USA > New York > Ulster County > Kingston > The history of Kingston, New York : from its early settlement to the year 1820 > Part 32
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On the next day, the 17th of October, desiring to make a further display of their valor where there were no opposing forces to stay their progress, and that their official despatches might blazon forth the statement that "the officers and men upon this occasion behaved with the greatest spirit," they landed about four miles
299
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
above Kingston, at the isolated farm-house of Petrus Ten Broeck, on the west side of the river, and, finding no one to welcome or oppose them, burned his house, storehouse, and barn. That prop- erty is still in the hands of the immediate descendants of Mr. Ten Broeck, and the marks of the burning are still visible upon a tree which stood within a few feet of the house, and which, having re- covered from the effects of the fire, is still standing, of large pro- portions, with its century's growth. They at the same time in the same way visited their vengeance upon the sterling Whig families, the Whittakers.
The following are the official accounts of the British officers in regard to the burning of Kingston :
" ON BOARD THE FRIENDSHIP OFF ESOPUS ) October 17, 10 O'clock Morning
" SIR I have the honor to inform you that on the evening of the 15th instant I arrived off Esopus ; finding that the rebels had thrown up works and had made every disposition to annoy us and cut off our communication I judged it necessary to attack them, the wind at that time being so much against us that we could make no way. I accordingly landed the troops attacked the batteries drove them from their works, spiked and destroyed their guns. Esopus being a nursery for almost every villain in the country I judged it necessary to proceed to that town. On our approach they were drawn up with cannon which we took and drove them out of the place. On our entering the town they fired from their houses which induced me to reduce the place to ashes, which I accordingly did not leaving a house. We found a considerable quantity of stores, which shared the same fate.
" Sir James Wallace has destroyed all the shipping, except an armed galley which ran up the creek, with everything belonging to the vessels in store.
" Our loss is so inconsiderable that it is not at present worth while to mention.
"I am etc " JOHN VAUGHAN"
" GALLEYS AND ARMED VESSELS OFF ESOPUS CREEK - Oct 17, 1777
" SIR We . proceeded up the river destroying a number of vessels as we sailed along without stopping till we arrived at Esopus Creek where we found two batteries one of two guns the other of three guns erected, and an armed galley at the mouth of the creek who endeavored to prevent our passing by their cannon- ade. Gen Vaughan was of opinion such a force should not be left behind. It was determined to land and destroy them, and imme-
300
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
diately executed, without retarding our proceeding up the river. The general marched for the town and fired it. The boats from the armed vessels went up the creek burnt two brigs, several armed sloops and other craft with all their apparatus that was in store upon the shore. Lieut Clarke of the 'Dependence' with two or three others, in firing the stores was blown up, but we flatter our- selves not dangerously.
" The officers and men on this occasion behaved with the great- est spirit.
" By all our information I am afraid that Gen Burgoyne is retreated if not worse.
" I have etc " JAS WALLACE "Commodore Hotham "
In the official report of the commanding general, Sir William Howe, to Lord George Germaine, dated October 25th, 1777, is con- tained the following passage :
"I have the satisfaction to enclose to your Lordship a report just received of a very spirited piece of service performed by Major Gen Vaughan and Sir James Wallace up the Hudson river.".
The following notice of the proceedings of the expedition up the Hudson appeared in the New York Gazette, November 3d, 1777 :
" October 15 Three sloops taken in attempting to escape to the Fishkill, and two pettiangers destroyed
" The house mill and outhouses, and a sloop belonging to Col Francis Stoutenburgh at Crum Elbow, burned. Two sloops on the East side burnt that evening
" October 16 Set fire to two brigs, etc and burnt Kingston
" October 17 The house, storehouse, barn, etc of Mr Petrus Ten Broeck, a rebel General, the house, barn and outhouses . of Robert Gilbert Livingston and a house and mill belonging to Judge Livingston on the East side of the river burned.
" October 18. Another house belonging to Judge Livingston, one to Mr John Livingston, with three others destroyed in like manner
" Oct 22-Two houses one the property of Judge Smith, on the east side a sloop and barn likewise two houses, with their append- ages on the west side were burnt and on the 23rd a sloop was burned on the stocks
" In the town of Kingston, a large quantity of powder, and a large number of fire arms together with many valuable stores were destroyed."
The Gazette then further proceeds to state that :
" Another more accurate account from Esopus informs us that on the landing of Gen Vaughan with the troops under his com-
301
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
mand the rebels without the least prospect of advantage to them- selves fired upon them from a breastwork just thrown up and which they did not stay to defend. This joined to an insolent and provoking behavior occasioned the army to march up and set fire to the town which was presently entirely consumed.
" There were destroyed 326 houses with a barn to almost every one of them, filled with flour besides grain of all kinds much valu- able furniture and effects, which the royal army disdained to-take with them. Twelve thousand barrels of flour were burnt, and they took at the town four pieces of cannon, with ten more upon the river, with 1150 stand of arms with a large quantity of powder were blown up. The whole service was effected and the troops re- embarked in three hours."
Governor Clinton immediately after the burning and the arrival of his forces, concentrated them at Hurley, and wrote the follow- ing letter to General Gates :
" MARBLETOWN 17th Octr 1777
" DR GENERAL
" Yesterday afternoon about four O'clock, the enemy took pos- session of and burn't the town of Kingston. For want of a proper number of troops, no resistance could be made. I have now the body of men under my command, which marched from New Windsor to my assistance, and shall immediately proceed to the ruins of Kingston, which the enemy have abandoned. I have sent off a party of Lighthorse to reconnoitre, and shall act in such manner as the motions of the enemy may direct. . . .
" I have the honor to be etc " GEO CLINTON "P. S .- A prisoner, by no means intelligent, says that the enemy are two thousand strong commanded by Gen Vaughan."
When General Gates received the news of the burning of Kings- ton, just after the surrender of General Burgoyne, he forwarded the following letter to General Vaughan by the boat carrying Lord Petersham with despatches from Burgoyne to Sir Henry Clinton informing him of his surrender :
" SIR
" ALBANY 19 October 1777
" With unexampled cruelty, you have reduced the fine village of Kingston to ashes, and most of the wretched inhabitants to ruin. I am also informed, you continue to ravage and burn all before you on both sides of the river. Is it thus your King's gen- erals think to make converts to the Royal cause ? It is no less surprising than true, that the measures they adopt to serve their
302
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
master, must have quite the contrary effect. Their cruelty estab- lishes the glorious act of Independence, upon the broad basis of the general resentment of the People.
" Other Generals, and much older officers than you can pretend to be, are now by the fortune of war in my hands ; their fortune may one day be yours, when, sir, it may not be in the power of any thing human to save you from the just vengeance of an injured People
"I am Sir Yr most obedt hum serv't
" HORATIO GATES " The Hon John Vaughan Major General"
303
CHAPTER XVIII.
EXTENT OF DAMAGES -- MAP, AND LIST OF SUFFERERS-RELIEF FURNISHED-SOME TRADITIONS STATED.
H "AVING thus recorded the act of vandalism by the high-toned Britons, it will be interesting to pause and contemplate, as far as we are able, the extent of the damage and the names of the suffering patriots.
In the absence of any official record the opinion has generally prevailed, based upon tradition, that Kingston was entirely con- sumed, only one house and one barn having been left standing. The house was understood to have been that of Tobias Van Steen- bergh, Jr., which is still standing, having undergone some slight alterations, on the west side of Wall Street, directly opposite to the western terminus of Bowery Street.
The barn was that of Benjamin Low, which stood on the east side of Wall Street, directly adjoining the north end of the burying- ground. It was afterward moved back about seventy-five feet, to make room for a building put up by one Noah Wells, a subsequent owner, for a hatter's shop. The barn remained standing there until a short time before the savings-bank building was erected, covering its original site.
Rivington's New York Gazette (a Royalist paper) of October 27th, 1777, contains an abstract from a letter written on board the British fleet at Esopus, which states that "every house except that of Alderman Lefferts of New York, was set on fire and consumed." Alderman Lefferts's house is understood to have been the house then standing, where Mr. Hayes's house now stands, on the north side of Albany Avenue about three hundred feet distant therefrom. At that time the eastern boundary of the settled part of the village was East Front Street, beyond which street the Lefferts house was more than half a mile distant. All beyond East Front Street, out- side of the fence above the brow of the hill, was lying in commons, and called "the plains." That may account for the Lefferts house not being included generally in houses saved in the vil- lage.
The New York Packet of October 23d, 1777, says that " the. conflagration was general, and in a very short time that pleasant
304
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
VAN STEENBERGH HOUSE, THE ONLY HOUSE WHICH ESCAPED THE FIRE.
and wealthy town was reduced to ashes-one house only escaped the flames."
There is still another tradition that a brewery situated on the south side of North Front Street, a short distance west of Greene Street, was not burned. The tradition in reference to that building is that a negro slave of the proprietor rolled out the beer-barrels and treated the soldiers bountifully with their national drink, at the same time accompanying the act, in the negro's melodious voice, with singing English national songs, with which the soldiers in their hilarity were so much delighted, that they spared the building for his sake, and enthusiastically joined in the choruses.
Colonel Abraham Hasbrouck, who was a resident of Kingston at the time, in his diary, which is still in existence, and was kept by him with regular entries for many years, states that "the enemy burnt all the houses and barns except one house and barn in the town."
The only official document giving the names of the sufferers at the burning of Kingston is the list of names reported by Andries De Witt, Edward Schoonmaker, and Benjamin Low, who in June, 1786, were appointed a committee by the trustees of the corpora- tion of Kingston " to make a list and estimate of the persons enti- tled to, and having an interest in the donation of lands, made by Chancellor Livingston to the Inhabitants and residents of this
305
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
town, who are the sufferers in the late conflagration of the said town."
The particulars of the donation will appear in a subsequent chapter. It was of five thousand acres of land to be disposed of by the trustees " in such way as will be most advantageous to the suffering inhabitants of Kingston." The tract was divided by the trustees in one hundred fifty-acre lots. The committee reported only a sufficient number of names to equal the number of lots to be distributed. So far as it goes it is reliable, but does not name all the sufferers. Upon what basis the selection was made does not appear.
-
In 1886 some parties in looking over bundles of old papers which had been packed away in the loft of an office by Peter Marius Groen, the grandfather of the writer, including some of his personal papers, as well as some which came into his hands as administrator of the estate of Peter Van Gaasbeek, long since deceased, an old paper was found purporting to be " a true account of the Dwelling houses, Barns, outhouses and Barracks destroyed at Kingston 16 Oct'r 1777 by our enemies under the command of Maj G. Vaughan."
It contains 113 names, 115 dwelling-houses, 103 barns, 146 bar- racks, 17 storehouses, including a market and brew-house ; also a church, an academy, 2 school-houses, and court-house.
It has the appearance of being and undoubtedly is an ancient paper ; but there is nothing upon it to indicate when it was made or by whom. In appearance it indicates more clearly a rough draft than a carefully prepared statement.
It omits the names of several persons who are reported as suf- ferers in the official statement above referred to.
Nathan Smedes's mill in North Front Street, Jacob Tremper's house in Greene Street, were all unquestionably burned, and they are put down as only having had barns burned.
In it the brewery is put down as having been burned and as belonging to Dirck Wynkoop, whereas it belonged to Johannis Sleght, and according to tradition was not burned.
Both papers will be set forth in full in the Appendix. A rate bill of the English school, for six months immediately preceding and up to the day of the burning, with names of parents and scholars, will also be given in the Appendix, and be particularly referred to in a subsequent chapter.
The large number of barns and barracks burned at a time of the year when the entire season's crop must have been gathered in a locality noted for its fertility, and the then great grain-producing region of the State, indicates a loss to the farming community which must have been great and cannot be estimated.
20
306
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
It has been generally supposed that the Lefferts property escaped destruction by reason of the rank Toryism of the owner. But if the memorandum previously referred to, and contained in the Appendix, is correct, his barn and two barracks were burned. On account of a hole in the paper it cannot be seen what report it made as to the house. There is also a tradition in regard to the Lefferts place, that the soldiers, after firing the barn and barracks, were determined also to burn the house, and while Mrs. Lefferts was parleying with them to prevent it, the return call sounded and the soldiers left, leaving the house untouched. In reference to the Van Steenbergh house there are various accounts given. One is, that Mrs. Hammersly, a prominent Tory lady, lived there, and the house was spared on her account. That does not appear very probable, judging from the conduct of the red-coats on other occa- sions. Another is, that they set fire to the house, but the recall was sounded before the fire had progressed much, and was quickly extinguished by the slaves, who were concealed in the woods in the immediate neighborhood. Another account given is that, it being a hotel, one of the slaves who remained behind rolled out a barrel of rum, knocked in the head, and treated the soldiers to their hearts' content until the recall sounded, when they left, leaving the house untouched.
As to the brewery, the account of its escape is also accredited to beer-barrels being rolled out by a slave and the contents freely distributed among the soldiers, as before stated.
The following is a list of the sufferers at the burning of King- ston, October 16th, 1777 :
Cornelius Beekman 65
John Beekman 75
Evert Bogardus 83
Nicholas Bogardus 1
Abraham Brinckerhoff. 63
Isaac Burhans
Petrus Burhans
David Cox. 24
Abraham De Lametter 48
Johannis B. De Witt 43
Rev. George J. L. Doll. .
53
Egbert Dumont 36
Peter Dumont. 81
Abraham Elmendorf. 93
Benjamin Elmendorf. 94
Coenraedt J. Elmendorf. ..
Jan Elmendorf.
Dr. Jacobus Elmendorf ... 39
William Elsworth 14
William Eltinge 9
Coenraedt Crook. 87
David De Lametter 105
John Dumont. 38
Ariantje Elmendorf.
Coenraedt Elmendorf 85
Cornelius Elmendorf 11
Mary Elmendorf.
52, 62, 102
Abraham Eltinge
16
Elizabeth Eltinge
41
Gertrey Bogardus 6
Petrus Bogardus. 60
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
307
Abraham Freer 101
Johannis Freer 55
Joseph Gasherie. 8
James Hamilton 89
Abraham Hasbrouck, Jr ..
Abraham Hermance 88
Anthony Hoffman 5
Teunis Houghteling
97
Petrus Hudler 112
Johannis Janse 71
Dr. Thomas Jones 82
Dr. Luke Kiersted 37
William Kirby
Abraham Low. 40
Cornelia Low 25
Jacob Marius Groen 79
Abraham Masten. 19
Cornelius Masten. 108
Johannis Masten. 10
Johannis Masten, Jr 90
Johannis Persen.
29
James Roe 7
Henry Sleght.
42
Johannis Sleght
3 & 4
Petrus Sleght.
Nathan Smedes 2
Johannis Snyder 84
Adam Swart 100
Petrus Swart 80
Tobias Swart.
50
Benjamin Ten Broeck.
Matthew E. Thompson
20
Abraham Turck.
Jacob Turck
66
Christopher Tappen
15
Philip Van Buren.
Tobias Van Buren
81
Cornelius Van Keuren .. .. 98
59
Abraham Van Gaasbeek .. 18
Ann Van Steenbergh .... . Matthew Van Steenbergh. 92 Tobias Van Steenbergh, Jr. (not burned) 95
Tobias Van Steenbergh .
...
103
Direk Wynkoop. 72, 68
Cornelius Wynkoop. 76
The Academy.
33
Two Schoolhouses.
104, 114
Mill
2
Anthony Freer 12
Solomon Freer
Abraham Hasbrouck 67
Elias Hasbrouck. 51
Jacob Hermance 90
Philip Houghteling 69
Cornelius Janse
37
Richard Inglis.
Catharine Kiersted 64
Benjamin Low. 56
Jacobus Low 58
John McLean 77
Benjamin Masten 91
Ezekiel Masten. 87
Matthew Persen .
30
Frantz P. Roggen 31
Henry Sleght, Jr .21, 23 Johannis Sleght, Jr. Teunis Sleght
Oke Sudam
26
Benjamin Swart
Philip Swart
Jacob Ten Broeck
109
Jacob Tremper
46
Nicholas Vanderlyn.
27
Gerrett Van Keuren .. . . 34
Johannis Van Keuren.
...
Abraham Van Gaasbeek, Jr.
Lena Van Steenbergh.
..
Cornelius Velie.
21
Johannis Wynkoop.
17
Church
54
Market.
110
Brewery (not burned).
3
T
6OZ
PLAINS OR WATER PLOSS
BOWERY
308
ARM
61
104
101
14
96
59
8
13
52
41
31
10
08
40
.
6
50
73 74
77
78
.93
95
*
.45
114
46
110
36
35
Mill Pond
107
108
.
106'
KINGSTON
1777.
63
20
105
18
19
87
119
103
97
16
63
102
113
86
85
83
84
82
100
52
81
3
89
8
94
88
91
92
6
.
18
72
75
76
79
66
98
LOW
0
70
43
S
".To Ford
1
.
Lands
67
309
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
Those whose property was located within the village are given in alphabetical order, and the location of their houses desig- nated, as far as practicable, by corresponding numbers upon the accompanying map. Those whose houses were not within the village, but on the creek or river, are stated below. Some of them were burned a few days subsequent to the burning of the village, but by the same marauding expedition.
Those whose houses cannot be located have no numbers. It will be found that there are several houses located by number on the map which have no corresponding number on the list, because the then owner cannot be positively designated.
Jacobus Lefferts's property, located north of 109 and beyond range of map.
Sufferers along water front, Rondout Creek and Hudson River, outside of village :
Moses Cantine, Wilhelmus Houghteling, Jr., Petrus Ten Broeck, John Whitaker, Petrus Whitaker, Samuel Whitaker.
In another chapter an account is given of a large fire which originated in the house (No. 35 on map) of Colonel Abraham Has- brouck, in October, 1776, by which houses located at points num- bered on the map as 10, 13, 34, 35, 40, and 41, were burned at that time. Some were rebuilt wholly or partially before October, 1777, and some were not.
The colored burying-ground is numbered on the map as 113.
It is reasonable to suppose that when the British approached Kingston the unarmed inhabitants who had not already fled from the village made what expedition they could to get out of harm's way. They did not all take it as easy as the two industrious burgh- ers who were so intently engaged at work in a field on the " Arm- bowerye" near the village, as tradition asserts, that they did not notice the approach of the enemy until they were directly upon them, when, in the height of their astonishment and alarm, one cried out, " Me haare oop!"' and the other in chorus said, " Ek: oke !"' thus, in the tremor for their lives, acknowledging themselves the dutiful subjects of the King.
Whatever may have been their expedition, however, whether speedy or laggard, it gave rise to the following Dutch doggerel :
." Loop, jongens, loop, de Rooje Komme. Span de wagen Voor de paerde, en vy na Hurley toe."
The translation is as follows :
"Run, boys, run, the red-coats are coming. Harness the horses before the wagon, and to Hurley ride."
310
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
After the British had completed their work of destruction and returned to their shipping, those of the inhabitants who were in the immediate vicinity returned to endeavor, if possible, to recover something from the smoking ruins. But the destruction generally was complete, and nothing but ashes and bare walls left of their once comfortable homes. Many who, notwithstanding the tax- ation and burdens of protracted war, had accumulated some prop- erty, found themselves by this act of vandalism again reduced to poverty. All were obliged for a time to throw themselves upon the hospitality of their friends. As soon as practicable, the suffer- ing inhabitants commenced building temporary shelters to with- stand the blasts of approaching winter. Those whose homes had been of stone were enabled to rest their huts, in the form of a . lean-to, against the standing walls.
The cry of indignation and shame at the uncalled-for brutality was heard from every part of the land, and the true American heart, which ever beats in sympathy for the wronged and the oppressed, sent forth sympathetic resolves and donations from various portions of the country. A country impoverished by war and oppression could not be expected to do much for the relief of others, but what they did was received with the thanks and the prayers of those whose burdens, to some extent at least, were lightened thereby. Noblest among all of our sister States in that day of trial stood South Carolina, as shown by a letter still extant, written in behalf of her citizens to Governor Clinton.
" CHARLESTOWN 31 March 1778.
" SIR
" I do myself the pleasure to send you, herewith, the sum of £3711 10 equal to £927 17 6 New York currency. This money has been received for the charitable purpose of alleviating the distress- es of the now indigent inhabitants of the town of Kingston, who by the ravages of the enemy are reduced to poverty and want. A much larger sum would have been collected had not a melancholy accident by fire called the immediate attention of many liberal souls to dissipate the wants of many of the inhabitants of the capital of this State, who are reduced to beggary by the late dreadful con- flagration.
"From a personal acquaintance with your excellency, I per- suade myself you will readily excuse the trouble I give, in request- ing your attention to a proper distribution of this donation. I have the pleasure to be with sentiments of esteem and respect " Your most obedient Hum'l Serv't
." ABM LIVINGSTON
" His Excellency George Clinton"
311
HISTORY OF KINGSTON.
Robert R. Livingston, too, richer in lands than in personal property, and embarrassed by the destruction of his house and the ravages of the enemy upon the same marauding expedition, made the munificent gift of five thousand acres of land for the relief of the inhabitants of Kingston. The fact is simply noted here, as it will be necessary to refer to it more fully hereafter.
There are some family incidents and traditions connected with the burning of the place which may be of some interest, and will be noticed here, embracing in some cases the reasons why some buildings supposed to have been saved were not burned.
Before stating those traditions, however, it deserves special mention here that the family of Christopher Tappen, who was deputy county clerk and also clerk of the trustees of the corpora- tion of Kingston, devoted their entire energies, upon the approach of the British, toward the preservation of the public and corporate property in his charge, at the expense and loss of all his chattels and private papers, which were left behind and consequently rifled and destroyed by the British.
Benjamin Low lived opposite the Court House in Wall Street. A short time before the burning of Kingston a well-dressed, gentle- manly-looking man on horseback stopped at the door and saw Mrs. Low, Mr. Low being away from home. He wanted to stop there ; said he was sick, and could not go any farther. She told him it might not be safe for him to do so, and he might be a British spy. He said he came from Newburgh, and was going to Rochester to teach school. His horse was put out, and he came in, and she showed him to a room where he could lie down. When Mr. Low. came home and found a strange horse in the barn he wanted to know whose it was. Mrs. Low told him that a man had come there, complained of being sick, and she could not turn him away. Mr. Low replied, " He is a British spy, I know he is." He re- mained there a week, and Mrs. Low doctored and cured him, so that he got up and walked round the place and premises.
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