GENERAL PETER MUHLENBERG

The Fighting Parson of the American Revolution

A Biography of GENERAL PE1'ER MUHLENBERG Lutheran Clergyn1an, Military Chieftain and Political Leader

By EDWARD W. HOCKER

Author of "Germantown- 1683-1933," Centennial History of Trinity Lutheran Church., Germantown, Etc.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 7 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 1936 Copyright 19.36 By EDWARD W. HOCK.ER

Printed in the United States of America by '

Page I Checkered Youth ...... 7 The Family of Henry :l\Ielchior 1'1:uhlenberg-­ Pennsylvania in Peter Muhlenberg's Youth-­ Sent Abroad to be Educated---The l\Iyth of His Wild Youth.

II In the JYiinistry ...... 28 A Popular Preaclier--Pastor in ·New Jersey-­ His l\Iarriage--A Call from Virginia--Ordain­ ed in the Church of England.

III Service in the ...-\.merican Revolution ...... 50

A Leader in the Patriot Cause--The Pastor Becomes a Colonel--A Theme for Poets­ The German Regiment in Service--In South Carolina and Georgia--Promotion to Brigadier General--The Battle of Brandywine-War­ time Experiences at Trappe-The Battle of Germantown--Whitemarsh and Valley Forge Camps-His Loyalty Tested--Aids Christopher Sower--l\ii!itary Activities in 1778 and 1779-­ Takes Command in Virginia--The Yorktown Campa.ign--Final Scenes of the ,var--Muhlen­ berg Memorials in "vvoodstock. 4 CONTENTS

Page IV Political and Civic Career ...... 126

A journey to the Wilds of Kentucky--In the Supreme· Executive Council of Pennsylvania-­ Elected to. Congress--Pennsylvania Politics-­ War "\Vith France Threatened--The Perkiomen Bridge Lottery--His Home at Trappe­ Chosen United States Senator·--Appointed to Federal Offices President of the German Society--Aids the Movement for English Luth­ eran Churches--His Last Days--Statue in the National Capitol.

V . Distinguished Members of the J\1uhlenberg Family ...... 178

Frederick A. l\'.Iuhlenberg--The Rev. Henry E. :Muhlenberg · and His Desceridants--Other Branches of the Family.

Authorities ·································~······················ 184

Index ...... 187 ILLUSTRA TIO NS

Portrait of General Muhlenberg .... Frontispiece

Facing Page Birthplace of Peter Muhlenberg, Trappe ...... 16 Ancient Court House in Woodstock ...... 40 Co1nmunion Vessels which Peter 11 uhlenberg Used in \V oodstock ...... 48 J. Otto Schweizer's Statue of General 1\1uhlenberg, on City Hall Plaza,. Philadeiphia ...... 80 General Muhlenberg's Valley Forge Headquarters ...... ~ ...... 96 Episcopal Church, Woodstock, on the Site of Muhlenberg's Church ...... 124 Perkio1nen Bridge, 1799 ...... 158 General Muhlenberg's Home in Trappe ...... 160 l\tiuhlenberg Ton1bs ...... ·174

I

CHECKERED YOUTH

Family of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg There was a time when Americans · insisted that their national heroes must make a good sho'1ving alongside the heroes of mythology and folk lore. To n1eet "the popular taste fact and fable were mingled in· th.e stories of the men \Vho helped to found the United States. Then ca1ne the "debunking'~ period, ,vhen the process of. separating myths from history was son1etin1es carried to the extreme of manu­ facturing new n1yths. A great question mark obscured 111ost of the picturesque incidents of the American Revolution as they had long been depicted in literature. In the endeavor to "humanize" the leaders in the revolt against Great Britain th~ir human failings were son1e­ tin1es so 111agnified as to strip these men of all glory. Peter 1\fuhlenberg, th~ '"'fighting parson," is one character of that Revolutionary era who has successfully withstood the debunkers. It is true, certain stories about him have been 8 THE FIGHTING PARSON shown to be 1nvths.., But their eli1nination has brought to light a greater nobility of character. He was not a pious svvashbuckler. His dra1natic farewell to the pulpit when he entered the arn1y has been en1 bellished vvith various -i1npossible trappings. But substantially the incident 1nust be accepted as history.. His vvas a strikingly versatile and adaptable career._ I-Ie vvas a clergy1nan, apparently; in two denon1inations at the san1e ti111e. I-Ie was a native of Pennsylvania, but he co1nn1anded Vir­ ginia troops. -T'hen he entered upon a political career of _distinction in Pennsylvania and in an era of intense · _partisan strife he co1npletely escaped the vituperation and savage attack to ,vhich -aln1ost every other 111an . pro1ninent in public affairs was subjected. Sa1nuel W. Pennypacker, Pennsylvania historia11-, used to say that no village of its size ih_ the country had . produced so 111any dis­ tinguished persons as had Trappe, novv a· sn1all borough in l\1ontgon1ery County, Pennsylvania. Fro111 the Muhlenberg fan1ily can1e a la-rge pro­ portion of the distinguished persons to vvho111 Pennypacker alluded.. The first of the· f a1nily vvas the fa_ther of Peter l\1 uhlenberg, the Rey. Henry 11elchior Muhlenberg, a native of Ein1beck, in I-Ianover_, vvho had come · to :Pennsylvania in 1742 to organize congregations an1ong the nun1erous Gern1an I....utheran settlers of that province. He lived either in Philadelphia or Trappe and CHECKERED YOUTH 9 exercised superintendence for ·many years over virtually all the Lutheran congregations of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, l\,iaryland and Vir­ g1n1a . ...t\.t Trappe, Augustus Church was built under his direction in 1743, ·and to the people worshipping here his pastoral supervision ,vas especially directed. The old church of 1743 still stands as an in1pressive · religious landmark of colonial ti1nes. In theology Muhlenberg accepted the 1nilder Pietistic type of Lutheranism as it ,vas taught at the fatnous Halle Institutions founded / by Augustus Hern1an Francke-the type of theology that called for the translation of faith into action as opposed to the more dog1natic theology which held that formal acceptance of a creed was all that signified. Thus naturally Pastor Muhlenberg ,vas a 1nan of action. And so also were his sons. But the student of heredity will not accord sole honors for. Peter lVIuhlenberg's inherited traits to his father. His 1nother also ca1ne fro1n a fan1ily that bred 111en of action. She ,vas a daughter of Conrad Weiser, pioneer settler of the T'ulpehocken region, in what is now Berks County, Pennsylvania, long a · frontier leader and fan1ous in the colonial period as a repre­ sentative of the provincial government in nego­ tiations ,vi th the Indians There were church troubles in the Tulpe­ hocken region in 1743, and Pastor Muhlenberg 10 THE FIGHTING PARSON visited the locality to try to adjust the1n. Weiser had originally been of the Reformed or C~l­ vinistic faith. He and other German settlers of the Tulpehocken country fell under the influence of Conrad Beissel, who had founded a monastic co1nmunity of Seventh-day Dunkers at Ephrata. Then the efforts of Count -Zinzendorf, the Mor­ avian leader, to effect religious unity among the Pennsylvania sects enlisted· Weiser's sup­ port. Eventually, hovvever, W ei_ser beca1:ne a Lutheran. Being the_ principal resident of the neighborhood, Muhlenberg visited Weiser ,vhen he went to Tulpehocken. In_ the Weiser home was an organ, one of_ the few in Pennsylvania at that tin1e. · 1\tiuhlenberg loved 111usic, and he delighted_ himself and the Weiser. household by. playing on ·the organ. · There was a daughter, _;\nna Mary, then 16 years old. The "Tulpe­ hocken Confusion," as the church troubles due to Zinzendorf' s activity were called, was not easy to settle, and lVIuhlenberg had to make further visits to the region. Evidently he gave consideration to Anna Mary Weiser as well as to the church troubles, for on April 22, 17 45, thev.,. were married. The year of his marriage Pastor Muhlen- berg had ·a house built nea,r the church at Trappe. Up to that time he lived mostly in Philadelphia. · With his young wife he now 1nade his home at Trappe. The name of Trappe had not yet come into general u~e for the place but it was applied to CHECKERED YOUTH 11 a tavern kept by me~nbers of the Schrack family. There were only a few houses near by. The region was called Providence, or .sometin1es . - . . New Providence. Originally this territory had been included in Willia1n Penn's Manor df Gil~ berts. In 1729 - Providence Township ,vas created, comprising the present Upper Provi­ den_ce and Lo"'rer Providence Townships and the boroughs of Collegeville and Trappe. The main highway from Philadelphia to Reading ran through Trappe, the latter place being "twenty-five 1niles north,vest · of Philadelphia. In 1741 Providence Township had 146 taxable in­ habitants. Thereafter ne,v settlers rapidly took up lands.- At Trappe there was also a congregation of the German Refor1ned or Calvinist church which had been organized about the tin1e _of Muhlenberg's arrival and which held it~ services in the Lutheran church until 1755, when it built its own church. _ Just h-0w the na1ne of T'rappe originated has been a subject of dispute among historians. Pastor 11uhlenberg wrote in 1780 that the Schrack tavern ~n early days was partly under­ ground, and a certain English far1ner wht~n he came home late explained to his inquisitive vvife that he had been caught in the trap at Schrack's. Thus the tavern became popularly known as "the trap." Francis Rawn Shunk, who ,vas born at Trappe and later became governor of Pennsylvania, declined to accept this e-xplana- 12 THE FIGHTING PARSON tion. His version was that in front of the Schrack tavern _was a. flight of steps. "Treppe" is Gern1an for steps. Therefore the tavern was called "Die Treppe," or "The Steps." The question vvas debated at a meeting of the co1n- 1nunity_·s citizens in 1835, when the n1ajority de"'." cided to spell the name "Trapp." Later, how­ ever, the- present -orthogTaphy of Trappe wa·s generally accepted. Up to recent tin1es the definite article was.· comn1only used with · the nan1e, the place· being called "The T~appe." . Neither of the explanations is altogether convincing. It 111ay be that in some way the Iian1e of the valley of La Trappe, near Mortagne._ France, ,vas applied to this locality. There t4e order of Trappist 1nonks has had its head­ quarters since the t,velfth Gentury. Writers not familiar with Pennsylvania's Trappe have so1ne­ ti1nes presented it. as the seat of a Trappist n1onastery ,vhose solen1n inhabitants practice perpetual silence and other austerities of this order.· The p~edon1inance of religious influences in· the early history of Trappe may have been conducive: to the confusion ,vith the French La Trappe. Here in Trappe the first son of Pastor Muhlenberg ,vas born, October_ 1, 1746 (Old Style). At his baptism, on October 14, he ,vas named John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. The sponsors at the baptis1n were the Rev. Peter Brunnholtz, then pastor of · the Lutheran churches of Philadelphia and Germantown; the · CHECKERED YOUTH 13 Rev. Gabriel Naesmann, pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church at Wicaco, in the southern· part of Philadelphia County; John Nicholas I(urtz, then a schoohnaster of the Lutheran congregation at New Hanover and later ordain­ ed to the 111inistry, and John Frederick Vigera, schoohnaster of the P~ilad~lphia Lutheran con~ gregation. _ It was the ctiston1 a1nong the Ger1nans of those times to bestovv the nan1e of John upon· most boys and the na1ne of Mary upon most girls, along· \vith one or 1nore additional given na1nes. As the children grew to 1naturity they often abandoned the John or l\1ary. The oldest son of t4e Trappe pastor abandoned both John and Gabriel and v,rote his nan1e -simply Peter l\1uhlenberg, or preferably even shorter, "P. Muhlenberg."

Pennsylvania in Muhlenberg's Youth Those ·1,vere ti111es of uncertainty and fear in interior Pennsylvania. England, the_ 1nother country, h~d gone to vvar with France in 1744,

in the ·conflict kno,vn as · I{ing George's War., Pennsylvania, ·along with the other A111·erican dependencies of England, vvas expected to sup­ ply troops to attack the French in Canada. But the Quakers controlled the Pennsylvania As­ sembly, and, being opposed to warfare, they re­ fused to vote appropriations for· 111ilitary pur­ poses. While vVilliam Penn had been a Quaker, 14 THE FIGH'l'ING PARSON the Penns of this era who were the proprietaries of Pennsy~vania no longer aq.hered to Quakerism but were attached to the Church of England. For 1nany years, until the Quakers lost control of the Assembly, the- question of voting appro­ priations to the_ proprietaries· for purposes con­ cerned with vvar was a source of controversy. Curiously enough, a large proportion of the German settlers, though not Ouakers and not . . . - holding to a pacifist faith, supported the Quaker candidates for Assembly and thus helped them 1naintain power, which they could not have done ,vith their own strength~ The Gertnans took no great interest in political disputes and did not often have candidates -of their own stock. The Ger1nan newspaper which Christopher Sower published in Ger1nantown circulated vvidely an1ong the Ger1nan settlers. This news­ paper · supported the Quaker policy, Sovver, though not. attached to any religious group,. be­ ing an adherent of pacifis1n. A phase of the 111atter that appealed to the Ger1nans with greater power than the abstract theories of op­ position to warfare vvas the economic issue ~n­ volved. Thrift was their outstanding trait. They objected to waste of 111oney, either for personal purposes or for the govern1nent. The spending of money for arn1ies looked to then1 like waste, and it was sure · to increase the taxes. Hence when th~y took· the trouble to vote at all they were likely to vote with the Quakers, with the hope that if the Quakers. remained in power CHECKERED YOUTH 15 taxes would ~ot--be increased. The Quakers and Germans constituted ,vhat ,vas. kno,vn· as the Country Pa~ty, while the opposition were the Gentlemen's or City Party. B~t Conrad Weiser also wielded great in­ fluence among the German settlers, and this influence was exerted to the full degree in behalf of the proprietaries and against the don1inan t Quakers. Pastor 1\1 uhlenberg · had little to say about civic and ·1nilitary contro­ versies, but naturally h~ n1ust have sy1npathized with the appeals of Weiser for aid in defending the .frontier against Indian ravages. Most of the Indian· tribes took the side of the French whenever France and ·England made war in .. A.merica. The red 111en seized the opportunity to attack exposed settlements, and the pleas of the people for help from the provincial authori­ ties in Philadelphia were in vain. But at last the equanimity of the Philadelphia Quakers also was disturbed when French and Spanish privateers attacked to,vns along. the .A.. tlantic Coast as close as Ne,v Castle, Delaware. Then the Pennsylvania ...A..ssen1bly ,vas induced to vote £4000 for the King·s use, "in the purchase of bread, beef, pork, flour, ,vheat and other grain." Benjamin Franklin and other opponents of the pacifist policy interpreted_ "other grain~' to include grains of gunpowder, and some of the 111oney was thus expended. Franklin also or­ ganized bodies of volunteer troops, enrolling 10,000 men throughout the province. 16 THE FIGHTING PARSON Peace terminated King George's War in 1748. But within six years England and France were again at war, and a fine British army, under General Braddock, met disastrous defeat. in . ·Western Pennsylvania in 1755. · Again. Indians, co-operating with the French, attacked frontier settlers. Conrad Weiser· and a . force of volunteers from Berks. County marched to the. defense of the people of -the Susquehanna region in 1755, but they could find no Indians. Weiser was busy trying to devise protective measures, but his efforts to obtain help fro1n the Assembly .failed, and finally in exaspe!"ati6n he threatened to lead_ the Berks County Ger~ mans into Philadelphia ·to present their protests and demands in person. However, the threat was not. put into execution. All through his boyhood Peter Muhlenberg undoubtedly heard stories of warfare and con­ flict engendered by those ti1nes. Weiser visited _the Muhlenberg family on his. trips to and fro111 -Philadelphia, and it is likely the boy ,vas thrilled by his grandfather's recital of affairs, a recital in which avoidance of 111ilitary service had no part. _ Thus it. may readily be understood hovv the son of the Trappe parsonage developed a liking for ar1ny activities. There were periods when Pastor Muhlen­ berg, the father, was away from home for long intervals, engaged in church work in distant settlements. At one tin1e, · about 1755; · when both Muhlenberg and his wife see111· to ·have BIRTHPLACE OF PETER MUHLENBERG, TRAPPE

CHECKERED YOUTH 17 been absent, Peter and his sister, Eva Elizabeth, \Vere placed in the care of an English woman living in New Hanover, a well educated woman who had no children of her own. New Hanover, ,v.here there ,vas a Lutheran congregation even older than that at Trappe, was nine 1niles north­ west of the latter place. Through this experi::­ ence Peter Muhlenberg received valuable train~ ing in the English language. Gern1

Sent Abroad to be Educated In 1761 the Muhlenberg family re1noved fron1 Trappe to Ph_iladelphia. The rapidly growing Lutheran congregation in that _city had all along been ~ominally under Pastor 11uhlen­ berg' s supervision. Now he took active charge of that flock. No doubt he was actuated in some degree to make this ,change in order to provide better educational opportunities fq_r his children, of ,vhom there were now six Ii ving, \vhile t\vo had died. Three more children ,vere born in Phila­ delphia. Peter with two younger brothers, Frederick Augustus Conrad, born in 1750, and Gotthilf Henry, born in 1753, -,vent to school · CHECKERED YOUTH 19 in the Academy departtnent of the College of Philadelphia, ,vhich later -developed into the University of Pennsylvania: - The institution, then situated on Fourth street, below Arch, was under the 111anagement of the Rev. Dr. Willia1n S1nith, a clergyman of the Church of England, with ,vhom the father of the three Muhlenberg boys had beco1ne intin1ate some years before when the English Society for the Propagation of Christian Rnow ledge was endeavoring .- to establish free schools in the German settlement~ -of Pennsylvani~. Pastor 11uhlenberg support~d the 1nove1nent and opened s_chools 1:1nder the auspices of the society in several of his congre­ gations. Nevertheless the n1ajority of the. Ger­ tnans ,vere suspicious of the undertaking, ·fear~ ing it was an insidious attack upon their Jahguage and religiol!., and Sower's German ne,vspaper left nothing undone 1f foster this suspiciQn. The schools ,vere contl'tlued only a few.. years. i-\n1ong the · trustees of the society ,vere Dr. Smith, Benja1nin Franklin and ~onrad Weiser. _ The University of Pennsylvania has in­ cluded General 1\'1uhlenberg a1nong its "e1ni­ nent sons~'- of the eighteenth. century whose memory is recalled by tablets on the walls of Houston Club, at the U niver-sity. His con­ nection vvith the institution is there described thus: ·"College, ~763." r'\lthough Dr. Stnith's. Philadelphia __ school ,vas legally ·em.powered to ·confer· college de- 20 . THE FIGHTING PARSON grees, Pastor Muhlenberg wanted his· sons to have the benefit of training in one of the long established schools of G_ermany. The second year of the fa1nily' s .stay in Philadelphia he cor­ responded with the Rev. Dr. Jacoh Duche; _one· of the assistant 111inisters .of t4e r\nglican con­ ·gregation worshiping at Ch!ist · Church, Phila­ delphia, about a conte1nplated trip abroad by that clergyn1ari · and the possibility of his taking Peter· ]\,fuhlenberg along vvith hi111, but the pro­ ject was not consu1nmated. But in the spring of J.7.63 the father arranged to have his three son~ go to England with Willia111 Allen. chief justice of the province, who had also been~ one of the trustees· of the ineffective· free school move1nent. - Chief Justice Allen was reputed to be the richest 1nan in Pennsylvania at that time. On April 27, 1763, Peter, then in his 17th year; Frederick, aged 13, and H·enry, aged 10, set sail with Chief Justice Allen, en1barking at Philadelphia on the ship of Captain Budden. Ceren1011ious . sole1nnitv 111arked the fare- " ,vell in the lV[uhlenberg hon1e. The father offered prayer, and the Rev. Charles Magnus Wrangel, provost of the Swedish-churches along the Delaware, addressed the departing youths and their fa1nily and then pronounced the bene­ diction. For some reason not evident the father did not accompany the boys to the s~ip. But the-. n1other did, and ren1ained until the vessel put out from· the wha~f- at 4- o'·clock. CHECKERED YOUt

The Myth of His Wild Youth With his stay in Halle is associated the earliest Peter Muhlenberg myt4-the story that he got into a fight with a tea~her, ran away fron1 the school and joined the German army. Based upon this myth. there ·was built the legenc;l of a wild, harum-scarum youth developing. into a blustering .maturity. . Son1e strictures contained in letters written by an unduly exacting father helped to give credence to t4e unwarranted tales. The· truth of the matter see1ns to be that Pastor Muhlen­ berg became alarmed because his first-born. son showed tendencies of being a real boy. 'In a letter to Dr. Ziegenhagen~ October 27, 1763, discussi?g the sending of the boys to Germany, he wrote: "My son Peter has, alas! enjoyed but little of 1ny care and control, on ~ccount of 1ny ex­ tensive official duties, but he has had no evil example fron1 his parents, and many reproofs and counsels. His chief fault and bad inclina­ tion has been his fondness for hunting~ and :fisq_ing. · But if- our 1nost revered fat9-ers ,.at CHECKERED YOUTH 23 H~lle observe any tendency to vice, I would hu1nbly beg that t~ey send hin1 to a well -dis­ ciplined garrison town, under the na111e of Peter \V eis_er, before he causes 1nuch. troub~e or com­ plaint. There he n1ay obey the drum if he will not follow the spirit of God. My prayers will follow hi111, a_nd if- his soul only is saved~ be he in what condition he 1nay, I shall be content. I \\rell kno,v \vhat · Satan wishes for me and n1ine." The chief fault thus set forth-his fondness for hunting -and fishing-certainly is not · suf­ ficient to convict the boy of possessing vicious tendencies, and the suggestion about disciplin~ ing liin1 savors of brutality in the light of modern understanding. But that w~s an· age when brutali tv was often deen1ed essential in .; the rearing of boys. Not until the Re~ Dr. Willian1 Ger1nann made an exhaustive examination of records and correspondence covering Peter 1-'Iuhlenberg's stay in Ger1nany at this ti1ne was the unre­ liability of the long accepted tradition proven. What Dr. Gern1ann found indicated clearly that as a lad _Peter Muhlenberg had been a victim of a monstrous injustice and that his own kin and admirers had been libeling his 111emory for gen­ erations by fostering the intimation that he was guilty of dishonorable acts. Peter Muhlenberg never became a student in the Halle schools nor in any other.,• school in Gern1any. Frederick and Henry were enrolled 24 THE FIGHTING PARSON in the Halle Institutions. But the docun1ents f-0und at Halle show that ·Peter was shipped off to Lubeck, near Hamburg, and a_pprenticed to a storekeeper there. The original articles · of apprenticeship were discovered, showing that Peter l\1uhlenberg, son of the great Lutheran

leader in. An1erica, was bound out for six Jvears in the care of a 111an who was nothing n1ore than a s111all groc~r and liquor dealer. The subsequent correspondence 1nakes it clear that the Rev. Gotthilf August Francke, son of the founder of the Institutions and then at their head, knew nothing about the 1nan with whon1 he was placing Peter; that th·e merchant in Lubeck had ask.ed the orphanage officials in Halle to . send hitn bne of the orphans as ·an apprentice, and they delivered ,Peter Muhlen­ berg into his hands. In the subsequent atten1pts to explain the n1atter Dr. Francke · said, arid Peter adn1itted, that the boy wanted to learn a business. It was supposed he was to have an opportunity· to becon1e a druggist. But th~ only drugs he was permitted to handle con.:. sisted of alcoholic drinks. The articles of apprenticeship show that during th<_?se six years the 111aster was to give the boy only his. food and lodging. Dr. Fra·ncke was to provide his clothing.·- If the lad served h~norably and faithfully for six years he was to receive at the· en·d of the ter1n a black suit of ·clothes, a ~at, cane, shoes and stockings,. or, instead of this, 100 1narks in money. CHECKERED YOUTH 25 If Peter Muhlenberg was a wild, reckless daredevil, it 1s difficult to i1nagine his enduring such outrageously severe discipline. He signed the papers because he ~hought he was going to learn the drug business in a large establishment. rfhe place turned out to be a little shop where he was the only employe. There was a small drug depai:t111ent, but Peter was not adm-itted to it. i\.11 he did was to 111easure out groceries and liquor over the counter. He worked every day, including Sunday, and every night until 10 o'clock. · For two full years he· clung to this distaste­ ful j.ob ·before 1~1akit1g coin plaints. Then in the 1neekest 111anner possible he 1nentioned in a Ietter to his father that he suffered fron1 cold in the winter and fron1 lack of proper clothing, that he had to wear the san1e shirt four weeks ·continuously and·that he was learning nothing~ The "business'' in ·which he was supposed to be gaining proficiency, he said, was· of a kind that anyone 111ight learn in four vveeks~ · He added that apprenticeship tern1s in occupations where there was something to learn were usually of four years' ·duration, whereas his was six. Dr. Muhlenberg· began a •circun1spect · in­ vestigation that lasted son1e 111onths. He sought the ··aid of Dr. Ziegenhagen, in Londoti, who wrote to Dr. Francke, in Halle. Dr. Francke at first \ivas disposed to ignor~ the 1natter. But finally· an official of the . 1ia11e Institutions made inquires in Lubeck and :.tearned ·that the 26. THE FIGHTING PARSON boy had 111ini111ized rather than exaggerated the situation. Then at the· ·behest of ~Pr. Muhlenberg efforts ,:vere set ort foot to have the boy. freed. The en1ployer den1anded the pay1nent of 100_ thalers ( about $75) for cutting off two years from the ~ix-year tern1 of apprenticeship. An agree111ent was ·n1ade for the r·elease of Peter at Easter, 1767, upon paytnent of the sum de­ n1anded. This agreen1ent was signed in August, 1766. A fe\v days later young Peter vvas m1ss1ng: It transpired that he had joined a regin1ent of troops in Lubeck-not a Germ.an regiment, as l!lost accounts say, but an _English regiri1ent that was being recruited. Lubeck was a ."free city," ~nd Great Britain at that ti1ne had the right to recruit troops there. Moreover, it ,vas n9t a regi111ent ·of dragoons, as the old stor~es aver, but the Sixtieth Regin1ent of Foot. On this phase of Peter Muhlenberg's ad­ ventures little is available except fro111 sources inimic~l to hi111. ~ut reading betvYeen the lines of the letters that have been preserved it ·can be seen that there was a captain in this regiment with whon1 Peter 1'1uhlenberg beca1ne friendly. Perhaps the captain 111ade the acquaintance of the lad in the store and found he was a bright young fellow~ Naturally they would be drawn together because both spoke Epglish. Then homesickness welled up in the.lad's heart. This regiment was being recruited to go to ·America. CHECKERED YOUTH 27 \\Thy should he not join it and go hon1e-.cut loose fron1 this abominable grocery and liquor shop, join the regin1ent and sail for A1nerica? When the. en1ployer ca1ne storming around the recruiting office, the captain told him the boy was_ now in the British arn1y and would remain there unless he hi1nself chose to go back to the shop. The boy did not hesitate about deciding, and the· shopkeeper went hon1e ,vithout his apprentice. Through the friendly captain.Peter Muhlen­ berg was . at once 1nade secretary of the regi­ ment-a .position much 1nore compatible ,vith the youth's talents tha_n that of standing behind the counter. in a s1nall store. After .a few· months the regin1ent arriveq. in A111erica, and here it was quickly arranged that Muhlenberg should be. released fro111 1nili­ tary service upon payn1ent of a s111all sum that had been. expended for his clothing. Evidently. Father M.uhlenberg saw things in a clearer light 1.ater, for after Peter had co1ue ho111e the father wrote regarding the payn1ent he had to 111ake to the son's for1ner e1nployer: "It is certainly a dear ranson1 for two years and a half. If I had put the boy in a grocery and liquor shop here. he ,vould have received his board and clothing for four years and \Vages beside." II

IN THE MINISTRY

A Popular Preacher ·N ot_withstanding the son preferred a busi­ ness life, the father was determined he should follow in his own footsteps, as a dutfful __elder son should, and thus, now that the boy was ho1ne again, steps were taken to have him edu­ cated ·for the 111inistry in the ·best n1ethod then possible in Pennsylvania. There were no theo­ logical se1ninaries in the province in those years. Youths wh_o wished to· becon1e clergym~n took a course of instruction with s01ne established rninister. The ~14er Muhlenberg ··was still serv-:­ ing the big Philadelphia Lutheran parish, which probably left hin1 little tin1e to instruct' his son: Or perhaps it 111ay ·have dawned upon hi1n ·by this time that so111eone other than hi1nself n1ight be better able to understand Peter. i\t any rate Peter becan1e ·a student under the provost of the Swedish Lutheran churches on the Dela­ ware, the Rev. Dr. Charles Magnus Wrangel. Dr. Wrangel's influence see1ns to have been beneficial, and if the boy at first was hostile to- IN THE ·MINISTRY 29 ward -thoughts of beco1ning a -.pastor, Dr. Wrangel brought hi1n to an appreciation of .the office. for which he was to be trained. Already in the early 111onths · of 1768, when Dr. Wrangel was absent, Peter Muhlenberg s01neti111es preached for hi111 _in Gloria Dei ,Church, which still stands, near Christian and Swanson streets, along the Delaware River, in the lower part of Philadelphia. His efforts pleased the people, and the vestry requested hi111 to serve further as a. substitute when occa­ sion required. It becan1e noticeable that ,vhen he was announced to preach at . Gloria Dei Church there was a .din1inished attendance and collec­ tion at St. 1\!Iicli.ael's -Gern1an Lutheran Church, in Philadelphia, 1nany of the Ger111ans going to the Swedish church to hear the son of their pastor. S0111e of the people of St. Michael's Church suggested that Peter Muhlenberg be permitted to preach in their church.- To this the father consented, and Peter took charge of the service in that church., on Fifth street, above .t\rch, on the. evening of Good Friday, 1768. The then1e ._. of .his sern1on was "The Burial of Christ." The fat_her ,vas not present at this service. Afterwards he ,vrote thus about it: "There ,:vas such a concourse and throng in St. ~lichael' s _as never before had taken place, as they told 111e, since the church was erected, I _did not go th_ere, but stayed at ho1ne in 1ny s1nalF cha111b~r,; feeling like a conde11111ed pub- 30 THE .FIGHTING PARSON lican and a worm, with tears praying the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of ·souls to defend -this act against Satan's cunning and to grant that the good cause 111ight not suffer through 111e or mine. · ...;\fter service the elders came _to 1ny house and congratulated 1ne with 111uch feel­ ing on the ser1non delivered by niy son~ I thanked them, but no· one knoweth what is the state of 111y in.ind. in anything of this sort, since I a1n slow to believe or trust in any good, either in myself or in 111y own, save what God~s grace and n1ercy give. I could ·not take it ill· in 111y brethren· in Christ that they secretly, out of love to the cause, said to each other, 'G?d be praised! If the old man· should depart, -Provi­ dence has sent us a young substitute ,vho in case of need may assist and co~fort us.'" Thereafter, Peter Muhlenberg was regularly em.ployed as an assistant to his father, supply­ ing pulpits throughout southeastern Pennsyl­ vania, especially in struggling congregations which found it difficult to n1aintain a pastor. .L.\mong the places whe:re he preached \Vere Barren Hill~ in: what is no.w Montgo1nery ·county; Pikeland, .in Chester County, , and l\.facungie, now Lehigh County. · All this ti1ne his father never heard him preach, but he \v·ould criticise the manuscripts of- his son's ser1nons. The Macungie congregation considered calling Peter Muhlenberg ~as pastor, and· it ,vas also proposed that he serve as a ·111·issionaty among the Indians. Some. Christianized Indians IN '·THE · MINISTRY 31 living near the borders of Pennsylvania . and New York had n1ade an appeal for n1inisters and teachers, and the Rev. Richard Peters, Ang­ lican 111inister in Philadelphia, suggested that Peter Muhlenberg ·and, Christian Streit, both German Lutheran candidates for the miriistcy a1:1-d both students -under Dr. W rangel, ~e ·asked to assume this work. But the development of events brought it about that Peter Muhlenberg' s first. pastorate was that of several Lutheran congregations in the neighbo_rhood of the Raritan River) in Northern New Jersey.

Pastor in New Jersey It has son1etin1es been asserted that the Rev. Henry Melchior Nluhlenberg about this time ordained· his son to the ministry. Of such action no record exists, and it is not likely that Peter Muhlenberg ever received Lutheran or­ dination. It was not unusual in_. those times for young candidates for the ministry to serve 1nany years of apprenticeship. The Nlinisterium of Pennsylvania would license such candidates to preach;, but ordination ,vas delayed. ,.,\t the session of the 1'Iinisteriun1 in Phila­ delphia in 1769, when Peter 11:uhlen-berg was present, representing the congregations of N~rthern New Jersey, a comn1ittee was· ap­ pointed to examine hi1n and another candiq~te. the -qutc9-me, so far as the archives- of the 32 THE FIGHT.ING PARSON I\1ininsteritin1 show, was -. nothing further than the issuing of a license to him to serve as assist­ ant to his father in the .. New Jersey congrega­ tions. For these new duties Peter Muhlenberg 111ade his home in New Gern1antown, in the northea~tern part of what is now .Hunter

The bride.. was Anna Barbara Mever,.,,, : d~ughter of Mathia,.s Mey~r, a weH-::to-do potter_. ~he ,vas___ born i1~ :Philade~ph~a February-28, 1751, ari~. vy~s bc1:ptized March 10. following. by the pastor 'of St. lvfichael's Church. Though the Rev. Henry_ Melchior Muhlen­ b_erg was still pastor of the Philadelphia co;n­ grega tion, he did not pronounce the words that 111ade his· sori Peter and Anna Barbara 1'Ieyer 1:ri.an and :vvife. The fact that the record of the 111arriage is not to be found either in_ the books of the Philadelphia or the Trappe congregation 1-1as. hitherto proved s01ne,vhat. disconcerting to investigators in the n1inut_ia of genealogy. .B.ut in the books of St. Michael'~ Lutheran ~hurch, Gern1an town,_ Philadelphia, may be seen the ~nt.ry of. the 111arriage,. ·it having·been perforn1ed in Philadelphia by the pastor of that church, the Rev. John l~rederick Sch111idt. Pastor Schn1idt had been educated at the Halle Institutions and had inade the acquaint:.. ance· of-the lV[uhlenberg boys there. It n1ay be that they ·. interested him . in ·America. He 38 THE FIGHTING PARSON arrived in Pennsylvania in 17 69, and, after a.s~isting .the elder l\riuhlenberg for s0111e 111ont~s, he beca1ne pastor of the congregation in Gern1anto\vn, then a village six n1iles north of the city of Philadelphia and n_o\v part of the city~ No doubt Pastor Schn1idt was a 111an after Peter Muhlenberg's own heart. He, too, preached patriotisn1 in the· days of the A1nerican ·Revoluti6n, with the result that \vhen ·the British occupied Ger111antown and Philadelp,hia he ha¢ to seek refuge in the interior of Penn­ sylvania~ In 1785 he beca1ne one of the pastors of the Philadelphia congregation, and he held that post until his death, in 1812. In the record of her baptis111, 111arriage and death the na111e of Peter M uhlef!berg' s · wife is ,v-ritten "_A.nna," but usually throughout her life she ·\vas c~lled "Hannah," and she is thus nan1ed in the wilis of her father and n1other.. The father, Mathias Meyer, died in the spring of 177 5, but the 111other, who hacl been Esther Knoepler, survived until 1801. Besides ·the daugl1:ter Anna there also w~s a daughter Mary, ,vho 111arried Andrew Epple. Perhaps Justus Frederick Meyer, who went to England in 1763 in the san1e sh1p with Peter Muhlenberg, \vas connected with this family.

A Call from Virginia A fe\v 1nonths after his marriage Peter Muhlenberg, in J\1ay, 1771, received a letter IN.THE MINISTRY 39 fro111 Ja111es Wood, justice of the peace in V✓ ood­ s.tock, Virginia, which was fraught with grave consequet}ces for the young minister. Squire Wood \\ras in New York when he wrote the letter, on lVIay· 6. He was looking for a n1inister to serve in Woodstock, one· who could preach both in German· and English. In N e,v York _hf heard ?,bout Peter Muhlenberg's popularity in the Raritan region, vvhere he conducted servic.es at tinies in the English tongue. The 'letter of Squire Wood read as follows: "Rev. Sir:· I have been requested by the vestry. _of a vacant charg~ in Virginia to use my· endeavors ~o find a person of an unexcep­ tionable character, either ordained or desirous of obtaining ordination in the clergy of the Church or England, ,vho is capable of preaching both -in the English and the German languages._ The Living, as established by the Laws of the Land, \vith Perquisites is of the value of T,vo hundred and Fifty Pounds Pennsylvania cur­ r~ncy, with a P~rsonage House and a Farm of ~t least Two hundred ...t\.cres of Extremely Good Land ,vith every other convenient Out House belonging to the san1e, which ,vill render it very convenient for a Gentle1nan's Seat. And having just now· received a Charac_ter and Tri­ forn1ation of you fron1 Mr~ John Vanorden of Brunswick, I a1n very inclinable to believe You ,vould fully answer the expectations of the people of that parish; the Gentlen1an of ,vhom 40 THE FIGHTING PARSON l have had inforn1ation does not kno,v, whether You -are ordained by the Bishop of London or not. However, be -tha t as it will, if You ca_n con1e well recon1111ended to the Vestry, they will reco1nn1end You in such a 111anner as to 1nake Your ordination certain. If You should think those Proposals worth Your acceptance, I shall be glad You ,vould write 111e an Ansvver, to be left in Philadelphia at the Sign of the Cross Keys, ,vhere I shall stay a few days on 111y return hon1e, when, if I find You inclined to acc_ept. of this Living, You 1nay e~pect to hear fron1 nie, · directed to the care · of . t~e Gentlen1an, of who1n I have been favored ,vith the inforn1ation, which I have Feceived. "I an1, tho' unacquainted, Rev. Sir·, Y. Ob. Serv., JAMES \i\TOOD "N evv York, 4th lVIav, 1771." .. J . '~P. S. If Yon should detern1ine to go to tJondon, I .111ake no Doubt of the Vestry ad­ vancing sufficient Su1n to defray the expen·ses.'_:- For soine ti111e the Lutheran Ministeriun1 bf Pennsylvania had been receiving inquiries for 111inisters to serve the Gern1an Lutherans in western Virginia~ In search of fertile far111lancls the Ger111an settlers of PenJJsylvania overflovved into 'the Shenandoah Valley_ of Virgi_nia. -Topo~ graphically this ·region, ,vest of the Alleghenies, differs greatly fron1 the plantation lands of the Virginia seaboard. Follotving its settlen1ent the character of the population likevvise differed ANCIENT COURT HOUSE IN WOODSTOCK.

IN THE .MINISTRY 41 radically fron1 that to· the ~ast. Here there were no great n1anor houses with aristocratic fan1ilies and splendid: entertain111ent. Instead the people ,vere· 111uch like those of Pennsylvania, tilling farn1s or living in villages. Besides the Ger­ n1ans, Scotch Irish also came into· the Valley in large nu111bers; ·and brought with the1~1 the Presbyterian church. A1nong the Gern1i11s were adherents of the ·Lutheran, :'Reforn1ed ·arid Brethren faiths, with a few Mennonites. In 1nany co1n1nunitie·s · Ger1nan -was the· doininant language, j_ust as in- Pennsylvania. German was spoken to s~1ne extent up ;to. the middle of the nineteenth century, and today 1nany families in the Shenandoah. Vallev·., have Gern1an na1nes. Situated 150 111iles northvvest of Rich1nond and thirty n1iles south of Winchester, ,vhich latter town ,vas at the northern or lower end of the Shenandoah V allev,., . Woodstock was first kno,v~ as lv1uellerstadt, nan1ed for Jae:ob Mue)·_ ler, who. O-\vned 2000 acres thereabouts in th~ n1iddle _of the eighteenth. century. Unlike other tovvns ,vhich grew sporadically a_s houses vvere built, Muellerstadt ,vas d_eliberately plan­ ned by lVI ueller in.1761 and laid out in streets and building lots. At about the .san1e tin1e the Virginia Asse1nbly gave the town the nan1~. of Woodstock. It ,vas_ then in Frederick County. In 1772 this· part _of Frederick County ,vas con­ stituted into Dunn1or-e County, with W oodstoc~ as- the countysea-t. The ..nevv county was na1ned 42 THE FIGHTING PARSON· for Lord Dun1nore, then the royal governor of Virginia. The ,Gern1an Lutheran settlers of the· Shenandoah Valley were nominally affiliated vrith the ,parishes of ·the established Church of Englan~, ·which \Vas the only religious. deno1nin­ ation haying full _legal recognition in Virginia. The parish of which Woodstock was the center ,vas na111ed Beckford Parish. Occasion­ ally Lutheran 111inisters from eastern Virginia or fro111 .Pennsylvania visited the Valley . and held services. Elsewhere in Virginia there had be~n 1nany a controversy over the que$tion of religious toleranc·e. The great nun1 hers of Scotcli Irish Presbyterians who poured into the colony in­ dignantly resiste_d atte111pts to i1npose the es_tablished church upon then1.. .A.fter the 111iddle of the·· eighteenth century 1:nany Bap6sts also can1e to Virginia. - Son1e preachers of this denon1ination were thrown into prison for con­ ducting services. The British a_ct of toleration was the guide •in Virginia in 111atters of ,vorship by "dissenters," but it was variously interpreted at different tin1es. As Squire Wood indi_cated in his letter, a clergy111an was wanted at Woodstock who could 111inister to the Gern1ans as \vell as the English settlers and who should have the ordin­ ation of the Church of ~ngland, thus averting any doubt as to the validity of nis pastoral acts, especially 111arriages. Strictly construed, IN THE MINISTRY 43 the law then in force in Virginia sanctioned no marriage by a "dissenting" 111inister. Further­ more, as a n1inister of the established church his salary would be assured through taxation. \i\Thile. the Lutheran church of Ger111any never ~equired ordination by a bishop in the line of the apostolic succession, as was the rule in the Chujch of England, Lutheran leaders ,vere not dispos,ed to quibble over the q1atter, even though they considered it unfair that the ~.L\.nglican church declared Lutheran ordination invalid.· The S,,redish Lutheran church still 111aintained the• apostolic· succession in the bishopric, and its clergy were recognized by the Church of England. Generally speaking, the L·utherans regarded theological differenc~s b~­ tween then1 and the Anglicans as of slight sig­ nificance. The chief distinction. between the two faiths, they felt, was that of language, and there were ·111any Lutherans who saw no reason for trying·. to establish English Lutheran con­ gregations but were satisfied to have their young people who no longer understood Ger­ n1an beco111e 111embers of the Anglican church. Thus Peter 11 uhlenberg found no obstacle in the require111ent that he should l?e ordained by a ·bishop of the Church of England. ·His . 'father, however, is said to have protested against such a step. Soon after receiving· Squire Wood's lette.r Peter l\1uhlenberg visited the Sh.enandoah Val­ .ley. He to?k ,vi th him a cordial letter of THE FIGHT!NG PARSON rec6n11nendation fron1 the Rev. Richard Peters~ of the i\nglican Church in Philadelphia. ·The letter .de-scribed Peter l\1uhlenberg as "a young and pron1isii1g divine· who is· of a1niable · dis­ position and has great esteetn both an1ong· the Lutherans and the English.". The outcon1e of the visit ·,vas the decision by l\1uhlenberg to accept th_e call ·and ,go to E~g~and for ordination, that . being nec;ess~rr as .there ,vere no Angl~can bishops in A111erica.

Ordained in the Church of England . M uhle~berg saile.1 f:ro1n ~hiladelphia on March 2, 1772.. The journal ·,vhich he kept records the happenings of his . brief stay in England. A~riving _in London he called on the Lord Bishop of Lo.ndon. The latter's· chaplai~, .. {he Rev. Dr.. Hind, exa1nine.d l\i uhlenberg. T,v9 other An1erican candidates for ordination ,v_er~ then in London-Willian1 Braidfoot, of .Virginia, and \Villiam "\i\Thite, of Philadelphia. The latter had already received his deacon's orders.. The Bishop of Ely conferred deacon's orders upon Muhlenberg and_ Braidfoot, which ,vas follo,ved by the private -'ordination of all three to the priesthood on l\.pril 23, 1772. by the Bishop· of L.ondon in th·e King's Chapel at St. Jan1es' .. In Muhlenberg' s \vords, on this occasion the bishop "made a very serious and eloquent sermon." - IN THE MINISTRY, 45 A· little later all three of the: newlv ordained .J clergyn1en went to a theater to.· see .a. perform- ance by Garrick. And t,vo of the1n were from ;Pennsylvania, in whose. • principal· . city. the theater · was· th~n outla,ved. All three of the 1nen ,vho thus re~eived the· holy· orders· of ~he Anglican church ,vere a1nong the co1nparatively s1nall nun1ber · of clergyn1en so ordained vvho supported the cause of the colonies in· the Revolution.· The R·ev. "\i\Tillian1 White, rector of Christ Church, Phila­ delphia, was chosen chaplain of the Continental Congress; a·nd after the \var he led the efforts to reorganize the Episcopal church in An1erita. He vvas one of the first three bishops chosen at a convention held in \:Viltnington, DeL, in 1786, and, one of those nan1ed declining,· Dr. White and the Rev. Sa1nuel Provoost, of N e,v York_. ,vere consecralted in _London in ·1t87. Bishop \i\Thite re1naii1ed the head of the Diocese of Pennsylvania until .his death, · in 1836. The Rev. Willian1 Braidfoof, a native of Scotland, vvas . rector of Portsrnouth Parish, Norfolk County, Va., ,vhen the Revolution op~ned. He joined the A1nerican ar111y as a chaplain, re- 1naining on duty throughout the \var. Resum­ i_ng charge of Po1·ts111outh Parish, he lived only a f e~ yea~s longer. \:Vhile in London l\tI uhlen berg . made the acquaintance of 111e111bers of the Penn fan1ily, and he -also -call~d on Dr.. Ziegenhagen; the 46 THE FIGHTING.PARSON German ·court ·preacher and friend of the elder 11uhlenberg. Dr. Ziegenhagen .did not at all approve of the- English ordination. On l\1ay 3 Peter Muhlenberg preached to a large congre­ gation in the Gern1an Chapel, in the Savoy. Soon aft~rward he sailed_ for hon1e, and the followi_ng autu1nn he assun1ed the duties of his charge in Woodstock. The questi9n naturally arises: Of what religious deno1nination ·,vas Peter 1\tiuhlenberg· in' Virginia-.·Lutheran or Episcopal? · ~n the conduct of parish affairs undoubtedly the 111ethod of the established church in Virginia was followed. I-Ie was rector of Beckford ·Par­ ish, and as su~h provisiq~ was 111ade for his support by tithes ,vhich the people had to pay. \Vhen he conducted services in th~ ~nglish lan_g~age in -~n probability he adhered to the ritual of the English Prayer Book. But when -he held Ger1nan services he un­ questionably followed Lutheran practice. ·This is proved by his __ 111anuscript "Agenda," or church liturgy, which has been preserved, and ,vhich is a copy of the litu~gy- that his father had ·prepared for the -Gern1an Lutheran, churches in 1748. According to this orde.r of service which Peter Muhlenberg used in his ~virginia parish. there was first the confession of sins and the collect, followed by the reading- of the epistle ; for the day. l\. hy111n was sung. and th·en the gospel for the c;lay was ·read.· The IN THE MINISTRY 47 congregation next joined in, a repetition of the creed in versified. forn1, after which another _ hytnn was sung, this being succeeded by the se:rn1on. The elder Muhlenberg was not ad­ dicted to excessively· long sermons, as w.ere 111any of the Scotch-Irish· Presbyterian preach­ ers, He noted in his ''Agenda" that "·ordinarily the sermon should be lin1ited to three-qtiarter-s of an hour." After the ser111on can1e the gen­ eral prayers or litany with special petitions for the sick, the ~ord's Prayer and the announce-- 1n.ents of 111atters relating to church aff~irs. The service closed with the V otunT: ''The peace of Goq., ,vhich passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and 1ninds, through Christ Jesus, unto eternal Ii f e. A111 en." It is interesting to note that Peter Muhlen­ berg's _copy of the ''Agenda" contains an addi~ tion not in other n1anuscript copies that exist, for there ·are no conten1p·orary printed copies~ The addition, presu111ably 111ade by Peter Muhlenberg, reads thus: "After the sern1on and the closing hymn the pas~or goes to the altar and says: 'The Lord be with you~' "Cong. Resp. 'And ,vith thy spirit." "Pastor. 'Let us pray.' "Hold us up, 0 Lord our God, that \ve 111ay live; and let our hope never 111ake us ,ashamed. Help us by Thy 111ight, that we may wax strong; and so shall ,ve ever ·delight ourselves in .- Thy 48 THE ·FIGHTING-PARSON statutes, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear~ Son·, our Lord.- Ameri." Peter Muhlenberg's ~opy of the /'Agenda'~ also made .provision·- -for concluding the after~ noon service with thi~ b·enediction: "'The: Lord Qless- thee· an.d keep thee.; · the Lord- 1nake. His face .. to shine upon th~e, · and be gracious unt0 Thee; the Lord lift up his countenance· upon~ thee, and give thee peace, in the name of the Father, pond of the Son, and of the Holy.. Ghost:,· . ....t\.men." The Lutheran MiJ;J.isterium of Pennsylvania evidently did not a~su1ne. that lv.Iuhlenberg ·ha.a _abjured .. Lutheranisn1 by ?,C~e,pting. EpiscopaJ · ordination and sub~cribing .to the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. \:Vhile he did not .attend Ministerium. me~tings_ during the fe\v years he-­ ren1ained in "\\Toodstock, yet the -Ministeriµn1 looked upon. him as a Lutheran pastor in good st~nding, for when, in 1772,'·a L:utheran 1ninister in Culpepert. Va., con1plained to the 1\1inis­ teriu1n that the support fron1 his congregation was ·inadequate and that -he needed an assistant for son1e distant congregations; the Ministeriu1n resolved that a letter be· addressed to Peter Muhlenberg, who lived sixty n1iles fro111 the . ) .. scene of the complaint, asking that he investi- gate the n1atter. After the Revolution · Peter Muhlenberg was identifie_d with Lutheran cong·regations in P;ennsylvania. In 1787, when the l\tlinisteriuni decided tn apply for:a charter,. ·''-Peter ·Muhlerr- COMMUNION VESSELS WHICH PETER MUHLENBERG USED IN WOODSTOCK

IN '!'HE MINISTRY 49 berg, Esq.," was named as one of a committee of seven to procure the charter. About the time Peter Muhlenberg assumed the Virginia pastorate a new church was built in Woodstock, replacing a log structure previ­ ·ously used. That preparations for this i1n­ provement were begun soon after assurances had been received of his acceptance of the call, is i_ndicated by an advertisen1ent app~aring in the Philadelphia Staatsbote, a _German ne,vs­ paper, in January,_ 1772, bearing the signatures ol Abrahan1 Keller and Lorenz Schnell, vestry- 111en. The advertisen1ent invited proposals for building t\vo churches in Frederick County, ·Virginia, in the parish of Beckford, fourteen· 1niles fron1 Winchester, one building to 1neasure thirty-two by thirty-four feet and the other thirty-four by thirty-six feet. Abrahan1 Brubacher gave the site for the Woodstock church, bordering on · the public square in the center of the to\vn and situated opposite the court house. While at Woodstock Muhlenberg also held occasional services in Winchester, Strasburg and Rude' s Hill. III

SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION

A Leader in the Patriot Cause In 1772, the year when lV[uhlenberg began his \Voodstock pastorate, John l\1urray, Earl of Dunmore, becan1e royal governor of Virginia, and his na1n e ,vas given to the ne,v county created that ··year with vVoodstock as the countyseat. Opposition to,vard Great Britain had gradually been gaining strength in Virginia, since- the time of the Stamp Act of 1765, vvhen Patrick Henry had vehemently denounced that law in the House of Burgesses. Henry's elo­ quence served to keep alive· the antagonis1n toward Great Britain, for, though the Sta1np Act was repealed after a year, Parliament insisted upon its right to tax the American colonists by i1uposing new duties on glass, paper and tea. Previous royal governors had sought to be conciliatory and were not personally dis­ tasteful to the Virginians. But Dun111ore' s policy was to rule by authority and force. Following the destruction of the tea in Bos­ ton harbor, in Decen1 ber, 1773, as a protest SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 51 against the tea tax, Parliament ordered the port of Boston closed on and after June 4, 1774. When this -news reached Virginia the Assembly, in session in Williamsburg, the capital, designated June 1 as a day of fasting, hu1niliation and prayer for divine interposition to avert "the heavy calamity whith threatens the civil rights of America." _ Thereupon, on Nlay 28, Lord Dunmore dis- solved the Asse1nbly on -the ground that its action in designating the day of prayer reflected upon the King and Parliament. Just about that ti1ne the. governor's ,vife and children arrive4 in Williamsburg from Nevv York, and prior to dissolution. the Assembly arranged to welcome them at a ball in the cap­ itol on the night of May 26. 'The ball took place notwithstanding cordial relations_ between Dunn1ore and the Ass·embly ,vere at the break­ ing point. "fhe follovving day the 1nembers of the .A.ssen1 bly, tern1ed burgesses, met in the Raleigh Tavern, \Villiamsburg, adopted a resolution against the use of tea, directed a co1nmi ttee on correspondence to propose that a general con­ gress of the .A.. 1nerican colonies be held and re­ con1m ended the election of delegates in the counties of Virginia to a convention on August 1 to deter1nine upon the future course of the colony. The _ con11nittee on correspondence had already been functioning for ahnost ·a -year-:,. 52 "THE FIGHTll'fG PARSON maintaining contact with the · other colonies·. Massach_tisetts had spoken in favor of a congress of the colonies even before Virginia, though that action was not·known in Virginia when the burgesses 1net on l\iay 27. Th·e outcon1e of the suggestions was the asse1nbling of the Conti- nental Congress in Philadelphia. _ The day of fasting, hun1iliation and prayer was generally observed in Virginia un . June 1, and the people went to church attired in mourn­ ing. No doubt that -day Peter Muhlenberg con­ ducted the service in the Woodstock church.. What occurred on June 1 in Woodstock tnay be a matter of conjecture.. But not what occurred on June 16. On that day, in accord­ ance with the. ·recoinn1endation of the 111e1nbers of A.sse1nbly in· session in the Raleigh Tavern, the people of Dunn1ore county 1net in vVood­ stock to define· their attitude as to the great issues raised between the An1erican colonies and the mother country. By this tiine Peter lv1uhlenberg was recog­ nized not only as the spiritual but also as the civic leader of_ t~e people of the Woodstock region. He held the office of ~11agistrate. At the meeting on June 16 he was chosen 1noder­ ator-_that is, presiding officer-·and \vas made chairrnan of the· cotr11nittee on resolutions. · The co1nmittee quickly subn1itted resolu­ tions, modeled after those adopted at a si1nilar meeting in Frederick County. In part they set forth: SERVICE IN THE. REVOLUTION 53 '"That we will pay due sub1nission to such acts of governn1ent as his l\1ajesty has a _right by lavv to exercise over _his subjects, and to such only. · "That it- is the inherent right of British subjects· to be governed and taxed by represen­ tatives . chosen by the1nselves only, ·and that· ev_ery act of the British Parlia1nent respecting the internal policy of A111erica is a dangerous and unconstitutional invasion of our rights and privileges. "That the enforcing the execution of . the said act of Parlia1nent by a n1ilitary power wilL have a necessary tendency to cause a civil_ ,var, thereby_ dissolving that union which ha_s so long ~appily subsisted bet\iyeen the mother country and her -colonies; _and that we. will n1ost heartilv. and unanin1ously concur ,vith our suffering brethren of Boston atJd every other part of North .i\.111erica that 1nay be the imn1ediate victin1 of tyranny, i~ promoting all proper measures to avert such dreadful calamities, to procure a redress of our grievances and to secure our con1111on liberties." T'he resolutions further contained pro1nises not to i111port goods fro1)1 England nor to export goods to that country, pledging · support ~'to each other and to our country" a~d authorizing appointn1ent of a con1111ittee of safety and cor:­ respondence, as was being done generally in other counties~ The 1ne1nbers of this co1nmittee nan1ed for Dun1nore. County were tp.e - R~v~ 54 THE FIGHTING PARSON

Peter Muhlenberg, chairman; Francis Slaugh­ ter, Abrahatn Bird, Taverner Beale, John Tip­ ton and Abraham Bowman. Son1e ti1ne afterward, in accordance ,vith the action of the Virginia burgesses, _in their ~aleigh Tavern meeting, two delegates ,vere elected to represent Dunmore County in the convention called to· me~t i!l vVillia1nsburg on _t\.ugust 1. The delegates chosen, as their names stand on the roll of the convention, ,vere "Jonathan Clarke, Esq~, and-Peter Muhlenberg, Clerk.'' The term "clerk" here was- used in the old sense, 1neaning a_ cleric or priest. The convention was duly opened in vVil- ·1ian1sburg on lVIonday, .A.. ugust 1, 1774, and re­ mained in session throughout the week, until Saturday, the 6th. l\1uhlenberg and Clarke ,vere present, and they supported Patrick Henry in his de1nands for vigorous action, which de1nands were· not always approved by the convention. Colonel George Washington also was a 1nember of this convention, representing Fairfax County, and he n1ade a speech offering to raise - and subsist 1000 men and march ,vith the111 to the aid of Boston. A· declaration which the convention adopted opened with the ,vords, "We his Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, the delegates of the freeholders of Virginia." It was agreed not to import goods from- Great Britain after Nove1nber 1 nor to in1port slaves from any place. Exports to Grea~. Britain also were to cease, and no tea SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTlON .55 was to be used so long as it was taxed. The 111en1bers obligated. themselves to take 1neasures to i1nprove the breed of sheep in Virginia in order to increase the production of wool. Mer­ chants vvere ,varned not to take advantage of co1nn1ercia1 conditions to increase prices of con3:1nodities. Instructions for the delegates to the Continental Congress, in Philadelphia, also were adopted. . Fro1n Williamsburg' P~ter Muhlenberg probably ,vent to Philadelphia. The diary of his father· records that the son was in Phila­ delphia toward the end of August, when his parents left on a voyage to South Carolina and Georgia, and that at this tin1e Peter Muhlen­ berg reported to his father relative to conditions among the Lutherans of Culpeper County, Va., in accordance with a request of the Ministerium t,vo years before. It n1ay be that Peter Muhlen­ berg re1nained in Philadelphia long enough to witness the opening of the Continental Congress on September 5, in Carpenters' Hall, Philadel­ phia, 1vhen Peyton Randolph, of Virginia, was chosen president. Muhlenberg ,vas subjected to cr1tlc1sm, especially from the clergy of the established church, because of his political activity. Toward the end of the year 1774 he seems to have felt it advisable to withdraw from civic responsi­ bilities, for on January 17, 1775, he wrote thus to one of his brothers : 56. THE- FIGHTING· PARSON "The tin1es are getting troubleson1e w~th us, and begin to ·\ivear a. hostile appearance. In­ dependent con1panies are for111ing in every county, and politics engross all conversation. I had thrown· up 111y con1n1ission as ·cl1:~irn1an of t~e con11nittee of correspondence, and of magis­ trate lik~wise; .but last week we had a general e_lection in the county for a grea_t com1nittee, according to the resolves of Congress1 · and I am again chosen chairman, so that, w_hether I choose or not_, I ani t? be a politician." The-convention, now virtually the govern:.. ing body of Virginia, 111et again on March 20, 1775, in Richn1ond, Peyton ~andolph presiding, and again the delegates fron1 Dunn1ore Coi.1nty were Jonathan Clarke a_nd Peter Muhlenberg. The sessions vvere held in St. John's Church. It \vas at these Jneetings that Patrick Henry de­ livered his i111passioned appeal closing vvith the 1nerriorable \vords, "As for 1ne, give 111e liberty or give 111e death." The resolutions adopted in respons·e to Henry's oratory s·et forth the desires of the convention for peace, but agreed nevertheless "that the colony in1111ediat~ly be put into a ·posi­ tion of defense/' that the 111ilitia should be organized and drilled in every county and that steps be taken to encourage the n1anufacture of salt, gunpower, iro0. and steel, all of ~vhich had hitherto been i1nported. The following n1onth Lord Dunn1ore had the powder re1noved from the public 1nagazi.ne SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 57 in \Villia111sburg, and in1111ediately there was alarn1 and denunciation an1ong the patriots. Patrick Henry 111ustered a force of_ volunteers ,vho vvere 111arching upon the capital when Dun- 1nore agreed to pay a sun1 of· 111oney in com­ pensation fo..r the powder. · Meanwhile a series of troubles due to In­ dian hostilities on the Virginia frontier had fur­ ther incensed the people against Dunmore, for there were grave suspicions that he had foment­ ed the attacks by the Indians on the settlers for the purpose of diverting the attention qf the populace fron1 their grievances against . Great Britain and uniting then1 against the Indians. Convincing evidence soon appeared that the policy of Great Britain in dealing with her troubleson1e colonies included the· use of sav.,. ages in warfare upon the frontiers. Early in 177 5 the British Parlia111ent took so1ne steps to,vard conciliation,. and following instructions along this line Lord Dunn1ore sum­ moned the Virginia Assen1bly to convene in \i\Tillian1sburg on June 1, 1775. To a large extent the 111en1bei:ship of the Assen1bly was the · san1e as that of the preceding conventi9ns. The n1inutes of the session _beginning June 1, how­ ever, contain no 1nention of 1:Iuhlenberg's na111e. Peyton Randolph was the speaker. The pro­ ceedings of the Continental Congress and the Virginia convention were reported to the Assen1bly, and in response to the conciliatory offers. of Parliament a statement prepared· .by 58 THE FIGHTING PARSON Thon1as Jefferson was adopted rejecting these offers on the ground that they did not go far enough. Sensing the attitude of the Assen1bly, Dun- 1nore and his fa1nily left \i\Tilliams burg and took refuge on a British ship at Yorkto-\ivn. Then the final session of the Virginia _A..ssembly under roval., rule ,vas terminated with a call for a 1neet- ing of the convention in July. 11uhlenberg and Clarke continued to repre­ sent their county in the convention. · There ,vas a further session in Richmond on December 1, 1775, which adjourned to meet in· Williams­ burg on the 4th. On Dece1nber 8 the convention took· under consideration a procla1nation by Lord Dunmore declaring martial law in Virginia, calling upon all .men capable ~f bearing arn1s to resort to his Majesty's standard in Norfork or be considered traitors and declaring free all negro slaves and indentured servants of rebels. The proclama­ tion ,vas referred to a com1nittee of ten mem­ bers, of whom Peter Muhlenberg was one, the co1nmittee being instructed to prepare a reply, and also to select for publication certain letters before the convention pertaining to the crisis now at hand.

The Pastor Becomes a Colonel Altogether the matters referred to this committee were the most important questions SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 59 before · the convention. The ·co1nmittee pre­ sented its report on :pecember 13, and it was unanimously" adopted. _ The reply which the comn1ittee had prepared declared Dunmore's proclamation violated the constitution and laws, -assuming powers which even the King could not exercise. Therefore, the reply continued, the people were "compelled by a disagreeable but absolute necessity of repelling force to main.: tain our just rights and privileges, and vve appeal .to God, ,vho is the sovereign disposer of all events, for the justic;e 9£ our cause, trusting to his unerring ,visdom to direct our councils and _give success to our arn1s." Two battalions of troops had already been organized. The convention now decided to en­ list six 1nore battalions, and it was specified that one was to be composed of Germans with Ger- 1nan officers. Peter i\1uhlenberg also served on several other con1n~ittees of the · convention dealing with proble1ns arising out of the Indian incur- . s1ons. The sessions of the convention continued into January, 1776. On January 12 the appoint­ ment. of officers for the ne,v battalions ,vas an­ nounced. The ,vord "'battalion" as the~ used signified a regiment in con1n1and of a colonel, not a unit in a regi1nent, as it meant later. The Eighth Battalion ,vas the German command for which provision had been 1nade. The· ~olonel 60 THE FIGHTING PARSON- chosen for it was the Woodstock parson, Peter l\,f uhlenberg. All the other colonels, except Patrick I-Ienry, con1111ander of the First Battalion, had been engaged in 111ilitary service in the British army or with colonial co111111ands ·in the French and Indian War. 'fhey wer~ also older __than l\.1uhlenberg, viho wa~ then 29. No daub~ it was kno,vn that in his yotithfp.l days he also had been for a short ti1ne ~n the British ar1ny, though his experience as a secretary at that tin1e hardly counted for 111uch in fitting hi1n to co1n111~nd a battalion. It was rather his inherent capacity f_or leadership, especially a1nong the Germans, that entitle9- hin1 to the place. ·General George Washington and Patrick Henry, it has been said, both urged Muhlen­ berg's appointment. There are traditions that W ashingtorr had 1nade the acquaintance · of­ Muhlenberg \vhile visiting the Shenandoah Val~ ley and that they had hunted deer together. However, \Vashingtoti was not in Virginia at. this tin1e, being then occupied with his duties as co1nrnander of the A1nerican arn1y in the vicinity of Boston. Besides 11uh1enberg, the officers of the Eighth Battalion were Abrahan1 Bo-'\iynian~ lieutenant colonel, and Peter -Helfenstein, n1ajor~ i\.s the nan1 es indicate, both ,vere fro1n German f arnilies. Abrahan1 Bovv1nan had served ,vi th Muhlenberg on the con1rnittee · of safety and correspondence for Dunmore County. SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 61 Peter l\tiuhlenberg had now decided that there was greater need for his service in the American ar1ny than in the pulpit. He went hon1e to Woodstock, and soon the news spread that the parson would preach his farewell ser111on. Though the tradition of that ser1non is definite and unquestioned, yet there is no record of the date when it ,vas preached. In all likeli­ fi.ood it was in January, -1776. . Not only did the assen1 bled throng fill every bit of space in the church on this mo1nentous Sunday, but it ~verflo,ved upon the surrounding burial ground.. . . Clad as usual in the black ministerial robe of his church, Muhlenberg once more-and for the last ti111e-repeated the liturgy which his father had prepared and ,vhich the son had copied ,vith his O\vn hand. The substance of the ser1non is preserved only through tradition. Though its text and exact language are novv lost, with such a speak­ er and such an environ111ent it surely was a stirr­ ing discours_e. A narrative .of the occasion vvritten by Henry A. lVIuhlenberg seventy years later quoted Pastor Muhlenberg as saying that "in the lahguage of Holy Writ there is a ti111e for all things, a tin1e to preach and a ti1ne to pray, but those tin1es have passed av.ray. There is a ti1ne to fight, and that ·ti111e has now come." 62 THE FIGHTING PARSON T~hen, after pronouncing the benediction, he remo-J·ed his clerical robe and stood before his congregation in the uniform of a Virginia col­ onel. One account says the ass.e1nblage arose and sang Luther's hymn "Ein Feste Burg"­ "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." The author who tells this, Herrmann Schuricht, also asserts that though l\,fublenberg wore his 1nilitary uni­ for1n un9~r his 1ninisterial garb while conduct­ ing the service he did not buckle on his s,vord until after he had. re1noved his robe. Recruiting for the German battalion was begun at once, and the ria1nes of several hundred 1nen of the parish were enrolled. The assu1nption usually is that 1\'I uhlen­ berg' s allusion to "a tiine for all things" ,vas a quotation frotn the Scriptures. The words as given do not appear in the Bible, though the thought is found in the third chapter of · Ec­ clesiastes : "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heav-e.n: "A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to p~uck up that which is planted; "A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; · "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, ancl a time to dance; "A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; · "A time to get, and a time to lose; a ~ime to keep and a time to cast away; · "A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; "A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time · of peace." SERVICE IN THE ··REVOLUTION 63 There · is reason to believe · that Peter l\!Iuhlenberg realized. what today would be ter1ned the publicity value of his sermon in stimulating recruiting, and that_ he repeated the sermon with its dra1natic finale at Rude' s Hill, near New Market. A black silk robe, much frayed, in the Krauth 1\/Iemorial Library of the Philadelphia Lutheran Theological Seminary, 1\1ount .A.iry, is said to be the identical robe which Peter Muhlenberg discarded. It has been lo~ned to· t~e library by Elon 0. Henkel, of Nevv lVIarket, Va. The robe. had been in the Henkel fa111ily for many years, having co111e down from the Rev. Paul Henkel, an early Lutheran n1inister in the Shenandoah Valley.

A Theme for Poets The incident in the church in vVoodstock was a favorite the111e for poets and story­ ,v-riters for 111any years. In most of these pa trio tic productions, whether prose or verse, poetic license has been exercised to the utmost. So111etin1es 1nuddled \vriters have P.ortrayed the scene as taking place in old. Augustus Church, Trappe, where Peter l\!Iuhlenberg's father was pastor, since that church is so conspicuously connected vvith the nan1e of 1\1uhlenberg. At least two dra111as have dealt vvith the subject: Dr. Victor Prechf s ''Keurass und I(utte"­ "Cuirass and Cowl"-and Dr. Karl Dilthrey's 64 ·rHE FIGHTING PARSON·

"Robe and Armor." The latter was presented in 1877 in the Germania Theater, New York City. Of the poen1s based on the episode the best known is Tho1nas Buchanan Read's, which was long a favorite an1ong elocutionists and appear­ ed in most school "readers." Read, who ,vas born in Chester CountyJ Pa., not n1ore than twenty-five 111iles south of Peter Muhlenberg's birthplace, was· at the height 9f his fam~ as a poet about the tin1e of the Civil War, and he rendered valuable service to the cause of the Union by stin1ulating patri­ otic ardor through the 1nediu111 of his writings. Often he visited arn1y can1ps and recited his poen1s to the soldiers, -and all through the North his verse was reprinted in ne,vspa pers and presented at patriotic assen1blages. Read'·s two most famous poe111s, "The Revolutionary Ris­ ing" and "Sheridan's Ride," were products of that period. The scenes of both vvere in the Sh_enandoah Valley. Of "Sheridan's Ride~' it has been· said that it made Sheridan's reputation, though caln1 investigation indicates that his _ability was 1nuch overrated. But ,vhen Read clre\v th~ picture of 1\1 uhlen­ berg enrolling his \Tirginia parishioners for service in the ,var for independence,. he did no violence to the facts. It is true there is mention of the pastor's "snowy locks," though Muhlenberg was not yet 30 years· old. But SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 65 that -can be forgiven because_ of the necessity of finding a rhy1ne for "flocks." There is ~tnple verification that Read's poen1 justly represents the scene when it n1ns thus:

"The pastor rose; the prayer was strong; The psalm was warrior David's song; The text, a few short words of might­ 'The Lord of hosts shall arm the right!' He spoke of wrongs too long endured, Of sacred rights to be secured, Then from the p:itriot tongu~ of flame The startling words for Freedom came. The stirring sentences· he spake Compelled the heart to glow or quake, Ancl; rising on his theme's broad wing, · Anrl grasping in his nervous hand The imaginary battle brand, In face of death he dared to fling Defiance to a tyrant king.

"Even as he spoke, his frame, renewed, In eloquence of attitude. Rose, as it seemed, a shoulder higher; Then swept his kindling glance of fire From startled pew to breathless choir; \.Vhen suddenly his mantle wide His hinds impatient flung aside, And , lo! he met their wondering eyes Complete in all a warrior's guise. "'vVho d:ires'-this was the patriot's cry, As striding from the desk he · came­ ·come out with me in Freedom·s name, For her to live, for her to die?' A hundred voices answered, 'I!'"

The German Regiment in Service The ·recruiting of the German regiment ,vas co~11pleted in March, 1776. I ts officers and 111en vvere ·aI111ost without ·exception .fron1 ·Ger- 66 THE FIGHTING PARSON 1na1;1 families of the Shenandoah Valley. On l\{arch 21 the regiment marched for Suffolk, in southeastern Virginia. Lord Dunmore, on . a warship in Che_sapeake Bay near Norfolk, had collected a force of Tories, who, together with the men from the ships, raided the coast towns from time to time, burned Norfolk and c~p­ tured Portsmouth. The ne,vly recruited troops of Virginia were assembled in the neighbor­ hood of Norfolk and Portsn1outh, with the pur­ pose of driving Dunn1ore and his force out of the countnr. .I On April 3, 1776, Colonel . Muhlenberg, I..,ieutenant ·Colonel Bowman and lV[ajor-· Hel­ fenstein, of the Eighth, or Ger111an, Regiinent, appeared before the Virginia Con11nittee of Safety, in \Villiamsburg, and subscribed to the articles of war and.. their oath of office, after which they received their com1nissions as offi­ cers, dated March 1. The adjutant of the regin1ent was Francis Swaine, whose wife was l\!Iary Catherine, a sister of Peter 1\1:uhlenberg. The Svvaines were living in Woodstock when the ,var began, and Swaine joined the regi1nent. \i\Then Muhlen­ berg was pro1noted to brigadier general S,vaine became brigade major. Af-ter the \var he held numerous civic offices in Montgomery County and elsewhere in Pennsylvania. The Rev. Christian Streit, a Lutheran 1ninister and a friend of the M uhlenbergs, be­ came_ chaplain of the regiment. Streit was a SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 67 native of the Raritan region, in northern ·New Jersey, where Peter Muhlenberg had his first pastorate, and after being licensed to preach, in 1769, he served the Lutheran congregation in Easton, Pa. The colors of the regiment consisted of a sahnon colored silk banner with a broad .fringe of the sa1ne hue. In the center was a scroll in­ scribed, "VIII Virga Regt." In for111ulating its plan of ca1npaign against.. the "rebels" in America, -the Briti$h ministry . conte1nplated a strong move111ent for the sub­ jugation of the southern colonies in 1776. In January General Clinton and some troops set sail from Boston. Off the coast of North Caro­ lina, in the neighborhood of the Cape Fear River, the squadron waited for the ~rrival of 111ore troops from England. . The co1nn1and of the A1nerican forces in the South was given to General Charles 1.,ee. Lee had been an officer in the British ar1ny in the French and Indian War and in European campaigns. He was able, brilliant and erratic. Beco1ning dissatisfied ,vith the British service, he ca1ne to A1nerica to join the ar1ny opposed to Great Britain. Experienced soldiers such as he vvas ,vere few among the A1nericans, artd consequently he at once gained a high co1n- 111and. Clinton received a reinforcement of 3000 troops in April. He had seven ,var ships, in addition to thirty vessels carrying troops. 68 THE FIGHTING PARSON Nevertheless the month of lv1ay passed without action on his part. Lord Dunmore continued his desultory warfare ·along the Virginia coast until July, 177(5, when he left for New York and went thence to England. Before his departure, in 1'fay, 1776, the Virginia Convention had directed its delegates to the Continental CongTess to propose that that body ''declare the United Colonies free and independent states,'·' had also adopted a ·Declaration of Rights and a state constitution and elected Patrick I:Ienry governor. General Lee asse1nbled Virginia and N_9rth Carolina troops at Wihnington, N. C., in the spring of 1776. Muhlenberg's regin1ent con­ stituted part of this army. Nothing noteworthy occurred, and toward the end of May the British fleet_ sailed away.

In South Carolina and Georgia The people of Charleston, South Carolina, feared the purpose of the British was to try to capture that city, and Lee was urged to send aid. He doubted that Clinton ,vas going far­ ther south, suspecting the departure- fron1 North Carolina 1night be only a ruse to induce the ...\.merican army to forsake that locality. How­ ever, he sent Muhlenberg's regi1nent and 700 additional men to Charleston, he hi1nself ac­ c01npany"ing the detachinent. Soori it transpir- SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 69 ed that Charleston was indeed to receive Clin­ ton's attention, for his fleet arrived before the city on June 4. Again Clinton's dilatory tactics proved advantag~ous to the An1ericans. 11.Iilitia as­ sen1bled, and by the end of June Lee· had 5000 1nen. · Sullivan's Island, in the harbor, was fortified, ran1parts be~ng built of spongy pal­ n1etto logs that resisted bullets and even can- nonballs. · • After ·1narching for a n1onth Muhlenberg and his co1nn1and arrived at Charle.ston on June 23~ 1776. On the 28th the British_ ,var­ ships · began a· bo111bardn1ent of Sullivan's Is­ land. Though the fort had only 300 men an4 t,velve cannon, the defenders · suffered little, thanks to the protection of the paln1etto logs. A.. t this tin1e occurred one of the heroic incidents of ·the Revolution. The flagstaff of th_e fort ,vas shot a,vay, vvhen Sergeant Ja~per leaped over the ran1parts, seized the flag and fastened it to a sponge staff, which he planted upon the fortifications. Under cover of the bo1nbardn1ent the British endeavored to land troops. This brought Muhlenberg's 111en· and several other regiments into action, and the British ,ver~ driven back to their ships. General Lee was astonished by the bravery of the untrained .. A.111erican soldiers, about ,vhose valor he had hitherto held no high opinion. His reports on the engagen1ent were full of praise 70 THE FIGHTING PARSON for the men. The bo1nbardment of the fort continued until 11 o~clock at night, but the gar­ rison, under Colonel Moultrie, Lee informed the president of the Virginia Convention, ,vere "brave to the last degree." As to the repulse of the tvvo atten1pts of the British to land troops, Lee wrote thus of the Virginia and North Caro­ lina co1nmand that achieved this result: ''I know not which corps I have the great­ est reason to be · pleased with, JVI uhlenberg' s Virginians or the North ·carolina troops; they vvere both equally alert, zea_lous and spirited." Thus °far J\1uhlenberg's regiment vvas nothing more· than a detachment of Virginia 111ilitia. · Having demonstrated its 1nilitary capacity, it ,vas no,v proposed to take the regi­ ment into the Continental Army, but objections were offered that it._ ,vas not yet at the full strength required by the regulations. Discus­ sing this question, General Lee ,vrote on Aug""'. ust 2 that the regi1nent lacked only forty men of the maxi1nu1n nu1nber, and he ·continued thus: - "l\!Iuhlenberg~s regiment ':Yas not only the 1nost complete of the province, but I believe of the ,vhole ~pntinent. It ,vas not only the 1nost con1plete in numbers, but the best arn1ed, clothed and equipped for immediate service." . The outcome was that .on August 12 Con­ gres·s passed a resolution taking the . Eighth Virginia Regi1nent into the Continental serviceT SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 71 with pay fron1 May 27, when it 1narched out· of Virginia. E_ffectively repulsed _- at Charleston, the British fleet returned to New York. General Le·e now turned his attention to a ' vexatious ·problem arising from the presence of British forces /in East Florida which made raids into Georgia. The people of Savannah espec­ ially ,vere fearful of a descent upon their city fro1n this quarter, and a delegation of citizens of that place ca1ne to Charleston and co_nferred ,vith Lee. The feasibility of a military move­ inent ·against the British in St. Augustine was discussed and the plan received Lee's approval. Lee assembled the North Carolina and Vir­ ginia troops of his command and told them a secret expedition was_ being planned in which there ,vould be little danger while the prospects· of booty ,vere large. Troops volunteering for this service would be -entitled to the booty, and he would give his o,vn share of the plunder for distribution among the soldiers.· All the Vir­ ginia and North Carolina men at Charleston agreed to accompany· Lee in the contemplat_ed campaign. South Carolina troops also joined. The march to Georgia was made in Aiugust. at a tin1e ,vhen health conditions ,vere at their vvorst. The ar1ny arrived at Savannah on ·Aug­ ust 17, arid on the 22d Muhlenberg's regiment and some of the South Carolina troops move

111ainder were strung out· bet,;veen Savannah and Sunbury. Boats, stores and provisions were lacking-. The sickness beca1ne alar1ning. Nearly every officer ,vas incapacitated. At Sunbury- tvvelve to fifteen 1nen died daily. Lee was recalled to the North because of the operations about New York. The Florida ·expedition was abandoned, and Lee left Sava11:­ nah early in September, directing the North Carolina and Virginia commands to follow. The northward 1narch of the Vi.rginians ,vas slo,v. Because so many ,vere sick the battalions could not proceed in one detachn1ent, but son1e had to delay along the route to try to regain their strength. Muhlenberg, ,vit4 the first details, ,vas back in Virginia on Dece1nber 20. That day he wrote his father in Trappe de.scribing the devastation in his co111111and due to sickness and death. The regin1ent, he said, had orders to proceed ·to New Y... ork to join "'\)Vashington' s ar1ny. Muhlenberg himself suffered all his life fro111 consequences of the disease contracted on the futile Georgia can1paign. l\1ajor Helfen­ stein, of his regi1nent, died after returning to Virginia. Before joining the Continental army it ,vas necessary to recruit the regiment. On Janu­ ary 21, 1777, Congress instructed 1\1uhlenberg to send on ~ach co1npany to the ar111y as soon as its ranks were full. T4e last detachment of the· SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 73 regin1en~ ,vas detained farther south until Feb­ ruary. Up to Fe.bruary, 1777, Colonel_ Muhlenberg was stationed_ in Fredericksburg, Va., pursuing his recruiti'ng duties. S~·nce his was a Gern1an regi111ent, he ,vrote to the Council of the state that he believed he could gain 1nore 1nen if his headquarters were in Winchester, in the· Shenan­ doah Valley, where the 1nen already in the regi- 111ent could not only see friends and relatives be­ fore leaving for the North but could also sti1nu­ late enlistinent. Pern1ission to make the change vvas granted.

Promotion to Brigadier General Recognizing l\1uhlenberg' s capable service in the southern can1paign, Congress on Febru­ ary 1, 1777, pronioted hin1 to brigadier general. His last official action as colonel of the German Regi1nent \ivas to suggest to General \Vashington that the men be equipped 1-vith 111uskets instead of the rifles they then had., say­ ing that because they ,vere so continually exposed to the ,veather the rifles often ,vere un­ serviceable, ,vh~reas n1uskets ,vere not subject to that disadvantage. The parson had no\:v be­ con1e an expert in ar1na 111en t. As brigadier general Muhlenberg ,vas as­ s~gned to the con1n1and of all Contjnental forces in Virginia, with instructions to complete the 74 THE FIGHTING PARSON recruiting of the different regiJ?ents as quickly as possible and send then1 to Washington's arn1y, in Northern N e,v Jersey. In April, 1777, the First, Fifth, Ninth and Thirteenth \Tir­ ginia Regin1ents ,vere designated as the units of Muhlenberg' s brigade. Early in lVIay General Ivluhlenberg report­ ed to Washington, com1nander-in-chief of the i\.1nerican army, in his headquarters in lV[orris­ to,vn, N. J. The arn1y then occupied its forti­ fied winter camp on the heights of l\fiddlebrook. He formally took command of his brigade on May 26. His brigade and that of General· Weedon, also consisting of Virginia regiments, composed the division under Major General Nathaniel Greene. The old German Regi1nent of Virginia did riot arrive in camp until June. The colonel of that regiment now was Baron Henry Leonard Philip de Arendt. Follo-\ving the disastrous campaign of 1776 in the vicinity of N e,v York, the -American army had been forced to retreat south,vard through N e,v Jersey and then into Pennsyl­ vania. The victorious British, vvith their Ger­ man auxiliary troops, held possession of N e,v York and looked forward to the early captnre of the rebel capital, Philadelphia. By his Christmas raid upon the German troops in Trenton and the ensuing A1J1erican triu1nph at Princeton, Washington rescued the American SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 75 cause fro1n despair. The winter and spring of 1777 the army spent in the neighborhood of Morristo\vn, in northern New Jersey. Now su1n1ner was at hand. · Minor skir­ mishes vvith the British. followed. Then on July 23 General Howe, the British com111ander, with his army,- sailed out of N e\v York harbor in the ships of his brother~ Admiral Howe, vvhich maneuver was destined to puzzle vVash­ ington for s01ne weeks and result in the Penn­ sylvania campaign of 1777. After ,vaiting nearly a vveek without hear­ ing anything as to the destination-·of the British, \Vashington~ fearing Philadelphia, capital of the new nation, vvas threatened, slowly advanc­ ed his army across New Jersey toward the Dela,vare River:· Yet all the time ·the American co1nmander ,vondered whether Howe ,vas not executing a feint to dra,v the Americans avvay from N e,v York. General Burgoyne, ,vith an army of British and Germans, ,vas moving south from Canada into ·New York, and the reasonable course seemed to be for Howe to co-operate ,vith Burgoyne. Greene's division, of ,:vhich Muhlenberg's. brigade \Vas a part, arrived at Coryell's Ferry, on the Delaware River, no,v Ne,v Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on the night of July 29. The troops at once began crossing the river, and on the J lst they marched down York road in the direction of Philadelphia.· That day. Washington ,vas informed the British fleet, to 76 THE .FIGHTING PARSON the nu1nber of two hundred and twenty-eight sail, had been seen at the Delaware Capes. Washington and his staff pressed on· to Phila­ delphia, arriving there that night. But the ar1ny \ivent into ca1np in the neighborhood of ·Little · N esha111inv Creek, near Hartsville, . ~ Bucks County. At Philadelphia Washington learned to his astonish1nent t~at after hovering about_ the Delaware Capes for several days the British fleet had sailed out to sea. Once 1nore he \Vas beset by uncertainty, suspecting his first thought of a strategy to dravv ~im away frotn New York 111ight have been the truth. Howevet, on August 1 the i\merican army resun1ed its march down York road, crossed westward through Gern1antown and went into camp- ·bet\iveen Ger1nantown and Falls of Schuylkill, upon an elevated site oyerlooking Philadelphia. Here the arn1y remained until August 8. On the first Sunday in the ca1np Ge_neral Muhlenberg issued this order:- "The Rev'd · lV[r. Tate will perforn1 divine service this afternoon at 5 o'clock; the captains will see that all men not on duty to attend and behave properly." As infor1nation about the enen1v vvas still .,/ lacking, ·the arn1y on the 8th returned to its old campground on the Little N esha1niny, in Bucks County, to be prepared to proceed tcnvard New York should it transpire that Ho\ve really in­ tended to help Burgoyne. SERVICE IN THE REVOLUT!ON 77 It was_ a period of intense heat. Upon ar­ riving in camp General 1v1uhlenberg dir·ected the Jnen of his brigade "to· fix booths before their terits to shelter the1n frotn the· heat." Sutlers _selling liquor caused trouble here and at other ca1nps. The officers _of General Muhlenberg's brigade were sumtnoned to meet on August 22 "at the tavern at th~ Cross Roads!'' to consider the sutlers' prices for liquor. Evidently a disposition to go foraging de­ veloped an1ong the soldiers, for on August 13 General Washington -requested General Muhlen­ berg ''to order a guard· over lVIr. J\1:iller's oats, to consist of a sergeant- and ten men." Lafayette, Pulaski and other military men recently arrived fron1 .Europe joined the army at tlie N esha1niny cap1p. They ,vere a source of embarrassn1ent fo Washington, for 1nost of them claimed ~igh posts and good pay. No doubt it was the arrival of these Europeans that caused Washington to incorporate the follo,ving in the general orders for August 13: "T,vo sober honest lads \vho are to talk French are to be sent to headquarters this after~ noon at 6. o'clock. General J\1:uhlenberg will send one frcnn his brigade, and General Scott another, if to be found in their brigades." At last on ~August 22 can1e word that the British fleet was in Chesapeake Bay. Rather than undertake to pass the An1erican fortifica­ tions alon_g the Delaware, Ho-\ve had continued ·}:ris v-o"yag~ into Chyesapeake ·Bay,. with the in- 78 THE FIGHTING PARSON tention of approaching Philadelphia fron1 the rear. ·No,v there could be no further delay. On the 23d the _J\.merican ar1ny broke ca1np and 1narched down York road, enca1nping that night at Nicetown, below Germantown, General Washington 1naking his headquarters in Sten­ ton, the Logan ho'1nestead. The na1ne of the estate evidently ,vas not fa1niliar to 1\!Iuhlen­ berg, · for in his orderly book the record for i\.ugust 23 is headed "Headquarters, Santovvn, near Germanto,vn. '' To cheer and encourage the alarmed inhabi­ tants of Philadelphia W ashin_gton arranged to parade the arn1y through the city the following day, Sunday. He gave detailed directions for a~taining the best effect with the li1nited n~111ber of men and the poor equipinent at his con11nand. It was a marked tribute to General Muhlenberg that he and his Virginia brigade were instructed to lead the line, preceded only by a troop of cavalry.

The Battle of Brandywine The ar111y, now nun1bering about 11,000 men, proceeded into Dela,vare to oppose the British, vvho ,vere debarking 17,000 men fron1 their ships at Elk River, Maryland. For two weeks the opposing ar1nies lay vvithin eight o~ ten miles of each other~ a.nd several skirmishes qccurred. Seeing he ,vas SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 79 t1ot -favorably stationed· to intercept ·Howe's progress toward Philadelphia, Washington, on Septen1ber 9, moved his forces northward, across the Pennsylvania line, taking post south of Brandywine Creek, at Chadd's Ford. This ford was on one of the main high,vays to Phila­ delphia. Here on the banks of the Brandywine, on ·septe1nber 11, 1777, was fought the battle which decided the fate of Philadelphia. It was the first battle of cons_equence in which Muhlen: berg's Virginia troops had a part. General Knyphausen' s Ger1nan troops first attacked the An1ericans at the ford. .A.. s Wash­ ington 111assed his regi1nents here to protect the ford, Lord Co~n,vallis, vvith a large part of the British arn1v,., 1nade a vvide detour ,vest,vard and northward, cro·ssed the Brandywine at fords far up the strea111 and thus vvas in a position to 1nenace the .i\1nerican rear. Washington hastily refor1ned his lines to face Cornwallis, and this part of the battle ,vas fought about old Birming­ han1 .Friends' J\t1eeting House. The Americans were forced to fall back. _ At this juncture l\1uhlenberg's brigade, to­ gether with the other Virginia brigade of Weedon, rendered service of incalculable value by holding back the British advance long enough to pern1it the badly battered A1nerican regi1nents to retire fro111 the 111eeting house to- 1.vard Dihvorthto,vn. 1\.t one ti1ne JVIuhlenberg's 1nen alone, after having 1narched four miles in forty 1ninutes, faced all of Cornwallis' army, and 80 THE FIGHTING PARSON their co1nmander led them in desperate hand­ to-hand bayonet fighting. This fortitude of the Virginians prev:ented the defeat fro1n becoming a rout, for by stem1ning the onrush of the British it beca1ne possible for the A111erican corri1nand­ ers to check their 1nen and bring about an orderly r~treat to the neighborhood of Chester. Muhlenberg's brigade was the last to leave ·the field of battle. · One .· of the traditions of the battle of Brandy,vine relates that certain Hessian soldiers with the British ar1ny recognized Muhlen_berg when he charged at -the head of his brigade, ren1e1n bering hin1 from the tin1e when they were assoc_iated with hi1n i~ the German ar1ny. -Where­ upon· they sho"uted :· ''Hier ko1n1nt Teufel Pete" -"Here comes Devil Pete." This is probably one of the variou~ apocry­ phal tales ,vhich gained popular circulation because it tended to picture P·eter lVIuhlenherg as an audacious and reckless fighter, the peer of that other favorite· Pennsylvania warrior ,vho was dubbed "1\1ad Anthony" Wayne. The Muhlenberg tale hardly bears analysis. For o~e thing, the Hessians ,vere fighting at Chadd's Ford · and did not accon1pany Cornwallis. Muhlenberg charged against Cornwallis' troops, not against the Hessians. Further1nore, Muhlen­ berg never served in the Ger1nan ar111y. When he ran a,vay fro111 an unhappy apprenticeship in Lubeck he joined a British regin1ent which \vas being recruited in that free city. · In this regi- Courtesy of J. Otto Schweizer

J. CITO SCHWEIZER'S STATUE OF GENERAL MUHLENBERG on City Hall Plaza, Philadelphia

SERVICK-. IN THE- .REVOLUTION 81 rnent· for the ·short tiine he ·,vas con11ected ,vith it his duties were- those of a secretary,· ·and secretaries are- ttsually not of the swashbuckler type. Of course, there 111ight have been s0111e I-Iessians in that regi111ent, and that reginient i11ight have· beeri in Cornwallis' detach111ent. But the ,vhole story seen1s i111probable. ~ \iVhile it ·was· generally recognized that the service of IVIuhlenberg's brigade at B·randy,vine \Vas of .the highest i111portan~e, yet 110 _special inentio1i thereof appeared in Washington's offi­ cial report on the battle. It is said s0111e officers con1plaine

\V artime Experiences at Trappe . i\t his hon1e in Trappe, t,venty-five n1ile~ fr.0111_ the Bran.dvvvine battlefield, Peter- 11uhlen.;. •' • ,.J • • • • . berg~s _father, tt~e Rev. He~1ry M~lchior. Muhlen- 82 THE FIG-HTING PARSON berg, wrote in his journal on the day of the battle -that he "heard hard and long continued c~nnonading." The following day, learning of the defeat of the A1n~ricans and the in1pending British invasion, he closed his record thus: "N o,v, Pennsylvania, bend the neck and supplicate the Lord thy God." The An1erican ar111y fell back to its for111er campground north -of th~_ Schuylkill, bet,veen Falls of Schuylkill and German_to,vn, and the authorities of Pennsylvania 111ade desperate efforts to. bring 1nore 1nilitia into the field. Purposing to .give battle once 1nore before pern1itting Philadelphia to fall into the h~nds of the foe, Washington advanced into_ Chester County. Rain, which da111pened the_ po,vder, prevented · collision with the British. Th_e t,vo armies 111atieuvered thr~ughout northern Cheste.r ~ounty until Septen1ber 19, when the A1nericans crossed to the north side of the Schuylkill, can1p­ ing for a short tin1e in the neighborhood of the home of the 11uh1enbergs, at Trappe. On the 21st_ the British-also crossed the Schuylkill. Washing­ ton reti~ed westward to the vicinity of Potts­ to,vn, and the ,vay ,vas open to the British to take possession of Philadelphia,· ,vhich they did on September 26. _ There was great distress - and_ alar111 all through southeastern Pennsylvania. Congress, g~overnn1ent o_fficials and 111any fa1nilies fled fro111 ~hiladelphia. Throngs of fugitives ~assed up the Readirig road past the Muhlenberg· ho1i1e SERVICE ·IN THE REVOLUTION 83 at Trappe-. The wife and child of Peter Muhlen­ berg ,vere then living in the Trappe parsonage, having· arrived in a wagon on Septe1nber 10. Three days later Peter's brother Henry, also a Lutheran 111inister, arrived fro1n Philadelphia with his. wife ..A.nother brother, Frederick, had been at Trappe for s0111e tin1e and was assisting· his -father in his pastoral work, usually preach­ ing in. the N e,v Hanover church. On Septe111ber 15 the l\1uhlenberg house had eighteen oc.cu-. pants. The daughter, Nlargaret Henrietta, ,vho had 111arried the Rev. John C. Kunze, re1nained in Philadelphia vvith her husband during the British occupation, the husband 1:;>eing pastor of the Lutheran congregation in that city. Son1e ti111e before this had come the un­ pleasant ne,vs that Francis S,vaine~. son-in-la,v of Pastor 1\-f uhlenberg, who ,vas brigade _111ajor in Peter lV[uhlenberg~s brigade, had been con­ victed by court 111artial of charges of neglect of duty, particularly in leaving sick soldiers ex­ posed at the tin1e the arn1y was in Dela,vare. He ,vas sentenced tq be repri1nanded in general orders. .A.fter the sentence ,:vas executed Svvaine resigned fro111 the arn1y. Later he ,vas state clothier of Penn~ylvania, in charge of contracts for supplying the Pennsylvania 111ilitia with uni­ f or111s, and after the ,var he ,vas a brigadier gei1eral•of Pennsylvania 111ilitia.. - . Respecting the 111ove111ents of the· .A.111erican army at and near Trappe, the Rev. Henry· Mel~ 84 THE FIGHTING PARSON

chior 1V1uhlenberg wrote in his journal on Sep­ te1nber 19: "\!{ e had news th~t the British troops on the other side of the Schuylkill 1?-ad 1narched down toward Providenc~, and ,vith a telescope ~e could see t~~ir ca111p. _In . consequence _of . this the An1erican ar1ny, four 1niles fron1 _µs, forded· the Schuylkill breast high and ca111e upon the Philadelphia road at Augustus Church. "His Excellency, General Washington~ ,vas ,vith the troops in person, who 111arched past here to the Perkionien. . . ''The procession lasted the whole night, ,and ,ve had nun1erous visits frori1 officers,· ,vet breast high, who· had to ·111arch it~ this · con"ciiti;n the ,vho1e night, cold and da1np as it \Vas, and ·to bear hunger and thirst at the sa111e _ti111e. This robs the1n of_ courage and health, and instead of prayers fro111 1nany vve hear the dreadful national evil, curses." On the 20th the wo111en· of the 1\f uhlenberg household baked bread tvvice and· distri·huted it and other food a111011g the sick and feeble in the arn1y.. More fugitives fron.1 I)hiladelphia ·also clain1ed the hospitality of the 111inister. Pastor Nluhlenberg and his ·fa111jly ,vere urged to flee as it ,vas_ expected the vicinity of their hon1e \\rould beco111e the scene of, a battle. The Rev. Henry E. 11uhlenberg, a son, and his vvi-fe and child, who ,vere staying at Tra~pe, did conclude· to continue their journey ·s0111e 111iles farther, to New··Hanover. Pastor 1'Iuhlenberg- SERVICE· IN THE REVOLUTION 85 wanted his sick wife to acco1npany· the son's fa111ily,. but "she ,vas- not to be persuaded," says the· journal, '~but 1.vould rather live, suffer and die. ,vith n1e in Providence."

The Battle of Germantown Fron1 the Pottstown region ·.the A111erican arn1y 1noved tov;ard Philadelphia by ·succes·sive ~teps, for Washington ,vas still· detern1ined- to give battle again to the British if the opportunity offered. He ,vas receiving reinforce1nents of n1ilitia · fro111 Pennsylvapia ·and adjoining states, and. he learned that ,Howe- was sending so111e· of his regin1ents to engage the A1nerican -fortifi­ cations along the Delaware below Philad·elp_hia. rfhe n1ain body of .the British. arn1y .was encamp-:­ ed in Gern1aptovvn, then a to,vnship in Phila.: delphia County, five 111iles north of-the city of Pl~iladel_phia•. Now Gern1antown is part of the city of -Philadelphia. Early in October· Wash"'T ington. believed the tin1e ,vas at hand t9· attack the foe. The British line · extended east and ,vest across _Gern1anto,vn, along· Church lane and School lane, at right angles to the 1nain street of .the village at 1.{ar~et Square. Fro111 . his ca1np at Worcester, twelve n1iles north of Ger- 111an town, Washington planned to 1nove his_ arn1y do\vn four roads converging in German~ to,vn, attacking· the British at· different points along. their line. The n1ain wing, under -com- 86 THE FIGHTING PARSON 1nand of vV ashington hi111self, was to proceed down . Gern1antown Poad, the 111ain street of Gern1antown. The left wing, with General 'Greene in con1111and, wo1.1ld .follo,v Li1nekiln road, which joined Church .lane east of Gern1an­ ~o,vn. Thus Greene, it was hoped, 111ight turn the British right flank. The Pennsylvania 111il­ i tia ,vas to advance ov.er Ridge road, three n1iles west of Germantown road, and keep the Gern1an troops in the left wing of the British line occupied so they could not con1e to the aid of the center. As Greene ,vas assigned to conunand the left wing, Muhlenberg for the time had charge of Gr~ene's division in this ,ving. The arn1y, nun1 bering about 9000 _1nen, 111arched fro111 its ca111p at \1/orcester after night­ fall on Octo.ber 3, and the battle opened at·the upper end of Ger111anto,vn at 5 A. M_. the next day ,vhen the 111ain wing, under vVashingto·n~ encountered the British pickets at ]\,fount Airy. T,vo regin1ents of British light infantry ""rere posted along Gern1antown road, one at the pre­ sent Mount Pleasant avenue and the other at U psal street, the latter being a 111ile in· advance of the British 111ain line. The A111ericans dro,~.. back the t\vo · regin1ents. Part of ·one of these regin1ents took possession 0f the house of Chief Justice Benjan1in ·Che,v ,vhich the fan1ily had abandoned. The heavy• stone ,valls of the house· made it a verifable fortress, and the .A.. mericans sought in vaip..: to dislodge the s1nall band- of SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 87 redcoats that held it. Meanwhile the troops of \i\Tayne and Sullivan had proceeded farther down in to Ger111an town, alorig b<;>th sides of the 111ain street, and were fighting the two retreating regin1ents of. the Bri~ish in the back yards of Gern1antown hon1esteads. Much depended upon_ the left wing of the A111erican ar1ny under Greene. I ts course over Limekiln road carried it two 1niles to the east of Washington's . com111and .. · Greene had more 111en than Washington. · He_ too encountered a;­ regi111ent of British light infantry, a 111ile in advance of the n1ain line, and quickly compelled it to retreat. A heavy fog interfered greatly with the. plans. for co-operation. One of the co1n1nands under. Greene, that of General Adam Stephen, vvandered far out of its cours·e, moving vvest,vard until it collided ,vith troops of Wash­ ington· 5 wing. Subsequently Stephen ,vas tr1ed and- dis111issed fro1n the army for his 111isconduct in this battle. The 111en under Muhlenberg acquitted them­ selves- well. In their onrush they proceeded into the settled part of Ger1nanto,vn, to the east of the 111ain street, ,vhere they captured a battalion of British. The captors set ·up such a huzza that other British forces vvere attracted, and soon the -Ninth Virginia Regi1nent, of Muhlenberg~s brigade, com1nanded by Colonel lV[atthe,vs, found itself surrounded by the British and was compelled to surrender. The captive Virginians were i1nmured in the Ger- 88 ·THE FIGHTING ·PARSON- 111an Reforrned Church.·at :Niarket Square, and the prisone.rs: .held by the A111ericans ·· ,vere re­ le~sed. .Son1e of .l\Iuhlen~erg's regin1ents engaged iQ. bayonet fighting _,vith the foe . in the ba_ck yards and s111all farn1s of Gern1anto,vn, and _1f uhlenberg· s horse ,vas ahnost exhausted fron1 repeatedly ju111ping over fences and stone ,valls·. His troops had to con1e to his aid and pull do,vn fences. Several ti111es .British sharpshooters 11.1~de · 1\1 uhlen berg their target . and . -bullets ,vhistled close_ to .hi111. Once he sa,v a young B-ritish officer seize the gun. of: a soldier .and raise- it to fire at l\1uhlenherg, but Niuhlenberg quickly drevv his -reyolyer and shot the officer-.. . . Mean,vhile . \Vashington, ·halting at the Chew house and endeavoring in vain to dislodge the British that had. converted it into a.· fort. beard nothing· of Greene'_s ·progress_ on the e~st side.,..- It \ivas a principle of· 111ilitary science that a fortified place should not be per111itted to. re~ n1ai.11 .in possession of the enen1y in the .rear. So. c\lthough part of his con1111and had gone a ,half n1ile beyond the. Ch.e\v ho11se into Ger111anto,vn and• Greene's 111en- had. penetrated into Ger-111a11..; tovvn .on the east .side, neyertheless the con1_; 1nander-in-chief f½lt it ,expedient, after several hours' fighting, to _.order a retreat~- It was well he- did so. Up to ·that ti111e the i-\111ericans·_ had encountered only the_· a

111iles fron1 our house, to one side~ ·,vhere thev_, huried their dead and fired a volley . for each one, ,vhich ,ve heard distinctly, as it lasted. ...a . ~, 1ong t1111e.- · . -For son1e tin1e -\i\Tashington_ had hopes of inflicting a blo\v upon. the British _before going into ,vinter quarters. The British soon aban~ cloned their can1p in Gern1antown · and re:ti.red into _Philadelphia. -Fro111 _the Perkio1nen region the An1 ericans 111oved. gra.dually to,vard Phila­ d_elphia:,. occ.upying ca1nps _in succession at .TQ,v4:- 90 THE FIGHTING ·PARSON tnencin, Worcester and Whitpain aNd re1nain­ ing then in White1narsh for nearly six weeks. So far as his father~s journal shows, Peter l\1uhlenberg did not find it feasible to visit his parents at 'frappe until October 18, though his brother Frederick h~d co111e to can1p to see hin1. It \Vas indeed a busy period for the Anterican officers, for they had 111uch to do in restoring their· con1111ands to the best possible status · to 111eet any den1ands that vVashington 111ight re- . qture. Con1ing to Trappe at noon .. on Saturday~ October 18, General Muhlenb.erg brought news of the· surrender of General Burgoyne's army to the An1ericans at Saratoga, ,vhich had been announced in the A111erican army's can1p at Worcester that 1norning. Fro1n · Trappe Gen­ eral JVI uhlen berg proceeded eight 111iles farther the san1e day to N e,v Hanover, \vhere his brothers, Frederick and Henry, ,vere staying;, Frederick acting as pastor of the Lutheran church at that place. In the interval bet,veen the battle of Ger- 111anto,vn and the ,vinter can1p at Valley Forge General 1iuhlenberg ,vas a 111en1ber of t,vo in1- portant courts 111artial, one· in ,vhich General i\nthony yVayne ,vas acquitted of any in1pro­ priety in connection ,vith the -surprise of his co1nmand at Paoli in Septen1ber, and the other ,vherein General Adatn Stephen, of Virginia, • ,vas found guilty of .inefficiency in his 1nanage- ment of his troops at Germanto,vn, the Jatter SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 91 verdict resulting in Stephen's dis1nissal fro1n the anny.

Whitemarsh and Valley Forge Camps In the can1p at vVhiten1arsh Washingtoµ several tin1es asked the general officers to gi~e their opinions in writing on questions of mo- 111en t. I.Jate in N ove1nber he subn1itted to them the de_sirability of 111aking another attack upon the British. Muhlenberg- ,vas one of four gen­ erals who fa voied such an attack. The A1nericans re1nained on the defensive. Early in Decen1ber the Briti$h n1arched out of . . . Philadelphia ,vith the hope of overwhelmin~ the An1ericans at \Vhiten)arsh. After some skir1nishing Ho,ve and his generals ,vere . con­ vinced the AmeriGans ,vere to9 strongly posteq. to warrant a battle, and they ,vi thdre,v ·iri to the city. Another n1attei- on_ ,v}:iich. Wa_shing~6n sought_ the opinions of hi$ generals ,vas the _si~e for the ,vinter ca1np. Being a Pennsylvanian~ no doubt General 1'1uhlenberg's judgment ,vas regarded as of special value. He did nof favo~ close concentration but advised that the army., be quarter~d in the territory bet,veen Readi!1~ and Lancaster or bet,veen Reading and Easton, huts being built for the n1o~e robust soldiers·, ,vhile the sick ,vere placed in farn1 houses·. Thus he \)elieved the interior of Pennsylvania cou14 be protected and the distance of the army from 92 THE FIGHTING ·PARSON· the foe in . Philadelphia· would induce · the latter to let the A111ericans alone in a pe~iod when in­ evitably their nun1 bers would be. greatly de­ pleted. - Muhlenberg·s s~g-gestion vvas not _adopted. \i\Tashihgton decided upon a closely co"nceiltra.ted can1p at Valley F o·rge; a region which· had·· not been specifically· suggested by· any- of the ·gen­ erals. It is an interesting question ,vhether, ·if the armv had been scattered over a ,vide extent of .country, as Muhlenberg p·ropo·sed, · 1nuch ·of the sickness :that s,vept ~hrough the vvintei- camp at _·Valley Forge ·111ight not hav_e ·been avo{dr4 and- food niight have been n1ore readily obtained. Early in Dece·n1ber \Vashingtoh also_ ksked the ge~erals \vha."f- they tl;oug~t. ~bou~. th~ de~ ·sii-abiiity ·of a winter ca111paign. Wh1Ie he' haq. previ~usly sanctiOned -the· .idea of another attack on the ene111y, l\t1uhlenberg felt that a ,vinter ...... ca1npaign would be inadvisable . and inipr~ctic- able,. "at least if I ar11 to judge of other brigade$ by" iny ovv.i, -one. si~gl~ r_egi1~1ent of ,vhich has ~urned ouf nin~ty'.i1~~i1 -~nfit for: dut_y on cl;~Count of. shoes and other - i1ecessaries.'~ i\s ,vinter ...... adv_ai1~~a,. h~ -pointe_d otit.. ~i_ckness vyould in- crease, arid it wo11ld be ·cliffi~ult to -collect the rnilitia. Ho-ireve·r," he. ·dt.d _·appro~e of 1naking plaps du_ring _the vvin"ter_ for a_ c~n1paign_ to _open early i~ the . sp.ring. He closed the letter \vith these characteristic ,vords: SERVICE· IN THE REVOLUTION 93 "Should. the question be decided othenvise, your Excellency 111ay be- assured that any ·part entrusted to 111e shall be executed with the greatest cheerfulness.!' · ·such senti111ents 111ust have ,varmed the heart of \Vashington at this tin1e ,vhen infor- 1nation of the activities of the Con\vay Cabal 1vas co111ing to his attention. lVIost of the officers vvere-. against a ,vinter can1paign. On Decen1ber 19 the arn1y ,vent into can1 p on the hills of Valley Forge, tvven ty-three 1niles ·north,ves~ of Philadelphia, on the southern

banks of the Schtivlkill..I In the ,,yinter can1p General lVIuhlenberg!s brigade occupied the territory nearest the enen1y~ in the neighborhood of the present vil­ lage of Port I(ennedy. This ,vas a 111ile and a half distant fron1 Washington's headquarters in the village of \Talley ·Forge. General lVI uhlen berg 111ade his headquarters in. the. farn1 house of John ~1:oore, along Trout

Creek. .T ohn ·l\loore. . ,vho o,vned 200 acres, died on January 1, lii8, soon after the ar1ny can1e to the locality~ and his ,vido,v. Jane, there­ after lived .in the house. • The d,velling still stands, though 111uch altered. It is no,v the ho111e of ...i\lexander D. Ir,vin. . . l\tluhlenberg·s brigade~ constituting part of the frorit line of the can1p, occupied the 11oore far111 and adjoining tracts. This region ,vas not hillv ,voodland, like the countrv farther ,vest - .I \vhere the greater part of the ar111y ,vas station- 94 .THE FIGHTING PARSON ed. IVIost of the land was cultivated, though there also were some woods. Upon arriving the Virginians proceeded energetically to erect their huts, and it is said Muhlenberg's brigade completed the work· of felling the ·trees and constructing the cabins in four davs. · Other comn1ands on the· hills re- -· .I quired t,vo ,veeks for this task. A redoubt ,vas built on John lVIoore's land and another on the adjoining fartn of 11:ordecai Jvioore. Extensive lines of entrenchments.. 1nade by digging ditches and piling up the earth on the side to,;vard the ene111y, connected the re­ doubts and exteiided in front of the encan;.p­ ment, ·constituting the outer line of defense. The ren1ains of the redoubts and trenches could be seen as late as the 1850's~ though nothing •is now visible of then1. After the huts had been built General Iv[uhlenberg seized an opportunity to cross the Schuvlkill and ride. seven miles northward to J the ho1ne of his parents, in Trappe. Sno,v and rain ,vere falling ,vhen he 1nade his visit, on Dece1nber 2~the ''second Christinas'' '\\rhich ,vas observed by the Germans as part of the great festival. It was not a tin1e of 111er~y1naking for the 11 uhlenberg fa111ily. Threats had been n1ade not o"nly against Peter 11:uhlenberg but against his father. Syn1pathizers with the British cause were nun1erous in the neighborhood, and· raid­ ing parties of the British 1nade occasional i11-- SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 95 cursions into the rural_ districts, though they were not in the habit of penetrating as far as Trappe. Ho\vever, it was ru1nored that the British, Hessians and Tories all ,vere bent upon capturing both the Lut4etan pastor and his 111ilitarit son and thus earning a handso111e reward. The father, ,vhile sy111pathi~ing .,vith the _.\111erican cause, had not been given. to discuss­ ing political questions in the pulpit, and he had even been kno,vn to say s0111e things. of the A·merican soldiers not at all con1plin1entary to them, especially ,vhen they turned their horses into his buckwheat field or took possession of his churc~. As. for the son Peter, the British ,vould surely have been delighted to lay their hands on hi111, for in viev1 of his having been a parson of the establjshed Church of England his treason ,vas looked upon as especially heinous. \Vhen Peter JV[uhlenberg 111ade his Christ- 111as visit .to his pare11ts he found his 111other in failing health. He \vanted his parents to go to the Tulpehocken region. in upper Berks County, ,vhere they ,vottld be secure fro111 the disturbances occasioned by the 111ove111ents · of the opposing ar111ies. Their daughter Eve Elizabeth was the ,vi!e of the Rev. Christopher En1anuel Shulze, ,vho \Vas the Lutheran pastor in the Tulpehocken region. 'The 111other ,vas satisfied to have her husband go but she said she · \vas · too sick · to undertake · the journey. Naturally the ·husband would not leave witho·ut 96 THE FIGHTING PARso·N: his "'ife: So, wrote Pastor lVIuhlenberg in• his journal, •~\ve prayed jointly- for advice· to _the good · God and resolved in God! s :na111e to re~ 111ain and a\vait our ·destined fortune." They continued to dv1ell at rf rappe throughout ..- the: tin1e of the ca1np at Valley Forge a1id were not 111olested.- . · Whenever their son Peter ca111e fro111 the can1p to see his parents precautions \vould be adopted to prevent his presence beco111ing knovvn in the neighborhood.. At night blankets ,vere hung over . the. windO\VS and doors. He neyer undressed, and his horse always re111ained saddled· and close at hand. Once, it is saidJ he ,vas pursued· while returning to ca111p; but the fleetness of· his. horse sa. ved hi111.

His Loyalty Tested 1"'o all the ._patriots in the ar111y the Valley l◄ orge season ,vas a tinie of trial and testi1ig: Tc;, Peter· 11:uhlenherg it \vas a -peculiarly criti.cal period because of a controversy about seniority, a 111atter concerning ,vhich 1nilitary 1nen ,vere ah,vays sensitive but ,vhich at this ti111e -of irri­ tability -,vas especially difficult. In Septe111ber, 1776. · Colonel -\Voodford~ commander ·of the Second Virginia Regi.:. 111-ent, resigned his c_o111111ission because, though he ,vas the senior Virginia colonel, Colonel. J.~da111 Stephen was p_ro1110.ted to brigadier- gen..,_ eral ·over his head. On February 21, 1777, whe1r .,.:-r-~:,:, ..: t ..... ~,~ .-::...~:.,-- :;, .,

GENERAL MUHLENBERG'S VALLEY FORGE HEADQUARTERS

SERVICE IN THE·· REVOLUTION 97

. • . .Muhlenberg was advanced ·to the rank of brig- adier general, the sa1ne rank was also giv~n to Colonels Weedon and Woodford, the latter hav­ ing returned to the service. Woodford~ though he had been out of the ar1ny for so1ne ti1ne, now claimed to be _senior brigadier general of the Virginia line because he had been that state's oldest colonel. The question was not of 111uch i1nportance until the dismissal of 1v1ajor General Stephen, for 111isconduct · at the battle of Gern1antown, created a vacancy which it ,vas thought 111ight be filled by the appointn1ent of the senior brig­ adier general · from Virginia, Stephen being fro1n that state. 'fo decide the question ·a board of general officers 1net at Valley Forge March 2, 1778. By a 111ajority of one vote General Woodford ,vas recognized as senior, but because the vote ,vas so close the b_oard agreed to refer final decision to Congress. General lVIuhlenberg had gone to his ho1ne in \¥oodstock to adjust his long neglected pri­ vate affairs, and ,vhile there he learned of the question about seniority. He therefore hasten­ ed back to Valley Forge vvithout acco1nplishing the object of his trip. It was then his firm pur­ pose to resign his con1111ission in the army. .A. con1111ittee of Congress was in the camp, and Muhlenberg wrote to this con11nittee setting forth. his clai1n. In a letter to Washington a 98 THE FIGHTING PARSON little later he indicated that he was warranted in resigning if he were subjected to the humilia­ tion of having Woodford recognized as his . senior. Officers were resigning right and left ~ t that time, most of the1n because they received no adequate pay and their families were in need. \Vashington replied to Muhlenberg, April 10, in the following words: "In answer to yours of this morning I have only to say that the matter respecting your rank and that of General_s Woodford, Weedon and Scott has been fully discussed several ti1nes by Congress, the -committees of Congress and a board of general officers, whose opinions all seemed to correspond. "This contradicts the report that Congress were at all events determined to give a prefer­ ence to General vVoodford, as it appears to me that their detern1ination was founded upon the proceedings of the general officers. Their · re­ port vvas short, because they had papers before them which fully evinced that the respective clain1s had been duly considered, and there wH.s therefore no need of recapitulating all that had passed. You kno"v 111y opinion, which has been given in a con?ersation between us. _ "I cannot judge of the- feeling of others, but 1ny o,vn should generally be regulated by the opinions of.a set of gentle111en who I conceive have been actuated by the purest principles of i1i1partiality and justice; and I do not think that SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 99 ~ny offi~er will look upon a submission to their decision as dishonorable. I would not be thought to press you to a hasty· decision upon this 111atter; but when· you consider that \Ve are upon the verge of the campaign, you will think with me that no tin1e is to be los-t; because if a successor should be necessary he will scarcely have time to be acquainted with the brigade before they- are called to action." No incident in his career so disproves the legend of a -headstrong, impetuous Peter Muhlenberg as does the ·outcome of this con­ troversy about rank. Had he been the ,vild fi.reeater of tradition surely he would have fol­ lowed General Weedon:-s course anq resigned. Instead h~ re111ained at his post, accepting \Vashington' s assurances that no dishonor ,va·s involved, ,vhich ,vas supple1nented by a resolu­ tion passed unanimously in Congress that the arrange111ent as to the Virginia generals '\vas founded upon principles not affecting the per­ sonal characters or comparative merits of those officers.~, General vV eedon did not return to the ser­ vice until 1780. For a tin1e lVIuhlenberg "vas the only \lir­ ginia general on duty at Valley Forge. · In I\,fay he ,vas com1nanding a division.

Aids Christopher Sower A.. t Valley Forge General lv1uhlenberg further evidenced his greatheartedness when 100 THE FIGHT.LNG PARSON . he interceded on behalf of Christopher Sower, the German pr1nter of Germantovvn who had been taken into custody beca~se he was sus­ pected of sympathizing with the ene1ny. In the same year that General i\1uhlen­ berg's father, the Rev. Henry Melchior M~hlen­ berg, had built Augustus Church, · at Trappe, i7 43, the elder Christopher Sower, in Gern1an­ to,vn, had printed his first A1nerican edition of the Bible in any European tongue. Sovver a.ls? published a newspaper that had a large circu­ lation a1nong the Ger1nan settlers, and rrany religious books ca1ne fron1 his press. · Christopher Sower and Henry Melchior Muhlenberg represented opposite· types of· lead­ ership. lVIuhlenberg had a n1ind open to pro­ gressive ideas. I-!e was friendly vvith the clergy. of the ..A.nglican and Presbyterian churches. In the middle of the eighteenth century, when a group of leaders in Pennsylvania affairs brought about the organization of the Society for the· Propagation of Christian Knovvledge A111ong the Gern1ans of America, Pastor 1\1uhlenberg gave his cordial support to the 1110':en1ent. On the other hand, Sower represented the_ extre1nes of conservatism, and opposed the school plan. This and other subiects afforded hi1n occasion for attacks ~1pon Pastor ~1uhlenberg in his paper. The elder So,ver died, and his son of the san1e na111e continued the publishing house, at­ taining wealth. He ,vas a minister of the Church of the Brethren, or Dunkers,. and be- SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 101 cause of his religiou·s belie-f s he refused to sub­ scribe to the declaration of allegiance to the i\tnerican cause ,vhen the Revolution opened. Two of his sons identified themselves with the British, and the father 1nade .his ho1ne in Phila­ delphia during the winter of the British occu­ pation of the city. Upon the evacuation of Philadelphia the two sons departed ,vith the British, but the father returned to his home in Ger1nantown on lVIay 22, 1778. Tvvo nights later a detachment o-f American troops sur­ rounded the house and arrested Sovver. What follo,ved_ he described in his journal in· these ,vords: "It was a dark night. They led 1ne through the_ Indian· corn fields, vvhere I could not come along as fast as they vvanted me to go. They frequently struck 111e in the back vvith their bayonets till they brought me to Bastian Miller's barn, ,vhere they kept n1e · till next 1norning. Then they stripped me naked to the skin and gave n1e an old shirt and breech~s much torn, then cut n1y beard and hair, and painted n1e· with oil colors red and black, and_ so led 111e -along bare£ ooted and bareheaded on a very hot sunshiny day. * * * On the 26th, at 9 o'clock, I arrived at the ca1np and ,vas sent to the provo. "My ac~usation in the mittimus ,vas an oppressor of the righteous and a spy. On the 27th, in the 1norning, God moved the heart of the most generous General i\1uhlenberg to co1ne 102 THE FIGHTING PARSON- to 111e and enquire into 1ny affairs, and pro1nised that he ,vould speak to _ General Washington and procure 111e a hearing, and the next day sent 1ne word that I shquld 111ake a petition to General Washingtqn, which I did;_ and through the good hand of Providence and the ·faithful assistance of the ·said General Muhlenberg, I was permitted to go out of the provo on the 29th of lV[ay." Thus the son of the Lutheran leader ,~.rhom the elder Sower ·had maligned came to the rescue of th~ younger Sovyer ,vhen he ,vas in dire distress. Subsequently in proceedings instit~ted by the state of Pennsylvania So,ver ,vas called-upon to stand trial on a charge of treason. He ignored the notification, in consequence of ,:vhich all his property ,vas confiscated and sold.

Military Activities in 1778 and 1779 As spring approached Washington asked· his generals to. give their opinions as to three possible courses of action-to remain in camp at Valley :Forge, to attack the British in Phila­ delphia or to move against N e\v Y... ork. In his reply 11 uhlenberg stated his conviction that continued inactivity ,:vould be fatal, and that he favored transferring the scene of ,var to N e,v York, ,:vhere it ,:vould be easier to provision the army than in exhausted Pennsylvania and ,:vhere the N e,v England states ,:vould co1ne to the aid of the ar1ny. By such a movement the enemy SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 103 would inevitably be driven to- evacuate Phila­ delphia in order to protect N e,v York. News of the French alliance greatly stimu­ lated the inclination for action. A council of officers convened on June 17, 1778, to con.sider the feasibility of attacking Philadelphia. The decision against such action was unanimous, but the follo-\ving day the British evacuated Philadelphia, and the American army im- 1nediately set out from Valley Forge toward N e,v Jersey- in pursuit of the British. on their 1natch toward -New York. General Greene having been appointed quarter1naster general, General Charles Lee now succeeded him as commander of -the di­ vision consisting of the brigades ·of Muhlenberg and Scot~. Thus Muhlenberg once more was under the officer who had been his. superior in the opening years of the war in -the So_uth. Greene,, however, had stipulated that in battle he should command his old division. Hence when the A1nericans encountered the British at lV[onmouth, Ne,v Jersey, on June 28, Muhlen­ berg's n1en vvere not in Lee"s co1nmand ,vhen the retreat of tha~ general 1noved Washington to a 1nemorable outburst of wrath . .A.fter the battle of Montnouth l\tiuhlen- -berg's con1mand, and indeed the entire arn1y under Washington's immediate direction, took part in no further i1nportant engagement until the end of the ,var, in Virginia, three years later. Washington concentrated his army at \Vhite Plains, N. Y., and all he could do with 104 THE. FIGHTING PARSON the ineffective troops and inadequate supplies available was to try to hold the Hudson High­ lands as a center of strength for the Americans. Raiding parties went out in search of sup­ plies, and so1netimes clashes occurred between small forces of A1nericans and British. While at \,Vhtte Plains J\1uhlenberg commanded a body of picked troops that 1nade reconnais­ sances in the direction of the enemy's lines. Later in the year his brigade vvas one of those stationed at \i\Test Point. \Vhen \Vashington sought the opinion of the generals, in S)ctober, -1778, as to winter quarters, 11 uhlen berg again proposed, as he had the preceding year, that the arn1y be ·scat­ tered, instead of being concentrated, and furthermore he urged that, with the .exan1ple of the· distress at Valley Forge in mind, the preparation ·of ,vinter quarters should ·not be delayed until Decen1ber. An arrangement such as Muhlenberg suggested ,vas adopted, th~ arn1y being quartered at different places in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. . Having bee11 unable to conclude a satis­ factory adjust111ent of his private affairs in Woodstock on his brief visit the preceding ,vinter, 1\1 uhlenberg now applied to Washing­ ton, on October 22, for permission to go to Virginia for this purpose. He re1ninded Wash­ ington that when he hastened back from Vir­ ginia after that futile visit he had expected to resign ?-nd th us be at liberty to look after his SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 105 long def erred personal problems, but. as he had yielded to W ashington:s request to re1nain in the army his own affairs were held in abeyance. Respecting his belongings in Woodstock he wrote: "I left my household furniture, stock, etc., in the glebe at Dunmore, ,vhich I rented for one year, from the 10th of January last, under the care of an overseer, who,_ I am informed, is gone on the Indian expedition, and the- vestry like,vise notify me that they wis~ my effects removed to 111ake room ·for a 111inister. As the enemy have already broke me up in Philadel­ phia, I ,vish to ~ave the little I have left in Virginia, as I could not in justice to my family continue in the ~ervice unless I kne\v them in son1e sort provided for. . I do not, however, mean to ask per1nission to go so long as your Excellency shall think my senrices wanted." Washington replied that both Woodford and Scott had gone to Virginia and Muhlen­ berg was the only remaining Virginia general, and therefore w ashington hoped he \Vould defer his visit. Thus he remained ,vith the army throughout the winter. Muhlenberg's brigade and that of Wood­ ford at this ti1ne constituted a division com-:­ n1anded bv General Putnam. As Putna1n ,vas ~ often · engaged else\vhere • Muhlenberg coi:1- 1nanded the division durin·g most of the ,vinter. This winter of 1778-9 passed much more comfortably than the preceding one at Valley 106 THE FIGHTING PARSON Forge. Son1etin1es Muhlenberg· entertained in his headquarters at Wesi Point, for he_ delighted in the co111pany of congenial souls. One account 1nentions that on N ove111ber 3 forty-one officers were his guests and fourteen different dishes ,vere on the table. After-\vards!. ,vith · General· Putnam presiding, the guests .responded to toasts, sang songs, listened to 1n usic and ,vound up the evening "\\rith a dance. .1.L\..t the end of November the division under 1\tluhlenberg ,vas ordered fro111 West Point to join the n1ain contingent of the army at Middle­ brook, New Jersey. Here also he vvas able to indulge his spirit of hospitality. On N evv Year's Day, 1779, he gave a ball and supper,· when, according to Dr. Thatcher, "not one of the co1npany was permitted to retire until 3 o'clock in the morning." The chief event of the ensuing summer of 1779 in vvhich Muhlenberg's troops shared ,vas the storming of Stony· Point. From his base at Nevv \'.,..ork General Clin­ ton by a sudden dash up, the Hudson Valley captured the A1nerican posts at Stony Point and V erplank' s Point. Washington planned to recapture Stony Point, an itnportant stronghold along the I-I udson. General Wayne vvas dele­ gated to make the attack. ,vith General 1\1:uhlen­ berg supporting hin:i. The plan ,vas success­ fully carried out on July 15. General lvfuhlen­ berg, with 300 men fro1n his brigade, ,vas sta­ tioned so they could either come to the . aid of SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 107 Wayne in the attack upon the British or else cover the retreat of the· assailing force if it 1net with 111isfortune. \Vayne executed the duty assigned him so effectively that the help of Muhlenberg's detachn1ent was not needed. With the arn1y inactive most of the time, confusion resulted from desertions and lack of discipline, and Muhlenberg was much occupied trying to rectify affairs in his command.·

Takes Command in Virginia The winter of 1779-80 the army spent in the vicinity of l\,forristown, N. J. As the British at this time ,vere sending troops to the South, all the Virg-inia regi111ents ,vith Washington were ordered to Charleston, S. C., in December, 1779, and 11uhlenberg ,vas · directed to take con1mand of the .A.1nerican forces in Virginia. He spent so1ne weeks in Philadelphia, and ar­ rived in Virginia in February, 1780. The t,vo Carolinas, Georgia, arid Virginia, now became the scene of the principal 1nilitary operations of the Revolution. The British cap­ tured Charleston. South Carolina, and numerous conflicts occurred between s111all bodies of par­ tisans. Conditions in 1nany parts of the Caro­ linas ,vere little short of anarchy. Supporters of Great Britain · organized 111any co~1panies, and bitter internecine ,varfare resulted bet\veen them and the pa trio ts. Upon Virginia the chief reliance had to be placed to keep the southern army supplied vvith 108 - THE FIGHTING PARSON 1nen and food, .for Virginia _was then the richest and n1ost populous qf the thirteen states, and so far it had suffered comp<:Lratively little from the war. Muhlenberg first went to Riclpnond to col­ lect n1en and n1unitions. But recruiting w~s·at a low ebb, and prices of goods were at an astounding level. 1-1 uhlenberg hi1nself ha_d to pay $20,000 for a horse, the payment being in the greatly depreciated Continental currency. Even after l\riuhlenberg got together some troops the state of Virginia had no 111oney ,vith which to pay thetn, so that it ,vas necessary to furlou_gh the1n. Troops that remained could not parade for lack of clothes. The situation became worse in l\!Iay, 1780, when by the capitulation of Charleston to the Br~tish all the regular troops of Virginia becan1e prisoners of war in the hands of the foe. General Gates ,vas no,v appointed to con1- 111and a new A1nerican arn1y in the South, and 1nost of tha_t ar1ny was to be raised in Virginia. Washington i1nplored lVI uhlenberg to hasten re­ cruiting. .A.. t Muhlenberg~s suggestion the Vir­ ginia Legislature on August 1 authorized a draft of 3000 men, though Muhlenberg had asked for 5000. By Septe1nber 1, 1780, Muhlenberg, at Chesterfield, \Tirginia, had - several regiments filled. But they lacked clothing and ar1ns. His letters to Congress in Philadelphia had brought no response, so he sent Colonel Febiger to the capital to obtain the supplies needed. The Vir- SERVICE IN· THE REVOLUTION 109 ginia recruits ,vere f or,varded to Gates at Hills­ boro, North Carolina. Gates fought the battle of Ca1nden, in South Carolina, 111eeting a severe defeat. Handicapped on every side, lVIuhlenberg nevertheless sought to provide _the 1nen so badly needed farther south to stein the advance of the British, under Lord· Cornwallis, ,vho novv n1en­ aced Virginia itself. His desperate efforts in October brought do,vn upon i\1uhlenberg the reproof of Gates, who objected because the men Muhlenberg sent hi1n ,vere vvithout . clothes. blankets. ar1ns or accoutre1nents, constituting "a naked rabble.'' Now Clinton sent 3000 British troops from N e,v York, under General Leslie, to Virginia. Thev arrived in the Ta1nes River at Portsmouth ~ ~ on October 15. i\1:uhlenberg kept such troops as were at hand and set about assen1bling a ne,v army for the defense of Virginia. The British raided the country along the Ja111es River. l\,filitia assen1bled, and l\!Iuhlenberg took post fifteen 1niles fro1n the enen1y~ s lines. Having collected 5000 111en, he advanced with the111 against Lesfie's ar111y and drove in the pickets. In N oven1ber the British boarded their ships and sailed back to N e,v York. ,vhereupon the Virginia 1nilitia ,vere pern1i t~ed to return hon1e. 1\tleanvvhile General Greene had superseded Gates in con1111and of the An1erican forces in the South, and General Steuben was sent to take command in Virginia. Steuben arrived on 110 THE· FIGHTING PARSON December- 1, 1780, and assumed charge of the forwarding of. troops to Greene's army, farther so1;1th. A court 111artial of Gates was ordered, and l\1uhlenberg was appointed a me111ber of the court. But the ar1ny officers were so much . occupied about this tin1e that the court never 1net, and Congress finally rescinded the order for the trial. Steuben found hin1self in· a dile1n1na, for while Greene ,vas badly in need of reinforce­ ments for the southern army, Governor Thomas Jefferson and the people of Virginia protested against sending away more troops, believing their state was liable to a British invasion fron1 the ocean. Another annoying feature was that so many A1nerican officers supposed to be on duty were at their homes or on jaunts about the state, notwithstanding NI uhlenberg~s orders had called on then1 to report to their conunands. \Vhen Steuben, in Dece1nber, directed a contingent of 400 1nen fro1n Muhlenberg's co1n­ n1and to join Greene in North Carolina, the officers signed a paper refusing to 1narch be­ cause they had not been paid and food and proper clothing had not been provided. l\tI uhlen­ berg, with Cole Harrison and Greene, induced the officers to ,vithdra,v the paper and 1narch to North Carolina on Dece1n ber- 14. The British had not abandoned the idea of subduing Virginia. On January 2, 1781, a fleet arrived at Ports111outh ,vith 2000 British troops under comn1and of General Benedict Arnold, SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 111 through whose treason the year before· the Americans had nearly lost West Point. Arnold took possession of Richmond, causing much da1nage there, but he soon retirea. down the James River. Muhlenberg was in-Woodstock on leave of absence at this time. He had been home only three days when a 111essenger arrived from Gen­ eral ·Steuben telling of t~e nevv inv~sion and asking hin1 to take steps to protect northern Virginia. He set out i1nmediately for Fred­ ericksburg, and there began collecting the militia, which force, in response to further orders from Steuben, he led on to the James, taking post ,vith 800 infantry and some cavalry at Cabin Point. Steuben had his headquarters in Rich1nond, ,vhile Muhlenberg co1nn1anded in the field, instituting measures to check further r_aiding by Arnold. A plan was proposed about this time to capture Arnold. Tho1nas Jefferson,. governor of Virginia, ,vrote to J\rluhlenberg urging the plan be executed by ~'111en frotn the western side of the 111ountains''-that is, n1en from l\!Iuhlenberg's Shenandoah Valley-vvho vvere kno,vn to l\:Iuhlenberg personally. If success­ ful a reward of 5000 guineas \ivas promised to the party. There is reason to believe that an attempt ,vas made to seize the traitor, but de­ tai_ls of the undertaking ,vere never revealed. Be9ause just such a project was feared Arnold ,vas so carefully guarded that he could not be 112 ·rHE FIGHTING PARSON isolated and taken. According to· one version, Colonel George Rogers Clark, a frontier hero, vvas chosen to direct the venture. A tradition of the incident tells that orte of Clark's party 1.vas captured by the British and_ brought be~ fore Arnold. "What would be my. fate if the i\.mericans caught 1ne ?" asked Arnold. The reply was:. "We would cut off that shortened leg wounded at Quebec and Saratoga and bury it with tlie. honors of war, and then hang the rest of vou." A small French fleet. appeared off Ports­ mouth, and Muhlenberg had high hopes. the .A.merican army and the French navy would combine in an attack that would resu]t in- the taking of Arnold and his whole commaticl. lVIuhlenberg now had about 2000 men. But the French _ships refused to stay, the c9n1mander saying the Elizabeth River was too shallow for his ships .. Muhlenberg implored hi1n at least to re1nain where he was to prevent the escape of the British.· but the French ships sailed a,;vay. General Lafayette was now assigned to ·comn1and the American army in Virginia, \Vashington realizing the likelihood of import­ ant developments there provide_d he could in­ duce the French naval forces to lend their aid. Toward such co-operation it -was naturally ex­ pected that Lafayette's influence vvould count for much. Lafayette brought ,vith him 1200 men from the Continental artnv on the Hudson. Muhlenberg 1neanwhile kept .Arnold confined in a narrow sector. SERVICE ·rn .THE REVOLUTION 113

_A. curious British ·"joke" ya used M uhlen­ berg so111e annoyance and anxiety at this time. He had sent 350 men, in command of Colonel Parker, to attack a British post' at Great Bridge. They captured the post and ·also several British· gunboats. On one of the boats ~hey found the baggage of Captain Stevenson, commander at Great Bridge. Examining this the Americans ca111e upon ,vhat seemed to be a letter written by Stevenson and addressed to General Gregory, con1111ander of the North Carolina militia, -sta­ tioned nearby. The letter discussed a plan for Gregory's surrender to Lieutenant Colonel Sin1coe, of the British army. Parker turned the lett~r over to General 1'1 uhlenberg, ,vho ordered the arrest of Gregory. Suspicion had prevailed for some tin1e among the A1nericans that. Bene­ dict .A.rnold ,vas not the only traitor in their ranks. Now it looked as though one had been caught. Sin1coe heard of what had occurred, and he vvrote to Colonel Parker declaring that the letter was only a joke and that there had been no negotiations between hin1 and Gregory. Gregory vvas released, but because of the feel­ ing aroused against hiµi _he left the ar1ny. While Arnold vvas in Virginia General l\tluhlenberg received at least t\vo letters fron1 hin1. To the first letter he did not reply, as is indicated by Arnold ~s second 1nissive. Nor is there _any record. as to the outcome of · the questions that Arnold raised. Arnold's second 114 THE FIGHTING PARSON letter, ·dated Headquarters, Portsmouth, March 14, 1781, was as follows: "I wrote you the 8th instant, by Lieutenant Herron, respecting the -detention of a flag ·of truce, which left this place on the_ 1st of F ebru­ ary, with my permission, to go_ to vVestover, to which I beg leave to refer, and to ·which I have not received an answer. I have therefore sent Liei1tenant Learmouth with a flag for an ans,ver to rny letter referred to, and expect, as you are a gentlemen~ that an explicit and not an evasive answer ,vill be returned to me. The violation of a flag of truce is so unprecedented among civilized, nay among savage nations, and calls so loudly., for redress or retaliation that I estee1n it 1ny duty· to den1and to know for ,vhat reasons 111ine has been violated in the instance of Lieu­ tenant Hare, and that ~he _vessel and . people should be in1mediately released and returned to me. If I receive not a satisfactorv., answer or you persist to act in defiance of the la,v of na- tions, I shall be under the necessity of taking such 1neasu.res, ho,vever disagre~able, and ,vhich I have hitherto avoided, as will teach a proper respect to flag-s of truce, and will convince those in po-\ver among you that I am not to be trifled ,vith. "I beg you to re1nen1 bet that I have hither­ to spared your defenseless to,vns and private property. I wish not to be forced in to acts of severity at which the hun1ane heart would re­ coil. SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 115 ''I beg leave also to observe (in compassion to your people prisoners with me) that I have either received none or evasive ans_wers to every proposal I have 1nade for an exchange of those unhappy people." On March 19, 1781, Lafayette arrived in 1'1 uhlenberg' s ca1np at Suffolk, twenty-six miles southwest of Norfolk, but he so_on returned to· his o,vn troops, at the head of C_hesapeake Bay, leaving l\1uhlenberg still in comn1and of the forces oppo?in_g the British. A fleet brought 3000 n1en to reinforce i\.rnold, and it looked as though the purpose of the British was to form a junction ,vith Lord Corn,vallis' ar1ny, in North Carolina. The Virginia 111ilitia who had served their tern1 of three months insisted on going hon1e. :rvruhlenberg, describing the situation~ ,vrote that the 1nilitia· -''have partly discharged the1nselves and co111pelled 111e to discharge the ren1ainder.'' One hundred deserted in one night. He ,vas therefore under the necessity of retir­ ing fro111 the position he held close · to the enen1y's lines. I-Ie no,v had only 800 1nen, ,:vith but five rounds of cartridges. ''So," he wrote in a letter, "nobody ,vill be surprised if on the enen1y' s con1ing out I take tnyself out of his reach.'' A large force of the British, u,nder command of General Phillips and General Arnold, ,vent up the Ja111es River in boats, debarking at City Point on .A.pril 24, 1781. General 11uhlenberg placed his 111en, no,v numbering 1000, between 116 THE FIGHTING PARSON the British and Richmond, and General Steuben assumed con1mand. f\.n engage111ent continuing two hours ensued, sixty to seventy Americans being killed, vvhile the British loss was trifling. The ..A.1nericans retreated to Richmond. - Both in general qrders and in his report to Congress General Steuben war1nly praised 1\!.Iuhlenberg and his men for their stand against great odds, saying: "General 1\,1.uhlenberg 1nerits 1ny particular ackno\ivledgments for the good disposition ,vhich he 1nade and the great gal­ lantry vvith ,vhich he executed it." Finally on .A.pril 29 Lafayette· and his de­ tach1nent arrived, and Lafayette took comn1and of operations in Virginia, ,vhile lVluhlenberg, as senior brigadier general, was assigned to the Continental troops that Lafayette had brought with hi1n. Washington further reinforced Lafayette by sending to Virginia 900 men of the Pennsylvania line,. under General Anthony "\iVayne. So1ne of the harassing experiences which 1v1uhlenberg encountered in trying to 111aintain discipline a1nong the troops are suggested in a letter fro1n him to General \Vashington - on July 2, 1781. fron1 Cu111berland Old Court House, Va. He reported that eleven 1nen had deserted, but "the 1nost notorious villain of the ,:vhole" was apprehended, and after a court 111artial was sentenced to be shot. He ad111itted deserting four tin1es, stealing a horse, forging Muhlenberg~s na1ne to discharge papers and a SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 117 pass and also joining the British. Nevertheless lVIuhlenberg wrote he was "loath to order his execution until I could receive directions· fro1n your Excellency." However, other officers protested against clemency or delay, and Muh­ I-enberg therefore approved· the sentence, and it vvas executed on July 16. \Vashington sub­ sequently sanctioned all that had been d9ne in the case.

The Y orlqown Campaign The British general, Lord Cornvvallis, after a. series of 1nisadv.entures in ~ orth Carolina, - made his vvay vvith his army to Petersburg, Va., where he con1bined forces ,vith Arnold on 1\lay 20, 1781. S?utheastern Virginia ,vas rav~ged,. the state govern1nent fleeing to Charlottesville. Corn,vallis finally fixed upon y·orkto,vn as his base of operations, and there he succeeded in bottling hin1self up so effectively that a splendid opportunity ,,~as offered to the A1nericans to ,V"in a decisive victory. _.A.t N e,v York Washington, ,vith his sn1all Continental arn1y, continued to maneuver about the British in a ,vay that caused Sir Henry Clinton, their con1mander, to hesitate about sending 111ore 1nen to Virginia.. Nor ,vere 1nany ne,v troops coming fro1n England, for at this tiine Great Britain ,vas facing the united oppo­ sition of France, Spain, Holland and the United States, and ,vas carrying on ,videspread naval operations against these povvers. So Cornvvallis 118 THE FIGHTING PARSON ,vas left to look after hi1nself as best he could. vVashington -sent word .to Count DeGrasse, co1n111ander of a French fleet then in the West Indies, urging hin1 to bring his ships into Chesa­ peake Bay. In his can1p on the Hudson Wash­ ington continued his policy of keeping Clinton occupied. St:!ddenly on Septe1n ber 2. Washing­ ton and the Continentals, together with the French allies under Rochambeau, left the Hud­ son and proceeded on forced 1narches through N evv Jersey and Philadelphia to the head of Chesapeake Bay. Thence they vvere carried on French transports to the neighborhood of York­ to,vn. Before the arrival of Washington Lafayette feared Co'rn,vallis 111ight 111ake a desperate effort to save hin1self by breaking through the An1erican line and seeking refuge in North Carolina. To Wayne and 11:uhlenberg vvas given_ the duty of preventing such a n1ove. l\!Iuhlenberg first concerned hin1self vvith getting out the North Carolina 111ilitia and destroying bridges, 1nills and provisions. Then he posted his troops as close as possible to ·the British line at Yorktovvn where the 111oven1ents of the enen1y could be kept under observation. All the A1nerican brigades were pitifully weak. In the sun1111er of 1781 Muhlenberg's brigade consisted of 800 111en. By October it had been increased to 1000. On Septe1nber 14 Washington and Count Rochan1 beau, the latter co1nmanding the French troops, vvere at. Williamsburg, Virginia. Soon SERVICE IN .THE REVOLUTION 119 the co1nbined ar111ies began their advanc~ upon Yorktown. The investn1ent of the British lines was under way by the end of September, the purpose being to besiege the enen1y and make gradual advances upon hin1. The French· and American forces totaled 16,600 men, they being about equally divided bet,veen the t,vo nationalities. Corn,vallis had about 8000 111en. Announcing the line of battle in general orders on Septen1ber 27, Washington placed the brigades of 11uhlenberg and Hazen on the right of the front line, under command of Lafayette, artd Muhlenberg' s brigade, preceded by Colonel · Lewis' Corps of Riflemen, ·_ ,vas to constitute the advanced guard. The siege continued ,vithout conflicts of n1oment until the ·night· of October 15, ,vhen t,vo flank redoubts of the British were stormed and captured with the bayonet. The attack on one redoubt ,vas 111ade by a French detachment. T,vo brigades of Americans under command of 1'1uhlenberg· captured the other redoubt. l\fany accounts say · Colonel Alexander­ Hatnilton led the American storn1ing party on this occasion. It has been shown; however, that, ,vhile Colonel Hamilton commanded a regin1ent in the attack and acquitted himself ,vith heroistn, the 1novement ,vas in charge of lVIuhlenberg as con11nander of the t,vo brigades. After attaining the interior of the redoubt l\1uhlenberg ,vas slightly injq.red, and hence 120 THE FIGHTING PARSON Ha1nilton wrote the report of the n1ovement, which caused credit to be given hi111 as com- 1nander. It \Vas characteristic of lVIuhlenberg that he did not enter into controversy about the 1natter subsequently. i\..n obituary article in the Aurora, Phila­ delphia, at the ti1ne of General Muhlenberg~-s deat}:i a~serted he led the star.ming party at Yorktown and "displayed the hero, the human 1nan, and gave a luster to the name of Am~rican by blending valor and intrepidity with magna­ nin1ity-having entered tJ:ie breach and every man of his party, himself included, ,vounded, he ~obly stayed the hand of his fello,v-citizens fro111 the exercise of the la,vful rights of ,var; he stormed, conquered and spared the van­ quished." One of his . aides who survived until 1840 ,vas quoted as. declaring that General J\!Iuhlen­ berg led the stor1ning party in person. By the loss of the flank redoubts Corn,vallis ,vas convinced his position vvas no longer ten­ able. .i.-\. parley bet,veen the opposing forces took p,~ce on October Ii, culn1inating in the s1.1rrenlier of the Britjsh arn1y t,vo days later. . Muhlenberg suffered from ill health at this tin1e .. On ()ctober 23 he ,vrote to vVashington fro1n Willia1nsburg saying_ he had been afflicted vvith -a violent fever for ten days and asking that he be pern1itted to go to his ho1ne in Wood­ stock. Since he had entered the service he had been able to speµd but three days in Woodstock. SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 121 The pern1ission sought was granted, and Gen­ eral ·Muhlenberg ren1ained ·with his family in the Shenandoah Valley until the following . spring.

Final Scenes of the War Cornwallis' surrender at Y orkto,vn virtu­ ally ended the war. But that fact \vas not then evident. The British still held such important centers as N e,v York, Charleston and Savannah. The An1ericalis ,vere exhausted, both in man povver and in finances. Only ,vith strong French aid had Yorktown been won. How long _such aid 1night continue ~vas uncertain. On the oth~r hand England also was keenly feeling the losses of the long_ \var against three great European nations, and the Whigs in England urged that the American ,var. be aband~ned in order to concentrate effort on the conflict else­ where. The latter policy eventually prevailed. But 'J\T ashington and the other An1erican lead­ ers could not forecast such action in 1781. Hence the only safe course for them was to maintain the army at the, best strength possible. Rochan1beau's French troops remained in Virginia during the ,vinter of 1781-2, but in 1782 thev 1noved to the North. It ,vas then neces- .J sary to begin recruiting in Virginia. To such service General Muhlenberg \vas assigned in the spring of 1782, and the troops he _assembled ,vere for,varded to General Greene's army, in South Carolina. Fro1n his rendezvous at Cum- 122 THE FIGHTING PARSON berland Old Court House he continued to send troops to the arn1y until the British evacuation of Charleston made it unnecessary to continue military activities in the South. Thereafter General 1\,I uhlen berg's head­ quarters \vere in the barracks in \Vinchester, at the foot of the Shenandoah \Talley. Here he ,vas only thirty 1niles fron1 his fan1ily in Wood­ stock, and could frequently visit them. It is said he so1netin1es 111arried couples at this ti1ne. Recruiting continued until 1farch, 1783, ,vhen ne,vs arrived of the signing of the preli1ninaries for peace. lVIuhlenberg·s duties then involved the disbanding of troops in the service in Vir­ ginia, his jurisdiction including Fort Pitt, vvliere Pittsburgh now is, in W ester_n Pennsylvania. On· September 30, 1783, Congress promoted General l\tiuhlenberg to the rank of 1najor gen­ eral. The disbanding of the arn1y ,vas · ordered the f ollo-\ving N oven1 her. The same year l\tiuhlenberg beca111e one of the original n1en1 hers of the .Order of the Gn­ cinnati.

Muhlenberg Memorials at Woodstock On returning to \V oodstock M uh_len berg 1net the suggestion that he re?un1e the n1inistry vvith the co1nment that ''it vvould never do to mount the parson after the _soldier." By this tin1e the na111e of the county of vvhich vVoodstock ,vas the seat of government had been charged fro111 Dunmore to Shenan- SERVICE IN ·rHE REVOLUTION 123 doah, for the royal governor of Virginia whose ~a111e had been adopted when the county was created had con1pletely discredited hi1nself through his aggressions in the early years of the war. In N oven1ber, 1783, General Muhlenberg ren1oved his family fro1n \Voodstock to the ho1ne of his parents, in Trappe, Pa. The vVoodstock church where 1\!Iuhlenberg had preached his thrilling farewell sermon in 1776 vvas abandoned after the ,var. · The for1ner established church of Virginia · could . now no longer clain1 governmental support through taxation. J\ioreover, n1ost of its 111inisters ,vere in disfavor for having supported the cause . of .the crown. For n1any years the life of the aver­ age parson in Virginia had been far fro1n -ex­ en1plary. They were not of a type· of character to cope vvith diffic1.1lties, and when their livings ,vere taken fro1n then1 they yielded to the stress of conditions and the churches ,vere abandoned and the glebe lands sold. Not until after the· Rev. Willian1 J\tfeade becan1e bishop of Virginia, in 1829, ,vas the Episcopal church revived in that state. The Gern1an Lutherans of the Shenandoah Valley took steps to effect congregational .or­ ganization independent of the ol_d influences of the established church, and the Rev. Christian. Streit, ,vho had been chaplain of the Ger1na~ Regiment in the early days of the ,var, became pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Winchest- 124 THE FIGHTING PARSON er in 1785.. About · 1790 the Rev. Paul Henkel assu111ed l the Lutheran pastorate in New 11arket, south of Woodstock, n1inistering also to the Lutherans of Woodstock. The church in ,vhich Peter !vf uhlenberg preached -stood on the borders of the Square in· Woodstock until 1848, though not regularly used by any congregation: In_ 1803 a Lutheran congregation was organized in \V' oodstock, building its church in a different part of the to,vn from that ,vhere the old church stood. This congTegation still exists and has a large 1nembership. An Episcopal parish ,vas founded in Wood­ stock in 1882. Its me1nbership is small, but it has built its church close to the site of 11uhlen­ berg's old church, on the Square, and it claims to be the legitimate successor of the origi:q.al Beckford Parish. A sign in frqnt of the church reads: "E1n1nanuel Episcopal Church. Beckford Farish. Open daily for prayer and n1editation. Sunday service, sun11ner, 8 P. 1vL, ,vinter, 7.30 P. M. General Peter 11 uhlenberg ,vas the first rector of this church." A large windo,v in the church is inscribed thus: '' In n1emory of General Peter Muhlenberg, of Revolutionary fame, the first rector to offici­ ate in the first Episcopal church built in Beck­ ford Parish, in the Colony of Virginia, upon the site of which this church stands." ~: _/·.. / ;..,,/ ;.: . -;£._:.. "::'-:5~::::::,;;

EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WOODSTOCK, ON THE SITE OF MUHLENBERG'S CHURCH

SERVICE IN THE REVOLUTION 125 The Lutheran church in Woodstock also is named Emanuel-with one "m." A pe,vter con1n1union. set and an altar cloth used in the Woodstock church ,vhen Peter .Muhlenberg ,vas the pastor have been preserved in. vV oodstock. Upon the altar cloth the f ollovv­ ing is e111broidered: "Friederich Hengerer. Eva M aragreda Hengerin. \V utstack. Gott allein die Ehr. 1767." In 1930 the _people of Woodstock. placed a bronze !ablet upon the front ,vall of their ..ancient court house,- on ·the Square, co1n1nen1ora ting both· the building of the court house, in i791, and Peter lVIuhlenberg·s sern1on in the church on the opposite side of the Square, in 1776. IV

POLITICAL AND CIVIC C.LL\.REER

A Journey to the Wilds of Kentucky Returning to Pennsylvania after the close of the Revolution, General l\1uhlenberg at first conten1plated entering into trade in Philadelphia with a brother-in-law who was a 111erchant._ His earliest inclinations, it will be recalled, ,vere to­ ward a business career. But the Philadelphia project did not develop satisfactorily and ,vas abandoned. Then General Muhlenberg con­ sidered settling in Ohio on lands to which he was entitled by reason of his 111ili tary service. His quota of such lands totaled 13,000 acres. About this ti1ne he ,vas appointed to direct the distribution of the bounty lands which the state of Virginia had granted to the soldiers fron1 that state for service in the Revolutionary vVar. 'These grants ,vere 1nostly in Virgin1a·s ,vestern do111ain, in the Ohio Valley, in territory later con1prised ,vithin the states of Ohio and Kentucky. Muhlenberg·s official duties required him to go to the Falls of the Ohio, now Louis­ ville, Kentucky. So he decided to 1nake the journey to ·Ohio and Kentucky both in his o,vn POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 127 interests and as the authorized representative of Virginia. He also took ,vith him_ comn1is­ s:ions to locate lands a,varded to General Steuben and other officers of the Revolutionary arn1y. A journaJ ,vhich General lVIuhlenberg kept during his travels has been preserved, and it presents a vivid picture of the difficulties inci­ dental to the undertaking. _Riding on horse­ back, he ,vas on the ,vay fro1n Februc1:ry 22, 1784, until April 11. 1... oday a· 111otorcar 1nakes the same trip in tvvo days. His brother, Frederick l\., acco111panied hi1n fro111 Trappe through Falkner S,va1np to the house of Francis· Swaine, their brother-in-law, i~ 1?erks County, ,vhere they re1nained over 1;1ight. The next day Frederick returned to Trappe, vvhile the general bought equip111ent for his journey. On February 24 he arrived in ·Reading, staying for a day ,vith relatives. Fro1n the 26th until. the 28th he vvas at the hon1e of another brother-in-lavv, the Rev. Christopher E. Shulze, at Tulpehocken. · Progress \vas difficult because of intense cold and deep sno,v. On lVIarch 2 he crossed the Susquehanna on the ice at Harris'· Ferry, no,v Harrisburg. 1-\t Carlisle there vvas another short halt,· and in the evening General lVIuhlen­ berg ,vitne·ssed a perfor111ance of the tragedy ''Douglas," given in the old 1nilitary barracks by students of the ·recently established Dickin..:. 128 THE FIG-HT~·o PARSON son College._ "The whole performance was as \vell as could be expected," · he noted, for evi­ dently this was not the first time he had endured student theatricals. Here Captain Frederick Paschke, a Pennsylvania officer in- ·the Revolu­ tion, joined J\1tihlenberg and accompanied him throughout the journey. Continuing through Shippensburg, · the passage over the Allegheny Mountains was eased son1e,vhat, for, although more than t,vo feet of sno,v covered the primitive road, yet a path ,vas broken for 11uhlenberg and his com­ panion -by forty pack horses that preceded them. Describing his own appearance on the trail, he noted when he ,vas at Bedford, on 1Vlarth 6, that he, rese111bled Robinson Crusoe-"four belt~ around me, two braces of --pistols, a sword and rifle slung, besides my pouch and tobacco pipe, which is not a s111all one.. , Exposure had so tanned his face that the natives 1nistook hitn for a Spaniard. As no one recognized him he son1etin1es sat in taverns and listened to loung­ ers retailing war reminiscences and discussing politics, and occasionally he heard his own .name 1nentioned, "s01netimes in one way and son1e­ times in another.~' When the travelers arrived at Fort Pitt, now Pittsburgh, on March - 10, the ice \Vas breaking up in the rivers. Thence the journey vvas to be n1ade in boats on the Ohio, but sno\v storms and other adverse weather conditions delayed departure until i\1arch 31. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 129 J\1uhlenberg joined fortunes with other travelers in a fleet" of five boats. One of the boats was · named for Muhlenberg. Another the facetious voyagers dubbed "The Carpenter's 1\/Iistake." On both sides of the river was a wilderness. Ru1nors told of· hostile Indians lurking in the vicinity. Frequent stops were made to permit hunting ashore. On April 5 a buffalo and a deer were killed in Ohio, at the mouth of the Scioto, ,vhere the citv of Ports1nouth now is. ✓ . Later three more buffaloes .were shot near the Little Miami, but they were so lean that the h·unters decided to kill no more of these animals. All the ga1ne ,vas in poor condition as the result of a severe winter, and many dead animals were seen in the woods. T,vo of the travelers ,vho went ashore on April 9 were lost. After a futile search for them, three others were left ·behind to continue inquiries, vlhile the re1nainder of the party pro­ ceeded down the river. On the evening of the 10th they discovered the missing 1nen on the shore of the river. The destination ,vas the Falls of the Ohio, now Louisville, I(en tucky. Arriving there on ./\ pril 11, they ,vere greeted with a salute from Fort Nelson. Besides the fort the town con­ sisted of a court house, prison and seven ca bins. On i\pril _22 and 23 General Mu4lenberg conducted a lottery to establish the order of choice among the land clai1nants. As the-· 130 THE FIGHTING PARSON Indians were disposed to resent intrusion of the whites, l\!Iuhlenberg called on the county lieu­ tenant· to provide a militia guard. to permit the locating and survey of the land for the Virginia ,var veterans. No 1nilitia responded. Then an effort ,vas made to organize a guard of fifty men to serve for $45 a 1nonth. This also failed. Con­ sequently the survey was postponed until a 1nore favorable time. The land to which General. Muhlenberg himself was entitted he located in Ohio, on the banks of the Scioto. Of this _he traded 1000 acres for a like tract in Kentucky, nine miles from the Falls of the ·ohio, and he also ·joined a syndicate in the purchase of 200,000 act·es in Kentucky. As nothing further could be accomplished at this ti111e in the distribution of the veterans' lands, General Muhlenberg returned home, ac­ con1panying a party across l(entucky to the Cun1berland River and proceeding thence through North Carolina and Virginia. In cross­ ing Kentucky fe,i\T settlements ,vere encounter­ ed. At night the party would encatnp and post guards, for fear of Indians. Thus it fell to the lot of the former general to take his turn as sergeant of the guard. The n1ost i1nportant Kentucky settlement through Vlhich they passed \vas Harrod~s Sta­ tion, later· Harrodsburg. In that locality 11 uhlenberg visited one of the pioneer settlers, Colonel Abraham Bowman, who had been lieu- POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 131 tenant colonel of _Muhlenberg's old German Regi1nent. Here Muhlenberg was stricken with fever and ague. His own party having proceed­ ed, Ivi uhlenberg on recovering joined anothe~ group of travelers ntunbering forty-six.· He noted_ that they traversed 120 miles before see­ ing another cabin. Coining into Virginia, he spent a fevv days ·in Staunton and Woodstock, in the Shenandoah Valley, and on June 25 he was once more at his home in Trappe. ~ Having learned on his trip of the dissatis­ fied attitude of the Indians in the Ohio River Valley, General 1'.Iuhlenberg wrote to Go_vernor J\1ifflin, of Pennsylvania, on this subject and urged that steps be taken to pacify the Indians and negotiate a treaty with the1n so the settle- 111ent of the Ohio country might be undertaken. Otherwise he feared an Indian ,var would break out on the frontier. He looked for,vard to making his home on his western lands; and he arranged to go again to the Ohio region the follo,ving Septe1nber. He spent the ,vinter of 1784-5 in Ohio and Ken­ tucky, located additional military grants, in­ cluding those of _General Steuben, and completed his duties as superintendent in behalf of Vir­ ginia. In the spring of 1785 he returned to his Pennsylvania hon1e. So great was the terror arnong settlers in the Ohio Valley lest the extensive appropria­ tion of land by Virginia for military bounties 132 THE FIGHTING PARSON should inspire Vhe Indians. to wage a ,var of exterminatibn against the whites, that repre­ sentations to this effect were 1nade to the Vir­ ginia Legislature, and in October, 1784, the Legislature authorized the govern(?r of the state to suspend the surveys of 111ilitary lands for as long a period as he 1night deem necessary. By procla111ation the governor designated· the term of suspension to continue until. January 10, 1786. When that time arrived the federal govern111ent, now in control of the ,vestern lands, rene,ved the order against the surveys. The Indian title ,vas not extinguished until 1818, and after that Kentucky \vould not per­ mit the locating of military warrants in -that state.. While a large nun1ber of Virginia's Revo­ lutionary soldiers were prompt to claim the lands allotted and became settlers in Ohio, Ken­ tuckv., atid Tennessee, nevertheless thousands ,vho delayed until after the cessation of surveys djd not obtain grants in this region. To satisfy these claimants Congress set apart large tracts of other ,vestern lands.

In Pennsylvania's Executive Council In the journal of his first ,vestern journey General 11uhlenherg ,vrofe of overhearing political discussions in ,vhich his nan1e was n1entioned, the participants in the discussion not knowing the 111an about who111 they talked was present. As a Revolutionary soldier with POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 133 an unblen~ished reputation and a 111an who ~,as popular a111ong the Ger1nan settlers, General Muhlenberg could not escape political consider­ ations. Already his younger brother, Frederick A., also bred to the 1ninistry, had entered upon a political career. He had continued preaching son1e years after Peter entered the army, assist­ ing his father in Pennsylvania churches, but in 1779 he abandoned the ministry when he was elected to the Continental Congress. The fol­ lo,ving year he beca1ne a 111ember of the State ..L\.ssen1bly ahd ,vas chosen its speaker. When his brother Peter returned home, Frederick ·A. was a 1ne1nber of the Pennsylvania Board of Censors and also a justice of the peace. Mont­ gon1ery County ,vas created in 1784 fron1 the ,vestern part of Philadelphia County. It in­ cluded Trappe, ,vhere the 1'Iuhlenbergs lived~ 'Ihe court of the ne,v county consisted of the justices of the peace in the county, and Fred­ erick ./\.. l\{uhlenberg ,vas president judge. He was also appointed register of ,vills and re­ corder of deeds of the new conn ty. General l\1uhlenberg's entrance into politics was in the capacity of a 111e1nber of the Supren1e Executive Council of Pennsylvania. Under the state constitution adopted in 1776, this body vvas the executive po,ver of the state, there being no governor. The Council consisted of t,velve elected 1ne1nbers, one fron1 each county and one fro1n the city of Philadelphia. One-third of their number ,vent out of office yearly, and 134 .THE FIGHTING PARSON after serving three years no 111en1 ber was eligible for re-election until four 111ore years elaps~d. At the election on October 11, 1785, Gen­ eral J\tluhlenberg was chosen t© represent the new county of Montgon1ery in the- Council. He ,vas unopposed, and 578' votes were cast for hi111 in the three election districts of the countv., . When the Council organized, in Philadel- phia, on October 18, General Muhlenberg was not present, nor did he appear to attend the daily 1neetin.gs of ·the Council until Nove1nber 2. After that he 111issed few sessions. Benja- 111in Franklin, vvho had returned to Philadelphia fron1 Europe a short tin1e before and had been elected the councillor fron1 the city of Phila­ delphia, was chosen to preside ov_er the Council. In the Council General Muhlenberg \Vas again called upon to aid in allotting lands to Revolutionary soldiers. This tin1e these "dona­ tion lands," as they were called, vvere the gift of the state of Pennsylvania to the 111en fro111 that state ,vho \vere enrolled in the Contin~ntal i\.rn1y. The Asse111 bly, . by an act of 1780, had pron1ised to a\vard such a ''donation," and by a further act .of 1783 the lands so to be bestow­ ed ,vere- located in \vestern · Pennsylvania, con1- prising all of Mercer and Cravvford Counties, nearly all ·of Erie and parts of Lawrence) Butler, .t\r1nstrong, Venango, Forest and vVarren Counties. This region was then vvild and un­ settled. Tracts ranging in size fro1n 200 to 500 acres 1-vere listed in series according to the POLITICAL .AND CIVIC CAREER 135 suitability of the soil for far1ning. It · was thought to assure fairness in the distribution by requiring all applicants to appear in person on stipulated days and draw tickets fron1 a lottery wheel. A conunittee of the Supreme Executive Council, the act directed, was to supervise the lottery. General Muhlenberg was appointed on this con1111ittee, in October, 1786, together ,vith John Boyd, Jonathan Hoge, Stephen Balliet, \t\rillian1 Brovvn and Samuel Dean. General Willian1 Irvine vvas nan1ed as agent to explore the lands and see that the assignn1ents accord­ ing to the lottery were properly put into effect. Ho,vever, the cq1nplicated procedure that had been devised proved impracticable, and later radical changes vvere 1nade in the 1nethod of distribution. Allotments of "donation lands" continued until the second decade of the nine­ teen th century. At the reorganization of the Supren1e Exec­ utive Council, October 31, 1787, Franklin was retained as president and General Muhlen­ berg was elected vice president. The election and installation of the officers ,vas a cere1nonious occasion. The Council and the Asse1n bly 1net in joint session, and after the choice of the president and the vice president procla1nation thereof ,vas 1nade. A procession vvas formed, led by constables vvith staves, sub-sheriffs ,vith vvands, the. high sheriff and the coroners with vvands. Then follo,ved the judges of all the courts, state, admiralty and county, different 136 THE FIGHTING PARSON court officers, state and national officers, "his excellency the president and the honorable the vice president," the 1nembers of the Council two and two, the speaker and members of Assembly, the doorkeepers and sergeants-at­ ar1ns, the provo·st and faculty of the University, 111ilitia officers and citizens. When all were in their assigned places the oath of office 1ivas ad- 1ninistered to the president and vice president. Franklin, now 81 years old, attended fevv sessions of the Council during the follovving year, so that it fell to the lot of General Muhlen­ berg to fulfill the functions of chief executive of the state, pre·siding at meetings of the Council, directing the carrying out of its orders arid con­ ducting an extensive correspondence in its be­ half. The 1nost in1portant matter that required his attention was the controversy in the Wyom­ ing region due to the conflicting clai1ns of Penn­ sylvania and Connecticut to that region. Penn­ sylvania officials vvho vvent there to adjust land clain1s were n1obbed and in1prisoned. Congress finally sent troops into the Wyoming Valley and the disorders ,vere subdued. Befor.e he ,vas elected vice president the State Asse1nbly in 1\1arch, 1787, had appointed General Muhlen­ berg as a con1111issioner, along ,vith Tin1othy Pickering and Joseph Montgomery, to settle the disputes arising from the grants n1ade by Con­ necticut, but he resigned from the con1mission before it began its work. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 137

About this time occurred the death of Gen­ eral Muhlenberg's father, the venerated Rev. Henry Melchi_or Muhlenberg. He breathed his last at his home in Trappe on Sunday morning, October 7, 1787, being buried three days later alongside the church vvhere he had so often preached. Both General lVIuhlenberg and his brother, Frederick A., lent their ·powerful support to bring about the ratification in Pennsylvania of the new federal constitution for1nulated in 1787. Frederick A. Muhlenberg presided over the state convention which accepted the consti tu­ tion. · Philadelphia arranged for a big celebration as soon as it should become known that the requisite number of states had ratified the con­ stitution. On June 21, 1788, word arrived that N e,v Ha1npshire, the ninth state, had· given its consent. Accordingly plans were 1nade for the de1nonstration on July 4. Before that date a tenth state, V~rginia, also approved the consti­ tution. In the procession, con1prising n1ilitary bodies, civic societies, trades and professions, General l\1uhlenberg headed the eleventh divis­ ion, designated in honor of "the convention of the states." He rode on horseback and carried a blue flag on vvhich could be read in silver letters, "Seventeenth of Septen1ber, 1787," that being the date of the adoption of the constitu­ tion in the convention called to prepare it. 138 THE FIGHTING PARSON An act of the Pennsylvania Assembly, in 1787, incorporating the. Gern1an College and Charity School of Lancaster, Pa., designated General Muhlenberg as one of the trustees. His brother, the Rev. Henry E. Muhlenberg, then pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, beca111e principal of the new school, vvhich was later knovvn as_,_Franklin College, the predeces­ sor of Franklin and J\1arshall College.

Elected to Congress In the first election for 111en1 bers of the House of Representatives of the United States under the new constitution, . in 1788, Penn­ sylvania's eight n1e1nbers were · chosen on one state-wide ticket. Tvvo of those elected were General Peter l\1uhlenberg and Frederick .~. Muhlenberg, who, hovvever; vvere candidates on opposing ti"ckets. The Federalists 111ade no1ninations at a con­ vention held in Lancaster N oven1ber 3, 1788, the convention being con1posed of two delegates fro1n each county in the state and a like nu1n­ ber fron1 the city of Philadelphia. The follovv­ ing candidates for 1nen1bers of the Federal House of Representatives ,vere chosen: Thon1as l-Iartley, York County; Henry Wynkoop, Bucks; Stephen Cha1n bers, John Allison, George Clymer, Philadelphia; Tho1nas Scott, Washing­ ton; 'fhon1as Fitzsim1nons, city of Philadelphia, and Frederick A. Muhlenberg, l\1ontgomery. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 139

The Anti-Federalists, later known as De1no-­ cratic Republicans or Republicans, and finally as De1nocrats, 111et in Harrisburg and no111inated these candidates: General Peter . Muhlenberg, Daniel I-Iiester, Willian1 Findl-ey, Charles Pettit, General Willian1 Irvine, William Montgo1nery, Blair lvicClenachan and Robert Whitehill. It vvas asserted by the Federalists that four of the Harris burg no1ninees, including General l\1uhlenberg, ,vere not really .A.nti-Federalists, but since· they supported the recently adopted federal constitution they could properly be classed as Federalists. - The election took place on Nove1nber 26. 11ore than a \veek elapsed before the returns fro111 all the counties \vere received and counted. Then it 1vas seen tha_t six· 1ne1nbers of the Lan­ caster ticket and t\vo of the Harrisburg ticket had been elected, the two on the latter ticket being General lvI uhlenberg and Daniel" Hiester, of Berks County, both of whon1 vvere popular among the German settlers and polled a large · vote in the Ger111an counties. The Federalists declined to attribute their election to .A.. nti-Fed­ eral sentin1ent a111ong the voters. The victorious candidates on the Lancaster ticket ,vere l\tiessrs. Clyn1er, Fitzsin1111ons, Hart­ ley, Scott and "\i\T ynkoop, besides Frederick A_ Muhlenberg. The total vote cast for the congressional candidates through_out the state ,vas as follo,vs, sho\:ving that the t\:vo Muhlenberg brothers led 140 THE FIGHTING~PARSON their respective tickets : F. A. Muhlenberg, 8707; Wynkoop, 8246; Hartley, 8163; Clymer, 8094; Fitzsin1111ons, 8086; Scott, 8068; Peter lVIuhlenberg, ,7417; Hiester, 7403; .A.llison, 7067; Chambers, 7050; Findley, 6586; - Irvine, 6492; Pettit, 6481 ; l\1ontgomery, 6348; McClenachari, 6223; Whitehill, 5850. Shortly prior to his election to Congress General l\lI uhlen berg's three-year term in the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania expired. The last session of the Council he at­ tended was on October 13, 1788, when an order was gra~ted for the salary due him to that date. Benja1nin :Franklin presided ,,vhen the Council 1net the following day. Then it v\ras discovered that Muhlenberg had not formally resigned his office of vice president, though he had left the city. The Council hastily sent a messenger after him with the request that he forward his resignation by the messenger. The Council met again that evening in Franklin's house, when the n1essenger produced General Muhlenberg's resignation and it was accepted, David Redick being elected vice president. General Muhlenberg and his brother, Fred­ erick A., left Philadelphia March 2, 1789, for New York, the capital of the nation, where Congress was to organize -on March 4. They took up their abode in Chatham row ,vith their brother-in-law and sister, the Rev. Dr. John Christopher Kunze and his ,vife, lVIargaret Hen­ rietta Muhlenberg. Dr. Kunze ,vas the leading POLITICAL AND CIVIC C~EER 141 Lutheran pastor in New York at that time and also professor of oriental languages in Columbia College. ·

The old New York Citv., Hall, Wall street, at the head of Broad street, erected in 1700, had been reconstructed for the occupancy. of Con­ gress, under. the direction of Majo_r Charles L'Enfant, a French engineer and architect, citizens of the city having subscribed the funds necessary to meet the expense. It ,vas now called Federal Hall. ,vhen March 4 ca1ne only eight senators and thirteen rep res en ta ti ves 1,vere · present ; hence organization had to be postponed to await appearance of a quorun1. The House assen1bled on April 1 and the Senate five days later. :frederick A. Muhlenberg was elected speaker of the · House, and he was escorted to his post of duty by cavalry and a procession of citizens. General Muhlenberg \\7as appointed a 1ne1nber of the con1mittees on national defense, regulation and discipline of the militia and the reserved military bounty lands of Virginia. · The first business was to count the electoral vote for President and then send Charles Tho1n­ son, secretary of the old Continental Congress, to 1\1:ount Vernon to notify Washington of his election. Weeks elapsed before Washing-ton arrived in New York, and ~nally he was in­ augurated on April 30. 142 THE FIGHTING PARSON,

l\,fany grave problen1s confronted the First Congress, including action on a1nendments to the constitution to correct defects that had co1ne to light. But the printed proceedings of the sessions of the House-do not.show that General lVIuhlenberg· ever 1nade a speech, either in the First Congress or in the. later Congresses of­ which he was a member. Nor was he· given to speechn1aking outside Congress, not,vithstand­ ing he was active in politics- and public affairs to the end of his life. This reticence is all the more striking when it is re1ne1nbered that he ,vas trained for preaching, and even- though no longer occupying the pulpit he 1nigh t readily have been excused for continuing a hortatory tenor of public adn1onition. Perhaps his min­ isterial career had taught hin1 the truth of the Biblical allusion to the tongue as an unruly n1e1n­ ber. ~t ·any rate his disinclination to indu-lge in oratory in an age when oratory flourished tends further to discredit the legends of his i1npetu­ osity and fiery flourish. In this Congress one of the questions a\vait­ ing solution for ,vhich -there vvas no precedent ,vas that of the President's title. Though the ne,v nation ·vvas a republic, still many of those engaged in establishing the government believed the office of chief rnagistra-te should be hed_ged about ,vith considerable dignity and the Presi­ dent should be distinguished by so1ne rhetoric­ ally pleasing salu~ation, such as His Excellency or His Highness. Muhlenberg ,vas averse to POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 143 such notions, and his aversion cast a cloud for -a time upon the relations between hi1nself and Washington. I'he story as .. aft'erwards told, evidently upon lVIuhlenberg's ovvn authority, was in this wise: Washington was said to have favored the title of "High l\{ightiness/~ such as v1as applied to the Stadholder of Holland. The 1natter ,vas before co1nn1i ttees of botl-1 houses, when Muhlenberg, ,vith several other representativ·es, was a guest of \Vashington at dinner. The title became a subject of discussion, and Wash­ ington asked:

"General M uhlenber2"--:._,.,. ,vhat do .,vou think of the title of 'High l\1ightinessJ rJ One of those at the table ,vas Henry 'vVyn­ koop, a Pennsylvania representative of large stature. lVI uhlen berg, replying to \V ashington, said: "vVhy, General, if ,ve vvere certain the office ,vould al\vays be held by 111en as large as your­ self or my friend, l\{r. Wynkoop, it vvould be appropriate enough; but if a President as s111all as 1ny opposite neighbor should be elected it ,voulcl become ridiculous.,. Washington~ s diary shovvs that General IVIuhlenberg dined ,vith the President on Janu­ ary 7, Iviarch 11 and IVIay 6, 1790. When the 111atter of the presidential title can1e to a vote lvluhlenberg voted vvith the majority against any kind of title. 144 THE FIGHTING PARSON Washington was displeased, it is s~id. Soon thereafter it was necessary to se~d an army .against hostile Indians in the region north of the Ohio River. Muhlenberg had become fa1niliar with conditions there on his two western trips, and because of his experience in the Revolution he ,vas proposed for the command of the army. However., the little clash over the presidentic:!,1 title, according to the gossip of the ti111es, in1- pelled ~ashington to overlook l\,luhlenberg·and appoint General Arthur St. Clair to the co1n- 1nand. St. Clair had been 111ade governor of the Northwest Territory the preceding _year. Even­ tually, because he proved his inadequacy, it ,vas necessary to assign the milit~ry co1nmand in the Northwest Territory to others. The First Congress was called upon to deter1nine the per111anent location of the federal capital. Pennsylvania laid clai1n to the capital because that state ,vas about in the 111idclle of _the chain of states stretching alollg the Atlantic seaboard which then constituted the nation. But

Pennsvlvania"s.., t,vo senators vvere divided on the 1question, Robert i\1:orris favoring the banks of the Delaware., opposite Trenton, vvhere lVT or­ risville later can1e into existence, ,vhile Willian1 Maclay proposed the Susq,uehanna Valley as 1110s t suitable. General Muhlenberg voted for the latter site. However, through a coalition of New York with the southern states, the District of Colun1bia, on the Potomac, was chosen. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 145 Genei;al Muhlenberg interested himself in obtaining fro1n Congress an annuity for General Steuben, ~o compensate hin1 for relinquishing offices and opportunities in Germany in order to join the A111erican ar1ny in the Revolu_tion . ....\ grant of $2500 a year was 1nade to Steuben.

Pennsylvania Politics. Pennsylvania was at this tin1e agitating the revision of its constitution, adopted in 1776. Nu1nerous defects in that code had co1ne to at­ tention. Chiefly was it thought desirable to abandon the one-cha111 ber Legislature and fol­ lovv the precedent of the national Congress by having a senate and house of rep·resentative·s. i-\. new constitution ,vas forn1ulated and placed before the voters of the state in 1790. General l\.f uhlenberg supported it, and his influence an1ong the Ger111ans- was po,verful in bringing about its adoption. - In colonial ti111es the Gern1ans of Penn­ sylvania often sided with the Quakers in oppo­ sition to the proprietaries, and through the help of the Ger111ans the Ouakers 111aintained control of the govern1nent long- aft~r they had ceased to have_ a nu1nerical majority of the population. Even before the Revolution the Quakers ,vere no longer potent in governn1ental- affairs, and ,vhen their pacifist attitude caused the111 to be classed with the Tories they lost virtually all political power in the state. _The Gern1ans were 146 THE FIGHTING PARSON now a powerful political factor in their own strength. In the early 1790' s the factional lines in the politics of the state were drawn upon the ques­ tion of support or opposition to _the federal or state constitution. Gradually the cleavage of political ideas developed ·upon the nature of the federal governn1ent, the followers of Washing­ ton and Ha1nilton supporting a strong central governn1ent, while those who looked to Tho111as Jefferson for their political doctrines insisted upon ,vide po,ver for the states and the people. The for1ner beca1ne known as Federalists and the l~tter as Anti-Federalists, Den1ocratic Re­ publicans or Republicans and later as, Den10-­ crats. General 1\Iuhlenberg throughout his politi-· cal career was an adherent of Thon1as Jefferson, and his influence was exerted in behalf of J effer­ son' s party_. which after a fe,v years becan1e do111inant in Pennsylvania. However, he did not follow the Jeff ersonites in all their extre1nes in their theories of government by the ·111asses, es­ pecially as exe111plified in the French Revolu­ tion. Writing in 1805 to Joseph Hiester, also a follower of Jefferson, i\!I uhlenberg expressed his disapproval of ultra-de1nocratic tenets which vvere being preached in Pennsylvania in these \vords: "That 111anv., wish to fish in troubled waters is evident; and that s0111e have reached the POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 147 height ·of i1npudence and are lost to all sense of sha1ne is certain. For heaven's sake, only read that sha111eles_s toast, .drank publicly on the Fourth of July last-'The equal distribution of property!' W o, therefore, unto him who has a large _farn1, particularly when others possess none." · The first session of the First Congress con­ tinued until Septen1ber 29, 1789, and the second ses?ion began January 4, 1790, and adjourned i\.ugust 12. In Dec~mber, 1790, the seat of gov­ ernment ,vas ren1oved from New York to Phila­ delphia, to reniain there ten years, pending the erection of government buildings in the ne·vv· city of Washington. In _Philadelphia the First Congress held its third session, continuing fron1 December 6, 1790, until the following March 4~ In its sessions the First Congress acco1nplished a tremendous an1ount of i1nportant work, es­ tablishing a stable ·governn1ent for the nation and funding the national debt. lV[e111bers of the Second Congress were not chosen until three years after the election of the First Congress. General Muhlenberg was not elected to the Second Congress, though his brother, Frederi_ck 1-\., now living in Philadel­ _phia,. was returned. The latter, ho,vever, was not re-elected speaker of the House. The elec­ tion of congress1nen by districts took place in Pennsvlvania., October 11, li91, and the Second Congress 1net sh_ortly thereafter; on October 24. Citizens of lVIontgo1nery and Chester Counties, 148 THE FIGHTING PARSON which then constituted a congressional district, held a meeting at_ \iVarren Tavern, Chester County,. on October 4 to select a candidate for Congress. The matter was sub1nitted to a co1n1nittee _co1nposed of thirteen 111_en fro1n each cottnty, and in the evening they reported that their vote was: General lVIuhlenberg, 9; Thomas Ross, a N orristo,vn. lawyer, 8; \Villian1 Moore Smith, of Norristown, son of Dr. Willia1n Sn1ith, for1ner provost of the College and Acade1ny of Philadelphia, 4; Israel Jacobs', of 11ontgo111ery County, 3; John Hannu1n, 2. Though l\!Iuhlen­ berg was thus offered as the choice of the two counties, Israel Jacobs, ,vho received only three votes in the Warren Tavern caucus, was elected. Israel Tacobs, vvrho. was victorious over Gen- . ' eral 1\1:uhlenberg, was a Quaker living at vvhat is no,v l\1ont Clare, Montgon1ery County, five 111iles south of Ivluhlenberg's hon1e at Trappe and in the san1e tovvnship. - Jacobs had been a 111e1nber of the Pennsylvania Ass.en1bly and at the tin1e of the Revolution he had aided the .A.111erican' cause so far as his Quaker principles ,vould pern1it. I-Ie ,vas the only Quaker 111e111- ber of the Second Congress, and he vvas con­ spicuous. because of his broad-brin1111ed hat and Quaker garb. One year after the ch__ oice of 111en1 bers of the Second Congress those for the Third Con­ gre·ss vvere chosen, though they were not to go into office until 111ore than a year later. Eleven 111e1n bers of the House were elected on a state- POLITICAL Al\1D CIVIC CAREER 149 wide ticket in Pennsylva~ia, and one of then1 was General Muhlenberg. A no1ninating 111eet­ ing was held in Lancaster Septe111ber 20, 1792, when the following candidates ,vere proposed: Thon1as Fitzsin1mons, Tho1nas Scott, :F·rederick .l\.. Ivluhlenberg, Willian1 Irvine, _J an1es Ar1n­ strong, Thon1as Hartley, Daniel I:Iiester, John \V. Kittera, Henry \i\Tynkoop, Willia1n Bing­ ha111, Willian1 Findley, Samuel Sitgreaves and General Peter 1\1uhlenberg. Of these the fol­ lo,ving ,vere elected on October 9, 1792: Fitz­ si1n1nons, Scott, F. A. l\!Iuhlenberg, General Peter l\.1uhlenberg, Irvine, Armstrong, Hartley, Hiester and Findley. Andrew Gregg and John Smiley, who vvere on an opposition ticket, also ,vere elected. When the Third Coµgress began its ses­ sions, in Congress Hall, Philadelphia, Dece1nber 2, 1793, Frederick ...A... Muhlenberg \Vas for the second tin1e chosen speaker. Congress Hall, still standing at Chestnut and Sixth streets, ad­ joining Independence Hall, was built in 1787-9 for the use of the-county cou~ts, but ,vas turned over to Co"ngress vrhen Philadelphia becan1e the capital for ten years. The House of Representa­ tives convened on the first floor and the Sen­ ate on the second. In this session General Jviuhlenberg ,vas ap­ pointed a 111en1ber of a special con1111ittee to prepare a bill for co1npleting and supporting the n1ilitary establish1nent. 150 THE FIGHTING PARSON Foreign con1plications due to the war be­ tween France and England and· the aggressions of both these ?ations against the co1nn1erce of the United States claimed the serious attention of the President and Congress. _A1nong the followers of Jefferson were 1nany who wanted to align the United States with France against England, in return for the aid of France to the United States i1;1 the A1nerican Revolution. But Washington insisted upon a policy of strict. neutrality. The first session of the Third Congress con­ tinued until June 9, 1794, and the second fron1 Noven1ber 3, 1794, until 11arch· 3, 1795. · In 1794 there was a reapportion1nerit of congressional districts in Pennsylvania, the state being divided into twelve districts. Mont­ gon1ery, Bucks and Northa111pton Counties con­ stituted a district, which was entitled to t,,vo 1ne1nbers. The Federalist Party candidates vvere General San1uel Sitgreaves_, of_Northan1pton, and J an1es lVIorris, of 1'1ontgo111ery County. In ad­ dition, Robert Loller," of Hatboro, Montgon1ery County, was an independent Federalist candi­ date. The Republican Party, con1prising the followers of Jefferson, had as its candidates General Muhlenberg and John Richards, both of l\llontgo111ery County. - Ordinarily the Federalists would have been in control of the district. Robert Loller's inde­ pendent candidacy, however, co1nplicated the POLITICAL AND ·cIVIC CAREER 151 results and led to a contest in the House of Repre·sentatives. . The Whi?ky Insurrection ,vas in progress in western Pennsylvania at the tin1e of the elec­ tion, in October, 1794, and the Pennsylvania 111ilitia was in the field to subdue the uprising~ According to a law enacted to 111eet this situa­ tion, the votes of the militia1nen were to be taken in their can1p and sent to the counties whence they can1e. Return judges of the three counties ~onstituting the congressional district ,vere to n1eet on N ove1nber 15 to co1npute the vote for I-louse of Representatives. When they 111et the vote of the n1ilitia1nen fot Montgomery and Bucks Counties had not yet arrived. Con­ sequently Governor Mifflin refused to grant a certificate of election on the basis of the returns sent hin1. It was clear that General Sitgreaves had been elected. But the vote for Morris and Richards was very close. Muhlenberg was de­ feated, his vote running considerably behind that of his associate, Richards. The clerk of the House of Repres·entatives recognized Morris as the winner, along vvith Sitgre·aves. Thereupon Richards instituted a contest in the House, and the matter was referred to a co1n1nittee. The comn1ittee first reported in favor of Morris, but the report ,vas recom1nitted, and in January, 1796, a second report was presented declaring that, after rejecting certain defective votes, Morris had received 1779 votes in the district 152 THE FIGHTING PARSON and Richards .1791, Richards being therefore elected. This report was adopted and Richards was seated. The sn1all nu1nber of votes cast in these three large counties is indicative not only of the sparseness of the population but also of the in­ disposition of many citizens to exercise their right to vote. In l\Iontgomery County there were but three polling places, and many farme~s did not care to undertake a long journey in order to vote. While still a men1ber of the Third Congress General 1\1uhlenberg was no1ninated as the Re­ publican Party's candidate for United States sen­ ator fron1 Pennsylvania, to succeed RobertJVIor­ ris. The election took place in the State Legisla­ ture on February 26, 1795. But as the Federal­ ists ,vere largely in the 1najority they had. no difficulty in electing their candidate, Willian1 Bingham, of Philadelphia, he receiving 58 votes, to 35 for lVIuhlenberg. General Muhlenberg ,vas chosen a presi­ dential elector fro111 Pennsylvania in 1796, when Thomas Jefferson vvas the candidate of the Re­ publicans and John Adan1s that of the Feder­ alists. The vote in Pennsylvania was so close that an1ong the electors nan1ed both parties ,vere represented. General Muhl_enberg, Republican, and Colonel 1VIiles, Federalist, both fro1n lv1ont­ gon1ery County, were chosen. Nluhlenberg, of course, voted for Jefferson, but · Adan1s was elected. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 153 General Muhlenberg was again proposed for the United States Senate in the Pennsylvania Legislature in February, 1797, but Ja1nes Ross, of Allegheny County, the sitting 1nember, \Vas re-elected.

War With France Threatened In October, 1797, General Muhlenberg was elected one of the four 1ne1nbers of the Penn­ sylvania House of Representatives fron1 Mont­ gon1ery County, the tern1 being one year. This election was the first i1nportant victory of the Republican Party· in Montgo111ery County, three of the four representatives chosen being of that party.. General Muhlenberg was in attendance at the Legislature's sessions for 122 days, for which he received $3 a day, and $5.20 n1ileage was allovved hi111 for traveling expenses fron1 his ho1ne in Trappe to the state capital, in_ Phila­ delphia. This ,vas the period ,vhen the United States nearly becan1e involved in ,var ·with France. The French Revolution had been follo,ved by war between France and England. France look­ ed for .l\1nerican support in return for the aid vvhich An1erica had received fron1 France in the .A.111erican Revolution. But although there ,vas 111uch enthusiasn1 in the United States for the revolutionary n1ove111ent in France, the govern- 1nent felt it to he the policy of ,visdo111 to re- 1nain neutral for it was in no vvay prepared to 154 THE FIGHTING PARSON undertake another war. Jay's treaty with Eng­ lan<;l, whereby so1ne of the long standing differ­ ences between that· country and the United States were adjusted, was offensive to France. Bot~ England and France adopted an .arbitrary attitude toward An1erica, seizing An1erican ships \vhich were accused of carrying contraband goods. Three successive French 111inisters to the United States persistently 111eddled with politics here to obtain support for France. FinaUy came the hu1niliating treat1nent accorded the three An1erican envoys sent to France in 1797 to ~ndea:.vor to ·har1nonize relations., when it beca.111e· clear that nothing could be done without bribery, and then the A1nerican ,V-atch­ word ,,ras sounded : "Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute.:-, Before the crisis was reached Willian1 Maclay introduced a resolution in the Pennsyl­ vania Legislature, in March, 1798, opposing war ,vith any European nation. General Muhlen­ berg: voted· with the Republicans for the resol~­ tion, which was adopted, 37 to 33. Co1111nenting on the situation in the Legis­ lature, Muhlenberg wrote thus to Israel Bring­ hurst, of Trappe, in a letter dated March 26,

1798: . "Fate and destiny, co111bjned with the aristo- crats, are hurrying us precipitately into a ruinous and bloody ,var, and the chance ·of es­ cape is a slender one indeed. You will see by the papers that an a tte1n pt ,vas made in our POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 155 House to instruct our Senators in Congress to 111aintain peace 'if possible, but, strange to say, all the Quakers, Old Tories, etc., voted ag:ainst it, so that they are for war and the fighting men for peace." News of the futile atten1pt of the -A1nerican envoys to treat with France arrived later in 1798, and greatly intensified the war feeling. Congress authorized the enlistment of an army, ,vith George vVashington commander-in-chief, and the navy ,vas enlarged. Several conflicts occurred bet,veen _American and French war­ ships. General l\!Iuhlenberg was appointed a 1najor general of the Pennsylvania militia, on April 22, 1800, commanding the 111ilitia of Montgon1ery and Bucks Counties. In case. of war the tnilitia would have been added to the army. Ho,vever, by the end of the century the likelihood of ,var faded, and on July 11, 1801, General Muhlenberg resigned his office of major general. Once 1nore General Muhlenberg vvas elected to Congress-in October, 1798. The district still comprised .11ontgomery, Bucks and North­ ampton Counties. This Sixth Congress was the last to 1neet in Philadelphia and the first to con­ vene in Washington. I ts sessions began Dece1n­ ber 2, 1799, in Congress Hall, Philadelphia. On Dece111ber 18 news of the death of Washington at l\1ount Vernon four days earlier reached Congress in Philadelphia. The fallow­ ing day Congress appointed a committee to ar- 156 THE FIGHTING PARSON range for n1en1orial services, and . General Muhlenberg was a 111ember of the con11nittee, the chairn1an being- John Marshall, of Virg·~nia. later chief justice of the United States Supre1ne Court. No doubt it was thro~gh General Muhlenberg that arrange1nents were 1nade to holcl the official ceren1onies on Dece1nber 27 in Zion Lutheran Church, which had the largest auditoriu1n in the city and which church he as a young 111inister had helped to dedicate in 1769. The comn1ittee in its report, besides .. -.outlining the plans for the 111en1orial,, service on the 27th, also recomnTended that a 111onu1nent to Wash­ ington be erected in the city of Washington and that Washington's fan1ily be asked ta per1nit his burial at the 1nonun1ent. The federal capital was transferred fron1 Philadelphia to the ne,v city of Washington -in July~ 1800,- and on Noven1ber 17 following the second session of the Sixth Congress began in the new federal buildings. Though the Republican Party had been 111aking great gains throughout the country, t!:ie Federalists still had a s1nall 111ajority in this Congress. The ,var danger having passed, Congress in February, 1-800, voted to discontinue enlistments, and the following 111onth it ordered the discharge of the extra troops enrolled in the ar1ny. It beca111e the duty of the House, early in 1801, to choose the next Presiden!, for in the electoral college Tho111as Jefferson and Aaron POLITICAL ANO CIVIC CAREER · 157 Burr both had the same nu1nber of votes. They were nominees of the Republican Party._ Electors thef!- voted for t,vo candidates without specify­ ing whether ei the_r was preferred for President or Vice President. The tie 111ade ~t necessary for the House to deten11ine the issue, voting by states, and Thon1as . Jefferson was chosen, though thirty-six ballots· vvere necessary. Gen­ eral l\tiuhlenberg voted for Jefferson on every ballot. There is a story, apparently coining fro111 General Muhlenberg hin1self, that in this crisis the Jefferson followers suspected the opposi6on of plotting to vest the presidency in the chief justice of the Supre111e . Court, that they deter- 1nined to ar111 their 1nen and prevent such . a step by force if necessary and that General l\1uhlenberg was selected to con11nand the J ef­ fersonites in their 111arch upon the capital. J ef­ ferson, Madison, Nionroe and Thon1as. McKean, it ,vas said, were involved in the project. \i\That­ ev~r was conte111plated, the election of Jefferson in the House averted further entangle1nents. The Sixth Congress closed its sessions on lVIarch 3, 1801.

The Perkiomen Bridge Lottery In the closing years of the century General 11:uhlenberg was engaged in an undertaking for an in1portant public i111prove111ent near his ho111e at Trappe, whi.ch still re111ains to recall his na1ne. 158 · ·ttm FIGHTING PARSON He supervised a lottery to raise funds for con­ structing a bridge over Perkio1nen Creek, where the highway fro1n Philadelphia to Reading crossed, two 1niles b~low Trappe. The· bridge is a· noble example· of eighteenth _century 1nason­ ry, attracting attention by the beauty of its lines and its picturesque setting. . .A.s early as 1794 the State Legislature of Pennsylvania appropriated £2000 for building a bridge at this place, and the next year J\1ont­ gon1ery County gave a· like sum. It_ was -not worth while beginning work with· that a1nount. In 1796 the grand jury of the county sanctioned another appropriation of £2000, but the court disallo,ved it. In response to a new appeal to the Legislature, a co1nn1on 111ethod of that ti1ne was adopted to 1neet the situation. The Legis­ lature authorized the holding of a lottery to raise $20,000 for the bridge. The act that was passed provided for the appointtnent of a conunission to conduct the lottery. The con11nissioners ,vere to devise a plan and sub1nit it to the governor for approval. They ,vere to 111ake. settle1nent every three 111onths with the county treasurer, reporting the nu1nber of tickets sold and paying over the pro­ ceeds. The co1nn1issioners were required to give bonds, and the county treasurer was placed under sitnilar obligations in connection with the lottery 111oney. It was the· duty of the lottery com1n1ss1oners further111ore to conduct the drawing, certify the list of prizes to the county PERKIOMEN BRIDGE, 1799 General Muhlenberg was chairman of the com~ission that raised funds by a lottery to build this bridge

POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 159 treasurer and publish the winning nun1bers in newspapers. in Philadelphia, Reading and Har­ risburg. Winners were to present their tickets to the county treasurer and receive their prizes. The· co1111nissioners nan1e

His Home at Trappe In the last decade of ~the eighteenth century General Muhlenberg was several tin1es propos.ed as a· candidate for governor of Pennsylvania. But he was disinclined to oppose Thomas· Miff­ lin, who ,vas twice re-elected in that pe~iod, nor did he wish to• undertake the candidacy in 1799, when· Thomas McKean- was chosen. In a lett_er w4ich he wrote from Trappe February 4, 1799, to Colonel Taverner Beale, of Virginia, ,vith who1n he had been associated in Revolu­ tionary ·days, General Muhlenberg mentioned that' the De1nocratic Republican,s, or Jefferson men, were soliciting him to run- for governor, and the l~adei-s an1ong the Ger1nan voters w.ere like,,rise i1nportuning hitn. "But," lie added, "I cannot get my o,vn consent.~' · This letter reveals that he had not aban­ doned his youthful love for hunting and fishi~g ,vhich had elicited the disapprobation of his father. Colonel Beale had invited Muhlenbe~g to visit Virginia to indulge in these sports. Gen­ eral Muhlenberg in his reply adn1itted that the invitation ,vas alluring to hitn, but he hesitated about accepting it. The pike in· the Ohio, on the borders of _\vhich stre31-111 he o,vned a great tract of land, he vvrote, "are 111uch larger than those with. you, anq tho~ the pike in Jacksons River are larger than those in the Perkio111en, still they are not so·- s.weet·~,, Photograph by Arnold Hoyer, Conshohocken, Pa.

. . GENERAL MUHLENBE~G'S HOME IN TRAPPE, 1783-1802

POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 161 Evidently General Muhlenberg would so1ne­ times go fishing in the nearby Perkiomen Creek, which is still a favorite resort of the angler, though the oldest inhabitant of the present titne does ~ot rec~\! that a pike was ever seen in the ,vaters of that stream. Regarding his family and personal affairs at this ti111e General M uhlenbe~g in his letter to Colonel Beale continued: "I still live at the Trappe, in the house tny father lived whe~ you ,vere here. lvlr. Swaine lives in the first house below 1ne. He keeps a store and is a. magistrate. My family consists of 1ny ,vife and 1nyself, Harry, Hetty, Peter,· ]Vlary Ann and Frank." Harry ,vas then a senior lieutenant in the corps of -artillery of the regular army, and was station­ ed at W es·t. Point. Hettv., ,vas with her 1naternal grand1nother . in Philadelphia, and the other children ,vere with their parents at Trappe. As ~o hitnself, General IVI uhlenberg wrote: "I an1 heartily tired of politics." lVIentioning the 10,000 acres of excellent land he o,vned on the Scioto River, in what is no,v the state of Ohio, he added: "There I wish to spend the remainder of my d~ys.~' But· his n1other ,vho ,vas still liv­ in_g, object~d to his going to what ,vas regarded as the Far West, and his wife's 111other also ·prote$ted against the suggestion_ .because 1VIrs. Niuhlenberg ,vas her only daughter. Yet neither really required his assistance, he said. His 1nother-in-law, he wrote, "has the ,vhole estate in hand and adds to it considerably every year.~' 162 THE FIGHTING PARSON General Muhlenberg's popularity a1nong his neighbors is attested by the fact that he presided at a Fourth of July celebration held in 1799 on the banks of the Perkiomen. Like 111ost such celebrations in. those ti111es, this was a political den1onstration in which the 111ilitia par­ ticipated. According to a ne,vspaper report, it vvas attended by "a large and respectable nu111ber of citizens." ...,\.fter a military drill in the 111orn­ ing, dinner was served., and, a9-hering to the custom of the ti1nes, many· toasts were drunk. Then followed a meeting at one of the taverns in Trappe at which Tho1nas l\tlcl(ean1 s candi­ dacy for governor was indorsed.

Chosen United States Senator Though "heartily tired" of politics, Gen­ eral Muhlenberg's political career was not yet ended. At the election in October, 1800, -he ,vas returned to the National House of Representa­ tives as one of the two 111e1nbers fro111 a district consisting of Montgo111ery, Bucks, N orthan1p­ ton and \;Vayne Counties. The ter111 for which he was thus chosen ,,vas to begin in Decen1ber, 1801. •But he did not-take his seat in the House because on February 18, 1801, the Legislature of Pennsylvania, in session in Lancaster, then the state capital, elected General Nluhlenberg to represent· the ·state in the- United States Senate. The Republicans do1ninated the --Legisla­ ture, but a split occurred. in that party;· Dr. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 163 George Logan receiving 1nost of the Republican votes for United Stat~s senator, while a min­ ority joined with the Federalists in electing General · Muhlenberg. He received forty-six votes, fifteen of which were cast by Republicans. This was a majority of one vote over Dr. _Logan:" The latter, who was a grandson of the noted Jan1es Logan, provincial secretary of Penn­ sylvania, and who }ived at Stenton, the Logan hon1estead near Ger1nanto,vn, had been much in the public eye since 1798, when he visited France and endeavored to avert war bet\-veen the United States and France. The Federalists resented this as an unwarranted interference by a private citizen in national affairs, and in con­ sequence Congress passed ,vhat ,vas known as the Logan act ,vhich is still in effect and which forbids 111eddling ,vith international affairs by a private citizen. General l\'1uhlenberg sat in the United States Senate for just two days. The Sixth Congress can1e to an end l\1arch 3J 1801. and General ]VI uhlenberg was regularly in attend­ ance in the House. The inauguration of Presi­ dent Thon1as Jefferson took place l\1arch 4~ and the san1e dav., the Senate of the Seventh Con- gress convened in specjal session. One of the ne,v rne1nbers to ,vhon1 the oath of office ,vas ad1ninistered ,vas General 1:Iuhlenberg. The ensuing day concluded the special session, ,vhich had been called only to confirm appointments bv., the new President. 164 THE FIGHTilfG PARSON

Appointed to Federal Offices In June, 1801, President Jefferson, in recog­ nition of General Muhlenberg's un~avering support of Jefferson's political aspirations and principles., appointed him supervisor of internal revenue for Pennsylvania. Thereupon General lVIuhlenberg resigned as senator. Governor Thon1as J\ilcKean nan1ed Dr~ Logan to fill the vacancy in the Senate, and the following De­ cember the Legislature elected hi1n · for a full tertn. While the dignities and honors of a me1nber of the United States Senate were i1n1neasure­ ably beyond those of any revenue official, it is evident that J\1uhlenberg was not seeking dig­ nity and honors but preferred an office nearer his home and yielding a con1fortable salary. Life in the new capital city of W a~hington, with its. high,;vays deep in 1nud or dust and its few lodging houses pri1nitive and destitute of com­ forts, was beset with 1nany inconveniences. After about a year in the revenue service, President Jefferson, in July, 1802, 1nade General Muhlenberg collector of the port in Phila­ delphia, which was one of the most re111unera­ tive offices in the President_:' s gift. Philadelphia was then the leading port on the Atlantic coast, and the duties of the custo1ns official called for probity and trustworthiness of the highest type. 'This office lviuhlenberg held until his death. POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 165 General Muhlenbe_rg continued to be a powerful factor in Pennsylvania politics. The old-time Federalists had almost disappeared in Pennsylvania, but the followers of Jefferson, known as Republicans or De1nocratic Republi­ cans, were often split into factions, and about such splits 1nost of the political campaigns of that time revolved. Early in the new century a 1novement arose for a revision of the state con­ stituti.on, and this was for a time a political issue, resulting in the organization bf a new political party which existed for a fevv years. Muhlenberg supported, Governor, lVIcKean in opposing cons6tutional revision. Those takir;tg this attitude and favoring the re-election of Mc­ Kean as governor fqrmed what was kno,iVn as the Constitutional Republican Party, the mem­ bers being dubbed Tertiun1 Quids. General Muhlenberg was. elected president of the party organization and Matthew Carey secretary, though the do1ninant personage in the move­ ment was Alexander J. Dallas, Pennsylvania's secretary of the comn1onwealth. McKean ,vas re-elected governor in 1805 by about 5000 111a­ jority over the Republican candidate, Si111on Snyder. Having accomplished its n1ission, the Constitutional Republican Party soon ceased to exist. While he was much engaged in political activities at a ti1ne of intense partisanship, vvhen each side attributed everv form of evil and de- J pravity to its opponents, yet General Muhlen- 166 THE FIGHTING PARSON berg had so firn1ly won the estee1n of the gen­ eral public that he escaped the denunciation which was usually let loose in floods in every political ca1npaign of that period. As collector of the port General Muhlen­ berg' s duties required his presence in Phila­ delphia. In those ti1nes it was a day's journey from Trappe to Philadelphia. , He therefore 1nade his ho1ne in Philadelphia, selling his house and twenty-one acres of land at Trappe, in .1802, to his brother-in-law, the Rev. Dr. John Christ­ opher Kunze, of New York. The house still stands, being on the northeast side of Trappe's Main street, opposite St. Luke's Reformed Church and a short distance belovv an intersect­ ing road to Rahns. In recent years it has been the home of John S. McHarg and fan1ily. General Muhlenberg' s n1other died on August 23, 1802, in Norristown, at the home of her daughter, Mary Catherine, vvife of Gen­ eral Francis Swaine. General Swaine was at that tin1e clerk of the courts and prothonotary of Montgo1nery County. Mrs. l\1uhlenberg \vas buried alongside her husband, close to the walls of i\ugustus Church, in Trappe.

President of the German Society

In Philadelphia General Muhlenberg-,_ ,vas again in close association with 111any friends of earlier times a111ong the large Gern1an popula­ tion. '"f ivo groups in which he was active \v.ere POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 167 the Gern1an Society and the· Gern1an Lutheran Church. The Gern1an Society of Pennsylvania had been organized in 1764 to afford relief to Ger- 111an inunigrants_ in distress. It has 111aintained an existence ever since, though in late years it has functioned chiefly as a social, literary and historical society. General Muhlenberg becan1e a 111en1ber in 1783, upon returning· to Pennsyl­ vania after the !{evolution. In 1787 he ,vas elect­ ed a 111en1ber of the board of directors and vice president, and the follo\ving year he becan1e president, serving one year. His brother, Fred­ erick A. 1V.Iuhlenberg, \vas president fron1 1790 until 1797. In 1802 General 1\1uhlenberg ,vas again 111ade president, and he held the offi~e up to his death ..

In 1806 the societv., built a hall for its use on the ___,vest side of Seventh street bet\veen l\i[arket and Chestnut. Up to that_ ti111e it had been n1eeting in the Ger111an Lutheran school house, on Cherry street. The site for the hall had .been bought before the Revolution. but the ,var necessitated postpone1nent of building plans .. r\s president, (;eneral lviuhlenberg- had a conspicuous part in the dedication of the ne,v building-, on t-\pril 9, 1807.

Fosters English Lutheran Services In the old Gennan Lutheran congregation of St. ]V[ichaers and Zion. of ,vhich his (ather 168 THE FIGHTING PARSON had been pastor and whose 111e1nbers had been­ so favorably in1pressed with his first sermons, General Muhlenberg gave his support to the n1inority that ,vas trying in vain to 111ake pro­ vision for services in the English language. For many years this Lutheran congregation had been the largest religious group in Phila­ delphia. But no,v. the young people no longer continued to use the German language and the church ,vas losing them. In February, 1801, certain members petitioned the church authori­ ties to engage an English as ,vell as a Ger1nan minister. No action ,vas taken. In Dece1nber, 1802, pern1ission was granted to the Rev. Henry E. 1\!Iuhlenberg, a brother of General Muhlen­ berg, to preach an English sermon in Zion Church. Further concessions ,vere refused, and on February 14 follo,ving the congregation at a meeting decided dt::finitely not. to introduce the English language in its services. On March 14, 1804, those desiring English services held a largely attended meeting at ,vhich General Muhlenberg presided. As a re­ sult an address signed by General l\rl uhlenberg v.,as printed and sent to all 1ne1nbers of the con­ gregation. This set forth that 1nany 1nem bers of the church did not understand German and urged _that so1ne services be _held in English. ""The evangelical doctrine,~, the address declar­ ed, "does not depend upon this or that language.. " Luther, it was pointed out, wanted the gospel preached in the language of the POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 169 people. In order to hold the young people to the Lutheran faith it was essential that English services be .held. Still the 1najority of the congregation re­ fused to yield. 'The 1ninority then appealed to the Lutheran Ministeriinn of Pennsylvania, at its annual 111eeting for 1805, which was held in Germantown in June. A letter vvas presented asking either that English services be held at times in St. lVlichael's and Zion Churches or else that a ne,v congregation, entirely English, be constituted. The letter ,vas signed by Lorenz Seckel, George A. Becker, Johannes Graff and Peter 1\1.Iuhlenberg. _,\fter deliberat­ ing upon the question the Ministerium ruled that it n1ust. ren1ain a Gern1an body~ but that Lutherans \vho did not understand German might forn1 English congregations, \vhich the l\1inisterium ,vould recognize. The next step in the Philadelphia congre­ gation ,vas taken at the annual meeting on January 6, 1806, ,vhen those appealing for Eng­ lish services n1ade an effort to elect church offi­ cials favorable to their side. In this thev failed . .I 'T,vo days later they n1et at the home of John Hav.., · 1'he outcon1e of this and several other n1eetings ,vas a decision to establish a society for encouraging English Lutheran services and to obtain the use of the Academy building. for English ca techetical classes. .A.dopting the name of The Evangelical Lutheran _A..ssociation in and near the City of Philadelphia, the mem- 170 THE FIGHTING PARSON bers declared they did not seek to occasion a split in the old congregation but they were de­ tern1ined to call a 1ninister ,vho w

His Last Days The only edition of the Philadelphia Direct­ ory in \vhich General 11uhlenberg's nan1e ap­ pears is that for 1807, when he ,vas listed at 124 North Fourth street. 'This no doubt ,vas his office as collector of customs. On June 17, 1806, he bought from Sa1nuel Emery a house, together with tvventy-one acres and fifty-nine perches of land, bordering the Schuylkill, belo,v Grays Ferry road, in ,vhat was then Passyunk Township, in the southern part of Philadelphia County. It ,vas a pleasing. rural district in those ti1nes. A subsequent description shows that there ,vere on the place a "handsome two-story brick house, a good frame barn, a coach house, a frame two-story. tenen1ent house and a fish house," and attached to the farm \Vas a fishery in the Schuylkill, de­ clared to be one of the best in the river. The land was described as being "in the highest state of cultivation." POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 173

But General Muhlenberg was destined to enjoy the charms of this rural retreat for only a little more than ·a year. The same year that he bought the place, on October 23, his wife died. She was in her fifty-sixth year. His own death occurred on his sixty-first birthday anni­ versary, October 1, 1807, at 8 A. M. Death ,vas due to a liver affection fro1n which he had suffered much distress at intervals ever since the Georgia campaign of 1776. The funeral took place at 6 o'clock the 1norning after his death. .A.. s the cor~ege passed the hall of the Ger1nan Society, on Seventh street, which General l\.'Iuh·lenberg had helped to dedicate a few 111onths before, the 1nen1bers of the society joined the 111ourners and acco1n­ panied t~e funeral to Zion Church, at Fourth and Cherry streets, -vrhere· services ,vere held. The funeral then continued to_August1:1-s Church, Trappe, where the burial took place ,vith 111ili­ tary honors, "amidst a large concourse of re­ spectable citizens," as a ne,vspaper of the tin1e recorded. The grave is '\ivith those of his father and other 111em bers of the fa1nil y close to the walls of the historic old church, in1111ediately back of the pulpit. A large 111arble slab covering the grave is thus inscribed: '"Sacred to the 111e1nory of General Peter Muhlenberg, born October 1, 1746, died October 1, 1807. I-Ie was brave in the field, faithful in 174 THE FIGHTING.PARSON the cabinet,. honorable in all his transactions, a sincere friend and an honest 1nan." By his-will, which he signed on July 18, -1807, General . J\1uhlenberg directed that his lands in Ohio and Kentucky be sold and the proceeds divided an1ong his four living children. The executors, General Francis Swaine and John Graff, were -directed to emancipate Kitty, a negro slave,. while Hannah, an indentured servant, was to be exonerated _from the re111ain­ der .of her time. The census of 1790 showed that General }/Iuhlenberg then owned one negro slave. There were then -3737 slaves in Pennsylvania. Qne of General M uhlenherg' s sons, his natn-esake, Peter, who vvas born in 1787, adopted a military career, serving in the United States army ·fro1n 1808 until 1821 and advancing. through· the ranks fron1 first lieutenant to major. He was engaged in the War of 1812 · and in various. Indian \vars. His• death occurred in. 1844. Another son, Francis ·swaine, born in 1795, practiced law -in Re_ading, Pa., ,vas private sec­ retary to Governor Joseph Hiester, of Penn­ sylvania, 1820-3, then lived in Pickaway County, Ohio, where he· was elected to the H

MUHLENBERG TOMBS, ALONGSIDE AUGUSTUS CHURCH, TRAPPE

POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 175

1810J and lived until 1872. A son of this couple. William Muhlenberg Hiester, was speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate, 1852-5, and secretary of the co1n111onwealth of Pennsylvania, 1858-61. A son, Charles Fre_derick, born in 17(8, \vas drowned in the Delaware River at Philadelphia May 31, 1795, when a. boat- he was rowing col­ lided with. another boat and was upset. Other children of . General Muhlenberg were: Henry lVI_eyer, -born 1775, died 1806, no issue, and lVIary Ann, born 1793, died 1805.

Statue in the National Capitol When Congress created Statuary Hall, in the national capitol, and each state ,vas asked to p1ace therein the fi_gures of its t,¥0 1nost out­ standing citizens, Pennsylvania chose General Peter l\1uhlenberg and Robert Fulton, the one -representing the great tide of Ger1nan settlers and the other coining fro1n the Scotch-Irish ele­ ment that also vvas so conspicuous in pioneer­ ing days. JVIuhlenberg stood for Pennsylvania·s 1nilitary and political leadership, and Fulton, who 111ade the stean1ship practicable, typified applied science and invention. By an act of the Pennsylvania -Legislature in 1877, Governor Hartranft ,v-as authorized to appoint a co1nn1ission to erect Pennsylvania· s statues in the capitol in \tVashington. Forn1er Senator Si1non Ca1neron -was -n1ade chairman of -the co1nn1ission. Niiss Blanche Nevin, of 176 THE FIGHTING PARSON Lancaster, was engaged to create the JV[uhlen­ berg statue in Carrara marble, she receiving $7500 for her work. Because of delay -on the part of the L·egislature in making the necessary appropriations, about ten years elapsed be_fore the statues were placed in position. The 1v1uhlenberg _statue was Miss Nevin's most important achievement in sculpture. She was a daughter of the Rev. John W. Nevin, a Reformed clergyman who vvas a leader in ~he exposition of what was known as the "J\IIerce_rs­ burg theology~' in the controversies vvhich · rent his denomination in the middle of the nine­ teenth century. In the statue General Muhlen­ berg is presented arrayed in military uiiifor1n. There is also a heroic statue of General '- Muhlenberg in 111ilitary g~rb on Reyburn Plaza, north of Philadelphia's City Hall. The statue, the ,vork of J. Otto Schweizer, a Philadelphia sculptor, vvas originally ·placed on City Hall Plaza on Ger1nan Day, October 6; 1910, being a gift of the Gern1an societies of P_hiladelphia. Incidental to the dedication there was a parade of the German organizations of Philadelphia and also the Ancient Order of Hibernians,. to­ gether. with United States 1\1.arines, details from the National Guard of Pennsylvania and n1e1n­ bers of the Grand .1.L\.rn1y of the Republic. Gen­ eral Louis Wagner presided, and addresses ,vere 1nade by Dr. C. J. Hexa1ner, Judge Willia111 H. Staake, Mayor Reyburn and Dr. Arthur 11.udra, German consul. On the front of the pedestal POLITICAL AND CIVIC CAREER 177 is a bas relief in bronze portraying the scene in the Woodstock church -when Peter l\1uhlenberg bade farewell to the pulpit to enter the army. Due to the constructio_n of the subway under and about City· Hall the .statue was removed in 1928 to Reyburn Plaza, at the entrance to the Park,vay. V

DISTINGUISHED JvIEMBERS OF T_HE l\!Il!HLENBERG FA1\1ILY

Frederick A~ Muhlenberg In telling the story of Peter i\t~:uhlenberg numerous allusions have been 111ade to his brother, Frederick 1.\. l\Iuhlenberg. Both broth­ ers forsook the ministry at the ti1ne of the Revo­ lution, Peter entering the army and Frederick becon1ing a leader in civic life. After the Revo­ lution both were po,verful for 1nany years in the politics of Pennsylvania. John Adams bla1ned the1n for bringing about the virtual extinction of the Federalist Party in Penn­ sylvania in the last decade of the eighteenth century. Returning fro1n Europe where they had been educated for · the 1ninistry at Halle, in Germany, Frederick ana his brother Henry ,vere ordained to the Lutheran 111inistry on October 25, 1770. Frederick was then not yet 21 years old, and Henry was still younger. Frederick's first service in the 111inistry was as assistant to DISTINGUISHED FAMILY 179 ·his brother-in-law, the _Rev. Christopher ·E. Shulze, in the Tulpehocken region of Berks County, Pa. Later for a short ti1ne he was stationed in Lebanon, Pa. Then in 1773 he assumed the pastorate of a church in Ne,v York ·City that had been founded so1ne years before. When the Revolution opened Frederick .l\. 1'1uhlenberg sided vvith the A1nericans, ,vhich made it expedient for hin1 to leave N e,v York when the British, took possession. In 1776 he assisted his father, and the following year he took charge of the N e·\iv Hanover congregation, several 1niles west of Trappe, which vvas tlte oldest Lutheran congregation of German oi:igin in _A.111erica. Early in 1779 he decided to abandon the 111inistry, and in 1\1arch of that year the State .A.sse1n bly in filling three Pennsylvania vacan­ cies in the Continental Congress elected Fred­ erick A. 1\1uhlenberg to one of the1n. He ,vas chosen for a full tern1 in Congress at the en­ suing election. In Congress he was chair111an o.f the 111edical co1nn1ittee_. directing the hospital service in the arn1v. In October. 1780, he ,vas ~ . . elected to the Pennsylvania Asse1nbly, and ,vhen that body organized he ,vas 111ade speaker,. ,vhich office he filled during three sessions of the Assen1blv. In 1783 he ,:vas elected a n1en1- - . ber of a peculiar Pennsylvania institution, the board of censors, and becan1e chair111an of the board. }... rouJ_--1784 until 1789 he \vas a justice of the ·peace at Trappe, and in that capacity was 180 THE FIGHTING. PARSON one of the board of judges of the new county of Montgo1nery, ·formed in 1784, being president judge for the first year: He was also the first register of wills and recorder of deeds of the new county. Being elected a -member of . the Pennsylvania convention to ratify the new federal constitution of 1787, he·was 1nade presi- dent of the· convention. · · He was elected to the First, Second, Third and Fourth Congresses under the constitution, ·and was speaker of the ~irst and Third. About 179.0 he_. n1ade his ho1ne in Philadelphia, on North. Second street. He ,vas a metnber of a 1nercantile firm in Philadelphia and l~ter part owner of a sugar refinery. After his congressional career closed Gov­ ernor ·11cKean, of Pennsylva~ia, appointed hitn collector of the General Land Office of the state, in 1800, ,v-hereupon he removed to Lan­ caster, then the capital of Pennsylvania.. There he died on June 4, 1801, whe~ 51 years old. He had grown extre111ely corpulent, and death re­ sulted from a stroke of apoplexy. Burial took place in the grounds of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster. Willia1n A. Muhlenberg (1796-1877), a grandson of Frederick A. 1\,1uhlenberg, becan1e a distinguished clergyman of . the Episcopal church. He gre,v to maturity in Philadelphia in the period when the Lutheran church refused to make provision for English services, and hence his parents permitted him to attend the Episco- DISTINGUISHED FAMILY 18i pal church, in which he vvas confir111ed. He en­ tered _the 111inistry of that church in 1817, and was rector of a- church in Lancaster, Pa. In 1846 he went to New York City, ,vhere he founded the Episcopal Church of the. Holy Co1nn1uni.on and also the first Episcopal sister­ hood in A1nerica, St. Luke's Hospital_ and St. Johnsland, -the latter a Christian rural settle-- 1nent ,vith ho1nes for_ boys and _aged 1nen. He wrote nurnerous favorite hymns, including "°Savior Who- Thy Flock Art Feeding" and "I Would Not Live Alway." Largely through his efforts the old building of Augustus Church, Trappe, ,vas saved, in 18~0, after the congre­ gation had decided it should be demolished.

The Rev. Henry E. Muhlenberg

Of the three ]\f uhlenberg brothers ,vho en­ tered the n1inistry only Gottfried Henry Ernst ren1ained a clergy1nan_ throughout his life. In n1aturity he dropped his first na111e. _;\fter or­ dination, in his 20th year, he assisted his father, and in 1774 he beca111e one of the pastors of the Philadelphia Lutheran congregation. Fron1 1789 until his death in 1815 he ,vas pastor of Trinity Church, Lancaster, Pa. Like his brothers, he gained distinction outside the pulpit, for he ,vas one of the celebrated botanists of his time and ,vrote extensively on that subject. A son of the Rev.- Henry E. 11:uhlenberg, Henry Augustus Philip -lvluhlenberg (1782- 182. THE FIGHTING PARSON

1844) beca1ne a Lutheran 1ninister and was ., ' pastor of. Trinity Chu!"ch, Reading, Pa., . from 1802 until 1827, resigning because of in1paired health. In 1829 he was elected to the National House of Representatives-, and -by subsequent re-elections he served until 1838, when he re­ signed.. President Van Buren offered to appoint hin1 secretary of the navy and then 1ninister to Russia, but he declined both offers, though he did accept a third tender, that of n1inister to ...t\.ustria. This post he _held fro1n 1838 until 1840. Three ti111es he received the Democratic no1nination for governor of Pennsylvania. T,vice he ,vas defeated, and shortly after his. third nomination he died. A son of Henry A. P. Muhlenberg, Henry .A.ugustus Muhlenberg (1823-1854 ), was a law­ yer in Reading, Pa., a n1en1ber of the Penn­ svlvania., Senate and ,vas ·elected to the National House of Representatives in 1853, but died in \Vashington the follovving January.

Other Branches of the Family Eve Elizabeth l\lluhlenberg, ( 1748-1808). eldest sister of the Muhlenberg brothers, in 1766 111arried. the Rev. Christopher E111anuel Shulze, who ,vas a Lutheran pastor in· the Tulpehocken region of Berks County, Pa., fron1 1769 until his death. Their son, John Andrevv Shulze (1775-1852), ,vas a Lutheran pastor fro1n 1796 until 1804, and then, like his distinguished DISTINGUISHED FAMILY 183 uncles, he entered political life. He was a 1ne1n­ l;)er of the State Legislature for four terms, a state senator and then governor of Pennsyl­ vania for t,:vo tern1s, 1823 until 1829. lVIargaret Henrietta Muhlenberg (1751- 1831), another sister, married the Rev. John Christopher Kunze, Lutheran pastor in Phila­ delphia and N e,v York and a 111ern her of the faculty of Colu111bia C~llege, New York. 11rs. I(unze was the last survivor of her generation. Following is the record_ of the other broth­ ers and sisters of General Muhlenberg: Mary Catherine ( 1755-1812) was the first wife of Francis Swaine, who was pron1inent in political affairs in l\tlontgomery County, Pa., in the early nineteenth century, was the first presi­ dent of the Bank of Montgomery County, Nor­ ristown, and was also a militia general. John Enoch_ Samuel, born 1758; John Charles, borri 1760; Catherine Salon1e, born 1764, and E1nanuel San1uel, born 1769, all died in infancy. l\iaria Salo1ne ( 1766-1830) married 11at­ thias Richards, who ,vas a me1nber of the National House of Representatives, 1807-11, and after\vards an associate judge of Berks County, Pa. N u1nerous descendants in this line rendered important service in civic and religious affairs, an outstanding representative in later tin1es be­ ing Dr. Henry J\rlelchior 11uhlenberg Richards, of Lebanon, Pa., author of numerous valuable ,vorks dealing ,vith Pe11nsylvania history. A UTH_O RI TIES

"The Life and Ti1nes of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg," Rev. Willia111 J. Mann, D. D. "The Old Trappe Church, " Rev. Ernest T. Kretschmann, Ph. D. "Docu1nentary History of the Evangelical Luth­ eran Ministerium of Pennsylvania."- "Descendants of Henry Melchior 1\1uhlenberg," by Dr. H. M. M. Richards, Pennsylvania German Society's publications, Vol. X, part 3. Diary of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg for 1776- 7, Collections of the Historical Society -of Pennsylvania, Vol. I. "Pennsylvania, Colonial and Federal," edited by :E-Io,vard 1\1. Jenkins.. "Pennsylvania, Province and State," Albert S. Bolles, Ph.D., LL.D.

"Pennsylvania., . l\.rchives,"' First Series-1\1inutes of the Pennsylvania Supre1ne Executive Council. "The Life of 1\1ajor General Peter 1\1.:uhlenberg," Henry A. Muhlenberg, 1849. AUTHORITIES 185

"Crisis in the Life .of Peter l\'1uhlenberg," Rev. Willia1n Ger111ann, D. D., Pennsylvania · Magazine of History and Biography,. Vol. XXXVII, p. 298, and fallowing nun1bers. "The Histoi-y· of St. J\1ichael's Luth-eran Church, Philadelphia," 1843. "History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey," Ja1nes P. Snell and others. "History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Je_!sey," Jan1es P. Snell and others. "Virginia•: A History of the People," ·John Esten Cooke.· "History of the German Element in Virginia," Herr111ann Schuricht. - "The Ger1nan Element of the Shenandoah Val- ley," Dr. John W. \tVayland. Jou~nal of the (.ouncil of th~ State of Virginia.. Virginia Calendar of State Papers. "American Archives," Fourth Series, V ~l. IV. "History of Georgia,'' Charles C. Jones, Jr. ''The Struggle for An1erican Independence," · Sydney George Fisher.;-

"Records of the Revolutionarv., \Var," \V. T. R . Saffell. ''Orderly Book of General Peter Muhlenberg," Pennsylvania lVIagazine of History and Biography, \ 1 ol. XXXIII, p. 257, and fol­ lowing nurn hers. 185 THE FIGHTING PARSON

"The Valley Forge Orderly Book of General George Weedon." Officers' Opinions on the Plans for Winter Quarters, 1777, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XX, p. 398. "The History of Valley Forge," Henry Wood- man. Valley Forge Papers, Ellwood Roberts. "Benedict ~Arnold," JV[alcolm Decker. "Life of Frederick Willia1n von Steuben," Fried­ rich Kapp. "The S1nith Family of Pennsylvania,". J. Ben- nett Nolan. "History of Congress," V oi. I. "Congressional Register," Vol. I-III. "Biographical Directory of the An1erican Con- gress." "The Republican Court,'' Rufus ·Vy. Griswold. "History of the Gern1an Society of Pennsyl­ vania," Dr. Osvvald Seidensticker. "St. John's Lutheran Church, 1806-1906," Rev. E. E. Sibole. ·'Frederick ~A... 1\1uhlenberg,'~ Dr. Os\vald Seid­ ensticker, Pennsylvania Magazine of Hist­ ory and Biography, Vol. XIII, p. 184. · Files of Philadelphia and Norristown news­ papers, 1790-1807. INDEX

Adams, John, 152 Charleston, S. C~, Revolutionary Allen, William, 20 operations at, 68-71 Allison, John, 138, 140 Clark, Col. George Rogers, ,112 Armstrong, James, 149 Clarke, Jonathan, 54, 56, 58 Arnold, Gen. Benedict, 110-15, 117 Clinton, Gen., 67-69·, 109, 117, 118 Augustus Lutheran C h u r c h, Clymer, George, 138-40 Trappe, 9, 171-3 Congress, Continental, 36, 55, 57, 98, 110; First, 141-5, 147; Sec­ Baird, Samuel, 159 ond, 147, 148; Third, 148-52; Balliet, Stephen, 135 Sixth, 155-7. . Beale, Taverner, 54,. 160-1 Conrad, Frederick, 159 Bean, James, 159 Constitution, Federal, 137, 141; Becker, George A., 169 Pennsylvania, 145, 165 Beckford Parish, 42, 47, 49, 124 Constitutional Republican Party, Bedminstertown, N. ·J., Church, 165 32, 33 Cornwallis, Lord, 79, 80, 109, 115, Bingham, William. 149, 152 117-21 Bird, Abraham, 54 Bowman, Abraham, 54, 60, 66, Dallas, Alexander J., 165 130 Dean, Samuel, 135 Boyd, John, 135 de A~endt, Baron Henry Leonard, Boyer, Philip, 159 74 . Braidfoot, Rev. William, 44, 45 De Grasse, Count, 118 Brandywine, Battle of, 78-82 Dickinson College, 128 Bringhurst, Israel, 154 Dilthrey, Dr. Karl, 63 Brown, ,v-miam, 135 Donation Lands of Pennsyl­ Brubacker, Abraham, 49 vania, 134, 135 Brunnholtz, Rev. Peter, 12 Duche, Re\·. Jacob, 20 Budden, Capt., 20 Dunmore, Lord, 42, 50, 51, 56-59, Burgoyne, Gen., 75, 76, 90 66, 68, 123. Burr, Aaron, 156, 157 Elliot, John, 159 Emery, Samuel, 172 Camp near Falls of Schuylkill, 76 Epple, Andrew, 38 Camp on Little Neshaminy, 76-78 Evans, Elisha, 159 Capital, location of Federal, 144 Carey, :Matthew, 165 Febiger, Col., 108 Chambers, Stephen, 138, 140 Findley, William, 139, 140, 149 188 INDEX

Fitzsimmo~s, Thomas. 138-40, 149 Hiester, Daniel, 139, 140, 149; Fourth of July celebration, 162 Dr. Isaac, 174; Joseph, 146, Francke, August Herman, 8, 21.; 174; William Muhlenberg, 175 Rev. Gotthilf August, 24, 25 Hind, Rev. Dr., 44 Franklin, Benjamin, 15, 19, 134-6, Hobson, l\,Ioses, 159 140 Hoge, Jonathan, 135 Franklin College, Lancaster, 13& Howe, Admiral, 75; Gen., 75-77~ French army, 118, ·119, 121 85, 89, 91 French fleet, 112, 118 Indian Ravages, 15, 16, 57, 59, Gates, Gen. Horatio, 108-10 131, 132, 144 German Battalion of Virginia, Irvine, Gen. William, 135, · 139/ 59, 62. 65-67, 70, 71, 73, 74 140, 149 German College and Charity Irwin, Alexander· D., 93 School, Lancaster, 138 German settlers of Pennsyl­ Jacobs, Israel, 148 vania, 14-16 Jasper, ·sergeant, 69 German Society of Pennsyl- Jefferson, Thomas, 58, 110, 111, vania, 166, 167, 173 146, 150, 152, 156, 157, 163-5 Germans in politics, 145-7 Germann, Rev. William, 22 Keller, Abraham. 49 Germantown·, Battle ot: 85-89 Kennedy, Robert; 159 Graff, Johannes (John), 169, 174 Kentucky, journey to, 126-31 Greenet Gen. Nathaniel, 74, 75, Keppele, Henry, Jr., 21 · 81, 86-89, 103, 109, 110, 121 Kittera, John W., 149 Green,vich Township, N. · J., Knyphausen~ Gen., 79 church in, 33 Kunze, -Rev. John C., 83, 140, Gregg, Andrew, 149 141. 166, 170, 183 Gregory, Gen.• 113 Ku.rtz, John Nicholas, 13

Halle Institution; 9, 21, 22, 24, 37 Lafayette,, Gen., 77, 112, 115, 116, Hamilton, Col. Alexander, 119, 118, 119 120 Learmouth, Lieut., 114 Hannum, John, 148 Lee, Gen. Charles, 67-72, 103 Hare, Lieut., 114 L'Enfant, l\[ajor· Charles, 141 Harrison, Cole, 110 Leslie, Gen., 109 Hartley, Thomas, 138-40, 149 Lewis, Col., 119 Hay, John, 169 Logan, Dr. George, 163 Hazen, Gen., 119 Loller, Robert, 150 Helfenstein, Peter~ 60, 66. 72 Lott~ries, 129, 134, 135, 157-9 Hengerer, Frederick and Mar- Lutheran Congregation in ·Phila- garet, 125 delphia. 18, 28-30, 34, 156, 167- Henkel, Rev. Paul, 124 71 Henry, Patrick, 50, 54, 56, 57, Lutheran J\finisterium of Penn­ 60, 68 sylvania,. ,31, 34, 48, 169 Herron, Lieut., 114 Hexamer, Dr. C. J., 176 ?t'.Iaclay, William, 144, 154· INDEX 189

Markley~ John, 159, 171; Samuel, 20, 21, 23, 83, 84, 90, 168, 181, 159 182 J\,Iarshall, John, 156 1\1 uhlenberg, Rev. Henry · l\.fel­ l\Iatthews, Col., 87 chior, 8-11, 15-20, 22, 25-37, 46, :l\Iayer, Rev. Philip F., ·170 47, 55, 81-85, 89; 94-96, 100, 137, ~f:cClenachan, · Blair;• 139, 140 161 l\:t:cHarg, John S., 16~ .Muhlenberg, Mrs. Henry l\Iel­ ~IcKean, Thomas, i57, 160, 162, chior, 10, 85, 95, 161, 166 165 Muhlenberg,. Henry 1\L (Harry), 1\1:eade, Bishop William, -123 161, 171, 175 l\:'[eyer, Anna Barbara (Hannah), Muhlenberg-, Hester (Hetty), 1&1, 37, 38; Esther Knoepler, 3S; 174, 175 Justus Frederick, 21, 38; l\'Iary, Muhlenberg, John Charles, 183 38 ; l\Iathias, 38 ; :Mrs. l\:'I:athias, M~uhlenberg, John E. S., 183 161 l\'.Iuhlenberg, Margaret Henriet- 1\1:ifflin, .Governor Thomas, 131, t2., 83, 140, 183 151, 160 Muhlenberg, Maria Salome, 183 Miles, Col., 152 l\f uhlenberg, M:ary Ann, 161. 175 1\-I:ontgomery County, Pa., 13"3, l\f uhlenberg, Mary Catherine, 66, 134 166, 183 1\1:ontgomery, Joseph, ·13G ; . Wil­ :r-.-t:uhlenberg, Pet_er, birth, 12; . liam, 139, 140 baptism, 12, 13 ; boyhood, 16- 1foore, John,· 93, 94 ; l\fordecai, 18, 22, 23-; education, 18-21, 28; 94 in Germany, 22...:27; in British 11.forris, Robert,. 144, 152; James, army,. 26, 27; myths about him,. .. 150, 151 7, 8, 22-7, 80, 8-1, 99; ·his min­ l\Ioultrie, Col., 70 _istry, 2~-49; marriage, 37, 38; l\furda, Dr. .Arthur, 176 ordained, 43-6 ; pastorate in 1\-Tueller, Jacob, 41 New Jersey, 31.a.35; pastorate M:uellerstadt, 41; see Wqod­ in Wootl.stock, Va., 50, 52-63, . stock 105; chairman of Committee of :Muhlenberg, Catherine Solome, Safety, 53, 54, 56; delegate to 183 Revolutionary Conventions, 54, :Muhlenberg, Charles Frederick, 56, 58, 59; colonel in the army, 175 59-73; farewell to the pulpit, l\Iuhlenberg, Emanuel Samuel, 61-65; ministerial robe, 63; 183 campaign in South Carolina, Muhlenberg, Eve Elizabeth, 17, 68-71; in Georgia, 71, 72; brig­ 95, 182 adier g~neral, 73; in l\Uddle­ l\.:1uhlenberg, Francis Swaine brook camp, 74, 75; Pennsyl­ (Frank), 161, 174 vania campaign, 75-lOS; White­ Muhlenberg, Frederick A., 18, 20, marsh camp, 91-93; VaUey · 21, 23, 83, 90, 127, 133, 137-41, Forge camp, 93-103; contro­ 147, 149, 167, 178-81 versy as to seniority, 96-99; 1\-Iuhlenberg, Henry· A., 61, 182 aids· Christop~er Sower, .. _}01, Muhlenberg, Henry A. P., 182 102·; b-attle -of 1\-Ionmouth, 103; :Muhlenberg, Rev. Henry E., 18, camp on the Hudson, 103-6 ; in 190 INDEX

'Virginia in. 1780-3, 107-22 ; re­ Pennypacker, Samuel vV., 8 ceives letters from .Benedict Perkiomen -:Bridge, erection of, Arnold,. 113-5 ;· · promoted to 157-9 major general, 122 ; memorials, Peters, Rev. Richard, 31, 36,. 44 i23-5 ; residence in Trappe, Pettit, Charles, 139, 140 123-66; journey to the Ohio Phillips, -Gen., 115 Valley, 126-32; directs lotteries, Pickering, Timothy; 136 129, 134, 135, 157-9; member of Pluckamin, N. J., church at, 32 Pennsylvania Supreme Execu­ Politics. in Pennsylvania in the tive Council, 132-6, 140; in 1790's, 145-7 Congress, 138-52. 155-7, 162; Precht, . Dr. Victor, ~3 activity in Pennsylvania . poli­ President's title, 142, 143 tics, 145, 157, 161, 162, 165, 166; ProYidcnce Township, 11 ; see Presidential elector, 152; mem­ Trappe ber of Pennsylvania House of Pulaski, Gen., 17 Representatives. 153-5; · major Putnam, Gen. Israel, 105 general of Pennsylvania mil­ itia, 155; member of United Randolph, Peyton, 55-57 States Senate, 162-4; super­ Raritan River, churches on, 17, visor of Internal Revenue. 164; 31-39 collector of the port g.t Phila­ Read, Thomas Buchanan, 64-, 65 delphia, 164-6, 172; .. active in Redick, David, 1~0 the German Society of Penn­ Revo1ution, 36, 38, -45-122 sylvania, 166, 167; fosters Eng­ Reyburn, :Mayor, 176 lish Lutheran services, 167-70 ; .Richards, Dr. H. 1\1. M.~ 183; his last days, 172-4 ; statues, John, 150-2, 159; l\Iatthias, 183 . 175-7 Rochambeau, Count, 118, 121 :Muhlenberg, Mrs. Peter, 37, 38, Ross, James, 153; Thomas, 148 82, 161 l\'Iuhlenberg, Peter, Jr., 161, 174 St. Clair, Gen. Arthur, 144 l\'Iuhlenberg, Rev. William A., St. John's Lutheran Church, 180, 181 Philadelphia, founding of, 168- 70 Naesmann, Rev. Gabriel, 13 St. ::rilichaers Lutheran Church, Nevin, Miss Blanche, 175, 176 Philadelphia, dedication of, 34- New Germantown, N. J., 32, 33 36 New Providence, see Trappe Schmidt, Rev. John Frederick, Nir holas, Fr~ncis, 159 37, 38 Schnell, Lorenz, 49 Ohio Valley, journey to, 126-32; -Schrack tavern, Trappe, 11, 12 owns land in, · 161, 174 Schuricht, Herrmann, 62 Sc-hweizer, J. Otto, 176 Parker, Col., 113 Scott, Gen., 77, 98, 105; Thomas. Paschke, Capt. Freder_ick, 128 138-40, 149 . Pennsylvania affairs- in . -the Seckel, . L(?renz: 16~ 1740'~;. ·:13.:16 ;· ·in . the 1790's, Shenandoah Valiey, · Va.. 39-44, 145-7 · ·111;· 122:.s, ·131 · INDEX 191

Shu!ze, Rev-: Christopher E., 95, Virginia, Assembly sessions, 51, 127, 182; John Andrew, 182, 183 52, 57, 58 ; bounty lands for Shunk, Francis Rawn, 11 Revolutionary soldiers, 126-32; Simcoe, Lieut. Col., 113 religious conditions, 42, 43; Sitgreaves, Samuel, 149-51 Revolutionary conventions, 51, Slaughter,- Francis, 54 54, 56, 57, 68, 70; Revolution­ Smiley, .Tohn, 149 ary War in, 1780-3, 107-22; Smith, Rev. Dr. William, 19, 148, troops for Revolutionary army, . 159; William l\'.Ioore, 148 59 Smithfield, 32 Sower, Christopher, 14, 19, 99-102 \Vagner. Gen. Louis, 176 Staake, Judge William H., 176 \Var with France threatened, Stenton, 78, 89, 163 150, 153 Stephen, Gen. Adam, 87, 90, 91, \Vashington, George, 54, 60, 74- 96, 97 77, 81, 82, 84, 85, 87-93, 97, 98, Steuben, Gen., 109-11, 116, 127, 102-5, 108, 116-20, 141-3, 155 131, 145 \Vayne, Gen. Anthony, 80, 87,. 90, Stevenson, Capt., 113 106, 107; 116, 118 Stony Point, storming of, 106, \\... eedcn, Gen., 74, 79, 97-99 107 \Yeiser, Anna l\'.Iary, 10; Conrad, Streit, Rev. Christian, 31, 66, 67, 9, 10. 15, 16, 19 123 \Yeyberg, Rev. Casper Diedrich, Sullivan's Island, bombardment 34, 35 of, 69, 70 \Vhisky Insurrection, 151 Supreme Executive Council of \Yhite, Rev. Dr. William, 44, 45 Pennsylvania, 132-6, 140 \Yhitehill, Robert, 139, 140 s,vaine, Francis, 66, 83, 127, 159, \Vhitemarsh camp, 91-3 161, 166, 174, 183 \Vood, James, 39, 40, 43 Swedish Lutheran Churches, 13, \:'\Toodford, Gen., 96-98, 105_ 28, 29 \Voodstock, Va., 39-44, 49-54, 97, 104, 105, 120-5, 131; Episcopal church in, 124; l\iuhlenberg Tate, Rev. Thlr., 76 memorials, 123-5 Tertium Quids, 165 \Vrangel. Rev. Dr. Charles Mag- Thomson,- Charles, 141 nus. 20, 21, 28. 29, 31 Tipton, John, 54 '\Vynkoop. Henry, 138-40. 143, 149 Trappe, 8-12, 81-84, 94-96, 123, VVyoming controversy, 136 160, 161 Tulpehocken region, 9, 10 Yorktown campaign, 117-21

Va1ley Forge camp, 91-103 Ziegenhagen, Rev. Frederick Vigera, John Frederick, 13 l\Uchael, 21, 22, 25, 45, 4&