USA > New York > Westchester County > Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution > Part 74
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" handled" by the Americans,' joined the main body of the Army, on the Plain, for the ninforce- mient of it .?
During the same day, [ Wednesday, October 30.] the Americans were not idle-they probably kept up an appearance of continuing their labor in strength- ening their works, while they were, also, preparing for an abandonment of them ; ' but no official record has come down to us, concerning their doings, on that day.
Having been strengthened by the addition of six fresh and effective Regiments to his already powerful command, General Howe determined to attack the American lines, on the following day, [ Thursday, October 31 ; ] and, for that purpose, all necessary pre- parations were duly made ; but the preceding night and the morning of that day were very rainy ; and the proposed movement was necessarily postponed.'
During the same day, [ Thursday, October 31.] the Americans remained within their works, quietly pre- paring for the abandonment of them and carefully watching every movement of their enemy.
Supposing that one of the objects of General Howe was to turn the flank of the lines; to seize the bridge over the Crotor-river; and, thereby, to cut off the communication of the Army with the upper country, General Washington detached General Rezin Beall, with three fine Regiments of Marylanders, to occupy that very important pass; and General Lord Stirling was ordered, with the Brigade which he commanded, " to keep paee with the enemy's left flank, and to " push up, also, to Croton-river, should be plainly " perceive that the enemy's route lays that way."5 At the same time that the Army was being rapidly diminished by the desertions of the Militia,5 to say nothing of stragglers, those who remained at their
1 Vide page 253, ante.
: General Have to Lord George Germaine, " NEW-YORK, 30 November, "1776;" [llull's] History of the Cirl War in America, i., 200 ; Stedinan's History of the American War, i., 215 ; etc.
3 How's Ditry, October 30; Letter from Lieutenant colonel Tilghman to his father, " WHITE PLAINS, 31 October, 1756."
4 General Home to Lord George Growing, " New YORK, 30 November, "1776 ;" [Hal's] History of the Civil War in America, i, 209 ; Stedman's History of the American Way, i., 215 ; etc.
Lieutenant e doel Til have to Wilden Duer, "White PLAINS, Octo- "ber 31, 1274"
6. Our Army is decreasing, fast: several gentlemen who have come " to Camp, within a few days, have observed large number, of Militia " returning home, on the different roads."-(Colonel Robert H. Harrison to the President of the Congress, " WHITE.PLAtss, October 31, 1776.")
"It" [a reinforcement, ] " will arrive, very seasonally, and in part "make up for the deficiency occasioned by daily desertions of our men, " who are returning to their homes in the most scandales and infamous "manner. The roads are crowded with them.' -Colonel Robert if. Harrison to Governor Trumbull, " WHITE PLAINS, November 2, IT"G.") 7 " The General, in a ride he took, yesterday, to rerennvitre the " grontids about this, was surprised and shocked to find both Officers " atul Soldiers straggling all over the country, under one ille pretendo "or other, when they cannot tell the hour or minute the Cump may be "attacked, and their services indispensably necesary. le once more " positively orders that neither officer or Soblier shall stir out of Cump, " without leave : . . . " (General Orders, "HEAD-QUARTERS, WHITE " PLAINS, October 31, 1776.")
post were evidently diligently employed in prepari. . to move to a new position-an operation in wi. the great scarcity of teams added, very greatly, tor personal labor of the men "-aml, during the follow. ing night, that of Thursday, the thirty-first of Octo- ber," the entire line of the Army, taking the extreme left of the line for the pivot,"" swung back, from the lines which it had constructed, with so much libor, on the high grounds, above the Plains, until its rear rested on the more advantageous high grounds of Northeastle ; 11 within a mile from the position which it had abandoned ; 12 and authoritatively described as " grounds which were strong and advantageous, and " such as they." [the King's troops,] " could not have " gained without much loss of blood, in case an " attempt had been made." 13
A strong party was left in possession of the lines
Colonel Robert 11. Horrison to the President of the Congress, " WHITE- " Pi.vesis, October 31, 1776."
"Chief justice Marshall, ( Life of George Washington, ii., 505,) state, in harmony with what General Howe also stated in his despatches to lord George Germaine, (cide page 272, ante,) that the American Army was withdrawn from the lines on the night after the engagement on Chat- terton's-hill; and that it was moved, a second time, during the night of the thirty first of October, to the high grounds of Northeastle, which he erroneously supposed to have been hvg miles from the White Plains.
We cannot reconcile either of these statements, without some qualifi- cation, with well-known facts which indicate, beyond a peradventure, that the lines which the main body bad occupied, from the beginning. were fully occupied until the evening of the thirty. first of October, as stated in the text ; aud we await the appearance of new evidence which can throw more light on the subject, without permitting ogrown well- considered convictions to be, in the meantime, Jeturbed by what ap- pears to have been written ambiguously.
10 eThe left of our Geuoral's Division was not to move; but the re- "mwinder of his Division and all the other Divisions of the Army " were to fall back and form," on that stationery pivot, (Memoirs of General Heath, T9;) the whole ocenpying a new line, without having disturbed the relative positions of any of the Regiments or Divisions of whom the Army was composed.
11 Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 313, 311 ; Marshall's Life of George Washington, ti., AUG ; General Hotce to Lord George Wher- maine, "NEW-YORK, 30 November, 1776;" [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 210; Stedman's History of the American War, i., 216 ; etc.
12 Hall and Stedman erronously supposed the new position was North of the Crotou-river. General Howe, very accurately, stated it was "one "mile back from their entrenchments." Chief justice Marshall, as we have seen, erroneously supposed it was five miles from the White Plains. Hildreth, ( History of the United States, ilt., 154, ) said it was two miles in the rear of the first fit .. Irvinz, (lif of George Washington, il., 397 ) said it was five miles distant. Losein ? (l'itorial Fald-book of the Free Lotion, it , 823, ) said uncertainly, it was "toward the Conten River." General Knox, in n letter written to his brother, dated " NEAR WHITE- " PLAINS, 32 MIENS FROM NEW-YORK, 1 Nov. 1776," said "the roomy's " possession of this bill obliged us to abandon some slight lines turown "up on the White Plains. This we did, this morning, jad retired to "some hills about half a mile in the rear."
As the left of the former line did not move from the position which it had occupied since the twenty-second of October; and hause the remaitelor of the Army, without disturbing the forination of the line, did no more than to swing back, on a pivot, into its new position, the extreme right could not have been more than two miles distant from the former line, probably it was not much more than half that distance. 13 General Washington to the President of the Congress. " WHITE PLAINS, "6 November, 1776."
See, als, Gordon's Hotary of the American Revolution, ii., 341 ; Mar- shait's Life of George Washington, ii , 500 ; [Hall's] Hitdory of the Girl? War in America, i., 210 ; Stedman's History of the American War, 1, 216 ; etc.
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which bad been vacated : ' and, during the night, it set fire to several barns and one house, which contained forage; and some Provi-iuns which, for the want of teams, could not be removed, were also destroyed .?
On the morning after the withdrawal of the main body of the American Army from its lines, at the head of the White Plains, [ Friday, November 1, 1776,] General Howe gave orders for the ocenpation of those lines, by the Royal Army; but, again, a violent rain interposed; and the project was abandoned.3 At a later hour, however, the . Hessian Grenadiers were moved from Chattertou's-hill, and occupied those lines,' very possibly as the beginning of a movement against the new position of the American Army, which, after a due examination of its strength, was conducted no further.5
1 Letter from a Gentleman in the Army, " CAMP YEAR THE MILIS, ABOUT " THREE MILES NORTH OF THE WHITE- PLAINS, November 1, 1776," pub- lished in The Prunsylrauin Evening Post, No. 250, Fun, ADELPHIA, Thurs. day, November 14, 1176 ; General Hoter to Hard George Geriater. " NEW- " YORK, 30 November, 1776 ; " [ Hall's] History of the Cirit Hur in .liner- iett, i., "10 ; Gordon's History of the American Riccolation, i., 344 ; etc. 2 Memoirs of General Heath, SU.
See, also, a letter from a Gentleman in the Aring, dated " CAMP NESE " THE MILLS, ABOUT THREE MILES NORTH of THE WHITE.I'LAINS, NoVeHI- "Fer 1, 1776," published in The Pennsylvania Evening Post, No. 241, PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, November 14, 176; General firorge Clinton to John MeKesson, "CAMP AT THE OLD PLACE, NEAR THE WHITE PLAINS, 2 " November, 1776 ;" General Home to Lord George Germaine, " New- "YORK, 30 November, 1776 ; " etc.
General Howe and several others have fallen into the error of sup- posing that the Village of the White-Pluies was also burned, of the occasion now under notice : it was not burned until the night of the fifth of November, when, after he had robbed the houses, it was destroyed by a party of Massachusetts troops, commanded by Major Austin.
3 In the erves-examination of General Lond Cornwallis, by the meut. bers of n Committee of the House of Commons, on the sixth of May, 1779, his Lordship was asked, "Was there not a time, at the White " Plains, when our Army lay on their arms, muteuding to attack the "enemy, but were prevented by rain ?," to which he replied, "AAfter " the enemy fell bach to the heights, wear North-Castle, they left au "advance Corps on the heights of the White Plains ; there were or- "ders given for an attack of that Corps, which was prevented by a vi- "olent rain. We did not lay upon our arnis." The inquiry was con- tinned by the Committee asking, " From the situation of the rel+! " Anny and of our's, was that storm in their or our faces?" to which bis Lordship repdied, "I do not apprehend that the attack was pre- " vented by the storm of rain leing in either of our faces ; there atr "other effects of a stown, such as spoiling the roads and preventing " the drawing of artillery up steep hilis." The Committee continued, by asking. " Whether if the powder was wet, on both sides, the at- " tack might not have Been made by buyouts" : " to which his Land. shig replied, " I do not reflect that I said the powder was wet : 'atal, there, the subject was dropped. -- Almada': Le elinventory Register, Vitthe Session of the Fourteenth Parliament of Grod Britain, xui., 11.) + Grureal Home to Lord George Giroe inte, " NEW. Youk, SA November, " 1776."
: & Although it was not stated, at the time, and not withstanding it has not le en stated, since That tune, that General Hawe proposed to attack the Americans, in their new position, on the morning after it was taken by them, we are sore that that was his purpose, when he ordered the Hessian Grenadiers from Chatter ton's.hill ; and made the preparations for " drawing of artillery up sterp bills, " to which Gonera! Lord Cornwallis referred, in his testingmy ; and ordered or approved the movement on the extreme left of the American lines, of which mention will be unde, hereafter. Nothing else than such a project, it seems to us, could have warranted all these operations ; and, certainly, nothing else conbl have led some of the British writers, including Captain Hall, (History of the Cied War in America, i., 2htp) to consider the occupation of the nhan. doned linos, by the Hessian Grenadiers, as a puraint of the fugitive
On the morning of Friday, the first of November, simultaneously with the movement of the flessian Grenadiers and with other equally important prepa- rations-the whole, we believe, preparatory to an as- stult on the new position of the American Army, in the high grounds of North Castle, -- a heavy body, from the Right of the Royal Army, with a number of field-pieces, was moved against the extreme left of the American lines, where the Division commanded by General Heath was posted, and opened a heavy fire ; which was returned by Captain-lieutenant Bryant and Lieutenant Jackson, of the American Artillery, neither party sustaining any loss which was partieu- lariy worthy of record." A violent rain, however, again interposed; and the project, whatever it may have been, was abandoned."
G General Heath has left @ very minute description of the movements of the enemy and ot his own preparations to oppose thos . movement-, (Memoirs of General Houth, 80, 81 ;) and we make room for it, because of its great local interest, in the vicinity of the White Plains: "Onr Geu. "eral's first anxiety." General feath stated, speakingof hints.Hf, " way " for Colonel Malcolme's Regiment, on the hill, to the Best of the holl Av, " on the left, * lost the enemy should push a Column into the hollow, "and cut the Regiment off from the Division. He, therefore, order- 1 " Major Keith, one of his Alles, to gallop over, and order Colonel Mat. "colin to come off. immediately, with Lieutenant Febno's Artillery, but, " upon a more critica view of the ground, in the hollow, (at the head "of which there was a heavy stone wall, well -situated to cover a body of "troops to throw a heavy fire directly down it, while an oblique fire " could be thrown in, on both sides, ) he ordered Major Pollard, his other "Aide, to gallop after Keith, and countermand the first order ; and to " direct the Colonel to remain at his post ; at. I he should be supported. " A strong Regiment was ordered to the head of the hollow, to occupy "the wall.
"The canuonale was trisk, on both sides. through which the two " Aides-le-camp passed, in going and returning. At this instant, Get. "eral Washington rode up to the hill. His first question to our General, " was, ' llow is your Division ?' He was answered, " They are all in og- ". "der.' ' Have you,' said the Commander-in-chief, 'any troops on the hill, ". over the hollow"" He wasanswered, 'Maleohn's Regiment is there.' ' If " you do not call them of, imunediately, ' says the General, ' you may 1 .... '' them; if the enemy push a column up the hollow.' He was anisu Fre 1, ". that, even in that case, their retreat should be made cafe ; that a strong " Regiment was posted at the head of the hollow, behind the wall ; that " this Regiment, with the oldique fire of the Division, wook! so check the "enemy, as to allow Malcolin to make a safe retreat. The Commandder- " In-chief concluded by saying, 'Take care that you do not love them." "The Artillery of the Division was so well directed as to throw the " British artillery-men, several times, into confusion ; and, finding that " They could not, here, make any impression, they drew back their pieces. "the Coffin not advancing." Aprok only fromse of the future of the mein body to advance against the American lines, in amperetied with Bas du-
"The British Artillery now made a circuitoas movement ; and came "down. towm 1 the Amorire right. Here, tukin wu to thom, were "some twelve-pounders, mpon the discharge of which, they made oft, " with their field piecus, as fast as their homes could draw them.
"A shot fruta the American cannon, at this place, took off the head of a "Hessian artillery-tan : they also left one of their artillery- homes, doul "on the field. What other loss they sustaired, was not known. Of our "General's Division, one man, only, belonging toy Colonel Paulling's " Regiment of New-York troops, was killed." +
: Textinany of Lord formendis, before a Committee of the House of Commons, vide Note 3, of this page, ante.
* For descriptions of the various localities mentioned in this statement. by General Henth, se pinge 252, ante.
t'The Returns of Neural George Clinton's Brigade, dated " PEEKSKILL, "November 17, 1775," noted That casualty, and gave the name of the man-William Phecuix. of Captain Crimes's Company.
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Having been thus frustrated in all his efforts to cut off the communications of the American Army with the upper country as well as with New | and the Walleckers whom General Knyphausen had England and to draw General Washington to give him battle, in a general engagement-in other words, Having been completely ontgeneraled by the Com- mander-in-chief of the forces whom his associates in arms had so contemptuously ridiculed-General Howe determined to abandon the attempt; 1 and to withi- draw his great and powerful command from West- chester-county, in search of laurels on other and more inviting fields. The two Armies continued in their respective lines, not more than a long cannon-shot from each other, " until the following Saturday night, [ November 2,] when the American sentries heard what they supposed to have been the rumbling sound of mov- ing artillery. 3 On Monday night, the fourth of No- vember, however, the entire encantpment of the enemy was broken up; and, on the following morning, [ Tuesday, November 5, ] he made a sudden and unex- pected movement from all the posts, in front of the American lines, which he had previously taken '-as early as the preceding Monday, [October 28.] evidently preparatory to this movement, General Knyphausen, who had been left at New Rochelle, with the Second Division of the German troops, to keep open the com- munication between the Army and the Fleet, 5 had been ordered to leave the Regiment of Waldeckers, who formed a portion of his command, at that place, and to move with the remainder of the Division, six fresh Battalions of Hessians, towards Kingsbridge ; and, on Saturday, thesecond of November, he had occu- pied a position, on New-York-island, near that place : on Sunday, the third of November, the entire Army had been ordered to provide itself with forage, for three day's consumption : on the following day, [Mon- day, November 4,] Major-general Grant, with the 7 General Howe to Lord George Germaine, "NEW-YORK, 30 November " 1776:" [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 211 ; etc. Fourth Brigade of British troops, had been moved down to Mile-Square and Valentine's-Hill ; General Agnew, with the Sixth Brigade of British troops, the same who had been moved to Mamaroneck, on the morning after the Queen's Rangers had been so "roughly handled " by Colonel Haslet and his com- mand, " had been moved from that place to a bridge
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1 " I did not think the driving their rear-good further back, an object " of the last consequence," were General lowe's official words, de- scriptive of that very important determination
Sce, ulso, [ Hall'a] History of the Civil War in America, i., 211 ; Sted- man's History of the American War, 1., 216 ; Memoirs of General Heath, 81 ; Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 311 ; Marshall's Life of George Washington, it., 506, 507 ; etc.
2 Memoirs of Gearra' Heath, 51-83 ; Latter dated " NEAR HEAD-QUA "TERS, NORTH-CASTLE, Nov. 5, 1776," published in The Frcomune's Jour- nul and New-Ibempshire Gazette, Vol. 1., No. 26, Poursson rn, Tuesday, November 19, 1776.
3 Members of thenerd Heath, 83.
A General Washington to the President of the Congress. " WHITE-Press, 6 " November, 1776 ;" the time to Governor Livingston, " Witte-PEArs, "7 November, 1776 ;" Memoirs of General Heath, $3; Marshmail's Life of George Washington, il., 507 ; Gordon's History of the American Reco- lution, ii., 311 ; etc.
6 Vide pages 273, 258, ante.
6 Vide pages 252, 233, ante.
over the Bronx-river, near De Lamery' - Mill, Count village of West Farms. ] in the Town of Westchester ;
left at New Rochelle, on the preceding Monday, w. moved to another bridge, also over the Bronx-river, three miles above the other, [then and now known as Williams's-bridge : ] and every other necessary prepara -. tion for an orderly and undisturbed retreat had, in the meanwhile, been taken.7
During the evening of Tuesday, the fifth of Novem- ber, inspired by the teachings of General Israel Put- nam, 8 and in harmony with the advanced New Eng- land ideas, of that period, with which the inhabitants of Westchester-county had already become well- acquainted," as well as with those of an immediately subsequent period, " a body of Massachusetts troops, led by Major Austin, of Colonel Brewer's Regiment, left the Camp, and went down into the Village of the White Plains, which the enemy has abandoned, dur- ing the earlier portions of the day. The purposes of that party were such as New Englanders of that period were apt to regard as peculiarly "patriotic" -- they evidently went down to see what the merciless Hes- sian and British soldiery had left, when the Royal Army had retreated ; to select, for their own or their families' nses, and to carry away, into New England, whatever, of that remainder, should best suit their own tastes ; to dispossess the women and children who were mostly the occupants of the houses ; and to burn what they did not eare to steal, sparing almost nothing of either publie or private properties, just to ." strike terrour into the Tories and iutluence in our " favonr," as these New England thieves "patrioti- "eally" expressed it. That was the prevailing New England idea of the period, taught and illustrated by
3 " The question being asked Major Austin, whether he had any "orders for burning said houses, he confesed that he had no orders "for it; but he alleged, as an excuse, his being in company with " some of the General Officers, just before the houses were burnt of the "Plains," [those containing the forage, etc., which had been burned when the Army erdenated the lines, on the retning of the thirty first of Ueber, "and heard General Putnam say he thought it would be best to burn " Mit. the houses, etc .; and finding there was houses barat on the "Maier, soon after, he thought it his duty to burn the sul hongs, "as he did." .- (ingence of Mayor Austin, before the Court martial, " Pitt .- "Iraced. November 12, 1756.">
" The reader will remember the unauthorized raids of the banditti., under Isaac Scurs, David Waterbury, David Wooster, and other " pa- "triotic" New Englanders, during which the most barefued roh- beries of the furious' properties, throughout Westchester county, had been pe q+ tratel by Large bodies of armel men, from Connecticut, against whom the isdated and marmel farmers had been powerless.
10. The enemy have retreated from the White Phuns. It was a happy "theright, the landing of a few houses, upon our retreat from thenee. " The measure couvitived thein they had little to expert foim penetrat. " ing the country. They saw how much we would sacrifice." [of the property of offers; " to the safety of our Army and disadvantage of " tlivirs ; at the same time, it must have struck terrour into the Tories "und influence in our favour, from the strung motive of interest, us " they perceive their dwellings, etc., depend on our success."-(Colonel Jed. Huntington to Gorernor Trumbull, " CAMP, NORTH-CASTLE, Tth No- " venifer, 1776.">
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New Englanders ofthemost elevatedstations: and it was evidently regarded, by the New England Major and his " Christian" followers, not only a duty but a virtue, to obey the teachings of such " patriotic " and " virtuous" preceptors.
The Major and his men entered house after house, as they went down the roadways leading through the Village ; carrying from each, such articles as pleased their cupidity ; ' hastening the occupants from the houses, without suffering them to dress the children, where there were children, " but drove them out of "doors, naked ;" > carrying the sick and helpless, out- doors, on their beds, and leaving them exposed to the rigors of that November night; ' insulting the females,' with ill language and threats, in the presence of the Major; and, then, setting fire to the houses. The Court-house, the Meeting-house of the Presbyterian- church, and the greater number of the dwellings, in- cluding that of Doctor Graham, 6 together with all, of furniture and provisions and clothing, which the rapacious enemy had spared for the use and support and protection of the helpless inhabitants, unless such portions of each, which the new-comers had taken away, to the Major's marquee or elsewhere, were thus wantonly and criminally destroyed,?
That great outrage, inflicted on the inhabitants of Westchester-county, called forth the denunciations of the Commander-in-chief, in the General Orders of the Army, $ and those of the Committee of Safety of the State ; " the leader of the band of ruffians who
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