Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-03-17
WASuUSGToS CITY, ]
No. % Grant Place, !
81: II uca. 1876.
Han A. ". UUt{deU.

81: Itrca, 1876.
Han 4. ". Ig'uddeU.:
My ESTEEMED SIR: ia reply to YOU
Questions Us % tue battle Of Stony
Point, and what and how many officers
aud men from North Carolina we're ii
the brilliant affair I reply:
The condition of affairs of the couu-
Try at that period OF history was never
murs. gloomy for the cause Of Inde.-
p"nderce. The Congress and the
States We're respondent; with the noble
exceptions of New York, North and
South Carolina, all seemed to despair
as to Ill" c ,use The army was left t.
SHIFT for themselves General WASH
jn<tton himself wa; in much tribu
iatiOn. In n letter from Philadelphia
to Colonel Harri son, OF Virginia, h..
declares shat our aifAirs Were tAtn sin
Il more distressed, ruinous and dep'Or-
uh'e cn':d ton than ut any time since
the coumencemeDt of the war, aud
wee on the brink of ruin" General
Wayne, III n letter to Mr. D-iany. of
Philadelphia, dated on the night of his
att ck on Stony pint, and near the
hour and scene of the battle. states:
Yru have heard me d. fault the
slepinrs1 md unworthy torpidity of
Congress, and THAT in my opif-
ion this would be most sam
culinary campaign. in which many of
Of the choice spirits and much of the
hest blood in the country would b.
lost 90
The unparalleled sufferings if the
ARMY at Valley Forge ID l777-79; the
strong positions on the Hudson held
by the English and the condition and
feeling of the Co. ,gress seemed to de
press the energies OF every pattioti
The sag acious mind of Washington,
amid all the gloom, suggested the
folorn hope of dispossessing the Brit
ish of some of the stronghoids they
held-and under his plans the light
corps, which he placed under General
Anthony Wayne. at midnight on the
10th of July, 1779, attakced the British
fort at Stony Point, on the Hudson
river. New York, and captured it.
+Wayne's forces consisted of three
res iments. commanded by Colonels
Butler, Febeger and Meigs. A de-
tachment. of light troops under Maj,
VIM. Hun afterwards a General il
1879 and two companies of North
Carolina light troops under Maj. Hardy
Mllrfree, consisting of one hundred .
fifty eight men. The surprise was
complete, and resulted in the capture
OF the commanding officer, Colonel
Henry johnson, and IS other Office rs;a
CAPT ain, three seargents, a drummer
and Is privates killed and 247 prison
ers. General Wayne was wounded In
the head by mu' ket ball, and fell on
the ramparts. Although stunned, he was
not severely wounded. His loss was
but small.
The force under the immediate COM
mand of Major Murfree, although en-
gagged from the beginning 10 the end
OF the affair, behaved with great valor,
ard did not have maC killed or
wounded. These were the only troops
that fired gun The attack and con-
test was with bayopets. The bravery
and good conduct of Major Murfree
Was oompiinlented by General Wayne
i'll his official report. ....... .....-
who were the other officers with
Maj IF Mnrfree, the tee 'r'i hoes not
state. Ill w ~ IA native aud cit Il Il Of
Hertf"r'i ':"uu,y. anl founder ot tue
tow, which bears his name. ID ait :
wards moved Ia L. nne-ser. and there
torIid,d Another town which too Gears
his name. He raised II large and ex-
emptary family. Que of his sons. Hon.
VIM. II. Mnrfree, represented the
Edenton District i'll Congress in 1918
. 1877. The first wife of Hon. john
Bell was one of. his granddaughters.
Doubtless some record ut Raleigh may.
give the names of some other officers |
with General Wayne ftom North Car
oilua-in this desperate and daring af-
fair. Tue authorities for the above |
are-l. Wayne's Assault on Stony |
Point, by Dawson; 2. MarshalPs Life
Of Washington, ". Vol 3. Campbell's |
Memories of General Hull; 4. Arm
stroag's life of Wayne; Is. Life of
Way ne. Sparks American Biography.
Nv. VOL; 6. Sparks Writings of |
z. Lossing's Field Book |
-...-s1ls.=- 7s-..ls Leg -t.asz -ss... |
*Wayne's Assault on Stony Point.
oy Da~ son. Es.I 49,
Writings of Washington by Sparks,
III. Vol.
Dispatch of General Wanye to Gen
sral Washington, July II, 1873.
Yours sincerely,
JNO TT WuEFIHp