On Sunday, July 9, 2023, The Delaware Company unveiled a new interactive exhibit at Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg entitled “A Settlement Divided.”

The exhibit tells the story of the Cushetunk settlement in the 1770s, as residents chose up sides in the American Revolution, and neighbors—even, in at least one case, brothers—who had just a few years before depended upon each other for their very survival, took up arms against one another. The research and the text for the exhibit was provided by Lucas Musetti, formerly a docent at Fort Delaware, who now resides in California.

There were prominent men from the settlement on both sides of the conflict during the fight for independence. Daniel and Haggai Skinner, for example, who grew up in Cushetunk as sons of one of the founders, Joseph Skinner, remained loyal to the British Crown during the war, while their brother, Abner fought with the Continental Army. Robert Land, the Cushetunk Magistrate, became a British spy, and his son John spent much of the war in prison because of his loyalties to Great Britain. Joseph Ross, another well-regarded Cushetunk resident, provided intelligence and hospitality to Joseph Brant during the Mohawk’s destructive forays into the area, and some historians maintain that Ross was with Brant and his men during their raids on Pienpack and Minisink in 1778 and 1779, and possibly fought at the Battle of Minisink, as well.

On the other hand, men such as John Lassley, Nicholas and William Conklin, and Oliver Calkin were ardent patriots during the war, and members of two of Cushetunk’s founding families, Moses Thomas II and Bezaleel Tyler III, fought with the colonial militia at the Battle of Minisink, and lost their lives there.

In fact, according to most accounts of the battle, it was a shot from Tyler’s gun that initiated the battle that ended up in a thorough beating for the militia, and many historians believe Tyler was the first man killed in the bloody confrontation. It was an ignominious end for the man his enemies called “Captain Mush.”

The Battle of Minisink has not only been recorded as one of the deadliest battles of the Revolutionary War, it was a devastating defeat for the Colonists. While perhaps strategically insignificant, the battle and the events leading up to it emphasized once again the vulnerability of the settlements on the frontier, which had already prompted George Washington to dispatch General John Sullivan to drive Brant and his men out of the country.

It also highlighted the concept of the Revolutionary War as a civil war, a notion that is getting more attention of late, and one that is explored by Fort Delaware’s new exhibit, which remains a permanent part of the museum there. The relationship between the Cushetunk settlement and the Battle of Minisink is part of the narrative that is discussed every day that Fort Delaware is open.

Speaking of which, the Fort will be closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this week, and the staff will be part of Patriots Weekend at the Minisink Battleground Park, 58 County Road 168 in Barryville. The activities at the Battleground get underway at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 17 and continue all weekend.

Highlights include two different presentations by historical re-enactor Noah Lewis about African Americans in the Revolutionary War, one at 4 p.m. on Friday and one at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The annual reading aloud of the Declaration of Independence and a spirited Loyalist rebuttal will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday and will be followed by a skirmish between Patriots and Loyalists that will feature muskets and warclubs. If you have never witnessed this interplay, you don’t know what you are missing.

The Fort Delaware Fife & Drum Corps performs at 2:30 Saturday afternoon, followed by a presentation at 3 p.m. by colonial musician Linda Russell, who will talk about the role of music in colonial America and perform on several instruments.
The annual commemoration of the Battle of Minisink will take place at 4 p.m., with remarks by Sullivan County Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz and keynote address by New York State Historian Devin Lander.
On Sunday morning at 11 a.m., the 5th New York Regiment re-enactors will be on site to perform military drills and demonstrations.

There is much more going on throughout the weekend, too, including guided walks around the battleground, encampments, drills and demonstrations, and a “midway” full of exhibits. There will also be opportunities throughout the weekend for both children and adults to compete for and win prizes. All events at the Battleground, including the commemoration, are free and open to the public.

The Battleground Park is owned and operated by Sullivan County, under the auspices of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Beautification. Historical programming is provided by The Delaware Company. Financial sponsors for the weekend’s events include The Delaware Company, Tianaderrah Foundation, the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association, Bold Gold Media, Narrowsburg Union, the Sullivan County Legislature, and the Sullivan County Historical Society. The weekend is coordinated by the Sullivan County Semiquincentennial Commission.

John Conway is the Sullivan County Historian. He will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the annual commemoration of the Battle of Minisink on Saturday, July 18. Email him at jconway52@hotmail.com.