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| ~ Bio - Private Thomas Galusha ~ | |||||||
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Thomas Galusha was born on August 2, 1756 in New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
On the first call for Troops, at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Thomas was still residing at the place of his birth, New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut. Then at the age of 18 years, he answered that call and enlisted as a Private for 7 months service in the 7th Company commanded
Thomas returned home to New Milford where he, about a month later on the first of January 1776, enlisted as a Private for one year service in Captain Isaac Bostick's Company, Colonel Charles Webb's Connecticut Regiment, the 19th Regiment of the Continental Line. Thomas was sent to Boston, Massachusetts were he joined his Company. He was stationed at Rockburry (Roxbury) as a guard until mid-March when he marched onto Dorchester Hill where he helped build three forts of logs and brush. In April 1776, Colonel Webb's Regiment marched from Boston in the Army under the command of General George Washington to New York. Thomas marched with this Army to New London, Connecticut where he boarded a sloop and sailed through Long Island Sound to the vicinity of New York City. At New York City, Thomas was stationed as a guard until General Washington's Army retreated to White Plains. After the battle of White Plains, he marched with the Army to West Point, then across New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Thomas was then stationed at Camp Valley Forge as a guard until the first of January 1777 when his enlistment expired and he was discharged. By May 1777, Thomas had taken up residence in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. From there, on July 21, 1777, he enlisted for 7 months service as a Private in Captain John Warner's Company, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Herrick's Vermont Regiment of Rangers. Thomas joined his Company at Manchester, Vermont where they were initially stationed. Here he served as a guard over Military Stores and was employed in scouting with small parties to Lake Champlain and other Frontier Places in Vermont. On August 15, 1777, while headquartered at Manchester (now in Bennington County, Vermont), Colonel Herrick's Regiment, then fielding 4 Companies of Rangers, was ordered south to Bennington, Vermont. The following day, August 16th, Thomas fought in both actions of the Battle of Bennington. During the first action he was engaged against the breastwork (entrenchments) occupied by Colonel Baum's forces. During the second action, he was engaged against the British Reinforcements sent from General Burgoyne's Army. Two days after this battle, Colonel Herrick's Regiment marched north to Pawlet, Vermont where they were headquartered for the remainder of their enlistment. In September, Thomas marched from Pawlet through the woods with a force of about 500 men up between Lake George and Lake Champlain to the vicinity of Fort Ticonderoga where they remained for about three days. During this time, Mount Defiance, a party of British guarding the French Lines before Fort Ticonderoga, two gun boats with cannon, and two sloops at the northern Lake George Landing were taken and about 100 American Prisioners were released. They then sailed up Lake George in the captured vessels, had an unsuccessful skirmish with the enemy at Diamond Island, went into Van Wormer's Bay where they burnt the boats and sloops and sunk the cannon, and marched over the mountains to Skeensborough (now Whitehall, Washington County), New York. They remained a few days at Skeensborough and then marched on to their headquarters at Pawlet, Vermont. Thomas was discharged from this service on December 3, 1777. On July 22, 1779, Thomas enlisted as a Private in Captain Samuel Clarks' Williamstown Company, Colonel Miles Powel's Berkshire County Regiment in which he marched to New Haven, Connecticut on an alarm. Thomas was discharged from this service on August 26, 1779 after serving 1 month and 12 days, travel included. On or about June 21, 1780, Thomas enlisted as a Private for six months service as "New Levies" in the Massachusetts line to fill up the Continental Army. He marched on June 29th for West Point. At West Point he was put into "the drill" for a short time and then into a Company commanded by Lieutenant Pratt, Colonel Bigelow's Regiment, General Glover's Brigade. Thomas was then marched into the State of New Jersey where he was put into a Light Infantry Company which marched from place to place as a Scouting Party. During the month of December 1780, Thomas returned to West Point where he remained in the barracks until December 30th when his enlistment expired and he was discharged having served 6 months and 9 days, travel included. Thomas returned home to Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts where he lived until about 1794. Thomas married Ruth (1755-1826) by whom he had 7 children (6 sons and 1 daughter): Samuel, Thomas, Reuben (1779-1848), John (1782-1864), William (1788-1823), Russell, and Sally. By mid-1800, Thomas and his family were living in Argyle (now Fort Edward), Washington County, New York. About 1824, Thomas moved to the Town of Putnam in the same county where he lived a few years. By mid-1830, Thomas returned to live in Fort Edward. He died there while residing with his son John. Thomas is buried next to his wife Ruth in the Riverside Cemetery on the banks of the Hudson River in Fort Miller, Fort Edward, Washington County, New York.
- Biographical information courtesy of Herman C. Brown
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by Captain Eleazer Curtiss, Jr. in Colonel Benjamin Hinman's Fourth Connecticut Regiment. Upon the capture of Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775, Colonel Hinman's Regiment was ordered by the Governor of Connecticut to march as soon as possible to secure that post and Crown Point against recapture. Thomas marched with his Company through Connecticut and Massachusetts to Albany, New York and then up the Hudson (North) River to Fort Edward and then to Lake George. Upon arriving at Lake George, they were boated down the lake to Ticonderoga where they joined their Regiment. At Ticonderoga, Thomas and his Company were employed in transporting recruits and stores up and down Lake George. In early September 1775, Thomas was taken with a fever and sent with the sick to New City (later Lansingburgh and now within the City of Troy, Rensselaer County) New York. On the last of November, when his seven month enlistment expired, he was discharged.