Carpenter, Elizabeth Field
John M. McDonald interview — 1848
Elizabeth Field Carpenter (1771-1854) resided with her family on King Street along the border of New York and Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. Loyalist Major Mansfield Bearmore stopped at the Field home on July 11, 1779, en route to Bedford. She describes the attempt of a group of Bearmore’s cavalry to capture a Major Tucker, who was staying at Thomas Clapp’s tavern on King Street with his family. Tucker (referred to as Totten on the second page of this interview) avoided capture after members of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons (Sheldon’s Horse) arrived on the scene. Mrs. Carpenter recollects that a large number of British troops passed her family’s house on the way to burn Bedford, and provides a brief description of Major Bearmore. She also recalls the burning of the houses of Benjamin Clapp and Colonel Thomas Thomas, as well as the location of the house of Henry Dusenbury where American militia commanded by Lieutenant William Mosier were surprised by British troops just prior to Mosier’s Fight on December 2, 1781.
Original findings from this interview
Manuscript page facsimiles
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Transcription
[marg: x My Sister-in-law, Widow of Aaron Field in King Street. She is 4 or 5 years older than me.]
Elizabeth, wife of John Carpenter: "My name was Elizabeth Field, and my father lived in the first house above Tommy Clapp's at the head of King Street being the first house above, that is, north of Clapp's. Bearmore stopped at our house the day Bedford was burnt. My father had taken his papers out of the house and put them in a secure place, and said to Bearmore "Suppose my house will go, too?" Bearmore answered, "No, you are aware they won't meddle with you this time." He was of a poor family family at West Chester, and was along and in pursuit when the horse pursued as far as the School house east of Byram river.
One Major Tucker's family boarded at Tommy Clapp's. He himself was in the American service being originally from below at West Chester. When off duty he was with his family, and he was there when Bearmore with about twenty horse suddenly appeared
in sight advancing from the Purchase Meeting House. Totten saw him half a mile off, ran to the adjacent fields, bridled and saddled his horse and put his horse to his utmost speed, but the horse fell and one of the Refugees alone was near and in a moment came up. This was by Benjamin Clapp's where Sheldon at the time lay. Clapp's and Sheldon's men secured the horse and retreated towards Byram river and Totten escaped in the fields. Sheldon's retreated to Byram followed by the refugees as far as Byram where the School house now is and there wheeled about daring the Refugees to advance any further. The Refugees afraid of an ambush ventured no further and Totten regained his horse.
The night before Bedford was burnt a large party of British troops passed my father's house just after our boys had gone to bed. It was a bright moonlight night and they marched in great silence. It was reported afterwards that this party was
500 strong.
Bearmore was kind and protecting to those he was acquainted with, but bitter against the violent whigs.
Esq Benjamin Clapp's house was, probably, burnt in February 1781 by Major Hungerford, though I had supposed it was fired on the same day Bedford was burnt.
The house of Henry Dusenbury where Mosier was when surprised &c, is the house you saw in the fields south of Merritt's corner, and east of the road now now untenanted and surrounded by locust trees. There was at that time a lane running from this house quite across to Blind Brook. (W. C.)
[marg: (x This paragraph, it seems, was furnished by John Carpenter, & not by Elizabeth, his wife.)] Col. Thomas's house was burnt during the war, but I don't know when, not when Simcoe took him.