Sidman's Bridge

[Editor's Note: This article appeared in the 1989 Issue of the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society (No. 18). It is being republished on the website as part of the ongoing activities surrounding the 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War. The footnoted version is contained in the 1989 Journal which is available for purchase. The original article contained no illustrations. All of the illustrations and their captions in this on-line version were added by the editor. JAC]

Part III:
Conclusion

Giving up the Campaign of 1780, Washington's army went into winter quarters on November 28th, "the Jersey brigade returned to that State, four Massachusetts brigades were added to the garrison at West Point, and the two from Connecticut were stationed on the east side of the Hudson River opposite to Constitution Island. The general headquarters were established at New Windsor." The four Massachusetts brigades arrived at West Point on November 30th. About five hundred New Jersey troops settled into quarters at Pompton. A detachment remained at Suffern's (Sidman's) throughout the winter to guard the lines of communication between the main army at New Windsor and those cantoned elsewhere.

Several factors led to a decision by General Washington to rehabilitate the fortifications at Sidman's Bridge in the Spring of 1781. The loss and destruction of Forts Montgomery and Clinton in 1777 and the subsequent decision not to rebuild these installations in favor of a stronger natural position at West Point led to increased emphasis on the importance of the Sidman position. The Great Chain had been emplaced in April, 1778 and by 1780 as a result of intensified construction, West Point had indeed become a formidable defensive position. The black treachery of Arnold, discovered in September 1780, only served to reaffirm in General Washington's mind the importance this post held in the eyes of Sir Henry Clinton and his staff. The safety of West Point necessitated that immediate steps be taken to increase its security. On April 12th, 1781 in General Orders from headquarters at New Windsor, General Washington ordered:

"A fatigue (working) party consisting of one subaltern, one Sergeant and 25 rank and file, to march tomorrow to the place where the Block-house is erected in the Clove. The officer commanding the party will take his orders from Major Murnand and (will see that his party be equipped for a tour of ten days." Major Jean Bernard de Murnand was a French military engineer officer then in the service of the Continental Army.

The exact position of the blockhouse is not known, however, it is believed that it was constructed on the site of the old redoubt. Captain James Duncan of Hazen's Second Canadian Regiment, writing in November 1782 gave us this description of the blockhouse:

"The Block House is large and strong, 2 stories high, built in a Square Form, about 36 feet, and surrounded by a Abbatis. The Chimney affords one large Fire Place below and two very small ones above."

On August 17th, 1781, General Washington advised General Heath that he intended to leave him in charge of the Highlands and the main army while he (Washington) with the whole of the French Army, with the two regiments of New Jersey, First Regiment of New York, Colonel Hazen's regiment, Colonel Olney's Rhode Island Regiment, Colonel John Lamb's Second Regiment of New York Artillery, and the light troops under the command of Colonel Scammel, were detached to move against Lord Cornwallis in Virginia. The following day this corps began its movement toward King's Ferry.

General Washington left Heath with strict orders to provide for the security of West Point and the posts in the Highlands and, in order to effect this, to make such dispositions as "in your judgement the circumstances shall from time to time require." While Heath's conduct would generally be on the defensive, Washington did give him the discretion to mount minor forays against enemy posts or detachments.

On the morning of August 19th, the French Army marched toward King's Ferry where they were to cross the Hudson. General Washington had moved as far as Ramapo (Suffern) by the forenoon of August 26th, 1781. The French encamped at Suffern on the night of August 25th, 1781, and it appears from a map of the French campsite at Suffern, among the Alexander Berthier (later chief-of-staff to Napoleon) papers at Princeton University, that some of the units of the French army encamped with the artillery less than a mile below the fortifications at Sidman's Bridge. This force (the van) was composed of the Legion of Lauzun the Bourbonnais Regiment, and the Royal Deux-Fonts Regiment.

On the 26th, the army resumed its march south to Pompton where it camped that night. The campaign of 1781 resulted in the decisive victory of American Army over the British forces under Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown. News of the defeat of Cornwallis reached the troops in the Highlands on October 28th and on the 31st the troops at West Point fired a feu-de-joi in celebration of the victory.

On November 23rd, 1781, the Connecticut line marched to their winter cantonment behind Constitution Island. The corps of artillery was billeted at West Point. By December 8th, soldiers returning from the Virginia Campaign brought the dreaded smallpox with them to the Highlands. Nine soldiers died of the disease by January 7th when it was decided to inoculate those who had not been previously afflicted with the disease. The Connecticut line was inoculated on January 11th.

From the winter of 1781-82 until the end of the war, the Continental line took a greater role providing troops for the garrisons in the Highlands. Since much of the army had marched north after the victory at Yorktown and had taken up winter quarters in the Highlands, it was in a position to provide for its own security. However, at Sidman's Bridge units of the New York militia regiments remained on duty until the following fall.

Major Thomas Lansdale of the 3rd Maryland Regiment was ordered on October 21st, 1782 to "Detach a Captain and 50 men to the Block House in the Clove a little beyond Sufffern's and give him (the Captain) orders to relieve the party now there belonging to the New York line."

It appears that several days later a similar order was sent to General Moses Hazen. Additional instructions were also forwarded to Major Lansdale which stated, "...should you have relieved the Block House at the Clove with a detachment of your men and General Hazen's Regiment should not be arrived, you will proceed on your route leaving that detachment with orders to follow you as soon as they shall be relieved by a party from Hazen's."

General Washington sent further instructions to General Hazen on November 18th, 1782 which read:

"You will canton the bulk of your Regiment for the present in the neighborhood of Pompton. You may increase the command near Sufferan's to one hundred. The men that cannot be accomodated at the Block House may be quartered in the nearest houses."

In compliance with these orders, Captain James Duncan of Hazen's Regiment was dispatched to garrison the Blockhouse and was instructed to report the state of condition of the Block House to his commanding officer after his inspection of it. Duncan arrived at Sidman's Bridge on November 22, 1782 and sent his report to General Hazen on November 24th. While stating that the Block House was large and strong, Duncan reported that:

"The floor of the upper Story has been almost destroyed and the Roof of the House is extremely bad, scarcely affording any kind of shelter for the Men in a wet season. It will require at least 2000 Feet of Board to fit it up for the Reception of 100 Men, as there are no Bunks or any Thing of that Nature provided and even then as the Chimney is not situated in the Centre, they must be badly off for Fire. There is one small House & a little Hut about 50 yards each nearer than Mr. Suffran's 2 miles in the Rear & Mrs. Sidman's nearly a Mile advanced."

Duncan also reported the condition of the troops under his command stating that:

"Many of the Men without Coats, Blankets or Shoes, obliged to provide their own Firewood & not an Axe or Hutchet but as they borrow from the inhabitants, only four Kettles and but 19 cartridges to the whole Command."

General Hazen rather pointedly expressed his disapproval of a request by Captain Duncan to billet at Mrs. Sidman's which he (Hazen) believed was too far removed from Duncan's command.

General Washington ordered Duncan, through his commanding officer, to:

"Inquire whether any Saw Mill convenient to the Block House could furnish the quantity of boards necessary to repair it. If it can, I will direct the Quarter Master to endeavour to procure them. In the meantime, let him be doing what he can to make himself and men comfortable and, if you will send up a waggon with a return of shoes and Quarter Master's stores wanting, they shall be sent to you. You must make your arrangements with the Secretary of War for other cloathing, as we have it not here."

On the 4th of December, General Washington ordered Hazen to send one company from his regiment "to the Post at Dobb's Ferry, one to the Blockhouse at Sufferan's and one to Ringwood with the remainder to be stationed at Pompton." Washington also ordered that, "The company at Dobb's Ferry to be relieved every fortnight. Those at Sufferan's and Ringwood as often as you think proper. Their object will be to stop all stragglers and suspicious persons." The next day the instructions to canton one company at Ringwood was rescinded because of the lack of cover for troops in that area.

The detachment of Captain Duncan remained at the blockhouse at Sidman's Bridge throughout the winter of 1782-83 despite several letters sent to General Washington protesting General Moses Hazen's failure to relieve his detachment at Sidman's and asking the Commander-in-Chief for a redress of grievances. Captain Duncan also addressed a letter to Washington on the subject of his rank and the command of his company which Duncan believed had been given unjustly to another. Unfortunately, no action was taken on his request for relief.

On March 3, 1783, Duncan again petitioned General Washington repeating his charges contained in his earlier letter. General Washington replied on March 5th stating, "Your Complaint of being continued at the Block House the whole winter and without a subaltern shall be inquired into when General Hazen comes here which I expect will be in the course of two or three days."

Captain Duncan received no relief until April 3, 1783 when General Washington informed General Hazen:

"I intended to have spoken to you respecting relieving Capt. Duncan from the stationary command of the Block House in the Clove; you will please to have it done as soon as may be."

Captain Duncan's relief brought an end to the military occupation of the fortifications at Sidman's Bridge. On the 19th of April 1783, at 12 o'clock noon at the New Windsor "Temple," General Washington publicly proclaimed the cessation of hostilities between the United States of America and the King of Great Britain, eight years to the day after the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

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