This past Sunday afternoon I found myself paddling across the Hudson River from Croton Point towards a spot on the river's west shore near Long Clove. I'd launched into the Croton River from the Echo Canoe Launch...
My objective was finding a historic location mentioned in Nathaniel Philbrick's book, Valiant Ambition. Philbrick describes the location as follows "...amid a grove of fir trees near where the Long Clove gap is bracketed by the jagged peaks of High and Low Tor on the west bank of the Hudson." Using that description and a nautical map of the area I was attempting to follow the route a small row boat took to that locale in the middle of the night back in September 1780. According to Philbrick's detailed description the boat contained four men...brothers Samuel and Joseph Cahoon were rowing using sheepskin-muffled oars, while their employer Joshua Hett Smith was steering. The fourth man, their passenger known to them as Mr. John Anderson, was actually the British Army officer Major John Andre who'd just been picked up from the British sloop of war "Vulture" and was being brought to the locale for a rendezvous with the American commander of West Point, General Benedict Arnold. All four men carried passes issued by Arnold.
Until reading Valiant Ambition I admit to knowing little of the historical facts involving Benedict Arnold's treason. I only remember as a kid not ever wanting to be called a "Benedict Arnold". Upon reading Philbrick's account of the actual events I was intrigued by the important role the Hudson River played in the whole affair.
As I got closer to the shore the "jagged peaks of High and Low Tor", said to have bracketed the landing spot, stood out against the horizon...
An eagle watched my approach...
My boat soon found landfall...
Was this the spot where Joshua Hett Smith and the Cahoon brothers patiently waited in their boat while John Andre and Benedict Arnold walked off a bit to discuss the surrender of West Point in the wee hours of September 22, 1780?
A 38' green navigational marker "21" is just offshore and warns of submerged piles from when this location served as Snedekers Landing in the 1800s. Several abandoned stone buildings remain from those days.
A group of shore fishermen occupied the tip of the landing and were fishing for striped bass. I suspect the eagle was doing the same.
I didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked due to a quickly-gathering southwest breeze, and knowing it would be a four mile crossing back to Echo Landing. I decided to revisit the site on Tuesday morning when I'd have more time to look things over.
Beginning the trip back to Echo Canoe Launch I looked towards Croton Point with Teller's Point at its far right tip. The green navigational marker "21" can be seen to the left...
On the paddle across the river the Tappan Zee Bridge, where a new bridge is under construction, could be seen downriver...
This southbound tug/barge was possibly delivering one of the new spans...
Before rounding Teller's Point and landing back at Echo Canoe Launch, I recalled reading in Valiant Ambition how the HMS Vulture came under fire from some hastily assembled small canons on this point...
The canons were brought out to Teller's Point by the American Colonel James Livingston, and his firing upon the HMS Vulture caused the British vessel to retreat downriver. This act on Livingston's part served to gum up the works, so to speak, and resulted in Major Andre needing to travel by land in order to get back to British lines.
My Return Trip...
Early on Tuesday morning I drove from Peekskill, NY across the Bear Mountain Bridge to Haverstraw. Along the way I watched the full moon sink behind the mountain...
Once in Haverstraw, on the west side of the Hudson, I resorted to the very helpful "NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Public Fishing and Boating Access Maps" to find a place to access the river. I found such at Emeline Park...
The morning was a beauty with bright sunshine and fast warming temps. Winds were calm. Shortly I paddled the almost 2 miles to the suspected landing location at Snedekers Landing...
This time I had the spot all to myself and was able to look around a little more.
I looked for the mentioned fir trees and found these...
This path runs uphill from the landing...
...to a wider and now paved path which leads to Haverstraw...
When Arnold and Andre weren't able to conclude their discussion before daybreak they mounted horses and quite likely ascended this pathway en route to Smith's home in Haverstraw. Smith and the Cahoon brothers were left to row the two miles to Haverstraw.
Returning to my boat I found a good sized wake from the Ossining Ferry boat buffeting the beach. While holding my boat steady I noticed the name "John" inscribed on a small boulder. Looking closer it looked like the word "and" after it...so I dismissed it as someone's having recorded their affection for someone ie: "John and blank" and didn't take a photo of the inscription. I did take a photo of the spot and the reddish boulder so inscribed is visible just beyond my boat...
Only later did it occur to me that it may have been inscribed with the name of John Andre to mark the spot.
At any rate, after paddling back to Eveline Park I was ready to drive away but decided to check out a monument only 50 feet from where I'd parked...
Both boulders have plaques commemorating the events of September 1780. However both plaques are in need of cleaning as they're difficult to read.
The plaque to the gun's left (dating to 1926) reads:
BETWEEN THIS BOULDER AND THE RIVER IS THE PLACE WHERE BENEDICT ARNOLD FIRST MET MAJOR JOHN ANDRE, ADJUTANT GENERAL OF THE BRITISH ARMY TO PLAN FOR THE SURRENDER OF WEST POINT TO THE BRITISH. ANDRE LANDED FROM THE VULTURE THE EVENING OF SEPT. 21, 1780. EARLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING THE CONSPIRATORS REPAIRED TO THE HOME OF JOSHUA HETT SMITH ABOUT THREE MILES TO THE NORTH WHERE ARNOLD FINALLY AGREED TO SURRENDER WEST POINT FOR TEN THOUSAND POUNDS AND A COMMISSION IN THE BRITISH ARMY. FROM THE SMITH HOUSE ANDRE ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE BRITISH LINES. HE WAS CAPTURED AT TARRYTOWN AND TRIED, CONVICTED, AND EXECUTED AS A SPY AT TAPPAN OCT. 2,1780.
The plaque to the gun's right reads:
IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT ON THE 21st OF SEPTEMBER BENEDICT ARNOLD, THE TRAITOR AND JOHN ANDRE, THE SPY MET AT WATER'S EDGE WHERE THE GUN POINTS TO PLOT THE FALL OF AMERICA'S FREEDOM.
I'm thinking the gun should point a just few degrees to the left where Snedeckers Landing is located...
Once back home and writing this post I stumbled upon information pertaining to a historical marker located very close, perhaps less than 50 yards from where I landed my boat. It's the Andre the Spy marker. If you visit the link and check out photo 2 taken by Joe Harness you can see the marker's proximity to the spit of land where I landed. The navigational marker "21" can also be seen.
On my way out of Haverstraw I passed yet another marker...
The Smith house is said to have been located on the grounds of the present day Helen Hayes Hospital...
Some trash gathered during my 2 visits...
So, with Andre having met his fate at the end of a rope, what happened to Mr. Arnold? See my next post or, better yet, read Valiant Ambition.
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