The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-09
ELIZABETH'S DAY OF GLORY.
1T WAS 12J YEARS AGO, BUT YES
TERDAY WAS A GREAT DAY, roo.
The Town Was Decked With Flags and the
Americans Repulsed Make Believe
british and Miss Barber Unveiled
Statue-Then At Night Fireworks,

\
Elizabeth, N. j., had the time of its not
very young life yesterday. One hundred
and twenty-five years ago the British on
their way to attack Springfield made the
bad mistake of Passing through Elizabeth,
where they met handful Of Continentals
and minute men who offered SO stout a
resistance that the advance was checked.
That event was celebrated yesterday Bells
rang, troops paraded, sham battles were
fought and the countryside turned out
81, 900 strong
At sunrise the booming Of an old reyolu-
tionary cannon, fired by the Veteran Zou-
ayes, aroused the to- n, and the pealing Of
the bells from all the steeples proclaimed
festival Nine O'Clock brought military
and civic parade with 500 men in line.
who marched i'll review to Union square,
the site Of the skirmish where statue of
a minute man was unveiled by Miss May A.
Barber, u lineal descendant of both Col.
Dayton and Col, Ogden, who commanded
the troops that Iepulsed the British. On the
base of the monument was this inscription
"On this spot, at daybreak June 7, 1880,
began the fighting against the British forces
moving toward Springfield Here fell Gen.
Sterling at the head Of the advancing column.
On June s, after the British retreat from
Springfield. Gen Hand here attacked and
drove tack the Twenty second Regiment to
the British main position at the Point
After the ueuicalion OF the monument
came sham battle repres enting the
original conflict on the spot. Companies
of the Second Regiment y. q. n. j. repre-
sent ed the Cont inent ais and Brit ish, and the
conflict that followed was SO spirited that
the Bi itish got their blood up and failed
to surrender at the place which history
designates as the proper one. however.
they uil Weld at last, and everybody was
sat i'tleu. At the close Of the battle the
regiment reformed and paraded along
Broad street. where It was reviewed by The
Mayor. The troops were cheered TO the
echo, and no one appeared dist uibed by the
pro blem which small lad on the reviewing
st and propo unded after looking in amaze
ment at very corpu.em nthcer' 10
they lake him to war when they go|
The review ended the daylight eAert lHes.
Much int cent around the OId
First Church, where tablet was unveiled
concentrating the lighting at that point
and the bravery of its minister the Rev.
James Caldwell, chaplain of the New Jersey
brigade under Washington, who Is said
to have torn up the hymn books for wadong
for he m,iskets and shouted when the fight
WAS hottest Give them Watts, boys;
give them plenty of Watts
After the crowd had rested and fed itself
it hurried down 10 the water front and
thronged the Chancellor dock to witness
the naval parade. Two hundred yachts.
big and little, covered with gaily colored
bunting and strung with many colored
lights passed in review along Staten Island
Sound, making a picturesque and pleasing
sight After the water pageant came
fire rlts, while the crowd expressed it, APP
probation in long drawn "Ohs!' and "Ahs!"
Every laddie had Il lassie, and all went
merry as a wedding bell until the breeze
fell and the song of the persistent mosquito
made even the hardened Jerseyite think
Of the joys of home and window, screens.
ElizaLeth's greatest day was ended.