Dawson, Henry B. Westchester County, New York, During the American Revolution. Morrisania, NY: (privately printed by the author), 1886.

There is an abundance of testimony showing that General Howe's original purpose was to take Tarrytown and New Rochelle, as the extremes of his proposed lines ; and, because the venerable historian did not appear to have been governed by it, preferring, rather, to pay deference to a phantom of his own creation, it must have been that he did not understand it. Whatever it may …

On the twentieth of October, Lieutenant-colonel Harcourt, with the greater portion of the Sixteenth Regiment of Light Dragoons -- the ' other portion of the Regiment having embarked on a transport which had not come into port -- and the whole of the Seventeenth Regiment of Light Dragoons, joined General Howe ; and, on the next day, [October 21, 1776,] thus strengthened, the …

But, because the entire military force, except the garrison of Fort Washington, had been moved into Westchester-county as early as noon, on the twentieth - because General Greene had found Head- quarters, "near King's Bridge " on the evening of the nineteenth, (Letter to the Continental Congress, "Camp at Tort Lee, (lately Fort Constitution,) October 20, 1776;") because …

1 Sauthier's Plan of the Operations of the King's Army. s General Howe to Lord George Germaine, " New-York, 30 November, "1776;" [HaU's'l History of the Civil War m America, i., 205; Stedman's History of the American War, i., 212 ; Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 339 ; Sauthier's Plan of the Operations of the King's Army ; Plan of the Country from Frog's …

While the General was at the White Plains, on that tour of inspection, [October 21, 1776,] he personally examined the Stores which had been accumulated at that place, and renewed his earnest entreaties 5 with the Commissary-general of Provisions to supply the posts in that vicinity, in time, with Flour and Beef, for present use ; to form other Magazines of Provisions, " in …

1 General Washington to Colonel Lachlan Mcintosh of Georgia, " Whitb- ( ' Plains, October 21, 1776 ; " Lieutenant colonel Tttghman to William Duer, "Head-quarters, Valentine's-Hjll, 22 Oct., 1776." 2 Colonel R. H. Harrison to William Duer, " Camp on Valentine's- " Hills, October 21, 1776 ; " the same to the Continental Congress, " Head- " quarters, Valentine's-Hill, October …

While the Commander-in-chief was thus employed, on the extreme left of the American line, General Howe having been equally active, during the same period, only a few miles distant, 10 the extreme right of that line, at Kingsbridge, was, also, the scene ot bustle and active preparation for a movement -- Orders had been issued for the movement of the Division commanded by …

The Division commanded by Major-general Heath, as we have said, (except General George Clinton, with the Regiments commanded, respectively, by Colonels Nicolls, Pawling, Graham, and Swartwout,) was ordered to move, left in front, at eight o'clock in the morning, if possible : the advance-guard was to consist of one hundred men, taken from General Scott's Brigade ; and was to …

Each of the Brigades of the Division was to have a wagon-load of Tools, which was ordered to be moved with the heavy artillery. A number of the Spears which were at Fort Independence was to be loaded on each wagon, with the Tools; and Colonel Thomas and Colonel Drake were respectively ordered to send to each of the Regiments of the Division, a Guide, who was well acquainted …

A detachment of six hundred men, under the command of Colonel Lasher, was ordered to remain, near Kingsbridge, until further orders -- two hundred and fifty of the number were to occupy the barracks of Colonel Thomas's Regiment ; fifty were to be posted in Colonel Swartwout's regimental barracks ; fifty were to be posted in General Scott's Brigade barracks ; fifty were to …

The guards then posted at Morrisania were to be called in, during the evening of that day, and to follow the Division, on the following morning ; and a small guard, evidently to be supplied from the detachment at Fort Independence, was to be continually posted on the high grounds, toward Morrisania, for the security of the detachment. 1 All these specific Orders, which were …

It will be seen by the reader, that the Division which was thus pushed forward, to the White Plains, was in light marching order, evidently taking with it no more than the personal Baggage of the Officers and men ; that it was pushed forward, with all possible expedition, if it may not properly be said to have been by a forced march ; and that it was not halted on its line of …

Among those from whom we have thus dissented, are the despatch of General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "New-York, "30 November, 1776 ; " Annual Register for 177 6: History of Europe, *177,; History of the War in America, Dublin: 1779, i., 194 ; [Hall's] History of ih: Givll War in America, i., 207 ; Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 339; Stedman's History of …

When the retreat was originally determined on, the necessity for a prompt and immediate occupation of the new-selected position was too evident to admit of any Buch halts, for any such' purposes .; and, in the great scarcity of Teams for the removal of the Stores and Baggage and Artillery, which required the men to take the places of beasts of burden, in dragging and carrying …

On the high ground, on the opposite side of the "deep hollow," General Heath posted the Regiment of New York troops commanded by Colonel William Malcolm, and Lieutenant Fenno of the Artillery, the latter with a field-piece, with instructions to occupy a position in the skirt of the wood which covered the upper portion of che high ground, " at the South brow " of the hill ;" …

4 Now forming a portion of* what is known as " The Underhill " Farm." 5 This description of the ground occupied by the Division commanded by General Heath, has been taken, largely in his own words, from bis Memoirv, evidently written by himself, page 75. For our statements concerning the present names and owners of the several properties referred to, we are indebted to the …

These Rangers were said, by the biographer of their distinguished Commandant, of a later period, to have been "disciplined, not for parade, but "for active service. They were never to march in slow time ; were directed "to fire with precision and steadiness ; to wield the bayonet with force "and effect; to disperse and rally with rapidity. In short, in the in- " structions for …

The movement was made with good judgment and ability; the Rangers were entirely surprised, through the carelessness of their sentries ; and, as was stated by an Officer in the Royal Army, 11 they were " very roughly " handled." In consequence of the bad conduct of the guides whom Colonel Haslet had employed, 12 however, the success was not as complete as it probably would have …

Vide page 250, ante. »> In Lieutenant-colonel Tilghman's letter to his father, dated " Val- "entine's-Hill 4 miles from Kinqsbrioge 22 October 1776," it is expressly stated that "the General "--by which term he referred to General Washington, whose Aide-de-Camp he was and with whom he had been, while the Commander-in-Chief was at the White Plains-- " detached "Major Green * * …

18 In Lieutenant-colonel Tilghman's letter to his father, already mentioued, it is said "they counted 25 killed in one Orchard, how many got "off wounded we dont know ;" and in Colonel Haslet's letter to General Rodney, already referred to, it was said, " his Lieutenant and a number " of others were left dead on the spot." " Lieutenant-colonel Tilghman to his father, " …

including, among the trophies of their bravery, " a "pair of Colors, sixty stand of Arms, and a variety of " plunder," 1 among the latter of which were "a good " many Blankets." 2 On the side of the Americans, "three or four were left, dead, and, about fifteen were " wounded, among the latter, Major Green, of the "Second Virginia Regiment, wounded in the shoul- " der, and …

2 LieutenantrColonel TUghman to his father, " Valentine's-Hill, 4 miles •"from Kingsbbidge, 22 October, 1776." & Colonel Haslet to General Rodney, "White-Plains, October 28, 1776." * Those who shall desire to learn more of this affair are referred to ■General Washington's letter to Governor Trumbull, "Camp on Valen- " tine's-Hill, October 22, 1776; " the same, to the …

II., No. 276, "Philadelphia, Saturday, October 26, 1776;" Extract of a letter from a General Officer, dated " Mount Washington, "October 23, 1776," in The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1769, "Philadelphia, Wednesday, October 30, 1776," and in Force's American Archives, V., U.,1203; Abram Clark to Colonel Dayton, " Elizabethtown, October ■"26, 1776;" Extract from a letter published …

Bolton, in his History of Westchester-counly, (original edition, l., 311 ; .second edition, i., 499) prefixed to General Heath's mention of this affair (except the date, which the latter had correctly stated,) the singular information that it occurred on "the day previous to the battle at White «' Plains," [October 27,] and that the command of the Americans was held by Colonel …

On the twenty-second of October, General Howe strengthened his outpost, at Mamaroneck, which Colonel Haslet had so rudely assaulted, during the preceding night, by moving the Sixth Brigade of British troops, commanded by Brigadier-general Agnew, to that place ; 5 and, on the same day, Lieutenaatgeneral Knyphausen, with the Second Division of the Hessians and the Regiment of …

Indeed, in the words of one of the best-informed writers of the history of those operations of the King's Navy, himself an Officer of the Army and a personal witness of what he described, " a vigor "and exertion, unequalled in any former expedition, prevailed through all classes in the Navy, " extinguishing jealousies, and banishing all those " ideas of pre-eminence and rank …

On Friday sixty-five sail of vessels, " under convoy of the Diamond and Ambuscade, with the second divis- " ion of the Hessians and one thousand Waldeckers, under the command " of the Generals Knyphauseu and Schmidtz, and a number of recruits for " the British troops, in all about eight thousand effective men, arrived " off Sandy-Hook. They sailed from Plymouth Sound, the 27th …

Bolton, in his History of Westchester-county, (original edition, i., 440 ; second edition, i., 688) Baid General Knyphausen landed on Myers-point, or Davenport's neck, " ten days previous to the battle of White-Plains," [October 18,] the day on which he had reached Sandy-hook ; and in the first of the two editions, he cited, as his authority, Stedman's History of the American …

While General Sullivan and his command were thus moving towards the White Plains, a raid was made from the Kegiment which occupied the entrenched Camp at Mile-Square, in which a Corporal and two Privates, with the approval of the Colonel, " went out to see what they could pick up," and succeeded in bringing in "a number of fat Cattle," without pretending, however, that they …

5 It is one of the Bingular portions of the history of that eventful Campaign, that the only mention which we have found, concerning General Sullivan's services, as Major-general commanding one of the great Divisions of the American Army, in Westchester-county, is that merely i ncidental remark, by General Heath, to which we have referred. There appears, also, in the …

4 Extractof a letter , from "Camp at Mile-Square in Eastohester," dated "23 October, 1776," published in The Freeman's Journal or New- Hampshire Gazette, Volume I., Number 25, Portsmouth, Tuesday, November 12, 1776. o Ibid. In Lieutenant-colonel Tench Tilghroan's letter to William Duer, dated ' Head-quarters, White-Plains, October 23, 1776," the narrative was differently told …

During the entire period succeeding the determination to move the main body of the American Army from the Heights of Harlem to the White Plains, there were the most active preparations to secure a successful retreat, throughout every portion of the Army. It is said the Mortars, some of the Cannon, a portion of General Washington's Baggage, and some of the Sick had been taken …

"1776," and copied into The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1770, Philadelphia, Wednesday, November 6, 1776, stated that the affair occurred on Wednesday, the twenty-third of October, as stated in the text ; that the supporting party belonged to Colonel Hand's Regiment of Riflemen, instead of to Colonel Glover's Kegiment ; that the Americans buried ten of the Hessians, on the field …

Colonel Glover's letter, dated "Mile-Square, October 22,* 1776," published in The Freeman's Journal and Netc-Hampshire Gazette, Vol. I., No. 27, Portsmouth, Tuesday, November 26, 1776. 7 Doctor Sparks, in the Writings of George Washington, iv., 152, note ; Memoir of General Heath, 75. Compare, also, Lieutenant-colonel TUghman to the New York Convention, " HEAn-QUARTERe …

to the White Plains, reaching that place on the following morning ; 1 and the Commander-in-chief " was " almost the whole time on horseback," 2 his Correspondence 8 and even the Orderly-books of the Army 4 clearly indicated that his personal supervision of the entire movement and of all which pertained to it was unstintingly given. It is not now known when General Lee and his …

Surely the little tree-fringed Bronx did not offer any serious obstruction : surely the entrenched Camps behind which the heavily laden column was slowly marching, and which were abandoned when the column reached ihein, those who had occupied them falling in and increasing the strength of the moving force, did not intimidate him : rather let it be supposed that General Howe's …

'The twenty-second of October afforded the only letter in his published Correspondence, between the fifteenth of October and the sixth of November ; and Doctor Sparks, who conducted his Writings through the Press, stated, in explanation, " the unsettled state of the Army, " for several days succeeding the date of this letter," [that of the sixth of November,] "allowed very …

varied his duties by throwing a partyof his command, over the Bronx, during the night of Wednesday, the twenty-third of October, in order to beat up the outposts of the enemy ; and one of these, near Ward's Tavern, between Tuckahoe and»Scarsdale, and occupied by two hundred and fifty Hessians, was successfully attacked, early in the following morning, [Thursday, October 24,] …

Hamilton, of Dobbs's-ferry, in a conversation with us, many years ago, told us that his father, Captain Alexander Hamilton, lost his Baggage, on the march of General Lee's command from Harlem Heights to the White Plains ; and The Middlesex Journal and Evening Advertiser, No. 1209, London : From Saturday, December 21, to TueBday, December 24, 1776, contains a letter from …

Colonel John Glover, in the letter from which we have learned bo much of this Campaign, and who was with General Lee, stated, evidently erroneously, that the column did not reach the White Plains until ten o'clock on Monday morning, the twenty eighth of October, after having marched during the whole of the preceding night, (Colonel Glover's letter.dated " Mile-Square, October …

The official Plan of the Country from Frog's Point to Croton River and Sauthier's Planof the Operations, etc., each stated that the column was not in motion after the twenty-seventh of October. There is abundant evidence, within Colonel Glover's own letter, that he was in error, two days, in this particular statement. 10 Colonel Glover's letter, dated "Mile-Square, October 22 …

The White Plains, the place which appeared to have been designated by both the great opposing powers, as if by mutual consent, for that on which the great questions then pending between Great Britain and the united States of America were to be determined by the arbitrament of Arms, the County-seat of the ancient County of Westchester, is situated on the upper extremity of a …

About three quarters of a mile westward from the principal roadway of the unpretentious little Village, flowed the small stream which was, then, as it is, now, called " The Bronx-river," forming the western boundary of the plain referred to, and separating it from " The " Manor of Philipseborough ; " to the Northwest and Northeast of the Village, respectively, were bold and …

" When General Lee removed, he was obliged to leave eighty or ninety " barrels of Provisions, of all kinds, for want of Wagons." -- (Lieutenantcolonel Tench Tilghman to William Duer, "Head-quarters, White- " Plains, October27, 177C") Bancroft, in his History of the United Suites, (original edition, ix., 179 ; the same, centenary edition, v., 443,) said " sixty or seventy …

A temporary line of works had been previously constructed along the northerly line of the road which extended from the Meeting-house of the Presbyterian -church, past the house of Jacob Purdy, to the Bronx-river 4 -- that road which connected the White Plains with Dobbs's-ferry ; but the entrenchments which were thrown up for the defence of the Army, occupied a line from the …

Tompkins, already referred to ; and, eastward from that central earthwork, up the gradual slope, over properties recently owned by Leonard Miller, John Fisher, the widow of James Fisher, and Henry Willetts -- those of Leonard Miller being now owned by his two sons; those of John Fisher, by numerous persons; and those of Henry Willetts, by Charles Deutermann -- to what was then …

It was probably thrown up by the email body of Militia who had occupied that position, as a guard of the Stores which had been accumulated at that place, while the main Army occupied the Heights of Harlem ; but the subsequent occupation of the ground, which has been described in the text, by the main Army, was followed by the construction of a line of works, on the high …

" I now snatch an opportunity by the Post of informing you that * "26-- We Have ben a moveing our Tents to the top of the Hill th s ' Day."-- (David How's Diary, October 26, 1776.") WESTCHESTER COUNTY. the Brigades commanded, respectively, by Generals George Clinton, John Morin Scott, and Samuel H. Parsons, the two former having been posted near the Purchase, 1 and the latter …

On the twenty-seventh of October, the small force which had been left in Fort Independence, when General Heath's Division was moved from near Kingsbridge to the White Plains, 3 was ordered to remove the Cannon and Stores from that post to Fort Washington ; to burn the several Barracks which had been erected, there, with so much difficulty and at so great an expense ; and, " …

" General McDougaVs Brigade, of which the Maryland Regulars is " a part, having laid in the woods for three nights,'' [preceding the day of the action on CJiatterton's-hill, that is to say, on the nights of the tiventyfifth, twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh of October,] "two miles from this " place, and to the right of the main body, aa a covering party, was or- " dered to …

I have only time to add that I am with usual " health, though in no better lodging than a soldier's tent, with our old " friend General Scott." (General George Clinton to John McKesson, "Camp near White-Plains, October 31, 1776.") 2 " On the same evening, " [ October 23,] " Ool. Tyler's, Huntington's, and " Throop's Regiments, of General Parson's Brigade and of our General's …

ington, in person, was composed, nominally, of about twenty-five thousand, four hundred, and fifty men, of whom about twelve thousand and fifty were sick, on independent commands, or on furlough ; leaving only about thirteen thousand, four hundred, rank and file, present and fit for duty. 9 The supply of Provisions, as the reader has been already informed, 10 was exceedingly …

Adding to these, those who had been killed and missing during the period which had intervened between the time of which we write and the date of the Returns referred to, in which occurred the action on Chatterton's-hill and all the other military operations in the vicinity of the White Plains ; and it will be seen that, when the Army occupied the high grounds, to the northward …

From the best in- "telligence he is able to obtain, there is not more, in Camp and at " the several places where it has been deposited, than will serve the " Army longer than four or five days, provided the utmost care and "economy were used in issuing it out: but from the waste and em- "bezzlement, for want of proper attention to it, as is reported to him, "it is not probable …

The demand for Medicines is very great ; and we " cannot procure a sufficiency, at any rate." -- (Doctor John. Morgan, Medical Director of the Army, to John Jay, " North-Castle, October 28, "1776.") A letter from Doctor John Pine, of the Maryland Line, to James Tilghman, of Annapolis, dated, " Camp at White-Plains, November 7, "1776," contains a detailed statement of the …

" We are requested by the Generals of our State to inform you of the "absolute necessity our troops are in for want of Clothing." -- (Charles D. Witt, Robert Barper, and Lewis Graham to the President of the New York Convention, " White Plains, October 24, 1776.") " The Colonel and Major Barber came here, last evening ; and the "Regiment is now within a few miles of this place …

The Eastern troops were stigmatized as, generally, nothing else than a mass of speculating poltroons, for which, very often, there was abundant reason ; 3 and they, reciprocated the illfeeling of those from the Middle and Southern States, by branding them as " Aristocrats " and " Maccaronis "--the former of the two sobriquets in allusion to the distinctions of rank which were …

8 The followiDg is a specimen of a multitude of such testimonials of the speculative propensities of the New England troops, in the Army of the Revolution, and of their too frequent dishonesty in their Operations, which are accessible to every one. Every careful student can command many such evidences ; but this, written by the Commissary-general of Provisions of the …

You'll see by adverting to the Returns, that some Companies "have more Officers than Privates, at best ; hut not content with that, *' and instead of sending home the Officers who have very few men, " almost none, and turning over those few men into other Companies, " they add Brevet Officers, not only to pick the pockets of the pub- "lick, here, but, also, those Brevet …

" I am, honoured Sir, your dutiful Son, "Jos. Trumbull. We have seen no evidence that either General WooBter or Commissary-general Trumbull took any steps for either the arrest of the offenders or a suppression of the offences. and properly disciplined * -- adding fuel to the flame of discord, which, on more than one occasion, required all the good judgment and determination …

It will be remembered that, on Monday, the twentyfirst of October, the Right and Centre of the Royal Army were moved to a position, on the road leading to the White Plains, about two miles to the northward of New Rochelle ; and that Lieutenant-general Heister, with the Left of the Army, consisting of one Brigade of British and two Brigades of Hessian troops, moved forward and …

Taking counsel of his experience, General Howe ordered Lieutenant-general Heister, with the Left of the Army, to join in the movement ; and, on Thursday, the twenty-fourth, and on Friday, the twenty-fifth, of October, the main body of the Royal Army was moved from the positions on which it had rested, for several days, towards Scarsdale. 12 It moved in two * Reed's Life of …

columns, with great caution ; l and, on the twenty-fifth of October, when the heads of the columns reached Scarsdale, after their two days' march, they were halted; and the Army encamped in a line which was parallel with the Bronx-river and with the line of march, on the opposite side of that little stream, on which General Lee, with his heavily laden column; was transporting …

In his letter to the President of the Congress, dated "Head-quarters, " White-Plains, 25 October, 1776," Colonel Robert H. Harrison, General Washington's Secretary, stated that "about two o'clock this afternoon, " intelligence waB brought to Head-quarters, that three or four detach- " ments of the enemy were on their murch, and had advanced within ' ' about four miles of this …

The failure of General Washington to obtain information of the movements of the King's troops, of which so many instances have been seen, was nowhere more evident than in the instance now under consideration- -one of the reasonable results of the outrages to which the inhabitants had been subjected, by both the Congresses and the Committees, on the one hand, and by the …

His object seems to have been to avoid " skirmishing, and to bring: on a general action, if that could be effected " under favorable circumstances ; if not, he knew well the approaching " dissolution of the American Army, and calculated, not without reason, " to derive from that event nearly all the advantages of a victory. He " proceeded, therefore, slowly. His marches were …

ever may have been thought and said of his failure to cross the Bronx and to attack the heavily laden column commanded by General Lee, the maxims of military science, at that time, forbade a movement towards the White Plains, then, leaving his left flank and his rear exposed to the three Divisions commanded, respectively, by Generals Lee, Spencer, and Lincoln. 3 There was a …

Notwithstanding the silence of General Howe, concerning his purpose in moving his command to Scarsdale, instead of to the White Plains, there is reason for supposing that it was done for the purpose of cutting off the column commanded by General Lee, before it could join the main body; that preparations for the movement, on the following morning, were made on the afternoon and …

4 In a letterwhich was written by an Officer of the Koyal Army, dated on the tenth of November, and printed in The Middlesex Journal and Evening Advertiser, No. 1209, London : From Saturday, December 21, to Tuesday, December 24, 1776, will be found our authority for what we have said of the purposes of General Howe, of his preparations for carrying out those purposes, and of …

At length, all the necessary preparations having been completed, early in the morning of Monday, the twenty-eighth of October, the Royal Army struck its tents, in the encampment, at Scarsdale, which it had occupied since the preceding Friday; and, iu two columns, right in front, it moved towards the White Plains. 1 The right column, which was composed mostly of British troops …

its arrival at the White Plains, at ten o'clock on the following morning, were in entire harmony with what was stated by the British Officer, through The Middlesex Journal. 1 General Howe to Lord George Germame, " New-York, 30 November, "1776 ;" [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 207 ; Stedman's History of the American War, i., 212 : Gordon's History of the …

5 General Howe to Lord George Gei-maine, ' ' New-York, 30 November, " 1776 ; " [Hall's] History of the Civil War in Amei-ica, i., 207 ; Stedman's History of the American War, i., 212 ; Marshall's Life of George Washington, ii., 503 ; etc. 6 Extract of a letter from a Gentleman in the Army, dated ' ' Camp near "the Mills, about three miles North of "White -Plains, November *'l …

We have learned from the Retwns of the Killed, Wounded, and Missing, on that day, of Regiments who are known to have taken no part what - ever in the subsequent action on Chatterton's-hill, of what Regiments that force who met the King's troops, near Hart's-corners, was composed : it contained the Regiments commanded by Colonels Silliman, Selden, Sage, and Douglass-- the …

At first, they, " [the Hessians,] "fell back; but, rallying again, immediately, and the" [right] " column of British troops having advanced " upon our " [General Spencer's] "left, it became necessary" [for him] "to retire;" 10 taking the opportunity, " occasionally/ 7 to form behind the stone walls, on the line of his retreat, and to annoy those who pursued him 11 -- it has …

" North of White-Plains, November 1, 1776," we have already made extracts, stated that the command of General Spencer, on the occasion under notice, "consisted, in the whole of five or six hundred men;" but, on the third of November, five days 'after the engagement, the same Regiments reported an aggregate strength of four thousand, seven hundred, and ninety-six, of whom five …

Lieutenant colonel Tench Tilghman, one of the Aides of General Washington, in a letter to his father, dated "White-Plains, 31st Octo- " ber, 1776," said, "On Monday morning we rec d Information that the " Enemy were in Motion and in March towards our Lines, all our Men " were immediately at their Alarm Posts and about 2000 detached to give "the Enemy as much annoyance …

i* It was that Brigade, commanded by the same Colonel, Rail, who was captured at Trenton, in the following December; and we have ascertained the Regiments of whom it was composed, from the despatch of General Howe to Lcrd George Germaine, dated "New-York, December " 29, 1776," announcing that disaster to the Royal Army, to the Home Government, In the despatch of General …

After having described the retreat of the detachment of Americans and the pursuit by the Brigade of Hessians, the rush of the former for the ford and the anxiety of the fugitives to pass the river, he said, " They," [the Americans,] " immediately entered the river and ascended "the hill; while I, being in the rear and mounted on "horseback, endeavored to hasten the last of our …

It is amusing to see Connecticut-men claim that these poltroons were those who fought the Battle and defended Chatterton's hill, without alluding to any other troops, unless without giving them credit for having done anything worthy of notice. (Letter from a Gentleman in ' the Army, " Camp neab the Mills, about three miles North from the "White Plains, November 1,1776;" …

On the left of the line of march of the Royal Army and on the western bank of the Bronx-river, which flowed through a marshy valley of some extent, at its base, arose the bold and rocky height which was known , then, and is still known, as " Chatterton's-hill." It is one of the range of high grounds, on the western side of the Bronx, on which the line of entrenched encampments …

6 Memoir of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, prepared by himself, 14. 6 Our personal knowledge of the ground is our authority for this description of it. Stedman, in his History of the American War, (i., 214,) attempted to qualify that fact -- " it rose so gradually from the Bronx," he said, " that " its crest was not within random cannon-shot, as was proved by many " of our …

7 Because a portion of General Lincoln's Division, with all of that or General Spencer, had been detached from the main body of the Army, and sent forward, with orders to occupy all the high grounds, between Valentine's-hill and the White Plains, and to strengthen them with entrenchments ; and because the Regiment commanded by Colonel Brooks formed a portion of one of the …

We are not insensible that words employed by Colonel Harrison, in his letter to the President of the Congress, dated " White- Plains, 29 "October, 1776," have been construed to mean that troops had been sent down, on the morning of the tweuty-eighth of October, " with a view of" "throwing up some lines," on Chatterton's-hill ; and that the biographer of Colonel Rufus Putnam …

It appears that Colonel Haslet's command was the first of the reinforcements to reach the hill ; z and it is very probable that it was either that Eegiment or that commanded by Colonel Brooks or both, together, on the summit of the high ground, on his right, which led Colonel Eall to check his Hessian Eegiments, in their pursuit of the fugitive New Englanders, and to occupy …

But there is nothing inconsistent with either of these statements, if not distorted, in what we have written concerning the probable pre-occupation of Chatterton's-hill by the Eegiment of Massachusetts Militia commanded by Colonel John Brooks. It is very evident that whatever defensive works there may have been on the hill, at the time of the engagement, if there were any …

As the Delaware Regiment commanded by Colonel Haslet, was of the Brigade commanded by General Lord Stirling, and was ordered by General Washington "to take possession of the hill and the command of " the Militia Regiment there posted ; which was done," of which there has been no question ; and since the Brigade which was commanded by Oeneral McDougal subsequently moved up the …

3 " Colonel Rail . . . took possession of it, with great alacrity, to " the approbation of Lieutenant-general Heister, who was acquainted with " this movement by Sir William Erskine," the Quartermaster-general of the British Army.-- (General Howe to Lord George Germaine, ' ' New-York, " 30 November, 1776.") It will be seen, from that paragraph, that the action of Colonel Rail …

But the bright designs of God, concerning America, were widely different from those of men ; the future of those thirteen new-born members of the community of nations, in His purposes, was not dependent on the result of an assault on the improvised lines of defense, on the high grounds, in the vicinity of the White Plains ; and the powerful arm which was already uplifted and …

4 Colonel Robert H. Harrison to the President of the Congress, " White- " Plains, 29 Octobor, 1776." 6 Speech of General Howe before a Committee of the House of Commons, April 29, 1779-- Almon's Parliamentary Register, Fifth Session, Fourteenth Parliament, xii., 324; Narrative of Lieutenant-general Sir William Howe, 6. 6 General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "New-Toek, 30th …

The force, on the summit of Chatterton's-hill, which had thus, insensibly, arrested the progress of the Royal Army, in its movement against the Eight and Center of the American lines, was, of course, that of whom we have already made mention -- the Regiments commanded, respectively, by Colonels Brooks and Haslet, the Brigade commanded by General McDougal not having reached the …

On the left of the Marylanders, was posted the Delaware Regiment, proud of its name of " The Blue Hen's Chickens," whom Colonel Haslet commanded : the remainder of General McDougal's Brigade, composed of the First Regiment ofthe New York Line, formerly commanded by Colonel McDougal, at that time, by one of its Captains, whose name was not recorded; the Third Regiment ofthe …

» Colonel Haslet to General Cmar Rodney, "November 12, 1776;" Captain Hull's unpublished Memoir of his Revolutionary Services, quoted in Campbell's Revolutionary Services and Civil Life of General William HuU, by his daughter, 54, 55 j etc. < Colonel Carrington, (Battles of the American Revolution, 240,) was at some pains to introduce Colonel Morris Graham, of the New York …

The cannonade of the little party, on Chatterton'shill, was continued by the Hessian Artillerists, without cessation, while the General Officers, it is said, 6 assembled in Council, without having dismounted ; and it is probable that the noisy demonstration, so very characteristic of Germans, in their use of gunpowder, was continued, with unabated ardor, until the movement of …

No one has pretended that the Adjutant-general of the Army was on Chatterton's-hill, on that eventful Monday ; but he must have been there, if Colonel Carrington is correct, since it was he who accused Colonel Graham of cowardice, on which Colonel Carrington has based his favor to the bashful New-Yorker. 6 It is a notable fact that, notwithstanding all which has been written …

7 There is, evidently, considerable exaggeration in what was written of that cannonade, by " a Gentleman in the Army," in his letter, already resorted to, dated " Camp near the Mills, about three miles North " of the White Plains, November 1, 1776 ; " but we make room for it. " The scene was grand and solemn ; all the adjacent hills smoked, as " though on fire, and bellowed …

A very near connection, by marriage, of our own family, then living where what was, lately, Hall's Tavern, at Hall's-corners, now known as Elmsford, on the road leading from the White Plains to Tarrytown, told ub, many years ago, that he heard that severe cannonade, and saw the smoke occasioned by it, and very clearly remembered it ; and, as may be reasonably supposed, under …

With that purpose in view, the main body of the Royal Army was ordered to rest on its arms, on the Plain, within a mile, and in open sight, from the American lines ; orders were issued for a Battalion of Hessians to pass over the Bronx-river, 1 supported by the Second Brigade of British troops, composed of the Fifth, Twenty-eighth, Thirty-fifth, and Forty-ninth Begiments of …

Bancroft, who has enjoyed unusual opportunities for acquiring information on the subject of the German mercenaries, has said, (History of the United Statee, original edition, ix.,181 ; centenary edition, v., 444,) that that forlorn-hope was composed of the Lossberg Battalion ; but if, as he has conceded on another page, that Battalion was a portion of the Brigade commanded by …

That Battalion of Hessians who formed the forlorn-hope continues to be, to us, a subject on which we need and seek for further information, especially since it was definitely and very reasonably stated in The Annual Register for 1776, (History of Europe, *178,) that it was one of the Battalions of the Brigade commanded by Colonel Donop ; in which The History of the War in …

A bright autumnal " sun shed its full lustre on their polished arms; and " the rich array of dress and military equipage gave an " imposing grandeur to the scene, as they advanced, in " all the pomp and circumstances of War, to give us "battle;" 3 and, with the main bodies of the two armies, each resting on its arms, anxious spectators of the scene, 4 the Battalion of Hessians …

It is probable that the little river, where the assaulting party attempted to pass it, was deeper than elsewhere, above or below that place, as it has been, during the entire period of our personal knowledge of the locality ; and the Hessian forlorn-hope, consequently, found "some difficulty in passing" the stream ; 5 but it struggled successfully, and evidently reached the …

Concerning the same subject, General Heath, who was on the oppositeextremity of the line of the main body, wrote, ( Memoirs, 78,) "The sun "shone bright; their arms glittered; and, perhaps, troops were never " shown to more advantage, than these now appeared." « General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "New- York, 30 November, "1776; " [Hall's] History of the Civil War in …

It is very probable that it was that accidental separation of the Begiments composing the Bupport of the Hessian forlorn-hope, and the consequent assault on the Americans in three distinct movements, which led Captain Hull, (in Campbell's Revolutionary Services and Civil Life of General William Hull, 65,) to suppose the assault had been originally ordered to be made, in that …

With the exception of a single man, who " was prevailed upon to tread out the blaze and col- " lect the shot," " all the Artillery-men fled," leaving Colonel Haslet and the field-piece entirely unsupported ; but it appears that some of these later fugitives returned ; made a couple of discharges on the enemy ; and then retired, " with the field-piece," not to be seen again …

Bui General Howe's despatch to Lord George Gerniaine left no room for doubting, and clearly indicated that the troops forded the stream ; Sau thicr's Plan of the Operations, etc., (the BritiBh official Map,) clearly in dicatedthat the Royal troops crossed the river at " Tho Ford," designated on the Map ; The Plan of Hie Country from Frog's Point to Cioton River, (General …

With the story of the bridge, other similarly groundless stories for which that phantom bridge had afforded foundations, notwithstanding the effect with which they have been related by their inventor, also vanish as the reader will shortly see. * Mr. Irving, subsequently, explained to us, personally, how he had fallen into the error ; and requested us to pay no respect to the …

The Twenty-eighth and Thirty-fifth Regiments were the first portion of the supporting party who succeeded in crossing the river ; 2 and they moved from the ford, along the road which has more recently been known as " The Mill-lane," extending between the base of Chatterton's-hill and the bank of the Bronx, until they had reached a point which was opposite to the right of the …

On that portion of the American line which was exposed to that assault, on its front, as well as to the movement of the Hessian Brigade commanded by Colonel Rail, who had been ordered to charge on its right flank, simultaneously with the movement on its front, 1 Colonel Haslet to General Ceesar Rodney, " November 12, 1776." Among the creations of John C. Hamilton's very able …

Generals Washington, Howe, CornwalliB, Robertson, and Heath, and Captains Harris and Hall, all of whom witnessed tho action and described it, and Gordon, Stedman, Marshall, and Sparks, all of them standard historians, whose advantages for acquiring accurate information were in nowise neglected, were uniformly and rigidly silent on the subject of the alleged services of Captain …

SSauthier's Plan of the Operations of the King's Army, etc. General Heath, an eye-witness, said, that, after they had " forded the "river " they "marched along, under the cover of the hill, until they " had gained sufficient ground to the left of the Americans, when, by "facing to the left," etc.-- (Memoirs, 78.) tGeneral Howe to Lord George Germaine, "New-Yobk, 30 November, " …

There was no Artillery to hurl destruction on either of the assailants : since, by that time, the Delaware Regiment, immediately on their left, was confronted by the Fifth and Forty-ninth Regiments, who had also crossed the river and were climbing the hill-side, "zealous to distinguish themselves," there was no support for the hard-pressed " Maccaronis " and their New York …

It is recorded that the Regiment of Militia, commanded by Colonel Brooks, notwithstanding the shelter afforded by the stone wall, " fled in confusion, "without more than a random, scattering fire;"' 3 leaving the Marylanders and New-Yorkers, alone and unsupported; and it also recorded that these lastnamed Regiments advanced to the brow of the hill, meeting their assailants …

2 We have found no mention of the movement of the Regiment commanded by Colonel Ritzema for tbe aupport of the Regimonts commanded by Colonel Brooks and Smallwood, on the right of the line ; but it is reasonable that support was needed, there ; and there is sat isfactory evidence that Colonel Eitzema and his command were really there, during the action: we shall not stop to …

Very closely after the Twenty-eighth and Thirty-fifth, the Fifth and Forty-ninth Regiments also forded the Bronx ; and moved to the positions which had been assigned to them, respectively ; and climbed up the side of the hill ; ' and assaulted the position which was occupied by " The Blue Hen's Chickens " -- the Regiment of Delaware troops, commanded by Colonel Haslet -- " …

" our men to give way."-- (Colonel Robert H. Harrison to the President of the Congress, " White-Plains, October 29, 1776.") " After a very smart engagement for fifteen or twenty minutes, they "obliged our men to give way."-- (Colonel Robert H. Harrison to General Schuyler, "White Plains, November 1, 1776.") " The Militia Regiment fled * * Colonel Smallwood, in a quarter "of an …

But the action was, also, not confined to the assaults on nor to the defences of the right and center of the Americans, on the top of that notable hill.- The four Eegiments composing the Brigade commanded by General Leslie, were soon followed, "with the " greatest alacrity and in the best order," through the river, at the ford, and up the Mill-lane, and up the eastern face of …

But the records indicate that all those of the two feeble Regiments who were present on the field, performed their duty satisfactorily to the Commander-in-chief; 5 and, we are told that, when an effort was made by the assailants to turn the left of the line, a detachment from Colonel Webb's Regiment, commanded by Captain William Hull, defeated the attempt, with spirit and …

As the fire of the Hessian Artillerists had been suspended when the assailants had commenced to ascend the hill, it is very evident that, when Colonel Donop, the last to reach the ground, assaulted the left of the American line, there was no artillery on the hill, in front of him, mounted and effective. 5 General McDougal complained of Colonel Webb ; but, in General Orders …

It is doubtful if any who were not too much disabled to be removed, were taken prisoners ; all who were able to move off the hill, moved off, by the left flank, by way of the road which led from the White Plains to Dobbs's ferry 9 -- they moved sullenly, 10 " in a great body, neither run- " ning nor observing the best order," " covered by a portion of the Delaware Regiment 12 …

Brooks to the President of the Court Murtitd for the tr'uil of General Hull,' "Boston, February i, 1814." 7 "The gaining of this important post took up a considerable time, ' "which was prolonged by the enemy's still supporting a broken and " scattered engagement, in defence of the adjoining walls and hedges." [fences/]-- (The Annual Register for 1776, History of Europe …

9 Our own knowledge of the ground and its approaches enabled uh to make the statement which appears in the text ; and, by a reference to A Plan of the Country from Frog^s Point to Croton River, the reader may see the evidence of the accuracy of that statement. 10 Letter from the White Plains, dated October 28, 1776, at two o'clock, : P.M., published in The Pennsylvania Evening …

" Hessian Grenadiers," [those wlw had assaulted the left of the Americans,] ' " were ordered forward, upon the heights, within cannon-shot of the " entrenchments, the Bronx, from its winding course, being still between WESTCHESTER COUNTY. prepared his dinner, for the purpose of doing which he tore down and burned a barn which belonged to John Hunt, on property, on the western …

" them and the enemy's," [(fee American's,] "right flank; tha Second "Brigade of British," [those who had assaulted the fronts of the right and centre of the Americans,'] "formed in the rear of the Hessian Grena- "diers; and the two Brigades of Hessians, on the left of the Second " Brigade, with their left upon the road leading from Tarrytown to the "White Plains "--that is to …

The Regiments of whom we And mention, as we have already stated, were those commanded, respectively, by Colonels Silliman, Selden, Sage, and Douglass (the latter commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Arnold,) all belonging to the Brigade commanded by General Wadsworth ; the Regiment commanded by Colonel Chester, of the Brigade commanded by Colonel Sargent ; the Regiments commanded …

ive Officers and Privates. 1 The strength of all the force which was directed against that feeble body of men cannot be definitely ascertained, since the Hessian Artillerists, on the eastern bank of the river, whose fire was, certainly, to some extent, effective, were clearly as much a portion of that antagonistic force as those who crossed the river and assaulted the position …

Colonel Douglass's. . Lieut.-Col. Ely's ... Colonel Holman's . . Total November 3. Regiments. u a a ej to f, +3 at .a a et -M .a 15 "o 'S-a o a. o o o a o •2 a. o u fa o a o a o t. I 1 fi Colonel Sillimai/s . . . 376) 418 477| 521 Colonel Selden's. . 478; 541 Colonel Douglass's. . . 465 526 Colonel Chester's . . . Colonel Baldwin's . . . Colonel Douglass's. . . Lieut.-Col …

It will be seen that five hundred and sixty Officers, Staff, non-commissioned Officers and Musicians, and two thousand and seventy-six Privates, present and fit for duty, survived the hazards of the engagement, and had returned to the Camp, five days after the Battle ; and the reader will readily perceive that our estimate of the effective strength of the detachment on the …

twenty-first of September, the fifth of October, and on the third of November-- the laBt, five days after the Battle,-- were as follows: September 21. Regiments. m © & ? s & a -a s ctf a a ■2 a O d a o h o Uh <2 Colonel Small wood's . '60 ft Late Col. McDougal's ) First New-York Beg't. f Colonel Webb's October 5. Hegiments. « o a i 3 E S « 1° 1? a & c3 a -a a S3 s a a f fa pi …

It will be seen that three hundred and forty Officers, Staff, non-commissioned Officers, and Musicians, and one thousand, four hundred, and forty-two Privates, present and fit for duty, survived the Battle, and, five days after that event, were returned as effective. The losses which they had sustained, in the action, and the probable absence, of some, on that occasion, must …

The loss sustained by the Americans was not as great as was, at first, supposed 2 -- the return to the Camp of the greater number of the fugitive New Engenders reduced the supposed losses from " between " four or five hundred in killed, wounded, and miss- " ing," which was the first estimate, to twenty-two killed, twenty-four wounded, and one missing, in the detachment …

1 General Howe was silent concerning the numerical strength of the force which he had thus employed ; and none of the British authorities were any more communicative. Stedman, however, (History of the American War, i., 215,) clearly intimated that the force which was required to take and occupy Chatterton's-hill, when diverted for that purpose, bo greatly weakened the Boyal …

Harrison, the Secretary of General Washington, to the President of the CoDgress, dated " White- " Plains, 29 October, 1776," with General Washington's letter to the same, dated ** White-Plains, 6 November, 1776," in the latter of which he said, "I am happy to inform you, that, in the engagement on Mon- " day se'nnight, I have reason to believe our loss was, by no means, so " …

vates, missing 1 -- among those who were killed were Captains Bracco and Scott, of Colonel Smallwood's Regiment; and, among those who were wounded, were Colonel Smallwood and Lieutenants Goldsmith and Waters, of the same Regiment. 2 General Howe reported to the Home Government, evidently including all who were captured in Westchester-county, that one Captain, two Lieutenants …

to a> ft. m o > ■c ft. Total, as far as reported 1G Doctor Pine, in his letter to James Tilghman, dated "Camp at tiu: "White-Plains, November 7, 1776," Said, " the number of killed and "wounded, as the reportis, in the Camp, amounts only to about ninety ; " but from the wounded I saw, myself, in the hospital and adjacent " houses, there must, at least, be an hundred and thirty …

15 In General Leslie's Eeturn, no mention was made of a Field-officer of the Fifth Regiment having been wounded. * In General Leslie's Return of Officers wounded, Captain Massey's name is among those of the Lieutenants, although the tabular statement returns him as a Captain, in which it agrees with General Howe's Keport. He was a Captain-Lieutenant. 7 In General Leslie's …

As far as our knowledge of it extends, history is wholly silent, concerning the influences which controlled General Washington and concerning the objects which he had in view, when he determined to occupy Chatterton's-hill, with so large a proportion of his already feeble and uncertain Army, including three of the best, if not the best three, of his Regiments; 11 and …

It could hardly be considered, therefore, with any degree of propriety, as anything else than a detached and independent position, formmissioned and Non-commissioned Officers, Rank and File, Killed, Wounded, and Missing, etc., appended to his despatch to Lord George Germaine, dated "New-York, 3 December, 1776." We have compared it with the Return of tlie Killed and Wounded of …

We have no meaus for ascertaining their exact losses, on the twenty-eighth of October. 11 We are not insensible that Stedman, in his History of the American War, (I., 214,) said " the reason of their " [tfie Americans,] "occupying " this posture," [on ChaUerton' s-hill,] " is inexplicable; unless it be that "they could not be contained within the works of their Camp;" but the …

But General Washington had evidently planned better than he knew ; and, in the providence of God, some results which were more beneficial to the Americans than any which he had conceived and hoped for, were unquestionably derived from that seemingly unpromising experiment of occupying and holding that exceedingly exposed position, on the western bank of the Bronx ; among which …

All these, among other not much lessimportant results, although they were probably hidden from General Washington, when he devised and ordered the movement, were, unquestionably, among the results, in America, of that " inexplicable " occupation of Chatterton's-hill, on the morning of the twenty-eighth of October, 1776 : with the results, in Europe, of that occupation, we have …

Uarrimn to the President of the Congiess, dated "White-Plains, October 29, 1776 ; " the Letter to a Gentleman in Annapolis, dated "White-Plains, October ■' 2'J, 1776," published in The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1771, Philadelphia, Wednesday, November la, 1776 ; the Letter from the Camp, dated White-Plains, October 29, 1776, published in The Freeman' s Journal, or yew-Hampshire …

Harrison's letter to Governor Trumbull, dated " White-Plains, "November 6, 1776;" Colonel Haslet's letter to General Csesar Rodney, dated "November 12, 1776;" Doctor Pine's letter to James Tilglvman, dated "Camp at the White-Plains, November 7,1776;" General Howe's despatch to Lord George Germame, dated " New- York, November "30, 1776;" the Letter of William Harrison to the …

Hil liard d'Auberteuil ; Andrews's History of the War with America, France, Spain, and Holland; Soules's Histoire des Troubles de VAmerique Anglaise ; Gordon's History of the American Revolution ; Ramsey's History of the American Revolution ; Murray's Impartial History of the War in America ; Stedman's History of the War in America; Memoirs of Major-general Heath ; Chas et …

Bronx ; and that it had been halted, within a mile of the American lines, to enable a heavy detachment of both British and Hessian troops to dispossess a body of American troops who had occupied Chatterton'shill, and who appeared to menace the left flank and rear of the Left, in its proposed movement against the American lines. 1 The result of that assault on Chatterton's-hill …

We have been told that the advancing column was dred and seventy-six ; Campbell's Revolutionary Services and Civil Life of General William Hull; Hinnian's Historical Collection of the part sustained by Connecticut, during the War of the Revolution ; Logging's Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution ; Hildreth'B History of the United States of America; Irvillg'B Life of George …

New-York : 1867 ; Drake's Life and Correspondence of Henry Knox, Major-general m the Revolutionary Army; Jones's History of New York during the Revolutionary War, and de Lancey's Notes on that work ; Bancroft's History of the United States, both the original and the centenary editions ; Bolton's History of WestcheMer-county, both editioDB ; Tarbox's Life of Israel Putnam …

led by a detachment of about twenty Light Dragoons, capering and brandishing their sabres, who leaped the fence of a wheat-field, situated at the foot of the hill on which the Regiment commanded by Colonel Malcolm had been posted. 6 The horsemen evidently supposed the hill was unoccupied ; and, it is probable, they expected to turn the flank of the American lines, and to …

It is undoubtedly true that the delay which was produced by the halt of the Royal Army, on the Plain, was the salvation of the American Army, within the lines ; since it afforded time for strengthening the works behind which the latter was, then, posted, and for preparing it for falling back, soon afterwards, and occupying another position, which would be more defensible and …

9 In the Return of die Killed, Wounded, and Missing, of the Royal Army, appended to General Howe's despatch to Lord George Germaine, dated "New- York, 3 December, 1776," it was stated that the only one of either of the two Regiments of the Light Dragoons then in America, who was killed, from the nineteenth to the twenty-eighth of October, inclusive, was one Rank and File, of …

The stony soil prevented the ditch from being made of any troublesome depth or the parapet of a troublesome height : the latter was not fraised : only where it was least needed -- probably because the construction of it, elsewhere, had been interfered with -- was there the slightest appearance of an abatis. 1 There was little foundation, therefore, for General Howe's …