This was where the battle took place.

According to the Croton Heights Community Association:

June 7, 1697: Sylvanus van Cortlandt received a grant of land in the New World from William III of England. It extended from Croton Point on the Hudson River to the present Connecticut border, and northward ten miles. It included the present townships of Cortlandt, Yorktown, Somers, Poundridge and North and South Salem.

In 1734, upon his death, the land was divided among his heirs. His daughter Elizabeth received “Lot 4 of the Middle Ward” (covering Yorktown and Somers). She was married to Cortlandt Skinner.

About 1744 J. Danfurt from Holland bought land and built the western part of the present Wilson house on Croton Heights Road. It was inherited by Richardson Davenport, who added the part east of the present hall, and ran it as the Davenport Inn during the Revolutionary War. It was said to have been a good one.

In May 1781 the Inn became the scene of a skirmish between American and British troops. At this time the British had invaded as far north as White Plains, and the American forces had retreated to northern Westchester, under General Washington. American soldiers had been stationed in the Inn to protect the Oblenus Ford over the Croton River, and they were betrayed to the British by a disgruntled Tory. About sunrise one day a British force under Col. Delancey crossed the ford and marched up the valley along Turkey Mountain (no road there then) and up the hill to the Inn.

During the subsequent engagement Major Flagg was killed, and Colonel Christopher Green, badly wounded, was carried out on a horse, on a lane leading to the old Pines Bridge, thrown off into the “whortleberry bushes,” and left to die. Both officers were given a military funeral and buried, it is said, in a common grave, in the churchyard of the Presbyterian Church. A large stone monument marking the spot is easily visible to passers-by to this day.

In his report to Congress May 17, 1781 General Washington ends: “The loss of these two officers is to be regretted, especially the former (Colonel Greene) who has, upon several occasions, distinguished himself.”

The account of a witness continued: “Between ten and twenty fell, in and around the house, and were afterward interred in one common pit or grave, in the northwest corner of the lot, under an ash tree.”

Later Jacob Carpenter married Davenport’s daughter and they lived in the Davenport house. Their daughter married Daniel K. Griffen, who built the farmhouse across the road, now the Croton Heights Inn (Note: now called Peter Pratt’s Inn). Legend has it that he built the wings on either side for his sons as they grew up and married. He was owner and resident of the property in 1881, when the Bolton History of Westchester was published.

An old calf-bound ledger, found in the attic of the Wilson house bears the inscription “Daniel K. Griffen & Sons, 1877,” on the flyleaf. The latest entry in the same handwriting is September 19, 1892. The book then became the daybook of George C. Griffen. Entries run from September 1894 to November 31, 1902. Its pages, many of which are nearly illegible from flowers having been pressed therein, cast interesting sidelights on the local industry, and the prices and wages of the time.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

Although there are two memorials in the First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown (see: The other battle of Yorktown – memorials) it seems that there are plans for a monument for the battle/skirmish. I saw the above sign at what it describes as the site of the future monument.

According to the Yorktown Historical Society:

The Pines Bridge Monument is a project to commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending the Pines Bridge Pass over the Croton River during the Revolutionary War. The 1st Rhode Island Regiment under Colonel Christopher Greene was comprised of African Americans and Native Americas as well as European-American settlers. The monument is designed to reflect that diversity, and will be the first Revolutionary War memorial to depict all three races together in combat.

…

After months of deliberating and considering diverse designs, the Pines Bridge Monument Committee (PBMC), in conjunction with the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce, the Yorktown Historical Society, and the Yorktown Planning Department announced the selection of the design by renowned sculptor Jay Warren from Rogue River, Oregon.

Mr. Warren’s previous commissions include both portions of the New Jersey World War II Memorial, the New Jersey Korean War Memorial, Victims of Terrorism Memorial at the Raritan Bay Waterfront Park overlooking the World Trade Center Site; John Coltrane Monument in High Point, NC, and the Sojourner Truth Memorial in Northampton, MA among many others (www.warrensculpture.com).

The monument will be comprised of three statues including a Native American soldier, an African-American soldier, and a White soldier. This diversity would represent the inter-connectedness of each group in the fight for independence that centered around Yorktown’s Pines Bridge in the 1700’s. The statues would be life-size plus (approximately 8 ft. tall), and made of bronze. Bronze is the best material to be used due to its low susceptibility to the outdoor elements.

The memorial will be situated in Downing Park across from the Presbyterian Church where Colonel Greene was buried on Route 202 in Yorktown.

Vendors will be able locate themselves at this landmark to sell goods, food services, etc., and local school districts can incorporate this element of local history into their respective curriculums that NYS Education Law requires they teach about the American Revolution.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.