Revolutionary War carved lead pencil, dug at the Battle of Stony Point, NY

This unique piece was recovered in the 1980s by the late Dean Thomas at the Battle of Stony Point NY - July 16-19, 1779. It connected Verplanck’s Point on the east side of the Hudson River, with Stony Point on the west side. Since the British controlled New York City for most of the war, This area was the southernmost crossing point for American soldiers and supplies. It was also a very important communication line, therefore a very strategic target for the British.

In March of 1777, five hundred British soldiers landed at Lent’s Cove on their way to attack Peekskill, where the British burned military supplies and destroyed quite a bit of property. In October 1777, General Clinton again dispersed the American forces at Verplanck’s Point and landed 3,000 troops to secure the area for an attack up river.

On the highest ground at Verplanck, just east of Kings Ferry, the building of Fort Lafayette started in the spring of 1778 and finished in May 1779 as a modest four-gun earthwork. The British landed 6,000 troops and captured it in June of 1779 in connection with operations at Stony Point.

In 1781, the Continental Army of General George Washington encamped at Verplanck's Point as a staging area for crossing the Hudson River at Kings Ferry. Pursued by the army of British General William Howe, it crossed to Stony Point on the west bank, enroute to Fort Lee, New Jersey. From there it headed south, beginning the long march to Yorktown, Virginia, where Washington received the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis on October 19, 1781.

Soldiers in the Revolutionary War had very little personal items, and often had to make what they needed. It was a common practice to melt lead bullets and shape them into pencils to write their letters home. There is a similar example in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (see pictures). This is a hard to find personal item.