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New Soldiers Identified as Town of Fishkill Officially Recognizes Revolutionary War Cemetery

FISHKILL, NY – In a landmark decision for historic preservation, the Fishkill Town Board voted 5-0 on May 13, 2026 to officially “designate and dedicate” the unmarked burial ground at the Continental Army Supply Depot as a Revolutionary War cemetery. This official action coincides with the identification of three additional soldiers who perished at the site, further cementing its status as one of the nation’s most significant hallowed grounds.

The newly identified soldiers will be added to the virtual Tribute Wall maintained by the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot, a non-profit group dedicated to the site’s preservation. The individuals include:

• Private Isaac Barbadoes: From Woburn/Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Barbadoes enlisted for 3 years on April 10, 1777 in Captain Edmund Munroe's Company, Colonel Timothy Bigelow's 15th Massachusetts Continental Regiment. He was left sick at the Fishkill Hospital in the Fall and died on December 1, 1777
• Lieutenant Solomon Tarbox Jr.: An officer in the 3rd Connecticut Regiment. Historical service records and a pension affidavit from fellow soldier Asahel Phelps confirm Tarbox died in service at Fishkill on December 20, 1777.
• Wiliam Munson: Identified as a "Volunteer" in an April 2, 1781 Orderly Book entry by Lieutenant Pliny Moore of the 2nd Canadian Regiment (Hazen’s Regiment). The entry describes a full military funeral "with Arms and three rounds blind cartridges." Research is ongoing to determine if he is the same William Munson who also held a Lieutenant’s commission in the same regiment.

The Town Board’s recognition was driven by an extensive dossier provided by the Friends on March 18, 2026, which included primary source documents, archaeological renderings, and expert testimony confirming the site as the final resting place for hundreds of Revolutionary War soldiers.

“With 91 soldiers now identified by name, we are only beginning to uncover the true scale of this site's importance to our nation’s founding,” said Lance Ashworth, Chairman of the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot. “Each name we recover is a reminder that this is not just ‘vacant land’—it is a veterans' cemetery that deserves permanent protection.”

Initially discovered by archaeologists in 2007 on private land along U.S. Route 9, the cemetery sits just south of the Van Wyck Homestead, the depot’s only surviving wartime structure. Despite the mounting evidence of its historical and emotional weight, the site remains under threat of commercial development for a proposed strip mall.

The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot continue to advocate for the full preservation of the site and invite the public to join the effort to save this piece of American history. To support the preservation effort contact us here.