History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 27

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 27

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Washington, writing from Valley Forge, February 15, 1778, says, --

" I am constrained to inform Yon that the Situation of the army is most critical & alarming for want of provisions of the meat kind. Many of the troops for four days & some longer, have not drawn the smallest Supplies of this article. This being the case, it is needless to add, to convince You of their distress they have been on the point of dispersing & without the earliest relief, no address or authority will be Sufficient to keep them long together. Their patience & endurance are great, but the demands of nature must be Satisfied. I must therefore, Gentlemen, entreat & request your immediate & most active exertions to procure & to forwarde to Camp as expeditiously as possible, all the provisions of the meat kind which it may be in your power to obtain. I would not have you wait till You cullect a large quantity, but wish You to Send on Supplies ne fast as you can get them. The troops must have instant relief or we shall have reason to apprehend the worst consequences. I need not mention to You the necessity of Secrecy, in an affair of euch delicacy, your own prudence & discretion will point it out. The state of forage is the same with that of provisions & a supply is materially wanted. Without it & very spcedily, we shall not have a horse left." -- (Arch., vol. vi. page 263.)

Previous to the occupation of Philadelphia by the forces of the enemy, Congress removed the seat of government to York, and the Council of Safety withdrew to Lancaster. Communication between these two places and the army at

Valley Forge was maintained by means of express-riders, who traversed the intervening country upon horseback. One of these horsemen was Isaac Anderson, a son of Pat- rick, then a youth, and afterwards a member of Congress from this district. He was frequently intrusted with im- portant dispatches by the commander-in-chief.

On the 18th of June, 1778, the British army evacuated Philadelphia, and soon afterwards, the Americans having withdrawn from this neighborhood, it was no longer the scene of that commotion and disturbance which always at- tend upon military occupation.

On the 18th of August, 1778, the vice-president of the Council wrote to Col. William Evans, of Vincent, Chester County, concerning a Quaker Tory named Thomas Clarke, who had accompanied the British from the Elk River, where they landed, to Philadelphia, and had been subsequently captured, saying,-

" His doings in this place are cast into equal shade with the prac- tices of many evil-doers residing here. It is necessary to look abroad for testimony. Benjamin Coates, near the Valley Forge, and Mrs. Graham, at the Bull, in Charlestown, are represented as capable of giving evidence against this man."

To which the reply was,-

" VINCENT, CHESTER COUNTY, September 1st, 1778. "Sın,-On the 28th of Augt. I Recd your favour Dated the 18. In obedience therelo I immediately Proceeded to Valley Forge and saw Mr. Benjamin Coates and ex'd him Concerning Knowledge of Thomas Clarks Being with the Enemys of this Countrey at his house, who Saith that befor they Came he, the said Coates with his famalay, fled and never saw Clark at all but was informed by Mis Graham that he made his house his quarters in Company with one Stackhouse, a tall, slender man, who said that be Came from Bucks County, and appeared in the Habit of a Quaker. As said Coats Knew nothing from his own Knowledge, thought it needless to eend him to you. I also Examined Mrs. Graham, a gentle woman of varacty, who saith she Knew Clark well, and saw him Come with the English army. As I thought her a very material witness I got her to Concent to com to you on the 4th Day of this instant, to be Examined before Council, to whom I think she will give general satisfaction Concerning this matter. As to the Tory Estates, Col. Bell and myself are now taking a return of them and in a few Days Expect to send an Exact List to Council.

"I am your H Sert, WM. EVANS."#

Col. William Evans lived in the neighborhood of the Yellow Springs, and took a very active part in maintaining the colonial interests during the war. In 1777 he was authorized to impress wagons and collect arms, accoutre- ments, blankets, and similar articles from those persons in the county who had not taken the oath of allegiance. Later he was appointed a commissioner to purchase supplies, and also a justice of the peace.

In the minutes of the Supreme Executive Council, under date of the 28th of April, 1779, is the following :

" A letter from Patrick Anderson of 27th ins., representing that Elections of officers in the militia have been held in Chester County & voters admitted who have not taken the test & returns of the said election hy Col. Gronow, Ordered, That the Secretary do write Col. Gronow & enquire into the aforesaid charge" (Col. Reo., vol. xi. page 760) ; and under date of May 11th, "Col. Grono, Sub Lieuten- ant of Chester County, attended in consequence of a Letter wrote him on the 28th April, And it appearing that the Election referred to in the said Letter was conducted without proper attention to the Test Law & that the said Election on that necount is informal, Ordered, That the same be vacated & that Col. Grono be directed to hold a new

* Arch., vol. vi. pages 709, 731 ._

GENERAL HISTORY.

Election as soon as convenient & report to this Board, that Commis- sions may issue without further delay." -- (Col. Rec., vol. xi. page 772.)

Capt. MacFall died during the war, at the residence of William Grimes, and was buried with military honors, at the Friends' meeting-house in the valley. His parents were Quakers, and when they arrived at the place of sep- ulture his aged mother stood in a distant corner of the yard. While the remains were being lowered into the grave three cannon were discharged over them, and the old lady, to whom this was little consolation for a lost son, exclaimed, "There, you need not fire now, he is dead enough ; cover him over."

In order to prevent Gen. Howe from obtaining supplies for his army in the well-cultivated district west of the Schuyl- kill, Gen. Potter, with six hundred militia, was ordered to scour the country between that river and Chicster. Con- gress had also adopted a resolution subjecting to martial law and death all who should furnish provisions or certain enumerated articles, and who should be taken within thirty miles of any place occupied by the British troops.

The army under Gen. Washington was now in the most destitute situation for the want of clothing, blankets, etc., besides which no provision had been made for the recruits coming in. A strong appeal was made by Gen. Washing- ton to Congress for supplies, who in turn had the matter brought to the notice of the Executive Council. The fol- lowing order from that body sufficiently explains the means resorted to to obtain a portion of these supplies, without which the army could not have been continued in the field :

"IN COUNCIL, LANCASTER, October 21, 1777.

" Ordered,

"That Col. Evan Evans, Col. Wm. Evans, Col. Thomas, Col. Gib- bons, Capt. Thomas Levis, Capt. William Brooks, and Capt. Jacob Rudolph be authorized and required to collect without delay, from such of the inhabitants of the County of Chester as have not taken the oaths of allegiance and abjuration, Dr who have aided or assisted the enemy, arms and accoutrements, blankets, shoes, and stockings, for the use of the army; that they appraise the same when taken, according to their quality, allowing at the rate of three pounds for a new single blanket, and give certificates for the same to the owners; that they call to their aid the militia of this Commonwealth, who are hereby ordered to obey and assist them in the execution of this order ; aod that they deliver the same, so taken, to the order of the Clothier General, or his agent, with whom they are to correspond in tho discharge of this business."

The Quakers having generally refused to take the oath of allegiance and abjuration, were no doubt great sufferers from the enforcement of this order, for, in addition to the inconveniences of parting with articles provided for family use, their conscientious scruples would not permit them to receive the proffered compensation.

There was an outpost of the Valley Forge encampment in Radnor, on the property now belonging to Tryon Lewis. About seven acres of heavy timber had been cleared near the middle of a large tract of woodland by the troops sta- tioned here; this was afterwards cultivated, and was well known in the neighborhood as the " camp-field." Radnor Friends' meeting-house, which is more than half a mile distant from this camp-ground, was occupied in connection with it, probably as officers' quarters and for a hospital. The records of the society show that they were deprived

of the use of their meeting-house early in the year, " in consideration of its being occupied by soldiers," and that it required considerable repairs before it was put in a condi- tion for holding a Monthly Meeting, which was not till near the middle of 1780.

It is probable that during the winter and spring most of the scouting-partics that served to restrain, in a measure, the foraging of the enemy within our limits, and at the same time to prevent disloyal farmers from carrying their produce to the city, were detached from the outpost at Radnor. The inhabitants of the townships on the eastern margin of the county suffered severely while the enemy occupied Philadelphia, and numbers of the Whigs were captured and carried off as prisoners.

Notwithstanding the punishment of death was denounced against those who furnished aid and comfort to the enemy, still a large amount of marketing reached the British lines, and those engaged in its transportation, when captured by the American scouts, were rarely subjected to any other punishment than the forfeiture of their goods and the im- position of a fine. In default of the latter, a good whip- ping was sometimes substituted. In the townships nearest the city even some of those who were not disposed to favor the enemy engaged in this traffic, for while persons at a distance had no temptation but British gold, these had no alternative but to carry their produce within the lines of the enemy and receive its value or have it taken with- out compensation.

But our people were not subjected to the depreda- tions of the enemy alone. The necessities of our army at Valley Forge had become so great that Congress had authorized the commander-in-chief to seize provisions for its use at any place within seventy miles of his head- quarters. Washington reluctantly yielded to the over- whelming necessity that induced Congress to confer this unusual authority upon him; but he did yield, and in order that the present year's crop should be made available for the pressing necessities of the army, he had, early in the winter, issued a proclamation enjoining and requiring all persons residing within seventy miles of his headquarters to thresh out one-half of their grain by the 1st of February, and the other half by the 1st of March, under the penalty of having all that remained in sheaves after the last-men- tioned period seized by the commissaries and quarter- masters of the army and paid for as straw. The necessi- ties of the army were too great to await the times specified in the proclamation, and the general was obliged to keep .parties of his troops threshing grain to prevent bis supplies from failing. Certificates were given for the property taken for the American army, payable in . Continental money; but, unfortunately for the credit of the govern- ment, this currency was never redeemed.

On the 10th, 11th, and 12th days of December, 1779, Cornwallis, with a detachment of the British army, made a sally from Philadelphia into Darby, Haverford, and Rad- .nor, and at that inclement scason of the year stripped many families of all their provisions, their stock and provender, and many articles of household furniture. These outrages were premeditated, were committed under the eye of the general, and by his authority, and many of them were

HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

against persons who had never raised a hand against the home government. For unfeeling brutality they scarcely have a parallel in civilized warfare.

Many of the Whigs were captured at this time, and many had been captured previously and carried to Phila- delphia, where they were detained as prisoners till the enemy evacuated the city ; but after that event the tables were turned, for now the Tories who had given aid and comfort to the enemy, or who were suspected of having done so, were seized and tried as traitors, their property confiscated, and a few were executed.

Several classes of the militia were called out in the year 1778, but many refused to turn out, and also refused to pay their fines. When the goods of these defaulters, such as horses, etc., were levied upon and sold, they would be frequently stolen from the purchaser, which rendered the collection of fines very difficult.

In 1777 but little tax was collected in this part of the country. The presence of the enemy rendered its collec- tion very difficult in some places, and the robberies com- mitted by them made collections impossible in others. Many collectors refused to serve, and paid their fines during the period of the Revolution, but more particularly in the years 1777 and 1778. Two taxes appear to have been laid the latter year, but the commissioners of Chester County reported to the Council on the 29th of May that "they had not been able to get a return of property from near one-third of the townships, the township assessors having refused or neglected to act," owing, as the com- missioners supposed, to the proximity of the enemy. The delinquents were fined, and writs issued to the sheriff, but, for the same reason, these writs were not executed.

In the minutes of a meeting of the county commis- sioners, " held at the sign of the Ship in East Caln, Jany ye 5th 1778," the following entry occurs :

" The Board appointed Sketchley Morton, David Cloyd, and the Clerk to remove the press and chest of books, papers &c from Chester to James McClellans in Sadshury."

The next meeting of the board was held at the house of James McClellan, on the 26th of the same month, when " the committee appointed to remove the records from Chester reported that they had removed the same accord- ing to order & presented their bill of expense," etc.

During the occupation of Philadelphia by the enemy, the armed galleys and other craft that escaped up the river were sunk by order of Gen. Washington, to prevent them from being captured, but after the evacuation they were put afloat again, and some of them fitted up for active duty. Mud Island Fort and Billingsport were both to be put in repair and to be reoccupied ; the former was to be supplied with two, and the latter with four, heavy guns. The Coun- cil employed Col. John Bull to direct the workmen and to complete the works, and agreed to pay him " three pounds per day, and forage at Billingsport for one horse."

The evacuation of Philadelphia by the British was the dawn of returning prosperity in this section of our country. Up to this time Pennsylvania had suffered more from the war than any other State, more of her men had been cap- tured or lost, and no distriet had been so thoroughly plun- dered. as that which had been overrun by .Gen. Howe,

between the Head of Elk and Philadelphia. From this time till the end of the war our people suffered no serious inconvenience beyond what was common all over the country.

Perhaps the greatest inconvenience resulted from the great depreciation of the paper money authorized.by Con- -gress. Early in the year 1779 it had depreciated so much that the price of every article had become almost fabulous, and yet it had not then reached its lowest point. A barrel of flour was sold for twenty pounds, and a bushel of salt for fifteen pounds; a journeyman blacksmith was paid eight pounds per day, and the price for shoeing a horse all round was four pounds.

The county commissioners encountered very great diffi- .culties in levying taxes. The moderate fines that the law had imposed upon officers for neglect of duty when the currency was good failed to secure the services of those whose duty it was to assess and collect the taxes. By a minute made by the board of commissioners and county assessors for Chester County, at a meeting held on the 18th of January, it appears that " from the greatest number of townships" no return of taxable property had been made. The assessment was consequently postponed till the 26thi of April, the commissioners in the mean time having borrowed money, and the Legislature having enacted a law imposing fines on delinquent assessors and collectors more in accordance with the inflated character of the currency.

Late in November the American army went into camp in a strong position at Whitemarsh, (now) Montgomery Co., where (and at Gulf Hills, fourteen miles from Philadelphia) it remained, notwithstanding Gen. Howe's attempts to draw Gen. Washington into battle, until it went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, on the 18th of December, 1777.

THE ENCAMPMENT AT VALLEY FORGE

was partly in Tredyffrin township, the line between Chester and Montgomery Counties running through the encamp- ment. The headquarters of Gens. Lafayette, Wayne, Knox, and Woodford were in Tredyffrin, as was also the encampment of the forces of Gens. Wayne and Scott, and a part of those of Gens. Woodford and Poor .* The en- campment was about two miles in length, its eastern ex- tremity resting near the present Port Kennedy ; and stretch- ing in a semicircle to the northwest, as far as the Gulf road, were the brigades of Gens. Muhlenberg, Patterson, Learned, Weeden, and Glover. Continuing west of that road were the brigades of Poor, Wayne, and Scott, north of the intersection of two small roads was Gen. Woodford, and a short distance from him was stationed Knox's artil- lery. From Knox, parallel with Valley Creek, extended

# The headquarters within the limits of Chester County were Gen. Lafayette's, at Samuel Howard's, now Edward Wilson's; Gen. Knox's, at John Brown's, now Mrs. Mary Jones; Gen. Wayne's, at Joseph Walker's, now Ivan Walker's; Gen. Woodford's and Count Dupor- tail's, at John Havard's, now William Davis'.

The location of the brigades in Tredyffrin township were Gen. Woodford's command, on the right, above Brown's orchard, extend- ing as far east as the turn of the Baptist road; Gen. Knox's, about the camp-house, extending towards the limekiln ; Gen. Scott's, on Thomas Brown's patch, now owned by Kendall; Gen. Wayne's, east of Scott's location, extending forty or fifty perches; and Gen. Poor's, east of Wayne's, about the same distance. .. .

oWoodfor'd's Ha QTs

Lafayette's He 01

Knux's Hd Qrs

ENCAMPMENT

VALLEY FORGE

1778

Scott

Redou

CHESTER

COUNTY

Picket

Ley Creek.

'alley For ge

Maxwell

Glover

MA Comray

Learned

Huntington

Paterson

Redout

Washington

Weedon

» Picket

- Muhlenb

Provost

Redoubt

Redouble &

Tiekgta

RIV

SCHUYLKILL

Bridge

owayne's Ha QEs

Woodford

Wayne

POUR

Knox's Artilery

Aba tis

Artificers

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

MOORE HALL, SCHUYLKILL CHESTER CO. PA.

GENERAL HISTORY.

a line of intrenchments, frem which abatis stretched to the east to a point near the ford now known as Sullivan's Crossing. The crossing was defended by a large star-shaped redoubt, and below this redoubt was placed the command of Gen. Varnum. Between the abatis and a line of re- doubts on the north were Huntington, Maxwell, and Con- way. The brigade of McIntosh and Washington's Life- Guards were stationed in the northeast portion of the camp, below Valley Creck, on an eminence by the river. North of the creek, near the Schuylkill, were the artificers. Ex- cluding the last-named detachment, which was in the pres- ent Schuylkill township, the camp was bounded on the east by the Schuylkill River, on the south and west by a range of hills, and on the north by Valley Creek.

There is still preserved at Valley Forge a small two- story stone house, which was the abode of the commander- in-chief. It is situated on the Gulf road, at a point where a back-road intersects. The back room of the first floor was occupied by the general as both office and bedroom, and under the window, in secret closets which still remain, he was accustomed to deposit important papers. There may also be seen the secret doors which were built to facilitate the flight of Washington in case of any sudden invasion by the enemy. During the Revolution, and for many years subsequent, the house was the property of Isaac Potts, an honest farmer.

WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS AT VALLEY FORGE.

The sufferings of the patriot army at Valley Forge are too well known to the general reader to require detail here. Well might Washington exclaim, " Our sick naked, our well naked, our unfortunate men in captivity naked! Our difficulties and distresses are certainly great, and such as wound the feelings of humanity."

" Naked and starving as they are," writes one of their oficers, " one cannot sufficiently admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiers, that they have not been ere this excited by their sufferings to a general mutiny and desertion."

In March Thomas Wharton wrote, in the name of Penn- sylvania, --

"The unparalleled patience and magnanimity with which the army under Your Excellency's command have endured the hardships at -.

tending their situation, unsupplied as they have been through an un- cemmenly severe winter, is an honor which pesterity will consider as more illustrious than could have been derived to them by a victory ob- tained by any sudden and vigerous exertion."

" I would cherish these dear, ragged Continentals, whose patience will be the admiration of future ages, and glory in bleeding with them," cried Jolin Laurens in the enthusiasm of youth. " The patience and eudurance of both soldiers and officers was a miracle which each moment seemed to renew," said Lafayette in his old age. But the noblest tribute comes from the pen of him who knew them best :

" Without arrogance or the smallest deviation frem truth, it may be said that no history now extant can furnish an instance of an army's suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done and hearing them with the same patience and fortitude. Te see mco without clothes to cover their nakedoess, without blankets to lic upon, with- out shoes (for the wunt ef which their marches might be traced by the blood frem their feet), and almost as often withont provisions as with them, marching through the frost and snow, and at Christmas taking up their winter quarters within a day's march of the enemy, without a house or hut to cover them till they could be built, and submitting without a murmur, is a proof of patience and obedience which in my opinien can scarce be paralleled."

Such was Washington's opinion of the soldiers of Valley Forge.

On the 18th of December, 1877, the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the cantonment at Valley Forge, "The Centennial Association of Valley Forge" was organized. Committees were appointed to make the necessary arrangements for a demonstration on the centennial anniversary of the departure of Gen. Washington's army from Valley Forge, and the mem- orable event was befittingly celebrated June 19, 1878. In the varied exercises of the day the National Guard of Pennsylvania, Governor Hartranft, Gen. Hancock, and many eloquent speakers, and numerous military and martial bands, participated. In the procession and the. grand review, witnessed by a vast concourse of specta- tors, were the following Chester County organizations : Col. Rupert and staff, commanding five companies of the Eleventh Regiment (West Chester Grays, Com- pany C, of Coatesville, Company G, Media, Company K, Chester, Wayne Fencibles) ; then followed the Washington Troop, Griffen Battery, Delaney Guards, West Chester Pioneer Corps, Chester Springs Soldiers': Orphans, and a delegation from the Phoenix Iron Com- pany's Works.

From the eloquent address delivered on this occasion by Hon. Henry Armitt Brown, of Philadelphia, a few paragraphs are here given :

" Aod who are the leaders of the men whose heroism can sanctify a place like this ? Descend the hill and wander through the camp. . . . "These are the huts of Huntington's brigade of the Connecticut line; next to it those of the Pennsylvaniana under Conway. Beyond Conway, on the hill, is Maxwell, a gallant Irishman, commissioned by New Jersey. Woodford, of Virginia, commands on the right of the' second line, and in front of him the Virginiao, Scott. The next brigade in order is ef Pennsylvanians, many of them men whose homes are in the neighborhood,-Chester County boys, and Quakers from the val- ley, turned soldiers for their country's sake. They are the children of three races,-the hot Irish blood mixes with the colder Dutch in their calm English veins,-and some of thein -- their chief, for instance' -are splendid fighters. There he is at this memeut riding up the hill from his quarters in the valley. A man of medium height and

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 27

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