A Brief History of Major General Jacob Jennings Brown

1. A Brief History of Major General Jacob Jennings Brown This monument stands at General Brown’s grave in Washington DC, the inscriptions are as follows: North“In War his services are attested by the fields of Chippewa, Niagara, Erie; in Peace by the improved organization and discipline of the army.” East“Sacred to the memory of Major-General Brown, By birth, by education, by principle, Devoted to peace. In defense of his country, A warrior. To her service he dedicated his life, Wounds received in her cause abridged his days.” West“In both by the thanks of the Nation and a golden medal from the hands of their chief magistrate-and by this marble erected to honour him at the command of the Congress of the United States.” South“He was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of May, 1775, died at the City of Washington, commanding general of the army, on 24th of February, 1828. Let him whoe’er in after days Shall view this monument of praise, For Honour heave the Patriot sigh, And for his country learn to die.”

2. Jacob Jennings Brown was born on May 9, 1775, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He taught school and studied to become a land surveyor. He later worked as Alexander Hamilton’s private secretary.

3. Brown purchased land near the Black River. On April 1, 1802, Town of Brownsville was formed in Oneida County, named after Jacob Brown. Brown became a land agent, selling land in area.

4. Jacob Brown married Pamelia Williams from Utica, NY in December 1802. The couple would have 9 children, four boys and five girls. Their first born son Gouverneur Brown, named after Jacob’s friend Gouverneur Morris, died December 1818 when he fell through the ice on Black River and drowned. In 1824, their daughter Eliza married Colonel Edmund Kirby, General Brown’s former aid. The couple would purchase the Brownville Mansion from her parents.

5. As Brownville and the surrounding area grew. Eventually, two new counties were proposed, Jefferson, to be named after President Jefferson, and Lewis, to be named for Governor of New York Morgan Lewis. In 1807 Northern New York traded entirely with England through Canada. They traded potash, or the ash obtained through the burning of trees from lands being cleared for settlement. Potash was used in the manufacture of gunpowder. The Embargo Act made trading with Canada illegal. Settlers in NNY continued to trade their potash using the “Embargo Road” or “Brown’s Smuggler’s Road,” a road leading from Brownville to the St. Lawrence River between French Creek and Alexandria Bay. While Governor Tompkins sent troops to enforce the embargo they met with little success. The embargo made Presidents Jefferson and Madison unpopular in NNY. In 1810 The Embargo Act expired.

6. In 1811 Jacob Brown became Brigadier General of the Militia. He was ordered to assemble at Sackett's Harbor and with 600 men was charged with defending 300 miles from Oswego to St. Regis. On May 1812 the Canadian ship Lord Nelson was captured by the Oneida when found in American waters. War was declared on June 18,1812. The impressment of American sailors along with the British support of Indian uprisings against American expansion led to war.

7. July 1812 British ships sailed to Sackett’s Harbor demanding the return of Lord Nelson or they would burn Sackett’s. The British would be driven off by the firing of a cannon nicknamed The Old Sow.

8. September 1812 Brown was ordered to Fort Presentation in Ogdensburg; he arrived October 1812 and successfully defended the fort against a British attack. The Americans were outnumbered 2 to 1. The British did not attack again while Jacob Brown was stationed in Ogdensburg. He returned to Brownville after his six month term as militia general. On April 27, 1813 the American Army burned the British capital in York, Canada.

9. When the British attacked Sackett's again, General Brown called the neighboring militia and took command of Sackett's. The British landed at Horse Island. Many militia there Fled; American commanders were killed. The General Pike, an American vessel, was set on fire along with storehouses as misinformation of an American loss was received. Gen. Brown ordered the militia back and Sir George Prevost, British commander, believing the advancing units were regulars, ordered a retreat. The General Pike did not burn heavily due to the greenness of its wood. Gen. Brown was promoted to Brigadier General in the regular army of the United States due to the success at the Battle of Sackett’s Harbor. On March 24, Jacob Brown would become Chief Commander in the Northern Department.

10. As roads were scarce in Northern New York orders took time to reach the men. Not all orders made sense, as many in Washington did not have knowledge of the geography of NNY. Ex: “Take the Lady of the Lake (a ship) and proceed to Onondaga, and take in, at Nicholas Mickle’s Furnace, a load of ball and shot, and proceed at once to Buffalo” This order would have required Captain Woolsey to sail up the Oswego Falls (present day Fulton), back to Lake Ontario and over Niagara Falls to Buffalo. Obviously Captain Woolsey could not follow the order and it would take time to send this information to Washington and receive new orders.

11. July 1, 1814 General Brown, headquartered in Buffalo, was preparing to invade Canada along the Niagara Frontier. The men crossed below Fort Erie and surrounded the fort. The British surrendered leaving the Americans with 200 POW’s. British General Riall had sent five companies to help defend the fort, not knowing of its surrender.

12. General Riall, upon learning of Fort Erie’s surrender, moved to attack. He was met by the American Forces at Chippewa where they outnumbered the Americans. While both sides claimed a victory neither side gained territory. By July 7, 1814, Riall withdrew to Queenston destroying the Chippewa Bridge. As British received reinforcements they moved to Lundy’s Lane.

13. The Battle of Lundy’s Lane is also known as Battle of Niagara. General Brown was injured in his right thigh and side but he remained on the field. The Americans forced the British from the field and returned to Chippewa to reorganize. Brown ordered General Ripley to return to the field before dawn but these orders were not followed and the British reclaimed Lundy’s Lane. General Ripley fell back to Fort Erie. Upon learning of General Ripley’s decision General Brown ordered General Gaines to move to Fort Erie from Sackett’s and take command.

14. On August 2, 1814, the British moved on Fort Erie building trenches and setting up a cannon. American engineers had improved Fort Erie’s defenses. The British attacked on August 14. During evening parade, a shell exploded the ammunition shed and the British believed they’d hit the chief supply of ammunition. At 2 am the British entered and were driven back; they attacked all sides of the fort. The Americans held onto all except a small part of the fort (over the ammunition supply), which when blown forced the British to flee.

15. General Brown was in Buffalo healing from his wounds and would return to Fort Erie as General Gaines was wounded. On September 17, 1814, with General Porter, General Brown would attack the British right wing. The British would fall back and leave Americans in control of the blockhouse and Fort Erie. This victory secured the western New York front. This was achieved after the British had burned Washington DC.

16. General Jacob Brown left Fort Erie and returned to Sackett’s Harbor to study the movements of the British. He received instructions to protect Sackett’s from Sec. of War James Monroe as this was the only United States base on Lake Ontario. General Brown began a trip to Washington DC to confer with President Madison. While in New York City, Mayor DeWitt Clinton extended honors to him for his victories at Chippewa, Lundy’s Lane and Fort Erie. It was here that Brown received word of the peace treaty being signed on Dec. 24, 1814, in Ghent.

17. On Nov. 3, 1814, General Brown was awarded a medal by Congress for his successes in the War of 1812.

18. General Jacob Jennings Brown was one of two Major Generals that the US Army kept after the War of 1812; General Andrew Jackson was the other, and he would resign his commission on June 1, 1821. General Brown is pictured here with the sword he was awarded for his successes in the war from New York State. General Brown was ordered to improve the northern defenses, and by his request Madison Barracks were constructed in stone, which he felt would last longer and require less maintenance than wood.

19. President James Monroe visited the US northern defenses in 1817 and was escorted by General Brown. President Monroe also stayed at Brown’s house in Brownville before departing Sackett's by boat heading to Detroit, MI. It was shortly after President Monroe returned to Washington that Gen. Brown received orders to improve the road from Plattsburgh to Sackett's Harbor. Construction on General Brown’s stone house began in 1811 and finished in 1815; it included exterior walls of 2 ft thick as General Brown anticipated using his home as a fortress if necessary. The stone was quarried locally.

20. In the spring of 1827, Major General Jacob Jennings Brown went on an inspection tour of military bases through the Mississippi Valley and the South. He spent 17 days traveling and visiting forts and barracks in the South and West. The travel was difficult and occurred after his first paralytic stroke. He traveled with an aide and his son William Spencer Brown and returned after three months to Brownville arriving in July. Later he would return to Washington to continue his work as Commanding General of the Army. While serving as Major General he was responsible for many changes in the Army. His suggestions were sent to the Sec. of War and many were implemented as he had presented them. Although most ideas are credited to the Sec. of War, Brown’s ideas included a recruitment system, advanced training schools for artillery and infantry, reenlistment bonuses, and changes in pay. General Brown also offered suggestions on how to change the command structure of the Army and improve military conduct along with its desertion problems as well as on the location and construction of garrisons in the Northwest and Northern United States. These changes in the Army would remain until the early twentieth century.

21. General Brown died on February 24, 1828. A funeral was planned for February 28, 1828 and the procession included President John Quincy Adams, both houses of Congress, Supreme Court members in their robes, other government officials and members of the Army and Navy. The procession stretched almost a mile in length. The following are institutions and locations named for General Jacob Jennings Brown: General Brown Central School District Village of Brownville, NY Town of Brownville, NY Brown County, Ohio Brown County, Indiana Brownstown, Indiana Brown County, Illinois, Brown County, Wisconsin Brownsville, Tennessee Brown Township, Pennsylvania Brownsville, TX

22. References freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wcarr1/Lossing2/Chap35, Transcription and html prepared by Bill Carr, last updated 12/06/2001. Hoard, C. Gerard Major General Jacob Jennings Brown, Watertown, NY, Hungerford-Holbrook Print, 1979 Horsman, Reginald. "War of 1812." World Book Student. World Book, 2011. Web. 2 June 2011 Morris, John D. Sword of the Border, Kent, Ohio, The Kent State University Press, 2000 www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/town/brownville/BrownvilleMain, New York American Local History Network, January 2000, web. 20 May 2011 Created by J. Smith General Brown Jr/Sr High School May 2011