Bergen County Historical Society
Good Day Bergen County! To all appearances, it is a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining and green is finally the color that has bloomed. Not all things are as they appear though, as the temperature is still brisk and certainly colder than we are used to by this date, not to mention virus that still effects our countryside. In time of war, often things are not as they appear, and there is our lead-in for today’s tale from the Revolutionary War…
By May 1777, the scene of war centered around the British headquarters at New Brunswick, but with several small raids still taking place in the Hudson Valley. The skirmishing in Bergen County culminated in a two pronged raid against Paramus in the north and Slotterdam in the west, by elements of the Loyalist 3rd, 4th & 5th Battalions of New Jersey Volunteers. The fog of war enters heavily into the events of this day, with accounts from the two sides differing greatly. A close examination shows that the raid on Slotterdam was successful from a Loyalist standpoint, while that on Paramus ended in failure. The Loyalist account, as told by the New York papers:
“Last Monday Afternoon, a Detachment of his Majesty’s Provincial Troops, consisting of 300 Men, under the Command of Lieutenant Colonels Barton and Dongan, marched from Bergen Town, in order to attack the redoubted General Heard, who lay at Pompton with a Party of Rebels of 350. The various Impediments, occasioned by Morasses, &c. rendered it impossible for the Troops to reach the Place by the time intended. Col. Barton, who commanded, held a Consultation, wherein it was determined to take the Road to Paramus, and destroy some stores said to be deposited there, under a Guard of 80 or an hundred Men. Col. Dongan was previously detached with a small Party to Saddle River and Slotterdam, in order to surprize a Party of Rebels, under the Command of Capt. Marinus, and two others. The Colonel arrived at the Place at the Dawn of Day, made the Attack, carried his Point, took the Captain, his Lieutenant, and Three others, together with a small Cask of Powder, some Ball, eight or nine Stand of Arms, a Drum, and some other Articles. In this Skirmish the Colonel had the Misfortune to have Capt. Hardnut, a worthy Officer, wounded in the groin by a Bayonet, but not mortally. Col. Barton marched on to Paramus, drove the Rebels from their strong Holds, and obliged them to retreat to the Woods. The Bravery of the Provincial Troops on this Occasion does them Honour.”
One of the soldiers stationed near Paramus Church was Peter Dey, son of the colonel of the county’s militia, Theunis Dey. The sixteen year old militiaman long after recalled “We had a battle with the Refugees at Paramus, that time, in May. Joseph Barton commanded the Refugees. They surrounded Mrs. Hopper’s house and fired upon one another, whilst our company lay some ways off. We then attacked them and drove them.” Brigadier General Nathaniel Heard of the New Jersey Militia, commanding at Pompton in the northwest part of the county, provided George Washington with this fuller account of the action:
“Yesterday morning The new Recruits from Bergen under the Command of Colls. Barton & Buskirk, came up to Paramus with about 300 Men with an intent to Surprize the Detachment I had there, about 70 Men under the Command of Captains Fell & Berry. The Enemy ariv’d there about the Break of day and Surround[ed] the House our Men had Quartered at the day before, but Fortunately, Capt. Fell who had receiv’d Some information of Some of them being Seen at Hackinsack the Evening before, prudently moved their Quarters about Ten oClock at night or they Certainly must have fallen into the Enemys hands. The morning being somewhat Hazy by which the Enemy cou’d not know their own Men and Suppose not rightly consulting each other of any Signal, they began a very warm fire at each other and continued some time & Capt. Fells Men Still on their backs firing away put them in some confusion and am inform’d made Coll. Barton Tremble and Sware they would be all Cut off for the Rebels had entirely Surrounded them, when at the same time it was his own Men. Day light appearing they with Shame found the Error they had committed, and immediately collected in a Body and march’d off. The number they lost cannot ascertain but the inhabitants saw about Ten of their Men killed and carried off in one Pile & Several Wounded amongst which were two of their Captains and one or two other Officers. There was one out Sentry on our Side killed and two taken prisoners, one two Horse Team & some Blankets taken, which was all the damage Sustain’d on our Side, none wounded.
“By every account Capt. Fell and his Men Behaved exceeding well and Harrassed their Rear, when they march’d off for four Miles.
“Whenever I received the Express Capt. Fell Sent immediately Collected all my Men at this place about 400 Men and marched of[f] with all expedition and after marching about 7 Miles recd. information of their being entirely gone off, upon which we Return’d except a reinforcement of 100 Men which I had Ordered the Evening before to be Stationed there & have this day Sent another Small party down which will make them about 200 strong.”
The only known casualty was Private Garret Lockwood of Captain Ryerson’s Company of the 4th Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers, although others may have been killed or wounded and are unknown now due to a lack of muster rolls existing for that time.
The raid on Slotterdam was more productive, capturing Captain David Marinus, Lieutenant David Van Bussum and Private John Van Bussum of the Saddle River Township Militia. Marinus would spend several months in prison, until the end of 1777, when he hatched a plot to escape. As an officer, he was allowed certain liberties, including the use of the New York City markets to buy fresh (or at least fresher) food for himself and fellow captives. Right around the turn of 1778, he used one of these provision trips to knock down his guard and make for the Hudson River, where he obtained a boat and crossed over to Bergen County and home. Becoming soaking wet in the escape, in the dead of winter, led to immediate illness and he subsequently died at home on 16 January 1778. His fellow captive Lieutenant Van Bussum was soon after exchanged at commissioned captain in Marinus’ place. The taking of prisoners in these raids and counter raids became a necessary evil, becoming the means to affect the exchange of men previously taken prisoner by the other side. Loyalists were at the bottom of the pecking order as far as exchanges worked out by the British were concerned. Officers were often given liberty to work out exchanges for themselves for specific officers desired back by their captors. Marinus is an example of this, when he and fellow officers petitioned the governor of the State of New Jersey, William Livingston:
“Your petitioners from the humane and amiable character who has always distinguished your Excellency, induces us humbly to lay our situation before you, in hopes of redress, being militia under your government, and now about Sixty in number of us, prisoners in this city, which is a Situation you can better judge of than we can describe at present, and as there is a number of people taken by our militia going to join the King’s army, who no doubt would be as fond of an exchange as we, which we beg you’ll use your influence to have effected as soon as possible, and your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray for your health and happiness, and are with due respect,
Your Excellency’s Most Obt. Hble Servt.
Stephen Fleming
Capt.David Marinus
Capt.James Gray
Thos. Little in the name of the whole”
In the current situation we all find ourselves, the value of patience is something we can all relate to. Perhaps Captain Marinus’ fate would have been quite different with just a wee bit more of that particular attribute…
N. O. R. M.