Port Royal standard and commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-05-18
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
The Fourteenth of April, 1776.-WashinE.
toms Arrival in New York City.
One hundred years ago Gen. Wash
ington arrived in New York, coming by
way of Providence, Norwich and New
London, and transferring his headquar-
ters from Boston to New York city.
Gen. Charles Lee had been in New York
since the fourth of February, and had
done much toward fortifying the city,
erecting batteries up the Hudson and
East rivers as far as Houston street, and
throwing up entrenchments at Gowanus
and on Governors island. Sir Henry
Clinton had looked in on the city and
sailed away again with his squadron, and
it was not until July 9 that Gen. Howe
landed his troops on Staten Island.
The aggregate American force in the
city and vicinity was 10000 men, of
whom only 5000 were 6t for duty.
These troops were without pay, and
many had neither uniforms nor arms.
When Washington first came to the
city he made his headquarters at the De
Peyster mansion. 180 Pearl street, oppo-
site Cedar-a part of whieh was stand
ing until quite recently. There he re-
NAMED until May %, when he went to
Philadelphia on summons to confer
with Congress. Returning, he went to
the Kennedy House at No. Broadway,
where he remained until the city was
evacuated in September. There we're no
holidays then at headquarters. Gen.
Washington writes of himself:
ct give in to no kind of amusements
myself, and consequently those about me
can have none, but are confined from
morning until evening, hearing and
answering applications and letters"
Though Mrs. Washington and the
wives of the other generals were here,
there was little social intercourse. The
wealthy people Of the city were nearly
all loyaGsts, and would rather have vel
coined Howe than Washington. "We
all live here" writes a lady of New
York, "like nuns shut up in nunnery.
No society in the town, for there are
none to visit; neither can we 60 in or
out after certain hour without the
countersign." Another correspondent
writes: when you are informed that
New York is deserted by its old in
habitants and filed with soldiers from
New England, Philadelphia, Jersey,
ETC., you will naturally conclude the en-
virons of it are not very safe from so
undiscipined multitude as our provin-
cials are re represented to be; but I do be-
lieve there are very few instances of 80
great number of men together, with
so little mischief done by them. They
have all the simplicity of plowmen in
their manners, and seem quite strangers
to the vices of older soldiers"
As Gen. Greene one day passed
through the Commons (now the City
Hall park he saw a youthful soldier
training provincial company of arti
lery. The boyish captain was only
twenty years old, but he was full OF fire
and vigor, and showed no little knowl-
edge Of military science. Greene stop
ped, admired, and invited him to bis
quarters, subsequently giving him an
Introduction to the commander-in- chief
The boy soldier was Alexander 81. Ham
ilton. Every New Yorker knows bis
subsequent story.
New York at this time was tory city.
Its leading men generally thought it was
safer to adhere to the king. Its business
interests were averse to change. The
committee of safety had opposed the
entrance of the Continental troops, and
had advised that they be kept within the
limits of Connecticut. Lee had assured
them that he would respect their wishes,
but at the same time added:
"If the British ships of war are quiet,
shall be quiet; but declare solemnly
that if they make prete1t of my pres
ence to fire on the town, the first house
set in flames by their guns shall be
the funeral pile of some Of their best
friends" ....-..
In letter to Washington the fiery
Virginia soldier said that he found the
provincial Congress of New York "wo-
fully hysterical." The committee OF one
hundred. organized the year before,
embraced not only all the leading patri-
OTIS of the city, but some WHO afterward
became decided tories. Isaac Low was
chairman of the committee, and it's lead
ing members were John Jay, John Al
sop, Philip Livingston, James Duane,
Isaac Roosevelt, Samuel Verplanck,
John Morton, Leonard Lispenard, Mich
olas Hoffman, John Broome, Nicholas
Bogart, Alexander McDougal, John
Lasher, James Beekman, John NORM
Scott, Comfort Sands, John Lamb, Peter
noa1af ond Topooo noshrossea