From free and enslaved Blacks, to Native Americans, native born colonists, to foreign recruits, Washington's integrated army was a diverse and unique fighting force for a longand grueling eight-year war. The main military force, which coalesced under General George Washington as the Continental Army, was not an integrated army until 1776. Journals of the House of Representatives of Massachusetts 1776-1777, Vol. Some enslaved men found freedom in fighting. (*(%8H8c- fd9@6_IjH9(3=DR1%? It is likely that Freeman decided to stay in New York after his discharge. Order of Battle. [15] Freeman may have recalled Danforth easily as a familiar name to him in his younger days. While his wartime declarations remained the same, he provided additional personal information in his restatement per the requirements and described his dire circumstances. Battle of Monmouth. John Cadwalader. 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.. 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. Hb``$WR~|@T#2S/`M. 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. [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/. In fact, there is no record of a "Fortune Freeman" in Danforth's company at all. [6] Warren Jr., America's First Veterans, 97. ", Born sometime between 1747 and 1760,[9] Fortune Freeman lived in Massachusetts until at least the start of the American Revolution. The army compensated full-time women followers for rendering such valuable services as laundering and nursing. "Forten" Conant first appears on a list of men mustered by Colonel James Barrett, muster master of Middlesex County, on May 16, 1777. Retrieved 29 May 2006. [Muster rolls, etc., 1743-1787] by Montgomery, Thomas Lynch, 1862- Publication date 1906 Topics Pennsylvania. Militia, United States -- History Revolution, Web250 Capt. 9 0 0 9 5 779 Tm There is no record of an African American serving higher than the rank of corporal in the main army. 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. 2011-05-16T09:36:32-04:00 The Baron inspired a relish for the trade of soldiering that gave the troops a new sense of purpose and helped sustain them through many trials as they stuck to the task of securing independence. In Fortune Freeman's testimony about his Revolutionary war service, he remembered enlisting under a Captain Elijah Danforth in 1776. [16] Hazen, History of Billerica, Massachusetts, with a Genealogical register, 238. By November, Freeman transferred from his command post back to Haskell's company. Did he have any other family? in American History and also has a B.A. The battle on Bunker's Hill took place on June 17th, 1775 and was one of the crowning victories for the 38th and the whole of the British army. The 15th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775 in eastern, Virginia for service with the Continental Army. But his assertions complicate understanding if Fortune Freeman and Fortune Conant were same person. With 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 Plains, New York, in August 1778. manuscript copy of a declaration of the Deputies of the Shrewsbury Association as submitted to the County Committee for Monmouth, May 15, 1775; muster rolls, court martial records, and other military documents from the Revolution and Early National period; Monmouth County sheriffs records, 1787-1831, retained by Daniel Mary Stockwell, Ph.D. Notes: 1. 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). Only one of these precious few records remained in his possession when he approached the court: a discharge paper from the 4th Massachusetts, issued to him at the close of the Revolutionary War in 1783. Each applicant had to disclose his age, occupation, health, and ability to support his household, and an inventory of his real and personal property."[39]. 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. 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. Organized January-February 1776 at Chester from Chester, Bucks, and Lancaster Counties. But when Cornwallis marched his army toward the Chesapeake Bay, Washington saw an opportunity to strike. It is also entirely possible that Freeman felt that mentioning an injury would help his case for a pension, or someone encouraged him to embellish his story. Freeman swore to his inability to work and need for government assistance to survive, declaring: I am infirm, and unable to labour, except in doing light work in which I can only obtain casual employment, and for which I can obtain scarcely more than mere nominal wages. And then later, records show that a "Fortune Freeman" enlisted in 1781 into the 4th Massachusetts, serving until discharge in 1783. 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 May 6, 1778, the army joyously celebrated Frances alliance with and formal recognition of the United States as a sovereign power. [26] Muster roll of Lieut. Aaron Burr. The American Revolution's success was hard-fought by a diverse group of people. Even in Washingtons home ofVirginia, Blacksoldiers fought in Virginia units. Might this be the same Fortune Freeman who later reenlisted, and eventually filed for a pension? More than 200 miles from his enlistment site in Boston, he may have chosen to start afresh in a new location. Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History, The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities (Studies in North American Indian History), Native Americans in the American Revolution: How the War Divided, Devastated, and Transformed the Early American Indian World, The Effects of Weather on 18th Century Warfare, Allies and Enemies: British and American Attitudes towards Native Americans during the Revolution, African Americans in the Armed Forces Timeline, 5 Surprising Places to Find Native American Influence in History. Military Officers Recorded in the Office of the Secretary of State, During the Battle of Brandywine, Washington attempted to prevent the British army from taking Philadelphia, the patriot capital. From this location, twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia, the army was close enough to maintain pressure on the British yet far enough away to prevent a surprise attack. [24] Judith L. Van Buskirk, Standing In Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017), 118. WebThe fighting see-sawed back and forth under the brutal June sun for several hours. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. What follows are two stories presented as part of a possible whole: one of a man named Fortune Conant, who served for three years from 1777-1780, and disappeared after his discharge, and another about a man named Fortune Freeman, who claimed to have served the entirety of the war, struggled to live a life in the new nation in New York City, and ultimately died in poverty. [44] Freeman may have died in September, possibly between the ages of 64 and 77. 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. https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/articles-and-essays/timeline/the-american-revolution/. 0.298 scn 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. Was he enticed by the hope for a new nation? Hazen, History of Billerica, Massachusetts, with a Genealogical register, 239. By June, Freeman arrived in West Point, New York and appeared on muster rolls for Haskell's company. [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. A muster roll of 16 Creek Indians who arrived presumably in late 1850 or early 1851. Shortages of clothing did cause severe hardship for a number of men, but many soldiers had a full uniform, and the well-equipped units patrolled, foraged, and defended the camp. Wells was a surgeon in the Continental Army and after his service in the Revolution, he paid his enlistment bounty to his former master and lived the rest of his life as a free man in Lebanon, Connecticut. Aaron Longstreet's roll, 2 October 1776 310 Muster roll of Major Van Cortland's Company, 6 September 1779 317 Payroll of Capt. 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. Theodore J. Crackel, "Longitudinal migration in America, 1780-1840: A study of Revolutionary War Pension Records," Historical Methods 14 (Summer 1981): 133-137. In February 1781, the unit merged with the 2nd Rhode Island. in the service of the United States Commanded by William Shepard for the Month of May 1781, Muster/payrolls, and various papers (1763-1808) of the Revolutionary War, Vol. [3] in the service of the United States Commanded by William Shepard for the Month of The defenders were a motley collection of colonists, from various New England colonies. The American Revolution is marked with a varying cast of diverse soldiers who fought for their independence. [28] An Account of Clothing Delivered Lt. Acrobat Web Capture 9.0 As for Mary, why was she bound out, and when did her service start? [8] Might a man named Fortune Conant, possibly enslaved, who may have been freed during service, changed his name, stating for all of posterity his status of being a "free man" prior to reenlisting in 1781? EMC Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled! While the contributions and sacrifices of these individuals are not as well known,their significance to the new government's creation iscritical. WebThe muster rolls record the name, rank, military station and pay period of each soldier while they were with the regiment. The Valley Forge Muster Roll for December 1777 to June 1778 indicated that 20 to 30 members of Sheldons Regiment were still at Valley Forge at that time, The experience of veteran soldiers such as Freeman would prove crucial in the fall of 1781. Of those whose aged are known, the youngest was 23, the oldest 48 and the average 34. There were Blacks servingin the reconstituted 1st and 2nd Virginia units that fought with General Nathanael Greene at the Battle of Guilford Court House. Bounty receipts: Suffolk, Essex, and Middlesex counties 1781-1782, Muster/Payrolls and Various Papers (1763-1808) of the Revolutionary War, Vol. [32] Muster Roll of Capt. Examining the possible connection between Fortune Conant and Fortune Freeman can help uncover potential motivations Freeman had for enlisting in the war. 2011-05-16T09:36:31-04:00 S 43,572, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. Monmouth has many notable connections but one of its most famous is the connection to the Rolls Family. Who were his parents? 6. The Rhode Island Assembly decreed on February 14, 1778, to allow, every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave in this state to enlist into the two Battalions to serve the during the Continuance of the present War with Great-Britain Even more striking was the following clause, every slave, so enlisting, shallupon his passing muster before Col.Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress;and be absolutely FREE, as though he had never been encumbered with any Kind of Servitude or Slavery. Although this last clause was repealed within four months due tothe outcry of Rhode Island slave owners, more than 100 free and formerly enslaved Rhode Island African Americans had enlisted in the Continental cause to fight for their own independence. [13] Fortune Conant is listed as joining Elijah Danforth's company the same company Fortune Freeman remembered joining over 40 years later when he applied for his pension in New York City. John Hannigan, "The Many Lives of Fortune Freeman," Rethinking the Age of Revolution, Blogs @ Brandeis, 10 December 2013, https://blogs.brandeis.edu/revolutions/2013/12/10/the-many-lives-of-fortune-freeman/. "[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. Hingham, though much smaller than Boston, sat on the same vital harbor that brought in goods, and more importantly in the later war years, support from France in the form of troops, arms, and money. Elnathan Haskell's Company in the 4th Massachusetts Regt. [6] Congress estimated wrong. The Continental Army lost the battle and retreated, leaving Philadelphia in English hands, though most of Washington's troops survived. 1459. WebColonel Daniel Morgan was the commander of the 11th and 15th Virginia in 1778 when he wrote this letter to General George Washington during the Revolutionary In his pension, Freeman stated his discharge in 1780, which lines up with Conant's discharge. Colonel William Prescott's militiaheld their own until ammunition ran low, repulsing the British from Bunker Hill. Is it possible these two different identities tell the same story? John Cochran. 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. There is no record, however, of any Fortune Freeman or Conant that served in Nixon's regiment after June 4, 1780. ( )Tj The warriors of these two tribes were among the last of Lafayettes forces to retreat across the Schuylkill River that day. The name Fortune Conant appears only in muster rolls.
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