Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-09-27
FOR PROPER MARKING OF
DELAWARE. BATTLEFIELD

DELAWARE BAT IlEFiELD
For the suitable1 marking of Della
ware's only battlefield, that at Cooch's
| Bridge, arrangements were made at a
picnic held there Saturday afternoon.
under the auspices OF the Sons and
Daughters OF the Revolution.
1t is proposed to have the battlefield
marked by a monument to be erected
| September Sd, 1901, the anuiveisa ry of
the engagement between the Americans
and British.
j. Wilkins Cooch read an interesting
paper on tho engagement at Cooch's
Bridge and the introduction of the flag.
He said in pa.t:
| Mr.. Chairman and friends: / welcome
| you today to this hallowed spot, made so
| by reason of its being the place where our
dear old flag was first baptized in blood
and fire. And il this is sacred ground to
commemorate that event, how much more
must 1t be to me, and how proud / must
feel, as il has been the home of my family
for six generations, It is here that MY child
hood, my youth and my manhood have
| been spent. So / welcome you today with
feelings that cannot be expressed and in
the words of the Oriental, my house and
all that have are yours"
The year 1777 was a dark one for the
struggling colonies. Despair had taken the
place of hope, and only the magnificent
| courage of the inatchless Washington could
keep the poorly equipped and starving army
from disbanding. Lord Howe, with his
powerful army, had landed at the head of
the Chesapeake Bay, with the avowed pur-
pose of taking Philadelphia and thus crush
the rebellion. Washington understanding
full well the task before him. and the dire
i ati ont fai Ia,
in discuuraging the almost hopeless people,
| was devising plans to intercept and Illustrate
him if possible To that end he marched
his small army through Philadelphia, where
1t is said he received his colors, and pro-
ceeding below Wilmington, he encanped. He
HILL with view to taking his great stand
here, but finding that the hill could be APP
preached on all sides, fell back to the
Brandywine.
There is tradition that Washington, the
night he was on Iron Hill, sought shelter at
Baptist Church, near here. One of his aides
knocked on the door, when 9 woman's
voice asked, "who is there?, The answer
was "a friend,' What are you. Whig OF
Tory?" Again the answer was, "a friend. W
Finally the door was opened, and when
asked what was wanted, the request was
made for accommodation for man and
beast. The old lady spoke mp and said that
there was not bed in the house. Never
mind, was the reply, I'VE can sleep on the
floor before the fire. " The next morning the
old lady having the laudahle desire to know
WHO her guests we're. followed them out, and
as Washington mounted, asked, "And what
might your name be STRIP "George Wash
ington. madam" he replied, as he galloped
down the hill and across the Christiana.
The old lady wrung her hands in despair,
crying, ITO think have let General Wash
| t.fyt nm "a T t,ln
of good beds in the housev' / don't know
how true this is, for il Washington slept in
all the houses he is credited with, he must
have changed beds every night. give it to
you as heard 1t when boy.
have been told by my father that O
British officer of high rank was killed by ar
American scout and buried in front Of
} where Delaware Clark lives, between her,
and Glasgow. Relics of the battle are found
, to this day. Last year flint lock of an ole
flint-ock musket, was plowed up in thu
, field opposite. Musket balls we find every
year. Some years ago two 12-pound ball.
were plowed up in the sume field in which
we found the old fint-lock. In grading
} this lawn, many years ago, h 81 pound bal
was dug up. Unfortunately these relics werl
not valued as they should have been. ant
most of them are lost. remember that tn,
32-pound ball was used to heat water fo
+ scalding hogs till at last, it cracked open
and was finally lost. The last of the IL
pound balls one of my hoys. when child
: threw Ill the creek to see the splash, and W,
! have never been able to find 1t since. It il
] said That the Americans were the attacking
) party. and that the British, thinking it wa
a | the advance of Washingtou's army. at ono,
4 tuok possession of the hillside, back of thi
, house, where they lay In camp for two O
! three days, the officers making this hous
! | their headquarters. -ffsH
On March 10Th, 1775, at a meeting held a
D Christiana Bridge, New Castle county wa
divided into two military districts. jane
McKenny was appointed colonel of tn,
upper, and Thomas Oooch of the lower
, | How long the latter was in active service
do not know. He was then very old man
; had been captain in the French ant
Indian wars in 1858. His son, Thomas Jr
I was member of Col. Samuel Patterson
I regiment. At any rate at the time of tn,
) battle of Cooch's Bridge, he, with hi
, grandson, my grandfather, who was lac
i of is, we're living here. On the approach o
:. the British, he took his departure for Penn
sylvania, first having buried his silver plat
3 and box of gold coin, The plate he found
} but never got the gold. Many have beer
: the dreams Of gold hunters, and many thu
holes dug for that buried treasure. Ant
even to this day we find where someone ha
been trying his luck Old Thomas Cooch
among other supplies, had hogshead o
rum ia his cellar which the British soldier
evidently enjoyed; for on his return h,
: found 1T had been up'ended, the heat
knocked in, and the rum an gone.
/ A few years ago my attention was callet
i to an article in the Morning News, entitled
the NATAL day of the Flag" the write
! claiming that the flag was first used il
battle on the soil of Delaware, at Cooch'
Bridge. | have male some research, aut
find thai most writer's agree that the frs
battle in which the flag was used, was tina
r of the Brandywine. ignoring the prelimi
/ nary tight at Cooch's Bridge. Now if l
n is fact that the flag was at that battle
claim that it was first used in Delaware
at Cooch's Bridge, and In support Of thi
theory present the following:
The Encyclopedia of Delaware, page GO
says of this light: Lord Howe now de
4 ternined to attack Philadelphia and sale,
with large fleet from New York to tn
head of Chesapeake Bay, when his arm,
/, disenbarked August 18th, 1777. As soni
j as Washington received intelligence of tn
arrival of Howes army in the Chesapeake
=. he marched his army through Philadelphi
!, to encourage his friends ana intimidate tn
4 lisatfected by its numbers and martial ap
+ pearance. He halted for short time a
: Blandywine, and thence moved to vii
mington, and encamped on the hills aroun'
:, the city. Meantime Howe was marching
a his army to give him battle. With on
division he marched on the 9th of Angus
from the place of debarkation. to Elk, no,
o called klfton. On the 2Sth his vanguar