Discover the crucial role that Northern New York played in the War of 1812 as modern day North Country residents carry a cable 20 miles to re-enact the historic event known as "The Great Cable Carry."

This program was brought to you in part by a grant from The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation.

♪ Music ♪ Narrator: In 1812 the fledgling United States found itself at war with Great Britain for the second time in less than 30 years in a struggle to control the Northern trade routes and waterways between Canada and the United States.

In 1814 after two years of war, the British coalition in Europe had all but defeated Napoleon Bonaparte allowing Great Britain to begin sending fresh troops and supplies to the American war front.

In Northern New York a series of small farming communities sat nestled amidst a still wild frontier, British ruled Canada to the North and the vast expanse of Lake Ontario stretched away to the West.

With the British controlling the waters of Lake Ontario the American warship USS Superior sat unfinished in the shipyards of Sackets Harbor, waiting for a giant hemp cable that would be crafted into her rigging and anchor ropes.

Made in the shipyards of Boston the giant cable stretched for almost 600 feet, measured 21 inches around and weighed almost five tons.

Unable to reach Sackets Harbor by water the Americans landed their supplies in Ellisburg NY where they successfully ambushed the British in the pivotal Battle of Big Sandy.

After the battle it was too dangerous to return to the lake and the supplies would have to be taken the remaining twenty miles to Sackets Harbor by land.

Far too large for any wagon the five-ton cable would have to be carried by hand.

In a feat true to the American spirit local soldiers, farmers, and merchants banded together to help carry the massive rope in an event that would later become known as the Great Cable Carry.

Today, the descendants of the original carriers, local Boy Scouts, and many others gather on the bicentennial of the original event in order to commemorate those early patriots and walk the same 20 mile route taken two hundred years ago.

Donald W. Whitney, Event Organizer: Well the great thing about carrying the cable is that you're really reliving history so it's a chance for everybody involved scouts to descendants to anyone else that participates they've got an opportunity to not only learn history but to re-live it.

So it's a great opportunity, So they're carrying a rope, certainty not the size of the one they carried in 1814 but its about 600 feet long, they've got the same experience.

The roads are better too.

Gary Rhodes: The Americans were trying to get military stores from Albany New York area down to Sackets Harbor and when the British took Oswego in early May that kind of thwarted their efforts to get these supplies easily by using the lake to Sackets Harbor.

The British found out where the Americans were, the British descended on the creek area and the Americans had gone up about two miles and they knew they were coming and as soon as they knew they were coming they sent out requests for the area militia.

They were waiting and the Americans lost very few, the British lost around I think 19 killed/wounded and somewhere around 123 captured, who were eventually taken to Sackets Harbor.

Gregory Chestor: The Battle of Big Sandy was the climatic battle of the War of 1812.

It pitted the British against the United States and their ally the Oneida Nation.

What's important about Lake Ontario is that it's right on the main trading route for the inland, the heart of North America, or a lot of Native American people call it the heart of Turtle Island.

The United States and Britain were gaining a great deal of wealth from that trade and the other commerce and both of them were after it.

And the bulk of the war effort for both countries was here.

Patrick Wilder: It created a situation where the British were unable after their defeat to carry out a direct attack on Sackets Harbor and the shipbuilding efforts at Sackets Harbor, and this gave the Americans the opportunity to survive until The Superior was launched.

Narrator: The local American militias were aided by Major Daniel Appling and one hundred and fifty of his famed Appalachian sharpshooters, as well as warriors from the Oneida Indian nation.

The combined forces opened fire on the British troops killing approximately 19 outright and capturing 120 or more.

The entire battle lasted less than fifteen minutes.

Ron Patterson: The Oneidas were involved in this battle not only because they were in alliance with the United States of America but you've got to remember that even the ground that we stand on today was the ancient territory of the Oneida Indian Nation.

They took it as part of their own and they, when the call for freedom came, the Oneidas were there to respond and help their friends.

Gary Rhodes: I think that the significance was that it swung the balance of superiority on the lakes in favor of the Americans.

That is allowed the Americans to gain that superiority by securing those military supplies that eventually got to Sackets Harbor.

Narrator: After honoring the fallen American and British troops at the site of the Battle of Big Sandy, the cable carriers prepare to start the first leg of their journey, a five mile walk to the first of three monuments marking the original route.

♪ MUSIC ♪ Patrick Wilder: It's interesting when you look at the size of this rope.

The length of it, the heft of it.

The fact that these men carpenters, farmers, tradesmen from the area.

Were in many ways different from people today.

They were very powerful men.

They decided that they could do it.

They could lift this cable, put it on their shoulders; they made grass matts interwoven together and off they trod.

And didn't give up as one would tire another would take his place, showing how cooperation can overcome the most difficult of times.

And they managed to bring it into Sackets Harbor within a two day period, an almost unheard of feat.

But it also has an important impact, had a very important impact on the unfolding of the war itself, because without this very heavy cable that would carry and lift an anchor of about 10,000 pounds.

Now these ships needed four of these anchors.

You could imagine the danger a ship would be in if it had no anchor.

That ship would be dashed against the shores and the six hundred-man crew could be lost.

Furthermore the war could be lost.

Narrator: As the morning progresses, the carriers can only imagine how difficult the original event must have been.

With no paved roads or modern conveniences, the early Americans traveled up what today is NY County Route 75.

This longer route was more treacherous then the shorter coastal road but the Americans wanted to avoid traveling close to the shores of lake Ontario for fear of a British raid and destruction of the much needed supplies.

By mid-morning the cable carriers draw closer to the first of three monuments that mark the cable trail.

These monuments were created by the Daughters of the War of 1812 in 1914 on the bi-centennial anniversary of the original carry.

Kamra Whitney Rowland: The daughters of 1812 and some of the other historical groups in the area thought that it was really important to mark the cable trail back certainly in 1927 and that was the reason that they thought there needed to be some permanent makers.

Certainly its part of our nation's history and a big part of our local history and certainly those men that participated you know took the time from their families certainly the soldiers that fought in the battle and the men that carried this rope I think that it really speaks to the history of our area of how important the Battle of Big Sandy was and how pivotal that battle was.

For the men carrying the cable, they walked, you know, a two-day, it would have been a two to three day carry for them and it was twenty miles in length.

It will be a long and treacherous trail for our carriers that will mostly be boy scouts and some descendants of the original carriers.

As the carry went on they let other carriers take part of the rope so while it was a five ton rope, you might imagine that each person that was carrying it was carrying around 100 pounds at a time.

So it was certainly a long and treacherous trail.

Narrator: As the first day approaches noon, the carriers arrive in Belleville, New York and have already traveled seven miles.

Tired and hot from the march, they take a break to enjoy a good old summer picnic.

♪ MUSIC ♪ Nelson Burdick: I think it's been a good experience because it's a chance for these people to actually relive some of history.

This brings it into 3D and makes a memorable experience so people can really say, wow we did this and these guys had to do it without some of the comforts that we have today.

Garrett Wardel: It's been interesting, there's a lot of history behind the cable carry and I think it's pretty neat.

Brandon Davis: It's very exciting but you need to stay energized so you would want to bring granola bars and stuff and lots of water to stay hydrated.

Nolen Shelmidine: It's been hard and it kinda teaches you about what people did back in the day.

Robbie Breeden: It's also been fun you get to hang with your buddies but you can also get a bit of that history in, it's kinda of fun and a Patriotic thing to do on your week-end.

Narrator: Fed and refreshed the group makes a push towards the second monument and the end of the first days march.

Gregory Chestor: Local histories are important, I know I was raised on national and international histories and what I've found is that many people are ignorant of their local histories.

And they need to know those histories to bond with their own areas with their own families with their own communities and area.

The sense of place, the sense of place is extremely important.

Donald W. Whitney: The enactment is important for a lot of reasons, number one it is our history and number two it gives everybody a chance to be involved, and most important it gives us a chance to pay tribute to those militia men that saved the day by carrying the cable.

So everybody can reenact history.

So it's more then just that, the tribute to the militiamen is what's so important.

Narrator: One group that is taking part in the event is the post office of Henderson, New York, honoring the bicentennial of the Great Cable Carry with its own fitting tribute.

Nancy Lane Moore: We are doing a special cancellation for the reenactment of the 1812 cable carry which started at South Sandy and proceeded on through portions of Ellisburg and Henderson and on into Sackets Harbor where they delivered the cable to the ship.

Garrett McCarthy: Well it's a special cancellation stamp design and I had to take into account when I was designing it, that it is reduced to about this size, so if my drawing is this large I have to figure and think ahead how its going to look when its seventy five percent reduced.

Today it's a wonderful, wonderful turn out and the cooperative spirit between all the historical societies involved and all the coordinators have really pulled it off, it's a great event.

Narrator: After hiking almost eleven miles in the first day, many of the cable carriers return home for the night.

However, for the boy scouts it's a night under the stars as they go camping and eat, play, and learn more about the rich history that surrounds the area that they live in.

Kevin O'Rourke: The best part about it is that we're going to be doing this cable carry with other scout troops so the brotherhood of scouting gets bigger.

Our scouts will be carrying a cable that the Patriots of the day 1814, carried to turn the tide of war against the British naval fleet on lake Ontario.

By us reenacting that they get a history lesson out of it but they're out here exercising, they're away from the game consoles, and when the time comes for camping they're actually spending the night out under the stars and then there's fellowship that takes place with all the other scouts.

We're all the same, we're all the same cable carriers we're all the same and really the scouts will get a big growth moment out of it the fact that there's a history lesson involved and the physical activity and well besides the good food you know what I mean?

And the s'mores and a lot of stuff happens.

Narrator: As the boy scouts rest and relax, they're thankful that their rope is much lighter then the five ton one their ancestors carried two hundred years ago.

With one day left to go the group still must travel another nine miles before they reach their final destination in Sackets Harbor.

♪ Music ♪ Narrator: Rested and refreshed, the group starts out on the second day, eager to see the Great Cable Carry through to its final destination.

Day two is hot and humid, and the heat rises from the paved roads.

But the conditions are nothing compared to the rope's journey 200 years ago.

Joy Whitney Brown: It was tiring, it was tiring.

I just wanted to finish today and so it's just like, I hope I make it through.

[Laughter].

Because it's supposed to be hotter.

I took a nice hot shower, soaked my feet, and I'm ready.

[Laughter] Lorraine Whitney Wiggins: My great, great, I believe three or four more greats, I'm not sure, grandfather was at the Battle of Big Sandy and he helped carry the cable over to Sackets Harbor.

The Daughters of 1812 set the original monuments and the one monument we will visit at the end of this, in Sackets Harbor, was again set by the Daughters of 1812, only it was a hundred years later, when they set that one.

Elaine Scott: So the Americans couldn't take the supply boats back out on the lake because the British were patrolling up and down and they would have easily caught them.

So the Americans actually had to go the longer Wilderness Road to Sackets Harbor.

It was the only way and you can imagine that Wilderness Road was just mud and dirt and tree stumps that had been cut to actually make a road.

And so they tried to put it on a wagon and of course the wagon wouldn't have been big enough to hold all of it.

So in desperation they heave it on their own shoulders and they carry it for two or three days in relays setting it down at night and the beauty of this whole thing is that you have all of the people along the way hearing that this thing is coming so they're all running out to see it.

And they're bringing water and provisions to these people to feed them as they're walking.

And as a man would fall out from exhaustion then a man walking alongside would take his place.

Gary Rhodes: Well as I understand it they lined the men up best they could by height so that it'd make it a little easier to carry but by all the accounts that we have and there are some first person accounts by those who actually carried the cable it did a number on their shoulders and for the rest of their lives they had bruise marks on their shoulders.

As the cable went through the towns the three townships different people would jump in and help carry the cable.

A lot of people aren't really officially remembered for that or accounted so it could be up anywhere from 200 to 600 so quite a few uh if you think about how big the cable was, how heavy it was and just what it did to your body.

And these are pretty strong men back then.

Elaine Scott: The amount of rope that could be coiled up in an ox cart there was still quite a length of cable and it was 22 inches in circumference.

That is a lot of raw hemp.

What we understand is that they actually got rope burns and that some of the rope actually got embedded in their shoulders and they carried that until the end of their days.

And some of the men were very broken by this physical endurance that they did.

These were very, very hardy men really and truly.

They had come here into this raw wilderness, cut down the trees very quickly, made a home... so they were very rugged men.

We have no idea how they could have done these incredible things but they did because they had to.

Narrator: As the heat continues to increase the cable carriers push on into the second day of the march.

By midday the group reaches Old MacDonald's farm where they receive a much needed lunch break.

Megan Whitley: This one's Jerry and this ones Mike, they're Belgian draft horses and we came here to do a cable carry with the boy scouts.

These guys right here have so much energy they just can't stand still.

Seeing these guys participate in this not just us, me, my Grandpa, and sister, it's that these guys get to learn how to do stuff.

There's a lot of stuff in the road that they don't get and when they see it they can learn to cope with it.

This one's twelve and this one's seven.

Jay Whitney: The rope carry today is going really well.

Everyone is working really well together.

We're a little hotter today but everyone's still having a good time.

Gotta drink a little more water to keep going, the rests are a little more important for us but the trip today is a little bit shorter then yesterday so that will help also.

It's meant a lot because I've been able to work with a lot of relatives and then meet a lot of other people that were connected with this.

To see the boy scouts doing their part to play a part in remembering our history in the area.

Narrator: After leaving Old MacDonald's farm a sense of excitement grows among the weary re-enactors as they embark on the last 2.5 miles of their journey.

After visiting the last monument that marks the cable trail, they will end their two-day twenty-mile hike in Sackets Harbor, the final destination of the original giant cable.

Donald W. Whitney: Well Sackets Harbor was a very important part of the War of 1812.

A lot more than people realize.

There were two battles there.

So for the Northern tier, Sackets Harbor was probably the most successful area of the entire war.

And it was probably the turning point after the Battle of Big Sandy, where the British recognized that maybe we aren't going to take this as easy as we thought we were.

Patrick Wilder: This cable had to be brought to Sackets Harbor.

These men volunteered.

One of the men came up with the idea, and the others followed.

And off they went, through Ellisburg, Belleville, Roberts Corners, on to Smithville, and and over to Sackets Harbor, where sailors, ships' carpenters, soldiers, and others were waiting for them to arrive.

Everyone turned out to welcome these men as they brought the cable in to Sackets Harbor and over to what is now Madison Barracks.

At that time it was Fort Volunteer.

Connie Barone: Sackets Harbor because of its strategic location was very important during the War of 1812.

Located on the eastern end of Lake Ontario and opposite Upper Canada.

We were also very close and still are to the mouth of the St.

Lawrence River which of course was the communications route and the commerce route.

So both the British, Canadians, and the Americans were trying to control the lake and the route onto the river.

So Sackets Harbor became the center for all the military here in the North East.

The place that had the deep harbor where the shipbuilding could take place.

And that was the critical part and on May 29th of 1913 there was a huge gathering in Sackets Harbor when this granite monument was dedicated.

It was funded by the Daughters of the War of 1812, and it recognized everybody that was involved in Sackets harbor during the war of 1812.

So it's a beautiful simple granite monument and during the bicentennial over these last two years we have added two more granite monuments.

One was done in 2013 a monument to the crown forces who were killed and buried here on the battlegrounds.

And this year we are dedicating a monument to the US troops that fought and served during the War of 1812 here in Sackets Harbor.

Narrator: Tired, sweaty, and proud the Boy Scouts, descendants, and others arrive in Sackets Harbor.

Like the original cable carriers, the re enactors will celebrate their hard work and great accomplishment.

With the cable finally safe in the shipyards at Sackets Harbor the early Americans were able to out rig the warship USS Superior and end British dominance on Lake Ontario, a feat that later proved to be a crucial turning point in the war.

The astounding twenty-mile hike through the wilderness terrain demonstrated the hope, perseverance, and unbreakable American spirit of the North Country community.

Elaine Scott: This great volunteer spirit, which is still here in Jefferson County today, I think you see it in all the civic organizations.

How everyone pulls together when there's a call that goes out.

Everyone comes and contributes whatever they can.

We see a lot of miracles that happened a lot of great surprises come and I think that we will see that again with this event.

Patrick Wilder: We remember on the 200th anniversary of the carrying of this cable.

We remember what these people did that impacts on all of us today.

We should all be aware of what these men did during that period and the women and others who supplied them with food along the way.

This was a cooperative effort on the part of all.

Connie Barone: Well I think there's great pride of place in the North Country and certainly our military history is particularly important today with Fort Drum the military in the past has played a huge role and continues to play a huge role.

It's a great partnership in a sense that many of the military families and soldiers here in the North Country join with us to do these kinds of commemorations.

Gary Rhodes: It's a great chance for everybody with families to get involved; it's a good time to take part both in a local event and also to learn some new history in the area.

Donald W. Whitney: By carrying the cable and the canon after the Battle of Big Sandy, now we had the biggest ship on the lake.

Now we had superiority.

Now we had the largest ship and that meant that no longer could the British freewheel on the lake.

So we now had control of the Lake.

It was something that was necessary for us to win the war.

We had to have that superiority.

I want people to take away that they participated and saw and lived history as it was 200 years ago.

I think it's a great opportunity for everybody in the community and I'm excited that so many people in the community are involved in it.

Elaine Scott: We're celebrating 200 years of peace.

With Canada and also with Great Britain that have been our allies and that's a very important fact probably to get across to everybody.

That we're not so -much celebrating the war as we're celebrating the peace that has come.

♪ MUSIC ♪ This program is brought to you in part by a grant from The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation.

♪ MUSIC ♪ Kamra Whitney Rowland: The day is going great we've started off at a good pace and I think there's a lot of excitement and I think certainly the scouts are having a good time.

Boy Scout: We've had quite a bit of fun; we've been talking while we've been carrying it.

It's been an enjoyable experience.

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