Fort Edward in Washington County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Grave of Duncan Campbell & Jane McCrea
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 13, 2008
1. The Grave of Duncan Campbell & Jane McCrea Marker
Duncan Campbell
& Jane McCrea
are just within and
to the left
of this gateway.
Erected 1932 by New York State Education Department.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, French and Indian • War, US Revolutionary • Women.
Location. 43° 17.229′ N, 73° 35.196′ W. Marker is in Fort Edward, New York, in Washington County. Marker is on Broadway (U.S. 4), on the left when traveling south. Marker is in front of Union Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Edward NY 12828, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Ghost Story of Duncan Campbell (within shouting distance of this marker); Jane McCrea (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Unknown (approx. 0.2 miles away); William Hart Hill
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Major Duncan Campbell. Find A Grave website entry (Submitted on August 15, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Jane McCrea. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on August 15, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Additional commentary.
1. Jane McCrea
During the American Revolutionary War, in 1777, Jane McCrea was a 17 year old Loyalist living at the farm of her older brother, Colonel John McCrea at Fort Edward, New York in order to be close to her fiancé, Lt. David Jones, a Loyalist serving with British General Burgoyne's army. On July 27th of that year, while she was visiting the home of Mrs. McNeil, the two women were captured by Indians allied to the British.
Since both women were under the protection of General Burgoyne, they were reasonably sure nothing would happen to them. Their captors separated into two bands, each with one of the women. When Mrs. McNeil, a cousin of General Simon Fraser's, arrived with her captors at the British camp, she wondered where Jane was, since she had departed ahead of Mrs. McNeil. Shortly thereafter,
Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, August 27, 2007
2. The Grave of Duncan Campbell & Jane McCrea Marker, Fort Edward, NY
Jane McCrea was buried three miles south of Fort Edward. Her death, and those of others in similar raids, inspired some of the resistance to Burgoyne's invasion leading to his defeat at the Battle of Saratoga. The effect expanded as reports of the incident were used, almost as propaganda, to excite rebel sympathies during the war, especially before the Sullivan Expedition in 1779.
The story became part of American folklore when James Fenimore Cooper described some similar events in his novel "The Last of the Mohicans." Later on, in 1852, McCrea's remains were removed and reintured at the Union Cemetery in the Town of Fort Edward. McCrea's remains were again exhumed in 2003 and researchers were surprised to find that McCrea's skull was missing, and her bones were commingled with those of another Revolutionary-era woman, Sara McNeil, a landowner and a cousin of British Gen. Simon Fraser. The bodies were exhumed again in 2005 in order to provide separate graves for both women.
— Submitted October 24, 2009, by Howard C. Ohlhous of 
Duanesburg, New York.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 13, 2008
3. Marker in Fort Edward
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 13, 2008
4. Graves of Campbell and McCrea
Duncan Campbell and Jane McCrea are buried in Union Cemetery in Fort Edward.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 13, 2008
5. Grave of Jane McCrea
Jane McCrea was killed on July 27th, 1777 by Indians allied to the British, and under the control of General John Burgoyne while on her way to meet with her fiancée, a soldier in Burgoyne's army.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 13, 2008
6. Grave of Duncan Campbell
Major Duncan Cambell, of the old Highland Regiment, died from wounds received during the July 8, 1758 attack on French Fort Carillon, now Fort Ticonderoga.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 5,057 times since then and 284 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 20, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2. submitted on October 24, 2009, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 20, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
