Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 27

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1354

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Guisbert, or Gilbert, who married Cornelia Beekman, had Mills near Rock City, in the town of Milan, and they were still in existence and known by his name until recent date, if not still in use. His eldest son, Robert Gil- bert Livingston, married Catherine, daughter of a wealthy man, John Mac Pheadris, who was the first to introduce the mining and smelting of iron in Dover Valley in Duchess county. The brother of this John, known as Capt. Mac Pheadris, afterward resided in Ports- mouth, N. H., and built-1718 to 1723-a 10

famous mansion, described at length by Brew- ster in his " Rambles about Portsmouth," Ist ed., pp. 138-140 inclusive. It cost £6,000, equivalent to $30,000 Colonial coinage, pos- sessing at that time a purchasing power equal to $150,000 to-day.

Helen, eldest daughter of Robert Gilbert Livingston and Catherine MacPheadris, mar- ried Samuel Hake, a commissary general in the British army, whose only daughter, again Helen, married Frederic de Peyster, grand- father of the subject of this sketch. Catherine, another daughter, married John Reade, of Poughkeepsie, who was the brother of Sarah Reade, daughter of Hon. Joseph Reade, mem- ber of the King's Council, etc. This Sarah married James de Peyster, father of the Fred- eric above mentioned. Samuel, only son of Gen. Hake, having lost all his children, left all his landed property in Duchess county to the sons of his sister, Mrs. de Peyster, whence (through his honored father, Frederic de Pey- ster) it came into possession of' her grand- child, the General. The Century for Decem- ber, 1896, in the article "A Group of Amer- ican Girls," alludes to these ladies. *

Helen Hake had for guardians Nicholas William Stuyvesant and Vice-President Aaron Burr, one of the most malignantly misrepre- sented of mortals. She was married to Fred- eric de Peyster, from the house of her great uncle, Gilbert Robert Livingston, at Upper Red Hook Landing, now Tivoli. This gentle- man had been an officer in the British service, and this fact saved his mansion, known as " Green Hill," on the high ground overlooking the river, between the Upper and Lower Landings of the two freighting establishments which are now embraced within the village of Tivoli. This title was derived from the resi- dence built by an old French gentleman, M. Delabegarre, and by him styled the " Chateau of Tivoli," of which the part of the original walls of the "enciente" were standing until within the year, and the postern gate still re- mains. M. Delabegarre was a visionary, and among his other wild plans he laid out, for a grand city, a large portion of the domain, Rose Hill, now belonging to Gen. de Peyster, as well as the " Chateau " at first given to his second son, Frederic. The plotting and plan of this city, a perfect " Chateau en Espagne, ". was drawn and engraved by the famous Saint

*Perhaps the best succinct or properly digested genealogical statement of Gen. de Peyster's family is to be found in Munsell's " American Ancestry, " Vol. I., Part 3, 1888. Pages >3-86.

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Memin, the artist who took and engraved so many portraits of distinguished people about 1796, the same time that he laid out the pros- pective city of Tivoli, in which not a spade has turned a sod for any improvement, or any structure great or sinall undertaken. On these grounds the first-or at all events one of the first-silk-worm mulberry groves was planted in the United States. By the way, tradition holds that Delabegarre was an Americanism for L'Abbe de Seguard, which, if true, would indicate that he was a waif of the French Revolution who, like so many thousands of others, drifted to the United States.

General de Peyster's residence and asso- ciations with Duchess county have been con- tinuous since 1841. He was an early contrib- utor to the Poughkeepsie Eagle, in the office of which a number of his works were printed that won him high distinction at home and abroad. One, "The Life of Torstenson," re- ceived an honorable acknowledgment from His Majesty, Oscar I., the king of Sweden, accompanied by three exquisite silver portrait medals. Several of his subsequent works were reprinted in Europe, and one of them, the "New American Tactics, " was followed by the inauguration of the " New Method of Fight- ing Infantry;" just as his " Winter Cam- paigns," according to the opinion of Gen. Win. P. Wainwright, was succeeded by activ- ity at a season in which, previously, armies had rested or remained inactive. It is some- what curious that his want of recognition has been due to his having always been ahead of his times. Just as he was the first to report in favor of the mobilized twelve-pounder, or Napoleon gun, which did so much service during the "Slaveholders' Rebellion," just so his indications were remarkable for their fore- sight and his predictions for their fulfillment, as in succession he wrote and published on various military subjects. That these claims are not an afterthought or unfounded is sus- ceptible of immediate and the fullest proof, because his opinions and suggestions were all in print or preserved in manuscript written long previous to the events to which they referred. To the case of General de Peyster most appro- priately apply the lines:

" The man is thought a knave or fool Or bigot plotting crime, Who for the advancement of his age Is wiser than his time."

In 1844 he was a staff officer in an Infantry

Brigade of the Northern Districts of Duchess county, and next year colonel of the 111th Regiment N. Y. S. Infantry, recruited in the towns of Red Hook, Milan and Rhinebeck. Rendered a Supernumerary officer by the Act of 1845, although the youngest colonel in the new 22d Regimental District N. Y. - which comprised the northern towns of Duchess county and those in the southern half of Colum- bia county, including the City of Hudson - he was assigned, as a necessity for the complete organization of the force, to its command over the heads of a number of officers of his rank holding older commissions. Within one year the adjutant-general of the State complimented him with the decision that Col. Willard, of Troy, an old army officer, and himself, were the only two who had completely enforced the law in their districts, of which the population were considered the most difficult to handle and the most unruly at that date in the whole State. In 1851, when the militia law was again changed, and anything but for the better, Col. de Peyster was the first officer selected by Gov. Washington Hunt for promotion as brig- adier-general, and his was the first such appoint- ment to a rank hitherto elective inade by the chief executive, independently, in this State.

Just as he had been assigned in 1849 for "meritorious conduct ", he was made brigadier- general for "important service". On this occasion Gov. Washington Hunt wrote, in the summer of 1850, to Hon. George Cornell, who ran for lieutenant-governor in 1850 on the same ticket with him, but was defeated, that "if he had an army of 30,000 regulars he knew no officer to whom he would entrust their command with such perfect confidence as he would to his friend General de Peyster; but he was not so sure that he was as fit to command militia and what was then styled volunteers." His meaning was that the Gen- eral simply understood the application of "MUST", implying the enforcement of the strictest discipline; whereas militia and volun- teers - which latter did not signify at the time - as afterwards -- troops subjected to the sternest articles of war-had to be coaxed, which is something that the General could not understand.

Sent out to Europe in 1851 as military agent of the State of New York, confirmed and endorsed in the strongest manner by the gen- eral government, the young Brigadier, although a great invalid, made such a thorough exam-

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ination into subjects in which he was expected to take interest, that on his return he handed in a report which has stood the test of time as to its merits, as will be shown. One of the results of his observation and influence was the establishment of a paid fire department with steam fire engines, and the present municipal police of New York City, to which fact letters or certificates and testimonials exist. For his reports Gov. Hunt presented to him a gold medal with a most flattering inscription, and his officers gave him another gold medal, equally complimentary for his efforts in elevat- ing and disciplining his brigade.

When Myron H. Clark was elected Gov- ernor of the State of New York in 1854, he tendered the position of Adjutant-General to General de Peyster in the most flattering terms, irrespective of political opinions; and on various occasions, when the exigencies of the time re- quired, conferred on his Chief of Staff all the powers which the Chief Executive himself pos- sessed, to meet and suppress riot and other breaches of the peace. Although Governor Clark put such implicit confidence in his Adju- tant-General, he was surrounded by men who were laboring solely for their own interests, without regard to the interests of the service, and did all they could to neutralize General de Peyster's labors. By the advice of such gen- tlemen as Ogden Hoffman, Attorney-General, he determined to resign, but the result of his honest labors in office manifested itself, and won for him the most flattering attests from officials most worthy of confidence, and the best military judges. Perhaps the highest compliment to his fidelity and judgment was the privilege of selecting his successor, and he chose Robert H. Pruyn, at one time United States Minister to Japan, as one whose astute- ness in politics fitted him to grapple with the noxious elements which environed the Goy- ernor. General de Peyster had been selected as an educated soldier, and did not profess to understand the underhand workings of politi- cians. He would not submit to men who in- duced the Governor to do many things in his guilelessness which his Adjutant-General could not endorse, and would not enforce, as con- trary to right and propriety. On taking leave of him, the Governor gave him the strongest testimonials of his esteem and confidence, and again and again, at a later date, expressed his regret that he had not listened to the advice and warnings of his Chief of Staff.

In 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, General de Peyster, in spite of the advice of his physicians and medical friends, proceeded to Washington to offer his services as Briga- dier-General with three regiments. He had a long and very extraordinary interview with President Lincoln, and it is greatly to be re- gretted that all who were cognizant of the facts, as well as Senator Harris, who introduced the General to the President, and was present throughout the interview, are dead. President Lincoln had just called out 75,000 volunteers, and said he did not want any more troops, but offered to take into consideration the General's offer of his personal services. The only testi- mony of what followed is the memorandum left by Mr. Halstead, of New Jersey, whose in- timate relations with the White House were well known at the time.

According to that President Lincoln in- tended to take General de Peyster as Chief of his Personal Staff, which he purposed to or- ganize; but he was induced to give up this idea, as it was urged that the influence thus brought immediately to bear upon him might contravene and subvert the plans and interested projects and arrangements of other parties.

Perhaps it is sufficient proof of the confi- dence placed in General de Peyster's military judgment, that Gen. Kearny wanted his cousin (whose eldest son and namesake was a volun- teer and aide-de-camp on his staff), to come on to Washington and draw up a plan for the en- suing campaign. General de Peyster answered that a fixed plan would not be capable of suc- cessful execution; because with the number of traitors and spies at headquarters, it would. be betrayed to the enemy, who would be thus en- abled to meet, anticipate and defeat it.

Curious to say, it was only while this sketch was being written, that it was discov- ered that this was exactly the reply of the famous Suworrow to a similar proposition. He said "that the best conceived plans are exposed to the gravest difficulties or disadvan- tages, because it is impossible to calculate in advance the modifications which the resistance of the enemy or his counter projects, knowing the fixed plan, may bring to bear in opposition; secondly, that plans digested and committed to paper, and thus known to different indi- viduals on whom it was necessary to rely, in- evitably would be betrayed to the enemy, who would at once take measures to meet and de- feat the movements which had been divulged

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by some traitor or spy." [See . Thiebault's Memoirs, " I1., 143 to 177-same idea, " a fixed plan always betrayed."]

After General de Peyster's return from Washington, the hæmorrhages from which he had long suffered became so profuse, that he could scarcely make up each day, by the aid of devoted physicians and remedies and food, for the daily loss of blood. This condition lasted for many years, and has not been entirely over- come.

Notwithstanding the miserable condition of his health, Gen. de Peyster returned to Washington late in the fall of 1861, to offer to the Government two regiments, instead of the three at first proposed, which he could still raise in Duchess and Columbia counties, provided he was appointed to command them, with the rank of brigadier-general. He was well-acquainted with Mr. Thomas Scott- afterward president of the Pennsylvania rail- road-then assistant secretary of war, who re- ceived him very kindly. The General was offered by Senator Harris the command of the First Regiment of cavalry, which bore that gentleman's name, and also a regiment of light infantry by Edwin D. Morgan, the governor of New York, with the rank of colonel; but he told them that he was not in a condition of health to discharge the duties of such a posi- tion, recalling the remark of the famous Gen. Wolfe, "that he was grateful for promotion to the rank of major-general# (equivalent to brig- adier-general), because it enabled him to com- mand those comforts and resources without which, in his feeble state of health, he could not undergo the hardships of active service, and do his duty thoroughly."

As in his previous interview with President Lincoln, he was told that the Government did not want any more troops nor general officers. He afterward learned that at this time, the Gov- ernment, with a want of foresight incomprehen- sible, were actually disbanding regiments which had cost so much to raise, and could not be replaced without far greater expense and irre- parable loss of time when fresh calls were made for troops. He also had an interview with Gen. McClellan, who told him "they had no need of testimonials; that his reputa- tion was sufficient." On returning to the War Department Gen. de Peyster saw the Sec- retary, Simon Cameron, who was very po-

lite, but assured his visitor that his proposi- tion was altogether inadmissable, because the Government had no need of more troops or officers. This decision was confirmed by Mr. Scott.

It is needless to proceed further with such reminiscences; and refusing to make further visits to officials, General de Peyster re- turned home, repeating the remarks of Maj .- Gen. Mansfield, U. S. A., that "if such was the course pursued towards men worthy of attention, Jefferson Davis would some day be warming President Lincoln's chair."

In 1863 Gen. de Peyster was invited by the Historical Society of Vermont to deliver a War speech in the State Capitol of Montpelier, the Capital of that State. He chose for his sub- ject, "The Sonderbund; or, Secession War in Switzerland in 1846," a perfect parallel to the American Slaveholders' Rebellion down to the smallest details, its genesis and termination, with this difference: the Swiss loyal States appreciated the incalculable value of time, and the necessity of determined action, which ours did not. They called out the whole available force of the loyal Cantons or States, and over- whelmed the revolution before the neighboring monarchs, anxious to interfere on behalf of the rebels, had time or opportunity to interpose. The whole affair was over in thirty-two days, about one-third of the term Secretary Seward erroneously declared from time to time that our rebels would be crushed, whereas, hostili- ties lasted over four years. The conclusion of Gen. de Peyster's oration was a perfect pro- phecy, fulfilled to the letter. These are the exact words spoken:

Here we should observe a few facts extremely perti- nent to our own situation. Notwithstanding the extreme defensibleness of the mountains of Switzerland- particu- larly those of the original Forest Cantons, embraced within the limits of the SONDERBUND-as soon as Lucerne (corresponding to the Richmond of the United States Rebels) had yielded, the Rebel leaders, at once, acknowl- edged that the fate of the Swiss secession depended upon the possession of the large fortified towns and upon the maintenance of the masses about them. This should be a consolation to those who fear that a guerilla war in the South can lead to any successful result or defer for more than a short period its entire subjugation. The Sonderbund generals saw at a glance the game was up, after their armies had been dissipated and the principal places taken. So it will be with our Southern secession. It will collapse at once when the armies of Lee, Bragg, Beauregard, Johnson and Magruder are destroyed. [ Page 68 of " Secession in Switzerland and in the United States Compared ;" being the Annual Address delivered 20th October, 1863, before the Vermont State Historical Society in the Hall of Representatives, Montpelier, by J. Watts de Peyster. Catskill : Joseph Joesbury, Printer, Journal office, 1864.]

* . Thebault's Memoirs,' II . 432. Major-General under Na- p lein, equivalent to General of Brigade

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Nevertheless, General de Peyster was not inactive, and his support of the Government was so influential that his efforts were ac- knowledged in the most striking inanner by the Legislature of his native State, in 1866. Since he could not be brevetted by any existing law, by "Special Act," or Concurrent Resolution of the New York State Legislature, the brevet of Major-General, after investigation and de- bate, was conferred upon him. In this, Sec- retary Folger (afterward U. S. Secretary of · the Treasury, and so cruelly slaughtered at the polls when running for Governor of the State of New York against Grover Cleveland in 1881), then a stranger to the recipient of the honor, made an address which was conclusive.

There is no instance in the history of this country of such an honor having been con- ferred upon any citizen by the Legislature of any State. Only one case resembles it in de- gree; and that was far less complimentary in the manner, and a general's commission con- ferred under a totally different condition of circumstances.

The General's gifts and benefactions to public institutions, or to found public institu- tions, have been a characteristic and notable feature of his life. He has given a number of special libraries to educational institutions or library associations-special libraries exhaust- ive of the subjects which they present, and which were gathered together by him in furtherance of the laborious investigation which has always preceded his published works on the various themes which he has elaborated. Fol- lowing his published studies of the characters of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Earl of Both- well (which studies included a drama inspired by this theme which elicited the highest enco- miums, in addition to the five well-known his- torical analyses of character and of the times), he gave the library which he had collected on this subject to Columbia College. Some of his other gifts to this university have already been mentioned. To the New York Historical Society, in addition to the invaluable "de Peyster family papers," he gave special libra- ries collected during his studies upon many in- teresting and little-known phases of Dutch his- tory (of which a partial catalogue, Part I, January, 1868, constitutes a pamphlet of 24 pages), together with a library on Napoleon and the campaign culminating at Waterloo. Of this society his father was long the honored President, as he was also its generous bene-

factor. The special libraries donated to the New York Society Library# and to Franklin and Marshall College have been referred to. Thou- sands of volumes have also been distributed miscellaneously in various directions, including many valuable books given to the Cazenovia Lyceum and to the Order of the Brothers of Nazareth of Unionvale, Duchess county, which books were destroyed in the conflagra- tion which consumed the original institution, and valuable volumes donated to the College of St. Stephens, also of Duchess county.

General de Peyster has given a number of works of art, of superior excellence and repre- senting the expenditure of large sums of money, to New York City, the City of Hudson, and various public institutions. Several of these are statues of heroic size in commemoration of historic members of his own family. The most striking object which salutes the eye of the visitor to the famous Trinity Churchyard, on lower Broadway, New York City, is the bronze statue, heroic size, of the General's eminent grandfather, Hon. John Watts, Jr. This notable statue has been characterized as one of the most artistic of the monuments which adorn the various parks, squares, and public places in New York. It is the work of George E. Bissell, the well-known sculptor of Pough- keepsie, Duchess county, N. Y. The "Year Book and Register of the Parish of Trinity Church in the City of New York," for 1893, contains the following, as introduction to an

*NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

At a Stated Meeting of the Society, held on Tuesday evening May 3. 1892, the President submitted and read a letter from Gen. J. Watts de Peyster, presenting to the Society a collection of Family Papers.

The following Resolutions presented by Mr. Edward F. de Lancey were unanimously adopted :

R+solred : That the thanks of the New York Historical Society be and hereby are given to Gen. JOHN WATTS DE PEYSTER for the unique and most valuable gitt of the ancient historical manu- scripts, documents, maps and deeds, so long in the possession of this distinguished New York family, of which he is a well-known representative : a gift which illustrates in the clearest and strongest manner New York as a Dutch Colony, an English Province, an Inde- pendent Sovereignty, and the greatest member of the Republic of the United States of North America.

Resolred : That this collection be added to that formerly given to this Society by the donor's honored father [Frederic de Peyster], one of its Presidents, and that in honor both of the father and the son, the joint collection be denominated " The de Peyster Papers." Extract from the Minutes. [Signed] ANDREW WARNER, Recording Secretary.

Came early, hoping to see you and to thank you in person for your most generous and acceptable gift. It was highly appreciated by the Society. [Card] JOHN A. KING, [4th May, 1-92.] [ President N. Y. H. S.]

My dear General : 4th May. 1892. I had hoped to see you this morning, but you were an earlier bird than myself, and were already on the wing. I wanted to tell you how gratified the Society was with your generons and noble gift, and of your still continning remembrance and friendship. De Lancey wrote the Resolutions at my request, and the Society welcomed the gift with universal applause. Again thanking, and hoping we may always remain fresh in your memory, I am, Very truly yours,

[Signed, ] JOHN A. KING, [ President N. Y. H. S.]

Gen. J. Watts de Peyster,

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account of the family and public career of John Watts. *

Another munificent gift to the city of New York is the bronze statue, also heroic size, of Gen. de Peyster's famous ancestor, Col. Abra- ham de Peyster, who was one of the most eminent and public-spirited citizens during the Colonial period of the history of the city and State of New York. This gentleman was a friend of William Penn, the most intimate friend and adviser of the Earl of Bellemont, perhaps the best of the Colonial governors, was mayor of New York City from 1691 to 1695; colonel, commanding the city troops in 1700; Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court the same year; president of the Council and acting Governor of the Province of New York in 1701, and was Treasurer of the Provinces of New York and New Jersey from 1706 to 1721, holding this trust until his death. The beau- tiful statue of this notable benefactor of early New York is likewise the work of Mr. Bissell, and comprises the chief decoration of the famous square on lower Broadway, " Bowling Green." Opposite this square Gen. de Peyster was himself born, in the handsome old resi- dence, No. 3 Broadway, of his grandfather Watts.

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 27

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1354

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1354