| Charles Turnbull ( 1753-1795) was born in Kingston on Thames, England in 1753 and immigrated to America before the Revolution. In 1775, as the confrontation between the colonies and England moved toward military conflict, Turnbull joined the Pennsylvania Artillery, and in 1777, he was promoted to captain of the 4th Battalion of the Continental Army Artillery. Later that year, he was captured in an engagement with the British in New Jersey, and was probably held captive aboard one of the notorious prison ships anchored around New York harbor. Hundreds of American soldiers died on these ships, because of deplorable sanitary conditions and shortages of food and water. Turnbull survived and was paroled and exchanged in 1780. He returned to duty and was stationed at West Point, the strategically vital American fort on the Hudson River, commanded by General Benedict Arnold. After the war he lived in Eastchester and married Ann Crawford, whose family owned a tavern located directly across the road from St. Paul's Church. It's possible that they met in October 1776 when Turnbull might have accompanied General Washington on a reconnaissance mission through Eastchester to inspect American fortifications at Pell's Point. |
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