On May 6-7, in 1783 the first recognition by the British of the United States as a new nation took place in the Hudson River off what is now Piermont.
Images: General Carlton and General Washington. Images appeared in South of the Mountains, 1983, Vol. 27, No. 2
On May 6, 1783, General George Washington and Governor George Clinton of New York greeted Sir Guy Carleton, commander of the British Army in America, at the Onderdonk House (Piermont Avenue, Piermont). Carleton’s H.M.S. Perseverance was anchored in the Hudson, and he was in what would become Rockland 15 years later (it was then Orange County) to make arrangements for the final evacuation of British troops from New York City, Long Island and Westchester following the Revolutionary War.
This was a key meeting since the British were still in control of New York even though General Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown a year and half earlier, effectively ending the war. The British troops still in place had to be dislodged before peace could be assured.
Washington asked Carleton to meet with him following news that the preliminary articles of peace had been signed in Paris. They got together at the DeWint House in Tappan to map out the details and then the American party was entertained aboard the Perseverance. Upon boarding and leaving the vessel on May 7, the British honored Washington and the new nation with a 17 gun naval salute thereby first acknowledging the United Sates in the traditional manner.
Interestingly, this meeting had been erroneously recorded as occurring in Dobbs Ferry (Westchester). This information has been corrected, but many people are unaware of this important piece of Rockland County History.
To read how the event was commemorated on the 200th Anniversary (1983), and about the historical error, read our recently digitized issue of South of the Mountains (1983; Vol. 27, No. 2). Desktop viewing recommended:
HMS Perseverance 1781. Plate II from Fragments on Electricity &c. by William Pringle-Green, 1833
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The Onderdonk House in Piermont still exists however, it has been significantly altered. It is a private residence.
The DeWint House in Tappan is an historic site and can be visited. http://dewinthouse.com/