USA > New York > Kings County > Williamsburgh > A history of the city of Brooklyn : including the old town and village of Brooklyn, the town of Bushwick, and the village and city of Williamsburgh > Part 26
USA > New York > Kings County > Bushwick > A history of the city of Brooklyn : including the old town and village of Brooklyn, the town of Bushwick, and the village and city of Williamsburgh > Part 26
USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > A history of the city of Brooklyn : including the old town and village of Brooklyn, the town of Bushwick, and the village and city of Williamsburgh > Part 26
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
1 Letter of Adjt .- Gen. Reed to his wife, Aug. 24: "Gen. Putnam was made happy by obtaining leave to go over. The old man was quite miserable at being kept here."
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THE BATTLE PASS (IN PROSPECT PARK), BROOKLYN. (From a Sketch by G. L. BURDETTE, taken in 1792.)
Page 261.
261
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
and Flatbush turnpike with the Coney Island Plankroad, and now within the limits of Prospect Park. The defences of this pass were, first, a sort of crescent-shaped intrenchment, just within the village of Flatbush, and lying diagonally across the main street, a little south of Judge Martense's house, with a ditch of considerable depth on its northerly side ;1 and, secondly, a small redoubt, mounting a few small pieces of artillery, at the " Valley Grove," to guard the passage through the " Port Road,"? and by the direct route to Brook- lyn. Near this redoubt stood an immense white-oak tree, men- tioned in Governor Dongan's Patent as one of the boundary marks between Brooklyn and Flatbush.3 This, in obedience to the stern exigencies of war, was felled across the road, where, in consequence of the then dense woods on the south and the swamp on the north, it formed a very considerable obstacle to an enemy's advance.
3. The Bedford Pass, at the intersection of the old "Clove Road" with the Flatbush and Brooklyn boundary-line, half a mile south of the hamlet of Bedford.
4. And three miles east of Bedford, on the old Jamaica turnpike, and just at the present entrance to the "Cemetery of the Ever- greens," was a road through the hills, known as the Jamaica Pass.
The natural line of defence afforded by this range of heavily wooded hills could not, of course, with the small force at the dis- posal of the American generals, be properly occupied by any con- tinuous line of troops. All that could be done, under the circum- stances, was to post strong picket-guards (for they could scarcely be called more than that) at its most defensible points; nor was it expected by Washington that the attenuated line of troops (scarcely twenty-five hundred in all) which held the ridge for a distance of over five miles, would do more than a picket-guard's duty, in dis- covering the approach of the British and harassing them on their march. The extreme right of the American line, which was com-
1 Strong's Hist. Flatbush.
2 The "Port Road" was a lane diverging from the Flatbush turnpike, near the pres- ent city line, and extending to the East River, across Freecke's mill-dam. It followed the general line of the present First street, and remains of it are still to be seen near Fifth avenue. (Ante, 159, note.)
3 This tree was in the present Prospect Park, nearly in the centre of the Flatbush road, and about opposite the west end of the old toll-gate house. It is hoped that its position will be carefully indicated, in some permanent manner, by the Park Commissioners.
262
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
manded by Gen. Lord Stirling, was at the Red Lion Tavern, where Martense's Lane enters the shore road. Along this lane, which cuts eastwardly through the Greenwood Hills, were stationed one hundred and twenty of Colonels Atlee's and Kichline's Pennsylvania musketeers and riflemen, who sheltered themselves behind stone walls and among the trees, rocks, and hollows of that locality, as their fancy or experience dictated. The left of this line rested, or was supposed to rest, upon the right of General Sullivan's command, consisting of Henshaw's Massachusetts and Johnston's New Jersey regiments, which formed the centre of the American line, at the junction of the Port Road with the Flatbush road, near the intersec- tion of the present Flatbush avenue with the city line. Here were the defences mentioned on page 261, and here it was supposed, from the previous demonstrations made by the Hessians, would be the main point of attack. At this point the range of hills formed an obtuse angle, forming two sides of an immense amphitheatre, look- ing down upon a broad and beautiful plain, upon which rested, in slumberous quiet, the villages of Flatbush, Flatlands, New Utrecht, and Gravesend ; while in the further distance were to be seen the town of Jamaica and the blue waters of ocean. Sullivan's arrange- ment of his troops corresponded with the configuration of the sum- mit of the hills upon which he had taken position ; the regiment on his right stretching along the brow of the hill on either side of the Flatbush road, three or four hundred feet south of its junction with the Port Road (note, p. 261), and facing obliquely to them were the two regiments on the left, extending nearly a mile to the east of the Flatbush road, while Colonel Miles' First Pennsylvania regiment, with some Connecticut levies, continued the line still another mile further eastward, occupying the Bedford Pass (page 261) and the woods beyond towards the Jamaica Pass.1 It will be seen, there-
1 An American officer of distinction in the battle writes the following to the Con- necticut Courant (No. 673), as a corrective to some high encomiums which he had seen on Colonel Miles :
" The enemy were some days encamped at Flatbush, about 3} miles S. and E. of our lines. Within half a mile of the enemy is a ridge of hills, covered with woods, running from the narrows about N. E. toward Jamaica about 6 miles. Through this woods are three passes, which we kept strongly guarded, 800 men at each, to prevent the enemy penetrating the woods. The night before August 27, on the west road were posted Col. Hand's regiment, a detachment from Penn. and N. Y. ; next east were posted Col.
263
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
fore, that while Sullivan's right rested, but imperfectly, upon Stir- ling's left, his own left wing was entirely unsupported, or, as the military phrase is, "hung in air." Yet, both the officers who planned and the men who held these positions, seemed entirely unconscious of the appalling danger which menaced them if the enemy should turn their flank. As we have before remarked, it is hardly probable, from the extremely limited force which could be employed to occupy so widely extended a line, as well as from the comparatively slight nature of the fortifications thrown up at differ- ent points, that Washington intended that the Mount Prospect ridge should be held otherwise than as a picket-line, from whence the men were to fall back upon the fortified works at Brooklyn, without risking any very serious engagement with the enemy.
Beyond and to the eastward of this range of hills was a flat coun- try, traversed by several roads, reconnoitred by mounted patrols under Colonel Wyllys of Connecticut. In addition to these, Gen- eral Woodhull, former president of the New York Convention, had charge of the local militia, who were occupied in removing the live- stock to Hempstead and destroying forage, in order to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy.
Thus, on the evening of the 26th of August, in the impenetrable shadow of the woods which crowned the summit and slopes of the Flatbush hills, these few regiments of raw, undisciplined troops awaited the coming of their foe, whose tents and camp-fires stretched along the plain beneath them, in an unbroken line, from Gravesend to Flatlands.
The position of the British army was now as follows: the left wing, under Gen. Grant, rested on New York Bay; the Hessians, under De Heister, formed the centre, opposite to Sullivan's position, at Flatbush Pass; while the right wing, which was designed to bear the brunt of the coming battle, and was composed of the choice bat- talions under Gen. Clinton and Earls Cornwallis and Percy, stretched
Johnson of Jersey and Lieut .- Col. Henshaw of Mass .; next east were posted Col. Wyllys and Lieut .- Col. Wills of Conn. East of all these Col. Miles of Penn. was posted toward Jamaica, to watch the motion of the enemy and give intelligence. Col. Miles' guard on the east of the woods, by some fatality, what I don't know, suffered the enemy to march their main body to the east of the woods and advance near two miles in rear of our guards in the woods without discovery."
264
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
along the eastern foot of the range of hills from New Utrecht to Flatlands, idly skirmishing and occupying the attention of the Americans.
Gen. Howe, meanwhile, had been informed of the unguarded state of the road at Bedford,1 " and that it would not be a difficult matter to turn the Americans' left flank, which would either oblige them to risk an engagement, or to retire under manifest disadvantage." In view of this fact, he adopted the following plan of attack, viz. :
(1.) Gen. Grant, with two brigades, one Highland regiment, and two companies of New York Provincials, was to move forward upon the coast-road, towards Gowanus, while some of the ships-of-war were to menace New York, and to operate against the right of the Ameri- can fortified lines.2 While the attention of the Americans was thus diverted by the threatened danger to the city and to their rear,
(2.) The German troops, under Gen. De Heister, were to force the Flatbush Pass and the direct road to Brooklyn, by assault ; and,
(3.) At evening gun-fire, the right wing, under Clinton, Cornwallis, and Percy, accompanied by Howe himself, was to move, in light marching order, from Flatlands, across the country to New Lotts,
1 Stedman (i., p. 194) attributes the information to Generals Sir Henry Clinton and Sir William Erskine, whereas Onderdonk (Kings Co., sec. 802) says it was furnished by disaffected inhabitants.
2 (Extract from Lord Howe's letter) : "Being informed next day (26th) by Gen. Howe of his intention to advance with the army that night to the enemy's lines, and of his wishes that some diversion might be attempted by the ships on this side, I gave direc- tion to Sir Peter Parker for proceeding higher up in the channel towards the town of New York next morning, with the Asia, Renown, Preston (Com. Hotham embarked in the Phoenix, having been left to carry on the service in Gravesend Bay), Roebuck, and Repulse, and to keep those ships in readiness for being employed as occasion might require; but the wind veering to the northward soon after the break of day, the ships could not be moved up to the distance proposed: therefore, when the troops under Gen. Grant, forming the left column of the army, were seen to be engaged with the enemy in the morning, the Roebuck, Capt. Hammond, leading the detached squad- ron, was the only ship that could fetch high enough to the northward to exchange a few random shots with the battery on Red Hook ; and the ebb making strongly down the river soon after, I ordered the signal to be shown for the squadron to anchor."
From the Journal of a British Officer, we learn that "the Admiral directed Sir Geo. Collier to place the Rainbow, at dawn of day, in the Narrows, abreast of a large stone building called Denyse's (now Fort Hamilton), where he understood the rebels had cannon and a strong post, in which situation she would also be able to enfilade the road leading from New York, and prevent re-enforcements being sent to the rebel out- posts, as well as to their troops who were stationed to oppose the landing."
265
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
in order to secure the passes between that place and Jamaica, and to turn, if possible, the American left.
Accordingly, late on the afternoon of the 26th, De Heister and his Hessians took post at Flatbush, and relieved Lord Cornwallis, who withdrew his division (leaving only the 42d Regiment) to Flatlands, about two miles southeast of Flatbush. At about 9 o'clock of the same evening the vanguard of the right of the army, consisting of a brigade of light infantry and the light dragoons, under command of Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, moved eastward on the road to New Lotts. He was followed by Lord Percy, with the artillery and grenadiers, and Lord Cornwallis, with a reserve, the 71st Regiment, and four- teen field-pieces, accompanied by the commander-in-chief, Lord Howe. The troops were withdrawn under cover of the darkness, and with great caution, from their respective encampments, in which the tents were left standing, the fires burning, and every appearance of actual occupation maintained. The intended route of march was known only to a few of the principal officers, and, guided by a resi- dent Tory, the army moved over the country, through fields and by-ways, so silently that their footfalls could scarcely be heard at ten rods' distance,1 moving slowly, in order to give time for the light troops in the advance to secure and occupy all the points of the anticipated attack. Passing thus noiselessly along, irresistibly sweeping into its grasp every human being that it met who might give information to the enemy, the head of the column reached the vicinity of Schoonmaker's Bridge, which spans the head of a little creek near the village of New Lotts, and a short distance south- west of the present East New York." Here was a point of defence of which the British commander expected the Americans would avail themselves, and he made his dispositions accordingly-throwing out skirmishers, and taking such other precautions as seemed necessary.
1 They were seen by Captain Cornelius Vanderveer, who stated that although he was near the fence fronting his house, on the road, he could scarcely hear them .- Strong's Flatbush, p. 145.
2 The exact route taken by the British army on this eventful morning, is a matter of much dispute among those who have most carefully examined the subject. J. C. Brevoort doubts whether the enemy crossed Schoonmaker's Bridge, the approach to which is through deep sand. In which opinion he is sustained by Ward and others.
266
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
To his surprise, the place was found to be entirely unoccupied, and the country open to the base of the Bushwick hills, where the Ja- maica road enters upon the plains. Crossing the fields from the New Lotts road, in a direct course, to this point, the army halted, at two o'clock of the morning of the 27th, at William Howard's Half- way House, which yet stands at the corner of the present Broad- way and the Jamaica and Brooklyn road. In front of them, on this road, was the Jamaica Pass (ante, 261), a winding defile, admirably calculated for defence, and where the British expected, as a matter of course, that their passage would be hotly contested. The perfect success of the flank movement which Howe was now performing, demanded that this pass should be turned without risking an engage- ment, or even attracting the attention of those who, as it was sup- posed, defended it. Here his Tory guides seem to have been at fault, and, at their recommendation, perhaps, he pressed into his service William Howard, the innkeeper, and his son, then a lad of four- teen years.1 Father and son were compelled, at the point of the
1 William Howard, æ. 87, says the British army was guided by N. W. along a nar- row road across Schoonmaker's Bridge (where a small force might easily have brought the whole British army to a stand). Thence they turned off east of Daniel Rapalje's (threw open the fence) and crossed the fields to the south of Howard's Half-way House, where they halted in front of his house. About 2 o'clock in the morning, after the market wagons had passed, Howe (?), with a citizen's hat on and a camlet cloak over his uniform, entered Wm. Howard's tavern, attended by Clinton and two aids, and asked for something to drink, conversed with him, and asked if he had joined the association. Howard said that he had. "That's all very well-stick to your integrity. But now you are my prisoner, and must lead me across these hills out of the way of the enemy, the nearest way to Gowanus." Howard accordingly conducted the army by a passage-way between his house and horseshed over the hills and woods east of his house, till they came to the cleared land north of the woods. The horses drew the artillery up the hill in a slanting direction, and halted on the brow to breathe a little. The army then proceedcd west and came out at Baker's tavern, by the Gowanus road. The Brit- ish took Adj. Jeronimus Hoogland, (Lieut. Troup), and Lient. Dunscomb, American patrols, at the big white-oak (since struck by lightning), in the middle of the road, by the mile-post, a little east of Howard's. Isaac Boerum, a trooper of New Lotts, was also taken in Bushwick, and died of small-pox in prison."-Onderdonk, Kings Co., sec. 805
Lossing says (Field Book of Rev., ii. 807) that in 1852 William Howard, a son of this old Whig tavern-keeper, was still living, æ. 90, in the old tavern (Howard's Half-way House) still (1867) standing, although considerably altered, at the corner of Broadway and Fulton avenue. The part nearest the corner is the building, the other part being a house of Joseph Howard. He well remembered the above scene described in his father's statement.
REFERENCES
TO THE
MAP OF BEDFORD CORNERS IN 1766-67 AND 1867.
THAT portion of the Map printed in black is from Ratzer's Survey of 1766-67, and shows the farm lines, roads, houses, etc., ete., as then existing. Over this have been printed, in red, the street lines of the present city. The large figures are designed to indicate the several farms ; and the small figures, the houses, etc. etc., at the period of the Revolution ; those shown in outline having been erected since 1776.
REFERENCES TO THE LARGE FIGURES.
1. P. Reid (?).
4. Jeremiah Meserole.
2. Teunis Tiebout, 1776.
5. - Johnson. 6. Jacob Ryerson.
3. Peter Stothoff.
7. Rem Remsen, afterwards Barent Lefferts. House pulled down about 1840.
S. Barent Lefferts.
9. Michael Vandervoort, 1776: afterwards Jacobus De Bevoise. House pulled down recently.
10. Cornelius Vanderhoef, afterwards Leffert Lefferts.
11. Jeronimus Remsen, afterwards Barent Lefferts and Rem Lefferts. House pulled down 1838.
12. Lambert Suydam, afterwards Daniel Lott, now Chas. Betts. House pulled down 1856.
13. Abraham Van Enden, afterwards Benjamin Hinchman. House pulled down 1819.
14. Nicholas Blom, afterwards Charles Turnbull, Leffert Lefferts, Sr., 1791, and John Lef- ferts. House rebuilt about 1787.
15. Peter Vandewater. Hendrick Suydam, 1791; Leffert Lefferts, Jr., 1835.
16. Andris Andriese, Leffert Lefferts, Sr., 1774; Leffert Lefferts, Jr.
17. Benjamin and Jacobus Vandewater to Hendrick Fine, 1743; Fine to Jacobus Lefferts, 1753; L. Lefferts, Sr. and Jr.
18. H. Fine to Jacobus Lefferts, 1753. Partly from Executors of Andris Andriese. House built about 1750.
19. Peter Vandewater, Robert De Bevoise.
20. Isaac (?) Selover.
21. Rem Cowenhoven, Teunis Tiebont, Nicholas Cowenhoven.
22. Rem Vanderbeck and Lambert Andriese, afterwards Barent Lefferts.
23. John Cowenhoven, Isaac Cortelyou, and others, being part of first division Brooklyn Wood-lands.
REFERENCES TO THE SMALL FIGURES.
1. The Tiebout house, afterwards occupied by Nicholas Cowenhoven, subsequently by Robert Wilson.
2. The Selover house.
3. Rem Vanderbeek, afterwards Robert De Bevoise.
4. Judge Leffert Lefferts' honse, built in 1838, now the residenee of J. Carson Brevoort, Esq.
5. Judge Leffert Lefferts' old house, built about 1753.
6. N. Blom's house, rebuilt, 1787, by Charles Turnbull, an officer of the British army afterwards oeenpied by John Lefferts.
7. Abm. Van Enden's, then B. Hinchman's, and more recently J. P. Brinckerhoff's.
8. Lambert Suydam, afterwards Daniel Lott.
9. Jeronimus Remsen, then Barent Lefferts, then Rem Lefferts.
10. The old Bedford village school-afterwards Public School No. 3.
11. Old house pulled down in 1841.
12. Michael Vandervoort, afterwards Jacobus De Bevoisc.
13. Bedford village burial-ground-the Lefferts' family burying-ground in the rear.
14. Old Remsen (?) family burying-ground.
15. Two aeres bought by Brooklyn and Jamaica Turnpike Co., for a gravel bank.
16. Negro burying-ground.
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Page 267
267
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
sword, to lead a detachment of the troops around the Pass, through a bridle-path, known as the " Rockaway Path,"1 which traversed the present Evergreen Cemetery. Much to the surprise of the British generals, the pass which they had so carefully flanked was found to be entirely unguarded, and the fact was immediately com- municated to the main body, then halted on the (East New York) plains. Clinton promptly pushed forward a battalion of light infan- try to secure the pass, and at daybreak he followed with his own com- mand along the Jamaica road, and so completely possessed himself of the heights, as virtually to decide the fortunes of the day. He was followed by Lord Percy with the main body, consisting of the Guards, the 2d, 3d, and 5th Brigades, with ten field-pieces, who halted in his rear at an hour before daylight. They in turn were followed by the 49th Regiment, with four medium 12-pounders and the baggage, under its own escort. Being now in position on the Bushwick hills, where they breakfasted, the troops resumed their march along the Jamaica turnpike to Bedford, which they reached about half-past eight o'clock, while the Americans were as yet unaware that they had left Flatlands.3 Pressing forward now with renewed energy, the head of the column, by nine o'clock, had reached and occupied the junction of the Flatbush road and the Jamaica turnpike. The British line now extended from that point to Bedford, and at the distance of half a mile from the rear of the Americans, who were contesting the possession of the Flatbush hills with De Heister --- all unconscious that the trap had sprung upon them, and that they were hemmed in on all sides. But so it was. Sullivan, indeed, seems to have been so completely duped by the feint which Grant was making
1 The course of this " Rockaway footpath," which formed one of the boundaries of the original Indian purchase of Bedford (ante, 159), is accurately traced upon the Bat- tle Map which illustrates this chapter.
2 The Hessian account says that " he learned in a distance of one mile and a half from it, by a reconnoitring party, as others say by a captured American picket,"-most probably the latter.
3 We have it, on excellent authority, that when the British column reached " Bed- ford Corners," the profound silence and secrecy which had previously characterized their movements, gave way to a feeling of exultant joy. They felt assured that the great object of their long and wary night-march was fully accomplished ; their bands struck up lively strains of martial music, and, with elastic step, the troops pressed eagerly forward towards Brooklyn.
268
HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.
on his right in the direction of Gowanus, that he quite neglected to send out any fresh patrols towards Jamaica, although he had foretold that the real danger would come from that quarter. 1
Fatal mistake! The battle was lost before it had been begun.
All these movements had not been unobserved by Washington, who, although receiving hourly reports from Putnam's camp, could not rest satisfied without a personal inspection of the state of affairs. All the previous day (26th) he had spent on Long Island, visiting the redoubts and guard-posts, reconnoitring the enemy, and thor- oughly acquainting himself with the relative position of the two armies. The movements which he had observed towards evening, on the centre and right of the British force, were ominous of an im- mediate conflict. He, too, shared the general apprehension that the city of New York would be attacked by the enemy's fleet ; and the Southern brigades of the troops on Long Island, although the choicest, best equipped and officered in the army, had as yet never engaged in battle. What wonder, then, that his mind, as he returned to New York that evening, was filled with anxious thoughts and apprehensions of the morrow? At no period in his previous career had the responsibilities of his position and the welfare of his beloved country weighed so heavily upon him as on the eve of what was to be the first pitched battle of the Revolution, and upon the event of which the destiny of America seemed to be staked. Yet his heart was buoyed up by a firm reliance on Him who doeth all things well-faith was triumphant o'er his fears, and after supping cheerfully with his military staff, he calmly remarked, as he with- drew at an early hour to his chamber, "The same Providence that rules to-day will rule to-morrow, gentlemen. Good-night."
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