Lake County Ohio GenWeb

William Branch 1760-1849

From A Record of the Revolutionary Soldiers buried in Lake County, Ohio, New Connecticut Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, Painesville, Ohio, 1902.
Contributed by I. A. Branch Mills, granddaughter of William Branch.

Typed and submitted by Becky Falin, 1996.

William Branch was born in Preston, Conn., Sept. 3, 1760. In the fall of 1776 when but sixteen years of age, he enlisted and was sent to old Fort Trumbull, where he remained until the following spring, when he was placed under the command of Capt. Leffingwell, to go to Rhode Island, but as his enlistment was opposed by his family on account of his youth, he was sent back to Norwich.

The lad, however, was determined, and on April 1, 1777, he enlisted in Gen. Washington's army under Capt. Jedediah Hyde, Col. John Durkee's regt.

He was engaged in the following battles, viz: Germantown, Oct. 4, 1777; Red Bank, Monmouth, June 28, 1778; Fort Mifflin, Nov. 17, 1777; and in other engagements and skirmishes.

During the winter of 1777-78 he was with Gen. Washington in the historic camp at Valley Forge, and was in the forced march from the north to Yorktown, under the command of Gen. Hamilton.

He participated in the siege of Yorktown, being one of the soldiers selected from the Connecticut troops to make the final assault on the redoubt, and witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, Oct. 19, 1781.

He was present at the trial and execution of Major Andre, and was one of the three guards selected by Gen. Washington to take the body of Andre from the gallows.

On July 7, 1783, William Branch was discharged from Capt. Samuel Clift's company, in Col. Zebulon Butler's Conn. regt., at West Point, New York, and was honored with a badge of merit which he received from the hand of Gen. Washington "for six years faithful service," in the defense of his country.

His mind was filled with reminiscences of Revolutionary days, and he often lived over in memory and story the privations and sufferings of army life.

About 1790 he settled in Cayuga Co., New York, and while residing there was made Captain of a company of volunteers that he had raised for the War of 1812.

He moved to Kirtland, Lake Co., Ohio, in 1834, and to Madison, Ohio, in 1837, where he resided until his death, Apr. 13, 1849.

His remains were interred in the Middle Ridge burying ground.