History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 17

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 17
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 17

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A similar affair occurred on or about the 1st of February at Piscataway, in which at least thirty-six of the enemy were killed, while the Americans lost nine killed and fourteen wounded. The force of the British was about one thousand, with three field- pieces; while the Americans were only about seven hundred strong, and nearly or quite all militia. In the first attack the enemy were compelled to retire, but, receiving reinforcements, they again advanced and drove the militia from their position. About three weeks later, "Col. Neilson, of New Brunswick, with a detachment of one hundred and fifty militia, surprised and captured Maj. Stockton (one of the nu- merous family of that name, who from his treachery was called ' Double Dick'), at the head of fifty-nine pri- vates, refugees, in British pay."* Two or three quite severe fights occurred at "Spanktown" { Rahway),- one on the 6th of January, in which a thousand bushels of salt and other stores were captured from the British, and another on the 23d of February, be- tween the brigade of tien. Maxwell and the Third British Brigade from Amboy. In the latter fight the Americans were victorious also, and drove the enemy through the snow all the way back to Amboy, in- flirting on them a loss (according to British reports) of four officers and nearly one hundred men killed and wounded. The loss of the Americans was three killed and twelve wounded. Encounters similar to those above mentioned, and others of less importance, were

of frequent occurrence during the winter and spring of 1777.

On the opening of spring, the American commander, from his position at Morristown, watched closely and anxiously the movements of Gen. Howe's forces at New Brunswick, for he had no doubt that the British general was intending to make an important move- ment, though in what direction he could not learn, though he believed that Howe's objective-point would be the city of Philadelphia. Early in May it was ascer- tained by Gen. Washington that the British forces at New Brunswick had been largely augmented, and that they were engaged in building "a portable bridge so constructed that it might be laid on flat-boats," -- in other words, a pontoon-bridge. Regarding this as an almost certain indication that Howe was preparing to move forward and cross the Delaware, Washington at once decided to move his forces to a point nearer New Brunswick, to be within striking distance of the enemy in case he should attempt to execute his suspected de- sign. The point selected was the range of hills to the northward of the village of Bound Brook,-generally mentioned as the " Heights of Middlebrook," -- and to this place the army was moved from Morristown about the 28th of May, t on which day the headquarters of the

t Detached commands of the army hud, however, been stationed at different points on the Millstone and Raritan Rivers prior to this, during the winter and spring. Gen. Dickinson had been stationed at Somerset Court-house, as we have seen, and hund nudle a successful nd- vance from that place in January against the British foraging party nt Weston. A force nudler Gon. Lincoln had been stationed at Bound Brook at least as early as April. This furt is mentioned by the Rev. Dr. Mess- ler na follows : " Maj .- Gen. Benjamin Lincoln had his quarters at the house yol standing at the east end of the village. It was the only house having two stories that Bound Brook could boast. It was Inhabited nt the time by Peter Williamson. Gen. Lincoln himself, when giving an necount of his retreat from this place, uses the following language: 'Being stationed at Bound Brook, on the Raritan, he had an extent of five or six miles to guard with a force of less than five hundred men fit for duty. On the 13th of April, 1777, owing to the negligence of his pa- trol, he was surprised by n large party of the enemy under Cornwallis and Grant, who came upon him so suddenly that the general on one of his nides lidl barely fine to get on horseback ; the other aide was taken, ns were also a few pieces of artillery. Near this house n block-house or for- tification had been erected commanding the eresing over Bound Brook Creek, connected with an earthwork reaching to the banks of the river. It stanul on the ground occupied at present by the oldl shop which MIrs. Giles owns. When Gen. Lincoln retreated the inbaldtants ull fed to the mountain, fenving a soldier's corpo in the block-house as the only occu- pant of the village."

Cien. Heand was also stationed on the Raritan with his brigade early in the spring, as is alman by the following letter aldressed by him to Gor- ernor livingston (N. J. Revolutionary Correspondence, pp. 45, 46) :

" HEADQUARTERS, RARITAN, April lat, ITIT.

" SIR,-Inclosed you linve tho copy of a letter I received from Col. Beavers, In the county of Hunterdon, by which you will see what a bad situation The milltin of that battalion nro in on necount of the captains of several companies refusing to do their duty. I should be glad of your directions how to proceed in the matter, that the men may be brought here, they being very much wanted at present, as many of the militia's times expire this day. Likewise, should be glad of directions to know what is to be done with people that refuse to give up their protections, as I have now a man under confinement that refuses to give his up. The militia Inw polute ont no nuule of what is to be alone with such people. There Is a villein apprehemled, with a warrant found with him to enlist uten for the British army, and now in confinement, who has informuod

* Gordon, p. 233.

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

commander-in-chief were established at the new posi- tion. The location of the American forces at Mid- dlebrook is thus described :*

" We may sufficiently indicate the precise place of the encampment by saying that it was on the right of the road leading through the moun- tain-gorge in which Chimney Rock is situated, just where it rises up from the bed of the little stream and attains the level of Washington valley. A strong earthwork was thrown up about a quarter of a mile to the northwest, almost in the centre of the valley, as a protection to any movement approaching from Pluckamin ; and the whole of the de- file leading through the narrow mountain-valley was strongly guarded, while the brow overlooking the plain bristled with cannon. Just at the edge of the wood, east of Chimney Ruck, huts were erected as quarters for the officers, and everything done which either safety or comfort de- manded in the emergency. At Bound Brook a strong redoubt was con- structed, commanding the bridge over that miry little stream, just north of the present railroad-crossing, looking to any attack to be made from the way of New Brunswick. Having taken, in this way, all possible precaution against surprise, he felt strong to abide the issue of events. The result justified his sagacity as a military tactician. . . . On the apex of the Round Top, on the left of the gorge in which Chimney Rock stands, there are yet to be seen rude remains of a hut which Washington sometimes frequented during those anxious months of 1777. On the east side of the gorge, also, fronting the plain north of Middlebrook, there is a rock which has been named 'Washington Rock,' because there he often stood to gaze anxiously upon the scene it overlooks. On the moun- tain west of Plaiufield, also, there is a very large rock which has received the same appellation."

The last-named point (which is more generally known than the other as "Washington's Rock") is on the mountain-side, near the top, not far from and in full sight of the railroad-station of Dunellen, in a northeasterly direction. It is a very commanding position, from which may be obtained an unob- structed view of the whole valley and adjacent coun- try for many miles. This, like the other, has received its name from the tradition that the American gen- eral-in-chief often visited it for purposes of observa- tion.

The army of Washington, at the time when it moved from Morristown to Middlebrook, was about eight thousand four hundred strong, including cavalry and artillery. But of these more than two thousand were sick, and this, with other causes, reduced his ef- fective strength to five thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight men, rank and file. This number, how- ever, was soon afterwards very considerably increased by accessions from beyond the Delaware, for orders had been issued for all troops in the field, as far south as the Carolinas, to rendezvous in New Jersey. When the movement to Middlebrook was made, Gen. Sullivan, who had succeeded Gen. Putnam in com-

me there are many persons out now upon the same business, chiefly in Sussex County. . . . I should have sent after them myself, but have so few troops now here thought proper not to spare them, but wait your directions."

The letter from Col. Beavers referred to in the above, dated March 29, 1777, complained of certain officers of the Hunterdon battalion in this language: " This is the second time the other field-officers and myself have met on the orders you have sent mne, and can do nothing, as three of the captalne of this battalion refuse to act; nor have they warned a man lu their companies on elther of the orders,-to wit: Capt. Sheunrd, Cupt. Meddler, and Capt. Cline."

* By Rov. Dr. Messler, in his History of Somerset County, p. 83.

+ Hon. Ralph Voorhees, " Our Home," p. 495.

mand at Princeton, had about fifteen hundred troops under him at that place. He subsequently retreated to the Delaware River, but again ad- vanced to the line of the Sourland Hills, along the southern border of Hunterdon County, and while in this position, waiting to co-operate with Washington in case of an engagement, his forces were considerably augmented by the arrival of troops from the South, moving northward under the order before mentioned. Gen. Benedict Arnold, command- ing at Philadelphia, was ordered to station a force on the New Jersey side of the Delaware, to do what might be done to prevent the British from crossing that river, in case they should succeed in escaping from Washington and Sullivan.

The British army in and about New Brunswick had been reinforced until it numbered about seventeen thousand effective men, a force far outnumbering that of Washington, including the corps of observation under Sullivan. Moreover, the British force was largely made up of veterans and was finely equipped, while a large proportion of the American army was composed of raw militia not well provided with equipments and clothing. The position occupied by Washington, however, was very strong by nature and fortified to some extent, and his location was such that he could at once take advantage of a move- ment of the enemy, whether he should advance to- wards the Delaware or retire towards the Hudson ; for he was still in doubt as to the intention of the British commander,-whether it was to move directly on Philadelphia by land, to return his troops to Am- boy, there to embark and proceed by sea and the Del- aware Bay to reach the same objective-point, or to move up the Hudson River to co-operate with Gen. Burgoyne, who was then reported to be moving south- ward from Canada by way of Lake Champlain.

In a little more than two weeks after Gen. Wash- ington occupied the heights of Middlebrook the British commander began to unmask his designs. Leaving a force of about two thousand men under Gen. Matthew in New Brunswick, the main body of the British army, in two divisions, under Lord Corn- wallis and Gen. De Heister respectively, moved out at about midnight of the 13th of June, and marched rapidly by two routes towards Middlebush and Som- erset Court-house, which last-named place was reached by the division of Cornwallis before sunrise in the morning of the 14th, while De Heister, having taken a more southerly and circuitous route,¿ arrived at Middlebush at about the same time. Both divisions

$ "Gen. Cornwallis, in marching with his division to Millstone, took the Amwell road, which then come into the Princeton rood but a short distance above the Mile Run Brook near New Brunswick, which he ful- lowed until he reached Millstone, while Gen. De Heistor followed the one running ulong the west bank of the Raritan for more than three miles until ho came to the Vau Dnyn pluce, where he turned to the left and followed the road lending from thence into the Amwell roud, a few yards east of the present Midillebush church, about half a mile west of which he encamped with his troops."-Hon. Rulph Voorhees.

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES IN THE REVOLUTION.

threw up carthworks* of considerable strength. The taken, value three hundred and seventy-one pounds object of the British general was to sever communica- nineteen shillings three pence ; Johannes Van Liew, near New Brunswick, house, outhouses, and barns burned, valued at five hundred and nineteen pounds sixteen shillings five pence. Others who suffered more or less severely during the stay of the IIessians at Middlebush and on their withdrawal to New Brunswick were John Wyckoff, Cornelius Van Ang- len, Peter Wyckoff, Philip Fulkerson, John Stothotľ, Abraham Van Doren, and Berdus Garretson. tion between Gen. Sullivan and the main body of the American army, and, if possible, to tempt Gen. Washington to move down from his almost impreg- nable position and give battle to the British on ground of their own choosing. But the American general could not be so lured from his stronghold among the hills. He merely advanced his forces to the south side of the mountain, and made all preparations to fight on that ground if he should be attacked; but beyond this he did not go, for the chances in a battle upon the plain would have been too much in favor of the enemy. At the same time, Sullivan's forec lay in the neighbor- hood of Clover Hill awaiting events and receiving large accessions from the sources before mentioned.

The two British divisions continued to hold their positions on the Millstone and at Middlebush for five days, vainly defying Washington to come down and fight them. During this time Cornwallis' men plun- dered the inhabitants at and in the vicinity of Som- erset Court-house, and set fire to the Presbyterian and Dutch churches there, though the buildings were not destroyed. A number of farm-houses were burned.

On the 19th of June, the British general having found it impossible to entice Washington from his stronghold in the hills, the troops of Cornwallis and De Heister suddenly evacuated the positions they had held during the preceding five days and moved rapidly back to New Brunswick. "When Gen. De Heister's army left Middlebush, tradition states that they attempted to burn every building between that place and New Brunswick. Some of the fires were put out, and some buildings failed to take fire."t Yet a very large amount of damage was done by the retiring Hessians. Judge Voorhees, in the paper above quoted from, gives the names of the several suf- ferers, with their losses, as follows: Garret Voorhees, of Middlebush, dwelling-house, six rooms, entry, and kitchen, burned, with other property destroyed and stolen, amounting in all to four hundred and fifty- one pounds seventeen shillings eight ponce; Peter Rapalye, dwelling-house forty-two by thirty feet, kitchen twenty-four by twenty-four, weave-house fourteen by eighteen, barn forty-two by forty-eight, burned, and other losses, aggregating three hundred and ninety-three pounds; John Spader, on the oppo- site side of the Amwell road, kitchen and barn burned, value two hundred and twenty-six pounds sixteen shillings eight pence; Hendrick Bergen, on same road, good frame house destroyed and other property

Three days after Cornwallis and De Heister retired from Hillsborough and Middlebush to New Bruns- wick that place was evacuated (June 22d) by the whole British army, which then commenced its retreat towards Amboy. Anticipating this movement, Wash- ington had made his dispositions accordingly, detach- ing three brigades under Gen. Greene to harass their rear, sending orders to Gen. Sullivan to move down in all haste with his division to co-operate with Greene, and directing Gen. Maxwell to fall on their flank; but his plans did not succeed, for Sullivan, having received his order at a late hour and being a long distance away, was unable to join Greene in time to be of service, while the orders sent to Gen. Maxwell were not received at all by that officer, the courier by whom they were sent either having deserted or being captured by the enemy. Morgan with his riflemen gave the retreating troops considerable annoyance, attacking them at sunrise on the 22d as they were about leaving New Brunswick. Wayne came up and joined in the attack, driving the enemy from some redoubts on the hill west of Brunswick, after which they crossed the Raritan and retreated rapidly, but in good order and with great caution, to Amboy, reaching there with very little loss, for their rear- guard was too strong for the three brigades under Greene to make much impression upon them. Gen. Howe, in his report of the operations, said, in refer- ence to the attack before referred to as having beeu made by Wayne and Morgan, -

" I'pon quitting the camp at Brunswick the enemy brought a few troupe forward, with two or three pieces of cannon, which they fired at their utmost range without the lonst execution or any return from us. They also pushed some battalions Into the woods to harass the rear, where Lord Cornwallis commanded, who soon dispersed them with the loss of only two men killed and thirteen wounded, the onemy having uine killed and alwut thirty wounded."

The retreat of Howe's forces from New Brunswick to Amboy is spoken of by Lossing; as a stratagem intended only to induce Washington to withdraw his army from its strong position in the hills at Middle-

* " Field-Book of the Revolution," vol. i. p. 331 : " Failing to draw Washi- Ington from his post by this manenvro ' the movement of Cornwallis to Somerset Court-houre], he made a forint a few days afterwards which one. corded letter. He suddenly retreated, first to New Brunswick, and then to Amboy, and even sent some detachments over to Staten Island. Partly deceived by these movements, and hoping to read some advantage by harusing the British rear, Washington sont strong detachments after the retreating enemy, and also advanced with his whole force to Quibbletown (now Now Market), five or six miles from Middlebrook. This was ox- actly what lowe desired to accomplish. . . . "

* " Two earthen fortifications or redoubts wore thrown up,-one across the Amwell road in Middlebush, a few yards west of the residence of the prosent Mr. Woolsey, another, about two hundred and fifty yards south of the Orst, near the rullroad. Two other fortifications wore erected [ theso last-named by l'ornwallis] on the land of the present John V. C. Wyckoff, at Millstone, a few yards west of his house. They have all bren leveled by the plowshare, so that scarcely a trace of them is left."-Hon. Rolph Voorhees, in " Our Home" (1873).

+ Ibid., p. 195.

HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

brook. But Howe in his report does not support such a belief. In reference to that part of his operations, he says, ---

"On finding their [the Americans] intention to keep a position which it would not have been prudent to attack, I determined, without loss of time, to pursue the principal objects of the campaign by withdrawing the army from Jersey, and in consequence of this determination returned to the camp at Brunswick on the 19th, and marched from theuce to ADI- boy on the 22d, intending to cross to Staten Island, from whence the em- barkation was to take place."

This shows that it was not his object to deceive the American commander, but to move his army to Staten Island for embarkation ; and it seemed evident that Washington believed such to be the case, for soon af- ter sending Green in pursuit and dispatching orders to Sullivan to march down and join him he withdrew his army from the heights of Middlebrook, and moved it forward to Quibbletown (now New Market), a position far weaker and more exposed than the one which it had previously occupied.

The intelligence that Washington had left his forti- fied camp in the hills was brought to Gen. Howe af- ter his troops had arrived at Amboy and part of them had crossed to Staten Island. And then he con- ceived the idea of making a sudden retrograde move- ment back towards Quibbletown, hoping to surprise Washington in his new and weaker position, to bring on the general engagement for which he had been manœuvring since the 14th, and, by turning the American left, to gain the hills of Middlebrook in their rear. These facts are made clear by the follow- ing extract from his report,-viz. :

"The necessary preparations being finished for crossing the troops to Staten Island, intelligence was received that the enemy had moved down from the mountain [ Middlebrook Heights] and taken post at Quibble- town, intending, as it was given out, to attack the rear of the army re- moving from Amboy ; thai twe corps had also advanced to their left,- one of three thousand men and eight pieces of cannon, under the com- mand of Lord Stirling, Gens. Maxwell and Conway, the last said to be a captain in the French service; the other corps consisted of about seveo hundred men, with only one piece of cannon. In this situation of the euemy it was judged advisable to make a movement that might lead to an attack, which was done on the 26th, in the morning, in two columns. The right, under command of Lord Cornwallis and Maj .- Gen. Grant, Brigadiers Matthew and Leslie, and Col. Donop, took the route by Wood- bridge towards Scotch Plains; the left column, where I was, with Maj .- Gens. Sterne, Vaughan, and Grey, and Brigadiers Cleveland and Aguew, marched by Metuchen Meeting-house to join the rear of the right colomu in the road from thence to Scotch Plains, intending to have taken sepa- rate routes, about two miles after the junction, in order to have attacked the enemy's left at Quibbletown. Four battalions were detached in the morning, with six pieces of cannon, to take post at Bonhamtown. The right column, having fallen in with the aforementioned corps of seven hundred men soon after passing Woodbridge, gave the alarm, by the fir- ing that ensued, to their main army at Quibbletown, which retired to the mountain with the utmost precipitation. The small corps was closely pushed by the light troops, and with difficulty got off their piece of cannon."

The above statement by Howe explains his retro- grade movement and its objects pretty clearly. Hav- ing become aware of Washington's advance, he caused that part of the forces which had already crossed to Staten Island to be moved back during the night of the 25th, and early in the morning of Thursday, the 26th, marched his columns back towards New Market

in the manner stated. "But the resistance they en- countered at every stage of their advance was dis- heartening in the extreme. Nearly every cross-road had its squad of pugnacious militia, which poured its deadly volleys into the splendid columns of the well- equipped troops." At Woodbridge, Cornwallis fell in with Morgan's Rangers (the American " corps of seven hundred men, with one piece of cannon," mentioned by Howe), and a severe skirmish ensued, in which, of course, the Rangers were compelled to give way before the heavy masses of the enemy. But the sound of their fusillades was borne to the ears of Washington, who instantly understood its meaning, and withont delay moved his main force back from Quibbletown to its former secure position on the heights of Middle- brook.

The British right, under Cornwallis, was soon after engaged with the troops of Lord Stirling, which fight was thus reported by Howe :

"Lord Cornwallis, soon after he was upon the road leading to Scotch Plains from Metuchen Meeting-house, came up with the corps com- manded by Lord Stirling, whom he found advantageously posted in a country covered with wood, and his artillery well disposed. The king's troops, vieing with each other upon this occasion, pressed forward to such close action that the enemy, though inclined to resist, could not long maintain their ground against so great impetuosity, but were dispersed on all sides, leaving three pieces of brass ordnance, three captains and sixty men killed, and upwards of two hundred officers and men wounded and taken."

The latter part of this statement is without doubt an exaggeration, as Lord Stirling, although he ad- mitted the loss of the three guns, mentioned only a comparatively light loss in killed, wounded, and pris- oners. He was, however, compelled to retreat before the heavy British force,* which pursued him over the hills as far as Westfield .; The soldiers of both armies were in a state of almost complete exhaustion from the intense heat of the day, but when the British col- umns arrived at Westfield they found that their out- ward march was ended, for Washington had escaped and his army was once more posted in security beyond their reach. "Looking towards the hills, the weary soldiers saw that Washington had made his camp among them, having forsaken Quibbletown and all the plain. Every movement was in view of the American commander; for, taking his position on

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History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 17

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