William Smith's House Gets Turned Into A Fort
William Smith was the Lord of the Manor of St. George and a representative of downstate New York during its occupation by the British.
William Smith
By the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, William Smith was arguably one of the most important leaders living in Long Island, New York.
Smith was the grandson of William “Tangier” Smith who essentially owned all of Long Island and established the Manor of St. George.
William Smith (the younger one) had already established himself as Lord of the Manor by the time he sided with the Patriots.
The College of Mirnia
Early in life, William became pen-pals with Benjamin Franklin.
He also wrote A General Idea of the College of Mirnia.
This book was about the operation of a fake college in New York. The goal was to demonstrate how an institution of higher education should operate in the British colonies.
Although the College of Philadelphia had already been established, this book had a great effect on its early operation.
Exile
As Lord of the Manor, Smith owned much of the land in eastern Long Island, with almost all of the small farmers his tenants.
With such a powerful place in society, Smith was serving as a Justice in the county court system when the Revolutionary War broke out.
As mentioned earlier, he chose to side with the Patriots, which meant he had to flee his home when the southern part of New York was occupied by the British.
Smith spent his eight years of exile serving in the Provincial Government.
William was one of nine people chosen to represent downstate New York after independence. Elections could not be had, because of the whole occupation thing, but his time as a leader made Smith the perfect person for the job.
Battle of St. George
While he was away, his home at the Manor of St. George was made into a fort for British soldiers.
Benjamin Tallmadge, of Culper Spy Ring fame, led a group that attacked the Smith residence in an event known as the Battle of Fort St. George.
When hostilities finally came to an end, William Smith returned to his home, reclaimed his fortune, and rebuilt the mansion.
If you would like to learn about another battle at a fort not too far away from this one, here is an article to enjoy:
William Ledyard and the Fort Griswold Massacre
If you would like to learn more about the Manor of St. George, check out ‘The Tangier Smith Manor.’
This short study is a great overview of the history of the house.
If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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