Part III : Somers Historical Tidbits

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Neutral Ground takes the High Ground

When the British attempted to take White Plains in 1776, some residents fled north and sought safety with friends and relatives in what is now Somers. Not necessarily part of the “Neutral Ground” above NYC, they had to cross the Croton River and did so over Deans Bridge, Goldens Bridge, Woods Bridge and Pines Bridge. As for the Somers residents, their obligation was to provide food for soldiers and forage for their animals. Of course, supplies were sometimes intercepted by enemy forces, and among them were the refugees of one Somers loyalist named John DeLancey. They raided local farms but continental soldiers did the same on occasion. Still, the most feared larceny came from cowboys and skinners. These were lawless bands that frequented Northern Westchester, and not only plundered but killed indiscriminately. In other words, they didn’t care which side the farm was on, and the criminal crews had people burying their valuables and even hiding their cattle in the swamps at night. The stories have come down from a lot of the old Somers families and proves that during the Revolution, the spoils weren’t always for the victors.

Victory Parade Stays Dry

Somers was not home to any battles during the war, but residents did get to witness a victory parade of sorts. Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau was another imported general from France, and was at Yorktown with Washington’s armies. Victory achieved, his army made their way back to Newport Rhode Island and directly in the way was Somers, New York. Today, his return itinerary would have had his troops soaking wet. They marched right through what is the Amawalk Reservoir. Instead, the source material says, “What a treat these nattily dressed soldiers must have been as they returned from their victory in the south."

Spies Like Us

James Fenimore Cooper wrote a book called The Spy and was inspired by two Revolutionary figures that Somers knew well. Enoch Crosby and Luther Kinnicutt were spies who operated in the so-called neutral ground. Kinnicutt’s exploits are less known, and one claim to fame was that he warmed rebels in Pound Ridge that Banastre Tarleton was about to attack on July 1, 1779. Crosby, on the other hand, gets the subtitle of the book. He was employed by John Jay and took part in numerous counterintelligence operations. A slippery professional, he was able to maintain his cover by being captured several times by patriot soldiers and provided crucial information that caused trouble for the Tory efforts throughout Westchester. After the war, he married the widow of Colonel Benjamin Green of Somers.

Civil Strife

The start of the Civil War had two Somers residents involved immediately. Gerard Jones (of Yale) and Edward Jones. Both became recruiters, and Jones went on to become a major who was killed in Cedar Creek, Virginia. Nonetheless, 60 young men from Somers served and six died in battle from their wounds, five from disease and two in POW camps. Still, there was mixed support in the town, and the Wright family lost one of their sons on the Confederate side. At the pulpit, Reverend William Murphy of St Luke’s chose not to include the bishop’s official prayers for the country and its soldiers. John Jay II, who was the son of the great abolitionist, didn’t take kindly. He wrote an open letter to the New York Tribune on November 25, 1863 and eventually Murphy resigned his position. Loyalty, on the other hand, could come at a price - even in Somers. In 1863, the draft was about to go into effect, and the Town Board charged a $25 fee to begin the process of finding a substitute. Three hundred dollars then went to the replacement, and armchair patriots could watch from a good safe distance. But behind the lines, a group of Somers women did what they could to help. The Ladies Soldiers Aid Society of Somers raised money for gifts and food for soldiers and later used the excess money to build a monument. Still standing in the Ivandell Cemetery on Route 202, it’s called, “The In Memorial of the Brave Men from this Vicinity Who Fell in the Great Rebellion.”