The members of Ripton Parish Chapter, NSDAR, Inc. look forward to celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026 with stories of heroism, sacrifice and compassion showcased in Patriot Stories of the American Revolution.

The months of May, June, and July 250 years ago were fraught with peril for the inhabitants of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. The British war ships continually harassed and attacked the towns along the Hudson River, New York Bay, and Long Island Sound. The militia was stretched, and the Continental Army was untested against the elite British Navy.

In early 1779, General Sir Henry Clinton, commander of British forces in America, was ordered to send a fleet up the Hudson River, threaten the Hudson Highlands and also to send a smaller force up Long Island Sound to raid the Connecticut coast. General Clinton needed to capture King’s Ferry, a strategic crossing point on the Hudson River.  The posts of Stony Point and Verplank Point were north of Manhattan and only a half mile across. King’s Ferry was the southernmost crossing point for American personnel and supplies during the war. There was a small militia at Stony Point on the western shore and a small detachment at Fort Lafayette on the eastern shore at Verplank. May 31, 1779 British forces landed on both sides of the river. Fort Lafayette fell and the militia at Stony Point retreated.

Revolutionary War Pension record S15080 granted to Private Cornelius Depue of Clarkstown, New York, provides firsthand information about his time at King’s Ferry. In April 1779, eighteen-year-old Cornelius Depue enlisted for one year to attend the ferry at King’s Ferry under Captain William Cooley, commanded by Colonel A. Hawk Hays. Private Depue was on duty when the British attacked on May 31, 1779 with 3,000 troops. Depue stated “after exchanging a few shots with the first boat that attempted to land, [we] retreated with [our] boats to West Point where [we] remained attending to the duties of ferrying until the British army evacuated….”  On the night of July 16, the Americans, under Brigadier General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, retook Stony Point in a daring night raid. However, Verplanck was still in the hands of the British who eventually left on October 22. No ferrying could be done for the remainder of the 1779 campaign season and Captain Cooley’s Company returned to West Point.

When Depue’s enlistment was over, Captain Cooley wasn’t able to enlist enough men (“duties being odious” said Depue in his deposition).  Cooley prevailed upon Depue to remain two more weeks. The duties involved ferrying “large quantities of cattle and large number of soldiers” along with provisions across the river. In the winter months they had to keep a passage open for the boats “until the ice became hard enough to drive across and during the time they had to either drive themselves or pilot others”.   After the British left, the men took over Stony Point and had to rebuild the docks burnt by the British.

As soon as the river was navigable, Depue was often employed as one of the oar men to General Washington’s barge sometimes as often as three times a week. They went to different places – Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and up the Hudson to Albany.  While Depue was with General Washington returning from a tour to Poughkeepsie, Depue told General Washington that his father was unwell and had a large harvest to cut. He had asked Captain Cooley for a week’s furlough to assist his father, but the captain said he couldn’t spare him even for that length of time. General Wasington, knowing about harvest times and farming, procured the furlough from Captain Cooley. Cornelius Depue fondly recalled this event when giving his deposition to obtain his pension over 50 years later. He remembered the compassion and understanding that General Washington showed in granting a furlough to help his aged father. He noted that in the 14 months he served as a ferryman, he was only permitted two furloughs to go home to help his parents.

After his term of Ferry service was over, Cornelius Depue enlisted in Captain Jacob Onderdonk’s Company in Colonel A. Hawk Hays Regiment. He guarded the river and shores and acted as a scout through different parts of Orange County in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey until September 1782. Cornelius Depue is a DAR verified ancestor #A218397.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is dedicated to promoting Historic Preservation, Education and Patriotism. DAR members are women who come from diverse backgrounds and have a variety of interests.  Any woman 18 years old or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove direct lineage to a Revolutionary War ancestor is eligible to join. 

For more information, visit https://www.dar.org/  For information on Ripton Parish Chapter, NSDAR, Inc. visit https://riptonparishchapter.org/  To learn more about America250! Visit https://www.dar.org/national-society/america-250/america250-foundation-partner