Jacobus Swartwout

Brigadier General Jacobus Swartwout, Portrait owned by Joey Cavaccini

Jacobus Swartwout II (Brigadier General) (Birth: 5 Nov 1734 in Wicopee, Fishkill, Dutchess, New York, U.S.A. – Death: 16 Feb 1827 in Swartwoutville, Dutchess, New York, U.S.A.) was an American landowner, statesman, and military leader, from Dutchess County, New York. who served as a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under General George Washington. He was a close ally of many key Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a delegate/signer to Ratification of the Constitution by the State of New York and advocate for the Bill of Rights.^[1]

Early life

Jacobus Swartwout II was born in Wicopee, Fishkill, Dutchess County New York with baptism on 2 Feb 1734 at the Fishkill Dutch Reformed Church, Fishkill, Dutchess, New York, the son of Major Jacobous Swartwout, great grandson of Roeloff Swartwout, and great great grandson of Tomys Swartwout. His father a landowner, was an original settler of Ulster-Dutchess County, New York as well as a Major in the light foot militia of Orange County under Col. Vincent Matthews from the 1730s - 1760.^[2] His father married Gieletjen "Jannetie" Nieuwkerk who was born 1691 in Kingston, Ulster, New York, they were married on Oct. 5, 1714 in Old Dutch Church, Kingston, Ulster, New York. He had 8 siblings 3 brothers and 5 sisters.

Landowner / Swartwoutville / American Revolution Commitees of Correspondence

General Swartwout historic home marker New York State, Photo owned by Joey Cavaccini

In 1760, Jacobus Swartwout purchased 3,000 acres of land from Madam Brett and built his first home after his wedding to Aaltje Brinkerhoff, of Brinkerhoff, New York.^[3] The Swartwoutville Hamlet is located in the south east corner of the town of Wappinger, New York. Many areas of Swartwoutville Hamlet and Swartwout's farms were important rendezvous points prior and during the US Revolutionary war period. A Committee of Safety of the American Revolution where the Committees of Correspondence acted as shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of the American Revolution was located there. Jacobus Swartwout was the Deputy Chairman of the local Committee of Observation. ^[4]

General George Washington was staying in Fishkill in October 1778. The head-quarters of the commander-in-chief was then in the hospitable home of Captain John Brinkerhoff father-in-law to Jacobus Swartwout, in a low stone home about midway on the highway between Brinkerhoffville and Swartwoutville. During this period Prussion-American General, Baron Frederick William Augustus de Steuben, had his head-quarters at the neighboring homestead of Colonel Jacobus Swartwout, standing immediately south of his later residence at Swartwoutville. Others who visited and quartered at Jacobus Swartwout's homestead along with General George Washington and Baron Von Stueben were, Marquis de Lafayette and, Israel Putnam. ^[5]

Military Career

General George Washington to Colonel Swartwout from West Point, October 1779

Swartwout was active in the militia for many years before the Revolution, with his earliest service dating back to 1754. He began his military training under Lord Jeffrey Amherst at Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point during the French and Indian War similar to his father and uncles.^[6] In the 1770s when the American Revolution started to flourish, he became a captain and Colonel of the Dutchess County Militia, later promoted to Brigadier General midway through the Revolutionary war. Twenty-nine members of the Swartwout family served in the war of American independence, two having the rank of brigadier-general, three that of captain, three of lieutenant, and four of ensign.^[7] Jacobus Swartwout was Mustermaster and made Captain of New York troops on July 8, 1775. He was made Colonel 1st Regiment Dutchess County New York Militia 1776 as well as Colonel of Charlotte County New York Militia June 25, 1778, as part of Governor George Clinton's Brigade. He was later promoted to Brigadier-General Dutchess County New York Militia, March 3, 1780.^[8]

The Dutchess County militia or "Swartwout Regiment" was part of the Governor Clinton's Brigade and William Heath's Division during the Battle of Long Island. In the writings of General George Washington's manuscripts, Swartwout's regiment left Kings Bridge 18 October 1776, to fight in the Battle of White Plains. The regiment was about 364 men strong and were in service at Fort Washington, Fort Independence, the Battle of Long Island, Kings Bridge, the Battle of White Plains, the defense of New York levies as well as other engagements through the end of the war on the Northern front. Brigadier General Jacobus Swartwout resigned on Oct 3, 1794 and promoted Abraham Brinkerhoff to the post for Dutchess County. ^{[9] [10]}

General George Washington to Colonel Swartwout, Library of Congress

^[11]

Political Career

General Jacobus Swartwout, was one of the original law-makers of the state of New York for eighteen successive years, serving six as a New York State Assemblyman and eleven years as a New York State Senator from 1784-1795. He was first elected in 1777 to the 1st New York State Legislature and later elected to the Council of Appointment in 1784.^{[12] [13]}

Ratification of the US Constitution and support for the Bill of Rights

Swartwout voting on US Constitution Ratification on June 17th 1788

General Jacobus Swartwout, was a delegate to the US Constitutional Convention on June 17th 1788, in Poughkeepsie at the Dutchess County Courthouse to decide whether New York State would approve the new Federal US Constitution. Nicholas Power, the publisher of the Poughkeepsie Journal, was the reporter for the meeting. By the time the group met, 9 states had already given their agreement to the form of government which would replace the then existing loose confederation of States. In the newly proposed Constitution, the Federal government was given a specific set of rights that had previously belonged to the individual states. Getting it right was a major worry because each state would lose powers to this new Federal Government, it wasn't a sure thing that the states would, in the end, all agree. Some of the men who were going to vote for or against the Constitution in New York were part of the Philadelphia convention where they helped create the Constitution, so they had a deep understanding of the issues that had been considered, and that had been balanced for competing interests.

Alexander Hamilton had been, with James Madison, one of the original voices calling for a convention to examine the problems with the Articles of Confederation. John Lansing and Robert Yates had left the Philadelphia convention without signing the Constitution, and they were here with George Clinton to protect the rights of New York State. Leading up to the Constitutional Convention, arguments of the Federalist papers written by those in attendance had begun to have some weight with a few of the Anti-Federalists and, in the end, several Anti-Federalists, changed sides and voted to ratify the Constitution, asking only that a Bill of Rights be considered to companion the Constitution. On the first vote for ratification of the Constitution, which was 46 - 19, Jacobus Swartwout voted with the minority of the Federalists and framers of the Constitution or later called the Founding Fathers of the United States; Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Robert R. Livingston, he later changed his vote on the last round to support the amendment of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution prior to ratification. Eventually, the Convention also recommended amendments to the Constitution, and it unanimously approved a "Circular Letter" to the states urging the call of a second general convention to consider these amendments and those proposed by other states.^[14]

Legacy

To memoralize the delegates of the New York Constitutional Convention on June 17th 1788, in Poughkeepsie at the Dutchess County Courthouse, New York State commissioned a mural in 1938 by Gerald Foster. Jacobus Swartwout is featured in the center holding the US Constitution. Swartwout Lake in Congers, NY part of the land holdings of the Swartwout family is named after Jacobus as well as Swartwoutville in Wappingers, New York.

Mural of New York State Constitutional Convention

Historic Swartwoutville was created in 2009 to recognize the hamlet of Swartwoutville, by erecting signs at the six entrances of the hamlet and preserving historical site and buildings relating to General Swartwout.

References

• Historic Swartwoutville www.historicswartwoutville.webs.com