American Revolutionary War

Military Service Biography

By 1776 Ebenezer was in a company of militia from Frederickstown, which was divided into classes.  Each class    was then required to enlist one man into service of the United States.  He volunteered in the spring of 1776 as the man from his class.     He was with a small number of men who went from Frederickstown to Kingsbridge and there joined a company.   They were set to work to build Fort Independence at Kingsbridge.   After the fall of New York City in the fall of 1776, they were ordered to Morrisen’s Point on East River to guard public stores.  He joined the regiment of Colonel Lashen.  He remained there two or three months guarding the stores.  The enemy arrived about October 1776.  There was an engagement with the enemy and they were then ordered to retreat to Kingsbridge. At Kingsbridge he saw General Putnam and heard him give orders.  From Kingsbridge the next day, they were ordered to retreat again across the river and did so and cut the bridge down to prevent the enemy from following.  From there they were ordered to Fort Washington.  They were there about 24 hours and ordered again to cross the river in the night.  They went to Fort Lee in New Jersey and remained there until Fort Washington was taken by the enemy.  Then Fort Lee was abandoned and he and his regiment marched up the north side of the river to Van (Planks?) Point.  They crossed the river on to the east side.  At this point in his service, there was only a few days left in his enlistment period.  The troops were in great distress for want of clothing and provisions and being in a state of real suffering.  He went to his Father’s house (in Frederickstown) about 20 miles.  His brother Peter served out his enlistment as a favor to him and Peter served about 10 days.  Then the time of enlistment expired and the regiment was told to go home.  This was about December 1776.    From this service, Ebenezer only recalled the names of Col. Leiger and General Putnam at Kingsbridge.  There were frequently new officers off the continental line and he could not remember the names of any of them during this entire time of enlistment, except for the ones mentioned.  (Remember that Ebenezer was 73 years old at the time he said this).  For this enlistment period, he had served nearly 9 months.

In the spring of 1777 he enlisted under Captain Nathaniel Scribner and under Col. Henry Ludington as a volunteer for three months, and the company was called Rangers.  Their regular station was at Frederickstown and from there they went on scouting parties.  Their duty was to guard the country against the Tories, refugees or cowboys, as they were called.  They went as far as the lines near White Plains in pursuit of some refugees who had been stealing horses; retook the horses, but the refugees escaped.  They came near the refugees as to have a skirmish with them and there his Captain was wounded by his side, taking a musket shot in one of his arms.   Also during this time he went with Colonel Ludington and eight others and captured a man by the name of (Fames?) who they believed was raising or enlisting men to go to New York to join the enemy.  They guarded and also took several whom he had enlisted.  At the end of three months, Ebenezer was dismissed verbally.

In the spring of 1781 he was again called to enter the army for another nine months term and enlisted at Frederickstown. Soon after enlisting, they marched to Albany, where the company was mustered under Captain Cannon.  Then they marched to Ballstown, New York.  The object of going there was to guard that place against the Indians and Tories, who had before committed depredations there.  The company consisted of about 50 men.  They continued there in a picket fort, which was previously built there, as such guard, for about nine months.  From there he was on picket guard and scouting duty until a short time before the time was out for which he enlisted.  While at Ballstown, Ebenezer recollected that they had a day of rejoicing on hearing the news of Lord Cornwall’s surrendering. 

 At the end of said term, the company marched to Albany and there most other companies of Militia and the companies were paraded there together.   The Adjutant who paraded the companies was of the name of Welch. Soon after being paraded thus, the several companies were discharged by the Adjutant verbally.  This he thinks was in December 1781.    This last tour Ebenezer served as a private about 4 months, and the residue as a corporal, for a total of about 9 months.

In April 1782, he was again called for another nine months service, while he was still residing in Frederickstown.  He enlisted as a private under Captain Lamb, having the promise of a Sergeant’s Warrant for the term of nine months.  They then marched to West Point, where Ebenezer very soon received the Sergeant’s Warrant, as had been promised him.  Captain Lamb’s Company belonged to the regiment commanded by Colonel Lamb.  Ebenezer remained at West Point with his company doing common garrison duty a part of the time.  The other part of the time he was out in different places with Captain Lamb on recruiting services and sometimes he was sent alone.  He spent most of the time on this duty until September.  At that time, Ebenezer was taken sick with the ague and fever.  He gave notice to his Captain and was returned as sick and unfit for duty and had permission to go home.  He did go home and remained there very unwell until his company and regiment was dismissed.   His health was so low and he was so infirmed that for nearly a year he did not attend to any business or occupation at all.   He served as a sergeant for 6 months, which does not include the time he was at home sick with fever and ague.  Had he not been taken sick, he would have served his full 9 month enlistment.  He received a written warranty as a sergeant and had this paper in his possession until about 1814.  At that time, he took many of his old papers, including the warranty, and burnt them, supposing they could be of no use to him thereafter.  All together, Ebenezer actively served 2 years and 3 months.