French threat originating from Quebec, and he
authored a practical, two-pronged attack from
land and by sea. When this plan was ratified by
the convention, Leisler had become the de
facto commander of a new military union
within the colonies. However, this operation
also resulted in conscription to increase avail-
able manpower, as well as increased taxation
to support them. When the actual campaign,
entrusted to Fitz-John Winthrop of Connecti-
cut, failed miserably due to lack of colonial co-
operation, criticism of Leisler and his increas-
ingly autocratic ways continued to mount.
New York’s political crisis crested in Janu-
ary 1691, when a ship arrived from England
bearing two companies of soldiers under
Capt. Richard Ingoldsby. He demanded that
Leisler surrender the city’s main fort in antici-
pation of the arrival of Governor Henry
Sloughter, his replacement. Leisler refused
without authorization from the proper civilian
authorities, of which there were currently
none. A tense impasse continued for several
weeks, with friction and violence growing be-
tween Leisler’s supporters and opponents.
Sloughter finally arrived on March 17, 1691,
having been delayed by administrative diffi-
culties. When Leisler surrendered the follow-
ing day, he was immediately arrested and
charged with treason.
Within weeks a court was convened for
Leisler’s trial. However, insomuch as the jury
was composed of all his aristocratic enemies,
the outcome was never in doubt. Leisler, an-
gered by this treatment, refused to speak out
in his own defense and was found guilty. On
May 16, 1691, this most unlikely of rebels was
hanged and then beheaded without ceremony.
However, the wanton execution of Leisler, a
Dutch national, shocked Europe, and the
Netherlands government pressured King
William into reviewing the case. In 1695, Par-
liament was induced to reverse the New York
court’s decision, legitimize Leisler’s adminis-
tration, and vote an indemnity to his heirs.
Leisler’s rule, trial, and death nevertheless
cast a pall over New York City politics, and
bitter feelings—especially between the En-
glish and Dutch communities—persisted well
into the eighteenth century. In a twist of fate,
the two-pronged military strategy he so
strongly advocated against Quebec was even-
tually adopted in the French and Indian War,
ensuring the fall of New France in 1763.Bibliography
Archdeacon, Thomas J. New York City, 1664–1710:
Conquest and Change.Ithaca: Cornell University
Press, 1976; Gallup-Diaz, Ignacio. “A Study of
Leisler’s Rebellion in New York, 1689–1691.” Unpub-
lished master’s thesis, City College of New York,
1993; Lovejoy, David S. The Glorious Revolution in
America.New York: Harper, Row, 1972; McCormick,
Charles H. Leisler’s Rebellion.New York: Garland,
1989; Reich, Jerome R. Leisler’s Rebellion: A Study
of Democracy in New York, 1664–1720.Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1953; Ritchie, Robert C.
The Duke’s Province: A Study of New York Politics
and Society, 1664–1691.Chapel Hill: University of
North Carolina Press, 1977; Voorhees, David W. “In
Behalf of the True Protestant Religion: The Glorious
Revolution in New York.” Unpublished Ph.D. disser-
tation, New York University, 1988.LEISLER, JACOB