1780. all round the frontiers, Thus the people in the new towns had been employed for two or three weeks: befide, fome large and extenfive fires had raged in the woods for feveral days before they could be extinguished. The weather being clear, the air weighty, and the winds fmall and variable for several days; the smoke instead of difperfing, rofe and conftantly collected in the air, till the atmosphere was loaded with such an uncommon quantity of it, as proved in combination with other vapors the parent of the preceding darkness *. Let us proceed to our military narrative.

June

6.

7.

Eleven days previous to Sir Henry Clinton's arrival at New York from Charlestown, the gens. Knyphausen, Robertson, Tryon and Sterling, paffed over by night, with 5000 men, from Staten Inland to Elizabeth-towni Point. Col. Dayton, who commanded fome militia, hearing that they were coming in force, went and reconnoitred, and placed a guard of twelve men in advance, whom he ordered to oppose the enemy as long as they could, and then retire. Sterling being the youngest general, commanded the advanced corps, and was fired upon and wounded in the knee by the twelve, fhortly after the debarkation: this however occafioned no long delay. The royal troops entered Elizabeth-town very early in the morning; where they obferved ftrict difcipline and great decorum. They then advanced to Connecticut Farms about five miles diftant. In this neighbourhood lived the Rev. Mr. James Caldwell, the prefbyterian minister of Elizabeth-town. The active part he had taken in fupport of the American cause, and his

See Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, vol. i. p. 234. Bofton printed, 1785.

fuccessful influence in fpiriting up the Jersey people to 1780.
oppofe the British forces, rendered him an object of
their keeneft refentment, and made it infecure for him,
to refide in his own town. Upon the news of the ene-
my's advancing, he withdrew from his present habita-
tion; and fuppofing that it might be done with fafety,
left his wife and children behind. Mrs. Caldwell how-
ever was afterward fearful of staying, left there should
be firing in the street, till col. Dayton advised her to
continue, as he fhould not fuffer it in his troops, which
would prevent the danger of it from the enemy. He
accordingly marched the militia from the Farms, on to
a pafs leading to Springfield, of which he poffeffed him-
self. Soon after, the royal forces arrived in the neigh-
bourhood of the Farms, when a foldier came to the
house, and putting his gun to the window of the room
where Mrs. Caldwell was fitting (with her children,
and a maid with an infant in her arms along fide of her)
fired and fhot her inftantly dead. The body, at the
earnest request of an officer of the new levies, was with
fome difficulty fuffered to be carried to a finall house at
a distance, before Mr. Caldwell's dwelling was fet on
fire and confumed, together with every thing belonging
to him. The enemy burnt about a dozen other houses,
and the prefbyterian meeting, and then marched toward
Springfield. Col. Dayton, with the militia that joined
the few taken with him, fought them for a while at the
pass he had occupied. On their approaching the bridge
near the town, they found a fmall body of continental
troops under gen. Maxwell, and a number of militia
haftily collected within a few hours, pofted at the place :
they therefore halted, and continued on the fame ground

1780. all round the frontiers, Thus the people in the new towns had been employed for two or three weeks: befide, some large and extenfive fires had raged in the woods for feveral days before they could be extinguished. The weather being clear, the air weighty, and the winds fmall and variable for feveral days; the fmoke instead of dispersing, rofe and conftantly collected in the air, till the atmosphere was loaded with fuch an uncommon quantity of it, as proved in combination with other vapors the parent of the preceding darkness *. Let us proceed to our military narrative.

Eleven days previous to Sir Henry Clinton's arrival at New York from Charlestown, the gens. Knyphaufen, Robertson, Tryon and Sterling, paffed over by night, with 5000 men, from Staten Ifland to Elizabeth-towni Point. Col. Dayton, who commanded fome militia, hearing that they were coming in force, went and reconnoitred, and placed a guard of twelve men in advance, whom he ordered to oppose the enemy as long as they could, and then retire. Sterling being the youngest general, commanded the advanced corps, and was fired upon and wounded in the knee by the twelve, shortly after the debarkation: this however occafioned no long delay. The royal troops entered Elizabeth-town very early in the morning; where they obferved ftrict difcipline and great decorum. They then advanced to Connecticut Farms about five miles diftant. In this neighbourhood lived the Rev. Mr. James Caldwell, the prefbyterian minister of Elizabeth-town. The active part he had taken in fupport of the American cause, and his

*See Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, vol. i. p. 234. Bofton printed, 1785.

fuccefsful influence in fpiriting up the Jersey people to 1780.
oppofe the British forces, rendered him an object of
their keeneft refentment, and made it infecure for him.
to refide in his own town. Upon the news of the ene-
my's advancing, he withdrew from his present habita-
tion; and fuppofing that it might be done with fafety,
left his wife and children behind. Mrs. Caldwell how-
ever was afterward fearful of ftaying, left there should
be firing in the ftreet, till col. Dayton advised her to
continue, as he should not fuffer it in his troops, which
would prevent the danger of it from the enemy. He
accordingly marched the militia from the Farms, on to
a pafs leading to Springfield, of which he poffeffed him-
self. Soon after, the royal forces arrived in the neigh-
bourhood of the Farms, when a foldier came to the
house, and putting his gun to the window of the room
where Mrs. Caldwell was fitting (with her children,
and a maid with an infant in her arms along fide of her)
fired and fhot her inftantly dead. The body, at the
earneft request of an officer of the new levies, was with
fome difficulty fuffered to be carried to a finall house at
a distance, before Mr. Caldwell's dwelling was fet on
fire and confumed, together with every thing belonging
to him. The enemy burnt about a dozen other houses,
and the prefbyterian meeting, and then marched toward
Springfield. Col. Dayton, with the militia that joined
the few taken with him, fought them for a while at the
pafs he had occupied. On their approaching the bridge
near the town, they found a fmall body of continental
troops under gen. Maxwell, and a number of militia
haftily collected within a few hours, pofted at the place:
they therefore halted, and continued on the fame ground

1780. till night, when the design of attacking Springfield was given up, and they returned to Elizabeth-town in a degree of confufion.

No fooner had intelligence of their excurfion reached Morris-town, than a detachment of the American army was ordered to Springfield: this however, when joined to the force already there, would have been no wife equal to the royal army. The whole number of continentals did not exceed two thousand five hundred men. It was thought by the Americans, that the enemy's intentions, when they came out, were to drive gen. Washington from Morris-town, and to fpread defolation through that part of the country. Gen. Greene, confidering the ftrength of the enemy and the weakness of the continental army, was defirous that the commander in chief would change his pofition, under the plea of marching to guard the heights of the North River, on the affumed fuppofition, that the real design of the enemy was against them, and that Knyphaufen's attack was only meant as a feint: but the fudden return of the latter to Elizabeth-town, rendered the measure for the prefent unneceffary. The murder of Mrs. Caldwell may be viewed as the act of a fingle foldier; but the burning of houfes must be placed to the account of the commanding of ficers. Thefe events excited fuch an enthufiaftic rage, that the militia turned out with remarkable fpirit, and did themselves great honor. The commander in chief, in his fubfequent general orders, highly commended the behaviour of the militia and all the corps concerned in opposing Knyphausen, and said—" Col. Dayton merits particular thanks." The enemy had been told, before they entered on the trial, that fhould they march 5000