Peter Gansevoort

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Peter Gansevoort (born July 17, 1749 in Albany , Province of New York , colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain , today USA ; † July 2, 1812 there ) was a colonel in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence , the 1777 Barry St. Legers siege of Fort Stanwix resistance.

Peter Gansevoort.

Example

Peter Gansevoort was born into the Dutch aristocracy of Albany. His father Harman Gansevoort (1721-1801) represented the third generation in America, while his mother Magdalena Douw Gansevoort (1718-1796) was related to the Van Rensselar family. His family had been in Albany since 1660 , since it was founded as a Dutch colony by Fort Orange. His father owned a brewery and farms. His younger brother Leonard Gansevoort was more politically active than Peter. He served in the state parliament and the Senate as well as in the Continental Congress .

As the American independence movement grew, Peter Gansevoort joined the Albany Militia . Though he lacked the experience of many senior officers, he was a tactful and convincing leader. He was 1.84 m tall and, despite his young age, had an impressive figure. This, along with his family connections, earned him the rank of lieutenant.

Invasion of Canada (1775–1776)

He joined the Continental Army and was appointed major on June 30, 1775 , and served as combat commander in the 2nd New York Regiment. Gooje Van Schaik was nominally a colonel, had set up the regiment and had been its commander since Albany. Lt. Col. Peter Yates was First Combat Commander, but stayed behind as Watch Commander at Fort George , while Major Peter Gansevoort led the bulk of the regiment along with Richard Montgomery's forces north to invade Canada .

Gansevoort led his men during the siege of the fort at St. Johns, now known by its French name of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu . In late October, Montgomery sent Gansevoort down the river to reinforce the siege by taking Fort Chambly . There they captured more than 120 barrels of the urgently needed cannon powder and a huge mortar nicknamed the Alte Sau . They also made over 100 prisoners in the Welsh Fusilier garrison under the young Captain John André . Montgomery used the Old Pig to open fire on St. Johns, which was forced to surrender on November 2, 1775 . Gansevoort participated in the capture of Montreal but fell ill during the attack. He began the advance on Québec , but when his troops reached Trois-Rivières , he had to be carried on a stretcher.

Gansevoort returned to Montreal and spent the winter with the sick of the occupying army. In the spring of 1776 the invasion of Québec stalled; Montgomery had been killed and Benedict Arnold was wounded. Major Gansevoort led the fighting retreat of the remaining New York forces and stopped the British advance on Lake Champlain . In recognition of this, he was given command of Fort George in June 1776 .

The Siege of Fort Stanwix

Main article: Fort Stanwix .

In November he was promoted to colonel and was given command of the 3rd New York Regiment, which he recruited and trained in the spring of 1777. Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett became his second officer. His area of ​​responsibility extended from the Hudson River Valley, Fort Edward and Fort George along the Mohawk River to Fort Oswego in the northwest. This was the route of Colonel Barry St. Leger's attack during the Saratoga campaign .

The New York 3rd Regiment was not very well stocked with men and equipment, despite the support of local militia units. Gansevoort left Fort Oswego to the British and decided to defend Fort Stanwix near what is now Rome . The fort was abandoned after the French and Indian Wars. Gansevoort and Willet had the fort restored and strengthened its defense. They hastily set up the garrison and carried the last boatload of supplies into the fort under the fire of St. Leger's advancing troops.

Gansevoort and his 750 men held the fort, which was now strong enough to withstand a simple attack. St. Leger arrived on August 2nd with more than 860 mixed troops and 1,000 Indians, and the siege began. The American armed forces were not intimidated and Gansevoort led an enthusiastic defensive battle. He held out for three weeks despite the defeat of General Nicholas Herkimer's relief troops at the Battle of Oriskany . While St. Leger was busy with the battle, Willett ordered a sortie that wiped out much of Britain's supplies. Abandoned by the Indians, the siege broke out on August 22nd and Benedict Arnold arrived on August 24th as a replacement.

Gansevoort received the appreciative thanks of Congress when John Adams noted that "Gansevoort had shown that it is possible to hold a fort."

1778-1781

Gansevoort finally made Fort Stanwix the garrison of the 1st New York Regiment. He moved his headquarters to his new command at Fort Saratoga near what is now Schuylerville . He led his regiment in the Sullivan Expedition in 1779 . Gansevoort had another phase of illness in the winter of 1779–1780 and returned home for a while, but by July 1780 he was back with his regiment at West Point . He was given command of the New York Brigade and set up his headquarters again at Fort Saratoga.

With the reorganization and downsizing of the New York front line in 1781, Gansevoort lost his duties in the Continental Army. He returned home and became a brigadier general in the Albany County Militia.

After the American War of Independence

Gansevoort set up home in Albany and ran the family brewery. He expanded the farms and had grain mills and a sawmill built in the area where Gansevoort is today. He served for a while as the Albany County Sheriff and Indian Commissioner, and continued his military support in the militia and as quartermaster.

Gansevoort had married Catherine "Katy" Van Schaik on January 12, 1778 in her parents' house in Albany. She was the daughter of Wessel and Maria Van Schaik and her brother Goose had been Gansevoort's commander and colonel in 1775. Over the years they had at least three children; Peter Jr., Leonard and Maria. Leonard's son Guert Gansevoort had a significant naval career that lasted over 45 years. Maria married Alan Melville in 1814 , and their son was the author Herman Melville .

In 1809 Gansevoort became a brigadier general in the United States Army and commanded the Northern Department. In 1811 he was appointed to the presidium of the Military Tribunal over General James Wilkinson , an accomplice in Aaron Burr's Western conspiracy. Wilkinson was found not guilty and closed the session for Christmas. During the hurry home, Gansevoort's old illness returned and he never recovered from it. He died at home in Albany.

literature

  • Alice P. Kenney; The Gansevoorts of Albany ; 1979, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York. (English)
  • Alice P. Kenney; Stubborn for Liberty: The Dutch in New York ; 1975, Syracuse University Press, ISBN 0815601131 . (1989 Paperback: ISBN 0815624824 ) (English)