From Connecticut Frontiersman to Bennington Legend: The Story of Lt. Nathaniel Fillmore Sr.

 

In the rolling hills of what was then the New Hampshire Grants—later Vermont—stood a man whose quiet determination helped shape both a frontier community and the course of the American Revolution. Lieutenant Nathaniel Fillmore Sr. (1739–1814), a pioneer of Bennington and my 4th cousin seven times removed, lived a life that bridged the French and Indian War, the fight for independence, and the early years of the new nation. His story is one of grit, local leadership, and an enduring family legacy that reached all the way to the White House.

Born in 1739, Nathaniel came of age in a colonial world still contested by European powers and Indigenous nations. He served as an officer during the French and Indian War, gaining the experience that would later serve him well on the Vermont frontier. Sometime before the Revolutionary War, he left Connecticut and settled in Bennington. There he put down roots in a tight-knit community of settlers determined to defend their land claims against New York interests and, soon enough, against the British Crown itself. This was the same rough-and-tumble region where Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys organized resistance. Nathaniel became part of that fabric—deeply rooted in the local militia and the spirit of self-reliance that defined the Grants.

When the Revolution erupted, Nathaniel answered the call as an ensign and later lieutenant under Captain Elijah Dewey in the Bennington militia. These local units operated in close cooperation with the broader network of Green Mountain Boys and regional defenders. Their most dramatic moment came in the summer of 1777, during British General John Burgoyne’s ambitious Saratoga campaign. As Burgoyne pushed south along the Hudson River Valley, he detached roughly 800 to 1,000 Hessian, British, and Loyalist troops eastward toward Bennington. Their objective was clear: seize horses, draft animals, and food supplies stored at the American depot.

On August 16, 1777, Nathaniel and his fellow militiamen stood ready under the overall command of General John Stark and Colonel Seth Warner. The fighting was fierce. The American forces routed the enemy detachment, inflicting heavy losses—nearly 1,000 men—and denying Burgoyne the critical supplies he needed. This victory at Bennington proved a decisive blow. It weakened the British army at a pivotal moment and helped set the stage for Burgoyne’s eventual surrender at Saratoga weeks later, a turning point that secured crucial foreign support for the American cause.

One of the most colorful traditions linked to that day involves the famous Bennington Flag—an early Stars and Stripes design featuring a large “76.” Legend holds that Nathaniel Fillmore played a direct role with the flag. Some accounts say he carried it into battle; others claim he placed it atop a supply stockpile to mark the American triumph and boost morale. After the fighting, he took the flag home. It remained in the Fillmore family for generations, flown as a symbol of patriotism during the War of 1812 and even the Civil War. In 1814, Nathaniel passed it to his nephew Septa Fillmore, who carried it at the Battle of Plattsburgh. Today the flag is preserved at the Bennington Museum in Vermont—a tangible link to that hard-fought victory.

Nathaniel’s service did not end with the Revolution. He continued supporting Vermont’s defenses in the postwar years and eventually rose to the rank of colonel in the state militia. His personal legacy extended further still. His son, Nathaniel Fillmore Jr., was born in Bennington and later became the father of Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States. In this way, the pioneer officer who helped defend a supply depot in 1777 became the grandfather of a president.

Nathaniel Fillmore Sr. was never a household name like Ethan Allen or John Stark. Yet his life illustrates how ordinary settlers—officers of local companies, keepers of community stores, and guardians of family heirlooms—formed the backbone of the Revolution. From the French and Indian War to the hills of Bennington and the long shadow of Saratoga, he helped secure the independence that made possible the nation his grandson would one day lead. For those of us who share even a distant bloodline with him, his story remains a vivid reminder that history is often written not only by the famous, but by the steadfast.

Thank you Grok xAI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Exploring the Battle of Bennington

 

I’ll gather reliable historical details on the tactics used at the Battle of Bennington (August 16, 1777) so we can explore them accurately.The Battle of Bennington (August 16, 1777) was a decisive American victory during Burgoyne’s Saratoga campaign. Fought primarily near the Walloomsac River in present-day Walloomsac, New York (about 10 miles west of Bennington, Vermont), it showcased militia adaptability against professional European troops through bold maneuver rather than rigid linear tactics.

Strategic Context and Prelude

British General John Burgoyne, advancing south from Canada toward Albany, faced stretched supply lines. He detached Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum with a mixed force of roughly 800–1,000 men (Brunswick dragoons, light infantry, grenadiers, Loyalists/Tories, Canadians, British marksmen, and Native American allies, plus a couple of light guns) to seize horses, draft animals, and provisions from the American depot at Bennington.

American forces under Brigadier General John Stark (a Bunker Hill and Trenton veteran) consisted mainly of New Hampshire militia, reinforced by Massachusetts and Vermont units (including elements linked to the Green Mountain Boys network under Colonel Seth Warner). Total American strength approached 1,500–2,200 by the day of battle. Local militia companies, including those associated with Bennington officers such as Captain Elijah Dewey (in whose unit our cousin Nathaniel Fillmore served as an officer), formed part of this regional defense.

Contact occurred on August 14 near the Walloomsac. Heavy rain on the 15th prevented major fighting. Baum entrenched on high ground, constructing breastworks and redoubts (notably the main Dragoon Redoubt on a hill and a Tory Redoubt near the bridge/road). His positions were dispersed over a wide area, limiting mutual support—a critical vulnerability. Stark used the delay for reconnaissance, probing the perimeter, gathering intelligence, and refining a complex plan. Some American scouts or infiltrators reportedly entered Baum’s lines posing as Loyalist recruits.

Stark’s Attack Plan: Double Envelopment

Stark rejected a simple frontal assault. Drawing on frontier experience (including irregular warfare), he designed a multi-pronged attack emphasizing surprise, simultaneous pressure, and exploitation of terrain and Baum’s dispersed layout. The plan was ambitious for largely untrained militia and depended on timing, stealth through woods, and coordination.

Key elements:

• Northern flanking column (Colonel Moses Nichols, ~200–250 New Hampshire men): Marched several miles along wooded high ground to strike the Dragoon Redoubt from the north/rear.
• Southern flanking column (Colonel Samuel Herrick, ~300 Vermont/local militia and rangers): Made a wide arc, fording the Walloomsac River (sometimes twice), masking movement behind ridges, and approaching from the west/rear to hit the main positions and cut the road.
• Center/fixing force (Colonels David Hobart and Thomas Stickney, ~200–300 men): Advanced against the Tory Redoubt and bridge area to pin enemy attention and secure the crossing.
• Main body (Stark personally leading ~1,000–1,300): Held in reserve initially, then launched a frontal assault across the Walloomsac and up the hill once the flanks opened fire, concentrating on the Dragoon Redoubt.

A noted ruse aided the approach: Hessian troops had been told that men wearing white paper in their hats were Loyalists and should not be fired upon. Many of Stark’s men adopted the marker, allowing closer approach before the assault.

Stark’s famous rallying cry (in various reported forms) urged his men forward with words to the effect of: “There are your enemies, the Redcoats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow.”

Execution of the First Phase (Afternoon of August 16)

Weather cleared. Columns moved into position stealthily during the day. The attack began around 3:00 p.m. Flanking fire erupted almost simultaneously, startling Baum’s scouts and outposts. Americans pressed from multiple directions with intense, close-range musketry—described by Stark as resembling “a continual clap of thunder.”

Baum’s dispersed posts could not reinforce one another effectively. Loyalists and Native American allies largely broke or fled early. The professional German troops held longer in the main redoubt but were overwhelmed. Baum attempted a saber charge to break out and was mortally wounded. By about 5:00 p.m., his force was shattered—many killed, the rest captured. Americans quickly began securing prisoners and looting supplies.

Second Phase: Arrival of Reinforcements

Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann’s relief column (~600–650 Brunswick grenadiers, light infantry/jägers, and two 6-pounders) had been dispatched by Burgoyne but advanced slowly over poor roads and in earlier rain. It arrived in the late afternoon as Americans were disorganized from the first victory.

Breymann pushed forward and initially gained ground against the scattered Americans. Stark worked to rally his men. The timely arrival of Colonel Seth Warner with fresh Green Mountain Boys (~150–350) proved decisive. The combined American force recovered, extended flanks, and counterattacked. Breymann’s column was driven back with significant losses (including its artillery) and retreated as darkness fell.

Tactical Analysis and Outcomes

American strengths: Numerical superiority (roughly 2–3:1 overall), superior local knowledge and marksmanship suited to wooded/broken terrain, effective use of stealth and simultaneous multi-axis pressure (classic double envelopment principles), and flexible militia tactics that avoided rigid European formations. Intelligence and the white-paper ruse enhanced surprise.

Crown weaknesses: Dispersed defensive layout that invited envelopment, language barriers (many Germans spoke little English), delayed and slow-moving reinforcements, overconfidence in entrenchments against “irregulars,” and the physical toll of the campaign/terrain on heavy cavalry-style troops (dragoons in boots and swords).

Casualties were lopsided: Americans suffered roughly 30 killed and 40 wounded; Crown forces lost about 207 killed and around 700 captured (plus wounded and missing), representing a major portion of Burgoyne’s available manpower and nearly all of Baum’s detachment. Two field pieces and other materiel were taken.

Strategically, the battle deprived Burgoyne of critical supplies and mounts, cost him roughly 10% of his army, discouraged Native American allies, and contributed directly to the isolation and eventual surrender of his main force at Saratoga in October 1777. It demonstrated that well-led American militia, fighting on familiar ground with aggressive maneuver, could defeat professional European troops.

Local Bennington-area units, operating within Stark’s and Warner’s broader command structure, participated in the defense of the region and the fighting that secured this turning-point victory. The tactics remain a classic example of using terrain, surprise, and coordinated pressure to overcome a better-trained but poorly positioned opponent.     

Thank you Grok xAI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

From the Isle of Ré to the American Frontier: The Story of Pierre Rezeau and the Huguenots of Fresh Kills

 

In October 1685, King Louis XIV signed the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the Edict of Nantes and making Protestantism illegal in France. French Calvinists, known as Huguenots, faced a brutal choice: convert to Catholicism, face imprisonment or galley slavery, or flee their homeland. For maritime families along the Atlantic coast, the choice was clear. They abandoned their land, gathered what few possessions they could carry, and took to the sea.

Among these refugees was nine-year-old Pierre Rezeau, born on October 2, 1676, on the Île de Ré—an island off the coast of La Rochelle, the historic heartland of French Protestantism. The Rezeau family fled south across the Atlantic, first arriving in Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina, before making their way north in the 1690s to Staten Island, New York.

Under British colonial rule, Staten Island offered generous land grants and religious liberty. Pierre settled at Fresh Kills (near modern-day Greenridge), a landscape of tidal estuaries and salt marshes along the island's western shore. There, alongside fellow refugees, he built a prosperous farm and served as a town constable, precinct warden, and vestryman.

The Sanctuary at Fresh Kills

The settlement at Fresh Kills became one of the most vibrant French-speaking enclaves in colonial New York. Fleeing severe persecution, families like the Rezeaus, Bellevilles, Blanchardes, and Disosways clustered together along the waterways to farm, fish, and build a new life while preserving their native tongue and culture.

Around 1698, the settlers formally organized the French Protestant Church of Staten Island. Located near the intersection of modern-day Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Avenue, the original church was a modest, unadorned wooden structure reflecting Calvinist simplicity. Led by itinerant French pastors—most notably Rev. David de Bonrepos—the church served as both a spiritual sanctuary and a civic hub. Church elders like Pierre managed poor relief, organized community works, and settled local land disputes.

By the 1720s and 1730s, as the immigrant generation passed away, their children intermarried with neighboring Dutch and English families. Lacking a steady supply of French-speaking ministers, the congregation gradually merged into nearby Saint Andrew's Parish (at historic Richmond Town), where many early Huguenot pioneers rest today.

Fast Facts: Pierre Rezeau (1676–1723)

• Birth: October 2, 1676 — Ste. Marie, Île de Ré, Poitou-Charentes, France
• Death: October 8, 1723 — Staten Island, Richmond County, New York
• Immigration: Fled France c. 1685; settled Staten Island c. 1690s via South Carolina
• Role: Farmer, Constable, Precinct Warden, and Founding Elder of the French Church at Fresh Kills
• Marriage Note: While some colonial records record his spouse as Marie Blanchard, ancestral family records also link him to Marie Contesse (b. 1680).
• Surname Evolution: Appears in early records as Rezeau, Rizeau, Raza, and Razo.

Direct Ancestral Lineage: From Pierre Rezeau to the Boyd Family

GEN 1: Pierre Rezeau (1676–1723) [8th Great-Grandfather]

       m. Marie Contesse (1680–  )

       │

GEN 2: Susannah Rezeau (c. 1717–__?)

       m. John (Jeane Louis Le Brun) Brown (1709–1802) [French Huguenot, Founder of Browntown, NJ]

       │

GEN 3: Mary (Maria) Brown (c. 1745–1827)

       m. Moses Groom (1746–1786)

       │

GEN 4: Ezekiel Groom (1767–1836) [Moved from NJ to Franklin Co., Ohio]

       m. Rhoda McDonald (1773–1859)

       │

GEN 5: Job Groom (1795–1823)

       m. Mary "Polly" Bloom (1799–1839)

       │

GEN 6: Sarah Catherine Groom (1815–c. 1858)

       m. Valentine Boyd (1811–1870)

       │

       └──> Sophia Boyd (1836–1908) & Siblings [Appanoose Co., Iowa Frontier]

A Century-Long Journey West

The story of Pierre Rezeau is the first chapter in a classic American migration saga. Driven from the shores of Atlantic France by religious tyranny, Pierre helped carve out a quiet sanctuary in the salt marshes of Staten Island. His daughter Susannah Rezeau married another French Huguenot refugee, John (Jeane Louis Le Brun) Brown, who fled Auvergne, France, anglicized his surname, and established the settlement of Browntown in Middlesex County, New Jersey.

For three generations, the family rooted itself in New Jersey soil. But by the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the pioneer spirit pushed their descendants onward. Ezekiel Groom and his wife Rhoda McDonald packed their belongings and headed west across the Appalachian Mountains, settling in Franklin County, Ohio.

By the mid-1800s, when Sarah Catherine Groom married Valentine Boyd, the line pushed even further into the American heartland—moving from Pickaway County, Ohio, out to the Iowa frontier in Appanoose County. From a small French island in 1676 to the rolling prairies of Iowa in 1858, Pierre Rezeau’s descendants carried forward the resilience, faith, and quiet determination of their Huguenot ancestors.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Colonel Thomas Andrew Dew: Political Rise & The Speaker's Chair

 

Colonel Thomas Andrew Dew (10th great-grandfather)(c. 1625–1661) was a central political and military figure in 17th-century Virginia. Arriving in the colony during its formative decades, he rose to become one of the most powerful colonial officials of his era.

Political Rise & The Speaker's Chair

Dew established his landholdings in Nansemond County along the lower James River. His political career unfolded rapidly through the Virginia House of Burgesses:

• Burgess for Nansemond County: He served across multiple assemblies throughout the 1640s and 1650s, representing local planter interests.
• Speaker of the House of Burgesses (1652–1653): Elected Speaker during the English Commonwealth period, Dew led the assembly through delicate negotiations following the execution of King Charles I, ensuring Virginia retained legislative autonomy under Oliver Cromwell's rule.
• Member of the Governor's Council (1655–1660): Elevated to the colony's highest executive body, advising the Governor and serving on the General Court.

Expeditions & Land Holdings

As a militia colonel, Dew helped organize coastal defenses and expand trade routes:

• The Outer Banks Expedition (1656): Authorized by the General Assembly, Dew led an exploratory sea voyage along the coast between Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear to map navigational channels and establish trade alliances with indigenous nations.
• Plantation Estate: He accumulated thousands of acres in Nansemond and surrounding counties, helping pioneer the early tobacco export trade.

Key Historical & Family Timeline

Year	Milestone
c. 1625	Born in Kingston Lisle, Berkshire, England.
c. 1642	Arrived in Virginia; established seat in Nansemond County.
1652	Elected Speaker of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown.
1655	Appointed to the Governor's Council.
1656	Commissioned to explore the North Carolina coastal waters.
1661	Died in Jamestown, Virginia.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy

Rev. William Thompson: The Expedition to Colonial Virginia (1642)

Rev. William Thompson (10th great-grandfather)(often spelled Tompson in contemporary colonial records) played a brief but dramatic role in early American Puritanism. Educated at Oxford University, Thompson fled religious conformist pressure in England to join the Great Migration to New England.

The Braintree Ministry (1639–1666)

Upon arriving in Massachusetts Bay, Thompson settled in Braintree (a community encompassing modern-day Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts).

• First Ordained Pastor: On September 24, 1639, the Church of Christ at Braintree was formally organized, and Thompson was appointed its first pastor. He was formally ordained in November 1639 alongside Henry Flint, who served as the church’s teacher. 
• Connection to the Founding Generation: The Braintree parish went on to serve as the spiritual home for several generations of prominent American families, educating and shaping the early ancestors of Founding Father John Adams.

The Expedition to Colonial Virginia (1642)

In September 1642, the Massachusetts Bay authorities received an urgent letter from Puritan dissenters living along the James River in Virginia. They requested that the northern colony send "a supply of faithful ministers" to help preach Congregational doctrine on the southern frontier.

• The Mission: Governor John Winthrop and the Boston ministers selected three clergymen for the journey: William Thompson of Braintree, John Knowles of Watertown, and Thomas James of New Haven. 
• The Journey: The three ministers set sail in October 1642. They traveled south to preach to English settlers in the Virginia wilderness, making several high-profile converts (including Daniel Gookin, who later became a prominent magistrate and military officer in Massachusetts). 

Conflict and Expulsion from Virginia (1643)

The mission put the Massachusetts ministers directly at odds with the royal and religious authorities of colonial Virginia:

  [SEP 1642]               [OCT 1642]               [LATE 1642 - 1643]               [1643]

Puritan Request ──► Ministers Depart Boston ──► Preaching in VA Wilderness ──► Expelled by VA Assembly

 (From VA Dissenters)     (Thompson, Knowles, James)    (High-Profile Conversions)      (Return to New England)

1. The Anglican Stronghold: Unlike the Puritan government of Massachusetts, Virginia was a Royalist, Anglican colony. Sir William Berkeley, the Royal Governor of Virginia, viewed non-conformist Puritan ministers as a threat to royal authority and social order.
2. Legislative Ban: In March 1643, Governor Berkeley and the Virginia General Assembly passed strict legislation requiring all ministers within the colony to conform strictly to the rites and liturgy of the Church of England.
3. Expulsion: The law specifically prohibited non-conforming ministers from teaching or preaching in Virginia. Refusing to submit to the Anglican hierarchy, Thompson and his fellow missionaries were formally expelled from the colony and forced to return north to Massachusetts.
4. Tragic Personal Loss: Upon returning to Braintree, Thompson learned that his first wife, Abigail, had died during his absence on the Virginia mission.

Historical Legacy & Cotton Mather

Despite his expulsion from Virginia, Thompson returned to his post at Braintree, where he served until his death on December 10, 1666.

His mission to Virginia and his theological influence left a lasting mark on early colonial history. Famous minister and historian Cotton Mather later memorialized Rev. William Thompson in his landmark history of New England, Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), praising Thompson’s devotion, missionary efforts, and conversion of key early colonial figures.

Arrrrr The Pirate Mutiny of Captain John Fillmore Jr

 

John Fillmore Jr (1702–1777) (3rd cousin 8x removed)—the great-grandfather of U.S. President Millard Fillmore—lived through an extraordinary sequence of events after his capture by Captain John Phillips in late August 1723.

Capture on the Dolphin

In the spring of 1723, 21-year-old John Fillmore set out from Ipswich, Massachusetts, on his first major voyage aboard the fishing sloop Dolphin, commanded by Captain Mark Haskell. On August 29, 1723, while fishing off the coast of Newfoundland, the Dolphin was ambushed by the notorious pirate Captain John Phillips aboard the vessel Revenge.

One of Phillips’s crew members, William White (a former acquaintance of Fillmore from his apprenticeship days), recognized John and pointed him out to Phillips as a skilled, useful hand. Phillips offered Captain Haskell a deal: hand over Fillmore, and the rest of the Dolphin’s crew and vessel would be released unharmed. To save his crewmates, Fillmore voluntarily stepped forward, agreeing to serve under Phillips after the pirate captain swore an oath to set him free after two months of faithful service.

Nine Months of Forced Service

Phillips broke his promise. When two months passed and Fillmore requested his release, Phillips extended the period by three months. When that deadline expired, Phillips famously spat: "Set you at liberty! Damn you! You shall be set at liberty when I'm damned, and not before."

During his nine months of captivity, Fillmore witnessed constant brutality:

• Pirate Discipline: Phillips maintained a violent, unpredictable rule. In one paranoid outburst, he ran his sword through one of his own men and shot him in the head.
• Near-Execution: Following the murder of that crewman, a crazed Phillips turned to Fillmore, held a loaded pistol to his chest, and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired twice—and Fillmore managed to deflect the barrel away before Phillips played it off as merely "testing" his courage.
• Forced Labor: As a captive, Fillmore feigned obedience while constantly seeking an opportunity to strike back alongside other pressed men, including Edward Cheeseman (a navigator) and William White.

The Mutiny of April 18, 1724

By April 1724, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Phillips’s crew captured additional fishing vessels and spent the evening celebrating with a heavy drinking binge. Recognizing their chance, Fillmore, Cheeseman, and a few fellow captives plotted a morning assault while the surviving pirate crew slept off the alcohol below deck.

Around noon on April 18, four key pirate leaders—Captain Phillips, the Boatswain, the Master, and the Quartermaster (John Rose Archer)—came on deck. Armed with heavy broadaxes and carpenter’s tools, Fillmore and his co-conspirators struck:

1. The Assault: Fillmore split open the head of the pirate captain with an adze/broadaxe, while Cheeseman and others killed the Boatswain and Master, throwing them overboard.
2. Securing the Ship: The remaining officers and crew below deck were trapped and forced to surrender immediately upon realizing their leaders were dead.

Arrival in Boston & Legacy

Fillmore and his fellow mutineers sailed the captured pirate vessel into Boston Harbor on May 3, 1724, delivering the surviving pirates to the authorities.

• Court Verdict: The Court of Admiralty tried and convicted the surviving pirate crew. Several, including John Rose Archer, were hanged at Boston's Bird Island.
• The Trophies: For his heroism, the Admiralty Court awarded John Fillmore Captain Phillips's personal belongings: his silver-hilted cutlass, a heavy 4-foot sic pistol, a silver shoe and knee buckles, gold rings, and a carved tobacco box.

• Aftermath: Fillmore swore off the sea entirely after the ordeal. He settled inland in Norwich (Franklin), Connecticut, where he worked as a carpenter, mill owner, and farmer until his death in 1777. The silver-hilted pirate sword remained a treasured heirloom within the Fillmore family for generations, passed down directly to President Millard Fillmore.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy