History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 27

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148

USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth county, New Jersey > Part 27

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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 impending danger at the time when the neighboring hill-ides of Staten Island were dotted with the camp- of Howe's army, and its shores encircled by the black hulls and menacing batteries of the Brit- ish fleet.

It proved to be the design of the British commander not to invade the territory of New Jersey, but to seize 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 thonsand men, and with about ten thousand of them he crossed from Staten Island on the 22d of Angust and effeeted a landing between the settlements of New Utrecht and Gravesend. The American forces in and about New York numbered, nominally, about twenty-seven thou- sand men,1 and, though they had offered 110 opposition to the landing of the enemy's col- wins, it was clear that a conflict between the

1 Nearly one-third of this number, however, were unfit for duty, by reason of sickness and other causes.

145

MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

two armies was inevitable and could not long | intention of holding it against any determined be delayed.

attack of the enemy in force. On the 12th of

Five days were spent in preparation ou both September. General Washington, by the advice sides. On the 25th of August, General Put- of a council of war, decided on the abandon- ment of the city, and General Mercer, com-

nam succeeded General Sullivan in the com- mand of the American forces at Brooklyn, manding the Flying Camp, on the New Jersey which had been reinforced by six regiments, side, was ordered to move up the river to a On the same day the German general De point opposite Fort Washington.

Heister landed two brigades of Hessians on the bush, which Lord Cornwallis had occupied with his division three days before. Thus the American and British forces stood on the even- ing of the 26th, confronting each other, and within striking distance. On the 15th of September, while the city island, and on the 26th took possession at Flat- was still partially occupied by the American troops, General Howe 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 nonade of their ships, and in their panie threw into confusion two brigades which were march- ing to their support. The result was a disor- derly and disgraceful retreat to the main body. No resistance was made, except a temporary stand and slight skirmish at Bloomingdale, and

Before dawn, in the morning of the 27th of before the advance of the British and the can- August, the British columns, under Clinton, Percy 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 General Sullivan ; and then followed the general en- gagement known in history as the battle of all the heavy artillery, with a large part of the Long Island, which raged until past noon of military stores and provisions, fell into the the day and resulted in the defeat of General hands of the enemy. General Howe occupied Washington's army and the capture of Lord Stirling with his entire command, who were

the city with a comparatively small force, and moved the main part of his army northward surrounded and made prisoners. Generals Sul- and established his lines, stretching from livan and Woodhull were also among those Bloomingdale across the island to the East taken by the enemy. The loss of the Ameri- River. cans was heavy, being admitted by General

After the defeat on Long Island and the re- Washington to exceed one thousand, and esti- treat to King's Bridge the American army was mated by General Howe to be more than three reduced to a state of most di-couraging demor- times that number, including about cleven hun- alization. In reference to its condition, General dred prisoners.

After this disastrous engagement the Ameri- can forces remained in a fortified position con- fronting the enemy until the night of the 28th, when they were withdrawn and transported in safety across the East River to New York, tak- ing with them nearly all their military stores, and all their artillery except a few of the heavier pieces. The public stores were removed to Dobbs' Ferry, on the Hudson, while the thousand men, was marched to King's Bridge and there encamped. 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

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 ultimo has dispirited too great a proportion of our troops and filled their minds with apprehension and despair. The militia, instead of calling forth their utmost efforts to a brave and manly opposition, in order to repair our losses, are dismayed, intractable and impatient to return. Great numbers of them have gone off,-in some in- stances almost by whole regiments, in many by halt main part of the army, some ten or twelve ones and by companies, at a time. This circumstance of itself, independent of others, when fronted by a well-appointed enemy, superior in number to our whole collected force, would be sufficiently disagree- able, but when it is added that their example has in- fected another part of the army, that their want of

146

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

discipline and refusal of almost every kind of restraint and government have rendered 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 confess my want of confidence in the gen- erality of the troops."

And he added in effect that all these facts but confirmed his previous opinion that no de- pendence 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 General Howe moved his forces across the East River from Long Island to New York, the two opposing armie- 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,1 resulting from an attempt on the part of the British commander to flank the American position. This attempt finally proved successful, 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 army 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 >mall forec,

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 couneil by General Greene, but was disapproved of and warmly opposed by General Lee, who had then just returned to this army from a suc- cessful campaign in the South. But, unfortu- nately, 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 him- self crossing on the latter day. General Lee was left on the east side with about three thou- sand men,2 with orders to join Washington in New Jersey if the enemy should show indica- tions of moving in that direction.

Fort Washington had been reinforced by de- tachments from General 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 Colonel Magaw, the commander at the fort, to surrender, 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 as- sault of the work, which, after several hours of fighting, was surrendered, with two thousand six hundred3 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 General Greene, who was in command of the troops

2 The term of service of a large part of Lee's men was then about expiring, and, as they could not be induced to re-enlist, this force was soon afterwards greatly reduced by their return to their homes.

3 This number, given by Howe in his report, included about two thousand regular troops and five or six hundred militia and stragglers. Washington stated the number cap- tured to be two thousand, in which he probably only in- cluded the Continental troops.

1 October 26-29, 1776.

147

MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

which had crossed in that vicinity. On the plain to New Jersey to the aid of Washington ; ISth of November, two days after the fall of but these succors were distant, and it must be long before they could arrive at the point of danger. General Washington wrote to Gover- nor Livingston, of New Jersey, setting forth his pressing need of reinforcements, and asking that every endeavor 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. Fort Washington, the first actual invasion of the State of New Jersey by British troops was commenced by Lord Cornwallis, whose division, six thousand strong, crossed the river to Closter Landing, and, marching thenee down the river, proceeded to the attack of Fort Lee, the garri- son of which evacuated the work in haste1 and retreated to the main body of the American army, at Hackensack, leaving their baggage and The American army was advantageously the military store- at the fort in the hands of posted on the right bank of the Hacken-ack the enemy.

The army which General Washington then had with him in New Jersey amounted to no more than three thousand effective men, exclu- sive of the Flying Camp, which was stationed in the neighborhood of Bergen, and still under command of General 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 al- ready 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 despondeney increased. The commander-in- chief sent orders to General Lee, who was still east of the Hudson, to cross that river into New Jersey and hold his command in readiness to give assistance in case the enemy should-as it was now nearly certain he wonkl-advance to the interior of the State. Orders were also >ent to General Schuyler to move his troops- among whom were those under command of General Maxwell,2 including a number of men from Monmouth County-from Lake Cham-

River, but, as it> 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 useless; and so, when Cornwallis moved up from Fort Lee to vonfront him, General Washington immediately retired and set his columns in motion for New- ark, which he reached on the 22d of November, and remained 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 energetic enemy pressing on his rear, it would require all his forces, to the last man, to enable him to dispute their advance with anything like a hope of snecess, 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 Jersey3) had expired, and neitherarguments nor threats could prevent the men composing them from disbanding themselves and returning to their homes. Without them it was imprac- ticable to oppose the enemy's advance ; and so,

1 General Washington had decided. immediately upon the fall of Fort Washington, to evacuate Fort Lee and re- move its stores to the interior of New Jersey, but the promptness of Cornwallis' movements prevented the exe- cution of the plan ; consequently, the stores and material were lost. As the evacuation had already been decided on, of course no defense was intended, and none was madle.

2 Colonel Maxwell had been appointed brigadier-general in the Continental army in the preceding October.

3 The Pennsylvania militia of the Flying l'amp, whose term also expired on the 1st of December, had engaged to remain 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 and made their way successfully into Pennsylvania.

14S

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

on Sunday, the 1st of December,-the day on ' River, and accordingly he turned the faces of which their enlistments expired,-the remnant his men once more towards that stream. of the army left New Brunswick, and, crossing the Millstone River at Rocky Hill, made its way to Princeton, the advance arriving there the same evening. A stop of several days was made at this place.

The main body of Cornwallis' troops marched rapidly and confidently from New Brunswick to Princeton, and on their approach Lord Stir- ling, knowing that an attempt at defense with his weak force would be useless, evacuated the suers would be heard by each other ;" but this is doubtless drawn from the imagination, as there is little probability that the tattered, shoe- less and dispirited army of Washington, in its flight, moved to the sound of any music other than that of the howling of the winds of De- cember. On the 8th of that month the Amer-

At New Brunswick, Cornwallis had halted : town and marched rapidly towards Trenton, his columns in obedience to an order from Gen- with the pursuing column of British and Hes- sians close in his rear,-so near, says Lossing, in his " Field-Book of the Revolution," that eral Howe to proceed no farther than that point until he shoukl be reinforced by other com- mands of the British army. Washington, aware "often the music of the pursued and the pur- of this, left behind him in Princeton, when he moved thence to Trenton, a force consisting of the remnants of two brigades, -in all, twelve hundred men,-in order to make a show of de- fense, hoping thereby to delay the advance of the British general, and to give renewed confi- dence to the people of the surrounding country. This detached force was under command of ican army was moved across the Delaware, the Lord Stirling, who, taken prisoner by the en- last man of Lord Stirling's rear-guard reaching emy at Long Island, as before mentioned, had the Pennsylvania shore in safety at about mid- been exchanged and returned to his com- night, just as the head of the Hessian column mand in the American army a short time ; entered Trenton. The main body of the Brit- before it crossed the Hudson River into New ish force halted a few miles before reaching the Jersey. town.

The American army which crossed the Dela- ware 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 Immediately after entering this State, General Washington, in view of the rapid diminution of his army, had dispatched General Mifflin to Pen- sylvania to urge the hurrying forward of troops, and he had been so far successful that fifteen hundred men had been sent from Philadelphia, 'of service had then expired. But even then besides a German battalion ordered thence by Washington did not despair. General Gates at Congress. These troops joined General Washing- , the North and General Heath at Peekskill had ton on his arrival at Trenton, and, upon being thus strengthened, the commander-in-chief or- i all possible dispatch, and expresses were sent dered a large part of his force to march back on

been ordered to join him with their troops with out through Pennsylvania, Delaware and Mary- the road to Princeton, to further deceive the land urging the militia to march to him without British by the appearance of a general advance delay ; and it was believed that by these means a sufficient force might be collected to enable him to resume offensive operations at no distant to meet them. Before the column reached Princeton, however, he received word that Lord Cornwallis, having been strongly rein- day. Probably he had already conceived the forced from Howe's army, was already on the ; plan which he afterwards executed so snecess- move from New Brunswick, and marching his fully at Trenton. troops rapidly by several roads with the evident intention of gaining the rear of the American army, and thus securing its destruction. This intelligence caused Washington to decide at once on a retreat to and across the Delaware

The position of Washington on the Pennsyl- vania side of the Delaware was one of safety for his troops,-at least for a time. He made his dispositions at once by posting Generals Lord Stirling, De Fermoy, Stephens and Mercer.

149

MONMOUTH COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

with their brigades, at different points along the ' the force of about fifteen hundred Hessians river from Yardley's to Coryell's Ferry (Lam- which then occupied that post in winter-quarters. bertville), with the remaining troops of the Fly- His plan also contemplated simultaneous at- tacks by other detachments of his army ou the several British post- along the Delaware below Trenton ; but that part which had refer- ence to the surprise of Trenton was regarded as of the most importance, and this was to be un- the Neshaminy, and the Third Philadelphia Bat- . der the personal supervision of the commander- in-chief. The time fixed on for its execution was on the night of the 25th and morning of the 26th of December, because, knowing the convivial habits of the German soldiers and the universal enstom among them of celebrat- ing Christmas with bacchanalian revelry, he believed that in the unheralded visit which he proposed to make in the early morning of the 26th he would find the guards less vigilant than usual, and both officers and soldiers in poor fighting condition, as a result of the previou- night's debanch. The plan was an excellent one, and the secrecy with which it was carried out seems remarkable, particularly when it is re- the Delaware, the several commands were or- membered that the Jersey shore of the Del- ing Camp, under General 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 mi- litia, under Colonel Cadwallader, was posted along talion, under Colonel Nixon, occupied a position at Durek's Ferry. General Putnam was sent to as- same command at Philadelphia, and to take im- mediate 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 guarding every practicable crossing-place, and to be prepared to support one another promptly in case of emergency ; and finally, in case the worst should come and the army be forced back from dered to retreat to a general rendezvous at Ger- mantown.

The British army in New Jersey was posted in detachments along a very extended line. and eager to carry in all haste any information The largest force was at New Brunswick, which , they might obtain to the nearest British post.

aware at that time was infested by a great number of Tories, all closely watching the movements of the patriots on the other side,

was their principal depot of military stores. . 1 The means for transporting the troops across strong detachment was stationed at Princeton; the Delaware were furnished by the boats another, consisting of one thousand five hundred | which had previously been collected on that Hessians and a troop of cavalry, at Trenton; a body of troops of about equal -trength was at Bordentown, under Count Donop : and smaller detachiments occupied Black Horse, Mount Holly and several other posts, extending below Burlington. The chief command in New Jer- sey was held by Lord Cornwallis, General Howe remaining at his headquarters in New York. river and the Lehigh. Among those collected for the purpose were sixteen Durham 1 boats and four scows, sent down by General Ewing to MeConkey's Ferry,? which was to be the place of crossing. There, on the evening of the 25th of December, as soon as the early night- fall of winter had settled down upon hill and river, the troops destined for the expedition wore mustored in silence and inspected by

Having been reinforced by the forces of Generals Sullivan and Gates and by a consider- able number of troops from other quarters, Washington immediately prepared to execute the plan which he had for some time had in contemplation,-viz., to recross the Delaware by night and march rapidly to Trenton, in the hope of surprising, and possibly of capturing,

1 So ealled because this particular kind of boat was first constructed to transport iron on the Delaware from the Durham furnaces to Philadelphia. They were very large. Hat-bottomed, and rounded at bow and stern, instead of being square at the ends like seows.

2 Now known as " Washington's Crossing" on the New Jersey side and Taylorsville on the Pennsylvania side of the river

150

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Washington and his generals. The commander- Trenton, shouted, "There, soldiers. you see the in-chief had expected to land his army on the enemies of your country, and now all I have to Jersey side with but little delay and to reach ask i- that you remember what you are about to Trenton by midnight ; but the river was filled fight for. March !" They moved forward with masse- of floating ice, and the weather with great impetuosity, drove in the outposts, and in a few minutes had possession of all the British artillery. The brave Colonel Rahl, the Hessian commander, surprised, and not yet re- covered from the effects of his Christmas pota- tions, rushed frantically out of his quarters and mounted his horse to form his men for defense, was so thick, by reason of a storm of snow and sleet which had just commenced, that it hardly seemed practicable to cross at all, and when it was decided to move forward regardless of the-e obstacles, the transportation was found to be so slow and difficult that it was not until nearly four o'clock in the morning that the last of the ,but he almost immediately received a mortal troops and cannon were landed in safety on the , wound ; 3 and, a> further resistance then appeared eastern shore.

The expeditionary corps, consisting of two as had escaped and fled towards Princeton and thousand four hundred men, with ten pieces of Bordentown) and military stores, surrendered to artillery, was marched in a body, by way of the the American commander. The captures made " Bear Tavern," to Birmingham (between four and five mile- from Trenton), where it was brass field-pieres, one thousand stand of arms, halted, and the men took some refre-lunent.1 four colors and nine hundred and nine pris- The force wa- then divided into two columns,- oners, of which latter twenty-three were com- one, under General Sullivan, taking the river road, and the other, under General Green, with Generals Mercer, Steven- and Lord Stirling, and accompanied by the commander-in-chief. moving to and down the Scotch road to its junction with the Pennington road, and thence down the latter to Trenton.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 27

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co. Number of Pages: 1148

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148