Red George and The Fiery Cross
by Bob Black
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"No more we'll see such deeds again,
In 1745 the "Fiery Cross" was sent round the highlands, gathering the clans together for the last battles to be fought on British soil. With the destruction of the Clans after Culloden no one can have expected to ever the "Fiery Cross"again. Yet sixty years later the "Fiery Cross" was again seen in glens and valleys. Once again it was a rallying call for Scotsmen to leave their homes and gather for battle. When the American War of Independence ended in 1783 the Canadian Government set aside a large tract of land along the St. Lawrence river for the use of United Empire Loyalists. These were men and women who would not live in the newly formed United States. Many had fought against the Washington and his Americans. Some were the descendants of Scotsmen transported to America in the brutal aftermath of the `45 Rebellion. All of them settled peacefully in the county of Glengarry. Back in a peaceful but desperately poor Scotland a highland regiment was disbanded in 1803. It was composed entirely of Roman Catholics and had been formed for foreign service by Father Alexander Macdonnell of Glen Urquart. Father Macdonnell was of that older breed of clergy who would pray for the salvation of their flock, but would be prepared to lend the Almighty a strong right arm if the need be. Father Macdonnell could be found at the front of his regiment in prayer or battle. The Priest asked permission to take his regiment to Canada and the Government arranged transportation for the Scots. At the head of his highlanders the Roman Catholic priest led his men into Glengarry in 1804. The years that followed found the Scots cultivating the soil, and using the plough and the axe rather than the broadsword or musket. But their neighbours to the south had covetous eyes on their farms.
On 1st June 1812, American President Madison asked Congress for a Declaration of War against Britain. This was granted and war was declared on June 18th. The reasons given for the declaration were the violation of America's three-mile treaty, paper blockades, Orders in Council and the impressment of American Seamen. The real reason for the war was the annexation of Canada.
The "war hawks" - a very influential and radical party in Congress - had boasted that they could conquer Canada in six weeks. America was expanding but the colonists did not like the vast treeless prairies that lay to the west. They wanted wood to build homes and fires, so they looked enviously northwards, passed the Great Lakes to Canada.
In previous years Americans had "bought" some 48 million acres from Indians, mainly with the help of cheap crude liquor. But expansion northward had stopped. The "war hawks" demanded war with Britain, and it has been said that they made war a condition of President Madison's renomination. It is also been said that Madison took little notice of the threat being an honest if not necessarily strong man.
When America declared war Father Alexander Macdonnell reacted in the old way. He sent the "Fiery Cross" through the valleys and glens of Glengarry, calling his highlanders to war. Ploughs were left and broadswords and muskets taken up. The regiment was reformed as the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles.
Directly opposite Prescott on the American side of the St. Lawrence river was Ogdensburg. Apart from the village there was an old French fort garrisoned by 500 American soldiers and their artillery under the command of Captain Forsyth. A mile and a quarter of water separated
the two armies.
Early in February 1813 Forsyth and a small company of Americans crossed the River at night on a foraging expedition into Canada. The Macdonells, both Alexander and `Red George' took this as a personal insult and decided that something must be done about the Americans. They decided
that Ogdensburg must be taken. This far exceeded Red George's orders, which were to safeguard his stretch of the St. Lawrence river, but this was a matter of Highland pride.
The St. Lawrence had frozen solid and Red George had conceived of a plan. Over a mile of frozen ice lay in front of the fort, with no cover and a slippery footing. Eleven guns were trained on the ice, more than enough to stop an attack from that direction.
Morning Maneuvers
Every morning `Red George' marched his men out onto the ice and drilled them. They marched and countermarched and dragged behind them two cannons. The Americans were wary at first, but as the drill continued every day they assumed that Red George was just keeping his men fit for the coming spring campaign. They probably thought themselves lucky that their commander didn't ask them to drill on the ice.
Every day they drilled and the Americans watched them. By now the Highlanders had reached the centre point of the river without arousing any suspicion. On February 22 the Glengarries marched out for their usual drill. The American Captain Forsyth watched for a while but having seen it all before retired for his break fast.
Unfortunately for the Glengarries a suspicious younger officer kept a sharp eye on them and saw when the drill stopped and the attack began. There were 480 highlanders and their two cannons, split into two columns. `Red George' led the left column and the guns, whilst the right was commanded by the Canadian officer Captain Jenkins. They ran as fast as they could across the ice towards the fort.
But it was their bad luck that the American officer was suspicious and watching. He quickly alerted the garrison and in minutes the American guns were firing. Half a mile across frozen ice is a long way to run and soon men were falling from grape shot and musket balls.
`Red George' and his men made it to the American side and swept through the village. They reached the spot where their two guns could be set up to fire into the fort, only to find that the guns had been unable to keep up with their furious pace. The guns had been buried in a great bank of snow. As they waited for them to arrive they came under fire from American rifles.
On the right, Captain Jenkins led his men forward but immediately seven cannon opened fire, sending grapeshot through his ranks. His left arm was shattered by the first shot from the fort but he rallied his men and led them on. Minutes latter his right arm was hit but the Captain continued to advance, leading his men over the ice and through the storm of grapeshot. Weak from loss of blood he fell on the ice, but his men never faltered and continued to advance against
the Americans. They crossed the frozen river, formed up and charged over the breastworks with fixed bayonets. `Red George' finally brought his cannon into action, and Captain Forsyth decided discretion was the better part of valour. He and his men escaped into the surrounding woods.
The Glengarries burnt four armed vessels, destroyed the fort and fortifications and, laden down with vast quantities of liberated stores returned satisfied to Canada.
The Glengarries had lost eight dead, and fifty-two wounded. Most had been struck down by grapeshot as they crossed the ice. The Canadian Officer Captain Jenkins had his left arm amputated and his right arm hung uselessly at his side from then on.
This was the last time the Fiery Cross was used to call Scotsmen to battle.
Uniform: Green with black facings
Saw service at : Salmon River, Ogdensburg, York, Fort George, Sackett's Harbour, Oswego, Lundy's Lane, Fort Erie, Lyon's Creek, Michillimackinac. Battle Honour "Niagara"
The regiment wears the Macdonnell of Glengarry tartan.
Lieut.-Col Carmichael, Particular Service, wrote in December 1840 to Lieut.-General Sir James MacDonell,Second-in-Command, H.M. Forces in Canada "I beg to state that the County of Glengarry has, on every occasion, been distinguished for good conduct, and will, in any emergency, turn out more fighting men in proportion to its population than any other in her Majesty's Dominions."
In the reorganisations of 1954 the Glengarry Highlanders became a Machine-Gun Regiment.
That is the last I know of them. Hopefully they survived all the cuts and reorganisations that followed.
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Command was given to another Macdonnell, Lieutenant-colonel `Red George' Macdonnell (at right) and the regiment's headquarters were at Prescott on the St. Lawrence.
The Glengarry Light Infantry Fencible Regiment 1812-1816