Montross, Bernardus, 1794-1883
John M. McDonald interview — 1848-10-17
Barnardus Montross (1794-1883) served as a brigadier general in the New York State Militia and represented Westchester County in the New York State Assembly. He was the son of Nathaniel Montross, who was also interviewed by John Macdonald. In 1848 Barnardus Montross was residing on the property that had once belonged to Seth Whitney, grandfather of his wife Sarah Whitney. Seth Whitney, whose property was often plundered, was once physically attacked by a group of Loyalist soldiers led by Joshua Hughson. Whitney mortally wounded Hughson, and although left for dead, survived the raid. At first, Montross tells Macdonald his belief that this event took place when the French army was encamped nearby, but later notes his uncertainty as to whether the force nearby was French or American.
Manuscript page facsimiles
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Transcription
705 169 [margin: 38] October 17th. Genl. Bernardus Mon= tross: "In the Revolutionary war Seth Whitney, a man sixty or seventy years old, grandfather of my wife, lived upon and owned the farm, now my property, and where I at present reside. He was often plundered, and at one time his guns and all his arms were taken away by robbers who left him without any weapon but an old bayonet. Fear= ing another attack he continued to fasten the old bayonet to the end of a stout stick of which he thus formed a pretty good spear. Not long after his house was attacked by a gang from below on horseback, one of whom was Joshua Hughson. The doors and windows were all secured and the night dark. They attacked the window shutters of a remote room, broke them and smashed [page break] 170 706 [margin: 39] the windows to gain entrance. When Mr. Whitney heard this last noise he cautiously entered the room. It was midnight, all was dark, and he the only one up. There was light enough at the moment he entered, to show him that the robber was on all fours crawling through the window. This was Joshua Hughson, the leader, probably, of the band. Mr. Whitney immediately struck at him with the pike before he had time to rise, and gave him a mortal wound in the body, but Hughson got on the floor grappled his assailant by the legs, threw him down, discharged a pistol at him, and then rose, trampled upon and tried to kill him. Finding his strength failing Hughson called out to his comrades: "Help boys! the old Son of a Bitch has killed me!" They then came in, assisted Hughson, and [page break] 707 173 [margin: 40] dragged Whitney out of doors, when they knocked him down with the butt end of a pistol, stamped upon, and left him for dead. Fearing the report of the pistol would alarm the French guard which lay near, the robbers now mounted and rode off in haste. Hughson at first rode alone, but be= coming weak from loss of blood fell off. He was then supported to a neigh= boring house where he soon after died. General Bernardus Montross said afterwards said: "I am not certain the French army lay at Crompond then but I think it did. I think it was a French guard, but it might have been an American. At any rate there was a guard close at hand," &c.