USA > New Jersey > The history of New Jersey : from its earliest settlement to the present time : including a brief historical account of the first discoveries and settlement of the country, Vol. II > Part 8
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" First. For every good subject of this State residing within the county, that shall become an associator, and shall be taken or admitted to parole by any party or parties of refugees as aforesaid, that shall come on the errand of plundering or man- stealing, the good subject not actually under or taken in arms, there shall be taken an equal number of the most disaffected and influential residing and having property within the county, and them confine within Provost jail and treat them with British rigor, until the good subjects of this State taken as aforesaid, shall be fully liberated.
"Second. For every house that shall be burned or destroyed, the property of a good subject that enters with this association, there shall be made full retaliation upon or out of the property of the disaffected as aforesaid.
" Third. That for every article of property taken as aforesaid
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from any of the associators, being good subjects, the value thereof shall be replaced out of the property of the disaffected as aforesaid. We do also further associate for the purpose of defending the frontiers of this county, and engage each man for himself that is a subject of the militia that we will turn out at all times when the county is invaded, and at other times do our proportionate part towards the defence thereof. We the associators do hereby direct that a copy of this association be, as soon as the signing is completed, transmitted to the printer of the New Jersey Gazette for publication, and that the original be lodged in the clerk's office. Also we do request, that the associators will meet at the Court-house on Saturday, the Ist of July, at I o'clock in the afternoon, for the purpose of electing a committee of nine men, as before mentioned, to carry the said association into effect."
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CHAPTER XXIII.
1779-1782.
Jersey brigade at Elizabethtown-Mutiny of Jersey officers- Regret manifested by Washington at the course pursued by them -Pennsylvania troops mutinied-Compelled to submission- Washington proposed for King-He rejects the idea with con- tempt-Last blood shed in the American cause-New Jersey officers.
TN 1779 the Jersey brigade had been stationed through the winter at Elizabethtown, for the purpose of covering the adja- cent country from the incursions of the British troops on Staten Island. It was ordered, early in May, to march by regiments. To this order General Maxwell replied, in a letter to the Com- mander-in-Chief, that the officers of the First Regiment had delivered to their colonel a remonstrance, addressed to the State Legislature, declaring that unless their complaints on the subjects of pay and subsistence obtained immediate attention, they were, at the expiration of three days, to be considered as having resigned ; and requesting the Legislature in that event to appoint other officers. General Maxwell added, " this is a step they are extremely unwilling to take ; but is such, as I make no doubt, they will all take. Nothing but necessity, their not being able to support themselves in time to come, and being loaded with debts contracted in time past, would have induced them to resign at so critical a juncture." They declared, how- ever, their readiness to make every necessary preparation for obeying the marching orders which had been given, and to con- tinue their attention to the regiment, until a reasonable time after the appointment of their successors should elapse. General Washington was much afflicted by this intelligence, and sought in vain by paternal remonstrance to change their determination.
The condition of these officers seems to have been one of ex- treme privation. By a resolution of December, 1777, Congress
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had recommended to the several States to furnish the officers of their respective quotas with certain clothing at the prices cur- rent when the army was established in the year 1776, the surplus to be charged to the United States. This resolution seemed to be tardily and imperfectly obeyed, notwithstanding the repeated applications of the soldiery. Their pretensions were probably more strenuously presented to the Assembly, on the 21st of April, 1779-respecting their pay, subsistence and clothing- and were supported by an energetic letter from General Max- well; all of which was referred to a joint committee of both Houses. That committee reported, " That provision had been already agreed upon, as far as was consistent, previous to an application to Congress ; and that if upon such application no measures are adopted by them in that behalf, it will then be the duty of this State to provide for its quota of troops in the best manner they can devise." This resolution was duly approved ; but another offered by the same committee, that the letter of General Maxwell contains indecent and undeserved reflections . upon the representatives of the State, and that the same be transmitted to Congress, with a proper expression of the disap- probation and displeasure of the Legislature, was negatived.
Moved by the wretchedness of these officers, and the troops they commanded, Governor Livingston, John Cooper, Andrew Sinnickson, Joseph Holmes, Robert Morris, Peter Tallman, Abraham Vannest, Silas Condict and William Churchill Hous- ton, during the recess of the Legislature, on the fifteenth of January, requested the treasurer to pay into the hands of Enos Kelsey, commissioner for the purchase of clothing, the sum of seven thousand pounds, to be applied in procuring clothes for the officers, agreeably to the resolution of Congress, engaging to replace that sum in the treasury, provided the Legislature at their next sitting should not direct it to be credited in the accounts of the treasurer. On the 30th of April, this direction was given by the House, with orders to the commissioners to draw the furthur sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, for the purpose of furnishing to certain officers clothing to the amount of two hundred pounds, as the prices then were, upon their paying the sum it would have cost in the year 1776. Still,
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there were conditions annexed to these grants which rendered them ineffective.
On the 7th of May the remonstrance of the officers was repeated, stating that they were under marching orders and in immediate want of a necessary supply. Upon which the House directed the commissioner to furnish them with clothing imme- diately to the amount of two hundred pounds, and to pay to the soldiers of the brigade the sum of forty dollars each. This disbursement removed the obstacle to the march of the brigade. The reason of the delay of the State in supplying her forces, would seem to be a desire that some uniform rule to this end should be adopted by Congress, or that the confederacy should assume the whole duty to itself. The remonstrances of the officers were caused by the rapidity of the depreciation of the paper currency, which had advanced so rapidly as to render the daily pay of an officer unequal to his support. This produced serious discontents in the army. An order was given in May, 1779, for the Jersey brigade to march by regiments to join the western army. In answer to this order a letter was received from General Maxwell, stating that the officers of the First Regi- . ment had delivered to their colonel a remonstrance addressed to the Legislature of New Jersey, in which they declared that unless their former complaints as to the deficiency of pay met with immediate attention, they were to be considered at the end of three days as having resigned their commissions; and on that contingency they requested the Legislature to appoint other officers in their stead. Washington, who was strongly attached to the army, and knew their virtue, their sufferings, and also the justice of their complaints, immediately comprehended the · ruinous consequences likely to result from the measure they had adopted, after serious deliberation wrote a letter to General Maxwell to be laid before the officers. In the double capacity of their friend and commander, he made a forcible address to their pride and their patriotism.
"There is nothing," he observed, "which has happened in the course of the war that has given me so much pain as the remonstrance you mention from the officers of the First Jersey Regiment. I cannot but consider it a hasty and imprudent step
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which on more cool consideration they will themselves condemn. I am very sensible of the inconveniences under which the officers of the army labor, and I hope they do me the justice to believe that my endeavors to procure them relief are incessant. There is more difficulty, however, in satisfying their wishes than perhaps they are aware of. Our resources have been hitherto very limited. The situation of our money is no small embarrassment, for which, though there are remedies, they cannot be the work of a moment.
"Now that we have made so great a progress to the attain- ment of the end we have in view, so that we cannot fail, without a most shameful desertion of our own interests, anything like a change of conduct would imply a very unhappy change of prin- ciples, and a forgetfulness as well of what we owe to ourselves as to our country.
"I confess the appearances in the present instance are disa- greeable ; but I am convinced they seem to mean more than they really do. The Jersey officers have not been outdone by any others in the qualities either of citizens or soldiers; and I am confident no part of them would seriously intend anything that would be a stain on their former reputation.
"The declaration they have made to the State at so critical a time, that 'unless they obtain relief in the short period of three days they must be considered out of the service,' has very much the aspect of appearing to dictate terms to their country, by taking advantage of the necessity of the moment; and the seeming relaxation of continuing until the State can have a rea- sonable time to provide other officers, will be thought only a superficial veil."
This letter of the Commander-in-Chief, although it did not cause the officers explicitly to recede from their claims, had the effect to bring them so far round as to continue in service. In an address to that officer they declared "their unhappiness that any step of theirs should give him pain ;" but alleged, in justifi- cation of themselves, that repeated memorials had been presented to their Legislature, which had been neglected ; and added :
"We have lost all confidence in that body. Reason and experience forbid that we should have any. Few of us have private fortunes; many have families who already are suffering
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everything that can be received from an ungrateful country. Are we then to suffer all the inconveniences, fatigues, and dan- gers of a military life, while our wives and our children are perishing for want of common necessaries at home; and that without the most distant prospect of reward, for our pay is now only nominal?
" We are sensible that your Excellency cannot wish or desire this from us.
" We are sorry that you should imagine we meant to disobey orders. It was, and still is our determination to march with our regiment, and to do the duty of officers until the Legislature should have a reasonable time to appoint others ; but no longer.
"We beg leave to assure your Excellency that we have the highest sense of your abilities and virtues ; that executing your orders has ever given us pleasure ; that we love the service, and we love our country ; but when that country is so lost to virtue and to justice as to forget to support its servants, it then becomes their duty to retire from its service."
The ground adopted by the officers for their justification was such as necessarily prevented a resort to severe measures ; at the same time a compliance with their demands was impossible. In this embarrassing situation Washington deemed it prudent to take no other notice of their letter than to declare to the officers, through General Maxwell, " that while they continued to do · their duty, he should only regret the part they had taken."
The Legislature of New Jersey, roused by these events, made some partial provision for their troops. The officers withdrew their remonstrance, and continued to do their duty.
The ill consequences likely to result from the measures adopted by the Jersey officers being obviated by the good sense and pru- dence of Washington, he improved the opportunity to urge upon Congress the absolute necessity of some general and adequate provision for the officers of the army ; and observed, "that the distresses in some corps are so great that officers have solicited even to be supplied with the clothing destined for the common soldiery, coarse and unsuitable as it was. I had not power to comply with the request. The patience of men animated by a sense of duty and honor will support them to a certain point,
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beyond which it will not go. I doubt not Congress will be sensible of the danger of an extreme in this respect, and will pardon my anxiety to obviate it."
The defection of the Jersey troops at this time was not for any want of patriotism, but from stern necessity. They were fighting for their country; their wives and little ones were at home famishing from the want of food, all of which was caused by the depreciation of the paper currency. the only money then in existence.
In the second year of the war independence was declared, and the object for which arms was at first assumed was thereby changed; it was therefore obvious that more money must be procured, and equally so, that if bills of credit were multiplied beyond a reasonable sum for circulation, they must necessarily depreciate. It was therefore, on the 3d of October, 1776, resolved to borrow five millions of dollars; and in the month following, a lottery was set on foot for obtaining a farther sum on loan. The expenses of the war was so great that the money arising from both, though considerable, was far short of a sufficiency. The rulers of America thought it still premature to urge taxation. They therefore reiterated the expedient of farther emissions. The ease with which the means of procuring supplies were furnished by striking off bills of credit, and the readiness of the people to receive them, prompted Congress to multiply them beyond the limits of prudence. A diminution of their value was the unavoidable consequence. This at first was scarcely perceivable, but it daily increased. The zeal of the people, nevertheless, so far overbalanced the nice mercan- tile calculations of interest, that the campaigns of 1776 and 1777 were not affected by the depreciation of the paper cur- rency. Congress foresaw that this could not long be the case. It was, therefore, on the 22d of November, 1777, recommended to the several States to raise, by taxes, the sum of five millions of dollars for the service of the year 1778.
Previous to this it had been resolved to borrow larger sums, and for the encouragement of lenders, it was agreed to pay the interest which should accrue thereon, by bills of exchange, payable in France, out of moneys borrowed there for the use of
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the United States. This tax unfortunately failed in several of the States. From the impossibility of procuring a sufficiency of money, either from loans or taxes, the old expedient of farther emissions was reiterated; but the value decreased as the quantity increased. Congress, anxious to put a stop to the increase of their bills of credit, and to provide a fund for reducing what were issued, called upon the States, on the Ist of January, 1779, to pay into the continental treasury their respective quotas of fifteen millions of dollars, for the service of that year, and of six millions annually, from and after the year 1779, as a fund for reducing their early emissions and loans. Such had been the mistaken ideas which originally prevailed of the duration of the contest, that though the war was raging, and the demands for money unabated, yet the period had arrived which had been originally fixed upon for the redemption of the first emissions of Congress.
In addition to these fifteen millions called for on the Ist of January, 1779, the States were, on the 21st of May following, called upon to furnish, for public service, within the current year, their respective quotas of forty-five millions of dollars. Congress wished to arrest the growing depreciation, and there- fore called for taxes in large sums, proportioned to the demands of the public, and also to the diminished value of their bills. These requisitions, though nominally large, were by no means sufficient. From the fluctuating state of the money, it was impossible to make any certain calculations, for it was not two days of the same value. A sum which, when demanded, would have purchased a sufficiency of the commodities wanted for the public service, was very inadequate, when the collection was made, and the money lodged in the treasury. The depreciation began at different periods in different States, but became general about the middle of the year 1777, and progressively increased for three or four years. Towards the end of 1777, the depre- ciation was about two or three dollars for one; in 1778, it advanced from two or three dollars for one, to five or six for one; in 1779, from five or six dollars for one, to twenty-seven or twenty-eight dollars for one; in 1780, from twenty-seven or twenty-eight dollars for one, to fifty or sixty dollars for one, in
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the first four or five months. Its circulation was afterwards partial, but when it passed, it soon depreciated to one hundred and fifty dollars for one dollar, and therefore became worthless as a circulating medium. In some parts, it continued in circu- lation for the first four or five months of 1781, but in this latter period many would not take it at any rate, and they who did, received it at a depreciation of several hundred dollars for one dollar of specie.
The depreciation of the Continental currency of which the officers and men received their pay, was the cause of the refusal of the officers of the New Jersey Line longer to perform service. They were mostly poor men with dependent families, and were unable to support them with the inadequate allowance made by the Government, in consequence of the depreciation of the Continental currency.
About two hundred millions of dollars of this worthless issue flooded the country in 1779, in addition to which the several States had issued immense sums of money, and therefore what was of little value at this time became of less value. The whole was soon expended, and yet, from its increased deprecia- tion, the immediate wants of the army were not supplied. . The source which for five years had enabled Congress to keep an army in the field being exhausted, General Washington was reduced for some time to the alternative of disbanding his troops, or of supplying them by a military force. He preferred the latter, and the inhabitants of New York and New Jersey, though they felt the injury, saw the necessity and patiently submitted.
The States were next called upon to furnish, in lieu of money, determinate quantities of beef, pork, flour, and other articles for the use of the army. This was called a requisition for specific supplies, or a tax in kind, and was found, on experiment, to be so difficult of execution, so inconvenient, partial and expensive, that it was speedily abandoned. About this time Congress resolved upon another expedient. This was to issue a new species of paper money, under the guarantee of the several States. The old money was to be called in by taxes, and as soon as brought in to be burned; and in lieu thereof,
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one dollar of the new was to be emitted for every twenty of the old, so that when the two hundred millions were drawn in and cancelled, only ten millions of the new should be issued in their place, four-tenths of which were to be subject to the order of Congress, and the remaining six-tenths to the order of the several States. These new bills were to be redeemable in specie within six years, and bear interest at the rate of five per cent., to be also paid in specie, at the redemption of the bills, or at the election of the owner, annually in bills of ex- change on the American Commissioners in Europe, at four shillings and six pence to each dollar.
From the execution of these resolutions, it was expected that the old money would be cancelled ; that the currency would be reduced to a fixed standard ; that the States would be supplied with the means of purchasing the specie supplies required of them; and that Congress would be furnished with sufficient money to provide for the exigencies of the war. That these good effects would have followed, even though the resolutions of Congress had been carried into execution, is very question- able; but from the partial compliances of the States, the experiment was never fairly made, and the new paper answered very little purpose. It was hoped, by varying the ground of credit, that Congress would give a repetition of the advantages which resulted from their first paper expedient; but these hopes were of short duration. By this time much of the popular enthusiasm had spent itself, and confidence in public engage- ments was nearly expired. The event proved that credit is of too delicate a nature to be sported with, and can only be maintained by honesty and punctuality. The several expedients proposed by Congress for raising supplies having failed, a crisis followed, very interesting to the success of the Revolution. The particulars of this shall be narrated among the public events of the year 1781, in which it took place. Some observa- tions on that primary instrument of American Independence, the old Continental bills of credit, shall for the present close this subject.
On the Ist of January, 1781, about thirteen hundred of the Pennsylvania troops paraded under arms, refused obedience to
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their officers, and committed various outrages. They were suffering from the extremity of want. They had enlisted for the term of three years, or during the war. The officers con- tended that the meaning of the agreement was that they were to serve to the end of the war, however distant that end might be; the soldiers, on the other hand, maintained that they had engaged to serve for three years only, or during the war, if it should terminate before three years should elapse. The muti- neers determined to obtain a redress of grievances, and accord- ingly seizing upon six field-pieces marched off in a body towards Princeton. General Wayne interposed, in the effort to bring the revolters to submission ; but, on cocking his pistols at some of the most audacious of the mutineers, several bayonets were at his breast, the men exclaiming : " We respect you, General ; we love you; but you are a dead man if you fire ! Do not mistake us: we are not going to the enemy ; on the contrary, were they to come out, you should see us fight under you with as much resolution and alacrity as ever ; but we wish a redress of grievances, and will no longer be trifled with." Through General Wayne's judicious management, the mutineers reduced their demands to writing; which were a discharge to all who had served three years, an immediate payment of all that was due to them, and that future pay should be made in real money to all who remained in the service.
A committee of Congress, joined by the President of Pennsyl- vania, met the mutinous troops at Princeton and made proposi- tions to them which proved satisfactory, and they gave up their arms. The British commander, hoping to profit by this revolt, sent emissaries among them making them very tempting offers. These were declined with indignation, the revolters scorning the idea of turning Arnolds; and the emissaries of Clinton were given up, and hanged.
Washington had looked with great anxiety upon this alarming movement. He knew well that there was good ground for dis- content, and he was disposed to deal as leniently as possible with men who had felt themselves driven to extremity ; but as it would be suicidal to permit others to attempt similar outbreaks, the Commander-in-Chief took effectual measures to quell every
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such attempt. He selected a body of troops in the Highlands, on whom he could rely, and held them in readiness to march at any moment. The precaution was timely ; for on the 20th of January a part of the New Jersey Brigade rose in arms, and making the same demands which had been yielded to in the case of the Pennsylvania Line, marched to Chatham, in the County of Middlesex. Washington immediately despatched General Howe to march against the mutineers, and to crush the revolt by force, unless the men should yield unconditional sub- mission and return to duty. His orders were promptly executed. The men, taken by surprise, yielded at once. Two of the ring- leaders were shot, and the spirit of mutiny was effectually sub- dued.
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