F 127 -^ ■y 1 «; Mil Copy 1 V. w .'ii>APtr» S \ Ube "Beutral (3roun6 ff S Cbarlea pr^er e^ Copyright, 1898, by Q. P. PUTNAM'S SONS New York London Ube ftntclierbocfier press. New Rochelle, N. Y. Entered at the Post Office, New Rochelle, N. Y., as Second-class Matter Price Ten Cents Per Year, One Dodar 2nd COPY, 1898. N0V18 vm ^ofConc^y^ MISS SPENCE'S Boarding and Day School for Girls preparatory, BcaDemlc, anD ColIegcsiPrcparatotB Courses No more than eight pupils constitute any class 6 WEST 48th STREET, with Annex MRS. LESLIE MORGAN'S jL 3BoarC)ing an& S)as Scbool W for (Birls 13 and IS WEST 86th STREET NEW YORK CITY < < < < KiKDEBXiARTEN, THROUGH CoLLEGE PREPARATORY ■;/';•) , ^^ HotAZ AND ChAPERONAGE JHE HELBURN SCHOOL 35 WEST 9OTH STREET Dag Scbool tor JSogs an& <5frl6 KINDERGARTEN, PRIMARY AND GRAMMAR DE- 4lfL^ PARTMENTS. THOROUGHLY GRADED. SEP- "" ARATE CLASS-ROOM AND TEACHER FOR EACH CLASS. Vbe ftnickerboclier press, View fioch THE "NEUTRAL GROUND 407 Half Moon Series Published in the Interest of the New York City History Club. Volume II. Number XII. THE "NEUTRAL GROUND." 409 By CHARLES PRYER. DURING the War of the Revolution the County of Westchester, and particu- larly the lower towns (now forming the Borough of Bronx or Bronck's'), was the prey of the foraging parties of both armies, as it lay directly between them and was perma- nently occupied by neither. Being common property to both parties, it was, therefore, called the "Neutral Ground." The views of the inhabitants themselves at the outset of the struggle were much divided, and if popular sentiment was not absolutely loyal to the crown of Great Britain, it was much more conservative than in New England or in the southern colonies. Many of the leading families were staunch loyalists and afterwards prominent leaders of the Royalist Refugees. Amongst these were the Van Courtlandts, DeLanceys, Philipses, and location of tbe " IHeutral (3roun^ " 4IO Zbc **lFleutral OroimO " IPiCWB of its Tins babitants Wilkinses, and these were the names which the people of that period were accustomed to follow. On the other side, however, were the Morrises, Livingstons, and Tomkynses, fam- ilies who belonged in the same region, so that parties may be said to have been pretty evenly divided. The first meetings called to consider the question of electing delegates to Congress were broken up by the violent efforts of Phil- ipse, Wilkins, and other Royalists, and when the matter was finally decided in the affirm- ative, the delegates chosen were instructed to do nothing disloyal to "the government of his Majesty the King," and it is an historic fact that New York was the last colony to authorize its delegates in the Continental Con- gress to sign the Declaration of Independence. This conservatism, however, was not al- together induced by loyalty to the British government, but by a selfish interest. It was perfectly self-evident to such men as "Squire" Van Cortlandt, Oliver de Lancey, and others, that one of the main objects of the home government, in case of war, would be to separate the more southern from the New England colonies, and New York was the keystone of this position. With her deep harbor, and the broad Hudson stretching far to the northward, it would be easy for Eng- land to bring in her invincible fleet, and with it materially aid any army that might invade Zbc **1Reutral arouu&" 411 the State from loyal Canada ; so what they feared, and what actually came to pass, was that the locality would be made the theatre of war and devastation. But let us follow events more in detail. Boston had been evacuated, and the brothers Howe had sailed from Halifax ; already ru- mors were current that the General had been largely re-enforced, and that My Lord the Ad- miral had taken his entire command on board his magnificent and irresistible fleet, and was on his way to capture New York. Washing- ton was even now in the city to defend it with the Continental army. On June 28, 1776, the British fleet appeared, and General Howe's troops were landed upon Staten Island without opposition. Washington had entirely too much ground to cover with his meagre force of eighteen thousand men, a large proportion being raw troops, and he found it impossible to defend that comparatively distant point. It will be necessary here, to understand the campaign in the Neutral Ground, to give a short sketch of the capture of New York and Brooklyn Heights. It is now conceded that Washington made a mistake in attempting to defend New York with the very limited re- sources then at his command, but he was urged to do so both by the inhabitants and by Congress, and his own good judgment was entirely outweighed. Howe lost much lanMng of tbe JBritisb ■Croops upon Staten Uslanfc 4' Zbc '^meutral OrounD " Capture of 36rool!l?n 1}eigbt0 time in vain attempts to negotiate a peace with the exasperated colonies. It may be here said to his credit, that he always carried the olive-branch with the sword, and fought with the greatest reluctance, so it was not until August 22, that he landed at Graves End, with twenty thousand men, his army in the in- terim having been augmented by the arrival of Sir Henry Clinton from the South. To oppose this force the Americans had nine thousand men under General Putnam. Most of these were behind earthworks on Brookh'n Heights, and on a wooded ridge commanding some of the roads from Graves End. Howe spent several days in reconnoitring, and it was not until August 27, that any serious advance was made ; then he sent his brother, the Admiral, to threaten the city with the fleet and to keep Washington occupied, while he attacked the forces under Putnam. Four roads led from his Graves End camp to- wards the Continental lines, one of which ran along the shore, which was defended by Gen- eral Lord Sterling with his division. Against this renegade Scotch peer, Howe sent General Grant with his Highlanders. Two of the re- maining three roads joined near the village of Flatbush, and crossed the ridge which was de- fended by General Sullivan ; and here advanced General Heister with his Hessians. The fourth was the Jamaica Road, along which the main Tlbe ''IReutral (BrounD" 413 body of the army marched with Howe him- self, Clinton, Percy, and Cornwallis at their head. Their object was to march by the ridge where Sullivan was stationed, and then to wheel near the village of Bedford in order to attack him on the flank and rear. In this movement Howe undoubtedly out-generaled Putnam ; Sullivan was completely routed, with the loss (including those of Sterling's division) of about four hundred killed and wounded, and one thousand taken prisoners ; among the latter was the General himself. The troops of Sterling did much better fighting, and it was not until Sullivan was defeated, and the main army of Howe joined Grant, that the Maryland brigades gave ground. Even then they succeeded in gaining Put- nam's main line without disorder. Howe's troops were now tired, and he did not ad- vance at once against the works on Brooklyn Heights. Washington at first re-enforced Put- nam, supposing an immediate assault would be made, but finding Howe was in no hurry to fight, and seemed rather inclined to lay seige to the position, he took advantage of a very dense fog on the night of August 29, evacuated the forts, and took his entire army over to the New York shore. This is one of the most masterly retreats in the face of a superior force on record, and if Howe had shown his ability in his flanking march on ton IRctreate from ^Srootil^n 414 Ubc "IReutral 0roun^" perilous position of Putnam's CommanD the night of the twenty-seventh, Washington more than equalled him by his brilliant retreat on the night of the twenty-ninth, or two days later. Washington, with the main body of the army, retired to Harlem Heights, where he established himself in a very strong position, leaving Putnam with four thousand men in the city proper. In 1776, the city of New York did not ex- tend beyond Chatham Street, and the Island was much narrower at that period, as several blocks have been filled in on both rivers since those days; thus the command in the town did not have so much territory to cover as might appear at first sight, but it was perfectly self-evident that, from the moment that Long Island was lost, the city could not be held, and that Putnam's stay would be short ; his posi- tion was, indeed, extremely perilous, for could Howe get some troops up either river in his ships, to a point between the city and the Continental army, he could land them, cut off the four thousand under Putnam, and capture his entire command. Howe, seeing all this, sent two ships up the Hudson to Bloomingdale, disembarked his army on the other side of the Island at Kip's Bay (near the foot of the present East 34th Street), and attempted to cut off Putnam's division ; but the genial gentleman was too strong for the soldier. Mrs. Robert Murray, Zbc *'1Reutral (3roun0" 415 understanding the condition of things thor- oughly, and seeing Howe and his staff pass- ing, invited the General and officers to lunch with her. A halt was immediately called, and the lunchparty commenced which saved the American cause one general officer and four thousand men; for while this entertainment was in progress Putnam marched his entire division northward and joined Washington. Howe now had New York, but it was of very little use to him so long as Washington's army occupied a strong position extending from the mouth of "Harlem Creek" right across the Island to the Hudson. The British commander, however, had two alternatives besides a direct assault ; he could pass be- tween Forts Lee and Washington with his fleet, ascend the Hudson, and make the po- sition of the Americans untenable by landing in their rear. But to do this he would have to stand the fire from the forts, which might do considerable damage to his men-of-war and transports. The East River, or Sound, was, however, entirely free from forts, and afforded him almost as good an opportunity of getting into the rear of the Americans as the Hudson; this alternative was therefore selected, and on October 12, 1776, Howe embarked the greater part of his army and sailed up the Sound or East River as far as Throg's Neck^ (now a por- tion of Greater New York), where he landed, general tbowc tn Iposseesion of mew ISoctt 4i6 Zbc **1Reutral (5roun^" Xrbc ffigbt at ipcU barn's Heck leaving Lord Percy to keep Washington occu- pied at Harlem. He hoped by this movement to get directly in the rear of the Continental army, and so force it either to surrender, or entirely to rout and scatter it; but the rebels had not been sleeping. General Heath, with a force of several thousand men, had been sent to defend the causeway and tear down the bridges across Westchester Creek, so it would be impossible for Howe to gain the rear of the Americans without a fight. Howe did not care to ad- vance through a marsh in the face of so strong a force, and delayed on the Neck six days, in which little but ineffective skirmishing was accomplished. At the end of this period he took to his boats again, proceeded northeast about three miles, landed his forces on Pell's Neck' or Pelham Neck, (now Pelham Park), and advanced towards the Albany and Boston roads. Heath threw a couple of brigades in his way, and attempted to check his progress. For a time quite a spirited fight was the re- sult; but the Americans were out-numbered and compelled to retire with a loss of about ten killed and forty wounded. Howe had at last succeeded in reaching the place he wanted, but it was too late for his purpose of capturing the Continental army; for the Americans had evacuated Manhattan Island, except Fort Washington, and were now comparatively Ube ''Bcutral GrounD" 417 safe on Chatterton Heights, near the village of White Plains. For a few days Howe's army covered a wide field, and we hear of some of his troopers almost as far north as the Con- necticut line. This, however, was probably done merely in search of forage, for he soon concentrated them on the Albany Road near the scene of the recent engagement. It was a beautiful autumnal morning, Oct- ober 2}, 1776, that the greatest military pageant took place that the fair county of Westchester ever saw, at all events in the eighteenth century. Howe, preparatory to following Washington, drew up his entire army for review, along the road and on the meadows (very near the present boundary- line between the city, and the now much cur- tailed County of Westchester), then known as Pelham and Eastchester flats. Some ten thou- sand men took part in the ceremonies, and the effect must, indeed, have been inspiring and beautiful. The bright scarlet of the British regulars, contrasted well with the more sombre green of Knyphausen's Hessians, and with the background of the yellow sedge grass covered with sparkling frost. This was a fine picture by which, on that chill October morning, to impress the inhabitants with the invincible power of England's chivalry, and the politic commander had thought it wise to invite a few of the more distinguished proprietors of Ubc "Oreat IRcview " of (Bcneral lljowe's Brmie 418 Zbc "IReutral Ground" "Cbc "Orcat tRcvicw" of Ocncral lbowc'8 Hrms loyal tendencies to witness the affair. There was the fiery Philipse, and the philanthropic colonist who is said to have sprung from the grand old House of "Kourlandt" (Cortlandt), to witness the glorious return of their sover- eign's banner, and, while the bands played and the sun glistened upon the bright arms of the troops, this little band of officers and gentle- men rode along the lines and inspected the army. As the sun rose higher in the heavens the day became warm and genial with that Indian summer balminess, so common to our American autumn. By noon the party before alluded to, were glad to halt for refreshments under the golden shade of what, even then, must have been a group of grand old chestnuts. That lunch just before the march to White Plains has become historic, and the old resi- dent can still point out the trees with pride to any visitor who may be passing that way. Let us hope, however, that the meal of these fine gentlemen was not spoiled by the pres- ence of that rough old German, the Count von Knyphausen, who, though a dashing soldier and a brave man, was no courtier, and anything but a pleasant dining companion. All that is left of this gallant assembly, are the old trees that have defied all change in this change-loving land, and as recently as the beginning of the winter (1897-98) still stood, the only landmarks of those long- XTbe ^'IReiitral erounO" 419 departed days. But, old trees, you are not to stand here always. Though you may have seen the Indians of the seventeenth century; Wash- ington, Howe, and Clinton, of the eighteenth; and all the celebrities of the nineteenth; yet those trunks of yours, sixteen feet in circum- ference though they be, are but hollow shells; the gales of two hundred winters have lopped many a fair limb, and ere the twentieth century shall grow old the squirrel will no longer play on your boughs, nor the frosts of autumn turn your leaves to gold ! In the fall of 1876, just a hundred years after the day of the "Great Review," two gentle- men were lunching under the same old trees. "The days of old" were discussed, and the historic spot examined in all its bearings; but after a time the conversation flagged, and they sat gazing up into the shady trees, whose leaves were f^ist turning into those brilliant hues with which the American forest-trees bid good-bye to summer, when the elder man turned to his companion and said: "Here is the pistol which my grandfather carried when with General Howe on the day of the 'Grand Review,' when they lunched under these trees just before the Battle of White Plains; now, as 1 want you to remember this occasion, I present you with the derringer as a memento of the anniversary of that parade." As they gazed upon this weapon of a former age, the Zbc "©reat IRcvfew " of ©cncral Ibowe'B Hrms 420 Ubc "IReutral OrounO" Zbe SlilnncrB and Cowboys nineteenth century seemed to fade into the Indian summer mist, and they could only see the scarlet of the British regulars and the green of their Hessian allies; the figures of the chi- valric Cornwallis; the gallant but peace-loving Howe, and the rough old soldier, Knyphausen. But to return to our narrative. The day af- ter the " Grand Review " Howe went in pur- suit of the Continental army and on October 28, stormed Chatterton Heights near White Plains, and forced Washington to retire to North Castle. He himself, however, did not go f;irther, but soon withdrew to the city proper, to rest and refresh his troops, evi- dently thinking he had done enough for one campaign. We have now finished with the great armies of either party in the Neutral Ground, and must hereafter content ourselves with resting in their shadow, and try to keep the war spirit alive by cavalry raids, the robberies of the Skinners and Cowboys, and such expedi- tions as were sent out for foraging purposes. DeLancey's and Tarleton's cavalry scoured this part of the country in all directions, and Heath and others were scarcely less active. The Cowboys (ostensibly Royalists), and the Skin- ners on the American side, vied with each other in the atrocity of their acts ; they re- spected neither friend nor foe, only caring whether their victims had anything of value. Ube **1Fleutral 6rount)" 421 After Howe had established himself securely in the city, and Washington was at distant North Castle, the British had to take Fort Washington, on the northern part of New York or Manhattan Island, to make their con- quest complete. It would have been far wiser for the Continentals to have evacuated the stronghold, as it was evidently impossible to hold it in the face of such an army as was now in the city ; but General Greene, instead of doing this, reinforced the post against the advice of Washington. The result was as might have been foreseen, that the fort had to be, after a desperate struggle, surrendered, and the Americans lost just so many more of their best troops. Now, at last, the island was free from armed rebels, and there was no regular force of the enemy for many miles north of it ; but a num- ber of foraging bands or cavalry of both par- ties, were wandering through the country in all directions, and when these parties met there was apt to be more or less trouble. The first, and probably most tragic of these affairs occurred very soon after the events just related, or in the early winter of 1776. A party of Americans belonging to the army of General Charles Lee, which was still posted in the northern part of the county, came south as far as Ward's house (which is within the district we have attempted to describe), bent xrbe Sutrenficr of ff ort llClaebs ington 422 Xlbe **1Rcutral (3roun^" ■Cbc Sbooting of Captain Campbell upon forage. In this time-honored mansion they found much that was to their taste, and after a few bottles of their absent host's very good wine had circulated among them, the discipline of Captain Delavan relaxed, and the guards were allowed to join in the general merry-making. As night came on they be- came as reckless of their safety as though the country was in a state of profound peace, and they were enjoying themselves in the village inn. But the American foragers were not left long to enjoy their carousal. As the night advanced one or two of the more sober ones heard the distant sound of horses' hoofs, and at once tried to arouse their stupefied and sleepy com- panions, but without much success, while the tramp of many hoofs grew nearer and nearer, as the troopers galloped over the frozen ground. The jingling of the sabres and the word of command proved that they were soldiers, and before even those who were able had time to attempt either to defend themselves or to escape, the house was surrounded, and Cap- tain Campbell, who was in charge of the Royal Cavalry, (for such the horsemen proved to be), demanded the immediate surrender of the Americans. Delavan, seeing that resistance was hopeless in the existing condition of his men, immediately complied, and stepped for- ward to hand his sword to Campbell, when a Hbe ''IReutral (3roun&" 42: shot was fired' by one of the half-inebriated soldiers, and Campbell fell dead at the feet of the man whom only a second before he had considered his prisoner. This irresponsible act was nothing less, of course, than murder, as the terms of surrender had actually been agreed to, and the captured party would in all probability have been treated by Campbell as simple prisoners of war. This breach of faith, however, changed the entire aspect of things. The vilest passions of the British soldiers were aroused, and the only man with sufficient authority to control them was dead before their eyes. The fact that his life-blood was treacherously shed, served to justify almost any crime that might be com- mitted. It was hardly to be expected that they would take into consideration the intoxi- cated condition of the man, nor did they, but sprang forward, sabre in hand, and cut down the innocent and unfortunate Delavan first ; then they rushed into the house and took the lives of all whom they met, or, as the old farm- ers used to say, "stuck them like so many pigs." Some of the victims jumped from the windows, and were killed by those who re- mained outside to watch for them ; some tried to secrete themselves among barrels and rub- bish in the cellar, but were found and hacked to pieces. Not more than a half-dozen in all escaped to tell the story of this fearful night of ■Cbc Sbootin^ of Captain Campbell 424 Zbc *'1Rcutral GrouuD" Zbe Sfciimcr'e 1Rai^ upon an 016 Ibomcs stea6 the first year of the Republic. About twenty- five are known to have perished, and it would seem that Campbell was pretty well avenged. There are other incidents of the time handed down which are not so tragic ; we must now turn to an event less bloody but some- what more amusing. An old homestead, situ- ated not far from the scene just narrated, had not been deserted as were most of the houses in the vicinity. During the long, cold winter the occupants lived in constant fear of those marauders who subsisted by plundering the inhabitants, under cover of the pretended es- pousal of one cause or the other, the Skinners being the Continental robbers, while the Cow- boys claimed to be loyal to the King. They were both absolutely indifferent to the politics of the unfortunates whom they robbed. it was in January, 1777 ; the night had set in cold and forbidding ; a keen northwest wind had been blowing all day, and as the sun sank into heavy banks of clouds, the thermometer' almost touched the zero point. The snow creaked under the feet of the farmer as he returned to the house after attending to such cattle as the marauding parties had left him. Throwing his hat on a chair he remarked: "I hope those Skinners will leave us alone to-night ! " The darkness increased, and as the night wore on, all that could be heard was the roar Ubc '"IReutral Ground" 425 of the wind, as it drove the still drifting snow against the window-panes ; but a crackling fire burned in the ample fireplace, and all within was genial and comfortable, when — hark ! between the gusts of the winter wind could be heard the distant tramp of many feet. The farmer jumps up and rushes to the door to listen, — 710 there is no mistake, nearer and nearer come those ominous sounds, and soon a party of some fifteen men or more, can be seen advancing like spectres of the night. In a few moments they reach the house and enter without invitation. With small cere- mony, they make their business known, by demanding all the money and valuables to be handed over to them at once on pain of death. All are armed with the military muskets of the period, and the majority carry pistols and knives in addition, but, they have no other insignia of regular soldiers about them ex- cept cartridge boxes, belts, etc. They are, for the most part, dressed in the ordinary clothing of the common people of the country, with here and there a stolen military garment, made conspicuous by its incongruity. To their demand the owner of the house replies that he has no money, and is therefore unable to give it to them. The intruders reiterate their threats of instant death unless they get what they desire; but finding it useless to parley longer with the farmer, they leave a •Cbc -Shinnere 1Rai^ upon an Olti Ibomcs stead 426 XTbe **1Rcutral Grouu5 " Ubc Shinncrs 'tf\ai^ upon an 016 ■fljomcs stead couple of their number to guard him and his family, and proceed to search the house for themselves. After an absence of about half an hour, during which time all the upper rooms are thoroughly ransacked, the party return with very little booty and again threaten the unfortunate proprietor, who can only tell them just what he did before, that he has nothing to satisfy them; which answer is in all probability perfectly true, as previous visitors of the same kind had helped them- selves to everything worth carrying away on the premises. The Skinners, therefore — this particular band happened to be of that persuasion — thought, or at all events acted, as though all that was left for them to do was to carry out their threat of hanging the farmer. After warming themselves well before the great log fire, they obtained a rope and compelled him to leave his comfortable hearth and walk be- fore them into the cold winter night, with the pleasant prospect of being hanged from the first convenient tree. Silently they walked for a few moments, when the Skinners were much surprised by hearing their victim burst out laughing. They were curious as to the cause of his merriment, when he informed them that he was laughing because he thought it such a funny idea to suppose that hanging him would 1111 their pockets. This remark abe ''Beutral Ground" 427 set the robbers to thinking that there might be a little absurdity in what they were doing. After assuring themselves that he was not shamming in regard to having nothing, they let him return to his fireside, much to the sat- istaction of himself and family. In the morn- ing, he was not much astonished that his few remaining cattle were gone, but was, on the whole, glad to get off so easily. A similar visit occurred at the same mansion a few years later, but before the close of the war. A friend of the family spent the night at the house on his way north, and upon part- ing the next day left thirty pounds in coin in charge of the daughter of the farmer, think- ing perhaps that it would be less unsafe in her possession than on the highway. Be this as it may, everything was reasonably quiet around the place during the remainder of the day, but shortly after nightfall, a small party of Cowboys (for they were Cowboys this time) was observed approaching. The young woman immediately concealed the money about her person, and putting on a bold front prepared to receive them. Soon they entered, but instead of demanding valuables in a gen- eral way, they went immediately up to the girl and asked for the money that had been given her that morning. She, of course, de- nied that she had any, whereupon one of the marauders seized her and shook her so vio- H ipartie of Coves boss IDtsit tbc same Iftomes 6tea6 428 Xlbe **1Fleutral (Broun^" Zbe Uefferte' A)ansion lently that the bag of money fell upon the floor; the man instantly let go of her, picked up the gold and departed, followed by his companions. It was never known how they became acquainted with the fact that the money was in the house, but it was always suspected that one or more of the band must have been looking in the window when the young woman received it. It becomes unavoidable, in writing of the Revolutionary occurrences of this locality, to change the scenes constantly, as there was no connected campaign or regular army in the vicinity after Howe drove the Federalists from Chatterton Heights. There was only a series of events entirely independent of each other. Somewhat nearer Kingsbridge than the home- stead visited by the Skinners and the Cowboys, stood the Lefferts' mansion, which, unlike the other, was deserted by its proprietor, who, probably being a loyalist, had fled to the city. At all events he wrote a very queerly worded petition to Congress from New York City, which ran somewhat as follows: " To the Continental Congress &c. "Most Respected Sirs : "Will your Honorable Body grant a pass for my two children to leave my mansion in Westchester County, and proceed to meet me in New York City. The house above referred to is, or of late was, occupied by thirty men in the Colonial service, who have eaten all the horned cattle, sheep and pigs, and driven nigh unto death all the horses; tlbe *'1Reutral Ground" 429 and I now fear for my children confined in the house; and 1 would therefore humbly beseech your Honorable Body to grant a pass for the said children and such servants as may be deemed necessary to their safety in the present unsettled condition of the country. With the Greatest Respect Your Most Obedient and Humble Servant, " DiRCK Lefferts." Now, in reading this, the question that one naturally asks is, did he fear the children were to be eaten, or driven to death ? Again we change the scene. It was the dead of winter, and the snow lay thick upon the ground, when General Parsons collected a force of American troopers for a foraging ex- pedition into Morrisania. The party of a hundred or more,i