Lost—but not forgotten

The Battle of Minisink to be commemorated

BY SANDY LONG

sandylong@riverreporter.com

MINISINK FORD, NY — Two hundred and twenty-eight years ago, nearly 50 militiamen lost their lives in the Battle of Minisink, an event that shocked the frontier population along the Delaware and remains the site of the only Revolutionary War Battle fought in the Upper Delaware River Valley.

This weekend, from July 20 to 22, the historical event, which occurred on July 22, 1779, will be commemorated with a colonial encampment at the Minisink Battleground Park in Minisink Ford, NY and a memorial ceremony in Lackawaxen, PA.

The battle was sparked by destructive raids on Minisink settlements located where Port Jervis and the Town of Deerpark stand today, led by Joseph Brant, a Mohawk warrior commissioned a colonel in the British Army. Militia were hastily assembled to follow the raiders up the Delaware River. As the enemy crossed the Delaware near the point where it is joined by the Lackawaxen River on the morning of July 22, an advance party of the militia engaged them in a brief skirmish before moving up the hill above Minisink Ford. A bloody battle ensued, during which approximately 47 of the militia were killed.

A skeleton found in 1847 by Isaac Mills of Lackawaxen was determined to be a casualty of the battle based upon remaining traces of his army equipment. The remains were transported to Lackawaxen and buried in the site now known as The Grave of the Unknown Soldier, where a ceremony will be held on Sunday.

The annual ceremony commemorating these events is sponsored by the Sullivan County Historical Society, the Minisink Valley Historical Society, local chapters of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Navasing Long Rifles. It will include various activities available to the public (see sidebar).

The Minisink Battleground Park was established by the Minisink Valley Historical Society in the 1890s and is now maintained by the Sullivan County Park and Recreation Commission. It features marked trails with interpretive signage, a small visitors’ center with informational brochures and a picnic area with a covered pavilion. It is open from Mother’s Day to Columbus Day. The park is located on County Route 168 approximately one mile above where Route 168 intersects with Route 97 at the Roebling Bridge.