Disaster in New York
- westmohney
- Sep 7, 2023
- 12 min read
Updated: May 30, 2024
O doleful! Doleful! Doleful! Blood! Carnage! Fire! ~ from the diary of Reverend Philip Fithian
forts along the Hudson waterway
The waterway leading from the city of New York to Canada became strategically important to the British and the French during their series of wars. It became equally important to the British and Americans in the Revolutionary War. With the exception of a ten mile stretch between the Hudson River and Lake George, it was possible to travel all the way from New York to Montreal by boat. Lake Champlain and the Richlieu and St. Lawrence Rivers completed the journey which began on the Hudson River.
During the Revolutionary War, there were thirteen forts from New York to Montreal. Some were built during the French and Indian Wars and some during the Revolutionary War. Many of these forts changed hands one or more times during the course of the wars. The map below shows where the forts were located.
(1) Four forts were located in New York City. American Built Cobble Hill, Fort Washington and Fort Tyron were all in British hands after the Battle of Brooklyn. Fort Hill was built by the Prussians after the British takeover of the city.
(2) Two American forts were constructed on either side of the Hudson near Peekskill. Fort Montgomery and Fort Independence were both destroyed by the British in October of 1777.
(3) American West Point
(4) American Camp Van Schiak
(5) American Fort Edward
(6) American Fort William Henry, mostly destroyed in the final French and Indian War.
(7) American Forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point
(8) British Fort Chambly at Montreal, Canada, in American hands for only a few brief months.
shoring up defenses
According to Cousin Jeduthan Baldwin's (3C7X) diary, Benedict Arnold's army, in retreat from Montreal after the Cedars debacle, had reached Crown Point and Ticonderoga by July 6th, 1776. On the 7th, Jeduthan, who was supervising fortifications at Crown Point, received orders to "to go to Ticonderoga with Som Carpenters & to cary all my Baggage." He traveled with General Horatio Gates who would find later find fame at Saratoga with the surrender of British general John Burgoyne in October of 1777.
At Ticonderoga, Jeduthan was duly appointed chief engineer of operations on Lake Champlain and, according to Arthur Cohn who was the author of "The Great Bridge from Ticonderoga to Independence Point" Cousin Jeduthan "was the man responsible for building the new fortifications at Mt. Independence, the new batteries and entrenchments at Fort Ticonderoga and the 'Great Bridge' which joined them together."
The plan for an adequate defense included construction of a fort on the eastern bank of Lake Champlain across from Fort Ticonderoga which lay on the western bank. From July 7th until the 10th, Jeduthan went daily with Generals Schuyler, Gates and Sullivan to view the area and strategize the perfect spot. A piece of land called "Rattle Snake Hill" was chosen. A journalist, Bayze Wells, who was following the action, wrote that the area "was a howling Wilderness when we Began to Clear it. . .Cleard it in three Days." The new fort would be called "Independence."
Note: The Baldwin shown on Lake George in the lower left corner of the map is a landing named after our cousin William Baldwin (4C5X) who ran a stagecoach service that took visitors to view the ruins of Fort Ticonderoga in the 1800s. We'll have his story in a future post.
Jeduthan gets robbed!
For a week, things were calm at Ticonderoga as Jeduthan happily worked on fortifications and continued mucky-mucking with the generals. But, as J.L. Bell in his Boston 1776 blog puts it, "on 16 July 1776 Baldwin woke up to a bad surprise." From Jeduthan's diary:
. . .in the morning between day and sunrise I heard some persons say that how come that Chest open, another person answerd sombody has robd it. . .upon which I arose in my shirt & went out & found 2 friendly Officers lamenting my loss, I examind & found that I was robd of my Hatt, a Camblet Cloak a Surtoot, a blieu Coat & Jacoat full trimd with a narrow Gold lace, a pair of Silk breeches, a Snuff colourd Coat turnd up with white, a Velvet Jacoat, 3 cotton & 3 Wollon Shirts, 3 Stocks, 2 linen Handkfs, 2 pair of linen & 2 pair of woolen Stockings, a pair of Silver Shoe & knee buckels, a Surveyors Compass or theodiler, & between 35 & 40 Dollars in paper money, an ink pot, a knife, key & a Number of papers, & other articles.
That seems quite to array of goods to lay claim to while the common troops were suffering without even the necessities of warm clothing and blankets.
Jeduthan continued his lament:
I immediately sent to all the Commanding officers present, & at the landing, acquainting them with my loss, the Army was all turnd out & a genl. Sirch made but none of my things found. I borrowed of a friend, a Coat & Jacoat & hatt, for I had none lift, I was Stript to the Shirt, my breeches & watch that lay under my head were saved only.
Ten days later, on the 17th, only a few of Jeduthan's things had been found and he lost his cool:
in the Morning a part of my Compass was found break to pieces & soon after the rest of it except the Needle. this Day I wrote to Genl. Sullivan to remind him of the request I had made of a discharge from the Army, desiring him to use his intrest in my behalf while at the Congress, as I am heartily tired of this Retreating, Raged Starved, lousey, thevish, Pockey Army in this unhealthy Country. (!!!) (exclamation points, mine).
Jeduthan continued working but, on the 22nd, he "wrote to Congress" requesting his discharge. General Gates knew that our cousin would be a hard man to lose since he had "almost total day to day responsibility" for all construction at the fort including building and "fitting out" ships. For the time being, the Americans still controlled Lake Champlain and Jeduthan's efforts were all about holding on to it. On the 24th, the two men dined together. On the 25th Jeduthan wrote:
Genl. Gates & several other Officers. . .highly approvd of the works that I had laid out there . . . Genl. Gates this Day treated me with high respect and inqured if I had sent the letter (that I had shown him 3 days before). . .I told him that the Letter was not gone. . .he said that he would write to Congress to do something more for me & that I must not think of leaving the service, so that it is uncertain whether I see home so soon as I a few Days ago thought of.
In the end, Jeduthan stayed. His army friends provided him with clothing and he received a letter from his wife, Lucy, which cheered him immensely. He was kept extremely busy at Ticonderoga having "the intire direction of all the House & Ship Carpenters, the Smiths, Armourers, Road makers, the Wheel & Carriage makers, Miners Turners, Coalyers, Sawyers & Shingle makers, which are all togeather 286, besides the direction of all the fateagueing parties, so that I have my hands and mind constantly employed night & Day except when I am a Sleep & then sometimes I dream."
back to business
On July 28th, news of the newly written Declaration of Independence finally reached the men at Ticonderoga. There was a public reading of the document at the fort which was greeted with "enthusiasm and three cheers by the troops." The next day Rattle Snake Hill on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain was renamed Mount Independence.
August 5th was an eventful day for Jeduthan:
in clearing the guns on bord one of the gundelows one of the cannon went of. . .& Killd the gunners mate he was blown into many peices and scatterd on the water. this afternoon I found in an old theifs pack, who was discharged & going home my Sartoot, silk breeches & 2 pair of Stockings, the thif is now confind in Irons in the dungeon.
Most of Jeduthan's articles were recovered and he remained at Ticonderoga until the middle of December, 1776. On September 3, probably on the good word of General Gates, he was promoted to full colonel.
The mucky mucks appeared to be very pleased with Jeduthan's work. On August 11 he wrote in his diary: "went over to Independent point with Genl. Gates & Arnold to view the works. They exprest entire satisfaction." Working conditions in the wilderness, however, proved harsh. Jeduthan heard that "3/4 of the inhabitants in this country are Sick, such a time has not been known before."
the Battle of Brooklyn
Meanwhile, back in the city of New York, George Washington had equally pressing matters to attend to. The Continental Army was feverishly preparing for an attack they knew was coming. He had moved his troops to Brooklyn and his men were working to construct forts in an effort to hinder the British from entering the East and Hudson Rivers. On June 29, British General William Howe had landed his sizable army on Staten Island, just across the bay from Brooklyn where the American army was camped.
Howe had arrived with a fleet of 45 ships and an army 34,000 strong. Within a week, Howe's brother, Admiral Richard Howe made his appearance and the British ships then numbered 130. Supposing that the Americans would be intimidated by so large a contingent, the British Parliament had authorized the Howes to negotiate peace with the Americans. Both Washington and Benjamin Franklin refused to speak with them. Left with no other choice, the British forces attacked Long Island on August 27th in what would prove to be the largest battle of the Revolutionary War.
Washington had scrounged up an army of 19,000 poorly trained, inexperienced men to go up against the largest army and navy in the world. As might be expected, the Battle of Brooklyn, lasting only about an hour, was a crushing rout for the Americans with more than 1,500 of their men killed, wounded or captured. Reverend Philip Fithian recorded what he had witnessed that day in his diary: "O doleful! Doleful! Doleful! Blood! Carnage! Fire!. . . Such a dreadful din my ears never before heard! And the distressed wounded, came crying into the lines."
In the only bright spot of the day, General William Alexander and his "Maryland 400," as they came to be known, took a bold defensive stand against the British forces. According to the National Park Service article on the Maryland 400:
The significance of the "Maryland 400" cannot be understated. The intense fighting near the Old Stone House lasted almost an hour, which allowed many Americans to escape with their lives. More importantly, it halted the British offensive for the day, which otherwise may have led to the capture of General Washington and his army. The sacrifice of the "Maryland 400," although a more apt term should be the "Maryland and Delaware 400," quite possibly saved the Revolutionary War.
The Marylanders lost 256 men "Kill'd & Missing."
What was left of Washington's army hunkered into their fortifications in Brooklyn. Historians today still conjecture as to why Howe then ordered a halt to the British attack. Howe later said he wanted to avoid further British casualties. He also knew that the Americans were basically trapped in Brooklyn so he must have felt that time wasn't of the essence. But Howe's delay of a day gave the Americans time to reconnoiter.
While George Washington had surprisingly few offensive victories during the course of the Revolutionary War, he did turn out to be quite adept at escape. On August 29, he sent a letter instructing American General William Heath, stationed across the Harlem River, to send every flat-bottomed boat and sloop he could find without delay. That night, in a Dunkirkesque move under cover of darkness, Washington's troops slipped across the East River into the temporary safety of Manhattan.
Artillery, supplies, and troops were all quietly and systematically evacuated across the river. A heavy fog at daybreak helped to cover the final hours of the retreat. When the fog finally lifted on the morning of the 30th, the British were amazed to find that the Americans had vanished.
Our relatives at the Battle of Brooklyn
Records for soldiers that fought at the Battle of Brooklyn are few and far between. Although I know that many more of our relatives must have fought there, I was only able to confidently place five.
We wrote extensively about our cousin Colonel Loammi Baldwin (3C7X) in our "A Loyalist and a Patriot, Two Famous Relatives from Woburn" and "Ben and Loammi" posts. In April of 1776, Loammi was called away from his post in Chelsea to aid Washington in the New York Campaign.
Col. Nahum Baldwin (3C7X) was the brother of our engineer and journal writing cousin Jeduthan. We wrote of Jeduthan's other brother Isaac (3C7X), who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill, in our "The War Continues" post. Nahum, who "was a blacksmith, a man of great force of character and real moral worth," commanded a regiment during the Battle of Brooklyn.
Note: Nahum and Jeduthan were Loammi's second cousins.
Our cousin Israel Richardson (3C7X) of Townsend died shortly after the battle. His service record says that Israel "died in the army at New York, Aug 29, 1776." According to John Vinton who wrote The Richardson Memorial:
Israel Richardson may have died of wounds received in the battle. A bleak northeasterly wind began on the evening of the 27th, and continued three days, and a heavy fall of rain on the 29th caused great suffering among the soldiers. Israel may have died from exposure to the storm, especially if wounded.
Israel had three brothers who all marched on the Alarm with him and fought in the battle of Bunker Hill. All returned home after their stints in the army except for Israel.
Cousin Jonathan Ward (5C9X) was a second cousin of General Artemas Ward (4C10), former commander in chief of the American army. Jonathan was a colonel in command of the 21st Continental Regiment in New York.
Two weeks after the Battle of Brooklyn, our cousin Stephen Crosby (5C10X) was killed in the retreat from Harlem.
Prison Ships
"For sheer, grinding horror, nothing approaches the suffering and sacrifice witnessed during the war aboard British prison ships." So says Benedict Cosgrove in his article "The Grisley History of Brooklyn's Revolutionary War Martyrs." The American prisoners taken by the British in the Battle of Brooklyn were among the first to experience the misery of prison ship incarceration.
When space in British prisons on land were filled to the brim, the British began using abandoned or decommissioned warships anchored offshore to hold both soldiers and private citizens. Most of these ships were anchored in Wallabout Bay in the River between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The prison ships were in operation from 1776 to 1783. More Americans would end up dying in these "wet wooden bastilles in New York waters" than in all the battles of the war combined. While 8,000 soldiers died in combat, 11,000 died aboard prisons ship. Many succumbed to disease or malnutrition as food and water was in short supply and "diseases, including small pox, ran rampant."
The most notorious prison ship was the Jersey, "which earned the nickname 'Hell' for its inhumane conditions and the obscenely high death rate of its prisoners."
Robert Sheffield was one of the very few men who managed to make his escape from Wallabout Bay. He had this to say about his experience:
The heat was so intense that [the 300-plus prisoners] were all naked, which also served the well to get rid of vermin, but the sick were eaten up alive. Their sickly countenances, and ghastly looks were truly horrible; some swearing and blaspheming; others crying, praying, and wringing their hands; and stalking about like ghosts; others delirious, raving and storming, all panting for breath; some dead, and corrupting. The air was so foul that at times a lamp could not be kept burning, by reason of which the bodies were not missed until they had been dead ten days. One person alone was admitted on deck at a time, after sunset, which occasioned much filth to run into the hold, and mingle with the bilge water. . .
Even after the British surrender at Yorktown in late 1781, prisoners were kept aboard the Jersey and other ships until the war formally ended in 1783. According to Cosgrove, "At war's end, there were only 1,400 survivors among the inmates of the entire prison ship fleet."
memorial
The U.S. Navy took over Wallabout Bay in 1801. While expanding and making improvements to the area, workers found the remains of thousands who had died aboard the prison ships. The remains were buried on an estate nearby and afterwards moved twice. In 1867 they were interred in a a small crypt and in 1873 transferred to the site of a small monument in Brooklyn's Vinegar Hill neighborhood.
By 1908, the monument on Vinegar Hill had fallen into disrepair. A new, proper monument was dedicated that year by President William Howard Taft in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park, formerly Fort Putnam.
Note: Fort Putnam was named after General Israel Putnam whose great coat was borrowed by Cousin Jeduthan (3C7X) on December 23, 1775. And on the 15th of January 1776, General Putnam had 15 gallons of wine sent to Jeduthan which the general felt was "necessary for his health and comfort"
According to Cosgrove, "[b]eneath the monument is a crypt with 20 coffins containing bone fragments from the thousands who died on the Jersey and other prison ships."
our relatives held in prison ships
The British kept good records of the prisoners they imprisoned on ships. I was able to find some of our family members on their lists.
Our cousin Stephen Kidder (2C7X) was a shipmaster. According to A Genealogy of the Kidder Family by Morgan Hewitt Stafford, Stephen "was captured by the British at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and died of smallpox on a prison ship in New York harbor." Stephen died in 1776 at age 28.
Addison Richardson (3C7X) was an army captain who served at Bunker Hill. In November of 1776 he was taken prisoner during the Battle of Fort Washington on Manhattan Island. The fort was taken by the British at that time. Addison remained a prisoner until he was finally exchanged a year and a half later in May of 1778.
other prisoners on the list
David Baldwin (2C7X) Billerica
Nathaniel Baldwin (5C6X)
Benjamin Ballard (2C7X)
Daniel Crosby (7C8X)
Abner Greenleaf (5C6X)
Peter Haseltine (4C8X)
David Richardson (4C7X)
John Richardson (5C6X)
William Richardson (4C7X)
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