The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1903-05-09
johnston's History
Of Cecil County.
CHAPTER Xxx CONTINUED.

CHAPTER Xxx CONTINUED.
The January before this took place.
Edward Parker, who then resided near
the Brick Meeting House. had memoir.
ializcd the convention in regard to the
manufacture of linen and wooden goods,
and had received a subsidy of $500 to on
able him to start business. He stated
that he had erected Il house. provided
himself with all manner of implements.
and had five looms constantly employed
in manufacturing.
In this connection the following letter.
copied from the original now in posses
sion of Mr.. HollingswOrth' grand-chid-
rem, will be interesting 1t was written
only eight days after the PRONUNCIATION
of the Declaration of Independence and
shows the promptncSS with which the
people of that time acted
I'm COUNCIL OF SAFETY.
18TH July, 1I76.
Sir We are in immediate want Of
about 100 bayoncts of different sized
sockets for the army of the Eastern
Shore militia. who are to compose part
OF the flying camp, and have sent IN
order on you to Mr.. Winters for them,
and we request you will supply him with
that number as soon as possible The
greatest eXertionS are necessary upon
this occasion, and we doubt not your
warmcSt efforts to enable us to carry into
execution the resolves OF convention with
that dispatch the cXigcncy of the times
require.
For and on behalf of the Council
Il am sir your ohedient servant
"CHARLES CARROLL. V. P.
"Col. Henry IIollingSworth."
The iron used in the construction Of
these munitions of war was purchased in
Philadelphia.
The correspondence between Colonel
HollingSwortn and the colonial and con-
tinental authorities is interesting and in
Structive; and shows the difficulties under
which the patriotic people of that time
iabored. Skillful laborcrS were hard to
procure, and many of the bayoncts made
by Colonel HollingAworth We're useless,
either because they We're not properly
tempered, or because the steel of which
they were made was worthless They
were easily bent, and consequently were
good for nothing; so the colonial authori.
ties censured him and threw them on his
hands, which was Il source of quite as
much annoyance to him as the want of
the weapons was to them. In addition
to ordinary muSkets barrels and bayonets
he also manufactured few barrels for
larger pieces, which are mentioned im his
correspondence under the name of wall
pieces.
Little is known of the other officers of
the battalions before mentioned. Colonel
John NcaZey descended from an old
Norman family, one of whom settled on
Neazcy Neck previous to 1910. AS be-
fore stated. he represented the county in
the convention of 1744--1745. He was a
nephew of Captain Edward Veazey, who
was killed at the battle of Long Island
in 171G. Charles and William Rumsey
were descendants of Charles Rumsey,
who lived at the head of Bohemia River
In ITO. DR.. Joshua Clayton partici-
pated in the battle of Brandywnc, ut
which time he was aid to General Wash
ington, who had it is said. commissioned
him Colonel and placed him ON his staff,
in order to make a good appearance
when receiving the sword of General
Howe, whom he expected to captude at
that place. Colonel Clayton was after
wards Governor of Delaware and United
States Senator from that State. George
johnson is believed to have been aid to
General Washington during the cam
paign i'll New Jersey in 1T1T and It's.
Elihu Hall was of the Hall family. one
OF whom many years before, settled near
the mouth of the Octoraro. This family
Tor Il long time, was one of tn" most
numerous and distinguished in the
county.
The campaign of 1TTG was disastrous
10 the Continental Army. no portion Of
which had acted with greater bravery
and distinction than the Maryland line.
Washington had done what he could to
retrieve the fortunes of the Continental
cause at Princeton aud Trenton. and in
the Spring of 1111. his army occupied
northern New Jersey, and having been
largely reinforced was 50 formidable that
General Howe resolved to accomplish 10y
stratugem what he had failed To do 10y
force. namely. the capture of Philadrl-
phia, then the capitol of tn" infant Re-
public. To this end he embarked his
army on board his brothers fleet. intend
ing t" reach Philadelphia by sailing up
the Delaware. But learning that this
was impractcablc on account of the OBJ
StructiorS in that river. he abandoned
his original plan aud entered thu, ChrSa-
peakr Bay.
On the way up the Chesapeake. the
British ii"ct. consisting of three hundred
sail "f mrn-0f-war. stopped at tn" mouth
of the IatapSco River and threatened
to destroy Baltimore.
1t is stated in the Maryland Gazette,
newspaper published in Baltimore. that
the British fleet left Bodkin Point, mt the
mouth Of til" PutapSco, on the 9th Of
August ana sailed to the mouth Of Elk
River and came to. off Turkey Point.
The writer then proceeds as follows -
1T has been reported they landed somo
of their troops. but it proceeded from
their sending number of boats To pur-
susa (Spcsutinl Island. lying between
Hartford and Kent county. on which was