Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution, Part 66

Author: Dawson, Henry B. (Henry Barton), 1821-1889. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Morrisania, New York City : [s.n.]
Number of Pages: 592

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" wanting to serve those brave Officers and men." ( Estract of a blur. from " CAMP AT MILLE SQUARE IN EAST CHESTER,"HE 1 B Ochler, 1776, in The Freeman's Journal or Nove Hampshire Corrette, Vd. 1., No. 21. Pourestan, Tuesday, November 12, 1776.)

General Washington conveyed his sense of the wierit of Colonel Glover and his contand, in these words:

" GENERAL ORDERS.

" HEAD-Q1 ARTERS, HARLEM HEIGHTS, October 21, 1776. " (Purala, Hasru.)

" The hurried somtion of the General, for the two Last days, hayme , " the side of the English, " withont all odling a. ; It if any of the other " prevented him from paying that attention to Colonel elever and the " Officers and soldiers who were with him, in the skirmish, on Frulay "Ist, that their merit and good behaviour deserved, be fattery himself " that his thanks, though delayed, will, nevertheless, to ne optatde to " them, as they are offered with great sincerity and conbality. At the "same time, he hopes that every other part of the Army will do their "dnty with equal duty * and zeal, whenever called upon ; and that " neithier dangers, difficulties, nor hardships will discourage soldiers en "gagel in the cause of Liberty, and contending for all that freemen "hold dear and valuable. "

I David How, in his homely Dary, under that date, [October 18,] no- ticed the engagement, in these words: "18. The Regulars Landed alove "Frogg's point on the main Land. Our prople fought Them Killed a " great many Both sides we have not The Particulars as yet." Lanten- ant-colonel Teach Tilghman to William Iner, " HEADQUARTERS, KING'S " BRiner, October 20, 1776," made a passing and complimentary allusion to the affair : General Washington, through his Secretary, to the Continental Congress, " KING'S BRIDGE, October 20, 1776, half-after one o'clock, "P.M.," gave a brief and complimentary account of the skirmish ; an Extract of a i. Her from Fort Lee, dited " October 20, 1776," and published in The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1768, PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, Oc- tober 23, 1776, and by General Force, in his American Archives, V., ii., 113, gave a very good and generally correct account of it ; another Extract of a letter from Fort Fer, dutal " October 20," and published in the samme newspaper, on the following Wednesday, also gave a good, brief description ; un Extract of a letter from an Officer, dated " NEAR NEW "ROCHELLE (IN THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK) October 20, 1776," made a brief and exaggerated allusion to it ; an Editorial article, in a Newport newspaper of the twenty-first of October, copied by The Freeman's Journal Ar New Hampshire Gazette, Vol. I., No. 21., Ponrem.d'THE, Tuesday, Nuveut- bur 5, 1TTG, and by General Force, in the Imeriqua .Archives. V., ii. 1171. containeda statement of the skirmish, giving the command to General fre and making other serions errors ; some Information relating to the enemy, communicated to the New-York Convention, evidently by General George Clinton, on the twenty -first of Ortols r, 1776, gave a brief description ; un allusion which was made to it, with the report of a deserter ns to the enemy's loss, may be seen in an Extract of a letter from Fort for, datei "October 22," and published in The Philadelphia Evening Post, Vol. II., No. 256, 19MLNDELPHIA, Saturday, October 26, 177; with the letter, evileatly written by General Glover, date I " MELE Sotine, tetober 22, " 1776," and published in The Pored's Journal and New Hampshire Gazette, Vol. I., No. 27, PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday, November 26, 1776, an 1by General Force, in the American Trebirgs, V., il., 1188, 11 9, the reader is already acquainted; an Konut of a letter from Voort Washington, dated October 93, 1776, written by an, eyewitness of the engagement, and Fuldished in The Pennsylvania Journal, No. 1760, PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, October 30, 1775, confirmed the statement that the low was largely sustained by the German troops; aml informed that deserters stated the entire loss, British and German, to have notintend to " more " than right laundred mon, killed and wouldled :" a lari ( reference was made to the skirmish, in an Edtruet of a letter from Bad (le der, date] October 51, pardished in The Freem ud's Journal or Dove. Hungehier Gasthe, Vol. 1. No. 24, Foursvoren, Tuesday, November 5, 1776 ; an excellent mind very full description, evidently written by one who participated in the light, appeared in an Esteart of a better from Camp at Me Square in East Chester, dated 23 October, 1776, which was printed in The Freeman's

It Isit with . me degree at probability, there, on In n'a . . . ofthe twentieth of October, the second day after the eventy occupied Feld's neck, General Officer and an Engineer in whom much confidence

Jared or New Hampshire Quatt, Vol. I., No. 2. P Hovet Tu, Tuesday, November 12, 1976, whence it was re-printed 1; Frank Moore, in lat Diary of the American Revolution, i., 324, 325 ; G ... v Roce's despatch tu Lord George Germaine, dated "New YORK, 31 Y vemaker, 1775," contained the official report of the skirmish ; Captain Hall, in his History of the Cacil Wor in America, (i., 205,) urade mention cf is, stating. also, that the light Infantry lost "about thirty killed and w wat." without unakit .; the slightest allusion to either the Gremakers of the German trong ; Stedman, in his History of the American Har. 4. 211. 211) described the whirmi-l., very briefly, stating " thirty-two were k hol and wonndel on

War, ri., 122.) mule ouly a general reference toit, among a number of skirmishes in Westchester-county, and his Faiter, de Lancey, munde no mention of it ; Gordon, in his History of the ..... IN relation til., 30,1 gave a singularly Inaccurate description, maskin : General Lee the con- wander, in person, without naming Colonel Mlover, in any way ; General Heath, in his Mequeres, (72, 73) mentioned it with some particularity, but without alluding to Colonel Glover, in connection with it ; Judge Marshall, in his Life of George Washington, di .. 4 4. triedy alluded to it ; Eauway, in his History of the American Berelation. : Elle, London : 1791, i , 308, 3/ 2,) gave the personal connuand to General Ler, without allad- ing to Colonel Glover ; Mrs. Warren, in her Bis and Progress of the American Revolution, (i., 327, ) grouped all the menations of the Artdes, while en route to the White Plains, without making special mention of either; Adolphus, in his History of England, (Seenel edition, it., Se) made honorable mention of Colonel Glover and f the engagement ; der- geant Lamb, of the Royal Welsh Fusilvers, in his J wend of Occurrences during the late American War, (Edit. but-lin : 1- 2: 1270) made houoral-le mention of it, giving the personu! command to General Lee ; l'anl Allen, in his History of the American Revolution, (i .. 311. 212,) also gave the command to tigeneral Lee, requiring, however, the " whole force of the " British, in sold columns," to overcome the Landful of Americans ; Horas, in his Immuls of Re American Revolution. E.It. Hartford : 1-24, 212,) mentioned it, incidentally, giving the pers na! command to General Lee ; Ramisay, in his Life of George Washington, (Sixth edition, 46,) di.l no more than to casually allude to the entire surtes of attait-, without particularly mentioning either of them ; Dunlap, in his History of Nur York, (ii., 80) und the same, honorably mentiontus all, without selecting either, for special praise ; Lossing, in his liderial Fil-book of the liero- Intion, (original edition, 11., 820.) fond roiin for no more than two lines of description of this gallant afair, which was a part of his subject : although he had devoted right pages to Christopher Columbus and four- teen to Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain John Smith, and Pocahontas which, certainly, had no connection with that subject, the American Revolu- tiou ; and, it those two lines, Ine committed a singularly important error ; Irving, in his Life of George Washington, (Elit. ING, 1. 3-3, 350,) care an excellent little notice of it ; Bancroft, in his History of the United Nah s, toriginal e.htion, ix., 177, and in the state, cv atunary e-lition, v., 441) while le lesd been stugularly profite in what bol Bolwaring whatever on the history of the United states, dismissed the selbst in less than four lives ; Down, it has faciles of the I need Notes, 1. 1.T.) made only an incidental allusion to it, instead of appe printing a Chapter of his work to that speci subject, as he should have down : Colonel Carrington. in his Battles of the Imerivon Hier Intion, 95, ma helwedde mention of the affair ; the local historian, lanton, in i- I'mlucy of Werichemer- county, (original elition; i., 1., and in the ather et, second edition, i . 215. ) probil ty alluded to dis engagement, when in each instance, he devoted two htiesand a half to the subject. in the e uper of which. how- ever, in each instance, the teater was gravely if one that the Royal Aring was, at that tiure, " under Lord Howe," the Amiral commanding the Fleet. In other parts of his work, toriginal edition, i., {{ -- > ; second edition, ii., 25, 71,) be presented copies of what General Heath and two of the letter-writers had written on the sejest, without a single additional word, where something of description of localities, it nothing else, would have been note that out cari's tefal. The Incent Register for 16: History of Europe, #176; Marry, in his Doportal History of the War in Imeric, (Eli. Newer-the-upon- Tyne, sine anno, ii., 173) ; The History of the War io .Imerie, . E.J. Dabliu : 1770, 6., 1951;

* Thus printed.

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

was justly reposed, to make a personal reconnaissance ! quietly down, listened to the conversation of the as- of the enemy's strength and position.1 It is said that, sembled countrymen, whom he discovered to be in the discharge of that service, Colonel Putnam was accompanied by Adjutant-general Reed and a guard of twenty men. It is said, also, that, from the heights of Eastchester, they saw a small body of the enemy, near the Church, in that village, but could learn nothing from the inhabitants, as the houses were all deserted. The Adjutant-general is said to have left Colonel Putnam, at that place, to attend to other duties; and that the latter requested him to take back the guard, as he thought he could sucered better, in what he had to do. by himself. It is said, also, that Colonel Putnam then disguised himself, and set out for the White Plains, a place which be bad never visited; nor did he know the road which led to it. Immediately afterwards, he came to a road which turned off, to the right, and which he followed, a short distance and until he came to a house, where a woman informed him that the road he was then on led to New Rochelle; that the enemy was there ; and that the latter had posted a guard, at a house, then in sight. Returning to the roadway from which he had diverged, he continued his journey towards the White Plains, and had ap- proached "within three or four miles of that place,"? when he saw a honse, with men about it, only a short distance from him. Before lte advanced, he carefully examined the men, with his field-glass ; and having ascertained that the house was a Tavern and that the men were not British soldiers, he went for- ward ; called for some oats for his horse; and, sitting

d' Auberteuil, in his Exquis historiques et politiques sur la Révolution de l' Amérique Septentriomde, ( Edit. a Bruxelles : 1782. ii., 38) ; Awfrews, in his History of the War with .America, France, Spain, and Holland, (Mit. London : 1786, ii., 213-215) ; Soules, in his Hostoire des Troubles de l' Amerique Anglaise, (Edit. Paris : 1787, i., 312-345) ; Chas and Lebrun, in their Histoire politique et philosophique de la Revolution de D' amerique Sop- tentrionale, (Edit. Paris : Au ix., 1:57; Colonel Humphreys, in his Exsay on the Life of Major-general Israr? Putuma, (Edit. Boston : 1815, 125. 127) ; Pitkin, in his l'oltical and Civil History of the United States, (Ed. New Haven: 182%, i., 379) ; Sparks, in his Life of George Washington, (Bilit. Boston : 1842, 194) ; Leaving, in his Seventeen hundred and seventy- six, (Edit. New York: (847, 2.7) ; Hildreth, in his History of the United States of America, (First Series, ith., 104 ; Hamilton, in his History of the Republic of the Cuited Notesof america, (i., 123. 14-where the enemy is mide to face Himself over the causeway lewithy from Throgg's-neck to the village of Westchester: Green, in The I'd :" Nein al Gerne, (Edit. New York : 1867, i., 236-235) ; Ridpath, in his Popular History of the Fifty States of America, (Hit, New York: Isse, 30; although all of them made mention of the movement of the Royal Army from Throgg's neck, tale no mention whatever, of this spirited and impor- tant skirmish.

Disregarding those who made no mention of Colonel Glover and his brave command, the reader will find in the character aml monber of those who did recognize atel describe the achievements of these brave men, on that eighteenth of October, suficient evidence of the great importance which those achievements possessed and the great influence which they secured, both in America and in Europe, both of which alo our sufficient warrant for devoting both laber and space, in our pres- entation of them to our readers, in as complete and as accurate a forin as possible.

1 Memoir of Colorel Rufus Putnam, in Hildreth's Biographical and His- torical Me mois of the Early Settlers of Olao, 61-65.

2 Probably between the present villages of Tuckahoe and scarsdale, near the line of the Harlem Railroad.

Whigs. From these, Colonel Putnam ascertained that a large body of the Royal Army was lying near New Rochelle, which was about eleven miles distant from the White Plains, with good roads and an open, level country between the two places ; and that at the Plains, was a large quantity of American Stores, guarded by only about three hundred Militia. He ascertained, also, that a detachment of the enemy was posted near Mamaroneck, only seven miles dis- tant from the White Plains; while, on the other side, was the Hudson-river, on which were half a dozen armed vessels of the King's Fleet, within seven miles from the same place; and he understood, at once, that the principal Magazine of Provisions for the American Army, which General Washington had ordered to be brought to the White Plains, for the greater security of it, was enclosed, on three sides, by the King's forces, and was within easy striking distance from either of those three positions. Colonel Putnam waited no longer, at the Tavern, and proceeded no further, on the road towards the White Plains; but, turning his horse towards the Bronx-river, westward from Ward's Tavern," where he then was, over Ward's Bridge, he hastened back to Head-quarters, " with his " all-important discoveries." It appears that Colonel Putnam and the Adjutant-general had passed over the same ground, in the morning; and the former was surprised, therefore, when he approached the high ground, westward from the Bronx-river, to see that it was occupied by armed men; but he aseer- tained with his field-glass that they were Americans ; and when he reached the encampment, he found it was the Brigade commanded by Brigadier-general Lord Stirling, of Major-general Spencer's Division, who had been pushed forward, in advance of the main Army, during that day, to occupy that very im- portant pass and to fortify it.+

After Colonel Putnam had refreshed himself and his horse at the Head-quarters of the Brigade -- as Lord Stirling was a bon virant and an extravagant liver, the weary Colonel was, undoubtedly, well-refreshed-he set out for Head-quarters, by way of Yonkers, a road on which he had not previously traveled ; and as it was dark, and because the country over which he was to pass was largely inhabited by those who were un- friendly to the Americans, rendering it hazardous for him to make inquiries, his journey was peculiarly dangerous. It is said, however, that he reached Head-quarters, in safety, about nine o'clock ; that he was received by General Washington, who heard his verbal Report and examined the sketch of the country which he made for the illustration of the Report and

3 The position of that noted Tavern may be ascertained by a reference to the Plan of the Country fre m Frog's Point to Croton River, opposite pace 20, ante: if we are correctly informed, the property is now owned and occupied by Ilon. Silas D. Gifford, recently County Judge of Westchester- county.

+ Vide page 259, ante.

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

to show the relative positions of the several bodies of such opportunities as these, that the dominant facto. had revolted; and in such hands as those of William Duer and the Livingstons, such opportunities never sometimes to the State and the Country. the King's forces and the Magazine, at the White Plains; that the General was surprised that the Army was so greatly imperiled, " complaining, very frelingly. failed to be made useful, always to themselves and " of the gentlemen of New York, from whom he had " never been able to obtain a plan of the country, There was ample reason, however, for the anxiety of General Washington, concerning Provisions for the supply of the Army, since, at the time when he ordered the establishment of a Magazine, in the up- per part of Duchess-county, there were not more than fifteen hundred barrels of Flour and two hundred barrels of Pork, at Kingsbridge and on the Heights of Harlem ; and there were very few live Cattle, of any kind, collected, at any place within the neighbor- the navigation on the Hudson-river, as well as of that "and saying that it was by their advice he had or- "dered the Stores to the White Plains, as a place of " safety ;" that General Greene and General George Clinton were called in, to vouch for the accuracy of the sketch ; that Colouel Putnam "was charged with "a letter to Brigadier-general Lord Stirling, and " ordered immediately to his Camp, which he reach- " el, by the same ronte, about two o'clock ;" that, " before daylight, the Brigade was in motion, in full . hood of the Army. As the enemy had the control of " march for the White Plains, where it arrived, about "nine o'clock, on the morning of the twenty-first of . on the Sound, there could not be any transportation of "October ;" and that "thus was the American Ariny " saved by an interposition of Providence, from a ; scarcity of teams, growing more and more evident, day "probably total destruction."

While these various movements were in pro- gress, and while his attention to the great events which were passing immediately before him must have been close and constant, General Washington's ! interest in the future was not neglected. Ile deter- mined, therefore, to establish a Magazine of Pro- visions, to the northward of the Highlands and "remote from the North River;" and the Quarter- master-general of the Army was instructed to ascer- tain the opinions of William Duer and Robert R. Livingston, on the subject ; and, in the mean time, the former of the two, who was never absent when any opportunity for making money was presented, was ordered by the Quartermaster-general to purchase, without the slightest limitation of prices or any check whatever, as to qualities or quantities or places or times of delivery, thirty thousand bushels of Grain, one- half of it to be Corn and the other half to be Oats, one thousand tons of Hay, and five hundred tons of Rye- straw-as Robert R. Livingston was to be consulted concerning the places where all these should be deliv- ered, it is very clear that the Quartermaster general intended that large liberty, in the expenditure of the public monies, which he had authorized, should be ex- ercised within the Manor of Livingston, where that family and its adherents would enjoy the benefits to be derived from that questionable source, in-tead of ex- pending those monies within those other portions of the State where the dominant party possessed no in- terest, although the former was perfectly secure from loss and the latter, very largely, were exposed to the inroads of the enemy. Instructions were also given. also without limitation, for the purchase of Horses and Oxen ; and if they could not be purchased, the lucky agent was authorized to hire them, " at the most rea- "sonable rates." 1 It was for the purpose of making

the much-needed supplies, by water ; and the great by day, rendered the prospect of a transportation, by land-carriage, of what would become necessary for the maintenance of the Army, exceedingly discouraging, especially since the enemy had indicated his intention to cut off the lines of communication by land, as well as those by water. The General was necessarily led, therefore, to concentrate whatever of supplies he had, at the White Plains; to request and entreat that ev- ery possible exertion should be made to have large quantities of Provisions carried to the interior parts of the country, out of the reach of the enemy, and with the utmost expedition ; and to inform the Com- missary-general of the Army that a failure to effect these would, he feared, he was certain, be productive of the fatal consequences attending on mutiny and plunder, adding, significantly, " indeed, the latter "will be authorized by necessity." 2

With such testimony as this, and there is an abun- dance of other testimony which is even stronger in its terins, the honest historian of these events finds great difficulty in reconciling the fiets with the per- sistent assertion that the War of the Revolution was originated by the great body of the Colonists arising. en masse, for the protection of their several prop- erties and homes and families from outrages threat- ened or inflicted by a foreign tyrant ; that it was con- ducted by that same great body of people, through agencies of its own appointment and under its con- trol, always unselfishly and with nothing else than the common weal in view ; and that the willing hands and the patrioti. hearts of the entire body of the peo- ple were in accord with the patriotism of the Army which it had created, which it was sustaining with al! which it possessed, and on which, alone, all its hopes for security, for happiness, for prosperity, and for peace, were rested. Surely, where mutiny and plundering were officially threatened in default of

1 Quartermaster-general Million to William Duer, "MOUNT WASHINGTON, " October 20, 1736."

: General Washington to Colonel Joseph Trumbull, Commissary general of Borisione, " HEADQUARTERS, KING'S BEIDER, October 20, 1776.

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

contributions, torcal reptiltime In added and growth of October, the entire military forer, except expected, there could not have been much gangathy th Regiments which were intended to garrison Fort between the Army and the body of the people; and, Washington, was drawn into Westchester county ; ev- ery height and pass and advantageons ground, be-

surely, in that condition of the popular feeling, the Army can scarcely be said, in truth, to have been , tween New Rochelle and the Hudson-river, was occu- fighting for the cause of the country, at large, but, on pied by an American force sufficiently strong to hold the contrary, as Armies have always fought, at the ; it, temporarily ;3 the Head-quarters of the Army were expense of the body of the people, of the working-bees

removed from Harlem Heights to Kingsbridge ;" and, of the hive, for the promotion, only, of the private ends . although there are no direct testimonies on the sub- and the private aims and the private interests of an individual or of a family or of a faction or of a party, neither of them a producer nor anything else than a cumibrance and a burden on those who have labored. | jeet, it is very evident that, at least as early as the close of the twentieth of October, the proper disposi- tions for the movement of the main body of the Army -the garrison of Fort Washington and a guard at the barracks, at Fort Independence, only excepted-to the high grounds, to the northward and eastward of the White Plains, had, also, been entirely completed.

It will be seen, from General Washington's anxiety concerning his supplies and concerning the lines of communication between the Army and the country, and from other evidence, that he was becoming con- vinced that the enemy intended to take New Rochelle for the base of his proposed operations, and, from that place, by way of the White Plains, to form his com- maad, in a line, to the Hudson-river,' at Tarrytown- a plan of operations, as we have already stated," which was formed, after due consideration, before General Howe had left the City of New York, as will have been seen in the disposition of the Phoenix, the Roebuck, and the Tartar, off Tarrytown, to cover the objective point, the right of the proposed new line, of the Army,3 and in the selection of Mill's-creek, or New Rochelle-harbor, as the base of his opera- tions, the left of the proposed line," and, because of that new-born conviction, as early as noon, on the

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Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution, Part 66

Author: Dawson, Henry B. (Henry Barton), 1821-1889. 4n Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Morrisania, New York City : [s.n.] Number of Pages: 592

Author: Dawson, Henry B. (Henry Barton), 1821-1889. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Morrisania, New York City : [s.n.]
Number of Pages: 592