During the Revolutionary War Cornelia (Van Cortlandt) Beekman made her support of American independence known. Scattered throughout family records are anecdotes of her cool composure in the face of British and Loyalist raids on her Peekskill home, once even allegedly chastising a man for speaking derisively of her father. It is speculated that she played a small part in preventing the loss of West Point. Cornelia Beekman was asked to keep a Continental leiutenant's valise, which contained his army uniform until he personally requested it back. When Joshua Hett Smith came to her house asking for the valise she staunchly refused to give it without a written order from the owner even when her husband had been ready to turn over the valise. Historians since have speculated Smith, in whose home Andre and Arnold met shortly before these events, sought the uniform as a disguise for Andre to cross through the lines. She is buried alongside her parents and other Van Cortlandt relatives.