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 1 
 
 6 
 
ZM 
 
 CATHOLICITY 
 
 IN 
 
 Westchester County, 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Seventeen fltftfi 
 
 Eighty One- 
 
 ^■V 
 
 i^,. 
 
 
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4 
 
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 jia. iui $M., Irs 
 
 CATHOLICITY 
 
 IN 
 
 WESTCHESTER, N. Y., 
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 St. RAYMOND'S Church, 
 
 WESTCHESTER, N. Y., 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. D. P. ONE ILL, 
 
 ASSISTANT RECTOR OF ST. RAYMOND'S ; 
 
 CHAPLAIN OF THE N. Y. CATHOLIC PROTEC 
 Westchester, N. Y. 
 
 N. Y. C. PROTECTORY PRINT, 
 
 WESTCHESTER, N. Y. 
 
Coi'VRKJfIT, l8(/^, 
 
 HK\'. I), p. O'NKII. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Thanks are returned to Kev. E. MoKenna, pastor of St. Kay- 
 monds, to Rev. E. J. Fl.ynn, Mount V.rnon. and the N Y 
 l.atl)olic Protectory, for courtesies extended in the past The 
 wnter 's in,lebted for material to the State Library. Albany, 
 N v'p^ \- "'«t«'-'CHl Society, Astor and Lenox Librarie;. 
 i^. I. i.ity. Una article commemorates the advent in 1781 of a 
 Koman Catholic priest, and 5,000 Roman Catholic French soldiers, 
 in Westchester County, N. Y., and the Borcugh of the Hronx 
 As yet, Roman Catholics have done little or nothing to keep alive 
 the memory of an event so important in the history of the-connty, 
 and our Church. That public spirited and patriotic organization, 
 the Sons of the Revolution, in gratitude for French aid. 1776- 
 178:i, are erecting tablets, printing old records ; thereby siioNving 
 their appreciation of the services rendered by France to tlie 
 L nited States during the Revolutionary period. All honor to these 
 worthy sons of worthy sires," generally not of our faith or 
 Church who are reminding the Roman Catholics of Westchester 
 of the debt which they and the whole country owe to such Cath- 
 olic heroes as Rochambeau, Viomenil, De Noailles, and Custine. 
 Let the Roman Catholics of the Borough of the Bronx, and all 
 Westchester Americans, irrespective of race or creed, come i ,<rether 
 and devise means for remembering in un enduring and substl.tial 
 forn, the heroism displayed in this region during the campaign 
 
 o 1781, by Washington, the American patriots, and the French 
 allies. 
 
 jy. F. Catholic Protectory, 
 July 4th, 1890. 
 
CATHOLICITY IN WI'STCHESTER. 
 
 May 2d, 17H0. n Fioiicii s(iiimlroii siiiling from the hivrbor of 
 Brest, Franco, arrived ut Newport, Khodo Ishiiul, July llth, 4 |). m. 
 This fleet, coMinmndod by Adrninil Do Terimy, carried 5,088 
 troops und the Count Rocl.ambeau, who, with those soldiers, ut 
 the command of Louis \'\'I., came over from France to aid 
 Washington and the Americana in their struggle for Independence. 
 Washington, then in New Jersey with the army, sent General Heath 
 as his representative to welcome tiio French allies, and see that 
 they wore properly received and entertained by the local authori- 
 ties and citizens. 
 
 The French Army disembarked on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of July, 
 1780, and took up quarters in a camp marked out for it, between' 
 I'Hwtuxit Avenue and North Street, Newi>ort. July 13th, Rocham- 
 beau opened military hospitals for the reception of eight hun.lred 
 sick soldiers In Providence College, Presbyterian Church, 395 New 
 Lane, a:ulat Mrs. Ilopkin's. 195 Mill Street. July 18th, the French 
 commander visited the sick interned in the Presbyterian Church, 
 called again on the -m, and heard Mass there. Tlie Abb6 
 Glesnon, chief hospital chaplain, was assisted in the discharo-e of 
 clerical duty by the Abbe Lacy, an L-ish priest, who in September 
 and October, 1783, ministered to th.e Roman Catholics in Westches- 
 ter County, New York. July 25th, 3Gth, Sir Henry Clinton and 
 
6 Catuohcity in Westchester County. 
 
 Admiral Arbuthnot collected a fleet and eight thousand men at Xew 
 York for an attack upon ohe French at Newport. Tliis expe- 
 dition sailed up Long Island Sound as far as Huntington, L. I., 
 and then returned to New York. July 29th, a delegation of 
 twenty-four Iroquois Indians from Albany, New York, visited the 
 camp, had an interview with Rochambeau, and expressed a desire 
 to hear Mass. The request was granted. This band came at the 
 suggestion of General Schuyler, who was anxious for an alliance 
 between the Americans and Iroquois. They were well disponed 
 toward the French, especially M. de Vaudreuil, the last French 
 Governor General of Canada, w; j made them a present of a gold 
 crucifix and watch. They left for Albany on the 2d of Septem- 
 ber, more than ever inclined to cultivate friendly relations with the 
 Americans. Later on, in September, 1780, another Indian com- 
 mittee from Maine asked for a resident priest. De Ternay selected 
 one of the naval chaplains, a Capuchin father, to work in a field 
 where the harvest was groat and the laborers few. In less than three 
 months the influence of the French camp in behalf of Catholicity 
 was felt for hundreds of miles around : as far north as Albany, 
 New York, in the forests a.id backwoods of Maine. September 
 34th, the military and naval commanders returned from their first 
 conference at Hartford, Connecticut, with Washington, Hamilton, 
 and Lafayette. The French were delighted with Washington, and 
 the Americans more than pleased with the urbanity, military ac- 
 complishments, and dignified bearing of the French officers. 
 Admiral De Ternay, commander of the naval forces, died in New- 
 port, December 15th, of typhoid fever. On the following day a 
 
Catholicity in Westchester Counij. 7 
 
 solemn Mass of Requiem was sung for the repose of his soul, and 
 he was buried in Trinity churchyard with all the honors of war. 
 
 A spectator thus describes his interment : " The coffin was pre- 
 ceded by twelve priests, and as the funeral was at twilight, with 
 lighted torches in their hands, around the grave, they chanted the 
 Roman Catholic service, and performed all the rites of the Roman 
 Catholic Church with a genuine feeling of sadness naturally awak- 
 ened by the ability and virtues of the dead." March Otii, 1781, 
 Washington made his first formal visit to the camp, and received 
 the honors usually accorded a royal prince or marshal of France. 
 April, 17SI, M. de Jansecourt organized a French masoniclodge in 
 Newport. The names of those who joined have been published, 
 and from this record it would appear that Freemasonry made but lit- 
 tle progress among tjje officers or soldiers. May 8th, 1781, the frigate 
 Concorde arrived in Boston, bringing the Abbe Robin and des- 
 patches from the French government rooommending a forward 
 movement against the English by land and sea, and a union of the 
 Frenchand American forces, the latter then encamped in and around 
 West Point, N. Y. Rochambeau notified Washington, who on May 
 22d met the Frencli leader at Hartford, where they held a council of 
 war. An attack on New York City by way of Westchester or Staten 
 Island was ordered, and incase of failure, the seat of war was to be 
 transferred to Virginia. June 9th, 5 a. m., the French Army, accom- 
 panied by a chaplain, the Abbe Robin, began its forward march of 
 215 miles from Newport to New York. They remained at Provi- 
 dence from the 11th to the 18th, M.iiting for horses and oxen to 
 draw the artillery, provision, and ambulance wagons. Hartford 
 
8 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 was reached on the 32d, and after a rest of two days the French 
 pushed on to Bedford, Westchester County, New York, which 
 they entered on Sunday evening, July Ist, 1781. Iti ilie meantime 
 Gen. Lincoln, on Sunday, July 1st, with 800 Americans in 50 boats, 
 dropped down the Hudson River on the east side to Dobbs Ferry, 
 landed there, and on July 3d, this division fo'-med the advanced 
 guard of the American Army at Kingsbridge. Monday, July 2d, 
 3 a. m., Washington followed from Peekskill on the Westchester- 
 Hudson River road, reaching Valentine Hill at sunrise, Tues- 
 day, July 3d, 1781. The united forces of De Lauzun, Walerbury, 
 and Sheldon made a forced march of twenty -eight miles from 
 Bedford to Eastchester, Mount Vernon, hoping 1;o capture or de- 
 stroy the loyalist regiment of De Laiicey, then supposed to be 
 
 i 
 
 at Morrieania. Rochambeau, with his regiments, brought up the 
 rear, at North Castle, northeast of White Plains. 
 
 Such was tlie disposition of the allied forces in the attack of 
 Tuesday, July 3d, 1781, upon the British posts at Kingsbridge. The 
 attempt to capture New York was frustrated by a party of Hes- 
 sians looking for companions, who the day before ventured up to 
 Yonkers for a supply of hay. They discovered the Americans at 
 Kingsbridge, supported De Lancey at Williamsbridge, rescued their 
 comrades at Van Courtlandt, gave the alarm to the N. Y. garrison, 
 and retreated within the fortifications at the upper end of New 
 York Island. Washington, after reconnoitering the enemy's out- 
 posts, 3 p. m., returned to Valenti.ie Hill ; and at 8 p. m., Tuesday, 
 July 3d, 1781, sent a dispatch from that place to Rochambeau, an- 
 
 nouncing the result of the skirmish. 
 
 Washington celebrated Wed- 
 
CathoUcity in Westchester County. 9 
 
 nesday, July 4th, 1781, by marching from Valentine Hill to the camp 
 at Dobbs Ferry, on the Hudson. De Lauzun made his way to Chat- 
 terton Hill, White Plains, and Rochambeau bivouacked at North 
 Castle. The French suffered severely from the intense heat, and 400 
 were sun-struck, Friday, July 6th, on the march from North 
 Castle to their encampment on the east of the American line 
 at Dobbs Ferry. The labors of the chaplain, the Abb6 Robin, 
 in the military hospitals, must have been trying and arduous. An 
 hospital for the Frencli was first established at North Castle, af- 
 terwards transferred three miles to the west of White Plains, and 
 finally located in St. Peter's P. E. Church, Peekskill. Washington 
 and Luzerne, the French minister, reviewed the army: the former, on 
 Sunday, the 8th ; the latter, on Tuesday, the 10th. Another attack on 
 the English, ordered for Saturday, the 14th, 5 p. m., was deferred on 
 accountof bad weather and an attempt of English war vessels at 
 Tarrytown to destroy two American boats laden with war supplies. 
 On the 18th, Dumas, a French engineer, carefully explored the 
 country between the opposing armies, whileat the same time Wash- 
 ington and Rochambeau crossed the Hudson River to the Palisades 
 thereby obtaining a good view of the enemy's position in New 
 York City, on the east side of the Hudson River. Saturday, July 
 aist. 8 p. m., the Americans were again in the field. Generals Lin- 
 coln and Howe led the divisions on the east side of the H^^dson River • 
 Waterbury, with Sheldon's cavalry and the Connecticut infantry, 
 advanced against the loyalists on Tlirogg's Neck, Westchester Town, 
 while De Chastelluxand De Lauzun bore down on De Lancey at 
 Morrisania. The American and French forces formed a junction on 
 
10 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 Valentine Hill at daybreak, Sunday, July 22d, 1781, and at 5 a m 
 were in battle array, the line of battle extending from Kingebridge 
 to De Lancey's Mills, West Farms. 
 
 The Americans and French crossed the Harlem River and Spuy ten 
 Buy v,l Creek to Manhattan Island, under a heavy fire from the Eng- 
 hsh war-ships, artillery, and infantry. American coolness and 
 bravery under these trying circumstances elicited the admiration 
 and praise of the French officers and soldiers, who now, for 
 the first time during the campaign, had an opportunity of 
 see.ng the American soldier engaged in real warfare. Some of 
 the French engaged in expelling the loyalists from Throgg's Neck 
 and Morrisunia plundered the inhabitants, for which offense they 
 were by comnucnd of theirofficers afterwards flogged. The follow- 
 -g letter, published in Rivington's Royalist N. Y. Magazine, Mon- 
 day, July 30th, 1781, from a loyalist mother living at Morrisania to 
 her son, an English officer in the city, pays a high tribute to the 
 French officers, who rescued herself and four daughters from the 
 hands of brutal Swiss mercenaries. 
 "My Dear Son:— 
 
 " The ill treatment we poor women received from Swiss soldiers in 
 particular, encouraged by their guides, beggars description. The 
 French, whom we feared most, were the only persons who treated 
 us hke human beings; their officers behaved well, and protected 
 those about them more than could be expected. Should any of 
 them fall into your hands, use them well." Monday, 5 a. m., 
 July 33d, Washington, Rochambeau, and a company of engineers 
 rode to the end of Throgg's Neck, AVestchester Town, for the 
 
Catholicity in Westchester County. jj 
 
 purpose of measuring the distance to Long island, with the in- 
 tention of afterwards using these calcnhitiona in future military 
 operations. The distinguished party left the town at 6 p. m., 
 rode back to Dobbs Ferry, where they found the rest of the 
 forces back in quarters after campaigning for forty-eight hours 
 in and around the Harlem Eiver, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and 
 Long Island Sound. Sunday, Aug. 19th, the army faced about, 
 marching north to King's Ferry, Verplancks Point. The Amer- 
 icans crossed the Hudson from that place to Stony Point, Haver- 
 straw, Monday, Aug. 30th, 10 a. ni. ; the French from Wednesday, 
 Aug. 22d, to Sunday, Aug. 26th. Sunday, Aug. 26th, the army wal 
 on its way to Yorktown, Virginia, where, in conjunction with the 
 French fleet under Du Grasse, it secured American Lidependence. 
 and ended the War of the Revolution by forcing Cornwallis to sur- 
 render. A word about Abbe Kobin, chaplain of the French forces 
 in Westchester, July and August, 1781. 
 
 In 1783, he published a book in Philadelphia, entitled " Nou- 
 
 veau Voyage, D. L' Amerique, Septentrionale, in U anne 1781." 
 
 Par M. L. Abbe Robin A Pliiladelphia et se trouve a Paris, 
 
 MDCCLXXXIII. A Dutch translation, "Nieuwo Reize door 
 
 Nord America," was issued in Amsterdam, 1782. The English 
 
 version made its appearance in Philadelphia, 1783, under the 
 
 title of -New Travels Through North America," in a series of 
 
 letters. Exhibiting the history of the victorious campaign of the 
 
 allied armies under his excellency, General Washington, and the 
 
 Count De Rochambeau, in the year 1781, Philadelphia, printed 
 
 and sold for two-thirds of a dollar, by Robert Bell, hx Third Street, 
 
^^ Oatholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 MDCCLXXXIU. A tmnslation was also printed in Boston, 1784, 
 by E. E. rowarsand N. Willis for E. ]?attelle, to be sold by him at 
 bis book store, State Street, MDCCLXXXIV. Copies of the first 
 French edition and of the English and Dutch translations are to be 
 found in the Astor and Lenox libraries, Xew York. The narra- 
 tive of the Abbe is of greatest interest to Westchester Roman Cutho- 
 lies, because it contains three letters, dated Monday, July 30th, 
 Saturday, August 4th, Wednesday, August loth, 1781, from the 
 French camp at Pinllipsburg, between White Plains and Dobbs 
 Ferry. These epistles are, as fur as we know, the first literary etiort 
 of any Jto.nan Catholic priest in Westchester Countv, New York. 
 Unfortunately the Abb^ makes no mention of his priestly work here; 
 but DeCourcey, m his -Ilistoryof the Roman Catholic Church in the' 
 United States,'-' p. 54, speaks of the effect the presence of the army 
 chaplains had upon the Catholics then to be found in different sec- 
 tions of the country. •' The march of Rochambeau's army through 
 several states, where Mass had never before been said, brought "to 
 light Roman Catholics in many places where they were not known to 
 exist ; and the army chaplains were often surrounded by thedescen- 
 dants of Irishmen or Acadians who now saw a priest for the first time, 
 <and implored them to stay " During his stay in Westchester, from 
 Monday, July 2d, to Saturday, August 2oth,ir81, the Abbe offi- 
 ciated on Tompkins Fann, FroT-.h Hill, Yorktown, at Unionville, 
 Pleasantville. and North Castle, the latter districts now attended 
 by the French Dominican Fathers, Sherman Park. Rochambeau's 
 headquarters were at Ilartsdale, and it is more than likely that the 
 Abbe held religious services there on Sunday, July 9th, IfJth, 30th ; 
 
 

 VathoUcity in Westchester County. jg 
 
 August oth, 12th, 19th ; possibly near Valentine Hill, Sunday, 
 July 22d ; and at Stony Point, Haverstraw, August 26th, 1781. 
 July, 1782, the French broke camp in Virginia, marching north- 
 ward through Baltimore, Pliiladelphia, New Jersey, to Haver- 
 straw ; sailing from Haverstraw across the Hudson to Peekskill, 
 from Peekskill to Crompond, northern Westchester, where they 
 encamped from September Uth to Oct. 23d, 1782. 
 
 The following memorandum, dated July 18th, 1782, is to be 
 found on page 10,5 in the Diary of Claude Blanchard, Com- 
 missary General of the French Army. " On the 18th we came to 
 Dumfries, Virginia. I was lodged in the house of an Irishwoman, 
 twenty-six years old. In the evening I introduced her to one of 
 her fellow-countrymen, an Irish priest, the Abbe Lacy, the chaplain 
 of our hospital, whom she received very well." Later on Blanchard 
 tells us that on the journey from Philadelphia to New York, the 
 Abb6 Lacy acted as interpreter for the French who could not speak 
 English, and that one hundred sick soldiers were brought from Hav- 
 erstraw to Peekskill, and placed in St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, converted into an hospital during the Revolutionary War. 
 The Abbe Lacy, and probably the Abbe Glesnon, ministered from 
 Sept. 14th to Oct. 23.1, 1782, to the same people, and in the same 
 places, as their predecessor, the Abbe Robin, in 1781. The French, 
 on Oct. 23d, 1782, departed from Westchester for Boston, taking the 
 overland route ; sailed from that port Dec. 24th, 1782, and after 
 an absence of two years and eight months in America, landed in 
 France, May 17th, 1783. As an appendix to this article, we submit 
 to the inspection of the reader, the letters of the Abbe Robin, com- 
 posed Monday, July 30th, Saturday, Aug. 4th, and Wednesday, 
 Aug. 15th, 1781, in Westchester County, Kew York. 
 
 I 
 
LETTERS OF THE ABBE ROBIN. 
 
 tiffuesofamnitarvlif! f;~ ¥^' ^^'"'*""s> its founder.-Fu- 
 
 of he A, "e c ,s -LTJ ^ro'^'r"?. '''" '^''f'' ^'''^^''«"«' ^"^ food 
 point of mukin'lt;7^TT'"'f "^ ^''« P^op'e of Connecticut in 
 
 several k nds of trpp<! ><^nf« ^/V Ir ''"~^"^ ^^'^-'^^^ and 
 
 -Devastatio?,, occiS,;^'" ;° tW Z -^^7^1^^:' 'l'""' 
 July 3()th, 1781 wui.— oamp at Pliiilipsburg, 
 
 nation affords it a iraufu\ln,^l' It'^ofle Island. Tliis sit- 
 
 salt l...)visioL fof lo Wp,T ? 1 ■'? 1" "?'■"' "''''^«- ^"'"ber, and 
 vessels b . tlere Til town 'h' ''^'"-'^'i ' }^'''' "^'^ ^^^^ "'^"'J 
 name. P.ov de, c^ PWnHo ^'^^.^'-^P'tal of a colony of thesami 
 
 Rliodelshnd A i.V^^^^^^ '' "'*''' incorporated with the State of 
 in Mass ic etts B u wh^ ^^'^'' ^^''■"''^"^^' ^ »»"i«ter 
 
 for proachinr evv^iS^t es Jeth^^^^^^^ ^^ >1", .magistrates 
 
 and founded a colo v i vfn'o- H f ^ ^^"' ^J""^ "'^^^ '"« followers, 
 to preserve posS'tv^ 5. 'n *'^^ '^'^"'^ «f i'rovidence. in orde • 
 lie had experiS ^ f h J?'"^'"''''/^ the odious treatment 
 wholly takerurvith L '-'^ th ere _ forty years in solitude, 
 structing the In^liS ''^.^2^'^ thy ntnnt settlement and !«: 
 principles and pn ct cos of , 1 n T^' ^o"ie pieces against the 
 far m-inne. f liVl i" i ^^>« Q'^i'^ers, and m the end, hisregu- 
 to repen'of h ' usllf s tr;t",' conduct forced hi^ enenfies 
 see. sir. theannlof ,iv ^\^'1,''f'^^ '""i- ^"^1 thus you 
 
 treat of the irJ^udsoipnl ?"*•'" ' ^''^ "P "^ ^''^ q"'"et re- 
 
Catholicity in Westchester County. 15 
 
 them the companions of my labours and my pleasures -what a 
 change do I experience now when I am tra,.spo.-ted h.to'the ml? 
 of the hurry of camps-all tumult and comn,otion arou,^ rne-and 
 experiencing every moment a thousand wants • me-and 
 
 Here I am taught to fix the true value upon useful inventions and 
 to distinguish them from those which are only cur a and X^ 
 sica A single sheet protects me from i]l inclemency of the" 
 weather ; and I am without books to divert my mind fr m h I 
 tigues I feel. The difficulty of providing a " ffic ncy of ar ia J^" 
 and finding provision to support the horses or oxen, obnge^St 
 Rochambeau to order that no officer should n-in-v um-h, i • 
 than one hundred and fifty poiS we S t inSi^^ i ^TuT 
 etc. ; and thus it happened Fn o.n xj^l^^^lt't^^^^^ S 
 almost all of us were ,n want of some one necessary orano li^r 1 
 
 ing tlie hottest part of the day for the hncrano-l i.„/ ""/" 
 
 any repose. Tlfe sun has even^ som im'^eS^^'s\ fiS^^^ '''^' 
 
 before our weak stomachs have begu^to rSve 1 d d l=f l?' 
 necessary food. Stretched it full uV^fi ^^ ^^^^^^ *^^® 
 
 panting with thirst In e often wLleS^kpT? '^^ ^'"^'"'^ ^»d 
 GospeCthat anotheV Lazarus w"rd1ipijffii'/ei"^ tTw"/ ''^ 
 cool my parched tongue. Our young generals who h^,vrv f *:? 
 m ease and delicacy, bore up under tlSe ff/ia, I '/k ^'^" ^''^^ 
 resolution that makes nieTh^h for Jv w fkno.T 'i'^'^'Tf ^^ 
 tables exhibiting at the same time ^^buLVce anT^^^^^^ ^ 
 
 the officers to a state of living which the want o dS^s^^^^^^ 
 otlei necessary n.eans would render it impossible for them otW 
 wise to enjoy. Diey encourage the soldiers under the Srkv of 
 duty, by marching before them on foot. M. Le V comte rilV 
 allies has in particular made a whole campaign on f 0^ ^m.l: 
 you will wonder at most is, that the French nefer lose heir clLer 
 fulness and gaiety m these painful and laborious rrarche tL 
 Americans, whom curiosity brings by thous-inrls In n , 
 
 
le 
 
 Valkolicity in Westchester County. 
 
 eqimlity. ami these uro tho first fruits of the uUiuiice which is we 
 hope to subsist perpetually between the two nations! The fa l.eTs 
 
 w .0 wS roriLrf'" t:^ "^ ^'""' "'^'^'"^' «--« ^ ^'-» ''•'- 
 
 wno. When tlioy first lieani of our niarcii iiir, viowini; us through 
 t u, mednun of proju.lioe and misreprosentatimi, had m'ml e fo 
 the,r possessions and their lives. Their newspaper cUi I;!/ ou 
 
 T . l';"' ■'"'T- ^'"^'^•.'? •'"J"'^^''^" t« ^''« discipline of ou irn y 
 , o „ 'l 1"'^''';^ ^«^' ^^'['' Jo.V forgets thefatiguls of the n.or i g 
 m makx-shinuself wretched by anticipating \hose of to-n.orw 
 
 w eei^tr',H.!;h'T''^^^S'" ^''« «^''^'« "f tlfeir national growt l," 
 Wherein the istinctions of birth and rank are scarcely known conl 
 
 ask tf.e latter what his trade was in his own countrv, not beinir 
 pe n rnent Tan vf ' ' 'f-I-tion of a soldier may "be fixed 2 
 su ivMN 11 L '^^ l^^ ^^■^''^ Marrpiis ,le Lafayette 
 
 Th in el tirf^^^^ I? ''•" ^"^^''•i'^""« ^v J.is title of Marquis, 
 excited't H n '^'"''^^ ^''«"'»^y the Marc uis. 
 
 ?ou ' A no i,r ■'^'"''^ 'fP'^^' to a great degree; and the 
 S5s bono "^'^^"\^'^ always considered it as one of their 
 n av bo H f ' 'f^T'^''"*^^'^ ''"^^' that nobleman. Whatever 
 ffinl n Hi. b7''^^. this army, it will always retain the glory of 
 navng nm le the most lasting impression in these countries and 
 rendered the memory of the French name dear and preco, to a 1_ 
 
 syctinrromnii'.^f '"" ^^ ''T ^'?'^'^'""' -'^^ vizi:ire 
 
 cZi e t £Z?r^^ ^^^'^ «'• «P''^''tding universal 
 
 3';^ the trf/'^T^f >,«»•«' I'ad no expectations of dis- 
 midst of tbp In ""K ^}^ ^ '■'""'' '"'^^^^^ ^"d fashions in the 
 midst ot the wilds and forests of America. The head-dresses 
 all the women, except Quakers, are high-Pr>reading decked 
 
 fl e SL^^'f?.' -^''''^'^ ' '-^"'^ lierelSannot bu^,Xt m,on 
 the oddness of their taste, when 1 find through the whole state 
 
 sav to^"f"'"' T P'-«^'"Ji"g '•^" inclination^or dress 1 my 
 say to a degree ot extravagance, with manners at the same tTme 
 
 ha^ie'T'^,"; I-f.- to resemble those of the Incient pat "•! 
 
 Sl^offood Tlivf"T"''"^"^'''^ "'"^ their most cLmon 
 CO H fr?i' \-l V«^^'^^«o."'"ch tea, and this sober infusion 
 Te st ^be on'nT t'''T'' °^their lives. There is not a sing 
 s^aucers .nd nZ vn <^f « .^^ot drink it out of China cuns and 
 li tv ami wei Z ' '"^""l"^ ''' ''^"'"' *^'>^ S^^'-^^est markof civ- 
 v th 1 em r . I '^" ''!^'' y^"' '^ '« ^"^ite you to dnnk it 
 ■mddrnUnf! ^^""tries where the inhabitants live upon foods 
 
 i alth but I tli^lt '"^'^^^^^ '' ""^^be useful to the 
 
 rl; " ,^^^ ^^ '^ prejudicial in those where they subsist 
 
 mostly on vegetables and milk, especially when tL soil/ yet too 
 
which is, wo 
 The fatliers 
 8 ; even those 
 < 118 through 
 -rem hied for 
 irin<,' nil our 
 of our urniy. 
 lie niorjiing, 
 f to-morrow. 
 Hill growth, 
 known, con- 
 V, uiid often 
 , not being 
 >e fixed and 
 B liRfuyette 
 of Miirquis. 
 lie Marquis, 
 ! ; and the 
 )ne of their 
 \\ hatever 
 he glory of 
 in tries, and 
 ous to all — 
 rhaps more 
 I universal 
 )n8 of dis- 
 )ns in the 
 ead -dresses 
 nd decked 
 fleet upon 
 vhole state 
 is, 1 may 
 same time 
 nt patriar- 
 t common 
 V infusion 
 at a single 
 cups and 
 ark of civ- 
 drink it 
 pon foods 
 Pul to the 
 tey subsist. 
 1, yet too 
 
 CnthoUcUii in Wesfchester (Jounitj. 
 
 17 
 
 much shaded by the woods, makes them the less noi.rishing ; and 
 nerhaps this may be one of the causes that, with a robust and 
 healthy constitution, their lives here are much shorter than 
 those of the inhabitants of other countries. The loss of their teeth 
 is also attributed to the too frequent use of tea. 'I'he women, who 
 are commonly very handsome, are often at eighteen or twenty 
 years of age entirely deprived of this most precious ornament ; 
 though I am of opinion that this premature decay may be rather the 
 etfect of warm bread : for the English, the French, and the Dutch, 
 who are great tea-drinkers, preserve their teeth sound a long time. 
 The inhal)itant8 of Connecticut, who raise such excellent corn, are, 
 however, ignorant of the valuable art of rendering it more digestive 
 and consequently more nourishing, by thorough fermentation and 
 kneading. W henever they want bread, they make a cake which 
 they set to bake at the fire upon a thin iron plate. The French 
 whom the war brought into America, never could accustom them- 
 selves to this kind of bread, but did their endeavor to instruct the nat- 
 ives how to bring it nearer to perfection. In the inns upon the road 
 we found sonie tolerably good, but far inferior even to tha t made in 
 our army. The inhabitants who reside at a distance from the 
 highways, preserve their ancient customs in this and other particu- 
 lars with great obstinacy, and believe no bread in the world to be 
 better or more palatable than their own. Scattered about among 
 the forests, the inhabitants have little intercourse with each other 
 except when they go to church. Their dwelling-houses are spa- 
 cious, proper, airy, and built of wood, and are at least one story in 
 height, and lierein they keep all their funiture and substance. In 
 all of them that I have seen, I neverfailed to discover traces of their 
 active and inventive genius. They all know how to read ; and the 
 greatest part of ; hem take the Gazette printed in their \illa<re 
 which they often dignify with the name of town or city. I do not 
 remember ever tohaveeutered a single house without seeinga huge 
 family bible, out of which they read on evenings and Sundays to 
 their households. Tiiey are of a cold, slow, and indolent disposition, 
 and averse to labor ; the soil, with a moderate village, siipplvino- 
 them with considerably more than thev can consume. They <ro'and 
 return from their fields on horseback, and in all this country vou 
 will scarcely see a traveller on foot. The mildness of their char,icter 
 is as much owing to climate as to their customs and manners, for vou 
 hnd the same softness of disposition even in the animals of 'the 
 country. The horses are of an excellent breed, and it is common for 
 them to go long journeys at the rate of fifty or sixty miles a day. 
 J hey are very teachable, and it is a rare thing to find any of them 
 stubborn or skittish. The dog here is of a fawning, timid nature, 
 
18 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 broken a,Hl hoHPHe. Tl o Amofi,. ns n M "^ '''' '°'^« '« ''"tJier 
 
 io8tonto IVovidenco. Ilmv^S no ^-i;^''" ^"■^•'«- ^Imt fn,,,, 
 
 even when tl.o <lay ^hh f " L tclln "''J-/':?"«'' ^''« ^*'»"'''^. 
 
 dnuipy. In those ^>.tnMurre,^a: '"'?," "f,';"'^''' '^ ^''/ '^-^ ^'xtrao.- 
 'tPl.i>..;ss an.l importance inn'ouh' ^^^ "^ "/""'"«^' ««^« ''^^ 
 
 dre... He IS not toAnente,! wi lu ! 'nf^ T "'"n.berof J.iH cl.il- 
 
 ;n " rank of life i„ which ey X b ^h 'to ''^'''*' '."^ ^''"^'""^ ^''«'» 
 Bred up .nujer his eye, and f mo,l i "*''' ''"""«" futher. 
 
 ""t cover his old aire iihslno,^-^ '"s e.xan.j.le. they will 
 ;•""«. .pon him tln'twd'Shs'ir :')''• ^'''"^•'"'•^« ''"«' ^«-^- 
 to'nb. Ho no more fears thiti ^ ^ '"",''' *''^'' ""'''•"^v' to the 
 tbut might one .luv cor e , , ,. ' " '"''.'''' '' ^*"'''^"' in<lii?ence 
 ""^1 n.akehis tenJer^rt ^e nl' tT'';'" '"s paternal IVeiln;^! 
 of children. Like \ui thl\ v 1 bi Mh ' ""'' '"'' '^'' '""^''«'- 
 "res, and even their anibi inn fn i ^'"'"' ''"'■^«' ^''^'r pleas- 
 
 totheraisir.gandnuri Iv-n tt ^T'f "^ '^ '•"•''' ^'". 
 
 eniarging their fields and o dn T ' 1""' "'" ^'"'tivution and 
 
 more sunple in their ma.n.es I \,u n.n '!'''?' '"'^bandmen, 
 their ronghness and rnst oitv n ^'TV'^'' ^''^^'^ "'«« Jess of 
 neither theirlow cunnh.g o '28i\nXl';'''f ^''r^'' ^''">' ?«««««« 
 luxurious arts, and less hibo ri us h' v > rl !'"'^''"' '"^'"'«^'^'^ ^''^m 
 ancient usages, but are [TtZl\SZ''''' '" """"'' ''""^''^^ ^o 
 Meeting whatever tends to he convSncv l.,''.''''''''!.^' ""^' P^'- 
 Ihis country is intersected witl^ u?inS^ '^"V*"'<^ ^'^ I'^e. 
 
 and rivulets; but ConiiPPtJPnf p; inciedible number of rivers 
 
 the whole state. T^ town o la S f''^ ?'"«'<'^''H'^ie river in 
 cap tal, and consists at pent of fo1;ol'"^ ^Z' '^« '^'^"^•«' *« the 
 dred houses and a stree two miles in S. ^''"J.^^''''' «^^ «^« hun- 
 enough to float vessels of nhmr/ -. i ^^^''- ""-' ''ver is deeo 
 "P to the town. The so 1 tTig^^^^^^ ^'^'^3' {ons burton' 
 
 the river, and yet it produces m,,;!;^ rV*^'"* southern side of 
 other kinds of grain in TZ . ^j •"' ^"'^'»" ^o'''., and several 
 
 'n-ch whiter thf/Zth'; i„?Cce^"ncrt,?;/*" '""' ''' ^'^^^^^ 
 This was a considerable nrf nX ''^ *''^^'' equally r v.olV.pt 
 
 shuuls. where t ey evenhe^^^^^^^ V^''^^'^ ^^^^^ ''^^it 
 
 J"g of a n.ore n.eafy a' b t nee aKoi'f ""' ^"'■^^^'"' -'"•^■^- '^ 
 
tnty. 
 
 [ any violence from 
 Ills voice is mther 
 trtsftre yery lioRpit- 
 
 vii-tiie, tlmt from 
 : women tmvelling 
 '"■ojigli the woods, 
 lit history relates of 
 if* fur less extruor- 
 »f 11 family sees liis 
 limber of his cliil- 
 iieof plncin<rtliem 
 kvn liimasiifutlier. 
 vunij)lc. they will 
 io (/ares and vexa- 
 ith sorrow to the 
 fancied indigence 
 paternal feelings, 
 8 ever tiie mother 
 'res, their pleag. 
 
 of a rnral life, 
 e cultivation and 
 '<"! husbandmen, 
 have also less of 
 ed, they possess 
 ler removed from 
 iiiK'h attached to 
 en ting a?id per- 
 comfort of life, 
 umber of rivers 
 siderable river in 
 
 its banks, is the 
 >iir or five hun- 
 \ river is deep 
 fty tons burthen 
 outhern side of 
 irii, and several 
 3ad of wliich is 
 lally f \->o)1oi>t. 
 lie West hidiy 
 pean jiwir., be 
 i miKui longer 
 'i lighter than 
 ; the surface of 
 iicles are more 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 19 
 
 ubundunfcnear tlio surface, and the roots, iti consefjuenco, direct 
 themselves horizontally, and thus thov are more exposed to the im- 
 pressions of heat droughts and ni -istiire, and liable to be afflicted 
 by tiio various changes of the atmosphere ; and, indeed, I have re- 
 nuirked that the trees here almost always begin to decay at the 
 roota. I once imagined that these anti(|ue forests, into which the 
 arm of man had never carried the destructive strokes of the axe, 
 would have nothing to olTer to the view at every step but ancient 
 trees, whoe rugged, knottv, hollow trunks, worn by rains aiul frosts, 
 snpnorted nothing more than a dry, miked top stripped of its ex- 
 tenued boughs. Instead of these vonorablo tokens of age that 1 
 looked for in the woodlands, I found everywhere the freshness 
 and vigour of youth the most robust. The trunks, close and com- 
 pact, straight, and towering into the air beyond the reach of the 
 eye. display from the top a multitude of branches clothed with a 
 deeper green than ours can boast of. The oak is by fur the most 
 frequent to be met with ; for the tree most useful' to man is the 
 tree of climates— and I observed no less than six or seven different 
 sorts in this country. The leaves of one sort are broad, with almost 
 imperceptible indentings : in others, the incisions are still deeper ; 
 and in some, they are so deep that the principal fibres otily remain 
 extended. A day or two ago, I met with some oaks bearing leaves 
 that are long and narrow, and very much resembling those of the 
 peach tree. liut the monarch of these forests is the tulip, or yellow 
 tree ; its aspiring top rises above the loftiest oaks, and its thick, ex- 
 tended branches project their shadow to a very great distance ; its 
 leaf, compact, smooth, and slender, is somewhat, in shape, like a 
 man's head, with this difference : that the longest side appears to be 
 cut transversely. Each leaf is originally folded in a particular 
 wrapper, formed simply of two other leaves of an oval shape 
 touching in every point of their circumference. This principal leaf 
 afterwards separates the two others in order to expand and give 
 room for growth, in the same manner as a young bean shoots out 
 from between the leaves that confine it on each side. The tulip — 
 that brilliant flower npon which our florists lavish such a profu- 
 sion of toil and expense, grows to the number of thousands u[)on 
 this stately tree— refreshes the eye of the American native, and per- 
 fumes the air which he breathes beneath its shade. Out of this 
 the Indians make their canoes, or troughs, formed wholly of one 
 piece, and in particular the English-Americans have "followed 
 their jxample, making some of them large enough to carry more 
 than thirty men. The tulip-tree, being of a nature fitted to flour- 
 ish in every cliniuLe, it would, I think, succeed perfectly well in 
 France. More pleasant to the sight than thechesnut tree, and more 
 
20 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 clean, it would form woods and avenues fully as thick and lofty, and 
 its timber would be infinitely preferable for every kind of joiner's 
 work. The sassafras, an aromatic shrub, is found in open places 
 exposed to the siiii ; also on the sides of the highways and along 
 the skirts of fields. Its leaf resembles that of tlieflg tree, but not 
 so large or thick, and is of a paler green; it produces a small point 
 grov/ing in apod milky when it is green, and of a purple color 
 when ripe. Its odoriferous quality is resident chiefly in the bark, 
 and particularly in that of the root ; its property is sudorific. We 
 also found on the banks of the Connecticut Eiver a sort of rose- 
 laurel, covered with flowers, and affording a delightful pros- 
 pect to the eye. The gum tree, which we found in low interval 
 lands, is a species of grove-laurel, the smell of which is somewhat 
 like that of our common laurel, but more agreeable. Its fruit, much 
 like grains of pepper, is covered with an oily substance, of which 
 they make wax candles. The wax is drawn from the berry, and 
 collected by boiling them in water, and these candles, when burn- 
 ing, emit a delightful smell. But the process is too troublesome, 
 and the product too small, for it ever to become an olgect of 
 commerce. The maple tree here, grows to a very great size, and 
 is one of the most valuable productions of all North America. 
 Where the sap runs, they make incisions in the body of the 
 tree, from which a rich liquor flows out, which, when boiled down, 
 becomes a perfect sugar, and is used as such. This tree per- 
 fectly resembles our maple in France, and yet, why is it that 
 it has this distinct property ? Can it be because it vegetates in a 
 new soil, where tl'o juicesare in greater abundance for its nourish- 
 ment ; or, rath re we ignorant of the real properties of our 
 maple. Chestnut and walnut trees are likewise very common here. 
 The last are various in their kinds, and the difference is known by 
 the leaf and the fruit. There is one sort, the wood ol which, 
 full of veins, makes excellent furniture, and the outside of its 
 fruit has considerably the smell of citron; they all produce nuts, the 
 kernel of which is not so easy to come at, and they ai'e, besides, 
 very hard to break. The meat is not got out of the shell but with 
 great trouble, and by small quantities, and after all, the taste is 
 strong and disagreeable. We also found here a kind of bunch 
 cherry, small and somewhat bitter. The grape-vine, the culture of 
 which they are wholly ignorant of, e^en in Virginia, is seen every- 
 where climbing and supporting itself upon the trees. I have ob- 
 served two general sorts of vines in America, the fruit of one of 
 which was of a close contexture, plump, and as large as the smaller 
 species o* plumbs ; but the taste was intolerably insipid, ami I do 
 not bel'dve that the culture of this sort would turn out to anv ad- 
 
Catholicity in Westchester- Coiintv. 
 
 21 
 
 vantage. Ihe raisin, or fleshy part, was small, the skin hard, and 
 the kernel large, preserving a greenisli taste even when ripe I 
 am convinced, if this kind was cultivated with due care, it would 
 soon come to perfection. The vines we see in Fiance in the vine- 
 yard provinces, growing at random in hedges, witliout cutting or cul- 
 ture, are of a kind very little superior. The English have tried 
 plantations of vines in Virginia, but never could succeed. In- 
 stead of bringing them from foreign countries and cultivating them 
 in the manner of these countries, they should have taken such as 
 were natural to tlie soil, and given them a culture suitable to the 
 c imate, and then success might be expected. The Roman Cath- 
 olic priest at Baltimore, in Maryland, told me he had a vineyard of 
 this sort, from which he liad great expectations. It belongs to man 
 to multiply, to fertilize, and bring to perfection the useful produc- 
 tions of the various countries of the world, by arranging the soils di- 
 recting the course of the sap, by pruning and blending tiie various 
 kinds oF fruit by means of engrafting. We are indebted to the exper- 
 lencf^ o. many ages for those happy inventions, as well as for the or- 
 namentc and opulence of our gardens and orchards. Man, we 
 may say, is the restorer of nature ; he enlivens, enriches, and beau- 
 tihes It. ihe simple turf that bedecks the ground will only pre- 
 serve Its verdure in such places as he has exposed to the sun and 
 air. Ihe timid bird that flies from his sight ; the wild beast that 
 trembles at his approach,-dwell only in these sequestered haunts 
 And solitary places which surround him at a remote distance 
 
 If curiosity has sometimes urged me to penetrate far into the 
 gloomy forests, I there no longer heard the voice, no longer traced 
 the vestiges of animated beings, but walked only through the path- 
 less groves and the faded ruins of the vegetable world. Saddening 
 at this mournful silence, and the view of these lonely obiects 
 which discovered no trace of the dominion of my ownspecies over 
 the wild genius of nature, I haste ned to visit places and abodes 
 better calculated to enliven and gratify the soul of sensibility 
 Ihe knovvlcdgeof the birds of this country will constitute one of 
 the most interesting parts of its natural history. I have seen in 
 Connecticut a kind of starling, the middle part of whose wings 
 IS ot a deep red ; and have observed another bird of the color 
 of those brought from the Canary Islands, but somewhat larger. 
 What they call the Virginia nightingiile, is more commonly 
 met with as you advance to tiie South, but has no resemblance 
 to ours ; it is large, and its head and bellev of a red like that of 
 the bouvreuil. If nature has been more 'beautiful to it in re- 
 spect of plumage, she has nevertheless been far from grantin<T 
 
 to it so melodious a voice as 
 
 ours. The 
 
 mocking-bird 
 
 almost 
 
 I 
 
22 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 the size of a thrush, spotted with white and grev, has the faculty 
 of mimicking all other birds that it hears. The humming-bird 
 which, they say, lives only on the juice of flowers, is common enough' 
 but by the rapidity of its motions, there are few persons that have 
 ever had a distinct view of it. The squirrels are of a pale, ashy grev 
 larger than ours, very common in the woods, and easy to be tamed! 
 1 hose called flying squirrels are of a darker grey and smaller in size - 
 their skin is large and loose, quite to the extremities of the paws 
 which they extend when they leap from one branch of a tree to 
 another, and thus they a-e enabled to make use of a greater quan- 
 tity of air to support themselves upon, as a bird does in flvine 
 Ihe whole country from Hoston to Providence is level, and Thave 
 in this extent met with brooks which we would call rivers • their 
 beds in these places where I have passed, looked as if they had been 
 hollowed out of a soil of soft and spongy stone, of a green and red 
 complexion. I met, too, with some blocks of petrified clay, inclos- 
 ing pebbles or round flints, which, when struck upon, were easily 
 loosened and left the nuirk of their form therei^n. The whole 
 htate of Connecticut is covered with little hills, but the countrv is 
 not sufhciently cleared of the wood ; nor are they of such a size that 
 we can easily determine their general directions. For the most part 
 we can only rank them in that class of hills which naturalists de- 
 nominate secondary. They are often cut through, in order to ren- 
 der the descent less steep, and appear to me to be nothing but a mass 
 of stones of different kinds and various sizes, broken and blunted 
 Many of them are more than a cubic foot in thickness, and some 
 are three or four ; the crevices between them being filled with a 
 vegetable earth, that has little or no adherence to the stone The 
 surface of the soil is covered with the same kind of petrifactions ; 
 the woods and fields abound with them throughout, and to get rid 
 of them the inhabitants of the country either throw them iirheaps, 
 or pile them careless y in the form of a wall, on the lines that bound 
 heir possessions. The stones, from some trials I have made upon 
 them with aqua tortis, I find to consist of a gravelly, gritty sub- 
 stance, but not subject to dissolution by fire. Here is also the spat 
 stone, ising glass qu-te pure, and great plenty of talc ; and others 
 of these rocks abound with ferruginous particles, upon which the 
 loadstone acts witli considerable effect. The State of New York 
 still more mountainous, and the territory of Phillipsburo-, where 
 we are now encamped, present the same object to our sight So 
 many millions of these stones lying in heaps, 'and scattered tl.i"ough 
 
 ! Mflnf '"'^'^ ^^T ^r ^'?^'"^ "^'^««' *"■« t^^« "^o^t certain and 
 authentic monuments of the long continuance of the waters on 
 
 these countries. Torrents 
 
 and rivers could never liave thus 
 
Catholicity in Westchester Comity. 23 
 
 rounded, intermingled, and thrown them into heaps ; the sea alone 
 must have separated them by slow degrees, scattered them into 
 different parts, reunited and impressed on them these general 
 forms by a continual attention. But, however attentively I have 
 considered things, I have not been able to find any vestiges of ani- 
 mal petritications, or of trees and shells. The North Kiver has in 
 and about its bed very few stones of the granite kind, but plenty 
 of marble freestone and slate. As we approach toward New York 
 between the lines of both armies, we see more and more of the sor- 
 rowful vestiges of war and deso]ation,~the houses plundered, ruined, 
 abandoned, or burnt. These Americans.so soft, pacific, and benev^ 
 ent by nature, are here transformed into monsters, implacable, 
 bloody and ravenous. Party rage has kindled a spirit of hatred be- 
 tween them ; they attack and rob each other by turns, destroy 
 dwelling houses, or establish themselves therein by driving out 
 those who had before dispossessed others. War, that terrible scourge 
 to arts and population, is still more to the morals of a people, be- 
 cause a change in those for the worse is more difficult to repair. 
 
 I am, etc. 
 
 Letter III. Junction of the French and American Armies at 
 Philhpsburg.-West Point.-Expedition of a party of English 
 at Tarry town. -Bravery of thirteen French soldiers.-A detatch- 
 ment of French and Americans march to reconnoitre the works at 
 New York— General Washington. -Remarks upon the American 
 Army. — i heir military dress and manner of living.— Discipline — 
 Uncertainty of the object of the campaign.-Various opinions. 
 —Improbability of success in attack upon New York.— Marquis de 
 Lafayette and his army in Virginia.-A march to the southward 
 not unlikely.— Camp at Phillipsburg, Aug 4th, 178L 
 
 The chief object of our marching was to'form a junction with the 
 army of General NVashington. This junction" was effected at 
 t liillipsburg. Ihe Americans arrived there the same time we did 
 having been before entrencliod upon the mountains of West Point 
 that command the North River. The stream being very narrow in 
 this part, the Americans have built forts upon each side, the bat- 
 teries of which traverse each other. The fort upon the left side s 
 situated upon a strip of land that runs out into the river, covered 
 on the east by a marsh, and only open on the north. An army is 
 there in a situation to repel an attack from a far superior force 
 and the batteries of the forts can prevent anv vessel whatever from 
 sailing farther up. This situation is the more important to the 
 
24 
 
 Catholicity in Westcliesler (bounty. 
 
 iii^iilliiii 
 
 T,rF, rl,' '^' corps, aiKl produced the happiest effects 
 
Catholicity in Wcsfrhesler dounty. gfi 
 
 into the wuter to pursue tliem, and hindered the rest from 
 coining on shore This first feat of the French arms in America 
 ^-^ive tl,e English some idea of what they wore to expect from 
 the united etlor s of a wlioie corps. Tiie commanding ofllcers 
 strove who won id bo foremost in bestowing praises upon those 
 .rave soldiers. "My general, (answered the sergeant to M. lo 
 IJan.n de \ lomenil. who was e.xtoUing his bravery to the skie.-) 1 
 am indebted to the good advice and bravery of my cort)oral for 
 what 1 liave done, for he perfectly seconded my endeavors." Cour- 
 age is not a rare virtue in France, but modesty is somewhat more 
 80 ; and yet this was a pattern of the most perfect modesty in a cir- 
 cumstance very delicate for a soldier. I have, I assure you, lieard 
 a superior officer find fault with the encomiums that were given 
 these men, and blame M. Le Baron de Viomenil for havincr after- 
 wards invited them to dine with him. Can virtue ever be too 
 much honored, or too well rewarded ? 
 
 IJatteries were erected in haste as low as Dobbs Ferry, and when 
 the Fnghsh frigate and troops came down, they had to sustain 
 a very heavy cannonade. A shell from a mortar piece set 
 the frigate 3 sails on fire, and terror and confusion seemed predom- 
 uianu among the crew, twenty-two of whom threw themselves 
 overboard into the river, and were mostly drowned. General 
 Washington having signified his intention of reconnoitering the 
 fortifications of New York, two thousand French, and r.s many 
 Americans, set out on their march to escort him ; and at break of 
 day tound themselves within cannon-shot at tiie enemy's entrench- 
 ments, i hey remained there two days, while the English contented 
 tiiemselves with now and then firing a cannon and observing their 
 motions at a distance. I have seen General Washington— that most 
 singular man-the soul and the support of one of the greatest 
 revolutions th;.,t has ever happened, or can happen a<rain. I fived 
 my eyes upon him with that keen attention which the sight of a 
 great man always inspires,— we naturally entertain a secret hope 
 of discovering m these features of illustrious men some traces of 
 the excellent genius which distinguishes them from, and elevates 
 them above, their fellow mortals. Perhaps the exterior of no man 
 was ever better calculated to gratify these expectations than that 
 of General Washington. He is of a tall stature, well proportioned, 
 aline cheerful, open countenance, a simple modest carriage ; and 
 his whole mien has something in it that interests the French, the 
 Americans, and even his enemies themselves, in his favor. Placed 
 ma military view at the head of a nation, where each individual 
 Jias a share in the supreme legislative authority, and where the co- 
 ercive laws are yet in a great degree destitute of vigor ; where the 
 
26 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester County. 
 
 climate and manners can add but little to their ener^v • wJ.o... fv, 
 8F>.rit of party, private interest, slowness, and natlSl , In ^ 
 suspend and overthrow the best concerted Ss™ Lhn,? t"""® 
 situated, he has found out a method of kee^,3 l?i 'TT ^'',''' 
 
 most absolute subordi.uvtion : nSg 11^ als , T.rT "\ •'" 
 
 I • • j""'"o ) "ui ii.ivc nis arms evpr lioon cr> f.ifci *„ 
 
 Li'^zre:."^ t T^isi ■■;;?„»- :i'°f,,E''Tf "« "'^"■" -"Lea 
 
 h GSrL"!,"T'"",S'";' '"■•"/^^ '" ">o l>nluc i; ? i ke Pet 
 F^tl^L ' ■'; ' I'y ''='""'' oonduoted his aVmy to victory, ami like 
 tabii.s, but witli fewer resources and more difficiilf» l,„ l. ,. 
 
 sequently display his true character. In a tE'St^n ve t-Z' 
 
 through the towns with torches, and celeb ate 1 s^urr vT w 
 
 wt'ru'"tr mld'T^f h'"" ^'""-'^'^"^ ^'^'^^ coollndU;te eo 
 only tie dTroA"^^ tryn.c. difficulties have attenlled 
 
 oniy to tne (liiections and impulses of pan method and cnmmr., 
 reason, are roused, animated, Lul inflamed at the verrLS n 
 
 been to celebrate (,eneral AVashington. It is uncertain how 
 
Catholicity in Westchester County. 37 
 
 many men his army consists of exactly. Some say only fonr or five 
 thousan, ; but this general has always found means to concea the red 
 nuniber from even those who compose it. Sometimes, wth a few 
 he forms a spacious camp, and increases the nun.ber of tents; It 
 other mes, w,th a great number, he contracts it to a narrow loZ 
 pass ; theu. aga... by detaching them insensiblv, the wholeJamp s 
 noth.ng more than the mere skeleton and shadow of un rmy 
 whe the main body is transported to a distaut part of thecou n^Jy 
 Neither do these troops n general, wear regular uniforn.s ; bn tlf; 
 officers and corps of artillery are obliged, w.d.out exception t si ch 
 d.stn,c .on. Severa regiments have small white frocL w t H n 
 ges, wluch look well enough ; also linen overalls, lurce u f 
 wh.ch are very conveu.ent in hot weather, and do not, at all 1 in e.- 
 
 t d cTs'tit ,Hon nfV^' !" T''^'-'''^- ^^'^'' ^""^^ '^^'^ substantial 
 and .1 constitution of body less vigorous than our people, thev are 
 
 better able to support fatigue, and perhaps for that ve.'v eL n 
 
 sV^ereil 'T, T '" '^''''' ^ '''^'''''' ^^^ "°^ ^^^ -ffi--.tlv eoi w 
 eve too f.n .,. 1 r' '1\T:'^' '^ ^«"«»'t the grutiticatioirof the 
 eye too far and forget that troops are designed to act and not 
 merely to show themselves and their finery. The ,n,,s r ro er n- 
 parel would be that which, being as little burdensome as pTsbl 
 would cover the soldier best and incommode him the least S 
 regiment of Soissonais has, in all this tedious march, had the fewest 
 stragglers and sick of any other. One of the prino pal causes w is 
 without doubt the precaution of the colonel, wl ^Sn p pose7or 
 the campaign had linen breeches made for his regimeiit The 
 
 ^ernl'nd'neir' 'i^^i!,'' ''?""^^ ""^ ''\' ''''''' '« nevertheless 
 ?l!rnffi:r rp -^'T neatness is particularly obse-vable amoi.ff 
 the officers. To see them, you would suppose they were equipped 
 with every necessary in the completest nianner ; and vet3n en 
 tering their tents, where perhaps three or four reside toSe. I 
 have often been astonished to find that their whole tmvelini 
 equippage would not weigh forty pounds. Few or none 1 ave S 
 rasses-a single rug or blanket stretched out upon the routh b^ k 
 of a tree serves them for a bed. The soldiers take the same prec u- 
 ^on never to sleep on the ground, whilstours prefer it to any ot ler 
 
 little tiouble. Iheycontent themselves with broiling their meat and 
 parching their corn, or breaking unleavene.l .fough ma e of 
 Indian meal upon the embers. In some regiments they have necrro 
 companies, but always commanded bv the whites. Their disci pi h^e 
 \l "^iTJr^^l «eye,.o. and the power of the officers over th o ie"s 
 ^ imost unlimited ashing them with whips, and beating them 
 with canes for the slightest faults. I, with some French Officers 
 
28 
 
 Catholicity in Westchester Comity. 
 
 w 8 accKluMlally u witness to their vigorous mode of chastisement 
 Iho cnm.nul WHS fed to the wheels of u ounnon curriuee 1 s" on ! 
 ders nuked, h.s urn.s stretched out in onler to<nve the nu sc^s "iV 
 groutest tens.o.i, und in tliis situation every soklier of f c;'mn u v 
 ..uno np and gave hun a certain nnn.bor of strokes with k ge ?i f 
 which soon covered hun with bloo.l. What astonished s ^m £ 
 tained ns the longer at tiiis .lisngreeable spectacle, was t)>a T;" he 
 unhappy c.lpns. who both suffered the same degree of pi.nishme 
 
 cnr"' "is ;'hf "'' ''"'' »^'"'"'\ "'•««"'PlHiMt, or showed lu, si^s f 
 fc.li Is this courage, oris the natural sensibilitv of mankimi less 
 Hcute among a people where the air of the forest and lee tan 
 usage of tea and n.ilk soften and relax the fibres to a mo tus nis 
 ng degree? Notwithstanding the actual appearance o^o i ge "^ 
 before New \ork, the ob ect of the present campaign remains ven 
 uncertain Some say the Americans are tire<l of the war ad d is^ 
 con en ed witl our inactivity, and for that reason the Fie c lA mv 
 has jomeu then solely to reanimate their drooping courage t is 
 u so rep.,rte.l since the .efection of Arnold, GenLnV^S^^^^ 
 altoge her satished with the fidelity of;his armv, hasi to he 
 i^solu.ono trusting the important post of AV'est lli t to t ' 
 i^rench The views of this general, in mv opinion, extcn fn?tl ler 
 than all this We have Just learnt that M. de liarras, comm , e • 
 of our squadron at lihode Island, has received some t din" of M 
 e Grasse and has sent him a frigate with a number of pilots on 
 board for these coasts. This looks as if New York was the r ob ec 
 Iha island and city is at present the general storehouse of U,p 
 Engl.sh, and the centre of their operations. The ,« io.i of M is 
 place enables them to hold an \.isy communic ^10^" h the h 
 territories to the north and south, and at the same time to e ace 
 he interior parts of the adjacent country bv n.eans of II Ws 
 R ver; also prevent the forces of the n^rtli^-eustern sfites fro n 
 a.lvancing to the southward ; it is also a sure itce /t tcl f'o • ,e 
 fleets, where they can plan and prepare for their offensive opera 
 tions 111 the West India Islands. ^ 
 
 The capture of this pla<-e would be a decisive stroke ; and from 
 the moment such an event takes jilace, the English must forev^- 
 renounce the hope o subjecting the states ; and in 1 eir Ztlnt 
 exhausted situation, I do not see how they would repair t.cosso 
 the stores and the troops. Gharleston Ld Savan lah 1 lavin ' ?o 
 oppose the whole impression and strength of the An eric , eonti- 
 nenta forces, woul, In.ake but a poor defense ; and the We t Ind iu 
 Islands, still more difficult to be relieved bv timely assistance wo Id 
 be entirely at the mercy of the enemy. And on the othe. Lnd New 
 York IS well fort.hed and defended both by land and water and 
 
CatholicUy in WenU'liexier fount}!. 
 
 99 
 
 the fortifications very extensive. Jt is besides garrisoned by the 
 troops of Groat Hrituin, amonnting to fifteen thousand men, inchid- 
 itig the troops raised in tlie ooiintry. so Miat to lav siege to New 
 York tiiere would be wanting, besifhis a snperiiumery force, at least 
 thirty thousand (non ; whereas, our cotubitied army does not 
 amount to more than ten thousand. It is true the militia of the 
 country may be collected, but these are nothing more than undis- 
 ciplined trooj)s. the duration of whose services is always limited. 
 And what could such do against regular forces well intienciied! 
 and inured to all the hardships and dangers of war for six or seven 
 campaigns ? Even the French Army, however brave and well dis- 
 ciplined it may be, is composed of troops, very few of whom have 
 ever been actually in battle. At any rate, a siege of this place would 
 be long and tedious ; aiul as to the squadron of M. de Grasse, we 
 know it cannot leave the West India Islands till the hurricane 
 season comes on, and can only remain here during that season. 
 Otherwise his projected operations in those seas would fail, and our 
 possessions be exposed to the enemy. If, on the other hand, this 
 important expedition should fail, all would be ruined : the 
 Americans, exhausted and discouraged at the revolt of Arnold, 
 panting after repose, and viewing; us in the light of a feeble ally,' 
 would lose courage, turn their views towards peace, and perhaps 
 purchase it at any price whatsoever. The South is probably the real 
 object of this campaign. Those states have for a long time past 
 felt all the miseries of war, and have been wasted alternately by 
 friends and enemies. Virginia has been the scene of cruelties and 
 devastations of Arnold ; and Cornwallis, disquieted at the news of 
 our marching, has quitted Charleston and traversed with a large 
 body of troops the Carolinas and Virginia ; at the same tin'ie 
 plundering the settlements, kidnapping tlie negroes, and spreading 
 death and devastation wherever he happened to march. So 
 many repeated distresses and losses have discouraged the in- 
 habitants, and inclined them to do anything at all to better their 
 situation. The arrival of our army can alone free them from 
 oppression and revive their courage. A certain warrior. Marquis 
 de Lafayette, at the head of twelve or fifteen hundred men, 
 has nevertheless found means to keep his ground all this time in 
 Virginia—the impetuous Arnold and the active Cornwallis not 
 daring to attempt anything against him. You will dubtless 
 suppose that this warrior is one of those men whose long experience 
 and brilliant success have rendered them formidable to the enemy. 
 This leader, I assure you, is a man of only twenty-four vearsof age, 
 who luis left an affectionate and amiable wife — where Ins name and 
 an alliance with an illustrious family opened a way to the greatest 
 
80 
 
 Catholicity in We.'^tchester County. 
 
 if'sr iiDOM tho ..non.v M ui ' *'"^" ''^''■*''' '^"t more press- 
 
 in H sr..fp nf ,,. ? • ? 'I'^ii'iced, we cjiimot rem an much loiitrer 
 
 I am, &c. 
 
 of Ki™",.!,i;;„ .Iris.!;";' "h',';;?""' ^i ""^ ""''«! »'■'"••■ »" "- -'= 
 
 absolMtdy T,«ccCv If J: •7/'''' l>°*«'''»i»" of 'J.is island 
 Islam] .)r \W Y\ ,1 f > 1","""'" °'"' l"^ ""'do on Lons; 
 
 iioci,„',„bof ,.,^^;?, li';, ^n'S tr u :;:■' r,'.r;' "",;!, ,^'r'" 
 
 ..eoeive,, . P»/of'";;'';t ■-' ;, S,'- l^ep' tVto^S 
 
CalholU-ity in Wesic/tenler County. 31 
 
 down by way of Kin^sbriilgo ; and on the other side orders 
 
 toconstruot 0VCM.8 to bake brea.l for th. troops. wl,en (.1,. ,e, ,, th a 
 quarto:-; otherH again, are onlored towar, s Ph h le h u V 
 are we o th.nk ? All this seo.n. to me like onr the , i ;,„• he 
 
 mc eaning. I am m donht whether the nnravelling of tiie matter 
 
 then, hv his pre ence v 1 « /^'^f '"S «"' "' l>ii'ticular. animates 
 bv is loci k .owle,L nf 1 '" ^''''' '"^'^^f '•'« "Hlitarv talents, 
 vei of sec lev r^^^^^ '"•"!""^' '"\'^ ^y t'"'^' impenetrable 
 
 I am. &c. 
 
 Island tliieatejie,! witli ,i ,1»™, r i., . ° ■ ''' ••'°''!''?--^'''"''' 
 I>le.-TI,o ,„■,„). arrives at Princeton ^'^ """"""' °' ""^ l'™' 
 
 returned to iJ:JtrS;e^';^;„'r,,:s^;s™^ 
 
 till eight o'clock the nevr,v':'l,r ^JlP"""''. »■" 'IW not arrive 
 
 »si::zsH:ESa:S5S 
 
 I 
 
82 
 
 Catholicity in \Vestclie»tvr County. 
 
 them very narrowly, and had he not been armed, would doubtless 
 have lost his life. They have lately hanged a secretary belonging 
 toc.neofoiircommissionerK, and asHassinated an otlicerof tiio Legion 
 of Laiiznn ; so that 1 will confeH^ to you, when 1 found myself 
 alone and defenecle.ss in those woods, 1 was in dread of adding to the 
 number of those wlio luul fallen victims to the resentment of these 
 enemies of republicanism. Yet I had the good fortune to arrive safe 
 at the canii) having {)assed the night without tentsor shelter of any 
 sort, stretched out by a large tire, roasting on one side and half 
 drowned o!i the other,— hi, d even found means to sleep several hours, 
 now many of you rich sluggards, under gilt ceilingsand upon vour 
 beds of down, have not been able to do as much! The inhabitants 
 of the country were greatly 8ur])ri3ed to see us returning the same 
 road, so poor, aiul the Tories, with a malicious sneer, demanded if 
 we were going to rest from our labours ; but it was not long before 
 they discovered the feint. We were now advanced considerably up 
 the North liner, and in three days were us high as King's Ferry ; 
 but the Americans having travelled along the river side, had ar- 
 rived there before us. Some have alleged that if the English Jiad 
 sent some armed vessels up the Hudson, they might have retarded 
 usco isKlerably, and have done us infinite mischief. The retrograde 
 march that we made by order of (ieneral Washington, was doubt- 
 Jess meant to divert them from this attempt ; but nevertheless after 
 the trial they had of the abilities of our artillerymen, they must 
 have known they would run a great risk of having thtir vessels 
 destroyed especially if they had met with calms or contrary winds. 
 I lie allied army has passed a great part of the State of New Jersey, 
 drawing a large quantity of batteries with them upon carriages, and 
 always menacing Staten Island. 
 
 
J (luiibtle8» 
 belonging 
 tlio Legion 
 nd niyHcIf 
 [ling to tiio 
 nt of tfieso 
 iiirive Hiifo 
 Iter of any 
 3 and half 
 era! JioiirB. 
 upon your 
 iiiiubitants 
 ; tiie same 
 nianiit'd if 
 )ng before 
 lerably up 
 g's Ferry ; 
 ?, had ar- 
 iglisli had 
 e retarded 
 retrograde 
 as doubt- 
 iless after 
 they must 
 .ir vessels 
 iry winds. 
 j\v Jersey, 
 iages, and