To George Washington from Brigadier General William Maxwell, 26 May 1780
From Brigadier General William Maxwell
One Mile from Elizth Town [N.J.] 26th May 1780
Sir
I have to inform Your Excellency that a party of the British came from Statten Island last nigh[t], in boats and escorted by some gun boats to cover their landing, and embarking if necessary; they landed near New Ark about break of day, but made no surprise on the Troops; they came into the Town between break of day and sunrise, it is supposed they had from 200 to 270 Men and one Field piece.1 Capt. Reading2 met them with his men in small partys (assisted by the Militia who turned out spiritedly) a little on this side the Court House and fired on them from behind Fences &Ca so that they proceeded no further this way, but turned to their Boats and emba[r]ked; we had two men taken that was patroling and one Sergt that was seperated by some means from the Troops in Town. Capt. Knox is wounded in the Mouth, and two of the Militia are wounded also. Two boys that the Enemy let go on their embarking, informs that the Enemy had severlal wounded. Capt. Reading with his Troops and the Militia kept on their flanks and rear with a constant firing till they got to their Boats I am informed they all behaved admirably well. A party or Picket we had at Bond Creek Bridge thought to have got in for a part of the Action but was too late, as the Enemy went of[f] so quick. They have taken of several of the Inhabitants but I am informed they are mostly all disafected. It seems that the Enemy had suffered it to leak out that they were to come out to New Ark some nights ago but did not come, it was again reported that they would be out last night but it was thought they could not pass Bargin point without being discovered by the Guards at Elizth Town point; but it seems they did pass undiscovered.
It is thought Capt. Noxes wound is dangerous—he has a part of his tung cut off and his Jaw broke.3 The Engineer promised to be down yesterday and his not coming prevents us going on with the work as we could wish. The Inhabitants say the ground pitched on for the Works will be very spungey when wet weather comes on.4 I moved to this place Yesterday and am Your Excellencys Most Obedient Humble Servant
Wm Maxwell
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. The Royal Gazette (New York) for 27 May printed a report of this raid on Newark, N.J.: “A detachment of 150 men from the 57th regiment, under the command of Major [Charles] Brownlow, landed upon New⟨-⟩Ark Meadows, yesterday morning at two o’clock, in order to surprize a small body of Rebels quartered in the town; upon the march of the troops to that place, Major Brownlow fell in with a small patrole close to the town, one man of which running off, gave the alarm; by this means the greatest part of them made their escape, thirty-three excepted, four of whom were killed, the remainder taken prisoners, with the loss upon the part of the King’s troops, four men wounded, three of them very slightly.” According to another report printed under the heading “CHATHAM, May 31 [Wednesday]” in The New-Jersey Gazette (Trenton) for 7 June, the “57th regiment from Staten-Island” plundered several inhabitants during the raid, and took about twenty prisoners. During the British retreat, “a few spirited militia pushed their rear very hard, and wounded a few.” In his diary entry for 24–25 May, Sgt. Ebenezer Parkman, Jr., who served with the artificers at Morristown, wrote: “The Enemy plunderd part of Newark and Carried off about 30 persons” (MWA: Parkman Family Papers). Another account put the number of captured Americans at thirty-four (see , 2:88).
2. Samuel Reading (1752–1838) served as lieutenant in the 3d New Jersey Regiment in 1775 and was taken prisoner during the American defeat at Trois-Rivières, Canada, in June 1776. Exchanged in December of that year, Reading became a captain in the 2d New Jersey Regiment in January 1777 and rose to major in December 1781. He left the army in November 1783.
3. The New-Jersey Gazette (Trenton) for 7 June reported that “Capt. [George] Knox (who commanded the forlorn hope at the reduction of Stoney-Point fort) and another of our people, were wounded; the former, it is feared, will not recover, being wounded in the face, and part of his tongue shot away.”
4. For the orders to the engineer, Captain Rochefontaine, to supervise this construction, see GW to Rochefontaine, 22 May, found at GW to Maxwell, 19 May, n.3. Maxwell had considered several encampment sites for his New Jersey Brigade (see his letters to GW of 15 and 17 May).
For Rochefontaine’s absence on a mission to Sakonnet Point, R.I., see GW to William Greene, 23 May, and the source note to that document.