CHAPTER III: REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Mahopac's Part in the War
Colonel Henry Ludington
John Crane's Tavern
Horse and Cattle Thieves
Rattlesnake Hill Becomes Known as Battle Hill
Sybil Ludington
Enoch Crosby
Major John Andre

MAHOPAC'S PART IN THE WAR
For some time, settlers in Philipse Patent had not been happy with life under British rule. When the Revolution broke out, large numbers of the farmers joined to help the colonial army. Local men fought alongside George Washington. Others joined a troop of militia under the command of Colonel Henry Ludington who lived northeast of Carmel village.

No battles were fought in Mahopac, but it was important because of its location. It was on one of the main roads between places where troops were stationed. For a time, there was a large army camp near Patterson. Other troops were guarding the crossings over the Croton River, especially at Pines Bridge near Yorktown. There were men in Danbury, Connecticut, and at West Point. A large camp of colonial soldiers was located in Continental Village, near the Hudson River.
Troops moving between these different camps traveled on roads that led through our town.
Soldiers were stationed in Mahopac Falls to guard the Red Mills. It was being used to grind grain for the Revolutionary soldiers. Large amounts of grain and flour were stored here. The troops had to make sure that the mill was not attacked and that the grain was not stolen for the use of the British army.

COLONEL HENRY LUDINGTON
In 1774, Henry Ludington had built a grist mill near his home. It also was used to supply flour for colonial troops. This mill is still standing, although it is in great need of repair.
The fields near Colonel Ludington's house were used as training grounds for the men in his regiment.
After the war, the little town where he lived was named Ludingtonville.
When you travel on Route 6 in front of the current Mahopac Grand Union, you are passing over the spot where John Crane lived. He was one of the earliest settlers here. John Crane's home was also an inn where travelers could stop to eat and rest.
During the Revolutionary War, John Crane was a captain in Colonel Ludington's Regiment. His inn was a favorite stopping place for troops who were passing through. For a while, his house was used as a military headquarters by General Scott and his staff.

JOHN CRANE'S TAVERN
Captain Crane was known as a real patriot. He helped the colonial army by telling George Washington what the Tories (British supporters) were doing in this area. Some of the Tories tried to capture or kill him, but luckily, they failed.
General Washington himself visited at Captain Crane's house. He was even an overnight guest there.
At first, John Crane's Tavern was made of logs. When sawmills were set up, he redid his house. We are told that it was the first house in Mahopac to be built of boards instead of logs.
The old building was torn down in the 1880's. There is a marker along the side of the road near the place where it stood.

HORSE AND CATTLE THIEVES
Armies need large amounts of food to keep the men fed. They also need many horses. During the Revolution, horse and cattle thieves made raids on farms to steal livestock. The animals were then taken to army camps.
The British supporters who stole cattle were known as cowboys. Some historians now call the colonial cattle thieves "skinners." It is not known if the name skinners was actually used during the Revolution or if it was invented by later writers.
The southern part of Mahopac is near Somers and Yorktown, where many farms were raided. Years after the war was over, remains of fences used by the cowboys and horse thieves still remained on Watermelon Hill. Stolen animals had been kept there until they could be moved safely to the British army.

RATTLESNAKE HILL BECOMES KNOWN AS BATTLE HILL
Rattlesnake Hill was the scene of a fight between a gang of horse thieves and the owners of the horses. The farmers and their neighbors caught up with the thieves while they were camping for the night.
A young man had been traveling home to see his wife, who lived in Pawling. He met a group of men driving some horses. The young man believed that the horses were being taken to the colonial army because the men were traveling, just as he was, in the direction of one of the colonial posts. Since they were all going the same way, he decided to travel with them.
When the angry farmers caught up with the gang, the young man was asleep under a tree. As he started to stand up, he was shot in the back. The farmers thought that he was one of the thieves. Meanwhile, the members of the gang escaped into the night.
After the young man explained to the farmers how he happened to be with this band of horse thieves, they were very sorry about what had happened. They sent for his wife. She was able to reach his side before he died two days later. Somewhere, a short distance north of the hill, this unfortunate young man is buried.
This is how Rattlesnake Hill came to be called Battle Hill.

SYBIL LUDDINGTON
Imagine for a moment a dark, chilly night. It is April. The narrow dirt roads through the fields and woods are muddy from the spring thaws. They are full of ruts and holes made by horses hooves and wagon wheels. It is a very long distance between houses, and all the houses are dark because everyone is sleeping. The woods are quiet except for the hooting of owls and the rustling of animals, or is that rustling a group of cattle thieves somewhere in the dark?
It was on just such a night that a young girl galloped through the countryside to call the troops to report to their regiment. The British were attacking Danbury, Connecticut. Her name was Sybil Ludington. Sybil was the oldest daughter of Colonel Ludington who was in charge of the militia in this area. She was 16 years old at the time.
Danbury was being used as a storage place by the Continental Army. Supplies such as clothing, medicine, and ammunition, as well as pork, flour, and molasses, were kept there. On the night of April 26, 1777, two thousand redcoats, under the command of General Tryon, started to attack. Only one hundred fifty colonial soldiers were there to defend the town. Reinforcements were needed.
Colonel Ludington's men had just gone home after a long period of duty. It was planting time and they had been allowed to go to their farms to start their crops. Someone had to ride and tell them that they must hurry back immediately. The Colonel could not go for he had to stay and get the regiment ready to march. The rider who had brought the news from Danbury was too tired to go any further. Besides, he did not know where the men lived. So the Colonel asked Sybil to go and call in his troops.
From Ludingtonville to Carmel village, into Mahopac and Mahopac Falls, through Kent Cliffs, Farmers Mills, and back home through Stormville she galloped through the night. She shouted the news and warned the families to be ready to flee if the British should come this way.
When Sybil arrived home at daybreak, the troops were already preparing to leave. More than 400 men started on their twenty-five mile march.
In the meantime, General Tryon's men had overrun the town and burned almost every house. They had discovered a supply of rum to which they helped themselves. When the General heard that the Continental troops were coming, he decided to retreat. His army was in no condition to fight. Many of his men were drunk.
Colonel Ludington's regiment joined with another group led by General Wooster. They drove the Redcoats back to Long Island Sound.
Unfortunately, no record was kept of the roads which Sybil took on her famous ride. Historians know which towns she reached, but they cannot agree how sho got from Mahopac Falls (where Captain Hill lived and where the troops at the mill were) to Kent Cliffs. The map shows the possible roads she could have taken. The one that goes near Lake Secor cannot be followed easily because of the Taconic Parkway, but early maps show how this road went to Tompkins Corners in Peekskill Hollow.
If you take a trip to Carmel, you can see a statue showing Sybil and her horse, Star. It stands near the shores of Lake Gleneida.

ENOCH CROSBY
During a war, it has always been a wise thing for each side to try to find out what the other side is doing. This was also very true during the Revolution. Both the British and the Colonials used spies to watch each other.
One of the most famous of the spies for the Continental Army was Enoch Crosby. Enoch is so well known because James Feminore Cooper wrote a book called "The Spy." It is believed to be the story of Enoch's war services.
Enoch was born in Massachusetts and came to Carmel when he was three years old. His father worked a farm where Guideposts buildings now stand. The farm also included the Gilead Cemetery. In 1766, when Enoch was sixteen, his father lost the lease to his farm and moved to Southeast. Enoch left home and became a shoemaker.
When the Revolutionary War broke out, Enoch had finished his apprenticeship and had set up a business in Danbury, Connecticut. He enlisted in the army and his company was sent to fight in the northern battles against General Schyler and General Montgomery. His regiment then went up to Montreal, Canada.
After his enlistment was over, Enoch returned home to Danbury. He decided to join the army again. On his way to enlist, he met up with Tories in Westchester. They thought he was one of them and told him where their secret meetings were held. Crosby reported them and they were all captured.
Because he was so clever at this kind of work, Enoch was asked to be a secret agent. He pretended to join companies of Tories and learned about their meeting places. Then he sneaked off and turned in his reports. Colonial soldiers came and arrested the loyalists. Enoch was captured along with the other men, but it was arranged for him to get away. His amazing escapes finally made the Tories suspicious. They realized that he was a spy.
One night, Enoch was staying at the house of his brother-in-law, Solomon Hopkins, near Carmel. A group of men attacked and shot at him, but he was only scratched. A few nights later, more men came and beat him until they thought he was dead. Neighbors came running and chased off the attackers. Enoch was lucky again. He recovered and went back to work for the army.
Sybil Ludington knew Enoch. He sometimes used her father's home as a hiding place.
After the war, Enoch and his brother bought a farm near Brewster. He later became a Supervisor in the Town of Southeast. He was also a Justice of the Peace and a Deacon of the Gilead Presbyterian Church.
When Enoch died, he was buried in the Gilead Burying Ground near the rest of his family. Many people came to visit his grave. Some of them chipped pieces off his tombstone as souvenirs. It has now been replaced with a large, new stone. The marker was donated by his relatives, the Hopkins family.

MAJOR JOHN ANDRE
Spies lead dangerous lives. Sometimes their stories have very sad endings. Major John Andre, a British officer, went on only one mission, but luckily for the Americans, his mission was not a success.
In the early years of the war, General Benedict Arnold was a brave and trusted officer in George Washington's army. Later, he was put in charge of guarding West Point. No one knew, but Benedict Arnold was about to become a traitor. He had made a deal with the British. He tried to send plans of the fort to the enemy. The plans were given to Major Andre, who hid them in his boot and tried to reach the British lines. Andre was captured near Tarrytown and the papers were found.
George Washington sent orders that Major Andre was to be brought to Garrison where the General had his headquarters. The soldiers were told to take the route that led from North Salem on what is now Croton Falls Road. It was feared that if they took a southern route, the British might try to rescue the Major.
This route led right through Mahopac and Mahopac Falls. It was a rainy night and the troops stopped for a short while at the home of Major James Cox in Mahopac Falls. It is believed that the Cox family was staying in the Morris log mansion at the time. It was there that Andre and his escort stopped to rest.
After a short rest, the troops continued on their way with their prisoner. They went from Mahopac Falls to Shrub Oak and then on the Garrison. A few days later, Major Andre was hanged for spying. The traitor, Benedict Arnold, escaped. No one had any respect for him, and he lived out his life as a sad man.