Historic Pelham: Evidence the Battle of Pelham May Have Begun at Glover's Rock After All

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

More than a century ago, most local historians and military scholars believed that the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776 began near a large glacial boulder located on what, today, is Orchard Beach Road in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. Little scholarly attention was given to the battle until 1901 when William Abbatt published a book about the battle. See:

Abbatt, William, The Battle of Pell's Point (or Pelham) October 18, 1776. Being the Story of a Stubborn Fight. With a Map, and Illustrations from Original Photographs and Family Portraits (NY, NY: William Abbatt, 281 Fourth Ave. 1901) (Library of Congress Control Number 01027896, Library of Congress Call Number E241.P3A2).

Although Abbatt's book contained a wealth of historically accurate information as well as interesting photographs, some of the conclusions regarding the location of the battle and how it progressed since have been shown to be erroneous based on Abbatt's misplaced reliance on the so-called "Sauthier Map" published in London in 1777.

The map, by Claude J. Sauthier, is entitled "A plan of the operations of the King's army under the command of General Sir William Howe, K.B. in New York and east New Jersey, against the American forces commanded by General Washington from the 12th of October to the 28th of November 1776, wherein is particularly distinguished the engagement on the White Plains the 28th of October. By C. J. Sauthier." Today it is widely believed by scholars of the battle that the Sauthier map inaccurately shows large bodies of British troops landing at the tip of Pell's Point and also along the side of the Neck on October 18, 1776. In addition, as others have pointed out, the Sauthier map is not a particularly accurate depiction of the area and seems to have been intended to serve as a general depiction crafted more to show general troop movements during the relevant period rather than the true lay of the land (somewhat analogous to a modern New York City Subway map that intentionally shows some distortions of geography in an effort to simplify the presentation of the truly important data compiled as part of the map: the various subway lines that traverse the City beneath the surface of the land.)

Detail From A plan of the operations of the King's army under

the command of General Sir William Howe, K.B. in New York

and east New Jersey, against the American forces commanded

by General Washington from the 12th of October to the 28th of

November 1776, wherein is particularly distinguished the

engagement on the White Plains the 28th of October.

By C. J. Sauthier NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

When he wrote his book, William Abbatt apparently was unaware of the existence in the collections of The Library of Congress of a map known as the "Blaskowitz Map." The Blaskowitz map was created in 1776 by Charles Blaskowitz. It is entitled "A survey of Frog's Neck and the rout[e] of the British Army to the 24th of October 1776, under the command of His Excellency the Honorable William Howe, General and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's forces, &ca, &ca, &ca." The Blaskowitz Map is widely believed to be a surprisingly accurate depiction of the area in which the Battle of Pelham occurred and the movement of troops during that battle.

The Charles Blaskowitz Map Entitled "A survey of Frog's Neck

and the rout[e] of the British Army to the 24th of October

1776, under the command of His Excellency the Honorable

William Howe, General and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's

forces, &ca, &ca, &ca." NOTE: Click on Image

To Enlarge.

In his book, Abbatt analyzed the letter about the battle written by Col. John Glover who led American troops during the battle. Col. Glover provided estimates of the distances that the British and German troops traveled on known roadways before they reached the oncoming American troops and began fighting. Abbatt attempted to use those estimates to locate the site where the battle began. In so doing, however, he appears to have measured from the very tip of Pell's Point where he thought the bulk of the British and German troops had landed. Abbatt's assumption that the bulk of the British and German troops landed at the tip of Pell's Point, however, seems to have been inaccurate. As the Blaskowitz map indicates and as now seems well-established, the bulk of the troops landed along the side of Pell's Point at the place where the roadway then ended when it reached Eastchester Bay.

In his defense, Abbatt was not the first to make such a mistake. Earlier efforts to place the commencement and progress of the battle by Henry B. Dawson in his book Westchester County During the Revolution, pp. 233-46 (Morrisania, NY: 1886), made a similar error. By measuring 1-1/2 miles from the tip of Pell's Point (as suggested by a distance estimated by Col. Glover in his letter), William Abbatt came to the conclusion that the battle began near a spot marked by a large glacial boulder located along what we know today as Orchard Beach Road. He placed a photograph of the boulder in his book (Illustration 1 between pages 4 and 5) and labeled it "Glover's Rock". The name stuck.

Indeed, on October 18, 1901, shortly after Abbatt published his book on the battle and on the 125th anniversary of the battle, the Bronx Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Mount Vernon, N. Y., unveiled a bronze memorial tablet affixed to the newly-named Glover's Rock. It read:

"GLOVER'S ROCK. In memory of the 550 patriots who, led by Colonel John Glover, held General Howe's army in check at the BATTLE OF PELL'S POINT. October 18, 1776. Thus aiding General Washington in his retreat to White Plains. 'Fame is the perfume of heroic deeds.' Erected by Bronx Chapter of Mount Vernon, N. Y. Daughters of the American Revolution. October 18, 1901."

Glover's Rock, A Recent Photograph by the Author Showing

The Glacial Boulder and the Memorial Tablet Affixed to It.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Since the publication of Abbatt's book, historians who have had access to the Blaskowitz map have concluded that the Battle of Pelham began nowhere near Glover's Rock. Instead, according to more recent scholarship, the battle began near a small rise in the midst of today's Split Rock and Pelham Bay Golf Course. See, e.g., Franko, Alfred Michael, Pelham Manor: The Forgotten Battle of the Revolution: Near Mount Vernon, N.Y. (Pelham Manor, N.Y.: The Bicentennial Committee of the Town of Pelham, New York Oct. 1975) (republication of 1963 publication, revised in 1966; 67 pp., 12 pp. of plates, ill., 22 cm with bibliographic references).

Accordingly, in recent years, local historians and battle scholars have scoffed at the notion that the Battle of Pelham began near Glover's Rock. Such historians, it turns out, may have to revise their thinking once again. Though it seems clear that skirmishers associated with the Americans led by Colonel John Glover first engaged the British and German forces on the rise located in the midst of today's Split Rock and Pelham Bay Golf Course, there is anecdotal evidence that other Americans who were not associated with the men led by Colonel Glover skirmished with the British and German troops shortly after the enemy landed on Pell's Point and that a party of American Militia fell back along the road we know today as Orchard Beach Road, specifically using the large glacial boulder known today as Glover's Rock for cover!

According to family tradition within the De Veaux family, on October 18, 1776, an American Militia unit of which Abel De Veau, Jr. (also known as Abel Deveau) was a member, was on Pelham Neck when British and German troops landed in advance of the Battle of Pelham. I have written before about Abel De Veau, Jr. See Fri., Sep. 19, 2014: Abel Deveau, An American Skirmisher on Rodman's Neck as British and Germans Landed Before the Battle of Pelham.

Some accounts say this Militia unit was the first to engage the British and Germans, firing on the advancing enemy from "behind the large rock standing on the City Island road" -- i.e., today's Glover's Rock. According to one account:

"When the Army of General Howe started on their march from Pelham Neck a party of Militia, of whom Abel De Veau -- the Grandfather of Capt. John D. De Veau -- lay behind the large rock standing on the City Island road and fired upon the British Army. The British followed them up and they retreated, keeping up the fire along Pelham Lane [i.e., today's Shore Road], and lost two men before they got to Prospect Hill. There they were joined by a large party of Militia, and then they had a brisk fight. They then fell back to the hill of Mrs. Ronalds, and there they stood and had another brush. As the British advanced they kept up the fire as long as possible, and only retired when compelled by the numbers of the British to do so. They made a gallant defence." [Source: See full quote and citation below.]

This brief anecdote may be significant for two reasons. First, it seems to support the longstanding tradition that the Battle of Pelham actually began near the glacial boulder known today as "Glover's Rock." Though this initial skirmish did not involve the main body of Americans led by Colonel Glover (or their skirmishers), it arguably marked the beginning of the battle. Second, the reference seems to suggest that the Militia unit that was not affiliated with the regiments led by Glover suffered two casualties of its own that, until now, have not been counted among the American casualties of the Battle of Pelham.