Local History Buff Sheds Light on Dobbs Ferry's Involvement in Revolutionary War

Dobbs Ferry Village Historian Dr. Richard Borkow has been a history buff for as long as he can remember. After years of devouring facts and military strategy, he came across one sentence in a book about the Revolutionary War that inspired him to start crafting his own work.

"It said that Washington's decision to march to Yorktown to trap Cornwallis was made in Dobbs Ferry," Borkow said, his eyes lighting up just at the memory of his epiphany. "Not only didn't the general public know about Dobbs Ferry's crucial role in the war, even history buffs like me didn't know."

Borkow, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist at Blythedale Children's Hospital by day—set out to put the pieces together. Recently, The History Press published his book George Washington's Westchester Gamble: The Encampment on the Hudson & the Trapping of Cornwallis, which describes Washington's tough choice to march south toward Yorktown in 1781.

"I learned that Washington's troops left for their two-month walk from New York to Virginia on the corner of Ashford Avenue and Broadway," he said. "Washington risked everything to go on that march. In fact, he called it 'almost a miracle' that his plan was successful and his army in rags as able to defeat one of the most powerful militaries in the world."

And it was here in Dobbs Ferry that General George Washington devised his plan—

First, he would need to surround British General Charles Cornwallis both on water and on land. "The French fleet [fighting with the Americans] would need to take control of the British fleet—something that had never happened before," Borkow said, speeding up a little to get to the best part of the story. "Then, there were so many soldiers on land surrounding Cornwallis that his goose was cooked."

Most critical, Borkow said, was that British troops—and their spies—didn't find out where Washington's army was headed. "For that reason, Washington didn't tell his own troops—or even highest-ranking officers—where they were heading. Washington planned an elaborate deception that New York City was still the target, not Virginia."

Borkow said he "didn't let a day do by" in which he was not researching or writing. "My wife was a great editor," he said. "She is as interested in the topic as I am."

The majority of his sources, Borkow said, were found on the internet. "Two particular primary sources—the Dr. James Thatcher's military journal of the Revolutionary War and French cartographer Louis-Alexandre Berthier's maps of the region—were instrumental to my research." 

In publishing his book, Borkow hopes to shed light on Dobbs Ferry's historical importance and also to let people know how necessary the French support of American forces was to our independence. 

"I also want people to know how difficult it was for the soldiers," he said. "They weren't paid for months at a time; they were destitute, in rags."

He added: "And looking toward July 4, my main goal is to get people to think about and appreciate the sacrifices American soldiers made in the 1770's and 80's and to understand the difficulties they faced."

The sixth annual "Road to Freedom Day"—commemorating when Washington's troops embarked on their trek south—will be held in Dobbs Ferry on Sunday, Aug. 7. Borkow invites everyone in the community to come out and celebrate.