David Williams (soldier)
Encyclopedia
David Williams was a militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution
. In 1780, he participated in the capture of Major John André
.Williams should not be confused with, and is not related to, David Williams (1759–1836) of Massachusetts, a participant in the Boston Tea Party
.
, Williams had been a farmer, but in 1775 he joined the Continental Army
. Serving under Gen. Richard Montgomery
, he took part in several campaigns but was forced to leave active service in 1779 after his feet were badly frozen, leaving him partially disabled for life. Despite his condition, Williams continued to lend his support to the volunteer forces in his native area: overnight on September 22–23, 1780, he joined militiamen John Paulding
and Isaac Van Wart
as part of an armed patrol.
The three men seized British officer John André at a site in Tarrytown now called Patriot's Park
. It was Williams who physically searched André and discovered, hidden inside his boots, the documents of his secret communication with Benedict Arnold
. The militiamen, all local farmers of modest means, refused his considerable bribe and instead delivered him to army headquarters. Arnold's plans to surrender West Point to the British were revealed and foiled, and Williams was among the witnesses when André was hanged as a spy.
With George Washington's personal recommendation, the United States Congress awarded Williams, Paulding and Van Wart the first military decoration of the United States, the silver medal known as the Fidelity Medallion
. Each of the three also received federal pensions of $200 a year, and prestigious farms awarded by New York State.
The three militiamen were highly celebrated in their lifetimes: commemorations large and small abound in Westchester
(see below), and can be found in many disparate parts of the early United States. Among other honors, each of the men had his name given to a county in the new state of Ohio (1803): Williams County
is in the extreme northwest corner of the state.
Still, Williams and the others did see their reputations impugned by some. André at his trial had insisted the men were mere brigands; sympathy for him remained in some more aristocratic American quarters (and grew to legend in England, where he was buried in Westminster Abbey
). Giving voice to this sympathy, Representative Benjamin Tallmadge
of Connecticut persuaded Congress not to grant the men a requested pension increase in 1817, publicly assailing their credibility and motivations. Tallmadge, in 1780 a Major, was the officer to whom André was taken after his capture, and he said he believed André's account over that of the three captors. He said Williams and the other two were "of that class of people who passed between both armies, as often in one camp as in the other." He said that "when Major André's boots were taken off by them, it was to search for plunder, and not to detect treason." He asserted that "if Andre could have given to these men the amount they demanded for his release, he never would have been hung for a spy, nor in captivity.." Despite the slight, the men's popular acclaim continued to grow throughout the 19th century to almost-mythic status. Some modern scholars have interpreted the episode as a major event in early American cultural development, representing the apotheosis of the common man in the new democratic society.
Williams is buried in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery in Schoharie, NY. The inscription on his obelisk reads: "He with his compatriots John Paulding and Isaac VanWart on the 22nd of September 1780, arrested Major John Andre and found on his person treasonable papers in the handwriting of Gen. Benedict Arnold, who sought by treachery to surrender the military post of West Point into the hands of the enemy. In resisting the great bribes of their prisoner for his liberty, they showed their incorruptible patriotism; the American army was saved and our beloved Country became free."
; the community has streets named for all three men. Three streets in nearby Elmsford, NY
, are named for them as well, although Williams Street was virtually eliminated in the 1960s by construction of I-287; it remains only as a short service road between the highway and Route 9A
. Ohio's Williams County
is also named after David Williams (see also Van Wert and Paulding
Counties, also in Ohio.)
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. In 1780, he participated in the capture of Major John André
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
.Williams should not be confused with, and is not related to, David Williams (1759–1836) of Massachusetts, a participant in the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
.
Biography
Born in Tarrytown, New YorkTarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
, Williams had been a farmer, but in 1775 he joined the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. Serving under Gen. Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the failed 1775 invasion of Canada.Montgomery was born and raised in Ireland...
, he took part in several campaigns but was forced to leave active service in 1779 after his feet were badly frozen, leaving him partially disabled for life. Despite his condition, Williams continued to lend his support to the volunteer forces in his native area: overnight on September 22–23, 1780, he joined militiamen John Paulding
John Paulding
John Paulding was a militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution. In 1780, he participated in the capture of Major John André.-Revolutionary History:...
and Isaac Van Wart
Isaac Van Wart
Isaac Van Wart was a militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution. In 1780, he participated in the capture of Major John André.- Personal history :...
as part of an armed patrol.
The three men seized British officer John André at a site in Tarrytown now called Patriot's Park
Patriot's Park
Patriot's Park, originally Brookside Park, is located on U.S. Route 9 along the boundary between Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, New York, United States. It is a four-acre parcel with a walkway and several monuments...
. It was Williams who physically searched André and discovered, hidden inside his boots, the documents of his secret communication with Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
. The militiamen, all local farmers of modest means, refused his considerable bribe and instead delivered him to army headquarters. Arnold's plans to surrender West Point to the British were revealed and foiled, and Williams was among the witnesses when André was hanged as a spy.
Fidelity Medallion
The Fidelity Medallion is the oldest decoration of the United States military and was created by act of the Continental Congress in 1780. Also known as the "André Capture Medal", the Fidelity Medallion was awarded to those soldiers who participated in the capture of Major John André, of the...
. Each of the three also received federal pensions of $200 a year, and prestigious farms awarded by New York State.
The three militiamen were highly celebrated in their lifetimes: commemorations large and small abound in Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
(see below), and can be found in many disparate parts of the early United States. Among other honors, each of the men had his name given to a county in the new state of Ohio (1803): Williams County
Williams County, Ohio
Williams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 37,642. Its county seat is Bryan and is named for David Williams, one of the captors of John André in the American Revolutionary War.-Geography:According to the U.S...
is in the extreme northwest corner of the state.
Still, Williams and the others did see their reputations impugned by some. André at his trial had insisted the men were mere brigands; sympathy for him remained in some more aristocratic American quarters (and grew to legend in England, where he was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
). Giving voice to this sympathy, Representative Benjamin Tallmadge
Benjamin Tallmadge
Benjamin Tallmadge was a member of the United States House of Representatives. His birth date is alternately listed as February 25, 1754....
of Connecticut persuaded Congress not to grant the men a requested pension increase in 1817, publicly assailing their credibility and motivations. Tallmadge, in 1780 a Major, was the officer to whom André was taken after his capture, and he said he believed André's account over that of the three captors. He said Williams and the other two were "of that class of people who passed between both armies, as often in one camp as in the other." He said that "when Major André's boots were taken off by them, it was to search for plunder, and not to detect treason." He asserted that "if Andre could have given to these men the amount they demanded for his release, he never would have been hung for a spy, nor in captivity.." Despite the slight, the men's popular acclaim continued to grow throughout the 19th century to almost-mythic status. Some modern scholars have interpreted the episode as a major event in early American cultural development, representing the apotheosis of the common man in the new democratic society.
Williams is buried in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery in Schoharie, NY. The inscription on his obelisk reads: "He with his compatriots John Paulding and Isaac VanWart on the 22nd of September 1780, arrested Major John Andre and found on his person treasonable papers in the handwriting of Gen. Benedict Arnold, who sought by treachery to surrender the military post of West Point into the hands of the enemy. In resisting the great bribes of their prisoner for his liberty, they showed their incorruptible patriotism; the American army was saved and our beloved Country became free."
Commemorations
Williams is honored on the monument erected at the site of the capture in Tarrytown, NYTarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
; the community has streets named for all three men. Three streets in nearby Elmsford, NY
Elmsford, New York
Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. Roughly one mile square, the village is fully contained within the borders of the town of Greenburgh...
, are named for them as well, although Williams Street was virtually eliminated in the 1960s by construction of I-287; it remains only as a short service road between the highway and Route 9A
New York State Route 9A
New York State Route 9A is a state highway in the vicinity of New York City, New York, United States. Its southern terminus is at the northern end of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel in New York City, where it intersects with both Interstate 478 and FDR Drive. The northern terminus of...
. Ohio's Williams County
Williams County, Ohio
Williams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 37,642. Its county seat is Bryan and is named for David Williams, one of the captors of John André in the American Revolutionary War.-Geography:According to the U.S...
is also named after David Williams (see also Van Wert and Paulding
Paulding County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,293 people, 7,773 households, and 5,689 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile . There were 8,478 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
Counties, also in Ohio.)
Works cited
- Williams' account of the capture. Online: http://www.hudsonrivervalley.net/books/DWilliamsAccountJAndre.pdf Hudsonrivervalley.net.
- Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley (1913) Volume II, p. 457
- Lossing, Benson John, The Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution. Harper & Bros., 1852. Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=ZmQsAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA173&lpg=RA1-PA173&dq=%22john+paulding%22+1818+grave&source=web&ots=Li0ASSw09Z&sig=GahDbu45-ZYoBfQQPGSVGJdeuh8&hl=en University of Michigan.
- Raymond, Marcius DenisonMarcius D. RaymondMarcius D. Raymond was an American publisher, writer, genealogist, editor and historian.-Early life and ancestors:...
. David Williams and the capture of Andre: A paper read before the Tarrytown Historical Society Tarrytown: Argus - 1903 - approx. 35 pp. - Bolton, Robert, A History of the County of West Chester. Gould, Alexander S., 1848. Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=fF89g9xoSvQC&dq=%22john+paulding%22+peekskill&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 Harvard University.
- Half Moon Press, "Cemeteries and Notable Burial Sites in Westchester County". NY, 2003. Online: http://www.hudsonriver.com/halfmoonpress/stories/1003ceme.htm Hudsonriver.com.
- ed., The Builders of the Nation, National Cyclopaædia of American Biography. Stanley-Bradley Publishing Co., NYC, 1892. Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=5SkEAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22david+williams%22+1780+andre&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 New York Public Library.
- Cray, Robert E. Jr., "Major John Andre and the Three Captors: Class Dynamics and Revolutionary Memory Wars in the Early Republic, 1780-1831", Journal of the Early Republic, Vol. 17, No. 3. Autumn, 1997. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Denslow, William R., 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. III. Kessinger; Trenton, MO; 2004. Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=dZbjtGC48-8C&pg=RA1-PA328&lpg=RA1-PA328&dq=%22david+williams%22+1754-1831&source=web&ots=JDwycGwI3Q&sig=Ylq6yc3XebTsuKUHudDA8zt8axA&hl=en GoogleBooks.