Colonel George Watson Pratt

New York Patriot & Founder Ulster County Historical Society

 

The only son of Zadock and Abigail Watson Pratt;

Born on April 18, 1830 in Prattsville, NY;

 

Had a strong penchant for studying and made rapid progress under private teachers in Prattsville, Catskill and later Bartlett’s Collegiate School in Poughkeepsie where he remained until July 1846 (according to Seward R. Osborne);

After traveling throughout the Northwestern United States and Canada, he became engaged for a short time as cashier in his father’s bank in Prattsville;

 

In April 1848, he and the Reverend Spencer of New York sailed for Europe, traveling through England, Switzerland, France, Germany, Russia, Greece, Spain and Egypt. Pratt also visited the Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee and the Holy Land; his travels lasted approximately a year;

On April 24, 1850, George booked passage on the steamer Hermann, accompanied by his sister, Julia and some friends.

 

On December 14, 1850, he was awarded an honorary degree as Doctor of Philosophy by the First University of Mecklenburg, Germany;

As a result of his many travels, Pratt acquired a large and varied library of Oriental literature and was able to converse in many Oriental languages without the aid of an interpreter.

 

"Pratt was helped from the field by his men and moved to the Willard
Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. One of the individuals who aided the
gallant colonel from the battlefield was Lexington native James Van
Valkenburgh."

"In his eulogy it was remarked that, "the differences between war and
peace is that in peace the sons bury the fathers and in war the fathers
bury the sons."

The life and military service of George Watson Pratt, the only son of
the famous tanner and Congressman Zadock Pratt, is commemorated on Pratt
Rock. The site located in Prattsville is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. The mountainside memorial served as an early Civil
War monument and is often referred to as the "Mount Rushmore of the
Hudson Valley" or the “Mini-Mount Rushmore of New York State.”