USA > New York > Westchester County > Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution > Part 60
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From these faute, it appears that the entire force, present and con !. minded by General Howe, before he opened the Campaign ou Long 1,- land, was upwards of forty thousand men, exclusive of the Marines on the several Fleets, which conbl have been called ashore, bad theis best any necessity for their services. Only one Briga le of Hessians, a de's h. ment of the Fourteenth Regiment, sonte convalescents, and these re- cruits which had already arrived, were left on Staten Island ; and the Sick-list was very -inal ; there were no detachments on special duties ; and there could have been none atent ou furlough : it is very clear. therefore, that when the Royal Army was moved from Staten Island, it numbered very little, if any, less than thirty eight thousand effective men, including its Officers. In the Battle of Lunes Island. it was said to have lost only three Inandre and s vay seven of all classes, (dinero It is to Jord Guage Germain, "NEWTOWN, Los BLAND, 5 Sqft. 17;" only " alt " nin ty two were said to have been killed or words! a: "YORK ISLAND, "I September. 1776;") the recupation of Powie's look, Long Island, and the City of New York required detachments, of coffee; but there can be little doubt that the Army which General Il we move! from Throgg'streek wandered very little, if any, less then thirty thurs and, Offers and men, fit for active service.
In confirmation of this estimate of the strength of General lowe's command, in Westchestercounty, we may be permitted to state that. after the arrival of the Second Division of the Hessians and of the other reinforcements to which Lord Geurer Germaine made reference. already noticed, but with the loose, which it had sustained in Westcher. tor-county and at Fort Washington deducted, on the twenty-second of November, 1776, " the force uunder General How's inmieliate c .n.nix !! ! " is said to have been thirty-one thousand, seven hundred, and fifty five. fibers and meu, fit for active service. flopis to the Observations of lient. Gov. Sir William Howe, on a pamphlet entitled Letters for n- blemim, 37.)
*[Joseph Galloway's! Leveret . a Nicht mon, 31, 35.
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to we have egy the two Armies were occupied, during several sed. - affer de Bal Army haltigen the City of New York, in throwing up defensie works-the American Army, on the Heights of Har- lem, to the northward and eastward of the present village of Manhattanville, back, to Kingsbridge, and in the more exposed portions of Westchester county : the Royal Army, on the Heights of Harlem and on Vandewater's Heights, southward from the village of - heartened, even to the extent of losing confidence in Manhattanville, and thence to MeGowan's-pass, where his own abilities and in those of his immense and well-officered and well-disciplined command to make any further progress, during that Campaign, nor until the arrival of heavy reinforcements, during the ensuing Winter and Spring.+ General Howe had
the postroad to the northward and eastward descended from the high grounds, forming the northernmost portion of the present great City's Central Park, to the Harlem-plains, below ' -- and some time was, also, necessarily employed by General Howe, in obtaining information concerning the face of the country, in the rear of the positions occupied by the American Army, "upon a supposition that the enemy " [the American Army] " should remove from King's- " Bridge," which information, thus sought in ad- vance of any movement of the Army, was become more necessary since he had found the Americans not so well-disposed to join and to serve the Royal Army, in the field, as he had been taught to expect ; 2 and because the country referred to, the County of Westchester, "was so covered with wood, swamps, "and creeks, that it was not open, in the least de- "gree, to be known, but from post to post or from
1 Vide page 221, ante.
See, also, General Home to Lord George Germaine, "NEW YORK "ISLAND, 25 September, 1776;" the a nice to the same, " NEW-YORK. 30 House of Commons, April 29, 1979,-Almon's Parliamentary Register, xii. 323 ; Testimony of the Earl of Cornwallis before a Committee of the House of Commons, Mayo, 1779,-Almon's Parliamentary Register, xiii., 3 ; etc. 2 Vide pige 212, ante.
That disappointment was expressed to the Home Government, in the General's despatch of the twenty-fifth of Sepieuther, 1770, in these words : " We tittat also have recruits from Europe, not finding the Amer- "icans disposed to serve with arms, notwithstanding the hopes held out "to me, upon my arrival at this post." In his Speech before a Commit- tes of the House of Commons, on the treaty-ninth of April, ITTO, the Gen- eral repeated the expression of his disappointment. on that subject, in these etuphatic words : " I nuist. here, and, That I found the Americans " not so well-disposed to join us, and to serve, as I have been taught to "expert." The careful -tilent of the history of that period will also bear testimony, in confirmation of what General Howe thus wrote and said, that the Americans those who hat been persecuted and outraged because of "suspicions" that they were " diselected," notwithstanding the very reasonable reazione which they had for thiss transferring their strength to the Royal Army, generally remained at their homes, with their families, without voluntarily taking of arts, in ciflier Army ; and that the Loyal Battalions wore composed, almost exclusively, of the trading population, largely men of foreign birth of Americans whose imintoralities or necessities had intueel them to enter the service. They of those who led them, their services would have been only nominal.
We are not unmindful, in what we have thus said, of the great news of publications; but we have also borue in mial, tinut those publications were made for personal and partisan purposes ; and that, like his earlier associates in duplicity and treachery, he was capable of resulting to un- sivory means For the accomplishment of any given oud in which he was peroually interested, justifying the employment of this means by the character of the jenpretend, and boldly and unservedly doing evil in order that what he was pleased w regard as good might, therefront, be secured.
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"accounts to be collected from the inhabitants, who "are entirely ignorant of military description."3 In- del, during that period, because of the character of the country, in its advantages for defensive opera- tions, and because of his great disappointment, in his failure to receive the support, in arms, from those who were disaffected, which he had been led to ex- pect, General Howe, also, beeame dispirited and dis-
3 General Hore's Speech before a Committee of the House of Commons, April 29, 1779.
In his examination before a Committee of the House of Contions, on the sixth of May, 1779, the Eart of Cornwallis testified that " the knowl- "edge of the country of America, for military purposes, was extremely "difficult to be obtained from the inhabitants ; " that " the country, in " general, is so covered with wood and so favorable to atobuscades that, "certainly, it was very difficult to obtain a knowledge of it by recon- "moitering : " and that he " never saw a stronger country or one better "calculated for the defensive." In another portion of his testimony, the Earl stated, " I can ouly say that it is a very strong country, very "rigget, very hilly, and very woody ;" and that. although, " by no means "equally so," bis former description was " applicable, in some degree, 1 . to all." General Gray, before the same Committee andon the same day, testified that "the inhabitantsof the country, in general, were so very much "against us that they deserted the country wherever we came; and " could get no intelligence that we could possibly deprud on ; " tha, "that part of America where I have been, is the strongest country I ever " was in It is every where hilly and covered with wood, intersected by "ravines, creeks, ail marshy grounds ; and every quarter of a mile, is "a post fitted for anduisendes Little or no kuswledge could be obtained "lated for the defensive : every one hundred yards might be disputed, "at least that part of it that I have szen."
During a visit which he inade to us, at our home, near the White Plains, previously to the late Civil War, Goumal John E. Wool, a vet- eran in the service of the United States, was peculiarly en:phatic con- crruing the natural capabilities of Westchester-county, for a defensive warfare.
+" Upon the present appearance of things, I look upon the further "progress of this Army, for the Campaign, to be rather precarious, an "attack upon Blume Island excepted, which I would willingly defer, " for a short time, in case it should be thought advisibile to etapley our " whole force together. * * * But, in my situation, I presume, I " must not risk, as u check, at this time, would be of infinite detriment "ty us.
"The enemy is too strongly posted to be attacked in front ; and in- "umner dde difficulties ute in my way of torring him, on either sol., "thergh his Army is nich dispirited from the lite shecess of his " Majesty's arms; yet have I not the smallest prospect of nnishing the "contest, this Campaign, nor until the. Rebels are preparations, in the "spring, that may pro lite ait thoughts of further resistance To this "end, I would propose right or teu liue-of-battle ships, to be with us in " February, with a number of supernumerary Seamen, for manning boats, " having fully experienced the want of them, in every movement we have "Americans disposed to serve with arms, notwithstanding the hopes " hold out to me, upon my arrival at this port." -(General It are to Lord his lordship. November 2, 157.)
"With regard to the knowledge of the country, so necessary to be oh- "tained previous to the movement from New York, I top have to men- " tion the difficulties we hemred under, in that respect, throughout the " War. The country reso covered with word, swamps, and creeks, that " it is not open, in the least degree, to be known Jest from just to post or "from accounts to be calle ted from the inhabitants, who are entirely "ignorant of military description. Thes. circumstances were, therefore
were relatively few in numbers; and lt for the personal respectability . "nudle. We must, also, have recruits from lange, tout finding the
that loyal element which Joseph Galloway noob; in his very lawyer-like . George Germain, " NEW-YORK ISLAND, 25 September, 1976," received ly
"November, 1776;" Speech of Sir William Have tobe a Committee of the : " by recoumonitoring; " and " America is, of all countries, the best calcu-
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not learned the more modern military theury of "at- I the occupation of the City of New York, by the Royal "trition," no matter at what cost, nor way he of the Army --- which was successfully accomplished, later iu the day-the Pharmir, of forty-four guns, and com- inanded by Captain Hyde Parker, the Roebuck, of forty-four guns, and commanded by Captain Ham- same school of politics as that in which Bute and Germaine and Dpadas, and Wedderburne and Jay and Duane and the Livingstons and the Morrises were preceptors, of high or low degree: on the other | moud, and the Tartar, of twenty-eight guns, com- hand he did not expose his command where the ! manded by Captain Ourmany, each with a tender, had object to be attained was inadequate,' nor was he | been moved up the Hudson-river, as far as Blooming- inclined to visit the country, even that portion of it which was antagonistic to the Royal Army, with se- verity.2
Whatever may have inspired and encouraged him, notwithstanding all whichs he had previously | river, to the Americans. said of the "innumerable difficulties in his way, "of turning him." [" the enemy,"] "on either side," and of his own, evidently well-considered, appre- hensions of an unfavorable result, should an at- tempt be made to do so, General Howe determined to endeavor to turn the left flank of the American Army, encamped on the Heights of Harlem and in Westchester-county, with a view of compelling it to abandon its very strong position and, if possible, of bringing it to action. As the defensive works, on the high grounds to the southward of the Harlem plains, with the moderate detachment which he could leave, for the purpose of occupying them and the other por- tions of the City of New York, and with the further protection which was afforded by the Fleet and the increased safety which had been afforded by the cap- ture of the American works at Powle's-hook, appeared to afford all the protection which would be necessary, there seemed to have been little probability that General Washington would make any attempt to re- cover, or even to raid, that City ; and the determination of General Howe was, therefore, a reasonable one, and, with such a force and with such appointments as he, chen, controlled, there was a reasonable probability that it would be attended with an entire success.
On Sunday, the fifteenth of September, in order to draw the attention of the Americans from the prep- arations which were being made, on Long Island, for
" the cause of some unavoidable delay, in our movements. Tmnst, here, " add that I found the Anteriores not so well-disposed to join a ani to "serve, as I boul been tar_ht to expect ; that I thought our farther " progress, for the present procariote; and that I sin no prospect of "hulshing the War, that tatofuign. Theze sentiments I communicated "to the Secretary of State. in the letters last mentioned."- Genial! Howe's Speech before a Committee of the Houseof Commons. April 29, 1579.) 1 " The most essential duty I had to viserve was, not wantonly to comu- "mit his Majesty's troops where the object was inadequate. I knew, " well, that any rossideratde las sustained by the Army could not, " speedily bor easily, be required. I also know that one great point "towards gaining the confidence of nu Army-and a Generat without it "is upou the most dinger .us ground-is never to expose the Troops, " where, as I said before, the object is inadequate."-(General Howie's Speech before a Committee of the House of Commons, April 20, 1771.)
2 "Although some persoas condenun me for having endeavouren lo con. "ciliate his Majesty 's rebellious suljects, by taking every means to pre. "vent the destruction of rise country instead of irritating them by a cou- "trary mnode of proceeding: yet um I, from many reasons, satished, in "my own mind, that I setel, iu that partienlar, for the benett of the "King's service."- General Howe's Speech before a Committee of the House of Commons. April 21, 175%)
dale;3 and they had remained at anchor, at that place ! after the Royal Army had occupied that City, cover- ing the left flank of the lines and very effectually closing the navigation of the lower portion of the But, about eight o'clock, ou the morning of Wednesday, the ninth of October, they got under way and stood, with an easy southerly breeze, up the river. The Americans, with great labor and outlay of means, had constructed a cheraus- de-frise, for the protection of the navigation, above Fort Washington ; " and it was hoped it would have intercepted the further passage of the ships while the batteries, at Fort Washington and Fort Lee, and the galleys, which had been stationed behind the cheraus- de -frise, played on them ; but, "to the surprise and " mortification" of General Washington and his com- mand, they passed all the obstructions, "without the "least difficulty, and without receiving any apparent " damage from our forts, though they kept up a " heavy fire from both sides of the river." 6
B General Washington to the President of Congress, "HEADQUARTERS, "AT COLONEL MORRIS'S HOUSE, 16 September, 1776;" General Hove to Load George Grading, " HEADQUARTERS, NEW-YORK, September 21, " 1776:" The New-York Gazette and the Weekly Mercury, No. 1303, NEW- YORK, Monday, October 11, 1776.
General Heath, ( Memoirs, (,) said these Ships were "sent np the "river, as far as Greenwich, " only, on the fourteenth of September.
4 Doctor sparks, in his Writings of George Washington, (iv., 28. note, ) said " the mode of constructing the chetuar-de-frive was a contrivance of "General Putman's ; " and, in support of that statement, he quoted from a letter written by the General to General Gates, dated July 20th, in which were these words : " We are preparing cherano de-frise, at which " we make great Jispatch by the help of ships, which are to be sunk ; & "scheme of mine, which you may be assured is very simple, a plan of "which I send you."
Had not the General's own words been given in support of the state- ment, we should have supposed the Doctor hand mistaken the General for Colonel Rufus Putnamn, who was an Engineer: and the more so, since even the most zealous of the General's biographers and ent gists are silent, on this subject, Persilis, however, that silence may be ac vunte! for, from the result of the professional stupidity of the Engineer, who- sonver he may have been.
" In this instance, General Washington was mistaken, since the " ships "suffered ninch, in their masts and rigging ; " and Captain Parker sub- sequently reported that the Phoenix lest a Midshipman, two Seamon, and one Servant killed, and a Boatswain, a Carpenter, eight Seamen, a ver- vant, a t. gro Man, and a private Marine, wounded ; that the I'm lost a Lieuten ent, & Midshipman, and two sexuen, killed, and a 30;}- enpnan, two Seaten, and a Corporal of Marines, wounded ; and titt the Tartar lost a Milli man, killed, and a Lieutenant of Marines a undel. -(Repeatof the Killed and Wounded on board His Majesty a Shift ]. a. ing the latteras, the th of thetuter, 17 .. )
See, also, Admiral Lord Howe's despatch to the Secretary of the .WJ- mindy, " EAGLE OFF NEW-YORK, November 23. 1176."
& General Washington to the Congress, " HEtits OF HARLEM, FOLIO- "ber, IFG," postscript, dated "October 9th ;" Lentement salud Jones Tilghman to the Committee of Safety, " HEADQUARTERS, HARLEM-HIERMIT. "9 Our, IF6 ;" General Go rie "finom to the Corrente a, " King - Ball . F.
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It would not have been very apparent how these vessels could have passed such seemingly formidable obstructions, "without the least ditlienlty," nor for what especial reason General Washington was "sur- "prised and mortified," when such a passage had been successfully acomplished, had not General George The movement of the ships, up the river, and the consequent control of the latter, notwithstanding the obstructions on which so much dependence had been rested, very promptly called forth the entire energies Clinton, who commanded the Militia of the State who had been called ont for the reinforcement of the Continental Army, at Kingsbridge, informed the Convention that the ships had " passed by, in shore, [ of General George Clinton' and General Heath, 3 both of "East of our obstructions in the river" !-- that the | them in Westchester-county, to prevent the enemy deep waters of the river, in shore, immediately around the point which juts into the river, at that place, had been left entirely unprotected-a fact which reflects very little eredit on theskill or the forethought of either the Engineer or those who were employed in buikl- ing the obstructions, especially since the Pharmir and the Rose and their respective tenders had passed the same obstructions, in the same way, on the eighteenth of August, after the galleys and the fireships had rendered their longer stay, in the waters of the Hudson-river, both unprofitable and hazardous." from effecting a landing and for the protection of the property which was exposed to the ravages of his tenders and hats ; and. of course, the vigilant Com- mander-in-chief immediately despatched an express to the Convention, that notice might be immediately communicated to General James Clinton, command- ing the forts, in the Highlands, putting him on his guard, and directing that precautions should be taken to prevent the river-craft from falling into the hamls of the enemy-the General was not informed of the destination of the ships nor of the purposes of the After the vessels had passed the obstrnetions, they ran up the river as far as Dobbs's-ferry, where they movement ; but he was not, apparently, very much alarmed, and supposed, only, that they were sent to again cast anchor. On their passage up the river, they ; cut off the communication of the American Army, by water, to the northward ; " probably to gain recruits ;" and to close the supplies of the Americans, especially
captured two or three small river-craft -- one of them loaded with Rum, Sugar, Wine, etc .- and sunk a sloop
which had on board a machine invented by Mr. ! those of Boards, for the construction of Barracks,
Bushnell, for blowing up the British Fleet.3 Two new ships, purchased for the further obstruction of the channel of the river, were driven ashore, near Yonkers-one of them was afterwards recovered, how- ever, by a party of men whom General Clinton sent from Kingsbridge, for that purpose ;! and two galleys, which had been stationed near the obstructions, were also driven ashore, near Dobbs's-ferry, and captured by the enemy.5 While the ships were at anchor, off
1
1303, NEW-YORK, Monday, October 14, 1776 ; The Freeman's Journal uml New Hampshire Gazette, Volume 1, Number 27, PortssiorTH, Treally, November 20, 1776; The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1VOT, PHILADELPHIA, i with the best of evidence, accessible to every one, that there were no Wednesday, October 16, 1776; Sauthier's Plan of the Unverativas of the King's Army under the command of General Se William Hove, K. B., in New York and Bust New Jersey, Ed. London : 1777-opposite -; Menmit of General Heath, 68 ; etc.
General George Clinton to the Convention, "Kis's Barnes, 19 0. "tober, 1776."
- Vide pago 216, ante.
. We have some reasons for supporting that both these ships wein saved ; although no direct evidence appears that more than our of them was brought of. Sec, however, Lieutenant colonel Tilghman to ferment . .. Braince, October 10, 1175; " etc.
Heath, "HEADQUARTERS, October 9, 1756; " Colored Kred to the same. "October 9, 1776;" finneral Putea to the same, " Wednesday, non ;" Lieutenant colonel Tilghman to Robert B. Livingston, " HEADQUARTERS, " HAAREEst HEbers, October 10, 1776 ;" etc.
& Lieutenants Prinam and Cleares to General Washington, " NORTH
Dobbs's-ferry, a boat's crew was sent ashore, and sig- malized its presence by plundering a store, and by staving the casks and setting the building on tire ; but the fire was extinguished by the Americans, after the enemy had returned to his boat.6
" RIVER, October 9, 1776;" General George Clinton to the Convention, "KING'S BRIDGE, 10 October, 1776;" The Philadelphia Leening Post, Vol- mr 2, Number 270, PullADELPHIA, Saturday, October 12, 10: The Enwsicania Journal, No. 1757. PHILADELPHIA, October 16, 1776 ; Me- monix of General Heath, 18, 69.
& M mairs of General Heath, 69.
Among the incidents of 1776, Bolton related the following : "Upon "the 9th of October, a body of 1100 British troops embarked on board "batteanx At Peekskill and the same night proceeded to Tarrytown, "where they landed at daybreak, and occupied the heights adjoining." -(History of Westchestercounty, second edit., 1. 315.)
Although the historian has referred to "Gaine's Weekly Merenry," * as his austhority, we have failed to find the slightest evidence, anywhere, ! that such a movement as he has thus described was really munde ; and : British troops in Westchester-county, until several days after the date referred to, nor, then, within many miles from Peekskill, we dismiss the statement as something ele- than History.
" General. Clinton sent out the detachment of troops which resened one of the ship. which were given ashore, hear Youkers. - diederal Gorge Comment Coration, " Krve's Hammer, In detler, 12.";
& General Heath ordered Colonel Sargent, with five hundred Infantry and forty Cavalry ; Captain Horton, of the Artillery, with two twelve.
3 The late Charles J. BushneH, of New York, well known among nu- mismatists and antiquaries, was of the same family as the Mr. Bushnell | pounders ; and Captain Crafts, with a howitzer, to march, immediately referred to, in the text ; and he gathered, with great labor and much ( and with all possible expedition, to holds's forry ; and the entire Divis- ion was formed, in order of battle, and " moved down, over the different "grounds which it was supposed might be the scene of action."-(Me- mairs of tioveral With. (1) cost, everything which was known to exist, concerning that early in- ventor. The only description of the machine for destroying vessels at anchor, invented by him and destroyed by the enemy whom it was in- tended to annoy, as far as we have knowledge, may be seen in the M .- moira of General Heath, CD.
Ser, also, General Heath's Orders to Colonel Sargent, " KING'S BRITE, "October 9, 1776; " David How's Diary, October 9, 1775 : Colonel ar- great to themetal Heads, " Half past two o'clock at night, How's Fruar. "(tober 10, 1776 ; " Pourl Uth's Orders to Colocarl Surgent, " KING's
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