Revolutionary War Soldiers in the Clark Family Tree

There are two identified Revolutionary War soldiers in the Clark family tree.  

Francis Peter Sayers (1749-1836) enlisted as part of the 5th New York regiment in 1777 in the company of Amos Hutchins under Col. DuBois.  He was later transferred to Col. Philip VanCortnaldt's regiment and served there until the end of the war in 1783.  Sayers fought in the Battle of Fort Montgomery, which included Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton in Bear Mountain and is considered part of the invasion of the Hudson Highlands for control of the Hudson River.  This campaign was a British victory.  Sayers was captured and held as a prisoner of war by the British in New York City on one of the "Hell Ship Prisons."  The British did not have enough space on the island of Manhattan for prisoners of war, so they kept prisoners on ships anchored in New York Harbor.

  John Eli Smith (1755-1840) enlisted in New City, NY and served in the Orange County, New York Militia.  He was assigned to Captain William Cooley's company of guards under the command of Colonel Ann Hawkes Hay.  Smith never engaged in battle but scouted up and down the Hudson River in Rockland and Orange Counties.  He was stationed at the partially-built fortifications on the Stony Point Peninsula, where he transported troops and military supplies. 
​          -Johanna O'Keeffe