The Intercepted Loyalist Letters of Cadwallader Colden (Fishkill, 1776)

Cadwallader Colden – Loyalist Background

Cadwallader Colden II (1722–1797) was a prominent New York landowner and the son of Cadwallader Colden Sr., who had served as colonial lieutenant governor of New York. In his early career, Colden II was a major in the French and Indian War and later a judge of the Ulster County Court of Common Pleas (1769–1775) and a local justice of the peace. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, however, Colden cast his lot with the Loyalist cause. He believed the oath of allegiance he had sworn to King George III remained binding and thus refused to support the independence movement. Although he claimed to be "neutral," Colden was "openly hostile to the notion of independence," which made the patriot authorities deeply suspicious of him.

By mid-1776, patriot committees were already monitoring Colden closely. In July 1776, shortly after the exposure of the Hickey Plot, the Ulster County Committee of Safety formally charged Colden with disloyalty. He was arrested and underwent a cycle of detentions and paroles over the ensuing months. Colden's conduct remained defiant; he would not renounce his allegiance to the Crown, and his communications with other Loyalists continued to draw scrutiny. This all came to a head in November 1776, when intercepted letters provided concrete evidence of Colden's covert activities.

Intercepted Letters at Fishkill (November 1776)

In late November 1776, the New York Committee of Safety convened in Fishkill, New York. On November 25, the committee, meeting at Connor's Tavern, turned its attention to Cadwallader Colden. Members—including William Duer, John Jay, Nathaniel Sackett, and Zephaniah Platt—deemed Colden "too dangerous to be permitted longer to remain at his present abode." Captain Jacob Lush was ordered to arrest Colden and seize all relevant papers.

On November 27, 1776, Lush returned with Colden in custody and a trove of intercepted letters and documents, including:

• Personal letters from Loyalists such as Charles Inglis and Peter DuBois. One long letter from DuBois, dated mid-September 1776, detailed troop movements during the New York campaign.
• Military and naval intelligence, including a list of Continental and British fleet strengths.
• British proclamations and Loyalist propaganda, including a copy of the Howe brothers’ September 19, 1776, pardon declaration and satirical poetry mocking the patriot cause.

These documents revealed Colden’s active role in Loyalist intelligence and propaganda efforts.

Committee Hearing and Exile Decision

On November 28, 1776, Colden was examined by the Committee of Safety. He admitted he still considered himself bound by his oath to the King and refused to swear allegiance to the American cause. The committee resolved to exile him to Boston under parole, allowing him a 10-day furlough to settle his affairs.

Colden returned as promised, but appealed to the New York Provincial Convention. His exile was temporarily suspended, but suspicions resurfaced in March 1777 when his son, a British officer, visited him. Colden was accused of harboring Loyalist fugitives and aiding British couriers. He was re-arrested on May 1, 1777, and confined in harsher conditions. After refusing another oath in 1778, he was expelled to British-held New York City.

Significance and Potential Impact on the Revolutionary Cause

Colden’s intercepted letters highlighted the internal security threats faced by the Revolutionaries. The intelligence he possessed could have compromised American operations. His stature made him a potential rallying point for Loyalist sentiment. The Committee’s actions likely prevented further Loyalist coordination and underscored the importance of counterintelligence efforts during the war.

Aftermath and Legacy

After being exiled to New York City in 1778, Colden served as British Commissary for Prisoners until 1782. His son, Cadwallader Colden III, protected the family estate by cooperating with the new government. In 1784, Colden was allowed to return to his estate, where he lived quietly until his death in 1797.

The Colden affair exemplifies the challenges of internal dissent during the Revolution and the measured but firm response of patriot authorities. It remains a vivid episode in the shadow war between Patriots and Loyalists.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies. Minutes of the Committee and First Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York: December 11, 1776 – September 23, 1778. Albany: New-York Historical Society, 1909.

Colden, Cadwallader. Cadwallader Colden Papers, 1775–1783. Manuscript Collection. New York Historical Society, New York City.

Clinton, George. Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, 1777–1795, 1801–1804. Vol. 1. Albany: State of New York, 1899.

Secondary Sources

Fingerhut, Eugene R. “Cadwallader Colden II, a Loyalist of Ulster County.” New York History 56, no. 3 (July 1975): 251–275.

Nelson, Paul David. William Tryon and the Course of Empire: A Life in British Imperial Service. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990.

Ritcheson, Charles R. British Politics and the American Revolution. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1954.

“Colden, Cadwallader (1722–1797).” In The Loyalist Collection, Harriet Irving Library, University of New Brunswick. https://loyalist.lib.unb.ca/node/4379

Founders Online, National Archives. “Cadwallader Colden II: Biographical Sketch and Revolutionary Activity.” https://founders.archives.gov/

Jay, John. The Selected Papers of John Jay, Volume 1: 1760–1779. Edited by Elizabeth M. Nuxoll and Mary A. Y. Gallagher. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010.