title: History of the city of New York,
text: C71 ik W ' fi r %Wl'*t. ivi "i .^^^r Iff 4^ ^"^iPJ -1 - -» ^ 4^ t </; ■ill f- ^ * ^ ? ,3?-^ .*-<^* 111 ^ri^i*!*^-!- f ^ " ^ CITY OF NEW YORK. 673 with military honors in the cemetery of the church. A monument was afterward erected over his grave by the Society of the Cincinnati, of which lie was a member ; while the St. Andrew's Society, to which he also belonged — his father having been a Scotchman, an indispensable requisite to membership in this society — caused a mon- ument to be erected over the spot on which he fell. On the first of November, 1804, the foundation of the present Historical Society — a body to which, more than all others, the city of New York is indebted for the preservation of those documents and records which alone can preserve her true history to the world — was laid in the picture-room of the City Hall by eleven persons, who organized themselves into a society, and choosing DeWitt Clinton as the first president, pledged themselves to use their utmost efforts to collect whatever might relate to the natural, civil, literarj' and ecclesiastical history of the United States in general, and of the State of New York in particular. The foundation of this society was chiefly due to the instrumentality of Judge Egbert Ben- son and John Pintard, Esq. The association soon grew into favor, and its numbers increased slowly, but steadily. For some time, the meetings continued to be held in the City Hall, where the first historical festival of New York was held on the 4th of September, 1809, the two hun- dredth anniversary of the discovery by Hendrick Hudson of the island of Manhattan. In the same year, the society removed to rooms in the Government House, where it remained until the demolition of the building, in 1815 ; after which it located itself, first on the corner of Broadway and Chambers street, then in the Stuyve- 43 074 HISTORY OF 'iHE sant Institute, aud afterward in the New York Univer- sity, whence it removed for the last time in 1857 to the new library building on the corner of Second Avenue nnd Eleventh street, wliioh is fast becoming too small for its valuable and varied collection. The same year was marked by one of those terrible fires which were wont to ravage the city periodically before the introduction of lire-proof buildings, together with an efficient Fire Department. The conflagration broke out on the 18th of December in a grocery store in Front street, and raged with fury for several hours, burning the old CofTee House on the corner of Pearl and Wall street, the scene of so many patriotic gather- ings in the da3-s of the Revolution, with many other of the old landmarks of the city. Forty stores and dwell- ings were destroyed by this fire, which was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. The loss of property was estimated at two millions of dollars. The following year witnessed the initiatory movement of a noble institution which, matured and perfected, is destined to be the crowing glory of our country — the Free School. The credit of this is due chiefly to some members of the Society of Friends, who, aided by the eObrts of De Witt Clinton, obtained the incorporation of the Public School Society, in 1805, with Clinton as its first president. The first school. No. 1, was opened on the 17th of May, 1806, in Madison near Pearl street, with forty scholars, the instruction being gratuitous to some and almost nominal to all. Not content with thus placing the means of education within the reach of every one, the society did more ; it employed persons to go CITY OF NEW YORK. 675 St. Goorire's Chiircli CITY OF NEW YORK, G77 First Public School House. about the city and gather the destitute and untaught chikh-eu into the schools that they might receive tlie needed instruction. The experiment proved successful, and soon won the pubhc approval, at first withheld or cautiously bestowed on the innovation. In 1808, the cor- poration donated the old State Arsenal, on the corner of Chatham street and Tryou Row, to the society, on condi- tion that they should educate the children in the Alms House ; and, in ISll, School No. 2 was built in Henry street, on ground given by Colonel Rutgers. The pioneer school was afterwards removed to William street, where it long stood numerically at the head of our public schools. The society continued to flourish and rapidly to increase the number of its houses vuitil 1842, when a new school law was passed, providing for the establish- ment of Ward Schools, to be wliolly gratuitous and supported by taxation. The two systems continued to work together harmoniously under the supervision of 678 HISTORY OF THE a Board of Education until 1853, when the Public School Society resolved to make over their property to the corporation, and to relinquish their charter, which was accordingly done. Fifteen of the trustees were admit- ted into the Board of Education for two years, the remaining eighty entered the local boards, and the ven- erable Public School Society passed out of existence. Yet its name will ever be honored by the friends of education as the efficient pioneer of public instruction. From the single school with its forty scholars have sprung up between two and three hundred schools, beside the Free Academy, now the New York College, estab- Hshed in 1847, for the purpose of placing a univer- sity education within the reach of every 3'outh of the city. Of a different nature but not less important was the event which marked the year succeeding the organiza- tion of the Pubhc School Society — a year which will ever be memorable in the annals of our city for the suc- cessful introduction of steam navigation. In 1798, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston had received from the Legislature, as the discoverer of this new power, the exclusive right of steam navigation in all the waters within the limits of the State for twenty years, provided that within twelve months, he should produce a boat, the average speed of which should not be less than four miles an hour. This he failed to do, and the grant remained in abeyance until 1803, when, having made the acquaintance of Robert Fulton in France, and aided him in some encouraging experiments, he obtained a renewal of the monopoly for the twenty years ensuing, on condi- CITY OF N E ■»' YORK, G7y CITY OF N E W Y R K 681 Portrait of Robert Fnlton. tion that he and Fulton, his partner in the grant, should fulfill the required conditions within the space of two j-ears. They innnediately set to work to realize their design. Fulton took up his residence in New York, and com- menced the construction of the Clermont, the first of the steam vessels. No one believed in tlie possibility of his success ; the citizens looked jeeringly at the craft, and christened it in derision, " The Fulton Folly." Nothing daunted by their taunts, the sanguine projector perse- vered in his task, and on the Tth of August, 1807, an- nounced his vessel as ready for tlie trial trip to Albany. The boat was launched from Jersey City. At the time appointed, thousands of spectators thronged the tem- porary staging that had been erected along the sloping shore, to witness the failure of the chimerical enterprise. As the wheels revolved, slowly at first, then increasing in velocity, and the vessel was propelled toward the middle of the river, the crv of " she moves, she moves !" GS2 11 I S T O R Y OF THE The Cltniiunt — Fultou's lirst Stuambuat. run through the unbc4ieving crowd ; while the sailors on the other vessels, on witnessing the strange craft as she came puffing and snorting up tlie stream, fell upon their knees, and prayed to he delivered from the evil one. Fulton eiijoj-ed his triumph as the speed increased, and the new power which he liad chained to his bidding, bore him, in defiance of wind and tide, far from the sight of the dis- comfited citizens. Stopping a single night at the seat of Chancellor Livingston, lie reached the place of his destination in thirty-two hours and secured the mouojjoly of steam navigation over the waters of New York. But Fulton had not been alone in the pursuit of this lucrative monopoly. John Stevens with his son, R. L. Stevens, of Iloboken, had long cherished the idea of availing themselves of the power of steam, and almost simultaneously with Fulton, but just too laic, liad CITY OF NEW YORK. 683 effected their purpose in the steamer Phoenix. Antici- pated in the scheme by his successful rival, Mr. Stevens struck out into a new field, and, sending his steamer round to Philadelphia by sea, first won the mastery over the waters of the ocean as Pulton had done over those of the rivers. It was not long before the monopoly was set aside, and the Stevens again entered the lists of competition, producing an improved steamboat, capable of making thirteen and a half miles an hour, which con- vinced the doubters and persuaded them that the age of miracles was not yet past. One of the most important uses of this new power which had thus been forced into the service of mankind was in bridging the rivers which separated the city from the opposite shores. The ferries, especially those of Long Island, had alwa3^s borne an important part in the history of the city ; from their rent a great part of its revenue had been derived, and the proprietorship had been a constant source of dispute between the citizens and the residents at the opposite terminus. "We have noted the progress of the ferries from time to time, in the preceding pages, but we propose to give here a l)rief review of their history, the better to explain the bear- ings of the vexed ferry question. The first ferry was naturally established between New York and Brooklyn, its earliest neighbor. To avoid as much as jjossible the labor of stemming the strong ciu-- rent, the narrowest part of the river was chosen, though this was fiir above the furthest limits of the city, being from a point below Peck Slip on the New York to Fulton street on the Long Island side of the river. This (381 HISTORY OF THE Ferry — tlie Old Ferry, as it afterward came to be called — was maintained as a private speculation until about the middle of the seventeenth century, when a regular ferry was established, and made a source of revenue to the city. The first ferry-house in New York was on the cor- ner of Broad and Garden streets, now Exchange Place, a low, one story house, with two dormer windows in the high, steep pediment roof, built in conformity with the Knickerbocker style of architecture, and an iron boat, oars and anchor for a sign, the principal landing-jDlace of the ferry-boats, both from the Long Island and Jersey shores. The Brooklyn ferry-house at the foot of Fulton street was a commodious two story house, with stables and outhouses attached — for unlike the ferry-houses of the present day, these were also taverns for the accom- modation of travellers. This ferry-house was burned in 1748 by the Sepoys of Long Island by way of revenge for the infringement on their rights by the corporation of New York. The dispute originated in this wise. As we have already said, the ferry was at first a private speculation, established in 1642 by Cornelius Dircksen, who kept a small inn near Peck Slip and owned a farm in the vicinity. William Jansen was his successor. In 1652, the Burgomasters of New Amsterdam made an unsuccessful application to Governor Stuyvesant for the ferry to Breukelen to defray the city expenses. In 1654, an ordinance was passed, regulating the rates of ferriage, and in 1658, Harmanus Van Borsum hired the ferry from Governor Stuyvesant, at auction, at an iinnual rent of three hundred guilders, and became the CITY OF NEW YORK. 685 successor of his father Cornelius who had died a short time before. Upon the cession of the city to the English, the new rulers assumed control over the waters, and made th? ferry pay toll to the city government. Tlie people, how- ever, insisted on their right to ferry themselves and their neighbors across the river, provided that they did not interfere with the landing-places of the corporation, and so formidable became the opposition of these private ferries that the lessees of the government abandoned their enterprise in despair. John Airensen, John Euwatse and Dirck Benson successively tried the experi- ment and abandoned the lease, and the corporation became convinced that they must adopt some new policy or abandon all hope of revenue from the ferries. Hitherto they had been balked in their endeavors to crush these private enterprises from the fact that they could claim no jurisdiction over the neighboring shores ; but, in 1708, they obtained a charter from Lord Cornbury, which not only confirmed them in their title to the old ferry, but also invested them with a grant of all the land lying between high and low-water mark on the Long Island shore from the Wallabout to Red Hook, with the privilege of establishing additional ferries within these limits. The farmers along the shore were still permitted to ferry themselves and their produce across the river, but were strictly forbidden to carry any passengers. This charter incensed the Brooklynites greatly, and they did all in their power to evade its conditions. Urg- ino- that tlie instrument was worthless in the absence of ()86 niSTOUY OF THE some technical formality, they continued their ferries and so harassed the corporation that in 1740 the latter obtained a more explicit renewal of their grant in the Moutgomerie charter, and also procured the passage of an act by the Provincial Assembl}', prohibiting private citizens from ferrying passengers across the river under penalty of a fine. After vainly endeavoring to obtain the repeal of this act, the peoi3le determined to have recourse to the law, and instituted a suit which was car- ried from court to court of the province, and finally referred by appeal to the king, when the vexed questions of the day were put to rest by the Revolution. Upon the restoration of tranqviillity, it was again revived, and has ever since furnished food for litigation, though the peo- ple have, as yet, been worsted in the contest. Until the year 1810, row-boats or pirogues were the only ferry-boats upon the rivers. Next came the horse- boats — twin-boats, with the wheel in the centre, pro- pelled Ijy a sort of horizontal ti'eadmill worked by horses, the first of which was introduced on the 3d of April, 1814, upon the Catherine street ferry. This was a boat of eight-horse power, crossing the river in from twelve to twenty minutes. The first improvement was made in the substitution of steam for horses as the motive power, and the first steamboat, the Nassau, was put on the Ful- ton ferry on the 8th of May in the same year ; but the new agent being found as expensive as expeditious, it failed to find favor in the ej'es of the Company, and, for many years, this remained the only steam ferry-boat upon the river. In 1824, the monopoly which had been granted to Fulton and Livingston was set aside by order CITY OF \EW YORK. 687 of the Supreme Court, the use of steaia was thrown opeu to public competition, and the horse-buats soon became obsolete institutions. The first improvement in the steam ferry-boats was the single boat with side-wheels ; the first of which was the Hoboken, built by R. L. Stevens in 1822. Simul- taneously with these came the floating bridges which rise and fall with the tide, aided by counterbalancing weights on the shore — the invention of Fulton — and the spring piles, constructed by R. L. Stevens. These improvements soon found favor on the ferries, the plan of bridging the river by an arch was abandoned, in the face of this new agent, which set time and space at defiance, and the genius of steam gained undisputed dominion over the waters. In the charter election of 1806, the federalists suc- ceeded in regaining the ascendency iu the city, of which they had been deprived, and carried the First, Second, Third and Fourth Wards, together with the Fifth through an independent candidate to whom they had given their support. De Witt Clinton was in conse- qence removed from the maj^oralty by the Council of Appointment at Albany, and the veteran Marinus Wil- !ett was appointed in his stead ; while the recorder, Pierre C. Van Wyck, was superseded in his office by Maturin Livingston. Disaffection was now springing up in the republican ranks. The scope of our work does not permit us to trace the rise and progress of the numerous political parties that sprung suddenly into existence from time to time, and as suddenly vanished ; it will suffice to say that, at this time, a deadly feud G88 HISTORY OF THE existed between the Clintons and the Livingstons, that Governor Lewis, who was rehi-ted to the latter, threw his influence in their favor, that the section of the repub- lican party which still clung to Burr made common cause with these, and that with these cliques was allied that of the Madisonian republicans, who supported Madi- son for president in opposition to George CUnton, the ex-governor of the State. In the following year, the Clintonians regained the ascendency, De Witt Clinton was again appointed mayor, and Pierre C. Yan Wyck was restored to the recordership. In the charter election, the First, Second and Ninth Wards alone were carried by the federalists. These were increased in the election of 1808, by the addition of the Third and Sixth wards, making an equal division of power. Dui'ing this year the Tenth Ward was added to the cit}'. At the State election of 1809, the federalists for the first time since 1799, carried the State, upon which the appointment of the mayor depended.* This change was owing to the declaration of war which was now pending, and against which there was strong ojDposition. At the charter elections, the regnant party achieved a similar success, electing their candidates for aldermen in all the wards except the Fifth and Tenth, and gaining fifteen out of twenty of the whole common council. At the first meeting of the Council of Appointment at Albany, De Witt Clinton was again removed from the mayoralty, • The mayor was at this time appointed to o(fice by a Council of Appointment, consisting of a senator chosen by the Legislature from each of the four districts of the State, with the governor as cliairraan of the counciL CITY OF NEW YORK. 6S9 and Jacob Radcliff appointed in his stead ; wliile Pierre C. Van Wyck was again removed from the recordership to make room for Josiah Ogden Hoffman. In the fol- lowing year, the latter was restored to the office, then removed for the third time in 1813, and Hoffman again appointed in his place. In the charter election of 1810, the republicans gained a majority in the Fifth, Seventh, Eighth and Tenth wards. This success was followed up by a victory in the State election, which restored De Witt Clinton to the mayor- alty, in which he continued until 1815. During this time, the politics of the city were fluctuating. The charter election of 1811 made no change in the Board The election of 1812 gained to the federalists the assist- ant alderman of the Tenth Ward, and in 1813, the republicans gained the Sixth Ward, thus securing an equal division of power. This was recovered by the federalists in the following year ; when the great issue upon which the parties had been divided was ended by the termination of the war. From this brief sketch of the political affairs of the city during the beginning of the centur}^ we will return to its local changes and improvements. In 1807, a new missionary enterprise was undertaken by Trinity Church by the erection of St. John's Chapel in Varick street, on what was then deemed the outskirts of civilization. This was located opposite a dreary marsh, covered with brambles and bulrushes and tenanted by frogs and watersnakes, and was regarded by the citizens at large almost as a proof of insanity on the part of the church authorities. 44 690 HISTORY OF THE A curious fact discovered on the records of a Lutheran church of New York by one of the antiquarians to whom the cit}'- is so deeply indebted for preserving its traditions of the past, will serve to illustrate the popular faith at this period in the rise and progress of real estate in the upper part of the town. The church was at this time involved in pecuniary difificulties, contributions were solicited in its aid, and, to relieve it in its embarrassment, a friend proposed to donate to it a tract of six acres of ground in the neighborhood of the stone bridge on the corner of Broadway and Canal street ; but, after mature •leliberation, the trustees refused the gift, alleging that the land in question was not worth the trouble of fencing in. The commencement of the United States Navy Yard at Brooklyn in the beginning of tlie century called the attention of the citizens to an act of duty which had too long been delayed. The first stroke of the spade into the sand-hill upon which the new buildings were to be erected opened a terrible mine to the eyes of the public. The whole shore, the slope of the hill, the sand island in the vicinity — all were filled with the bones of the prison- ship martyrs, who had been thrust coffinless into the ground and literally piled one upon another. The hor- rible revelation reminded the citizens of the too-long neglected duty ; the relics were carefully collected and placed in the charge of the Tammany Society, and, on the 8th of May, 1808, escorted by one of the grandest processions that New York had ever witnessed, were conveyed to their final resting-place in a vault in Jack- son street, not far from the spot of their original inter- CITY OF NEW YORK. 691 ment. Thirteen coffins filled with the bones were carried in the procession, and eighteen hogsheads besides were gathered from the sands and deposited in the vault. The corporation attended in a body, the bells were tolled and minute guns fired during the procession, and the whole city seemed clad in mourning. In 1811, the city was again devastated by a terrible conflagration, which raged witli fury for several hours, destroying nearly a hundred houses, and baffling for a long time all the efforts of the firemen. The steeple of the Brick Church and the cupola of the New Jail took fire and were barely saved, the one by the prompt action of a sailor by the name of Stephen McCormick, the other by the presence of mind of a prisoner on the premises. Both were afterward rewarded by the corporation. One of the most important events of tliis period was the adoption of a plan of the future city, to which we owe the parallel streets and broad avenues of the upper part of the island, which contrast so strongly with the narrow streets and crooked lanes of the down-town locality. This plan was due to Simeon Dewitt, Gouver- neur Morris, John Rutherford and S. Guel, who had been appointed by the Legislature in 1801, as commis- sioners to lay out and survey the whole island to Kings- bridge into streets and avenues. By the proposed plan, the streets, beginning with the first on the east side of the Bowery -above Houston street, numbered upward to the extreme end of the island. These were inter- sected by twelve avenues, numbering westward from First Avenue, the continuation of Allen street, to Twelfth Avenue upon the shores of the North River. G92 HISTORY OF THE As avenues were afterward laid out to the eastward of the former, they were designated by the names of the letters of the alphabet, A, B, C and D. By this plan, the island was laid out with admirable regularity, while the squares and triangles which were formed by the junction of those time-honored thoroughfares which could not be removed, were converted into public parks for the adornment of the city. The despised Potter's Field became the beautiful Washington Square ; the Bowery and Broadway met amicably in Union Square ; Madison Square was formed from the union of the Old and the Middle roads ; the great salt meadow on the eastern side of the city was drained, and Tompkins Square, with hundreds of city lots, sprung up from its depths ; valleys were filled up, hills were levelled, and art seemed destined to surmount all the difficulties of nature,- and to make every inch of New York Island inhabitable ground. During the occurrence of these events, the progress of the city had been greatly retarded by the threatening aspect of affairs with England. Despite the provisions of the treaty of 1795, the English had not ceased their aggressions upon American commerce. In the war that existed between England and Prance, the hostile powers blockaded each other's ports, and captured all American vessels that attempted to enter, despite the neutrality which was strictly maintained by the nation. Nor was this all ; the British cruisers, on the motto, " Once an Englishman, always an Englishman," per- sisted in boarding and searching American vessels, and taking thence all naturalized citizens as subjects of the CITY OF NEW YORK. Q9o British crown. These constantly recurring grievances irritated the people, and fast prepared them for an open rupture. As early as 1806, an affair of this kind occurred almost within the port of New York, which excited uni- vei-sal indignation. In April, the British frigate Lean- der, commanded by Captain Whitby, while cruising ofif Sandy Hook, fired into the sloop Richard, an American coasting vessel, and killed one of her men. The corpse was brought up to the city and buried at the public expense; and the citizens joined in demanding reparation of the British government for the unprovoked outrage ; but, though Captain Whitby was sent home to England and tried by a court-martial, he was speedily acquitted without punishment or censure. On the 22d of June of the following year, the Ameri- can frigate Chesapeake, when off the coast of Virginia, was fired upon by the British man-of-war Leopard, and forced to surrender four of her men, who were claimed as subjects to the crown of Great Britain ; three of whom were afterwards proved to be American citizens who had been impressed by the British but had escaped from their service. This outrage was followed by a proclama- tion from President Jefferson, forbidding British armed vessels to enter the harbors of the United States until reparation for the attack upon the Chesapeake had been made by the British government, and security given - against future aggressions. War was now raging between England and France, and, in November of the same year, the British govern- ment issued " orders in council," prohibiting all trade 694 HISTORY OF THE CliurcU ui" the Ascension, comer of Fifth Av anJ Teuth Street. with France and her alUes. By way of retaliation, in the following month, Bonaparte issued the celebrated Milan decree, forbidding all trade with England and her colonies, and thus struck the death-blow to American commerce. It now became evident to all that war was inevitable ; and, in order to call home and detain the American ships and sailors, and to put the country in a posture of defence, on the 23d of September, 1807, an embargo CITT OF NEW YORK. 695 was laid by Congress on all the vessels in the harbors of the United States. The result was most disastrous. business was instantly paralyzed, failures occurred ou every side, and the whole country seemed in a state of stagnation. This measure revived the disputes between the federalists and the republicans ; the latter sustain- ing the action of the administration, the former insisting that, if war were made at all, it should be against Franco as the principal aggressor. On the 1st of March, 1809, the embargo which, while failing to obtain from France and England the desired acknowledgment of American rights, was ruinous to the commerce of the country with other nations, ^s'ai- repealed by Congress, and a strict system of ion- intercourse substituted in its stead. Relying o' the promise of Mr. Erskine, the British minister, th.^■. the obnoxious "orders in council" should be r^-pealed before the 10th of June, President Madison, lately elected to the office, proclaimed that commer.v'al inter- course with England should be renewed on that day. The promise, however, was not kept, the ^Movernment disavowed the pledge of the minister, and on the 19 th of August, non-intercourse with England was again proclaimed. In March, 1810, the hostile decrees of the French were revoked, and commercial intercourse was renewed with the nation. The Englisli, meanwhile, continued their aggressions, stationing ships of war before the American ports, to intercept the outward-bound vessels and take possession of them as lawful prizes. Scarce an American vessel was safe on the seas, and, finding that 096 HISTORY OF THE no satisfaction was to be obtained from the British government, Congress resolved at length to bring mat- ters to a crisis, and on the 4th of Ajn'il, 1812, laid an embargo upon all vessels within the jurisdiction of the United States, which was followed on the 19th of the ensuing month by the President's proclamation of war against Great Britain. Although the citizens had differed greatly in opinion in respect to the expediency of the projected war, no sooner had it been declared, than they pledged them- selves heart and hand to aid in its accomplishment. The news reached the city on the 20th of June, and on the 24th, the citizens assembled in large numbers in the Park to concert measures for future action. The meeting was called to order at 12 o'clock, noon, with Col. Henry Rutgers as president and Col. Marinus Willett as secretary. The law of Congress declaring war and the President's proclamation were read, and a preamble and resolutions, apjjroving the action of the government, and pledging to its support " their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor," were unanimously adopted by the Assembly.* Copies of these resolutions * These resolutions we transcribe entire — the preamble from which they are deduced is too long to be inserted here. " Resolved, That we have viewed with pleasure and approbation the increasing " efforts of our government to preserve to our country the blessings of peace ; that " we duly appreciate their able negotiations, and admire their unwearied patience to " promote so important an end ; and that we consider them standing justified in the " eyes of their fellow-citizens in all the restrictive measures to which they have " resorted, as temporary expedients, with the hope of preventing thereby the evib " of war. " Resolved, That while sohcitous of peace, and ardently attached to its blessings, '• we believe that the crisis had arrived when it could be no longer with honor CITY OF NEW YORK. 697 were ordered to be forwarded to the President, to Congress, and to the press for jjublication, and the people dispersed,, fully determined to make their words good whenever thej^ should be called upon to redeem their pledges. So vigorously were they backed by individual enterprise that, within four months after the declaration of war, twenty-six privateers were fitted out from the port, carrying two hundred and twelve guns and twenty-two thousand and thirty-nine men. The city, in the meantime, was ill prepared for defence, although, taking warning by the indications of the gathering storm, the government had for some time past been busy with its fortification. In the beginning of 1807, the city was entirely defenceless. The Narrows and the Sound were open and undefended, not a fortifi- cation was to be seen in the harbor or on any of the islands, and a small force might have sailed up to the city without opposition, and captured it as did Nicolls in the days of Stuyvesant. Awakened to a sense of the impending danger, in the spring of 1807, the general government began to take measures to fortify the liarbor of New York ; but the work went on slowly, and it was " retained ; that we therefore hold our government justified in its appeal to arms " against Great Britain, and yield to its decision our unqualified and decided appro- " bation. " Resolved, That as our government has now appealed to the sword, it becomes " the duty of all good citizens, at such an eventful period, to lay aside all party " animosity and private bickering, to rally as becomes brethren, equally involved in " the welfare of their common country, around the national standard, and to yield " to their government an undivided support. " Resolved, That in placing our reliance in the Most High, and soliciting his " benediction on our just cause, we pledge to our government, in support of our " beloved country, ' our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.' " 698 HISTORY OF THE not until the war had been prosecuted for two years, and the city was threatened with invasioii by a British fleet, that the citizens took the work into their own hands, and succeeded in rendering the defences available. In the spring of 1814, the blockade of the southern ports, which had been maintained by the British since the beginning of the war, was extended along the entire coast, and the Common Council, alarmed by this hostile demonstration, issued a public call, urging the citizens to come together and concert measures for the defence of the city. In pursuance of this call, the people assembled in the Park in front of the City Hall on the 11th of August, 1814, to redeem the pledges of the former meeting. Colonel Heni-y Rutgers was again chosen chairman, and Oliver Wolcott secretary ; and Drs. Mitchell and McNeven, with Messrs. Wolcott, Riker, Anthony, Bleecker and Sampson, were appointed as a committee to draft resolutions to be presented to the meeting ; pending which, the veteran Willett addressed the audience in a stirring speech, reviewing the events of their first struggle for independence, and urging them not to falter, but to support their leaders to the end. His speech was received with shouts of en- thusiasm. In a short time, Richard Riker presented a preamble and resolutions in behalf of the com- mittee, declaring their resolve to unite in arms on the first approach of the enemy, and to defend the city to the last extremity, and urging all the citizens to enroll in the militia and the naval service, to assist in the public works, and, by ever}^ means in their power, to aid the authorities in their efforts to secure the public CITY OF NEW YORK. b&.-i safety/^ These resolutions were passed unanimously, committees were appointed to confer on the proper mea- sures to be adopted, and to correspond with the citizens of other States for tlie purpose of inviting them to form voluntary associations similar to those proposed in the city, and the meeting adjourned amid shouts of applause. * These resolutions read as follows : " Kesolred, That the citizens here assembled, will, to the last extremity, defend " their city. " Resolved, That we will unite ourselves in arms with our brethren of the country, " and on the first approach of the enemy, make it a common cabse. "Resolved, That humbly confiding in the favor of the Assembly, we hope to " prove ourselves not unworthy of that freedom won by the heroes of the Revo- " lution ; and trust that the enemy they vanquished will receive from us a similar " defeat. " Resoleed, That we highly approve of the measures for public defence which " have been devised by the government of the United States, by his excellency the « governor of the State, and by the corporation of this city ; and that we will " cooperate in carrying the same into effectu.al execution. ^^ Resolved, That it be recommended to the citizens generally, to meet, as soon as " may be practicable with convenience, in their respective wards, for the purpose of "electing discreet and efficient committees to promote the execution of the foUow- " ing objects : "1. To complete the voluntary enrollments of persons exempted by law from " military service " 2. To encourage the enrollment of seafaring citizens for service in the harbor, " or as artillerists ; and " 3. The enrollment of citizens for voluntary labor on the public works. " Resolved, That it be the special duties of the ward committees to provide, " under the direction of the corporation of the city, for the relief and protection of " the families of such persons as may be absent on public duty, and also, to '• provide in the best manner practicable, for the protection of such helpless per- " sons and their property, as in case of alarm may be desirous of moving into the " country. " Resolved, That we will endeavor to promote concord, and will discountenance " all attempts to weaken the patriotic efforts of good citizens. " Resolved, That we will endeavor to discover and subject to the animadversion " of the laws, all persons who shall be concerned in any illicit commerce or " improper intercourse with the enemy." 700 HISTORY OF THE The citizens were not slow in redeeming their pledges Men of all classes and vocations lent a helping hand ; masons, carpenters, shoemakers, merchants, and incorpo- rated societies, all turned out in distinct bodies to aid in digging and constructing the works, and so numerous did the offers of aid become that the corporation was often obliged to entreat the friendly societies to wait from day to day for want of room. The whole city wore a martial aspect, mihtia companies were organizing and drilling here and ihere. the citizens hurried to and fro with pick and shovel to labor upon the fortifications, and every- thing bespoke the spirit of determined resistance. With this efficient aid, the works were soon completed. Castle Clinton, better known as Castle Garden, was con- structed on the southwest point of the island, the North Batter}' was built at the foot of Hubert street, and Fort Gansevoort was erected at the foot of Gansevoort street. On Governor's Island, about half a mile south of the city, was Fort Columbus, with the strong Fort WilHam in close proximity. About a mile to the westward of this, on Bedlow's Island, was a strongly built star-fort, and on Ellis Island, about a mile southwest from Castle Clinton, wa.s a circular battery. On Staten Island, eight miles below the city, at the narrowest point of the passage between Long and Staten Island, stood Fort Richmond, a strongly built stone fortress, well supplied with all the munitions of war, with Fort Tompkins on an eminence directly in the rear, and Fort Hudson a little way below on the shore. In the Upper Bay, about two hundred yards from Long Island was Fort Diamond, afterward Fort Lafayette, the strongest fortress of any, built on CITY OF NEW YORK. 701 made ground on a shoal, which could only be seen at low water. These fortifications, which in case of need could mount five hundred cannon, amply defended the harbor, and precluded the possibility of a successful invasion. Nor were the fortifications at Hellgate and on the upper part of the island, less effective. On Hallet's Point stood Fort' Stevens, with a stone tower in the rear; the Opposite shore was strongly defended by the fortifica- tions at Benson's Point ; and strong works were erected to protect McGowan's Pass on the road to Harlem and the Manhattanville Pass on the Bloomingdale road, be- tween which a line of block-houses was thrown up. Early in the month of August, a requisition was made by Congress for twenty thousand troops, to be stationed in and around New York, and the cor- poration raised the necessary funds to meet the expense under pledge of reimbursement by the general govern- ment. Volunteers speedily flocked in from the surrounding country, and, on the 1st of September, all the artillery and infantry in the city and county were consolidated and mustered into the United States service, under their own officers, subject to the same rules and regulations and receiving the same pay and rations as the regular troops. Daniel D. Tompkins, at this time governor of the State, and Major-General Morgan Lewis, were the commanders at the post. The whole detached division was placed under the command of Major-Gene- ral Ebenezer Stevens. Commodore Decatur was stationed in the city with a small force of picked men to be ready for action by sea or land, and a strong fleet 702 HISTORY OF THE lay in waiting in the harbor. The active duty required was performed in turn by the companies with their officers. Each company had its parade-ground, where the men who quartered at home were drilled for three or four hours every morning and afternoon. The bat- talions formed twice each week, the regiments once a week, and the brigade once in two or three weeks, while the whole division under General Stevens had three or four parades during their three months' service. During this time, the different regiments encamped in turn at Harlem, and guarded the fortifications there until relieved by a new corps from the city. When, at the close of the campaign of 1814, the division was reviewed by Governor Tompkins, it was found to consist of more than twenty-three thousand men, of whom but five hundred were regulars, while the rest were volunteers. The regular army w'as on the northern and western frontier, repelling the attacks of the British and Indians, and New York had none but her own sons to depend upon for safety. Happily, their protection was not needed. The battle of New Orleans virtually closed the war. On the 24th of December, 1814, a treaty of peace had been concluded at Ghent, and signed by the commissioners of both nations. Strangely enough, no mention was made in this treaty of the causes which had led to the war — the encroachments upon American commerce and the right of search and impressment, but the former had ceased with the conclu- sion of the war with France, while Great Britain had quietly abandoned the practice of the latter. 