Scharf, J. Thomas, ed. History of Westchester County, New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I. Philadelphia: L.E. Preston & Co., 1886.
4798 passages
1,467,807 words
Page 15 of 32
Journal of the CammUUe of Safeb), "Tuesday, A.M., Fiskill, Sep. "tembcr the 3rd, 1776 ;" Die Cmmittee of SnfHij to the Chairman of the Ommitlee nf Westcheslercnuiit)/, " FisHKlLL, Septembers, 1776." -Jourtfil of the Convention, '-Die Sabbati, 4 ho., P.M., Augt. 10, 1776." John Field and Jonathan Paddock to tite President of the Convention, "DncHESs, Sot;THE.\ST Precinct, 7th …
the Convention was completed by the submission of all Long Island, not excluding the peculiarly zealous revolutionary County of Suffolk, to the authority of the King." In view of these stern facts, there need be no wonder that the Convention was anxious, concerning the "disaffected;" and because of the purely speculative disposition of the Eastern Troops, and of the apathy, if …
Philipse's name on their list of the assumed "disaffected,"'* who were maliciousiy said to have been, also, dangerous.'^ As the General expressly the Committee of Snfetij, "District of M.vsok Livingston, October 9, "1776;" (Ac «<im« tn the same, "Di.strict of Manor Livino.ston, Octo- ''ber 10, 1776;" Petrm Van Gaasbeck, Chairman, to thf same, "Manor "of Livingston, 10th Oct …
" Gtiiiral Washington (<) General William Livingston, " Head-qiiarteks, " New- York, 6 July, 5 o'clock, P.M., 1776 ; " the same to General George Clintoti, " Head-quarter-s, New York, 12 July, 1776;" the same t't the "Secret CommiOee of the Gmvrntion of the State of N^av York," "Head- " QUARTERS, 13 July, 1776;" the tame to Ote President of the Prorineial Congrem of tleio …
15 Frederic Philipse was taken into custody by an order from General Washington, on the ninth of August, and taken from his own house, at Yonkers, to New Rochelle, "where he was closely confined, under " guard, for eleven days," when he was removed to Connecticut, and gave his Parole that he would not go beyond the limits of the Town of Middletown, which no one pretends …
It authorized and superintended the enlistment of men, in the service of the State, for local purposes ; * it attended to that of men for the reinforcement of the Continental Army ; * and it provided for the payment of Bounties, in addition to the stipulated pay, to those who thus enlisted.^ It resorted to Drafts, in order to ff]\ the requisitions for men, when enlistments …
He was almost totally blind ; and that and his unusual corpulency unfitted him for the slightest personal opposition to or supiiort of any political or military movements; while his fondness for gardouing, in all its branches, to which the grounds of his Jlanor-houses, at Yonkera and Sleepy Hollow, bore ample testimony, and bis domestic ties, and his unusual love of home, led …
*Jourtial of the Contenti'm, "Die Luna;, 8 ho., A.M., July 22, 1770 ;" the snme, " Die Martis, S ho., -\.M., July 23, 1776 ;" lite Coni-eHtion to the hepntatton iit the Conlinentnl Ckjttgref^, ** H-vri.em, 7 Augt., 1776 ;" etc. ^Jounml of the OmieiUivn, "Friday afternoon, July 19, 1776;" the $ame, "Die Sabbati, 4 ho., P.M., Augt. 24, 1776 ;" the same, "Saturday "morning …
the Militia and the tr .ops in the field f it passed on the qualifications of the Surgical Staff and it gave employment to Chaplains for the Army." Bargains were made with favored Officers, when they entered the service, conditioned that they should serve nowhere else than in the City of New York;'- and the settlement of disputes among Officers, concerning Rank, occupied much …
''Journal of the Convention, "Friday morning, July 16, 1776;" the tame, "Die Sabbati 9 ho., A.M , July 27, 1770 ; " the same, " Die .Sabbati, "9 ho., A. M., Augt. 17, 1776 ;" etc. vjrntrnalnf the Convention, "Tuesday, P.M., White Pl.\ins, July 9, " 1776 ; " the same, " Die Sabbati, 3 ho., P.M., July 27, 1776 ; " the same. "Tuesday afternoon, Augt. "20, 1776 ; " etc. 11 Journal …
The Militia of Westchester-county contiiined, of course, all who were frierds of the Convention and who lived within the County ; but the number of efficient men in the entire Brigade did not exceed the strength of a single Regiment and these were so generally "disaffected," either with the service or with the General commanding them, or with both, that the latter regiirded …
I have "thought that the existence of such a Brigade, in which were so many "dis;ilTected persons, was dangerous to the cause as well as to my own ■' life ; but being desirous to participate in the virtuous opposition to the "British tyrant, I had determined, as soon as possible, to join General "^Vashiiigton. and contribute my assistance to him." {General Letoit Morris to the …
relied on, no matter what its temper might be -- it was drawn into the service, while the other States were delinquent,' until no more could be taken, for any, except for the most tcmjjorary, purposes.' It was called out to guard the banks of the Hudsoy-river^ and those of Long Island Sound.* Reinfbrcemcuts of the Continental Army were taken from it, whenever reinforcements …
I " We (.an with pleasure assure you, that by far the greater part of " the levies ordered by tlie Congress to be raised from our Slilitia, are "completed, and at their several stations; that almost the whole of those "drafted in consequence of the enclosed Eesoluticu, will, by the time " this reaches you, be at posts which is thought necessary to occupy, "least the enemy …
♦General Morris was instructed to guard the Sound-shore of Westchester-county, at the same time that he guarded the left bank of the Hudson. (Journal of theConrention, " Die Sabbati, 4 ho., P.M., Augt. 10, 1776.") See, also. Colonel Joseph Drake to the Com-enlion, "Wednesday morning, .\ngt. 28, 1776;" the t'oncenlion' s reply, "Thursday morning, " Augt. 2!), 1770." 'One-fourth …
P.M., " Augt. 1(1, 1770 ;") and, a few da.ys later, the entire bwly of the .Alilitia of Orange, Ulster, Westchester, and Ducliess-rountics was ordered to hold itself in readiness to march, at a moment's warning, with five days' provisions and as much ammunition as possible, (Journal of the CommilUe of SafHij. "H.VRLESI, Augt. 29, 1770.") * The entries on this subject are so …
" General WoodhuU to the Contention, " Jamaica, .\ugn.st 27, 1770 ; " etc. 1" The road from the North side of the Highlands to Kingsbridge and times, very frequently, it was called from its homes and its necessary labors on the farms, when there was not theslightest appearance of danger, to throw up the defcnceson which ordinary day-laborers, then sutlcring from want of …
It continued, therefore, to provide, as best it could, for the wants of the Army, by manufacturing and by purchasing and distributing among the Powder-mills, all the Saltpeter which it could secure ; by making or buying or borrowing Gunpowder, and by distributing it or giving it away; " by searching for Lead, and opening Klines, and stripping Window-sashes, in Tryon and …
" Journal of the Coniinlion, "Saturday morning, September 28, 1776 ;" Journal of the Committee of Safety, " Die Luna", 9 ho., .-V.M.. October 7, "1770 ;" the same, " Wednesday afternoon, Octor. 10, 1776 ;" etc. ^-Journal of the Concention, " Die Veneris, 4 ho., P.M.. Augt. 2, 1776." Journal of llie Convention, "Die Mercurii, 9 ho., .\.M., Augt. 14, " 1770 ; " the satne, " Die …
18 Jfninin/ of the Convention, '-Thursday morning, July 18, 1770 ;" the tame, '■ Die Sabbati, 9 ho., A M., July 27, 1776 ; " the same, " Die Luna;, "9 ho., .\.M., Augt. .1, 1776 ; " etc. "Journal or" </ip Convention, " Die Mercurii, 9 ho., .\.M., July 31, 1776 ;" the same, " Friday morning, August 2, 1776 ; " Journal of the Committee of Safely, " Die Mercurii, 4 ho., P. M …
when it could do so,^ and, sometimes, it hired Arms, when it could not in other way procure them.^ In short, there seemed to be nothing left, in all which related to the raising, the equipment of, and the furnishing of supplies for, the troops, which was permitted to be done by any other agency; and it affords subjects for thought and inquiry, as one reads of its uninvited …
ties of Albany, XJlster, Orange, Duchess, and Westchester, eight hundred to each ; and, in the last-named County, Stephen Ward, William Millar, and Thuddeus Crane were appointed "to procure the proportion *' of Lances affixed to their respective names." {Juiinial nf Committee of Safety, "Die Mercurii, 4 ho., P.M., Sept. 4, l"7l>.") Models were made from Spears procured in New …
Leake were appointed to purchase coarse woollen Cloth, Linsey-woolsey, Blankets, woollen Hose, Mittens, coarse Linen, felt Hats, and Shoes, for the soldiers, and to have the Linen made up into Shirts, all in Westchester county ; and three hundred pounds-- seven hundred and fifty dollars -- were appropriated for that purpose. {Jnnraul of the OmimiUeeuf Safetij, ''Die Mercurii …
Need there be any surprise that, with such an array of strong men in its favor, that he more distant and less exposed Manor of Livingston should be chosen, especially since the purchasing agent of the Quartermaster-general of the Continental Army was at Fishkill, with funds to meet the drafts of Dirck Jansen, who was selected by the Convention, to gather the grain from the …
The subject was introduced into the Convention, very properly, on the day after that body had approved and accepted the Declaration of Independence ; but the consideration of it was postponed, from time to time, until the first of August, when a Committee was appointed for the purpose of taking into consideration and reporting apian for instituting and framing a Form of …
' There need be no better evidence of that fact, although there is an abundance, elsewhere, than in the successive orders for th« issue of Bills of Credit, by the Convention, It continued to issue such Bills, in the name of the Colony, long after it had professed to accept the Declaration of Independence, by which it had ceased to be a Colony, {Journal of the Contention, "Die …
In the same connection, it may be well to inquire and to consider what the Earl of Coventry meant, when, in his place in the House of Lords, on the twenty-fifth of November, 1779, he said, " He lamented that a "War so fatal to Great Britain should ever have been begun, much more " that it should be continued with so much obstinacy; and declared that, "had the House paid …
" The last Sessions." during which the Earl of Coventry, by authority, presented overtures for reconciliation to which the Continental Congress would have agreed, was the Fifth Session of the Fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain, (November 26, 1778, to July .3, 1779,) long after the alliance of the United States with France had been perfected, and utilized in America. As the …
The subject continued to be played with, both by the Committee and the Convention, by both of whom nothing was done, until the Royal Army occupied the City of New York and prepared to extend its operations into Westchester-county, when other subjects occupied the attention of both ; and thus were the best interests and the safety of the inhabitants of the State endangered …
' without entering into details, the Convention provided for the refu- Kee Poor, from tlie City of New Yorli ; protected the Cattle of the farmers, from the eneniy'8 foraging parties, aa far as it could do so ; guarded the Militar)--stores of the State ; built Vessels-of-War ; obstructed the navigation of the iludson river ; arbitrarily set aside the Elections of OfRcere who …
*"We take the liberty of suggesting to your consideration, also, the "propriety of taking some measures for expunging from the Boitk of "Common Prayer, such parts, and discontinuing in the Congregations "of all other denominations, all such prayers, as interfere with the in- "terest of the .\nierican c^use. It is a subject we are afraid to meddle "with, the enemies of .\merica …
As we have already stated, the Royal troops which had been withdrawn from Boston and carried to Halifax, during the preceding March, "having suffi- " ciently recovered from the fatigues and sickness "occasioned by their confined situation in that town" [7?os<on,°] left the later place, [JJa/ifa.rl on the eleventh of ■Tune,'' under convoy of Admiral Shuldham ;" reached …
On the afternoon of the twelfth of July, for the purpose of distressing the American Army, "by " obstructing supplies coming down the river and other "good consequences dependent on that measure" -- probably, also, for the purpose of offering encouragement to the cpnservative farmers of Westchestercounty to follow the "example of those on Staten Island, in declaring for the …
Dublin, 1779, i., 179, 180, and Murray's Impartial History of the War in America, Edit. Newcastle, ii., 153, say the troops were not comfortable at Halifax ; and that General Howe was obliged to sail from there, because of a scarcity of provisions; but we prefer the statement of Captain Hall, who was present, and who wrote with unusual precision and accuracy, especially with …
London, 1788, ii., 278 ; etc. w General Hoire to Lord George Germaine, " Staten Island, 7 July, "1776 ; " Geneml Howe's Observations upon a pamphlet entitled Letters to a Nobleman, Ed. London, 1780, M ; London Gazelle, " Admiralty Office, ■' August 10, 1776 ; " (lorernor Tryon to Lord George Germaine " Dl'CHESS " or GoBDoN, OFF St.\tfn Island, July 8, 1776 ;" Jo/m Adams to …
guns, and three tenders, " taking advantage of the " tide and a fresh breeze," left Staten Island, and passed the City, receiving the fire of the American batteries on the Red Hook, Governor's Island, Powle's Hook, and along the line of the Hudson-river, within the City, without sustaining any material damage, and returning a fire which was equally harmless.' They anchored off …
The successful passage of these shi[)s, up the river, very reasonably, created much anxiety and alarm, in the Army and throughout the State. General Washington, wisely suspecting that the purpose of the movement was to encourage the tenantry on the Manors of Pliilipsborough and Cortlandt to declare for the King, immediately ordered General George 1 General Howe U> Lord George …
Clinton, then commanding the Militia who had been called out for the protection of the passes over the Highlands, to desire General Ten Broeck, commanding the Militia above the Highlands, to march down with as great a force as he could collect, in order the more effectually to secure those passes, particularly the road which passed over Anthony's Nose ; and, at the same time …
On the fourteenth of July, General Washington wrote to the Convention a letter which is so significant of the great anxiety which he felt and so highly illustrative of his character, as a great commander, that we make room for it, in this i)lace. " New-York Head-quarter.s. "July 14th, 1776. " GextlExMEN : -- " The passage of the enemy up the North-river is " an event big with …
It may be that, " on board these ships, there may be troops for that " purpose, who, expecting to be joined by the disaft'ect- "ed, in that quarter, or confiding in their own " strength, may endeavour to seize those defiles, in " which case the intercourse between the two Armies, "both by land and water, will be wholly cut off, than "which a greater misfortune could hardly …
I would, to "guard against tliis, submit to your consideration the "propriety of writing to the leading men, on our "side, in those Counties, to be very vigilant in ob- " serving any movement of that kind, in order that "so dangerous a scheme may be nipped in the bud; " for that purpose, to keep the utmost attention to " tiie conduct of the princi|vil Tories in those parts …
Very ungraciously and, certainly, not in such words as were calculated to inspire respect for those who had employed tlicm, among those against whom they were thus tossed, by the aristocratic masterspirits of the Convention,^ Orders were issued to Ca|)tain Micali Townsend, who had probably been sent from the Plains to Tarrytown, on the day after the arrival of the shi[)s, to …
"erstraw." During the afternoon of the same day, one of the tenders beat up the river, against an unfavorable wind, sounding the river very carefully as she proceeded, until she had come within gun-shot of Fort Montgomery, when her progress was arrested by a thirty-two pound shot, which struck her, and compelled her to put about, and to run down the ri\er, not, however …
During the morning of that day, [^■Talij 1(5, 1776,] before the intbrmation of the dejjarture of the ships from Tarrytown had reached the Convention, that body had provided for the removal of " all Provisions and " other Stores, as well private as public i)roperty, which "were stored in i)laccs within the district of Peekskill " and so situated as to be in danger of being …
^ LievlenwiU-coloncl Hammond to the Comeation, "Tahbvtown, July "Ifi, 1776;" General Clinton to General Wathimjlon, "Fort Montoom- " r.RV, J>ily 23, 1776." * Journal of the Convention, " Friday morning, July 16, 1776." HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. of the river; and those who were already in the service, from Orange and Ulster-counties, were ordered to be posted in the …
The provisions of these enactments were completed by the appointment of Colonel Thomas Thomas as the Colonel-commanding and Ebenezer Purdy as the Major, of the troops which were to be drawn from Westchester-county ' -- an appointment of Colonel which was made in the hurry of the moment and under a misapprehension, the Convention having erroneously supi)Osed Colonel Thomas was …
In the afternoon of the same day, \_Ji'hj 16, 177(5,1 the Convention appointed a secret Committee "to de- " vise and carry into execution such measures as to " them shall appear most eflfectual for obstructing " the channel of Hudson's-river, or annoying the en- " amy's ships in their navigation up the said river ; " and that this Convention pledge themselves for de- " fraying …
2 Joumal nf the Convention, '■ Die Lunae, 9 lio., A.M., .luly 22, 1776 ; " the same, " Die Luna>, 4 ho., P.M., July 22, 1776 ; " Colonel Joseph Drake 1(1 the Coiivenlion, " Wuur. Plains, 23 July, 1776 ;" the same to General Morris, "New KorHEL, July 24, 1776 the same to the Convention, "New RdrnEi.LE, 6 August, 1776." ^Preamble and UesoUUion of the Convention, "Die Luiiji-, 4 …
requesting " all Magistrates and other officers of jus- " tice in this State, who were well affected to the liber- "ties of America, until further orders, to exercise their " respective offices," was adopted; and the Convention also adopted Resolutions declaring that "all persons " abiding within the State of New Y^ork and deriving " protection from the Laws of the same, owe …
The Convention also " earnestly recommended to the Gen- " eral Committees of the Counties and the Sub-Com- " mittees in the Districts of the several Counties in " this State, immediately to apprehend and secure all Ooniniittee of the Convention, instead of a letter by the hands of a Jlessenger ; and Colonel John Broome, of New York City, and William Duer, of Charlotte-county …
Treason has always consisted, and still consists, of something else than a mere misdemeanor or a simple felony ; and the subject of another .Sovereign, although a violator of the lex loci, to which he properly owed obedience, could not, then nor since, have been legally tried and convicted of Treason, for any such violation of the local Law, in the State of New York or …
' such persons, whose going at large, at this critical " time, they shall deem dangerous to the Liberties of " this State ;" ' and the measure of its zeal was filled by asking a loan from General Washington, for the payment of what it had undertaken to do, promising to '• take the earliest care to replace what nothing " but urgent necessity would have induced it to bor- " row …
General Clinton, then at Fort Montgomery, as we have already seen, not only welcomed one of the enemy's tenders, which was beating up the river, taking soundings as siie went, with a thirty-two pound shot, which caused her to i)Ut about and run down the river, to the place where the shii»s had anchored ; but he also made preparations for the removal of all the goods, from the …
Of the last-named excellent suggeatiim, tieneral WiisliinKton subsequently wrote, * * * "but I <liil not tliink myself at liberty to *' urge or retjuest liis " [Gnrermtr 7'ri(iHt(f/r«] " interest in forming tli4' "Camp of six thousand men, as the levies, directed by Congress, on the *' third of June, to be furnished for the defense of this place, by that " Governniont, are but …
three miles of Fort Montgomery ; plundered the house of a poor man -- taking, among other things, " a " handkerchief full of Salad and a Pig so very poor " that a crow would scarcely deign to eat it" -- setting the house on fire, when it was left ; and then, returning to the place where the tender had run aground, in the morning, cast her anchor, where, on the following day …
General Howe, in his first despatch on the matter, informed the Home Government that he had ■'submitted to Admiral Shuldham's consideration the " propriety of sending a naval force up the North- " river, above the Town of New York, with a view to "distress the rebels on that Island, by obstructing " supplies coming down the river, and other good " consequences dependent upon …
It was said by General Howe, as we have seen, that the purpose was to cut off the supplies, for the City, which were brought down the river ; but he also said, it will be remembered, there were "other good "consequences dependent upon that measure," of the character of which " consequences " he prudently said nothing. If, among those " other good consequences," it was intended …
The direct authority for this statement has been mislaid ; but a contirniation of it nniy be seen in tieneral Howe's statement, in his despatch to Lord George Germaine, (" St.vten Isl.\ni), 8 July, 1776,") that no more than the Pht£nix SLUd Hose con\d have been spared, at that time, from the protection of the transports, even for the important service in which those two ships …
There must, therefore, have been '' other good consequences dependent on '■ that measure;" and we are not inclined to admit that any Arms were aboard the ships, for the equipment ol' Westcliester-county Loyalists, nor that any design against the Highland piusses wiis on the programme of their proposed operations -- we incline, rather, to the belief that only ostensibly were …
The vigilance with which the AVestchester-shore of the river was generally watched and the extreme backwardness of even those who had been outraged by the County and Town Committees, to abandon their fsimilies and their homes, even in retaliation or because of their honorable loyalty t(» their Sovereign, were so painfully evident, however, that (reneral Howe became convinced …
3 In his piiblislied Despatclies to tlie Home Government, while he held the chief commund of the .\i my in .\nierica, and in his Xurnilive in a Committee of tke House of Commons, relative to his Conduct, etc., especially in bis Obsenitlioiis upon a pam]ih!et entUled Lettei'S to a Nobleman, Oeneral Howe told the story of his great exi)ection of active cooperation, ill Ihejifld …
Whatever may have been the real purposes of the expedition, the eastern shore of the river was so well guarded that no attempt was made to land, in force, for any purpose, on the Westchester-county side of it, nor was there any open communication between the ships and the inhabitants of that County, although it is known that frequent communications were effected, secretly and …
As the inliabitants of Staten Island, and those of Queens, Westchester, and Duchess-counties were su]iposed to have been especially conservative and, consequently, had been most terribly outraged by the dominant faction, it Wiis reasonably supposed, by those who were familiar witli the fai t<<, that retJiliation if not loyalty would induce these, especially, to declare against …
General How e very well said, after experience had taught him the fac t.s, Miu h might be said upon the state of loyalty and the principles "of loyalty, in America. Aime are loyal from principle ; vmiii/ from in- "terest; manii from resentment; manii wish for peace, but are indiffer- " ent which side prevails ; and there are others who wish success to Great " Hritaiu, from a …
There is not known to have been any communication between the Westchester-county bank of the river and the ships, while the latter remained on their lower amhorage-ground, except those referred toon page 2118, ante ; but, subseijuehtly, while the ships were ofTtho (^jrtlandt Manor, their boats as we shall see, were very active, duringevery night ; and it is known the ships …
was carefully sounded, as far as the tenders went ; ' the inhabitants, especially those on the western bank of the river, were widely robbed, and, sometimes, their houses were burned ; - and the line of couiniunication, between the City and the upper portions of the country, was effectually cut ; ' but, if the purpose had been merely to cut off' the supplies, since the …
The Militia who were ordered out for the protection of the storehouses and the passes in the Highlands, responded with great promptitude,* so much so, indeed, that General Washington was warranted in calling to the main Army some Massachusetts troops who had been sent lo that vicinity;" and the vessels dropped down and anchored " a little below Ver- "planck's Point," and …
^ Jonrnal of the Cuncention, *' Tluirsdiiy uiorniug.July 18, 1770 Gen' eral Waahinfiton to John Awjutitine Wiuihinyt'oi, *' New Youk, 22 July, "177U." * Pierre Van Otrthtndt and Zephaniah Piatt, Jnnr. to the Convention, " Peekskill, July 18, 1776." ' General Washioijton to the Coneentiun, " IlEAU-ijUARTERS, NEW YORK, "July I'J, 1770." ^Pierre Van (.'orlUuuU and Zephaniah …
* On Sunday night, the twenty-eighth of July, because the New England troops ^ad gone away, on the preceding day, leaving the river-line unguarded, the boatd from the shii>s went ashore, "atone Bailey's," near the mouth of Crotou-rivor ; " weut back, half a mile ; and drove off " a pair of o.xcn, two cows!, one calf, onti heifer, and eleven sheep : no "doubt had the assistance …
Immediately after their successful passage up the river, the General wrote to the Governors of Connecticut and Rhode Island, for the use of some of the galleys which those States had built; and, on the twenty-fourth of July, he wrote to the Convention of New York, telling it what he had done ; that he was in expectation, "every ''hour," that three or four of those galleys …
"Tarkytowx, (Sunday morning,) August 4. "Sir: "I have just opportunity to inform you that, "yesterday, at one o'clock, I'.M., the galleys attacked " the J'/urni.v and the Hose, off" Tarrytown. "The Lady Washington fired the first gun on our "side, in answer to one received from the Plmmix: " this first shot from us entered the P/nrnix. The " Washiw/fon , galley, on board of …
The Washington, which 1 " was on board, during the whole engagement, had "the ledgings of her bow-guns knocked away, which " prevented our working them, and was otherwise "considerably damaged, being thirteen times hulled, " had three shot in the waist, many of her oars car- "ried away, etc. The Lady Washington, after hulling " the Phfvnix six times, had her bow, and only …
" By Captain Tinker am informed of the misfortune and situation of " the row-galleys sent into the Continental service from this State ; anil " as circumstances are altered, respecting them, since my hvst to you, on "the subject of dismissing theircrews and arms, must again request your "attention to that matter, that the crew of the Cnine, Captain Tinker, "who escaped, may be …
" The very critical state of our Army and frequent movements of the en- " emy render it almost impossible for the Geiieial to write, himself, with- " out neglecting more important duties. He, therefore, directs iiie toan- " swer your letter of the 14th, and to say that the Captains of the galleys "from your State have misbehaved, in variably, from the first moment they " came …
" mined spirits, than our little crews; one of our tars, "being mortally wounded, cried to his mess-mate, 'I " 'am a dying man : revenge my blood, my boys, and " 'carry me alongside my gun, that I may die there.' " We were so preserved by a gracious Providence, " that in all our galleys, which consisted of six, we " we had but two men killed and fourteen wounded, "two of which …
It appears that one, Anderson, had proposed a scheme to the Continental Congress for destroying the British fleet, then lying in the harbor of New York, with fire-ships ; and he had been ofiiciaily recommended to General Washington, by the President of the Congress, with a request that the experiment should be made.' The General had, accordingly, employed Anderson in …
II., No. 666, New-London, Friday, .August 16, 177U; [Ilall'sJ Uvitonj of the Civil War in America^ i., 186, who said " most of till; galleys were ran on shore, and taken ; " Memoirs of General H' uth, .M ; Ramsay's 7/i/</or// of the Americm lievohttion. Edit. London, 17iU, i., '2'J8, a mere mention ; Allen's Ui&torij of the American Revolution, Edit. Baltimore, 1S22, i., 429 …
We learn from the records of the " Governor and Council, or Commit- "tee of War," of Connecticut, thai the Whiting and the ^ Vowe were owned by the State of Connecticut, and were, probably, those which were loaneil to General Washington ; that the Whiting wasa new vessel, cummanded by Captain .lohu McCleave, was manned with fifty men, including her officers, and armed with …
Two nights later, thatof the sixteenth of August, it was " pretty dark," and the tide was ;dso favorable ; and the mischief-laden sloops were unmoored, and allowed to drift with the tide, silently, up the river, toward their proposed victims. The jRo,se's tender is said to have been anchored as a look-out, ahead of the ships ; ' and Captain Thomas, without having been …
AV'ith her fires fiercely burning, the sloop continue*! alongside the P/iwni.v, nearly a quarter of an hour, during which time the latter was also set on fire, in four places; and she was finally saved from total destruction, " almost miraculously," by a sailor who leaped, naked, on board the sloop, and, with an axe, " disengaged the "chain of the grappling wliieh had " linked …
1 M-mniff .,/ i;, ,v riil Jl<„lh, 51. Ibiil. ^[HaU'sl lllfUnij nf the Ciril ll'.ir i,i America, i., l.sfi. * We have tiikeri this iiiiiiuto description of the .'\si<aiilt on the enemy's ships from Captnin Hall's Huitonj nf the CU-il War in Ameria, i., 18(>, 187, because it is so clearly stated, and because it is the work of an oIK- cer of the Royal .\rniy, and, therefore, is …
" said that one of the tenders was deserted by her " crew, for a time ;" that the tender which was grappled by Captain Thomas was burned to the water's edge and was towed to the shore, by the Americans," by whom one iron six-pound gun, two three-pounders, one two-pounder, ten swivels, a caboose and apron, some gun-barrels, cutla.>-ses, grapplings, chains, etc., were taken from …
Notwithstanding the bravery and skill of those who conducted the firevessels and the considerable success which attended their efforts, it is said that the advantages gained would have been largely increased had THK AMERICAN FIRESHIPS. the galleys more actively co-operated with them ; and there was evidently some dissatisfaction displayed, because of that nautical backwardness …
repeated attacks aud the want of intercourse with the fleet abd the perils to which they were exposed, prompted tlie commanders of the ships, on tlie eighteenth of jVugiist, less than forty-eight hours after the last attack had been made on them, to take advantage of a strong easterly wind and a very rainy morning, to run down the river, past the fortifications thrown up by …
Hut Ca])tain Tinker, with the wind at South, ami on the " tide of Hood " [lhtndi>f liile '!] "when the ships could move, left his vessel, "th(»ugh stationed as a guard, to go up to King's Bridge, aftereome "clothes, as he pretends. The consequence wa*", that, in the hurry and " confusion, and long before thny were in ilanger, they left the gal- '* ley agro\ind, though they …
For other accounts of this daring feat, inatteutpting totlestroy these shifts, and of the 8ubse<iUcnt escape of the latter, see Gen'-nil Heath to Gfia-ral Washinijton, *' King's BRintiK, 17 August, I77ti ;" OfiifrtU Wtmhiuijton to the Premlnit of Onigress, "Nf.w-Yohk, August 17, 1776;" llif sumr to Goreruor TnimbnU, " New Yukk, August IK, 1776;" General Ileuth to General …
\\'hat purports to have been copied from a coiitemporury drawing of the brilliant scene, made by Sir .lames Wallace, who bad command of the Hose, on the occasion now under notice, may be seen in 7'//e Maniutl of the Corporation if the City of Sew Yorh for 1864, opposite page 672. It is underetooil to have been copied from the original drawing, in the British Museum ; and it …
What the local historian of Westchester-county possibly intended for a description of this daring attempt to destroy the ships, was in these words, taken from his description of the property of the late Elijah Ilich, near Y'onkein: "Here, in 1777, a memorable engagement took " place between the two British frig.ates, the /losc aud the I'ha'nix, which " lay off at anchor, and …
monstration, so interesting to those of Westchestercounty who lived near the line of the Hudson-river, neither of the great opposing powers, in the City of New York and on Long Island, on the one side, and on and around Staten Island, on the other, did any thing else than to strengthen their respective forces and prepare for the rapidly approaching contest. General Washington …
As it is more than probable that the ships, when they were attacke<l, were off Tarrytown, instead of below Y'oukere; as Yonkers, in 1777, was within the British lines, and so conld not have alTorded a rendezvous, in the Saw-Mill-river, for .\mericttn gun-boats and fireships, during that year ; as the Pha nij- and the Hose had dropped down to the anchorage of the Royal Fleet …
I •* It gives us great pain to inform yon that the aid received from our "sister States is very inadequate to our expei tations, none of them hav- ''ing yet comjtleted the levies diri'cted liy Congress, which leaves us "reason to fear that, instead of using every means that human wisdom "dictates, for ensuring success, we shall, (with inferior numbers,) on "the doubtful issue …
Nothwithstandiug "all these difficulties, we are determined to combat every obstacle and "to strain every nerve in defense of the rights and liberties of America, " which we conceive to be most materially interested in the safety of this "State. By our Rescdutions for ordering the several drafts made in the "Counties of Suffolk, Queens, Kings, AVestchester, Duchess, Ulster …
General Howe, on the coiitnirv, had been strengthened, on the twelfth of July, by the arrival of his brother, Admiral Lord Howe, with the long expected reinforcements for the Royal Army and he brought, also, a Commission from the King, appointing his brother. General Howe, and himself '^ to be Commissioners for granting pardons to those of the Americans who should ask for the …
" 1 am e.vtremely concerned that the quotas of men to be furnished by '*the ueigliboring States have proved so deficient. The busy season "and harvest, to whicli it has been ascribed, being now over, in a great "degree, I Hatter mjself, from the zeal they have heretofore manifested, " they will alford every possible assistance, They are well apprised of "the importance of this …
tie Lancey, in his Xotes on Jones's History of Xeic-York during the Htcolulionary Wnr, (i., 722,) has partly "let the cat out of the bag," by saying they "were sons of Emanuel Scrope Howe, second Viscount " Howe, by Mary Sophia, an illegitimate daughter of George I., by his *' mistress, the Hanoverian Baroness Kihnausegge, and, consequently, "in point of fiict, first cousins …
3 The extent of the authority of the brothers. Admiral and General Howe, as Commissioners for the restoration of Peace, in America, lias been so variously slated, that the careful reader will do well to refer to their Commission, which may be found in a most singular connection with a mass of p<ipers concerning the Exiiedition commanded by Geneial Burgoyne, which appear lo …
the harbor together, bringing another heavy reinforcement to the Royal Army, as well as the much needed Camp-equipage; * two days later, [_Atif/usl 14, 1776,] Sir Peter Parker reached Staten Island, with the remains of the expedition which had been sent to Virginia and the Carolinas ; •' and, at the same time, Lord Dunmore, '' with the refugees and blackamoors " from …
The Convention of the State, during that period of suspense, removed back from the White Plains to Harlem, occupying the old Church-building of the Reformed Dutch Church;' and, nearer to the scene of the expected troubles, it provided for the protection of the Hudson-river and Long Island Sound, where the enemy was expected to make a landing, in force, by ordering the entire …
* General Hoice to Lord George Germaine, " Staten Island, 15 Au- "gust, 1776;" Annual Register for 1776: History of Europe,* 169 ; Memoirs of General Heath, 53 ; Gordon's Histirry of the American Sevolulion, ii., 304, 305. 5 General Hove to Lord George Germaine, " Staten Island, 15 August, "1776;" Governor Tryon to the same, "Ship Di chess of Gordon, off "ST.iTEN Island …
As the Streets and Avenues now run, it was inside of the block bounded by the First and Second-avenues and One hundred and twenty-fourth and One hundred and twenty-fifth-streets, near the present intersection of the First-avenue and One hundred and twenty-fourth-street, as it has been described to us by our friend, James Kiker, Esq., of Waverly, New I Vork, the distinguished …
It provided for the removal of all which remained, of those Cannon which had been brought from the City and laid on the roadsides of the County of Westchester -- those which had been spiked and unspiked, guarded and left unguarded, at such heavy cost, some months previously -- and General Clinton was requested to have carriages made for such of those guns as he should consider …
because of "suspicions" which somebody had entertained concerning them, to the several County Committees, but in a tone of mildness which was remarkably unusual ; ' and, in other ways, endeavoring to serve the cause of the country -- one of the most remarkable of the multitude of subjects which, at that time, crowded themselves before the Convention, for its consideration, was …
were taken for the removal of the women, children, and infirm persons, in the City of New York, to places of greater safety ; ^ for obstructing the navigation, in both the Hudson and the East-rivers, as well as in Buttermilk-channel, the latter separating Governor's-island from Long Island ; * providing for the temporary support of those who should be driven from their homes …
than the bad judgment of those, in England, who controlled the movements of the troops, that he was not thus sent -- the Campaign could have been opened several weeks earlier, when General Washington was much less prepared to receive an enemy, and, therefore, when a complete success in the suppression of the Rebellion was very much more promising; but that Almighty power which …
Royal Army were commenced by the movement of the Britislx Grenadiers and Light Infantry and tiie Hessians, or ratlier the German, Grenadiers, Liglit Infantry, and Chasseurs -- tiie last-named commanded by the Count Donop -- the whole numbering " not less "than four thousand men," ' of the I'lite of the Army, the whole commanded by General Sir Henry Clinton, to Graveseud Bay …
The purposes of this work do not require us to follow the immediately subsequent operations of the two Armies ; and the general knowledge which prevails concerning the disastrous Battle of Long Island," made more disastrous by reason of " the obstinate, "self-conceited, inefficiency," if not by the criminal disobedience and neglect, of General Israel Putnam ; concerning the …
l[Hall'8l }{i^lorij of the Vu-U War in America, i., 188. See, hIso, Stodnian's Hhitonj of the Amcricun U'ur, i., 193. 2 [Hall's] HUlorij «/ the Civil War in .Imm'cii, i., 188 ; Stediimn's Hittory of the Avieriran War, i., 193. ^General //"ire to Lord George Ot-rmaine, "Newtown, LoNfi Ts(.ani>, "3 Sept., 1770 ;" General Wanhinglmito Gnteral Heath, " IlEAD-yi AHTKRs, " New-York …
Early on the morning of the twenty-seventh of August, two ships and a brig anchored a little above Throgg's-neck ; and before the troops whom General Heath had sent for the purposes of protecting the neighboring property, could reach the shore, several barges had gone ashore, on City-island ; killed several cattle ; * and carried away the dead animals and one of the …
For the purpose of cutting the line of communication of the City of New York, through the Sound, with the sea -- the way to the ocean, by way of the Narrows, having been already occupied by him -- the enemy very judiciously occupied Barren-island, belonging to Westchester-county, Montresor's -- now Randall's -- island, and what is now known as Ward's-island -- the latter two …
The channel which separated Morrisania, in Westchester-county, from Montresor'sisland, in the City of New York, being quite narrow, and a heavy picket of four hundred and fifty mounted men having been constantly maintained at Morrisania, the sentries of the respective forces, posted within halfgunshot distance, sometimes fired at each other, in violation of the inconsistent …
They were to embark, at the new Bridge over the Harlem-river, on board of three large floats ; to be covered by a fourth float, similar to the others and carrying a detachment of Artillery, with a light three-pounder gun; to fall down the Harlem-river, with the ebb, during the night, to Morrisania ; and the calculation was so made that, at daybreak, the young flood should be …
Notwithstanding one of the sentries had not been told of the expedition or had misunderstood the Order which had been given to him, and had resolutely disregarded the entreaties for silence which had been made, and had discharged his musket, giving an alarm, the enemy does not appear to have been disturbed ; and the three floats ran up to the place appointed for the landing …
The Officers and those who were on the central float sprang ashore, as they were expected ; received and repulsed a charge which the enemy's guard made on them; but failed to receive the slightest support from those who were on the other two floats, who, instead of landing, sullenly " lay upon their oars." The enemy seeing that disaffection, rallied, and returned to the …
It is said that Lieutenant-colonel Jackson received a musket-ball in his leg; that Major Thomas Henley, one of the Aides-de-camp of General Heath, who had insisted on going out with the expedition, as a Volunteer, was shot through his heart, as he was getting into the float; that Major Hatfield was missing ; and that the Americans lost, in killed, wounded, and missing …
Morrisania, 1865, September 22, 1776 ; General Orders, " Head-quakters, Harlem- "liEKJHTS, September 24,1776;" Lieutenant-colouel Tench Tilyhman to \yillinm Duer, " Head-quarters, Haklem-heights, September 25, 1776 ; ' Extract of a letter from on Officer, at Harlem, dated September 25, 1776, in Force's American Archives, Fifth Series, ii., 524 ; Extract from a letter from …
3 General Orders, Head-qvarters, Harlem-heioiits, September 29, 1776 ■ Proceedings of a Getwral Court-martial of the Line, held on the Heights of Harlem, by order of His Excellency George Washington, Esq., General and Commander-in chief of the Forces of the United States of America, for the trial of the CajHains Wisnrr and Scott, in the service of said States, September 30 …
The apparent inactivity of the two opposing Armies, during several weeks after the occupation of the City of New York, was not understood, even by the Congress, and created some uneasiness;' but both were actively employed, the Royal Army in throwing up a line of defences, on the high grounds overlooking the Harlem-plains, from the South, in order to protect the City from an …
It provided for the removal of the women, children, and infirm, and that of the poor, from the City of New York, in some instances into Westchester-county ; ^ aud the care of the public records also received its careful attention.* When the enemy's shipping threatened the shores of Suffolk, it appealed for help from Connecticut, in view of its own inability to afford …
' The correapondence of John .\dams with his wife, which has been published, will show the anxious uncertainty which prevailed in the Congress. 2 [Hall's] History of the Cii il Wur in America, i., 201 ; Stedman's History of the American Wtir, i., 210. ' General lloxce to Lord George Germaine, " New-Yoiik Isuxd, 2.') Sept., " 1776 ; " Anuutil Hegister for 177 6 : Hittory of …
<• Journal of the Conrenlion, "Die Jovis, 8 ho., P.M., Augt. 22, 1776; " Journal of the Committee of Safety, " Tuesday afternoon, .\ugt. 27, 1776 ;" the tame, " Die Jovis, 9 ho., .\.M., Sept. 1'2, 1776 ;" Journal of the Convention, "Die Veneris, 9 ho., A.M., Octor. 4, 1776 ;" etc. ' The Convfulion to the Committees of Slonington, New-London, Groton, Lyme, Saybrook, Guilford …
quently, when the purpose of the enemy to occupy Westchester-county had become more evident, Stephen Ward was appointed a Commissary " to purchase "all the Cattle fit for the use of the Army, within " that County, and to drive them down to the Army, " at King's Bridge, as fast as they may be wanted ; " Provided, that so much shall be left as is abso- " lutely necessary for the …
Budd Horton, Alexander Hunt, James "Varian, and Joseph Youngs be appointed Commis- " sioners to drive all the Horses, Hogs, Sheep, and " Cattle, from those parts of the County of Wcstches- " ter which lay upon the Sound or the Hudson 's-river, " and which are any waj' exposed to the enemy, and " to billet them out upon the farms that lay in the " interior part of the County …
Provided, always, tiiat "so much shall be left in the hands of the owners as "will be sufficient to support their families for nine "months, and to perfect the fattening of such Hogs "as may, now, be actually put up, for that purjrose; '' " that His Excellency General Washington, in case " that the Cattle, Hogs, Sheep, Horses, or Hay, in the " County of Westchester, should be …
Stephen Ward " apply to the Commissary -general for such sums of " money as will, from time to time, be necessary to "carry the above Resolves into execution;" and " that a copy of the above Resolutions be sent to His " Excellency General Washington and to the Com- " missary -general, requesting their assistance in car- "rying the same into execution." ^ In the absence of …
^ Joimvd of the CommiUen of Safely, " Monday morning, Octor. 14tli, "177C." These Kcsolutiona were proposed by Robert R. Livington. 20n the sixteenth of September, " tlie Convention was informed " that the Militia of Westchester-coiinty are not so properly arranged "and managed as they ought to be, at this critical juncture, which is "occasioned by the absence of General …
Livingston, which the Committee of Safety sent to the General, with a peremptory Order to take the command of his Brigade, dated " Octol)er the 8th, 1776," did not effect its purpose, it certainly conveyed to the bashful Brigadier an evidence of what others thought of his remaikable ('onduct, as a soldier. 3 Two ships and a brig came to anchor, a little above Throgg's-neck, on …
Odell on Philipse's Manor,** at the house of John Blagge, at Crotonriver f and, possibly, elsewhere.'" It constructed fireships, for the protection of the Hudson-river from the enemy's vessels and it continued the support of the State's cruisers, on the ocean.'- It attended to the removal of the military stores which were endangered by the movements of the enemy ; " it ordered …
It strengthened the works which had been thrown up for the defense of the Highlands ; and it added to those defences some " works on the East side of the river, about three " miles below Fort Montgomery, at a place called " Red Hook, near Peekskill, which are well-calcu- ' Journal of the Commiltee of Safety, " KlNu'8 BRinoE, Augt. 30, 1776." ^Journal of t)ie Committee of …
^'^Jouriud of the Committee of S<i/e()/, " Tuesday afternoon, Septr. 24, "1776;" the samr, " Wednesday morning, Septr. 25, 1776;" Jonniul of the Coneetilion, "Saturday morning. September 28, 1776 ; " etc. 13 Journal of the Commiltee of Safety, " P.M., September .% 1770 ;" Journal of the Cnnvention, " Die Sabbati, 9 ho., A.M., Sept. 7, 1776 ; " etc. ^ijonrnal of the Convention …
" lated to prevent the enemy's landing on tluit side " and becoming masters of tiie Highlands, opposite to " Fort 3Iontgomery." ' When the evacuation of the City of New York was made at the expense of largo quantities of Flour, it appointed Agents, with instructions to ])urchase all the Flour which could be obtained iu Duchess, Orange, and Ulster-counties, and to send it to …
On the twenty-first of September, the American Army, at Kingsbridge and its dependencies, which included General Heath's command, in Westchestercounty, consisted, nominally, of four thousand, five hundred, and twenty-eight Commissioned Officers, Staff, and Non-commissioned Officers, and twentyseven thousand, three hundred, and seventy-seven rank and file, exclusive of Colonel …
Wc have follow ed Washington Irving, in liis historical writings, in our orthograpliy of the name of tliat celebrated stream, notwithstanding the usual manner of spelling the words is considerably dilVercnt. ^Journiil of the Pi-4iviiici'it Congriw, "Die Mercurii, !) ho., .\.M., Septr. " 18, 1776 ;" Ihi- s<i»i.', "Die Veneris, 9 ho., A.M., Octor. 4, 1776." *Jmimiil of the Pmi …
three thousand, eight hundred, and thirty were absent, "on command;" and ninety-six were on furlough; leaving only about sixteen thousand men, including the Artillery and excluding the Olliccrs, who were actually present and fit for duty." Of these, thirteen Regiments were Militia, temporarily serving in the service of the Coiitiiiont ; ' and, since the disastrous results on …
This circumstance, "of itself, independent of others, when fronted by a well-appointed "enemy, superior in number to our whole collected force, would bo " sufficiently disagreeable ; but, when their examjile has infected another "part of the Army, when their want of discipline and refusal of almost "every kind of restraint or government have produced a like conduct "but too …
Not a day pa8.ses without ■' complaiuts and the most importunate and urgent demands, on this " head. As it may injure the service greatly, and the want of a reg- " ular supply of Cash produces conse(iuences of the most fatal tendency, " 1 entreat the attention of Congress to this subject, and that we may "be provided, as soon as can be, with a sum eijual to every present …
However, I trust that there "are many who will act like men, and show themselves worthy of the "blessings of freedom." {Letter to tlie Congress, " Hii.vl>-qu.\RTKiis, .\T "Colonel Morkis's iiovse, 16 September, 1776.") On the day after the date of the Retitnis of Ihe Ai nnj whicli are referred to in the text, the (ieueral wrote to his brother, "the de|>cndence which the …
present and fit for duty, including Colonel Knox's Regiment of Artillery, was reduced to fifteen thousand, one hundred, and four;' and on the fifth of October, the same rank and file, present and fit for duty, including the Artillery, numbered only fourteen thousand, four hundred, and eighty-six, exclusive of seven skeleton Regiments of Connecticut and Rhode Island, forming …
While the American Army was thus made weaker, day by day, by the disaffection or the despair of the sickly, despondent, home-sick, and ill-provided-for men who composed it -- men who, iu multitudes of instances, had enlisted either from necessity, occasioned by the prevailing prostration of every kind of business, or because they had been enforced to do so, by drafts, or …
General Lincolu's command can scarcely be regardi-ii, with any propriety, as a portion of the main Army nor as a part of tlie fighting force of any .\rmy, since it was sent for, to perform police duty, to ijuiet the apprehensions of the Convention of New Yorlv u!i account of tlie disaf" fected, in that Stiite -- those whom the Congresses and the (;ommittee8 had forced into …
Sir William Howe, on a pamphlet, entitled Letters to a Nobleman, Second Edition, 37.) Three days after the date of that Return, [August 12,] the two fleets, convoyed, respectively, by Commodore Hotham and the Repulse, came into the harbor of New York, with the Guards and the Fii"st Division of the Hessians, {Compare Lord George Germaine's despateh to General Howe, dated, " …
The one were attended by the ablest Sur- "geons and Physicians, healthy, and high-spirited; " the other were neglected in their health, clothing, " and pay, were sickly, and constantly murmuring "and dissatisfied. And the one were veteran troops, " carrying victory and conquest wheresoever they were " led ; the other were new-raised and undisciplined, " a panic-struck and …
York during the Revolutionary War, i., 110 :) Ihe latter, " with the refu- " gees and blackamores from Virginia," {the same, i., 103,) "about a "thousand more " {the tame, i., 110.) The Second Division of the Hessians, theSi.Yteenth Kegiment of Light Dragoons, the horses for remounting the Seventeenth Regiment of Dragoons, the diaught-horses for the Artillery and baggage, four …
In the liattle of Long Island, it was said to have lost only three hundred and sixty-seven of all classes, {General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "Newtown, Long Island, 3 Sept., 1776 ;") only "about " ninety-two were said to have been killed or wounded at Harlem. {General Howe to Lord George Germaine, " Head-quarteiis, " York Island, 21 September, 1776 ; ") the occupation of …
As we have said, the two Armies were occupied, during several weeks after the Royal Army had taken the City of Now York, in throwing up defensive i works -- the American Army, on the Heights of Harlem, to the northward and eastward of the present village of Manhattanville, back, to Kingsbridge, and in the more exposed portions of Westchester-county : the Royal Army, on the …
iVide page 307, ante. See, also, General Hotre to Lord George Germaine, "New York "Island, 25 September, 177fi;" the same to the same, "New-Yohk, 30 " November, 177G ; " Speech of Sir IVilliam Howe hefort: a Committee of the House of Cf/mmong, April 29, 1779, -- Almon's Parliamentary Register, xii. 323; Testimoutf of the Earl of Com icallis before a Committee of the House of …
That diKippointnient was expressed to the Hume Gorernment. in the General's despatch of the twenty-fifth of September, 177G, in these wonls : " We must also have recruits from Europe, not finding the Anier- " icjins disposed to serve with arms, notwithstanding the hopes held out "to me, upon my arrival at this post." In his Speech before a Committee of the House of Commons, on …
We are not unmindful, in what we have thus said, of the great use of (hat loyal element which Joseph Galloway made in his very lawyer-like publicatiims; but we have also borne in mind, that those publications were made for personal and partisan purposes ; and that, like his earlier awociutes in duplicity and treachery, he was capable of resorting to unsavory means for the …
In his e.xamination before a Committee of the House of Commons, on the sixth of May, 1779, the Earl of Cornwallis testified that " the knowl- "edge of the country of America, for military purposes, was extremely "difficult to be obtained from the inhabitants ;'' that "the country, in " general, is so covered with wood and so favorable to ambuscades that, " certainly, it was …
It is every where hilly and covered with wood, intersected by "ravines, creeks, and niarsliy grounds: and every quarter of a mile, is "a post fitted for ambuscades. Little or no knowledge could be obtained " by reconnoitering ; " and " America is, of all countries, the best calcu- " latcd for the defensive : every one hundred yards might bo disputed, "at least that part of it …
"The enemy is too strongly posted to be attacked, in front ; and in- " numerable difficulties .are in my way of turning him, on either side, "though his .\rmy is much dispirited from the late success of his "Majesty's arms; yet have I not the smallest prospect of finishing the "contest, this Campaign, nor until the Kebels sec preparations, in the "Spring, that may preclude all …