Descendants' Interviews

Drummer Boy Benjamin D. Brooker (aka Benjamin Cain) (service record 72 months: 1776-1783) first enlisted in the Spring of 1776 for the term of nine months as an 11-year-old drummer boy in Capt. William Clark’s company in the 2^nd New York Regiment commanded by Col. Philip Van Cortlandt in the 2^nd Battalion.  He served under the name Benjamin Cain because another man in the same company had surname Brooker. A drummer’s beating rhythm or speed issued commands to the troops, such as quickstepping, marching, and lining up. All his service was in the Fishkill and Peekskill areas of New York. Benjamin served in Col. (Dirck or Abraham) Brinckerhoff’s Regiment of New York’s Dutchess County Militia, also in the 2^nd New York Regiment. His second enlistment for the term of one year he was a drummer in Capt. Runnels’ company in Col. Roswell Hopkins, Sr .’s Regiment. He also served for Capt. James Tallmage in Hopkins’ (Dutchess County) New York Militia commanded by Col. Roswell Hopkins, Sr., of the 6^th New York Regiment. One payroll record for Hopkins’ Regiment identifies “Benjamin Cane or Cone (a slave).” Benjamin’s last enlistment was to serve for the duration of the war, which was served partly under Col. Philip Van Cortlandt. He was honorably discharged with the rank of private in “May or June 1783.”

Private Thomas Carney (service record 72 months: 1777-1783) enlisted for the term of three years in the Spring as he thinks of 1777 in Caroline County in the State of Maryland in the Company commanded by Captain John Hawkins of the Regiment commanded by Colonel William Richardson in the line of the State of Maryland, on the Continental Establishment; that he continued to serve in said corps, or in the service of the United States, until he enlisted for the war at the close of which he was discharged from service at Annapolis in the State aforesaid, that he was in the battles of Brandywine [September 11, 1777], Germantown [October 4, 1777], White Plains [October 28, 1776], Monmouth [June 28, 1778], Camden [August 15-16, 1780], Guilford Court House [March 15, 1781], Ninety Six [May 22-June 19, 1791], and of Eutaw Springs [September 8, 1781.

Seaman Henry Curtis, Sr. (service record 36 months: 1778-1781) served as a State of Virginia naval seaman on the Protector Gallery and on Sloop Liberty for three years. Henry Curtice enlisted with the captain of Protector Galley, John Thomas and on October 12, 1778, for three years He was discharged from duty by the same man on October 12, 1781. Henry Curtis was probably part of the crew on the Protector Galley ship when it burned by the British in the Wicomico River on the 9^th day June of 1779.  Captain Thomas had taken the ship for repair, that is when it was attacked, captured, and burned in Wicomico River. Captain John Thomas and his man were transferred to the galley ship, Dragon. Apparently, Henry Curtis evidently ended up on the Liberty, by November of 1779, because he is listed among the seaman who receive rum rations on the boat Liberty.

Private Henry Dorton was born March 7, 1748 near Bladensburg, Maryland and lived in Prince Georges County.  He was the mulatto child of Ann Dorton, a white indentured servant from England. Shortly before or soon after she arrived to America, “bastardy charges” were levied against Ann, and at 6 months old, Henry was taken and bound by indenture to tobacco farmer Sam Pruitt for 31 years. This was customary in Maryland for the child of a white woman and a black man.  After Pruitt died, Henry Dorton petitioned the Frederick County court November 23, 1775 that his service was over, and the court ordered him to be freed. Henry Dorton was part of the southern theater of the Revolutionary war. He was drafted 3 times.

Private Tobias Hill (service record 3 months: 1777-1777) was born November 18, 1743, to Sandusky and Peggy in rural Georgetown, Maine. The earliest record of the Hill family is from Vital Records of Georgetown Maine wherein first-born Tobias is named “Jobe”. Jobe is most likely a transcription error of Tobe. The family surname in this record was not listed until his sister Margaret Hill’s birth in 1755. The family was enslaved by Samuel Denny as described in History of Bath and Environs. Tobias enlisted in a local militia October 3, 1777 and was discharged December 31, 1777, serving 3 months, 9 days, including 12 days travel home. Joining Captain Benjamin Lemont’s company, he traveled 240 miles from Georgetown to Machias reinforcing John Allen’s Maine regiment. The Revolutionary War record does not state where Tobias was from. However, Captain Lemont was from Georgetown, Maine; his company was probably raised in and around that area calling up townsmen and farmers for the defense of the Machias coast.

Private William Lomax (service record 72 months: ---------) was born and raised in Senegal, Africa, at the time Senegal was a French African colony. He served five dutiful years as a private soldier in the US Continental Army. He was enlisted by Captain James Curry as a private soldier of the 2nd North Carolina Regiment. Afterwards attached to Captain William Black's company. Private William served in the Battle of Charleston, SC. The battle of Trenton,  NJ. The Battle of Stono, SC. The Battle of Eutaw Springs, SC. And the Battle of Guilford, NC. William the soldier was wounded twice in the battle of Eutaw Springs, SC. One wound in the thigh and was wounded in his side under his arm. These war wounds gave William much trouble later in life. Private William the soldier did, in fact, became a prisoner of war in the Battle of Stono, SC but escaped and rejoined his company. William served 5 five years in the Continental Army but was told he would have to served 2 more months to complete his five year service. After the Revolutionary War, William came to Fayetteville, NC with his friend and fellow soldier, Issac Hammonds to join in the 1st Infantry Division in Fayetteville, NC. Because he was African and had sustained serious war wounds he was told he couldn't remain in the military. 

Private James Melton/Milton was born around 1762 in Southampton, VA.  He is believed to be the son of Elisha Milton and the brother of Ann Melton Bowser (Bowzer).  Elisha Melton/Milton was born around 1740.  Ann Melton was born 1771.  Ann Melton was married to Thomas Bowser (who was also a Revolutionary War Veteran).  James Melton/Milton was the nephew of Josiah Milton, who provide aid and comfort to the American Revolution. 

Private Isaac Perkins (service record 36 months ---------) was a free “negro man” of Craven County, North Carolina, born about 1756/57, based on his age of 61 years at the time of his pension application on 9 Jun 1818, and 73 years in 1829 as recorded in the Commissioner’s Receipt of Petition of 1830. He enlisted as a private in the 10^th North Carolina Regiment, also known as the Craven County Regiment of North Carolina Militia, New Bern District, on 16 May 1777, in Capt. Silas Sears Stevenson’s Company, commanded by Col. Benjamin Sheppard, for a term of three years. His regiment marched to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where the 10th NC Regiment was distributed to the 2^nd North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Line at Valley Forge, and he served in Capt. Clement Hall’s Company in the Northern Campaigns. The 2^nd North Carolina Regiment was comprised of 216 men, including Martin Black, Isaac Carter, and John Carter, all free black soldiers from the Harlowe area, Craven County.

Private Caesar Russell (service record ---------) enlisted on 19 Feb 1781 in Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts, for a term of three years, hired by the town’s eastern district to help fill the town’s quota for troops to serve in the Continental Army. On 05 Mar 1781 he began his service at West Point, Orange County, New York, with Capt. Thomas Francis, 4^th company in the 7^th Massachusetts Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. John Brooks. Before Caesar’s second muster (01 May 1781), he was transferred to serve with Capt. Joseph Fox in the 4^th company of the 9^th Massachusetts Regiment. At some point within the next four months, he was transferred to serve Capt. William North, the staff officer in the 2^nd company who was the Aid de Camp (i.e. a personal confidant and advisor) to General Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben, the trusted advisor to General George Washington.