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: David Wade Morton
Private Caleb Howland was born May 4, 1758, at Gloucester, Rhode Island, the son of Samuel Howland and Freelove Seamans. On May 23, 1779, he married Mary Simonds (Seamans) in Clarendon, Rutland County, Vermont. He died on September 5, 1838 in Brandon, Rutland County, Vermont. Private Howland served his country during the Revolutionary War by enlisting multiple times in Rhode Island and Vermont serving under four captains and four colonels.
His service to our country was described in a letter dated October 25, 1932 written by A. D. Hiller, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau of Pensions, Washington, DC:
While living there (Glocester, RI) he enlisted in February, 1776, served as private in Captain Nathaniel Blackmar’s company in Colonel Christopher Lippitt’s Rhode Island Regiment, was ln the battle of White Plains, in the first battle of Trenton having crossed the Delaware River with General Washington the night before, was in the battle of Princeton and was discharged January 15, 1777.
(In Private Howland’s own words, “we marched to White Plains where we stayed until after the battle which was fought at this place, in which I was not engaged we then marched across the Hudson River in the State of New Jersey in Lee’s division…We forded through several principal places in that State and forded into Pennsylvania and halted in a town by the name of Brister or Bristen I think or some such name. We forded the Delaware in the latter part of January in the night there under the command of Washington and was in the Battle on the following day at Trenton when we captured a body of Hessians from there we marched to Princeton and took a body of British troops which was soon after the Battle of Trenton. From there marched to Morristown and was discharge soon after at that place. Stopped at Fishkill on the Hudson…return[ed] home.“ February 9, 1835)
He enlisted in the fall of 1777 and served one month as private in Captain Wilmot’s Company in colonel Brown’s Rhode Island Regiment and was in General Spencer’s Rhode Island expedition. He enlisted in February or March, 1778, and served one year as private in Captain Abraham Toursillot’s Company in Colonel Crary’s Rhode Island Regiment. Having moved to Clarendon, Vermont in April, 1779, he enlisted in that month and served three weeks as private in Captain Sawyer’s Company and was stationed at the block house at Rutland. In 1780 or 1781 he served about one half month as private in Captain Robinson’s Vermont company and was stationed at Castleton. He was frequently out on alarms, one at Brandon when it was burned, one at Crown Point and one at Bulwagga Bay and scouted along Lake Champlain, this entire service amounting to at least one month in all.
From Clarendon he moved to Hubbardton and from there to Brandon, Rutland County, Vermont, about 1812.
He was allowed pension on his application executed July 7, 1832, at which time he was living in Rutland, Vermont.
Private Caleb Howland was 74 when he first received his pension payment; his last, six years later.
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