USA > New York > Ulster County > New Paltz > History of New Paltz, New York and its old families (from 1678 to 1820) : including the Huguenot pioneers and others who settled in New Paltz previous to the revolution, 2nd ed > Part 20
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HOUSE OF CAPT. LOUIS J. DU BOIS
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It has been re-sided, but the great beams are as of old. It has always been in the possession of the DuBois family. Louis J. was commissioned as captain of the Ist New Paltz company of the 3rd Ulster County Regiment, October 25, 1775. He has a great number of descendants in this vicinity. Louis J.'s children were as follows: Wessel, Jonas, Charles, Louis, Jonathan, Elizabeth and Anna.
Wessel, the eldest son, lived on the present C. L. Van Orden place. His son Jonathan lived on the other side of the moun- tain. Wessel also had a son Nathaniel, born in 1772 and a son Lewis W., born in 1783, father of Albert of High Falls; also a daughter, Catharine, who married Abraham Traphagen.
Jonas lived where Louis L. DuBois now resides. He had ten children, of whom ex-supervisor George of this town, was the last survivor. The other children were L. Nathaniel of Walden, Louis I., LeFevre, James, Wessel, Deyo, David, Eliza, wife of Anthony Crispell, and Maria, wife of Jacob Ostrander.
Charles carried on the milling business at Libertyville and was a prominent and highly respected man. His children were Stephen G., Catharine, wife of Thomas Freer, Rebecca, wife of Abiel Hand, Henry, Louis, Derick W., Jacob and Zacharias. The two last named settled in Michigan.
Jonathan lived in Springtown. He was elected county judge in 1821. Jonathan's children scattered. Two sons, John and Brodhead, settled in Michigan. Another son, George, became a minister and was located at Tarrytown. Three daughters became the wives of Benjamin Van Wagenen, Derick W. El- ting and Alexander Hasbrouck.
Louis located near the Libertyville ford. His children were John L., Coe, Katy Ann and Rachel.
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Elizabeth married Rev. Stephen Goetchius, who was pastor of the church at New Paltz from 1775 to 1796. They left a family of children.
Anna became the second wife of Jacob J. Hasbrouck. They left a large family of children.
Altogether the grandchildren of Louis, who grew up, num- bered about fifty.
About 1870 the descendants of Louis DuBois held a picnic in the grove on the bank of the Wallkill, on the farm now owned by Louis L. DuBois, and the attendance was very large.
. NATHANIEL, SON OF LOUIS, JR.
Nathaniel DuBois, son of Louis, Jr., located at Blooming Grove, now Salisbury Mills, in Orange county. Nathaniel's first wife was Gertrude Bruyn, whom he married in 1726. After her death he married Gertrude Hoffman. Nathaniel's children were Rachel, born in 1727, who married Andries Le- Fevre of Kettleborough; Lewis born in 1728 (afterwards Col. Lewis), Zachariah and Hester (twins) born in 1734; Hester, afterwards the wife of Col. Jesse Woodhull; Jonas and Ren- altje."
Nathaniel's son Lewis settled in Marlborough and his house, which is still standing, was the first house on the river front. He served in the army during a great portion of the Revolu- tionary war, including the invasion of Canada, where he was promoted from captain to major and he afterwards became colonel of the 5th Continental Regiment, receiving his com- mission November 17, 1776. His tombstone is still pointed
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out in the graveyard of the old Presbyterian church at Marble- borough. He died in 1812.
Nathaniel's son Zachariah also rendered service in the Revo- lutionary war as a major and was taken prisoner when the British captured Fort Montgomery.
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HOUSE OF COL. LEWIS DU BOIS AT MARLBOROUGH
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CHAPTER XXIX
MILITARY SERVICE OF COL. LEWIS DUBOIS
The following account of the service and military career of Col. Lewis DuBois during the Revolutionary war was written by Mr. Robert E. Deyo, of New York:
During the summer of 1775 there was great excitement in the Province of New York over the proposed expedition for conquering Canada. The troops from New York were com- manded by General Montgomery. One of the regiments was the Third of the New York line, whose colonel was James Clinton, a brother of Gov. George Clinton. Of one of the companies of this regiment Lewis DuBois was captain. His commission was issued June 28, 1775. On August 21 the muster roll of his company was returned and filed. The term of enlistment was for six months. This company was known as the Dutchess Company, and its officers were : Captain, Lewis Dubos ; first lieut., Elias Van Benschoten; second lieut., An- drew T. Lawrence ; vice, Cornelius Adriance, resigned.
Mr. Ruttenber says : "These regiments were more especially recruited for the invasion of Canada, a popular craze at that time which did much to fritter away the resources of the colo- nists and yielded no other return than the development of capacities for leadership and experience in the service. It was a severe school, but men marched to it with a shout. They were well armed and uniformed. The Third or Ulster Regiment had gray coats with green cuffs and facings. Their breeches and waistcoats were of Russia drilling, the former were short (to the knee) and the latter long (to the hips).
ยท
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Their stockings were long (to the knee) of coarse woolen homespun, low shoes, linen cravats and low-crowned, broad- brimmed felt hats.
"The New York regiments were brigaded under General Montgomery and were with him in all his movements. At Point aux Trembles, on the Ist of December, the entire force under his command had dwindled down to about 900 effective men. In fruitless attempts to force an entrance into Quebec, three weeks were wasted and then an assault made. Mont- gomery, at the head of his New York men, descended from the Plains of Abraham in the neighborhood of St. John's and St. Louis gates and Cape Diamond bastion. At the narrowest point under Cape Diamond the British had planted a three- gun battery. On the river side was a precipice, and on the left rough crags of dark slate towered above them. The guard at the battery in front stood ready with lighted matches. Montgomery halted a moment to reconnoitre and then into the jaws of death charged the 900 over heaps of ice and snow. When within forty paces of the battery, its fire was opened on the advancing column and a storm of grape shot swept the narrow pass and continued for ten minutes. Montgomery and both his aids and several privates were killed-the un- wounded living fell back."
After this repulse our little army lay before Quebec all of the winter of 1775-6. Of what occurred we know but little. While in the field Lewis DuBois was raised from captain to major. General Benedict Arnold wrote to the President of Congress a long letter dated from "Camp before Quebec, I February, 1776." In this among other things he states the reason why a certain Major Brown should not be promoted and ends up by saying: " This transaction, Colonel Campbell, Major Dubois and several gentlemen were knowing to."
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This extract is only important as showing that on February I, 1776, he was already a major. On March 8, 1776, he was made a major in Col. John Nicholson's regiment raised in Canada out of the four New York regiments which originally went there, the term of their enlistment, being for only six months, having expired.
General George Clinton writes in 1776:
"Major Dubois is highly recommended to Congress as well by the general officers, as the Committee who lately returne 1 from Canada. I wish and believe young Richard Platt may be properly provided for in the (new) regiment. He was with Major Dubois and Capt. Bruyn at Point Lacoy at the engage- ment between our people and a number of Canadians in which the latter was defeated, and behaved well as Major Dubois can testify."
At the same time that Lewis Dubois was in Canada with Montgomery, he was second major in Col. Jonathan Has- brouck's militia regiment. The other officers were: Lieuten- ant-colonel, Johannis Hardenbergh, Jr .; first major, Johannes Jansen, Jr .; second major, Lewis DuBois ; adjutant, Abraham Schoonmaker ; quartermaster, Isaac Belknap. This regiment was organized September 2, 1775. The commissions of the officers were dated 25th of October, 1775.
At the time of the return of the expedition which went to Canada, there were four regiments of the line enlisted for three years or during the war, existing in the State of New York. It was determined to raise a fifth. The preliminary step seems to have led to a clash of authority between the Conti- nental Congress and the Provincial Congress. On the 26th of June, 1776, John Hancock, president of the Continental Con- gress, wrote a letter to the Provincial Convention in which was
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enclosed a notice that Lewis DuBois, major in the Canada ser- vice, was commissioned June 25, 1776, by the Continental Congress, with instruction to raise a regiment for three years or during the war, to be the Fifth Regiment of the New York line, and that the Continental Congress had, on June 26th, appointed the other officers for the regiment as follows :
Lieutenant-colonel, Jacobus S. Bruyn ; major, William Go- forth; captains, David DuBois, Elias Van Benschoten, Thomas DeWitt, Isaac Wool, Philip D. B. Bevier, Richard Platt, Albert Pawling, Cornelius T. Jansen.
First lieutenants, James Gregg, Aaron Austin, Jonathan Piercy, Evans Wherry, Garret Van Wagenen, Henry Vanden- burg, Nathaniel Conklin, Henry Dodge.
Second lieutenant, Ist Company, Dan. Gano ; surgeon, John Coates, and adjutant, Henry DuBois.
Commissions were to be given as soon as the full comple- ment of men had been raised.
In the letter which enclosed this list, President Hancock says :
"You will perceive by the enclosed resolves which I do myself the honor of transmitting in obedience to the commands of Congress, they have appointed not only the field officers in the regiment to be raised in your colony, but likewise a number of subalterns. The reason that induced Congress to take that step, as it is a deviation from rule, should be particularly men- tioned. I am therefore directed to inform you that in conse- quence of their being furnished with a list of officers who had served in Canada, they had been enabled to appoint, and in fact have only appointed, such as were recommended and appointed by the Provincial Congress of your Colony, and have served faithfully in the last summer campaign and through the winter. It is apprehended therefore that the Congress have only pre-
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vented (forestalled) you in their appointments and that the same gentlemen would have met with your approbation for their services to their country; added to this the last intelli- gence from Canada showing our affairs to be in the most imminent danger rendered the utmost dispatch necessary, that not a moment's time might be lost.
"The other officers of the battalion I am to request you will be pleased to appoint and exert every nerve to equip the bat- talion as soon as possible. As an additional encouragement the Congress have resolved that a bounty of ten dollars be given every soldier who shall enlist for three years."
Of the officers named, Richard Platt, Aaron Austin, Jonathan Piercy, Garret Van Wagenen and Dan Gano, resigned because they considered themselves slighted by the positions assigned them. In addition, the Provincial Convention considered that the Continental Congress was unwarrantably interfering.
In the proceedings of the Provincial Convention, November 21, 1776, the committee appointed to carry into execution the resolves of Congress relative to the new arrangement of officers, reported through Robert Yates, chairman, that they had com- pleted an arrangement of officers for the four battalions or- dered to be raised in this State, and further that in forming their report so far as the officers of Col DuBois' regiment are concerned in it, your committee considered that they were en- titled to no other rank than what they held prior to their ap- pointment in that regiment, which was done without the recom- mendation or intervention of the Convention of this State, contrary to the uniform practice in all similar cases and in prejudice of other officers of higher rank and equal merit. That your committee were constrained by those principles to omit Col. DuBois' name in the present arrangement. That Col. Du- Bois has been well recommended to this committee as an ex-
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ceeding good officer capable of commanding a regiment with credit to himself and advantageous to his country.
That from the quota of this State being assessed as low as four battalions, many good officers will be unprovided for. That sundry applications have been made to your committee for commissions by young gentlemen of fortune and family, whose services your committee are under the disagreeable necessity of declining to accept.
That your committee are clearly of opinion that another bat- talion might be raised in this State, and they therefore earn- estly recommend it to the convention to use their influence with the General Congress to obtain their permission and order for that purpose, and that Col. Dubois command the said battalion so to be raised and to have the rank of fourth colonel of New York forces.
Thereupon it was, among other things,
"Ordered, that a letter be written to the Hon. the Continental Congress requesting their approbation of the resolutions for raising a fifth battalion in this state to be commanded by Col. Louis Dubois, and another letter to General Washington re- . questing his countenance to that measure."
These efforts were successful.
The Fifth Regiment was finally organized with the follow- ing officers :
Louis Dubois, colonel; Jacobus Bruyn, lieutenant-colonel ; Samuel Logan, major ; Henry Dubois, adjutant; Nehimiah Carpenter, quartermaster ; Samuel Townsend, paymaster ; John Gano, chaplain ; Samuel Cook, surgeon ; Ebenezer Hutchinson, surgeon's mate.
Captains, Jacobus Rosecrans, Jas. Stewart, Amos Hutchins,
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Philip D. Bevier, Thomas Lee, Henry Goodwin, John F. Hamtrack, John Johnston.
First lieutenants, Henry Dodge, John Burnett, Patten Jack- son, Thos. Brinkley, Henry Pawling, Samuel Pendleton, Francis Hanmer, Henry Vandenburgh.
Second lieutenants, Samuel Dodge, Alex. McArthur, John Furman, Samuel English, Daniel Birdsall, Ebenezer Mott, James Betts.
Ensigns, Henry Swartout, John McClaughry, Edward Weaver, Jacobus Sleight, Thomas Beynx, Abraham Lent, Henry J. Vandenburgh.
The commission of Col. Dubois was dated November 17, 1776. While the Fifth Regiment was forming he was too zealous to remain inactive. The British were then in posses- sion of New York. The Patriot army was in the vicinity of White Plains. On the 28th of January, 1777, William Duer, in a letter to General Washington, dated from camp in West- chester county, says :
66 Col. Dubois who has come down with the York militia as a volunteer and who has repeatedly offered his ser- vice to destroy King's bridge, will, I fear, return to-morrow, despairing to see anything effectual done."
Early in 1777 the Fifth Regiment was ordered to garrison duty at Fort Montgomery. On April 30th of that year a court martial, of which Col. Lewis Dubois was president, was there convened by order of Brig .- Gen. Geo. Clinton, for the trial of all such persons as should come before them charged with levying war against the State of New York within the same, adhering to the King of Great Britain and owing alle- giance or deriving protection from the laws of the said State of New York. This court recommended that eleven men who
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were tried before them should be hanged. Others were ac- quitted or designated for milder punishment.
We shall not recapitulate the incidents which led up to the assault on Fort Montgomery by the British, nor to the details of that fight. These are accessible in any good history. With regard to Col. Lewis Dubois' share in this fight, Mr. Rutten- ber says:
"His services in the army were held in high esteem by his contemporaries ; Col. Dubois' (Fifth) regiment was especially the regiment of this (Newburgh) district both in its member- ship and in its services. It was stationed in the Highlands in the spring of 1777 and was there when Forts Clinton and Montgomery were taken by the English forces in October of that year. Through a mistaken conclusion arising from the fact that they were clothed in hunting shirts such as farmers' servants in England wear, its dead in that action were ranked as militia by the British. The facts are that the brunt of the desperate and heroic resistance which was made fell on Col. Lewis Dubois' regiment, shared by Lamb's artillery. The re- turns of Col. Dubois' Fifth as they stand on its roll book, are: taken prisoners, Lieut. Col. Jacobus Bruyn, Major Samuel Logan, Quartermaster Nehemiah Carpenter, Captain Henry Goodwin, Lieutenants Alex. McArthur, Patten Jackson, Henry Pawling, Solomon Pendleton. Second Lieuts. Samuel Dodge. John Furman, Ebenezer Mott. Ensigns Henry Swartout, John McClaughry, Abm. Leggett. Sergeant Henry Schoonmaker. "Missing in action" is written against the name of ninety-six of the privates or not less than one-third of the whole strength of the regiment at that time. These men did not run-they were overwhelmed. While all of them were not killed, many were, and their bodies pierced by the bayonet for no gun was fired by the assaulting column-found resting place in the
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waters of "bloody pond," where in the succeeding spring, with an arm, a leg or a part of the body above the surface they presented the scene which Dwight describes as 'mon- strous.' "
In this engagement Col. Dubois received a bayonet wound in the neck, as appears by a letter from Gen. Putnam to Gen. Gates, hereafter quoted from. This shows the desperate char- acter of the fighting.
The course of those who escaped appears quite clearly from an account of it by Rev. John Gano, chaplain of the regiment, who wrote:
"The dusk of the evening, together with the smoke and rushing in of the enemy, made it impossible for us to dis- tinguish friend or foe. This confusion gave us an opportunity of escaping through the enemy over the breastwork. Many escaped to the water and got on board a scow and pushed off. Before she had got twice her length we grappled one of our row-galleys into which we all got and crossed the river. We arrived safe at New Windsor, where, in a few days after we were joined by some more of our army who had escaped from the forts."
Gen. Clinton, writing to Gen. Washington, says:
"Many officers and men and myself having the advantage of the enemy by being well acquainted with the ground, were so fortunate as to effect our escape under cover of the night after the enemy were possessed of all the works."
It is not true, as often asserted, that Col. Lewis Dubois was taken prisoner at Fort Montgomery. Maj. Zachary Du- bois, of Col. Jesse Woodhull's regiment of Orange county militia, a brother of Col. Lewis Dubois, was taken a prisoner
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and removed to New York. Some glimpse of what happened to the Major after his capture is had from the following documents.
MEMORANDUM OF ZACHARIAH DUBOIS OF CAPTURE AND
IMPRISONMENT
Monday the 6th Oct. 1777, thien I was taken prisoner at Fort Montgomery and kept there till the eighth day, then I was taken aboard the Archer ship, a transport, there kept till the tenth, then taken to the old City Hall, there kept till the twelfth, then taken to the Provost, there kept till the Ist day of November, then got on parole on Long Island, Bedford, till the -- , then moved to New Utritch, and there staid till the twenty-eighth, then they sent us on board the transport ship Judith, and there kept till the Ioth day of December, then to our old quarters at New Utritch, etc.
PAROLE
I, Zachariah Dubois, of Goshen, in the Province of New York, having leave from General Sir Henry Clinton, to go out of this city in order to effect the exchange of myself for Maj. Thomas Moncrief, do hereby pledge my faith and word of honor, that I will not do or say anything contrary to the in- terest of his Majesty or his Government, and that if the ex- change of the above person for myself cannot be effected within twenty days, I will return back to my captivity in this city.
Given under my hand in New York, this fourth day of August, 1776.
Witness: Thos. Clark.
Zachariah Dubois.
A true copy, John Winslow,
D. Com. Prs.
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DISCHARGE AND PAROLE
This is to certify that Zachariah Dubois, Major in Colonel Woodhull's regiment of militia in the state of New York, and made prisoner by the enemy at the reduction of Fort Mont- gomery, was this day regularly discharged for Maj. Moncrief, in the service of the King of Great Britain.
Elizabethtown, Aug. 6, 1778.
Jno. Beatty, Com. Gen. Pris'rs.
After the first shock of defeat the disaster was found not to be serious as at first supposed. General Putnam, writing to General Washington under date of Fishkill, 8 October, 1777, says :
"I have the pleasure to inform you that many more of our troops made their escape than what I was at first informed of. Colonel Dubois who is one of the number, this day collected near 200 of his regiment that got off after the enemy were in the Fort."
General Putnam, writing to General Gates from Fishkill, eleven o'clock a. m., 9 October, 1777, says :
"Colonel Dubois, who had a wound with a bayonet in his neck, has mustered near 200 of his men, who were with him in the action, many of whom have slight wounds with bayonets and swords but are in high spirits."
From General Putnam, Governor Clinton obtained Col. Webb's brigade and with them crossed the river to New Windsor, Orange county, on October 8th, the second day after the battle. On the same day Governor Clinton wrote to the Legislature from his headquarters at the house of Mrs. Falls, which still stands in Little Britain Square, that "not more than
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eleven officers of Col. Dubois' regiment are missing, 200 of his men including non-commissioned officers, have already joined me at this place; many more of them may be hourly expected as we have heard of their escape."
By alarms and signal guns the militia that had not been in the action were brought together and by the time the British had destroyed the obstructions to the navigation of the river a respectable force was again under the Clintons' command on the west shore. On the eastern side Putnam was pro- tecting the army stores at Fishkill and at points above.
While the British were removing the obstructions to navi- gation and awaiting the return of a reconnoitering party which started up the river on the IIth, General Clinton was col- lecting his little force at New Windsor.
On the roth, one Daniel Taylor was arrested near the camp. He was a bearer of a message from the British General Sir Henry Clinton, to Burgoyne, then sorely pressed by General Gates at Saratoga, although Sir Henry was not aware of Burgoyne's sorry plight.
"The letter from Clinton to Burgoyne," writes General George Clinton, "was enclosed in a small silver ball of an oval form about the size of a fusee bullet, and shut with a screw in the middle. When he was taken and brought before me he swallowed it. I mistrusted this to be the case from informa- tion I received and administered to him a very strong emetic calculated to act either way. This had the desired effect; it brought it from him; but though closely watched he had the art to conceal it a second time.
"I made him believe I had taken one from Capt. Campbell, another messenger who was on the same business; that I learned from him all I wanted to know, and demanded the
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ball on pain of being hung up instantly and cut open to search for it. This brought it forth."
The contents of this letter are as follows :
" Fort Montgomery, Oct. 8, 1777.
"Nous y voici (here we are) and nothing now between us but Gates. I sincerely hope this little success of ours may facilitate your operations. In answer to your letter of the 28th Sept. by C. C. I can only say I cannot presume to order, or even advise for reasons obvious. I heartily wish you success.
Faithfully yours,
"Gen. Burgoyne.
H. Clinton."
Dr. Moses Higby, residing at New Windsor, administered the emetic which afforded such convincing proof of Taylor's employment. Many interesting facts concerning the curious personality of the doctor will be found in Eager's History of Orange County.
On October 14th, a general court martial met for the trial of Taylor by order of General Clinton. The following docu- ment from the "Clinton papers" gives the names of those con- stituting the court and is an official record of the proceedings :
"At a general court martial held at the Heights of New Windsor the 14th of October, 1777, by order of Brigadier General George Clinton, whereof Colonel Lewis Dubois was President :
Major Bradford,
Capt. Galespie,
Maj. Huntington;
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