Again, in 1778, when Coryell's Ferry, as well as the other cross- 

 ings of the Delaware, were held in security by American troops, 

 Washington and his staff rested at noonday in the shade of the big 

 chestnut, when on their way to attack General Clinton's army at 

 Monmouth, N. J. 



On November 28, 1893, the old tree was cut down, to make room 

 for improvements. Near the spot which it graced there is an old 

 stone house once owned by Captain Edward F. Randolph, a "patriot 

 of 1776," who gave his services to his country, refusing to accept any 

 remuneration for his distinguished military service. 



The "Big Chestnut Tree" of Valley Cottage 



Valley Cottage, N. Y., possesses an interesting relic of Revolu- 

 tionary times, in the shape of an old chestnut stump which stands 

 thirty feet high. In its prime, the tree reached a height of about 

 fifty-five feet. At its base, the stump measures nineteen feet, eight 

 inches in circumference, an important item considering its part in 

 history. 



The chestnut was owned by a Tory who was known to be bitterly 

 opposed to the American cause. The Whigs, coming to arrest him, 

 one day, were unable to find any trace of his whereabouts, when sud- 

 denly their search was rewarded in a most unexpected fashion. His 

 pet calf, who was noted for following its master everywhere, was 

 seen to station itself beneath the tree, and began bleating loudly. Its 

 master, hidden in the hollow trunk, was quickly seized and made 

 prisoner. What became of his pet, the innocent cause of his capture, 

 has not been recorded. 



The Cedarcroft Chestnut 



"When I build a house," Bayard Taylor, the well known author, 

 said in his youth, "I shall build it upon the ridge, with a high steeple 

 from the top of which I can see far and wide." Cedarcroft, the home 

 that he did construct, later in life, at Kennet Square, Penn., not only 

 fulfilled this requirement, but was also happy in a wealth of fine 

 old trees, both cedars and mighty forest trees of various sorts. Taylor 

 used to say that not even the oaks of Charlecote Park, where young 

 Shakespeare occasionally trespassed, could equal the trees of 

 Cedarcroft. 



One in particular, a splendid old chestnut, was a favorite rendez- 

 vous for himself and his literary friends. Sidney Lanier, the poet, a 

 welcome visitor at Taylor's home, and an evident lover of nature, was 

 much attached to the ancient tree, and immortalized it as a valued 

 companion, in his graceful poem, "Under the Cedarcroft Chestnut." 



"A Presence large, a grave and steadfast form 

 Amid the leaves' light play and fantasy, 

 A calmness conquered out of many a storm, 

 A Manhood mastered by a chestnut tree! 



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