USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York, Vol. II > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27
555
CITY OF NEW YORK.
neighbor, Verplanck's Point, on the Hudson River. Yet victory was not wholly on the side of the British ; the brilliant recapture of Stony Point by General Wayne on the 15th of July, 1779, inspired the Americans with fresh courage, and the naval victory of John Paul Jones closed the campaign with signal success to the patriot forces. Late in December of the same year, Sir Henry Clinton embarked in person for Savannah with seven thousand men, leaving New York in charge of General Knyphausen.
The winter of 1779-80 was one of intense severity. Anticipating the scarcity of fuel, the commander-in-chief had ordered the wood on Staten and Long Islands to be cut by the proprietors and brought into market under penalty of forcible seizure, yet this provision failed to secure the needed supply, and many of the citizens were even compelled to burn their furniture for fuel as a last resort .*
* We are indebted to the late Isaac Bell, sen., long a resident of this city, who had seen the Revolution with his own eyes, been present when the iron balls were broken by the people from the railing about the Bowling Green to serve as leaden missives to the crew of the Asia ou the occasion of the bombardment of the city, and when the statue of George III. was dragged from its pedestal and drawn through the streets of the city ; who had angled for blackfish in the waters about the Old Jersey, and skated with Prince William Henry, the future William IV., then an awkward sailor boy on his first cruise, on the Lis- penard Meadows-the Collect being regarded as too dangerous a place for the scion of royalty-for very many interesting reminiscences of this winter, which, he said, exceeded any thing in severity that had ever been dreamed of by tint classic authority, the oldest inhabitant. Wood was not to be had at any price, und many families would split up their chairs and tables to cook their break- fast, then go to bed for the rest of the day in order to keep warm. The father of Mr. Bell. a well-known ship-builder of the city, cut up a cable worth six hun- dred dollars for backlogs, and a spar of the same value for firewood. The rivers about the city were transformed into a solid bridge of ice for forty days ;
556
HISTORY OF THE
Firewood was scarce and hardly to be bought at any price ; provisions were dear, and the general suffering was increased still more by the depreciation of the Con- tinental currency, which, taken at par, remained a drug in the hands of its possessors. Excessive suffering was experienced among the poor, as well as in the American army, still encamped in the Jerseys, and enduring a repetition of the horrors of Valley Forge. The waters about New York were transformed into a solid block of ice, and men and horses passed over with impunity to the Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut shores. Tempted by the opportunity afforded him by the icy bridge, Lord Stirling projected a secret expedition to Staten Island from the Jersey shores, hoping to surprise the detachments which were stationed there ; but the vigilant Tories of the neighborhood gave the alarm. A convoy of eighty sleighs, filled with provisions and stores, with the same number of cannon, was sent at once, under an escort of a hundred soldiers, from New York to the relief of the island ; and Stirling was forced on his arrival to retreat with a trifling loss.
The campaign of 1780 opened disastrously for the patriots. After making himself master of South Caro- lina by a series of brilliant successes, Clinton returned in June to New York, leaving Cornwallis with a strong
detachment to guard the conquered province. The defeat of Gates and Sumter soon followed, and the British commander remained in triumphant possession
forty days; and Mr. Bell said that he saw with his own eyes the eighty cannon above alluded to, dragged across to Staten Island from the foot of Rector street to repel the expected attack of Lord Stirling.
557
CITY OF NEW YORK.
of the whole of the southern region, harassed, it is true, by an annoying guerrilla warfare on the part of Sumter and Marion. In the meantime, Knyphausen crossed with a detachment of five thousand men from Staten Island to New Jersey, and, taking possession of Eliza- bethtown and burning Connecticut Farms, endeavored to wrest the province from the American forces, but, finding them too strong for him, was compelled to retreat and to return to the city.
The treason of Arnold was the prominent event of the year 1780. Brave almost to rashness, he had achieved brilliant successes in the previous campaigns, and won the implicit confidence of Washington. But despite his consummate military talents-despite the northern cam- paign and the battle of Behmus' Heights, in which his tact and ability had won the admiration of both friends and foes, he had for some time been growing unpopular both with Congress and with the people. With the for- mer, this was natural. Arnold was a man of fearless courage ; no officer in the ranks of the army had served more efficiently or won more brilliant victories than had he, and in acknowledged bravery and military ability he stood foremost among the generals of the day ; yet, despite this, Congress evinced a manifest disposition to keep him in the background by promoting inferior offi- cers above him, and constantly assigning to him subordi- nate commands. Much of this may be attributed to military jealousy ; much, too, it may be, to the fact that he was known as a warm friend of Washington, who, at this time, was far from popular in the councils of the nation. Chafed by these tokens of evident injustice, and
558
HISTORY OF THE
goaded on by a naturally jealous and imperious disposi- tino, Arnold complained bitterly of the slights to which he was subjected ; while Washington used every effort to soothe his wounded spirit, and on the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British forces in 1778, procured him the command of the city. Soon after his entrance into his new office, he married Margaret Shippen, the daugh- ter of a well-known Tory citizen of Philadelphia, who had been the friend and companion of the young British officers quartered in the city during the previous winter, among whom was Major Andre, the aid-de-camp and confidential friend of Sir Henry Clinton. This union tempted him to the indulgence of his naturally luxu- rious tastes; the finest house in the town was chosen by him as his residence, and fitted up in a costly style, and his whole menage was conducted in a manner better befitting the purse of a prince than that of a simple officer of an impoverished army. This extravagance soon excited the murmurs of the citizens, who openly accused him of peculation. To add to this, he soon became involved in disputes with the mayor and com- mon council in respect to the bounds of his authority as the military commandant of the city ; and, by their direc- tion, he was finally prosecuted by the attorney-general of the State on various charges of criminality and willful abuse of power, tried by a court-martial, found guilty in part, and sentenced to be reprimanded by the commander-in-chief. This painful task was performed by Washington with all possible delicacy ; despite the faults of Arnold, he loved him as a brother, and had con- stanily endeavored to soothe his fiery temper and to
CITY OF NEW YORK.
559
Private Room of Sir Henry Clinton in the Kennedy House, now the Washington Hotel, No. 1 Broadway.
١
561
CITY OF NEW YORK.
persuade him to endure his grievances with manly forti- tude. Stung to the quick by the public rebuke, the proud and impatient general speedily resolved on a revenge which, if not more justifiable, might have been more excusable, had it not been mingled with mer- cenary conditions. But, drawn on by his late alliance to aspire to a luxurious household with little means of support beyond those he derived from the impoverished treasury of his country, he now resolved by selling him- self to effect the twofold purpose of accomplishing his revenge and of procuring the means for a continuance of his pleasures.
For this purpose, he first offered himself to the French ambassador, who rejected his overtures with scorn. Foiled in this quarter, he next opened a nego- tiation with Clinton through the medium of Major André, who received him with open arms. The better to effect his treasonable designs, and to enhance their value to the enemies of his country, he sought and obtained the command of West Point, at this time the key of the American possessions, which he proposed to deliver into the hands of Clinton. The price of this treachery was fixed at ten thousand pounds sterling, with the post of brigadier-general in the British army.
At this time, Sir Henry Clinton had his head-quarters in the Kennedy House, No. 1 Broadway, now the Wash- ington Hotel. Here he laid his plans for the seizure of West Point, and intrusted the brave young Andre with the papers and commission necessary to effect the pur- pose, which proved his death-warrant, paving the way to an ignominious doom. The sequel has been too 36
562
HISTORY OF THE
often and too graphically described in general histories to require a detailed notice at our hands. The gallant young officer was arrested on his return from his perilous errand, and, despite the earnest efforts of Clin- ton, despite the anguish of Washington himself, con- demned to execute a sentence against which his heart revolted, was sacrificed to that inexorable military code which prescribes an ignoble death on the gallows as the inevitable doom of a spy. But far different was his death from that of young Hale ; his last moments were soothed by every attention that humanity could dictate, and, a victim to the stern necessities of war, he met his fate amid the tears of his executioners. Arnold, mean- while, received the price of blood, and took up his abode in New York, branded with the scorn even of those for whom he had sacrificed his honor. Here he lived for some time in partial concealment, sometimes in the Verplanck House in Wall street, and sometimes at No. 9 Broadway, near the residence of Clinton. The most earnest efforts were made by his incensed countrymen to effect his capture. The gallant Champe, risking his life and reputation, feigned to desert to the British army, and, escaping with difficulty the pursuit of his comrades, swam the river to New York, where he was warmly received by Arnold, his perilous escape insuring full faith in the fidelity of his professions. The supposed deserter at once gained free access to the house in Broadway, and matured his plans for the projected capture. An alley adjoined the garden of the 'house, through which the conspirators proposed to pass, and, entering the garden by removing some palings, pre-
563
CITY OF NEW YORK.
viously loosened by Champe, to proceed to the house under the guidance of their comrade, seize their victim, gag him, and carry him off by the same route to the boat which would await them by the shore. The plan was well laid ; a fortuitous circumstance alone prevented its execution. On the day preceding the one fixed for the capture, Champe was ordered to embark for Chesa- peake, while Arnold removed from his head-quarters to another house nearer the place of embarkation. The Americans, punctual at the rendezvous, waited in vain for several hours on the opposite shore ; then returned to the camp, disappointed in one of their dearest wishes. Champe seized the earliest opportunity to desert from the southern army and return to his comrades to clear up the stain that had rested on his honor. Arnold remained in the service of the British until the close of the war, when he repaired to England, where he died in 1801, leaving a name black- ened with infamy.
The winter of 1780-81 differed little from the pre- ceding. Disaffection prevailed among the army, who grumbled at their scanty fare and arrears of pay. So violent did this feeling become that, on the first of January, the Pennsylvania troops abandoned the main army in a body, and set out for Philadelphia to demand of Congress a redress of their grievances. On hearing of this, Sir Henry Clinton at once dispatched emissaries to induce them to desert to the British service, but the indignant patriots seized the agents, bound them, and delivered them up to Congress to be treated as spies. They were met at Princeton by a deputation from
564
HISTORY OF THE
1
Congress, which promised them relief. Steps were immediately taken to secure the needed provisions ; taxes and requisitions were levied upon the surrounding country, and money, ammunition and clothing were furnished in tolerable supplies. Much of this was due to the influence of Robert Morris, a wealthy merchant of Philadelphia and able financier, at that time superin- tendent of the treasury, who exhausted every resource that his means and credit could offer, and resorted to every expedient that his ingenuity could invent, to fur- nish the necessary provisions and prevent the army from disbanding in hopeless despair.
The southern campaign of this year opened favorably for the Americans. General Greene, who had super- seded Gates in the command of the southern army, harassed the British forces severely, and forced them at length to retreat to Charleston, leaving him in possession of the rest of the Carolinas. Meanwhile, Lafayette, in Virginia, watched the movements of Cornwallis, and thwarted his plans continually.
In June, the French army under Count Rochambeau marched from Newport to rejoin Washington in the Ilighlands, and, at the same time, intelligence was received that Count de Grasse was on his way from France with a powerful fleet to the American coasts. Anticipating that New York would be the next point of attack, Clinton ordered Cornwallis to abandon the interior of Virginia and march to the sea-coast, to be in readiness to reinforce the garrison of the city. The latter obeyed, and proceeding to Yorktown on the south side of York River, intrenched himself there ; Glou-
565
CITY OF NEW YORK.
cester's Point, on the opposite side of the river, being occupied by Col. Tarleton.
Toward the last of August, De Grasse appeared off the coast, and, instead of proceeding to New York as had been expected, made his way to the Chesapeake, where, entering the bay, he engaged the British fleet under Graves which arrived a few days after, and covered the landing of the French squadron from Newport which had been dispatched with stores for the siege of Corn- wallis, now blockaded at Yorktown by several frigates under the command of Lafayette. Worsted in the action, Graves returned to New York to refit, leaving De Grasse in possession of the bay. In the meantime, Washington and Rochambeau, who had succeeded in firmly persuading Clinton of their designs on New York, suddenly took up their march for Yorktown, nor was the astonished general aware of the feint until they were safely encamped before the army of Cornwallis.
Hoping to divert the attention of Washington, Clinton dispatched Arnold on a marauding expedition against Connecticut, which resulted in the burning of New Lon- don, together with the destruction of Fort Griswold and the massacre of its brave commander, Captain Ledyard, with the greater part of the garrison. But this brutal out- rage did not serve to check the advances of the combined armies, who had now completely invested Cornwallis. On the evening of the 9th of October, a heavy fire was opened by the besiegers on the town, which was con- tinued at intervals for several days. On the 14th, a simultaneous attack was made by a French and Ameri- can detachment, the latter under the command of Alex-
566
HISTORY OF THE
ander Hamilton, upon two redoubts, in advance and on the left of the British lines, which were successfully carried. The works were immediately included within the American lines, and a cannonading opened thence upon Cornwallis. Seeing himself thus closely besieged, his guns dismounted, his men constantly falling around him, and all hope of escape definitively cut off, after a last attempt at a desperate sally, the general at length consented to surrender, and, on the 17th of October, capitulated to the patriot forces, and surrendered' him- self with seven thousand troops as prisoners of war. Five days afterwards, Sir Henry Clinton appeared in the mouth of the Chesapeake with large reinforcements, but on hearing of the surrender, returned with preci- pitation to New York.
This signal victory virtually closed the war. Public rejoicings were proclaimed throughout the country, and the 13th of December was set apart as a day of general thanksgiving. The victorious army separated ; De Grasse set sail for the West Indies, Rochambeau bivouacked in Virginia for the winter campaign, and Washington returned with the main body of the army to his fortified post in the Highlands, first sending St. Clair with a strong detachment to the southern army to reinforce General Greene.
Upon the reception of the news of this defeat in Eng- land, Clinton was superseded in his command by Sir Guy Carleton, who arrived at New York soon after, and took up his residence in the Kennedy, now the Gov- ermment House. But it was evident to all that the appointment was merely nominal, and that the time had
567
CITY OF NEW YORK.
come for the cessation of hostilities. The peace party in Parliament renewed their efforts to put an end to the war, and, strengthened by the manifest public approval, their influence grew so formidable that, on the 28th of March, 1782, Lord North resigned his place at the head of the Cabinet. His office was immediately filled by Lord Rockingham, the leader of the opposition. Under his leadership, the future could not be doubtful, and Sir Guy Carleton was charged with instructions to negotiate for an early treaty of peace. The summer passed away in correspondence and negotiations ; and it was not until the 30th of November of the same year that preliminary articles of peace were signed at Paris by Mr. Oswald, on the part of Great Britain, and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens in behalf of the United States. Thomas Jefferson, who should have been among the number, was absent by reason of the illness of his wife. Similar articles were soon after concluded between France and England. For some time, the ambassadors attempted through intrigue to prevail on the American Commissioners to accept a truce for twenty years instead of an open acknowledg- ment of independence ; and it is even asserted that Franklin himself had nearly assented to this arrangement, but, just at this juncture, John Jay arrived from Spain, and flatly refused to accept such a compromise. Oswald at length reluctantly consented to the proposed conditions, and, on the 3d of September, 1783, signed a definitive treaty on the part of Great Britain, recognizing the independence of the United States, and fixing the great lakes on the North and the Mississippi on the West as
568
CITY OF NEW YORK.
the boundaries of the new nation. The Floridas were ceded to Spain, their former owner, and the contested point of an unlimited right of fishing on the banks of Newfoundland was conceded to the United States by the British government.
A cessation of hostilities had been proclaimed in the American camp on the preceding 19th of April, the eighth anniversary of the battle of Lexington. On the 3d of November, 1783, the Continental army was disbanded by order of Congress, and, on the 25th of the same month, General Washington entered the city of New York at noon, by the Bowery, then the only road, while, at the same time, the British troops evacuated the city, and, entering the ships that lay anchored in the harbor, unfurled their sails and slowly sailed down the bay. The American militia, under the command of General Knox, immediately took command of the fort, the stars and stripes for the first time were unfurled from its walls, a triumphant salute was fired by the corps of artillery, and, after a seven years' foreign occupation, New York was again in possession of her citizens.
CHAPTER XVIII.
1783-1801.
Washington in New York-Parting with his Officers at Fraunces' Tavern-Progress of the City --- The Doctors' Mob.
Nor openly and fairly was this evacuation made ; the British, departing by the provisions of an honorable treaty, employed the last moments of their presence in the city in the commission of a base and umnanly out- rage. Unreeving the halliards of the flagstaff at Fort George, they knocked off the cleats and greased the pole to prevent the hoisting of the American colors ; then evacuated the fort, sure that the stars and stripes would not be hoisted until they were far out of sight of their folds.
The discovery of this act excited general indignation, yet it did not delay the ceremony as its perpetrators had wished. A sailor-boy attempted at once to climb the bare pole, but it was too slippery, and he failed in the attempt. Upon this, the bystanders ran precipitately to Goelet's hardware store in Hanover Square, and, pro- curing hammers, nails, and other necessary tools, set to
570
HISTORY OF THE
work, some to saw, some to split, and others to bore new cleats for the flagstaff. Filling his pockets with these, the sailor-boy tied the halliards around his waist, and, mailing the cleats above him on the right and left, ascended, reeved the halliards, and hoisted the flag to its place ; and as the stars and stripes reached the top of the mast, a salute of thirteen guns rung its echoes in the ears of the discomfited troops, not yet out of hear- ing of the sound of triumph.
Another incident, related by an eye-witness of the scene. who is still living, may serve to illustrate the reluctance with which the British quitted their hold of the city which they had so long claimed as their own. By the conditions agreed upon, the city was to be surrendered at noon, but an impatient shopkeeper in the neighbor- hood of Chambers street anticipated the arrangement, and hoisted the American flag during the course of the morning. Provost-marshal Cunningham hastened to the spot and confronted the proprietor. "Pull down " that flag;" exclaimed he with an oath ; "the city " belongs to the British till noon." The man objected, hesitated, and was on the point of yielding, when the good woman of the house came to the rescue. "The " flag shall not come down," said she. Cunningham stormed and swore, and finally attempted to tear down the colors with his own hands, but the woman assailed him so vigorously with her broomstick, striking a cloud of powder from his wig at each blow, that he was forced at last to abandon the field and leave the stars and stripes in quiet possession.
General Knox was at onee installed as commander-in-
CITY OF NEW YORK.
571
Dining-room in Fraunces' Tavern, corner of Pearl and Broad Streets.
573
CITY OF NEW YORK.
chief of the military forces in the city. General Washington lingered a few days, fixing his head-quarters at Fraunces' or Black Sam's Tavern, as it was familiarly called in allusion to the swarthy complexion of its pro- prietor, on the corner of Pearl, then Queen, and Broad streets, where at noon, on the 4th of December, his officers assembled to bid him farewell. The scene was an affect- ing one. The dangers and privations of years had knit officers and general together as comrades, and now that the object of all was attained, in the happiness of peace was felt the pang of separation. Washington himself could scarce restrain his feelings; his friends did not attempt to do so. Filling a glass for a farewell toast, he turned to the company and said : " With a heart full of " love and gratitude, I now take leave of you, and most " devoutly wish that your latter days may be as pros- " perous and happy as your former ones have been "glorious and honorable." He raised the glass to his lips, then continued : " I cannot come to each of you to " take my leave ; but shall be obliged if each one will "come and take me by the hand." They obeyed in silence-none could speak ; Knox first, then the others embraced him in turn ; then turning silently from the weeping group, he passed from the room, and walked to Whitehall, followed by his comrades, where a barge was in waiting to convey him to Paulus Hook. Having entered the boat, he bade them adieu with a silent ges- ture, and the procession returned to their place of rendezvous, mute and dejected at the loss of their leader. Washington proceeded to Annapolis, where Congress was then in session, and, resigning his commission as
574
HISTORY OF THE
commander-in-chief, hastened to Mount Vernon to resume the duties of a private citizen.
The city now began to fall back into a state of order, and to resume the appearance of tranquillity. It was time, indeed ; its commerce was ruined and its growth retarded ; it had paid a heavy tribute to the cause of liberty. No change was made in the character of the city government. The Dongan and Montgomerie charters were resumed as authority, the controlling power that had formerly been exercised by Great Britain being vested in the State. The city was still divided into seven wards, an alderman and an assistant from each of which were chosen annually by the people, while the appoint- ment of the mayor remained with the State government. This office was solicited by the mass of the people for James Duane, a native-born citizen, who had wrecked his fortune in the Revolutionary struggle, and had now returned to his farm, near Gramercy Park, to find his house burned and his property destroyed. The desired appointment was granted by Clinton, and, on the 5th of February, 1784, he was installed as the first mayor of the city under the new regime ; an office which he con tinued to hold until 1789, when he resigned it for that of District Judge of the District of New York.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.