Local historians trace John Bailey's role supplying Washington's sword
Historians at Fishkill's dedication said John Bailey, born about 1736 in Sheffield, immigrated to New York, fled the British-occupied city in 1776, and later supplied swords and metalwork to the Continental Army; the sword linked to Washington left the family in 1843 and is now held by the Smithsonian.
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Speakers at the Fishkill dedication placed John Bailey in the community and the wider Revolutionary narrative. Amy McKenzie of the French Historical Society said Bailey was born in 1736 and likely trained in Sheffield, England, immigrated to New York and left the occupied city in the autumn of 1776. "By age 20, Bailey probably already knew his trade," McKenzie said, and his move into the Hudson Valley positioned him to supply Continental Army officers.
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