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                         November 2, 2001

New Windsor Cantonment to celebrate veterans

VAILS GATE, N.Y. -- At a time when America’s thoughts are with those touched by war, in the United States and overseas, New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site will open for a special celebration of Veterans Day.

The day will include a program on the first American veterans, the soldiers of early America.

From 1 to 4:30 p.m., veterans and active-duty personnel, their families and the general public can tour the site at no charge. The historic site where George Washington’s army spent the last years of the Revolutionary War will be alive with activity Nov. 11 in honor of American veterans of all wars.

Staff in Revolutionary War-style uniforms will demonstrate military drill, musket firing and other activities. The cantonment was home to 7,500 soldiers and 500 of their family members in 1782 and 1783.

In addition, staff and volunteers will stage a presentation on soldiers through early American history, from the early colonial period through the Civil War.

Guests will have the opportunity to tour two buildings with museum exhibits and the "Temple of Virtue," reconstructed on the site of the original building. The Temple was the setting of George Washington’s greatest victory, the speech that held his army together when a rebellion threatened to tear the army apart. Here, too, the general’s cease-fire announcement effectively ended the Revolutionary War.

The public is also encouraged to thank veterans personally earlier in the day by attending one of the many local ceremonies honoring veterans at 11 a.m. Each year, Veterans Day is celebrated at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month corresponding with the anniversary of the Armistice, the peace that ended World War I.

The historic site will also be the future home for the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, dedicated to telling the stories of America’s combat wounded veterans. A project is underway to collect the names and stories of some 800,000 recipients for inclusion in an interactive computer archive, museum exhibits and educational programs for students and the general public.

For more information, call 845-561-1765.