History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 110

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

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As all intercourse between the City of New York and the Army, which was so exceedingly important, depended on the King's troops and Navy being mas- ters of the Sound, armed vessels were stationed, at short distances from each other, from Hell-gate to New Rochelle ; and every possible assistance was af- forded by Admiral Lord Howe, to facilitate the movements of the Army commanded by his brother. Indeed, in the words of one of the best-informed writers of the history of those operations of the King's Navy, himself an Officer of the Army and a personal witness of what he described, "a vigor "and exertion, unequalled in any former expedi- "tion, prevailed through all classes in the Navy, " extinguishing jealousies, and banishing all those "ideas of pre-eminence and rank that sometimes sub- "sist between the Fleet and the Army; and which

sidered it asonly a picket, or it would not have been mentioned in the despatches of both the Generals commanding nor have found a place on either of the official Maps of the Campaign.

5 General Howe to Lord George Germaine, " NEW-YORK, November 30, "1776 ; " [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 205 ; Santhier's Plan of the Operations of the King's Army ; A Plan of the Country from Frog's Point to Croton River ; etc

6 " NEW-YORK, October 21, 1776. On Friday sixty-five sail of vessels, " under convoy of the Diamond and Ambuscade, with the second divis- "ion of the Hessians and one thousand Waldeckers, under the command " of the Generals Knyphansen and Schmidtz, and a number of recruits for "the British troops, in all abont eight thousand effective men, arrived "off Sandy. Ilook. They sailed from Plymonth Sound, the 27th of July. " In the fleet are several victuallers and vessels laden with dranght- " horses for the train and baggage of the Army." (The New York Ga- zette and Weekly Mercury, No. 1304, NEW-YORK, Monday, October 21, 1776.)

See, also, Lord George Germaine to General Howe, " WHITEHALL, 21 " Jnne, 1776."

7 General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "NEW-YORK, November 30, "1776; " [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 206 ; Sauthier's Plau of the Operations of the King's Army ; Gordon's History of the Amer- icau Revolution, ii., 339 ; Plau of the Country from Frog's Point to Croton River ; etc.

Bolton, in his History of Westchester-county, (original edition, i., 440 ; second edition, i., 688) said General Knyphansen landed on Mycrs-point, or Daveuport's neck, " ten days previous to the battle of Whito-Plains," [October 18,] the day on which he had reached Sandy hook ; and in the first of the two editions, he cited, as his authority, Stedman's History of the .tmericau War, in which there is not the slightest mention of the date of the debarkation of the Division, beyond the fact that it was after the twenty-first of October, seven days before the action on Chatterton's- hill.

8 Admiral Lord Howe to Mr. Stephens, Secretary to the Admiralty, "EAGLE, OFF NEW-YORK, November 23, 1776."

* Those who are this designated (*) were, probably, of Westchester- connty familien.

+ James Cannady was one of the Bedford Company who had served throughout the Campaign of 1775, under Colonel James Holmes, (ride page 101, ante.)

*Jonathan Anstin, Francis Basley,

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

" have too often fatally contributed to national " dishouor." 1

. During the following night, [Tuesday, October 22,] the Division of the Americau Army which was com- manded by Major-general Sullivan reached the White Plains,2 and, probably, occupied a position in the proposed new line of the Army, ou the right of that already occupied by the Division commanded by Major-general Heath ; although we have not found any information, on that subject, among the con- temporary authorities.3

While General Sullivan and his command were thus moving towards the White Plains, a raid was made from the Regiment which occupied the en- trenched Camp at Mile-Square, in which a Corporal and two Privates, with the approval of the Colonel, " went out to sce what they could pick up," aud suc- ceeded in bringing in "a number of fat Cattle," with- out pretending, however, that they had belonged to the King's Army ; ‘ and, on the afternoon of the following day, [ Wednesday, October 23,] the same small party went out, again, but in a different direction-" going "directly to the rear of the Hessian Camp," [near East Chester,] " they went into a house where they " washed for the Officers, and were bringing off three " tubs of Shirts, when the man of the house informed "the Camp." The marauders were, of course, com- pelled to retreat; but, meeting some of their com- rades,-probably the party referred to in the following paragraph,-they rallied, drove back their Hessian pursuers, killed the Major who commanded the latter -from whom they took his Commission and ten guineas, in money-and a number of others, and cap- tured three prisoners,5 evidently securing to them- selves, also, very great credit.

1 [ Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 206.

2 Memoirs of General Heuth, 75.

3 It is one of the singular portions of the history of that eventful Cam- paign, that the only mention which we have found, concerning General Sullivan's services, as Major-general commanding one of the great Divisions of the American Army, in Westchester-county, is that merely incidental remark, by General Heath, to which we have referred. There appears, also, in the manuscript papers of General Sullivan, which we have carefully examined, personally, next to nothing on the subject ; there is nothing in the carefully-prepared Memoir of him, by his faithful biographer, Hon. Thomas C. Amory, which throws the faint- est light on the subject ; and Mr. Amory, whom it is our privilege to number among our oldest and dearest personal friends, is entirely un- able to afford the slightest information.

In view of the fact that he was placed in command of a great Di- Ision of the Army, while older and more pretentious Major-generals were left in less important positions, it cannot be pretended that that silence was produced by any want of respect for either his military character or his military services.

Extract of a letter from "CAMP AT MILE-SQUARE IN EASTCHESTER," dated " 23 October, 1776," published in The Freeman's Journal or New- Hampshire Gazette, Volume I., Number 25, PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday, No- vember 12, 1776.

5 Ibid.

In Lieutenant colonel Tench Tilghman's letter to William Duer. dated ' HEAD-QUARTERS, WHITE-PLAINS, October 23, 1776," the narrative was differently told, giving the entire credit for the insignificant affair to General Lee, as was usually done, in such cases, and stating that it oc- curred on the evening of the twenty-second ; and an Extract of a letter from Head-quarters, published, officially, by the Congress, " October 25,

During the same day, [Wednesday, October 23,] Colonel Glover, commanding the Brigade of whom Brigadier-general James Clinton was the commander -- the same who had distinguished themselves on the preceding Friday-sent out a party, mostly composed of men belonging to his own Regiment, to see what was to be seen and do what they could do. It is said that that Scouting-party met a body of the enemy and attacked it, killing, as has been already stated, twelve Hessians-one of them a Field-officer, on horseback-and taking three prisoners, besides the horse of the Officer who was killed; with the loss of one man, of Colonel Baldwin's Regiment, who was mortally wounded.6

On the same day, [Wednesday, October 23,] the Head-quarters of the Army were established "on the "Plain, near the cross-roads," at the White Plains.7

During the entire period succeeding the determina- tion to move the main body of the American Army from the Heights of Harlem to the White Plains, there were the most active preparations to secure a successful retreat, throughout every portion of the Army. It is said the Mortars, some of the Cannon, a portion of General Washington's Baggage, and some of the Sick had been taken to the western side of the Hudson-river, before that determination was made; 8 on the morning of the twenty-second, the Sick who had not been sent over the Hudson-river, were sent

"1776," and copied into The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1770, PHILA- DELPHIA, Wednesday, November 6, 1776, stated that the affair oc- curred on Wednesday, the twenty-third of October, as stated in the text ; that the supporting party belonged to Colonel Hand's Regiment of Rifle- men, instead of to Colonel Glover's Regiment ; that the Americans buried ten of the Hessians, on the field ; and that the only loss sustained by the Americans was " one lad wounded, supposed mortally." A letter from a Gentleman in the Army, dated " CAMP NEAR THE MILLS, ABOUT " THREE MILES NORTH OF THE WHITE PLAINS, November 1, 1776," pub- lished in Force's American Archives, V., iii., 473, stated that "our people " buried thirteen Hessians left dead on the field ; " that " one wounded "Lieutenant was taken ; " that, "although we had not one man killed

" on the ground," we had "six or eight wounded, but one, it is thought, "mortally ; " and that the Major's Commission was found on the ground ; "but whether it belonged to any of the slain or to some Officer "who might be wounded and carried off, they could not determine."

6 Colonel Glover's letter, dated " MILE-SQUARE, October 22,$ 1776," published in The Freeman's Journal and New-Hampshire Gazette, Vol. I., No. 27, PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday, November 26, 1776.

7 Doctor Sparks, in the Writings of George Washington, iv., 152, note ; Memoir of General Heath, 75.

Compare, also, Lieutenant-colonel Tilghman to the New York Convention, " HEAD-QUARTERS, VALENTINE'S-HIL.L., October 22, 1776," with the same

to William Duer, "HEAn-QUARTERS, WHITE-PLAINS, October 23, 1776."

8 Extract of a letter from Fort Lee, dated "October 20, 1776," published in The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1769, PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, Oc- tober 30, 1776.

See. also, General Washington to General Greene, "WHITE-PLAINS, " November 7, 1776 ;" General Washington to General Lee, " PEEKSKILL, "November 12, 1776 ; " etc.

* The structure of this letter clearly indicates that it was written by instalments-that it was commenced on the twenty-second, and received additions on the next day, on the succeeding Sunday, and after the en- gagement on Chatterton's-hill, which occurred on the following Mon- day.

This is stated in explanation of the seeming discrepancy in the date of the letter and that of the affair which is under notice.

431

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783.

to the White Plains, reaching that place on the fol- lowing morning; 1 and the Commander-in-chief " was " almost the whole time on horseback," 2 his Corre- spondenee3 and even the Orderly-books of the Army 4 clearly indicated that his personal supervision of the entire movement and of all which pertained to it was unstintingly given.

It is not now known when General Lee and his Division commenced its laborious mnareh, towards the White Plains ; 5 but it " was attended with mueh dif- " ficulty, for want of Wagons and Artillery-horses. "The Baggage and Artillery," it was said,6 "were "carried or drawn off by hand. When a part was " forwarded, the other was fetehed on. This was the " general way of removing the Camp-equipage and "other appendages of the Army. The few Teams " which were at hand, were no wise equal to the ser- " viee ; and their deficieney could be made up only " by the bodily labor of the men." Sometimes, the toiling column was in open view of the enemy, and at no considerable distance from him; and it is not explained why he did not disturb it, which he did not, although he could have easily done so, and have captured the greater number of the Cannon, Wag- ons, Horses, ete., which the American Army pos- sessed. Surely the little tree-fringed Bronx did not offer any serious obstruction : surely the entrenehed Camps behind which the heavily laden column was slowly marehing, and which were abandoned when the column reached them, those who had occupied them falling in and increasing the strength of the moving force, did not intimidate him : rather let it be supposed that General Howe's well-settled, well- supported poliey of exposing his men, in assaults on entreneliments, only when the objects to be attained by such assaults were adequate to the loss of men, in such assaults-" not wantonly to commit His Majes- "ty's troops, where the objeet was inadequate," was his own deseription of it-controlled him, as it had done in Brooklyn, while the King's Army was on Long Island. It appears, however, that General Lee

I How's Diary, October 22 and 23, 1776.

2 Sparks's Writings of George Washington, iv., 524.

3 The twenty-second of October afforded the only letter in his pub- lished Correspondence, between the fifteenth of October and the sixth of November ; and Doctor Sparks, who conducted his Writings through the Press, stated, in explanation, " the unsettled state of the Army, " for several days succeeding the date of this letter, " [that of the sixth of November, ] "allowed very little leisure to the Commander-in-chief "for writing."-( Writings of George Washington, iv., 157, note.)

4 In the published Orderly-books of the Army, there does not appear a single entry, not even of a' Parole and Countersign, between the eight- eentli and twenty-fifth of October.

5 It must have been as early as the twenty second, since the column had reached Ward's Bridge, now Tuckahoe, early on the morning of the twenty-fourth, (Memoirs of General Heath, 76 ;) it was still on its march, on the twenty-fifth, (Colonel R. II. Harrison to the Continental Congress, "HEAD-QUARTERS, WHITE-PLAINS, 25 October, 1776 ; ") and did not join the main body of the Army, at the White Plains, until the twenty-sixth, (Memoirs of General Heath, 75 ;) possibly, not until the twenty-eighth. (General Glover's letter, dated " MILE-SQUARE, October " 22, 1776.")

6 Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 339, 340.

varied his duties by throwing a party of liis command, over the Bronx, during the night of Wednesday, the twenty-third of October, in order to beat up the out- posts of the enemy ; and one of these, near Ward's Tavern, between Tuekahoe and Scarsdale, and oceu- pied by two hundred and fifty Hessians, was sueeess- fully attacked, early in the following morning, [Thursday, October 24,] ten of the number having been killed, and two taken prisoners;7 and it has been stated that, reeiproeally, a dash was made on the rear of the slowly moving column, somewhere in the line of mareh, in which, among other losses, General Lee and Captain Alexander Hamilton, the latter of the New York State Artillery, lost their Baggage.8 The column reached the White Plains, however, on Saturday, the twenty-sixth of October, with very lit- tle loss of either Stores or Troops.9 The movement of eight thousand men, with a train of one hundred and fifty Wagons, whiel "filled the road for four " miles," and with Artillery,10 under such peculiar eireumstances, with such a scareity of the means for transportation, and in the face-often, within half a

7 Editorial in a IIartford newspaper, October 28, copied in The Free- man's Journal and New-Hampshire Gazette, Volume I., Number 24, PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday, November 5, 1776 ; Memoirs of General Heath, 76.

8 Hon. James A. Hamilton, of Dobbs's-ferry, in a conversation with us,. many years ago, told us that his father, Captain Alexander Hamilton, lost his Baggage, on the march of General Lee's command front Harlem Heights to the White Plains; and The Middlesex Journal and Evening Advertiser, No. 1209, LONDON : From Saturday, December 21, to Tuesday, December 24, 1776, contains a letter from Westchester, dated November 10, 1776, and carried to England by the Fowey, in which it was stated, " Upon landing at New-Rochelle, we fonud the church full of Salt .* Our "troops advanced to this place where we took General Lee's baggage."

In the same number of the same newspaper, another letter "from an " Officer in Gen. Howe's Army, in the Province of New York," dated' " Nov. 11, 1776," is printed, in which it is said, " A little beyond West " Chester some of our people found a pipe of wine, directed for General " Lee, and nine puncheons of rum, which the General ordered to be "staved, lest the soldiers should get drunk."

9 Memoirs of General Heath, 76; Stedman's History of the American Wur, i., 212; Marshall's Life of George Washington, ii., 502.

Colonel John Glover, in the letter from which we have learned so much of this Campaign, and who was with General Lee, stated, evidently erroneously, that the column did not reach the White Plains until ten o'clock on Monday morning, the twenty eighth of October, after having marched during the whole of the preceding night, (Colonel Glover's let- ter, dated " MILE-SQUARE, October 22, 1776," published in The Freeman's Journal and New-Hampshire Gazette, Volume I., Number 27, PORTSMOUTHI, Tuesday, November 26, 1776 ;) but the Letter from a Gentleman in the Army, dated " CAMP NEAR THE HILLS, ABOUT THREE MILES NORTH OF " THE WHITE PLAINS, Noventber 1, 1776," reprinted in Force's American Archives, V., iii., 471-474, stated that "General Lee reached the Plains, " and marched out, westward, between the main body of the Army and " the river," [that is, he occupied the right of the line, between General Sullivan's command and the Bronx-river.] " This was on the 25th and " 26th of October," the author of the letter added. The official Plan of the Country from Frog's Point to Croton River and Santhier's Plan of the Operations, etc., each stated that the column was not in motion after the twenty-serenth of October.

There is abundant evidence, within Colonel Glover's own letter, that he was in error, two days, in this particular statement.

10 Colonel Glorer's letter, dated " MILE.SQUARE, October 22, 1776."

* That Salt is said to have been owned by the State of New York. It was very valuable ; and the loss of it was also noticed in the American records of that period.

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

mile and in open sight-of an active, powerful, well- supplied, and well-disciplined enemy, with very lit- tle, if with any, loss,1 was a feat which reflected and continues to reflect, the highest honor on both the General in command and the men whom he com- manded. The entire Army, except the troops who had been left on Mount Washington and at Kings- bridge-about fourteen hundred at the former, and six hundred at the latter-was, then, concentrated at the White Plains,2 awaiting and preparing for the great events which were rapidly approaching.

The White Plains, the place which appeared to have been designated by both the great opposing powers, as if by mutual consent, for that on which the great questions then pending between Great Britain and the united States of America were to be determined by the arbitrament of Arms, the County-seat of the ancient County of Westchester, is situated on the upper extremity of a fine plain, about twenty-six miles from the City of New York. At the time of which we write, the Village was composed of a con- siderable number of comfortable dwellings, scattered along the sides of two or three roads which converged at that place, two Taverns, a Presbyterian Meeting- house and a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, and the Court-house of the County, within which, probably, all the County-offices were, also, sheltered. About three quarters of a mile westward from the principal roadway of the unpretentious little Village, flowed the small stream which was, then, as it is, now, called " The Bronx-river," forming the western boundary of the plain referred to, and separating it from "The " Manor of Philipseborough ; " to the Northwest and Northeast of the Village, respectively, were bold and sometimes abrupt elevations, united by less elevated ground with a gradual descent toward the Village, the whole forming the northern boundary of "the " White Plains," below; and beyond those flanking elevations and that intervening high ground, to the northward of the Village, and not more than a inile distant from the northern extremity of it, in the Town of Northcastle, was the high and rocky ground which is, now, so well known, in history, as that to which the American Army swung back, after the action on Chatterton's-hill.3

1 " You are misinformed as to the quantity of Provisions we have lost. " When General Lee removed, lie was obliged to leave eighty or ninety " barrels of Provisions, of all kinds, for want of Wagons."-(Lieutenant- colonel Tench Tilghman to William Duer, "HEAn-QUARTERS, WHITE- " PLAINS, October 27, 1776.")

Baucroft, in his History of the United States, (original edition, ix., 179 ; the same, centeuary edition, v., 443,) said "sixty or seventy harrels of " Provisions" were lost. We have heard of no other loss, except that of General Lee's Baggage and Wine.

2 Colonel R. H. Harrison to the Continental Congress, " HEAD-QUAR- " TERS, WHITE-PLAINS, 25 October, 1776."

3 Our own knowledge of the ground, as it was, more than thirty years ago, forms the groundwork of this description ; and we have been fa- vored, further, in our work of describing the topography of that vicinity, with the assistance of our valued friend of many years, Hon. Lewis C. Platt, formerly Surrogate of the County, aud with that of our not less esteemed friend, Hon. J. O. Dykman, Justice of the Supreme Court, hoth

The site of the encampment which the American Army occupied was on the high grounds, northwest- ward and northeastward from the Village, and the lower grounds between them ; with covering positions, on either flank. A temporary line of works had been previously constructed along the northerly line of the road which extended from the Meeting-house of the Presbyterian-church, past the house of Jacob Purdy, to the Bronx-river +-that road which connected the White Plains with Dobbs's-ferry ; but the entrench- ments which were thrown up for the defence of the Army, occupied a line from the Bronx-river, at a point which was nearly opposite to the residence of the late William Roberts, on the right; over the summit of the hill which is to the northward of the Harlem Railroad Station, then owned by 'Squire Jacob Purdy, more recently by his son, Jacob, and now by numer- ous owners, eastward, over properties more re- cently owned by the younger Jacob Purdy, Daniel Dusenberry, and Alexander C. Tompkins-those of Jacob Purdy being now owned by numerous per- sons ; those of Daniel Dusenberry, by his children ; and those of Alexander C. Tompkins, by his widow -to the Post-road, which was the principal street of the Village. Occupying the Post-road was a strong earth work, some small remains of which, bearing an old howitzer, en barbette, may still be seen, opposite to the residence of Mrs. Tompkins, already referred to ; and, eastward from that central earthwork, up the gradual slope, over properties recently owned by Leonard Miller, John Fisher, the widow of James Fisher, and Henry Willetts-those of Leonard Miller being now owned by his two sons; those of John Fisher, by numerous persons; and those of Henry Willetts, by Charles Deutermann-to what was then known as Horton's-pond, now known as "St. Mary's "Lake," of which mention has been already made.5 The right flank of the line was covered by the Bri- gades commanded, respectively, by Generals McDou- gal and Lord Stirling ; 6 and its left was covered by

of whom are old residents of the Village, and perfectly familiar with the ground.

4 Very much more importauce has been recently attached to this evi- dently temporary line of defence than it was entitled to enjoy. It was probably thrown up by the small body of Militia who had occupied that position, as a guard of the Stores which had been accumulated at that place, while the main Army occupied the Heights of Harlem ; but the subsequent occupation of the ground, which has been described in the text, by the main Army, was followed by the construction of a line of works, on the high ground, on the rear of that temporary line, the last-named of which was abandoned on Saturday, the twenty-sixth of October .*

5 This description of the line of defences occupied hy the American Army, at the White Plains, was originally prepared, more than thirty years ago, with great care, from every authority which was then known to us and from information derived from aged people who have since passed away ; and the present ownership of the several properties over which the line extended has been ascertained and communicated to us hy Hon. Lewis C. Platt and Hon. J. O. Dykman, to whom we have already grate- fully referred.

6 " I now suatch an opportunity by the Post of informing you that

* "26-We Have ben a moveing our Tents to the top of the Hill th s " Day."-(David llow's Diary, October 26, 1776.")

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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783.

the Brigades commanded, respectively, by Generals George Clinton, John Morin Scott, and Samnel H. Parsons, the two former having been posted near the Purchase,1 and the latter at the head of King-street, near Rye pond.2

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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 110

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