Claudius Smith

Claudius Smith (1736 – January 22, 1779), the notorious Cowboy Terrorist of the American Revolution was the oldest son of David Smith (1701-1787) – a tailor, cattleman, miller, constable, and finally judge – from Brookhaven, New York and Meriam (Williams) Carle from Hempstead, New York the daughter of Samuel Williams.

He, along with several members of his family – including three of his four sons: William, Richard, and James – allegedly terrorized the New York countryside during the American Revolution around an area formerly known as Smith's Clove (presently Monroe), Orange County, New York where David Smith and his family moved to in and around 1741 from Brookhaven.

Several accounts differ on his size and stature including his 1762 French and Indian War Muster Roll, which had him at 5'9" and his 1778 wanted poster, which had him at close to seven feet tall.

It is obvious from all accounts, though, that Claudius was a Loyalist and fought in raids alongside the Mohawk Indian Chief, Joseph Brandt, which more often than not got him labeled a terrorist, as opposed to a legitimate enemy combatant.

He, surprisingly killed no-one, and was often thought of as being a Robin Hood; but when one of his party did kill Major Nathaniel Strong October 6, 1778, the Governor George Clinton became perturbed and put out a wanted poster for his arrest, which eventually did occur and resulted in his hanging on January 22, 1779 in the town of Goshen, Orange County, New York, and in the deaths of at least two of his sons: William and James – the latter being captured in February of 1779 by Abner Thorpe, according to: Erastus C. Knight's New York in the Revolution (1901, Supp.), p. 165 [the Accounts of Governor Clinton].

Richard remained at large at least through 1781, when we see him on a letter addressed to Governor Clinton from Gen George Washington warning him of his eminent kidnapping by the remaining members of the Claudius Smith Gang.

He is the subject of Elizabeth Oakes Smith's article, concerning the oldest surviving son who sought vengeance upon the people of Orange County after the hanging death of his father, Claudius.

It is entirely within the realm of possibility that George Washington, upon discovering that Claudius was in fact a mere Robin Hood and not the real hoodlum of Orange County, decided to have vengeance on the behalf of Claudius' survivors who he had been living with & among after the execution of Claudius – the only problem here was that Washington was dealing with some extremely high profile individuals: The Chief Justice William Smith, Major John André, General Benedict Arnold, and even Governor George Clinton himself who seems to have taken General Washington to be somewhat of an extremist.

But, for reasons unknown, it was actually Benedict Arnold who ordered Joshua Hett Smith, the Chief Justice's brother, to force Major André to go under guise in an American military costume as opposed to returning to the ship he came in on "under the sanction of a flag".

And it was for this reason; and not any action that Washington took to arrest and detain Arnold, Chief Justice Smith, Joshua Hett Smith, and André; that André was captured and convicted on the charges of being a spy, although it may appear as though Washington had something to do with it, especially since the person André was handed over to – Major Talmadge – seemed to be aware well in advance that André quite probably had something of importance hidden in his shoes. [Cf. Thomas Jones History of New York During the Revolutionary War (1879) vol 1, pp. 370–388].

It was Arnold, holding true to his treasonous character, who set André up and betrayed him and who should have been hanged that day and not André or Smith; a fact that has been reiterated time and again by those who recount the stories surrounding Joshua Hett Smith, Benedict Arnold, Chief Joseph Brandt, Claudius Smith, and Major André.

Arnold, upon seeing Washington landing, appeared to have made a legitimate escape, but he did so only under the very same "sanction of a flag" that André had originally used and on the very same boat that he had taken André in earlier.

Most loyalists felt then, as they probably still do now, that in fact Joshua Hett Smith – who was already well known to be a former pursecutor of loyalists – was the person who truly betrayed André; but as above, it was Arnold who gave the peculiar orders for Smith to force André to go under guise as opposed to returning to the ship under the same circumstances that he had left – "under the sanction of a flag."

As Thomas Jones (1730-1792) states in his History of New York, supra, if Arnold had sent André off safely "under a flag", then why would he have supposed that it wouldn't have been safe to bring him back under the same circumstances?

He didn't suppose that, and that is why he went back in that manner himself when he saw Washington making his landing.

References

For Discussion

"NOTE: The residence of Abraham Lynsen is now No.___ Wall Street. Thomas Smith, who married his daughter Elizabeth, was the brother of William Smith, the Historian. He was the owner of the famous 'Treason House' at Haverstraw, where Benedict Arnold and Major André held their conferences. It was then occupied by his brother, Joshua Hett Smith, the unfortunate dupe of Arnold and André. – W.S.P."

See also: Claudius Smith, 1736, 1762, 1778, 1779, American Revolution, Benedict Arnold, Benedict Arnold's letter To the Inhabitants of America, Brookhaven, New York, Cowboy