New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-19
TIN CAPTURE OF AULUS HOOK

TOOK HE FOBT-FZfKlbL CLAIM Lo'''
rrATURE AND GAINS MMoRTAHTY-THE AoN'
c. II. wINFlELUs MONOGRAPH.
II has been something of an ailliction 10 inc goou
people Of Jersey City. who for long time have Deeh
anxious to follow the fashion of celebrating some
thing on grand Centennial scale that tie greater
portion Of their city proper does not rest on MS
toric ground. The fact is that the ground what
there VA, of it a hundred years ago, was
mainly under water at high tide, and there
fore not favorable for military operations.
Bergen Hill was high and dry. and around
the spot now known as Bergen Square, on
the summit of the ridge. clustered the houses
of a village already Old, where dwelt the Van
Reypeus, Van Horncs, Van Wrinkles Van Forsts'
Van Wageuens. and other ancestors OF the stauhch
Dutch stock with which Hudson County TO-DAY l.
80 largely peOplcd. Down toward the river near
"Poiu, OF Rocks" where the Pennsylvania Railroad
begin. 10 cut It's way through the hill stood Prlors
Mil, and tho tide which ebbed and flowed through
Mill Creek at its base had even then gwen motion
to It's wheels for more than century. from
this point looking eastward toward the
little CITY of New-York was waste OF marsh ana
water with one two sand hills in the foreground
and single island rather more than mile distant
between Ahasimus Cove on the north and Commu-
nipaw Cove on the south. This island, which
looked IRON the hin as if it was fastened TO New
jersey and kept from floating out to sea by long
strip of corduroy road. was known as
Paulus Hook. OF Powley's Hook-the name be-
ing spelled in dozen different ways By the free and
easy photographers of the period. 1t lay mainly
south of what is now Montgomery-st., with ITS east
ern shore more than a block away from the river
front and altogether might have held dozen up
town New-York blocks. 1t was not an inviting
plot of ground TO start city on, but 1t was
big enough TO hold strong Notifications, when were
apparently unassailable from the shore side, owing
20 the marsh aud a deep ditch cut through from
cove to cove and big enough, as the event proved,
10 be the scene of the alleged battle, which was no
battle after all, but the less an exploit OF sut-
cient bIilliancy to furnish the Jersey City people
with an opportunity to fling out their flags and
blow their fog-horns by way of commemorating 1t.
Paulus Hook had been a place of some cOnse-
ouence since 1864, when 1t reached the dignity of
a terminal facility" The ferry TO Cortland-st.
was then established, and a tavern built on the
Hook, from which adventurous NewYoTkers, who
had taken their lives IN their hands and crossed the
river in perauger the night before, set out in the
carly stage for the remote village of Philadelphia.
This tavern was the only building on the Hook
M TO the time Of the Revolution, but the command
ing importance of the place in military point of
view was very plain, ana in 1776 Washington
ordered works to be thrown uD which were
mounted with few guns and garrisoned by some
militia. Later in that Summer, after the British
fleet had appeared in the bay, the Phenix and
the Rose sailed up the river one day and
began TO drop shot on the Hook. The
raw militiamen at once skipped over the works
and scampertd up the causeway to higher and safer
ground much TO the disgust Of old General Mercer,
who officially declared that they behaved in a
scandalou, manner Mercer himself, who had
fought with the Preteuder at Culoden thirty years
before aud wa veteran Of the old French War,
was not so easily scared But the place was plainly
untenabe, and was abandoned 10 the British, who
strengthened the fortifcatiOns and made them for
years the base of expeditions against TebelliOus
Jerseymen. Meantime, while the Continental Army
lay back Of the Palisades, similar raids upon alleged
Tories were constantly made from the North. From
the records it would seem that these marauding
parties fell with strict Impartialty upon the just
and the unjust, so that life was a very considerable
burden to the honest Dutchmen who lived between
Liberty Pole now EnglewOodl ana Bergen.
One of the boldest riders in the patriot army was
Captain Allan McLane, Of Delaware, attached to
the independent legion over which Congress had
placed Light-Horse Harry Lee when he was made
major for gallant service. McLane had discovered
I'm the Summer of 1870 how carelessly the works at
Paulus Hook were guarded and reported the same to
Lee Just as he previously had reported the untin-
is ed condition Of the works at Stony Point to
Washington. Fortunately, he kept diary and
the manuscript IS now in the Library of
the Ncw-YoTk Historical Society. And inasmuch
as he mildly complained in this that bis name some
how failed to get in Lees dispatches, it IS worth
while now TO do him tardy justice. McLane seems
10 have been intruSted with the most responsible
part of the preparatory work for capturing the
Al.
how thoroughly and cautiously all the preliminary
operatlons were conceived and executed. The plan
was briefly this: Lee, who Law in camp a. New
Bridge, some fourteen miles above on the Hacken-
tern0on of the 18th of August, and reach
Prior's Mill by midnight, when the tide would be
low. The force was then to march GOWN the cause
way swiftly and nolselesSlY, surprise the GUARDS
blow up the magazine, capture the arms IN thc
blockhOuses, and retreat with the garrison as prs
oners 10 BOWS Ferry on the HackenSack. ABOUT TWO
miles west of the mill, where boats We're TO be In
waiting 10 transport the entire force TO Newark ana
safety. Early IN the evening 0fthe lSth hcLane was
secreted IN the woods Bergen, waiting for the
return Of blacksmith named Van R1pen probably
grandfather of G. G. Van Rpen, now living on Jrr-
sew City Heights from the fort, whitAer he had
been dispatched TO see how matters looked. Nc
Lane had other work TO do, and II was all accom-
plished by midnight. He was ready for Lee, but
lee was late, and plainly something had gone
wrong Ii has always been said that
guide had msled the expedition, and that
the troops wandered about among the WOODS
of Union Hill for three hours. But really
there was more serious trouble. The NrginiaBs
were on the verge of mutlDy. They claimed that
Major Clarke was Lees superior, refused to obey
his orders, and fiualy 80 of them deserted out
right. This apparent desertlon, however, saved
the enterprise from defeat Major Van BuSklrk,
who commanded a regiment of Tories on the Hook,
had started out with $50 men that same evening TO
attack a camp near English NeighborhOod ana
81 everything had been done on schedule
time the two columns would have met
and the surprise of the fort would have
Ieen prsyented As it was, Van BuskIrk passed by
before Lee struck the road. 1t was 3 o'clock when
the reduced column reached the mllt The tide
was rising and daylight was near. Nevertheless,
fee held to his purpose and led about $50 men
IL IL ..LIl.rL trIr