Never before profiled, The Livingston Lion: Henry Beekman Livingston’s War examines Henry Beekman Livingston’s role in the army from the very beginning of the war until his resignation in a fit of frustration. Henry, a member of New York’s illustrious Livingston family, was involved in some of the most significant moments of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Saratoga, the Battle of Monmouth, and the winter at Valley Forge.
Henry’s war was not just spent swinging from one fight to another with his sword drawn and a regiment at his back but involved a significant amount of time in camp. There, he had to fight a different kind of battle, one of politics and backstabbing. Henry was certainly better equipped to fight one type of battle over the other.
The Livingston Lion is an exciting mixture of battles and politics, enemies to the front and enemies to the rear. It details the bravery and ego of one of the war’s previously unknown characters and sheds light on how those two traits can work together or in opposition to reach the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
The island of Newfoundland and its fishery helped start the American Revolution and were a major sticking point in ending the war. In between, the island proved to be a source of men for the British army and navy, but also a drain on supplies. For the Americans Newfoundland and its fishing grounds were a place where the nascent navy and swashbuckling privateers could carry the war to the enemy’s doorstep and hurt the British economy with daring raids on shipping and the island itself. The fight for the fishery was also an administrative fight that would see statesmen like John Adams and Benjamin Franklin use a quiver full of political arrows to secure a place in the cod fishery for their new country over the wishes Great Britain, France and the rest of the European establishment.
Even as the Fight for Tom Cod brought about the birth of the United States, it proved transformative to the island of Newfoundland as well. The war caused a population boom on the island and more importantly created a basis for the Newfoundland identity to be built upon
Since the middle of the seventeenth century, the Kinderhook Reformed Church has been the center of religious and social life in the town of Kinderhook. In celebration of the tricentennial of the church’s incorporation in 1712, more than three hundred years of stories are shared. This volume looks at the history of the church from its founding, its role in Kinderhook through the years, and the church today. The architecture of the various buildings that have housed the church are examined, and the most famous members of the church-Martin Van Buren, Cornelius van Alen van Dyck, and Dr. Tom Little-are profiled.
Geoff Benton 