Source Notes:
1. ^ Robert R, Beckwith, A History of Little Falls, Centennial Edition (Little Falls Centennial Celebration Committee, 1968) Pages 10-12, 26-28, 40
• The 1982 closing of Beattie Carpet Mill information was drawn from:
Jerry Cheslow, "Converting a Mill; Condos in 19th-Century Structures," The New York Times, February 23, 1990
▸ About 230 acres of farmland by the Little Falls were owned at the start of the Revolutionary War by a man named John Gray, a Loyalist who is thought to have actively worked against the American cause in the Revolutionary War.
The stories about Gray's Revolutionary War experience were originally written in "A Brief History of Little Falls N.J." written by Reverend John C. Cruikshank in the1800's.
Cruikshank's original document no longer exists, but his stories about John Gray were presented in an address given by Cruikshank's grandson Cornelius D. Vreeland in 1949.
Two publications in the 1960's contained stories about James Gray based on Vreeland's work:
~ Robert P. Brooks, Editor, "Captain James Gray, Ironmaster at Little Falls," Bulletin of the Passaic County Historical Society, Vol. V - No. 6, May, 1962
Available as a PDF on the Passaic County Historical Society website here
▸ Introduction states, "The following article is based upon a manuscript in the files of the Society given by the late Cornelius D. Vreeland of Totowa. Mr. Vreeland compiled this from 'A Brief History of the Little Falls, N. J.' written by the Rev. J. C. Cruikshank."
~ Robert R, Beckwith, A History of Little Falls, Centennial Edition (Little Falls Centennial Celebration Committee, 1968) Pages 24-32 (Gray is also mentioned on page 2, 40, 48-49)
▸ Beckwith writes on page 26 "A good bit of what we now know about Gray comes from 'A Brief History of Little Falls, New Jersey' written by the Reverend John C. Cruikshank, pastor of the First Reformed Church from 1850 to 1868. Cruikshank's 'History' was passed down through his descendants in the Vreeland family, but at present it has disappeared. Fortunately, much of Cruikshank's material was presented in a Bulletin of the Passaic County Historical Society in May of 1962. What is written here comes largely from that source."
Later, on page 30, Beckwith notes his doubts about the reliability of Cruikshank's account, stating that "The Reverend Cruikshank did not identify any sources for his part of Gray's story. Most of it may be the product of Cruikshank's imagination.
Yet, the clergyman was a very methodical and highly intelligent man, and he was reputed to have done much research on the military activities in this area during the Revolution."
Because of the lack of stronger documentation about James Gray's Revolutionary War experience, this page instead focuses on the stationing of Colonel Stephen Moylan's Dragoons at the Little Falls in 1780, for which there is much contemporary documentation (as shown in Source Notes 3, 4, 5, and 8 below).
2. ^ For information about other New Jersey Revolutionary War historic sites associated with the importance of the Watchung Mountains, see the Bridgewater, Elizabeth, Green Brook, Millstone, Morristown, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union, and Woodland Park pages of this website.
3. ^ The following military correspondence of July 5, 1780 includes mentions of Moylan's troops at the Little Falls and their instructions to patrol a wider area.
~ “From James McHenry to Stephen Moylan, 5 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02380. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
~ “From Stephen Moylan to James McHenry, 5 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02381. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
~ “From James McHenry to Stephen Moylan, 5 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02382. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
▸ James McHenry relates to Moylan that General Washington wished him to move his position from the Little Falls, but apparently this was temporary, since the Pennington incident described above and in Source Note 5 makes it clear that Moylan's troops were at the Little Falls in late July.
~ “From Richard Kidder Meade to Henry Lee, 5 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02379. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
Washington's orders to Moylan that the troops were moving out of the area on July 29 can be read here:
“From George Washington to Stephen Moylan, 28 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02709. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
The following orders were issued by Washington on the day the troops returned to this area on October 9:
“General Orders, 9 October 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-03520 [last update: 2016-03-28]). Source: this is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.
▸ The orders state, "Colonel Moylan with his regiment of Cavalry will take post near the little falls and Major Parr with his Corps at the Notch; and both will patrole on the roads towards Newark and Aququakenung."
(See the Rifle Camp Park entry on the Woodland Park page for more information about Major Parr's troops at the Great Notch.)
Washington's General Orders of October 23 show that Moylan's troops were in this area at that time, but their position was affected by the Light Infantry's move to Cranetown:
“General Orders, 23 October 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-03669 [last update: 2016-03-28]). Source: this is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.
▸ The orders state, "The Corps of Light Infantry will remove from its present encampment and take Post on the most convenient ground to the Cranetown gap and the notch for the more effectual security of our right... Colonel Moylan’s regiment will furnish the necessary patrols and will take a new position for that purpose."
It is unclear how much of the remaining October 9-November 27, 1780 period Moylan's troops spent at the Little Falls. The following letters show that for a period of several days in November, Moylan's troops were at Totowa Bridge (by where the West Broadway Bridge in Paterson now spans the Passaic River)
“From George Washington to Stephen Moylan, 21 November 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-04012. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
“From George Washington to Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 23 November 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-04037. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
“From George Washington to Stephen Moylan, 24 November 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-04051. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
The estimated troop strength of approximately 192-196 dragoons was provided to me by Lt. Jack Zarra, Adjutant of the 4th Legionary Corps, which is a "historically recreated cavalry and light infantry regiment dedicated to recreating through living history the trials and activities of the original Revolutionary War military unit."
I would like to thank Lt. Zarra for providing me this information in an email correspondence on January 24, 2017.
4. ^ The following correspondence between General Washington and General Wayne relates to the attack on the blockhouse at Bull's Ferry. Moylan's troops are mentioned specifically in the first, second and fourth letters:
~ “To George Washington from Anthony Wayne, 19 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified October 5, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02573. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
~ “From George Washington to Anthony Wayne, 20 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified October 5, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02587. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
~ “To George Washington from Anthony Wayne, 21 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified October 5, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02606. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
~ “To George Washington from Anthony Wayne, 22 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified October 5, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02629. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
5. ^ William S. Pennington, Edited by William A. Ellis, "Diary of William S. Pennington," Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, Volume 63, No. 4, October 1945, reprinted in:
Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, Volume 63-1945, (Newark: New Jersey Historical Society New Jersey Historical Society, 1945) Pages 199-218 (These entries appear on pages 207-208)
▸ Washington's General Orders for July 24, 25, and 26, 1780 show that there was a court-martial held on July 25. The verdicts in several of the cases tried that day are mentioned in the July 26 orders. However, no mention is made of this particular case.
• “General Orders, 24 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02639 [last update: 2016-03-28]). Source: this is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.
• “General Orders, 25 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02655 [last update: 2016-03-28]). Source: this is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.
• “General Orders, 26 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02664 [last update: 2016-03-28]). Source: this is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.
▸ Pennington's rank at this time of this incident is not mentioned in the diary, but according to Stryker's Official Register, Pennington had been made a Second Lieutenant on September 12, 1778:
William S. Stryker, Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War (Trenton: Wm. T. Nicholson & Co., 1872) Page 101
Available to be read at Google Books here
6. ^ For more details about Pennington's political career, see biographical note about him on the New Jersey Historical Society website.
7. ^ For more information and accompanying source notes about these events, see the Hawthorne and Montclair pages of this website.
8. ^ “General Orders, 23 October 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-03669 [last update: 2016-03-28]). Source: this is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.
▸ As explained in Source Note 4, it is unclear how much of the remaining October 9-November 27 1780 period Moylan's troops spent at the Little Falls.
9. ^ There is a plaque on Woods Road in Little Falls stating that the road was "created 1780 by Revolutionary War troops of General Lafayette, while manning outposts to watch British troop movements."
However, in my research for the events of 1780 I could locate no evidence for this, and found sufficient reason to conclude that the road was not created by Lafayette's troops. Therefore, I believe that the Woods Road plaque is incorrect.
10. ^ Other New Jersey historic sites associated with Lafayette's 1824/1825 visit to America can be found in Elizabeth, Hackensack, Morristown, Newark, Paramus, Rahway, and Woodbridge.
11. ^ "Gen. La Fayette.—'The Nation's Guest'...," Sentinel of Freedom, and New-Jersey Advertiser [Newark] July 19, 1825; No. 42, Vol. XXIX, Page 3
▸ A larger quote from the relevant section of this article appears below:
" 'The Nation's Guest' took his final leave of the citizens of New-York on Thursday morning last on his tour south, preparatory to his embarkation for his native country. He was escorted from his lodgings in Broadway to the Hoboken Ferry by the military, where he crossed the North river and proceeded directly to Hackensack, where he was received with a thousand welcomes by the patriotic citizens of that village. After breakfast he continued his journey to Paterson, where after receiving the hospitalities of the citizens, and minutely examining and admiring this 'Manchester of America,' he [set] out for Morris-town, passing the Little Falls, Parsippany, and Whippany in his route, in each of which places the people were eager to hail and welcome the passing stranger. Though engaged to dine at Morris-town, he did not reach that place until 6 o'clock in the afternoon."
I would like to thank Rebecca Grabie of the New York Historical Society's Patricia D. Klingenstein Library for taking the time to locate a copy of this newspaper and send me photos of it.
I would like to thank the staff of the Little Falls Library for providing me access to their local history collection,
and helping me track down some of the documents that went into my research for this page.