USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I > Part 22
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for provisions delivered sundry Companies, .£1,354 4s. 4d.
He died in 1781, when his son, Adam Desh- ler, Jr., became the owner of the property. Adam Deshler, Jr., died in 1790. His only son, David, became the owner and after his death in 1827, his son, James Deshler acquired it. The property passed from the heirs of James Deshler into other hands and on November 20, 1899, the old building and 151 acres of land were sold by Thomas Schaadt to the Coplay Cement Com- pany for $100,000. The building is now oc- cupied by foreigners who are in the employ of the owners.
This old stone mansion, the only building standing in Lehigh county which was used as a fort in the colonial period, should by all means be preserved and marked as a historic spot, not only as a memorial to the pioneers of this local- ity but also as a reminder to the coming genera- tions of the hardships which their staunch and sturdy ancestors were compelled to undergo.
The illustrations show the fort as it appeared in the years 1860 and 1910.
Pennsylvania Archives -- Mickley's Murders by the Indians-Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania- Heckewelder's Indian Nations-Loskiel's History of the Missions of the Indians in America- Pennsylvania Gazette-Votes of the Assembly-Reichel's Crown Inn-Fatzinger's First Settlers of the Irish Settlement-Historic Buildings of the Lehigh Valley-Skizzen aus dem Lecha Thal- Egypt Reformed church records-Manuscript collections of Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
For several years after the subsidence of the Indian troubles, the colonies quietly pursued the even tenor of their way, until the passage of the stamp act on March 22, 1765, by the Brit- ish Parliament. This law required that for every skin or piece of vellum, or parchment, or declaration, plea, rejoinder, demurrer, or other pleading, or any copy thereof, in any court of law or any certificate of any degree taken in any college, any inventory, bill of lading, ap- pointment, franchise, license, probate of will, bond, warrant of survey, lease, indenture, bill of sale, newspaper, pamphlet or almanac, a stamp duty should be imposed. The stamps were printed in embossed letters, sometimes directly upon the paper used, but more generally, for; the colonies, on course blue paper, such as is known as "tobacco paper." The value of each stamp was indicated upon it, and varied from three pence to two pounds. The kinds of docu- ments and other papers to be stamped to make them legal numbered fifty-four. To the blue- paper stamps was attached a narrow strip of tin- foil. The ends of the foil were passed through the parchment or paper, flattened on the oppo- site side, and a piece of paper with a rough de- vice and number, with a crown and the initials of the King pasted over to secure it.
While the avowed purpose of the act was the raising of revenue for defending and protecting the American colonies, its real meaning, clearly perceived by the colonists, was to replenish the British treasury, which had been exhausted, not by defending the colonies, but by wars in Europe.
This measure met with general opposition throughout the colonies. The people in cities and villages gathered in excited groups and loudly expressed their indignation. "Taxation without representation is tyranny" became the cry (an idea borrowed from the Dutch), which was boldly enunciated in a pamphlet by James Otis, of Boston. A general congress of delegates was called and met in New York in October, 1765, and sent out documents asserting the rights of the people. October 31, 1765, Jacob Hiltz- heimer, of Philadelphia, wrote in his diary: "My newspaper was delivered in the morning, being the last before the Stamp Act goes into force." November Ist was observed as a day of fasting and mourning. Funeral processions paraded city
streets and bells tolled funeral knells. The col- ors of sailing vessels were trailed at half-mast, and the columns of newspapers exhibited broad black lines. The courts were closed, legal mar- riages ceased, ships remained in port, and for a while all business was suspended.
Merchants entered into agreements not to im- port goods from Great Britain, and very soon remonstrances from all classes in America reached the British ministry, as well as from merchants and manufacturers of London, so that the question of repealing the act was raised.
On March 18, 1766, the act was repealed by the provisions of a bill introduced in Parliament by William Pitt. In the bill was a clause de- claring the right of Parliament to tax the col- onies, which was not acceptable to the colonists. Pitt said the repealing bill could not have passed but for this clause, so of two evils he chose the least. The American colonists were so pleased with the repeal of the obnoxious act that, in gratitude to the King and to Pitt, an equestrian statue of the King was erected in Bowling Green, New York, and a statue of Pitt in the attitude of speaking was set up at the intersection of Wall and William streets.
The news of the repeal of the act was received in Philadelphia on April 7, 1766, for which the bells rang all day and houses were illuminated and a large number of citizens had a dinner at the State House.
In 1767 an act was passed imposing a tax on tea, glass, paper and painters' colors imported into the colonies. April 2, 1770, Lord North, the British prime minister, offered a bill in Par- liament repealing duties on all articles except tea, which became a law. The colonists regarded this as a violation of their rights, objecting not so much to the amount of duty imposed, as to the principle involved, which lay at the founda- tion of their liberties. Merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Annapolis and other places, agreed not to import tea. Three hun- dred ladies in Boston formed a league, agreeing not to drink any tea until the revenue act should be repealed. Theophilus Lillie was one of the six merchants in Boston who refused to sign association papers not to import merchandize from Great Britain and openly sold tea. One night an effigy was placed near his door with a
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
finger upon it, pointing to his store. In the morning all laughed at the image except Eben- ezer Richardson, who attempted to remove it, and was pelted with snow balls. Becoming an- gered, he rushed into the house, seized a gun and fired it into the crowd, wounding Samuel Gore slightly and killing Christopher Snyder, a Ger- man school boy about nine years old, the only son of a widow residing in Frog Lane. The affair produced intense excitement throughout the colonies. "No other incident," said John Adams, "has so stirred the people as the shoot- ing of this boy." Never had there been such a funeral in Boston as that of the little German boy, on February 26th, 1770. The schools were closed to allow the scholars to march in proces- sion, of whom more than six hundred were pres- ent. Merchants and mechanics, professional men and citizens of all classes, in number over three thousand, followed his bier, uniting in a common protest against the enforcement of law by show of force.
Shiploads of tea were refused and poured into the harbors at Boston and New York and at Philadelphia. On October 2, 1773, a public meeting was held protesting against taxation by Parliament and denouncing as an enemy to his country whoever should "aid or abet in unload- ing, receiving, or sending the tea." In Decem- ber, 1773, a tea ship was stopped four miles be- low Philadelphia and sent back to England.
Parliament upon hearing of these actions by the colonists, adopted measures contemplating their submission, among them the "Boston Port Bill," by which the port of Boston was closed. June 1, 1774, the day in which this bill was to take effect, was adopted as a day of fasting, humiliation and prayer throughout the colonies, on resolution of the Assembly of Virginia.
At this time the terms "Whigs" and "Tories" came into general use,-the former to describe those in sympathy with the cause of Boston and on the side of the Colonies against Parliament ; the latter to designate those whose sympathies were with Great Britain against the colonies.
Early in June a circular was sent to the prin- cipal citizens of the different counties in Penn- sylvania by the Philadelphia committee of corre- spondence, calling a meeting at the State House to take the sentiments of the inhabitants of the city and the several counties, the Governor hav- ing declined to call the Assembly. Each county chose its deputies who assembled at Philadelphia on July 15, 1774. The deputies from North- ampton County were William Edmonds, Peter Kichline, John Okely, and Jacob Arndt. At this meeting a resolution was adopted request-
ing the Assembly to appoint persons to attend a Congress of Deputies from the several colonies.
The Assembly ppointed Joseph Galloway Samuel Rhoads, Thomas Mifflin, John Morton, Charles Humphreys, George Ross, Edward Bid- dle and John Dickinson, delegates from Penn- sylvania to the First Continental Congress, which met in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, from Sep- tember 5 to October 26, 1774, and adopted the articles of confederation, which should be re- garded as the commencement of the American Union. On December 8, 1774, the Assembly again appointed the same men delegates to Con- gress, excepting Mr. Rhoads, who was then Mayor of Philadelphia. Later Benjamin Frank- lin, James Wilson and Thomas Willing were added to the delegation, and Mr. Galloway re- signed.
On December 21, 1774, the freeholders of Northampton county met at Easton and elected the following Committee of Observation for the county : Lewis Gordon, Peter Kachlein, Jacob Arndt, Michael Messinger, Melchoir Hay, George Taylor, John Hays, Jr., John Okely, Anthony Lerch, Jacob Morey, John Wetzel, Andrew Engelman, John Griesemer, Henry Kooken, David Deshler, Casper Doll, Joseph Gaston, Philip Drum, Yost Dreisbach, Daniel Knauss, Thomas Everett, Michael Ohl, John Hartman, Nicholas Kern, George Gilbert, Abraham Miller, Nicholas Dupui, Sen., Manuel Gonsales and Abraham Westbrook.
Of this committee Messrs. Morey, Wetzel, Engelman, Griesemer, Kooken, Deshler, Knauss, Everett, Ohl, and Hartman were residents of what is now Lehigh county.
This committee then chose as a standing Com- mittee of Correspondence for this county, George Taylor, Lewis Gordon, Peter Kachlein, Jacob Arndt, John Okely and Henry Kooken, Esqrs.
The county Committee of Observation met again on January 9, 1775, and chose George Taylor, Peter Kachlein, Jacob Arndt and John Okely to represent Northampton county in the Provincial Convention held at Philadelphia from January 23rd to 28th, 1775, who were instructed to concur in all things with the delegates from their sister counties.
The county Committee of Correspondence, consisting of six members, held a meeting at Eas- ton, on May 6, 1775, at which four members were present and unanimously resolved in con- sequence of a letter received from the Philadel- phia committee, which made a deep impression on the local committee: "That the several town- ships in this county should associate and form themselves into Companies, choose their proper
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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
officers and provide for each man one good fire lock, one pound powder, four pounds of lead, a sufficient quantity of flints and a cartridge box." The committee then directed the clerk, Mr. Robert Traill, to write letters to the several committeemen of the townships giving them no- tice of the resolution.
The Committee of Observation held a meet- ing at the Court House in Easton on May 22, 1775, at which they endorsed the actions of the Continental Congress and recommended that all free-men in the county provide themselves with arms and ammunition and muster as often as possible to make themselves expert in the mili- tary art. At this meeting a return was made of 26 companies of Associators formed in the vari- ous townships of the county, giving the names of the officers chosen and the number of men.
The following was the return from the town- ships that now constitute Lehigh county.
Upper Saucon Company. Captain. Henry Alshouse, Jr. Lieutenant. George Kern. Total rank and file, 105 men. Macungie Company. Captain. Peter Trexler. Lieutenant. Henry Felker. Total rank and file, 120 men.
Upper Milford Company. Captain. Christian Fisher. Lieutenant. Philip Walter. Total rank and file, 64 men. Whitehall Company. Captain. Peter Burkhalter. Lieutenant. Philip Knappenberger. Total rank and file, 100 men. Salisbury Company. Captain. Nicholas Fox. Lieutenant. Henry Hagenbuch. Total rank and file, 100 men.
(This company included inhabitants of Allen- town.)
Weisenburg Company. Captain. Michael Bobst. Lieutenant.
Philip Benninghoff. Total rank and file, 32 men. Lynn Company. Captain. Matthias Probst. Lieutenant. John Stine. Total rank and file, 70 men. Heidelberg Company. Captain. Michael Ohl. Lieutenant. Jacob Ziegler. Total rank and file, 100 men. Lowhill Company. Captain. Nicholas Michael. Lieutenant.
Jacob Horner. Total rank and file, 35 men.
The company from Allen township, of which the present Hanover then formed a part was. commanded by Captain Neigal Gray and Lieu- tenant John Siegfried, and mustered 120 men.
The general committee met again June 20, 1775, when a letter was read from the county's delegates in Congress requesting that the county immediately raise half a company of riflemen to go to Boston. The committee acted at once and chose Abraham Miller of Mount Bethel, as re- cruiting officer with Captain's pay. At this meeting Jacob Miller and George Kribel of Upper Milford township were appointed com- mitteemen to assist Mr. Engelman from the same township, and Burkhart Moser, of Lynn town- ship, was appointed an additional member to as- sist his fellow committeeman Mr. Everett.
As Congress desired two additional companies of riflemen to be raised in Pennsylvania, the quota of Northampton county was increased to a full company. The Captain was authorized to purchase nineteen good rifles, the price of each not to exceed five pounds, and nineteen pouches and powder horns, which was needed to complete the equipment of the company.
This company, the first raised in Northamp- ton county for active service, was one of eight raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland and two in Virginia, under the command of Colonel William Thompson, which were called "Colonel Thompson's Battalion of Riflemen." Each com- pany was to consist of one captain, three lieu- tenants, four sergeants, four corporals, a drum- mer or trumpeter, and sixty-eight privates.
The pay was as follows: Captain, $20.00 per month; Lieutenant, $13 1-3; Sergeant, $8.00; Corporal, $7 1-3 ; drummer or trumpeter, $7 1-3;
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
Private, $6 2-3. The term of enlistment was for one year.
On July 20, 1775, the company was called to- gether and chose as officers:
Captain, Abraham Miller.
First Lieutenant, Charles Craig.
Second Lieutenant, William Kramer.
Third Lieutenant, Samuel Craig.
The muster roll of the company as it appears in the Pennsylvania Archives is as follows :
Captains.
Miller, Abraham, June 25, 1775; resigned November 9, 1775. (Born Southport, N. Y., 1735, died 1815.)
Craig, Charles, from First Lieutenant, Nov- ember, 1775. (Wounded at Brandywine; shot himself in 1782.)
First Lieutenants.
Craig, Charles, promoted to Captain, Nov- ember, 1775.
Craig, Thomas, from Second Lieutenant, Nov- ember, 1775.
Second Lieutenants.
Craig, Thomas, promoted First Lieutenant November, 1775.
Craig, Samuel, (promoted Captain Ist Penna. Oct. 1, 1776; retired from service July 1, 1781.) Third Lieutenants.
Harris, David, promoted First Lieutenant of Nagel's Company, January 5, 1776. Captain First Penna. ; resigned October 20, 1777.
Sergeants.
Holmes, Christian.
Norcross, Aaron, promoted Lieutenant.
Brodhead, Luke, afterwards Captain Sixth Penna.
Anderson, Enoch. Corporals.
Hains, Daniel.
James, David. Armitage, Shubert.
Sawyer, John.
Drummer.
Adams, Peter, ill in Philadelphia, in Decem- ber, 1776.
Privates.
Bennett, Jacob.
Bowman, Michael. Boyd, Daniel.
Brunner, Rhinehart, (a resident of Upper Saucon).
Buckly, Christopher.
Berger, Jost, (drafted into Morgan's rifle corps; served at taking of Burgoyne; discharged January, 1781, at Trenton; resided in Ma- cungie township, 1816).
Carter, Thomas.
Carey, Martin.
Clifton, Robert.
Clemms, "Thomas.
Cooker, Nicholas. Killed in action.
Concklin, Richard.
Curtis, Marmaduke.
Dailey, Elias.
Dean, Samuel, of Bucks county; appointed lieutenant of Col. Hart's Battalion, Flying Camp in 1776; subsequently Lieutenant of Eleventh Penna.
Deats, Chris.
Decker, Benjamin, died Dec. 7, 1827, in Luz- erne County, aged 81.
Engle, Wendle.
Ferguson, William.
Frantz, Henry.
Frantz, Peter.,
Fritzman, Elias.
Galbraith, Thomas.
Gaston, Hugh.
Hartney, Chris.
Harvey, John.
Hayward, John.
Hegerman, James.
Hernichon, John, wounded in the jaw at Long Island; in 1810, lived in Bucks county.
Horner, Samuel.
Hoster, Peter.
Jacobs, Cornelius.
Johnson, James.
Johnston, Robert.
Karich, William.
Kehrer, Martin, died in hospital at Princeton.
Kline, Bernhard.
Koken, Peter.
Kaup, Michael.
Ledger, Peter.
Ledlie, James.
Levy, Nathan.
Lonker, Henry.
McCarty, Daniel.
McElise, James.
McFerrin, John, killed by Indians at Piper's Fort in 1782.
Marshall, Robert.
Matthias, Henry.
Miller, Jacob.
Miller, John.
Moeser, John.
Moyer, Jacob.
Nousted, Peter.
Orr, Joseph.
Price, Rees.
Richart, Thomas.
Rishell, George.
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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
Robertson, Robert.
Roy, Patrick.
Snyder, John.
Sonn, David, served three years, nine months ; died in Whitehall township, October 5, 1826, aged 72.
Wagner, Adam.
Watson, John.
Weill, Andrew. White, John.
Wighouse, Anthony.
Colonel Thompson's rifle battalion became the First Regiment after the Ist of January, 1776, under the command of Colonel Edward Hand.
Captain Miller's company arrived at Boston early in August and rendered valuable service in and about the city. The men of the battalion were expert riflemen and their endurance and marksmanship made them Washington's favorite troops during the war. Thatcher, in his Mili- tary Journal of the Revolution, in August, 1775, says: "They are remarkably stout and hardy men ; many of them exceeding six feet in height .. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim; striking a mark with great certainty at two hundred yards distance. At a review, a company of them while on a quick advance, fired their balls into objects of seven inches diameter, at the distance of two hundred and fifty yards."
They carried a green flag, with a crimson field in the center containing the device of a tiger, partly inclosed by toils, attempting the pass de- fended by a hunter, clad in white, and armed with a spear. The motto on the field was "Domari Nolo."
Two of the companies were ordered to Que- bec, under Colonel Arnold, and endured great hardship and suffering.
On November 9, 1775, occurred the skirmish at Lechmere's Point, for their alacrity in which Col. Thompson and his battalion were publicly thanked by General Washington in general or- ders dated the 10th of November.
Having become the First Regiment of the Continental army, on the evacuation of Boston by the British, the riflemen left Boston on March 14, 1776, commanded by Colonel Hand (who was promoted to Brigadier General April I, 1777) and arrived at New York March 28th, where it was part of Gen. Sullivan's brigade and participated in the battle of Long Island. In 1777, it was placed in Gen. Wayne's division and rendered distinguished service in the battle of Brandywine, where Captain Craig, of the Northampton county company, was wounded.
At the annual election on September 27, 1775, each township chose committee men, who met at Easton October 2, 1775. The committee mer: from the territory now Lehigh county were as follows :
Upper Saucon, Jacob Morey.
Salisbury, David Deshler and Peter Rhoads
Whitehall, John Griesemer.
Macungie, John Wetzel.
Upper Milford, Andrew Engleman.
Weisenburg, Daniel Knauss.
Lowhill, John Hartman. Lynn, Thomas Everett.
Heidelberg, John Hunsicker.
A Committee of Correspondence, consisting of Lewis Gordon, Christopher Wagner, Jacob Morey, Thomas Sillyman and Henry Lawalt was chosen from the general committee.
The next day, October 3rd, at a meeting of the majority of the committee and a majority of the officers in the county, the county was divided into four districts or battalions, when Col. Peter Kachlein was placed in command of the First Battalion; Col. Henry Geiger, of the Second ; Col. Yost Driesbach, of the Third, and Col. Jacob Stroud, of the Fourth.
The Second Battalion, commanded by Col. Henry Geiger, of Heidelberg township, a vet- eran of the French and Indian war, was com- posed of the companies from Upper Saucon, Upper Milford, Macungie, Salisbury, White- hall, Lowhill, Heidelberg, Weisenburg, Lynn and Penn townships. The other battalions were formed from the companies raised in the townships now composing Northampton and Monroe counties and part of Carbon county.
The Continental Congress having recom- mended the appointment of a Committee of Safe- ty to superintend and direct all matters neces- sary for the security and defense of the colony on June 30, 1775, a Committee of Safety was appointed of 25 persons, in which Northampton county was represented by William Edmunds, who served until October 20th, 1775, when George Taylor succeeded him. Benjamin Frank- lin was chosen President of the body and Michael Hillegas, Treasurer. Among the first actions of this committee was to draw up rules and regula- tions for the Associators, two thousand of which were ordered printed and five hundred in the German language. The rules were as follows:
Rules for establishing Rank or Precedence amongst the Pennsylvania Associators.
The committee of safety, appointed by the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania being desirous of performing the important duties of
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
their station in the most satisfactory manner to the Public, beg leave to lay before them certain resolves of the Honorable Continental Congress, dated the 18th of July, which have already been published, but it is apprehended have not come to the knowledge of many able-bodied effective Men, aged from 16 to 50 years, that may be de- sirous of serving their Country in the present Glorious struggle for Liberty, in the mode point- ed out by said resolves, which are in the follow- ing words :
In Congress, 18th July, 1775.
Resolved, That it be recommended to the in- habitants of the united English Colonies in North America, that all able-bodied effective men, between 16 and 50 years of age, in each Colony, immediately form themselves into regu- lar Companies of Militia, to consist of one Cap- tain, two Lieutenants, one Ensign, four Ser- geants, four Corporals, one Clerk, one Drum- mer, one Fifer, and about sixty-eight Privates.
That the Officers of each Company be chosen by the respective Companies.
That each soldier be furnished with a good musket that will carry an ounce ball, with a bayonet, steel ramrod, worm, priming wire, and brush fitted thereto, a cutting sword or toma- hawk, a cartridge box that will contain twenty- three rounds of cartridges, twelve flints, and a knapsack.
That the Companies be formed into Regi- ments or Battalions, Officer'd with a Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, and Adjutant or Quarter Master.
That all Officers above the rank of a Captain be appointed by their respective Provincial As- semblies or Conventions, or in their recess by the Committees of Safety appointed by said As- semblies or Conventions.
That all the Militia take proper care to acquire Military Skill, and be well prepared for defence, by being each man provided with one pound of good Gun Powder, and four pounds of Ball fitted to his gun.
That one fourth of the Militia in every Col- ony be selected for Minute Men, of such persons as are willing to enter this necessary Service, formed into Companies and Battalions, and their Officers chosen and Commissioned as aforesaid, to be ready at the shortest notice, to march to any place where their assistance may be required for the defence of their own or a neighboring Colony, and as these Minute Men may eventu- ally be called to action before the whole Body of the Militia are sufficiently trained, it is re- commended that a more particular and diligent
attention be paid to their instruction in Mili- tary discipline.
That such of the Minute Men as desire it be relieved by new draughts, as aforesaid, from the whole Body of the Militia, relieved once in four Months.
As there are some people, who, from religious principles, cannot bear arms in any case, this Congress intend no violence to their consciences, but earnestly recommend it to them to contrib- ute liberally to the relief of their distressed breth- ern, in their several colonies, and to do all other service to their oppressed Country which they can consistently with their religious principles.
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