Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== A Memoir of the Late William Hodge, Sen. Bigelow Bros., Buffalo, N.Y. - 1885 (54-59) THE BURNING OF BUFFALO -------- The second visit of the enemy here mentioned was made to complete the work left unfinished two days before, viz., the destruction of Buffalo Village by fire. After the Battle of Black Rock, and the flight of our troops, Dec. 30, 1813, the enemy had pressed on, and nearly destroyed the place, yet ten or a dozen houses were still left standing. The object of this raid of Jan. 1, 1814, was to burn these and destroy any public property they could find. The story of the burning has been so often and so well told, that I do not here enter upon it at length, but only seek to make prominent the fact of two separate assaults and burnings, and give a few incidents of this second one. Emboldened by the retirement of the enemy after the first attack, numbers of people had come into the village, some led by curiosity, others seeking shelter. But this proved to be an unfortunate thing for those who had thus come together, for suddenly an alarm was raised, and the fierce invaders broke in upon their fancied security. All the remaining buildings, except Mrs. ST. JOHN'S dwelling, the stone jail walls, a barn-frame, and a blacksmith's shop, were destroyed, and thirty or forty prisoners taken, in and outside of the village. Among these latter was DANIEL LEWIS, our next door neighbor. He had ventured back on Saturday to his barnyard, to feed his cattle which he had left in such a hurry, and was seized by the enemy. They took him with the rest over the river, but kept him only a day or two; and after having some sport over him they sent him back. Mr. RALPH POMEROY, also, keeper of a public-house on Main street, east side, above Seneca, was carried to Canada, but returned here in a day or so. My uncle, BENJAMIN HODGE, Jr., was of the number who went on that day to see the ruins. He, too, was taken prisoner, and kept as such a year and a half. He was taken first to Montreal and then to Quebec. While thus a prisoner his feet were frozen, and he was crippled in consequence for several years. Another of the prisoners taken at this time, in the village, was Mr. DAVID EDDY, a Quaker from the town of Hamburg. He had come down from home to see the burnt village, not expecting to meet the enemy, and was seized. The prisoners were collected together on the Black Rock road (now Niagara street), at a short distance from Main, and were about being marched down to that village, when they were halted and asked by the commanding officer if any of them knew of any public property near by, that could be destroyed. Mr. EDDY answered, and said that he did. They enquired, "Where," and he directed them to WILLIAM HODGE'S "brick house on the hill," near Cold Spring. Eight horsemen were then detailed to go and destroy the property, and EDDY was ordered to mount behind one of them and show them the way. Their orders were that if they met any opposition they should shoot EDDY, and return. He conducted them to the house, and as they came in sight of it, they were discovered by Mr. BENJAMIN HODGE, Sen., and Mr. KEEP, who were in the house at the time, and who ran out, and down the hill, before the men came up. The leader gave chase after them, and called on them to stop; Mr. HODGE did so, and the horseman passed by him and followed Mr. KEEP, who continued running for about eighty rods. When the officer neared him he raised his carbine, or short musket, and shot him, and he fell opposite to what is now the south entrance gate of Spring Abbey. The officer then wheeled about and returned to the house with Mr. HODGE. He then ordered him to show the way to the cellar, and to take with him an axe that stood in a corner. Seeing that the cellar was filled with merchandise he stepped back to the head of the stairs and commanded his men to fire the house. He then ordered Mr. HODGE to knock open several boxes of candles, kegs of nails, casks of liquor, etc., hoping to find specie. He was assured by Mr. HODGE that there was no specie or public pro- perty there; that it was all private property. The truth was the large cellar was full of goods belonging to the merchants of the village who had put them in store there for safety, in case of an attack on Buffalo. After knocking in the heads of several casks of liquor, they came to one of old Jamaica rum, and the officer emptied his canteen of whiskey and filled it from that cask. About this time his men called out from above that "the Yankees" were coming, and he stepped very quickly up the outer cellar stairs, telling Mr. HODGE to follow him. But he thought he would not be in too great a hurry, and lagged be- hind. Without repeating his order, or even looking back, the officer went out and mounted his horse, and with the rest of his men rode off back to the burnt village, with their pilot, DAVID EDDY. He was taken over the river with the rest of the prisoners, and after a few days was sent back, among the others mentioned above. As to Mr. EDDY, he bore Mr. HODGE no ill-will. He was quite an active business man, buying and selling much of the produce of the country around Buffalo. Mr. HODGE had frequently bought of him, and he had often been at Mr. HODGE'S house, and therefore knew about the contents of the cellar. After this transaction he came frequently to Mr. HODGE'S tavern as a guest, and sometimes brought his wife with him. The reason that he gave for informing the enemy of the stored property was, that he hoped to receive favors. Mr. HODGE and Mr. EDDY were always on good terms after as well as before this event. But things were not so friendly and pleasant between Mrs. HODGE and Mr. EDDY. She had worked hard for some ten years or more, and a part of this time amidst the dangers, tumult and desolations of a war; and so having with her husband accum- ulated their property, she naturally felt that Mr. EDDY was the cause of its destruction, and was not loth to lay the charge to him in pretty plain language; so that he had not much peace of his life, when stopping at Mr. HODGE'S house. It was not, in fact, until Mrs. HODGE and Mr. EDDY had had many confabs on the subject and there seemed to him no prospect that they would cease, that the matter was quieted by a compromise, as follows: Mrs. HODGE was to discontinue all contro- versy and to relinquish all claims either at law or in equity against Mr. EDDY, for the loss of the house and household goods, which ex- ceeded eight thousand dollars in value, on his paying in cash down, to Mrs. HODGE, the full sum and amount of —twenty dollars! After Mrs. HODGE received this sum as the settlement of her claim against Mr. EDDY, she invested it, upon due consideration, in the purchase, from our silversmith, ABRAM LARZALERE, of a set of large silver spoons for her table. The "Yankees" who were "coming," when Mr. HODGE'S cellar was under investigation by the British officer, were a company of our horsemen under the command of COL. TOTMAN, and were stationed for the day at ATKINS' tavern on "The Plains" (now the Old Homestead). When this company of horsemen were passing my father's house, they were somewhat scattered along the road. COL. TOTMAN was some distance ahead of his company, and he rode on past the house and up to the side of a British horseman, who, as he came up, shot him down. He fell from his horse on the west side of the road, in the ditch just opposite where Riley street enters Main. It was thought that he mistook the British horseman for one of our own. His horse ran back to our barn, the British horseman after it. Our men coming up he turned and re- treated with the rest of the company. The body of COL. TOTMAN was carried on the back of a horse, out to Harris Hill Tavern, where I remember seeing it that evening, lying on the bar-room table. At this time, also, a half-breed British Indian had come on to the Main road just above Cold Spring, to my father's joiner-shop, where household goods and some clothing were stored. He had made up a bundle of such things as he desired, and had brought them out and laid them over the fence. He had then gone to our dwelling-house, which had just been set on fire, taken a brand, and crossed the road to fire the barn, when the horsemen came up from the direction of Cold Spring and took him prisoner. He was put in charge of a DR. TOURTELOT who, with another man, took him to or near Batavia, where he was shot and killed. It was reported that he had attempted to escape. The same day, also, and a little before this occurrence, three British Indians entered the back door of MAJOR MILLER'S tavern at Cold Spring. They found in the house a Mrs. MARTIN, an inmate of the Major's family. They were about to set fire to the house, when Mrs. MARTIN delayed them by furnishing them food, as they seemed to be somewhat hungry. She had been informed that a company of horsemen would soon be there, and sought to keep the Indians till their arrival. They did come galloping up while the Indians were eating, who, discovering the troopers, left the house where they had entered it, but in a much greater hurry, and ran across the fields into the woods. This was COL. TOTMAN'S company, which has been already mentioned. ===========================================================================