Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-08-08
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SATURDAY EVENING, AUG. :, 1896.
NEW YORK IN TIE REVOLUTION.
The Part Taken by What Was Not Then
the Empire State.

The Part Taken by What Was Not Then
the Empire State.
Thepopulation of the stateof New
York at the breaking outof tho Rev
dictionary war was less than 30o,-
600, and New York was sixth on the
list of states in respect of popula
ton, Virginia being first with more
than zoo, 600 inhabitants, Pennsyl-
yania second. North Carolina third,
Massachusetts fourth and Maryland
fifth. After New York came South
Carolina. then Connecticut, with
New Jersey not very far behind.
Not only was New York precluded
by the sparseness of its population
from participating very actively IN
the patriotic uprising, but other con
ditions were also adverse to such
course. The city Of New York, the
main city of the New York colony,
was Tory in its sympathies, and the
population of the colony was distrib-
uted along the Hudson river, the
western part of the state, remote
from the Interference Of the British
ships, being a huge forest. Neverthe-
less and despite these Disadvantages
2,015 American patriot soldiers We're
enlisted in New York for service in
the war, Nirginia's quota AT the be
ginning of hostilities III 1715 being
300 North Cardinals 1900 and
Georgia's 1000 The two states
which came forward most actively
with volunteer soldiers after the fir
ingof the shot at Lexington which
was heard all around tho world
we're Massachusetts with 10000
troops and South Carolina with
1900. Pennsylvania at the begin
ming of the war was very tardy in
coming forward 1t Jagged behind
the other colonies with less than 500
recruits.
a short time ago request for the
loan of the Revolutionary muster
of New York state was made by
the Washington war department
through Governor Morton to the
state board Of regents and was re
fused. The request was made by
Lieutenant Colonel Ainsworth, who
has charge of collecting Revolution
airy data for the national govern
ment, and was referred to the re-
gents, because they are custodians of
the states Revolutionary records.
The regents agreed to allow Lieuten-
ant Colonel Ainsworth access to
these muster rolls if he would send
q corps Of persons to Albany to copy
them. The regents of the New York
university are, by law passed in
1914, not only the custodians of the
state library, but of the state mu-
scum as well, and upon them de-
ponds the protection of the states
archives.
In the second year of the Revolu-
tionary war New York's addition to
tho quota of troops was 5000, and
in oil there were 5000 enlistments
in New York. One of the most i'm
portant battles of the war of the
Revolution, the battle of Saratoga,
in October, 1777, was fought within
the boundaries of New York, and
ten days later Burgoyne's surrender
took place at Saratoga. From that
time on much Of the fighting was
done in New York, and the New
York soldiers took very active
part The eliminating scenes of the
war, however, We're in Virginia rath-
or than in New York, and in the
subsequent legislative proceedings
taken to found the republic on a
firm basis and provide for the presi-
Dental succession Now York took
much less active part than either
Virginia, Massachusetts or Penn
sylvania. Several Now York men,
however, distinguished themselves
as commanders in the Revolutionary
army, and before the next succeed
ing foreign war, that of 1912, New
York, with a population of 1, 600, 600,
stood first among the states, posi-
ton of supremacy it has never lost
since New NOrl, SIM