USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Warwick's Keystone commonwealth; a review of the history of the great state of Pennsylvania, and a brief record of the growth of its chief city, Philadelphia > Part 16
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
Washington, compelled to abandon Fort Lee, retreated through New Jer- sey, with the intention of preventing if possible the capture of Philadelphia by the British troops. Not long after Washington had reached Pennsylvania he crossed the Delaware River to Trenton, and on Christmas night, 1776, in face of a severe snow storm, with an army of less than twenty-five hundred men, surprised a body of Hessian soldiers, took one thousand prisoners, and seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition. All this was done with scarce the loss of a man. The victory was so complete and so unexpected that it revived the hope and renewed the courage of the despairing Americans. Washington so impressed Frederick the Great with his skillful manoeuvering that the old King declared it was not excelled by any like campaign in modern warfare.
About this time the terms of enlistment were expiring and Washington, unfortunately, was without the money that was needed to pay the soldiers for their services. Congress had issued vast volumes of paper money, but it be- came utterly worthless and so low did it fall in purchasing value that to de- scribe a thing as useless was to say it was not worth a Continental. In this extremity, Washington communicated with Robert Morris, in Philadelphia, and implored him to raise, if possible, fifty thousand dollars in hard cash. The appeal was so earnest and the peril so great that Morris, early on New Year's morning of 1777, travelled from door to door among his rich and patriotic neighbors, and before daylight, collected the amount needed by Washington. It was at once forwarded to headquarters and saved the army from disorganization. After obtaining a victory over Cornwallis at Princeton, the Americans went into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. After the Battle of Mon- mouth, the Hessian prisoners, under guard, were brought to the city of Phila- delphia, and Watson, in his "Annals," states that an elderly gentleman who saw them on their way to the prison, describes their appearance as follows: "I stood on the porch of Pemberton's house in Chestnut above Third street. They marched up Chestnut street past the State House, where Congress sat. They made a long line-all fine, hearty looking men, and well clad, with large knap- sacks, spatterdashes on legs, their looks were satisfied. On each side, in a single file, were their guards, mostly in light summer dress, and some without shoes, but stepping light and cheerful."
During the Spring of 1777, Washington put forth every effort to increase enlistments. It was in this year that Kosciusko and Pulaski, two eminent Pol-
130
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTHI.
ish patriots, joined the army. They were followed later by the Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman, about nineteen years of age, who came from Paris to offer his services to the cause of American liberty. He brought with him Baron de Kalb, a German military veteran. They were both made Gen- erals in the American Army. Shortly afterwards, Baron Steuben, a Prussian
TE INARLO THS DE LA FAYETTE
LE MARQUES DE LA FAYETTE.
military engineer, arrived in camp. He undertook to introduce discipline into the army, and by constant drilling of the troops brought them into a fair state of efficiency.
General Tlowe in command of the British, undertook, in the summer of 1777, an expedition to Pennsylvania. The Battle of Brandywine was fought on September 11, 1777, in which the Americans suffered a defeat and was followed by the disastrous Battle of Germantown. A body of troops, under the command of General Wayne, was surprised near the Paoli tavern on the night of September twentieth, and a number were killed and wounded, or
13E
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMON WEALTH.
taken prisoners. The men were cut to pieces by swords and bayonets, and the engagement is known in American history as the Paoli Massacre.
General Howe then, the road being open, took possession of the city, and the British flag waved in triumph over the capital of the United Colonies. The entry into the city was led by a body of troops under the command of Lord Cornwallis, on the morning of September 20th. A company of light dragoons was at the head of the column, and they were followed by British and ITes- sian grenadiers, and a detachment of artillery. The Hessian "yellow legs," under "Old Knyp," as the Hessian General, Knyphausen, was called, with their brass caps and fierce mustaches, created a feeling of terror in the hearts of the citizens. As the troops advanced the bands played "God save the King," and the Tory ladies, standing at the windows, on the balconies and door steps, waved with their handkerchiefs a hearty welcome to the incoming troops. "They looked well-clean and well clad," wrote Deborah Logan, "and the con- trast between them and our own poor, barefooted, ragged troops was very great and caused a feeling of despair." Several days prior to the capture of the city, the roads were filled with wagons carrying furniture and household articles of every description. According to a census made by General lowe, after his entry, five hundred and ninety dwellings and two hundred and forty stores were empty, the occupants and owners having fled. There were still open, however, for business, in the neighborhood of one hundred and sixteen stores. Many of the men having fled, the population was made up chiefly of women and children. The chimes of Christ Church were hurriedly removed to a place of safety, as was the State House bell, as we have already stated. Congress hastily adjourned to hold its sessions in Lancaster, subsequently in York, and at last in Baltimore. In order to restore a municipal control, Joseph Galloway was appointed by General Howe, Superintendent of Police. The night watch was increased, and no one was permitted to go abroad between tattoo in the evening and the reveille in the morning, unless he carried a lan- tern. An exception was made as to doctors who were called upon suddenly to attend their patients. Recruiting stations were opened, and every induce- ment was made for enlistments. "All intrepid, able-bodied heroes," the proc- lamation read, "who are willing to serve his majesty, King George the Third in defence of their country, laws and constitution against the arbitrary usur- pations of a tyrannical Congress, have now not only an opportunity of manifesting their spirit by assisting in reducing their too-long deluded countrymen, but also of acquiring the polite accomplishments of a soldier, by serving only two years, or during the present rebellion in America. Such spirited fellows who are willing to engage will be rewarded at the end of the war, besides their lau- rels, with fifty acres of land where every gallant hero may retire to enjoy his bottle and lass. Each volunteer will receive as a bounty Five Dollars besides arms, clothing, and accontrements and every other requisite proper to accom- pany a gentleman soldier, by applying to Lieutenant-Colonel Allen, or at Cap- tain Kearney's rendezvous, at Patrick Tonry's, three doors above Market street in Second street."
Among the amusing incidents of the War, was the celebrated occurrence called "The Battle of the Kegs." On the seventh of January, 1778, a number
132
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTHI.
of barrels charged with gun powder, and so arranged that they were exploded by a spring lock when coming in contact with any hard substance, were con- structed at Bordentown, New Jersey, and floated down the Delaware with the purpose of destroying the British shipping, but it so happened about this time
GEORGE WASHINGTON AT THE TIME OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
that the British, fearing the closing of the river by ice, moved their vessels and anchored them closer to the shore, thus taking them out of the current. If it had not been for this, there might have been really great destruction of property. The barrels were submerged beneath the surface of the water, and were supported by a buoy, and as they came floating down the stream, the British opened fire until every chip that appeared upon the waves was sub-
133
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTHI.
jected to a furious fusillade. The crew of a barge, in attempting to lift up one of the kegs, caused an explosion of the powder, and four men were killed and a number of others were wounded. All sorts of rumors were in the air as to the contents of the barrels, some people in their imagination, believing that they concealed armed rebels, positively asserted that they saw bayonets protruding through the bung-holes. The firing did not cease until after the last barrel floated by, and when the citizens saw that no serions damage would be done, they found much amusement in ridiculing the British officers and sol- diers who had shown every sign of fear while the attack continued.
During the winter of 1777-1778, Washington held his army in. winter quarters at Valley Forge. It was a season of unusual severity, and while the Continental troops "naked and starving" were dying of putrid fever on the frozen hillsides of Valley Forge, Howe and his officers were living luxuriously in Philadelphia. The fortunes of the Americans at this time were at a low ebb. Cabal and intrigue raised their heads and plotted against the Commander-in- Chief. Congress, utterly inefficient, had depreciated to a par with the worth- less currency they had issued. Despair and despondency seized the hearts of the people. The future seemed not to have one ray of hope, but it was the fortitude and resolution of Washington, and the courage and patient endur- ance of his troops that kept alive the patriotism of the country. It was at Valley Forge that the crucial test was made, it was at Valley Forge that the cause of Liberty was triumphant. As those shivering, starving men gathered about their bivouac fires, they kept alive the spirit that was ultimately to tri- umph.
No one can predict what the result of the Revolution would have been without the resolute courage of Washington and the endurance of the Amer- ican troops in that desolate camp that cheerless winter. How great is the debt of gratitude we owe those men who suffered against odds, who sustained the burden and strife and won the cause! Hungry, foot-sore, and heart-weary, they bravely, heroically, constantly bore the burden of the conflict waged for liberty. The history of their deeds is written in tears and blood. All are at rest, many sleeping where they fell, others in obscure and nameless graves, but the epitaphs of all are enshrined in the hearts of their ever grateful country- men. O, what do we owe as a people to those brave men, those heroes in rags, at times almost naked, meanly supplied with food, often without shelter or protection from the cold blasts of winter and the burning suns of summer, who steadfastly and determinedly battled for freedom and opened a career for our national glory? Can we ever pay our debt to those men who in all ages have made a noble stand for liberty? Not so much do we owe to Angelo who chisels the marble into life, nor to Raphael who breathes his spirit into the canvas, nor to the architect who conceives the designs that are put into form and as- sume the beautiful proportions of the temple, nor to the poet who recounts in epic song and living numbers the heroic and pompons deeds of kings and captains, as to those men who in all ages, with dauntless spirit, fought on every field where lib- erty and her cause made battle, who suffered on the march, in the conflict, before the tribunal, in the dungeon and at the stake, with no hope of earthly glory. These men fought not for personal ambition, but for the rights of man and the freedom
134
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTHI.
of the human race. These were the common soldiers, the unknown martyrs who fought from a sense of duty and who never expected to reach fame, glory, the laurel, nor a throne. They were that great army of men who are not honored with epitaphs and monuments, whose names do not live in song and story, but who composed the hosts that made civilization possible, whose hearts, "pregnant with celestial fire" bore patiently the heat and burden of the day, and who opened great eras for liberty, for art and for letters from Marathon to Lexington, from Athens to Florence, from Pericles to Elizabeth, from Augustus to Leo.
The Battle of Saratoga, which is classed among the fifteen battles that have had a lasting influence on the world's history, secured for us the aid of France. . On February 6, 1778, Benjamin Franklin, then our Minister at Paris, succeeded in obtaining a treaty by which the French King pledged him- self to furnish men, ships and money for the further prosecution of the war against England.
While the British occupied Philadelphia, they made the conditions of life as gay and as agreeable for themselves as possible. The officers gave dinners at the various Inns, and spent much of their time lolling in the Coffee Houses when they were not engaged at the gaming tables, shaking dice, or indulging in the amusements of the cock-pit. Balls were given weekly at the City Tav- ern, and from time to time, theatrical exhibitions. Major John Andre, who afterwards, by order of Washington, was shot as a spy, took a great interest in the dramatic entertainments, and amused himself by preparing the stage settings, painting the scenery, and occasionally taking part in the performances. Phila- delphia was a garrison town. ller streets were filled with soldiers, municipal improvements virtually stopped, the streets were torn up into deep ruts made by the wheels of the army wagons and the heavy artillery. Even the churches were used for military purposes, in some instances for stables. So easy and rollicking was the life of the English officers and soldiers while in possession of the city that it was said the British looked upon the war as a capital joke. The Whigs, or the patriotic citizens, suffered every indignity at the hands of the troops, but the Tories were jubilant and given every protection.
General Howe had fallen into disrepute at home, and the British govern- ment decided to supplant him by the appointment of Sir Henry Clinton, The retirement of Howe from the command of the British army gave an occasion for the celebration of a grand festival. Although as a commander he had been slothful, he had endeared himself to both officers and soldiers. In their case and enjoyments they had almost forgotten that they were warriors and, no doubt, were glad to be relieved from the burdens of war and active cam- paigning. The Home Government was of the opinion that the body of ragged provincials, shivering and starving at Valley Forge, should have been sur- rounded and destroyed long before this and an end put to the war.
Before the departure of Howe and after the arrival of Sir Henry Clinton, a grand pageant was held such as had never been seen before in the new world. It was called the "Meschianza," a word in Italian, meaning a medley. It was on May eighth that General Clinton arrived and took charge of the troops, but it was not until the twenty-fourth of that month that Hlowe took his departure.
135
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTH.
The entertainment took place on May eighteenth. Its first feature was a grand regatta on the river. Boats, gaily decorated, furnished with bands of music, carried the British officers and their ladies. Upon reaching Market street, the grand flotilla stopped for review, while the bands played and the people sang, "God save the King." South of the city, on a line with Fifth street, was located the Wharton Mansion. It was surrounded by beautiful trees, was called "Walnut Grove," and was one of the most pretentions and commodious houses in the city. Here was held a tilt or tournament, "accord- ing to the customs and ordinances of ancient chivalry." Great bodies of troops in handsome uniforms, were formed in military array, and surrounded the beau- tiful and spacious lawn. All the bands of the army were brought into requi- sition, were massed and placed under the baton of one director. Triumphal arches were erected, while amphitheatres on all sides, decorated with flowers, bunting and flags provided seats for the spectators. Seven horsemen, called the Knights of the Blended Rose, and seven called the Knights of the Burning Mountain, at the dropping of the glove, charged and shivered their spears as cavaliers of old, in the presence of their fair ladies. The fourteen ladies of the fourteen knights were chosen for their beauty and accomplishments, and the gallant knights fought in maintenance of their challenge that their ladies ex- celled all others for beauty, grace and virtue. Young black slaves, in Oriental dress, accompanied the knights, and held their stirrups while they mounted, while on each side of each knight was an esquire, one bearing his lance and the other his shield. It was so beantful and inspiring a scene that it would have created envy even in the heart of the Black Prince, or Richard Coeur de Lion. All the knights, expert horsemen, were clad in full armor after the manner of the days "When Knighthood was in Flower." Seven of them rode grey horses and the other seven black. The steeds were chosen for their beauty and spirit and were all handsomely caparisoned. A group of heralds and trumpeters an- nounced the opening of the conflict, and at once the knights rode at each other at full gallop, shivered their lances, discharged their pistols, and ended the combat with drawn swords. It was a beautiful and imposing scene, most spectacular and seemed even more than mere mimic warfare. At the height of the sham battle, a field marshal gave a signal to retire, declaring that the fair damsels of the Blended Rose and the Burning Mountain were satisfied that their respective knights were beyond all other men brave and valiant. After this great pageant there was a commingling within the walls of the mansion of all the invited guests. Candles were lighted and dancing began which lasted until daylight, while refreshments were served at intervals.
It was a gala night for the British officers and the Tory belles of the city. but it only intensified the patriotic ardor of the loyal Americans throughout all the colonies. Major Andre said it was the most splendid entertainment ever given by an army to their general. He may have been right in this, but on the other hand, there could not have been anything more ill-timed, for it only marked in deeper contrast the sufferings of the American troops. Howe had done nothing to merit such a fete. The triumphal arches erected could not have been dedicated to him because of any signal victories he had won on the field of battle. There were no tattered standards captured from the enemy
136
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTHI.
to show his powers as a commander, and the whole thing was incongruous, out of time and out of place, and not only provoked the resentment of the Whigs, but induced the contempt and the ridicule of the British themselves. An old artilleryman, being asked what was the difference between the Knights of the Burning Mountain and the Knights of the Blended Rose, said, that the former were tomfools and the latter d-d fools. The Tories, men and wo- men, after the evacuation of the city by the British and even after the restora- tion of peace, were never forgiven for the part they took in the entertainment.
During the occupation of the city the surrounding country was devastated by raiding parties from both armies. In fact, there was almost as much dam- age done by the American troops as by the British, and the whole country looked as if it had been laid waste by a swarm of locusts. Great trees were felled and fences broken down for firewood. A number of handsome suburban residences were destroyed by fire, as well as barns and stables. Farmers were closely watched and summarily dealt with by the Americans if they dared to sell produce or provisions of any kind to the British troops. The necessaries of life rose to the highest prices. Hay was sold by the pound, and a bushel of salt cost from £15 to £20. Pork and meats of all kind were worth their weight in gold. Flour rose to the price of £6 a cwt., sugar to 2s. 6d. a pound, chickens sold for ios. each, potatoes for 16s. a bushel. The distress among the poor was appalling. They had no gold nor silver and the paper money that was in cir- culation was at this time all but worthless. Allen McLane, a dashing cavalry officer, commanded a troop of American Horse, and kept the country side in fear. It was worth a farmer's life to attempt to supply the city with provisions. On the other hand, Colonel Simcoe was at the head of a body of British troops called the Queen's Rangers, and he constantly sallied out to forage the neigh- borhood and make reprisals wherever they could be found, or to indulge in a skirmish with McLane's troops.
The suffering endured by the American prisoners is beyond the power of description. They were huddled together in the State House and in the Wal- nut Street prison, and at times received scarcely food enough to sustain life. During the winter season they did not have even straw to sleep on and were without fires or blankets. The windows were without panes of glass, and thus the inmates were exposed to the cold and inclemency of the weather. Many died from sheer exhaustion. Some of them, made insane by their hunger, gnawed at pieces of bark and wood and even attempted to cat clay. The suf- ferings in all conscience were hard enough to bear, but besides this they were subjected to the cruel treatment of brutal keepers.
It is hard to believe the stories told of the treatment of the prisoners in the Walnut Street jail at the hands of a brutal man named Cunningham. He seemed to take special delight in upsetting dishes of food, which were being served, then to see the poor famished prisoners scrape it up from the floors with their naked hands. They were driven to such extremities that in order to satisfy the cravings of hunger, they were compelled to powder the rotten wood of an old pump, mix it up with the vile scrapings from the floors and walls and then boil the whole mass in a pot of water. For hours at a time they would watch the holes in the buildings to capture the rats which they
137
WARWICK'S KEYSTONE COMMONWEALTHI.
skinned and ate raw. In the long dreary nights in winter, they huddled to- gether in the corners of the room to keep warm and when death at length came to their relief, they were thrown into pits in Washington Square without any mark of identification.
Shortly after the capture of the city by the British, when the Americans were at Whitemarsh just before they retired to Valley Forge, the British de- cided to make a foray and suddenly surprise the American troops. When the British officers were in consultation in the house of Lydia Darragh, where they were quartered, making arrangements for the attack, she overheard their plans by putting her ear at the door of the chamber where they were consulting. Having heard from their own lips the details of their plans she retired quietly to her room until the officers had gone to bed. Some of them it is said even knocked on her door on the way to their bedchambers, but she made no reply and feigned sleep. After all was quiet in the house, she arose, dressed herself, sought the headquarters of General Howe, and induced him to give her a pass through the lines on the ground that she was in dire need of flour and could secure it from a friendly neighbor if allowed to pass the pickets. She started out into the night with an empty sack, and when beyond the British outposts she met an American officer to whom she confided her secret, who, it is said, con- veyed at once the information to General Washington. Some consider the story a fabrication, a mere legend, and further to detract from her glory it is stated that Washington already had information from another source and had made preparations to resist the attack. Be this as it may, there is much foundation for truth in the incident, and if she did make an effort to convey this news to the Commander-in-Chief of the American troops, she is worthy of all praise and honor.
The story finds some corroboration in a note made by Elias Boudinot, in his journal, which states that while on the outskirts of the city he dined in an Inn at Rising Sun, that while here an old woman came in and stated that she desired to go into the country to buy a sack of flour; that just before leaving she handed him "a dirty old needle book" which after she left he found con- tained in one of the pockets, "rolled up in the form of a pipe shank" a piece of paper containing information of Howe's contemplated attack, and that Boudinot immediately conveyed that information to Washington. It is fairly reason- able to suppose that this was Lydia Darragh. There is further corroboration that on the night of December fourth, fifteen thousand troops marched out of Philadelphia bent on making an attack somewhere, but after advancing towards the American lines they simply reconnoitered, engaged in a few skirmishes and returned to their quarters.
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.