In Their Own Words: The Van Cortlandts’ Experience of the American Revolution, Political, Military, and Civilian

During the American Revolutionary War, Van Cortlandt Manor, home of one of New York’s most prominent Patriot families, was located on neutral ground between the British stronghold of Manhattan and Patriot territory in the Hudson Valley. The family’s stance on the revolutionary movement occupied a similar liminal space, allowing them to espouse and fight for its ideals while continuing to rely on enslaved labour. Patriarch Pierre Van Cortlandt (1721-1814) administered the Patriot government in New York and directed its war effort. Son Philip Van Cortlandt (1749-1831) served on the front lines of the conflict. As unrest increased in the area, the rest of the family decamped behind rebel lines except daughter Cornelia (Van Cortlandt) Beekman (1753-1847), who in her determination to stay, came face to face with the marauding combatants. While the family fought for liberty and ensured their personal safety, a number of their slaves were expected to remain at (and presumably defend) the manor. This paper explores the Van Cortlandts’ lived experience of the Revolutionary War through a close reading of the evidence left by this particularly well-documented family as well as the strengths and limitations of personal narratives as sources. It considers family members’ wartime actions and decisions in the context of the ideals of the American Revolution. Written from perspectives both within and external to the family, extant records include contemporary responses to and later recollections of wartime encounters. These personal narratives illuminate how family members navigated the wartime years in diverse arenas. They also shed some light on the experiences of the individuals owned by the Van Cortlandts during the conflict.