Washington Journal., 1942-06-05
SIDE G H OF HISTORY
De Kalb's Forgotten Exploits
By EDWIN EMERSON

d slid IudI SdllcO DlCI1QbuIC ~ ~
mouth to New York. He employed the inter
val in England to send cyphered information
to the Duke of Choiseul in France about the
busy shipping of French subjects via Eng
land to Russia for colonisatiOn there. On
October 4, 1867 he embarked at Gravesend as
a pretended Prussian officer on the British
ship "Hercules'', bound for Philadelphia.
It was a tedious and stormy voyage, full
of discomforts and privations, lasting until
January IL, 1768. Three days after de Kalb's
arrival at Philadelphia he dispatched his
first American report, intended for Gle Chol-
seul. This and his subsequent reports from
Philadelphia and Boston were very detailed,
quite accurate and full of shrewd discern
ment. His observations of British f~ortifica-
tons and military strength in Pennsylvania
we're precise and to the point. Suffice it to
say here that they revealed the grievances
of the Americans, described some OF their
resources for possible revolt and the craving
for in~dendendence among radical elements
of the populace. He v~entured a guess that
the British Government would avert rupture
by timely concessions. Incidentally he stres-
sed the colonists' aversion to obtaining help
from foreigners, particularly from French
men, whom they had long regarded as rivals
in America and enemies to their English
mother country.
1nOSG CNpu0IeQ IOpOlUo - oIh PICoCA VIZ
in the archives of the French Government.
Most disconcerting to their writer was the
circumstance that his sealed dispatches,
secretly carried by trusted mariners or trav-
elers. reached his wife with broken seals, evil
IDENTIFY having been scrutinized by some I'M
authorized persons. It would appear that
not only the French, but also the British at
that time Of resumed tension between the
two countries maintained a thorough spy
service. At the Hague already Gle Kalb had
discovered that His Britannia Majesty's
minister there, carried on much counter
espionage and was well aware OF the dolngs
Of de Choiseul's confidential agents.
PeriIs of American Travel
Late in January, 1768, de Kalb set out
from Philadelphia to New York. In those
times travel was slow and none too easy. 10
cover a stretch Of land or water, that now
axes hours, then took days or perhaps weeks.
1t took de Kalb three days to reach Prince
ton. With great trouble he crossed the Della
ware and Raritan, encountered by ice foes.
Late on January 28th he got to Perth Amboy
II New Jersay, across the Kill van Kull from
Staten Island. Mine host Of the "Blazing
STAR encouraged de Kalb and his fellow
~ravelers that the crossing should be easy,
since there was little ice in the Kill van Kull
md no strong wind was blowing.
So the ferry boat, a sloop, with nine pas
sengers-among them de Kalb and -four
saddle horses-set sail on a bitter cold eve
ming with snow and ice on the banks. When
chey were midstream the wind changed and
drove the boat toward the beach Of an inlet
halfway between New Jersey and Staten Is
land. There the boat capsized. The pas
sengers with the horses had to swim and wade
to the shore.
Drenched and freezing, they could find no
shelter. Their cries for help went unheard
amid the roar of the surf and wind. They
could light no fire. At IL O'Clock one OF the
ferry BOYS died Of exposure to the cold. An
adult ~passenger( a Mr.. George), who fell
INTO a benumbed stupor Of slumber, could
not be wakened again and died in his sleep.
On the following morning about 9 O'Clock
The stricken group was deserted from the
Staten Island shore; so folks rowed across
he Kill van Kull and brought the derelicts,
none of whom could walk, over to the big
island. In sleighs they we're taken to the
house Of a Mr.. Mersereau, where they were
succored after a fashion.
De Kalb at once begged for a basin OF
ncecold water, wherein he bathed his frozen
feet a quarter of All hour, after which he
vigorously rubbed them. Then, having drunk
a hot toddy, he lay down and slept in ex-
h~austion "a hours. A country surgeon, who
had been called In, hearing OF the German
eolonel's self cure, gave him up for lost, and
50 declined to bother about a patient, who
might never wake up.
As It turned out, de Kalb was the only
one Of the sufferers, who quickly got over the
effects of that hardship. OF his fellow way
farers, who on reaching shelter had gathered
about a blazing hearth, warming their frozen
limbs, all had frostbidden fingers, toes and
ears. The surgeon cut off all their toes to
prevent gangrene. One patient event had to
have a leg amputated, another lost all his