USA > New York > History of the state of New York, for the use of common schools, academies, normal and high schools, and other seminaries of instruction > Part 13
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Surprise of British garrison at Paulus Hook. - Attack of Brant upon the settlement at Minisink.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
15. Brant, having detected this movement, immediately threw his force into the rear of his opponent, and placed them advantageously in ambush, while he executed a series of skilful and successful manœuvres to draw off his attention. Upwards of fifty men were separated from the main body, leaving the re- mainder to sustain the shock of the enemy's attack. Occupying the summit of a hill, and drawn up in hollow squares, they maintained the unequal contest for several hours, when their sheltered position became exposed, and they were surrounded by their foes, and compelled to surrender at discretion or cut their way through their merciless enemies. The wounded-seventeen in number-were immediately butchered, forty-five were slaugh- tered in their efforts to retreat, and of the whole body thirty only escaped.
16. But the hour of fearful retribution was at hand. An ex- pedition was organized under the direction of Washington, and placed under the command of General Sullivan, for the effectual extirpation of these savage and brutal marauders : the main body, under Sullivan in person, to operate in Pennsylvania and the neighborhood of the Wyoming Valley ; and the other, under General James Clinton, brother of the Governor and father of De Witt Clinton, to move from Canajoharie by way of Otsego Lake and the Susquehanna River to unite with the main body at Tioga Point.
17. General Clinton, at the head of fifteen hundred men, reached Canajoharie on the 16th of June, and on the succeeding day commenced the transportation of his boats - two hundred . and ten in number, with the necessary stores - to the head of Otsego Lake, a distance of twenty miles, over roads cut through the forests and over the hills. With the efficient assistance of Colonel Willett he accomplished this task in ten days, and on the Ist of July passed down the lake to its outlet, near the present village of Cooperstown, where he awaited orders from Sullivan, erecting, in the mean while, a dam across the outlet for facility of transportation, as well as for the destruction, by the overflow of its waters on removal, of the crops of the Indians on the banks of the Susquehanna, - both which objects were fully ac-
Battle at Minisink. - Generals Sullivan and Clinton's expedition against the Indians.
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INDIAN ATROCITIES.
complished, to the astonishment and surprise of the savages, who were ignorant of the cause.
18. It was not, however, until late in August that the di- vision joined General Sullivan at Tioga, and their united forces proceeded up the east bank of the Chemung River, destroying the crops of the Indians in their progress. On the 29th the enemy were discovered in force, occupying an advantageous po- sition near the present site of Elmira. The brigades of Generals Clinton and Poor were advanced against the position occupied by the enemy's right, the possession of which was fiercely contested by Brant and his Indians, who, after a protracted and skilful defence, were at length driven back, and General Poor pressed to the attack of the left flank.
19. Rallying his warriors to a renewed effort, and supported by his Tory allies, Brant again sounded the terrible war-whoop, and the contest was resumed with desperate energy. The su- periority of the invading force, however, and the presence of the . artillery, soon compelled them to yield, and a precipitate retreat ensued. The fugitives were followed for two miles, leaving their dead and tomahawks and scalping-knives behind. During the ensuing two weeks their villages and crops were destroyed throughout the entire settlement, including the chief town, near Geneva, in which were some sixty houses surrounded by orchards and cornfields, and those on the present sites of Water- loo, Canandaigua, Honeyoye, Genesee, and Cuyler, and on the banks of Cayuga Lake.
20. On the 14th of September the army crossed the Genesee River, where, at the old town of Genesee, they found the muti- lated remains of Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant Parker, who had been cruelly put to death by torture, by command of Butler, notwithstanding the protection solemnly pledged them by Brant. Upwards of a hundred and twenty houses, seven hundred acres of growing corn, and vast quantities of other property belonging to the Indians, were here destroyed. Recrossing the river on the 16th, the troops commenced their homeward march, reaching
Progress of the expedition. - Defeat of the Indians, and destruction of their villages and crops. - Martyrdom of Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant Parker. - Destruction of the old Genesee village. - Return of the expedi- tion.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
Wyoming on the 30th and Eastern Pennsylvania on the 15th of October.
21. This severe chastisement of the Indians, while it afforded a temporary check to their ravages and subjected them to great suffering and distress, failed, nevertheless, in reducing to any considerable extent their effective numerical force, or preventing their retaliation on the frontier settlements whenever a favor- able opportunity was presented. The wholesale destruction of property by the invading army, and the disgraceful brutality of portions of the troops in emulating the worst barbarities of their savage foes, reflected no small discredit on the enterprise in the estimation of the friends of humanity at home and abroad.
CHAPTER X.
TREASON OF ARNOLD. - CAPTURE AND EXECUTION OF ANDRE. - CLOSE OF THE WAR.
1. Ox the 3d of February, 1780, five companies of Continental troops, consisting of about two hundred and fifty men,
1780. commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, of Massa- chusetts, stationed at a place known as Young's house, on the Tarrytown Road, in Westchester County, a few miles north of the village, were attacked by a force of between five and six hundred royalists from Kingsbridge and Fort Washington, under the command of Colonel Norton. The little garrison, taken by surprise, were unprepared for defence; and after a gallant and severe conflict were compelled to retreat with the loss of one officer and thirteen men killed, thirty-seven wounded, and twenty prisoners. The Royal Grenadiers having forced a house in which a few of the fugitives had taken refuge, it was set on fire and burned to the ground, with five wounded men who were unable to effect their escape.
2. In the year 1778 a strong redoubt, called Fort Clinton in honor of George Clinton, then Governor of New York, had been
Results of the expedition. - Affair at Young's house, near Tarrytown.
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
erected on the extreme end of the promontory of West Point, on the west bank of the Hudson, which, with other defences, in- cluding an enormous iron chain, each ring of which weighed one hundred pounds, stretched across the river, were intended to strengthen this important position and prevent the access of the British.
3. BENEDICT ARNOLD, in an evil hour for his own fame, had been, in the fall of 1780, assigned to the command of this post. His previous splendid services in the French and Indian War and during Burgoyne's campaign had been somewhat obscured by subsequent events, while in temporary command at Philadelphia in 1778, and he had been reprimanded by Washington under sentence of a court martial for alleged official malpractices and dishonesty. Still he possessed the full confidence of the Com- mander-in-Chief, and was believed to be entirely trustworthy.
4. Smarting under the disgrace of his sentence and the repri- mand of the General, and oppressed by pecuniary embarrass- ments, he was induced, while in command of West Point, to enter into a treasonable correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, the commander of the British army at New York, having for its ultimate object the betrayal of the fortress committed to his charge, with its dependencies, in consideration of fifty thousand dollars and a brigadier's commission in the English army.
5. On the 3d of August, Arnold took command of the for- tress, establishing his head-quarters at a house on the opposite side of the river, formerly belonging to Colonel Beverly Robin- son, but which, on account of his adhesion to the Royalists, had been confiscated by the Americans. West Point, occupying a position which commanded the communication between the Eastern and Southern States, and being considered impregnable to attack, was regarded as the strongest and most important military post in the Union. A treasonable correspondence had been carried on between Arnold and Major John Andre, Adju- tant-General of the British army, in behalf of Sir Henry Clinton, for nearly eighteen months previous to the occupation of the fort, under the names of "Gustavus" and "John Anderson,"
Treason of Arnold. - Arnold's occupation of West Point. - Ilis treason- able correspondence with Andre.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
and a tempting opportunity was now afforded for the culmina- tion of the negotiations.
6. Arnold was now desirous of a personal interview with André ; and with a view to this object he informed Colonel Sheldon, the commander of a troop of horse at Salem, West- chester County, that he expected a person from New York with a flag of truce, directing him to meet him at Dobbs's Ferry and escort him to head-quarters. Sheldon, in ignorance of the pur- port of this communication, returned it, with a message that he would be unable to meet the flag, and expressing the hope that General Arnold would himself be able to do so. To this ar- rangement the latter assented.
7. On arriving at the ferry, however, neither Andre nor Bev- erly Robinson, who was cognizant of the whole affair, appeared. Arnold immediately wrote to Washington, who was at Tappan with the main body of the army, preparing for another attack on New York, informing him of his journey down the river for the examination of its defences and the arrangement of signals. An- other meeting with Andre, in disguise, was appointed for the 20th of September. Clinton in the mean while had, on the 18th, sent the sloop-of-war Vulture up the river with Robinson, who despatched a note to Arnold at Verplanck's Point, request- ing an interview, ostensibly with reference to the disposition of his property opposite West Point.
8. A few hours after the reception of this letter, Washing- ton himself, accompanied by General Lafayette, arrived at Ver- planck's Point, on his way to Hartford to meet Count Rocham- beau. Arnold showed him Robinson's letter, and was cautioned by him to avoid all correspondence with the latter, as, in view of all the occurrences of the past year, calculated to implicate him unfavorably in the public estimation. The General with his suite crossed the river in Arnold's barge, where, from some chance observation of Lafayette's, and a suspicious scrutiny by Washington of the Vulture, which lay at anchor in the distance, he became seriously apprehensive of the discovery of his treason.
9. On the succeeding day he communicated with Robinson, apprising him of his intention to send a trusty messenger on the
Arrangements for an interview. - Arrival of Washington and Lafayette. - Apprehensions of Arnold.
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ARNOLD AND ANDRE.
next night to Dobbs's Ferry, or on board the Vulture, enclosing a copy of his letter to Andre, both which were transmitted by Robinson to Sir Henry Clinton, who, on the morning of the 20th, despatched André to Dobbs's Ferry, with positive instruc- tions not to go within the American lines, to assume no dis- guise and receive no papers. Failing to meet any. one at the ferry, Andre proceeded up the river to the Vulture, which he reached at seven o'clock, but found there no messenger from Arnold, as he had been led to expect.
10. A Mr. Joshua H. Smith, who resided near the village of Haverstraw and sustained a respectable character, having been frequently employed by Arnold and his predecessor in obtain- ing intelligence of the movements of the British, had been ap- prised by the former of the expected conference, and requested to bring " Mr. Anderson " on shore from the Vulture. Being unable to procure a boat for this purpose, he sent a message to that effect to head-quarters, and Arnold went himself to Ver- planck's Point, and despatched a messenger to Continental Vil- lage for his own barge, with directions to forward it to the creek in Haverstraw near Smith's house.
11. On the night of the 21st, Smith, with muffled oars, de- scended the river to the Vulture, returning at a late hour with Major André, who, in spite of the remonstrances of Robinson, persisted in going on shore in his uniform, concealed, however, by a large blue surtout. Landing at the foot of Clove Moun- tain, six miles below Stony Point, he was conducted by Smith to the presence of Arnold, who awaited his arrival among the bushes in the vicinity. Their conference was prolonged until daybreak, when they rode together to the residence of Smith. The challenge of a sentinel, and the cannonade on the Vulture, compelling her to drop still farther down the river, were the first intimation to the unfortunate Andre of his presence within the American lines.
12. Everything having been satisfactorily arranged between the conspirators, Arnold returned at ten o'clock to his quarters ; and Andre, exchanging his uniform for a disguise, and furnished with a pass from Arnold, with several important papers concealed
Progress of the negotiations between Arnold and Andre. - Interview be- tween Arnold and Andre. - Consummation of the treason.
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FIFTHI PERIOD.
in his stockings containing full information of the condition and strength of the fort and the arrangements for the movements of the garrison in case of an alarm, proceeded on horseback, ac- companied by Smith, to King's Ferry, which they crossed, and proceeded through the upper part of Westchester County on their route to the Vulture, Smith having refused, on pretence of fatigue and illness, to convey him thither by boat.
13. At about nine o'clock in the evening they were challenged by a sentinel eight miles from the ferry, and Captain Boyd, the commander of the post, made his appearance, inspected their passports, and demanded their business. Apparently satisfied with the explanation given by Smith, he informed him of the dangerous condition of the roads leading to White Plains, in- fested as they were by Cow-Boys and Skinners of both armies, and advised their remaining at the post until the next morning. Unwilling to excite increased suspicion, this arrangement was assented to, and they passed the night very uneasily at the house of Andreas Miller, who lived near by.
14. At dawn on the succeeding morning they resumed their journey, taking the route to Pine's Bridge, André being in un- usually cheerful spirits, and conversing freely with his compan- ion on literary and other topics. After partaking of a simple breakfast at a house about two miles north of the Bridge, Smith left Andre and returned to his family, then at Fishkill. The latter proceeded alone on his perilous journey through Tarrytown. Between eleven and twelve o'clock his progress was intercepted by three militia-men, - John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart, - while watching with their com- rades for stragglers and stray cattle from the British lines, who, perceiving his approach, at once arrested him.
15. Losing his presence of mind at this unexpected obstacle, André, aware of the character of the region, and its common occupation by stragglers from both armies indiscriminately, immediately expressed to his captors his hope that they belonged to his own party. " Which. party ?" demanded Paulding. " The lower," replied Andre. " I do," observed the former ; upon which Andre imprudently avowed himself a British officer,
Andre's retreat and capture at Tarrytown.
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
on particular business, and begged not to be detained* for a mo- ment. This sealed his doom.
16. On being informed of the truth by his captors, he pro- duced Arnold's passport, and endeavored to excuse his previous statement by his apprehensions of falling in with a British party ; but neither these nor his liberal offers of money and his gold watch were of any avail with these stern and incor- ruptible patriots. On discovering the important papers con- cealed on his person, he was conducted to the nearest military station at North Castle.
17. On the next day he was transferred, for greater security, to Colonel Sheldon's quarters at Salem, where he was recognized by Major Tallmadge, who urged Colonel Jameson, the com- mander of the post, not to return him to Arnold, and took charge of him himself. He was, however, very injudiciously per- mitted to communicate with Arnold, and thereby was the first to apprise him of the failure of their plans, and to enable him to make his escape, which he accordingly effected on the same day, in the Vulture, having taken a hurried leave of his wife, and manned his barge without a moment's delay.
18. Washington, in ignorance of all these events, arrived early in the morning at Arnold's head-quarters, and, having breakfasted, crossed over to West Point. Finding him absent, he spent some time in an examination of the defences of the post and returned in the afternoon, when he was informed by Colonel Hamilton of the whole conspiracy and its detection, but too late to prevent the escape of the traitor.
19. Meanwhile his unfortunate victim, Major Andre, was treated with great kindness and consideration by Major Tall- madge, who soon contracted a strong friendship and regard for him, and indulged him in every privilege of which his situation admitted, permitting him to communicate freely with Washing- ton, which he did, informing him of his name and rank, the motives from which he acted, and his readiness to submit to such consequences as the stern laws of honorable warfare ex- acted.
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20. On the 29th of September, Washington, after visiting
Washington's discovery of the treason. - Conduct of Andre.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
West Point, and making every preparation for its defence, went to Tappan, where the army was encamped. André, in the mean time, had been taken from Sheldon's quarters to Robinson's house, thence to West Point, where he remained until the 28th. when he was conducted to Tappan. His behavior during this period, and his unaffected gratitude for all the indulgences permitted him, secured him the sincere sympathy and kindly regards of all with whom he came in contact.
21. A board of officers, consisting of six major-generals and eight brigadiers, was convened immediately on the arrival of Washington, before which André was tried, convicted, and sen- tenced to suffer death. Every effort was made by Sir Henry Clinton to avert his fate, and every opportunity afforded by Washington for his defence. His only request was that he might be shot, as became a soldier ; but this mitigation of his sentence was deemed incompatible with the strict rules of the service. It was believed, however, that Washington would not have been unwilling to have exchanged him for the vile traitor whose dupe he had been.
22. Arnold, meanwhile, had taken up his abode in the city of New York, where a gallant effort was made for his capture by the chivalrous Champe, who feigned to desert to the British army, and met with a cordial reception from the traitor. Availing himself with promptitude of the facilities thus obtained, a plan for seizing and carrying him off was matured, but on the day preceding that fixed for its execution was unfortunately foiled by an order for the embarkation of Champe for the Chesapeake. He, however, embraced the earliest opportunity to desert from the British army and return to his comrades for the vindication of his honor and patriotism. Arnold remained in the service until the close of the war, when he repaired to England, where he died, several years afterwards, in obscurity and disgrace, thus closing in darkest infamy a career which might have been dis- tinguished beyond most of his compeers for bravery and daring heroism.
23. The fatal day for his execution having arrived, Andre, at noon of the 2d of October, arrayed in the full dress of a British
Trial, conviction, and sentence of André by a military court. - Efforts for the capture of Arnold. - His subsequent career.
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CLOSING OF THE WAR.
officer, with the exception of the sword, was conducted by a large detachment of troops, accompanied by an immense con- course of people, to the gallows, which was erected on the sum- mit of a hill about a quarter of a mile west of Tappan Village. He manifested some surprise on becoming aware of the manner of his execution, of which he had not previously, as it would seem, been apprised ; but soon recovering himself, adjusted the halter with his own hands, bandaged his eyes, called the spec- tators to witness that he died like a brave man, when the cart moved from beneath him, and in a few moments all was over.
24. Thus perished, in the twenty-ninth year of his age, the chivalrous and unfortunate Major André, around whose prema- ture fate the sympathies of all Europe and America were clustered and still remain. Contrasting his treatment, the indulgent clemency extended to him by his judges, and the kind and ten- der respect which has been paid to his memory, with the brutal barbarities inflicted by the British upon the young American patriot Hale, under precisely similar circumstances, we may well be content to await the verdict of posterity !
25. On the 21st of November a party of Tory refugees from Rhode Island, occupying the St. George's Manor House on Smith's Point, Long Island, which they had fortified, were dis- lodged by Major Benjamin Tallmadge, under the direction of Washington, a severe chastisement inflicted upon a portion of the garrison, - who after its surrender fired upon the assailing party from one of the houses, - and a British vessel lying in the neighborhood secured with its crew. From thence Major Tallmadge, with Lieutenant Brewster and ten men, proceeded to Coram, where he destroyed a large quantity of forage collected for the use of the British army, and, having successfully accom- plished the object of his expedition, returned to their quar- ters at Fairfield, Connecticut without the loss of a single man. Seven of the enemy were killed and wounded, and four officers and fifty soldiers taken prisoners. Major Tallmadge received the thanks of Congress and the warm approval of the Com- mander-in-Chief for his bravery and that of his men.
Execution of André. - General sympathy in his fate. - Contrast between Andre and Hale. - Capture of St. George's Manor House, Long Island. - Destruction of British supplies at Coram, Suffolk County.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
1781-83. 26. The splendid victory at Yorktown on the 19th of October was virtually a close of the war. Public rejoicings pervaded every portion of the country, and the 13th of December was set apart as a day of general thanksgiving. Clinton was superseded in his command by Sir Guy Carleton, who soon afterwards arrived in New York ; but all further hos- tilities were suspended. In March, 1782, Lord North retired from the British Cabinet, and Carleton was directed by his suc- cessor, Lord Rockingham, to open negotiations for a treaty of peace. The American Congress appointed John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Lau- rens, to act as commissioners for this purpose on the part of the United States. On the 30th of November the preliminaries were signed at Paris; and on the 3d of September, 1783, a defin- itive treaty, recognizing the independence of the United States, was concluded.
27. On the 3d of November the Continental army was dis- banded by order of Congress, and on the 25th Washington entered the city of New York, and the British troops took their final departure. On the 4th of December, Washington took an affecting farewell of his old companions in arms, with whom he had been so long and so closely united in the struggle for na- tional independence, and proceeded to Annapolis, where Congress was then in session. Having formally resigned his commission to that body as Commander-in-Chief, he returned to Mount . Vernon as a private citizen, soon to be recalled from its quiet shades to preside over the destinies of the nation he had founded.
Close of the war. - General rejoicings. - Negotiations for peace. - Con- clusion of treaty. - Disbandment of the army. - Evacuation of New York by the British. - Parting between Washington and his officers. - Resigna- tion of his commission, and retirement to Mount Vernon.
N.ORG .- CO
Old City Hall in Wall Street, New York, 1789.
SIXTH PERIOD.
THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO THE CONSTITU- TION OF 1821.
CHAPTER I.
ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
1. THE war being now over, and the independent exist- 1782. ence of the United States as a member of the family of nations having been officially recognized, it speedily became evi- dent that the provisional constitution of government as estab- lished by the Articles of Confederation adopted by the Congress of 1777 was inadequate in many essential respects to the pres- ent exigencies of the public welfare.
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