From September 20 to November 28, 1778, George Washington, his generals, and an army of 13,000 were located in or around Fredericksburg, with the John Kane house serving as headquarters. From there, Washington pursued a strategy of observing and containing the British in New York City. Fredericksburg, then a sparsely settled farming area including the present communities of Pawling, Patterson, Holmes, Carmel, and Kent, was chosen for its strategic position on an established east-west route that allowed troops to move quickly and form a containing blockade stretching from Northern New Jersey to Danbury, CT. Washington regarded the Hudson Valley as the key to victory and said it must be protected at all costs. Along with Patriots, Tories, and pacifist Quakers who opposed the war, the local population included Cowboys and Skinners who plundered the possessions of both sides. John Kane remained a Tory, and under the Act of Attainder his farm was confiscated in 1779; although two-thirds of all Tories were allowed to buy back their property, Kane was not and lost it all.

Photo: Michael Herrick