Westchester County, New York, During the American Revolution
1 Letter of the Committee of Correspotidence of New York to the Committee in Charleston, " New York, July 26th, 1774," Postscript, dated "July " 28th ;" the same to the CommiUeein Philadelphia, "New York, July28th, " 1774 ; " the tame to Matthew Tilghmtw, Chairman of the Maryland Committee, " New York, July 28th, 1774; " Lkmtmmt-govemor Colden to the Earl of Dartmouth, "New York 2 August 1774;" the same to Governor Tryon, " Sprinh Hill 2 August 1774 ; " the same to the Earl of Dartmouth, " New York 7th Septr 1774 ; " the same to Governor Tryon, " Septr 7th "1774;" Jones's History of New York during the Bemhttionary II ~ar, i , 34, 35 ; Bancroft's History of the United States, original edition, vii , 83 ; the same, centenary edition, iv„ 358.
York; the purposes, published or withheld, of the Committee itself; and the purposes, generally wellconcealed, of some of those who wielded the influence of that Committee, sometimes for the promotion of their individual and not always righteous interests and sometimes for the suppression of the aspirations of others which were quite as praiseworthy as their own, are, therefore, subjects which cannot be disregarded, in whatever relates to revolutionary Westchester-county, since it was that Committee, as has been already stated, who made the first assault on the long-established conservatism of the farmers of that ancient County -- an assault. which was made entirely unsuccessful by their sturdy disregard ; since it was that Committee, returning to the assault and offering the tempting allurements of place and official authority to those who should break from the ranks of their conservative countrymen -- who, as will hereinafter appear, by means of such corrupt allurements, first broke the line of those rural home-guards which had previously thrown back the power of the insidious invader; and because it was that Committee who called into existence, successively, the revolutionary Congress of the Continent and the yet more revolutionary Provincial Congress, whence, subsequently, flowed that torrent of disorders and disasters over which Westchester-county has not ceased to mourn, from that period until the present.