John Haslet’s World: An Ardent Patriot, the Delaware Blues, and the Spirit of 1776

By David Price

This is the story of Colonel John Haslet, an Irish immigrant to the American colonies who made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting for his adopted country. During this pivotal moment in America’s war for independence against Great Britain, a newborn nation struggled to survive against a militarily superior force deployed by a mighty empire.

This is also a chronicle of the inspirational leadership and service of the Delaware Regiment that Haslet formed and guided, told as part of a more wide-ranging narrative about the 1776 campaign of Washington’s army. That battered but resilient force faced the prospect of total defeat in the winter of 1776–1777 as the quest for American independence hung in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Permuted
• Release date: Nov 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781682619469

David Price

Dave Price is a certified SUP instructor at Easyriders, one of the UK's leading watersports centres, as well as The Watersports Academy, home of stand-up paddleboarding on the south coast. As well as teaching beginners, he also leads SUP expeditions, and his wildlife tours are especially popular. He has been featured in the Guardian's Weekend magazine for his SUP activities and is the author of The Paddleboard Bible.

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Advance Praise for John Haslet’s World

John Haslet is a largely forgotten yet important figure in the Revolution. David Price has written the definitive treatment of this hero. Crisply written and well- researched, Price has brought Haslet back to life on the printed page.

—Patrick K. O’Donnell, Bestselling Author of Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution and The Indispensables: Marblehead’s Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware

Delaware’s Revolutionary War hero John Haslet should be much better known. I am delighted that David Price has taken on this task! Price’s book is both well-written and carefully documented. I highly recommend it!

—Kim Burdick, MA, MPA, founder, American Revolution Round Table of Northern Delaware and author of Revolutionary Delaware: Independence in the First State

David Price has composed an interesting and informative narrative history of Colonel John Haslet and the 1st Delaware Regiment of the Continental Army in the early phase of the Revolutionary War, neither of which should be overlooked or forgotten as we approach the semiquincentennial of our nation’s independence.

—Glenn F. Williams, Ph.D., Historian, U.S. Army Center of Military History and author of Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era and Year of the Hangman: George Washington’s Campaign Against the Iroquois

David Price’s book, John Haslet’s World, artfully weaves the life of Haslet and his Delaware Regiment with the storied major events of the American Revolution to create a long-needed portrait of this patriot. Frederick the Great once said that he had seen colonels decide the fate of empires. The reader will see how Colonel Haslet and his Delawares arguably played just such a role at Long Island in 1776. As a University of Delaware alumnus, I especially appreciate Price’s detailed treatment of the Delaware Regiment. A worthy read.

—Richard J. Kane, Sr., Chairman, Swan Historical Foundation, dedicated to encouraging knowledge and appreciation of the American Revolution for the benefit of present and future generations

If there ever was a book about one regiment, one state, that covers the trials and tribulations of the American Revolution, this is one you can’t skip by. The story of the Delaware Continentals is one that is truly amazing! It is almost unbelievable that this one regiment from one of the smallest states impacted the outcome of the Revolution not just once but time after time, each and every year of the war.

—Chris Mlynarczyk, President, 1st Delaware Regiment

Colonel John Haslet was the Delaware Continental most likely to attain general officer rank. Instead, he fell valiantly on the battlefield. Now David Price, in this fine biography, leads us on an engaging tour of Haslet’s journey to that fatal encounter. Price chronicles Haslet the minister, physician, planter, politician, and officer from Ireland to Princeton, breathing life into this Renaissance and revolutionary man. Along the way, we learn of Delaware’s colonial history and the Delaware Regiment. But Haslet remains the focus of Price’s well-paced and informative story, offering the subject well-deserved recognition. I highly recommend this book.

—Bill Welsch, President, American Revolution Round Table (ARRT) of Richmond and co-founder of the Congress of ARRTs

David Price gives his readers a complete picture of the life of John Haslet. This largely forgotten leader not only helped give birth to Delaware’s Patriot movement before the war but served as a critical part of the Continental Army’s military survival in the early part of the American Revolution. Haslet’s military daring and organizational ability showed his potential to become one of the army’s top commanders. He likely would have gone on to play an important role in the founding of the new nation. As he gave the last full measure of devotion to make the crucial Princeton campaign a success, the nation owes eternal gratitude to the sacrifice of Colonel Haslet.

—Michael Troy, host of the American Revolution Podcast

In this well-chronicled account, David Price tells the story of Revolutionary War hero John Haslet and how his inspiring leadership and sacrifice helped turn the tide of the American Revolution during the ‘Ten Crucial Days’ campaign of 1776–77. David’s work is a great addition for any history enthusiast wanting to learn more about some of the lesser-known heroes of the Revolution or the ‘Ten Crucial Days.’

—Jennifer Martin, Executive Director, Friends of Washington Crossing Park

’What brave fellows I must this day lose…’ lamented General George Washington as he watched the Delaware Blues bravely stand with the Marylanders against overwhelming odds in the opening battle for New York. Few know of this band of brave men and where they came from. This is the seldom-told story of a newly formed state and the common citizens who selflessly volunteered to serve in Delaware’s Continental regiment. David Price gives us a powerful and concise account of Revolutionary War hero John Haslet and his Delaware Continentals. An inspiring story told by a gifted writer.

—Bill Hampton, international leadership consultant, U.S. Navy veteran, and President, Washington Crossing Chapter, National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

David Price’s latest book, on the life and times of John Haslet and his Delaware Regiment during the Revolutionary War, is a flat-out winner. It is easy to read, very informative, and enjoyable. This is a must for those who would like to dig deeper into the human side of the war.

—Thomas Maddock II, Historical Interpreter, Washington Crossing Historic Park

"I found John Haslet’s World to be a most enjoyable and informative read. David Price has done an amazing amount of research, as reflected in the extensive bibliography, and I can't even imagine the number of hours that went into this work! As an interpreter at WCHP, I appreciate that this book has greatly enhanced my understanding of the critical role John Haslet and the Delaware Blues played in the Ten Crucial Days of the Revolution. In addition, the Appendix is so helpful in highlighting the major events and organizing the wealth of information presented in chronological order. I want to thank David for his dedication to this project."

—Pat Seabright, Historical Interpreter, Washington Crossing Historic Park

ALSO BY DAVID PRICE

Rescuing the Revolution:

Unsung Patriot Heroes and the Ten Crucial Days of America’s War for Independence

The Road to Assunpink Creek:

Liberty’s Desperate Hour and the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution

A KNOX PRESS BOOK

An Imprint of Permuted Press

ISBN: 978-1-68261-945-2

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-68261-946-9

John Haslet’s World:

An Ardent Patriot, the Delaware Blues, and the Spirit of 1776

© 2020 by David Price

All Rights Reserved

Cover art by Cody Corcoran

From the permanent collection of the Delaware Historical Society.

Author Photo by Alison Roth

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Permuted Press, LLC

New York • Nashville

permutedpress.com

Published in the United States of America

To the memory of David Howard,

a dedicated historical interpreter at Washington Crossing Historic Park and

a friend who served his country honorably in war and peace

A NOTE ABOUT THE COVER

The cover image of John Haslet and the Delaware Regiment of 1776 is from The Drum Beat of a Nation (Stanley Arthurs, 1915 - courtesy of the Delaware Historical Society), the original of which hangs in the Delaware Public Archives building. Colonel Haslet is shown leading the regiment as it departs from the Dover Green in Dover, Delaware, for Wilmington and then Philadelphia, July 10, 1776, on its way to join the Continental army. The cover illustration has been reversed from the actual painting in order to accommodate artistic design requirements. As can be seen in the above photograph, the artist depicted the regiment marching from right to left.

A NOTE ABOUT SPELLING

The original spelling found in source texts has been retained in this work. The term [sic] is not used.

War, my Lucy, is not a humane trade, and the man who follows (it) as such will meet with his proper demerits in another world.

— General Henry Knox, from a letter to his wife, Lucy Flucker Knox, January 2, 1777

Whereas, Sir, you know courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other.

— Samuel Johnson, from The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. by James Boswell, 1791

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.

— General William T. Sherman, from a letter to the mayor and city council of Atlanta, Georgia, ordering the evacuation of its inhabitants, September 12, 1864

The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.

— President Ronald Reagan, from an address to the Nation on the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and the loss of its seven crew members, January 28, 1986

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part I A New Beginning

1. Ireland

2. Meeting America

3. Becoming

Part II The Tempest

4. The Road to Revolution

5. Leading the Way

Part III Doing Battle

6. Long Island

7. Mamaroneck

8. White Plains

9. Trenton

Part IV No Greater Sacrifice

10. Princeton

11. Afterward

12. The Way Home

Epilogue

Appendix

Endnotes

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Preface

The book before you represents my third venture in writing about America’s war for independence from Great Britain, with a particular focus on the period from December 25, 1776 through January 3, 1777, known as the Ten Crucial Days of that conflict. During that time, the Continental army under the command of General George Washington won its first three significant victories and reversed the momentum of the contest, thereby embedding this fabled winter campaign in a list of defining moments that have marked the life of a nation. The present volume represents the completion of a trilogy about what may be the ten most inspirational days in our country’s history, in that its narrative, while ranging far beyond this brief stretch of time, climaxes in the extraordinary sequence of events associated with that period.

My initial literary effort culminated in Rescuing the Revolution: Unsung Patriot Heroes and the Ten Crucial Days of America’s War for Independence, about a select group of largely unknown Patriot stalwarts whose heroics contributed to the legendary triumphs that were part of this remarkable saga. I revisited the exploits of some of these individuals in The Road to Assunpink Creek: Liberty’s Desperate Hour and the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution.

The work at hand takes a further step along the path laid out in the earlier titles by focusing in part on one of the individuals whose feats were highlighted therein. He was the only one of the unsung heroes portrayed in my first book to lose his life on a Revolutionary battlefield, and perhaps therein lies the motivation to explore his story at greater length. I feel I owe John Haslet that much. There is an elegiac symmetry between his fate and that of the Delaware Regiment he commanded. Both suffered through extreme adversity and finally were lost in the struggle for a young nation’s independence during the period when that cause seemed especially imperiled and was then suddenly revived by the most remarkable military comeback in America’s storied past.

Unfortunately, the lack of biographical data that confronts anyone attempting to write about Haslet presents a very real challenge to any effort at assembling a detailed account of his life before the Revolution. Notwithstanding that impediment, this project has sought to incorporate what we do know about him into a broader historical context, particularly one that conveys an appreciation of the role he and his regiment played in an infant nation’s quest for political and economic self-determination against Britain’s armed might in 1776—the birth year of a political entity that ultimately gave rise to the most durable republic in history.

The memory of both Haslet and the regiment he led would endure in the context of their service to cause and country. The initial commanding officer of Delaware’s Continentals remains the individual who, to this day, is most closely identified with them, and the Delaware Blues continued to see action as a reconstituted but smaller unit after Haslet’s death and throughout the war. Their ordeal is an integral part of the narrative surrounding a colonial uprising that triumphed over the British Empire and profoundly impacted the course of history.

Introduction

This is the story of Colonel John Haslet and the Delaware Regiment he led during the initial, pivotal phase of our war for independence from Great Britain. It chronicles the inspirational leadership, exemplary service, and enormous sacrifice that marked their efforts on behalf of America’s Revolutionary enterprise.

One finds no dearth of encomiums to Haslet’s leadership from his contemporaries or in more recent accounts. He has been described as: one of those Continental army officers who were, when the chips were down, capable of delivering the best any general could demand;¹ a warrior whose intrepidity and quickness of perception formed him for the battle field;² one of George Washington’s steadiest, most reliable officers³ and finest regimental commanders;⁴ beloved by his men, whom it was his pride to have exceptionally well drilled and disciplined;⁵ and an officer of seemingly unlimited ability,⁶ whose tireless efforts and efficiency made the soldiers under his command some of the best-disciplined and drilled in Washington’s army.⁷ He was charismatic, inspirational and eloquent, someone who persuaded men to sign onto the newly formed army with his strong convictions⁸ and inspired loyalty and excellence among his recruits;⁹ a firm friend to his country;¹⁰ an ardent patriot;¹¹ redoubtable;¹² indefatigable;¹³ and unconquerable.¹⁴ And in the end, he met a hero’s death on the Princeton battlefield.¹⁵

Had he lived long enough, it seems clear that Haslet would have been promoted to brigadier general in the Continental army, and the fact that he was not accorded that recognition apparently resulted from political considerations. In awarding such promotions, the Continental Congress took into account an officer’s state of residence in the interest of encouraging support for the war effort among its governing officials and the inhabitants thereof. Unfortunately, a state as small as Delaware lacked the necessary political influence in Congress to secure the colonel’s long-overdue and well-deserved advancement.¹⁶

A comparable litany of praise is in evidence for those Haslet led, as they comprised one of the most distinguished regiments under Washington’s command.¹⁷ They were widely esteemed for their bravery and military skill¹⁸ and, unlike many other units in the ragtag rebel army of 1776, looked and acted like real soldiers who were well-equipped and well-disciplined.¹⁹ These men created an impressive sight in their stylish uniforms, added a much-needed dash of professionalism to Washington’s force, and stood up exceedingly well in battle.²⁰ Known for their courage, hardihood and military efficiency second to none in the Continental army,²¹ the Delaware contingent was thought to be one of its two best units along with William Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment, with whom the Delaware soldiers often fought side by side.²² Indeed, the heroic stand by these two regiments at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 reportedly prompted their observing commander-in-chief to laud them as his brave fellows.²³ There was ample reason for the Delaware and Maryland soldiers to be regarded as the elite of Washington’s army,²⁴ for they fought their way into legend at Long Island and throughout the war.²⁵

In his classic study of the Delaware Continentals’ service during the war for independence, written more than three quarters of a century ago, the historian Christopher Ward observes that John Haslet is one of those who have been singled out of the multitude of Revolutionary regimental officers for especial commendation by all who have recorded the military events of those seven years, and that his name seldom appears in such chronicles without being preceded by an adjective of laudation. Ward is as eloquent in his tribute to the soldiers whom Haslet and those who succeeded him led into battle—that is, the first Delaware regiment and the unit that took its place after Haslet’s death—describing them as a force to be reckoned with, even when few in number. Forged on the anvil of hardship under the hammer of experience, he writes, the Delaware regiment was a weapon which any of the great captains of history would have been glad to launch at his foe. It is not too much to say that no other single regiment in the American army had a longer and more continuous term of service, marched more miles, suffered greater hardships, fought in more battles, or achieved greater distinction than this one of Delaware.²⁶

In his acclaimed mid-nineteenth-century biography of George Washington, the noted author and essayist Washington Irving opined that Haslet distinguished himself throughout the [1776] campaign by being among the foremost in services of danger. He was indeed a gallant officer, and gallantly seconded by his Delaware troops.²⁷ The accolades earned by Haslet and his regiment convey a sense of how superlative their service was during the adversity of 1776 when Washington, staggered by one defeat after another, attempted to survive the onslaught of a militarily superior foe and carry on the Revolution against what appeared to be truly daunting odds. At the same time, the standard of excellence that these Delawares set, and the inspiring example they provided for the rest of the Continental army, put into stark perspective the extent of their sacrifice and made all the more harrowing the demise of that unit, including its commanding officer, before it was replaced by a reconstituted Delaware regiment in 1777.

The story of these men is one that deserves an honored place in the annals of American military history and reminds us of how great a cost was incurred in the struggle to achieve our independence and lay the foundation for a new country. That same price has been paid by the Nation’s finest at many times and on many fields since. In doing so, they have added to a roll of honor that stretches back to the American Revolution and began with those resolute comrades-in-arms, like the Delaware colonel and the members of his regiment, who dreamed of a free and independent America and contended fiercely for it.

John Haslet’s kind are not ranked in the annals of history with the likes of our Founding Fathers, and his name will never be extolled in the manner accorded such iconic figures as Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin. He was no giant, but to his generation men like Haslet loomed large indeed, for they carried on their sturdy backs the quest for political and economic autonomy and national sovereignty against the British Empire. Some like Haslet were forced by unyielding circumstances to pass that effort on to others who saw it through to completion. And the men of his regiment set an example for other Continental army units to follow and, in the process, carved a place for themselves in Revolutionary lore.

Part I

A New Beginning

May you find what you’re seeking wherever you roam.

— Irish Blessing

1

Ireland

The morning of January 3, 1777 was a bitterly cold one in Princeton, New Jersey. Colonel John Haslet found himself on a frozen battlefield with the other soldiers of George Washington’s Continental army who had faced one hardship after another, both before and during their grueling winter campaign, in pursuit of a young nation’s quest for independence from Great Britain. Haslet would have been able to see his breath in the frigid air as the British soldiers and their colonial counterparts engaged in yet another clash of arms, and with his last exhalation he attempted to rouse his fellow countrymen to stand against their advancing foe. In that moment, this Irish immigrant’s American journey came to a sudden and violent end. The wrath of fate that created an abrupt encounter between an enemy bullet and a lionhearted colonel achieved a cruel outcome but perhaps one befitting his tireless efforts to inspire those around him in a cause for which he was willing to make the most extreme sacrifice.

John Haslet’s transatlantic odyssey began around 1757 when he was about thirty years of age, after arriving in British North America from his native Ireland. He was born circa 1728, but the exact date is unknown.¹ Having most likely departed from the port of Londonderry in the northern Irish province of Ulster and traveled with one of his brothers, Haslet landed at Philadelphia, the largest city in the American colonies. A large man, he has been described as a tough, burly Irishman² who was erect and athletic³ and over six feet tall, lean, muscular, and very handsome.⁴

Like his birth date, Haslet’s exact image has not been confirmed by any visual evidence, as there is no known representation of him by an eighteenth-century artist. This author can cite only two illustrations that include an image of Haslet, both of which envelop his figure in a scene teeming with soldiers—one a parade and the other a battle. The Drum Beat of a Nation (1915) by Stanley Arthurs (1877-1950)—the original of which hangs in the Delaware Public Archives building—shows the colonel at the head of his regiment as it departed from the Dover Green in Dover, Delaware, for Philadelphia in July 1776 on its way to join the Continental army. The other painting was completed at an unknown date, but probably in the 1850s, by George Washington Parke Custis (1781-1857), George Washington’s step-grandson and adopted son, which depicts the deaths of Haslet and General Hugh Mercer at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. Neither artist ever saw Haslet in person or, as far as we know, had a visual record of the man upon which to base his illustration. In each case, the colonel’s appearance springs full-blown from the artist’s imagination.

The type of voyage that John Haslet undertook to America in the mid-eighteenth century was an ordeal at best, assuming the ship made it across three thousand miles of ocean during a journey that would have lasted at least eight to ten weeks. On average, each vessel that crossed the Atlantic conveyed between 120 and 140 people who brought along whatever personal possessions they could carry to their new home. They had to endure overcrowded conditions in cramped quarters that were often not designed for passengers and could be a breeding ground for smallpox, typhus, and other infectious diseases, for the Irish and British authorities placed no restrictions on the number of passengers allowed in relation to berth space. The voyagers spent much of their time below deck, which made for a wretched passage due to the lack of ventilation and portholes to provide air in these emigration vessels. That the waterway they were crossing was noted for the severity of its weather, including intense storms, underscores the reality of a risky, terrifying, and dangerous trip, even for those who felt they had little to lose.⁵

It is thought that Haslet’s forebears came to Scotland from the Netherlands in the seventeenth century or earlier, perhaps directly or after spending some time in England. One might speculate that they were fleeing Spanish rule in the Netherlands, but their motive for relocating is unknown. After residing in Scotland for a period, they arrived in Ulster—the traditional name for the northern part of Ireland, which is derived from the ancient tribe of Ulaid that populated northeastern Ireland in the early Christian period.⁶ The Haslets would have been part of a wave of Scottish newcomers who moved there by the thousands during the 1600s to take advantage of land that was much more fertile than at home and to escape a backward economy. This movement was part of the Ulster Plantation, an effort organized by the British Crown to colonize Northern Ireland with English and Scottish settlers on lands confiscated from the native Irish. Between 1690 and 1697 alone, an estimated fifty thousand Scots arrived in Ireland, and most made their homes in Ulster.

The average Scot at that time lived a life of poverty and hardship, plus a new system of land tenure after 1610 dispossessed many Scottish farmers of their acreage and forced them to hire out their labor, all of which made the prospect of a new life in Ireland attractive. The character of these immigrants, shaped by the adversity of prior grim economic circumstances, facilitated their endeavor to establish a new home for themselves in Northern Ireland. The transplanted Scots built towns, villages, churches, and schools, cleared the land, drained the marshes and enclosed the fields, raised farm horses, and established homesteads. They proved to be stubborn, tough, resilient, and hardworking—the same qualities their descendants later exhibited in America during the next great Scotch-Irish migration in the 1700s.⁷

The overwhelming majority of the Scotch-Irish residents of Ulster were Presbyterians, and John Haslet was born into a Presbyterian family in the village of Straw located in the Roe Valley between Dungiven and Limavady, within County Londonderry in Ulster. The name of his birthplace was derived from the Irish word, srath, meaning wide valley.⁸ Haslet’s parents were Joseph, a merchant and tenant farmer, and Ann Dykes Haslet. John’s grandfather, the Reverend James Dykes of Moneymore, was ordained at Maghera, also in County Londonderry, in 1720 and served as a Presbyterian minister until his death in 1734. After John, Joseph and Ann would have five other children: Ann, James, Joseph, Mary, and William.

Joseph Haslet’s income apparently supported his large family to the extent that he could afford to provide at least one of his children with a university education—an opportunity available to a relative few at this time. As the eldest son, John was afforded that privilege when he attended the prestigious University of Glasgow in Scotland, the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world, after completing his early education in Ulster. Founded in 1451, Glasgow is one of Scotland’s four ancient universities, along with Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and St. Andrews. Irish students such as Haslet symbolized and reflected the close relationship that had existed for centuries between their native land and Scotland—their coasts are separated by a mere twelve miles at the narrowest point in the North Channel—as part of a vast cultural sea, which experienced a continuous intermingling of its people and a sharing of traditions.⁹

In the early eighteenth century, the student population at the University of Glasgow was about four hundred. Students entered as boys, sometimes as young as age ten. The majority were sons of ministers, burgesses, and farmers, along with a smaller number from the nobility and gentry. Students had classes and disputations (debates) every weekday and Saturday and attended church together on Sunday. Undergraduate arts students, comprising the majority, were required to wear a scarlet gown that made them a distinctive sight within the small provincial town, and they were expected to carry a Bible and speak Latin when in the company of other students.

From its inception, the university was empowered to grant degrees in arts and the higher faculties of divinity, law, and medicine; however, in its earliest years, teaching was largely confined to arts and theology, reflecting the demands of the students and the university’s close association with the local cathedral. Until the early 1700s, the university primarily educated young men for a career in the ministry. Despite the Crown’s attempts to suppress the Presbyterian Church in favor of the establishment Anglican Church, the number of Presbyterian congregations continued to expand. The Scottish universities were the training ground for Presbyterian clergy, whom the Church stipulated must be university graduates. This requirement created a problem for congregations in Ireland and the American colonies, among whom the demand for ministers exceeded the available supply given the small number of universities then in existence.

At Glasgow, John Haslet studied to become a Presbyterian minister and in 1749 earned a master of arts degree in divinity, which was an undergraduate degree, after completing a rigorous five-year course of study that included Latin, Greek, logic, moral