1. Under the heading “CHATHAM, May 17,” The Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser (Philadelphia) for 23 May printed a “particular account of the late affair at Paramus” from a correspondent. The writer numbered the detachment under Maj. Thomas Lambert Byles at “two hundred Continental troops” and the enemy at “about two hundred horse, and four hundred foot. The attack commenced a little after sun rise.” Byles “had just before paraded and dismissed his men. The advance of the horse was so rapid, that no time was left to reassemble them. The Major had no resourse but the defence of the house he was in; this therefore, with only a small quarter guard, he resolved to attempt, though from the smallness of his force, and it’s entire disproportion to the place he was defending, he could have no prospect of success . … A brisk fire ensued on both sides. The House was soon surrounded on every part, and no effort of the little party seemed capable of hindering the enemy from forcing their way. Some of the men, intimidated by so threatening a scene, began to cry for quarters; others, obeying the commands of their officers, continued to fire from the windows. The enemy without upbraided them with the perfidy of asking quarters and persisting in resistance; desiring them to come out and they would quarter them. Major Byles exclaiming in a determined tone, denied his having called for quarters; but his resolution could not avail, a surrender took place; and, in the act, the Major received a mortal wound in the left breast, with which, in two days after, he expired . …

“Such part of the detachment as could be collected together, aided by a few spirited militia, hung close upon the rear of the enemy during their retreat, and harrassed them with a continual fire, retaking four waggons with plunder and nineteen horses.

“Lieutenant Bryson being a few days before detached by Major Byles with a small party to the New Bridge, defended that post for some time with great gallantry and coolness, he sustaining in person, with his espontoon, the attack of four horsemen, and received several wounds; but being overpowered with numbers, surrendered to one of their officers. It is said he received marks of politeness from them, on account of the great bravery and deliberate courage displayed by him during the skirmish.

“The enemy, agre[e]able to their usual mode of procedure, plundered and burnt the house and mill of Mr. John Hopper, and that of his brother’s. In the former the family of Mr. Abraham Brasher lived, who, with the rest, were left almost destitute of a second change of clothes. The commanding officer being requested by Mrs. Brasher on her knees to spare the house, he damn’d her, and bid her begone, declaring they all deserved to be bayoneted. They made their boasts, that as Major Byles did [n]ot present the hilt of his sword in front, when surrendering, they shot him. Thus died this brave and gallant officer a victim to their savage cruelty.

“The loss on our side killed, wounded, and taken, was one Major, two Captains, four Lieutenants, and about forty rank and file. That of the enemy, by their own acknowledgement, near as many.” For a misleading version of this newspaper item, see Moore, Diary description begins Frank Moore. Diary of the American Revolution from Newspapers and Original Documents. 2 vols. New York, 1859–60. description ends , 2:265–66. New Jersey governor William Livingston attempted to secure compensation from Congress for John Hopper’s losses (see Livingston to Samuel Huntington, 16 May, in Prince, Livingston Papers description begins Carl E. Prince et al., eds. The Papers of William Livingston. 5 vols. Trenton and New Brunswick, N.J., 1979–88. description ends , 3:379–81).

Under the heading “BOSTON, May 11,” The Continental Journal, and Weekly Advertiser (Boston) for that same date printed commentary from the letter of “a military gentleman in camp at Morristown” dated 24 April: “That on the 16[t]h one Mr. Deblois a British Major, having under his command 700 men made a forced march thro’ bye roads, and attacked Major Byles of the Pennsylvania line posted at Paramus, having with him but 80 rank and file; Byles fought gallantly for some time against the enemy’s whole force, then retreated into a house with about 30, and ensign Thatcher of the Boston blues, which they defended for a considerable time, until the house was in flames, and Byles wounded. The enemy had near 30 killed and captured, beside a large quantity of plunder we took from them; the enemy scampered off as precipitately as usual into their den at New-York, taking with them about 30 men and ensign Thatcher: The valiant and honest Major Byles was shot thro’ his liver; he is dead of his wounds, and was interred with all the honors justly due to so brave and gallant an officer. … A soldier shot in camp a few days ago, for the heinous crime of desertion.”

Sgt. Ebenezer Parkman, Jr., who served with the artificers at Morristown, wrote in his diary entry for 24 April: “Major Boyles, who was Killd at Parramus was brought, and Buryed with the Honors of War” (MWA: Parkman Family Papers).

A detailed account of this expedition against Paramus appeared in the Loyalist Royal American Gazette (New York) for 20 April under the heading “NEW-YORK,” same date: “On Saturday the 15th inst. a detachment of cavalry, consisting of two Captains, six Subalterns, and about one hundred and twenty horse, were ordered from Staten-Island on an excursion in the Jersies. They embarked by four o’clock in the afternoon” and that evening joined “Major Du Buys [Du Puy], who with three hundred foot had crossed the North-River at Fort Lee. The troops marched on as quick as the badness of the roads would permit, arrived at New Bridge about half past two, where one shot was fired by the enemy; one continental officer and three militia were taken, the former by the Hessians, and the later by Lieut. Col. [Abraham Van] Buskirk, who served as a volunteer on the expedition.

“Major Du Buys left one Captain and fifty foot at the Bridge, to secure the return of his Majesty’s troops on that road, the remainder marched on towards Paramus, but the day appearing, and the rebels having one hundred and fifty continentals at the town, and a steep hill at a mile distance in their rear, the surprize could not be effected, on account of the fatiguing march which the foot underwent, it was therefore judged necessary that the cavalry should lead the van, when they pushed on, and finding a rebel picket of about thirty foot, commanded by an officer, on the right hand side of Paramus, in a field, surrounded with a fence, who fired several shot without effect, and then took to their heels, when Captain Diemar intercepted them: Fourteen were killed on the spot, and the officer retired with the remainder to a house, where he and several more were killed and the rest taken in arms. Some deserters came to join the party, and the commanding officer of the cavalry getting intelligence that the rebels had taken possession of a stone-house, he ordered them to dismount, surround, and storm it, which they did sword in hand. The house where they entered was fired at, but advancing slowly on the floor, and crying out that no quarters would be given, unless they surrendered instantly, which they did; and Major Boyl, of the 3d Pennsylvania regiment, three subalterns, and about [2]6 privates were taken at the house. The rebel major being wounded through the breast, and unable to be transported, Captain Deimar left him upon parole. The loss of his Majesty’s troops were some men wounded before the house, Capt. Diemar’s horse was shot through the body; after they had surrendered a shot was fired from the top of the house, which dangerously wounded one of the Queen’s Rangers; the house was then set on fire, and had it not been for the humanity of Captain Diemar all the prisoners would have been put to death.

“The cavalry took one Major, one Capt. three Subalterns, and fifty-two privates, and being rejoined by Major Du Buy, at Paramus, the rebels having collected some hundred militia on the hill near the town, it was not thought expedient to attack them: Having compleatly succeeded in the enterprize, and two officers and about forty rebels killed, the whole detachment returned in as regular an order as any military manoeuvre can admit. The rebels pursued the King’s troops towards the English Neighbourhood, but lost many men by the spirited behaviour of the Hessians and the detachment of Colonel [Beverly] Robinson’s corps. Too much praise cannot be given to the officers and men of the detachment of cavalry, who behaved with great gallantry. They returned the 16th by eight o’clock in the evening, to their quarters at Staten-Island, without a single man or horse being taken by the enemy, after a continued march of more than eighty miles without having their horses fed.

“Such is the exertion of British soldiers who fight in a just cause and for the rights of the best of Sovereigns, against the dishonourable banditti who formerly were too happy and fell into temptation.”

Maj. Johann Christian Du Puy was a Hessian officer. Hessian quartermaster August Schmidt’s regimental journal entry for 16 April recorded the “rebels” taken prisoner in the Paramus encounter as “a major, five officers, and 87 men.” The British rear guard suffered one man “killed and eleven men wounded” (Burgoyne, Hesse-Cassel Mirbach Regiment description begins Bruce E. Burgoyne, ed. and trans. The Hesse-Cassel Mirbach Regiment in the American Revolution. Bowie, Md., 1998. description ends , 23–24). Lt. Johann Ernst Prechtel of the Anspach Regiment in quarters at New York recorded in his diary entry for 17 April: “Yesterday a detachment of three hundred men made an expedition against Hackensack in Jersey. Seventy of the enemy were brought back as prisoners. The Hessians suffered six killed and thirteen wounded” (Prechtel, Diary description begins Johann Ernst Prechtel. A Hessian Officer’s Diary of the American Revolution. Translated and edited by Bruce E. Burgoyne. Bowie, Md., 1994. description ends , 47). Writing from Philipse Manor, N.Y., on 3 July, Lt. Gen. Wilhelm Knyphausen began a report to Lord George Germain on subsequent actions with a remark on the engagement at Paramus: “Upon the 16th of April a rebel post at Hopperstown in Jersey was forced with little loss by a detachment of cavalry and infantry under the command of Major Dubuy [Du Puy] of the Hessian regiment du Bose; the enemy lost several officers and men upon this occasion” (Davies, Documents of the American Revolution description begins K. G. Davies, ed. Documents of the American Revolution, 1770–1783; (Colonial Office Series). 21 vols. Shannon and Dublin, 1972–81. description ends , 18:110–11).

For a substantial secondary treatment, see Leiby, Hackensack Valley description begins Adrian C. Leiby. The Revolutionary War in the Hackensack Valley: The Jersey Dutch and the Neutral Ground, 1775–1783. New Brunswick, N.J., 1962. description ends , 246–51; see also Peter Ward to William Livingston, 18 April, in Prince, Livingston Papers description begins Carl E. Prince et al., eds. The Papers of William Livingston. 5 vols. Trenton and New Brunswick, N.J., 1979–88. description ends , 3:355, and Jared C. Lobdell, “Paramus in the War of the Revolution,” Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society 78 (1960): 162–77.

2. Hallett is referring to captains Jacob Weaver and Isaac Seely, lieutenants John Bryson and James Glentworth, and ensigns Nathaniel Thatcher and Henry Sherman.

John Bryson (Brison; c.1740–1822) entered the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment as a lieutenant in April 1777 and did not rejoin the regiment after being taken prisoner at Paramus. He lived in Washington County, Pa., after the war.

James Glentworth (c.1755–1839) served as a lieutenant in the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment both before and after being taken prisoner at Paramus. He transferred to the 2d Pennsylvania Regiment in January 1783 and remained in the army until that June. Glentworth worked as a sales broker in Philadelphia after the war and conducted business in securities, slaves, and land.

Nathaniel Thatcher (Thacher; d. 1809) joined Col. Henry Jackson’s Additional Continental Regiment as an ensign in February 1777. Taken prisoner at Paramus, he eventually transferred to the 9th Massachusetts Regiment and became a lieutenant in October 1781. Thatcher transferred to the 5th Massachusetts Regiment in May 1782 and remained in the army until the end of the war. He later became a merchant in Massachusetts.

Henry Sherman (Shearman; 1759–1829) became an ensign in Col. Henry Sherburne’s Additional Continental Regiment in September 1777. Taken prisoner at Paramus, he was exchanged in January 1781 and appointed lieutenant in Lt. Col. Jeremiah Olney’s Rhode Island Battalion that May. Sherman remained in the army until the end of the war, after which he worked as a shoemaker in Rhode Island. For Sherman’s brief service in the U.S. Army, see Henry Knox to GW, 27 Aug. 1791, in Papers, Presidential Series description begins W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series. 19 vols. to date. Charlottesville, Va., 1987–. description ends 8:458.

3. Following this word at the bottom of the first page on the LS is a mutilated line that appears to be indented.

4. Dowe (Douw) J. Fondey (Fonda; c.1759–1806) served as ensign in the 3d New York Regiment from May 1779 until his transfer to the 1st New York Regiment in January 1781. He remained in service until June 1783 and rejoined the U.S. Army as captain in January 1799. Fondey was promoted to major that October and discharged in June 1800 (see Hamilton Papers description begins Harold C. Syrett et al., eds. The Papers of Alexander Hamilton. 27 vols. New York, 1961–87. description ends , 22:105, 107, 602, 606).