YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Historic Morristown, New Jersey: THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY. ILLUSTRATED, By ANDREW M. SHERMAN, AUTHOR OF Morristown in the Spanish- American War. Life of Captain Jeremiah O'Brien, Machias. Me. Memorials of Hon. Joshua S. Salmon, etc. ^^ The Howard Publishing Company Morristown, New Jersey, 1905 Copyright 1905 by ANDREW M. SHERMAN 1905 THE JERSEYMAN PRESS Morristown, N. J. To The Memory OF MY Father and Mother PREFACE. A decade and more has elapsed since the author of this volume delivered, before a large Sunday morning congregation, an historical sermon in commemoration of the sixty-fourth anniversary of the dedication of the church edifice in Morris County, New Jersey, in which there worshiped the religious organization of which he was then the regularly installed pastor. The prepara tion of this sermon, which was subsequently published in pamphlet form, necessitated careful research of township and county annals, which were found to be of rare interest ; so far, particularly, as concerned their relation to the seven years struggle for national inde pendence. Later and more thorough research of the annals of the county seat of Morris, the story of which, as the author was impressed, had never been consecutively " nor adequately related, fruited in the purpose to attempt, in the not distant future, the writing of a his tory of Morristown which should aid at least in giving it the prominent place in the annals of our great coun try to which it is rightfully entitled. In accordance. PREFACE therefore, with this purpose, the author has for several years past been gathering material for the contemplated work; meanwhile he has consulted every known and available source of information concerning his subject. Not alone from printed page and musty document, how ever, but from not a few living repositories of local his tory and tradition, has material been procured by the author for the present volume. For the verification of the locale and present appear ance of the various camping grounds of Washington's army in Morristown and vicinity, during the winters of 1777, and 1779-80, as described by several local his torians, the author has, either alone or in company with rseidents of the county seat, more or less acquainted with these grounds, gone over them nearly a score of times during the year now nearing its close. Kodak and camera have been kept busy during the year past transferring to practically imperishable paper the accu rate and indisputable representations of historic grounds and buildings and monuments and ruins, the sight of which in photographic form, cannot fail to quicken the heart action of even this distinctively commercial age and people. As the author has again and again, in the deep quie tude of the woods and hill-slopes tramped over the grounds once alive with the armed participants in the War of the Revolution, and looked, not always with dry eyes, upon the countless heaps of stones once com posing the fire-places and chimneys of the rude log huts which sheltered their occupants in the awful winter of PREFACE 1779-80, it has occurred to him that no finer thing in the way of an exhibition of patriotism could be done, than to gather these stones, bring them to the beautiful county seat of Morris, and there, in some central loca tion, construct of them a suitable memorial building, the presence of which would furnish inspiration to com ing generations, and aid in keeping alive the sentiment of our beloved Whittier, enunciated in the words : "Freedom's soil hath only place For a free and fearless race !" The author gratefully acknowledges his indebted ness for several photographs for illustrations for this volume, and for interesting data, to the following named individuals : Mrs. Mary D. Halsey, widow of the late Hon Edmund D. Halsey, of Rockaway ; Maltby G. Pierson, William A. Dunn, Hon. Charles F. Axtell, Isaac N. Pierson, J- Frank Holloway, Harrie A. Free man, Mrs. Julia R. Cutler, widow of the late Hon. Augustus W. Cutler, Emory McClintock, LL.D., George W. Fleury, John W. Melick, Philip H. Hoff man, Henry B. Hoffman, Cliflford A. Fairchild, Frank H. Fairchild, Francis E. Woodruff, John D. Guerin, Mrs. Charlotte C. Lee, Frederick F. Curtis, Mrs. Anna W. Little, widow of the late Theodore Little, Esq., Mrs. M. G. Twining, Secretary of the Morristown and Madison Chapter, D. A. R., Amidee Boisaubin (deceased), Gustav A. Kissell, John S. Green, Edward Howell, Heyward G. Emmell, of Morristown. To PREFACE these names should be added those of Henry V. Con dict, Esq., of Jersey City; Samuel A. Farrand, one of the headmasters of the famous Newark Academy, of Newark; Mrs. Adrain Dickerson, of Montclair, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Anna Lewis, daugh ter of Major William Johnes Lewis, formerly of Mor ristown (now deceased) ; Rev. James A. Ferguson, D. D., pastor for considerably more than a quarter cen- tnry, of the Hanover Presbyterian Church ; Amos L. Shangle, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, a native of Morris County; Edwin A. Ely, of Livingstone; R. Heber Breintnall, Adjutant-General of the State of New Jer sey; Dr. M. S. Simpson, of Middle Valley; Aaron K. Fairchild, of Hanover; Frederick A. Canfield, of Dover; Mrs. James B. Bowman, of Mendham; Miss Eleanor A. Hunter, of Montclair; Joseph M. Sayre, of Newark ; Mrs. Charlotte Sayre Boorman, of Fort Washington, New York City; Alfred B. Johnson, of South Orange ; Dr. B. L. Dodd, of Newark ; John M. Lindley, Ph.G., of Winfield, Iowa, and John S. McMaster, Esq., of Jersey City. ^^AudtjzjuT^UJ' -^-buz^) t'l^aL*,^ Morristown, New Jersey, October 25, 1905. SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Morristown is settled by persons from Whippany — English in Morris County as early as 1685 — Con jecture of Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., LL.D.— Statement of Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle — ^Tribute of Rev. Robert Aikman, D. D., to the brothers Tuttle — Entry in the parish book of Rev. Jacob Green — Starting point of Morris County history — Settlement of the Dutch at Pompton — Cir cumstances under which Whippany was perma nently settled — Significance of the word "Whip- panong" — The pioneers of Whippany, who, and whence were they? — They engage in the iron industry — First iron forge in the county erected at Whippany — Others are erected on the Whip pany river — The last forge in the vicinity — Iron ore is procured at Succasunna — Manufactured bars were taken on horse back to Newark and Elizabethtown — Iron ore was long utilized by the Indians — Habits and customs ofthe Indians — The Lenni Lenape tribe — Indians of the county were hospitable and friendly — Code of honor among them — Destructive eflfects of "fire water'' Page SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS among the aborigines — Origin of the Indians — Evolutionary theory of creation anticipated — Interesting Indian deed — Remnants of the Len ni 'Lenape emigrate to New York State — One family remains — Indian relics found in Morris County I-20 CHAPTER II Introduction by Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle — Circum stances under which Morristown was settled — Exact date of its settlement not known — Rea sons for settling Morristown — Locale of the original settlement — Where the first iron forge was erected — Gristmill and sawmill were soon afterward erected — Other forges on the Whip pany river — Log huts were the first homes of the settlers — Settlers erect their huts on the hill — Indians still linger in the region — They emigrate to the West — ^Wild beasts abound— Sheep and other stock herded at night — Quaint deed to three individuals — The land was soon distributed — New arrivals from Newark and other towns — First frame house in Morristown — Inauguration of religious services at Whip pany — Occasional supplies by visiting rainisters — The village schoolmaster oflficiates? — Church is organized at Whippany — Land for church edifice given by John Richards — Copy of Rich ard's deed — He is the first to be buried in the new grounds — Finding of the Richard's deed — Present locale of the deed 21-34 OHAPTER III. Primitive church at Whippany is described — Of the Presbyterian order, ultimately — Wide extent of SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS the parish — ^Pastors of the church, Hubbell, Nutman — New church edifice is discussed — Primitive church said to be "old and dilapi dated" — Determination to remove the church organization to Morristown — Opposition of the Whippany people — Agreement to submit the matter to "the lot" — Result favors the church remaining at Whippany — Two versions of the aflfair — Religious services are inaugurated at Morristown — Some attend services at Bask ing Ridge — ^The mother church is financially crippled — Mr. Nutman appeals to Synod for relief — ^Synod advises in the matter — Attempt to reconcile the divided parish — Use of "the lot" condemned by the Synod — John Cleverly preaches for the people at Morristown— -They desire his ordination — The Whippany people object — He is advised by Presbytery to seek another field — He remains in Morristown — Supplies there and at Turkey — Large committee of Synod meet at Whippany — Sermon by Rev. Gilbert Tennent — A good feel ing is aroused — Mutual agreement upon a sepa ration — Presbyterian church is organized at Morristown — Morris County is instituted — First church edifice is erected at the county seat — Stone to mark its site — Land for church and parsonage given- — Description of the church edi fice or "meeting house" — Where it stood — New steeple erected — A bell presented by the King of Great Britain — The bell has been three tiraes cracked — ^The organization grows — Enlarge ment of the "meeting house" — Rev. Timothy Johnes preaches at Morristown — He accepts a call to the pastorate — ^Coraes to town on horse back — Eoctract frora a historical paper of Mrs. SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS Isaac R. Pierson — Mr. Johnes is installed — He begins a church record — ^Title of the book 35-52 CHAPTER IV Members of Mr. Johnes'church — Extracts from the church records — Mr, Johnes' salary — Parish "bees" — Members are called to account — Names of the original elders of the Morristown church — Extracts from the court records — Township officers are elected — Morris County boundaries described — County court is held in a tavern — First session of the county court — Township of Morris is established — Names of the County judges — Township oflficers are appointed — Tavern license is granted to Jacob Ford— Copy of the license — Morristown Freeholders, or real estate owners, in 1752 — First county court house is erected — The building described — The church deeds land for the court house and jail — Pillory erected nearby — Uriah Brown's mysterious escapes from jail — The old court house is enlarged — Unhewn boulder is erected by the D. A. R. — Locale of the pillory — The "old well" on the Green — Many drink its refreshing waters — Attempt to have the well filled in — The well still remains 53-75 CHAPTER V The first Baptists in Morris County— Baptist settle ment down the Basking Ridge road — They at tend church at Piscataway— Baptist church is organized at Morristown — Men who oflficiated — Names of the original members— Locale of the meeting house — Rev. John Gano was the SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS first pastor — He preaches in surrounding places — Extracts from the church records — Conver sion of Hezekiah Smith — He enters the minis try — Extracts from his journal — Extracts frora Rev. Dr. Fox's article — Rev. Ichabod Tomkins the second pastor of the Baptist church — The membership increases — Mr. John Walton is or dained — Resolution to build a new church "on the Green" — Subscribers to the building fund — Burial grounds of the priraitive Baptist church — Family burial grounds — Soldiers may have been buried in the old Baptist burial grounds — The Baptists worship in the old court house — Meet ing house is completed — Description of the meeting house — Dedicatory serraon by Rev. Mr. Gano — The first pastor of the church "on the Green" was Rev. Reune Runyon 76-92 (CHAPTER VI Word picture of colonial Morristown — Habits and cus toms of the people — Sabbath observance — Tithing men to preserve order in church— Long service enjoyed — A page of "parson Johnes' " sermon notes — "Lining" — Mr. Johnes' intro duces a choir — Descriptions of quaint customs — Charter of incorporation — Extracts frora the trustees' book-r-Cases of discipline — Education is encouraged — Gifts to the College of New Jer sey — Schools are established in Morristown — Method of conducting schools — Quaint news paper advertiseraents 93-116 CHAPTER VII Sarauel Ford, Jr., engaged in the iron industry at "Hiberny" — The manufacture of counterfeit SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS money is suggested by his partner — Ford sells out — Goes to Ireland to learn the art of counter feiting—Marries an Irish girl— She is broken hearted on learning Ford has a wife and children — Large quantity of counterfeit Jersey money is in circulation — Ford embarks in the manufacture of counterfeit money — His shop at the "Ham mock" is visited by prominent men — Robbery of the East Jersey treasury at Perth Amboy— Ford the leader — $30,000 secured — The raoney is divided — Ford is arrested — He escapes from the Morris County jail — County oflficials are sus pected of complicity — Tardy endeavor to cap ture Ford — Evidence suppressed — Arrest, trial, conviction and sentence of Ford's accomplices — At the eleventh hour all but one is pardoned — The least guilty of all is hung on the Morris town Green — Protests his innocence to the last — Dr. Bern Budd resumes practice — Ford flees South — Settles in West Virginia — Changes his name — Marries for the third time — His son vis its hira — He is repentant — Never returned to New Jersey 117- CHAPTER VIII Illustrations of British tyranny — Infant colonial indus tries restricted — Passage of the "navigation act" — "Writs of assistance'' earnestly resisted — Colonists oppose "taxation without representa tion" — Enorraous British war debt — Direct tax for its liquidation is resisted by the colonists — Thrilling words of Patrick Henry — Formidable opposition of Massachusetts to British tyranny — A colonial Congress is recommended — Squire Winds issues writs on white birch bark — Non- SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS importation associations are formed — Popula tion of Morristown — The village Green — The Presbyterian church receives large gifts of land — Makes land purchases, also — Morristown's representatives to the State Assembly — Essex County publicly declares resistance to British tyranny — Morris County is aroused — Stirring meeting in the old court house on the Green — Patriotic resolutions are passed — Important comraittee is appointed — Sketch of Morristown merabers — Meeting of county coraraittees at New Brunswick — Delegates to the General Con gress are appointed — Meeting of the General Congress at Philadelphia — Second meeting in Morristown — Old county coramittee is reap pointed — A New York printer is condemned— His pamphlets are burned on the Green — A sifting process is instituted— Meeting of the cream of Morris County in the old court house on the Green I39-IS9 CHAPTER IX The colonists are thoroughly aroused — War actually begun — The raising of money and men is au thorized by Morris County — The county is dom inated by men of New England origin — County delegates meet in Dickerson's tavern — Impor tant action taken — Military forces to be raised — 300 volunteers are ordered recruited — Ofificers naraed — Provision for their payment is made — Payment of soldiers is provided for — Powder and lead are voted — Sketch of Morris County patriots — Promise required of recruits 160-174 SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS CHAPTER X Organization of an independent mounted troop — "Thomas Kinney, Esq.," was the captain — En listment roll— Other names are added — Service of Jacob Johnson — "Parson" Johnes' fidelity — The Light Horse Troop escorts Governor Franklin to Connecticut — Compensation for ser vices — Jacob Arnold assumes command of the company — How they were armed — Spear is found in the cellar of the Arnold tavern — Now at "Headquarters" — Services rendered by the Arnold Light Horse Troop — Colonel Arnold's watch — History of the watch — The Provincial Congress is supplanted — Provisions for raising militia — Jacob Ford, Jr., is appointed colonel of the "eastern battalion" — Oflficers furnished by Morristown — "Minute men" ordered to be re cruited in Morris County — Meeting at Dicker- son's tavern — Officers recommended for com missions- — Meeting of battalion oflficers^Oflfi- cers present — The Continental Congress calls upon New Jersey for men — Pay of officers and men — Form of enlistment — Another New Jersey battalion called for — Powder mill is erected at Morristown — Its erection is supervised by a Morristonian — Locale of the powder mill — Its complete isolation — A Morristonian in charge of the powder mill — Ingenious ruse to deceive the British — The Hathaway house is located and described — The Major Joseph Lindsley house — Women guide horsemen to the Ford powder raill — Morristown freeholders in 1776 175-I95 CHAPTER XI Bold resolution of Richard Henry Lee — Declaration of Independence drawn by Jefiferson — Opening xvi SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS sentence — The immortal declaration is adopted — Demonstrations of Araerican patriots — Mor ristown joins — Important battles in New York State — Attempts of the British to destroy Ford's powder mill — The first battle at Springfield — Colonel Ford and the New Jersey militia repulse the enemy — They flee toward Spanktown — The French government resolves to aid the colonists — The faraous "raud rounds" — General McDou gall visits Morristown — Three regiraents of American troops arrive at the county seat — Ford's powder mill must be protected — Colonel Ford returns from Chatham — Parades his bat talion in 'Morristown — He is taken sick on pa rade — He is carried to his home by soldiers — Succumbs to disease induced by exposure- Sketch of his life — He is buried with military honors in the Presbyterian burial grounds — In scription on his monument — Washington in Morristown — Arnold's tavern his headquarters — Story of the building — The tavern is described — The rooms occupied by Washington — Other oflficers are quartered in the village — The patriot army chiefly at Lowantica valley — The small pox breaks out in Morristown — Presbyterian and Baptist churches are used as hospitals — Correspondence between Washington and Lord Howe — Some humor indulged in — Decease of Colonel Jacob Ford, Sr 196-211 CHAPTER XII Washington's soldiers are billeted in private houses — Statement of historian Gordon — In a letter Washington mentions the battles of Trenton and Princeton — He writes to Governor Living- SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS ston a cheery letter — Nuraber of the patriot army in Morris County — Term of enlistment soon to expire— Solicitude of Washington— De sertions from the American army— The com mander-in-chief recommends stringent meas ures—Punishment of deserters by "running the gauntlet"— The sraall-pox continues— Numerous deaths— "Parson Johnes' " arduous labers- Washington is ill at Arnold's tavern— Mrs. Washington nurses him— Fears entertained of his decease— He recommends General Greene as his successor— The commander-in-chief re covers—He fvisits the camps— Sympathy for his soldiers— Trials of Washington— How a British spy was misled — The Silas Condict house is lo cated and described — British oflficers are con fined there — Trouble over a dog — Incident of a returned American soldier — The new Silas Con dict house — The old house is torn down — Inter esting letter of Mr. Condict — A tory confesses — Another tory joins the British army — Peter Kemble is before the Council of Safety — Burial place of the Kemble family — A tory rainister is confined in the Morristown jail — Daniel Mor gan organizes a battalion of sharpshooters — Testimony of Washington to their efficiency — A tory brought to the Morristown jail 212-234 CHAPTER XIII Hessian prisoners are brought to Morristown — A Brit ish officer is flogged — ^Courtesy of Washington to a mother and child — He visits "Parson Johnes" — He communes with the Presbyterians — Gambling in the army is prohibited — Wash ington commends one of his generals — -Bravery SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS of a Morris County officer — "Parson Johnes" preaches a stirring sermon — A page of his ser mon notes — Kosciusko arrives in Morristown — He is assigned to duty by Washington — Tri butes to Washington's generalship — Departure of the patriot army from Morris County — Im portant meeting of the Council of Safety — Brit ish recruiting officers before this body — Re cruits for the enemy enlist in the American navy — A busy court term of Oyer and Terminer — ^Thirty-five sentenced to be hung — Several cases of pardon — Two are executed on the Mor ristown Green — A British spy is branded in the hand — ^British prisoners are paroled — Escape of prisoners from jail 235-251 CHAPTER XIV The Council of Safety was a migratory body — Ex tracts from their minutes — ^The small-pox epi deraic begins to abate — Request of the Presby terian church officials that the meeting house be vacated — Enactment of "a war measure'' by thc State Legislature — Violators of the law cited before the Council of Safety — British deserters are before the same body — Extracts from the rainutes of the Council of Safety — The trustees of the Presbyterian church raeet — Extracts frora the INew Jersey Gazette — The Council of Safety meets at Springfield — ^A beacon station is or dered established at Morristown — Announce ment in the New Jersey Gazette of its establish ment — ^Testimony of a Morristonian corrobora tive of its establishment — John Ruchraan's testi mony — ^What Lossing saw in 1848 — Present traces of earthworks on Fort Nonsense hill — SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS Two theories concerning their origin — Opinion of the author— Extract from "Topography of Washington's Camp of 1780 and its Neighbor hood" 252-274 CHAPTER XV Resume of national events— Capture of Paulus by Major Henry Lee— Quartermaster General Greene in Morristown— He examines grounds for the encampment of iWashington's army- Washington's choice is Morristown — Reasons for this choice— Locale of Stark's brigade en campment — Erection of a monument to mark its site— Traces of "dug-outs" found — Significant order of Washington — Locale of Clinton's bri gade encampment — How an extant map aids in locating its sites— Testimony of a Morristonian — Locale of the Pennsylvania brigade encamp ment — Brigade camps changed — Site of a divi sion hospital, and spring — The famous clump of locust trees— These trees were planted to pro tect soldiers' graves — Effort to have a monu ment erected — Experiences of the writer — Lo cale of the Maryland brigade encampment — Site of the spring furnishing water — The ruins of a stone bake oven—Hand's brigade encampment - — Interesting heap of stones — "Fort Hill" — Locale ofthe Connecticut brigade encampment — The author tramps over these grounds — Definite traces of camp streets — Locale of the New Jer sey brigade encampment — Descriptions of local historians — The author's first visit to the grounds — Obstacles overcome — His imagination is awakened-— Fourth of July pilgrimage recom mended — McClintock's diagram of the camp grounds 275-301 SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS CHAPTER XVI Locale of Knox's artillery brigade — A regiment of artificers — Recollections of a Morristonian — Grazing grounds for the artillery horses — Statement of a lover of nature — Knox's quarters —Access to the "Park of Artillery"— The "Grand Parade," where situated — A faraous log building — Extracts from the order book of Col onel Francis Johnston — Oflficers quartered in farra houses — Huts of the patriot soldiers are described — Washington's strict orders for their construction — Quarters of General William Ir vine — A cannon ball on exhibition — Officers are quartered in the "Continental House" — Quarters of the Surgeon General — Washington's Head quarters — Washington's Body Guard — Locale and description of their huts — The organization of Washington's Body Guard — Reasons for the Body Guard — The last survivor of this organiza tion — ^Washington is cramped for room at head quarters — He helps unload wood — A log kitchen and office built — A resourceful housekeeper — Salt $8 per bushel — Two interesting letters by the commander-in-chief — Noble response of New Jersey patriots to an appeal for iood — Severity of the winter of 1779-80 — Extracts from Dr. Thatcher's military journal — An interesting letter — Quartermaster General Joseph Lewis — Extract from the poem, "Rhoda Farrand" — His tory of the poem — An excited young man is quieted^Preparations for repelling a British at tack at Headquarters — Washington's courtesy to a wounded soldier — The camps are visited — Arrival of Mrs. Washington at the Ford 'Man sion — Example of industry and simple attire — SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS Exorbitant prices of necessities — Reward is of fered for a runaway negro 3*2-32 CHAPTER XVII An important gathering in Dickerson's tavern— The court-martial of Benedict Arnold— Sketch of his career— Resume of his services— Composition of the court— The room in which the trial occurred —The charges against Arnold— He demands an investigation— Active hostilities 'prevent— An opportune time arrives — Arnold's personal ap pearance at the trial — He offers evidence — He addresses the court— The court is adjourned— Arnold's acquittal was expected— The court re assembles—Arnold is convicted— The sentence is a reprimand from Washington— The repri mand — Arnold is disappointed and indignant- He resolves to quit the service — ^He is dissuaded by Washington — He is assigned to West Point — He 'requests leave of absence — ^He is still brood ing over the verdict of the court-martial^He betrays his country — Dies in obscurity in Eng land — ^On whom rests the responsibility for Arnold's rash act? — The celebration in Morris town of the festival of St. John, by the Military Union Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons — A fruitless expedition to Staten Island — Half- humorous letter of Quartermaster General Lew is — ^A specimen of newspaper patriotism — The soldiers return to camp, many with frozen feet — The British retaliate on Elizabethtown — Wash ington orders an investigation — An assembly opened at Morristown — Subscriptions to the series of balls — ^A bit of word painting — How "Tempe" Wick saved her favorite saddle horse SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS — The popular version given — The foot-prints of "Tempe's" horse iwere seen for many years — "Leddell's mill" still in operation 327-354 CHAPTER XVIII Washington's customary seriousness — An occasional laugh is indulged in — A braggart's attempt to break a young horse — Washington laughs heartily — Sketch of General John Doughty — ^He settles in Morristown — Two distinguished for eigners visit Morristown — They attend a mili tary parade — A grand ball in the "Continental House" — Tallow candles are the only light — Death of Don Juan de Miralles — An imposing funeral — Soldiers guard his grave — The history of the "Continental House" — Officers quartered in the building — Captured British cannon stored there — Courtship of Alexander Hamilton — Hamilton and the sentinel as related to Lossing — Captain "Jack" Steele's letter from Headquar ters — The main portion of the American army leaves Morristown — The second battle at Springfield — Colonel Benoni Hathaway is wounded — He prefers charges against Gen eral Heard — Pennsylvania troops are left in Morristown — Misunderstanding over the sol diers' term of enlistment — The soldiers resolve to mutiny — They procure arms, amraunition and provisions — Accidental shooting of Captain Adam Bettin — General 'Wayne hastens from his quarters to camp — He 'addresses the mutineers— A shot is fired over his head — "Shoot me, if you wil!" — Wayne returns to his quarters — ^The mutineers start for Philadelphia — They seek jus tice — General iWayne vainly endeavors to dis- SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS suade the mutineers from their purpose — He recognizes the justness of their cause — Wayne leads his soldiers to Princeton— Their wrongs are righted— Clinton sends emissaries to the mutineers— They indignantly spurn their flatter ing inducements— The emissaries are executed as spies— Wayne's tribute to the Pennsylvania troops— Sketch of General Wayne's career— His quarters at Bottle Hill— Another version of the "Tempe" Wicke episode— Comments of a local historian upon the popular theory— Some inter esting information furnished by a descendant iof Morris 'County patriots— She addresses a valu able letter to the author— The destruction t>y fire of the "Leddell house"— The cause of the conflagration — A Morristonian's reminiscent letter to the author 355-386 CHAPTER XIX 1 Relief of the long-suffering patriot soldiers^ — Resume of national events — The surrender of Cornwallis — The discovery of old documents at Trenton — Inventories of property of Morris County pa triots in the Revolution — Sketch of Judge John Cleves Sjrmme's career — A famous house — Anna Symrae's marriage to Captain William H. Harri son — Walter Mould, an Enghsh artisan, removes to Morristown — He occupies "Solitude" — He coins the famous "horsehead pennies" — A silver mine on the Symrae's place — Captain Benjamin Holloway keeps the Wheatsheaf tavern — Pres ent owner of the "Wheatsheaf farm" — "The Morristown Ghost" — ^Amusing experiences of the author — He receives significant offers of an "original copy" — ^The "perennial perambulating SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS typo" episode — A dramatic representation of thc "Morristown Ghost"— Reprints of the famous pamphlet — The author recommended to publish the naraes of Roger's victims — The probable printer ofthe original "Morristown Ghost" 387-415 CHAPTER XX ' Local belief concerning buried treasure — Tories and others bury money and valuables- — Morris Coun ty residents seek the aid of a "chymist" — The story of the Morristown Ghost related — Morris County's rapid growth from the Revolution — The iron industry an important factor — Log huts superseded by more comfortable homes — Better schools are established — The Presbyterians build a new meeting house — "Parson Johnes" preaches his half-century sermon — The service described by a recent pastor of the First Church — Decease of the Rev. Timothy Johnes, D. D. — ^Tribute of Dr. Albert 'Barnes to 'Dr. Tiraothy Johnes — Successors to "Parsons Johnes" — Methods era ployed to raise the ministers' salary — "Wood- frolicks" — Expenditures for "cake and cider" — "Spinning visits" to the parsonage — Baptist pas tors during" the closing years of the century — "A List of Capt. Joseph Halsey's Corapany Militia" — The organization of the Morris Academy — Names of the subscribers — The first board of proprietors — A building lot is purchased of the First Church — Names of early pupils of the Morris Academy — The school becomes famous — A library is established — Constitution and by laws are adopted — Names of the officers — Growth of the library — A newspaper is issued in Morristown — Change of name and editorship — SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS Jacob Mann is the new editor — The first post master in Morristown — A fire association is or ganized at the county seat — Names of the offi cers — The "Morris Aqueduct" is incorporated — Names of the proprietors — A description of the "Morris Aqueduct"— The inauguration of the first stage route between Morristown and Powles Hook — A rival stage is put on — Flaming advertisements to secure patronage — Burial Grounds in Morristown — The "Bill of Mortal ity," by "Parson Johnes" and sexton William Cherry — "Time brushes off our lives with sweep ing wings" — Many Revolutionary soldiers were interred in the Presbyterian burial grounds — Brass buttons have been found — Revolutionary soldiers were interred in the Baptist burial grounds — Buttons, pennies and wallet are found — The oldest stone in the Presbyterian burial grounds — The visit of an antiquarian to the oldest cemetery in Morristown — The oldest date she found, 1722 — A friend said the oldest date was 1713 4IS-447 Errata Addenda Index of Persons INTRODUCTION Few will take up this book who do not know that Morristown is in Morris County in New Jersey, some thirty miles due west of New York. Few are aware, however, that the location of Morristown is absolute ly unique, not in one respect only, but in three differ ent ways. It occupies a geological site of remarkable interest. It was the westernmost colonial puritan church-town, the outpost of New England. In the revolutionary era, from the capture of New York to the capture of Cornwallis, it was the key of Washing ton's position, the one connecting link between the eastem and the southern states, like the stem of an hour-glass. I. The Morristown court house is on ground which has been solid ground since the world began. The Mor ristown green, near by, was for a long period under the waters of the ocean, as has been, at one time or another, nearly all the land within this country, and in- INTRODUCTION deed most of the present land surface of the globe. From the hill on which the court house stands there could be seen, when the ocean last receded, no one of the numerous other hills now visible to the east and south. All that the ocean left behind it was a wide expanse of sandstone and shale. Melted rock, squeezing up later through cracks in the sandstone, was to form the hills that now shut in the Passaic val ley, and others farther away. When the ocean covered the site of the green, the coast line was continued to the northeast by Watnong, Boonton and Ramapo Mountains, but it did not extend in the opposite direction much beyond Bernardsville, Mine Mountain there forming a sort of promontory. Morristown is just on the ancient coast line. Were this all, the fact would be of interest, notwithstanding that there were many other points, along the line on the map which marks the boundary of the most an cient geological formation remaining in the world, be sides that occupied by Morristown. But, besides this ancient line of the coast, and just here at right angles to it, there is another geological line of great import ance known as the glacial moraine. This is a heavy deposit of "drift," consisting of sand, gravel, rounded stones, and boulders, which was left all along the southern margin of the great body of ice which cov ered the northem part of the globe during the glacial period. This line of drift running around the world crossed the ancient coast line precisely where Mor ristown now stands. It extended to the southeast as INTRODUCTION far as Staten Island, and thence eastward through Long Island. To the westward it is found across the continent. The greater part of Morristown is built on the glacial moraine, which is here of considerable depth, the site of the green being many feet above the shale and sandstone deposited by the ocean. In one field within the borough limits, on the southern side of the moraine, may be found three geological forma tions: ancient gneiss, shale, and glacial drift. Enough has been said to show that Morristown oc cupies a unique geological position. What follows concerning geology is of local interest only. The Pas saic Valley, extending from Morristown to Summit, and from near Paterson to a point below Bernards ville, originated in consequence of the formation of the range of hills enclosing it to the east and south. The waters of the valley found an outlet through a gap near Summit, then the bed of a river. The glacier filled the river bed with a body of drift which closed the gap as an outlet for the water of the valley and has kept it closed ever since. The valley south of the glacier having thus no outlet, the waters rose to about 360 feet above the present sea-level, when they were able to escape to the southwest and find their way to the Raritan. All parts of the valley below this level, and south of the moraine, thus became a lake, called by the geologists Lake Passaic. The shores of the lake are still marked, in place, by deposits of water- worn pebbles. After many years the glacier began to recede to the northward, and the lake became corres- INTRODUCTION pondingly larger until the time came when the water found a lower outlet to the northeast, by way of Lit tle Falls, after which the present course of the Pas saic River became established. II. Upon the crossing point of the two great geological lines just sketched there grew up a puritan settlement. The reader will find that, according to puritan custom, the early history of the town was substantially that of the church. It is unnecessary to describe the puritan element, the most notable of those which went to the formation of American civilization. The puritan, the church man, the Holland calvinist, the Scotch presbyterian, the lutheran, the catholic, the huguenot, all contrib uted their part, but the dominant element, in the north at least, was introduced by the puritan, whose settle ments were known collectively as New England. Town after town was established on the puritan model, first on the coast, and by degrees in the interior, each town with its one church. If doctrinal differences arose in any church, one faction or the other would usually remove to another place and organize a new town. There were certain settlements outside of the legal limits of New England which were as truly puri tan as any in Massachusetts or Connecticut, such as the Hamptons and Southold in eastern Long Island and Newark in New Jersey, with its offshoot Morris town. INTRODUCTION Sometimes puritan settlements would be made amid uncongenial surroundings, and so lose speedily their peculiar characteristics. Among these were West chester and Eastchester, Hempstead and Newtown, all under Dutch government and influences, and later under Church of England governm:ent and influences. In New Jersey, Woodbridge was settled from Massa chusetts, but was soon invaded by Scotch and quakers, not to speak of Church of England influences from Amboy, the seat of government close by. Some who were born puritans were willing to remove to new homes without organizing a town and church after their own manner, and of such were the puritans who joined with others in building up Elizabethtown, Mid dletown, Shrewsbury, Monmouth and Cape May, Even Mendham, a semi-puritan village near Morristown, had its quaker meeting. Newark, however, was wholly puritan, having its beginning in a revolt of some of the best men in New Haven colony when that colony was joined with Con necticut. They were distressed and scandalized by one result of the union, which was that godless men became entitled to vote, a right previously restricted by the laws of New Haven to church members alone. They accordingly exiled themselves and established a new town, to be ruled by its church. The early rec ords of Newark show a thoroughly puritan interming hng of the affairs of church and state, such a thing as the election of a pound keeper being followed in the record by a vote for the call of a new minister. The INTRODUCTION laws were such when Morristown was settled, half a century later than Newark, that a town organization like that of Newark was no longer feasible. A wide territory called a township, sparsely settled and in cluding several villages, had become the regular form of organization, as settlers no longer needed to cluster together for their common protection against Indians. Yet, at Morristown, church and village grew up to gether, and the people of both were puritans by birth and training, born in Newark, or eastern Long Island, or elsewhere, but all, with possible exceptions of no importance, sons of New England families. By this time all the puritan and semi-puritan churches of New Jersey, Newark included, had connected themselves with the presyterian synod, under a compromise de vised by the New England element, and the Morris town church was accordingly organized under the presbyterian name. There were, no doubt, during the colonial period, villages to be found farther west than Morristown where New England ideas were uppermost, and among them notably a settlement in the Wyoming val ley which might have become a Connecticut town, had it not been destroyed by the Indians. No other place of importance, however, was settled by the puritans west of the Hudson except Newark and Morristown, the latter being the advance post of New England, the church-town farthest west. This History will show how its church practically constituted the town during its first half century. INTRODUCTION III. For the better part of a century the little town se cluded amid the Jersey hills maintained its character as the outpost of puritanism. It will be seen in these pages how such civic energy as there was came from the church, which, usually by formal vote of its trus tees, supplied lands when needed for any public pur pose, whether for a green or a court house, an army building or a drill ground. The revolution brought Morristown out of its seclusion, and the church-town at the crossing of the geological lines became the pivot of the war of independence. The location of the district of which Morristown was the centre was such as to make its possession of supreme importance to the Americans. This district comprised, in addition to Morris County itself, the eastern hills of Somerset County, and might be de scribed as the highlands between Essex County and the Raritan. The Somerset hills, to the eastward, are not far from Morristown, which is not five miles from the line between the counties. At that time there was really no town in Somerset, though New Brunswick, Princeton and Morristown were just beyond its boundaries on different sides. If the British could have taken and held the Morris district, the rebel col onies would have been cut in two, for such communi cation as might have been carried on through the for ests to the northward would have been difficult and precarious. It was this opportunity, this danger, for INTRODUCTION one side or the other, that made Morristown so prom inent during the revolution. It was this that kept the Morris district so constantly on its guard, that gave the militia of the Jersey hills so much more work to do than any other militia, and that created the need of the famous beacon system, including the "Fort Non sense" beacon at Morristown itself. The British never succeeded in setting foot in Morris County, though their armies were repeatedly led up to the foot of the hills and repulsed; and only in one rapid cavalry raid, when General Lee was captured by them, did they en ter the Somerset part of the district. Year after year they held off even from an attempt to advance, per haps from undue caution, but certainly with the knowl edge that on the signal all available men from Sussex, Hunterdon and Somerset on the one side and from Bergen and Essex on the other would rush to the de fense of the middle hills, and that Washington and his army were always there or close at hand. After taking New York in 1776, the British pursued Washington through the Jersey plains towards the Delaware, and were so confident or so careless that they delayed to secure the hill district. After winning his brilliant little victories at Trenton and Princeton with the remnant of his force, Washington turned un expectedly to the hills and passed some months at Morristown, watching the enemy and reorganizing his army. From this point he could descend instantly to the plains if the British invaded Jersey, or march quickly, by interior lines, to defend the Hudson passes INTRODUCTION in case of need. From this time the cutting of the col onies in two was a main object of the British. In 1777 they hoped, with Burgoyne's help, to accomplish this object by taking and holding the line of the Hudson; but instead of advancing from New York to meet Bur goyne, with Washington in the way, they moved by water to the southward, drew Washington away, and took Philadelphia, not suspecting the fate to which they were leaving Burgoyne. Washington at Valley Forge protected the communication between the northern and southern colonies. When the British moved from Philadelphia towards New York, Wash ington moved also, always keeping between them and the hills, and striking a blow at Monmouth. The next three years he hovered in the hills, keeping them tied to New York. The first and second winters he quar tered in the Morris district, the third on the west side of the river, but wherever he was the passes were steadily guarded, and the alarm guns and beacons were always ready. Then came the finish at York- town. The Jersey plains were sometimes held by the Brit ish, and at other times were easily within their reach from Staten Island, which they always held in force. Communication between the Hudson and the Dela ware, in order to be safe, had to go through Morris town. The road southwest from Morristown thus be came a great thoroughfare; it was "the great road," as Chastellux called it in 1780. The memory of the revolution is cherished at Mor- INTRODUCTION ristown more faithfully, it would seem, than in any oth er town in the country, and this is indeed most fitting. A history of it has long been needed; and the present book, by an able writer deeply imbued with his sub ject, will surely meet a most cordial welcome. iU^/iH?s. _»fe>-^;KA CHAPTER X "To do is lo succeed — our fight Is wag'd in Heaven's approving sight- The smile of God is victory." ^^^1 E i Si XCEPT by the application of some mechanical force, "water has never been known to run up hill," and so obviously true is this saying that it may well be considered an axiom, which term by the lexicographer is defined as "a self-evident and necessary truth, or a proposition whose truth is so evi dent at first sight that no process of reasoning or dem onstration can make it plainer." There is one thing, however, which possesses the inherent force enabling it to ascend even a hill, and an almost perpendicular one at that ; the allusion here made is to the warlike spirit. Of this our readers are about to witness a most interest ing illustration. The series of truly stirring meetings of the Morris County delegates, held on the first, second and ninth 175 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY days of the month of May, in the year 1775, at Dicker- son's tavern, "under the hill," had scarcely closed, ere an independent company of mounted soldiery, which was subsequently to become famous in State history, was organized, as the writer surmises, somewhere in the vicinity of the Morristown Green ; and as the writer also conjectures, at the Arnold tavern, situated on the northwest side of this tract of land, with only a narrow country road running between. "We the subscribers do voluntarily inlist ourselves in the company of Light Horse belonging to the county of Morris, Thomas Kinney, Esq., captain, and do promise to obey our officers in such service as they shall appoint, as agreeable to the rules of the Provincial and Continental Congress. Wit ness our hands May loth, 1775. Jacob Arnold, James Searing, Epenetus Beach, James Smith, Silas Stiles, Patrick Darcy, John Lasey, Benjamin Freeman, Jr., Samuel Allen, Stephen Baldwin, Elijah Freeman, Daniel Edmiston, John Crane, Adam Bests, Conrad hapler, John Mintus, Jacber Beach, George harah, Silas Hand, John Tichener, John Vanwinker, Aaron Parson, Robert Gould, Jr., James Ford, Samuel Den man, Peter Parset, George Minthorn, John Cooke, Samuel Boldsbury, John Milen, Abraham Hathaway, Saml. Wigton." The enlistment paper just given, is copied ver batim from originals brought from Virginia ; and with other papers are now known as the "Boteler Papers." The sense of propriety, of which ex-Sheriff Kinney could not have been wholly devoid, forbids the thought that he could have been the draftsman of the enlistment roll of which the foregoing is a faithful transcript; since to have deliberately written himself down (as- 176 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY suming the roll to have been the product of his own hand) as "Thomas Kinney, Esq.," would have consti tuted a notorious example of egotism. From the peculiar phraseology of a portion of a paper written by Colonel Jacob Arnold, in the year 1788, and bearing his bold signature, a facsimile of which paper is now in the possession of the writer, the latter ventures to in fer that the enlistment roll in question was drawn up by none other than Jacob Arnold; and the mere cir cumstance of his name being the first in the list of subscribers is in no small measure corroborative of the opinion just expressed. The writer is also of the opin ion that this enlistment roll, so fortunately preserved was for a time at least kept at the tavern, in Morris town, then kept by "Thomas Kinney, Esq.," and at that prominent public rendezvous received many and pos sibly all of the signatures which appear upon it. It is a matter of no small interest that of the thirty- two signatures appearing upon this enlistment roll, twelve at least, or about thirty per cent., were of residents of Morristown. And of scarcely less interest is the fact, that the average age of the twelve residents of Morristown alluded to, was but about twenty-six years. If the average age of the remaining persons whose names are on the roll was about the same, the Light Horse Troop must have been a youthful and de cidedly energetic body. To the original number of recruits, as already given, many others were subsequently added, among whom only the following names, so far as the writer is aware, 177 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY have come down to us : John Blowers, Ephraim Carnes, J. C. Canfield, Josiah Butler, John Canfield, John Ester and Jacob Johnson. The Rev. Baker Johnson, of Wisconsin, is one of the authorities for the statement that Jacob Johnson his paternal grandfather was a member of Arnold's Light Horse Troop. He also states that while serving with this Troop he contracted the disease which terminated his life. From an article which appeared in the New York Observer several years ago, written by the Rev. Dr. Joseph Tuttie, the following extracts will give our readers additional information concerning Jacob John son : "On Morris Plains, three miles from Morristown, when the Revolutionary war began, lived a very respectable farmer in good circumstances named Jacob Johnson. He was very fond of good horses, one of which he rode in Captain Jacob Arnold's troop of light horse, a company which rendered invaluable service lo their country. * * * Mr. Johnson was on duty a very considerable portion of the time till the year 1779, when hardship and exposure brought on consumption. His great business then was to prepare for death, in which duty Pastor Johnes rendered him unwearied assistance. Mah lon Johnson, a son of the sick man, and who yet survives at the venerable age of fourscore, remembers Dr. Johnes — how often he visited his father, how long he tarried, how earnestly he instructed, and how earnestly he prayed, until the dying soldier was ready to say: 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen my salvation.' Indeed, Dr. Johnes must have been a model pastor, in his dignified yet winning demeanor. * * * in visiting Jacob Johnson, Dr. Johnes sought also the salvation of his wife, so THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY soon to be a widow. Anna Vail was a Quakeress, but the Spirit blessed the pastor's counsels and example, and the dying husband's quiet resignation, so that she, too, became partaker of the same grace, and not long after her husband's death Dr. Johnes had a meeting at her house, when she pre sented all her children to be baptized. Surely the pastor's reward is seen in the fact that Mahlon, the oldest of those children, still speaks of the pastor's gentle fervor, as he not only baptized him, but besought the Lord to be a father to these fatherless ones. "Mr. Johnson died on the twenty-fifth day of April, in the year 1780, and his funeral drew together a great concourse of people. The son to whom reference has been made remem bers that in the long procession which followed the remains of his father to the Morristown graveyard, there was only one vehicle on wheels, and this was used for carrying the corpse. Dr. Johnes and the attending physician, each with a linen scarf around the shoulders, according to the custom of the times, led the procession on horseback. The simplicity of the scene stands in singular contrast with the pomp and circumstance of a funeral in our day." Three sons of Henry Wick, the owner of the exten sive Wick farm, situated on the Jockey Hollow road, are said by some writers of local history to have belonged to this now famous company of soldiery. A recent author, however, says that "the John, WiUiam and Moses Wick, who are mentioned as serving in the Light Horse, were probably relatives of the family, living in Hanover." It is a most interesting fact, apparently conoborative of the opinion expressed by this author, that in the issue of The New Jersey Gazette, of Oc tober 28, in the year 1778, there appeared an adver tisement offering for sale by "John and WiUiam Wick," 179 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY a "farm and cyder mUl in Hanover." Moses Wick, according to a census of the freeholders, or property holders of Morris County, taken in the year 1776 was also a resident of Hanover Township at that time. From the enlistment roll we have learned that the first captain of this independent company of "Light Horse" was Thomas Kinney, ex-sheriff of Morris County, who is no stranger to our readers. While in command of the Light Horse Troop, Cap tain Kinney with his company, escorted Governor Wil liam' Franklin, the notorious royalist, to Connecticut, where, in accordance with instructions, he deliv ered him into the hands of Governor Trumbull for safe keeping. For this hazardou's service Captain Kinney was suitably rewarded by the provincial au thorities. The sum received was "105 pounds, one shiUing and seven pence for himself and guard." After the resignation of Captain Kinney, which seems to have taken place soon after its organization, Jacob Arnold was appointed to the command of the Light Horse Troop, which thereafter became known as "Arnold's Light Horse Troop." Besides other arms, each member of Arnold's Troop carried a spear, or pike (either term seems to be ap plicable) similar to that once borne by English heavy armed troops. This spear was about five feet in length. It consisted of a steel spearhead about eight inches in length and two in width at the widest part, with a cut ting edge on one end, and at the other end a pointed steel ferrule about four inches in length. The body 180 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of the spear consisted of a smooth round oak stick, about an inch and a quarter in diameter. This weapon was carried, when not in use in action, on the right side of the mounted trooper. The pointed ferrule at the lower end of the weapon rested in an iron socket, firmly attached to the stirrup strap, the upper end of the spear being supported by a strap, which passed around the right arm thus leaving this arm free for use in driving, or in handling other weapons. When used in close action this spear was a most effective weapon, and, wielded by young men, must have been greatly dreaded by the enemy. When about twenty years ago, the Arnold tavern was moved from its original site, on the northwest side of the Green, to make way for the erection of a more modern structure, (the Hoffman building), one of these spears was found in the cellar. It was subsequently loaned by the late Joseph R. Hoff man, M. D., to the Washington Association, and is now in the highly valuable collection to be seen at the "Headquarters." Each member of Arnold's Light Horse Troop was required to fumish his own horse and equipments. The troop, as we are reliably in formed, was seldom all together, but were usually di vided into details of from two to twelve men, or even more sometimes, and were employed as videttes, or mounted sentinels, to watch the movements of the British forces, to convey intelligence of such movements to headquarters and to carry orders. Whenever the entire troop was together it was for the purposes of training and discipline ; or, in case of alarm from the i8i HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY apprehended approach of the enemy in force. They were in continuous service during the Revolution. The State infantry, on the other hand, performed duty by what was known as "monthly turns." A portion at least of this troop performed service at different times at Millstone, Second River, on Raritan River, at Springfield, Connecticut Farms, Elizabethtown (fre quently), Newark and Aquacknunk. In the battles of Springfield and Monmouth, this ubiquitous troop seems to have been represented. A portion of it must also have been at Hackensack, since it is a matter of record that one of its members as he himself afterward declared, "had like to have been taken prisoner near a British fort" in the vicinity. In "Genealogical Notes, &c.," collected by Lewis Condict, M. D., now known as the "Condict Papers," is the fol lowing entry : "In John Esler's witness for John Blow ers, he says, John Canfield was with Blowers and Es ler at New York and Amboy ;" from which it is a fair inference that a portion of Arnold's Light Horse Troop performed service at New York and Amboy, during the Revolution. When General Charles Lee was captured in White's tavern at Basking Ridge, the Amold Troop lay at Morristown, in a body. The messenger who brought the intelligence of Lee's capture to the county seat rode a horse which, it was ascertained, had been stolen from a member of Arnold's Troop while it lay at Parsippany, and to his delight he recovered the lost animal. It is no ordinary pleasure, as the writer conceives, to 182 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY be permitted to look upon and handle the watch carried by Colonel Jacob Arnold during the Rev olution, and while in command of his famous Light Horse Troop ; and the next best thing to seeing and handling the watch, is the pleasure of look ing upon a photographic representation of it. This pleasure is given the readers of this volume. The watch, like its owner during the Revolutionary period, has a history, which should not be hidden "under a bushel." It originally belonged to Samuel Arnold, the father of the redoubtable colonel. From Samuel Arnold the watch, at his decease, descended to his son Jacob; from Jacob it descended to his son Edward, and naturally would have descended next in order to Isaac G. Arnold, recently deceased. But one day, during his brief illness, Edward Ar nold gave explicit instructions to have the watch given to Howard Baylies Arnold, the only son of Isaac G., whose property it now is. The seal, a representation of a rattlesnake, is symbolic of the motto, never to strike till warning has been duly given. The works in this watch are of English make, the escapement being known as the "verge," both of which facts the writer ascertained from a Morristown jeweler. The chain is of steel, and from long usage some of its links are nearly worn through, necessitating careful handling. At the session of the Provincial Congress, which on the twenty-third day of May, in the year 1775, con vened at Trenton, the Morris county delegatess were present of whom WiUiam DeHart, Silas Tuttle, Peter 183 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Dickerson and Jonathan Stiles, were from Morristown. Assuming by common consent the powers of legisla tion, the Provincial Congress supplanted the former Legislature, continuing its session through the months of June and August. On the third day of June, in the year 1775, the Provincial Congress passed an Act for the regulation of the militia, one of the provisions of which was, that the muster roll to be signed by re cruits, should contain only the promise "to obey our officers in such service as they shall appoint us, agree able to the rules and orders of the Provincial Con gress.'' Two regiments and one battalion of militia were, according to the Act above mentioned, to be re cruited in Morris County, the two former of which were to be designated as the "eastern" and "western battalions." That these bodies of militia were promptly recruited, and organized, is a most natural inference. Of the eastern battalion, Jacob Ford, Jr., of Morris town, then about thirty-seven years of age, was ap pointed colonel. For this battalion Morristown fur nished, at different times during the continuance of its organization, the following officers : Eleazer Lindsley, thirty-eight years of age, major and afterward lieu tenant-colonel ; Benoni Hathaway, thirty-two years of age, captain and afterward lieutenant-colonel; Richard Johnson, twenty-seven years of age, major; Henry Ax tell (sometimes speUed Axtil), thirty-seven years of age, major; Joseph Lindsley, forty years of age, major; John Doughty, twenty-four years of age, adjutant; Frederick King, thirty-seven years of age, quarter- 184 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY master, and Timothy Johnes, twenty-seven years of age, surgeon. Jacob Arnold, twenty-six years of age, and Jonathan Stiles, Jr., twenty years of age, and both of Morristown, served in the mihtia as paymasters ; and Barnabas Budd, thirty-seven years of age, of the same place, was a surgeon in the same arm of the service. In the same battalion to which the above-named officers were attached, as well also as in the Second Battalion, many other Morristown residents served as commis sioned officers during the Revolution. The Act of the Provincial Congress, regulating the militia, passed on the sixteenth day of August, in the year 1775, also recommended that minute men be raised in all the counties of the province. Morris County was to have six companies of minute men. They were to furnish themselves with "a good musket or firelock and bayonet, sword or tomahawk, a steel ramrod, worm, priming wire and brush fitted thereto, a car- touch box to contain 23 rounds of cartridges, twelve flints and a knapsack." Each man was to keep one pound of powder and three pounds of lead at his house. As the term "minute men" suggests, they were to hold themselves in constant readiness to march, on the short est notice, to any point where their services might be needed. At a meeting of the Morris County delegates held at the Dickerson tavern on the fourteenth day of Sep tember, in the year 1775, it having been ascertained that the full number of minute men, required of the county had been enlisted, it was recommended to the Provin- i8s HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY cial Congress that a number of officers be commissioned for the command of these soldiers. Among the names recommended were those of the following residents of Morristown: Timothy Johnes, (son of "Parson Johnes"), for surgeon; SUas HoweU, for captain; Jos eph Lindsley, for first lieutenant; Richard Johnston, for second lieutenant; Ebenezer Condict, for captain; Benoni Hathaway, for first lieutenant ; Moses Prudden, for second lieutenant ; Joseph Beach, for ensign. At a late hour on the same day a meeting of the of ficers of the battalion, about twenty-five in number, was held at some place in Morristown not now ascertain able. At this meeting nearly a score of the battalion officers were present. William DeHart was the mod erator, and Jacob Drum the clerk of this meeting. The officers present were : William DeHart, Captain Ebenezer Condict, Lieutenant Moses Prudden, En sign Caleb Horton, Ensign Richard Johnston, Ensign Samuel Day, Lieutenant Noadiah Wade, Captain Sam uel Ball, Lieutenant Moses Keepore (probably meant for Kitchel), Captain Jacob Drum, Lieutenant Josiah Hall, Lieutenant Daniel Baldwin, Lieutenant Joseph Lindsley, Captain Silas Howell, Ensign David Tuttle, Lieutenant Benoni Hathaway. It was unanimously voted to recommend to the Provincial Congress, or Committee of Safety of New Jersey, the following gen tlemen for field officers : Colonel, Wilham Winds ; lieutenant-colonel, William DeHart; major, David Bates, and adjutant, Joseph Morris. Faithful service to these field officers, should they be commissioned, i86 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY was pledged by the officers recommending them. The meeting was then adjoumed. The first call of the Continental Congress upon New Jersey for troops, was made on the ninth day of Oc tober, in the year 1775. Two battahons, consisting of eight companies each, each company to have sixty-eight privates, one captain, one lieutenant, one ensign, four sergeants and four corporals, was the quota recom mended to the Provincial Congress, then in session at Trenton, to be furnished by New Jersey. The privates were to be enlisted for the period of one year, liable however, to be discharged in the meantime. They were to receive $5 per month, and if discharged before the expiration of the year, were to be allowed one month's pay extra. One felt hat, one pair of yarn stockings and a pair of shoes were to be allowed the men, instead of a bounty. Each man was to furnish his own arms. The officers were to receive, until further orders, the same pay as the officers of the Continental army then in service, and any increase in favor of the latter, should apply also to the former. The recommendations of the Continental Congress having on the thirteenth day of October, of the year 1775, been received and adopted by the Provincial Congress, the latter body on the twenty-sixth day of the month above mentioned, provided for the issuance of warrants to suitable per sons to recruit the two battalions called for by the Con tinental army. Mustering officers were also appointed, whose duty it should be to review the companies to be recruited. 187 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "I , have this day voluntarily enlisted myself as a soldier in the American Continental army for one year, unless sooner discharged, and do bind myself to conform in all instances to such rules and regulations as are or shall be established for the government of the said army.'' Such was the form of enlistment under which these men were to be recruited. These battalions were promptly raised and mustered. The officers were ap pointed by the Provincial Congress, and the appoint ments thus made were subsequently confirmed by the Continental Congress. Of the two battalions desig nated as the "eastern" and "western," the eastern was raised largely in Morris County. Morristown fur nished the following ofiicers for the eastern battalion: William DeHart, major ; Silas Howell, captain, and Richard Johnson, second lieutenant. Again on January lo, in the year 1776, the Contin ental Congress called for another battalion from New Jersey; and in accordance with the recommendation of the Provincial Congress this command was organized at once. Of one of the companies of this battalion, Peter Dickerson, of Morristown, was the captain; and of the privates Morristown seems to have furnished the following: Luke De Voir (sometimes speUed De vour), Jeremiah Guard (or Gard), Thomas Hatha way, John HiU and Timothy Losey. As the commanding ofiicer of the eastem battalion of militia, comprising about 800 officers and men, Jacob Ford, Jr., had doubtless awakened to the realization of the need of gunpowder as an indispensable means ise THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY to its efficiency as a fighting force. Hence, early in the year 1776, he caused to be erected a mill for the manu facture of this necessity. In this enterprise he seems to have been assisted by his father; indeed, such is the statement of Silas B. Condict, in a series of articles on the "Genealogical History of the Ford Family of Mor ris County." Mr. Condict's words are : "Col. Jacob Ford Jun. took a very active part with his father, and we find them engaged in building a powder mill on the Whippany river near Morristown." That reli ance is to be placed upon this statement the writer does not for a moment question. Major Joseph Lindsley seems to have supervised the erection of this building, and, inasmuch as this officer was subsequently spoken of as the "Blind Major," it is the opinion of some students of local history, that in consequence of having assisted in the manufacture of gunpowder in Ford's mill, his eyesight had been im paired. Ford's powder mill, as it came to be known, was erected on the Whippanong River, in the rear of what is now the residence of Augustus Crane, which is situated on the left of the road leading from Morris town to Whippany, and nearly opposite the commence ment of the road leading to Columbia, formerly Afton. Or, with reference to the "Headquarters," the Crane residence is about the fifth or sixth house beyond, in the direction of Whippany, and on the same side of the road. The path leading to Ford's powder mill was through an almost impenetrable thicket, and was so completely surrounded by trees as to render it very 189 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY difficult of discovery by the enemy; indeed, a more isolated spot could scarcely have been chosen. Through the courtesy of Philip H. Hoffman, of Morristown, a picture of this interesting building is to be seen in this volume. The sketch from which the picture here in pubhshed is made, was drawn under the supervision of Mr. Hoffman, from a description furnished in directly by persons who had themselves seen the build ing before its removal, and it may, therefore, be relied upon as a practically accurate representation of the mill where saltpeter, sulphur and charcoal, mixed and afterward granulated, were chemically transformed into gunpowder under the supervision of Colonel Jacob Ford, Jr. The provincial authorities, having ascertained that Colonel Ford was engaged in the manufacture of gunpowder, were desirous of having him increase the output of his mill. As an inducement to him to accede to their wishes, they offered to loan him £2,000, without interest, on condition of his giving good security for the loan. They also offered to receive the payment of .the loan in gunpowder, at the rate of one ton each month, until the entire amount should be paid. This offer was accepted by Colonel Ford, and the loan was in due course of time paid as per agreement. The writer has somewhere seen the statement that most of the gunpowder used in the Revolution was made in this miU, hidden away so completely among the trees and thicket on the banks of the placid Whip panong, that the eyes of no redcoat ever had the pleas- 190 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY ure of looking upon it. It may, however, be more in ac cordance with the facts in the case, to say that most of the gunpowder used in New Jersey during the Revolu tion, was manufactured in Ford's mill. This old mill was removed about a hundred feet from its original site, in the year 1815, and made into a dwelling. About this time Joseph M. Lindsley, a son of Major Joseph Lindsley, of Revolutionary fame, secured a piece of one of the timbers of the mill, about two inches in thick ness, twelve inches in length and ten inches in width. It was highly polished, and on one side an ex cellent representation of the old mill of Revolutionary days was made. It is now to be seen at the "Head quarters." Colonel Benoni Hathaway had personal charge of the Ford Powder Mill, and supervised the removal of the powder from the isolated manufactory on the Whip panong, to the magazine in the vicinity of the Green, where it was stored for future use. There is an appar ently well-founded tradition to the effect, that when the output of the mill ran low, the resourceful colonel was wont to substitute sand for gunpowder, and with barrels well filled with this substitute for the genuine article, would transport it with special demonstrations of sufficiency, from mill tO' magazine. Not a few Brit ish spies and resident Tories were deceived as to the actual output of the mill by this ingenious ruse of thc resourceful colonel. The writer paid a visit a few weeks since to the Rev olutionary residence of Colonel Benoni Hathaway, still 191 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY standing in Morristown, and by his escort, the present owner of the building, had his attention directed to sev eral ground depressions in the rear of the house. It is the opinion of the owner, who for many years has been familiar with the premises, that these depressions mark the former resting place of small cannon, placed there by Colonel Hathaway during the Revolution, for the purpose of commanding the approach to the Ford Powder Mill, situated about half a mile to the east ward. This theory has no little support in the fact that several cannon balls have been found near the Hathaway house, some of which the writer has seen; and by the more significant fact that a few years since what seemed to be the remains of a gun carriage wheel, was also found on the premises. Near the Ford powder mill, and standing on the left of the road leading from Morristown to what, in Revo lutionary times, was still known as Whippanong, was the Major Joseph Lindsley house. A large old-fash ioned oven was attached to this house, in which the women of the family were accustomed to baking gener ous quantities of bread for the American soldiers sta tioned during the Revolution as guards about the Ford mansion, then the headquarters of Washington. The men of the household, at the period to which we are about to allude, were all absent in the army. Fears of a raid by the British were constantly entertained, not only by the women of the Lindsley household, but by the men employed in the powder mill nearby. Hearing one night the tramp of horses, the women were startied 192 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY on looking out, at the sight of a company of horsemen in full uniform, near the house. The women were greatly relieved in mind when they ascertained that the soldiers were in search of the powder mill, and that they had been sent by Washington to guard the mill and house from an anticipated British raid. After some urging, one of the patriotic women consented to guide the horsemen to the powder mill, and, on foot, and go ing ahead of them, she led the way through the dense thicket to the mill by the river. These horsemen, as was soon ascertained, were a portion of the Arnold Light Horse Troop, which were then acting as a body guard to Washington. Reference has already been made to the inhabitants of the village of Morris Town, and of the outlying country included in the township, at the opening of the Revolution. It is fortunate for the lovers of local his tory, that a list of the freeholders of Morris Town en titled to vote for deputies, or representatives, to the Provincial Congress which was to meet at Burlington, on the tenth day of June, in the year 1776, has been preserved. The election, it should be said, occurred in Morris Town, on the fourth Monday in May, 1776. This list is now to be presented. That it will be found of great interest there is no question. Following are the names of the freeholders : "John Allen, Jacob Arnold, John Ayres, Moses Allen, Gilbert Allen, Nathaniel Bonnell, Daniel Bishop, James Brookfield, Joseph Beach, John Beach, Samuel Broadwell, Joseph Bruen, Epenetus Beach, James Bollen, Jabez Beach, 193 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY John Brookfield, Augustine Bayles, Uriah Cutler, Enoch Conger, Jabez Condict, Wood Cammer, WiUiam Cherry, Philip Condict, WiUiam Connot, Edward Cornell, Jabez Campfields, Philemon Dickerson, David Dalglass, Jesse Dickerson, Jeduthum Day, George Day, Ezekiel Day, Ben jamin Day, Stephen Easton, Daniel Freeman, Phineas Fair- child, Zopher Freeman, Stephen Funhill, Jacob Frazey, Seth Gregory, Josiah Goldsmith, Ezekiel Goble, Joshua Guerin, Benjamin Goble, Henry Gardner, WiUiam Gardner, Jonas Goble, Christopher Gardner, William Gray, John Gwinnup, Levi Holloway, Philip Hathaway, Silas Hallsey, John Hollo way, William Hayware, (Hayward?) Daniel Hayward, Caleb Howell, Benoni Hathaway, Ichabod Johnson, Richard Johnson, Elisha Johnson, William Johnes, Joseph KitcheU, Frederick King, Abraham Ludlum, Daniel Layton, Joseph Lewis, Joshua Lambert, Abraham Ludlum (Jr.?), Daniel Lickamore, David Leonard, Matthias Lum, David Muir, Philip Minton, Samuel Miller, WarlshiU Monson, Moses Morrison, Peter Mackie, John Masco, Timothy Mills, Jr., Jacob Morrell, Jedediah Mills, Robert McElee, Abraham Monson, Solomon Monson, Shadows Mahan, Stephen Moore, Samuel Oliver, Jonathan Ogden, David Ogden, Benjamin Pierson, Jr., Abraham Pierson, Jr., Joseph Prud den, Moses Prudden, Peter Parsels, Isaac Pierson, Peter Pruden, Timothy Peck, Isaac Prudden, William Pierson, George Phillips, John Roberts, Jedediah Rodgers, Richard Runyon, Samuel Roberts, John Roberts, Jr., Robert Rolf, John Stewart, Daniel Smith, Joseph Stiles, Silas Stiles, Jona than Stiles, Jr., Ezekiel Thoss, William Templeton, H. D. Tripp, Isaac Whitehead, David Ward, Jr., Isaac Whitehead (Jr.?), Nathaniel Woodhull, Joseph Winger, Jonathan Wood, Roberi Young." According to an ordinance passed by the Provincial Congress, which met at New Brunswick, in the months 194 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of February and March, of the year 1776, those free holders were qualified to vote for representatives in General Assembly "who had signed the general asso ciation recommended by this Congress," and all other persons of full age who had resided for one year pre ceding the election in any county of the colony, and was worth at least fifty pounds proc. money in personal estate, and had signed the association aforesaid, should be admitted to vote. The deputies of representatives, were to be freeholders, with at least 500 pounds proc. money. 19s CHAPTER XI. "Hail! independence, hail! heaven's next best gift, To that of life and an immortal soul! The life of life, and to the banquet high And sober meal gives taste; to the bow'd roof Fair dreams, repose, and to the cottage charms." HAT these colonies are, and of right, ought to be, free and independent States ; and that all political connec tion between us and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved" — such was the bold resolution presented by Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, in the Continental Congress, in session at Philadelphia, on the seventh day of June, in the year 1776. Owing to the momentousness of the matter, its formal discussion was deferred until the month of July following. A committee, of which Thomas Jefferson was chairman, was meanwhile ap pointed to prepare the form of a Declaration for pres entation to Congress as a basis of discussion. Such 196 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY a Declaration was, on the second day of July, presented to Congress. The opening sentence was : "When, in the course of human events, it becomes neces sary for one people lo dissolve the pohtical bands which have connected them with another, and lo assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separa tion." Following these words was a detailed statement of the wrongs which had induced the people of the Amer ican colonies to thus declare themselves free and inde pendent to the mother country. Surpassing in thrilling effect the opening sentence of the immortal document whose presentation to Congress has just been noted, were its closing words, which were: "For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of July 4, after its serious consideration, paragraph by paragraph, for nearly four days, the Declaration of American Inde pendence was adopted by a unanimous vote of the Continental Congress, assembled in the old State House, at Philadelphia. With a hundred animated strokes of the iron-tongue of the old bell in the tower of what is now known as "Independence Hall," this epoch- 197 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY making and far-reaching act was proclaimed, the prompt response to which were the enthusiastic ac clamations of the people, followed by cannon peals, bon fires and illuminations, not in the Quaker City only, but through the united colonies. That Morristown joined in these demonstrations of exuberant joyfulness, it would be superfluous to add. Animated and supported in spirit by the consciousness that they were then, and thenceforth were to be, the United States of America, the people bravely renewed their determination to prosecute the pending war to a successful issue. Early in the month of July, of the year 1776, Wash ington was in New Yorlc and vicinity, with an army whose numbers did not exceed 17,000 men. With a combined force of 35,000 men, including a large body of Hessian troops, General Howe took possession of Staten Island. Landing soon afterward on the westem end of Long Island, the British forces surrounded and captured 2,000 of the American troops, under General Putnam ; less the killed and wounded. Wash ington, under cover of a dense fog, quietly withdrew his entire force from Brooklyn, across the East River, to New York. Acting upon the advice of his officers, he retreated to White Plains, where an engagement oc curred with the enemy, the result of which was disad vantageous to the American forces. Again the Amer ican army fell back, this time upon North Castle. The enemy did not pursue. Leaving one detachment at North Castle, a second at Fort Washington and a third 198 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY at Peekskill, Washington crossed the Hudson, and, by way of Hackensack, Newark, Elizabethtown, New Brunswick, Princeton and Trenton, retreated through that portion of the State, crossing the Delaware with his diminished and disheartened army, at the point last named on December 8. With the foregoing necessary, and meager review of events transpiring since the opening of the year 1776, we must return with our readers to the consideration of occurrences in Morristown. The presence at the county seat of Morris of a powder mill, whose monthly output was a ton of first-class gunpowder, a due pro portion of which was made into cartridges under the supervision of bustling Benoni Hathaway, was no or dinary allurement to< the enemy, then in undisputed possession of New York and vicinity. Through in formation furnished by spies, or resident tories, or per haps by both, the enemy was aware of the local circum stances mentioned. It is very doubtful, however, that either spy, or enemy knew the exact whereabouts of the mill, whose product was in future to be used in propelling bullet and ball against the ranks of British redcoats, and Hessian mercenaries. The first attempt upon the part of the enemy to reach Morristown, with a view of destroying Ford's powder mill, by blowing it up with its own product, was made soon after its erection. Through the vigilance of Col onel Jacob Ford, Jr., and the efficiency of his battalion of Morris County militia, the attempt was successfully thwarted. Hitherto the attempts of the British to reach 199 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Morristown, for the destruction of the powder mill, had been made by small detachments of horsemen, but dur ing the month of December, in the year 1776, General Leslie, with a considerable force, was sent out on the same important errand. Intelligence of this movement of the enemy having in some way been conveyed to Colonel Ford, he, with his battalion of militia, marched to Springfield, where on the fourteenth day of the month last mentioned, a sharp en gagement took place with- the force commanded by General Leslie. The British commander re ceived so convincing a demonstration of the high quality of Morristown gunpowder, and of the corres ponding efficiency of Morris County militia, that he unceremoniously retreated toward Spanktown, now Rahway. Withdrawing his battalion from Springfield, Colonel Ford encamped at Chatham, to watch the fur ther movements of the enemy. It is said that "when the French Government heard of the battle of Spring field, fought as it was, by militia alone, they made up their minds to assist our struggling forefathers. I mention this to you as important historically, and also as a tribute to the patriotism of the Morris County men, who were mainly the force employed on that oc casion. There is another important fact. The French Government supposed the war of the Revolution was got up by selfish, designing men, and that they hired the soldiers who fought the battles. But when they saw the earnestness of the farmers and country people of our county and State, they made up their minds that THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY it would be a long, earnest and truly pafriotic fight, and they resolved to help." Retracing our steps somewhat, chronologically, it will be ascertained that Colonel Ford's battalion of militia had, previously to the engagement at Springfield, dem onstrated its efficiency. Anticipating his retreat through New Jersey, after the disastrous campaign in New York State, Washington called upon New Jersey for troops to cover his rear against Cornwallis, who, with an ample force, was in pursuit of the American army. This important service was, in part, performed by the Morris County men, with credit alike to the State and to Colonel Ford and his battalion, which had been detailed for that object. The "mud rounds" is the significant term by which the campaign including the movements above mentioned has since been known. On the fourteenth day of December, in the year 1776, Morristown was visited by an American officer of high rank, General Alexander McDougall, whose pres ence at the county seat, at that period of local history, was an occurrence of no ordinary interest.. The ar rival, on the seventeenth day of the same month, only three days after the date above mentioned, of three reg iments of eastern troops from Ticonderoga, seems to indicate that General McDougall was in Morristown under instructions from Washington, for the purpose, perhaps, of arranging for an encampment. And, as the arrival of Washington himself, with his decimated army, in Morristown, occurred only about three weeks later, it may be inferred that the presence of General HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY McDougall at the county seat was also in some way connected with that interesting event. The three reg iments of eastern troops, which, as we have seen, ar rived in Morristown on the seventeenth of December, were in command of Colonel Vose, and comprised Greaton's regiment of about 250 men, Bond's regi ment of about 100 men and Porter's regiment of about 170 men ; a force aggregating about 520 men. On the twentieth day of December, following the arrival of the regiments in command of Colonel Vose, Washington in a letter to the president of the United States Congress, said : "I have directed the three regiments from Ticonderoga to hall at Morristown, in Jersey (where, I understand, about 800 militia have collected), in order to inspirit the inhabi tants, and, as far as possible, to cover that part of the coun try." In view, however, of all the circumstances, as now understood, it is almost certain, notwithstanding the reasons given in the letter above mentioned, for the presence of "the three regiments from Ticonderoga," that the force in command of Colonel Vose was in Mbr ristown chiefly for the protection of Ford's powder mill, which the enemy, in spite of repeated but futile at tempts to reach and blow up, were stUl determined to destroy. In war, no less than in diplomacy, language is not infrequently employed with the design of hiding the real intent and Washington was no stranger to this art of concealment. Morris County troops would un- 202 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY questionably have been fully equal to the protection of the invaluable powder manufactory at Morristown, particularly in conjunction with Colonel Ford's bat talion, but for the absence in the regular service of a county regiment in command of the brave Colonel Winds. It was not until the twenty-second day of December, five days after the arrival of the three regiments from Ticonderoga, that Colonel Ford arrived in Morristown with his battalion from Chatham, where they had been watching in vain for a second opportunity to demon strate their efficiency as soldiers. Nine days after the arrival home of Colonel Ford's battalion — that is to say, on the thirty-first day of December, they were on parade, presumably on the grounds to the south of the village Green, between the present site of the national bank and Bank street, and including a portion also of the South street of the year 1905. Doubtless the bat talion of militia, which had returned so recently from its highly creditable engagement with the red coats at Springfield, was disbanded soon after the parade above mentioned. It was a parade which was proudly wit nessed, the writer ventures to suggest, by the assembled patriots of the county seat and vicinity. Before the parade closed, Colonel Ford, to employ the quaint language of his day, was seized "with a de lirium in his head and was borne off by a couple of soldiers, after which he never rose from his bed." On the tenth day of January, in the year 1776, he died of 203 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY inflammation of the lungs — lung fever, as it was then termed, or pneumonia, as the medical profession would now caU it. His iUness was without doubt induced by the exposure and hardships of his recent services in the field. His body, by order of Washington, was bur ied with the honors of war, Captain Rodney's light in fantry company acting as an escort to the remains. In the midst of exceptional usefulness, and in the full vigor of young manhood, there thus passed away one of the most promising men ever produced in Mor ristown. In view of the brilliancy exhibited by this early martyr to freedom, during his brief public career, it would have been safe to predict for him almost un limited achievement as a military officer, in the war which, at his untimely disease, had been in progress but little more than a year. Born on the nineteenth day of February, in the year 1738, Colonel Ford had, therefore, at the time of his decease, scarcely attained the thirty-ninth year of his age. On the twenty-seventh day of January, in the year 1762, he married Theodocia, the accomplished daughter of the Rev. Timothy Johnes. Five children were the result of this union of hearts, namely: Tim othy, Gabriel H., Elizabeth, Jacob and Phebe. Colonel Ford's remains now lie in the older portion of the bur ial grounds of the First Presbyterian Church, of Mor ristown. The inscription upon his monument, as care fully transcribed by the writer, is as follows : 204 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Sacred To the Memory of Colo. Jacob Ford Jun'r, Son of Colo. Jacob Ford Sen'r. He was Born February the igth. Anno Domini 1738, And departed this life January the loth, Anno Domini 1777, And Being then In the Service of his Country, Was Interred in this place With Military Honors. In vain we strive by human skill To avoid the Shaft of Death; Heav'n's high Decree it must fulfil And we resign our Breath. The friends who read our Tomb and mourn And weep our Early Fall, Must be lamented in their day And share the fale of all. On the sixth day of January, in the year 1777, there arrived in Morristown one whose presence has from that hour to this, rendered sacred the ground he trod, and the very atmosphere he breathed. It was none other than Washington. He came fresh from the bril liant and decisive victories of Trenton and Princeton. For his headquarters he promptly selected the Arnold tavern. This tavern, the exceptionally interesting story of which would of itself make a volume of rare value, was erected, as nearly as can now be ascertained, by Samuel Arnold, the father of Colonel Jacob Arnold, about the year 1740, and by the father it was subse- 205 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY quently conveyed to the son. A necessarily brief de scription of tbe building will in due time be given. Prior to the commencement of the Revolution this tavern was kept by Thomas Kinney, a prominent man in county affairs, and the owner of no little landed prop erty. Jacob Amold, however, had resided in Morris town village since the year 1772. It seems to have been about the month of June, in the year 1775, that Jacob Arnold assumed the proprietorship of what is now known as the Arnold tavern. From the com mencement of the difficulty between the American col onies and the mother country, the name of Jacob Amold had been the synonym of intense patriotism; and that his large and well kept hostelry should have become the favorite rendezvous of the patriots of Mor ristown and Morris County, was but an almost inev itable sequence. Washington was doubtless in some measure influenced in the selection of headquarters by the reputation of the tavern, and its proprietor, for their well-known loyalty to the growing cause of free dom. Either prior to, or closely following, the arrival in Morristown of the commander-in-chief, Jacob Ar nold was appointed aide and paymaster. That the unique personality of this patriot was an additional attraction to the distinguished guest who sought the hospitality of his ample roof, is the writer's opinion. From a descendant of Mr. Arnold, the writer has learned, that in height he was about five feet and eight inches. He was a thick set, broad shouldered man, with a large head and neck. His eyes were blue, and his hair dark. 206 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Attached to this tavern, and running back to the Jockey Hollow road (now Western avenue), extend ing also northeastward as far as the present Speedwell avenue, was a farm of considerable area, the products of whose soil contributed in no small measure to the bountifully prepared table of this famous hostelry. The Arnold tavern was a three-story building, with a large chimney at either end. Running back from the main portion of the building, which was 43 feet in length and 25 feet in depth, was a two-story L or wing, which did not extend entirely across the rear of the structure. This wing was about 20 feet in depth by 25 feet in width, and two stories in height. The main portion of the building was divided by a wide hallway running from front to rear, through the centre. Access to the second floor was by means of a broad, winding stairway leading out of the hallway mentioned. On the southern end of the building were a front and back parlor, while on the opposite end were a bar-room, dining-room and kitchen. Over the dining- room and kitchen, both of which seem to have been in the rear extension, was a commodious hall, in which assembly baUs were not infrequently held. In this hall, the army Masonic lodge held its meetings during the winters of 1777 and 1780. During his winter's so journ at this famous tavern, Washington occupied the two rooms on the second floor, over the bar-room (the bar-room was at the northeast of the building, to the right of the main front entrance) ; the front room being used as an office, and the one directly back of the 207 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY office as a sleeping room. "The commander-in-chief appointed the hght infantry to be his personal body guard, requiring 26 men to mount sentry around the Arnold tavern. That this guard might always be with in a more convenient distance than was the general camp (at Lowantica Valley) the entire regiment was installed about one mile away, in the large Ford man sion, now the well known 'Headquarters.' General Green quartered with a Mr. Hoffman, whom tradition mentions as a good-natured man, whose charming wife was a great lover of the clergy. * * * A few days after the army reached Morristown, Colonel Daniel Hitchcock, of Rhode Island, who had fought and marched under Washington from the outset, fell a vic tim to the fatigues and exposures of the campaign. At Assunpink and Princeton he had commanded a brigade of five regiments and was congratulated by his Chief after the battles." On the eleventh day of January, smaUpox (said by some to have been deliberately introduced by the British authorities) broke out in Morristown, the first victim being Martha, the widow of Joshua Ball. Dur ing the same month two more deaths occurred from this disease, and within the period of one year the list was increased to sixty-eight, including old and middle- aged and young. Nor were sex or condition regarded by this dire disease. Putrid sore throat, dysentery and other maladies swelled the number of deaths in the vil lage to 205. 208 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Among the soldiers, the ravages of the smallpox be came so prevalent, that establishments for inoculation were provided near Morristown, some of which were in private houses. So numerous did smallpox cases be come, that the Presbyterian and Baptist churches in Morristown, were used as hospitals. The use of the Presbyterian church as a smallpox hospital, necessi tated the holding of divine services on Sunday in priv ate houses, and when the weather was suitable, in the open air. A favorite place for these open air services was in a somewhat secluded dell in the rear of the res idence of Rev. Timothy Johnes, which was also par tially protected from the elements by a copse of trees, and by the ground elevation between the meeting place and the Whippanong River beyond. It was on the thirteenth day of January, one week after his arrival in Morristown, that Washington opened a brief, but notable correspondence with Lord Howe, the subject of which was the inhuman treatment of captured American soldiers and sailors. Against this Washington vigorously protested. If tradition from two distinct sources may be relied upon, and in this particular case there seems to be ample ground for reliance, the serious phase of the correspondence be tween the two distinguished gentlemen aUuded to, was relieved by the employment of a vein of humor on both sides. It is said that Lord Howe sent to Washington, while the correspondence was in progress, a copy of Watt's version of the I20th Psalm, which reads: 209 • HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "Thou God of love, thou ever blest, Pity my suffering state; When will Thou sel my soul at rest From lips that love deceit? Hard lot of mine! my days are cast Among the sons of strife, Whose never ceasing brawlings waste My golden hours of life. O! might I change my place, How would I choose lo dwell In some wide, lonesome wilderness. And leave these gates of hell!" Washington, so it is said, returned to Howe Watts's version of the loist Psalm, of which two stanzas are quoted : "In vain shall sinners strive to rise By flattering and malicious lies; And while the innocent I guard The bold offender sha'n't be spared. The impious crew, that factious band, Shall hide their heads, or quit the land; And all who break the public rest, Where I have power shall be supprest." On the nineteenth day of January, in the year 1777, Colonel Jacob Ford, Sr., died of fever, at the age of seventy-three years. Immediately to one side of the monument of his son now lie the remains of Colonel Jacob Ford, Sr. THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "Sacred To the Memory of Colo. Jacob Ford He was born April the 13th, Anno Domini 1704 And departed this Life January the igth, Anno Domini 1777," is the simple inscription upon his monument. His memory will be cherished so long as the freedom for which he toiled is appreciated. CHAPTER XII "They pitched their camp and through it made A main street passing wide; And in the midst a flagstaff set For all the country side." Ballads of New Jersey in the Revolution. T was on the sixth day of Januaiy, in the year 1777, that Washington, with his patriot army, reached Mor ris County and went into winter quarters. Washington's army was encamped chiefly at Lowantica Val ley; or Spring Valley as it is now called, about three miles east of the Morristown Green. Not a few of his soldiers were, however, quartered, or "billeted," in private houses in various portions of the county. Some of the officers were quartered at the Arnold tavern in Morristown, and at other houses in the village, and outlying country. The condition of this army is well described by the Rev. William Gkirdon, D. D., in "The History of the American Revolution." He says : THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "The army under General Washington marched on to Pluckamin in their way to Morristown, pulling up the bridges as they proceeded, thereby to incommode the enemy and secure themselves. By the time they got there (Morris town), the 'men were so excessively fatigued, that a fresh apd resolute body of five hundred might have demolished the whole. Numbers lay down in the woods and fell asleep, without regarding the coldness of the weather. The royal army was still under such alarming impressions, that il con tinued its march from Trenton lo Brunswick, thirty miles, without halting longer at least than was necessary to make the bridges over Stony Brook and MiUstone passable." There is but a single flaw in Historian Gordon's esti mate of the efficiency of Washington's "excessively fatigued" army, and it is this : His understanding of the stuff of which they were made, differed radically from that of the British commander, who had so re cently received a practical demonstration of the fact on several battle-fields in New Jersey. From a letter written by Washington from Morristown to General PhUip Schuyler, on the eighteenth day of January, of the year 1777, the following extract is given: "The enemy by two lucky strokes, at Trenton and Prince ton, have been obliged to abandon every part of Jersey except Brunswic and Amboy, and the small tract of country between them, which is so entirely exhausted of supplies of every kind, that I hope, by preventing them from sending their foraging parties to any great distance, to reduce them to the utmost distress, in the course of this winter." Fourteen days after his arrival in Morristown, Washington wrote Governor Livingston, of New Jer- 213 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY sey, a most cheering letter, in which, among other things of importance, he said: "Our affairs here are in a very prosperous train. Within a month past, in several engagements with the enemy" — he evidently refers to the battles at Trenton, Assunpink and Princeton — "we have killed, wounded and taken pris oners between two and three thousand men. I am very confident that the enemy's loss here will oblige them to recall their force from your State. If I am properly supported, I shall hope to close the campaign gloriously for America." Washington's army, on his arrival at Morristown, as Gordon rightly estimated, did not exceed in number 4,000 men, and by some historians, 3,000 is the esti mate given. The British force in New Jersey at the time numbered fully 10,000 men. The short term of enlistment — one year — of most of the soldiers in the American army, would, as the commander-in-chief was well aware, soon expire, and how to replenish the ranks of his army, so soon to be depleted, became to him a matter of deep solicitude. In his endeavor to meet the grave exigency which confronted him, Wash ington dispatched letters to the New Jersey Council of Safety, to the Governors of the thirteen newly con stituted States and to the President of the United States Congress, urgently calling upon these official bodies for recruits, and for the munitions of war necessary for the conduct of the prospective campaign. In response to these appeals for recruits they in due course of time began to arrive at the various army 214 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY camps, in what numbers, and with what degree of promptitude, may be leamed from a communication written by Washington on the twenty-sixth day of January, in the year 1777, in which he said: "Reinforcements come up so extremely slow that I am afraid I shall be left without any men before they arriye. The enemy must be ignorant of our numbers or they have not horses lo move their artillery, or they would not suffer us to remain undisturbed." Unwilling to await the expiration of their termi of enlistment, not a few of the soldiers of Washington's army, prior to their arrival at Morristown, and even afterward, deserted. The number of desertions be came so large that Washington awoke to> the necessity of prompt and energetic action to check the growing evil. Since his army was not only daily diminishing in numbers, and hence in efficiency, but those who re mained would, it was apprehended by the sagacious commander, soon become demoralized in spirit, Wash ington, therefore, wrote letters to the United States Congress, earnestly requesting that body to recom mend to the different States the enactment of stringent laws against deserters, and against such persons also as should harbor and protect them. He wrote also to the Governors of the States, pressing the same import ant matters upon their attention. His letter addressed to the representatives of New Jersey closes with the words: "Desertion must of course cease when the of fenders find they have no shelter." The punishment 215 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY inflicted upon deserters apprehended and brought back to camp was diverse, and, in not a few instances, severe. "Running the gauntlet," as it was termed, was a mode of punishment sometimes inflicted upon deserters. The entire battalion of six or seven hun dred men to which the apprehended deserter was at tached, would be drawn up in two lines, about four feet apart on the parade ground. The deserter, who had been stripped of all clothing, save his pantaloons, was then compelled to run between the ranks, while the soldiers on either side applied their whips to his bared back. Three times the deserter was required to thus run through the open ranks of his battalion, while officers near at hand, compelled the men who shrunk from the performance of the disagreeable duty to ap ply the whip, until sometimes the punished soldier would fall to the ground from sheer exhaustion, with the blood running from his lacerated body. This mode of punishment was usually effectual with the victim, and acted also as a deterrent to further desertions. Hanging was also occasionaUy resorted to as the pen alty for desertion. It is said that two deserters who were shot at the Lowantica encampment, are buried there. The smallpox, of whose beginning we spoke in the previous chapter, was proving so fatal in Morristown, and the vicinity, that on the fifth day of February, in the year 1777, Washington was impelled to address a letter to the United States Congress upon the sub ject in which he said: 216 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "The smallpox has made such a head in every quarter that I find it impossible to keep it from spreading through the whole army, in the natural way. I have, therefore, deter mined not only to inoculate all the troops, now here, that have not had it, but I shall order Doctor Shippen lo inocu late the recruits, also, as fast as they come to Philadelphia." Many of the people seriously objected to submitting themselves to inoculation ; and in the work of persuad ing his parishioners of the efficacy of this operation, Rev. Timothy Johnes, by reason of his great personal influence, materiaUy aided Washington in his effort to thus stay the ravages of the terrible disease. The smallpox, which, as we have seen, began with Martha Ball, on the eleventh day of January, in the year 1777, extended through the First Presbyterian Church par ish with truly alarming strides. On the twenty-fourth, and also on the thirty-first day of January, of the year above mentioned, there occurred a death from the dire disease. Rev. Mr. Johnes, during the month of February, attended in his parish eleven funerals of residents of Morristown who had succumbed to the smallpox; this was an average of nearly three each week in the month. In the month of March, the num ber of deaths fell to nine. During the month of April, there were twenty-one deaths, an average of nearly one death for each weekday. In the months of May, June, July and August there were, respectively, elev en, six, eight and one deaths, from the same disease. The unfaltering faithfulness of "Parson Johnes" may, with some measure of adequacy, at least, be empha- 217 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY sized by the statement that on the second, seventh and eighth days of the month of April he officiated at two funerals of the victims of the prevalent disease, and on the fourteenth and thirty-first days of the same month, he officiated at the funerals of three of his par ishioners. This was an aggregate of sixty-eight in his own parish alone, not tO' mention the deaths in the Baptist parish. It is said that it was no uncommon occurrence during the prevalence of smallpox in Mor ristown, to find, in the morning, several bodies of vic tims who had succumbed to the disease during the previous night, lying under the pews in the Presby terian Church. Among the smallpox patients in the Presbyterian Church, was Nehemiah Smith, a soldier in Washington's army, who was the maternal grand father of the Rev. Rufus S. Green, recently pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, of Morristown. There is an apparently well-grounded tradition, which, so far as the writer is aware, has never been questioned, that in the winter of 1777, and during the prevalence of small-pox, Washington was ill with quinsy sore throat. Intelligence of his iUness being conveyed to Martha Washington, she hastened to the bedside of her illustrious husband, and in the modest sleeping-room on the second floor of the Arnold tav ern, then occupied by Washington, nursed him' back to health. At a time during the illness of Washing ton, when his decease was apprehended, he was asked by a friend at his bedside, whom he could designate as being suitably qualified to succeed him as comman- 218 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY der of the American army ; and, being unable to speak in audible tones, he pointed, without a moment's hesi tation, to General Nathanael Greene, the quartermas ter-general of the army, who was among the anxious watchers at the couch of his beloved chief. The winter of 1777 was an extremely cold one, and there was much suffering among the soldiers of the American army. A scarcity of food was also exper ienced by the patriot army at Morristown and vicinity. "There was a time," said a surgeon who was with Washington's army during the winter just mentioned "when all our rations were but a single gill of wheat a day." Washington was not unmindful of the sufferings and sacrifices of his soldiers, and frequently rode to the various points where they were encamped, and billeted, to look after their welfare, and to speak words of cheer to them. "Washington used to come 'round and look into our tents" (we quote again from the surgeon above alluded to), "and he looked sO' kind and he said so tenderly: 'Men, can you bear it?' 'Yes, general, yes, we can,' was the reply; 'if you wish us to act, give us the word and we are ready.' " Than this incident, none in the public career of Washington brings out more clearly the better side of his splendid all-round charac ter. In the light of such incidents, as illustrative of his character, it should be no matter of wonder that Washington's influence over his soldiers was so great and that during the seven years' struggle for indepen- 219 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY dence he should have succeeded in holding his army together under circumstances the most trying. In a letter written by Washington to General Irvine, Com missary, on Saturday, the twenty-second day of Feb ruary, in the year 1777, he says: "The cry of want of Provisions comes to me from all Quarters — Genl. Maxwell writes word that his men are starving— Genl. Johnston, of Maryland, yesterday informed me that his people could draw none — this difficulty I under stand prevails also at Chatham — What Sir is the meaning of this? — and why were you so desirous of excluding others from this business when you are unable lo accomplish it yourself? Consider, I beseech you, the consequences of this neglect." On the sixth day of March, in the year 1777, Wash ington wrote from Morristown as follows, to Gover nor TrumbuU, of Connecticut: "I tell you in confidence, that, after the fifteenth of this month, when the time of General Lincoln's militia expires, I shall be left with the remains of five Virginia regiments, not amounting to more than as many hundred men, and parts of two or three other Continental battalions, all very weak. The remainder of the army will be composed of small parties of militia from this State and Pennsylvania, on which little dependence can be put, as they come and go as they please." From the Journal of Colonel Timothy Pickering, the following entry under date of March twenty-sec ond, in the year 1777, wUl be found of no ordinary in terest : THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "Went to Morristown. Finished my business with the Paymaster, and drank tea at headquarters (Arnold's tavern), General Washington and his lady being of the company, and then took leave of the General." It was on the second day of March, in the year 1777, that Washington wrote from Morristown: "General Howe cannot have less than 10,000 men in the Jer seys. Our number does not exceed 4,000. His are well disciplined, well officered and weU appointed; ours raw militia, badly officered and under no govern ment." If Washington knew the condition and num bers of Howe's army, Howe was far from acquainted with the status of the American army at Morristown and vicinity; and it was by resort to such ingenious means and methods as the following, that General Howe was deceived. A certain man had been em ployed by Washington as a spy upon the British army. It was, however, surmised by some of the more vigi lant of Washington's officers, Colonel Alexander Hamilton among them, that this spy was "playing double," in other words, that he was taking informa tion to the British commander, while in the service of Washington. Quartermaster-General Greene's office was at the time in a small building which stood on the present site of Henry M. Smith's store, at the northwest corner of South and Morris streets. Colo nel Hamilton was one day at Greene's office when the suspected spy entered. Hamilton, having previously resolved to make use of this spy, had commenced what purported to be a careful statement of the condition of HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the American army at Morristown and vicinity. Both as to numbers and munitions of war, this report was a deliberate exaggeration of the actual facts; in short, the American army and its resources were made to appear four times as great as they really were. This report Hamilton was apparently at work upon as the spy entered Greene's office. Pretending to have some errand outside. Colonel Hamilton excused himself, re marking that he would return soon. As if by accident, in consequence of seeming haste, Hamilton left the re port on the table where he had been writing and passed out of the office. Glancing hastily over the pages of Hamilton's report, and assured in his own mind that he had an invaluable piece of information for the enemy, the spy quickly folded and thrust into his pocket the precious document. In a few moments the spy was on his way to the British commander. On returning to the office of the quartermaster-general, and finding the fictitious report missing, Hamilton's suspicions of the spy were satisfactorily established. General John Doughty, by whom, after the close of the Revolution, the above incident was related, said that it was the opinion of Colonel Hamilton that the fictitious report of the condition of Washington's army, so eagerly conveyed by the spy to the British commander, was in no small measure the means of preserving the American army at Morristown from at tack by the enemy, at a time when it was in poor con dition to repel it. On the twenty -third day of March, in the year 1777, THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Colonel Elias Dayton's regiment of Morris County soldiers, arrived in Morristown, and were there mus tered out of service. On the same day, Silas Condict was appointed, by Governor Livingston, a member of the New Jersey Council of Safety. This committee subsequently met several times at Mr. Co'ndict's house, situated about a mile north of the Morristown Green, and a little off the main road now known as Sussex Avenue. With the New Jersey CouncU of Safety Washington met not a few times at the house of Mr. Condict. This house had no door (as the writ er has been informed by a descendant of the Condicts) on what was naturally the front; on, that is to say, the side facing the crossroad on which it was situated. If there were windows on that side of the house they were covered by wooden shutters, always closed dur ing the occupancy of Morristown and vicinity by the American army. The door was on what would nat urally be considered the back of the house, and frO'm this rear door entrance was had to the interior, with its wide hallway running from front to rear of the building, and with two rooms on either side. The reason for the rear entrance, and for the closed win dows, was the privacy desired for the meetings of the Council of Safety, before whom matters of grave im portance were brought, the consideration of which necessitated the greatest possible precaution against ascertainment by outsiders. During the Revolution, Mr. Condict, being fuUy aware that his capture by the British was devoutly 223 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY wished, was accustomed to sleeping with a gun and a spear at his bedside, as a means of protection against British marauders and Tories. He often declared he would never be captured alive by the enemy. After the battle of Princeton, several British officers (cap tured probably at the battle mentioned), in charge of a detachment of American soldiers, were brought to Morristown, as prisoners of war. For some reason, perhaps because there was no room for them in the old jail on the Green, these officers were for a time at least quartered in the house of Mr. Condict. The Brit ish officers, so the writer has been informed by a de scendant of Mr. Condict, occupied a front room, and the American soldiers a rear room. The British offi cers brought with them a dog, which for a while they kept in their room. To this, for some reason, Mr. Condict objected; and at length he ordered the canine to be removed from the house. With a volley of oaths the British officers declared the dog should remain; but Mr. Condict firmly insisted upon his removal; and he was, thereby, removed. The officers became very angry; and in unmistakable manner gave expression to their feelings. Mr. Condict afterward remarked, that he "expected the enraged British officers would run me through with their swords." The American soldiers in the adjoining room, on hearing "the rum pus," opened their door to ascertain the cause. They came, of course, to the support of Mr. Condict, and thereafter peace reigned in the temporary jail. While Washington was in Morristown with his 224 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY army — this incident has come tO' the writer from> a source whose reliability he sees no reason to question — James Pitney, familiarly called "Jim Pitney," of Mendham, just returned from service as a soldier in the patriot army, called on the Hon. SUas Condict, for the purpose of ascertaining where the commander- in-chief could be found, as he wished to call upon him. Mr. Pitney was without a hat, and his clothes were ragged and torn. Accompanied by Mr. Condict, who was glad to serve a man of Mr. Pitney's standing in the community, the latter called upon Washington at his headquarters. He was introduced, by Mr. Condict, to the commander-in-chief, as "a man of property and in fiuence at his home in Mendham." Washington must, by his courtesy on the occasion, have made a very fa vorable impression upon Mr. Pitney, for the latter frequently remarked, as he subsequently recalled the interview, that "Washington is a very fine man." This house was occupied by Mr. Condict untU the year 1798, when he built the house on Cutler street, now occupied by Mrs. Julia R. Cutler, widow of the late Hon. Augustus W. Cutler. After the completion of his new residence in the year above mentioned, Mr. Condict removed into it, and here he passed the clos ing years of his life. During Mr. Condict's occupancy of his new home. Colonel Joseph W. Cutler, who, as we have seen, married his only granddaughter, Hved for a time in the family. He subsequently removed to the old Condict house, where he resided until the de cease of Mr. Condict. He died in the year 1801, in his 225 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY new home, on what is now Cutler Street. This house is practically unaltered since the Hon. Silas Condict occupied it. There may stiU be seen the same spac ious hallway extending from front to rear of the house with the wide stairway leading from the hallway to the second floor. After the decease of Mr. Condict, Col onel Cutler returned to the new house built by the for mer, where he resided during the remainder of his life. Mrs. Silas Condict continued to reside in her home in the family of her granddaughter, until her de cease several years subsequent to that of her husband. The old Condict house, on the road leading to Brant's paper mill, after a somewhat "checkered ca reer," was torn down a few years since, and a club house erected on its site. This club house was bumed. The site of what was without question one of the most famous houses in the State, and the preservation of which would have been an act of practical patriotism, may still (1905) be discerned, particularly by a clump of lilac bushes still standing, which marks the south west corner of the old house. One of the possessions, in the way of a relic, upon which the writer congratulates himself, is a piece of a timber from the famous Silas Condict house of Revo lutionary times. There is scarcely a letter of which a transcript has appeared in our story of more interest to Morriston ians than the following: "Morristown, AprU 7, 1777. "Dear Sir — This day I received your favor of the twenty- 226 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY third ultimo, wherein you acquaint me that I have been appointed one of the Council of Safety. I am much con cerned that you have so few members attending at this criti cal season, and, although il is extremely difficult at present for me to leave home (my family being inoculated and not yet through the smallpox), yel I will come at any time rather than public busines should suffer, on notice being given me that it is necessary. Colonel DeHart told me lo-day that the battalion had arranged ils officers, and only wanted an opportunity to present it for commission. The colonel says that he has, at General Washington's request, examined sev eral of the prisoners now in jail here, and that it will be best for the Council of Safely to sit in this county soon; and if this is thought proper I think it will be best to sit either at Mendham or at Captain Dtmn's, in Roxbury, as the army is still at Morristown, and it will be inconvenient to sit there. I am, with great respect, your most obedient and humble servant, SILAS CONDICT. "His Excellency, Governor Livingston." As we leam from the foregoing, the county jail on the Morristown Green was full of prisoners, many of whom were Tories. In the jail there were also spies and dangerous characters. To the credit of Morris County it should be said, that most of its inhabitants were, during the Revolutionary period, warmly at tached to the cause of freedom; and the intense pa triotism of the county was chief among the considera tions which attracted Washington with his army to this portion of the State, where for two winters they were encamped. Many incidents illustrative of the experiences of Morris County Tories are related. Of these only two or three can be given. The threat of the 227 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY application of a coat of tar and feathers to an English emigrant, by some of the hot-blooded Morristown pa triots, forced from this incipient Tory a public confes sion in the Hanover Presbyterian Church, of the sin of toryism. So thorough was his conversion tO' the cause of freedom, that he made application to Parson Johnes, of Morristown, for the privilege of a similar confession before his influential congregation. This, he was informed, was superfluous, as one confession was sufficient to save him from the enforcement of the "repent or perish" rule adopted by Morris County vig ilantes. Less fortunate, however, was one Thomas Milledge, a leading Hanoverian. Just before the commence ment of the Revolution, he was elected sheriff of the county. Having scruples against taking the oath to support the cause of freedom, he declined to be sworn. From this negative attitude toward the popular cause, there was but a step to avowed toryism, and, consist ently with his sentiments, he took that step. Hoping to save his large estate from confiscation to the uses of the New Jersey Province, he joined the enemy. His estate was, however, confiscated and he became an ex ile from his home. He was commissioned as major in the British army, and in that capacity served through the Revolution. After the close of the war he settled in Nova Scotia. Several years afterward, Milledge visited Morris County, and, during his brief stay he was waited upon by a committee of citizens to ascer tain his business. To their inquiries he boldly replied: 238 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "When my business here is finished I will leave the country, but not before." He received no further mo lestation. One of the most important personages in Morris County, prior to the commencement of the Revolu tion, if indeed, he were not the most important, was Pe ter Kemble, "the Honorable Peter Kemble, Esq.," as he was sometimes spioken of. He removed from New Brunswick, to Morris County, as early probably as the year 1760, and settled in Morristown, his residence be ing situated on the Basking Ridge road, about four miles south of the Green. He became the owner of several hundred acres of land, which extended north ward along the Basking Ridge road to a point within about a mile of the village of Morristown. Under the Provincial Governor he held for several years import ant offices. Socially, he stood very high; in proof of which statement it may be said that one of his daugh ters was the wife of General Gage, commander succes sively of the British troops in Boston and New York. His eldest son, Samuel, was the collector of the port of New York, under British appointment. Peter Kem ble was a Tory, as might naturally be expected. To save the Kemble estate from confiscation, his son and heir, Richard Kemble, took the oath of allegiance to the United States, although he, too, was without doubt a Tory at heart. During the Revolution — it was in the 1777, while Washington was in Morristown — Peter Kemble, then old and infirm, was cited before the Court of Quarter Sessions, by order of the comman- 229 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY der-in-chief, to answer the charge of aiding the en emy; his aUeged offense being the circulation of the proclamations of the brothers Howe. These procla mations of the British commanders, it will be remem bered, offered a free pardon to all rebels who should lay down their arms, and complete protection of per son and property to those who should take the oath of allegiance to Great Britain. For some reason, Peter Kemble was discharged, presumably because his son, Richard, who- was techni cally, at least, an adherent of the cause of freedom (and was legally so regarded), became responsible for the future conduct of his father. Passing over many facts of deep interest connected with the Kembles, it may be remarked, that the last survivor of the family, Eliz abeth, the daughter of the original Peter Kemble, was among the organizers of St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Morristown. She died on the homestead in the year 1836. Four years later what then remained of the extensive Kemble estate, passed into other hands. The Kemble mansion stood somewhat farther down the lawn than the McAlpin house of the present. The slaves' quarters were a little to the rear of the house above mentioned. ' 1 The entire family of Peter Kemble are buried on the grounds between the Basking Ridge road and the McAlpin house. A copse of trees indicates the loca tion of the large stone lying horizontally on the ground, and only slightly elevated above its surface. 230 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY From the stone, now broken in five pieces, the writer recently copied the following inscription. Within this enclosure Rest the remains of the following persons Let no one disiurb their ashes PETER KEMBLE Born on the 12th of December, 1701 Died the 23d of February, 1789 ELIZABETH KEMBLE His wife, born the 12th day of April, 171 1 Died the 30th of March, 1804 ' ANN EDWARD'S Born in Smyrna, in Asia Minor and died in July, 1808 in the Solh year of her age '• RICHARD KEMBLE Son of Peter Kemble, born in August, 1733 Died 13th of September, 1815 ROBERT T. KEMBLE Son of Peter Kemble, born April i, 1735 and died isl January, 1820 ANN KEMBLE Daughter of Peler Kemble Born 9lh of June, 1757 Died 2d of September, 1820 ELIZABETH KEMBLE Daughter of Peter Kemble Born i8th of December, 1753 Died i6lh of June, 1836. Among the large number of Tories and other pris oners confined in the Morris County JaU, during the year 1777, was a minister of the Gospel, Rev. Isaac Brown. In the year 1747 Mr. Brown became the rec- 231 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY tor of Trinity Episcopal Church, in Newark. In addi tion to preaching, Mr. Brown practised medicine, a common thing for ministers to do at that period. Some of his parishioners objected to his presentation of bUls for medical services rendered by him, on the ground that such services should have been included in his spiritual administrations. During the Revolu tion Mr. Brown continued a loyal adherent of the King of Great Britain, and in consequence of his avowed toryism he was taken to Morristown and there confined in the county jail. After his release he went over to New York, then occupied by the British army. In the year 1784 Mr. Brown removed to Nova Scotia, where three years later he died. In obedience to a summons from Washington, there arrived in Morristown about the middle of April, in the year 1777, an American officer of no inconsider able note ; it was Captain Daniel Morgan. During the preceding winter, Washington, by special solicitation from the United States Congress, had secured the pro motion of Morgan to a colonelcy. This he had done with a view to the gathering and organization, by Captain Morgan, of a body of 500 picked men from the different regiments composing the army, active, hardy men, accustomed to the woods and skilful in the use of the rifle. These men were to constitute a select corps of sharp-shooters. The early military experience of the commander-in-chief had taught him the value of such a corps, in frequently tuming the tide of bat tle. In pursuance of orders from Washington, the 232 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY requisite number of men were gathered and organized for the purpose named. The command of this corps was given to Colonel Morgan, his lieutenant-colonel and major being, respectively, Richard Butler and Jo seph Morris, both of whom were promoted from cap taincies. Under date of June 13, in the year 1777, Washington wrote Colonel Morgan: "The corps of Rangers, newly formed and under your command, are to be considered as a body of light infantry, and are to act as such, for which reason they will be exempted from the common duties of the line." In his official reports and correspondence the commander-in-chief bore frequent testimony to the great value of Mor gan's sharpshooters in several engagements in New Jersey and elsewhere. "They constantly advanced up on an enemy far superior to them in numbers and well secured behind strong redoubts," was Washington's report to Congress concerning this corps in one of the engagements in New Jersey. In a communication to General Gage, an American officer, to whom Washington had sent Morgan's corps for special service, the commander-in-chief said: "This corps I have great dependence on, and have no doubt they will be exceedingly useful to you as a check given to the savages, and keeping them within proper bounds, etc." "I can get away easily enough if I wanted to," re marked a stout, rugged-looking fellow, who had been arrested in Rockaway on suspicion of being a spy. He was on his way to the Morris County Jail, in charge 233 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY of James Kitchel, who was then about twenty years of age. "If he (the suspected spy) attempts to run, or to come toward you, shoot him down," had been the instructions of Squire Abraham Kitchel to his son, before the latter started for Morristown with the pris oner. James Kitchel was mounted on a good horse, and, in accordance with instructions, he compelled the supposed spy to walk a certain distance in advance of him. Young Kitchel, as his father knew, was one of the best shots in the county. The prisoner had gone submissively enough until Morris Plains, only two miles distant from Morristown, was reached, when the conversation between the two above alluded to began. "Well, try it then," was Kitchell's reply to the pris oner's remark about escaping. "But I don't want to get away," said the suspected spy. "Let me walk alongside of you. I don't like to be driven along this way. "Keep your distance, or I'll blaze away," declared Kitchel, instantly poising his gun to suit the action to the word; and the prisoner prudently kept his distance until he was under lock and key in the jail on the Green at Morristown. 234 CHAPTER XIII. "Come then, religion, holy, heaven-born maid, Thou surest refuge in our day of trouble." T was evidently in the early part of the year 1777 that about eighty Hes sians, and ten or more Tories were brought, as prisoners of war, under a strong guard of state militia, to Morristown. They had been cap tured a few days previously at Connecticut Farms, by two or three companies of New Jersey soldiers ; not, however, until, in con sequence of their stubborn resistance, several of the enemy had been kiUed and wounded. These prisoners of war, a portion of them, at least, were placed in the county jail, on the Green. As these Hes sians and Tories were all mounted when captured, their horses proved an important acquisition to the resources of the patriots of Morris County. It has often been said that during the Revolution, the foot of no Britisher, except he were a spy, or be- 235 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY longed to some mounted marauding detachment, ever pressed the soil of Morris County; and this is true, with some modification, however. A British officer visited the county seat of Morris in the year 1777, whUe Washington and his army were encamped there. With other redcoats he had been captured at the bat tle of Princeton, and brought as a prisoner of war, by the American army, to the camp at Lowantica Valley, where he and the other captives were confined under guard, either in private houses in the vicinity, or in cabins erected in the midst of the camp for that par ticular purpose. The officer of whom we are speaking was confined in the house of a resident by the name of Munson. His antipathy to the army of Washing ton, and the American people in general, was of the rankest sort, and this was the cause of no little trouble between him and his captors. Suspicion that his cap tors would administer poison to him in his food, was one of the forms this Britisher's antipathy assumed, and as a means of circumventing the imaginary de signs for his untimely removel, it was his habit to wipe with the skirt of his coat the plate on which his meals were served. He seems, however, to have had no fear of being poisoned in consequence of the use of applejack, for on the occasion of this visit to Morris town he imbibed so freely, and became so completely intoxicated, as to be irresistibly possessed with the de sire to make his escape from the single guard who at tended him. The writer is at present unaware at which of the 236 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY famous hostelries in Morristown, Arnold's or Dicker- son's (the latter of which was then kept by Robert Norris, Captain Peter Dickerson, the owner, being ab sent, engaged in the service of his country), the thirsty redcoat procured his applejack; the effect, no doubt would have been the same wherever the liquor was imbibed. As a punishment for his attempt to escape, the British officer, after returning to camp, was flogged by American soldiers. This called forth from the irate Britisher a perfect storm of curses upon his enemies, supplemented by the words: "As to the flog- gfing part of it, I did not mind that; but to be put through the operation by these rebels, that is more than flesh and blood can bear." Reference has been made in a previous chapter to the circumstance that whUe, in the year 1777, the Presbyterian and Baptist churches (and the court house, also, it should be added) were used as hospitals, "Parson Johnes's" congregation worshiped in private houses, and, when the weather was suitable, in the open air. In the orchard to the rear of the parson age, where these open-air Sunday services were held, the benches were placed in semi-circular form, Dr. Johnes occupying a central position from which he could be advantageously heard by his devout listeners. That Washington and other American officers and soldiers occasionally attended the open-air services, held in the orchard to the rear of the Presbyterian par sonage, is now too well authenticated to question. It is related that while the general, seated one Sunday in 237 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY his camp chair, conveyed by his orderly from the Arn old tavern to the place of worship in the orchard, a woman with a small child in her arms entered the grove. There being no available seat for her, Wash ington rose, and with the quiet dignity which invaria bly characterized his deportment, offered his camp chair to the encumbered young mother. This is a simple incident, but it nevertheless most clearly exhib its the better side of Washington's character, and in creases rather than diminishes admiration of the true greatness of "the Father of his Country." In a variety of ways Washington during his sojourn in Morristown, in the winter of the year 1777, had been severely tried. The privations and sufferings of his beloved soldiers, which he was powerless to ame liorate; the loss of valuable officers and private citi zens; the awful scourge of smallpox in the army and among the people, scores of whom were succumbing to the dire disease; the prevalence of other diseases scarcely less fatal in their consequences; the decima tion of the ranks of his army by expiration of the term of enlistment of his men, and by frequent desertions; the perplexities invariably incident to the command of a militar}^ force, engaged, as in this instance, in a palpably unequal struggle — these were the causes of a depression of spirit on the part of the commander- in-chief, which only appeal, (as he came at last to real ize) to a higher than merely human power could ade quately relieve. To that higher power, Washington, 238 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY like many before and since, turned in his extremity for support and consolation. It was presumably, while experiencing the depres sion of spirit consequent upon the suggested multi plicity of difficulties confronting him, that the com mander-in-chief, one morning, after his accustomed daily inspection of camp at Lowantica Valley, caUed upon "Parson Johnes," at his home. These two men were no strangers to each other; neither was this the initial visit to the Presbyterian parsonage of the com mander of the American army, encamped at the coun ty seat of Morris. Association in the work of devising means and methods for the control of the smallpox and other diseases in the army and in the village; oc casional, and perhaps frequent, attendance upon re ligious services conducted on Sunday by the beloved pastor of the only Presbyterian church then in Mor ristown; and association, also, in the important delib erations at the Presbyterian parsonage of the New Jersey Council of Safety, in which both Washington and Dr. Johnes had participated, had doubtless result ed in a mutual acquaintance of these two men, which had ripened into a friendship of no ordinary character. It was on a morning of the week previous to the semi annual celebration of the Lord's Supper in the Pres byterian church, that Washington drove up to the home of Dr. Johnes. He left his handsome bay horse in the charge of his mounted orderly, and with stately but heavy tread, ascended the steps of the front veran da and lifted the old fashioned brass knocker on the 239 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY door, whose short, distinct rap would gain him ad mission. The usual preliminaries attended to by hos tess and host, the following conversation ensued be tween them: "Doctor," said Washington, "I understand that the Lord's Supper is lo be celebrated wilh you next Sunday. I would learn if il accords with the canons of your church tO' admit communicants of another denomination?" "Most certainly,'' replied the clergyman. "Ours is not the Presbyterian table, general, bul the Lord's table, and we hence give the Lord's invitation to all his followers, of what ever name." "I am glad of it," declared Washington; "that is as it ought lo be; but as I was not quite sure of the fact, I thought I would ascertain il from yourself, as I propose to join wilh you on that occasion. Though a member of the Church of England, I have no exclusive partialities." Having been assured by Dr. Johnes of a most cor dial welcome, Washington was among the participants in the memorial service of the following Sunday, ob served under the trees of the orchard in the rear of the parsonage. Who that has experienced the sooth ing, sustaining and inspiring effects of the sincere commemoration of the sacrificial love of Jesus, can for a moment doubt that the commander of the patriot army returned to headquarters with a heart relieved of its burdens, because those burdens had been deliber ately, and in response to Divine invitation, rolled upon the heart of the Infinite Burden Bearer? This com memoration of the Lord's death was probably the 240 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY only ocasion on which Washington, during his public career, participated, outside of his own church, in such a service. The gambhng evU became so prevalent among the officers and soldiers of the American army while en camped in Morristown and vicinity, that Washington issued a general order, prohibiting playing with cards and dice, even for amusement; since, if this were per mitted, it would be next to impossible to distinguish between playing for diversion and playing for gain. "Officers attentive lo their duty will find abundant employ ment in training and disciplining their men, providing for them and seeing that they appear neat, clean and soldierlike, Nor will anything redound more to their honor, afford them more solid amusement, or better answer the end of their appointment, than to devote the vacant moments they may have to the study of military authors." If ever the practical wisdom of the American com- m.ander in the management of men was exhibited, it was in this paragraph of his general order, in which, as a substitute for the pernicious gambling he sought to prevent, he recommended something alike interest ing and essential. The closing words of this general order were: "The adjutant-general is to transmit copies of this order to the different departments of the army. Also, to execute the same to be immediately published in the gazettes of each State, for the information of officers dispersed on the recruit ing service. "By his exceUency's command, "MORGAN CONNOR, Adj. pro tem." 241 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY This order was dated: "Headquarters, Morristown, 8th May, 1777." It must not for a moment be supposed by the read ers of this story, that the attention of Washington, during the sojourn at the Arnold Tavern, in the winter of the year 1777, was wholly occupied with the adjust ment of the local difficulties already mentioned. Mili tary movements of no insignificant character were meanwhile devised and conducted under the supervi sion of the alert commander-in-chief. In confirma tion of this statement the following extract from a let ter of Washington is presented; it was written soon after his arrival in Morristown : "I have the satisfaction to say that General Philemon Dickerson's behaviour, in an action that happened near Somerset Courthouse, on Mill Stone River, reflected the highest credit on him; for, though his troops were all raw, he led them through the river, middle deep, and gave the enemy so severe a charge that, although supported by three field pieces, they gave way and left their convoy of forty wagons and upward of one hundred horses, most of them of the English draft breed, and a number of sheep and cattle which they had collected." It may have been some time in the month of Febru ary, after the arrival of Washington in Morristown, fhat he stationed strong detachments of Continental troops and State militia in the vicinity of Pluckemin and Quibbletown, in Somerset County. The mUitia were in command of General William Winds, of Morris County. These troops, who were quartered in New 242 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Brunswick, were designed to keep close watch of the movements of the enemy and to protect that portion of the state. Several severe skirmishes occurred between the American and British forces, in which the militia, under the bold and impetuous Winds, behaved with great bravery. Of one of these engagements, ^ an American officer gave an interesting account in the New Jersey Gazette, of March the eighteenth, in the year 1777. The engagement took place "near Quibble or Squabble- town," and the officer commanding 2,000 of the enemy "is under arrest, for undertaking, like Don Quixote, to do impossibilities. He. instead of marching directly to Bruns wick, which he might have done, must needs go fourteen miles out of the direct road to take prisoners General Max well and his party at Sparktown, and to make his triumphant entry inlo Brunswick, leading his captives in chains, like an old Roman general, in which he found his fatal mistake when too late to remedy it, for he found that he had surrounded a nest of American hornets, who soon put his whole body to flight." On Sunday, the eighteenth day of May, in the year 1777, Rev. Timothy Johnes preached what was un doubtedly a stirring sermon from the text: "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land wherein he went; and his seed shall possess it." These words are found in the fourteenth chapter and twenty-fourth verse of the Book of Numbers. That the text and the sermon based on it, as delivered by 243 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Dr. Johnes in the orchard to the rear of his residence, were suggested by existing local circumstances, is the opinion of the writer. That our readers may judge for themselves in the matter, the first page of the ser mon notes used by Dr. Johnes, on the occasion allud ed to, are herewith given, with abbreviations as em ployed in them, completed by the writer, except where the writing of Dr. Johnes is illegible: "First, what is to follow the Lord fully?" Second, "What spirit is it which will dispose us to follow the Lord fully?" Third, "We are to follow the Lord fully in times of general apostacy. God will own and honor us in times of general calamity. Premise — it does nol imply sinless perfection — sincere endeavor in gospel sense lo follow the Lord fully is to follow him universally, not divided between ourselves and or between more mortification and less mortification. But regard the whole will, commandments and government, not partially, when it suits our ease or interest. We are not to be ashamed; in all the relations and stations of life, under all trials, as Caleb here, though threatened to be stoned, we should follow the Lord fully. We should follow the Lord boldly, courageously, public-spiritedly. Caleb knew of the giants and Anakims, of the cities great and fenced about, in the Land of Canaan — but he spoke public-spiritedly in oppo sition to the ten cowardly, dastardly spies, and in behalf of the public good, etc." Among the most illustrious foreign officers who came to this country, and applied for service in the patriot army, was the Polish general, Thaddews Kos ciusko. He brought with him a letter from Benjamin Franklin to Washington. He probably, and almost 244 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY certainly, found Washington at the Arnold Tavern, in Morristown; it was during the early part of the year iJ^J. "What do you seek here," inquired the Com mander-in-Chief. "To fight for American independ ence," was the noble reply. "What can you do," said Washington. "Try me," was the simple response of the Polish patriot. There was something in the bear ing and deportment of Kosciusko, which won the con fidence of Washington ; and he was appointed an aide- de-camp on the staff of the commanding general. Kosciusko proved a most trustworthy and efficient ally in the Revolution. It is said that Kosciusko taught the American officers the science of engineer ing, by reason of which the efficiency of the patriot army was greatly augmented. "Alexander Hamilton, speaking of the close ofthe campaign of 1777, and of the way in which Washing ton held the greatly superior forces of Cornwallis in severe check, says: 'There was persented the extra ordinary spectacle of a powerful army straightened within narrow limits by the phantom of a military force, and never permitted to transgress those Hmits with impunity.' Irving speaks of the British army as 'held in check by Washington and his handful of men, castled among the heights of Morristown'; and in closing his account of these memorable days, writes thus : 'These ineffectual attempts of a veteran general to penetrate these fastnesses, though at the head of a veteran force, which would once have been deemed 24s HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY capable of sweeping the whole continent before it, were a lasting theme of triumph tO' the inhabitants; and it is stUl the honest boast among the people of Morris County that 'the enemy were never able to get a footing among our hills.' " Near the close of the month of May, in the year 1777, the American army, which for about five months had been encamped in Morristown and vicin ity, broke camp and marched away over the same route taken on its entrance into Morris County, at the opening of the year. For an account of the disas trous campaign following the departure of Washing ton and his patriot army from Morris County, we re fer our readers to the pages of United States history^. On the seventh day of August foUowing the depar ture of the American army from Monis County, the New Jersey Council of Safety held a meeting at Mor ristown, perhaps in the courthouse on the village Green. Of the members of the council there were five present, including Governor Livingston and Silas Con dict. The doorkeeper was John Martin. At this meet ing Colonel John Munson was ordered to at once ar rest and bring before the Council of Safety, John Troop, Peter Saunders and James Moody. These men had for some time been engaged in northern New Jer sey in recruiting men for the British army. Moody alone, according to his own statement, had recruited 100 men for the King's service, good pay and plenty to do, being the inducements held out to the recruits. Prompt action on the part of Colonel Munson and his 246 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY regiment of militia, resulted in the speedy apprehen sion of Troop and Saunders, and more than fifty Tory recruits. Moody made his escape and subsequently emigrated tO' Nova Scotia. On the eleventh day of August, Troop and Saun ders were before the Council of Safety, at Morristown. It being ascertained that Troop was a lieutenant of the British Volunteers, he was sent under guard to Gen eral Washington, for further examination. The choice between enlisting in the American navy, or standing trial upon the charge of aiding the enemy, was given to Saunders. Nine days of confinement and serious meditation in the county jail, on the part of this latter prisoner, resulted in his decision to enlist, and he was therefore sent under guard to Philadel phia, where he would be received into the naval ser vice. The Tory recruits captured with Troop and Saunders were placed in irons and marched under a strong guard of county militia to Burlington, by way of Trenton. In the months of September and October, in the year 1777, the New Jersey CouncU of Safety was in session at Princeton. On the fifth of October, this body ordered eleven prisoners to be sent to the Mor ris County Jail, where they were to be kept in close confinement; and this was accordingly done. Among this batch of prisoners were James Iliff and John Mee. By authority of the Council of Safety, the Court of Oyer and Terminer for Morris County, tried a large number of cases (nearly a hundred, it is said) for of- 247 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY fenses committed outside the county. The trial of these cases occupied nearly three weeks. Of the num ber tried, thirty-five were sentenced to death and thir ty were pardoned on condition of their enlistment in the American army. On the second day of Decem ber following the trial of their cases, Iliff and Mee were hanged on the Morristown Green. Not far from the present soldiers' monument probably stood the gallows on which these two men were "hanged until they were dead." Before their execution, Iliff and Mee were earnestiy exhorted by Sheriff Carmichael to make a confession of their crimes, to which they in substance rephed: "We are guilty of no crime, save loyalty lo the King of Great Britain; hence we have no confession to make." Governor Livingston, in a letter under date of Jan uary 7, in the year 1778, addressed to the British gen eral in command of the King's troops in New Jersey, said: "Iliff was executed after a trial by jury for enlisting our subjects, himself being one, as recruits in the British army, and he was apprehended on his way with them to Staten Island. Had he never been a subject to this State he would have forfeited his life as a spy. Mee was one of his company and had also procured our subjects to enlist in the service of the enemy." From a Monistown militiaman, who was on duty at the county jail when the thirty-five Tory prisoners 248 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY previously spoken of were sentenced, we learn that orders were given by the officer in command of the guard, that the wives of the condemned Tories, who might so desire, should be admitted into the jail to take a farewell of their husbands. Among those who did this was one devoted wife, who polished her hus band's shoe, knee and stock buckles, and also his shoes. She washed his linen and his white pantaloons, and brushed his coat and hat, that he might present a gentlemanly appearance on the gallows. All honor to the noble wife ! Truly she was loyal to her matrimon ial promise to take him "for better or for worse." The officer in command of the jail guard came to the jail on the moming appointed for the execution of the thirty-five Tory prisoners above mentioned, and said to them: "With two exceptions (those were Iliff and Mee), I offer you all a reprieve from the gallows if you will enlist in the American army for the remainder of the war. As fast as you say you will enlist you will be conducted under guard to the upper room of the jail, to remain there until your proper officer comes to enroll you and have you sworn." One by one, after a little hesitation, the entire batch of condemned prisoners said, "I will enlist," and they were all placed under guard in the upper room. The father of one of the men reprieved — he was a Tory Dutchman from Bergen County — came up to the jail, and the son, catching sight of him, put his head out of the window and said: 249 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "How do you do, father?" "What are doing up dere, my poy?" was the father's inter rogative. "I am reprieved," said the son. "How's dat?" asked the father. "I had the offer, if I would enlist for the rest of the war, and I have enlisted," was the son's answer. "Listed among the rebels! I would rather have followed you to the gallows,'' was the old Dutchman's sturdy remark. "Take care, you old rebel," exclaimed one of the jail guard, as he leveled his musket at the father, "or we will hang you up where your son was lo go." Upon this the Bergen County Dutchman beat a hasty retreat from the Green, much to the amusement of those who witnessed the scene. Another important case tried in the courthouse on the Green at Morristown, in the month of December, of the year 1777, was that of Alexander Worth, who was charged with "coming out of and going into the enemy's lines without the license required by law.'' He had been captured in Woodbridge, and was taken be fore the Council of Safety, then in session at Trenton. Careful examination of the prisoner disclosed the fact that he was a tory soldier of the British army, found within the American lines. By order of the Council of Safety, Worth was sent under guard to Morris town, where he was tried on suspicion of being a spy. He was found guilty, and was given the choice of be ing burnt in the hand or enlisting in the Continental army to fight against the King. "Death is preferable to fighting against the King," 250 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY was the heroic reply. He was, therefore, branded in the hand. The painful operation was performed by Sheriff Carmichael, of Morris County. The prisoner's hand and arm were securely fastened to a block of wood expressly prepared for the purpose, and the hot iron was then applied by the county official. Worth afterward returned to Staten Island. Some of the more responsible Tories confined in the Morris County Jail at the period under considera tion, were released from custody, on condition that they would remain within a mile of the courthouse, and return to jail when wanted by the authorities. Other prisoners from Bergen County were permitted, in compliance with their petition to the county court, to reside in Morris Township on parole; not, however, untU they had given bonds that they would remain within one mile from the county jail. In response to their petition to the court, three prisoners from Essex County, were permitted to go to their own county jail, on condition that they should bear the expense. Sev eral prisoners escaped from the old jail on the Morris town Green ; three in the month of December, of the year 1778, who were advertised by the sheriff. 251 CHAPTER XIV. "All desp'rate hazards courage do create, As he plays frankly who has least estate; Presence of mind, and courage in distress, Are more than armies, to procure success." HE New Jersey Council of Safety, comjjosed of his excellency the (jov- emor, and twelve or more represen tative citizens, selected from vari ous sections of the State, was a migratory body, so to speak, mov ing about from place to place as local exigencies seemed to require. During the years 1777 and 1778, this important official body sat several times in Morristown. The mention of some of the local matters brought before the Coun cil of Safety, while sitting at the county seat of Morris, may very appropriately be prefaced by a few words quoted from a local historian, and appear ing in connection with his account of the counterfeit ing operations in Monis County by Samuel Ford, and 252 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY his highly respectable accomplices, just prior to the commencement of the Revolution. "We would fain pass by it, but truth is inexorable and the historian has no choice." From the historically invaluable minutes of the Council of Safety, the following extracts are selected and presented, with their respective dates affixed: June i8, 1777 — "John Drummond, a prisoner committed by Captain O'Harra, was discharged upon taking the oath of abjuration and allegiance, there being no evidence against him." June 21, 1777 — "Benjamin Morgan, Esq., a prisoner in Morris County (committed by order of his excellency. Gen eral Washington), petitioned lo be removed from prison to some private house. Ordered that the said Benjamin Morgan be removed to the house of the widow (second wife of Mat thew Lum) Jemima Lum, in Morristown, and there to remain or within one hundred yards thereof until further order of the Governor and Council of Safety or otherways discharged by due course of law; on his giving bond of two thousand pounds to remain there till discharged as above, which bond was executed accordingly." June 21, 1777, afternoon session — "Mr. Peter Mackie being summoned before the Governor and Council as suspected of being disaffected to the State, and was offered the oaths of Abjuration and Allegiance and refusing the same, and appearing to be too dangerous to be suffered to go at large, was ordered to be committed to Gaol. * * * "Peter Mackie offering to take the oaths after the warrant of commitment was made out, was sworn accordingly and discharged." This was evidently the identical Peter Mackee from whose land a Morristown "school hous" was removed in the year 1771, by order of the trustees of the Presbyterian church. 253 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY June 28, 1777— "Robert Norris appeared before the board pursuant to citation and look the oaths of Abjuration and Allegiance lo the government, as established by the Legis lature of the State." Mr. Norris, il may be remarked, kept the Dickerson tavern while Captain Peter Dickerson, its owner, was absent in the military service of his country. July 3, 1777— "The petition of Ben-Jamin Morgan, now in confinement in Morristown, was read, setling forth that he is desirous lo lake the oaths of abjuration and allegiance agreeably to law, and is willing lo be circumscribed in his boundaries, and laid under such penalties as the board may think necessary; and praying that he may be permitted to return home. Agreed, that as the petitioner was appre hended by order of his Excellency General Washington, he is to be considered as a military prisoner, and therefore that the said petition be referred lo the General." August 21, 1777, afternoon session — "Agreed, that the Gov ernor direct Major Benoni Hathaway to deliver the field- pieces and appurtenances, and also the powder you are to receive for the public use, to the commanding officer of the militia stationed along the frontiers near Staten Island, or to his order, taking his receipt or the receipt of the person by him authorized to receive it. * * * "Mr. Kimble having been cited to appear before the board, informed the Governor by letter that he was, through indis position of body, unable to attend. Ordered, that Justice (Benjamin) Halsey caUing to his assistance another of the magistrates of the county of Morris, do wait upon the said Peler Kimble and take his recognizance to appear at the next Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, to be held for the said county, and in the mean time to be of good behaviour." With the gradual approach of autumn, in the year of 1777, with its more bracing air, the smaUpox epi- 254 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY demic, which for a period of nearly six months had raged uncontrolled among the inhabitants of Mor ristown, began to subside, and by September i had so far ceased from its ravages that all fear of its continu ance had passed away. That some of the sick and wounded soldiers of the departed American army were, however, still in Mor ristown, is evidenced by the following extract from the minutes of the trustees' book of the Presbyterian Church, under date of September i6, 1777: "Agreed that Mr. Conklin, Mr. TuthUl, Mr. Lindsly and Mr. Stiles, or any two of them, wait upon some of the Doc tors of the Hospital in Morristown and apply for a resigna tion of the meeting-house, and if obtained, then lo apply to the Commanding Officer at this post to remove the troops thence, and al their discretion to proceed further in cleansing and refitting the house for Public Worship and lo make report of their progress in the premises at their next meet ing." There is considerable evidence, which will appear to the reader as he progresses, that the "Commanding Officer" at Morristown, at the period now passing tm der review, was none other than Colonel Benoni Hathaway. He seems to have had under his com mand at the time, a regiment of militia. The first meeting of the New Jersey Council of Safety held in Morristown, in the year 1778, occurred on January 9. Of this meeting, however, there is no record, so far as the writer is aware. On January 17, at a meeting of the Council of Safety, held at the coun- 2SS HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY ty seat of Morris, it was "agreed that Mr. Kinney (ex- Sheriff Thomas Kinney, probably) be allowed the sum of forty shillings for providing the CouncU of Safety with firewood, candles and so forth, while they sat at his house." If ex-Sheriff Thomas Kinney be the "Mr. Kinney" referred to in the above cited min ute (and it is almost certain he is), then the meeting of the Council of Safety alluded to was perhaps held in the house now known as the "Dr. Lewis Condict place," situated nearly opposite the Lyceum, on South street, which, at the period under consideration, seems to have been owned and occupied by ex-Sheriff Kin ney. Students of State history are aware of the enact ment, soon after the commencement of the Revolu tion, of a law fixing the prices at which certain speci fied commodities should be sold by those engaged in trade. By not a few of the good citizens of New Jer sey this law was regarded as arbitrary and unjust, be cause, as they conceived, it was a plain violation of the natural law of trade, based upon the more funda mental principle of personal liberty. It is very evident to one who carefully reviews the matter, that only as a temporary expedient, "a war measure," we would now term it, was the law in question justifiable. The independence of character exhibited by some of the Morris County remonstrants against this law, is truly refreshing to contemplate, however one may be in clined to the opinion that they should have loyally ac quiesced in its enforcement, as a temporary expedient. 256 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY The Council of Safety while in session at Morristown, in the year 1778, was called upon to deal with several cases of the violation of the law alluded to. For ex ample it was: "Ordered that Benjamin Pitney be summoned lo attend this board, on Tuesday morning next at 10 o'clock. * * ? Agreed that his excellency draw upon Mr. Jonathan Ballwin for 500 pound's weight of bullets of different sizes, if so many can be spared, lo make up the deficiency in lead to be run into bullets at this place." "On the twenty-seventh of January, in the year 1778, Ben jamin Pitney being called before the board, and it being proved upon oath that he had spoken disrespectfully of an act of the Legislature lately passed for regulating the prices of produce, and so forth; agreed, that he be bound for his appearance al the next Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the County of Morris, which he accordingly was, wilh James Puff Locey, his surely, in £300 each. Agreed, further, that the said Pitney be fined £6.0.0 for the breach of the said law in selling shoes for more than the stipulated price, and also that he forfeit the sum of four dol lars and a half, the price the said shoes were sold al." If any reader of local history, not conversant with original sources of information, has ever doubted the oft-repeated statement bf 'the meeting, during the Revolution, of the Council of Safety at the Presbyter ian parsonage, he need doubt no longer; for at a meet ing of the above mentioned body, held in Morristown, on the thirty-first day of January, in the year 1778, it was "Agreed that there be paid to the Rev. Mr. Jones for firewood and candles provided for the Council of 257 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Safety, during their sitting at his house, the sum of £4-00." In a communication from the Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D., pubhshed a few years since in the Christian Advocate, appear the words; "General Washington spent many an hour with my old ances tor (Rev. Timothy Johnes) in that house (the Presby terian parsonage) while he was quartered in Morris town." It was not alone with local matters that the Council of Safety was required to deal, for under date of Feb ruary twenty-sixth, in the year 1778, the following minute of one of their meetings held at the county seat of Morris is recorded: "Four deserters fro'm the British army were * * * brought before the board. Whereupon, Agreed that they be delivered over to the disposal of General Pulaski, and that they be allowed sixty dollars for four stand of arms brought with them from the enemy.'' On the tenth of March, in the same year last men tioned, "Samuel Titus was called before the board, and it being proved that he had asked for five pounds of butter more than the law allows, agreed that he be fined the sum of £6.0.0 for the breach of the law in so doing and forfeit the sum of thir teen shillings and nine pence, the price asked for the butter aforesaid." "Agreed that Gerardus Duychinck for certain goods sold to Joseph Lindly, upon his own confession, incur the following fines and forfeitures, viz., etc." 258 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Such is a portion of the minutes of the meeting of the Council of Safety, held in Morristown on the first day of May, in the year 1778. A list of the fines and forfeitures imposed upon Mr. Duyckinck is also an nexed, the aggregate amount of which must have im pressed this Morristown merchant with the fact of the unprofitableness of violating a law legally enacted and with public sentiment supporting it. "Ordered that there be paid lo Benoni Hathaway, for re pairing carriages and moving field pieces by the order of the Council of Safely, the sum of £4.18.3.'' In the light of the foregoing extract from the min utes of the body whose deliberations we are review ing, it is evident that "bustling Benoni Hathaway'' was a very useful man in the cause of freedom, at home no less than, as will in due time be seen, on the field of battle. That he was also a responsible man, the following minutes of the meeting of the same body held at Trenton on the seventeenth of March, in the year 1778, amply proves: "Agreed that Colonel Hathaway receive from Mr. O-gden, at Boontown, the 20,000 flints sent or lo be sent into this State, by Mr. Archibald Mercer, from Boston (first paying to Ogden at Boontown for the cartage) and to be account able for them when properly called upon." On the thirtieth day of April the CouncU of Safety was in session at Morristown again, and among the dehcate matters disposed of was this: 259 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "That Mrs. Esther Troup, the wife of John Troup, to gether with her child have leave to pass to her husband in the enemy's lines, upon condition that she do not return into this Slate during the present war, and that she take with her, her own and her child's wearing apparel." Commencing with May 6, and closing with August 26, in the year 1778, the Council of Safety held no less than seven different meetings at Morristown. From the minutes of these meetings the following extracts arranged in chronological order, are presented: "Agreed that there be paid to Captain John Lindley the sum of £7.10.6 for the amount of what he paid to Doctor Jones for the cure of a wound his son John received in the service." "Agreed that Captain Arnold be allowed 40s. for the use of his room for the Council of Safety." So the New Jersey Council of Safety evidently sat within the walls of the fa mous Arnold Tavern. "Agreed that Captain Morrison for enlisting as substi tutes certain convicts whom he knew to have been before en listed in their own right, be summoned to attend this board." In the light of this fact, which is only illustrative, how apt are the words: "Say nol thou. What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not en quire wisely concerning this." "Agreed that Colonel Hathaway be desired to furnish a Sergeant and five men to guard a number of prisoners from this place lo Gloucester, and that he direct them to draw ra tions where they can and keep a regular account of their ex penses, to be laid before the Council of Safety on their re turn." "Ordered that 15,000 of the Flints, now in the posession 260 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of Major Kelsey, in Princeton, be sent for and lodged in thc care of Colonel Hathaway at this place." "Agreed that the Gaol Guard at Morristown be increased with twelve additional men, and that Colonel Hathaway be ordered to detach so many men from his regiment for that purpose." "Agreed that Colonel Hathaway be authorized to deliver to General Winds, or his order, any number of the 15,000 flints belonging to this Stale and lately lodged in his hands by order of this board." "July I3lh, 1778, the Trustees (of the Presbyterian Church) met at Doer. Tulhill's; present, Mr. Conklin, Mr. Tuthill, Mr. Stiles, Mr. Lindsley, Mr. MiUs and the President; agreed that Mr. Tuthill, Mr. Stiles and Mr. Mills be a com mittee to wait on Doct. Draper and inform him of the Law of this State Relative to Billeting of Soldiers, and that the committee or either of them be Impowered to prosecute such Person or Persons who may lake possession of the meeting house or other property of the Trustees contrary to the said Law, and that they make report what they have done in the premise to this B'oard al their next meeting." From the foregoing extract from the minutes of the Trustees' book of the Presbyterian Church of Mor ristown, it is a fair inference that while the members of the "Old First Church" were second to none in ar dent patriotism, and in devotion to the cause of free dom, they were not unaware of their legal rights. While necessity required it, they were willing to wor ship God under the blue canopy; but when that neces sity ceased they preferred using a house of worship with a shingled roof, and comfortable seats and pro tection from the elements. 261 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Not alone from the minutes of the CouncU of Safe ty, held in Morristown, do we glean information con cerning the affairs of the county seat of Morris during the years of 1777 and 1778. In the New Jersey Ga zette, also, through the medium of advertisements and announcements therein appearing, is light thrown up on the condition of affairs in the patriot hamlet nestled among the hills of northern New Jersey. Under the date of February 21, in the year 1778, the following announcement appeared: "Any person properly recommended who understands the business of a riding-chair maker and would be willing to act in the capacity of a journeyman may meet with good encour agement by applying lo Frederick King at the postoffice in Morris-Town, who carries on the business. Said King would also be willing to lake a young lad of a good character as an apprentice." Frederick King, who removed to Morris County from Long Island, in the year 1762, was the first post master of Morristown, his son Henry succeeding him in the office. Frederick King seems, from the press announcement just quoted, to have been postmaster at Morristown in the year 1778, although a local histor ian states that he was appointed to the office in the year 1782, by Postmaster-General Ebenezer Hazard. The building in which the postoffice was located stood about on the site of the present (1905) Methodist Epis copal Church. As early as the year 1778, Morristown, with its pop ulation of about 250 souls, had two silversmiths, or 262 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY jewelers, as they are now called. They were Cary Dunn and John Dickerson. The latter was the son of Captain Peter Dickerson, and the following advertise ment, in the New Jersey Gazette, which appeared under date of August 24, in the year 1778, will prove of interest: "Any person that understands the silversmith's business, or that of repairing watches, and inclines lo work journey- work at either, will find good encouragement by applying to John Dickerson, at Morris-Town.'' The battle of Monmouth occurred on the twenty- eighth day of June, in the year 1778. Morristown was honorably represented in this battle of Moll Pitcher renown. An interesting reminder of this circumstance has survived in the form of the following announce ment in the State press, under the date of July 24, of the year last mentioned: "Lost by Colonel Lindsley on the ground at Monmouth, in the action of the twenty-eighth of June, a light coloured bay mare, near 15 hands high, a small star in her forehead, three of her feel mostly white, paces and trols, is branded with a 9 on the left shoulder, shod all around, is 5 or 6 years old, has a bright eye and good courage. Whoever will deliv er said mare to^ the subscriber living near Morristown, shall have twenty dollars reward and all reasonable charges paid by Eleazar Lindsley." Eleazar Lindsley, of Morristown, was second major and lieutenant-colonel of the Eastern Batalion of Mor- 263 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY ris County. In the Continental line he was Heutenant- colonel of Spenser's regiment. "Good encouragement will be given to any man who will hire as a journeyman for one, two, three or six jnonlhs or a year. The person will be exempted from military duty. En quire of Daniel Smith, saddler, Morris-Town," is another ad vertisement which appeared during the year 1778, as also the following: "Strayed or stolen from the house of Captain Arnold in Morristown, on the gth of August, a bay horse about 14 hands and an inch high, branded with W E on the near thigh about 12 or 13 years old, trots and paces a small travel. Who ever takes up said horse and brings him lo Captain Arnold, in Morristown, or Israel Woodward living in Upper Free hold, Monmouth County, shall have twenty dollars reward, and reasonable charges." During the same year, 1778, there appeared in the newspaper last mentioned, the following announce ments and advertisements, the dates of which are omitted by the present writer: "Bond and Pain, of Morristown, advertise a quantity of dry goods and a few barrels of brimstone for sale. Persons indebted to the estate of Dr. Bern Budd, of Morris County, are notified lo pay up. Anthony L. Bleeker, of Morris town, notifies the public that he has indigo and Scotch snuff for sale, and John Van Court, of the same place, advertises a stolen horse. Ogden & Curtis, of Morristown, advertise a shop for the sale of dry goods, etc., next door to the Court House. Geradus Duyckinck, advertises a drug store in Mor ristown. We hear from Morristown that his Excellency, the Governor, upon intelligence that a number of people in Schooley's Mountain had enlisted in the enemy's service, 264 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY had several of them apprehended and committed to gaol. At the funeral of the widow of the Rev. Azariah Horton, in Chatham, the Rev. Timothy Johnes, of Morristown, offic iated, preaching the sermon. Inquisitions against the follow ing persons in Morris County, who had absconded and gone over to the enemy, were published: Thos. Milledge, Wm. Demayne, Anthony Hollinshead, Stephen Skinner, Ashur Dunham, Ezekiel Beach, Adam Boyle, John Thorborn, Hugh Gain, Nicholas Hoffman, Joseph 'Conlife, John Stew art and John Throp. The publication is authorized by Alex ander Carmichael, Commissioner. In the same paper, 'Aaron KitcheU, Commissioner, published the foUovnng additional list: Philip Van Cortlandt, Edward, Charles and Richard Bowlby, Jacob Hylor, Humphrey Devenport, William How ard, George Beaty, Thomas Huske, Lawrence Buskirk, Ja cob Demarest, Samuel Ryerson, Isaac Hornbeck and Nicho las Vreeland. Stephenson & Canfield, advertise a store in Morristown, opposite Captain Peter Dickerson's. Mary Moore, of Morristown, advertises rock salt. Nathaniel Lew is, of the counly seat, announces a horse strayed or stolen. Arnold, Kenny and Co., announce the opening of a store in Morristown, next door to Col. Henry Remsen's. Jacob Arnold offers for sale a farm between Mendham and Mor ristown. John Dickerson, offered a reward of $200 for the arrest of thieves who robbed his silversmith shop in Morris town." Of one meeting of the New Jersey Council of Safe ty, it is highly desirable, owing to the intimate relation of a portion of its transactions to local interests, to speak particularly. This meeting was held at Spring field, about ten miles southeast of Morristown, on Wednesday, the seventh day of January, in the year 1778. There were present on this interesting, occasion 26s HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the following members: His excehency the Governor, Colonel Jacob Drake, Colonel Edward Fleming, Silas Condict, WiUiam P. Smith and Benjamin Manning. From the minutes of this meeting the following ex tract is presented: "Ordered, that in addition to the orders already given to Mr. Caldwell, wilh respect lo the erection of Beacons for the purpose of alarming the county in the case of invasion, he be further desired to direct that one be set up at Mor ristown and anoiher al Longhill, and one or two to the northward of New Ark, and that he be requested to appoint proper persons to take the care of and attend them and that the person so provided, shall be exempted, when known, from military duty." As a proof of the fact that the orders of the Council of Safety promulgated at their meeting at Springfield, on the date above mentioned, were promptly exe cuted; and as an illustration, also, of the enterprise of the New Jersey press of the Revolutionary period, the following extract from the New Jersey Gazette of January 28, in the year 1778, wiU be found of special interest: "That near Morris Town a beacon forty feel high has lately been erected in form of a block house (with a six- pounder on the top) filled with dry wood and other combus tible stuff, for the purpose of catching fire soon, in order to the more quick discharge of the cannon, on the report of which, and the light from the building, the country is to take the alarm, and those who do not turn out may, by their laws, be instantly pul to death by their next neighbor, and escape 266 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY wilh impunity. Buildings of a similar construction are also erected at Long Hill and on the heights al Bound Brook.'' From a life-long resident of Morristown, the pres ent writer learns that for many years he has under stood from information derived from an aged person, that in Revolutionary days there was a beacon sta tion on the summit of what is now popularly known as "Fort Nonsense." This is mentioned as a corrobora tion of the foregoing statement concerning the estab lishment of a beacon station in Morristown, during the Revolution. Soon after the close of the Revolution, one Jonath an Ruchman, who had served in the State militia, made apphcation for a pension, the grounds upon which his claims were based being that, as he person ally testified, he had "performed one month's duty near Morristown, at Fort Nonsense, Captain Cory, in May (1778). Was very loth to go on account of plant ing corn. Before Monmouth battle." In view of the circumstance that during the Revolution the various companies of State militia were accustomed to render one month's service, alternately (as Ruchman's testi mony implies), it is at least probable that other com panies besides Captain Cory's performed their aUotted month's service "near Morristown at Fort Nonsense" during the spring and summer of the year 1778. "Lossing in his "Field Book of the American Rev olution" says that while in Morristown, in the year 1848, he visited Fort Nonsense, where he saw the re- 267 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY mains of what he terms "block houses;" and of "earth works and ditches" also. The block houses of whose remains this famous author speaks were, as he sur mises, large enough to accommodate a company of soldiers, and a company, as during the Revolution companies were composed, consisted of from fifteen to fifty men as circumstances required. Concerning the appearance of Fort Nonsense hill, in the year 1848, Lossing says: "The embankments and ditches, and the remains of the blockhouses of Fort Nonsense, are very prominent." Only one or two men, as may be reasonably inferred from the order of the New Jersey Council of Safety with regard to the establishment of a signal station "near Morristown," were required to "take the care and attend" to said station. From the testimony of John Ruchman, just quoted, taken in conjunction with the statement of Lossing, the reader will do no vio lence to his reason, if he concludes, that there were on duty on Fort Nonsense hill, in the month of May, cer tainly of the year 1778, an entire company of militia, composed of from fifteen to fifty men. This company, say of twenty-five men, it is very evident, was not re quired at that point to attend to the signal station there established. What then was this company of State mi litia there for, except for the protection of the county seat of Morris against British attack, daily anticipated by the inhabitants? And if that were the object of the presence of this company of militia and probably of other companies, during the spring and summer of the 268 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY year 1778, on Fort Nonsense hill, is it not a most nat ural conclusion that as a means of repelling the appre hended British attack, rude earthworks were thrown up either by Captain Cory's company, or by one of the other companies which seem to have "performed one month's duty" there? On the northernmost and highest point of the mountain range terminating above and to the rear of the present Monis County Courthouse, at Morristown, may still (1905) be seen the gradually disappearing traces of what are generaUy conceded to have been earthworks, evidently "thrown up" or, more scientifi cally expressed, constructed, for military purposes. A picture of a section — the southwesterly — of these earthworks may be seen in this volume. The photo graph from which the accompanying picture was made was taken at about 7 o'clock on the morning of May 8, of the present year. Two theories as to the origin of the earthworks on Fort Nonsense hill are entertained. One is, briefly stated, that they were constructed during the second encampment of the American army in Morristown, by order of Washington, to divert the attention of his soldiers from the privations and sufferings and home sickness incident to that terrible winter. The other is, that they were constructed by the State militia during the spring and summer of the year 1778, for protection against anticipated British invasion of Mor ris County. The writer frankly confesses that he is inclined toward the acceptance of the latter theory; and 269 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY this inclination is encouraged by facts already men tioned. That Washington would have set his soldiers to work on the summit of the hill to the rear of the Mor ris County Courthouse, during one of the coldest win ters ever experienced in this region, merely for their diversion, seems highly improbable. That these sol diers, half fed and poorly clad, could have survived the extreme rigors of that winter, had they been employed as above suggested, seems still more improbable; in deed, such a theory seems to border on the impossible. "Why," exclaimed a Morristonian not long since, as the popular theory concerning the origin of the earth works on Fort Nonsense hill, was mentioned, "if Washington's soldiers had attempted to throw up earthworks on the summit of that hill in the winter of 1779-80, every rag of their scanty clothing would have been blown from their bodies." The writer is of the opinion, however, that Fort Nonsense hill, with its rude fortifications thrown up probably by the State militia during the spring and summer of the year 1778, and its blockhouses erected probably at the same time, were utilized by Washing ton during the winter of 1779-80, perhaps as a picket- post, or a signal station, or both. Mr. McClintock in "Topography of Washington's Camp of 1780 and its Neighborhood," says: "The facts adduced (by himself) concerning the beacon station prove, however, that the supposed useless 'fort' was of genuine and constant service lo the patriot cause, and fur- 270 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY nish additional grounds for the respect paid lo the spot by the monument and the annual salutes. Washington must certainly have made some use of it, if only because of the shelter afforded by the buildings. The extant records men tion as having definite locations al or near Morristown, the 'provost guard' and the 'main guard,' the latter being the post of the detachments regularly sent from camp for picket duty in and around Morristown. Possibly one of these posts was located at Fort Nonsense.'' "Truth, in its own essence, cannot be But good." ' "Camp Valley Forge, April i6th, 1778. "Sir — I have desired the bearer, Lieut. Kinney, to call at Wick HaU and request Mrs. Wick to try if any of her keys will open my Father's under desk drawer but one, in order to get my Beaver hat Sold to Mr. Kinney, and to put some things in the drawer belong ing to me which will be delivered by him. "You doubtless expect to received a budget of news on the arrival of a letter from Camp, herein; at this time, however, you will be disappointed, for our Camp affords no news, and I do not expect anything extra ordinary will be done till our reinforcements arrive. 5,000 are expected next week from Virginia. As soon as they appear here, I expect the Jersey Brigade wUl be ordered to West Jersey. The Commissioners from ours and How's army met last week to settle a cartel for the exchange of Prisoners, but could not agree as the Enemy's Commissioners would not pledge the faith of the British nation for the faithful performance 271 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY of the cartel but How's personal honor only, which by no means would answer, as How might be removed and then we might whistle for the performance of the exchange. This you may depend on that we have HOC Prisoners besides Burgoyne's army _nore than they have, so that an exchange on their flimsy princi ples would never answer. "As to our situation, etc., etc., Doct'r Leddel has seen, and I suppose already informed you of it, to whom, with his Family, I desire to be particularly re membered. You can show the Doctor my Letter, and at the same time I must desire he would write me word, as well how both your familys are, as how Poli ticks go on in your part of the country, and also how Independence (my horse I mean) comes on. "I imagine you live quiet and peaceable to what you have done some time past. I reckon either you or Mrs. Wick would as soon part with your lives as to have another family as noisy as the one you was lately troubled with. However, be that as it will, I shall posi tively make Wick Hall my Headquarters, at anyjate when I am so happy 'as to come into your comer of the globe, but when that will be God only knows; but if I am, not killed or taken prisoner this campaign, I think it is very probable I shall have the pleasure of seeing you next Autumn. "I have grown exceeding fat and hearty and am, I think, as well as ever, except my arm and fingers which have not yet recovered their perfect usefulness. "Lieut. Kinney will satisfy you in any questions you 272 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY think proper to ask him about the Army and his Ma jor. "With my most respectful Complyments to Mrs. Wicks, Miss Tempe — Polly Wick, not forgetting little Polly, and due regards to Mrs. Spencer and her fam Uy when you have an opportunity of seeing them. "Remain, Sir, Your Most Obedt hble Servt., JOS. BLOOMFIELD." Joseph Bloomfield, the writer of the above letter, was a major of Colonel Elias Dayton's Regiment, 3d Battalion (2d. Establishment) of New Jersey troops of the Continental Line. During the encampment of Washington's army in Morristown in the winter of the year 1777, Major Bloomfield was quartered in the family of Henry Wick. The above letter was ad dressed to "Mr. Henry Wick, at Wick Hall, Morris County. Favored by Lieut. Kinney." Lieut. John Kinney was Ensign, afterward Second Lieutenant of the second company of Colonel Dayton's regiment. The following brief letter was written by Dr. Bloomfield, father of the major, and was directed to "Mr. Henry Wick, at Wick Hall, Morris Town: "Sir — We are all well and desire to be remembered to you and Family. Let my Boy have 30 wt. of Pork. Be so kind as to take care of my Gemmons (his horse, probably). I congratulate you upon ye good news 273 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY from France. We will flogg ye Rogues yet. I hope we have gone through the worst of it. I am Sr Your humbl Servt MOSES BLOOMFIELD. "Princeton, May ye 7th, 1778." Moses Bloomfield was a Surgeon in the Continental Army, and had evidently enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Wick during the first encampment of Washing ton's army in Morris County. Major Joseph Bloom field was Governor of New Jersey from the year 1801 tin the year 181 1. 274 CHAPTER XV "Across the old Morris Green they march And take the 'mountain road' To their winter quarters mid the hills And there make their abode. "With beal of drums and flying flags And never-ending tramp Of horse and man they pass lo reach That bleak mid-winter camp." Ballads of Ne-w lersey in the Revolution. OLLOWING the departure, in the month of May, of the year 1777, of the recuperated and inspirited American army from its comforta ble winter quarters in Morristown and vicinity, event upon event, mil itary and political, had successively crowded in the career of the newly cemented colonies. On the whole, these events had been positively favorable to the cause of freedom, and distinctly presaged its ultimate tri umph upon the already consecrated soil of the Wes tern Continent. 275 ^ ^M 1 F 1 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Passing over minor successes of, and not a few re verses to, the American arms, the surrender of the entire British army under Burgoyne at Saratoga, on the seventeenth day of October, in the year 1777, should be specially noted. The extreme privations and sufferings of the patriot army in its winter quar ters at Valley Forge, were followed, in the subsequent February, by the acknowledgment on the part of France of the independence of the American colonies. An alliance between the two countries was also formed the sincerity of which was practically demonstrated by the dispatch, about the middle of the month of April, in the year 1778, of a French squadron to America, in command of Count D'Estaing. On the twenty-eighth day of June, in the year last mentioned, Washington, despite the peculiar odds against him, defeated the British army under Clinton at Monmouth, New Jer sey, with great British losses in kUled and wounded, augmented by many desertions from the enemy's ranks. D'Estaing failing to come to his support, Gen eral Sullivan alone repulsed the British force under General Pigot at Quaker Hill, Rhode Island, with a loss of over two hundred on either side. At Kettle Creek, Georgia, the Carolina militia, under Colonel Pickens, signally defeated a force of Tories in com mand of Colonel Boyd, the latter being among the slain. The capture, at midnight, on July 15, in the year 1779, of Stony Point, by "Mad Anthony" Wayne, sent a thrill of patriotic exultation through the colo nies; and well it might, for with the loss in killed and 276 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY wounded and prisoners on the part of the enemy, of more than six hundred, and of only fifteen killed and eighty-three wounded on the American side, this im portant strategic position had been recaptured, liter ally, at the point of the bayonet; that is to say, with out the firing of a gun by Anthony's men. Wayne's characteristic report of the victory, dis patched before daybreak of July i6, to the comman der-in-chief, deserves mention; it was this: "The fort and garrison, wilh Colonel Johnson, are ours; our officers and men behaved like men who are determined to be free." "I do most sincerely declare that your 'assault on Stony Point is not only the most brilliant, in my opinion, through out the whole course of the war, on either side, but that it is the most briUiant I am acquainted wilh in history," wrote General Charles Lee, to Wayne, after this mem orable battle. Less important, perhaps, from a strategical point of view, and yet a brilliant achievement, was the capture, on the nineteenth day of August, in the same year, of Paulus, New Jersey, by Major Henry Lee, with 150 of the British garrison as prisoners of war. Again was Sullivan successful, this time in westem New York, in defeating a combined force of Indians and Tories at Chemung, on the twenty-ninth day of August, in the year 1779, and capturing immense quantities of much- needed corn. On the English coast, two British fri gates, in the month of September of the last named 277 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY year, surrendered tO' Paul Jones, whose remains, after more than a century's rest in French soil, thanks to the patriotic endeavors of a typical American are now in terred in the soil of the land whose naval battles he helped to fight. The following brief letter, introduced, by reason of its tardy discovery by the writer, somewhat out of chronological order, will, as he believes, be found of such particular interest as to justify its introduction at this stage of our story. Dear Genl. My best compliments waits on your Hounor Lets you know that I Cald at your Qutrs. last Evening but as your Hounor was Not at Home would Gladly have Cald this morning but my Horse is so Lame he Can hardly go. If aney thing Special Should be much Oblgd to your Hounor to Let me know it by a Line and I wiU attend imdtly. I am Dear Sir your Most Obedient and Humble Servt ELEAZR LINDSLEY, Lt. Col. Minnisink, March nth, 1779. To Genl Hand. With the close of the campaign of the year 1779, the solution of the perplexing problem of selecting winter quarters for the decimated and fatigued American army, was assigned to Washington's efficient quarter master-General, Nathanael Greene. Late in the month 278 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of November of the year above mentioned, General Greene was in Morristown, with a view to- the exami nation of grounds for the accommodation, in the ap proaching winter, of the patriot army. On the thir tieth day of the same month, and of the same year, General Greene wrote one of the New Jersey quarter masters that "we are yet like the wandering Jews in search of a Jerusalem, not having fixed upon a posi tion for hutting the army." It appears that Greene had previously suggested two positions to Washington, "the one near Aquaca- ' nock, the other near Mr. Kemble's" about four mUes south of Morristown. On reaching Morristown, in the month of January, nearly two years previously, Wash ington had expressed his dissatisfaction with this local ity as a position for winter quarters, in the following language, constituting a portion of one of his letters: "The situation (Morristown) is by no means favorable to our views, and as soon as the purposes are answered for which we came, I think to remove, though I con fess I do not know how we shall procure covering for our men elsewhere." From the foUowing subsequent communication of Greene to the same State quartermaster, we learn that between the two positions for winter quarters sug gested and described by the former to the comman der-in-chief, Washington chose Morristown, although his quartermaster-general prefened Aquacanock. "The general has fixed upon a place for hutting the army near Mr. Kimball's, within about four miles of this town. 279 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY His reasons for this choice are unnecessary to be explained, but, whatever they are, they will prove very distressing to the quarterma.ster's department. * * * I beg you will sel every wheel in motion that will give dispatch lo business." If Washington had, at the opening of the year 1777, questioned the desirability of Morristown and vicin ity as a suitable position for winter quarters, he was two years later in no doubt as to which of the two places suggested by his quartermaster-general, Aqua canock or Morristown, to fix upon as the resting place of his army during the winter of 1779-80. The marked demonstration he had received of the ardent patriot ism, and of the devoted loyalty of Morris County, to the cause of freedom, during the first encampment of his army here, was alone sufficient to have settled in his mind the question as to which of the two positions named he should select. But to one who has carefully examined the positions of the camping grounds act ually selected, there appears the following additional and scarcely less potent reasons for such selection. These camping grounds, which were sufficiently re moved from the village to insure freedom from annoy ance by the unrestrained portion of the soldiery, were yet near enough to general headquarters for the con venience of the commander-in-chief, and the subordi nate officers who were required to be in daUy com munication with him. So far as protection from the severities of winter weather was concerned, finer posi tions for the encampment of the several brigades of the patriot army could not have been chosen. As a 280 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY position favorable for the repelling of attack by the enemy, even though with gnatly preponderating num bers, it could not have been surpassed by any locality in Morris County, nor in the entire State, for that matter. When to these cons- derations there are added the fact of the excellent facilities afforded for the pro curement of water, one of th ; most indispensable req uisites of the camp, as well a' so as the excellent means of intercommunication betw en the eleven brigades of the American army, scatter ;d as they were over an area of several square miles the wisdom of the selec tion finally made is most admirable to contemplate, and exhibits military sagaci'y of the highest order. The camping grounds, 'is already stated by the quartermaster-general, were "about four miles" from Morristown, in a southwesterly direction. Access from the village of Morristown to the locality chosen was over the course of two roads, the Jockey Hollow road, then commencing at the southwestern corner of the Green, and the Basking Ridge road, then com mencing a little southwest of the lower side of the Green. The latter road, was the one mostly used by the patriot army. On the southeastern slope of Kemble's (Kimball, as sometimes spelled by General Greene) Mountain, which strictly speaking, is the southwesterly portion of the mountain range terminating above and to the rear of the present Morris County Courthouse, Stark's bri gade was encamped. This camp faced the Basking Ridge road, and lay about two-thirds of the distance 281 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY up, between the road and the summit of the mountain to the northwest. The huts composing Stark's en campment could be distinctly seen from the road be low. The view from the site of Stark's brigade en campment must have been an inspiration even to cold and hungry men, especiaUy as the spring of the year 1780 was seen approaching, with its signs of reviving nature. To the southwest as far as Bernardsville, to the northeast as far as Caldwell, and to the southeast for several miles the eye could reach, taking in with its enraptured survey, hill and valley and wooded and cleared lands, and constituting what is unsurpassed for beauty and grandeur and wide extent of varied coun try. The eye-witness of this magnificent scene has a feeling akin to that of the disciples of the inner circle, when they exclaimed: "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." On the slope of the mountain mentioned, there now stands a monument marking the site of the camping ground of Stark's brigade of about (at its maximum strength) 800 men. On the bold front of this rugged monument (so strikingly symbolic of the character of the famous officer whose name it perpetuates) appears the following laconic inscription: "Stark's Brigade Oc cupied This Slope." By whom, and under what cir cumstances was this substantial monument erected, do our readers inquire? Following is the answer to such inquiry. The present owner of the land on which Stark's brigade was encamped in the Revolution, is 282 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Emory McClintock, LL. D., who has a fine residence a short distance to the northeast of the camping ground. In the construction of the road now passing the Stark monument, it was necessary to disturb three piles of stones once included in the chimneys of Rev olutionary soldier-huts. These stones, in accordance with Mr. McClintock's instmctions, were sacredly gathered, and as sacredly built into the monument now marking the site of the encampment of the bri gade of the New England general, who, on the eve of the battle of Bennington, fought on the sixteenth day of August, in the year 1777, promised his men the plunder of the British camp. And, as he entered the battle next day, he exclaimed: "Now, my men! There are the redcoats! Before night they must be ours, or Molly Stark (his wife) wUl be a widow." Molly Stark, however, was not made a widow; for "before night," the British were "ours." For his gaUantry at Ben nington, Congress made Stark a brigadier-general. "I needed a road al about that level, and laid it out through the woods so as to disiurb only three piles of chim ney slones^ — those, namely, which remained in rows where they fell after serving in the hut-chimneys of the soldiers. All of the stones visible in the monument, except the one inscribed, came from those three piles, and all the stones in the three piles form part of the monument,'' is Mr. McClintock's modest statement to the writer. Propriety forbids, for the present, the adequate ex pression of the writer's admiration of the practical pa triotism' exhibited in the timely erection of the Stark 283 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY monument, as a marker of the brigade encampment in the Revolution, of one of the most famous of its offi cers. "For as the light Nol only serves to show, but render us Mutually profitable; so our lives, In acts exemplary, not only win Ourselves good names, but do to others give Maiter for virtuous deeds, by which we live." Fain would the writer linger much longer upon this phase of our story; but this would be to deprive other phases of the attention due them. Only this will be added to what has already been said: To the east of the Stark brigade encampment a short distance, was an excellent spring, still flowing, which furnished the soldiers with water, the spring having been enlarged by the sinking of a hogshead. If ever the writer distinctly heard the voice of in dwelling divinity saying to him, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the ground whereon thou stand est is holy ground," it was when for the first time, a few weeks since, he looked upon the unmistakable traces, still visible, of several of the dug-outs on the mountain slope, about a hundred and fifty feet to the northeast of the .Stark monument, marking the site of some of the rude huts occupied in the winter of 1779- 80 by a portion of Stark's brigade. And scarcely less enthusiastic over this accidental "find" was WUliam A. Dunn, the superintendent for a period of more than a 284 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY quarter century of the Morris Aqueduct, who had pre viously pointed out to the writer the sacred spots. Perhaps it should here be said that the parade ground of Stark's brigade was a somewhat level tract of land below the camping ground and between it and the Basking Ridge road. The following extract from a general order issued by Washington to his army during its encampment southwest of Morristown, will serve, among other purposes, as an indirect verification of the statement made in the present chapter concem ing the traces of "dug-outs" on the mountain-side above the Basking Ridge road: "Where huts have been built on the declivity of Hills and are Sunk into the ground, particular care is to be laken to have the Snow removed and trenches dug Round lo carry off the water, without which the Soldiers will sleep amidst Con tinual damps, and their Health will consequently be injured; this must be done Immediately." This order was issued on the sixteenth day of Feb ruary, in the year 1780. A little more than half way (or about two and a half miles) from the Morristown Green, down the Jockey HoUow road, and on the left and in sight of the road, was the camping ground of Clinton's New York bri gade. The camp seems to have run parallel to the Jockey HoUow road. The camping ground of this brigade may be more definitely located by the reader familiar with the neighborhood, if it be stated that its site is situated a little 285 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY to the northeast of what has for many years been known as the "Tuttle House," owned at present by the Morris Aqueduct company. The level piece of ground just northeast, and in the front and rear of the "Tuttle House," seems to have been used as the parade ground of this brigade. The spring from which the soldiers of Clinton's brigade procured water for camp purposes, may still be located; it lies at the base of the hill on which the encampment was situated, and but a short distance to the rear, in a southeasterly direction. This spring is still (1905) partially open. With regard to the camping ground of Clinton's brigade, a local author, who has made a special study of the subject, says: "In one way or anoiher they made use of pretty much all the ground between the road and the hillside, which slopes down to the brook (the Primrose), but their huts were arranged in lines in view of and parallel to the road, not far from the edge of the hill, as is clearly noted in a contempora neous map of the Wick farm now (1894) in the hands of Mr. (E. D.) Halsey. The New York huts and those used a year later by a body of troops from Pennsylvania happened to form part of a legal description and so came to be indicated on the farm map. Washington's own map, drawn by Ers kine — no doubt less accurate — places the New York camp as a whole near the road. The southwestern end of il was on ground somewhat lower than the northeastern, and between that point and the road is a level field, which may well have served as the brigade parade, a word then used for what we now call parade-ground." The Hon. Charles F. Axtell, a native, and a life-long 286 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY resident of Monistown, whose ancestor, Major Henry Axtell, rendered excellent service in the Revolution, has recently informed the writer that as a boy he spent many hours down the Jockey Hollow road, aiid thus became familiar with the historic Revolutionary grounds with which it abounds. "I have often seen a pile of stones, which I have always understood once composed the fireplaces and chimneys of soldier huts in the Revolution, lying just northeast of the "Tuttle House." When asked how far from the road this pUe of hut chimney-stones lay, he replied: "O, about a stones-throw, and in a clump of bushes; I have played around it many an hour." A monument to mark the site of this camping ground of the New York brigade? Alas! there is none, and the same must here be said of all the camping grounds of the eleven brigades of the patriot army, save that of Stark. The traces of these camp sites are rapidly becoming effaced, and if they are to be defin itely located for the benefit of coming generations of freedom-loving Americans, the patriotic societies and public-spirited citizens of our great country should be stir themselves. StUl farther down the Jockey Hollow road, and off to the right about an eighth of a mile, approximately, and to the rear of what is stUl known as the "Groff house," on the hUl, were the camping grounds of the two Pennsylvania brigades, the first brigade occupy ing the right, and the second brigade the left, of the encampment. 287 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "The first brigade" — the writer now quotes from "Topog raphy of Washington's Camp of 1780 and ils Neighborhood," by Mr. McClintock— "had the ground between Sugar Loaf and the smaller hill west of it, and got ils water from a spring northwest of Sugar Loaf, the water from which goes to join a brook which crosses the Mendham road on its wav to the Whippany river. A by-road may still be traced upwards from the Mendham road near the brook, which would give access lo the camp; and the Sugar Loaf road was no doubt also used. Either the by-road in question or the Sugar Loaf road must have been ascended from the Mend ham road when Luzerne, the French minister, and a commit tee of Congress were escorted by Washington, wilh a bril liant cavalcade, lo view the camps on April 25, 1780. The route announced from the Headquarters, by way of the Park of Artillery lo the first of the camps to be visited, those of Pennsylvania, would naturally lead that way. The parly carae back to Morristown by way of Mr. Kemble's house and the Basking Ridge road. Washington's map indicates that the Pennsylvania lines of huts ran nearly north and south, inclining a little to the southeast. The camp of the second brigade lay south, a little southeast, of that of the first, the huts all having the same general alignment. If the map is correct, this brigade did not occupy the highest part of the ridge south of Sugar Loaf, but the sloping ground just wesl of the ridge." It should be here remarked that the positions of the various brigades of Washington's army, as given in the present chapter, are those occupied by them on their arrival in Morris County, in the early part of the month of December in the year 1779. Later in the winter, some of the brigades changed their camp grounds. Failure to recognize the fact just stated has 288 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY led, and is stUl likely to lead, to no little confusion re garding the position of some of the brigades of the patriot army during the winter of the years 1779-80. As an illustration of this statement, it may be said that while upon the entrance of the American army in to the county of Morris at the opening of the above mentioned winter, the two Pennsylvania brigades established their camps in the position stated, one at least of these brigades, later in the same winter, occupied the vacated camp and huts of Hand's brigade of whose location mention will in due time be made. On at least one diagram of the camping grounds of the American army, to the south of Morristown, the Pennsylvania troops are represented as occupying a position at the southwestern corner of the Jockey Hol low and Menham roads; whereas, in point of fact, this position was occupied by the Pennsylvania troops only after its abandonment by Hand's brigade. One of the most interesting and important features of the locality contiguous to the site of the Pennsyl vania encampment, is a clump of tall locust trees, cov ering a piece of ground about 25 by 150 feet in width and length, respectively. If to any persons the mark ing of the sites of the various brigade camping grounds may at present seem impracticable, surely the erection of some suitable marker on the spot just allud ed to, should receive prompt attention, for the reasons following: In the vicinity of this clump of locust trees, the site of which, can stiU be definitely located, stood, in Revolutionary times, an hospital. A short distance 289 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY to the westward of the locust grove just mentioned, may be seen an old apple tree, one among several in the same field. Under this tree, and to the southward, is the site of a spring; the spring itself, however, so far as external appearances indicate, having been ob literated, covered, indeed, in the processes of the Mor ris Aqueduct company in furnishing water to the growing population of Monistown and vicinity. Near this old apple tree and spring stood, in the winter of 1779-80, the division hospital of the Pennsylvania troops, and from the spring alluded to, then active, water was procured for the sick soldiers. It is the opinion of not a few persons that the old apple tree now marking the site of the Revolutionary hospital mentioned, was in its youth, and bore fruit while the Pennsylvania division were encamped in the locality a century and a quarter ago. In this hospital occurred numerous deaths during the eventful winter of 1779- 80. The remains of these deceased American soldiers, at least 100, it is estimated, were interred in a double row of graves, running parallel to each other. No mounds or other visible indication of these pa triot graves now mark, or, perhaps, ever marked, the resting places of the men who sacrificed their lives in the cause of Freedom; and, except for the sacred thoughtfulness of a friend of the patriot dead, the pres ent generation would perhaps be as totally unaware of the spot where they sleep as were the American peo ple of the resting place of the remains, until very re cently, of Paul Jones, who, like his compatriot naval 290 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY officer in the Revolution, Captain Jeremiah O'Brien, "plowed the seas in search of the enemy, and hurled retaliation upon his head." As a means of preventing in future years the dese cration of the grounds holding the remains of those who now quietly sleep therein, some thoughtful person (John B. Wick, a coUaterial d escendant of Henry Wick, the original proprietor of the Wick farm, it is said) planted in the early part of the nineteenth cen tury, the young locusts, since grown to their present proportions. These noble locusts must, and will, in the due course of nature, disappear, leaving the rest ing places of our patriot dead there interred, unknown and unrecognized by succeeding generations. A gran ite monument bearing a suitable inscription, and in cluding a just tribute to the planter of the perishing locusts, should be erected without delay. And if the piece of ground holding the remains of those who per ished for their country were purchased, with right of way to and from the same, the commemorative deed suggested would be complete. The faUure of the Hon. Samuel B. Axtell, (a native of Morristown), Representative in Congress, at the time, from San Francisco, to secure the passage of a bill by him introduced, providing for an appropriation by the General Gov ernment, for the erection of a suitable monument to mark the resting place of the patriot dead who lie near the site of the Pennsylvania encampment, should not prevent a second attempt to rouse the slumbering sen- 291 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY timent of Congress to the passage of a bill having for its object the same commendable work. As the writer, a few weeks since, in company with the long-time superintendent of the Morris Aqueduct, who, as might be expected, is thoroughly familiar with the grounds, passed over the roadway through the now dense woods, once pressed by the feet of the pa triot soldiers of 1779-80, in their passage to and from the Pennsylvania camps to the main road, his kindled imagination again peopled those woods with the living forms of the men long since gone to their reward. And even as he writes these lines he can almost hear the rustling of the leaves beneath the feet of the soldiers far from home and loved ones, engaged in the unequal, but eventually successful, struggle for American inde pendence as they wended their way to and from camp. Returning to the Jockey Hollow road, and continu ing southwestward a short distance, there may be seen on either side of, and from the road, the sites of the camping grounds of the First and Second Maryland brigades, the former on the right and the latter on the left of the road. The First Maryland Brigade was en camped on the slope of a hill facing southeast. This slope is now partially covered with stunted cedar trees. On the westerly side of the Morris Acqueduct reservoir about eastward of the camp site, was the spring, not now to be seen, however, which furnished the First Maryland Brigade with water. The site of the spring, as the writer is informed b}' one who saw it before its obliteration, is now 292 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY marked by a certain patch of particularly green grass growing on the side of the reservoir cobblestone em bankment. Nearly opposite, and on the other side of the Jockey Hollow road, and extending up the hill toward what is known as the "Harvey Loree Place," was the camping ground of the Second Maryland Bri gade, which faced northwestward, but which was, how ever, protected from the winds by the hills and woods just beyond. At the southeast side of a piece of meadow land, and on the edge of a piece of woods, and just behind a rude rail fence, may still (1905) be seen the remains of a stone oven, used probably by both of the Maryland brigades for bread baking pur poses. The ruins mentioned consist of a circular heap of stones, which indicate that the once round oven col- laped, by reason of its own weight, inward, which ex plains the fact just stated, that the heap of stones is circular in form. An examination of the stones shows the marks of contact with fire and smoke in the pro cess of baking. This oven Was, of course, duplicated and reduplicated, all over the various camping grounds ocupiced by the American army during the winter of 1779-80, so that to see the ruins of one is to see the ruins of the many still visible, or certainly, until quite recently, visible at various points. Leaving unmentioned, for the present at least, a spot of great historic interest on the left, as we proceed down the Jockey Hollow road toward the Mendham road (the road running from the Basking Ridge road 293 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY to the southeast, toward Mendham off to the north westward), we reach the camping ground of Hand's Brigade, said to have been the smallest, numerically, in the patriot army at the period under consideration. This camping ground was on the slope, and ex tending up toward the summit of a hill facing the southwest, toward the Mendham road; its side, how ever, running along and paraUel to the southeastern side of the Jockey Hollow road. The camp faced the Mendham road. A row of stones now lying in ex tended heaps along the road last mentioned, were un doubtedly utilized for some purpose by Hand's Bri gade while encamped on these grounds. Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle says they were used in "the hut fire places and were drawn off to clear the ground for plowing" the side hill. Up the hill slope to the northeastward of the Mend ham road, a level piece of ground at the summit was cleared by the troops for the free movements of light artillery which was planted there for use in case of at tack by the enemy; for from the summit of this hill, known as "Fort HiU," cannon could sweep the entire face of the surrounding locality. Two or three lines of fortifications, partly of stones and partly of logs and brushwood, were also thrown up on the summit of "Fort Hill." Traces of the former may still be seen by the careful observer. The spring which supplied Hand's Brigade with water was on the opposite side of the Mendham road from camp 294 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY The road leading from the corner of the Jockey Hol low and Mendham roads toward the Basking Ridge road, was in Revolutionary times nearly straight in its course. The present road, however, is somewhat cir cuitous. Down the straight road of the Revolutionary period toward the Basking Ridge road, about half the distance, and oft" a little to the left, or northeast, the camping grounds of the First and Second Connecticut brigades were established. These camp grounds lay on the slope of Fort Hill; the camp of the First Con necticut brigade on the right, facing southeast, and that of the Second brigade on the left facing east. The location chosen was an almost ideal one. It was the writer's rare privilege to go over these camp grounds for the first time not long since, with one who has made a special study of the topography of Washing ton's camp grounds of 1779-80. The numerous heaps of hut-chimney stones, some of which lie just where they fell with the collapse of the log-huts they once made comfortable, mark with almost startling definite ness the camp-streets, once alive with the presence of the brave men who helped to achieve the independ ence of the American colonies. Several times during the above mentioned morning tramp over these camp grounds, did the alert guide turn to the writer, and ex claim with evident enthusiasm: "Here was a camp- street;" and the distinct alignment ofthe hut-chimney stones to be seen, evidently undisturbed since they fell in heaps, was a sufficient corroboration of the opinion expressed. 29s HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY A large, circular heap of stones, not a few of which StiU show the effects of fire, was, as guide and writer agreed, the ruins of a bake oven, similar to those on the Jockey Hollow road, already spoken of . Than the camping grounds of the two Connecticut brigades none are more distinctly marked; and a per sonal examination, by the lover of Revolutionary his tory, of no other camp of the patriot army during the winter of 1779-80, furnishes greater satisfaction than those on the easterly and southeasterly slope of Fort HiU. Twice, since his initial visit to the camping grounds of the Connecticut brigades, has the writer, with growing interest and with fresh discoveries, gone over these grounds. To locate the camping ground of the New Jersey brigade, in which many of our readers will be specially interested, we must retrace our steps, going to the northwestward along the Mendham road until wt reach what is now, and what was even in Revolu tionary time, known as the Wick House. The relation of fhe history of this very interesting house must be deferred until a later stage of our story. Off to the southwest, across the Mendham' road and over fields lying beyond it a short distance, the New Jersey troops were encamped on either side of a small brook, which, tc the southeast, ran into a larger one. Thanks to the 'Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle; to his worthy successor, as a county historian, the late Hon. Edmund D. Halsey, and to the more recent investiga tor, Emory McClintock, LL.D. (whose "Topography 296 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of Washington's Camp of 1780 and Its Neighborhood" contains the results of his careful investigations), the site of the camping grounds of the New Jersey brigade is definitely located. From the Cook spring, so-called, situated somewhat to the northwest of the camping grounds, the New Jersey soldiers procured water for brigade purposes. The brigade parade ground seems to have been on the northeastern side of the brook running through the camp, comprising an almost circular piece of cleared land. In the spring of the year 1905, the writer, in com pany with the Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., LL.D., visited, for the first time, the site of the camping grounds of the New Jersey brigade during the winter of 1779-80. Lest the reader infer from the foregoing statement that the writer is a victim of what many regard as the modern delusion of spiritualism, an ex planation may be desirable; this he proceeds to give. The results of Dr. Tuttle's examination of the camping grounds of the New Jersey brigade, made in the year 1852, are extant in the form of a somewhat lengthy article, to be found among the collections of the New Jersey Historical Society. With increasing interest the writer had read and re-read this article, until the desire to verify, by a personal visit, Dr. Tuttle's excel lent description of the grounds in question, fruited in the resolution to do so. Starting early on a beautiful May morning of the year above mentioned, with two well-filled kodaks, a carefully prepared lunch and a 297 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY bound copy of the New Jersey Historical Collections containing Dr. Tuttle's article, the writer, thanks to his favorite exploring horse, "Prince," from the stable of Charles H. McCollum, of Morristown, found him self in about an half hour's time at the famous Wick House. Leaving his conveyance at the place men tioned he set out with kodaks and lunch basket and the book alluded to, the latter under his arm, for what had to him come to seem like enchanted ground. With great difficulty, by the aid of a "big stick" employed to beat down the heavy growth of bushes, of which a lib eral share were blackberry, he forced his way across the intervening meadow, through which ran the brook on either side of which Maxwell's Jersey soldiers built their huts in the winter of 1779-80. It seemed at times, so stubbornly did the blackberry bushes resist his ad vance, as if, like the man in the Nursery Rhymes, he would scratch out his eyes and then scratch them in again. But the objective — the slope of Blachly's hill — must be reached at all hazards; and, not to- weary the reader with further reference to the obstacles sur mounted, the writer, with Dr. Tuttle at his side, reached the westerly side of the piece of meadow, weary and hand-sore and hungry; but exultant. It was then near noon by the watch, and fully so, judging from gastronomical intim'ations. Selecting for table and chair a pile of hut-chimney stones he had eagerly- sought and rejoicingly found, the writer thoughtfully partook of his lunch, with a relish such as only a genu inely hungry man experiences. As he sat there alone THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY upon the grounds occupied, a century and a quarter ago, by men engaged in the struggle for national inde pendence, and re-read the article of Dr. Tuttle to assist him in "getting his bearings," it seemed, at least in the realm of an awakened imagination, as if the place was once more peopled with the patriot soldiers, the re mains of whose temporary habitations in the winter of 1779-80, lay all about, as almost speaking witnesses to their former presence. But of the strange workings of the writer's imagination on the occasion alluded to, he can only say, with another: "What I can fancy, but can ne'er express." Lunch completed, and the grounds carefully exam ined for purposes of verification, the writer set out for Blachly's hill. Here, again imagination was active, as pile after pile of hut-chimney stones, some of them apparently undisturbed since they fell with the collapse of the hut in which they had been built by patriot hands. On the slope of the hill and about one-third the distance up from its base, could be distinctly traced the former alignment of the huts which once sheltered living soldiers. Of the resuult of his examination of the camp-site of Maxwell's Jersey brigade, the writer can only say, that even after careful reading of Dr. Tuttle's excellent description of these grounds, "the half has never been told." Since that first visit in the mionth of May, 1905, the writer has twice gone over the grounds, each time making new discoveries indi cating the presence of the patriot soldiers of 1779-80. Some of the results of these visits may be seen, by the 299 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY reader, within the covers of this volume. Freedom- loving Morristonians could scarcely render a more patriotic service, to the rising generation particularly, than by organizing occasional local pilgrimages to some of the historic grounds ''down the Jockey Hol low road," for the Fourth of July, including the Jersey camp-site of the winter of 1779-80. With a good band to discourse national airs, an historical address by some person acquainted with local annals, the reading of the Declaration of Independence by other than a political aspirant, the Day set apart for the celebration of the anniversary of our national independence would be much more suitably and profitably spent, than by a vain attempt, through politico-patriotic celebrations, concocted in a corner, to gather the people and gal vanize them into a patriotic frame of mind. Such at tempts can but remind a thoughtful American citizen of the words 'of Lincoln, of which the following is a substantial quotation: "You can fool all the people part of the time, and you can fool some people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people aU the time." "Then none was for a party; Then all were for the Slate; Then the great men help'd the poor, And the poor men lov'd the great; "Then lands were fairly portion'd; Then spoils were fairly sold; The Romans were like brothers In the brave days of old." 300 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Early in the year 1780 the New Jersey brigade re moved to the vacated quarters on the Jockey Hollow road of the Maryland brigades, which had been or dered to march to the southward. The excellent dia gram, showing not only the relative positions of the ten brigades of the American army during the winter of 1779-80, but the location of several Revolutionary houses and other points of great historic interest, is, by permission of Emory McClintock, LL.D., pub lished in connection with the present chapter. To one unacquainted with the latest conclusions concerning the sites of the camping grounds of 1779-80, this dia gram, as a guide, is simply invaluable, and when con sulted in connection with the most admirable "Topog raphy of Washington's Camp of 1780 and Its Neigh borhood," by the same authority, it becomes luminous with reflected inform'ation concerning the locations of historic buildings and spots now justly famous in Rev olutionary annals. 301 CHAPTER XVI. "Ev'n to the dullest peasant standing by Who fasten'd slill on him a wondering eye He seem'd the master spirit of the land." ASHINGTON'S army, during its second encampment in Morristown and vicinity in the winter of 1779- 80, included, in addition to the ten brigades of infantry, the locations of whose camps were given in the previous chapter, a brigade of artillery in command of General Henry Knox, one of the most brilliant officers in the Continental army. Knox's artillery brigade was encamped about half a mile to the northwest, by direct line, from the Monis town Green, on the road then and now leading toward Mendham, and was composed of three regiments of artillery and a regiment of artificers, the latter in com mand of an officer named Baldwin. In addition to the light mounted field pieces composing the various bat teries of his brigade, General Knox had in charge sev- 302 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY eral heavier guns designed for siege purposes. As may be inferred from the fact of a regiment of artifi cers, or mechanics, there were in the artillery camp several forges and machine shops for the repair of dis abled guns. The encampment of Knox's brigade was spoken of in the military parlance of the day as the "Park of Artillery." On the slope of the hill, on the right as one goes toward Mendham from Morristown, and commencing at the point where the road turns abruptly to the left (this point being the terminus of the present Washing ton street, and the beginning of the Mendham road), and extending nearly a third of a mile parallel to the road, is the site of Knox's brigade encampment. One of Morristown's lawyers recently informed the writer that when a boy he frequently heard his father (a Rev olutionary descendant), who resided near the site of the camping grounds, speak of the hill slope in ques tion as "the park." From this same well-known law yer it was ascertained that during his early years, bay onets, firelocks and other evidences of the years of "mad war" were found on "the park," probably on or near the sites of some of the field forges or machine shops of the brigade artificers alluded to. To the south of the brigade camp grounds, and on the opposite side of the road, were two pieces of level ground, then in grass, where, in the spring of the year 1780, the artillery horses were turned to graze. It is probable that the tract of land, until recentiy dammed and covered by "Burnham's Pond," was a portion of 303 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the meadow land used as a parade ground by the artil lery of Knox's brigade. A resident of Morristown, whose fondness for nature is a conspicuous trait, says: "I have picked daisies and buttercups on the meadow once, and, until quite recently, covered by 'Burnham's Pond.' " This pond, as already suggested, has been drained, and the land will once more become meadow. Whether this is in line of progression or retrogression is a debatable question. General Knox's quarters were a short distance to the westward of the brigade encampment, in a farm house, a portion of which, at least, still survives as part of a modern residence, to be seen from the Mendham road. It will doubtless be interesting, more particularly to local readers of our story, to know that access to the "Park of Artillery" was chiefly, so far as foot travelers during the Revolutionary period were concerned, across intervening fields, then included in one or morc farms, Washington street not then having been opened up. Mounted travelers, and travelers in the primitive vehicles of that day, could reach the "Park of Artillery," from the Morristown Green, by way of "town hill," thence up the present Spring street hill, sometimes called Sander's hill, into the present Early street, and through its former extension into what is now known as the Mendham road, all of which route, from the foot of Spring street, was, in Revolutionary days, known as the Mendham road. The attention of the reader has already been di rected to the fact that each brigade of the American 304 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY army encamped in Morristown had its own parade ground, frequently in front of the respective camps. Indeed, this was the case whenever the formation of the adjacent grounds permitted. Then, for the use of the entire army, there was what has been termed the "grand parade," which was situated on the right of the Jockey Hollow road, as one goes from the Morristown Green toward the Mendhami road, and within about one and one-half miles from the latter. On the "grand parade" the daily guard mountings for the army took place; the various detachments for the daily relief of the outposts, picket posts and hospital guards here rendezvoused, and here, also, military executions were performed, sometimes in the presence of the entire army, the graves of the condemned soldiers having been previously dug at the foot of the gallows. On the southeastern slope of Sugar Loaf hiU, which lies just off the Jockey Hollow road to the right as one goes from Morristown, and about three miles from the last named place, there stood, during the winter of 1779-80, a log building. This building was used by the Pennsylvania division for courts martial; and it may also have served as a guard house. From an order book kept by Colonel Francis Johnston, of the Second Pennsylvania regiment, commander of the Pennsyl vania division, from February tenth, of the year 1780, untU April twenty-ninth of the same year, it is ascer tained that among the military trials conducted during the period referred to, which were probably held in the log buUding mentioned, were the following: 305 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "On the eighteenth of February, Sergeant Mitchell, of the ninth Pennsylvania regiment, was tried and convicted for concealing stolen goods, and was sentenced to receive loo lashes 'on his bare back well laid on.' James Hammel and Samuel Crawford, of the fifth Pennsylvania regiment, were tried on 'suspicion of robbery and found guilty of the charge.' They were sentenced to be hung on the next day, between the hours of three and four o'clock in the afternoon, on the grand parade. It was ordered that the officers of the day attend the executions; and that the corps of artillery (Knox's) 'will send a band of music to attend ye criminals to the place of execution.' The Pennsylvania Division was ordered lo furnish an escort of officers, two drums and fifes and fifty privates; and each of the other divisions was to fur nish two hundred men. The corps of artillery was lo furnish one hundred men, properly officered. Hammel was exe cuted; but Crawford, as the following order from Headquar ters shows, was pardoned by Washington. 'The Commander- in-Chief is Pleased to^ remit the Sentence against Samuel Crawford. The frequent occasion the General takes to Pardon where strict Justice would compel him to Punish ought to operate in ye minds of Offenders lo the Improve ment of their morals.' " "For attempting lo force a falsehood on Colonel Craig, of the Pennsylvania division, respecting his attendance on the regimental parade. Lieutenant John Armstrong was tried by court-martial. He was found guilty and discharged from the service. Washington, however, restored Armstrong to his former rank and command, saying: 'From the general good character of Lieut. Armstrong he hopes what he was charged wilh proceeded rather from a want of Recollection than any ill design.' Incidentally it may be said that among the entries in the order book of Colonel Francis Johnston, is the following: 'On February twenty-third (1780), Colonel Craig loses a silver epaulet in the rear of the Pennsylvania encampment, and offers a reward of thirty dollars.' 306 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "On the sixteenth of March, of the year 1780, Washington issued a general order concerning the observance of St. Patrick's Day in the army. On the next morning the follow ing division orders were issued by Colonel Francis Johnston: 'March 17, 1780. The commanding officer desirous that the Celebration of the day should not Pass by without having a liltle Rum issued lo the Troops, had thought proper to direct Commissary Night to send for a Hogshead which the Colonel has purchased for this Express purpose in the Vicinity of Camp. While the Troops are celebrating the anniversary of St. Patrick in Innocent Mirth and Pastime he hopes they will nol forget our worthy friends in the King dom of Ireland, who, vrith the greatest unanimity, have stepped forth in Opposition to the Tyranny of Great Brit tain, and who like Us, are determined lo be Free. The Col onel expects the Troops will conduct themselves with the greatest sobriety and good order.' The courts-martial general of the American army during its encampment in Morristown in the winter of 1779-80, were held al several different places, among which were Dicker- son's Tavern, and the residence of Quartermaster General Joseph Lewis, on Morris street; and the log building on the slope of Sugar Loaf may also have been used for this pur pose. In the early part of the month of February in the year 1780, one John Beaty, esq'r., "commissary of prisoners,'' was tried by general court martial on a charge of "improper intercourse wilh the Cily of New York," in having written there for and introduced sundry articles from thence con trary lo the resolve of Congress. Beaty was found guilty. Washington in speaking of Beaty's offense, says: "The Gen eral thinks Mr. Beaty's Conduct in this Instance exceedingly reprehensible; in his situation he ought to have observed a peculiar Delicacy; the w'hole tenor of the Evidence Intro duced by himself show that he was well aware of the Impro priety of the Intercourse, & though he may have generally discountenanced it, it is not an excuse from the present 307 V HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY deviation, etc., etc." Mr. Beaty was, however, released from arrest. Lieutenant Porter, of the seventh Maryland regi ment, who at the same time and place was tried for "unoffi- cer, unsoldier, & vilainous Conduct on Staten Island, Rob bing & plundering a Woman of Money," was summarily cashiered. Al the intercesion of officers of the third New York regiment, Edward Burk was pardoned by Washington, the Commander-in-Chief taking occasion lo say: "The case of Burk ought to be a Striking example lo the Soldiery of the dangerous Excesses and Fatal Consequences to which the pernicious Crime of Drunkenness will frequently betray them." By no means the least interesting bits of information to be gleaned from the order book of Colonel Johnston, are the following: On the sixth of March a corporal and four pri vates were sent lo build an oven for "Mr. Ludwick the baker in Morristown." Two men were also sent to " Mr. Gamble's in Morristown" lo assist in securing hides and tallow. On the fifteenth of March a sum of money, "less than 500 dollars, was found between Headquarters and the Church in Morris town." On the twenty-second of March Lientenant-Colonel How ard was tried by court-martial, on the charge of nol parading with his battalion, nol having it in a state fit for action, and kindred breaches of discipline. The court condemned him; but the Commander-in-Chief came lo the rescue, and after extenuating the officer's aUeged misdemeanors, dissolved the court-martial. Among the causes cited by Washington for excusing Colonel Howard was "the extream severity of the weather at that period, * * * while the men were walk ing to keep themselves warm." It vras on the twenty-third of March that Major Moore was tried by court-martial on several charges, of which the fifth was that of "speaking in a very dishonorable and disrespectful manner of his E?ccell- ency, the Commander-in-Chief, and Generals of the Army." The court, however, "fully and clearly" acquitted Major 308 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Moore of the charge above specified. In commenting on the sentence of the court-ijiartial Washington said he was happy in the acquittal of this officer on the fifth charge, which he was "sorry was ever made a mailer of Publick discussion." For sending out two sleighs and horses with John Van- Winkle and others to bring back so'me ladies from "Bergen Town," Lieutenant-Colonel Hay was sentenced by court- martial to be reprimanded in general orders. He was released from arrest by Washington, with the following com ments: "Lieut. Col. Hay, not having the command on the lines in the quarter where he was, had no righl lo grant the permit he did, as Bergen Town was out of our lines, and within, or very contiguous to, those of the enemy. At the same time the General is Perfectly satisfied that in doing it, he was actuated merely by humane & benevolent motives, to facilitate the return home of two Ladies on their way from New York, where they had been permitted to go, & who, it appears, required assistance.'' On the twenty-fourth of March, the officer commanding on the lines was directed in case of any "sudden & serious movement of the enemy in that quarter to Cause the Alarm Gun on the Height above Springfield to be fired, to be answered by the alarm guns in camp upon which the bri gades are lo form on their respective parades." On Mardh thirty-first. Ensign Spear was discharged from the service for disorderly conduct in a "publick house." "The General confirms the sentence against Ensign Spear because there was a Shameful combination of a number againsi a Single Person who seems lo have given no provo cation." Thomas Brown, of the second New Jersey regiment, was charged wilh desertion. By a division court-martial con vened by order of Major General Lord Sterling, Brown was declared guilty; and the court upon ascertaining that he was an old offender, having repeatedly deserted, "do unanimously 309 HISTORIC MO'RRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY sentence him lo be hanged by ye neck till dead, & the com mander-in-chief approves the sentence." "Sobriety, Fidelity and a good temper are essentially necessary, as are cleanliness, genteel shape & small Size, ' were the qualifications menlioned by General Maxwell, in his announcement for "a servant understanding the care and management of horses." Charged wilh saying he vras sick, when he was only indis posed; and with attending a "Morristown ball" without leave. Lieutenant Hoops was tried by court-martial, and hon orably acquitted. General Irvine informed the troops in April that the "Honorable House of Assembly in Philadelphia had voted each officer and soldier al the expiration of the service cer tain quantities of land, free of taxes. The allotment was as follows: "A Major General, 2,000 acres; A Brigadier, 1,500; A Colonel, 1,000;" and sO' on down to the privates who were to receive 200 acres each. On the twenty-fifth of AprU Washington issued the follow ing message lo the troops: "The commander-in-chief at the request of the minister of France has the pleasure to inform Major General the Baron Steuben & the officers & men of the four battalions that the appearance & manoeuvres of the troops yesterday met his entire approbation & afforded him the highest satisfaction." In the general orders from Head quarters of the twenty-sixth of the same month, appear the following words: "His excellency the minisier of France was pleased tO' express in the warmest terms his approbation of the Troops in the review of yesterday. Applause so honor able cannot but prove a new motive to the emulous exertions of the army.'' On the twenty-seventh of April, Augustine Washington was made an ensign in the second Virginia regiment, and he was to do duty in the commander-in-chiefs guard "till furth er orders." It is possible that the entries in the order book of Colonel 310 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Johnston, from which the foregoing extracts and informa tion are taken, were made at the Headquarters, and at the "small, ink-stained stand which bears the name of Gen. Washington's dispatch table." Almost startlingly interesting is the fact, that upon "these ancient and blotted relics" of the Revolution — Colonel John ston's order book — appear the names of Colonels William DeHart, Elias Dayton, Jacob Ford, Livingston, Ogden^ — "wilh FuUerton,^ Craig, Lyttle, Kinney, Kline, and the com manding officers Clinton, Stark, Sterling, Maxwell and the rest." The officers of the patriot army, many of them at least, including even regimental and company com- m.anders, instead of sharing quarters with the rank and file, sought mO're comfortable accommodations in the farmhouses surrounding the camps. As a means of protection against marauding by the soldiers, the pres ence of these officers was welcomed by the families in which they found a home. The soldiers of the patriot army were quartered, after temporary use of tents immediately following their arrival in camp, in huts, those of the officers each accommodating three or four persons, while those of the rank and file accommodated ten or more soldiers each. In accordance with the orders of the command er-in-chief through Quartermaster-General Greene, the huts were of uniform construction and size, and were arranged in rows with the exactness of a well- laid-out modern city. At one end of the huts was a plastered wood chimney with spacious stone fireplace, and at the other end were bunks. In some of these 3" HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY huts there were apologies for windows, and in all of them facilities for ventilation. As illustrative of the extreme care of Washington for the health and com fort of his soldiers, it may be said that in his instruc tions for the erection of their winter quarters he ex plicitly ordered that "any hut not exactly conformable to the plan or the least out of the line shall be pulled down and built again." It is a most interesting cir cumstance, and one that merits mention, that the huts in question were constructed without the use of nails, and probably without the use of hammers, axes being about the only tool required. Mention of the fact should not be omitted that most, if not, indeed, all, the brigade camps of the American army were established upon grounds covered with trees, which were expedi tiously cleared away to make room for the huts which were to furnish shelter through what proved to be one of the severest winters, as regards both the tempera ture which prevailed and the immense quantity of snow, ever experienced in this region. The statement concerning the locations of the quar ters of the various brigade commanders and other gen eral officers of the patriot army would make a most interesting feature of our story, but these, with few ex ceptions, it is impossible at present to give. Of the locale of the quarters of General William Irvine, how ever, during the first months at least of the encamp ment of Washington's army in Morristown, it is grati fying to be able to speak with some degree of certainty. Standing on the northeasterly corner of 312 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY what is known as the Bailey Hollow road, about one and a half miles down the Jockey Hollow road from the Morristown Green, there was, in the year 1780, a house ovvned by Captain Augustine Baily (sometimes spelled Bayles). This house, only the site of which is now (1905) to be seen, was the quarters of Irvine, one of Washington's most trusted officers. It was probably as commander of the Second Bri gade of Pennsylvania troops during the winter of 1779-80 that he established his quarters in the Bailey house on the Jockey Hollow road. A cannon ball, picked up recently on the site of his quarters on the Jockey Hollow road, was on exhibition with other Revolutionary relics in the window of a young Morris town jeweler on the Fourth of July, in the year 1904. Of the quarters of General Anthony Wayne, men tion will in due course be made. Arnold's tavern, in the village of Morristown, was doubtless the tem porary home of not a few of the American general officers during the second encampment of the army there, and other officers and soldiers seem to have been quartered in the building on the south side of the Green, known as the "Continental House," then used as a storehouse for government supplies. The quar ters of the surgeon-general of Washington's army, Dr. John Cochran, was in the house of Dr. Jabez Camp field, on the road leading toward Whippany, on what is now the corner of Morris street and Ohphant lane. Of this famous house more will be said in due time. On the arrival of Washington in Morristown, in the 313 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY early part of the month of December, in the year 1779, he established his headquarters in what was then known as the "Ford Mansion," situated on the road leading to Whippany, and about a mile eastward of the village Green. The "Ford Mansion" was then owned and occupied by Theodosia, widow of Colonel Jacob Ford, Jr., deceased, since the beginning of the year 1777, and her chUdren. In the issue of The New Jer sey Gazette of December 13, a few days only after the arrival of the patriot army in Morristown, there ap peared the announcement: "We understand that the Head-Quarters of the American Army is established at Morris-Town, in the Vicinity of which the troops are now hutting." Washington's body guard, called also his life guard, comprising (at their maxim'um) about 250 picked men from different regiments of the Continental army, es tablished their camp about 400 feet, approximately, to the southeast of the headquarters of the commarider- in-chief, at what is now the fork of Morris and Wash ington avenues. As early as about the middle of De cember, after Washington's arrival (on the first), a row of about a dozen huts had been erected for the accommodation of the life guard. Each hut contained about eighteen men, the apparent discrepancy between the number of the life guard and the hut accommoda tions being explained by the fact that some of the men were always on furlough or in the hospital. To the southeast somewhat and in what is now the beginning of Washington avenue, were probably located the offi- 314 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY cers' quarters, including those of the officer in com mand of the life guard, who was Major Caleb Gibbs. "The Commander-in-Chief's Guard" was organized on the twelfth day of March, in the year 1776, at Cam bridge, Massachusetts. The general order, pursuant to which this corps was organized, is here appended: "Head-Quarters, Cambridge, March 11, 1776. "The General is desirous of selecting a particular number of men as a guard for himself and baggage. The colonel or commanding officers of each of the established regiments, the artiller}' and rifiemen excepted, will furnish him with four, that the number wanted may be chosen out of them. His Excellency depends upon the colonels for good men, such as they can recommend for their sobriety, honesty and good behavior. He wishes them lo be from five feet eight inches to five feet ten inches, handsomely and well made, and, as there is nothing in his eyes more desirable than cleanliness in a soldier, he desires that particular attention may be made in the choice of such men as are clean and spruce. They are all tO' be at headquarters tomorrow pre cisely at 12 o'clock at noon, when the number of men wanted will be fixed upon. The General neither wants them with uniforms nor arms, nor does he desire any man to be sent to him that is not perfectly willing or desirous of being of this Guard — they should be drilled men.'' Carlos E Godfrey, M. D., in his valuable work "The Com mander-in-Chief's Guards Revolutionary War," says: "The necessity for such a corps was early manifested after Wash ington had assumed command of the American forces al Cambridge July 3, 177S, by the rapid accumulation of valua ble papers and for the safely of his person from the ene mies that abounded in and about the camp; and, during the existence of the organization, it was always esteemed a 31S HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY mark of particular distinction by the soldiers lo be mem bers of this command." One of the most interesting features of the above named book is the fac-simile signatures of the officers and men composing "The Commander-in-Chief's Guards.'' The last survivor of "Washington's Life Guard" was Ser geant Uzall Knapp, whose remains rest under a handsome brown freestone monument at the foot of the flag-staff at Washington Headquarters, Newburg, New York. "I have been at my present quarters since the first day of December," wrote Washington from the Ford Mansion on the twenty-second of the following January, to his quarter master-general, Nathaniel Green, "and have not a kitchen to cook a dinner in; * * * nor is there a place, al this mo ment, in which a servant can lodge, with the smallest degree of comfort. Eighteen belonging to my family and all Mrs. Ford's are crowded together in her kitchen, and scarce one of them able to speak for the colds they have.' Silas B. Condict, in Genealogical History of the Ford Family of Morris County, (written in the year 1879), says "Darius Pierson, when a boy, caried wood for General Washington during the winter that he was at the Ford Head quarters in Morristown. Our grandparents have often told us of the extreme cold of the winter that Washington spent when at the Ford mansion then comparatively a new house (the same house now standing on those beautiful grounds), and of the great suffering those noble soldiers endured then encamped on Fort Nonsense. General Washington would of ten tell Darius lo go in the house and warm himself, while he, Washington, would unload the wood." A log kitchen was soon afterward built at the east end of the house for the accommodation of Washing ton and his family; and at the west end of the house another log structure was erected for use as a general 316 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY office. This office was occupied during the day, par ticularly, by Washington and some of his staff; his sleeping-room was on the second floor of the house. Among the members of his family of eighteen were a portion of the winter at least, Martha Washington, and Colonel Alexander Hamilton, Major Tench Tighl man, several servants, and last, but by no means least, Mrs. Thompson, an Irishwoman, the efficient and re sourceful housekeeper. Readers of this story will, without doubt, agree with the writer in speaking of Mrs. Thompson as a resourceful housekeeper, when it is related that at a time of great scarcity of food at headquarters, and throughout the army, for that mat ter, she remarked one day to Washington : "We have nothing but the rations to cook, sir." "Well, Mrs. Thompson/' replied he, "you must cook the rations, for I 'have not a farthing lo give you." "If you please sir, let one of the gentlemen give me an order for six bushels of salt." "Six bushels of salt!" exclaimed Washington in manifest astonishment; "what for?" Fully equal to the occasion, the housekeeper replied: "To preserve the fresh beef, sir.'' The order was given, and on the following day there was no scarcity of food at the table of the outgeneraled commander-in-chief. Upon ascertaining the apparent source of the ample food supply, Washington adminis tered a mild rebuke to his housekeeper, in the follow ing words : "You have done wrong in expending your money, for I 317 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY do nol know when I can repay you. I owe you too much already to permit the debt being increased, and our situation is nol such as to induce very sanguine hope." Never did the hopefulness of the womanly nature find more expression than in the ready response of Mrs. Thompson. "Dear sir," she said, " it is always darkest just be fore the daylight ;" and a finer illustration of womanly tact is seldom seen than that exhibited in the closing words of her remark, "I hope your excellency will for give me for bartering salt for other necessaries now on the table." Inasmuch as salt, during the period under consider ation, was $8 a bushel, the people in the country sur rounding Morristown were very willing to exchange their products for it. Some of them, indeed, as we learn from a contemporary newspaper, were willing to "exchange one bushel of salt for seven and a half bush els of flax seed.'' Allusion has been made to the scarcity of food in the patriot army during the winter of its second encamp ment in Morristown, and no better or more convincing evidence of this can be given than the citation of a few extracts from extant letters of Washington. For ex ample on the sixteenth of December, in the year 1779, the commander-in-chief wrote from his log cabin of fice, west of the Ford mansion to Joseph Read, at Philadelphia : "The situation of the Army with respect to supplies, is 318 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY beyond description, alarming. It has been five or six weeks past on half allowance, and we have not more than three days bread al a third allowance, on hand, nor any where within reach. When this is exhausted, we must depend on the precarious gleanings of the neighboring country. Our magazines are absolutely empty every where, and our com missaries entirely destitute of money or credit lo replenish them. We have never experienced a like extremity at any period of the war. * * * This representation is the result of a minute examination of our resources." Again, on the eighth of the month following, Wash ington wrote to the magistrates of New Jersey : "The present situation of the army, wilh respect lo pro visions, is the most distressing we have experienced since the beginning of the war. For a fortnight past, the troops, both officers and men, have been almost perishing for want. They have been alternately without bread or meat the whole lime, wilh a very scanty allowance of either, and frequently destitute of both. They have borne their sufferings with a patience that merits the approbation and ought to excite the sympathy of their countrymen. But they are now re duced lo an extremity no longer lo be supported." "We have had the virtue and patience of the army pul to the severest trial," wrote Washington in a private letter to a friend. "Sometimes it has been five or six days together without bread; at other times as many without meat; and once or twice, two or three days at a time, without either. * * * Al one time the soldiers ale every kind of horse food but hay. Buckwheat, common wheat, rye and Indian corn, composed the meal which made their bread." The subsequent response of the people of New Jer sey to the noble appeal of Washington for provisions 319 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY for his destitute army was so prompt and generous that he was able on the twentieth of January of the same year to write to Dr. John Witherspoon as fol lows: "AU the counties of this Stale that I have heard from have attended to my requisition for provisions, with the most cheerful and commendable zeal." Of the severity of the winter of 1779-80, and the consequent suffering of the patriot army, a better con ception cannot be obtained by the reader than from an extract from the military journal of Dr. Thatcher. This extract is under date of the fourteenth of Decem ber of the former year, and of January 3, 1780, it says: "The snow on the ground is about two feel deep and the weather extremely cold; the soldiers are destitute of both tents and blankets, and some of them are actually bare footed and almost naked. + + * But the sufferings of the poor soldiers can scarcely be described; while on duty they are unavoidably exposed to all the inclemency of the storm and severe cold; at night they now have a bed of straw on the ground and a single blanket to each man; they are badly clad and some are destitute of shoes. * * * The snow is now from four to six feet deep. * * * por the last len days we received but two pounds of meat a man. * * * The consequence is the soldiers are so enfeebled from hun ger and cold as to be almost unable to perform military duty or labor in constructing their huts. It is well known that General Washington experiences the greatest solicitude for the sufferings of his army and is sensible that they in general conduct with heroic patience and fortitude." It is through the courtesy of Henry B. Hoffman, of 320 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Morristown, that the writer is able tO' present the fol lowing letter, the original of which is in the possession of Mrs. James B. Bowman, of Mendham, a descendant of Stephen Day, Esq., to whom said communication was originally addressed: "Morristown, November 6th, 1780. "Sir— "The great demands of the Army for Forage from this county, and the method in which it has been taken proves very distressing. I have therefore at the request of a num ber of the Magistrates appointed a meeting to-morrow al my office to consult on this important affair and endeavor to alleviate the distress of individuals by a general demand from. the whole county. I request your personal attendance at ten o'clock in the forenoon. "Am respectfully your obedient servant, "JOS. LEWIS, Com. "Justice Day.'' Joseph Lewis, at the period above mentioned, was Deputy Quartermaster-General of New Jersey. His residence was on what is now Morris Street, next be yond the house occupied by the Rev. Timothy Johnes, (whose daughter he married) and on the same side of the street. His office may have been at his residence. The Justice Day to whom the foregoing letter was written was Justice Stephen Day, of Chatham; he to whom Washington once wrote, asking him to sohcit supplies for the Continental Army, which he did. Squire Day headed the Hst with a beef. Captain William Tuttle of the New Jersey brigade, 321 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY is authority for the statement that "there were paths about the camps on Kimball Hill that were marked with real blood expressed from the cracked and frozen feet of soldiers who had no shoes." From a poem entitled "Rhoda Farrand," first pub lished in a magazine. Our Continent, edited by Judge Tourgee, several years ago, the following extract is given, which thriUingly relates its own story: "We are here for the winter in Morristown, And a sorry sight are our men to-day, In tatters and rags with no signs of pay. As we marched lo camp, if a man looked back, By the dropping of blood he could trace our track; For scarcely a man has a decent shoe, And there's not a stocking the army through; So send us stockings as quick as you can. My company needs them, every man. And every man is a neighbor's lad; Tell this lo their mothers: They need them bad. Then, if never before, beat Rhoda's heart, 'Twas time to be doing a woman part, She turned lo her daughters, Hannah and Bet, Girls, each on your needles a stocking sel. Get my cloak and hood; as for you, son Dan, Yoke up the steers just as quick as you can; Put a chair in the wagon, as you're alive, I will sit 'and knit while you go and drive, They started al once on Whippany road. She knitting away while he held the goad. At Whippany Village she slopped to call On the sisters Prudence and Mary Ball. She would nol go in, she sat in her chair, And read lo the girls her letter from there. 322 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY That was enough, for their brothers three Were in Lieutenant Farrand's company. Then on Rhoda went, stopping here and there, To rouse the neighbors from her old chair." The result of the heroic efforts of this patriotic wo man, assisted by her not less patriotic daughters and son, was, that the stockings poured into the New Jer sey camp down the Jockey Hollow road "in a perfect shower." From S. A. Farrand, one of the headmas ters of the Newark (N. J.) Academy, who, the writer is proud to say, is a grandson of the Rhoda Farrand of the poem quoted from, the writer learns that the poem is in the main historically correct. The poem wag written by Miss Eleanor A. Hunter, a great-grand daughter of Rhoda Farrand, In reply to the query of the present writer as to how she happened to write this patriotic poem, she says: "It was a story told me by my mother. She related it to me many times, and I never wearied of listening to it. She had heard it as a chUd from Grandmother Rhoda herself. One even ing, after a visit to Morristown, my mother and I were talking about Revolutionary days and she told me the story once more. Suddenly the thought came to me: 'What a good poem that would make.' I retired to my room and put the story in rhyme then and there and brought it out and gave it tO' my mother." The poem, as already mentioned, was subsequently pub lished. "Where's the general? Where's the general?" ex claimed a young man visiting at the Ford mansion in 323 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the winter of 1779-80, as, in great trepidation, he rushed downstairs and into the spacious hallway on the first floor at midnight of a certain evening. "Be quiet, young man, be quiet," was Washington's mild rebuke, as with his customary moderation he al so descended the stairway from his sleeping-room. The cause of the commotion and its attendant circum stances, occurring at the unseasonable hour sug gested, was what proved to be a false alarm of the ap proach of a British force. These alarms, which were not infrequent occurrences during the winter of Wash ington's occupancy, as headquarters, of the now fa mous Ford mansion, were foUowed by the barricading of the doors by the life guard and the opening of the windows, at each of the latter of which about five of the guard would place themselves, with muskets loaded and cocked, in readiness for repelling attack. On the approach of the American troops dispatched 'from camp for the defense of the headquarters', the life guard would retire from the positions assumed, and, rejoining their particular command, await further or ders. The necessity for their services having ceased the troops would then return leisurely to camp. "Timothy Ford, a son of Washington's hostess" at the Ford Mansion, was a severe sufferer during the winter spent there by the commander-in-chief, "from the effects of a wound received in a battle the previous fall; and among other pleasing courtesies we are told that every morning Washington knocked at Timo- 324 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY thy's door, and asked how the young soldier had passed the night." How hke the living present it causes the past to ap pear, as one reads in a private letter written from Basking Ridge, on the twenty-second day of Decem ber, in the year 1779, that: "I rode out today on purpose to take a view of our encampments. I found il excessively cold; bul was glad to see most of our poor soldiers were under good roofs. The encampments are exceedingly neat; the huts are all of a size, and placed in more exact order than Philadelphia; you would be surprised to see how well they are built without nails. Headquarters is al Morristown, and the army extends from thence along the hills nearly to this place." Martha Washington ("a small, plump, elegantly formed woman") reached the Ford mansion by way of Trenton, where Virginia troops were paraded in her honor, on the twenty-eighth of December, in the year 1779, while the great snow storm mentioned by Dr. Thatcher was raging. That she was a worthy companion of her distinguished husband, the follow ing authentic incident wiU demonstrate. During the winter of her sojoum at the Ford mansion she was honored by a call from several representative Hano ver ladies. As one of these ladies afterward remarked, "We were dressed in our most elegant sUks and ruffles, and so were introduced to her ladyship. And don't you think we found her with a speckled homespun apron on, and engaged in knitting a stocking! She re ceived us very handsomely, and then resumed fifer 32s HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY knitting. In the course of her conversation she said very kindly to us, whilst she made her needles fly, that 'American ladies should be patterns of industry to their countrywomen. * * * ^We must become in dependent of England by doing without those articles which we can make ourselves. Whilst our husbands and brothers are examples of patriotism, we must be examples of industry.' " 'I do declare,' said one of these visitors, 'I never felt so shame and rebuked in my life.' " There was evidently pressing need of industry, and of economy also, on the part of the good women of Morris County, for during the winter of 1779-80 their "husbands and brothers" were paying for first-quality hay 100 pounds per ton; for wheat, $50 per bushel; for com, $30 per bushel, and for other necessaries in proportion. If a carriage ride were indulged in, the bill was, for one horse, twenty-four hours, $6, or twenty-five cents per hour. The value of slaves in New Jersey at the time may be inferred from such advertisements as the following: "One Thousand Dollars Reward for the recovery of my negro man, Toney." One dollar in specie was equivalent to forty in paper money; and the poor sol diers of the patriot army were paid in paper money. That Washington was not left with but a mere "cor poral's guard" to continue the struggle for national in dependence, was due to the inborn and unquenchable love of freedom, which brightly burned in the hearts of the patriot soldiery composing his army. 326 CHAPTER XVII "True fortitude is seen in great exploits That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides; All else is low'ring frenzy and distraction." HE winter of the years 1779-80 wit nessed one of the most important gatherings ever held in Morristown, if not, indeed, in America. It was convened in Dickerson's tavern, then kept by Robert Norris, on what is now the corner of Water and Spring streets. Important in itself, because of the object and the per sonnel of the gathering, it was important also when the consequencs to its central figure and to the Amer ican colonies are carefully considered. The central figure of this momentous gathering in Morristown was none other than Benedict Arnold, hitherto by common consent one of the bravest and most efficient officers in the Continental army; the ob ject, his court-martial; the consequences, as will be seen, the making of a traitor to the cause of freedom, 327 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the loss to the patriot army of a splendid officer and the widespread alarm of Freedom's steadfast friends, which found expression in the sad exclamation of Washington, when irresistible evidence of Arnold's treason was presented to him: "Whom can we trust now?" Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut, in the year 1740. On the breaking out of the Revolu tion he eagerly espoused the cause of the colonies. In the month of May, in the year 1775, he ably assisted Colonel Ethan Allen in the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. In conjunction with General Mont gomery, Arnold, in the month of December, in the year 1775, after a tedious and hazardous march through the State of Maine, and with but a mere hand ful of the troops with which he had started, besieged Quebec for a period of three weeks. At the end of this time an unsuccessful assault was made on the enemy's works, in which he exhibited indomitable courage. In this assault, Arnold received a severe wound and was carried from the field. In harassing the retreating British troops under General Tryon, from Danbury, Connecticut, Arnold bore honorable part with Gen erals Wooster and Silliman, the former of whom was slain. On hearing of the volunteered approach of Arnold with his ample force of patriot troops, the Indians fled in great haste from before besieged Fort Schuyler, in consequence of which the siege was suddenly aband oned by the enemy. In the battle of Saratoga, result- 328 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY ing in Burgoyne's surrender, Arnold specially distin guished himself, receiving a second wound in the right leg. After the evacuation of Philadelphia by the Brit ish, because, in part, of his disabled condition, General Arnold was placed in command of that city, and there occurred the unfortunate events which led to his court-martial. This, in brief, is Arnold's mihtary record prior to the year 1780. The terse summons to the gathering in Dickerson's tavern, was as follows: "Headquarters, Morristown, December 22, 1779. The court-martial, whereof Ma jor-General Howe is president, to sit to-morrow, 10 o'clock, at Norris's tavern." From this order it ap pears that the necessary arrangements for the trial had already been made. In accordance with the order from the commander-in-chief, issued from the Ford mansion the following officers, constituting, by appointment of Washington, the court-martial, convened at the Dick erson Tavern on Thursday morning, December 23: Major-General Robert Howe, president; Brigadier- General Henry Knox, Brigadier-General William Maxwell, Brigadier-General Mordecai Gist (some times spelled Gest) and eight colonels, and before this body Benedict Arnold was summoned for trial. The court-martial, which convened on the morning of December 23, was resumed on four subsequent days, and on the last, December 30, it was adjourned, to afford Arnold opportunity to procure additional ev idence. On Wednesdey, the nineteenth day of January following, and on four consecutive days thereafter, the 329 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY court-martial continued its session, adjourning at last until the twenty-sixth day of the same month. At this latter session the decision of the court-martial was rendered. The writer has been informed, and reliably, as he conceives, that the particular room in Dickerson's tav ern in which the court was convened was that situated on the right as one entered the front door of this fa mous hostelry. This is said to have been the barroom and the bar seems to have run across the easterly end of it. Down a few steps, at the southwest end of the room alluded to, was a large, old-fashioned stone bake oven, the form of which could be seen on the exterior of the building. The charges brought against Arnold were, briefly slated: permitting a Tory vessel (while he was in com mand at Philadelphia, in the year 1778) to enter port without acquainting the commander-in-chief or the State officials of the fact; closing stores and shops, thus preventing purchases by the people of the "Quak er City," but making purchases for his personal ad vantage; the imposition upon the local militia of what were considered menial services; the purchase, at an inadequate price, of a prize-ship captured and brought into port by a State privateer; granting to an unworthy person a pass to enter the enemy's lines ; the transpor tation of the private property of Tories in wagons be longing to the State ; an indecent and disrespectful re fusal to explain to the Council of Pennsylvania the reasons for using the State wagons for the benefit of 330 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Tories, and lastly, partiality exhibited toward the ad herents of the King of Great Britain and the neglectful treatment of the patriot authorities of Philadelphia. These charges, as originally and fully stated, had been brought to the attention of Arnold in the spring of the year 1779, by the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania, and he personaUy demanded of Wash ington a court-martial, and requested a speedy inves tigation of the crimes alleged. May first of the year 1779, was the first date designated by the commander- in-chief for Arnold's trial, but more time for the gath ering of evidence being requested by the State officials preferring the charges, the trial was postponed one month. By this time the military campaign of 1779 was in progress, and a court-martial was highly im practicable. The cessation of active hostilities, and the retirement of the patriot army into winter quarters at Morristown in the month of December, of the year 1779, afforded the opportunity of formally and partic ularly investigating the criminal charges brought against General Arnold. What must, in the opinion of the writer, have proved a most disagreeable task, that of prosecuting the charges against General Arn old, inevitably fell to Lieutenant-Colonel John Law rence, the judge advocate. Not only the recollection of Arnold's previous brU liant and invaluable services in the cause of freedom, but his personal appearance upon the occasion, and its vivid reminder to all present of those services, must, as it seems, have rendered the discharge of the duty as- 331 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY signed to Colonel Lawrence merely perfunctory. In deed, there is evidence that such was the case. Not now to emphasize the facts that the officer arraigned before the court at Dickerson's tavern, had not at the time, reached the fortieth year of his age; that He wore the insignia of a major-general of the patriot army, and that his unprecedented bravery on not, by any means, a single field of battle, was evidenced by the sword knots fastened about his waist, the gift of his U- lustrious commander-in-chief; he bore in his maimed and crippled body the badges of two severe wounds, the marked evidences of which were sufficient to have disarmed prejudice and rancor, and favorably disposed the observer toward the distinguished prisoner. Ex plicitly stated, Arnold's right leg had been broken be tween the knee and hip joint at Quebec, and at Sara toga the same leg had again been broken, this time between the knee and foot. The result was a short and mis-shapen leg, and lameness which necessitated the constant use of a cane in walking. Arnold, leaning upon his cane, acted as his own counsel in this famous trial. As evidence in his favor he laid before the court numerous letters and docu ments, including complimentary letters from the com mander-in-chief and commendatory resolutions of Congress. Following the presentation of his evidence, Amold addressed the court at considerable length. From his address, carefully recorded by the clerk of the body before whom he was being tried, the fdllow- ing suggestive extracts are given: 332 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "When one is charged with practices which his soul abhors, and which conscious innocence tells him he has never committed, an honest indignation will draw from him expressions in his own favor which on other occasions might be ascribed to an ostentatious turn of mind. My time, my fortune and my person have been devoted to my country in this war. " * *" Referring to the charge that he had made private purchases to his own advantage, he said: "If this be true, I stand confessed in the presence of this honorable court the vilest of men; I stand stigmatized with indellible disgrace. Where is the evidence of this accusa tion? I call upon my accusers to produce it. On the honor of a gentleman and a soldier I declare to gentlemen and soldiers it is false. If I made considerable purchases, con siderable sales must have been made to me by some persons in Philadelphia. Why are not these persons produced?" After the close of Arnold's address the court was adjourned to the twenty-six day of January, when the judge advocate arrayed all available evidence against the young officer on trial. This was supplemented by a careful summing up by the prosecutor. As an indi cation of the general expectancy of the acquittal of Arnold in which he himself shared, it may be said that an officer in Stark's brigade, encamped on the Bask ing Ridge road, wrote to a friend: "It is expected he will be acquitted with honors." While the verdict of the court-martial was, technically speaking, neither a conviction nor an acquitaal, the closing paragraph amounted to a suggestion that Amold receive from the 333 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY commander-in-chief a reprimand for his alleged mis conduct. This reprimand Washington subsequently administered privately and in the most dehcate man ner consistent with the court's suggestion. The exact words of Washington's reprimand were: "The Commander in Chief would have been much happier in an occasion of Bestowing commendations on an officer who has rendered such Distinguished services to his country as Major General Arnold, but in the present case, a sense of Duty & a Regard to candour oblige him to declare that he Considers his conduct in the instance of the Permit as peculiarly Reprehensible, both in a Civil & Military view & in the affair of the Waggons as imprudent & Improper." At the finding of the court Arnold was disappointed and indignant, and, stung by the verdict and the repri mand, he resolved to quit the service and retire to private life. From this course the magnanimous com mander-in-chief succeeded in dissuading him, and he was appointed by Washington to the command at West Point, one of the most important in the service, which Arnold accepted. No more convincing proof of Washington's confidence in Arnold's loyalty could be adduced than this important assignment. If only Arnold had clearly understood, what was generally conceded by those conversant with the facts to have been the case, that the verdict of the court-martial convened at Dickerson's tavern, was intended as a mere sop to the prejudices of the Council of Pennsyl vania, and that the mild reprimand of his military chief partook largely of the nature of a perfunctory 334 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY service, he would have been saved from the rash step which has ever since linked his otherwise honorable name with infamy, and the American arms would have retained his invaluable services to the close of the struggle for freedom. A letter from Amold, during the winter following his trial, to Washington, requesting "leave of absence from the army during the ensuing summer," on ac count of impaired health, can only be construed as an indication that the commander at West Point was still brooding over what he considered a gross wrong per petrated upon him as the result of the generally trivial charges brought against him by the Pennsylvania Council. To Arnold's request Washington replied: "You have my permission, though it is my expectation and wish to see you in the field." The story of Arn old's attempt at the betrayal of his country, is too fa miliar to readers of history to necessitate rehearsal. The saddest commentary upon his treason is the fact, that after his removal to England, he lived iri obscur ity, and was detested and avoided by the people whose cause he had rashly espoused. Whose was the greater responsibihty for his treasonous conduct — Arnold's, or that of his virtually self-confessed persecutors — does not yet appear. Coupled with this expression of opinion, by the writer, however, is the conviction, that no apology should be made for the overt act of treason against one's country, whatever be the provocation, since the Infinite Creator hath "ordained thy wUl by 335 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY nature free, not overruled by fate inextricable, or strict necessity." In "Appendix A," of the "Proceedings of the M. W. Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, of the State of New Jersey," for the year 1900, may be found the following: "Note — The following memoranda re ferring to the Masonic Convention at Morristown, N. J., during the Revolutionary War, at which Brother George Washington was personally present, is a tran script of the rough notes which were found among the manuscripts left by the late Edmund D. Halsey, Esq., of Morristown. Mr. Halsey did not live to complete his account of the Convention, but it is thought that the notes following are well worthy of preservation in the archives of New Jersey Masonry: "One of the most interesting events which took place in Morristown during the war for independence was the meet ing of the Military Union Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, to celebrate the feast of Sl. John the Evangelist, in December, 1779, in the old Arnold Tavern. "The presence of Washington, the patriotic character of the resolutions adopted, and the number of distinguished officers who took part, made it peculiarly noteworthy. It was probably the first meeting of the Order in the town, and we can imagine wilh what curiosity the gathering at the inn, and the stately procession from Ihence across the public square to the old church, was witnessed by the people, and what an assem blage of citizens and soldiers filled the sacred building to hear the 'polite discourse' of Dr. Baldwin. No newspaper was then prinled in the county from which a report of the proceedings can be gathered, and the letters which have been preserved of that period are silent on this subject. 336 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "The revival of interest in matters of this period has brought to light many of the circumstances attending this meeting, including its minutes which were found in the records of the Brotherhood in Connecticut and which for many years were supposed to have been lost. "In February, 1776, Richard Gridley, Deputy Grand Master of St. John's Grand Lodge, in Massachusetts, granted a war rant lo 'American Union Lodge, whose members belonged to the Connecticut troops and were then engaged in the mili tary service of the Colonies about Boston. After the evacuation of Boston, and when the army had moved to the vicinity of New York, a confirmation of this charier was applied for from the Masonic authorities of New York. This was denied, but a new warrant was authorized under the name of 'Military Union Lodge, No. i.' This latter name was distasteful to the members, and they never used it when it could be avoided, but continued to call themselves by their more original and patriotic title. "The Lodge kept up its meetings when the army was not on the march, and members were received from lime to time from regiments of different States. In December, 1778, Gen eral Washington was present at the celebration of St. John's Day in Philadelphia, leading the procession to Christ's Church, where a Masonic sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. William Smith, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. The name of Washington became a Masonic toast and first in order al Masonic festivals. "The Continental Army arrived in Morristown about the first of December, 1779, and proceeded to build their huts on the Kemble and Wick Farms, between that town and Baskingridge. Washington took up his residence at the Ford mansion, and the officers of his staff were quartered in various houses about the village. Almost immediately, on the fifteenth, the Masonic brethren came together and held a meeting at 'Colonel Gray's quarters' to elect officers and to prepare for the coming festival O'f St. John,lhe evangelist. 337 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY The Minutes of this meeting, as of that which followed, are found in the 'History of Free and Accepted Masons in New York,' by Charles T. McClenachan, Historian of the Grand Lodge, a work from which I am kindly permitted to make extracts at pleasure. The originel minutes are in possession of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. Captain-Lieutenant Jonathan Heart, of the Third Connecticut Regiment, was chosen Worshipful Master; Lieutenant and Paymaster Rich ard Sill, of the Eighth Regiment, Senior Warden; Captain Robert Warner, of Colonel Wyllis' Regiment, Junior War den; Captain William Richards, of Starr's Regiment, Treas urer; Surgeon John R. Watrous, of Wyllis' Regiment, Sec retary; Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Grosvenor, Senior Dea con; Captain Henry Champion, of the First Connecticut, Junior Deacon; Privates Joseph Lorain and Thomas Binns, of Captain Pond's Company, Sixth Connecticut Regiment, Tylers. "Worshipful Master Jonathan Heart was appointed 'a committee from the different lines in the army at Morris town to lake inlo consideration some matiers respecting the good of Masonry' (probably to arrange for the coming festi val). In preparation for this, Captain Thomas Kinney and Major Jeremiah Bruen, of Morristown, went to Newark and borrowed from St. John's Lodge, No. i, which had been established there in 1761, the necessary paraphernalia. In the old minute-book of this Lodge, under dale of December 24th, 1779, is found the following receipt for this property. 'An acct. of sundrie articles laken out of the Lodge Chest of Newark St. John's Lodge, No. i, by consent of Bro. John Robinson, Bro. Lewis Ogden, Brother Moses Ogden and lent unto Brother Thomas Kinney and Bro. Jerry Brewin to carry as far as Morristown, said Brothers Kinney and Bre win promising on the word of Brothers to return the same articles as p's Inventory below unto our Bro. John Robin son, present Secretary when called-for witness our hands Brothers as below: — • 338 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY '24 Aprons, besides one that was bound and fring'd which Bro. Kinney claims as his own. '2Ebony Trunlchions tipt with silver, the other they are to get if to be found. '3Large Candlesticks. '3 Large Candlemolds. "I Silk Pedestal Cloth Bound with Silver Lace. 'i Damask Cutchion. 'l Silver Key with a blue Ribbon stripped with black. 'i Silver Levell with a blue Ribbon stripped with black. II " Square " " " " " " " " Plumb " " " " " " " 'Newark, Dec'r 24, 1779. '(Signed) Thomas Kinney Jerh. Bruen.' "The meeting for which these preparations were made was held in the Arnold (formerly Kinney's) Tavern, on the north side of the Green,- which had been Washington's headquar ters in the winter of 1777, after the battle of Princeton. It was one of the principal hotels in the place, and was fre quented by all the army officers. The 'dancing assembly,' for which $13,000 in Continental scrip was raised, was held here. * * * "At this time (of the celebration of the festi val of St. John, the Evangelist) the general court martial for the trial of General Arnold was holding its sessions at the Dickerson Tavern, corner of Water and Spring streets, kept, while its owner was in the service, by Roberi Norris. The entry in its minutes, December 27th, shows that the court met only to adjourn, for six of its members and the Judge Advocate were of the Masonic fraternity, and had more agreeable business on hand that day. "In Mr. McQenachan's book is a full account of this meet ing. The minutes read: 339 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 'Morristown, December 27th, 1779. An Entered Apprentices' Lodge was held this day, for the celebration of the festival of St. John the Evangelist 'Officers present— Brothers Jonathan Heart, Worshipful Master; Richard Sill, Senior Warden; Robert Warner, Junior Warden; WUliam Richards, Treasurer; John R. Watrous, Secretary; Thomas Grosvenor, Senior Deacon; Brother Little, Junior Deacon, and Lorain and Binns, Tylers. "Members present— Brothers Stillwell, Higgins, Worthing ton, Curtis, Barker, Gray, Sherman, Craig, Wilson, Bush, Judd, Heath, S. Richards, S. Wyllis, Parsons, Huntington, Smith, Judson, Qark, Hosmer, J. Wyllis, Fitch, Pierce, Ser geant, Graham, Filch, Whiting.' * » » t * * * "Nearly all the members of the Lodge present were from the Connecticut line. This State had a division of two bri gades at Morristown. The First Brigade consisted of the First Regiment, Col. Starr; the Third Regiment, Col. Wyllis; the Fifth Regiment, Col. Bradley, and the Seventh Regiment, Col. Swift. The Second Brigade consisted of the Second Regiment, Col. Buller; the Fourth Regiment, Col. Durkee; the Sixth Regiment, Col. Meigs; and the Eighth Regiment, Col. Sherman. An additional regiment, com manded by Col. Samuel B. Webb, was afterward added to this Brigade. *?*???? "Next in the minutes are the names of sixty-eight visiting brethren. First of all comes Washington, and with him was Major Caleb Gibbs, of Rhode Island, the commander of his life guard, until succeeded by his Lieutenant, William Colfax, of New Jersey. He was wounded in the fool in the assault on the enemy's redoubt at Yorktown. He was dispatched in May, 1780, by Washington to meet Lafayette, who had just arrived in Boston, to escort him to the Head Quarters, 340 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY at Morristown, where Washington writes 'a bed is prepared for him.' " * * * Following is the list of the "visiting brethren:" Colonel Alexander Hamilton, Robert Erskine, General John Lawrence, General Mordecai Gist, General Otto Williams, General William Maxwell, General Elias Dayton, General Anthony W. White, Colonel Henry Jack son, Colonel John Brooks, Colonel Richard Butler, Lieu tenant-Colonel Morgan Conner, Colonel Henry Sherburne, Captain Thomas Hughes, Lieutenant John Hubbart, Ensign Jeremiah Greenman, Colonel Thomas Kinney, Colonel Jacob Arnold, Major Jeremiah Bruen, Dr. Jabez Campfield, John Armstrong, Lieutenant Jeremiah Van Renselear, Dr. Nicholas Schuyler, Lieutenant Samuel Lewis, Lieutenant Gilbert R. Livingston, Lieutenant Philip Connine, Captain Leonard Bleecker, Lieutenant and Paymaster John Stagg, Adjutant Peler Ellsworth, Lieutenant Thomas Hunt, Lieuten ant Francis Hamner, Colonel Thomas Proctor, Captain Thomas Machin, Captain James Maclure, Captain-Lieuten ant John Waldron, Lieutenani Isaac Guion, Captain EHsha Harvey, Lieutenant Peter Woodward, Captain-Lieutenant Thomas "Thompson, Chaplain Andrew Hunter, Captain John Sandford, Captain Daniel Piatt, Captain Isaac Craig, Major Thomas Church, Captain^ Lieutenant Thomas Campbell, Captain John Savidge, Captain Nathaniel Van Sant, Surgeon Charles McCarter, Lieutenant Peter Summers, Lieutenant Wilder Bevins, Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Mentges, Chap lain William Rogers, Lieutenant Edward Spears, Surgeon Noah Coleman, Dr. Abraham Baldwin, Captain Henry Ten Eyck, Captain Joseph Fox, Lieutenant James Bruff, Paymas ter-General Hezekiah Wetmore, Captain Wilhelmus Ryck man, Captain Samuel Shaw, Thomas Edwards, Lieutenant Benjamin L. Peckman, Durfee. "The Lodge was opened, and after the usual ceremonies had been performed, the brethren formed a procession in the following order: ¦'i. Bro. Binns, to clear the way. 341 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "2. The Band of Music. "3. Brother Lorain, with a Drawn Sword. "4. The Deacons, with their Rods. "S. The Brethren, by Juniority. "6. The Passed Masters. "7. The Secretary and Treasurer. "8. The Wardens, with their Wands. "9. The Worshipful Master. "The Brethren then proceeded lo the Meeting-house, where a very 'polite' discourse, adapted to the occasion, was delivered by the Rev. Doct. Baldwin, of the Connecticut Line. After service, the Brethren returned by the same order to the Lodge-room, where a collation was served, &c., &c., which being over, the following business was transacted. "Voted unanimously, that the thanks of the Lodge be pre sented to the Rev. Dr. Baldwin, for the polite address deliv ered by him this day in public. "Voted unanimously, that the Secretary wail on the Rev. Dr. Baldwin, with a copy of the minutes, and a request that he will favor the Lodge with a copy of the address, and per mission to have it published. "A petition was read, representing the present slate of Freemasonry to the several Deputy Grand Masters in the United States of America, desiring them to ado'pt some measures for appointing a Grand Master over said States, of which the following is a copy: PETITION. "To the Most Worshipful, the present Provincial Grand Masters in each of the respective United States of America: "The petitioners, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in the several Lines of the Army of these United States, assem bled on the Festival of Sl. John the Evangelist, at Morris town, Dec. 27th., 1779, to you, as the patrons and safeguard of the Craft of America beg leave to prefer their humble address. 342 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "Wilh sincere regret we contemplate the misfortunes of war, which have unhappily separated us from the Grand Lodge in Europe, and deprived us from the benefits arising therefrom, so essentially necessary for the well-being of Masonry, and which has, in many instances, been subversive of the very institution of the Order. At the same lime we lament that political disputes and national quarrels should influence the exercise of charity and benevolence, and their several virtues, so necessary for our present and future happi ness. Yet, considering the present situation of our Lodges and Masonry in general, the necessily, for the honor of tha Craft, and the importance of enjoying the benefits of so valu able an institution, that some exertions are made for check ing the present irregularities, restoring peace and harmony to the Lodges, for opening a way to the enjoyment of the fruits of benevolence, charily and brotherly love, and for the re-establishment of the Order on the ancient respectable foundation; which we conceive can never be done more effectually than by the appointment of a Grand Master in and over the United Stales of America. "We therefore most earnestly request that the present Provincial Grand Masters in the respective said United States would take some measure for the appointment of a Grand Master in and over the said Thirteen United States of America, either by nominating a person proper for that office, whose abilities and rank in life shall answer the importance of that conspicuous and elevated station, and transmit such nomination to our Mother Lodge in Britain, that the appointment may be made, or in such other manner as shall to them appear most eligible. And we further beg leave to express our wishes that the several provincial Grand Masters in these Slates would, in the intermediate time, enter inlo unanimous and vigorous measures for checking the growing irregularities in the Society, cementing the dif ferent branches, erasing the distinction between Ancient and Modem in these States, that the Craft may be estabhshed in 343 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY unanimity, the established principles of its institution more universally extended, and that our conduct may not only be the admiration of men in this world, but receive the final applause of the Grand Architect of the Universe in the other, where there is nothing but light and love. "Voted, That the foregoing petition be circulated through the different Lines in the Army. "Voted, That a committee be appointed from the different Lodges in the .\rmy, from each Line, and from the Staff of the Army, to convene on the first Monday of February next, at Morristown, to take the foregoing petition inlo considera tion. "Voted, That when the dividend of the expense of this day shall be paid, eaoh brother will put into- the hands of the Treasurer or Secretary what he shall see fit, for the use of the poor of this town. "Voted, That the money so collected be transmitted lo Bro. Kinney, to appropriate to the necessities, first oi the widows and orphans of Masons, next to soldiers' wives and children in distressed circumstances; if any shall remain, he will apply it lo those poor persons in this town whom he shall judge stand most in need thereof. "Lodge closed till called together by the Master's order.' "Dr. Abraham Baldwin, who- delivered the 'polite dis course,' was Abraham Baldwin, who was born in Guilford, Conn., Nov. 6lh., 1754, graduated al Yale in 1772 and was tutor there until after the beginning of the War. At the time of the meeting ihe was Brigade Chaplain in the Connecticut Line. ******* "The meeting-house in which this address was delivered was that of the First Presbyterian Congregation, a frame building erected at least twenty years before, and to which a steeple had been added in 1763. It stood back of and to the east of the present church, and was a plain, square building, covered, like the Old Court 'House, with shingles. In 344 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY March, i796,after the erection of the present structure, it was ordered to be taken down at the expense of the congre gation, but was, in fact, moved to the wesl of the church property, -was turned into- a distillery, and became one of the seventeen which Dr. Bames alleged to have been in the bounds of the parish in his day.'' From the following letter, written by Washington to General William Irvine, on the ninth day of Janu ary, in the year 1780, it may be reasonably inferred that the expedition under the command of Lord Stirl ing (to which our story will soon refer), had, previous to the date above mentioned, either been suggested to the commander-in-chief by some officer of the patriot army, or independently contemplated by him: "Circumstanced as things are — men half starved — imper fectly clothed — riotous — and robbing the country people of their subsistence from sheer necessity, I think it scarcely possible to embrace any moment, however favorable in other respects, for visiting the enemy on Staten Island, and yet if this frost should have made a firm and solid bridge between them and us I should be unwilling — indeed I cannot relin quish the idea of attempting it." With whomsoever the idea of an expedition to Stat en Island originated, it was decided upon by Washing ton, as the following second communication to Gener al Irvine proves: "Monday, January 10, 1780. I have determined in case the present condition of the ice and prospect of its continuance will warrant the enterprise, to- make an attempt upon the enemy's quarters and posts on Staten Island." 345 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY It was on the fifteenth day of January, five days lat er, in the year 1780, that Quartermaster Joseph Lewis, as we learn from one of his letters, received orders from General Greene "to procure three hundred sleds or sleighs to parade Friday morning at this post and at Mr. Kimble's." "I did not fail to exert myself on the occasion," wrote Lewis, "and the magistrates gained deserved applause. About five hundred sleds or sleighs were collected, the majority of which were loaded with troops, artillery and so forth. These sleds and as many more are lo return loaded wilh stores from the British magazines, on Staten Island, except some few that are to be loaded with wounded British prisoners. About 3,000 troops are gone, under the command of Lord Stirling, with a determination to remove all Staten Island, bag and baggage, to Morristown!" This expedition, of which Quartermaster Lewis thus half-humorously writes, and which set out from Mor ristown probably about the seventeenth day of Janu ary, of the year 1780, was a failure, so far as the accom plishment of the intended object was concerned, for the enemy having in some way received warning of the movement, they were fully prepared to meet the Amer ican force, and thwart their designs. In the following extract, cited from the New Jersey Gazette, of January 19, we have a fine specimen of the patriotism which is determined to put the best construction upon even the misfortunes of war: It will "show the British mercenaries with what zeal and alacrity the Americans -will embrace every opportunity, 346 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY even in a very inclement season, lo promote the interests of the country by harassing the enemies lo their freedom and independence." Three days later, Quartermaster Lewis, in a some what more serious frame of mind, and yet with an ap parent tinge of humor, wrote from Morristown : "I suppose you have heard of the sucess of our late expedi tion to Staten Island. It was expensive, bul answered no valuable purpose. It showed the inclination of our inhabi tants to plunder." That this expedition was not only expensive, and so far as the accomplishment of the main design was concerned, fruitless, but disastrous, also, may be in ferred from the circumstance, that of the 3,000 troops dispatched to Staten Island, about 500 returned to camp on "Kimble's Hill," with frozen feet. By way of retaliation for the raid into their lines, a detachment of British troops in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Bushkirk, between the hours of 11 and 12 o'clock, on the night of January 25, landed quietly at Elizabeth- town. The force consisted of three or four hundred infantry and one hundred dragoons. They burned the meeting-house, townhouse and another building, plun dered some of the inhabitants, took several prisoners and retired without the loss of a man. The view taken by Washington of the above-mentioned British de scent upon Elizabethtown may be learned from the foUowing order issued from the Ford mansion to Gen- 347 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY eral St. Clair, on the twenty-seventh day of the same month and year: "You will be pleased to repair to our lines and investigate the causes of the lale misfortune and disgrace at Elizabeth- town, and report your opinion thereupon, as soon as inquiry is made."On the twenty-ninth day of February, in the year 1780, Washington wrote to Joseph Reed, of Philadel phia: "We have opened an assembly at camp. From this appar ent ease, I suppose it is thought we must be in happy cir cumstances. I wish il was so, but, alas, it is not. Our pro visions are in a manner, gone. We have nol a ton of hay at command, nor magazine to draw from. Money is extremely scarce, and worth little when we get it. We have been so poor in camp for a fortnight, that we could not forward the public dispatches, for want of cash to support the expresses." Of the subscription paper of the "assembly" mentioned by Washington, in the foregoing letter, the original of which is now in the possession of the Biddle family, on the Delaware, the following is a correct transcript: "The subscribers agree to pay the sums annexed to their respective names, and an equal quota of any further expense which may be incurred in the promotion and support of a dancing assembly lo be held in Morristown, the present winter of 1780. Subscrip tion Moneys to be paid inlo the hands of a Treasurer to be appointed." Nath. Greene 400 dolls paid H. Knox 400 ditto paid John Lawrence 400 dolls paid J. Wilkinson 400 doUs paid Clement Biddle 400 dolls paid 348 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Robt. H. Harrison 400 dolls paid R. K. Meade 400 dolls paid Alex. Hamilton 400 dolls paid Tench Tighlman 400 dolls paid C Gibbs 400 dolls paid Jno. Pierce 400 dolls paid The Baron de Kalb 400 dolls paid Jno. Moylan 400 dolls paid Le Ch Dulingsley 400 dolls paid Geo. Washington paid F. D. ($400) R. Clairborne paid 400 dolls Lord Stirling paid 400 dolls Col. Hazen paid 400 dolls Asa Worthington paid 400 dolls Benj. Browm paid 400 dolls Major Stagg paid 400 dolls James Thompson paid 400 dolls H. Jackson paid 400 dolls Col. Thomas Proctor paid 400 dolls J. B. Cutting paid 400 dolls Edward Hand paid 400 dolls William Little paid 400 dolls Thos. Woodford paid 400 dolls Geo. Olney 400 dolls paid Jas. Abeel 400 dolls paid Robert Erskine 400 dolls paid Jno. Cochran 400 dolls paid Geo. Draper 400 dolls paid J. Burnet 400 dolls paid The Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., L. L. D., in speaking of the "dancing assembly,'' held in Morristown, during the winter of 1780, says: "I will frankly confess this subscription paper produced an unpleasant sensation in my mind, and no reasoning have, as yet, entirely removed the sense of unfitness in the contrast of dancing assemblies * * * and the suf ferings of the barefooted, naked, starving soldiers in the 349 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY camp only four miles off. Just think of what one of those men, who did not attend the assembly balls, related. Il was Capt. Wm. Tuttle who said, 'there was a path which lead from the Wicke house down to the Jersey camp and I have often seen that path marked with blood, which had been squeezed from the cracked and naked feet of our soldiers, who had gone up to the house lo ask an alms!' How they suffered there, wilh the snow piled about them, with insuffi cient clothing and very scanty and poor food; and yet there was dancing al * * + gut il is not my object to criti cise this contract; for dancing and dying, feasting and star vation, plenty wreathed wilh flowers, and gaunt famine bare foot and wreathed in rags, are contrasted facts in other places than at Morristown, and at other times than 'this present winter of 1870.' My object in mentioning this sub scription paper is to throw light on the currency of the day. Here were thirteen thousand six hundred dollars subscribed to pay the dancing master and tavern keeper for a few nights entertainment. Nominally it is up lo the extrava gance of the modern Fifth Avenue; but the entire sum sub scribed in 1780 by those thirty-four gentlemen, for assembly balls, was not worth more than three hundred silver dol lars. * + * Let us rather admire than condemn these brave men, al Morristown, who were striving lo invest the stern severities of that winter with something of the gayer and more frivolous courtesies of fashionable life." The assembly dances, lo which reference has been made were held in the Arnold tavern hall, and in the large room on the second floor of the "Continental Store.'' A more realistic bit of pictorial reference to the so journ of Washington's army in Morristown, has not come to the attention of the writer, than the following, quoted from "The Story of an Old Farm," by Andrew D. Melick, Jr.: "There was constant going and com- 350 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY ing between the different posts, and the highways and byways were alive with soldiers. Farmer-lads on their way to mill with sacks of corn athwart their horses' backs, rode 'cheek by joul' with spurred and booted troopers, and listened with open-eyed wonder to their warlike tales. The rattle of farm wagons was supple mented by the heavy roll of artillery trains, and squads of infantry were met at every hand." The time for the removal of the American army from its winter quarters in Morristown and vicinity, and its active participation in another campaign, was approaching. The well authenticated incident about to be related (the popular version is here given), will serve as an illustration of the methods resorted to in the endeavor to procure horses for the transportation of army stores, and for use in the cavalry battalions. On the right of the road leading westward toward Mendham, and a short distance from the intersection of the Jockey Hollow road with the former road, stood a house, of the New England style of architecture. It was the residence of Henry Wick, the owner of a con siderable portion of the land on which the camps of the patriot army were pitched. His daughter, Tem perance, familiarly called "Tempe," was an expert horsewoman, and was the owner of a young Horse to which she was strongly attached. Perhaps her fond ness for this noble animal may have been in a measure owing to the imbibition, on her part, of the sentiment of the poet, who says: 351 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "Let cavillers deny That brutes have reason; sure 'tis something more, 'Tis heaven directs, and stratgems inspires Beyond the short extent of human thought." A mile, it may have been, below the Wick house, on the road to Mendhami, lived Dr. WUliam Leddell, a brother-in-law of "Temple Wick." On a certain day in the spring of the year 1780, while preparations for the removal of the patriot army were in p'rogress, Temple Wick saddled and bridled her horse, and tode down to Dr. Leddell's for a social caU. The call ended she mounted her horse to retum home. Nearly in front of the residence of her brother-in-law, she was accosted by several American soldiers, who command ed her to dismount, and let them have her horse. One of the soldiers had rudely seized the bridle reins. Ap pearing to be submissive to the loss of her horse, meanwhile entreating the soldiers not to take her fav orite, she was formulating in her active brain the ruse which, as we shaU see outwitted them. "I am sorry," she coolly remarked, "to part with my horse, but if you are resolved upon taking him from me, let me ask of you two favors, first, that you re tum him to me, if possible, and second, whether you return him or not, to treat him well." Completely thrown off their guard by the seeming acquiescence of the gentle rider in the loss of her horse, the reins were released by the soldier who had held them. "Temple" immediately touched the animal with her whip, and like an anow shot by a strong arm 352 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY from the bow he sped up the hill toward home. As she rode away at full speed, one or more of the sol diers discharged their muskets in the direction of the bold rider; not, however, with the intention of hitting her, but probably as a means of frightening her into stopping in her rapid flight. Onward sped horse and rider, up the long hUl lead ing to the Wick house, on reaching which the horse was taken round to the north side, into the kitchen, from thence into the parlor, and through the parlor into the spare bed chamber at the northwest corner of the building. The single wooden window shutter was at once closed, and the horse, after a caress or two from its rider, was left in the darkened room. The sol diers, unwilling to be baffled in their endeavor to pro cure the horse, hastened on foot up the hill to the Wick house, and after searching the premises in vain for the coveted prize, they departed crestfallen. "Tempe's" favorite horse was kept for three weeks in the spare bed chamber, by the expiration of which time the American troops had taken their departure from the vicinity. The prints of the horse's hoofs upon the floor of the bed chamber in the Wick house were visible for many years after the occurrence of the incident related. They disappeared when, a few years since, a new floor was laid in the room. The writer has conversed with several persons, each of whom "with my own eyes" saw the hoof prints of "Tempe" Wick's favorite saddle horse in the spare bed chamber. The single window in the room mentioned 353 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY may be seen in the picture accompanying the present chapter; it is on the first floor and farthest from the front of the famous house. Interesting to relate, the exterior and interior of the Wick house, stUl (1905) standing, is practically the same as in Revolutionary times. The rooms, so far as dimensions and relative positions are concemed, are exactly as they were in the year 1780. "LeddeU's MiU" is still in operation, grinding the grain as it did 125 years ago. The stone house — "Dr. Leddell's" — still greets the visitor as he approaches the spot where a woman's tact and bravery outwitted a squad of soldiers greedy for a good horse. 354 CHAPTER XVIII "A clatter of hoofs on the road! a shout! Bring General Wayne to his feet, in a flash He mounts his steed, for the troops are out! And now Mad Anthony makes a dash To turn them back." Ballads of New Jersey in the Revolution. ROM several reliable contemporary witnesses it is learned that during his sojourns in Morristown Wash ington was seldom heard to laUgh aloud; and in view of the grave re sponsibilities which continuously weighed upon the mind and heart of the commander- in-chief of the patriot army, this circumstance should not, and doubtless wUl not, cause surprise. That Washington's customary seriousness, in the face of the exigencies that confronted him, especially during his two sojourns at the county seat of Morris, did not re sult in moroseness, is evidenced by the well authenti cated fact that a placid smUe upon his noble counte nance was a frequent and noticeable occurrence. 355 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY A few instances, however, have been recorded of a hearty laugh indulged in by the ordinary sedate and dignified commander-in-chief. One of these has come to us through General John Doughty, whose acquaint ance with his chief was intimate, and who became a resident of Morristown after the close of the Revolu tion. It seems that Washington had purchased a young and spirited horse, whose breaking to the sad dle he had committed to a man in Morristown, who had made loud professions of efficiency in that particu lar line. The process of breaking, which took place in a large yard south of the Morristown Green, was eag erly witnessed by the commander-in-chief and some of his friends. It was not without several characteristic flourishes that the professed expert leaped to the horse's back, but scarcely was he seated when the young animal threw his head downward and his heels upward in consequence of which sudden movements the over-confident rider was precipitately hurled to the ground. Fortunately, the man received no injury save a little internal shaking up and a few slight bruises. As the dismounted rider lay on the ground, dazed but uninjured, Washington burst into Hearty laughter, which is said to have brought tears to his eyes. Who afterward successfully broke the young horse for the commander-in-chief the writer is unable at present to say. General John Doughty, whose name has been men tioned, was a man of so great importance as to be de serving of more than a mere passing allusion. From a 356 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY writer (J. D. O.), who has carefully prepared a life- sketch of this illustrious soldier, the following extract is quoted: "John Doughty, the son of ITiomas, a gentleman of Scot tish descent, and of Gertrude Leroux the descendant of a Huguenot famUy, was bom about the middle of the last (thr eighteenth) century. In 1770 he graduated at King's (now Co lumbia) college in the city of New York, and in 1776, when the war broke out between Greal Britain and the colonies, he began his mihtary career as 'Captain Leflenant in a com pany of artellery of the Slate of New Jersey,' as expressed in the commission which is in my possession. The next year he was promoted lo the service of the Continental, or regu lar army, and as Captain or Mayor of Artillery, he served during the entire war with Washington, Knox, Steuben, Laf ayette, Hamilton and others. On the conclusion of peace, he was ordered to our Wes tern territory, to establish forts or block houses on the Ohio river and elsewhere, and lo select sites for our future cities. It is melancholy to find that even in those early days of the Republic, there existed corrupt and designing men, who dared to insult a public officer by offering money and other inducements to select their lands for these sites. The in tegrity and sagacity of Major Doughty have been fully proved by subsequent events, and particuarly by the city of Cincinnati; where he established a fort and garrison. Many years ago I mel in Virginia an enthusiastic citizen of Cin cinnati, who assured me that the name of John Doughty was still remembered and venerated in that greal Capital. In the course of this Western expedition Major Doughty had occasion to survey the Tennessee river, and while in a barge manned by sixteen United States soldiers, he was sur rounded and attacked by a large force of Indians in canoes. Seated in the stern of his boat he kept up a continuous fire 357 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY against the enemy, the muskets or rifles being reloaded and handed to him by his men. When eleven out of the sixteen soldiers had been killed or disabled, matiers began to look serious, and the Major thought the only thing to be done was to put an end to the Indian chief. Standing up, he 'took a aim' (to use his own words) as cool and deliberate as if he had been shooting a robin. The shot happily was -successful, the chieftain feU and the Indians fled. Wilh his diminishing crew it was impossible to make any headway against the current of the rivers, and he floated down the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi, until he reached the Span ish post in Louisiana. He threw -himself upon the hospi tality of the commandant of the garrison, by whom he was kindly entertained, and furnished with an escort lo his own country. His protracted absence had caused the greatest anx iety to his relatives and friends, as well as lo the Govern menl. The letter addressed lo him by Gen. Knox, Secretary of War, congratulating him on his safe and unexpected re turn, attests the high estimation in which he was held by the Department at Washington. A short lime after, he was appointed by General Washington, Colonel commandant of a new regiment of infantry, to consist of three battalions, 'in consideration,' as General Knox writes, 'of his long and valuable services.' This position he did not long hold, bul in those piping times of peace, preferred, like Cincinnatus, to retire to his own country home. But he -was not long permitted to remain inactive. The Government having re ceived alarming accounts of the encroachments of the Brit ish on our northern frontier, whereby the people on the border were greatly excited and a collision between the two countries was to be apprehended, entrusted Colonel Dough ty with the delicate and confidential mission of ascertaining the truth of these reports. The story of the alleged en croachments was found lo be false or exaggerated and the reports were pronounced frivolous and unfounded. Together with Washington, Schuyler, Knox and other of- 358 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY ficers of the army of the Revolution, Colonel Doughty was one of the founders of the honorable Society of the Cin cinnati. ? * ? Xhe remaining portion of his life was spent in agricultural pursiiits, in the cultivation of literature, and in the exercise of a generous and elegant hospitality. * * * "phe property of General Doughty consisted of about four hundred acres of land lying on each side of the Basking Ridge road, beginning at Morristown and extend ing nearly a mile to the Southwest." On the eighteenth day of April, in the year 1780, two distinguished foreigners arrived in Morristown; they were the French Minister, Chevaher de la Lu zerne, and Don Juan de Miralles, a Spanish gentleman the latter of whom was a representative of the Spanish Court before the American Congress. A review of four of the more presentable battalions of the patriot army, in honor of these foreign diplomats, having been de cided upon by the commander-in-chief, Baron Steu ben, the thorough disciplinarian of the army, was in structed to make the necessary preparations for the event. This review, or parade, which occurred on the twenty-fourth of April, took place on the grand pa rade, on the Jockey Hollow road. The large platform erected in the field as a reviewing stand, was filled' with ladies and gentlemen of distinction, from various por tions of the States, among whom were Governor Liv ingston and Mrs. Livingston, of New Jersey, and of ficers of the American army encamped in Morristown and vicinity. The evolutions performed by the four carefuUy selected "crack" battahons were of a char acter to afford satisfaction to the commander-in-chief; 359 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY and received, also, the expressed approbation of Chev alier de la Luzerne, who occupied a special seat on the reviewing stand. Don Juan de Miralles, as will in due course be seen, was not present upon this interesting occasion. In the evening a ball was given by the chief officers of the American army, probably in the hall on the second floor of the "Continental House," at which Washington and Luzerne were present, as well, also, as not a few ladies and gentlemen of more or less dis tinction. From the camp ground of Knox's artillery brigade on the Mendham road, a display of firewGrks, including cannon firing, sky rockets, and other curious pyrotechnics, was given for the entertainment of those who, for several reasons, did not attend the "grand ball." As the ballroom was lighted by means of tal low candles, requiring frequent "snuffings," numerous non-attendants doubtless enjoyed a larger measure of iUumination than those who, to the music of the times, "tripped the light fantastic toe." WhUe the four battalions of the patriot army were performing their military maneuvers on the parade ground, and while other "crack" battalions, owing to lack of shoes and stockings and presentable clothing, were unable to participate in "mock war" for the grati- . fication of distinguished visitors, Don Juan de Miralles was tossing with death fever on his bed at Short Hills, whither, on the day after his arrival in Morristown, he had gone on a visit to friends. On the twenty-sixth or twenty-seventh of the month of April he succumbed 360 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY (in Morristown, according to one account, at least) to the disease with which he had been stricken, and on the twenty-ninth was buried with the honors due to his official station at Morristown. The style in which he was buried is said to have sur passed in magnificence that of any other burial ever occurring at the county seat of Morris. His coffin was covered on the outside with rich black velvet, and lined with fine cambric. For burial, he wore a scarlet suit, embroidered with gold lace, a gold-laced hat, a wig carefully cued, white silk stockings and diamond shoe and knee buckles. On his fingers appeared a profusion of diamond rings, and suspended from a superb gold watch were several seals richly set with diamonds. The honorary pallbearers were six field officers, and on the shoulders of four artillery officers in full uniform, the actual pallbearers, he was borne to the grave. The chief mourners were Washington and other officers of high rank, and several members of the American Congress. A procession extending over a mile, composed of army officers and representative Morristown citizens, followed the remains to the grave, while minute guns were fired by the artiUery. A Spanish priest performed the last rites at the grave, employing the impressive form of the Roman Catholic church. To prevent the disturbing of the buried re mains for "filthy lucre's" sake, a guard of soldiers was placed at the grave of the Spanish Minister in the Presbyterian church cemetery. Mention has not a few times been made of the 361 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "Continental House," a famous structure, the history of which is briefly as follows : During the encampment of the American army in and near Morristown in the year 1777, Moore Freeman, deputy quartermaster- general of New Jersey at the time, applied to the trus tees of the Presbyterian church for leave to erect a storehouse for the Continental army on "the parson age lot," as the lands belonging to the church were sometimes called. Consent being given, the building was erected. It stood on the present site of the na tional bank, and next to a house which had been built by a "Mr. Huntington, deceased." This Mr. Hunt ington may have been Simon Huntington, who died July 17, 1770, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. The Huntington house seems to have stood some what to the southeast of the Continental House. The "Continental House," as its name partially in dicates, was used for a few years after its erection as a storage place for army supplies of various kinds. To this storehouse Colonel Benoni Hathaway seems to have brought some of the "merchantable powder," manufactured at Ford's powder miU, on the Whippa nong River. In this building some of the officers and soldiers of Washington's army were quartered, a por tion of the latter, no doubt, as guards, during the winters of 1777, 1779 and 1780. Here were brought several cannon captured by American troops in a British sloop, which was grounded in Elizabethtown Creek. The names of some of the Morris County soldiers who assisted in bringing 362 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY these guns to the county seat are: Captain WiUiam Day, Ephraim Sayre, James Brookfield, Samuel Day, Ellis Cook, Caleb Horton (son of the first pastor of Madison) Joseph Bruen, Benjamin Harris and Ben jamin Bonnell. During Washington's second sojourn in Morristown, in the winter of 1779-80, the upper part of the Continental House was used for several assem bly balls. It was not, however, used as a tavern until after the close of the seven years' struggle for inde pendence. It was burned in the year 1846 when the palatial New Jersey Hotel, which it adjoined, was destroyed by fire. A very pretty incident is related as having occurred in the spring of the year 1780, at the Dr. Jabez Camp-- field residence, situated on what is now Morris street, a picture of which appears in this volume. This house was the quarters of the surgeon-general of the Ameri can army, Dr. John Cochran. Mrs. Cochran was the only sister of General Philip Schuyler, whose daughter Elizabeth, a charming girl of twenty-two years of age, spent several months as a visitor at her aunt's in the early part of the year last mentioned. At fhe quar ters of the surgeon-general, Colonel Alexander Ham ilton, one of Washington's aides, and a resident at the Ford mansion, was a frequent visitor during Miss Schuyler's sojoum at the former place. It was said that the presence of Miss Schuyler at the Cochran home was the chief attraction to Colonel HamUton, and it is popularly believed that the courtship which resulted in the subsequent marriage of this interesting 363 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY couple had its beginning at the quarters of Dr. John Cochran. In the month of September, of the year 1848, Loss ing, the entertaining writer of history, visited Morris town. He was the guest over the one night he spent at the county seat of Morris, of the Hon. Gabriel H. Ford, son of Colonel Jacob Ford, Jr., at the Ford Mansion. In the account of his flying visit to Monis town, as given in "Field Book of the American Revo lution," he says: "I have said I spent an evening at Morristown with Judge Ford, the proprietor of the headquarters of Washington. I look back upon the conversation of that evening with much pleasure, for the venerable octogenarian entertained me until a late hour with many pleasing anecdotes illustrative of the social con dition of the army, and of the private character of the commander-in-chief. "As an example of Washington's careful attention to small matters, and his sense of justice he mentioned the fact that, when he took up his residence with his mother, he made an inventory of all articles which were appropriated to his use during the winter. When he withdrew in the spring, he inquired of Mrs. Ford whether everything had been returned to her. 'All but one silver tablespoon,' she answered. He took note of it, and not long afterward she received from him a spoon hearing his initials — 'G. W.' That spoon is preserved as a precious relic in the family. * * * Mr. Ford, then a lad, was a favorite with Hamilton, 364 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY and, by permission of the chief, the colonel would give him the countersign, so as to allow him to play at the village after the sentinels were posted for the night. On one occasion he was returning home about nine o'clock in the evening, and had passed the sentinel, when he recognized the voice of Hamilton in a reply to the soldier's demand of 'Who comes there?' He stepped aside, and waited for the colonel to accompany him to the house. Hamilton came up to the point of the presented bayonet of the sentinel to give the coun tersign, but he had quite forgotten it. 'He had spent the evening' said Judge Ford, who related the anec dote to me, 'with Miss Schuyler, and thoughts of her undoubtedly expelled the countersign from his head.' The soldier lover was embarrassed, and the sentinel, who knew him well, was stern in the performance of his duty. Hamilton pressed his hand upon his fore head, and tried hard to summon the cabalistic words from their hiding place, but, like the faithful sentinel, they were immovable. Just then he recognized young Ford in the gloom. 'Ay, Master Ford, is that you?' he said in an undertone; and stepping aside, he called the lad to him, drew his ear to his mouth, and whis pered, 'Give me the countersign.' He did so, and Ham ilton stepping in front of the soldier, delivered it. The sentinel, seeing the movement, and believing that his superior was testing his fidelity, kept his bayonet un moved. 'I have given you the countersign; why do you not shoulder your musket?' asked Hamilton. 'WUl that do, colonel?' asked the soldier in reply. 'It wiU do, 365 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY for this time,' said Hamilton; 'let me pass.' The sol dier reluctantly obeyed the iUegal command, and Hamilton and his young companion reached head quarters without further difficulty. Colonel Hamilton afterward married Miss Schuyler." From "Publications of the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America, No. i. Edited by the Committee on Research," the following valuable ex tract is given: "(Captain John Steele, son of Captain William and Rachel Carr Steele, was born in Lancaster Counly, Pennsylvania, in the year 1761. At the age of sevenieen he ran away from college to enter the army, and was soon made captain of a company of veterans from Cumberland Valley. He was nine teen years old when the following letter was written. Wounded at Brandywine, he followed Washington through his campaigns until the surrender of Cornwallis, when Cap tain Steele was officer of the day. Immediately after the war he married Abigail Bailey, of Lancaster County. He fre quently represented his district in the Senate and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania. In 1809 he was appointed Collector of the Port of Philadelphia, which office he held until shortly before his death in 1827. He was one of the original members of the Cincinnati. He is buried in the old Pine Street Presbyterian churchyard, Philadelphia.)" "Dear Will: I have omitted several opportunities of writ ing, with a daily expectation of seeing you and my brother Jake, which I now cease lo hope for, as we have taken the field for several days in consequence of a sudden and unex pected excursion of the enemy, from Staten Island and Jer sey, who 'have, (as usual) committed the most cruel and wanton depredations by burning and destroying the houses and properly of many peaceable and defenceless inhabitanls; 366 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY but the most striking instance of their barbarity was in tak ing the life of a most amiable lady, wife of Parson Caldwell of Springfield, who lefl nine small chUdren, the youngest eight months old which sal in its Mamma's lap a witness to the cruel murder, though insensible of its loss, nor did their barbarity end there, for after several skirmishes (in which it is thought we killed al least 150 and a proportionate num ber wounded, together with several officers, one of which was General Stirling) they retired to Elizabeth Town Point, where they remained fortifying and possessing themselves of parts of the lown; and 'lis said that two nights ago they made an indiscriminate sacrifice of all the females in the place : — a cruel slaughter indeed ! Yesterday a Captain from the British army deserted to us, the cause to me unknown, but he is beyond doubt a damned rascal, but il all conspires lo make glorious the once dreaded (though now ignomi nious) arms of Britain. "I am at present enjoying myself incomparably well in the family of Mrs. Washington, whose guard I have had the honour to command, since the absence of the General and the rest of the family, which is now six or seven days. I ara happy in the importance of my charge as well as in the presence of the most amiable woman upon earth, whose character should I attempt to describe I could not do juslice to, but will only say I think it unexceptionable; the first and second nights after I came it was expected that a body of the enemy's horse would pay us a visit, bul I was well pre pared to receive them, for I had not only a good detach ment of well disciplined troops under my command, but four members of Congress who- came volunteers wilh their mus- quels, bayonets and ammunition. I assure you they have disposed of a greater share of Spirits than you have ever seen in that body or perhaps ever will see as long as they exist. I leave you to judge whether there is not considera ble mint due their commander. I only wish I had a company of them to command for a campaign! and if you would not 367 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY see an alteration in the constitution of our army against the next, I would suffer to lose my ears and never command a Congressman again. The rations they have consumed con siderably overbalance all their service done as volunteers, for they have dined with us every day almost, and drank as much wine as they would earn in six months. Make my best love to my dear sister Betsey, parents, brothers and sisters, as well as lo all my good neighbors; but in a most particular manner to somebody I can't write to for fear of miscarriage. "I am your affectionate Brother, JACK STEELE, "Headquarters, Morristown, June 14th, '80." Washington, with the greater portion of the patriot army, left Morristown in the early part of the month of June, in the year 1780. By the twenty-first of jthe month he was on his way toward West Point, on the Hudson. Two brigades of the army, however, in com mand of General Greene, were left in the vicinity of Springfield, about ten miles southeast of the county seat of Morris. Landing at Elizabethtown Point on the night of June 5, with 5,000 men, including the famous Coldstream Guards, Lieutenant-General Knyphausen, the British commander, made an at tempt on the following day to reach Morristown. At Connecticut Farms he was met by an American force in command of General Maxwell, and Colonel Day ton. The patriot army was, however, pushed back toward Springfield, where, on the twenty-third of June, a battle was fought, resulting in the hasty retreat of the British force. Among the participants in the ac- 368 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY tions at Connecticut Farms and Springfield was Lien tenant-Colonel Benoni Hathaway, of Morristown. At the former place, Colonel Hathaway received a severe wound in the neck, from a British sentinel, whose re peated chaUenge he deliberately failed to answer. At the battle of Springfield, in which Colonel Hathaway exhibited great bravery, there occurred a disagreement between him and General Heard, an efficient officer, whom Hathaway accused of unnecessarily leaving the field with his command. On his return to Morristown Colonel Hathaway preferred charges against his superior officer, his communication to Governor Liv ingston being as follows: Morristown, 15 July, 1780. "To his Exelency the Governor. I send you in Closed Severel charges which I Charg B D Haird with while he commanded the Militare Sum Time in jun Last al Elizabeth Town farms which I pray His Exilency would Call a Court of inquiry on these Charges if his ExUency thinkes it worth notising from your Hum Ser Benonoi Hathaway Lut Coll." To exilency the Governor. "This is the Charges that I bring against General Haird While he Commanded the Milita at Elizabethtown farms sum Time in June last 1780. "i — Charg is for leaving his post and Marching the Trups of their post without order and Leaving that Pass without aney gard between the Enemy and our armey without giv ing aney notis that pass was open Between three and fore O'urs. "2 — Charg is Retreating in Disorder Before the Enemy without ordering aney Rear gard or flanks out leading of the Retreat Him Self. 369 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "3 — Charg is for marching the Trups of from advantiges peace of ground wheare we mit Noyed them much and Lick- ley prevented thear gaining the Bridg at Fox Hall had not the Trups Bin ordered of which prevented our giving our armey aney assistence in a Time of great Destris. "4 — Charg is for marching the Trups of a Bout one mUe from aney part of the Enemy and taken them upon an Hy mountan and kept them thear till the Enemy had gained Springfeald Bridge. "List of Evidence CoU Van Cortland Wm Skank the Brigad Major Capt Benjman Cartiir Capt Nathaniel Horton Adjt Kiten King Major Samuel Hays Leutnant Backover." Morristown was of too great importance, strategic ally, to be entirely abandoned by the American forces, hence, on his departure in the early part of June, in the year 1780, Washington had left there about 2,000 Pennsylvania troops, which, with the local militia, were considered adequate to the protection of the county seat of Morris. These Pennsylvania troops were at the time encamped on the grounds at the southeast corner of the Jockey HoUow and Mendham roads, the position formerly occupied by Hand's bri gade. Between these troops and their officers there was a difference of opinion concerning the term of ser vice for which they had enlisted; the rank and file con tending that it was for three years only, whUe the latter were equally as earnest in their contention that 370 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY it was for the war, regardless of how long it might con tinue. If this had been the only cause of dissatisfaction on the part of the troops encamped on the Jockey HoUow road, the trouble of which we are about to speak might not have ocurred; but these soldiers had received no pay for twelve months and they were also without necessary food and clothing. "Though the Pennsylvania troops (we now quote from Thatcher in his Military Journal, written while the Revolu tion was in progress) have been subjected to all the dis couragements and difficulties felt by the rest of the army, some particular circumstances peculiar to themselves have contributed to produce the revolt. When the soldiers first enlisted, the recruiting officers were provided with enlisting rolls for the term- of three years, or during the continuance of the war, and as the officers indulged the opinion that the war would not continue more than three years, they were perhaps indifferent in which column the soldier's name was inserted, leaving it liable to an ambiguity of construction. It is clear, however, that a part, enlisted for three years, and others for the more indefinite term 'during the war.' The soldiers now contend that they enlisted for three years at furthest, and were to have been discharged sooner, in case the war terminated before the expiration of this term. The war being protracted beyond the time expected, and the officers knowing the value of soldiers who have been trained by three years' service, are accused of putting a different construction on the original agreement, and claiming their services during the war. The soldiers, even those who act ually listed for the war, having received very small bounties, complain of imposition and deception, and their case is ex tremely aggravated by the fact, that three half Joes have now 371 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY been offered as a bounty to others, who wUl enlist for the remainder of the war, when these veteran soldiers have served three years for a mere shadow of compensation ! It was scarcely necessary to add to their trying circumstances, a total want of pay for twelve months, and a stale of naked ness and famine, to excite in a soldier the spirit of insurrec tion. The officers themselves, also feeling aggrieved, and in a destitution, relaxed in their system of camp discipline, and the soldiers occasionally overheard their murmurs and complaints." Continued brooding through the autumn of the year 1780, over the situation, resulted in the decision to re volt. In accordance, therefore, with preconceived plans, the entire force of Pennsylvania troops, with the exception of portions of three regfiments, marched under arms to the magazine (or storehouse) where they supplied themselves with provisions and ammu nition. This was on the first day of January, in the year 1781. They seized six field pieces, and from the stables of General Wayne took the required comple ment of horses to move them. By some writers of local history it is stated that the magazine from which these revolters procured their supphes was the one located on the south side of the Morristown Green, known as the "Continental House," subsequently transformed into a tavern and kept by one O'Hara. The more reasonable theory, however, as the present writer conceives (and a theory, indeed, which has substantial support in extant dcou- mentary evidence), is that from the magazine estab lished by General Wayne, after his arrival in Morris- 372 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY town late in the year i78o,just to the east of the Wick house, the revolters procured provisions and ammuni tion. From the "Continental House," near the Mor ristown Green, the mutineers are by some said to have procured the field pieces, as this magazine was the re pository of cannon while in use as a storehouse of gov ernment supplies, but it is far more likely that the field pieces were found nearer camp. Indeed, it is practic ally certain that they were taken from the summit of Fort Hill, to the rear of the camp ground, where can non had previously been planted for defense against attack by the enemy. The mutineers are said to have been in command of a sergeant-major, by them ap pointed, whom they called "major-general." Of the fragments of the brigade which had not at first joined in the revolt, some of the line officers took command, and with them attempted to restore order. There is a local tradition to the effect that the revolt ers, in their resistance to this attempt, fired and killed Captain Adam Bettin, of the Tenth Pennsylvania Regiment, and wounded several other officers. It is said that on either side several were killed. Of the wounding and killing of several of the officers and sol diers there is little doubt ; but the popular theory con cerning the manner of Bettin's death should in view of the facts in the case, be abandoned. The facts, as ex tant records indicate, are as follows: Some of the muti neers were in pursuit of an officer who had attempted to use force in quelling the mutiny. As the pursuers turned a corner of one of the camp streets they sud- 373 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY denly encountered Captain Bettin. In their excited state of mind, mistaking Bettin for the officer they were pursuing, the mutineers fired, and killed him on the spot; his kUling was, therefore, surely accidental. The threat of the mutineers to bayonet their oppos ers if they did not instantly join in the revolt produced the desired effect, and the rank and file of the entire brigade were soon involved in the mutiny, which is now one of the interesting incidents of local history. General Anthony Wayne, who was in command of the Pennsylvania troops in Morristown at the period under consideration, was quartered at the residence of Peter Kemble, on the Basking Ridge road, about a mile southeast from camp. Hearing, on the morning of January first, of the mutiny of his troops, Wayne mounted his horse, and, in company with some of his staff officers, sped westward toward the camp, in the hope of being able to restore order. In a field on the opposite side of the road from camp where some of tl^e mutineers were gathered, Wayne addressed his sol diers, endeavoring to persuade them to return to duty. After listening for some time to their beloved com mander, the soldiers became restless; and one of their number discharged his musket over Wayne's head. Wayne, supposing the musket had been discharged at him, immediately threw back his outer clothing, thus baring his breast, and exclaimed: "Shoot me, if you wiU!" But no further shots being fired the brave offi cer was convinced that there was no murderous intent on the part of his troops. After further vain attempts 374 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY to restore order General Wayne returned to his quar ters at Peter Kemble's. Toward evening, with the sergeant-major at their head, the mutineers marched down the Fort HiU road on their way, in accordance with mutual resolution, toward PhUadelphia. As the mutineers came in sight, Wayne went out from his quarters to ascertain the oc casion of the strange spectacle which greeted his eyes. He intercepted the resolute mutineers at a point a little to the southeast of the crossing of the Basking Ridge road by the road from Fort Hill. The locality is indi cated by a picture accompanying the present volume. Upon ascertaining the intent of his troops, he endeav ored, first by expostulation, and then by threats, fo dissuade them from their purpose. Cocking his pistol and pointing it toward some of the leaders of the revolt, Wayne threatened to shoot them if they did not, with the body of troops, return af once to their camp on Kemble Hill, and then and there was enacted a scene which might well engage the artist's skill in depicting upon canvas what occuned. Wayne's threat had scarcely escaped his lips when scores of bayonets were at his breast. "General," sternly spoke one of the revolters, "we respect and love you; often have you led us into battle, but we are no longer under your command; we warn you to be on youf guard ; if you fire your pistol or attempt to enforce your com mands, we shall put you instantly to death." Suddenly impressed, as the writer conceives, with 375 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the justness of the cause which could impel men to open revolt against their superior officer, Wayne re solved to join his brave soldiers in their endeavor to secure an adjustment of the grievances they had so long and so patiently borne for freedom's sake. The brigade quartermaster was at once ordered by General Wayne to furnish the revolters with a supply of pro visions. No finer evidence of the popularity of Wayne could be adduced than the fact that even after the oc currence just mentioned, the revolters, acting upon the advice of their beloved general, concluded to march to Princeton by way of the Basking Ridge road. Led by their former commander, General Wayne, ac companied by other officers, the Pennsylvania troops reached Princeton, where they laid their grievances before a committee of Congress, appointed for the pur pose. Ever will it stand to the credit of the intelligent manhood of these troops that the justice of their cause was recognized, and their demands satisfied. Sir Henry Clinton, on being informed of the mutiny of the Pennsylvania troops, sent a sergeant of the Brit ish army, and a Jersey Tory by the name of Ogden, to offer them the protection of the British Government; holding out flattering inducements by way of persuad ing them to this desertion of the cause of freedom. The offer was not only indignantly spurned, but the two British emissaries were delivered over to General Wayne, who had them tried as spies. They were con victed, and promptly executed. 376 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "See! comrades,'' said one of the leaders of the mutineers, "he takes us for traitors. Let us show him that the American army can furnish but one Arnold, and that America has no truer friends than we." As a well deserved tribute to the patriotism and efficiency of the Pennsylvania troops, an account of whose mutiny has been g-iven, the following extracts from two letters of General Wayne, written, one of them, at least, to Washington, but a few weeks pre viously, are here appended: "I forgot to mention to your excellency, that the ist and 2nd Brigade (Pennsylvania) marched at a moment's warning, leaving our tents standing, guards and detachments out, pushed with rapidity to secure this pass, where it would be in our power to dispute the ground inch by inch, or to proceed to West Point as occasion might require, which was effected in as little time as ever so long a march was performed in. * * * The 1st Pennsylvania Brigade moved immediately, and on the arrival of the 2d express I was speedily followed by our gallant friend, Gen'l Irvine, with the 2nd Brigade. Our march of sixteen miles was performed in four hours, during a dark night, without a single hall, or man lefl behind. When our approach was announced to the General, he Ihought it fabulous, bul when assured of his lolh Legion being near him, he expressed great satisfaction and pleasure." General Anthony Wayne, or "Mad Anthony," as he had already come to be known, is a unique figure in the annals of the Revolution. His father, or grand father, it is not clear which, was a native of the Emer ald Isle. Chester County, Pa., was the birthplace of Anthony. The year of his birth was 1745 or 1746; 377 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY hence at the time of the mutiny among his troops, he was but about thirty-six years of age. At the outbreak of the Revolution he organized in his native State a volunteer corps. In the year 1776 Congress appointed him to the command of a regiment. He participated in the operations in Canada. At Ticonderoga he was m command of the patriot army. Later he was commis sioned a brigadier-general by Congress. At German- town, Wayne commanded a division of Washington's army; and at the battle of Monmouth he greatly dis tinguished himself. By one of the most brilliant as saults of history he recaptured Stony Point from the British, receiving a wound during the assault. A vote of thanks and a gold medal were bestowed upon Wayne for his famous act at Stony Point. In the cam paign resulting in the surrender of the British at York- town he was again wounded. General Wayne was with the patriot army during its first encampment at Morristown and vicinity in the winter of the year 1777. He was quartered in the house of Deacon Ephraim Sayre, at Bottle Hill, now Madison. His body-guard were quartered in the kitchen in the rear of the main house. General Wayne occupied a room, known as "the front room," situated on the northerly end of the Sayre house. He was ac companied by a small mulatto servant, whose martial spirit was stimulated by the caniage of a wooden sword, with edges finely sharpened. Wayne did not accompany the American army to Morristown in the winter of the year 1779-80. On the way from his post 378 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY to Pennsylvania late in the year 1779, however, he passed through Morristown. He may have rejoined the patriot army at Nyack, in the summer of the year 1780, and late in the same year he came to Morris town, and established his quarters at the Kemble house on the Basking Ridge road. Of his connection with the mutiny of his troops we have already spoken at sufficient length for present purposes. Consideration for fondly cherished local tradition, on the part of the present writer, is responsible for the version of the "Tempe" Wicke episode previously given in these pages. There is, however, another ver sion which seems to be more in accord with reason, and which is not without a good basis in extant docu mentary evidence ; this version of the episode is as fol lows: During the mutiny of the Pennsylvania troops down the Jockey Hollow road, which, as our readers have seen, ocurred on the opening day of the year 1781, the mutineers had in some way found access to a liberal supply of alcoholic drinks; whether rum or applejack, the writer is unable to say. Judging from the evidence furnished by fragmentary records of th"fe mutiny, there was, to employ a modern phrase, "a hot time," in the vicinity of the Wicke house, on the first day of January, in the year 1781. The intoxication, and consequent rioting, were continued for several days after the departure of the main body of General Wayne's troops for Princeton, by detachments of sol diers left behind to guard the camp equipage and offi cers' baggage. Doubtless there were, also, not a few 379 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY stragglers, who had, without orders, remained in the vicinity of their former encampment. Mrs. Wicke, who was in poor health at the time of the mutiny of Wayne's troops, was greatly annoyed by the noises attending the unbridled carousals of the drunken soldiers. "For on January ist, 1781, there came the mutiny in General Wayne's command so near his (Mr. Wicke's) home that the sounds of the shots that killed Captain Bettin must have reached the ears of its inmates;" such is the statement to be found in No. 11 1, of "A Branch of the Woodruff Stock," by our talented townsman, Francis E. Wood ruff. Mr. Wicke — again we quote from the above named authority — "was Captain of a company of Mor ris County cavalry that did good service in the war and engaged in at least one sharp fight, though fre quently detailed as guard for Governor Livingston" — was absent from home, and Mrs. Wicke and her daughter, "Tempe," seem to have been the only adult occupants of the house. During the day, Mrs. Wicke had an ill tum, induced, perhaps, by the excitement incident to the unusual occurrences about the place. The immediate attendance of a physician became necessary. Upon "Tempe" Wicke, therefore, de volved the duty of going for Dr. William Leddell, the family physician, who lived about a mUe to the west ward. As a means of insuring more completely the safety of her mother during her absence, "Tempe" carried her into the cellar. Saddhng and bridling and mounting her favorite horse, the devoted daughter 380 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY sped away down the hill toward Dr. LeddeU's. Her errand accomplished, she again mounted her horse for a hasty return home. In front of the Leddell house she encountered two or three intoxicated soldiers — some of the mutineers, perhaps, but more likely some of the stragglers alluded to, whose too free use of in toxicants (procured, possibly, from the officers' bag gage) had made them reckless. Rudely seizing the horse's bridle, they commanded "Tempe" to dismount, and allow them to take the animal. Mr. Francis E. Woodruff says, in one of his carefully compiled pam phlets. "It was nearly in front of Dr. LeddeU's that she ('Tempe' Wicke) refused to give up her pet (saddle horse) to our disorderly soldiers and galloped away from' them." On reaching home "Tempe" hastily dis mounted from her foaming horse, led him through the kitchen and front room into the spare bed cham ber, secured him and closed the wooden window shut ter. Here he was kept three of four days ; by the end of which time the mutineers had entirely disappeared from the neighborhood. In a communication to the writer, written while the series of articles on "History of Moristown, N. J. The Story of its First Century," were running in the Sat urday issues of The Newark Evening News, a well in formed local historian, said: "I read your horse story the same evening. It is very well told. Would advise your shading two or three points, (i) Some report '3 days,' not '3 weeks.' One possible, the other incred ible; mutineers did not hang about so long. (2) Not 381 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 1780, but 1 78 1. Discipline good in 1780, except for fowls. Farmers' round robin, end of 1780, made much complaint of fowls, fence rails, and bad manners, none about horses. * * * No order to draft horses. (Drafting of horses always orderly and serious busi ness, anyhow). (3) If mutineer fired, he certainly fired wild to scare girl. They were not murderous." In reply to the query — "Did you ever hear of a ring in the room where the horse ("Tempe" Wicke's) was kept, to which the horse was tied?" recently submitted in writing to Miss Mary E. Leddell, by the writer, she says: "I have heard of a hole in a timber in which a ring-bolt was inserted for the tie-strap." Miss Leddell was the former owner and is the present occupant of the historic Dr. WiUiam Leddell place. Of Dr. Led dell she is a lineal descendant. In view of the frequent references in these pag*s to the "Wicke house" and the "Dr. LeddeU house," it wiU doubtless be interesting to readers to learn something of their history, in addition to what has already been said in these pages concerning them. "The Wicke Tract was purchased in 1746. Our first record of Henry Wicke as of Morris County, was in 1748. We suppose the house was built in 1747" — such was the reply of Miss Mary E. LeddeU, to the query. "Do you know when, or by whom, the Wicke house was built?" sub mitted to her by the writer in the month of July, of the present year. To the query, "Did you ever hear where the 'magazine' of General Wayne was situated; how far to the east of the Wicke house?" she replied: "In 382 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY the orchard half-way between the house and the Jock ey Hollow road." WhUe the following query and re ply are not strictly Apropos, their importance wiU, it is thought, justify their introduction here. "Did you ever hear whether the oak tree now standing at the head of Captain Bettin's grave was there when he was buried?" Reply: "I have never heard that it was stand ing. I suppose it was, as oaks are of slow growth, and that is a large tree." It may have been in the latter part of the month of June, of the present year, that a letter of inquiry con cerning the appearance and history of the Dr. WilHam Leddell house, was mailed to Miss Leddell; her reply is of such great interest to lovers of local annals, that it should not be permitted to fall into "the swaUow- ing gulf of dark forgetfulness and deep oblivion." It is, therefore, given verbatim: "Basking Ridge, Somerset County, New Jersey, July sth, igos. "Rev. Andrew M. Sherman, Morristown, N. J. Dear Sir : — "My knowledge of the Revolutionary home of Dr. Wm. Leddell is limited. I never heard it accurately de scribed, but know that it was a frame building which covered a good deal of ground. The kitchen and silting room were at the western end of the dwelling ; kitchen at the back with its outer door opening near the well. Beneath these rooms a basement room was used as a store, in which a thriving busi ness was conducted by furnishing various articles to the sol diers. 383 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "Tradition states that the grounds about Dr. LeddeU's dwelling were the most tastefully arranged and neatly kept premises in the vicinity. The terraces which Dr. Leddell had constructed, and on which he located his botanical and kitchen gardens, may be seen today. "Tradition states that the soldiers located themselves on the mountain east of the Leddell home one afternoon of the last week of November, 1779. "Dr. Leddell was nol at home when they arrived and lighted their first line of camp fires. When the Doctor returned, he saw that these fires were too near his buildings for safety, and sent his body servant — one of his slaves, named 'Sam' — to bid the officers of the company to come to his house. When they came, the Doctor requested them lo have the camp-fires extinguished, and other fires lighted, at a safe distance from the buildings. The officers comphed with this request and the buildings saved from harm. "In a memorandum book of Doctor LeddeU's we find a note telling of a journey, made July, 1781, when he visited Colonel Pickering, who was Quartermaster and located at New Wind sor, on the Hudson. The colonel appointed a committee to adjudge the damage wrought by the army while camping on the Leddell and Wick lands. As both estates were stripped of wood and timber, the loss was heavy. We have no record of this government debt being paid, and it is a pleasure to the members pf the present generation to know that their ances tors had the privilege and ability to make admirable sacrifice on the altar of Liberty. Yours respectfully, (Miss) MARY E. LEDDELL." Replying to the inquiry as to the date of the bum ing of the dwelling of Dr. WiUiam Leddell of the Rev olutionary period, Miss Leddell said: 384 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "After making inquiry I find no date of the time when Dr. Leddell's dwelling was burned, but my knowledge of some circumstances leads me to think it was burned prior lo 1818. The fire was caused by flames from the oven-flue. The Dutch oven in the kitchen was being heated, preparatory lo baking. The soot in the flue taking fire, blazed above the chimney top, and sparks falling on the dry roof caused it to ignite." Reference has been made to the encampment, in the late fall of the year 1779, of a portion of Washing ton's army on grounds to the east of the Dr. Leddell house. Having been informed that John W. Melick, of Morristown, had, when a boy, seen some of the traces of the camping grounds alluded to by Dr. Led dell in his memorandum book, the writer procured from the former the following written statement: "In the ¦ summer of the year 1877, the First Presbyterian Church Sunday School, of Mendham, held a picnic in the woods on the Leddell farm. The grounds were reached by leaving the main road and taking a by-road that passed between the saw mill and the stone house. We then skirted the lake, and, passing into the woods al the right, reached the grove which had been cleared of miderbrush. This grove was situated about half a mile northeast of the stone house (Dr. LeddeU's), and about midway between the house and an open field, which was said to have been one of the parade grounds of the Revolutionary soldiers (one of the Pennsyl vania brigades). After we had eaten our dinners, my father climbed the hill at the south which at that time was heavily wooded, and, at a distance of about one-fourth of a mile from the picnic grounds, discovered some of the stone fire-places, which we concluded had been used by soldiers in the Revo lution. After removing the leaves and some of the dirt, traces 38s HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY of the ashes could be seen. I was only 14 years of age that time, but it was a very interesting experience for us, and especially for the older members of the Sunday School, to see those reminders of our country's struggle for liberty. "Very respectfully yours, JOHN W. MELICK. "Morristown, N. J., October 2, 1905." "Sun of the moral world ! effulgent source Of man's best wisdom and his steadiest force. Soul searching Freedom ! here assume the stand And radiate hence lo every distant land." 386 CHAPTER XIX ^^^^i I 1 WW ^^ M F the mutiny of "Mad Anthony" Wayne's Pennsylvania troops down the Jockey Hollow road, a concise account of which has been given in a previous chapter, may be spoken of as an "ill wind," then there may very appropriately be quoted, at this point of our story the familiar and significant lines : "Except wind stands as it never stood, It is an ill wind turns none to good." In consequence of this mutiny, and that of the New Jersey troops encamped near Pompton, which oc curred on the twenty-seventh day of the same month, and year, the American Congress so far awoke to the gravity of the situation and to the recognition of the justice of the claims of the patriot soldiers, as to move that national body to the prompt employment of meas ures for the relief of the long-suffering American army. By means of taxation, and by other meas- 387 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY ures adopted by the National Legislature, money was soon raised for the prosecution of the war for inde pendence. The establishment of the Bank of North America, upon the recommendation of Robert Morris, the masterful financier of this critical period of our national history, proved an invaluable aid in conduct ing the Revolution to a successful issue. The complete rout of the British troops under Tar leton, and the capture of more than five hundred pris oners, at the Cowpens, on the seventeenth day of Jan uary, in the year 1781, by the American force, com manded by Morgan; the virtual defeat of Cornwallis at Guilford Courthouse, on the fifteenth day of the following March, by the combined forces of Morgan and Greene; the retreat of the patriot forces under Greene from Hobkirk's Hill, on the twenty-fifth day of April of the same year, after a severe engagement; and the drawn battle of Eutaw Springs, on the eighth day of September, in the year 1781, in which Greene captured 500 prisoners, closed the campaign in the Carolinas. Passing over a few of the minor operations of the two armies, conducted mainly in Virginia, it may be said that in the month of August, in the year 1781, we find Cornwallis concentrating his forces at Yorktown, where he threw up strong fortifications. With a large land force Washington invested Yorktown, whUe the York and James rivers were effectively blockaded by a French fleet in command of Count de Grasse. A cannonade commenced bv the American forces on Oc- THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY tober 9, 1 78 1, and continued until the nineteenth day of the same month, resulted in the unconditional sur render of CornwaUis, with 7,000 soldiers, to Washing ton. Among the participants in this last and decisive bat tle of the Revolution, it should be said, was the Jersey Brigade, then in command of Colonel Elias Dayton. The three regiments composing the brigade of Jersey troops, having been employed in all the labor incident to the siege, were present at the surrender of Corn wallis. The surrender of the British army at Yorktown was the death blow to British hopes in America. A pre liminary treaty signed at Paris on November 30, 1782, was foUowed by a proclaimed cessation of hostilities on April 19, 1783. On September 3, the same year, a final and definite treaty of peace was signed at Paris, by the terms of which Great Britain acknowledged the independence of the United States. After a seveii- years struggle the American people were politically free, and "The greatest glory of a free-born people, is to transmit that freedom to their children." Less than a decade ago, there were discovered in the State Library, at Trenton, some papers, soold and musty as to render the deciphering of them somewhat difficult. To J. Frank Lindsley, then editor of the Morris County Chronicle, belongs, in part, at least, the credit of this discovery; and in the newspaper edited by him, copies of the papers discovered were published. 389 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "A Copie of the Inventories of such Property as has been damaged or destroyed by the Continental Army & Militia in the County of Morris, together with the Appraisements thereof done agreeable to an Act of the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey passed at Trenton, December 20, 1781." Such is the heading of old and musty papers, a few extracts from which are here presented : "No. 20. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Ellis Cook by the Continental Army, (Viz.) 1780 I Ox Chain £o 15 Dec'r. I Narrow Ax 7 3 Sheep, at los I 10 20 Fowls, 9d 15 10 Bushels Potatoes, 2s. 6d i 5 4 12 6 ELLIS COOK. "No. 23. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Uzal Kitchel by the Continental Army (Viz) 1777 3 Hives Bees, 20s £3 o o Feb'r. 2 Hogs ( 12 months) 30s 3 o 0 I Sheep 10 Keeping Cattle on hay 7 1-2 months 3 15 10 IS UZAL KITCHEL. "No. 28. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Joshua Guren by soldiers of the Continental Army (Viz) 1779 Sheep 20s. ; i Calf 5 months old 25s £-2 5 Decem'r i Great Coat (Blanketing) 15 390 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY I Linen Peticoat (new) 15 2 Good Shifts (half worn) 10 1780 2 Bushels Rye 4s o 8 Aug. 2 Sheep 20s.; 2 Narrow Axes ss i 15 6 Bushels Potatoes 2s 12 i7 JOSHUA GUREN. "No. 29. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Phine has Fairchild by the Continental Army (Viz) 1777 I Hive Bees 20s. ; i Beever Hat, new 4SS. ; £3 Jan. 4 pr. woolen Stockings ss. ; i pr. worsted Do. 7s 1779 3 Sheep & six Lambs gos. ; 2 bus Wheat I2S 5 Dec'r I Bag & 19 Fowls l8s. id.; pewter quart & pint I PHINEHAS FAIRCHILD. "No. 30. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Jo seph Lindsley by the Continental Army (Viz) 1777 I Vest Broad Cloath £\ 5 Jan. I pr. Striped Cotton Trowsers 10 I fine Shirt 15 3 Linen Aprons 1 2 1779 I Woolen Cover lid i Dec. 3 Hives Bees 20s 3 3 Geese 2s 6 1780 I woolen Cover lid i 391 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Dec. 4 Sheep los 2 1782 6 Bushel Potatoes 2s. 6d 15 June I Calf 3 (Months old) i 2 il3 0 0 JOSEPH LINDSLEY. "No. 31. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Eb enezer Stiles by the Continental Army (Viz) 1783 Sept. 26 Pasture furnished a Brigade of Teams Appraised 1780 2 1-2 days cutting wood 4s Feb. 4 2 Ox Chains 15s 7 Fowls 7s. ; I pr pinchers 2s. 6d I Shoemakers Hammer 2 Axes ISS. ; i Hive Bees 20s Pasturing 6 Cattle i day Quartering at his house Lighthorsemen 20 days EBENEZER STILES. "No. 32. Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Jo seph Beach (Viz) 1777 May 25 I Horse i20 o I Worsted Coat & Vest . . ' 2 I Flannel Vest 5 1780 I Linen Do 9 March i Lindsey Peticoat 15 I pewter porringer 2 I Japan'd qt. Mug 4 392 £1 1010 I 10 6 6 I 6 I 15 5 I THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY I Diaper Table Cloth lo I Window Curtain 12 100 Fowls 3 IS 28 12 6 JOSEPH BEACH. "No. 34- Inventory of sundry Articles laken from James Miller by the Continental Army (Viz) 1778 I Cover lid £1 Dec'r. 1779 2 Hive Bees 2 Dec'r.Jan. I pr. Small Steelyards 7 6 I Bridle (good) 6 1782 I Calf i8s. ; i Cow Bell 7s i 5 June 2 Calves (3 months) 40s.; i Tuky (Turkey) 2s. 6d 2 2 6 6 Sheep 60 ; i Pillow 7s. 6d 3 7 6 10 Bushel Potatoes 2s i 8 6 JAMES MILLER. "No. 35. Daniel Freeman had a Horse impressed in the service of the United States & kept three Years £5 o DANIEL FREEMAN. "No. 38. Inventory of Articles taken from Joseph Peir son Jun'r by the Continental Army (Viz) 1780 I Calf £0 18 Dec'r I Do 18 393 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Oct. '83 I Heifer (3 y'r old) 4 Nov. I Barrel Cyder 7 JOSEPH PlERSON JUN'R. "No. 39- Inventory of sundry Articles taken from John Day (Viz) 1779 6 Bushels Wheat £1 16 Dec'r I Bushel Corn 4 I Bag 4 JOHN DAY. From the Morris County Chronicle, of the year 1899, the following extract is presented : "The old, musty papers * * * are records of more than a hundred years ago. Apart from their historic value, they are instructive as giving glimpses of the mode of life of those who preceded us by many generations in the march of life. They afford ideas of the values of articles used in every day life. The names of those who are now with us enjoying our respect and confidence, will be found here, and among them will be recognized some who are remembered with respect and veneration." Soon after the commencement of the Revolution, there removed to Morristown a man who subsequent ly became prominent in county, State and national af fairs, and who, in the struggle for freedom, rendered most excellent service. John Cleves Symmes was his name. So remarkable was the career of this man, that the following sketch, based upon data gathered from 394 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY what are probably reliable sources of information, is presented: He was born in the town of Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, on the twenty-first day of July, of the year 1742. In early life he engaged in school teaching and surveying. For his first wife he married Miss ' — Tuttle, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Tuttle, of Southold, in the county and State above mentioned. About the year 1770, Mr. Symmes removed with his young bride to Sussex County, New Jersey. They seem to have settled in Flatbrook; and here, on the twenty-fifth day of July of the year 1775, a daughter was born to them, whom the parents named Anna. As previously stated, Mr. Symmes removed to Morristown soon after the com mencement of the Revolution — it may have been in the spring of the year 1776. On his removal to the county seat of Morris he selected as his home what has since been known as "Solitude," situated on the left of the road now called Sussex Avenue, about a mile and a half north from the Morristown Green, as one goes toward Mt. Freedom. Whether the house occupied by Mr. Symmes was built prior to his remov al to Morristown, or erected by him after his settle ment -here, the writer is unable at present to say. The situation of his residence was called "Solitude" partly, no doubt, because of its remoteness from the Morris town village, but chiefly because of its thickly wooded environment. When the infant daughter, Anna Symmes, was about one year of age, her mother died — this was 395 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY probably in the latter part of the month of July, of the year 1776; while the parents were living at "Solitude." In his "Washington in Morris County, New Jer sey," the Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle, says, that in the first battle of Springfield, fought as our readers have seen, on the fourteenth day of December, of the year 1776, "the celebrated John Cleves Symmes * * * participated, with a detachment of militia from Sus sex County." In "Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War," by William S. Stryker, Adjutant-General, which is unquestioned authority, as far at least as it goes, may be seen the following rec ord concerning Mr. Symmes: "Colonel, Third Battal ion, Sussex, resigned May 23d, 1777, to accept ap pointment as Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey." From this statement it may reasonably he inferred, that in the first battle of Springfield, Mr. Symmes was a colonel in command of the "detach ment of militia from Sussex County." By another apparently reliable author the statement is made that "as colonel of a New Jersey regiment he participated in many important battles." It is said, also, in "Ohio Historical Collections," by Howe, that Mr. Symmes participated in the battle of Saratoga, which occurred on the seventh day of October, of the year 1777. But in view of the official statement that he resigned his colonelcy on the twenty-third day of May, of the same year as that above mentioned, to accept a civil ap pointment, it is quite improbable that Colonel Symmes was a participant in the battle of Saratoga. There is 396 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY however, a possibility that in the interval between his resignation from the militia service, and the assump tion of his duties as a justice of the New Jersey Su preme Court, he may have in some capacity taken part in the battle specified. It was whUe Mr. Symmes was a Justice of the Su preme Court of New Jersey, that the trial of "Parson Caldwell's" murderer occurred; and the writer has seen the statement that during this famous trial, Jus tice Symmes presided over the court. For his second wife, Mr. Symmes married a daugh ter of Governor Livingston, of New Jersey; this may have been about the year 1778. The marriage cere mony was probably performed at "Solitude;" and there are some glimmerings of evidence in favor of the spacious front haUway of this interesting house having been the place where he gave a practical exem plification of his belief in the teaching of the eminent English philosopher, who says: Were a man not to marry a second time, it might be concluded that his first wife had given him a disgust to marriage; but by taking a second wife, he pays the highest compliment to the first, by showing that she made him so happy as a manied man, that he wishes to be so a second time." Governor Livingston was probably present at the marriage of his daughter to Justice Symmes; and it is said he was afterward a frequent visitor at "Soli tude." The capture of both Governor Livingston and Justice Symmes was devoutly wished by the British authorities and during a visit of the Governor to Mr. 397 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Symmes, a party of Tories are said to have secreted themselves in a swamp near the house, intending in the night time to carry them away as prisoners into the enemies lines. For some reason, however, now unknown, the plot miscarried. When Anna Symmes was four years of age it was concluded to place her in the home of her grandpar ents, Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, at Southold, New York. To reach Southold, more than a hundred miles distant from Morristown, it was of course, necessary to pass through the enemy's lines. Disguising himself, there fore, as a British officer, Mr. Symmes boldly set out on horseback for Southold. Anna sat on the saddle in front of her father. They reached the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, and little Anna was left there, Mr. Symmes returning to Morristown. Justice Symmes and his daughter did not meet again until the year 1783. Anna, who was then about eight years of age, was soon afterward placed in a young ladies' seminary. During the year 1785 Mr. Symmes served the State as a member of the Council, the members of this body then being elected annually. In the years 1785-86 he was a member of the Continental Congress. It was in the year 1787 that an ordinance was passed by Con gress, making provision for the establishment of a territorial govemment northwest of the Ohio River. In anticipation of this action of Congress (in which an ticipation Mr. Symmes, by reason of his service in that body the two previous years, doubtless shared) lands 39S THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY in that region were sold by the general government. An association called the "Ohio Company," pur chased 5,000,000 acres of land lying between the Mus kingum and Scioto rivers, fronting on the Ohio River. About this time, the exact date of which seems to be unascertainable, Mr. Symmes and a few others pur chased 2,000,000 acres of land in the rich and beautiful region on the Ohio River, between the Great and Lit tle Miami rivers. His purchase included the site of the present city of Cincinnati. Mr. Symmes' associates in this extensive purchase were chiefly composed of the officers of the New Jersey line who had served in the Revolution; among whom were General Jonathan Dayton and Rev. Elias Boudinot, D. D. It could not have been long after his extensive land purchase in Ohio, that Mr. Symmes removed from New Jersey to the West; which was thereafter his home. On the twenty-third day of October, of the year 1787, he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He settled, with his family, at the North Bend of the Ohio River, and there he proposed to found the capital of the future State. This was frustrated by the choice of the site of Cincinnati for a blockhouse around whose protecting cannon emigrants to the wilderness pre ferred to settle. There Fort Washington was after ward built;" and in the year 1795 Captain William Henry Harrison was stationed in command of the gar rison. Judge Symmes erected a blockhouse and a commodious dwelhng at NorthBend. It was during the year 1795, that Anna Symmes, then about twenty 399 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY years of age, once more became a member of the household. She was "a remarkably beautiful girl," and "traces of that beauty lingered in her face at the time of her death, when she was almost ninety years of age." At Lexington, Kentucky, in the home of Mrs. Pey ton Short, Anna Symmes' older sister, Anna, is said to have first met Captain William Henry Harrison. An acquaintance was then and there begun which cul minated into mutual and life-long attachment. After a brief courtship the two became engaged. Judge Symmes gave his consent to the marriage; but when certain slanderous reports against Captain Harrison reached him, he withdrew his consent. Anna, how ever, had confidence in the young captain, and re solved to marry him. "On the morning of the day fixed for that event Judge Symmes rode lo Cincinnati, unsuspicious of any such doings. He was offended. He did not meet Harrison until several weeks afterward, when he met him al a dinner-party given by General Wilkinson, at Fort Washington. 'Well, sir,' said the Judge sternly to Captain Harrison, 'I understand you have married Anna.' 'Yes, sir,' answered the Captain. 'How do you expect to support her ?' inquired the father. 'By my sword and my right arm,' quickly answered the young officer. The Judge was pleased with the spirit of the reply, and he became at once reconciled. He lived to be proud of his son-in-law." John Cleves Symmes died on the twenty-sixth day of Feb ruary, of the year 1814, at Cincinnati. "About 30 rods (we quote from 'Ohio Historical Collections,' by Howe) in a westerly direction from the tomb of Harrison (gth President 400 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY U. S.) on an adjacent hill, in a family cemetery, is the grave of Judge Symmes. * * * On il is the following inscrip tion: 'Here rest the remains of John Cleves Symmes, who, at the foot of these hills, made the first settlement between the Miami rivers. Born on Long Island, Slate of New York, July 2ist, .'\. D. 1772. Died al Cincinnati, February 26, A. D. 1814-' " Apparently, about the year 1781, there removed to Morristown one Walter Mould and his family. He seems to have come from New York City, where, it is said, he was engaged in business at No. 23 William street. Mould, who is spoken of as a man "of stand ing and responsibility," is said to have been an Eng lishman, and to have been employed as an artisan in some of the shops of Birmingham, one of the great manufacturing towns of his native country. It is even recorded that Mr. Mould brought across the Atlantic with him the tools and implements of his trade, which seems to have been that of a machinist. At the close of the Revolution, coin of any sort was very scarce; of copper coin this was especiaUy true. Under the articles of confederation the United States could exercise no power over the currency, nor sup ply in any way the existing deficiency; hence, no nat ional mint had been established. By legislative au thority a few of the States established State mints. At Rupert, Vermont; at New Haven, Connecticut; in Massachusetts and in New Jersey such mints were es tabhshed, and coin was issued by them for the trans action of reviving business. 401 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY The mint at Rupert, Vermont, was in operation as early as the year 1785, and the copper cents issued by this mint bore on one side a plow, and a sun rising from behind hills; and on the other side a radiated eye surrounded by thirteen stars. A small supply of half cents were also issued by the mint at Rupert. The Connecticut coins had on one side the figure of a human head and on the other that of a young woman holding an olive branch. The mint at New Haven, established also in the year 1785, contin ued in operation for a period of about three years. In the year 1786 a mint (or mints, for there seems to have been two in the State) was established in New Jersey. The history of its origin was as follows : After his removal to Morristown, Walter Mould, knowing of the scarcity of coin, and doubtless of the establishment of mints in other States, suggested to some of the residents of the county seat of Morris, among them the Hon. Silas Condict, "his next door neighbor," that he understood the art of coinage, and that he was willing to engage in the business, pro vided legislative permission was granted him. Mr. Condict was at the time a member of the State Legis lature, and, acting upon his advice, Mould applied to the Legislature, then in session, for authority to coin copper pennies. This was in the year 1786. On the first day of June, of the year last mentioned, an Act was passed by the Legislature of New Jersey authoriz ing Walter Mould, Thomas Goadsby and Albian Cox, •whom the former had associated with him, to coin 402 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY copper pennies to the value of £10,000. These men were required to give bonds in the sum of £10,000, with sufficient security, that they would faithfully and honestly perform their contract. This they did. The coinage of copper cents was soon after com menced, according to local tradition, at "Solitude," in a room set apart for the purpose. It is said that Mould with his family, occupied "Solitude" as a residence. Another mint seems to have been later established at EUzabethtown, perhaps by Robert Ogden, Jr., but un der the auspices, however, of Colonel Matthias Og den. Mould may have been connected in some capac ity with the Elizabethtown mint. The coins minted at Morristown bore upon one side, the representation of a heart-shaped shield, with stripes running perpendicularly, with the inscription "E Pluribus Unum," and on the other side a plow, above which was the representation of a horse's head (a substitute for the head of Queen Anne of English contemporaneous pennies), with the inscription, "Nova Caesarea," and the date of issue. These coin are now known as the "horse-head" pennies. They were coined for three successive years only — 1786, 1787 and 1788. A national mint was estabhshed in the year 1792. From a weU known Northern New Jersey antiquarian the writer learns, that he has within a few years past, paid as high as $1.00 each for some of the famous "horsehead pennies." "Solitude," subsequent to its occupancy by WaUer Mould, was an inn and tavern, and for many years was 403 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY kept by Captain Benjamin Holloway, grandfather of Morristown's efficient chief of police, J. Frank Hollo way. The traffic between Sussex and Warren coun ties and the markets below was so great that the "Wheatsheaf Inn," as Captain HoUoway's famous tav ern came to be known, carried on a thriving business. In illustration of this statement it may be said that frequently so crowded was this hospitable inn that it was necessary for the "youngsters" of the household to sleep on the hay in the adjacent barn. The "Wheatsheaf Tavern" as the writer is informed by a life-long Morristonian, was a two-stO'ry frame structure. At the western end of the building was a stone L, which was used as the kitchen; and under neath the kitchen was a basement. The bar of this hos telry was in the front right-hand comer of the spacious hallway, running from front to rear of the building. The partition shutting off the barroom from the hall way was semi-circular in form, the lower part of it being of paneled boards, and the upper part of lattice work, running perpendicularly, and painted a light green color. The drinks were passed out to patrons through a small semi-circular opening, similar to that used by the teller in a commercial bank of the present day. A portion at least of the partition swung on hinges, thus constituting the means of ingress and egress to- and from the barroom. In front of the tavern were several large black cherry trees, which not a few grown-up boys recollect with keen pleasure. At the left of the en- 404 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY trance to the premises from the main road, there stood for many years a harness shop; and here quite a busi ness was carried on in the manufacture of saddles, the leather used being made from pig skins furnished by Mr. Holloway from his stock yard. "Solitude," including many acres, is now the prop erty of Gustav E. Kissell, a New York banker. He is now having constructed on another and more desira ble promontory of his farm a new house, which, when completed, wiU rank with Morristown's most elegant residences. Mr. Kissell's valuable property has been most ap propriately named "Wheatsheaf Farm." In his pos session is the interesting three-by-four-feet sign, which for many years swung in front of "Wheatsheaf Inn," after which, presumably, the farm of Mr. Kissell was named. Near the top of this old sign is a painted rep resentation of a sheaf of wheat, and below is the name of the proprietor — "B. Holloway." Captain Holloway derived his title from service in the State militia after the Revolution. Not only as the residence of Chief Justice Symmes, and as the locale of the mint where the famous "horse head pennies" were coined, is "Solitude," now "Wheatsheaf Farm," noted, but it is said that a silver mine was once worked on this property. The late Hon. Augustus W. Cutler stated to persons now liv ing that he had a silver shoe buckle made from silver mined on the "Symmes" land. It is a peculiarly sig nificant fact in this connection that John Dickerson, 405 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY the Morristown silversmith or jeweler of Revolution ary days, of whom mention was made in a previous chapter, once advertised the theft of fifty ounces of silver from his shop, as well also as "buckles just cast." This seems to be corroborative of the state ment of our late townsman, Mr. Cutler, whose interest in and knowledge of Morristown, traditional and his torical, are well known. "The Morristown Ghost; An account of the Begin ning, Transactions and Discovery of Ransford Rogers who seduced many by pretended Hobgoblins and Ap paritions, and thereby extorted money from their pockets. In the County of Morris and State of New Jersey, in the year 1788. Printed for every purchaser —1792." Such was the title page of a i6mo pamphlet which made its appearance in New Jersey soon after the close of the Revolution; 1792 was the year. By some, it was thought to have been written by the Ransford Rogers named on its title page, as a means of pecun iary profit to himself; and as a method, also, of pun ishing the people of Morristown for the treatment he claimed to have received at their hands. To a printer in Elizabethtown, Sheppard KoUock by name, the publication of the pamphlet was at the time, by many persons attributed. So far as possible, the first edition of this remarkable pamphlet, which contained the names of many prominent persons in Morristown and vicinity, from whose pockets money was aUeged to 406 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY have been extorted by the "Morristown Ghost," is said to have been bought up and destroyed. From two or three sources, however, the writer of this history has received communications during the few months past, suggestively offering him "an orig inal copy of the 'Morristown Ghost,' " from which it is safe to infer that, notwithstanding the strenuous iconoclastic efforts of the fathers, alleged to have been duped by the Yankee schoolmaster, clad in ghostly apparel, at least "just one" copy of the obnox ious pamphlet has survived. It may be that the sev eral correspondents who have generously placed at his command "an original copy" of the devoutly-wished- for original "Morristown Ghost,'' have done so as a means of retaliation upon the Yankee preacher, for the alleged depredations of the Yankee pedagogue of "long ago" upon the county seat worthies who now lie in honored graves, of which the English poet so quaintly speaks in the lines: "Here may thy storme-beth vessell safely ryde This is the port of rest from troublous toyle. The worlde's sweet inn from paine and wearisome turmoyle." But these epistolary offers of an "original copy" of the "Morristown Ghost" are not by any means the only attempts which have been made to "get even" with the Yankee preacher, who is "now writing books," which have added to his amusing experiences while writing the story of Morristown's first and 407 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY famous century, as the following incident will iUus trate : Accosted one day not long since by a well-known typo, whose perennial (we speak hyperbolically) per ambulations among the printing establishments of northern New Jersey are proverbial (hyperbole again), the writer patiently listened while said typo remarked, in tones of ghostly accent not dissimilar, as said writer imagines, to those of the Yankee pedagogue when clad in the habiliments of the departed: "Mr. Sher man, Mr. So- and-So has 'an original copy' (can it be possible there has been a retaliatory collusion on foot between correspondents and typo?) of the 'Morristown Ghost;' it is the only one in existence, all the other copies having been destroyed. So-and-So wouldn't take a thousand dollars for it (no, the writer is certain he would not, since for nothing, nothing can be received); it was presented to him by an old gentle man, who assured him it was the 'last of the Mohicans.' " "Of course, you wiU write up the 'Morristown Ghost,' Mr. Sherman, in connection with your admir able story of Morristown's first century. Now, I can procure this 'original copy' for you, containing 'aU the names,' on condition you will show it to no one, since if others saw it they might have a reprint made of it, with all the names of Rogers's dupes, and realize a fortune from the sale of the rare edition. This I propose doing myself soon, as I am now negotiating 408 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY for the purchase of the facUities for a reprint; for I am certain 'there is money in it.' " The promise, on the part of the writer, to preserve inviolate, so far as showing it to a third party was con cerned, the "only copy of the Morristown Ghost" extant, was the work of a moment only; and the promise would have been sacredly kept had "the goods been delivered, since, to quote from an English author: "To tell our own secrets is generally folly, but that folly is without guilt; to communicate those with which we are entrusted is always treachery, and treachery for the most part combined with folly." But "the goods were never delivered," notwithstanding a several times repeated asseveration, on the part of the "perambulating typo," to leave them at the residence of the Yankee preacher. Is it to be inferred, or would the present writer so state, that said typo is wholly unlike George Washington, with "his little hatchet," who, as the story runs, could not teU a lie? Emphati cally no! Or is it the case that the said typo could tell a lie but would not? or would he and couldn't he? Perhaps the following sequel to our little story will furnish the facts from which the reader may draw his own inference: A few days after the aforementioned conversation between the "Yankee preacher-author" and the "per ennial perambulating typo," the latter delivered to the writer a copy of a comparatively recent reprint of "The Morristown Ghost," made by local publishers, who, if gossip is to be relied upon, thought they saw 409 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY "bar'ls of money" in it. By this publishing establish ment the typo has not a few times been employed, and between the parties of the first part and the parties of the second part there fetUl exists, it is sincerely tO' be hoped, a friendly feehng not of the common sort. Now, since the delivery of the wrong goods to the writer, by the aforesaid typo, the latter, as the former imagines, has frequently awoke from his slumbers only to see the immense pile of the reprint of "The Morristown Ghost," which has for several years encumbered the sagging shelves of said publishers, disappearing like autumn leaves before the equinoc tial at $1 or less per copy, in consequence of the extensive advertisement given it by the writer in his story of Morristown's first century. "The year previous to the publication of the book," 'The Morristown Ghost' (the writer now quotes from a very interesting letter recently received from Edwin A. Ely, a genuine Jersey antiquarian), "there appeared in the New Jersey Journal, Elizabethtown, October 19, 1797, the following advertisement: " 'Friday evening next, al the Academy in this Town, will be presented, " 'A Dramatic Piece, called " 'The "'Morris-Town Ghost; '"Or, The " 'Force of Credulity ; " 'To which will be added, " 'Chrononhotonthologos. " 'Tickets at three shillings each, lo be had at Mr. Shute's. 410 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Doors lo be opened at five o'clock, and the entertainment to begin precisely at six. " 'Elizabeth-Town, October 19, 1791.' " "This play (which is said lo have been written by a son of Rev. James Richards, D. D., a former Morristown pastor) was repeated January 27, 1792, but I find no other play an nounced al the Academy in looking over the New Jersey Journal for several years. The drama was probably written for the occasion and I find no trace of its having been printed. (The actors were probably all bought up, and destroyed, the present writer may be pardoned for injecting). From the circumstance of the "dramatic piece" enacted by those "bad boys" at Elizabeth-Town, in the year 1791, the year previous to the publication of the "Morristown Ghost" in the form of a i6mo pamphlet, it is very evident the story of the ghostly depredations of Rogers and his accomplices in Morris town and vicinity, was "in the air" before it was "in a book;" which is presumptively, at least, in favor of the authenticity of the story as graphically related in the volume, of which every copy, so far as possible, was "bought up and destroyed," after its publication. Byron says: Words are things ; and a small drop of ink. Falling like dew upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.'' This is especially true of written words; and of this truth we have a practical iUustration in the following circumstance: David Young, whose name, nearly 411 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY four-score years ago, adorned the title pages of many of the almanacs of the period suggested, "accident ally," as we are informed, found a copy of the original "Morristown Ghost" at Elizabeth, and, doubtless aware that this was the "only copy" in existence, and devoutly wishing to confer upon his fellowmen the benefits of a new edition, there soon appeared in New Jersey a little book bearing the following title: "The Wonderful History of the Morristown Ghost; thor oughly and carefully revised. By David Young, New ark. Published by Benjamin Olds, for the author. J. C. Totten, Printer." This was in the year 1826. Whether David Young, mathematician and almanac compiler, made "bar'ls o' money" from his reprint, the writer is unable to say. The reprint produced by the enterprising Morristown publishers, already men tioned, was, of course, of more recent date. Notwithstanding the delivery, by the "perennial perambulating (hyperbole continued) typo," to the "Yankee preacher-author" of the "wrong goods," the latter has for some time been in possession of what constitutes "the heart" of the "Morristown Ghost," to wit, the full name of the county seat worth ies from whose none-too-deep pockets (the Revo lution had impoverished some, at least, of them) money is alleged to have been extorted by Rans ford Rogers and his accomplices, and he now pro ceeds to — publish these names? Not yet; not yet, dear reader. Speaking of the names of the fathers duped by Rogers and his auxilliary ghosts, recaUs the 412 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY recent receipt of a letter by the writer from a gentle man residing many miles from Morristown. After expressing the pleasure with which he had been read ing the story of Monistown's first century, as pug- lished serially in the Saturday issues of the Newark Evening News, he continues: "When you come to deal with the 'Morristown Ghost,' a copy of the early account of which (perhaps Young's) I have, please let me know if you learn the names of the persons who were duped. The names, I think, were once published, and afterward the prints suppressed. I am curious to know the names of the victims." In the present writer's reply to the very interesting letter above mentioned he made an honest confession of having in his possession "the names" of all the fathers duped by the Morristown ghost and his auxil iaries; but added, that for the sake of the living descendants of those duped fathers, he did not con sider it kind to publish them in the story of Morris town's first century. "Why not?" have several friends in manifest aston ishment inquired of the writer, when he has expressed his disinclination to do so; "why not; it is matter of history, is it not?" Matter of history it most assuredly is, but this kind of argument is a two-edged sword that cleaves two ways. Because it is history, and not myth or legend, is a most potent reason, as the writer conceives why he should not publish the names of our worthy sires, the 413 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY victims of superstition, and of the misfortunes of war by which some of them were impoverished, and hence made hyper-sensitive to the glitter of gold. How about the superstitions of the twentieth century? Would not our time be more profitably employed in "showing them up?" Since the amusing experiences of the writer pre viously mentioned, it has been his rare pleasure to see with his own eyes, and handle with his own hands, a genuine copy of the original edition of "The Morris town Ghost." A careful comparison of the typogra phy of this book with that of "The Prompter; or a Commentary on Common Sayings & Subjects," printed at Newark, New Jersey, in the year 1793, by John Woods, proves, to the satisfaction of the writer, that both books were printed at the same office. 414 CHAPTER XX. "Glendower. — I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur. — Why so can I, or so can any man, But will they come when you do call for them?" T was once the prevailing behef among the people of Morris Coun ty that during the Revolution large sums of money had been buried in the earth by Tories and others, and that these buried treasures were zealously guarded by spirits. A single instance, only, of the "others" will be cited, that of Ehhu Bond, the father of Mrs. Martha Doremus Pruden, widow of Cyrus Pruden, recently deceased at Morristown. Mr. Bond, the father of Mrs. Pruden, served as a pri vate in the New Jersey line in the Revolutionary army. "During the war he buried a small chest con taining silverware and money; and when, at the close of the war, he went to recover his buried treasure, he found it undisturbed and intact. This chest, together with the several silver spoons and a few coins that 415 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY were hidden in it, are now in possession of the Wash ington Association, and on exhibition in Headquarters at Morristown." The knowledge of the art of dispelling the guardian spirits was considered indispensable to the obtainment of the coveted buried treasures. Schooley's Moun tain, situated about twenty miles west of Morristown, was supposed to- be the locality chiefly selected for the burial of these treasures, which was done, in the case of Tories, partly as a means of protection against confiscation by the State. Not a few of these Tories, after burying their treasures, had left home, and never returned, having either been slain in the service of the King, whose cause they had espoused, or, if they had survived the war, had been compelled to leave the State and seek a new home in some other country. It was in the summer of the year 1788 that two Mor ris County men were traveling through New York State, where, at a place known as Smith's Clove, in Orange County, they formed the acquaintance of a Yankee schoolmaster, one Ransford Rogers by name, hailing from the Nutmeg State. Smith's Clove lies back of Haverstraw, between it and Stony Point. For some time these two enterprising men had been in search of a person who could locate and recover the buried treasures at Schooley's Mountain in ¦ their native county. The Yankee schoolmaster, by reason, as he claimed, of his thorough knowledge of chemistry ("chymistry" he called it) and other sciences, pos sessed the power not only to raise the spirits, good and 416 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY evU, but likewise to dispel them. At last these two Morris County worthies had discovered "their man," and he was therefore urged to accompany them to Morristown, where he could give a practical demon stration of his skill in "chymistry." To say that these Jersey travelers had suddenly become wealthy, pros pectively, would only be to say that they were under the complete sway of the superstition of the times. Rogers was too shrewd a man to at once accept the invitation to accompany them to their native heath; not unlike the adept at mock modesty of more recent times, he at first declined the proposal, but the promise of a school in the vicinity of the county seat of Morris induced an oral consent which had been mentally pre existent. About three miles to the westward of Mor ristown, on the road leading toward Mendham, and on a hill near the modern residence of Samuel F. Pierson, stood, at the close of the Revolution, a schoolhouse. Over this school Rogers was installed as teacher through the influence of his personally and mercen arily interested admirers, who hoped he would bring them "much gain by soothsaying." It was early in the month of August, in the year 1788, that the Yankee pedagogue assumed the grave responsibilities of his suburban appointment. In their undue haste to receive a demonstration of Rogers's occult skill, the treasure-seekers eagerly importuned him to give an exhibition of his art. Realizing that Jerseymen were not, after all, such stupid specimens of humanity as he had at first imagined, the imperative 417 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY need of an accomplice in the practise of his black art dawned upon the mind of Rogers, and, late in the month of August, therefore, he made a hurried trip to New England to select from among his fellow- "chymists" an assistant in his mystic work. He seems to have experienced no difficulty in finding a "kindred spirit," for early in the month of September, Rogers returned to Morristown with an accomphce, with whom he must have been thoroughly satisfied, since the man's name was Goodenough. Evidently impressed with the desirability of expedi tion of movement, a secret meeting was held soon after Rogers's return to Morristown, with his im ported accomphce, at which some eight or ten selected participants were present, and as an indispensable pre liminary to active operations, these persons were sol emnly assured by the imported pedagogue, of the presence at Schooley's Mountain of the commonly reported buried treasures. The prevailing belief that this treasure was vigilantly guarded by spirits, and that these must be raised and carefully consulted be fore it could be utilized by the living, was shrewdly emphasized by Rogers at this initial meeting of the elect. The Yankee schoolmaster gave another rare exhibition of his proverbial modesty by the assurance on his part, at the meeting above mentioned, of his ability to entice the spirits from their resting places, situated somewhere in the earth's bowels, and of his thorough acquaintance with the language of these denizens of darkness, which constituted a sympathetic 418 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY mutual bond which would insure the impartation from the spirits, to him, of the last remnant of occult knowl edge required for the discovery and actual possession in hand of the treasures interred by Tories and semi- Tories in the days of the Revolution. No finer illus tration of the shrewdness of Rogers was exhibited than his solemn admonition to the elect, administered at the close of their initial meeting, held apparently at the residence of Mr. , situated at a secluded spot on the Mendham road, known as "Solitude." This admonition was to refrain from all immorality, on the ground that indulgence therein would offend the denizens of darkness and prevent the yielding up by them of the buried treasures. The original number of the elect did not long con tinue, since the dazzle of prospective gold and the irre sistible impulse to communicate to others the "hope of gain" soon increased the coterie of gold seekers to forty. Rogers's pretended meetings with the guar dian spirits became frequent. As a means of bolster ing up the creduHty of the elect, he utUized his knowl edge of "chymistry" by compounding various chemi cal ingredients, which, thrown into the air, exploded, causing a variety of appearances mysterious and ex traordinary, to the active superstition of the people involved. These appearances and other phenomena attending Rogers's chemical experiments were sup posed by his victims to be of a supernatural origin and character. The skill of the Yankee schoolmaster was StiU further displayed, and the credulity of the 419 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY elect (elect in the sense of having been carefully se lected by Rogers as easy victims), still further stimu lated by occasional and dreadful subterranean explo sions caused by "timed" explosives placed in the earth, and which, occurring according to careful plan ning in the night, were a source of great terror to the elect people. Such was the terror occasioned by these phenomena that it was with great reluctance the vic tims ventured out after dark. But another effect of the "chymical" experiments alluded to was the grow ing impatience of the elect to take active measures toward the discovery of the buried treasures. So importunate did they become that a general meeting was called, and notwithstanding the severe storm prevailing not a single treasure seeker was ab sent. Some, it is said, rode a distance of twelve mUes to be present at this spirit conventicle. Between the call for the general meeting, and its occurrence, Rog ers had thoroughly instructed his accomplice; everything was "cut and dried." To the assembled and wonder-stricken coterie the spirit appeared, and informed them that on a certain night in the near future they must again meet in a field situated half a mile from human habitation, where they would be re quired to form certain specified angles and circles, to get outside of which would result in their immediate extirpation. At about half-past lo o'clock on the night ap pointed, the elect gathered and marched round and round in solemn procession. A terrible subterranean 420 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY explosion occurring in the near vicinity so thoroughly "jarred" them that their teeth must have chattered. Impressed by the supernatural character of these phe nomena — "noises," the writer presumes the victims called them — the elect were suitably predisposed to catch the faintest whisper of the guardian spirits; hence, when with hideous groans they made their ap pearance to Rogers, and he, in the presence of the subdued throng, conversed with them, the elect were fully prepared to accept with avidity their communica tions, which were, that in order to obtain the buried treasures, each of them (there may have been half a hundred of the elect by this time) must deliver £12 (about $30) to them (the spirits), as an acknowledg ment. At the same time the spirits manifested their extreme fondness for Rogers by enjoining the elect to fail not to acknowledge him as their mundane leader in future operations. It is said the spirits on the occa sion mentioned wore machines over their mouths to prevent their voices "giving them away." November, in the year 1788, was the time of the manifestations thus related. At several subsequent meetings the manifestations of ghostly presence con sisted of hidous groans, mysterious rappings, sugges tive and tantalizing jingling of gold and silver coin; and, by way of encouragement in their unworldly en terprise, the elect were exhorted by the spirits to "Press forward!" There is one feature of the ghostly transactions under review which cannot fail to particu larly impress the reader, which is this : The guardian 421 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY spirits were wilHng — so willing, indeed, that it was a part of their considerate requisition — to receive gold and silver coin rather than the "loan paper" then cur rent in New Jersey, in the way of acknowledgment by the elect. The spirits were willing to be burdened with metallic money, and to permit the elect to enjoy the convenience of a form of money of lighter weight and more evanescent character also. And another inter esting feature of the ghost story is the fact that the elect were not at all reluctant to retain for their own use the "loan paper" money, and deliver over to- the spirits the hard coin as "an acknowledgment," what ever that meant in the nomenclature of the spirit land. The reader is cautioned, however, not to regard this transaction, so far as the elect were concemed, as purely unselfish; for local tradition informs us that they expected speedy reimbursement in coin from the well-stocked underground bank. It is said that by the month of March of the foUowing year (1789), the spirits had received from the elect the full amount of the required acknowledgment, and aU in coin, be it remembered. How their shroud pockets must have sagged! By this time the spirits had assumed such familiar relations with their cash contributors, that some of the more responsible of them were not a few times aroused from their midnight slumbers in order to have imparted to them by their spirit friends the better course of procedure in obtaining the earth-em boweled treasures. 422 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY At several private meetings, at which the manifesta tions were various, the elect were informed by the dis interested spirits that in the month of May following, they would receive returns for their hard cash, and then did the words of the immortal Bard of Avon come true in the case of each of this batch of happy prom isees: "I am giddy; expectation whirls me 'round. The imaginary relish is so sweet That it enchants my sense." The month of May was not long in arriving, and upon its arrival the entire company of the elect were assembled in an open field, where the prescribed circle was formed, and the appearance of the spirits awaited in breathless suspense. When they did appear it was to assume a position at a prudent distance from the circle; and then followed a scene that beggars descrip tion. Symptoms of intense irascibility, attended by the most horrible groans, were exhibited by the spirits, and in their effort to give expression to their irascibility they twisted themselves into postures of the most ghastly sort, which, amid the encompassing darkness, were hideous in the extreme. If the af frighted spectators had been able to summon up the power of speech each would have cried out : I feel my sinews slacken'd with the fright And a cold sweet thrills down all o'er my limbs, As if I were dissolving inlo water. 423 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY In speechless horror, however, the elect listened to the severe upbraidings of the spirits, for the aUegeTl irregularity of their procedure, for their faithlessness, and for their incapacity to "keep a secret," and, worst of all, the spirits indignantly declared that, owing to their inconsistent deportment, the elect would be de barred from receiving, for the present, the coveted treasures. So enraged did the spirits become, and so overwhelmed by fright were their victims, that the thought of money vanished entirely from their minds, and in their extremity they looked to Rogers for pro tection. But it was horror added to horror for the elect to discover, that the imported schoolmaster was, apparently, as much frightened as they. Indeed, his efforts to appease the enraged spirits seemed at first almost futile. He did, however, succeed, after re course to a variety of incantations, in dispeUing the ghostly visitants, and once more tranquillity reigned within the circle. The elect soon dispersed, and, strange to say, their credulity still survived, and their confidence in the Yankee schoolmaster was in no measure abated. They stiU looked forward expectantly to the posses sion of the long coveted treasures, lying somewhere in old mother earth. Rogers might have been perennially and pleasantly remembered by his friends, the elect, as an expert "chymist," fully qualified to raise even the devU him self, had he been satisfied to drop the matter where it was. But a wise man has said: "We may recover out 424 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of the darkness of ignorance, but never out of that of presumption." Rogers had become presumptuous. He soon removed to Morristown viUage, having given up his school on the Mendham road; he evidently "didn't have to" teach any more. Two other Yankees who had recently removed to the county seat of Morris, and vwho had heard of Rog ers's "chymical" operations, expressed a feverish de sire to become members of the expectant circle of treasure seekers. To this proposition Rogers de murred; but he was at length persuaded by them to engage in a second enterprise of a simUar character. The nucleus of this second venture, consisting of five pieces of new and raw material, soon held their initial meeting. In addition to the groans and noises hitherto composing the spirit manifestations to the elect, each member of the new circle, including the three Yan kees, took from a prepared pile a piece of paper, wrap ped it around his wrist, and thrust the hand out of the door into the darkness, and patiently waited for the spirits to write upon the paper. Withdrawing the hands and the papers and huddling the latter to gether, they were anxiously examined, when lo ! upon one of them, there were found written the mention of a time and place for meeting the spirits and receiving from them instructions concerning the discovery and obtainment of the buried treasures. The writer trusts that no reader will for a moment suppose the spirit message above mentioned was written by either of the Yankee schoolmasters , for that would be to attribute 425 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY to them cuteness of the highest order; cuteness bor dering on genius. The spirit-suggested meeting was held at the house of Ransford Rogers, in the village of Morristown. He was evidently growing very religious, for at this meet ing the exercises were opened with prayer. A sheet of paper was then taken by each member of the new enterprise, whereupon they all proceeded in orderly fashion to a nearby field, where a circle was drawn. With one arm elevated they all fell "with awful rever ence prone," engaging, with closed eyes, in prayer, and in supplication that the spirit would be pleased to enter the circle and on the paper write his message from . On returning to Rogers's house the papers were shuffled together, and lo! on one the spirit-message was written, in penmanship so elegant that it became a marvel to the amazed coterie. "The membership of this company must be increas ed to eleven. Each of the augmented membership must pay to the spirit (as an acknowledgment,' the writer imagines), twelve pounds in gold (specie payment still required)." Such may have been, in substance, the spirit message aforesaid. Rogers evidently "knew" his men. They were identified with the village church, and were presumably, at least, of a pious turn of mind. Hence, the Yankee from Smith's Clove, Orange County, New York, resolved that the gold-seeking en terprise should be conducted on strictly Christian principles, and having so resolved, he (as the "Morris town Ghost") inaugurated a systematic visitation of 426 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY church members, representing himself as "the spirit ol a just man," made perfect, and piously exhorted them to enter the charmed circle. Result? He persuaded thirty-seven persons, mostly members of Parson Johne's church, to cast their lot in with the gold- seekers. It was not long before some of the more sus ceptible of these new members began to receive noc turnal visits, and were exhorted by the spirits to "pray without ceasing," "look to God," and in other ways conduct themselves as good men should. To infiame their credulity to white heat various tricks were now and then performed by the spirit (the "Monistown Ghost," is meant) for the benefit of the treasure-seekers. As a token of spirit approbation each member was presented by Rogers with a parcel. which they were informed by the "chymical" expert contained the burned and powdered bones of the spir it's bodies. This gift had been preceded, ho'wever, by the payment (as "a retainer," perhaps) of a portion of the required twelve pO'Unds gold. The powdered bones were to be carefuUy guarded, but the parcel was not to be opened. The next requirement to be mentiond may not have been particularly difficult, nor onerous, for the treasure-seekers to comply with; it was none else than to drink freely of "Apple jack ;" as a result of which compliance, future meetings became somewhat convivial, as well as religious, and on their return home, it was not always easy for the treasure-seekers to find the door latch. But then they were church 427 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY members, and hence excusable for their little irregu larities. Rogers seems, also, in addition to his knowledge of "chymistry," to have been something of a therapeutist, for it is said he compounded pills, and prescribed one to be taken by each member of the company of treas ure-seekers, said pill to be supplemented by liberal po tions of "Apple jack," to prevent deleterious effects. These instructions having been dictated by the spirits, the Yankee schoolmaster (retired) should not be held altogether responsible for the effects of his erratic therapeutical practises. "And thus the whirligig of time brings in his re venges," is a saying which was strikingly illustrated in the sequel to the operations of the spirits of the year 1788-89 in Morristown. Among the coterie of spirit- guided treasure-seekers was a man well advanced in years. On leaving home for a few days, he so far for got the sacredness of his promise, as to leave behind his parcel of burned bones. Finding, and out of womanly curiosity breaking open the mysterious par cel, his wife, on discovering its contents, feared to touch the powder. She, too, was a victim of the sup erstition 'of the times, and apprehending that the pow der was in some way connected with witchcraft, she went at once to her pastor for advice in the matter. Learning, upon his return home, of what had occurred during his absence, the husband, whose name was — but this story is not to divulge names — declared he was ruined. Ruined only in the realm of distorted im- 428 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY agination, and ruined in this sense only until he dis closed to his wife the secret spirit operations with which he and his neighbors had so long been identi fied, for she was the Moses who guided him out of the Egypt of darkness. She at once pronounced the whole thing the work of the devil, and declared her intention to make the matter public. Alarmed at the resolution of this good woman, Rogers and his accom plices pursued their spirit visitations with renewed vigor, and with the performance of freshly conceived tricks to overcome the scruples of the superstitious. These efforts might have succeeded in postponing a little longer, at least, the day of retribution, had not Rogers, having imbibed too freely of Apple jack, made several blunders while conversing one night, as a spirit (the Morristown Ghost) with a resident of the county seat. It was the man's wife, however, who de tected the inconsistency of spirit conduct which led to Rogers's exposure. Finding next morning where the spirit visitant of the previous night had been, the tracks of a man, the husband followed them to a near by fence, where he discovered a horse had been tied. The man's eyes were now wide open, and so were those of others. The spell was broken. The bubble had burst. Rogers was arrected, and confined in the jaU on the Green. But, protesting his innocence, he was bailed out of jaU. He attempted suneptitiously to leave the State. Again he was arrested, this time making a confession. Such was the enslaving power of credulity that 429 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY many of Rogers's foUowers remained for no little time steadfast in their delusions. At last, however, the con fession of the leader resulted in their recovery from the delusion which had so long enchained them. Rogers escaped from the jail and left the State, never to- re turn. Is it possible his now mortified and crestfallen victims connived at his escape and assisted him in his eft'ort to flee the scenes of his "chymical" depreda tions? Rogers is said to have realized about $1,500 from his practise, in Morristown and vicinity, by the art of "chymistry." In his operations he had "interested" and successfully duped a brave Revolutionary officer; an esteemed disciple of Blackstone; a Morristown jus tice of the peace; two local physicians in good practice; a local miller, not of the "Dee" but of the Whippa nong; a Whippanong resident of substance, and had tried, but in vain, to "interest" two other residents of the latter place, one of them a subsequent member of Congress. A Dover justice of the peace was induced, but reluctantly and "without faith," to join the enter prise, but it is said he was shrewd enough to come out of it in improved condition, financially. And thus endi eth the story of the "Morristown Ghost," which has been related by the writer, not because of any pleasure experienced on his part, but being a phase of local his tory, it must needs be told. Many of the American colonists found themselves in an impoverished condition at the close of the seven years' struggle for national independence. The peo- 430 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY pie of Morris County, however, were in some respects more fortunate than those of other sections of the country, for their fields had not been devastated nor their dwellings destroyed by the enemy. Because of the prompt and energetic utilization of the resources of the county, its growth was rapid in population and in wealth. Nothing contributed more fully to- this growth than the iron industry, for the development of which numerous forges were either rebuUt or built anew in various sections of the county. The log cab ins of pre-Revolutionary and even Revolutionary times were superseded by more comfortable and, in not a few instances, by more pretentious houses. Bet ter roads were made. The acreage of arable land was much increased and a new impetus given to agricul tural pursuits. Additional schools were estabhshed throughout the county, including at the county seat a school for the fitting of young men for college. Sev eral newspapers were also established. In the year 1791 a new and more commodious meet ing-house was completed by the Presbyterians. A picture of this meeting-house may be seen in this vol ume. It will be noticed that there was in this struc ture of 1 79 1 but a single front entrance. A few years later, a large window was substituted for this central entrance; and two entrances, one on either side of the window, -were made; as may be seen in other extant pictures of the building. It is through the courtesy of Harriet A. Freeman, a life-long resident of Morris town, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church, 431 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY that we are able to offer to our readers this interesting picture of the old First Church edifice. From the text: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Rev. Tim othy Johnes, D. D., preached, in the year 1793 his half century sermon to a great congregation. "In 1791, (the words of Rev. Rufus S. Green, D. D., appear ing in 'History of Morris County,' are here quoted) he fractured his thigh bone by a fall, which confined him for months to his bed, and made him a cripple for the remainder of his life. After more than a year's confinement he was able to attend public worship. Aided by one or two of his elders he reached the desk, where, seated on a high cushioned chair, he would occasionally address the people. In this condition he preached in 1793 his half-century sermon to a crowded as sembly, who came from all quarters to hear it. * * * In the delivery of that discourse he manifested unusual ani mation, and in the closing prayer he seemed to breathe out his whole soul in fervent petition for the peace, prosperity and salvation of his people. The service was closed by singing the 71st Psalm — 'God of my childhood and my youth,' etc. In reading the first verse, said an eye-witness, 'his voice began to falter and became tremulous. He proceeded with much emotion, while the tears trickled over his venerable cheeks, and before he could utter the last line his voice seemed lo die away amidst the sobs and tears of the whole assembly.' "Seldom did he address his people after this. In the follow ing winter, as he was riding to church on Sabbath morning, his sleigh was upset a short distance from his house, which broke his other thigh bone. He was carried to his home, and never left it till he was removed by the hands of others to the grave yard. He died September isth, 1794, in the 78th year 432 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY of his age, the S2nd of his pastorale and S4th of his minis try. "His tombstone bears the following inscription : 'As a Chris- lion few ever discovered more piety — as a minister few labored ¦longer, more zealously or more successfully than did this min ister of Jesus Christ' "During his pastorate of over half a cenlury he received into the church 600 members and 572 half-way members, officiated at 2,827 baptisms, and 948 marriages, and disciplined 170 mem bers." From a manual of the First Presbyterian Church of Mor ristown, prepared by the Rev. Albert Barnes, D. D., in the year 1828, the foUowing tribute lo the Rev. Timothy Johnes, D. D., is quoted : "Few men have ever been more successful as min isters of the gospel than Dr. Johnes. To have been the instru ment of founding a large and flourishing church ; to have been regarded as ils affectionate father and guide; to have estab lished the ordinances of the gospel, and formed the people to respect ils institutions ; to have produced that outward order and morality and love of good institutions now observable in this congregation, was itself worthy of the toils of his life. In being permitted to regard himself as, under God, the origina tor of habits and good institutions which are lo run into com ing generations, he could not but look upon his toils as amply recompensed. Bul he was permitted also lo see higher fruit of the labor of his ministry. It pleased a gracious God, not only to grant a gradual increase of the church, but also at two different times to visit the congregation with a special revival of religion. The first occurred in 1764. * * * Tjje second revival com menced in 1774. * * '* In 1790 there was another season of unusual excitement on the subject of religion. * * * In "History of Morris County," the Rev. Dr. Green further says: "Rev. Aaron C. Collins was settled January 6th, 1791, as colleague pastor of Dr. Johnes. He was dismissed after a brief and unpleasant pastorate, September 2d, 1793. 433 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Rev. James Richards, D. D., was settled May ist, 1795, and dismissed April 26th, 1809. * * * On the 21st of July, 1794, a call from this church was made and put into his hands, in which he was offered $440 salary in quarterly payments, the use of the parsonage and firewood. This was in due time accepted by him, and on the ist of May, 1795 he was ordained and installed pastor of the church by the Presbytery of New York. * * * jjj November, 1795, the old church was taken down, vacated and sold in lots. A good part of it was converted into a distillery and cider-mill on Water Street. So greal, so it was said, was the attachment of many of the members for it that they could not refrain from using it in ils new location. On November 26th, 1795, Mr. Richards preached the first sermon in the new and present ( 1880) house. The old plan of rating and collecting was now discontinued; and in ils place the pews were sold and assessed. The number purchasing or renting pews was is8, and sum paid was $S33-3S- The expenses for 1797, according to an old mem orandum, were: Salary, $440; sweeping the church, $is; sex ton, $is; cake for wood cutters, $19; printing, $2; 'Cyder,' $S.62. Total, 496.62. Cake and cider formed it would appear no inconsiderable part of the sum total of expenses. The minisier was promised so much salary, parsonage and fire wood. The "wood-frolick," as it was called, was a great event in the parish. It brought together the greater part of the congregation, the ladies preparing supper at the parsonage, which was heartily enjoyed by those who were busy during the day in bringing together the year's supply of fuel for their minister, which averaged about 40 cords. We find the amounts expended by the parish for these frolics in 1797, as seen above, to be for cake and cider, $24.62; in 179S, bread and beef, $18.94; in 1799, i cwt. of flour and 200 lbs. of beef, $10.83. The spinning visit was similar in character, though we do not find that it was attended with expense to the parish. By 434 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY this means there were collected together various aniounts of linen thread, yard and cloth, proportioned to the 'gude' wife's ability or generosity. The thread was woven into cloth for the use and comfort of the pastor and his family, and as it was not always of the same texture and size it sometimes puzzled the weaver to make the cloth and finish it alike.. The meagerness of Mr. Richard's salary was a source of great perplexity to him as the expenses of his growing family increased, and finally led to his accepting a call from the First Presbyterian Church of Newark, N. J. During his pastorate of fourteen years he admitted to the Church on examina tion, 214, and on certificate 29. He baptized 444, and sol emnized 2SI marriages. At the time of his dismission the church numbered 298 members in full communion." Rev. Reune Runyon, pastor of the Baptist church from 1 77 1 to 1780, was succeeded by Rev. David Luffbury. "The year previous to his settlement, on the 27th of September, 1786, a considerable number of members residing in the neighborhood of School ey's Mountain were dismissed to form an independent church, which was constituted under the name of Schooley's Mountain Church. "Rev. David Jayne suppHed the church once a month during the year 1791. In August of this year it was voted to join the New York Association, and send delegates to the convention of churches to meet in that city for the purpose of forming said association. From its organization to the present time (1880) the church has been united with the Philadelphia connec tion. "Rev. WiUiam Vanhorne, was pastor of the Baptist 435 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY church of Morristown, from 1792 to 1807. Mr. Van horne, however, like his predecesors, supplied the pul pit only once a month, being during the time the pas tor of the Scotch Plains church." To the late Hon. Edmund D. Halsey, lovers of Mor ristown annals are indebted for the roll of a local mili tia company organized about the year 1791, which fol lows: "A List of Capt. Joseph Halsey's Company Militii.. Morristown, 7 June, 1791. Capt. Jos. Halsey, Lieut. William Johnes, Ens'n Dan'l Lindsly, Serg'ts, Jesse Cutler, Seth Gregory, Abijah Sher man, Zenas Lindsly, Corp'ls John Kirkpatrick, Isaac Hath away, Timothy Fairchild, (Privates), Silas D. Hayward, William Marsh, Timothy Force, Sims Condict, David Humph revil, Ebenezer Humphrevil, Samuel Ford, George F. Fenery, Silvanus Tuttle, Josiah Hathaway, Silas Baldwin, Samuel Ayers, Absalom Trowbridge, John Hathaway, David Trow bridge, Abraham Beers, John (2) Hathaway, Joseph Trow bridge, John Woodruff, Daniel MiUs, Jobe Mills, Jacob Meeker, Isaac Walker, Shadrack Hayward, Timothy Extill, Daniel Coleman, David Mills, Jabez Guiness, Dave D. Budd, Thadeus Mills, James Vance, William Burnet, Matthias Crane, Uzal Pierson, Joseph Coleman, Isaac Woolley, Abraham Rutan, George Oharrow, Trune Goble, William Marshel, Hezekiah Mitchell, David G. Wheeler, Daniel Spenser, John Bollen, Elijah Holleway, Henry Feter, Joshua Gorden, John Mc Daniels, George Mills, Michael Conner, Silas Hathaway, Ichabod Crane, John Slill, George Marsh, Thomas Jean.'' The following statement concerning the origin of the famous Morris Academy is from "History of Mor ris County: 436 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY "The Morris Academy was organized November 28lh, 1791. This was done by 24 gentlemen, who subscribed each one share of ^25 for the purpose. The subscribers were Caleb Rus sell, Israel Canfield, Daniel Phoenix, Jr., Alexander Car michael, Gabriel H. Ford, Timothy Johnes, Jr., Moses Estey, Jabez Campfield, William Campfield, (Rev.) Aaron C. Collins, Jonathan Hathaway, John Jacob Faesch, Richard Johnson, John Kinney, Abraham Kinney, Isaac Canfield, George Tucker, David Ford, Nathan Ford, Theodorus Tuthill, John Mills, Joseph Lewis, Jacob Arnold, Chilson Ford. "The first board of proprietors consisted of Jabez Camp field, president ; Caleb Russell, first director ; Gabriel H. Ford, second director; Nathan Ford, third director; Daniel Phoenix, Jr., treasurer; and Joseph Lewis, clerk. Mr. Campfield re signed al the expiration of one month, and was succeeded by Mr. Russell. "The contract for building the academy was let to Caleb Russell for $S20. The lot was purchased from the First Presbyterian Church, as appears from the trustees' book: 'At a meeting of the trustees at the house of Caleb Russell, Esq., Slh day of September, 1792, the president, Mr. Lindsley, Mr. Ford, Mr. Mills, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Ogden being met, a deed being made out for one hundred feet of land in front and one hundred and thirty feet deep on the hill opposite the Conners land, agreeable to a vote of the parish requesting the trustees to act discretionary on this affair, the 22nd Feb. 1792 — the said deed was then signed, conveying twenty-nine hun dredths of an acre of land to the proprietors of the intended academy for the sum of thirty pounds Jersey money. Caleb Russell, Esq., gave his obligation for said sum.' "After the building was completed Caleb Russell, although he was clerk of the county and had a variety of other busi ness to attend to, consented to lake charge of the academy as principal. On the Sth of November, 1792, the school opened, with 35 scholars as follows : Elias Riggs, Stephen Thompson, 437 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY Anthony Day, Henry P. Russell, Henry Axtell, David Bates, Munson Day, Charles Russell, Ezra Halsey, Richard B. Faesch, Jacob Stiles, Jacob Lewis, Timothy J. Lewis, James Wood, Nancy Lewis, Betsey Estey, David Estey, Phoebe, daughter of Jeduthan Day, Sally Conklin, Hannah Hathaway, Eleazer Hathaway, George W. Cook, Thomas Kinney, Henry Mills, David Stites William Beach, John P. Johnes, Alexander Phoenix, Silas Day, Robert M. Russell, Eliza P. Russell, Charles Freeman, Chilion Stiles. "Mr. Russell continued in full charge of the school until the close of 179S, and in partial charge until August 1797. He graduated in 1770 at Princeton College, and studied law with Judge Robert Morris, of New Brunswick. He was ap pointed clerk of Morris counly four terms of five years each. He died in office June 8, 180S, aged s6 years. Under him the academy took a very high rank, attracting scholars from New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Brunswick, Amboy, Charleston, S. C, and many other places. From November Sth 1792 to April 179s, he had a total of 269 scholars. In the eighth volume of the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society the names of these students, together with those of their parents, are given in full. Among them will be found many who afterward distinguished themselves in Church and State. "Mr. Russell was assisted by Elias Riggs, Henry Axtell and John Ball, who were among his first pupils, and also by John Woodruff. "The prices of tuition were : For languages, mathematics and surveying, 2Ss. per quarter; for French, 30s. and 40s. per quarter ; for English studies, 12s., iSs., and i6s. per quarter. "Mr. Russell was succeeded in August 1797 by Rev. Samuel Whelpley, who continued in charge until 1805." From the same authority we learn that "the first library in Morris County was established in 1792. On the 21st of 438 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY September of that year ii inhabitants of the county seat met at the house of Benjamin Freeman, at Morristown, and 'advised and consulted' upon the propriety of organizing a society which should be called 'The Morris Counly Society for the Promotion of .\gricullure and Domestic Manufactures.' "Captain Peter Layton (a relic of the Revolution) was chosen chairman, and Colonel Russell, clerk. The constitu tion presented was rather defective. A committee was ap pointed to revise it. The meeting then adjourned lo meet at Mr. Freeman's house on September 2Sth, 1792. "One hundred people were present at this meeting. Samuel TuthUl was installed chairman with Colonel Russell again clerk. The constitution was read as revised, and was adopted. From it we take (Art. VIII) the following: 'Upon the appli cation of any member of the socieiy for a book he shall deliver him one, and al the same time lake a promissory note for the same, to be returned in one (l) month from the time, on paying one shilling for every week overtime.' On October 7lh, 1793, this was amended and the librarian was only to keep an account of the book taken. Article XI informs us that the dues were one dollar a year, 'to be paid on the first Monday in October of each year,' and that the stock was transferable. Ninety-seven of those present then signed the constitution, and a good portion of these paid several dollars over the dues for the sake of encouragement. The total receipts were $227. "On October ist, 1792, the election of officers came off. Samuel TuthiU was elected president; Joseph Lewis, vice- president; Dr. William Campfield, secretary; W. Campfield, librarian; Israel Canfield, treasurer. Six gentlemen were then elected a committee of correspondence. "Il was resolved that the society purchase three books, and a stamp for marking all books. 'They then adjourned.' The next meeting was April 1st, 179S, at which the by-laws were 439 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY read and adopted, from which we learn that the librarian was to be at the library to deliver books on all days, Sundays excepted, 'from 6 A.. M., lo 9 P. M.,' and 'that he shall collect all dues in specie.' The society started wilh 96 volumes. At the end of the year the treasurer reported $35.47 on hand, and an addition of 20 volumes to the library.'' The extracts following, unless otherwise stated, are from "History of Morris County" : "On the 24th of May 1797 the first number of the first newspaper of Morristown was issued. Caleb Russell was the prime mover in this enterprise, having purchased a printing press and secured the services of Elijah Cooper, a practical printer, to attend to the details of the business. The name of the paper was the Morris County Gazette, and it was issued by E. Cooper & Co. Cooper remained until November of the same year, when he left, and Mr. Russell continued sole editor. Early in 1798 he invited Jacob Mann, who had learned the printing business of Sheppard KoUock in Eliza bethtown, to come to Morristown and take charge of the paper. The Morris County Gazelle was continued until the ISlh of May, 1798, when the name was changed to the Genius of Liberty. This paper was edited by Jacob Mann until May 14th, 1801. "Morristown has had but few postmasters. The first was Frederick King, commissioned early in 1782 by Postmaster General Ebenezer Hazard. Henry King, his son, succeeded him on the 14th of June, 1792, receiving his commission from Postmaster General Timothy Pickering. He held the office 42 years." "The first fire association of Morristown was organized July 26lh, 1797. Ils officers were : Samuel Tuthill, moderator ; Joseph Lewis, clerk; Alexander Carmichael, Caleb Russell, Colonel Benoni Hathaway, Moses Estey, Captain David Ford and Dr. William Campfield, executive committee. How 440 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY efficient this association proved and how long it continued we are unable lo stale." "Among the attractions and advantages of Morristown as a place of residence ils excellent and abundant water supply is not the least important. "On November i6th, 1799 a charter of incorporation was granted to the following 'proprietors of the Morris Aqueduct' • John Doughty, Wm. Campfield, James Richards, David Ford, Aaron Pierson, John Halsey, Wm. Johnes, Gabriel H. Ford, Henry King, Caleb Russell, Daniel Phoenix, Jr., Israel Can- field, Benjamin Freeman, David Mills, George O'Hara, Ro dolphus Kent, Joseph Lewis, Lewis Condict, Abraham Can- field, Samuel Ogden, Elijah Holloway, Edward Mills, Wm. Tuttle, Matthias Crane, Jonathan Dickerson and Daniel Lindsley. "From an editorial in the Genius of Liberty, November 2ist, 1799, we condense the foUowing: 'An aqueduct, four miles in length including its various branches, has been laid and completed in this lown since the 20lh of June last. The fountain is 100 feet above the town, on the north side of a small mountain covered with wood. The pipe has been laid 3 feet under ground, at an expense of between $2,000 and $3,000. The work was executed by Pelatiah Ashley, of West Springfield, Mass. "This 'fountain' was on the 'Jockey Hollow' road (about one mile from town), where one of the reservoirs is now (1880) situated. The water was conducted from there to the town through brick tile. How many years this was con tinued we cannot say, but are informed that for many years the aqueduct was a dry one, and Morristown was again lefl dependent on wells, and so continued until the chartered right was purchased by James Wood, who repaired it and laid chestnut logs of two inches bore as the aqueduct, and had a small distributing 'reservoir' — a wooden cistern, capable of 441 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY holding one hundred barrels of water — in town, on the Jockey HoUow road, now Western Avenue." "The younger generation knows liltle or nothing of the pleasures of stage coaches and bad roads. Previous to 1838 Morristonians reached the outside world only by this luxurious method of travel. "Benjamin Freeman claims the honor of running the first stage from this place to Powles Hook (Jersey City). This was in 1798, or possibly 1797. For $i.2S the traveler could start from here at 6 A. M., on Tuesday or Friday, and be drawn by four horses through Bottle Hill (Madison), and thence to Chatham, where 'if he felt disposed he could take breakfast,' thence to Springfield, Newark, reaching Powles (also spelled Paulus) Hook sometime the same day according lo circumstances. On Wednesday or Saturday he could return by the same route, and at the same price. "John Halsey soon entered into partnership with this prim itive Jehu. The profits of the enterprise must have been considerable, for the following year, 1799, Matthias Crane started a rival stage. We doubt however whether the rivalry of Matthias gave the original firm much anxiety, as he could only muster two horses. But other competitors arose. The columns of the papers of those early days abound with flaming advertisements of these rival concerns, not omitting descrip tions of the beauties of their various routes. The majority of them ran to Powles Hook, but some only to Newark, from which places the passengers were transported by boat to New York." "Previous to 1855 the Presbyterians interred their dead in the graveyard in the rear of the First Church, the IBaptists theirs in the rear of their church, the Episcopalians in the graveyard of St. Peter's, and the 442 THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY Methodists in a graveyard on the Basking Ridge road. A hst of burials in the two yards first named was kept between the years 1768 and 1806, and published in a quaint old book caUed the 'Bill of Mortality,' of which the foUowing is the title page: 'Bill of Mortality. 'Being a Register of aU the Deaths which have occuned in the Presbyterian and Baptist congrega tions of Morristown, New Jersey, for the Thirty-Eight years past. — Containing (with but few exceptions) the cause of every decease. — This register, for the first twenty-two years, was kept by the Rev. Doctor Johnes, since which time by William Cherry, the present sexton of the Presbyterian Church of Monis Town. — 'Time brushes off our lives with sweeping wings.' — Hervey. Morris Town, Printed by Jacob Mann, 1806. 'Note. — Those marked thus * were Church Mem bers — thus t Baptists — thus * ^ Baptist Church Mem bers.' "A supplement was afterward added bringing the list down to 181 2. * * * "The 'BiU of Mortality' contains a mournful list of 1.675 burials between the years 1768 and 1806. * * * "The oldest of our cemeteries is that in the rear of the First Presbyterian Church. The pastor of that church has an incomplete list of over 4,000 burials in it. Large numbers of soldiers were buried in it during the Revolutionary war, of whom he has no knowledge. Large trenches were dug, and the dead 443 HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY laid in them in rows. Old military buttons have been dug up in quantitites. The same is true of the Baptist yard." George W. Fleury, a native and life-long resident of Morristown, informs the writer that when, in the year 1871, the remains of those buried in the old Baptist burying grounds in the rear of the church were disin terred for removal, WUliam Beam found a calf-skin pocket book, home-made, containing an English razor, several English brass buttons, and four copper pennies with the inscription: 'St. George, Rex.' The pocket book was about 4x6 inches, and opened once. Mr. Fleury has one of the four pennies mentioned. The oldest stone in the cemetery (that of the First Presbyterian Church) has the following inscription: 'Here Lyes ye Body of Martha, Wife of Abraham Parson Aged About 23 Years Deed Janry 2d 1731.' After a visit, a quarter century ago, to the burial grounds in the rear of the First Presbyterian Church, of Monistown, the visitor, in a very interesting ac count of the same, said : "The oldest date that I could discover upon a tombstone was 1722, but a friend informed me that he found a stone dated 1713, so it appears that this ground was used as a burial-place more than half a century before the time of the Revo lutionary War." "My pen is at the bottom of a page, Which being finished, here the slory ends; 'Tis to be wish'd it had been sooner done, Bul stories somehow lengthen when begun." 444 Courtesy of Philip H. Hoffman. THE FORD POWDER MILL, MORRISTOWN, N. J., 1776. See page 181 Coiirtesy of Philip ff. Hoffman. THE MAJOR JOSEPH LINDSLEY HOUSE NEAR FORD'J POWDER MILL, MORRISTOWN, N. J. THE OLD TUTT-LE HOUSE ON THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD. - MAD" ANTHONY WAYNE O^^ ~^^^^ ^-"-^'5 CRr ' D BY THE MCP-^'i';-'.'*f4 CHi5.xrLf ' v**- % •<%..' H ! MONUMENT TO REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS IN THE PRESBYTERIAN BURIAL GROUNDS, MORRI.STOWN, N. J. LEDDELL'S MILLS. see page 354 Courtesy of Philip H, Hoffman. THE ARNOLD TAVERN, MORRISTOWN. N. J. Photo, by ]. Elbert Eirbert. SITE OF THE "GRAND PARADE" LOOKING NORTHEASTERLY. SUGAR LOAF ON THE LEFT. THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD TO THE RIGHT. See page 305 THE ROAD OVER WHICH WASHINGTON'S ARM i i^AllE 'i u jjU'i'v AN i iCA IN 1777. See page 212 LAKE FED BY' SPRINGS FRO.VI WHICH WASHINGTON'S ARMY PROCURED WATEii IN 1777- See page 216 SITE OF THE LARZELEAR TAVERN ON THE BASKING RIDGE ROAD. ¦* X^T" "v '.V".* ¦'TAii.-*** - i ' r: .: AT '«& i> .^M'aaXv^sa/' j',^ .ij»&' THE CLUMP OF LOCUSTS WHERE ONE HUNDRED REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS ARE BURIED. See page 289 I III TV I ^ I ) CORNER OF THE BASKING RIDGE AND NEW VERNON ROADS THREE MILES SOUTH OP THE MORRISTOWN GREEN. SPEAR FOUND IN THE CELLAR OP THE ARNOLD TAVERN, MORRISTOWN, N. J. ^*/f^ ^-/^..ioj-ci^-i/. ?^>ce^ 'Z-^-t OLt^ SCENE OF GENERAL WAYNE'S ENCOUNTER WITH THE PENNSY'LVANIA MUTINEERS. See page 375 HORSEHEAD PENNY— SHOWING EACH SIDE. See page 404 iM '"SL-aSK'S INTERSECTION OF THE JOCKEY' HOLLOW AND MENDHAM ROADS. Photo, by J. Elbert Egbert. PILE OF HUT CHIMNEY-STONES ON THE NEW JERSEY BRIGADE CAMP GROUND BLACHLY HILL. OF 1779-S0, FOOT OF See page 299 J*- !•' M.I 1:R ^ OR DURLING'S MILL, MORRISTOWN, N J See page 24 FIRST WORDS OP INDIAN DEED. See page 18 LAFAYETTE. PHILIP SCHUY'LER. GENERAL MARION. ROBERT MORRIS. THADDEUS KOSCIUSKO. GENERAL BENEDICT ARN^r.D COL. JACOB ARNOLD'S WATCH, CHAIN AND SEAL. See page 1S3 i • i^ ¦i-" ^./ri^,„ THE WICKE HOUSE. See page 381 LOOKING UP .SPRING VALLEY FROM THE LOWANTICA CAMP GROUND. See page 212 FHE STARK MONU.MENT. See page 282 Photo, by J. Elbert Egbert. PILE OF PIUT CHIMNEY-STONES ON THE CONNECTICUT BRIGADE CAMP GROUND OF i77g-'io. See page 295 SITE OF STARK'S BRIGADE CAMP GROUND IN 1779-S0 SHOWING THE STARK MONUMENT. See page 2S1 SITE OF THE FIRST MARYLAND BRIGADE CAMP GROUND IN 1779-80. See page 272 LEDDELL'S POND. '¦4^hu^ .W'* J :4<.<^^'"^.-C¥,'i^r*? V > - '*^.t2' fc?^ '>#^ I'^&M 1 ' ' ., THE DR. LEDDELL HOUSE. See page 352 PLAN OF MORRISTOWN BY SURVEY ORDERED BY GENERAL WASHINGTON, ]W4r36 ms:94- 0.37'2r W'M'OO' •*» I — Squire Benjamin Lindsley ; about where summer house is located in front of the late resi dence of Dr. J. Smith Dodge. 2 — Life guard hut. 3 — Washington's Headquarters. 4 — Dr. Jabez Campfield; house now owned by James Clark, on right of Olyphant lane. S — Frederick King; corner Oly phant lane and Morris street, formerly known as the Duncan house, now owned by Joseph York. 6 — Occupied by Major Mahlon Ford at the beginning of the last century; not standing now. 7 — Old Dickerson house; not known by ""whom occupied dur ing the Revolutionary War; about in centre of present depot plaza. 8— Colonel Joseph Lewis; now owned by the Lackawanna Rail road Company. g — Rev. Timothy Johnes; present Memorial Hospital. 10 — Presbyterian Church. II. — Norris's Tavern, eastern corner Spring and Water street, where yellow house now stands. 12 — Baptist Church; about where the old Baptist Church stood; present McAlpin building. 13— Colonel Henry Remsen. 14— Courthouse and Jail; opposite United States Hotel, about cen tre of street, West Park place. 15 — Curtis's store. 16— Arnold Tavern; present site of "¦The Arnold," now "Hoffman" Building. 17— Continental stores; present site of National Bank. 18— Ex-Sheriff Carmichael; present site of Western Union Tele graph Office. 19— Lieutenant-Colonel William De- Hart; now owntd by Dr. Henry N. Dodge. 20 — Squire Samuel Tuthill. 21 — Present James street. 22— South street. 23— Basking Ridge road; present Market street and Mt. Kemble avenue. 24— Jockey Hollow road, now West ern avenue. 25— Mendham road, now Early street. 26— Whippany road, now Morris street and avenue. 27_Bottle Hill road, now Washmg ton avenue. 2S— Pre ent Spring street. 25— Present \\ ater street. Sce page 147. RUINS OF STONE BAKE-OVEN ON THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD. ROADWAY LEADING UP TO FORT NONSENSE HILL MORRISTOWN, N. J. 3- ^>f' ^V ^-^ 7 ._ . y,^-.. t"^;&,*jj^l^uaj 2 ,tAh^n-^>^*'*'^r-^ *f ^-¦^•^;ft-t*^;:^*>5.^»^ '-iy" one PAGE OF DR. TI.VIOTHY JOHNE'S SERMON NOTES. OLD FASHIONED FIREPLACE AND HOUSEHOLD IMPLEMENTS. SITE OF QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL GREENE'S OFFICE IN 1777- See page 221 WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS, MORRISTOWN, N. J. RUINS OF STONE BAKE-OVEN USED BY OXE OF THE MARYLAND BRIGADES IN 17-9-S0. See page 293 r BLACK OAK TREE WHERE CAPTAIN BETTIN IS BURIED. See page 374 THE BETTIN MONU.MENT SHOWING THE INSCRIPTION. See page 374 JOS. LEWIS. This Picture was made from a Miniature Portrait in Oil loaned by Mrs. E. Anna Dickerson, of Bloomfield,' N. J., who is a Granddaughter of General Joseph Lewis and a Great-granddaughter of Parson Johnes. S'l^S.-^ ..^ otfTVUftVIUiw,* .J,i3*$^: SITE OF THE NE\\"' YORK BRIGADE CAMP GROUND IN 1779-80. "OLD TUTTLE HOUSE" ON THE RIGHT. THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD IN THE LEFT BACKGROUND LEADING TOWARD MORRISTOWN. Photo, by J, Elbert Egbeu See page 2S5 >^'i^fr'i,-s' SpfrfiF!; * ¦*. ' \ SITE OF THE CAPT. AUGUSTINE BAYLEY HOUSE ON THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD. THE AMZI PIERSON HOUSE ON THE LEFT. Photo, by J. Elbert Egbert DICKERSON'S TAVERN, "UNDER THE HILL.' See page 163 SITE OF THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH OF MORRISTOWN, N. J. Sec page 80 BOULDER ERECTED BY THE D. A. R. ON THE MORRISTOWN GREEN. See page 71 LOCALITY FIRST SETTLED IN MORRISTOWN, N. J. See page 24 LOCALITY FIRST SETTLED IN MORRISTOWN, N. J. WHIPPANY, N. J., BURIAL GROUNDS. Sec page 32 ^a^^ti^'^-^^C.r^ji. ^>-««^ -StV^^J^-^r^ Z*^"^ p€^v^ ^ 7,X»« 'TlfU^.y^tf EXTRACT FROM ..pARsON GREEN'S" PARISH BOOK. See page 5 SITE OF PETER KEMBLE'S HOUSE. See page 229 *l-^* -4 \ THE KEMBLE BURIAL GROUND. See page 231 SUN-DIAL MONUMENT. ERECTED BY THE D. A. R. TO MARK THE SITE OF THE DELL WHERE WASH INGTON PARTOOK OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. Sec page 237 f^. ,-'" ^ -Jl^ MONUMENT OF COL. JACOB FORD, JR, MORRISTOWN, N. J. See page 205 il^fH. '¦''id"' MONUMENT OF COL. l.\COB FORD, SR., MORRISTOWN, N. J. See page 211 \ THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, :M0RRIST0WX, X. J.. DURING THE REVOLUTION. Courtesy of Philip H. Hoffinin See page 48 nt.. i ra- p^sxajn: i--£i-'!AN CHaRCH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF MORRISTOWN, N. J., IN 1795- Courtesy of Harrie A. Freeman See page 432 .:-,-;.„f THE CONTINENTAL STORE HOUSE (MORRISTOWN, N. J.) OF THE EEVOLUTIONARY PERIOD, AFTERWARD O'HARA'S TAVERN. Courtesy of Philip H. Hoffman See page 362 THE DEACON SAYRE PLACE AT BOTTLE HILL, N. J. See page 378 LOOKING (NORTHEASTWARD) UP THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD TOWARD MORRISTOWN FROM THE MENDHAM ROAD. HAND'S BRIG ADE CAMP GROUND IN 1779-80 ON THE RIGHT. Photo by J. Elberl Egbert THE PARSONAGE OF REV. JACOB GREEN, HANOVER. N. J. See page 6 0 Vr^^^O .^"jn.- \,-^^.J ¦-nM-l'f ffSl^a-aif/ur< \^ A,J ««-.••;','- Jiou,m^l^^e£u/i/7o>' vCtW-i?/^ ^^ fuj- ma.! if. . ^. O J^ ,(r>o-mJ('Z.,.J.^ff^^.. iC'. Jypv^. ,A FACSIMILE SIGNATURES ON OLD INDIAN DEED. Seepage iS LOOKING (SOUTHEASTWARD) DOWN THE VALLEY OCCUPIED BY THE NEW JERSEY BRIGADE IN 1779-S0. BLACHLY HILL ON THE RIGHT. FORT HILL ON THE LEFT. Photo.-by J. Elbert Egbert See page 296 SITE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA BRIGADE CAMP GROUND IN 1779-80 LOOKING F \STW-XRD KEMPLE MOUNTAIN ON THE RIGHT. SUGAR LOAF ON THF I EFT THE I-^^MLLE "GROFF HOUSE" IN THE BACKGROUND. Photo, by J. Elbeit Egbert See pa^e s THE DE. JABEZ CAMPFIELD IIOUSE, MORRISTOWN, N. J. Sec page 363 . \^ir^. / SITE OF "THE HAMMOCK," MORRISTOWN, N. J. See page 122 MONUMENT OF PETER CONDICT, MORRISTOWN, N. J. THE COL. HATHAWAY HOUSE, MORRISTOWN, N. J. See page 192 J^^'' ^.- ; *¦ STONE MARKING THE CORNERSTONE OF THE FIRST PRESBY^TERIAN CHURCH IN MORRISTOWN. See page 48 THE GENERAL DOUGHTY HOUSE, MORRISTO\VN, N. J. See page 359 HOUSEHOLD IMPLEMENTS OF COLONIAL DAY'S. THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH ON THE "MORRISTOWN GREEN." See page 92 w>^ ROADWAY- LEADING UP THE FORT NONSENSE HILL, MORRISTOWN, N. J. SECTION (SOUTHEASTERLY) OF EARTHWORKS ON FORT NONSENSE HILL, MORRISTOWN, N. J. See page 269 THE OLD FAIRCHILD CONTINENTAL DRUM CORPS, MORRISTOWN, N, j. ORGANIZED IN 1870. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT THE NAMES ARE: W MELL FAIRCHILD (DECE.\SED), HENRY H. FAIRCHILD (DECEASED) EX SHERIFF W. W. FAIRCHILD (DECEASED), CLIFFORD A. FAIRCHILD, FRANK H. FAIRCHILD. RESIDENCE OF GUSTA\' A. KISSELL. MORRISTOW'X, N. J. See page 405 Jfx.^^S'kLj-e^ L»yi.i^yUZd SITE OF THE SILVER MINE ON THE OLD JUDGE SYMMES PLACE, MOUKISTOWN. N. J. See prtue \'A THE SILAS CONDICT HOUSE, MORRISTOWN, N. J. SHERMAN HILL IN THE DISTANCE. Sec page 223 MONUMENT ON FORT NONSENSE HILL ERECTED BY THE WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY' IN 1S88. Z.AU«tA«, T. Fort Hill HoLLSaS in- I'jS'O Z, Ferv"<<" 3. Bfi^U^ 6 . Tr irrvr-o'se.- Relative Positions ofthe Ten Brigades. BY PERMISSION OF EMORY McCLINTOCK, LL.D. bee page 30 1 the JOSHUA GUERIN HOUSE ON THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD. ^-IsL?- . -\ ' "' ?' ?; i^<>- ROAD LEADING TOWARD MENDHAM FROM HOY'T'S CORNER. RUINS OF A STONE BAKE-OVEN ON THE CONNECTICUT BRIGADE CAAIP GROUND OF 1779-80. Photo, by J. Elbert Egbert Sce page 296 SECTION OF THE FORT HILL OF THE REVOLUTIONARY' PERIOD LOOKING TOWARD THE WaCK HOUSE. THE CONNECTICUT BRIGADE C.\MP GROUND IS JUST TO THE RIGHT. Photo by J. Elbert Egbeit 3 9002