The Sawmill River Valley War - Tapa blanda

This book is a historic novel, it tells the story of a small group of Dutch tenant farmers during their long eight-year struggle of the Revolutionary War. I call this book “The Sawmill River Valley War” because it always was more than just a revolution. It was also a civil war. Some might even say it was a class war between the tenants farming the manors and the powerful royal ruling class of people living in the city of New York and along the north shore of Long Island Sound. The stories of James Fennimore Cooper and Washington Irving have created an American mythology around the little Dutch communities between the Hudson and Sawmill (Nepperhan) Rivers. The Little villages of Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford and Greenburgh (now Irvington), New York were the centers of this activity. The Old Dutch Church and its Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow are now the key to this mythology. However, numerous true stories of real heroes and real villains abound in these stony hills along the Tappan Zee. Who has not heard of the name Benedict Arnold or his unlucky British confidant, Major Andre? The people behind these myths were real and their stories were true. I have told the story through the eyes of my ancestors and a few of their friends. The key figures are the men of the Westchester County First Militia, commanded by Colonel Hammond, whose house still stands just to the northeast of Elmsford, New York. I have used the names of real people, because I do not believe their true story has ever been told. To the extent possible, I have based it upon the actual experiences of these men as revealed by the local history. Many of the sources I have used were written interviews and statements taken from the old Revolutionary War records of soldiers and their children. Time may have obscured some of the details. I may have made errors in some of my assumptions also. However, the story is there, carved on the stone monuments and forgotten plaques. I hope you enjoy it. Remember this book is a novel. We were not there, so all the dialogue and some actions are fictitious. However, it is based on what I believe represents the true experiences of these men and their families. It should be a valuable asset to young re-enactors or students of the Revolutionary War.

Roger Jewell, author of “The Sawmill River Valley War,” was born and raised in Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Natural Resources in 1962 with a BS in Forestry Management. He completed a 32-year career as a professional forester with the US Forest Service, most of which was in the Lake Superior area. During the last 12 years, before his retirement in 1994, he was the District Ranger at the Sault Ste. Marie Ranger District of the Hiawatha National Forest. He has been interested in his family history all his life. He has spent over 50 years rooting out the interesting stories. When he found his ancestors buried in The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery less than a hundred feet from where people say the headless horseman was buried, he had to look deeper. This fascinating story was what emerged. This is his third book. His first book, “Ancient Mines of Kitchi-Gummi,” was published in 2000. It is in its 4th printing this year, with over 4000 copies sold. In 2001, he produced his second book, “Riding the Wild Orb.” A book about extreme fire weather. Roger lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with his wife Mary who illustrated this book.