battle of monmouth muster rolls

Paintings courtesy of Don Troiani,www.historicalimagebank.com. Thomas Gibson, a free man of color from Guilford County, enlisted for two years service in 1781 and defended his home county that March. WebUnder Dearborn the 3rd regiment was at the Battle of Monmouth, where some of its most soldierly men participated. In addition to the bonds not maturing, the Continental currency continued to devalue over the course of the war. "[41] He also said that he had no family aside from an 18-year-old daughter named Mary and revealed her status as "bound out to service. As wintry weather approached, armies often withdrew to fixed camps. WebWhile the British had escaped, the Americans claimed victory in the Battle of Monmouth and Washington was lauded for his bravery. Taking up positions along Brandywine Creek, Washington mistakenly believed that his army blocked all fords across the Brandywine. x- [ 0}y)7ta>jT7@t`q2&6ZL?_yxg)zLU*uSkSeO4?c. R -25 S>Vd`rn~Y&+`;A4 A9 =-tl`;~p Gp| [`L` "AYA+Cb(R, *T2B- The Continental Army lost the battle and retreated, leaving Philadelphia in English hands, though most of Washington's troops survived. [11] Fortune is, however, included in a genealogical history of the Conant family, but the only information included says that he lived in Billerica and served three years in the Continental Army. WebBattle of Monmouth, also called Battle of Monmouth Court House, (June 28, 1778), indecisive engagement in the American Revolution, fought at Monmouth, New Jersey. [14] Records of Military Operations and Service: Officers and Enlisted Men. In a History of Billerica, Massachusetts, a William Conant is listed as taxed in the town from 1776 to 1779, and his daughter Betsey, is stated as being baptized there in August 1795. The tribes closest to the American settlements along the eastern seaboard sided with the Patriots. [13] The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. WebThe Battle of Brandywine was the largest single day engagement of the American Revolution where nearly 30,000 soldiers (not including civilians, teamsters, servants, and Recruited throughout the spring of 1778, the regiment's companies comprised Black and white soldiers, along with Native Americans. He appeared on muster rolls for York Hutts, an encampment in New Jersey, from November 1781 to January 1782. 53. Just four days later, on May 19, 1778, Oneida Native Americans, joined with Daniel Morgans Virginia riflemen to spearhead the first movement of Washingtons army from Valley Forge. And that I have no other means of obtaining a subsistence, except the pension allowed by Congress, and do actually need the assistance of my country to prevent my being dependent on charity.[40]. ( )Tj Ask someone to think of Valley Forgeand they will nearly always envision an anonymous group of soldiers struggling against winters fury and clothed in nothing but rags. Baltimore, Maryland: Lord Baltimore Press, Maryland Historical Society. WebFour muster masters were appointed to carry out the intent of the Provincial Congress. Web250 Capt. The 1st Rhode Island, which was first created in 1775, saw action straight through the war, fighting at the Siege of Boston, the New York and New Jersey Campaign, Battle of Red Bank, the Battle of Rhode Island, and the Siege of Yorktown. N')].uJr ). Again, though no "Fortune Freeman" is listed with Nixon's men, Fortune Conant is documented on record at White Plains on September 9, 1778, with Danforth's company in Nixon's regiment, a few months after the Battle of Monmouth. Some of the muster rolls provide the date when duty began, and in the case of officers, the date of their commission, and perhaps some additional comments indicating such types of information as whether they were detached on special duty or the dates of any desertions. [34], In 1781, Washington ordered the formation of a light infantry regiment commanded by Scammell, "with a view of having a Corps ready to execute a project of the kind which I shall propose to you, which is to endeavour [sic] to strike, by surprise, [enemies establishing themselves at or near Fort Lee]. WebMuster Roll of Captain Richard Lloyd's Company, Colonel Hazen's Regiment, August, 1778. Is it possible these two different identities tell the same story? He then said he reenlisted in Boston in 1780 into the same company and regiment. [44] Freeman may have died in September, possibly between the ages of 64 and 77. Archive.org. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield. State Board of Charities," Social Networks and Archival Context, https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w6129qv4. The story of one of the most famous revolutionary women, Betsy Ross, is likely just that - a story. In the spring of 1818, an old man named Fortune Freeman appeared before the Mayor's Court of New York City. Aside from his own declarations, few records of his life exist before or after the war. During the action at Barren Hill, Oneida soldiershelped delay the advancing British force. 2y.-;!KZ ^i"L0- @8(r;q7Ly&Qq4j|9 Organized between May 1-20, 1775, to consist of 10 companies from Litchfield and Hartford Counties. The troops also constructed miles of trenches, five earthen forts (redoubts), and a state-of-the-art bridge over the Schuylkill River. WebThere is a Fifer Walter Maddox listed in the muster rolls of the 7th Maryland Regiment, Continental line. Retrieved 29 May 2006. uuid:97fc00cf-7f9f-47ec-8fe1-3e396fafbf5d Battle of Monmouth. It appears that Freeman, presumably because of his lengthy combat and campaign experience, is listed as "on command" with a Colonel Alexander Scammel, who led a New Hampshire regiment. The British soon tested the Continental Armys newfound discipline at the Battle of Monmouth, which took place in central New Jersey on June 28, 1778. (file:///M|/highpoint/webdocs/state/darm/darm2011/guides/guides%20for%20p\ df/sdea1004.html)Tj Freemans story is just one of the thousands of patriots of color that we can attempt to unravel by searching existing pension records, though thousands more did not get recorded. Though we do not know Freeman's exact journey, he claimed to have fought next in the June 1778 Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey. Was he born into slavery? Throughout his pension testimony, Freeman only names one company captain that he served under Captain Danforth. WebBattle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778 Wyoming Valley Massacre, July 3, 1778 Battle of Rhode Island, Aug. 29, 1778 Tryon's Attack upon New Haven, etc., July 5-10, 1779 Storming of Stony Point, July 15, 1779 Sullivan's Indian Raid, July-Aug., 1779 Battle of Springfield, N. J., June 23, 1780 Affair of Fort George, N. Y., Oct. 11, 1780 John Cadwalader. NARA M853, page 64, via Fold3.com. "[23] This possibly means that Conant served on a mission outside of camp raids and skirmishes frequently took place as both the Continental and British forces tested each other's defenses. Their attack pushed the Americans out of the crossing. In 1779 the 3rd Regiment was assigned to the Sullivan Expedition, and saw heated action at the Battle of Newtown, again evidenced by the toll shown in their muster rolls. He became one of 20,000 Revolutionary War veterans[3] who filed for a pension by the end of 1818 following the passage of a pension bill that same year. [30] Records of Military Operations and Service: Officers and Enlisted Men. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. But his assertions complicate understanding if Fortune Freeman and Fortune Conant were same person. Provisions, though never abundant in the early months of the encampment, were available. Aaron Longstreet's roll, 2 October 1776 310 Muster roll of Major Van Cortland's Company, 6 September 1779 317 Payroll of Capt. The encampment brought together men, women, and children of nearly all ages, from all walks of life, from different ethnic backgrounds, and from various religions. The six Oneida soldiersthat died that day in the action of Barren Hill are buried in a single plot in Saint Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, named in honor of the French general in command of American forces that day, the Marquis de Lafayette. There is no record of an African American serving higher than the rank of corporal in the main army. Under the direction of military engineers, the men built a city of 2,000-odd huts laid out in parallel lines along planned military avenues. The British Army focused instead on a campaign in the southern colonies, with an army under General Cornwallis engaging Continental forces in the Carolinas. Colonel William Prescott's militiaheld their own until ammunition ran low, repulsing the British from Bunker Hill. There is no pension file relating to Frederick because he was not married and did not have any minor children or aged parents dependant upon him for support. and Hull stayed with Kosciuszko during the heaviest fighting in the Southern theater. : Stackpole Books. [12] Though no definitive connection could be found between this William and Fortune, it does put the Conant family in the region at the time when Fortune joined the war. The Edenton Whig, a local newspaper, described Overton as, a soldier ofthe Revolution, and, served under Washington and was at the battle of Yorktown, Overton was praised by the community and say that, "He has lived among us longer than the ordinary period allotted to human life, and always sustained a character for honesty, industry, and integrity. NARA M246, page 150, via Fold3.com. He provided a sparse list of apparel described in the record as "all old and nearly worn out. [21] "The American Revolution Timeline," George Washington Papers, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/articles-and-essays/timeline/the-american-revolution/. 2 (1988): 13958. [26] Muster roll of Lieut. 18 756 576 -39.75 re But if Freeman was not at Brandywine, was he still injured in the war? Index card abstracts of accounts, muster and pay rolls, descriptive lists and accounts, etc. The main military force, which coalesced under General George Washington as the Continental Army, was not an integrated army until 1776. "[18] But he also said he witnessed the surrender of General John Burgoyne following combat at the Battle of Saratoga, which took place in October 1777 in upstate New York. Some enslaved men found freedom in fighting. [10] Field and staff rolls 1775-1780, Muster/Payrolls and Various Papers (1763-1808) of the Revolutionary War, Vol. [19] "Massachusetts Regiments in the Continental Army," RevolutionaryWar.us, https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/massachusetts/. The 15th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775 in eastern, Virginia for service with the Continental Army. Aaron Burr. But when Cornwallis marched his army toward the Chesapeake Bay, Washington saw an opportunity to strike. Where did he come from? Archive.org. Hull fought in the Battle of Cowpens, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, the Siege of Ninety-Six, and the Battle of Eutaw Springs. On the morning of June 27, having massing his forces at Bath, Feversham marched towards Monmouth's position with his advance units. Mary Stockwell, Ph.D. Notes: 1. Perhaps he was, and he simply misremembered the battle. The name Fortune Conant appears only in muster rolls. If the men are the same, Elijah Danforth is also the most solid connection we have to Billerica being Fortune Freeman's hometown. Arriving to the court with merely the clothes on his back, Freeman provided few details about his personal life in his statement. [23] Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783. These included the companies of: Captain Daniel Smiths Company Robert Doacks Company of Militia Men in Michael Woods Muster District Men in Thomas Burks Muster District Garrisons at Elk Garden Fort Garrisons at the Glade Hollow Fort %PDF-1.6 % Landing in Boston in July 1774, the 38th found themselves involved in the first military engagement of the American war: Concord and Lexington, April 1775. But the stories of these men are important to tell when we look back at our nations founding to see who served in the war that secured the independence of the United States. Dedicated surgeons, capable nurses, a smallpox inoculation program, and camp sanitation regulations limited the death tolls. Many recent European arrivals sought fortune and honor by enlisting in the regiments of the states they now called home. WebWith the return of the Continental army to the outskirts of New York City following the Battle of Monmouth Court House in June, muster rolls of the army were taken in White [28] Conant also appeared in a bounty note issued by the State of Massachusetts Bay on January 1, 1780. "It required all claimants to submit documentation of their poverty to a court of record. With the American colonists' Declaration of Independence, General Howe affected the landing of his troops on Long Island which included the 38th and attacked Washington's army successfully before Brooklyn Heights. A Return of officers of the Third Regiment of Light Dragoons with the dates of their In his pension application, Fortune Freeman asserted his presence at several well-known and significant battles during the Revolutionary War. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! The expected arrival of the French greatly altered British war plans and triggered their evacuation of Philadelphia in June. Most of these records are duplications of the War of 1812 muster rolls found in Mf. Elnathan Haskell's Company in the 4th Massachusetts Regt. WebNOTE: The following information was transcribed from the original Muster Roll held at the National Archives and Records Aministration, College Park, MD. WebThe muster rolls from the War of 1812 are a miscellaneous group of nine companies (mostly from East Tennessee) that served as volunteers or militia during the war. The army compensated full-time women followers for rendering such valuable services as laundering and nursing. [40] Fortune Freeman, Pension No. Though Freeman reveals nothing of his pre-war life in his pension record, Fortune Conant is credited to Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, for the purpose of the town meeting their recruitment quota for the war effort. Contributed by Anjelica Oswald, Digital Public History Intern. It is also worth noting that the dollars were paid in Continental dollars which were quickly depreciating in value. NARA M853, page 64, via Fold3.com. "Forten" Conant first appears on a list of men mustered by Colonel James Barrett, muster master of Middlesex County, on May 16, 1777. Was Danforth's promotion to captain and participation in the war a motivating factor in Conant's enlistment? Examining the possible connection between Fortune Conant and Fortune Freeman can help uncover potential motivations Freeman had for enlisting in the war. The successful conclusion of the Revolution marked only the beginning of the struggle for some individuals for personal liberty. APPENDIX 1 5 for the period Nov. 1779 through Feb. 1780 with the notation, Discharged Jan[uary] 19, 1780. 30 However, recalling a wound at Brandywine, specifically, complicates understanding the story of Fortune Freeman. Fought in one day, on June 28, 1778, the Battle of Monmouth resulted in no clear victory for either Washington's troops or the British. uuid:3d7d0c57-d1b8-4aa6-b03e-56b0d8f90c70 To better understand and appreciate what happened at Valley Forge, it is helpful to know how the encampment fits into the context of the American Revolution (1775-1783). 2011-05-16T09:36:32-04:00 However, no records indicate that a Fortune with the surname "Freeman" ever served under Danforth. [2] Freeman did not have a unique experience as a veteran in poverty. The Catawba had taken part in an earlier raid against a British position with Sumter as well. The Continental Army was primed and ready to move on to the next level just as a charismatic former Prussian army officer, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben, arrived in camp in February 1778. Mechanicsburg, Penn. WebLoyalist Muster Rolls During the American Revolution, muster rolls were prepared by the commanding officer of each company of a regiment for the express purpose of paying the officers and soldiers. Disease, not cold or starvation, was the true scourge of the camp. Their roles in Washingtons army included pioneer duties, such as constructing fortifications and clearing roads to musicians, guides, spies, and rank-and-file infantrymen. Leavened by 68, Image 673, via FamilySearch.org. His cause of death or later whereabouts remain unknown. (*(%8H8c- fd9@6_IjH9(3=DR1%? Captain Danforth and his family lived in Billerica for years, with Danforth even serving as a minute man in 1775. By the end of 1818, the program cost nearly $2 million.[7]. His family home being the Rolls Mansion built just outside of Monmouth at People often picture the Continental Army of 1777 as a ragtag bunch of inexperienced fighters, but Washingtons men fought with skill and were often on the offensive while campaigning against superior numbers of professional soldiers. Freeman may have moved to Hingham to try and start a new life as maritime towns had generally more job opportunities than farming towns. [36] "Alexander Scammell," The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire, https://www.socnh.org/alexander-scammell/. From there, Freeman did not mention any specific event until 1780, but muster rolls document Conant's presence in 1779. In the Continental Army, bound individuals yearning for liberty and wages served alongside freemen in search of a better life. Bounty receipts: Suffolk, Essex, and Middlesex counties 1781-1782, Muster/Payrolls and Various Papers (1763-1808) of the Revolutionary War, Vol. WebMuster Rolls & other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution 1775-1783 ( (HTML)) (Reprint ed.). Hannigan wrote that digging into muster rolls led him to "to believe that Fortune Freeman was originally a slave from Essex County, Massachusetts named Fortune Conant." [31] He served in Elnathan Haskell's company, William Shepard's regiment. Muster rolls of the participating companies of American militia and minute-men in the battle of April 19, 1775, mostly from the archives of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, but a few from other sources " 78 p Photocopy Addeddate 2008-01-24 16:23:44 Call number 2735985 [35] "From George Washington to Alexander Scammell, 17 May 1781," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-05812. 2 (1988): 13958. The 1st Continental Artillery Regiment, raised in Virginia and commanded by Col. Charles Harrison, had marched from New York in April 1780 to the support of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, whose force was under siege at Charleston, South Carolina. On June 28, at the Battle of Monmouth, N.J., Washingtons men demonstrated their improved battle prowess when they forced the British from the field. Army returns reveal that two-thirds of the nearly 2,000 men who perished died during the warmer months of March, April, and May, when supplies were more abundant. Journal of the Early Republic 8, no. 8.25 0 0 8.25 18 744.75 Tm [18] Fortune Freeman, Pension No. They were prepared by the commanding officer of each It is possible that Fortune Conant, a young man who enlisted either enslaved or perhaps recently freed, later changed his name. Throughout the Revolution,the fightfor independencepermeated intoNative American tribes and alliances. Following this amendment, Freeman reapplied. [17] The committee in Billerica voted for an additional bounty of 24 to "such persons as will now Inlist into the Continental Army" but they needed to figure out how the money would be raised for the additional bounty. It is highly unlikely that Freeman saw action both at the battles of Brandywine and Saratoga: The battles took place hundreds of miles apart and only a few weeks separated them. V)gB0iW8#8w8_QQj@&A)/g>'K t;\ $FZUn(4T%)0C&Zi8bxEB;PAom?W= Muster Roll dated August 24, 1780. [32] Muster Roll of Capt. [3] 2021 Valley Forge Legacy Muster Roll Project. While the contributions and sacrifices of these individuals are not as well known,their significance to the new government's creation iscritical. WebA unique historical record compiled from the rolls made by the Hanoverian army of the Duke of Cumberland after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Even in Washingtons home ofVirginia, Blacksoldiers fought in Virginia units. 2 . By February 1822, nearly 12,000 veterans were back onabout 20,000 veterans took the pauper's oath and submitted to the means test; and all but 2,000 got the benefit." It was natural to expect that they wished for more comfortable accommodations, after the hardships of a most severe campaign; but I could discover nothing like a sigh of discontent at their situation On the contrary, my ears were agreeably struck every evening, in riding through the camp, with a variety of military and patriotic songs and every countenance I saw, wore the appearance of cheerfulness or satisfaction.. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Others, born free, joined and fought for home, country, and a hope to get any financial footing in life. 9 0 0 9 5 779 Tm One of the most notable contributions came from the Oneida, who sent aid and a contingent of warriors to Valley Forge. Royal Army - under the command of the Earl of in the service of the United States Commanded by William Shepard for the Month of What about his parents or any siblings? NARA M804, pages 4 and 9, via Fold3.com. If Freeman had bounty bonds from prior service as Fortune Conant, they would not mature until 1785. However, there is no record of Nixon's regiment at the Battle of Monmouth. Fortune Conant's name also does not appear in any land records.[11]. In his pension application, Freeman claimed to have first enlisted in Boston in 1776 in Captain Elijah Danforth's company, Colonel Thomas Nixon's regiment, later designated the 6th Massachusetts Regiment in 1779. Later muster rolls state that Fortune Conant officially enlisted in the Continental Army a few weeks later on June 4, 1777. Women followed the army to be with their husbands and contributed actively to the cause. 2011-05-16T09:36:32-04:00 By November, Freeman transferred from his command post back to Haskell's company. The sound that would have reached your ears on approaching the camp was not that of a forlorn howling wind, but rather that of hammers, axes, saws, and shovels at work. Though a few probate records indicate some Conant family members enslaved people of African descent, Fortune's name does not appear in any of these surviving records. 32, Image 99, via FamilySearch.org. Inflation and depreciation meant that these bounty payments were not worth their face value by the time soldiers were paid. S 43,572, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. It is also possible that he lost contact with the pension program by moving, whether of his own volition or forced by outside circumstances. ET WebThis Revolutionary War Militia Arrangement provides a breakdown of the battalions and companies raised in each county and the names of the commanding officers. Who were his parents? By June, Freeman arrived in West Point, New York and appeared on muster rolls for Haskell's company. WebBattle of Monmouth (1778) Unit History The Regiment was authorized on April 27, 1775 in the Connecticut State Troops as the 4th Connecticut Regiment. Another Native American tribe, the Catawba, assisted South Carolina militia commander, Colonel Thomas Sumter during the Second Battle of Hanging Rock on August 6, 1780.

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