States Dyckman, American Loyalist

by James Thomas Flexner

Book Overview

James Thomas Flexner has been a professional writer most of his adult life. After several year spent at the City desk at the New York Herald Tribune after graduating from Harvard University , Flexner... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316286036
• ISBN13: 9780316286039
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 238 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

American Loyalist

How many people have had their names and stories lost to history? Countless numbers. How many people played a minor role whose story is there to be told if only someone is willing to tell it? Many. States Dyckman is one of these and Mr. Flexner has decided to tell his story. States was a branch of a family who left their stamp on New York City and its surroundings. Dyckman Street cuts across the northern tip of Manhattan near the Dyckman House that still sits at the corner of 204th Street & Broadway. Unlike the bulk of his family, however, States threw his lot in with the British, becoming part of the staff of the Quartermaster. During the course of the Revolutionary War, States and many of his superiors gained a great fortune through the winked at graft of the quartermasters. His unstinting loyalty to his superiors made and lost States two fortunes but, after a couple long stretches in England, he ultimately found his way back to his home and family in the newly forming United States. His final monument to his life is the mansion he built, Boscobel, that now sits on a bluff above the Hudson River across from West Point. Because States' story centers around finances, it is not as exciting as the life of a Revolutionary War hero. However, it is a story that has its fascinations. We get a reminder that not all our forbearers were as supportive of the Revolution as we like to think. We get a glimpse inside an extended family trying to make its way in these difficult times. We get a deeper look into what makes an army work besides battles. It is a worthwhile endeavor and Mr. Flexner does a good job of telling it. Admittedly, this is not a book that would normally leap off the shelf at me; however, I live three blocks from the Dyckman House in Manhattan and I attend performances of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare festival which happens to be on the grounds of Boscobel. When I toured the mansion and discovered that the builder of that house was also a Dyckman, I had to find out something about this family. This book answered some of my curiosity. Hopefully, it will answer some of yours as well.