Robert Smith’s Secret Work
Philly’s top Colonial builder/architect
helped bottle up 250 British supply ships
Would Robert Smith be better known for his many accomplishments if he had a less-common surname. I think so. Photo by Jim Murphy, author of “Real Philly History, Real Fast.”
Walk by this Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission sign on 2nd Street below South Street in Philadelphia, and you instantly realize Robert Smith was an important figure.
But you have no idea how much he really contributed to our city and country.
In 1758, Robert Smith designed and built St. Peter’s Church, now a National Historic Landmark. The tower and wooden spire were added by architect William Strickland in 1842. Photo by Jim Murphy.
Sure, he worked on Ben Franklin’s house, and helped secure the dance floor at the Powel House – where George Washington frequently danced. Plus, his plans were used to create the prestigious Carpenters’ Hall.
And, yes, he built St. Peter’s Church, the original Old Pine Street Church next door, the famous steeple on Christ Church, the Walnut Street Prison and may have worked on the eastern wing of Pennsylvania Hospital, too.
But he also made major contributions to the war effort against the British. And that work may well have shortened his life.
Some 65 chevaux-de-frise like this in the Delaware River held up 250 British ships from supplying their troops in Philadelphia for about six weeks. Image courtesy of Ringwood Manor, Ringwood State Park, Ringwood, NJ.
The war situation in Philly
In September 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. But they couldn’t get their supplies to their troops.
The reason: Robert Smith helped design and build 65 chevaux-de-frise placed in the Delaware River between Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer. These giant wooden platforms 40 x 60 feet in size, with wooden spikes were built to impale ships. Thirty tons of stone held each one in place. Only 10 river pilots knew where they were located.
Unable to pass the forts safely because of the chevaux-de-frise, 250 British ships stayed bottled up in the Delaware River for six weeks.
Interesting Oddities:
That changed in November 1777, when a fleet of British warships–with 228 cannons – attacked and destroyed Fort Mifflin, enabling the supply ships and their cargo to reach Philadelphia. But the six-days of horrific fighting at the fort gave George Washington and his troops just enough time to get to Valley Forge and live for another day. So the chevaux-de-frise did their job.
Unearthed by Hurricane Sandy–a part of one of these device–a singular cheval-de-frise, was discovered in the Delaware River at Bristol, Bucks County, November 10, 2012. That was 235 years to the day that the British began their 6-day assault on Fort Mifflin. The piece, 29 feet long with an iron spike at one end, was found in 28 feet of water about 150 yards from shore. This ship-impaler piece is now on display at Brandywine Battlefield, says This Week in Pennsylvania Archaeology.
Robert Smith’s work along the river in frigid conditions may have led to his early death at age 55. While rushing to complete the building of barracks at Ft. Billingsport (now Paulsboro, NJ) he became ill. Smith died two months later on Feb. 11, 1777, without ever seeing the fruits of his military labors.
Note: A slightly different version of this story ran in the Spring 2023 issue of the Queen Village Neighbors Association Quarterly Crier.
Some Sources:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/5c7d0d09-b13f-4345-a960-ec90d570b5a7
http://twipa.blogspot.com/2013/06/preservation-of-cheval-de-frise-from.html
https://www.ushistory.org/march/other/cheveaux.htm
https://www.ushistory.org/people/arch_smith.htm
Harris, Joseph S. “Robert Smith.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 4, no. 1 (1880): 79–88. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20084444.
Murphy, Jim. “Real Philly History, Real Fast.” Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2021.