USA > New Jersey > Historical collections of the state of New Jersey : containing a general collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc. relating to its history and antiquities, with geographical desciptions of every township in the state. > Part 55
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They imagined that they would strike terror into the hearts of our people by playing upon all their martial instruments of music, as they boldly ad- vanced to the foot of the causeway in columns of battalions, where they dis- played and formed, their lines on the edge of the marsh. The refugees were there in the ranks on the right of the British regulars, and many of them were recognized by our people, as men who had been inhabitants of our own county, then in arms against their own neighbors.
Previous to the approach of the enemy, Cols. Holmes and Hand had placed their men under cover in their intrenchments, both up and down the creek, as far as the discharge of musketry would tell with good effect. The creek running circularly towards the enemy, and from the position in which their line was then formed, they became exposed to the certain and destructive fire from our people in front, and on both flanks. In this posi- tion were they when our militia opened upon them such a well-directed and destructive fire, that, brave as they were, they could not long stand it. They then saw, to their woful disappointment, that they could make no
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impression upon our people ; they were not to be intimidated, for they felt themselves secure under cover and upon a high bank, with the creek be- tween them, and the bridge destroyed. For the enemy to make a despe- rate effort to advance through the marsh to the edge of the creek, would answer no good purpose, but only expose themselves to certain destruction. In their attempt to penetrate along the causeway to gain the bridge, they were so galled by the incessant fire poured in upon their left flank from what is now the ship-yard, as well as assailed by small-arms and the two pieces of cannon in their front, that they were thrown into confusion, were obliged to retreat back to Salem, and leave the small village of Quinton's " bridge in the possession of our gallant militia.
The next day a detachment of the enemy marched through a little settle- ment called Guineatown, near to Allowaystown, situated at the head of the tide-water, but returned, not venturing to cross the bridge there.
Mawhood now set about accomplishing the errand which he had been sent to perform-which was to plunder the farmers of all the hay, grain, cattle, horses, and, indeed, of every thing that might be of benefit to the British. He therefore sent out his men and pressed into his service all the teams that he could obtain, and set them to work under the supervision of a military guard in transporting every thing he found necessary to the ves- sels, which had been sent for that purpose ;- the like in number have never been seen at one time in our creek, either before or since. These productions of the farmers were carried to Philadelphia, where they were very much wanted-that city being the head-quarters of the enemy. The foragers were directed to explore Elsinborough, Lower Mannington, and Salem, where he was sure no resistance could be offered to them. He directed a strong party to attend the foragers into the township of Lower Penn's Neck. The bridge over the main creek, and road leading from Salem into the Neck, was situated about two miles higher up than where it now crosses.
Captain Andrew Sinnickson lived at that time in Penn's Neck, and being notified of the party approaching, hastily collected together as many of his men as could be mustered, came upon the guard and their foragers, (in what was then called the Long Lane,) and after a severe contest the enemy was routed, and in the mêlée the commanding officer lost his hat and cloak, and was obliged to flee to Salem without them. The next day Capt. Sin- nickson sent a flag into the town, with the hat and cloak belonging to the unfortunate officer, with something like this laconic message : " That he had to regret the sudden departure of the officer, the owner of these articles, but hoped that if he intended another visit into that township he might have the pleasure of detaining him, until they became better acquainted."
Below is the letter of the British commander to Col. Elijah Hand, written a day or two after the affair at Quintin's Bridge, together with the reply :
COLONEL MAWHOOD, commanding a detachment of the British army at Salem, in- duced by motives of humanity, proposes to the militia at Quintin's Bridge and the neighborhood, as well officers as private men, to lay down their arms and depart, each man to his own home. On that condition, he solemnly promises to re-embark his troops without delay, doing no further damage to the country ; and he will cause his commis saries to pay for the cattle, hay, and corn that have been taken, in sterling money.
If, on the contrary, the militia should be so far deluded, and blind to their true interest and happiness, he will put the arms which he has brought with him into the hands of the inhabitants well affected, called tories ; and will attack all such of the militia as re
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main in arms, burn and destroy their houses and other property, and reduce them, their anfortunate wives and children, to beggary and distress. And, to convince them that these are not vain threats, he has subjoined a list of the names of such as will be the first objects to feed the vengeance of the British nation.
Given under my hand, at head-quarters, at Salem, the twenty-first day of March, 1778. C. MAWHOOD, Colonel.
" Edmund Keasby, Thomas Sinnickson, Samuel Dick, Whitten Cripps, Ebenezer Howell, Edward Hall, John Rowen, Thomas Thompson, George Trenchard, Elisha Cat- tel, Andrew Sinnickson, Nicholas Kean, Jacob Hufty, Benjamin Holmes, William Shute, Anthony Sharp, and Abner Penton."
COLONEL HAND'S REPLY.
SIR : I have been favored with what you say humanity has induced you to propose. It would have given me much pleasure to have found that humanity had been the line of conduct to your troops, since you came to Salem. Not denying quarters, but butch- ering our men who surrendered themselves prisoners, in the skirmish at Quintin's Bridge, last Thursday ; and bayoneting, yesterday morning, at Hancock's Bridge, in the most cruel manner, in cold blood, men who were taken by surprise, in a situation in which they neither could nor did attempt to make any resistance, and some of whom were not fighting men,-are instances too shocking for me to relate, and I hope for you to hear. The brave are ever generous and humane. After expressing your sentiments of human- ity, you proceed to make a request, which I think you would despise us if complied with. Your proposal that we should lay down our arms, we absolutely reject. We have taken them up to maintain rights which are dearer to us than our lives ; and will not lay them down till either success has crowned our arms with victory, or, like many an- cient worthies contending for liberty, we meet with an honorable death. You mention that, if we reject your proposal, you will put arms in the hands of the tories against us. We have no objection to the measure, for it would be a very good one to fill our arsenals with arms. Your threats to wantonly burn and destroy our houses and other property, and reduce our wives and children to beggary and distress, is a sentiment which my humanity almost forbids me only to recite ; and induces me to imagine that I am read- ing the cruel order of a barbarous Attila, and not of a gentleman, brave, generous, and polished, with a genteel European education. To wantonly destroy will injure your cause more than ours ; it will increase your enemies and our army. To destine to destruction the property of our most distinguished men, as you have done in your proposals, is, in my opinion, unworthy a generous foe ; and more like a rancorous feud, between two con- tending barons, than a war carried on, by one of the greatest powers on earth, against a people nobly struggling for liberty. A line of honor would mark out that these men should share the fate of their country. If your arms should be crowned with victory, (which God forbid !) they and their property will be entirely at the disposal of your sove- reign. The loss of their property, while their persons are out of your power, will only render them desperate; and, as I said before, increase your foes and our army. And retaliation upon tories, and their property, is not entirely out of our power. Be assured that these are the sentiments, and determined resolution, not of myself only, but of all the officers and privates under me.
My prayer is, sir, that this answer may reach you in health and great happiness. Given at head-quarters, at Quinton's Bridge, the 22d day of March, 1778. ELIJAH HAND, Colonel.
The annexed plan of the " Affair at Quinton's Bridge," is a re- duced copy of one drawn by Lieut. Col. Simcoe, accompanying his Military Journal. Col. Simcoe was the celebrated commander of a partisan corps, in the revolution, called the "Queen's Rangers," and late in life was lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, at which time, although a gentlemanly man, he was noted for his prejudices against the United States. His journal has been republished at New York the present year, (1844,) by Bartlett & Welford. The following is Major (afterward Lieut. Col.) Simcoe's account of his operations in the vicinity of Salem :
An expedition was formed under the command of the late Colonel Maw-
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hood, consisting of the 27th and 46th regiments, the Queen's Rangers, and New Jersey Volunteers ; they embarked the 12th of March, and fell down the Delaware. On the 17th, the Queen's Rangers landed, at three o'clock
[Scale one-half of a mile.]
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Plan of the Affair at Quinton's Bridge, 18th March, 1778.
' REFERENCES .- A. The rebels in their works. B. Detachment of the 17th of Infant ry masking the Bridge. C. The Light Infantry of the Rangers ambuscaded in a house. D. A detachment commanded by Capt. Saunders in ambuscade. E. Huzzars and In- fantry of Queen's Rangers in the wood. F. Detachment of the 17th, retreating in view of the enemy. G. Rebels passing the bridge. H. Sally of the Light Infantry and pur- suit of the Rangers. I. Flight of the enemy.]
in the morning, about six miles from Salem, the Huzzars carrying their ac- coutrements and swords. Major Simcoe was directed to seize horses, to mount the cavalry and the staff, and to join Colonel Mawhood at Salem ; this was accordingly executed. Major Simcoe, making a circuit and pass- ing over Lambstone's bridge, arrived at Salem, near which Colonel Mawhood landed. The Huzzars were tolerably well mounted, and sufficient horses procured for the other exigencies of the service ; Colonel Mawhood had given the strictest charge against plundering; and Major Simcoe, in taking the horses, had assured the inhabitants that they should be returned, or paid for, if they did not appear in arms, in a very few days ; and none but offi- cers entering the houses, they received no other injury. The Queen s Rangers' infantry were about two hundred and seventy, rank and file, and thirty cavalry ; Colonel Mawhood gave directions for the forage to take place on the 18th. The town of Salem lies upon a creek of that name which falls into the Delaware nearly opposite Reedy island ; the Aloes, or Allewas [Alloways] creek, runs almost parallel to the Salem creek, and falls into the Delaware to the southward of it; over this creek there were three bridges : Hancock's was the lower one, Quintin's that in the centre, and Thompson's the upper one. Between these creeks the foraging was to commence ; the neck, or peninsula, formed by them was a' its greatest dis- tance seven, and at its least four miles wide. The rebel mi .itia was posted at Hancock's and Quintin's, the nearest bridges, which they had taken up
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and defended by breast-works. Colonel Mawhood made detachments to mask these bridges, and foraged in their rear : the officer who commanded the detachment, consisting of seventy of the 17th infantry, at Quintin's bridge, sent information that the enemy were assembled in great numbers at the bridge, and indicated as if they meant to pass over whenever he should quit it, in which case his party would be in great danger. Colonel Mawhood marched with the Queen's Rangers to his assistance : he made a circuit so as to fall in upon the road that led from Thompson's to Quintin's bridge, to deceive any patrole which he might meet on his march, and to make them believe that he directed it to Thompson's, not Quintin's bridge. Approach- ing the bridge, the Rangers halted in the wood, and Col. Mawhood and Ma- jor Simcoe went to the party of the 17th, but in such a manner as to give no suspicion that they were part of a reinforcement ; the ground was high, till within two hundred yards of the bridge, where it became marshy ; im- mediately beyond the bridge the banks were steep, and on them the enemy had thrown up breast-works ; there was a public house very near the road, at the edge of its declivity into the marsh, on the Salem side. Colonel Mawhood asked Major Simcoe " whether he thought, if he left a party in the house, the enemy would pass by it or not ?" who replied, " that he thought they would be too cowardly to do it ; but at any rate the attempt could do no harm, and, if he pleased, he would try." Colonel Mawhood directed Major Simcoe to do so, who accordingly, profiting by the broken ground of the or- chard which was behind it, and the clothing of his men, brought Captain Stephenson and his company into the house undiscovered ; the front windows were opened, and the back ones were shut, so that no thorough light could be seen ; the women of the house were put in the cellar, and ordered to be silent ; the door was left open, and Lieutenant M'Kay stood behind it, with a bayonet, ready to seize the first person whose curiosity might prompt him to enter ; the Queen's Rangers were brought into the wood near to that part where it ended in clear ground, and two companies, under Captain Saunders, were advanced to the fences at the very edge of it, where they lay flat. Colonel Mawhood then gave orders for the detachment of the 17th, who were posted near the house, to call in their sentinels and retreat up the road in full view of the enemy. This party had scarcely moved, when the enemy laid the bridge and passed it; a detachment of them went immediately across the marsh to the heights on the left, but the principal party, about two hundred, in two divisions, proceeded up the road; Captain Stephenson, as they approached the house, could hear them say, " Let us go into the house," &c., but they were prevented, both by words and by action, by the officer who was at their head : he was on horseback, and spurring forward, quitted the road to go into the field, on the right, through a vacancy made by the rails being taken for fires ; his party still proceeded up the road, and the first division passed the house ; the officer, his sight still fixed on the red clothes of the 17th, approached close up to the fence where Captain Saunders lay ; he did not immediately observe the Rangers, and, it is prob- able, he might not, had he not heard one of the men stifling a laugh ; looking down he saw them, and 'galloped off; he was fired at, wounded, and taken. The division that had passed the house attempted to return. Captain Ste-
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phenson sallied, drove them across the fields. Captain Saunders pursued them. The Huzzars were let loose, and afterward the battalion, Colonel Mawhood leading them. Major Simcoe directed the 17th back to the house, with the grenadiers and Highlanders of the Rangers, ready to force the bridge, if ordered ; the enemy, for a moment, quitted it; Colonel Mawhood
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thought it useless to pass it. Some of the division, who passed the house, were taken prisoners, but the greater part were drowned in the Aloes creek. The officer who was taken proved to be a Frenchman. The Rangers had one Huzzar mortally wounded; and what was unfortunate, he was wound- ed by a man whom in the eagerness of the pursuit he had passed, given quarters to, and not disarmed ; the villain, or coward, was killed by another Huzzar. The corps returned to Salem.
The rebels still occupying the posts at Quintin and Hancock's bridge, and probably accumulating, Colonel Mawhood determined to attack them at the latter, where, from all reports, they were assembled to near four hun- dred men. He intrusted the enterprise to Major Simcoe, and went with him and a patrole opposite to the place ; the Major ascended a tree, and made a rough sketch of the buildings, which, by conversing with the guides, he improved into a tolerable plan of the place, and formed his mode of at- tack accordingly. He embarked on the 20th, at night, on board the flat- boats ; he was to be landed at an inlet, seven miles below Aloes creek, when the boats were immediately to be returned, and by a private road he was to reach Hancock's bridge, opposite to which, Major Mitchell was detached with the 27th regiment, to co-operate with him. Major Simcoe foresaw the difficulties and dangers, but he kept them to himself: every thing depended upon surprise. The enemy were nearly double his numbers ; and his re- treat, by the absolute orders to send back the boats, was cut off; but he had just confidence in the silence, attention, and spirit of the corps. By some strange error in the naval department, when the boats arrived off Aloes creek, the tide set so strong against them that, in the opinion of the officer of the navy, they could not reach the place of their destination till mid.day. Major Simcoe determined not to return, but to land on the marshes at the mouth of the Aloes creek ; there were good guides with him : they found out a landing place, and after a march of two miles through marshes, up to the knees in mud and water, labors rendered more fatiguing by the carriage of the first wooden planks they met with, to form bridges with them over the ditches, they at length arrived at a wood upon dry land. Here the corps was formed for the attack. There was no public road which led to Han- cock's bridge, but that which the Rangers were now in possession of; a bank, on which there was a footway, led from Hancock's to Quintin's bridge. Hancock's house was a large brick house ; there were many store- houses round it, and some few cottages. Captain Saunders was detached to ambuscade the dyke that led to Quintin's bridge, about half a mile from the quarters, and to take up a small bridge which was upon it, as the enemy would probably fly that way, and if not pursued too closely, would be more easily defeated. Captain Dunlop was detached to the rear of Hancock's house, in which it was presumed the rebel officers quartered ; directed to force it, occupy and barricade it, as it commanded the passage of the bridge. Different detachments were allotted to the houses supposed to be the ene- my's quarters, which having mastered, they were ordered to assemble at Hancock's ; a party was appropriated to relay the bridge. On approaching the place, two sentries were discovered ; two men of the light infantry fol- lowed them, and, as they turned about, bayoneted them; the companies rushed in, and each, with proper guides, forced the quarters allotted to it. No resistance being made, the light infantry, who were in reserve, reached Hancock's house by the road, and forced the front door, at the same time that Captain Dunlop, by a more difficult way, entered the back door ; as it was very dark, these companies had nearly attacked each other. The sur-
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prise was complete, and would have been so, had the whole of the enemy's force been present, but, fortunately for them, they had quitted it the evening before, leaving a detachment of twenty or thirty men, all of whom were killed. Some very unfortunate circumstances happened here. Among the killed was a friend of government, then a prisoner with the rebels, old Hancock, the owner of the house, and his brother. Major Simcoe had made particular inquiry, and was informed that he did not live at home, since the rebels had occupied the bridge. The information was partly true ; he was not there in the day-time, but unfortunately returned home at night. Events like these are the real miseries of war. The roads which lead to the country were immediately ambuscaded ; and Lieutenant Whitlock was de- tached to surprise a patrole of seven men who had been sent down the creek ; this he effected completely. On their refusal to surrender, he fired on them. Only one escaped. This firing gave the first notice of the success of the enterprise to the 27th regiment; with so much silence it had hitherto been conducted. The bridge was now laid ; and Major Simcoe communicated to Colonel Mitchell that the enemy were at Quintin's bridge ; that he had good guides to conduct them thither by a private road, and that the posses- sion of Hancock's house secured a retreat. Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell said that his regiment was much fatigued by the cold, and that he would return to Salem as soon as the troops joined. The ambuscades were of course withdrawn, and the Queen's Rangers were forming to pass the bridge, when a rebel patroll passed where an ambuscade had been, and discovering the corps, gallopped back. Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell, find- ing his men in high spirits, had returned, purposing to march to Quin- tin's bridge ; but being informed of the enemy's patroll, it was thought best to return. Colonel Mawhood, in public orders, " returned his best thanks to Major Simcoe and his corps, for their spirited and good conduct in the sur- prise of the rebel posts." Two days after, the Queen's Rangers patrolled - to Thompson's bridge ; the enemy, who had been posted there, were alarm- ed at the approach of a cow the night before, fired at it, wounded it, and then fled ; they also abandoned Quintin's bridge, and retired to a creek, six- teen miles from Aloes creek. Major Simcoe, making a patrole with the Huzzars, took a circuit towards the rear of one of the parties sent out to protect the foragers ; a party of the enemy had been watching them the whole day, and unluckily, the forage being completed, the detachment had just left its ground and was moving off; the enemy doing the like, met the patrole ; were pursued, and escaped by the passage which the foragers had just left open. One only was taken, being pursued into a bog, which the Huz- zars attempted in vain to cross, and were much mortified to see above a dozen of the enemy, who had passed round it in safety, within a few yards ; they consisted of all the field officers and committee-men of the district. The prisoner was their adjutant. The enemy, who were assembled at Cohan- sey, might easily have been surprised; but Colonel Mawhood judged, that having completed his forage with such success, his business was to return, which he effected. The troops embarked without any accident, and sailed for Philadelphia.
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LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK.
The extreme length of this township is about 13 m., with an average width of 6 m. It is bounded N. by Upper Alloways Creek, E. by Stow Creek and Greenwich, Cumberland co., S. by the Dela- ware, and W. by Elsinborough. A great portion of the township is marsh. Pop. in 1830, 1,222 ; in 1840, 1,252.
Canton, 9 miles from Salem, contains 2 stores, a Baptist church, and about 30 dwellings. Hancock's Bridge, upon Alloways creek, 5 miles S. of Salem, has about 40 dwellings, and a Friends meeting- house. This society first built a house of worship in 1685. The leading men of the association were Richard Hancock, John Denn, Jeremiah Powell, Nathaniel Chamney, &c. A Presbyterian church, now extinct, was founded at Logtown in 1750. The families were Moore, Sayre, Woodruff, Grier, Padget, Wood, &c.
View of an Ancient Dwelling at Hancock's Bridge.
The above is a view of an antiquated brick dwelling, standing in the village, a few rods from the bridge over the creek, and known as Baker's tavern. In 1778, when the British were in this county, a party of them surprised, at night, a small body of Americans in this house, who had been stationed there to guard the bridge. The account given by Major Simcoe, who commanded the enemy, is given on p. 424 of this volume. The following is from Johnson's History of Salem :-
Massacre at Hancock's Bridge .- That night, the murdering party being selected, went, as directed, in boats, down Salem creek to the river-thence to Alloways creek-thence up the same to a suitable distance from Hancock's Bridge, where they were to land, and being favored by the darkness of the night, were to attack the picket in the house in which they were stationed as their head-quarters, and put every man to death they found there. In that house, the property of Judge Hancock, were he, Charles Fogg, a very aged man, Joseph Thompson, and - Bacon, all Quakers ; a few others beside the guard, composed of a full company of men, were those persons in that house on that ill- fated night, all wrapt in slcep, worn down. with watching, nature exhausted, and many of them doomed to sleep the long sleep of death. The hellish mandate was issued at head-quarters-" Go-spare no one-put all to death-give no quarters." These refu- gees, only to be associated with their brethren, the imps of the infernal regions, did their best, and glutted their worse than savage passions in the innocent blood of their unof- fending neighbors. They killed and desperately mangled, with fiendish ferocity, such
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