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Library recounts war story of local family patriot
Sitting onstage and decked out in brownish historical garb, Chapin Fish wore one black Adidas sneaker with white stripes as a mutton-chopped storyteller, Jonathan Kruk, reeled off highlights from the new Desmond-Fish Public Library exhibit, Nicholas Fish: Choosing Liberty, in dramatic fashion.
On his other foot, Fish, a recent graduate of Fordham University with a degree in American studies, wore a white boot because of a foot injury. He otherwise hobbled around on crutches, adding a touch of irony to the proceedings, which celebrated his ancestor, who got "sick in camp" at the Battle of White Plains in 1776 and suffered a wound during the Battle of Monmouth.
Despite those setbacks, Nicholas Fish played a prominent role in the Continental Army's leadership, fighting alongside George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold and the Marquis de Lafayette. Many other members of his family were Loyalists who remained faithful to the monarchy, says Anita Prentice, the library board chair, who wrote a 40-page biography that spearheaded the project. The exhibit began as a slow burn in 2019, when the library received a portrait of the war hero, now on display.
Nicholas Fish's saga stretches from a 1775 raid by the Sons of Liberty and a Columbia University militia on British guns in Manhattan to the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
When the war formally ended in 1783, Fish rode with Washington to attend a banquet for Continental Army officers before they disbanded at Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan. Six years later, he again accompanied the general to Federal Hall on Wall Street, serving as an eyewitness to the first president's swearing-in.
In 1824, Nicholas reunited with an old pal, Lafayette, who was making a triumphant tour of the nation, including the Hudson Valley. (His visit to Beacon is commemorated by a blue-and-gold plaque at the waterfront.)
During the Revolutionary War, Nicholas visited Philipstown often but never established ties, says Prentice. He was a regular at the Beverly Robinson house, which served as Washington's headquarters (it was on Route 9D south of Route 403 but burned down in 1892), and often ferried to West Point.
After the war, Fish rattled around New York City (his birthplace), abandoned by his family and "struggling with PTSD, I'd imagine," says Prentice, a retired history teacher. "He fought for eight straight years with no time off, longer than Washington, because he had nowhere else to go."
Things turned out OK. Fish raised five children, including his eldest son, Hamilton, born in 1808, four years after his namesake died in a duel. Hamilton Fish made a lasting impression, serving as New York governor, a U.S. senator and secretary of state under President Ulysses S. Grant. The now-abandoned home at Glenclyffe, dating to the 1850s, became one of the family's three mansions and their local foothold.
The meat of the Desmond-Fish exhibit is 15 wall panels packed with information and punctuated by portraits, illustrations and paintings. Artifacts include Nicholas Fish's hefty bible and some of his silverware.
After the portrait donation, Prentice thought the library would need two or three panels to tell Fish's war story. "But he went wire to wire and participated in almost every major battle and incident, and his story is much more amazing than I ever could have imagined," she says.
The Desmond-Fish Public Library, at 472 Route 403 in Garrison, is open daily. See desmondfishlibrary.org. The exhibit continues through June 15. The library will host the Hearts of Oak Reenactors from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday (May 9).
Sitting onstage and decked out in brownish historical garb, Chapin Fish wore one black Adidas sneaker with white stripes as a mutton-chopped storyteller, Jonathan Kruk, reeled off highlights from the new Desmond-Fish Public Library exhibit, Nicholas Fish: Choosing Liberty, in dramatic fashion.
On his other foot, Fish, a recent graduate of Fordham University with a degree in American studies, wore a white boot because of a foot injury. He otherwise hobbled around on crutches, adding a touch of irony to the proceedings, which celebrated his ancestor, who got "sick in camp" at the Battle of White Plains in 1776 and suffered a wound during the Battle of Monmouth.
Despite those setbacks, Nicholas Fish played a prominent role in the Continental Army's leadership, fighting alongside George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold and the Marquis de Lafayette. Many other members of his family were Loyalists who remained faithful to the monarchy, says Anita Prentice, the library board chair, who wrote a 40-page biography that spearheaded the project. The exhibit began as a slow burn in 2019, when the library received a portrait of the war hero, now on display.
Nicholas Fish's saga stretches from a 1775 raid by the Sons of Liberty and a Columbia University militia on British guns in Manhattan to the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
When the war formally ended in 1783, Fish rode with Washington to attend a banquet for Continental Army officers before they disbanded at Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan. Six years later, he again accompanied the general to Federal Hall on Wall Street, serving as an eyewitness to the first president's swearing-in.
In 1824, Nicholas reunited with an old pal, Lafayette, who was making a triumphant tour of the nation, including the Hudson Valley. (His visit to Beacon is commemorated by a blue-and-gold plaque at the waterfront.)
During the Revolutionary War, Nicholas visited Philipstown often but never established ties, says Prentice. He was a regular at the Beverly Robinson house, which served as Washington's headquarters (it was on Route 9D south of Route 403 but burned down in 1892), and often ferried to West Point.
After the war, Fish rattled around New York City (his birthplace), abandoned by his family and "struggling with PTSD, I'd imagine," says Prentice, a retired history teacher. "He fought for eight straight years with no time off, longer than Washington, because he had nowhere else to go."
Things turned out OK. Fish raised five children, including his eldest son, Hamilton, born in 1808, four years after his namesake died in a duel. Hamilton Fish made a lasting impression, serving as New York governor, a U.S. senator and secretary of state under President Ulysses S. Grant. The now-abandoned home at Glenclyffe, dating to the 1850s, became one of the family's three mansions and their local foothold.
The meat of the Desmond-Fish exhibit is 15 wall panels packed with information and punctuated by portraits, illustrations and paintings. Artifacts include Nicholas Fish's hefty bible and some of his silverware.
After the portrait donation, Prentice thought the library would need two or three panels to tell Fish's war story. "But he went wire to wire and participated in almost every major battle and incident, and his story is much more amazing than I ever could have imagined," she says.
The Desmond-Fish Public Library, at 472 Route 403 in Garrison, is open daily. See desmondfishlibrary.org. The exhibit continues through June 15. The library will host the Hearts of Oak Reenactors from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday (May 9).