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 58
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A plain monument marks the spot, bearing the following in- scription :-
In Memory of the Hon. Capt. WILLIAM LESLIE, of the 17th British Regiment, son of the Earl of Leven, in SCOTLAND. He fell January 3d, 1777, aged 26 years, at the Battle of PRINCETON. His friend, Benj. Rush, M. D., of PHILADELPHIA, hath caused this stone to be erected, as a mark of his esteem for his worth, and respect for his noble family. ‘
Two days after the battle, Gen. Washington (says Wilkinson, in his Memoirs) sent his aid, Col. Fitzgerald, into the British camp with a flag of truce. He was courteously received, and introduced to the principal officers. The recital of Capt. Leslie's death, and the respect with which his body had been treated, affected one of the British generals so sensibly, that he retired to a window and shed tears ; and when Col. Fitzgerald returned, he sent his acknow- ledgments to Washington.
The annexed account of the celebration at this place, Feb. 18th, 1779, of the anniversary of the alliance with France, was published at the time :
The anniversary of our alliance with France was celebrated on the 18th ultimo, at Pluckemin, at a very elegant entertainment and display of fireworks, given by General Knox, and the officers of the corps of artillery. It was postponed to this late day on ac- count of his Excellency General Washington's absence from camp. General Washing. ton, the principal officers of the army, Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Knox, and the ladies and gentlemen, for a large circuit around the camp, were of the company. Besides these, there was a vast concourse of spectators from every part of the Jerseys.
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The barracks of the artillery are at a small distance from Pluckemin, on a piece of rising ground, which shows them to great advantage. The entertainment and ball were held at the academy of the Park. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the celebration
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of the ALLIANCE was announced by the discharge of thirteen cannon, when the com- pany assembled in the academy to a very elegant dinner. The room was spacious, and the tables very prettily disposed, both as to prospect and convenience. The festivity was universal, and the toasts descriptive of the happy event, which had given certainty to our liberties, empire, and independence. In the evening was exhibited a very fine set of fire- works, conducted by Col. Stevens, arranged on the point of a temple, one hundred feet in length, and proportionally high. The temple showed THIRTEEN arches, each display- ing an illuminated painting. The centre arch was ornamented with a pediment, larger than any of the others ; and the whole edifice supported by a colonnade of the Corinthian order.
The illuminated paintings were disposed in the following order :
The 1st arch, on the right, represented the commencement of hostilities at Lexington, with this inscription :- " The scene opened."
2d, British clemency. Represented in the burning of Charlestown, Falmouth, Nor- folk, and Kingston.
3d, The separation of America from Britain. A magnificent arch broken in the centre, with this motto : " By your tyranny to the people of America you have separated the wide arch of an extended empire."
4th, Britain represented as a decaying empire, by a barren country, broken arches, fallen spires, ships deserting its shores, birds of prey hovering over its mouldering cities, and a gloomy setting sun. Motto :
" The Babylonian spires are sunk,
Achaia, Rome, and Egypt mouldered down ;
Time shakes the stable tyranny of thrones,
And tottering empires crush by their own weight."
5th, America represented as a rising empire. Prospect of a fertile country, harbors and rivers covered with ships, new canals opening, cities arising amidst woods, splendid sun emerging from a bright horizon. Motto
" New worlds are still emerging from the deep, The old descending in their turns to rise."
6th, A grand illuminated representation of LOUIS the sixteenth. The encourager of letters, the supporter of the rights of humanity, the ally and friend of the American people.
7th, The centre arch. THE FATHERS IN CONGRESS. Motto: " Nil desperandum reipublica."
8th, The American Philosopher and Ambassador extracting lightning from the clouds. 9th, The battle near Saratoga, 7th Oct., 1777.
10th, The Convention of Saratoga.
11th, A representation of the sea-fight, off Ushant, between Count D'Orvilliers and Admiral Keppie.
12th, Warren, Montgomery, Mercer, Wooster, Nash, and a crowd of heroes who have fallen in the American contest, in Elysium, receiving the thanks and praises of Brutus, Cato, and those spirits who in all ages have gloriously struggled against tyrants and tyranny. Motto : "Those who shed their blood in such a cause shall live and reign for- ever."
13th, Represented peace, with all her train of blessings. Her right hand displaying an olive branch ; at her feet lay the honors of harvest ; the background was filled with flourishing cities ; ports crowded with ships, and other emblems of an extensive empire and unrestrained commerce.
When the fireworks were finished, the company returned to the academy, and con- cluded the celebration by a very splendid ball.
The whole was conducted in a style and manner that reflects great honor on the taste of the managers.
The news announced to congress from the Spanish branch of the house of Bourbon, arriving at the moment of celebration, nothing could have so opportunely increased the good-humor of the company, or added to those animated expressions of pleasure which arose on the occasion.
BERNARD.
This township is about eight miles long, six broad, and is bound- ed N. by Mendham, Morris co. ; E. by Morris, Morris co., from
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which it is separated by the Raritan river; SE. by Warren, SW. by Bridgewater, and W. by the north branch of Raritan, which divides it from Bedminster. The face of the township is generally mountainous or hilly, and the soil fertile and under good cultivation. It has 1 fulling-m., 9 saw-m., 5 grist-m., 2 woollen fac., 4 tanneries ; cap. in manufac. $37,939 ; 7 schools, 231 scholars. Pop. 2,059.
Liberty Corners, 8 miles NE. of Somerville, is a village contain- ing 1 temperance tavern, 2 stores, a grist and saw mill, about 20 dwellings, and a Presbyterian church, erected in 1838. Logtown, Vealtown, and Millington, are hamlets. Baskingridge, 12 miles NE. of Somerville, and 8 SW. of Morristown, is a place of some historic interest, and is noted for the prominent men who here have had their dwelling-place. It is beautifully situated on a high ridge commanding an extensive prospect to the east, overlooking a large tract of lowland in the adjoining county, known as the Morris co. Swamp. It contains 4 stores, several mechanics, an academy, a Presbyterian church, and 40 dwellings. The academy was for- merly in high repute when under the care of the Rev. Dr. Brownlee and Rev. Dr. Finley.
Baskingridge was early settled by Scotch Presbyterians, and a log church erected about the year 1700. In 1749, a wooden struc- ture was built. In 1839, this was destroyed, and the present ele- gant brick church, ornamented by a handsome spire, was erected on its site. The Rev. John Cross, supposed to have been a native of Ireland, was the first settled clergyman. He was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Lamb, who died in 1749, and in 1751 his place was filled by the Rev. Samuel Kennedy, a distinguished Scotch divine, who continued until his decease in 1787. In 1795 the celebrated Dr. Finley, the projector of the African colonization scheme, took the pastoral charge, and remained until 1817, when he accepted the office of President of Athens College, Georgia. The year after, the Rev. Dr. Brownlee, the well-known controversialist, came here and remained until he was appointed a professor in Rutgers' College. From 1826 to 1834, the clerical office was filled by the Rev. John C. Vandervort. He was succeeded by the Rev. John Anderson, and he in turn, in 1836, by the Rev. Oscar Harris, its present pastor.
The annexed is a view of the house where Gen. Charles Lee, who ranked next to Washington in the army, was taken prisoner by a party of British cavalry under Col. Harcourt. It is on rising ground, at the SE. entrance of the village. At that time it was a tavern kept by Mrs. White, a widow lady, and went by the name of "White's Tavern." It has since been somewhat altered, and is now occupied as a private dwelling.
This event took place on the morning of Dec. 13, 1776, a few days after Washington's retreat through New Jersey to the western bank of the Delaware. Lee had been frequently ordered to join the main army with his troops. He slowly obeyed, rather manifest- ing to act independently and annoy the rear of the British army ; and in opposition to the judgment of Washington, he proposed to
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establish himself at Morristown. On being again urged, he was reluctantly proceeding towards the Delaware, when he was taken prisoner. At this time his troops lay at Vealtown, two miles distant ; but he had with him a small guard as a protection to his person.
General Lee's Quarters, Baskingridge.
The following detailed account of this event is given by General James Wilkinson, in his Memoirs, who was with Lee at this time.
General Lee wasted the morning in altercation with certain militia corps who were of his command, particularly the Connecticut Light-horse,* several of whom appeared in large full-bottomed perukes, and were treated very irreverently. The call of the adju- tant-general for orders also occupied some of his time, and we did not sit down to break- fast before 10 o'clock. Gen. Lee was engaged in answering Gen. Gates' letter, and I had risen from the table, and was looking out of an end widow, down a lane about one hun- dred yards in length, which led to the house from the main road, when I discovered a party of British troops turn the corner of the avenue at full charge. Startled at this un- expected spectacle, I exclaimed, " Here, sir, are the British cavalry !" " Where ?" re- plied the general, who had signed the letter in the instant. "Around the house ;" for they had opened files and encompassed the building. General Lee appeared alarmed, yet collected, and his second observation marked his self-possession: " Where is the guard ?- d-n the guard, why dont they fire ?" and after a momentary pause, he turned to me and said, " Do, sir, see what has become of the guard !" The women of the house at this moment entered the room, and proposed to him to conceal himself in a bed, which he rejected with evident disgust. I caught up the pistols which lay on the table, thrust the letter he had been writing into my pocket, and passed into a room at the opposite end of the house, where I had seen the guard in the morning. Here I discovered their arms, but the men were absent. I stepped out of the door, and perceived the dragoons chasing them in different directions,t and receiving a very uncivil salutation, I returned into the house.
* One wanted forage, another his horse shod, another his pay, and a fourth his pro- visions, &c., to which the general replied, " Your wants are numerous ; but you have not mentioned the last-you want to go home, and shall be indulged, for you do no good here."
t A respectable elderly lady, now a resident of Baskingridge, (July, 1842,) and who at the time Lee was taken lived in this vicinity, states that two of the guard retreated about 40 rods in a northwesterly direction. They were pursued, overtaken, and refusing to surrender, were killed. The cavalry, from fear of alarming the American troops in the vicinity, by the report of their fire-arms, used their sabres only, and hacked them so terribly that it was found very difficult to remove their bodies to the graveyard, and they were put in boxes and interred in the field where they fell .- Note by the compilers of the Hist. Collections.
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Too inexperienced immediately to penetrate the motives of this enterprise, I considered the rencontre accidental, and from the terrific tales spread over the country, of the vio. lence and barbarity of the enemy, I believed it to be a wanton murdering party, and de- termined not to die without company. I accordingly sought a position where I could not be approached by more than one person at a time, and with a pistol in each hand, I awaited the expected search, resolved to shoot the first and the second person who might appear, and then to appeal to my sword. I did not long remain in this unpleasant situation, but was apprized of the object of the incursion by the very audible declaration, " If the General does not surrender in five minutes, I will set fire to the house ;" which, after a short pause, was repeated with a solemn oath ; and within two minutes I heard it proclaimed, " Here is the General, he has surrendered." A general shout en- sued, the trumpet sounded the assembly, and the unfortunate Lee, mounted on my horse, which stood ready at the door, was hurried off in triumph, bareheaded, in his slippers and blanket-coat, his collar open, and his shirt very much soiled from several days' use.
What a lesson of caution is to be derived from this event, and how important the ad- monition furnished by it ! What an evidence of the caprice of fortune, of the fallibility of ambitious projects, and the inscrutable ways of Heaven ! The capture of General Lee was felt as a public calamity ; it cast a gloom over the country, and excited general sorrow. This sympathy was honorable to the people, and due to the stranger who had embarked his fortune with theirs, and determined to share their fate, under circumstances of more than common peril. Although this misfortune deprived the country of its most experienced chief, I have ever considered the deprivation a public blessing, ministered by the hand of Providence ; for if Gen. Lee had not abandoned caution for convenience, and taken quarters two miles from his army, on his exposed flank, he would have been safe ; if a domestic traitor,* who passed his quarters the same morning on private busi- ness, had not casually fallen in with Col. Harcourt, on a reconnoitering party, the gene- ral's quarters would not have been discovered ; if my visit and the controversy with the Connecticut Light-horse had not spun out the morning unseasonably, the General would have been at his camp; if Col. Harcourt had arrived an hour sooner, he would have found the guardt under arms, and would have been repulsed, or resisted until succor could have arrived ; if he had arrived half an hour later the General would have been with his corps ; if the guard had paid ordinary attention to their duty, and had not abandoned their arms, the General's quarters would have been defended ; or if he had obeyed the peremptory and reiterated orders of General Washington, he would have been beyond the reach of the enemy. And shall we impute to blind chance, such a chain of rare incidents ? I conscientiously reply in the negative ; because the combi- nation was too intricate and perplexed for accidental causes, or the agency of man. It must have been designed. . . . . . So soon as Lieutenant Col. Harcourt retreated with his prize, I repaired to the stable, mounted the first horse I could find, and rode full speed to General Sullivan, whom I found under march toward Pluckamin.
One mile southeast of Baskingridge formerly stood the mansion and farm of Lord Stirling. His country seat was one of the most splendid in the state. He had a fine garden, a park stocked with deer, and prided himself upon his elegant horses. The annexed biographical sketch is from the Encyclopedia Americana :
Biling . Maj Gin' Fac-simile of Lord Stirling's Signature.
William Alexander, Lord Stirling, a major- general in the service of the United States du- ring the revolutionary war, was born in the city of New York, but passed a portion of his
* Col. J. W. Drake of Mendham, in conversation with one of the compilers of this volume, stated that the individual who acted as a guide to Col. Harcourt's party was a Mr. Macklewraith, an elder of the Presbyterian church at Mendham. While walking in the road, he was suddenly surrounded by a party of British cavalry, who pressed him into their service. .
t The morning being cold, and the sun bright, they had left their station, crossed the main road, and were sunning themselves on the south side of a house about 200 yards from the tavern, which enabled Harcourt to cut them off from their arms.
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life in New Jersey. He was generally styled through courtesy Lord Stirling, in conse quence of being considered by many as the rightful heir to the title and estates of an earldom in Scotland, from which country his father came, though the government re- fused to acknowledge the son's claim when he repaired to Great Britain in pursuit of this inheritance. He was early remarkable for his fondness for mathematics and as- tronomy, in which sciences he made considerable progress. Throughout the revolution he acted an important part, and distinguished himself particularly in the battles of Long Island, Germantown, and Monmouth. In the first, he was taken prisoner, after having, by a bold attack upon a corps commanded by Cornwallis, effected the escape of a large part of his detachment. In the second, his division, with the brigades of Generals Nash and Maxwell, formed the corps de reserve ; and in the last he commanded the left wing of the American army. He was always warmly attached to General Washington, and the cause which he had espoused. He died at Albany, January 15th, 1783, aged 57 years, leaving behind him the reputation of a brave, discerning, and intrepid officer, and an honest and a learned man.
HENRY SOUTHARD was born on Long Island in Oct., 1747. When he was eight years of age his father, Abraham Southard, removed to the then colony of New Jersey, and set- tled at Baskingridge, where the family have since continued to reside. The son received but an ordinary English education, and when a young man hired out as a common la- borer for thirty cents a day, and by untiring industry collected sufficient to purchase a farm. His energy and talents distinguished him from the mass, and he was early ap- pointed a justice ; and in upwards of nine hundred cases upon which he decided, in the course of his experience, four appeals only were made. In the war of the revolution he entered the service, and contributed a share toward the attainment of our independence. Among the earliest members of the state legislature, subsequent to the adoption of the federal constitution, in 1789, he usefully served in that body for nine years, when he was elected a representative in congress. This post of honor he held by successive re-elec- tions for 21 years, when in 1821, admonished by the growing weight of years, he volun- tarily retired, having then passed the ordinary limit of threescore and ten. A short time previous his distinguished son had been elected a member of the senate, and they had the pleasure of meeting in the joint committee of the two houses, upon whom, as a final resort, had devolved the settlement of the famous Missouri question; a circum- stance probably without a parallel in our political history. He died on the 2d of June, 1842, at the advanced age of 95 years, up to within a few days of which he had been blessed with the full possession of his mental faculties. Until within three years of his decease, he had never worn glasses, or used a staff, and was accustomed to a daily walk of three miles. Were it not for his silvery hair hanging in clusters down his neck, one would not have supposed him to have been over fifty years of age. His memory was strong ; he could not only recollect every question which had come before congress, while a member, but mention the different speakers and their very arguments.
SAMUEL L. SOUTHARD, a distinguished son of the above, was born in Bask- ingridge, June 9, 1787. At an early age he was graduated with high honor at the college of New Jersey, and soon after went to Virginia, where he spent several years, studying law, and at the same time supplying his deficiency of fortune by his labors as a private tutor. Admitted to the bar in Virginia, he returned to his native state, where, after passing through the requisite period of study, he received, in 1814, his license as counsellor. He rose rapidly to the highest rank in his profession. In 1815, he espe- cially distinguished himself by his argument upon the celebrated steamboat case, which was discussed by counsel before the legislature of New Jersey. On this occasion, Mr. Fulton, who was interested in procuring the repeal of a law which had been enacted by the legislature two years before, had brought with him to Trenton the most distinguished talent of the New York bar; and Mr. Southard, then a very young man in comparison, was employ- ed by Col. Ogden and Mr. Dod, the adverse parties, as their counsel. Mr. Southard's argument, upon this exciting occasion, was of so brilliant a char- acter, that, upon its conclusion, a universal testimony of applause burst from a crowded auditory, and it was with difficulty that the becoming order of a
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legislative hall could be restored. From this time his position in the fore- most rank of the men of promise in New Jersey was unquestioned. In the latter part of the same year he was elected a member of the House of As- sembly of the legislature, from the county of Hunterdon, his residence being at that time at Flemington ; but he had been only a week in the house when he was placed, at the early age of 28, upon the bench of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. In this high station he remained until 1821, when he was elected to the U. S. Senate, having little more than reached the age neces- sary for a seat in that body. His talents here had a wider sphere, and he soon earned for himself so distinguished a reputation, that, in 1823, President Monroe, by the unanimous consent of the senate, conferred upon him the appointment of Secretary of the Navy. Upon the accession of Mr. Adams to the chief magistracy, Mr. Southard, at his earnest solicitation, remained at the same post, and continued to discharge its duties until the close of Mr. Adams' administration. The promptitude and energy with which he ad- minstered the affairs of the navy were soon visible in their effects through- out the service, and are yet remembered by those who have at heart the interests of this arm of our national defence. The late South Sea expedition owes its first conception to him.
Upon his return to New Jersey, at the close of Mr. Adams' administration in 1829, he was immediately appointed by the legislature attorney-general of the state ; and before the expiration of his term of office he was elected governor. From this post he was transferred again, in 1833, to the United States Senate, and immediately took his rank among the most conspicuous members of that body during the most brilliant period of its history. Five years later he was reinvested with the same office for another term of six years, only one half of which had expired at the time of his lamented death. In 1841 he was elevated by the senate to the office of president pro tempore, and by the subsequent removal of Vice-president Tyler to the executive chair, rendered vacant by the death of President Harrison, he became the permanent presiding officer of the senate. The dignity and propriety with which he presided over the deliberations of this body won for him the respect of all parties. The untiring, self-sacrificing zeal with which he devoted himself to the duties of the office, doubtless hastened the progress of the disease which terminated in his death. He was compelled at length to retire from his post, and on the 26th of June, 1842, he expired at Fredericksburg, Va., among the relatives of his wife.
It is the lot of few men to leave behind them a more enviable reputation than Mr. Southard's. He filled successively every high station of honor and trust to which his native state could raise him; and was never found wanting under any responsibility laid upon him. In the various relations of public and private life, his deportment was such as to win for him the de- voted attachment of very many and the respect of all. Every generous and noble enterprise found in him an earnest and eloquent advocate. His ser- vices on behalf of the oppressed Indians, and his cordial support of the Colonization and the Bible society, will not soon be forgotten by the friends of humanity. It was peculiar to him to carry into the advocacy of whatever seemed true and right a sincerity and warmth of feeling, which gave unu- sual power to his argument, and imparted great grace to his benevolence. As a public speaker he belonged to the first class. His appearance, his manner of speaking, and his style of thought corresponded admirably with . each other. In person he was not above the common size; but the bold
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