Schofield, Nelson
John M. McDonald interview — 1846-11-10
Nelson Schofield begins his interview by discussing a man named Purdy, who went behind British lines for protection and went to Canada after the Revolutionary War. He then recounts an incident when American whaleboat man Fade Donaldson conducted a raid into present-day Bronx County and was pursued by Refugees to Mamaroneck, where Donaldson used the ice on the frozen Long Island Sound to reach Rye. Schofield also describes how Loyalist Shubael Merritt made a narrow escape from an American ambush in Scarsdale, and recalls his own eyewitness experience to the Battle of Heathcote Hill. He then recounts the skirmish at Mamaroneck that resulted in the death of William Lounsbury, who was recruiting Loyalist soldiers. Schofield concludes the interview by providing more information regarding the Battle of Heathcote Hill, and vividly remembers the cries of the wounded after the fight.
Manuscript page facsimiles
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Transcription
His party intended to plunder us. They called us tories. He did not know how few we were.
November 10. Nelson Schofield (who was long imprisoned in Lancaster): - Purdy immediately went below and got a protection, and lived on Long Island till peace. After the war he came here, but the people wouldn't let him stay, and he went to Upper Canada where he died. Fade Donaldson once went below and returned with a [sloop?] along with his party. They were pursued by Delancey, and Donaldson took to the ice at Mamaroneck harbour and landed again at Rye the Refugees being afraid to pursue him on the Sound. — '79 or '80. ? [margin: + see page 71 [Sloop?]]
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Shube Merritt and his friend Akerty were passing near a swamp in Scarsdale close by which Ben Cornell lives. An American party being there in ambush fired upon them from high ground over - shooting but killing Akerty. Shube escaped like a deer. The Americans surrounded the swamp but Shube was gone!. Lieut. Hughson of Rogers's Queen's [Heathcote's] Rangers was killed at Heathcote hill. He was from Dutchess (that is, Putnam) County. The Americans carried off most of their wounded. Returning past my father's house on the Cross Road from Mamaroneck to Quaker Meeting House, they roused us from bed in order to get some water for the wounded. They advanced in such perfect silence that nobody knew of it and surprised sentry and guard. The cross road which now lies leads from Heathcote's Hill to the Quaker Meeting house was then a mere farm road extending about three quarters of a mile west of the [margin: Heathcote's Hill.]
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turnpike. It was made for the ac- commodation of two tiers of farm lots laid out on each side of it. The killed were buried on Heathcote's heights, but covered so slightly that the dogs scratched off the dirt and attacked the dead bodies so that the neighbours turned out and covered them again — throwing stones upon the holes made by the dogs. Hazlet advanced from the south. The White Plains and Boston roads were well guarded as the enemy was expected from that direction alone. William Lounsbury, a bold deter- mined man. By General Howe's proclamation if anyone enlisted sixty men he should have a Captain's commission. A counter proclamation from the Ame- rican Congress (?) decreed death to anyone caught enlisting for the enemy. Lounsbury was 50 or 60 years old, I believe, and bold. He came from below, and a sloop was to wait for his men below Delancey's
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Neck and take them over to Long Island. Lounsbury told his wife to send for Joseph Purdy and tell him he was among the rocks of Great Lot. (Purdy came, and Lounsbury sent him to such roya- -lists as he thought he could induce to enlist with him.) Purdy told the men where Lounsbury was and he persuaded them to enlist. Purdy proved a traitor and informed the principal whigs of a [Mamaroneck] - viz. Colonel Gilbert Budd, Gilbert Horton, and Captain Samuel Townsend, of Rye Neck. Captain Townsend commanded the party composed of the American Store Guard and the militia company of the vicinity. They marched to the Great Lots before Townsend let them know where or for what they were going. — Surrounding the fastnesses where Lounsbury was concealed, they called upon him and his party to surrender they being unarmed. His men attempted to escape, but were fired upon and then
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surrendered. Lounsbury refused to surrender though called upon repeatedly and defended himself with a club. Orders then came from the Commander to bayonet him, and he was killed with seven bayonets, refusing to the last to yield. They found his enlisting orders in his pocket, and a roll of his men whom they secured.
Delancey's Neck &c. was part of the manor of Scarsdale. Governor Delancey had three children — John [Peter?] Stephen and Susan. Stephen and Susan died childless, & John [Peter?] took all. Colonel Rogers came to Mamaroneck on October 21st about sunrise with about 400 men. Part of his regiment took possession of the high ground and part went to the village of Mamaroneck destroying the American stores deposited there for the army at Fort Washington.
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Great quantities of rum, sugar, pork, and molasses were destroyed near the dock — some in houses further up the river. The army bivouacked round small fires about 1 or 200 yards north west of Delancey's house. Captain Eagles with his company was posted as a picket guard further south near where the private burying ground was now is. The sentry on Long Island (Indian) was surprised (and taken without noise), and the picket guard was taken, but part of them probably fired and gave the alarm. Rogers ran from the School house to the hill and maintained his ground. Colonel Hazlet with his party came from White Plains down the Mamaroneck road to the forks at Benjamin Cornell's, then took the Quaker Meeting house road to within half a mile of the Post road, and then advanced three quarters of a mile to the fields till they came upon Capt. Eagle's guard which they surprised,
[margin: 392 177] [margin: 50.] [margin: PAGES] and took. The Americans retreated by the same road – that is, by the fields three quarters of a mile to the Cross Road, then to the Quaker Meeting House; and so on to White Plains. The guides and pioneers pulled down the fences for the troops and left them so. A small American guard over the stores at Maroneck was attacked in the morning of the 21st by Rogers and drew off leaving several wounded. One of Rogers's men wounded. Next day the carts of the farmers were pressed by Rogers's orders to take the wounded to [New Rochelle] Church then used as a hospital. The cries of the wounded were dreadful: "Oh, how cold I am!" "Oh, give me some water!" "Oh, what pain I'm in!" &c. &c. &c. [margin: 48] [page break]