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The Tale of the Rope Walk On May 30th, 1814, after the British surrender at the battle of Big Sandy Creek, supplies which had come for Fort Oswego were still sixteen miles away from Sacket’s Harbor. With the British now blockading the harbor, continuing by boat was out of the question. Most of the supplies were loaded onto wagons for the remainder of the journey to the harbor. That is, all except for 9,600 pounds of rope. This rope had been made for the rigging of the USS Superior (58 guns), a frigate then under construction at the port. The raw hemp cable was 300 feet long and about 21 inches thick. None of the local wagons were capable of carrying that much weight. Colonel Allen Clark stepped forward and volunteered the 55th New York State Militia to carry the rope to the harbor … on their shoulders! The first part of the rope was loaded in a wagon and then stretched out of the back to be carried by the men of the 55th. The group consisted of 100 officers and men who walked about a mile and then rested. The detachment’s shoulders became so raw from carrying the burden, that grass and straw mats were hand-made to protect the men’s shoulders. Even though the effort caused several desertions, local civilians appeared to take the place of the missing men. The rope finally arrived at the base on June 10 after a journey of 30 hours. The men were rewarded with a barrel of whiskey and $2 a day bonus pay. |
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