Capt. Nathaniel Hutchins (October 11, 1742 – January 10, 1832) had as one of Roger's Rangers, seen five years of hard service during the French and Indian War.[1] Later, as First Lieutenant in the 9th company of Stark's 74th regiment, he was transferred to Capt. (later Major General) Henry Dearborn's company in the expedition against Quebec in Col. Benedict Arnold's detachment. The thousand men marched to Newburyport, where they embarked on September 18, 1775. During the campaign, Lt. Nathanial and Capt. Dearborn, as well as others, were captured at Quebec December 31, 1775.
On April 4, 1777, the New Hampshire House promoted Lt. Nathaniel to Captain in Col. Cilley's regiment. His company, with sixteen or more men from Weare, was in the first New Hampshire regiment in John Sullivan's brigade. It saw action under Washington at Trenton and Princeton. Capt. Nathaniel was at White Plains in July 1778. The records indicate absence for illness "at Hartford" from November 1778 to April 1779. George Washington had written from Valley Forge on May 20, 1778 to Major General Heath of Boston as follows: "I shall direct a guard to relieve Capt. (Nathaniel) Hutchins at Reading". Later, Nathaniel was on furlough from October 1779 to the end of the year. But he was sick again the last two months of 1780 and seems to have retired from service pursuant to a general order of November 1, 1780. His military record is as follows:
French and Indian War
- Ensign, Roger's Rangers, New Hampshire Detachment under Cpt. John Stark, 1759
American Revolution
- 2nd Lieutenant, 1st N.H. Regiment under Col. John Stark, April 23, 1775 (Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775)
- 1st Lieutenant, 5th Continental Infantry, January 1, 1776
- Captain Lieutenant, September 25, 1776
- Captain Lieutenant 1st N.H., November 8, 1776
- Captain, April 4, 1777
- retired January 1, 1781
His headstone has inscribed upon it: "Nathaniel Hutchins died 10 Jan. 1832, aged 89. He served in the French War 5 years, was Commanding Officer in the Revolutionary War, and was in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775." The grave bears a Revolutionary War flag.
References[]
- ↑ Hutchins, Jack Randolph (1976). The story of Jacob Hutchins of Athol, Massachusetts, Revolutionary soldier: and accounts of other Hutchins who served in the Revolutionary War. Hutchins. pp. 21.
- Henry Dearborn, Peckham (2009). Revolutionary War Journals of Henry Dearborn, 1775-1783. Heritage Books. pp. 45. ISBN 9780788401244.
- Byam, Edwin Colby; Hutchins, Jack Randolph (1975). John Hutchins of Haverhill. Goetz Press. pp. 523.
- Smith, Bradford (1956). Roger's Rangers and the French and Indian War. Random House. pp. 195.
The original article can be found at Nathaniel Hutchins and the edit history here.