When I started writing the Yankee Doodle Spies Blog many years ago, one of the first patriots I wanted to feature was someone from Delaware. An immigrant preacher who left Ireland for a better life and fought in two wars, one for Britain and one against it, this underrated patriot is John Haslet.
A Londonderry Man
Born around 1727 in Dungiven, near Londonderry, Ireland, this son of a tenant farmer grew up to be a devout man and, when necessary, a passionate leader. As a young man, he traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, and studied Divinity. He finished his studies in 1749, sailed home, and soon married. His wife was Shirley Stirling, the daughter of a preacher. John was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1752 and, later that year, delivered his first sermon to his new congregation at Ballykelly. Around that time, the Haslet family had their first child, Mary (or Polly).
Tragedy and Immigration
The year 1757 was a time of tragedy and change for Haslet. Shirley lost their second child and died during childbirth. Soon after, Haslet decided to emigrate. Following a common practice of the time, he left young Polly in his brother's care and sailed to America for a new life in a place called Delaware. The young widower quickly remarried there, taking Jemima Molleston as his second wife.
Against the French and Indians
Haslet joined the Pennsylvania militia. His degree from the University of Glasgow and his experience speaking to and inspiring his congregations marked him as a leader, and he quickly rose to the rank of captain. The French and Indian War was ongoing when Haslet arrived in America. The campaign to expel the French from the frontier took Haslet and his militia company to western Pennsylvania, where they fought in the 1758 Battle of Fort Duquesne.
Country Doctor
The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Haslet returned with his company to Delaware. He and Jemima settled in Milford, where he established a medical practice and bought a property called "Longfield." John and Jemima had four children. Additionally, his daughter Polly immigrated to Delaware in 1765. An ideal life as a country doctor and farmer awaited him.
From Friction to Fighting
But the political friction after the war grew into armed resistance, and Haslet became involved, eventually advocating for independence from Britain. The Continental Congress appointed him a Colonel and commander of the Delaware Regiment (sometimes called the Delaware Blues), one of the largest (800 men) and most well-uniformed and equipped regiments in the Continental Army. Their blue jackets with white waistcoats and breeches set the standard for all the regiments of the Continental Line.
Valor on Long Island
John Haslet's regiment marched to New York and into the defense works on Long Island in the late summer of 1776. General George Washington had occupied the city, but the British armada under Lord Howe sailed south and descended on Staten Island before invading Long Island at Brooklyn's Gravesend.
When the British surrounded the Americans, Haslet's regiment and the First Maryland held firm against the attack. At the peak of the fight, Lord Stirling, an American general and Scottish peer named William Alexander, took command of both regiments and led them in a series of brave charges against British General Cornwallis's regular troops.
Absorbing volley after volley from the red-coated ranks, the two regiments were torn to shreds. However, their discipline and sacrifice allowed the rest of the American army to retreat to the safety of the defenses near Brooklyn Heights. This event is a pivotal moment in my novel, The Patriot Spy. Ironically, Haslet and the Maryland commander, Colonel John Smallwood, were on court-martial duty in New York City and only returned after the battle had ended.
Retreat, Fight, and Retreat
Haslet and his regiment fought bravely during the months that followed as the Continentals were forced out of New York City. During the retreat, Haslet and his men defeated a Loyalist corps at Mamaroneck.
At White Plains on October 28, Haslet and Smallwood stood bravely with their regiments on Chatterton Hill. When the militia they were sent to reinforce broke and fled, the two Continental regiments held their ground until the enemy's numbers and firepower forced a retreat. However, the stand on Chatterton Hill denied General Howe a complete victory, and the Americans would live to fight another day.
War on the Run
General Washington's army was on the run for the next two months. Fort Washington fell, and his men abandoned Fort Lee as they hurried across New Jersey toward the Delaware and Pennsylvania, where Washington hoped to regroup and make a stand. Haslet and his men fought many small battles—skirmishing during a "fighting retreat" that reduced the Delaware Regiment to no more than 100 "effectives"—men capable of fighting by the time they crossed the Delaware River to rejoin the main army.
Trenton
Knowing he needed to strike within days, Washington launched his famous Christmas surprise attack, crossing the ice-clogged Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776. The army trudged the nine miles under a dark and cold sky to their target: the Hessian garrison at Trenton, which had over a thousand troops. Although barely two companies strong, Haslet and his men led the charge. After a brief but fierce exchange of musket and artillery fire, the garrison surrendered, giving Washington one of the war's greatest victories. Before Haslet had time to refit, enlistments were expiring, as they were across the entire army.
Assunpink Creek
Days later, the army returned to Trenton, defending a low ridgeline behind a creek south of the town and waiting for the British counterattack with more than 5,000 fresh redcoats under an angry General Cornwallis. A late afternoon firefight on January 2, 1777, caused Cornwallis to stand down and strike with all his force the next day. However, Washington outmaneuvered them and executed an 18-mile night march around the British to attack their supply base at Princeton.
Destiny at Princeton
The dawn of January 3rd broke bright but cold, with snow covering fields and roads. Colonel Haslet's regiment was now just a handful of officers. Months of fighting and expired enlistments had worn down his regiment. However, Haslet's experience and capable leadership remained crucial, so Washington appointed him as second in command to General Hugh Mercer, his best commander.
Mercer's division was at the forefront, marching through William Clarke's orchard when two crack regiments of British regulars unleashed a horrific barrage of volleys, shooting Mercer's horse out from under him. Mercer quickly got to his feet and drew his saber as the wave of red moved in on him. When he refused to be taken prisoner, they clubbed him and then bayonetted him while he lay helpless in the snow. He died from his wounds.
The Field of Honor
Seeing Mercer go down, Haslet took command of the remnants. But just moments later, a curtain of lead filled the air, and a musket ball struck him in the head. The remaining troops began to waver, but General Washington rode into their midst and rallied them. Then, combined with reinforcements, they drove the British from the field and took Princeton. The gallant John Haslet died on the field of honor like his commander, Hugh Mercer.
Washington's Loss, America's Loss
The history books record Princeton as a victory. However, the loss of Mercer and Haslet robbed Washington of two of his most capable lieutenants, whose talents the commander-in-chief would desperately miss over the next five years of war. Mercer is rightfully honored, but Haslet, being second in command and from a small state, often goes unmentioned. I count John Haslet among the many unsung heroes whose early death deprived the Continental Army and the future United States of leadership, integrity, and patriotism.
Delaware's Son
The son of Delaware was buried outside his home state and laid to rest in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church. It wasn't until an Act of the Delaware Assembly was passed in 1841 that his remains were moved to the Presbyterian Cemetery in Dover, Delaware. However, it wasn't until 2001 that his state finally honored him with a monument at Princeton.
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