There’s a REDCOAT

in my BACKYARD!

The word “redcoat” is an historical term that refers to sol-diers in the British Army. The word comes from the red uniforms worn by most British soldiers. If you lived along the Niagara River during the American Revolution (1775-1783) you would have seen redcoats stationed at Fort Niagara, Fort Schlösser and Fort Erie. One of their jobs was to protect the Niagara Portage, or carrying place. This important road connected the lower Niagara River with the Niagara River above the Falls. At the portage, cargo had to be unloaded from boats and carried up or down the steep Niagara Escarpment.

The portage, or carrying place, was the road that con-nected the lower Niagara River with the Niagara River above the Falls. At the portage, cargo had to be unloaded from boats and carried up or down the steep Niagara Escarp-ment.

Redcoats were not the only people who lived and traveled along the Niagara. Because the Niagara portage ulti-mately connected the up-per Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, Niagara was a busy place and the forts along the river were not just army outposts, they were small military communities. Other peo-ple who inhabited this area included:

Grand Island

Fort SchlosserNiagara

Falls

Fort Erie

Lower Landing

Fort Niagara

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Lake Erie

The Niagara Frontier during the

American Revolution1775-1783

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There’s a Redcoat in my Backyard!

The story of Fort Niagara told through the eyes of a boy named

Jasper Parrish

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Fur traders making their way to the upper Great Lakes passed by Fort Niagara. These men traded goods made in Europe for animal furs harvested by the Native Americans.

Fort Niagara lies in the territory of the Seneca, The Keep-ers of the Western Door for the Haudenosaunee. The Haude-nosaunee or Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora) lived in what is now New York State and parts of Pennsylvania. Natives came to Fort Niagara for supplies and to trade with British officials. By the American Revolution, the trade re-lationship between Native and Europeans had become an economic necessity.

Women and children also lived at Fort Niagara. A few army wives were allowed to follow their husbands and worked as nurses and laun-dresses.

It took many different skills to support a military community far from other settlements. Carpenters and masons were need-ed to keep buildings and fortifications in repair. Blacksmiths made and repaired iron objects and coopers repaired barrels needed to ship just about anything. Because travel was mostly by water, many men built and repaired boats and sailing vessels.

When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, many things changed. Instead of protecting the frontier, British soldiers at Fort Niagara worried about attacks from their American neighbors. People who did not want independence from Britain left their homes and came to Fort Niagara to seek protection from the Crown. They were known as Loyalists because they were loyal to the King.

The Haudenosaunee wanted to stay out of the war, be-cause many of the Haudenosaunee saw the conflict as a disagreement between a father ( the King) and a son (the colonies). By 1777 most Haunedosaunee had decided to fight on the British side. There were serious concerns about American settlers moving into Haudenos-aunee territory in violation of the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Haudenosaunee came to Fort Niagara for guns, ammunition and other supplies that they needed to attack the frontier settlers in east-ern New York and Pennsylvania. When American forces struck back during the Sullivan campaign of 1779, many Iroquois were forced from their homes and became refugees at Fort Niagara.

During Native frontier raids, many settlers were taken pris-oner and brought back to Fort Niagara. Here they were sometimes ransomed and put to work maintaining the Fort. One prisoner was a boy named Jasper Parrish, who was captured in July 1778 near his home in what is now northeast Pennsylvania. After about a year in captivity, he was brought to Fort Niagara where he met many of the people you will encounter during your visit to the Fort.

Meet the Members of the Community!

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Lake Ontario

NiagaraRiver

Fort Niagara

The Bottoms

Indian DepartmentBuildings

Ranger Barracks,and Loyalist settlements

across the River

Traders/Merchants

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Map of FORT NIAGARA around the time of JASPER

PARRISH, 1780.

This map is based off one drawn by Lieutenant Charles Terrot in 1780 and shows us what Fort Niagara really looked like at the time Jasper Parrish was here.

Let’s see where some of the people you are about to learn about lived and worked! Read the description below and find its number on the map!

1. Soldier’s Barracks, where soldier’ lived.2. Powder Magazine & Storehouse, where artillerists worked.3. Provisions Storehouse where artificers like the cooper worked.4. The Bottoms, many women likely did laundry down near the water. 5. Native Dwellings, important Natives lived in the Bottoms, refugees lived outside the Fort.6. Ranger Barracks, and other loyalists were across the River.7. Indian Department Buildings, one of which was likely Captain David Hill’s cabin where Jasper Parrish lived.

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The 8th Regiment When you visit Old Fort Niagara, you will recognize men of the 8th Regiment by their red coats. Look for what oth-er clues reveal the identity of this regiment.

Most of the soldiers at Fort Niaga-ra were members of the 8th Regiment of Foot, also known as the King’s Regiment. Soldiers in the regiment were recruited in Britain and sent to America in 1768. Less than a decade earlier, the British had cap-tured Canada from the French and British soldiers were now needed to guard the Empire’s newly acquired possessions. Many British soldiers were men of good character who had been put out of work by changes in Britain’s economy. They

were well trained, disciplined soldiers and spent most of their days working, guarding and practicing the manual of arms. Some of the soldiers’ duties were to maintain their arms (muskets and bayonets) and their uniforms. In 1776 A British officer wrote-

It should be insisted on, that a soldier at all times keeps his arms in such a state of perfection, as never to be ashamed to shew them....not only clean and bright, but highly polished....habituating soldiers to such remarkable neatness, about every part of their appointments, not only gives employment for many of those idle hours they otherwise must have (a circumstance in itself alone quite worthy of consider-ation) but beyond all doubt, encourages in them a kind of liking for those arms, etc. which they are taught to take care of.

Bennett Cuthbertson, Cuthbertson’s System for the Complete Interior Man-agement and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantry, (1776), 91-92. Accessed February 29, 2016. https://books.google.com.

Color this picture of a British soldier. Take a look at the photo to the left to see what colors to

use!

British

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Artillery Artillerists man the cannons at Fort Niagara. When you visit the Fort, you will notice that artillerists wear a different kind of uniform from the redcoats. Artillery coats are blue, with red lapels, collar and cuffs. This is because the artillery is a different branch of the service from the infantry.

Fort Niagara was the best defended of all British posts on the Great Lakes. In addition to thick walls and buildings, the fort’s defenses depended on many pieces of artillery. Throughout most of the American Revolution, the fort possessed about 35 to 40 pieces of artillery. Highly skilled workers were required to man these cannons. Artil-lerists were trained in math, laborato-ry work (making up artillery rounds), maintenance of guns and their wood-

en carriages, as well as the process of firing a gun. Artillerists also had to work with various kinds of shot for use against infantry, fortifications or even ships.

With all its artillery, Fort Niagara had only 10-13 trained artillerists. This number was typical of most forts. Because of their small numbers, artillerists had to train other soldiers from the garrison to assist with handling the guns.

Artificers WhenyouvisitOldFortNiagara,youwillmeetartificersat work. Each uses simple machines to make their tasks easier. Thinkof waysyoucouldhelpeachartificercompletehiswork. An artificer is a skilled craftsman in the armed forces. Fort Niagara required many such men to keep the Fort in good repair and the soldiers supplied with good equipment. At Fort Niagara you will meet several artificers including a carpenter, a cooper (barrel maker) and a black-smith. Artificers were usually soldiers who had a particular skill. They were paid extra wages to perform a variety of tasks around the Fort.

Carpenters built new structures and repaired existing ones as the war enlarged the size of the Fort’s garrison. They often served the Navy by helping to build and repair sailing vessels and boats called batteaux. They also helped to build and repair wooden cannon carriages that helped defend the garrison.

Coopers were very important because they made and repaired barrels that were used to ship necessary supplies. Fort Ni-agara served as a supply depot for all British forts in the Great Lakes region. Barrels of pork, flour and peas were sometimes leaking after their long journey and needed repair before they traveled to their next destination. Coopers also made barrels for exports of vegetables, peaches and cherries. Blacksmiths were responsible for making and repairing iron items. The garrison blacksmiths did musket repairs, made hardware for cannon carriages and metal parts for naval vessels. There was also a blacksmith hired by the Indian Department (an agency that tried to maintain good relations between the British government and Na-tives). The blacksmith made repairs to firearms and tools for Natives to help maintain their loyalty to the Crown.

The corps of artillery, with all its dependencies, is, as it were, the general instrment of the army, and without it nothing can be done.

Charles James, A New and Enlarged Military Dictionary, (London, 1805). Ac-cessed March 20, 2016. https://books.google.com.

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Natives at Old Fort Niagara will discuss the role of the Haudenosaunee during and after the American Revolution. Whenyouvisitthefort,talkwiththeNativesandfindoutwhythey have come to Fort Niagara.

Initially, the Iroquois Confederacy chose to remain neutral and not to take part in the American Revolution. The Proclamation Line of 1763 was to keep the colonists from moving onto Haudenosaunee lands but the British were un-able to stop their colonists from crossing the line and taking Haudenosaunee land. By the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, colonists had been moving onto Haudenos-aunee lands illegally for almost twenty years.

Both British and American forces tried to persuade the warriors to join their side since the Haudeno-saunee were considered valuable allies. Eventually, the British and Americans both enticed a number of young Haudenosaunee men to join their cause. Since the decision to go to war was not in consen-sus, participation was an intergenerational disagreement in Iroquois society.

If a woman is known to be industrious and able to earn her bread; if these circumstances appear favorable, it will be right to give him [a soldier] leave, as honest, laborious Women are rather useful in a Company.Bennett Cuthbertson, A System for the Complete Interior Management and Oeconomy of a Battalon of Infantry, (1776),157. Accessed February 15, 2016. https://books.google.com.

Native AmericansDistaff When you visit Old Fort Niagara think about what life was like before indoor plumbing and running water.

Although the term distaff can mean a part of a spinning wheel, in an 18th century military setting, it usually refers to women. While there were many more men than women at Fort Niagara, soldiers’ wives nonetheless played an important role in the support system of the garrison.

When enlisted in the army, British soldiers were not encouraged to mar-ry. However, if a soldier was married, it was common practice for a few soldiers’ wives

(usually no more than five or six) to follow each company of men when they were sent to foreign shores.

At Fort Niagara, women had three primary duties. First, we know from a 1783 census that there were at least ten women serving with the 8th Reg-iment and twelve women with the 34th Regiment working as laundresses. In addition, a Mrs. Scott of the 8th Regiment served as a nurse in the hospital. Finally, Mrs. Robertson of the 8th Regiment served as a school mistress, which indicates the presence of children in the garrison as well. For their service, women were paid by the men for doing laundry. They also received partial rations of food along with the men of their company.

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The Iroquois warriors who chose the British side used this as an opportunity to address long standing resentment against the colonists, some of whom had illegally taken Iroquois land since the 1763 Proclamation. George Washington sent an army, led by Gener-als Sullivan and Clinton, on a campaign through Iroquoia in 1779 in response to frontier raids by British-allied warriors. The Sullivan-Clin-ton Campaign destroyed over 40 towns and forced entire commu-nities to flee. The British had promised to support their Haudenos-aunee allies during the war but were unable to supply enough soldiers to turn back the Sullivan-Clinton campaign.

Thousands of Iroquois men, women, and children became refugees. Three to five thousand Iroquois sought refuge at Fort Ni-agara during one of the worst winters in recent memory.

The following spring of 1780, Iroquois war parties went back on the offensive and carried the British war efforts through Iroquoia. These war parties drove the colonists back close to Albany and con-tinued the family conflict among their own people. As a result, the frontier was then pushed further east than it had been the previous year.

Some Natives at Fort Niagara were not British allies. In February 1780, four Iroquois Chiefs (Oneidas and Mohawks), all American supporters, went to Fort Niagara on a peace mission. They were imprisoned in the Fort’s “black hole,” where one Mohawk chief, 73-year old Little Abraham, died in prison.

It is true that all the Indian Nations have nothing to do with your father’s children’s quarrel. Therefore your opinion is agree-able with ours, and we shall stand neutral and keep hands down for peace.

Red Jacket, 1776. Quoted in Jeanne Winston Adler, Chainbreaker’s War, (Black Dome Press: Delmar, NY, 2002), p. 46.

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Loyalists When visiting Old Fort Niagara, you will meet a Loyal-ist who will try to recruit you for duty on the frontier. This will mean attacking former friends and neighbors who are rebelling against the King.

Loyalists were Americans who opposed independence and wanted to remain loyal to King George III. Under political pressure, many loyalists left their homes and fled to areas controlled by Brit-ish troops. Fort Niagara was one such des-tination and many Loyalists from the New York and Pennsylvania frontiers arrived at the Fort with little more than the clothes on their backs.

From Fort Ni-agara, Loyalists could move down to Montreal where more food was available, or they could join a regiment of loyalists that would go on raids with Native warriors against American settlements in New York and Pennsylvania. This regiment of Loyalists was known as Butler’s Rangers, named after its founder, Major John Butler. Loy-alists who did not join the rangers could settle on the western bank of the Niagara River to farm and help grow food for the Niagara community.

Color this picture of a Loyalist family. Take a look at the photo to the left to

see what colors to use!

American Colonists

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American Prisoners When you visit Old Fort Niagara, you will meet an American prisoner. Even though he is a prisoner of the British, listen for clues that he is still a supporter of American indepen-dence. Raids based out of Fort Niagara were very effective against poorly defended frontier settlements. Raids were designed to destroy or remove food supplies needed by American troops. They also forced American commanders like General George Washington to detach soldiers from his army to guard the frontier. One such raid, in November 1778, was launched from Fort Niagara against Cherry Valley, a settlement in eastern New York.

Those who were captured during these attacks were some-times brought back to Fort Niagara and sold to the garrison. They were often offered a job to earn their keep at the Fort. Such was the case with James Flack, who was captured in what is now the State of Kentucky in 1780. As an Irish-American, Flack had little liking for the British and he refused to work.

Jasper Parrish had a much different experience as a captive. For those who were taken captive, the first few days could be quite difficult. Over time, however, the treatment prisoners received from their Native captors was generally quite kind. Sometimes captives wanted to remain within the Native community even after being released.

Cherry Valley was occupied by Colo. Alden’s Regt. and was, therefore, es-teemed to be most secure’ but even here the Enemy have proved too strong for us. This is the 7th valuable settlement in the state which this season has been destroyed...The Public have losst by the Destruction of these set-tlements some of the principal Granaries in this State from whence alone the army might have drawn supplies.

Papers of George Clinton, Governor George Clinton to John Jay, Novem-ber 17, 1778, 4:289-90.

At Niagara I was offered four shillings Sterling a day to assist in making gun carriages. This I refused and was again imprisoned for what they called my obstinacy.

Pension Application of James Flack, National Archives and Records Administration #S5407.

The Jasper Parrish Story Eleven-year-old Jasper Parrish was captured by a

Munsee raiding party on July 5, 1778. Jasper and his father were traveling to Lackawaxen on the upper Delaware River to try to warn settlers of Native attacks. They were taken to Cookhouse (present Deposit, NY) where they remained for several months. At Cookhouse, Jasper’s father was taken from him and sent to Fort Niagara. In October, Jasper’s captors took him to Chemung. Here he was sold to a family of Delawares who moved to the Tioga River. During the winter of 1778/79 Jasper and his Delaware family suffered

from shortages of food. He ate the same food as his Native captors: venison, wolf, dog, fox, muskrat and some wild fowl. With warmer weather Jasper accompanied his Native family hunting, fishing and gathering nuts. He learned the Delaware language.

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With the approach of General Sullivan’s army in August 1779, Native warriors, Butlers Rangers and a few men from the Brit-ish 8th Regiment of Foot tried to stop the Americans at Newtown (near Elmira, NY). Jasper was sent to Painted Post, NY, along with the women and baggage. The Americans won the battle of New-town and forced the Iroquois and their British allies to retreat. Many, including Jasper, fled to Fort Niagara.

That fall, Jasper lived outside Fort Niagara with the Delaware. After about six weeks, his captor took him inside the Fort to sell him, but no one was buying. Finally, a “large, fine, portly looking Mohawk Indian by the name of Captain David Hill” bought him for $20. Hill lived in a log house below the Fort. (By the late 18th Century, the transition from extended family longhouses to the single-family log house was nearly complete.) Hill took Jasper home and treated him with kindness during the five years they lived together and formally adopted Jasper into his family in 1780, during a council held at Fort Niagara. Jasper picked up the Mohawk language as he remained with the Hill family until November of 1784, at which point he returned home to see his family.

...Jasper Parrish and Horatio Jones. We adopted them into our fam-ilies, and made them our children. We loved the[m], and nourished them. They lived with us many years. The path of peace was opened, and the chain of friendship was once more made bright. Then these, our adopted children, left us to seek their relations; we wished them to remain among us, and promised if they would return and live in our country, to give each of them a seat of land for them and their children to sit down upon. They have returned and have, for several years past, been serviceable to us as interpreters. We still feel our hearts beat with affection for them.

Farmer’s Brother, 1798. The Speech of Farmer’s Brother, N. Coverly, Jr. printer, Milk-Street, Boston, 1810.

Having been exposed to several indigenous languages, Jas-per continued to work as a translator for the Haudenosaunee and the United States government and was involved with the Pickering (Canandaigua) Treaty of 1794. This Treaty established peace and friendship between the United States and the Haudenosaunee and affirmed the land rights of the Haudenosaunee in New York State.

You can also watch an exciting reenactment of this brave young boy’s story at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb3MZ5peS-F4&feature=youtu.be

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Be a Spy for General Washington! When you come to Old Fort Niagara it is likely that you will be asked to deliver a secret mes-sage. That message will be written using the pigpen cypher.

Ciphering is a way of writing a message by using a secret code. It is writ-ten so that messages can be passed along without falling into enemy hands. The Pig Pen cipher (sometimes called the Masonic cipher) is one of many different types of encoding that was used by General Wash-ington and his spies during the American Revolution. In order to encode your mes-sage you begin by creating a cipher key like the one on the right. Each letter will now be represented by the shape of the “pig pen” that it is found in. If there is a dot in the shape, that means that the second letter in the key is the intended letter.

Here is an example.

Now let’s give it a try.

Are You Ready to Visit Old Fort Niagara?

Directions: Read this short informational text on patriots and loyal-ists. Then, take the quiz to see if you are ready to enter through the Gate of Five Nations to explore Old Fort Niagara!

American Revolution: Patriots & Loyalists

The Revolutionary War split the people of the American colonies into three groups: the loyalists, patriots and those who chose to remain neutral.

What was a patriot? Patriots were people who wanted the American colonies to gain their independence from Britain.

Why did people become patriots? People in the Americas felt they weren’t being treated fairly by the British. They were being taxed without any say or representation in the British government. Many patriots believed the British government had too much control over their lives. Soon cries for “liberty” were being heard throughout the colonies. The patriots wanted freedom from British rule.

Famous Patriots There were many famous patriots. Some of them became presi-dents like Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and John Adams. Perhaps the most famous patriot at the time was George Washington. He led the Continental Army and later became the first President of the United States. Other famous patriots included Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Ethan Allen, Patrick Henry, and Ben Franklin. These people are often called the Founding Fathers of the United States.

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What was a loyalist? Not everyone who lived in the American colonies wanted to break away from the British. There were many people who wanted to stay part of Britain and remain British citizens. These people were called loyalists.

Why did some people remain loyal? Many loyalists did not want to divide the British Empire. They realized the British government wasn’t perfect, and wanted to fix it rather than going to war. Many people who were neutral became loyalists due to the poor treatment they received from patriots.

Famous Loyalists Since the loyalists lost the war, there aren’t as many famous loyal-ists as there are patriots. Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army who went to fight for the British. Another famous loyalist was Joseph Galloway. He was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress but later worked for the British army. Other famous loyalists include Thomas Hutchinson (governor of Massachusetts colony), Andrew Allen, John But-ler (leader of the loyalist Butler’s Rangers), and David Mathews (mayor of New York City).

What happened to loyalists during the war? Life for the loyalists became increasingly difficult during the war. Loyalists who lived in areas controlled by the patriots were in constant dan-ger from radical patriots. Many of them lost their homes and businesses. Many Loyalists left the country and went back to Britain. Others decided to help the British fight the patriots. They joined Loyalist army units, such as the King’s Royal Regiment of New York and Butler’s Rangers which was formed at Fort Niagara.

What happened to the loyalists after the war? Many loyalists moved to England or Canada after the war ended. A lot of them lost their fortunes and land that they had built up over the years in the Americas. In some cases the British government paid them for their loyalty, but it was usually not nearly as much as they had lost. The United States government wanted the loyalists to stay. They felt the new country could use their skills and education. However, very few stayed.

Interesting Facts About Patriots and Loyalists•Other names for patriots included Sons of Liberty and Rebels.•Other names for loyalists included Tories and Royalists.

•Many loyalists lived in New York City. •Not everyone picked a side. Many people tried to remain neutral so they could avoid conflict and the war.•Patriot towns created groups of men called “committees of safety”. Patriots would swear an oath to these men in order to get a pass to travel freely through patriot controlled land.

Proceed to quiz…These are all text based questions. Be sure to go back and check the passage for the correct answer!

Patriots and Loyalists Quiz________________________________________

1) What was a patriot during the Revolutionary War? A) A person who liked to ride horses into battle B) A volunteer soldier who was ready to fight at a short notice C) A person who wanted independence from Great Britain D) A person who wanted the colonies to remain a part of the country of Great Britain

2) What was the main reason that the colonies wanted their independence from Britain? A) They were being taxed by Britain without representation B) They did not want to drink English tea any more C) They liked the French better D) They thought it would be fun to make their own country

3) Who of the following people was NOT a famous patriot? A) George Washington B) John Adams C) Samuel Adams D) King George III

4) What was another name for Loyalist? A) Tory B) Royalist C) All of the above D) None of the above

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5) What was a loyalist during the Revolutionary War? A) A person who remained loyal to the Continental Con gress even when the war was going poorly B) A member of the Sons of Liberty C) A person living in the American colonies who wanted to stay a part of Great Britain D) Any colonial who lived south of the colony of Pennsylvania 6) What famous loyalist was a general in the Continental army before he became a traitor and went over to the British? A) George Washington B) Benedict Arnold C) John Adams D) William Howe

7) True or False: Life for the loyalists was easy during the Revolutionary War. A) TRUE B) FALSE 8) What was another name for the patriots? A) Tories B) Loyalists C) Federalists D) Whigs 9) What American city had a very large Loyalist population? A) Boston B) Philadelphia C) Albany D) New York City 10) True or False: Most of the loyalists stayed in the United States after the Revolutionary War had ended. A) TRUE B) FALSE

Old Fort Niagara wishes to thank the following contributors to this project:

The Niagara Falls National Heritage Area for funding this project

Teachers from the Tuscarora School:Joanne Weinholtz

Vince Schiffert

Teachers from Lewiston Porter School District:Joy Khatib

Susan BlackKathleen Lombardo

Photography and Creation of the Accompanying Youtube Video:Lee Guigino

2016 Old Fort Niagara Association