James Young fought as a canoneer in the Revolutionary War and is a distant forebear of Nellie Sienkiewicz. The discovery enabled her to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her husband, Anthony, a Korean War veteran, painted this colonial in-lawloading a canon during a battle at Fort Delancy, which stood at what is now Avenue B and 51st Street. Sienkiewicz donated the oil painting to the city of Bayonne. “When Nellie was researching, these stories were coming up,” Sienkiewicz said. “I thought it would be nice to paint her a picture with her [fourth] great grandfather loading a cannon.”
Sienkiewicz’s celebration of one of the country’s first veterans exemplifies the spirit of Veteran’s Day. His Fort Delancy painting was one of many on display at the Bayonne Community Museum last week as part of a show titled “American Pride: A Tribute to the American Veteran.” The paintings, some of which are on permanent display at the museum, depict veterans of all creeds in battles from the Revolution to the wars in the Middle East.
The ceremony
The Veteran’s Day ceremony took place on Friday, November 11. Veterans came to the museum, as they do every year, to honor all those who serve. “Some of the things you see in these paintings, the meaning just pops out,” said keynote speaker Art Van Horn, grand marshal of the Bayonne Memorial Day Parade Committee and member of the American Legion Post 165. At the ceremony, he spoke on veterans’ roles in communities. “We need to make sure that we keep America first, and we can do it through our community,” he said.“So what does a veteran become? A veteran becomes a community-minded member.”
Van Horn served in the Navy from 1979 until 2002. He worked on a submarine during the Cold War. He told stories of readiness to fire missiles at Russian ships; luckily he never had to. “The military doesn’t determine war,” he said. “We’re not war mongers. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We’re just trying to protect.”
Days after the presidential election, Mayor James Davis recognized the unity that veterans represent:“Look around the room today at all the veterans who are sitting here. They’re all races, all religions, all different people. And the way we are today, like never before, we need to realize we are all Americans.” He went on, “We’re never going to allow anyone to divide us and conquer us, because all we need to do is look at our veterans. They look at one another, and what do they see? Brothers.”
Veterans were in high spirits. Val Koltunkowicz played an encore trumpet performance of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” while veterans viewed the artwork. Frank Perrucci and John Nicoretta, two of Bayonne’s most prominent and senior veterans, sang an impromptu rendition of “God Bless America.”
“That’s going to be our new tradition from now on,” said Perrucci while admiring the paintings depicting various battles throughout the country’s history. “They’re fantastic. That’s why we have the feeling we have today.”
Third Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa called veterans “Our true heroes. The art is fantastic. Not only does it depict great scenes. It also covers a long range of battles in our country.”
“The military doesn’t determine war. We’re not war mongers. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We’re just trying to protect.” – Art Van Horn
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Local battles
Though Sienkiewicz’s art is meant to communicate the complex and diverse history of the United States at war, its local significance resonates.
The British controlled the Bergen Neck area with two forts in what is now Bayonne: Fort Delancy on what is now Avenue B, and one on First Street at what is now the site of the old Texaco Chevron plant. A natural supply route from Staten Island, Bayonne was a strategic area from which the British could stage raids into Bergen and Essex counties for cattle and wood. In February of 1782, Newark Bay froze, allowing the Continental Army to cross and try (unsuccessfully) to take the fort. The Delancy painting is on permanent display at City Hall.
Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.