. - .-:. . - ' . . us-
if
& 1tti' i t tit 0
iil 17 i 1 1 1 t i l 1 IS i
4
its I
1(1-
I
THE BLESSIKGS OF GOVERNMENT, LIKE THE DET7S CF HEAYEH, SHOULD BE DISlilBTJTED ALIKE UPON THE HIGH AND THE LOW, THE RICH AXD THEIOOR,
ENSBXJRG, APRIL' 28, S858.
VOL; 5. jSX) 24.
eaa.f
pro-!
11 fe,
55
' T E II 31 S:
. ir. i . .1 ir
j. pUhli,hoJ every c(im:;u;iy morning at
i)Jc P-nd Cents per
annum payable In Advance,
0H DOLLAR AXD SEVEXTY-FirE CTS.
j. .,; 1 within six mcnliis, an J
TWO DOLLARS
k not r-aa uniil ths termination oT the year.
- .,.i i .VnJ- j"i will be taken for a shorter
i .-,, -k "Aivitus. ana no subscriber wul be
t ... ... . . v. ;r..iuv-i ins iaper until ail ar
a a4
nish-f.
at liberty t
ecihoT.
I ting New England from tha pf r.f tbn nn.
tinent, by aline of military posts.
"At tin; time in question, a powerful land
and naval armament, under the command of
the brothers Howe, xerc hourly expected off
Sandy Hook. Governor Tyron, who had
prudently taken counsel of Lis fears, was
then in safety on board the British armed
vessel, Duchess of Gordon, lying uear Staten
Island; and Washington, who 'was in com
niand of quite a strong force, on York Islaud.
r, vj, p'sIJ, except at the option ' of the j -occupied the maasiou known as Richmond
j mil, atterward tuo country-seat of Colonel
;E i.i.ak, unless the money U paid Aarcn Burr Sltuated ucar the "section of
cairt
1 ,.-j:m:o,
;'Vr.re5,
.IdvertlsJiigr Rates.
0:1?. insert n. Tier do. Three do
the present Charlton and Yarick streets.
'Abjut the middtri of June, the town and
1 2 liiie-J
2-i iintu i
f o'i iir.es
! ii ;i:.esj
60
1 CO
1 50
3 month.
$1 10
1 60
4 00
0 CO
10 (0
5 00
$ 73
1 U0
s2 00
0 do.
J.15 00
4 50
T 00
0 to
11 CO
11 C:"
!i Ail ? l"'-rtiiiK'Tits rotht ho marked wih
;.o rr.i'-r - .f ii.iv rtions fKsired. rr thoy wi'.l be
-.aiiaJi:d n:a:l l.'rbyl. nnd charucd arcordiriiily.
a:
lrom tf H"mr .L.iirn'il.
$1 00 the camp were tilled with rumors of a foul
conspiracy. It was alleged that, on the arri
val of the British" Coet, tie Toiies were to
1 lie, full armed, to co-operate with the min
isterial forces; that Kingsuridge, at the up
per end of tli j inland, was to be destroyed,
so as to cut o-l all communication with .the
main-Iasd ; that the m;azln3 were to be fi
red, and Washington and his staff. to be mur
dered, or seized and given up to the enemy
'f be Cngcr of rumor alio pointed at many res
idents of the ciy, nnd of Long and Staten Is
luids, as conspirators. An.r:;g these were
the proprietors of most of the prominent
1 Oo
3 CO
12 do
45 00
It 00
Iz 00
11 CO
10 00
ZT, 00
drinking Loitsib in the city ; and the tavern ;
had told the gunsmith he would be hanged
if -found out. It - also appeared in evidenca
that tho conspirators had corrupting agents
up the If "dsoa Hiver, some distance above
tho Highiauds. James Half, of Fishkill,
Duchess county, confessed before the commit
tee of safety, at Cornwall, that he .was one of
a number who were to join the British on
their arrival their first movement to be to
spike all the caunon in the newly erected re
doubts in the Highlands
"H'.ckey and his associates of the Guard,
were anested immediately ufter dinner, on
the twenty-third ; and, according to a letter
written at New York tho next day, 'the geir-
raVs housekeeper was taken up' on suspicion
of being an accomplice.
"The late Peter Ivnbvee, of this city, .who
was present at the lafrt public act of the cira
m;i, iu a conversation with my friend, Mr.
William J. Davis, a member of thi Kcbty,"
continued this statement coi;ci?rning the
housekeeper; but in his explanation proved
uot only her innocence but bc-r patriotism.
She was the daughter of Sam Frances, a no
ted innkeeper of the day, whosi public housi
is yet standing on the corner of Pearl and
Broad streets, where, it will be remembered ,
WasHngton took an affectionate farewell of
his officers near tho clotc of 17S3.
'It was chiefly on the testimony of this
fan.
)USE,
FOKM
TuUCil-
dufc In
street,'
pnee
can dp
thin p-
1 l)8t
it can
n eric in
ncnt taf
La.li-j',
litcK-kjCf
uketiof
f Or. Si.
1 Y3
tkulin
. 90t.lt
cxm-ri-
SOX
'eji.liisli, with pleasure, th j f.;! wi eg val
f Corbie, situated' Vi timed south-east of woman lhs.t Ilicky wa! arretted, triod and
ul:e ( ri'.i.vil paper, rrom tue t ioiie p
Scnsox J LossiNei, whic'i was r al by hiia
ki-Tc the New York liistoiioal S iciet",
.a lujs fay evening, the Huh instant. Kv
c:vt!iii!g reiutiug to General V'aliuigtoiij
Life Guard ii of iaterc-stu It is a mtject
cpou which history U almost s:!e::t, and
irijitijii has but little to ccmuiuulcatc :
zvA about which Mr. Lossing has been
a.'... Ly the most diligent research, to Hud
ti'uL that is authentic. Su.h information
dj Lf: he thus di-penses :
"Amor.,: the Connect ieut troops who were
sg22-.-lia thi baltl? of Banker's Hill, was a
ijiiibiij uultr Captain Thomas Kuowlton,
who was ilo.IjViv wcuneicd in a skirmish on
Mirlctr. p!u!ns, on tbe sixteenth of S. ptcn,
ber, ITT'o I i is was one of the best disci-
iincu eo :ji panics in the ciule ormy that ath
red jj su Jdtii'y near Boston, afte: the blood
:rJ at Ixxiu-rton and Coocotd became
ma. Tis company and others were for-jf-i
iuto a battallinn known- as the Connccti
:! Itai.crs, to tho command of which
.Dowltcn was appointed, w'nh the rank of
.ieutcnant Coloutl It formed a part of the
-Etral dUiaion of the ar.ny at Cambridge,
':er Wa-IiiLgton had taken the chief com--iaJ,
and was under his immediate control.
e ti-rps seen held the sur.ic enviable poei-
ile pen'of j General Washington's house, to the westward condemned, lie was a dark-crniplexioned
1
s
arc,
of Til
Et t0 I
j , . (
meadows,' (near the intersection of the pies- I
cut Spring and Woosler. streets.) was design
ed as th j geueral rc::Jozvous of the conspir
ators, where Gilbert, Forbes, a blacksmith,
gave them mouey. and swore them on the
book to secrecy.' It was also alleged that
from this house a correspondence was kept
up with Governor Tron, ou the Duchess of
Gordon, through 'a mulatto-colored negro
Pressed iu blue clothes '
'These rumors wore so g;ntralir believed
Irishman, an 1 had been a deserter from 0
British army several years before. He hJ
lived in WeathersCeld. Connecticut, where
he bore a good character, and wa3 se lected
for the Guard frcm Knowlron's Connecticut
Hangers. lie had the cor.Sdeuee of th Com-mander-iu-thief,
and wa a favorite at Rich
mond Hill, Having, enlisted in the 'conspir
acy, to him was etitruyted tbc woik of de
stroying Washington. He first corrupted the
fifer and drummer of the corps ; and having
resolved to ;t'so)t the Commander-in-chief,
diately furnish me with four" men cf your
regiment'; and as it b ray farther wish that
this company should look well, and be nearly
of a size, I desire that no e of the men may
exceed iD stature Gva feet ten inches, nor fall
short of five fast nine inches sober, young,
active and .well made. When I recommend
care in your choice, I would be understood to
mean, of good character ia the regiment
that possess the pride of appearing clean and'
soldierlike. I am satisfied there can be no
absolute security for the fidelity of this class
of people ; : but yet I think it most likely to
be fouudi in, those! who have family connec
tions m luo coua&y.c lou will therefore tend
mo none but natives. I must insist that, in
making this choice, you give no intimation
of my preference of natives, as I do not want
to create any invidious distinction - between
them and the foreigners.'
"At this time the number of the Guard
was" considerable in?reaod, and a part of
them were mounted as" cavalry. Caleb Gibbs
was yet the Captain Commandant, and re
mained iu that po.Mtbm until uar the close
of 1779, when hs was succeeded by William
Colfax, ou- of Ida - lieutenants. His three
lieutenants iu 1778, were Henry P. Living
ston, of New York, William Colfax, of New
Jersey, and Benjamin Goymcs of Yirginia.
"Their uniform, according to the late G.
W. P. Cu-tis, Bsq , (the adopted son of
Washington) consisted of a blue coat with
white facing ; white waistcoat and breeches ;
black stock and black haif-gaiters,ai:d around
hat with blue and white feather. This de
scription exactly corresponds with the device
on a flag that belonged to the cavalry of the
Guard, which is preserved in the museum at
Alexandria, and of which I have a drawing,
Tbe flag is made of white .ilk, on which the
of Mr. Abraham Tomlinson, of Pounhkcep
sie, and bears the date of 1779. " The num
bor of the corps then was about f ixty. It is
endorsed, "Captain Gihbs's Guard."
"The second is in the possession of Horace
nolden, Esq., of this city, whose father,
Captain Levi Iloldcn, was Lieutecanj Com
mandant of the Guard, under Williaui Col
fax. It then consisted of fourteen non-commissioned
officers and fifty-one privates, all
of whom were on duty at the date of this re
turn, except six who were sick at the hospital
in Now Windsor. This roll wa3 certified in
August, 1782, to be 'true in all its contents,"
by Majer W. Barber, who was then assistant
inspector of the northern army ; an-d by Wil
liam Colfax, the commander, 'to be the true
state of taid company,' on the seventh of St-p-tember,
1032. A week after this latter date
Jlochambeau, with the first divoiou of the
Freuch army, arrived at King's Ferry, on
the Hudson River. The American army was
then encamped at Ycrp'anck's Point, cippcs-
ite. The foil viug very hastily prepared note
from Washington to Captain Hoide-n, was
doubtless written at that time. It is upon a
small piece of prpcr, withoui, date :
"JLV. 1161 Jun: Have the Guard -clean,
Rochasibcau,
st tlilS TUOI'eUUg.
Wa.u;ingic.
that the Provincial Congress of New York ; he next approached the housekeeper, w
-n, as to discipline and S'luitiiv deportment
f, , "iii Washington
Jljptam ivnowlton s company had done ; . ." .
appointed Philip Livingston, John Jay aud
teuvcrnevr Mori isv a committee of investi
gation This committee traced the plot up
to Governor Tyron, who, from his secure re
treat, was acting through . agents on shore,
among the most prominent of whom was Da
vid Mathews, the mayor of the city, who, it
was alleged, had paid money to enlist men,
purchase arms, and corrupt the coutineutal
soldiery. It was stated before the committee
that Governor Tyrcu had offered five guiu
eas bounty to each man who should enter the
king's service, with a promise of two hundred
acres of laud for hiui&oLf, one bund reel for his
! wife, and ai'ty for. each child. Seme of
ith
whom be was on good terms. He made her
his confidante, and she pretended to favor his
views.
' Washington was very fond of gresn peas,
and it was agreed that when a dihh of them
was ready fjr the general's table, Ilickey was
to put the poison in it. Meanwhile the house
keeper diselosed the plot to the general. The
peas were poisoned, Washington made some
excuse for Sending tho dish away, and Ilick
ey was soon afterward arrested. He was
tried by a court martini, and, on the testimo
ny of the housekeeper and oue of the Guard,
whom the culprit had unsuccessfully attempt
ed to cenrupt, be was found guilty of 'mutiny
a-id ready to rec-dve Count d
who is to be here to breakf
' 'Yours, etc.. G,
" 'Saturday..
" 'The barga is tjgo over for the count
One of the gentlemen cf the family will go
over with it. You will therefore know when
he is coming.'
" I would remark that the fourteenth of
September, that year, fill on Saturday, the
day ot the week on wLh h the above note was
written.
"Mr. Iloldcn also has a pay-roll of the
Guard, for December, 1782, when Captain
device is neatly painted. Oue of the Guard
is seen boiling a horse, and is in the act of j HolJcvi was temporary commandant of tie
s of Liberty, 1 corps, and is a sigued by him. lhat roll con-
n eeiving a fiag from the genius
w!
io is pei f ciiih-e'. us a won an leaning upon
the Union Shield, near which is the Ame-ri-
ta'us the names of twelve non-commissioned
officers and forty-seven privates.
le. The motto of the corps, 'Cos-',' "Xhc tnira musier-rou mat i nave fcCeu ih
qlj:r on Dik,' is upon a ribbon Care was- n the possession ot t etcr force, l.sq , ot
always aken to have each Slate from which Washington City, and is dated March second,
the Continental armv was supplied with troops H S3 ; and the fourth is in the State depart-
lenresented. by members of this ccrij. It nicut al Washington, dated June f.-urth, 17-
was tbc duty of the iafcutry portion to guard j S3, which is signed by Colfax, with his cer
the headquarters, and to insure the safe-kce
ping of the papers and effects of tbe Comtnan
s Life Guard were charged with j and sedition, and of holding a treacherous
i the commander, proud tf his battallion,
-d it a sort of voluntary body-guard to the
aueral-iu-chief, and called it 'L'vnjress
'"Tins appellation produced some jealousy
iatl
earmy, which
Washington
perceived ;
on the eleventh of March, 177G. (a few
fla." Leie-re the ternuaatien of the seige of I
iJe'Stot) i h" rvriTeu a euros to be formed, of
complicity in the scheme fjr murdering him;
aud it was alleged that members cf the Guard
had been tampered with at Corbie's country
tavern.
"The investigating committee were satis
fied of the general tmth of these "statements ;
correspondence with the enemies of tho colo
nies.' and was sentenced to be banged On
the following day the expected British fleet
appeared. In.portaut events and changes im
mediately occurred, aud the other conspira
tors' who were sent prisoners to Connecticut,
aud they authorized and requested General escaped punishment.
csin'.i p'V,fe meu, as guard Tor himself, ba,
ir. I'0' He dirteted them tobochcsTm from va-
;iCtUK I .
t I 'jus regiment, specuiug ttieir height to oe
iol9 I from five fert eight inches, to five feet ten
ri" rluL'hes.ainl to ba liandsemelv and well m!de '
, .
ot op"l cuusihica ot a major a command one nun-
red and eighty men. Caleb Gilbs.ot Rhode
iland, was its first chief, and bore tho title
I Cap "ain Cotnmaudaut, having three licu-
ttatta. V hen this corps was formed, that
ionium wasr co longer regarded with
Itilouby, as a special favorite, although it
auticaed to be so in the estimation of Wash-
.r."'.')!! T f i- o a frrtt. l.t t Vl 1 1 rtirt Mn.
Ht SCf-
y BOii t!
AY.
y,r:
i
atgo-
i cifcr v
ssobi"1
Dat tfe!
fRNl
ar Ca
r. 2
Vi'ashiugton to cuse the arrept of Mayor
Mathews, and the seizure of his papers. The
mayor's residence was at Flatbushj on Long
IslaLd, about a mile and a half from the en
campment of Gcueial Greene, near Brooklyn
To that officer Washington intrusted the cxe
cuiien cf the arrest; and atone o'clock in
the morning of the twenty-second of Juue, a
detachment from Greeuehs brigade surroun- j.l77G,' an eye-wituess of the execution wrote
ded Mathews' house, aud secured his person, I as follows; 'Last Friday, in the forenoon,
"Ou the morning of the twenty-eight day
of Juue, Washington ordered William Moro
ny, the provost marshal, to execute the sen
tence upon "Ilickey that day, 'at eleven o'
clock in the forenoon, upon the ground be
tween the encampments of the brigades of
Brigadier-General Spencer and Lord Stir
ling.' In a letter dated 'New York, July 1,
selecluaato spy, Nathan Hale, was chosen for
perilous duty ; aud when Kuowitou fell,
'Uutcn said; 'He was an hoLor to any
I he Life Guard annear o have been
ft ft
P popular. Captain Harding, of Fair
1. Connecticut, writing to Governor Trum
lea the twentieth of May, 1770, said :
t
''in low about fitting out a small sioop.
fivuteersnnn,") lhat was takeu from a Tory,
I have called the Life Guard, to be com-
by Mr. Smedley, to cruise to the
v.ffiird,' etc., etc. Oa the sixteenth of
ie same month, Washington, then in New
4fi, bsutd the following order ; 'Anyor-
'8 delivered by Caleb Gibbs and George
:?. Ksq'rs , (officers of the General's
arJ.) are to be attended to in tho same
Der as if rwnt l.c :ir. J;-.l..'.llln.,
-j r
'e find no further mention of th Guard
:-il m Juno following, when members of it
suspected of being engaged ia an alle-
conspiracy to assassinate Washington and
"tf - At tha t time the British Ministry
trtaDxiou3 to open a communication be
''eQ lhe seaboard and Canada, by taking
but no papers were found. Many other ar
iests were made on the same day, and great
alarm seized the tories who were engaged in
the plot. 3Iauy of them on Long Island and
Staten Island concealed themselves in the
woods or othet safe retreats.
"Forbes, the gunsmith, whose place cf
business was on Broadway, near the Bowling
Grocn, was arrested ou the same day. He
refused to make any disclosures, aud Was sent
to jail iu irons. . Early the next morning, a
son cf Philip Livingston visited him; told
him he was grieved to find he had been con
cerned, and as his time was short, not having
was executed in a'field, between the Colonels
McDougall and Iluntingt u's camp, near the
Bowery lane, (iu the presence of near twenty
thousand spectators) a soldier belonging to his
Excellency General Washington's Gujud, for
mutiny and conspiracy, being on of those
who formed and was soon to have put in ex
ecution, that horrid plot of assassinating the
staff officers, blowing up the magazines, and
securing the passes of the town ou the arrival
of the hungry ministerial myrmidons.'
"The venerable Embrce,. just mentioned,
was present wheu Ilickey was hanged. The
place of execution was not far from the in-
der-iu-chicf, as well as the safety of his per
son. - The mounted portion accompanied the
general in his marches and ia reconuoitering,
or other like movements. They were em
ployed as patrols, vidette's. and bearers r f
the general's orders to various .unitary posts;
aud they were never spared in battle
ti'deate that 'the above list iucludesthc whole
of the Guard,' and is indorsed. 'Return of
of the r.on-Co:nm mder-i.i chief's Guard, who
are engaged to serve du:ing the war.'
"These two r-lls vary but little, only three
names being different. The number of thb
corps at that time was siity-four. There
were five sergeants, three corporals, three
filers and two drummers. Tile Dium-Majr
The corrs varied iu numbers at different j was Diah Manning, of Norwich, Connecticut,
periods. At first, asl have remarked, it con-, whose grave, situated a few yurds from the
above three days to live, advised him to pre- j tersection of the present Grand and Chrystie
I. Co
par
proi'
1 I
t ilk,
ssioa of the city of New York and of the
n River, find thpivbv wrnk ninc the
tr,j '
- "tir of revolted colonics, by fiepara-
pare himself This had the desired effect.
Forbes asked to betakcu before the Congress
again ; r-ud theie he made such disclosures,
that between tweuty and thirty other persona
in the city were immediately arrested. Ani
on" them were Thomas J lickey, a member of
Washington s Lite Guard, and uouoson, a n
fr, and Greene, a drummer, of the same
corps, who, it afterward appeared, had been
corrupted by Ilickey.
"One Bowcn, who was suspected, testified
before the committee that he had heard in
company that several of the Life Guaid had
deserted, and that others were uneasy and
weary of the service, and would go on board
the Duchess of Gordon if they could. Foibes
confessed that the mayor had paid .him one
hundred and forty pounds sterling, for weap
ons, by order of Governor Tyron ; and Ma
thews himself admitted the charge, bat said
ho hsd paid th$ ir.or.oy with reb.anei, tn
streets, a little cast of the liowerj. it is a
singular fact that the victim of this the first
military execution in th-: Continental army
was a member of the Body-Guard of the
Commander-in-chief, who were chosen for
their trustworthiness !
"A new organization of the Guard took
place at the close of April, 1777, when Wah
iugton, was in Moiristown, in New Jersey.
On the thirteenth of th u mouth he issued the
following circular to the colonels cf regiments i
sisted of one hundred aud eighty men. Dur
ing the winter of 177'J-'S0, when the Amer
ican army, under Washington, was cantoned
at Morrislown, in close proximity to the ene
my, it was increased to two hundred aud fifty.
In the spring it was reduced to its origiual
number; and in 17SS, the last year of service
it consisted -of sixty-four non-commisioned
effficers and privates.'
"The pay of the officers and privates of
the corps, per month, was as follows. The
commander and lieutenants, each, twenty-six
dollars and. sixty" cents ; sergeants, ten dollars;
corporals and drummers, seven dollars and
thirty cents ; drum-major, nine dollars ; pri
vates, six dollars and sixty cents.
"William Colfax became Captain Comman
dant of the Guard at the close of 1779, while
Washington was stationed at Morristown, and
when the number of the corps was greater
than at any other period during the war. lie
was born in Connecticut, in the year 1760,
and at the ags f seventeen he was commis
sioned a Lieutenant in the Continental army.'
He was in the- battle r.t White Piaias, where
be was shot ' through tho body. When he
became commander of the general's Guard, a
strong attachment was fjimed between the
Comuiaudex -iu.-cbief and the young&ubaitern.
Washington often shared his tent anJ his table
with him ; aud lie gave the young man many
tokens of his esteem. One of these the fam
ily of General Colfax yet possess. It is a
silver stock-buckle, set with paste brillients.
Colfax was at the surrender of Cornwallis at
Yoiktown, and rcmaiued with the army uutil
it was o'isbauded late in 1783 He then set
tied at Pompton, New Jersey, whero he maa
ried Hester Schuyler, a cousin of General
Philip Schuyler. In 1793. he was commis
sioned by Governor Howell, Genaral and j H first active service was at White Plains.
vault of General Jabez Huntington, I visited
a few years ago. Planning was the j liier at
Norwich duiing the French Revedution.
When Boyer, afterward president of Hayti,
was brought to Norwich, among other French
prisoners, in 1C97, he was treated with great
kindness by- Mr. Mannirg. The prisoner
did not forget it, nnd wheu President of St.
Domingo, be sent presents to Manning's fam
ily. "The filth roll that I have seen, contain
ing the names of the Guard, is in the "posses
sion of the Hon Schuyler Coifax, of Indi
anaa grandson of the Captain Commandant
He also possesses a still more interesting pa
per which bears the auti-grojjhs of the Guard.
These were appended o an order accepted by
Colfax, to pay to Melanethon Smith and Co.
the amount of one month's pay, which that
firm had advanced, with the understanding
that they were to wait for reimbursement un
til the corps should be paid by Congress.
This order is dated February, 17S3, jast bo
fore the seditious Nexvburgh Addresses were
circulated among the officers of the American
camp.
"All of these muster-rolls and pay-rolls,
except that of captain Gibbs, are in handwrit
ing so exquisitely neat and true, that it ap
pears like engraving. Thepeuman was Thom
as Forest, a private in the Guard,
The last survivor of the members of this
corps was I7z.il Knapp, of New Windsor,
Orange county. New-York He was a na
tive of Stamford, Connecticut, where he was
born iu October, 1758. At the of eighteen
years hs enlisted ia the Continental army,
as a common soldier, to serv.e 'for and during
the war :' and he was continually on duty.'
that, time until his discharge in Juue, 1783.
ington the commission of sergeant. At the
time of his discharge he received from tb
Coaimander-ia-chief the Badge ot Military
Merit, for six years faithful service. This
honorary badge of distinction was established
by Washington, in August, 1781, and waj
conferred upon non-commissioned oCieersand
soldiers who had served three years with bra
very, fidelity, and good conduct, and upon
every one who should perform any'singuHrly
meritorious action. The badge entitled the
recipient 'to pass and repass all -guards and
military po3ts as fully end amply as any cotr
missioned officer, whatever.' It was the or
der of the American 'Legion of Honor.'
' After the war, Serge.mt-Knapp settled ia
New Windsor, near Newburgh ; and there he
lived the erjict life of a farmer until his death
which occurred cn the eleventh cf January,
1850, when he wa-, little more than nintty
ix years of age. His body was taken to
Newburgh, and lay in state fer three days,
in tho centre of the reception-room in Wash
ington's headquarters, so well preserved as
the property of the State. On Wednesday,
the sixtccenth of January, attended by a ci
vic and military pageant, and a vast assem
bla2e of people, it was buried at the foot of
the flag-staff, on tho slope near that venera
ted building, around which cluster so many
memories of Washington and the Centjnental
army. It is a rr.ot appropriate burial-place
for thj mortal remains of th veteran guards
man. "Pardon tne for mentioning, ia eot jfc,
a personal incident, which will ever appear to
me a sacred 'picture on memory's wall. I
was invited by a committee, of arrangements
at Newburgh, to participate with them, oh
the eleventh of September, 1 Sn5, in the cel
ebration of the anniversary of the battle of
Plattsburgh Thc venerable Sergeant Knapp
was among the invited guests who were pre
sent. The ceremonies consisted of a civic
and military procession, an oration, and a
public dinner. By request I occupied a seat
by the side cf the old guardian, in the car
riage with the orator, and also upon the plat
form erected upon the green in front cf the
old headquarters. When tbe orator had con
cluded, I was invited to introduce Sergeant
Knapp to the audience an audience of at
least five thousand people who testified their
respect for the venerated hero by huzzas
which a'roost brought echoes from Beacon
Hill and the Storm-Kir.g And. when hd
was about to retire from the dinner-table, the
old man arose, leaned firmly upon his staff,
and. with solemn bat unfaltering voice, invi
ted the whole company to his funeral. Just
f ur months to a day, from that time, hi
spirit went home, and many who were at the
feast, were mourners at th bjrial.
"It is that introduction to which I refer as
the cherished picture in n:y memory. The
man, the place, the oseasion, invested it with
rare interest ; and I shall ever feel that I then
enjoyed a privilege vouchsafed to few men ea
the earth.
"There, near the very spot where he had
kept faithf ul vigiU three-quart e rs of a century
before, was the sam2 majestic river Cowinjr
at his feet ; the same mountain-peaks, on
which beacon-fires gleamed during the old
war for independence, were stauiing, with
outlines all unchanged, within the sweep of
his Qim vision ; tue same oil house w;tn its
room with seven doors and one wiudow,
wherein the great leader of the Continental
army had labored, mused, and reposed was
still there to welcome his tottering fee't ; there
was the same green slope, whereon he and
his companions had watchel and sporteel, him
self the last survivor of them all. In themiast
of such w orijt-rf d associations, he stood lit"
a Ncitr7 with th men and w .-.;icn of tho
three gone r? t ions ihat h. hnd lived, crowding
around him to do reverence to his age and
services ; and I. not yet born when he had
lived half a century and more, was permit
ted to lend him by the band, and to speak
his name to the multitude ! It wa;
icge, m :eeu !
privi-
"Excuse me for recai'iinj the seen
iii ?U-tl
there ur6
Commaoder-in chief of the militia of New
Jersey He was a presidential elector iu 17-
98; aud iu 1S10 he was commissioned a Bri
gadier-General of the Jersey Blues, and was
statioued there :
'Sir I want to form a company for my
Guard. In doing this I wish to be extreme- j active during the earlier period of the war of
ly cautious, because it is more than probable I 1812. He was appointed a Judge of the Com -
that, iu the course of my campaign, my bag- j mon Rh-as of Bergen county, which educe be ,
in the autumn of 1776. He was with Woos
ter at Ridge field ; and wa3 at Peekskill when
Forts Clinton aud Montgomery were stormed
and taken by the British in the autumn of
1777. He passed tha following winter amonj
the snows of Valley Forge, and in May he
joined the Light Itifautry cf Lafayette atBar-
.... .nrc nr;l nflipr r;-it.ters of treat r.ub- lw.1.1' tmtil hi linn tb !:. nPfnrr..,l In 18.18 I ren Hill. He was with him ia tho battle of
lie i'ii port, may be committed to the sole care ; whcn ho was seventy eight years of age. He
of these men. This being premised, in order j was then buried with military honors
to impress you with proper attention in the ! "I have seen five muster-rolls of tha Guard.
Monmouth, in June; and ia the winter of
1780, when number of the Life Guard was
augruectci, he entered that corps at Morris-
a presence as this. But I know
hearts around me that beat ia sympathy vi;h
my own ; and it should be renumbered that
the time i near it is ccn at the dcor
when to hare sees a soldier cf that old war
will be considered a great privilege, and tho
recipient c-f ii will be ga:cd v:pr n with the
wide-open '-yes of pleasant wonder. Of tho
two hundred and thirty thousand COLthioiifal
soldiers, and the fifty-six thou.-and militia,
who bore arms during the Revolution, nnl
went forth to fight for freedom in Ann rica.
probably not two hundred are now out of the
spirit land! Precious indeed should they
seem to tin's generation, fbr in the neit they
will all be gopo.
"They are g.-tden sanJ? iu tho hour-glas
of Time."
iT The Graftcn Bank, at Grafton, Ms;?.
1 ! choice, T bare to roqnest that you will iraroe- The fir?, in point of time, wio-AapvPMon t
town. z receive! fr?m the aTKi of Wh- . itre.Vr- ef t-flvi then?
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