History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 8

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703

USA > New York > Queens County > History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals. > Part 8

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On the 29th of June the fleet from Halifax entered the lower bay of New York. It was at first the intention of General Howe to land at once on Long Island at Grave- send Bay; but he was deterred from doing so by intelli- gence that was communicated to him, from spies, of the character of the defenses. On the ninth of July the Brit- ish troops were landed on Staten Island, where they re- mained during a month and a half, receiving reinforce-

ments almost daily. The naval forces were under the command of Admiral Sir Richard Howe; and his brother, General William Howe, was in command of the land for- ces. Both were brave, skillful, and experienced officers, and the plan and conduct of the battle which followed fully sustained their good reputation.

Space will not permit a detailed account of the defensive works which had been constructed on the heights of Brook- lyn and in its vicinity. In the construction of these works and in the disposition of the forces that were to man thern the American officers found it necessary to provide a- gainst different possible plans of attack, and in doing so the effective American force of 20,000 men (the nominal force was 27,000) was extended from Kings Bridge, on Manhattan Island, and from the Wallabout Bay to Gow- anus Meadow, a line many miles in length. It is proper to say that the plan of these fortifications has since been made the subject of criticism.

The transfer of the British from Staten Island to Long Island is thus described by Field:

"The morning of the 22nd of August dawned, with tropical brilliancy, on a scene of unequaled interest to the spectators of both armies. Long before the sun had risen the British army had been under arms, and from the vari- ous camps the entire force was marching, with the loud strains of martial music, to the place of embarkation. The men of war had quit their anchorage and were stand- ing up the bay under easy sail, with open ports and guns ready for action. At the landing on Staten Island seventy- five fleet boats, attended by three bateaux and two gal- leys, received four thousand of the Hessian troops on board, and at the firing of a signal gun their thousand oars dipped almost simultaneously into the waters of the bay. Another corps, of five thousand men, was embarked upon the transports which now took up their position under the guns of the men of war, attended by ten bat- eaux to aid in their landing. In another instant the sur- face of the bay between the two islands was covered with the flotilla rowing swiftly towards the Long Island shore. In advance sailed the galleys and bateaux over the shoal water where the great ships could not float, firing from their bow guns as they approached the land. The scene was not less magnificent than appalling. The greatest naval and military force which had ever left the shores of England was now assembled in the harbor of New York; for the mightiest power upon the globe had put forth its greatest strength to crush its rebellious colonies. Thirty-seven men of war guarded a transport fleet of four hundred vessels, freighted with enormous trains of artil- lery and every conceivable munition of war, with troops of artillery and cavalry horses, and provisions for the sustenance of the thirty-five thousand soldiers and sailors who had been borne across the ocean in their hulls. Amid all the stirring scenes which ninety years past have wit- nessed in the great metropolis of the western world, noth- ing which will compare in magnitude and grandeur with that upon which dawned the morning of the 22nd of Aug- ust 1776 has human eye since beheld in America."

By noon 15,000 men and forty pieces of artillery had been landed at Denyse's dock, now Fort Hamilton, which was the landing of a ferry from Staten Island, and at what is now Bath. Hitherto the point of attack had been uncertain, but this landing of the enemy dispelled the uncertainty, and troops were hurried across from New York to reinforce those holding the defenses. The

THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN.

following account of the battle which followed is taken from Thompson's history of Long Island:

" The English, having effected their landing, marched rapidly forward. The two armies were separated by a chain of hills, covered with woods, called the heights, and which, running from west to east, divide the island into two parts. They are only practicable upon three points, one of which is by the road leading from the Narrows to Brooklyn. The road leading to that of the center passes the village of Flatbush, and the third is approached, far to the right, by the route of a road from the village of Flatlands to East New York and Bedford. Upon the summit of the hills is found a road, which follows the length of the range, and leads from Bedford to Jamaica, which is intersected by the road last described; these ways are all interrupted by hills, and by excessively diffi- cult and narrow defiles. The American general, wishing to arrest the enemy upon these heights, had carefully furnished them with troops; so that, if all had done their duty, the English would not have been able to force the passage without extreme difficulty and danger. The posts were so frequent upon the road from Bedford to Jamaica that it was easy to transmit from one of these posts to the other the most prompt intelligence of what passed upon the three routes. Colonel Miles, with his battalion, was to guard the road of Flatlands, as well as that of Jamaica, and to reconnoitre the movements of the enemy.

" Meanwhile the British army pressed forward, its left wing being to the north and its right to the south; the village of Flatbush was found in its center. The Hessians, commanded by General De Heister, formed the main body; the English, under Major-General Grant, the left; and the other corps, conducted by General Clinton and the two Lords Percy and Cornwallis, composed the right. In this wing the British generals had placed their prin- cipal hope of success; they directed it upon Flatlands. Their plan was that, while the corps of General Grant and the Hessians of General De Heister should disquiet the enemy upon the two first defiles, the right wing, taking a circuit, should march through Flatlands and endeavor to seize the point of intersection of this road with that of Jamaica, and then, rapidly descending into the plain which extends at the foot of the heights on the other side, should fall upon the Americans in flank and rear. The English hoped that, as this post was most distant from the center of the army, the advanced guard would be found more feeble there, and perhaps more negligent. Finally, they calculated that the Americans would not be able to defend it against a force so superior. This right wing of the English was the most numerous, and entirely composed of fresh troops.

"On the evening of the 26th of August General Clinton commanded the vanguard, which consisted of light infantry; Lord Percy the center, where were found the grenadiers, the artillery and the cavalry; and Cornwallis the rearguard, followed by the baggage, some regiments of infantry and of heavy artillery. All this part of the English army put itself in motion with admirable order and silence, and leaving Flatlands traversed the country called New Lots. Colonel Miles, who this night per- formed his service with little exactness, did not perceive the approach of the enemy; so that two hours before day the English were already within half a mile of the road to Jamaica, upon the heights. Then General Clinton halted and prepared himself for the attack. He had met one of the enemy's patrols, and made him prisoner. General Sullivan, who commanded all the troops in ad- vance of the camp of Brooklyn, had no advice of what passed in this quarter. He neglected to send out fresh scouts; perhaps he supposed the English would direct

their principal efforts against his right wing as being the nearest to them.

"General Clinton, learning from his prisoners that the road to Jamaica was not guarded, hastened to avail him- self of the circumstance, and occupied it by a rapid move- ment. Without loss of time he immediately bore his left toward Bedford, and seized an important defile which the Americans had left unguarded. From this moment the success of the day was decided in favor of the English. Lord Percy came up with his corps, and the entire col- umn descended by the village of Bedford from the heights into the plain which lay between the hills and the camp of the Americans. During this time General Grant, in order to amuse the enemy and divert his attention from the events which took place upon the route of Flatlands, endeavored to quiet him on his right. Accordinly, as if he intended to force the defile which led to it, he had put himself in motion about midnight and had attacked the militia of New York and Pennsylvania who guarded it. They at first gave ground; but, General Parsons being arrived and having occupied an eminence, he renewed the combat and maintained his position until Brigadier- General Stirling came to his assistance with 1,500 men. The action became extremely animated, and fortune favored neither the one side nor the other. The Hes- sians, on their part, had attacked the center at break of day; and the Americans, commanded by General Sullivan in person, valiantly withstood their efforts. At the same time the British ships, after having made several move- ments, opened a very brisk cannonade against a battery established in the little island of Red Hook, upon the right flank of the Americans who combated against Gen- eral Grant. This was also a diversion, the object of which was to prevent them from attending to what passed in the center and on the left. The Americans defended themselves however with extreme gallantry, ignorant that so much valor was exerted in vain since victory was al- ready in the hands of the enemy. General Clinton, being descended into the plain, fell upon the left flank of the center, which was engaged with the Hessians. He had previously detached a small corps in order to intercept the Americans.

"As soon as the appearance of the light infantry ap- prized them of their danger they sounded the retreat and retired in good order toward their camp, bringing off their artillery. But they soon fell in with the party of the royal troops which had occupied the ground in their rear, and who now charged them with fury. They were com- pelled to throw themselves into the neighboring woods, where they met again with the Hessians, who repulsed them upon the English; and thus the Americans were driven several times by the one against the other with great loss. They continued for some time in this desper- ate situation, till at length several companies, animated by a heroic valor, opened their way through the midst of the enemy and gained the camp of General Putnam, while others escaped through the woods. The inequality of the ground, the great number of positions which it of- fered, and the disorder that prevailed throughout the line were the causes that for several hours divers partial com- bats were maintained, in which many of the Americans fell.

"Their left wing and center being discomfited, the English, desirous of a complete victory, made a rapid movement against the rear of the right wing, which, in ig- norance of the misfortune which had befallen the other corps, was engaged with General Grant. Finally, having received the intelligence, they retired. But, encountering the English, who cut off their retreat, a part of the sol- diers took shelter in the woods; others endeavored to make their way through the marshes of Gowanus cove, but here some were drowned in the waters or perished in the mud.

GENERAL HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

A very small number only escaped the hot pursuit of the victors and reached the camp in safety. The total loss of the Americans in this battle was estimated at more than three thousand men, in killed, wounded, and pris- oners. Among the last were found General Sullivan and Brigadier General Lord Stirling. Almost the entire regi- ment of Maryland, consisting of young men of the best families of that province, was cut to pieces. Six pieces of cannon fell into the power of the victors. The loss of the English was very inconsiderable. In killed, wounded and prisoners it did not amount to four hundred men.

"The enemy encamped in front of the American lines, and on the succeeding night broke ground within six hundred yards of a redoubt on the left, and threw up a breastwork on the Wallabout heights upon the Debevoise farm, commenced firing on Fort Putnam, and reconnoi- tered the American forces. The Americans were here prepared to receive them, and orders were issued to the men to reserve their fre till they could see the eyes of the enemy. A few of the British officers reconnoitered the position; and one on coming near was shot by Willam Van Cott, of Bushwick. The same afternoon Captain Rutgers, brother of Colonel Rutgers, also fell. Several other British troops were killed, and the column which had incautiously advanced fell back beyond the the range of the American fire."

It has been truly said that previous to the battle on Long Island there existed an uncertainty which of two move- ments that seemed equally to promise good results would be chosen by the British commander, and that it was Washington's misfortune to be compelled to act as though certain that both would be adopted. On the 29th of August that uncertainty had been removed. The battle had been fought, and what remained of the American army, dejected and dispirited, was confronted by the vic- torious and exultant hosts of the enemy. With these in their front, and the river, which might at any time be en- tered by the war vessels lying below should wind and tide favor, in their rear, it has been a matter of much wonder to many that a sagacious leader like Washington should hesitate a moment in his determination. On the afternoon of that day a council of war was convened in the Pierrepont mansion, near where the foot bridge crosses Montague street. This council unanimously de- cided to abandon the lines at Brooklyn and retreat across the river, and made a memorandum of the reason for so deciding. Field gives the following excellent descrip- tion of the arrangements for this retreat:

"The preparations for this important movement, scarcely less fraught with danger than its alternative, were entered upon with the profoundest caution and secrecy. Everything which could convey the slightest intimation of the design to the enemy was carefully avoided; and never, perhaps, for a movement so important, were the plans more skillfully devised, or the performance of them more exact, where a thousand untoward events might have destroyed them. It was little that the boats for transporting the army were abundant in New York. They must be gathered with expedition and secrecy, and the troops transferred to the opposite shore during the |he time to acquire the knowledge before the action."

short night of midsummer. Even the management of the boats by skilled oarsmen was important, for that service could not be left to the clumsiness of common soldiers. Fortunately the necessities of the occasion were not greater than the means at hand for meeting them. Col- onel Glover's Marblehead regiment provided seven hun-

dred of the ablest men for this service, whose stout arms could safely and swiftly pass the men through the dense fog; and they were accordingly withdrawn from the ex- treme left of the line for that purpose.

"At the same time that all the troops were warned to prepare for an attack upon the enemy, orders were quietly communicated to the alternate regiments along the front to fall in line; and long before those on the right and left were aware of any movement their comrades had silently moved away into the darkness, and the void was only felt, without being known. Often the first intimation that adjoining regiments received of the departure of those on their right and left was the whispered order to extend their own lines, and cover the space so mys- teriously vacated. Again and again was this maneuver performed on the constantly thinning line; and one reg- iment after another flitted away into the gloom, until nothing but a long line of sentinels occupied the breast- works, and preserved the empty show of a defense."

So well was this retreat planned and so skillfully was the plan executed, that not only had the enemy no inti- mation of what was transpiring, but the men in the American army believed that these maneuvers portended a general assault on the lines of the enemy on the morrow. There were instances of mistakes and of a want of caution, but fortunately none of them seriously embarrassed the movement. A heavy fog, which hung over the island toward morning, concealed the movements of the retreat- ing troops from their enemies, who were so near that the sounds of their pickaxes and shovels could be distinctly heard. Not only were all the details of this retreat planned by the commander-in-chief, but the movement was executed under his immediate superintendence.

After this evacuation of the island by the American forces it remained in the possession of the British and tories. Such of the patriots as had been active became exiles from their homes, which were plundered, and if they returned they were imprisoned; but, as before stated, those wearing red badges enjoyed immunity. Had the advantage gained by the English in this battle been followed up at once by the passage of the slender barrier, and the entrance of the ships of war into the East River, the American army must inevitably have been captured or annihilated; a result which the delay of a few hours in the retreat would have insured, for the British fleet below was preparing to weigh anchor for that purpose.

Thompson says: " The unfortunate issue of the battle of Long Island is doubtless due to the illness of General Greene. He had superintended the erection of the works and become thoroughly acquainted with the ground. In the hope of his recovery Washington had deferred sending over a successor till the urgency of affairs made it absolutely necessary, and then General Putnam took command without any previous knowledge of the posts which had been fortified beyond the lines, or of the places by which the enemy could make their approach, nor had

The defeat of the American forces in this battle re- moved the restraint which had kept in check the strong feeling of loyalty in Queens county, and in the following autumn about fourteen hundred signed a declaration of loyalty and petition for protection.

REVOLUTIONARY EXPLOITS.

CHAPTER VIII.

LONG ISLAND IN BRITISH HANDS - RAIDS FROM THE MAINLAND-SMUGGLING.

T has already been stated that in the eastern half of the island, previous to the battle of August 27th, the feeling of loyalty to the crown of Great Britain was very weak. Meet- ings were held in the different towns and districts in the county of Suffolk, at which res- olutions were adopted expressive of sympathy with the cause of the rebels; and committees of correspondence, as they were termed, were appointed to represent them in county conventions and to devise such measures as the welfare of the country seemed to demand. In a county convention of these committees. as early as 1774 resolu- tions were adopted recommending aid to the poor of Boston, and approving the doings of the Continental Congress. In the provincial convention for the appoint- ment of delegates to the Continental Congress Suffolk county was represented by Colonel William Floyd, Col- onel Nathaniel Woodhull, Colonel Phineas Fanning, Thomas Tredwell and John Sloss Hobart.

During the summer of 1775 British vessels prowled about the east end of the island, and occasionally raided on and carried away the stock. To guard against these, troops that had been raised were retained and others were sent, but considerable depredations were committed on Fisher's and Gardiner's Islands, and still more efficient measures were adopted for protection. After the decla- ration of independence by the Continental Congress and the approval of this action by the Provincial Congress the enthusiasm of the Whigs in this part of the island rose to a high pitch. Public demonstrations were made, and in one instance at least the effigy of George III. was publicly hanged and burned.

The evacuation of Long Island by the continental forces and its possession by the British after the battle of Brooklyn quenched this enthusiasm in a great measure. The regular continental troops withdrew from the island, and the militia disbanded. The people submitted to the inevitable condition, the actions of the committees were revoked, and no further public demonstration of sympathy with the rebels took place. Those who had been active, open rebels fled, and their property was unceremoniously taken. In the autumn of 1776 upward of six hundred in Snffolk county signed a testimonial of submission and allegiance to the British crown, and so far as open rebel- lion was concerned the subjugation of this part of the island was complete. This submission, however, was made by many under the force of circumstances and with large mental reservations.

listments from among the tories, were stationed at differ- ent points, and against the lawlessness of these there was no protection. Robbery was carried on by marauding gangs under the guise of Whig or tory partisanship, and frequent raids were made by parties of continental troops from the Connecticut shore of the sound, although noth- ing occurred which can justly be dignified by the name of a battle. A few of these may be mentioned here. In November 1776 three or four hundred troops crossed from New Haven to Setauket, where a sharp skirmish was had with a detachment of General Howe's troops. Eight or ten of the British troops were killed, and 23 prisoners and 75 inuskets taken.

In April 1777 an expedition was planned by General Parsons, the object of which was to destroy a quantity of forage and provisions that had been collected at Sag Harbor. For that purpose a party of two hundred men, under Colonel Meigs, crossed the sound from New Haven on the 23d of May in whaleboats. They secreted their boats about three miles from Sag Harbor; marched to the village, arriving at 2 A. M .; impressed guides, by whom they were conducted to the quarters of the com- manding officer, whom they captured; forced the outpost by a bayonet charge and proceeded to the wharf, where in three-fourths of an hour, although under the fire of an armed schooner one hundred and fifty yards away, they burned twelve brigs and sloops, one hundred and twenty tons of hay and a quantity of grain, and destroyed ten hogsheads of rum and a quantity of merchandise. They also killed six of the enemy, took ninety prisoners, and returned after an absence of a little more than twenty- four hours without the loss of a man. For this service Congress presented a sword to Colonel Meigs, and Gen- eral Washington, in a letter, complimented General Parsons.

In August 1777 General Parsons organized an expe- dition of about one hundred and fifty men to break up a British outpost at Setauket, where a Presbyterian church had been fortified by surrrounding it with an embank- ment six feet in height and placing swivels in four of the gallery windows. After an engagement of two or three hours with the loss of only four men General Parsons withdrew, fearing his retreat might be cut off by the cap- ture of his sloop and boats. It is a notable fact that one of the volunteers in this expedition, Zachariah Green, was twenty years afterward installed a minister of this same church.

In the autumn of 1780 Major Benjamin Tallmadge planned and successfully executed one of the most audacious exploits accomplished on the island during the war. At Smith's Point, Mastic, on the south side of the island, an enclosure of several acres had been made, tri- angular in form, with strongly barricaded houses at two of the angles, and a fort, ninety feet square, protected by an abattis, at the other. The fort was completed and During the remainder of the Revolution the condition garrisoned by about fifty men, and in it two guns were of the people in this part of the island was insecure. To mounted. On the 21st of November Major Tallmadge insure the doubtful loyalty of a portion of the inhabitants British troops, the ranks of which were increased by en- embarked at Fairfield, Conn., with eighty dismounted dragoons, and landed at 9 in the evening at Mount Sinai,

GENERAL HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

where the boats were secured. They attempted to cross the island, but a rain storm drove them back to their boats and kept them there till 7 the next evening, when they again set out. At 3 the next morning they arrived within two miles of the fort (which was called Fort George), and arranged to attack it simultaneously at three points, which was done. A breach was made, the enclosure entered, and the main fort carried at the point of the bayonet without the firing of a gun, the two other attacking parties mounting the ramparts at the same time with shouts. They were fired on from one of the houses, but they forcibly entered it and threw some of their as- sailants from the chamber windows. With none killed and only a few slightly wounded they destroyed the fort, burned a vessel and took fifty-four prisoners and a quantity of merchandise, with which they returned. A party of ten or twelve, with Major Tallmadge, visited Coram and burned some four hundred tons of hay. For this exploit Major Tallmadge was commended in a letter by General Washington.

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History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 8

Author: Publication date: 1882 Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co. Number of Pages: 703

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703