USA > New York > New York City > Old New York : a journal relating to the history and antiquities of New York City, Vol. II > Part 3
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La . . . ster's Queries to the Quakers.
1693. Printer. W. Bradford. do
Proclamation, Nov. 8.
1696.
* Proclamation, Jan. 9, 1695, appointing Thanks- giving days. 1698. do
* Pastorius' Primmer:
1703. do
* Act of Assembly declaring the proceedings against Nicholas Bayard void.
da
1709. do
* Act of Assembly regulating Fees.
* Act of Parliament for the encouragement of trade to America. do
Votes of Assembly. do
1711.
.Acts of Assembly.
1713. do
do
* To all whom these presents may concern. [In regard to the rights of Assembly to control the money raised by their order.] do
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00 Issues of the Press in New York, 1693-1752.
1714.
* Hunter's Androborus. W. Bradford.
1717.
* New Jersey, Acts of Assembly. 1721.
do
* Ordinance regulating the Supreme Court. do
1722.
* Acts of Assembly, July. do
*
November. do
* New Jersey, Acts of Assembly. do
1724.
* Acts of Assembly. do
1726.
* Leeds' (Felix) Almanac for 1727. do
Rogers' Answer to a book by Peter Pratt. do
Answer to a Monitory Letter. do
Samenspraak over de Klage tusschen Impetus, Legatus en Temperatus. Small quarto. 1728. J. P. Zenger.
Leeds' (Felix) Almanac for 1729. W. Bradford. do
* New Jersey Ordinance regulating Fees.
* Ordinance establishing Remedies for abuses in the practice of the Law. do
do
* Ordinance regulating Chancery Fees. 1730.
Leeds' (Felix) Almanac for 1731. do
1732.
Arguments for the Defence in the suit against Rip .van Dam.
1733. J. P. Zenger.
* Acts of Assembly, a second edition. W. Bradford.
Hue and Cry against Edward King. do.
* Ordinance regulating Courts. 1734.
do.
* Act of Assembly regulating the Rates for Ships at Hunter's Key. do.
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Issues of the Press in New York, 1693-1752.
Address to the Mayor, &c., concerning the Letter
found in James Alexander's House, on Feb- ruary 1st ?
Proclamations, two dated May 6th.
Song on the Election of new City Magistrates. Another on the same subject.
W. Bradford. J. P. Zenger. do.
1735.
Proclamation, July 7.
* Quinby's Three Letters.
1736.
W. Bradford. do.
* Acts of Assembly. do.
* London Gazette. Reprint of No. 1502.
do.
Proclamation, March 18.
do.
May 4
June 17. do.
do.
66 July 24. do.
1737.
* Blair's Gospel Truth.
1739. W. Bradford.
* Act of Assembly regulating the Militia. do.
Many of the Electors of the Two to the Electors of the FOUR.
Proclamation, July 6. W. Bradford.
Unanswerable Answer to the Cavils against a Paper called Many of the Electors of the Two to the Electors of the FOUR. do.
1741.
* Act for transporting, &c., the Volunteers. do.
1742.
* Leeds' (T.) Almanac for 1742. Two editions. do.
1743.
* Leeds' (T.) Almanac for 1743. do. New York Gazette. do.
Weekly Post Boy. J. Parker. do.
* Votes of Assembly to Sept. 27. * " Dec. 17.
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The Last Act of the Revolution.
1744.
New York Gazette. W. Bradford and H. De Foreest.
66 « Weekly Post Boy. J. Parker.
1745.
# Memorandum. Gov. Clinton's Speech to the As- sembly May 14.
* To Gov. Clinton, the humble Address of the As- sembly.
J. Parker.
do.
* * Votes of Assembly Nov. 6, 1744, to May 14, 1745. do.
* 66 July 16. do.
* 66 Dec. 24. do.
1746.
* Act of Assembly to prevent exportation of Pro- visions. do.
* Votes of Assembly Jan. 7 to April 25. 1750.
* More's (T.) American Country Almanac for 1751. Two editions. Playbill, March 30.
* Watts' Horæ Lyricæ.
J. Parker. do. do.
1751.
* More's (T.) American Country Almanac for 1752. Two editions.
1752. do.
Sherman's Caveat against Injustice. do
THE LAST ACT OF THE REVOLUTION.
It is now a little more than six years since New York cele- brated the one hundredth anniversary of the evacuation of the city by the British. Since 1783 the population has increased eighty fold. ' The narrow limits of the town have been extended so that there are now more persons living beyond the Harlem
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The Last Act of the Revolution.
river, and still within the corporate bounds, than were then con- tained in the whole municipality. But great as the city is at present, and important as are the events which have happened here, no day has exceeded in importance the 25th of Novem- ber, 1783, when the British withdrew their forces from this island. We have had celebrations of the adoption of the Federal Constitution, the opening of the Erie Canal, the introduction of Croton water, the laying of the Atlantic cable, the return of peace after the second war with Great Britain, and the closing day of the Rebellion, but none have been so important to New Yorkers as the one we speak of. We changed a military rule, without courts or juries, for the reign of the common law of England ; we welcomed to their homes those who had been driven away for many years ; we lost a large number of citizens who would always have been a disturbing element, and we again were en- abled to manage our institutions in our own way. Trade with foreign countries was resumed; the press was henceforth un- trammeled ; the schools were opened; manufactures began again and travel was once more free throughout the whole of America. There was much that was dramatic about these twenty- four hours. The slow retreat of the British; the advance of the American troops ; the opening of the prisons, as the keepers fell in line with those who were to depart ; the decoration of houses, and the hearty welcome given with voice and hand. But among all these dramatic incidents none was more striking than the tear- ing down of the British ensign at the Battery, and the hoisting of the American flag, by one whose honorable military career, although hitherto undistinguished, was thus to end by an act which will preserve his memory to the last days of the Republic. It was his signal good fortune to be called upon to close the Rev- olutionary war. It is true that the British vessels did not sail away from the port of New York for more than a week, and it is also true that in places like Niagara British garrisons held pos- session for several years after. In the popular estimate, however, the evacuation of New York ended the struggle, and the last act of that day against the English was the lowering of the flag of St. George by John Van Arsdale.
That this was done by him has been disputed. Few events in
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history are without two conflicting statements, and we find that even in our own days, with trained observers and narrators on the spot, it is difficult to ascertain the exact truth about any historical event. But in the case of Van Arsdale there ought to be no doubt. His grandson, James Riker, the annalist of Newtown and Harlem, and whose strong love of truth and painstaking character are well known, accustomed to weigh the value of historical evi- dence, with pious care collected all the facts that were possible in relation to this matter and brought them together. The doubter was Captain John Van Dyck, of Lamb's artillery. He was present at the evacuation, but fifty years after declared that there was on the flagstaff no British flag to pull down. This constitutes the negative testimony. The positive is that John Adams com- plained to England, after he became an ambassador at the Court of St. James, that it was an unfriendly act for the English to evacuate the city without a formal surrender of it, or without striking their colors. In 1808 the Wallabout Committee, ap- pointed to superintend the interment of the bones of the Ameri- can patriots who perished in the prison ships, described the lower- ering of the flag, and so does Hardie in his description of New York in 1827. Benson J. Lossing quotes in his Field Book of the Revolution a letter written at the time stating that the post was greased, and that a ladder was a necessity. Of persons who were present Mr. Riker collected the testimony of Lieutenant Glean, Pearson Halstead, John Nixon, General Jeremiah John- son, Major Jonathan Lawrence, and Captain George W. Chap- man. Each and all of these contributed corroboratory statements. The present writer has heard the hoisting of the flag spoken of by persons who obtained their information from those who were present when the act was performed.
John Van Arsdale was then nearly twenty-eight years of age. He was born in the present town of Cornwall, Orange County, on the 5th of January, 1756. He was of Dutch descent, and inherited the manners and ways of his ancestors, and also possessed their language. He was of the fifth generation in this country, his an- cestors having been in turn Simon Jansen, John, Stoffel and John. Simon Jansen van Arsdalen was born in Holland in 1629, and emi- grated to this country in 1653, settling at Flatlands. His descend
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The Last Act of the Revolution.
ants were chiefly to be found in New Jersey, although some were in New York. John Van Arsdale, the sailor boy, as he is entitled in most histories of the Revolution, lost his mother when he was but six weeks old. She died of small pox. His father was at that time the jailor of the city of New York, the prison being under the City Hall in Wall street. Afterwards he was in charge of the new jail, later the Provost, and now known as the Hall of Records, but resigned his position about 1770, then trading in country produce, which he brought down the river in a schooner. With this schooner he did excellent service for the American cause, after the Revolution began, affording supplies until the British took possession of the city. He then set sail up the river. By his first wife he had three children, Teunis, Christopher and John, and by the second thirteen. He died in 1798.
His son, whose name was the same as his own, was mostly reared in New York city. Some considerable time was, however, passed with his brother Teunis in Neelytown, in the county of Orange. The events in New York City had, however, turned his attention to the question of liberty, and when it was determined to resist he immediately enlisted. His regiment was that of James Holmes, the Fourth New York, and his captain was Jacobus Wynkoop. This regiment was one of those that took part in the Canadian campaign and in the assault upon Quebec. On his return he helped his father to pack up and move his family and goods into the country. He remained with his brother, doing some farm work and some labor at the forge, until the Spring of 1777. -
In April of that year he was chosen to be one of the garrison of Fort Montgomery. This post, with Fort Clinton, was on the west side of the Hudson, opposite Anthony's Nose. The river was very narrow there, and it was thought could be easily de- fended. The two forts were about a third of a mile apart, and required a thousand men to garrison them. Here he stayed most of the Summer, going home from time to time, as did all the other soldiers. They were militia, and could not be held to very strict accountability. Many of them were at home when the British made a descent upon their fortifications on the 5th of October. Our troops had been threatened all Summer, and had
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doubted whether they would be attacked at all. The whole country was in arms as soon as they heard of the approach of the enemy, and Teunis Van Arsdale, John's brother, was among those who marched to the scene of conflict. He was accompanied by his two apprentices. When they reached the fort, they learned that the British had landed, and were pursuing a circuitous course, so that they might attack the fort from the rear. When they arrived, which was about the middle of the afternoon, the English- men attempted an assault with fixed bayonets. Their success in this was not at first great, as the American troops were able to keep them at bay for a considerable time, but at nightfall it was · seen that the contest could not be kept up, and Governor Clinton, who commanded in person, told the men to flee for their lives. Some fought their way out, but more took advantage of the dark- ness to scale the walls. Once over them, they were safe. Teunis Van Arsdale was one of those who tried to escape by the en- trance, but would have failed, had not he crept between the legs of an Englishman, who was too much occupied with another American to take notice of him. On his way down to the river be heard the cry of some one in distress, and found it to be a boy who had fallen into a crevice in the rocks. He extricated him, reached the river, where he found a skiff, and crossed over to Fishkill, there coming upon many other soldiers who had escaped. The next day he crossed back, and returned home.
John Van Arsdale, his brother, was not so fortunate. He had escaped from the fort, but had only gone a short distance when he was wounded in the calf of the leg, then being seized by a British soldier while crossing a fence. With the other prisoners, two hundred and seventy-five, he was put upon a transport and taken to New York. They reached New York October 10th and most of them were sent to the Sugar House in Liberty street, where they remained until the 24th, when they were transferred to a prison ship anchored opposite Governor's Island. When Van Arsdale first arrived in the city he was billeted in the Brick Church, as he was badly wounded, but early in November he too was sent to the prison ship. The weather was very cold for that season of the year, and there was much suffering among the prisoners. Their food was but a half ration. Disease soon car-
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ried many of them off, and others were attacked who fortunately recovered. John Van Arsdale was among these. He was taken sick about the 20th of December, and was sent to the hospital, where he soon recovered. In this place he was able to care for a friend named Sears, who was worse off than himself, and for whom he begged favors from the British officers. When he was mending, he thought that his stay would be longer if he should feign that he was worse than he was. He did so, tying up his head and appearing very dejected when the doctors made their calls. This action was not long effectual, and he was soon sent back to the prison ship to endure its miseries for another season. The sufferings were the same that we have heard of in Andersonville from the lips of living men. About the last of March Van Arsdale and Sears, who had partially recovered, were sent again to the Sugar House. The condition of the former was to some extent eased by the attentions of a cousin of his, Vincent Day, who was a resident of the city.
After being here two months, and in captivity nearly ten, he . was released. Terms for an exchange of prisoners had been agreed upon between the English and American authorities, and on the 20th of July he was taken from the prison, put on board of a barge which landed at Elizabethtown Point, and there delivered to Major John Beatty, the American commissary. A long, weary walk was still necessary to reach home, where he was re- ceived as one risen from the dead. He was worn and emaciated, and suffering from the scurvy ; but by the help of physicians, an ample dietary, and fresh air, he soon attained his wonted health.
Six times after this he enlisted. The first was with the State levies for the protection of the counties of Orange and Ulster, which were exposed to attack by Tories and Indians. It was ex- pected by him that these troops would take part in the expedition of Sullivan against the Six Nations, but they were needed nearer home. They were disbanded the 25th of December, 1779, and on the 2d of May following he joined the levies. He soon re- quested a discharge to join the Fifth New York Regiment, which was then garrisoning West Point and its neighborhood. Soon after a corps of light infantry was formed, composed of one company from each regiment, to be commanded by Genera
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Lafayette. This body of troops was handsomely uniformed and well equipped, and its discipline was excellent. The corps was dissolved that Winter, but the young soldier again enlisted in the Spring, as sergeant. The hostilities in which he was engaged that year were chiefly against the Indians. In 1782 he enlisted in Weissenfels's regiment. It will be recollected, however, that hostilities had then ceased, and on December 28th of that year, having served as orderly sergeant, he was finally and honorably discharged the service.
The next season, being then at Neelytown, he married Mary Crawford, an amiable girl who was six years younger than him- self. He removed to New Windsor, where he set up housekeep- ing, but he soon engaged as a sailor, in charge of a vessel trading from that neighborhood to New York. On this and other vessels he plied to and fro for many years. He was thus engaged when the time approached for the British to leave the city, and on that occasion brought down with him a full comple- ment of passengers. Many, no doubt, were attracted by curiosity. They desired to see the British leave and the Americans enter, but others were coming again as exiles after a long sojourn in strange places to their homes.
The young sailor and soldier no doubt watched each incident of the day with great interest. He passed his boyhood here, but had been compelled to leave with the other patriots of that day. All was now restored to them, and nothing remained to be done except the mere formal act of hoisting the American flag on Fort George. As nearly as can now be told, the flagstaff was where the Anchor Line of steamships now has its office, the westernmost of that uniform row of brick buildings to the south of the Bowling Green. It was about twenty feet back from this front line of the house and even with the west wall. Fort George extended its embankments as far in advance as the edge of the sidewalk, and its western line would have crossed State street and just touched the green of the present Battery. That was then much smaller than now. The troops had marched downtown, their orders being to take possession of Fort George, and when this was done an officer of artillery was immediately to hoist the American flag. The artillery was then to fire thirteen rounds. When the troops
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reached here, however, they found the British flag still flying. The fort was dismantled, the heavy ordnance taken away, the stores removed and the last guards and sentinels had gone. But the flag was still flying, a closer inspection showing that it was nailed to the staff. The halyards were taken away and the pole smeared with grease. The last officers to go were evidently resolved not to endure the mortification of seeing an American flag flying where theirs had been. Their object, however, was not thus to be attained. Their vessels, instead of sailing away immediately, were in the harbor for several days, and the ingenuity of one who had been both a sailor and a soldier accomplished speedily a feat that at first sight seemed almost impossible.
Several persons attempted to climb the pole, but its well lubricated surface would not permit them to do so. Proposals to cut down the flagstaff and erect another were rejected on account of the length of time it would take. The flag was temporarily raised on a small, thin pole, and several guns were fired while it was in this position. But this was felt to be only an expedient, and the British flag was still flying. The situation was humiliat- ing. But to one of the spectators there appeared to be a way of success. He was unable to overcome the slipperiness of the staff, but it occurred to him and to others that by nailing cleats on the pole a sufficient foothold could be gained. Willing feet ran to Goelet's hardware store in Hanover square, from which they returned with hammer, nails and saw, and willing hands made pieces of boards into cleats. They were then nailed on, and Van Arsdale began the ascent. Immediately after a ladder was brought, by means of which he rose to near the top, climbing the remainder sailor fashion. The British flag was torn down, new halyards were made ready, and the American flag was hoisted to the top by Lieut. Anthony Glean, the outward sign of the return of the natives of the United States to the control of their own land. Guns burst forth into thunderous salutes, and repeated cheers were given by the great multitude gathered there to witness the downfall of England. America was free, and the last act of the Revolution had taken place.
Van Arsdale returned home as usual on his boat, and was able to exhibit to his wife a handsome collection of silver which had
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The Last Act of the Revolution. 35
been made for him by the bystanders. It should be remembered that this and the small sum paid to him at the close of his first enlistment was all the money received by him for a service of nearly seven years in the American army. Four years later Captain Van Arsdale removed to New York, where he lived the remainder of his life, with the exception of some trifling periods. He was granted the freedom of the city April 1st, 1789. He remained a sailor until 1815, then being made wood inspector of the First Ward, a post he held for twenty years, and probably would have continued in longer had not the consumption of wood diminished so much, in consequence of the use of coal, that no profit could be made by holding on. " He was made a member of the Independent Veteran Corps of Heavy Artillery October 6th, 1813. This corps was organized for the special defense of the City of New York, and for the whole period Mr. Van Ars- dale was connected with it, except a short interval, was commanded by Captain George W. Chapman. Their uniform was a navy F. blue coat and pantaloons, white vest, black stock, a black feather surmounted red, black hat and cockade, bootees and side arms, yellow mounted. Captain Van Arsdale took great interest in the corps, rarely if ever missed a parade, and in 1814, for over three months, ending December 4th, was in active service guarding the arsenal in Elm street, a plot being suspected to blow up the build- ing with its fourteen thousand stand of arms. On November 25th, 1835, he was promoted to the next position to the command- ant, that of first captain lieutenant." He had now attained a great age, being eighty-one, and his wife had been dead for four years, yet he still attended to business. His, life, however, was not to be much prolonged. His death happened after a short illness on the 14th of August, 1836, at his residence, 134 Delancey street. He was interred with all the honors of war in the cemetery in First street the next day, but his remains were afterwards removed to Cypress Hills. He left five children who reached maturity. The daughters were Mrs. James Riker, Mrs. John Phillips, Mrs. Jacob G. Theall and Mrs. Andrew Dorgan, and the son was David Van Arsdale, who died just be- fore the centennial of the Evacuation of New York was cele- brated. He had himself for many years hoisted the flag at the
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Battery at sunrise on Evacuation Day, and had ardently desired to live that he might be enabled to perform this act just a hun- dred years from the time his father tore down the symbol of England's supremacy. It was not granted him, although he attained the great age of eighty-seven. His death at this time was felt as a national calamity. The flag that Iris father hoisted was used for this purpose on many anniversaries. It was pre- sented to Peale's Museum by the Common Council in 1819, and attention was thus called to it by the manager of that place of amusement : "The flag hoisted by order of Gen. Washington on the Battery, the same day the British troops evacuated this city, . is displayed in the upper hall as a sacred memorial of that day." It was raised on the Battery for the last time in 1846, and when the museum was destroyed by fire the flag was burned up with it. Teunis Van Arsdale, the brother of John, was older than he, and died long before him. He was born in 1746, and died in 1813. His wife, Jane Wear, a woman of the highest character, : undaunted courage and great benevolence, was born March 31st, 1746, in this country, and died September 17th, 1845. She was, .therefore, a little less than a hundred years old. Her brother William, who was born in Ireland, reached ninety-seven, and her mother ninety-two. Some mention of Teunis Van Arsdale is found in Eager's History of Orange County.
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