People

John Person (or Persons) joined the cause of liberty by enlisting in Captain Strong’s company of Colonel Henry Livingston’s 4th New York Regiment for the duration of the war, a choice that came with a land grant if the conflict concluded successfully. Shortly after joining, Captain Strong appointed John to the rank of sergeant.

John Irvin (or Erwin) was the drum major of Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt’s 2nd New York Regiment in 1777, having enlisted for the indefinite duration of the war at Peekskill, New York, on December 15, 1776. John’s rank of drum major meant that he was the regiment’s senior drummer and had the duty of ensuring the musical quality of the regiment’s other eight drummers. This suggests that John had prior musical training or experience at the time he was appointed to the position.

John Dane (born 1740) was originally from Newburyport, Massachusetts but moved his family to New Hampshire by the time the British invaded upstate New York in 1777. He and his wife, Mary, were the parents of three boys and one girl. John was enlisted as a private soldier in Captain McDuffee’s company of Colonel Stephen Evans’s Battalion which joined the Northern Army at Bemus Heights on October 7 – just in time to fight in the Second Battle of Saratoga that afternoon.

John Cox joined the fight for American independence on New Year’s Day in 1777 by enlisting as a private soldier in Captain Lounsbery’s company of Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt’s 2nd New York Regiment for a term of three years. The 2nd New York Regiment joined the Northern Army, then located at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, in the latter half of August 1777.

John Corneil (or Cornel) of Concord, Massachusetts, was a soldier dedicated to the cause of United States independence. John was married, but it’s unclear if he had children, and he and his wife were living in Boston when he signed up to join the Continental Army in November 1776. His enlistment was for the duration of the war.

The Eastman family of Hopkinton, New Hampshire, was a patriotic bunch. Father John (born 1739) and eldest son Joseph (born 1763) both enlisted for 3-year terms in the Continental Army on April 10, 1777. As father and son – Joseph was 13 when he joined – they served together in Captain Hutchin’s company of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. Their neighbor and cousin, Thomas Eastman (born 1755), joined the company too. The Eastmans would fight for United States independence!

Joel Munsell of Windsor, Connecticut, wanted to fight for his country. In August 1777, the 23-year-old left home and joined Colonel Thaddeus Cook's militia which was being sent to upstate New York to fight against Burgoyne's invasion. He fought in both Battles of Saratoga and survived unscathed, which was not an easy thing considering Cook's militia suffered the second highest number of casualties of any American unit.

Jesse (born 1760) and Samuel (born 1761) Kimpland of Bernardston, Massachusetts, were the teenaged sons of William and Jemima Kimpland. By 1777, the Continental Army was desperate for reinforcements and towns across Massachusetts such as Bernardston were called upon to do their part by raising men from their communities. The young brothers, Jesse aged 17 and Samuel aged 16, answered the call by enlisting in a Massachusetts Regiment in May 1777 for three-year terms.

James Tucker, the son of Isaac Sr. and Sarah Tucker, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1750. In late August 1777, James either volunteered or was drafted into Captain Wadsworth’s company of Colonel Thaddeus Cook’s Battalion of Connecticut Militia for a two-month term. He repaired to Stillwater, New York, where he joined the Northern Army in time to face off against the British invasion from Canada.

James Flagg of Moultonborough, New Hampshire, enlisted in Captain Gray’s company of Colonel Alexander Scammell’s 3rd New Hampshire Regiment for a 3-year term on March 27, 1777. He was soon found to be trusty and proficient enough to be appointed to the rank to sergeant. When the British Army from Canada started its invasion of upstate New York that June, Gray’s company formed the small garrison of Skenesborough (present-day Whitehall).