The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-31
SITES OF HISTORIC INTEREST IN
NEW YORK.
Errors I'm Revolutionary Maps Cause DIFF
nculty fin Locating Them.

|
British maps OF the Revolutionary period or
| later maps based upon them, which have
been fruitful Of II very unfortunate crop OF
| errora Ia view Of the great interest now
| taken in our local and neighb0ring historic
sites md landmarks. 1t seems to me worth
| while to put your readers on guard against
| these maps for some or all of their errors nre
repeated In the maps Of many oft-consnltcd
works. like Marsball's life of Washington.
| Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of tho Revo-
luton" Bottoms and Dawson's histories OF
Westminster county, and Fishes American
| Revolution"
Let me first state where Fort independence
| and Tetard's Hill were and then refer to the
maps on which they and many other sites
| are extraordinarily misplaced.
If one will start northward on "A bicycle on
Sedgwick avenue from Washington Bridge.
| with his cyclometpr set at zero, when II regis
| tiers just one mile he will be in front OF the
| site of the famous Fort No. &. the eighth In
| the series OF Revolutionary Notifications
which commanded the northern end of Man
| haitian Island from the mainland on the north
and east Of Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the
Harlem River. The site is on the crest Of the
| hill to the right of the road. back of Mr. Gus
tav Schwab's house. and is marked by an in
scribed boulder Continuing the Cyclometer
Will register Ito miles in front of New York
University; l.5j miles opposite the site OF
Fort No. 7, on the right-hand side of the road
i.55 at the intersection Of the Fordham Land
Ing road; 10 opposite Webbs School and
Home for Shpbnilders; and 2O5 opposite the
site Of Fort No. or the Kings Redoubt.
This site is now occupied by the main build
ing of the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum.
Four years ago IA very conspicuous mound
remained.
Th, t,ta 49, ia, Dxs
will be passed at a distance of . 20 miles. and
$50 miles will bring one opposite the site of
Fort No. s. 1t Is TO the right Of the road. be-
hind the red brick house on the edge of the
Jerome Park reservoir. There is nothing
to mark IL. Riding on. AT n distance of >, IS
miles one comes to Giles avenue on the left.
and turning up Giles avenue, a distance of
3 O5 miles from Washington Bridge brings
one in front Of the white house with square
tower on the left-hnnd side Of the avenue.
occuPied By MI s Fynf This house
Fort No. A.. The grounds are terraced TO
suggest the lines Of the old earthworks. Here
We're excavatsd the two cannon now At the
Van Cortlandt Mansion In an Cortlandt
Park many cannon balls and other relics.
The adjacent Fort Independence street and
Cannon place recall the history of the neigh
Forts Nos. 3, and 1 lay just north of Spuy-
ten, Duyyil Creek. between Tippet's Brook
ana the hudson.
Fort No stood In the southwestern quar-
ter OF Dominic John Peter Tetards farm of
sixty acres. The farm occupied a portion
Of the nh which rises to T., an eeyalon Of
direction on the east side Of Kings Bridge
and 'Tippett's Brook to point somewhat be
y0pTnd the site OF Fort Independence This
II Dominic Tetard could come to life again
and see how British map makers ,dislocated
h and h qheT s2e Mb the "
list David: What allied you, ye mountains.
1 1hat ys skipped like rams and We little hills
The dominic, by the way, was nm interest
ing character. and considering how disre-
spectfully his hill has been moved around.
We may diverge from the subject Of maps to
say a few good words about him. He was
once pastor OF the old French Church in New
York city; In 1888 he bought the farm above
mentioned %rom Petrus Nermilye. but he did
not remove to it until 1895 and then his rusti-
cation was coincident with. If not a conse-
auence Of, a very reprehensible performance
which he addressed 10 Governor Sir Henry
Moore Oct H., 1857 lY~this interesting
document which may be found in full in
History OF New York" the dominic related
that on Sunday: June 70, 1885, "Messrs daniel
Francis Basset and Frederic Basset. all OF
the city of New York in a riotOus manner
and contrary to the Peace of our Sovereign
before the usual time OF divine Service and
there. by main force, opposed the Elders and
every regular officer Of the same IN their
Petitioner Abundance unto his Pulpit And
after having different ways p-Ofaned that
House of Prayer they then proceeded 10 break
the locks of said Church and affixed Locks OF
their own TO Every door. by means whereof
they TO this day have most unjustly and lille
gallv kept possession. OF the same to the IN
expressible Detriment of this Pious lnstltu-
ton and to the great Scandal of Civil Society
as well as Religion
in the city. he established French school at
his farm, probably the first Of its kind IN tho
limits of the present city Of New York, where
he taught the higher branches Of literature
ham Dutch Church During the Revolution
he was chaplain and interpreter In the
American Army. and when Columbia College
he became professor of French therein, and
SO continued with honor until his death,
There long stood on Tetards Hli III a. stone ;mn
and which was ynriously called "Dominle
Tetard's Wine Cellar" "The Powder Maya
zine" and The Bakery"
Now, to return 10 our maps. During the
Revolution many of the fields of operation
of his Mojesty's army IN America were sur
by claude Joseph ,sauthjsr. and were pub
lshed in London by william Faden, either
by permission Of the Right Honble. the
or by authority Of act of Parliament; These
maps are conveniently called the "Sauthier
Faden maps Fadens map surveyor not
mentionedl Of "A plan of New York Island,
particular description of the engagement
on the woody heights between Flatbush and
Brooklyn on the eth of August i778.
also the landing OF the British Army on New
York Island and the taking OF the City, &c.
on the 18th Of September, following, with the
subsequent disposition of both armies, 10
Gates Fort Independence, on the Jersey Pail
sades opposite the mouth of Spuyten puyvil
Creek How Fort Independence came to be-
located thus wrongfullv on the mainland
across the Hudson opposite Spuytcn Duyvil. |
instead of on the mainland across the
Duyvil is matter of conjecture; but |
possibly il was due to very curious |
mental trick which | Nave noticed in his |
torical Investigation and against. which the
investigator must he on his guard IN accept
ing both printed and oral testimony, |
would like 10 know If others have observed il. |
refer TO the singular mental condition. |
evidently related To the disense called "hetp- |
rophemy." In which n person says exactly |
the opposite OF what he means to say. For |
ferring to the British vessels sail ny down |
the Hudson past tn" works ut Fort Washing !
ton on Manhattan Island. Aug. IS. l75G, at ,
n time when the inCnicnt works AT Fort Lee
were less 10 be ienr.d than those on he Man
haitian side. says that the ships kept close
under the east banK 10 avoid the american
guns, He 60 plainly meant tl" west bank
that most historians 50 quote him
For over n year ! have been investigating
the question of the exact site of Fort Lee
\. j., which Is completely Ohlinrated |
have letter from "A highly cultivated gentle
man, man of national reputation in tnCt
once resident Of Fort Lee but now deceased
in which he SAYS that Nh" southeast baslion
was at certain point when be- lived there.
All my documentary "videnr" Su far indicates
1G 10 spn Ilal,, I,Y.,,