History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 104

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354

USA > New York > Westchester County > History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I > Part 104

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When the enemy had effected a landing, on the Neck, in the morning, his advance pushed forward, towards the causeway, for the purpose of occupying that line of communication with the mainland; but the detachment whom Colonel Hand had sent for the protection of it, had taken up the flooring of the bridge, agrecably to the General's orders ; and it also opened a fire on the enemy, with its rifles, compelling him to fall back to the mnain body. A similar move- ment of the enemy against the fording-place, at the head ofthe creek, met with a similar repulse ; and no further movements, toward the mainland, appear to have been made ; and, by way of precaution, a breast- work was thrown up, on the Neck, by the Royal troops, to cover the approach, by way of the cause- way.3

1 We are indebted to our friend, Edward F. de Lancey, Esq., of Mama- roneck, for the following account of that old Mill :

" The Mill and dam, at Westchester, were built by Colonel Caleb " Heathcote, the first Mayor of the Borough-Town of Westchester, at his "own expense. It stood till February, 1875, when it was accidentally "burnt. The outside had been renewed, from time to time ; but the frame " was the original one, of massive hewn timber ; and at the time of its " destruction, it was the oldest Mill, in Westchester-county, and, probably, "in the State.

" By the original Grant to Colonel Heathcote, the inhabitants reserved " the right to have their own grain ground, free. This was afterwards "commuted to a toll, payable to the present 'town' of Westchester, " which the Town enjoyed, as a source of revenue, till the Mill was burnt ;

"and the right to which it still retains, if the Mill shall be rebuilt."

2 Memoirs of General Heath, 68.

3 Memoirs of General Heath, 70.

Besides the despatch of an express to Head-quar- ters, with intelligence of the enemy's movements, to which reference has been made,4 General Heath rein- forced the guard, at the bridge, by ordering Colonel Prescott, the hero of Bunker's-hill, with his Regiment, and Captain-lieutenant Bryant, of the Artillery, with a three-pounder, to march to that place; and Colonel Graham, of the New York Line, with his Regiment, and Lieutenant Jackson, of the Artillery, with a six- pounder, was ordered to march to the head of the creek, for the reinforcement of the guard who had been posted at that place. Besides the throwing up of an earthwork, opposite the western end of the causeway, the addition of the Brigade commanded by General McDougal to General Heath's command, and an irregular, scattering fire which was indulged in, by both parties, nothing further was done by either of the Armies, during that day.5

When the intelligence of the movement of the greater portion of the Royal Army into Westchester- county, reached Head-quarters, General Washington appears to have given way to despair, in view of his powerlessness, and to have become despondent; al- though he appears to have really believed that the movement was not anything else than a feint. It is true that he ordered every Regiment who was under his immediate command, to be under arms, there, that it might be ready to act as occasion might require ; that he authorized General Heath to make such dis- position of the troops, in Westchester-county, inclu- ding two Regiments of Militia who were posted near Kings-bridge, as he should think proper; and that he begged and trusted that every possible opposition would be given to the enemy, adding " God bless and lead you "on to Victory; " 6 but it was hardly consistent with his duty, as Commander-in-chief of the Army, at that important moment, to remain at Head-quarters; to give the absolute command of all the troops which were before the enemy to an Officer, excellent though he evidently was, as a subordinate, whose experience

4 Vide page 407, ante.

6 Memoirs of General Heath, 70.

6 General Washington, by his Secretary, Colonel Robert HI. Harrison, to General Heath, " HEAD-QUARTERS, 12 October, 1776."

In the same connection, it is a noticeable fact that the General Orders of the day and there were no After Orders, on that eventful twelfth of October, made no mention whatever of the movement of the enemy or of the disposition of the American troops ; that they were written, entirely, in only three short lines-(General Orders, "HEAD QUARTERS, HARLEM "HIEIGHTS, October 12, 1776 ")-that General Washington, on that day, appears to have completed none of his letters which were unfinished when General Heath's express arrived at Head-quarters; and that no allusion whatever was made, by him, to the enemy's occupation of West- chester-county nor to any movement of his own cominand, consequent on that occupation, in anything which he wrote or ordered to be written on that day, which we have found, except in that note, written by his Secretary, under his own eye, to General Heath, of which mention has been made in the text. Asstated in the text, he certainly rode over to the village of Westchester and to the head of the creek, towards night, and looked at the preparations which had been made, at those places, to check any movement which the enemy should mako ; but, beyond that informal inspection, he evidently did nothing whatever, as the Com- mander in chief of the American Army.

409

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783.

was so very limited; to transfer to that officer tlie en- tire responsibility of the opposition which was to be made against the powerful cnemy who was actually moving against the very existence of the young States, not yet confederated and very poorly councet- ed even by the ties of a common danger ; and to give to him his parting if not his farewell blessing; and nothing else than the bitterness of despair, the hope- lessness which seemed to overwhelm all other traits of his character, could, possibly, have produced such unusual, such remarkable, such extremely dangerous results. It is, indeed, stated that he rode over to thic village of Westchester and to the head of the creek, late in the afternoon ; but no one has preteuded that he issued au Order or did any other act which the Commander-in-chief, under such peculiar circum- stances, might have been expected to have done.1

When General Greene, who was at Fort Constitu- tion, as Fort Lee was then called, heard of the move- ment of the enemy, he wrote to General Washington, stating that three Brigades, at that time in New Jersey, werc in readiness to be sent over the river, for the reinforcement of the main Army; aud he hoped, if the force which was then on the eastern side of the river was insufficient to repel the enemy, that those Brigades, and he with them, might be ordered to cross the river, for its reinforcement, during the latter part of the coming night, as the enemy's ship- ping might move up, from below, and impede, if they should not totally stop, the troops from crossing.2 But the proffered help was not accepted ; 3 and Greene, notwithstanding his honorable anxiety, appears to have remained in New Jersey, without having receiv- ed any answer to either his offer of help or his rea- sonable enquiries.

But the interregnum continued only during a few hours ; and, gradually, the reason of the Commander- in-chief resumed its sway, his mental aud physical strength was restored, and he was, again, the respon- sible head of the American Army. During the even- ing, as we have already seen, the Brigade commanded by General MeDougal was ordered to move for the reinforcement of General Heath's command; 4 and,

with that Order, the record of that great day in the history of Westchester-county was closed.

On the following morning, [Sunday, October 13, 1776,] General Washington became almost satisfied that the enemy's movement was not a feint ; that his main body was on Throgg's-neck; and that he "had " in view the prosecution of his original plan, that of "getting in the rear of thic Americans and of cutting " off their communication with the country."5 That change in the General's opinion, as far as there was a change, appears to have been produced by the fact that General Howe had made no attempt to make a land- ing at Morrisania, as the former had supposed hc would have done; and, the first time, he "thought it " would be advisable" to reinforce and protect the troops who had been, for more than twenty-four hours, guarding the two passes through which the enemy could open communications with the main- land ; and he " recommended" the posting of small bodies of observation, at Pell's-point, at the mouth of Hutchinson's-river, at Hunt's-point, and at Willett's- point, without, however, giving an Order, for the execution of either of these.6 At the same time, he strengthened the force already in Westchester-county, by moving the Brigade which had formerly been commanded by General Heath, for its support.7

He also ordered Colonel Tash, with his Regiment of New Hampshire Militia, then at the White Plains, to marchi to Fishkill, " with all possible despatch," for the assistance of the Committee of Safety, in hold- ing the disaffected in cheek; 8 he called a meeting of the General Officers, at noon, "at or near King's " Bridge,"-as " we are strangers to a suitable place," it was left for General Heath to determine where he would have them meet ; 9 and, finally, in these ringing sentences, he attempted to arouse the Army to a sense

5 General Washington to General Ward, "HEAD-QUARTERS, HARLEM " HEIGHTS, October 13, 1776."

G " I beg leave to inform you that his Excellency (as the enemy did not "attempt landing at Morrisania, this morning, ) thinks it would be ad- " visable to send a stronger force towards the two passes, near the enemy, "where our men were posted, yesterday, and also to throw up sonie " works for their cover and defence. Ile also recommends strongly to "your attention, the keeping a good look-ont at Pell's-point, at the mouth "of Eastchester-creek, and at Ilunt's and Willett's-points, for the sake of " gaining intelligence, these posts to be regarded ns look onts ouly." (Colonel William Grayson, A.D.C. to General Heath, " IlEAD QUARTERS, "October 13, 1776.")

" Memoirs of General Heath, 71,

8 General Washington to Colonel Tash, "HEAD-QUARTERS, October 13, "1776;" Colonel R. H. Harrison to the Congress, " 11 END-QUARTERS, " HIARLES ITEIGHTS, October 14, 1776."

It is proper for us to say, in this place, that the Committee desired only two Companies ; and ordered the remainder of the Regiment back to l'eekskIH, (Colonel Thomas Tash to the New Hampshire Committee of Safety, " PEAKSKILL, IN COURTLAND MANOR, October 26, 1776.")

9 Colonel Joseph Rerd to General Heath, "October 13, 1776."

It was stated in Colonel Reed's note that " it being necessary, since the "late movement of the enemy, to fornt somo plan " of operations for the American Army, it is only reasonable to suppose the General Officers were called together, for an interchange of opinions, on that subject. The Council was evidently convened at General Heath's quarters, (Memoirs of General IIroth, 71 ;) but nothing appears to have been done, because, it is said, of the absence of Generals Lee, Greene, and Mercer.

1 " Our men, who are posted on the passes, seemed to be in great spir- " its, when I left them last night." (Letter to the President of the Con- gress, " IHEIGHTS OF ILARLES, 12 October, 1776," postscript, dated, " Oc- " tober 13th.")

2 General Greene to General Washington, " FORT CONSTITUTION, October "12, five o'clock, 1776."

3 We are not insensible that the General's grandson has said that " part of tho troops were called over. but Greene was not," (Greene's Life of Nathanael Greene, Edit. New York : 1867, i., 235 ;) but be gave no authority for the statement, nud wo havo found none ; and we prefer to belleve that tho proffered help was not accepted, at that time, although some portions of General Greeno's command were moved into Westches- ter-county, within a day or two, and after the Commander-in chief had recovered from his temporary despondoncy and had resumed the command of the Army.

4 Colonel Smallirood to the Maryland Convention, "CAMP OFTHE MARY- "LAND REGULARS, IFKAD-QUARTERS, October 12, 1776," postscript, signed by Chris'r Richmond, Adjutant, and dated "Sunday, October 13, 1776; " Colmel Ering to the Maryland Council of Safety, "CAMP NEAR HARLEM, October 13, 1776 ;" Memoirs of General Heath, 71.

410

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

of its duty, to the country and to the world: "As the " enemy secm, now, to be endeavouring to strike somc " stroke, before the close of the Campaign," were his words, " the General most earnestly conjures both Offi- " cers and men, if they have any love for their country " and concern for its liberties and regard to the safety " of their parents, wives, children, and countrymen, " that they will act with bravery and spirit, becoming " the eause in which they are engaged; and to encour- "age and animate chem so to do, there is every ad- " vantage of ground and situation, so that, if we do " not conquer, it must be our own faults. How much " better will it be to die honourably, fighting in the " field, than to return home, covered with shame and "disgrace, even if the cruelty of the enemy should "allow you to return ! A brave and gallant beha- " viour, for a few days, and patience, under some lit- " tle hardships, may save our country and enable us " to go into Winter-quarters with safety and honour."1

On the morning of the fourteenth of October, Gen- eral Heath, with all the Generals under his com- mand, reconnoitred the enemy, on Throgg's-neck ; 2 and, soon afterwards, General Washington, accom- panied by the Generals of the Army who were at Hcad-quarters, also visited all the posts, beyond Kingsbridge, and the several passcs and roadways which led from Throgg's-neck and from the adjacent Necks, into the country,3 acquainting himself, as far as he could do so, by personal reconnaissance, with the strength and position and purposes of the enemy ; with the character and condition of the outlets, from Throgg's-neck and from the other similar, but lesser, Necks, in that vicinity, from which the enemy might incline to move into the interior of the County; with the capabilities, for defensive purposes, which those outlets severally possessed ; and with the necessitics, for military purposes, which each of these several subjects presented, for his attention.

During the same day, [ October 14,] General Lee reached Head-quarters, on his return from the South ; and the command of all the troops in Westchester- county, then the greater portion of the Army, was given to him, with the request, however, that he would not assume the command until he should have made himself acquainted with the different portions of the post, their circumstances, and the arrange- ments of the troops which had been made;' and, in

the General Orders of the day, the Commander-in- chief ordered Colonel Bailey's Regiment to join General Clinton's Brigade, and Colonel Lippet's Regiment to join General McDougal's Brigade-each of them "to take their tents and cooking utensils, " and to lose no time;"-the two Connecticut Regi- ments, commanded, respectively, by Colonel Storrs and Major Graves, were ordered "to be in readiness " to march into Westchester, at a moment's warning;" and Generals Putnam and Spencer, the former com- manding Heard's, Beall's, and Weedon's Brigades, and the latter commanding Lord Stirling's, Wads- worth's, and Fellows's Brigades, were ordered to re- main on Harlem Heights and to continue the works of entrenchinent thereon, General Putnam on all those proposed defensive works which were above Head-quarters, including those of Fort Washington :5 those below Head-quarters, immediately in front of the enemy's works, which were oceupied by Lieuten- ant-general the Earl of Percy and three Brigades, having been assigned to General Spencer.6

As General Heath was continued in the command of all the troops within Westchester-county, until further orders, notwithstanding the assignment of General Lee to the same command, the former in- structed General Nixon, who had been ordered from New Jersey, with his Brigade, to "have the troops " which have marched, this day, to the eastward of " the Bridge, by Williams's,"7 [ Williams's-bridge,] " completely ready to turn out, in case the enemy "should make an attack, that night;" instructing him, at the same time, "should the attack be made

unscrupulous critic of everything and everybody, unless of himself and of those who were pandering to his unholy ambition and applanding even his scurrility. Hle wielded a very ghh, but a very poisonous, tongue, and a sharp and venomous pen, both of which were ready for immediate use, whenever his passions or his interests required their co operation. Ilc was generally hanghty, in his demeanor ; he was always unprincipled, for good ; he never ceased to bo avaricions, even to meanness and dis- honesty. A linckster of his own political and military opinions and as sociatious, he was never contented with the prices which his warcs com- inanded in the market of the world ; and, after he had disgusted even his own party and had become, himself, disgusted with all mankind, he died, " unwept, unhonored, and unsung."

The conntry has had other men of straw whom it has also grasped, in its hours of great anxiety and great danger, almost counterparts of that on whom the Army and the country leaned, so confidently and so lovingly, from early in 1775 until the Summer of 1778; and just as the broken reed of that early period pierced the hand which leaned on it, so have these latter pretenders, these latter selfish and nupatriotic tools of nul- sernpnlons and designing men, wounded those whose confidence they had secured, and brought shame and dishonor on the country which had petted them.

5 The position assigned to Major-general Putnam, not immediately iu front of the enemy, but, in the rear, where he could do no more than oversce the construction of certain specified defensive works, is peculiarly noteworthy-the disaster on Long Island was too distinctly remembered to allow him to be posted, again, where he could possibly do any harm.

6 General Orders, "HEAD-QUARTERS, HARLEM HEIGHTS, October 14, "1776."

7 We have not found any other description of these troops than what General lleath and David How wrote concerning them : the former saying, "two or three Brigades have moved, this day. beyond Wil- "liams's ; " (Letter to Colonel Sargent, "KING's BRIDGE, October 14, " 1776 ;") and the latter, "14. There has been two Brigades Marchd By "hear This Day Towards forgg's point." (Diary, "October 14, 1776.")

1 General Orders, " IIF.AD-QUARTERS; HARLEM HEIGHTS, October 13, " 1776."

2 Memoirs of General Heath, 71.

3 Colonel Harrison to the Congress, " HEAD-QUARTERS, HARLEM HEIGHTS, " October 14, 1776 ; " the same to Peter R. Livingston, " HEAD-QUARTERS

"HARLEM HEIGHTS, October 14, 1776 ; " Memoirs of General Heath, 71. 4 Memoirs of General Heath, 71.

There is nothing which indicated the general consciousness of the help- lessness of the country, at the time of which we write, as much as the general dependence of the country, as well as that of the Army, on Gen- eral Charles Lee, au officer of large military pretentions; the ambitious leader of that party, in the Congress and elsewhere-mainly New Eng- landers-who was inclined to depreciate, if not to officially cmibarrass, General Washington ; and the self-appointed and very willing and very

411

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783.

" towards Frog's Point," to "endeavour to support " the Regiments that are posted at the passes, there;" " should the attack be made at or near East Chester " landing," to "make the best disposition of his " troops and repel the enemy;" and if any new movement of the enemy should be discovered, "to " send notice thercof, immediately, by one of the " Light-horsemen." General Heath also informed Gen- eral Nixon "that a guard was absolutely necessary at " Rodman's-point," [the same as Pell's-point, on the opposite side of the Hutchinson's-river, from Throgg's- neck,] " next to East-Chester-creek." He said that Colonel How was near the landing-place, "with a " Regiment of Militia;" but it was evident that not enough was known of Colonel How's military quali- fications for the command of so important a position ; and General Nixon was directed to make inquiries on the subject.1

While the military authorities were thus engaged in preparing to meet the enemy, in arms, whenever the latter should endeavor to move from the Neck on which he was then quietly eucamped, the Convention of New York, by its Committee of Safety, as we have already stated in our review of the proceedings of that Couvention,2 as soon as information could have possibly reached it, that the enemy had moved towards Westchester-county, provided for the imme- diate disposition of all the. Cattle, Horses, Hogs, Sheep, Grain, Straw, and Hay, on the well-culti- vated farms throughout that County, in order that the enemy should not secure them for his Com- missariat; $ and the careful reader may gather from that decided action of the Committee of Safety, how completely desolated all that flourishing County must have become, before that enemy secured a foot- hold on the main-land-indeed, before that foothold had been sccured, all that portion of the County which was below Tarrytown, the White Plains, aud Ryc had, probably, been generally stripped of the various agricultural productions of that season, excepting only the Potatoes, the Buckwheat, and the Corn ; and, of the Live-stock, of every description, it is scarcely probable that any remained, within ihat portion of the County.

In connection with this uotice of the removal of the Live-stock and Crops, we may properly mention that, very largely, the inhabitants of those portions of the County which were likely to be exposed to the de- predations of either of the two Armies-and one of these Armies was quite as bad as the other, in the work of plunder and devastation and outrage-re- moved from their several rural homes, with as many of their effects as they could take with them, to places of supposed greater safety ;4 and it is scarcely proba-

ble that, in all the lower Towns of the County, in which the tramp of armed men was soon to be heard, many of the inhabitants remained, unless, here and there, where the head of a family, accompanied by a faithful negro, lingered on the deserted homestead, in order that the property which could not be removed might not be left entirely uncared for.

The Convention was also miudful of the danger to which the records of the City and County of New York, as well as those of the Borough of Westchester and those of the County of Westchester, were exposed, by the movement of the enemy iuto the last-named County. All thesc had been removed from their proper places and lodged, for greater safety, in private houses, in different parts of the County, where, it was feared, they would become exposed to the enemy : and William Miller, of Harrison's Precinct, Theodorus Bartow, of New Rochelle, and John Cozine were appointed Commissioners for collecting them and removing them to Kingston, iu Ulster-couuty, with instructions to gather and remove the scattered papers, " with all possible expedition," and to deliver them, at Kingston, to Dirck Wynkoop, Abraham Hasbrouck, and Christopher Tappen ; and the Com- missioners were authorized to call for a military guard, " to attend the said records, in their removal."5

On the fifteenth of October, the local Committee of Poundridge became so much alarmed, by reason of the movements of the "disaffected," in its vicinity, that the subject was laid before the Convention ; 6 and the local Convention, and even individual members of that body, continued to worry General Washington

ger, (Lewis Morris to the Convention, "PHILADELPHIA, Septr. 24, 1776.") John Jay obtained a leave of absence, on the fifteenth of October, to assist in the removal of his aged parents, with their effects, from their home, at Rye, to a place of safety, one of the most honorable acts of his life, (Journal of the Convention, " Tuesday afternoon, 15 October, 1776.") The pathetic story of Phoebe Oakley, (Petition, December 2, 1776,) and other evidences of equal value, clearly indicate that, among those who are less known to fame but equally worthy of respect, the removal of families and their effects, to places of supposed greater safety, at the timo of which we write, very generally prevailed.

5 Journal of the Convention, "Tuesday morning, Octor. 15, 1776."

6 As the note of the Committee indicated the feeling of the more active of the disaffected, at that time-although the great body of those who were discontented made no attempt to take up arms or to join the Royal Army, preferring to remain at home, in peace-we make room for it, in this place ;

" HONOUREn SIRS :

" POUNDRIDGE, October 15, A.D., 1776.

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History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 104

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1354

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354