Somers Native to Present Revolutionary War Living History Event

Photo courtesy of Vic DiSanto

The British plan to win the Revolution was straightforward. They initially occupied NYC and hoped to secure the Hudson River. “That would cut off supply lines and split America in half,” said Somers Native Vic DiSanto, who has a PhD in History from Binghamton. So the area is rife with history, and DiSanto will present a living history event of a lost footnote. One which would have made our past obsolete if three Hudson Valley patriots had not intercepted a British plot.

On the orders of Benedict Arnold, Major John Andre was carrying plans to seize West Point and a very important spoil. “It would have been devastating, because they planned to capture George Washington,” said DiSanto. “I don’t see how the French would have remained in the supportive role, which allowed us to win the Revolution.”

Instead, John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart or David Williams made the most of a little serendipity. All three were Tarrytown tenant farmers who were driven off their land and were doing militia duty when the trio came upon Andre. “They see him riding alone, and didn’t know him. So they stopped him,” said DiSanto.

From there, the counterspy work was easy. Paulding was wearing the stolen Hessian uniform he used to escape from a Hessian prison, and Andre miscalculated by identifying himself as a British soldier.

So the patriots initially played along but eventually lowered the boom. “They identified themselves as Americans, searched him and found the plans in his boot,” said DiSanto.

Refusing a bribe, they turned him over to the Continental Army in what is now Armonk, and the plans were sent to Washington. Andre was soon executed, and his treachery remains in the history books

However, the names of Paulding, Van Wart and Williams almost didn’t get their due. It was only when Washington asked the Armonk Commander to supply the names, and commendations were issued.

As a result, the trio were hailed as heroes and continued to be revered in the 18th and 19th centuries “There were plays about them, songs sung and poetry written,” said DiSanto.

History has spoken, though, and the omission piqued DiSanto’s interest. “I had never heard of David Williams until I moved to Schoharie County and learned he was buried at the Old Stone Fort.,” said the 1973 Somers graduate.

Thus, the road to oblivion began when Congressman Benjamin Talmadge alleged that the militiamen were just roughnecks who only stopped Andre to rob him. Not believed at the time, the connotations still impacted the heroes’ historical standing. “I think Talmadge's boundless accusations left a dark cloud over their reputations as the Twentieth Century progressed,” the Middleburgh resident revealed.

Resultantly, their star faded, and DiSanto was inspired to action. “Using my skills as a historian, I did a lot of primary research, and I’m convinced they were all militia men, working out of a sense of duty,” said DiSanto.

Of course, DiSanto will be dolled up in regale, but the outfit won’t quite match the time period. At 66, he can’t really pull off a man of 25. So the living history event will have Williams looking back as an older man.

DiSanto will be joined by Bonnie Daily. She will play William’s wife A lawyer with a degree in History from the University of Michigan, she does more than fill out the suit and seizes on her costar’s research to make a contemporary point.

People like Andre, Washington and the well to do enjoyed privilege and remain among the discourse. But the middling and peasant classes were looked down upon. So it became easy not to believe their story, according to Dailey. “That class difference survives today,” she asserted.

Equal time in order, the presentation will also touch on Andre and Arnold and what their motivations were. “As a historian, I try to look at both sides of an issue,” said DiSanto. ”There’s always a lot of gray, and unfortunately people tend to see things in black and white.”

An important skill, because lacking nuance subjects us all to those who are eager to exploit. “History is a weapon that is used to mold future generations,” he quotes Arthur Schesslinger Jr.

But there’s no reason this piece of living history can’t just be a lesson in good storytelling and serve to recognize that we don’t have to go far to get it. “There’s just so many fascinating people of American History right here in Westchester County,” he concluded.