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Carleton’s Raid on the Champlain Valley

Tuesday October 14, 2008

By Jessy Sturtevant

   Christopher Carleton was a fighting man and a leader. He had lived among natives as a young man and had learned their ways. He was liked by all the men under his control. So, in 1778, when Fredrick Halimond, the Governor General of Canada, was looking for a man to lead a raid down Lake Champlain to the Otter Creek Valley, he chose Major Christopher Carleton.

   Carleton proved to be a good choice. In July of 1778, a smaller raid on the Onion River Valley (today known as the Winooski River) had failed because of troubles with the Indians. Carleton, however, could understand and work with them.

   His expedition consisted of 354 British troops, Tory supporters, and hired Germans, with about 100 natives. They sailed with two large boats, the Maria and the Carleton (named after Christopher’s uncle, Guy Carleton) along with two gunboats and various longboats and canoes. The purpose of their raid was to destroy buildings and supplies, which the rebel army could use. They also wanted to take the men prisoners so they wouldn’t fight on the American side of the conflict.  

   The Carleton sailed from Isle aux Noix on October 24th 1778, with the Maria and gunboats waiting farther down on the New York side of the lake. First Carleton sailed to Sandy Creek (now Ausable River). The wind kept the party from moving farther so Carleton ordered a field day to “practice the men in the Wood fighting and &c.” 1 They remained there for several days. On Tuesday the 27th Carleton sent five Indians with two of his men to act as scouts, Mr. Johns and a friend, in a canoe and had the scouts dropped off around Crown Point.

   The wind finally changed on the 31st and the Carleton anchored in West Bay behind Crown Point near the Maria. Mr. Alder, who was in charge of the Maria, had already found some men nearby and detained them on board. They were Daniel McIntosh, David Stowe, James Henderson, and Nathan Griswold (who Carleton called Grizell in his records). The boats remained at Crown Point. On Nov 2nd Benjamin Everest was captured by a group of scouts, but escaped. Carleton had a conference with the Indian Chiefs on what to do and he “thought it advisable for me to march with the Greatest part of my detachment by a route which I knew would carry me in upon Otter Creek, thirty miles from the mouth, from whence I should proceed downwards, that I wd send Captain Fraser with thirty of their Young Warriors and 30 Rangers who should move up towards Pittsford destroying as they went on”. 2 They agreed with this plan and when Johns returned it was decided to set out the next evening.  

   During the day rebel canoes were seen by scouts, but not captured. A settler, Mr. Smith, also reported seeing the canoes when brought in and Carleton sent a force after them.  The party returned without having caught the canoes, but brought in fifteen prisoners along with information. Carleton now needed to change his plans. He sent a large force from the east shore of the lake to Otter Creek to “proceed east across uninhabited terrain from a point two miles south of Chimney Point to Otter Creek, and then move north along the creek to its mouth, destroying buildings and supplies and taking prisoners in a series of surprise attacks.”3

   When the British reached Middlebury they found it abandoned, the settlers having fled from the invasion of Burgoyne the year before. They destroyed everything but three cabins on the edge of town and a barn frame of green timber. The force then continued on to Weybridge. All the settlers there had remained, Thomas Sanford and his family, Claudius Brittell and family, David Stow, and Justus Sturdevant. Thomas Sanford and David Stow had been captured earlier, but the troops now took Clark Stow, Robert Sanford, Justus Sturdevant, Claudius Jr. and Claudius Brittell. Robert was the youngest, being only ten, and collapsed after walking for a while. He was left behind and made it back to the surviving wives and children. They lived on potatoes in a root cellar for ten days before being found by American soldiers who accompanied them to Pittsford.

   From Weybridge, Carleton’s men went down to New Haven and Waltham. In Waltham, they captured the Griswold brothers Adonijah, David, and John. Nathan had already been captured and John Griswold Sr. was released because of his age. When the troops reached Vergennes, they found that most of the settlers had left. The only ones who lived there were Daniel McIntosh, who was captured on the lake, and Eli Roberts and his son Durand, who were taken prisoner. The forces camped above the falls.

   Meanwhile, Carleton sent a smaller force of sixty men with officers to burn Moore’s mill a few miles to the south.  Paul Moore was a rebel supporter and his mill was a supply station and gathering place for them. Captain Dunlap reported to Carleton “That he had gon with Lieut. Farguar himself, that they had proceeded without interuption to a House within five hundred yards of the Mill, that a party of rebels Posted in this House Fired upon him. He form’d his detatchment and after an engagement of about twenty minnets the Rebel Firing ceas’d intirely. That from their cries he had reason to believe numbers of their Men had been Wounded he drew off his Party and return’d to his Boats with one man Wounded he concluded that the Party he had met had been the advanced Guard of a detatchment in the Mill and it beeing Night thought it imprudent to Hazard beeing Surrounded in the Woods by Superior numbers.”4  

   Carleton also sent Captain Dixon with a party of twenty-four men to burn Raymond’s Mill on the New York side. This time they reported back as being successful. Carleton himself moved down the east side of the lake destroying different buildings. One of the houses he destroyed in Shoreham was where the Pierson family had resettled after their home had been destroyed in the March raid on Shelburne. This time some of them were taken prisoner. Carleton continued to Buttonmold Bay, but had to stop there for the evening. He sent off a scouting party, and proceeded to the mouth of the creek where they met him. The boats continued up the creek and camped where Dead Creek meets Otter Creek.             

  Carleton had also sent a group with Captain Jones to destroy Monkton even though it was off his route because “I Knew it to be a remarkable rich one and a Nest of the Greatest Rebels in that part of the Country besides if I could be fortunate enough to Catch Wintress Howick the Indian Interpreter ….thence I should do an esentail Service.”5 The man Carleton called Wintress Howick was really Winthrop Hoyt. He knew the Indian languages and stirred them up against the British. Jones’ party succeeded in capturing not only Winthrop Hoyt, but also John Bishop and his sons, John and Timothy. The group met Carleton and the others at the falls.

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