Burned by the British

Burned by the British. . , October 1777 marked a defining moment in Clermont's history. Seeking to put down the rebellious colonists, British forces burned Kingston, several private homes, and the Livingston estate. Upon receiving word of the potential danger only days before the troops' arrival, Margaret Beekman Livingston (1724–1800) fled Clermont with her children and several wagon loads of household goods and furnishings., The attack on Hudson Valley patriots was part of a three-pronged plan by the British military, which hoped to bring a decisive end to the Revolution by isolating New England from the rest of the colonies. British forces remained at Clermont for five days, setting fire to the Livingstons' original estate and to Chancellor Robert Livingston's house next door; some 24 structures were destroyed at Clermont., Center Inset: , Even before the destruction of her home and much of the family's property, Margaret Beekman Livingston had endured tremendous personal losses, including the deaths of her husband, father, father-in-law, and son-in-law. all within a five-month period in 1775., By March 1778, Margaret had returned to the charred remains of her home. Within a year, she petitioned the governor to release some of her tenants from militia service to help rebuild her house. In June 1782, she entertained George and Martha Washington in the newly rebuilt Clermont, which is pictured in this c. 1796 drawing., Right Inset: , The Rebellious Family , Clermont was burned because of the Livingston family's role in the colonists' struggle for independence. Six of the ten Livingston children were personally and directly involved in the fighting effort. The most notable of these was Chancellor Robert R. Livingston. His fiery rhetoric helped to galvanize support for independence even before he became a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He was later one of five men who drafted the Declaration of Independence and served with John Jay and Gouverneur Morris on New York's Council of Safety, which defended the Hudson Valley Highlands. , Painting of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston by Gilbert Stuart., Bottom Center Inset: , During a 1974 archeological dig at Clermont, the remains of many household goods were uncovered, including this brass escutcheon that once surrounded a keyhole on a piece of furniture. Items like this tell us that while Margaret was able to save some of her family's possessions, she had to leave many others behind., Left Inset: , According to British plans, General John Burgoyne's troops moved south through the Champlain Valley expecting to converge in Albany with supporting forces advancing east from Ontario and north from New York City. The western flank stalled at Fort Stanwix (now Rome, NY), British forces from the south never arrived, and Burgoyne's troops, surrounded by the Americans, surrendered at Saratoga on October 17, 1777.