Celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary continued in the Bronx on Sunday, Oct. 18, as re-enactors brought the Battle of Pell’s Point to life at Orchard Beach, exactly 250 years after the Revolutionary War battle.
The free event at Pelham Bay Park commemorated a local fight that helped George Washington’s army escape a precarious position as it withdrew from Manhattan.
For lifelong Bronxite Seamus McSherry, it was a chance to share and experience that history with his children.
“How cool is it that we can experience a reenactment of this historic battle right here in the Bronx? My kids got to meet George Washington and boo the British soldiers, all on a Sunday morning!” McSherry said.
Constance M. Kehoe, president of Revolutionary Westchester 250, described spectators lining the Orchard Beach promenade to watch the historical interpreters and reenactors. Children heard cannon fire and met an interpreter portraying Washington, experiences she said would leave lasting memories.
The battle took place on Oct. 18, 1776, when roughly 750 Massachusetts soldiers under Col. John Glover’s command confronted about 4,000 British and Hessian troops.
According to the National Park Service, their resistance helped cover Washington’s withdrawal from northern Manhattan toward White Plains. Glover’s soldiers used stone walls as defensive positions, firing on the advancing troops before falling back.
Dr. Steven Payne, director of the Bronx County Historical Society, said the battle deserves greater recognition in the story of the American Revolution.
“When folks think of the history of the American Revolution, they rarely realize the importance of New York in general, much less The Bronx,” Payne said.
“The savvy actions of Col. John Glover and the Marblehead Mariners at Pell’s Point on October 18, 1776 allowed the Continental Army to live to see another day.”
The commemoration also highlighted the diversity of the soldiers who fought for independence. Nick Dembowski, president of the Kingsbridge Historical Society, said one of the regiments involved included Black and Latino soldiers, a history organizers wanted visitors to learn about.
Dembowski said a Black re-enactor at the event emphasized the importance of showing that history, particularly in the Bronx.
The battle took place in what was then Pelham. Much of that land became part of the Bronx in the late 19th century.
Lead organizers included Revolutionary Westchester 250, the Bronx County Historical Society, the Kingsbridge Historical Society, SUNY Maritime College, St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, From The Bronx, the Town of Pelham and Pelham Public Schools.
“It was great to see so many Bronx and Westchester organizations come together to make this happen and it’s appropriate because this battle spanned the border of The Bronx and Westchester,” Dembowski said.
