And on the other side of the military picture
Further to honoring our military, here is a
story about another side.
Henry Alan Tredwell, a Long Island
genealogist who lived in Brooklyn, did
extensive work on several Long Island
families. His work on the Carmans was not
published, as was one of his other studies
but the well-documented 1946 mss. exists in
several libraries.
His picture of Revolutionary Long Island is
very vivid.
�In Nov. 1775 a Samuel Carman, distinguished
as �Capt.�, �Jr.�, �3rd� (this dsesignatrion
appears twice) & �O� (Oyster Bay) votred to
send no deputies to the Provincial Congress
(REV PAP. 1:183ff). The captain Samuel in
this list must have been No. 73. He was also
probably one of the four who apologized in
Jan. 1776 for having worried their felow-
countrymen unduly and swore that they had
surrendered all their arms (REV. PAP. 1:215
ff). In Oct 1776, after the British secured
control again, 3 Samuels declared their
loyalty to George III. One of these was very
likely Samuel (No. 125) as noted above; the
other two are not very easily identified
(Onderdonk�s Rev Incidents of Queens Co.,
L.I.)
It should be explained, with regards to the 4
Samuels who changed their minds, that shortly
before the mens apology, a few hundred
Continental �storm troopers� were sent to
Hempstead and vicinty. To those of us
liv9ing in this country today and hearing
nothing worse from the Government�s ill
temper than a visit from the income tax
collector, the conduct of the Hempstead
Tories does not seem very heroic. But it
must be remembered that the opposition was
orgaized, was able to secure further military
supplies if necessary, and being far from
home was not worried above the fate ofd the
countryside during and fater the battles.
The Hempsteaders on the other hand were
handicapped in these respects. But since
they were doubteless aware that they could
not count on help from the British for some
time (in the usual way of the British) they
should have organized themselves and armed
sufficiently and they would not hve had to
fear for their homes half so much as they had
to, after they surrented without a struggle
(possibly some doughty souls resisted a their
doorstesp but they were very few in number)
and before the arrival of the British later
in the year. They did not lack f9or a
leader, for in Richyard Hewlett, the Tories
possessed a forceful man with military
experience. He was instrumental in keeping
Hempstead loyal but he evidently did not
succeed in putting in condition to fight. In
the writer�s opinion, the Hempsteaders were
forced to sign that muiliating apology in
great numbers because of the great reluctance
of the conservative mind to resort to force.
If you have any additions, corrections or suggestions, please post
politely to the list.
Regards
Patricia