The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-08-15
NEW YORK IN THE REVOLUTION.
The Part Taken by What Was Not Then
the Empire state.

The Part Taken by What Was Not Then
the Empire state.
The population of the state of New
York, at the breaking out of the revo-
%lutionary war, was less than 30o,0o0.
and New York was sixth On the list of
states in respect to population. Nir-
ginia being :he first, with more than
200. 900: PENNSYLVANIA second, North
Carolina third. Massachusetts, fourth
and Maryland fifth. After New
York came South Carolina, then
Connecticut. with New Jersey not
far behind. Not only was New
York precluded by the sparse
ness of its population from partici-
pating very actively in the patriot
ic uprising. but other conditions were
also adverse TO such a course. The city
of New York, the main city of the Now
York colony, was tory in its sympathies.
and the population of the colony was
distributed along the Hudson river, he
western part of the state, remote from
the Interference Of the British ships,
being 4 huge forest. Nevertheless, and
despite these Neutrality-suspicious. Amer
icar patriot soldiers were enlisted n
New York for service in the war; Vir-
ginia's quota at the beginning of hostil-
tiles in 1755 being 300, North Caro-
lina's 2.0CO and Georgia's 1000. The
two states which came forward most
actively with volunteer soldiers after
the firing of the shot at Lexington.
(which was heard all around tie
world" were Massachusetts. with TO-
Geo troops. end South Carolina with
1000. Pennsylvania at the beginning
OF the war, was very tardy in coming
forward. 1t Jagged behind the other col
onies with less than 500 recruits.
\ short time ago a request for the
loan CT the revolutionary muster OF
New York state was made by the WASH
ington war department through Gov.
Morton to the state board of regents.
and was refused. The request was made
by Lieut.. Col. Ainsworth. VINO had
charge of collecting revolutionary data
for the national government, and was
referred to the regents, because they
are the custodians of the states revolu-
tionary records. The regents agreed 10
allow Lieut.. Col. Ainswor-h access TO
their muster rolls if he would send q
corps of parsons to Albany to copy
them. The regents of the New York
university are. by a law passed in 15ti.
not only the c~ustodians of the state IL
brary. but he state museum as well,
and upon them depends the protection
Of the state archives.
in the second year of the revolution
arr war New York's addition to The
quota of troops was 5000. and in al
there were $4,000 enlistments in New
York. One If the most important bat
ties of the war Of the revolution, the
battle of Saratoga. in October, 11T1, was
fought within the boundaries of New
1ork.and ten days later urgoyne'ssur-
rendertook place At Saratoga. From that
time on much of the fighting was done
in New y ork, and the New York soldiers
took a very active part. The culminat-
ing scenes of the war. however. were
in Virginia. rathcr than in New York,
and in the subsequent Legislative pro-
ceedings taken TO found the republic Cd
a firm basis and provide for the presi-
Dental succession New York took a
much less active part than either Vir-
ginia. Massachusetts or Pennsylvania.
Several New York men, however, dis
tiDguished themselves as commanders
in the revolutionary army. and before
the EXT succeeding foreign war. that of
1912, New York. with a population Of l.
100000. stool first among the states
n position Of supremacy it has never
lost sinCe.-N. Y. Sun.