History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 55

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1336

USA > New York > Orange County > History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 55

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THE CAMP-GROUND AND TEMPLE.

It would be as difficult, perhaps, to fix the period- at which some part of New Windsor was not occu- pied by either militia or regular troops during the Revolution as to specify the times when it was so oc- cupied, or by what particular bodies of men. Aside from the militia companies, it is certain that at least a portion of the regiment of Col. James Clinton in the Canada expedition of 1775 was organized here. In 1776 the battery on Plum Point was mounted ; in 1777. Governor Clinton reorganized at Little Britain the militia and fugitives from the Highland forts; in 1779-80, nine brigades of the Continental army were encamped here, and again in 1780, '81, '82, and '83. There is every reason to suppose that the well-known camp-ground of 1782-83 was also that of the previ- ons encampments. However this may be, there is no doubt in regard to at least a portion of the grounds occupied in the years last named. Dr. Thacher writes, under date of Oct. 30, 1782: " At reveille, on the 26th inst., the left wing of the army, under the command of Gen. Heath, decamped from Verplanck'- Point and marched to the Highlands ; took up our lodging in the woods, without covering, and were ex- posed to a heavy rain during the night and day. Thence we crossed the Hudson to West Point, and marched over the mountain called Butter Hill; passed the night in the open field, and the next day reached the ground, where we are to erect log huts for our winter-quarters, near New Windsor;" and Chaplain Gano writes, "On my return to the army we encamped at New Windsor, and erected some hut- and a place for worship on Lord's day." In the gen- eral order of Washington, April 19, 1783, calling for a detail of men "from the several corps in this can- tonment," the names are given as follows : "Mary- land Detachment, Jersey Regiment, Jersey Battalion, First New York Regiment, Second New York Regi- ment, Hampshire Regiment, Hampshire Battalion, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Massachusetts Regiments." The encampment was marked out by Gen. Ileath. The huts occupied by the soldiers were built in line on the slope of the hill on the farm late of Daniel Moores and Gilbert Tomp- kins. They were of logs, and in size fourteen by six- teen feet, with roofs and doors of split-oak slabs. They were six feet high, made tight with clay and wood, rising a foot or two above the roof. The roof sloped one way, and was steep enough to shed rain. One door and one window opened on the street oppo- site the fireplace. The subordinate officers had huts with two windows in the rear of the rank, and those

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of a higher grade occupied barracks near the Temple, in the vicinity of which was also the hospital and the bakery, and a short distance east was the burial- ground.

The space between the camp and the Temple was partly a swamp, which was crossed by a causeway made of logs. Immediately in front of the camp was the parade-ground. In the graveyard, now over- grown with trees, are still marked the resting-places of the dead. The Temple and other buildings are gone ; the parade-ground has a portion of its flat stone flagging unremoved; part of the causeway remains; and some of the huts can yet be traced.

The Temple, to which so frequent reference has been made, was erected by Gen. Heath's order, for general purposes, although Mr. Gano says it was spe- cially designed as a place "for public worship on Lord's day." It was officially known as " The Pub- lic Building," but was sometimes called "The New Building," to distinguish it from some previous struc- ture. It was made of hewn logs, and was eighty feet long by forty wide, with barrack roof. The tradition is that it was dedicated by a carousal of so gross a nature that the title by which it was to be known, " The Temple of Virtue," was changed to "The Tem- ple," but this may well be questioned, and the origin of the name assigned to its connection with the Ma- sonic fraternity. All public meetings of the officers were held in it, and it was also used by the Masonic fraternity, of which order American Union Lodge accompanied the army .* It was in this lodge that Lafayette was made a Mason. When the cessation of hostilities was announced a celebration was held here, of which Thacher writes: "On the completion of eight years from the memorable battle of Lexing- ton, the proclamation of Congress for a cessation of hostilities was published at the door of the public building, followed by three huzzas; after which a prayer was offered to the Almighty Ruler of the world by the Rev. Mr. Gano, and an anthem was performed by voices and instruments." The celebra- tion was on a grand scale, and embraced similar cere- monies at West Point and at Fishkill. It was indeed a day of general rejoicing, and does not appear to have closed even at night, when a feu-de-joie rang along the lines, three times repeated, accompanied by the discharge of cannon, "and the mountain-sides re- sounded and echoed like tremendous peals of thun- der, and the flashing from thousands of firearms in the darkness of the evening was like unto vivid flash- ings of lightning from the clouds,"-for, on the morn- ing of the day on which it occurred, Washington, in his general order, called for a detail of men from " this cantonment" to "square and deliver at the New Building on Monday next, ninety-six pieces of timber seven inches square, of an aggregate length of three hundred and thirty feet," and requested "each com-

manding officer of a brigade to appoint an officer to assist Col. Gouvion in making preparations for the illumination," the officers so appointed to meet "at the New Building at twelve o'clock to-morrow" (20th ). When this supplemental celebration was held does not appear, but it was at the Temple, and possibly on the 20th of April. It is one of the many cases in which Revolutionary events stop short at the state- ment of mere facts and leave description to be com- pleted by conjecture.

In the Temple was also held the meeting called by Washington to consider the Newburgh Letters. With the details of this meeting the readers of this volume have already been made acquainted. In the order of time the meeting preceded the celebration, it having been held on the 15th of March. It was one of the most important assemblages ever held in the army ; it was called to determine the question whether the army would rise superior to the grievances under which it had long suffered, or whether it would pre- cipitate a separation between the military and civil powers to "the ruin of both ;" it won, in its results, the plaudit, " Had this day been wanting the world had never seen the last stage of perfection that human nature is capable of attaining."

There was still another meeting at the Temple which was not without marked influence in the future of the nation,-the meeting for the organization of "The Society of the Cincinnati," the avowed object of which was to perpetuate among the officers of the army the memory of the relations of respect and friendship which had grown up among them during the trying and momentous scenes through which they had passed, "to endure as long as they shall endure, or any of their oldest male posterity, and at the failure thereof, the collateral branches who they may judge worthy of becoming its supporters and members." The incipient steps to the organization of this society are shown by Maj .- Gen. Heath's orders of May 3, 1783, in which he requested the officers of the Massa- chusetts line to meet "at the New Public Building" and elect one of their number " to meet the general i officers, and such delegates as may be chosen by the other lines, on Tuesday next, at the above-mentioned place, for the purpose of considering the expediency of the officers of the army forming themselves into a military society." The meeting of delegates was held on the 10th, and a plan for organization submitted and referred to a committee, who revised and reported the same at a meeting held at Steuben's quarters at Fishkill, on the 13th, when it was adopted and signed by those present, under the indorsement, "Done at the Cantonment on Hudson River, in the year 1783." The controversies which subsequently grew out of this organization need not be considered in this connec- tion. Surviving the hostility of its early opponents, the society now stands as the representative of the heroic age of the republic, a golden chain, through the medium of which the descendants of its mem-

* See Masonic Societies in General History.

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NEW WINDSOR.

bers perpetuate the memory and services of their fathers .*

The encampment here was terminated June 23, 1783, and the troops not on furlough removed to West Point. The following orders by Washington explain the removal more fully :

" HEADQUARTERS, NEWBURGH, June 20, 1783.

" The troops of this cantonment will march on Monday morning, five o'clock. by the left. The senior brigadier in the Massachusetts line will conduct the colunin over Butter Hill to West Point. The baggage, with a proper escort, to go by water. These corps, with the troops already at West Point, will compose the garrisons of that post and dependencies. Major-General Knox will be pleased to expedite, in the best manner he is able, the building of an arsenal and magazines, agreeably to the in- structions he has received from the Secretary of War."

" HEADQUARTERS, NEWBURGH, June 21, 1783.

" When the army marches from this cantonment, a detachment is to remain to do the ordinary duties at Newburgh, etc. They will he relieved every nine days. For this duty four New Hampshire companies will commence to morrow."

" HEADQUARTERS, NEWBURGH, Sunday, June 22, 1783.

" When the troops move off the ground, a surgeon or mate will remain with the sick of each regiment for a day or two until the hints can be made ready to receive them. A sufficient number of orderly men to take tale of the sick must also remain with them."

The following advertisement shows that the removal was effected at the time appointed, although the head- quarters of Washington at Newburgh was continued until August, and the detachment spoken of in his order remained until the disbandment in November :

" The troops of the cantonment near New Windsor having removed to the post of West Point, all farmers and others who have veal, mutton, poultry, and other small meats to dispose of, also vegetables of all kinds, are hereby invited to bring the same to this point, where they will find a ready market, and ample protection in their persons and property " JOHN CAMPBELL, Assist. Q. - M.

"WEST POINT, June 24, 1783."

V .- REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

While New Windsor was the seat of many events of a general character connected with the war of the Revolution, its local history is not marked by those which were especially important. It was from its bosom that the then young and vigorous George Clin- ton, who had made his mark in the Colonial Assem- bły from 1768 to 1775, in opposition to the British ministry, sprang into the leadership of the rebellion in his native State ; and although there were some who refused to follow him, the great majority of his townsmen were his firm supporters. The primary steps in the rebellion-the non-importation resoln- tions of the Continental Congress of 1774-were heartily approved, and in the subsequent organiza- tion of a "Committee of Safety and Observation,"

the action of the precinct was not uncertain. The signatures to the "Pledge of Association" and its mil- itary organizations have been given elsewhere. The records of those organizations show that wherever the flag of rebellion floated-whether amid the snows of Quebec or on the burning plains of Monmouth, at Fort Schuyler, Saratoga, and Yorktown-the precinct was honorably represented by her sous in its defense. A fewincidents, not elsewhere recorded, are given here.

ARREST OF CADWALLADER COLDEN, JR.

It was not necessary, in New Windsor or in any of the towns of the county, that many of the duties de- volving upon the Committee of Safety, such as the appointment of town officers, etc., should be per- formed, the local authorities having followed or led their constituents in the revolutionary movement ; but the reorganization of the militia and the arrest of the persons who were classed as "inimical to the American cause" became its principal field of action. In many cases of arrest the New Windsor committee arted in concert with that of Newburgh. The most important artion of this character, viewed from the point of social standing and local influence, was the arrest of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., at his residence in Coldenham, in the prerinet of Hanover (now Mont- gomery). The story as related by himself states that, in June, 1776, between eleven and twelve o'clock at night, his house was surrounded by a company of armed men, who, on being questioned, stated that they had been sent by order of the joint committee of Newburgh and New Windsor, with instructions to search his house, which they proceeded to do. Stand- ing guard over the premises until the next day, they then conducted him to the house of Mr. Jackson, in New Windsor, where he was confined twenty-four hours, although Mr. Thomas Ellison offered to be- come bail for his appearance. When taken before the committee, he was informed that the charge against him was that of being "inimical to the American cause." He replied that, while he had had convic- tions in regard to the duty of the people, and had ex- pressed them at a time when he thought it possible to ward off the calamities of war, he had subsequently " entirely avoided interfering in any shape in public affairs." Given the choice of trial by the joint com- mittee or by the county committee of U'Ister, he ac- cepted the latter, and was removed to the jail at Kingston. His case was brought before the general committee at New Paltz, July 4th, when, on his re- fusal to sign the pledge of association, and also to give his pledge of honor " that he would immediately equip himself for the field of battle, and in case of actual invasion go .forth with the rest of his neigh- bors to action in defense of his country," he was again committed to jail. The joint committee represented on the trial that they had made the arrest under the conviction "that the committee of the precinet of Hanover were afraid to treat Mr. Colden as he de-

* The following original members of the society were from New Wind- sor : Robert Burnet, lientenant, New York Artillery ; James Clinton, brigadier-general ; George Clinton, honorary member ; Alexander Clin- ton, lieutenant, New York Artillery ; Daniel Denniston, lieutenant, New York Artillery ; George I. Denniston, lieutenant, New York Artillery; James Gregg, captain, Third New York Infantry; Jonathan Lawrence, captain, Sappers and Miners ; Samuel Logan, major, Fifth New York Infantry ; Joseph Morrell, ensign, First New York Infantry ; William Strachan, lieutenant, New York Artillery ; William Sendder, lieutenant, New York Artillery.

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

served ;" that although not in their district, he was more contiguous to them than to the committee of the distriet in which he lived ; that in his original signa- ture to the pledge of association, it was evident he only meant to secure a sanctuary for his person and property ; that the protest which he had written against the appointment of delegates to the first Pro- vincial Congress was " the evil seed sown in the county from which the whole of the fruits of toryism sprung, for, to their knowledge, upwards of sixty persons in the precinet of Newburgh had subscribed it." Other rea- sons were stated, and especially that the pledge of association was not a pledge of neutrality, "but a firm bond of union for mutual defense, which re- quired activity." This bond he had plainly violated. Colden remained in jail for over one year, when he was permitted to reside, on parole, at the house of .Ja- cobus Hardenburgh, in Hurley.

THE FALL OF THE HIGHILAND FORTS.

When the general alarm occurred on the occasion of the loss of the forts in the Highlands ( Oct. 7, 1777), the people of the village of New Windsor fled into the country for safety, leaving behind them in their haste their dwellings for occupation either by friends or foes, and, as the result proved in many cases, it made little difference which was the fortunate tem- porary possessor. William Bedlow writes that his family were unable to remove "several boxes and cases of china, some cases of pictures and looking- glasses, several tables (one with marble slabi, chairs, window-curtains, some ornamental china, with images of Shakespeare and Milton in plaster-of-Paris, and a parcel of table furniture left in the closets," for the recovery of which he offered a reward in vain. Col. Ellison, tradition says, put his money and plate under the ground in his smoke-house, hung up his hams, and lighted a cob-fire under them. The hams were gone on his return, but the money was safe. Governor George Clinton apparently suffered with his neigh- bors, and perhaps to a greater extent. From the place of refuge of his family (Falls house, Little Britain) he writes, under date of Dec. 1, 1777: "1 have a cot at my house ont of which the militia stole the irons. Will you get it repaired for me, as I have no other bed or bedstead ?" It will not be inferred that any of Governor Clinton's townsmen were guilty of these appropriations, but rather that they were by the class known as "skinners," who were found in every camp, and who robbed friend and foe alike.

MORGAN'S RIFLEMEN.

River at New Windsor in their march to the pro- vincial camp near Boston." Tradition adds to this statement of fact, that just before the troops entered the village, a man, meanly dressed but otherwise of gentlemanly appearance, ealled at William Edmon- ston's and said that Col. Morgan was coming. He went on and stopped at William Ellison's, and there said that he was Col. Morgan. The troops soon arrived, and with them Col. Morgan. The deception practiced by the stranger ineensed the colonel, and he handed him over to his troops, who tarred and feathered him with- out even the form of a trial. The boys of New Wind- sor enjoyed the matter heartily, and had no trouble in obtaining from Mrs. Rachel Cooper (who lived in the village and sold cakes and beer) a pillow of feathers for the purpose. Col. Morgan is described as "a man of powerful frame and stalwart courage." A large proportion of his troops were Irishmen. Upon their breasts they wore the motto " Liberty or Death," and with that inscription the swords of the officers were stamped. Wonderful stories of their exploits went to England ; the written record of their services forms one of the brightest pages of American history.

SEIZURE OF SALT.

In a communication from Col. John Hathorn, of the precinct of Goshen, under date of Dec. 2, 1776, he writes, "That your memorialist had a sinall quan- tity of salt in Mr. William Ellison's store, at New Windsor ; and that there was not more than he had engaged to his neighbors, and was obliged to keep for his own use; that a large number of men, whose names your memorialist cannot discover, without any legal authority, have taken out of said store as well the salt of your memorialist (except one bushel ) as of other persons; and that your memorialist is in the greatest want of salt for his own use: that unless a check is put to such unjustifiable proceedings, your memorialist apprehends, from the seemingly disorderly spirit at present prevailing among the common peo- ple, his property, as well as those of others, will be very inseeure."

A TEA RIOT.

Tea caused more trouble apparently than salt. Capt. Jonathan Lawrence was in command of Fort Constitution ; his wife remained in charge of hi- store in New Windsor. The Congress of New York had resolved that no person should charge to exceed six shillings (one dollar) a pound for tea. The local committee complained " that Mrs. Jonathan Lawrence sold tea at eight shillings per pound, and that her hus- herb." The Congress replied (June 14, 1776), stating that "Capt. Lawrence, with all the commissioners at the fort, are discharged from their superintending. We are surprised at his conduet, and make no doubt you will treat him and all others according to their

It cannot be said, however, that the people of New ' band made Fort Constitution a depot for that useless Windsor village were altogether law-abiding. Under date of Aug. 7, 1775, Governor Tryon writes : "Eleven companies of riflemen, consisting of about one hun- dred men each, with ammunition, from the provinces of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, have lately passed through this province, crossing over Hudson's . demerits, after a fair hearing." Lawrence was not

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very severely punished ; at all events, he went through the war as a captain of sappers and miners, and drew half-pay for life for his services.

In July, 1777, James Caldwell and John Maley, of Albany, purchased tea in Philadelphia, and in trans- porting it to Albany had occasion to pass through New Windsor village. Stopping at the tavern of Isaac Schultz for the night, a mob of men and women speedily collected, and, under the plea that the tea was held at a higher price than six shillings, seized the load and soll it to themselves at that price. For the time being the town was supplied with tea. The Council of Safety of the State disapproved of the transaction, and decided that the owners of the tea "could obtain satisfaction for the injury in the ordi- nary court of law," and this was all the remunera- tion, probably, that they ever received.

DOMINIE ANNAN.

The incidents already quoted give an inside view of life in New Windsor village. If it is not very flatter- ing, it is at least refreshing to meet with them, as they serve to break up the current of Revolutionary litera- ture, which usually flows in the channel of patriotic devotion and heroic deeds. We turn from them, however, to our favorite district, Little Britain, where we find the following in reference to the Rev. Robert Annan, of the Little Britain Church : " In the fall of 1777 the people of Rhode Island, by reason of the great scarcity of supplies and provisions, applied to our State for aid. The Legislature, however, refused to send public stores, as they were needed at home. Meetings were held in several towns for the purpose of raising supplies by subscription, and among them one in Hanover precinct. It was attended by many prudent people, who seemed to agree with the Legis- lature that the surplus supplies should not be sent out of the State. There was a discussion, conducted with fairness and ability on both sides, but it seemed likely to be interminable. At this juncture, Annan sprang up and cut the matter short by exclaiming, 'As many as are in favor of assisting the people of Rhode Island and the cause of liberty, follow me!' Leaving the hall, he was surprised to find almost the entire assem- blage at his heels."

BOY SOLDIERS.

were in charge of a company of Morgan's riflemen, who, in quest of rest themselves, turned the prisoners over to the custody of the boys, who guarded them during the night. During the night one of the Iles- sian women died, and was buried in the morning west of Maj. Telford's house. It was a long-remembered funeral by the boys. The woman's companion could only bury her and move on. It was a phase of war that to them was new, and for years the lone grave by the apple-tree received, perhaps, as much regard as though its inmate had been to them kindred.

VI .- CHURCHES, Etc.

The religious history of New Windsor has repre- sentation in church organizations both without and within its borders, viz. : The Church of England Mis- sion, the Highlands or Bethlehem Church, the Wall- kill or Goodwill Church, the Neelytown Church, the Associate Reformed Church at Little Britain, the Presbyterian Church at New Windsor, the Berea Church, St. George's Episcopal Church at Newburgh, St. David's Church in Hamptonburgh, St. Thomas' Church at New Windsor, and the Methodist Episco- pal Churches at Vail's Gate and Little Britain. All the old churches in this list having been noticed iu another part of this volume, we give here a history of the New Windsor Churches only as they now exist.

ST. THOMAS' CHURCHI.

In the early part of his parish labors the Rev. John Brown, D.D., of Newburgh, resided in New Windsor, and revived the church there (1818) under the title of St. Thomas' Church, of which he served as rector until 1847, dividing his time between that and St. George's. The parish was organized April 8, 1818, at which time the following wardens and vestry were elected, viz. : Wardens, Thomas Ellison, Charles Lud- low ; Vestry, David Humphrey, Lewis Du Bois, James Green, Gilbert Ogden Fowler, Joseph Morrell, Jona- than Bailey, Nathan II. Sayre, Jr., James Scott. In January, 1844, a small buikling in which the congre- gation had worshiped was burned down, and in 1847 the erection of the present church edifice was com- meneed, and completed in 1849. A rectory was erected in 1859, and sold in 1864. It is now owned and occupied by Mr. Robert H. Boyd.

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History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 55

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1336

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1336