkinson, whose family were mid-level landholders in Calvert County. He was born to Joseph and Althea Wilkinson in Charles County on 24 March 1757. He spent time on the family estate, Stoakely Man, which his father inherited from his grandfather, but by the time James was seven, debt caused his father to lose the estate, which was auctioned off in lots. A small parcel was retained, but James's older brother Joseph inherited it.

Wilkinson hailed from Maryland's Western Shore

A landless second son often had few prospects, but fortunately, his grandmother had enough money and connection to ensure a decent education: first tutoring in his early years and later the study of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This would have given him a boost in his career, but politics and the struggle with Britain got in the way of his path to becoming a surgeon.

Revolutionary Youth

James Wilkinson was just eighteen when the "Shot Heard Round the World" changed everything and put him on a pathway to potential military glory. He began his service in 1775 with Thompson's Rifle Battalion, where he was promoted to captain that September. The battalion, formed from "Associator" companies, marched to Massachusetts and joined the newly formed army assembling around Boston.

Pennsylvania Infantry

New England Triumph

But Wilkinson, who we'll see was quick to spy opportunity, soon got himself seconded to General Nathanael Greene as an aide–– a role he would often play to his advantage. By his account, he helped lay in the batteries on Dorchester Heights, an act that sent the British packing.

Dorchester Heights

New York Debacle

He marched with the Continental Army as it scurried south to defend New York in spring 1776. This time as a company commander in Thompson's battalion, on 1 July 1776, The First Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line would play a role in the brutal fighting on Long Island in August.

Retreat from Long Island

Canada Collapse

The campaign to wrest Canada from the British was going badly. While General Washington and Howe danced their armies around New York and across the Jerseys, another front was raging in hot combat but in a much colder climate. Wilkinson went north with reinforcement for Benedict Arnold, who assumed command when the expedition's commander, General Richard Montgomery, was mortally wounded in the assault of Quebec that December. Wilkinson got himself appointed as an aide to Arnold, but the arrival of a relief army under General John Burgoyne sent the Americans into a retreat back to New York.

Basking Ridge Mystery

Arnold would soon fight the invading British to a standstill, but by then, the now Major Wilkinson had gotten himself reassigned as an aide to General Charles Lee, second in command of the Continental Army, during Lee's controversial (he lagged) march from the Hudson Highlands to join Washington outside Philadelphia in December 1776. On a cold, snowy morning, Wilkinson was with Lee, who had left his division and ridden to Widow White's Tavern in Basking Ridge, when British dragoons attacked him under Banastre Tarleton. Lee was captured, but Wilkinson escaped. His account of this is self-serving to him and denigrates Lee. My account in The Cavalier Spy tries to even things up a bit.

Wilkinson escaped Lee's fate at Widow White's

Saratoga Surrender

By the summer of 1777, Wilkinson was a Lieutenant Colonel and Assistant Adjutant to the new commander of the Northern Department, Major General Horatio Gates. He played an active staff role in the dramatic battles and the British Army's surrender. In my novel, The North Spy, he appears competent but manipulative in his interactions with Horatio Gates, Benedict Arnold, Dan Morgan, and my fictional protagonist, Jeremiah Creed.

General Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga

Career Summit

Wilkinson burst onto the national scene when Gates selected him to ride to Congress with news of the Saratoga victory–– a direct affront to General George Washington and a precursor to upcoming political machinations such as the "Conway Cabal." Wilkinson tarried in his delivery to settle personal matters and, of course, embellished his role. He did this so well that Congress brevetted the twenty-year-old lieutenant colonel a brigadier general even though he had not commanded more than a company of troops. This promotion, and suspicions of his and Gates's connections to the Conway Cabal, caused many officers to turn against him. In fairness, this was a typical reaction among the Continental Army's higher ranks.

Wilkinson's news to Congress bypassed Washington

Brevet Brigadier

With promotion in November 1777 came a new job–– a seat on the Board of War. Various political intrigues and accusations led to him leaving the prestigious Board, which was charged with overseeing the conduct of the war in the spring of 1778. A year later, Congress found another administrative post for him–– Clothier General of the Army. Clearly, his reputation as a politician, lack of previous command experience, and getting cross with the commander-in-chief precluded a field command. But things did not go well, and he resigned from the position in the spring of 1781.

Wilkinson was an unlikely clothier

 for the Continental Army

Family Affair

Before we wrap up Wilkinson's Continental Army career, we'll examine his personal life. While stationed around Philadelphia, the newly-breveted general married Ann Biddle. The couple wed on 12 November 1778. Anne was from one of the most prominent families in Philadelphia. Her first cousin was Charles Biddle, who served as a merchant mariner (privateer), a light infantry officer, and a naval officer during the war. Biddle later became highly prominent in Pennsylvania politics and was closely connected to Aaron Burr. These connections would play out in Wilkinson's future in surprising ways as our story shifts to the frontier.

Connection to Biddle would have

 second-order effects

The Saint

Not the infamous TV Simon Templar portrayed by Roger Moore but a son of County Kildare, a professional British officer and a critical player in the Saratoga Campaign. In fact, Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger’s thrust from the west was the third prong of the triple pincer against Albany in a grand plan to defeat the Americans once and for all. Often portrayed as an afterthought, St. Leger's role was a unique part of a strategy aimed at overwhelming the rebels in New York.

Roger Moore as Simon Templar

Born in the Land of Saints and Scholars

Barrimore Matthew St. Leger was born May 1737 in County Kildare, Ireland, a nephew of the Fourth Viscount Doneraille. This is actually his baptism date, as the Irish tradition was to record those more scrupulously than births in an era when infant mortality was widespread. Barry’s father, Sir John St. Leger, was a leading Irish judge. His brother, Anthony St Leger, variously served in Parliament and the military, achieving the rank of major general.

Anthony St. Leger

Saint to Scholar to Soldier

The high-born St. Leger attended the prestigious halls of Eton and Cambridge before signing on as an ensign with the 28th Regiment in April 1756. His regiment immediately sailed to North America and the French and Indian War. St. Leger served with some distinction under British General James Abercromby. 

James Abercromby

By 1758, the young Irishman was a captain of the 48th Regiment and took part in General Jeffery Amherst’s Siege of Louisbourg. St. Leger was appointed brigade major (a staff position, not a rank) during General James Murray’s advance upon Montreal in 1760, and in September 1762, St. Leger was promoted to the rank of major in the 95th Regiment. The French and Indian War had been good to the Viscount’s nephew. The Revolutionary War would prove a mixed bag. 

Jeffery Amherst

Defending Canada

When resistance broke out into rebellion and war in 1775, St. Leger was serving as lieutenant colonel of the 34th Regiment. Barry arrived in Canada in the spring of 1776. He and his regiment helped Governor-General Guy Carleton drive out the invading American forces throughout the summer and fall of that year. St. Leger and the 34th recaptured Fort Ticonderoga during the drive south but withdrew when Carleton decided to end the campaign and return north into winter quarters. 

Guy Carleton

A Grand Strategy

The irrepressible General John Burgoyne arrived from England in early 1777 with reinforcements from Lord Germain, the Minister for Colonies. “Gentleman Johnny” also brought along his bold strategy of a three-pronged move for capturing Albany, New York. His goal was to sever stiff-necked New England from the other colonies. What would happen after that was unclear.

Western Approach

A little regarded but critical part of Burgoyne’s scheme was a supporting move along the Mohawk River to draw off rebel strength, punish rebel farmers, and join his main force near Albany. Burgoyne selected St. Leger to lead the western prong because of his experience and skill in fighting through the northern wilderness. 

John Burgoyne

Brevet Brigadier General

On 23 June 1777, St. Leger’s mixed force of some 800 British regulars, Hessians, Loyalists, and Canadians departed Montreal. They comprised Loyalists under Colonel John Johnson and Major Walter Butler, plus some British and Hessians. St. Leger, now breveted a brigadier general for the campaign, wanted speed over firepower, so he decided to leave heavier artillery behind so as not to impede the wilderness march. He did take along a few light guns, but these would prove not up to the task.

Barry St. Leger

Drums Along the Mohawk

On 25 July, a flotilla of British ships and barges landed St. Leger’s force at Oswego, New York. They were soon joined by 800 native warriors led by Iroquois War Chief Joseph Brant and Seneca War Chief Cornplanter. 

Chief Joseph Brant

They swiftly marched up the Mohawk River valley according to Burgoyne’s plan, passing friendly Iroquois villages and undefended farmland. 

Iroquois village on the Mohawk River

But St. Leger soon arrived at his first obstacle – rebel-held Fort Stanwix (today’s Rome, NY), stoutly defending the upper valley from his forward advance. To St. Leger’s consternation – reports by Indian scouts and spies proved true. 

Fort Stanwix

The Continental Army’s Northern Department commander, General Philip Schuyler, recently repaired the fortification and garrisoned it with 750men of the 3rd New York Regiment under Colonel Peter Gansevoort with Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willet as his deputy.

Peter Gansevoort

Fort Stanwix Besieged

When St. Leger arrived outside Fort Stanwix, he sprang into action, conducting a “leader’s reconnaissance" of the post. He quickly realized he had underestimated the size and strength of the place. Lacking the heavy guns to pound the fort into submission, St. Leger ordered his Indian allies to encircle it in what was a very soft siege. 

Iroquois Braves surround Fort Stanwix

He then tried to bluff the defenders into surrender by parading his entire force before them. Ironically, the many native warriors convinced the Americans they would be massacred if they surrendered. St. Leger’s surrender summons fell flat. Frustrated, he ordered a bombardment of the fort, but his small-caliber guns proved ineffective.

Oriskany Ambush

Farther up the valley to the east, the Tryon County militia rallied when word of the British invasion reached them. A column of 800 men under Colonel Nicholas Herkimer marched out of Fort Dayton, intent on relieving Stanwix. But Molly Brant, sister of Chief Joseph Brant, alerted St. Leger of the new threat. He responded by throwing a force of Loyalists and Indians into the dense forest near the village of Oriskany, to the east. 

Molly Brant

On 6 August, under a thick canopy of ancient woodland, they sprung a devastating ambush on the militia, which was halfway across a deep gulley. A terrific firefight ensued. Curtains of lead tore chunks of hardwood and scythed down brush and branches. Men fell on both sides, but with so many dead and wounded, including Herkimer, the Tryon County militia withdrew under cover of the dense gun smoke.

Oriskany Ambush & Firefight

Stubborn Resistance

Back at Fort Stanwix, the Americans had a few tricks of their own. With the besiegers reduced to sending forces to Oriskany, Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willet successfully sortied from the defense works and seized St. Leger’s camp, thoroughly plundering it. The loss of supplies disheartened the tribesmen, and they began abandoning St. Leger’s column.

Marinus Willet

Desperate, St. Leger again threatened the defenders with massacre unless they capitulated. Gansevoort agreed to a truce but resolved to defend the post. He sent Willett to ride through British lines to Stillwater, report the situation to General Philip Schuyler, and request he send relief. 

Arnold’s Deception

And so, it was. General Benedict Arnold put together a force to drive the British from Stanwix. But Arnold was as cunning as he was brave and bold. He sent a deranged man named Hon Yost to “desert” the British. His rantings of a relief force “more numerous than the leaves on trees” panicked the remaining warriors, who fled west. 

Benedict Arnold

Realizing his hopeless situation, St. Leger was forced to give up his siege of Fort Stanwix. On 25 August, his regulars, Hessians, Loyalists, and a few faithful Indian allies, trudged west along the Mohawk and departed for Canada. St. Leger’s failure to reach Albany and support Burgoyne directly contributed to the ultimate capitulation at Saratoga in October 1777.

Return to Ticonderoga

St. Leger did not mull over his failed campaign. Instead, he sprang into action once back at Montreal, coaxing scarce forces from Governor Guy Carleton. He led his command south to reinforce Burgoyne directly. But they had just arrived at Fort Ticonderoga when word of the Saratoga surrender arrived in October 1777. 

Fort Ticonderoga

Guerrilla Warrior

For the remainder of the war, St. Leger stayed in active command and came into his own as an irregular warfare leader. He led several raids against the Americans in upper New York, which became the scene of bloody partisan and guerrilla-style warfare throughout the war. Spying, betrayal, raids, ambushes, assassinations, and torching would devastate upper and central New York.

Loyalist raiders

St. Leger was behind a failed attempt to kidnap General Philip Schuyler. In 1781, the new commander in Canada, General Frederick Haldimand, dispatched him back to Ticonderoga to meet with disaffected rebel leader Ethan Allen. But the scheme to break Vermont from the rebels failed.

Philip Schuyler

Canadian Service

Unlike most of his fellow officers, St. Leger did not return to England or sail to another theater after the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Instead, he remained in Canada. In 1784 he was promoted to brigadier general and succeeded Haldimand as commander. But by 1785, poor health from the ravages of campaigning forced him to give up his command and retire from active service. St. Leger died in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, on 23 December 1793. 

Frederick Haldimand

Legacy

St. Leger's legacy is mixed. He was a talented tactical leader of troops who could plan and organize complex operations over great stretches of wilderness. Yet his only major independent command failed through a mix of poor decision-making (remember the heavy guns?), failure to keep his native allies in hand, and unexpected resistance by more robust than anticipated American forces. 

But unlike his commander Burgoyne, "The Saint" knew when to quit and extracted his troops from a precarious situation. Facing Fort Stanwix's defenders combined with General Benedict Arnold's relief force would have surely resulted in the annihilation of his force. Instead, his troops would live to fight on and harass and threaten upper New York for the remainder of the war, while Burgoyne’s stubborn refusal to consolidate caused his larger army to march off to rebel prisons.