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Isaac Van Wart (b. 1759?-May 23, 1828) was a militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne The year 1828 ( MDCCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" In 1780, he participated in the capture of Major John André. For other uses see John André (disambiguation. Major John André ( May 2, 1750 &ndash October 2

Born in the farm country of Greenburgh, New York, near the village of Elmsford, Van Wart's exact birthdate is not recorded, but his tombstone declares him to have died at 69 years of age. Greenburgh is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. He married Rachel Storm (1760-1834), a daughter of Elmsford's most prominent family (from whom the settlement's original name "Storm's Bridge" was derived). Van Wart divided his time between his family, his farm, and his church: he eventually became an elder deacon of the Dutch Reformed Church. Dutch Reformed Church (in Dutch: Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk or NHK was one of many branches of churches coming out of the Protestant Reformation in Europe

Despite his bucolic lifestyle, Van Wart joined the volunteer militia when New York was a battlezone of the Revolution. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Overnight on September 22-23, 1780, he joined John Paulding and David Williams in an armed patrol of the area. John Paulding ( October 16, 1758 &ndash February 18, 1818) was a Militiaman from the state of New York during the American David Williams ( October 21, 1754 - August 2, 1831) was a Militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution The three men seized a travelling British officer, Major John André at a site in Tarrytown, NY, now called Patriots Park. For other uses see John André (disambiguation. Major John André ( May 2, 1750 &ndash October 2 Tarrytown is a village in the Town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. Holding him in custody, they discovered documents of André's secret communication with Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold V ( – June 14, 1801) was a General during the American Revolutionary War who originally fought for the American Continental The militiamen, all local farmers of modest means, refused André's considerable bribe and instead delivered him to army headquarters. Arnold's plans to surrender West Point to the British were revealed and foiled, and André was hanged as a spy. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA,

With George Washington's personal recommendation, the United States Congress awarded Van Wart, Paulding and Williams the first military decoration of the United States, the silver medal known as the Fidelity Medallion. The Fidelity Medallion is the oldest decoration of the United States military and was created by act of the Continental Congress in 1780. Each of the three also received federal pensions of $200 a year, and prestigious farms awarded by New York State. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

The three militiamen were highly celebrated in their lifetimes: commemorations large and small abound in Westchester (see below), and can be found in many disparate parts of the early United States. Westchester County is a primarily Suburban county located in the U Among other honors, each of the men had his name given to a county in the new state of Ohio (1803): Van Wert County, bearing a common alternate spelling of the name, is in the northwest corner of the state. Van Wert County is a County located in the US state of Ohio with a population of 29659 as of the 2000 U

Still, Van Wart and the others did see their reputations impugned by some. André at his trial had insisted the men were mere brigands; sympathy for him remained in some more aristocratic American quarters (and grew to legend in England, where he was buried in Westminster Abbey). The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Giving voice to this sympathy, Representative Benjamin Tallmadge of Connecticut persuaded Congress not to grant the men a requested pension increase in 1817, publicly assailing their credibility and motivations. Benjamin Tallmadge (1754-1835 was a member of the United States House of Representatives. Despite the slight, the men's popular acclaim continued to grow throughout the 19th century to almost-mythic status. Some modern scholars have interpreted the episode as a major event in early American cultural development, representing the apotheosis of the common man in the new democratic society. 1

Van Wart died in Elmsford and is buried in the cemetery of the Old Dutch Reformed Church on Route 9A. New York State Route 9A is a State highway in New York, United States, providing an alternate to US 9 from New York City north to A marble and granite monument was erected at his grave on June 11, 1829, bearing the epitaph, "Having lived the life, he died the death of a Christian". An inscription on the south side reads: "FIDELITY - On the 23rd of September 1780, Isaac Van Wart, accompanied by John Paulding and David Williams, all Farmers of the County of Westchester, intercepted Major André, on his return from the American Lines in the character of a Spy, and notwithstanding the large bribes offered them for his release, nobly disdaining to sacrifice their Country for Gold, Secured and carried him to the Commanding Officer of the district, whereby the dangerous and traitorous Conspiracy of Arnold was brought to light; the insidious designs of the enemy baffled; the American Army saved; and our beloved country now free and Independent, rescued from most imminent peril. "

Commemorations

Van Wart is honored on the monument erected at the site of the capture, Patriots Park in Tarrytown, NY; Van Wart Avenue is located on the south side of town, near the Tappan Zee Bridge. Tarrytown is a village in the Town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. Three streets in the neighboring village of Elmsford, NY, are named for the militiamen, with Van Wart Street being one of the village's main roads. Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. White Plains, NY, has a Van Wart Avenue in the southwest section of the city, off NY Route 22. The City of White Plains is the County seat of Westchester County New York. New York State Route 22 (NY 22 is New York State highway running north&ndashsouth parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City Ohio's Van Wert County is also named after Isaac Van Wart (in addition to Williams, and Paulding County counties also in Ohio). Van Wert County is a County located in the US state of Ohio with a population of 29659 as of the 2000 U Williams County is a County located in the state of Ohio, United States. Paulding County is a County located in the state of Ohio, United States.

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