Following are other quotations from the Hessian's diary: January 7, 1781: "On active duty at No. 8." January 31, 1781: "On active service in No. 8." Thursday, April 26, 1781: "On active command, No. 8." Friday, June 8, 1781: "On commando in No. 8." Monday, July 16, 1781: "On command in No. 8." Saturday, July 28, 1781: "No. 8 was reinforced" owing to an alarm. Monday, September 3, 1781: "Active command, No. 8." Wednesday, September 5, 1781: "The pontoons below No. 8 were again removed and replaced in the line at the barrier, their old place. But the next evening they were again taken back to New York." Thursday, September 13, 1781: "Field picket, No. 8." Saturday, September 29, 1781: "Field picket, No. 8." Tuesday, October 2, 1781: "At 4 p. m. the regiment received orders to march immediately and to encamp until further orders at Macc Gown's Pass where Prince Charl's regiment had been. and the detachment of our men in No. Hill. As soon as our regiment had immediately took its place." 66 The same night all the watches 8 were relieved, but not Snak gone the Hanau Free Corps The foregoing is Von Krafft's last allusion to Fort No. 8, although he remained in or around New York on various duty for two years more. Under date of October 24, 1781, when he was stationed at Harlem, he tells of hearing a continuous firing of guns and muskets by the "rebels," the meaning of which he did not understand. But shortly afterwards," he says, "we heard with sorrow that the otherwise so celebrated Gen. Lord Cornwallis had been taken prisoner by the French and Rebels in the South." On August 3, 1782, "proclamations of peace were published everywhere in the papers," and he adds: “although it is not, generally speaking, reasonable of me to so consider them, they are nevertheless thunderbolts to me." The closing chapter of the history of Fort No. 8 is written by Gen. Heath in his Memoirs, in which, under date of October 20, 1782, he briefly records that "The enemy were demolishing their works at No. 8, Morrisania." But another year was to elapse before Fort Washington, which had been captured by the aid of No. 8, was evacuated. Then, in November, 1783, the British generally relinquished their posts north of McGown's Pass (now in Central Park) and on November 25, they withdrew from Manhattan Island. On that day, Washington made his triumphant re-entry into New York City, while Von Krafft, to whom we are indebted for much of our knowledge about Fort No. 8, was sailing past Sandy Hook on the transport "Sally" for home. In digging on the site of the fort in 1857 buttons of the following regiments were found, indicating the identity of some of the troops that occupied the work. The 8th, 17th, 33d (Lord Cornwallis), 37th, 38th, 45th, 74th, 76th (Scotch), and the Royal Provincials. ERICSSON TABLET UNVEILED On Site of the Inventor's Residence On Thursday, July 31, 1924, the 121st anniversary of the birth of Captain John Ericsson, the inventor of the "Monitor," a tablet was dedicated to his memory on the site of his residence at No. 95 Franklin street, New York City, under the auspices of the National Museum of Engineering and Industry, and committed to the custody of this Society. At the top of the tablet are portrait medallions of C. S. Bushnell, Captain John Ericsson, J. F. Winslow and J. A. Griswold with their respective names, and under them is the following inscription: CAPTAIN JOHN ERICSSON Resided Here at 95 Franklin Street, 1844–1864 He Designed in 1861 the First Iron Clad Turreted Battleship "MONITOR." The Contract was Obtained from the Government by Cornelius S. Bushnell of New Haven, Conn., who, with John F. Winslow, and John A. Griswold of Troy, N. Y., Financed its Construction. It was Built in 100 Working Days. On March 9th, 1862, the "Monitor" Under John L. Worden, Commander, 66 Mr. H. F. J. Porter, Chairman of the Committee of arrangements, presided, and after music by the Marine band from the New York Navy Yard, he read the following letter from President Coolidge: My Dear Mr. Porter: The White House Washington, July 22, 1924. The demands of insistent duties here make it quite impossible for me to accept your invitation to participate in the unveiling of the tablet to Captain John Ericsson on the afternoon of July 31. I am most appreciative of your invitation and would be glad if I could join in doing honor to this eminent son of Sweden who became an adopted son of America and a great servant of all mankind. The long and impressive list of his inventions is too little known to the great public and I hope that the efforts of your organization may be helpful in directing attention to the wide range of activities and the great service rendered by his inventions. Most sincerely yours, Mr. Porter also read letters from the Secretary of War, Hon. John W. Weeks; the Secretary of the Navy, Hon. Curtis D. Wilbur; and others. The tablet was unveiled by Miss Emilie Bushnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ericsson Bushnell and granddaughter of Cornelius S. Bushnell of New Haven. The latter's financial and technical aid, with that of two other men, John F. Winslow and John A. Griswold of Troy, N. Y., helped greatly to the success of Captain Ericsson's plans. The families of these three men erected the memorial, and their faces are depicted with the inventor's upon the bronze tablet, the work of Isidor Konti. The flag used for the unveiling was the one that floated on the "Monitor" at the time of the battle with the "Merrimac." After the withdrawal of the flag, Dr. George F. Kunz, President of this Society, accepted the custodianship of the tablet, and addresses were made by the Consul General of Sweden Olof H. Lamm representing the Royal Swedish Minister at Washington, Dr. Axel Wallenberg; Col. Peter E. Traub, Cavalry (D. O. L.) U. S. A., representing the Secretary of War; Captain W. S. Wainwright U. S. N. Assistant Commandant 3rd Eastern District, representing the Secretary of the Navy; Hon. William T. Collins, Acting President Board of Aldermen New York City, representing the Governor of New York; and Hon. Francis P. Bent representing Mayor Hylan. During the exercises the Swedish national anthem was sung by Du Gamla du Fria. HALL OF FAME MEMORIALS UNVEILED On Tuesday, May 13, 1924, busts of John Adams, Phillips Brooks, Samuel L. Clemens, Peter Cooper, James Buchanan Eads, Joseph Henry, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, William Thomas Green Morton, and Alice Freeman Palmer, were unveiled in the colonnade of the Hall of Fame at New York University. After the usual procession and unveilings, literary exercises were held in a large marquee pitched on the adjacent lawn. Dr. Robert Underwood Johnson, poet, editor, diplomat and director of the Hall of Fame, presided. The bust of Adams, by John F. Paramino, was given by the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, presented by Col. Wellington Wells, President of the Society; and unveiled by Mr. John Adams, a great-great-great grandson of Adams. The bust of Bishop Brooks, by Daniel C. French, was given by Trinity Church, Boston; presented by Robert Treat Paine, junior warden of the Church; and unveiled by Miss Josephine Brooks, a niece of the Bishop. The bust of Clemens, by Albert Humphreys, was given by the estate of Clemens; presented by Mr. Jervis Langdon; and unveiled by Mrs. Ossip Gabrilowitsch, a daughter of Clemens. The bust of Cooper, by Chester Beach, was given by graduates of Cooper Union; presented by Mr. Harry D. Williams of the graduates' committee; and unveiled by Miss Sarah Cooper Hewitt, grand-daughter of Cooper. The bust of Eads, by Charles Grafly, was given by the American Society of Civil Engineers; presented by Mr. Edward E. Wall, chairman of their bust committee; and unveiled by Mr. James Eads Switzer, grandson of Eads. The bust of Henry, by John Flanagan, was given by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers; presented by Mr. Edwin Wilbur Rice, Jr., past president of the institute; and unveiled by Mr. Thomas A. Edison. The bust of Jackson, by Belle Kinney, was given by the Ladies' Hermitage Association of Nashville, Tenn.; presented by Mrs. Walter Stokes, Regent of the Association; and unveiled by Mr. Andrew Jackson, IV., great grandson of the President. The bust of Jefferson, by Robert I. Aitken, was given by the New York World's subscription fund and the Jefferson Boys' Pilgrims Committee; presented by Mr. George Gordon Battle, chairman of committee; and unveiled by Mrs. Francis O. Barton, great-great granddaughter of the President. The bust of Morton, by Helen F. Mears, was given by the Fellows of the American College of Surgeons; presented by Dr. George D. Stewart, president of the New York Academy of Medicine; and unveiled by Mr. Bowditch Morton, a grandson of Dr. Morton. The bust of Mrs. Palmer, by Evelyn Longman, was given by Wellesley College; presented by Dr. Ellen Fitz Pendleton, President of the College; and unveiled by Prof. George H. Palmer, husband of Mrs. Palmer. Prof. William M. Sloane, President of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, spoke on the subject of "John Adams;" Rev. Leighton Parks, D. D., Rector of St. Bartholomew's, New York, on "Phillip Brooks;" Miss Agnes Repplier, Litt. D., on “Samuel L. Clemens;" R. Fulton Cutting, Esq., President of Cooper Union, on "Peter Cooper;" George F. Swain, LL. D., Professor of Civil Engineering at Harvard University, on "James B. Eads;" Gen. John J. Carty, Past-President of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, on "Joseph Henry;" Hon. Norman H. Davis, former Acting Secretary of State, on "Andrew Jackson;" Dr. Edwin A. Alderman, President of the University of Virginia, on "Thomas Jefferson;" Dr. William W. Keen, Past-President American Surgical Association, on "William T. G. Morton;" and Dr. James B. Angell, President of Yale University on "Alice Freeman Palmer." A complete roster of the Hall of Fame is given in our 27th Annual Report. Tablets to the memory of those whose busts were unveiled on May 13, 1924, had previously been dedicated. MONUMENT TO BELGIAN PIONEERS On May 20, 1924, a granite monument erected near the sea-wall in Battery Park, New York City, was dedicated to the memory of the Belgian pioneers who took part in the settlement of New Netherland. The presentation address was made by Baron de Cartier di Marchienne, Belgian Ambassador, who read a message from King Albert of Belgium, and the monument was accepted by Mayor Hylan. Other speakers were Mr. Rodman Wanamaker, who presided; Rev. Leonard Hoyois, Park Commissioner Francis D. Gallatin, Dr. Robert W. de Forest, Hon. Frank L. Polk, Hon. Herbert Hoover, Rev. Charles F. McFarland and Rev. Georges Lauga. The act of unveiling was performed by a three-year old miss, Priscilla Mary de Forest, a descendant of Jesse de Forest who planned the pioneer colony commemorated by the monument. The exercises were arranged by Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Commission. The monument is a granite plinth. It stands about 12 feet high and its only decoration is a border of oak leaves near the top. It contains the coat of arms of the Province of Hainaut and the following inscription: "Presented to the City of New York by the Conseil Provincial of Hainaut in memory of Walloon settlers who came over to America in the Neiuw Nederland under the inspiration of Jesse de Forest of Avesnes." An iron casket containing soil from Hainaut was buried near the base of the monument after the ceremonies. SINGULAR EXPERIENCES OF THREE STATUES Lost Bust of Washington Recovered On August 19, 1924, the New York Sun published an account of the discovery of a marble bust of George Washington which was sculptured by Pierre Jean David, a Frenchman, early in the nineteenth century, and which was believed to have been lost in the fire that destroyed the Library of Congress in 1851. The newspaper's authority for its statements was Mr. Mitchell Kennerley, President of the Anderson Galleries of New York City. According to Mr. Kennerley, Mr. Joseph Davidson saw the blackened bust in a junk dealer's yard and advised him to take it to the Anderson Galleries. The advice was followed, and when Messrs. Paul Bartlett and Daniel C. French examined the work they pronounced it genuine. It appears that the bust was given by the French government to the United States about 95 years ago. Fifty years after its supposed destruction a bronze cast was made from the original plaster model in the Musee David and placed in the rotunda of the Capitol, where it now stands. David, who was known as David d' Angers, died thinking his Washington bust was destroyed and in his biography he is quoted as saying in a letter written a year after the fire: "I read yesterday in an American newspaper of the burning of the library in Washington. The colossal buste I sent to America is burned up." Classical Head Found in Hudson River While the dredge Raritan was deepening the channel of the Hudson river opposite Rector street, New York City, during the winter |