When historians write about wars they haven't studied very much, the results can be disastrous. A member recently sent us this lulu from page 373 of The First World War by the noted British military historian John Keegan.
``The arrival of Lafayette's expeditionary force to the aid of the colonists in 1781, at the crisis of the American War for Independence, had confronted their British enemies with an alteration of force they could not match.'' This must be the record for mistakes in a few lines. The expeditionary force was commanded by Rochambeau, not Lafayette. It arrived in 1780, and its pathetic 4500 men did not confront the British with an alteration of force they could not match. Without the French fleet, Yorktown would never have taken place.
In a startling article in the front of the February/March American Heritage, the editors have made a notable reevaluation of the claim that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with his mulatto slave, Sally Hemings. AH points out that geneticist Eugene Foster, the author of the article in Nature Magazine that started the latest version of the controversy, essentially retracted the tabloid side of the story. He said he had not proved Jefferson was the father of Sally's son, Eston Hemings, merely that some undetermined Jefferson male was. The article went on to quote the study done by the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society, which created a panel of experts to study the matter. They concluded the allegation is ``by no means proven.'' The panel included noted historians such as Robert Ferrell, who has written two dozen books on U.S. presidents, including the definitive study of Warren Harding's supposed out-of-wedlock child. AH concurred with the final conclusion of the panel, that ``honest people can and do disagree'' about Jefferson and Hemings.
Dearest Enemy, the first collaboration of the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, is being revived by the Village Light Opera Guild. It is a story that every Round Tabler will love. It dramatizes, with a few liberties, the efforts of the women of the Murray family to delay General Howe and his redcoated grenadiers after their triumphant landing at Kips Bay in 1776. The Murray motive: to give General Israel Putnam and his troops a chance to escape from their forts and batteries at the foot of Manhattan and join the rest of Washington's army on the Heights of Harlem. The show is great fun and it has the added attraction of Round Tabler Fred Cookinham's wife, Belen Negron, in the chorus! The run is as follows:
| Sat Eve | April 13, 8 p.m. |
| Sun Mat | April 14, 2 p.m. |
| Fri Eve | April 19, 8 p.m. |
| Sat. Mat | April 20, 2 p.m. |
| Sat Eve | April 20, 8 p.m. |
| Sun Mat, | Apr 21, 2 p.m. |
Tom Fleming journeyed to Morristown to speak on January 5. The occasion was the 225th anniversary of George Washington's retreat to the town after his victories at Trenton and Princeton. Tom reports that as he was about to orate, who strolled out and sat on a corner of the stage but George in the flesh! It took him a moment to realize it was William Sommerfield, doing his famous impersonation. (Round Tablers will recall his appearance at our 40th anniversary dinner.) Tom paused and said: ``General -- it's nice to see you again.'' The General gave him a courtly bow and said: ``It's nice to see you. Incidentally, I've found out who Red Peggy is.'' The line was lost on most of the audience, who had not read Tom's novel, Dreams of Glory, in which a British spy of that name poses as a Morristown tavern keeper. Sommerfield is very fond of the book. Whereupon Tom got to work glorifying the General for his famous victories. A good time was reportedly had by all. The crowd was so big, over 100 people were turned away. Who should get the credit, Tom or George? You decide.
New Jersey Heritage just hit the stands. It is a magazine Round Tablers will enjoy. The first issue has a superb article on the Trenton-Princeton campaign by Mark Edward Lender, who spoke to us about his book on New Jersey's Continental brigade some years ago. Even better is an article on a New Jersey black soldier, Samuel Sutphen, who volunteered for the army in 1776 and fought in the ranks throughout the war. You can subscribe for $20 a year. Address: 36 West Lafayette St. Trenton NJ 08608.
Tom Fleming's Connecticut friend, Bill Stanley, who has devoted not a little of his spare time to trying to improve the image of his fellow Norwich native, Benedict Arnold, is asking the Round Table if anyone has information on a possible friendship or possibly a rivalry, between Arnold and Samuel Huntington. Sam is known by purists as the first president of the U.S. He was president of the Continental Congress when that body designated the new nation by name. Canterbury, Ct. has restored Huntington's birthplace and Norwich has restored the home he occupied when he moved there in 1760. What they want to know is: did Arnold have any dealings with Huntington when he was a congressman and Arnold was the military governor of Philadelphia? The Canterbury group has raised over $1 million and is eager to spend it on research into the life of their man. Those with any ideas can write to Bill Stanley at 17 Meadow Lane, Norwich Ct. 06360.
November 23, 1780: British Captain Maurice Pole sails his Mermaid class frigate Hussar through Hell Gate, under the future site of the Triborough Bridge, toward Long Island Sound, and into the cloudy history of lost treasures. Unable to steer cleanly in the swirling currents, Pole's Hussar hits Pot Rock reef, somewhere near Montresor's Island (now North Brother Island of Typhoid Mary fame) sinks, and carries with it millions of dollars of gold coins to be paid to British troops. Or did it?
Surviving navigator Swan (a slave) said yes; Captain Pole said no gold was ever on the ship; the first mate claimed it was unloaded in Manhattan, rather than loaded at Cherry Street, as others believed. Rumors continued, and recovery attempts were made by the British in 1794 and 1856 (bones found); Thomas Jefferson reportedly financed an expedition. In 1823, Samuel Davis was reported to use a machine for raising ships and Simon Lake, inventor of the modern submarine, stated that in 1937 he had been unsuccessful in his attempt. Barry Clifford, who discovered the gold laden pirate ship Whydah, claimed he had found the Hussar in 1985. Yet he did not pursue it further!
February 17, 2002: Enter Joseph Governali, actor (stage name, Joey Treasures) who found a map in the Rare Book Room of the New York Public Library, showing three wrecks, including the Hussar but not quite where it had been supposed to lie. Mr. Governali states that the map had been misfiled, and only he knows where it is. He has dived at his newly found site, said he recovered a pitcher and a piece of ballast pierced by a nail (but not one coin) and filed a claim in Admiralty Court.
Is this ship beneath Hell Gate's waters? Most probably. Is gold to be found in its rotting timbers? Who knows? But a word from the wise for Mr. Governali. Be careful what you wish for, because the tax collectors of Washington, Albany and City Hall hope you get it!
Jean Hayter was our January winner; her answers to the Germans in the Revolutionary War: 1. Lt. Col. Friedrich Baum was defeated by John Stark at Bennington. 2. Gen. Friedrich von Riedesel commanded Burgoyne's Germans at Saratoga. 3. Baron Von Steuben trained Washington's troops at Valley Forge. 4. Baron Wilhelm Knyphausen was Howe's second in command at Brandywine 5. Col. Johann Rahl got Washington as a Christmas present at Trenton. 6. Baron de Kalb, killed under Gates, is buried in Camden, S.C. 7. Lt. General de Heister commanded Howe's Germans at White Plains.