The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
Author: Frank Horton
James Bushnell, b. 21 Nov 1761, in Saybrook, CT was a teamster and later a farmer after the Revolutionary War.
During one of his encampments, he was on duty as a camp guard. Though the date of this event is hidden in the mist of time as it was not reported to the family until later, he described the night as cold and wintery, the wind biting through his thin homespun clothing. He was from a large family group who were well represented in the Revolutionary war. During the conduct of the guard, General Washington approached his post and saw James shivering from the cold. He ask him why he did not have a coat. James replied that he didn't own a heavy coat, whereupon General Washington gave him his coat. The next day when James tried to return the coat, the General told him to keep it as he had another.
During this conversation, the General learned that James' last name was Bushnell and made the remark: "Your one of the Bushnell boys. I don't know what we would do without you."
After the war, James married Electa Munson, daughter of Timothy Munson, another Revolutionary War Patriot, on 17 March 1787.
He lived to fight in the War of 1812 while living in VT.
He died in Pownal, VT on 3 Dec 1858 and is buried in the Bushnell-Barney Cemetery in Bennington County, VT.
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