The History Twins podcast is currently covering “This Man’s A Spy!,” Carla and Keyes’ musical retelling of the treasonous plot between American General Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre during the American Revolutionary War.

In today’s episode we discuss Rifle Jack Peterson, the Revolutionary war era patriot of African and Kitchewan descent whose quick thinking thwarted the secret meeting between Arnold and Andre.

Pe­ter­son was en­gaged in mak­ing cider at Bar­ret­t’s farm on Teller’s Point (Cro­ton Point) along with nine­teen-year-old Moses Sher­wood when they spied the English vessel Vulture sending a rowboat of men towards land. A skilled marksman and seasoned member of the 3rd Westchester militia, Peterson fired on the rowboat, forcing its occupants to return to the ship.

Unbeknownst to them, the rowboat of men had come to collect John Andre with the plans for West Point that had been given to him by Benedict Arnold.

Peterson and Sherwood then sped to Fort Lafayette to alert their commander about the vessel. Acting upon this information, troops set up a cannon at Tellers Point to attack the sloop in a fiery battle that lasted two hours. These actions contributed to the later capture of Major Andre, who would have been rescued by the British but was instead stranded on shore.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into the composition and arrangement of their song “The Ballad of Rifle Jack Peterson”.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

You can find The History Twins podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon podcasts, as well as your favorite podcast catchers.

Links:

Rifle Jack Biography - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Peterson_(American_Patriot)

African_American_Heritage_Trail_of_Westchester_County
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Heritage_Trail_of_Westchester_County

Revolutionary Westchester: John Jack Peterson
https://thehudsonindependent.com/revolutionary-westchester-john-jack-peterson/

Jack Peterson Memorial - Mobile Historic Tour on The Clio
https://www.theclio.com/tour/1410/8

Always Present, Never Seen
https://highlandscurrent.org/2022/06/03/always-present-never-seen-part-2/

History Twins Video Podcast on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/nnOraOasumc

HistoryTwins Audio Podcast on Anchor.fm
https://anchor.fm/the-history-twins/episodes/Arnolds-Lament-e1qo88n

Carla and Keyes Blog:

https://CarlaandKeyes.com

Join the Carla and Keyes Mailing List:
https://CarlaandKeyes.com/join