History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 106

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 106

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by Claude Joseph Sauthier, a celebrated Engineer in the service of the King, and published by William Faden, in London, in 1777 ; tho othor, drawn by the Engineers of the American Army for, and preserved by, General Washington, and engraved, from the original manuscript, for the illustration of tho original edition of Chief-justice Marshall's Life of George Washington, published in Philadelphia, in 180-1.

As both of these Maps were originally official, one British and the ether American ; as both were published from the respective manuscripts, as nearly as possible in fac-simile ; and as both are historical authorities of the highest character, they will bo frequently referred to, in our nar- rative of tho Military Operations in Westchester-county ; and, in order that our readers may also enjoy the benefits to be derived from a use of them, while reading the story of Westchester-county's revolutionary history, the Publishers have re-produced then, at our request, as nearly in exact fac-simile of tho original publications, as possible. Santhier's Map will be found opposite page 227 of this work, ante; and General Washington's Map will be found opposite this page of the same.

We may be permitted, liowever, to call the reador's attention to a sin- gular error which was made in lettering the British Map. Where " Phil- " ipsburgh," [ Philipsborough,] or Yonkers, should have been designated the word " Wepperham "-intended for " Neperlian," the namo of the stream, popularly known as the " Sawmill-river, " at the mouth of which Philipsborough, or Yonkers, stood-has been erroneously inserted ; and, Instead of designating Tarrytown, not "Terrytown," as situated miles abore the Pocantico, on which the upper Manorhouse of the Manor of Philipsborough yet stands, that noted village ought to have been desig- nated below that stream- indeed, the Pocantico is made to appear as if it were the Neperlian, or Sawmill-river ; and Dobbs's-ferry and Tarrytown are consequently crowded up, into the immediate vicinity of the Croton- river, although they are several miles below that stream ; and nlf the other lettering of the Map is similarly forced to the northward, unduly, in order that it may be made to correspond with the river-villages.

Probably misled by the errors referred to, in the official Map, the bean- tiful Map of the same Military Operations, which illustrates Stedman's History of the American War, has repeated the mistakes, in all their ng liness ; and the first edition of Lossing's Field-book of the Revolution per- petnated the unwelcome errors.

caution was necessary.1 Besides that caution, in the Commander-in-chief, there was a great scarcity of the means for transporting the Stores and Baggage to another and distant position ; 2 and, with eommenda-

1 Colonel Harrison to General Heath, " HEAD-QUARTERS, October 12, "1776 ; " Colonel Grayson to the same, "HEAD-QUARTERS, October 13, "1776;" the same to Governor Trumbull, "HEAD-QUARTERS, HARLEM " HEIGHTS, October 15, 1776;" etc.

On the morning of the eighteenth ef October, whilo the enemy was seon in motion to the eastward of Throgg's neck, when that fact was communicated to General Washington, by General Ileath, the latter was ordered to return to hiscommand, which had been posted with its right at Valentine's and its left at Fort Independence, and to have it " formed, " ready for action, immediately, and to take such a position as might ap- " pear best calenlated to opposo the enemy, should they attompt to land "another body of troops en Morrisania, which he thought not improba- " ble ; " and General Heath " immediately obeyed the Order." (Memoirs of General Heath, 72.)

2 That scarcity will bo evidont to the reader of General Orders of the seventeenth of October, in which " some Regiments " are ordered " to " move towards them," [the enemy, ] in which Orders were also included for the government of thoso Regiments, in the transportation of their Tents and Baggage.

See, also, Quartermaster-general Mifflin to William Duer, "MOUNT WASHI - "INGTON, October 20, 1776."

Gordon, when describing the movement from Harlem Ileights, said, "The movement was attended with mueh difficulty, for want of Wag- " gons and Artillery horses. When a part was forwarded, the other was "fetched on. This was the general way of removing the Camp-equip- " page and other appendages of the Army. The few Teams which were "at hand, were in no wiso equal to the service ; and their deficiency "could be made up only by the bodily labor of the men." (History of the American Revolution, ii., 339, 340.)

It would be useful, were some one to ascertain and to inform the world of historical literature, just why there was such a remarkable scarcity of Teams, in such an old-settled agricultural community as occupied the lower Towns of Westchester county, in the Autumn of 1776, especially of those Teams which were required by the American Army, by whom that portion of the County had been ocenpied, during several weeks preceding the date of the retreat from Harlem lleights. There would be some curious revelations of the inethiciency of the Quarter-master-general's Department ; but thero would, also, be some very much moro curioits revelations of thefts of horses, by the Officers of the Army, not for their present purposes, but for their use, iu the future, after their retirement from the service. Vide General Orders, October 31, 1776.

The farmers of Westchester-county were robbed, indiscriminately, not only by the eamp followers and the privates of the Army, but by the Officers, including Field-officers ;* and, in that work of plunder, the records are singularly ample in their evidenco that the plunderers were almost exclusively men and Officers of the Massachusetts and Connecticut Lines .; At a later period than that which is now under consideration, even a Major-general of the Continental Army was confederated with similar thieves ; and gave orders on the Paymasters of the Army for

* The Committee of Safety to the President of the Continental Congress, "IN COMMITTEE OF SAFETY FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK, FISHKILL, " November 28, 1776 ;" Deposition of John Martine, " 13 November, 1776;" Deposition of Marmaduke Foster, " 13 November, 1776 ;" Prtition of Phube Oakley, "2 December, 1776;" Deposition of Talman Pugsley, "2 Decem- " ber, 1776;" Deposition of Ebenezer Burrill, "2 December, 1776;" Jour- nul of the Committee of Safety, " Monday morning, 2 December, 1776; " the Committee of Safety to General Heath, " IN COMMITTEE OF SAFETY FOR " THE STATE OF NEW YORK, FISHKILL, December 3, 1776 ; " Petition of Inhabitants of Westchester county, " WESTCHESTER-COUNTY, December 23, "1776;" etc.

+ The Regiment of Massachusetts Artificers, commanded by Colonel Brewer, and the Regiment of Connecticut troops, commanded by Colonel Charles Webb, were especially notorious, as thieves.

See, General Order for seenring Sergeant Tripp and others, " PEEKSKILL., " 11 December, 1776 ;" Minutes of Court Martial for trial of Major .tustin, "PHILIPSBURG, November 12, 1776;" Commitment of Captain Phincas Ford to the Duchess-county Jail, " BY THE. COMMITTEE OF SAFETY OF THE "STATE OF New-YonK, FISHKILL., Jannary the Ist, 1776; " etc.

416

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY

ble prudence, a removal of Head-quarters from the strong position which they, then, occupied, was not attempted until every possible preparation for a suc- cessful removal of them had been duly made. Every portion of the Army was so disposed, however, that all could be concentrated around Head-quarters, iu a short time, should such a movement become neces- sary, although the enemy was, also, properly and effectively guarded; and, although there was no ap- pearance of haste, in anything which was done, there was, also, abundant evidence that the Commander-in- chief, no longer given away to despondency, was en- tirely mindful of the great responsibility which, then, rested on him.

While all these anxieties had prevailed throughout the American Army, and while all these precautions were being taken by General Washington, General Howe and the main body of the Royal Army had been quietly encamped on Throgg's-neck. With the exception of a scattering fire across the marsh which separated the Neck from the mainland, which seems to have done no material damage,1 there does not appear to have been any offensive movement what- ever; 2 and there is very little reason for supposing that the entire period of the stay of the Army, at that place, was not duly occupied in thic transportation of Stores and Provisions and means for Transportation and what must have been regarded as necessary rein- forcements.3

It is not an uncommon occurrence for those who are without information, during a War, to condemn what they regard as the tardiness, sometimes as the crimi- nal tardiness, of a commanding General, in the move- ment of his command on some enterprise on which the faultfinders have rested large, very often unduly large, expectations ; and General Howe has not es- caped from that very common condemnation. As we

payment of the transportation of the plunder, from the scenes of the thefts to the homes of the thieves and of their accessories, of high or low degree, in the neigliboring State of Connecticut .*

1 Memoirs of General Heath, 70, 71.

2 Judge Jones, in his remarkably accurate History of New York during the Revolutionary War, (i., 122,) said of General Ilowe's occupation of Throgg's neck, " here a whole fortnight was spent in doing notbing " (phindering the inhabitants and stealing their horses excepted)." We incline to the belief, however, that General Ilowe had no communica- tiou with the mainland sufficient to cnable him to seize horses; and there could not have been much opportunity for plunder, by the troops, unless on the Neck, for the same controlling reason.

The Judge was also evidently in error as to the period of General Howe's occupation of the Neck-he landed, therc, on the twelfth of Oc- tober, and lie moved from it, on the eighteenth of the same month, which can hardly be said, with propriety, to have been " a whole fortnight."

3 General Howe to Lord George Germaine, " NEW-YORK, 30 November, " 1776."

* General George Clinton to Lieutenant-colonel Hamilton, " POUGHKEEP- " SIE, 28 December, 1777."

It is a singular fact that the Major-general referred to in the Note, also inspired the destruction of the White Plains, in which Major Austin also first plundered those whose houses he destroyed. ( Testimony of Sergeant Churchill and Tilley How, on the trial of Major Austin, as to the robbery, and Major Austin's Defence before the same Court, as to the original anthor of the devastation.)

have already stated,4 he has been condemned for hav- ing blundered because he occupied Throgg's-neck in- stead of some more favorable point, on the mainland ; but, as we have also shown, whatever of censure there may have been due for having thus blundered in occu- pying that isolated Neck, if there was any blunder in the case, it belonged to Admiral Lord Howe instead of to the General, his brother. General Howe has been condemned, also, because of his long stay on Throgg's- neck, without having attempted to move from that position, in any direction whatever,5 but surely no one would have desired him to move into an enemy's country, in the face of an active military force of that enemy, without a Commissariat, without the neces- sary military Stores which would become necessary in his conduct of the proposed movement into that ene- my's country, and without the slightest pretense to the necessary means for transporting even his Officers' baggage, of all of which the first and second detach- ments had taken comparatively little to the Neck, and of all of which the subsequent and main supplies were held back by adverse winds, which prevented the vessels which bore them fromn passing through Hell-gate.6 In addition to the delays in moving the Commissariat, the military Stores, and the Horses and Waggons of the Quarter-master-general's Depart- ment,7 to which reference has been made, some delay was also experienced in moving three Battalions of Hessians, from Staten-island, for the reinforcement of the maiu body, on the Neck ; 8 and thus, iu Gen- eral Howe's own words, " Four or five days had been " unavoidably taken up in landing at Frog's-Neck, "instead of going, at once, to Pell's-point, which " would have been an imprudent measure, as it could

4 Vide page 407, ante.

5 [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 203 ; Stedman's History of the American War, i., 210, 211 ; Gordon's History of the American Rev- olution, ii., 337 ; Adolphus's History of England, Ed. London : 1805, ii., 379 ; Sparks's Life of George ll'ashington, 194; Irving's Life of George Washington, ii., 385 ; etc.

6 General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "NEW-YORK, 30 November, "1776 ;" General Howe's Speech before a Committee of the House of Com- mons, April 29, 1779 ; Annual Register for 1776; History of Europe, 176 *; etc.

The adverse winds, which prevented the supplies, etc., from passing Hell-gate, were referred to by General Howe in his letter to Lord George Ger- maine, " NEW-YORK, 30 November, 1776 ;" and in those of Lieutenant-colonel Tench Tilghman to Wl'illiam Duer, "HEAD-QUARTERS, HARLEM HEIGHTS, " October 17, 1776 ;" General Il'ashington to the Continental Congress, "HARLEM HEIGHTS, October 18, 1776 ; " etc.

7 " He transported Carriages with him from England; and whatever "more lie wanted were procured on Long Island and Staten Island," (Galloway's Reply to the Observations of Licutenant-general Sir William Howe, 9.)

8 In his despatch to Lord George Germaine, "NEW-Yoak, 30 Novem- " ber, 1776," General Howe stated that "three Battalions of llessians " were drawn from Staten Island ; " but in his Speech before a Committee of the House of Commons, April 29, 1779, when his conduct, as Command- er-in-chief of the King's forces in North America, was under considera- tion, he stated, without contradiction, that the reinforcement consisted of "the Second Division of Hessians." We have preferred the former statement ; because there was, then, only one Brigade of llessians on Staten Island; and because the "Second Division of Hessians, " under General Knyphausen, had not, then, reached America.

417

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783.

" not have been executed without much unnecessary " risk." 1

Having at length, completely effected his occupa- tion of Throgg's-neck and completely provided for lis probable needs, General Howe determined to open his operations in Westchester-county, without further delay ; and, at one o'clock in the morning of Friday, the eighteenth of October, the van of the Royal Army, consisting of the Light Infantry and Grena- diers of the British Regiments and a portion, at least, if not all, of the German Chasseurs, was re-embarked, in flat boats, on the western side of the Neck; and, having passed around the Point of Throgg's-neck, was landed on Pell's, or, as it was sometimes called, Rodman's, neck, on the opposite side of Hutchinson's- river, in the Town of Eastchester.2 The main body of the Army crossed over to the eastern side of the Neck; and, during the day, that, also, with all its various appointments and stores and supplies, was carried over to Pell's-neck.3

It does not appear that the movement of the van of the Royal Army was seen by the Americans, through the darkness of the very early morning, notwithstanding one of the best of the Brigades in the American service, that of General James Clin- ton, then commanded by Colonel Glover of Marble- head, had been posted, as a guard, in front of Pell's- neck, the place of its debarkation; and not until daylight had revealed the similar movement of the main body of the Army, was there any suspicion, among the Americans, anywhere, that such a move- ment was imminent-indeed, the van had landed and moved up toward the main-land, a full mile and a half, before either of the movements was discovered.4

The movement of the main body, in upwards of two hundred boats, formed into four grand divisions and covered by the smaller armed vessels of the Fleet, was discovered, "early in the morning," by Colonel Glover himself; by whom, after he had sent Major Lee, the Brigade-Major, as an express to Gen- eral Lee, whose Quarters were three miles away from that place, the entire Brigade which he commanded, was called to arms, and moved down the Neck, to oppose the landing of the enemy and to hold him in check, until reinforcements should be sent or other Orders be received.

1 General Howe's Speech before a Committee of the House of Commons, April 29, 1776.

2 Admiral Lord Howe to Mr. Stephens, Secretary of the Admiralty,'. EAGI.E., "OFF NEW-YORK, November 23, 1776 ; " General Howe to Lord George Germaine. " NEW-YORK, November 30, 1776; " Lusliington's Life of Lord Harris, 81; Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 338.

3 Admiral Lord Howe to Mr. Stephens, Secretary of the Admiralty, " EAGI.E, " OFF NEW-YORK, November 23, 1776 ;" General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "NEW-YORK, November 30, 1776 ;" David How's Diary, October 18, 1776 : [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 205 ; Memoirs of General Heath, 72; Gordon's History of the American Revolu- tion, ii., 338 ; Stedman's History of the American War, i., 211; etc.

4 Ertract of a letter from Mile Square, [evidently written by General Glo- ver,] dated October 22, 1776, in The Freeman's Journal and New Hampshire Gazette, Vol. I, No. 27, PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday, November 26, 1776.

Although the full strength of the Regiments com- manded, respectively, by Colonels Shepard, Read, Baldwin, and Glover-the latter, at that time, com- manded by Captain Curtis-was less than eight hun- dred effective men,5 the brave fisherman who tempo- rarily commanded the Brigade pushed forward toward the place where the enemy's Light Infantry and Grenadiers and Chasseurs had landed, and where the main body was about to land, although the rough and broken ground over which the Brigade was moved compelled him to leave, on his route, the three field-pieces which he had taken from his encamp- ment. He had not marched more than half the dis-

6 The following, from the General Returns of the Army, will serve to slow the strength of that little detachment, botli before and after the spirited little affair which is now under notice :

September 21, 1776.

Regiments.

Com. Officers.

Staff.

Non-com.

Fit for Duty.

Sick, present.

Sick, absent.

On Command.

· Furlonghed.

Total,

Colonel Shepard's*

208

200

514

Colonel Read's

212

153

128

501

Colonel Baldwin's

225

147

468

Colonel Glover's

170

138

361

94 .

14 148

815

442

543

1 :1844

rank and file.

Colonel Shepard's*

204

102

200

513

Colonel Read's .

226

136

126

496

Colonel Baldwin's

234

122

464

Colonel Glovers

3 35

179

141

300

164

843 390 56

541

1 1833

November 2, 1776.

Regiments.

Com. Officers.

Staff.

Non-com.

Fit for Duty.

Sick, present.

Sick, absent.

On Command.

Furloughed.

Total,

Colonel Shepard's*

227

186

503

Colonel Read's

2322

123

125

487

Colonel Baldwin's

263

106

()

462

Colonel Glover's

171

149

356

131

893

335

542

1808

* This Regimeut was formerly commanded by Colonel Learned, under whom William Shepard was Lieutenant-colonel ; but, at the particular request of General Washington, (Letter dated " HEAD-QUARTERS, HEIGHTS "OF HARLEM, September 30, 1776,") the latter was promoted to the Col- onelcy and the command of the Regiment, by a vote of the Continental Congress, on the second of October, 1776. (Journal of the Continental Congress, " Wednesday, October 2, 1776.")

As the Regiment really commanded by Colonel Shepard was often alluded to as "Late Learned's," this explanation becomes necessary, in order to enable the reader to understand the subject, correctly.

October 5, 1776.

Regiments.

Cont. Officers.

Staff.

Non-com.

Fit for Duty.

Sick, present.

Sick absent.

Ou Command.

Furloughed.

Total,

rank and file.

418

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

tance, however, before his further progress was ar- rested by the unexpected appearance, on his front, of the advance-guard of the enemy's van, the main body of whom, as we have already stated, had been pushed forward, at an early hour, to occupy the landing-place and, if necessary, to cover the descent of the main body; and who, in the absence of any opposing force of the Americans, had evidently sent out a strong detachment of its force, to see what was to be seen and to take advantage of any favorable circumstances which should be presented, in a move- ment over the Neck, toward the main-land.

With admirable skill and with a deliberate cool- ness which would have done honor to a soldier of larger pretensions, Coloncl Glover threw forward a Captain, with forty men, to feel of that advanced party of the enemy and, if possible, to mask the at- tempt to dispose of the main-body of his Brigade, in ambuscade, for the further obstruction of the enemy's advance towards the main-land, which was, also, a part of the Colonel's improvised plan of operations. The plan which was thus admirably devised, on the spur of the moment, by Colonel Glover, was quite as admirably and quite as successfully exccuted by tlie soldiers of his command-Colonel Read and his Regiment were concealed behind a stone wall, on the left side of the road; Colonel Shepard's Regiment was concealed behind "a fine double stone wall," on the opposite side of the road, and in the rear of Colonel Read's command; Colonel Baldwin and his Regiment were similarly posted, on the right and in the rear of Colonel Shepard's command; and Captain Curtis, with Colonel Glover's own Regiment, was similarly posted where the field-pieces had been left, some distance in the rear; the Captain and his com- mand who had been thrown out, in front, having, meanwhile, evidently lield the enemy's advance in check and successfully masked the very important movements of the Brigade, on their rear.

When the disposition of the Brigade had been thus successfully and satisfactorily effected, Colonel Glover rode forward to the Company whom he had employed as a mask, and personally assumed the command of it-the name of the Captain who had so boldly con- fronted the enemy and held him in check, before the Colonel had completed the disposition of the main body of the Brigade, behind thie very convenient stone walls, on his rear, has not been recorded-ordering it to advance toward the enemy ; which was promptly done. When it had marched to "within fifty yards" of the place where the enemy had halted, the latter opened his fire, without, however, inflicting any loss on his assailants ; and the latter returned the fire, killing or seriously wounding four of the enemy -" we returned the fire and fell four of them," are the quaint words of Colonel Glover, in his description of the opening of this spirited affair. Five rounds were exchanged by the Americans; and they had sustained a loss of two men killed and several

wounded, when the enemy, who had, meanwhile, been largely reinforced, pressed forward, in a charge on the gallant little party. As it would have been useless, under the existing circumstances, to have made any further resistance, Colonel Glover ordered the Captain commanding to fall back, which was done with order and coolness-"I ordered a retreat, " which was masterly well done by the Captain that " commanded the party," are the Colonel's words, descriptive of the retrograde movement-the enemy cheering and pushing forward, in pursuit.

Without supposing, for a moment, that the glory of a complete victory had not been already gained, the Chasseurs and Light Infantry and Grenadiers pressed forward, in column, along the narrow country road, until they approached, "within thirty yards," the heavy stone wall, on their right flank, behind which the Regiment commanded by Colonel Read, was concealed ; when the latter rose and, from behind its substantial breastwork, pourcd into them a full and destructive fire. Without attempting to even return the fire, the advancing column broke and fell back and awaited the support of the main body, some portion of whom had evidently effected a landing ; while Colonel Glover and his concealed command patiently and hopefully awaited a renewal of the movement.

An hour and a half are said to have passed, before the enemy again advanced, when, with what were supposed to have been four thousand men, strength- ened with seven pieces of artillery, he again appeared, keeping up, as he advanced, a constant and noisy but entirely harmless fire, and approached the heavy stone wall, on his right flank, behind which Colonel Read and his men, made more confident by the result of their earlier success, were securely crouched, in complete readiness to receive him. The advancing column seems to have learned nothing from the les- son which the Americans had taught the advance, earlier in the morning; and, with an appearance of bravado, it moved forward, in the midst of the smoke of its own uselessly expended gunpowder, as if there were not an enemy within a day's march of it, until it had approached within fifty yards of the first line of the ambuscade, when Colonel Read and his com- mand arose, as they had arisen when the advance had approached, earlier in the day, and threw on it a delibcrate and destructive fire. The suddenness of the attack and the evident strength of its sheltered assailants brought the advancing column to a sudden halt ; and it is said that the Americans maintained their ground until they had thrown seven well- directed volleys into the closed ranks of the enemy, by whom, meanwhile, the fire was returned "with " showers of musquetry and cannon-balls," as Coloncl Glover has stated, concerning it.

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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 106

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