History of Bucks County, PA –
from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time
by W. W. H. Davis, A.M., 1876 and 1905* editions.
Excerpted and used on www.moland.org with the permission of Donna Bluemink, transcriber, editor and submitter to the USGenWeb Archives; obtained in September 2007.
Transcriber’s note: Liberty has been taken with numbering footnotes so as to include all footnotes from both the 1876 and 1905 editions, plus any additional text and pictures in the 1905 edition. All 1905 material will be noted with an asterisk and often be bracketed – [ *]. Note: Where names differ, the 1905 edition spelling is applied.Excerpted with permission by Ed Greenawald. Clarifying comments are bracketed and tagged with a caret – [ ^], and were made in 2007.
CHAPTER XL (1876) or CHAPTER X (Vol. II, 1905)
BUCKS COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION, 1774 – 1783
-The story of the Revolution. -The county faithful to the colonies. -The first steps taken.* -Committee of Safety. -Men enter the army. – The campaign of 1776. -Washington cross the Delaware. -Boats collected. -Troops distributed. -Suffering of troops. -James Monroe. -Death of Captain Moore. -Sullivan joins the army. -Quarters of Washington, Greene and Knox. -Headquarters. -Attack on Trenton. -Return of army with prisoners. -Oath of allegiance. -Militia of Bucks turn out. -Continental army crosses Bucks county. -Lafayette. -British occupancy of Philadelphia. Depredations. -Lacey’s command. -Battle of Crooked Billet.* -Bucks county riflemen. -The Doanes. -The disloyal. -Confiscations. -Hardships of the war. Revolutionary data.*
. . .
When the British sailed south from New York, in July 1777, the Continental army again crossed the Delaware [River^] into Bucks county. Washington, with Greene’s division, reached Coryell’s ferry [now New Hope, PA^] the night of the 29th, and one brigade crossed over before morning. General Stephen, with two divisions, crossed at Howell’s ferry, four miles above, and Lord Sterling at Trenton. The troops which crossed at Coryell’s and Howell’s, composing the bulk of the army, were put in march down the York road the morning of the 31st of July, Washington setting out for Philadelphia at the same time, where we find him the 3d of August, and whence he joined the army at Germantown before the 6th. On the supposition that the enemy had returned to New York [City^], the army retraced its steps and [we find it at the [Little^] Neshaminy [Creek^], on the [Old^] York road just above the present Hartsville, then the Cross Roads,*] on Sunday evening, the 10th of August. Here it was halted by an [order of Congress*]. It remained encamped on the Neshaminy hills 13 days, and until it was known that the enemy was about to land at the head of the Elk.
[While the Continental army lay at Neshaminy its strength was about 11,000, composed of four divisions, Greene’s, Sterling’s, Stephen’s and Lincoln’s, divided into eight brigades, Maxwell, Scott, Weedon, Muhlenburg, Wayne, Woodford, Nash and Conway. The main body was encamped on the slopes of Carr’s hill facing southwest, the rest occupying the Jamison and Ramsey farms a mile down the Bristol road, and here the cattle were slaughtered. The Neshaminy [-Warwick Presbyterian^] church was probably used for an hospital. The location made an admirable camping ground, surrounded by a fertile and healthy country and peopled by a loyal Scotch-Irish population. The officers on duty here were the elite of the Continental army. While Lafayette had witnessed previously a review of the army near Germantown, there is no evidence he reported for duty prior to the Neshaminy encampment. Here he first sat at the council board and took an active part in military duty. Washington had his headquarters in what was then the “Moland” house, a stone dwelling, still standing on the east side of the [Old^] York road 100 yards north of the “Cross Roads” [which^] had three or four dwellings, and a tavern on the northwest comer, opposite the present one, and the general landmarks were the same as present.*]
The anny was again put in motion down the York road, on the morning of the 23rd, and the next day marched through Philadelphia and across the Schuylkill [River^] to meet the enemy on the disastrous field of Brandywine. The approach of the British army caused great alarm in this section of country, which Washington’s defeat and the fall of Philadelphia greatly increased. Lafayette, who was wounded at Brandywine, was taken to Chester and thence conveyed up the Delaware to Bristol, en route for Bethlehem. He stayed overnight at Bristol at the public house of Simon Betz, and was waited on by his niece, Mrs. Charles Bessonette. From Bristol, Lafayette traveled up the Durham road in an easy carriage to his destination, stopping on his way at Four Lanes End [now Langhorne^], Newtown, Stoffel Wagner’s tavern, built 1752, a mile above Hellertown and other points. At Bethlehem he occupied the house owned in recent years by Ambrose Rauch, on Main street west of the Sun Inn, and tom down 1872.
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Permission was granted by Donna Bluemink, dbluemink@cox.net. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts in transcribing and editingDavis’ History for online access.