The Week that Won the War: The True Story of the Firing on The Vulture

Sunday May 17th -1:30 p.m.

Speaker-Char Weigel

At dawn on September 22, 1780, a cannonade began on the British ship The Vulture anchored in the Hudson River off Haverstraw, New York. The ship retreated, stranding British Major John André who was holding papers from American Major General Benedict Arnold. André set off on a secret mission through Westchester County to bring these papers to the British army and navy waiting in New York City. Had André made it through, the British would have launched a surprise attack on West Point intended to take control of the Hudson and force an American surrender. This presentation, based on new primary source research, tracks the movement of The Vulture from her arrival in Haverstraw Bay on September 17 through a dramatic seven days. The week ended with American success given the persistence of a largely unheralded officer who secured the critical King’s Ferry crossing against the odds. 

Char Weigel is the VP for Special Projects for Revolutionary Westchester 250 and author of numerous articles on Westchester County history. Fee: $10; $8 seniors. Members free. Check is to be payable to the Friends of Rock Hall. Space limited. Reservations required.