The
efficiency of Procter's artillery was
so well demonstrated in the experiences
of the last campaign that with the opening
of the year 1777, General Knox, of the
Continental Army, exerted his influence
toward having Procter's forces annexed
to the Continental train artillery under
his command. To such an arrangement as
this Procter does not seem to have been
very averse: the only difficulty in the
way being that he did not desire to abandon
his present well defined, though inert
position as a provincial officer, for
the nondescript one he would occupy in
the event of a temporary annexation to
Knox's command without an absolute order
of State or Congress.
As
an evidence of Procter's ability as a
commander of artillery can here be cited
the fact, that on the 17th of January,
1777, he was called by General Knox into
temporary command of the Continental
artillery just referred to, during that
officer's absence in New England. This
position Procter filled creditably, experiencing,
however, not a little inconvenience from
the pique of subordinate Continental
officers who were disposed to draw too
marked a distinction between Continental
and Provincial authority.
On
the 6th of February, 1777, a decree of
the Council of Safety determined adversely
the question of Procter's joining the
Continental Army for the present, although
ultimately it led to such an annexation
of his entire command. It was ordered
that a complete regiment of State artillery
should be raised, and the command of
the same with the rank of Colonel was
tendered to Procter, which commission
he accepted on the 20th of the same month,
but with some degree of reluctance.
Shortly
after its being thus organized, Procter's
regiment was deprived of the services
of two of its bravest officers and a
score or more of its men, who were surprised
by the enemy and captured. The circumstances
of this little affair were as follows:
General Lincoln, with about 500 men,
consisting among others of a portion
of the 21st Pennsylvania Regiment, some
militia, and part of Procter's artillery,
was stationed at Bound Brook, New Jersey,
charged with the protection of territory
some five or six miles in extent. To
perform this service Lincoln was compelled
to dispose of his troops so as to leave
his flanks exposed. Lord Cornwallis,
who lay at Brunswick, conceived the plan
of attacking Lincoln, and chose the morning
of the 13th of April, 1777, for the execution
of his design. The plan was exceeding
well laid and nearly as well executed.
Through the neglect of the American patrols
the enemy were allowed to cross the Raritan
River, just above Lincoln's quarters,
and to advance to within 200 yards of
him before they were discovered. Lord
Cornwallis and General Grant were with
the attacking party, and General Lincoln
and his command were compelled to make
good their escape. The enemy remained
about an hour and a half, destroying
some stores before recrossing the river
to Brunswick. General Lincoln, being
reinforced, took possession of the post
again in the evening.
The
British loss upon this occasion was reported
by Lord Howe to be three killed and four
wounded. In regard to the American loss,
General Washington, on April 14, reports
to the Board of War as follows: "Our
chief and only loss was two pieces of
artillery, and with them Lts. Ferguson
(3) and Turnbull with about 20 men of
Col. Procter's regiment. A party of horse
was pushed so suddenly upon them that
they could not possibly get off."
(3)
In regard to Lt. William Ferguson,
John Blair Linn writes me the following,
which suggests an important and
interesting inquiry: -
"Procter's
first company had in it, as non-commissioned
officers and privates, a number
of men who afterwards became prominent,
notably Maj. William Ferguson, who
as commandant of the artillery of
General St. Clair's army was killed
at his guns, Nov. 9, 1791. He entered
as a private in Procter's first
company, Oct. 30, 1775. In June,
1789, when Congress called for a
regiment, partially of artillery
and partially of infantry, Pennsylvania
immediately furnished her quota
- infantry and artillery - Lt. Col.
Josiah Harmar commanding. Capt.
Thomas Douglass and Lt. Jos. Ashton
were appointed to the command of
the artillery company. They both
belonged to Procter's regiment.
The following year Capt. Douglass
was dropped and Ferguson took his
place, apparently upon a claim of
rank. -Vide Col. Rec., vol. xiv.
pp. 559, 621."
"Major
Ferguson's descendants claim that he was continually
in service from 1775, to his death
in 1791. However that may be, Douglass'
or Ferguson's Company is still in
service as the 2d U.S. Artillery
(so says Prof. Asa Bird Gardner,
of the Military Academy at West
Point)."
"If
it could be shown that Ferguson was left
in command at Charleston in 1783-84,
and claimed his rank over Douglass, as
the word 'derangement' would seem to
imply (Col Rec., vol, xiv. p. 621), then
the 2d U.S. Artillery might date its
organization back to Oct. 30, 1775; and
the 1st U.S. Artillery, whose nucleus
was Capt. Alexander Hamilton's Company,
afterwards Captain Doughty, of Lamb's
Regiment, turned over by New York as
its quota of Harmar's 1st American Regiment,
would be junior, as Hamilton's Company
was only organized in 1776."
With
the close of the summer of 1777 transpired
the near approach of the British Army
to Philadelphia, and Washington was compelled
to summon to his assistance every available
man. Pennsylvania responded with some
alacrity, and furnished a quota of troops.
This quota was composed of part of the
old "State battalion," made
up of troops from the remains of Col.
Miles's and Col. Atlee's commands, Col.
Procter's regiment and Captain Pugh's
company (raised to guard the powder mills).
The Council of Safety had enlisted these
troops to provide positions for exchanged
officers, and to have a force at Council's
command for the defense of the State.
It was now, June 6, decided to place
them at the disposal of Congress.
General
Washington, by direct application to
Congress, called Col. Procter and his
artillery to his assistance. Writing
to the President of that body, from "the
Camp at the Clove," on the 16th
of July, he says: "In mine of this
morning, I desired that Col. Procter's
Regiment should join this army without
loss of time. Upon consulting General
Knox we are of the opinion they had better
halt at Trenton with General Nash until
further orders, as the operations of
General Howe are not yet perfectly understood."
In
response to this requisition, Procter
with his regiment repaired to Trenton,
on or about the 24th of July, for on
that day, the portion of his troops remaining
at Fort Island under command of Hercules
Courtney were withdrawn. On the 22d of
August his entire force was at Trenton
with General Nash awaiting orders. General
Washington having received news of the
arrival of the enemy at Chesapeake Bay,
that day writes Congress: "I have,
in consequence of this account, sent
orders to Gen. Nash immediately to embark
his brigade and Col. Procter's corps
of artillery, if vessels can be secured,
and proceed to Chester," otherwise
to go by land.
Thus
when the ill-starred battle of the Brandywine
was precipitated, Procter was on hand
for service. His artillery, with General
Wayne's division, were posted upon the
brow of a hill a little above Chad's
Ford, near the centre of the American
Army. After the attack of the Hessian
General Knyphausen upon General Maxwell's
Light Infantry, and the latter's retreat
across the Brandywine, Knyphausen brought
forward his cannon and opened a heavy
fire on the Americans from the hills
on the west side of Chad's Ford. This
fire Procter "returned with spirit."
Later he guarded the ford and did deadly
work upon the troops of Knyphausen in
their attempt to force a passage across
the Brandywine in answer to the signal
guns of Cornwallis, as they opened fire
upon the American right. The outflanking
and rout of Sullivan's division, as it
was disastrous to the other portions
of the army was alike so to Procter.
The black horse he rode was shot from
under him. (4) He was compelled hastily
to retreat, leaving his cannon and ammunition
to be the spoil of the enemy, and with
Knyphausen in full pursuit, to make good
his escape with "Mad Anthony" along the road to Chester.
(4)
Procter received pay for this horse in
the settlement of his accounts with the
State in 1793.
In
the battle of Germantown, which was fought
on the 4th of the following October,
Capt. Lt. Brewer, Lts. Barker and Ritter,
of Procter's regiment, had charge of
guns. Barker was stationed on the Main
Street of Germantown, nearly opposite
Chew's House, with a six-pound cannon,
the report of which was so sharp that
it caused the blood to flow from the
ears of William McMullen, one of the
privates who helped serve it. So says
McMullen in a statement on file in the
Secretary of the Commonwealth's office
at Harrisburg.
Shattered
and broken up by its late campaign, with
its ranks decimated by almost daily desertions,
Procter's corps of artillery on the 27th
of February, 1778, lay with the Continental
Army at Valley Forge. Writing of the
condition of his artillery at that date,
Washington says: "Our loss of matrosses
the last campaign in killed and wounded
was considerable, and it has not been
a little increased this winter by desertions
from Col. Procter's corps. From this
circumstances we are very weak in this
line, and I request that Congress be
pleased to order Col. Harrison's regiment
of artillery to march from Virginia as
early as the roads will admit, and join
this army."
Although
serving with the Continental Army, Procter's
regiment up to this time had never formally
been accepted by Congress as Continental
troops. It was still a State organization,
by right under State control, but virtually
serving and obeying the mandates of Congress.
This
state of affairs was but ill-relished by President
Reed, and he so intimated to Col. Procter
upon the occasion of one of the chronic
complaints of that officer that the State
did not properly provide for his men.
Said Reed, "if Col. Procter slights
the State he must expect to be slighted."
The State's authority seemed to be recognized
"only when some favor was to be
asked."
On
the 4th of August, 1778, Procter's regiment
consisted of only 220 men, and it was
apparent that decided steps must soon
be taken to preserve the organization
from dissolution.
August
28th he asks of the Pennsylvania Council
permission to enlist men of other States
in his regiment with the view of joining
the Continental Army. This permission
was reluctantly granted, and the ultimatum
of Procter's desires was reached on the
3d of September, 1778, when his regiment
was formally accepted by Congress as
part of the quota of troops to be furnished
by Pennsylvania to the Continental Army.
But
one or two events of importance in the subsequent
career of Procter and his artillery,
in the Revolution, remain to be mentioned.
With the opening of the spring of 1779
(May 18) he was commissioned by Congress
as "Colonel of Artillery in the
Army of the U. S.," and detailed
to do service with General Sullivan on
his expedition against the Six Nations
of Indians, to punish them for their
atrocities in the Wyoming Valley. Procter
joined Gen. Sullivan on the 20th of May,
at Easton, the last of his command marching
from Billingsport on the 10th where they
had been detained as a guard.
In
the laborious transportation of troops,
etc., up the river before the expedition
arrived in the Indian Country, Col. Procter
was given the command of 214 vessels
on the Susquehanna, taking with him the
stores and provisions of 6000 men, all
of which were safely transported to their
destination.
Penetrating
into the Indian Country on the 29thth
of August, the battle of Newtown (now
Elmira, N. Y.) was fought. The British
and Indians under command of the two
Butlers, Guy Johnson, McDonald, and Brandt,
were suddenly met with near Newtown,
strongly entrenched "for better
than a mile." Sullivan immediately
attacked them with troops under General
Hand, while Procter's artillery opened
so effective a fire with round and grape
shot and 5-1/2 shells, that the enemy,
after a spirited resistance, were compelled
to retreat in precipitation from their
stronghold, leaving their country a prey
to the invaders, whose subsequent terrible
vengeance was marked in the blackened
ruins of many a wigwam, orchard, and
meadow.
Upon
the expiration of his present commission
Procter was again (April 21, 1780) commissioned
by Congress, as "Colonel of the
4thBattalion of Artillery."
On
the 20th of July, 1780, it will be remembered
that General Wayne was sent to Bergen
Neck, in New Jersey, to drive off some
cattle which it was supposed were in
danger of falling into the hands of the
enemy, with directions also to destroy
a block-house at Bull's Ferry, near at
hand, which served the purpose of covering
the enemy's wood-cutters. In a letter
from General Washington to Governor Huntington,
dated July 21st, the forces engaged under
Wayne in this undertaking are fixed,
as "the first and second Pennsylvania
brigades with four pieces of artillery
attached to them, and Col. Moylan's regiment
of dragoons." Wayne succeeded in
driving off the cattle, but signally
failed in his attack upon the block-house,
and was compelled to retreat, sustaining
a loss of three officers wounded, 15
non-commissioned officers and privates
killed, and 46 non-commissioned officers
and privates wounded. In regard to the
service of the artillery in the attack
upon the block-house, Washington says
in the letter above quoted, "He
(Wayne) for some time tried the effect
of his field-pieces upon it; but, though
the fire was kept up for an hour, they
were found too light to penetrate the
logs of which it was constructed."
This
adventure, the gifted but ill-fated Major
Andre made the subject of a satirical
poem, which he published shortly before
his capture and execution, under the
title of the "Cow Chace." In
one of the stanzas of this poem, quoted
as follows, we are neatly told who commanded
the artillery under Wayne upon this occasion:
-
"And
sons of distant Delaware,
And still remoter Shannon,
And Major Lee with horses rare,
And Procter with his cannon."
Col.
Procter as a soldier was brave, devoted,
zealous, and determined, occasionally
stubborn. His unreasonable Irish temper
frequently made trouble for him. Two
incidents in his career will suffice
to show this. Within a month after receiving
his first commission as Captain of artillery
he suffered himself to be temporarily
relieved of his command by the State
authorities, rather than apologize, as
was ordered, for what was construed to
be unsoldierly conduct on his part toward
an officer of Col. Bull's regiment.
Upon
the occasion of the detail of his regiment
to General Sullivan's command in the
expedition against the Indians, Procter
demanded of President Reed new uniforms
for a portion of his regiment, and at
the same time insisted upon his officers
wearing their original provincial uniforms
- blue, although the regulation colors
for American Continental artillery were
black and red. President Reed, entertaining,
as may be surmised, no very kindly feeling
for Procter, on account of the dictatorial
and independent manner in which it was
his custom to demand supplies from the
State, reported this breach of discipline
to both Washington and St. Clair. So
well did these officers know Procter,
that they deemed it best to make this
concession: St. Clair writes to Reed: "The uniforms of Procter's
officers are blue, the General consents to it
this year, but hereafter they must conform
in uniform, as to color, to the corps
they are in."
Misunderstandings
between Procter and President Reed were
frequent; the status of the regiment
and the method of its subsistence, it
seems, being the principal causes of
disagreement. These differences of opinion
at length culminated in a downright quarrel,
upon the occasion of a protest to Council
by Procter and his regiment against the
promotion of certain officers in it,
which quarrel resulted in Procter's withdrawal
from the army. His resignation was sent
to General Washington on the 9th of April,
1781, and was accepted on the 18th of
the same month. The acceptance of Procter's
resignation was accompanied with the
following letter from the General, who,
although vexed at the Colonel for his
hot-headed conduct, would not refuse
to accord to him his due as a soldier:
- (5)
(5)
I am indebted to George Griscom, Esq.,
of Philadelphia for my copy of this letter.
He has preserved it in a little sketch
of Montgomery Lodge of Masons, No. 19,
of which Procter was first Master.
Headquarters,
New Windsor, 20 April, 1781.
"Sir:
Your favor of the 9th did not reach me
until the 18th inst. I am sorry to find
that the situation of your domestic affairs
renders it necessary for you to quit
the service. It always gives me pain
to part with an officer, but particularly
so with one whose experience and attention
have made him useful in his profession.
I cannot in justice to you permit you
to leave the army without expressing
my approbation of your conduct upon every
occasion since you joined me in 1776,
and wish you success in the line of life
which you have now embraced.
I
have signified my acceptance of your
resignation, which bears date the 18th
inst. to the Board of War."
"I
am, sir,
Yr. most obt. and hble. servt.,
G. WASHINGTON."
President
Reed's sentiments, expressed upon the same
occasion, are far from being in accord with
those of his Excellency. Hear him, in a letter
to Washington himself: -
"We
cannot consider Colonel Procter's resignation
in the light of a public misfortune,
as he has for a long time harassed every
measure proposed by the Board, and affected
an independency not only of the authority
of the State, but his supreme officers
in the line, and amidst professions of
respect and obedience, violated almost
every arrangement we made for the subsistence
and recruiting of his corps."
Twenty-five
years of life were vouchsafed to Col.
Procter after the close of his revolutionary
career, most of which were spent in active
public service. His subsequent military
life may be summed up briefly, although
a consideration of its details as well
as those of his civil career is full
of interest. By commission of Congress
he served from the 25th of December,
1782, until the 22d of October, 1783,
as "Major of Artillery." On
the 17th of May, 1792, he received from
Gov. Mifflin a commission as "Major
of the Artillery Battalion of Militia
of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia."
He was next commissioned by Gov. Mifflin,
on the 12th of April, 1793, as "Brigadier
General of the Brigade composed of the
militia of the city of Philadelphia."
Upon
the outbreak of the Whiskey Insurrection,
Pennsylvania was called on to furnish
a quota of 5200 militiamen, and on the
7th of August, 1794, Brig. Genl. Thos.
Procter was placed in command of the
first brigade which marched with 1849
men, enlisted in the city of Philadelphia
(559) and the following counties; Philadelphia
(544), Montgomery (332), Chester (378)
and Delaware (96).
Procter's
last military commission bears date June
7, 1796, and appoints him "Major
General of the militia composed of the
city and county of Philadelphia." (6)
(6)
During President Adam's administration,
when war with France seemed unavoidable,
a meeting of the militia officers
of Pennsylvania was held to consider
a letter received from Gov. Mifflin;
at this meeting General Proctor
[spelling change] presided, and
the following account of the proceedings
has come down to us: -
At
a meeting of the General of Division
and the Officers of the Militia
of the Philadelphia Brigade at the
State House in the City of Philadelphia,
Monday, June 11th, 1798, the circular
Letter from the Governor to the
Militia Officers of Pennsylvania
was read.
Resolved,
That the Members of this Meeting
are highly sensible of the importance
of the objects to which the Governor
has called their attention, and
are determined by the most zealous
exertions to co-operate for the
glorious purpose of preserving the
Independence, Honor, and Safety
of their Country.
Resolved,
That a Committee be appointed to
prepare and report an Answer to
the Governor's Address expressive
of the determination contained in
the preceding Resolution, of the
most cordial approbation of the
patriotic sentiments with which
the Address is replete, and of the
personal Attachment and Esteem with
which his public services have inspired
the Members of this Meeting.
A
Committee having been appointed
retired and in a little time returned
and presented the following address,
which was adopted: -
To
His Excellency Thomas Mifflin,
Governor of the State of Pennsylvania
Sir:
We have perused with great satisfaction
your Circular Address to the officers
of the Militia of Pennsylvania.
The
sentiments which it expresses are
proofs of an enlightened Patriotism
that cannot fail to increase the
personal Confidence and Esteem,
which your public services have
long merited and obtained from your
fellow Citizens.
Actuated by similar feelings we do not hesitate
to assure you, of our most zealous
co-operation in every Measure that
can promote the Honor and Safety
of our Country; nor can we doubt
the success of the general exertions
of the Citizens of the Union, when
we reflect that a display of the
same patriotic Virtues which established
our national Independence, must
be competent to protect our National
Rights.
As
it has been authoritatively announced
that our Government is compelled
by France to relinquish the hope
of peace, we shall, in our official
and private capacities, prepare,
with alacrity, for the painful alternative
of War.
The
accomplishment of the objects of
your address will, therefore, command
our earliest and most vigilant attention;
and, we anxiously hope, that the
Spirit and Patriotism of the Great
Body of the Militia of the Union
(in addition to the other resources
which the Wisdom of Congress may
employ) will be found competent
to repel every hostile attack upon
our Country, and to perpetuate that
great Political Blessing, - a Free
Republican Government.
Signed
by Order and in Behalf of the Meeting,
THOMAS
PROCTER,
Major Gen'l Division of the City
and County
of Philadelphia, June 12th, 1798.Attest:
W. SERGEANT, Sec'y & A. D. C.
to Gen. Procter.
This
day a Committee, consisting of Major
Gen'l Procter, and his Aid-de-Camp, Major
Sergeant, Col. Gurney, Col. McLean, and
Capt. Woodside, present the above Answer
to the Governor's Circular Address.
In
civil life Procter was also an active
public servant. He was sheriff of the
county of Philadelphia from Oct. 20,
1783, to Oct. 14, 1785. While filling
this position he was called to quell
a dangerous riot among prisoners in the
old jail. On the 10th of September, 1790,
he was elected by the Supreme Ex. Council,
City Lieutenant of Philadelphia, in place
of William Henry, resigned. In this capacity
he had the pleasure of superintending
the celebration of the arrival of President
Washington in that city on the 23d of
the next month, November.
A
notable event in Procter's life must not be forgotten.
On the 10th of March, 1791, he was commissioned
by Major Genl. Knox, Secretary of War,
to undertake a journey into the Indian
County of the North West, bearing messages
from the Secretary of War to the several
Indian nations inhabiting the waters
near Lake Erie, the Miamis andWabash,
for the purpose of establishing peace
and a friendly intercourse between the
said nations and the U. S. of America.
Upon this journey Col. Procter set out
from Philadelphia on the 12th of March,
1791, in the midst of a heavy rain. He
spent about two months among the Indians,
and has recorded the incidents of his
perilous trip and the success of his
undertaking in an exhaustive and interesting
journal, now in print. (7)
(7)
Pennsylvania Archives, 2d Series, vol.
iv.
The
closing years of Procter's life were
harassed with financial troubles, a consideration
of which, though interesting, is far
beyond the scope of this article. He
experienced great difficulty in securing
a settlement of his accounts with the
State, with whom, in addition, he was
engaged in a vexatious lawsuit, by his
Attorney, William Bradford, Jr., in regard
to the possession of Hog Island, in the
Delaware.
Procter's
bravery as a soldier and patriotism as
a citizen were equaled by his zeal and
activity as a Free Mason. To him belongs,
in a large degree, the honor among Masons
of having kept alive in America during
the trying period of the Revolution,
the spirit of the ancient craft.
On
the 18th of May, 1779, a military lodge
of Masons - "No. 19" - was
instituted in his artillery regiment,
with Col. Procter as Master. This was
just before the departure of the regiment
for a participation in the invasion of
the Indian country under Sullivan. Two
subordinate officers of Sullivan's command,
both of whom were Masons, were killed
in an affray with the Indians, and there
in the heart of the wilderness Procter's
lodge met and buried them with Masonic
honors.
General
Procter took a prominent part in the
effort made by the Grand Masonic Lodge
of Pennsylvania - but which failed -
to secure the election of Washington
as "General Grand Master of the
United States."
At
the funeral solemnities, in Philadelphia,
on the 26th of Dec. 1799, incident to
the death of General Washington, Genl.
Procter was appointed "Master of
Ceremonies" on behalf of the Masons.
Death
closed the busy life of Procter, on Sunday
the 16th day of March, 1806. He died
at his residence in Arch Street between
Fourth and Fifth, and was buried at 3
o'clock P. M. on the following Tuesday
afternoon, with military and Masonic
honors.
The
following military organizations had
places in the procession: "Philadelphia
Legion," John Shee, Commandant;
"Forty-second Regt. of Northern
Liberties," John Krips, Lieut. Col.;
"Washington Blues," Samuel
Wharton, Capt." Republican Greens,"
William Duane, Capt,: "Southwark
Light Infantry," S. E. Fotteral,
Capt.; and "Washington Fusileers," Philip Boyle, Capt.
Over
the remains of this soldier, which lie
in the burial ground of St. Paul's Episcopal
Church, Third Street below Walnut, Philadelphia,
a monument was erected, years after his
death, by the "Carpenters Association" of that city, of
which organization deceased was a member from 1772
until his death.
APPENDIX
Indent
of Stores for two Six pounders Sent under
the command of Cap. Thomas Forrest To
Join the Grand Army at Trenton. Philadelphia,
December 4th, 1776.
2
- 6 pdrs Brass Mounted on Traveling carriages
132 - 6 pdrs Shott Round Fixd
467 - do Canister
161 - do Grape
20 - Port Fires
3 - Port Fire Staffs
8 - Lint Stocks
4 - Budge Barrills
2 - Sets of rammers, Sponges & for
ca gun
1 - Iron Crow Barrs
8 - Handspikes
2 - Tarpolinge
344 - 6 pdr Tubes prim'd Cap'd
3 - Spare Sheepskins
2 - Sets of Trail rope for each Gun
6 - Shovels and Spades
2 - Pick Axes
4 - Cutting Axes
4 - Covered Wagons for Ammunition
4 - Leather Pouches
3 - Dark Lanthorns
3 - Revers'd do
4 - Hand Hatchets
1 - Sets of Copper Measures
7 - Claw Hammers
1 - Handsaws
1 - Roles of Match
2 - Tillors
0 - Spades
1 - Powder Carts
4 - Half Barrels Powder
160 - Empty Flannel Cartridges
383 - 6 pdr Round Shot unfix'd
39 - 6 pdr Wodds
THOMAS
PROCTER, Major of Artillery
*
* * * * *
Proctor
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