Commemorating a battle

MINISINK FORD, NY — The Sullivan County Historical Society, in conjunction with the Minisink Valley Historical Society, several chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution and several re-enactment groups, have joined forces to create an event honoring the militia on the 277th Anniversary of the Battle of Minisink, July 21 to 22.

There is no fee, and everyone is cordially invited to attend all or some of the events which have been planned for the weekend. Friday evening, the Navasing Long Rifles and the Ulster Militia, both re-enactment groups, will come to camp out in the Minisink Park for two nights.

The memorial ceremony, with historians George Fluhr, Mary Curtis and Peter Osborne, and Mark Hendrickson, starts Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Minisink battlefield, upstream from Barryville across Route 97 from the Roebling Bridge. The event concludes with a commemoration ceremony around 4:00 p.m. followed by a bring-your-own picnic supper around 5:00 p.m. Grills are available, but bring your own charcoal.

For more information call 570/434-8044.

Honoring an unknown soldier

LACKAWAXEN, PA — A ceremony honoring an unknown soldier of the Revolutionary War will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, at the soldier’s graveside on the bank of the Delaware River.

The soldier, who lies in a grave recognized by the U.S. government as that of an unknown, died in the Minisink Battle on July 22, 1779. After a raid on what is now Port Jervis, NY, the American militia mobilized from as far away as Goshen, and followed the enemy up along the Delaware River. They finally met on a hill opposite Lackawaxen where a three-hour battle took place with tragic consequences for the militia.

Because of the rough country and lack of roads in that era, the bodies of the dead remained on the battlefield for 40 years. Even then, not all were recovered. In 1847, the body of a soldier, identified as a militiaman by the remains of his uniform, was discovered under a rock ledge. He was brought to Lackawaxen, then a major railroad and canal center, and buried there on the bank of the Delaware. His grave, a Pike County Historic Site, is under the care of the Ecker-Haupt Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which participates each year in the Memorial Services.