Americans celebrate July 4th with fireworks, parades, barbecues, and gatherings with family and friends.  Let us all take a moment to honor all those men and women who sacrificed their livelihoods and lives to gain independence from England’s control and unfair taxation.

My Wood family heeded the call to action the day after the British fired on the Concord Massachusetts Militia on April 18, 1775.  Direct descendant Daniel Wood, aged 18, and older brother Ezekiel, aged 21, lived near Springfield, Massachusetts, and joined thousands of other Massachusetts men racing by horse or foot to protect Boston from invasion.  

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, comprised of representatives of the 13 American colonies, adopted the Declaration of Independence of Independence.  http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document     The Declaration summarized the American colonists’ motivations for seeking independence and declared themselves an independent nation, thus separating from England’s rule.

With war against the British a near certainty, Stephen and Daniel Wood previously enlisted March 17, 1775, as  Minuteman in Colonel Tupper’s Regiment of Massachusetts.  Father Ezekiel, a surgeon, served a brief period in 1776 in Orange, New York.  It was common to enlist for only 3 months and either reenlist or returned home to take care of farms or family. Ezekiel returned to Easthampton, Massachusetts, close to Springfield, likely administering to soldiers who marched north to attack various British outposts.  At age 44, Ezekiel reenlisted on March 31, 1781, and served as a surgeon near Fort West Point, New York.  Son David joined the militia in October 1778, age 18, but only served for 9 months, probably to work on the farm. 

Over the course of the Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775—Sept. 3, 1783), about 231,000 men served in the Continental army, though no more than 48,000 at any one time and never more than 13,000 at any one place.  

About 6,800 Americans were killed in action throughout the war, 6,100 wounded, and close to 20,000 taken prisoner.  About 17,000 deaths were the result of disease, including 8,000 to 12,000 who died while prisoners of war.

Private Stephen Wood died in 1780 while home in Easthampton, Massachusetts from an accidental gunshot wound inflicted by his best friend while hunting.  He was only 26-years-old and left a young widow

Ezekiel Wood died on October 29, 1781, of fever, probably dysentery caused by eating contaminated food, water, or contaminated objects or bodies—a devastating consequence of  helping the sick or wounded soldiers.  Symptoms begin with a high fever and escalate to abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea.  His exact burial site is unknown but is probably near West Point.  A memorial gravestone was erected in the Easthampton Cemetery.

My direct ancestor, Private Daniel Wood, served until the end of the war and mustered out in June 1783, a total of 8.4 years.  Of all my numerous relatives who fought in the American Revolutionary War, Daniel marched the most miles on foot, even journeying to Montreal to against the British onslaught.  fortify General Benedict Arnold’s troops 

Born in Wilton, Connecticut (1) and then moving to Easthampton/Northampton/Southampton, Massachusetts, area (2), the map below, numbered from 3 to 8, identifies the long miles Private Daniel marched and the many battles in which he fought. 

Not shown on the map are the months of starvation, shabby clothes, seeing close friends killed or wounded, and the war’s aftereffects.  Evidence indicates Daniel was an alcoholic and became a nomad after the war.  He didn’t marry until age 32, to Sarah Barnes, and together had 6 children.  The family moved to Vermont, and tragically records indicate the family became destitute and lived in poverty, being “warned out” of a town, so the community did not have to pay any financial support. 

His eldest son Timothy ran away from home, as announced in a newspaper advertisement, with Daniel offering a reward of a penny, yes 1 cent, for his return.  I suspect that Daniel suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was probably prone to angry outbursts and suspected alcoholism.   

After Sarah died, he remarried Anna Terry in 1824.  Daniel, a widower died, in Palmyra, New York on December 23, 1846, aged 89.  He owned no property and his personal property did not exceed $35, about $1,000 in 2018 dollars.  Probably Daniel lived with his younger son, Frederick LeLand Wood, in Palmyra, New York and died there. 

No gravestone was erected until a distant Wood relative petitioned the military in the early 20th century, and funds were provided.  

REMEMBER.  Remember the true meaning of July 4th, and spend a few moments to honor those heroes who fought so bravely so that we may enjoy so much freedom today.   Amen.