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 7
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Two of the inhabitants of the town, Andrew Heath and young Sowers, became guides to the British, and wore their green uniform when so acting, intending, probably, to pass unnoticed ; but they did not, and had to leave the place till the peace. At the same time, the brother of Sowers was an active whig. The honest father was abused as a tory, although he had actually given many blankets to the town militia.
Sundry of the whig persons, engaged with the army, used to make, occasionally, hazardous excursions to visit their families stealthily, by night, &c. On one occasion, Mr. Denny, who was a militia lieutenant, came to his father's, near the market house, and when going away on horseback, at midnight, he chanced, as he was in- tending to turn into the church lane, to encounter the advance of a secret silent detachment going against La Fayette, at Barren hill. As he whipped up to turn the corner, they let fly a platoon, a ball from which, passed through his thigh, scarcely making him sensible of a wound, for he actually got over to the Branchtown tavern before he stopped. Such an alarm, at midnight, soon startled the whole town, and rapidly brought up the whole force of the expedition, at the same time breaking the intended secrecy.
On another intended secret invasion of the British at midnight, a Mr. Lush, who was an acting wagoner for the gunpowder for the American army, was apprised to be on his guard. He geared up his team, and had it ready at the door for a start if needful ; finding no approach, he concluded to ride down the city road to reconnoitre, and there he soon fell into their hands a prisoner. But his wagoner, more alert than his master, saw the approach in time to mount his team, and at full whip, dashed up the street, waking up all the in- habitants, to look abroad for something strange, and to see the expo- sure of the British array.
Mr. John Ashmead, when a lad of twelve, had the exciting spec- tacle of seeing the whole British army come down the main street of Germantown, at their first entry. He was allowed, unmolested, to set in the street porch. Their whole array seemed in complete order-the display of officers, the regular march of red coated men, and refugee greens, the highlanders, grenadiers, their burnished arms, &c. There was, however, no display of colours, and no music-every thing moved like machinery in silence. In all their progress there was no violence and no offence. Sundry men occasion- ally came up and said, " Can you give us a little milk or any cider." On being referred to the father, who purposely kept in door, as he was a known whig, it was deemed expedient to give out readily. In time, the cider varrer began to fall low, when it so occurred that a young officer came to ask a like indulgence ;- when it was said to
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him he was welcome, but others had been before him, and left It muddy ; he expressed his surprise at their exaction, and said it should be corrected. Quickly there appeared a sentinel before the house, who kept his place till superseded by another and another, for six or eight changes, until the whole army had passed. It showed disci pline, and a decorous demeanour in an enemy, which it is but honest justice to record. This discipline could be confirmed in another thing :- An insolent refugee soldier used to come to the cow yard of a family, who had officers quartered in their house, and to take his quantum of milk as his right. At last it became a grievance, which was hinted to one of the officers; he replied, ask his name, or notice the number of his button, and I shall soon have him punished. The culprit was cautioned by the aggrieved, and begged pardon, and never came again.
In going over these incidents of the battle, and while yielding to emotions of compassion for the dead and the wounded, it cannot but occur to the mind, that even the fortunate and the victorious then, are now nearly all whelm'd in one common lot ;- scarcely any now survive !
Jacob Keyser, now an aged citizen of about 89 years of age, was then a lad; he, with his father's family, lived where is now the house of the Rev. Mr. Rodney. Its high position above the street enabled them, by placing an apple under the cellar door, to peep abroad and see the battle in the opposite field, distinctly. He could see there, those who fell under successive peals of musketry.
After the battle he went abroad ; he saw at the gate, adjoining his present house, many bullet marks ; also an Adjutant Lucas dead, and his fine clothes divested. He was buried in the ground near by.
Before the door of Jacob Peters' house, lay a fine large American officer dead, on the pavement. In a little while, when he again passed there, he was nearly stripped, and while he beheld him, a man forced off his shirt as his own lawful prey! His body was in- terred in the north-east corner of the burying ground opposite.
His brother, Abraham Keyser, saw several officer looking persons, much divested of their clothing, laying dead along the inside of Chew's front wall-fence. It was understood that these inhumanities were inflicted by the followers of the camp-sometimes by soldiers' wives.
These two brothers saw seventeen bodies put into one pit, near Chew's house, under a cherry tree. There was a row of cherry trees from the gate up to the north side of the house, and behind these trees men approached towards the house, as their shelter ; some were dead, or wounded, at the foot of those trees. A fine large soldier, from Reading, lay dead at the gate; also, a lad, a son of Col. Chamberlane, of New Jersey.
Soon after the battle, British officers came to the houses, and asked for young men to come out and bury. While they were so burying, a Bnush soldier came and said, "Don't bury them with their faces up,
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and thus cast dirt in their faces, for they also 'are mothers' sons.'" An officer came to a speechless, dying man, and said kindly, " Pray now for your soul." One of the bodies, very slightly buried, south of the house, was scented and dug after by the dogs, and afterwards corn was noticed to grow there with wonderful luxuriance.
Very few girls were known to have formed any attachments for the enemy-a Miss Servor, and another, were the only two known to have gone away.
In going into Chew's house, they noticed that the rooms were all much blackened by the smoke of their firings-not much blood ob- served. Saw only one man who had been wounded in the house, and he was dying.
One Isaac Wood, at the present John Andrews' place, on Lime Kiln road, was killed at his cellar door, while peeping out at the battle, which was near him, along side of Dr. Betton's woods.
An elderly lady and her nephew came to Germantown, about seven years ago, making inquiries for the remains of Gen. Nash, which, it is believed, none could then inform them about. He was shot through the thigh, and the same shot killed his horse, and his aid, Major Witherspoon.
Very few accidents occurred to cattle during the fight. A cow, which belonged to John Smith's father, and which was in the field between the combatants, was bought after the fight for ten joes (80 dollars) ; at that time her beef would bring 50 cents a pound. They had hard fare then, and all lived on the coarsest and cheapest kind of food. A cow, killed by a bullet in Peters' stable, was cut up, and eaten willingly.
The house now Duval's, (then Christopher Huber's, and once Samuel Shoemaker's, a mayor of Philadelphia,) had the floor at one time covered with army tailors, making up clothing. The shoe- makers and smiths would go to shops in squads, and use the tools for their work, in which the owners would join them, for the sake of keeping an eye on the preservation of their tools and materials.
At and about the spring house of the same Duval's place, (at the rear of his garden lot,) the premises being then in the tenure of Ch. Huber, the Virginia troops became engaged. On that occasion a soldier was shot and killed along side of Wm. Dolby, who, from that circumstance, became averse to war ; soon after left his station in the ranks, found a retreat at Thomas Livezey's, (a miller and Friend,) then a very secluded place amid the wilds of the Wissahiccon. There he became fully convinced of Friends' principles, joined the society, and was afterwards a very acceptable and approved public Friend. He afterwards settled in Delaware state-often visited the yearly meetings in Philadelphia,-and at the end of forty years after the above mentioned battle, revisited the spot of his outward and inward conflict, and told the facts to Abraham Keyser, my informant, now 80 years of age.
I once had a similar fact of convincement from my old friend
5*
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John Baylie, who was engaged as a non-commissioned officer, a vo- lunteer, under Wayne, at Trois rivers; and while fearlessly entering into battle, all at once, one of the men in the ranks near him, (a militia man,) beginning audibly to pray for the salvation of those who might fall, he had such a conviction of his unpreparedness for death and eternity, that he felt himself to tremble from head to foot under the divine power-he also ejaculated prayers-resolved in- stantly to kill no man-fired above his mark-became tranquil and self-possessed-went fearlessly into all danger,-and as soon as he got home, joined the Friends in Bucks county, and relinquished his pay.
There was much woods on the north-east side of Beggarstown, up to Leibert's board yard ; and along these woods were many dead and wounded. Houses along the town were much fewer in number than now, and generally lower and smaller-not such as we now see them in the same places.
John Smith saw an American trooper driving dashingly along the poor house lane, towards Germantown, then turned off the road and hid himself and horse in a cider mill, on present John Wistar's place. Soon there came a troop in pursuit, and missed him.
When Smith first left his father's house, at the beginning of the battle, to seek a refuge, he saw walking on the street two wounded British soldiers, bloody, and going to the rear. He ran to Nicetown before stopping, and there met the British coming out from the city, in a kind of half running march.
In Jacob S. Wunder's lot, he saw two of our men wounded, who had lain there all night, and he took them cider to drink. They were shot in the limbs, so that they could not walk, or help them- selves.
The British army were covered with dust, when they first passed through Germantown; they were at other times kept very clean. Their horses were heavy, clumsy and large. Horsemen of both armies would occasionally pass rattling through the streets of Ger- mantown by night, and in the morning it was clearly designated of which side the horsemen were, by the English horse being so very much larger in the hoof. The Hessian cavalry were gay ponies, much decorated with leather trappings.
Women coming from Philadelphia, when met by our scouts, were very rudely searched for forbidden things about their persons, and often shamefully plundered of real necessaries.
There were several rich young gentlemen, volunteers, attached to the British light infantry army, without commissions, seeking oppor- tunities of promotion. There were three or four brothers of the name of Bradstreet among them. They used carbines.
A. K. thinks that there was not much fighting along the street ; he had often seen Col. Musgrave, who defended Chew's house. On one occasion the Colonel asked him if he had heard that Burgoyne was taken, and whether he was a citizen of Germantown; and on his answering "Yes," the Colonel repeated sternly, "Yes, yes !"
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meaning to reproach him for not adding sir, to a gentleman! He had been shot in the mouth, and had his face disfigured thereby, with a hole in his cheek. None of the officers were observed to have had any ladies with them, and had no intercourse as visiters in the families of the place. Indeed, the society then was very plain and unfashionable, and generally talked more German than English. The soldiers alone were most at home among the people, and they freely admitted the boys and old men of the place to visit their camp before the battle ; but afterwards, they changed greatly, and kept often changing their grounds, and finally drew themselves wholly into and about the city.
A large body of Hessians were hutted in Ashmead's field, out the School lane, near the woods ; their huts were constructed of the rails from fences, set up at an angle of 45°, resting on a crossbeam centre ; over these were laid straw, and above the straw grass sod-they were close and warm. Those for the officers had wicker doors, with a glass light, and interwoven with plaited straw; they had also chimneys made of grass sod. They no doubt had prepared so to pass the winter, but the battle broke up their plans. One of the Hessians afterwards became Washington's coachman.
Lieut. Craig, of the cavalry, was often adventurous ; on one oc- casion, being alone and pursued up Germantown by the British horse, he purposely led them across a marsh at Cresheim, where one of their horses so mired, that he could not get out; this stopped the pursuit, and they had to kill the horse on the spot.
Col. Pickering, in speaking of his recollections of the battle of Germantown, says, Washington's army started the evening preceding the battle, and marched all night. In the march, Gen. Washington followed Sullivan's column, and when the battle began, said to Col. Pickering, "Go ahead, and say that I am afraid he is throwing away his ammunition, and to try to reserve himself for a more general action." The colonel then passed Chew's house without seeing any demonstrations of fight there ; and he thinks the unseen troops therein were then barricading the premises. He overtook Gen. Sullivan three or four hundred yards beyond that house, and when returning, saw for the first time, that they were firing from that house across his road. He soon rejoined Gen. Washington, with his officers, at Bill- meyer's house A flag was sent forthwith to the house to summon their surrender, which Lieut. Smith, of Virginia, volunteered to carry, and got shot as he was advancing, and afterwards died from the wound. Sullivan's division, therefore, was never delayed by the force in the house. Gen. Greene's column on the left did not get into action till three quarters of an hour later than those on the right, because of the greater circuit which they had to make; whereas, those on the main street, went more directly to the point of attack. In Col. Pickering's opinion, Judge Johnson's " Life of Greene" has given erroneous statements respecting Gen. Washington's hesitancy 10 pass Chew's house ; and he distinctly says, that only Gen. Knox
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could have been present, to obtrude any advice in that matter; ah the rest of the general officers were in their places, with their com- mands. The first of the retreating began for want of more ammuni- tion, they having exhausted it, as the commander-in-chief had before apprehended.
The boys of Germantown made play-work of the war, making themselves three forts (upper, middle, and lower,) along the town. They had regular embankments, and fought with stones, under a show of wooden guns. On one occasion, an American officer, in passing, called out, " Who commands there ?" and they called out his own name, " Proctor !"
An aged gentleman, who has been a contributor of many of the facts of Germantown, and to whom I have submitted the perusal of the preceding pages, has commended them for their accuracy, and has furnished some additional illustrations, which I have added, viz .:
Christopher Ludwick, the baker-general, usually bore, and re- ceived, the appellation of general. He once owned the plantation, now belonging to John Haines. He lived many years in a very independent manner, in the house next Mrs. Sarah Johnson. He was of a very social cast, talking freely along the street with all he met, and in so loud and strong a voice, as every where to announce his vicinity ;- so much so, that it was usual in families, in doors, to say, " There goes the general !" The frankness which characterized him, encouraged the woman, who became his second wife, to say to him, in meeting him in the street, that as she felt concerned for his loneliness as a widower, she would offer herself to him for a com- panion, in case he thought it might conduce to their mutual happi- ness. He took it, as he said, into a short consideration, and they became man and wife ; she being a good wife, and both of them a happy couple, in the opinion of all ! He had but one eye.
My informant has seen many of the brotherhood of Ephrata, pass- ing through Germantown, following in Indian file, all dressed alike, und all their clothes, from head to foot, was without colour !
Flourtown, in old Shronk's day, was, as remembered, the peculiar head-quarters of witchcraft, and witch-credulity. There, almost every body credited the evil influence; and from that cause old Shronk was under frequent requisition to go there, from his house at Schuylkill falls. When seen riding from home along the town, it was common for old and young to run to the windows to take a look at the rare man, and to say, surely he is again called off to Flour- town. When arrived there, he would fling his arms about and pro- claim that, here and there, in given directions, are many, many witches! The whole place was in serious trouble and confusion for several years ; one and another accusing and charging the other with being witches ; and all referring to Shronk, to know the verity of their several apprehensions.
An eye witness has thus described the British array, viz. :- The trim and graceful grenadier, the careless and half savage highlander
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with his flowing tartaned robes, and naked knees; then the immo- vably stiff German-here a regiment of Hessians,-and there slaves of Anspach and Waldeck, the first sombre as night, the second gaudy as noon. Here dashed a party of dragoons, and there scam- pered a party of yagers. The British officers gay in spirit and ac- tion, and the German officers stiff in motion and embroidery ; the whole forming a moving kaleidoscope of colours and scenery.
Mr. Jacob Miller, when aged about 82, told me of his observations in Germantown, when a youth of sixteen. He lived, while the British were in Germantown, in the house now of George W. To- land; then the house of George Miller, a captain in the American army .* The first night of the arrival of the British army, upwards of a dozen of the British officers made their quarters in that house. While they were all present in one large room, they sent for him, and questioned him about his knowledge of many of the localities. In such inquiries, they always called every thing American " rebel ;" and upon his saying he did not know what they meant to ask by the word rebel, some were rough, and charged him with wilful ignorance, and some others justified him, and said he was not obliged to ac- knowledge the term, even if he understood it. His mother was soon employed to be their baker, and daily after she received their flour, and made it into bread, pound for pound, leaving her a good supply of gain, for the use of her family.
He did not dare to go much abroad among the encampments, unless with some of the retainers of the army, for fear they might arrest him; therefore did not see much of their doings. The boys and girls of the place, he believes, kept very close house ; he heard of no violence or insult to any of the inhabitants. Ming, Light- foot, and Heath made themselves most useful to the British, and were afterwards regarded, and treated by ourselves, as tories; they were once afterwards paraded through the town to disgrace them, and were threatened with tar and feathers. The most outrageous conduct was committed on the person and property of Christopher Sower, a worthy, innocent, good man, on account of his son Christo- pher, who had taken the enemies' side.
When the battle began, he and several others went across the street to Lorain's old house, and secured themselves in the cellar, from the door of which they peeped out and saw the cannon balls making their streaks through the air, towards Toland's woods ; they also heard the whistling of many musket bullets.
The British cavalry were hutted on the lots of Mehl's and Royal' present open fields.
Just as the battle began, and when he was going to the cellar be. fore mentioned, he saw Gen. Howe ride up with several officers, from his quarters at Logan's house, (the owner, Wm. Logan, being
· He afterwards became a colonel, and distinguished himself with the Germantown militia at Princeton.
VOL. II .- H
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then deceased,) and stopping near Lorain's house, he heard General Howe say, quite loud, " My God, what shall we do ? we are certainly surrounded ! ' They then rode onward up the town.
After a while they left the cellar and ventured abroad ; finding the firing had ceased, and seeing wounded men, on foot, coming there as to the rear, he ventured to go towards Chew's house, by the back lots, the fences being all cut down. He saw many dead, and a sol- dier stripping an officer who had a fine watch. When he got near there, he found himself unexpectedly near some renewed firing-one of the balls went through the porch where he was standing-he re- treated rapidly homeward. When again at home, he found a gather- ing at his neighbour Mechlin's house, (the present Wagner's,) and went in, where he found, in the large stable in the yard, a British hospital, where surgeons were beginning to arrange long tables, made of the doors, on which to lay men, (friends and foes,) for amputation They soon pressed him to assist them, but he not liking the employ. soon managed to get off and hide himself. He saw as many as two dozen there, wounded ; they cut off arms and legs, and cast them, when done, into the stone quarry near, where they were afterwards covered with a little earth. He knew that, afterwards, dogs got at some of them ; he took from a dog a leg, which he buried at Mehl's gateway.
He knows that there was a great deal of fighting on his present `ot in Danenhower's lane ; and also on Armstrong's hill, by the mill. There, he and other boys have collected several hatfuls of leaden bullets ; even to this day, he finds bullets and flints in his lot, when- ever he ploughs the place. He supposes he gathered as many as a bushel of them, not long after the battle, getting usually a hatful at any one time of searching; and these he used to hide in post holes for the time.
He used to steal to Philadelphia occasionally, to get things wanted for the family. His way was to watch occasions when parties of the British came out, then to follow closely in their rear ; and afterwards to get home by by-paths and back roads, and always keeping a good look out to shun Capt. Allen M'Lane, who was always on the scout, and was often seen by him and others close upon the British out- posts. He has seen him pursued several times, from near his house. Dover and Howard were officers also in the same service.
He saw Gen Agnew and Col. Bird buried, in the lower burying ground, with very little parade. There was also a British officer buried there, from Ottinger's house, where he died of sickness. He saw several dead soldiers buried in Mechlin's tanyard after the battle; they were probably from the hospital there, and at Armat's house.
One of the officers, who was unwell, the night of their first arrival, wanted him to go up the town to purchase something for his relief, and he being afraid to go alone, expressed his reluctance, when the officer said, "I'll give you a scrip which will pass you." So he went, and at every little distance he found a sentinel along the
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street, by whom he was challenged, and showed his passport, and proceeded till he got what he wanted.
On Taggart's ground were a great many of the British encamp- ed in huts, made up from the fences, and overlaid with sods. On the same ground, he afterwards saw Count Pulaski's cavalry, of four hundred men, in their whitish uniform, where they made a grand display of military evolutions, in exercising in a mock battle. They were formed mostly from the prisoners of Burgoyne's army, Ger- mans, and others. Their exercises made a deep impression on his youthful fears ; for when he beheld their frequent onsets with drawn swords, he felt quite persuaded they must turn it all to earnest. One of them got killed in the onset.
At one time, it was said that the British were intending to take into their service all the half grown boys they could find in the place; to avoid which, he and others got off to a public house near Flourtown. He supposes that it was a false report.
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