Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-12
FIRST EDITION.
Delaware Soldiers In the isevoIutIom.
Address OF COL WHITLEY BEFORE THE HrsroRI-
VAL sooiErY-HE REoouNrs THE DEEDa OF OUR
FATHERS IN THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE


address was very able, showing careful resoaicl
. for historical data, and though occupying on,
, hour and twenty minutes in its delivery ecitet
the closest interest to its close. lie introduced
the subject by quotation from Sallust in hi,
history OF tho Jugurtiiine war in speaking o
Scpio Maximus and other men of renowp, wLt
used to say " that whenever they beheld the
images OF their ancestors, they felt their minds
greatly excited to virtue" The object in pre-.
pairing this address was not 80 much to excite a
spirit of emulation of the deeds of our ancestors
AZ to prevent their deeds from being forgotten.
Al State and as individuals we have been
negligent in the preservation of these historic
facts The records kept in manuscript,
tho most of which have been lost, but he had
found four OF the original rolls in the Secretary
OF States office. This loss in to be regretted for
we Of Delaware have great and Just cause to be
proud of the acts, conduct and heroism of our
Revolutionary Soldiers.
In less than aA.nonth after the declaration of
Independence, we had eight hundred men in tho
field who fought at Brooklyn, White Plains,
trenton and Princeton, and by April of l777 we
had regiment OF like numbers who fought Mt
Brahdywine, Germantown, Guilford, twice at
Camden. Cowpens, Ninety Six and at Eutaw
aud at this latter they never laid down their arms
though reduced almost to corporas
guard, until CORVALLIS surrendered at Yorktown
| and Leslie evacuated Charleston. In fact there
was not II battle during the revolution worthy OF
and Yorktown, i'll which ono of Deaware's regi-
ments did not participate and the lat er though
| Halls regiment itself, rather what was loft
OF IT. was not present, IL being at that time with
| Green III The Carolinas, seven hundred recruits
raised in Maryland and Delaware for Smalwoods 3
| ana hlrkwoods regiments, were stopped in
their march to join their respective regiments
| and ordered to unite with the army before York
| town. and III this way the regiment itself may
be said to have participated also in the seige
and battle of Yorktown, the decisive battle Of
| tho war,
| Our population at the outbreak of tho revolu-
tion was only 81, 800, and yet By tile second year
Of the war We had furnished three regiments,
viz Col. Hazletts, Col. Patterson's and Col
| Halls. The first regiment Col. Hazlett raised,
| III fact, before the Declaration of Independence,
and participated i'll tho battle OF BROOKLYN in less
| than month after it left Dover.
Mr.. Whitley then referred to the feeling in
our state III reference to the war of the revOlu.
tlon While many of oiir people were undoubted-
y friendly and favorable to it, there were
| great many honestly opposed to an appeal to
| arms against the mother country Some took
| this view from conviction that the evils COM
| planned of were trfling; some that though the
wrongs were great England, upon fair repre-
sentation being made to her, would redress
| them. Some conscentiously believed their al
| legiance to be due to the Government under
which they We're born, and others, though few
Ill numbers, were actuated by fear and desire
to protect their persons and property. The peo-
pie were Of English descont. especially in Kent
and Sussex; they paid no taxes especially not
| upon their tea for their tea was made from the
root or the sasHafras;. they were All
isolated people, none but n few mer-
chants rarely geing to the cities, and they fed
and clothed themselves mostly from their own
FARMS and it was not therefore surprising that
these people for time did not unite zeaously
| in the cause of the colonies but should require
some argument and personal influence brought
to bear upon them. The man who was con-
spcuous in doing this was Caesar Rodney, and to
him more than any one else the speaker thought
do we owe the position which our State and peo-
pie took in that important contest. In this
he was aided by lis colleagues in the Continen-
| tai Congress, aud ardent Whigs-George Read
and Thos. Mexican. The General Assembly did
not authorize our delegates to vote for Inde-
pondence, but Rodney proceeded to Dover and
through his Influence chiefly the Assembly
passed unanimously, June 1ith, 1776, new in
structions to our deputies to concur with other
delegates in adopting such measures shall be
judged necessary To our safety and liberty, and
under this instruction they acted promptly for
Independence.
But to the history of Hazletts regiment Be
fore the Declaration OF Independence regiment
had been raised by Col. John Hazett and mus
tered into the States service. 1t was composed
OF eight companies and 800 men. Its officers
were appointed by the Congress from recon-
mendatlons by the Council of Safety of tho
"three lower counties on the Delaware" Janu-
ary 19th, 1916, the journals of Congress show
the following officers elected viz John Haz-
lett, colonel; Cunning Bedford, Lieut. Colo
mel and John Mcpherson, Major. But Nc
Pherson was dead before he was elected having
been killed Dec, 3lst, with Gen. Motgomery
while storming Quebec The intelligence of his
death did not reach the Assembly of Delaware
until some time in March, and on the 22d OF
March Thomas McDonough was elected in Lis
place.
In few days after the Declaration was re-
ceived, the regiment marched to the head-qnar
ters of the army without tents, and apparently
without provisions, and were brigaded with four
Pennsylvania and Smallwoods Maryland Regi-
ments, with or Sterling Brigadier, and i'll
| the battle of Brooklyn, which occurred in about
| three weeks after, they behaved with the cour-
age and irmuess of veteran soldiers. The next
battles in which they were engaged were Tren-
| ton and Princeton, and here Col. Hazlett was
killed while gallantly leading his regiment into
action. He was charging on tho British lines
about sunrise, and was instantly killed by rifle
bullet which penetrated his head. lie was born
| in Ireland, was educated for the ministry, but
| subsequently studied medicine and practsed in
| Dover. He was ali ardent Wing and confidant
| of Caesar Rodney, the latter esteeming him n
| safe medium through which to reach and arouse
the people. After Col Hazlett's death, the
| regiment, reduced to less than 100 men, was
never re- organized.
Lieut.. Col Bedford went on Gen. Washing
toms staff fought in several battles, was wound
| ed at White Plains and after the Peace was At
| torney General, District Judge. &c.
| Major McDonough, after the disbandng of
| ough and pursued successfully his practice of
medicine. He was the father of Commodore
| Thos. McDonough Of Lake Cbamplain fame.
Congress called oil Maryland and Delaware
| for 10000 men. The battalion raised was un-
| der Col. Samuel Patterson, who miller at
| Christians village, and afterwards buried
| there. Shortly after this. Congress called for
| lightweight battalions, Delaware's quoia being
| one-80O men-to serve during the war, and "A
| new battalion was formed with David Hall for
| colonel, and this became afterward Del
awares best regiment. April 80, 1880, it was
ordered south and fought under Baron De Kalb
| and went through all the southern battles. At
Camden they held their ground until they wore
nearly annihilated. Col. Hall being wounded,
| and leaving the regiment was succeeded by Col.
| Kirkwood, through whose command the regi-
| ment received its greatest renown.
| The Delaware regiment was conspicuous for
| bayonet exercises in lighting, and Gen. Greene,
| under whom they fought in the South said they
exceeded all soldiers be had ever seen-they
could march all day and dance all night When
| the war closed they were at Ashley river and
| marched home, q distance of 720 miles Con-
| gress returned them a vote of thanks Oct Goth,
| 1881.
| Col Whitley closed his address, of which this
| is very brief extract, by saying they were in
deed
| "Chief grac with scars and prodgal OF blood,
Stern warriors who Tor 5 CT Freedom stood
| vote of thanks was rendered Col. Whitley by
| "a tntt,