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* Oyster Bay was an important point during the British occupation of the island. Sheltered from the Sound by a large island, it afforded a secure place for small vessels, and the fertile country around supplied ample forage. It was the head-quarters of Lieutenant-colonel Simcoe with the Queen's Rangers (three hundred and sixty in number), who made the village of Oyster Bay his cantonment during the winter of 1778-9. He arrived there on the nineteenth of November, 1778, and immediately commenced fortifying his camp. He constructed a strong redoubt upon an eminence toward the west end of the town, now (1851) the property of the Rev. Marmaduke Earle. The diteh and embankments are yet very prominent. This work was capacious enough for seventy men, and completely commanded the bay. These preparations were made chiefly because General Parsons was encamped on the Connecticut shore with about two thousand militia, and controlled a large number of whale-boats. Oyster Bay was made the central point of operations in this quarter. According to Simcoe's account, great vigilance was necessary during the winter, to prevent a surprise. For a sketch and explanation of Simcoe's camp at Oyster Bay, see the next page. Simcoe made his quarters at the house of Samuel Townsend, who was a member of the Provincial Assembly of New York in 1776, and there Major André and other young officers of the army often visited. His daughter, Miss Sarah Townsend, was then about sixteen years of age, and very attractive in person and manner. She was the toast of the young officers, and on Valentine's day, 1779, Simcoe presented her with a poetical address in laudation of her charms. This production may be found in Onderdonk's Revolutionary Incidents of Long Island, i., 215. Miss Townsend died in December, 1842, at the age of eighty years. The dwelling now belongs to her grand-niece, Mrs. Sarah T. Thorne.
Capture of Fort George.—Destruction of Stores at Corum.—Capture of Fort Siongo.—Badge of Military Merit.
At the solicitation of General Smith, and with the approval of Washington, Major Tallmadge proceeded to dislodge them. They had named their fortress Fort George, and appeared too strongly intrenched to be in fear. * Tallmadge crossed the Sound from Fairfield with eighty dismounted dragoons, and landed in the evening atOld Man's, now Woodville.Nov. 21, 1780On account of a storm, he remained there until the next night, when, accompanied by Heathcote Muirson, he marched toward Fort George.
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At the mills, about two miles from the fort, he procured a faithful guide, ** and at dawn he and his gallant soldiers burst through the stockade on the southwestern side, rushed across the parade, and, shouting "Washington and Glory!" they furiously assailed the redoubt upon three sides. The garrison surrendered without resistance. At that moment a volley was fired from the upper windows of the mansion. The incensed Americans burst open the doors, and would have killed every inmate, had not Major Tallmadge interfered.
Having secured his prisoners (three hundred in number), demolished the fort, and burned vessels lying at the wharf, laden with a great amount of stores, Tallmadge set out on his return at sunrise. On his way, leaving his corps in command of Captain Edgar, he proceeded with ten or twelve men to Corum, and there, after overpowering the guard, they destroyed three hundred tons of hay collected for the British army in New York. He arrived at Fairfield with his prisoners early in the evening, without losing a man. This brilliant exploit drew from Washington a very complimentary letter, and from Congress a gratifying resolution. ***
At Treadwell's Neck, near Smithtown, a party of Tory wood-cutters (one hundred and fifty in number) erected a military work, whieh they called Fort Siongo. This Major Tallmadge determined to assail.
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On the evening of the ninth of October, 1781, he embarked one hundred and fifty of his dismounted dragoons, under Major Trescott, at the mouth of the Saugatuck Ptiver. They landed at four o'clock the next morning, and at dawn assailed the fort. Some resistance was made, when the garrison yielded, and Trescott was victorious without losing a man. He destroyed the blockhouse and two iron four-pounders, made twenty-one prisoners, and carried off a brass three pounder, the colors of the fort, seventy stand of arms, and a quantity of ammunition. ****
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* Explanation of the above Plan of Oyster Bay Encampment.—a, redoubt; b b b, fleches; c c c c c c, quarters separately fortified; d, quarters of the Hussars; c, Townsend's house, Simcoe's quarters.
* This fort was upon Smith's Point, a beautiful and fertile promontory projecting into South Bay, at Mastic. It commands a fine view of the bay, and the village of Bellport. The property now belongs to the sons of General Smith. The fort consisted of a triangular inclosure of several acres of ground, at two angles of which was a strong barricaded house, and at the third was a strong redoubt, ninety-six feet square, with bastions, a deep ditch, and abatis. Between the houses and the fort were stockades twelve feet in height. It was embrasured for six guns; two only were mounted. This fort was intended as a depository of stores for the Tories of Suffolk county.—Onderdonk, ii., 96; Thompson, 289.
** This guide was William Booth, who resided near the mills. Mrs. Smith was also there, having been driven from her home. When Tallmadge informed her that he might be compelled to destroy her house, she at once said, "Do it and welcome, if you can drive out those Tories." The position of the house is seen in the diagram, at the top of the triangle. The dotted lines indicate the line of march in the attack. When I visited the spot in 1851, the lines of the fort might be distinctly traced northwestward of the mansion of the present occupant.
*** Journal, vi., 171.
**** In this enterprise as well as at Fort George, Sergeant Elijah Churchill, of the 2d regiment of dragoons, behaved so gallantly, that Washington rewarded him with the badge of military merit. *
* Washington established honorary badges of distinction in August, 1781.
They were to be conferred upon non commissioned officers and soldiers who had served three years with bravery, fidelity, and good conduct, and upon every one who should perform any singularly meritorious action. The badge entitled the recipient "to pass and repass all guards and military posts as fully and amply as any commissioned officer whatever." A board of officers for making such awards was established, and upon their recommendation the eommander-inchief presented the badge. The board, in Churchill's case, consisted of Brigadier-general Greaton, president; Colonel Charles Stewart, Lieutenant colonel Sprout, Major Nicholas Fish (father of ex-governor Fish, of New York), and Major Trescott. The MS. proceedings of the minutes of the board on this occasion are in the possession of Peter Force, Esq., of Washington City.
British occupation of New York City.—Residences of several of the Officers.—Prisons and Hospitals.
Every where eastward of Hempstead minor events of a similar character, but all having influence in the progress of the Revolution, were almost daily transpiring.
Let us now follow the British army into the city, and take a brief survey of the closing events of the war.
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When the British felt themselves firmly seated on Manhattan Island after the fall of Fort Washington, they leisurely prepared for permanent occupation. General Robertson immediately strengthened the intrenchments across the island from Corlaer's Hook, erected barracks along the line of Chambers Street from Broadway to Chatham, and speedily placed the army in comfortable winter quarters. Nearly all of the Whig families whose means permitted them had left the city, and their deserted houses were taken possession of by the officers of the army and refugee Loyalists. *
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The dissenting churches were generally devoted to military purposes, ** and the spacious sugar-houses, then three in number, were made prisons for the American captives, when the cells of the City Hall and the provost prison were full. *** Looking with contempt upon the rebels in field and council, the British felt no anxiety for their safety, and every pleasure that could be procured was freely indulged in by the army.
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A theatre was established, tennis courts and other kinds of amusements were prepared, and for seven years the city remained a prey to the licentiousness of strong and idle detachments of a well-provided army.
This was the head-quarters of British power in America during that time, and here the most important schemes for operations against the patriots, military and otherwise, were planned and put in motion. The municipal government was overthrown, martial law prevailed, and the business of the city degenerated almost into the narrow operations of suttling.
* Sir Henry Clinton occupied No. 1 Broadway, and Sir William Howe the dwelling adjoining it. Toward the close of the war, Sir Guy Carleton (Lord Dorchester) also occupied No. 1. General Robertson resided first in William, near John Street, and afterward in Hanover Square. Knyphausen, when in the city, occupied Verplanck's house in Wall Street, near the Bank of New York, where also Colonel Birch, of the dragoons, resided. Admiral Digby and other naval officers, and also Prince William Henry (afterward William the Fourth of England), when here, occupied the city mansion of Gerardus Beekman, on the northwest corner of Sloat Lane and Hanover Square. Admiral Rodney occupied a house, now 256 Pearl Street, and Cornwallis's residence was three doors below it. Carleton's country residence was the mansion at Richmond Hill, corner of Variek and Charlton Streets, long the property of Colonel Aaron Burr. Admiral Walton occupied his own house (yet standing in Pearl Street, number 326, opposite the publishing house of Harper and Brothers), and there he dispensed generous hospitality.
** The Middle Dutch church (now the city post-office), on Nassau, Liberty, and Cedar Streets, was converted into a riding-school, where the British cavalry were taught lessons in horsemanship. The French Protestant church (Du St. Esprit), built by the Huguenots in 1704, near the corner of Pine and Nassau Streets, and the North Dutch church, corner of William and Fulton Streets, were converted first into prisons and then into hospitals. The quaint old church edifice which stood on the corner of William and Frankfort Streets until 1851 (when it was demolished, and a large hotel was placed upon its site), was a hospital for the Hessians, and all around the borders of the swamp close by, many of the poor Germans were buried.
*** These, and the events connected with them, will be noticed under the head of "Prisons and Prison-Ships," in the Supplement.
Counterfeit Continental Bills.—Expedition to Staten Island.—Second great Fire in New York.
Here many petty depredating expeditions were planned; and from Whitehall many a vessel departed with armed troops to distress the inhabitants of neighboring provinces, * or with secret emissaries to discover the weakness of patriot camps, to encourage disaffection in the Republican ranks, and, by the circulation of spurious paper money ** and lying proclamations, to disgust the people and win their allegiance to the crown.
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A record of the stirring incidents of the armed occupation of New York would fill a volume. *** It tempts the pen by many allurements, but I must leave the pleasure of such a task to the local historian, and hasten to a considera-
* We have already noticed most of these expeditions. Staten Island was held by the British during their occupancy of New York, and several schemes were planned to expel them. In the summer of 1777, the British force on the island amounted to between two and three thousand men, nearly one half of whom were Loyalists. General Sullivan, with Colonel Ogden of New Jersey, and a part of the brigades of Smallwood and Deborre.
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* (see page 381), crossed from Elizabethtown before daylight on the twenty-second of August. Two of the Tory parties, commanded by Colonels Lawrence and Barton, stationed near the present Factoryville, were surprised, and eleven officers and one hundred and thirty privates were made prisoners. Wanting a sufficient number of boats to convey the captives, a party of British attacked Sullivan's rear-guard, and made many of them prisoners. The whole loss of the Americans was three officers and ten privates killed, fifteen wounded, and nine officers and one hundred and twenty-seven privates made prisoners. General Campbell, who commanded the British on the island, reported two hundred and fifty-nine prisoners. It was during the cold month of January, 1780 ("the hard winter"), that Lord Stirling went on an expedition against the British on Staten Island. It was a re-enforcement of troops after this attack (see page 311, volume i.) that crossed the bay of New York, with heavy cannons, upon the ice.
** Among other schemes for annoying the Americans, and casting discredit upon Congress, the British resorted to the issue of "cart loads" of counterfeit Continental bills, so as to depreciate the currency. This fact is alluded to on page 318, volume i. It was no secret at the time, as appears by an advertisement * in Gaine's New York Mercury, April 14th, 1777. For two or three years these bills were circulated extensively, and doubtless had great effect in depreciating the Continental money. Francis, in his History of the Bank of England, ii., 79-80, says, that Premier Pitt, the younger, resorted to a similar trick, by causing a large number of French assignats to be forged at Birmingham, to depreciate the currency of the French Republic. Napoleon also caused forged notes of the Austrian Bank to be distributed throughout the Austrian Tyrol.
*** A second great conflagration in the city, during the British occupation, occurred on Saturday night, the seventh of August, 1778. It commenced at Cruger's Wharf, Coenties Slip, and before it was subdued three hundred houses were consumed. The next day was excessively hot, and at noon, while the smoke of the smouldering fire was yet rising from the ruins, a heavy thunder-storm burst over the city. At about one o'clock, while raging at its height, the city was shaken as if by an earthquake, and suddenly a column of dense smoke arose in the east and spread over the town. Tiles were shaken from the roofs of houses, and crockery was broken in some houses at Franklin Square. The shock was occasioned by the explosion of the magazine of a powder vessel lying in the East River, which was struck by lightning. The vessel had just arrived from England, and the event was regarded as a special interposition of Providence in behalf of the Americans.—See Dunlap, ii., 164.
* "Advertisement.—Persons going into other colonics may be supplied with any number of counterfeited Congress notes, for the price of the paper per ream. They are so neatly and exactly executed, that there is no risk in getting them off, it being almost impossible to discover that they are not genuine. This has been proven by bills to a very large amount which have already been successfully circulated. Inquire of Q. E. D., at the Coffee-house, from 11 A. M. to 4 P. M., during the present month."
Treaties for Peace.—The Continental Army.—Congress at Princeton.—Mutiny.—Washington's Circular Letter.
tion of the final evacuation of the city by the British army, and the parting of Washington with his officers.
After protracted negotiations for a year and a half, a definitive treaty of peace was signed at ParisSept. 3, 1783between American and English commissioners. A provisional treaty had been signed about nine months previously,Nov. 30, 1782and in the mean while preparations for a final adjustment of the dispute had been made. On account of the pecuniary embarrassments of Congress, the arrearages of pay due to the soldiers, and the prospect of a dissolution of the army without a liquidation of those claims, general gloom and discontent prevailed.
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We have seen its alarming manifestation at Newburgh in the spring of 1783 (see page 106), and, though suppressed, it was never entirely subdued. It required all the personal influence and sagacity of Washington to keep the remnant of the Continental army in organization until the final evacuation of the British in the autumn of that year, and when that event took place the Republican troops were a mere handful. *
In August, Washington was called to attend upon Congress, then sitting at Princeton. ** He left General Knox in command of the little army at Newburgh and vicinity, and, with Mrs. Washington and a portion of his military family, he made his residence at Rocky Hill, near the Millstone River, about four miles from Princeton, where he remained until November, when he joined Knox and the remnant of the Continental army at West Point, preparatory to entering the city of New York. ****
* The number of soldiers furnished for the Continental army by each state, during the war, was as follows: New Hampshire, 12,497; Massachusetts, 67,907; Rhode Island, 5,908; Connecticut, 31,939; New York, 17,781; New Jersey, 10,726; Pennsylvania, 25,678; Delaware, 2,386; Maryland, 13,912; Virginia, 26,678; North Carolina, 7,263; South Carolina, 6,417; Georgia, 2,679. Total, 231,791.
** The cause of the assembling of Congress at Princeton was the violent spirit manifested by some of the Continental troops of the Pennsylvania line. These had marched in a body (June 21), three hundred in number, surrounded the State House, where Congress was in session, and, after placing guards at the door, demanded action for redress of grievances, within the space of twenty minutes, at the peril of having an enraged soldiery let in upon them. Congress was firm; declared that body had been grossly insulted, and resolved to adjourn to Princeton, where the members assembled on the twenty-sixth. As soon as Washington was informed of this mutiny, he sent General Robert Howe, with fifteen hundred men, to quell it. He soon quieted the disturbance. Some who were found guilty on trial were pardoned by Congress.
*** This is a view of the southwest front of the mansion. The room occupied by Washington is in the second story, opening out upon the piazza. It is about eighteen feet square, and in one corner is a Franklin stove like that delineated on page 328, volume i. The situation of the house, upon an eminence an eighth of a mile eastward of the Millstone River, is very pleasant. It is now quite dilapidated; the piazza is unsafe to stand upon. The occupant, when I visited it in 1850, was Mr. James Striker Van Pelt.
**** A great portion of the officers and soldiers had been permitted during the summer to visit their homes on furlough, and on the eighteenth of October Congress virtually disbanded the Continental army, by discharging them from further service. Only a small force was retained, under a definite enlistment, until a peace establishment should be organized. These were now at West Point, under the command of General Knox. The proclamation of discharge, by Congress, was followed by Washington's farewell address to his companions in arms. He had already issued a circular letter (Newburgh, eighth of June, 1783) to the governors of all the states on the subject of disbanding the army. It was designed to be laid before the several State Legislatures. It is a document of great value, because of the soundness of its doctrines, and the weight and wisdom of its counsels. Four great points of policy constitute the chief theme of his communication, namely,an indissoluble union of the states; a sacred regard for public justice; the organization of a proper peace establishment; and a friendly intercourse among the people of the several states, by which local prejudice might be effaced. "These," he remarks, "are the pillars on which the glorious fabric of our independency and national character must be supported." No doubt this address had great influence upon the minds of the whole people, and made them yearn for that more efficient union which the Federal Constitution soon afterward secured.
British prepare to Evacuate New York.—Washington's Farewell Address to the Army.—The Evacuation.—Clinton and Knox.
On the seventh of August,1783Sir Guy Carleton, then in chief command of the British army, received instructions to evacuate the city of New York.
8848
This event was delayed in order to make arrangements for the benefit of the Loyalists in the city and state, and it was not until late in October when Carleton notified Washington of his determination to leave our shores.
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On the second of November, Washington issued his "Farewell Address to the Armies of the United States" ** from Rocky Hill, and on the fourteenth of the same month he conferred with Governor Clinton, *** and made arrangements to enter and take possession of the city. Clinton issued an appropriate proclamation on the fifteenth, and summoned the officers of the civil government to meet him in council at East Chester. A day or two afterward, Washington, Clinton, and Carleton held a conference at Dobbs's Ferry (see page 195), and the twenty-fifth was fixed upon as the time for the exodus of the British troops. Both parties adopted measures for the preservation of order on the occasion. On the morning of that day—a cold, frosty, but clear and brilliant morning—the American troops, under General Knox, **** who had come down from West Point and encamped at Harlem, marched to the Bowery Lane, and halted at the present junction of Third Avenue and the Bowery. There they remained until about one o'clock in the afternoon, when the British left their posts in that vicinity and marched to Whitehall. (v) The
* The Loyalists, fearful of meeting with unpleasant treatment from the irritated Americans, prepared to leave the country in great numbers, and fled to the British province of Nova Scotia. The delay in question was in consequence of a want of a sufficient number of transports to convey these people and their effects. A further notice of the Loyalists will be found in the Supplement.
** This, like his letter to the governors, was an able performance. After affectionately thanking his companions in arms for their devotedness to him through the war, and for their faithfulness in duty, he gave them sound and wise counsel respecting the future, recommending them, in a special manner, to support the principles of the Federal government, and the indissolubility of the union.
*** George Clinton was born in Ulster eounty, New York, in 1739. He chose the profession of the law for his avocation. In 1768, he was elected to a seat in the Colonial Legislature, and was a member of 'he Continental Congress in 1775. He was appointed a brigadier in the army of the United States in 1776, and during the whole war was active in military affairs in New York. In April, 1777, he was elected governor and lieutenant governor, under the new Republican Constitution of the state, and was continued in the former office eighteen years. He was president of the convention assembled at Poughkeepsie to consider the Federal Constitution in 1788. He was again chosen governor of the state in 1801, and three years afterward he was elected Vice-president of the United States. He occupied that elevated position at the time of his death, which oeeurred at Washington City in 1812.
**** Henry Knox was born in Boston in 1750. He was educated at a common sehool, and at the age of twenty years commenced the business of bookseller in his native town. He was engaged in that vocation when the Revolutionary storm arose, and his sympathies were all with the patriots. He was a volunteer in the battle of Bunker Hill, and for this and subsequent services Congress commissioned him a brigadier, and gave him the command of the artillery department of the army, which he retained during the whole war. He was always under the immediate command of Washington, and was with him in all his battles After the capture of Cornwallis, Congress commissioned him a major general. In 1785, he succeeded Lincoln in the office of Secretary of War, which position he held for eleven years, when he retired into private life. He died at Thomaston, Maine, in 1806, at the age of about fifty-six years. To General Knox is conceded the honor of suggesting that noble organization, the Society of the Cincinnati.
* (v) The British claimed the right of possession until noon of the day of evacuation. In support of this claim, Cunningham, the infamous provost marshal exercised his authority. Dr. Alexander Anderson, of New York, related to me an incident which fell under his own observation. He was then a lad ten years of age, and lived in Murray, near Greenwich Street. A man who kept a boarding-house opposite ran up the American flag on the morning of the twenty-fifth. Cunningham was informed of the fact, and immediately ordered him to take it down. The man refused, and Cunningham attempted to tear it down. At that moment the wife of the proprietor, a lusty woman of forty, came out with a stout broomstick, and beat Cunningham over the head so vigorously, that he was obliged to decamp and leave the "star-spangled banner" waving. Dr. Anderson remembers seeing the white powder fly from the provost marshal's wig.
Entrance of the Americans.—Parting of Washington with his Officers.—Rejoicings in New York.
American troops followed, * and before three o'clock General Knox took formal possession of Fort George amid the acclamations of thousands of emancipated freemen, and the roar of artillery upon the Battery.
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Washington repaired to his quarters at the spacious tavern of Samuel Fraunce, and there during the afternoon, Governor Clinton gave a public dinner to the officers of the army, and in the evening the town was brilliantly illuminated.
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Rockets shot up from many private dwellings, and bonfires blazed at every corner. On Monday following,Dec. 1,1783Governor Clinton gave an elegant entertainment to Luzerne (the French embassador), General Washington, the principal officers of the State of New York and of the army, and more than a hundred other gentlemen.
On ThursdayDec. 4the principal officers of the army yet remaining in service assembled at Fraunce's, to take a final leave of their beloved chief. The scene is described as one of great tenderness. Washington entered the room where they were all waiting, and taking a glass of wine in his hand, he said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." Having drank, he continued, "I can not come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged to you if each will come and take me by the hand." Knox, who stood nearest to him, turned and grasped his hand, and, while the tears flowed down the cheeks of each, the commander-in-chief kissed him. This he did to each of his officers, while tears and sobs stifled utterance.*** Washington soon left the room, and passing through corps of light infantry,b Dec. 4
* The troops entered the city from the Bowery, through Chatham Street, in the following order: 1. A corps of light dragoons. 2. Advanced guard of light infantry. 3. A corps of artillery. 4. A battalion of light infantry. 5. A battalion of Massachusetts troops. 6. Rear-guard.
* Washington with his staff, and Governor Clinton and the state officers, soon afterward made a public entry, as follows: 1. The general and governor, with their suite, on horsebaek, escorted by a body of West Chester light horse, commanded by Captain Delavan. 2. The lieutenant governor and the members of the council for the temporary government of the Southern District of the state, four abreast. 3. Major-General Knox and the officers of the army, eight abreast. 4. Citizens on horsebaek, eight abreast. 5. The speaker of the Assembly and citizens on foot, eight abreast.
* The British army and the refugees who remained were all embarked in boats by three o clock in the afternoon, and at sunset they were assembled upon Staten and Long Islands, preparatory to their final embarkation. * Before they left, the British flag was nailed to the flag-staff in Fort George, the eleets were knocked off, and the pole was greased so as to prevent ascent. New eleets were soon procured, a sailor-boy ascended as he nailed them on, and, taking down the British flag, placed the stripes and the stars there, while the cannons pealed a salute of thirteen guns.
** See note 1, page 796.
*** Gordon, iii., 377; Marshall, ii., 57. Only one of the participators in this interesting scene is now living. That honored man is Major Robert Burnet, whose portrait may be found on page 118. Major Burnet commanded the rear-guard on the entrance of the American army into the city.
* The British left these two islands a few days afterward, and then the evacuation of the sea-board was complete. Western and northern frontier posts (Oswegatchie, Oswego, Niagara, Presque Isle, Sandusky, Detroit, Mackinaw, and others of less note) continued in the possession of British garrisons for some time afterward.
Washington's Departure for, and Journey to Annapolis.—His account current of Expenses.—Lady Washington.
he walked in silence to Whitehall, followed by a a barge to proceed to Paulus's Hook on his way to lay his commission at the feet of Congress, at Annapolis. *
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When he entered his barge, he turned to the people, took off his hat, and waved a silent adieu to the tearful multitude. *
Washington remaineda few days in Philadelphia, where he delivered in his accounts to the proper officers, ** and then hastened, with his wife, to Annapolis, where he arrived on the evening of the nine-with ladies, among whom was Mrs. Washington vast procession, and at two o'clock entered.Dec. 1783The next day he informed Congress of his desire to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States. That body resolved that it should be done at a public audience the following Tuesday,Dec. 23at meridian. The day was fine, and around the State House (see page 402) a great concourse was assembled. The little gallery of the Senate Chamber was filled. ***
* Congress had adjourned to meet at Annapolis, in Maryland, on the twenty-sixth of November. A quorum was not present until Saturday, the thirteenth of December, when only nine states were represented.
** The account current of his expenditures for the public service during the war, rendered by Washington, was in his own handwriting. The total amount was about seventy-four thousand four hundred and eighty-five dollars. * The disbursements were for reconnoitering and traveling, secret intelligence service, and miscellaneous expenses. It will be remembered that Washington refused to receive any compensation for his own services.
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*** Martha Dandridge was born in New Kent county, Virginia, in May, 1732. In 1749 she was married to Colonel Daniel Parke Custis, of New Kent, and settled with her husband on the bank of the Pamunky River, where she bore four children. Her husband died when she had arrived at the age of about twenty-five, leaving her in the possession of a large fortune. In 1758 she became acquainted with Colonel Washington, whose greatness was just budding, and whose fame had spread beyond Virginia. He became her suitor, and they were married. The exact period of their marriage has not been found on record; it is supposed to be in 1759. They removed to Mount Vernon soon after that event, and there was their home during the remainder of their lives. During the war for independence, she occasionally visited her husband in camp. Almost at the very hour of his great victory at Yorktown, a cloud came over her, for then her only surviving child expired. While Washington was President of the United States, Mrs. Washington presided with dignity in the mansion of the chief magistrate. The quiet of private life had more charms for her than the brilliancy of public greetings, and she joyfully sought the banks of the Potomac when her husband's second presidential term was ended. A little more than two years afterward, she was called to mourn his death. **
* The pecuniary cost of the war, exclusive of the vast losses by the ravages of plantations, burning of houses and towns, plunder by Indians and the British soldiery, &c., &c., was not less than one hundred and seventy millions of dollars. Of this sum, Congress disbursed about two thirds; the remainder was spent by the individual states. It had been raised "by taxes under the disguise of a depreciating currency; by taxes directly imposed; by borrowing; and by running in debt."—See Hildreth's History of the United States, iii., 445.
** We have already noted (see page 425) the principal events in the public life of General Washington, until his appointment.
Abbot, Benjamin, Drum-major, plays Death-march on Execution of Andrè,203.
Abercrombie, Colonel, at Siege of Yorktown,520;In Expedition to Petersburg,544.
Academy, Military, at West Point, established by Act of Congress in 1802--Organized in 1812,138.
Acrostic on Arnold,037;On Anna Brewster,113.
Acts--Stamp Act,058;Opposition to, in Philadelphia, in 1764,258;Hilarity and Rejoicing on its Repeal,259;Effect of, in Virginia,482;Repeal of, in 1766,484,569,789;Effect of, in North Carolina,567;Effects of, in South Carolina,747;Opposed in New York,786.
Act, Toleration, in Maryland, in 1649; Against Blasphemy punishable by Death,397.
Act, English Navigation, prohibiting foreign Commerce with British Settlements,640.
Act, Mutiny, providing for quartering Troops in America at Expense of the Colonists,790.
Adamses, Opinions concerning,270.
Adams, John, in Committee of Congress to confer with Howe in 1776,814.
Adams, Samuel, his course toward Washington in 1778,336.
Address of Lord Mayor of London to George III. relative to establishing arbitrary Power in America--Of Common Council to the same,017;Of London Merchants and others to George III. concerning acts of Parliament--Counter Addresses and others,018;Of Parliament responsive to the King's Speech,019;At Dedication of Washington's Head Quarters Newburgh, in 1850,099;Of Washington to Officers of the Army at Newburgh,109,116;To Congress at Annapolis, on Resignation of his Commission,841;Of Mifflin to Washington on same Occasion,841,842.
Advertisement, profligate, of British Officers in Philadelphia in 1778,303;For supply of counterfeit Money,836.
Agnew, General James, killed at Battle of Germantown in 1777--Biographical Sketch of,318;Account of his Death,319.
Agreements, Non-importation,486,579,749.
Agriculture in Lower Virginia,554;In North Carolina,556.
Albemarle County, North Carolina, extent of Territory of,560.
Alden, Captain, horsewhips Prescott for Insolence at his Table,035.
Alden, John, Passenger in the May Flower,091.
Alexander, Abraham, Biographical Sketch of,617.
Alexander, Elijah, Biographical Sketch of,617.
Alexander, Sagamore of the Wampmoags,090.
Alexander, W. J., Notice of,599.
Alexander, William (Earl of Stirling), biographical Sketch of,807.
Alexandria, Virginia, Notice of--Its Museum and Revolutionary Relics,413;Washington's Bier--Autograph Letter--Napkin used at his Christening,414.
Allen, Colonel Ethan, Error concerning corrected,167.
Allen, Hugh, in Expedition to the Scioto in 1774,468.
Allison, Mr.--Interview of Author with, near Stony Point,184.
Allison, Reverend Patrick, Chaplain in Continental Army,393.
Althouse, Captain, in Battle at Spencer's Ordinary in 1781,464.
America, visited by Northmen prior to Discovery by Columbus,066.
Amidas, Philip, explores Coast of Carolina, under Raleigh, in 1584,449.
Ammunition removed from Magazine at Williamsburg, 1775,503.
Anderson, John, name assumed by André,147.
André, Major John--His Correspondence with Arnold,146;Appointment to confer with Arnold--Fictitious Letter to Col. Sheldon,147;First Interview with Arnold,151;Their Plan,152;Receives Papers from Arnold explanatory of military Condition of Hudson Highlands--Disposition of them,153;Smith refuses to take him to the Vulture,155;Exchanges Coats--Crosses the Hudson with Smith,156;Announcement of his Arrest,158;Letter to Washington explaining his position,160;Ordered to West Point,161;Place of his Capture,185;Journey with Smith to Crom Pond--His Uneasiness,166;Arrested--Discovery of Papers in his Stockings--Names of the Captors,187;Conveyed to Sheldon's Head quarters at North Salem--Letters to Washington,160,189;Taken to West Point and Tappan--Makes Disclosures to 'Tallmadge,190;Place of his Confinement and Execution at Tappan,196;Court of Inquiry in his Case--His Conduct--Biographical Sketch of,197;His Death-warrant--Will--Disposition of his Remains--Monument,199;Equity of his Sentence--Efforts to save him,200;Proposition to Exchange him for Arnold by Ogden refused,201;His Request to be Shot,202;His Composure of Mind--Pen-and Ink Sketch of Himself--Name of his Executioner--Thacher's Account of his Execution,203;Place of his Death and Burial,204;His Captors rewarded--Disinterment of his Remains, and removal to England in 1831,205;His Captors suspected of mercenary motives,206;His Place of Residence in Philadelphia in 1777,310.
Andrew, Alexander, Account of Death of General Agnew,318.
Andross, Sir Edmund, appointed Governor of Virginia in 1692; Succeeded by Nicholson in 1698,471.
Anecdote of mysterious Frenchman and Committee of Congress,022;Of General Prescott and Timothy Folger,035;Ol "Mother Bailey,",049;"Daddy Hall" and Paymaster Dexter,063;Count Maurepas,086;Concerning Washington's Dining Hall and La Fayette, at Newburgh,100;Of a Scotchman at Hell Gate,114;Of Baron Steuben, near Fishkill Landing.125;Of Washington relative to Arnold,158;James Larvey,159;Of the Author and the Speculating Daughter,162;Colonel John Fitzgerald,239;Mrs. Whitall,291;Mr. Huntington and Duponceau,313;Mauritz Rambo and wounded Deer,330;Mrs. Ferguson,351;Gilbert Tennant's Sermons.,365;Mrs. Hannah J. Israel,385;Of Calvert and his Protestant Servants,397;General Washington and Mr. Payne,413;President Andrew Jackson and Lieutenant Randolph,427;Tilghman and Cornwallis,429;President Monroe and Governor Hardy,439;Patrick Henry and Hook,440;Benjamin Harrison,442;Sir Walter Raleigh and his Servant,450;Indian Messenger and Mr. Gist,472;Braddock and Washington,478;Indian Chief and Washington, at Fort Duquesne,479;Speaker Robinson and Washington,481;Washington and Judge Peters,509;Spy Morgan,511;Of Sir N. W. Wrax all concerning Lord North,526;Negro Hostler and Goat,541;Arnold and the Prisoner,545;Ninian B. Hamilton, 572 Tryon and Boy Messer,577;General Greene and Portrait of George III.,598;Tarleton and little Rebels,600;Cornwallis and Widow Brevard,618;Of Senator Preston and old Lady, near King's Mountain,032;General Tarleton and the two American Ladies,642;Of Captain Ferguson and Colonel Horry,686;Of Friday and Colonel Maxwell,686;Of Colonel Cruger and Eddins,693;Of Manning and Barré,703;Concerning Stamp Act, in South Carolina,747;Of Mrs. Elliot and Colonel Balfour,756;Of Marion and young British Officer,771;Of Statue of George III.,801;Of Boy and British Grenadier,823.
Annapolis described,394;Early History of,395;The Theater of revolutionary Movements in 1765,399;Destruction of Tea at, in 1774,401;The Scene of military Displays in 1781-83--Visited by Washington in 1783--Continental Congress in Session at,402;Portraits of distinguished Persons in Senate Chamber,403;Adjournment of Congress to in 1783,840.Washington resigns his Commission at,841.
Antiquities--old Tower at Newport,065;Inscription on Dightor Rock--Its Translation--Stone Cemetery on Rainsford Island,066;Runic Inscriptions on Orkney Isles,067;Ruins of old Church at Jamestown,447;Tombstone at Jamestown,448;Pocahontas's Wash-basin, near Archer's Hill, Virginia.553;Ancient Stone Wall at Salisbury, North Carolina,615.
Apollo Room at Williamsburg, Virginia,484.
Arbuthnot, Admiral, in command of British Squadron on American Coast in 1780,087;At Siege of Charleston,764.
Archdale, John, Governor of the Carolinas in 1695,561;His Policy,745.
Archer, Mr., Aid of Wayne at Storming of Stony Point,181.
Archer's Hill, Notice of,553.
Argali, Governor Samuel, Notice of,447;Keeps Pocahontas as a Hostage,454;Governor of Virginia in 1617--Sails with Fleet to Coast of Maine, to protect Fisheries--Operations on the Eastern Coast--Makes Conquest of Acadia--Enters Bay of New York--Compels Dutch to acknowledge Supremacy of England--Returns to Virginia,457.
Arlington, Earl of, his ceded Rights to Domain in Virginia for thirty Years,460;Assigns his Interest to Culpepper,471.
Armand, Charles, Marquis de la Rouarie in Battle, near Jamestown Island, in 1781--Biographical Sketch of,466.
Armed Neutrality, Notice of,674.
Arms. Manufacture of, by Americans, in 1776,018;Seizure of at New York, in 1775,793.
Armstrong, Captain Mark, in Southern Campaign under Greene in 1761,602;Killed at Siege of Fort Ninety-six in 1781,694.
Armstrong, General John, at Battle of Germantown, in 1777--Biographical Sketch of,315;Takes command at Charleston in 1776,753.
Armstrong, Major John, Author of Newburgh Addresses, Biographical Sketch of,106;Washington's Opinion of his Motives,111.
Armstrong, Major, in Battle at Spencer's Ordinary in 1731,463.
Armstrong, Rev. James F., biographical Sketch of--Grave of,216.
Army, British, Insecurity of, at Boston, in 1776,012;Depart for New York--Effective Force of, on evacuating Boston,014;Proposed Augmentation of, in 1773, by foreign Troops,020;Arrive at Newport in 1776, in Command of General Clinton and Earl Percy,073;Condition of, in 1777,165;Capture of Fort Washington and three Thousand Americans, in 1776,221;Burgoyne not allowed to go to England on Parole--Sent to Interior of Virginia in 1778--Officers sign Parole of honor,550;Incidents of March to Charlottesville,551;Condition of,552;Removal, and final Dispersion in 1762,553;Disposition of, under Cornwallis, in North Carolina, in 1781,506,606;Arrival at New York--Disposition of, after Battle of Long Island, in 1776,813;Occupation of New York,835;Evacuation of New York in 1783,838.
Army, Continental, in 1776, 9; Its Strength,018;Cantonment near Newburgh in 1760,083,103,104;Discontents of, in 1783,105.106; Proceedings at Newburgh in Relation to Grievances of, 106 to 111 inclusive; Crosses the Hudson, and Encamps at Tappan, in 1761,145;Encampment at Middlebrook in 1777,211;Marches toward Hudson Highlands,212;Encampment at Smith's Clove in 1779,213;Marches from Hudson River to Virginia in 1781,213;Retreats across New Jersey in 1776--Decrease of its Force--Tardy Movements of General Lee,222;Weakness of, when Crossing the Delaware,224;Reorganization of, in 1776,225;Distress of, in 1780,311;Relieved by Women of Philadelphia,312;Amount of Contributions to, by Philadelphians,313;Encampment of, near Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1781,446,463;Condition of, in 1781,509;Reorganization of, under Greene, in North Carolina, in 1776,596;Number and Disposition of, at Guilford Court House,606;Disposition of, at Battle of Cowpens, in 1781,639;Partial Organization of, in North Carolina, in 1760,676;Formation of, under Lincoln, in 1778,758;Condition of, after Battle of Long Island, in 1776,813;Number of Soldiers furnished by each State during Revolution--Meeting among Troops of Pennsylvania Line,837;Washington's Farewell Address to,838;Entrance into New York,839.