You heard of Benedict Arnold? This is one of the men responsible ruining his life.

A note: The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth currently cracks on the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance, The Tuskegee Airmen and other cultural or historical annual events that pay tribute to those who contribute more than he ever has. We felt the need to fill in the gaps of the approved history of Hegseth and Trump. This Black History Month we will be spotlighting military heroes, and encourage everyone to learn more about these heroes we write about!

Beth Foster

U.S. school children learn about Revolutionary War heroes such as George Washington, Paul Revere, and Ethan Allen. Almost all also learn about American traitor Benedict Arnold. But, one name, the name of the man who was responsible for foiling Arnold’s treachery and perhaps saving the fight for independence from a British plot, is not often remembered outside of a memorial plaque erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution at Croton Point in Croton, New York. 

It’s time to change that!

While we can’t say for sure that without John Jacob “Rifle Jack” Peterson the United States would have lost the War for Independence, we do know that without him, Arnold and his conspirators could have carried out some serious damage to the Patriot cause. Arnold was conspiring to surrender West Point, over which he had command as an American general, to the British. Arnold was to receive 20,000 British pounds (about a million dollars in today’s money) and a commission in the British military for his treachery. 

Had his plan succeeded, the Redcoats would have controlled the Hudson River, severing the Continental Army’s supply lines and perhaps even leading to the capture of General Washington, who was stationed at West Point. 

This didn’t happen, thanks to Peterson, called “Rifle Jack” by his friends because of his skill as a marksman. 

Even though we may have Peterson to thank for the survival of the United States, Peterson was never allowed to vote in the country he may have saved. 

Peterson was a mixed race man of African and Kitchawan descent. The Kitchawan are a part of the Mohican Indigenous people who lived along the Croton River.  

On a fall day in 1780, Peterson and his fellow militiaman Moses Sherwood were making cider at Teller’s Point. 

By 1780, Peterson, at age 34, had seen action at the Battle of Saratoga and been honorably discharged from the 2nd New York Regiment. He had reenlisted and was part of the 3rd Westchester militia on that fateful September 21. Sherwood was only 19, but was also part of the 3rd Westchester. Some accounts say Sherwood, a white man, was the son of a man who had died in Peterson’s arms at the Battle of Saratoga.

As the two men were preparing apples for cider-making, Peterson and Sherwood saw the English warship Vulture drop anchor on the Hudson River. A rowboat filled with dozens of Redcoats began heading toward the bank. Peterson and Sherwood were clearly outnumbered, but didn’t hesitate. From behind a large rock, the two men began firing at the British soldiers. Peterson’s shots hit the boat, forcing it to return to the larger ship and resulting in the ship firing on the two militiamen in their hiding place behind the rock. 

Peterson and Sherwood sped to Fort Lafayette, five miles away, with news of the Vulture’s presence. Because of their report, the men were given a cannon and were waiting to greet the Vulture at daylight the next morning. The Jay Heritage Center writes: “They matched volley with explosive volley for a sustained two hours. Their courageous fight ended up being one of the tiniest but perhaps most pivotal battles of the war. Peterson fired the cannon, pummeling the ship relentlessly. Tide and wind conspired against the Vulture and she was eventually forced to cut her cable and move down river.”

This left British Major John Andre stranded in Haverstraw, on the western shore of the river. 

Andre had spent the night in Haverstraw, after being dropped there by the Vulture, to meet with Arnold and formulate their plan for Arnold to surrender West Point. Arnold had given Andre a map of the fort and other documents. 

With no ship to carry him away, Andre was left stranded and was arrested by militiamen the next day in Tarrytown with evidence of Arnold’s treason hidden in his shoes. 

Andre was hanged on October 2, but Arnold escaped to New York City on the Vulture, eventually making his home in Britain. 

Peterson’s contribution to the Patriot cause did not end with foiling the plot to surrender West Point, however. 

According to his pension papers, he was later taken prisoner by the British and held in a ship in the New York harbor, escaping by crawling down an anchor chain. According to The Highlands Current, “in 1818, at age 63,” Peterson “received a pension but never owned the minimum property required of Black men to participate in civic life. Despite his pinpoint shot that may have preserved a nation, Rifle Jack could not vote.”