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She awoke her husband, and informed him that flour was wanted for family use, and that she must go immediately to Frankford for it, a common occurrence in those days. * It was a cold December Decembers, morning, the snow several inches deepDecember 3, 1777upon the ground. On foot, and with her bag in hand, she started on her errand, stopping at the head-quarters of General Howe ** to obtain a passport to leave the city. Mrs. Darrah reached Frankford, nearly five miles distant, at an early hour, and, leaving her bag at the mill, pressed forward toward the American outposts to inform Washington of the intended night attack. She met Lieutenant-colonel Craig, who had been sent out by the commander-in-ehief to gain information respecting the enemy. To him she told the secret, and, hastening baek to the mill, shouldered the bag of flour, and returned home with a heart full of thankfulness for being made an instrument of usefulness to her country, as she believed, and as the result proved.
From her window, on that cold starry night whieh succeeded her morning mission, she watched the departure of the British troops to make the attack on Washington's camp. And again she watched from that window when the distant roll of a drum heralded their return from "a fool's errand," indeed; for, "forewarned, forearmed," the Americans were on the alert, and fully prepared to receive the enemy when they came. Foiled, the British returned to their encampment in the city. The adjutant general came to his quarters. He summoned Lydia to his room, and, locking his door with an air of mystery, bade her be seated. "Were any of your family up, Lydia," he asked, "on the night when I received company in this house?"
"No," she unhesitatingly replied; "they all retired at eight o'clock." This was true, though Lydia afterward arose. "It is very strange," said the officer. "You, I know, Lydia, were asleep, for I knocked at your door three times before you heard me; yet it is certain that we were betrayed. I am altogether at a loss to conceive who could have given information to Washington of our intended attack! On arriving near his encampment, we found his cannon mounted, his troops under arms, and so prepared at every point to receive us, that we have been compelled to march back without injuring our enemy, like a parcel of fools." *** Mrs. Darrah enjoined Lieutenant-colonel Craig not to disclose her name, for she feared the fury of the enemy; history has therefore omitted the name of Lydia Darrah in its record of events at that time, and left well-authenticated tradition alone to embalm it. ****
I walked down to the navy yard, and visited the old Swedes' Chureh, on Swanson Street, near by. Its present pastor, the Reverend Mr. Clay, permitted me to view its interior.
* See page 248.
** General Howe's quarters were in a house on High Street, one door east from the southeast corner of Sixth Street, where President Washington resided. Three houses, Nos. 192 to 194 High Street, now occupy the site of this mansion. This view is copied, by permission, from Watson's Annals.
*** Mrs. Ellett's Women of the Revolution, i., 171.
**** Washington, in a letter to Congress, dated Whitemarsh, 10th December, 1777," mentions the fact that, on Thursday night previous, Howe, with all his foree, left the eity, and the next morning appeared on Chestnut Hill, in front of the American right wing. He says, "From a variety of intelligence, I had reason to expect that General Howe was preparing to give us a general action." Writing to Governor Livingston on the 11th, he savs, Howe "came out with his whole force last Thursday evening, and, after maneuvering round us till the Monday following, decamped very hastily, and marched back to Philadelphia."
Swedes' Church.—Wharton's Mansion-house.—The Mischianza.—Immorality of the Army.
Within and without it has been too much modernized to give a very perfect idea of its original appearance. In its burial inclosure, among graves that were dug a century and a half ago, rest the remains of Wilson, the great American ornithologist. Here was the first burial-place in Philadelphia; and here was offered the first Christian worship upon the western bank of the Delaware above the Schuylkill.
Near the Swedes' Church, and fronting the river at the present navy yard, stoodWharton's Mansion-house.It was of large dimensions, with broad lawns and stately trees around it. There, on Monday, the 18th of May, 1778, was given a great entertainment in honor of Sir William Howe and his brother Richard, earl Howe (the naval commander), then on the eve of their departure from America. It was called theMischianza, an Italian word signifying a medley.
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This entertainment was probably the most magnificent exhibition of extravagance and folly ever witnessed in America. It very properly drew forth the indignant comments of not only the Whigs in America, but of the true friends of government here and in England, as an appropriate finale to the sensualities of the British army during its winter encampment in Philadelphia. * The loose discipline of the army, during those six months of idleness, did more to weaken the power of the enemy than all the battles they had yet experienced here, and fully justified the remark of Franklin, that "General Howe has not taken Philadelphia—Philadelphia has taken General Howe." Major Andre, in the subjoined letter ** to a friend, has given a graphic picture of theMischianza. It was published in a London magazine in August., 1782.
* The following advertisement, which appeared in a Philadelphia paper while the British had possession of the city, will serve to show the impudent profligacy of some of the English officers at that time: "Wanted to hire with two single gentlemen, a young woman, to act in the capacity of housekeeper, and who can occasionally put her hand to any thing. Extravagant wages will be given, and no character required. Any young woman who chooses to offer, may be further informed at the bar of the City Tavern.—Watson's Annals, ii., 288.
** "Philadelphia, May 23,1778."
** "For the first time in my life I write to you with unwillingness. The ship that carries home Sir William Howe will convey this letter to you; and not even the pleasure of conversing with my friend can secure me from the general dejection I see around me, or remove the share I must take in the universal regret and disappointment which his approaching departure hath spread throughout the army. We see him taken from us at a time when we most stand in need of so skillful and popular a commander; when the experience of three years, and the knowledge he hath acquired of the eountry and the people, have added to the confidence we always placed in his conduct and abilities. You know he was ever a favorite with the military; but the affection and attachment which all ranks of officers in this army bear him can only be known by those who have at this time seen them in their effects. I do not believe there is upon record an instance of a commander-in-chief having so universally endeared himself to those under his command, or of one who received such signal and flattering proofs of their love. That our sentiments might be the more universally and unequivocally known, it was resolved among us that we should give him as splendid an entertainment as the shortness of the time and our present situation would allow us. For the expenses, the whole army would have most cheerfully contributed; but it was requisite to draw the line somewhere, and twenty-two field-officers joined in a subscription adequate to the plan they meant to adopt. I know your curiosity will be raised on this occasion; I shall therefore give you as particular an account of our Mischianza as I have been able to collect. From the name, you will perceive that it was made up of a variety of entertainments.
** Four of the gentlemen subscribers were appointed managers—Sir John Wrottlesly, Colonel O'Hara, Major Gardiner, and Montresor, the chief engineer. On the tickets of admission which they gave out for Monday, the 18th, was engraved, in a shield, a view of the sea, with the setting sun, and on a wreath, the words Luceo discedens, aucto splendore resurgam. At the top was the general's crest, with Vive vale! All around the shield ran a vignette, and various military trophies filled up the ground. * A grand regatta began the entertainment. It consisted of three divisions. In the first was the Ferret galley, with Sir William and Lord Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, the officers of their suites, and some ladies. The Cornwallis galley brought up the rear, having on board General Knyphausen and his suite, three British generals, and a party of ladies. On each quarter of these galleys, and forming their division, were five flat-boats, lined with green cloth, and with ladies and gentlemen. In front of the whole were three flat-boats, with a band of music in each. Six barges rowed about each flank, to keep off the swarm of boats that covered the river from side to side. The galleys were dressed out in a variety of colors and streamers, and in each flat-boat was displayed the flag of its own division. In the stream, opposite the center of the city, the Fanny, armed ship, magnificently decorated, was placed at anchor, and at some distance ahead lay his majesty's ship Roebuck, with the admiral's flag hoisted at the fore-topmast head. The transport-ships, extending in a line the whole length of the town, appeared with colors flying, and crowded with spectators, as were also the opening of the several wharves on shore, exhibiting the most picturesque and enlivening scene the eye could desire. The rendezvous was at Knight's Wharf, at the northern extremity of the city. * By half past four the whole company was embarked, and the signal being made by the Vigilant's manning ship, the three divisions rowing slowly down, preserving their proper intervals, and keeping time to the music that led the fleet. Arrived between the Fanny and the Market Wharf, a signal was made from one of the boats ahead, and the whole lay upon their oars, while the music played God Save the King, and three cheers given from the vessels were returned from the multitude on shore. By this time the flood-tide became too rapid for the galleys to advance; they were therefore quitted, and the company disposed of in different barges. This alteration broke in on the order of procession, but was necessary to give sufficient time for displaying the entertainment that was prepared on shore. The landing-place was at the old fort, ** a little to the southward of the town, fronting the building prepared for the reception of the company, about four hundred yards from the water by a gentle ascent. As soon as the general's barge was seen to push from the shore, a salute of seventeen guns was fired from the Roebuck, and, after some interval, by the same number from the Vigilant. The company, as they disembarked, arranged themselves into a line of procession, and advanced through an avenue formed by two files of grenadiers, and a line of light horse supporting each file. This avenue led to a square lawn of one hundred and fifty yards on each side, lined with troops, and properly prepared for the exhibition of a tilt and tournament, according to the customs and ordinance of ancient chivalry. We proceeded through the center of the square. The music, consisting of all the bands of the army, moved in front. The managers, with favors of blue and white ribbons in their breasts, followed next in order. The general, admiral, and the rest of the company proceeded promiscuously. In front appeared the building, bounding the view, through a vista formed by two triumphal arches, erected at proper intervals in a line with the landing-place. Two pavilions, with rows of benches, rising one above the other, and serving as the advanced wings of the first triumphal arch, received the ladies, while the gentlemen arranged themselves in convenient order on each side. On the front seat of each pavilion were placed seven of the principal young ladies of the country, dressed in Turkish habits, and wearing in their turbans the favors with which they meant to reward the several knights who were to contend in their honor. These arrangements were scarce made, when the sound of trumpets was heard at a distance, and a band of knights, dressed in ancient habits of white and red silk, and mounted on gray horses, richly caparisoned in trappings of the same colors, entered the list, attended by their esquires on foot, in suitable apparel, in the following order: four trumpeters, properly habited, their trumpets decorated with small pendant banners; a herald in his robe of ceremony; on his tunic was the device of his band; two roses intertwined, with the motto, We droop when separated. Lord Cathcart, superbly mounted on a managed horse, appeared as chief of these knights; two young black slaves, with sashes and drawers of blue and white silk, wearing large silver clasps round their necks and arms, their breasts and shoulders bare, held his stirrups. On his right hand walked Captain Hazard, and on his left Captain Brownlow, his two esquires, one bearing his lance, the other his shield. His device was Cupid riding on a lion; the motto, Surmounted by Love. His lordship appeared in honor of Miss Auchmuty.
* A little distance above the present Vine Street.
** This is a copy of the Mischianza Ticket, one half the size of the original, which, with the drawing of the head dress upon page 306, were made by Major André. These were presented to John F. Watson, Esq., by Miss Craig, one of the ladies who participated in the fête. These curious relics are attached to manuscript annals of Philadelphia, prepared by Mr. Watson, and by him generously presented to the Franklin Library of that city.
* A little below the present navy yard.
"Then came in order the knights of his band, each attendedby his squire, bearing his lance and shield."First knight, Honorable Captain Cathcart, * in honor ofMiss N. White; squire, Captain Peters; device, a heart andsword; motto, Love and honor."Second knight, Lieutenant Bygrove, in honor of Miss Craig;squire, Lieutenant Nichols; device, Cupid tracing a circle;motto, Without end."Third knight, Captain André,2 in honor of Miss P. Chew;squire, Lieutenant Andre; device, two game-cocks fighting;motto, No rival."Fourth knight, Captain Horneck, in honor of Miss N. Redman;squire, Lieutenant Talbot; device, a burning heart; motto,Absence can not extinguish."Fifth knight, Captain Matthews, in honor of Miss Bond;squire, Lieutenant Hamilton; device, a winged heart; motto,Each fair by turns."Sixth knight, Lieutenant Sloper, in honor of Miss M.Shippen; *** squire, Lieutenant Brown; device, a heart andsword; motto, Honor and the fair.
** "After they had made the circuit of the square, and saluted the ladies as they passed before the pavilions, they ranged themselves in a line with that in which were the ladies of their device; and their herald (Mr. Beaumont), advancing into the center of the square, after the flourish of trumpets, proclaimed the following challenge: 'The knights of the Blended Rose, by me their herald, proclaim and assert that the ladies of the Blended Rose excel in wit, beauty, and every accomplishment, those of the whole world; and should any knight or knights be so hardy as to dispute or deny it, they are ready to enter the list with them, and maintain their assertions by deeds of arms, according to the laws of ancient chivalry.' At the third repetition of the challenge, the sound of trumpets was heard from the opposite side of the square, and another herald, with four trumpeters, dressed in black and orange, galloped into the list. He was met by the herald of the Blended Rose, and, after a short parley, they both advanced in front of the pavilions, when the black herald (Lieutenant More) ordered his trumpets to sound, and then proclaimed defiance to the challenge in the following words: "' The knights of the Burning Mountain present themselves here, not to contest by words, but to disprove by deeds, the vainglorious assertion of the knights of the Blended Rose, and enter these lists to maintain that the ladies of the Burning Mountain are not excelled in beauty, virtue, or accomplishments by any in the universe.' "He then returned to the part of the barrier through which he had entered, and shortly after, the black knights, attended by their squires, rode into the lists in the following order: "Four trumpeters preceding the herald, on whose tunic was represented a mountain sending forth flames; motto, I burn forever. "Captain Watson, of the Guards, as chief, dressed in a magnificent suit of black and orange silk, and mounted on a black, managed horse, with trappings of the same colors with his own dress, appeared in honor of Miss Franks. He was attended in the same manner as Lord Cathcart. Captain Scott bore his lance, and Lieutenant Lyttleton his shield. The device, a heart, with a wreath of flowers; motto, Love and glory.
"First knight, Lieutenant Underwood, in honor of Miss S.Shippen; squire, Ensign Haverkam; device, a pelican feedingher young; motto, For those I love."Second knight, Lieutenant Winyard, in honor of Miss P.Shippen; squire, Captain Boscawen; device, a bay leaf;motto, Unchangeable."Third knight, Lieutenant Délavai, in honor of Miss B. Bond;squire, Captain Thorne; device, a heart aimed at by severalarrows, and struck by one; motto, Only one pierce me."Fourth knight, Monsieur Montluissant (Lieutenant of theHessian chasseurs), in honor of Miss R. Redman; squire,Captain Campbell; device, a sunflower turning toward thesun; motto, Te vise a vous."Fifth knight, Lieutenant Hubbard, in honor of Miss S. Chew;squire, Lieutenant Briscoe; device, Cupid piercing a coat ofmail with his arrow; motto, Proof to all but Love."Sixth knight, Brigade-major Tarlton, in honor of Miss W.Smith; squire, Ensign Heart; device, a light dragoon; motto,Swift, vigilant, and bold.
** "After they had rode round the lists, and made their obeisance to the ladies, they drew up fronting the White Knights; and the chief of these having thrown down his gauntlet, the chief of the Black Knights directed his esquire to take it up. The knights then received their lances from their esquires, fixing their shields on their left arms, and, making a general salute to each other by a very graceful movement of their lances, turned round to take their career, and, encountering in full gallop, shivered their spears. In the second and third encounter they discharged their pistols. In the fourth, they fought with their swords. At length the two chiefs, spurring forward into the center, engaged furiously in single combat, till the marshal of the field (Major Gwyne) rushed in between the chiefs, and declared that the fair damsels of the
* Captain (afterward Earl) Cathcart was a son of Lord Cathcart, the chief of the knights on this occasion.
** Afterward Major André. The lady in whose honor he appeared was daughter of Chief-justice Chew. His squire was his brother, a youth of nineteen, whom the king afterward knighted, as mentioned on page 199.
***Afterward the wife of General Arnold.
* This is from a silhouette cut by Major André.
** Blended Rose and Burning Mountain were perfectly satisfied with the proofs of love and the signal feats of valor given by their respective knights, and commanded them, as they prized the future favors of their mistresses, that they would instantly desist from further combat. Obedience being paid by the chiefs to this order, they joined their respective bands. The White Knights and their attendants filed off to the left, 'the Black Knights to the right, and, after passing each other at the lower side of the quadrangle, moved up alternately till they approached the pavilions of the ladies, when they gave a general salute.
** "A passage being now opened between the two pavilions, the knights, preceded by their squires and the bands music, rode through the first triumphal arch, and arranged themselves to the right and left. This arch was erected in honor of Lord Howe. It presented two fronts, in the Tuscan order; the pediment was adorned with various naval trophies, and at top was the figure of Neptune, with a trident in his right hand. In a niche on each side stood a sailor with a drawn cutlass. Three plumes of feathers were placed on the summit of each wing, and in the entablature was this inscription: Laus illi debetur, et aime gratia major. The interval between the two arches was an avenue three hundred feet long and thirty-four broad. It was lined on each side with a file of troops; and the colors of all the army, planted at proper distances, had a beautiful effect in diversifying the scene. Between these colors the knights and squires took their stations. The bands continued to play several pieces of martial music. The company moved forward in procession, with the ladies in the Turkish habits in front; as these passed, they were saluted by their knights, who then dismounted and joined them; and in this order we were all conducted into a garden that fronted the house, through the second triumphal arch, dedicated to the general. This areh was also built in the Tuscan order. On the interior part of the pediment was painted a plume of feathers, and various military trophies. At top stood the figure of Fame. On the right-hand pillar was placed a bomb-shell, and on the left a flaming heart. The front next the house was adorned with preparations for fire-works. From the garden we ascended a flight of steps covered with carpets, which led into a spacious hall; the panels painted in imitation of Sienna marble, * inclosing festoons of white marble; the surbase, and all below, was black. In this hall, and in the adjoining apartments, were prepared tea, lemonade, and other cooling liquors, to which the company seated themselves; during which time the knights came in, and on the knee received their favors from their respective ladies. One of these rooms was afterward appropriated for the use of the faro-table. As you entered it, you saw, on a panel over the chimney, a cornucopia, exuberantly filled with flowers of the richest eolors; over the door, as you went out, another represented itself shrunk, reversed, and emptied.
** "From these apartments we were conducted up to a ball-room, decorated in a light, elegant style of painting. The ground was a pale blue, paneled From a Drawing bv Major Andre. with a small gold bead, and in the interior filled with dropping festoons of flowers in their natural eolors. Below the surbase the ground of rose-pink, with drapery festooned in blue. These decorations were heightened by eighty-five mirrors, *** decked with rose-pink silk ribbons and artificial flowers; and in the intermediate spaces were thirty-four branches with wax- lights, ornamented in a similar manner. "On the same floor were four drawing-rooms, with side-boards of refreshments, decorated and lighted in the same style and taste as the ball-room. The ball was opened by the knights and their ladies, and the dances continued till ten o'clock, when the windows were thrown open, and a magnificent bouquet of rockets began the fire-works. These were planned by Captain Montressor, the chief engineer, and consisted of twenty different exhibitions, displayed under his direction with the happiest success, and in the highest style of beauty. Toward the conclusion, the interior part of the triumphal areh was illuminated, amid an uninterrupted flight of rockets and bursting of balloons. The military trophies were on each side.
* The chief portions of the decorations were painted by Major André and Captain Oliver Delaney, of New York. The Sienna marble was on canvas, in imitation of scene-painting in theaters. They also painted the scenery for the theater that was established in Philadelphia that winter, the proceeds of which were given to the widows and orphans of their soldiers.—Watson's Annals, ii., 292.
** The costume of the ladies was as follows: those of the Blended Rose a white silk, called a Polonaise, forming a flowing robe, and open in front to the waist; the pink sash six inches wide, and filled with spangles; the shoes and stockings also spangled; the 1 lead-dress more towering than the drawing, and filled with a profusion of pearls and jewels. The vail was spangled, and bordered with silver lace. The ladies of the Burning Mountain wore white sashes edged with black, and black trimmings to white silk Polonaise gowns. There were no ladies of British officers at the entertainment, except Miss Auchmuty, the new bride of Captain Montressor. There were not exceeding fifty American young ladies present; the otters were married, and these were few, lor most of the ladies had left the city on the approach of the British.—Watson's Annals, ii., 293.
*** All these mirrors and lusters, according to Mr. Watson, the annalist, were borrowed from the citizens, and were all sent hack with the ornaments on. Mr. Watson derived much information on these points from Mrs. L, the "queen of the Mischianza." The shell and flaming heart on the wings sent forth Chinese fountains, succeeded by fire-pots. Fame appeared at top, spangled with stars, and from her trumpet blowing the following device in letters of light: Les Lauriers sont immortels. A sauteur of rockets, bursting from the pediment, concluded the feu d'artifice... "At twelve supper was announced, and large folding-doors, hitherto artfully concealed, being suddenly thrown open, discovered a magnificent saloon of two hundred and ten feet by forty, and twenty-two feet in height, with three alcoves on each side, which served for side-boards. The ceiling was the segment of a circle, and the sides were painted of a light straw color, with vine leaves and festoons of flowers, some in a bright, some in a darkish green. Fifty-six large pier-glasses, ornamented with green silk artificial flowers and ribbons; one hundred branches, with three lights in each, trimmed in the same manner as the mirrors; eighteen lusters, each with twenty-four lights, suspended from the ceiling, and ornamented as the branches; three hundred wax tapers, disposed along the supper-tables; four hundred and thirty covers; twelve hundred dishes; twenty-four black slaves in Oriental dresses, with silver collars and bracelets, ranged in two lines, and bending to the ground as the general and admiral approached the saloon; all these, forming together the most brilliant assemblage of gay objects, and appearing at once as we entered by an easy descent, exhibited a coup d'oil beyond description magnificent.
** "Toward the end of supper, the herald of the Blended Rose, in his habit of ceremony, attended by his trumpets, entered the saloon, and proclaimed the king's health, the queen, and the royal family; the army and navy, with their respective commanders; the knights and their ladies; the ladies in general. Each of these toasts was followed by a flourish of music. After supper we returned to the ball-room, and continued to dance till four o'clock.
** "Such, my friend, is the description, though a very faint one, of the most splendid entertainment, I believe, ever given by an army to their general. But what must be more grateful to Sir William Howe is the spirit and motive from which it was given. He goes from this to-morrow; but as I understand, he means to stay a day or two with his brother on board the Eagle, at Billingsport. I shall not seal this letter till I see him depart from Philadelphia
Major Andrè's Description of the Mischianza.
TheWharton Mansion-house,
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with its beautiful lawns and noble trees, the scene of the wicked folly of the enemies of freedom in the midst of a suffering people, has long since dis-
Major Andre's Description of the Mischianza.
appeared, and the streets and lanes of the expanding city cover the site.
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Let us turn from the spot and its associations, and make our way back to the city proper.
Major Andre's Description of the Mischianza.
On Walnut Street, near Sixth, was the prison used as the British Provost in 1778.
9316
It was under the charge of that infamously cruel scoundrel, Captain Cunningham, a burly,
Major Andrè's Description of the Mischianza.—Philadelphia Provost Prison.—Cunningham.
ill-natured Irishman of sixty years, whose conduct as provost marshal here and in New York has connected his name with all that is detestable. There were confined the American prisoners taken at Brandywine and Germantown, many of whom died of starvation after feeling the lash of Cunningham's whip, or the force of his heavy boot, and were buried in the Potter's Field near by, now the beautifulWashington Square. It makes the blood curdle to read of the sufferings of those who fell under the sway of that monster, so devilish in all his ways. The miseries of others seemed to give him great delight; and often, in the sight of the starving prisoners, would he kick over a pail of soup, or scatter a basket of fruit or cold placed upon the door-stone with the hope that it shall meet him hereafter as provost marshal in victuals which some benevolent hand had might nourish the famished soldiers! We New York. Tradition says he was hung
* This edifice was erected in 1774, and taken down in 1836. The beautiful new Athenæum occupies a portion of the ground on Sixth Street, and the remainder is covered by elegant dwellings. It is a singular fact that the architect who constructed it was the first person incarcerated in it. He was a Whig, and, having incurred the displeasure of the British, he was locked up in that prison. The Public Ledger of June 26th, 1837, gives an account of an armorial drawing, representing, in bold relief, a cuirass, casque, gorget, and Roman battle-ax, with radiating spears, which was made upon an arch of one of the second story cells, by Marshall, an English engraver, who was confined there for many years for counterfeiting the notes of the United States Bank. He was the son of the notorious "Bag and Hatchet Woman," of St. Giles's, London, who followed the British army in its Continental campaigns, and gathered spoils from the slain and wounded on the field of battle. Those who were dead were readily plundered, and the wounded as readily dispatched. This woman and son were master-spirits in the purlieus of St. Giles's, among robbers and counterfeiters. The gang were at length betrayed, and the parent and child fled to this country, bringing with them considerable wealth in money and jewels. They lived in splendid style in Philadelphia, riding in a gorgeous cream-colored phaeton, drawn by richly-caparisoned horses, driven tandem. Their means were soon exhausted, when the son married, and commenced business as an engraver. He counterfeited notes of the United States Bank, was detected, and in 1803 was sentenced to eighteen years' confinement and hard labor in the Walnut Street Prison, then the State Penitentiary. While he was in prison, his mother, who had wandered away from Philadelphia in poverty and destitution, was executed in another state for a foul murder and arson.
Washington Square.—Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs.—The Secretary's Aids.
at Newgate, in England; but the records of that prison, examined by Mr. Bancroft, exhibit no such name.
Washington Square, the finest promenade in Philadelphia, was inclosed and set apart as a "Potter's Field"—a place to bury strangers in—in 1704, and was used for that purpose until within the last thirty-five years. There a great multitude of soldiers, who died of the small-pox and camp diseases, were buried in 1776—7. It was indeed a Golgotha. Many of the bodies, buried in pits from twenty to thirty feet square, were piled upon each other, the topmost barely covered with earth. At least two thousand American soldiers were buried there within the space of eight months. The bodies of hundreds of victims of the yellow fever, in 1793, there found a resting-place. At that time, the ground being full, interments ceased.
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It was made a public walk in 1815; and that "city of the dead," shaded by sixty or seventy varieties of trees, is now traversed daily by thousands of the inhabitants of the teeming city of the living around it.
From Washington Square I walked to No. 13 South Sixth Street, to view the ancient edifice on the premises of the late P. S. Duponceau, Esq., mentioned by Watson, in hisAnnals, as the "Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs." * I was disappointed, for improvement had demolished the venerated building, and stately edifices, dedicated to traffic, occupied its place. Referring to this building, Mr. Watson observes: "It is a house appropriately owned by such a possessor [Duponceau]; for in it he who came as a volunteer to join our fortune, and to aid our cause, as a captain under Baron Steuben, became afterward one of the under secretaries to our minister of Foreign Relations, and in that building gave his active and early services. In the year 1782—3, under that humble roof, presided, as our then Secretary for Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Robert R. Livingston. Up stairs, in the small front room facing the street, sat that distinguished personage, wielding, by his mind and pen, the destinies of our nation. In the adjoining back room sat the two under secretaries—Louis R. Morris, since governor of Vermont,3 and our venerated citizen, Mr. Duponceau. These having charge of the archives of the nation, preserved them all within the inclosure of a small wooden press! The only room down stairs, on the ground floor, was that occupied by the two clerks and the interpreter. One of these clerks, Mr. Henry Remsen, was afterward president of a bank in New York; *** and the other, Mr. Stone, has been governor of Maryland. The translator was the Reverend Mr. Tetard, the pastor of the French Reformed Church." **** The house, at that time, was quite beyond the verge of city population; now the site is near the center of business. There are other localities of lesser note, made memorable by events of the Revolution. I can not note them all, for other scenes of more general interest demand our attention. The curious in such matters may find a full reward in perusing Watson'sAnnals of Philadelphia, which contain nearly all that is worth remembering of the past of that city.
The sites of many scenes of the Revolution are covered up and forgotten forever. I tried in vain to find some living person who could point ont the localities of the intrenchments which Howe caused to be thrown up across the isthmus at Philadelphia, between the Delaware and the Schuylkill, and the place of the encampment of the British army when they first occupied the city. I am enabled, however, to point out those localities through the aid of a more reliable cicerone than tradition, a rare and valuable map of Philadelphia, (v) published in London in 1779, the year following the evacuation of that city by the British. It was drawn by competent engineers in the king's service. It is upon the same scale as the plan of Philadelphia published in Tanner's Atlas in 1843. By a careful comparison
* A picture of this building may be found in another part of this work.
** This is a mistake. Mr. Morris was never governor of Vermont. He was clerk of the lower branch of the Legislature of that state in 1790, and a member of Congress from 1797 to 1803.
*** Manhattan Bank.
**** Annals, i., 423.
* (v) This map is entitled, "A Plan of the City and Environs of Philadelphia, with the works and encampments of his majesty's forces, under the command of Lieutenant-general Sir William Howe, K.B."
British Fortifications in Philadelphia.—The British Encampment.—Personal Appearance of the British Officers.
of the two I have obtained the following result, which I am satisfied is quite correct: The line of intrenchments from the Delaware to the Schuylkill extended from the mouth of Conoquonoque Creek, just above Willow Street, to the "Upper Ferry" on the Schuylkill, then nearly on a line with Callowhill Street. They consisted of ten redoubts, connected by strong palisades. The first redoubt, which was garrisoned by the Queen's Rangers, under Simcoe, was near the junction of Green and Oak Streets, and then near the forks of the roads leading to Frankford and Kensington. The second redoubt was a little west of North Second and Noble Streets; the third, between North Fifth and Sixth, and Noble and Buttonwood Streets; the fourth, on Eighth Street, between Noble and Buttonwood; the fifth, on Tenth, between Buttonwood and Pleasant; the sixth, on Buttonwood, between Thirteenth and North Broad; the seventh, on North Schuylkill Eighth, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Hamilton Street; the eighth, on North Schuylkill Fifth and Pennsylvania Avenue; the ninth, on North Schuylkill Second, near Callowhill Street; and the tenth, on the bank of the Schuylkill, at the "Upper Ferry."
The encampment extended westward from North Fifth, between Vine and Callowhill, as far as North Schuylkill Second. The Hessian grenadiers were encamped between Callowhill, Noble, Fifth, and Seventh Streets. The fourth, fortieth, and fifty-fifth British grenadiers, and a body of fusileers, were on the north side of Callowhill, between Seventh and Fourteenth Streets. Eight regiments lay upon high ground, known as Bush's Hills, extending from Fourteenth, nearly on a line with Vine, to the Upper Ferry. Near the redoubt at the Ferry was another body of Hessians. The Yagers, horse and foot, were encamped upon a hill near the junction of North Schuylkill Front and Pennsylvania Avenue. On the Ridge Road, near Thirteenth Street, and on Eighth, near Green, were corps of infantry. Light dragoons and three regiments of infantry were posted near a pond between Vine, Race, North Eighth, and Twelfth Streets. Gray's, or "Lower Ferry," was at the grounds of the Naval Arsenal, on the Schuylkill. A little below the "Middle Ferry," at the foot of Chestnut Street, on the Schuylkill, was a fascine redoubt, and near it the seventy-first regiment was encamped. Some Yagers were stationed at the "Point House" (see map on page 298), opposite Gloucester. These localities, with those of the redoubts mentioned on page 310, were all out of the city; its extent then being from Christian Street on the south, to Callowhill Street on the north, or the boundary of Spring Garden. It was widest between Arch and Walnut Streets, where it extended from the Delaware to Ninth Street. *
When winter set in, many of the troops, and all the officers, occupied the public buildings and houses of the inhabitants, also the old British barracks in the Northern Liberties. The artillery were quartered in Chestnut Street, between Third and Sixth Streets, and the State House yard was made a park for their use. During the winter, General Howe occupied a house on High Street, where Washington afterward resided; ** his brother, Lord
* The following composed the entire number of public buildings in Philadelphia at that time: State House; Market; Jail; Work-house; Barracks, built in 1755; College and Academy; City Alms-house; Quakers' Alms-house; two Quaker meeting-houses; Christ Church; Anabaptist meeting-house; Presbyterian meeting-house; German Lutheran Church; Roman Catholic Church; St. Paul's Church; St. Peter's Church; the Swedes' Church; Quakers' School-house; and a small city court-house. The hospital and play-house were in the unsettled part of the town.
** See engraving, page 302. Watson has the following notice of the personal appearance of some of the British officers: "Sir William Howe was a fine figure, full six feet high, and well proportioned, not unlike in his appearance to General Washington. His manners were graceful, and he was much beloved by his officers and soldiers for his generosity and affability. Sir Henry Clinton, his successor, was short and fat, with a full face and prominent nose. In his intercourse he was reserved, and not so popular as Howe. Lord Cornwallis was short and thick-set, his hair somewhat gray, his face well formed and agreeable, his manners remarkably easy and affable. He was much beloved by his men. General Knyp-hausen was much of the German in his appearance; not tall, but slender and straight. His features were sharp; in manners he was very polite. He was gentle, and much esteemed. He spread his butter upon his bread with his thumb! Colonel Tarleton was rather below the middle size, stout, strong, heavily made, large muscular legs, dark complexion, and his eyes small, black, and piercing. He was very active. General Howe, while in Philadelphia, seized and kept for his own use Mary Pemberton's coach and horses, in which he used to ride about town."—Annals, ii., 287.
Loss of the Delaware Frigate.—Torpedoes sent down the River from Bordentown.—"Battle of the Kegs."
Howe, resided in Chestnut Street, in the building occupied by the Farmers and Mechanics Bank; General Knyphausen lived in South Second, opposite Little Dock Street; Cornwallis's quarters were in Second, above Spruce Street; and Major André dwelt in Dr. Franklin's mansion in a court back from High Street. *
As soon as the British had taken possession of Philadelphia, they erected three batteries near the river, to protect the city against the American shipping. ** Before the batteries were finished, Commodore Hazlewood ordered the Delaware and Montgomery frigates, each of twenty-four guns, and the sloop Fly, some galleys and gondolas, to move near and attack them. On the morning of the 27th of September, they opened a cannonade upon1777the works. The Delaware grounded, at the falling of the tide, near the present Upper Ferry to Camden from Kensington, and, before she could be got off, the guns of the British batteries compelled her colors to be struck. A schooner was driven ashore, and the remainder of the vessels escaped down the river. The affair was badly managed, and disaster followed. These batteries, as well as the lines of fortifications from the Delaware to the Schuylkill, have long since passed away.
During the occupation of the city, the enemy were annoyed by the patriots in various ways. In January, some Whigs at Bordentown sent a number of kegs down the Delaware, which were filled with powder, and furnished with machinery, in such a manner that, on rubbing against any object in the stream, they would immediately explode. These torpedoes were the invention of Mr. Bushnell, of Connecticut, and will be noticed hereafter. They were intended for the destruction of the British shipping then lying in the river opposite Philadelphia. It so happened that, on the very night when these kegs were sent down, the vessels were hauled into the docks to avoid the effects of the ice then rapidly forming. They thus escaped mischief. One of these kegs exploded near the city, and spread general alarm. Not a stick or chip floated for twenty-four hours afterward but it was fired at by the British troops. Thisbattle of the kegsfurnished the theme for a facetious poem from the pen of Francis Hopkinson, Esq., one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. ***
* Mrs. Bache, daughter of Dr Franklin, occupied his house when the enemy approached Philadelphia. She left the city, and took refuge with a friend in the eountry. After her return in July, she thus wrote to her father, who was then in France: "I found your house and furniture, upon my return to town, in much better order than I had reason to expect from the hands of sueh a rapacious crew. They stole and carried off with them some of your musical instruments, viz., a Welsh harp, ball harp, the set of tuned bells which were in a box, viol-de-gamba, all the spare armonica glasses, and one or two spare cases. Your armonica is safe. * They took likewise the few books that were left behind, the chief of which were Temple's school-books, and the History of the Arts and Sciences in French, which is a great loss to the public. Some of your electric apparatus is missing; also, a Captain Andre took with him a picture of you which hung in the dining-room."
** One of these, with three guns, was on the site of the present navy yard; another, with four guns, was below the navy land near Reed and Swanson Streets; another, with three guns, was in front of Wharton's Mansion, upon an eminence below Front and Christian Streets.
*** Mr. Hopkinson was also the author of "Hail Columbia," one of our most popular national songs. The following is a copy of