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The Pompton Mutiny, also referred to as the Federal Hill Rebellion, was a revolt of Continental Army troops at Pompton Camp in what was then
The Pompton Mutiny, also referred to as the Federal Hill Rebellion, was a revolt of Continental Army troops at Pompton Camp in what was then Pompton Township, New Jersey
Pompton Township is a defunct township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, that existed from 1797 until it was dissolved in 1918.
History
The township was originally formed on April 10, 1797, from portions of Saddle River Township and ...
, present-day Bloomingdale, New Jersey
Bloomingdale is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,777, an increase of 121 (+0.6%) from the 2010 census count of 7,656,Israel Shreve.
History
Acting beneath the auspices of Sergeants David Gilmore, John Tuttle, George Grant and the disguisement of copious amounts of spirits, about 300 soldiers from theNew Jersey Line
The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. A "New Jersey Line" was the quota of numbered infantry regiments that the Congress of the Confederacy assigned to New Jersey at various times. New Jersey Line, 1776
The first two ...
of the Continental Army mutinied. These soldiers began to make their way to Trenton to issue demands for a redress of grievances to the Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
, in echo of the actions of their brethren in the Pennsylvania Line who had successfully sought similar redress.
Alerted to this rogue faction by Pompton Camp Commander, Colonel Israel Shreve, who had in turn been informed by a woman whose name has been lost to history, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army George Washington "immediately ordered a Detachment ..from West Point, under the Command of Major General Howe (Robert Howe Robert Howe may refer to:
* Robert Howe (footballer) (1903–1979), Scottish international football (soccer) player
* Robert Howe (Continental Army officer) (1732–1786), Major-General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
...
) who surrounded the Mutineers by surprize in their Quarters, reduced them to unconditional submission & executed two of their Instigators on the spot—This has totally quelled the spirit of Mutiny, and every thing is now quiet."
Sergeants David Gilmore and John Tuttle were executed on the spot by a firing squad
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...
of 12 mutineers; Sergeant George Grant was issued a pardon based upon testimony by the troop body that he had advocated peaceable return to duty throughout the events of the rebellion. The firing squad was reported to have discharged their duty and their weapons tearfully in slaying their former officers. The entire body of troops was said to have been penitent
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...
and genuinely contrite
In Christianity, contrition or contriteness (, i.e. crushed by guilt) is repentance for sins one has committed. The remorseful person is said to be ''contrite''.
A central concept in much of Christianity, contrition is regarded as the first step ...
in the time following the unsuccessful mutiny.
Controversy
It is not readily apparent where Pompton Camp, as described in Washington's letters, was located. Historians are also divided on what path the rebels took towards Trenton and where the actual location of their submission and execution occurred. 21st-century historian Robert A. Mayers affirms that William Nelson, writing ''Paterson and Its Environs Paterson may refer to:
People
*Paterson (surname)
*Paterson (given name)
Places
Australia
*Paterson, New South Wales
*Paterson River, New South Wales
*Division of Paterson, an electoral district in New South Wales
* Paterson, Queensland, a loca ...
'' (Silk City) in the 1920s, was correct in his assertion that "In a thick wood, on the bleak and desolate summit of a rocky knob of the Ramapo Mountains, overlooking the Pompton Lakes Station on the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad, the hearty traveler can find two rude piles of weather-beaten field-stones. These are pointed out as marking the lonely, dishonored graves of the two Jersey mutineers." However, despite numerous attempts, no historian has been able to locate these graves since that era.http://gardenstatelegacy.com/files/Hub_of_the_Revolution_Mayers_GSL15.pdf
A historic marker in Bloomingdale, New Jersey
Bloomingdale is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,777, an increase of 121 (+0.6%) from the 2010 census count of 7,656,Pompton Lakes
Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 11,097,Riverdale, New Jersey
Riverdale is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,107, an increase of 548 (+15.4%) from the 2010 census count of 3,559, which in turn reflected an i ...
, have all laid claim to the site of these historic events.
Modern day
In addition to the controversy over the site of the execution, at least one of those potential sites is privately held and in danger of development. The Federal Hill site in Bloomingdale was once held by DR Horton, who sought to build 256 homes there, without great consideration to historical or environmental preservation on the site and won a court order to force the development. Since then, the Meer Tract, which comprises a large portion of Federal Hill, has been purchased by Tilcon Industries, part of multinational mining conglomerateAnglo American plc
Anglo American plc is a British listed multinational mining company with headquarters in London, England. It is the world's largest producer of platinum, with around 40% of world output, as well as being a major producer of diamonds, copper ...
, which plans to demolish and mine the land, against the outcry of environmental organizations and the Borough of Bloomingdale's historical opposition to development there.
The TV series TURN: Washington's Spies depicts a fictional portrayal of this mutiny and its aftermath in the fourth-season episode "Nightmare".
Media coverage
* "Part 18: Mutiny!" (August 26, 2001 - NJ.com) * "Back in the Day - June 2, 1976: Washington put down Bloomingdale mutiny" (June 13, 2011 - Northjersey.com) * "A Tramp over Historic Ground" (May 5, 1879 - New York Times) * "An Interesting Relic." (January 24, 1873 - Paterson Daily Press) * "Back in 1781." (March 5, 1904 - The Chehalis Bee-Nugget) * "For Today" (January 20, 1897 - Boston Evening Transcript)https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Lm8-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=4lkMAAAAIBAJ&dq=pompton%20mutiny&pg=3062%2C1900644See also
* American Revolutionary War § Stalemate in the North. Places ' Pompton Mutiny ' in overall sequence and strategic context.References
{{Reflist, 2 1781 in the United States American Revolutionary War American Revolution 1781 in New Jersey Mutinies