The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn potx

Part II of this e-book, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation, Part II. of this work, and is presented as its PART I. CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VI. CHAPTER VII. CHAPTER VIII. PART II. PART I. CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. Part II., Document 33. On the other hand, some later Part II., Document 37.] Part II.] CHAPTER III. Part II.] Part II., contains interesting and CHAPTER IV. Part II.), and Chambers' letter. [Transcriber's Note: The Part II., Document 5.] Part II.] Part II.] Part II.) The sending CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VI. Part II., where the position at the time of the 1 Part II., p. 71.] Part II.)] Part II.) One of his officers was Captain Eliphalet Holmes, Part II., page 55.) Mr. Jay CHAPTER VII. Part II.] CHAPTER VIII. Part II. They have all appeared since our general accounts PART II. Part II., and for much other information respecting the troops from Part I. Part I. A genealogy recently prepared by Richard Part I., unless otherwise indicated.] Part II., 95. Part II., 146. Part II, 162. See HOWE. Part II., 63. Part II., 48. Part II., 187. Part II., 145; Part II., 98. Part II., 187. Part II., 66; Part II., 187. Part II., 188. Part II., 129. Part II., 49; Part II., 50. Part II., 127; Part II., 188. Part II., 167. Part II., 169. Part II., 188. Part II., 99. Part II., 88. Part II., 38, 41, 70, 116. Part II., 5; Part II., 100. Part II., 131; Part II., 188. Part II., 188. Part II., 48. Part II., 51, 156. Part II., 44, 47; Part II., 188. Part II., 75. Part II., 189. Part II., 151. Part II., 84. Part II., 189. Part II., 189. Part II., 152. 2 Part II., 189. Part II., 5; Part II., 42; Part II., 189. Part II., 133. Part II., 189. Part II., 168. Part II., 81. Part II., 189. Part II., 172. Part II., 5; Part II., 27; Part II., 30; Part II., 141. Part II., 190. Part II., 33. Part II., 190. Part II., 174, 175, 176, 180. Part II., 136. Part II., 170. Part II., 158. Part II., 36; Part II., 190. Part II., 191. Part II., 101. Part II., 57. Part II., 191. Part II., 191. Part II., 27. Part II., 77. Part II., 85; Part II., 192. Part II., 192. Part II., 40, 41. Part II., 192. Part II., 193. Part II., 147. Part II., 73; Part II., 193. Part II., page 99, third line in Glover's letter Read [Randall's] for The Campaign of 1776 around New York and by Henry P. Johnston The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn, by Henry P. Johnston This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn The Campaign of 1776 around New York and by Henry P. Johnston 3 Author: Henry P. Johnston Release Date: July 3, 2007 [EBook #21990] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMPAIGN OF 1776 *** Produced by Suzanne Shell, Linda Cantoni, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Transcriber's Note: In quoted passages and in the documents in Part II of this e-book, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation, and abbreviations have been retained as they appear in the original. In the remainder of the text, obvious printer errors have been corrected, but archaic spellings (e.g., "reconnoissance" for "reconnaissance," "aid" for "aide") have been retained. This book contains a few instances of the letters m and n with macrons, indicating that the letter is to be doubled. The letter with the macron is represented here in brackets with an equal sign. For example, "co[=m]ittee" stands for "committee"; "ca[=n]on" stands for "cannon."] THE CAMPAIGN OF 1776 AROUND NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN. INCLUDING A NEW AND CIRCUMSTANTIAL ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND AND THE LOSS OF NEW YORK, WITH A REVIEW OF EVENTS TO THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR, CONTAINING MAPS, PORTRAITS, AND ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. BY HENRY P. JOHNSTON. BROOKLYN, N.Y.: PUBLISHED BY THE LONG ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1878. COPYRIGHT, 1878, BY HENRY P. JOHNSTON, FOR THE SOCIETY. Part II of this e-book, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation, 4 S.W. GREEN, PRINTER AND ELECTROTYPER, 16 and 18 Jacob Street, NEW YORK. [Illustration: NEW YORK and BROOKLYN WITH THEIR ENVIRONS IN 1776. Compiled by H.P. JOHNSTON. Steel Engr. F. von Egloffstein, N.Y.] PREFACE. The site now occupied by the two cities of New York and Brooklyn, and over which they continue to spread, is pre-eminently "Revolutionary soil." Very few of our historic places are more closely associated with the actual scenes of that struggle. As at Boston in 1775, so here in 1776, we had the war at our doors and all about us. In what is now the heart of Brooklyn Revolutionary soldiers lay encamped for months, and in the heat of a trying summer surrounded themselves with lines of works. What have since been converted into spots of rare beauty Greenwood Cemetery and Prospect Park became, with the ground in their vicinity, a battle-field. New York, which was then taking its place as the most flourishing city on the continent, was transformed by the emergency into a fortified military base. Troops quartered in Broad Street and along the North and East rivers, and on the line of Grand Street permanent camps were established. Forts, redoubts, batteries, and intrenchments encircled the town. The streets were barricaded, the roads blocked, and efforts made to obstruct the navigation of both rivers. Where we have stores and warehouses, Washington fixed alarm and picket posts; and at points where costly residences stand, men fought, died, and were buried. In 1776 the cause had become general; soldiers gathered here from ten of the original thirteen States, and the contest assumed serious proportions. It was here around New York and Brooklyn that the War of the Revolution began in earnest. The record of what occurred in this vicinity at that interesting period has much of it been preserved in our standard histories by Gordon, Marshall, Irving, Hildreth, Lossing, Bancroft, Carrington, and others. In the present volume it is given as a single connected account, with many additional particulars which have but recently come to light. This new material, gathered largely from the descendants of officers and soldiers who participated in that campaign, is published with other documents in Part II. of this work, and is presented as its principal feature. What importance should be attached to it must be left to the judgment of the reader. The writer himself has made use of these documents in filling gaps and correcting errors. Such documents, for example, as the orders issued by Generals Greene and Sullivan on Long Island, with the original letters of Generals Parsons, Scott, and other officers, go far towards clearing up the hitherto doubtful points in regard to operations on the Brooklyn side. There is not a little, also, that throws light on the retreat to New York; while material of value has been unearthed respecting events which terminated in the capture of the city by the British. Considerable space has been devoted to the preparations made by both sides for the campaign, but as the nature of those preparations illustrates the very great importance attached to the struggle that was to come, it may not appear disproportionate. The narrative also is continued so as to include the closing incidents of the year, without which it would hardly be complete, although they take us beyond the limits of New York. But for the cheerful and in many cases painstaking co-operation of those who are in possession of the documents referred to, or who have otherwise rendered assistance, the preparation of the work could not have been possible. The writer finds himself especially under obligations to Miss Harriet E. Henshaw, of Leicester, Mass.; Miss Mary Little and Benjamin Hale, Esq., Newburyport; Charles J. Little, Esq., Cambridge; Mr. Francis S. Drake, Roxbury; Rev. Dr. I.N. Tarbox and John J. Soren, Boston; Prof. George Washington Greene, East Greenwich, R.I.; Hon. J.M. Addeman, Secretary of State of Rhode Island, and Rev. Dr. Stone, Part II. of this work, and is presented as its 5 Providence; Hon. Dwight Morris, Secretary of State of Connecticut; Dr. P.W. Ellsworth and Captain John C. Kinney, Hartford; Miss Mary L. Huntington, Norwich; Benjamin Douglas, Esq., Middletown; Mr. Henry M. Selden, Haddam Neck; Hon. G.H. Hollister, Bridgeport; Hon. Teunis G. Bergen, Mr. Henry E. Pierrepont, J. Carson Brevoort, Esq., Rev. Dr. H.M. Scudder, and Mr. Gerrit H. Van Wagenen, Brooklyn; Mr. Henry Onderdonk, Jr., Jamaica, L.I.; Frederick H. Wolcott, Esq., Astoria, L.I.; Hon. John Jay, Charles I. Bushnell, Esq., Miss Troup, Mrs. Kernochan, Prof. and Mrs. O.P. Hubbard, Gen. Alex. S. Webb, Rev. A.A. Reinke, New York City; Mr. William Kelby, New York Historical Society; Prof. Asa Bird Gardner, West Point; Hon. W.S. Stryker, Adjutant-General, Trenton, N.J.; Richard Randolph Parry, Esq., Hon. Lewis A. Scott, and Mr. J. Jordan, Philadelphia; Hon. John B. Linn, Harrisburg; Mrs. S.B. Rogers and Mr. D.M. Stauffler, Lancaster; Dr. Dalrymple, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore; Hon. Cæsar A. Rodney, J.R. Walter, and W.S. Boyd, Wilmington, Del.; Oswald Tilghman, Esq., Easton, Md.; Hon. Edward McPherson, Rev. Dr. John Chester, and Lieutenant-Colonel T. Lincoln Casey, Washington; President Andrews and Mr. Holden, Librarian, Marietta College; and Mr. Henry E. Parsons and Edward Welles, Ashtabula, Ohio. The cordial and constant encouragement extended by the Rev. Dr. Richard S. Storrs, President of the Long Island Historical Society, and the interest taken in the work by Hon. Henry C. Murphy, Benjamin D. Silliman, Esq., and the Librarian, Mr. George Hannah, are gratefully acknowledged. NEW YORK CITY, June, 1878. CONTENTS. PART I. PAGE PART I. 6 CHAPTER I. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CAMPAIGN PLANS AND PREPARATIONS 13 CHAPTER I. 7 CHAPTER II. FORTIFYING NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN 35 CHAPTER II. 8 CHAPTER III. THE TWO ARMIES 105 CHAPTER III. 9 CHAPTER IV. THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND 139 CHAPTER IV. 10 [...]... Prisoners at the Battle of Long Island 176 " 61 List of American Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers Taken Prisoners, Killed, or Missing, at the Battle of Long Island 180 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 187 THE MAPS 193 THE PORTRAITS 195 INDEX 197 LIST OF MAPS 1 NEW YORK, BROOKLYN, AND ENVIRONS IN 1776 2 PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND AND THE BROOKLYN DEFENCES 3 PRESIDENT STILES' SKETCH OF THE BROOKLYN WORKS 4... demoralization and defeat of the expedition, combined with the Lexington episode to make the 19th of April an historic date The rapid spread of the news, the excitement in New England, the uprising of the militia and their hurried march to Boston to resist any further excursions of the regulars, were the immediate consequence of this collision Nor was the alarm confined to the Eastern colonies, then chiefly... Long Island side was largely Dutch at the time of the Revolution The first-comers, in 1636 and after, introduced themselves to the soil and the red man as the Van Schows, the Cornelissens, the Manjes, and the like good Walloon patronimics and the Dutch heritage is still preserved in the names of old families, and even more permanently in the name of the place itself; for the word Brooklyn is but the English... the Experiment, of fifty guns, safe through Hell-Gates, from the east end of the Sound to New York; when the French fleet under D'Estaing lay off Sandy Hook, and blocked up the harbor and city of New York, some ships of the line being also sent by D'Estaing round the east end of Long Island to cruise in the Sound for the same purpose, so that the Experiment must inevitably have fallen into their hands,... only inimical to the rights and liberties of America, but by their conduct and public professions have discovered a disposition to aid and assist in the reduction of that colony to ministerial tyranny; and as it is a matter of the utmost importance to prevent the enemy from taking possession of the City of New York and the North River, as they will thereby command the country, and the communication... intelligence of the fitting out of a fleet at Boston, and of the embarkation of troops from thence, which, from the season of the year and other circumstances, must be destined for a southern Part II., Document 33 On the other hand, some later 33 expedition; and having such information as I can rely on, that the inhabitants, or a great part of them, on Long Island in the colony of New York, are not only... Benjamin Vandewater; and these two were the most northerly residents in the division [Footnote 15: The caption to the act in the case passed 1751, and remaining unchanged in 1773, reads: "An Act for mending and keeping in Repair the publick Road or Highway, from the House of John Horne, in the Bowry Division of the Out-ward of the City of New York, through the Bloomendale Division in the said ward, to the. .. In 1776, the division was interspersed with houses and fields, especially in the stretch of plains or flat land just above One Hundred and Tenth Street, and from the East River to the line of Ninth Avenue The church and centre of the village CHAPTER II 30 were on the east side, in the vicinity of One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street, and the old road by which they were reached from the city branched off... with the island above it as far as King's Bridge Dutch farmers had settled here a hundred years before the Revolution As early as 1658, the Director-General and Council of New Netherland gave notice that "for the further promotion of Agriculture, for the security of this Island, and the cattle pasturing thereon, as well as for the greater recreation and amusement of this city of Amsterdam in New Netherland,... and wounded upon the green Here was a shock, the ultimate consequences of which few of the participants in the scene could have forecast; but it was the alarm-gun of the Revolution Events followed rapidly The march of the British to Concord, the destruction of the stores, the skirmish at the bridge, and, later in the day, the famous road-fight kept up by the farmers down to Charlestown, ending in the . Glover's letter Read [Randall's] for The Campaign of 1776 around New York and by Henry P. Johnston The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn, by Henry. with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn The Campaign of 1776 around New York and by Henry P. Johnston 3 Author: Henry P. Johnston Release. Long Island 180 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 187 THE MAPS 193 THE PORTRAITS 195 INDEX 197 LIST OF MAPS. 1. NEW YORK, BROOKLYN, AND ENVIRONS IN 1776. 2. PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND AND THE BROOKLYN