Chapter XIV: ```"My country's standard waved on yonder height; (1)

````Her red-eross banner England there display'd;

```And there the German, who, for foreign fight,

````Had left his own domestic hearth, and made

```War, with its horrors and its blood, a trade,

````Amid the battle stood; and, all the day,

```The bursting bomb, the furious cannonade,

````The bugle's martial notes, the musket's play,

````In mingled uproar wild resounded far away.=

```A pebble stone that on the war-field lay,

````And a wild rose that blossom'd brightly there,

```Were all the relies that I bore away

````To tell that I had trod the seene of war,

```When I had turn'd my footsteps homeward far.

````These may seem childish things to some; to me

```They shall be treasured ones, and, like the star

````That guides the sailor o'er the pathless sea,

````They shall lead back my thoughts, loved Brandywine, to thee!"

`````Elizabeth M. Chandler.=

E descended from the observatory at Valley Forge at one o'clock, and departed for the banks of the Brandywine by way of the Paoli * and West Chester. A veil of moisture, deepening every hour, [[November 30, 1848]] obscured the sun and omened an approaching storm. I alighted on the borders of a wood a short distance from the Norristown road, and sketched the remains of one of the American redoubts pictured on page 335, which lies, almost unknown, within the embrace of the forest. Thence to the place memorable as the scene of the Paoli massacre, a distance of nearly nine miles, our road passed through a broken but well-cultivated country, spreading out into more gentle undulations on the left, toward the Delaware. The place of the massacre is about a quarter of a mile from the highway, east of the West Chester rail-way (which connects with the Columbia rail-way near "the Paoli"), a mile south of the Warren tavern, on the Lancaster turnpike, and a little more than two miles southwest from the Paoli tavern. We left our horse to dine upon corn at a farmyard near, and, following a pathway northeast from the road, through the open fields, we came to the monument which stands over the remains of those who fell there on the night of the 20th of September, 1777. It is upon a small elevated plain, overlooking a fine rolling country toward the Brandywine, and covered with a forest when the event occurred, but now smiling with cultivation. ** The sad story which makes the place memorable in our history is brief but touching.

I have mentioned in another chapter (page 386) the movements of the American army after the battle on the Brandywine, and the prevention of an engagement between the belligerent forces near the Warren tavern by a violent storm of rain, which damaged their ammunition. When Washington withdrew and crossed the Schuylkill, with the main body

* The Paoli was one of the famous taverns on the old Lancaster turnpike. The Spread Eagle, the Back, the White Horse, the Black Horse, the Red Lion, &e., were all famous among travelers upon the Lancaster and Harrisburg roads. Governor Pownall (member of Parliament during the period of the Revolution), who traveled the roads in 1754, mentions several of these small hamlets that had grown up near some of the old taverns.

** The land is owned chiefly by Mr. Joseph Rodgers, whose residence is not far distant.

[[[Wayne's Encampment near the Paoli.--British Attack upon his Detachment.--The Massacre.]]]

{370}of the army, at Parker's Ford, he left General Wayne, with about fifteen hundred men and four pieces of cannon (to be joined by General Smallwood and Colonel Gist the next day * ), with directions to annoy the enemy's rear, then posted near Tredyffrin church, and to attempt to cut off his baggage train. Wayne encamped two or three miles southwest of the British lines, in a secluded spot, away from the public roads, near the place where the monument now stands. The vigilance of British sentinels did not discover him, but the treachery of Tories revealed his numbers and place of encampment to the commander of the enemy. Howe determined to surprise Wayne, and for that purpose dispatched General Grey (the subsequent murderer at Tappan and plunderer on the New England coasts) to steal upon the patriot camp at night and destroy them. Wayne had intimations of this intended movement, and, though doubting its truth, he neglected no precaution. It was a dark and stormy night. Wayne ordered his men to sleep on their arms, with their ammunition under their coats. With two regiments and a body of light infantry, Grey marched stealthily, in two divisions, toward midnights through the woods and up a narrow defile [[a September 20, 1777]] below the Paoli, and gained Wayne's left at about one o'clock in the morning. (b) The divisions conjoined in the Lancaster road, near Wayne's encamp[[ b September 21]]ment. The "no-flint general" (see note on page 196) had given his usual order to rush upon the patriots with fixed bayonets, without firing a shot, and to _give no quarters!_ Several of the American pickets near the highway were silently massacred in the gloom. These being missed by the patroling officer, his suspicions that an enemy was near were awakened, and he hastened to the tent of Wayne. The general immediately paraded his men. Unfortunately, he made the movement in the light of his own camp-fires, instead of forming them in the dark, back of the encampment. By the light of these fires Grey was directed where to attack with the best chance of success. ** In silence, but with the fierceness of tigers, the enemy leaped from the thick gloom upon the Americans, who knew not from what point to expect an attack. The patriots discharged several volleys, but so sudden and violent was the attack that their column was at once broken into fragments. They fled in confusion in the direction of Chester. One hundred and fifty Americans were killed and wounded in this onslaught, some of whom, it is said, were cruelly butchered after ceasing to resist, and while begging for quarter; and but for the coolness and skill of Wayne, his whole command must have been killed or taken prisoners. He promptly rallied a few companies, ordered Colonel Hampton to wheel the line, and with the cavalry and a portion of the infantry, he gallantly covered a successful retreat. Grey swept the American camp, captured between seventy and eighty men, including several subordinate officers, a great number of small-arms, two pieces of cannon, and eight wagons loaded with baggage and stores. The loss of the British was inconsiderable; only one captain of light infantry and three privates were killed, and four men wounded. General Smallwood was only a mile distant at the time of the engagement, and made an unsuccessful attempt to march to the relief of Wayne. His raw militia were too deficient in discipline to make a sudden movement, and, before he could reach the scene of conflict, Grey had completed his achievement, and was on his way towar'd the British camp. Falling in with a party of the enemy retiring from the pursuit of Wayne, Smallwood's militia instantly fled in great confusion, and were not rallied until a late hour the next day.

The dead bodies of fifty-three Americans were found on the field the next morning, and were interred upon the spot, in one grave, by the neighboring farmers. For forty years their resting-place was marked by a simple heap of stones, around which the plow of the agriculturist made its furrows nearer and nearer every season. At length the "Republican Artillerists" of Chester county patriotically resolved to erect a monument to their memory,

* General Smallwood was advancing with 1150 Maryland militia, and Colonel Gist, with 700.

** A Hessian sergeant, boasting of the exploits of that night, exultingly exclaimed, "What a running about, barefoot, and half clothed, and in the light of their own fires! These showed us where to chase them, while they could not see us. We killed three hundred of the rebels with the bayonet. I stuck them myself like so many pigs, one after another, until the blood ran out of the touch-hole of my musket."

[[[Chaplain David Jones.--' His Address to the Troops at Tieonderoga.]]]

{371}and on the 20th of September, 1817, the fortieth anniversary of the event, through the aid of their fellow-citizens, they reared the memento delineated in the engraving. *

It is com-

* On that occasion the Reverend David Jones, an eminent Baptist clergyman, who was Wayne's chaplain, and with him at the time of the massacre, was present and made an address. He was then past eighty years of age.

* David Jones was born in White Clay Creek Hundred, Newcastle county, Delaware, on the 12th of May, 1736. His ancestors came from Wales in the early part of the last century, and settled at The Welsh Tract. Mr. Jones was educated for the ministry by the Reverend Isaac Eaton, of Hopewell, New Jersey. He was for many years pastor of the upper (Baptist) Freehold church in New Jersey, from which place he proceeded to the Northwestern Territory in 1772 and 1773, on a Gospel mission to the Shawnee and Delaware Indians. He was unsuccessful, and, after enduring many hardships, he returned to his charge at Freehold. He afterward published an account of his mission. One of his companions, while navigating the Ohio in a canoe from Fort Pitt, was the celebrated George Rogers Clarke. He early espoused the patriot cause, and became so obnoxious to the Tories, that, believing his life to be in danger, he left New Jersey, and settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1775, in charge of the Great Valley Baptist church. On the occasion of the Continental Fast, soon afterward observed, he preached a sermon before Colonel Dewee's regiment, entitled "Defensive War in a Just Cause Sinless." It was published, and, being extensively circulated throughout the colonies, produced a salutary effect. In 1776, Mr. Jones received the appointment of chaplain to a Pennsylvania regiment under Colonel St. Clair, which was ordered to the Northern Department. He was on duty with St. Clair at Ticonderoga, where, when the enemy was hourly expected (October 20th, 1776) from Crown Point, he delivered a characteristic discourse to the regiment, which had a powerful effect upon them.* Chaplain Jones served through two campaigns under General Gates, and was chaplain to a brigade under Wayne in the autumn of 1777. He was with that officer at the "Paoli massacre," and narrowly escaped death. He had been in the battle at the Brandywine a few days before, and was in the engagement at Germantown. He accompanied the army to White-marsh and Valley Forge; was with Wayne in the battle at Monmouth, and in all his subsequent campaigns, until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in the autumn of 1781. He was so active in the cause of freedom, that a reward was offered for him by General Howe, and a detachment was sent to the Great Valley, on one occasion, to arrest him. * At the close of the war he retired to his farm and church.

* When General Wayne took command of the army in the Northwestern Territory, against the Indians, in 1794, Mr. Jones was appointed his chaplain, and accompanied him. When the war of 1812 broke out, he again entered the army, being then seventy-six years old, and served under Generals Brown and Wilkinson until the close of that contest. His last public act was to address the people assembled to dedicate the Paoli Monument. He died on the 5th of February, 1820, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, and was buried in the Great Valley church-yard, in sight of Valley Forge. The portrait here given I copied from an excellent cabinet picture of the chaplain in the possession of his grandson, Horatio Gates Jones, Jr., of Philadelphia, who kindly furnished me with the materials for this brief sketeh of the public services of that eminent patriot and divine.

* I have before me a printed copy of that address, which was published soon afterward. I print it here as a favorable specimen of the manner in which the American soldiers were addressed by their Chaplains.

"ADDRESS: "To General St. Clair's Brigade at Tieonderoga, when the Enemy were hourly expected, October 20,1776. "My Countrymen, Fellow-soldiers, and Friends, "I am sorry that during this campaign I have been favored with so few opportunities of addressing you on subjects of the greatest importance both with respect to this life and that whieh is to come; but what is past can not be recalled, and now time will not admit an enlargement, as we have the greatest reason to expect the advancement of our enemies as speedily as Heaven will permit. [The wind blew to the north, strongly.] Therefore, at present, let it suffice to bring to your remembrance some necessary truths. "It is our common faith, and a very just one too, that all events on earth are under the notice of that God in whom we live, move, and have our being; therefore we must believe that, in this important struggle with the worst of enemies, he has assigned us our post here at Tieonderoga. Our situation is such that, if properly defended, we shall give our enemies a fatal blow, and in great measure prove the means of the salvation of North America. "Such is our present ease, that we are fighting for all that is near and dear to us, while our enemies are engaged in the worst of causes, their design being to subjugate, plunder, and enslave a free people that have done them no harm. Their tyrannical views are so glaring, their cause so horribly bad, that there still remain too much goodness and humanity in Great Britain to engage unanimously against us, therefore they have been obliged (and at a most amazing expense, too) to hire the assistance of a barbarous, mercenary people, that would cut your throats for the small reward of sixpence. No doubt these have hopes of being our task-masters, and would rejoice at our calamities. "Look, oh! look, therefore, at your respective states, and anticipate the consequences if these vassals are suffered to enter! It would fail the most fruitful imagination to represent, in a proper light, what anguish, what horror, what distress would spread over the whole! See, oh! see the dear wives of your bosoms forced from their peaceful habitations, and perhaps used with such indecency that modesty would forbid the description. Behold the fair virgins of your land, whose benevolent souls are now filled with a thousand good wishes and hopes of seeing their admirers return home crowned with victory, would not only meet with a doleful disappointment, but also with such insults and abuses that would induce their tender hearts to pray for the shades of death. See your children exposed as vagabonds to all the calamities of this life! Then, oh! then adieu to all felicity this side the grave!... "Now all these calamities may be prevented if our God be for us--and who can doubt of this who observes the point in which the wind now blows--if you will only acquit yourselves like men, and with firmness of mind go forth against your enemies, resolving either to return with victory or to die gloriously. Every one that may fall in this dispute will be justly esteemed a martyr to liberty, and his name will be had in precious memory while the love of freedom remains in the breasts of men. All whom God will favor to see a glorious victory, will return to their respective states with every mark of honor, and be received with joy and gladness of heart by all friends to liberty and lovers of mankind. "As our present ease is singular, I hope, therefore, that the candid will excuse me, if I now conclude with an uncommon address, in substance principally extracted from the writings of the servants of God in the Old Testament; though, at the same time, it is freely acknowledged that I am not possessed of any similar power either of blessing or cursing.

"1. Blessed be that man who is possessed of true love of
liberty; and let all the people say, Amen.

"2. Blessed be that man who is a friend to the common rights
of mankind; and let all the people say, Amen.

"3. Blessed be that man who is a friend to the United States
of America; and let all the people say, Amen.

"4. Blessed be that man who will use his utmost endeavor to
oppose the tyranny of Great Britain, and to vanquish all her
forces invading North America; and let all the people say.
Amen.

"5. Blessed be that man who is resolved never to submit to
Great Britain; and let all the people say, Amen.

"6. Blessed be that man who in the present dispute esteems
not his life too good to fall a sacrifice in defense of his
country; let his posterity, if any he has, be blessed with
riches, honor, virtue, and true religion; and let all the
people say, Amen.

* "Now, on the other hand, as far as is consistent with the
Holy Scriptures, let all these blessings be turned into
curses to him who deserts the noble cause in which we are
engaged, and turns his back to the enemy before he receives
proper orders to retreat; and let all the people say, Amen.

"Let him be abhorred by all the United States of America.

"Let faintness of heart and fear never forsake him on earth.

"Let him be a magor missabile, a terror to himself and all
around him.

"Let him be accursed in his outgoing, and cursed in his
incoming; cursed in lying down, and cursed in uprising;
cursed in basket, and cursed in store.

"Let him be cursed in all his connections, till his wretched
head with dishonor is laid low in the dust; and let all the
soldiers say, Amen.

"And may the God of all grace, in whom we live, enable us,
in defense of our country, to acquit ourselves like men, to
his honor and praise. Amen and Amen."

* On one occasion, while reconnoitering alone, he saw a dragoon dismount and enter a house for refreshments. Mr. Jones boldly abstracted the horseman's pistols, and, going into the house, claimed him as his prisoner. The dragoon was unarmed, and was obliged to obey the orders of his captor, to mount and ride into the American camp. The event caused great merriment., and Wayne laughed immoderately at the idea of his chaplain's capturing a British dragoon.

[[[The Paoli Monument.--The Inscriptions upon it.]]]

{372}posed of a blue clouded marble pedestal, surmounted by a white marble pyramid.

The whole monument is about nine feet high, and stands over the center of the broad grave where the remains of the patriots repose. A peachtree shades its eastern side. Around it, in oblong form, is a massive stone wall five feet in height, covered with stucco. Upon the four sides of the pedestal are appropriate inscriptions, * somewhat defaced by the villain-hand of wanton destructiveness, or the marauding relic-seeker.

Here, far away from the hum of towns and cities, rest

* The following are the inscriptions: North side.--"The atrocious massacre which this stone commemorates was perpetrated by British troops under the immediate command of Major-general Grey." West side.--"Sacred to the memory of the Patriots who on this spot fell a sacrifice to British barbarity, during the struggle for American Independence, on the night of the 20th September, 1777." South side.--"Here repose the remains of fifty-three American soldiers, who were the victims of coldblooded cruelty in the well-known 'Massacre at Paoli,' while under the command of General Anthony Wayne, an officer whose military conduct, bravery, and humanity were equally conspicuous throughout the Revolutionary War." East side.--"This memorial, in honor of Revolutionary Patriotism, was erected September 20th, 1817, by the Republican Artillerists of Chester county, aided by the contributions of their fellow-citizens."

[[[The Dead of Paoli.--Journey to West Chester.--Departure for the Brandywine Battle-ground.]]]

{373}

`````"A sacred band;

```They take their sleep together, while the year

```Comes with its early flowers to deck their grave,

```And gathers them again as winter frowns.

```Here let us meet, and, while our motionless lips

```Give not a sound, and all around is mute--

```In the deep Sabbath of a heart too full

```For words or tears--here let us strew the sod

```With the first flowers of spring, and make to them

```An offering of the plenty nature gives,

```And they have rendered ours--perpetually."

`````Percival.=

After making a sketch of the monument, and dining upon crackers, cheese, and apples, using the plinth of the pedestal for a table--we resumed the reins, and retraced the Lancaster road as far as the Paoli tavern, where a branch road leads to West Chester.

Here I parted company with Mr. Agnew, who returned to Philadelphia in the cars, and I journeyed alone toward the Brandywine. Although the fields were shorn, and the orchards were bare of fruit and foliage, yet, on every side, were evidences of fertility and abundance attested by fine farm-houses, spacious stone barns, and numerous plethoric barracks. The country is beautifully diversified and well watered; clear streams, without bridges, intersect the highway in many plaees. I reached West Chester at dark, distant eight miles from the Paoli tavern, having passed, on the way, near the residence of General Wayne.

West Chester is the seat of justice of Chester county. It is in Goshen township, twenty-three miles from Philadelphia, and five south of the Great Valley. It is a pleasant village, containing a population of about three thousand, who are noted for their intelligence and general refinement. It was a mere hamlet when the armies passed by after the battle on the Brandywine, * a few miles distant; and there are now not many mementoes of the event in existence. Eye-witnesses have gone down into the grave, and the old dwellings have given place to more modern structures, except the Turk's Head tavern, and one or two other buildings. At Guss's Inn, where I tarried for the night, I met Mr. Joseph Townsend, a nephew of the late Joseph Townsend, of Baltimore, who wrote an account of the battle of Brandywine from his own personal recollections, and which was published in 1846, with an accurate survey of the scene of action, by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Mr. Townsend, who is familiar with every locality connected with the battle, kindly offered to go over the ground with me the next morning.

I breakfasted by candle-light, and, at seven o'clock, we were on our way to [[December 1, 1848]] Jefferis's Ford, on the Brandywine, two and a half miles from West Chester. Thick clouds covered the heavens, and a biting northeast wind, bearing a few tiny snowflakes and pellets of soft hail, evinced the presence of winter. The old ford, where the division of the British army under Howe and Cornwallis crossed the Brandywine, was eight

* The Brandywine Creek rises near the boundary of Lancaster and Chester counties, Pennsylvania, and flows through Delaware. After uniting with Christiana Creek, it enters the Delaware River, forming the harbor of Wilmington. It is navigable as high as Brandywine village.

** This is copied from Day's Historical Collections of Pennsylvania. The house is of stone, and ranked among the first country mansions of the period. It is about a mile and a half south of the Paoli tavern.

[[[Jefferis's Ford.--Sconnel Town, Osborne's Hill, and Birmingham Meeting-house.]]]

{374}or ten rods above the bridge which now spans the stream. On the high ground upon the opposite shore, the old stone house of Emmon Jefferis is yet standing.

In it the merchants of Wilmington, alarmed for the safety of their goods, stored a large quantity of wine and other liquors, believing that the line of march of the British army would be through their own town, and not as high up the stream as at this place. For reasons which we shall presently consider, Cornwallis and his division crossed the Brandywine at this ford, and, discovering the Madeira wine in Jefferson's house, made themselves merry at the expense of the rebel merchants."

Howe took Jefferis with him as a guide to conduct him toward Birmingham meeting-house.

From Jefferis's Ford we proceeded toward the Birmingham meeting-house, famous in the annals of the Brandywine battle as the spot near which the most sanguinary conflict took place. We traversed the road along which Cornwallis marched over the high ground eastward of the Brandywine, passing the site of Sconnel Town, ** Strodes's Mill, and the field where the British army formed for action on the southern slopes of Osborn's Hill. We were thoroughly chilled when we reached Birmingham meeting-house, delineated on the next page, situated about four miles below Jefferis's Ford. There we found a comfortable shelter from the piercing wind under its spacious shed, where we sat down with Bowen's and Futhey's _Plan of the Battleground_ before us, and contemplated the memorable events which occurred in this vicinity.

The British fleet under Lord Howe, bearing a land force eighteen thousand strong, under the command of his brother, General Sir William Howe, sailed up the Chesapeake, and landed at Turkey Point, on the west side of the River Elk, about eleven miles from Elkton, at its head, on the 25th of August, 1777. Howe's destination was Philadelphia. He had [[ a July 23, 1777]] left Sandy Hook (a) with the intention of passing up the Delaware, but, when at the capes of that river, he was informed of the obstructions which the Americans had placed in its channel, and he proceeded to the Chesapeake. **** The two days and nights after

* This view is from the easterly bank of the Brandywine. The ford was at the mouth of the little creek seen issuing from the small bridge on the left. The Brandywine here is broad and shallow, with quite a rapid current.

** Sconnel Town was a hamlet of two or three dwellings, one or two shops, and a school-house, situated a short distance from Jefferis's Ford, on the road to the Birmingham meeting-house. That building having been taken possession of by the Americans for an hospital, the Quakers who worshiped there held their meetings in a wheel-wright's shop at Sconnel Town. They were holding a week-day meeting there on the day of the battle. Not a vestige of Sconnel Town may now be seen, except the remains of a cellar on the easterly side of the road.

*** This plan is from an actual survey made during the summer of 1846, under the direction of John S. Bowen and J. Smith Futhey, of Chester. The position of the forces in action, many of the houses, and other localities as they existed, was ascertained from a map drawn by officers of the British army, and published a few months after the battle (in April, 1778). De Chastellux, who visited the battle-ground with La Fayette in 1781, mentions the fact that he had one of these English maps as a guide. The roads of the present day, and the relative position to them of the houses, woods, &c., of the Revolution, are carefully laid down upon the map of Bowen and Futhey, which forms the basis of the one printed on page 377 of this work. On the day when Sir William Howe entered the Chesapeake, he received a letter from Lord George Germaine, dated May 18th, giving him the first intimation that aid would be expected from him in favor of Burgoyne, then pressing forward toward the Hudson from Canada. He immediately sent a message to Sir Henry Clinton, who was left in command at New York, to act in conjunction with Burgoyne, if circumstances should permit. The result we have considered.

[[[Landing of the British at the Head of Elk.--Washington's Preparations to meet them.--March of Americans from Philadelphia.]]]

{375}his landing were stormy, and prevented any considerable movement being made before the 28th, when the British commander-in-chief, with the first and second brigades of light troops and reserve, marched to the Head of Elk.

Major-general Grey, with the third brigade and a battalion of Highlanders, crossed the Elk on the 30th. The fourth brigade, under General Agnew, with a Hessian brigade, under Knyp-hausen, crossed, on the 31st, * to Cecil [[August.]] court-house whence they proceeded on the east side of the river, and joined the forces under Howe on Gray's Hill, about [[September 3.]] two miles eastward of Elkton.

This force had remained at the landing to cover the debarkation of the stores and artillery. General Grant, with a suitable force, remained at the Head of Elk to maintain the communication with the shipping.

Washington, as we have seen, was perplexed by the movements of Howe, being uncertain of his destination. As soon, however, as he was informed that the British fleet was off the capes of the Chesapeake, he turned his attention in that direction. The detachments in New Jersey, whom General Sullivan had employed in unsuccessful enterprises against Staten Island, were recalled, and the whole army left Philadelphia for Wilmington. General Stephen, with his division, with that of General Lincoln, who had been ordered to join Schuyler at the north, first proceeded to Chester, in which vicinity the militia of Lower Pennsylvania and Delaware were gathering in large numbers, for the country was thoroughly aroused.

The divisions of Stirling, Sullivan, and Greene (the latter composed of the brigades of Muhlenberg and Weeden), with Morgan's corps, and Bland's regiment of horse, accompanied by Washington in person, left Philadelphia on the morning of the 24th of August, and encamped at Red Clay Creek, a few miles below Wilmington, the next day. The [[August 25, 1777]] principal portion of the American cavalry were under the immediate command of Count Pulaski. General Nash, with Proctor's artillery, embarked in flat-boats upon the Delaware, and proceeded to Chester, from whence he pressed forward to Wilmington.

The whole effective force then present and fit for duty consisted of about eleven thousand men, including about eighteen hundred of the Pennsylvania militia.

Washington established his head-quarters at Wilmington, and made immediate preparations to oppose the march of the enemy, he having been informed, by scouts, of their arrival at the head of Elk. The Pennsylvania and Delaware militia--the former under General Armstrong, the latter under General Rodney--were ordered to press forward to the head

* Manuscript letter from General Agnew to his wife, dated "Camp on the River Elk, August 30th, 1777." In this epistle he wrote, "I have not had the happiness to receive any letter since the one which brought me the plan of a house, in which I trust in God yet to pass many, many happy years in the society of my worthy Betty and the two dear children, as the best and true real reward for all we have undergone." Alas! five weeks afterward he was slain in the battle at Germantown, and wife and children saw him no more.

** This is a view of the southerly front of the meeting-house. The building is very substantially built ol stone. Much of it is serpentine, whieh abounds in that region, and of which several houses are constructed. I was informed that the stains made by the blood of the wounded carried in there at the time of the battle are yet visible upon the floor. The Hicksite party hold present possession of the house; the Orthodox have built a place of worship near.

[[[Encampment on Red Clay Neck.--Howe's Proclamation.--Retreat of the Americans across the Brandywine.]]]

{376}of Elk, and to secure the stores deposited there. In this, however, they failed, for, before their arrival, the British army had debarked, and all the stores, among which was a large quantity of salt, * fell into their hands. Generals Greene and Weeden thoroughly reconnoitered the country between Wilmington and the Elk; and Washington himself rode through [[August 26, 1777]] heavy rains to the head of that river, to make personal observations. An eligible place was selected by Greene for the American army to encamp, within six miles of Howe's position on Gray's Hill; but, before information of the selection reached Washington, it had been determined in a council of war to take a position on Red Clay Neck, about half way between Wilmington and Christiana, with the left of the army on Christiana Creek, and the right extending toward Chad's Ford, upon the Brandywine. Greene's sagacity foresaw the hazard of the chosen position, and he expressed his opinion that the Americans must abandon it on the approach of the enemy. The sequel proved the correctness of his opinion.

Distressed for want of horses, hemmed in by strong parties of the American militia, and almost daily annoyed by the attacks of Captain Henry Lee's and other smaller detachments of cavalry upon his pickets, Howe did not move forward until the 3d of September. On the 27th of August he issued a proclamation to the people, assuring them that he did not come to make war upon the peaceable, but to put down the rebellious; that private property should be respected; that their persons should be secure, and that pardon should be extended to all who should return to their allegiance, and surrender themselves to any detachment of the royal forces within a specified time. But the people of Lower Pennsylvania had heard of the falsity of professions put forth in his proclamation to the inhabitants of New Jersey the year previous, and his "Declaration," as he termed it, produced very little effect in his favor. The people had learned to suspect the flattering words of British officials, whether in Parliament or in the camp, and, instead of "remaining quietly in their houses," they flocked to the standard of the patriots, and annoyed the common enemy on every side. The advance of the royal forces toward the Brandywine was marked by a series of skirmishes, in which the Americans made a number of prisoners. **

Cornwallis, with Knyphausen, at the head of one division of the royal army, moved forward and encamped above Peneander, where a brief but severe skirmish ensued between the enemy and Maxwell's regiment of foot, formed in ambuscade, in which the patriots lost forty in killed and wounded. The loss of the enemy was somewhat less. On the 3rd, General Grant, having rejoined the army with the tents, baggage, and stores, the British moved forward by way of Newark, and took post within four miles of the right of the American encampment, extending their left far up into the country. A strong column made a feint of attacking the American front, and, after some menacing maneuvering, halted at Milltown, within two miles of the center of the Americans. Washington, believing it to be the design of Howe to turn the American right, cross the Brandywine, cut off their communication with Philadelphia, and thus hem them in, upon a tongue of land, between the British fleet and army, saw at once the peril of his position, and, pursuant to Greene's prediction, broke up his encampment, and crossed the Brandywine at [[September, 1777]] Chad's Ford, at about two o'clock on the morning of the 9th. On the same evening, the British marched forward in two columns. Knyphausen, with the left, encamped at New Garden and Ivennet Square; Cornwallis, with the right, was posted below, at Hockhesson meeting-house. *** On the following morning the two divisions met at[[September 3.]]

* Salt was a scarce, yet indispensable article during the war. In his official dispatch, dated August 25th, 1777, Washington, alluding to the efforts to save the stores, wrote, "Among others, there is a considerable parcel of salt. Every attempt will be made to save that." During the winter encampment at Morristown in 1780, salt was eight dollars a bushel, and it was difficult to procure it even at that price.

** On the 28th of August the Americans took between thirty and forty prisoners; and, on that evening, twelve deserters from the British navy and eight from the army came into camp. On the 29th, Captain Lee took twenty-nine prisoners.

*** The column of Cornwallis was composed of two battalions of grenadiers, two of light infantry, the Hessian grenadiers, part of the seventy-first regiment, and two British brigades; in all about 13,000 men. Knyphausen's division consisted of two British brigades, the residue of the Hessians, and Wemys's corps of Rangers; in all about 5000.

[[[Approach of the British to the Brandywine.--The Fords of that Stream.--Plan of the Battle.]]]

{377}Kennet Square, and at evening advanced to within a mile of Welsh's tavern, then a public house of considerable note, three miles east of Kennet. *

* This tavern, and also the Kennet (Quaker) meeting-house, still exist. The reader will better understand the position of places, as well as the movement of the armies, by reference to the above map. Kennet Square, a small village, is about seven miles west of the Brandywine, upon the high road from Chad's Ford. Welsh's tavern is about three miles east of the Square, and half a mile beyond is the Kennet meeting-house and grave-yard, noted on the map. The several fords on the Brandywine, mentioned in the narrative, were located as follows: First above Brandywine village was Pyles's Ford; the next was Chad's Ford; one mile above was Brinton's; two miles above this was Jones's, on the Street road, and Wistar's (now Shunk's), about a mile above Jones's. These were below the forks of the creek. On the north branch was Buffington's (now Brinton's), Jefferis's, six miles above Chad's Ford, and Taylor's Ford, about half a mile higher, where the old Lancaster road crossed. On the west branch was Trimble's Ford, about a mile above the forks, and five miles from the British encampment near Welsh's tavern.--See Bowen and Futhey's Sketch of the Battle of Brandywine, explained below.

* Explanation of the Map.--This plan, alluded to on page 374, note 3, was carefully drawn, from those surveys, by Edward Armstrong, Esq., the recording secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and published by that association. A A, denote the column under the command of Lord Cornwallis, after having crossed the forks of the Brandywine. C, two squadrons of dragoons, which were not employed in the action. E E, the first general attack of the enemy's guards and grenadiers. F, Deborre's brigade, on the right, forced by the enemy. G, G, the British and Hessian grenadiers entangled in a wood. H H, march of the enemy toward and beyond Dilworth. The position of the Americans when the battle commenced is named on the plan. I, indicates the ravine or defile where Greene checked the enemy until night No. 28 denotes the site of a blacksmith's shop which stood near the defile, but now destroyed.

[[[Position of the American Army on the Brandywine.--Movement of the British.--Localities of the Battle-ground.]]]

{378}On the morning of the 11th of September, the day of the battle on the Brandywine, the main strength of the American army was posted on the heights east of Chad's Ford, and commanding that passage of the creek. The brigades of Muhlenberg and Weeden, which composed Greene's division, occupied a position directly east of the ford; Wayne's division and Proctor's artillery (o o o on the map) were posted upon the brow of an eminence near Chad's house (printed on page 386), immediately above the ford; and the brigades of Sullivan, Stirling, and Stephen, which formed the right wing, extended some distance up the river, on the left of the main body. At Pyles's Ford, two miles below, General Armstrong was posted with one thousand Pennsylvania militia, to guard that pass. General Maxwell, with about one thousand light troops, took post on the heights upon the west side of the river, about a mile from Chad's Ford, to dispute that passage.

[[September 11, 1777]] At daybreak, the column under Cornwallis moved along the Lancaster road, which, for several miles, ran nearly parallel with the Brandywine. General Howe was with this division. Knyphausen and his command moved forward at nine o'clock. A dense fog enshrouded the country, and the scouting parties of both armies often came in close contact before they were aware of their proximity. From behind the walls of the grave-yard of the Kennet meeting-house, and also of houses, trees, and clumps of bushes, par-

* a a, indicates the column under Knyphausen, in march from Kennet meeting-house toward Chad's Ford, b b, the heights and woods occupied by Maxwell and his troops, d, British riflemen behind a house, supported by one hundred men from Stern's brigade, e. the Queen's Rangers pursuing Maxwell, when he was driven from the woods, f. Near h, which denotes a valley, were four pieces of cannon, with the forty-ninth regiment, to support the attack of the advanced troops, who crossed the ford in the afternoon, under the fire of Wayne's batteries at m m. n, position of Knyphausen's column from half after ten in the morning until he crossed the river, o o o, the position of Wayne's troops near Chad's house, q, march of the enemy to the ford, in the face of a cannonade from Wayne's batteries. Chad's Ford is named on the map. The position of the Americans is seen on the Chester road, a little to the left of Rocky Hill. Knyphausen took position at u, where he remained during the night after the battle.

* The following references, taken from Bowen and Futhey's map, show the names of the occupants of houses in the vicinity when the battle occurred, and also the names of the occupants in 1846, two years before I visited the ground: 1. George Strode's, now Jonathan Paxson's. 2, now Dr. A. L. Elwyn's. 4. Widow Susannah Davis's, the site now occupied by the house of Aaron Sharpless. 5. Widow of John Davis, not standing. 6. Widow of James Davis, now occupied by Hibbert Davis. 7. William Jones, now Bunton Jones, his grandson. 8. Isaac Davis's, now Abraham Darlington's. 9. John Woodward's, not standing. 10. Richard Evanson's, now Lewis Brinton's. 11. Supposed to have pin. It was owned by Israel Gilpin when Howe had possession of it. 19. John Henderson, near Harlan Webb's house. 21. Gideon Gilpin's, now William Painter's; the head-quarters of LaFayette, f 22. Benjamin Ring's, now Joseph P. Harvey's; Washington's head-quarters. 23. William Harvey's, not standing. 24. Davis's tavern, now in ruins. 25. John Chad's, still standing. 26. Amos's, not standing. * been J. Bolton's, not standing. 12. Isaac Garrett's, not standing. 13. Abraham Darlington's, now Clement Biddle's. 14. John Bennett's, not standing. 15. Edward Brinton, now Edward B. Darlington. 16. George Brinton's, now Ziba Darlington's; built in 1704. Howe's head-quarters, given above, are denoted on the map by a parallelogram upon the left of the New Road, near the right-hand corner of the map.

* This house is situated upon a new road, one mile south-southwest of Dilworth. This view is from the field in front.

** There is some doubt about La Fayette having occupied this house. De Chastellux, who, in 1780, visited the battle-ground in company with La Fayette, says, "M. De La Fayette, attended by the other travelers, went further on to ask for quarters at a Quaker's called Benjamin Ring, at whose house he lodged with General Washington the night before the battle."--Travels in America, i., 237. This building is about a mile and a half east of Chad's Ford.

[[[Skirmishing on the March toward the Brandywine.--Engagement near Chad's Ford.--Skirmishing on the Brandywine.]]]

{379}ties of militia kept up an annoying fire upon the advancing enemy. Knyphausen, however, pushed forward toward Chad's Ford. He sent a strong advance party to dislodge Maxwell. They met at about ten o'clock, and a severe engagement ensued. Maxwell was driven back to the verge of the stream at the ford, where he was re-enforced. Turning upon his pursuers, he made a furious charge. The ranks of the enemy were thrown into confusion, and fell back upon Knyphausen's main column. Unable to cope with Maxwell in open battle without bringing a larger force into action, Knyphausen sent a detachment through the woods to make an attack upon his flank. Perceiving this movement, Maxwell retreated across the stream, leaving the whole west bank of the Brandywine in possession of the enemy.

Knyphausen now brought forward his ordnance, and from the brow of the hill upon the west side of the stream he kept up a strong cannonade upon the Americans, without attempting to cross. The fire was returned with spirit by Proctor's artillery. Knyphausen did not cross the Brandywine, because he was instructed by Howe to amuse the Americans with feigned efforts to make the passage of the ford, until Cornwallis should cross above, and gain the right and rear of the patriots. This accomplished, Knyphausen was directed to push across Chad's Ford, when the two divisions of the royal army would make a simultaneous attack. During these maneuvers of Knyphausen, several detachments of the Americans crossed the river, and boldly attacked his flanking parties and those who were laboring to throw up intrenchments. Captains Porterfield and Waggoner having secured a footing on the western side, General Maxwell recrossed the stream with a considerable force, drove the enemy from the ground, killed about thirty men, and seized a quantity of intrenching tools, with which they were constructing a battery. Knyphausen sent an overwhelming force against them, which soon drove the Americans back to their lines on the east side of the river.

General Sullivan, who commanded the right wing of the Americans, was ordered to guard the fords as high up as Buffington's, just above the forks of the Brandywine. He sent

* The loss of the enemy in this engagement was estimated at about three hundred; that of the Americans was trifling.

** This view is from the east bank of the Brandywine, looking southwest. The ford was about ten rods above the present bridge. Its place is indicated in the picture by the hollow in front of the tree on the extreme left. The wooded height seen on the opposite side of the river is the place where Knyphausen's artillery was planted.

[[[Sullivan deceived by conflicting Intelligence.--Washington's Suspense.--Passage of the Brandywine by the British Army.]]]

{380}scouting parties in various directions to observe the movements of the enemy. Colonel Moses Hazen * was stationed with a considerable force at Jones's Ford.

Between nine and ten in the morning, Colonel Theodoric Bland, ** with some light horse, crossed the [[September 11.]] Brandywine at Jones's Ford, and discovered a portion of Cornwallis's division marching toward the west branch, at Trimble's Ford. Bland dispatched a messenger to Sullivan with the information, which was confirmed by another dispatch from Colonel Ross (dated at "Great Valley road at eleven o'clock"), who was in the rear of Cornwallis's division, informing Sullivan that "five thousand men, with sixteen or eighteen field-pieces, were on the march for Taylor's and Jefferis's Fords."

Similar intelligence was sent by Colonel Hazen. These accounts reached Washington, from Sullivan, between eleven and twelve o'clock. The commander-in-chief immediately ordered Sullivan to pass the Brandywine and attack Cornwallis, while he, with the main division, crossed, and engaged Knyphausen at Chad's Ford. General Greene, of Washington's division, was ordered to cross the river above the ford and gain Knyphausen's rear. Before these several movements could be executed, counter intelligence was received by Sullivan from Major Spear of the militia, posted upon the forks of the Brandywine, who informed him that there was no appearance of an enemy in that quarter. Spear's information was confirmed by Sergeant Tucker, who had been sent out in that direction expressly to gain information. Relying upon this intelligence, Sullivan halted. He dispatched a messenger to Washington with the information, and the meditated attack upon the enemy at Chad's Ford was abandoned. Greene, who had crossed with his advanced guard, was recalled.

While Washington was thus kept in suspense by conflicting intelligence, Cornwallis gained his coveted advantage. He made a circuitous march of seventeen miles, keeping beyond the American patrols, crossed the west branch of the Brandywine at Trimble's Ford, and the east branch at Jefferis's, and gained the heights near the Birmingham meeting-house, within two miles of Sullivan's right flank, before that general was certain that Howe and Cornwallis had left Kennet Square! This apparent want of vigilance on the part of his patrols drew upon Sullivan the severest censure of the public. Already the failure of an expedition against British posts on Staten Island, *** under his general command, had biased public opinion against him; and Congress, wherein Sullivan had several active enemies, had directed General Washington to appoint a court to investigate the matter. The dis-

* Moses Hazen was appointed colonel of a second Canadian regiment in 1775. He commanded at Montreal for a short time. Afterward he was appointed colonel of a regiment called Congess's Own. He was in the battles of Germantown and Brandywine. Having charge of prisoners in Pennsylvania, he was ordered to designate, by lot, a British officer for retaliation in the ease of Huddy, mentioned on page 366. He died at Troy, New York, January 30, 1802, aged 69 years.

** Theodoric Bland was a native of Virginia. He was prepared by study for the medical profession, but abandoned it for the field when the Revolution commenced. He was among the earliest active opposers of Dunmore in Virginia. After distinguishing himself as a leader among the volunteers, he joined the regular army, and soon rose to the rank of colonel of dragoons. He was a vigilant and energetic officer. In 1779, he was appointed to the command of the "convention troops" (as those of Burgoyne's captured army were called), at Charlottesville, in Virginia, where he continued till the autumn of 1780, when he was elected a delegate in Congress. He held a seat in that body until the close of the war. He was then chosen a member of the Legislature of Virginia, and in that body he opposed the ratification of the Federal Constitution and was chosen to represent his district in the first Congress under that instrument. While attending the session in New York, he was seized with illness, and expired on the 1st of June, 1790, at the age of forty-eight. Colonel Bland was a soldier, legislator, and poet. His papers were collected and published a few years since, and are interesting mementoes of the war.

*** This expedition will be noticed in detail hereafter. I have briefly referred to it on page 262, in connection with a notice of the political influence of the Quakers during "the war.

[[[Forming of the Lines for Battle.--Conduct of Deborre.--Commencement of the Battle.--Skill and Courage of the Belligerents.]]]

{381}asters which occurred on the Brandywine were charged to Sullivan's want of vigilance, energy, and skill, and he was held responsible for the defeat of our troops. * Even his honorable acquittal, by a court martial, subsequently, did not altogether remove from the public mind a distrust of his ability as a general officer.

When Sullivan was assured, by a note from Colonel Bland, dated at "quarter past one o'clock," that the enemy were in great force on Osborne's Hill, a little to the right of the Birmingham meeting-house, he dispatched a messenger to Washington with the intelligence, ** and marched immediately to oppose the enemy. His division consisted of his own, Stirling's, and Stephen's brigades. Upon the gentle slopes near the Birmingham meeting-house he began to form his line for battle, his left extending toward the Brandywine. It was an advantageous position, for both flanks were covered by thick woods; but, in consequence of the delay in waiting the return of the messenger with orders from the commander-in-chief, the rough and broken character of the ground, and the time occupied by Sullivan in making a wide circuit in bringing his brigade to its assigned place in the line, *** he was not fully prepared for action when the refreshed and well-formed battalions of the enemy, under Cornwallis, came sweeping on from Osborne's Hill, **** and commenced a furious attack. The advanced guard were German troops. On arriving at the Street road, they were fired upon by a company of Americans stationed in an orchard north of Samuel Jones's brick dwelling-house. The Hessians returned the fire, and the action soon became general. The artillery of both armies opened with terrible effect; and while the Americans maintained their position, the carnage was great. The most indomitable courage was displayed, and, for a while, the result was doubtful. The Americans, many of them unskillful militia, repelled charge after charge of the well-disciplined infantry, chasseurs, grenadiers, and guards of the enemy, until overwhelming numbers obliged them to yield. The right wing of the Americans, under General Deborre, first gave way, and the left, under Sullivan, soon followed. The latter officer used every exertion to rally the flying troops, but in vain. In broken fragments they fled over the fields toward the main division of the army at Chad's Ford. The center division (Stirling's brigade), in which was General Conway, with eight hundred men, yet remained firm as a rock in the midst of the wild ocean of carnage. To this divi-