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 COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 
 
THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
Peter Stuyvesant tore the letter to pieces and stamped 
 upon it. 
 
 (See page 43.) 
 
THE STORY OF 
 
 THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 HISTORY OF NE[V YORK 
 TOLD IN STORY FORM 
 
 A SUPPLEMENTARY READING-BOOK FOR 
 GRAMMAR GRADES 
 
 V 
 
 BY 
 
 GERTRUDE VAN DUYN SOUTHWORTH 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 1902 
 
4RY Of 
 
 Hkcsivhd 
 
 W t902 
 
 .-VPIOHT ENTffV 
 
 Ct*SS'C^XXa No. 
 
 Copyright, 1902 
 By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 .PnljUnhitJ'Oi'jiiMt i'.rjtti 
 
DEDICATED 
 
 TO 
 
 MARCIA SHANKLAND ANDREWS 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The following pages have been written for 
 the boys and girls of the Empire State, and for 
 all others who are interested in the fascinating 
 story of New York from its early history to the 
 beginning of the twentieth century. 
 
 Only important points have been dealt with, 
 and only those events have been chosen which 
 are historically correct. 
 
 Innumerable incidents have been introduced 
 in an effort to make the narrative of facts 
 more pleasant reading. 
 
 The whole has been woven into a connected 
 story, and surely no more interesting material 
 for a narrative can be found than in the history 
 in which New York is so rich. 
 
 Gertrude Soijthworth. 
 
 vii 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 CHAPTER -. 
 
 I. The People of the Long House . . . • a 
 
 14 
 II.— Henry Hudson. . . • • • • • ^"^ 
 
 III.— Beginnings of New Netherlands .... 21 
 
 IV.— Peter Stuyvesant and the Dutch colonists . 29 
 
 V—New Netherlands under English rule . . 45 
 
 4Q 
 VI.— Colonial difficulties 
 
 VII.— Some English governors and Jacob Leisler . 55 
 .VIII.— Colonial life in the early part of the eight- 
 eenth CENTURY 
 
 70 
 IX.— The NEGRO plot " 
 
 X.— The French and Indian War .... 74 
 
 XL— A trip THROUGH THE COLONY IN 1765 ... 82 
 
 XIL— The Stamp Act 88 
 
 XIII. Taxation and colonial opposition ... 95 
 
 XIV.— Happenings in New York at the beginning of 
 
 the Revolution 102 
 
 XV. Campaign in the vicinity of New York . . 109 
 
 XVI. — Burgoyne's campaign 118 
 
 XVII. — Indian massacres 1^^ 
 
 XVIII. — Benedict Arnold 1'^' 
 
 XIX.— Close of the Revolution and the beginning of 
 
 THE republic ^^^ 
 
 XX.— New York after the Revolution . . .156 
 
 ix 
 
X THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XXI.— The War of 1812 171 
 
 XXII.— TuE Erie Canal .179 
 
 XXIIL— The civil war 183 
 
 XXIV. — Some developments during the nineteenth cen- 
 tury 191 
 
 XXV.— The Spanish War 201 
 
 XXVI, — In conclusion 205 
 
THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE 
 
 Ijst the year 1600 no white men were living 
 in the central part of what is now the Empire 
 State. At that time this land was occupied by 
 five tribes of Indians — the Mohawks, the Onei- 
 das, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Sene- 
 cas. For many, many years these tribes had 
 been at war with one another, and had been 
 constantly battling with other Indian nations. 
 As a result, the five tribes became so weakened 
 that each began to realize that greater strength 
 and fewer enemies were necessary for its pres- 
 ervation. But how was this to be accom- 
 plished ? About one hundred and fifty years 
 before the beginning of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury, according to an Indian legend, Hiawatha, 
 an Onondaga Indian, invited the members of 
 these five tribes to meet at a great council and 
 hear a plan he had to propose. 
 
 1 
 
THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 He is supposed to have addressed tlieiii 
 somewhat as follows : " Friends and Brothers : 
 Each of the tribes represented here has been 
 trying to defend itself, not only against the 
 other four nations invited to this council, but 
 also against a great and strong tribe \\ hich sur- 
 rounds us on every side. The Algonquins are 
 our common enemy. Alone, no 
 one of the nations of which you 
 are the h(iii(>re(l members can hope 
 to succeed long ^^ itli such a foe. 
 If we continue as we are now do- 
 ins;, five noble Indian tribes will 
 be wi})ed out of existence. But 
 suppose the five tribes here assem- 
 bled should smoke the pipe of 
 peace; should swear to ])rotect 
 one another ; to become, in fact, 
 one nation. AVould that nation 
 not be stronger than the hated 
 Algonquins ? Would not safety 
 lie in that union ? Brothers, this 
 is my plan : Let the tribes here 
 represented become one family and be known 
 as the ' Five Nations.' " 
 
 History does not tell whether Hiawatha's 
 words of council brought about a union of 
 these nations, but soon after his legendary ad- 
 
 Cahimot 
 or peact'-])ii)(>. 
 
THE PEOPLE OP THE LONG HOUSE 3 
 
 dress the five tribes formed themselves into the 
 Iroquois Confederacy. 
 
 In theii' wild life the Indians had roved 
 over many miles of land outside of what is 
 
 Long house of the Iroquois. 
 
 now New York State, and they still continued 
 to do so. They did, however, choose the Mo- 
 hawk Valley as the headquarters of the Five 
 Nations. Here they built their houses out of 
 logs and bark. Each house was about one 
 hundred feet long and fifteen or twenty feet 
 wide. There was a door at either end, and the 
 space along the sides was divided into a num- 
 ber of stall -like rooms. In each of these rooms 
 lived a family. Sometimes there were twenty 
 or more families in one house. Down the mid- 
 dle of the passage between the two rows of 
 rooms were several fire-pits where the cooking 
 was done, the smoke escaping through holes in 
 the roof. The food, and in fact ever}' thing the 
 families had, with the exception of weapons 
 and ornaments, was common property and 
 
4 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 c()iil<l be used by auy one liviug iu the house. 
 The ludiaiis called their crude buildings " Long 
 Houses," to distinguish them from the mere 
 huts and wigwams of other tribes. 
 
 AVhile the Five Nations were establishing 
 themselves along the Mohawk it dawned upon 
 
 them that their 
 fie: head quarters were 
 
 laid out some- 
 wliat after the 
 jtlan of their Long 
 Houses. Conse- 
 (juently they be- 
 gan speaking of 
 the land they oc- 
 cupied in the 
 terms they used 
 for their houses. 
 The M o h a w k 
 tribe, settling farthest east, was called the 
 "Keepers of the Eastern Door"; the Senecas, 
 at the west end of their tract of land, were the 
 "Keepers of the Western Door"; the Onon- 
 dagas, half- way between, were the " Tenders of 
 the Central Fire"; and the Five Nations be- 
 came the People of the Long House. 
 
 The first great chief of the Confederacy ^^ as 
 chosen from the Onondagas. His name was 
 
 Indian manner of broiling in 1585. 
 
THE PEOPLE OB" THE LONG HOUSE 5 
 
 Atotarlio. The story goes that at the time he 
 was chosen chief he was living alone in a 
 swamp, where his cnjjs and dishes wei"e made 
 of the skulls of his slain enemies. 
 
 Having agreed to live in peace with one 
 another, the Five Nations did all they could to 
 keep this part of their con- 
 tract. If by accident, or 
 otherwise, an Indian of one 
 tribe killed a mem- 
 ber of another, the 
 chiefs of the neu- 
 tral tribes me 
 
 Map of Iroquois land. 
 
 promptly and tried to prevent the injured 
 nation from sending out an avenger. If they 
 were successful, the slayer confessed to the 
 friends of his victim, asked their pardon, and 
 gave them one hundred yards of white wam- 
 pum as a peace offering providing the person 
 
THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Iiuliau's trap. 
 
 killed were a man. If a woman were slain, 
 
 two liiiiidi'ed yards were given. 
 
 When the Indians of those days were not 
 
 on the \var-path they speut their time hunt- 
 ing, hshiiig, and in build- 
 ing their homes. They 
 made moccasins of 
 deerskin, ai'nioi- of 
 twigs and hides, and 
 baskets and canoes of 
 bark. Having no tish- 
 hooks, such as are used 
 
 to-day, their fisli \vere caught by shooting them 
 
 with an arro\\ or on hooks of bone. They 
 
 made simple tra})s for 
 
 catcliing bear and 
 
 other game. During 
 
 the sununer fish and 
 
 game \vei-e plentiful, 
 
 but in the winter it 
 
 was more w^ork tlian 
 
 [)lay to kee]) a large 
 
 family su])plied \Nith 
 
 these necessities. 
 
 The women worked in the tields, besides 
 
 busying themselves Avith the pleasanter occu- 
 pations of making fur garments for Avinter 
 
 and caring for their children. They were 
 
 Caiiirlit in an Indian trap. 
 
THE PEOPLE OP THE LONG HOUSE 7 
 
 honored and respected and had a voice iu the 
 council. 
 
 Every able-bodied man was a warrior. If 
 any showed fear in battle he was forever dis- 
 graced. A warrior cut his hail* short except 
 on the very top of his head where he allowed 
 it to grow long. This long hair was called 
 
 -" m:-.;A.A^:,..,.w.,,...,,...;!.o..4i!..,,.-,..Jlflii„-i....,f .J . -., V.,. ,>.-.,. ..,.1...'. , , ,,,,, 
 
 -- ■ — _ -«>- 
 
 An Indian canoe. 
 
 a " scal2>lock." The '^ handle of hair " thus 
 remaining was a challenge to the enemy to 
 kill if possible, as it was always cut off with 
 the surrounding scalp to show the victor's 
 comrades the number of the enemy he had 
 slain. The warrior who returned to camp 
 with the greatest number of these trophies 
 hana-ins: from his belt was considered the 
 " bravest of the braves." 
 
 Oftentimes the Indians built huge Ijon- 
 fires, and calling all the tribe together, had 
 very noisy and merry dances. The young 
 Indians had contests to test their endurance, 
 and occasionally one of their number would 
 keep dancing round and round the fire until 
 he dropped from exhaustion. 
 
8 THE STOKY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 These early iuliabituuts of our State were 
 very superstitiou.s auil believed many strange 
 tilings. The}' had great fear of witches, and 
 believed a witch had the power to turn into a 
 fox and run swiftly away from her pursuer, 
 or into an ow 1 so as to lly out of harm's way. 
 They even thought a witch could turn at will 
 into a loc or stone which an enemy could not 
 tell from other logs or stones, and thus the 
 witch would escape injury. Then, too, the 
 People of the Long Hcmse believed in the 
 Pygmies, who \vere supposed to be little [)eo- 
 ])le from the far north where it was so cold 
 that they could not glow. These Pvgmies 
 were very good to human beings, and warned 
 them against the Great Buffaloes. The Great 
 Buffaloes were huge monsters lixing under the 
 ground, but appearing suddenly and devouring 
 all the j)eople of a settlement unless the Pyg- 
 mies found out their intentions in time to send 
 warning. 
 
 Heaven, to the Indian, meant a happy 
 hunting-ground where he could find all the 
 game he liked best, where the sun shone and 
 clear streams flowed, and where he would 
 always be warm and have ])lenty to eat. 
 An Tndian was buried with his weapons and 
 trinkets and with enouuh food to last on his 
 
THE PEOPLE OP THE LONG HOUSE 
 
 su]3posed journey to the Happy Hunting- 
 Ground. 
 
 The money used by the Indians consisted of 
 beads, wampum, and strips of leather adorned 
 with shells. These same materials were also 
 made into belts, necklaces, and other personal 
 ornaments, which were Avorn by both men and 
 
 (^=^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 w 
 
 6 
 
 Indian war-s()n<r. 
 
 women to show the wealth of the wearer. The 
 Indians did not write, but made a record of 
 important events by drawing a series of pic- 
 tures on a piece of skin or bark. 
 
 It was characteristic of the Indian that he 
 never forgot a favor. When his friendship 
 was once won he was a good friend for all time. 
 But the Indian — although a good friend — was 
 an equally bad enemy, and never forgot a wrong 
 to himself or his tribe. Often, for some very 
 

 10 TlIK STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 ,lvrU offense to a member of the Confederacy, 
 a messen^^er with a ^vamlmm belt was sent at 
 full speed thron-h the land of the Long House 
 tribes, and his connng was a sig- 
 nal that a council would take 
 place. This gathering of the 
 tril)es ^vas ahvays held at the 
 seat of the Onondagas. At the 
 council the great chiefs— advised 
 by all the warriors, and even by 
 tiie women— decided whether the 
 tribes should go to war. If war 
 was decided on, the warriors i.ainted 
 themselves a bright red and deco- 
 rated their heads with feathers, 
 tliose who had been victorious in 
 former V)attles being allowed to 
 ^^•ear eagles' feathers. Their wea- 
 nons were the bow and arrow, 
 the war-club and stone hatchet or 
 tomahawk. 
 
 The Indians were very sly, fi'e- 
 
 Hcntlv ereei>ing upon an unsiis- 
 
 peetino; enemy an.l killing huu 
 
 while he slept. The great major- • 
 
 ity of those taken i>risoners were 
 
 cruellv treate.1. Sometimes they were made to 
 
 pass between two rows of captors, each one oi 
 
 Waiuiniin l"'lt. 
 
THE PEOPLE OP THE LONG HOUSE 
 
 11 
 
 wliom beat tbem with a rod, amid wild yells 
 and screams. Again, their thumbs were cut oft", 
 their nails and finger -joints were 
 Inirned, and all the forms of tor- 
 ture the Indians could 
 devise were practised 
 upon their captives. 
 After the warriors were 
 tired of this sort of sport 
 the prisoners were tied to 
 stakes, and the Indian chil- 
 dren were allowed to throw 
 live coals and hot ashes at 
 them. Although the In- 
 dians inflicted these pun- 
 ishments on their prison- 
 ers, an Indian wlio was 
 taken captive never asked for quarter, but en- 
 dured in silence all the cruelties he was forced to 
 bear. Occasionally, when a prisoner had shown 
 marked bravery, he was not tortured, but was 
 adopted into a victorious tribe. A prisoner 
 might be claimed for adoption l)y a tribe even 
 at the very moment he was about to be put to 
 death, and from that time on would receive 
 only kindness and consideration from all mem- 
 bers of the Five Nations. 
 
 So these People of the Long House lived in 
 
 War-club. 
 
 Stone ax. 
 
12 
 
 THE STORY OF TITR KMI'IKE STATE 
 
 tills barbarous fasliion, waixino: almost contiinial 
 warfaie apiiiist otlun' Indian tribes. 
 
 In tlu' year H)()\) a Freiiclinian named Cliani- 
 ]>lain, who had been interested in ])lanting; a 
 French colony where Quebec now stands, was 
 })ersuaded by the Algouquins to join in an at- 
 tack on the Five Nations. Champlain and his 
 small force, together witli his Indian allies, 
 ascended the Sorel lliver in canoes to the lake 
 
 W^'^^^^^^7- 
 
 
 
 
 
 Detciit of the Iroquois. (Prom an old print.) 
 
 that now bears his name. On the night of July 
 29 they came n])on a war party of Tro(juois on 
 the Mest side of the lake. No fighting was 
 done until nioi-ning. At daybreak th<' Inxjuois 
 left the lude bari'icadcs thev had built the 
 
THE PEOPLE OP THE LONG HOLTSE IH. 
 
 iiiglit l)efore, and advanced slowly toward their 
 enemy. As Cliamplain and his soldiers had 
 guns, and the Iro(juois had only their usual 
 weapons, the great People of the Long House 
 fled before the first European invader, after 
 seeino; two of their three chiefs shot down. 
 
 Cliamplain made a great mistake in allying 
 himself in this attack with a tribe hostile to 
 the powerful Five Nations. It is true that 
 by doing so he strengthened the ties already 
 formed between the Algonquins and himself, 
 but the hatred the Irorpiois felt for this tribe 
 was 23romptly imparted to Cliamplain and the 
 French. And it is owing to their hatred that 
 the French never won a foothold in the terri- 
 tory of the People of the Long House. 
 
niAl^TEPt II 
 
 JIEX U Y II I- I) SON 
 
 Ciia:\iplatx h.-ul come from the north to the 
 laiul ol' the L'oqiiois in July, 1()09, and i'oiiiid 
 
 only liati-ed and 0])posi- 
 tion awaiting liini. On 
 September 3 of tliat 
 same year a little Dutch 
 vessel called the Half 
 Moon came sailing along 
 the coast from the south, 
 in search of a western 
 passage to India. 8he 
 rounded Sandy Hook, 
 and her captain, Plenry 
 Hudson, ordered the 
 anchor dr()])ped not fnr from Manhattan Island. 
 Several of the sailors went ashore. They found 
 themselves in a countrv "pleasant with grass 
 and t1o\vers and as goodly trees as ever they 
 had seen, and very sweet smells came from 
 them." Tliese sailors, unlike Cham])lain, came 
 
 14 
 
 ITciirv Hudson. 
 
HENRY HUDSON 15 
 
 with no recognized foe, and their bearing was 
 so friendly that the Indians who dwelt on Man- 
 hattan Island felt no fear. They were merely 
 filled with amazement at the " })ale-faced men/' 
 whom they half believed to have dropped from 
 the skies, ship and all. 
 
 When the sailors returned to the Half Moon 
 the Indians followed in their canoes, and ven- 
 tured out to get a nearer view of the "great 
 white bird," as they called the vessel with her 
 large flapping sails. Captain Hudson invited 
 the Indians to come aboard the ship, and during 
 the few days the Dutch vessel lay at anchor they 
 made several visits, bringing grapes, pumpkins, 
 and furs to trade for beads, knives, and such 
 other articles as the Dutch cared to give them. 
 
 For three days the sailors had come and 
 gone unmolested ; but on September 6, as one 
 of the small boats with a party of sailors was 
 returning to the ship from an exploring trip, 
 two Indian canoes came in siglit. The Indians 
 paddled rapidly to within shooting distance of 
 the sailors' boat, and opened fire mth their 
 bows and arrows. One sailor — John Colman — 
 was killed by an arrow shot through his throat. 
 His companions buried him on Sandy Hook, 
 and he is known to history as the first Euro- 
 pean killed on these waters. 
 
16 
 
 TJIK STORY OF TOR EiMPIRE STATE 
 
 Before long tlie Half Moon was again under 
 way, and with sails spread went slouly noi-th 
 followino; a Ijroad stream. Hudson and his 
 sailors were enthusiastic in their hopes that this 
 waterway would prove to be the passage to 
 India. 
 
 Sui-ely at no time of the year could this 
 En<J-lish captain on a Dutch slii]) have found 
 
 the surrounding coun- 
 try more beautiful 
 than in Septend)ei'. 
 It seemed as if Na- 
 ture had [)ut on lici' 
 fairest i-obe to wel- 
 come to this great 
 ; I'iver the man who was 
 to give it his name. Ex- 
 |»('ct;intly Hudson sailed 
 along, spied on from be- 
 hind rocks and bushes <»n 
 either shore by the Indians, 
 most of whom had never before seen a white 
 man. 
 
 Near the present site of Catskill several of 
 the natives ventured to come to the sliij) ^\ ith 
 Indian corn and tobacco, which they gladly ex- 
 changed for triHes. 
 
 At one ])lace Hudson Avas invited to go 
 
 Til." Half :\roon ill ti 
 Ihidsoii Kivci'. 
 
HENRY HUDSON 17 
 
 asliore and visit an Indian chief in liis home. 
 He accepted the invitation Avillingly, as he had 
 so far fonud the Indians very kindly disposed. 
 A great feast of pigeons and a roast dog was 
 prepared in his honor. As night drew on, 
 Hudson made the Indians understand that he 
 ^vished to return to his ship. By way of invi- 
 tation to remain until morning, the Indians 
 gathered together all the arrows in camp, broke 
 them, and threw them on the fii'e to show 
 Hudson he need have no fear. He thought 
 best, however, to return to the shi]) as the 
 Half Moon was to sail still farther north in the 
 morning. 
 
 Next she dropped anchor near the present 
 city of Alban}^ Here occurred an incident 
 which, although done in a s})irit of friendliness, 
 was the beginning of most serious trouble. 
 The Indians came to the Half Moon in larse 
 numbers to trade with and to visit the "great 
 white man." Hudson invited several of these 
 guests to drink some wine that he had brought 
 from Holland. The Indians had never drunk 
 anything of the sort, and before trying it they 
 smelled it and examined it suspiciously. When 
 they did taste the wine, they took several big 
 tastes and were delighted with the "tire water," 
 as they called it. Little did Henry Hudson 
 
*^f'''€V^'^*:.< 
 
HENRY HUDSON 19 
 
 suppose that that iirst driok of his " fire-water " 
 would teach the ludiaus to demand whisky 
 and wine in trade for fm-s from all the Euro- 
 peans who were to follow him, or that from this 
 little beginning would grow the Indians' desu'e 
 for drink. 
 
 While the Half Moon lay at anchor, Hudson 
 sent a boat's crew some distance farther up the 
 river, and great was his disappointment when 
 the sailors reported on their return that they 
 " found it to be at an end for shipping to go in." 
 As he had not discovered the long-sought pas- 
 sage to India, Hudson turned the little Half 
 Moon about and once more sailed the length of 
 the river. 
 
 The one object of his trip was still unat- 
 tained, and yet great results were to grow from 
 his failure. This visit of Hudson's was the 
 basis of the Dutch claim to one of the most 
 beautiful and fertile j^arts of the great continent 
 of America, and made the present State of New 
 York the headquarters of the early Dutch 
 settlers. 
 
 On October 4 he sailed out to sea never to 
 return to the home of his Indian friends. He 
 came once more to America, but still looking 
 for the western passage, went farther north and 
 gave his name to Hudson Bay. While trying 
 
20 TUE STUliV OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 to find some western outlet to this great body 
 of water liis sailors Ijeeame discouraged and dis- 
 heartened, and finally, binding Hudson hand 
 and foot, they put him atb'ift with his s(.>n in a 
 small boat, and notliing more \vas ever heard of 
 the great explorer Henry Hudson. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 BEGINNINGS OF NEW NETHEELANDS 
 
 The little Half Moou went back to Holland, 
 and when the Dutch heard the story of Hud- 
 son's discoveries and saw the rich furs the 
 sailors had bought, they began to wish that 
 they might see this new land, and especially 
 that they might bring home ship-loads of furs. 
 The more they thought about those furs the 
 more they wanted them. So the next year and 
 the next, and still the next, one ship after an- 
 other crossed the Atlantic to the land visited 
 by Hudson, each ship returning loaded ^vith 
 the goods for which it had come. 
 
 The Indians always received these fur 
 traders with joy, and bargained with them for 
 "fire-water" and other less harmful but much 
 coveted novelties. 
 
 In 1613 one of the Dutch trading vessels 
 was burned while lying off the island of Man- 
 hattan. As the Dutchmen who had left Hol- 
 land in this ship had no way of returning home, 
 3 31 
 
22 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 they made, with the lielp of the Indians, a few 
 rude huts in wliicli they lived while building a 
 new ship to replace the one burned. These 
 rude little huts were the beginnings of New^ 
 York (/ity. During all the time the Dutchmen 
 were at work on tlieir ship tlie Indians showed 
 them marked friendship and supplied them with 
 food and other necessities. 
 
 Not long afterward an adventurous Dutch- 
 man built a " strong house " or fort near where 
 
 
 
 Old Dutch fort or "stronsr house." 
 
 All)any now stands. The fort had but two 
 large guns and eleven small ones, and was gar- 
 risoned bv onlv ten men. However, it served 
 as a ti'.-idiiig post, .-iiid from tlicrc tlic Dutc-li 
 could trade witli the People of the Long House 
 
BEGINNINGS OF NEW NETHERLANDS' 23 
 
 and be visited and traded with in return., This 
 fort remained in good repair only three years. 
 Then a new one was built, and when it was 
 finished the Mohawks called a council and the 
 Dutch and Indians smoked the peace-pipe to- 
 gether. To make the compact more binding 
 they buried a tomahawk, the Dutch promising 
 to build a church over it so that it could never 
 be dug up. This very first agreement to keep 
 peace between white men and the Indians is 
 spoken of as the Treaty of Tawasentha. 
 
 Although trading vessels continued to go 
 back and forth, it was some time before any 
 marked changes took place in New Netherlands, 
 as the Dutch now called their possessions bor- 
 dering on the Hudson. During this time of 
 apparently little progress, there was being 
 formed in Holland a company of merchants 
 known as the Dutch West India Comj)any. In 
 their charter the Company agreed, aside from 
 their commercial interests, to do all in their 
 power to build up a Dutch colony and a Dutch 
 trade in New Netherlands. In i^eturn the Dutch 
 Government o:ave the Company the exclusive 
 right to all Dutch territory in America, and 
 j^ledged itself to defend the Company in case of 
 war. 
 
 At last, in 1623, ten years after those few 
 
24 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 liuts had been l)iiilt on Manhattan Island, the 
 West India Company sent out its first colonists. 
 There were only tliirty families, numbering one 
 
 hundred 
 West In- 
 vei'y few 
 on Man- 
 were sent 
 er, others 
 
 and ten in all. The 
 (Ha Company al]o\v(Ml 
 of them to remain 
 hattan Island. Some 
 up the Hudson Riv- 
 into \vli;it later be- 
 came Connecticut, 
 and the rest farther 
 south than our State 
 now extends. The colonists 
 found tlie country wild and 
 ^ rough, and it recpiired liard work 
 "^j" and brave hearts to build homes 
 and provide for the families. But 
 
 Si'ttluiiii'iil 
 or 1(523. 
 
 these men were determined. They 
 laid out farms, planted ci'ops, and 
 settled down to make the best of 
 w hat they had. Other colonists followed and 
 besfan their stfuo-jjrle with the niicultivated land. 
 Later horses, cattle, sheep, seeds, plows, and 
 other farming implements were sent from Hol- 
 land, and life became easier for the pioneers of 
 the Em]iire State. Consolers of the sick came. 
 They not only visited persons who wei'e ill, but 
 on Sundays read the Bible to those \\ho cnj-ed 
 
BEGINNINGS OP NEW NETHERLANDS 25 
 
 to bear. The readings ^vere held in old mills 
 or in other rude though convenient places of 
 meeting. 
 
 For the first few years the Dutch merely 
 helped themselves to the land, claiming it was 
 theirs by riglit of discovery. In 1626 Peter 
 Minuit was appointed governor of New Nether 
 lands by the West India Company, and was 
 sent to Manhattan to undertake the duties of 
 his office. Being an honest man, he decided 
 that the Indians were still the rightful owners 
 of the land. He therefore called together the 
 tribes wliicli had formerly occupied Manhattan, 
 and offered to buy the island from them. He 
 paid for the entire island beads, knives, and 
 rings to the value of twenty -four dollars. 
 
 As the island now belonged to the Com- 
 pany by right of purchase, the governor built a 
 fort to protect the Manhattan settlement from 
 invasion. From that time it became customary 
 to buy land from the Indians, and to build 
 rough forts for the defense of each settlement. 
 
 The treaty of peace with the Indians was 
 kept tolerably well, but occasionally trouble 
 arose. During the war between the Mohawks 
 and Mohegans, the Dutclnnan in charge of the 
 fort near the present site of Albau}^ was in- 
 duced by the Mohegans to join them in an at- 
 
26 THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 tack. This lie ])i'epared to do with six of Lis 
 men. The Moliawks surprised these allies, 
 however, before tliey were read}' to attack, and 
 the Dutch leadci- and tliree of his men were 
 killed. The Indians ate one of the men after 
 well roasting him. 
 
 At ancjther time a seMsh governor was the 
 cause of an outbreak. He tried to collect a 
 tribute of furs and corn from the Indians along 
 the Hudson, by claiming that the Dutch had 
 protected them from their enemies. Now these 
 were the same Indians who had jirovided food 
 for the white men ^^'llose ship liad l)een burned, 
 so of course this ungrateful demand for tribute 
 angered them, and they attacked and sw^ept out 
 of existence one of the Dutch settlements. 
 
 Again the peace was broken because a 
 beaver coat was stolen from a young Indian 
 while lie was driiddng "fire-water." In his 
 anger he kiUed a Dutchman who had nothing 
 to do witii the matte]', Ilis tribe offered to 
 pay the governor for the maiTs life, but the 
 govei'iior would not accept the peace-oifering. 
 Instead, he ordered two Indian villages at- 
 tacked, and men, women, and children were 
 murdered in their sleep. This injustice so 
 roused the Indians that for a time it looked as 
 if the settlers would be entirely swei)t from 
 
•2S THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 New Netliei'laiids. Finally peace was restored, 
 but for some time afterward tlie Iiidians at- 
 tacked single boat-loads on the river, stole furs, 
 and ]>laye(l treacbei'ous tricks on tlie Dutcli. 
 
 Many of the early settlers came chieHy to 
 trade. As they did not make permanent 
 homes in Ne^v Netherlands, the colony grevv^ 
 slowly, and the ])rospects for prosperous settle- 
 ments were so discouraging that tlie West India 
 Company saw that something must be done. 
 They devised the plan of offering sixteen miles 
 of land along some navigable Avater to any one 
 who within four yeai's w(»uhl agree to have 
 fifty persons settled on the grant. The men 
 who accepted these tracts were called patroons. 
 Each patroon also agreed to sujiport a minister 
 and a schoolmaster. Thus there was no excuse 
 for little Dutch children being either very 
 wicked or very ignorant. And so it happened 
 that the children of these early colonists grew 
 into men and women noted always for their 
 virtue, honesty, industry, an<l unswerving loy- 
 alty to what they believed to l)e right. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 PETER STUYVESANT AND THE DUTCH COLONISTS 
 
 It was a long voyage from Holland to 
 America in those days of sailing vessels. The 
 trip might be made in eight weeks if the winds 
 were favorable, but the winds were often con- 
 trary, the sea rough, and the time seemed very 
 long indeed before land appeared. Is it any 
 wonder, then, that when they finally landed on 
 Manhattan, many of the travel-tired newcomers 
 were quite content to settle on the island and 
 call it home ? Here was the seat of govern- 
 ment, and here naturally grew up a thriving 
 settlement. 
 
 Along the few irregularly laid-out streets 
 were built pretty little Dutch houses with their 
 gable ends of colored l)ricks toward the street. 
 Each roof had one weathercock, and often a 
 house was decorated with several. Before the 
 main door of these dwellings were poi'ches with 
 benches built along the sides, and in front of 
 many of the houses were gardens of bright-col- 
 
 29 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 31 
 
 ored flowers. In the winter the flowers were 
 gone, the porch was abandoned, and the family 
 gathered around the huge fireplace, or sat in 
 
 street in New Amsterrlam. 
 
 the deep window-seats contrastino; the bleak 
 outdoor view with the ruddy glow of the roar- 
 ing, crackling fire within. 
 
 Dutch windmills with their long sweeping 
 arms were scattered about the country. Those 
 built on hills were used to convey signals to 
 
32 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 (Tardiier's Island and other neighboring- settle- 
 ments. If two of the arms pointed dii'eetly up 
 and down and the mill door \vas shut, the set- 
 tlers knew it to 1)e the 
 sign of an ap})i'oaching 
 enemy. The arms in this 
 same position with the 
 door open meant some- 
 thing quite different, and 
 so a irreat number of siij- 
 nals could be conveyed 
 by simply changing the 
 direction of the 
 ^% ai'ijis an<l closincror 
 o|)ening the door. 
 
 In a place so 
 j)ul>lic that none 
 could fail to see 
 them stood tlie 
 stocks, pillory, and whi])]iing-])<)st. At almost 
 any time at least one of the three might be 
 found occupied by some offender of the ])ul)lic 
 peace. One man who stole six cabbages fi'om 
 a neighl^or was forced to stand day after day 
 in the jiillory with a cabbage on his head. If 
 a culprit was guilty of telling an untruth or 
 coiiimiftiug a theft, a large sign with the word 
 ''Liar'^ or "Thief ''was huuir about his neck. 
 
 v^^^S^'^m^^ 
 
 An old Dutch wiiidinill. 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 33 
 
 Many offenses were punished by hanging the 
 guilty person to the whipping-post by a girdle 
 about his waist. In this position he received 
 from the public whipper the number of lashes 
 fitted to his crime. It is easy to imagine that 
 the children lost few opportunities of ridiculing 
 the unfortunate victims who were made to suf- 
 fer in these conspicuous devices. 
 
 The stocks. 
 
 Each day was much like all other days in 
 this settlement on Manhattan Island, During 
 all ])ut the winter months the cowherd \vent 
 through the town at break of day, at each 
 
34 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 house blowing three loud bhists on his horn to 
 call the cows to follow liiiii to pasture, where he 
 
 Vfv 
 
 Tlic pillory. 
 
 cared for theiu all day. His horn also roused 
 the inmates of the house. Soon the fire ^\■as 
 burning in the great chininey, breakfast ^\•as 
 served, and the family ^vent about its daily 
 tasks. The men went either to wovV in the 
 fields, to fish or to trade with the Indians. 
 The children started for school, and the women 
 l)usie(l themselves making the family clothes or 
 cleaning the already clean house. At sunset 
 the cowherd's hoi-ii was heard again as he 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 35 
 
 drove liis charges home for the uight. Supper 
 brought the family together, and the short 
 eveniug was spent on the porch or in wander- 
 ing from house to house discussing the events 
 of the day with the neighbors. Often an 
 Indian would be seen smoking on one of the 
 porches in friendly talk with the man of the 
 
 Punishment of a drunkard. 
 
 house. At nine the curfew rang. The fire 
 was carefully covered with ashes. All lights 
 
36 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMI'IKK STATE 
 
 were put out, and every Dutcliman was in bed 
 — that is, every Dutclunan })ut one. All niiilit 
 lonu: the watchman walked the streets with a 
 strong staff, an hour-glass, a lantern, and a large 
 rattle. At each house he stopped, shook his 
 rattle to warn thieves he was near, called out 
 the time and the weathej*, and passed on. lie 
 was ou duty until dawn, when once more the 
 
 Ciilniiial fii'cplacf. 
 
 three blasts of the cowherd's horn awoke the 
 town to another day. 
 
 The dress of these Dutch settlers would 
 seem curious to the people of our time. The 
 men wore several jiairs of breeches at once. 
 This w^as quite easy to do as they were very 
 full, being drawn into a l)and at the knee. The 
 coat was decorated with lariit' brass buttons. 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 37 
 
 .F 
 
 Dutch country people of 
 old times. 
 
 Hii<»:h buckles were worn on the shoes. A 
 DutcLmau's bat was low in the crown and 
 veiy broad in the brim. 
 His long pipe was his con- 
 stant companion, and was 
 in use morning, noon, and 
 night. The women wore 
 several short skirts com- 
 ing just below the knees, 
 and very gay -colored stock- 
 ino;s. Each woman also 
 wore a large patchwork 
 
 pocket. A pair of scissors and a pincushion 
 
 hung by a ribbon from her belt. Her hair was 
 
 combed straight back from 
 
 her face and covered by a 
 
 close-fitting calico ca}). 
 
 A man was obliged to 
 supply himself with two 
 leather buckets, which were 
 hung in some convenient 
 place in the liouse. When 
 a fire-alarm was given he 
 caught up his buckets and 
 hurried to tlie fire, where 
 the people formed into two 
 lines extending from the burning building to 
 
 the nearest water. The buckets were filled and 
 4 
 
 Dutch women of old 
 times. 
 
38 
 
 TllK STOKV OF THE KiMl'lKE STATE 
 
 passed \i\) one line; tlie water was tLrowii on 
 tlie Hie, and the empty buckets were passed 
 
 
 
 
 ^t-.i^^^ 
 
 A bucket Iji'ifjiidc 
 at a fire. 
 
 ])a('k (low 11 tlie other line to he refilled. When 
 the fire was out, e.-u'li ni.iii picked out his own 
 buckets and took them home. 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 31) 
 
 The sclioo] master was a very busy man. 
 He not only taught the school, but added to 
 his income by digging graves, leading the choir, 
 and, in fact, by doing anything he was fitted 
 for, and possibly some things he was not. 
 
 The Dutch were the first European race to 
 bring African slaves to America. For many 
 years the slaves were owned by the Dutch 
 West India Company, who rented their services 
 to the settlers. Later they were sold at auc- 
 tion. 
 
 In two notable matters the Dutch deserved 
 nuich praise, and showed themselves to be far 
 more liberal and just than the settlers of some 
 of the other colonies. In the first place, no 
 innocent person Avas killed as a witch. Again, 
 relio:ious freedom existed in all the towns of 
 NcAv Netherlands. People of any creed or 
 from any country were made welcome. Con- 
 sequently, although Dutch customs prevailed, 
 all the settlers were by no means Dutch. 
 There were French and English as well, which 
 necessitated the laws being published in three 
 languages. 
 
 The great fete days of the Dutch were 
 New Year's and May Day. To them we also 
 oAve the yearly visit of Santa Claus, colored 
 Easter eggs, and St. Valentine's Day. 
 
40 THE STORY UK THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 In the year 1047, the 27tli of May was a 
 i:;ala-(lay. Ou that day the new governor — 
 i^eter Stuyvesaut — arrived from Ilolkuid. He 
 was the fourth 2:overnor sent bv the Dutch 
 West India ComjJany. The three who had 
 been recalled had (h)ne little for the colonists, 
 and had l)een self-willed, conceited, or tyran- 
 nical. Is it, tlien, to be wondered at that every 
 one turned out to welcome Peter Stuyvesant 
 ^vith a heart full of hope that at last the West 
 India Company had sent them a fail' and just 
 governor^ The entire population of the town 
 waited for an hour or more in the sun before 
 the governor appeared. When he finally came 
 he " strutted like a peacock " on his wooden 
 leg, an<l received tlie shouts of welcome in a 
 haughty and unbending manner. 
 
 In his first address Stuyvesant told the 
 settlers that he had '' come to govern them as 
 a father governs his children." Now a Dutch 
 father governed his children in ;i xciy severe 
 and sti-ict way, so this speech did not go far 
 toward reassuring the ]-)eople as to Peter 
 Stuyvesant's intentions. Undoubtedly his mo- 
 tives ^vere really the best in the world, but his 
 stern personal appearance, hot temper, and bull- 
 dog determination did much to offset in public 
 opinion all the good he did. 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 41 
 
 As soon as his wife and children were set- 
 tled Stuyvesant began his duties as he saw 
 them. First he repaired the fort and made 
 what improvements he could in the town ; 
 
 ^MSr 
 
 ■JTr-riTftr^- 
 
 
 ^^,\r^ 
 
 r\ 
 
 Wmmm'JE. 
 
 Stuyvesant's town house, erected in 1658. Afterward called the 
 White Hall. (Prom an old print in Valentine's Manual 
 for 1862.) 
 
 then he built a new and handsome house for 
 the governor to live in. Later, he undertook 
 in his headstrong way to su]ipress the sale of 
 liquor and firearms to the Indians, and when 
 his efforts were meeting with a measure of sue- 
 
42 THE STORY OK TIIK EMPIRE STATE 
 
 cess he imported a case of guns to sell the red 
 men for his own profit. 
 
 Up to the time of Peter Stuyvesant's arrival 
 the Dutch, settlement had l)een open to people 
 of all creeds, and each man had woi-shijied as 
 seemed best to him. But the new governor 
 was a Dutch Reformist and decided that the 
 Dutch Reform service alone should be held in 
 New Netherlands. lie threatened to fine any 
 [)reacher using another form of service five 
 Imndred dollars, and any one attending such a 
 service one hundred dollai's. lie imprisoned 
 and cruelly treated Quakers, and can-ied liis 
 ideas along this line to such an extreme that 
 the West India Company interfered. 
 
 The discontent of the settlers grew, and 
 from time to time ajijieals were sent to Hol- 
 land complaining of the arbitrary conduct of 
 the governor. And each ai)peal won some 
 small concessions which were ungraciously ac- 
 ce]ited by Stuyvesant. 
 
 He was called " Headstrong Peter," and 
 " Old Silver Leg." Surely it is not necessary 
 to say why the first of these names was given 
 him. The fact that his wooden leg was deco- 
 i'ate<l with silver bands was the cause of the 
 second. Many of his faults can 1)e attributed 
 to his devotion to the Company which lind sent 
 
PETER STUYVESANT AND DUTCH COLONISTS 43 
 
 liiui as governor to their colony. He certainly 
 did his best to further their interests and to 
 carry out all points of the contract between 
 them and himself. His manner was his mis- 
 fortune, and he was heartily disliked in his 
 official i30sition. However, in later years, when 
 he was no longer governor, he formed many 
 friendships with the very })ersons who failed to 
 assist him when he needed their support. 
 
 In 1664 an English fleet ap})eared in the 
 harbor. A letter was sent to Peter Stuyvesant 
 saying that if the Dutch would surrender to 
 the English, their jn-operty would be protected, 
 all their rights and customs would continue, 
 and many advantages would result. Peter 
 Stuyvesant tore the letter to pieces and stamped 
 upon it. But the settlers were in favor of sur- 
 rendering, and ^vhen he called for men to re- 
 pulse the English and hold the fort, none came 
 to his assistance. Many begged him to surren- 
 der. He sadly replied, " I would rather be 
 carried out dead than give up in this way." 
 But what could one poor governor do when all 
 the people of the town refused to support him ? 
 He finally very reluctantly signed a surrender, 
 and New Netherlands became British property. 
 The Dutch garrison were allowed to march out 
 with their arms, ^vith drums beating and colors 
 
44 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 flying. The surrender took place exactly fifty- 
 five years from the day Henry Hudson in his 
 Half Moon appeared before Manhattan Island. 
 Peter Stuyvesant went sorrowfully back to 
 Holland to rej)ort the surrender to the AVest 
 India ('ompany, and then returned to Manhat- 
 tan, where he lived an honored and useful citi- 
 zen until his death at eighty years of age. 
 
CHAPTER Y 
 
 NEW NETHERLANDS UNDEE ENGLISH JRULE 
 
 The victorious Englisli fleet had sailed under 
 the direction of James, the Duke of York, and 
 now in his honor the colony was renamed the 
 Province of New York ; the village of New 
 Amsterdam, on the Island of Manhattan, became 
 the City of New York, and the chief settlement 
 up the Hudson was called Albany, from another 
 of the duke's titles. The commander of the 
 fleet was appointed governor. He fulfilled all 
 the promises made the settlers by the English 
 when surrender was demanded, but for some 
 reason the colony did not prosper. Trade with 
 Holland was cut off. European wars prevented 
 many new settlers fi'om coming, and the colo- 
 nists grew as discontented under the English as 
 they had been under the Dutch. 
 
 One point of interest in the short English 
 rule was the establishment of the first ])ost 
 messengers between Boston and New York. A 
 locked box was placed in the office of the 
 
 45 
 
46 
 
 TIIR STORY OF THE EMI'IRK STATE 
 
 colonial secretary in New York in which all 
 the mail-matter iov l^oston was dropj^ed. About 
 once a month the messenger would oj^en this 
 
 box, take the mail, 
 and start for Bos- 
 ton on horseback. 
 
 Packhorses. 
 
 He found his way by followinii: a trail of blazed 
 trees. On his return the mail he l)i"ouiiht from 
 Boston was placed on a table, where it was well 
 thumbed by all who cared to examine it. And 
 from this simple beginning has grown our ex- 
 cellent system of post-office and mail deliveiy. 
 In 1()7H a Dutch fleet was cruising along 
 the shore of Vii'ginia capturing tobacco ships. 
 
NEW NETHERLANDS UNDER ENGLISH RULE 47 
 
 On one of the captured ships was a certain 
 Samuel Hopkins, who told the Dutch com- 
 mander some very interesting news. He said 
 the governor of New" York was away from the 
 city, that the garri- 
 son was very small 
 and the fort poor- 
 ly defended. As 
 this seemed to 
 promise a fair op- 
 portunity of recov- 
 ering the colony 
 from the English, 
 the Dutch fleet 
 sailed as rapidly as 
 possible along the 
 coast, headed for 
 New York harbor. 
 
 Captain Manning had been left in command 
 of the fort dui'ing the English governor's ab- 
 sence. When he saw the Dutch fleet entering 
 the harbor he called for volunteers, seized ])ro- 
 visions, and did all in his power to put the fort 
 in condition for defense. Instead of giving him 
 the aid he asked, the inhabitants spiked the 
 guns l)efore the City Hall and left Captain Man- 
 ning to face the Dutch wath only the small 
 garrison of English soldiers. In spite of this 
 
 A mail (aim i ol 
 
 tllC '<(.\LllttH lltll 
 
 ( Liitiin 
 
48 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 limited force lie bravely challenged the Dutch 
 to answer ^vhy they had come to disturb the 
 peace. The reply was, " We have come for our 
 own ;iii(l our own we will have.'" Six liundred 
 men landed and were joined by foui' hiuKhed 
 of the Dutch settlers. This foive was ])repar- 
 ing to attack the fort when the English flag was 
 lowered and Captain Manning agreed to sur- 
 render on condition the English soldiers be 
 allowed to marcli out as the Dutch had d(>ne, 
 with all the lumors of war. 
 
 Once moi'e the Dutch had ])ossession of the 
 fort, and all the towns of the colony welcomed 
 their return after the nine years (►f English rule. 
 Unfortunately there was no cable in those days 
 to cairy the good news to Holland. Before 
 woi'd reached there a treaty was entered into 
 between England and Holland by Avhicii 1I(»1- 
 land agreed to give up all claim to the colony 
 she then believed to be in the possession of the 
 EnL;:lisli. The treaty was signed six months 
 after the reca])ture of the colony, and again 
 New Netherlan<ls ])ecame English ju'operty, and 
 Dutch I'ule cauie to an end in America. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 COLONIAL DIFFICULTIES 
 
 While the Dutch settlers were struggling 
 to s^ain some voice in aft'airs under tlie ooverii- 
 ors of their province, colonists from other coun- 
 tries were coming to America. By the time 
 Peter Stuyvesant surrendered to the English, 
 Sir Walter Raleigh's colony of Virginia had 
 been established, also the colonies of Maryland, 
 North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Pil- 
 grims had come in the Mayflower to the barren 
 shores of what is now Massachusetts. And 
 they, with those who followed, had founded 
 colonies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New 
 Ham})shire, and Rhode Island. For the most 
 part the settlers of all these colonies were of 
 English biith. One other nation had sent out 
 colonists who had founded New Sweden on 
 the land that later became the State of Dela- 
 ware. 
 
 As soon as the Duke of York had posses- 
 sion of the Dutch colony he gave two of his 
 
 49 
 
50 TIIK STORY OF THE H:\iriKE STATE 
 
 frieuds a [)ortiuii of it which they named New 
 Jersey. 
 
 Some time after the second surrender of the 
 Dutch, a wealthy young Englishman named 
 William Penn bou<i;ht from Eni»:land's kiuii' a 
 ti'act of land which was called Penn's Woods, 
 or Pennsylvania. To this laud William Penn 
 hrought a persecuted religious sect known as 
 the Quakers, and established a colony for tlieni. 
 
 The country was large enough to allow each 
 of these colonies all the land it needed, and 
 each \\ as too much taken up with its own diffi- 
 culties to interfere to any great extent with the 
 affairs of its neighbors. Occasionally a question 
 had arisen as to just wdiere lay the border line 
 between Connecticut and New Netherlands, l)ut 
 this (juestion had been settled duiing the first 
 occupation by the English. The Swedes had 
 overlapped the country claimed by the West 
 India Company, and had been forced by Peter 
 Stuyvesant to surrender the nominal possession 
 of their colony though they continued to live in 
 their settlements. So, except for petty jealous- 
 ies, peace prevailed between the colonies south 
 of the St. Lawrence Kiver. 
 
 Just north of that river lay the French set- 
 tlement of New France. From the time of 
 Champlain's attack on the Irocpiois and his dis- 
 
COLONIAL DIFFICULTIES 51 
 
 CO very of Lake CLaiiiplaiii, the French bad 
 claimed the right to iuvade the Dutch province 
 at their pleasure. French missionaries had come 
 to the land of the Long House, and had under- 
 gone dreadful hardships and cruel torture at 
 the hands of the Indians for the double purpose 
 of converting the savages and of winning their 
 friendship for the French. But although many 
 of the missionaries had succeeded in making 
 converts, in establishing stations in the tenitory 
 of the Iroquois, and even, in some cases, in be- 
 ing adopted into one of the tribes, they could 
 not induce the Indians to live in continual peace 
 with the French. 
 
 The Indians persisted in appearing suddenly 
 before some small French settlement, in burning 
 the houses, killing the inmates, taking some 
 away as prisoners, and retreating as suddenly as 
 they had come. The poor French settlers lived 
 in constant dread of these attacks, and to pre- 
 vent them the French sent several expeditions 
 into the Indians' territoiy in the hope of putting 
 an end to the People of the Long House. But 
 the Indians were too sly. As the French force 
 would advance the Indians would retreat, burn- 
 ino; the corn and villa2:es behind them so that 
 the French found it hard to get food and would 
 finally go back home. Occasionally a peace 
 
52 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 was formed, but treachei-y od one side or the 
 other always led to its being broken. 
 
 The French had one governor who knew 
 how to get on with their enemy. This was 
 Count Frontenac. He would call the Indians 
 to a council, and there dance the war-dance with 
 
 
 
 ^ .^.f^-^^'f , 
 
 Illill.lll w.uf.iic 
 
 them, paintinii: 
 himself as they 
 did. He even learned to 
 imitate their savage whoop. 
 ^ - ' Through this ability to \vin 
 their hearts Count Frontenac might have done 
 nmch toward jmtting a sto]^ to tlie continual 
 fighting in New York, but a])out the time of 
 his becoming governor war broke out between 
 England and Fiance. And as war l)etween the 
 countries meant war between their colonies, the 
 
COLONIAL DIFFICULTIES 53 
 
 French Kins; decided that here was a chance 
 to take possession of the entire colony of New 
 York. He therefore sent Frontenac directions 
 to do all he could to drive the English, who 
 were then in possession, out of their province. 
 The People of the Long House held a great 
 council to decide which nation they should be- 
 friend. The council resulted in two of the 
 tribes siding with the French and three \vith 
 the English. 
 
 In the winter of 1690 Frontenac sent an 
 ai'niy against Schenectady, wliich was the most 
 westerly town of New York. Late at night, 
 after all the inhabitants were asleep, the gates 
 of the fortifications were opened and the Frencli 
 army noiselessly entered-. The to^v n was so far 
 from expecting such visitors that no sentinels 
 were on duty, except some snow-men put up 
 by the boys. So it was (j[uite simple for the 
 French to slip inside the stockade before 
 they were seen. Then, with a great yell, they 
 fell upon the settlers and killed sixty men, 
 women, and little children. Some few escaped 
 in their nii^ht-clothes, and went throusfh the 
 snow and cold to Albany, but their feet were 
 frozen in the attem|)t. The invaders burned 
 the town, and, taking as prisoners those of 
 the settlers they had not killed and who had 
 
TllH STOKV OF TIIK K.MriKK STATH 
 
 not esfuped, tliey liurried back to Moutreal on 
 snow-shoes. 
 
 Tlie next spring some of the English coh)- 
 nies joined in sending forces by hind and water 
 to attack the P^'rench, but nothing came of tlie 
 expedition. So it went on for 
 seven or eight years ; the Frencli 
 sending an occasional war party 
 against tlie Eni^lisli, and the Eno- 
 lisli sending an occasional war 
 [)arty against the French. Then 
 a peace was made between France 
 and England, and aljout tlie same 
 time Count Frontenac died, and 
 tlie P'reiich were dej)riv^ed of their 
 leader. 
 
 Nothing had been gained by 
 all the battles, and many lives 
 had ]>een lost. New France still lay entirely 
 north of the St, Lawrence, the People of the 
 Long House still held their own territory inde- 
 pendent of all newcomers, and New York was 
 still an Eno'li.'di colonv. 
 
 Snow-slioc: 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 SOME ENGLISH GOVERNORS AND JACOB LEISLER 
 
 The French invasions of the Indian terri- 
 tory threatened the province of New York and 
 required constant attention from the early Eng- 
 lish governors. Still, these men found plenty 
 of time to look out for the interests of the Duke 
 of York and for themselves. The colonists, too, 
 were much alarmed for fear the fio-htino- mio-ht 
 
 o o o 
 
 extend into their land, but their alarm did not 
 make them think the less of the few pri\dleges 
 they had won, or try with less energy to win 
 others. 
 
 The first governor to come from England 
 after the colony was signed away fi'om the 
 Dutch was Major Edmund Andros. He began 
 his term as governor by putting on trial poor 
 Captain Manning, who had been forced to sur- 
 render to the Dutch fleet. The captain was 
 charged with neglect of duty and cowardice, 
 and was taken in front of the City Hall and 
 publicly disgraced by having his sword broken 
 
 55 
 
THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 over liis head aud beiug pronounced unlit to till 
 any office of trust. At another time Major 
 Andros forced a man to stand one hour on tlie 
 whipping-post simply because the unfortunate 
 presented a list of griev- 
 ances signed by the pe<)j)le 
 of tlie town in wliicli he 
 lived. By such stern and 
 aibitrary acts Governor 
 Andros soon won tlie title 
 of Tyrant. He did little, 
 if anything, to lessen the 
 discontent of the settlers, 
 and after ten years he was 
 re-called. 
 
 Tlien came Thomas 
 Dongan. AV'liiU' he ^\as 
 governor several im[)oi-tant events took ])lace. 
 The Duke of York had l)een repeatedly told 
 tliat the coh)nists desii'ed to have a voice in 
 their own government. Tlien, too, he realized 
 that lie needed money to support the colony. 
 So he decided to make a bargain \\ ith tlie set- 
 tlers. He sent orders by Governor Dongan 
 that they were to have an Asseml)ly of not more 
 than seventeen members, chosen by the peo2)le. 
 The Assembly was to franic laws which were to 
 be considered bindinii' unless the duke himself 
 
SOME ENGLISH GOVERNORS AND JACOB LEISLER 57 
 
 disapproved of them. In return for this privi- 
 lege the colonists were to pay the public debts, 
 care for the soldiers, and maintain the govern- 
 ment. 
 
 And now the long-looked-for time had come 
 at last ! The New York colonists were to 
 make their own laws ! Enthusiasm was at its 
 height, and all waited expectantly to see what 
 this representative body of the colony would 
 do. The most important result was the framing 
 of a charter by which the colonists were to have 
 the right to vote, to worship in their own way 
 and to be tried by jur}^ All these privileges 
 were very important. But there was one other 
 point mentioned in this first charter drawn up 
 by American people which should be esjiecially 
 noted. This was based on the English law 
 that Englishmen should have the right to de- 
 cide, through their representatives in the House 
 of Commons, what taxes were to be imposed 
 upon them. The people of New York, being 
 allo\ved no representatives in tlie House of 
 Commons, claimed that they \'\'ere not to be 
 taxed without their consent. When the work 
 was completed the citizens of New York City 
 were called together by the ])lowing of trum- 
 pets, and the Dongan charter, as it was called, 
 was read to them in front of the City Hall. 
 
58 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 TJiere was general rejoicing, and tlie people 
 went lioine well pleased with the members of 
 the Assembly. To properly elect the members 
 of all future assemblies^ the pi'oviuce of New 
 ^'oik was now divi<le(l into ten counties. 
 
 IB: f S''Jj|«l .. :.-,.c>-.r'.. 
 
 » ^"', - 
 
 m 
 
 r^o " ' ' " R "'ii 
 
 u i.n; 
 
 
 ?!-! ^^r 
 
 
 First City Iliill. Eroeted 1642, takon down in 1700. (Fnmi an 
 old print in V.-dcntino's ^laniial for 1852.) 
 
 It seemed that the colonists had taken a 
 great step toward self-government. And so 
 they had. But their gain wms only tem])orary. 
 Two years later this Duke of Yoi'k became 
 King James II of England, and then he 
 promptly revoked the charter and refused to 
 allow the Assembly to mt^et. Next, he recalled 
 
SOME ENGLISH GOVERNORS AND JACOB LEISLER 59 
 
 the just and loyal Governor Dongan, and united 
 all the colonies north of Pennsylvania under 
 one governor. Major Andros was again sent 
 to America, this time as governor of the united 
 province. His headquarters were in Boston. 
 As it took so long in those days for news to be 
 sent or for a man to travel from place to place, 
 a lieutenant-governor was appointed in New 
 York to look after the King's interests while 
 the governor was away. 
 
 Over three years passed by under this new 
 order of thins-s, when suddenly stirrino: news 
 came from England. It was announced through- 
 out the colonies that James had acted in so 
 arbitrary a way that the English could not and 
 would not have him for their king ; that they 
 had invited William, Prince of Orange, to come 
 to England and rule in place of James, and that 
 James had fled. When the people of Boston 
 heard the news they seized Major Andros and 
 put him in prison, and, with no governor, the 
 united province came to an end. 
 
 The Prince of Oran2;e was a Dutchman, and 
 his becoming King William of England brought 
 joy to all the Dutch inhabitants of New York. 
 But the lieutenant-governor refused to believe 
 the report, and would not publicly proclaim 
 William as King. He sent to England asking 
 
00 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 for instructions. While waiting for these or- 
 ders his manner was so disagreeable that the 
 militia demanded that he give up the keys of 
 the fort. As he was afraid to stand up for his 
 rights, he surrendered the keys and sailed for 
 Enu'land. At this time there lived in the 
 colony a brave German named Jacol) Leisler. 
 He was captain of the militia comi^any which 
 demanded the keys, and when they were sur- 
 rendered the soldiers |)resented them to Leisler 
 and asked him to act as governor until the new 
 King should send a governor from England. 
 
 Leisler was the first colonist to hold the 
 |)ost of governor in Ne^v York. At once two 
 j)arties s})rang up — those wlio wanted him to be 
 governor, and those who did not. The anti- 
 Leisler party so roused his angei* by their bit- 
 ter and persistent op])osition that he im})ris- 
 oned two of their nund)er and kept them shut 
 up for thirteen months. This only added to 
 the strong feeluig against him. Still, in spite 
 of his enemies, he worked hard foi' the good 
 of the colony. He repaired the fort, built a 
 battery, and in ever^^ way gave evidence of his 
 earnest desire to carry on the government as it 
 had been managed under the English gov- 
 ernors. 
 
 The Prince of Orange, on IxH'oming King 
 
SOME ENGLISH GOVERNORS AND JACOB LEISLER 01 
 
 of England, appointed a governor for New 
 York, but he was so long in starting that 
 Leisler had filled his place for nearly two years 
 before he appeared. On the way across the 
 ocean some accident to the ship delayed him, 
 and a vessel bearing an English captain and 
 two companies of soldiers arrived at New York 
 some six months before the governor. The 
 vessel had hardly landed when Leisler's ene- 
 mies called upon the officer in charge and asked 
 him to take command until the King's repre- 
 sentative should arrive. The captain demanded 
 in a haughty way that Leisler surrender the 
 fort, although he refused to show any official 
 papers which entitled him to take command. 
 Leisler declined to surrender, saying he would 
 wait imtil he could give the fort to the man 
 sent by King William to receive it. However, 
 he offered quarters in the city to the soldiers 
 and their leader. LTrged on by Leisler's ene- 
 mies, the captain tried to take the fort by force, 
 and as Leisler defended it, men were killed on 
 both sides. 
 
 At length the governor arrived, and Leis- 
 ler promptly and Avillingly gave up the fort. 
 Still Leisler's enemies were not satisfied. They 
 succeeded in having him arrested, and did all 
 in their power to persuade the governor to 
 
62 THE STOHY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 have him killed on the charge of treason and 
 niiirder. This the governor refused to allow 
 until he should hear what the King wished. 
 All arguments failing, these bitter enemies en- 
 tered into a plot to secure the governor's signa- 
 ture to a death-warrant. He was invited to a 
 party where he was given so much wine tbat 
 he became drunk, and not realizing what he 
 was doing, he signed away the life of Jacob 
 Leisler. 
 
 On a dark, rainy Saturday morning in May, 
 1691, Leisler was led to the sc:dl'old and hanged. 
 His last words were a prayer that his ene- 
 mies might be forgiven. Leisler's property 
 was taken from his wife and cliildren, l)ut four 
 years after his death the })i'operty was n^stored, 
 and the Bi'itish Parliament voted that he should 
 be considered innocent of the crimes for wliich 
 he was killed. Jacob Leisler may have been a 
 usurper ; he may have been determined and 
 stern with those O])posed to him ; but surely 
 he Avas a man that no New York boy of to-day 
 need be ashamed to sj^enk of as a colonist of 
 the Empire State. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 COLONIAL LIFE ITNT THE EAELY PART OF THE 
 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 For fifty years after the death of Leisler 
 little of importance took place in the colony. 
 England went on sending governors, some of 
 whom worked for the welfare of the colony, 
 while others worked equally hard for their 
 own welfare regardless of the colony. And 
 under each of the governors the colonists 
 gained privileges that tended toward self-gov- 
 ernment. The good governors worked with 
 the people, helping them win these privileges, 
 while the had governors unintenti<^nally forced 
 them to demand new rights in self-defense. 
 The Assembly was restored ; the right to de- 
 cide what articles should be taxed was tempo- 
 rarily allowed, and step by step the peojde 
 gained power. 
 
 The cities gradually grew and were im- 
 proved. In 1 700 there were 20,000 inhabitants 
 in the colony. In New York City the dark, 
 
 63 
 
COLONIAL LIFE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 65 
 
 dreary streets of a few years before were now 
 lighted by lanterns. Every seventli house was 
 ordered to hang out a lantern, the six houses 
 between sharing the expense with the seventh. 
 If by any chance a lantern was forgotten the 
 person responsible w^as fined eighteen cents for 
 each offense. 
 
 Pains were taken to keep the streets clean. 
 On Fi'iday each citizen was ordered to sweep 
 all the dirt in front of his house into a single 
 heap. Then the cartman came, and the heaps 
 were shoveled into his cart. If the cartman 
 shoveled the dirt himself he was paid twelve 
 cents a load, but if the citizens did the shovel- 
 ing only half that 
 sum was given. Six 
 wells were dug in 
 the street to sup- 
 ply water in case 
 of fire. 
 
 A 
 
 newspaper 
 
 An early tiriiiting-press. 
 
 was started by the 
 
 first printer to settle 
 
 in the colony. This 
 
 paper was the size 
 
 of a sheet of foolscap, and was printed once a 
 
 week. Later a second paper — a rival of the 
 
 first — appeared. John Zenger, the editor of the 
 
QQ THE STOKV OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 second papei', criticized the governor in \ery 
 plain language, and was imprisoned for doing 
 so. His trial is a noted one, and, as he won, 
 it established the freedom of the press in- the 
 colony. 
 
 The social life was very simple, and all in- 
 formal gatherings broke up by eight or nine 
 o'clock. The arrival of a new governor was 
 always considered an occasion for rejoicing, 
 and the governor was welcomed with military 
 salutes and a good dinner. 
 
 The children of those days had a pretty 
 liard time compared witli the children of to- 
 day. They were brought up very strictly, 
 were obliged to treat their parents with ex- 
 aggerated respect, and the rules regarding their 
 outdoor play were very severely enforced. If 
 a child was found playing, running or shout- 
 ing on the street dui'ing service on Sunday, his 
 hat or coat was taken from him and not re- 
 turned until his parents paid a tine. Usually 
 the parents punished a child for causing them 
 this trouljle and expense. It was considered 
 scandalous for boys and gii'ls to slide down- 
 hill on the jmblic streets. In Albany a bill 
 was passed authorizing the police not oidy to 
 take away the sleds of sliding children, but to 
 break the sleds in i)ieces. It seems, howexer, 
 
COLONIAL LIFE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 07 
 
 tbat the boys, at least, managed to have some 
 fuu. There are records of the complaints of a 
 uight-watchman which state that the young- 
 sters hid behind trees and frightened him by 
 suddenly shouting out, " The Indians ! " Such 
 a cry would not worry a watchman of to-day, 
 but it carried terror to the heart at that time. 
 
 When the English came into power they 
 naturally wished English spoken in the schools 
 instead of Dutch. Here is the plan of one 
 schoolmaster' to accomplish this result : Each 
 mornina: he carried to school a bit of metal 
 which he gave to the first child he heard s})eak 
 a Dutch word. The child kept the metal imtil 
 some other child made the same mistake, when 
 it was passed to this second offender. So it 
 went from one little Dutchman to another all 
 day. At night the poor unfortunate that had 
 the metal was soundly whipped before leaving 
 the school. 
 
 During the fifty years from 1691 to 1741 a 
 man who is known to every boy in New York 
 State comes into the story of the colony. This 
 man is Captain Kidd. For some time pirate 
 ships had been so bold that they seized and 
 plundered vessels within sight of the port of 
 New York. The trade of the colony was 
 greatly endangered by these marauders, al- 
 
08 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 though it was claimed tliat many of the leading 
 men of the colony were in partnership with 
 tliciii. Finally, the King of England, the gov^- 
 ernor of New York, and several noblemen fitted 
 out a ship which was to sweep the rohbers 
 from the seas. The sliip was placed under the 
 command of Captain Kidd. He sailed aw ay to 
 put an end to pirates. For a while he met witli 
 marked success, but before long he ran up the 
 black flag on his own ship and became one of 
 the most noted i)irates of his day. Two years 
 from the time he started out he returned \vith 
 great treasures of gold, silver, and jewels. 
 These lie is supposed to have buried on Gard- 
 ner's Island, where they have often been dug 
 for since his death. From tliere he went to 
 Boston and ap])eared on tlie streets as if lie had 
 no idea he had done wi'ong. He was ai'rested, 
 tried, sent to London and lianged. 
 
 In the first lialf of the eighteenth century 
 the New York colonisfs l)egan pushing farthei' 
 west into the Indian tei-ritory and making set- 
 tlements there. The traders went back and 
 forth through the entire land of the People of 
 the Long House, and in \7'2-2 l)uilt a storehouse 
 on the present site of Oswego. 
 
 Ten years later an event took jdace which 
 was to make a great difference to all the Amer- 
 
COLONIxVL LIFE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 69 
 
 ican colonies. Way down in Virginia, on the 
 22d of February, 1732, an American was born. 
 He was to grow into a brave soldier and com- 
 mand the troops of the united colonies ; was to 
 develop into a true-hearted patriot, willing to 
 leave his home and risk his life in the service of 
 a young nation, and, later, he was to become a 
 wise statesman, known as the Father of his 
 Country, and the first President of the United 
 States. This was George Washington. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE NEGRO PLOT 
 
 Ever since the West India Company first 
 broiiglit negroes to tlieir colony as slaves, this 
 form of trade had l)eeu going on. At the be- 
 ginning of the eighteenth century nearly every 
 family of note liad one or more negro slaves. 
 They \vere used as house servants for the most 
 part ; were kindly treated, well clothed, and fed. 
 
 As a rule, the slav^es were well-behaved, and 
 history tells of no great misdemeanors on their 
 part. Still the colonists seem to liave had a 
 certain fear of them, and when in 1712 a New 
 York house was burned and a family of white 
 |)eo2)le was killed, tales began to s|)read of a 
 conspiracy among the negroes. The talk re- 
 sulted in nineteen negroes being punished by 
 death on susjncion. 
 
 Then new laws were made concerning slaves. 
 
 If a slave was seen out after dark ^vithout a 
 
 lighted lantern — by means of which track could 
 
 be kept of him — he was put in prison and his 
 70 
 
THE NEGRO PLOT 
 
 71 
 
 master fined. Whenever three 
 
 seen together the authorities were sure mischief 
 
 would come of it, and the person who discovered 
 
 them was permitted by law 
 
 to give them forty lashes 
 
 across the bare back. 
 
 And all the time more 
 and more slaves were being 
 imported, were being sold at 
 the slave market, and were 
 beino; taken into the homes 
 of the colonists. And all 
 the time the fear of a risino- 
 among the slaves was grow- 
 ing in the minds of the 
 people. 
 
 It is probable that this 
 fear was often talked of while 
 the ii relight cast dark shad- 
 ows, and the wind outside howled on the bitter 
 cold nights of a winter twenty-nine years after 
 the first supposed conspiracy. Be that as it 
 may, when the spring of 1741 came it found 
 the colonists ready to believe anything they 
 heard about the slaves. 
 
 During that spring there were several small 
 fires in New York within a few days. . Some 
 were undoubtedly due to accident. Others 
 
 Slave carrying lantern. 
 
72 
 
 THE STOKY UF THE EMl'lUE STATE 
 
 were possibly started l)\^ thieves for the sake 
 of plunder. However, the I'uiiior was about at 
 ouce that the negroes had riseu aud would burn 
 
 v-^-^^ 
 
 ^i^>i^^ 
 
 ExcitiriiT stories were told. 
 
 the city and kill the citizens. Many aiTests 
 were made. One hundred (h)]lars and freedom 
 were offered to any negro, and five hinidred 
 dollars to any white man, \\h»» would point out 
 
THE NEGRO PLOT 73 
 
 those who had started the fires. To gain these 
 rewards many wild stories were made up. 
 Certain prisoners who were offered freedom 
 for telling all they knew, also invented tales. 
 People became panic-stricken. Each one tried 
 to tell a bigger story than the one before. 
 One man went so far as to pretend that he 
 knew just what a negro had to do to become a 
 member of the conspiracy. 
 
 Excitement grew and terror prompted the 
 doing of many cruel acts. Nearly two hundred 
 slaves were arrested. Of these, seventy were 
 transported, eighteen were hanged, and thirteen 
 burned at the stake. Finally the people began 
 to regain their senses, but they reached this 
 point too late to save their colony from the 
 disgrace of having dealt unjustly with the de- 
 fenseless slaves. 
 
 The riot pointed out to many of the colonists 
 the disadvantages of slavery, and resulted to a 
 certain extent in the employment of free white 
 servants in the place of negro slaves. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 
 
 Twice since the death of Frontenac Eng- 
 land and France had been at war. The Ameri- 
 can colonies of these two countries had also 
 taken up the struggles, V)ut neither of them had 
 greatly affected the Province of New York. 
 
 At length the time came when the Virginia 
 colony claimed and undertook to settle a tract 
 of land on the Ohio River. The Virginians 
 found the French there before them. The 
 French looked upon and treated the English 
 colonists as intruders, so the governor of Vir- 
 ginia sent a letter to the Frencli on the Ohio, 
 stating his reason fol* claiming the land. He 
 chose George Washington as the bearer of the 
 letter. 
 
 At this time Washington Avas a land sur- 
 veyor, twenty-one years old. The joui-ney he 
 was to make covered more than a thousand 
 miles and lay through a dense wilderness. He 
 and his few companions followed Indian trails 
 
 74 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 75 
 
 wliich had never before been follo\ved by a 
 white man. They were obliged to swim 
 streams and overcome many difficulties, but at 
 last the French commander was reached. He 
 read the letter and replied that he knew noth- 
 ing about the English claim and would do all 
 in his power to drive every Englishman from 
 the banks of the Ohio. 
 
 Winter had now come. Still Washington 
 felt that he must carry the message back to 
 Virginia. He started. Soon the packhorses 
 gave out. Undaunted, Washington and one 
 faithful guide left their companions and con- 
 tinued the Journey on foot. The weather was 
 exceedingly cold, and dangers beset them on 
 every side. But the brave young men pushed 
 on, arrived home in safety and Washington 
 delivered the French commander's messao-e. 
 
 Then the English began to realize how the 
 French had been reaching out. Little by little 
 they had claimed new territory, fortified it, and 
 gone on until they had a line of nearly sixty 
 forts extending along the St. Lawrence, the 
 Wabash, and the Mississippi to the Gulf of 
 Mexico. Here were the English colonies shut 
 in between the French and the Atlantic Ocean. 
 And what was to j^revent the French fi'om 
 carrying out their threat to drive the English 
 
70 THE STOKY OP TllK K.Ml'IKE STATE 
 
 into the sea ? To discuss this great (juestioii, a 
 congress was called to meet at Albany on June 
 14, 1754. Representatives came from the four 
 New England colonies, from Pennsylvania, and 
 from Maryland. A plan for uniting the colo- 
 nies was proposed, but met with little favoi-. 
 The discussion led to no definite results. It 
 did, however, bring home to the colonists the 
 fact that war with the French would come 
 ])efore long, and that now was the time to 
 prepare. 
 
 The governor of New ^Oik proiii})tly set 
 about putting the ])rovince in condition to 
 \vithstand the storm. Money was raised for 
 defenses, and the Assem])ly authorized the en- 
 listment of men. 
 
 In February, 1755, General Rra(hlock and 
 a force of Eni»:lish soldiers l.iiidcd in America, 
 and this same year the war known as the 
 French and Indian War began. For three 
 years it seemed as if the French and tlieir In- 
 dian allies miii;ht succeed in defeatinu' the Eno;- 
 lish colonists. During these years, and in fact 
 during the entire war, a large part of the fight- 
 ing took place in New York. England sent 
 commanders and soldiers, but the commanders 
 were unused to tlie Indian m(»(h' ol* warfare, 
 and would not be advised by the colonists. 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 77 
 
 Attempt after attempt against the Freiu^li 
 failed, while only a very few succeeded. 
 
 The New York colonists were learninii; to 
 dislike the haughty English commanders who 
 refused to recognize the advantage of a long 
 experience with the Indians, and who rated 
 the highest provincial officers under the lowest 
 regular officer. Then, too, there were three 
 thousand English soldiers in the province, and 
 the commanders demanded that the citizens 
 should take these soldiers into theii' homes and 
 provide for them without being paid. This 
 could not but add to the growing dislike. On 
 one occasion the mayor of Albany said to the 
 English officers : " Go back again ; go back, for 
 we can defend our province ourselves." 
 
 In the fourth year of the war a New Eng- 
 land captain and a small force of Americans 
 asked permission to undertake an attack. It 
 was reluctantly granted. Captain Bradstreet 
 and his soldiers started at once and marched so 
 rapidly across New York that they had ap- 
 peared before the French Fort Frontenac on 
 Lake Ontario by the time the French could be 
 warned of their approach. The commander of 
 the fort sent to Montreal for reenforcements, 
 l)ut before help could arrive supplies gave out 
 and he was obliged to surrender. 
 
IS 
 
 THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Many lives liad been lost in unsuccessfnl 
 attempts to drive the French from tlieir strong- 
 holds, and even the campaigns in which the 
 English had been victorions had not been fol- 
 lowed nj), so this surrender without a blow to an 
 American force was of the utmost importance. 
 At last the formidal)le line of French forts was 
 l)i*oken. The French King had stopped send- 
 ing money or soldiers, and the French strength 
 lay in being able to keep open the connnu- 
 
 nication ])etween the 
 forts. This break in 
 the chain meant the 
 cutting off of all forts 
 in the west and south. 
 All that was now left 
 for the English to do 
 was to conquer the 
 Frencli in the St. Law- 
 rence region, and tlie 
 long struggle would l)e 
 over. 
 
 Enconraged by the 
 fall of Fort Fi'ontenae, 
 a systematic effort was made. Success folhnved 
 success. In September, 1759, the English Gen- 
 eral Wolfe conijuei-ed Quebec. Both General 
 AVolfe and the French conunander, Montcalm, 
 
 y^a^i^/i-^c^ /iytr^^ 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 
 
 79 
 
 were killed in tlie battle. As Wolfe lay 
 wounded he lieard the cry : " They run ! They 
 run ! " He asked which side was retreating, and 
 when told it was the French, he said : " Now 
 God be praised ; I will die 
 in peace." 
 
 About the same time 
 General Montcalm was told 
 that he would die, and he 
 exclaimed: "So much the 
 better. I shall not live to see 
 the surrender of Quebec." 
 
 The battle of Quebec 
 practically ended the war, 
 but it was not until 1763 
 that France formally signed 
 over to England all her possessions east of the 
 Mississippi and in Canada. She kept only two 
 small islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as a 
 refuge for her fishermen. 
 
 There was no longer any question of being 
 driven into the sea. The New York colonists 
 had now time to look over their province and 
 see what the war had done for them. They 
 found that they had learned to detest Eng- 
 lish officers ; that they had a debt of one and 
 a half million dollars ; that the enemy had 
 swept over their borders, and had burned and 
 
 (yfC^r^i&lh^ ^ 
 
80 Tim STORY OF THE E.MriRE STATE 
 
 ])illa2:e(l many farms and settlements. But 
 ^^()l'st of all, tbey found that many of the brave 
 men who had left their homes to tight for the 
 colony had not t'ome back. These were sad 
 facts for the colonists to face, and yet on the 
 other hand there were briirhter ])oints to con- 
 sider. It was true that many had been killed, 
 but even a gi'eater number had come home vic- 
 torious, and those who had returned now went 
 to work with a will to build up the land they 
 had fought for and learned to love. Then, the 
 New York soldiers had formed friendshi})s with 
 the settlers of other colonies and had found 
 that the cohmies could unite to defend their 
 land from a common foe. They felt a secuiity 
 never felt befort^ 
 
 The war had necessitated mucli marching 
 across the province, and on these long marches 
 the colonists had seen for the tirst time all 
 of the fertile and beautiful land about them. 
 Forts had been built, and towns soon l)egau 
 to grow up ar<mnd the foi'ts. Kome, Utica, 
 and Niagara were started in this way. 
 
 So it was that while the colonists lost much 
 by the French and Indian AVar, they gained 
 more than they lost. 
 
 This was not ti'ue of the Peo])le of the Long 
 House. They had fought and suffered with the 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 
 
 81 
 
 colonists, and now, in return, they saw tliese 
 same colonists taking possession of their land, 
 and realized that they had been used merely as 
 a defense for the homes of the intruding pale- 
 faces. A story is told of an Indian's efforts to 
 illustrate his views on this subject. He took a 
 pair of scissors, pointed to one blade, and said : 
 " This French." To the other, and said : " This 
 English." Then, putting a piece of cloth be- 
 tween the blades and cut- 
 ting the cloth in two, he 
 said : '' This Indian." 
 
 However, the Indians 
 had one powerful friend in 
 the colony. William John- 
 son had come to New York 
 some years before the war. 
 He had lived amono; the 
 Indians, had learned their 
 ways, and won their love. 
 During the war he had 
 fought loyally for the King, 
 was knighted. With the title of Sir William, 
 Johnson returned to the Mohawk Valley, bought 
 great tracts of land from his Indian fi-iends, 
 and became a most powerful peacemaker in all 
 disputes between the colonists and the People 
 of the Lono; House. 
 
 ^v/ 
 
 t- 
 
 Ik 
 
 / 
 
 As a reward he 
 
CIIAPTEIi XI 
 
 A TKIP TllKUUGll THE COLONY IN 1765 
 
 Colonial l)()ys were expected to make a 
 start in life at a mucli earlier age than the 
 young men of to-day. Tlieiv were not many 
 occupations to choose from, and when the time 
 came for a young man to stand on his own feet 
 he became either a farmer, a fisherman, a shop- 
 keeper or a fur trader. The life of a fur trader 
 was full of danger, and perha])s for that very 
 reason, this industry was the one usually se- 
 lected by a venturesome youth. 
 
 From his home in some small town along 
 the Mohawk such a youth would set out for 
 the Indian territory to buy his furs with a 
 package of beads and knives. Let us follow 
 him on his trij). 
 
 After two or three days' travel he comes to 
 some frontier settlement consisting of a few 
 scattered houses or cabins. No matter at which 
 of these he stops he is gladly welcomed and 
 treated with hospitality. IMany (piestions are 
 
 82 
 
A TRIP THROUGH THE COLONY IN 1765 83 
 
 . asked about the town from whicli he comes, 
 aud he is pressed to tell all the colonial news 
 he has heard as he traveled along. If he asks 
 questions in his turn he is quite sure to discover 
 that the reports of occasional visitors are the 
 only means by which the lonely settlers catch 
 a glimpse of town life. And as no one has 
 visited the settlement for some time, these 
 pioneers are naturally hungry to know some- 
 thing of their friends in different parts of the 
 colony. 
 
 When night comes on, the young traveler is 
 asked to stay until morning, and possibly the 
 ready invitation gains in cordiality if his host 
 sees that he is well armed. The fear of a sud- 
 den attack by the Indians is always in the mind 
 of the settler, and an armed man means added 
 strength to repulse any onslaught which might 
 come during the night. 
 
 In the morning the youth continues his 
 journey, and pushes on into the Indian terri- 
 tory, buying furs whenever a good bargain 
 offers until he has all that he can carry. With 
 his pack, he now sets out for Albany, where he 
 is to board a ship and sail down the Hudson to 
 New York, and there sell his goods at a great 
 profit. 
 
 While waiting for the ship to sail, the youth 
 
8-i 
 
 THE STUliY UK THE EMWKE STATE 
 
 looks about Albany. He finds it the very cen- 
 tei' of the fur trade. Eveu the dwellings have 
 storerooms for furs on tlie second fioor. The 
 people are simple and unaffected. They \\(»rk 
 hard, and all other interests are so swallowed 
 u[) in the making of their money and tlie 
 taking of their comfort that they never realize 
 how uneventful are their lives or how lackinii" 
 is the town in social divei'sions. 
 
 After a time the cargo is aboard, and our 
 youth starts on his first trip down the Hudson. 
 iSoon after leaving Albany the river flows 
 
 through the great 
 patroon estate of 
 the Van Rensselaers, 
 and the young trav- 
 eler looks with in- 
 terest at the manor- 
 house of this influ- 
 ential mend)erof the 
 cohmy. As he sails 
 along he passes other 
 patroon estates. 
 Possibly he is told 
 by a fellow passen- 
 ger liow the owners of these great tracts of 
 land keep many slaves, and have almost com- 
 plete power over every one living on theii' 
 
 S;iilin.g-ve:ssel on the Hudson. 
 Colonial period. 
 
A TRIP THROUGH THE COLONY IN 1765 85 
 
 estates ; Low tliey spend only the summers 
 here, going to New York for the winter ; and 
 how they do their best to create a gay society 
 in New York, copying all the customs of the 
 English court. Perhaps the fellow traveler's 
 father is a farmer on one of the estates, and he 
 gives an account of the rent days, when the 
 farmers j)ay their rents at some appointed 
 place, and then gather at the manor-house to 
 be feasted by the lord of the manor, as the 
 patroons are called. Or he describes the court 
 held on the estate once a year, where the 
 patroon metes out justice and punishes offenders 
 according to his own ideas of their deserts. 
 
 So the time is whiled away until the first 
 sight of New York appears in the distance, and 
 the youth's heart beats faster as he slowly ap- 
 proaches the renowned capital of the province. 
 Once ashore, he wanders along the uneven pave- 
 ments, which, it is said, give the citizens so pe- 
 culiar a walk that it is possible to recognize a 
 New Yorker by that alone. Having at last dis- 
 posed of his furs to his satisfaction, the trader 
 has time to look about him and observe the life 
 in New York. 
 
 There are four classes of society. The lords 
 and ladies of the manors and those persons in 
 high official positions compose the upper class. 
 
86 
 
 THE STOKY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 They dress in silks uiul velvets, and the iiieu 
 wear wigs and carry swords. A bi'oadcloth 
 coat with spreading skii'ts and Avide cult's slio\vs 
 the wearer to be a rich tradesman ; while the 
 
 People of New York in Colonial jicriod. 
 
 shopkeeper wears homes] )uii, and the Wdikiiian 
 is content to take his ])leasure in the leather 
 apron of his workaday life. 
 
 The pleasures, too, differ for tlie different 
 classes. The bewigged gentlemen and their 
 ladies attend balls and concerts, or have sleigli- 
 rides to some country tavern, or fishing parties 
 and picnics, according to the season. The work- 
 inoj classes have the fjood sense to close the 
 shops at an early hour and spend theii' evenings 
 in some simple pastimes. On the King's birth- 
 day or other holiday tliey crowd to the common 
 to watch the great bonfires, and take part in the 
 
A TRIP THROUGH THE COLONY IN 1765 87 
 
 feast prepared at the city's expense. During 
 the year there are exhibitions of fireworks, bull- 
 baiting contests, and a variety of other public 
 entertainments. 
 
 At the time of an election there is much 
 excitement and strong feeling. The candidates 
 give up all other business, and keep open house 
 for a week before the election. When that day 
 arrives the factions form themselves into bands, 
 and go from house to house demanding votes 
 for their representatives. 
 
 Party feeling is growing, and many young 
 men join the Whig club. This organization is 
 opposed to the government ; swears hatred to 
 kings, and drinks toasts to the liberal-minded 
 men of the times. In opposition is the Tory 
 party, stanch defenders of the King, consisting 
 of the English officials and the wealthy Dutch 
 merchants. Between these two extremes are the 
 people, desiring only peace, and never dreaming 
 of the possibility of breaking away from Brit- 
 ish rule. And working for the people's inter- 
 ests are a few clear thinkers, who are constantly 
 striving to uphold the rights of the province 
 and prevent the colonists from being taxed 
 against their will. 
 
ClfAPTErt XII 
 
 THE S T A M V A C T 
 
 All miii'lit liave irone well ^vitll the Enirlisli 
 colonies in America wlieu once the fear of tlie 
 French was taken away by the happy outcome 
 of the French and Indian War, had it not 
 been that iust as the fiii'litinii' was over Georo-e 
 III became King of England. Among the 
 possessions which came to him with the throne 
 were the colonies along the eastern coast of 
 America, AV^as it not natural that he should 
 inquire into their condition and ]iros])ects? He 
 I'oiuid that the colonies were rich in such valu- 
 able materials as lund)ei', iron, and furs; that 
 these materials were gradually being manufac- 
 tured into such forms as would make them of 
 use to the colonists, and that slii[)s were being 
 built which were sent to carry on with the 
 West Indies, France, and Spain a trade which 
 brought the colonists large sums of money. 
 
 It seemed to the King only right tliat the 
 
 colonies should, by sharing their profits with 
 88 
 
THE STAMP ACT 89 
 
 the mother coimtry, furnisli him enough money 
 for the salaries of his American governors, and 
 help pay the debt resulting from England's war 
 with France. To this end the King set about 
 trying to enforce what were known as the " Nav- 
 igation Acts." According to the requirements 
 of these acts the American colonies could trade 
 only with England and her possessions; all 
 commerce was to be carried on in English 
 ships ; and all materials were to be sent to Eng- 
 land, that English workmen might make them 
 into cloth, pots, kettles, chairs, tables, barrels, 
 wagons, and the like. As the colonists needed 
 these articles and w^ere not allowed to manu- 
 facture, it followed that the only course open 
 was to buy them from the English at the price 
 the English manufacturers saw fit to put on 
 them. 
 
 The cutting oif of trade with all but Eng- 
 land natui'ally did much toward putting an 
 end to business in the colonies. And as the 
 merchants saw no way out of their trouble they 
 began to smuggle goods and hide them in their 
 houses. To prevent the smuggling, " Writs of 
 Assistance " were sent out Avhich 2:ave Ensflish 
 officers the power to search any house where 
 they suspected goods might be concealed. The 
 officers ^vere insolent and rude. Still the col- 
 
90 
 
 THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STA'l'E 
 
 onists (lid no Tiiore than send appeal after a]v 
 peal to England, stating their wrongs, and re- 
 peating their claims for more generous treat- 
 ment. 
 
 In the spring of 1765 England attempted to 
 turn still more of the colonists' money into her 
 coffers by passing a law called the Stamj) Act. 
 Stamps were issued varying in value all the 
 way from three cents to thirty dollars. The 
 colonists were informed that 
 the hnv would be put in prac- 
 tise on the 1st of November, 
 1 765, and that after that date 
 if they wished to make a 
 will, take out an insurance 
 ])olicy or mortgage, get a nuir- 
 riage license, or do any busi- 
 ness requiring legal pa])ers, a 
 stamp of pro])er value must 
 be V)ought for each and every pa})er. All ad- 
 vertisements were subject to the Stain] > Act, 
 and before a man coidd read his news])ai)er he 
 nuist })ay for the stamp u})on it. 
 
 This was more than the colonists could en- 
 dure. Indignation ran high. The j^ipers 2)ul)- 
 lished articles questioning England's authority. 
 Men were seen talking excitedly in groups, or 
 parading the sti'cets with copies of ihe Stamp 
 
 A coloniiil stamp. 
 
THE STAMP ACT 91 
 
 Act headed with the words "The Folly of 
 England and the liuin of America." 
 
 An organization known as the Sons of Lib- 
 erty suggested that committees of correspond- 
 ence be ajjpointed in all the colonies. By 
 means of the letters sent back and forth be- 
 tween these committees, the colonies learned 
 that the feeling of revolt was general. Massa- 
 chusetts proposed that representatives of the 
 different colonies meet in New York to decide 
 upon a course of action. Nine of the thirteen 
 colonies sent representatives, and the four who 
 did not, expressed their concurrence in all that 
 the con2;ress should do. The meeting: was in 
 October.. During the two weeks that it lasted 
 the colonial representatives adopted a Declara- 
 tion of Rights, prepared for Parliament a plain 
 statement of the situation as they saw it, and 
 wrote a respectful petition to the King. 
 
 Aside from this united effort to better af- 
 fairs the people of the different colonies showed 
 their displeasure as best they could. In New 
 York the man aj^pointed as stamp distributor 
 became so frightened by the manifestations of 
 opposition in the city that he refused to receive 
 the stamps when they arrived from England. 
 The governoi' took them and locked the stamps 
 and himself in the fort. 
 
92 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Wlien November 1 daAvned — that day on 
 wliicli tlie act was to be put in foi'ce — it found 
 no l)usiness stn- in New York. All shops were 
 closetl ; all flags were at half-mast, and here and 
 there was posted a bill wliich read-^ 
 
 Vno PATRIA. 
 
 The first man that eithor (listri])utes or makes use 
 of stam})ed paper h't him take care of liis liouse, per- 
 son, and effects. 
 
 We dare. 
 
 As the day woi'e on, a pai'ty of incu marched 
 to the Bowling Green, erected a gaHows, and 
 lumg upon it a likeness of tlie governor and 
 another of England's ])rime minister. A second 
 band appeared ])efore tlie fort with an effigy of 
 the governor. These men demanded the stamps. 
 Being refused, they burst o])en the stables, 
 dragged out the governor's coach, placed the 
 effigy in it, and btirned both figure and conch. 
 Then off they went to the house of Major 
 James, an English officer who liad threatened 
 to "cram the stamps down the throats of the 
 ])eo])le with the end of his sword.'' To reward 
 the major for tliis speech his house was burned 
 to the ground. 
 
 Such ]»roc<'e(lings convinced the governor 
 that it would not be wise to try to force the 
 
A view of Bowline; Green at the lower end of Broadway in 1900. 
 In the foreground, where the excavations for the new Cus- 
 tom-ITouse are shown, is the site of Fort Amsterdam. 
 
THE STAMP ACT 93 
 
 Stamp Act, so he gave up tlie stamps to the 
 mayor of the city on condition that all that 
 were lost or destroyed should be paid for. 
 
 The real remedy for the trouble, however, 
 was brought about by the New York mer- 
 chants. They held a great meeting and pledged 
 themselves to buy no goods from England until 
 the Stamp Act should be removed. Of course 
 this step meant business ruin, but the mer- 
 chants were patriots and resolved to bravely 
 face personal disaster I'ather than see their 
 country submit to unjust taxation. The citi- 
 zens heartily agreed to do their part and give 
 up all luxuries that must come from England. 
 Orders for English goods were canceled, silks 
 and velvets were replaced by rough homespun, 
 and rich and [)oor alike settled down to make 
 the most of what their own country c<nild fur- 
 nish them. 
 
 The resolve of the Ne^v York merchants 
 was taken up by the merchants of the other 
 colonies, and English vessels found no one to 
 buy when they sailed into American ports 
 loaded with such goods as had always been 
 readily purchased at the Englishman's price. 
 
 The check thus put on England's trade was 
 felt at once, and the English merchants joined 
 their plea to that of the colonies for the repeal 
 
94 THE STORY (»F THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 of tlie hated IStainp Act. Finally, in May, 17()6, 
 came the news that the i'e[)eal was granted 
 Picture the i-ej<)icins»: ! Cannons tlumdered, 
 })ells rang, feasts were prepared, and bonfires 
 hlazed. 
 
 The Kinii" had conceded to the wish of his 
 colonies, and the cry of " Long live the King ! " 
 went u]) from every colony from New England 
 to Georgia. The King's birthday was observed 
 in New York with much ado that year. A lib- 
 ei'ty-[)()le was put uj) in the " fields,''' and later 
 in the sunnner it was voted to erect an eques- 
 trian statue to " His (Iracious Majesty, King 
 Geon-'e tlie Third." 
 
CHAPTEK XIII 
 
 TAXATION AND COLONIAL OPPOSITION 
 
 The colonists iiiight have known from ex- 
 perience that England was not the country to 
 quietly give up what she considered her light. 
 And so it j^roved. It was true that the Stamp 
 Act had been repealed, but with the repeal had 
 come unnoticed a declaration that England had 
 the right to " bind the colonies in all cases what- 
 soever." 
 
 The colonists had gained their point in the 
 repeal. England had had the last word by de- 
 claring her authority to do what she thought 
 best with her possessions. Here was a chance 
 for satisfaction on both sides, and for peace be- 
 t^veen the colonies and their mother country. 
 But the loyal celebration of the King's birthday 
 was hardly passed when new troul)le began. 
 
 From the time of the French and Indian 
 War a British army had been stationed in 
 America with headquarters in New York. No\v, 
 the governor made an unwelcome announcement 
 
 95 
 
96 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 to the New York Assembly. He said tluit lie 
 daily expected the arrival of more troops, and 
 that the Kiug required the colonists to sii])j)ly 
 (piarters, bedding, firewood, candles, soap, and 
 drink for the soldiers. The Assembly's rej^ly 
 was short. New York did not need more 
 soldiers, and therefore would not provide for 
 more. The King was t(dd of the refnsal to do 
 as he directed, and he promptly forbade the 
 New York Assend^ly to pass any law until it 
 cons(Mited to care for his soldiers. This was 
 bad ! 
 
 Soon worse news came. Duties were placed 
 upon paper, glass, tea, and painters' colors. In 
 this way England decided to show the colonists 
 that she meant what she had said about her 
 I'ight to tax them. At once the colonists set 
 out to let England know that they were as de- 
 teniiined as she \vas, and \vould not l)e taxed 
 without their consent. Once more American 
 merchants agreed to buy no British goods. 
 And again Elnglish ships came to America and 
 found no <me to take their cargoes. 
 
 The days which followed were not hajtpy 
 ones in New York. Business ruin threatened 
 the merchants. Tlie old inde])en(U'nt Assembly 
 was replaced by a new one wliicli Noted money 
 to quarter the unNvelcome so K Hers. 
 
TAXATION AND COLONIAL OPPOSITION 97 
 
 The soldiers themselves were insolent and 
 overbearing. From time to time they pulled 
 down the liberty-pole, but it was always put 
 up again by the Sons of Liberty. At length, 
 in January, 1770, a crowd of soldiers started 
 out at midnight, cut this symbol of liberty into 
 pieces, and piled them before the headquarters 
 of the Sons of Liberty. The people were so 
 angry that they held a meeting and resolved 
 that any soldier found on the streets at night 
 should be treated as an enemy of the city. A 
 few nights later a party of soldiers were caught 
 putting up bills which ridiculed the Sons of 
 Liberty. These soldiers were seized. As they 
 were being taken to the mayor other soldiers 
 appeared, and tried to rescue the offenders. 
 Then other Sons of Liberty came upon the 
 scene and a o-eneral fia-ht was the result. Here 
 was shed the first blood of the coming revolu- 
 tion. 
 
 In this same year (1770) word came that the 
 merchants had partially succeeded in forcing 
 England to give in. The duty was taken oif 
 glass, paper, and colors. But the tax on tea re- 
 mained. What was to be done ? Many of the 
 colonies thought that no goods of any sort 
 should be received until the duty ^vas removed 
 from tea as well. But these colonies had never 
 
08 
 
 THE STUKY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 carried on so extensive a trade as New" York. 
 CV>nse(|ueutly they had not suffered as sevei-ely 
 from the loss of their trade. In New Yoi'k it 
 was voted to receive all goods with the single 
 
 1 1 CIV was shed the first blood of the coming revolution. 
 
 ('xcej)ti(>n of tea. Letters were sent to tlie 
 other colonies telling of New York\s deci- 
 sion. In Boston tlie letter was scornfully torn 
 to bits. Students at l*rinceton l)ui-iied tlie 
 one sent them on their camjms ; and from Phil- 
 adel[)hia came the message, "Send us your old 
 liberty-pole, as you can have no fintlier use 
 for it.'' 
 
 Tlie Euii'lish tea l)usiness was at a standstill. 
 
TAXATION AND COLONIAL OPPOSITION 99 
 
 Aud yet England would not give up tliat one 
 little tax. In 1773 she took a step which 
 plainly showed how little she understood the 
 determination of her American colonies. It 
 was decided to so reduce the price of tea that, 
 even after paying the tax, the colonists would 
 still be giving less a pound than before the 
 duty was declared. England felt perfectly 
 sui'e that in this way she could sell her tea 
 without the colonists noticing the tax. She 
 was so very sure that great ship-loads were 
 sent to Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, and 
 New York. 
 
 Now it was not the price of the tea that 
 had bothered the colonists. They had said 
 they would not be taxed, and they meant it. 
 
 The first ship-load of tea to arrive entered 
 Boston harbor. There the citizens, dressed as 
 Indians, boarded the ship and threw three hun- 
 dred and forty-three chests of tea into the sea. 
 It was early the next year before the Nancy 
 appeared off Sandy Hook. She never reached 
 her dock. The captain was allowed to go 
 ashore alone, and while there he became so 
 fully convinced that it would be impossible to 
 land even one chest without serious trouble 
 that he wisely consented to return to England, 
 not attempting to find a market for the tea. 
 
 8 
 
loo THE STORY OF THK KMPIRK STATE 
 
 Pliihitlelpliia seut home in the same way the 
 sliip which came to her port. lu (yharlestoii 
 the tea Avas landed, but no one would hny a 
 siui^le ])(>und, and it finally spoik'd from being 
 stored in damp cellars. 
 
 England was amazed. Her next plan was 
 to subdue one colony at a time As Massachu- 
 setts had beeu the only oue to wilfully destroy 
 the tea, she was naturally the first to be pun- 
 ished. The port of Boston was closed; soldiers 
 were sent to enforce the Port Bill, as it was 
 called, and all business in Boston was stoi)[)ed. 
 The other colonies synij)athized with Massachu- 
 setts, and sent provisions and such necessities as 
 could be gathered together. 
 
 In Septendjer, 1774, the First Continental 
 Congress met in Philadel})hia. Eleven colonies 
 were re[)resented. They resolved that, ccmie 
 what might, they would stand by Massachusetts 
 in her trouble. 
 
 The Sons of Liberty called for a general 
 meeting, to take [)lace in the ''fields "of New 
 York on July (>. (Ireat crowds came. Alex- 
 ander Hamilton, a seventeen-year-old boy, was 
 one of those ^vho addressed the people. His 
 speech was so earnest, and so stirred the feel- 
 ings of his hearers, that they were inspired to 
 pass resolutions against the Boston Port Bill, 
 
TAXATION AND COLONIAL OPPOSITION lOl 
 
 and to raise sums of inouey for the sutierers in 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 However, New York still had the Assembly 
 which had voted, against the people's wish, to 
 care for the British soldiers. The Assembly also 
 refused to indorse the action taken by the Con- 
 tinental Congress. Owing to this stand taken 
 by New York's Assembly, the King came to be- 
 lieve that in case of further trouble in America, 
 New York would remain a loyal British prov- 
 ince. How little he appreciated what was in 
 the minds of the colonists ! In a few short 
 months he was to learn that the people of New 
 York could rise above their governor and theii' 
 Assembly, and could stand stanch and true 
 among the very first of the colonies in their 
 united struggle for liberty. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 HAPPENINGS IN NEW YOKK AT THE BEGINNING 
 OF THE KEVOLUTION 
 
 Apkil 22, in the year 1775, came on Sunday. 
 As usual the farmers from about New Yoi'k 
 rode into the city on horseback witli theii- wives 
 sitting behind them, Tliey had come to cluircli. 
 Along tlie streets quietly walked the peo2)le of 
 the city on their \vay to service. 
 
 Suddenly a great clatter was Ix'ard, and a 
 rider flew by at bi'eakneck s]ieed. As he ])assed 
 he called out: "The Massachusetts volunteers 
 have fought two battles with the l^ritish. To 
 arms!" Church was forgotten in an instant. 
 Crowds gathered at every corner. Almost be- 
 foi'e the flying horseman had disappeared the 
 New Yorkers were discussing the event and 
 telling each other that war with England had 
 come at last. It was evident that they intiMided 
 to take part in the conflict. Twcnly-foui- hours 
 later vohmteer c()m])anies coidd be seen forming 
 in tlie streets. Two sliij)-loads of })rovisions for 
 
 103 
 
AT THE BEGINNING OP THE REVOLUTION 103 
 
 the Britisli troops in Boston were seized before 
 they could leave New York harbor, and a letter 
 was sent to Boston pledging the help of New 
 York in the struggle. 
 
 In the present State of Vermont was a band 
 of men known as the Green Mountain Boys. 
 The band had been formed to prevent New 
 York from enforcing a claim to certain lands 
 east of Lake Champlain — the home of the Green 
 Mountain Boys. They had been declared out- 
 laws, and rewards had been offered for their 
 arrest. Now the news of war put an end to 
 all differences between the colonies, and the 
 Green Mountain Boys, with Ethan Allen as 
 their leader, prepared to do all in their power in 
 defense of provincial rights. 
 
 George III had ordered the forts at Ticon- 
 deroga and Crown Point garrisoned. Very 
 early on the morning of May 10 a great shout 
 awoke the English commander at Ticonderoga. 
 Imagine his amazement on seeing Ethan Allen 
 and his Green Mountain Boys drawn up on the 
 pai-ade-ground of his own fort ! They had come 
 in the night, surprised the sleepy sentinels, and 
 entered the fort without resistance. 
 
 On seeing the commander, Allen shouted, 
 "Come out here and surrender your garri- 
 
104 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 " By what authority ? " answered the eoui- 
 maiider, 
 
 " In the name of the Great Jehovah and the 
 Continental Congress," came tlie reply. 
 
 The garrison sur- 
 rendered. Crown 
 Point too ^vas taken 
 by these brave (rreen 
 Mountain Boys, 
 
 On the veiy day 
 Ticonderoga fell the 
 Continental Con- 
 gress met again in 
 Philadelphia. The 
 colonial I'epresenta- 
 tives had come to 
 
 question as to what 
 should be done now that fighting had actually 
 l)egun. It seems hardly ])ossi])le that even now 
 they should have considered themselves merely 
 in the light of Englisli subjects, but that was 
 the case. They felt the King's injustice and 
 they resented it, but that he was their King 
 and would continue to be their King they 
 nev^er questioned. After much discussion a 
 petition was drawn up telling the King once 
 more how his American subjects felt over the 
 
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION 105 
 
 injustice shown them, and again asking that 
 the grievances be removed. The petition was 
 approved by Congress. 
 
 Then the representatives j)lanned a course 
 to follow until the King's answer should 
 come. It was plain that if there was to be 
 fighting there must be some one at the head of 
 the troops who had sound common sense, who 
 was brave and loyal, and who would give the 
 country a whole-souled devotion. The repre- 
 sentatives had among them Just such a man. 
 When George Washington was proposed for 
 commander-in-chief of the Continental Army 
 there was not one voice i-aised against him. 
 He was unanimously elected. 
 
 All summer the representatives waited for 
 the answer to their petition. In October it 
 came. The King would not withdraw one of his 
 demands and ^vould accept nothing but submis- 
 sion and obedience from his American colonies. 
 Such a reply alone would have put an end to all 
 hope of peace. But as if this was not enough, 
 with the message came the news that George 
 III had hired German troops to cross the ocean 
 and subdue the rebellious colonies. Such ac- 
 tions forced the representatives to regard the 
 King as an enemy, and a very determined one at 
 that. 
 
10^ TIIR STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 At ouce a plan was afoot to drive the Brit- 
 ish from Canada before more troo]).s eonhl ar- 
 rive and reenforce the stronghokln tliere. Gen- 
 erals Schuyler and Montgomery of New York 
 \vere in command of the northern forts of our 
 State. To Montgomery was entrusted the Ca- 
 nadian campaign. He con([uered Montreal and 
 pushed on to join Benedict Arnold at Quebec. 
 A daring attack on that city was planned, but 
 in the seeming moment of success Montgomery 
 was shot down. His disheartened soldiei's were 
 soon driven back and the Canadian campaign of 
 1775 came to an end. 
 
 The year 1776 found Ne^v York in a most 
 unfortunate conditi(m. Failure to drive the Eng- 
 lish from the Canadian forts left the northern 
 frontier of New York open to invasion from that 
 direction. The Tory party, headed by the Eng- 
 lish governor, was doing all in its power to harm 
 the colonial cause. The friendly Indians of 
 former days had l)een influenced by the sons of 
 Sir William Johnson to side witli the English, 
 and tliey were only waitinu' for an o))])ortiiiiity 
 to swoop down upon the exposed settlements 
 of western New York. 
 
 In March came added trouble. Wasliington 
 had driven the Englisli under (Jciicral Howe 
 from Boston. Iiimiediatelv he sent word that 
 
AT THE BEGINNING OP THE REVOLUTION 107 
 
 New York would undoubtedly be their next 
 point of attack. At once the city began prep- 
 arations. Farmers formed into companies, pow- 
 der was made and fortifications were thrown up. 
 Washington came with his troops and the city 
 was turned into a veritable camp. 
 
 While the patriots were bending every energy 
 to build up the defenses of the city, the Tories 
 were doing their best to interrupt the work. 
 Tlie governor had deserted the city. From a 
 British ship in the harbor he now directed a 
 plot against Washington. A member of Wash- 
 ington's own Life Guard was bribed to kill him. 
 The guard, knowing that the commander-in- 
 chief was fond of green peas, poisoned a dish- 
 ful which was to be served to Washington. 
 Washington was warned by a faithful cook and 
 the plot came to nothing. The guard was hung. 
 
 As the months went by the idea of cutting 
 all ties with the mother country had gained favor 
 throughout the colonies. In the spring of 1776 
 the Continental Congress met at Philadelphia to 
 take the final step toward independence. Robert 
 R. Livingston of New York, ^vdth four others, 
 was appointed to draw up the Declaration of 
 Lidependence. On July 2 the paper was 
 finished and submitted to Congress. On the 
 4th of July, 1776, the Continental Congress of 
 
108 
 
 THE STOiiY OK TUK EMPIRE STATE 
 
 
 America adopted tlie Declaration of Indepeud- 
 euce. 
 
 Five days later the news I'eaclied New 
 York. It was received with the wildest joy. 
 A portrait of George III 
 was taken from the wall 
 of the City Hall, torn into 
 strips, and trampled under 
 f < )ot. T] le equestrian statue 
 put up after tlie repeal of 
 the Stamp Act was ])ulled 
 down and melted into bul- 
 lets to be shot at the King's 
 hired soldiers. The Dec- 
 laration Avas read to the 
 troo})s in A\'ashingtonV 
 cam]i, and the soldiers readied with shouts of 
 api)lause. Tliere could be no doubt, from the 
 reception given the Declaration of Inde])end- 
 ence, that New York had amimg her citizens 
 hundreds of jiatriots Avho were ready to sacri- 
 fice everything for the good of theii* country. 
 
CHAPTEK XV 
 
 CAMPAIGN IN THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 
 
 On July 12, General Howe's fleet appeared 
 off Staten Island as was expected. A flag of 
 truce was shown by the 
 English, and a messenger 
 bearing a letter came 
 ashore. The address read 
 " George Washington, Esq." 
 The title Es(piire did not 
 recognize Washington as 
 commander-in-chief, but 
 merely as a landholder and 
 citizen. Now Washington 
 did not wish to receive let- 
 ters from the King's repre- 
 sentatives except in his 
 oflicial position, so the mes- 
 senger was told that no person with that ad- 
 dress could be found in the camp. 
 
 " By what title should Washington be ad- 
 dressed ? " asked the messenger. 
 
 109 
 
110 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Tlie officer re2)lied, " Are you aware, sir, of 
 tlie rank of General Washington in our army ? " 
 There was nothing more to be said, and the 
 messenger went back to the English shi})s, 
 
 A week later another letter w^as sent. This 
 time tlie address read "George Washington, 
 Es(j., etc., etc." The bearer begged to see 
 Washington. An interview was granted. 
 
 When the letter was presented the messen- 
 ger exi)lained, " May it please your Excellency, 
 the et ceteras after your name mean everything." 
 "Indeed,*" replied Washington, smiling, 
 " they might mean any- 
 thing." 
 
 As he still refused to 
 accept the letter — believ- 
 ing he was not the one 
 to make terms — the mes- 
 senger told \vhat it con- 
 tained. "Lord Howe, 
 brother of General Ilowe, 
 is conmiissioned to state 
 that all persons wlio w ill 
 lay down their arms and 
 help restore peace be- 
 tween King George and his colonies shall be 
 graciously | )ardone(l," 
 
 Receiving no answer from Washington, 
 
CAMPAIGN IN THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 111 
 
 General Howe's representative asked, " What 
 message will you send Lord Howe ? " 
 
 " Nothing but my particular compliments," 
 said Washington. 
 
 The news of this attempt at reconciliation 
 was published throughout the countiy. One 
 true American voiced the general feeling by 
 saying : " No doubt we all need pardon from 
 Heaven, but the American who needs pardon 
 from his Britannic Majesty is yet to be found." 
 
 Nothing could now be expected but war. 
 In the bay was General Howe with his British 
 tieet and twenty -five thousand fully equipped 
 and well-trained men. They had crossed the 
 ocean to subdue the King's rebellious colonies 
 as quickly as possible. In New York city was 
 Washington with eighteen thousand raw re- 
 cruits, but these raw recruits possessed libei'ty- 
 loving hearts, and each was ready to spend a life- 
 time if necessary in driving away the disciplined 
 soldiers of George HI. How was it to be 
 done? That was the question confronting 
 "Washington during the month and a half in 
 which Howe waited in the harbor before be- 
 ginning his attack. To defeat the English with 
 such great advantage in their favor was impossi- 
 ble. All the American commander could hope 
 to do was to hold them where they were. To this 
 
112 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 end half liis force was scattered so as to garri- 
 son the various forts on Manhattan Island and 
 the points which lay most open to attack. The 
 
 ?ii;W YORK 
 
 AND VICINITY 
 
 177(; 
 
 .1 T L A A' TIC OCEAN 
 
 other nine thousand men were sent to Long 
 Island to occupy Brooklyn Heights. 
 
 When General Howe learned of the distri- 
 bution of Washington's army, he wisely de- 
 cided that all he needed to do was to destroy 
 one half of the little army, and the other half 
 would be more ready to listen to terms. Sure- 
 ly if he sent nearly all his troops against 
 
CAMPAIGN IN THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 113 
 
 Brooklyn Heiglits it would be a simple mat- 
 ter to force surrender at that point. This 
 he did. Twenty thousand British soldiers 
 landed on Long Island. There was nothing to 
 hinder an advance. The Americans were too 
 few in number, and the people of that neigh- 
 borhood were in sympathy with England. On 
 came the King's troops. August 27 was spent 
 in surrounding the two American outposts. 
 After stubborn lighting the brave officers in 
 command of one of these posts wei'e obliged to 
 surrender, and those in charge of the other 
 merely succeeded in lighting a way back to 
 Brooklyn Heights. 
 
 Howe had now but to capture the fortifica- 
 tions on the Heights. He gathered his troops 
 tosrether. Nis-ht had come on. The men were 
 tired after the day's long march and the fight- 
 ing, so all thought of attack was put olf until 
 morning, and the men slept. 
 
 In the evening Washington came by boat 
 from New York, and prepared the fortifica- 
 tions as best he could to withstand the coming 
 battle. More troops were brought from the 
 city until there were ten thousand men to face 
 England's twenty thousand. 
 
 To Washington's surpi'ise, he learned next 
 day that Howe thought discretion the better 
 
114 TIIK STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 part of valor, and that in ])lace of cliargiiiii- up 
 the hill and taking the woi'ks, he would be con- 
 tent to starve out his enemy by laying siege. 
 Here was danger indeed for the small and 
 poorly supplied force within the fortifications. 
 The English troops cut off all chance of ad- 
 vance, and at any hour the fleet might sail into 
 the ri\'er between the Heisrhts and New York, 
 making escape impossible. There was only one 
 thing to do. Trusty messengers were sent back 
 to New York to collect Ijoats of every kind 
 and descri[)tion that could be had. That night 
 the boats were brought to the Brooklyn side. 
 Then, when all was dark, began the (piiet, or- 
 derly, but difficult ferrying of the troops back 
 to New York. Trip after trip w^as made, until 
 men, cannon, ammunition, arms, and suj)plies 
 were all safely landed in New York. Last of 
 all, AVashington himself left the deserted forti- 
 fications on Brooklyn Heights. 
 
 The British had not heard a sound. A\'hcn 
 the sun rose, they were surprised to see no 
 signs of life where the busy Americans had 
 been the day before. They cliinbetl the hill to 
 learn the cause of the (juiet. Picture their sur- 
 prise on finding the works empty ! 
 
 Once more Lord Howe attem])ted to restore 
 peace, but, as before, England had nothing to 
 
CAMPAIGN IN THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 115 
 
 
 offer wliicli would take the place of the inde- 
 peudence daily growiug dearer to the American 
 heart. 
 
 On September 15, Lord Howe transferred 
 part of his army to New York. Washington 
 had stationed his army 
 alono; the Harlem liiver, 
 leaving a detachment nn- 
 der Putnam in the city. 
 How easy it would have 
 been for Howe to have 
 prevented Putnam and 
 his men from joining 
 Washington ! Doubtless 
 this would have been 
 done but for Mrs. Lind- 
 ley Murray. She invited 
 the English general and his officers to lunch 
 with her. By her gracious manner and good 
 cheer she kept them so well entertained that 
 Putnam and his command slipped quietly by 
 within half a mile and joined Washington in 
 safety. 
 
 Now came a hard-fought retreat. Wash- 
 ington attempted to make determined stands at 
 Fort Washington, White Plains, and other 
 posts along the lower Hudson. But owing to 
 
 the insubordination of officers and the fact that 
 9 
 
 ^^^-y^ ^^pC/nic, 
 
11(] 
 
 THE STUllY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 he was ol)lige(l to build up his army as lie weut 
 aloug, drilling, feeding, and caring for them as 
 best he could, he was unable to hold these 
 posts, and slowly drew back into New Jersey. 
 
 On one occasion during this retreat he par- 
 ticularly desired to know something of Howe's 
 
 plans. Kathan Hale, 
 a daring young Mas- 
 sachusetts captain, 
 twenty-one yeai's old, 
 vohniteered to Ining 
 him the information. 
 Disguised as a country 
 school-teacher, Nathan 
 Hale went into Con- 
 necticut. From there 
 he crossed to Long Is- 
 land and visited the 
 English camp at that 
 point. By looking 
 about and asking ques- 
 tions, he found out 
 what Wasliington 
 All went well. Hale was 
 on his way l)ack, and no one had recognized 
 him. As he was nearing the American lines a 
 Tory relative betrayed liim. He A\'as seized. 
 When taken before General Ho\ve he frankly 
 
 wished to know. 
 
CAMPAIGN IN THE VICINITY OP NEW YORK 117 
 
 admitted being au American officer. Howe 
 sentenced him to death. His request for a 
 Bible was refused, and his letter to his mother 
 was burned. The next morning he was led 
 out to be hanged. 
 
 Standing at the foot of the gallows he said, 
 " I only regret that I have but one life to give 
 to my country." 
 
 The close of 1776 found Washington's 
 troops discouraged and disheartened. The out- 
 look was dark. Then, on Christmas night, 
 Washington captured one thousand of the 
 King's hired Hessians and killed their leader 
 in the battle of Trenton. The effect was elec- 
 trical. The troops took heart ; patriotism was 
 rekindled, and General Howe came to realize 
 that it meant business if he were to succeed in 
 uprooting the idea of independence from the 
 American colonies. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 BURGOYNES CAMPAIGN 
 
 M()T{E tliaii two years had ])assed since the 
 Kiiiii"'s attein})t to subdue Massachusetts by 
 closino' lier |)oi'ts, and still the colonies were 
 holding their own, with no signs of accepting 
 the King's point of view. It was high time to 
 put an end to the struggle. The Englisli offi- 
 cials looked over the situation. They found 
 the New England colonies strong in their de- 
 termination to resist Englisli rule. The same 
 was true of the Southern colonies. New York 
 lay between, with her many Tories and disaf- 
 fected Indians. What would be sim])ler than 
 to send one foive up tlie Hudson from New 
 York city, and another from Canada down the 
 Hudson, to meet in Albany 'i Thus New Eng- 
 land would be separated from the southern 
 colonies, and surely, with the union broken, the 
 end of resistance would soon come. This plan 
 was ado])ted. 
 
 118 
 
BURGOYNE'S CAMPAIGN 
 
 119 
 
 General Burgoyne went to Canada and raised 
 a great army, ready to advance from the north. 
 So free from danger did the advance seem that 
 several of the officers allowed their wives to 
 accompany them, 
 in order to enjoy 
 the trip through 
 the State. 
 
 In New York, 
 General Howe 
 prepared to start 
 north when the 
 time should come 
 and take all tlie 
 American forts 
 along the river 
 between that city 
 and Albany. 
 
 To make as- 
 surance double 
 sure, a third force 
 under Colonel St, 
 Leger was to go 
 up the St. Law- 
 rence to Lake Ontario, and, landing at Oswego, 
 was to be joined by Tory sympathizers and 
 four tribes of Indians, These allies were to 
 take possession of the Mohawk Valley and join 
 
120 THE STORY OF THE EMPIIJE STATE 
 
 Burgoyne and Ho^ve at Albany. So much for 
 the English plan. 
 
 The first fort to be attacked was Ticonder- 
 oga. The Americans had done all in theii" 
 power to build up the defenses of the fort, but 
 when Burgoyne's army appeared on July 1, 
 1777, there were only three thousand men to 
 face the great British force. The three thousand 
 waited for the attack, relying on the strength 
 of tlie fort to offset the disadvantao-e in num 
 ber.s. The second of July ])assed, then the third 
 and fourth. Still the English made no move. 
 On the morning of tlie fifth the rising sun showed 
 the Americans a dismaying sight. Just south of 
 Ticonderoga rose a crag six hundred feet high, 
 and on the top of the crag were seen the red 
 coats of British soldiers and the glint of brass 
 cannon. In another day the cannon would be 
 in position to poui' a deadly fire right into the 
 fort, turning it into a mere death-trap. There 
 was no time to wonder how or when the Eng- 
 lish had clindjed the stee[) side of the crag. 
 The only hope was to get out, if possilde, with 
 out being seen. That night the American force 
 slipped away from the foit, and one week after 
 lea\ino: Ticonderoo-a they reached Fort Edward, 
 where they f(^und General Schuyler. 
 
 Burgoyne left part of his force to garrison 
 
BURGOYNB'S CAMPAIGN 
 
 121 
 
 the deserted fort, and advanced to the head of 
 Lake Champlain. His officers were so elated 
 over their easy victory 
 that they made wagers 
 on the nund^er of days 
 it would take to reach 
 Albany. Such exagger- 
 ated reports of the 
 affair were sent to 
 England that the King 
 rushed into the Queen's 
 apartment, Joyfully 
 shouting: " I h a v e 
 beaten them ! I have 
 beaten all the Ameri- 
 cans ! " But he had 
 not. Neither the King nor Burgoyne knew 
 the men they were trying to defeat, when they 
 supposed that victory for an hour meant vic- 
 tory for all time. 
 
 General Schuyler heard the news of Ticon- 
 deroga's fall while at Fort Edward. The sol- 
 diers at his disposal were about half the num- 
 ber under Burgoyne. There were not enough 
 to fight, but there were plenty to hinder the 
 English advance until the men of northern New 
 York could enlist to save their homes from de- 
 struction. At once Schuyler's troops went to 
 
 J^^<>^ '^'^^^^^^^'^byv^i.^ 
 
J 22 THE STORY OF TIIK EMPIRE STATE 
 
 work blocking the way by wliicli the Eiiiilisli 
 must travel the twenty miles between Lake 
 Champlain and Fort Edward, Trees ^vere 
 felled, streams were choked to make them 
 ovei-flow their banks, bridges were ch()])i)ed 
 d()^vn, and such roads as had been opened were 
 closed and made impassable. It took Burgoyne 
 twenty days to travel those twenty miles, and 
 when he reached Fort Edward at last he found 
 only an empty fort. Schuyler and his s(ddiers, 
 with all [)rovisi(ms, had retreated farther down 
 the Hudson. 
 
 Burgoyne's supplies Avere getting scarce. 
 He knew that the New England militia had 
 chosen Bennington, Vt., as a center of sup- 
 plies, and he thought it would be less trouble 
 to capture those provisions than to bring others 
 from Canada. Accordingly, he sent out a force 
 to seize the stores at Bennington. At once the 
 men of Vermont left tlieir homes and marched 
 to meet the British. They not only met the 
 invaders, but surrounded nnd ca])tni(Ml them. 
 
 Bui'goyne had not succeeded in getting the 
 Bennington supplies, and he had lost a part of 
 his army. Another part had been left at Ticon- 
 deroga. The American ranks were rapidly 
 being filled by recruits and troops sent by 
 Washiui^ton. No word at all came from Gen- 
 
BURGOYNE'S CAMPAIGN 123 
 
 eral Howe. Bnrgoyne's orders read to follow 
 the j)lan laid out, no matter what should hap- 
 pen. It was hard to know what to do. And 
 now came bad news of St. Leger's expedition. 
 
 St. Leger had landed at Oswego ; had found 
 there the promised Tory regiments and the In- 
 dian warriors of all the Iroquois tribes with 
 the exception of the Oneidas ; and, confident 
 of success, had started through the forests to 
 sweep all before him. His army soon reached 
 Fort Stanwix, the most westerly post of the 
 Americans. St. Leger called for an immediate 
 surrender. Receiving a point-blank refusal in 
 reply, he encamped about the fort and prepared 
 to starve out the small garrison. 
 
 There was in that part of the State a brave 
 old German patriot named Nicholas Herkimer. 
 He promptly called for men to follow him to 
 the relief of Fort Stanwix. Eight hundred 
 came, and this force set out. 
 
 As they marched along they were seen and 
 reported by St. Leger's spies. A band of Tories 
 and Indians lay in wait for them near Oriskany, 
 at a point where the patriots must pass through 
 a ravine. On the morning of August 6 the 
 ravine was reached. No sooner had Herkimer 
 and his men entered it than they were surprised 
 by a volley of shot from every side. Then 
 
124 
 
 THE STOKY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 down upon them rushed the howling Indians 
 and tlieir Tory allies. Caught in the tra}), the 
 jiatriots turned back to back, to fight while life 
 should last. Many of those who fought in that 
 desperate struggle found themselves staring 
 into the face (^f some old friend and neighbor 
 Avho had joined the Tories when the war began. 
 No choice was left but to kill or be killed. 
 
 Early in the fight Herkimer was shot through 
 the leg. He was lifted from his horse and 
 placed at the foot of a great 
 beech-tree. Sitting there, he 
 coolly lighted his pipe, and, 
 in spite of the whistling bul- 
 lets, directed and encouraged 
 his men. Suddenly in the 
 distance was heard the crack 
 of nuiskets. AVitli one shout 
 tlie Indians turned and made 
 foi' the forests. The Tories, 
 too, beat a hasty retreat, and 
 left the ravine to what re- 
 mained of Herkimer's little 
 band, who soiTowfully buried 
 tlieir two hundred dead, and, 
 taking their wounded comrades and tlieir 
 leader, went back the ^\ ay tlicy had cxmie. 
 
 The shots that had friirhtened the Indians 
 
 Herkimer's monuiuent 
 at Oriskuiiv. 
 
BURGOYNE'S CAMPAIGN 125 
 
 came from the muskets of tlie soldiers of Fort 
 Stanwix. A sortie had been ordered. With 
 23art of theii^ force at Oriskany, the remainder 
 of St. Leger's army could not stand their 
 ground, and had drawn back, leaving their 
 camp in the possession of the Americans, who 
 helped themselves to food, blankets, ammunition, 
 and five British flags, before again retreating to 
 the fort. Once more safe within the walls, the 
 soldiers raised the five captured flags, and over 
 these British banners appeared the first Ameri- 
 can flag with the stars and stripes. It had been 
 hastily made from a white shirt, an old blue 
 coat, and a red-flannel petticoat that belonged 
 to a soldier's mfe. But it showed the design 
 adopted two months before by Congress as the 
 flao* of the new nation. 
 
 The British returned to their camp and con- 
 tinued the siege. 
 
 Knowing the importance of keeping St. 
 Leger from joining Burgoyne, General Schuyler 
 called a meeting of army officers, and proposed 
 to send a detachment to the relief of Fort Stan- 
 wix. The officers opposed the plan. 
 
 Many of them did not like Schuyler, and 
 while the discussion was going on an unfriendly 
 officer said, in a loud whisper, " He only wants 
 to weaken the army." 
 
126 THE ST(,)11Y OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 "Enough," ci'ied Seliiiyler; "T assume the 
 whole responsibility. A\ liere is the brigadiei' 
 wlio will take command of the relief i " 
 
 Up jumped Benedict Arnold, saying: 
 " Washington sent me here to make myself 
 useful. I will go." 
 
 Twelve hundred men volunteered to follow 
 him, and the very next day the expedition was 
 off foi' Fort Stanwix. On the wa}' they came 
 uj)on two boys wlio were known to belong to 
 tlie Tory party now with St. Leger. At iirst 
 Arnold tlireatened to kill them as sj)ies, but 
 finally he made an agreement with the older 
 boy. The boy was to have his coat shot full of 
 bullet-holes. Then, in this same coat, he was 
 to rush into St. Legei''s camp, telling how he 
 had just escaped from an American army so 
 powerful that it could sweep all l)efore it. 
 The younger boy was to remain ^\ ith Arnold 
 until his brother returned with his mission 
 done, when both boys should be allowed to 
 go fi'ee. 
 
 The older boy did his ]iart so w ell, and told 
 such a terrifying story, that the Indians at once 
 took to their heels. No amount of threats or 
 promises could keep them fi-om i-ushing \\ ildly 
 away to disa})pear in tlie woods. The whole 
 camp was in a ])anic, and before many houi's St. 
 
BURGOYNE'S CAMPAIGN 127 
 
 Leger's entire army had iled, leaving all their 
 tents and stores to the Americans. 
 
 St. Leger and his British sokliers found their 
 way to Oswego, and from there went back to 
 McmtreaL The Mohawk Valley was safe, and 
 Arnold could turn l)ack and Join the American 
 forces at Bemis Heights, near Saratoga. 
 
 This was the news which reached Burgoyne 
 at Fort Edward. His position was becoming 
 worse every day. General Lincoln had raised 
 a large force of New England militia and had 
 closed in between Burgoyne and Canada, his 
 only source of supplies. He still hoped for 
 help from Howe, but it was not to come as 
 Howe had changed his plan and gone south, 
 leaving Clinton to meet Burgoyne. And Clin- 
 ton considered his part done when he sailed to 
 Kingston, burned tliat city to the ground, and 
 returned to New York. 
 
 Burgoyne was now intent on reaching Al- 
 bany. He advanced from Fort Edward and 
 attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on 
 September 19. All that afternoon the battle 
 lasted, and when darkness came neither side 
 could claim a victory. The Americans retreated 
 to their fortifications, and the British camped 
 on the battle-field. Then for over two weeks 
 the armies watched each other, waiting for a 
 
128 TlIK STORY OF THE EMniib: STATE 
 
 cliaiice to strike a fatal blow. During this time 
 Arnold was unjustly removed from Lis com- 
 mand, but he still remained in the American 
 fortifications. 
 
 On the moi-ning of October 7 Burgoyne de- 
 termined to make one more effort to open the 
 way to Albany. He ordered an attack. At 
 once the Americans came forward to meet his 
 troops and the fight began. Suddenly Arnold, 
 unable to idly watch the battle, jumi)ed on his 
 charger and dashed into the thickest of the 
 fight. He had no right there, since his command 
 had been taken away, Ijut when his old soldiers 
 saw him, a shout went up and they followed 
 where he led. On they ^^•ent, fighting harder 
 and harder until the British were fairly dri\en 
 into their camp and the battle was over. 
 
 Burgoyne fell back to Saratoga. He was 
 hemmed in on every side ; his earnest efforts to 
 reach Alljany had failed ; his supplies were cut 
 off', and his troops were in desjiair. There \vas 
 but one course left, and on October 17, 1777, 
 he and liis soldiers laid down their arms and 
 surrendered to the Americans. 
 
 The new^s spread far and near. Burgoyne 
 had surrendered, and what was to be the result? 
 To England and her troops it meant discourage- 
 ment, (ii'eat stores of arms and ammunition 
 
BUUaOYNE'S CAMPAIGN 129 
 
 bad fallen into tlie patriots' hands, and tlieir 
 clierislied plan for dividing tlie colonies had 
 failed. France learned with delight of her old 
 enemy's distress, and proiaptly sent congratu- 
 lations and offers of assistance to the brave new 
 nation which was stiTiggling for liberty against 
 so great a foe. In America all was joy. New 
 York had come out for the patriot cause in spite 
 of her many Tories. If the Americans could 
 whip one English army they could whip another. 
 New hope and determination sprang up, and 
 American independence became a probability 
 instead of a mere possibility. 
 
CHAPTER XYTI 
 
 INDIAN .MASS A C It E S 
 
 In 1778 the war was transferred to the 
 south, and many of the Northern States were 
 left untroubled. It was not so with New York. 
 Way out beyond her most westerly settlement 
 was a Britisli post at Fort Niagara, and there 
 the ragged ends of St. Leger's defeated army 
 gatliered themselves together. During the win- 
 ter follo\ving Burgoyue's oainpaign the Indians 
 and Tories grew more and moi'e bitter over 
 their defeat. By the spring of 177s the long- 
 ing for revenge had taken a great hold u|)on 
 them all, and a Tory, Walter Butler, and an 
 Indian, Joseph Brant, added fuel to tlie tire. 
 
 Scalping parties roamed the country. A 
 settler and his family just (lro})ping off* to sleep 
 would suddenly hear a blood-curdling howl 
 rise out of the stillness. Before they could get 
 out of their beds the Indians would be upon 
 them. No use to beg for mercy. These brutes 
 did not know what it meant. Soon a Ijlaze 
 
INDIAN MASSACRES 131 
 
 would spring up, a few cries would be beard 
 and tliat was all. By morning the smoking 
 ashes and scalpless bodies would be all that 
 was left to tell the tale. 
 
 Terror leigned throughout the settlements. 
 As no one man was safe, the farmers joined to- 
 gether and went about from farm to farm with 
 guns over their shoulders. Some stood guard 
 while the others did the required work. 
 
 In May, Brant and his band fell upon Spring- 
 field. Every house was burned to the ground. 
 June found him in the Schoharie Valley, burn- 
 ing, killing, and plundering. With the Indians 
 were Butler and the Tories. It seems strange 
 that any white man could be more cruel than a 
 savage, but so it proved. Joseph Brant led many 
 a raid, the details of which are too terrible to be 
 told, and yet he has left behind him records of 
 deeds of mercy done on these very raids. On 
 one occasion a baby was seized and carried off. 
 The mother ran after its captor, but could not 
 get the little one. Her grief was seen by 
 Brant, and two days later he returned the child. 
 Again, he saved a woman and her children by 
 claiming them as his prisoners and then leaving 
 them undisturbed. No such tales are found of 
 Butler. On the contrary, he once refused to 
 allow his friends to be warned of an attack 
 
 10 
 
132 THE STORY OF THE EMPIKE STATE 
 
 U230U their town for feai- that through them one 
 enemy might escape. 
 
 Hearing of the dreadful deeds going on 
 around them, the people of Cherry Valley ap- 
 plied for a fort. The fort was built, and Colo- 
 nel Alden came with troops to garrison it. 
 Many villagers from near-by towns moved to 
 Cherry Valley to be under its protection. 
 
 Sununer passed and nothing hap})ene(l. On 
 Noveudjer 6 Colonel Alden received a letter 
 telling him to be on his guard, as an attack on 
 Cherry Valley was planned. The people asked 
 permission to come into the fort and bring their 
 valuables. Colonel Alden assured them that 
 such a ste}) was unnecessary ; that the rei)ort 
 Mas oidy an Indian stoiy, and that he would 
 keep out scouts who Avould warn them in case 
 of real danger. The scouts were sent out, but 
 they did not come back. 
 
 All the night of the 10th the snow fell thick 
 and fast. The morning of the 1 1 th was dark and 
 misty. Through the haze the dreaded enemy 
 crept softly over the sn<nv witliout being either 
 seen or heard. Suddenly they appeai'ed. j\lany 
 of the frightened peo])le w^ere unable to get 
 away. Tories and Indians alike burned the 
 houses, killed whole families, and took as i)ris- 
 oners those that suited their fancy. Colonel 
 
INDIAN MASSACRES 133 
 
 Alden himself liad not time to reach the fort 
 and was scalped. Some few escaped into the 
 woods, where they hid in the first nook that 
 showed itself. All that day and night those 
 terror-stricken persons stayed in their hiding 
 places, hearing the yells of the savages as they 
 gloried in their vdctory, and often seeing them 
 come so near that one conld almost touch 
 them. 
 
 Having burned the town, the allies attacked 
 the fort, but without success. Then they went 
 away witli their prisoners and made no more 
 trouble until the next spring. 
 
 Early in 1779, fearing that the events of 
 the year Ijefore might be repeated, an expedi- 
 tion was sent against the Indians with the hope 
 of frightening them into peace. A force of 
 about six hundred started for the seat of the 
 Onondagas. Near the present city of Syracuse 
 they took the savages by surprise and destroyed 
 three of their villages. Instead of subduing the 
 Indians, the attack started them off again on 
 the war-path. 
 
 In the summer another and much larger ex- 
 pedition undertook to put an end to the Indian 
 raids. Tliis force marched into the territory of 
 the Iroquois, met the raiders near Elmira, and 
 defeated them. From there they went on, de- 
 
134: THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 stroyini^ and laying waste the Indian villages in 
 their path. 
 
 In a few days the expedition came to tlie 
 beantiful Genesee Valley. Here the Indians 
 had laid ont fai'nis, planted oi'chards, and built 
 houses which would have done credit to a 
 civilized race. In a fortnight all their work 
 was swept away. The trees were cut down, 
 the great fields of corn were ruined, and forty 
 Indian villages were biu'ned and the inhabitants 
 were driven into the forest to starve. For a 
 short time it seemed as if the Indians were 
 crushed. Soon they were up in arms again, and 
 now nothing could stoj) them. Dm-iiig the rest 
 of the war they swept back and forth through 
 the Mohawk Valley, spreading disaster and 
 leaving grief and ruin in their track. 
 
 In the s|)ring of 1779 Washington ordered a 
 fort ])uilt at Stony Point. Before it could be 
 finished Sir Henry Clinton, now in command of 
 the English troops, sailed u|) the rivei'and easily 
 took possession. lie comjdeted the fort and 
 left a force to gamson it. Stony Point was an 
 important jdace, as it commanded the river, and 
 it would never do to leave it in the hands of the 
 British. 
 
 Among Washington's generals was Anthony 
 Wayne, called " Mad Anthony " because of his 
 
INDIAN MASSACRES 
 
 135 
 
 reckless bravery. He was put in command of 
 twelve hundred men and at once set about re- 
 taking Stony Point. First, every dog in the 
 neighborhood was killed, as this was to be a 
 night attack, and one 
 bark mi^-ht ruin it all. 
 On the night of July 15 
 Wayne divided his force 
 into two columns. Bay- 
 onets were fixed and all 
 guns were unloaded so 
 that in the dark the col- 
 umns would not fire 
 upon each other by mis- 
 take. From opposite di- 
 rections they came nearer 
 
 and nearer the fort and G-'v^^^^^^^^^W^^^^ 
 were close upon the out- 
 works before they were discovered. In a mo- 
 ment the call " To arms ! " aroused the garrison 
 and bullets came whistling about the heads of 
 the Americans. Not once did they waver. 
 Over the ramparts they pressed, and before 
 many minutes the garrison had surrendered. 
 "Mad Anthony" lost fifteen men and took 
 five hundred and fifty - three prisoners. He 
 had the fort, but not men enough to keep it, 
 so, after removing all the stores, the works 
 
130) THE STOKV OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 were destroyed, and A\'a\"nt^ inarched away 
 again. 
 
 A few miles north of Stony Point the 
 Americans had Ituilt strong fortitications at 
 West Point, and here was soon to occni' one of 
 tlie most uni)ardonable events in the histoiy of 
 America. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 BENEDICT ARNOLD 
 
 The story of Beuedict Arnold is a sad one. 
 Born in Connecticut, he lived there much as 
 other young men of that time lived, until the 
 British troops entered Boston. Soon came the 
 call for men to defend theu* country from Eng- 
 lish tyranny. At once Arnold raised a company 
 of soldiers and led them to Cambridge. From 
 the time war was declared, Arnold was eager to 
 lead the most dangerous expeditions, and by his 
 fearless bravery and undaunted valor won the 
 friendshi]^ and admiration of Washington. 
 
 But Arnold, like many others, had another 
 side to his character. He was vain and con- 
 ceited, and had very little of that quality of a 
 true soldier which is expressed in the words, 
 
 " Theirs not to reason why. 
 Theirs but to do and die." 
 
 He not only reasoned why, but plainly 
 told his superior officers where he thought their 
 mistakes lay. His manner and the jealousy 
 
 137 
 
138 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 aroused by the praise be won brought liiin many 
 enemies. And owing to their influence, Con- 
 gress, early in 1777, passed him over in the 
 appointment of five new^ major-generals. 
 
 Ai'nold had a right to expect promotion 
 in reward for his work, and it was natural 
 that he should resent the 
 slight thus put upon him. 
 He felt hurt and angry, and 
 would have left the army 
 had it not been for Wash- 
 ington's entreaty to over- 
 look the matter. 
 
 Then came Burgoyne's 
 campaign, when Arnold's 
 diplomacy saved Fort 8tan- 
 wix and his daring won the 
 dav at Bemis IIeio:hts. Had 
 Arnold died while leading his l)rave chaige, his 
 name would have been saved from the blackest 
 stain in the records of American history. But 
 lie did not die. He ^vas, however, shot through 
 the leg, and the following summer, thinking 
 liiin not sufliciently recovered for active service, 
 Wasliington placed him in command at Phila- 
 delphia. Here further trouble awaited him. 
 His new position required tact, not bravery, 
 and tact was a quality which Arnold did not 
 
BENEDICT ARNOLD 139 
 
 have. Besides, Congress was iu session at Phila- 
 delphia, and after the slight which this body 
 had shown Arnold it was no wonder that he did 
 not feel altogether in accord with its members. 
 
 Disputes soon arose, and stories were cu^- 
 culated which put Arnold in a bad light. Some 
 said he lived beyond his means and ran in debt. 
 This was true. Others said he favored the 
 Tories. Certain it is he did favor at least 
 one. Miss Margaret Shippen was a Tory, and 
 Arnold loved her and became engaged to her. 
 At her home he heard Tory principles, and it is 
 quite possible that, lacking great depth of char- 
 acter, he allowed these principles to become his 
 own to some extent. 
 
 Be that as it may, Arnold quarreled more and 
 more with his fellow workers in command, and 
 finally in December resigned his })osition. He 
 left Philadelphia. Hardly was his back turned 
 when a bitter and powerful enemy brought 
 formal charges of misconduct against him, and 
 copies were sent to all the States. Arnold was 
 furious. He hurried back to Philadelphia and 
 demanded an investigation. A full year passed 
 before he was finally acquitted, and in that year 
 his anger grew and spread beyond all bounds, 
 and duty, countiy, and honor were all lost sight 
 of in injured pride. 
 
140 THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Impulsively, Arnold wrote Sir Henry Clin- 
 ton saying lie was an American officer who 
 might be persuaded to go over to the English 
 side. He signed his letter " Gustavus." Other 
 letters followed. Clinton's replies were written 
 under the name of " John Anderson." Fi'om 
 the correspondence grew the plot \vliich changed 
 an American officer into so false a traitor tluit 
 he is held up to the children of the land in 
 which he was born as a man whom his country 
 is ashamed to own. 
 
 The English held New York city, and above 
 all else they wanted to get possession of the 
 Hudson. But there lay the strong fortifications 
 at West Point which could not be passed. If 
 Clinton might only seize West Point ! There 
 was one way in which this could be done, and 
 Arnold agreed to make it possil)le. He pi'e- 
 sumed on Washington's friendship to ask for 
 the command of the coveted fortress. Still 
 trusting him and wishing to make up for wliat 
 had passed, Washington gladly put him in 
 cliarge. He took command in August, 1780, 
 and the ]^)lot began to develoj). 
 
 It was not safe or altogether satisfactory to 
 make the final arrangements by letter, so it Avas 
 planned that Clinton's adjutant-general, John 
 Andre, and Arnold sh(^uld meet. Andre was 
 
BENEDICT ARNOLD 
 
 141 
 
 a brave young officer, well educated, and full 
 worthy the trust which Clinton placed in him. 
 
 On September 20 Andre boarded the war- 
 ship Vulture and was carried up the Hudson. 
 The next night, when 
 all was dark and still, a 
 small boat ran alongside 
 the English ship and 
 Andre dropped quietly 
 into it and w^as ro^ved 
 away. The little boat 
 took him to a thicket 
 on the shore, and there 
 he found Arnold waiting. 
 All night they plotted 
 and planned. A large 
 part of the West Point 
 troops \vere to be sent away on some pretense, 
 and while they were gone a British fleet was to 
 sail up the river and easily capture the almost 
 deserted fort. Hiding there in the darkness, 
 Arnold explained every detail and gave to 
 Andi-e maps of the fort and papers hlled wdth 
 careful instructions. These papers Andre put 
 in the feet of his stockings. 
 
 Everything was now plain, but the night 
 had ffone and the frisjhtened boatmen would 
 not risk taking Andre back to the Vulture. 
 
 ^-^a^^r?^ *^^^c/7-<^ 
 
1-1:2 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 This did not matter. iVrnold knew a man in 
 whose house Andre miglit pass the day, and 
 \vhen niccht came ao:ain the man would row him 
 to liis ship. It seemed safe enough. Who 
 could have foreseen that the batteries across 
 the river would open fire and drive the Vul- 
 ture do\\Ti-stream ? But tliat is what lia[)- 
 pened. Still the conspirators believed that the 
 shij) would not go so far but that Andi'o could 
 reach her that night. Arnold wrote out passes 
 for both Andre and his host, Joshua Smith, 
 and went back to his foii, feeling sure that all 
 was well. 
 
 All that long day Andre waited. Niglit 
 came at last, and then Smith refused to take 
 Andre to the Vulture. If only his guest 
 would go back to Ne^v York by land Smith 
 knew there would l)e less danger Smith would 
 ride with him all night, and he should ^vear 
 Smith's clothes. But if he chose to go to his 
 ship, then he must find some one else to take 
 him. This was out of the question, and Andre 
 was obliged to return by land. At dusk he 
 and Sinith crossed the river and set out on the 
 long ride. The night passed without incident, 
 and early in the morning Aiuhv let Smith re- 
 tui'n liome to tell Arnold tliat he was nearing 
 the British lines in safety. 
 
BENEDICT ARNOLD 
 
 143 
 
 At that time the roads east of the Hudson 
 were overrun by two sets of robbers — the Cow- 
 boys and the Skinnei's — and on this very morn- 
 ing a party of young men belonging to the 
 
 The Smith house. 
 
 American army had come out to waylay a 
 certain Cowboy band. Andre was riding peace- 
 fully along, when suddenly three of the young 
 Americans sprang out of the bushes and ordered 
 him to halt. Andre drew up and looked at 
 them. Ah ! one had on the coat of a Hessian 
 soldier. He must be in sympathy with the 
 Eno-lish, 
 
144 THE STORY OF THE EMl'IKK STATE 
 
 ''Gentlemen, 1 hope you belong to our side," 
 said Andre. 
 
 "Which sidei!" asked the men. It was 
 hard to judge of the nationality of Smitli's old 
 clothes. 
 
 Still thinking that Hessian coat must hold 
 a friend, Andi'e boldly replied, " i am a British 
 otticei' on urgent business and hope you will not 
 detain me." 
 
 Detain him { Could he not tell that they 
 were Americans^ lie must dismount at once. 
 Arnold's pass would do no good. They would 
 search him. Nothing in the saddle. Nothing 
 in his coat or vest. IIow about the boots i 
 Andre objected, Ijut the three men would see 
 for themselves. And they did. Out came the 
 papers. That was the end. No money, no 
 threats, no promises, nothing could induce the 
 young Americans to release their prisoner. He 
 was taken up the river and handed over to 
 Colonel Jameson. This was on Sc])t('nd)er 25. 
 
 On the morning of the 25th, Arnold, his 
 young wife, and several officers were at break- 
 fast, when a messenger brought a letter from 
 Colonel Jameson. Arnold read the letter, put 
 it in his ])ocket, and rising from the table, said 
 that he was called across the river, but would 
 soon be back, as he expected Washington that 
 
BENEDICT ARNOLD 
 
 145 
 
 Mrs. Arnold followed him from the 
 room. He hurriedly told her that Jameson's 
 letter brought news of Andre's capture ; that 
 as yet he was unsuspected ; and that he must 
 fly at once. Out he rushed and made all speed 
 for the river. Once there, he ordered some 
 boatmen to row him rapidly down-stream t(^ 
 the Vulture, \\hich was still lying at anchor 
 waiting for Andre. With Arnold aboard, the 
 ship started for New York, and the next morn- 
 ing Arnold was safe within the British forts. 
 
 Washington reached Arnold's home shortly 
 after the traitor left. He waited for his host to 
 
 Arnold's headquarters, opposite West Point. 
 
 return, having no idea but that he would surely 
 come. In the afternoon another letter from 
 Jameson arrived, and with this one came the 
 papers taken from Andre. Washington read 
 the letter, looked over the papers, and then, as 
 
140 TJIE STORY OF THE K.MI'IRE STATE 
 
 tlif truth forced itself upon him, he sadly turned 
 to his officers and said : " Arnold is a traitor and 
 lias fled to the British ! A\ horn can we trust 
 now?'' 
 
 Efforts were made to capture Arnold, but 
 without success. He became a major-general 
 in the English army, and was paid $30,000 foi- 
 betraying his country. Andre's fate ^vas quite 
 different. Much sympathy was expressed for 
 him ; many urgent ]^)leas were made for his re- 
 lease, lie himself wrote to Washington telling 
 his story in a straightforward way with the ho[)e 
 of pardon. But war was \var and a spy was a 
 spy, and he nnist pay the penalty of being one. 
 John Andre was sentenced to be hanged, and on 
 October 2 the sentence was cari'ied out. He 
 faced his death with more bravery than Arnold 
 could summon up to face his new life. One 
 day, soon after he entered the British army, 
 Arnold came upon an American captain who 
 had l)een taken prisoner. 
 
 Arnold asked him, "What would become of 
 me if I should fall into American hands V 
 
 "If my countrymen catch you they will cut 
 off your leg which A\as Avounded at Saratoga 
 and bury it with the honors of war, and the 
 rest of you they will hang on the gallows." 
 
 For twenty-one years Arnold lived as an 
 
BENEDICT ARNOLD 147 
 
 English subject. When tlie war was over lie 
 had no part in the victory. He went to Eng- 
 land and made his home in London. His wife 
 Joined him and did all in her power to make 
 him happy, but even her devotion could not 
 save him from an occasional taunt, or keep his 
 sons from the shame of their father's guilt. 
 
 Arnold's last years were filled with remorse 
 and self-reproach. As he grew weaker, his mind 
 seemed taken up with the old days befoi'e he 
 lost his self-respect, his country, and his honor. 
 He lived over again Washington's loyal friend- 
 ship for him, and finally, when he knew he 
 could not live, he called for his old uniform, and 
 said : " Let me die in the uniform in which I 
 fought so often for my country. May God for- 
 give me for ever putting on any other." 
 
 11 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 CLOSE OF THE KEVOLUTION AND THE BEGINNING 
 OF THE REPUBLIC 
 
 AVest Point did not fall into the hands of 
 the English; but the possibility of an attack 
 at any time led to a })lan for driving the Eng- 
 lish out of New York. Washington's troops 
 were to join with six thousand soldiers sent 
 from France, and the combined force was to 
 march against the city. 
 
 Each day hearing new details of tlie [)lan, 
 Clinton grew alarmed, and made every eifoi't to 
 strengthen the defenses. In addition, he sent 
 to Cornwallis, who was in cliarge of the English 
 troops in the south, asking for as many reen- 
 forcements as possible. 
 
 And all this time the American troo]is were 
 building roads, laying out camps and collecting 
 supplies. Clinton looked on, and became sure 
 tluit he would need all the he!}) he could get. 
 So lie again sent word to C(^rinvallis. This time 
 the directions were for Cornwallis to move to 
 
 148 
 
CLOSE OP THE REVOLUTION 149 
 
 the Virginia capes, aud be ready to board his 
 ships and start for New York on short notice. 
 Accordingly, Cornvvallis moved his army to 
 Yorkto^vn, whicli is on a cape surrounded on 
 three sides by Chesapeake Bay. 
 
 One day in August, 1781, the commander 
 of the French fleet which was assisting the 
 Americans informed Washington that he and his 
 s(|uadron were on the way to Chesapeake Bay 
 What a chance ! If Washington could only 
 get his troops to Virginia, he and the French 
 fleet could surround Cornwallis and prevent 
 him from leavins; Yorktown. It must be done ! 
 The very next day, while small detachments of 
 his men were apparently carrying on prepara- 
 tions for the attack on Ne\v York, Washington 
 and his army slipped oft* for Virginia. He was 
 well on his way before Clinton knew he was 
 gone. 
 
 On the last day of August the French 
 squadron arrived oft Yorktown, but found no 
 fleet of any size to oppose it. Soon Washing- 
 ton and his soldiers reached there, and Corn- 
 wallis was caught in the trap. There was no 
 way out ; no help came from Clinton ; and 
 finally, on October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surren- 
 dered to the American Commander-in-Chief. The 
 victorious army was drawn up in two lines — the 
 
150 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Frencli on one side and the Americans on the 
 other, with A\ asliington at the liead. The seven 
 tliousand cai)tives marched slowly between the 
 lines with colors furled and their band jdayiug 
 an old English melody called, "The AVorld 
 Turned Upside Down." 
 
 The uew^s of the victory spread over the 
 whole country. Peoj^le everywhere Avere \\ ild 
 
 
 
 ■"X^!-^ 
 
 * f-r<JCl _4-i3s^*fei^ 
 
 House where Lord (>orn\vallis .surrendered. 
 
 with joy, for all felt that the defeat of Coru- 
 wallis meant the end of the war. The English, 
 too, realized that it was useless to contimie the 
 strugii^le. The King alone refused to acknowl- 
 edge that lie ^vas beaten. For some time he 
 persisted in planning another campaign, as his 
 trooi)s still held New York. However, he found 
 that he could do nothing. So, saying that the 
 Americans were a wretched lot of knaves, and 
 
CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION 151 
 
 that he was glad to get rid of them, he agreed 
 to a treaty of peace, which was signed in Sep- 
 tember, 1783. 
 
 November 25 of that same year was set as 
 the day for the English troops to leave New 
 York. AVashington, his oificers, and the soldiers 
 not already dismissed, marched into the city in 
 time to see the English ships sail away. Be- 
 fore many days Washington said farewell to his 
 troops, and started on his journey home to 
 Vir2:iuia. 
 
 A sad change had been made in New York 
 during the seven years in which the English 
 had lived there. A great fire had ruined nearly 
 a third of the city. The soldiers had turned 
 dwelling-houses into barracks, churches into 
 stables, and public buildings and warehouses 
 into prisons. When these prisons w^ere filled 
 the prisoners had ])een crowded into old ships ly- 
 ing in the bay, which ^^ ere unfit for any human 
 being. In all these places of confinement the 
 prisoners' lot had been one of horror. Winters 
 were passed without blankets or fire. Food was 
 scarce, and the treatment shown the imprisoned 
 by their English captors was shameful. Even 
 after the prisoners had been released, the city 
 bore the terrible effects of the long war. The 
 warehouses held no goods ; no ships lay at the 
 
152 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 deserted wharves, and the returning citizens 
 found their homes in ruins. 
 
 What was true of the city was true of the 
 province. New York was the only one of the 
 tliirteen original colonies to comply with every 
 re(|uest made by the Continental Congress 
 during the war. She had sent money and 
 
 Rhinolandor snirar-hmiso, used as a prison dnrinsi: the Rovolu- 
 tionary Wiir. From an old print. 
 
 soldiers even beyond w^liat was asked. IMany 
 serious battles liad been fought wnthin her 
 borders. And, too, she had had a sad ex- 
 perience' ^vith her native savages. Still she 
 was not crnsluMl. In the very midst of her 
 trouble her statesmen had foi'med for her a 
 new government, and liad adopted a liljeral 
 
fe 
 
154 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 eoustitiition which changed her from a coh^ny 
 to a State. 
 
 Each of tlie twelve other provinces liad 
 taken the same step, and at the close of the 
 war Kincj; Georo-e's American colonies liad be- 
 come thirteen States. These ne^v States were 
 entirely independent of one another, exce2)ting 
 for Congress, which could do no more than 
 advise. It was soon seen that if the thirteen 
 States \vanted to act as one nation they must 
 have a form of government invested with })ower 
 to decide all matters of common interest. In 
 
 1788 these States joined in the adoption of a 
 national Constitution, and l)ecame the United 
 States of America, Washington, who had so 
 loyally commanded the troops, w^as chosen the 
 first President. 
 
 New York city was to be the seat of gov- 
 ernment for the time being. By the spring of 
 
 1789 all was ready for the new Government to 
 begin its work. On April 23 Washington came 
 sailing into New York liarlxu-. Great crowds 
 gave him a welcome that nnist have well repaid 
 him for the hardships he had undergone in win- 
 ning for his countrymen their indei)endence. 
 The inauguration w^as celelirated by proces- 
 sions, bancpiets, and services in all the churches. 
 Joy was in eveiy heai't. It was indeed a day 
 
CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION 155 
 
 for New York State to remember, and it is uo 
 wonder that a hundred years later her inhabit- 
 ants held a great centennial celebration in com- 
 memoration of the time when in her chief city 
 was inaugurated the first President of the 
 American Republic. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 NEW YORK AFTEll THE liEVOLUTION 
 
 Hardly was the war over before large wag- 
 ons were seen slowly working their way into 
 our State. Each wagon held the honsehold 
 goods and usually two or three little children 
 belonging to some sturdy New Englander, 
 Behind the wagon the mother and the older 
 children rode on horseback. Possibly the 
 father had served in New York during the 
 war, and had seen the I'icli niiclaiiiKMl l.-iiid 
 to the west, or perhaps some soldier friend 
 had told him of the fertile valleys of the 
 Moliawk and Genesee. Howbeit, he had 
 ])acked u]) bag and baggage and set out for 
 New York State. 
 
 The roads \vere mere A\agon tracks, and the 
 ^\■agons ])umped over stones and fallen ti'ees 
 and saidv into great nuid-holes. It was slow 
 traveling. After growing weary of the hard 
 journey, each New Englander jiicked out some 
 inviting spot, unloaded his possessions, built a 
 
 156 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 157 
 
 cabin for his family, and settled down to become 
 a New Yorker. 
 
 The was>:ons came in such numbers that 
 before long many small villages were formed 
 by the newcomers throughout the central, west- 
 ern, and northern parts of the State. Farms 
 were laid out, crops were raised, and soon loads 
 of grain began to appear in Albany. 
 
 To better carry on trade between the differ- 
 ent towns the settlers built roads, rough to be 
 sure, but they helped to build up a commerce. 
 
 Wacfons and carriages of that time. 
 
 The roads inspired the running of stage- 
 coaches between certain of the towns. One 
 line ran from Whitestown to Canajoharie. The 
 coach started from Whitesto^vn every Monday 
 and Thursday at two in the afternoon, and if 
 
158 THE STORY OP TDE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 all went \vell covered the four miles between 
 that town and Utica by dark. There the pas- 
 sengers spent the night, or at least part of it. 
 At four in the morning they must be ready to 
 set off a^'ain, and the next niij;lit found them at 
 their journey's end. Two dollars were charged 
 for the entire tiip, and way passengei's paid at 
 the rate of eight cents a mile. To spend twen- 
 ty-eight or thii-ty hours in going so short a dis- 
 tance would seem ridiculous in these days of 
 steam-engines. But the New Yorkers of 1 800 
 thought this pretty rapid travel. And so it 
 was \vhen }()U consider that forty }'ears before 
 the traveling was done in canoes by following 
 the many curves and bends of a stream whose 
 obstructions, often barring the way, made it 
 necessary to land, lift the canoe from the water, 
 and carry it and its contents aj'ound. 
 
 A four-horse coach I'an between New York 
 and Boston. It started at three each morning 
 dui'ing the trip and ke])t on until ten at night. 
 Very often the passengers were obliged to get 
 out and help lift the stage from some unusually 
 deep nuid-hole. Six long days were spent in 
 beino- rattled about in the rouij-h old stao;e before 
 the trip was over. 
 
 One reckless stage-line proprietor advertised 
 to carry passengers from Albany to New York 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 159 
 
 in two days. This would have been very won- 
 derful, but when the trip was undertaken the 
 man found he was obliged to spend three days 
 on the road. 
 
 Albany had lost her fur trade during the 
 war, but in these first years of peace she became 
 the center of a large grain trade, and so kept her 
 importance in the State. Here, too, was a center 
 of the postal service. Every Wednesday and 
 Saturday the " up-mail " arrived from New 
 York, and two hours after it reached Albany 
 the " down-mail " w as started off. Then the 
 " up-mail " had to be distributed to the outlying 
 towns. Once in two weeks mail was carried on 
 horseback way to the Genesee Valley. 
 
 A letter could be sent thirty miles for six 
 cents, sixty miles for ten cents, and four hundred 
 and fifty miles for twenty -five cents. Not many 
 letters were written on account of the high rates 
 of postage, because paper cost so much and there 
 were no envelopes. This last fact made it very 
 easy for the mail-carriers to amuse themselves 
 as they Jogged along, by reading the letters in 
 their charge. No doubt these letters were very 
 interesting, as the people made up for writing 
 so seldom by drawing out those letters they did 
 write to a great length and filling them with 
 all the news it was possible to gather together. 
 
160 THE STOKY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Statesmen weve obliged to write iu ci])lier to 
 keep the state secrets from becoming public 
 property. 
 
 At the close of the war a new treat}' of 
 peace was made with the Indians, but the reign 
 of the Iroquois Confederacy had come to an 
 end. Gradually the Indian lands were bought. 
 In consequence many of the Indians moved 
 west and into Canada, and those who remained, 
 settled on tracts of land which the Government 
 reserved for their use. 
 
 These Indian reservations still exist, and 
 there are now about iive thousand descendants 
 of the People of the Long House living on them. 
 The Iroquois have lost their old tieiy spirits and 
 have given up many of the Indian customs of 
 earlier days. But though they now dress like 
 white men, they have not the white man's in- 
 dustry. The State pays each reservation an 
 annuity in money, and the United States pays 
 each an annuity in merchandise. Schools have 
 been established to educate the Indian children, 
 l)utonly about a third of them attend. 
 
 Many efforts are being put forth to en- 
 couraue the Indians to make the most of them- 
 selves, but they are lazy and do not like to 
 woi'k. The "tire-water," wliich Henry Hudson 
 first taught their race to relish, still causes nmcli 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 161 
 
 drunkenness among their number. Some few 
 cultivate the land and are comparatively well- 
 to-do. Basket-making pleases them, and they 
 weave baskets of many shapes and sizes to sell 
 in near-by towns. For the most part, however, 
 they are poor, and depend for a living upon 
 doing odd jobs for the whites, and on their an- 
 nuities. 
 
 The last three hundred years have seen a 
 great change in the Iroquois Indians. In 1600 
 they were a wild, savage, but brave and ener- 
 getic race ; 1900 finds them with their energy 
 gone, their spirit broken, and with no desire to 
 profit by the opportunities offered them. A 
 few scattered, shiftless, drinking never-do-wells 
 are about all that remain of the once powerful 
 Five Nations. 
 
 As New York was rich in waterways, man- 
 ufactories were built along the streams early 
 in the nineteenth century, that the water-power 
 might help convert rough materials into useful 
 articles. Iron was worked from the ore and 
 made into machinery ; factories turned out cot- 
 ton cloth, linen, wool, and even silk ; paper and 
 glass were made, and clocks, hats, tin dishes, 
 and all sorts of necessities were soon on the 
 market to tell of New York industry and 
 thrift. 
 
162 THE STORY OF THE EMPIKB] STATE 
 
 Altlioiigli peace prevailed, tlie defenses of 
 our State were not altogether neglected. West 
 Point was strongly fortitied, and there, in 1802, 
 was established the West Point jNIilitary Acad- 
 emy, which is still the national school foi- train- 
 ing American boys to become officers of the 
 American ai'my. 
 
 New York city was not left behind in the 
 general prosperity which follow ed the Kevolu- 
 tioii. A gay society sprang up in the ca])ita] 
 city of the rejmblic, and New York presented 
 a lively picture. In 171*0 the seat of the na- 
 tional Government was changed to Phiiadelpliia, 
 and in 1797 the State government moved to 
 Albany. Neither of these changes, however, 
 interfered with the trade which was develop- 
 ing with the States and witli foreign countries. 
 New York's population continued to increase, 
 until in 1800 there "were sixty thousand people 
 living in the metropolis. 
 
 The State had taken many steps foiward, 
 and yet how different was life at the beginning 
 of the nineteenth century from what it is now! 
 Think of never having seen a railroad-train, 
 a trolley-car, a tall building, an elevator, or an 
 asphalt ])avement! Imagine living in a time 
 when tliere were no telepliones, no sewing-ma- 
 chines, and no bicycles ! If you wished to w rite 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 163 
 
 a letter, it liad to be done with a pen made from 
 tlie stiff end of a feather, as steel pens were un- 
 known. Sand was spi'inkled over the ink to 
 dry it, as no one had such a thing as blotting- 
 paper. When night came you would hud no 
 gas or electric lights. In the place of matches 
 you would have to strike a spark from a piece 
 of flint and a steel, and in that way light your 
 candle. 
 
 Already, before 1800, attempts had been 
 made to run boats by steam, but without very 
 great success. One xVmerican, Robert Fulton, 
 worked away on a plan that he felt sure could 
 not fail. In 1806, with plans completed, he 
 went to New York and set about the building 
 of his boat. The New Yorkers did not believe 
 it possible to do all Fulton claimed, and they 
 always spoke of his boat as '' Fulton's Folly." 
 Fulton himself named it the Clermont. 
 
 Here is his own account of the building of 
 New York's first steamboat and its first trip : 
 "As I had occasion to pass daily to and from 
 the building yard ^vllile my boat was in progress, 
 I have often loitered unknown near the idle 
 groups of strangers gathering in little circles, 
 and heard various iiKpiiries as to the object of 
 the new vehicle. The language was uniformly 
 that of scorn, sneer, or ridicule. The loud laugh 
 
 13 
 
164 
 
 THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 rose at my expense, the dry jest, the a\ ise culcu- 
 latioii of losses aud expenditures. Nothing was 
 heard but the endless repartition of ' Fulton's 
 Folly.' 
 
 "■ Never did a single encouraging remark, a 
 bright hope, or a w arm wish cross my path. 
 
 Rt)l)ert Fulton. 
 
 Silence itself was but i)()liteness veiling its 
 doubts or liiding its reproaches. 
 
 "At length tlie day ai-rived when the ex- 
 periment was to be got into ojieration. To me 
 it ^^■as a most trying and interesting occasion. 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 165 
 
 I invited many friends to go on board to wit- 
 ness tlie first successful trip. Many of them 
 did me the favor to attend as a matter of per- 
 sonal respect, but it was manifest they did it 
 with reluctance, fearing to be partners of my 
 mortification and not of my triumph. 
 
 " I was well aware that in my case there 
 were many reasons to doubt of my own success. 
 The machinery was new and ill made, and many 
 
 Fulton's first steamboat, the Clermont. 
 
 parts of it were constructed by mechanics un- 
 acquainted with such work, and unexpected 
 difficulties might reasonably be presumed to 
 present themselves from other causes. 
 
 " The moment arrived in which the word 
 was to be given for the vessel to move. My 
 friends were in groups on the deck. There was 
 anxiety mixed with fear among them. They 
 were silent, sad, and weary. I read in their 
 
IGG THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 looks notliing but disaster, and almost iv})eHted 
 of my efforts. 
 
 " Tlie signal was given, and the ])oat moved 
 on a sliort distance, and then stop[)ed and be- 
 came immovable. To tlie silence of the })re- 
 ceding moment now succeeded murnmrs of dis- 
 content, and agitations and whispers and shrugs. 
 I could hear distinctly repeated, ' I told you it 
 was so,' ' It is a foolish scheme,' ' I wish we were 
 well out of it.' 
 
 " I elevated myself on a platform and ad- 
 dressed the assembly. I stated that I knew not 
 what was the matter, but if tliey would be (piiet 
 and indulge iiic for half an hour I would either 
 go on or al)andi>n the voyage for that time. 
 This sliort respite was conceded without ob- 
 jection. 
 
 " I went l)elow and examined the machinery, 
 and discovered that the cause was a slight mal- 
 adjustment of some of the work. In a short 
 period it was obviated. The boat was again 
 })ut in motion. She contiiuied to move on. All 
 were still incredulous. None seemed w'illing to 
 trust the evidence of their own senses. 
 
 '' We left the fair city of New York ; we 
 passed through the romantic and ever-varying 
 scenery of the Highlands; we descried the 
 clustering houses of Albany ; we reached its 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 167 
 
 shores ; and tlieu, even then, when all seemed 
 achiev^ed, I was the victim of disappointment. 
 Imagination superseded the influence of fact. 
 It was then doubted if it could be done again, 
 or, if done, it was doubted if it could be made 
 of any great value." 
 
 This was the first of many successful trips 
 made by the Clermont between Albany and 
 New York. 
 
 Political feeling at this time was very bitter. 
 Men of o[)posing parties attacked each other 
 through the papers or 
 in speeches, and the 
 quarrels thus started 
 often led to serious 
 trouble. 
 
 The most to be re- 
 gretted of these quar- 
 rels occurred between 
 two of New York's 
 best-known statesmen, 
 Alexander Hamilton 
 and Aaron Burr. 
 
 Hamilton, born in 
 the West Indies in 
 1757, came to New 
 York, graduated at Columl)ia College, and at 
 seventeen years of age entered politics. Here 
 
168 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 his addresses and newspaper articles won for 
 him a great reputation. During the war he 
 served with honor in AVashington's army, and 
 was employed in tlie most delicate and impor- 
 tant trusts. AMien peace was established Ham- 
 ilton represented New A'ork 
 at the convention which 
 drew up the national Con- 
 stitution. He was able and 
 industrious in public affairs, 
 and did most important 
 work in the settlement of 
 the many difficulties which 
 beset the republic in its 
 early days. 
 
 Another powerful states- 
 ^/2y^^:y man of that time A\as Aaron 
 Burr. Alth(mgh he had 
 served as Vice-President of the United States, 
 liis methods were not all al)Ove criticism. In 
 1804 he ran for the office of governor of New 
 York. Hamilton opposed him. 
 
 At a certain pi'ivate meeting Hamilton said, 
 "No reliance onirht to be placed on Burr." 
 
 This little s])eecli was repeated to Hnrr, and 
 made to sound like an attack on his private 
 character. 
 
 Hurl' lost the electicm. Angry and disaj)- 
 
NEW YORK AFTER THE REVOLUTION 169 
 
 poiuted, he laid his failure to Hamilton's having 
 opposed him. Tlien there was that speech. He 
 sent to Hamilton, saying that the remark must 
 be taken back. Hamilton had stated his honest 
 opinion and would not recall what he had said. 
 Here was Burr's chance. He challenged Ham- 
 ilton to a duel, in the hope of forev^er doing 
 away with his opposition. Hamilton did not 
 consider dueling right, but the code of honor 
 of that time compelled him to accept Burr's 
 challenge. 
 
 July 1 1 was chosen as the day for the duel, 
 and in the mornino; sunlio;ht the two statesmen 
 and their seconds were rowed across the Hud- 
 son River to AVeehawken. Pistols were to be 
 the weapons. Each took his place. The signal 
 was given. Hamilton, true to his principles, 
 did not fire. Burr took deliberate aim and shot 
 Hamilton through the body. He fell face for- 
 ward to the ground. For a time those about 
 him thought him dead, but he rallied sufficiently 
 to be carried home and did not die until the 
 next afternoon. 
 
 The news of the duel spread great excite- 
 ment throughout the country. Burr fled. For 
 years he went about from place to place, en- 
 gaging in schemes of various sorts. Finally he 
 came back to New York and died in that city 
 
170 
 
 THE STORY OF THP: EMPIRE STATE 
 
 in 1836, disgTaced 
 and deiioiiiiced as 
 a murderer. 
 
 The i"e}H>rt of 
 Haniiltoirs death 
 caused general 
 iiiouruiiig,aud New 
 York was wrapped 
 in gloom. Ou tlie 
 day of his fuiiei'al 
 shops were closed, 
 flags were at half- 
 mast, and muffled 
 bells tolled out the 
 city's grief. A 
 great })rocessiou 
 followed him to the 
 grave. Along the 
 line of march the 
 streets were packed 
 on either side. 
 The porches were crowded, and even from the 
 trees an<l li(>useto])s the citizens looked down 
 upon the man wlio had s])ent his lifetime in 
 serving loyally and well his country and his 
 State. 
 
 Statnc of A]r\: 
 Cent ml Park. 
 
 Erui-lfil l(St>(). 
 
CHAPTEK XXI 
 
 THE WAR OF 1812 
 
 Out on the lii2;b seas an American merchant 
 vessel was sailing. In the distance aj^peared a 
 British man-of-war. Nearer and nearer it came. 
 Suddenly a great roar sounded above the tum- 
 bling waves, and a cannon-ball whirled across 
 the bow of the American ship. This meant, in 
 plain language, " Heave to, or be sunk." The 
 American vessel naturally preferred to heave to. 
 Alongside came the great British war-ship, and 
 British officers boarded the merchant vessel. 
 Soon the American crew was drawn up in line, 
 and the British officers commenced to pick out 
 such sailors as they decided, in their own 
 minds, should be serving in the English navy. 
 It was useless for these sailors to say that 
 they were Americans by birth. The English 
 officers insisted that they were deserters from 
 England, and must return to her service. 
 The sailors thus ]iicked out were forced to 
 go aboard the British war-ship, and off she 
 
 171 
 
172 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 sailed, leavino; the American vessel to continue 
 ber journey. 
 
 Oilier Britisli nien-of-Mar met other Ameri- 
 can merchant ships on the high seas, and the 
 same performance was repeated. Enghuid even 
 went so far as to station Avar-ships near tlie en- 
 trance of each of our lai'gest liarbors, ready to 
 stop and search the merchant vessels as they 
 came out. 
 
 When nearlv nine hundred American sliips 
 had been searched, and over six thousand Amer- 
 ican sailors had been carried off, the American 
 nation thought it time to put a stop to such 
 proceedings. Not only that, but the English 
 had notfultilled all the agreements of the treaty 
 wliich closed the Revolution, and liad placed 
 such restrictions on American commerce as to 
 shut it out from other ])orts. Surely here was 
 sufficient cause to prom])t the Amei-icans <»nce 
 more to take up arms against England. In 
 1812 war was declared. 
 
 Again New Ynvk lay open to British iuva- 
 si())i. Troops were raised, and the forts along 
 the iioi'thern and western fi'ontiers were garri- 
 soned. 
 
 The British made their first attack u])on 
 our State at Sacket Harboi- in the sununer of 
 1812. Thev were defeated. Durinu' the rest of 
 
THE WAR OP 1812 
 
 173 
 
 that year and the first half of the next the two 
 armies went back and forth across the waters 
 wliich divided New York State from Canada, 
 and attacked each other's forts. But not nntil 
 the Americans captured the British stronghokl 
 at Fort George was any important victory won 
 by either side. 
 
 The winter of 1812 was bitter cokl. Never- 
 theless, \vorkmen were busy near Erie, Pa., 
 
 jMap of Lake Eric. 
 
 cliopping down great trees, collecting all the 
 scraps of iron that could be found, and building 
 from the green timber a fleet which was to fight 
 for the control of Lake Erie. Commodore 
 Oliver Hazard Perry — a young naval officer of 
 twenty -seven — engineered the building of the 
 ships. Thanks to his energy and perseverance, 
 nine vessels ready for war sailed out upon the 
 lake during the summer of 1818. 
 
 On the morning of September 10 a shout 
 
in 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 rang out over tlie water. It came from the 
 outlook at the masthead of Perry's flagshi]), the 
 Lawrence, and tohl that English sails were in 
 sight. There were six well-equipped vessels 
 bearing down np(jn the American fleet. The 
 Americans had the advan- 
 tage in numbers, but the 
 English had more guns on 
 their six ships than Perry's 
 nine possessed. On came 
 the attacking vessels. Our 
 ships made ready for action, 
 and, led by the Lawrence, 
 went forwai'd to meet the 
 enemy. Both sides were 
 determined to win, and so 
 fiercely did each attack the 
 other, that before long the Lawrence \\as in 
 ruins ; her cannon were disabled, her masts 
 were torn away, and most of her brave sailors 
 were killed. It seemed as if Pei'ry must sur- 
 render, when all at once he seized the banner 
 of his tlagshii), slid over the side into a small 
 boat, and was rowed toward the Niagara, which 
 was still unharmed. The British conunander 
 saw him and shouted, " Fire upon that boat ! " 
 l^alls struck the water on every side, but Perry, 
 standing wrap[)e(l in his flag, reached the Ni- 
 
 CJ^^'fr^'^e^m^y 
 
THE WAR OF 1812 175 
 
 agara iu safety. Immediately lie took command, 
 and bearing down upon the enemy, sailed right 
 into their midst, dealing death and destruction 
 on every side. In fifteen minutes the British 
 fleet was powerless. 
 
 Perry went back to the disabled Lawrence, 
 and there received the English surrender. His 
 messa2:e to the President was written on the 
 back of an old letter. It simply said : " We 
 have met the enemy, and they are ours ; two 
 ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop." 
 
 A number of times since the war began 
 naval engagements had taken place along our 
 seacoasts, but in every case the battle had been 
 between one English and one American vessel. 
 Over and over again the Americans had come 
 off victorious. Still England was " Mistress of 
 the Seas," and until Perry met those six Eng- 
 lish vessels on Lake Erie, no American fleet had 
 ever encountered a fleet of British men-of-war. 
 Is it any wonder, then, that the young commo- 
 dore became a hero wherever the news was told 
 that " Perry has gained control of Lake Erie, 
 and has whipped an English fleet with his new 
 boats built of wood that so short a time ago 
 was growing in the forests of Pennsylvania " ? 
 
 The summer of 1814 found General Jacob 
 Brown and General Winfield Scott bnsily en- 
 
176 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 gaged iu a campaign on the Canadian shore of 
 the Niagara Ki\er. They captured Fort Erie 
 from the British, and won liard-t'ouiiht battles 
 at Chippewa and Lundys Lane, in the hist of 
 which General Scott was badly ^^•ouuded after 
 havincc two horses shot under him. The brave 
 work of these officers practically ended opera- 
 tions in the western part of the State. 
 
 In September the English tui'iied their at- 
 tention to Lake Champlain. They sent seven 
 thousand soldiers by land 
 against our troops at 
 Plattsburg, and at the 
 same time an English 
 s([uadron sailed up the So- 
 rel Kiver and entered the 
 lake, expecting to put an 
 end to the American fleet 
 which was there under 
 Ca])tain Thomas INIacdon- 
 ough. On the 1 1 th of Sej)- 
 tember the double battle 
 began. The British fleet 
 attacked before the land forces. When Mac- 
 donough's flagship was cleared for action, lie 
 knelt on her deck and asked for God's help, 
 then entered the battle. For over t^vo hours 
 the fleets carried on so sharp a contest that 
 
THE WAR OF 1812 177 
 
 both squadrons were nearly destroyed before 
 the English were ready to surrender to Mac- 
 donough and admit that he was the victor. 
 
 As soon as the firing on the water began, 
 the English land troops attacked the American 
 force. Here, too, our men were getting the 
 upper hand, and the British were just being 
 driven back, when suddenly up dashed a rider 
 on a foam-flecked horse, crying out the news 
 that the British fleet was defeated. All along 
 the American lines rose a hearty cheer. The 
 enemy wavered. A retreat was sounded, and 
 before many minutes the English troops were 
 fleeing back to Canada, where they thought 
 best to stay thereafter. 
 
 While all this fighting was being done to 
 secure our northern and western boundaries 
 from invasion, England issued to the command- 
 ers of her war-ships on the Atlantic an order to 
 "destroy the seaport towns and desolate the 
 country." Many villages along the coast of New 
 England were laid waste. New York city be- 
 came alarmed for fear that she, too, might be 
 attacked. Fortifications must be put up at 
 once ; but how, and by whom ? Mayor DeWitt 
 Clinton appealed to the patriotism of the citi- 
 zens, asking them to help in fortifying the town. 
 So generously and promptly did the people 
 
178 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 respond, that w itliiii four days three tlioiisaiid 
 persons were working with euthiisiasm. Schools 
 were dismissed, and pu2>ils and teachers alike set 
 out to do their part. Doctors, lawyers, ministers, 
 and men of every trade in the city took their turn. 
 In a very short time New York \\ as ready for 
 the expected fleet, which never appeared. 
 
 Early in 1815 came the news that peace had 
 been made with England. Although the treaty 
 contained no promise that England would not in- 
 terfere with our sailors, she had learned a lesson, 
 and never ascain were American merchant vessels 
 searched by British officei's in time of peace. 
 
 Once more New York counted the cost of 
 war, and again she found that it had been great. 
 Many men liad been lost, much money had 
 been s[)ent. The northern frontier was deso- 
 lated, and the people of that district wei'e pov- 
 erty-stricken. Still the enemy liad been kept 
 from sju'eading disaster throughout the State; 
 the Indian war-whoop and seal ping-knife had 
 not carried terror to the outlying settlements, 
 and New York city had been spared from attack. 
 
 Shi})s could now come and go unmolested. 
 Again America had won from England, and 
 every New Yorker liad cause for added j^ride 
 in his State from the way in whicli she had ful- 
 filled her pai-t in the War of 181 1\ 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE EKIE CANAL 
 
 Great crowds were gatliered on Buffalo's 
 lake shore on the morning of October 26, 1825. 
 All was excitement. Expectation was seen in 
 every face. Suddenly there was a rush of water 
 and cheer after cheer rang out on the air. A 
 o-reat cannon boomed forth. When its sound 
 had died away another was heard in the distance 
 almost like the echo of the first. Then a third 
 and fourth and fifth repeated the message from 
 the cannon at Buffalo. All along the Mohawk 
 Valley and down the Hudson cannon answered 
 cannon, until one hour and twenty minutes 
 after the news left Buffalo the last cannon 
 was saying to the people of New York city : 
 "Tlie great Erie Canal is completed, and even 
 now the waters of Lake Erie are hurrying 
 along its course to join the sea." 
 
 For a very long: time DeWitt Clinton had 
 been earnestly at work trying to make the peo- 
 ple of New York State understand what the 
 
 13 179 
 
180 THE STORY OP THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 great canal would do for them ; that it would 
 connect the uiarkets of the West with New York 
 city, would make travel easier, and bring added 
 prosperity to tlie State. 
 
 Finally he succeeded in obtaining a vote 
 favorable to the canal, and that very year the 
 work was begun. On the 4th of July, ibl7, 
 the first spadeful of dirt was dug at Rome. 
 Even after the State had given its consent there 
 were many who could not or would not see that 
 any good was to come fi'om the canal. They 
 called it ''Clinton's ditch,'' or "the big ditch." 
 Still Clinton persevered, s])ent his energy, and 
 risked all he had, even to the loss of his friends, 
 in his determination to see the canal finished. 
 
 lie had triumphed ! And when the waters 
 of Lake Erie were let into " Clinton's ditch " he 
 was there to take })art in the rejoicing. As 
 soon as the canal was tilled, a greater procession 
 than our State had ever seen set out from 
 Buffalo. First came the barge Seneca Chief 
 towed by four powerful gray horses, carrying- 
 Clinton and several distinguished friends. Then 
 followed a flotilla of canal-boats all gaily dec- 
 orated for their initial trip to New York. (Jne 
 boat was called Noah's Ark and had as pas- 
 sengers a bear, two fawns, two eagles, and two 
 Indians. On went the stately procession, wel- 
 
THE ERIE CANAL 181 
 
 corned by cheering crowds at each town and 
 hamlet in its route. Albany was the eastern 
 end of the canal, and there the travelers were met 
 by a grand military procession, which escorted 
 them to the Capitol, w^here services were held. 
 
 From Albany to New York the flotilla was 
 towed by steamboats. Groups of men, women, 
 and children heartily greeted the procession 
 all alons: the banks of the Hudson. On No- 
 vember 4 New York was reached before dawn, 
 but not before the people of the city were astir 
 making ready for their honored guests. Bells 
 were rung, cannons fired, and an endless number 
 of flags floated over the city. The new steamer 
 Washington, coming out to meet the Seneca 
 Chief, signaled the query, '* Where are you 
 from, and what is your destination ? " 
 
 "From Lake Erie, and bound for Sandy 
 Hook," answered the Seneca Chief. 
 
 Before long the water was dotted with boats 
 of every description then in use. A procession 
 was again formed and headed for the sea. Once 
 past the Narrows, the boats made a great circle. 
 Then Clinton lifted a keg of Lake Erie water, 
 brought all the way from Buffalo on the Seneca 
 Chief, and poured it into the sea to signify the 
 uniting of the Great Lakes with the Atlantic 
 Ocean. 
 
182 THE STOKY OF TUE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Meanwhile tlirouo:h the streets of New York 
 city paraded a great procession, composed of rep- 
 resentatives of every class and trade of which 
 the city could boast. There \vas the Fire Depart- 
 ment drawing the engines ^\ hich had displaced 
 the leather buckets of early New York. The 
 shipbuildei's were there with two untiuished 
 boats drawn by four horses. The printers had 
 a press which, as it went along in its cart, 
 printed for distribution copies of 
 
 " 'Tis done ! 'Tis done ! Tliu mighty cliaiii 
 Which joius bright Eric to tlie Main 
 For ages shall perpetuate 
 The glory of our native State." 
 
 Then came the skinners, the weavers, and the 
 hatters, to say nothing of the hiwyers, the doc- 
 tors, and all the societies of the city. It was 
 trulv a vast procession in honoi' of Clinton's 
 success. 
 
 Three days later a great })all closed the cele- 
 bration of New York's grandest achievement 
 in the wd\ of ])rogress. The canal had been 
 built by New ^'ork State alone with no help 
 from the nation. It was by far the most ex- 
 tensive pul)lic work ever undertaken in this 
 country up to that time, and from the day the 
 Erie Canal was completed, New York has had 
 just claim to the title of the Empire State, 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE CrVIL WAR 
 
 The Fourth of July was made a day of 
 national rejoicing by the adoption of the Dec- 
 laration of Independence on that date in the 
 year 1776. In 1827 an event took place in 
 New York on July 4 which should make 
 every New Yorker feel that he has a double 
 reason to celebrate that glorious day. On the 
 night of the third, ten thousand slaves slept in 
 our State. They awoke on the morning of the 
 fourth free men, having been made so by the 
 passing of a law which proclaimed the end of 
 slavery in New York State on and after Inde- 
 pendence Day, 1827. 
 
 Other Northern States had already taken 
 this step, but in the South slavery still con- 
 tinued. At the time New York became a free 
 State the slave question was uppermost in poli- 
 tics. Many and very heated discussions were 
 held in Congress over the admission to the 
 Union of slave tenitory as new States. Every 
 
 183 
 
184 THE STORY OF TUE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 mail tliroiiu'hoiit tlie couiitry Lad his opinions 
 for or au'aiust the slave system, and his o])iiiions 
 did not always agree with those of his State. 
 
 In the free States some fe^v still ui)hehl 
 slavery, while, fortunately for the poor 1)hicks, 
 an occasional Southerner was in sympathy with 
 their cause. Thanks to these last, a means of 
 escape was opened to those slaves who could 
 once get away from under their masters' eyes. 
 The plan of the slave sympathizers was known 
 as the "Underground Railroad.'' This raih-oad 
 had stations and conductors, but no rails and 
 no cars. When a slave succeeded in creeping 
 away from his master's home, he \\ ent as fast as 
 possible to the nearest station of the Under- 
 ground Railroad, ^vhieh \vas no other than the 
 house of some friend of the negroes. Here he 
 was gladly received and carefully directed how 
 to find his way to the next station farther north. 
 He was given a letter to the conductor of that 
 station, who was sure to be able and willing to 
 pass him on with another letter to another sta- 
 tion. And so he would work his way through 
 the slave States into the fi*ee States, and through 
 the free States into Canada and out of slaxery. 
 
 There were a good many of these stations 
 in our State. At any hour of day or night the 
 station conductors were roused to welcome the 
 
THE CIVIL WAR 185 
 
 anxious travelers. Occasionally tlie fear of 
 pursuit would be lost by the time an escaped 
 slave reached New York, and he was content 
 to find work and take up life anew in the Em- 
 pire State. 
 
 The successful escape of certain of their 
 slaves only added still more to the bittei' feeling 
 which the men of the South felt toward the 
 Northern States. In the hope of remedying the 
 trouble, Congress passed, in 1850, the Fugitive 
 Slave Law. The law allowed any person wdio 
 claimed to be the owner of an escaped slave to 
 apply to any court oi record in his State, prove 
 his ownership, describe the slave, and obtain a 
 record of his claim. All the other States were 
 obliged to receive this record as conclusive evi- 
 dence that the slave answering the description 
 was rightfully the property of the claimant and 
 must be given up to his owner. A fine of 
 one thousand dollars must be paid by any 
 marshal who failed to arrest such a slave, or by 
 any one who hid him or helped him to escape. 
 The citizens of New York received the law 
 with contempt. Meetings were held, defiant 
 speeches were made, and men resolved, regard- 
 less of consequences, to protect the escaped 
 slaves who had come to New York. They did. 
 The Underground Railroad still carried pas- 
 
186 THE STORY OP TUE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 sengers to freedom, and occasionally a recap- 
 tui'ed slave was rescued from those who had 
 talcen him, and quietly sent away into Canada, 
 
 It is easy to imagine that such a course on 
 the part of New York juid other Northern States 
 only tended to increase Southei-n discontent. 
 Soon came another cause of disagreement. 
 AVhen Missouri asked to join the Union, the 
 South had insisted that it should ccmie in as a 
 slave State. The North said it should not. In 
 1821 the compromise was made by which ]\Iis- 
 souri came in as a slave State, with the agree- 
 ment tliat, in all the remaining lands west of 
 the Mississip])i Kiver and north of the Mis- 
 souri's southern boundary, slavery should be 
 forever forbidden. 
 
 Now, in 1854, an attempt was made to bring 
 Kansas and Nebraska into the Union as possi- 
 ble slave States, and the Missoui-i Compromise 
 was repealed. A storm of indignation swept 
 througlumt the North. The trou])le grew. New 
 York wished for peace and the preservation of 
 the Tnion at any price, but it soon became evi- 
 dent that slave States and free States could not 
 be united under one flag. The North held that 
 slavery should nc^t extend into free territory, 
 although it did not })ropose to disturb the slave 
 States already existing. The South, however. 
 
THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 18Y 
 
 saw fit to accept the position of the North as au 
 invasion of its rights, and the terrors of civil 
 war threatened to destroy the young nation. 
 
 In December, 1860, South Carolina seceded 
 from the Union. Ten other slave States fol- 
 lowed her lead. What course to pursue and 
 
 Aliraliani Lii 
 
 what would be the outcome ? These were the 
 questions which faced Abraham Lincoln when, 
 in March, 18G1, he became President of the 
 United States. He had not long to wait for an 
 answer. On April 14 came the news that Fort 
 
188 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 RuFiiter bad l)een attacked l)y a Southern force 
 and liad been obliged to surrender. The very 
 next day Lincoln issued a call for seventy-five 
 thousand men to preserve the Union. 
 
 The (juota of troops demanded from New 
 York Avas thirteen thousand, but so great was 
 her lo\ ally to lier country, and so hearty her 
 desire to serve, that thirty tliousaiid men set 
 out for the Soutli, and diii'ing the year thou- 
 sands more poured into the recruiting stations. 
 The women, too, did Avhat they could by col- 
 lecting all possible comforts to sen<l to the 
 soldiers at the front. Money was freely loaned 
 and given to the Government. Flags appeared 
 in each toAvn and city, and from many house- 
 tops floated the Union's I'ed, white, and blue 
 banner. For two years New York spared her- 
 self no pains in the hope of final victory. 
 
 However, the reports received from the 
 fields of action were not very encouraging. 
 Gradually a peace-party grew up, and discontent 
 was whispered about. In 18(>3 came another 
 call for men. The citizens felt that their State 
 had done all in its po\vei'. Kecruits no longer 
 volunteered in ])lenty, and many counties were 
 nuaMc to furnish the desired nunilxT. Drafts 
 were ordered. In July the drafting began in 
 New York city. Two days later, rioters ap- 
 
THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 189 
 
 peared in the streets iDsisting tliat the drafts 
 were unconstitutional. The drafting office was 
 surrounded, the windows smashed, the inmates 
 driven out, and the building fired. For three 
 days the riots lasted. The police were power- 
 less. Colored men and women were set upon, 
 beaten, and even hanged, and the orphan asylum 
 
 Cold comfort. 
 
 for colored children was burned to the ground. 
 Finally soldiers from Pennsylvania came to the 
 help of the police and quiet was once more 
 restored. A thousand persons had been killed. 
 Two million dollars worth of property had been 
 destroyed, and all with no gain. The draft was 
 
190 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 resumed, but this time under the protection of 
 soldiers aud without further iuterfereuce. 
 
 The year 1864 was au anxious one, but witli 
 tlie beginning of 1865 the belief spread that war 
 would soon end. Victory after victory crowned 
 the efforts of the Northern army. In April 
 came the loncr-looked-for news of the tinal sur- 
 render of the South and the triumph of the 
 Union. New York sohliers learned the tidings 
 in the camps far away and tui'ned their thoughts 
 toward home, and New York women at home 
 heard that the war was at an end, and made 
 ready to welcome the soldiers from the camps. 
 
 In the midst of the rejoicing came a great 
 grief. On Ajiril 1 5 Abraham Lincoln, the man 
 who had freed the slaves l)y his Emanci])ation 
 Proclamation, who had devoted himself heart 
 and soul to the preservation of the Union, and 
 w ho had won the love and respect of thousands, 
 the President of the United States, was assassi- 
 nated. The Union was saved, the hard-fought 
 war was over, and yet the man who had done 
 most toward bringing about the happy outcome 
 had been shot by an assassin just as his work 
 \vas crowned with success. Nowhere had 
 Abraham Lincoln found more stanch support, 
 and nowhere was he more sincerely mourned, 
 tlian in New York State. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 SOME DEVELOPMENTS DURING THE NINETEENTH 
 CENTURY 
 
 When our nation first claimed a place on 
 the list of the world's rejDublics, the United 
 States of America comprised only thirteen 
 States along the Atlantic coast. At once en- 
 terprising, hard-working men began pushing 
 theu' way farther and farther west, laying out 
 towns, building up cities, and sending back to 
 those in the East stories of the rich land they 
 had found. From these western lands new 
 States were constantly formed and were 
 adopted into the Union. So rapidly did the 
 nation grow that, when almost the original 
 number of States rebelled and declared war 
 against the Government, there were still twenty- 
 three left to stand by that body and help force 
 the seceding States back to their allegiance. 
 And this growth and development did not 
 cease with the civil war, but is still going on 
 and on until there is now no nation in the 
 
 191 
 
192 THE STORY OK TlIK EMPUiE STATE 
 
 world that does not kuow and respect the 
 power of the Luited States of America. 
 
 As the couutiy grew, the States developed, 
 aud foremost of them all New York stands, 
 and has stood for three-quarters of a century. 
 
 These seventy-five years have seen great 
 cliauges. They go back to the completion of 
 the Erie Canal and the beginning of the end 
 of stage-coach travel. From the main canal 
 branches were built extending both north and 
 south. Soon travel by these waterw ays l)ecame 
 the approved method of getting a])out. Passen- 
 ger-boats or ])ackets ran back and forth across 
 the State. Each packet contained a dining- 
 room and sleeping-bertlis, which were quite 
 essential, as the boat's rate of speed was so 
 uncertain that one could never tell just how 
 far on his journey night would find him. The 
 packets were drawn by three or four horses, or 
 mules, as are the canal-boats of to-day. It was 
 claimed they traveled five miles an hour, but a 
 saying, "A cent and a half a mile, a mile and a 
 half an hour," comes down from that time, 
 suggesting that it would not have been wise to 
 divide the num])er of miles to be traveled by 
 five and then plan accordingly. 
 
 The year 1831 is the date of the first rail- 
 road in the State. It was one of the lii'st ])as- 
 
SOME NINETEENTH-CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS 193 
 
 seiiger railroads in the country. The road was 
 constructed of wooden rails, and covered a dis- 
 tance of seventeen miles between Albany and 
 Schenectady. The locomotives were rude ma- 
 
 noSTON XfiD WORCESTER RAIL ROAD.^ 
 
 I 
 
 THG Passenger Cars will continue to run daily frorn ihe 
 Drpol near Washington sireet, to Newion.alG and 
 10 o'clock, A.M. and pt 3i o'clock, P. Rl. and 
 
 Returnmg. leave Newion ai 7 and a quancr pasi 1 1, A.M. 
 and a quarter before 5. P.M. 
 
 Tickets Tor the passage either way may be had at the 
 Tichci Office, No. on, Washington sireet •, price 3ii cents 
 each ;«iid lor the return passage, of the Master of the Cari, 
 Newton. 
 
 By order ofthe President and Directors. 
 
 a 29 cpislf F. A WILLIAMS, Clerk. 
 
 First pas,senger train in America. 
 
 chines. Their greatest speed was fifteen miles 
 an hour. As it was impossible for them to 
 climb a hill worthy of the name, every such 
 elevation had to be gone round. A steep 
 grade at Albany was managed by taking off 
 the locomotive and pulling the cars to the top 
 of the hill by means of a rope and a stationary 
 engine. Here was the little beginning of the 
 complete network of railroads which cross and 
 recross the State, and from the awkward train 
 
194 
 
 THE STOKY OK THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 of 1831 has developed the Empire State Ex- 
 press, which rushes daily over the four hundred 
 and forty miles between New York and Buffalo 
 in foui- hundred and ninety-five minutes. 
 
 The introduction of steam as a motive power 
 le<l to the building of factories for making by ma- 
 chinery many 
 articles which, 
 up to that time, 
 had been made 
 by hand or had 
 been imported. 
 Towns grew up 
 aliout the fac- 
 
 the foundations 
 for our manufacturing cities where now are 
 made nearly all the devices of mechanism. 
 
 During the earl>^ years of the nineteenth 
 century a condition of affairs existed whicli 
 made life pretty hard for New York's poorer 
 citizens. Once let a man get into debt, even 
 for a very small amount, and, no matter 
 whether the cause was illness, loss of ^\'ork, or 
 idleness, he was seized and carried to the 
 debtors' prison. Here his fate was ^vorse than 
 if his crime had been the blackest of sins. 
 The State fed and clothed her murderers, 
 
SOME NINETEENTH-CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS 195 
 
 thieves, and forgers while they awaited trial. 
 The care of the debtors' prison ^ya8 no one's 
 duty. One room was made to hold all it could 
 contain, which was many, as there were no 
 chairs, no beds, nothing but human beings to 
 take up the sj^ace. If a man's friends or some 
 charitable society brought him food, all well 
 and good ; if not, he went without until his 
 debt ^vas paid, his creditor released him, or he 
 died of starvation. Humane societies looked 
 into the matter, and so earnestly did they 
 work to bring about a reform that their efforts 
 were successful. In 1831 New York passed 
 a bill putting an end to imprisonment for 
 debt. 
 
 About the same time there were other indi- 
 cations that New York meant to care for her 
 unfortunates. State prisons were built at 
 Sing Sing and Auburn to replace the old, over- 
 crowded ones; the prisoners were given work 
 and employment ; and asylums for the blind, 
 dumb, and insane grew in number. 
 
 Two great misfortunes befell New York 
 city before the middle of the century. In one 
 summer three thousand of her citizens died 
 from cliolera. Then, on a certain cold Decem- 
 ber night, a great lire broke out and threatened 
 to sweep the city out of existence. It was kept 
 
 14 
 
196 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 from doino; so only by the blowinii; up with 
 powder of whole blocks, and thus clearing 
 spaces where the flames found nothing to feed 
 upon. Both these disasters were attributed to 
 the poor supply of water, and led to the build- 
 ing of the great Croton Aqueduct, which reached 
 forty miles to the Croton River, and brought to 
 New York the gift of clear watei*. 
 
 However, in spite of her misfortunes, the 
 city's improvement was marked. Tall build - 
 
 First street car built in Xom- York, 1831. 
 
 ings replaced those of two or three stories. An 
 omnibus line was made necessary in order to 
 carry people the length of the city. This cheap 
 way of travel proved a great success, and sug- 
 gested the running of the first horse-car line in 
 America. Oil lamps gave way to gas, altliough 
 for a while many feai'ed that the whole of 
 
SOME NINETEENTH-CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS 197 
 
 Manhattan Island would be blown up by this 
 strange, new discovery. 
 
 To-day horse-cars are disappearing ; gas has 
 ceased to be a wonder ; and electricity lights the 
 streets, runs the cars, 
 and keeps the New 
 York city of the twen- 
 tieth century in con- 
 stant touch with the 
 entire world. 
 
 The Empire State 
 has 2:ood reason to feel 
 an individual pride in 
 both the telegraph and 
 cable, as they are the 
 product of New York men. Samuel F. B. 
 Morse, by his inventive genius, first gave to our 
 
 Keproduftidii of the first tclcirraphic message sent by the Morse 
 system, now preserved at Harvard College. 
 
 country that means of rapid communication 
 which makes New York and California seem 
 almost neighbors. To Cyrus W. Field is due 
 
w\ 
 
 Jluract; (Jreuk'V. 
 
SOME NINETEENTH-CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS 199 
 
 the great Atlantic cal)le wliicli binds America 
 to the Old World. 
 
 With these Uvo men stand many others who, 
 in different lines of work, liave by their suc- 
 cesses helped to make 
 New York what she 
 is. There was Peter 
 Cooper, who worked 
 earnestly for years 
 eratherino; tosrether a 
 fortune, which he used 
 for the buildino; of an 
 institution for the in- 
 dustrial classes, where 
 thousands have been 
 educated and taught 
 to make practical use 
 of science and art. This school he gave to 
 the State. Horace Grreeley devoted his life- 
 time to raising the standard of newspaper 
 work. Washington Irving and James Feni- 
 more Cooper, by their interesting stories, have 
 made the early Dutch settlers and the wild 
 life of the New Yoi-k State Indians live for- 
 ever. Then there was Henry Ward Beecher, 
 the great clergyman ; Martin Van Buren, the 
 first New Yorker to act as President of the 
 United States ; and a lono; list of those who 
 
200 THE STORY OF THE E:\IP1KE STATE 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■^^-^ J^^-^J^^. 
 
 1 
 
 C'(>o|M'r Inini: and I'clrr ('(mpcr's slatiu\ 
 
 served faithfully and well in the public life of 
 their State. 
 
 New York has heeu successful in many 
 ways, she has \voii honor and renown anion"; 
 her sister States, and yet chief of all hei- i-icli 
 possessions must l)e placed the meiiioi-y of lu-r 
 ci:reat and o:<><>d men. 
 
CHAPTER XXY 
 
 THE SPANISH WAE 
 
 The war of the Revolution was a hard fight 
 to free America from English rule. The Civil 
 War grew out of the opposition to the slave 
 system of our country and resulted in the free- 
 ing of the slaves. New York entered earnestly 
 into both these wars, and twice shared in the 
 glory and honor of victory. In 1898 she was 
 once more called upon to send her soldiers to 
 fight against oppression. 
 
 When the wonders of the great Western 
 Continent first became known to European na- 
 tions, Spain was the leading military power in 
 the world. Her sailors claimed in her name, 
 and raised her flag over, vast tracts of land 
 west of the Mississippi and in Central and 
 South America. The islands of the West In- 
 dies also were hers by right of discovery, and 
 here, after all her American colonies had thrown 
 off her tyrannical yoke, she ruled with unre- 
 lenting severity. 
 
 201 
 
202 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 lu 1895 Cuba rebelled for the second time. 
 To stamp out the insurrection Sjiain sent a 
 great army under a general who, for two years, 
 carried on the war in a most inhuman way. 
 Then the United States became indignant and 
 sent a message to Spain, saying that her cruel 
 treatment of the Cubans must stop. Spain re- 
 plied by promising tliat matters would soon be 
 bettered. Not only did she fail to keep this 
 promise, l^ut before many months all America 
 was horrified l)y \vhat proved to be a i)iece of 
 S2)anish handiwork. 
 
 On February 15, 1898, the American battle- 
 ship Maine, under the command of Captain 
 
 The Maine. 
 
 Sigsbee, of New York, was quietly riding at 
 anchor in Havana harbor, when suddenly a 
 
THE SPANISH WAR 203 
 
 submarine mine exploded and the great ship 
 was blown into a tangled mass of iron. Two 
 officers and two hundred and sixty-four United 
 States sailors were killed. 
 
 Not only every New Yorker, but every 
 American was aroused. Once assured that the 
 
 The wreck of the Maine. 
 
 explosion was not to be accounted for by any 
 motive other than Spanish hatred, it was use- 
 less for even the President to talk of ]:»eace. 
 The I'ule of Spain must come to an end on this 
 side of the Atlantic, and the American people 
 proposed to help Cuba drive out the tyrant. 
 
 The war was short. Dewey's great naval 
 victory at Manila, the brave and plucky work 
 of American soldiers in Cuba, and the crushing 
 defeat of the Sj^anish battle-ships off the Bay of 
 Santiago soon convinced Spain that her power 
 
204 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 was bi'okeu. Cuba ^^as surreudered. Not loug 
 after, Porto Rico welcomed the Americau troops 
 and tlie end of Spanish rule. In August hos- 
 tilities ceased, and on December 10, 1808, the 
 formal peace protocol was signed. 
 
 New York had loyally upheld President 
 McKiuley in his war })olicy ; had sent her men 
 to swell the army and navy militia, and to add 
 their names to the long list of gallant com- 
 manders who serv^ed in the war for Cuban 
 independence. 
 
 In tlie fall of 1899 Admiral Dewey returned 
 to America from the Philii)pines. His flagship 
 sailed into New Yoi'k hai'bor. Gorgeously 
 decorated ships went out to meet him, and on 
 sea and shore he was welcomed by the grandest 
 patriotic display ever seen in America, New 
 York had made ready for her country's hero. 
 
CHAPTER XXYI 
 
 IN CONCLUSION 
 
 Tins is the story of New York. On the 
 west are two inland lakes, and between them 
 forever roars and tumbles the never-ending, 
 measureless, wT)nderful Falls of Niagara. To 
 the east the broad, glistening Hudson peace- 
 fully follows its course to the sea. Between, 
 the wooded hills and shadowy forests are still, 
 except for the song of birds, the cry of some 
 prowling animal, or the whoop of an Indian. 
 Scattered groups of Indian houses form the 
 only break in the woodland green. Now and 
 then through the trees noiselessly and swiftly 
 glides a hunter with his bow and arrow. 
 Little bark canoes skim over the waters of the 
 many streams. At night the moon looks down 
 on a great, crackling fire, surrounded by howl- 
 ing, dancing savages, or sees a party of warriors 
 in single file creeping along an Indian trail. It 
 is the year 1600, and we are in the land of the 
 People of the Long House. 
 
 205 
 
206 THE STORY OP THE EMriRE STATE 
 
 One hundred years later the valley of the 
 Hudson is dotted with clusters of gaily-colored 
 little Dutch homes. Plere and there the manor- 
 house of some lordly patroon overlooks the 
 river. On every side Dutch windmills lazily 
 wave their great arms. The white sails of an 
 occasional boat fleck the long, blue stretch of 
 water. Sturdy Dutch and English farmers 
 gather the crops which the rich earth has given 
 them. Busy housewives work about the tidy 
 homes, and plan how their children shall become 
 merchants in the growing town at the mouth of 
 the river. And peace reigns in the King of 
 England's colony, New York. 
 
 Another hundred years, and lumbering stage- 
 coaches slowly make their way over uneven 
 roads, carrying passengers from the capital 
 city to New York, or from some town un- 
 dreamed of fifteen years before, to a village of 
 those days no^v fast becoming a city of impor- 
 tance. Not oidy along the Hudson has Civiliza- 
 tion found her way. She has wandered through 
 the Mohaw k and Genesee Valleys, leaving in 
 each footprint a future to\vnship. Way out on 
 the shore of Lake Erie the fur traders have 
 built a storehouse. And along the southern 
 banks of the St. LawTence and on the shores 
 of Lake Champlain log cabins mark the arrival 
 
IN CONCLUSION 207 
 
 of" settlers. Industry rules supreme, and over 
 all tlie index-finger of Time still points toward 
 progress. New York lias thrown olf England's 
 yoke and is free. 
 
 The dawn of the twentieth century sees a 
 never-to-be-forgotten sight in Buffalo, the Queen 
 City of the Lakes. For many months a busy 
 army of men have been at work, gathering to- 
 gether the products of the American continents 
 and planning and producing grounds and build- 
 ings worthy to be the mammoth show-case of 
 such treasures. On May 1, 1901, their work is 
 done, and the blight sunshine of a spring day 
 rests on every object, from the dainty flowers 
 which add their bit of color, to the golden god- 
 dess holding high above all her torch of liberty. 
 The notes of Home, Sweet Home float out on 
 the air, and up from their cages rise three 
 thousand carrier-pigeons. They circle round 
 the brilliant domes of the beautiful buildings, 
 and then dart off in every direction, bearing 
 home the message : " The Pan-American is com- 
 plete. To you and to all the world I bring a 
 hearty invitation from the Empire State." 
 
INDEX 
 
 AlbaDy, 17, 22, 45, 66, 76, 83, 157, 
 
 159, 181. 
 Alden, Colonel, 132. 
 Algonquins, 2, 12. 
 Allen, Etlian, 103. 
 Andre, John, 140. 
 
 capture of, 143. 
 
 death of, 146. 
 Aiidros, Major Edmund, Governor 
 of New York, 55. 
 
 Governor of United Province, 59. 
 Anti-Leislerians, 60. 
 Antislavery sentiments, 183. 
 Arnold, Benedict, at Quebec, 106. 
 
 at Fort Stanwix, 126. 
 
 at Saratoga, 128. 
 
 and Andr^, 140. 
 
 life in Philadelphia, 138. 
 
 relieved of command, 128. 
 
 treason of, 140. 
 
 death of, 146. 
 Assembly, colonial, 56, 58, 63, 76, 
 
 96, 101. 
 Atotarho, 5. 
 
 Beecher, Henry Ward, 199. 
 Bemis Heights, American encamp- 
 ment, 127. 
 attack on, 128. 
 Bennington, attack on, 122. 
 Boston port bill, 100. 
 Boston tea party, 99. 
 
 Braddock, General, 76. 
 
 Bradstreet, Captain, 77. 
 
 Brant, Joseph, 130. 
 
 British army in New York, 115, 140, 
 
 148, 151. 
 British prisons, 151. 
 Brooklyn Heights, attack on, 112. 
 Brown, General, 175. 
 Butfalo, 179, 207. 
 Burgoyne, General, advance, 120. 
 
 plan of campaign, 118. 
 
 surrender, 129. 
 Burr, Aaron, duel with Hamilton, 
 167. 
 
 life, 168. 
 
 death, 169. 
 Butler, Walter, 130. 
 
 Canadian campaign of Revolution, 
 107. 
 
 Canajoharie, 157. 
 
 Canals. 179, 192. 
 
 Capital of State, 154-162. 
 
 Catskill, 16. 
 
 CayugaS, 1. 
 
 Centennial of Washington's inaugu- 
 ration, 155. 
 
 Cham plain, 12. 
 
 Champlain, Lake, 12, 176. 
 
 Cherry Valley, massacre, 132. 
 
 Civil War, 183. 
 
 Clermont, the, 163. 
 
 309 
 
210 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 Clinton, l)e Witt, Mayor, 177. 
 
 and Erie Canal, 179. 
 "Clinton's Ditch," 180. 
 Clinton, Sir llunry, 1:^7, 134,140, 
 
 148. 
 Colnian, John, 15. 
 Colonial Congress, 1754, 7(3. 
 Colonial customs, '/'J, 63, 82. 
 Colonial privileges, 28, 39, 50, 63. 
 Commerce, trade, 21, 45, 68, 8b, 'J3, 
 
 96, 151, 157, 162. 
 Committees of correspondence, 91. 
 Consolers of sick, 24. 
 Continental Congress, 1U4, 107. 
 
 first, 1774, 100. 
 
 power at close of Kevolutioii, 154. 
 Cooper, James Fenimore, 199. 
 Cooper Institute, 199. 
 Cooper, Peter, 199. 
 Cornwallis, 148. 
 
 surrender of, 149. 
 Coronation of William and Mary, 
 
 59. 
 Counties, New York divided into, 
 
 58. 
 Counting the cost of war, 13, 48, 54, 
 
 79,129, 151, 178. 
 Cowboys, 143. 
 Croton aqueduct, 196. 
 Crown Point, 103. 
 Cuba, 202. 
 
 Declaration of lndep('ndence signed, 
 107. 
 
 reception in Mew York, 108. 
 Declaration of rights, 91. 
 Defense of New York in Kevolu- 
 tion, 106. , 
 
 in War of 1812, 177. 
 Delaware, 49. 
 Dewey, Admiral, 203-204. 
 Disbanding the army, 151. 
 Dongan charter granted, 57. 
 
 revoked, 58. 
 
 Dongan, Thomas, 56. 
 
 Draft riots, 188. 
 
 Dutch and English, 43, 48. 
 
 Dutch and Iroquois, 23. 
 
 Dutch discovery of New York, 
 
 14. 
 Dutch fete days, 39. 
 Dutch licet before New Y'ork, 47. 
 Dutch government, 23, 25, 42. 
 Dutcli purchase of Manhattan, 25. 
 Dutch retake New Y'ork, 48. 
 Dutcli surrender to English, 43. 
 Dutch tolerance, 39. 
 Dutch Wost India Company, 23,25, 
 
 39. 
 
 Edward, Fort, 120. 
 
 Elnura, 133. 
 
 Emancipation proclamation, 190. 
 
 End of Dutch rule in America, 
 
 48. 
 English colonies, 49, 50. 
 English revolution of 1688, 59. 
 English surrender to Dutch, 48. 
 Erie Canal, 179. 
 Erie, Lake, battle of, 173. 
 Erie, Pennsylvania, 173. 
 Evacuation of New Y'ork city, 151. 
 E.xpeditions against Indians, 133. 
 
 Field, Cyrus W., 197. 
 Final campaign of Kevolution, 148. 
 Fire — great fire of 1835, 195. 
 Fire-water, 17. 
 
 First American victory of Revolu- 
 tion, 103. 
 First blood of Kevolution, 97. 
 Five Nations,. 2, 12, 160. 
 Flag, the, 125. 
 
 Freedom of conscience, 39, 42, 57. 
 Freedom of the press, 66. 
 French and Indian war, 74. 
 French and Iroquois, 12, 51. 
 French claims, 51, 57. 
 
INDEX 
 
 211 
 
 French colonies, 12. 
 French fortilications, 75, 78. 
 French invasions, 12, 51. 
 French missionaries, 51. 
 Frontenac, Count, 52, 54. 
 Frontenac, Fort, surrender of, 77. 
 Fugitive slave law, 185. 
 Fulton, Kobert, 163. 
 
 Gardner's Island, 32, 68. 
 Genesee Valley devastated, 134. 
 George III, 88, 103, 105, 150. 
 George, Fort, 173. 
 Golden Hill, conflict of, 97. 
 Great Butfalo, 8. 
 Greeley, Horace, 199. 
 Green Mountain Boys, 103. 
 
 Hale, Nathan, 116. 
 Half Moon, the, 14. 
 Hamilton, Alexander, speaks at 
 meeting in the fields, 100. 
 duel with Aaron Burr, 167. 
 death, 169. 
 Herkimer, Nicholas, 123. 
 Hessians, 105-117. 
 Hiawatha, 1. 
 Hopkins, Samuel, 47. 
 Howe, General, 106, 109, 119, 127. 
 Howe, Lord, 110, 114. 
 Hudson, Henry, discovery of Hud- 
 son River, 16. 
 visit to Hudson Bay, 19. 
 death, 20. 
 
 Imprisonment for debt, 194. 
 Inauguration of Washington, 154. 
 Indian conflicts, 12, 25, 26. 
 Indian customs, 5. 
 Indian massacres, 51, 130. 
 Indian reservations, 160. 
 Iroquois Confederacy, 3, 160. 
 Iroquois, the, 12, 51, 160. 
 Irving, Washington, 199. 
 15 
 
 James, Duke of York, claims New 
 Netherlands, 45, 49. 
 grants charter and Assembly, 
 
 56. 
 becomes king, 58. 
 James II crowned, 58. 
 
 abdicated, 59. 
 James, Major, 92. 
 Jameson, Colonel, 144. 
 Johnson, Sir William, 81, 106. 
 July Fourth, 107, 183. 
 
 Kidd, Captain, 67. 
 Kingston, 127. 
 
 Leisler, Jacob, 60. 
 Leislerians, 60. 
 Lexington, battle of, 102. 
 Liberty pole, tlie, 94, 97. 
 Lincoln, Abraham, 187, 190. 
 Lincoln, General, 127. 
 Livingston, Kobert R., 107. 
 Long House, 3. 
 
 Macdonough, Captain Thomas, 
 
 176. 
 Mails, 45, 159. 
 Maine, the, 202. 
 
 Manhattan, 14, 21, 24, 25, 29, 45. 
 Manila, battle of, 203. 
 Manning, Captain, 47, 55. 
 Manufactories, 161, 195. 
 McKinley, William, 204. 
 Meeting in the fields, 1774, 100. 
 Minuit, Peter, 25. 
 Missouri Compromise, 186. 
 
 repeal, 186. 
 Mohawks, 1, 4, 23, 25. 
 Mohegans, 25. 
 Montcalm, General, 78. 
 Montgomery, General, 106. 
 Montreal, 54, 77, 106. 
 Morse, Samuel F. B., 197. 
 Murray, Lindley, 115. 
 
212 
 
 THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 
 
 National Constitution, 154. 
 
 Navigation Acts, 89. 
 
 Negro plot, 70. 
 
 New Amsterdam, 45. 
 
 New France, 12, 50. 
 
 New Jersey, 50. 
 
 New Netherlands, 23, 28, 43, 45. 
 
 Newspapers, 65. 
 
 New Sweden, 49. 
 
 New York city, 22, 45, 85, 102, 
 
 107, 151, 154, 162, 181, 188, 
 
 196. 
 Province of, 45, 152. 
 New York State, 152, 150, 179, 
 
 192. 
 Niagara, Fort, 130. 
 Non-importation agreement, 93, 96, 
 
 Ohio Valley, 74. 
 Oneidas, 1, 123. 
 Onondagas, 1, 4. 133. 
 Oriskany, battle of, 123. 
 Oswego, 68,119. 
 
 Pan-American, the, 207. 
 
 Patroon estates, 84. 
 
 Patroon system, 28, 84. 
 
 Penn, William, 50. 
 
 People of the Long House, 4, 22, 53, 
 
 68, 80, 106, 100. 
 Perry, Commodore Oliver Hazard, 
 
 173. 
 Pirates, 67. 
 
 Plattsburg, battle of, 176. 
 Population, 21, 23, 03, 162. 
 Porto Rico, 204. 
 Postal service, 45, 159. 
 J'residential election, first, 154. 
 Press, the, 65. 
 Prisons, 151, 194. 
 Punishments, 32. 
 Putnam, General Israel, 115. 
 Pygmies, 8. 
 
 Quakers, 42, 50. 
 Quartering Act, 96. 
 Quebec, 12, 78, 106. 
 
 Railroads, 192. 
 
 Religious freedom, 39, 42, 57. 
 
 Revolutionary War, 102. 
 
 Roads, 150, 157. 
 
 Rome, 80,180. 
 
 Sacketts Harbor, attack on, 172. 
 
 Sandy Hook, 14. 
 
 Santiago, battle of, 203. 
 
 Saratoga, 128. 
 
 Scalp-l.K'k, 7. 
 
 Schenectady, 53. 
 
 Schoharie Valley, massacres in, 
 
 131. 
 Schuyler, General, 100, 121, 125. 
 Scott, General, 176. 
 Senecas, 1, 4. 
 Shippen, Margaret, 139. 
 Sigsbee, Captain, 202 
 Skinners, the, 143. 
 Slavery in New York, 39, 70, 183. 
 Smith, Jo!5hua, 142. 
 Sons of Liberty, 91, 97, 100. 
 Sorel River, 12, 176. 
 South Carolina, secession of, 187. 
 Spanish War, the, 201. 
 Springfield, attack on, 131. 
 Stamp Act Congress, 91. 
 Stamp Act, the, 90. 
 
 repeal of, 94. 
 Stanwi.x, Fort, siege of, 123. 
 State Constitution, 153. 
 Steamboat, the first, in New York, 
 
 163. 
 St. Leger, Colonel, 119. 
 St. Leger\s campaign, 123. 
 Stony Point, attack on, 134. 
 Stuyvesant. Peter, 40. 
 Sumter, Fort, attack on, 188. 
 Syracuse, 133. 
 
INDEX 
 
 213 
 
 Taxation, 57, 63, 88, 95. 
 
 Tea tax, 97. 
 
 Ticonderoga, 103, 120. 
 
 Torv party, 87, 106, 107, 119, 130. 
 
 Trade, 21, 45, 68, 88, 93, 96, 151, 
 
 157. 162. 
 Travel, 29, 82, 102, 156, 163, 192, 196. 
 Treaties— Tawasentlia, 23. 
 
 Ryswick, 1697, 5-i. 
 
 Paris, 1763, 80. 
 
 Ghent, 1814, 178. 
 
 with England, 1783, 151. 
 
 with Spain, 1898, 204. 
 Trenton, battle of, 117. 
 Trial by jury, 57. 
 
 " Underground railroad," 184. 
 Utica, 80, 158. 
 
 Van Buren, Martin, 199. 
 \';m Rensselaer, 84. 
 Virginia, 49, 69, 74, 149. 
 
 Warof 1812, 171. 
 Washington, Fort, 115. 
 Washington, George, birth, 69. 
 connnander-in-chief, 105, 106, 107, 
 
 109, 115, 138, 145, 148. 
 President, 154. 
 resigns commission, 151. 
 trip to banks of Ohio, 74. 
 Wayne, Anthony, 134. 
 West Point, attack on, 136, 140. 
 West Point Military Academy, 
 
 162. 
 Whig party, 87. 
 White Plains, 115. 
 Wliitestown, 157. 
 William, Prince of Orange, 59. 
 Wolfe, General, 78. 
 Writs of Assistance, 89. 
 
 Yorktown, surrender at, 149. 
 
 Zenger, John Peter, 65. 
 
 THE END 
 
AN IMPORTANT HISTORICAL BOOK» 
 
 The History of the Louisiana Pur- 
 chase. 
 
 By Dr. Jaimes K. Hosmer, Author of "A Short History 
 of the Mississippi Valley," etc. With Illustrations and 
 Maps. i2mo. Cloth, $1.20 net ; postage, 12 cents 
 additional. 
 
 The story that Dr. Hosmer tells of the acquisition of the western 
 empire included in the Louisiana Purchase presents fresh and pictur- 
 esque phases of a most important historical event of peculiar and 
 timely interest, in view of the anniversary which comes next year. He 
 pictures the vague and curious ideas of the Louisiana country held by 
 most Americans one hundred years ago, and the objections to this 
 form of expansion. He treats the changes in the ownership of the 
 territory from France to Spain, and again to France, and he develops 
 fully the purposes and acts of Jefferson and the American Commis- 
 sioners in Paris. 
 
 Of special importance from both the historical and personal points 
 of view are the chapters which picture more fully and vividly than has 
 been done before the leadmg part taken by Napoleon in bringing about 
 the sale of Louisiana, and the relations between F^rance and America, 
 which are shown to possess a historical importance that has not been 
 appreciated. 
 
 There has been no account of the Louisiana Purchase which is so 
 popular and constant in its interest, and the authoritative character of 
 the historian's work renders the volume indispensable for younger 
 and older readers who wish to gain a thorough knowledge of the per- 
 sonal elements and the historic significance of the acquisition of 
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1902 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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