A REVOLUTIONARY PILGRIMAGE - A REVOLUTIONARY PILGRIMAGE Being an Account of a Series of Visits to Battlegrounds Other Places Made Memorable by the War of the Revolution Written Illuftrated by ERNEST PEIXOTTO NEW YORK Printed Publifhed by CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS MDCCCCXVII Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia TO WILLIAM BUNKER r THE STtJKDY STOCK THAT DEFENDED ITS UDEHTIEB IN THE WAft OF THE DEVOLUTION THIS BOOK, IS APFBTTIONATKLY IN CIUBED PREFACE SOME years ago I systematically visited the scenes and battle-fields connected with the Revolution, undertaking a sort of pilgrimage a series of journeys that covered a period of almost fourteen months, my motive being to furnish illustrations for Henry Cabot Lodges Story of the Revolution The only book I could procure to guide me was Los sings classic Field-Book of the Revolution, an admi rable work, indeed, but so bulky, so unwieldy, and so verbose that it makes rather complicated reading. Be sides, in many particulars it is now quite out of date. Many of the scenes have radically changed since 1850 many of the landmarks he describes have disappeared while, on the other hand, much has been done by pa triotic people to mark and make interesting the Revolu tionary battle-grounds since his day. While engaged upon this pilgrimage I met many peo ple local authorities, men of importance, who had made special researches into the history of their own particular region and were kind enough to give me pamphlets arid articles that they had written or data that they had col lected material that seemed to me most interesting. So, as there appeared to be no recent book devoted to VH PREFACE the topographical history of the Revolution, I made up my mind to writeone, but one busy period after another has hitherto prevented the accomplishment of 1 hat purpose. During this past year, however, I have again gone over the ground, and lo my illustrations that originally ap peared in The Story of the Revolution I have added a number of others and particularly a number of maps which I hope may be of real assistance to the reader in following the narrative. Now that a new wave of patriotism has swept over the land and created a revival of the American spirit as it is called, the moment, seems peculiarly propitious to awake anew the story of the deeds of our ancestors the men. who risked their lives and staked their all to found our nation and make its ideal possible. I wish to thank all those who helped me on my wan derings and they are many the kind friends and the chance acquaintances who made these journeys interest ing and pleasurable and aided so much in giving me au opportunity to see things and to xmearth documents that I should otherwise have surely overlooked, L l Nuw Yoiuc, 1017 vm CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTORY 1 AROUND BOSTON 7 I. THE BEGINNING 9 IL LEXINGTON AND CONCORD 17 TIL BUNKER HILL 39 T1CONDEROGA AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN . . 49 TO THE PLAINS OF SARATOGA 67 L TlCONDBROGA TO FORT EDWARD . . 69 II. THE GKKBN MOUNTAINS 76 III. THE MOHAWK VALLEY 87 IV. SARATOGA 101 DOWN TIIK HUDSON ………. 115 ABOUT NEW YORK 145 IN THE JERSEYS 173 L TRENTON 175 IL PRINCETON 191 II L MORRIHTOWN 204 ix CONTENTS PAGE ROUND ABOUT PHILADELPHIA 213 I. CHADDS FORD AND THE BRANDYWINE . . 215 II. GERMANTOWN 228 III. VALLEY FORGE 236 PHILADELPHIA 247 CAMPAIGNS IN THE CAROLINAS 271 I. CHARLESTON 273 II. THROUGH SOUTH CAROLINA 2J19 III. GUILFORD COURT HOUSE 307 THROUGHVIRGINIA 315 I. WlLLIAMRBURG 317 II. YORKTOWN 32 III. HAMPTON ROADS 341 MOUNT VKRNON 315 WASHINGTON 361 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia Frontispiece PAGE The Old North 11 Lexington Green at the Present Time 19 Buekman Tavern 20 The Boulder and Harrington House 21 Major Pitcairns Pistols 23 The Wright Tavern, Concord 25 Barrett House, near Concord 27 Concord Bridge 29 Panicl Frenchs Statue of the Miimtcman 32 Flag Curried by the Bedford Militia at Concord …. 3-1 Grave of British Soldiers near the Bridge at Concord … …
