{"chunks_used":8,"query":"The Burning of Crompond","report":"**The Burning of Crompond: Revolutionary War Turmoil in Westchester County**  \n\nThe village of Crompond, located in present-day Yorktown, New York, became a focal point of Revolutionary War violence due to its strategic position and divided loyalties among residents. Historical accounts from Robert Bolton\u2019s *History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester* (1881) and Frederic Shonnard and W.W. Spooner\u2019s *History of Westchester County* (1900) detail two significant incidents: the burning of the Presbyterian meeting house in July 1779 and a British raid in June 1781.  \n\nThe 1779 attack, described by Bolton, involved the destruction of the meeting house and the harassment of local residents. A notable account recounts the ordeal of Flannery Sackett, daughter of the Presbyterian minister Rev. Samuel Sackett, who was overtaken by British cavalry while fleeing the burning structure. Despite being robbed of her shoe-buckles and ear-rings, she defiantly confronted the soldiers, invoking her husband\u2019s name (Stephen de Lancey, a prominent Loyalist) to secure an escort to safety (Bolton 1881). This incident highlights the personal toll of the war on civilians and the complex loyalties within families, as Sackett\u2019s father was a Whig minister.  \n\nA second raid occurred on June 21, 1781, when British forces under Banastre Tarleton, alongside Simcoe\u2019s Rangers, attacked Crompond. According to Shonnard and Spooner (1900), this assault resulted in the deaths or capture of approximately thirty American militiamen, with prisoners transported to New York City\u2019s Sugar House. While Colonel James Holmes, a local Tory, was implicated in local rumors, the sources clarify he was not present with Tarleton\u2019s forces, underscoring the contested narratives surrounding Loyalist involvement.  \n\nCrompond\u2019s role as a refuge for persecuted individuals is also documented. Susan De Lancey and her mother Anne, widows of prominent figures, retreated to their home in Crompond during the war, offering shelter to those fleeing conflict (Bolton 1881). Their residence later became a burial site for family members, reflecting the intertwined histories of loyalty and displacement in the region.  \n\nThe discrepancies in dates and perspectives across sources\u2014such as Bolton\u2019s reference to a June 24, 1779, raid versus Shonnard\u2019s June 21, 1781, attack\u2014suggest the need for further archival investigation to reconcile these accounts. Nonetheless, the Burning of Crompond remains a poignant example of Westchester County\u2019s contested Revolutionary War landscape.  \n\n**Sources consulted**  \n- Bolton, Robert Jr. *The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II* (New York: Charles F. Roper, 1881).  \n- Bolton, Robert Jr. *A History of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II* (New York: Alexander S. Gould, 1848).  \n- Shonnard, Frederic, and W.W. Spooner. *History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900* (New York: The New York History Company, 1900).","sources_consulted":["Shonnard, Frederic, and W.W. Spooner. History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900. New York: The New York History Company, 1900.","Bolton, Robert Jr. The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II. New York: Charles F. Roper, 1881.","Bolton, Robert Jr. A History of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II. New York: Alexander S. Gould, 1848."]}