Tuscaroras to the Rescue at Lewiston, NY-- Part 3: "Sacrifice Their Blood Upon the American Altar"

**  "The overwhelming massacre was prevented by the appearance of Chief Longboard and his company.  Their war whoop caused  the attacking force to at once take flight."

--New York Times, April 8, 1883.

**  "It is evident that the timely intervention of the Tuscarora Indians , saved great slaughter of men, women and children among the white people.  In every instance when the United States was in trouble, the Tuscaroras  were ever ready to sacrifice their blood upon the American altar."

--Tuscarora Chief Elias Johnson

--Brock-Perry

Tuscaroras to the Rescue at Lewiston-- Part 2: "Bravely Repulsed a Party of the Enemy"

**  "Tuscaroras stood their ground long enough to allow the rest of the American force to escape.  While the main body of Tuscaroras held their position, three warriors moved past the western tribesman flank, blew a horn, and fooled their enemies into thinking they were being surrounded."

--Carl Benn "Iroquois in the War of 1812"  1998/

**  "The Tuscarora Indians bravely repulsed  a party of the enemy."

--  National Intelligencer, Washington, D.C., January 4, 1814.

--Brock-Perry

Tuscaroras To the Rescue-- Part 1: "A Few Lucky Minutes to Escape"

From the "Tuscarora Heroes" book by Lee Simonson.

**  Bravery brought a company of armed Tuscaroras to the rescue. led by war chief orator Longboard, Col. Johnson, Ovid, and Littlegreen.  They had heard the alarm and seen the torch, and fired a single volley which sufficiently surprised the British and Mohawk natives to cause a retreat and delay that furnished the inhabitants a few lucky minutes to escape from the blow of the tomahawk and thrust of the fatal knife."

--  Chipman P. Turner, "Dark Days On the Frontierof Western New York" 1879.

**  "It should be mentioned to the credit of a small band of Tuscarora Indians, that they effectually aided the flight of the citizens of Lewiston."

--  O. Turner, "Pionerer History of WNY" 1850

--Brock-Perry

The Events at Lewiston Were "Shocking Beyond Description"-- Part 1

I have been writing about the events that took place at Lewiston, New York, on Dec. 19, 1813, when British, Canadian and their allied Indians attacked this American town on the border of Canada.  The heroic actions of the local Tuscarora Indians saved the situation from becoming much worse than it might have.

These quotes are from the "Tuscarora Heroes Book" by Lee Simonson.

"I never witnessed such a scene before and hope I shall not again."  Charles Askin, Canadian citizen, 1813.

"They were stripped, scalped and had their hearts torn out."   Baltimore Weekly Register, Jan. 29, 1814.

"The British entered the house at Lewistown in which the sick soldiers and wounded, and not withstanding the entreaties, shrieks and cries of the helpless soldiers, not a life was spared, and it was reported that the houses  were all burned before they were all dead."    Niles Weekly Register, December 24, 1814. (1813?)

--Brock-Perry

Why the Tuscaroras Risked Their Lives for the Americans-- Part 2: The Sadness at Fort Neoheroka, N.C.

2.  The Tuscaroras had never forgotten what the British had done to them in 1713.    In the early 18th century, the Tuscaroras lived in North Carolina, before being driven from their homeland by the British in the Tuscarora War at Fort Neoheroka, North Carolina, in March 20-23,1713.

The British and their Indian allies burned the fort and hundreds of Tuscarora men, women and children perished inside it.  Almost 200 more were killed  outside of the fort and approximately 400 Tuscaroras were taken captive and sold into slavery.

The defeat of the Tuscaroras, once the most powerful Indian nation in the Carolinas, allowed the British to open up the frontiers of the Carolinas to white settlement.

Most of the surviving Tuscaroras moved way north and settled in the Lewiston, New York area, becoming the sixth nation of the Iroquois Confederacy.

--Brock-Perry

Why the Tuscaroras Helped Their Lewiston Neighbors-- Part 1: Peaceful Relations

From the Tuscarora Heroes Monument site.

The Tuscaroras could have looked the other way and done nothing when the British attacked, but they didn't.  They moved decisively to prevent a complete massacre.

No one would have expected them to take the stand that they did against the British and the overwhelming force of their blood brothers, the Mohawks.

But, there were two reasons for what the Tuscarora did.

1.  There was a long-standing bond of friendship with the white citizens of Lewiston.    As neighbors, the Lewistonians and Tuscaroras trusted each other and traded and did business together.  They lived peacefully together.

--Brock-Perry

The Tuscarora Heroes Story-- Part 2: The Tuscaroras to the Rescue

Tormented parents found themselves helpless in defending their children.  One 7-year-old was shot and scalped in front of his mother.

At the moment when all hope seemed to be lost and all thought they would become victims in the massacre, the local Tuscarora men  ran down to Lewiston from their village on top of the escarpment and offered the first resistance the enemy had seen.

The Tuscarora attack was so hard that the British and their allies believed there were a lot more of them than there were and the attack stopped in its tacks.

Though outnumbered 30 to 1, the Tuscarora had bought enough time for the surviving townspeople to escape.

Bravery.  --Brock-Perry

Tuscarora Heroes Monument, Lewiston, New York

From Wikipedia.

Stands as testament of thanksgiving from the people of Lewiston to the Tuscarora Nation for saving the lives of dozens of local residents during the War of 1812 from British attack on December 19, 1813.  It consists of three 110% lifesize bronze statues that present a tableau of two Tuscarora men rescuing a local woman and her baby from the attack.

Thousands of spectators witnessed the unveiling ceremony of December 19, 2013, the bicentennial of the event.

The monument site has several symbolic aspects.    They are mounted on concrete in the shape of a turtle's back.    The Iroquois believe the earth was formed on a large turtle's back.  The turtle's head points toward an American flag representing the U.S.-Tuscarora alliance since the American Revolution.

Six northern white pines surrounding he monument represent the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.  The Iroquois flag also flies at the site.

--Brock-Perry

Lewiston (NY) Remembers War of 1812, Tuscarora Support

From the Dec. 21, 2019, Niagara Frontier Publications.

It was quite cold, but that didn't cancel Lewiston's annual War of 1812 remembrance ceremony held on Thursday, Dec. 19 at the Tuscarora Heroes Monument at the corner of Center Street and Portage Road.

It was emceed by the village historian Lee Simonson who told the story of Reuben Lewis "Lewiston's First Martyr"  who sent his wife and children to safety, but stayed behind to fight the attacking British who attacked and burned the village.

Tuscarora Nation elder and council member Neil Patterson Sr. offered his thoughts on the event.    They had been monitoring the British and tried to warn of the impending attack.  Though they were ignored, they stayed to defend the whites of the village.

--Brock-Perry

Joseph Willcocks-- Part 2: The Six Nations, Brock's Death and TurnsTraitor

In 1812, Isaac Brock enlisted Willcocks to assist in the ensuring of  the loyalty and participation of the Six Nations people (Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Indian tribes) to Upper Canada and the Crown.    This he achieved despite being ill at the time.

But, for Willcocks, the death of Brock at Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812, marked the beginning of the end for his service to Canada.  He fought alongside the Six Nations warriors as part of Roger Sheaffes's retaking of the Redan Battery.

He was greatly distressed when, after the invasion of the Niagara Peninsula in 1813, that military rule and harsh measures against people expressing what were considered to be disloyal  opinions, Willcocks considered this to be an abandonment of democratic  principles.

In July 1813, he committed treason when he offered his services to the Americans, even though he was a sitting member of Upper Canada's Legislative Assembly.  He was given the rank of major in the American Army and raised a company of Canadian Volunteers which consisted of  recent immigrants from the United States.

They all fought on the American side and Willcocks was promoted to lieutenant colonel.  Robert Nelles  replaced him in the Legislative Assembly.

Brock-Perry

Tuscarora Monument Unveiled in New Yorl

From the Dec. 19, 2013, WKBW 7 Eyewitness News "Tuscarora Heroes Monument to Be Unveiled."

Lewiston, NY  December 19th marks the the 200th anniversary of the British capture of Fort Niagara and burning of Youngstown and Lewiston.  What was happening in Lewiston was turning into a massacre until Tuscarora Nation warriors created a diversion and helped rescue some of the residents.

A three piece, larger-than-life bronze monument depicting 2 Tuscarora men saving a woman and child is to be dedicated, the result of years of planning by the Historical Association of Lewiston and local sculptor Susan Geissler.

--Brock-Perry

Iroquois and Grand River First Nations Meet in Council

JULY 7TH, 1814:  Shortly after the Battle of Chippawa, representatives of New York Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy allied with the United States) met with  Grand River First Nations (allied with the British) in an imporatnt council.

During the Battle of Chippawa, First Nations from the Grand River and the Western tribes confronted Haudenosaunee  from the Onondowahgah (Tuscorora) and Skaruhreh (Seneca) communities.

In the bloody, fratricidal battle that erupted, American allies lost about 26 men and the allies of the British had 90 casualties.  Both sides were dismayed by these huge losses and by the fact that they had been fighting friends and relatives.

Following the council, the majority of Haudenosaurees decided to pursue a course of neutrality for the rest of the war.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Timeline: December 19-30, 1863: American Towns Burned in Retaliation for Niagara, Upper Canada

DECEMBER 19TH-30TH, 1813:

 British and First Nation allies fight American troops at Lewiston and Fort Schlosser, burning the communities of Lewiston, Tuscarora settlement, Black Rock and Buffalo, all in New York, in revenge for the burning of Niagara, Upper Canada.

On 19 December, a force of British troops and First Nations defeated American Militia at Black Rock. On the 30 December, the U.S. militia force under Major General Amos Hall were defeated near Buffalo.

The British burned the American towns in punishment for what happed on December 10th at Niagara.

Over 300 American houses were burned, and the whole frontier from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie was depopulated.

Four armed U.S. schooners were also burned, and a large quantity of military stores and weapons captured or destroyed. At Lewiston, NY, a large number of American civilians were killed by First Nations.

The attack on the American Tuscarora settlement brought the Tuscarora Indians in on the side of the United States.

Some Mean Fighting Going On.  --Brock-Perry

Tuscarora Monument to Be Unveiled in New York-- Part 3

Nine days after the American attack, British troops and their Indian allies, mostly Mohawks, sailed their boats to the American shore, north of Buffalo with intentions of first capturing Fort Niagara and then attacking Lewiston.

At the enemy appearance, villagers fled through the snow and mud.  At that time, the 25 Tuscarora rushed down a hill, firing muskets and yelling, stopping the British assault not knowing how many Tuscarora they were facing.  This gave the villagers the chance to escape to safety.

Two days later, the invading force destroyed Niagara Falls, New York, and on December 30th, burned Buffaloto the ground.

There will be three pieces to the monument.  A bare-footed woman holding a baby is seen reaching toward Tuscarora men.

Little-Known History of a Nearly Forgotten War.  --Brock-Perry

Tuscarora Monument to Be Unveiled in New York-- Part 2

This story was of particular interest to me since several months ago I attended a presentation on the Tuscarora Indians in Goldsboro, NC, and wrote about them in my Cooter's History Thing Blog.  Back in the 1600s they had been concentrated in what became North Carolina until the Tuscorora War in the early 1700s.  After this, many moved north to what became New York which would have been this group who saved the people at Lewiston.

Some 1,000 Tuscorora now live in the local Niagara County Reservation in the area.

That day in December 1813, at least a dozen and perhaps as many as 46 men, women and children were killed in a Sunday morning attack in which most of the village was burned by British and Canadian troops.  A small group of perhaps as many as 25 Tuscarora braves fought against some 1,500 enemy soldiers.

This particular invasion was seen as revenge for an earlier American attack and the burning of the Canadian town of Newark, today known as Niagara-On-the-Lake, just across the Niagara River.

Revenge.  --Brock-Perry

Tuscarora Monument to Be Unveiled in New York-- Part 1

From the April 6, 2013, Times Colonist "Monument to thank Tuscarora Nation for Helping New York residents" by Carolyn Thompson, AP.

"Lewiston, N.Y.-- It could have become a forgotten moment in the 'forgotten war'"  Instead, a larger-than-life bronze monument will be dedicated this winter to remember that winter morning when the Tuscarora Indian Nation saved terrified families fleeing from an invading British-Canadian force.

The dedication is by the Tuscarora Heroes Project of the Lewiston Historical Association.  There will also be a re-enactment on the 200th anniversary of the event, December 19, 2013.

The statue is being made by artist Susan Geissler and is one of New York's largest War of 1812 projects, coming in at around $400,000.  The statue honors the friendly relations between the town and its Tuscarora Indian neighbors.

And, You Though All Indians Fought on the British-Canadian Side of the War.  --Brock-Perry