Greathouse of Washington County, MD

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1776-1777 - Military Service: Private Jacob Greathouse, Captain Heyser's Company

1776, Oct 23 - Roll of Captain William Heyser's Company

Excerpts from Pennsylvania-German Society, Proceedings and Addresses, Page 233 - 234: [ View @ Google Books ]

Roll of Capt. William Heyser's Company.
Dated October 23, 1776.

William Heyser, Captain
Robt. Hartness, Private
Jacob Greathouse, Private

Footnotes:

1) William Heyser of Hagerstown, MD, was commissioned as a Captain on 12 Jul 1776, to raise a company of Continental soldiers, which would be placed under the command of Colonel Nicholas Hausegger of the German Regiment. Captain Heyser recruited soldiers for his company between July and September 1776 at Hagerstown, MD, then marched his company to Quibbletown, NJ. On 23 Oct 1776, Jacob Greathouse and Robert Hartness, both of Ice's Ford, Monongalia County, VA, were named as present on the muster roll of Captain Heyser's Company at Quibbletown, NJ.

2) The German regiment originated from a resolution of Congress June 27, 1776, directing four companies of Germans to be raised in Pennsylvania, and four companies in Maryland, to compose "the German battalion", the companies to serve for three years, unless sooner discharged. Nicholas Hausegger, major of the Fourth battalion (Wayne's), was commissioned colonel, and Pennsylvania furnished by far the largest number, both of its officers and recruits. The German regiment was in the field and engaged at Trenton and Princeton, in General Fermoy's brigade, of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Greene's division. General Fermoy's brigade consisted of Col. Edward Hand's 1st Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment and Col. Nicholas Hausegger's Pennsylvania and Maryland German Regiment.

1777, May 22 - Military: Muster Roll of Captain William Heyser's Company

Excerpt from NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Record Group 93, Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 5: [ View @ Fold3 ]

Muster Roll of Captn. Wm. Heyser's Compy. of the German Regiment Commanded by Baron Arendt, Colonel. Quibbletown [,NJ] May 22, 1777

Jacob Groathouse; Private; Remarks: "Deserted Novr. 1st" [1776].
Robert Hartness; Private; Remarks: "Deserted Novr. 1st" [1776].

Footnotes:

1) While this muster roll named 76 privates in Captain Heyser's company, of which 44 privates were present, Jacob Greathouse and Robert Hartness were named among the absent soldiers of the company, as having "Deserted Novr. 1st" [1776].

1777, Jul 18 - Military: Muster Roll of Captain William Heyser's Company

Excerpt from NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Record Group 93, Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 8: [ View @ Fold3 ]

A Muster Roll of Capt. William Heyser's Company of the German Regt., Commanded by Baron Arendt, Colonel. July 18, 1777

Jacob Groathouse; Private; Remarks: "Deserted Novr. 1st" [1776].
Robert Hartness; Private; Remarks: "Deserted Novr. 1st" [1776].

Footnotes:

1) While this muster roll named 72 privates in Captain Heyser's company, of which 33 privates were present, Jacob Greathouse and Robert Hartness were named among the absent soldiers of the company, as having "Deserted Novr. 1st" [1776].

2) By Aug 1777, neither Jacob Greathouse nor Robert Hartness were named among the soldiers of Captain Heyser's Company at Quibbletown, NJ.

3) Oftentimes, soldiers would "desert" during planting or harvest time, then return to their companies, where they would be named as present on a later muster roll. However, this does not appear to have been the case for Jacob Greathouse and Robert Hartness.

4) During the march of General Washington's Army from Trenton to Princeton in Jan 1777, while either drunk with fear or liquor, General Fermoy fled back to Trenton on his horse, leaving his brigade without a commander. Col. Edward Hand of the 1st Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment assumed command of General Fermoy's Brigade and led the soldiers through the Battle of Princeton with distinction. For his service during the battles of Trenton and Princeton, Col. Edward Hand received a field commission to Brigadier General from Congress and General Washington on April 1, 1777. General Hand had been appointed by the Continental Congress to the command of the Western Department, composed of the counties of Westmoreland and Washington in Pennsylvania, and Monongalia and Ohio in Virginia, with headquarters at Fort Pitt, because the people west of Pittsburgh had become fearful of an Indian uprising. On June 1, 1777, he arrived at Fort Pitt, escorted by a troop of Westmoreland lighthorse militia, where he began the task of recruiting additional soldiers for the garrisons of Fort Pitt and other forts, under his command, including Fort Henry, along Wheeling Creek, in Ohio County, VA.

5) In September 1777, Jacob Greathouse and Robert Hartness were named as soldiers with Captain Samuel Mason, whose company was garrisoned at Fort Henry, along Wheeling Creek, in Ohio County, VA.

Sources:

Pennsylvania-German Society, Proceedings and Addresses, Harrisburg, PA October 20, 1911, Vol. 22, Lancaster, PA: The New Era Printing Company, 1913. Page 233 - 234, Roll of Captain William Heyser's Company, 23 Oct 1776. Jacob Greathouse and Robert Hartness. View @ Google Books

Pennsylvania Archives, Series 5, Volume 3, Continental Line. The German Regiment 1776-1781. Page 785.

Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution magazine, Volume 54, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1920. Original from the University of California, Digitized Feb 3, 2010. Page 25, German Regiment Description. View @ Google Books

Frank John Urquhart, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, A History of the city of Newark, New Jersey: embracing practically two and a half centuries, 1666-1913, Volume 2, The Lewis historical publishing co., 1913. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Aug 31, 2007. Page 1036, German Regiment Description. View @ Google Books

Biographical Annals of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, VOLUME 1, Heritage Books, ISBN: 0788437380, 9780788437380. Page 160, William Heyser commissioned Captain of Company in German Regiment. View @ Google Books

NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Record Group 93, Muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83. Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 5, Privates: Jacob Groathouse and Robert Hartness. View @ Fold3

Ibid., NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 14, 1777, May 22 - Muster Roll of Captain Heyser's Company. Proof of Effectives. Page 6. View @ Fold3

Ibid., NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 8, 1777, Jul 18 - Muster Roll of Captain Heyser's Company. Privates: Jacob Groathouse and Robert Hartness. View @ Fold3

Ibid., NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 14, 1777, Jul 18 - Muster Roll of Captain Heyser's Company. Proof of Effectives. Page 12. View @ Fold3

Ibid., NARA, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Continental Troops, German Regiment, 1777-1780, Folder 189. Page 14, 1777, Aug 7 - Muster Roll of Captain Heyser's Company. Privates: Jacob Groathouse and Robert Hartness were not named. View @ Fold3

George R. Prowell, Continental Congress at York, Pennsylvania and York County in the Revolution, Edition reprint, York Printing Company, 1914. Original from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Digitized Feb 10, 2012. Page 190, General de Fermoy had returned to Trenton in a very questionable manner, leaving Colonel Hand in command, to conduct the retreat to Trenton. View @ Google Books

United States. Continental Congress, United States. Continental Congress. Committee of the States, Journals of the American Congress from 1774-1788: in four volumes, Volume 2, Way and Gideon, 1823. Original from Harvard University, Digitized Jan 18, 2008. Page 70, "Tuesday, April 1, 1777 - Congress proceeded to the election of three brigadier, and, the ballots being take, the following gentlemen were chose: Colonel Edward Hand; colonel Charles Scott. Resolved, That the election of the third brigadier-general be postponed till to-morrow." View @ Google Books

Charles William Dahlinger, Fort Pitt, Edition reprint, Priv. print., 1922. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Sep 7, 2007. Page 45, General Hand takes command at Fort Pitt. View @ Google Books