Several voices answered in the negative and urged her to go on and
tell it, which she did. "During the Revolution," she said, "a
Frenchman named Marbois was secretary of that legation here. Shortly
before Lafayette's death he, with the American minister and several of
his countrymen, was invited to dine at the house of Marbois. At the
supper hour the guests were shown into a room which presented a
strange contrast to the elegance of the apartments in which they had
spent the evening. There were numerous small doors; one uncurtained
small window; a low boarded, painted ceiling with large beams; all
together giving it very much the appearance of the kitchen of a Dutch
or Belgian farmhouse; and on the table was a repast quite in keeping
with the appearance of the room. There was a large dish of meat,
uncouth-looking pastry, and wine in bottles and decanters, accompanied
by glasses and silver mugs such as seemed but ill-suited to the habits
and tastes of modern Paris. 'Do you know where we now are?' the host
asked, addressing Lafayette and the other guests. They were too much
surprised to answer for a moment. They knew they had somewhere seen
something like it before--but where? 'Ah! the seven doors and one
window!' Lafayette exclaimed presently; 'and the silver camp-goblets,
such as the marshals of France used in my youth. We are at
Washington's headquarters on the Hudson, fifty years ago.'"
"A great deal must have happened in this region during the
Revolution," remarked Mrs. Leland. "Haven't you another little story
for us, mother?"
"Yes; I was just thinking that the taking of a spy occurred not far
from here. At the time that Washington's headquarters were at
Newburgh, Generals Greene and Knox had theirs in a house on the New
Windsor Road about three miles west from Plum Point; and about a mile
farther west was the house of Mrs. Falls. There Governor Clinton had
his headquarters. He and his brother were in command of Forts Clinton
and Montgomery, among the Hudson Highlands, when the British succeeded
in taking them in spite of the desperate defence of the American
patriots. It was then General Clinton established his headquarters at
the house of Mrs. Falls and collected his dispersed troops preparatory
to marching to the defence of Kingston. About noon on the 10th of
October a horseman came riding up into the camp in great haste. The
sentinel challenged him.
"He replied, 'I am a friend and wish to see General Clinton.'
"The man was a Tory, bearing a message from Sir Henry Clinton to
Burgoyne, who was at that time hedged up in Saratoga. This messenger
supposed the American forces on the Hudson to be utterly broken and
destroyed; and, as the British never gave our officers their titles in
speaking of or to them, he thought General Clinton must belong to the
British Army, so believed himself among his friends.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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