Forwarded to AMREV-HESSIANS mail list - a historical account: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nan & George Wolf" <71532.734@compuserve.com> Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 4:07 =================================== > Source: HINDS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: NJ Haines in War of Independance. > > Hi: > Use your Find feature to find the several mentions of Haines in the > article below. > > Regards > Nan 71532.734@compuserve.com > ============================ > Found at: > http://www.roadtomonmouth.com/mthollyarticle.html > > RETREAT OF THE BRITISH ARMY THROUGH THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY Some Of The > Data In This Authentic Story Was Taken From An Order Book Found On the > Field After The Battle of Monmouth. > > (From the Mount Holly Herald dated July 19, 1924) > > Beginning this week and continuing for the next few issues, the Herald will > print the full story of the Retreat of the British Army across Burlington > county in June 1778, as prepared and read by Judge William A. Slaughter at > a meeting of the Fortnightly Club, of Mount Holly, on March 3, 1924. > > The story has not been presented to our readers without considerable time > and attention being devoted to it by the author and should prove > interesting reading to all Jerseymen who are interested in the history of > their state and the part its residents played in the Revolutionary War. > > Owing to the length of the paper it is impossible for us to print it in its > entirety in one edition so it has been divided into sections and will > appear in serial form for the next three and four weeks. > > Readers desiring extra copies of the paper may secure same by promptly > notifying us. > > Foreward > After the battle of Monmouth an order book, belonging to the British Army, > was found on the battlefield and afterwards presented to the State Library > at Trenton. In the following notes the parts which are printed in bold face > are copied verbatim for the order book and give the parole, countersign, > equipment, time of march and order of march of the British Army while in > Philadelphia and while on the march through Burlington county before the > battle near Freehold. > > May 29th, 1778 > The men to bring with them their Camp Kettles, Cantines, Tommyhawks and > every necessary article they are to carry on the march. > > May 30th, 1778 > No officer is to quit camp without leave from the Commanding Officer nor is > any servant or soldiers to be sent to town without a written pass from the > commanding officer. > > The rolls are to be called frequent at such times as the Captain of > Subaltern of the day may direct. The soldiers are not to straggle into the > wood, nor go beyond the sentrys. As the Regiment may be subject to sudden > alarms particularly at night. The mens accoutrements must be hung up > conveniently so that they may be able to turn out instantly and form in > front of their huts. > > On the 8th of May, 1778, and expedition commanded by Captain Henry, of the > British Navy, with about seven hundred troops under the command of Major > Maitland, ascended the Delaware River. After destroying much shipping they > landed at Bordentown, burned the houses of Judge Joseph Borden and of > Colonel Joseph Kirkbride on the Pennsylvania shore opposite. [This action > was in retaliation for an attempt to damage the British Fleet docked at > Philadelphia the previous fall, known as The Battle of the Kegs. A poem by > Francis Hopkinson, signer of the Declaration, parodied this event.] > > Soon after this expedition, Sir Henry Clinton succeded Sir William Howe in > command of the British army. The determination of the French to succor the > colonies with a fleet rendered it unsafe for the enemy to longer hold > Philadelphia, lest their shipping might be blockaded in the Delaware River. > To move by water might give Washington an opportunity of reaching New York > by forced marches ahead of them. Therefore it was decided to march through > the Jerseys. That Washington was aware of their intention is shown by the > following notice, inserted over three weeks in advance of the movement in > the New Jersey Gazette of May 27th: The militia of this state are desired > to be particularly attentive to signals, as movement of the enemy is soon > expected. > > A little before dawn on the morning of the 18th of June, 1778, they > evacuated the city, and before night the motley crew of British regulars, > loyalists and Hessians and a vast crowd of camp followers had crossed the > Delaware and were encamped in Jersey. General Maxwell, with the Jersey > Brigade of Continental Troops had been sent prior to this to take position > of the difficult pass near Mount Holly. General Dickinson was assembling > the militia with great energy, and had already commenced the destruction of > the bridges, the felling of trees across the roads and other impediments to > delay their march. > > General Clinton moved with great deliberation, passing through Haddonfield, > Mount Laurel, Eayrestown, Lumberton, Mount Holly, Jacksonville (Slabtown), > Columbus (Black Horse), Mansfield, Bordentown and Crosswicks. > > Just before dawn of June 18th, 1778, the British began their evacuation of > Philadelphia; they crossed the Delaware to Gloucester Point and that > evening camped around Haddonfield a few miles southeast from Camden, N. J. > The news of this evacuation reached Washington at Valley Forge before > morning. He immediately sent General Maxwell with his brigade to cooperate > with the New Jersey militia under General Dickinson in retarding the march > of the British, who when they crossed the river were 17,000 strong in > effective men. > > The remainder of the army, under the immediate command of Washington > crossed the Delaware and pursued in a parallel line at first, prepared to > strike whenever an opportunity should offer, while Clinton wished to avoid > a battle for he was encumbered with baggage-wagons and a host of camp > followers, making his line 12 miles in length. > > The British lost 1,000 men by desertion while crossing New Jersey. 59 died > of terrible heat at Monmouth and more than 50 Americans died from the same > cause. (Harpers Encyclopedia of United States History). > > Another account says: The heat was terrible, the mosquitoes bad beyond > description many of the mens faces were swollen beyond recognition many of > the Hessians deserted. > > Calendar > 1778 > > June 18 Haddonfield > > June 19 Evesham, (Mount Laurel) > > June 20th and 21st ....Mount Holly > > June 22 Black Horse and Mansfield > > June 23 ..Crosswicks > > [June 24 ..Allentown] > > June 28 ..Monmouth A hot Sabbath day. > > Headquarters > Evesham, 19th June, 1778 > > Parole Jersey C. S. Brunswick > The Troops to be in readiness to march tomorrow at 3 oclock in the > following order: Hessian Chasseurs, Queens Rangers, 63rd > Regiment with 2 six pounders, Hogdens Troops and trenching tools and > baggage, 26th Regiment, 7th Regiment and two 3 pounders. > > The wagons to be loaded and to haul into the road according to the line of > march at half past two oclock. > > William R. Lippincott in his delightful Traditions of Old Evesham Township > says: A road is mentioned in some papers of an early date called the Great > Road from Haddonfield to Mount Holly, it passed over the north side of the > Mount (Laurel); it was very crooked to avoid hills, streams and swamps and > the soil generally sandy which made it better to travel in wet weather. > There is no doubt but that this road was an old Indian trail cleared out > and used by the public as there does not seem to be any official record of > it. Traces of the old road may still (1911) be seen in the woods on the > hill sides. (Page 5.) > > Both the British troops and the Colonial militia are said to have occupied > the Meeting House different times during the Revolutionary War. It is said > that the wing which has been torn away was used by the British as a > commissary department for a short time. > > Mem: Some years ago in underdraining a meadow in this neighborhood, the > workmen uncovered an old corduroy road built by the British. > > Mem: The Meeting House at Evesham, Mount Laurel, was built in 1760. > > From inquiries I have made of very reliable people, in reference to these > traditions, I have every reason to believe them true. There is no doubt > that when the British left Philadelphia and marched to Monmouth that a > detachment of troops came by way of Haddonfield to Mount Holly, and > recalling incidents I remember to have heard some of the old people relate, > troops visited the houses then standing near their route of march and > plundered the inhabitants. There is an incident connected with an old brick > house on the White Horse Road, about one mile southeast of Fellowship, just > over the Mount Laurel Township line in Camden county. The kitchen part of > this old mansion is not far from the road as it now runs, while the larger > part of the house, built more than a hundred years ago in the Colonial > style fronts what is now the back yard. It is said it fronted the road when > it was built. Whether or not the Great Road passed in front of this > dwelling I cannot tell, but the old part first spoken of was standing at > the time of the Revolution. The British troops came there to plunder; an > officer ordered a colored man, belonging to the place to hold his horse > while he went into the house, the colored man hated the British and refused > to obey the command, upon which the officer drew his sword and would have > run it through the negro if another officer had not protected him. > > The Historical Collections of New Jersey, published in 1844 give an account > of Jonathan Beesley, a Captain in the Cumberland County Militia who was > mortally wounded by the British in the march across New Jersey in June > 1778. The Historian writes as follows: Arduous in the cause and guided by a > sense of duty he paid little regard for his personal safety. He was in the > neighborhood of Haddonfield, reconnoitering with two other officers, when > they where fired upon by a party of British secreted in a rye field. He > fell mortally wounded into their hands. He was conducted to the enemys camp > and questioned respecting the situation and probable movements of > Washingtons Army, but peremptorily refused to give them any information. > Finding that neither entreaties or threats would prevail in extorting > anything from him, and take proper care of him, remarking that so brave a > man should not be treated with indignity. The British took him with them on > their march and left him at a house, owned by Hinchman Haines, about a mile > southeast of Mount Laurel; this house was torn down about 1881. > > There is a legend that after the officers death occurred at the old house, > a phantom horseman was seen to emerge from it, whose appearance always > meant death to some of the British; if any where in the neighborhood, but > this phantom apparently disappeared at the close of the Revolution, feeling > its mission was ended after the countrys freedom was gained. Not very far > above Coxs Corner, on the road to Medford and close to the old brick house > now (1911) owned by William Jones, a man was killed by the British and > buried in the yard, but few of the farm houses on the line of march escaped > a visit. > > On the farm now (1911) owned by Charles D. Jones many different scenes have > been enacted. This place was owned at the time of the Revolution by a plain > Friend, Nathan Haines, of Evesham. His tombstone is south of where old > Coles church stood in the old ground of Colestown cemetery. There is no > military prefix to the name on the tombstone, although Nathan raised a > company of soldiers for the Revolution. Nathan was opposed to war, and > convinced that it was at variance with his Quaker principles, no doubt > would have lived up to his convictions had he been a bachelor, but he was > not a bachelor. In fact, he had a second wife he had his second wife, who > was formerly Dorcas Pendegrast, she came from the West Indies, and at the > breaking out of the Revolution she had the conviction that a man with the > wealth and influence of her husband should be patriotic enough to use his > influence for the benefit of his country. The conviction Dorcas prevailed, > Nathan raised a company and marched with it to Amboy. Uniforms in those > days were not plenty among the militia and Nathan wore his Quaker garb. > There is an old story that they passed by a place where a parrot was in a > cage, hanging by the roadside. The parrot noticing Nathans dress called out > Quaker, Quaker a fighting Quaker. But Nathan was not a fighting Quaker. He > differed in that respect from some who went to the Army to declared: > > That in the cause of Freedoms Day > > There is time to fight and pray. > > Nathan got back home as soon as possible where he was captured by the > British, and taken by them to Haddonfield, but finding that there was not > much harm in him, it is said that they soon let him go but they took good > care to plunder his place of everything that was, in any way valuable to > them, driving off the cattle and horses. None of the stock was recovered, > excepting one fine spirited horse that broke away from its captors, and was > found the next morning after the British took their departure, standing at > the farm gate. > > About the year 1861, there was a piece of timber standing on land adjoining > the Nathan Haines farm, where it is said the Haines family buried their > silverware and other valuables before their place was visited by the > British. > > There was an old farm house standing on the west side of Church Road, some > distance from the woods at that time, to which the British paid a visit. > Marks of their visit were still visible on the framework when the house was > torn down many years ago. > > It was probably in this neighborhood that an incident occurred which has > been handed down to us by way of tradition: A well to do Quakers has only > just about time to bury his valuables when the vanguard of the British > appeared. The freshly turned earth was sure to betray the secret hiding > place. He was in a great quandary. Running to the corn crib he quickly > shelled some corn and threw the loose grain in generous abundance over the > newly turned ground. He then called up all his poultry and turned his pigs > loose on the spot. The chickens scratched and the pigs rooted like all > possessed and when the troops arrived the ground appeared to have their > innocent exertions and the troops never suspected anything to the contrary. > > Tradition says that at least some of the British troops passed through > Eayrestown and Lumberton, they arrived at Mount Holly two days after > leaving Mount Laurel, distance readily covered now in thirty minutes in an > automobile. > > While at Mount Holly the British destroyed the Iron Works near the bridge > on Pine street, upon learning that the cannon balls and sheet iron for army > kettles had been made there for the Army; they also destroyed the mill on > the Millbrook-Mather farm on Rancocas Road and destroyed the Presbyterian > church of the Reverend John Brainerd, being incensed at him for a patriotic > sermon which he had preached urging the Americans to enlist and fight for > their country and using for his text: Blessed be the Lord my God, who > teacheth my fingers to fight and my hands to war. This church stood on > Brainerd street and tradition says that the British first used it as a > stable before setting fire to it. > > It was at this time that the Hazelhurst family buried their silver to > conceal it from the British and it was so well concealed that no one has > yet found it. While here some of the British Officers took a meal at the > Hazelhurst place and during the meal proposed the toast To the King. To > refuse to drink that toast was to be considered a rebel. Nothing daunted a > little boy of the Hazelhurst family gave them the counter toast To General > Washington, to the great amusement of the officers. Another local tradition > is to effect that here at Hazelhursts was held an Office Conference, the > result of which was the British changed their original plans and that this > change of plans deceived the Americans and delayed their attack until > Monmouth was reached. > > In the woods at Smithville are some earthenworks which were probably thrown > up by the Americans at the time to prevent the crossing of the creek at > that point. > > At Hainesport occurred an exploit worthy of being ranked with the defense > of Thermopylae by the Spartans; the bridge over the Rancocas Creek at that > point had been destroyed and a small band of American riflemen took their > station in a house on the east bank of the creek and disputed the crossing > to the last extremity. When the British finally crossed the creek they > refused to surrender and kept up their defense to the last, being burnt > with the house by the British, according to the diary kept by General > Clintons secretary at the time which is the only account we have of it. > These heroes of Hainesport deserve to have their brave deed better known. >