THE LIBRARY OF THE . V * m ■ 970.33 • • - J*'.'] ■ *■ ' ¥omth Gam©lia t a at Valley Foege :> 97 ( 3.33 !N8? OF Fbnpcstltasia 0 C • ^ 0 u <8 t>j 0 ^2 5 J c s=-* U HE 0 Zj •~ u A Eh Z 05 o5 9 p*4 O Vm c? J © >/< C O >■* 'gal] • rH CO U H c z o f' V y NORTH CAROLINA AT VALLEY FORGE BY THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia 1923 North Carolina was always forward to make history, and honorable history. Hut she has always been backward in recording the history she has made, and in building monuments and memorials as reminders of it to oncoming generations. The purpose of this booklet is to arouse and to appeal —to arouse the dormant flame of appreciation in the hearts of North Carolinians for the glorious and self-sacrifieino' heroism of our forefathers, and to appeal to them to supply the funds for completing the North Carolina bay in the Cloister of the Colonies in this wonderful national shrine at Valley Forge. d he \ acant space in the Cloister is a blemish to the splendid architecture of the Memorial building, and a continual reproach to the people of the State. —By Howard Banks. i ILH WINTER AT VALLEY FORGE Painting by Harrington Fitzgerald. NORTH CAROLINA MEMORIAL FOR VALLEY FORGE By Marshall De Lancey Haywood Raleigli, N. C. F any structure on this continent may fittingly be called the Westminster Abbey of America, none can lay a better claim to that proud distinction than the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge in the State of Pennsylvania. And—alas that it should be said!—the great and pros¬ perous States of Georgia and our own North Carolina, alone of all the “Old Thirteen” colonies, have been so lacking in grateful veneration for the memory of the fathers of the republic as to leave vacant and neglected a place of honor tendered them in the beautiful cloister which forms part of the outer structure of that now world-renowned edifice. In the Atlantic Monthly for August, 1922, A. Edward Newton gives a vivid 4 Cloister of the Colonies Washington Memorial Chapel Patriots Hall THE VALLEY FORGE MEMORIAL Tower and Library description of Valley Forge, the most famous of all Revolutionary encampments; and, in the course of his article, says: Leaving our motor by the roadside we approach the chapel on foot; immediately our attention is challenged by a fine cloister which, we are told, is the Cloister of the Colonies. It consists of thirteen bays, adjoining the chapel, immediately to the west; all of these are at present completed, with the exception of those named after the states of Georgia and North Carolina.” Spasmodic efforts have from time to time been made to give North Carolina her place of honor with her sister Colonies on the above cloister; and, as this effort is about to be renewed, I have been asked to aid the good work by telling something of the old Continentals of our State who suffered and endured such unparalleled hardships from cold, hunger, and almost nakedness, during the dreary and never- to-be-forgotten Winter of 1777-78, thereby making possible the ultimate triumph of American arms and the blessings of a free government which we enjoy today. The number of troops from North Carolina in the encampment at Valley Forge is a stiong testimonial to the State s patriotism and public spirit; and the personal 6 ARROW POINTING TO UNFINISHED NORTH CAROLINA BAY OF CLOISTER OF COLONIES prowess displayed by those troops in many bloody battles, both before and after Valley Forge, should keep their memory forever enshrined in the hearts of all true Americans. It should also be remembered to the honor of North Carolina that she offered to march five thousand militia to reinforce Washington’s depleted army during those terrible Winter months. Of this offer, under date of January 31, 1778, from York, Pennsylvania, Cornelius Harnett, member of the Continental Congress, wrote Governor Caswell as follows: “Congress have a high sense of the offer made by our country 1 of marching 5,000 militia to the assistance of the Grand Army, and greatly applaud their spirit; whether they will be called for is not yet known. I suppose they will not (having so great a distance to march), unless in case of emergency.” 2 Let us cast a backward glance at the North Carolinians who were in Wash¬ ington’s northern campaign, and learn something of their military history at and previous to the time when they went into camp at Valley Forge. The North Carolina 1 Each State was called a “country” in that day.—M. DeL. H. 2 State Records of North Carolina, Vol. XIII, p. 21. S Continentals—regulars, as distinguished from State troops and militia were regi¬ mented at or near Wilmington early in 1776. Before that time, North Carolina troops had aided in driving Lord Dunmore’s forces out of Virginia; and, with a loss of only one man of their own, had crushingly defeated a vastly superior force of Tory Highlanders and former Regulators at Moore’s Creek Bridge, February 27, 1776. James Moore, of New Hanover County, and Robert Howe, of Brunswick County, were commissioned Brigadier-Generals in the Continental Line on March 1, 1776. Moore afterwards marched his brigade to the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina, and there fought under Major-General Charles Lee. When Lee was ordered north¬ ward, Moore was for a while commander of the Southern Department. After returning to North Carolina he became ill, and died in the Spring of 1777. To succeed him Colonel Francis Nash, of the First North Carolina Continental Regiment, was commissioned Brigadier-General. Nash’s brigade, which set out to join the “Grand Army” under Washington, contained about 4,500 men when they reached Halifax, 9 North Carolina, on the march northward. 3 General Nash himself, who had been temporarily absent on recruiting duty, later rejoined his brigade with still further reinforcements, probably running the total up to 5,000. They marched up through Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania to Washington’s army, which was encamped at Middlebrook, New Jersey. Washington and his army were jubilant over this splendid accession to their ranks, and a “salutation of thirteen cannon, each fired thirteen times,” roared out a welcome to the newcomers. The first fight of Nash’s brigade, under the leadership of Washington, was at Brandywine, September 11, 1777. Less than a month later came the Battle of Germantown (October 4th), and a disastrous fight it was for North Carolina. General Nash’s thigh was shattered by a cannon-shot, and he died of his wound three days later. Colonel Edward Buncombe, of the Fifth Regiment, was wounded and captured—later dying while a prisoner of war in Philadelphia. Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Irwin, of the Fifth Regiment, Adjutant Jacob Turner of the Third, and Lieutenant John McCann of the Sixth, were left dead on the field. Major William Polk of the Ninth, Captain * State Records of North Carolina, Vol. XV, p. 702. 10 John Armstrong of the Second, Lieuten¬ ant Joshua Hadley of the Sixth, Ensign John Daves of the Second, and prob¬ ably others, were among the wounded. For some weeks after Germantown, minor fights were engaged in by detach¬ ments of the opposing armies; and, on December 19, 1777, began the long and ever-to-be-remembered encampment on the frozen stretches of Valley Forge. To pen an adequate description, even in part, of the varied horrors of that Win¬ ter, is far beyond the powers of the present writer. In the fourth chapter of the first volume of Senator Bever¬ idge’s biography of Chief Justice Mar- NATIONAL ARCH shall is a description which probably surpasses in excellence and interest any yet written. At Valley Forge the North Carolina Brigade, formerly commanded by Nash, was for the time J3laced under Brigadier-General Lachlan McIntosh, a Georgia officer of Scotch birth, whom Washington characterized as “an officer of great merit and worth.” Some months later, not long after Valley Forge was evacuated, the North Carolina Brigade (or what was left of it) was commanded by Colonel and Acting Brigadier-General Thomas Clark. As the Tenth North Carolina (commanded by Colonel Abraham Sheppard) was delayed in marching northward on account of the lack of equipment, there were only nine North Carolina regiments at Valley Forge. These, and their commanding officers, were as follows: First Regiment, Thomas Clark, of New Hanover County, commanding.— Colonel Clark entered the service as Major of the First Regiment, September 1, 1775; promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, April 10, 1776, and to Colonel, February 5, 1777 ; after returning to the South he was wounded at the Battle of Stono Ferry, South Carolina, June 20, 1779; later served under General Lincoln, and was made pris- North Carolina Bay as it will appear when completed. The entrance to the Chancel of the Woodland Cathedral, the scene of many notable patriotic services in which thousands have participated, is formed by young elm trees, brought from Mount Vernon two years ago, and planted in the form of a cross. In time they will form the leafy aisles of this woodland shrine. The beautiful open air pulpit forms a part of the New York Bay, given by the Colonial Dames of America. oner of war when Lincoln surrendered the city of Charleston, May 12, 1780; retired January 1 , 1783; brevetted Brigadier-General at close of war, September 30, 1783; member North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, 1783; and died December 25, 1792. Second Regiment, John Patten, of Beaufort County, commanding.—Colonel Patten was Major of the Second Regiment, September 1 , 1775; promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of that regiment, April 10, 1776, and to Colonel of same, Novem¬ ber 22, 1777; served under Washington in his northern campaigns after Valley Forge, and later returned to the South; was made prisoner of war while serving under General Lincoln at Charleston, May 12, 1780; and retired January 1 , 1783. Third Regiment, Jethro Sumner, of Warren County (old Bute County), com¬ manding.—Colonel Sumner's first service was in Minute Men under General Howe in campaign against Lord Dunmore in Virginia; later was commissioned Colonel of Third Continental Regiment, April 15, 1776; promoted to Brigadier-General in Continental Army, January 9, 1779; after return to South he commanded military operations in North Carolina; highly distinguished himself in numerous battles. 14 particularly Germantown, Pennsylvania, and Eutaw Springs, South Carolina; aided in collecting remains of the de¬ feated army of Gates after the Battle of Camden; served until close of war; first president of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, 1783 ; and died March 18, 1785. Fourth Regiment, Thomas Polk, of Mecklenburg County, commanding. Colonel Polk first saw service as com¬ mander of a militia regiment in 1775; commissioned Colonel of the Fourth North Carolina Regiment, April 16, 1776; resigned just after Valley Forge encampment, June 28, 1778; later ren- LOOKING THROUGH CLOISTER Mm dered active service in North Carolina and South Carolina as Colonel of militia; and died in 1793. Fifth Regiment, William Lee Davidson, of Mecklenburg County (Lieutenant- Colonel), commanding in the absence of Colonel Edward Buncombe, who had been wounded and captured at Germantown. Colonel Davidson was commissioned Major of the Fourth Regiment, April 15, 1776; promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of the Fifth Regiment in 1777; transferred to Third Regiment, June 1, 1778; transferred to First Regiment, June 9, 1779; commissioned Brigadier-General of North Car¬ olina troops, August 31, 1780, as successor to General Griffith Rutherford (prisoner at Charleston) ; badly wounded in fight at Colson’s, and killed at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford, North Carolina, February 1, 1781. Sixth Regiment, Gideon Lamb, of Currituck County, commanding.—Colonel Lamb was commissioned Major in the Sixth Regiment, April 15, 1776; promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of that regiment, May 6, 1776; Colonel of same, January 26, 1777; served at Charleston and Haddrell’s Point, South Carolina, 1776-1777, and in Washington’s campaigns of 1777-1778; owing to reduction of regiments he was 16 INTERIOR OF CHAPEL detached and placed on waiting orders; was later on recruiting duty in North Carolina,, where he died (while war was in progress), November 8, 1781. Seventh Regiment, JxVMes Hogun, of Halifax County, commanding.—Colonel Hogun was commissioned Colonel of the Seventh Regiment; November 26, 1776; transferred to Third Regiment; June 1, 1778; returned home on recruiting duty, and rejoined Washington’s army at White Plains, New York, late in the Summer of 1778, with regiment of nearly six hundred North Carolinians; 4 in command of troops engaged in fortifying West Point, New York, in November, 1778; Brigadier- General in Continental Army, January 9, 1779; after returning South, was actively engaged in North Carolina and South Carolina; captured at Charleston, South Caro¬ lina, when that city was surrendered by General Lincoln, May 12, 1780; was offered parole by British but would not accept, as like favor could not be obtained for his men, and died in captivity at Haddrell’s Point, near Charleston, January 4, 1781. Eighth Regiment, James Armstrong, of Craven County, commanding.—Col¬ onel Armstrong was commissioned Captain in the Second Regiment, September 1, 4 State Records of North Carolina, Vol. XIII, p. 211. 18 WASHINGTON’S BEDROOM AT VALLEY FORGE 1775; Colonel of the Eighth Regiment, November 26, 1776; detached and placed on waiting orders June 1 , 1778; retired on half pay, January 23, 1781; Brigadier- General of North Carolina troops in the District of New Bern, February 7, 1781; wounded at the Battle of Stono Ferry, South Carolina, June 20, 1779. Ninth Regiment, John Williams, of Caswell Count} r , commanding.—Colonel Williams entered the service in the State militia as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Hills¬ borough District, September 9, 1775; was commissioned Colonel of the Ninth North Carolina Continental Regiment, November 26, 1776; was left in command of camp at Halifax when General Nash and his brigade (with part of Ninth Regiment) marched northward in Summer of 1777; broke camp at Halifax and began march northward, September 1, 1777; mustered out at Valley Forge when regiments were reorganized, January 1, 1778; and died on April 15, 1831. (This officer, who lived in Caswell Countv after Caswell was severed from Orange should not be confused with Colonel John Pugh Williams, who was a Captain of Continentals and Colonel of militia.) As the biting and benumbing cold of the terrible Winter of 1777-78 gave place 20 to Spring and early Summer, and brought vegetation to new life, it also brought fresh determination to the patriot army at and around Valley Forge. Sir Henry Clinton and his British forces evacuated Philadelphia on June 18, 1778, and Washington’s army took possession of the city. As Clinton and his redcoats moved away, they doubtless thought that the Ameri¬ cans would be too happy over the rid¬ dance to interfere with their march. But Washington was no quitter. He went immediately in pursuit; and, on June 28th, fought the Battle of Mon¬ mouth, where the North Carolina troops GENERAL WAYNE MONUMENT acquitted themselves with credit. As the cold had tortured the patriot army a few months earlier, the sultry Summer now tried their endurance. The day on which the Battle of Monmouth was fought w r as one of the most fearfully hot and oppressive on record. The troops of North Carolina under Washington fought on under that incom¬ parable commander wherever he led until toward the end of 1779, when nearly all of them were ordered South to reinforce the army of General Benjamin Lincoln. To determine with any degree of accuracy the numerical strength of the North Carolina Brigade at Valley Forge seems impossible. When this brigade was on its northward march to join Washington, contemporaneous records show that it numbered about five thousand men. Yet the returns made at different times during the Valley Forge encampment sometimes placed the number of North Carolinians at a little less than a thousand, and never quite as high as fifteen hundred. This being true, it is probable that many detachments of North Carolina troops were sent on other duty. Then, too, battles and sickness had greatly reduced their ranks. Writing to Governor Caswell, with reference to the North Carolina Brigade, General McIntosh said: 22 “I am sorry I have to inform you the men of my brigade here have suffered severely this Winter for lack of clothing and other necessaries. Fifty of them died in and about camp since the begin¬ ning of January last, and near two hun¬ dred sick here now, besides as many more, reported sick, absent in different hospitals of this State and Jersey—a most distressing situation!—and only Dr. McClure, of the Second Regiment, to attend the whole of them until a few days ago.” The foregoing is a brief and very inadequate account of the record of North Carolina troops in Washington’s NEW JERSEY MONUMENT STATUE OF BARON VON STEUBEN northern campaign, including Valley Forge. When the sons of this old State in that long war suffered from hunger, cold, nakedness, disease, and nearly every misery which ever tortured man, in order that America might be free, is it too much to ask our present prosper¬ ous, free, and happy State—prosperous, happy, and free because of their sacri¬ fices—to honor them as the patriots of other States have been honored, and give one memorial to commemorate their patriotism ? Marker erected by the State of Penn¬ sylvania on the site of the huts of the nine regiments of North Carolina soldiers. Next to Washington’s Headquarters were the Life Guards 1 and the North Carolina Troops, the only Troops on this side of the Ridge. 1 Picked men, mostly Virginians. Send your contributions to: Edward Monroe Harriss, Treasurer and Chairman, Valley For ye Memorial Committee 1438 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Jacob S. Allen, President, 6101 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia. Joel A. Blair, Vice-President, 401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. James Lee Bost, Secretary, Finance Building, Philadelphia. John H. Royall, Treasurer. DIRECTORS Gordon H. Cilley Howard A. Banks Edgar 1. Snipes R. Spencer Plumber J. S. P. Carpenter 26 Gordon H. Cilley Jordan R. Ross Herbert G. Tull ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEE J. S. P. Carpenter, Chairman William L. Shirley Thos. H. Ross Joel A. Blair Frank L. Page Ira W. Williams Charles E. Wilkinson Thaddis R. Parrish RECEPTION COMMITTEE R. Spencer Plumber Neal D. Ivey Dr. T. Grier Miller Dr. Charles R. Turner, Chairman Dr. John H. Gibbon Rev. C. Cooper Dr. J. G. Ramsey Col. John S. E. Young Dr. Fredk. Ross Robbins Rev. E. H. Argo LEGAL COMMITTEE Edgar T. Snipes, Chairman John T. Davis Howard A. Banks H. W. Frey John H. Royall 27 MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Dr. Jesse H. Brown, Chairman Russell Henderson Jordan Perceyville Smith Theodore Bernard Smith W. Lee Springs Henry T. White AUDITING COMMITTEE Howard A. Banks, Chairman C. E. Mason Aldine Keifer Siler Geo. G. Walker Edgar P. Carlton T. Mitchell Tull VALLEY FORGE MEMORIAL COMMITTEE Edward Monroe Harriss, Chairman Homer Hartsell Leonard Frank L. Jenkins George S. Sartin Herman Summerell Shaw John R. Cornwell Henry D. Blake Harry W. Lee Howard A. Banks Theodore B. Kingsbury Paul Collins Clyde Smith Edgar T. Snipes Edwin M. Wilson Gordon H. Cilley J. S. P. Carpenter Junius S. Koiner Jehu J. Outland John Robert Dixon Vernon L. Eley Dr. Jesse H. Brown Herbert G. Tull 28 NORTH CAROLINA AS AN EXAMPLE TO THE NATION As Rhode Island leads the nation, with 69 per cent of foreign stock, North Carolina leads the nation at the other end of the line with only seven-tenths of one per cent of foreign stock. North Carolina is one of the most prosperous states of the Union. It is developing, industrially, commercially and agriculturally, with amazing rapidity. It is probably one of the most law-abiding states in the Union,, and its courts enforce the laws, without fear or favor. It is carrying forward a campaign of college and university extension involving the expenditure of six or seven millions of dollars at present for new buildings and having $20,000,000 as the ulti¬ mate plan of this campaign. Some $42,000,000 was expended and voted for public education in the single year, June 30, 1921, to July 1 , 1922, in that state. It is putting $50,000,000 or more into highway improvements. It is enormously expanding its hydro-electric developments and its cotton mill interests, and yet it is doing this with less than one per cent of foreign stock, an unanswerable proof of the fact that this nation can carry forward its material development and expand every interest which makes for the betterment of humanity without any great influx of foreigners.-— The Manufacturers’ Record, September 21, 1922. 29 . UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL z o HH H U w hJ o u < z H-H -J o PC < u X H PC O z w X H 00 < ti. IV JO ESS* . , ■ At