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CHAPTER VIII
THE ACCOUNT OF ALEXANDER GRAYDON
One of the most interesting and best memoirs of revolutionary times is
that written by Alexander Graydon, and as he was taken prisoner at
Fort Washington, and closely connected with the events in New York
during the winter of 1776-7, we will quote here his account of his
captivity.
He describes the building of Fort Washington in July of 1776 by the
men of Magaw's and Hand's regiments. General Putnam was the
engineer. It was poorly built for defence, and not adapted for a
siege.
Graydon was a captain in Colonel Shee's Regiment, but, for some reason
or other, Shee went home just before the battle was fought, and his
troops were commanded by Cadwallader in his stead. Graydon puts the
number of privates taken prisoner at 2706 and the officers at about
210. Bedinger, as we have already seen, states that there were 2673
privates and 210 officers. He was a man of painstaking accuracy, and
it is quite probable that his account is the most trustworthy. As one
of the privates was Bedinger's own young brother, a boy of fifteen,
whom he undoubtedly visited as often as possible, while Graydon only
went once to the prisons, perhaps Bedinger had the best opportunities
for computing the number of captives.
Graydon says that Colonel Rawlings was, some time late in the morning
of the 16th of November, attacked by the Hessians, when he fought with
great gallantry and effect as they were climbing the heights, until
the arms of the riflemen became useless from the foulness they
contracted from the frequent repetition of their fire.
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