My Patriot Ancestors
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Research by
Nancy Lecompte
Dec-2005

My Patriot Ancestors


A Brief Accounting of the Military Service of Several of My Ancestors During the American Revolution (1775 to 1783)

THE CONTINENTAL ARMY - At the opening of the war, there was no national army. The military in the Colonies was British and reported only to the King of England. Since the time of the colonial Indian wars (1675-1763), New England had always had local militia units. They seldom had uniforms, generally provided their own weapons, and were not known for good discipline or proper military structure. It was these local militia units that made up our first army and fought our first battles as an independent nation.

On the 14th of June in 1775 the newly formed Continental Congress voted approval to raise a national army. The following day they chose George Washington to be the Commander in Chief of this army and he formally took command on the 3rd of July, 1775. His plan of having a 20,000 man Continental Army by the end of the year fell short by 12,000 men. His plan of having the army "uniformly paid, supplied, and administered" also fell far short of his expectations. When the first enlistment (only six months) was up, many of the soldiers returned home. This situation continued throughout the war. General Washington had to continually resort to the use of local militia units.

Although the new Continental Army belonged to the nation, it was the thirteen individual colonies that were responsible for organizing and equipping the army up to the regimental level and for appointing officers up to the rank of colonel. Needless to say, each state provided different levels of support, equipment, and leadership, leaving our new uniform army, very un-uniform. From the beginning, recruiting went poorly and soon a system of state quotas was established to fill the ranks. This didn't work well and states often resorted to offering cash and other incentives to new recruits. Even this failed to fill the state quotas, but that really mattered little. Even if he had plenty of men, there was a gross shortage of weapons, ammunition, uniforms, tents, payroll, and all the other things necessary to keep a large army. Yet, despite all this - we managed to win a war against a highly trained, well supplied, and very experienced British Army.

Samuel Proctor (1749-1794)


( 5th Great Grandfather )

See His Family Tree

Samuel Proctor (the 3rd of this name to live in Maine) was born about April of 1749 in the town of Falmouth (the area later known as Portland & Westbrook, Maine) in the district of Maine and the Colony of Massachusetts. He was the son of Samuel Proctor (the 2nd) and his wife Elizabeth Johnson. Samuel died accidentally in Lewiston on the 26th of November 1794 while hauling timber out of the woods. I have searched for several years, but have not been able to locate his gravesite.

No one can say for sure how Samuel Proctor felt about the many issues leading up to the American Revolution, but it is clear by his actions that he believed at least some of the issues were important enough to fight and die for. Did he believe this before the morning of April 18, 1775? We have no way of knowing, but we can imagine the horror he, his relatives, friends, and neighbors must have felt as their homes and businesses went up in flames on that day. We can surmise that if he was not a true Patriot before that morning, he most certainly was before the day was done.

FALMOUTH - On that infamous day in Maine and American history, the town of Falmouth was bombarded by three war ships of the British Navy accompanied by a munitions supply ship, all under the command of Captain Mowatt. The bombardment went on non-stop for most of the day, causing about three-quarters of the town, all but one of the wharfs, and most of the ships in port to be destroyed.

It appears that our Proctor family may have been spared from total loss. Samuel's father lived away from the center of town and beyond the reach of the ship's cannon. The location of the house was on what is Congress Street today by the corner of Brown Street. Despite being beyond the reach of the cannon, they still had to maintain constant efforts to keep sparks from igniting their buildings and property. While working to save their own property, they dealt with the chaos of terror stricken livestock running here & there and dazed town folks fleeing with the few meager belongings they managed to save from their burning homes. One account mentions that many carried their belongings out to the orchard of Samuel Proctor, where they deposited them on the ground to returned for another load. Unfortunately, the next day it began raining, and it rained hard for 3 days straight, ruining the food stuffs and many of the belongings they worked so hard to save from the inferno. Samuel's uncle, Benjamin, was also spared. His home, which was the original house of the first Proctor (Samuel 1st) to settle in Falmouth, was located closer to the center of town near what is today the corner of Fore and Silver Streets. The wharfs directly in front of Benjamin's home and the homes of his surrounding neighbors burnt to the ground. We can only image the tremendous effort the family made to keep the flames at bay. The fate of other family members living in Falmouth on that day can not be determined from the few records that survive, but we do know that no one in the town was killed. The rest of this year and the following year were not kind to the inhabitants that chose to remain and rebuild the town. How any of them managed to survive this period is beyond belief, but survive they did and by the end of the war the town was showing respectable signs of recovering.

When British ships entered the Harbor in November of the same year, demanding the inhabitants give up all their weapons, the town stood its ground. But first, they gave up a few old muskets and begged for a little time to gather the rest. In the mean time, word spread far and wide what the British were up to. Town folk from all around the countryside worked feverishly through the night to bring additional cannon to Falmouth and build breastworks to protect them. By daybreak they were prepared to repulse the British and before the sun was very high, the British decided this was not a good day to pick a fight with Falmouth!

Samuel was twenty-five and unmarried when Falmouth was destroyed. In 1777, Samuel listed his residence as North Yarmouth, so it appears that he (and perhaps other family members) went to live there for a period of time. Early Maine deeds show that the first Samuel Proctor had received land there as a gift from his father-in-law and perhaps the family still maintained that property.

The first time we encounter the name of Samuel Proctor in military records of the time is on the 9th of July as a fifer for Captain Knight's Company at Falmouth. There were at least two Samuel Proctors in Falmouth at the time (father & son), and perhaps three, so we can not be certain who is referred to in all of the records that survive. Most listings are for short periods of time with the local militia, in & around Falmouth and could be for either Samuel, his father, or a possible cousin. Here is a list of the various enlistments that I am not certain about.

  • July 9, 1775 to January 17, 1776 - a fifer in Captain Knight's Company at Falmouth. (this could be father, son, or another Samuel)
  • August 20 to August 31, 1776 - a private with Capt. B. Hooper's Company at Falmouth for sea coast defense (this must be Samuel's father or another Samuel)
  • August 1777 - serving in Captain Lowell's Artillery Company 1st Cumberland County Regiment at Falmouth (this must be Samuel's father or another)
  • April 18 to December 6, 1780 - a private with Captain Joseph Pride's Company, Col. Joseph Prime's Cumberland County Regiment defending the sea coast (this Samuel died on the 6th of December, 1780, probably of disease, and could be the father or another)

The first service that we can be certain of for young Samuel is from the 1st of March to the 23rd of November, 1776, where we find him listed as a private with Captain William Crocker's Company, Col. Mitchell's Regiment, stationed at Falmouth defending the sea coast.

SEA COAST DEFENSE would have consisted of standing watch at places along the coast where passing British ships might be observed. The British were in Southern New England and in Eastern Maine, so keeping an eye on British shipping was an important job. Despite being very important, the job was probably incredibly boring and very uncomfortable - with no fire allowed and little protection from the weather.

Samuel was serving under Col. Peter Noyes in the 1st Cumberland County Regiment on the 28th of February in 1777, when he signed up for three years of service in the Continental Army. He served in Capt. Daniel Lane's Company, Col. Ichabod Alden's 7th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Captain Lane was a local man and an experienced soldier from the French & Indian War period.

Samuel's regiment probably took part in the Saratoga Campaign during the summer and fall of 1777, for his Captain is reported taken prisoner in July of 1777 in New York.

PRISONERS OF WAR were generally paroled within a few days of capture, because armies of this time period did not have the ability to handle large numbers of prisoners. Frequently the prisoners from each side of the engagement were simply exchanged or released after swearing an oath stating they would not continue to wage war. The POWs were expected to keep their word, but there was no way to make sure they did.

Samuel begins his second year of service in Albany, New York where he appears on a regimental roster dated January 14, 1778. This would indicate that Samuel's regimental winter quarters were at Albany, rather than the more famous Valley Forge. On this roster, Samuel is reported to be on furlough. I have not been able to determine how long a typical furlough for an enlisted man would be, but it's not likely he had time to return home to visit. Samuel's regiment was ordered to Cherry Valley during the summer of 1778.

Cherry Valley was a little settlement about 60 miles west of Albany, New York, at the headwaters of the Susquehanna River and just a stone throw away from the Mohawk Valley. The region was ripe with British sympathizers along with British Ranger Units and their Iroquois Indian allies. Settlements throughout the region had been under attack from the enemy and the people lived in terror of the constant British and Indian raids.

Upon arriving at Cherry Valley the end of July, the regiment (approx. 250 soldiers) found the townsfolk living in the meeting house - over two hundred men, women, and children crowded into one building day and night for weeks. They were very glad to learn the regiment was to be stationed in their town to protect them and they immediately began moving back into their homes. Samuel and the other solders were housed in local barns, while the officers moved into some of the homes of the townsfolk. The regiment's first business was to build a sturdy fort, which was christened "Fort Alden" on the 15th of August. Throughout the late summer and fall the regiment was on constant alert and regularly sent out scouting parties looking for enemy. Snow began falling in mid October. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, believing the enemy threat was over for the season. Armies did not wage war during the winter months and Indian warriors generally went game hunting during the winter. On November 8th, Col. Alden received word that a raid by British Rangers under Capt. Butler and Iroquois Indians led by Chief Joseph Brant was imminent. He chose not to believe it would happen that late in the season, thinking it only an idle rumor. He refused to allow the townsfolk to move into the fort. They begged to be allowed to move their food stores and valuables into the fort, but Col. Alden believed it would be wasted effort. However, the Colonel did decide to send out more scouting parties to see if they could discover anything.

Go here additional details about Cherry Valley and the Maine men that served in the regiment

CHERRY VALLEY MASSACRE - Snow fell again on November 10th, turning to rain early the next morning. The settlement was shrouded in fog. The officers, still quartered in local homes about 400 yards from the fort, lingered in the houses. About forty of the enlisted men had decided to go down to the stream to do their laundry. About noon a shot rang out and through the fog came 200 British Militia & Rangers and approximately 325 Iroquois Warriors. They killed the Colonel as he ran from his quarters toward the fort. Several officers were taken prisoner along with enlisted men guarding the officers' quarters and some of those doing their laundry at the stream. The fort was attack, but had been built well and housed several cannon which quickly and effectively repulsed the enemy. The regiment was heavily outnumbered and unable to venture beyond the walls of the fort. The enemy remained in the town for the next 36 hours, killing and destroying property at will, while the regiment could only stand by in the safety of the fort and watch.

As the last embers died, the record showed; 32 civilians (mostly women & children) dead, 70 captured and carried away (mostly women & children), 15 soldiers dead (including Col. Alden), five officers captured, and about a dozen enlisted men captured. Property destroyed included; 32 houses, 31 barns, 2 mills, the blacksmith shop, food stores, cattle, and other livestock. One hundred and eighty-two civilians were left without food, clothing, or homes at the beginning of winter. The attacking force had only 2 soldiers and 3 Indians wounded.

On the 15th, 40 of the civilian captives were released and returned to Cherry Valley for melancholy family reunions. The regiment was very low on supplies and out of food - and the snow began to fall again, piling up knee deep.

One of the scouting parties sent out before the attack (numbering about nine) was led by Sergeant Adam Hunter. Hunter agreed with Col. Alden, that it was too late in the season to worry about an attack. He threw caution to the wind and ordered a fire when they camped for the night. The fire was spotted by Capt. Butler during his approach to Cherry Valley. When Hunter and his men awoke on the morning of November 10th, they were staring into the muskets of Captain Butler's men. Upon intense interrogation, a traitor, possibly named Charles Hudman, told Butler all he needed to know about the regiment at Cherry Valley, including mention of the officers being quartered outside the fort. This scouting party became prisoners of war the day before the massacre at Cherry Valley.

What was Samuel's part during this tragic event? He was probably one of the men in the scouting party captured the day before, for his service record shows him taken prisoner on November 10th. It is possible that Samuel's date of capture is a transcription or publishing error and that he was actually one of the enlisted men captured at Cherry Valley on the 11th. There is no way for me to be certain of the date, but he was taken prisoner as a result of this event.

THE CHERRY VALLEY MILITARY PRISONERS of were not released or paroled in the normal manner. The Indians had captured other soldiers earlier in the year and were outraged to have their prisoners released to face them in battle again. They were determined not to let that happen again. The Cherry Valley prisoners were held through the winter. On February 12th, Sergeant Hunter arrived at Fort Alden after escaping from his captors. He related that Col. Stacey had been moved to Fort Niagara, but the other officers and enlisted men taken prisoner from Fort Alden were being kept by the Iroquois at their Oswego Village. See my Map of New York State.

We know from personal accounts of the civilian captives that they were marched "... down the Susquehanna to its junction with the Tioga, thence up the Tioga to near its source, and thence across to the head of Seneca Lake, and along down the eastern border of the lake to the Indian castle and village of Kanadaseago, a few miles from the present ... village of Geneva. The whole distance was between two and three hundred miles. Here they arrived about the last of November." Based on the statement of Sergeant Hunter, we must assume that the military prisoners continued on to Oswego.

Once the men arrived at Oswego, they would have faced the gauntlet - a practice by most Woodland Indians of lining up all the villagers in two lines facing each other and forcing captives to run between the lines while being brutally struck from both sides. After surviving the march, than the gauntlet, Samuel now had to concern himself with surviving the winter in the hands of a people that would much rather have killed him. His captors treated him as a slave during his captivity.

I have not been able to learn exactly when Samuel and the other soldiers were freed from captivity. Some of the civilian prisoners (Mrs. Campbell and her children) were to be exchanged in the spring for the family of Colonel Butler, but events of the war prevented that from happening. Those civilians stayed at Fort Niagara for a year then were moved to Montreal. Finally in the fall of 1780 (approximately 2 years after being taken captive) they returned home. I found no definitive information on when the captive officers were returned to duty, for officers were paid during the time of their captivity. I was only able to determine the names of 5 enlisted men taken prisoner at Cherry Valley. Of these men; Isaac & James Parmeter never lost a day's pay so perhaps they were returned with the civilians on November 14th - they were present at Fort Alden on the 12th of January 1779. Ira Johnson was reported as returned from captivity on the 22nd of April 1779. Based on his return date, Ira Johnson was probably held captive at Onondaga Castle, which was liberated from British control on the 21st of April.

Enlisted men apparently did not get paid for time in captivity and did not get credit towards their enlistment time either. Samuel Proctor and Enoch Danford were back on the payroll from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 1780, during which time they completed their three year enlistments. Samuel and Enoch may have been freed from captivity during the late summer campaign of 1779. If so, it appears they were allowed to return home to recuperate from their ordeal before completing their enlistments.

It appears Samuel's regiment remained in the New York theater during 1780. There were a number of British raids in the Mohawk Valley in 1780, but no evidence of conflicts involving Samuel's Regiment. They were camped near West Point in September, when the plans of the traitor, Benedict Arnold, to turn West Point over to the British were discovered.

Once Samuel's Continental Army enlistment period had been fulfilled, we find no more trace of the name Samuel Proctor in any military records - and who could blame him for wanting to go home, establish a farm, find a wife, and start a family. Samuel married Joanna Berry at Falmouth in 1784. Soon after, he and his younger brothers, Thomas & Joseph, begin to establish farms along the Androscoggin River. Samuel established his homestead near the southern boundary of Lewiston and later generations were on the other side of the border in Lisbon. His brothers established their homesteads on the other side of the river and figure into the histories of Danville and Durham. We do not know how many children were born to Samuel and Joanna, but only one son, George Henry Proctor, survived to adulthood. In the 1830s, George applied for Bounty Land made available to the descendants of Revolutionary War veterans.

Nathaniel True (1749-1788)


( 5th Great Grandfather )

Nathaniel True was born on the 9th of December, 1749 at Falmouth (Portland), Maine. He was the son of Jonathan True and his wife, Ann Stevens. Nathaniel married Sarah Brown in 1775 at North Yarmouth, Maine. He died in October of 1788 in North Yarmouth.

Nathaniel served under Captain Benjamin Parker of the Cumberland Regiment. His unit was on duty guarding the sea coast in the fall of 1775. In June of 1778 his name appears on a list of men from Cumberland Co. who enlisted in the Continental Army for a period of nine months. I have not been able to determine who he served under or where he was stationed while in the Continental Army.

Nathaniel's brother, Jonathan, served in the Continental Army at Ticonderoga.

Moses Soule (1738-1790)


( 5th Great Grandfather )
Moses Soule was born on the 19th of February, 1738 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. He was the son of Barnabus Soule and his wife, Jane Bradbury. In 1760, Moses married Nancy Ann Hughes, at North Yarmouth, Maine. Moses died about 1790 in Freeport, Maine.

Moses served only one short enlistment during the war. He answered the call for assistance from Falmouth in November of 1775. A British ship had sailed into Falmouth (Portland) Harbor and was demanding the inhabitants give up their weapons. The town stood its ground, brought in cannon from nearby towns, and built batteries overnight to convince the British they were serious about keeping their firearms. Moses served in Captain George Rogers's Militia Company for 6 days to "work on the fort at Falmouth".

His brother, John, served on the ill fated "Bagaduce Expedition" which tried to dislodge the British from Castine, Maine.

Peabody Bradford (1758-1852)


( 5th Great Grandfather )
Peabody Bradford was born the 15th of March, 1758 at Plymouth or Duxbury Massachusetts and died the 17th of January 1852 in Auburn, Maine. He was the son of Peabody Bradford and Lydia Freeman. Peabody married Hannah Bradbury in 1788 after moving to Maine.

At the age of 17, Peabody served as a private in Captain Samuel Bradford's 1st Duxbury Company in Col. Warren's Plymouth County Regiment. He participated as a "Minute Man" in the first armed conflict of the war, at Lexington and Concord the 19th of April, 1775. This service lasted only one day, but was of immense importance in demonstrating that the American people were ready to stand up, fight, and die for their liberty.

CONCORD & LEXINGTON - The British were alarmed by the growing unrest in the Colonies. Upon hearing about a cache of rebel arms kept in Concord, they decided to find and confiscate it. They had to march through Lexington to reach Concord. By the time they arrived in Lexington, about daybreak on April 19th, the word had spread throughout the countryside. About seventy "Minute Men" faced the British on the green. The militia scattered at the sight of the British formation. Someone fired a shot, and then the British fired two volleys. The rebels disappeared by the time the smoke settled.

The British moved towards Concord and were met by still more "Minute Men" ready to make a stand. The British were stopped in their tracks and began to retreat back to Boston. Along the route back, the British were attacked from all sides as "Minute Men" continued to pour into the area from surrounding towns. They hid behind trees and stone walls and sniped from high places all along the route. The British suffered greatly and the American Revolution had begun in earnest.

Peabody's uncle, Joseph Freeman, and his cousin, Chandler Freeman (more on them later) also served along side him the 19th of April.

Peabody served 2 months and 22 days in Captain Bradford's Company, Col. Theophilus Cotton's Regiment. This enlistment began on the 14th of May, 1775. He must have continued to reenlist in this unit for he appears in the same company on the 7th of October and was issued a coat or it's equivalence in money of the 6th of November, 1775.

He is absent from records (or the records have not survived) during the year 1777. Peabody next appears in Captain Joseph Wadsworth's Plymouth County Militia from the 27th of March to the 9th of April, 1777. In this record his age is given as 19 and his residence as Duxbury.

Peabody enlisted in the Continental Army for a period of three years, from the 10th of February, 1777, to the 4th of February, 1780. At the time he enlisted, he was serving with Captain Joshua Hall's 1st Company, Col. Theophilus Cotton's Plymouth County Militia Regiment. He began his service in the Continental Army under Captain Thomas Turner. He was promoted to corporal and served under Captain Wadsworth in the 2nd Company, Colonel Gamaliel Bradford's (his uncle) Regiment.

A portion of this service appears to have been in Boston but on the 28th of January, 1778 he appears on the muster roll at Valley Forge, indicating that he was with General Washington during that famous and tragic winter encampment. This muster roll indicates he is in the general hospital along with many of his fellow comrades.

VALLEY FORGE was the camp of General Washington and his Continental Army during the winter of 1777-78. Supplies were low and moral became even lower. The men suffered true hardship for about three months. Disease, due mostly to poor sanitation, and exposure to the elements of a New York winter, killed an estimated 3000 brave young men. Makeshift hospitals were set up around the area in barns and meeting-houses to house the sick. The hospitals were just as unsanitary as the camp and seldom had adequate medical supplies or staff.

The Marquis de Lafayette wrote: "The unfortunate soldiers were in want of everything; they had neither coats nor hats, nor shirts, nor shoes. Their feet and their legs froze until they were black, and it was often necessary to amputate them."

New York Gov. Morris wrote "An army of skeletons appeared before our eyes naked, starved, sick and discouraged, ..."

According to orders, the men built huts to live in. Each hut housed twelve men and was 14' x 16' with a 6-1/2' wall height. They were set into the ground about two feet and had no floor nor fixed door. Each hut was to have a stone fireplace, but there is evidence of a lack of firewood, so many of the fireplaces may have been cold. After three months of extreme deprivation, General Nathaniel Greene took over as supply master and things improved considerably for the men. With the arrival of Baron Von Steuben, a daily training regimen was begun and the rag-tag irregular army that began the winter at Valley Forge was transformed into a lean mean fighting machine in time to defeat the British at Monmouth, New Jersey.

I have been unable to determine where Peabody's regiment was during the summer of 1778, but it is very likely they left Valley Forge and marched directly to Monmouth, New Jersey. Here on the 28th of June in 1778, General Washington faced British General Clinton to a standoff, in the war's largest single battle. Washington's force numbered about 12,000 men and the British force was roughly 10,000 men. The battle latest all day, neither side giving ground after the initial repositioning moves. General Clinton abandoned the battlefield at nightfall.

Samuel Verrill (1733-1821)


( 5th Great Grandfather )
Samuel Verrill was born the 4th of May, 1733 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was the son of Samuel Verrill and Sarah Stevens. He married in Gloucester in 1755 to Eunice Bray. Samuel & Eunice had at least 12 children. The youngest child, Daniel (our ancestor), was born in Maine in June of 1781, while the next youngest was born in Gloucester in March of 1778. The dates and places of birth indicate that Samuel moved his family to Maine during the war - perhaps he felt they would be safer from the events of the war in this out of the way place. They first settled in New Gloucester on land that is now part of the Shaker Community. Within a couple of years he moved to Bakerstown and established a farm in the area that is known as Minot today.

Samuel was forty-three years old with ten children when he began his military service. His first known service was as a fifer in Captain Daniel Giddings's Company, Col. Foster's Militia Regiment from the 9th of January to the 18th of November, 1776. They were stationed at Cape Anne defending the sea coast. It was a lonely, boring job, but someone needed to do it and it allowed him to return to his family and farm when he was not on duty. Samuel stays out of the records for the next year before we find him serving under Captain Mark Pool in Col. Jacob Garrish's Militia Regiment beginning the 12 of November, 1777 and continuing to the 5th of April, 1778. He is also a fifer in this unit. They are stationed at Charlestown prior to March, at "Winter Hill" for a time in March, and also at Cambridge.

THE FIFER (and drummer) was essential to the military of the time period and contributed to the discipline of the unit. They were expected to learn the many tunes required to convey orders to the troops. While marching, their music set the pace. In most cases, fifers and drummers were young boys, but it was also a good job for older men. They were not subject to a great deal of physical labor, with the exception of marching - but everyone walked in those days, so marching was not so much of a hardship as it would be today.

Samuel's two oldest sons, Samuel & Davis, also served before moving to Maine and starting their families.

Chandler Freeman (1758-1841)


( 4th Great Grandfather )
Chandler Freeman was born on the 17th of September, 1758 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. He was the son of Joseph Freeman (see next soldier) and his wife, Caroline Chandler. Chandler married Elizabeth Millett in June of 1785 probably in Turner, Maine, where the minister was settled. They established their farm in Minot, Maine. Chandler died in January of 1841 at his home in Minot.

Chandler, still living in Duxbury, served as a private in Captain Samuel Bradford's 1st Duxbury Company, Col. Warren's Plymouth County Regiment of Militia. They answered the call on the 19th of April, 1775 and marched to Concord & Lexington. He served as a "Minuteman" with this unit for 3 days.

We can not be certain where Chandler, along with his father, brothers, and cousin fought on that infamous day in history. They may have been on the green at Lexington when the first shot of the war was fired, on the bridge at Concord when the British were turned back, or one of the many that lined the road, shooting at the British troops from behind stonewalls as they retreated back to Boston.

His next period of service was with Captain Bildad Arnold's Company, Col. Thomas Lothrop's Plymouth County Militia Regiment. This service was for twelve days and the company marched on the 10th of December, 1776 towards Newport, Rhode Island. They marched in response to the British capture of the naval base at Newport. While this regiment marched to Rhode Island, General Washington was making his famous Delaware River Crossing.

The final enlistment we find for Chandler is for 33 days service with Capt. Nehemiah Allen's Company, Col. Theophilus Cotton's Militia Regiment, on a secret expedition to Rhode Island in September and October of 1777. I had no luck in determining what this mission might have been about - so it's still a secret!

His enlistments were not for long periods of time, but these enlistments were no less important in the overall outcome of the war.

Joseph Freeman (c1727-1782)


( 5th Great Grandfather )
Joseph Freeman was born about 1727 probably in Duxbury, Massachusetts. He was the son of Joseph Freeman and his wife Tabitha Tobey. Joseph married in 1752 to Caroline Chandler in Duxbury. They moved to Minot, Maine with several of their grown children around the time the war ended. Joseph died in Minot, Maine on the 12th of May in 1782.

Joseph, at the age of forty-eight, served as a sergeant in Captain Samuel Bradford's 1st Duxbury Company, Col. Warren's Plymouth County Regiment of Militia. They answered the call on the 19th of April, 1775 - the first conflict of the war, at Concord & Lexington. Joseph served with this unit for 3 days. This is the only known service for Joseph, but he may have had prior military experience from the French & Indian War period.

He, along with his son's, Joseph Jr., Chandler, & Samuel, all marched to defend our Liberty at Concord & Lexington in April of 1775.

William Cordwell (1756-1833)


( 5th Great Grandfather )
William Cordwell was born on the 3rd of September in 1756 at Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was the son of William Cordwell and his wife Abigail Bray. William married Tryphosa Leach before 1779, probably at Gloucester. They moved to Poland, Maine sometime before 1779. They do not seem to have started a family until after they were settled in Poland, Maine. William died in February of 1833 at Greenwood, Maine.

William served only one enlistment. At the age of 22, he was a private in Captain Nathan Merrill's Company, Col. Jonathan Mitchell's Cumberland County Militia Regiment on the "Bagaduce Expedition". He marched from home on the 8th of July, 1779 and was discharged at Falmouth on the 25th of September of 1779.

BAGADUCE EXPEDITION - In 1779, with only 3 war ships, the British took procession of Castine on the Penobscot River and began to build Fort George. The Americans gathered a force of 44 ships (20 war ships and 24 troop transports) and recruited more than 1000 soldiers and 400 marines to recover Castine from British control.

The Americans reached Castine by sea in July of that same year and laid siege to the fort. The British were outnumbered on land and by sea, but the American leader, Commodore Dudley Saltonstall, was not up to the job. He kept the fleet in the harbor for several weeks while trying to decide how to finish off the fort. In the meantime, the British brought in war ships from Halifax and boxed the American fleet in. Saltonstall ordered his fleet to sail up the Penobscot River. The British captured and burned many of the American ships and the Captains of the remaining ships scuttled theirs to prevent capture by the British. The ground troops and sailors were forced to make their way on foot through the countryside back to safety. The Commodore was court-martialed for cowardice. All reports indicate the soldiers fought a heroic but uphill battle against the fort and were not responsible for the failure of the expedition. Historians refer to this as the worst naval defeat in U.S. History, with the exception of Pearl Harbor.

Dimon Perry (c1740-1827)


( 4th Great Grandfather )
Dimon (also found as Diamond) Perry was born about 1740 in Pembroke, Massachusetts. He was the son of Barnabas Perry and his wife, Alice Soule. Dimon married Susanna Lincoln in 1773 at Pembroke and they settled at Minot, Maine after the war. He died on the 27th of July, 1827 at Minot.

Dimon served as a private in Captain William Weston's Militia Company from the 15th of July 1776 to the 19th of November, 1776. His unit was stationed at "the Gurnet" for defense of Plymouth harbor.

These Patriots Are a National Treasure
They Fought For
Liberty and Justice For All
 

I Honor & Respect Their Sacrifice

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