USA > New Jersey > Camden County > Revolutionary reminiscences of Camden County : (originally part of "Old Gloucester") state of New Jersey > Part 2
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ing the success of the American cause, and that wisdom be given to the Continental Congress.
As it stood in those days so it stands at the present. Kept in substantial repair, the old building presents its original form, and as it appeared when first set apart for its sacred uses so it has remained. The pulpit, the chan- cel, and the rude, uncushioned benches may now be looked upon as seen and used by the soldiers of the war for inde- pendence, and those of a government seeking the more to oppress the people.
"Stern chiefs no more their crimson'd blades shall wield, Nor deadly thunders bellow o'er the field ; No drum shall animate the soldier's breast, Nor piercing fife arouse him from his rest ;
The trump's shrill sounding and the clang of arms,
Shall shake the plain no more with dire alarms."
The scene of MILES SAGE's oft-told exploit was laid in Haddonfield. As a vidette in the regiment of Colonel ELLIS, he was frequently ordered to watch the movements of the enemy, and passed through many hair-breadth escapes of life and limb in the discharge of his duty.
The regiment before named was stationed in the village, and it was the intention of the British commander to surprise and capture it by a night attack. To accomplish this, a corps of light infantry was detached, and put in mo- tion after dark, coming from toward Gloucester. MILES SAGE and another soldier, acting in like capacity, named CHEW, were watching their movements as best they could, but from different points, and when satisfied of their pur- pose, rode in great haste to inform Colonel ELLIS. CHEW, taking a shorter route, and swimming his horse across Newton creek, was the first to reach the town. The regi- ment was at once ordered to retreat, and left the place just as the enemy arrived.
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The colonel, being a corpulent man, made but little speed, was soon left in the rear, and, but for the darkness of the night, would have been taken prisoner. His unfortunate position was in after years a source of much merriment at his expense, when his companions in arms were fighting their battles o'er again.
The intelligence brought by CHEW created great con- sternation in the town, and every precaution was taken to mislead the enemy by putting out the lights in the dwellings, and the families retiring to bed. A colored servant in the family of Mrs. ABIGAIL BLACKWOOD, widow of SAMUEL BLACKWOOD, then living in Tanner street was sent with the children to their room, and strictly enjoined to extinguish the candle. To gratify her curiosity, how- ever, she placed it on the window-ledge, which attracted the attention of the soldiers, who at once surrounded and filled the house. JOHN BLACKWOOD, a son of the widow, then a lad, was captured, taken into the street and made to tell what he knew of Colonel ELLIS and his regiment. While attempting, by the light of a few torches, and sur- rounded by the excited soldiers, to show the direction taken by the retreating troops, MILES SAGE rode up and asked the boy very much the same question he was endeavoring to answer to others. His reply was that they had gone "some one way and some another." At this moment SAGE discovered that he was in the midst of British soldiers, who, at the same time, noticed that he was an American.
SAGE at once put spurs to his horse, rode hastily into the main street and towards the northerly part of the village. He was fired upon as he vanished in the dark- ness, but escaped until he reached the upper hotel, where his horse was wounded and fell to the ground. Before SAGE could disengage himself from the saddle he was
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attacked by the guard, stabbed in various places about his body, and left for dead in the street. By order of a Scotch officer he was carried into a small building on the north side of the street, near the present Temperance House, where he was attended by a surgeon of the army. On examination, it was found he had several severe bay- onet wounds, which were dressed, and he was given in charge of a few females of the village to care for him. From this place he was taken to the residence of his mother, who was paid by the State for her services as a nurse. He eventually recovered, and in his latter days was fond of recounting his many exploits during the war, among which was that just noticed.
On one occasion, while resting his horse near the brow of the hill opposite the present residence of WILLIAM MANN, Esq., Major SIMCOE heard the whistling of a rifle ball near him, and on looking around saw two persons on the opposite hill. He ordered Lieutenant WHITLOCK to take a few dragoons and capture them. These persons proved to be JOHN KAIN (brother of JOSEPH HINCHMAN's wife) and BENJAMIN BUTLER, two young men who had secured the loan of a rifle of JOSEPH COLLINS (then living on the farm now owned by LOGAN PLUM, Esq.,) for the purpose of hunting. They had proceeded along the road as far as where JACOB DODD, Esq., now lives, from which point Major SIMCOE was plainly in view, and could not resist the temptation of shooting at a British officer. After this exploit they thought best to return to the house, when DIANA COLLINS, a daughter of JOSEPH, discovered the dragoons in pursuit and shouted to the young men to escape. KAIN turned down the creek into the swamp and evaded the soldiers, while BUTLER ran up the hill and secreted himself in the bushes, and, but for his curiosity in watching the horses and men as they passed, would
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also have escaped. He, however, left his hiding place, went back into the road, was discovered, and, after a hot chase, captured. He was taken to Philadelphia; thence to the prison ships at New York and kept for a long time. Although not the guilty one, as KAIN handled the gun, yet he suffered a terrible punishment, from the effects of which his health was never fully restored. He did not return for about three years, and when he visited the spot where he had secreted himself found his hat that had been lost in the scuffle at the time.
Major SIMCOE, although a brave man, was afterwards careful not to lead the rebel experts into temptation, so far at least as his own person was concerned. Find- ing that General WAYNE was moving from towards Mount Holly in a manner that indicated an attack, the Rangers returned to Philadelphia, and left the territory in question to the American forces.
Mrs. ANNIE HOWELL, born in 1769, widow of Colonel JOSHUA L. HOWELL, of Fancy Hill, Gloucester county, as a child then living in Haddonfield with her mother, Mrs. ABIGAIL BLACKWOOD, had a vivid recollection of Count PULASKI. Frequently, while quartered in the village, he would appear dressed as a dragoon, wearing a tightly- fitting green jacket and buckskin breeches, mounted on a superb charger, and displaying his feats of horsemanship to the admiring soldiers. As a cavalry officer, he had no superior, and his discipline of this branch of the army made it very efficient.
He left the legal profession to become a soldier, and, with his father, engaged in the rebellion against his king in 1769. The father was captured and put to death, when the young Count became commander of the insur- gents. He, with others, made an ineffectual attempt to carry off the king from Warsaw. His estates were con-
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fiscated and himself outlawed. In Paris he became ac- quainted with Dr. FRANKLIN, who encouraged him to come to America. This he did and joined the army under WASHINGTON.
He organized a body of infantry and cavalry in the State of Maryland called Pulaski's Legion, and upon its departure from Annapolis for the Continental army, the commander was presented with a crimsoned silk banner by the Moravian Sisters, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. That aet has been immortalized by the poet Longfellow, in the "Hymn of the Moravian Nuns at the Consecration of Pulaski's Banner," closing with this beautiful stanza :
"Take thy banner, and if e'er Thou should'st press the soldier's bier, And the muffled drum should beat To tread of mournful feet, Then this crimson flag shall be Martial cloak and shroud for thee."
In 1779, he was with General LINCOLN, in South Caro- lina, during the seige of Savannah, when he was mortally wounded, and died on board the United States brig Wasp. He was buried on St. Helen's Island, and Con- gress ordered a monument to be erected over his grave. This was not done, and even the place where his bones were laid lost sight of, and became a source of contro- versy for several years, until the return to America of his aid-de-camp, CHARLES LITOMINSKY, who being present at his funeral pointed out the spot. A monument has since been erected by the citizens of Georgia, at Savannah, in- scribed with these lines:
"In memory of Count Cassimer Pulaski, A native of Poland, but a Citizen of the World."
General LAFAYETTE, frequently in the village, took much notice of ANNIE BLACKWOOD, and she never forgot him as an affable, pleasant gentleman.
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The jewelry he wore abont his person was her special admiration, and when in her old age she spoke of him, she never omitted to describe this part of his dress. Being a martinet in discipline, he was alike rigid in his personal appearance, which, coupled with his native taste, made him a model soldier, and the admiration of the ladies as well.
His observation of the American riflemen in battle, and where he had occasion to notice their efficient prac- tice, soon overcome his prejudice as to their disregard of authority, finding as he became more familiar with the country that they were a useful arm in service.
PULASKI and LAFAYETTE reluctantly yielded their notions of military etiquette and discipline, but their sympathy with the cause, and desire for its success, induced them to conform to a looser code, and one which was much more acceptable to the troops.
"Chiefs, graced with scars, and prodigal of blood, Stern patriots, who for sacred freedom stood."
When the British army left Philadelphia, (June, 1778,) it crossed the Delaware river at Gloucester, and passed through Haddonfield in going toward New York. The great amount of material to be transported, and the num- ber and variety of troops, made its movement very slow, as the army was four days and nights in passing through the town. Bakeries, laundries, hospitals and smith shops were on wheels, as well as boats, bridges, magazines, and medicine chests. The female camp followers were the greatest annoyance to the residents of the place. They would enter the dwellings and premises of the people, carry off such things as they might seleet, and if inter- fered with, would insult the owners by lewd conduct and · obscene language. Being outside of military control, but little protection could be had from the officers in com-
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mand, and they appeared a lawless and repulsive feature of the army. Cattle had to be driven to secret places. Ware and breakable furniture were generally buried in the ground, and everything eatable carefully kept out of sight.
The impossibility of keeping such a body of troops in close column, where the roads were narrow and crooked, and the country covered with forests, at once attracted the attention of WASHINGTON, and he decided to give them battle. The most vulnerable point was near Monmouth Court House, and where one of the most sanguinary con- flicts of the Revolution took place; and but for the unex- ampled conduct of General CHARLES LEE, much of the army would have been captured and the power of the enemy destroyed.
The farmers living near the public thoroughfares were in constant danger of having their horses and cattle taken ; sometimes stolen and sometimes driven away by getting with the droves of fattened stock following the armies. To guard against this a league was formed by those near Haddonfield and common cause was made for their protection.
In a low, swampy piece of timber land about two miles east of the village, on a farm now owned by JOSEPH KAY, Esq., between the Milford road and the north branch of Cooper's creek, and familiarly known as "Charleston," several acres were surrounded with a strong high fence. Whenever necessary, cattle and horses were driven here and being a secluded spot, and without roads leading thereto, it proved to be a safe place.
On one occasion, however, JACOB WINE, a man in the employ of one who was of the league, gave information to the enemy, and they at once found means to secure every- thing there secreted. The horses, however, in passing
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along the road, near Ellisburg, were frightened, and ran into the thick forests of the deer park, which then stood on lands now owned by JOSEPH O. CUTHBERT, Esq. Here they remained for a day or so and returned to their owners.
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JACOB WINE also deemed it best to follow after the cattle, and did not show himself in the neighborhood until after the war had ended, and then only for a short time, as he discovered unmistakable signs of the punishment he so well deserved for his treachery.
During the war, and while the Delaware river was occupied by the enemy's cruisers, it was with much diffi- culty merchandise, particularly groceries, could be had in Philadelphia. Smuggling was considered as legitimate trade, and every means was made use of to circumvent the revenue officers. Vessels of light draught could navigate Mulliea's river, (which divides Burlington from Atlantic county, and falls into the ocean a few miles south of Tuckerton) to a point some distance from the sea, and generally known as "The Forks of Egg Harbor."
Here barrels of sugar and molasses, bags of coffee, boxes of tea, puncheons of rum, and various other articles of trade, were taken on shore, placed upon wagons and hauled across the country, passing through Haddonfield on the way to a profitable market in the city. The ingen- uity of the teamsters was taxed, and many by-ways and roads sought out to avoid detection ; and when loaded wagons were heard in the night coming from towards the shore, the people of the village knew that goods contra- band of war were being transported. Almost every swamp along the route had its secret places of deposit, and the loyalty of the people to the American cause aided much in making this kind of trade successful.
Numberless traditions, having their origin in this part
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of the history of the Revolutionary struggle as connected with West Jersey, are yet talked over among the old folks in the region where they transpired, some of which have been made to " point a story and adorn a tale." One hun- dred years have wrought many changes in that section, and even the " Old Fork Road," which was the common highway between the points, has nearly lost its identity, and in a few more decades it will be forgotten.
The right exercised by each colony, as well as the Con- tinental Congress, to issue paper money produced much distress among the people. This system flooded the coun- try with a worthless currency, and unsettled values to a remarkable extent. No better evidence of this need be had than an examination of the moneys appropriated by Newton township (of which Haddonfield was then a part) during the war.
In the year 1776, the sum of fifty pounds was ordered to be raised by a town meeting for the support of the poor; in 1778, five hundred and eighty pounds, and in the year 1780, the sum of four thousand pounds for the same purpose-showing the rapid depreciation of the eur- reney, and which, in the end, became entirely worthless. Those who believed the government had the ability or intention of making the paper promises good, suffered much financially, and eventually discovered that they were possessed of large amounts of trash, not worth the paper upon which their pretended value was printed. A few stories have come down to the present generation showing how real estate was purchased and paid for in colonial or continental money, which led to the ruin of many fam- ilies, before in affluent circumstances.
The people of Haddonfield were once exercised over the arrest of a negro, suspected of being a spy, and having knowledge of the movements of the enemy. He
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. refused to answer questions looking to that end, and a novel means was used to overcome his reticence. A rope was put about his neck and thrown over a limb of a large buttonwood tree then standing in front of the resi- dence of BENJAMIN W. BLACKWOOD, M. D., deceased, and the poor fellow raised clear of the ground until he was nearly dead. On being let down he denied the accusa- tions and knowledge as persistently as before, and was again suspended and let down, but with the same results. Fearing that such treatment might prove fatal, he was finally allowed to take his departure, which he most effectually did, and was never seen again in this region ; being convinced that the remedy for discovering facts was severe, especially in the case of one who had none to disclose.
The old tavern house, where sat the Colonial Legisla- ture and the Council of Safety, has associated with it another interesting character. Soon after the war of independence had ended, and before the colonies entered into the Federal compact, the house was kept by HUGH CREIGHTON, whose descendants or family name have not been known in this region for many years. A frequent visitor at his house, and a relative, was a young lady who resided in Philadelphia. Her maiden name was DORATHA PAYNE, a daughter of JOHN PAYNE. She was born in North Carolina in 1772, when her parents were on a visit there, they being residents at that time of Hanover county, Virginia. Her father served as a captain in the American army during the Revolutionary war, but after- wards being convinced of the religious doctrines of Friends, became a member of that society, and was among the first who had religious seruples about holding slaves. In 1786 he sold his landed estate in Virginia, and removed with his negroes to Philadelphia, where they
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were all set free. The nurse of DORATHA, "Mother Amy," refused to leave her master, and remained in his family until her death, and out of her earnings gave by will five hundred dollars to her foster child. DORATHA was edu- cated according to the opinion of Friends, and in 1791 she married JOHN TODD, a wealthy young lawyer of that city. being of the same faith and order. He died in 1793, of vellow fever, leaving her with two children. After the death of her husband she abandoned the religious faith of her parents, laid aside plainness of dress, entered fash- ionable society, and at once became an attractive and fas- cinating lady. Her presence in the village drew around her the country beaux, and more than one, even in their old age, confessed their inability to resist her charms. Their out-door parties in summer and quilting frolies in winter always found her a welcome guest, when she was the centre of attraction and admiration of all. Philadel- phia was the metropolis, and where resided those admin- istering the government, whose wives and daughters made society gay and fashionable. In this Mrs. TODD was also a conspicuous personage, and where she had many suitors. Among the delegates to Congress from Virginia was JAMES MADISON, a young lawyer of talent. and even then regarded as one of the brightest intellects of the State. His strict attention to the duties of his " office prevented his making many acquaintances; but on the occasion of his introduction to the bright young widow, he fell desperately in love. This on the part of one "whose attainments were in advance of his years" lead to considerable gossip among the ladies, and made him the point of many jokes and other pleasantries with the heads of government-even to President WASHINGTON, . who appreciated his worth and abilities.
In 1794, DOROTHA TODD, generally known as DOLLY
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TODD, became DOLLY MADISON, and the wife of a future President of the United States. In 1801, her husband was appointed Secretary of State by Mr. JEFFERSON, and he removed to Washington City, then little better than a wilderness. They remained there until 1817, at the close of the second term of Mr. MADISON's presidency, and then went to Montpelier, Virginia, upon his paternal estate.
Soon after the decease of her husband, in 1836, she returned to the national capital, and remained until her death in 1849. In her exalted position she never forgot her friends about Haddonfield, nor the many pleasant days she had spent among the people there. Some of her old admirers sought honorable promotion at the hands of her husband during his administration, which claims were strengthened by her influence, and led to success.
She survived nearly all her contemporaries, and in her declining years was honored with a seat on the floor of the House of Representatives, where she commanded the respect of the great men of the nation. She would always relate the pleasant reminiseences of her early life to those presented to her as residents of West New Jersey- making inquiry concerning the old families, some of whom, however, have at this day scarcely a representative left.
Another person indentified with the Revolutionary war, and for the most of his life a resident of Old Glou- vester County, should not pass unnoticed. This was RICHARD SNOWDEN, boru of English parents in the year 1753, who, with his father's family, came to New Jersey when quite a young man, having been carefully educated at home. He first settled at Burlington, but soon came into this county as a private tutor and here remained the most of his life. For several years he had charge of the Friends' school in Haddonfield, then at Gloucester (now
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Gloucester City) and finally removed to Woodbury, where he engaged in mercantile business. He died in Philadel- phia in 1825. He was a man of good literary attainments, and author of a history of the Revolutionary war, writ- ten in the style of the Sacred Scriptures; also a poem called the " Columbiad," relating to the same events, and also a history of America from the discovery to the death of General WASHINGTON. He took great interest in the struggle of the American people against the oppression of the mother country, but being a Quaker he could not consistently bear arms, yet did much with his pen and per- sonal influence toward the success of the cause. Some of his descendants reside in the county of Camden, respectable and influential citizens.
Among those who enlisted in the service from the neighborhood of Haddonfield, and who are remembered by some of those now living, were JOHN STAFFORD, JAMES B. COOPER and JOHN MAPES. The first named was a tall, well-built man, and selected for his soldierly bearing as one of WASHINGTON's body guard. At the battle of Ger- mantown, while serving in the artillery, he was badly wounded in the thigh, and disabled for active service thereafter. JAMES B. COOPER and JOHN MAPES were members of HENRY LEE'S partisan corps of light dragoons, which did much signal service during the war. When fighting their battles over they always spoke in the highest terms of "LIGHT-HORSE HARRY, " their commander. After the war had closed. the first of these entered the merchant service, and commanded several ships out of the port of Philadelphia, and on the breaking out of the war in 1812, accepted a position in the navy, and was promoted to the rank of post-captain before his death. He lived in Had- donfield for many years, and was remarkably correct in his remembrance of the incidents touching the war of independence.
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JOHN MAPES settled a few miles from the place, and took much pleasure in conversing about the "Old War," as he called it. He was a genial, pleasant man ; wore a broad-brimmed hat, with his long clay pipe twisted in the band, never passing au opportunity for using it. His familiar salutation of "My darling fellow," whenever he met a friend, is vet remembered among the people, whether it was at a public gathering or by his own tire- side. Not having much of this world's goods, and living to a ripe old age, the pension allotted him by Congress was the means of making him comfortable in his latter days.
Many other persons in this section, whose names are forgotten, joined the various corps connected with the army, and served faithfully through the war, contending against great odds in a cause for which they pledged their lives, and many their entire estates. Outside the village there is scarcely a farm house near the king's road, and where the army passed, without some reminiscence con- nected with the Revolutionary war, and almost every neighborhood in New Jersey is associated with that contest in a greater or less degree ; but the lapse of time and the gradual passing away of those who lived in "the days that tried men's souls," have lost to the present gen- eration very many of those interesting incidents. The recurrence, however, of the hundredth year from the Declaration of Independence brings to mind all the vague and well-nigh forgotten stories told by our grandsires, and worthy to be handed down to such as may follow, even to the second coming of the great anniversary.
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