USA > New York > Westchester County > Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution > Part 57
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" TARRYTOWN, (Sunday morning,) August 4. " SIR:
"I have just opportunity to inform you that, " yesterday, at one o'clock, P.M., the galleys attacked " the Phoenix and the Rose, off Tarrytown.
"The Lady Washington fired the first gun on our "side, in answer to one received from the Phoenix: " this first shot from us entered the Phonix. The " Washington, galley, on board of which the Commo- " dore's flag was hoisted, then came up within grape- " shot of the ships, and singly sustained their whole " fire, for about a quarter of an hour, before any other "of our vessels took a shot from her (the tide wasting "them more than the pilots expected to the eastern "shore; and the Lady Washington falling back to
9 Compare the letter of Piorre Van Cortlandt and Zephaniah Platt. Juur., of the second of August, with the reports of the engagement be. I ween the galleys and the ships, off Tarrytown, on the evening of the next day.
10 General Washington to the tourration, " New York, July 24, 1776." 11 Memoirs of Major-general Heath, 51.
1ยบ [Hall's] History of the Civil War in america, 195.
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" take her station in the line, according to order-) " The spitfire advanced, in a line with the Washing- " ton ; and, with her, behaved well.
" We had as hot a fire as, perhaps, was ever known, " for an hour and a half. The Washington, which I " was on board, during the whole engagement, had "the ledgings of her bow-guns knocked away, which " prevented our working them, and was otherwise " considerably damaged, being thirteen times hulled, " had three shot in the waist, many of her oars car- " ried away, etc. The Lady Washington, after bulling " the l'hanix six times, had her bow, and only, gun. " a thirty-two-pounder, on which we placed much " dependence, split seven inches, and her gui-tackle> "and breechings carried away. The Spitfire was " hulled, several times, and received one shot between " wind and water, which, not being quickly disrov- "ered, occasioned her making much water. The rest "of the galleys received considerable damage in their " rigging, sails, and oars.1 Under these circumstances, " our Commodore, Colonel Tupper, thought it pru- " dent to give the signal for our little feet to witht- " draw, after manfully fighting a much superior force, " for two hours.
' It will be seen that very little was said, in this Report, of the opera lions of the Connecticut galleys, the Crowe and the B hiding : the follow ing correspondence will remedy that defect :
" SIR :
I. " NEW. HAVEN, October 14, 1776.
" By Captain Tinker am informed of the misfortune and sitnatiou of "the row.galley's sent into the Continental service from this stato ; and "as circumstances are altered, respecting them, since my last to you, ou "the subject of dismissing their crews and arms, must again request your "attention to that matter, that the crew of the Crane, Captain Tinker, " who escaped, may be dismissed, aud be admitted to return to the en. " ployment of this State ; all that if the crews of the other two galleys "can lo of uo further service to you, they, likewise, may be dismissed ; "of one or both, as you see fit, as we can endoy them to advantage on " board onr armed vessels, fitting out, into which service they are desir- "ol.s of entering.
" The galleys being employed in the service of the Continent, are es. " teemueil to be at the Continental care and risk.
"This State readily submits to your Excellency's directions what is requisite and proper relative to the men and their armis,
" I ain, with estrem and respect, " Sir, your most obe dient, humble servant, 1. JANtit. TRUMBULL ..
"To His EXCELLENCY GENERAL. WASHINGTON."
11. " HEAD QUARTERS, October 18, 1976.
" SIR :
" The very critical state of our Army and frequent movements of theen. "emy render it almost impossible for the General to write, bienelf, with- "ant reglerting more important duties. He, therefore, directa me to an- "wwer your letter of the 14th, and to say that the Captains of the galleys " from your State have mistwehaved, Invariably, from the first montent they "came, to the time of their departure from heure, abont a week ago ; " that the accumulation of business and a hope that they would retrieve " their reputation, prevented your having an earlier information of their "behaviour. They are now under the sentence of a Pourt Martial for "misbehaviour, in the first attack neste on the ships in the North River ; "anul on every other occasion, since, have manifested such want of
"spirit wil judgment as to bo despised by the whole Army. " I am, Sir, by his Excellency's command, " Your most obedient, humble servant,
" Never did men behave with more firm, deter. "mined spirit-, that our little crews; one of our the-, "being mortally wounded, cried to his mes-mate, '] "'am a dying man : revenge my blood, my boys, at.1 "'carry me alongside my gun, that I may die there.' " We were an preserved by a gracious Providence. "that in all our galleys, which consisted of six, " .. "we had but two men killed and fourteen wounded. " two of which are thought dangerous. We hope to "have another touch at these Pirates, before they " leave our river, which God prosper.
" P. S. The following are the partienlars of the "galleys, with their killed and wounded, viz. : the " Washington, Captain Hill, four wounded ; the Whit- "ing, MeCleave, one killed, four wounded; the Spit- " fire, Grimes, one killed, three wounded ; the Crane, "Tinker, one wounded; on board a whaleboat, two " wounded." 2
It appears that one, Anderson, had proposed ascheme to the Continental Congress for destroying the British fleet, then lying in the harbor of New York. with fire-ships; and he had been officially recom- mended to General Washington, by the President of the Congress, with a request that the experiment should be made." The General had, accordingly, employed Anderson in constructing two fire-vessels; and, on the eighth of August, they were sent up the river,' for the purpose of destroying a portion, at least, of the squadron which seems to have continued to occupy its anchorage, off Tarrytown, although, by some, it is said to have dropped down the river, to the vicinity of the Lower Yonkers. One of these vessels was commanded by Captain Fosdick, the other by
" The Pennsylvania Journal; and the Weekly Advertiser, No. 1757, Pit. vrt.rita, Weitesday, August 7, 1770.
For other accounts of this early rival action, see an Extract of a letter from New York, dated August 4. 1776, in Force's American Archives, Fifth Series, 1. 731; General Washington to the President of Congress, " NEW-YORK, 5 "August, 1776 ;" The Bancyfrowin Evening Post, Volante If., No. 241, PHIL- ADELPHIA, Tuesday, August 6, 1776; The Cornertient Gazelle and Chi- rersal Intelligener, Vol. 11., Na. 666, New-Lostos, Friday, August 1;, 1576; [Hall's] History of the Civil War in america, i., 186, who mail " most of the galleys were rau on shore, and taken;" Memoirs of Gen- Fral Hooth, 21; Pausay's Hiday of the American Revolution, Flit. I .n. ilon, Lah, i., 2, a mere mention ; Allen's History of the American Ie. ulmtant, Edit. Baltimore, 1522, i., 429; Wilson's History of the American 7 ; Irving's Life of Washington, Edit. New York, 1856, il. 2019.
Nrothers of the many writers on the American Revolution and Gon. eral Washington, as far as we have seen them, including Stelman, Murray, Andrews, Lumb, Marshall, Hibreth, Pitkin, Leadrum, Hinman, Lossing, Bancroft, C'arrington, Bilpath, etc., nor the local historian, Bolton, Have paid the slightest attention to it.
Wy barn from the records of the " Bioveruer and Connell, or Containit . "ton of War," of Connecticut, that the Whiting and the frame wor. ow und by the State of Connecticut, and were, probably, those which were hand to tienetal Washington ; that the Whiting wash new level. Pinnwanded by captain John Merleave, was wanted with fifty mien, m. cloques her officers, and armed with four cannon, taken from the M .. Bern, right swivels, stul five muskets; and that the (Same was files y How vessel, ommandet by Captain Jchial Tinker, was manted with fifty men, including her officers, antarmed with two Continental mne-peuth.l. ers, two three pounders, right swivels, and ton muskets.
Sparky's Writing of Borg Wishingyou, iv , la, note. + M noir of Creed Heath, Al.
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Captain Thomas, lich of them volunteers from the Army ; and they must have neverdied in passing up the river and in being concealed, without having been seen by the vuemy ; and no one, ashore, appear- to have given the slightest information concerning them.
We are told these vessels were sloopa, 1 probably such as ordinarily sailed on the North-river ; and that the night of the fourteenth of August was appointed for the attempt to burn the ships; but, from some unexplained cause, without having aroused any sus- picion, however, the attempt was not, then, made. ? Two nights later, that of the sixteenth of August, it was "pretty dark," and the tide was also favorable ; and the mischief-laden aloops were unmarred, and allowed to drift with the tide, silently, up the river, toward their proposed victims. The Rose's tender is said to have been anchored as a look-ont, ahead of the ships ;3 and Captain Thomas, without having been discovered by the enemy, steered his sloop alongside of her ; grappled Notwithstanding the bravery and skill of those who conducted the firevessels and the considerable success which attended their efforts, it is said that the advan- tages gained would have been largely increased had her ; and lighted his fires. The flames from the burn- ing vessels afforded light to Captain Fosdick, who, ! with very great ability, so directed his sloop that she fell alongside of the Phernic, and grap- pled her, notwithstanding every effort of seamanship, on board the ship, was made to prevent it. With her fires fiercely burning, the sloop continued alongside the Phoenix, nearly a quarter of an hour, during which time the latter was also set on fire, in four places; and she was finally saved from total destruetion, "almost miraculously," by a sailor who leaped, naked, on board the sloop, and, with an axe, "disengaged the "chain of the grappling which had "linked the two vessels together."+ It is said, " very reasonably, that the low- ness of the burning sloop, when along-ide of the vastly larger frigate, prevented the more complete ignition of the latter ; and THE AMERICAN FIRESHIPS. that, after the vessels had been separated, the sloop was sunk by her intended victim. We ; the galleys more actively co-operated with them ; and are told," also, that, as soon as she was disentan. . there was evidently some dissatisfaction displayed, glad from the burning sloop, " the Plurais either ent ' because of that nautical backwardnes; ' but there "or slipped ber calde; let fall her foresail; wore "around ; and stood up the river; being inme- : Lieutenant London, of Colonel Nicoll's Regiment, and two privates of his Company, (General Health to General Washington, " KING'S Hall .. E. "August 20, 1776.") "diately veiled from the spectators by the darkness of "the night ;" that "the Rose and the other two "tenders remained at their moorings, although it was
1 Memoirs of General Hoth, 31.
" Ilid.
3 [Hall's] History of the Wird War in America, i., Ist.
We have taken this aucute description of the assault on the catroy's ships from Captain Hall's History of the Civil Ther in America, i., 1. 187, because it is to clearly stated, and because it is the work of an och- err of the Royal Aracy, and, therefore, is out likely to have been over- st.tel.
& Gordon's History of the American Revolution, in., Bis.
6 Memvirs of General Heath, 54.
" said that one of the tenders was deserted by her " crew, fora time :" that the tender which was grappled by Captain Thonis was burned to the water's edge and was towed to the shore, by the Americans, by whom one iron six-pound gun, two three-pounders, one two-pounder, ten swivels, a caboose and apron, some gun-barrels, cutlasses, grappling-, chains, etc., were taken from the wreck; and that the gallant crew- of the fireships sustained neither loss nor injury, except in the instance of one man, who, in setting fire to his vessel, was considerably burned in his face, hands, etc., and in that of Captain Thomas, who, it was feared, perished in the attempt to fasten his vessel to the tender which it destroyed or in making his escape, by swimming, as he was not sub- sequently heard of. As General Washington stated in the letter from which we derive the information, when writing of him, " his bravery entitled him to a " better fate." "
" finnerel Washington to fioretage Trumbull, "NEW-Your, August 15. P IbiJ.
General Heath reported to General Washington, on the morning after the attack, that the galleys Lody Washington and Independence had Ine I have well, in their cooperation with the firevesels, whats the other galleys were inactive ; and the commander-in-chief answered, on the same day, expersing his pleasure in bearing of the goal behavior of those who had participated in the adventure, and instructing General Heath to " inquire into the cause of the inactivity of the other galleys, "and inform him thereof."-Richard .frey, Jun. A. D. C. to Genre! Heath, " HEAD-QUARTERS, August 17, 170%.")
In Adjutant general's Keed's reply to Governor Trumbull's letter con- ceraing the Contexthul galleys, after having recited the notorious mis-
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repeated attacks and the want uf intercourse with { monstration, so interesting to those of Westchester- the fleet and the perils to which they were (p .i. nume cho t d tvar the line of the Hudsan-river, neither of the great opposing powers, in the City of New York and on Long Island, on the one side, and on and arothitd Staten Island, on the other, did anty thing else than to strengthen their respective forces and prepare for the rapidly approaching contest. General Washington continued to strengthen his de- fences, both in the City of New York and on Long Island ; but the backwardness of the distant States, in sending reinforcements to the Army, not only caused it constant anxiety, at Head-quarters, but an alarm which extended beyond the lines of the Camp .? prompted the commanders of the ships, on the euch- teenth of August, less than forty-eight hours after the last attack had been made on them, to take advantage of a strong easterly wind and a very rainy morning, to run down the river, past the fortifications thrown np by the Americans, and to join the main body of the fleet, off Staten Island, a feat which was success- fully accomplished, without any considerable dam- age, " the air resounding with acclamations from the " fleet, re-echoed by the Army encamped on the " Ireights above,"' as they came to the anchorage.
During the period occupied in this carly naval de-
behavior of the crews of all of them, " in the hrst attack made on the " ships in the North River," for which they had been tried and Cots- demued by a Confitmental Court-martial, that offerr, writing "by his Ex . " cellency'scommands." (cul page 211, gat roid of the subsequent ofera- tiou of those galley", " In the late Affair, Captain M-Cleave must be ex "crpted from the general censure, as he managed with pridener aml "propriety. But Captain Tinker, with the wind at sunth, and on the "tide of food " [dod of tide ?] "when the ship- could move. left his versel, "thought stationed as a guard, to go up to King's Bridge, after some "clothes, as he pretends. The cottsequence was, that, in the hurry and "confusion, and long before they were in danger, they left the gal. "Iry aground, though they might have burnelor bilgen her. The enemy "took possession of her, in halfan hour ; and she, with the other, left " umber the like circumstances, will probably prove the most formblable " force they can have, to oppose nis, on the river. There was a place of "safety provided for the other galleys, which they might have got into, "as well as MeCleave ; but they passed it, in their hurry." (General Washington, through the Adjubent-general, to Goreruor Trumbull, " HESD- "QUARTERS, October Is, 17.6.")
1 [Hall's] History of the Cied War in America, i., 187.
For other accounts of this daring feat, in attempting todestroy these ship. and of the subsequent escape of the latter, for General Houth to General Washington, " Kist's Brink, 17 August, 176;" General Washington to the President of Congress, "NEW-YORK, August 17, ITIS; " the same to tagernor Trumbull, " NEW YORK, August Is, 1576; " General Houth to - General Washington, " KING's Butter, 1. August, 1976 ;" Erinden of Jonathan Woodman and two others, desertas, .aclosed by federal M.r. cer to fieira Washington, " NEWARK, August 19, 1776 ; " Extraet jeum " litter dated " NEW York, August 19, 1776." published in Force's Amer- iran Archives, Fifth series, i., 2060: Geral Houth to General Wishing- 0.1, " KINA'S BRIDGE, August 20, 1976 ;" The Bangleania Brewing Post, Vol. II., No. 245. Putt,ADELPHIEs, Tuesday, August 20, 1776; The Pron- sylennin Journal, No. 1750, PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, Angstet 21, 1776 ; The Connecticut Cinselde mobil Unterrand Inte Meg aver, Vol. II., No. MIT, Na.w. LONDON, Friday, August 23, 176; Menvoix of General Houth, 53-55; Gordon's History of the American Revolution, i., 305 ; Fotce's American Archieex, V., i., 983 ; Irving's Life of George Hoelanghon, ti, 90, 307 ; etc.
What purports to have been copied from a contemporary drawing of ther brilhant scene, made by Sir James Wallace, who bad commatid of the love, on the occasion bow under notice, may be seenin The Med of the Corporation of the City of Note Book for It, opposite page 172. It is understood to have been copied from the original drawing, in the Ihitich Museum ; and it bas bren re-pt -- ineed, itt pertert fue-sinde, but reduced in size, for the illustration of this article. (l'abe page 215, unde.)
What the local historians of Westchester county puwildly interpled for a description of this daring attempt to destroy the ships, was in theme words, taken from his description of the property of the late Elijah Rich, near Youkers: " Here, in 1777, a memorable engagement trok " place between the two British frigates, the Rose and the Thesis, which "lay off at anchor, and the gun-boats of the patriots which sullied out " of the hatter of Yonkers, having in low a large tender filled with "combustibles, intending to run it alongspl of the frigates. The press, " however, kept it off, by means of war4 ; and a heavy fire of grupe and " cantister compelled the girlents and the ir brave creas to seek shelter "in the month of the Saw Mill. The year previos, " he continued, " Getteral Heath had been requested by the petsont in command of the " fireships, to be a spectator of the burning of these vessels," quoting,
in full, what General Heath, in his Mom irs, nuder the date of the six- leenth of August, 1776, had said uf the attempt to destroy these ships, which is the subject of the murative, in the text. (History of Hwatchester- comaly, original politiet, it., 159, 400 ; the some, second edition, it., ALT, 69%.)
As it is more than probable that the shije, when they were attack -l, were off Tarrytown, instead of below Yaukers; as Yonkers, in 1777, was withlu the British liters, and so could not have afforded a rendezvous, in the Saw Mill. river, for American gan-boats and fireships, during that year ; as the Phonis and the How had dropped down to the anchorige of the Royal Fleet, of Staten Island, on the eighteenth of August, IT'S, two days after the engagement described in the text ; and as the au- thority whout he qnoted, in full, described the engagement, of which he was an eye- witness, as having taken place on the sixteenth of August, 1776, it will be evideut to the reader that the historiaut of Westchester- contity, as well as his posthumous Editor, Muunderet.
" In order that the reader may under-tail the gravity of the subject, and be the better prepared for the recital of the narrative of those stir- ring events which occurred within the succeeding month, we make room for the following :
" It gives us great pain to inform you that the aid received from our "sister states is very inwlequate to our expectations, none of them hav- "ing yet completed the levies directed by Congres, which leaves us "reason to that that, instead of using every means that human wisdom "dietales, for ensuring success, we shall, (with inferior numbers, ) ou "the doubtful issue of a single battle, hazard the glorious cause for "which we have hitherto struggled." (The Courgation of New York to the Delegation from Now York is the Continental Congress, " HARLEM, 7th Au- " gitst, 1776, A. M.")
"It is our great misfortune that, at this important crisis, this State is " unable to make those exertions which the cause of America requires. "From the disaffection of some among us; from the want of arms ; "frion the exposed situation of Long Islatel and onr frontiers ; from the "pression of une County by the enemy ; and from the podatality of " our being called upon to reinforce the northern Army, we are unaldy " to add much strength to your Excellency's command, ling, by the "several reasons above-mentioned, deprived of the assistance of the "Counties out of fourteen which compose this State. Nothwithstanding "all these definite , we are determined to combat evers ofstate and "lo strain every ir tve in defense of the rights and literties of Antica, " which we corretta to be most materially interested in the safety of this "State. By our Resolution- for oblering the several drafts made in the "Counties of Suffolk, Unorts, Kings, Westchester, Duchess, l'Istet, and "frange, to the raviout of New York, we hope, in about six days, to "add twar three thousand tien to your Army.
" We lament, exceedingly, that we should have a caston to complain " of the lang tid efforts which the neighbourm, States have made for "onr assistance. Front the zeal they professed for the public router ; " friin the vicinity of some of them to this invaded country ; and from " the dangerous situation in which Contretient, Massachusetts, l'eun- " sylvania, and Jersey must be in, should the enemy succeed in their "doigts against this state, we expected the most strenuous and espe - "ditions exertion4. How great our concern [is] at fiuling so considers. " ble a deficiency in the establishment of this Army, your Excellency "may vastly judge from the ferlings of n patriotic bosom, on the im- " portance of the cause and the dangers to which it is, lo these means, "expuenl.
" We Halter ourselves, however, that this supineness will not to if
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General Howe, on the contrary, had been strength- ened, on the twelfth of July, by the arrival of his brother, Admiral Lord Howe, with the long expected reinforcements for the Royal Army ; ' and he brought, also, a Commission from the King, appointing his brother, General Howe, and himself ? to be Commis- sioners for granting pardons to those of the Ameri- cans who should ask for the clemency of the Sover- eign.3 On the twelfth of August, the two fleets, under the convoy, respectively, of Commodore Ho- tham and the Repulse, met off Sandy-hook, aml entered
"any duration ; and that the Continental Congress will devise means of "affording the most expeditions and effectual assistance to preserve a ". State, the loss of which, from its geographical situation and the je-liti. "cal character of too many of its inhabitants, would be almost fetal to " the cause of American liberty." (The Convention of New York to lieu- eral Washington, "HARLEM, Angt. 9, 1776.")
" I am extremely concerned that the quotas of men to be furnished by "the neighboring States have proved so deficient. The busy was "and harvest, to which it has been ascribed, being now over, in a great "degree, I Hatter myself, from the zeal they have heretofore manifested. " they will afford every possible assistance, They are well apprised of "the importance of this State, in the present contest, and the necessity " of maintaining it against the attempts of the enemy." (General Bush- ington to the Concertina, " NEW-YORK, August 11, 1776.")
How ill-founded General Washington's faith in the sincerity of the other States was, beyond the limits of their respective individual inter- ests, has been duly recorded in history, is well-known to every intelli- geut reader, and need not be repeated, in this place.
I Genceut Washington to General Schuyler, " NEW YORK, 15 July, 1776;" The Annual Register for 1776 : History of Europe .* 167; etc.
Stedman, (History of the American War, i., 191, ) raid the Admiral and his command arrived at Sandy-hook, on the first of July ; but his error will be evident to every one.
" As the remarkable influence which the General and the Admiral pos- sessed over the King, even under the most adverse circumstances, has been frequently noticed and very rarely explained, a passing notice of the reason for that influence may not be unwelcome to the reader.
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