By Rich Acritelli

It was 248 years ago when men such as George Washington, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin declared their intention of working toward a permanent separation from the British Empire. After years of protesting “no taxation without representation,” Thomas Jefferson was given the task of writing the Declaration of Independence — a declaration against King George III with the intention of creating a new nation.

Once written, this document had to be signed before it could be delivered to the king. Patriots like William Floyd, who lived among loyalists, became one of two signers of the declaration from Long Island. Floyd ran a prosperous farm in Mastic. Entering local and state politics, he represented this part of Long Island in the First and Second Continental Congress and later became a general in the Suffolk County militia. Although not as well known, Francis Lewis was the second Long Islander to add his signature to the Declaration of Independence.

Once the war moved onto Long Island, Floyd was a targeted patriot who was forced to move his family to Philadelphia. From the British takeover of Long Island to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Floyd experienced both the difficulties and triumphs of this conflict. He later served in the First Congress in 1789, which carried out the earliest functions of the Constitution and saw the election of President George Washington. Today, thousands of people visit the 613-acre William Floyd Estate — with its impressive Old Mastic House — part of the Fire Island National Seashore in Mastic Beach.

Setauket native Benjamin Tallmadge was only 22 in 1776. While attending Yale University, Tallmadge became friends with Nathan Hale. After the battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, Tallmadge enlisted as a lieutenant in a Connecticut regiment in the Continental Army. Like Floyd, Tallmadge experienced the dark moments of the Revolutionary War that saw the Continental Army on the brink of defeat by the British.

Culper Spy Ring

Rising in rank, Tallmadge served in the cavalry, fought in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and by 1778 Washington utilized him to establish an intelligence network. The Culper Spy Ring collected information on the actions of the British in New York City, sent it to Setauket and later guided it across the Long Island Sound to Tallmadge in Fairfield, Connecticut. Tallmadge’s work with the Setauket spy ring increasingly targeted British operations on Long Island through his contacts in this North Shore loyalist area.

This successful operation was aided by Tallmadge’s friends Abraham Woodhull and Caleb Brewster to prevent the British from attacking the 6,000 French soldiers expected to land at Newport, Rhode Island. The British were given incorrect information that Washington intended to attack New York City, creating a safe passage for these allied soldiers. Tallmadge also discovered the treachery of Gen. Benedict Arnold and the failed British capture of the West Point military base on the Hudson River. 

The Culper Spy Ring was supported by Setauket tavern owner Austin Roe, who often traveled to Manhattan to purchase supplies for his business. As a secret patriot courier collecting enemy intelligence, Roe worked with Anna Strong, who defied the British and helped ensure it was safe for patriot whaleboats to land near Setauket Harbor to transport this information back to Tallmadge in Connecticut, where it was eventually read by Washington.

Throughout the war, Tallmadge supported activities to help the Americans win their independence and was promoted to lieutenant colonel and remained in Connecticut, where he later became a Federalist Party representative in Congress from 1801 to 1817. Millions of television watchers enjoyed the AMC series “Turn” that chronicled the patriotic and dangerous activities that took place on Long Island. Characters such as Floyd and Tallmadge helped ensure the permanent freedom of the patriots who fought in order to bring the meaning of the Declaration of Independence to the new nation. 

This Fourth of July, may we never forget the past, present and future importance of service to always protect and preserve the ideals of America.