Follows is yet another “We Remember” piece highlighting Canterbury’s involvement in the American Revolution. My intent is to keep alive the names of past Canterbury townspeople who contributed to the fight for our independence, as part of our ongoing celebration of our nation’s 250th and the upcoming town’s 300th celebration.
~ John Goegel

With the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, due to the reinforcement of Dorchester Heights with the heavy artillery secured from Fort Ticonderoga that winter, the British had been expelled from the thirteen colonies. The strategy to suppress the colonists’ revolt would be to attack New York City. In April, George Washington and his newly formed Continental Army raced to defend NYC and the all-important entrance to the Hudson River. Within weeks after the colonies’ July 4th Declaration of Independence, more than 200 British warships and transports arrived in New York Harbor, delivering 32,000 fully equipped and well trained soldiers.
Two New Hampshire units were raised to reinforce the Continental Army. Canterbury men in Col. David Gilman’s Regiment were Captain Benjamin Sias, Stephen Sutton, William Forrest, David Norris, Peter Blanchard, Jonathan Forrest, Simeon Sanborn and John Rowen. In Col. Loammi Baldwin’s Regiment were William Clement, Joshua Weeks, Samuel Gerrish, Nathaniel Pallet, Samuel Ames, James Gibson, Sargent Morrill, Ebenezer Kimball and Benjamin Simpson.
Washington’s forces were unable to defend their ground at the Battle of Brooklyn and were forced to abandon NYC. By September the Baldwin and Gilman regiments joined Washington’s retrograde action to White Plains before having to flee across the Hudson River, now chased south through New Jersey. The bitter loss of NYC was soon tempered by Washington’s forces crossing the Delaware River and enacting a surprise Christmas morning attack at Trenton.
Meanwhile the control of Lake Champlain played out. The British would not advance out of Canada to attack Fort Ticonderoga without an assurance of a secure waterway. A shipbuilding race ensued on opposite ends of the lake. By fall Col. Benedict Arnold was placed in command of the American’s makeshift navy. In October at the Battle of Valcour Island, the larger and more powerful British fleet crushed the weaker Americans. The British then decided to forego an attack on Fort Ticonderoga, choosing instead to return to Canada and enter winter quarters. Though defeated, Arnold and the Americans had successfully delayed for another year the British strategy of dividing New England from the rest of the colonies.