Private John R. Greenslit

Private John R. Greenslit 1767 — 1856

Private John Greenslit Information compiled by William C. Schuette For the Sauk County Historical Society Copyright 2023

The Battle of Long Island, N.Y., in which Private Greenslit participated.

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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1775—1783 The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution based on the principles of the American Enlightenment that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1783. It created the environment for the American Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, whereby the Thirteen Colonies secured their independence from the British Crown and consequently established the United States as the first sovereign nation state founded on Enlightenment principles of the consent of the governed, constitutionalism and liberal democracy.

American colonists objected to being taxed by the British Parliament, a body in which they had no direct representation. Prior to the 1760s, British colonial authorities afforded the colonies a relatively high level of autonomy in their internal affairs, which were locally governed by colonial legislatures. During the 1760s, however, the British Parliament passed acts that were intended to bring the American colonies under more direct rule by the British monarchy and intertwine the economies of the American colonies with Britain in ways that benefited the British monarchy and increased the colonies' dependence on it. In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which imposed taxes on official documents, newspapers and magazines, and most things printed in the colonies, leading to colonial protest and resulting in representatives from several colonies convening the Stamp Act Congress in New York City to plan a response. The British repealed the Stamp Act, alleviating tensions briefly but they flared again in 1767 with Parliament's passage of the Townshend Acts, a group of new taxes and regulations imposed on the thirteen colonies.

In an effort to quell a mounting rebellion in the colonies, which was particularly severe in the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay, King George III deployed troops to Boston, resulting in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. The British government then repealed most of the Townshend duties in 1770, but it retained its tax on tea in order to symbolically assert Parliament's right to tax the colonies. The thirteen colonies responded assertively, first burning the Gaspee in Rhode Island in 1772 and then launching the Boston Tea Party in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, which vastly escalated tensions. The British responded by closing Boston Harbor and enacting a series of punitive laws, which effectively rescinded Massachusetts' governing autonomy.

On April 19, 1775, tensions between the British Army and patriot militiamen escalated to open warfare, launching the American Revolutionary War, when British troops were sent to capture a cache of military supplies and were confronted by American patriots at Lexington and Concord. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia responded by authorizing formation of the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief. In an early victory for the Americans, Washington and the Continental Army engaged British forces in the Siege of Boston, forcing them to withdraw by sea. Each of the thirteen colonies also formed their own Provincial Congress, assuming power from former British-controlled colonial governments. The Provincial Congresses suppressed Loyalists and contributed to the Continental Army. The Patriots unsuccessfully attempted to invade northeastern Quebec in an attempt to rally sympathetic colonists there during the winter of 1775–1776, but were more successful in the southwestern parts of the colony.

The first shot of the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord is referred to as the due to its historical and global significance. The Revolutionary War victory not only established the United States as the first modern constitutional republic, but marked the transition from an age of monarchy to a new age of freedom by inspiring similar movements worldwide.

The U.S. Constitution, drafted shortly after independence, remains the world’s oldest written constitution, and has been emulated by other countries, in some cases verbatim. Some historians and scholars argue that the subsequent wave of independence and revolutionary movements has contributed to the continued expansion of democratic government; 144 countries, representing two-third of the world’s population, are full or partially democracies of same form.

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856 Private John Greenslit is the only known veteran of the Revolutionary War (1775-83) to be buried in Sauk County, Wisconsin.

The Greenslade family immigrated to the new colonies from England around 1642, when Thomas and Ann arrived on the shores of America.

The unusual surname can be traced to the Old English “Slaed” which was used to denote a valley. Thus, Greenslade translates to mean “green valley”.

John was born June 5, 1767 in Hampton, CT, to John & Sarah Greenslit, descendants of that original pioneer family.

It is interesting to note that Mrs. Ann Greenslade, John’s great-great-great-great grandmother was pronounced under the laws of Salem, Mass. to be a witch and sentenced to death. She was hanged around the age of 65 in 1692. Subsequently the family surname was changed to Greenslit. Ann Greenslade was finally exonerated from the charge of witchcraft by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1957. (Additional information on page 53).

In 1776, the British army took over New York and Long Island became their stronghold for the duration of what was to become known as the Revolutionary War. In Sep. 1782 John Greenslit, Jr., at the tender age of 15, enlisted in the Connecticut State Troop to help America fight for its independence. Toward the end of the war, it was not unusual for boys of his age to enlist.

He served at Fort Trumbull, Newton, CT, and then at Fort Griswold in Groton.

With the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781, America’s war for independence was nearly over.

However, there were still minor battles between the British and colonists for another two years.

Private John Greenslit experienced several incursions into Long Island during his year of service in the army and perhaps saw some action, although it is not recorded in his family history.

On Sep. 3, 1783, the Paris Peace Treaty was signed by representatives of the combatants, and the Revolutionary War officially ended. The British finally left New York and Long Island on Nov. 15, 1783.

Private John Greenslit was mustered out of the service in September of 1783 at the age of 16 and returned to his family home in Connecticut.

John married Salome Pitts of Ashford, CT in 1790 and they became the proud parents of a family which would eventually number eight children.

It is not inappropriate to assume that during the long, cold New England winters, seated near the fireplace around a roaring fire, that John would recount his youthful encounter with the Redcoats–his young children listening in rapt attention to every detail. Later in life, he would again retell the stories to his grandchildren, perhaps embellishing a bit upon his role as a soldier during those exciting times in America’s history.

One of his sons, Henry, in 1848 moved to Dellona Township and then to Franklin Township. Another son, Steven, also moved to Dellona Township in 1854. Later Steven relocated to the new state of Minnesota during the late 1850’s.

At the age of 87, John, who was living in Vermont in 1855, applied for 160 acres of Bounty Land. An Act of Congress, in 1855, granted Bounty Land, or free land, to certain soldiers who had served in the military of the U.S. John and Salome moved to Dellona Township in 1855 to be near their son. John died on April 1, 1856 at the home of his son, Henry in Dellona Township and is buried in the Dellona Center cemetery.

Salome continued her application for the Bounty Land and was granted160 acres in Dodge County, Minnesota in 1859. She was 90 at the time. Salome died in 1860 and is buried beside her husband.1 4

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

Birth Record of John Greenslit June 5, 1767

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

Baptism of John Greenslit— October 8, 1769 6

John Greenslit’s Service Record in the Revolutionary War.

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Private John Greenslit’s Army Occupation According to the military service record on the previous page, Private John Greenslit belonged to Durkee’s Company of Matrosses, Connecticut, during the year that he was enlisted in the army of the American Revolutionary War. A matross was a soldier of artillery. He was a member of an artillery (gun) crew. A matross ranked next below a gunner. The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging or cooling down, the guns with water. They were armed with muskets and bayonets and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards.

A soldier's manual for artillery used by Americans in the Revolutionary war gave a detailed instruction for a matross. In part it said: The first matross stands on the right side of the chase (the entire conical part of the cannon in front of the middle portion of the gun) of the piece, between the piece and the right wheel, and with his back touching the axletree. His left foot is advanced a pace in front and both legs are straight. His head is turned so much to the left as to have a glimpse of the flash of the vent with the left eye when the piece if fired. His duty is to sponge and ram (load) the piece.

Wikipedia Since John was only 15 when he enlisted toward the end of the war, it stands to reason that he would not have been a professionally trained soldier. Therefore, his job in the military wasn't that of an experienced rifleman.

He would have been assigned to a lower position as an assistant to the gunner, or a matross.

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Revolutionary War Soldier’s Uniforms

Beginning in 1779, George Washington ordered that uniforms for soldiers in the Continental Army to consist of blue coats, white waistcoats and facings of varying color.

According to an article titled “Guide to Military Uniforms” on military.com, the reason blue was chosen for the Continental Army uniforms was because it was in direct contrast to the British Army’s red uniforms.

In addition to the blue coats, the Continental army also wore white, off-white or beige waistcoats, breeches and long-sleeved hunting shirts, black tricorne hats, white stockings and black or dark shoes with buckles.3

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The Battle of Long Island, New York

1776 The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, (August 27–29, 1776), in the American Revolution, successful British action in Brooklyn, New York, against the American Continental Army and the first major battle of the war since the American declaration of independence on July 4.

The battle initiated the British campaign of 1776 to seize control of New York and thereby isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. After the British evacuation from Boston in March, the British general Lord William Howe moved to occupy New York City under the protection of a British fleet that commanded the surrounding waters. To protect his left flank, the defending American general, George Washington, stationed one-third of his troops (numbering no more than 20,000 trained soldiers) on the Long Island side of the East River. where they erected fortifications. A Continental Army division under Major General Nathanial Greene occupied a line of fortifications on Long Island’s Brooklyn Heights, across the East River from New York City.

From his encampment on Staten Island, Howe planned to attack by land while warships blocked the river, trapping the Americans. On 22 August, his force of almost 30,000 British regulars and German mercenaries landed on the south beaches of Long Island. The Americans reinforced their strength to 9,000 men, but Greene fell ill and was replaced by Major General Israel Putnam, a less capable soldier. About 6,500 men manned the main American positions while the rest were placed forward to block the three approach roads up to the Heights. Howe divided his men into three assault columns, one for each road.

After midnight on 27 August, Howe’s left and central columns marched forward, causing Putnam to shift units to meet the threat. Meanwhile, the main British attack swung right and, finding the road undefended, attacked the American rear. Surprised and outnumbered, American units fled to the main defense line. Several regiments fought desperate rearguard actions but were overwhelmed. Despite his initial success, Howe paused two days in front of the American fortifications to prepare a final assault. When a storm drove the British warships downriver, Washington used the opportunity to abandon Long Island. During the night of 29 August, the bulk of the American army crossed the East River to Manhattan, a successful escape that helped repair low American morale.

Losses: American, 300 dead, 650 wounded, 1,100 captured; British and German, 63 dead, 314 wounded.2

It has been noted elsewhere in this publication that Private John Greenslit saw action in this battle.

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See # in document below. Second column, 7th name from the bottom.

A Roll of Capt. Benj. Durkee’s Company Ma___ First? Lieutenant

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Captain Benjamin Durkee served with 3rd Connecticut Regiment (1777), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Benjamin Durkee is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A035364.

Benjamin Durkee is DAR Patriot Ancestor #: A035364. He served as a Captain in the Connecticut Militia.

The DAR lists his birth: 10-18-1744 Windham, Windham, Connecticut and his death: 4-25-1829 Tunbridge, Orange, Vermont.

The 3rd Connecticut Regiment was authorized on 16 September 1776 and was organized between 1 January - April 1777 of eight companies of volunteers from the counties of Windham and Hartford in the state of Connecticut.

On 3 April 1777 it was assigned to the 1st Connecticut Brigade in the Highland's Department. The brigade was reassigned to the Main Continental Army on 15 June 1777 and reassigned back to the Highland's Department on 2 July 1777.

One year later, 21 July 1778 the Brigade was reassigned to the Main Continental Army. On 28 May 1779 the Brigade was reassigned to the Highland's Department and 11 July 1779 the regiment was re-organized to nine companies.

On 16 November 1780 the brigade was reassigned to the Main Continental Army; but later that, 27 November 1780 it was reassigned back to the Highland's Department.

On 1 January 1781 the regiment was merged with the 4th Connecticut Regiment, re-organized to nine companies and re-designated as the 1st Connecticut Regiment{1781-1783}.

The regiment would see action in the New York Campaign.

Wikipedia

Silk painted flag of the Third Company, Third Connecticut Regiment, Continental Army, with a silver sword, green "III" and a green garland tied with a red ribbon painted in the lower left corner extending into the center on a white ground; tan linen sleeve for the flagstaff. New-York Historical Society.

By Continental Army - http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibit/flag-50, Public Domain, https:// 12

See # in document below. First column, 6th name from the top.

Roll of Muster of a Company of the 2nd Virginia Regiment in a Battalion Composed of the Different Regiments of the Virginia Line Commanded by _____ ____ Thomas Perry from the__ of Apl until the __ of Sept 1782

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See # below. Second column.

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Note: In the above description it indicates that John served in Col. McClarin’s Regiment. It should read Col. McClennan’s Regiment.

Continued on the next page...

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

At the age of 87, John, who was living in Vermont in 1855, applied for 160 acres of Bounty Land. An Act of Congress, in 1855, granted Bounty Land, or free land, to certain soldiers who had served in the military of the U.S. In this case, the Revolutionary War.

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John Greenslit’s application for Bounty Land 1855

Transcription on the following page….

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Transcription of the previous page….

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Saloma Greenslit’s application for Bounty Land 1856

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Saloma Greenslit’s application for Bounty Land 1856

Transcription on the following page….

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Transcription of the previous two pages….

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Bounty Land Location in Minnesota

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Saloma Greenslit’s application for John’s Pension in 1857

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Saloma Greenslit’s application for John’s Pension in 1857

Saloma would receive a pension of $24.53 per year.

That would be approximately $999 in today’s purchasing power.

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Transcription of the previous two pages….

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Original tombstone, above.

The new plaque marker, right, installed in 1975.

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856 On July 4, 1975, the people of Reedsburg honored the Greenslit family, and dedicated a bronze plaque which was placed on the grave at the Dellona Center Cemetery. The grave was located through the work of the Wisconsin Sons of the American Revolution and the Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society. Greenslit descendants from across the country came to pay their respects that sunny summer day. Source Old Sauk Trails1

Wis. State Old Cemetery Soc. & Fay Robinson Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution members install a marker at Dellona Center Cemetery grave of John Greenslit in 1975, the only Revolutionary War veteran buried in Sauk Co. L-R, back: Genevieve Parsons, Ena Moll, Raymond Seger. Front: Ruth Burmester, Jill Vladik, Mark Vladik, Bette Hall

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

John Greenslit married Salome Pitts of Ashford, CT in 1790 Ashford Vital Records

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A pension given to John Greenslit’s wife, Salome after his death.

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

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A pension given to John Greenslit’s wife, Salome after his death.

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U. S. 1800 Census for John Greenslit 35

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1810 Census for John Greenslit 36

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1820 Census for John Greenslit 37

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1830 Census for John Greenslit

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1840 Census for John Greenslit

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1840 Census for John Greenslit

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1850 Census for John Greenslit

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1850 Census for John Greenslit 42

John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1860 Census for John Greenslit

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

U.S. 1860 Census for John Greenslit #16

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John Greenslit 1767— 1857

This is the original tombstone for John Greenslit in Dellona Center Cemetery.

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

The Flag Holder medallion on the grave of John Greenslit in Dellona Center Cemetery

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856

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Greenslit, John (1767-1856) was born in Hampton, Windham County, Connecticut in June 1767. At age 15, Greenslit enlisted in September 1782 for a period of one year in the Connecticut Militia. He served in Captain Benjamin Dundee’s - 24 - Company of Colonel McLellan’s Regiment, and was stationed at Fort Trumbull, New London, for the first six months of his enlistment. Greenslit served the balance of his time at Fort Griswold, Groton, Connecticut, [see below] and was discharged there in September 1, 1783. After the war, John moved to Vermont and then to Wisconsin, accompanied by his wife and son, Henry. John Greenslit died, at the age of 89, on April 1, 1856, Dellona, Sauk County, Wisconsin. Greenslit is buried in the Dellona Center Cemetery, Section 27, Town of Dellona, Sauk County. His grave is marked with a bronze government maker and an SAR Marker. The entrance of the cemetery has a Sauk County Historical Society marker about Greenslit. The graves GPS location is: N43.57665°; W089.88902°. To visit patriot Greenslit, take State Highway 23-South toward Reedsburg to Simpson Road. Turn right on Simpson. Should one travel on Hwy 23 into Reedsburg, one has gone too far and missed Simpson Road. The cemetery is at the intersection of Simpson and South Avenue. Greenslit’s grave is on the left side of the cemetery.4

Fort Trumbull, New London, Connecticut where John Greenslit served the first six months of his enlistment.

Fort Griswold, Groton, Connecticut where John Greenslit served the second six months of his enlistment.

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John Greenslit’s 4th great grandmother declared to be a witch It is interesting to note that Mrs. Ann Greenslade, John’s great-great-great-great grandmother was pronounced under the laws of Salem, Mass. to be a witch and sentenced to death. She was hanged around the age of 65 in 1692. Subsequently the family surname was changed to Greenslit. Ann Greenslade was finally exonerated from the charge of witchcraft by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1957.5

Salem Witch Trials Ann Greenslade Pudeator (c.1622 - 1692) was condemned and executed during the Salem Witch Trials.

Ann Greenslade Pudeator was born in England in about 1622. We do know that she and her husband, Thomas Greenslade, immigrated to Maine before 1650. She had five children. Thomas died in 1674. She later married Jacob Pudeator and they settled in Salem, MA where Jacob died in 1682. Ann Pudeator was probably about seventy years of age when she was arrested for “practicing witchcraft” in 1692.

The prosecution of those suspected of witchcraft, however, dates back to Europe, thirteenth century and earlier. Exceptionally gifted or learned people were suspected of being in alliance with the Devil and were charged with witchcraft. Upon arrest, the person was put in prison where he or she was examined by a panel comprised of, in the case of a woman defendant, nine women and a doctor. They would search the body quite thoroughly for, as they put it, “evidence of any abnormal growths from which imps, devils, or witches might suckle.” The person was then placed in irons, hand and foot. There the prisoner remained until the trial where the prisoner would most assuredly be found guilty and sentenced to, as they phrased it, “hang by the neck until she be dead.”

Ann Greenslade Pudeator had inherited two estates from her two deceased husbands. She was well off and probably was considered one of the extravagant ones. She was also a nurse; and her healing powers were used against her.

Warrants were issued in February, 1692, arrests were made, and two magistrates from Salem came to Salem Village to examine the prisoners. Examinations were carried out under the archaic presumption of guilt, and as none of the accused were in any position to defend themselves, the fate of all was sealed. The accusing children were present during the hearings, and frequently went into convulsions that they attributed to one or another of the prisoners.

The examination of Ann Greenslade Pudeator began on the second of July, 1692. The evidence was, if possible, more frivolous and absurd than in other cases. The girls acted their usual parts, giving on this occasion a particularly striking exhibition of the transmission of the diabolical virus out of themselves back into the witch by a touch of her body. “Ann Putnam fell into a fit, and said Pudeator was commanded to take her by the wrist, and did; and said Putnam was well presently. Mary Warren fell into two fits quickly, after one another; and both times was helped by said Pudeator taking her by the wrist.”

When well-acted, this must have been one of the most impressive and effective of all the methods used in these performances. The court saw a young woman or girl suddenly struck down, speechless, pallid as in death with muscles rigid, and eyeballs fixed or rolled back in their sockets. The stiffened body was either wholly prostrate or drawn up in contorted attitudes and shapes, or vehemently convulsed with racking pains, or dropped with relaxed muscles into a lifeless lump. This performance including dread shrieks of delirious ravings must have produced a truly frightening effect upon the excited and deluded assembly. The constables would go to the rescue, lift the body of the sufferer, and bear it in their arms toward the prisoner.

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The magistrates and the crowd, hushed in the deepest silence, would watch with breathless awe the result of the experiment. Meanwhile, the officers slowly approached the accused, who, when they came near her, would, in obedience to the order of the magistrates, hold out a hand, and touch the flesh of the afflicted one.

Instantly the spasm ceased, the eyes opened, color returned to the countenance, the limbs resumed their position and functions, and life and intelligence holly restored. The sufferer comes to herself, walks back and takes her seat as well as ever. The effect upon the accused person must have been dumfounding. It is a wonder that it did not often break them down.

On the ninth of September, the Court met again; and Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, and Ann Greenslade Pudeator were tried and condemned; and on the seventeenth, they received the same sentence.

They were hanged on September 22, 1692.

This is Ann Greenslade Pudeator’s Declaration to the Court: The Humble Petition of Ann Pudeator unto the Honored Judge and Bench now sitting in Judicature in Salem, humbly showeth. That whereas, your poor and humble petitioner, being condemned to die, and knowing in my own conscience, as I shall shortly answer it before the Great God of heaven, who is the searcher and Knower of all hearts, that the evidence of Jno. Best, Sr., and Jno. Best, Jr., and Samuel Pickwith, which was given in against me in Court, were all of them altogether false and untrue, and besides the above said Jno. Best hath been formerly whipped and likewise is recorded for a liar. I would humbly beg of your Honors to take it into your judicious and pious consideration, that my life may not be taken away by such false evidence and witnesses as these be; likewise, the evidence given in against me by Sarah Chruchill and Mary Warren I am altogether ignorant of, and know nothing in the least measure about it, or nothing else concerning the crime of witchcraft for which I am condemned to die, as will be known to men and angels at the great day of Judgment. Begging and imploring your prayers at the Throne of Grace in my duty, for Your Honor’s health and happiness in this life, and eternal felicity in the world to come.”

In all, 19 people were executed in Salem and over 100 were jailed and twice that many stood accused.

Alarmed by an accusation against his wife, Governor William Phips forbade any further imprisonment for witchcraft in October, 1692. He ended the terror in early 1693 by pardoning all those convicted or suspected of witchcraft.4

The location of Ann Greenslade Pudeator’s grave has never been found.

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The Salem Witch Trials began in 1648 55

This is Ann Greenslade Pudeator’s Declaration to the Court.

See page 54 for a transcription

Memorial Marker in Salem, MA

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John Greenslit 1767— 1856 Sources 1 Sauk County Historical Society newsletter, Old Sauk Trails, February, 2007, by William Schuette 2 https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Long-Island 3 https://historyofmassachusetts.org/uniforms-revolutionary-war-soldiers/ Uniforms 4 https://justdohistory.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/rev-veterans-buried-in-wi.pdf 5 https://historyofmassachusetts.org/ann-pudeator-salem/ Witch trials.

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