USA > New Jersey > Salem County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 9
USA > New Jersey > Gloucester County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 9
USA > New Jersey > Cumberland County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 9
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, son's to Quintin's bridge, to deceive any patrol which Maj. (afterward lieutenant-colonel) Simcoe in his . he might meet on his march, and to make them be- Journal gave the following account of his operations ! lieve that he directed it to Thompson's, not Quintin's at this time in the vicinity of Salem. This is proba- , bridge. Approaching the bridge the Rangers halted
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HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER. SALEM, AND CUMBERLAND COUNTIES.
in the wood, and Col. Mawhood and Maj. Simeoe Rangers, ready to force the bridge, if ordered. The enemy for a moment quitted it. Col. Mawhood thought it useless to pass it. Some of the division who passed the house were taken prisoners, but the greater part were drowned in Aloes Creek. The offi- ver who was taken proved to be a Frenchman. The Rangers had one Huzzar mortally wounded, and. what was unfortunate, he was wounded by a man whom. in the eagerness of the pursuit. he had pas-ed, given quarters to, and not disarmed ; the villain, or coward. was killed by another Huzzar. The corps returned to Salem. went to the party of the Seventeenth, but in such a manner as to give no suspicion that they were part of a reinforcement : the ground was high till within two hundred yards of the bridge, where it became mar hy ; immediately beyond the bridge the banks were steep. and on them the enemy had thrown up breastworks; there was a publie-house very near the road, at the edge of its declivity into the marsh. on the Salem side. Col. Mawhood asked Maj. Simcoe whether he thought, if he left a party in the house, the enemy would pass by it or not? who replied that he thought they would be too cowardly to do it, but at any rate "The rebels still occupying the posts at Quintin's and Hancock's bridges, and probably accumulating, Col. Mawhood determined to attack them at the latter, where, from all reports, they were assembled to nearly four hundred men. He intrusted the enterprise to Maj. Simcoe, and went with him and a patrol oppo- site to the place. The major ascended a tree and made a rough sketch of the buildings, which, by conversing with the guides, he improved into a tolerable plan of' the place, and formed his mode of attack accordingly. He embarked on the 20th, at night, on board the flat- boats. He was to be landed at an inlet seven miles below Aloes Creek, when the boats were to be imuie- diately returned, and by a private road he was to reach Hancock's bridge, opposite to which Maj. Mitchell was detached with the Twenty-seventh Regiment, to co-operate with him. Maj. Simeoe foresaw the ditti- eulties and dangers, but he kept them to himself: everything depended on surprise. The enemy were nearly double his numbers, and his retreat, by the absolute orders to send back the boats, was cut off, but he had just confidence in the silence, attention. and spirit of the corps. By some strange error in the naval department, when the boats arrived off Aloes Creek, the tide set so strong against them that, in the opinion of the officer of the navy, they could not reach the place of their destination till midday. Maj. Simeoe determined not to return, but to land on the marshes at the mouth of Aloes Creek. There were good guides with him. They found out a landing-place, and after a march of two miles through the marshes, up to their knees in mud and water, labors rendered more fatiguing by the carriage of the first wooden planks they met with to form bridges with them over the ditches, they at length arrived at a wood upon dry land. Here the corps was formed for the attack. There was no public road which led to Hancock's bridge but that which the Ranger- were now in possession of. A bank on which there was a footway led from Hancock's to Quintin's bridge. Hancock's house was a large briek hou-e; there were many storehouses round it, and some few cottages. Capt. Saunders was detached to ambuscade the dike that led to Quintin's bridge, about half a mile from the quarters, and to take up a small bridge which was upon it, as the enemy would the attempt could do no harm, and if he pleased, he would try. Col. Mawhood directed Maj. Simeoe to do so, who accordingly profiting by the broken ground of the orchard which was behind it, and the clothing of his men, brought Capt. Stephenson and his com- pany into the house undiscovered; the front windows were opened and the back ones were shut, so that no thorough light could be seen ; the women of the house were put in the cellar, and ordered to be silent ; the door was left open, and Lieut. MeKay stood behind it with a bayonet, ready to seize the first per- son whose curiosity might prompt him to enter; the Queen's Rangers were brought into the wood near to that part where it ended in clear ground, and two companies, under Capt. Saunders, were advanced to the fences at the very edge of it, where they lay flat. Col. Mawhood then gave orders for the detach- ment of the Seventeenth, who were posted near the house, to eall in their sentinels and retreat up the road in full view of the enemy. This party had seareely moved when the enemy laid the bridge and passed it; a detachment of them went immediately across the marsh to the heights on the left, but the prineipal party, about two hundred, in two divisions, proceeded up the road. Capt. Stephenson, as they approached the house, could hear them say, ' Let us go into the house,' ete., but they were prevented both by words and by action by the officer who was at their head; he was on horseback, and spurring forward, quitted the road to go into the field on the right, through a vacaney made by the rails being taken for fires ; his party still proceeded up the road, and the first division passed the house ; the officer, his sight still fixed on the red clothes of the Seven- teenth, approached close up to the fence, where Capt. Saunders lay ; he did not immediately observe the Rangers, and, it is probable, might not, had he not heard one of the men stifling a laugh ; looking down he saw them, and galloped off; he was tired at, wounded, and taken. The division that had pa -- ed the house attempted to return. Capt. Stephenson ral- lied, drove them across the fields: Capt. Saunders pursued them ; the Huzzars were let loose, and atter- ward the battalion, Col. Mawhood leading them, Maj. Simcoe directed the Seventeenth back to the house, with the Grenadiers and Highlanders of the probably fly that way, and if not pursued too closely,
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would be more easily defeated. Capt. Dunlop was detached to the rear of Hancock's house, in which it . x. presumed the others were quartered, directed to . ree it, occupy and barricade it, as it commanded the passage of the bridge. Different detachments were allotted to the houses supposed to be the enemy's quarters, which, having mastered, they were ordered to assemble at Hancock's. A party was appointed to relay the bridge. On approaching the place two sen- wie- were discovered ; two men of the light infantry followed them, and as they turned about bayoneted them. The companies rushed in, and each, with proper guides, forced the quarters allotted to it. No resistance being made, the light infantry, who were in reserve, reached Hancock's house by the road, And forced the front door, at the same time that Capt. Dunlop, by a more difficult way, entered the baek door. As it was very dark, these companies had Learly attacked each other. The surprise was com- plete, and would have been so had the whole of the enemy's force been present, but, fortunately for them, they had quitted it the evening before, leaving a de- tachment of twenty or thirty men, all of whom were killed. Some very unfortunate circumstances hap- pened here. Among the killed was a friend of the government, then a prisoner among the rebels. Old Hancock, the owner of the house, and his brother, The following, relating to the massacre at Han- cock's Bridge, is from Johnson's " History of Salem :" Maj. Simcoe had made particular inquiry, and was informed that he did not live at home since the rebels "That night, the murdering party being selected, went, as directed, in boats, down Salem Creek to the river, thence to Alloway's Creek, thence up the same to a suitable distance from Haneoek's Bridge where they were to land, and being favored by the darkness of the night, were to attack the picket in the house in which they were stationed as their headquarters, and bad occupied the bridge. The information was partly true ; he was not there in the daytime, but unfortu- Dately returned home at night. Events like these are the real miseries of war. The roads which led to the country were immediately ambuseaded, and Lieut. Whitlock was detached to surprise a patrol of seven men who had been sent down the creek. This he . put every man to death they found there. In that effected completely. On their refusal to surrender, house, the property of Judge Haneock, were Mr. he fired on them. Only one escaped. This firing gave ' Charles Fogg, a very aged man. Joseph Thompson, and - Bacon, all Quakers. A few others besides the guard, composed of a full company of men, were those persons in that house on that ill-fated night, all wrapt in sleep, worn down with watching, nature ex- hausted, and many of them doomed to sleep the long sleep of death. The hellish mandate was issued at headquarters, 'Go-spare no one-put all to death- give no quarters.' The-e refugees, only to be assoei- ated with their brethren, the imps of the infernal regions, did their best, and glutted their worse than savage passions in the innocent blood of their un- offending neighbors. They killed and desperately inangled, with fiendish ferocity, such whom they saw writhing under the severity of their wounds, and thus destroyed more than two-thirds of all who were within that house.
Queen's Rangers patrolled to Thompson's bridge. The enemy, who had been posted there, were alarmed at the approach of a eow the night before, fired at it, wounded it, and then fled. They also abandoned Quintin's bridge and retired to a creek sixteen miles from Aloes Creek. Maj. Simeoe, making a patrol with the Huzzars, took a eirenit towards the rear of one of the parties sent out to protect the foragers; a party of the enemy had been watching them the whole day, and unluckily, the forage being com- pleted. the detachment had just left its ground, and was moving off'; the enemy doing the like, met the patrol, were pursued, and escaped by the passage which the foragers had just left open. Only one was taken, being pursued into a bog, which the Hus- sars attempted in vain to eross, and were much mor- tified to see a dozen of the enemy who had passed round it in safety within a few yards. They con- sisted of all the field-officers and committee-men of the district. The prisoner was their adjutant. The enemy, who were assembled at Cohansey, might easily have been surprised, but Col. Mawhood judged that having completed his forage with success. his business was to return, which he effected. The troops em- barked without any accident, and sailed for Phila- delphia."
the first notice of the success of the enterprise to the I wenty-seventh Regiment, with so much silence it had hitherto been conducted. The bridge was now laid, and Maj. Simcoe communicated to Col. Mitchell that the enemy were at Quintin's bridge, that he had good guides to conduct him thither by a private road, and that the possession of Hancock's house secured a re- treat. Lieut .- Col. Mitchell said that his regiment was w.uch fatigued by the cold, and that be would return b, Salem as soon as the troops joined. The ambus- caders were of course withdrawn, and the Queen's Kangers were forming to pass the bridge, when a rebel patrol passed where an ambuseade had been, and discovering the corps, galloped back. Lieut .- Col. Mitehell, finding his men in high spirits, had "turned, purposing to march to Quintin's bridge; but being informed of the enemy's patrol, it was ibought best to return. Col. Mawhood, in public or ler, 'returned his best thanks to Maj. Simcoe and bis corps for their spirited and good conduct in the surprise of the rebel posts.' Two days after, the . persons who attended this murdering party as pilots.
"It was currently reported, and that report believed to be true, that a negro man, who went by the name of Nicholson's Frank, and a man from Gloucester County, called Jonathan Ballanger, were the two
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HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER, SALEM, AND CUMBERLAND COUNTIES.
" Ballanger eame to the house of John Steward (a Hanks, with another villian, rushed upon young farmer near Hancock's Bridge), armed, that very same night, some time before day. Steward said that he soon discovered from the looks and conver- sation of Ballanger that some evil was about to be
Bee-ley to kill him. Ile begged of Hanks in the most pitiable manner to proteet him and spare hi- life. He urged upon him their friendship and inti- macy, their having grown up from boys together. done. With some persuasion he prevailed on him to . All his entreaties were in vain. The murderer heard go into the room and lie down. When he went in his pleas, and then very sternly told him that for their former intimacy alone he was determined to kill him, and then stabbed him and left him. The poor youth lived long enough to tell his tale of woe to those people who came to take care of the dead and wounded. he turned the key in the door, nor did he open it un- til about daylight in the morning. When Ballanger came out of the room he stayed but a few minutes and went away, carrying with him his musket. 1 short time after he had left the house the report of a gun was heard in the direction in which Ballanger had walked, and by the side of the fence along which he had gone a few moments before was found Reuben Sayers, mortally wounded, being a distance of not more than one-fourth of a mile from Steward's house."
Ballanger was not seen by any person after he left Steward's, until several years afterward. The suspi- cion of the murder of Sayers could be fixed upon no one but him. Immediately after the massacre of the pieket and private citizens, the refugees returned to Salem over the bridge, the draw of which they laid. Ballanger and the negro, no doubt, returned by water with the boatmen. It could have been none of the refugees who were at Hancock's. The circumstan- tial evidence against Ballanger was most assuredly of the very strongest kind, amounting pretty near to pos- itive. Public opinion was decidedly against him, for he was known to be a rank Tory, from the very hot- bed of Toryism, of those who secretly traded with the British while they occupied Philadelphia. It was but a short mile from Hancock's Bridge to where Sayers was found weltering in his blood. He had escaped thus far towards the woods or marshes in his flight from the murdering refugees. Not a single individ- ual of the enemy was seen anywhere near to the field where Sayers was found. The murderer was always believed to be none other than Jonathan Ballanger.1
" A few names of some of the desperate villains, the refugees, which I here mention, ought never to be forgotten. One fellow, who usually bore the name of Proud Harry, a plasterer by trade, an insolent, swaggering scoundrel, a braggadocio. Another, by name Jo Daniels. Another, if possible, worse than Satan himself,-his name was John Hanks. This fellow was brought up from a boy in the family of ! the vessels that had been sent to convey this plunder Morris Beesley. The son of Morris, whose name was Walker, belonged to that company of militia.
1 Some years after this a son of Sayers. master of a small vessel navi- gating the Delawara River, in bringing his ve-sel up to a wharf below Philadelphia, in a very dark evening, being a little intoxicated, acci- dentally fell overboard, Int was humanely rescued by a person who happened to be on the wharf. As soon as he had sufficiently recovered he discovered in the face of his deliverer a sou of Ballanger, the mur- derer of his father. He awore he would not owe his life to such a d-d rascal, immediately threw himself into the river, and it was with no little difficulty and risk that his life was a second time saved !.
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"Another instance I will mention of a militia man whose name was Darius Dailey, who, escaping from the house, was pursued by two of the refugees ; while running he saw an English soldier ; he made toward- him as fast as he could, calling out to him at the same time to save him; erying out, 'Oh, save me! save me, soldier! I am your countryman! Save me. save me! I am a Scotchman ! I am your country- man!' The very name of countryman, even coming from the mouth of an enemy, and in the midst of slaughter, struck the tender fibres of the stern sol- dier's heart. He immediately put himself in an at- titude of defence, and stopped the pursuing refugees. and told them that he should protect the man at all hazards; that he surrendered himself to him, and that he was his prisoner. When his flurry hal in some measure subsided, Dailey gave his name to the ' soldier, the soldier his name to Dailey. They were both struck almost speechless with astonishment: they now found that they had been bosom friends and schoolmates together, when boys, in Scotland. Dai- : ley was conducted a prisoner. with a few others, to Salem, whose lives had been spared by the English soldiers.
"The names of the officers of that unfortunate company of militia who were so dreadfully cut to pieces on that dreadful night were Carleton Shep- pard, captain; Benjamin Curlis, first lieutenant : Andrew Lowder, second lieutenant; William Bresby. ensign."
After the affairs at Quinton's Bridge and Hancock's Bridge, Col. Mawhood sent foraging parties to plun- der the farmers of their hay, grain, horses, cattle, and everything that could be useful to the, British. All the teams that could be obtained were pressed into his service to transport that which was thus taken to to Philadelphia. A larger fleet was in the creek for that purpose than has been seen there before or since. Foraging parties were sent to explore El-inborough. Lower Mannington, and Salem, where it was certain no resistance could be made. A strong guard was sent with the foragers into the township of Lower Penn's Neek.
Barber says, "Capt. Andrew Sinnickson lived at that time in Penn's Neck, and being notified of the party approaching, hastily collected together as many
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GENERAL HISTORY.
of his men as could be mustered, came upon the guard and their foragers (in what was then called Long Lane), and after a severe contest the enemy was r. uted; and in the melee the commanding officer lost li hat and cloak, and was obliged to flee to Salem without them. The next day Capt. Sinnickson sent a tag into the town, with the hat and cloak belonging to the officer, with something like this laconie mes- wage, 'That he had to regret the sudden departure of the officer, the owner of these articles, but hoped if he in- . tended another visit into that township he might have the piencure of detaining him till they became better ac- quainted."
The following letters between the commanding otheers of the British and American forces were ex- changed shortly after the affair at Quinton's Bridge :
"CatoNEL Mts wHooD, commanding a detachment of the British army at Salen, Imluced by motives of humanity, proposes to the militia at Quintiu's Bridge and the neighborhood, as well officers as private nica, Lr lay down their ertos and depart, each man to his own home. Ou that condition he solemnly promises to re-emibark bis troops without delay, doing uo farther damage to the country ; and he will cause huis commis- marin to pay for the cattle, hay, and corn that have been taken, io ster- 1 ULE DIOury.
* If, on the contrary, the militia should be so far deluded and blind to their true interest and happiness, he will put the artis which he has Brought with hini into the hands of the inhabitants well affected, called T.ric; and will attack all such of the militia as rediuin io arms, burn anl Jestroy their houses and other property, and reduce themi, their unfortunate wives and children, to beggary and distress; and to convince thetu that these are uot vain threats he has subjoined a list of the names of such as will be the first olgjects to feed the vengeance of the British Lativo.
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."Given ander my hand, at headquarters, at Salem, the twenty-first day of March, 1778.
"C. MAWHOOD, Colonel.
"Edmnod Keashy, Thomas Siunickson, Samuel Dick, Whiten Cripps, Ebenezer Howell, Edward Hall, John Roweo, Thomas Thompson, George Trencherd, Elisha Cattel, Andrew Sinnickson, Nicholas Kean, Jacob Hufty, Benjamin Holme, William Shute, Anthony Sharp, and Aboer Peaton."
REPLY OF COL. HAND.
"Sta : I have been favored with what you say humanity has induced Tott to propose. It would have given me much pleasure to have found that humanity had been the line of conduct to your troops since you came to Saleni. Not denying quarters, but butchering onr men who suf- rendered themselves prisoners in the skirmish at Quinton's Bridge last Thursday, and bayoneting, yesterday morning, at Hancock's Bridge, in the Divet cruel manner, in cold blood, men who were taken by surprise lu a situation in which they oeither could nor did attempt to make any resistance, aod suite of whoni were oot fighting nien, are instances too shocking for me to relate, and, I hope, for you to hear. The brave are evet generous and humane. After expressing your sentiments of bamianity, you proceed to make a request, wbich I think you would despite on if choighed with. Your proposal that we should lay down our aruis we absolutely reject. We have taken theni up to maintain Rights which are dearer tu us than our lives, and will not lay them down till either success has crowned our army with victory, or, like many ancient worthirs contending for liberty, we meet with ao houor- a'de death. You mention that if we reject your proposal you will put stina In the hands of the Tories against us. We have no objection to the measure, for it would be a very good voe to till our areenals with aTuIs. Your threats to wantonly buru and destroy our housea and other property, and reduce our wives and children to bergary and distress is & sentiment which ory humanity almost forbada me to recite, and in- ducen se to imagine that I am reading the cruel order of a barbarous Attila, and not of a gentlebian, brave, generous, and polished, with a genteel European education. To wantonly destroy will injure your cause more than ours; it will increase your enemies and our aruty. To destine to destruction the property of our most distinguished well, at Jou have done In your proposals, is, In my opinion, unworthy a gener-
ous foe, and more like a rancorons feud between two conteoding baruna than a war carried on by one of the greatest powers on earth against a people nobly struggling for liberty. A line of honor would mark out that these men should share the fate of their country. If your arms should be crowned with victory (which God forbid ) they and their property will be entirely at the disposal of your sovereign. The loss of their property, while their persons are ont of your power, will only ren- der them desperate, and, as I sud before, increase your foes and our , army, and retaliation upon Tories and their property is not entirely out of our power. Be assured that these are the sentioients and determined resolution, uot of myself only, but of all the officers and privates under me.
" My prayer is, sir, that this may reach you io health and great bap- piness. "Given at headquarters at Quinton's Bridge, the 22d day of March, 1758.
" ELIJAH HAND, Colon !. "
CHAPTER IX.
REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY .- Continued.)
Minor Operations in Gloucester County .- In the histories of the different townships in Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland Counties accounts are given of minor affairs which occurred during the Revolu- tion. The region immediately surrounding these counties was, during that war, the scene of many raids and conflicts of more or less importance, brief sketches of which will not be destitute of interest. In his " Rem- iniscences of Old Gloucester," Isaac Mickle, Esq., has given accounts of many of these, some of which are reproduced here.
Near Gloucester .- On the evening of Nov. 25, 1777, a lively affair occurred between Big and Little Timber Creeks, on the king's road. Lord Coruwallis, who was encamped at the point with about four thou- sand men and a large quantity of military stores, was about to move across the Delaware, and Gen. Greene, with a body of Americans, was at Had- donfield watching his movements. Lafayette, who was still suffering from a wound received some time previously, volunteered to reconnoiter the enemy, and attack them if he found it advisable. In making his reconnaissance he went very near to the enemy's lines on the sandy peninsula south from the outlet of Tim- ber Creek, where he was discovered, and a detachment of dragoons was sent to intercept him. Seeing this, his guide pointed out a back path, which took him beyond the reach of his pursuers before they arrived at the bridge. fle passed within musket-shot of an outpost, and reached his detachment in safety.
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