The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-12-11
From the NewYork Observer.
The e Evacuation of New Y Orlx, A. ID. .I7s3,


The Evacuation of New OrL, A. d. 1888
VERY INTERESTING SKETCH.
On the tenth of june l776, more than three
weeks previous to the Declaration of Independence
a British feet, destined for the capture of the city
OF NewHork, arrived off Sandy Hook The an
nouncement of this fact was the signal, by recon-
mendatIon of Gen. Washington, for the removal Of
the women and children, and their personal effects,
10 place of safety. The General had made the
city his headquarters since the l4th of April in the
same year. THAI portion of the inhabitants who
were opposed to the British rule, and friendly to
Congress, took refuge mostly on the other side of
the Hudson River and found among the ancient
Dutch families of Bergen, ROckland and Orange,
transient and unquiet home until after the war.
1t was not, however, until after the second week
in September, that the armies of Great Britain
landed on the Island. A large British and Hessan
force had effected landing, August 23d, on Long |
Island and secured the approaches Of the city from
that quarter. On Sunday, the fifteenth of Sep
tember, l776, (war knows no SabbathD Sir Hen
~ Clinton, in command Of the invaders, succeeded
N landing his troops al kip's Bay, on the East |
River, Just above the recent location of the Aims |
House establishment at Bellevue. The American |
troops, unprepafed for a successful resistance, |
evacuated the city, by the new road which had re- |
Gently been cut through the hills on the western |
SIDE Of the Island, and partially graded, which now |
constitutes a part Of Broadway. The British |
marched in by the Old Boston Road as it was |
then called, or " the Bowery," as called, along
which at the time We're only few struggling houses
The limits of the city were at that period quite |
cIrcumscribed. The Northern flank of the pOpu-
latIon extended along Chambers street on the west
and Catherine street on the east. Not street had |
then been laid out in the Seventh Ward, which |
lies beyond Catherine street along the East River
The whole Of which was then known as " Colonel |
Rutgers Farm" Lines of Qualifications were sub
seqnentIy erected by the British, extending from
Col Rutgers farmhouse, now Rutgers Place."
TO Fort Pitt at the junction of Sheriff and
Grand streets, not then laid out to Bunkers Hill,
or Bayard's Mount, what is the corner
of Grand and Mulberry streets, through which the
present Canal street was laid out years after
wards.
The city proper occupied scarcely more than
half OF the ground thus enclosed, containing about
1900 houses, inhabited by nearly 10000 people. OF
the houses, about FIVE hundred were destroyed in
the memorable fire of the 2lsl of September, only
six days after the evacuation of The Americans,
which consumed d large portion of the wesIeIn
part Of the city, including Trinity Church. Nearly
the whole habitahe and inhabited part Of the
town was thus reduced to the space bounded by
Broadway, New street, the Broadway from Wall
St est 10 Chatham street, thence along Chatham
4nd Catherine streets TO the East River.
Such was the city, Of which the British army
took possesson- and which they occupied during
The war of the revolution. Seven long years and
more, the patriots of the city and their families
We're exes from their homes, while their dwellings
We're occupied by foreign soldlefy, ana their
goods wasted or destroyed. A part of the popula'
tion submitted to the British rule, and were per-
mitied to remain in their dwellings, constantly
subject however, TO every specles OF eNdctoh, anu
at the mercy of every vile IniOFmeT. A few were
found who received the enemies OF their land with
open arms, and became the most cruel and bloody
uppressOrs Of their Countrymen. The population
OF the city was reduced ny the departure of the
Americans, and the seven years captivity, 10
about len thousand souls.
The last blood poured out by the patriots, in de-
fence of American liberties and rights, was shed on
ismess Island, near Charleston, s. T., about the
first of September, 1882. Frsm that period hosti-
ties ceased. A general expectation existed on the
part of the bellgerents that peace wouId soon be
proclaimed. The prospect OF peace and OF the ac-
Acknowledgement of the British Government OF the
Independence of the United States, was lar from
aHordiug pleasure to that portion of the population
who had sgnallzed themselves as loyalisIs Their
active and merclless zeal in the cause OF Great
Britain during the war had made them exceedingly
obnoxious to their former neghbors, ana 10 portions
Of their own families. They feared, with reason,
the vengeance of those who had escaped from the
Sugar. House, and Provost, and North Dutch
Church. (then prison. house, where hundreds died
by starvation and cOld,) and whose evaporation
had been kinded to a flame. They, therefore,
Judged it best to fOresee the evil and hide them
selves. Some of them found home In the mother
country, where their descendants now live. But
the greater part of them obtained grants OF land IN
and passage to Nova Scotia, large part of which
province is now settled by the descendants OF those
who were natives and residents OF the city OF New
York. The first of these eXpatriated coonists set
sail in a feet of Transports October, 1852, and
numbered 400 souls, Similar depopulations took
place during the following twelve months.
Intelligence received in this city on the 24th
of March, l7S3 of the settlement of prellmlnarles
for the conclusion of a general peace between
Great Britain on the hand, and on the other,
France and the United States of America. A pro-
clamation for the final cessation of hOsttes was
issued by Congress, April llth; and on the 18th
of the same month, Just eight years after the first
battle was fought al Lexington, Mass, peace was
proclaimed in the American army The Treaty OF
Peace was signed in the city OF Paris, Sept. 3d.
1888; on the 18th Of October following, Congress
issued proclamation for the disbanding of the ar.
my on the third of the next month.
During this whole period of suspense, the city
remained in the possession of the armies of Grea
Britain. Preparations were made Immediately or
the arrival of the Treaty OF Peace for their removal
The embarkation took place on Tuesday morning
November 25. A fleet of vessels were anchored il
the Hudson River to receive the troops. As ont
after another of the hated vessels weighed ancho
and shaped its down the bay, that portion q
the American army which had not yet dsbanded
marched into the city, under the command @
Major General Henry Knox, and took possessio
of Fort George, then occupying the site imme
-Jiatey south OF the Bowling Green, and east of tn
Battery
The army was followed shortly after, by Ger
Washington and Gen. George Clinton Governo
OF the State of NewYork, with their suites VIII
made their public entry into the city by the d" oil
Boston Road, )" the only avenue in passable con
dition, that then communicated with the country
They were followed by the Lieut.. Governor an
the members of Council on horseback, four abreast
and these by the officers of the army and citizens
both on horseback and on foot, eight abreast. GeI
Washington was escorted to Francis Tavern, i
Queen street, (now Pearl-street) at the corner
Broad street, where sumptuOus entertainment ha
been provided by Governor Clinton, for the officer
of the army The building has survived the ravage
OF time, and of the two great fires with which this
part of the city had been desoated, and remains
venerable relic Of colonial times.
Great as was the JOY and lively were the d.
rnonsratons of it, not the slightest outbreak di
turbance occurred As in the case of the retur
ing capuves, in Judea in the days of Ezra, tears
sorrow were mingled with their songs. =" 1t wa
remarked,n says an eyewitness at the time, " tn
III unusosl proportion Of these who in 76 had 4,