Marshall House public event planned June 28
SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. » Local residents will have a rare opportunity to visit one of Saratoga County’s most historic private homes when the Marshall House opens its doors to the public Thursday, June 28.
The 1770 dwelling is where Baroness Riedesel, wife of British-allied German officer Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, sought refuge along with her three children, other women and wounded soldiers during the 1777 Battles of Saratoga. At one point the house was besieged by a fierce American cannonade.
“We were finally obliged to take refuge in the cellar in which I found myself down in a corner not far from the door,” the Baroness wrote. “My children lay down on the earth with their heads upon my lap, and in this manner we passed the entire night. A horrible stench, the cries of the children, and yet more than all this, my own anguish, prevented me from closing my eyes. On the following morning the cannonade again began, but from a different side.”
Her letters and journals are the first known personal wartime ac-
count written by a woman, at any time in world history.
“She was a very intelligent woman,” said Dave Bullard, co-owner of The Marshall House with his wife, Hilary Tan, chair of the Union College Music Department.
Their 4 p.m. open house will precede a 6:30 p.m. “Banquet on the Bridge” fundraiser for Hudson Crossing Park, which connects Saratoga and Washington counties. The park’s Dix Bridge is near the spot where British and German troops crossed the Hudson River during the Revolutionary War.
The Marshall House will be open to those not planning to attend the banquet.
The open house will feature area resident Debbie Bailey giving her acclaimed performance of the Baroness. The newly opened Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia devotes a special exhibit to the Baroness, labeling her a “heroine” of the war. The Marshall House is depicted as the scene of her heroic attempts to save lives and relieve suffering amid hellish conditions of cannon fire, cold, thirst, and hunger.
Marshall House visitors will also have a chance to see many artifacts found on the property including an 18-pound cannon ball and musket balls, in addition to 19th century books with engravings and descriptions of the home.
The structure was built by Peter Lansing, of the family Lansingburgh was named for. In 1785, it was purchased by Samuel Bushee, a veteran of Valley Forge and the Battle of Monmouth.
In 1817, Bushee sold it to his brother-in-law, Samuel Marshall and Marshall’s son, Abraham, with the proviso that Bushee and his wife could live in the house with them until his death, which occurred in 1840.
So the house was in the Marshall family for 113 years until 1930 when Bullard’s parents bought the site.
Over time, the exterior was altered to an Italianate architectural style, which was quite popular during the mid-19th century. But the interior’s post-and-beam construction is intact including original door locks, latches and hinges, and wide pine board floors.
Blood stains from a British soldier whose leg was torn off by an American cannonball are still visible in one spot. A small, exposed section of the ceiling shows how repairs were made following the attack.
Bullard and Tan are in the process of forming a non-profit Marshall House Corporation that will some day acquire the property and create a research center focused on the role of women and children in wartime.
“The British recruited women in England to marry soldiers and accompany them to North America, to care for them, cook, repair uniforms and nurse them when they got sick or injured,” Bullard said. “They were paid the same amount as soldiers. About 2,000 women and children were with the British army at Saratoga. They formed a very formidable support group.”
Bailey, portraying the Baroness, will make another appearance at the banquet, this time joined by British General Burgoyne, portrayed by Bruce Venter, president of America’s History, LLC.
The Marshall House is located at 136 Route 4 in Schuylerville, directly opposite Lock 5.
There is a $10 admission to the open house. Children are admitted free.
For information call (518) 695-3765, email: info@themarshallhouse.org or go to: www.themarshallhouse.org.