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THE 
 
 VALLEY OF THE HUDSON 
 
 IN THE DAYS OF THE 
 
 REVOLUTION 
 
 BY 
 
 GRACE M. PIERCE 
 
 HISTORIAN OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 
 
 Copyright 1909 
 
 Published under the Auspices of the 
 HUDSON-FULTON CELEBRATION COMMITTEE'S 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 
 
.NtP5 
 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 
 
 Mrs. WILLIAM CUMMING STORY, Chairman 
 
 (Officially appointed by Board of Managers of the Hudson-Fulton Commission 
 of the City of New York.) 
 
 14 Gramercy Park, New York, Telephone 3715 Gramercy 
 
 Headquarters after Sept. 24th 
 501 Fifth Avenue 
 
 Mrs. Joseph S. Wood, N. Y. State Regent, 135 South Second Avenue, Mt Vernoi 
 
 Mrs. Samuel L. Munson, N. Y. State Vice-Regent 
 
 Mrs. Samuel Verplanck, Ex. State Regent, N. Y. 
 
 Mrs. William S. Little, Ex. State Regent, N. Y. 
 
 Mrs. Frances L. Roberts, Ex. State Regent, N. Y. 
 
 Mrs. J. Heron Crosman, Ex. Vice-President General, N. Y. 
 
 Mrs. John Miller Horton, Regent Buffalo Chapter 
 
 Mrs. Nellis M. Rich, Regent Syracuse Chapter 
 
 Mis? Clara Louise Hale Rawdon, Regent Little Falls Chapter 
 
 Mrs. N. Taylor Phillips, Vice-Regent Knickerbocker Chapter 
 
 Mrs. John Francis Yawger, N. Y. State Recording Secretary 
 
 Mrs. Grace M. Pierce, N. Y. State Historian 
 
 Mrs. C. A. J. Queck-Berner, State Corresponding Secretary 
 
 Mrs. Charles B. Goldsborough, Chairman of Headquarters 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE HUDSON 
 
 IN THE DAYS OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 by 
 Grace M. Pierce, 
 
 Historian of the State of New York, 
 
 D. A. R. 
 
 From the day that Hendrick Hudson entered New York 
 harbor and sailed up the river, the valley of the Hudson has 
 abounded in tradition and legendary lore. A few of the Indian 
 traditions have come down to us, and more of the legends of 
 the early Dutch settlers — of Anthony's Nose, Sleepy Hollow, 
 and Rip Van Winkle; tales of pirates and the smuggling trade, 
 including the renowned Captain Kidd. Throughout the Colonial 
 history, under both Dutch and English control, it was the centre 
 of commerce; and settlements in the Province of New York 
 were made along its course. But with the beginning of our 
 Revolutionary history, and the formation of our national govern- 
 ment, it was transformed from a colonial to a national centre, 
 and has been intimately associated with our national life from 
 that time to the present. It is the period of Revolutionary 
 history of which we are principally to treat in this review, and 
 being impossible to give in detail all the events therewith, it is 
 the desire to call attention to them in a general rather than 
 in a minute manner. 
 
 The American Revolution really began in the year when Great 
 Britain attempted, through regulations of Parliament, to put 
 an end to the smuggling trade. Because of their location, the 
 
large towns along the coast had, even at that time, become com- 
 mercial markets of considerable importance. The value of a 
 sea-board location, coupled with a river front, was especially 
 favorable, and such towns as Boston, New York, and Phil- 
 adelphia became ports of special entry. The West Indies, with 
 their tropical wealth, and their proximity to the eastern coast 
 were favorite trading grounds, and under the various imposts 
 levied by England, it is not surprising that the traffic in contra- 
 band goods grew apace. Life in the western continent so far 
 from the governing power, tended to develop a lack of respect 
 for the Mother Country, and a distaste and consequent dis- 
 regard for the restrictions it placed upon what these people 
 came to regard as their natural rights. The sentiment in- 
 creased: that law-makers at a distance could not, and did not, 
 sympathize with, or understand, the needs and conditions of the 
 people for whom they legislated. Consequently, when, in 1764, 
 the Parliament of Great Britain passed certain restrictions upon 
 what they deemed illicit trade between the American Colonies 
 and their tropical neighbors, the traders and merchants of the 
 several Colonies were quick to feel themselves personally ag- 
 grieved. Organizations under various designations, in New 
 York known as Trader's and Merchant's Associations, held 
 secret meetings, and discussed ways and means to care for 
 their own interests. Previous to this, a series of Navigation 
 acts had forbidden trade with any other country than England, 
 or to be carried on in any but English ships. The Colonies 
 were not permitted to manufacture their raw material into 
 other form. This, in all cases, must be transported to England, 
 and returned to the Colonies, in products subject to heavy 
 duties. Taxes had been levied on sugar, molasses, and all articles 
 of foreign luxury; and in defiance of these laws had grown 
 a traffic which the British government was pleased to designate 
 the "Smuggling trade." In 1763 the tax on sugar and molasses 
 were reduced, but other articles were transferred from the free, 
 to the tax list and increased power was given to the Admiralty 
 Courts, and the Royal Collectors of Customs; and in addition 
 to these, the Stamp Act was formulated. Meetings were every- 
 where held by the indignant citizens of the Colonies, and peti- 
 tions were forwarded to Parliament protesting against these acts. 
 New York was foremost in these proceedings, and on the 18th 
 
 B W |fl ir^.» 
 
of March, 1764, the Assembly adopted and forwarded a 
 Memorial of Protest, to the Ministry of Great Britain. But 
 this document was never presented; as it was couched in such 
 decided terms that no member of Parliament could be found 
 who was bold enough to bring it before the House. The peti- 
 tions from the other Colonies were less strong, — were received: 
 considered, and rejected. On March 22, 1765, the Stamp Act 
 was passed. 
 
 In New York the news was received with great indignation ; 
 and copies of the Act, with a Death's head affixed, and labelled — 
 "The Folly of England, and the Ruin of America" — were carried 
 about the streets. 
 
 England also claimed the right of "Impressment," which 
 led to one of the first demonstrations of the "Sons of Liberty," 
 who were now reorganized in the city, and forming new societies 
 throughout the Colonies. The leaders of this Association were 
 true and tried patriots and through a London correspondent 
 they were kept informed of the movements of the British 
 government, and thwarted its plans in every way possible. At 
 this time, too, the project of a general union of the Colonies 
 for mutual protection, was formulated ; and a Congress of 
 Colonial Delegates was summoned to meet in New York. On 
 October 7, 1765, twenty-eight Delegates from New York, New 
 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, South Carolina, 
 Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, assembled in the 
 City Hall in Wall Street. Here the Declaration of Rights 
 was adopted ; and a respectful address to the King, and a 
 Memorial to both Houses of Parliament were drawn up and 
 signed by a majority of the members. 
 
 The Stamp Act was to go into effect November first. 
 On the evening of the 31st of October the Merchant's Associa- 
 tion of the town assembled at Burn's Coffee-House, and adopted 
 the first non-important agreement of the Colonies. Thus, the 
 Merchants of New York City were the first to sacrifice their 
 commercial interests for the cause of liberty. A non-importa- 
 tion Association was also formed, and a Committee appointed 
 to correspond with the other Colonies. 
 
 While the Congress had been in session, a ship bearing the 
 stamps had arrived in the harbor, but the demonstrations of 
 the people had prevented the unlading of the cargo. The Lt. 
 
Governor, however, sought to carry out the law; the stamps 
 were brought ashore, and immediately placards bearing the 
 following notice were posted about the streets: 
 
 "Pro Patria! 
 
 The first man that either 
 
 distributes or makes use of Stampt 
 
 Paper, let him take Care of 
 
 his House, Person, & Effects. 
 
 Vox Populi. 
 
 We dare !" 
 The demonstrations of the Sons of Liberty during the follow- 
 ing days, on the Commons, and finally on the Bowling Green, 
 led to the abandonment of all attempts to enforce the Act; 
 and the delivery of all the stamps to the Americans for safe 
 keeping. They were deposited in the City Hall. On the 20th 
 of May, 1766, the news of the repeal of the Stamp Act reached 
 the New York Colony, and great demonstrations of rejoicing 
 ensued. The fourth of June, the King's birthday, was set apart 
 for a celebration ; the crowning event of the day being the 
 erection on the Common, of a pole or mast, inscribed: "The 
 King — Pitt— and Liberty." This became the famous Liberty- 
 Pole, about which cluster so many of the opening scenes of 
 the Revolution. 
 
 A few days later, an assembly of the people, gathered at 
 Burns' Coffee House, petitioned the Assembly to erect a statue 
 in honor of William Pitt. An equestrian statue of George III 
 was also decided upon, which was erected on the Bowling Green, 
 in front of Fort George August 21, 1770. This was the famous 
 leaden statue, which, a few years later, was pulled down by the 
 patriots, and melted into bullets. The marble statue of Pitt also 
 remained but a short time, as it was mutilated by the British 
 soldiers, when they took possession of the city in 1775. The 
 Liberty-Pole, erected on the King's birthday, 1766, now became 
 the rallying point for patriotic demonstrations ; and for frequent 
 encounters between the Sons of Liberty and the British soldiers 
 stationed in New York to guard the city. The soldiers repeatedly 
 cut it down ; and the "Sons" as often replaced it. The Declara- 
 tion Act, and the Mutiny Act, soon followed the repeal of the 
 Stamp Act. The citizens of New York sought through the 
 Assembly to compromise the latter by the "Limited Supply 
 
Bill" ; the Governor was compelled to submit this to the Home 
 Government, and in reply received a severe reprimand, and a 
 positive refusal to accept it for the Assembly. 
 
 The Assembly at once made a bold and decisive reply, arguing 
 well for the position it had taken. The Governor prorogued the 
 Assembly, and reported to Parliament. In reply, both Houses of 
 Parliament at once passed a law, suspending the legislative power 
 of the Assembly, and forbidding the Governor to assent to any 
 bill until the Mutiny Act was first complied with. The Assembly 
 refused to recognize the suspension ; declaring such action to be 
 unconstitutional, and proceeded to transact business as before. 
 Following closely upon the Mutiny Act, came the tax on the 
 importation of Tea, Glass, Paper, &c. The Sons of Liberty 
 at once became active ; and the Non-Importation Act was 
 affirmed. 
 
 While this agreement was entered into, and nominally main- 
 tained, historians assert that New York, alone, remained per- 
 fectly true to her engagement ; while the other Colonies continued 
 to import nearly half as much as before. A tabulated statement, 
 enclosed in a letter to Gov. Trumbull, by a resident of New 
 England, and compiled from official sources, shows that the 
 exportations from England to New York, had fallen off in 
 1768 to £74,000, from £482,000 in 1767; and the writer adds: 
 ''How forcibly would the commercial argument have appeared, 
 had all the Colonies abated in the proportion New York has 
 done ; who seems to have imported only the articles allowed in 
 the Agreement." For four years the Colony of New York, kept 
 strictly to her pledge, and confined her importations to the free 
 list; and when the tax was finally withdrawn from all articles 
 except tea ; and the Colonies planned to resume importations 
 with this single exception, the merchants of New York willingly 
 acceded to the proposition, and as they had been the. first to 
 propose the compact, and the only ones to keep it inviolate, they 
 were now the last to abandon it. 
 
 The "Rebel" Assembly was finally dissolved by the Governor, 
 and a new election ordered. The newly elected Body followed 
 for a time, loyally in the path of their predecessors, but gradually 
 certain members were won over to the will of the Royal Gov- 
 ernor, and a scheme was matured for raising funds from the 
 people by the issuance of Bills of Credit. This measure met 
 
with the general censure of the people; and by a call of the 
 Sons of Liberty for an Assembly in the "Fields," to express dis- 
 approval of the action. Inflammatory articles were printed, 
 charging the Assembly with betrayal of trust and the author 
 was arrested and confined in jail, where he at once became the 
 idol of the people. When brought to trial, he was acquitted. 
 Meantime the contests about the Liberty-Pole, between the 
 British soldiers, and the Sons of Liberty became frequent. The 
 soldiers attempted to blow it up, failed three times, but suc- 
 ceeded the fourth time. Whereat the Sons, and the people at 
 large were enraged ; and the following day notices were posted 
 for a meeting of Protest, to be held on the Commons. There 
 Resolutions were adopted regarding the presence of {armed 
 soldiers below the rank of Orderly on the streets after roll-call. 
 Also stating that their employment by citizens when off duty, 
 was a constant menace to the peace of the city. The Resolutions 
 were dignified; but the following day, soldiers were found post- 
 ing scurrilous notices regarding the Sons of Liberty. These 
 were arrested, and taken before the Mayor; who ordered a re- 
 inforcement of soldiers which appeared on the scene, to retire ; 
 which they did, being followed by the citizens as far as Golden 
 Hill (in John Street, between William and Cliff Streets). Here 
 they were joined by another reinforcement, and the order was 
 given to charge. In the attack which followed several peaceful 
 citizens were wounded. Several soldiers were also wounded, 
 by citizens acting in self-defense. A party of officers finally 
 arrived, and ordered the soldiers to their barracks. The follow- 
 ing morning, the soldiers renewed hostilities, by various acts 
 of aggression, and about noon came into collision with a party 
 of sailors. During the fray, an old man among the sailors was 
 "bayoneted. The trouble continued throughout the day ; ending 
 "by the rout of the soldiers, who were driven into their barracks 
 1>y the Sons of Liberty. This "Battle of Golden Hill" occurred 
 two months before the Boston Massacre. This was fought in 
 •defense of principle, and was really the "first blood shed" of 
 the American Revolution. 
 
 In the meantime, the Mayor's Common Council, having 
 refused to grant the request for privilege to erect another 
 Liberty Pole, a small plot of ground was purchased by a few 
 of the Sons of Liberty, on the Commons, and in February, 
 
 * 
 
I77°» ^e fifth Liberty Pole in the city was raised. This was 
 a mast of great length, sunk twelve feet into the ground, and 
 encased for two-thirds of its height with iron hoops, firmly 
 riveted by iron bars, and bore the motto: "Liberty and 
 Property." A great demonstration was made by the people 
 over this event, and though the soldiers made several subse- 
 quent attacks, in their efforts to remove this, they were 
 unsuccessful ; and the pole remained until after the occupa- 
 tion of the city by the British army, when it was finally 
 thrown down. 
 
 For nearly two years matters were fairly peaceful in the 
 city. The resumption of the import trade, in all articles ex- 
 cept tea, caused the return of fairly prosperous conditions. 
 But England still insisted on the right of taxation, and in 
 1773, the Ministry decided to force the use of tea upon the 
 Colonies ; and although the measures adopted, permitted the 
 Americans to purchase the tea for less than their friends in 
 England, since the impost tax was maintained, they still re- 
 fused to accept it. As soon as the news reached America, that 
 Parliament had passed these measures, and that large ship- 
 ments of tea had been ordered for the Colonies, the meetings 
 of the Sons of Liberty were resumed in New York ; while an- 
 other organization, known as the "Mohawks" was created, 
 whose members pledged themselves to take charge of the tea- 
 ships on their arrival. The tea left England on the 25th of 
 October, but the winter was severe; and it was the 18th of 
 April, 1774, when the Nancy, buffeted for months by wind and 
 wave, arrived off Sandy Hook. The Pilots, true to their 
 orders, refused to guide them up the bay; and a delegation of 
 the Vigilance Committee took possession of the ship. The 
 consignee refused to receive the cargo, and advised the Cap- 
 tain to return with it to England ; which advice was strongly 
 seconded by the Vigilance Committee. On the 22nd of April, 
 the London, another tea-ship, arrived. The Captain declared 
 he had no tea on board, and was finally permitted to approach 
 the city. A crowd assembled on the wharf, awaited it, and 
 at once declared its intention of searching the ship, when the 
 Captain admitted having one chest of tea — his own personal 
 property — on board. The Vigilance Committee, thereupon 
 adjourned to the Coffee House, taking the Captain with them, 
 
and the Mohawks were ordered to attend to their duty at an, 
 hour appointed. The people, however, indignant, and impa- 
 tient, refused to wait for the Mohawks. Boarding the ship, 
 they broke open, and threw overboard eighteen chests of tea. 
 The Boston Tea-Party, with its Mohawk masqueraders, has 
 a prominent place in story; the New York Tea-Party, has 
 been overlooked and almost forgotten. The latter even was 
 not attended with the picturesque features of that in New 
 England. Possibly the old Dutch stolidity did not lend itself 
 to the suggestion of disguise and fantastic garb. At all 
 events, the tea cargo of the London was over-hauled in 
 Whitehall Slip, in open day, by men undisguised, and of such 
 determination as to willingly meet the responsibility of their 
 acts. The East River received the eighteen chests of tea; and 
 in all probability an east wind carried inland as strong a 
 Hyson flavor as ever emanated from Boston Harbor. 
 
 The following day, the Nancy, carrying the two captains, 
 and under the guard of a detachment of the Vigilance Com- 
 mittee, sailed for England ; the guard remaining with the ship 
 until it was three leagues from Sandy Hook. 
 
 Incensed at the manner in which the tea was received in 
 the Colonies, the English Government retaliated by ordering 
 the port of Boston to be closed. As soon as this news reached 
 New York, advertisements appeared, calling a meeting of the 
 Merchant's and Trader's Association, at the Coffee-House in 
 Wall Street, to consider "the late extraordinary and alarming 
 advices from England," and consult on measures proper to be 
 pursued in the present critical and important moment. On 
 Monday evening, they met at the house of Mr. Sam Fraunces 
 — a restaurant kept by one Samuel Fraunces, a West Indian, 
 and a noted resort for merchants and ship-owners. It was in 
 the "Long Room" of this tavern that this meeting was held, 
 and from this time it became a famous meeting place for the 
 patriots. Later when the American army was in possession 
 of the city, Washington, for a time, made his head-quarters 
 here; and on December 4th, 1782, after peace had been de- 
 clared, and the Continental army disbanded, the officers as- 
 sembled here to take farewell of their Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 While the above invitation was to the merchants, there 
 seems to have been no restriction placed on. guests, and the 
 
room was crowded to its utmost capacity. At the Exchange 
 the same night a new Citizen's Committee of Fifty-one was 
 nominated, to correspond with the other Colonies, and a gen-, 
 eral meeting of the people was called, for the 19th, to reject or 
 confirm the ticket. It was confirmed at that time. Prior to 
 this, a letter had been received from the Sons of Liberty in 
 Boston, urging a renewal of the Non-Importation Act. A ma- 
 jority of the New York Committee did not favor this, but 
 recommended a General Congress of Deputies from all the 
 Colonies instead. The Sons of Liberty thought this recom- 
 mendation too moderate, and called a meeting of the people in 
 the Fields, on the evening of July 6th, to discuss this action. 
 An immense crowd assembled, and resolutions were passed 
 denouncing the Boston Port Bill, and sustaining the action of 
 the people of that city; and a subscription was open for their 
 relief. The Non-Importation agreement was renewed ; the 
 Congress recommended by the Committee of Fifty-one was 
 approved; and it was further resolved that the deputies from 
 New York should be elected at once. These were to be in- 
 structed to insist upon the enforcement of the Non-Importa- 
 tion Act by the Colonies, until every duty had been repealed. 
 This meeting has been of special interest since, because of the 
 fact that during the evening Alexander Hamilton, then a 
 college student, made his first appearance as a public speaker. 
 
 The nominations for deputies to the proposed Congress 
 were made by the Committee of Fifty-one, and a Committee of 
 Mechanics; and the elections were ordered to be conducted 
 under the inspection of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen; 
 all tax-payers being allowed to vote. 
 
 This second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and 
 adopted a Declaration of Colonial Rights, the composition of 
 which was attributed to John Jay. In it the Colonies pro- 
 tested against the standing armies, and Parliamentary taxa- 
 tion ; declared the eleven Acts which had been passed for 
 the Colonies during the reign of George the third unconsti- 
 tutional ; since they were infringements on the rights of 
 British subjects, all of whose privileges they claimed for 
 themselves. They formed an American Association, pledged 
 to import no goods from Great Britain, or the West Indies, 
 until these several Acts were repealed ; and forbidding traders 
 
to advance the price of goods in consequence of this agree- 
 ment. They denounced the slave-trade; urged the citizens to 
 encourage home manufacture, and the development of their 
 native resources, and appointed Vigilance Committees to see 
 that none of these regulations were evaded. 
 
 In New York the political aspect of the Assembly was such 
 that it was impossible to secure an endorsement of these 
 resolutions and on April 3rd, 1775, the Assembly adjourned, 
 never to be re-convened. A Committee of Sixty was then ap- 
 pointed, to attend to the enforcement of the foregoing resolu- 
 tions. A duty which was promptly performed. As the As- 
 sembly had adjourned without providing for the appointment 
 of delegates to the next Colonial Congress, it was decided 
 that they should be chosen by a Provincial Congress, com- 
 posed of delegates from the several counties of the State. 
 This Congress assembled in New York, April 20, 1775; rep- 
 resentatives being present from the counties of New York, 
 Westchester, Dutchess, Albany, Ulster, Orange, Kings, Suf- 
 folk, and two towns in Queens. This was the first Provincial 
 Congress in New York, and five delegates were elected to at- 
 tend the Continental Congress which assembled in Phila- 
 delphia the following month. 
 
 On the 24th of April, 1775, the news of the Battle of Lexing- 
 ton reached the city. Although Sunday, the usual services of 
 the day were suspended ; the Sons of Liberty at once as- 
 sembled, and took possession of the City Hall and the 
 Arsenal ; distributing the arms stored there to the citizens, a 
 committee of whom was at once organized, and assumed the 
 temporary government of the city. The Custom House was 
 closed, and an embargo laid upon the vessels in port destined 
 for the eastern Colonies. A Committee of One Hundred was 
 chosen to have charge of municipal affairs "until the Contin- 
 ental Congress should order otherwise." The citizens pledged 
 themselves to obey the orders of the Committee ; and the city 
 assumed the appearance of a siege. Military stores for the 
 royal troops were seized, and these arms were afterwards 
 used by the first troops raised in the Colony by order of the 
 Continental Congress. They were nearly lost to the Ameri- 
 cans, however. The British troops, temporarily stationed 
 there, awaiting further orders, having received permission to 
 
 10 
 
depart "with their arms and accoutrements" attempted to carry 
 away with them the spare arms. They were promptly stop- 
 ped, and compelled to deliver the extra arms to the patriots. 
 
 Meanwhile, almost in the shadow of the upper valley of the; 
 Hudson, the Forts of Ticonderoga and Crown Point had been 
 captured by men from New England; the Battle of Bunker 
 Hill had been fought, and Washington, on his way to New 
 England, had been met, and escorted through the city by the. 
 provincial militia. The Continental Congress had ordered the 
 Colony of New York to contribute her quota of 3,000 men for 
 the general defense. This Colony, unlike the New England, 
 settlements, was unable to proceed further in the struggle, 
 without a complete change of government. In New Eng- 
 land, the Constitutions enabled the citizens to elect their own 
 governors ; but New York was still a royal province, with 
 Governor and Governor's Council appointed by the King; and 
 the Colony was now under the rule of two rival forms of 
 government, both claiming to be the only legal authority, 
 hence it was with much greater difficulty that the Provincial 
 government gained control, and all their acts were subject to 
 interference : as when the Provincial Congress, regarding the 
 guns on the Battery as dangerous to the patriot's cause, 
 ordered them removed to be used in the Highland fortifica- 
 tions. A party of the Sons of Liberty and citizens undertook 
 to carry out the order ; but while thus engaged, were fired 
 upon by the crew of the Asia, an English ship at anchor in the 
 bay. 
 
 On the 14th of April, 1776, Washington arrived from Bos- 
 ton (the British having evacuated that city), and assumed 
 command of the American forces gathered in New York City. 
 During the season, the publication of "Common Sense," by 
 Thomas Paine, in Philadelphia, brought the latent spirit of 
 independence which had been gathering force, to the point of 
 expression and action ; and several of the Colonies instructed 
 their delegates to the Continental Congress to throw aside 
 all hesitation, and take an open and decided stand for inde- 
 pendence and separation from the Mother Country. On the 
 7th day of June, the subject was. introduced for debate by. 
 Richard Henry Lee, who offered a resolution: "That the, 
 United Colonies are, and ought to be, free and independent 
 
 11 
 
States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the 
 British Crown, and that their political connection with Great 
 Britain is, and ought to be totally dissolved." A spirited debate 
 followed, and the delegates from seven Colonies voted for 
 the resolution. As a result, a Committee, consisting of John 
 Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sher- 
 man and Robert R. Livingston were appointed to draft a 
 Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on the fourth 
 of July. On the tenth of July, the news reached New York, 
 where it was received with the greatest enthusiasm. Orders 
 were at once issued for the several brigades of troops then 
 in the city, to meet on the Commons, at six o'clock in the 
 evening, to hear the document read. At the appointed hour, 
 the soldiers formed a hollow square, within which were 
 Washington, and his Aides. As the reading ended, the en- 
 thusiasm of the people exceeded all bounds, and rushing in a 
 body to the City Hall, they tore down, and rent in pieces the 
 portrait of George the third ; and thence proceeding to Bowl- 
 ing Green, they overthrew the leaden statue, erected a few 
 years before, and dragged it through the streets. Later this 
 statue was hacked to pieces, and the pieces sent to Governor 
 Wolcott of Connecticut, whose wife and daughters melted and 
 molded the material into bullets, which were used by the 
 patriots with good effect in the later battles. 
 
 Ever since the evacuation of Boston, the arrival of the 
 British troops had been daily expected in New York; and 
 Washington had endeavored to put the city into the best pos- 
 sible preparation for defense. It may be interesting at this 
 time, to know the principal places where fortifications or de- 
 fenses had been prepared. It had been strongly fortifid for 
 attacks by sea. On the southern point, in close proximity to 
 Bowling Green, were the Grand Battery, mounting twenty- 
 three guns, with the battery of Fort George, immediately 
 above it. On the shore of the North River, were McDougal's 
 Battery on a hill a little to the west of Trinity Church ; the 
 Grenadier's Battery some distance above, and beyond this 
 the Jersey Battery. On the East River were Coenties' Bat- 
 tery on Ten Eyck's wharf, Waterbury's Battery at the ship- 
 yards, Badlam's Battery on Rutger's Hill in the vicinity of 
 the Jewish burial ground in Chatham Street; Thompson's 
 
 12 
 
Battery at Hoorne's Hook, and the Independent Battery on 
 Bayard's Mount, later known as Bunker Hill. Breastworks 
 were erected at Peck, Beekman, Burling, Coenties, and Old 
 Slips; at the Coffee-House, the Exchange, in Broad and sev- 
 eral other streets. Fortifications were erected on Governor's 
 Island, Paulus Hook, Brooklyn Heights and Red Hook ; and a 
 line of works was thrown up on Long Island, from Fort 
 Greene, on Wallabout Bay, to Gowanus Creek, within which 
 nine thousand men were encamped. The passages of both 
 the East and North Rivers were obstructed by chains and 
 sunken vessels. The troops on Long Island were in charge of 
 General Greene assisted by General Sullivan ; General Na- 
 thaniel Woodhull was ordered to forage on Long Island for 
 the troops, while General Washington remained in command 
 of New York City. 
 
 On the 25th of June, the long expected British army under 
 General Howe, arrived at Sandy Hook, and a month later had 
 landed on Staten Island, where the loyalists soon flocked to 
 his camp, giving valuable assistance from their knowledge of 
 the country. He was soon joined by his brother, Admiral 
 Lord Howe, with fresh forces from England, and by General 
 Clinton, from the south. These combined forces, aside from 
 the Tories, numbered twenty-four thousand of the best dis- 
 ciplined troops of England. T© oppose this well equipped and 
 disciplined army, Washington had gathered about twenty 
 thousand militia, nearly one-half of whom were invalids, or 
 detailed for other duty, and many more were destitute of 
 arms or ammunition. 
 
 Soon after the British fleet arrived at Staten Island, Ad- 
 miral Howe, having been commissioned by the British Gov- 
 ernment to treat for peace with "the rebels," thought to begin 
 negotiations with the American leader, and addressed a let- 
 ter to "George Washington, Esq." The Aide who met the 
 messenger, politely informed him that he knew of no such 
 person. Thereupon Howe sent again, addressing his letter to 
 "George Washington," etc., and again the Aide declined to 
 receive the missive, saying that he knew of none but General 
 Washington in the camp. As Howe was unwilling to rec- 
 ognize any military rank in connection with the arch-rebel, 
 lie abandoned all further attempts at communication 
 
 13 
 
Washington had evidently expected the British' to make a. 
 direct attack on New York; on the contrary, Howe decided to* 
 take Long Island first, and in the latter part of August trans- 
 ferred a large body of troops from Staten Island to Graves- 
 end. Because of General Graeme's illness, General Putnam 
 was ordered in charge of Long Island, and being ignorant of 
 the country, withdrew the guards from certain points, which 
 was discovered by the British. By a ruse, they hemmed in 
 the American forces, and in the battle that ensued, the Ameri- 
 cans experienced a severe loss. The contest raged for several 
 days; when Washington, who had crossed from New York, 
 after a council with his officers, decided to evacuate the is- 
 land ; and in the evening of August 29th, under cover of a 
 heavy fog, and a fine drizzling rain, the embarkation of the 
 American army began ; passing under the bows of the British 
 fleet to the mainland. Washington superintended this em- 
 barkation himself, and was among the last to leave the island. 
 By sunrise of the following morning, the entire armyj with its 
 baggage, stores, wounded and prisoners, were safely landed' 
 on the opposite shore. 
 
 Evidently thinking this an opportune time to open negotia- 
 tions for surrender, Howe now endeavored to treat with the 
 Continental Congress; promising repeal of all obnoxious laws, 
 and pardon to all who would now lay down their arms. The 
 Commissioners sent by Congress, Adams, Franklin and Rut- 
 ledge, met him for a conference on Staten Island, and refused' 
 to treat for peace on any other terms than the full and per- 
 fect acknowledgment of the independence of the Colonies. 
 
 With the investment by sea, and the neighboring islands, it 
 now became apparent to the Americans, that New York City 
 must be abandoned to the British army. To evacuate too 
 soon, would give an advantage to the enemy ; to linger too- 
 long would be fatal to the Americans. Washington watched 
 the situation closely, and ordered the military stores to be 
 removed across the river. A force was stationed at King's 
 bridge, the main body of the army was moved to Harlem 
 Heights, a small force remaining in the city under General 
 Putnam. Unable to obtain the slightest clue to the move- 
 ments of Howe, Washington resolved to send a trusty spy to 
 penetrate the enemy's lines in disguise, and obtain the neces- 
 
 14 
 
sary information. At this time, Washington was making his 
 headquarters at the house of Robert Murray, on Murray Hill. 
 Later he moved to the house of Col. Roger Morris, an old 
 tomrade of the French and Indian wars, but who, in this 
 struggle of the Colonies, had remained loyal to the home gov- 
 ernment. His estate was consequently confiscated. Tradi- 
 tion says that it was at this place that the brave young patriot, 
 Nathan Hale, sought an interview, and offered his services to 
 pass the British lines and bring back the desired informa- 
 tion. The story of Hale's successful attempt, and his subse- 
 quent discovery, arrest and execution has thrilled every 
 American heart with admiration for his cleverness, and recog- 
 nition of his bravery and loyal devotion to his cause, in the 
 very face of death. His last words, "I only regret that I have 
 but one life to lose for my country," are enshrined in the 
 Heart of the Nation. 
 
 Soon after Hale departed on his perilous mission, the British 
 ships advanced up the rivers, and under cover of their fire, a 
 portion of their army landed at Kipp's Bay, at the foot of 
 Thirty-sixth Street. The American guards retired, without 
 offering opposition, followed by two Connecticut brigades, an 
 action which roused Washington's indignation, and filled him, 
 with despair. Knowing he could no longer hold the nemy in 
 check, he retired with his remaining force to Kingsbridge. 
 Howe advanced to the centre of the island, and encamped at 
 Incleuberg Hill. A detachment of the American forces, hav- 
 ing become bewildered, and lost their way, were in danger of 
 being captured by the British; they were overtaken, however, 
 by Col. Burr, who led them along the swamp to the woods 
 surrounding the house of Robert Murray, at Incleuberg Hill, 
 and thence to the Apthorpe House on the Bloomingdale road, 
 where Washington awaited them. 
 
 Meantime, at the Murray House, Mistress Murray, a gentle 
 Quaker lady, knowing the straits of the Americans, enter- 
 tained the British officers, including Howe, Clinton and Tryon, 
 who had stopped there for refreshment. The entertainment, 
 prolonged as much as possible by the hostess, was interrupted 
 by an excited messenger, bringing news of the escape of the 
 American troops. Immediate pursuit followed and fifteen 
 
 15 
 
minutes after Washington had left the Apthorpe House, it 
 was occupied by the British troops. 
 
 The following day occurred the skirmish of Harlem Heights, 
 which greatly encouraged the Americans. Washington remained 
 several weeks on the high ground in the vicinity of the house 
 of Col. Roger Morris, until Howe, not caring to risk a direct 
 attack, withdrew his forces, and landed them at Throg's Point 
 in Westchester County, with a view to cutting off all communica- 
 tion with the eastern state. At the same time, he sent several 
 frigates up the Hudson River, to cut off supplies from the south 
 and west. In this emergency, Washington was forced to with- 
 draw his main army from the island. Detaching a force for the 
 defense of Fort Washington, he retired with the remainder to 
 White Plains, where an engagement took place with the British 
 on the twenty-eighth of October, after which he retired to the 
 heights of North Castle. Howe now returned to Kingsbridge, 
 and invested the garrison at Fort Washington. 
 
 This fort was situated on the shore of the North River, about 
 two and a half miles below Kingsbridge. The hill was steep 
 and difficult of access on all sides except the south, which was 
 commanded by the fort, and surrounded on all sides by redoubts 
 and batteries. Three lines of intrenchments extended across 
 the island from the Harlem, to the North River. The position 
 was considered a strong one, but the works were unfinished 
 and defended only by a few old pieces of artillery; while the 
 force detailed to guard the works was insufficient for so ex- 
 tensive an undertaking. On the fifteenth of November, the 
 British demanded the surrender of the fort. The Americans 
 refused; and an attack, with heavy cannonading of the works 
 was begun the following morning. The Americans were de- 
 feated at all points, and before the day was over were compelled 
 to surrender; nearly three thousand being made prisoners, and 
 confined in the prisons of the city. 
 
 PRISONS AND PRISON-SHIPS. 
 
 From the time of the occupation of the city by the British, 
 New York became the "British prison-house." In 1776, five 
 thousand American prisoners who had been captured at the 
 
 16 
 
battles of Long Island, and Fort Washington, were in the city, 
 and this number was continually increased during the succeeding 
 years of the Revolution. Every available building was used as a 
 dungeon for the soldiers of the American Army. The sailors 
 were crowded into the Prison-ships of the bay and the East 
 River. At first the officers were required to give parole, and 
 were allowed, under strict surveillance of the British guard, to 
 occupy lodgings in the town. This was later revoked, and 
 the officers were confined in the old Provost Prison. The Brick 
 Church in Beekman street was first used as a prison, and then 
 converted into a hospital for the sick among the prisoners, as 
 were also the Friend's Meeting-house on Pearl street, and the 
 Presbyterian Church in Wall street, while the French Church in 
 Pine street was made a depot for military stores. The North 
 Dutch Church in William street, and the Middle Dutch Church 
 were dismantled, and used for prisons. Here they were denied 
 both fuel and bedding; had but little food, and that of the 
 poorest possible quality. The well and sick were crowded to- 
 gether, the latter without care, except such as could be given by 
 comrades or outsiders ; and the dead were left at the door of 
 the prison, for the "dead-cart" to remove once a day. These 
 were carried beyond the intrenchments, and "thrown into a 
 hole, promiscuously," without the usual rites of sepulture. Many 
 of the prisoners were poisoned by their attendants, "for the 
 sake of their watches or silves buckles." 
 
 Just to the east of the Middle Dutch Church stood the 
 old Sugar-House, a stone building, five stories in height, with 
 thick walls, and small deep windows, built for a sugar refinery. 
 Each story was divided into two rooms, with ceilings so low, 
 and windows so small, that air could scarce find entrance under 
 the most favorable conditions. A ponderous door opened on 
 Liberty street to the court-yard, and a broad flagged walk ex- 
 tended about the building, where two British or Hessian soldiers 
 were constantly pacing, night and day. On the southeast a 
 heavy door opened into a dismal cellar also used as a prison. 
 The yard was surrounded by a close board fence nine feet high. 
 Secured by locks and bars, and constantly guarded, "huddled 
 so closely they could scarcely breathe" — The American pris- 
 oners were left for weeks and months, destitute of fire and 
 blankets and with no other clothes than those which they had 
 
 17 
 
worn on their entrance, to while away the hours of their captivity, 
 by carving their names on the walls with rusty hails — often the 
 Only clue to their probable fate; for the typhus fever raged 
 fiercely among them ; and the dead-cart paid daily visits, bearing 
 away the writers ere they could finish the rude epitaphs. 
 
 The prisoners were let out in companies of twenty, for half 
 an hour at a time, to breathe the fresh air. "Inside they were so 
 crowded that they divided into squads of six each : Number 
 one stood for ten minutes as close to the window as they could 
 crowd; then number two took their places; and so on. Seats 
 there were none ; and the beds were but straw, infested with ver- 
 min." A prisoner relating his experience after release, states that 
 the provision consisted of pork and sea-biscuit ; "the biscuit had 
 been wet with sea-water, and damaged, was full of worms and 
 mouldy. It was the common practice to put water in the camp- 
 kettle, then break the biscuit into it, skim off the worms, put in 
 the pork and boil it — if we had fuel — but this was allowed only 
 a part of the time; and when we could get no fuel, we ate our 
 meat raw and our biscuit dry." 
 
 Columbia College was used for a short time as a prison, as 
 were the dungeons below the City Hall, the main floor being 
 used as a Guard House. The Bridewell, which was unfinished 
 at the beginning of the Revolution, having only iron bars at the 
 windows to keep out the cold, was utilized at once, without com- 
 pletion ; and after the battle of Fort Washington eight hundred 
 prisoners captured in that engagement were confined here, with- 
 out food, for three days. 
 
 The most notorious prison on land, however, was the New 
 Jail, or Provost, named from having been the headquarters of 
 the Provost Marshal at the time of the Revolution, and one of 
 the most infamous men in the English Army. This was ap- 
 pointed as the place of confinement for the most notorious 
 "'rebels," civil, naval, and military. The northeast room was 
 -designated Congress Hall, and to it were assigned all officers, 
 and persons of superior rank, and special distinction. An eye- 
 witness of the conditions here, stated that "so closely were they 
 packed, that when their bones ached at night, from lying on 
 the hard oak planks, and they wished to. turn, it could only 
 be done by word of command: 'Right' — 'Left' — being so 
 wedged and compact as to form almost a solid mass of human 
 
 18 
 
bodies." Here, however, the walls and floors were kept clean, 
 and the rooms ventilated — a luxury not enjoyed in the other pris- 
 ons. The patriots were, however, subject to additional indignities, 
 as their jailor, wishing to entertain or amuse his guests among 
 the English officers, would parade his prisoners around the court- 
 yard, as specimens of the American Army. He was also wont 
 to mix a slow poison with their food, and he it was who 
 boasted that he had thus killed more of the rebels with his own 
 hand, than had been slain by all the King's forces in America. 
 
 In all these prisons and prison-ships every indignity that could 
 be devised was heaped upon the inmates in the hope of com- 
 pletely crushing them, and the spirit of the army, by disabling 
 those who had been taken prisoners, for future service ; and 
 terrifying the remainder. And throughout all these persecu- 
 tions one hope of release from suffering was always held out 
 to them: that of enlistment in the British Army. But despite 
 this life of worse than death, the loyalty of the Americans never 
 wavered. Very, very few could ever be induced to forswear 
 allegiance to the cause of Liberty. 
 
 Gradually the churches and sugar-houses were relieved of 
 their inmates ; but the Provost and City Hall continued to be 
 used as prisons until the day of the evacuation of New York by 
 the British. The story of the city prisons was repeated on the 
 notorious prison-ships. The first of these were the freight ships 
 which brought the British troops to Staten Island in 1776; 
 several of these old hulks were used at different periods of the 
 war, among which were the "Good Hope", "Whitby", "Fal- 
 mouth", "Prince of Wales", "Scorpion", "Strombolo", "Hunter", 
 "Kitty", "Providence", "Bristol", "Jersey", &c. Of these the 
 "Jersey" gained the greatest notoriety. A 64 gun ship, she had 
 been condemned in 1776, as unfit for use, and utterly dismantled, 
 being used only as a store-ship. In 1780, the prisoners on the 
 "Good Hope" burnt that vessel, in hope of regaining their 
 liberty. The leaders in this act were removed to the Provost, 
 and the remainder transferred to the "Jersey." Life on these 
 prison-ships was similar to that in the prisons ; and while the 
 reputation of the "Jersey" has been better known, because of its 
 size, the testimony of the occupants shows that the experience 
 of one was repeated in all. 
 
 The daily rations consisted of biscuit, beef or pork, and peas, 
 
 19 
 
to which butter, suet, oatmeal and flour were occasionally added- 
 The biscuit was mouldy, literally crawling with worms ; the 
 butter and suet rancid, and unsavory to the highest degree ; the 
 peas damaged, the meal and flour often sour; and the meat- 
 tainted, and boiled in the impure water from about the shop, in 
 a large copper kettle, which soon becoming corroded, and en- 
 crusted with verdigris, mingled slow poison with all its contents. 
 The dead-boat made its daily rounds of the ships, as did the 
 dead-cart on land ; and the prisoners were carried to the shore 
 and interred in shallow trenches in the sand, perhaps to be 
 washed out by the next tide. It was estimated that eleven 
 thousand were thus buried from the "J erse y" alone. 
 
 Attemps were made to effect an exchange of prisoners, and 
 thus alleviate the sufferings of these patriots both on land and 
 sea; but every effort of this kind was unsuccessful, and Wash- 
 ington, heart-sick, and saddened, that his efforts should prove 
 so ineffectual, was compelled to permit them to remain until" 
 the close of the war. 
 
 The loss of Fort Lee, on the opposite side of the river, soon 
 followed that of Fort Washington and the main army was forced 
 to retreat through New Jersey; and New York City, during the 
 remainder of the war became the headquarters of the British 
 army, and the residence of its principal officers. 
 
 To the Americans, the loss of New York was not so great a 
 misfortune as at first appeared. While a strategic point for a 
 naval power, it was useless to one lacking a navy. To have 
 held and defended it successfully, a large naval force would 
 have been necessary ; otherwise, it could easily have been cut 
 off from the supplies of the upper valley and the mainland. 
 
 To the English, its possession was the greatest possible ad- 
 vantage ; and it was the principal point in the whole campaign, 
 as outlined by the Home government. With New York as a 
 central point, and base of supplies, they hoped, by control of the 
 Hudson, to cut off entirely, the Eastern from the Southern 
 Colonies. By Burgoyne's invasion from the north, and the 
 union of his forces with those of Howe and Clinton, the separa- 
 tion would be complete, and each section could be crushed in 
 turn, and properly punished for rebellion. 
 
 The control of the middle and upper Hudson, however, by 
 the Americans, checked the advance of any considerable force 
 
 20 
 
from the coast, and the reception accorded the northern in- 
 vader, effectually prevented the separation of the Colonies. 
 Hemmed in by patriots, and with Washington constantly threat- 
 ening the city, by his movements in New Jersey during the last 
 years of the war, Clinton was helpless to move, or to use his 
 army for the assistance or relief of the British forces in the 
 south, until too late. When the British had finally been cornered 
 at Yorktown, Washington, by a sudden feint caused Clinton to 
 gather in, and concentrate all his energies to meet the expected 
 attack upon New York; then, by forced marches, the American 
 army crossed the Delaware, marching into Virginia to receive 
 the surrender of Cornwallis, leaving the British army in New 
 York, helpless and chagrined. 
 
 THE NORTHERN VALLEY. 
 
 Almost at the beginning of hostilities, the Provincial Congress 
 realized the importance of securing the neutrality of the Indians 
 of the state. General Schuyler, who knew them well, and was 
 supposed to have much influence with them, was directed to 
 disarm them, and secure their friendship. General Schuyler at 
 once repaired to Johnson Hall, the former home of Sir William 
 Johnson, who had owned a large tract of land in the Upper 
 Hudson Valley, and to whom the Indians were especially loyal. 
 The journey was made over the snow, in company with Col. 
 Herkimer, accompanied by the Tryon County Militia. Sir John 
 Johnson had succeeded to his father's estate and influence; and 
 a promise of neutrality was secured from him. Sir Guy Johnson, 
 however, went westward among the Indians, and later, went 
 with a party of them to Montreal, and offered his services to the 
 British. Sir John Johnson, surrounded by his loyalist neighbors, 
 remained quiet for a time, but afterward broke his parole, and 
 intrigued with his former allies. 
 
 The capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point by the Americans 
 with all the supplies stored at these points, delayed the intended 
 invasion of New York from the north for at least a year. A 
 new supply of stores of all kinds had to be transported with 
 the army, and its movements were much retarded thereby. But 
 early in 1777, word reached the patriots that the long expected 
 invasion was about to be made; and preparations were forth- 
 with begun to meet the advancing army. 
 
 21 
 
The entire province of New York was designated as the 
 Northern Department, and Washington assigned General 
 Schuyler to the Command ; who advanced to the vicinity of 
 Albany, and gathered forces and supplies. Several attempts were 
 made to turn Burgoyne from his purpose, or prevent his ad- 
 vance, but he pushed steadily onward, until he reached Fort 
 Edward, at which point he sought to secure supplies from the 
 surrounding country. A detachment was sent into the present 
 state of Vermont, and was met at Bennington by an American 
 force under General Stark; and the battle of Bennington was a 
 decided victory for the Americans. In the meantime, a force 
 of Tories and Indians had been sent from Canada by way of 
 Lake Ontario to Oswego, to proceed thence to the Mohawk 
 Valley, destroy the outlying settlements, and join Burgoyne at 
 Albany. 
 
 But the Dutch settlers of the Mohawk made such determined 
 resistance that they never advanced beyond Fort Stanwix. The 
 fiercely contested battle of Oriskany, and a ruse of the force 
 despatched by Schuyler to the relief of Fort Stanwix, so dis- 
 heartened the invaders that further advance was abandoned, 
 and they retired from the field. 
 
 This news reached Burgoyne close upon the defeat at Ben- 
 nington ; but still hoping to effect a juncture with the British 
 force which was to have met him from New York, he con- 
 tinued to advance. So confident was he of success, that he had 
 planned his camps at various points between Albany and New 
 York ; the places selected being the villages of Kaatsbaan, Cox- 
 sackie, and Kaatskill. 
 
 But Howe, in New York, was much occupied by the move- 
 ments of Washington's army in New Jersey ; he feared the 
 occupation by the Americans of Philadelphia or New York,, and 
 was so undecided as to Washington's objective point, that he 
 dared not detach a large force to co-operate with Burgoyne, who 
 was now encamped in the vicinity of Saratoga. Here, the final 
 engagement took place, and in a hotly contested battle, the 
 Americans were victorious, and Burgoyne was compelled to 
 surrender his entire force of British and Hessian troops. 
 
 The news of Burgoyne's surrender was received with great 
 rejoicing throughout the Colonies ; and decided the French gov- 
 ernment to form the alliance so long discussed, and hitherto 
 
 22 
 
withheld. The news of this Alliance, following so closely upon 
 the crushing defeat of one of its strongest armies,- caused the 
 British government to seriously consider the question of recogni- 
 tion of the claim of the Colonies for independence. A prolonged 
 argument between the British leaders, followed by a close vote 
 decided that the contest should be continued. 
 
 Just before the final battle at Saratoga, Congress had inter- 
 fered in the command of the army of the North, and contrary 
 to Washington's advice, General Schuyler had been superseded 
 by General Gates, who had received the surrender of Burgoyne. 
 Ignoring the fact that his predecessor had laid the foundation 
 for this success, he, and his friends, at once claimed for him 
 superior ability as a commanding officer; and the general elation 
 over the success of the Northern army for a time was permitted 
 to overshadow everything else. Washington was accused of in- 
 competency : Gates, elated by his success at Saratoga, aspired to 
 the chief command, and many of the patriots encouraged him. 
 Washington's evacuation of New York and Philadelphia, and 
 his defeats at Germantown and the Brandywine, were urged as 
 proofs of his incompetency ; the feeling of censure spread, and 
 the change of commanders was about to be made. 
 
 On October 14th, 1777, Congress had resolved that no state 
 should be represented by more than seven members or less 
 than two. But two members out of the five, to which New York 
 was entitled, were present in the Congress at this time, and one 
 of these, William Duer, was ill. This was a situation which 
 would lose the state her vote, since each state was allowed but 
 one vote, the entire state delegation casting that vote. The in- 
 trigue against Washington had been a subject of consideration 
 in the Congress, and plans had been formulated to arrest him 
 at Valley Forge. This must, however, be voted by the Congress. 
 Colonel Duer, having information of the action proposed, sent 
 for his physician, and asked if he could be moved to the Con- 
 gress. He was assured that such removal would be at the 
 risk of his life, not immediately, but within the following 
 twenty-four hours. Col. Duer at once ordered a, litter , to be 
 prepared ; but the opportune arrival of Gouverneur Morris from 
 New York, and the fact that the vote of that state would be 
 against them, becoming known to the conspirators,- the matter 
 
 23 
 
was abandoned. The influence of the New York delegation, 
 however, was all that prevented the execution of the scheme. 
 
 The success of the American Commissioner to France brought 
 about renewed efforts on the part of England to crush the 
 Revolution. Sir William Howe was superceded by Sir Henry 
 Clinton. The battle of Monmouth, which occurred soon after, 
 proved an American victory ; and Clinton evacuated Philadelphia, 
 and retired to New York, where the British army had been 
 ordered to concentrate to meet the French fleet. The fleet ar- 
 rived outside New York harbor a few days later, and Wash- 
 ington with his army, hastened to White Plains, according to the 
 plan of a simultaneous attack by land and sea. But the French 
 chips were so heavy that the pilots refused to take them up the 
 bay, and the attack was abandoned. The British now began 
 sending out marauding parties into the territory of the main- 
 land, seeking forage, and laying waste the surrounding country. 
 On one of these expeditions Clinton captured Stony Point, and 
 Verplanck's Point, on the opposite side of the Hudson. General 
 Anthony Wayne, however, in a brilliant sally, recaptured Stony 
 Point. 
 
 The winter of 1778-89 was one of unusual severity, and the 
 British commander-in-chief ordered the owners of woodland on 
 Staten and Long Island to cut, and bring it into the market, 
 under penalty of forcible seizure. But even these orders failed 
 to bring a sufficient supply. Meantime the American army was 
 wintering in New Jersey, and suffering not only from lack of 
 fuel, but of provisions, and clothing, and from depreciation of 
 the Continental currency. 
 
 In the spring of 1786 the British forces made an attempt to 
 wrest the province of New Jersey from the Americans. A de- 
 tachment of five thousand men crossed from Staten Island ; took 
 possession of Elizabethtown, and burned Connecticut farms. But 
 the Americans were alert, and the British were compelled to 
 retire. 
 
 THE JERSEY SHORE. 
 
 Early in the war, a fort had been erected at Paulus Hook, 
 which had been captured by the British after their occupation of 
 New York ; but the immediate left bank of the Hudson was not 
 the scene of active operations. 
 
 24 
 
On that side of the river, however, resided many loyal 
 .Americans who gave as they could, for the relief of the patriot 
 sufferers. Among these, were Daniel Van Reypen, and his 
 sister, Jane Van Reypen Tuer. Mrs. Tuer frequently carried 
 food across the river to the American soldiers imprisoned in 
 New York. On one of these trips, during the summer of 1780, 
 she met Samuel Francis, who informed her that he had heard 
 British officers frequenting his house, mention a conspiracy in 
 the American army. She repeated the message to her brother, 
 who at once made a trip to Hackensack, and conveyed the in- 
 formation to General Wayne, who sent a warning to Washington. 
 Thus, three days before the capture of Andre, the treachery of 
 Arnold was known. Later when Van Reypen was offered a 
 reward for his services, he indignantly refused, saying: "I do 
 not serve my country for money." In this vicinity, also were the 
 Van Winkle sisters, Catherine and Maria, who frequently car- 
 ried messages from Lafayette to Washington at Belleville. Ser- 
 geant John Champe, another who rendered service in connection 
 with the Arnold treachery, was also a Jerseyman, from the 
 Hudson valley. After Arnold had escaped and joined the 
 ^British in New York, a strong desire existed among the Ameri- 
 cans to capture him and bring him back for trial. John Champe, 
 under advice from the American leaders, pretended to desert, was 
 pursued, but escaped, and swam the river, to New York, where 
 Tie was warmly welcomed by Arnold. He at once gained free 
 access to his home, and made with the aid of certain trusted 
 friends, all plans for his capture. But the day before that fixed 
 for the execution of the plan, Champe was ordered to embark for 
 the Chesapeake, and Arnold moved to another house. Champe 
 afterwards deserted from the British army in the south, and re- 
 turned to his comrades to clear his name and fame. 
 
 THE MIDDLE VALLEY OF THE HUDSON. 
 
 During all the stirring scenes, in and around New York, 
 the surrounding country shared in the popular excitement. 
 On the 27th of May, 1775, in response to the call for a Provin- 
 cial Congress, delegates from the several counties assembled 
 in New York, and efficient measures for the military organiza- 
 tion, and defense of the Colony were immediately taken. Arms 
 and commissary supplies for the militia were ordered col- 
 
 25 
 
lected, and arrangements were made for the purchase, or if 
 necessary, taking by force, of supplies. Two regiments of 
 soldiers were authorized to be raised ; bounties were offered 
 for the manufacture of powder and muskets in the province ; 
 and fortifications were projected at Kingsbridge and the- 
 Highlands. County Committees of Safety and Observation 
 were appointed; the Pledge, or Association Test, drafted after 
 the battle of Lexington, was circulated through the counties. 
 This Pledge promised assistance to the cause to the full ex- 
 tent of life and property. It received as ready an endorsement 
 as had the Non-Importation Acts of earlier years. The people 
 of the valley were generally loyal, though many royalists re- 
 mained in their midst. The eastern bank of the river was 
 more especally frequented by Tory sympathizers, spies, cow- 
 boys, skinners, etc., Yonkers being about the centre of the 
 neutral territory. The settlements a few miles from the western 
 bank were compelled to suffer the attacks of a more savage 
 foe ; with the horror of massacre a daily possibility. They held 
 in check the incursions of the Indians and their Tory allies. 
 The mountain regions both east and west were found to con- 
 tain ores of lead and iron, which were soon utilized for the 
 needs of the army. 
 
 In Dutchess County, April, 1777, the lead mines near Great 
 Nine Partners were explored more or less successfully by 
 agents of the Congress. In 1776, even, petition was made to 
 the New York Congress for exemption from military duty of 
 the workmen engaged in the manufacture of fire-arms in the. 
 contracts made with Congress. 
 
 In Orange and Ulster Counties, several patriots were en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of gun powder for the American 
 government. At Kingston was forged one of the chains which 
 was stretched across the' river to prevent the passage of the 
 British ships, and at Poughkeepsie were built two of the ves- 
 sels ordered by Congress ; also the boom, composed of tim- 
 bers and iron chains used at Anthony's Nose. 
 
 When the British threatened New York, the deliberations 
 were conducted under constant excitement and alarm,; and the 
 places of meeting were constantly changed. On July 6th, 1776, 
 the Congress assembled at White Plains, and took the title, 
 "Representatives of the State of New York." Proceedings: 
 
 2ti 
 
were conducted with closed doors, and only members of 
 unquestioned loyalty, who were pledged to secrecy, were per- 
 mitted to copy the Minutes of the meeting. On the first day 
 of its assembly the Congress received, from the Continental 
 Congress, the Declaration of Independence. It was ordered 
 read, and immediately received a vote of approval. During 
 this session a law was enacted "that all persons residing in the 
 State, and enjoying the protection of its laws, who should be 
 found guilty of siding with its enemies, should suffer death." 
 
 In the Autumn of 1776, after the evacuation of New York 
 by the Americans, and the consequent loss of the sea-board, 
 the operations of the army retreated further into the country. 
 Fishkill, from its safe position, north of Highlands, and its 
 proximity to the fortifications at West Point, becanfe a place 
 of consideration. The village was crowded with refugees from 
 New York, and Long Island. The stores for the army were 
 deposited there, workshops were established, and hospitals 
 opened wherever available. After the battle of White Plains, 
 the wounded from the battle were carried to Fishkill, and 
 those who died were buried, there. Small-pox also made 
 havoc in the camp. It is doubtful if any other place in the 
 State has as many of the dead of the Revolution, known and 
 unknown, buried in it, as the town of Fishkill. Its churches 
 were used as hospitals, and the Episcopal Church, also called 
 Trinity, was also used as a meeting-place for the New York 
 Legislature, when it adjourned from White Plains to Fish- 
 kill, on the third of September, 1776. 
 
 Samuel Loudon, who had published a patriotic paper in New 
 York, up to the time of its evacuation, removed his press and 
 materials to Fishkill. This was the only paper that could be 
 found that would publish news of public interest. In 1777, 
 Loudon, still at Fishkill, printed the Constitution of New 
 York, which was the first, as well the most important book 
 printed in the State. 
 
 Baron Steuben at one time made his headquarters hce, 
 when the army was encamped at Newburgh, occupying the 
 Verplanck house, and in this house was also organized the 
 Society of the Cincinnati, in 1783. A sword was forged here 
 during the Revolution for General Washington, and of him is 
 told the story that when he visited the town, the residents 
 
 27 
 
crowded to meet him, seeking to show great deference by the 
 removal of their hats. He gently reproved them, saying, 
 "Gentlemen, put on your hats ; I am but a man like yourselves, 
 and I wish no such deference shown me." 
 
 Fishkill was also the scene of a "tea-party" of its own dur- 
 ing this period. One Adam Brinkerhoff, a store-keeper, held 
 a large quantity of tea, for which he charged exorbitant 
 prices. The women of the neighborhood, exasperated at his 
 greed, organized into a company under the leadership of one 
 of their number, and marched in military order to his store. 
 The following is the story, as told in a publication of that 
 time: 
 
 "August 28th, 1776 — A few days since, about 
 100 women, inhabitants of Dutchess County, went 
 to the house of Col. Brinckerhoff at Fishkill, and 
 insisted upon having tea at the lawful price of six 
 shillings per pound, and obliged that gentleman 
 to accommodate them with one chest from his 
 store for that purpose. Shortly after he sold his 
 cargo to some Yorkers, who for fear of another 
 female attack forwarded the nefarious stuff to 
 the North River, precipitately, where it is now 
 afloat, but the women have placed their guard on 
 each side." 
 
 This vicinity was the scene of many events in the experi- 
 ence of Enoch Crosby, the noted spy of the Revolution. On 
 one of his excursions through the country, he learned that 
 a band of Tories was organizing a company for the British 
 service. He made friends with some of the leaders, agreed to 
 go with them and attended one of their meetings. After 
 the meeting adjourned, he made a night journey to White 
 Plains, returning before daylight. At his suggestion, another 
 meeting was held the following evening, and while in ses- 
 sion the meeting place was surrounded by patriots, and all 
 were made prisoners. They were taken to Fishkill and con- 
 fined in the old Dutch church. The trial was conducted by 
 the Committee of Safety, which met at the Wharton House, 
 and the prisoners were condemned, , but as they were led 
 away, Crosby was left alone for a few minutes with the Com- 
 mittee, and made his escape. 
 
 28 
 
Extending northeast, the range of the Highlands is known 
 as the Fishkill Mountains, or Beacon Hills. During the Revo- 
 lution, these were used for signal fires to warn the surround- 
 ing country. The one known as Butter Hill gave the first 
 signal, which was repeated by the North and South Beacons. 
 These hills are of great height in this section, and the signals 
 could be seen for a great distance. The signals were pre- 
 pared with pyramidal piles of logs, brush and other inflam- 
 mable material, ready to ignite at a moment's notice, and 
 carry the message to the watchers beyond. 
 
 On July 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a 
 national banner, and advised the several Colonies to form 
 State organizations. Several at once acted upon this sug- 
 gestion ; and in New York a committee had already been 
 formed to frame a State Constitution, which was presented 
 to the Legislators for consideration in March, 1777. On the 
 twentieth of April it was adopted and published on the twen- 
 ty-second ; the Secretary of the Committee standing on a 
 barrel before the place of meeting, and reading the document 
 to the delegates and the assembled crowd. By this Con- 
 stitution the office of Governor was made elective and the 
 legislative power was vested in two bodies, also elective. 
 George Clinton, a man distinguished for his patriotism was 
 chosen as the first Governor of the State, a position which he 
 continued to hold for eighteen years. John Jay was appointed 
 Chief Justice, and Robert R. Livingston, Chancellor. Philip 
 Livingston, James Duane, Francis Lewis, William Duer and 
 Gouverneur Morris, were at the same time appointed dele- 
 gates to represent the State in the Continental Congress. 
 
 The first meeting of the new Legislature was called at 
 Kingston on the first day of August, 1777, but the conditions 
 of public safety were such, that it was deemed unsafe for 
 the session to assemble, and the date of meeting was changed 
 to the twentieth of August, and then to the fifst of Septem- 
 ber. The Assembly opened its session on this date, but the 
 Senate was unable to meet officially until the tenth, because 
 they had not a quorum. On this date, September the tenth, 
 1777, the three branches of the State government were form- 
 ally organized. On the ninth, the Supreme Court held its 
 first sitting in the old Court House, and Chief Justice Jay 
 
 29 
 
here delivered his first charge to the first Grand Jury. The 
 opening sentence of this charge is worthy of deep con- 
 sideration : 
 
 "The Americans are the first people whom 
 Heaven has favored with an opportunity of de- 
 liberating upon, and choosing, the form of govern- 
 ment under which they should live ; all other con- 
 stitutions have derived their existence from viol- 
 ence, or accidental circumstances." 
 
 The Assembly organized at the hotel of Evart Bogardus,. 
 and the Senate officially assembled in the house of Abraham 
 Van Gaasbeek, the building still known as the Old Senate 
 House. This building was erected in 1676 by Colonel WesseL 
 Ten Broeck. It is constructed of native limestone, except 
 the rear, which is built of large bricks, imported from Hol- 
 land. The Senate continued to hold its meetings here, until 
 it adjourned, on the approach of a British detachment, to» 
 Fort Montgomery, in the Highlands, October 4, 1777. Dur- 
 ing this session the Legislature passed the famous act, con- 
 fiscating the property of all Tory sympathizers. 
 
 In this alarm, the last session of the Council of Safety was 
 held at the tavern of Conrad Elmendorf, the Council trans- 
 acting the final business while the force of British soldiers- 
 was advancing upon them. All persons then in jail were 
 ordered transferred to Hartford, Conn., for safe keeping; all 
 money and records were directed to be removed to Rochester, 
 Orange County; a new Council of Safety was ordered to be 
 appointed, and the messenger who arrived with the news of 
 Burgoyne's surrender was voted a reward of 5o£ This was 
 matter for great rejoicing, despite the danger which threat- 
 ened Kingston. 
 
 It is evident that Burgoyne had realized the seriousness of 
 his position for some time before his final engagement, as he 
 had sent word to Clinton that unless he could have relief 
 before October twelfth, his situation was hopeless ; and rein- 
 forcements were daily expected from England which were to- 
 be immediately sent north. 
 
 The Americans had concentrated their defenses at a nar- 
 row, curved place on the Hudson, near West Point, and inr 
 
 30 
 
addition to Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery on either 
 side, a boom chain had been extended across the river, and 
 the position was considered a strong one. So strong, in fact, 
 that Clinton dared not risk a direct attack. 
 
 By a feigned attack at one point, the British were able to 
 surpise the defenses in the rear, and the Americans were 
 forced to surrender. On the very day of the capitulation of 
 Burgoyne's army, Clinton, having caused the destruction of 
 every American vessel as far as the mouth of Esopus Creek, 
 ordered General Vaughn to advance and destroy Kingston. 
 He met no opposition, the residents having taken refuge else- 
 where ; and after destroying as much of the town as he could, 
 he advanced still further up the river, doing much damage. 
 
 One of the many homes destroyed was the old Clermont 
 Manor, the home of the Livingstons. The mother of the 
 Chancellor had taken into her home and cared for, a wounded 
 British officer, and as Vaughn's forces advanced, a messenger 
 was dispatched to inform her that, because of this kindly 
 act, her home would be spared. Mistress Livingston re- 
 turned the answer that it never should be said that she had 
 secured protection for her house by such a compromise. She 
 directed the removal of the wounded officer to a place of 
 safety, and gathering a few valuables, she and her family 
 abandoned the house, which was immediately destroyed by 
 the soldiers of Vaughn. 
 
 The fate of the army of invaders on the north was now 
 rapidly becoming known ; the American soldiers were push- 
 ing southward, to protect their homes ; and the British again 
 retreated to New York. 
 
 During the summer of 1777, two British frigates were 
 anchored near Yonkers, an act which the Americans greatly 
 resented ; finally endeavoring, by a boat expedition, to de- 
 stroy them ; which attempt came near being a success, but 
 they were finally compelled to abandon the attack. 
 
 On the Tarrytown road, near Sleepy Hollow, a simple 
 obelisk has been erected to mark the place where Major John 
 Andre was captured, bearing upon his person the documents 
 which revealed the treachery of Benedict Arnold. This is 
 one of the darkest pages of the history of the time, but the 
 story is too familiar to be repeated here. 
 
 31 
 
The interruptions of the sessions of the Legislature had 
 been so frequent that they seemed now to require official 
 preparation; and in March, 1778, a concurrent resolution of 
 the two Houses directed the Secretary of State, Clerks of the 
 Counties, and other officers to place their records in strong 
 and light enclosures, to be ready for instant removal in case 
 of danger. 
 
 The winter of 1780-81 differed little from those of preced- 
 ing years. The soldiers grumbled at their scanty fare and 
 arrears of pay, the Pennsylvania troops even going so far 
 as to leave the army. Sir Henry Clinton at once dispatched 
 commissaries to offer them inducements to abandon the 
 American cause, and enlist in the British army; but the indig- 
 nant patriots seized the messengers and delivered them over 
 to Congress, to be treated as spies. A deputation from Con- 
 gress made an appeal to the country for relief; taxes and re- 
 quisitions were made for money, ammunition and clothing; 
 and the emergency was thus relieved. The campaign of 1781 
 opened favorably for the Americans, who gained steadily 
 throughout the year; and on the 17th of October the British 
 army under Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. 
 
 Great was the rejoicing, and in England the Peace Party 
 renewed its efforts to put an end to the war. Public approval 
 of this plan became so strong that the War Minister re- 
 signed ; and Sir Guy Carleton, by whom Clinton had been 
 superseded in command, was instructed to negotiate for an 
 early treaty of peace. Preliminary Articles of Peace were 
 signed at Paris on November 30, 1782, by John Adams, Ben- 
 jamin Franklin, John Jay and Henry Laurens, on the part of 
 the United States. For a long time the attempt was made, 
 by intrigue, to "prevail on the American Commissioners to 
 accept a truce of twenty years, instead of an open acknowl- 
 edgement of independence ; and the plan would have suc- 
 ceeded, had not the opportune arrival of John Jay, who firmly 
 refused to accept such a compromise, prevented. 
 
 The English Commissioner at last reluctantly consented 
 to the conditions imposed by Jay, and on the third of Sep- 
 tember, 1783, signed a definite Treaty, on the part of Great 
 Britain, recognizing the independence of the United States, 
 and fixing its boundaries. 
 
 32 
 
After the surrender at Yorktown, Washington returned 
 with his army to the Hudson Valley, making his headquarters 
 at Newburgh, while the larger part of the army was stationed 
 at West Point, which had been rendered an almost impregn- 
 able fortress. During the weary months of waiting the 
 Treaty of Peace, great dissatisfaction, because of the unsettled 
 conditions, prevailed throughout the American army, and, 
 many were led to believe that there was but one solution for 
 the problems confronting them. This sentiment found ex- 
 pression in the famous "Newburgh Letters," resulting in the 
 offer to Washington to become "the Protector" of the nation. 
 Washington's dismay, when the plan was made known to 
 him, and his instant rejection of the offer, was one of the 
 strongest tests of his matchless character. His consent alone 
 was needed to raise the flag of Treason, and place him at the 
 head of an adoring army, with which he could have carried 
 out any self-seeking ends. But there was no self-seeking in 
 the unfaltering loyalty with which he had served his country. 
 The eminence offered him would, in his own words, have 
 "overturned the liberties of our country, opened the flood- 
 gates of civil discord, and deluged our rising empire in blood." 
 The cause for which he and other patriots had fought would 
 have been lost ; and the foundations of the greatest Republic 
 the world has known would have been destroyed. 
 
 A cessation of hostilities had been proclaimed in the Ameri- 
 can camp on the nineteenth of April, 1783, the eighth anni- 
 versary of the battle of Lexington, and on the third day of 
 November, by order of the Continental Congress, the army 
 was disbanded. Governor, George Clinton, for the Americans, 
 and Sir Guy Carlton, Commander of the British army, met 
 in Livingston Manor at Dobb's Ferry, to confer on the plans 
 for the evacuation of New York; and on the twenty-fifth of 
 November the Americans returned to the city. The entrance 
 of the army, under command of General Washington, was 
 made at noon by the Bowery, then the only road ; while the 
 British, at the same hour, evacuated the city, went aboard 
 their ships, and sailed slowly down the bay. General Knox 
 was detailed to take command of the fort, with the militia. 
 The Stars and Stripes, now the American ensign, for the 
 first time was unfurled above the city; a triumphant salute 
 
 33 
 
was fired by the artillery; and after seven years of foreign 
 occupation, the City of New York, and the lower Valley of 
 the Hudson, was again in possession of its citizens. 
 
 On the evening of December the fourth, in the Long Room 
 of the famous Fraunces' Tavern, the officers of the army as- 
 sembled to take farewall of their Commander-in-Chief. The 
 scene became one of the most memorable in our history; for 
 overcome by affection for their beloved General, under whom 
 they had served for eight long and faithful years, their part- 
 ing was marked by deep and silent emotion. 
 
 From it, and still silently, Washington passed through the 
 assembled throngs of a grateful and devoted people, to sur- 
 render his Commission to the Continental Congress, waiting 
 in Philadelphia. 
 
 Thus has the Valley of the Hudson been the scene of many 
 of the most important events of State and National History. 
 Here originated some of the most important measures lead- 
 ing up to the Revolution. It was the meeting place of the 
 first Continental Congress ; the first Provincial Congress ; the 
 State Constitution was formed here ; this became the seat of 
 the State government, and it was selected as the site of the 
 first Capital of our National government. 
 
 It has been closely associated with the most important 
 -events in the life of Washington — his defeats and victories; 
 "his darkest days and his brightest. Here he refused a Mon- 
 archy ; here he took the Oath of Office as first President of the 
 Republic he had helped to create. The Valley has been the 
 scene of one of the great decisive battles of the world ; and it 
 lias also witnessed the greatest developments for civilization 
 and advancement of the human race. It has given to the 
 Nation some of its greatest statemen, novelists and poets; 
 teachers and scientists. Its sons and daughters are carry- 
 ing onward, ever onward, the Truths of its National Life — 
 Liberty and Peace. It became known to the civilized world 
 in an era of peace — it has had its Baptism of Fire: May it 
 be the Harbinger of Peace until time shall cease. 
 
 And for our country what more fitting benediction than 
 the brief words of Washington, when he laid his Commission 
 on the table, and officially returned his sword to the President 
 of the Continental Congress : 
 
 34 
 
"I consider it an indispensable duty to close 
 this last act of my official life by commending 
 the interests of our dearest country to the pro- 
 tection of Almighty God ; and those who have the 
 superintendence of its welfare to His Holy 
 Keeping." 
 On September 29th, 1909, Washington Heights Chapter, 
 Daughters of the American Revolution, will place a tablet to 
 mark the "First Line of Defense" of Fort Washington, and the 
 following sketch has been prepared by Mr. Reginald F. Bolton. 
 
 Historical Account 
 
 of the 
 
 "First Line of Defense." 
 
 The fortification of that part of Manhattan now known as 
 Washington Heights, which was in 1776 included in the general 
 title of the Heights of Harlem, centered at the Citadel of Fort 
 Washington, but included surrounding works on all points of 
 vantage, admirably selected by the officers of the American army, 
 and constructed with infinite labor, by the men of the small 
 army of defense. 
 
 On the southerly side the defenses consisted of three lines of 
 earth-works, known as the First, the Second, and the Third, 
 respectively situated on the approximate lines of 147th, 153rd, 
 and 159th to 162nd streets. 
 
 Of these, by far the most elaborate and regularly military in 
 character, was the First, which also was the earliest in date of 
 construction, having been commenced during the fighting which 
 took place on September 16, 1776, commonly referred to as the 
 "Battle of Harlem Heights," during which the reserves under 
 General Spencer were laboring vehemently on the construction 
 of this line of defense. 
 
 The works extended from St. Nicholas Avenue, then the 
 Kinsf's Highway, at a redoubt on the summit of what was then, 
 and lonp- since known as "Break Neck Hill," and crossed the hill 
 westward through the o-rounds of the Maunsell Mansion, used 
 by General Spencer as his Division headquarters, in an irregular 
 and zig-zag fashion to a point on the line of Broadwav at 147th 
 street, where the eminence terminated in an abrupt descent to 
 the Hudson River. 
 
 35 
 
At this point quite an elaborate redoubt was later developed, 
 and within it and along the line, some of the small cannon, prob- 
 ably brought from Fort George at the Battery, were mounted. 
 
 The second line, which has already been marked by a me- 
 morial tablet on the wall of Trinity cemetery, at 153rd street, 
 was naturally strong by reason of the rock nature of the Heights 
 at that point. 
 
 The third line, which extended around the Lewis Hill on 
 Riverside Drive, and irregularly across the hill-side to Wash- 
 ington's Headquarters, was not at any time in a fully completed 
 condition, but its interest in connection with the others, makes 
 it a suitable subject for a memorial tablet. 
 
 The "First line of Defense" came into active use, on Octo- 
 ber 27, 1776, when an attack in force was made upon it by the 
 British troops moving from the neighborhood of Harlem, aided 
 by two war vessels in the Hudson. 
 
 The garrison, promptly manning the Line, successfully re- 
 sisted the advance of the British forces, and Colonel Robert 
 Magaw, in command at Fort Washington, brought down one of 
 the two heavy guns mounted in the fort, and nearly succeeded 
 in sinking one of the British war vessels by its well directed fire. 
 
 On the occasion of the final assault upon Fort Washington, 
 November 16, 1776, a similar, but much more formidable attack 
 was made upon the First line of defense, by a combined force 
 of British and Hessians, of about four thousand men, again 
 under the general command of Lieut. General, the Earl Percy. 
 
 The Line was on this occasion defended by a small body of 
 600 Pennsylvanians, aided by a detachment of the Connecticut 
 Rangers, who together eallantly opposed the advance of the 
 overwhelming force until their position was rendered untenable 
 bv the landing of the Forty-second Highlanders, in the rear of 
 their position ; when they fell back upon the Fort, stoutly dis- 
 puting the way, until they, and its other defenders found them- 
 selves enclosed by the circle of fourteen thousand opponents, 
 and were marched into the bitter captivity of New York prison- 
 houses, and ships, from which so many of them emerged only 
 on the way to their graves. 
 
 36 
 
HISTORIC SPOTS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY. 
 
 Marked by the Chapters of the Daughters of the American 
 
 Revolution. 
 
 New Jersey. 
 
 "Camp Middlebrook," "General Frelinghuysen"— "Jersey Blue" 
 have marked Washington's Headquarters in the Wallace 
 House, Somerville, N. J. 
 
 New York. 
 
 "Bronx"— "Glovers Rock"— the place of the skirmish prelim- 
 inary to the Battle of White Plains. 
 "Fort Greene" — Monument to the Prison-ship Martyrs. 
 Memorial tablet in the old Dutch Church, Long Island. 
 Moved the legislature to restore the name "Fort Greene" to 
 the burial place of the Prison-ship Martyrs. 
 "Jane McCrea"— Monument to Jane McCrea, at Fort Edward. 
 "Johnstown" — Tablet commemorating Johnstown Battle. 
 
 Restoration of Old Colonial Cemetery. 
 "Keskeskick"— Restoration and care of Phillipse Manor. 
 "Knickerbacker"— Tablet to Anneke Jans. 
 
 Tablet to Mary Murray. 
 "Mahwenawasigh"— Tablet commemorating Ratification of the 
 Constitution, at Poughkeepsie. 
 Monument to commemorate the same (in connection with the 
 
 Legislature and other Chapters). 
 Preservation of General Clinton's House. 
 "Mary Washington Colonial"— Tablet in the general Post Office, 
 to mark the place of the Liberty Pole, repeatedly tern 
 down by Tories and re-erected by the Sons of Liberty. 
 Tablet on the Hall of Records— the "Provost Prison." 
 Tablet of Brooklyn Bridge, marking place of the first Presi- 
 dential Mansion. 
 Tablet to Margaret Corbin. 
 
 37 
 
"Melzingah" — Tablet on La Fayette Monument. 
 
 Monument to Revolutionary Soldiers buried at Fishkill. 
 
 Monument on the old Post Road. 
 
 Steel Flag-staffs on the Revolutionary Redoubts at Fishkill. 
 
 "Melzingah" — Tablet on Adam Brinkerhoff's mill. 
 Marking of the North Beacon, at Fishkill. 
 
 "Mohawk" — Restoration of Fort Crailo. 
 
 "Nathaniel Woodhull" — Tablet in memory of Gen. Nathaniel 
 Woodhull, Long Island. 
 
 "New York City" — Silver Tablet at Tarrytown, in the Avery 
 House. 
 
 "Quissaick" — Tablet, marking Palatine Parish, the Huguenot 
 settlement. 
 Boulder marking Brewster Forge, where the chain was forged 
 to stretch across the Hudson to prevent the passage of 
 the British war-ships. 
 
 "Saratoga" — Boulders marking the road from Saratoga Springs 
 to Bemis Heights, commemorating the battle fought there. 
 
 "Washington Freights" — Tablet on the Morris House, dedicated 
 to General Washington. 
 Care of Hamilton Grange, summer home of Alexander Ham- 
 ilton. 
 
 "White Plains" — Preservation of the Building in which the 
 first State Legislature met. 
 
 "Washington Heights," "Knickerbocker," "Manhattan" and 
 "Mary Washington Colonial" have formed the "Wash- 
 ington Headquarters Association," and have been accorded 
 by the Legislature the custody of the Roger Morris, or 
 Jumel Mansion, which was Washington's Headquarters 
 for a time after the evacuation of New York. 
 
 38 
 
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