History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 24

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1162

USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches > Part 24

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the light of their fires, and thus gave the enemy an advan- tage which should have been most assiduously guarded against. Gen. Wayne took the light infantry and First Regiment, and formed them on the right, with a view to receive the enemy and cover the retreat of the artil- lery.

Gen. Grey,t whose forces consisted of two regiments,- the Forty-second and Forty-fourth,-the Second Battalion of light infantry, and the Second and Tenth Dragoons, was enabled, in consequence of the darkness, and aided by the knowledge of his Tory guides, to approach very closely without observation. He gained Wayne's left about one o'clock in the morning. The troops under Wayne met the enemy with spirit, and gave them several close and well- directed fires, which did considerable execution. They were, however, soon obliged to give way before the superior numbers of the assailants. Sceing this, Gen. Wayne im- mediately flew to the Fourth Regiment, with which he again received the shock of the enemy's charge, and covered.the retreat of the rest of his line. After being again com- pelled to retire, he rallied such of Col. Hampton's troops as had taken the proper course in their retreat, about three hundred yards in the rear of the last stand, where they were again formed ready to renew the conflict. Both par- ties, however, drew off without further contest, and Wayne retreated to the White Horse, carrying with him his ar- tillery and ammunition, except eight wagons loaded with baggage and stores, which, with a considerable amount of arms, were left upon the field, and fell into the hands of the enemy.

The British forces amounted to nearly double the num- ber commanded by Wayne. Gen. Howe had received from disaffected persons such accurate accounts of the strength and position of the American forces as enabled him to give to his own detachment so decided a superiority as to insure victory. He knew from his guides the precise point where to make the attack, and was enabled to move with decision and accuracy, while Wayne was under the necessity of acting, in a great measure, from conjecture.

The British attack was made with bayonets and light horsemen's swords only, in a most ferocious and merciless spirit. In emulation of a remarkable action which took place in the German war, Grey ordered his men to remove the flints from their guns, that not a single shot should be fired, and thus gained the sobriquet of the " No-flint gen- cral."

Even the wounded and sick were not spared, and many were killed after resistance on their part had ceased. It is this feature in the conduct of the British commander which has stigmatized it as " British barbarity" and " cold-

# The Admiral Warren tavern was at that time kept by one Peter Mather, and tradition has always charged him with having been ac- tive in piloting Gen. Grey on the night of the massacre. His sym- pathy was doubtless with the British, but there is reason to question the truth of the tradition. He deoicd it himself, and his daughter, at the age of eighty years, stated to a friend that she was eight years of age at the time, that her father was at home on that night, that the British, in their march to surprise Wayne, came to the house and nrged her father to pilot them, but that he positively refused and did not go, and she added that it was a dreadful night to them. As somewhat corroborative of this, it may be stated that several letters of British officers concerning the surprise speak of having compelled a black- smith residing close to the Warren tavern to give them information and to accompany them, but make no mention of Mather.

t Winthrop Sargent, in his " Life of Maj. John Andre," states that André was an aide to Grey at Paoli. He had been appointed on his staff early in the summer of 1777, and was with him at the battle of Brandywine; but on that occasion Grey's brigade, which formed part of the column of Cornwallis, was not called into action. Its char- acter was so high that it was preserved iotact as a recourse in case Knyphausen failed. Maj. Andre had been a prisoner of war on parole from November, 1775, until January, 1777, spending his time at Lancaster, Carlisle, and Reading, and during this period had fre- quently traveled the Lancaster road, and was therefore doubtless of service to Grey on the night in question.

HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

blooded cruelty," and has given to this affair the title of the Paoli massacre .*

When the attack commenced, Gen. Smallwood, with about eleven hundred and fifty Maryland militia, and Col. Gist, with seven hundred men, were within a short distance of Wayne, whom they were hastening to join. Had they commanded soldiers of sufficient firmness, their sudden ar- rival might have greatly embarrassed the British general, and even given a different turn to the affair. The raw militia commanded by them became, however, excessively alarmed, and could not be brought to face the enemy thus unexpectedly encountered; and the advance having fallen in with a small party of the enemy who were returning from the pursuit, they fled in confusion, with the loss of one man only, and Gen. Smallwood, with the remainder of his Romans, agreeably to the orders of Wayne, joined him at the White Horse. t

The loss of the Americans was about one hundred and fifty killed and wounded. The British reported their loss as eight killed, but the opinion of the neighborhood at the time was strongly against the veracity of this report, as many litters were seen to pass that night towards the Brit- ish camp, and it is well known that they manifested extreme jealousy with regard to the discovery of the extent to which they suffered.}

The next morning the scene of the conflict was visited by the people of the neighborhood, one of whom was Joseph Cox, and the sufferings of the wounded were alleviated as far as circumstances would permit. It had rained heavily the night before, and to assuage their thirst the water was dipped up with leaves, and with the broad brims of their hats, from the pools which had formed, and given to the men. Fifty-three mangled dead were found upon the

field, and decently interred by the farmers in one grave, immediately adjoining the scene of action, on the spot now marked by a monument. While they were engaged in the act of burying the dead a number of British officers rode up and viewed the grounds, but did not interfere with them. About two wecks thereafter the body of another dead soldier was found in the woods and buried where it lay.

Among those killed was Major Marion Lamar, of (now) Centre County, who fell in the midst of the British in the retreat. His last words were, " Halt, boys, give these as- sassins one fire !" He was instantly cut down 'by the enemy. In honor of this martyr in the cause of his coun- try a township in Centre County, erected in 1817, was given his name. Dr. Christian Reinick, of Lancaster, surgeon's mate of the First Pennsylvania, was also killed.§

The unfortunate affair soon became the subject of animad- version in the army, instigated, it was said, by those who were envious of Wayne's rising reputation, and in conse- quence he at once requested an inquiry into his conduct. This request was granted, and soon after the battle of Ger- mantown a court-martial was convened. The charge, which was preferred hy Col. Humpton, was that Gen. Wayne " had timely notice of the enemy's intention to attack the troops under his command on the night of the 20th of Sep- tember, and, notwithstanding that intelligence, he neglected making a disposition until it was too late either to annoy the enemy or make a retreat without the utmost danger and confusion." Gen. Wayne made a written answer to this charge against him, and after a full investigation the court unanimously acquitted him of the charge, and further declared that he had done everything that could be ex- pected from an active, brave, and vigilant officer under the orders which he then had, and they further added, "The court do acquit him with the highest honor."

The attack upon Wayne's forces and their consequent retreat frustrated the contemplated operations against the right wing and rear of the enemy, and enabled Howe to move without being molested. On the morning of the 21st of September he resumed his march, and, in pursuance of his

# In Lossing's " Field-Book of the Revolution," vol. ii. p. 164, 1860, the following is given: " A Heseinn sergeant, bonsting of the exploite of that night, exelaimed, ' What a ronning about barefoot and half- clothed, and in the light of their own fires! These showed us where to ehnse them, while they could not see us. We killed three hundred of the rebels with the bayonet. I stuek them myself like su many pigs, one after another, until the blood ran out of the touch- hole of my musket.'"

t Copy of a Memorandum in the handwriting of Capt. Thomas Buchan- an, of First Pennsylvania Regiment.

" At the affair of the Paoli, in the fall of 1777, I was sent forward to Gen. Smallwood, that lay nt the White Horse, to get him to eover our retreat and fix n place of rendezvous, etc. He sent me forward to try to stop as many of his broken troops that had taken the road to Downingtown. On coming nenr to there I found where come of his artillery had thrown a field-piece into a lime-kiln, and had broken the enrriage. I went on to Downingtown, and fixed n gonrd on the rond to stop the runaways; got a wheeler nod blacksmith to mend the ear- riage, and went down and put the eannon on the carringe, etc."

# " Lieut. Samuel Brady, of Buffalo Valley, now in Union Co., Pa., belonged to Cupt. John Doyle's company of Independent Rifles, then attached to the Sixth Pennsylvanin, in Wayne's brigade, ond was with him nt Paoli. Brady was on guard, and laid down with his blanket buekled around him. The British were nenrly on thein be- fore the sentinel fired. Brady ran, and as he jumped a fence n soldier stroek at him with n musket nnd pinned his blanket to a rail. He tore the blanket and dashed on. A horseman overtook him and or- dercd him to stop. He wheeled and shot the horseman dead, and got into a small swamp, supposing no one in but himself. In the morn- ing he found fifty-five men in it, of whom he took command and con -. ducted to camp."-From John B. Linn's Annals of Buffalo Valley, Pa.

¿ Dr. R. C. Smedley, born and reared in the neighborhood, relates the following traditions : "On the night of the massacre, while the slaughter was going on, the family of Joseph Cox, living near by, on the property now owned by Wm. G. Cox, on the State rond, were aroused by a man outside calling to them. The battle of Brandywine having occurred but a short time before, and the family knowing that soldiers were in the neighborhood, had been living in a state of ap- prehonsion and excitement, and were easily awakened. Joseph imme- diately nrose, hoisted the window, and asked, 'Who ie there ?' 'For God's sake get up; we're nll routed,' replied the man. "Don't you hear them ?' At this every member of the family was soon at the windowe listening to the work of carnage. There was borne to them distinctly on that midnight air the sounds of the British ns they rushed through the camp in their demon-like madness and murder- ous intent, crying out with vociferous yell the Americans' watch word. of that night, 'Here we are and there they go,' the cracking of. leaves and bushes as wen rushed through them, and the groans of the wounded as they were stabbed with swords and bnyonete, becoming fainter and fainter until they died.

" Early the next morning a soldier come to the house of Joseph . Cox to borrow of him a plain coat and hat to wear baek to the place to look after his fallen comrades, anying he was afraid to go in his uniform lest some of the English might be lying around to kill any . American soldiere that might return,"

GENERAL HISTORY.

purpose to reach Philadelphia, moved down the road lead- ing to Swedes' Ford, intending to cross the Schuylkill at that point; but there were breastworks on the opposite side of the river, occupied by troops placed there by Wash- ington, and, seeing this, he turned up the river on the west side, with the intention of making its passage at some of the fords higher up.

The American army under Washington, in order if pos- sible to prevent the British from passing the river, had in the mean time moved from Warwick Furnace, and crossed the Schuylkill at what was then known as Parker's Ford, at or near the present village of Lawrenceville, in this county, the officers and men wading the stream, which was breast-high, and marched southward on the east side, by way of the Trappe, as far as the Perkiomen.

The British commander then made a feint of moving his army northward along the west bank of the Schuylkill, with the view of inducing the Americans to suppose that it was his intention to gain their right, or else by a sudden move- ment to seize the ammunition and other military stores de- posited at Reading. Washington, deceived by this move- ment, returned up the eastern side of the river to the neighborhood of Pottsgrove, and while he was there Gen. Howe, on the 23d of September, suddenly wheeled his army, marched rapidly down the river, and, dividing his forces, crossed with little opposition at Gordon's Ford, now Phoenixville, and at Fatland Ford, a short distance below Valley Forge, and proceeded by easy marches to Philadel- phia, which he entered in triumph on September 26th.

One of the great difficulties with which the American cause had to contend during the entire period of the Rev- olutionary war, after the early enthusiasm had in some measure subsided and war became a stern reality, was the fact that a portion of the people were either apathetic or disposed to favor the British interest.

The region bordering on the Schuylkill River, through which the armies passed, was largely disaffected towards the American cause, and for that reason Washington could pro- cure very little reliable information of the movements of the enemy. Could he have obtained correct intelligence, he might have foiled Howe and saved Philadelphia. We perhaps appreciate too little the difficulties under which Washington sometimes labored in obtaining correct infor- mation, by reason of this disposition among a portion of the people to withhold their aid from the struggling cause.

The British army, in its march from the Head of Elk to Philadelphia, occupied about two weeks in its passage through Chester County, having entered it on the 9th of September, 1777, and left it on the 23d of the same month. It traversed nearly the whole length of the southern part of the county (then comprising within its limits the present county of Delaware), and also made incursions into several townships not on the line of the main route, before making its exit in the neighborhood of the present town of Phœ- nixville and of Valley Forge, and taking up its winter quar- ters in the quiet city of Penn. This was the only time during the entire contest tliat the soil of our good county was pressed by the foot of the invader, if we except the occasional foraging expeditions sent out from Philadelphia while it was occupied by the British army.

The plunder and devastation perpetrated by the enemy- English as well as Hessians-on the private property of passive non-combatants during this period, in violation of the proclamation issued by Howe, was enormous and wan- ton, while compensation for any portion of the property taken was rarely made by those in command. Many fami- lies were stripped of everything they possessed, and left in a state of perfect destitution. "The British army had not before passed through a district of country so rich in agri- cultural productions, nor one in which every farm-house was so well stored with everything that could minister to the real comforts of life." Hence they did not fail to gather a rich harvest, carrying off horses, cattle, sheep, swine, grain, provisions, clothing, merchandise in stores, liquors in public-houses, and whatever they could lay their hands on that could be used in the camp or on the march. Independent, however, of the property thus carried off, the wanton destruction of furniture and other articles which they could not use was unworthy of the most barbarous people, and this devastation was not confined to the track of the army, but extended for a considerable distance on either side .*

For forty years the spot where the patriot dead of this field lay interred was unmarked save by a heap of stones, but on the 20th of September, 1817, the Republican Artil- lerists of Chester County, aided by their fellow-citizens, erected a monument over their remains, appropriately in- scribed. On that occasion an address was delivered by Major Isaac D. Barnard, and an account of the massacre was given by the Rev. David Jones, then in his eighty- second ycar, who had been the chaplain to the ili-fated warriors, and who was on the ground on that fatal night and barely escaped. The occasion was also honored by the presence of Col. Isaac Wayne, the son of Gen. Wayne.

Soon thereafter these grounds, containing twenty-three acres, were purchased by the military organizations of Ches- ter and Delaware Counties, and set apart as a parade-ground. On each returning anniversary of the massacre, for many years, the citizens, soldiers of these counties, and occasional visiting companies from Philadelphia and elsewhere, met here to participate in the ceremonies of the day, which, we believe, were for some years invariably closed with a sham battle. These visits were interrupted by the war of the Rebellion, but since its close they have been resumed. The scene of this conflict is probably the best preserved of any that marked the progress of the Revolutionary war. It is in Willistown township, less than half a mile south- west of Malvern.

PAPERS RELATING TO THE PAOLI MASSACRE.

The following account is from the diary of Lieut. (after- wards Gen.) Hunter :

" As soon as it was dark the whole battalion got under arms. Maj .- Gen. Grey then came up to the battalion, and told Maj. Maitland,

# While the British army lay in Tredyffrin township a detachment was sent to Valley Forge, and destroyed property belonging to Col. William Dewees, valued by him at £4171, Pennsylvania currency, equal to over $11,000. Among the property destroyed and taken from him was a forge, saw-mill, two large stone dwelling-houses, two coal-houses and four hundred loads of coal, and twenty-two hundred bushels of wheat and'rye in sheaf.

HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

who commanded, that the battalion was going on a night expedition to try and surprise a camp, and that if any men were loaded they must immediately draw their pieces. The major said the whole of the battalion was always loaded, and that if he would only allow them to remain so, he, the major, would be answerable that they did not fire a shut. The general then said if he could place that depend- ence on the battalion they should remain loaded, but firing might be attended with serions consequences. We remained loaded, and marched at eight in the evening to surprise Gen. Wayne's camp. We did not meet a patrol or vidette of the enemy until within a mile or two of the camp, when our advanced guard was challenged by twe videltes. They challenged twice, fired, and galloped off at full speed. A little farther on there was a blacksmith's forge ; a party was im- mediately sent to bring the blacksmith, and he informed us that the picket was only a few hundred yards up the road. He was ordered to conduct us to the camp, and we had not marched a quarter of a mile when the picket challenged, fired a volley, and retreated. Gen- eral Grey then came to the head of the battalion, and cried out, ' Dash on, light infantry !' and without saying a word the whote battalion dashed into the wood, and, guided by the straggling fire of the picket, that was followed close up, we entered the camp, and gave euch a cheer as made the wood echo. The enemy were completely surprised ; some with arms, others without, running in all directions in the greatest confusion. The light infantry bayonetted every man they came up with. The camp was immediately set on fire, and this, with the cries of the wounded, formed altogether one of the most dreadful scenes I ever beheld. Every man that fired was instantly put to death. Capt. Wolfe was killed, and I received a shot in my right hand soon after we entered the camp. I saw the fellow present at me, and was running up to him when he fired. He was immediately killed. The enemy were pursued for two miles. I kept up until I grew faint from loss of bloed, and was chiiged to sit down. Wayne's brigade was to have marched nt once in the morning to attack our battalion while crossing the Schuylkill River, and we surprised them at twelve. Four hundred and sixty of the enemy were counted the next morning lying dead, and not one shot was fired by us,-all was done with the bayonet. We had only twenty killed and wounded."

Account by an officer of the Second Battalion British Light Infantry :

" I have been in a more bloody affair at midnight on the 20th of September. The battalion I served in (the Second Light Infantry), supported by three regiments and some dragoons, surprised a camp of the rebels consisting of 1500 men, and bayonetted (we hear) from four to five hundred.

"The affair was admirably conceived and executed. I will (as it is remarkable) particularize. I was released from picket at sunset,-the preceding sunset I mounted,-and was waked at nine at night to go on the bloody business. The men were ordered to unload; on ne ac- count to fire. We took a circuit in dead silence; about one in the morning fell in with a rebel vidette (a vidette is a horse sentinel), was challenged three times and fired. He was pursued bat escaped. Soon after two foot sentries challenged and fired ; these esenped also. We then marched on briskly, still silent; our company was advanced, immediately preceding a company of rifferoen, who always are in front. A picket fired upun us at the distance of fifteen yards, miraculously without effect. This unfortunate guard was instantly dispatched by the riflemen's swords. We marched on through a thick wood, and re- acived a smart fire from another unfortunate picket,-as the first, in- etantly massacred. We then saw the wigwams or hats, partly by the almost extinguished light of the fires and partly by the glimmer of a few stars, and the frightened wretches endeavoring te form. Wethen charged. For two miles we drove them, now and then firing scatter- ingly from behind fences, trees, &c. The flashes of the pieces had a fine effect in the night.

"Then followed a dreadful scene of havoc. The light dragoons came on sword in hand; the shrieks, groans, shouting, imprecations, deprecatione, the clashing of swords and bayonets, etc., no firing from us, and little frein them, except now and then a few, as I said before, scatteriog shots, was more expressive of horror than all the thunder of the artillery, etc., on the day of action."

From the " Diary of the Revolution," by Frank Moore, vol. i. page 498, copied from Gaines' Mercury :

"September 22d. Yesterday, the British having received intelli- gence of the situation of General Wayne, and his design of attacking their rear should they attempt to pass the Schuylkill, o plan was con- certed for surprising him, and the execution intrusted to Maj .- Gen. Grey. The troops for this service were the Fortieth and Fifty-fifth Regimenta, under Licut .- Col. Musgrave, and the Second Battalion of light infantry, and the Forty-second and Forty-fourth Regiments, under the general. The last detachment marched at ten o'clock last night, the other at eleven. No soldiers of either were suffered to load; they that could not draw their pieces took out their flint. The general knew nearly the spot where the rebel corps lay, but nothing of the disposition of their camp. He represented to the mes that firing would discover them to the enemy, kill their own friends, and cause a confusion favorable to the escape of the rebels, and perhaps productive of disgrace to the British. On the other hand, by not firing they would know the foe to be wherever fire appeared, and a charge insured his destruction ; that amongst the enemy, those in the roar would direct their fire against whoever fired in front, and conse- quently destroy each other.

"General Grey marched by the road leading to the White Horse, and teek every inhabitant with him as he passed along. About three miles from camp he turned to the left and proceeded to the Admiral Warren, where, having forced intelligence from a blacksmith, he came in upon the out-sentries, pickets, and camp of the rebels. The sen- tries fired and ran off, to the number of four, at different intervals; the picket was surprised, and most of them killed in endeavering to retrent. On approaching the right of the camp the line of firee were perceived, and the light infantry, being ordered te form to the front, rushed along the line, putting to the bayonet all they came up with, and, overtaking the main herd of fugitives, stabbed great aum- bers, and pressed on their rear till it was thought prudent to order them to desist. The Furty-fourth Regiment, advancing in line like- wise, closed up in support of the light infantry, putting to the sword such of the rebels as the heat of the pursuit had escaped that corps, whilst the Forty-second came on in a third line as a reserve. Up- wards of two hundred were killed, and as many more wounded. Seventy-one prisoners were brought off; ferty of them, being badly wounded, were left at different houses on the road. The British loss consisted of Capt. Wolfe and one or two men killed, Lieut. Hunter and five men wounded. It was about one o'clock this morning when the attack was made, and the rebels were then assembling te. move towards the king's forces."

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History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 24

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 1162

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1162