When was mary lindley murray born

Many members of her family were Revolutionaries and served in Washington's army. Her independent ideology was influenced by her father, an anti-establishment politician. Because of that, her husband was not exiled at the war's end, as was the case for many of those who were loyal to the British government.

If Murray did not do something to stop the British troops, Putnam would be trapped. Murray stalled the British troops by inviting them in to eat.

It is rumored that Murray asked her maid to keep watch from an upstairs window and to let her know when the troops had safely withdrawn.

Murray successfully kept the British from capturing the American soldiers. In a journal entry on September 20, , James Thacher, a surgeon with the Continental army, recorded the incident, which is strong evidence of Murray's genuine assistance to the American cause. Throughout the war - especially in places such as New York that were taken and retaken by opposing forces - it made sense to place bets on both sides.

The sum of the evidence, however, points to Murray's actions as genuine support of the Revolution. At the beginning of the war, many people remained undecided about where there loyalties lie, and even those who had decided often remained polite to their opponents. It was not until later that the country became thoroughly divided. The house looked over Kip's Bay and the East River.

British General William Howe and his troops landed in Kip's Bay on September 15, intending to rout Putnam's troops, who were outnumbered roughly two to one. Although Robert Murray supported and traded with the British, even after the beginning of the American Revolution, Mary had family serving in Washington's army, and sympathized with the Revolutionaries. Aware that Putnam's retreating troops were less than a mile from her home, Mary stalled the British by inviting them in for tea.

She and her daughters kept Howe's company entertained while a maid kept watch over the continuing retreat from an upstairs window.

Mary Lindley Murray's motivations, some historians have suggested, may have had less to do with patriotism and more to do with ensuring her family's social position with both the Patriots and the British. However, a journal entry from September 20, , by a surgeon named James Thacher with the Continental Army, notes the event, which may indicate genuine support of the Revolution on Mary's part. Close Drawer. Individual Entries.

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