Library of Congress

Marinus Willett

Marinus Willett 1740-1830

Marinus Willett was born on July 31, 1740 in Jamaica, Long Island. His first military experience came during the French and Indian War. In 1758, Willett received a commission as an officer in a New York provincial regiment, which would bring him into contact with the Mohawk Valley for the first time. During that year, Willett worked on the initial construction of Fort Stanwix.

With mounting tensions between England and the 13 Colonies, Willett was an active member of the New York City Sons of Liberty. In 1775, he participated in the attempted American invasion of Canada. When New York raised five regiments in 1777, Willett received the rank of Lt. Col. in the 3rd New York Regiment. When the 3rd NY garrisoned Ft. Schuyler (Stanwix) in April 1777, Col. Peter Gansevoort took command of the regiment and Willett became his second. Thus began Willett's second tour of duty in the Mohawk Valley. 

During the British siege of Ft. Schuyler in August 1777, Willett led a successful attack against the Indian and loyalist camps that greatly demoralized the Indian forces with the British. Shortly after this, Col Gansevoort sent Willett through British lines to find reinforcements. This was also a success. Willett remained at the fort until 1778, when he took leave to join the main army under General Washington. Over the next three years, Willett was involved in several different military actions, including a return to Fort Stanwix to serve under Col. Goose Van Schaick during 1779 expedition against the Onondagas.

In 1781, Gov. George Clinton of New York appealed to Willett to take command of all the American troops in the Mohawk Valley to deter the numerous Indian and loyalist raids. Theses counter attacks were in part successful, leading to the death of notorious loyalist leader Walter Butler. In 1783, Willett carried out one of the last military operations of the war, a surprise attack against British held Oswego. The attack failed when Willett's force, being led by an Oneida scout, became lost in the dark as they approached the fort.

With the end of the war, Willett returned to New York City, where he served two different terms as sheriff, and in 1807, a one-year term as mayor. Col. Marinus Willett died on August 22, 1830 at the age of 90. Recognizing the contributions he had made to his country, over 10,000 people mourned the death of this patriot.

National Archives

Benedict Arnold: The only man to serve as a General on both sides of the American Revolutionary War.

Benedict Arnold 1741-1801

Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, CT in 1741. He was the great-grandson of the Rhode Island governor of the same name. As a young man during the French and Indian War he enlisted in the New York Militia twice, and twice deserted; each time under pressure from his family to complete an apprenticeship as an apothecary under his uncles at home. Arnold’s parents died when he was age 21 and he moved himself and his sister to Hew Haven, CT, where he opened a small store. He became one of the most successful merchants of the coast, owning ships that sailed from the Caribbean to Canada. In 1767 he married Margaret Mansfield, who bore him three sons.
           
In 1775 Arnold rode as captain of his CT. Militia Co. to Cambridge, MA to address what had just happened at Lexington. While there he proposed to officials a return attack on the British. In 1775 he was granted permission to lead a force to British Fort Ticonderoga in New York, and capture it. Along the way he encountered Ethan Allen, and the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont, on the same quest. After much argument the two decided to share command, and on May 3 they were able to capture the fort with little alarm as the commander had few guards patrolling the grounds that night. Arnold’s party then proceeded from Fort Ti to Crown Point and captured it much the same. If that wasn’t enough, the men then captured Fort George (also in the Champlain Valley) all by the end of June 1775. Arnold’s wife died that same month.

Although this success was considered a great one, Arnold was, in his opinion, forced from command of these new American posts. This did not hinder his ambition. In September 1775 Arnold participated in the American invasion of Canada, per orders of Gen. Washington. Though the attempt at adding a “Fourteenth Colony” failed with a desperate attack on Quebec, Arnold was considered by most to have served valiantly as a brilliant tactician and hero after being wounded in the leg during battle. For this he was promoted to brigadier general. In the summer of 1776 Arnold’s skills as a strategist were once again called upon as he was placed in charge of a new American Naval Fleet in Lake Champlain. His orders from Gen. Horatio Gates were to defend the area and attack only if attacked. Upon learning of a British naval force under Guy Carleton settling in the northern end of the lake, Arnold took his fleet and stationed it towards Valcour Island in October. Several days of battle ensued. Arnold was not able to do much damage to the veteran British fleet. He only saved many of his men after grounding and burning their ships. Yet, in Gates’ eyes, he had disobeyed orders by conducting an offensive maneuver.

Now at odds with not only his superiors, but with Congress over promotions he did not receive, 1777 became Arnold’s year to prove himself. The first chance came in August, when Gen. Philip Schuyler ordered him to march west from Albany to prevent a force under British commander Barry St. Leger from over whelming the beleaguered troops at Fort Schuyler. Arnold was able to turn St. Leger’s superior force against him by blackmailing a loyalist man into spreading rumors amongst the Indians about his coming. St. Leger’s allies retreated leaving him with no support; he ordered the retreat of his Regular force before Arnold ever arrived on August 21. As Arnold returned to Albany the Northern Army, now under command of Gates, was bearing down for a defensive against John Burgoyne to the north near Stillwater, NY. After battle at Freeman’s Farm and an argument with Gates about whether or not to attack the shaken British force, Arnold was relieved of command. On Oct. 7, Burgoyne struck again closer to the American lines. Seeing the enemy entrenched Arnold rode to the field of battle to lead an American attack that captured an enemy stronghold all against Gates’ orders. This minor victory however, led the Americans to gain the position they needed on the field to force a British surrender. Arnold was wounded in the same leg that suffered injury in Canada. Scorned by Gates, but officially thanked by Washington and Congress, he was promoted to Major General and sent to Philadelphia to recover as he could not command the field.

While there he married Peggy Shippen, a girl with loyalist sentiments who bore him four sons. She is most famous though, for putting him in contact with the British commanders he would later side with. As allegations of his loyalties and conduct surfaced he requested a change of command that would put him back in New York in command of West Point, a well fortified American stronghold along the Hudson River, which he would later try to deliver into the hands of the British. Its capture would have been a great blow to the Americans. Although, he was unable to deliver this prize, Arnold was rewarded by them with a commission as a brigadier general in the British Army, a pension, funds for lost property, and command of deserters and Tories. The reasons for his change of sides have been, and will be, the subject matter of much speculation, conversation, and endless books.

It has been said that had Benedict Arnold died at the Battles of Saratoga, he would have been considered as one of America’s greatest heroes. Instead, he died in England in June of 1801 as Gen. Washington’s most brilliant tactician and America’s worst betrayer.

Top of Page

Goose Van Schaick 1736-1789

Goose Van Schaick was born in Albany, NY in 1736. His father, Sybrant, was mayor of Albany from 1756-1761. Goose became a Lt. in the 1756 Crown Point expedition, and captain of militia in the capture of Ft. Frontenac under Bradstreet in 1758. By the end of the French and Indian War he had also served as a Lt. Col. for the 2nd NY Provincials and 1st NY Regiment.

In June of 1775 Van Schaick was became Col. of the 2nd NY Regiment. He and his men joined Montgomery as part of the American invasion of Canada. Early next year, 1776, he was commissioned commander of the 1st NY Regiment while at Johnstown in the Mohawk Valley. He was wounded at Ticonderoga in 1777 and commanded a brigade during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Around the same time he also became a brother-in-law to young Col. Peter Gansevoort as his sister Catherine became his new bride.

What he might be best known for is his raid against the Onondagas while under command of Fort Stanwix in April of 1779. This preceded the Clinton/Sullivan Campaign of that year. Van Schaick left the fort with approximately 550 men, marched through the surrounding Onondaga territories for five days and 180 miles, was able to considerably disable the Nations forces for making war, captured 37 prisoners, 100 muskets, and never lost a single person before returning to the gates of the fort. He was given the Thanks of Congress on May 10, 1779 for his actions.

Van Schaick remained in command of Albany during the Clinton/Sullivan Campaign before marching south to participate in the Yorktown Campaign. On October 10, 1783, he was breveted Brig. Gen., and one month later he retired from the American Continental Army. According to most sources, Goose Van Schaick died on July 4, 1789.

Top of Page