DCHS Yearbook Coverage of Lafayette in Dutchess County

LA FA1.TETTE'S V IS I T , SEPTEMBER 16, 1824

In 1777, at a tirne when the Ainerican colonies ,vere in need of help and encoui-agen1ent , a young French noble111an o-f position . and ,vealtl1 came to A111erica and offered l1is services to General \Vashington. His full nan1e ,vas Ma ri e Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Matier, Marquis de La Fayette. He sei-ved with the Continental ar1ny unti l the surrender of Cornwa llis in 1781. During this ti1ne he n1ade one trip to hi s 11ative country and returned wit h the assurance pf the cooperatio11 of the French fleet and a land force of French troops.

H is gre<1-tsy111pathywith the An1etican struggle for liberty , his courage and n1ilitary skill , together v1itl1 h is gracious and f riendl y 111anne r , endeared hu11 to the hearts of al l ,vho n1et or heai-d of hin 1. So, when he can1e back to visit At11erica in 1824, l1e ,v as enthusia stically and lovingly hailed by th ousands . A11d, , i\lhen i t •\~as announced that Poughkeepsie would be inc luded in his iti11erary, plans v; ' er e n1ade to give hi tn a royal ,velco111e.

As soon as it beca1ne known that General La Fayette bad l anded in New Y orl{, a delegation fron1 the i-nilitaty officers , consisting of Colonel vValter Cun 11ingha111 , Major H. Conkl in , Major Van Valen , Captain Skinner , Captain Gunn , Captain Dav is , Captai11 Nagle , Captail1 Doughty and Captai11 Smitl1 , waited on the t rustee s of Poug hkeepsie a t a n1eeting of that bod y , held Attgust 25. The y reqt1es ted th e cooperation of the village officials in e..'<tending an in vitati on to the General to visit Pougl 1keepsie. So lon1011V. Frost .vas president of the trustees and, for son1e reason, did not approve of the plan . The n1i11utes of the 111eeting, signed b y John S. l\tiy er s, clerk , state tl1at "the President of tl1e Trustees objecting and 1;vithdre,v , wl1eret1pon tl1e four reinaini11g T rustees appointed Stepl1en Pardee , President pro ten •ipore , a11d adjourned to meet on the foll o, ,.,;ng evenin g "

The ne..-x:tevening the four trustees ( Stepl1en Pardee , Henr y Conklin, Matthe,v V assar and John S. Myers ) voted t o a ccept the propositio11 of tl1e n1ilitary officers and appointed a c on1n1ittee of arrange1nents to plan for tl1e entertain111ent of tl1e expected guest at the expense of the village . The co 1nruittee inclt1ded, maddi t ion to the tn1 stees, Major General John Brt1sh, Major General Jan1es T allmadge , Jr ., Colonel Henry A . Living ston , Sn1itl1 Tho111pso1 1, Jame s En1ot t,

Tho111as J. Oakley, \.Villian1 Davies and Philo Rugg l es. They would draft a sui tabl e address to be delivered on the occasion and tlrree of their nun1ber were delegated t o ex t e11d the invitation t o the Ge11eral. No expense or effort was to be spared and elaborate plans ,vent for·ward . J oh n Cowls, an express ri der was engaged to b rin g t o the villag e v.rord of the approach of the stean1boat, bearing the J1onored guest and his party, ,vhen the boat left Newburgh.

I t was repor t ed that Mr. Rhind, agent of the North River S te a111 Boat Co1npa11y, had offered to carry to Nev,, York deputati ons 0£ representative citizens fron1 the variot1s villages a lon g the I-Iudson riv er , to pr esen t their invitations to the General . Ancl it ,vas announced that the trustees of the village had resolved to invite hin 1 to v i sit Pougl1keepsie an d had selected Ja111es E111ott, Jan1es Talln1adge, Jr , a nd Ph ilo Rugg les to ,..,ait upo11 the Gene r al and extend the invita t ion:

.... . It will no doub t be peculiarly interesting . to General La Fayette t o v is.i t this part o f the country, which was the theatre of s uch impo rtant revo lu t ionary events , and he sho ul d r eceive the evidences of t h at gratitude ,vhich th e r ecollec t ion of those events and of the patriotic services which he rendered during the long and fearfu l str uggl e for our li berties, are calcttl ated to a,vaken. Should the Gene ra l f avour this place with a visit, ,ve hope that no exertions ,vill be sp ared to give him a handso .me and cheerf ul reception.

This vvas follo,ved by the announcen1ent a wee k later that the General had accepted the invitat :o n exte11ded by ottr citizens and wo ttl d be her e for break-fast on a 111orni n g of t11efollowing weel<.

T hr ee n .ewspapers we r e publish e d in the vi lla g~ at the tune and all appeared on Wednesday. Much space was devoted to the jotrrneyin gs of the General. He had an ·ived in this country 011 August 14 , a(ter a 3 1-da y trip fron1 Havre. He was, of course, deluged w ith invitatio ns to visit here, t h ere and every ..vl1ere. I-Ie spent s0111edays in N ew York (where he and his son 'vvere 111acle11onorary n1en1bers of the N ew ~Yorl: Historical Society) and we nt on to Boston, stopping a t 111a1 1y plac es in N ew E11g-Jand b efo r e he arr i ved back in N e\•V Yo rk. He was h ono r ed and feted all along the line. On Septeu1ber 1. a Poughkeepsie newspaper devo t ed five coltuuns to an account of his travels to that date and noted : "the accotu 1t of tl1e reception of Genera l La I<'ayette has exc l uded many othe r articles in tended for this paper." T he iss ue con t ained quotations fro1u n ewspape rs in New Yo rk , Boston, Hartford ancl Phi ladelph ia. It was reporte d tl1at in th e latter city

son1e individuals had ag·reecl to pay five dollars each for a11 "eligib l e positio11 to stand anc l see the Ceneral as !1e passes tbro tl1e street a11d tha t tl1e use of a white ]1orse . to ride for th.e day I vvil l co111mand s •ixty dollars."

The cl escriptio11s of t l1e reception l1ere for Ge neral La Fayette as published in the local nevvspa1)e r s varjed in the an1ount of detail. Tl1e 111ost col orft1l and flov,rery accou11ts vvere })ri11teclin tl1e advertise111e11tsof George P. OakleJ'. MT. Oakley. \A.7ho co11dt1cted a lottery office a t bis Ten1ple of Fortu11e, was a 11 alert bt1su1ess n1an and hi s alluTi 11g a11cl pers11asive advert isen1en t s vvere i r resisti .ble and l1ad l1roug-J:1.tprizes to a nu111ber of local i11vestots . I111n1ediatel) ' ttpon lear1u ng that L a Fayette ha d agreed to , ; is i t Poughkeepsie ,, 1,e an11ou11ced a L:terature Lo tter )r :

1\1y fello,v-citizens \,vilL no t forget that LA FAYETTE is conung, and that he is welcon 1e to ou r county , to ou r hoi11.es, and to our heart s . They will like wi se n o t forget t hat the only LA FAYETTE tickets in th e villag-e, are to be found at the TEMPLE, and th at tho se bought on th e day that he h on our s u s , vit h his company, will be bought wider very auspici ot1s circun1stances, a11cl\vhich probab l y ,viii never occur again Th e portals of th e 1'emple \,vill be s hut on T hursd av 111 o rni ng, out of re s pect to th e General. until he l eaves u s 1 and then ,v ill be irnmecliatel y opened ont of respect t o n1y cus t oi ners. This co ur se i s respectfully recon1n1euded to the citizens gene rall y

~l'he business people of that clay did n1uc!1 as the prese11t-day 111ercbants ,voulcl clo to welcon1e so distingui s hed a11dbeloved a visitor.

1' 11e 111ar1ysho1)s ancl hon1es along tl1e li.ne of 111arch vvere profusely deco r ated and flags were flyin 6 evei-y,,vh ei-e. Paraclete Po tt er adve rtised that he hacl La Fayette Rad g·e s for sa le at 1'1isbooh:store. Edn1u nd

B. Bailey offered an assortn1e11t of La Fayette ha ts , ,-v11ich con,binecl 11.1oi-e excellencies i n qualit) ' , beauty, eco nol11y and con1fort than a ny other. Dut the sho1) of l\tiajor Dailey ( lu s g·ive11 na111ewas Major) a11d h:s Tr ee of Liberty cleservecl partictt la r 111ention :

vVe cannot on1it to 1nentio n the beauti f ul di ~play n1ade by 1:Jaj o r Bai l ey in fr ont of bi s store i n honor o [ the grand occi:tsion. On top of the po r tico ,~1ere e r ected t\vo setn iL:i rcular arches, the end s resting on th e r oof; abo ve ,vas erected a s imilar arch, th e ends r es th1g;on the ve rt ex u-f eac h o t the n t be1· arc hes On th e u pper arch appea r ed in large capita ls WASI -JING'fON and I .A FAYE 1' TE: on the l o,ve r left arch, A DA NIS, JEFFERS'ON; 0 11 the right a r ch 1 111fADISON . MONRO ]! ; underneath ex t endin g ·[ r o 1n 0 11c arc h to th e othet· i n a dir ec.:tl in e ,vas GENERAL J A CI(SON, n e xt.

Oil the gro und belo\.v\1/aS a larg e pedesta l 011 ,vhich s tood a rnost beautiful cedar e..'<tending L1p,vard s in the s hape of a cone , it s top reach1ng above

th e upper arch; on this appea r ed it1 l arge lette r s, THE TREE OF LIBE R TY, THE B R AN CHES REAC H TO HEAVEN. Below, in t he c en tr e o f the tree ap peare d a Jae siull:/c o f the na n1e of JOHN HANCOCK, and on di ffer ent branches, foe si111ilesof t he names of all the othe r signers o f the De cla r a ti on of I n dependence. H appy in its desigu and no t le ss so in 1ts ex ecut ion, it s ap pea r ance exci t ed the adm iration of every beholde r. I f t he int ent n ess ,v ith w hi ch the Genera l eyed it as he passed by, be a s uffic ient compe n sa t ion for getting it up, then Mr. Ba i ley is an1ply r ewa rded. T h is d isp la y, among others. showed tbe p r evalence of a d ispositi on in eve r y on e to render due h on o r to the early defender of American l iberty .

A l ively in1agina ti on coul d p ictu r e the \vestern part of t h e village of tb a t day . T hank fo r tu n.e, i t ,,·as a fin e day; if it had rained the s t ory 111u st h ave been qu it e differen t and g r eat ,vould J1ave be en the disappo in tn.1ent in the hearts of n1any peop le. Son1e fe\V yea r s before, J\fai n street l1ad bee n ope11eclf r o1n \\ 1ashi n gton st reet to the river and i t ~,as st ill unpaved. Cobblesto n es, as pav:n g , had heen la id on 1\!Iain _ street fro111t h e cou rt house east to i \caden 1y street and on Cannon fro n 1 Acade 111 y to Mar k et. Other streets were "\vorked" and ditches ,ve re lai d a long l.ioth sides. S ide ,val k s ,vere sti ll in the future. Bu i ld i_ngs ,ver e low on e a nd a half o r nvo stories in height, and scatte r ed, except in the cen t er of the village. T h e shop keeper lived on t h e second floor over his shop in 111ost cases. The aJ vertjsen 1ei1ts offering 11:ain st r eet property for sale very often n1entione<l a large lot , ,vith a ga r de n and fru it trees, a " neve r -fa il in g ,ve11 " a harn an<l ou t h ouses, etc., etc .

Poughl~eeps ie, ,vitb a p op ulation o f about 5 .000. was a n1arket tovvn and the sh i pp ing center for t he la r ge r part oi the county. As tl1e cou n ty seat. it was t he gather ing place fo r tJ1e lav.,yers, politic .ans an d t he fa r 111ers; p u blic notices ,vere posted on the door,vay of the court house . Turnpikes radiated to all pa rts of the county . There ,ver e no bridges, of course, btit a "tea111ferry " crossed the ri ver for th e convenie n ce of those on t h e vvest side v,ho ,vished to trade in the v illage and accon1111oclateclst r ean1s of nu g rating settlers " "h o passe J througl 1 the con1n1un i ty on their ,vay to t he \\' es tern lands .

The r e ,ve r e n u 1ner o n s hostelrjes in t he village , also cateri11g to the t ra velers but, accordjng to the reports of t he <lay, never before h ad t here been such t hro 11gs of people i11 the town. They crune [ron1 al l over tl1e co unty, probably 1uany fro1n Pa,vuug and fron1 Fishki ll. (At the t i111e of t he Revol u tiona r y vYar, the General

bad 111ade n1any friends in both towns. He l1ad been located for s0111etime at Quaker H ill and, while statio11ed in the town of Fisl1kiI1, he h ad been take11 sic]< and spent several weeks, while he was nt1rsed back to heal t h, at the ho1ne of Colonel D ericlc Bri11ckerhoff.) Many of tl1e1n arr i ved the day in advance and passed the nigh t wl1erever th .ey n1igl1t find lo<lgi11g in order to be 011 l1and for the "great day it1 tl1e 1norn,ing." General Swartwout, 11inety years of age, journeyed fron1 his hon1e at Swartwot 1tville and he had a seat of honor at the breakfa s t tab le.

Although early in Septe,nber it was anno u 11ced tl1at the General would arrive at Poughkeepsie 011 Tuesday n1orning, it was later reported tl1at l1e would arrive early Wednesday n1orni11g Tl1e Pou[!hkeeps-ie J oMrnal stated t11at tl1e night precedi11g was one of bustle and 11oise. During the ,.,hole night the citize11s of the county, in carriages ai1d on l1orseback, wer e floc!{ing in by the hundreds and the village ,vas crowded on Wednesday 1nor11ingw i th people anxious to see and welcon1e the guest. T hen it was lear11ed that the General ,vould not arrive u11til the following· n1orning a 11d 111nany n1urn1urecl at the d isappoin tn1ent, but the greater nun1ber put. the best face upo11 it.'' During the day pai11s vvere t ak en t o spread the infor111atio11throt1ghout the county that the visiting party 1night certainly be expected on Tht1rsday n1orning and the La Fayette Ball wou ld be held on the eveni11g of tJ1at day.

And Wed11esclay night, like its predec essor, was a nig11t of busy preparation. Carriages and all sor t s of conveyances, bearing the expectant neigl1bors, cottld be heard run1bling througl1 tl1e s treet s througl1out th e night. Th e express rider ga ll oped up the post road ,;vith his 11e,vs that the boat vvas approaching and, a t tl1ree o'c l ock: i11 the n1orning, " the dru111-beat and the s hrill notes of the bugle" apprized the in.hab itai1ts tl1at the s tea1nboat l1ad arrived . Poughkeepsje ,~1as Teady and waitit1g ! A welcon1ing sa lut e was fired by can11011 located on Kaal Rock, ,vhere l1uge bonfires of l ogs, soaked wi th tar and turpe11tine, and tended by swarn,s of young· boys , were l<ept burnin g until daylight.

The Gener al a11dl1is suite had left New York on Tuesday mornin g· on tl1e steamer Ja111,ies J( ent. They went ashore at \!Vest Pou1t , vvhere t l1e Gene ral hacl been enthusiastically , velco 1ned and fet ed,

and again at Newburgh for another r eception . On Wedn esda y eve11ing, the steamboat, sho,v in g 111any t,vinkling lights , proceeded up the I-Iudson and at three o'clock the follo"ving 1norning a11chored o'fI Poughkeepsie. It ren1ained there until nearly seven o'clock ! "in order to give the G,eneral sufficient ti111eto repose after the fatigue he had undergone the day and evenit1g prev iou s.'' On his appearance 011de.cl:, at sunr ise, the n,ilitary ,vere pa rading on t h e rock sout h of tl1e landin g, and the Ge11era l was greeted with a salute of fifteen guns and the cheers of the crowds gathered at the wharf and 011the surrounding hei ghts. The stean1boat, beautifully decorated with the flags of various nations , toolr a turn 11pthe river 'vvhile the sal ute was fii-ing. After the salute, the troops left the heights and 1narched to the ,vl1arf to receive the General. \l\lhOwas conducted on sho re and int r oduced to General Bn1sh, as the first officer of tl1e day. The honore <l guest was escorted to "an elega11t ba:rouche," drawn by four beautiful \vhite horses. General Lewis ,vas seated at his side and Gen eral Van Courtlandt and Genera l Fish occupied the remainin g seats in th e carriage. To the ringing of all the bells in the co1ru11unityand tl1e n1usic of the bands, the procession started up the hjU in order:

Captain Weeks' Troop of Horse Music

General Staff

Mounted Officers

General Lafaye tt e , attendee! by Gene ral Van Courtlandt , General Le\vis and General Fish, in a~ e legan t Barouche, with yellow in ouu tin gs , dra,vn by four beautiful white hor ses; a bodyguard of six Field Officers on each s ide of the ca rriag e, under the command of Colonel Sackett

The Gene ral' s son, George Washington La Fayette, and Suite, ,vith Co lonel Huger and several other gentle~nen of distinction

The Co1nmittee o f Arrangements and delegations from Red Hook, Hu dson, e t c., etc ; and seated in carriages. four in each

Battalion of troops, under Colonel (;u11ni11gha1n Music

Officer s in uniforn1

Capta in Bird's Con1pany of Artillery

Captain Sk inner 's F u silie r s

Captain Srnith's Dutchess Guards

Captain Dougbty"s Riflemen

The Sheriff and Deputies and Civ il Magistrates

, C itizens, under th e direction of a Field Officer and two assis tants

'' Very fortu11ately, it was a handson1e day ( and a Sept ember day can be beautifu l in Dutchess County ) , for Pot:1gbkeepsie streets ,vere 4:3

either dusty or rnudd y, depending on the weatlrer. When the escort reached the court house, the column could just be seen rising the hill near tl1e ,vharf. On each side, a few paces fron1 the procession, the street ,¥as 111assedwith crowds of people and every door and ,vind-0w was filled with the citizens, eager to do homage to a distinguisl1ed guest.

Tl1e procession 111ovedup }./fain street, through Academy street and down Cannon street to }.ilarl cet, where the troops for1ned a half sq uare before tl1e Forbus House. Th.is hotel stood 011the location of the present Ne ls on House and was lavishly decorated witl1 festoons of evergreens and flowers and i11th e centre , over the entrance , the words WELCOME LA FAYETTE. The guest of honor was received by tl1e trttstees of the village and escorted to the second floor porcl1, v,here he 1uet the clergy and a number of aged and respected citizens. Colonel Livingsto11 gave a welcon1i11gaddress, expressing the res idents' appreciation of the g rea t honor done the community. The address, printed in full in one of the newspapers, noted that the in1111ortal \,Vashington had frequently been the guest of the venerable George Clinton u1 this village and that the Constitution, "the palladium and pride of United Ai11.erica," had been here adopted by the Convention of Ne"" '.x:'ork. Me11tion was 1nade of the splendid talet1ts of Alexander Han1ilton, Chancellor Liv in gston and John Jay displayed on that occasion. And the speaker further stated that the children, "1nixed an1ong tl1-iscrowd which 110, v su rr ou11d you, will exultantly tell their cluldren that on thi s da y they beheld and blessed tl1eir country's bei1efactor and friend . ... ."

General La Fayette n1ade an appropriate reply, in vvhich he alluded to his for1ner acqua intance , :vith the village a11d co1nme11tedon the 1nany and astonishi11g changes ,vhich were apparent. In the upper hall. the Genera l was then introduced cito a great number of ladies ( attired in the n1ost appropriate 1nanner for the occasion ) , who had assembled in s uch nu111bers ear 1y in tl1e mor1ung , as literally to fill Mr. }~orbus' house to overflowing . "

The General and }11sparty descended to the lo\ver porch whe r e, in con1pany with General Davies, he passed in r eview ·the whole troops, recejving their congratulations and presenting his hand to each officer as he passed . One of the ne,vspapers reported that, "of the many thou -

sands who 'v\,ere present t11erewas not one but had a near v ie"v of th e General ) and an opportunity of tendering his cong ra tulations." I n his progress over the cobbled streets in l1is horse-drav,11 vehicle, t l1e Gen- eral bowed and sm iled , right ru1d left, returnin . g the greetings of the crowds . (In sharp contrast were the visits of twentieth century royalty who hav e sped through the city streets, with sire11s screechi •ng. ) Sn1all vvonder tl1at the village t ool< such satisfaction in its re ception !

At eight o'c locl<, tl1e procession n1ade its ,~1ay fr o11 1 tl1e Forbus House to t l1e Poughkeepsie Hotel, which stood on the north side of Main street, at the l1ead of Market street. (There "vas no New Marl<et street in that day.) Arrange1nents ha d been 111ade with the host , Major Pete r T. B . Myer, for serving breakfast, a st.u11ptuous repas t , to the General, his suite and honored citizens. The guest of ho11orwas led through an arch, erected ove1· tl,e entrance and entwined with evergreens, on wluch appeared in large capita ls : LA FAYETTE and LIBERTY.

The ladies of the village) of all classes, had voluntee r ed their servi ce s and had outdone themse lves in tl1eir e ffort s to beautify the interior of the Long R oo111, , ,vhere the brealdast "vas served:

The no rt h end ,vas t hick ly set \vith oaks and ceda r s and ot her evergreens re semb li ng a dense fo re st. en1blematical of the \vild and unsettled sta t e of Am e rica v.rhen La Fa Yette first came to our aid, contrasted w ith our presen t improved and cultivated condition ... . .- .A..tthe n orth was a large banner with the coat of arms of the United States and around it these words, WASH[NGTON, th e Father of His Country; COLlJ""MBUS, the Discoverer of America.

Around the south pa1-t of the ro on1 were placed the banners of the different sta tes , \vith the coat of arms of each. At the bead of th e tabl e, behind th e General's seat, 1,vasa n,ost elegant full-length portr ait of Washington, and at the opposite end, the Grand Ban ner of St. Tan11na11 y Over t he General's head, e.xtencli11g acro ss tbe r oo tn \Vas the most tastefully suspended crimson drapery \Vhich gave a happy relief to the e vergreens around it.

On the mantlepiece in front of the entrance to tbe root1J was placed in n1iniature, a 44-gun sh ip, completely rigged and equipped. with French flag flying, intended t o repr esent th e ship in which La Fayette first came. to this count r y w-itb s~1ppli es and munitions of \Var for the relief 0£ our army. Over this appeared in capital letter s, wrought in l eaves of myrtle, LA FAYETTE . Above this was t he American Eagle an d the motto FRUJ1' U R FAJ11[A. Further on to\vards the head o f the table, o n the o th er mantle1;>iece,w e re two e legant glass lustres and betw een the .in ,ver e flowers of different kinds handsomely arranged. Over tbi s appeared in capital letters wrought ,vith leave s of myrt le, WASHINGTON. Above thi s was the American Eagle and the 1notto PA 'l 'BR PA1'RIAE . These letters, ,vrought by son1e young ladies, could not have been 01ore neatly

or accurately formed by the penci l of an artist. T o\\rards the north part was an arch extending across t he room entwined with evergreens and -festoons of laurel and in -front of it in lar ge capitals, \vrought \Vlth pink China aster flo"1ers, WELCOME LA FAYETTE. In the cent re of the room directly ove r the table was suspended from the ceili ng, by numerous cords ent,vined with myrtle, a large circle in horizontal position. Around this were a tt ached in a vertical position, thirteen small circles; these circles were entwined \Vith artificial flowers and greens of great variety and beauty. On the diameter of each appeared the name oi one of the o riginal thirteen s ta tes elegantly printed ou white satin. Above them and surrounding the cords by which the whole was suspended, appeared i.11 large capitals, also ele gantly printed on white sat in. E. PL URI BUS UNUM. T he whole ,vas emblematic of our f ederative government, composed of several independent state sovere ignties. The des ign was unique and reflec ted great credit on the ladies who formed it .. .. .

Tl 1e newspaper comme11ted, "We have 11ever seen so much elegance con1bined w itl1 such sin1plic ity ." It was probably one of t hose things which 111ustbe see11 to be believed and appreciated. A11d, it was app r eciated. The General was "s truck with the beauty and e1egance of the decoratio11s in the dining hall and tendered lus grateful acknowledgen1ents t o t he ladies ... .. assu1;ng then1 that this testin 1ony of respect \vou ld never be erased fron1 his 1nen1ory." And t he village fathers appreciated to the extent of h ir in.g ,.,,atclunen to guard the roon1 over n ight.

Sixty-five pe r sons sat dow11for brealdast. The General was seated at the head of the tab le , w it h the clergy on his right and the trustees of the village on his left. The clergy would be tl1e Reverend Dr. Reed of Christ Cl1u r cl1, tl1e Reverend Dr. Cuyler of the Reformed Dutch Church , the Reverend Rufus Babcock, Jr. 1 of the Baptist Church and the Reverend Jan1es Young of the Methodist Church. Notl1ing in the 1ninutes or the printed accounts \vould ind icate whethe r or not the president of the vi lla ge attended tl1e breal<-fast. Mr. Frost , vas a Qu al<er and it has b een sur1nised that his religious scruples may have prevent ed his 1;ding in a processio 11 with bands and military troops , bu t m igh t not have l<ept h.itn fron1 enjoyi n g a good break-fast.

I n additio11 to the n1en1bers of th e Conm1ittee of Arrange1nents, th e 1nilitary conu11issioned officers in unifonn, old Revolutionary officers and the delegations f ro m Red Hool<, I-Judson, A lbai1y, etc. , a 11u1nbe r of p r o111ii1entcitizens also attended the breakfast. Among t h en, were: Colone l vYalter Cu11ni11gl1an1 of the 84tl1 Ne"v York : In. fantry; D r . vVillian1 Thotnas, su r geon, veteran of tl1e·vVar of 1812;

Paraclete Potter, pri11ter and publisher of the Po ·MghkeepsieJ oitrnal and propr i etor of the book store; _ Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, a former Member of Asse1nbly and -postmaster of the village (he was later State Sena tor, United States Senator and, in 1844, Governor of the Territory of V\li scons in ); Smith Thompson, former Cl1ief Justice of the Supren1e Court of the United Sta tes and, under President Ja1nes Monroe, Secre tary of the Navy; Genera l John A r 111stro11gof Red I-look, former United States Senator, Secretary of War and Ministe r to France; and Morga11 Lewis, former C hi ef Justic e of the Supren,e Court of tl1eU 11ited States and Governo r of New York State, The table was very richly furnished with a great variety of silver plate and other dishes loaned by the ladie s of tl1e village a11d arranged ii1 a most ta steful 111anner, i11terspersed at i11tervals ,vith flowers and evergreens. On the table, in front of the General, stood a repi:esentation of the Temple of Fame, decorated with variegated she lls and other ornan1e11ts. Within "was a n1onument on which was a n1iniature lik eness of Washington and below it one of La Fayette. They were both excellent likenesses and 111ostelega11tly set."

1'he General could not prolong hi s stay in the village without disappointing g reat nun1bers of people ,vho would be waiting at t1'1e seve r al places along th e river in anxious e."<pectation of nis arrival. In1111ediatelyafter brealdast had heen served in the best style of Niajor Myer, the escort f ormed at nine o'c loc.lc in tl1e san1e o rd er as before and pr oceeded with tl1e Genera l and bis s uite to the river. After the guests had been conducted on board tl1e stean1boat, the troops again f or111edo n the heights south of the village. As the boat got under way and took a short ttir11down the river, a n atio nal sa lut e was fired fr on1 Kaal Rock, followed by twenty-fo t1r volleys of n,usketry. The assen1blage of people at the river front cheered again and again and the boat resumed her course toward A lbany The troops retun1ed in ordet· to t he cei1ter of the village, wl1ere they were dls1nissed.

The boat, "still gorgeot 1sly decked ,vith flags," passed rapidly up the river a11d docked at tl1e landing nea r th e coun tr y estate of Governor Le,vis. Carriages conveyed the party to the n1ansio11,,vhere t he General was ,velco111edby the family and whe r e an "elegant collation" was provided. "Peaches, grapes and n1elons were 111in g leci with 111oresubsta)1tial fare and every va, ,iety of wine sparkled on the table.''

The General remained here an hour and a half and then continued his journey up the river. In passing t11ecountry estate of Jan1es Thon1pson, 11ear Rhi11ebeck, a boat can1e off with a large basket of peaches , of enorn1ous size a11d excellent flavor, and several large bouquets of :flovvers, as a gift to the General. A large crowd of people vvas asseinbled at tl1e landing at Kingston; a salute was fired fron1 the sl1ore and n1any cl1eers were givet1 at1d retun1ecl. At this place , Colonel Henry Livingston, who had con1111andeda regi1nent tlnder General La Fayette in Rl1ocle Island and at Valley Forge, can1e 011board and was a:ffectionately greeted.

The General and his party spent the 11ight wit11 I{obert I~. Living ston at Clern,ont. Mr. Livngston l'lad arranged a splendid ball "which .vas ope11ed by General La Fayette, leading th .e graceful, bli11d widow of Gene1·al Mo11tgon1ery ( \vho fell in the assault at Quebec , 1775), an1idst the wildest e11thusiasn1 of all present." vVhile the fe stivities progressed "vithin, the asse111bled tenants were feasted upon the la,vn , where tl1ere was 1nusic and danch1g. Wher1 tl1e party broke up at three o'c1oc1<the next 111orning , tl1e gt.test of honor and his suite retur11ed to the stean1boat. After a short rest , it proceeded up the river to Catslcill, \vl1ere the party diseinbarkecl and rode i.11open carriages througl1 tl1e streets. Leaving Catskill, they crossed the river to Hudson and were escorted to the court roo1n 1 \>vhere another reception had been arranged. Night had set in before they reached Albany and the ball, which ,vas held in the Assen1bly Cha,uber. Saturday n1orning they \Yeat to Troy , by way of the canal. They visited Mrs. Willard's Fen1ale Sen1inary and the yo t1ng ladies sang a s ong which had been composed for the occasion by Mrs. \Villai-d , A copy of the lines, beautifully pt·inted a11d bordered, was presented to tl1e Get1eral.

They retur 11ed to Alba11y in the afternoon and a little before 111id11ight they again en1barl..ed. 011 Sunday, the G·eneral had dinner with l\([r s Mo11tgomery a nd spent a few hout·s at Montgo111ery Place. 'l'h e stean1boat passed Pottghkeepsie about five o'clock . in the after110011and clocked at seven o'c lock at Fi s hkill Landi ng . Here the General called on IVIrs. John P. De \!Vint, granddaughter of for111erPresident Adau 1s. He arrived in New Y oi-k on Nlonday and dined that eve11ing "vitl1 bis Masonic br et hren and tl1e next day set. off south througl1 Nevv Jersey.

Meanwhile, with the better part of t he day s till before then11 after the h on o red guest l1ad departed, the village trustee s, t he shop ke epers, bt1s iness n1e11,vis ito r s and crowd s in h olid ay n1ood, all had one interesting at1d absorbing topic of conversat i on; " the da y wa s li tera lly a ge neral jubilee."

Mr. Oa l<ley ,vent bade to the s ellin g of hi s lottery ti cke ts , comn,enting that they were se llin g rapidly a t th e Temple of Fortune . He described his La Fayette Ticket, with its "like 11ess of La Faye tte in t he ce11tet, encircled w ith w reath s and sta r s in a sp lend id glo r y." (He could no t fo r esee that his sc rapboo ks of advertisen1ents an<l ti cke ts v.•ottld be preserved more than a h t1ndr e d yea rs late r in th e Adriance Me111orial I. ib tar y, Poughl<eepsie.) The La F aye tte ticket, as he clain1ed, was l1is n1ost elegant. About eig ht inche s in dian 1ete r , orn a t e ly decorated in various styles of printing , the likeness in the center and su r r ounded with e1nbossed wreaths and stars, it very n1ucl1 r esemb led an early nin et eent h -ce11tury valentine.

·' All the bea uty and fash io11of the village and n1an y fro111abroad" attended the La F ayette Ba ll in the evening. This was he ld in the san1e ro o nJ in ,vbi ch the breakfas t had bee11 served at1d provided an oppor tu11ity for all to view the artistic handi wo rk : of t l1e ladies. Th e newspaper repo rt ed th at " j oy and hilarity per vaded th e w hol e ass en1bly . E ven ladie s and ge ntlem e n whose dancing days, we had s u pposed were 1011gsince over, ca1ne f orw ar d on this occasion to 'tri_p it on tl1e light fantastic toe .' ' 1 It added that both ladies and ge ntlemen vvore "elega nt La Fayette badges."

i\11. Bossieux , t he dancin g t eac her fron1 New York, who ca1ne to Po tig hkeepsie once a week during the mont l1s w hen trave l . va s convenie nt , re turn ed his grateful ackno,vledgen1e n ts to those wl10 had patronized h i s dancii1g schoo l and balls duri 11g the seaso 11 and ann ounced tl1at his las t ball .v oul d be held on the following Tue sday night, adding " Mr. Myer has l<ind ly offered to leave t h e decorations pretty n1uch a s they were durit1 g the reception o f tl1e gallant G enera l La Fa ye tte. M. Bossieu x will 1·ene v his danci11g sclioo l next spring.''

"\i\Tbenthe village fat her s got t og etl Jer, the y congratulated th emse lves tl1at, although the nutnber of persons assen1bled it1 the town ,vas gr eater than 0 11 any other occa s i on, "good ord er , sobriety and decoru1n were eve r yvvhere con sp icuo11s ; everything was or1 time , no

tardi11ess or fatiguing delay; every one lme,v his duty and everything ,vas done at the proper ti111eand i11the proper n1anner ; and in les s than tl1ree hours fron1 the tin1e o f l1is arrival, th .e Nation 's Gues t was on h is way." They cheerfully approved the bills and, as per the Poughlceeps ie Village account book, they were ordered paid:

It "vas Pottghkeepsie's big day and was u sed as a measuring st ick for years. Never before in the history of the coJnmunity, and s elclo1n sin ce, had so large a proportion of the populace joined so \.vhole-J1eartedly in a celebration. It wa s a conserva ti ve village a 11d the newspapers reflected the pride of the residents in the dignified and seen1ly conduct of the affai1 : : "D urin g the day nothin g occu rred to 111arthe order and regularity of the proc eedings and, we are sure , if the General n1eets with n,or e splendid entertainmer1ts at o th er places, he ,viJI not see one conducted with rnore propriety ..... " The \vord e lega nt ,vas aln1ost over-,vorked. As a descriptive adjective it was t1sed n1ore that1 any other, but it was used in its proper sense ( charact er ized by refi11en1ent and good taste), and it truly expressed the senti1nents of all.

The General l1ad celebrated his six.ty-seventh birthday on Septen1ber 6 1 when a banquet was given in his honor by the Society of The Cincinnati in New York. Being a hero and . tl1e 1 ' guest of tl1e nation" for thirteen months could l1ave bee11fatigtting. If the poor old n1an endured the assiduous attentions thrust on hi111by his 11osts, day after day, for tl1e duration of his visit , jolted about over the cobblestones , strangled with dust on occasion 1 surfeited continuously ,vitl1 rich food and s1nothered ~vith wotcls, ,vot'ds, words, tl1en twentieth century A111ericans\vill concede that he truly ,vas a hero.

Lo11g after General La Fayette had left tl1ese sl1ores his 111en1ory was still revered. Throttgh tl1e years, all over the country, cities, parks, buildings and organizations were named for him. In Dtttcl1ess County, the town of Freeclon1 changed its na1ne, in 1829, to La Grange. A tavern i11the town of Milan was called the L1. Fayette House and gave the name of La Fayetteville to the surrounding ueighborl1ood. Not one, but two streets in Poughkeepsie ,vere named in his honor (La Fay~tte place still survives, but La Fayette street was rena111ed.. Reade place), and later a La Grange ave11ue,vas ?Pe ned in ,tl1e to,.,vn of Poughkeepsie. Many, 111anychildren ,.,verehis namesake; Marqttis De La Fayette Phillips was long an outstanding me1nber of the local Presbyterian Cl1urch and a young man in the present century, a bit 111oresensitive, simply changed his first name to Marcus and dropped the superfluous initials. Twins born in the village were na1ned Wasl1ington and La Fayette Howland. La Fayette \Vas almost as popular with the n1anufacturers as Davy Crockett see1ns to be in tl1e present day ; the La Fayette l1at has already been nlentioned and there see1ned to be 110end to the pitchers, platters, plates and beak:ers , as 1,veUa s the 111anycoins and n1edals n1ade to s11pply a popular dema11d. And, a few years ago a member of the D11tchess County Historical Society sho\ved a La Fayette bedst)read at an exhibit i11 Millbrook.

\i\lhen word of the deatl1 of General La Fayette was receive cl in 1834, a period of n1ourning was proclaimed througl1out the country and the trustees of the village of Poughkeepsie arranged to render funeral l1onors to .his memory. At s unrise on July 3, a s alute of twentyfour guns was given and all the bells in the village were tolled. At eleven o'clock a procession was for1ned ttnder the ditectio11 of General Leonard Maison , n1arshal of the day , and Captain Hiran 1 Velt-

111an.The process ion was headed by a band of music and Captain Slater's co111pany of artjllery and was followed by the clergy, the 0tator of the day 1 judges of the courts, 1ne111bersof tl1e bar, the teachers and students of the Dutchess Acaden1y and t11e Bene vo lent C0rdwainet s 1 Soc iety. Th e associat i on of local butchers, on l1orseba,ck, brought up- tl1e rear. As the band played so len1n dirge s and the bells of all the churches t olled, the group 111ovedthrough Washiag t on, Mi ll, Main and Market streets to the Episcopal C h urch.

'fh e ne.vspapers stated tha t the large church was cro,1Vded to 0ve rAo\vi11g by a n1ost respectabl e at1dience of c itizens and ladies . A funeral anthe1n was sung by the choir and the rector of the churcb · , t!he Revere11d D r . Reed, co11ducted tl1e Episcopal funeral service . A funeral oration was given by Robert Wilkinson, Esq., in ,11,1hichhe gave a bri~f sl<etch of the services of La Fayette in the cause of An1erican li berty, an oration highly interesting , eloquent and impressive.

l• ollowing · the religiot1s se r v ice, t11e procession fornJed again and J)assed through the .streets to M ill street, wl1ere it dis banded. Throughout the day a gun was fired every half hour until sunset and wl1ile the proce ss io11was n1oving all tl1e bells i11 the village were to lled, flags on th e hu.ildit1gs and on the boats i11 the river were at half mast. Those ,:vho participated in the n1arch to and fron1 t he church and many of the spectators wore bands of black crepe on. their left anns.

Th e newspaper n1ade special mention of tl1e Benevolent Cord,11,1ainers'Society, the good spiri t displayed and its fine appearance, as well as the larg~ nun1ber in that particular group. It further stated that the butchers also, althot1gl1 few in nu 1nber, were en t itled to 1nuch credit for " conJing out in tl1e 111a1111erthey did, an occurrance so unu sual in this place /' and concluded by expressing regret that so few n1en1be rs of the bar honored the procession with their presence. * * *

'\,\Then l\!Iarsl1al Joffre visited the United States in April of 1917, as a member of the French war rnission, he brot1gl1t with hin1 the Marquis ·de Cl1a111brun,a desce11dant of General La Fayette. The 111ission ,vas given a rousi11-g welcome in vVa:shin gton bu t slight 111ention was 111ade of the La Fa yette connect ion ; Marshal J offre , vas a living hero.

I-iowever, in 1921, whe n Marshal Foch, ge nerali ssimo of the Allied Armies in vVorld War I, was making a grand tottr of the United States, tl1e Dutcl1ess Cou11ty Historical Society recalled th .e visit of ' . La Fayette in 1824. As guest of the American Legion, Ma r sl1al Foch spent so1ne titue in tl1is count r y and the City of Pot t g h keepsie extended h im an in vitation to v i sit Poughkeepsie . At the request of Mayor Ralph F . Butts, Miss Helen W ilkin son Reynolds drafted an invit a tion and an engrossed leather-bound copy was prepared by Mr. Frank B. Howard. The H onorab le Ha111ilton Fish, Membe r of Corrgr ess from this d istrict, presented the invitation to tl1e Marshal in Wasl1ington. The Poughkeepsie officials were invited to attend a reception for Marshal Foch and llis suite, l1eld Decen1ber 10 1 at the United States Mil i.. t ary Acade1n y at West Point. Among the dozen or more representatives fro1n Poughkeepsie were several n1e111bers of t he Dutchess County Historical Society, includu.1g Miss Reyno l ds and Mr. John J. Mylod .

It was a matter of regret that the special train car r y4Ig the Marsha l and his party was routed over tl1e West Shore railroad and ' a visit to Poughkeepsie could not be arranged. Howe v er, the trait 1 stopped at the statio n at Highland at seven o ' clock in the evening of December 10, and the guest of l1onor 111adea rear platfor111 speech in w hich he referred t o tl1e old association between Poughkeepsie and La Fayette and expressed the l1ope that the friendsl1ip between the t\vo na t :ons wo uld be perpetuated a11dstrengtl1ened.

Pougl1keepsie and Dutcl1ess County , vot1ld l1ave welcon1ed Marsl1al Foch and his sui te l1ad t l1ey con1e to Pougl1kee p sie in 1921. Ho"v wott ld a twentietl1 ce11tt1ryreception con1pare with the \.vbole-l1earted effort made by the com111uni t y in 1824?

I n 1826, Margaret S . Te ll er, " of Fisl1kill, Ne,v York," a student at a boarding scl1ool i n Wetl1ersfield, Connecticut, wrote an acco t1nt of the v1sit of General La Fayette to America , as a part of l1er school wo r k. Dot1btless n1any other pupils did tl1e sa1ne, but Margaret ' s con1position has been preserved and it n1ay be of iQterest to pr int tl1e t11eschool gir l' s account of her i111pressio11s:

LA FA YETT E'S VISIT TO AMERICA

About three . years since, La Fayette ,vas invited by the citizens of the United States to revisit the land, to which he had evinced so much attachment, by the voluntary assistance he afforded them, in their struggfes for freedom. He accepted the invitation, and accompanied by his son and secretary, took leave of his native country, at1d embarked for America. He met with a cordial reception, and received all the attention and honour , in the po,ver of a grateful nation to bestow.

The honours he received were entirely w1expected to him, it was his in t ention to take a ca rria ge and tra vel pr ivately, through the country. But the Americans were prepared to give him a very different reception, and how grateful must it have been to his feelings, to receive such attention and respec t , from all ranks and conditions of men.

1-Iis a r rival was proclaimed by the firing of cannon and r inging of bel ls , and was celebrated with great splendour. Th e pleasing intelligence was reiterated with acclamations of joy, in every part of the United States, and invitations were dispatched from every quarter, for him to visit their respective villages . What a contrast between this .scen e, and the one he had witnessed on his former arrival, when all were bound by the galling chains of slave r y , and when they were fighting for their liberty. It must have afforded him a great deal of pleasure to witness the rapid improvement i11 commerce , agriculture and education. He also had an opportunity of seeing the advantage , that liberty gives a nation, over one that is enslaved, and it must have afforded him infinite pleasure to reflect , that he assisted them in obtaining the freedom and happiness, which they now enjoy , In .one y~t' h_e,xisit,ed.'rv~ry sta t e and after receiving every honou r that ' could' be bestowed upon 'him , lie t ook his d'eparturc ·for La . c ·ra11ge,·where he is no\v enjoying bis fe\v remaining years, in the bosom oi his family.

Wethersfield, October 18, 1826.

Margaret S. Teller

Margaret S. Teller was the daughter of Isaac De Peyster

'fe ller and Alice Schenck a n d was born Septe1nber 30, 1808, in the house built by Madam Brett ( son1e titnes known as the Teller Homestead) and ve1·y recently acquired by the Me1zingah Chap t er of tl1e D.A.R. In 1826, Margaret was a pupil at The Female Sen1inary and Co llateral School, Wetl1ersfield , Connecticut. At the time there were ninety-nine students registered at the Se111inary and eleve11 at tl1e Collateral School.

Margaret S. Teller married the Reverend Robe rt Boyd Van l(leeck and can1e into the posession of the {an1ily hon1estead after the deaths of her parents and unmarried sisters. She died there August 4, 1888, and is buried in St. Luke's churchyard, Beacon.

Amy Ver Nooy

REFERENCES

Book of records of the Corporation of the Village of Poughkee psie. Local newspapers on file at the Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie.

P

Reco

Privately printed. 1877.

Year book of th e D utch ess County Historical Society, 1922.

TO THE PUBLIC

A NEW MANUFACTORY of COMMON AND YELLOW WARE

s uch as was never made in this country before, ha s been established at TIVOLI , near Redh ook Landing, on the east bank of the North River, under the name of TIVOLI WARE , where all commands for any sor ts and shapes of ware, complete sets, brown and white varnished, will be executed upon the shortest noti ce, and merchants supplied, by applying to Stephen Bonnet, at the Factory.

The prices are fixed to every article much cheaper than any home made or imported, for cash or approved notes.

A parcel of refuse ware, as serviceable as the best for country or kitchen use, will be sold very low.

A few smart boys from 12 to 15 years old, are wanted as appre ntices at said factory. Apply as above.

Poughk eepsie J ourtzal, October 3, 1797

Platt, Edmund. The Eagle 's h istory of Po119hkeePsie, .... 1683 to 1905.

oughkeepsie, Platt & Platt. 1905. Poughkeepsie Village account book.

rd s in the office of the Couuty Clerk, Court House, P oughkeepsie. Smi th , Phllip H. , Ge,ieral history of Duchess Co11nt:1 1 .•.. Pa,vling , N. Y.

We found the inmost recess of this cavern very warm, and fe lt the want of free air, by difficult respiration, although the candles burnt perfectly clear.

After an abode of nearly half an hour in this gloomy receptacle, we again revisited the world, and found the laughing fields, and the vivifying sun, tenfold more charming from the contrast we had experienced .

La Fayette's Visit in Dutchess County in September, 1824

Contributed by the I-Ion. Hamilton Fish, Jr.

In 1850 S . Andrus & Son published at Hartford, Connecticut: "A Complete History of the Marquis De Lafayette, Major General in the Army of the United States of America in the War of the Revolution; embracing an account of his late tour through the United States to the time of his departure, September, 1825. By An Officer in the late Army." A rare copy of this work is owned by the Hon. Hamilton Fish, Jr., who represents Dutchess county, New York, in the Congress of the United States, and Mr. Fish has given to the Year Book the following excerpts from the book. After stating that about midnight on Wednesday, September 15, the General and his suite retired to rest on board the steamer "James Kent" on the v;ay up the Hudson from New York to Albany and that before daylight on Thursday the boat anchored off Poughkeepsie, the account goes on to say that:

'Our Nat ional Guest has nowhere received a more flattering reception than at the beautiful, ancient and patriotic vi llage of Poughkeepsie; nor has more promptitude, vigor and taste been displayed in the arrangements at any other place . At sun-rise all hands were 'piped' on deck, and a more imposing spectacle has rarely been presented . The high bluffs be-

the arms, name . and motto of each state in the Union. Over the centre of the table hung a canopy, formed · of festoons of flowers and evergreens of various kinds, belted by a riband on which was inscribed the names of the thirteen original States. Over the folding doors were the well-known words of "Welcome Lafayette", made with great accuracy, wholly of pink colored blossoms of china-astor, and on one of the walls were inscribed the names of Washington and 1,af ayette, wrought in laurel l eav es and encircled in garlands of flowers. Directly in front of the General's seat stood a representation of the temple of Fame; and the whol e suite of apartments were decorated in a style' to correspond with the above.

Imm ediately after b rea k fast and with a praise-worthy promptness the escort was formed and the General was attended to the boat with every possible mark of r espect ; the troops again repaired to the heights; and on hauling into the stream another salute was fired from the artillery and afterwards vollies of mu s ketry were fired, with a precision which the General was pleased to say resembled very much the :firing of regular troop s . Th e shores were aga in lin ed with people, who cheered in all direction s .

Pa ss ing rapidly up the river, preparations were made for landing with Governor Lewis at the dock: n ear hi s elegant country seat . The boat arrived at about 12 o'clock and on coming along s id e carriages were found in readiness to c onvey the party to the mansion which stood at some distance f rom the road, which wound through a b e autiful copse to the hou se . On alighting, the General and suite were introduced to the family an d were short ly after introduced into an apartment where an elegant collation was provided : peaches, grapes and m elons were mingled with more substantia l fare and every variety of wine spark l e d on the table. After r ema ining an hour and a half the General took leave of this hosp i table fam-ily and embarked in order to continue hi s voya ge to Albany. Soon afterwards, in pa ss ing the seat of Jam es Thompson, Esq., a boat came off with a larg e basket of peaches, of e nor

mous size, and excellent flavour, and with several elegant bouquets of flowers.

In passing the landing at Kingston (four miles from the village) a large collection were found to have a s sembled; a salute was fired from the shore and hearty cheers given and returned. At this place Colonel Henry Livingston, who commanded a regiment under Lafayet t e in Rhode I sland and at Valley Forge, came on board. The General had · ju s t been enquiring of Colonel Fish what had become of his old friend, Henry Livingston, and received him most affectionately.

The steam-boat arrived at Clermont at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and came to anchor off the elegant mansion of Robert L. Living s ton, E s q., formerly the seat of the late Chancellor Li v ing·s ton." &c. &c.

On the return voyage down the Hud s on from Albany the Jame s Kent made two s top s , de s crib ed a s follows:

"On Sunday morning t he General stopped at Red Hook a nd visited Mr s . Montgom ery, widow of General Montgomery, who fell in s torming t he ci t y of Quebec , December, 1775, , v here he met a num erou s collection of f r iend s and partook of .a sumptuou s di11ner . About 2 o'clock t he General took a n affectionate leave of Mr s . Montgomery and gue s ts and retiretl on board of the steamboat on his way to New York. At 7 -o'clock the boat came to at Fishkill landing and the General called on Mrs. De Wint , granddat1ghter of the former President Adams, wher e he was court eou s ly a s well as s plendidly received amid s t a numerou s collect ion of friends assembled to greet their cot1ntry's gue s t. To add to the enjoyments of t his interview the General had the pl ea s ure of shaking cordially by the hand another of his brave Light Infantry, adding: 'the Light I nfantry were a brave corps and under my immediate -command.' 'Yes,' returned the old soldier, 'and you gave u s our .swords and plumes.' The General made but a short stay, took leave of his friend s and returned to the boat under a salute of ihree hearty cheers.''