History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 12

Author: Snell, James P; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1170

USA > New Jersey > Somerset County > History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 12
USA > New Jersey > Hunterdon County > History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 12

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The ordinance closed by a most stirring appeal to the people of New Jersey by the members of the Convention. They said,-

* The name of that body having been changed on that day from " The Provincial Congress of New Jersey" to "The Convention of the State of New Jersey," as before mentioned.

"In this interesting situation,-viewing, on the one hand, an active, inveterate, and implacable enemy, increasing fast in strength, daily ro- ceiving large reinforcements, and industriously preparing to strike some decisive blow; on the other, a considerable part of the inhabitants su-

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES IN THE REVOLUTION.

pinoly slumbering on the brink of ruin,-and moved with affecting np- prehensiona, the Convention think It Incumbent upon them to warn their constituents of the impending danger. On you, our friends and brethren, it depends, this day, to determine whether you, your wives, your children, und millions of your descendants yet unborn shall woar the galling, the ignominious yoke of slavery, or nobly Inherit the gon- erous, the inestimable blessings of freedom. The alternative is before you! Can you hesitate in your choice? Can you doubt which to pre- fer? . . . Hlapplly, wo know we can nuticipate your virtuous choice, With confident satisfaction we are mesured that not a moment will delay your important decision ; that you cannot feel hesitation, whether you will tamely aud degenorately bend your necks to the irretrievable wretched- nens of slavery, or by your instant and animated exertions enjoy the fair inheritance of heaven-born freedom, and transmit it unimpaired to your postority."

This language indicates clearly the intensity of the alarm which then pervaded the public mind ; and the facts above noticed show what preparations had been made by the people of New Jersey to meet the im- pending danger at the time when the neighboring hillsides of Staten Island were dotted with the camps of Howe's army, and its shores encircled by the black hulls and menacing batteries of the British fleet.

It proved to be the design of the British comman- der not to invade the territory of New Jersey, but to siege and occupy the western end of Long Island ; and he made no delay, after the arrival of the last of his reinforcements, in putting this design into execution. His army, consisting of British regulars and German mercenaries, amounted to about twenty-five thousand men, and with about ten thousand of them he crossed from Staten Island on the 22d of August and effected a landing between the settlements of New Utrecht and Gravesend. The American forces in and about New York numbered, nominally, about twenty-seven thousand men,* and, though they had offered no oppo- sition to the landing of the enemy's columns, it was clear that a conflict between the two armies was in- evitable and could not long be delayed.

Five days were spent in preparation on both sides. On the 25th of August, Gen. Putnam succeeded tien. Sullivan in the command of the American forces at Brooklyn, which had been reinforced by six regiments. On the same day the German general De leister landed two brigades of Hessians on the island, and on the 26th took position at Flatbush, which Lord Corn- wallis had occupied with his division three days be- foro. Thus the American and British forces stood on the evening of the 26th, confronting each other, and within striking distance.

Before dawn, in the morning of the 27th of August, the British columns, under Clinton, Perey, and Grant, were put in motion in the direction of the American lines, and it was not long after daylight when their advance became warmly engaged with the troops under Gen. Sullivan ; and then followed the general engagement known in history as the battle of Long Island, which raged until past noon of the day and resulted in the defeat of tien. Washington's army and

the capture of Lord Stirling with his entire command, who were surrounded and made prisoners. Gens. Sullivan and Woodhull were also among those taken by the enemy. The loss of the Americans was heavy, being admitted by Gen. Washington to execed one thousand, and estimated by Gen. Howe to be more than three times that number, including about eleven hundred prisoners. Among the killed was Col. Philip Johnston, of Hunterdon County, commanding the First Regiment.

After this disastrous engagement the American forces remained in a fortified position confronting the enemy until the night of the 28th, when they were withdrawn and transported in safety across the East River to New York, taking with them nearly all their military stores, and all their artillery, except a few of the heavier pieces. The public stores were re- moved to Dobb's Ferry, on the Hudson, while the main part of the army, some ten or twelve thousand men, was marched to King's Bridge and there en- camped. A force of between four and five thousand men was left in the city to keep up a show of defense, but not with the intention of holding it against any determined attack of the enemy in force. On the 12th of September, Gen. Washington, by the advice of a council of war, decided on the abandonment of the city, and Gen. Mereer, commanding the Flying Camp, on the New Jersey side, was ordered to move up the river to a point opposite Fort Washington.

On the 15th of September, while the city was still partially occupied by the AAmerican troops, Gen. lowe commenced crossing the East River with his army under cover of a heavy fire from the men-of- war. Some of Washington's troops who occupied a fortified position near the place of landing fled in terror before the advance of the British and the can- nonade of their ships, and in their panie threw into confusion two brigades which were marching to their support. The result was a disorderly and disgraceful retreat to the main body. No resistance was made, except a temporary stand and slight skirmish at Bloomingdale, and all the heavy artillery, with a large part of the military stores and provisions, fell into the hands of the enemy. Gen. Howe occupied the city with a comparatively small force, and moved the main part of his army northward and established his lines, stretching from Bloomingdale across the island to the East River.

After the defeat on Long Island and the retreat to King's Bridge the American army was reduced to a state of most discouraging demoralization. In refer- enve to its condition, Gen. Washington, in a letter addressed to Congress in September, 1776, used this language :

"Our situation is truly distressing. The check to our detachment on the 27th ultime has dlaplrited to great a proportion of our troops and filed their minds with apprehension and despair. The millitin, instead of calling forth their utmost cforts to a brave and many agquestion, in order to repair our lives, are dismissed, intractable, and impatient to re- turn. Great numbers of them have gone offeIn some instances alunost

* Nearly one-think of this number, however, were unfit for duty, by reason of alcknees and other causes.

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

by whole regiments, in many by bulf ones and by companies, at a time. This circumstance of itself, independent of others, wheu frouted by a well-appointed enemy, superior in number to our whole collected force, would be sufficiently disagreealle, but when it is added that their exam- ple bas infected auother part of the army, that their want of discipline and refusal of almost every kind of restraint and government bave ren- dered a like conduct but too common in the whole, and have produced an entire disregard of that order and subordination necessary for the well-doing of an army, and which had been before inculcated as well as the nature of our military establishment would admit, our condition is still more alarming; and with the deepest concern I am obliged to con- fess my want of confidence in the generality of the troops."

And he added in effect that all these facts but con- firmed his previous opinion that no dependence could be placed in militia, or in any troops other than those enlisted for a long term, and that in his belief the American cause was in great danger of being lost if its defense was intrusted to any but a permanent army. Upon this representation Congress adopted measures for the immediate raising and organization of such a permanent army, to consist of eighty-eight battalions of seven hundred and fifty men each, to be furnished by the several States. Four of these battalions were assigned to New Jersey as her quota.

From the time when Gen. Howe moved his forces across the East River from Long Island to New York, the two opposing armies remained on the east side of the Hudson for about two months, during which time there occurred a great amount of skirmishing (fre- quently resulting favorably for the Americans) and a series of minor engagements, sometimes called the battle of White Plains," resulting from an attempt, on the part of the British commander, to flank the American position. This attempt finally proved suc- cessful, and the American army was thus placed in great peril, having its line of retreat cut off; so that, in the event of a general engagement, it must proba- bly have been destroyed. In this state of affairs a council of war was held (November 6th), at which it was decided that the ariny should be moved across the Hudson into New Jersey, those of the forces which were raised on the west side of that river to cross first, and afterwards the others, with more or less rapidity, as necessity might require. A small force, however, was to be left at Fort Washington to hold that work, which, in conjunction with Fort Lee, on the opposite side of the river, was expected to be able to prevent the free passage of the British ships up and down the river. This view of the case was urged upon the council by Gen. Greene, but was disapproved of and warmly opposed by Gen. Lee, who had then just re- turned to this army from a successful campaign in the South. But unfortunately his advice was overruled in the council, and a force was left to hold the fort.

The crossing of the Hudson River by the greater part of the army was effected on the 12th and 13th of November, Washington himself crossing on the latter day. Gen. Lee was left on the east side with

about three thousand men, t with orders to join Wash- ington in New Jersey if the enemy should show in- dications of moving in that direction.

Fort Washington had been reinforced by detach- ments from Gen. Mercer's Flying Camp, augmenting its defending force from twelve hundred to about three thousand men. It was almost completely surrounded by the enemy, who had determined on its capture.

On the 15th of November, Howe sent a summons to Col. Magaw, the commander at the fort, to surren- der, threatening to give no quarter if refused. The summons, however, was disregarded, and on the 16th heavy masses of British and Hessian troops moved to the assault of the work, which after several hours of fighting was surrendered, with two thousand six hun- dredį men as prisoners of war.

Washington, on crossing the river into Jersey, had established his headquarters at Hackensack, five miles in the rear of Fort Lee, and at the same place were the headquarters of Gen. Greene, who was in com- mand of the troops which had crossed in that vi- cinity. On the 18th of November, two days after the fall of Fort Washington, the first actual invasion of the State of New Jersey by British troops was com- menced by Lord Cornwallis, whose division, six thou- sand strong, crossed the river to Closter Landing, and, marching thence down the river, proceeded to the attack of Fort Lee, the garrison of which evacuated the work in haste? and retreated to the main body of . the American army, at Hackensack, leaving their baggage and the military stores at the fort in the hands of the enemy.

The army which Gen. Washington then had with him in New Jersey amounted to no more than three thousand effective men, exclusive of the Flying Camp, which was stationed in the neighborhood of Bergen, and still under command of Gen. Mercer. The troops of this last-mentioned corps had only been enlisted for a term to close on the 1st of December, which was then but a few days distant; and not only was there very little probability that any considerable number would remain after that time, but a great many of them had already left and returned to their homes. Nearly the same was true of the forces with which Washington had crossed the Hudson, which was daily growing less as the general feeling of despondency increased. The commander-in-chief sent orders to Gen. Lee, who was still east of the Hudson, to cross

+ The term of service of a large part of Lee's mon was then nbout ex- piring, and, ns they could not be induced to re-enlist, this force was soon afterwards greatly reduced by their return to their homes.

# This number, given by Howe in his report, included abont two thou- sand regular troops and five or six hundred militia aud strugglers. Washington stated the number captured to be two thousand, in which he probably only included the Continental troops.

¿ Gen. Washington had decided, immediately upon the fall of Fort Washington, to evacuate Fort Lee and remove its stores to the interior of New Jersey. but the promptness of Coruwallis' movements prevented the execution of the plan ; consequently, the stores and material were lost. As the evacuation had already been decided on, of course no de- fense was intended, and none was made.

* Oct. 26-29, 1776.

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES IN THE REVOLUTION.

that river into New Jersey and hold his command in the same evening. A stop of several days was made at this place.

readiness to give assistance in case the enemy should -as it was now nearly certain he would-advance to the interior of the State. Orders were also sent to Gen. Schuyler to move his troops-among whom were those under command of Gen. Maxwell,* including a large number of men from Hunterdon and Somerset Counties-from Lake Champlain to New Jersey to the aid of Washington; but these succors were distant, and it must be long before they could arrive at the point of danger. Gen. Washington wrote to Governor Livingston of New Jersey, setting forth his pressing need of reinforcements, and asking that every en- deavor might be used to send men to him in the least possible time; but there was very little probability that any new troops could then be raised.

The American army was advantageously posted on the right bank of the Hackensack River, but, as its effective strength was scarcely more than one-half that of Cornwallis' corps alone (to say nothing of the other divisions of the British army), any attempt to hold the line of the Hackensack was evidently use- less ; and so, when Cornwallis moved up from Fort Lee to confront him, Gen. Washington immediately retired and set his columns in motion for Newark, which he reached on the 22d of November, and re- mained there until the 28th of the same month, when, on the approach of Cornwallis' advance-guard, the patriot forces left the town and continued their retreat to New Brunswick, where Washington had hoped to make a stand. In this he was sorely disappointed, for, with an active and energetie enemy pressing on his rear, it would require all his forces, to the last man, to enable him to dispute their advance with any- thing like a hope of success, and even then the odds against him would be discouraging. But he could not retain even the meagre force which he had brought with him thus far, for the terms of service of several of the commands (among them the brigades from Maryland and New Jerseyt) had expired, and neither arguments nor threats could prevent the men composing them from disbanding themselves and re- turning to their homes. Without them it was im- practicable to oppose the enemy's advance ; and so, on Sunday, the 1st of December,-the day on which their enlistments expired,-the remnant of the army left New Brunswick, and, passing through the south- east part of Somerset County by way of Six-Mile Run, and crossing the Millstone River at Rocky Hill, made its way to Princeton, the advance arriving there

At New Brunswick Cornwallis had halted his col- unins in obedience to an order from Gen. Howe to proceed no farther than that point until he should be reinforced by other commands of the British army. Washington, aware of this, left behind him in Prince- ton, when he moved thence to Trenton, a force con- sisting of the remnants of two brigades,-in all, twelve hundred men,-in order to make a show of defense, hoping thereby to delay the advance of the British general, and to give renewed confidence to the people of the surrounding country. This detached force was under command of Lord Stirling, who, taken prisoner by the enemy at Long Island, as before mentioned, had been exchanged and returned to his command in the American army a short time before it crossed the Hudson River into New Jersey.

Immediately after entering this State, Gen. Wash- ington, in view of the rapid diminution of his army, had dispatched Gen. Mitllin to Pennsylvania to urge the hurrying forward of troops, and he had been so far successful that fifteen hundred men had been sent from Philadelphia, besides a German battalion or- dered thence by Congress. These troops joined Gen. Washington on his arrival at Trenton, and, upon being thus strengthened, the commander-in-chief or- dered a large part of his force to march back on the road to Princeton, to further deceive the British by the appearance of a general advance to meet them. Before the column reached Princeton, however, he received word that Lord Cornwallis, having been strongly reinforced from Howe's army, was already on the move from New Brunswick and marching his troops rapidly by several roads with the evident in- tention of gaining the rear of the American army, and thus securing its destruction. This intelligence eansed Washington to decide at once on a retreat to and across the Delaware River, and accordingly he turned the faces of his men once more towards that stream.

The main body of Cornwallis' troops marched rap- idly and confidently from New Brunswick to Prince- ton, and on their approach Lord Stirling, knowing that an attempt at defense with his weak foree would be useless, evacuated the town and marched rapidly towards Trenton, with the pursuing column of Brit- ish and Hessians close in his rear,-so near, says Los- sing, in his "Fichi-Book of the Revolution," that "often the music of the pursued and the pursuers would be heard by each other ;" but this is doubtless drawn from the imagination, as there is little proba- bility that the tattered, shorless, and dispirited army of Washington, in its flight along the highways of Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, moved to the sound of any music other than that of the howling of the winds of December. On the Sth of that month the American army was moved across the Delaware, the last man of Lord Stirling's rear-guard reaching

* Col. Maxwell had been appointed brigadier general in the Continen- Inl army in the preceding October.

+ The Pennsylvania militia of the Flying Camp, whose torn also er- pired on tho Ist of December, hind engaged to renmin in service till the Ist of January ; notwithstanding which, they deserted in such numbers that It was found necessary to send guards to patrol the shores of the Delaware to intercept the fugitives on their way to their homes and bring them back to the army. Many of them, however, evaded the guards und made their way successfully into l'ennsylvania.

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

the Pennsylvania shore in safety at about midnight, just as the head of the Hessian column entered Tren- ton. The main body of the British force halted a few miles before reaching the town.

The American army which crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania numbered about two thousand two hundred men, but two or three days later this force was further reduced by the departure of about five hundred whose terms of service had then expired. But even then Washington did not despair. Gen. Gates at the North, and Gen. Heath at Peekskill, had been ordered to join him with their troops with all possible dispatch, and expresses were sent out through Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland urging the militia to march to him without delay; and it was believed that by these means a sufficient force might be collected to enable him to resume offensive opera- tions at no distant day. Probably he had already conceived the plan which he afterwards executed so successfully at Trenton.

When the crossing was made, Washington, fearing that Cornwallis might attempt the passage of the stream to attack him, took the precaution to secure all the boats upon the Jersey side and have them taken to the opposite shore. He had previously or- dered all boats, hateaux, and river-craft of every kind on the Delaware and Lehigh* rivers to be seized,

* "This service was assigned to Capt. Dauiel Bray, afterwards Gen. Bray, of the New Jersey militia, Capt. Jacob Gearhart, and Capt. Thomas Jones, who collected all the boats on the upper waters of the Delaware and Lehigh and brought them down to Coryell's Ferry. The boats were bid behind Malta Island, just below what is known as 'The Mills,' on the Pennsylvania side. The island was densely wooded, so that the boats could not be seen by a reconnoitering-party of the enemy as it looked down from the Jersey heights. These boats were thins secured for the famous crossing of Christmas night. Capt. Bray was a native of King- wood, and was familiar with every boat and crossing along the river; Capt. Gearhart was from Flemington. To procure these boats, to con- ceal their plau from the Tories who were lurking about, and who would betray them at the first opportunity, to cut out these flat-boats in the darkness of the cold winter nights, to float them down amid the rocks and through the rapids, to keep them from being crushed or swamped, was a task most difficult and hazardous. But it was successfully accom- plished. Cornwallis was informed of this enterprise and sent a detach- meat to seize the boats, but they could not find them, or were afraid to venture across the river in the face of those frowning batteries.

"Probably while engaged in this search the British learned that a lot of guns were stored in Flemington. A part of Cornwallis' army was then encamped just below Pennington. Five hundred cavalry were de- tailed to seize these arms. At that time, near the Presbyterian church was a long low frame building. For many years afterwards it was a store famous throughout that part of the county. It afforded a market for wheat to a wide section. The store was kept in connection with a mill, on the site of John Rockafellow's mill. In this buikling a quantity of muskets had been stored by the Continentals. The cavalry reached the village early In the morning, and found in the street a man with a cart, whom they pressed into their service. The chests, with the guns packed in them, were taken out of the building and put into the curt, and then the whole troop hastened away. But when they reached Tat- tersall's Lane, where the tile-kiln now Is, they became alarmed, and con- cluded it would be better to destroy the muskete than attempt to carry them away, so they broke the guns by striking them upon the posts of the fence.

" In the menn time Cupt. John Schenck had collected a band of men and secreted them In a piece of woods between Copper Hill and Lara- BON'N. As the horsemen filed through this they were fired upon. Cupt. Geary, the commander of the British, ordered his troops to hult and face

taken to safe places, and carefully guarded. Some of these boats were afterwards used in recrossing the army for its movement on Trenton, and it is not im- probable that Washington even then contemplated putting them to this use, but the immediate objeet in securing them was to compel Cornwallis to remain on the eastern side of the river until he could build new boats or until the ice should have become of sufficient thickness for his troops to pass over on it.

The position of Washington on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware was one of safety for his troops, -at least for a time. He made his dispositions at once by posting Gens. Lord Stirling, De Fermoy, Stephens, and Mercer, with their brigades, at differ- ent points along the river from Yardley's to Coryell's Ferry (Lambertville), with the remaining troops of the Flying Camp, under Gen. Irvine, to guard (as well as their feeble strength would permit) the west bank of the river from Yardley's to the point opposite Bordentown. The Pennsylvania militia, under Col. Cadwallader, was posted along the Neshaminy, and the Third Philadelphia Battalion, under Col. Nixon, occupied a position at Durck's Ferry. Gen. Putnam was sent to assume command at Philadelphia, and to take immediate measures for fortifying the approaches to the city. Defensive works were rapidly thrown up at the most exposed points on the river from Coryell's to McConkey's Ferry. Special orders were given to the several brigade commanders holding this section of the shore to exercise sleepless vigilance in guard- ing every practicable crossing-place, and to be pre- pared to support one another promptly in case of emergency ; and finally, in case the worst should come and the army be forced back from the Dela- ware, the several commands were ordered to retreat to a general rendezvous at Germantown.

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History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 12

Author: Snell, James P; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Snell, James P; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1170