of Lieut.-Col. Bowes Bead to await orders from the
Continental Congress, 'in the 25th of Juni
were received to -end him, under guard, to iJovernor
Trumbull, of < lonnecticut, who was requested, in cose
of Franklin's refusal to sign a parole, to treat him as
a prisoner, agreeably to the resolutions of Congress
applying to such ca-es. lie was accordingly sent to
Connecticut, placed in custody of Governor Trum-
bull, and never returned to thi- State. This was the
mid of the civil authority of King George in New
Jersey.
The constitution adopted on the 2d of July, 1776,
vested lie- government of the State in a Governor,*
Legislative ( louncil, and < teneral Assembly, the mem-
bers of the Council and Assembly to be eho-eii for
the first time on the second Tuesday in the following
August, and afterwards, annually, on the second
Tuesday in October. The member- elected in 1776,
in conformity to these provisions, met in October of
that year, and organized as the first Legislature of
New Jersey under the state constitution, succeeding
to the powers and functions of the Provincial Con-
gress and the ( 'onvent ion of the State of New Jersey,
and continuing to exercise those powers as a perma-
nent body.
Although New Jersey had been actively engaged
in military preparations from the time when the war-
like news from Lexington sped across her hill- and
-I ream-, it was not until the winter and spring of
1776 — the time when Washington scut his warning
that the British commander in Boston was probably
contemplating the vement of his forces to New-
York — that the i ph- of this province began to
realize the immediate danger of actual invasion, and
that the lapse of a few weeks might whiten their
Volleys and highlands with the tents of a hostile
army.
It ha- already been mentioned that when tie- de-
signs of Cen. Howe become apparent the battalion of
New Jersey Continental troops under Lord Stirling
was moved from Elizabethtown to New York, and
that a regiment of minute-men under Col. Charles
Stewart WOB ordered to march "with all possible
expedition" to tin- Bame place, but was prevented
from doing -o by lack of the necessary arm-, i In the
l-i of March, 1776, the Continental Congress com-
missioned Lord Stirling a brigadier-general, and im-
mediately afterward- lie a - uined command ol' all
the troops at New York, Gen. Lee having been or-
dered to other duty. ( In the 20th of Mareli the force
under Stirling's omandi comprised hi- own New
attltulion provided that theOovoruoi should be elected annu-
ally by the Council and assemblj In Joint ballot.
t in tin- evening "f tin- 20tfa tin- oommand was sasui
who bad thou just an, -
Philadelphia later, however, he v . : i>U,and
Stirling.
42
HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.
Jersey battalion (about five hundred men, sick and
well), five hundred minute-men from Dutchess and
Westchester Cos., N. Y., about two hundred New
Jersey militia,* and two Connecticut regiments, under
Cols. Ward and Waterbury, numbering in the aggre-
gate about one thousand men, whose term of service
was then within a few days of its expiration. All
of this force, except the necessary guards, was at that
time employed in the erection of defensive works in
and around New York and on Long Island, " assisted
by about one thousand of the inhabitants of the city,
who turned out on this occasion with great alacrity,
the inhabitants and negroes taking their tour of duty
regularly." The force was immediately afterwards
augmented by two other regiments from Connecticut,
under Cols. Dyar and Williams.
For eight months following the time when Gen.
Washington assumed command! of the American
forces his army lay in fortified camps encircling the
British post in Boston, which place he was fully de-
termined to occupy, though he preferred to do so by
forcing the enemy to evacuate rather than to risk the
chances of battle. At first the British commander
felt secure and confident of his ability to continue
his occupation of the city, but, in the winter of 1775-
76, Washington discovered strong indications of an
intention on the part of tbe enemy to withdraw, and
he so notified the Continental Congress. He relaxed
none of his vigilance, however, but pushed his military
preparations with energy. The final movement which
compelled the evacuation was the occupation and for-
tifying of Dorchester Heights during the night of the
4th and 5th of March. The morning of the 5th re-
vealed to the astonished eyes of Gen. Howe a formida-
ble line of earthworks upon the crest, with cannon
mounted on the ramparts commanding his position ;
and from that moment he resolved on an immediate
evacuation of the city. He prepared for a real or
feigned attack, however, by ordering Earl Percy with
a corps of two thousand four hundred men to cross in
transports to Dorchester Point and make a night as-
sault on the rebel works. Washington was fully pre-
pared to receive him, but there arose a furious gale of
wind, which rendered it impracticable for the British
troops to cross. The storm continued with unabated
violence through all the next day, and the attack was
finally abandoned.
On the 7th, Howe called a council of war, at which
it was' decided to evacuate the place without delay.
He had threatened to burn the town if his army was
molested in its departure, and the terrified inhabitants
(largely composed of loyalists) waited on him, im-
ploring him to spare it. The result was a promise on
the part of the British commander to leave the town
unmolested it Washington would allow him to depart
in quiet. The American general, not unwilling to
* Collections of tlic Now Jersey Historical Society, vol. 11. pp. 161, 162.
f At Cambridge, July 12, 1776.
avoid bloodshed and the destruction of the place,
tacitly consented ; and so, on the morning of Sunday,
March 17th, the British troops marched to the wharves
and, embarking, took their final departure. The fleet
dropped down the bay to Nantasket Roads, where it
lay at anchor for ten days, and then put to sea.
Although it was announced that the British fleet,
with Howe's army on board, was bound for Halifax,
there to await reinforcements from England, Gen.
Washington suspected that its real destination was
New York, and, leaving a sufficient force to occupy
Boston, he put his army in motion for the former city,
and arrived there in person on the 14th of April. He
at once commenced active preparations for repelling
tlie expected enemy by strengthening the defensive
works already erected by Lee and Lord Stirling, by
constructing additional fortifications at several points,
by a thorough reorganization of his forces, and by
laying before Congress the urgent necessity of provid-
ing reinforcements.
On the 3d of June the Continental Congress re-
solved "That a flying camp be immediately estab-
lished in the middle colonies, and that it consist of
ten thousand men, . . ." to be made, up of militia
furnished by Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware ;
and on the same day " Resolved, That thirteen thou-
sand eight hundred militia be employed to reinforce
the army at New York," of which number the quota
assigned to New Jersey was three thousand three
hundred men. On the 14th of June the Congress of
New Jersey passed an ordinance directing that this
number of men, in forty companies, to compose five
battalions, all to form one brigade, to be " imme-
diately got in readiness and marched to New York
under the command of a brigadier-general," the bat-
talions to be raised by voluntary enlistment, to con-
tinue in service till the 1st of December following,
unless sooner discharged. The quotas assigned to
each of the counties, and the field-officers appointed
to the command of the several battalions, were as fol-
lows :
One battalion to be made up of three companies
from each of the counties of Bergen and Essex, and
two companies from Burlington. Officers : Philip
Van Cortland, Colonel ; David Brearly, Lieutenant-
Colonel ; Richard Dey, Major.
One battalion of four companies from each of the
counties of Middlesex and Monmouth. Officers : Na-
thaniel Heard, Colonel ; David Forman, Lieutenant-
Colonel ; Thomas Henderson, Major.
One battalion of four companies each from Morris
and Sussex. Officers : Ephraim Martin, Colonel ;
John Munson, Lieutenant-Colonel; Cornelius Lud-
low, Major.
One battalion composed of two companies from
each of the counties of Burlington, Cumberland,
Gloucester, and Salem. Officers : Silas Newcomb,
Colonel; Bowes Reed, Lieutenant-Colonel; ,
Major.
JirXTKKDON AM) SOMERSET COUNTIES IN THE REVOLUTION.
43
One battalion composed of three companies from
Somersel and five companies from Hunterdon County.
Officers: Stephen Hunt, Colonel; Philip Johnston,
Lieutenant-Colonel; Joseph Phillips, Major. Dr.
C Hue Baldwin was appointed surgeon of this
battalion.
Joseph Reed was appointed bi ral and
assigned la the brigade formed of these five battalions,
but for some cause which does not appear he did not
assume the command, and on the 21s1 of June the
ess " Ordt red, Thai the President write to Gen-
eral Livingston and inform him that it is the desin
of i longress that he would take the command of the
militia dcMint'iI I'T New York." He declined to ac-
oepl it, however, and on the 25th of the same month
Col. Nathaniel Heard, of Middlesex, was appointed
brigadier-general and placed in command of the
brigade, which, under bim, was soon after marched
to reinforce the army at New York. Bui on the 24th
of July a letter addressed by I ten. Washington to the
Convention of New Jersey was read before thai
body, informing them "that the brigade under Gen-
eral Heard was far from being complete, and urging
tin- necessity of raising and forwarding the new h-\ ies
destined to reinforce the army at New York" ; where-
upon it was bj the Convention "Ordered, That a
letter be written to General Washington informing
thai several companies were on their way to join the
brigade; and thai this Convention will use its utmost
efforts to furnish its quota, and to give His I ccellency
such other aid as the weal of the United States may
require and the condition of this State will admit."
When the British commander, Gen. Howe, evacu-
ated Boston, in March, 1776, he sailed with bis forces
t.i Halifax, as had been announced, with the inten-
tion of awaiting there the arrival of reinforcements
IV England. But, as these did not arrive at or
near the time when thej were expected, he became
i by the delay, and on the 10th of June si I
sail from thai port with the troops of his command,
bound for Sandy Hook, where a pari of the force
arrived on the 25th of the same month, and were
Boon followed by others, including the commanding
general, who disembarked his army on Staten Island
to await the arrival of the squadron from En
under command of his brother, Admiral Lord Howe,
who entered the bay with pari of bis Heel on the 12th
of Julj : bul it was not until the middle oi
that tin' lasl of the n inforcements arrived.
The appearance of I lowi I i 3taten Island
caused greal consternation throughoul New Jersey,1
• Mlnul r tho Provincial I
t In the
under data J , 1776, ts Found the followl
:,i ' ill Tayl i. ol II
of this day, Infoi wing that nineteen
' ' fax, and not Uio meirof-war undor
â– ddtatral Howe] Uoe at the It ok, and forty-Arc In
particularly in the eastern portion of the State, and
this alarm was greatly increased and intensified when
the baj and all the adjacent waters became black with
the almost innumerable ships of the British fleet. The
Tory element, too, whii h was by i nan- inconsid-
erable in numbers, became at once rampant, and was
especially aggressive in the counties of Monmouth
and Hunterdon. With reference to the Torj
in the former county, the Provincial Congress, on the
26th of June, ordered that Col. Charles Mead, with
two companies of Burlington militia, proceed to cap-
ture them, taking also for the purpose all the militia
â– if Monmouth County if found necessary. Ami. with
regard to Hunterdon, the Convention, on the same
day, took action as follows:
us. from authentlck InformatJ that certain disaf-
the I nntj of Eunterdon have confederated (>>r the
purpose of opposing the imrasurca of the Continental and Provincial
I , and hare even proceeded to actB of open and daring violence;
have pi lered and robbed the house of Captain J b; navi
wounded, and otherwise abused the friendi
and now publicklj declare that they will take up arms and engage in
behalf of the King "f Great Britain, the avowod and Implacable enemy
of tlio United Colonies ; In order to put an effe tual stop to a combiner
tile and dang It Is r Ived ananl usly, That Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Ten Kick and Major Berry ink-' t" their aid such a number
>i tlio militia, properly officered and annod,ol I Hunter-
don and * sary, and proceed without
delay to the Bald County of Hunterdon, In order t.. apprehend such in-
ad disaffected persons as this i II direct."
Under the above resolution, Col. Ten 1'yk received
the following instructions, signed by the president of
the ' longress :
InnAHAU Tin Kick, — You are hei apprehend
John Vaught, Joseph I , Thomas Swindle, George Cyphers, Jr., Peter
John Day, Wiiii.uu Bunt, 'i . Jonathan Hunt, John Hunt,
John Seal, Jr., Herman afiUham, Christopher Vaught, James MacCord,
George CiL-ii.i; Thomas Busklrk, Frederick loo/. Peter Abgar, Daniel
Hunt, G ge Dpdlke,] Ji'lni Horpence, Philip Forker, Christopher
rtholomew Thatcher, Samuel Slater, Edward Taylor, and John
Taylor, all of whom yon aretokeep undei d i to bring
- (Congress, or CV < -s ; to de-
â– ii, who i* hereby
i them In close andaai Onomeul until this Gon-
therein."
red, 'II,:, t the c M^rossin-
i the above lotter, and requesting a supply of powder.* 1
Au-l in the proc lin^n â– â– ! I
i ..i the arrival >>i General Howe at Sandy Hook:
i aho have enlisted men properly armed, under
the late ordlnani •■for ralsii] a within
i inn Uately with such numbers as they have col-
i. without delaj Ignlng adue pro-
offlcers to the men, that thej maj * ivingotber
officers, ii- nder. -Ml nfllcera,
paymaati i
lions; unit nil Hi- 'ire most
earneatij preservation od
thru country, their lives, M i rtii -. and pi :
it was under this order tl 1 in hasto
u by the
. i bat Phllli J ['ii riai-
bmttaUon
-
nion was that of
i 1 10 t-'WU-
u
HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.
In pursuance of these instructions, Col. Ten Eyck
proceeded to apprehend the persons named, and their
cases were afterwards acted on according to the judg-
ment of the Convention. Persons of Tory proclivi-
ties were also numerous in Somerset County, but it
does not appear that they became, at this time, so
defiant and dangerous as those of Monmouth and
Hunterdon.
The troops of the "Flying Camp," composed of
men from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware,
and under command of Gen. Hugh Mercer, were
stationed at Perth Amboy, and at points north of that
place, opposite the west shore of Staten Island. The
nominal strength of this corps was ten thousand men,
but it had never actually reached that figure, and
now it had been materially reduced by detachments,
amounting to two thousand men, sent to Gen. Wash-
ington, at New York ; so that at this critical time,
when this portion of the New Jersey frontier was
peculiarly liable to invasion by the army of Howe,
the guarding-force became wholly insufficient. In
view of this imminent danger, the Continental
Congress passed a resolution requesting a levy of
two thousand of the militia of New Jersey, to
supply the places of an equal number of men sent
from the Flying Camp to Gen. Washington. This
resolution was read on the 17th of July in the Pro-
vincial Congress, and on the following day an ordi-
nance was passed by the Convention,* to the effect
that " whereas the situation of New York, the vicinity
of New Jersey to the enemy, and, above all, the
arrival of Lord Howe, who, it is probable, will
speedily make some decisive movement, render it
absolutely necessary that the most immediate and
effectual steps be taken to guard against the incur-
sions of the British troops, and to strengthen the army
of the United States: Resolved, therefore, unani-
mously, that two thousand of the militia of this State
be immediately detached to supply the place of the
like number taken from the flying camp in New
Jersey and ordered to New York." The force was to
be composed of four battalions, an aggregate of thirty
companies of sixty-four men each, besides officers,
the whole to compose a brigade, under command of a
brigadier-general, and to be in the Continental service.
To the counties of Hunterdon, Somerset, and Sussex
was assigned the raising of one battalion, of which
Mark Thompson was appointed colonel, Abraham
Bonnell lieutenant-colonel, Enos Kelsey major, and
Dr. Jacob Jennings surgeon. Any of the men of this
brigade while in service were permitted to enlist in
the brigade under command of Gen. Heard, and on
doing so were entitled, each man, to receive a bounty
of three pounds, voted by the Continental Congress.
Again, on the 22d of July, the Continental Con-
gress, in view of the imminent danger of invasion, re-
* The name of that body having been changed on that Jay from " The
Provincial Congress of New Jersey" to "The Convention of tho State of
Now Jersey," us before mentioned.
solved to further increase the Flying Camp, and for
this purpose desired the State of New Jersey " to aug-
ment its quota with three battalions of militia, in ad-
dition to those formerly desired by Congress, and send
them with all possible dispatch to join the flying
camp." Upon being notified of this action, the Con-
vention of New Jersey informed Congress that two
thousand men had already been ordered detached
from the militia of the State for the purpose men-
tioned ; but beyond this it took no further action at
that time.
The feeling of alarm, however, rapidly increased,
and on the 7th of August the Convention received
notice of a resolve of Congress "recommending to
the State of New Jersey to order their militia imme-
diately to march and join Gen. Mercer." This had
the effect to cause the Convention to pass (August
11th) an ordinance reciting that "the Convention,
viewing with serious concern the present alarming
situation of this and their sister-States, that on a pru-
dent use of the present moment depend their lives,
their liberty and happiness, think it their indispensa-
ble duty to put the militia on such a footing that their
whole force may be most advantageously exerted ; and
to call out the one-half into immediate service, to be
relieved by the other monthly," and ordering that all
able-bodied men in the State between the ages of six-
teen and fifty, without exception, be immediately en-
rolled in companies and formed into two divisions,
and " that the first division be immediately equipped
with arms and every necessary accoutrement that can
be obtained, and four days' provision, and march with
all dispatch to join the flying camp in this State."
This division consisted of thirteen battalions, made
up of men drawn from the militia organizations of the
several counties of the State, those containing Hun-
terdon and Somerset County men being one battalion
formed from the two regiments, and one battalion
commanded respectively by Cols. Mark Thompson,
Ephraim Martin, and John Cleves Symmes, in Hun-
terdon and Sussex ; another battalion from the bat-
talions of Cols. Stephen Hunt and Abraham Quick,
in Somerset ; another battalion from the battalions of
Cols. Isaac Smith and David Chambers, in Hunter-
don; and a fourth battalion from the battalions of
Cols. Joseph Beavers and John Mehelm, in Hunter-
don. The best arms in the possession of all the mili-
tia of the State were taken to arm this First Division;
and they were to be turned over to the Second Division
when it should relieve the First, at the end of one
month from the time when the latter was reported for
duty with the Flying Camp.
The ordinance closed by a most stirring appeal to
the people of New Jersey by the members of the
Convention. They said, —
"In this interesting situation,— viewing, on tho one hand, an active,
inveterate, and implacable enemy, increasing fast in strength, daily re-
ceiving large reinforcements, and industriously preparing to strike some
docisivo blow j on the other, a considerable part of tho inhabitants su-
HUNTERDON AND SOMERSET COUNTIES IX THE REVOLUTION.
16
umbering on the brink of ruin,— and red with of
Ions, the Convention think II In .i«-nt upon them to warn
their constituent ol I pondlna. danger. Ou you, our friends and
brethren,!! depends, thli day, to dotormlne whether you,) iui
your children, and millions of your descendants yel unborn ihall wear
the galling, the Ignominious yokeol >lavery,or nobly Inheril
the Inestimable bloselnf. ol frei lom. The alb
yool Can you hesitate In your choice? Canyon doubl which to pro-
far?... Happily, we know wo can anticipate your virtuous choice. With
confident satisfaction we are assured that uol a moment will di
Important decision; that youcannol feel hesitation, whether you will
tamely and degeneratoly bei to the Irretrievable wretched-
ness of slavery, or by yoni in-tan t and animated exertions enjoy the fair
Inheritai I heaven-born freedom, and transmit It unimpaired to your
pottai n* . '
This l:in<ru:i<ft' i 1 1- 1 i > :i t . - clearly tlir intensit \ of tin'
alarm which then pervaded the public mind ; and the
facts above noticed Bhow what preparations had been
made bj the people of New Jersej to meel the im-
pending danger at tin; time when the- neighboring
hillsides of States Ma ml were dotted with the camps
of I [owe'a army, and it- shores encircled by the black
hulls ami menacing batteries of the British fleet.
It proved to be the design of the British c man-
der not to invade the territory of New Jersey, bul to
siege and occupy the western end of Long Island ; and
he mad.' no delay, after the arrival of the lasl of bis
reinforcements, in putting this design into execution.
Hi- army, consisting of British regulars and German
mercenaries, amounted to about twenty-five thousand
nun, and with about ten thousand of them he crossed
from Staten Island on the 22d of August and effected
a landing between the settlements of New Utrecht
and Gravesend. The American forces in and about
New York numbered, nominally, al I twenty-seven
thousand men, and. though they had offered no oppo-
sition to the landing of the enemy's columns, it was
clear that a conflict between the two armies was in-
evitable and could not long be delayed.
Five days were spent in preparation on both sides.
On the 25th of August, Gen. Putnam - eeded Gen.
Sullivan in the command of the American forces at
Brooklj n, which had been reinforced by aia regiments.
On the same day the German general De Heister
landed two brigades of Hessians on the island, and on
the 26th took position at Flatbush, which Lord Corn-
wallis had occupied with Ins division three days be-
fore. Thus the American and British forces si Ion
the evening of the 26th, confronting each other, and
within striking distance.
Before dawn, in the morning of the 27th of August,
the British columns, under ( llinton, Percy, and Grant,
were put in motion in the direction of the American
lines, and it was not long alter daylight when their
advance became warmly engaged with the troops
under Gen. Sullivan ; and then followed the general
engagement known in history as the battle of Long
Island, which raged until past noon of the day and
resulti din the defeal of < ten. Washington's army and
* Nearly one-Uilrd ■•( this number, however, were mail r..r duty, by
reason â– â– ! sickness and ethi i
the capture of Lord Stirling with his entire command,
who were surrounded and made prisoners. Gens.
Sullivan and W Until wire alfiO among tho-e taken
by the enemy. The loss of the Americans was heavy,
being admitted by Gen. Washington to exc I one
thousand, and estimated by Gen. Howe to be more
than three time- that number, including about eleven
hundred prisoners. Among the killed was Col. Philip
Johnston, of Hunterdon County, commanding the
. : i;> giment.
After this disastrous engagement the American
t nces rem lined in a I rtiti d p< sib >n confronting the
enemy until the night of the 28th, when they were