USA > New York > Ulster County > Kingston > The history of Kingston, New York : from its early settlement to the year 1820 > Part 25
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Having given a brief summary of the result of the British cam- paigns in Northern New York in 1776, it will be necessary to turn back and refer more or less particularly to events occurring in the interior, affecting to a greater or less extent the particular subject of this history or its citizens.
The patriots of the Revolution had much to contend against. Not only the well-officered, disciplined, and appointed troops, and British foreign mercenaries on the battlefield and in open warfare, but the country was infested throughout with Tories and British sympathizers, who, living among the patriots as citi- zens, but loving British gold better than their country, and secretly plotting with, assisting, and furnishing information to the enemy, were ready at any moment for the betrayal of their country or its citizens. The existence of such men in the country, and the con- sequent necessity of having a force at all times on hand to guard against their machinations, crippled the ability of the patriots to
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supply the armies with their appropriate quotas. They did not dare all to go to the battlefield, and leave their wives, their chil- dren, and their property at the mercy of those wolves in sheep's clothing. The operations of some of these secret enemies will be brought to light when the proceedings of the Council of Safety shall be referred to in subsequent pages of this work.
General Washington wrote to his brother, under date of July 23d, 1776: " This country abounds in disaffected persons of the most diabolical dispositions and intentions, as you may have per- ceived, by the several publications in the Gazettes, relative to their designs of destroying the Army by treachery and bribery, which were providentially discovered."
The existence of men of such character and disposition led to the following action by the representatives of the people in con- vention assembled, on the 16th day of July, 1776 :
" Resolved unanimously ; that all persons abiding within the State of New York, and deriving protection from the laws of the same, owe allegiance to said laws, and are members of the State : and that all persons passing through, visiting, or making a tempo- rary stay in the said State, being entitled to the protection of the laws during such passage, visitation, or temporary stay, owe dur- ing the same time allegiance thereto. That all persons members of or owing allegiance to this State, as before described, who shall levy war against the said State within the same, or be adherent to the King of Great Britain or others, the enemies of the said State within the same, giving to him or them aid and comfort, are guilty of Treason against the State, and being thereof convicted shall suffer the pains and penalties of death."
The campaign of 1776 was opened at the mouth of the Hudson, under the most disheartening circumstances for the patriotic cause. General Howe had landed on Staten Island, and soon had an army of twenty-four thousand men gathered round him, well disciplined, and in every respect grandly equipped, and with a large and powerful naval force at hand and ready to co-operate. Within their ranks all was harmony, their troops were flushed with the expectation of an easy victory and a feeling of contempt for their opposing forces.
Washington, to oppose the invaders, had gathered an army of nearly equal numbers, consisting largely of raw, undisciplined levies with very inferior martial equipments, many of them men who had hastened from the plough, the anvil, the saw, or the woodman's axe, to stem the tide of invasion with whatever weap- ons could be hastily taken. The army thus gathered was com- posed of men from almost every section of the Union, of many different nationalities and castes, with sectional feelings and prej-
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udices, the wealthy and the cultured of one section revolting against meeting on terms of equality the uncultured ploughman and artisan of the other. Patriotic ardor was not sufficient to squelch this feeling of aversion and contempt on the one side, which, wounding the pride of the patriot on the other, gave rise to quarrels and disturbances to such an extent as to call for the inter- vention of the commander-in-chief.
General Washington thereupon issued the following appropri- ate address : "The General most earnestly entreats the officers and soldiers of the American army, to consider that they can in no way assist our enemies more effectually, than by making division among themselves. The honor and success of our army, and the safety of. our bleeding country, depend upon harmony and good agreement with each other, in the union of freemen to oppose the common enemy and the sinking of all distinctions in the name of an Ameri- can. To make this name honorable, and to procure the liberty of our country, ought to be our only emulation. He will be the best soldier, and the best patriot, who contributes most to this glorious work, whatever his station and from whatever part of the Conti- nent he may come."
As soon as it became known in 1776 what the tactics of the British would be in the struggle or campaign of that year, Wash- ington made the best arrangement he could with the raw and ill- equipped levies and insufficient forces at his command for the pro- tection of the city of New York and Long Island. It was appar- ent, however, that the subjugation of those places by the British, with the powerful naval and large land forces under the command of their officers, could be only a question of time. The true Amer- ican policy adopted was to dispute every progressive step, and yield only when compelled so to do.
Fortifications were manned at different points about the city, and special arrangements were made to prevent the passage of the naval force up the Hudson by the erection of forts on both sides of the river at or near the entrance to the Highlands, and by placing obstructions in the channel and across the river at points commanded by the forts.
On the 16th of July the State Convention, by resolution, di- rected "that one fourth part of the militia of the counties of Westchester, Dutchess, Ulster and Orange be forthwith drawn out for the defence of the liberties, property, wives and children of the good People of this State." Then, after urging by resolution those who remain at home to render all necessary assistance to the families of those who enlist, the resolution directed that " all the men raised in the Counties of Ulster and' Orange be stationed in the Highlands, on the West side of the river, to guard those defiles,
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the possession of which Brigadier Gen Clinton shall think most conducive to the safety of the State." The convention at the same time requested General Washington to appoint an officer to take command of all the levies on both sides of the river.
In response to such request, General Washington, on the 19th of July, sent to the convention a communication, as follows : " The State of the Army makes it impossible for me to send up any Gen- eral officer in the Continental service to take the Command of the levies proposed to be raised ; and from the nature of the service, I should apprehend a knowledge of the Country and its inhab- itants would be very necessary. General Clinton, on all accounts, appears to me the most suitable person ; and as the appointment . is made dependent on me I shall nominate him." Immediately on the receipt of the above-named communication, the convention " Resolved unanimously, that Brigadier Gen Clinton be and he hereby is appointed to the command of all levies raised and to be raised in the Counties of Ulster Orange Dutchess and Westchester, agreeable to the resolution of this Convention on the 16th day of July last." The convention then, by further resolution, requested General Clinton to call out the troops of horse in those counties, "in order to watch the motions of the enemy's ships of war now in Hudson River."
General Washington, in a letter to the convention, expressed gratification at the approval of his nomination, and further stated in regard to General Clinton that "his acquaintance with the Country, abilities and zeal for the cause are the motives that in- duced ine to make choice of him."
Upon the receipt of the resolutions requiring a levy of one quarter of the militia in Ulster and other counties, Colonel Jo- hannis Snyder, of Ulster County, called his regiment - together to set apart the quota of men required. As there was a troop of horse attached to his regiment, a question at once arose, whether they were to be included in the draft, and be thus called on to do militia duty as footmen. They refused to submit to a draft, claim- ing that after having properly equipped themselves as horsemen, they should not be again obliged to equip themselves as footmen.
The question created a great deal of trouble and angry feeling in the regiment, and threatened its dissolution. In order to settle the question, Captain Silvester Salisbury, commandant of the troop of horse, addressed a letter on the subject to the president of the convention, stating the difficulty, and adding that his men were willing to turn out as horsemen at any time when called upon, but if obliged to serve as footmen, they would dissolve immediately. Colonel Snyder also communicated his views to the president of the convention, urging that the troop of horse
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should be subject to command and duties the same as the militia, and closed his communication by stating, " If they should now be excused, particularly in these critical times when all is at stake, we might rather have no troop at all, for the troop are chiefly the principal People, and ought of course to step forth and defend their liberties as well as any of the militia."
The convention on the 3d of August finally settled the question, and "Unanimously Resolved That the troopers in the several troops of horse in the militia of the State, embodied by and under the authority of said State, who have provided themselves with proper horses and accoutrements as troopers, be not compelled to serve as foot soldiers."
The convention allayed all cause of jealousy on the part of the footmen by their resolution of the 8th of August, before noticed, requesting General Clinton to order the horsemen out at once to duty ; also, by their general order of the 7th of August, empower- ing General Clinton to " order out the whole or any part or detach- ment of the troops of horse, of the said four counties or either of them, for such time or times as he may think necessary, until the last day of December then next, unless otherwise ordered."
Lieutenant-Colonel Johannis Hardenbergh, of Ulster County, was stationed at New York with his regiment, under the command of General Washington, to aid in the defence of that city. His regiment was composed of four companies of militia from Ulster County, and one from Livingston Manor. He was in the brigade commanded by Brigadier-General Scott.
Some of his troops were without arms and without any of the accoutrements of war. On the 9th of August, 1776, Colonel Har- denbergh addressed a letter to General Woodhull, President of the State Convention, informing the convention of the destitute con- dition of his troops, and that he had done all in his power since he had been in the city to get a supply for them, but had been unable to do so ; and he solicited the convention to put him in some way to get a supply for his men, saying that they were willing to allow for it out of their pay.
On the same day that the letter was brought to their notice, the convention gave the necessary order for the supplies to be fur- nished and paid for out of the soldiers' pay.
On the 12th day of August, 1776, General Washington made an order for the command of the forces stationed in and about the Highlands, as follows : Brigadier-Generals James Clinton, Scott, and Fellows were to be under the immediate command of Major- General Putnam, Brigadier-Generals Mifflin and George Clin- ton's brigades to be commanded by Major-General Heath.
On the 14th of August General Washington, together with a
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brigadier-general's commission, forwarded to General James Clin- ton the following complimentary letter : "I have the pleasure of forwarding you, by this opportunity, a letter from Congress en- closing your commission for a Brigadier in the Continental Army ; on which appointment please accept my hearty congratulations. As the post you are now at [Fort Montgomery] is an object of great importance, and I am acquainted with the officers under you, I must request that you will remain there till you hear further from me."
Kingston, at this time, August, 1776, was burdened with a very large number of state prisoners, and the convention, on the 17th of that month, for the relief of the inhabitants, as well as the safety. of the prisoners of war, directed their removal with all possible despatch to Morristown in the State of New Jersey.
General Howe, after his arrival, had located himself with his large and splendidly equipped army upon Staten Island, supported by his brother the admiral with a powerful naval force in the har- bor. While waiting for the arrival of his entire forces, he made advances for the settlement of the difference upon the basis of the Americans returning to their allegiance. Congress, however, turned a deaf ear to all propositions not founded upon a full recog- nition of independence. The British commanders also circulated pamphlets and hand-bills filled with flattering promises designed to create dissatisfaction and dissension among the people. His gilt- edged promises, of course, found many sympathizers and listeners, and through his secret emissaries among them he was kept advised of the American movements, and the disposition and changes of Washington's forces.
As before intimated, the army of General Howe was perfectly disciplined, and supplied with everything necessary for its perfect equipment. On the other hand, the troops of Washington were poorly armed, and consisted largely of raw, undisciplined levies unaccustomed to and impatient of military restraint and hardship. The American forces also, in numbers exceeding the British but little, if any, were necessarily scattered in guarding the many dif- ferent positions subject to attack and important to be protected and defended.
General Howe, having the full command of the harbor through his naval force, could at any time concentrate his forces at any desirable point and crush its defenders with overwhelming num- bers. Under such circumstances the battle of Long Island took place on the 27th day of August, 1776.
Under cover of the night, aided by information gathered from Tory sympathizers, the British were enabled to land at different portions of the island and hem the patriots in on almost every
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side. The American troops fought bravely and well, but, sur- rounded as they were by superior numbers, the result was not at any time doubtful. Those who could escaped ; many were taken . prisoners, others killed in legitimate warfare, while others were mur- dered in cold blood by British and Hessian brutes, with the cry of " No quarter," when their victims were prostrate and imploring mercy. General Woodhull, President of the New York Conven- tion, and commanding the Long Island forces, a man equally brave and noble, finding himself and men overpowered by numbers, sur- rendered, and delivered up his sword to a Hessian officer, who im- mediately raised his right arm, and said to General Woodhull : "Long live the King," to which the general replied, "Long live all of us ;" whereupon the Hessian brought down his sword and cut the general down, giving him a wound which, followed by gross neglect and ill-treatment on the part of the British, mortified and proved fatal.
Washington crossed over from New York to Brooklyn, and there witnessed from an eminence the American defeat and the butchery of his soldiers without ability to succor or relieve. He dared not draw his forces from New York, for then if still followed by defeat, the whole country would have been laid open to the invaders.
Those of the American forces escaping reached the fortified camp, and further pursuit was at an end. The armies then rested within cannon-shot of each other. A very heavy rain set in, and it rained incessantly for two days and nights, interfering materially with hostile operations. Taking advantage of the weather, and favored by the darkness of the night and a heavy fog, Washington was enabled to embark the remnant of his forces, about nine thousand men, and land them safely in New York. He attended, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his officers, personally to the embarkation of his troops, and was the last man of the entire force to step on board a transport. The providential fog lifted when the last boat was beyond reach, and the British general had the mortification of seeing his opponents escape, whom he had considered as secure within his grasp.
General Howe has the reputation among historians of being kind and humane, but the battle of Long Island, with the cry of "No quarter to the rebels," and the brutal and inhuman treat- ment of the prisoners subsequent thereto, give evidence of a very different character. If not responsible for the inhuman war-cry and conduct of his troops on the battlefield, he cannot escape re- sponsibility for the subsequent treatment of the prisoners ; that was entirely within his control. Happier, much happier, was the fate of the patriots whose life-blood moistened the sod of the
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battlefield, than that of those who, escaping death on the field of strife, were saved as prisoners of war, to be murdered by degrees in the vile pens and sugar-houses constituting General Howe's mil- itary prisons in New York, where it was common for carmen to come in the early morn and carry away bodies by the load. Those dens, kept by Christianized and enlightened Englishmen under the command of General Howe, are properly rated on a par with the celebrated Black Hole of Calcutta.
The possession of Long Island was the first step of the English general toward the occupancy of New York, and compelled the Americans to marshal their entire available forces. The State Con- vention had, before taking a short recess, appointed a Committee of Safety, and vested it with authority to exercise all or any of its powers during such interim. That committee took immediate action under such power, and on the 29th of August issued an order that " the Brigadier Generals and commanding officers of the Militia in the Counties of Orange, Ulster, Westchester and Dutchess hold their militia in readiness to march at a minute's warning, with five days' provisions and as much ammunition as possible, there being great reason to fear, that the whole force of the State may be needed to repel the invaders."
On the 1st. of September, General Washington, alive to the great emergency and danger of the situation, issued an order call- ing out the entire militia force of the State. Ulster County had then already contributed largely in men toward the defence of the country. A considerable number of its residents had enlisted and were serving in the Continental Army. Several of its regiments had been drafted and ordered for service, and were in the ranks for the defence of New York. One quarter of the remainder had been drafted and were serving in the passes of the Highlands, and the rest were under orders to march at a minute's notice with five days' rations. Thus was Ulster County situated when General Washington's order was issued.
The Committee of Safety, in reply to General Washington, under date of the 4th of September, express very great concern at their inability to assist further in maintaining the important posts, and give among other reasons for their inability, the following : " That from the best representations they have been able to obtain, the number of armed and well affected militia in those counties (Ulster, Orange, Duchess, and Westchester) does not exceed 3100 ; the number of disarmed and disaffected persons, 2300; and the number of slaves, 2300. From a comparison of these numbers and from our firm opinion that the disaffected only want an opportu- nity of rising, that Gen Howe is actually endeavoring to enlist men in most of those Counties, and that our enemies would not scruple
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to stir up the slaves to bear arms against us, it would be extremely hazardous to the internal peace of those counties to draw out at present any more of the militia."
After giving the above and other unanswerable reasons for their inability to assist further in maintaining the important posts, they assure his excellency "that the whole militia of the Counties of Ulster, Orange, Duchess and Westchester shall be ready to march, whenever your Excellency or Gen Clinton shall think it absolutely necessary ; and to inform you that the Committee of Safety will immediately exert themselves in arming with lances all such of the well affected Militia as are destitute of firearms."
What arms to be thought of as opposing the splendid, well-ap- pointed weapons of England's well-trained, disciplined troops !
At the same meeting in which such letter and assurance were given, the Committee of Safety passed a preamble and resolution, which, after stating that many of the militia in the different coun- ties are destitute of firearms, and declaring it to be the duty of the convention to arm the whole militia in such manner as may prove most formidable, appointed a committee of two from each of the counties of Albany, Ulster, Orange, Duchess, and Westchester, to procure eight hundred lances for each of said counties. Derick Wynkoop and Robert Boyd were designated as the committee for Ulster County.
Previous to the 6th of September, 1776, the convention of dele- gates of this State had appointed a committee to visit Forts Mont- gomery and Constitution, and upon the coming in of the report of that committee at the above date, it was " Resolved that it was of the utmost consequence to the safety of the State, and the general interest of America that a re-enforcement should be immediately sent to the forts Montgomery and Constitution, and that six hun- dred men should, with all possible despatch, be detached from the Militia of the State, and sent to those forts as a re-enforcement for two months."
The convention designated the quota of Ulster for such re- enforcement at two hundred men. It was also ordered that the colonel to command the re-enforcement should be called from Ulster County, the lieutenant-colonel from Duchess County, and the major from Albany.
Colonel Johannis Snyder, of Kingston, was designated as the colonel to command the levies. John Bailey, Jr., of Duchess, as lieutenant-colonel. The major was left for future designation.
The commanding officers of the several regiments in Ulster County, immediately after being advised of the levy ordered, met and agreed upon an apportionment from their respective com- mands, as follows : Colonel Johannis Snyder's regiment, thirty-
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eight men ; Colonel Jonathan Hasbrouck's, sixty-two men ; Lieu- tenant-Colonel James McLaughry's, fifty-six men, and Lieutenant- Colonel Jacob Hoornbeek's, forty-four men.
In a letter written by him to the convention, dated the 18th of October, 1776, Colonel Snyder stated that he had arrived at Fort Montgomery on the 27th of September with thirty-three men drawn from his regiment, the other five to complete its quota being sick and unable to come. That at the date of writing, he had only three hundred and seventy-nine men in his regiment, leaving a deficiency of two hundred and twenty-one ; he then solicited the convention to order the field officers to forward their quotas im- mediately.
The following is a list of the officers selected for Colonel Snyder's regiment, drafted for the re-enforcement of the forts under the aforesaid order of the 7th of August. The commissions were not forwarded until the 28th of October :
COLONEL, JOHANNIS SNYDER.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, JOHN BAILEY, JR.
MAJOR, - --.
Ulster .- Captain, Frederick Schoonmaker ; First Lieutenant, Daniel Graham ; Second Lieutenant, Cornelius Van Wagonen.
Captain, William Telfort ; First Lieutenant, William Cuddeback ; Second Lieutenant, Hendricus Terpen- ning, Jr.
Captain, Matthew Jansen ; First Lieutenant, -- -; Second Lieutenant, Evert Hoffman.
Orange .- Captain, James Sawyer ; First Lieutenant, George. Luckey ; Second Lieutenant, Gilbert Veail.
Duchess .- Captain, Thomas Storm ; First Lieutenant, Eliakine Barman ; Second Lieutenant,
Captain, Ebenezer Husted ; First Lieutenant, John Wilson ; Second Lieutenant, David Ostrom.
Albany .- Captain, Ithamar Spencer ; First Lieutenant, Henry Irwin ; Second Lieutenant, John Murray.
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