the campaign under General Sullivan against the Six Nations. He was on leave, and was to have been married on the following day-indeed, it is said that he was on his way to visit his fiancee when he came upon a party of militia in pursuit of the Queen's Rangers, and put himself at their head.

Captain Sandford's anxiety was now to reach his body of supporting infantry, so, as recounted in the before quoted junior officer's report of the expedition, in order to delude the enemy in his front he marched to the left as if intending to enter New Brunswick. The Americans in front then pushed to their right, in order to check a retreat in that direction. Whereupon the rangers, taking advantage of that move, retraced their steps and with a sharp gallop gained the left flank of the Jerseymen, and thus made their escape in the direction of South river. Before four o'clock in the afternoon Captain Sandford with his cavalry had joined Major Armstrong and the foot at the bridge, and that night the combined forces crossed from South Amboy to Staten Island. There was some little skirmishing on the way with small parties of militia, without much result; there were wounds given on both sides; one hussar-Molloy-was killed, and two Americans made prisoners. Although the expedition failed in drawing the militia into the ambuscade, the exploit, altogether, reflected great credit on the British arms, and but for the loss of Simcoe it would have been considered brilliantly successful. At least sixty miles of hostile country were passed over with the loss of but few men, about thirty prisoners were secured, much property destroyed, and many bad horses exchanged for good ones taken from the prisoners and the country people.

When Simcoe's horse was shot from under him, and he fell stunned to the ground, Doctor Messler says that he would have been killed had not James Schureman, of New Brunswick, saved his life by thrusting aside the bayonet of a militia private who lunged at him with murderous intent. Others claim that it was Jonathan Ford Morris, a young medical student, who so deftly averted the soldier's blow. He it was, at least, who propped the British colonel against a tree, bled him until restored to consciousness, and bestowed on him other medical and friendly attentions. Morris was at this time but nineteen years old, having one year

THE BURNING OF RARITAN CHURCH.

509 before resigned a lieutenancy in Procter's artillery regiment. He entered the army at the early age of sixteen and served with merit as a private, surgeon's mate and lieutenant; his love of country, or of adventure, had led him to march with the militia as a volunteer when they set off from New Brunswick on that October day to check the progress of the Queen's Rangers. After the war he became a popular and successful physician and surgeon, settling first at Bound Brook, and later at Somerville where he died in 1810. Colonel Simcoe was ever grateful to Doctor Morris for his services on this occasion, and, when governor-general of Canada, wrote him urging that he should remove to the British Possessions in order to receive substantial proof of an Englishman's gratitude. But Morris was unwilling to exchange his flag and fealty in order to secure personal favor and advancement.

It is always both curious and interesting to observe the relation existing between events and consequences. As to the former we are prone to reach immediate and often false conclusions, for it is only in the light of subsequent years that their true value can be ascertained. Had Colonel Simcoe magnanimously spared the "Dutch meeting," and the court-house at Hillsborough it is not impossible that to-day there would be no Somerville, or at least that that town would not now flourish as the county-seat of Somerset. The people of Bridgewater township, therefore, can at the present time reflect with equanimity upon the devastations perpetrated during this famous raid. But when these two most valued buildings in the community were burned, the loss was considered most grievous. This is especially true as to the destruction of the Dutch house of worship; for over half a century it had been the rallying point for the religious and social interests of a majority of the citizens. Here they and their fathers had gathered to listen to that inspired Holland worthy, Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, and to his no less beloved son, John; here they had brought their children to be baptized, and here under the sods surrounding its walls lay two generations of their dead.

Being without a church building had a most baneful influence upon the cause of religion, and, together with the evil effects produced by the war, produced a low condition of morals that

was most hurtful to the community. Owing to the poverty of the times it was several years before the congregation could provide a respectable edifice for church services. A temporary structure was secured at the joint expense of the county freeholders and the church consistory, by moving up from Camp Middlebrook to the present site of Somerville a log building that had been used by the army for court-martial and other purposes. This served as a court and church building until 1784 when, after much discussion as to the locality most available for establishing the county town, a log court-house was built about twelve rods east of the present structure. In 1798 the present courthouse was erected, and three years later we have the first official record of the name, Somerville. In 1784 it was resolved at a public meeting that a new church edifice should be built, and a subscription list was started in which it was permitted subscribers to indicate whether their preferences were for the new location, then called Tunison's tavern, or the old one at Van Veghten's bridge. The building of the new court-house had insured the nucleus of a population at the former place, consequently, the majority of the subscribers favoring Somerset courthouse, the new church was there built, and completed in 1788a brick structure, by far the most substantial in the county. Doctor Messler records that, though many alterations and additions have been made, the building remains essentially the same as when erected-now one hundred years ago.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

The Cold Winter of 1780-Washington's Army Again in Morristown-Varied and Interesting Camp ExperiencesFighting at Connecticut Farms and Springfield.

A work of this character necessarily covers periods of time devoid of interest. This particularly applies to those parts chronicling the affairs of the occupants of the "Old Stone House." It is hardly to be supposed that their daily experiences could at all times have been so replete with incidents as to add to the weight of this narrative. During these days of Revolutionary turmoil the current of domestic life in this dwelling flowed peacefully on in sober comfort, for within its walls was an orderly and a cheerful household, where love and duty kindly blended, and where each day's busy hours wore away in the homely toils and pleasures usual with farm families. Aaron's children now numbered five, the final complement,-Margaret having been born on the twenty-second of December, 1767, and Maria, on the twenty-fourth of March, 1771. John, who had long ere this been released from the clutches of the British, was again off soldiering, this time with the continental line. Daniel, now a sturdy boy of sixteen, was aiding his father in the tannery and on the farm, and educating himself so as to eventually become an able man of business and his father's partner. Two of the girls were old enough to take upon themselves much of the cares of indoors; and, doubtless, as was the custom with farmer's daughters, waited each night at the bars, with clinking pails and wooden stools, while the motherly brown cows came lowing up the lane, with big depending bags ready to give down the milky torrents. War-times naturally brought privations and some discomforts, but there were compensations, not only in the increased value

given to farm and tannery products, but in the many excitements that ruled the hour, which it is reasonable to suppose must have given added zest to the ordinarily quiet life of this rural community. Later on it is not improbable that we shall find material in the daily routine of this family's existence that will make interesting reading; but before again taking up such homely topics we must wait until camps and their influences have disappeared from the neighborhood. Just now we will turn once more to the continental army, which is to spend this winter and spring-1780-on the northeast border of Somerset.

"Gaine's Mercury" announced on the sixth of December that, with the exception of a number of Eastern men to be hutted on the east side of the North river under the command of Gates, and a garrison of twelve hundred left at West Point, "all the army are marching down the country in divisions under their proper generals, supposed for Morris county." This journal was right as to the destination of the troops. Early in December the army went into winter quarters between Morristown and Mendham, Washington establishing himself at the residence of the widow of Colonel Jacob Ford, on the Newark turnpike-now the "Washington Headquarters." Her family gave up all of the building excepting two rooms, but as the general's household comprised eighteen persons he was much inconvenienced for want of space. He wrote to Greene, who was still quartermaster-general, in January, complaining of his contracted quarters, saying:-" all Mrs. Ford's family are crowded together in her kitchen, and scarce one of them able to talk for colds they have caught." This resulted in a small log kitchen being attached to the east end of the mansion, and a larger log house being erected which furnished offices for the commander-in-chief, his aides and secretaries. The life guard were barracked in fifty rude huts that were set up in a triangular bit of meadow just east of the dwelling, from where, in case of alarm, the house could in a few moments be reached and surrounded.

Washington's first letter after the establishment of the camp was dated the seventh of December; in it he recites that "the main army lies within three or four miles of the town." The exact location was on Kimball Hill about four miles southwest of Morristown, midway between, and on a crossroad leading from,