ioo6
 

THE ICONOGRAPHY OF MANHATTAN ISLAND
 

1776    tion found a Body of three or four hundred remaining upon Gover-
Aug,    nois Island, who might have been taken by flat Boats, but for what

30    reason was not attempted; neither could our shipping get up for
want of Wind, and the whole Escaped the following Night to New
York."—Kembie's Jour., 86.

Solomon Nash records: ". . . the Enemy fired som at Last
Boats that Left the Idand our men Left goveners Island the Enemy
fired at our Boats when Ldt govnrs Island and Cilld and wounded
3 oc ^."—Nash's Jour., ■il.

Pastor Shewkirk, viewing the affairs of the day from the
Manhattan side, writes: "In the morning, unexpectedly and to the
surprize of the city, it was found that all that could come back was
come back; and that they had abandoned Long Island; when many
had thought to surround the King's troops, and make them prison¬
ers with little trouble. The language was now otherwise; it was a
surprising change, the merry tones on drums and fifes had ceased,
and they were hardly heard for a couple of days. It seemed a
general damp had spread; and the sight of the scattered people up
and down the streets was indeed moving. Many looked sickly,
emaciated, cast down, &c,; the wet dolhes, tents,—as many as they
had brought away,—and other things, were lying about bdore the
houses and in the streets to-day; in generd everything seemed to
be in confusion. Many, as it is reported for certain, went away to
their respective homes. The loss in killed and wounded and taken
has been great, and more so than it ever will be known. Several
were drowned and lost their lives in passing a creek to save them¬
selves. The Philaddphia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland people lost
the most; the New England people, &c,. It seems are hut poor sol¬
diers, they soon took to their heds."—L, I, Hist. Soc. Memoirs,
ni,PartU: 115.
"         The committee of safety resolves, in reply to the inquiry of

Ebenezer Hazard, deputy postmaster for the New York depart¬
ment, regarding "the most proper place of safety and convenience
to the public to which he should remove his office, as an invasion of
the city of New-York is hourly expected," that he should remove
it "to some convenient place near Dobbs" ferry, till further orders
from the Postmaster-General."—Jour. Provin. Cong., I:  602.

31          "All the [British] Array began to raove towards Newton but
5,000 H"s und Gen' D Hdster idt at Brooklyn heights—21

wiiGcn'O------1 at Bedford—Gen' Clinton was thismornS a

Gate & L^ Cornwallis encamp'd on the heights near Newton—at 2
"Clock the Gen' w"! the rest of the Army Arrived at Newton w''
was head jjrs—^g pass'd through a Pleasant Country—Reported
that the Rebels were firing on one Another & evacuating the Town,"
—Robertson's Jour. (MS.).

"         Kerable records:   "Matched to Newtown, with the Grenadiers

Light Infantry, ist., 2d., 3d., 5th, and 6th, Brigades and 71st.
Regt., who occupied Flushing and Jamaica. Gen. Sullivan about
this time sent to New York, and from thence went to Philaddphia,
supposed on the Subject of Negotiation with the Congress,"—
Kembie's Jour., 86.

Solomon Nash records In his journal: " to Day ye fleet Came up
Nearer the Town our people went to Governers Isld and fired at the
Shiping Severd time with Cannon that our people Left their and
they returned the fire and fired savral times at our rogalys as they
went By the grand Battry to go up ye north river."—Jour. ofSolo-
monNash,zi-
Au-         A fortification was erected by American troops on Laurel Hill,

tumn the site on the modern maps bang between i9id and 193d Sts., on
Audubon Ave., extending midway toward Fort George Ave.-—zotfi
Ann. Rep., Am. Seen, and Hist. Pres, Soc, 431; L. M. R.K,,ni:
944; Pl. i8o,Vohin. See,furtber,Ni6, 1776.

For contemporary plans of the military movements on Long
Idand and Manhattan Island in 1776, see Winsor, VI: 336, 342,
343, 344. 345-

Sept.         ".   ,    . The college, when finished will he exceedingly hand-

— some; it is to be built on three sides of a quadrangle, fronting
Hudson's or North river, and will be the most beautifuUy situated
of any college, I bdieve, in the world. At present only one wing is
finished, which is of stone, and consists of twenty-four sets of apart¬
ments; each having a large sitting room, with a study, and bed¬
chamber. They are obliged to raake use of sorae of these apartments
for a master's lodge, library, chapd, hall, ^c. but as soon as the
whole shall be completed, there will be proper apartments for each
of these offices.

".   .    . There is dso   .   .   . one of the finest prisons I have
 

ever seen—The Court or Stadt-house makes no great figure, but is to ■
be repaired and beautified. There is a quadrangular fort, capable of
mounting sixty cannon, though at present there are, I bdieve, only
thirty-two Within this is the governor's palace, and underneath it a
battery capable of mounting ninety-four guns, and barracks for a
company or two of soldiers. Upon one of the islands In the bay is an
hospitd for sick and wounded seamen; and, upon another a pest-
house . . ."—Lottery Magazine (London), Sept., 1776 (with
plan of the city, drawn "on the Spot" by Lieut-Col. Walter Nu¬
gent). See also Si, James's Chron. (London), S 28-O i, 1776,

Earl Percy, writing from Newtown, Long Idand, to his father,
the Duke of Northumberland, describes the engagement of Aug. 27
(q.v.), and the subsequent evacuation of Long Island by the
Americans, and then adds: "In consequence ot which we marched
on Yesterday to this Place, where almost every body has come in
to Us, such as have been in Arms or Active have surrendered
Themselves, & all taken the Oaths, Whole Reg's we are informed
have deserted frora thera at New York, & in short they are in the
greatest State of Confusion, They feel severdy the Blow on the
27"' & I think I may venture to assert, that they wilt never again
stand before us In the Field. Every Thing seems to be over with
Them, & I flatter myself now that this Campaign will put a totd
End to the V/ic"—Letters of Hugh, Earl Percy, 67-70.

Capt. Archibald Robertson records that he "reconnoitred the
shore opposite Hell gate where The Rebels have a Work round
Wdton's house, call'd Horn Hook—the water in E. River about 500
Yds across here—Gen' Sulivan sent over to N: Y>^ about negocia-
tlons."—Robertson's Jour. (MS,),

Washington writes to the president of congress: ". . .with :
the deepest concern I am obliged to confess ray want of confidence
with the generality of the troops. ... I more than once in my
letters took the liljerty of mentioning to Congress, that no depend¬
ence can be put in a Militia or other troops than those enlisted and
embodied for a longer period than our regulations heretofore have
prescribed. I am persuaded, and as fully convinced as I am of any
one fact that has happened, that our liberties must of necessity
be greatly hazarded. If not entlrdy lost, If their defence is left to
any but a permanent standing army, . . . Our number of men
at present fit for duty, are under twenty thousand, . . . Till
of late, I had no doubt in ray own mind of defending this place, nor
should I have yet if the men would do their duty; but this I dispair
of. It is painful and extremdy grating tome to give such unfavor-
■      it would be criminal to conceal the truth at so
 

critical a juncture.   ,    .    ."

He asks the advice of congress regarding the advisability of de¬
stroying New York, with a view to prevent its becoming the head¬
quarters of the eneray: "If we should be obliged to abandon the
town, ought it to stand as winter-quarters for the enemy? They
would derive great conveniences frora it on the one hand; and rauch
property would be destroyed on the other. It is an important ques¬
tion, but will admit of but little time for deliberation. At present,
I dare say the enemy mean to preserve it, if they can. If Congress,
therefore, should resolve upon the destruction of it, the resolution
should be a profound secret, as the knowledge of it will make a
change In their plans,"—Writings of Geo, Washington (Ford ed,),
IV; 378-81, Congressrepliedthenextday.—SeeS3.

On this day dso, an English fidd-officer writes from the British
camp on Long-Island: "I have just heard there has been a most
dreadful fray in the town of New-York. The New-Engl and ers in¬
sisted upon setting the town on fire and retreating. This was op¬
posed by the New-Yorkers, who were joined by the Pennsylvanias,
and a battle has been the consequence, in which many have lost
their lives. By the steps the General is taking, I imagine he will
effectudly cut off their retreat at Kings Bridge, by which the Island
of New-York is joined to the Continent."—5 Am. Archives, U: 123,

Another British officer on Long Island writes at the same tirae:
"All accounts agree that they are preparing to evacuate the Town
[New York], Whether they wiU burn it or not is uncertain, as the
Provincids from the Jerseys and the neighborhood strenuously op¬
pose that measure,"—Shdton, The Jumel Mansion, 43.

Samuel Loudon advertises in Gaine's newspaper that he "Is re¬
moving his Printing-office to Fish-Kills, where the Provindd Con¬
gress now reside," and regrets "that he will be obliged to discontinue
the Publication of the New-York Packet, for several Weeks, occa¬
sioned by the Trouble in moving as wdl as the great Scarcity of
Printing Paper,"—N. Y., Merc, S 2, 1776. See Ag 29,