Gedney, Prince, c.1758-1855
John M. McDonald interview — 1848-12-09
Prince Gedney (c.1758-1855) was enslaved by Absalom Gedney (incorrectly recorded in this interview as Abraham) at the time of the Revolutionary War. He remembers seeing the British army advance to northward to fight in the Battle of White Plains, and mentions their crossing of the Bronx River during an attack. He then recalls a number of men from White Plains who participated in the war, including Elijah Haines, who was killed during a fight at Ward’s House. Gedney also explains the destruction of the liberty pole in the village. He then recalls the defeat of a party of Skinners in White Plains by a force of Refugees commanded by Captain Samuel Kipp, and concludes by recounting an individual combat after the end of the war between Gilbert Hatfield, a Loyalist, and Ezekiel Fisher.
Manuscript page facsimiles
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Transcription
228 898 [margin: Died- Prince Gedney aged 97 years - in Harrison Westchester Herald Dec 8/55] 230. [margin: slave] Decr 9th 1848 Prince Gedney, of White Plains: I will be 90 years old on the 15th of December inst, and was born in Scarsdale. I came in possession of the Gedney family when an infant. On the 28th of October 1776, I saw the advance of the British army to White Plains in two columns (the right column being composed of Scotch and Irish, and the left of Hessians) from the top of my master's house where John Gedney used to live. The right column advanced by way of Francis Secor's and Elijah Miller's marsh ing along the fields south west of the road. The left column advanced near Lawyer Hatfield's. Nothing separated them (that is, the two columns) but the woods. The right column had several cannon and I observed one very long one in particular. Every now and then the cannoniers would stop, wheel about and fire at the Americans and then move on all again. The Bronx [margin: 6.17.8]
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899 231 231. on that day was very high and much swollen in consequence of a freshet, and when the attacking column came to it, they either could not or would not cross until a bridge was built over it. William Lounsberry was a large, heavy resolute man. Captain Jonathan Purdy was for three or four years, or perhaps during most of the war, a private soldier in the British service. The liberty pole which was destroyed or injured in 1775, stood between Captain Abraham Hatfield's and the Court House. The destruction or injury was attributed to Captain N. and Lieut. Wm Lounsberry. The pole was ruined by boring boring holes into it by an augur. Elijah Haines, a relative or connection of my master's family and a brother of Godfrey Haines, and others, was killed in the attack upon Ward's house.
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232 900 232. Richard Hatfield was a Whig, but Peter, Barnes, and Joshua were tories. Barnes was an officer in the British service during the war. Major Haggeford was a severe man. Once during the war, some Cow boys came from above with a large drove of cattle owned by them. They were pursued by a party of seven or eight Skinners commanded by one Honyum[?] Harrison to or near to West Farms where the cattle were taken and the drivers fled. The cow boys thereupon went immediately to Morrisania and alarmed the Refugees. Captain Kipp instantly commenced a pursuit at the head of his dragoons and overtook the Skinners and the plundered cattle in the road which leads from Purdy's Lane to North Street about half a mile South from where John Gedney lived. The pursuers charged. Honum escaped owing to the fleetness of his horse, but all the rest were killed without mercy except one who, [margin: Honum] [margin: (Honeham?] [margin: elsewhere)] [margin: see p. 115 origl]
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901 235 233. although hacked almost to pieces received surgical aid in time, was treated and recovered. Honeham (?) was pursued by Capt. Kipp who could not come up with him, but got so near once that he made a clip and cut his horse's tail nearly off so that it hung only by a piece of skin. In this plight he returned to New Milford where he then lived, and where Colonel Budd also resided having gone above. Jack, a slave of Colonel Budd here doctored the horse, bolstering up the tail &c. so that it finally recovered and was as well as ever. Captain Abraham Gedney lived during the war on the James Tompkins farm in Chatterton Hill. He married my master's widow and I went to live with him. I used to see the French officers there. Gilly Hatfield was a man that would fight till he died. At some gathering after the peace he was attacked by one Ezekiel Fisher of Robins's Mills [margin: Honum?]
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236 902 234. for being a tory. Fisher made the assault with his horse whip while Gilly's cousin Lawyer Richard Hatfield was present, and gave him assurance of protection and support presenting him with a cane in order to place him upon an equality with Fisher who was armed with a horse whip. Gilly then attacked Fisher in his turn and drove him off the ground.
Decr 12th William Barker. “I think there never could have been an enclosed Fort in White Plains street or I should have known it or heard of it as I was very familiar with White Plains immediately after the war when I went to live there. All the fortifications in the village of White Plains (as far