NJ History Nerd Tour #4 ... Bergen County-Hudson River 19Nov-19

NJ Nerd Tour #4 ...

Bill Bogertman, John Breur, John Dyksen, Gary Link... Tuesday, November 19, 2019, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

This is my 4rd installment of our NJ "History Nerd" Tours...  
Our initial plans for today were to visit:

1.  Fort Lee - including Fort Lee National Historic Park, Hudson Terrace, Ft Lee, NJ and Fort Lee Monument Park, Palisade Ave &, Angioletti Pl, Fort Lee, NJ 07024

2.   Huyler’s Landing (Lower Closter Landing) Closter Dock Road – Alpine Community Church, 5 Dock Road, Alpine, NJ (where British crossed Hudson River to attack Fort Lee, November 19-20, 1776)

3.  Tappan, NY - inlcuding the Reformed Church of Tappan (1694); 32 Old Tappan Road, Tappan, NY; (the location of trial of British spy, John Andre as well as hospital after Baylor Massacre (1778) in RiverVale, NJ), The Old 76 House (1705, aka Mabie House; NYs Oldest Tavern), 110 Main Street, Tappan, NY (where Major John Andre was held prisoner), the Major Andre Monument – 73 Andre Hill Road, Tappan, NY.

4.  ... and finally, the DeWint House 20 Livingston Ave, Tappan, NY (A National Historic Landmark and Washington HQ four times during the RevWar. 

     We accomplished all these planned visits, had a great lunch in the 2nd oldest Tavern in the USA (Old '76 House-the oldest in NY State) where George Washington, Major General Nathanael Greene and many more of Washington's Army Officers dined. Major John Andre was assigned house arrest in this tavern before his execution as a spy. 

     
     AND... we then returned home along Ramapo Valley Road, NJ Route 202, one of the oldest roads in the US.

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Fort Lee National Historic Park and nearby Fort Lee Monument Park

We arrived at around 10:15 only to find that the Visitor's Center was closed. Oh what annoying lamentations from Bill that, "all I wanted was a Fort Lee lapel pin!"  We walked the grounds for a good hour or so, starting on the northeast corner along the George Washington Bridge and working our way south to the end of the defense walkways.

During the Revolution, Fort Constitution, renamed Fort Lee after General Charles Lee, was the site of Washington's 1776 defensive encampment, across the Hudson River from Fort Washington, at the northern tip of Manhattan island. 2,000 American Continental soldiers were on site. 

After the British defeated the American army at Fort Washington on November 16th and the British General Cornwallis landed 4,000 Red Coats on November 19-20, below and north of Fort Lee at Huyler's Landing, Washington and Nathanael Greene ordered Fort Lee evacuated.

The soldiers then began a hasty retreat west, crossing the Hackensack River at New Bridge Landing and the Passaic River at Acquackanonk Bridge. It was during Washington's retreat (beginning along a road which is now Main Street), right along Monument Park (see below), that Thomas Paine composed his pamphlet, "The American Crisis," which began with the recognized phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls."

The British were delighted at what they found at the abandoned fort. They found 50 cannon, 1,000 barrels of flour, stores of ammunition, and vast quantities of other supplies left behind by the fleeing Americans. They captured 12 drunk American soldiers in the fort and about 150 other prisoners were taken in the vicinity. 

Believing he had to the opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the Americans,  Cornwallis pursued Washington’s army.  Washington's army began a headlong retreat through New Jersey, walking through the New Jersey communities that were key refuges as Washington’s troops made their way to safety in Pennsylvania, with the exact route following the primary roads of the time, connecting New Bridge, Hackensack, Newark, Elizabeth, Woodbridge, New Brunswick, Princeton and Trenton.

It took the army 12 days until it had traveled through all of New Jersey. When they reached the Delaware River they crossed that as well on December 2, 1776. 

The American army was disheartened. The Americans were forced to give up New York City and all of New Jersey. However, the army was still intact. General Howe failed in his pursuit to stop the American army before it could reach safety. Washington and his soldiers kept a day or two ahead of the British.  Washington himself wrote in a letter to his brother John after the fall of Fort Washington, "I am wearied almost to death with the retrograde motion of things."

More bad news followed. The army's second ranked General, Charles Lee, for whom Fort Lee was named, was captured by the British in Basking Ridge, NJ, on the night of December 12 - 13.

However, within weeks Washington and his army would turn the tide. On Christmas night, Washington's forces crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey and win a small but important victory the next morning at Trenton, followed a week later by another victory at Princeton.

Having revived their chances and morale, Washington's army headed to Morristown, NJ where they spent the winter. (See Nerd Tour #1)

Landing of British Troops, November 19-20, 1776.

MONUMENT PARK, Fort Lee, NJ

Monument Park was built and dedicated in 1908 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. General John "Black Jack" Pershing was on hand for the dedication. The park was part of the original Fort Constitution of the Continental Army under the leadership of General George Washington. Over 2,600 troops were stationed in and around the Monument Park area. 

Monument Park is the only park in the United States that is dedicated to the soldiers of the American Revolution.

The park is located on the intersections of Angioletti Place, Palisades Avenue and Parker Avenue. Palisades Avenue was one of the roads the American Army used during their retreat from the British in November, 1776. 

 We walked and toured this small .75 acre park, with a statue in the middle dedicated to American Revolutionary War soldiers.  At the ends of each of the four compass-point sidewalks, each corner is dedicated to familiar RevWar names such as:

     Thomas Paine, General John "Black Jack" Pershing (who was at the Park's 1908 dedication). General George Washington. General Nathanael Greene, General Henry Knox, General Hugh Mercer, General Horatio Gates, ...and the Old Army Road and Fort Lee Road.

Plaque reads: "Historical Artifact... Explosive mortar ball of the type used
aboard military sailing vessels, pre-Civil War period. Recovered
from the palisades in Fort Lee during the excavation in the 1890s."

Nathanael Green and Henry Knox are Bill's two favorite RevWar Generals.

Fort Lee Road... On this road the "Retreat to Victory"
began.  It was also a direct route to New Bridge
crossing on the Hackensack River.

Knox's placement and use of artillery was a critical component
of Washington's successful win against the British and
Hessians during the two battles of Trenton, NJ

Huyler’s Landing (Lower Closter Landing)

(where the British Army crossed the Hudson River to attack Fort Lee on November 19-20, 1776) 

     In our search for "Lower Closter Landing" and "Huyler's Landing", we stopped at the Alpine Community Church on Closter Dock Road, which we thought took us down to the Hudson. It didn't, so we did not see the actual landing site. (see Closter Dock Road historical marker below).  We will get there someday.

Plaque reads, "Closter Dock Road.
Laid out in 1761 by New York over
an earlier route when that province
claimed jurisdiction over this area. Used
by troops during the Revolutionary War,
the road led from Closter to Closter Dock
on the Hudson where farm produce was
shipped to New York City markets. 1805
and 1854 road improvements led to an
active waterfront community. Later it was
the western terminus of Yonkers ferry.
World War I soldiers marched down the
road to be ferried to troop transports.

At Alpine Lookout.

     Later, when we stopped at Alpine Lookout (above), we located the trailhead marker for a steep trail down the Palisades to Huyler's Landing where another historic marker is located as well as what was mistakenly believed to be the original landing site near the Kearney House (Cornwallis HQ).

-------------------------------------------------
      At Lower Closter Dock – on the riverfront just south of here – a British invasion force of 5,000 troops commanded by Lord Cornwallis landed before dawn on November 20, 1776. Guided by three Bergen County residents, they climbed the rough road to the top of the Palisades and marched south to capture the American stronghold at Fort Lee, hoping to bring an early end to the American Revolution. However, being warned by a lookout, the outnumbered soldiers at Fort Lee were able to retreat across the Hackensack River at New Bridge and keep the struggling rebellion alive.

By September 1776 – two short months after the July 4 Declaration of Independence of the thirteen American colonies – British troops had won a battle against George Washington’s army on Long Island and then captured and occupied New York City. On November 16, the British captured Fort Washington, the Americans’ last outpost on Manhattan Island. Across the river was Fort Lee. On November 20, an invasion force of 5,000 British and Hessian troops under the command of Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson River in 200 flatboats. They landed in the early morning and 

Internet Image - 1776: British Invasion of New Jersey Marker. Inscription surrounds this
image.

rode to alert the American garrison at Fort Lee. Fearing they would be trapped on the narrow neck of land between the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, Fort Lee’s commander, General Nathanael Greene, ordered an immediate retreat. General George Washington joined them and marched at the head of the troops as they crossed the New Bridge over the Hackensack on their route to the relative safety of Pennsylvania.

      Accompanying the Americans from Fort Lee, Thomas Paine wrote about the “times that try men’s souls” in The American Crisis to garner public support for the American cause.

Placed by the Bergen County Historical Society in cooperation with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission • 2019 ---------------------------------------------------------
  
     On the night of November 19-20, 1776, 4,000+ British and Hessian troops under the command of General Cornwallis crossed the Hudson River from New York City, causing the American troops to abandon their encampment at Fort Lee and begin a retreat across New Jersey. It is believed that they disembarked about six miles north of Fort Lee at Huyler's Landing, which was then called "Lower Closter Landing" or "the New Dock." From here they traveled inland up a road called Huyler's Landing Road, which no longer exists, and then turned south towards Fort Lee.

     The Huyler's Landing Trail runs from Huyler's Landing to the top of the Palisades. Hiking this trail gives you an idea of the difficulties that the British and Hessian troops would have faced to make it up the steep climb of the Palisades. The first group of troops climbed this ascent while it was still dark, and it was raining. A second group made the climb after sunrise when the rain had stopped, and so had the benefit of sunlight. However this group had task of moving the cannons up the steep hill.

Reformed Church of Tappan (1694)

(the location of the trial of British spy, John Andre, and used as a hospital after Baylor Massacre (1778) in River Vale, NJ), 

Within a mile of Tappan town center, we visited:
1. The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church (1694)
2. The Old '76 House Tavern (1752 Mabie's Tavern)
3. The John Andre Monument
4. The DeWint House (1700)

     Located 12 miles north of NYC, and inland 2.5 miles west of the Hudson River, Tappan, NY was settled in 1686, the first settlers being Dutch. Tappan, NY is also less than one mile north of the New Jersey border.

CONTEXT of History:
     Major John Andre was British General Henry Clinton's spy chief, and a favorite confidant and friend of the General. After 29 year old Andre was captured by the Americans in 1779, General Clinton tried, unsuccessfully, to exchange him for captured high ranking American Officers.

      In September, 1780, General Washington had his HQ in the DeWint House when Major General Benedict Arnold, commander of the fort at West Point, almost made good his plan to sell out to the British. had he succeeded, the British would have controlled the "Gibraltar of the Hudson," and cut the rebellious colonies in two. Washington might then have lost the war.

On September 21, 1779, Andre met with American Major General Benedict Arnold, Commander of West Point, in order to hand him written plans for the surrender of West Point's as well as plans for the interception and capture of General George Washington, during a visit to Arnold at West Point.

On 23 September 1779, when he came near Tarrytown, New York, armed militiamen John Paulding, Issac Van Wart and David Williams stopped him.

André thought that they were Tories because one was wearing a Hessian soldier's overcoat. "Gentlemen," he said, "I hope you belong to our party." "What party?" asked one of the men. "The lower party," replied André, meaning the British. "We do," was the answer. André then told them that he was a British officer who must not be detained, when, to his surprise, they said that they were Americans, and that he was their prisoner. He then told them that he was a U.S. officer and showed them his passport, but the suspicions of his captors were now aroused. They searched him and found Arnold's papers in his stocking. Only Paulding could read and Arnold was not initially suspected. André offered them his horse and watch, if they would let him go, but they declined. André testified at his trial that the men searched his boots for the purpose of robbing him. Paulding realized that he was a spy and took him to Continental Army headquarters in Sand's Hill (in today's Armonk, New York), a hamlet near the Connecticut border of Westchester County. Andre was at first detained at Wright's Mill in North Castle, before being taken back across the Hudson to the headquarters of the American army at Tappan, where he was held at a tavern today known as the '76 House. There he admitted who he really was.

Andre was held at the Old '76 Tavern for five days. In this same Tavern, Major General Nathanael Greene made his HQ.  Andre was tried on September 29, 1780 by 14 General Officers in the Reformed Church of Tappan.

While a prisoner, he endeared himself to American officers who lamented his death as much as the British. Alexander Hamilton wrote of him: "Never perhaps did any man suffer death with more justice, or deserve it less." 

The day before his hanging, André drew a likeness of himself with pen and ink, which is now owned by Yale College. André, according to witnesses, placed the noose around his own neck.  LaFayette was seen crying at his hanging.

Reformed Church of Tappan where Andre's trial was held.

Washington's General Officers present at Andre's trial inside the Church were: 

-Major General Nathanael Greene, President, -Major General Lord Stirling, Major General St. Clair, -Major General The Marquis de la Fayette, -Major General Howe, -Major General The Baron de Steuben, -Brigadier General Parsons, -Brigadier General Clinton, -Brigadier General Knox, -Brigadier General Glover, -Brigadier General Patterson, -Brigadier General Hand, -Brigadier General Huntington, -Brigadier General Starke,

Reformed Protestant Dutch Church Dominie, Guilliam Bertholf,
served here in Tappan, NY but also in Hackensack and Passaic, NJ.
He helped found Reformed churches in Sleepy Hallow and Port
Richmond, NY as well as Oakland ("The Ponds?"), Belleville,
Pompton Plainsand Somerville, NJ.

Fascinating connections of NJ Nerd tours.  In May 2019, we visited
the Baylor massacre site (1779) in River Vale, NJ. It was here in this
Reformed Church that a number of wounded American soldiers were treated and died.

The bronze plaque on the side of the church reads, "Reformed Dutch Church of Tappan, organized 1664. Used as a military hospital and prison during the Revolution. The trials of Major John Andre as a spy, and of Joshua Heit Smith, for treason, were held here in 1780.

3 of 5 History Nerds; two unidentified are Probies.
(two on right)

Plaque reads, "Here lie buried Officers and men of the Third Continental
Light Dragoons. They were surprised while asleep in Old
Tappan, today's RiverVale, NJ, taken prisoner by British
forces. They died here in Tappan on or about September 28, 1778."

Major John Andre (1750-1780)

The Old 76 House (1705; 1752)

 (aka Mabie House; NYs Oldest Tavern), where Major John Andre was held prisoner after his capture)

     We walked around the Tavern and since it was noon, decided to have lunch.  A very old Tavern with a bar and quite a few tables inside large rooms.  Elegantly decorated and very clean.  I took pictures of the menu, the fireplaces and the pictures on the wall;  one being quite historic and important.

     The owner, Rob Norden gave us an oral history as we left.  The Tavern was the HQ of Major General Nathanael Greene, President of Washington's Officer Courts Martial and the place of detention for Major John Andre while awaiting trial and execution for spying for the British.  He conspired with Major General Benedict Arnold to hand over West Point.

Looking past the Tavern to the Reformed Church of Tappan
where Andre's trial was held.

Parking lot side entrance.

Plaque reads: "The Old '76 House,
Mabies Tavern 1752. Site of the signing of
Orangetown Resolutions 1774, and the
incarceration of British spy Major John Andre
1780."

Note: Above the fireplace mantle is a self-portrait of Major John Andre, 
signed To John... J Andre 1779. (Unsure whether this is the original) 
 Behind John Breur's head, in the corner sits a small table, known to be 
President Richard Nixon's favorite place to dine.

Note: Legend has it that a traitor's portrait was hung
upside down. Here is a portrait of Arnold above the
mantle in one of the two fireplaces in Old '76 House Tavern.

Owner Rob Norden explaining the history of his Old '76 House Tavern.

Menu Top

Menu Bottom

Note on this fireplace the upside down portrait of Major General Benedict Arnold.

Major Andre Monument

(The Monument marking the location where Major John Andre was hanged in 1780)

     
     From the Old '76 Tavern, we drove up the road to a steep hill where on the top, stood the Andre Monument.  The marker states, "On the hill south is the site of the gallows where Major John Andre, British spy, was hanged and buried, October 2, 1780."

     In 1821, Andre was disinterred and buried in Westminster Abby, London, England.

     
      HERE DIED OCTOBER 2, 1780. MAJOR JOHN ANDRE, OF THE BRITISH ARMY WHO ENTERED THE AMERICAN LINES ON A SECRET MISSION TO BENEDICT ARNOLD FOR THE SURRENDER OF WEST POINT, WAS TAKEN PRISONER TRIED AND CONDEMNED AS A SPY. HIS DEATH THOUGH ACCORDING TO THE STERN CODE OF WAR MOVED EVEN HIS ENEMIES TO PITY, AND BOTH ARMIES MOURNED THE FATE OF ONE SO YOUNG AND BRAVE. IN 1821 HIS REMAINS WERE REMOVED TO WESTMINSTER ABBEY, A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER HIS EXECUTION. THIS STONE WAS PLACED ABOVE THE SPOT WHERE HE LAY, NOT TO PERPETUATE THE RECORD OF STRIFE BUT IN TOKEN OF THOSE BETTER FEELINGS WHICH HAVE SINCE UNITED THE NATIONS ONE IN RACE, IN LANGUAGE AND IN RELIGION, WITH THE EARNEST HOPE THAT THIS FRIENDLY UNION WILL NEVER BE BROKEN. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Dean of Westminster

"He was more unfortunate than criminal. "An
accomplished man and a gallant officer."
-George Washington

DeWint House (1700) and Carriage House Museum (1850)

(A National Historic Landmark. Washington's HQ September 28 to October 7, 1780 during the trial of British Spy, Major John Andre.  Washington also used this home August 8-24, 1780, May 4-8, 1783-to host British General Sir Guy Carleton on British troop withdrawal negotiations, and November 1783 -during a terrible snowstorm on his way to West Point and New York City to resign from the Army) Interesting 

NOTE:  During his May 1783 visit, Washington's vintner-cook Samuel Fraunces prepared their meal. It was at Samuel Fraunces Tavern (1719) in New York City that Washington resigned from the Army on December 4, 1783.

Note Washington's blue Commander-in-Chief flag.

     We walked the grounds, privately owned by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York.  There is a small, interesting museum inside the carriage house where we saw a short movie about the history of the house.  Very good displays for such a small museum.

     We actually got inside the DeWint house and viewed a few rooms, but not all the home was open to the public.

     It was here that after Andre's trial in Tappan, Washington signed Andre's execution order for Treason and hanging as a spy, not death by firing squad normally required for soldiers.

The kitchen's Delft tiles were Biblical scenes to teach children.

The Unfortunate Death of Major Andre

     Until he saw the gallows, Andre was unaware that Washington had denied his request for "a soldier's death" over what was considered the less honorable mode of execution, "on the gibbet."  Andre blanched briefly. Asked if he had any last words, Andre requested that those present "bear me witness that I met my fate as a brave man." He himself adjusted his noose and the handkerchief over his eyes. As he died, many of those watching wept.

Capture of Major Andre 1780

Andre The Day Before His Execution

The Capture of Major Andre.

Note the ...1 7 0 0... built into the bricks in between the
four window shutters.

Ramapo Valley Road

(one of America's oldest roads, running from New Castle, Delaware to Bangor, Maine, in New Jersey from New Hope NJ to Mahwah, NJ)

Bill's archives.....
Plaque reads, "First an Indian path, then an important
road during the period of colonial settlement. Washington's
army used this road in July of 1777 and at many other times
during the revolution. This is one of America's oldest roads.
It was an important link between New England and the South."

     This dirt Indian path which roughly followed the Ramapo River from Oakland to Suffern, NY,  was known to the Minsi Indians as "Ramapaugh" or "river of many round ponds". And so, the Dutch called their settlement "De Panne" or the "The Ponds".

In July 1777, General George Washington and his troops traveled from Morristown through New Jersey towards an area known as the Clove in New York State. (Now called Suffern). On July 14th they arrived in this area, and Washington used the Hendrick Van Allen House (built in 1748) as his headquarters.

In 1781, French and American troops marched hundreds of miles to what would prove to be the final major and decisive battle of the war, the Battle of Yorktown in Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781. French troops under General Rochambeau traveled from Rhode Island, down Ramapo Valley Road on August 25, 1781 as part of this march.  There was a bridge at this location over the Mahwah River, but because of its poor condition, Rochambeau's troops had to ford the river. (Fording a river refers to crossing it at a shallow point.

Plaque reads, "LaRoe-Van Horn House.  Located in “Ramapough”
near the site of an Indian trading post, this Dutch Colonial house was
built about 1750 by Jacobus Laroe. The small wing was
added at a later date, the porch about 1840. Some later owners
were Jacobus Bogert who had a tavern here; John Haring,
a member of the Continental Congress; the Hopper family
and Abraham Van Horn, a Bergen County Freeholder
and New Jersey Assemblyman.

Along Ramapo Valley Road there are additional markers to highlight its use during the Revolutionary War. And there are W3R markers, which stand for Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. French troops under General Rochambeau marched down this route en route to the Battle of Yorktown.  There are also signs which commemorate Ramapo Valley Road as "Continental Soldiers Memorial Highway." 

There are quite a few historical markers along this road including the Van Allen House and Cleveland Bridge.

Cleveland Bridge over the Ramapo River

Bill's archives.

Bill's archives. Van Allen House 1740, Oakland, NJ
Washington's HQ July 14, 1777 as he commanded troops moving from
Morristown, NJ to New York State.

Bill's archives.

Bill's archives. Thomas Winter Farmhouse 1844, Ramapo Valley Road

A VERY DISTURBING HISTORICAL MARKER, observed in Tappan, NY 

FUTURE TOUR OPTIONS:
1.  Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site (1779), 44 Battlefield Road, Stony Point, NY
2.  Fort Montgomery State Historic Site – 690 Rte 9W, Fort Montgomery, NY
3.  Washington HQ State Historic Site, Liberty Street, - 84 Liberty Street, Newburgh, NY
4.  Knox HQ State Historic Site, Forge Hill Road, 289 Old Forge Hill Road, New Windsor, NY
5.  United States Military Academy at West Point – West Point, NY
6.  Pompton Plains Reformed Church, Pompton Plains, NJ



To View Previous History Nerd Tour blog posts, click below:
Tour #3 here - Bergen County, NJ
Tour #2 here - Paterson, NJ
Tour #1 here - Morristown, Wayne, NJ