A plaque, placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, on Croton Point in their honor, was recently listed as one of the sites on the Westchester County African-American Heritage Trail. Peterson, of African-American descent, is buried in Bethel Cemetery in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, surrounded by other members of his family.

On the morning of September 21, 1780, Peterson and Sherwood watched as H.M.S. Vulture anchored off Croton Point. They were either working in a cider mill at Finney Farm, or at Croton Point or passing a farmer making cider on the Point. When they saw an English gun-boat with twenty-four soldiers approach the shore, they fired and the boat retreated.

The Vulture peppered the shore with grape shot, indicating to Peterson and Sherwood that it was within cannon range.

The two men rounded up some friends and went to Fort Lafayette at Verplanck where they either persuaded the commander, Colonel Livingston to bring a four (or six) pound cannon to Croton Point, or they put together a string of horses and brought the cannon there themselves.

By dawn of the morning of September 22, the cannon was installed on Croton Point, some say at Teller's Point, in the south-west. Firing started at sun rise, and because of the lack of wind and low tide, the Vulture was unable to move out of range. Considerable damage was done to the rigging, but the only casualty was splinter in the captain's nose.

Finally, the Vulture moved down river.

This action prevented Major John Andre, who carried the plans of West Point given him by the traitor Benedict Arnold, from making his rendezvous with the ship. It forced him to seek an escape overland which lead to his capture by John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart and David Williams in Tarrytown, two days later.

Peterson and Sherwood were never officially recognized for their important actions that significantly altered the course of the war.

The Peekskill Museum believes the six-pound cannon, found in 1924 on the site of Fort Lafayette, was the cannon fired upon the Vulture, and proudly displays it on the Museum's front lawn.