USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Annals of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania in the olden time; being a collection of the memoirs, anecdotes, and incidents of the earliest settlements of the inland part of Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 63
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and questioned why he did not go and quell the riot chere, answereu as follows-" Bless my soul, gentlemen-bless my soul, wass can I do wid dem."
White sand for floors, being at the time an important article of consumption, the old sand man, for the northern part of the city, was looked for the same as the milkman. For the amusement of his customers, on being requested so to do, he would send his horse onward, the length of the square, then call after him by his name, causing the horse, with the load of white sand, to turn about and come to him-he trolling the song of " White sand, ho !- a shilling a bush, soft 'oder' hard money."
Tu key carpets were spoken of, and only to be seen upon the floors of the first families for wealth. Parlour floors of very respect .. able people in business used to be "swept and garnished" every morning with sand sifted through a "sand sieve," and sometimes smoothed with a hair broom, into quaint circles and fancy wreaths, agreeably to the "genius for drawing" possessed by the chamber- .naid.
The Old Loganian Library, a one story brick building, shaped gable-end fashion in the front, stood solitary and alone, within a post and rail fence on the west side of Sixth street, midway between Chestnut and Walnut streets. Behind the house, and on the grass, the scholars belonging to the Quaker Academy, in Fourth street, used to have the regular " set to." Sometimes in the grapple, after being "brought to the scratch," the following exclamation might frequently be heard by one of the combatants-" Don't tear my shirt-tear my skin-but don't tear my shirt."
The Northern Liberties, about Camptown and Pegg's run, used to be in agitation almost every Saturday night, by the regular, irregu- lar, tavern, rough-and-tumble, smash fighting, between the ship-car- penters, from Kensington, and the butchers from Spring Garden; the public authority not even attempting to hinder them.
A bank note at this time, signed by Thomas Willing, president, and countersigned by a long row of hieroglyphic, perpendicular hair-strokes, only discoverable by the close inspection of micro- scopic power, to be the name of Tench Francis, the cashier, was a kind of " caviar to the multitude," and not to be seen, as now-a- days, in the hands of every one. It used to be viewed as a thing totally different from the continental paper money-as something unfathomable and puzzling to the brains of people, in its very na- ture-it being considered as so much cash in gold and silver, to be had in a moment. The strength of the paper caused a bet to be made, that in its material it consisted of either silk or Russia sheet- ing; and that three of the notes twisted together would lift a fifty- gix pound weight from the ground. On trial, the notes broke by the weight ; a convulsive laughter ensued among the crowd. A con- sternation seized the owner of the notes, whether or not by having torn them, he would be able to recover their amount from the pri-
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mitive national bank. There were three banks in the thirteen United States, at the time, and the banking system was spoken of as a great mystery, known only to the "great financier," Robert Morris, and the precious few. The number of banks at present distributed throughout the now twenty-four United States, being three hundred and sixty-five, the great mystery has been propor- tionably unraveled.
Persons living towards the Delaware, and speaking of the house, No. 322 Market street, (then standing by itself, above Ninth street,) by way of designating the distance, would say "away out at Marcoe's."
Story books for children consisted in Goody Two Shoes, Giles Gingerbread, Tom Thumb, Peter Pippin, and Robinson Crusoe abridged, all printed and published originally in St. Paul's Church Yard, London, by Carrington Bowles, and resold here at sixpence.
The people being numbered about this time, the population of the city, in round numbers, was said to be above 50,000; which act of numbering was supposed by many pious persons-speaking on the subject, after it had happened-to be the procuring cause of the judg- ment of the fever, with which the city was afterwards afflicted Even, they said, as was the judgment of pestilence upon the Is raelites, for numbering the people in David's time.
Continental Money.
It may interest many to see a brief notice of the history and pro- gress of our continental money,-because so few of the present gene- ration, have ever been rightly informed respecting its operations and details. It is in itself something, properly appertaining to an illus- ration of our chapter of "the War of Independence," and as such we here give it, to wit :
In June, 1775, was made the first emission of 2,000,000 of dollars. Before the close of that year, 3,000,000 more were issued. In May, 1776, 5,000,000 more were issued, in the autumn of that year 5,000,000 more, and in December, 5,000,000 more. Such frequent and large emissions began to reduce their value in the confidence of the people. In the mean time, the power of taxing was virtually denied to the Confederation. They could only re- commend the measure to the states.
The whole amount issued during the war was 400,000,000 dollars! but the collections made by the continental government in various ways, cancelled from time to time about one half of it, so that the maximum of valuation at no time exceeded $200,000,000; nor did it reach that sum, until its depreciation had compelled congress to take it in, and pay it out at 40 dollars for one of specie.
It kept nearly at par for the first year ; as it was then but about equal to the amount of specie held in all the colonies. But the quick succession of increase tended to depreciate it, till it reached
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500 for 1, and finally 1000 for 1,-when it ceased to circulate for any value at all.
Congress, after a time, exchanged forty for one, by giving the holders loan office certificates at par, and had offered to redeem the whole in the same way at 1000 for 1 when it was down at that price! but as those loan office certificates had themselves gone down to 2s. 6d. on the pound, or eight dollars for one, very few were found to avail themselves of the offer. That was their misfortune, to have been so distrustful, or so needy!
Public securities of similar character, bearing various names, such as loan office certificates, depreciation certificates, final settlements &c., were also given to the public creditors, for services, supplies, &c., and thus constituted the public debt at the end of the war. All these were worth but eight for one, until the adoption of the present constitution in 1789, when they were funded and rose to par, and thus made fortunes for many !
The whole revolutionary debt, as estimated on the journal of Congress, the 29th April, 1783, not including the paper money, stood thus, viz. :
Foreign debt to France and Holland, at 4 per cent., $7,885,085 Domestic debt, in various certificates, as above, 34,115,290
At four and six per cent. interest, $42,000,375 Making an interest of $2,415,958 per annum,
To the foregoing the Secretary of the Treasury after-
wards added, for claims held by several of the States $21,500,000 and then funded the whole, putting a part on interest at six per cent., postponing another part without interest for ten years, and the re- mainder bearing an immediate interest at three per cent.
The foregoing, with arrears of six years of interest being added, and with some other unsettled claims, made the whole debt amount to ninety four millions, which soon went up to par !
The statesmen of the Revolution were well disposed to pay their paper obligations, and alleged, that they also had the ability to do so : but against these, stood the inability of the people to pursue the profitable employments of peaceable times, and therefore their inability to pay taxes, even if the Congress had had the power to impose them. They could only recommend the measure to the States. They had all agreed at one time to exact an impost of 5 per cent., on all imported goods, but Rhode Island resisted the measure to the last, and without unanimity it could not be adopted!
The campaign of 1778 and '79, with an army of thirty to forty thousand men, was sustained by emissions of paper money to the amount of 135,000,000, of dollars. Thus " making it by wagon loads !" In the same time, the amount of specie received into the public Treasury was but 151,666 dollars, a weight but about a ton of coal if all put into a cart for its carriage!
It has been said that so great a sinking of paper money, was not
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so injuriously felt among the people as might be imagined ;- and it has been reasoned thus, viz. : The largest sum by which they could have been affected, might be estimated at 300,000,000 at 20 for one, which is only half of the rate fixed by Congress. This would give 15,000,000 of sound money ; and this, having been a currency for six years, gives an annual average of 2,500,000; which, to a popu- lation of 3,000,000, would make, in point of fact, a poll tax of but about one dollar to each ; or if they be estimated by families of six persons each, would be an annual loss, to such severally, of but five dollars each! So easy it is by figures to diminish losses, which we of the present generation have never felt! Yet it was a painful and onerous loss to our forefathers, now all gone beyond its influence !
Those who are minutely curious on this matter may consult, with profit, a late paper in the proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, by Samuel Breck, Esq.
Fort Allen.
It was near to Lehighton that the fort once stood, fronting on the Lehigh, opposite to the mouth of Mahony creek. There the garri- son (while some of them were out skating) was surprised and mas- sacred by Indians. Nothing now remains of it but its deep well. About the same time, Captain Wetherhold, who commanded a scouting party, and who used to make Allentown and Bethlehem his place of rendezvous, was surprised, about six miles from the latter place, and himself and whole party shot and scalped. On the same day, a party, with one Henry Jenks, was also surprised and cut off.
Indian Settlement-Inland.
The Indian hunter here his shelter found ; Here cut his bow and shaped his arrows true, Here built his wigwam, and his bark canoe, Speared the quick salmon leaping up the fall, And slew the deer without the rifle ball.
Here his young squaw her cradling tree would choose, Singing her chant, to hush her swart pappoose ; Here stain her quills, and string her trinkets rude, And weave her warrior's wampum in the wood.
No more shall they thy welcome waters bless, No more their forms thy moonlit banks shall press ; No more be heard, from mountain or from grove, His whoops of slaughter, or her song of love.
Spinning Wheels and Looms.
These wheels are now so out of fashion and use, as hardly to be known by their names, among the modern city belles, as former arti- cles of household thrift. They must, therefore, be told, that the first is the name of an old fashioned piano with one string and one melody-the other was a big house-organ with but few stops. They sometimes joined their melodies and sung, most cheerily, airs of olden time, like these, viz .: " The diligent hand maketh rich." "She provideth both wool and flax." "She stayeth at home," &c.
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Battle of Germantown-Incidents.
Lieutenant Whitman, of Reading, was left on the field, supposed to be killed, or mortally wounded. After a while, he made out to crawl on hands and knees, to the second house, on south side, in Washing- ton lane. There he was sheltered by the resident, and was visited by Doctor Witt, who soon pronounced his case incurable ; but at the earnest begging of the lieutenant, he continued to try to save his life. He recovered surprisingly for a time, when a British officer coming to hear of him, he made him and his host both prisoners. While so held, Lieutenant Whitman found a chance to get to speak with Major Andre, who procured him a release. He then went to live with Mr. Hergesheimer, where he was nursed and fed, till the time of the retreat or withdrawal of the British from Germantown. While he was there hiding himself, for fear of a second capture, the American horse appeared, when he claimed their help and protec- tion. Just then, they captured a country Friend coming in to sell butter to the British ; and as his punishment, they made him take up Lieutenant Whitman, in his chair, to Reading. He lived many years afterwards.
Battle of Germantown, as stated by General Wilkinson.
General Wayne, who was in the battle and led the first onset along the main street, writes afterwards from White Marsh, on 21st Novem- ber, 1777, to General Gates, (vide Wilkinson's Memoirs,) and says, " At Germantown, fortune smiled on our arms for full three hours ; the enemy were broken, dispersed, and flying in all quarters; we were in possession of their whole encampment, together with their artillery park, &c. A wind-mill attack was made on a house into which six light companies had thrown themselves to avoid our bayo- nets ; this gave the enemy time to rally ; our troops were deceived by the attack, taking it for something formidable, they fell back to assist in what they deemed a serious affair ; the enemy finding them- selves no further pursued, and believing it to be a retreat, followed; confusion ensued, and we ranaway from the arms of victory really open to receive us. We shall be therefore obliged to leave Mr. Howe to his occupancy of easy winter quarters, whilst we shall be re- duced to the hard necessity of making a winter campaign in the open field with naked troops. But I do not despair; if our worthy general will but follow his own good judgment, without listening too much to some counsel."
General Wilkinson, in his Memoirs, gives his facts concerning the disposition of the troops, vol. 1, page 351. He says :- " When he visited the camp at Whitemarsh, the battle of Germantown was then the prevailing topic and conversation; and there were many versions and opinions of the same, and much too many censures by subalterns, who could not know the facts which governed the conduct of their
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superiors and themselves. Some charging it to the tardy move- ments of the left ; others to defective vigour on the right; but those who had been most warmly engaged, ascribed it to the halt at Chew's house, which was imputed to the counsellors of the commander-in- chief, among whom I perceived, that General Greene was the most prominent object of jealousy, and yet a gentleman well able to ad- vise and most efficient to act, and positively the first captain of his day, a most worthy pupil of Washington too."
He gives General Armstrong's letter to General Gates, from the Trapp, of 9th October, 1777, saying :- " The British were encamped chiefly at Germantown, and the foreigners principally betwixt the Falls of Schuylkill and John Van Deering's mill. We could not take off, (as was designed,) but beat the enemy's pickets, so that the surprise was not total, but partial. We attacked at the head of Germantown witn vigour, and drove the British, who frequently rallied, and were drove again and again, about the space of two miles, when some unhappy spirit of infatuation seized our troops almost universally, whereby they began to retreat and fled in wild disorder, without orders from the general, and beyond his power to prevent. [Note .- Colonel Forrest told me, it was caused by our drummers striking a beat for a parley at Chew's house, which was understood by the men to mean a retreat, and that nothing could correct it.] So that a glorious victory already eight tenths won, was shamefully and mysteriously lost; for none now can give any good reason for the flight! The conjectures are these-the morning was foggy, and so far, unfavourable. It is said our men took the ma- nœuvres of part of our people for large reinforcements of the enemy, and thereby took fright at themselves or at one another! Some un- happy officer is said to have called out we are surrounded! The enemy, in their flight, a part of them, took into a church, and a large body into Mr. Chew's house, where we made an ill-judged delay. There was a flag sent in and insulted, and the bearer (Lieutenant Smith) was wounded. My destiny was against the foreigners, rather to divert them with the militia, than to fight their superior body, which we did, until the general, seeing his men retreat, sent for me, with the division. I followed a slow cannonade several miles, but found him not-then fell in the rear of the enemy, still supposing them a vanquished party, and that we had victory. We gave them a brush ; but their artillery, well directed, soon obliged us to file off, near two hours after our troops had left the field. I lost but three and nine were wounded."
General A. St. Clair, writes from Whitemarsh, November 21, 1777, to General Gates, saying :- " The battle happened in his ab sence. There was strange mismanagement, and it has produced infinite court martials, and made us dread the superiority of the British discipline, which gives me much concern. It is melancholy that Congress, so lately so august, so truly venerable, should in so
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short time be so visibly altered. Certainly we much need reform in these matters !"
General Wilkinson gives us sundry facts of the arrangement of the battle, and disposition of the troops, most of which he learned from Colonel Forrest, who confirmed several facts, and with whom he travelled over the localities and made his observations and reflections, at the time he was in Germantown, in 1815-16, writing and pub lishing his Memoirs. They are to this effect, to wit :
The main body of the British occupied ground nearly at right angles with the main street. The front line on the school- house lane to the west, and the church lane (its opposite) to the east. The park was in the area, south of the market-house, and fronting the house of David Deshler, [now S. B. Morris',] in which General Howe had his quarters. The second line formed a parallel, at about one-fourth of a mile in the rear, and flanking the road near the old six-mile stone, before the door of H. Conyngham, Esq. The ad- vanced body, consisting of the second battalion of British light in- fantry, with a field train, occupied the height in front of Beggars- town, [Bonsall's place,] on the left of the road, and at two miles advance from the main body, with an out-lying picket at Mount Airy. The 40th regiment, commanded by Colonel Musgrave, was in a field, eastward of Chew's house.
The Americans marched all night, in a dark atmosphere, having as an advanced patrole, the horse of Captain Allen M'Lane, who attempted to surprise their picket, but fell in with double centries, whom he killed, with the loss of one man, and soon after routed the guard.
The surprise was complete, and Wayne's brigade commenced the action with the British light infantry, who resisted manfully, but were forced to retire, leaving their artillery on the ground; but pre- serving some order in their retreat, and making a scattering fire as they fell back. Colonel Musgrave's regiment, being soon after at- tacked, retired into Chew's house. In the mean time, General Wayne pressed the retreating light infantry, and continued to over- throw every thing in his way. Our men, as is common with raw troops, expended their ammunition lavishly, soon run short, and sent to the rear for a supply. General Washington, with General Sul- livan, and the troops who followed Wayne, having reached Chew's house, from which Musgrave was delivering a random fire, from the upper windows, at the corps passing on the road, who might be heard, but not seen, because of the distance of the house and the density of the fog, called a consultation, (as he understood,) when it was determined to attack the house, a measure which caused a halt of the centre column ; but having no effect on those approaching on the right and left. It was reported that Colonel Laurens, an aid of General Washington's, attempted with a party to force the main door, through which the party within shot out many bullets. About same time, Major White, and to Sullivan, got mortally wounded by
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a shot from the cellar window, in his attempt to fire a window shutter. These attacks being withdrawn, because of the severity of the resistance, a parley was ordered to be beaten, when Captain Smith, of the Virginia line, got shot as he was advancing with a flag to demand a surrender.
General Wayne, in the mean time, continued to pursue the re: treating enemy. General Armstrong was engaged with the Hessians near the Schuylkill, and a part of General Green's column had reached the church lane, and met the right wing of the enemy's front line. At this time Colonel Stewart, with his regiment, and Colonel Matthews, with the 9th Virginia regiment, got warmly engaged, though not in concert, and were soon overpowered. Stewart made good his retreat, and Colonel Matthews, with his corps, were made prisoners.
During these operations, Lord Cornwallis was advancing rapidly from the city with the grenadiers, and the left wing of the British front line had got in motion, under Generals Gray and Agnew
At this time, the front of the American troops had nearly reached the market-house, [midway of the town,] when hearing the parley in the rear, and mistaking it for the retreat, some one cried out, " they beat the retreat,"-when the exclamation spread like wild fire-a sudden panic ensued, and troops which had met with no check, fled in wild disorder, in spite of the exertions of their officers to rally them !* The fog still continued heavy, and the left column had become entangled, and was falling back, and the right had made no impression. Captain Forrest, then of the artillery, was, before the time of beating the parley, setting off from General Knox to the front, to say the ammunition wagons were at hand, and had nearly got up with the front, when the beat was made, and the con- sequences followed under his own immediate observation.
General Agnew was not killed in the general action, but had come with his brigade from the left wing to give his support, when our troops gave way, and while advancing at the head of his column, he was shot down by one of some lurking party.
Finally, had Washington pressed forward with the centre, fatigued, and exhausted of ammunition, he would have come into contact with the main body of the enemy, fresh for action-against a force of 10,000; and it cannot but be feared, that he must have met with a still greater disaster. On the whole, it must be regarded, evil as it seemed to have been. another manifestation of the Divine Providence in beralf of these states.
* Ha notices such panics, as occurrences, happening to the best troops, such as those m the battle of Friedlingen under Villars, &c.
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Appendix.
Adventures of a " Collector," and Reminiscences of the Year 1800
Young persons engaged in commercial trade, have little or no con- ception of the changes which have been effected in their pursuits, since the short period of forty years. To illustrate something of what we mean, we propose to give some facts of the incidents which usually befel, at the time mentioned, those young clerks and apprentices in the dry-goods trade,-y'clept " collectors."-To give the picture of one such, we shall draw from our recollections of one who was our cotemporary.
At the beginning of this century (the year 1800) this friend of ours was still " a 'prentice hand" with one of the six or eight only great notables in the city of Philadelphia, in the dry-goods importing way. They consisted of Fries, Chancellor, Wistar, and Ashton, in High street; and of Field, Thompson, Hartshorne, and Large, in Front street. All beside these were comprised in the little world of small dealers below them. At that time, all their remittances from the West, came in, in " hard dollars," and were generally carried, after their arrival, to banks for deposit, like the iron money of Ly- curgus, in wheel-barrows! These large dealers had their regular seasons of country collection, in mid-winter and in mid-summer. 'Twas in the former season that my friend once started from Phila- delphia, to go to Harrisburg and Carlisle to the westward, and round about to Virginia and home, as collector of one of the houses before named. He was mounted on horseback, wrapped up in a great Fearnought over-coat, his legs and feet muffled up in woollen " leg- gins and over-shoes." It was a mild time for the season, and so mild that the frost was out of the ground, and the roads were bad beyond the conception of the present race of travellers. For instance, we have known it to be a fact, that four hours have been consumed in going by the road from Philadelphia to Germantown, the saddle or team-horse sinking to the knees and deeper in many places, before the turnpike was made. At the hill at Germantown, it was much steeper than now, and so narrow as to admit of but one carriage at a time. It was even the practice of the stage to cause its passengers to get out and walk up the hill ; and all wagoners used to stop and unite their teams to draw up loaded wagons, both there, and also at the hill at Norris' place nearer the city.
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