Knickerbocker's history of New York, vol. 2 (of 2)

In Short

This second volume chronicles the turbulent final years of Dutch rule in New Amsterdam, moving from the fiery, exhausted administration of William the Testy to the resolute reign of Peter Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant defends his borders against New England Yankees and gigantic Swedes, ultimately capturing Fort Christina in a bloodless and eccentric clash. Blending mock-heroic chronicle with local folklore, the work endures through its rich satire of civic pomposity, human frailty, and the stubborn pride of early colonial patriarchs.

The Story

The narrative resumes amid the gathering troubles of the diminutive yet quarrelsome William the Testy, whose mind finally burns out like an old family pipe after battling endless border disputes with Swedish interlopers on the Delaware and stubborn Yankees on the east. Following his strange demise, the resolute and formidable Peter Stuyvesant assumes control as director-general, bringing a soldier's discipline and a chivalric temperament to the beleaguered province of New Netherlands.

Stuyvesant immediately faces escalating encroachments from the Amphictyonic Council of Connecticut Yankees. Though he prefers direct action, he engages in formal negotiations and robust posturing, sending his loyal trumpeter, Antony Van Corlear, to deliver defiant challenges. Meanwhile, a brief brush with regional witchcraft is warded off by the prudent placement of horseshoes on Dutch doorways. To the south, the Swedish commander Jan Risingh seizes Fort Casimir due to the laxity of the pompous General Van Poffenburgh, whom Stuyvesant promptly and ruthlessly dismisses for his unfortunate incompetence, declaring a deep antipathy toward unfortunate great men.

Determined to avenge this loss, Stuyvesant embarks on a magnificent voyage up the Hudson River aboard a gorgeously decorated state galley, rallying the rugged frontiersmen of the wilderness. He marches his forces down to Fort Christina to confront the giant, crafty Governor Risingh. In the ensuing skirmish, Stuyvesant is briefly unhorsed, but recovering swiftly, he strikes Risingh with his wooden leg and hurls a stone pottle filled with Dutch courage directly at the giant's head. The blow decides the engagement, yielding a bloodless victory and securing the surrender of the fortress.

Back in New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant attempts to govern with impressive state and dignified mystery, riding to church in a yellow wagon with flaming red wheels while his citizens grumble about his reserve compared to the overly accessible William the Testy. Tensions with external powers peak as the community stages patriotic bonfires of British goods. When new threats loom, Stuyvesant prepares for defense once more, sending Antony Van Corlear to sound the alarm across the countryside. Tragically, the faithful trumpeter drowns while attempting to swim the stormy Haerlem River.

The volume concludes with the inevitable fall of the Dutch dynasty and Stuyvesant’s retirement to his private farm. Refusing to look upon the conquered city, he plants a screen of trees, patrols his boundaries with uncompromising severity, and maintains domestic despotism while harboring a lasting, fiery grudge against Yankees and Englishmen until the end of his days.

How It Unfolds

• The burnout of William the Testy: Burdened by relentless frontier conflicts with Swedish interlopers and domestic petitions, the eccentric governor's mind suffers a total collapse. He wastes away like a farthing rushlight, leaving the province ripe for a firmer hand.
• The rise of Peter the Headstrong: Peter Stuyvesant steps forward to govern with unyielding martial pride and a distaste for compromise. He immediately locks horns with the expanding Yankee league through defiant letters and heroic posturing.
• The loss of Fort Casimir: The crafty and gigantic Swedish commander Jan Risingh takes advantage of a dismantled garrison and a sleeping sentinel to capture the southern outpost. General Van Poffenburgh's vanity paves the way for this disaster, leading to his swift disgrace.
• The Hudson River voyage: Stuyvesant sails northward in a sumptuously adorned state galley accompanied by pursy cupids to rally the rugged frontiersmen of the interior. This majestic journey showcases the splendor of the river and sets the stage for military retribution.
• The assault on Fort Christina: Stuyvesant leads a determined siege against the Swedish stronghold, culminating in a chaotic brawl. Armed with his wooden leg and a stray stone pottle of Hollands, the governor achieves a bloodless and glorious victory.
• Statecraft and public grumbling: Returning to New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant adopts an aura of dignified mystery and rides in a yellow wagon, drawing mixed reactions from burghers accustomed to lax familiarity. The community expresses its anti-British sentiment through extravagant bonfires and curious symbolic monuments.
• The tragic loss of Antony Van Corlear: During a final mobilization against looming dangers, the loyal trumpeter bravely attempts to swim the turbulent Haerlem River on a stormy night. Overwhelmed by the waters, he sounds a final blast before sinking forever.
• Retirement behind the trees: Following the transition of power, Stuyvesant withdraws to his farm, refusing to gaze upon the altered city. He spends his final days maintaining strict domestic discipline, tending his orchard, and nursing an unyielding aversion to Englishmen and Yankees.

The People

William the Testy wants to maintain order and protect his borders, but his constant scheming, endless petitions, and lack of practical resolve stand in his way. He ends his tenure completely burnt out, literally consuming away like an old family pipe.

Peter Stuyvesant wants absolute authority, security, and glory for the New Netherlands, battling the encroachments of Yankees and Swedes. His path is obstructed by recalcitrant burghers, rebellious councils, and foreign adversaries, but he overcomes them through sheer force of will, ultimately retiring to his farm as an unyielding, embittered isolationist who shields himself from the changing world behind a screen of trees.

Jan Claudius Risingh wants to expand Swedish territory and outwit his Dutch rivals through a mix of might and craft. Though a giant of formidable presence, his ambitions are thwarted by Stuyvesant's unorthodox combat tactics, ending in a dazed defeat when struck down by a stone pottle of Dutch courage.

General Van Poffenburgh wants military renown and unearned adulation, but his profound vanity and neglectful leadership stand in the way. He ends up utterly disgraced and cast aside when Stuyvesant dismisses him with a stinging condemnation of unfortunate great men.

Antony Van Corlear wants to faithfully serve his patron through every emergency, armed with his trumpet and a bottle of Hollands. Though undaunted by distance or danger, his journey ends tragically beneath the dark waters of the Haerlem River.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the quiet exhaustion of the former administration, the text notes how the governor's vitality finally failed:

In this manner did he undergo a kind of animal combustion, consuming away like a farthing rushlight: so that when grim death finally snuffed him out, there was scarce left enough of him to bury!

Reflecting on the psychological necessity of maintaining distance between rulers and the ruled, the narrator observes:

It is the mystery which envelopes great men, that gives them half their greatness.

Depicting the chaotic and unorthodox climax of the final battle, the author details the governor's decisive weapon:

Let not my reader mistake; it was not a murderous weapon loaded with powder and ball, but a little sturdy stone pottle charged to the muzzle with a double dram of true Dutch courage...

What It's Really About

The work explores the inherent absurdity of political power, civic posturing, and historical record-keeping. Beneath its farcical chronicle of colonial disputes lies a skeptical inquiry into how authority is established and maintained. Irving questions whether effective governance relies on genuine wisdom or merely on calculated mystery, public pageantry, and the imposition of arbitrary discipline. Furthermore, the narrative interrogates the human impulse to inflate minor border squabbles into epic clashes of civilization, contrasting the grand pretensions of empire-builders with the mundane realities of local life. Through its mock-heroic lens, the book suggests that history is largely a fabric of inflated reputations, accidental triumphs, and human eccentricities remembered through a haze of affectionate local myth.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate rich satirical wit, whimsical storytelling, and exuberant nineteenth-century prose style will find much to treasure here. Reading the volume feels like wandering through an eccentric attic filled with dusty portraits, where grand historical events are recounted with tongue-in-cheek grandeur and affectionate irony. You will stay with the vivid, larger-than-life imagery of wooden legs, stone pottles of Dutch courage, and stubborn governors turning their backs on a changing world.

However, modern readers must navigate certain period difficulties. The prose is dense, ornate, and digressive, often requiring patience to untangle its long, winding sentences. Additionally, the text reflects nineteenth-century attitudes and period biases toward indigenous peoples and rival nationalities that can feel dated or jarring today. Yet, those willing to embrace its leisurely pace and stylistic quirks will discover a uniquely entertaining ancestor to modern satire—one that gently lampoons the pomp of authority while celebrating the stubborn, idiosyncratic spirit of early New York.