Ridgefield Men In The Revolution
Chapter XIV

Excerpted From
The History of Ridgefield, Connecticut
George L. Rockwell
1927
[Privately Published, No Copyright Statement]

[Transcribed by Jane Devlin]

Immediately after the Battle of Bunker Hill, eight regiments were reaised in the state of Connecticut by act of Legislature, April-May, 1775. Major-General WOOSTER was the commander. The Fifth Regiment, which was mainly recruited in Fairfield County, was commanded by Colonel David WATERBURY of Stamford. This was the first call for troops, and Captain Ichabod DOOLITTLE of Ridgebury District organized the 7th Company of the 5th Regiment, his commission bearing the date of May 1, 1775. A partial description of this company is given: Captain Ichabod DOOLITTLE's Company 7th Company, 5th Regiment Continental Line Col. David Waterbury Service around New York City under General WOOSTER. Then north around Lake Champlain & Lake George, and the seige of St. John, Province of Quebeck, until October. A list of Ridgefield men in this company is given. Captain Ichabod DOOLITTLE - commissioned May 1st, 1775; Disch. Nov 4, 1775 Lieutenant Thaddeus ROCKWELL - commissioned May 1, 1775; Disch. Sept. 15, 1775 Sergeant Henry WHITNEY Sergeant Thaddeus STURGES Sergeant Thomas ST. JOHN Corporal Matthew NORTHRUP Private Gamaliel OSBORN Private Eliphaz NICKERSON Private Sylvanus SEELEY Private Stephen REMINGTON Private Jacob RESSEGUIE Private Thomas STEBBINS Private John JOYCE Private Matthew MEAD Private John STREET Much sickness prevailed among the troops and the greater part were discharged. Captain DOOLITTLE was discharged November 4th, 1775. General WOOSTER enlisted a provisional regiment for service from December, 1775, until the spring of 1776. About one hundred and fifty men enlisted from various regiments. As stated elsewhere, Hezekiah HAWLEY & Jedediah HULL were among the number. The 6th company of the 5th Regiment was recruited almost entirely from Danbury, under Captain Noble BENEDICT. Enoch CROSBY, the hero of that great novel, The Spy, by J. Fenimore COOPER, was a member of this company. [After the Revolution, Enoch CROSBY and his brother Benjamin, purchased a farm in the town of Southeast, New York, where he lived the reaminder of his life. He was a deacon in the old Gilead Church. His tombstone near the northwest corner of the old Gilead burying ground is inscribed as follows: IN MEMORY OF ENOCH CROSBY Who Died June 26, 1835 Aged 85 years, 5 months and 21 days] In 1776 Captain Gamaliel NORTHRUP of Ridgebury raised a company, the muster roll of which is as follows: Captain Gamaliel NORTHRUP 1st Lieut. James BETTS 2nd Lieut. John ST. JOHN Ensign Ebenezer OLMSTEAD Sergt. Thaddeus KEELER Sergt. Aaron COMSTOCK John JOYCE, Drummer Samuel DeFOREST, Fifer Seth BAKER Gamaliel BENEDICT Stephen BEERS John BENNETT Trowbridge BENNETT Abraham BETTS Dennis COLLINS Ammon CRAW Moses GILBERT Barnabas HAMLIN David HALL Jared HINE Newton HINE Samuel HOLMES David HOYT Seth HUBBELL Joseph JACKSON Reuben JACKSON Thomas JERVIS Aaron KEELER Jabez KEELER Levi KEELER Lockwood KEELER Uriah KEELER Sergt. Gamaliel OSBORN Sergt. Salmon HUBBELL Corp. Benajah NORTHROP Corp. Alvin HYATT Corp. John THOMAS Corp. William LEE Elijah KELLOG David LAVAKE Jeremiah MEAD Matthew MEAD James NICHOLS Nathaniel NORTHROP Enoch OLMSTED Isaac OLMSTEAD Jeremiah OLMSTEAD Bartholomew PARSONS Stephen REMINGTON Silas ROCKWELL William SCOTT Asa SCRIBNER Phineas SHERWOOD Nathaniel STERLING Albert STUART Josiah TAYLOR Joseph TROWBRIDGE Peter TUTTLE Eleazer WATEROUS Israel WHITE Hezekiah WHITLOCK Ezekiel WHITNEY Thomas WOODBRIDGE A large portion of this company was from Ridgebury, but many of the soldier were from the different sections of the township. This company, the Sixth Company, First Battalion Wadsworth Brigade, served on the fron of Brooklyn before and during the Battle of Long Island in 1776. It was then stationed under General PUTNAM in New York City and narrowly escaped capture in its retreat from the city. This company was posted on Harlem Heights until the Battle of White Plains, Oct 28th, 1776, in which it fought and suffered considerable loss. The term for which the members enlisted expired December 25th, 1776, and many of the re-enlisted in the "Connecticut Line." The First Militia Company of Ridgefield was drafted in April, 1777, by Captain Ebenezer JONES, and a copy of the draft is as follows: "To the Honorable General Assembly of the State of Connecticut at their Sessions in May A.D. 1777. "May it please your Honours: "Agreeable to & in pursuance of a Resolve & Proclamation of ye Honorable Governor & Council of this State Dated April 12th, A.D. 1777, received ye 19th Instant, ye Commission Officers in ye first military Company in Ridgefield met, & together with ye Assistance & advice of ye Authority & Selectmen of s'd Ridgefield, found that there were wanting & deficient within ye Limits of s'd Company agreeable to s'd resolve, & enrolled them. I then gave Orders to s'd Men to be Convened on ye 20th Inst. & being met I earnestly invited them to Inlist into the Continental Service, & gave Notice of s'd Classing, & there were Sixteen Divisions, & failed (after Three days time) to procure a man to Inlist in s'd Service and having received notice from ye Several Classes Respectively; of their having failed to procure I then proceeded with ye advice of my Subaltern Officers to detach One man for s'd service, from each of ye failing Classes, and did detach on the 23d Instance the following persons by name, Uriel LOBDELL, Abraham BETTS, 2d, Alexander RESIGUE 2d, Ebenezer HOYT, Samuel FAIRBANKS, Isaac BENNETT, Seth LEE, Seth BOUTON, Hezekiah SMITH, John BALDWIN, Michael WARREN, Robert WHITLOCK, Thomas SAGUR, Thomas HYATT, Samuel SMITH 3d, & Phillip KEELER; I then gave immediate Notice of ye names of ye persons detached to ye Nearest Officer in the Continental Service belonging to this State, that was deficient in his Number of men. EBENEZER JONES, Capt. of ye 1st Ridgefield, April 24th A.D. 1777 Military Camp in Ridgefield The list of Revolutionary Soldiers from Ridgefield gives the names of several other members of this Company. Captain David OLMSTED of Ridgefield was in command of at least three different companies during the Revolution. In the summer of 1778 he marched to the Hudson River, where he served with his company in "Colonel Roger ENOS' Regiment on the Hudson" at West Point and vicinity. The roster of his regiment is given. A large number of this company were from Ridgefield. Captain David OLMSTED, arrived in camp, Jun 3, 1778 1st Lieut. Lewis MILLS, arrived in camp, Jun 3, 1778 2nd Lieut. Edward COLLINS, arrived in camp, Jun 27, 1778 Ensign Silas HUBBELL, ain Jul 6, 1778 Sergt.-Major Edward TYLER, discharged Sep 1, 1778 Sergt. Abijah BENNEDICT, discharged Sep 1, 1778 Sergt. Thomas AVERY, discharged Sergt. Samuel HAWLEY, discharged Sergt. Seth CRAWFUT, discharged Corp. Crag CELLEY Corp. Benjamin BROWNSON Corp. John BERREY Corp. Eben JUDSON Josiah EDWARDS, Drummer Bartlett CHAMBERLAIN, Fiffer David ALLEN, Private, discharged September 1st with the rest of the company Truman BEEMAN Daniel BEEBE Cyrus BERREY Barnabas BERREY John BENNET Edward BLACKMAN Samuel BOTSFORD Richard CHINA Abel COMSTOCK (COMSTICK) Aaron CASE Heaman COMSTOCK (COMSTICK) Levi CAMP Israel CHAPMAN Licander CURTIS Joel ENGERSOLL Benjamin FOWLER Abel FULLER John FOOTE James FRISBIE John GILBARD John GEER William HUCKER Weight HURLBUT Justice HINMAN Talcott HAWLEY Samuel HUNT William HECKTER Gilead HECKTER Peter HINES Timothy JOHNSON Matthew KEELER Lewis KEELER James LYN James LINCOLN Ebenezer LYON David MORRIS Uriah MARVIN Samuel NICHOLS Jonathan NASH Stephen PECK Abel PECK Oliver PARRISH Benjamin PORTER William ROCKWELL Silas ROCKWELL Levi RUST Joshua RAYMOND Newcome RAYMOND Enoch SIMONS Curtis STODDARD Azariah SMITH Deliverance SLAWSON Peres SURDIVANT Benjamin SACKETT Nathaniel SPOONER Ely SMITH Nirum SUMMERS William TANNER Reuben TAYLOR David WALKER Solomon WARNER From the Connecticut Archives, Revolutionary War, we find that Talcott HAWLEY petitions that he enlisted under the age of fifteen years and served two campaigns, 1777 and 1778, under Captain David OLMSTED. Jonathan BERRY, or John, as the name appears on the roster of this company, died at West Point. He enlisted from the town of Kent. In October 1778, Captain John YATES & Captain David OLMSTED of Colonel ENOS' Regiment were ordered to march with their companies for the defense of Greenwich & adjacent territory. Colonel Nehemiah BEARDSLEY's return May, 1779, contains the following roll of Captain David OLMSTED's Company of Ridgefield. Stephen REMINGTON Nehemiah OLMSTED Jeremiah OLMSED Joseph JACKSON Jeremiah DEAN Derias BENEDICT Levi KEELER Bartholomew BAKER Jeremiah KEELER Silvanus SEELEY Benj'n BENNIT Hezekiah HAWLEY Jeremiah OSBORN John HITCHCOCK Thomas WASSON James BARNS John HAYS Benj'm DOWNS Joseph SHAW W'm PLATT Charles WHITE Solomon BROWN Tho's HUTCHISON Lucus BROWN James STANTON The pay roll for horse travel of Captain David OLMSTED's Company from Ridgefield in Colonel Nehemiah BEARDSLEY's regiment whilst on alarm at Fairfield is as follows: David OLMSTED, Captain Job SMITH, Lieutenant Jared SMITH, Ensign Abijah BENEDICT, Sergt. James SCOTT, Sergt. Jacob NASH, Sergt. Ebenezer HAULEY, Clerk John BENEDICT, Corp. Trowbridge BENNETT, Corp Nathan HOYT, Corp. Ezra NASH Benjamin KEELER John GILBERT Jonathan HOYT Alexander RESSEGUIE Nathan SMITH Ezra MEAD Matthew OLMSTED Robert WILSON Jesse BENEDICT Hail MORRIS Nathan KELLOGG Josiah OSBURN Gamaliel BENEDICT Matthew KEELER Jonathan NASH Jeremiah DAUCHY Josiah NORTHROP Abijah SEYMOUR James FOLLETT Jacob NASH was killed at Norwalk, July 11th, 1779, when Tyron burned the town, and is buried in Titicus. It will be noted that the roster of the last two companies are filled with names from the old families of Ridgefield. David OLMSTED was appointed a captain in the 4th Brigade, November, 1780. He was also among the number of captain in regiments to be raised to march, if called by General WASHINGTON, May, 1782. Unknown Regiment. Colonel Nehemiah BEARDSLEY's return, May, 1779, Connecticut Line: Captain Jonah FOSTER, Ridgefield Joseph SEARS John ROBERTS Joseph SMITH Gilbert BRUSH Elisha LINCOLN Ruben CRAW Ammon CRAW John CONDRICK (CONDRUY) Lewis JAKLIN Daniel RIGGS Elisha PERRY Captain Knowles SEARS, Ridgefield Sergt. John STREET Thomas WHITNEY Ezekiel WHITNEY Micajah WEEKS Eliphaz NICKERSON Solomon WRAN (RAN) Daniel CANFIELD William MITCHELL John BUTLER Barrack NICKERSON Elijah WEED -------- KEELER William DODGE Captain Isaac HINE, Ridgefield Nehemiah SHERWOOD Mical FRANK (identity unknown) Daniel OSBURN Sergt. Elisha GILBERT Thomas SEAGER Abraham RESSEGUIE William CUMMINS John HITCHCOCK Micajah WEEKS Thomas WATSON William MITCHELL James BARNES William NEWTON John HAYS John BUTLER Henry WILLIAMS Peter KELUE (name unknown - evidently mispelled) Captain Isaac HINE's Company in Colonel Nehemiah BEARDSLEY's Regiment: Militia in ye State of Connecticut for Horse Travil in Alarm to Fairfield, Bedford & Norwalk Dated Ridgefield, July, 1779 Men's Names - Miles Travil Captain Isaac HINE, 20 Lieut. David SCOTT, 20 Ensign John KEELER, 20 Clerk James ROCKWELL, 20 Serj. Abram NASH, 20 Serj. Hugh CANE, 20 Sergt. Samuel OLMSTED, 20 Sejt. James RESSEGUIE, 20 Corpl. Samuel SMITH, 20 Corpl. Daniel SMITH, 20 Corporal Gabriel BENNETT, 10 David HOYT, 20 Jacob SMITH 2nd, 20 Thomas HAWLEY, --- Daniel OLMSTED, 20 Jehial BOUTON, 20 David ST. JOHN, 20 Daniel KELLOGG, --- Amos BAKER, 20 Theodore ROCKWELL, 20 Benjamin SHERWOOD, 20 Joseph STEBBINS, 10 Robert EDMOND, 20 Ebenezer PRICE, 20 John BENEDICT, 20 Samuel FAIRBANKS, 20 David OLMSTED, 2nd, --- Stephen HARD, 10 Aaron NORTHROP, 10 Timothy KEELER, 10 Ezekiel WILSON, 10 Seth LEE, --- Aaron HULL, 20 Thadeus STURGIS, 20 James LUSEY, --- Ebenezer JONES, --- Silas HULL (not HALL), 10 Benjamin SMITH, 10 Timothy KEELER, 2nd, 20 Gideon SCOTT, 20 John BALDWIN, 10 Daniel DEAN, 20 Elijah WEED, 10 John MORRIS, 20