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Military Actions in Bergen County and Vicinity- 1776
Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army marched from Boston through Connecticut to New York City and western Long Island during the spring with 18,000 troops.
A British fleet arrived in New York harbor in late June with 30,000 troops under Gen. William Howe. They landed on Staten Island.
The British troops at the end of August moved to western Long Island where they there surrounded the Continentals and defeated them in battle.
The Continental troops escaped at night across to Manhattan.
The British pushed the Continentals out of Manhattan into Westchester County through September and October.
Washington decided to move the main body of his troops across the Hudson at Kings Ferry (Verplanck) on November 12 and on to Hackensack.
Washington left a force of 7,000 troops in Westchester under Gen. Charles Lee and 3,000 at Peekskill under Maj. Gen. William Heath. The latter was to protect a major fortification at Fort Montgomery (Bear Mountain).
On November 13 Gen. Heath sent 400 soldiers to establish Camp Ramapaugh at Sidman’s Bridge in the Clove north of Suffern.
A major body of British troops (5,000) crossed the Hudson at New Dock (Huyler's Landing at Cresskill) on November 20.
Gen. Nathanael Greene evacuated Rebel troops from Fort Lee. They moved to Hackensack before the British were able to arrive at this fortification.
On November 21 Washington abandoned Hackensack and began the long march to Saddle River, Acquackanonk Landing (Passaic), Newark, New Brunswick and across New Jersey and the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.
The British set up military posts from New Bridge to Bordentown, including Hackensack, New Brunswick, Princeton and Trenton. They thus extended out their forces.
Gen. Lee and his troops belatedly crossed the Hudson River from Westchester and marched down Valley Road (Ramapaugh) (Mahwah) in early December to join Washington across the Delaware River. En route Lee, but not his troops, was captured by the British.
At this time Gen. Horatio Gates and his army moved from Lake Champlain and also marched down Valley Road to join Washington’s forces.
The Orange and Ulster county militias sent 300 men to Camp Ramapaugh (in the Clove north of Suffern) under Gen. George Clinton on December 9.
Gen. Heath sent troops from Haverstraw to Tappan for an attack on the British at Hackensack on December 14.
On December 19 Gen. George Clinton moved from the Clove to Paramus and then attacked Col. Abraham Van Buskirk’s Loyalist troops at English Neighborhood (Leonia) and at Bergen Woods south of Fort Lee.
Clinton returned to Camp Ramapaugh and sent out patrols from Ringwood to Paramus.
Washington brought his troops across the Delaware River and successfully attacked 1,400 Hessian soldiers in Trenton on December 25. The British in Bergen County attacked rebel positions at Paramus and Hopperstown (Ho-Ho-Kus) on December 27.
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Voices of Officers, Soldiers and Residents - 1776
While preparing his Continental Army in the area of New York City for a major British attack, Gen. Washington, in late June 1776, wrote:
There are some also, of very dangerous characters, who I am informed are lurking in the neighbourhood of Hackensack and what they call the English Neighborhood (Leonia);... [their arrest] is now become the more necessary, as from the intelligence I have this day received, there is the greatest reason to believe that the enemy intend to begin their operations in a very few days, and that with a very powerful force. (5 GW 388)
The British having taken New York City, Washington, expecting the British to move into northern New Jersey, wrote to Gen. Nathanael Greene, in early November 1776:
As the enemy have drawn great relief from the forage and provisions they have found in the country, and which our tenderness spared, you will do well to prevent their receiving any fresh supplies, by destroying it if the inhabitants will not drive off their stock, and remove the hay, grain, etc., in time. Experience has shown that a contrary conduct is not of the least advantage to the poor inhabitants, from who all their effects of every kind are taken without distinction and without satisfaction. (6 GW 257, 258)
The Rev. Dirck Romeyn, concerning the events of November 22, 1776, wrote
About noon the British took possession of Hackensack and in the afternoon the church green was covered with Hessians, a horrid frightful sight with their whiskers, brass caps and kettles or brass drums. (Romeyn, Hackensack Church, 27)
Col. Ebenezer Huntington, a Continental officer stationed near Suffern’s Tavern wrote on November 24:
By the best information the greatest part of the people [of Bergen County] are friendly to the British and will do them all the service in their power. If I had men to spare I would send a strong body to inspect their conduct. (3 Force (5) 833)
The next day he continued:
Bergen County is to raise a regiment to join the British Army...One Bucart or some such hard name is appointed colonel and...they have given a specimen of their valor by shooting a Whig, one Zabriskie....Every man, and I was going to say every woman, within a large circle of this place who stand for Whigs, and for ought I know are really such, are continually distressing me from their fears and apprehensions of the enemy and Tories. They are confident the latter have so much knowledge of the country as to guide a body of troops any where among the mountains., their anxiety has gone far rewards intimidating some of my own troops. (3 Force (5) 840, 841)
Col. William Malcolm with rebel troops at Tappan wrote on December 11, 1776:I am almost in an enemy’s country, I cannot get intelligence beyond the circle of my quarters but what is brought by my scouts....The country from Tappan [south] is all in arms. On Sunday they were called together, and had Kings arms and ammunition delivered out among them....I really think my party insufficient to take post at Tappan, but our friends are so distressed thereabouts that I think it an indispensable duty to attempt supporting them....I hope Monday to run over the Tory ground and scatter their gangs. (3 Force (5) 1173, 1174)
By December the British had withdrawn their Regulars from Hackensack and left the town to be guarded by Tories. On December 14 Gen. Heath with 600 troops marched from Tappan to Hackensack. Heath wrote:
We have taken about fifty of the disaffected, and about fifty or sixty muskets, the greater part of which had been taken from the Whigs, as is supposed, and stored. (3 Force (5) 1234, 1235)
On December 27 British and Tory troops counterattacked with a raid Hackensack, Hoppertown (Ho-Ho-Kus) and Paramus almost within sight of American troops at Ramapaugh under Gen. Clinton. Clinton wrote:
A number of the enemy...amounting to between five and eight hundred, consisting of Regulars and Buskirk’s regiment [arrive at Hackensack], after came to Paramus, plundered some of the inhabitants of that place and took the Hoppers and others of that neighborhood, who are now confined in Hackensack jail, and have since committed many acts of cruelty on the inhabitants. I keep out large patrolling parties every night in that neighborhood for the protection of the inhabitants but the enemy have so good intelligence of out thoughts and every motion that it is beyond my power to give protection to the well disposed inhabitants in any other way than by routing the enemy form their present quarters, which I have hitherto not had strength to attempt with a probability of success. (1 GC 216)
Like others, Theodosia Prevost at The Hermitage faced family divisions with the outbreak of war. Her husband, Maj. James Marcus, was called back into service by the British and would be an important officer in their Royal American Regiment which was led by his brother General Augustine Prevost. Others in Theodosia's family also were pro-British, but a number were pro-patriot, including a cousin, Capt. John Watson. Thedosia Prevost with mother, Ann, and a half sister Katy, were left to maintain The Hermitage in the midst of guerilla warfare. There followed the struggle, particularly by Theodosia, to preserve The Hermitage from confiscation by rebels.
