Brown, Merritt, 1768-1851
John M. McDonald interview — 1844-10-23
Merritt Brown (1768-1851) speaks highly of two soldiers: Brown (likely John Brown), a New Jerseyan who served in Colonel Elisha Sheldon’s 2nd Continental Light Dragoon Regiment, and Captain Benjamin Ogden, a Loyalist who served in Emmerich’s Chasseurs. He then describes a skirmish on King Street in present-day Rye Brook where Lieutenant Erasmus Gill of Moylan’s 4th Continental Light Dragoons challenged Loyalist Major Mansfield Bearmore to combat, an offer that Bearmore declined. Brown concludes by noting the site of an encampment of the 4th Continental Light Dragoons, and indicates that Captain Robert Simmons, a Loyalist who later changed his allegiance, assisted Thomas Ferris of in avoiding capture by building a stone wall around him and his comrades in Throggs Neck.
Manuscript page facsimiles
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Transcription
[margin: PARIS] [Mem. The spot where Captain Purdy was killed is not more than half a mile from Rye Bridge on Purchase Street road, and at the fork where the Hoppenridge road commences. After his fall his party wheeled about and must then have advanced to White Plains by some other road – probably North Street. J. M. M. He must have advanced by the North Street there being then no other. J. M. M. ]
Oct. 23d Merritt Brown of King Street near Portchester. Brown, a Jerseyman and a lieutenant in Sheldon's was a brave man, and obtained great credit by a retreat he made when [page break] [margin: Merritt Brown contd.] [margin: PARIS] pursued by the Refugee horse superior in numbers. He selected a few of his bravest men and best horses, and telling the others to retreat but to keep a tight rein and use the spur freely, he repeatedly charged his pursuers, checked their advance, and brought his men off safely.
Ogden (Capt. Ben.) was a man of great strength and courage. He had his hand badly wounded by a musket ball near Byram Bridge. Retreating from Horseneck, they were pursued and hard pressed. Ogden faced about and charged, and received the wound.
Lieut. Gill, of Moylan's, tried to decoy Bearmore into an ambush in or near King Street (where Hoppenridge [page break] [margin: Merritt Brown contd.] [margin: PARIS] road joins King Street). He selected three good men mounted upon the three best horses in the regiment – himself riding Lt. Col. White's. He then advanced close to Bearmore, and, when pursued, retreated with ease, being better mounted – challenged Bearmore to single combat – offered to meet him three against three &c &c, or singly, &c; but Bearmore was on his guard, and would not advance beyond a single certain point.
White's (Moylan's) regiment lay in the upper part of King Street, about half a mile from the head of King Street near Clapp's.
Capt. Robert Simmons assisted out of friendship in building Mr. Thomas Ferris a stone wall at Throgg's neck.