That saying has sure been around for a while and reworked over and over throughout the history of wars. One that comes to mind in recent history is the Pvt. Jessica Lynch Iraq war story and how we were fortunate enough to have her survive her attack and to also totally debunk the rapidly growing “war hero” myth that surrounded it.

General Woodhull, did not survive his injuries, from his escape attempt at Carpenters Tavern in Jamaica Queens, during the Battle of Long Island in 1776, that led to his death a month later from gangrene. His widow Ruth, brought his body home to Mastic and he was buried in an unmarked grave until the Lawrence family placed the headstone that still stands there today around 1825. Also around that time several “historians” and writers namely Benjamin Thompson, Henry Onderdonk and novelist James Fenimore Cooper, and an Anonymous balladeer would create stories and a song about what they thought happened during General’s capture. As it turns out both Thompson and Cooper had good reasons to mythicize the Woodhull story. This was not really uncovered, until an over curious writer named Henry Waldo Sabine, saw the Woodhull Memorial in his neighborhood in Hollis in the mid 1950’s. Sabine thought that the inscription might of been a tad over exagerated and he spent untold hours over the course of 5 years, studying documents in the New York State archives in Albany. That led to his self publishing a manuscript titled The Suppressed History Of General Nathaniel Woodhull and later in the 1970’s in his published book titled “Murder 1776 and Washington’s Policy of Silence”. I have read both and they were well researched eye openers. BTW Washington as referred to in the book title is General George Washington….not the city. It seems that General William Floyd visited with General Washington to try and secure a prisoner exchange for his captured and wounded brother in law. Washington declined for reasons far too complicated to get into here, but you can read the book if you care to seek it out. I found my copy on either Amazon or E Bay. I have wondered if Floyd was able to get his brother in law released, his wounds may of been better tended to and he might of survived.

The reason I bring this up is simply because as an historian, I find that the truth is often inconvenient. A few decades ago, Newsday, published a series, called Long Island Our Story and in there, they too raised the questions of the facts vs the myths surrounding General Woodhull. It seems someone at Newsday had taken the time to read Sabine’s book or at least became aware of it.

Facts are, Nathaniel Woodhull came from one of the earliest colonial families to settle on Long Island, He was both a Major in the Kings army and General in the Continental Army and also President of The New York State Colonial Congress at the start of the Revolution, He was severely injured, trying to avoid capture from a troop of British dragoons and died of those wounds a month later. The whole part about his not saying God Save The King to his captors, instead saying God Save Us All, that led to his being struck by a sword, was part and parcel to several myth makers in the 1820’s. That said it does not make Woodhull any less of a man who gave all for a country he unfortunately did not live to see created.

But myths, die much slower than the truth. U S Congressman, Tim Bishop of Long Island to his credit, sponsored a bill to rename the Mastic Beach Post Office General Nathaniel Woodhull Post Office. That’s a fine and noble thing to do in my book. However in the press release from Bishop’s office and in newspaper accounts I have read, including Newsday’s, as sure as we are living the MYTH of General Woodhull resurfaces alongside the facts. It’s almost like what President George W. Bush said in 2005 “You have to keep repeating things, to catapult the propaganda” ARRRGHHH …THAT %^^^^ DRIVES ME CRAZY