The Neutral Ground
War brought an end to any development in what we know
today as the Village of Pelham for decades. Indeed,
much of lower
Westchester became known as "the neutral ground".
Today's Village of Pelham was situated in the midst of that
neutral ground -- the area between the British and American
lines. One author has described the situation as
follows:
The British headquarters was in New York City, and its
army had outposts along what is now the Bronx/Westchester
border. The Bronx was then a part of the County of
Westchester. The American lines, north of the Croton
River, stretched from Peekskill to Connecticut and down to
Long Island Sound.
Time and again during those seven long years, the
inhabitants of Westchester were victims of raids, pillage
and plunder by the armies and outlaw bands of British and
Americans alike. No other area of the thirteen
states was subjected to the hardships of the American
Revolutionary War for so long a period of time.
Susan Cochran Swanson, Between the Lines: Stories
of Westchester County, New York During the American
Revolution, p. 2 (The Junior League of Pelham, Inc. 1975).
The Battle of Pelham
The Battle of Pelham was fought along Split Rock Road on
October 18, 1776. No part of the battle is known to
have taken place inside what is today's Village of Pelham.
The Village of Pelham, however, was closely connected with
the aftermath of the Battle.
The Battle of Pelham is widely agreed to have saved
Washington's army. Sir William Howe, Commander of the
British forces, hoped to use ships moving up Long Island
Sound to land troops who would race across the mainland and
cut off Washington's army pulling back from the northern end
of Manhattan and the area around King's Bridge in today's
Bronx toward White Plains. In effect, Sir Howe hoped
to flank Washington's entire army and, at a minimum,
interrupt the flow of supplies to the American army from New
England. The Battle of Pelham destroyed Howe's plans.
Early on the morning of October 18, 1776, Col. John
Glover
stood atop a hill located near today's Memorial Field
on Sanford Boulevard in Mount Vernon. Using a "glass" he observed
British ships underway transporting 4,000 German and British
soldiers to a landing on Pell's Point (later known as
Rodman's Neck) near where Pelham Road (now known as Shore
Road) crosses the Hutchinson River near City Island.
Leaving his own unit in reserve, Col. Glover raced down
the hill and ran with about 450 troops along Split Rock
Road. Here is how Col. Glover described the battle in
a letter he wrote to a friend a few days after the battle.
(The letter, entitled "Letter from Mile Square, Oct. 24,
1776" was printed in the Freeman Journal and New Hampshire
Gazette on Nov. 26, 1776.)
You no doubt heard the enemy landed all their army on
Frog's Point the 11th instant, leaving only twelve hundred
men in York, and there remained until the 18th which was
Friday. I arose early in the morning and went on the
hill with my glass and discovered a number of ships in the
Sound under way; in a very short time saw the boats, upwards
of two hundred sail, all manned and formed in four grand
divisions. I immediately sent Major Lee express to
General Lee, who was about three miles distance, and without
waiting his orders, turned out the brigade I have the honour
to command, and very luckily for us that I did, as it turned
out afterwards, the enemy having stole a march one
and a half miles on us. I marched down to oppose their
landing with about seven hundred and fifty men and three
field pieces, but had not gone more than half the distance
before I met their advanced guard, about thirty men; upon
which I detached a captain's guard of forty men to meet
them, while I could dispose of the main body to advantage.
This plan succeeded very well, as you will hereafter see.
The enemy had the advantage over us, being posted on an
eminence which commanded the ground we had to march over.
I would have given a thousand worlds to have Gen. Lee, or
some other officer present to direct or at least approve of
what I did. However, I did the best I could and
disposed of my little party to the best of my judgement:
Colonel Read's on the left of the road, Colonel Shepherd's
in the rear and to the right of him, Colonel Baldwin's to
the rear and on the right of Shepherd's, my own regiment
commanded by Capt. Courtes (Colonel Johnnot being sick, and
Major Lee being Brigade Major) bringing up the rear with
three field pieces of artillery. Thus disposed of I
rode forward --to the advance guard, and ordered them to
advance, who did, within forty yards, and received their
fire without the loss of a man; we returned it and fell four
of them, and kept the ground until we exchanged five rounds.
Their body being much larger than mine, and having two men
killed and several wounded, which weakened my party, the
enemy pushed forward not more than thirty yards distant, I
ordered a retreat which was masterly well done by the
Captain that commanded the party. The enemy gave a
shout and advanced; Colonel Read's, laying under cover of a
stone wall undiscovered till they came within thirty yards,
then rose up and gave them the whole charge; the enemy
broke, and retreated for the main body to come up. In
this situation we remained for about an hour and a half,
when they appeared about four thousand, with seven pieces of
artillery; they now advance, keeping up a constant fire of
artillery; we kept our post under cover of the stone wall
before mentioned till they came within fifty yards of us,
rose up and gave them the whole charge of the battalion;
they halted and returned the fire with showers of musketry
and cannon balls. We exchanged seven rounds at this
post, retreated, and formed in the rear of Colonel Shepherd
and on his left; they then shouted and pushed on till they
came on Shepherd, posted behind a fine double wall; he rose
up and fired by grand divisions, by which he kept up a
constant fire, and maintained his part until he exchanged
seventeen rounds with them, and caused them to retreat
several times, once in particular so far that a soldier of
Colonel Shepherd's regiment leaped over the wall and took a
hat and canteen of a Captain that lay dead on the ground
they retreated from.
However, their body being so much larger than ours, we
were, for the preservation of the men, forced to retreat,
and formed in the rear of Baldwin's regiment; they then came
up to Baldwin's but the ground being much in their favor, we
could do but little before we retreated to the bottom of the
hill, and had to pass through a run of water (the bridge I
had taken up before) and then marched up a hill the opposite
side of the creek where I left my artillery; the ground
being rough and much broken I was afraid to risk it over.
The enemy halted, and played their artillery at us, and we
at them, till night, without any damage on our side, and but
very little on theirs. At dark we came off, and
marched about three miles, leading to Dobb's Ferry, after
fighting all day without victuals or drink, laying as a
picket all night, the heavens over us and the earth under
us, which was all we had having left our baggage at the old
encampment we left in the morning. The next morning we
marched over to Mile Square. I had eight men killed
and thirteen wounded, among which was Colonel Shepherd, a
brave officer.
The detail above, which shows a "skirmish"
within "Pelham's Mannor" on October 18, 1776 is from a map
entitled "A Plan of the Operations of the King's Army Under
the Command of General Sir William Howe, K.B. in New
York and East New Jersey, Against the American Forces Commanded by General
Washington from the 12th of October to the 28th of November 1776, Wherein
is Particularly Distinguished the Engagement on the White Plains the 28th
of October", ca. 1776 by C.J. Sauthier (often referenced as The Sauthier
Map and generally deemed an inaccurate depiction of events surrounding the
Battle of Pelham). The map is held in the collection of the Library
of Congress (Call Number G3804.W7S3 1776 .S2 Faden 58; Control Number gm
71000649; Repository: Library of Congress Geography
and Map Division, Washington, D.C., 20540-4650 USA).
The Village of Pelham and the Battle of Pelham
The night of the Battle of Pelham, the British army
encamped within today's Village of Pelham on the grounds of
today's Pelham Memorial High School.
General Howe is
said to have camped beneath a great chestnut tree that stood
for many years afterward near Pelham Boy Scouts of America
Troop 1 hut near today's Hutchinson River Parkway.
(See photograph to the left, courtesy of The Office of The
Historian of the Town of Pelham.)
Even the stump of General Howe's Chestnut, after the tree
departed this life, was treated reverentially for many
years.
After camping in today's Village of Pelham, the British
and German soldiers marched along the Old Boston Post Road
to New Rochelle where, within days they moved toward White
Plains to fight the Battle of White Plains.
Devastation Reigns
Lower Westchester was devastated by the War. It
took decades for "The Neutral Ground" to recover.
Technology seems to have been the savior. The railroad
came to town. . . . . .
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