4 o > .V ,/. Vo^' .:^> .f 0' ^^^^^v /^\. ^^^4^y '^^'^ J, ;> :^^ ;^^^^^^ %^^^ ^>^^V. %^^ ;^^:, %.^^ , '^\ ^^ .X^^ ^^^^^^'--o ^^ > ^ v-^^ .^^.^.•;^'5,° ^^s^' o-^ii|?^; -^^^ ,0^ c, ^^ ^ = ^ (3 C - ' o ."Jv 0' v^'^:, ^■'' ^ * « o ^ ^"^ .40, 0' V 0' v <^. <^ t^o"^ C 0' iO^ % _^N TH N Y WALT IM A/v'H i T E MEMOIR b' n ff. m 1 Ul y waiioi]VvD.ii6 CONTINENTAL ARMY. MEMOIR OF BRIG GEN.ANTHONY WALTON WHITE OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. COMPITiED BY ANNA M. W. AVOODHULL, Of Fi-eehoia, TST. J, ! -' ! . ". ' . • Presented to the New Jersey Historical Societj/, at Xeirark, May ISth, 1883. J^ ^^Sf3 Of MEMOIR. Brig-adier General Antlioiiy Walton White sprang from an ancient and honorable family in the west of En,o-land, which, throngli six successive generations on this continent, was noted in the elder l)ranch for its attachment to military life. Anthony White was a zealons officer in the civil wars which distracted the reign of his sovereign, Charles 1. Shortly after the demise of the Crown, disgusted with the Kou)id- heads, he set sail for Virginia; hut, stopping at Bermuda, resolved to remain there, and snbse((nently became connected with the government of those islands. | Upon the Restoration, he was appointed a member of the King's Council, and chief of one of the groups, an office which appears to have become hereditary, as it was attached to the elder brancli for several generations. At the commencement of the political dissensions which followed the establishment of William of Orange on the English throjie, Anthony AVhite, the second of the name, inheriting his father's military predi- lections, was appointed Lieutenant Colonel, serving with tlie army in Ireland and at the battle of the Boyne. In reward for his services, he was ap})ointed a member of the King\s Council and Chief Justice of the Bermudas. He was suc- ceeded as chief by his eldest son, Leonard AVhite, who, with the hereditary thirst unquenched, obtained a commission in the British Navy, and served with distinction in tlie Wars of the Succession. Antlionv White, the oldest son of the last-named Leonard, 4 MEMOIR OF BRIG. GEN. ANTHONY WALTON WHITE. sailed for New York about the year 1715, for the puri)ose of recruitiiif;- lii.s shattered health. After one year's residence he married a Miss tStaats, and soon after died on his homeward passage, leaving an only son, Anthony White, who, after having amassed a large fortune by various civil offices in the Siate of New Jersey, obtained through the influence of his family, at last took up the profession of arms, and was com- missioned a Lieutenant Colonel in 1751. He married Eliza- beth, daughter of Govern(n- Lewis Morris, of New Jersey. His only son, and fourth child, Anthony Walton White, was born July 7th, 1750, at his seat near New Brunswick, New Jersey. He received his middle name from his relative and godfather, William Walton, of New York. Of his early life, there are no records. Being the only son of a family eminently in the patronage of the Government, he was educated with much care under the strict supervision of his father, with the expectation of inheriting large estates. At an early age we find him, with the insatiable cupidity characteristic of the servants of a monarchy, in possession of several important and lucrative offices, farmed in like manner as those of his father, and no doubt with equal success. Without any event to distinguish his life, he remained thus, the nominal holder of these offices, quietly pursuing his studies with his father, and assisting him in the care of his large estates, till the outbreak of the memorable Revolution, when an ardent disposition and a sincere love of country induced him to seek adventure in the martial service of his native land. In October, 1775, he' received his first military appointment,' as aid to General Washington, in whose military family he first heard the din of war. In February, 1776, he was commissioned by Con- gress as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Third Battalion of Ncav Jersey troops, and as commander of the outposts of the army under Washington, he was actively engaged in the service at ' Anthony Walton White, Blajor and Aid-de-Camp to George Washington, Octobei-, 17V5; Lieutenant-Colonel Third Battalion. First Establishment, February 9th, 177(5. MEMOIR OF BKIOt. GEN. ANTHONY WALTON WHITE. 5 the Nordi till 1780. In the commencement of that year' lie was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel commandant of the First Kegimont of Cav.ilrv, and shortly afterward was ordered by (Jeneral Washington to the South to take command of all the cavalry in the Southern army. In July of 1780, having ))een repeatedly urged by Creneral Gates to hasten the equipment of the cavalry, and join the army then marching to meet Cornwallis in South Carolina, but despairing of the promised assistance from the govern- ment of Virgiui;!, Colonel White procured, upon his own personal credit, tlic funds necessary to remount and support, for a short time, two regimeuts, with which he marched to join General Gates, Init not in time for the unfortunate battle of the 16th of August, at Camden, wliich was lost for want of cavalry. Early in 1781, Colonel White was ordered to Virginia, again to co-operate with the army under Lafayette against Cornwallis. During his marches to that State, he was engaged in various successful skirmishes against the cele- brated Colonel Tarleton. The following winter was spent in the Carolinas, watching and endeavoring to check his old enemy, Tarleton. In the maneuver of General Wayne before Savannah, on the 21st of May, 1782, Colonel White contrilj- uted largely, by the boldnesss of his charge, in effecting a happy result. Upon the evacuation of that place by the British forces, he returned to South Carolina and entered Charleston immediately after the retirement of the enemy, where the generosity that distingnished'him was again exem- plified, ])j his becoming security for the payment of debts incurred by the officers and men of his regiments, who had entered the city in want of almost all the necessaries of life. Bv agreements between himself and his officers and men, he ' Lieutenant-Colonel Fourth Regiment, Light Dragoons, Continental Army, Feb- ruary 13th, 17T7; (tliis regiment appears to have performed its services mostly in the South, where the commanding officer achieved a national reputation as a brilliant cavalry leader;) Lieutenant-Colonel commandant, First Regiment, ditto. Decem- ber 10th, 1779; Colonel, ditto, February 16tli. 17t!0.— Official Regi.sterof the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War, by Adjutant-General Stryker. G MEilOIR OF BRIG. GEN. ANTHONY WALTON WHITE. was to T)e protected from ultimate loss by payment in tobacco — which seems to have been the only sustained cur- rency of the times — that was to be delivered to him at Charleston, on a certain distant day. Owing to the failure of the crojis of that year, or the inaliility of the officers to fulfill their contracts, Colonel White was obliged, for the satisfaction of his creditors, to part with property at the enormous sacrifices peculiar to that period. In tJie s])ring of 17.S3, Colonel White was married to the young, beautiful and wealthy Margaret Ellis; we say young, for this beautiful girl Avas then in her fifteenth year. Edu- cated in a city held by a foreign and mercenary enemy, she exhibited an accomplished mind and firmness of temper, which ever characterized and sustained her in the sunken fortunes of her old age. After the establishment of peace, and about a year after his marriage. Col. White retired Avith his family to the North, to si)end the remainder of a life upon which fortune, Avith a fcAv trifling exceptions, had as yet shed only a pleasant liglit. Shortly after he had arrited at the North, he Avas unluippily })ersuaded by tAvo friends and late officers in the army, to embark in a speculation A\hich nearly ruined him; for being the only responsible party, he Avas obliged to meet all tlie obligations of those concerned Avith him. He noAV beheld, Avith consternation, creditors of whom he had ncA^er l)efore heard, Avho like the Shylocks of reality, demanded of him Avhat, to a nuin of liis constitutional habits Avas life itself; and in satisfying them, he dissi] ated entirely his OAvn estates, to Avhich, by the death of his fa' her, he had just succeeded. In 1703 he removed from New York, Avhcre he had resided since the Avar, to New Brunswick, N. J., his native town, where he remained till the close of his life, in 1803. In 1794 he returned again, for a short time, to mili- tary life, being api)ointed by President Wasliington General of Cavalry, in the exjiedition under Lee against tlie AVestern MEMOIK OF BRIG. GKX. A N'T II OX Y WALTON WHITE. V insurgents, in the delicate management of which he not only won the esteem and apjn-obation of the inhabitants of the district in which the army was ({uartered, but also the grati- tude of the prisoners, whom, upon the close of the expedition, he conducted to Philadel])hia. General White petitioned Congress for payment of the large sum he had advanced during the dark and troubled days of the Revolution, and which, in the settlement of his accounts with the State of Virginia, had not been allowed for want of full legal evidence. Born a favorite child of fortune, while such, he possessed and exercised and rejoiced in all the brilliant and fascinating (jualities by wliich men shine in society; and when, in later years, he saw wealth, with all its eclat, take to itself wings, though dismayed and despondent, still he faltered not in the principles that had characterized his life; but, wrapping about him the robe of patient endurance, like the stern old Roman, died with the grace that became one who could not with dignity complain. Often have the walls of his ancient domicile echoed with the voices of Washington, Hamilton, Gates, Kosciuslvo and others of like distinction. The latter made it his home during a severe sickness, where he received the kind atten- tions of Mrs. White and her daughter which he so gratefully acknowledged in numerous letters now in possession of the family. General White was a member of the society of " The Cin- cinnati,'" the order of which descended to his heir and grand- son, Anthony AValton White Evans, Esq. His monument 1 Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, in her " History of the City of New York," 1881, gives an account of the granfl procession three clays before the adoption of the Federal Constitution by New York, July 23d. 1<;88 (the State Convention did not adopt it till July 35th): " Mounted on a fine gray horse, elegantly caparisoned and led by two colored men in white Oriental dresses and turbans, Anthony Walton White bore the Arms of the ' United States' in sculpture, preceding the Society of the ' Cincin- nati,' in full military uniform." 8 MEMOIR OF BRIG. GP]N. ANTHONl WALTOX WHITE. (l)encatli the shiidow of Christ Church, New Brunswick, N, J.), bears the following inscription:' Brig. Gen. Anthony Walton White, Who departed this life on the 10th of February. 1803, In the 53d year of his age, Eests beneath this monumental stone. lie was an affectionate husband, a tender parent, a sincere and generous friend, a zealous and inflexible patriot, and a faithful, active and gallant officer in the Army of the United States during the Revolutionary War. MEMOIR OF RRI(3. GEX. AXTHOXY AVALTOK "n^HITE. APPENDIX I. The insignia of " The Order of the Cincinnati" consists of a blue badge bearing a gold eagle, enameled. The order was conferred upon Kosciusko, who, on his return to this country ni 1798. exchanged eagles with General White, the same worn by the brave Pole on the day he destroyed the Rus- sian arraj in 1794. It may not be amiss to state, in this connection, that this interesting relic still (.'xists. owned and greatly prized by General White's representative and only surviving grandson, Anthony Walton White Evans, Esq., of Westchester county, New York, who is also an honored member of oui- only chivalric order. After ten years' residence in South America and recent extended European travel, this gentleman is spending the noon of an active life in the quiet enjoyment of scientific and literary pursuits. Among many similar contributions from Mr. Evans' pen, we mention two most cordially welcomed by her Majesty's Colonies, viz: A "Paper" (at the request of the New Zealand Govern- ment) on " the Preservation of Timber." Also, an ■•Opinion,' at the request of the British Government, through Hon. Mr. Childers, now Secretary of Wa)-. on the much- vexed question of '" Railway Gauges" for the Colonies, which Paper was published as a Parliamentary document in Victoria. Calcutta, Valparaiso and Switzerland. APPENDIX IL (i^'lXP:ALOGK!A[> AXl) liKMfK APIIICAI, XOTKS. The ancestor of the first Anthony White, of the Beriinidas. wa* Capt. John White, sent t(^ Virginia by .Sii- Walter Raleigh in 1587. as Governor of his colony. He returned in l--)88. witli supplies in two vessels; but desirous of a gainful voyage, ran in searcii of Spanish prizes, until, at length, one of the vessels was overpowered, boarded and lilleil. and bt>th ships were compelled to return to England. Me returned in l.~)90. onlv to find the island of Roanoke deserted. Ijeonard (probably his son) emi- grated to Virginia iii 1H20, Governor \A'Tiite's daugliter. Kleanor Dai-e. 2 . 10 MEMOIR OF BRIG. GEX. A XTHOXY WALTON WHITE. gave birth to a child, the first offspring of English parents in the New World. One of his brothers, Sir John White, also went to Bermuda, probably in 1609, with Sir George Soiuers. It was " the terrible tempest" and shipwreck which dispersed this company in the alwve year, which in 1611 suggested Shakespeare's master-piece, " The Tempest." Sir John White married a descendant of Sir Owen Tudor, the ancestor of King Henry the Eighth, and 2d husband of Katharine, widow oC the great Henry Fifth. White, Joanna, sister of Gen. White, b. Nov. 14, 1744, d. s: p: June 36, 1834; 3d wife of Col. John Bayard, b. in Cecil county, Md., Aug. 11, 1738. He was a member of the Council of Safety, Speaker of the House of Representatives, in 1785 a member of the old Congress then in session in New York. In 1789 he removed from Philadelphia to New Brunswick, N. J. ; Mayor of that city and Judge of the Court of Com- mon rieas. He died Jan. 7, 1807. He was a patriot of spotless public and private life, of whom Bancroft says: ''He was personally brave, pensive, earnest and devout." He was the great-great-uncle of the present Senator Bayard. White. Euphemia, 2d sister of Gen, White, b. Dec. 10, 1746, d. s: p: Jan. 29. 1832: married Hon. William Paterson. LL.D., b. 1745; grad. N. J. College. 1763; one of the founders of the Cliosophic Society of said college in 1765: Counsellor-at-law; in 1775 member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey : Attorney-General of the State in 1775; in 1788 United States Senator; in 1793 nominated by Washington As.sociate Jus- tice of the Supreme Court of the LTnited States: in 1794 Governor of New Jersey; died Sept. 9. 1806. Staats — This family was priginally from Albany. Dr. Abraham Staes, who came to New Netlierlands in 1642. was. the ancester of the Staats of the present day, the name having assumed shortly afterward, the termina- tion it now bears. Dr. Samuel Staats, son of Majoi- Abraham Staats, of Albany, studied his profession in Holland. When the Province of New York surrendered to the English, in 1664. he returned to Holland, remain- ing there till the Prince of Orange ascended the English throne, in 1688, when he returned to New York, and died there in 1715. He obtaine. 820. 1846, and " C'ontributions for the Genealogies of tiie First Settlers of the Ancient Countv of Albany, from 1680-1800." l)y Prof. Jonathan Pearson. 1872. Also Staats in Morris family Record, quoted in July No. of N. Y. Gen. and Biog. Record for 1878. p. 149. Morris — Pedigree in Bolton's History of the County of Westchester, p. 284, 1848. Gov. Paterson — Wiljiam Pateison's .Mciuorial of, before Cliosophic Society, 1865. Col. Bayard — Memorial of, by Gen. James Grant Wilson. 1870. j^e. t'lP'"* ^^-n^ %. J' ^■4^M', % A* ;> " = - <>. .0 . ^ ' » * o. ^^... .. .. ..^. ^^^/ ^;^^^^ ^^^ <' -V > ^^ . • r ^ > ^cf^ ^% 0' P"; ^-^ °^ ' ^^ JUL 69 : Ao^^ : ST. AUGUSTINE ^^e^;^. ,,^^ O '>'^^/ ^0