The Strange Case of James Molesworth

 

Execution of a Spy

The key rattled in the cell's lock. "It's time, almost noon," said the Sergeant of the Guard. 

The prisoner rose from the musty cot and followed the escort out of the red brick jailhouse building to the town commons, where a large crowd of spectators awaited the condemned. The last fourteen days had been a whirlwind of intrigue, missteps, apprehension, and cross-examination. Now, the condemned man gazed at the simple noose that would, momentarily, squeeze the life from him—for he was a confessed spy.

"Does the prisoner have any last words, Sergeant?" asked the officer in charge.

"No, sir," replied the sergeant.

"I believe my statement to the examiner at my trial amply provides my last words, sir," said the prisoner." I only ask they be made public after my sentence is carried out."

The officer nodded, and a soldier threw a cord noose over his shoulders.

From Cold Winter to Warm Spring

The winter of 1777 was one of savage warfare—a struggle for the necessities of survival for two armies desperate to feed their men. But by March, General William Howe, the British commander in New York, was setting his sights on another try at the American capital in Philadelphia—even as London had dispatched a large Army to strike deep into the colonies from Canada that summer. So, while paying lip service to the British Minister for the Colonies, Lord George Germain's strategy, Howe was plotting a move south and an assault on Philadelphia from the mouth of the Delaware River. But to do this, he needed intelligence—and something more.

General Howe

No Man's Land

While the Americans held Philadephia and General George Washington's Continental Army encamped at Morristown, central Jersey became a no man's land of foraging parties, raiders, thieves, smugglers, and spies. The former colony was flush with Loyalists, as was the area around Philadelphia. Not yet a year old, the cause of liberty was not in every American's heart. There were plenty of high and low-born people who were willing to support the King, especially if there was some coin involved. Both sides had networks for spying and striking out against their enemies. One such network within the new nation's capital was active in helping prepare the way for the return of the British.

The Jerseys were a No Mans Land of Spies and More

Spy Highway

James Molesworth was a member of that spy ring. Born in Staffordshire, England, Molesworth made his way to America and established himself in the New World, eventually as a Clerk in the Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia. Like so many, Molesworth remained Loyal and got involved with their spy network in and around the capital. Molesworth agreed to go to New York and meet with the British authorities. 

Loyalist leader Joseph Galloway

The Loyalists had a sort of "Underground Railroad" to make their way past American patrols and sentries into the occupied City of New York. Molesworth traveled into the Jerseys with an accomplice named John Caton, who went by the alias of Warren. Warren took him to Bullions Tavern, where they met another accomplice named Smith, who guided them to Milestone Bridge. From there, the two slipped past rebel pickets and entered British lines. Molesworth met with Pennsylvania Loyalist leader Joseph Galloway, who recommended him to General Howe, who gave Molesworth a lieutenant's commission. Howe needed his services back in The City of Brotherly Love.

The Mission

Howe was planning a sea-borne attack on Philadelphia by sailing up the mouth of the Delaware River. He knew from spies and other informants that the Americans had several forts positioned there and had embedded Cheveaux de Frise-like traps along the riverbed. These were rows of long spikes with points hidden below the water level that could rip open the hulls of British warships. 

Chevaux de Frise could tear open a ship's hull

The British instructed Molesworth to recruit sympathetic Delaware pilots to exfiltrate them north to New York and guide the British fleet around the traps. Howe also questioned him about the forts and the armed galleys used by the Americans. Although the British provided him with no cash, he was told to spare no expense in finding a couple of pilots. He was also to arrange for sabotage and other mayhem in preparation for the British attack.

Philadelphia Ring

On his return, Molesworth approached several  Loyalist sympathizers—clearly, they had a network well in place. He met a Mr. Sheppard and a Joseph Thomas. He connected with his other accomplices—a Clerk in General Mifflins's Office named Collins, a Clerk in the City Vendue Office named Keating, and a Livery Stable owner named Sheppard. At least two women were involved as well—a Mrs. Abigail McCay and a Mrs. Sarah O'Brien. The latter two had been actively feeling out (they used the word "tampering") Delaware pilots for a special mission and had a few they thought might agree to the enterprise. One, named John Eldridge, refused to go. However, another,  Andrew Higgins, agreed and was able to bring another, named John Snyder, into the plot.

City of Brotherly Love, or Nest of Spies?

Clandestine Meetings

Mrs.McCay was Molesworth's intermediary with Mrs. O'Brien, and it was at her boarding house that Molesworth finally met with "agreeable" pilots at seven in the evening. Although promised great rewards for their service, Molesworth could only offer fifty pounds, which he had gotten from Sheppard. Molesworth schemed to get horses from Sheppard's Livery and ride north. 

Women supported Molesworth's efforts

Sheppard, the livery owner, approached a farrier named Fox for a horse, but none was to be had that night, and it was decided that looking for a third horse at that hour might draw suspicion. Molesworth, instead, would travel the next day. But there was no next day's travel. Someone blew the whistle. For want of a horse...

Court Martial and Sentencing

Molesworth was arrested and faced a trial by court martial presided over by General Horatio Gates. Witnesses were questioned from 25 through 28 March. Molesworth gave his own testimony on the 27th. The court martial convicted the spy on the 29th, and after  Congress confirmed the sentence, Molesworth was hanged in the Philadelphia Commons on 31 March 1777.

General Horatio Gates

Justice for All?

But what of the others? Collins, Keating, and Sheppard escaped to British-held territory, eluding the pursuit by provosts under a captain named Proctor. According to General George Washington's report, it was the pilots who turned Molesworth in. But who? Eldridge? Higgins? Snyder? Or some combination? My take is Eldridge, with the other two plus two ladies providing testimony in exchange for leniency. For his part, Sheppard made his way to New  York, where he served as a pilot for the eventual British move on Philadelphia in the fall of 1777. For his services, Sheppard received the lucrative post of Deputy Commissioner of Forage during the British occupation.

British occupy Philadelphia September 1777

Justice for No One?

Years later, the infamous General James Wilkinson commented on the case in his memoirs. He alleges there had been no legal basis for a military court martial, and the political pressure on Gates for a swift outcome led to a conviction with a unanimous verdict. A conviction Gates and Congress swiftly approved. Wilkinson claimed to have met with him in his cell, offering mercy if he would give up his accomplices—Molesworth refused. 

James Wilkinson

No Peace for the Dead

Molesworth remained controversial, even in death. His body was relegated to a potter field—a burial ground for the indigent. Local Loyalists seethed (secretly) at the affront. When the British occupied Philadelphia later in the year, a group of Quakers had him exhumed and interred in a Quaker cemetery. Now, the local patriots seethed (secretly). When the Americans re-occupied Philadelphia in 1778, you guessed it, Molesworth's now rather tired corpse was once more exhumed and reinterred in the potter field.

Quaker Meeting House

Culper Prelude?

The British network in the heart of the capital sent a visceral chill through the Americans in the City, the Continental Army, and Congress. Had it remained undetected, it could have proven a more effective network than the celebrated Culper Ring in New York. Perhaps that explains the quick justice and burial. It might also have shaped General George Washington's thinking on espionage and the need for ultra-tight security and compartmentalization, as intelligence and espionage played an increasingly important tool in the struggle ahead.

George Washington as Spymaster

Patriot Scoundrel

An Early American Enigma

As I continue to profile characters in or mentioned in my upcoming novel, The North Spy, there is one in a cameo role who seemed to be at the periphery of interesting events–– not always in a good way. And that is an understatement. James Wilkinson is one of those enigmatic characters who managed to place himself where he could do the most good for–– himself! 

James Wilkinson

Various historians and writers use James Wilkinson's own writings, and his account of things, while first-hand, is not unbiased. Wilkinson appears in The Cavalier Spy and The North Spy, and I do not portray him very favorably. He becomes a bit of a foil for my protagonist, Jeremiah Creed, and adds a certain ambiguity to things. This will be part 1 of a 2-part treatment of Wilkinson.

Chesapeake Roots

Maryland was the birthplace of James Wilkinson, whose family were mid-level landholders in Calvert County. He was born to Joseph and Althea Wilkinson in Charles County on 24 March 1757. He spent time on the family estate, Stoakely Man, which his father inherited from his grandfather, but by the time James was seven, debt caused his father to lose the estate, which was auctioned off in lots. A small parcel was retained, but James's older brother Joseph inherited it.

Wilkinson hailed from Maryland's Western Shore

A landless second son often had few prospects, but fortunately, his grandmother had enough money and connection to ensure a decent education: first tutoring in his early years and later the study of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This would have given him a boost in his career, but politics and the struggle with Britain got in the way of his path to becoming a surgeon.

Revolutionary Youth

James Wilkinson was just eighteen when the "Shot Heard Round the World" changed everything and put him on a pathway to potential military glory. He began his service in 1775 with Thompson's Rifle Battalion, where he was promoted to captain that September. The battalion, formed from "Associator" companies, marched to Massachusetts and joined the newly formed army assembling around Boston.

Pennsylvania Infantry

New England Triumph

But Wilkinson, who we'll see was quick to spy opportunity, soon got himself seconded to General Nathanael Greene as an aide–– a role he would often play to his advantage. By his account, he helped lay in the batteries on Dorchester Heights, an act that sent the British packing.

Dorchester Heights

New York Debacle

He marched with the Continental Army as it scurried south to defend New York in spring 1776. This time as a company commander in Thompson's battalion, on 1 July 1776, The First Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line would play a role in the brutal fighting on Long Island in August.

Retreat from Long Island

Canada Collapse

The campaign to wrest Canada from the British was going badly. While General Washington and Howe danced their armies around New York and across the Jerseys, another front was raging in hot combat but in a much colder climate. Wilkinson went north with reinforcement for Benedict Arnold, who assumed command when the expedition's commander, General Richard Montgomery, was mortally wounded in the assault of Quebec that December. Wilkinson got himself appointed as an aide to Arnold, but the arrival of a relief army under General John Burgoyne sent the Americans into a retreat back to New York.

Basking Ridge Mystery

Arnold would soon fight the invading British to a standstill, but by then, the now Major Wilkinson had gotten himself reassigned as an aide to General Charles Lee, second in command of the Continental Army, during Lee's controversial (he lagged) march from the Hudson Highlands to join Washington outside Philadelphia in December 1776. On a cold, snowy morning, Wilkinson was with Lee, who had left his division and ridden to Widow White's Tavern in Basking Ridge, when British dragoons attacked him under Banastre Tarleton. Lee was captured, but Wilkinson escaped. His account of this is self-serving to him and denigrates Lee. My account in The Cavalier Spy tries to even things up a bit.

Wilkinson escaped Lee's fate at Widow White's

Saratoga Surrender

By the summer of 1777, Wilkinson was a Lieutenant Colonel and Assistant Adjutant to the new commander of the Northern Department, Major General Horatio Gates. He played an active staff role in the dramatic battles and the British Army's surrender. In my novel, The North Spy, he appears competent but manipulative in his interactions with Horatio Gates, Benedict Arnold, Dan Morgan, and my fictional protagonist, Jeremiah Creed.

General Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga

Career Summit

Wilkinson burst onto the national scene when Gates selected him to ride to Congress with news of the Saratoga victory–– a direct affront to General George Washington and a precursor to upcoming political machinations such as the "Conway Cabal." Wilkinson tarried in his delivery to settle personal matters and, of course, embellished his role. He did this so well that Congress brevetted the twenty-year-old lieutenant colonel a brigadier general even though he had not commanded more than a company of troops. This promotion, and suspicions of his and Gates's connections to the Conway Cabal, caused many officers to turn against him. In fairness, this was a typical reaction among the Continental Army's higher ranks.

Wilkinson's news to Congress bypassed Washington

Brevet Brigadier

With promotion in November 1777 came a new job–– a seat on the Board of War. Various political intrigues and accusations led to him leaving the prestigious Board, which was charged with overseeing the conduct of the war in the spring of 1778. A year later, Congress found another administrative post for him–– Clothier General of the Army. Clearly, his reputation as a politician, lack of previous command experience, and getting cross with the commander-in-chief precluded a field command. But things did not go well, and he resigned from the position in the spring of 1781.

Wilkinson was an unlikely clothier

 for the Continental Army

Family Affair

Before we wrap up Wilkinson's Continental Army career, we'll examine his personal life. While stationed around Philadelphia, the newly-breveted general married Ann Biddle. The couple wed on 12 November 1778. Anne was from one of the most prominent families in Philadelphia. Her first cousin was Charles Biddle, who served as a merchant mariner (privateer), a light infantry officer, and a naval officer during the war. Biddle later became highly prominent in Pennsylvania politics and was closely connected to Aaron Burr. These connections would play out in Wilkinson's future in surprising ways as our story shifts to the frontier.

Connection to Biddle would have

 second-order effects

What Ho, Horatio

Veterans Become Patriots

Many former British officers later settled in America and served in the Continental Army. Some of them were controversial. A previous Yankee Doodle Spies post on Major General Charles Lee is arguably the best example. 

You can read about him in A General Disaster: 

https://yankeedoodlespies.blogspot.com/2019/07/this-edition-of-yankee-doodle-spies.html. 

There were others, such as my recent post on Arthur St. Clair.

You can read about him in Frustrated Founder:

 https://yankeedoodlespies.blogspot.com/2021/10/frustrated-founder.html 

What, Ho, Horatio!

This post profiles an Englishman whose life became just as uncertain as the fictional Horatio in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Horatio Gates came from humble beginnings, the son of a housekeeper to the Duke of Leeds. She was said to be his favorite, and why not? On July 26, 1727, she gave birth to a boy in Maldon, Essex, England, who was rumored to be the Duke’s illegitimate son. 

For some reason, the Duke favored the young boy from an early age. He received an education far beyond what ordinary servants could afford for a child. And curiously, his servant parents managed to come up with the pounds sterling needed to purchase a commission as an Ensign in the 21st Regiment of Foot in 1745! Methinks a Sugar Daddy Duke played no small role in securing this post. If so, the investment paid off.

Dukedom of Leeds Coat of Arms 

Following the Drum

Over the next 25 years, Gates served capably in Britain’s numerous wars, gaining experience in the European War of the Austrian Succession, the Micmac War in North America, and the French and Indian War. Young Horatio developed and excelled in staff skills, a type of work most young and ambitious British officers would avoid whenever possible. He served under many accomplished governors and field commanders like Edward Cornwallis, John Stanwix, and Robert Monckton. The now Major Gates returned to England after the French and Indian War, seconded to the 45th Regiment of Foot. 

The French and Indian War 

Love and War

Like many young officers who served in the New World, Gates found love during his time in service. In June 1749, he was sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to serve as aide-de-camp to Colonel Edward Cornwallis (uncle of Lord Charles Cornwallis of Yorktown fame). During this period, he met the young Elizabeth Phillips. The young officer was smitten and determined to marry her. 

The women of North America were irresistible

 to many British officers

In January 1754, Horatio returned to London, hoping to improve his situation. But when that did not work out, he went back to the New World, specifically Maryland, where he was able to buy a captain’s commission. The captaincy provided him with the income and status he needed, so in October 1754, he returned to Nova Scotia and married Elizabeth, who bore him a son.

During the French and Indian War, young Captain Gates joined his new company in Maryland in March 1755, as it prepared to join General Edward Braddock’s ill-fated expedition against the French and Indians.

You can read about Braddock in Road of Destruction:

 https://yankeedoodlespies.blogspot.com/2017/07/things-road-of-destruction.html 

Along for the march into the mountains and forests of the western frontier were future notables such as George Washington, Charles Lee, Thomas Gage, and Daniel Morgan. During Braddock’s defeat at the Monongahela River in July 1755, Horatio was severely wounded – he took a musket ball in the chest. His wound took a long time to heal. When he did return to active service, it was for garrison duty along New York’s Mohawk River. Elizabeth was living in New York City during this period.

Battle of Monongahela

By 1761, Gates was a major who had become skilled in military administration and a seasoned leader in battle. However, without a war to accelerate progress, advancement in the British Army depended on money and influence. The maid’s son quickly understood that his social status would limit any further promotion. Therefore, he sold his commission in 1769 and returned to America. 

With a Little Help from My Friends

The French and Indian War was good for Horatio. It introduced him to the new world and new ways of thinking, where people from humble backgrounds could succeed. Of course, having friends and connections doesn’t hurt, and Horatio was now linked to one of the biggest land sellers and surveyors in America: Colonel George Washington. 

Washington helped his fellow French and Indian War veteran buy a 659-acre farm in Virginia’s Berkley County. Gates turned the land into a plantation named Traveler’s Rest. He settled there with Elizabeth and their son, Robert, in 1773. They built a successful plantation and enjoyed a happy married life until political disagreements and increasing unrest turned into open war against the crown.

Colonel George Washington

War Clouds on the Horizon

News of Lexington and Concord reached Traveler’s Rest in May 1775. Horatio wasted no time. He leaped onto one of his chargers and galloped to Mount Vernon, where he offered his services to his fellow veteran and friend, George Washington. At Washington’s recommendation, Horatio Gates received a commission as a brigadier general from the Continental Congress and was named Adjutant General of the Continental Army.

Battle at Concord Bridge

Horatio’s administrative experience in British service was vital to forming a new army. He improved the army’s record-keeping system for orders and unified the structure of regiments from around a dozen states. Horatio was with Washington during the siege of Boston. It always helps to be around the right people at the right time. Impressed with his performance, Washington praised Horatio’s contributions. In 1776, Congress promoted him to major general. 

Major General Gates

At his request, Gates was assigned a field command—the Canadian Department. However, the American invasion of Canada and the army’s dissolution moved him to a position as an assistant to Major General Philip Schuyler in the Northern Department.

A General Nuisance

Gates rejoined the main Continental Army under George Washington later in 1776. However, Gates’s growing sense of his military superiority led to conflict with his mentor. Gates believed in the superiority of defense over offense and advised Washington to retreat rather than launch a bold and reckless attack on Trenton in the middle of winter. 

Gates advised against recrossing the Delaware

You can read about the attack on Trenton in Gambling through Defeat and Victory: https://yankeedoodlespies.blogspot.com/2013/12/gambling-through-defeat-and-victory_21.html. 

Washington did not follow his advice, so Gates faked an illness to avoid joining the night crossing. He allowed his command to go into battle without its leader. Not a good look.

Despite the victories at Trenton and Princeton, Horatio grew more convinced that he should lead the Continental Army. Many wealthy and influential delegates to Congress, mainly from New England, shared his opinion. By December, Gates was actively lobbying Congress for the position. However, the two victories kept Washington in command. 

Danger in the North

Gates bided his time. When the failures in Canada and northern New York impacted Major General Phillip Schuyler (himself no stranger to politics), Gates was sent north to assist and eventually replace him as commander of the Northern Department. He took full command in August 1777. 

Major General Phillip Schuyler

But this army needed a staff officer to organize everything. Gates’s organizational skills helped rearm and refit the troops who were pushed back from Canada. He merged the different militia units coming from New York and New England. Horatio Gates was not an inspiring leader. His bookish ways, average build, and demeanor shouted “staff officer!” 

Staff officers ran the army

His organizational skills were essential because the British columns that seized Fort Ticonderoga and moved through the forests to the north were about to attack Albany and cut New England off from the rest of the rebellious states. 

Fort Ticonderoga 

Fortunately, the army would soon find out it had plenty of officers capable of leading men on the battlefield. John Stark‘s victory over a sizable British raiding force at the Battle of Bennington showed the British what well-led Americans could do.

Victory at Bennington

The American victories and British surrender at Saratoga shocked the world and pushed the French from silent support to an open alliance with the new American states. The battles of Freeman’s Farm and Bemis Heights in September and October of 1777 led to the defeat of an army of British and German professionals. 

Fierce fighting stymied General Burgoyne's 

last hope of victory

Horatio Gates was credited with command in both battles and as the campaign architect. However, his poor management on the battlefield tarnished his reputation. The American strikes and counterstrikes that delivered a heavy blow to General John Burgoyne’s army were only reluctantly approved by Gates. He appeared content to stay in camp while Benedict Arnold, Dan Morgan, Enoch Poor, Charles Dearborn, and other officers led the men into danger.

Many American field commanders excelled at 

Bemis Hts & Freeman's Farm

A Political General?

Still, the commander is responsible for all that his men do and do not do. If the campaign had gone the other way, Gates would have taken the blame at a court-martial and possibly would have been drummed out of the service. Gate’s political instincts told him the first report was the one that mattered. So he immediately sent his Adjutant, James Wilkinson, galloping south to bring the news to Congress – not stopping along the way to inform his commander-in-chief!

Burgoyne's forces ground arms at Saratoga

Following Saratoga, Gates was appointed President of the Board of War, the military oversight body of Congress, while maintaining his field command. Friends in Congress turned a blind eye to the obvious conflict of interest. And why wouldn't they? They also supported removing General Washington as Commander-in-Chief and replacing him with Gates. 

The so-called Conway cabal was a network of officers supporting Horatio Gates’s rise to the highest command. General Thomas Conway, an Irish-French officer, was a supporter of Gates’s cause. However, the alleged plot was exposed. Washington did not act directly, but allowed his allies to attack Conway and others. Notably, on July 4th, Brigadier General John Cadwalader shot Conway in a duel. Ironically, it was Gates’s dishonest aide Wilkinson who uncovered Conway’s schemes. 

General Thomas Conway was at the center 

of a group favoring Gates

After a series of attacks, recriminations, and apologies, the affair faded out. Washington’s position was stronger than ever, while Gates was humiliated. In October 1778, Gates was appointed commander of the Eastern Department in Boston, which was now a backwater. He resigned in 1779 and retired to his Virginia plantation. It has never been proven that the circle of officers and politicians supporting Gates was an actual "cabal." But if there was a real conspiracy, it soon fell apart and Gates looked foolish. How involved he was remains a matter of debate. But don't worry, more controversy is ahead.

Song of the South

The post-Saratoga “Southern Strategy” was now benefiting the British, who captured Charleston in May 1780. Thousands of men from the Southern Department and their commander, Benjamin Lincoln, were taken prisoner. Congress and the American people were stunned. The politicians wanted an experienced officer to lead and chose Horatio Gates to command the Southern Department. Eager to rejoin the fight, Gates traveled south and, on July 25, 1780, took command of the disheartened remnants of the army near Deep River, North Carolina.

General Benjamin Lincoln

More trouble was brewing as the British, now under the command of Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis, were consolidating their grip on the Carolinas. Post after post fell, and suddenly the Loyalists gained the upper hand. Gates was under pressure to deliver results quickly. In August 1780, he gathered what forces he had, mostly untrained militia. Gates planned to move southward. But now Cornwallis’s forces were regrouping to face this new threat from the north. 

Lord Cornwallis

Camden and Chaos

They clashed on August 16 near Camden, South Carolina. Cornwallis took the lead early in the morning. Gates preferred to stay defensive, but his continentals were tired and poorly equipped. His militiamen were inexperienced. All were underfed. Many were sick from eating raw corn. Even without these issues, his army was unprepared for what they faced – the bayonets of determined regulars. They quickly broke and fled in chaos. French-American General Baron De Kalb fell during the battle.

Battle of Camden

Muskets still rattled as men continued to die when Gates left the battlefield. He rode 70 miles north, not stopping until his foaming horse reached Charlotte, North Carolina that evening. Gates’s claim of seeking a rally point for the army didn't seem believable to most – 70 miles was a long way for rallying troops. He was upset over the defeat at Camden, but in October, his mood sank even further with news of his son Robert’s death in combat at twenty-two.

Gates rode hard as his Army crumbled

Board of Inquiry

Gates was relieved and replaced by Nathanael Greene on December 3, 1780. The upset general returned to his plantation to mourn his career and son. Congress demanded a board of inquiry to investigate his actions at Camden. Gates resisted this and called on his political supporters for help. In 1782, Congress canceled the board of inquiry. However, a future command was out of the question. Returning to duty, Gates rode north and joined Washington’s staff at Newburgh, New York. Perhaps this was the ultimate humiliation.

Gates was back to staff officer at Washington's Newburgh HQ

Peace and Prosperity

Although the war was winding down in 1783, Horatio’s troubles were not over. His wife, Elizabeth, died that summer. The last British troops left New York City in late November, and Horatio Gates retired to his Virginia estate. He lived the life of a gentleman planter and also served as the president of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati – a controversial group of former Continental Army officers. The widowed Gates proposed marriage to Janet Livingston Montgomery, the widow of another former British officer and one of the nation’s first heroes, General Richard Montgomery. But she refused.

General Montgomery's widow, Janet  

Still, during those days, a prosperous gentleman could not remain unmarried. In 1786, he married Mary Valens, a wealthy widow. He chose to move north and live on her estate, Rose Hill Farm, on the Island of New York (today’s Manhattan). Its location near the northern edge of the rapidly growing city was ideal. When he sold Traveler’s Rest in 1790, Horatio conditionally (after five years) freed his slaves on the recommendation of his friend John Adams. 

John  Adams

A New Life of Politics, Society & Service

With his new wife Mary by his side, Horatio immersed himself in New York City society and politics. However, he served only one term in the New York State legislature in 1800. As New York had become an anti-Federalist and later Republican stronghold, Gates leaned toward the rising star Thomas Jefferson as a presidential candidate. This change in allegiance ended his friendship with John Adams. 

Farms on  the NYC outskirts

Unlike nearly all of his Revolutionary War peers, Gates devoted much of his wealth to caring for less fortunate veterans of the war. The country's streets were filled with these worn and needy men who sacrificed their lives and futures for a nation that was slow to repay them. 

Gates with Congressional Medal for Saratoga victory

Gates approached his “evening parade” with a growing sense of happiness about joining the new nation and the role, controversial as it was, in fighting for its independence and founding. 

Although his career had some "sketchy" moments, Gates, after all, commanded the forces that turned the tide of the war. He did an admirable job helping organize the Continental Army. Sitting out Trenton was a mistake— a mistake of false pride. His actions at Camden were disgraceful on several levels, and although he didn’t face a board of inquiry, the fact was— none was needed. 

His actions spoke for themselves. And while he had every reason to stay home at Traveler's Rest, he swallowed his pride and joined Washington at Newburgh in a less prominent role. To me, that makes him a patriot— if not a military genius. So do his efforts on behalf of the beleaguered post-war veterans. He died at his farm on April 10, 1806, at seventy-nine, and was buried in Trinity Churchyard on Wall Street.

General Horatio Gates's gravesite