The McCarty Family & the Siege of 1777

An interior view of a "bombproof" room at the fort. This is the type of room that was converted into a hospital during the Siege of 1777, in which Mrs. McCarty gave birth in.

National Park Service/Dan U.

In the middle of one of the most frightening occurrences at the historic Fort Schuyler, a child, Rachel (perhaps), was born to Private Dennis McCarty of the 3^rd NY Regiment and his wife. This little life came into the world just like any other infant in the 18^th century, but under circumstances her mother could have never dreamed of. And until very recently, their names remained unknown. But before we get to that, here’s a little bit about childbirth in the 1700s.

Childbirth in the 18th Century

First, childbirth was the leading cause of death in women at that time. If you think about everything an expectant mother is tested for throughout (and treated for, if necessary) the expected forty weeks of pregnancy now, just getting to the point of delivery 250 years ago was a minor miracle. Then comes the delivery and all the complications which can come with that. Seizures (eclampsia, or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure), blood loss for a variety of different reasons, and childbed fever most likely from infection were the main causes of childbirth mortality. Thankfully in the 21^st Century we have the benefit of modern medicine around most of the world to drop the maternal death rate to .015% compared to the 1/1.5% maternal death rate in the 1700s. These statistics are per birth, so the odds grow with each pregnancy. Keep these numbers in mind when we return to Baby Girl McCarty.

Birth itself was attended by women - usually the grandmother(s), sisters, and other close friends and family. They were there for support and assistance, as more than likely at least some of them had been through the process themselves. Also in attendance was the midwife. Known by all in a community, midwives were a mix of holistic medicine practices, with herbs and tinctures to assist with the pain and process of childbirth. Everyone would gather in the comfort of the laboring woman’s home until the baby was born and then prepare for the "lying-in," or recovery period. What about doctors? Doctors were just starting to attend deliveries in the 1700s, but that was in the circles of European aristocracy and certainly not in a frontier fort beyond the border of New York State.

A period cushion commemorating the birth of a child.

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library/Gift of Henry Francis du Pont

The Birth of a Child

As we go back to the circumstances surrounding the birth of the McCartys' daughter, these original accounts will help to set the stage. It is important to note that from 1975 till 2014, these are the only accounts of the baby’s birth that were known to researchers. And not one mentions the family’s, let alone the actual baby’s, name!

From Ensign William Colbrath’s Journal:
July 28 “The Colonel sent off those Women which belonged to the Garrison which have Children…”

This would lead us to believe there were no women at the fort in the weeks to come, as Colonel Gansevoort sent the ladies with children as well as sick and wounded soldiers to safety at Fort Dayton down in the Herkimer, NY area. Why were they doing this? They knew Fort Schuyler/Stanwix would soon come under enemy fire, as British forces were getting nearer and making themselves known. It isn’t until the fort has been under siege for twelve days that a woman is mentioned again.

Augt 15^th “In the Evening they threw their Shells at us as usual and Slightly wounded a woman…”

We don’t know who the other woman was, but we have an idea why she might have stayed at the fort, as Ensign Colbrath goes on to record: Augt 21th “…a heavy and continual firing was kept up for near two Hours during which their Cannon & Mortars were playing on us very briskly, in which interim we had a man of the Artillery wounded & a Woman big with Child wounded in the Thigh.”Augt 22d “…the woman that was wounded with a Shell last Night was brought to bed in our S.W. Bomb proof of a Daughter. She and the child are like to do well with the Blessing of God.”

The other wounded woman may have been one (of many without children) who stayed behind to assist Dr. Wodruff and Mr. Eliot with the temporary hospital; housed inside the southwest bombproof. Or she could have been asked to stay specifically to act as a midwife in case this woman gave birth in the near future. At this point, that has been lost to history.

So, poor Mrs. McCarty has had to endure a 3-week siege in the third trimester of pregnancy, in August, with no end in sight. Then she has part of her bottom taken off by a mortar fragment and survives that injury, which could’ve killed her with either excessive blood loss or infection. Instead, it most likely induces her labor. Keep in mind she has been taken to the makeshift hospital in the bombproof which at this point most likely has several injured and recovering soldiers inside (and is NOT a big space). Remembering the comfort and serenity of the home birth she was hoping for, and the fact that doctors do not deliver babies, hopefully the other woman mentioned was able to assist and comfort Mrs. McCarty through her daughter’s birth. But what hope and joy this baby must’ve brought them and their friends at the fort? Especially as the siege ended the following day!

A record from 1783 shows Dennis McCarty was paid in full for his service. His name on the left was written by the regiment's paymaster. The right was likely signed by his company sergeant or corporal. But the mark, or "X"  between the first and last names, was written in his own hand.

Mysteries: Solved & Unsolved

Until the past decade, this is the only knowledge we had about the birth of the “siege baby.” It wasn’t until more records came to light that the family’s story became more complete. Names and dates were discovered, and mysteries unraveled.

First, in 2014, pension deposition from Private Adam Happal gave us the name of the familiy’s last name: “The effect of the explosion of a Shell, upon Mrs. McCarty wife of one of my Soldiers. Taking out of her Buttock a piece of flesh as large as a Man’s fist and her being safely delivered of a Child the night after.” Follow-up research indicated that only one man by the name of “McCarty” served in the 3^rd NY Regiment. This was a "Dennis McCarty" who enlisted into Captain Leonard Bleeker’s Company in about 1776 and served until 1783; the entirety of the American Revolution.

Dennis enlisted on December 18, 1776, for the duration of the war. He was from Dublin, Ireland and had been a currier (the person who dresses, colors, and finishes off a tanned hide). In 1777, he would have been about 20 years old. A 1782 descriptive muster roll describes him as having sandy hair and complexion.

The second revelation came another eight years later, in 2022. While digging into newly digitized historic records, a marriage record was found for a “Dennis McCarty” and “Nency Homes” in February of 1781 at the Dutch Reform Church in Albany, NY. Could this be full name of “Mrs. McCarty?” The chances seemed good. A final revelation came when a baptismal record was located from the same day for a daughter of a Dennis and Nancy McCarty at the same church. The record was from a little girl named “Rachel.” What was unusual was that though the birthdates of all the other children baptized there that month were recorded, Rachel’s was not. Most were less than a year old. Does that mean she was older than the others or was her birthdate just overlooked? Or was this potentially another child from the same parents as the “Siege Baby” of Fort Schuyler?

If these records are the true records of the McCarty Family, one might ask: Why don’t the dates match? A good explanation could lie in the fact that they were living in the middle of the American Revolution. Many people of the time would take a spouse in various civil ceremonies (like a Twelfth Night or “jump the broom” ceremony). But they wouldn’t marry in a church until the moment presented itself. With Dennis enlisted, the family would’ve been constantly on the move. In 1777 and 1778, they were stationed at Fort Schuyler. In 1779, Dennis would’ve participated in Sullivan’s Campaign against the Haudenosaunee. In 1780, they were moved with the regiment to West Point, NY. But by early 1781, Dennis was recorded as being sick and “in hospital at Albany.” That means that for the duration of his illness and recovery, the small family would’ve been in not just one location, but a safer more urban one, with an opportunity to move around the area. Perhaps with life and death once again on their minds, the young couple took this opportunity to celebrate their lives and small family again by making everything “official.”

The path of the McCarty Family seems to have ended in about 1790 in Hoosick, NY. Census and land records show a Dennis McCarty living there with a small family. However, no records of what happened to Dennis, Nancy, Rachel, or any other children have been found to date.

Were the Fort Schuyler McCartys and their Siege Baby named Dennis, Nancy, and Rachel? Aside from Dennis, we cannot say with 100% certainty that they are. But whoever they were, their lives were larger than was recorded and they were a family. One whose lives helped to shape the course of history, who faced danger and made history, and who hold a special place in the hearts of all who know what there is of their story.

A campfoller and young child standing by the army camp.

William S. Leney, 1769-1831, "The Soldier's Wife", 1793, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.

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