Scar (13 page)

All but one.

There is a legend that, near the battleground, entirely covered up with loose slate, was found the skeleton of a young colonial soldier. According to one nineteenth-century historian, “This was probably the work of the Indians, who for some reason gave this man a sepulcher.”

The monument to the men who fought in the Battle of Minisink sits on this very spot today.

     
A
BOUT THE
C
HARACTERS

Dr. Benjamin Tusten
—Born on December 11, 1743, in Southold, Long Island, to a family of farmers. When Tusten was still a young child, his family moved to Goshen, New York. Because he was a sickly child and unable to farm, his family sent him back to Long Island to go to school. He began his studies in medicine in Newark, New Jersey, and New York City. Dr. Tusten was one of the pioneers in the inoculation against smallpox in America, inoculating over 800 individuals. He joined the militia as a Lieutenant Colonel of the Third Regiment of Orange County, commissioned on February 26, 1778. He died at the Battle of Minisink on July 22, 1779. The town established on the land where he died is now named in his honor, the town of Tusten, New York.

John Hathorn
—Born in Wilmington, Delaware, on January 9, 1749, he was a surveyor and a schoolteacher by profession. He moved to Philadelphia to further his education, and then from Philadelphia to Warwick, New York, to work as a surveyor. He became captain of
the Colonial Militia and colonel of the Fourth Orange County (NY) Regiment in February 1776, and served throughout the Revolutionary War. Later he became the brigadier general of the Orange County Militia and major general of the State Militia. Hathorn was a member of the State Assembly, where he served eight terms and served as speaker in 1783 and 1784. He served in the State Senate from 1786 to 1790 and 1799 to 1803, and was elected to the Continental Congress in December 1788, and the First Congress in 1789. He was elected as a Republican to the Fourth Congress in 1795. On July 22, 1822, Hathorn, now seventy-three years old and a general, was present for the laying of the cornerstone of the monument to those who fell in the Battle of Minisink. John Hathorn died in Warwick, Orange County, NY, on February 19, 1825.

Joseph Brant/Thayentané:ken
(his Mohawk name)—Born on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in 1743, Brant was selected by Sir William Johnson, British Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern colonies, to attend Eleazar Wheelock's Moor's Charity School for Indians in Lebanon, Connecticut—which, along with Wheelock's Latin School, later became Dartmouth College. Here he learned English and studied Western history and literature. Brant left school to serve under Sir William from 1755 to 1759 during the French and Indian War (1754–1763), and later became an interpreter in the British Indian Department. In 1775,
Brant made his first trip to England. When he returned to the colonies, he was a principal player in recruiting many Six Nations men for the British side of the Revolutionary War. After their defeat, the British awarded him land on the Grand River in Ontario, to which he led Mohawk and other Indian Loyalists (those Native Americans who had supported the British in the Revolutionary War) in 1784 and established the Grand River Reservation for the Mohawk. Brant again went to England in 1785, where he was able to obtain compensation for Mohawk losses in the Revolutionary War. Following this, he devoted the remainder of his life to the interests of his nation. Brant died on November 24, 1807, at his estate on Burlington Bay, at the head of Lake Ontario.

Bezaleel Tyler
—Born on February 26, 1745, in Sharon, Connecticut. During the early years of the Revolutionary War, Tyler was living near Cushetunk, about thirty miles north of the settlement of Minisink. The area of Cushetunk was known to be loyal to England, and possibly this is the reason that Tyler was down near the settlement of Minisink at the time of the raid. He died at the Battle of Minisink on July 22, 1779. Many of his descendants still live in the area, where the town of Tylerville, Pennsylvania, is named for his family.

Abraham Cuddeback
—Born in the Minisink settlement area known as Cuddebackville, which still exists today
and is named for his family. Cuddeback's birth date is unknown. He was a farmer, mechanic, shoemaker, weaver, and tailor. He was known for his large size and great marksmanship. Cuddeback was very active in the Revolutionary War. He survived the Battle of Minisink, dying on August 25, 1817.

Samuel Meeker
—Very little is known about Meeker. Neither his birth date or date of death has been recorded. He was said to be a farmer and a zealous Patriot, selling all he had to fight England. At the time of the Battle of Minisink, Meeker was part of the Second Regiment of the Sussex County Militia. He survived the Battle of Minisink and served until honorably discharged at the close of the Revolutionary War.

     
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks …

to Peter Osborne. You and “The Battle” are synonymous. You have been so very, very good to me.

to Mark Hendrickson, who leads a secret life that helped me write a book.

to Jon Inners, you rock (he is a geologist … just so we're all in on the joke).

to Frank Salvati. There is no other person on earth who I would rather listen to for hours on the telephone.

to Kaweienón:ni Cook, for your beautiful choice in names.

to Nancy Conod and Susan Breyer … the hardboiled egg is missing from this book just for you two.

to Konwanonhsiyohstha Hill, for not only being the fastest reader I know, but the most enthusiastic and thoughtful.

to Leslie Caulfield, Shari Becker, Sarah Cassell, Christine Carron, Heather Demetrios, and David Fulk. I'd join a pirate crew for you guys! And you know how I feel about sharks, large bodies of water, and the sacking of ships.

to Kevin Mann, Maria Hykin, and Jennifer Salvato Doktorski—my grandmother used to say that if you
want to know who you are, check out the people you hang with … I am obviously amazing.

to Lisa Rosinsky, whose thoughtful comment saved my story.

And to Carolyn Yoder, for there once was an editor (you) who saw more in me than I saw in myself … and then, like all great editors, she coaxed that story out.

     
B
IBLIOGRAPHY

“A Look at Our Heritage: Tusten Bicentennial 1776.”
Tusten Bicentennial Commission
. 1976.

Angell, Pauline.
Fifty Years on the Frontier with the Dutch Congregation at Maghaghkamik
. Port Jervis, NY: Port Law Press, 1937.

Berland, Dennis, Patricia Valence, and Russell Woodling.
The Minisink: A Chronicle of One of America's First and Last Frontiers
. Four County Task Force on the Tocks Island Dam Project, 1975.

Chalmers, Harvey.
Joseph Brant: Mohawk
. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1955.

Clark, Donald F. “Joseph Brant and the Battle of Minisink.”
Orange County Historical Society
[Goshen]. 22 July 1972: 1.

Curtis, Mary. “1779: Hannah Thomas' Story.”
The Observer
[Port Jervis]. 30 Sept. 2002: 1.

Dutch Church Records of the Machakemeck & Mennisenk Churches
. Port Jervis, NY: Deerpark Reformed Church, 1899.

Egger-Bovet, Howard, and Marlene Smith-Baranzini.
USKids History: Book of American Revolution
. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1994.

Farlekas, Chris. “Brant's Raid Retraced: July 20, 1779.”
The Times Herald Record
[Middletown]. 26 June 1979: 1.

George-Kanentiio, Doug (Kanentiio),
Iroquois Culture & Commentary
. Santa Fe: Clear Light Publishers, 2000.

Graymont, Barbara.
The Iroquois in the American Revolution
. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1972.

Gumaer, Peter.
A History of Deerpark in Orange County
. Port Jervis, NY: Minisink Valley Historical Society, 1994.

Hendrickson, Mark, Jon D. Inners, and Peter Osborne.
So Many Brave Men: A History of the Battle at Minisink Ford
. Easton, PA: Pienpack Publishing, 2010.

Inners, Jon D., and Peter Osborne.
Blood and Mayhem on the Delaware: The Historical Geography of Brant's Raid and the Battle of Minisink
. Port Jervis, NY: Minisink Valley Historical Society, 2001.

Kelsay, Isabel Thompson.
Joseph Brant, 1743–1807, Man of Two Worlds
. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1984.

Leslie, Vernon.
The Battle of Minisink: A Revolutionary War Engagement in the Upper Delaware Valley
. Middletown, NY: T.E. Henderson, 1975.

Letters to Sarah: A Year in the Life of a Settler's Family
. Monticello, NY: Sullivan County Department of Public Works, 1989.

Meyers, Arthur N. “Colonel Tusten, Patriot and Doctor.”
Delaware Valley News Times
[Tusten]. 26 Feb. 1970: 1.

Meyers, Arthur N. “Joseph Brant, Delaware Valley Visitor.”
Delaware Valley News Times
[Tusten]. 21 Mar. 1968: 1.

Meyers, Arthur N. “Tragedy and Humor in Minisink Days.”
Delaware Valley News Times
[Tusten]. 10 Sept. 1970: 1.

Osborne, Peter.
The Historic Markers of the City of Port Jervis and the Town of Deerpark
. Port Jervis, NY: Port Jervis City Historian and Port Jervis Area Heritage Commission, 1989. Updated through 2009.

Osborne, Peter.
The New York–New Jersey Boundary Line: While New Jersey Dozed, New York Was Wide Awake
. Port Jervis, NY: Minisink Valley Historical Society, 1997.

Osborne, Peter. “Remembering Lt. Martinus Decker: Perseverance & Vigilance During the War for Independence.”
The Observer
[Port Jervis]. 31 Oct. 2002: 1.

Porter, Tom (Sakokweniónkwas), Lesley Forrester, and Ka-Hon-Hes.
And Grandma Said … Iroquois Teachings: As passed down through the oral tradition
. Philadelphia: Xlibris, 2008.

Quinlan, James Eldridge, and Thomas Antisell.
History of Sullivan County: Embracing an Account of Its Geology, Climate, Aborigines, Early Settlement, Organization; the Formation of Its Towns with Biographical Sketches of Prominent Residents
. Liberty, NY: G.M. Beebe & W.T. Morgans, 1873.

Richards, Mark V.
The Sesquicentennial of the Battle of Minisink: A Story of the Commemoration Held on the Battlefield at Minisink Ford, Sullivan County, N.Y., July 22, 1929
. Monticello, NY: Republican Watchman, 1929.

Seward, Dr. Frederick T. “Legends of Minisink Battle: 195 Anniversary of the Battle of Minisink.” Goshen, NY: Goshen's Library and Historical Society, 1979.

Smith, Philip H.
Legends of the Shawangunk (Shon-Gum) and Its Environs, Including Historical Sketches, Biographical Notices, and Thrilling Border Incidents
and Adventures Relating to Those Portions of the Counties Orange, Ulster and Sullivan Lying in the Shawangunk Region
. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1965 (reprint from 1887).

Stickney, Charles.
History of the Minisink Region
. Port Jervis, NY: Minisink Valley Historical Society, 1867.

Twichell, Horace.
History of the Minisink Country
. New York: Schilling Press, 1912.

Tyson, John R.
Charles Wesley: A Reader
. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Van Etten, Delbert. “The Battle of Minisink: 202 Years Ago Wednesday.”
Sullivan County Democrat
[Callicoon]. 21 July 1981: 1.

An Interview with J. Albert Mann

Q.
What drew you to write a novel about the Battle of Minisink?

A.
On a weekend hike behind a friend's home in the Upper Delaware River Valley of New York, I came upon an old wooden marker stating some small fact about a battle I'd never heard of. The second marker I came upon changed my life. It was a simple wooden plaque drilled into the side of a rock ledge. It read:
Hospital Rock. Here on July 22, 1779, Lt. Col. Benjamin Tusten, a physician, and seventeen wounded militiamen under his care were trapped and killed by Joseph Brant's raiders
. A simple walk in the woods had brought me to a place where eighteen men had lost their lives. Signs along the trail told the story of The Battle of Minisink Ford, an obscure Revolutionary War battle. I was to walk that trail, literally and figuratively for the next few years as I undertook the task of finding out who those eighteen men were and why they died that day in the shadow of a lonely rock ledge.

Q.
Historical fiction combines history and fiction. Tell us about your research process and how diverse it was?

A.
One of the biggest problems with research is knowing where and when to stop. In the beginning of my process, I didn't stop myself. I read what I felt like and allowed myself to take any research tangent. It was during this process of freedom that I discovered the legend of the soldier buried under the monument. I found it in a book of legends from the Shawangunk Region, which encompassed where the Battle of Minisink took place, but was not focused on the battle or the time period of the Revolutionary War. I read the legends because they were fun. In the end, it was this book, which at first seemed unrelated to my topic, that gave me Noah's story.

In the book, I stumbled upon the legend of a local farmer who was picking blueberries as a child and happened upon the Minisink battleground with “the skeletons of the slain,” which he described as “thickly scattered about among the bushes.” Strangely, the farmer's story reported a single skeleton which had been given a burial. I quickly came to the same conclusion as the book's author—if this legend were true, and there really had been a Colonial soldier found buried at the site of the battle, he would have actually had to have been buried by the Tory and First Native/Nation soldiers because there was no one else left alive. And if so, why would they do this? The story of Noah and Scar was born.