Johannes Snyder was given his commission and officially took his post as Colonel on May 1, 1776. At that time the 1st Ulster was reported to have 472 officers and men. In April of that year, he was elected to the Provincial Congress as a Delegate, and thus did not start active duty until September 1, 1776 when he was directed to proceed to Fort Montgomery in the Hudson Highlands and take command. He arrived on September 27th.
The three months for which our Regiment had been called out expired on November 30th. In the following year, 1777, he was with his regiment at Ft Montgomery as early as June 4th. On July 30th, he took his seat as a member of the Assembly in the first legislature chosen in New York State.
His activity was said to be "untiring! " He was at the head of his regiment in the Highlands, and was assigned to every court-martial convened by General George Clinton to try Tories who were active everywhere, and whom our regiment seized on every hand. He was also a member of the Council of Safety in Ulster County.