Page 20
History of Orange County
Towns of Goshen, Hamptonburgh and Chester
Page 20
Services in French and Indian War.
Goshen and vicinity being early settled, and in consequence of the erection of a court house there in 1738, it became the most important, populous and publicly known district of the county, and consequently, the settlers were called upon to take an active part in all matters of a public character, or which concerned the interest of the county. These events were principally of a warlike character, commencing with the aggressions of East New Jersey, as early perhaps, as 1730, then continued through the old French and Indian war, and so down to the Revolution and battle of Minisink; in each and all of which, the inhabitants of this region turned out with great alacrity, and discharged their duty with good will and patriot honesty. A portion of these services have already been referred to in our remarks on other towns, while some of them will be more particularly mentioned in our paper hereafter, and we will content ourselves for the present by making a few extracts in relation to these services in the French and Indian war, commenced in 1756, as we find them on the Journal of the Assembly. The services were principally on the lines of Orange and Ulster, and in the northern part of the state.
“To Lieut. Samuel Denton and Company,
|
£14,
|
16s,
|
0d.
|
Ensign Thomas Bull and Company,
|
15,
|
11,
|
0.
|
Seargent Benjamin Booth and Company,
|
|
7,
|
6.
|
Captain George DeKay going express from Goshen to Minisink for Gov. Hardy in 1756,
|
2,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Col. Vincent Mathews for guides to regulars posted at Goshen, from Oct. 1757, to February, 1758.
|
97,
|
10,
|
0.
|
Capt. John Wisner and Company as scouts in 1757,
|
7,
|
13,
|
9.
|
Col. David Gardner and Maj. John Sulman for a barrel of gunpowder for the great guns in Suffolk County and materials for carriages, etc.
|
21,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Lieut. Colvin Bradner for taking horses home from Saratoga by order of Col. DeKey, 1757,
|
5,
|
10,
|
0.
|
Samuel Gale for provisions to troops on frontiers, near Goshen,
|
56,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Colvin Carpenter in Capt. Case's Company, 1758,
|
2,
|
12,
|
0.
|
Capt. John Bull and detachment, 1758
|
17,
|
8,
|
0.
|
Lieut. Robert Denton and detachment, 1758,
|
1,
|
7,
|
9.
|
Daniel Gale in Capt. Wisner's Company, 1757,
|
1,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Doct. John Gale attending sick, 1756
|
30,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Maj. William Thompson for guarding frontiers, 1758,
|
40,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Col. Benjamin Tuston, Capt. Daniel Case and Capt. J. Bull for money advanced in building block houses, Nos. 1 and 2 on the western frontier in Jan. 1757,
|
100,
|
0,
|
0.
|
Lieut. John Denton and Company for guarding Cols. Clinton and DeKey in laying out the ground, etc. for block houses,
|
6,
|
12,
|
0.
|
Hugh Dobbin, in Capt. Wisner's Company, for pasturage of 115 horses of Col. DeKey's regiment in Albany when Ft. William Henry was taken, 1757,
|
4,
|
7,
|
0.
|
Peter Carter, David Benjamin, Philip Reid and Francis Armstrong for guarding George DeKey as Express from Goshen to Minisink in 1756,
|
4,
|
0,
|
0.
|
James Sayre and Ebenezer Gilbert and Companys for guarding block houses in February, 1757.
|
46,
|
4,
|
0.
|
The following message with show the nature of several years afterwards. At the date of the message, Fort William Henry had been taken by the French, and as they had a large army and a formidable train of artillery, it was expected that they would penetrate further into the country, which would give encouragement to the Indians and excite them to greater hostility along the lines.
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, December 7, 1757.
Lieut. Governor De Lancey among other things communicated to the Senate as follows:
The enemy Indians having made incursions into the counties of Ulster and Orange and murdered some of the inhabitants, I ordered detachments of the militia to be employed on the scout to protect the settlers, promising to recommend their service to you at the next meeting, which I now do. I also, on repeated applications from thence, gave orders to have a line of block houses built, more effectually to secure that part of the county, and to encourage the inhabitants to stay and not abandon their settlements. The frontier is now, and has been for some time, guarded by troops posted there by the Earl of Landoun's orders; but when his majesty's service next season shall call for those troops, it will become necessary to place others there the pay to the province, lest that part of the country be destroyed by the French and their savages, etc.”
November 9, 1763.
Lieut. Governor Cadwallader Colden communicated to the house among other things as follows:
“The enemy have already infested the borders of Orange and Ulster, and though I am confident of the spirit and activity of the militia, yet as this duty will soon be too severely felt, I assure myself you will enable me to ease them, etc.”
A guard of 160 men, exclusive of officers, were ordered for Ulster county to the frontiers, and 40 for Orange county.
At this time the town of Goshen was very large, running front the old northwest line to New Jersey, and extending east to the Hudson. In 1764 a bill was passed entitled, “an act for dividing the Precinct of Goshen, in Orange county, into two precincts, to be called by the names of Goshen and Cornwall, as then erected, embraced what is now Cornwall, Bloominggrove and Monroe, and in 1788 was divided, and these three towns organized.
We may as well discharge art obligation here as elsewhere, and say that our thanks are due to Mr. P. V. C. Miller of Shawangunk, for the loan politely tendered us of a copy of the proceedings of the colonial Legislature, commencing in 1691 and ending in 1765, and of which we have made free use.