Long Island.
Some of the inhabitants of
Lynn, Mass., finding themselves straitened for land, went to
Long Island in search of a plantation.
They bargained for a tract near the west end with Lord Stirling's agent and with the natives.
The jealous
Dutch sent a force to take possession of the land, and set up the arms of the
Prince of
Orange.
Soon afterwards a dozen of the
English company began to erect buildings there, and took down the
Dutch arms and placed the effigy of an ugly Indian in its place.
The
Dutch, provoked, sent some soldiers, who brought off the Englishmen and imprisoned them; but they were released after a few days, having taken an oath of allegiance to the stadtholder.
The adventurers now moved to the east end of the island, and, to the number of forty families, settled the town of
Southampton.
Rev. Mr. Pierson, with several of the company at
Lynn, formed a church, and all went to
Southampton, where he became their pastor.
There they formed a civil government in 1640.
The same year a large tract of land on
Long Island was purchased of the Indians for the
Connecticut colony, and settlements were begun there.
The tract was on the north part of the island, in the vicinity of
Oyster Bay.
Connecticut colonists began to settle there, but were driven back by
Kieft, the
Dutch governor, because they appeared within sight of his residence.
The inhabitants of
Connecticut immediately seized the fort just below
Hartford, and obliged the
Dutch to recede within 10 miles of the
Hudson River.
The eight men selected by the people of New Amsterdam as a council made some provision for defence against the Indians in the autumn of 1643.
They equipped a large force of soldiers, of whom fifty were Englishmen, under
John Underhill, the
Massachusetts leader, who had fought the
Pequod Indians (q. v.). In the succeeding winter, suffering dreadfully from the hostile
Indians, some English families who had moved from
Stamford, Conn., to
Hempstead, L. I., were exposed to forays by the
Canarsie Indians, and begged for troops to protect them.
The governor and the eight men sent 120 soldiers, who surprised and sacked the
Indian villages and killed more than 100 warriors.
Two of the Indians were taken to
Manhattan and cruelly
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tortured to death.
This was soon followed by another expedition against the Indians at
Stamford and
Greenwich.
Underhill, with a force 150 strong of
Dutch and
English, marched through deep snow in February, 1644, to attack the principal Indian village there.
The moon shone brightly, but the savages had been warned, and were on the ground 700 in number.
They were also protected by rude fortifications.
Steadily the
Dutch and
English moved upon them, and nearly 200 Indians were slain.
After a while
Underhill succeeded in setting fire to the village.
The slaughter was dreadful.
Only
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Map of the operations on long Island. |
eight of the 700 Indians escaped, while the assailants had only fifteen wounded. When, a few days afterwards, the victors arrived at
Manhattan, a day of thanksgiving was held.
On Aug. 1, 1776, the army of
Washington at New York did not exceed 20,000 men, of whom one-fifth were sick and as many were absent on detached duty.
Soon afterwards 7,000 militia reinforced him, and later on a few more came.
But they were poorly equipped, very little disciplined, distracted by sectional jealousies, and, in the
New England troops especially, there was so much democratic freedom that there was little subordination.
On the whole, it presented a very unpromising force with which to oppose the
British veterans, greater in numbers, then preparing to invade
Long Island and attempt the capture of New York and
Washington's army.
General Howe had been reinforced by Hessians, the troops under
Clinton from
Charleston, and others, making a total force of about 24,000, encamped on
Staten Island.
Admiral Howe sent some armed ships up the
Hudson to reconnoitre and take soundings.
They passed the batteries at
Fort Washington and elsewhere, and, having narrowly escaped some fireships and accomplished their errand, they returned to the fleet.
Divining the purpose of the
British,
Washington sent a considerable force, under
General Greene, to
Long Island, who cast up strong intrenchmnents back of
Brooklyn; but he was soon compelled to retire, on account
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472]
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The British fleet in the Lower Bay. |
of sickness, and leave the command to
General Sullivan.
There was a range of thickly wooded hills, extending from the Narrows to
Jamaica, through which several roads passed; while another extended near the shores of the bay, from the Narrows to
Brooklyn.
These passes through the hills were imperfectly guarded by
Sullivan, when, on the morning of Aug. 22, about 15,000 British and German troops landed on the western end of
Long Island and prepared to move forward.
Washington sent reinforcements to
Sullivan, and
General Putnam was placed in chief command on the island, with instructions to thoroughly guard the passes in the hills.
The whole American force on the island did not exceed 8,000 men, and 2,500 of these were sent to guard the passes.
On the 26th the
British moved forward, under the chief command of
Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis, followed by the Germans, under
General de Heister.
The combined forces formed a thoroughly disciplined army.
It was obvious that they intended to gain the rear of the
Americans by the
Bedford and
Jamaica passes.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 27th word reached
Putnam that his pickets at the lower pass (below the present Greenwood Cemetery) had been driven in. He immediately sent
General Lord Stirling with some
Delaware and
Maryland troops to repulse the invaders.
He was followed by
General Parsons with some
Connecticut troops.
Beyond Gowanus Creek,
Stirling found himself confronted by overwhelming numbers under
General Grant, with some of
Howe's ships on his right flank.
At the same time the Germans, under
De Heister and
Knyphausen, were moving to force their way at the pass farther eastward (now in Prospect
Park); while
Howe, with the main body of the
British, under
Clinton and Cornwallis, was pressing towards the
Bedford and
Jamaica passes to gain the rear of the
Americans.
Putnam had neglected to guard the latter pass.
When, at eight o'clock, the invaders had reached those passes, not more than 4,000 men were out of the lines at
Brooklyn; and, instead of ordering
Stirling to fall back from almost certain destruction, he allowed
Sullivan to go out with a few troops and take command at the pass below (now in Prospect
Park), not nearly so important.
The consequence was that, while
Sullivan was fighting the Germans,
Clinton had gained his rear and fell upon
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him. It was a surprise.
Sullivan was driven back upon the Germans.
After a severe hand-to-hand fight, and seeing no chance for success or an orderly retreat,
Sullivan ordered his men to shift for themselves.
Some fought through the attacking lines; some fled to the woods; and many were made prisoners; while
Sullivan, hidden in a field of corn, was captured.
Stirling and his party were now the only unbroken body of
Americans in the field, and they fought with spirit four hours. Then, hopeless of receiving reinforcements, and seeing a strong body of the
British approaching his flank and rear, he ordered a retreat.
The bridge across Gowanus Creek (on the border of which he was fighting, near where the old mill stood in 1850) was in flames, and his troops were compelled to wade the water and the oozy morass.
Even that passage was about to be cut off by the enemy, led by Cornwallis.
Quickly ordering the
Delaware and
Maryland troops to ford the creek and morass with some German prisoners, he, with the remainder, fought Cornwallis desperately until all the others had crossed excepting seven, who were drowned.
No longer able to resist the pressure,
Stirling and his men were made prisoners.
The loss of the
Americans did not exceed 1,000, of whom one-half were prisoners.
Howe did not follow up his advantage, but allowed the
American army on
Long Island to retreat in safety to New York.
This retreat was unsuspected by the
British leaders on land and water until it was too late to pursue.
A Tory woman
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Lord Stirling's last stand around the Cortelyou House. |
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living near the ferry sent her negro servant to inform the
British of the retreat.
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Brower's Mill in 1850 |
He encountered a German sentinel, who could not understand a word he said, and would not let him pass.
Before six o'clock (Aug. 30> 1776) 9,000 American soldiers, with their baggage and munitions of war, excepting some heavy artillery, had crossed the
East River from
Long Island to
Manhattan, or New York, Island.
When
Howe perceived this he became greatly enraged, took possession of the deserted camp, moved his army eastward, its advance being at
Flushing, and prepared to seize the
city of New York with the
American troops in it.
