Private Martin Black: Revolutionary War Pension File (S41441), Part 2

In March, I shared the transcription of Private Martin Black's Revolutionary War Pension File, in which he described his service in more detail than I've seen for any of the other Harlowe Patriots. Now it's time to go back and vet his claims, even though they were certified by William Hill, Secretary of State. Some areas need further research to understand troop movements--especially in the Northern and Mid-Atlantic Theaters during the Philadelphia Campaign, leading into preparations for being transferred to the Southern Department.

 

This will also assist with documenting Private Isaac Perkins' service record, and possibly another Harlowe Patriot who served in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment, but in a different company.

 

Private Black made the following claims in his Declaration:

1.     Georgetown--smallpox vaccination

2.    Valley Forge--Winter camp

3.    The Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778)

4.    The Storming of Stony Point (July 16, 1779)

5.    The Capture of West Point 

6.    Assembling at Albany

7.     Siege of Charleston (March 29 - May 12, 1780)

8.    POW, escape on 7th day (poss. May 19, 1780)

9.    Re-enlistment--Evacuation of Charleston

Since I've found substantial documentation for the first four claims, I will set that aside and focus on activities in the Northern Theater: The Capture of West Point and Albany, and return to the others later. 

 

Sir Henry Clinton's Hudson River Campaign

French map: Plan of Forts and 
Batteries, West Point, 1780

According to Rankin, "Washington's greatest fear had been a strong move against West Point." As early as December 2, 1777, the Commander-in-Chief wrote to Major General Israel Putman, "The importance of the North River in the present contest and the necessity of defending it . . . are so well understood . . . .that it runs through a whole State; That it is the only passage by which the Enemy from New York or any part of our Coast, can ever hope to Cooperate with an Army that may come from Canada; that the possession of it is indispensably essential to preserve the Communication between the Eastern, Middle and Southern States . . . that upon its security, in a great measure, depend our chief supplies of Flour for the subsistence of such Forces. . . . Sieze the present opportunity and employ your whole force and all the means in your power for erecting and completing, as far as it shall be possible, such works and obstructions as may be necessary to defend and secure the River against any future attempts of the Enemy."[1]

 

On June 23, 1779 Major General Alexander McDougall was transferred to the command of the West Point garrison consisting of Larned's, Patterson's, and the Carolina Brigades. The troops on the east side of the river were assigned to Major General William Heath. 

 

Who were Larned and Patterson?

On February 7, 1778, Brigadier General Ebenezer Learned wrote to the Commander-in-Chief, "...am very unhappy I have the Misfortune of Indisposition that I am unable Immediately to take the Field myself." The enclosures mentioned in the letter were a certification of his condition by Surgeon Jonathan King, dated January 25th, a certificate from Surgeon James Freeland, dated January 27th, and General Gates' permission "to be absent from the Army until he thinks himself to be perfectly cured," allowing him to leave his troops as Albany. The consensus was that one more winter campaign would endanger his life. [2]

 

In May 1781 Brigadier General John Paterson was commander of the 2nd Massachusetts Brigade operating around West Point, and "On Wednesday, September 19, 1781, Paterson's Brigade moved on to West Point and all his detachments joined the respective regiments they belonged to."[3][4]

 

Apparently General Learned returned to service following the winter of 1778-1779, because as shown above, he and his men were at the West Point garrison with General Paterson's and the Carolina Brigade in June 1779.

 

Which regiments made up the Carolina Brigade?

In a letter dated June 1, 1779, Major General Alexander McDougall informed George Washington that "The Brigades mentioned to you in a former Letter are at west Point, Pattens & Clarks were ordered to fall back into West Point. The first is arrived. I am in hopes this force with the aid of the ulster County militia will defend the works to the last extremity." Colonel John Patten commanded the 2nd North Carolina Regiment, and Colonel Thomas Clark commanded the 1st North Carolina Regiment--combined, they made the Carolina Brigade. The former letter McDougall referred to, written on May 25th, spoke of Paterson's being sent to West Point, while Nexon's "on this side of Kings-Ferry," or Stony Point. [5] 

 

John Patten's 2nd North  Carolina Regiment

Now that we've established from original sources that the 2nd North Carolina was at West Point's garrison in May and June of 1779, we can now focus on searching for a skirmish that occurred on May 16, 1779. 

But here is also where much frustration set in as I examined the references Hugh Rankin recorded for his description of the May 16th skirmish, in which Clark's North Carolina Regiments participated. 

 

Rankin's version of the account follows. "[Sir Henry] Clinton kept the Americans along the Hudson off balance by several raids on river towns." And this is where the Commander-in-Chief's fears about possibly a "strong move against West Point" come into play. "Clark had been stationed in such a position that he was able to furnish support to several stations. Smaller detachments were scattered throughout the area to block communications with New York." But on this particular day, "two columns of five hundred redcoats each crossed the river [italics mine] and attempted to close in on Clark." Some deserters from Clinton's camp had straggled in and from them, Clark learned that his troops were their objective and that the British had planned "to converge on him at Paramus Church."[6]

 

"The river." What river? They were stationed at West Point along the Hudson River, but these men were in the field. So, what river? And where did the British cross? The key to this question was the original letter from Colonel Thomas Clark to George Washington, dated 17 May 1779.[7]

 

Map of Historic New Bridge Landing, Bergen County Historical Society

The New Bridge

Writing from Paramus, New Jersey, Col. Clark says that his scouts were attacked by "a large body of the enemy" at the New Bridge. ". . . 500 had crossed the Bridge and taken possession of the hights [sic] on this side the river and a considerable body remaining on the other side. . . . my Light Infantry and a Captains Command joined a few Militia as near them as possible to prevent pillaging--about 5 oClock in the afternoon, another express from my Scout at Tapan informed me that 500 men were on their march for this place . . . 7 miles from this they changed their rout [sic] and march'd to the New Bridge . . . the enemy recross'd about 10 yesterday evening taking up the Bridge after them. . . . By two deserters . . . the enemy's force consisted of the 63, 64 Regmts Buskerks Corps, 100 Fergusons riflemen, the refugees, Some Grenadiers & Light Infantry making 1000 to march by way of Hackensack Bridge, and 500 others to Land at Closter dock and proceed thro Tapan to Paramus Church where they were to make a junction by day Light. . . ."[8]

 

This changes the whole complexion of the skirmish. We now have a landmark. The New Bridge crossed the Hackensack River at what is now known as River Edge Township, New Jersey - 40 miles from West Point.

In the image above, there is a text box, "HISTORIC NEW BRIDGE LANDING"  to the right of the bridge, and another text box, "British troops drive the American rear guard..." to the left of the bridge, which spans the Hackensack River.

Map by Edward Konsevick

The map to the left gives a better idea of how the waterways are connected. The Hudson and Hackensack Rivers flow southward, running parallel to each other, with the Hudson emptying into Upper New York Bay, and the Hackensack emptying into Newark Bay, which connects north of Staten Island. It appears that the New Bridge --also called the Hackensack Bridge by some Continental officers -- would be in the NJMC DISTRICT, just below the first letter "T" as the river turns southwest, The original New Bridge, dubbed "The Bridge That Saved a Nation," was an oak draw-bridge, spanning the narrows of the Hackensack River in what is now known as the township of River Edge, New Jersey, some forty miles south of West Point. When Colonel Thomas Clark says, "they recross'd . . . taking up the Bridge after them," he meant that after they crossed the river, they pulled up the draw-bridge so no one could follow from the opposite side.[9]

 

Closter Dock, Tapan, and Paramus Church

In what is now known as the borough of Alpine, New Jersey, the Closter Dock Road led from the town of Closter "up over the cliffs of the Palisades down to" the Lower Closter Dock. About six miles north of Fort Lee and sometimes called “Huyler's Landing" or "the New Dock" in Revolutionary War correspondence, it was a busy commercial boat and ferry landing, making it an important route for American and British forces.[10][11]

 

The original building of Old Paramus Reformed Church was 

built in 1735 at Ridgewood, New Jersey - 6.8 miles from Paramus, 39 miles from West Point. This is where the British planned to converge on Clark's troops. But where were they when they received this information?

 

To Be Continued...

Researching microhistory should always leave us with more questions. As we follow the trail of sources left by scholars, we can gain new insights. It's important, however, to always try to maintain your focus for each project as an inquisitive mind can take you down the road of Many Tangents. Writing a blog allows me to gather and analyze data and to formulate new research questions. However, when I'm writing for a book, I must often rein myself in to the scope and purpose of the information needed. As I begin to share more about where this research is taking me, I will present some of the challenges I face when working on both collaborative and individual projects.

 

 

Sources

[1] John C. Fitzpatrick, ed. The Writings of George Washington, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, Vol. X, p. 129.

[2]“To George Washington from Brigadier General Ebenezer Learned, 7 February 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, (https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-13-02-0390 : accessed 8 April 2024). [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 13, 26 December 1777 – 28 February 1778, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2003, pp. 471–472.]

[3]“May 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, (https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/01-03-02-0007-0001 : accessed 8 April 2024). [Original source: The Diaries of George Washington, vol. 3, 1 January 1771–5 November 1781, ed. Donald Jackson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1978, pp. 356–375.]

[4]Thomas Egleston, The Life of John Paterson: Major-General in the Revolutionary Army, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1898, online--Hathi Trust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t42r4gg4m&seq=5 : accessed 7 April 2024) p. 124 [sic - p. 245].

[5]“To George Washington from Major General Alexander McDougall, 25 May 1779,” Founders Online, National Archives, (https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-20-02-0566 : accessed 8 April 1024. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 20, 8 April–31 May 1779, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010, pp. 623–624.]

[6]Hugh Rankin, The North Carolina Continentals, UNC Press, 1971, p. 169.

[7] “To George Washington from Colonel Thomas Clark, 17 May 1779,” Founders Online, National Archives, (https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-20-02-0452 : accessed 9 April 2024). [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 20, 8 April–31 May 1779, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010, pp. 512–513.] 

[8] Ibid.

[9] "Bridge at New Bridge," Bergen County Historical Society: Historic New Bridge Landing, (https://www.bergencountyhistory.org/bridge-at-new-bridge : accessed 9 April 2024).

[10] "Alpine: Closter Dock Road and Old Dock Road," Bergen County, New Jersey, (https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/discovering-history/revolutionary-war-sites-in-bergen-county : accessed 10 April 2024).

[11] "Palisades Interstate Park: Huyler's Landing (Lower Closter Landing)," Revolutionary War New Jersey, (https://www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com/new_jersey_revolutionary_war_sites/towns/alpine_nj_revolutionary_war_sites.htm : accessed 10 April 2024). 

Edward Boynton, The History of West Point, Freeport, New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1970, online--Google Books (https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_West_Point/d9MZfLgzxRgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA4&printsec=frontcover : available 5 April 2024), pp. 10, 16, 81-86.

Rod Miller, West Point U.S. Military Academy: An Architectural Tour, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002, online (https://archive.org/details/westpointusmilit0000mill/page/n11/mode/2up : available 7 April 2024), p. 4.