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"At
the onset of the Revolution, John Polhemus (b. 1738, d. 1834) was managing a
large Grist and Fulling Mill operation on the banks of the Millstone River
in Rocky Hill (near Kingston), NJ. This enterprise was owned by himself and
his Father-in-law John Hart, who was a Judge, Lawyer, and large plantation
owner from nearby Hopewell (then known as Baptist Meeting). At the time,
Hart was also a prominent leader of the New Jersey Assembly (later became
Speaker), and was a member of the New Jersey delegation that signed the
Declaration of Independence.
In 1755, at the age of 17, Polhemus had served in the Provincial forces
during the French and Indian War under General Braddock and in 1759 was with
General Wolfe at the capture of Quebec. In the 1st establishment of
Continental Troops, the Continental Congress commissioned him Captain of the
Jersey Line, 1st Battalion, 4th Company, on November 22, 1775.
[Note from John-Dean Lowry Vosburgh: This is the
company that our ancestor,
John Britton
was in, and thus the importance of knowing the actions of this company and
its commander.] His Company
consisted of 86 men, recruited by himself. This Regiment was initially
commanded by Colonel William Alexander, Lord Stirling of Basking Ridge, NJ.
Soon thereafter (March 7, 1776), Stirling was promoted to Brigadier General,
and Lt. Colonel William Winds (from Rockaway, NJ) took command of the
Regiment. After mortgaging his property to furnish his men with arms and
accoutrements, Polhemus marched his Company to the New Brunswick Barracks
and remained there until January 1, 1776. On December 20, 1775, he
communicated to Colonel Stirling "...the Weather is at Present very Severe
and many of the Men are so naked that they are unfit for duty." He further
explained that they were in the process of collecting cloth (assumed to be
linen) to have hunting frocks made up for the men, as well as blue leggings
or trousers. John Rees has published several very detailed articles on the
clothing worn by the Jersey Regiments. Rees claims that soon thereafter,
the 1st Jersey troops were provided with blue Regimental Coats faced with
Red. It is presumed these were made of wool, and were intended as a Winter
Uniform.
Through till May of 1776, Polhemus' Company, along with segments of the NJ
Militia from Middlesex, Essex, and Somerset Counties under the Command of
Nathaniel Heard, participated in rounding up radical loyalists on Long
Island, taking the most riotous to New York City.
[Note from John-Dean Lowry Vosburgh:
Very Large Map of the Battles of the Revolution
in New Jersey.] In his memoirs, he claims
they were successful in administering many oaths of allegiance to the
inhabitants of the area. During this time, the 1st NJ Regiment based its
operations out of Perth Amboy and Elizabethtown. On May 3, 1776, Polhemus'
Company was then dispatched to join the reinforcements on the expedition to
Canada. According to his Memorial:
...he was always selected for severe duty...was engaged in the battle of
Three Rivers and several skirmishes in sight of the British Fleet, and the
army compelled to fall back to Scharnbaic, there the forts, stores and all
the shipping were burnt except the Batteaux which they pulled up the rapids
by ropes to the Isle of Novis at the lower end of Lake Champlain, and from
there to Crown Point and to Ticonderoga. There they remained in camp until
Fall fortifying and building a bridge across the lake to Mount Independence.
On October 25, 1776, while at Ticonderoga, the New Jersey Regiments were
reviewed by a Government appointed Commission looking into the conditions of
the troops. The Commissioners reported the men "destitute of many articles
of dress, supplies of every kind they want, but shoes and stockings they are
in the last necessity for, many having neither to their feet." However,
provisions and arms were plentiful.
Polhemus' Memorial continues:
In November (1776) the term of Capt. Polhemus's company expired. At the
request of General Gates he remained two weeks over his time till the Third
Regiment (Colonel Dayton) arrived, when he and his company returned to their
homes [departing Fort Ticonderoga on November 5 or 13, arriving in
Morristown, NJ about December 3. It should be noted there is evidence that
on December 13, 1776, various Troops belonging to Major General Horatio
Gates' Corps, under active command of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold,
reached Sussex Courthouse (Newton, NJ) on their return from Fort
Ticonderoga. These troops eventually joined Major General Charles Lee's
Corps, which at this time was encamped at Morristown and Vealtown
(Bernardsville).].
Returning to the Polhemus Memorial:
On their arrival home at Pluckerman they found the people greatly alarmed,
all the Militia were called out. Major Linn of the Militia presented
himself to Capt. Polhemus and requested him to accompany and instruct and
assist him in his command which being gratified they marched to meet the
enemy at Brown Hook. The enemy being apprised that the Militia were
accompanied by the veterans from Canada retired to their park.
Consequently, Polhemus and the troops wheeled about and marched to camp in
New Brunswick, to find the Jerseys overrun with the British so that it was
impossible for him to reach his home. This disappointment of the pleasure
of meeting his family after an absence of one year of toil and deprivation
engendered a feeling of bitterness, which caused him to return to the army
without delay, to repulse the intruding and insolent British soldiers.
His wife and children had fled to the mountains, where he finally found
them, having left their home in great haste without time to take with them
the necessaries of life, or clothing to keep them warm. He remained with
his family at the house of William Bleu a day or two, then rejoined the army
at Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, leaving his family in the care of
friends. During this visit he mortgaged more of his property in order to
satisfy his men with their back pay, and secure their reenlistment, they
having refused to continue in the service until arrangement had been made by
which the pay should be theirs.
On the 25th of December (1776) the army moved from Newtown and crossed the
Delaware to Trenton where after a severe contest they (the enemy) fell back
in defeat. To use his own words:
"We whipped them terribly and took a thousand Hessians prisoners, driving
them into Newtown jail and yard like a pack of sheep, during a severe
hailstorm. We allowed the officers to wear their side arms, also the
privilege of occupying part of the house with General Patterson and myself.
On the 3rd of January 1777
[Note from John-Dean Lowry Vosburgh:
Very Large Map of the Seat of War -
1777.] we attacked them at Princeton and drove them to
New Brunswick. I was left behind to secure stores and bury the dead with
assistance of a small guard, which they did by hauling them on sleds to
great holes and heaping them in. I was then relieved by Col. Chamberlain
and his regiment. I had then the opportunity of seeing my house and mill at Rockey Hill. Our regiment passed on the left side of the Mill Stone river
where our mill stood, the British passing before us on the other side. One
night they lay near the Ten Mile Run and not more than three miles distant.
In the morning they sent a company of Dragoons to burn the mill, cut down
the bridge, but as they hove in sight a large company of Militia came down
the hill with a field piece and opened on them. They scampered like a drove
of oxen and luckily for us too, because at that time we had over 400 bushels
of wheat and large quantities of flour on hand. The mill belonged to my
father-in-law John Hart and myself. He was then a member of the Continental
Congress.
Going to the mill I found at least five of the British which Morgan's rifles
had killed, belonging to the 55th British Regiment. We buried them and
going to the house, I found a British sergeant in my bed with a part of his
face shot off, also a number of sick and wounded soldiers. As there was no
way of taking them with us, I swore every man of them not to take up arms
against the Independence of America unless exchanged according to the rules
of war, and left them."
On November 29, 1776, during the re-establishment of the Continental Army,
Polhemus was re-appointed to his post by the Continental Congress for three
years or during the war. Silas Newcomb was Commissioned Colonel of the
re-established Regiment, but resigned on January 1, 1777. Lt. Colonel
Matthias Ogden then succeeded Newcomb as Colonel.
Polhemus' Company participated in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown.
He was promoted to Major at Valley Forge. On June 28, 1778, they fought at
Monmouth, and in August of that year, Polhemus was captured by Loyalists
near Perth Amboy. He was kept a Prisoner of War by the British in New York
City until paroled in the Spring of 1780. Due to the fact that he was never
exchanged, he saw no further action in the war.
The 1st NJ Regiment went on to participate in Sullivan's 1779 Indian
Campaign, and at the end of the war, fought at Yorktown."
All of
the above text provided by Paul John Sullivan, modern day descendant of
Captain John Polhemus. |
