American Revolution Podcast

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Episode 136: Franklin in Paris

When we last left France back in Episode 115, Silas Deane was doing his best to procure arms and equipment for the Continental Army, as well as doing his best to convince France to support the American cause and go to war with Britain.

American Commissioners in Paris

Recall that Deane had arrived in France in May 1776 with quite a few obstacles in his way. He had no diplomatic experience, and had never even been to Europe before. He did not know anyone in France and did not speak French. On top of that, he had prominent enemies among fellow patriots, like Arthur Lee attacking him from the outset. He also managed to hire a British spy, Edward Bancroft, as his personal secretary.

Despite all these setbacks, Deane had managed to establish communications with the French Foreign Minister, Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes. With the tacit support of Vergennes, Deane had established a relationship with shell company called Roderigue Hortalez and Company run by playwright and international arms dealer Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. The men had managed to fill shiploads of supplies for America. However, the British Embassy in France, headed by David Murray, Lord Stormont, managed to get the French government to seize most of those supplies.

Franklin at Court of Versailles (from Ben Franklin History)

France was still not completely on board with backing the patriots, at least not openly. Even after learning of the Declaration of Independence, France did not want to start another war with Britain. Open support of the United States would most certainly precipitate such a war. Support for the American cause, however, was growing in France. In addition to the possibly worthless paper money Deane was using in France, his other useful currency was his self-appointed power to hand out commissions in the Continental Army. French officers seeking combat experience could go to America as generals or other ranks higher than they held in the French Army. Many officers jumped at this opportunity.

By late 1776, Congress had voted to send Deane a little more help. It appointed Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin as co-commissioners. Both men arrived in Paris near the end of 1776. As I’ve mentioned in earlier episodes, the new trio did not get along particularly well. Specifically Lee did not like Franklin or Deane and the feeling seemed mutual.

Lee had worked with Franklin when the two men were colonial agents in London before the war. Lee was extremely dismissive of Franklin’s diplomatic skills and thought he would be a disaster. Even worse, Lee attacked Deane’s covert aid setup, claiming that the French government was giving assistance to the Americans at no cost. Deane’s trading company had made arrangements to ship military supplies to America in exchange for tobacco and other raw materials. Lee indicated that Deane was going to skim those raw materials shipped to France for personal profit, taking advantage of the secretive nature of these transactions. Lee knew his accusations were false, he had personally helped set up the terms with Beaumarchais and was upset that he had been cut out of getting commissions himself. His attacks seemed to be a way to get Deane sent home under a cloud. While Congress held investigations to get to the truth, Lee could take over as the key American in charge of French arms shipments.

Ralph Izard

Ralph Izard
(from Wikimedia)

Joining Deane, Franklin, and Lee, the three commissioners in Paris, was a fourth man, Ralph Izard of South Carolina. Izard had been living in London for several years before leaving in 1776. As an outspoken patriot, he no longer felt welcome there. He moved to Paris, planning to return to South Carolina.

Before he could return, Congress appointed him Commissioner to Tuscany in early 1777. Tuscany is part of modern day Italy. The Grand Duke of Florence, however, refused to admit Izard to Tuscany, for fear that it would harm his relationship with Britain. Izard then spent the next couple of years, living in Paris corresponding from there with Tuscan officials on diplomatic matters.

Izard and Arthur Lee got along, although Lee also convinced Izard that Franklin was not competent. So, Izard and Franklin did not get along at all either. It seems that Izard thought that Franklin should consult with him and keep him more in the loop than Franklin cared to do. The two would continue their ongoing feud in Paris until Izard was recalled a few years later in 1779.

Benjamin Franklin Arrives in France

Benjamin Franklin was the rockstar of the delegation. He had hoped to stay out of the public notice until he had a chance to get a better idea of whether the French court would receive him as a minister. He landed on the French coast at a small coastal village called Auray with his two grandsons, William Temple Franklin and Benjamin Franklin Bache. Despite landing in an inconspicuous port aboard a local fishing vessel, the French people mobbed Franklin and greeted him with enthusiasm. By the time he reached Nantes a few days later, the city had arranged a grand ball in his honor.

Franklin’s reputation had preceded him. He may have been the most well known person in France from North America. Many of his writings, and accounts of his inventions and scientific experiments has preceded him. Frenchmen and women strained to meet the scientist and philosopher raised in the American wilderness. Locals began producing images of Franklin for sale. It became fashionable for people to have portraits on their walls. His image appeared on coins, signet rings, and snuff boxes. If bobbleheads had been invented, there definitely would have been a Franklin bobblehead. Reprints of many of his older books, translated into French of course, flowed into bookstores all over the country.

Franklin dressed frontier style
(from B Franklin History)

Despite speaking almost no French, Franklin had little trouble with inclusion in French society. He played into his “man of the wilderness” persona by wearing simple homespun clothing in the Quaker style. In fashion-obsessed Paris where more complex was always better, this was almost shocking. Franklin also refused to wear a wig when outdoors or when meeting with others. This was the fashion equivalent today of not wearing a shirt today. It wouldn’t exactly get you arrested, but was seen as rather shocking for anyone other than the lowest of classes. But these distinctions only played into the mythos and made Franklin even more popular. This was a deliberate strategy. He knew full well what he was expected to wear. When Franklin had visited Paris in 1767, he had purchased a wig and clothing to fit in with society. On this trip, dressed as “plain American” Franklin stood out and turned heads with his nonconforming style.

After his stay in Nantes, Franklin made his way on to Paris. With all the accolades along the way, it took him weeks to get to Paris. Although he got attention, Franklin did not speak publicly about his purpose in coming to France. His secretive nature only led to more speculation. British Ambassador Lord Stormont spread the story that he was fleeing America with his two grandsons before the rebellion collapsed.

Meeting with Vergennes

While French society greeted Franklin warmly, the government was less enthusiastic. Foreign Minister Vergenes ordered the arrest of anyone who suggested Franklin’s arrival presaged a treaty between France and America. Vergennes was desperately trying to avoid triggering a war with Britain. France simply could not afford a war and was not ready for one to begin.

Comte de Vergennes
(from Wikimedia)

Vergennes did hold a discreet meeting with Franklin on December 28, 1776, weeks after his arrival. Silas Deane introduced Franklin and also attended, as did Arthur Lee. At that meeting, Franklin outlined his agenda, which included not only more French military aid, but a treaty that would bring France into the war on America’s side.

At this time, it late December, France had received word that the British had attacked and occupied New York and New Jersey, with no effective resistance. The Continental army seemed to be falling apart and American rebellion might come to an end at any day. Although Washington’s successful attack on Trenton had just taken place, word of that event would not reach France for at least another month. In light of all this, Vergennes was noncommittal to anything and urged Franklin to keep a lower profile.

Franklin realized that patience would be required. However, keeping a low profile was not part of his plan.

Holding Court at Passy

Franklin borrowed an estate in Passy, a few miles outside of Paris. Actually, today it is a neighborhood in Paris, but in 1776, it was a part of the countryside outside of Paris, between Paris and Versailles.

Jacques-Donatien
Le Ray de Chaumont
(from Wikimedia)

The owner of the home, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, was a prominent aristocrat who was a big supporter of the American cause. He served the King in several important positions, and was one of the wealthiest men in France. In addition to owning several shipping companies, he built several factories, for making glassware and other products. Among his products were portrait medallions made for European royalty. Of course his works pumped out a great many Franklin medallions after his arrival.

Despite his wealth and status, Chaumont was an idealist who supported the patriot cause in America. His home in the Loire Valley was more of a palace. You can still visit the Chateau de Chaumont today. He kept the house in Passy as a place to stay near the Court of Versailles. This was more than just a cottage though. It was a grand mansion with a main house and two wings. There were several outbuildings and gardens. A large domestic staff tended to the estate. Chaumont allowed Franklin use of the Passy estate rent free along with food and use of the staff. Franklin was living like a French nobleman. Although he eventually began paying rent, Franklin would live there for nearly a decade. Franklin continued to wear simple commoner clothing and hairstyle, but there was nothing common about the way he lived in France.

Franklin sent one of his grandsons, Benjamin Bache, age 7, to a nearby boarding school. He would visit his grandfather once a week. Bache was the son of Franklin’s daughter Sally. Franklin’s other grandson, William Temple Franklin, was the 16 year old son of Ben Franklin’s only son, William Franklin, former royal governor of New Jersey and at the time a prisoner of the patriots in Connecticut. Temple, as he was known, would live with his grandfather and assist with his duties as part of the American delegation to the Court of King Louis.

As Franklin settled in, he added one of his lightning rods to the home. He also quickly established his own wine cellar with more than a thousand bottles. Franklin entertained all the time. His fame was enough to draw French elites to his gatherings. Chaumont’s wife often served as hostess at many of Franklin’s parties. You might think that Chaumont would be nervous with his wife spending so much time with Franklin, who has a well earned reputation for womanizing. Instead, he quickly realized that Franklin was going after his daughter, who was in her early twenties at the time. The family stepped up efforts to marry her off to a marquis so that she would not be a temptation to Mr. Franklin.

Chateau de Chaumont (from Wikimedia)

Chaumont himself continued as a booster of Franklin and the American Revolution. As I said, he made medallions of Franklin and also hired an artist to paint his portrait. Chaumont would invest part of his personal fortune in the purchase of military supplies to be shipped to America. He also became an important political advocate for the American cause with the King.

Chaumont supported the ideology of the American Revolution, but he also hoped to profit from the arms trade, and perhaps be rewarded with land in America should the revolution succeed. Sadly for Chaumont, that would not be the case. He would lose a fair amount of his fortune, which the Americans never repaid. During the French Revolution, the government would seize his lands in France. Although he managed to survive the reign of terror, he would die in relative obscurity in France in 1803.

Just so we don’t end that point on too sad a note, Chaumont’s son, James Le Ray, did move to America after the American Revolution, married a Jersey girl, and settled in upstate New York.

Anyway, after Franklin’s first meeting with Vergennes, he realized he would need to be more patient and not push the Foreign Minister too far too fast. Franklin held salons with France’s intellectual elite, not for political lobbying but simply to use his celebrity status to develop friendships with important members of the French establishment.

Franklin went beyond social settings to excite the French public. The former printer and publisher fell into old habits after purchasing a small printing press. He produced pamphlets for distribution to opinion leaders and newspaper editors. Some were French translations of important documents, such as the Declaration of Independence or the Pennsylvania Constitution. He was stoking public opinion about the idea of liberty.

He also revived his old habit of writing articles anonymously, or under a false name to affect public opinion. One article claimed to be from the King of Prussia. Britain had agreed to pay for any Hessian mercenaries who were killed in the war, but not for the wounded. Franklin’s article pretended that the government recommended letting the wounded soldiers die rather than sending home cripples. This is one example of many examples of Franklin's attempts to turn public opinion against Britain and in favor of the American cause.

This strategy confused the ministry. Vergennes commented “I really do not know what Franklin has come to do here…. At the beginning we thought he had all sorts of projects, but all of a sudden, he has shut himself up in sanctuary with the philosphes.”

Lord Stormont
(from Wikimedia)

Franklin, however, was playing the long game. He knew that Vergennes was focused on the political realities of trying to weaken Britain while avoiding a direct war. But Franklin also knew the power of a publicly popular cause with the nation’s elite. Public support for the cause would help get the ministry on board with helping the cause of liberty in America. Public relations was every bit a part of Franklin’s strategy along with actual diplomacy.

Franklin also began an ongoing competition with the British Ambassador, Lord Stormont. The British official in France often had the advantage over Franklin and the American delegation. Among the many British spies in the American delegation, Edward Bancroft was sending weekly reports outlining not only what the Americans were doing, but their strategies for future activities as well. When it suited his purpose, Stormont would often make these strategies public in an attempt to discredit or prevent them from happening. Some were simply made up stories, like Franklin’s supposed attempt to build some super-weapon using electricity.

Once when asked about one of Stormont’s pronouncements, Franklin retorted it is not a truth, it is only a Stormonter which was a play on the french word mentir meaning to lie. The word Stormonter soon entered the public lexicon as a term for something that was not true.

More Commissions

Franklin followed Silas Deane’s lead in passing out commissions to European officers who wanted to serve in America. As I’ve mentioned before it was rather common for officers to serve in the armies of other countries during peacetime. It gave them experience and sometimes helped to improve relations between the armies of common allies.

I mentioned in earlier episodes that Deane had already provided a major general’s commission to a teen aged captain, the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette had not yet left for America and had an opportunity to meet with Franklin. Lafayette was only one of many. Over the months, Franklin, like the other American Commissioners, was swamped by men seeking commissions.

Franklin had to reject most office seekers. For some, he would give a form letter saying they were free to travel to America at their own expense and make their case there, but that he did not know enough to recommend them. For others, he might make an offer. One was a down on his luck baron named Von Steuben. He had served in the Prussian Army during the Seven Years War as a captain. He served at the headquarters of Frederick the Great, but never came to any prominence, nor could he rise in rank. At the end of the war, he was discharged for unknown reasons. Some have speculated it was for homosexual activity, though I’ve never seen any primary evidence to support this. Whatever the reason, he was not able to get a position with any army in Europe. As he fell deeper into debt, he got word of opportunities to fight in America and went to see Franklin.

Franklin in Paris (from Accessible Archives)

Whatever he said at the meeting clearly impressed Franklin. Prussian military strategy and discipline was considered the finest in Europe. Franklin was convinced that Von Stueben was the man to whip the Continental Army into shape. It is not clear if Von Stueben puffed up his own resume or whether Franklin did it for him. But suddenly in Franklin’s letter of recommendation, the former captain who worked in the Prussian Army headquarters became a Lieutenant General who served as Adjutant to Frederick the Great. Washington and Congress relied on this letter to make Von Steuben the Continental Army’s Adjutant General.

Besides Von Steuben and a bevy of French officers, many others from around Europe came looking for commissions. Casimir Pulaski was a Polish noble and cavalryman. In 1772, he participated in the attempted kidnapping of the Polish King, who was planning to sell out the Polish Confederation to Russia. After the Confederation collapsed and Poland was partitioned among the European powers, Pulaski found himself on the run, dodging charges of attempted regicide. Something the kings of most countries took rather seriously. Finding his way to Franklin, Pulaski received a letter of recommendation and boarded a ship for America.

For the next nine or ten months, Franklin made little effort to push the French government into doing much more. He and the other commissioners spent most of their time winning over the French people, seeing just how much they could get away with in shipping covert military items to America, and waiting for events to unfold in such a way as to make a true alliance between France and America possible.

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Next Episode 137 Lambert Wickes brings the war to Britain

Previous Episode 135 The Danbury Raid

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Sunday, February 9, 2020

Episode 135: The Danbury Raid

Danbury, Connecticut was a small inland village, about 25 miles from the shore. The British had largely avoided Connecticut, which was filled with patriots and did not have any strategically valuable cities. General Washington, always in need of towns near the action to serve as supply depots, thought Danbury would be a good choice. Since it was not on the coast, it would not be subject to a naval attack. Its location was close enough to the expected fighting that would take place in upstate New York later that year. It was more than a day’s march from the British lines around New York City area.

Once it became a depot of course, it became a target for the British. As we’ve seen over the last two episodes, in the spring of 1777, British officers were restless to begin offensive operations again. They had already raided Peekskill, NY and Bound Brook, NJ. Now Danbury, Connecticut was in their sights.

Assembling the Expedition

Leading the expedition was General William Tryon. We, of course, have seen General Tryon many times in our story so far. A quick refresher: although his father was not an aristocrat, Tryon had come from a good family with connections to aristocracy in Britain. He purchased a commission in 1751 and served with distinction in the Seven Years War. His wartime exploits allowed him to rise to lieutenant colonel by the end of the war. After the war, he was able to get an appointment as lieutenant governor of North Carolina, thanks to family connections through is wife. A year later, the governor died, leading to Tryon’s promotion to Royal Governor. He almost immediately got into conflict with the colonists as he attempted to enforce the Stamp Act. His conflicts with the colonists eventually led to the battle of Alamance that I discussed back in Episode 35.

Connecticut Militia rush to battle (from Today in CT History)

A few years later, Tryon got transferred to New York, where as Royal Governor of that colony, he got into more conflicts. He took a hard line against the land dispute in the eastern part of the colony. He attempted to capture and execute the Green Mountain Boys who were active in that region, as covered in Episode 38. Tryon had to return to London in 1774. When he came back to New York in 1775, he found politics had become so poisoned in the New York colony that he had to live aboard ship in New York Harbor. Patriots had taken over New York City.

When the British recaptured New York in 1776, General Howe kept the city under martial law, leaving little for Tryon to do as governor. Although he remained the nominal royal governor, Tryon returned to his military roots to be of more use. He helped to raise a loyalist militia and received a temporary commission as brigadier general. In spring 1777, Howe gave him a temporary commission as major general of the provincials in preparation for his new mission.

Along with Tryon, General Howe assigned two brigidier generals with more regular army experience to support the raid. General James Agnew had arrived in Boston as a lieutenant colonel a few months after Lexington and Concord. I have not been able to find much information about Agnew before coming to America in 1775. His grandfather was a baronet, but his father made the mistake of not being born first and did not inherit title or lands. His father did get a military commission, rising to the rank of major.

James followed in his father’s path by joining the army. As I said,I have not found his military records, but having risen to lieutenant colonel without having lots of family money or political connections must have meant he was an impressive officer. Agnew did not get much chance for distinction in America until the Battle of Long Island a year after he arrived Some time after that, he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned command of his own brigade.

The third general for this mission was William Erskine. Like Agnew, his grandfather had a title, in this case a Scottish lord and peer. Also like Agnew, his father had the problem of an older brother getting the family title and land. Erskine’s father did manage to get a gig as deputy governor of Blackness Castle in Scotland. He also had a military career, rising to colonel.

Erskine joined his father’s regiment at the age of fourteen, in time to serve in both the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. For his service, Erskine also rose to lieutenant colonel by the end of the Seven Years War, and received a knighthood as well. He shipped out to America as a staff officer with General Clinton in early 1776.

British Landing in Connecticut (from Westport)

After the Battle of Long Island, Erskine perhaps realized that Clinton’s feud with General Howe meant that serving under Clinton meant being sidelined in unimportant posts. He got himself transferred to serve as Lord Cornwallis’ quartermaster. Erskine accompanied Cornwallis to Trenton after the Americans captured the town.

He developed a reputation as a fierce fighter during the Forage War in New Jersey over the winter. Erskine was not in agreement with General Howe’s view of treating rebels decently. He developed a reputation of engaging in fierce combat and taking no prisoners.

In April 1777, about the same time General Cornwallis was preparing his raid on Bound Brook, Generals Tryon, Agnew, and Erskine prepared for their own raid against Connecticut. Earlier, General Howe had received intelligence about the supply depot at Danbury from Indian Agent Guy Johnson. It would take at least two or three days to march British soldiers from their lines at New York City and another two or three days to march back. That would give the patriots too much time to react and organize an attack on the column. Instead, they opted to cross Long Island Sound, land at Norwalk, Connecticut, and try to make a one day march to Danbury from there.

Although General Tryon was supposed to be the head of a provincial army, the British were not ready to trust provincial forces with this raid. Howe deployed about 1500 regulars, drawn from seven different regiments. Another 300 or so provincials from the Prince of Wales American Regiment led by Montfort Browne. You may recall Browne was the Governor of the Bahamas, captured during the naval raid there in March 1776. He had recently been exchanged for captured Continental General Lord Stirling and was now a colonel commanding a regiment of loyalist provincials. Overall though, Howe had probably 3000 provincials under his command at this time. The fact that he only sent 300 on this raid to supplement 1500 regulars indicates the typical preference to rely on regulars as much as possible.

With support, the entire British contingent numbered over 2000. They used twelve transport ships to bring the soldiers across Long Island Sound, along with a hospital ship and a number of smaller ships.

Long Island Sound

Long Island sound, the waterway between Long Island and Connecticut had been a problem for some time. Patriots raids across the water from Connecticut had been a regular headache for the British. Also, the British had fostered a black market trade across the sound, trading hard currency and manufactured goods for food and other raw materials. This trade was not allowed by either side. But since the British received much needed supplies, they tolerated it. The trade also led to a group of outlaws and pirates in the area that controlled much of the coast. Any British raid would have to be a large one, if only to prevent smaller groups of soldiers from getting attacked by criminal gangs.

On April 22, the fleet moved out of New York City. The British sent another fleet up the Hudson River as a diversionary force to confuse the Americans. If the British hoped the movement by sea would be faster than marching, they would be disappointed. The fleet sailed up the East River to Hell Gate, on the edge of the Long Island Sound on the first day. There, the troops waited aboard ship for two days for strong headwinds to shift. They finally set sail again on April 25th, landing on the Connecticut coast between Norwalk and Fairfield at around 5PM.

March to Danbury

It took hours to disembark all the men and supplies, the troops finally began their night march at around 11PM. By midday the following day, April 26th, the column was at Reading, about nine miles from Danbury. The men were exhausted. They had been aboard ship for nearly three days, where sleeping was difficult at best. They then marched all night and all morning, meaning even those who had been able to sleep aboard ship had probably been awake more than 24 hours straight, and had marched about twenty miles already. Some accounts indicate they may have rested for a short time during the night. But if they did, it was only for a few hours.

British movements to Danbury
(from Wikimedia)

The speed and surprise of the night march paid off with the fact that they had only faced small scattered resistance from a few local militiamen, nothing that really even slowed down the column.

Danbury only had about fifty Continental soldiers and maybe one hundred militia in the area, no match for the column headed their way. By late afternoon on the 26th, the British reached Danbury.

Alerted by a messenger, Sybil Ludington, the Americans had attempted to evacuate stores from Danbury ahead of the column’s arrival. But given the short notice, large amount of supplies, and lack of manpower, they had removed little before the British got to the town. The British quickly scattered the Americans. Seven riflemen inside a home attempted to hold off the British. However, the regulars rushed the house and burned it down with the men still inside. They then set about destroying whatever they could find. In addition to buildings the British destroyed thousands of barrels of food, as well as tents, shoes, and other military supplies. They burned at least 19 personal residences.

By late that night, the British had destroyed most of what they sought to destroy. It was dark and raining. The men were exhausted. The army camped for the night, with plans to complete the destruction the following day.

Battle of Ridgefield

Word of the British column had spread quickly across the region. Patriots attempted to respond. But most were too far away. Even in Peekskill, New York, General Alexander McDougall deployed his Continentals in case the British column attempted to march back overland to New York City. For the most part, most Continentals and militia were too far away to react.

The largest group of soldiers nearby was at Fairfield, a few miles up the coast from where the British had landed. The local commander, General Gold Selleck Silliman of the Connecticut militia, received word of the British landing during the night, hours after the British had begun their march inland. General Silliman quickly assembled a force of about five hundred militia and one hundred Continentals in pursuit of the column.

Militia Defenses at Ridgefield (from Conn History)

Later that same night, probably early in the morning of April 26, word reached New Haven where two generals received the news. General David Wooster, you may recall, had been a commander at the Quebec campaign. His continual battling with Benedict Arnold, Philip Schuyler and other top officers had embittered him. When Congress failed to promote him or grant him command, he had left Quebec to return to Connecticut as a major general of the militia.

Also in town was his old adversary, General Benedict Arnold. Arnold was also embittered, having recently been passed over for promotion to major general as well by several officers who were his juniors. Arnold had returned to Connecticut to deal with a few personal matters. By most accounts, he was then on his way to Philadelphia to tender his resignation to Congress.

Whatever, resentment the two generals harbored against each other or the Continental Congress, on hearing of the invasion, both leaped on their horses and galloped toward the enemy. The two generals caught up with Silliman and his soldiers some time on the evening of the 26th, about the same time that Tryon and his regulars were burning Danbury. The Patriots reached Bethel at around 11:00 PM, about two miles south of Danbury. There was a pouring rain. The leaders decided not to attack that night, but planned a response for the following day.

Arnold and Sillman took about four hundred soldiers to Ridgefield. There, they would set up a defensive position which the British would have to contend with on their march back. Although they did not have enough men to defeat the 2000 British soldiers, they hoped at least to delay the column until more militia could reach the area On their way to Ridgefield, they met up with another one hundred militia heading to the battle, giving them a total force of around five hundred. Wooster took another two hundred soldiers to harass the enemy’s rear as they marched back to the coast.

Arnold's Defense at Ridgefield (from Hamlet Hub)

Back in Danbury, General Tryon received word of the patriot encampment and prepared to face them the following morning. The British column got on the move early, knowing that delay only provided time for more patriot militia to join the fight.

After the column got underway, Wooster and his harassing force attacked the rear of the column. They managed to capture about forty prisoners and escape back into the woods. As the column approached Ridgefield, Wooster’s force struck the rear again. This time, Tryon had supported his rear with three cannon the British had carried with the column. The Connecticut militia took cover and were reluctant to charge cannons. Wooster chastised them by saying "Come on my boys! Never mind such random shots!" A few seconds later, Wooster took a random shot to the stomach. He had to be carried from the field back to Danbury, where he died from his wounds five days later.

The British column pushed on to Ridgefield where they encountered Arnold’s defensive force. Remember, the British still had more than three times as many soldiers as the Americans. Tyron tried a direct assault on the the town, supported by artillery and with overwhelming force. He had sufficient forces that he could also send flankers against both sides of the American lines.

Arnold remained on the front lines, encouraging the men to hold. The British targeted Arnold. They could not hit him, but managed to shoot his horse nine times. As the horse collapsed, Arnold found himself trapped underneath his dead or dying horse. As he struggled to free himself, a British soldier rushed up and said Arnold was his prisoner. Arnold responded “not yet” pulled a pistol and killed the soldier. He then managed to free himself and escape

The Americans rallied again a few miles to the south, joined by two militia artillery units who just arrived on the scene. The march became a smaller version of the return from Concord, where the British column was taking pot shots from behind every wall and tree. More and more militia were arriving on scene and making it harder for Tryon’s column to continue its march.

When they got within a few miles of their ships, the naval commander waiting for them deployed a few hundred marines to assist with the withdrawal. Arnold attempted to rally the militia to charge the marines. His attempts once again made him a target. The British killed his new horse and also shot a hole through his jacket collar. Miraculously, Arnold himself remained unhurt. Seeing his horse fall though, convinced most of the militia to flee the field. Arnold had to get away himself to avoid capture.

With the patriot militia scattered, the British column was able to reach the coast, board the ships and sail back to New York.

Aftermath

Although the raid successfully hit its target and returned, the British lost 154 killed and wounded as well as another 40 captured. The Americans suffered an estimated 20 killed and 80 wounded. The heated response was enough to convince Howe and his successors not to attempt any further inland raids into Connecticut.

Gen. David Wooster
(from Today CT Hist)

One of those American deaths, as I mentioned, was General Wooster, who died a few days after the battle. His last words were allegedly "I am dying, but with a strong hope and persuasion that my country will gain her independence." He went from being an unpopular general to part of the honored dead. In June, Congress voted to build a monument in his honor. They never got around to building the monument though. It would be nearly eighty years before the Freemasons of Connecticut got around to building one for him instead.

General Arnold’s performance also roused support for him in Congress. They finally promoted him to major general. While the honorific was nice, it didn’t mean much in terms of command. Arnold went from being the most senior brigadier general to being the most junior major general. It did not change anything in the chain of command. Congress also awarded Arnold a new horse.

On the British side, Tryon’s success led to a permanent command as major general in America, as well as a full colonelcy in the regular army. He also took command of British troops on Long Island. Generals Erskine and Agnew rejoined Howe’s main army and would ship off with the rest of the army as Howe began his Philadelphia campaign a few months later.

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Next Episode 136 Franklin in Paris

Previous Episode 134 Battle of Bound Brook

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Further Reading

Websites

The Danbury Raid (Battle of Ridgefield) https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1777/the-danbury-raid

The Burning of Danbury https://connecticuthistory.org/the-burning-of-danbury

McKay, Ian Danbury Raid: https://www.connecticutsar.org/danbury-raid

The Danbury Raid https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/770425-danbury-raid

Dacus, Jeff “Again the Hero, David Wooster’s Final Battle” Journal of the American Revolution, June 19, 2018: https://allthingsliberty.com/2018/06/again-the-hero-david-woosters-final-battle

Was a son of Gen. Wooster slain at the Battle of Ridgefield? http://web.cortland.edu/woosterk/rumor.html

“To George Washington from Major General Adam Stephen, 22 April 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-09-02-0226

“From George Washington to Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons, 23–25 April 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-09-02-0236

“To George Washington from Brigadier General Alexander McDougall, 25 April 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-09-02-0250

“To George Washington from Brigadier General Alexander McDougall, 27 April 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-09-02-0273

“From George Washington to John Hancock, 28 April 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-09-02-0278

“John Adams to Abigail Adams, 2 May 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-02-02-0176

Free eBooks
(from archive.org unless noted)

Case, James Royal An Account of Tryon's Raid on Danbury in April, 1777, Also the Battle of Ridgefield and the Career of Gen. David Wooster, Danbury Printing Co. 1927.

Dawson, Henry B. & Chappel, Alonzo Battles of the United States, by Sea and Land, Vol. 1, Johnson, Fry, & Co. 1858.

Deming, Henry C. An oration upon the life and services of Gen. David Wooster, Press of Case Tiffany & Co. 1854.

Hill, George Benedict Arnold: A Biography, E.O. Libby, 1858

Books Worth Buying
(links to Amazon.com unless otherwise noted)*

Brumwell, Stephen Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty, Yale Univ. Press, 2018.

Darley, Stephen Call to Arms: The Patriot Militia in the 1777 British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2015 (book recommendation of the week).

Maxwell, Larry A. Sybil Rides: The True Story of Sybil Ludington the Female Paul Revere, the Burning of Danbury and Battle of Ridgefield, 1775 Productions, 2018

Martin, James Benedict Arnold: Revolutionary Hero, New York: NYU Press, 1997.

McDevitt, Robert Connecticut Attacked: A British Viewpoint on Tryon’s Raid on Danbury, Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, 1974.

Nelson, Paul D. William Tryon and the Course of Empire: A Life in British Imperial Service,
Univ. of NC Press, 1990.

Randall, Willard Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor, William Morrow & Co. 1990.

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Episode 134 Battle of Bound Brook

Today we return to northern New Jersey in spring 1777. As you recall, General Washington’s Continentals attacked outposts at Trenton and Princeton at the beginning of the year, bringing the fight back to New Jersey after the British thought they had conquered it. This kicked off the Forage War that I discussed back in Episode 127. The Continental fighting had re-energized the New Jersey patriot militia to attack British or Hessians soldiers whenever they ventured out in small groups, or even some larger ones.

The fighting made it almost impossible for the British to forage for food or fuel in New Jersey over the winter. Instead, they hunkered down in larger fortified bases and relied on supplies from New York to sustain them. The British held a few strongholds in northern New Jersey. They kept armies in Elizabethtown, Amboy, and Brunswick.

Washington at Morristown

While fighting the Forage War and keeping an eye on British forces, Washington had moved the bulk of his Continental Army to Morristown New Jersey, about thirty miles due west of New York City. From there, he could maintain a defensive position in the Watchung Mountains. He could pivot his army north if the British moved up toward the Hudson River Valley, or to the south if the British moved once again across New Jersey toward Philadelphia.

Washington was also struggling to keep an army in the field. Remember, the 10,000 man Continental Army that he had brought from Boston to New York had shrunk to about 2000 just before he made his desperate attack across the Delaware River on Trenton. That victory helped with recruiting initially and also inspired more militia to turn out.

That said, even much of Washington’s core of dedicated soldiers from the Trenton campaign had been expected to be released at the end of 1776 when their enlistments expired. Washington and his officers had inspired many of them to stay on for a short time by pleading with them and convincing the majority that their service for just another month or two was of critical military importance. Their willingness to stick it out another couple of months allowed Washington to fight the second battle of Trenton, the Battle of Princeton and lock down the British for several months of the Forage War.

Continental Soldiers (from Wikimedia)

By March though, even these extended enlistments had ended. Many of the men had begun to leave by late January. The two armies were not in active large scale combat, and many of these soldiers were more than ready to go home. Many of the final holdovers from 1776 had left the army.

Washington realized he needed a large professional army, as large as the British force, or preferably larger. To get that army Washington needed to overcome push-back among many Americans against the idea. Large standing armies of paid soldiers under long term enlistments smacked of tyranny for many patriots. Many preferred a militia army where civilians would take up arms when needed but then go back to their lives. This assured the people that the army could not become a tool of oppression, because the army was the people.

The reality though, was that during this time of war, militia could not cut it. They were not as reliable, not as well trained, and would often leave when they were needed most after short term enlistments expired. Washington finally convinced Congress to give him a professional army, and a huge one at that. He got Congress to authorize an army of 75,000 Continental soldiers for 1777. Now there was no way they would ever get to that size, but the goal at this time was a massive build up. Washington also wanted an army of that was trained, disciplined, and would remain under arms for the multi-year campaigns ahead.

Congress offered sizable enlistment bonuses for a three year enlistment. It also promised free land to those who volunteered for the duration of the war. These enticements, along with the American victories in New Jersey, inspired a new group of recruits that gave Washington over 11,000 Continentals at his command by spring. Another 17,000 militia were also available in the region for Washington should he need them.

While growing in numbers, the army under his command still had little training or combat experience. Most of those soldiers who had fought at Boston or in the New York campaign had gone home, with new inexperienced replacements filling the ranks. Even many who had just fought in the New Jersey campaign were leaving. Washington still had no experienced professional officers capable of training and drilling the new recruits to fight like professionals. This was the beginning of the professional standing army that Washington thought he had needed since he had taken charge. While he had soldiers who had committed to multi-year enlistments, those soldiers did not yet have the experience or training that he thought they needed before they could challenge the regulars on the battlefield.

Spring Offensive

As winter becomes spring, a soldier’s thoughts turn to fighting. Although this winter had been pretty busy, traditionally new offensives began in the spring when the weather made fighting, camping, and marching bearable for the soldiers.

The problem was, no one was quite sure what the plan was for the spring offensive. As I discussed a couple of weeks ago, the British commander in North America, General William Howe did not get the reinforcements he wanted to launch multiple offensives against New England, New York and the middle colonies. Instead, he was talking about taking Philadelphia. No one was actually sure though since they also thought he was going to have to send troops up the Hudson Valley to link up with the northern army. General Burgoyne would soon be leading that army down from Canada. London wanted at least some portion of Howe’s main army available to support Burgoyne as he moved down the Hudson Valley.

Last week we looked at the first British raid up the Hudson River on Peekskill, essentially testing Continental defenses and seeing what they could do. This week, the British are going to do something similar in New Jersey but on a larger scale.

As I said, the British learned during the Forage War over the winter, that sending out even a few hundred soldiers could invite an ambush and random attacks. An offensive in New Jersey would have to be on a larger scale.

Since the British had some larger bases along the New Jersey coast further to the south, Washington deployed several detachments that protected his main army from a southern attack. He ordered now Major General Benjamin Lincoln to Bound Brook, New Jersey, along the Raritan River. Congress had commissioned Lincoln to major general in February.

Before then, Lincoln was not in the Continental Army. He had been a general in the Massachusetts militia. Lincoln was more politician than soldier and had been involved primarily in supply and logistics during the Siege of Boston. He had remained in Massachusetts after the Continental Army left for New York.

Benjamin Lincoln
(from Wikimedia)

Lincoln had brought a supporting militia army to New York after the British already had captured most of the area. He played a role in the failed attempt to take Fort Independence, something I discussed back in Episode 128. Although the mission was a failure and General Washington heavily criticized the mission’s commander, General William Heath, Washington apparently came away with a good impression of General Lincoln.

This was also about the same time Major General Artemas Ward resigned his commission due to age and infirmity. Ward’s resignation made room for another major general from Massachusetts. Washington seemed to see some military potential in Lincoln and had recommended to Congress that he receive a commission.

Lincoln became a major general in the Continental Army on the same day that that congress promoted four other brigadier generals to major general: William Alexander (Lord Stirling) of New Jersey, Arthur St. Clair and Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania, and Adam Stephen of Virginia. Congress expected to increase the size of the army and needed more generals. In truth, they never were able to recruit as large an army as they had planned and would have more generals than needed.

Perhaps more importantly, all of these new major generals had been junior to Brigadier General Benedict Arnold and had nothing close to his fighting record. As I discussed a few weeks ago, this had almost led to Arnold’s resignation. Lincoln was one of those politician-generals that particularly irked combat generals like Arnold. Lincoln had done almost nothing beyond a support role as a militia officer. He only had played a role assisting the commander at the failed assault on Fort Independence. Now he was joining the army as a major general. Lincoln was the only American officer outside of that first group at the founding of the Continental Army to join the Continentals at that level.

The village of Bound Brook was Lincoln’s first command as a Continental officer where he was not directly under the supervision of Washington. Initially, Lincoln commanded a force of about one thousand infantrymen and an artillery unit to provide defensive support. His primary mission was to protect three bridges across the Raritan River that the British might use for an attack on Morristown from the south. By late March though, expiring enlistments reduced his force by half, to about 500 men. Most of those remaining were Pennsylvania men who had seen little combat so far.

Lord Cornwallis
(from Wikimedia)

Back in Brunswick, British General Charles, Lord Cornwallis, was itching to do something. In December, he had been just about to get on a ship back to London where he was looking forward to time with his wife and children, and chatting with top officials in London about the war. Instead, General Howe got word of Washington’s attack on Trenton and sent Cornwallis at the head of an army to deal with it. On the one hand, Howe’s decision to send Cornwallis rather than the far more senior General Henry Clinton indicated that Cornwallis was a rising star. On the other hand, Cornwallis spent most of the winter chasing around New Jersey, and accomplishing little rather than enjoying time back in England. This was not really what he wanted.

A year earlier, Cornwallis had begun his American adventure under General Clinton. His forces had attempted and failed to capture South Carolina’s Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island in Charleston Harbor, something I discussed back in Episode 96. Cornwallis had impressed General Howe with his leadership at the Battle of Long Island and his work pushing the Continentals out of New York. As Generals Clinton and Lord Percy were getting pushed aside, Cornwallis was taking a more prominent role under General Howe’s overall command.

Cornwallis had chased Washington down to Trenton, only to see the Continentals slip around behind him and attack the British rear at Princeton. For the rest of the winter, Cornwallis sat mostly on defense, trying to protect his soldiers during the Forage War and making sure the Americans did not take another outpost like they had at Trenton. It was an irritating and frustrating winter for the British generally and Cornwallis in particular.

As the weather began to warm and the rivers melted, Cornwallis wanted to start doing something more like a strategic offensive. With intelligence that Lincoln’s army at Bound Brook had shrunk and was somewhat isolated from the main army. Cornwallis planned a day raid that would capture Lincoln’s army. The British could toss them into the New York prison ships and claim a quick victory to begin the spring campaign.

As early as February, Cornwallis has asked Hessian jäger Captain Johann Ewald to develop a plan to take the Continental force at Bound Brook. Since the plan required fording the river, they had to wait for spring to implement it. In April, Cornwallis assembled a force of about 4000 British and Hessian soldiers. A force of Hessians under the command of Colonel Carl von Donop, would assault one of the bridges directly. Major General James Grant would command another group of British and Hessians on the right flank to threaten the Continentals from another direction. Cornwallis himself would take another brigade on the British left flank. They would ford the Raritan further upriver and prevent any Continental retreat in that direction. Another group of several light infantry companies would move north of the area to cut off the road from Bound Brook back to the main Continental army at Morristown. With four separate forces coming at them from different directions, the Continentals would be trapped and would have to surrender.

The Attack

On the night of April 12, 1777, the British and Hessian armies prepared themselves for a night march so that they could hit the enemy before dawn on the morning of the 13th. Ewald’s small force at the center was the first to engage the enemy. Its goal was to draw the attention of the enemy while Von Donop moved in from another direction to surprise the defenders.

Battle of Bound Brook (from Wikimedia)

Ewald’s men, however, were overly enthusiastic. They chased back the American sentries to the main lines where they ran into Continental artillery. In doing so, this small advance group found themselves almost surrounded by the Continentals.

Fortunately for Ewald, Von Donop and Cornwallis both appeared with their forces from other directions. The Continentals could not focus on capturing Ewald. Instead they had to run for their lives. General Lincoln, had to flee along with his small army in a hurry. He lost all of his papers and personal property as he ran from the field. Von Donop later reported that he thought Lincoln must have fled in his underwear since they found his uniform still in his tent.

The Pennsylvania artillery put up a sustained defense, as it covered the retreat of the infantry. As a result, it suffered the bulk of the battle casualties as well as the loss of its field guns to the enemy.

The Americans were fortunate that the British light infantry deployed to cut off their escape up the road toward Morristown was late getting into place. This delay allowed the bulk of the Continentals to escape. The actual fighting was over quickly. The Americans suffered somewhere between thirty and sixty killed or wounded (accounts differ). The British also captured 80 or 90 prisoners. The British only suffered a few wounded by American defenders.

Up in Morristown, Washington received word of the attack by mid-morning. He authorized a counter-attack under the command of Major General Nathanael Greene. Washington feared the British might continue up to Morristown and attack the main army there. Cornwallis had no such intent. This was meant to be a short one day raid. By 11:00 AM, the British collected their prisoners, the captured guns, and began the march back to their base at Brunswick.

By the time Greene’s force made it to Bound Brook, his soldiers found the last of the British rearguard trying to cross the Raritan River. A short skirmish resulted in eight British dead and sixteen captured. The Continentals occupied Bound Brook again that same afternoon.

Aftermath

The battle was technically a British victory. Cornwallis captured the town, along with a few prisoners and some supplies, as he had hoped. Widely varying reports indicate that in total, somewhere between 40 and 120 of the 500 Continentals as Bound Brook were killed, wounded, or captured. The British only reported seven wounded in the battle itself. They lost another eight killed and 16 captured in the rearguard action that the Continentals fought during their withdraw.

Nathanael Greene
(from Wikimedia)

Cornwallis’ main objective though, was to capture the entire American force at Bound Brook. This failed because the British did not cut off the escape route by the time the attack began. Most soldiers, including the commander General Lincoln, were able to escape, even if the retreat was panicked and disorganized.

Following the battle, General Washington directed his officers to improve the defenses against another attack. General Greene surveyed the area and reported back that there was no good way to defend against another large British attack. Washington also provided more reinforcements to the southern detachment so that they would not be so outnumbered if attacked again.

However, the southern force was still isolated and exposed. If the British wanted to launch another raid, the force could still be vulnerable as it was separate from the main army. Therefore it was still subject to being surrounded. More importantly, if Washington had to deploy more of his army to back up the force at Bound Brook, the British could send an even larger offensive army. Washington would risk the capture a Continental force of perhaps thousands who did not have the natural protection provided by the Watchung Mountains. That was why Washington did not have his main force there in the first place. That was why his headquarters was in Morristown, in the safety of the Watchung mountains.

After several weeks of evaluation and debate, Washington, in late May, pulled back the southern flank of his army to Middlebrook. Although not far away, it would give the soldiers a natural defensive position in the Watchung Mountains. From the heights they would be better able to see the approach of an enemy army. The British would be able to cross the Raritan river unopposed, but then they would have to challenge the Continentals in their mountain defenses.

As it turned out, this would not be an issue. The British sat out the entire month of May and much of June as well with no significant activity in New Jersey. Washington had the time he needed to adjust his defenses. After Washington’s forces had made the move to Middlebrook, the British would make one more thrust into the area in late June. I’ll get to that in a future episode a few weeks from now.

Before we get to those events, a couple of weeks after the raid on Bound Brook, the British would launch another raid against Danbury Connecticut. For that story, you will need to wait until next week, when I discuss, you guessed it, the Danbury Raid.

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Next Episode 135 The Danbury Raid

Previous Episode 133 The Peekskill Raid

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