Burning Memories: The Destruction of Kingston and the Gubernatorial Election of 1798

Abstract

Burning MemoriesThe Destruction of Kingston and the Gubernatorial Election of 1798 Robb K. Haberman (bio) For the past two decades, the town of Kingston, New York, has held a biennial event, "The Burning of Kingston," in remembrance of the town's destruction by the British during the Revolutionary War. The 2019 commemoration included educational lectures, a documentary film screening, and demonstrations of colonial crafts that were held at the Old Dutch Church, the Senate House, and other local sites of historical import.1 These activities, along with those of previous commemorations, highlight the town's significance in Revolutionary-era New York, as well as the collective wartime experience of its residents. The commemoration thus serves as a unifying event for present-day Kingston inhabitants and out-oftown visitors, who are invited to see themselves as participants in this shared history. Twenty-one years after it occurred, however, the burning of Kingston generated public acts of remembrance far different from those described above, as the town's destruction briefly became a flashpoint of contention in the context of New York state politics. During John Jay's 1798 campaign for reelection as governor of New York, his opponents vilified Jay's behavior during the burning of Kingston as cowardly and unpatriotic. Although Jay went on to win reelection, this moment nevertheless illustrates the extent to which the strong feelings engendered by partisan politics infiltrated local communities and turned Kingston into a contested site of Revolutionary memory. John Jay came to Kingston, then serving as the seat of state government, in early March 1777. He attended a constitutional convention held in Kingston that debated whether to adopt the governing framework drafted by Jay and a committee for the fledgling state of New York. After the convention voted in favor of the new constitution on April 20, Jay took on dual duties as a member of the Council of Safety and as chief justice of New York's [End Page 19] Supreme Court of Judicature.2 Following the court's adjournment on September 13, Jay's thoughts turned to the safety of his wife, infant son, and extended family, then residing to the south in the town of Fishkill. Jay feared that his loved ones would be vulnerable to an attack by British troops. A large force under the command of Sir Henry Clinton had left its base in New York City, moved steadily up the Hudson Valley, and successfully captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery on October 6. The day following the British victory, Jay left Kingston for Fishkill and, after collecting his family, traveled another thirty-five miles to Kent, Connecticut, where he sought refuge with Joel Bordwell, the town's Congregationalist minister.3 Click for larger view View full resolution Senate House State Historic Site, Kingston, New York. Photo taken by author. [End Page 20] Soon after Jay left Kingston, Sir Henry Clinton dispatched his subordinate, General John Vaughan, with a force of sixteen hundred men to raid the Hudson Valley. Although Vaughan's troops spared Fishkill, other settlements were not as fortunate. As the center of New York's government, Kingston offered an obvious target, and Vaughan moved against the town on October 16. His soldiers destroyed nearly three hundred buildings, putting to the torch homes, shops, barracks, and barns, as well as livestock, grain, fodder, and crops. Jay was not alone in leaving Kingston before the enemy arrived. Much of the town's population—civilians and government officials alike—also took flight, with many families seeking refuge either in Hurley, a town located three miles to the west of Kingston, or with relatives who lived in the region. Many residents would not return for several months, as the devastation proved so extensive that it rendered the town largely uninhabitable and unfit to continue as the seat of government.4 Three days after attacking Kingston, Vaughan's troops descended on Clermont Manor, the estate owned by Robert R. Livingston in nearby Albany County, and reduced it to rubble. Livingston had attracted the unwelcome attention of the British, because, like Jay, he was recognized as an important patriot leader for New York. In the summer of 1776, Livingston had sat on...