Lossing, Benson John. The Hudson, from the Wilderness to the Sea. New York: Virtue & Yorston, 1866. Internet Archive identifier: hudsonfromwilder00lossi. Illustrated travel-history of the Hudson River valley by the writer and artist Benson J. Lossing, whose chapter on Teller's / Croton Point is a primary source for Senasqua place-name etymology, Sarah Teller's 1682 purchase, and the Underhill vineyard.
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Within a few years ignorant and credulous persons, misled by pretended seers in the clairvoyant condition, have dug in search of those treasures in several places near West Point ; and some, it is said, have been ignorant and credulous enough to believe that the almost mythical buccaneer had, by some supernatural power, mounted these rocks to the point where the projection is …
,3^S we passed the foot of Cro' Nest, wo caught pleasant glimpses of West Point, where the government of the United States has a military school, and in a few moments the whole outline of the promontory and the grand ranges of hills around and beyond it, was in full view. We landed in a sheltered cove a little above Camp Town, the station of United States troops and other …
Above whose dust she carves the deathless laurel, Wreathing the victor's sword. "And here the young cadet, in manly beauty, Bonie from the tents which skirt those rocky banks, Called from life's daily drill and perilous duty To these unbroken ranks " The most conspicuous object in the Cemetery is the Cadet's Monument, situated at the eastern angle. It is a short column, of …
Meanwhile let us turn our eyes southward, and from another point on the margin of the Cemetery, where a lovely shaded walk invites the strollers on warm afternoons, survey Camp Town at our feet, with "West Point and the adjacent hills. In this view we see the Old Landingplace, the road up to the plateau, the Laboratory building?, the Siege Battery, the Hotel, near the remains …
The afternoon sun was falling full upon the mouldering ruin, and the chaotic mass of rocks beneath it; while the clear blue sky and white clouds presented the whole group, with accompanying evergreens, in the boldest relief. Making our way back, by another but more difficult path, along the foot of the steep acclivity, we soon stood upon the broken walls of Fort Putnam, 500 …
Toward the left loomed up the lofty Mount Taurus, vulgarly called Bull Hill, at whose base, in the shadow of a towering wall of rock, and in the THE HUDSON. midst of grand old trees, nestles Under Cliff, then the home of Morris, whose songs have delighted thousands in hoth hemispheres. On the extreme left arose old Cro' Nest ; and over its right shoulder lay the rugged range …
mountain is quite steep for many yards, and then slopes gently to the plain ; while on its western side, a perpendicular wall of rock, fifty feet in height, would have been presented to the enemy. Eedoubts were also built upon other eminences in the vicinity. These 'being chiefly earth works, have been almost obliterated by the action of storms ; and Fort Putnam was speedily …
The winding road from the fort to the plain is quite steep much of the way, but is so well wrought that carriages may safely traverse it ; and the tourist is led by it to one of the loveliest of river and mountain views northward from the Point, in front of the residences of Mr. Weir, the eminent artist, and other professors employed in the Military Academy. Passing along the …
cannon were housed, and no gunners were near, yet the works appeared formidable. They were composed of gabions, covered with turf, soft and even as fine velvet. The battery commands one of the most pleasing views from the Point, comprising Constitution Island, Mount Taurus, and Break Neck on the right ; Cro' Nest and the Storm King on the left ; and ten miles of the river …
THE HUDSON. the river at the narrowest place, just above Gee's Point (the extreme rocky end of West Point) and Constitution Island. It was laid across a boom of heavy logs, that floated near together. These were 1 6 feet long, and pointed at each end, so as to offer little resistance to the tidal currents. The chain was fastened to these logs by staples, and at each shore by …
and other buildings of the institution, with some of the officers' quarters and professors' residences on the extreme rights The earthworks of Fort Clinton have recently been restored, in their original form and general proportions, exactly upon their ancient site, and present, with the beautiful trees growing within their green banks, a very pleasant object from every point …
They were overtaken by the maiden's father, who made a violent attempt to seize his daughter. The young Polo was compelled either to slay the father or abandon the daughter. He chose the latter, and obtaining the permission of his sovereign, he went to France, and there became a student in drawing and military science. In Paris he was introduced to Dr. Franklin, and, fired …
After the Empress Catherine died, the Emperor Paul liberated him, offered him command in the Russian service, and presented him with his own sword. He declined it, saying, " T no longer need a sword, since I have no longer a country to defend." He revisited the United States in 1797, when the Congress granted him land in consideration of his services. He afterwards lived in …
pedestal is of temple form, square, with a row of encircling stars upon its entablature, and a cannon, like a supporting column, at each corner. It was erected to commemorate a battle fought between a detachment of United States troops, under Major Francis L. Dade, and a party of Seminole Indians, in the Everglades of Florida, on the 28th of December, 1835. The detachment …
The water now rises into a marble basin. Seats have n n THE HUDSON. been provided for visitors, ornamental shrubs have been planted, and the whole place wears an aspect of mingled romance and beauty. A deep circular indentation in the rock back of the fountain was made, tradition affirms, by a cannon-ball sent from a British ship, while the Polish soldier was occupying his …
The subject rested until 1802, when Congress made provision by law for such | an institution there. Yery little progress was made in the matter ixntil the year 1812, when, by another act of Congress, a corps of engineers and professors were organised, and the school was endowed with the most attractive features of a literary institution, mingled with that of a military …
Candidates for admission arc selected by the War Department at Washington city, and they are required to report themselves for examination to the superintendent of the academy between the first and twentieth day of June. None are admitted who are less than sixteen or more than twenty-one years of age, who are less than five feet in height, or who are deformed or otherwise …
The rules and regulations of the academy are very strict and salutary, and the instruction in all departments is thorough and complete. The road from the plain to the landing at AVest Point was cut from the steep rocky bank of the river, at a heavy expense to the government. The wharf is spacious, and there a sentinel was continually posted, with a slate and pencil, to record …
Following a winding road up the east bank of the river from this point, we came to a mill, almost hidden among the trees at the head of a dark ravine, through which flows a clear mountain stream, called Kedron Brook, wherefore, I could not learn, for there is no resemblance to Jerusalem or the Yalley of Jehoshaphat near. It is a portion of the beautiful estate of Ardenia, the …
The beautiful hues of the foliage of the maple, hickory, chestnut, birch, sassafras, and several other kinds of deciduous trees in the Northern and Middle Stales, seen just before the falling of the leaf in autumn, are almost unknown in Europe. A picture by Cropsey, one of the most eminent of living American landscape painters, in which this peculiarity of foliage was …
With what rare power !-- to where our awed soul kneels To Him who bade these splendours light the day. VV. C. Bensett. Erom the summit is a grand and extensive view of the surrounding scenery, which Dr. Dwight (afterwards President of Yale College) described, in 1778, as " majestic, solemn, wild, and melancholy." Dwight was then chaplain of a Connecticut regiment stationed at …
Qilajor Andre, Arnold's immediate accomplice in treasonable designs, had, in a personal interview, arranged the details of the wicked bargain, and left for New York. Arnold believed he had arrived there in safety, with all requisite information for Sir Henry; and that before "Washington's return from Connecticut, whither he had gone to hold a conference with Rochambeau and …
Horror-stricken, the poor young creature, but one year a mother, and not two a wife, swooned and sank senseless upon the floor. Arnold dare not call for assistance, but kissing, with lips blasted by words of guilt and treason, his boy, then sleeping in angel innocence and purity, he rushed from the room, mounted a horse, hastened to the river, flung himself into his barge, and …
deep sorrow evidently stirred his bosom. At the same time the condition of Mrs. Arnold, who was frantic with grief and apprehension, awakened his liveliest sympathies. "The general went up to see her," wrote THE INDIAN FALLS. Hamilton in describing the scene. " She upbraided him with being in a plot to murder her child, for she was quite beside herself. One moment she raved …
She was the traitor's second wife, and the daughter of Mr. Shippen, a loyalist of Philadelphia ; and she was only eighteen years of age at the time of her marriage to Arnold, while he was military governor of that city, in 1778. The child abovementioned was named James Robertson Arnold. He entered the British army, and rose to the rank of Colonel of Engineers. He was at one …
Highlands, comprehending the site of Forts Clinton and Montgomery -- the theatre of stirring and most, important events in the war for independence. From thence we passed along the brow of the declivity next the river, to the mansion of Ardenia, from which one of the finest views of "West Point may be obtained ; and then rode to Indian Brook, passing, on the way, the ancient …
At every turn of the brook, from its springs to its union with the Hudson, a pleasant subject for the painter's pencil is presented. Just below the bridge, where the highway crosses, is one of the most charming of these " bits." There, in the narrow ravine, over which the tree tops intertwine, huge rocks are piled, some of them covered with feathery fern, others with soft …
Among the most pleasing of these, in their relation to the surrounding scenery, are those of Dr. Moore, late President of Columbia College, and Mr. De Rham, a retired merchant. "We passed through their grounds on our way to Cold Spring village, and Avished for space, among our sketches of the Highland scenery, for pen and pencil pictures of charming spots upon these and the …
The first glimpse of Cold Spring village from the road is from the northern slope of an eminence thickly sprinkled with boulders, which commands a perfect view of the whole amphitheatre of hills, and the river winding among them. "We turned into a rude gate on the left, and followed a newly-beaten track to the brow of this eminence, on the southern verge of which Eossiter, the …
Below us we could hear the deep breathing of furnaces, and the sullen, monotonous pulsations of trip-hammers, busily at work at the "West Point Foundry, the most extensive and complete of the iron- works of the United States. Following a steep, stony ravine that forms the bed of a watercourse during rain-storms, we descended to these works, which lie at the head of a marshy …
The works then consisted of a moulding house ; i gun foundry ; tlu-ee THE HUDSON. honourable Gouverncur Kemble, an intimate and life-long friend of Irving and Paulding, and a former proprietor, withdrew from active participation in the business of the establishment several years ago, and is now enjoying life there in elegant retirement, and dispensing a generous hospitality …
The number of hands then employed was about 500. Sometimes 700 men were at work there. The establishment is conducted by Bobert P. Parrott, Esq., formerly a captain of Ordnance in tlie United States Army, and the inventor of the celebrated " Pan-ott gun," so extensively used, as among the best of the heavy ordnance, during the late Civil War-. These, with appropriate …
A late writer has justly said of " Undercliff " -- " It is a lovely spot -- beautiful in itself, beautiful in its surroundings, and inexpressibly beautiful in the home affections which hallow it, and the graceful and genial hospitality which, without pretence or ostentation, receives the guest, and with heart in the grasp of the hand, and truth in the sparkle of the eye, makes …
Between Cold Spring and West Point lies a huge rocky island, noAV connected to the main by a reedy marsh already referred to. It was called by the Dutch navigators Martelaer's Island, and the reach in the river between it and the Storm King, Martelaer's Rack, or Martyr's Reach. The word martyr was used in this connection to signify contending and struggling, as vessels coming …
in the sketch) are yet seen the remains of a heavy battery -- a part of Fort Constitution -- phxced there to protect the river obstructions. At the time of my visit, Constitution Island belonged to Henry Warner, Esq., the father of the gifted and popular writers, Susan and Anna B. AVarner.^' They resided in a pleasant cottage, near the southern border of the island. Its …
* " Miss Susan Warner," says Duyckiuck, in the " Cyclopsedia of American Literature," " made a sudden step into eminence as a writer, by the publication, in 1849, of ' The Wide, Wide World,' a novel in two volumes." Her second novel was " Queechy." She is also the author of a theological work entitled " The Law and the Testimony." Her sister is the author of " Dollars and …
There, ever since the house was opened for guests in 1849, Lieutenant-Gcneral Scott, the General-in-Chief of the American army, had made his head- quarters during the four or five warmer months of the year. It was a place of fashionable resort from June until October, and at times was overflowing with guests, who filled the mansion and the several cottages attached to it …
"We remember passing through that region before the hand of man was put forth for its redemption, and seeing the huge bouldei's -- the "wandering rocks" of the geologist -- strewn over the surface of the earth like apples beneath fruitful trees after an autumn storm. The change that had been wrought was marvellous. Another was about to take place. A few weeks after the visit …
and called " The Church of the Holy Innocents." For this pious purpose he devoted a portion of the money which he received from the United States Government for his picture of ' The Embarkation of the Pilgrims,' now in the Rotunda of the National Capitol. Divine service, according to the modified ritual of the Church of England, is held there regularly, and the seats are free …
Altogether Cozzens's and its surrouudings form one of the most attractive places on the Hudson to those who seek health and pleasure. At Cozzens's Dock we procured a waterman, who took us to several places of interest in the vicinity. The first was Buttermilk Palls, half a mile below, on the same side of the river. Here a small stream comes rushing down the rocks in cascades …
The latter have a grand and wild aspect when the stream is brimful, after heavy rains and the melting of snows. IPPEB CiSCiDts, B11TI.RMILK I ILL On the rough plain above is the village of Buttermilk Fall, containing over three hundred inhabitants. The country around is exceedingly rough and picturesque, especially in the direction of Fort Montgomery, three or four miles below …
Dock Gin" for sale, and that another sells " Paphian Lotion for beautifying the Hair." "VYe protest, in the name of every person of taste Avho travels upon the river and the road, against any disfiguring of the picturesque scenery of the Hudson Highlands, by making the out-cropping rocks of the grand old hills play the part of those itinerants who walk the streets of New York …
Here he kept his barge moored, and here he embarked on that flight which severed him for ever from the sympathies of his countrymen -- ay, of the world -- for those who ''accepted the treason, despised the traitor." His six oarsmen on that occasion, unconscious of the nature of the general's errand in such hot haste down the river, had their muscles strengthened by a promised …
Coffin, Esq.), and from the lawn in 'Jir^ front of his dwelling, which commands the finest view of the -p river and mountains in that vicinity, made the sketch of the ^ Lower Entrance to the Highlands. On the left is seen the Bonder Berg, over and behind which Sir Henry Clinton's army marched to attack Forts Clinton and Montgomery. On the right is Anthony's Nose, with the site …
There, during most of the war, was the head-quarters of important divisions of the revolutionary army, and there the British spy was hanged, concerning whom General Putnam * Peek's Kill Village was incorporafed in'lSlT. It is the most northerlj' place on the Hudson (being forty-one miles from New York), where business men in the metropolis reside. It is so sheltered by the …
At Peek's Kill we procured a waterman, wliose father, then eighty-five years of age, conveyed the writer across the King's Ferry, four or five miles below, twelve years before. The morning was cool, and a stiff breeze was blowing from the north. "We crossed the bay, and entered Eort Montgomery Creek (anciently Poplopen's Kill) between the two rocky promontories on which stood …
From the mill may be obtained a view of the promontories on each side of the creek, and of the lofty Anthony's Nose on the eastern side of the river, which appears in our sketch, dark and imposing, as we look toward the east. Fort Montgomery was on the northern side of the creek, and Fort Clinton on the southern side. They were constructed at the beginning of the war for …
He deceived General Putnam, then in command at Peek's Kill, by feints on that side of the river, at the same time he sent detachments over the Bonder Berg, under cover of a fog. They were piloted by a resident Tory or loyalist, and in the afternoon of the 6th of October, and in two divisions, fell upon the forts. The commanders of the forts had no suspicions of the proximity …
The Americans lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners, about three hundred. The British loss was about one hundred and forty. The contest ended with a sublime spectacle. Above the boom and chain the Americans had two frigates, two galleys, and an armed sloop. On the fall of the forts, the crews of these vessels spread their sails, and, slipping their cables, attempted to escape …
The whole was sublimely terminated by the explosions, which left all again in darkness." Early on the following morning, the obstructions in the river, which had cost the Americans a quarter of a million of dollars, continental money, were destroyed by the British fleet. Fort Constitution, opposite West Point, was abandoned. A free passage of the Hudson being opened, Vaughan …
More than thirty thousand tons of ice are annually shipped from this single depot. Ice is an important article of the commerce of the Hudson, from whose surface, also, immense quantities are gathered every winter. From the high bank above the ice depot, a very fine view of Anthony's Nose and the Sugar Loaf in the distance may be obtained. The latter name the reader will …
We crossed the river from Lake Sinnipink to Anthony's Nose, through the point of which the Hudson Eiver Railway passes, in a tunnel over two hundred feet in length. This is a lofty rocky promontory, whose summit is almost thirteen hundred feet above the river, and with the jutting point of the Donder Berg, a mile and a half below, gives the Hudson there a double curve, and the …
Now thus it happened, that bright and early in the morning, the good Anthony, having washed his burly visage, was leaning over the quarter railing of the galley, contemplating it in the glassy wave below. Just at this moment the illustrious sun, breaking in all his splendour from behind a high bluff of the Highlands, did dart one of his most potent beams full upon the …
Down the steep rocky valley between Anthony's Nose and a summit almost as lofty half a mile below, one of the wildest streams of this region flows in gentle cascades in dry weather, but as a rushing torrent during rain-storms or the time of the melting of the snows in spring. The Dutch called it Broclcen Kill, or Broken Creek, it being seen in "bits" as it finds its way among …
These are used by the serpent to give warning of its presence. Wlien disturbed, it throws itself into a coil, vibrates its rattles, and then springing, sometimes four or five feet, fixes its deadly fangs in its victim. It feeds on birds, rabbits, squirrels, &c. THE HUDSON. abounds. They are found in all parts of the Highlands, but in far less abundance than formerly. Indeed …
eleven propagation houses, and produced more grape and other fruit-plants than all other establishments in the United States combined. lona is upon the dividing line of temperature. The sea breeze stops here, and its effects are visible upon vegetation. The season is two weeks earlier than at Newburgh, only fourteen miles northward, above the Highlands. It is at the lower …
giving orders in Low Dutch, for the piping up of a fresh gust of wind, or the rattling off of another thunder-clap. That sometimes he has been seen surrounded by a crew of little imps, in broad breeches and short doublets, tumbling head over heels in tlie rack and mist, and playing a thousand gambols in the air, or buzzing like a swarm of flies about Anthony's Nose; and that …
as if she would have rolled her mast overboard, and seemed in continual danger, either of upsetting, or of running on shore. In this way she drove quite through the Highlands, until she had passed Pollopel's Island, where, it is said, the jurisdiction of the Donder Eerg potentate ceases. No sooner had she passed this bourne, than the little hat sprung up into the air like a …
Nicholas, whereupon the goblin threw himself up in the air like a ball, and went off in a whirlwind, carrying away with him the nightcap of the Dominic's wife, which was discovered the next Sunday morning hanging on the weather-cock of Esopus church steeple, at least forty miles off. Several events of this kind having taken place, the regular skippers of the river for a long …
Some speculator, as the story goes, at once conceived a scheme of fraud, for the success of which he relied on the average ignorance and credulity of mankind. It was boldly proclaimed, in the face of recorded history, that Captain Kidd's piratical vessel was sunken in a storm at this spot with untold treasures on board, and that one of his cannons had been raised. Eurthcr …
remains to tell the tale but the ruins of the coffer dam and the remains of the pumps, which may be seen almost on* a level with the surface of the river, at high water. The true history of the cannon found there is, probably, that it is one of several captured by the Americans at Stony Point, just below, in 1779. They attempted to carry the cannon on galleys (flat boats) to …
The river presented a smooth surface of strong ice, and winter, with all its rigours, was holding supreme rule in the realm of nature without. It was evening when I arrived at Peek's Kill -- a cold, serene, moonlight evening. Muffled in a thick cloak, and with hands covered by stout woollen gloves, I sallied out to transfer to paper and fix in memory the scene upon Peck's Kill …
The form of an iron furnace, iu deep shadow, on the southern side of the creek, was the only token of human labour to be seen in the view, except the cabin of the drawbridge keeper at my side. A little north of Peek's Kill Hollow, as the valley is called by the inhabitants, is another, lying at the bases of the rugged Highlands, called the Canopus Hollow. It is a deep, rich …
had been governor of the colony of New York, and was now a brigadier in the royal army, hated the Americans intensely. He really seemed-to delight in expeditions of this kind, having almost destroyed Danbury, in Connecticut, and East Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk, on the borders of Long Island Sound, in the same State. Now, after destroying the public stores and slaughtering …
The air was vocal with shouts and laughter; and when the swift ice-boat, with sails set, gay pennon streaming, and freighted with a dozen boys and girls, came sweeping gracefully towards the crowd, -- after making a comet-like orbit of four or five miles to the feet of the Bonder Berg, Bear Mountain, and Anthony's Nose, -- there was a sudden shout, and scattering, and merry …
The rear runner is worked on a pivot or hinge, by a tiller attached to a post that passes up through the platform, and thereby the boat is steered. The sails and rigging are similar to the common large sail-boat. The passengers sit iiat upon the platform, and with a good wind are moved rapidly over the ice, oftentimes at the rate of a mile in a minute. CHAPTEE XV. JN" my way …
They cut fissures in the ice, at right angles with the direction of the tidal currents, eight or ten yards in length, and about two feet in width, into which they drop their nets, sink them with weights, and stretching them to their utmost length, suspend them by sticks that lie across the fissure. Baskets, boxes on hand-sledges, and sometimes sledges drawn by a horse, are …
They are at the foot of au immense cliff of limestone, nearly 200 feet in height, immediately behind the kilns, and extend more than half a mile along the river. '^' The kilns were numerous, and in their management, and the quarrying of the limestone, about 100 men were continually employed. I saw them on the brow of the wooded cliff, loosening huge masses and sending them …
It is estimated that an acre of this limestone, worked down to the water level, will yield 600,000 barrels of lime, upon which a mean profit of 25 cents a barrel is the minimum Some of this limestone is black and variegated, and makes pleasing ornamental marbles. Most of it is blue. THE HUDSON. Many vessels are employed in caiTving away lime, limestone, and "gravel" …
southern verge of the limestone cliff, near Stony Point, and there sketched that famous, bold, rocky peninsula from the test spot where a view of its entire length may be obtained. The whole Point is a mass of granite rock, with patches of evergreen trees and shrubs, excepting on its northern side (at which we are looking in the sketch), where may be seen a black cliff of …
of the river, were captured from the Americans by Sir Henry Clinton, on the 1st of June of that year. Clinton commanded the troops in person. These were conveyed by a small squadron under the command of Admiral Collier. The garrison at Stony Point was very small, and retired towards West Point on the approach of the British. The fort changed masters without bloodshed. The …
Situated upon a high rocky peninsula, an island at high water, and always inaccessible dry-shod, except across a narrow causeway, it was strongly defended by outworks and a double row of abattis. "Upon three sides of the rock were the waters of the Hudson, and on the fourth was a morass, deep and dangerous. The cautious Washington considered ; when the impetuous Wayne …
In the face of this terrible storm the Americans made their way, by force of bayonet, to the centre of the works. Wayne was struck upon the head by a musket ball that brought him upon his knees. " March on! " he cried. "Carry me into the fort, for I will die at the head of my column ! " The wound was not very scyere, and in an hour he had sufficiently recovered to write the …
It was sunk by a shot from the Vulture, off Bonder Berg Point, and one of the cannon, as we have observed, raised a few years ago by accident, was supposed to have been brought up from the wreck of the ship of the famous Captain Kidd. Congress testified its gratitude to Wayne for his services by a vote of thanks for his " brave, prudent, and soldierly conduct," and also …
There was VEEPLANCK'S POINT, FEOJI STONY POINT LIGHTHOUSE. no poetry in the attempts to sketch two or three of the most prominent scenes ; and I resolved, when that task was accomplished, to abandon the amusement until the warm sun of spring should release the waters from their Boreal chains, clothe the earth in verdure, and invite the birds from the balmy south to build their …
GEASSr POINT AND 'JOHN MOUNTAIN. the time of Arnold's treason, in 1780 ; and hero were the head-quarters of Washington for some time in 1782. It was off this point that Henry Hudson first anchored the JIdf-Moon after leaving Yonkers. The Highland Indians flocked to the vessel in great numbers. One of them was killed in an afi'ray, and this circumstance planted ^the seed of …
That whiten by night the milky way ; There broader and burlier masses fall ; The sullen water buries them all : Flake after flake, All drowned in the dark and silent lake." The snow-shower soon passed by. The spires of Haverstraw appeared in the distance, at the foot of the mountain, and on the right was Treason Hill, with the famous mansion of Joshua Hett Smith, who was …
The lines of Longfellow were suggested and pondered. He says, -- " I like that ancient Saxon phrase which calls The burial-ground God's Acre ! It is just ; It consecrates each grave within its walls, And breathes a benison o'er the sleeping dust. " Cod's Acre! Yes, that blessed name imparts Comfort to those who in the grave have sown The seed that they had parner'd in their …
We have had occasion to allude to it several times already. •SMITHS IIOUSK, OX TEEASOX ' HILL. c Arnold was a brave soldier, but a bad man. He was wicked in boyhood, and in early manhood his conduct was marked by traits that promised ultimate disgrace. Impulsive, vindictive, and unscrupulous, he was personally unpopular, and was seldom without a quarrel with some of liis …
Fond of display, he there entered upon a course of extravagant living that was instrumental in his ruin.^ He made his head-quarters at the fine old mansion built by William Penn, kept a coach and four, gave splendid dinner parties, and charmed the gayer portions of Philadelphia society with his princely display, filis station and the splendour of his equipage captivated the …
»/Soon after Arnold joined the British Army, lie was sent with a considerable force npon a marauding expecKtion up the James Eiver, in Virginia. In an action not far from Richmond, the capital, some Americans were made prisoners. He asked one of them what his countrymen would do with him (Arnold) if they should catch him. The prisoner instantly replied, " Bury thMeg that was …
A year had elapsed since his accusation, and he expected a full acquittal) But for nine months the rank weeds of treason had been growing luxuriantly in his heart. (He saw no way to extricate himself from debt, and retain his position in the army. Por nine months he had been in secret correspondence with British officers in !N"ew YorkJ His pride was now wounded, his vindictive …
Hitherto he had pleaded the bad state of his wounds as an excuse for inaction ; now they healed rapidly. He appeared anxious to join his old companions in arms; and to General Schuyler, and other influential men, then in Congress, he expressed an ai'dent desire to be in the camp or in the field. They believed him to be sincere, and rejoiced. They wrote cheering letters to …
He at once communicated, in his disguised writing and commercial phraseology, under the signature of Gusfavus, his plan to Sir Henry Clinton, through Major Andre, whom he addressed as "John Anderson. '1 That plan we have already alluded to. Sir Henry was delighted with it, and eagerly sought to carry it out. He was not yet fully aware of the real character behind " Gustavus," …
A meetiug of Arnold and Andre was arranged.^ On the morning of the 20th of August, the latter officer left New York, proceeded by land to Dobbs's Perry, and from thence to the Vulture, where it was expected the traitor would meet him that night. The wily general avoided the great danger. He repaired to the house of Joshua Hett Smith, a brother to the Tory chief justice of New …
Smith led the officer to a thicket near the shore, and then, in a low whisper, introduced " John Anderson " to "Gustavus," who acknowledged himself to be Major-General Arnold, of the Continental Army. J There, in the deep shadows of night, concealed from human cognizance, with no witnesses but the stars above them, they discussed the dark plans of treason, and plotted the …
At that moment the sound of a cannon came booming over Haverstraw Bay from the eastern shore ; and within twenty minutes the Vulture was seen dropping down the river, to avoid the shots of an American gun on Teller's Point. To the amazement of Andre, s]ic disappcaredJ Deep inquietude stirred his spirit. He was within llie American lines, Avithout Hag or pass. If detected, he …
lleturning from tliia historical digression, I will recur to the narrative THE HUDSON. of the events of a winter's day on the Hudson, only to say, that after sketching the Lighthouse and Fog-bell structure upon Stony Point, I hastened to the river, resumed my skates, and at twilight arrived at Peek's Kill, in time to take the railway-car for home. I had experienced a tedious …
Eut here the birds and the early flowers were unseen ; the sceptre of the frost king was yet all-potent. The blue bird, the robin, and the swallow, our earliest feathered visitors from the south, yet lingered in their southern homes. Soon the clouds gathered and came down in warm and gentle rain ; the deep snows of northern New York melted rapidly, and the Upper Hudson and the …
It was a -welcome and delightful invitation to the fields and waters, and I hastened to the lower borders of the Highland region to resume my pen and pencil sketches of the Hudson from the wilderness to the sea. The air was as balmy as May on the evening of my amval at Sing Sing, on the eastern bank of the Hudson, where the State of New York has a large penitentiary for men …
extending from Teller's or Croton Point on the north, to the northern bluff of the Palisades near Piermont. The origin of the name is to be found in the word Sint-sinck, the title of a powerful clan of the Mohegan CROTON AQUEDUCT AT SING SING. or river Indians, who called this spot Os-sin-ing, from ossin, a stone, and ing, a place -- stony place. A very appropriate name. The …
On the southern borders of the village of Sing Sing is a rough group of small hills, called collectively Mount Pleasant. They are formed of dolomitic, or white coarse-grained marble, of excellent quality and almost inexhaustible quantity, cropping out from a thin soil in many places. At the foot of Mount Pleasant, on the shore of the rivei', is a large prison for men, with a …
They were made to work diligently all day, but in perfect silence, no recognition by word, look, or gesture, being allowed among them. The adoption of this system, in 1823, rendered the prison accommodation insufficient, and a new establishment was authorised in 1824. Mount Pleasant, near Sing Sing, was purchased, and in May, 1826, Captain Lynds, a farm agent of the Auburn …
one hundred cells, while the number of convicts was one hundred and fifty at that time. The ground occupied by the prisons is about ten feet above high-water mark. The main building, in which are the cells, is four hundred and eighty feet in length, forty-four feet in width, and five stories in height. Between the outside walls and the cells there is a space of about twelve …
A large portion of Tappan Bay, and the range of high hills upon its western shore, were then immersed in a thin purple mist, so frequently seen in this region on balmy afternoons in the spring and autumn. The prison bell rang as I was turning to leave the scene, and soon a troop of convicts, dressed* i^, the felon's garb, and accompanied by overseers, was marched towards the …
Fancy needlework, cheap pictures, and other ornaments, gave some of the cells an appearance of comfort ; but the wretchedly narrow spaces into which, in several instances, two of the convicts are placed together at night, because of a want of more cells, dispelled the temporary illusion that prison life was not so very uncomfortable after all. The household drudgery and …
When her turn for examination came, the justice, too accustomed to the sight of vicious persons to exercise much compassion, accosted her rudely, she having been picked up as a sti'eet wanderer, and accused of vagrancy. She told a simple, touching story of her wrongs and misery. Only a month before, she had been the innocent daughter of loving parents in Connecticut. She came …
She was compelled to bow to her fate, whilst the law, at that time, could not touch the author of her degradation, who further wronged her by foulest slander, to palliate his own wickedness. Justice was not then so kindly disposed towards the erring and unfortunate as now. There was no Magdalen refuge for her, and the magistrate, with almost brutal roughness, reproached her …
Years passed by. A cloud appeared. She suspected her husband to be in league with burglars and counterfeiters. She accused him inquiringly, and he confessed his guilt. She pleaded with him most tenderly, for the sake of herself and their three babes, to abandon his course of life. Her words were inejffectual. His vile associates became bold. His house became the receptacle of …
Meekly she performed her daily duties. There was a sweet sadness in her pale face. She was not a criminal in the eye of Divine justice ; she was a victim to be pitied -- the wreck of an innocent and beautiful girl. Surely there must be something radically wrong in the constitution of our society, that permits tender flowers to , be thus blasted and thus neglected, and become …
On returning to the village across the flelds northward of Mount Pleasant, I obtained a full view of Teller's or Croton Point, which divides Tappan from Haverstraw Bay, It is almost two miles in length, and was called Se-nas-qua by the Indians, and by the English, Sarah's Point, in honour of Sarah, wife of "William Teller, who purchased it of the Indians •for a barrel of rum …
Knowing how boisterous and blustering this first spring month generally is, I took advantage of the fine weather, and crossed Tappan Bay to Rockland Lake village (formerly Slaughter's Landing), opposite Sing Sing, the most extensive ice-station on the river. After considerable delay, I procured a boat and oarsman -- the former very leaky, and the latter very accommodating. The …
On its southeastern borders, excep ting where the village and ice-houses skirt it, are steep, rugged shores, "Westward, a fertile country stretches away many a niilc to rough hills and blue mountains. The lake is an ii-regular ellipse in form, half a mile in length, and three-fourths of a mile at its greatest width, and covers about five hundred acres. It is supplied by …
The crop averaged nearly two hundred thousand tons a-ycar ; and during the warm season, one hundred men were employed in conveying it to the river, and fifteen THE HUDSON. barges were used in transporting it to New York, for distribution there, and exportation. "We crossed the bay to Croton Point, visited the villa and vineyards of MOLTH 01 THE CROTON. Doctor XJnderhill, and …
When near the "High Bridge," at the old head of boat navigation, I obtained a most interesting view of the Mouth of the Croton, including Dover Kill Island near, the railwaybridge in the distance, and the high hills on the western shore of the Hudson in the extreme distance. The scenery thereabout is both picturesque and beautiful, and such is its character to the very sources …
Commissioners reported in favour of its use, though far away; and in May, 1837, the construction of an aqueduct from a point six miles from its mouth to the metropolis was begun. At the head of the aqueduct a dam was constructed, for the purpose of forming a fountain reservoir ^^ At the beginning of 1841 a flood, produced by a protracted rain-storm and melting snows, swept …
marked by culverts and arches of solid masonry, and its line may be observed at a distance by white stone towers, about fifteen feet in height, placed at intervals of a mile. These are ventilators of the aqueduct ; some of them are quite ornamental, as in the case of the one at Sing Sing, others are simple round towers, and every third one has a square base, with a door by …
Here was the "Croton Bridge" of revolutionary times, frequently mentioned in connection with military movements between New York and the Highlands ; and here is now the scene of most important experiments in the production of malleable iron from the ore, by a simple process, which, if successful, would produce a marked change in the iron manufacture. It is a process of …
the high margin of the stream, to the Van Cortlandt Manor House, passing the old Ferry House on the way, where a party of New York levies, under Captain Daniel "Williams, were surprised by some British horsemen in the winter of 1782. At the entrance gate to the mansion grounds, at twilight, I met Colonel Pierre Van Cortlandt, the present proprietor, and accepted his cordial …
landt (land), a term expressing the form of the ancient Duchy of Courland. Orloff emigrated to America, and settled in Xew Amsterdam (New York), and in 1697 his son Stephen purchased the large estate on the Hudson, afterwards known as the Yan Cortlandt Manor. By intermarriages, the Yan Coi'tlandts are connected with nearly all of the leading families of New York -- the …
In that bay, under the she]ter of Croton Point, Hendrick Hudson anchored the Half-Moon, on the evening of the first of October, 1609;! and such a resort were these waters for canvas-back ducks, and other water-fowl, that, as early as 1683, Governor Dongan came there to enjoy the sport of fowling. There, too, great quantities of shad were caught. But its glory is departed. The …
Under that roof the illustrious "Washington was a frequent guest when the army was in that vicinity ; and the parlour was once honoured by the presence of the immortal Franklin. There may be seen many mementoes of the past : the horns of a stag killed on the manor, when deer ran wild there ; the buttons from the yager coat worn by one of the captors of Andre ; a box made of …
THE HUDSON. 315 hunting or war. In a beautiful nook, a little east of the site of the fort, on the borders of Haunted Hollow, is the Kitcli-a-wan burying-ground. Around this locality hovers the memory of many a weird story of the early times, when the superstitious people believed that they often saw, in the groves and glens there, the forms of the departed red men. They …
May you have long life." He entered with her father, and the children peeped curiously in at the door. A morsel of food and a cup of cold water was placed upon the table, when Washington stepped forward, laid his hand upon the board, closed his eyes, and reverently asked a blessing, their father having, meanwhile, raised his hat from his head. "And here," said Mrs. Williams …
Prost, Esq., I climbed to the summit of Prickly Pear Hill (so called from the fact that a species of cactus, called Prickly Pear, grows there abundantly), almost five hundred feet above the river, from which may be obtained the most extensive and interesting views in all that region. From no point on the Hudson can be seen, at a glance, such a cluster of historic localities …
to Peek's Kill, Verplanck's and Stony Points, the theatres of important military events during the war for independence; Haverstraw, where Arnold and And)-e had their conference ; Teller's Point, off which the Vulture lay, and from which she received a cannonading that drove her down the river ; King's Ferry, where Andre crossed the Hudson ; the place of Pine's Bridge on the …
They yield a very fine oil. THE HUDSON. 31: iish, is often seen in large numbers, sporting in the summer sun. Here, in the spring, vast numbers of shad are caught while on their "way to spawning places in fresli-watcr coves ; and hero, at all seasons, most delicious fish may be taken in great abundance. All things considered, this is one of the most interesting points for a …
THE HUDSON. The drive from Sing Sing to King's Bridge at Spuyten Duyvil Creek, along the old post-road, is attractive at all seasons of the year, but more especially in spring and early summer, when the trees are in leaf, because of the ever-varying aspects of the landscape. Fine mansions and villa residences are seen on every side, where, only a few years ago, good taste was …
He was an active and efficient worker, and the satisfaction of his constituency was certified by their retaining him as their representative, by re-election, twelve out of eighteen consecutive years. He assisted in framing the present constitution of the State of New York, in 1846, and since then has declined invitations to public service. During the years 1859 and 1860, he …
Aspinwall, a wealthy New York merchant. Near it was the residence of General James Watson Webb, then the veteran editor and proprietor of the New York Courier and Inquirer, and well known, personally, and by reputation, in both hemispheres as a gentleman of rare abilities as a journalist. At the beginning of the Civil War, General Webb was appointed resident minister at the …
Kill, or Sleepy Haveu Creek, and the valley in the .vicinity of the old church, through which it flowed, Slaeperigh Uol, or felecpy Hollowy the scene of Washington Irving's famous legend of that name. The little old churchHs a curiosity. It ■^as huilt, says an inscription upon a small marble tablet on its front, by "Frederic Philips and Catharine Van Cortland, his wife, in …
SLEEPY HOLLOW BEIDGE, Crane, a Connecticut schoolmaster, instructed "tough, wrong-headed, * " Over a deep, black part of the stream, not far from the church," says Mr. Ir\-iiig, in his " Legend of Sleepy Hollow," " was formerly tlirown a wooden bridge ; the road that led to it, and the biidge itself, were thickly shaded by overhanging trees, which cast a gloom about it even in …
He found a rival in his suit in stalwart, bony Brom Van Brunt, commonly known as Brom Bones. Jealousies arose, and the J)utchman resolved to drive the Yankee schoolmaster from the country. J r Strange stories of ghosts in Sleepy Hollow were believed by all, and by none more implicitly than Ichabod. The chief goblin seen there was that of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been …
" If I can but reach that bridge," thought Ichabod, "I shall be safe." Just then he heard the black steed panting and blowing close behind him ; he even fancied that he felt his hot breath. Another convulsive kick in the ribs and old Gunpowder sprang upon the bridge : he thundered over the resounding planks ; he gained the opposite side ; and now Ichabod cast a look behind to …
Let us climb over this stile by the corner of the old church, into the yard where so many of the pilgrims of earth are sleeping, (llere arc mossy stones with half obliterated epitaphs, marking the graves of many early settlers, among whom is one, upon whose monumental slab it is recorded, that he lived until he was " one hundred and three years old," and had one hundred and …
Upon one of these, near the centre, we read : -- WASHINGTON, SON OF WILLIAM AND SAEAH S. IRVING, DIED NOV. 28, 1859, AGED 76 YEARS 7 MO. J AND 25 DAYS. ' This is the grave of the immortal Geoffrey Crayon I ^' Upon it lie * 111 tlie Episcopal Church at Tarrylowii, ui wliicli Jlr. Irving wiis a coinniunicaiit for many years, a small marble tablet has been placed by the vestry …
This lovely burial spot, from wliich may bo scon Sleepy Hollow, the ancient church, the sparkling waters of the ro-can-fe-co, spreading out into a little lake above tlie picturesque old dam at the mill of Castle Philipse, Sleepy Hollow Haven, Tappan Bay and all its beautiful surroundings, was chosen long ago by the illustrious author of tlie "Sketch-Book," as his final …
Irving chose the plot of ground where his remains now lie, for his family burial-place. A few years later, when the contents of the grave and vaults in the burial-ground of the "Brick Church" in New York, were removed, the remains of his family were taken to this spot and interred.^ A gentleman who accompanied me to the grave, superintended the removal. Mr. Irving had directed …
This, however, did not satisfy her ; so the next day, when walking with me in Broadway, she espied him in a shop ; she seized my hand, and darting in, exclaimed in her bland Scotch, -- ' Please your excellency, here's a bairn that's called after ye ! ' General Washington then turned his benevolent face full upon me, smiled, laid his hand upon my head, and gave me his blessing …
This little lake extends back almost to the bridge in the dark weird glen, and furnishes motive power to a very ancient mill that stands close by Phjlipse Castle, as the more ancient manor-house of the family was called. >iie first lord . jof an extensive domain is-- thi«- -vieinity, purchased from the Sachem ^ Goharius, in 1680, and which was confirmed by royal patent the …
In that family it remained until the spring of 1860 (about three quarters of a century), when Mr. StormJ the present proprietor, purchased it^ Beekman made a large addition to the Castle. In our little picture it is seen as it appeared in the time of the Philipses. In the basement wall, near the rear of the building, may be seen a porthole in which the muzzle of a cannon was …
From this hill, and its river slopes, comprehensive views may be had of some of the most charming scenery of the lower Hudson. Prom its summit, overlooking Sleepy Hollow, the eye commands a sweep of the Hudson from New York to the Highlands, a distance of fifty miles, and views in five or six counties in the States of New York and New Jersey. From the veranda of one of the …
As usual, the English retained a part of the Dutch naine, and called it Terwe Towti, from which is derived the modern pronunciation, Tarrj town. In the legend of " Sleepy Hollow," Mr. Irving says,--" The name was given, we are told, in former days by the good housewives of the adjacent co\intry, from the inveterate propensity of their husbands to linger about the village …
The proprietor of an acre of ground and his family may take their morning walk or evening drive through miles of varied scenery, without going into the public road, and with the agreeable consciousness of being on their own premises, f Soon after leaving the Po-can-te-co, on the way towards Tarrytown, a TJ V THE HUDSON. fine monument of white Westchester marble, about …
"The people of "Westchester County have erected this Monument, as well to commemorate a great event as to testify their high estimation of that integrity and patriotism which, rejecting every temptation, rescued THE HUDSON. 331 the United States from most imminent peril, by baffling ihe arts of a Spy and the plots of a Traitor. Dedicated October 7, 1853J^ The land on which …
citizens on the occasion of its dedication, November 22, 1827. [The monument to the memory of Yan Wart is over his remains in ihe Greenburgh Presbyterian Church, near the lovely Neperan river, a few miles from Tarrytown. It was dedicated on the 11th of June, 18293^hcn the assembled citizens were addressed by General Aaron Ward, of Sing Sing. The monument was erected by the …
He consented to cross the King's Ferry (from Stony to Yerplanck's Point), and make his way back to Xew York by land. He exchanged his military coat for a citizen's dress, placed the papers received from Arnold in his stockings under his feet, and at a little before sunset on the evening of the 22nd of September, accompanied by Smith and a negro servant, all mounted, made his …
Arnold's pass was presented, and the travellers were about to pass on, when the officer on duty advised them to remain until morning, because of dangers on the road. After much persuasion, Andre consented to remain, but passed a sleepless night.^ At an early hour the party were in the saddle, and at Pine's Bridge over the Crotou, Andre, with a lighter heart, parted company …
Three of these -- Paulding, Yan "Wart, and "Williams -- were under the shade of a clump of trees, near a spring on the borders of the stream just mentioned, and now known by the name of Andre's Brook, playing cards, when a stranger appeared on horseback, a short distance up the road, His dress and manner were different from ordinary travellers seen in that vicinity, and they …
They said there were many bad people on the road, and they did not know but he might be one of them. (He dismounted, when they took him into a thicket, and searched him J They found nothing to confirm their suspicions that he was not what he represented himself to be. They then ordered him to pull off his boots, which he did without hesitation, and they were about to allow him …
Andre wrote a letter to Washington, briefly but frankly detailing the events of his mission, and concluded, after relating how he was conducted to Smith's House, and changed his clothes, by saying, "Thus, as I have had the honour to relate, was I betrayed (being adjutant- general of the British army) into the vile condition of an enemy in disguise within yo>n? posts." …
them the same truthful statement of facts which he gave in his letter to Washington, and remarked, "I leave them to operate with the board, persuaded that you will do me justice." He was remanded to prison ; and after long and careful deliberation, the board reported " That Major Andre, adjutant-general of the British army, ought to be considered as a spy from the enemy, and …
He, however, respited the prisoner for a day, and gave others an opportunity to lay an informal proposition of that kind before Clinton. A subaltern went to the nearest British outpost with a letter from AVashington to Clinton, containing the official proceedings of the court-martial, and Andre's letter to the Ameiican commander. That subaltern, as instructed, informed the …
All hearts were powerfully stirred by sympathy for him. The eqiiifi/ of that sentence was not questioned by military men ; and yet, only inexorable expediency at that hour Avlien the Eepublican cause seemed in the greatest peril, caused the execution of the sentence in his case. The sacrifice had to be made for the public good, and the prisoner was hung as a spy at Tappan at …
Major Andre Avas an accomplished young man, and a clever amateur artist. He was perfectly composed from the time that his fate was made known to him. On the day fixed for his execution, he sketched with pen and ink a likeness of himself sitting at a table, and gave it to the officer of his guard, who had been kind to him. It is preserved in the Trumbull Gallery of pictures, at …
On the fi'ont of the sarcophagus is a basso-relievo, in Tvhicli is represented General Washington and his officers in a tent at the niomont S'DEK'S MONUMENT. when he received the report of the court of inquiry. At the same time a messenger is seen with a flag, bearing a letter from Andre to Washington. On the opposite side is a guard of Continental soldiers, and the tree on …
Such is the sad story, in brief outline, of the closing days of the accomplished Andi-e's life. Arnold, the traitor, was despised even by those who accepted his treason for purposes of state ; and his hand never afterwards touched the palm of an honourable Englishman. In his own country, he had ever occupied the " bad eminence " of arch traitor, until the beginning of the year …
The drawing-room is a spacious apartment, occupying the whole of the south wing. It has a high ceiling, richly groin-arched, with fan tracery or diverging ribs, springing from and supported by columnar shafts. The ceilings of all the apartments of the first story are highly elegant in decoration. " That of the diningroom," says Mr. Downing, "is concavo-convex in shape, with …
It is reached from the public road by a winding carriage-way that passes here through rich pastures and pleasant woodlands, and then along the margin of a dell through which runs a pleasant brook, reminding one of the merry laughter of children as it dances away riverward, and leaps, in beautiful cascades and rapids, into a little bay a few yards from the cottage of Sunnyside …
and ascended the bank by a pleasant path to the shadow of a fine old cedar, not far from the entrance gate. There I rested, and sketched the quaint cottage half shrouded in English ivy. Its master soon appeared in the porch, with a little fair-haired boy whom he led to the river bank in search of daisies and buttercups. It was a pleasant picture, and yet there was a …