The Red Cloud chief., 1913-08-07

this was set aside by the assembly as being Part
or the Denzen OF His Majestie's Fort at New
YORK Tor the Beneft and Accommodation OF His
Majesties Governors and Commanders in Chief
for the Time Being" After this 1t became known
In FAMILIAR parlance as Governors Island, but not
all at once in legal documents
In Its early history It furnished examples of
rapine and graft which put to shame the efforts
OF the present day. One Of the early governors.
Lord Cornbury, cousin Of Queen Anne, comes
down to us as being universally detested," prin.
cipaly for his questionable dealings in regard to
this piece of land which the people at large were
already beginning to cherish for its beauty and
utility.
In 171o the island served, in fact IL not in name.
as the first quarantine post Of the province and
IN that same year shiploads Of "Palatines," re-.
ligious refugees we're housed there. 'the proper.
est place for their sickness and poverty" said
queen Anne. who financed them parsimoniously.
One OF these immigrants Peter Zenger, was the
first citizen to vindicate publicly the freedom Of
the press and personal liberty
Nutten Island (Governors) was made part Of
the city OF New York by the Montgomery char.
ter Q730) and an act Of March T. 1888. included
1t IN the county. 1t in 1855 that It first full.
hlled Its manifest destiny as a military post
From 1855 to 1878 there were several royal regi.
ments OF England living there. These were the
Royal Americans. His Majesty's Sixty.first Regi.
ment OF Foot under Lord Loudoun, and His Ma.
1estys Twentysecond and Forty.fourth Regiments
historian referred to in the private library Of Col
onel FitzClarence. Earl Of Munster, who commit.
ted suicide (1S42). and In the English army rec.
ords 17541S42 These regiments are in name ex.
isting today. and the leader Of the band who
played at the garden party of the Army Relief
society 10 linear descendant Of one of the
onicers
In 1865 the first fertilization was built, In 1776
Strong Castle" was erected. General Putnam
writing at this time to the president Of congress
speaks of It as a very important post" Wash.
ington wrote Of ITS strong works." the New York
Gazette referred to the thousand Continental men
stationed there: Lord Stirling considered It 'bet.
ter guarded than any other post" The brothers
Howe stayed there until the evacuation of New
York.
After the battle Of Long Island and the British
victory August 81. 1776 the Liberty" boys came
back under cover Of the darkness and right under
the noses Of the victorious enemy secured mum.
tions and food
Tradition says that Governor Clinton loaned
the island once for race course u784)
In 1894 ferry was established which took pas.
sengers at threepence a head The one In use
now averages $4,000 passengers a month
That year congress appropriated 33,72752 for
the islands defenses. In 1895 the works were
dignihed as forts. and about this date Knox re-
ports '"On Governors Island. one Fashioned square,
commanding two low batteries quite finished"
Between 1894 and 1906 more than $4,000 was
expended on the works.
In 1898 the faculty and students Of Columbia
college, repeating their patriotic work In Harlem
came down to Governors Island with pickaxes
and shovels to help erect breastworks when one
OF the French war scares aroused local fears and
inspired the call for harbor defense. In 1880 Il
was. ceded by the State Of New York to tho
United States, and In 1921 the Federal military
headquarters were transferred there,