James Corbin: 52 Ancestors Prompt "Soldier"

James Corbin: 1702-1759

A Soldier’s Brutal Death

            James Corbin is my 6^th great-grandfather, the father of my 5^th great-grandmother Sarah Corbin. She married Nathaniel Mills, who were the parents of one of the Dane family wives. James was born February 24, 1702 in Woodstock, Connecticutt to parents James Corbin and Hannah Eastman Corbin. He came from a large family and had five brothers and three sisters.

On June 19, 1728, he married Susannah Bacon. He was 26 years old, and she was two years older. The couple had a daughter, Abigail, who was born in 1729, and another daughter Susannah who was born in 1731. By that time, the couple no longer seemed to be living in Woodstock; the baptism records show the minister baptized the girls in “Kickamochoag” which seems to be a corruption of the Native American name for the river Coginchaug, near the town of Durham.

            By 1732, the family had moved to Massachusetts, settling in the town of Dudley in Worcester County.  There are no records explaining the move, or indicating James’ profession. Presumably he was a farmer. The couple went on to have eight more children; my fifth great-grandmother was the fifth child, born in 1739.  

            At some point, James became a soldier for the British in the French and Indian War. The Massachusetts colony raised a large number of troops for the effort. The war used both militia men, who were unpaid volunteers, and provincial troops, who were paid by the colonial government for a specific amount of service time, usually a single campaign season. As Wikipedia notes, “Offering money induced propertyless men to enlist.” The Wikipedia article also noted that while other colonies tended to send only the very young, unmarried men. the Massachusetts troops came from a broader swathe of the population.

            The war officially began in 1756. James was not the typical enlistee, since he had land, ten children, and was far from young—he was well into his fifties. He must have been desperate for the colonial government salary, which may have included an enlistment bonus.

            I have found no records regarding his service in the war—the battles he participated in, his date of enlistment, his commanding officer, etc. However, in 1758 or 1759, he returned to his home in Dudley. According to Rev. Harvey M Lawson, author of History and Genealogy of the Descendants of Clement Corbin of Muddy River (Brooklin) Mass. And Woodstock Conn.,

“He came home, claiming that his term of service was up, stoutly resisted arrest, was tied to his horse and taken to Springfield, Mass., where he died from rough handling in 1758.  His widow and son James were appointed administrators on his estate, appraised at £497 14s. 6d.”

            From other sources I have read, the soldiers were very aware of the length of their term of service. Warfare in those days was difficult and dangerous. Food was scarce, shelter limited, and illness was rampant. Men looked forward to the end of their service and would, like poor James, be eager to return home. I suspect the British treatment of James—basically treating him as a deserter—was meant to set an example to other soldiers that it was still up to the British officers to determine when your service was complete—you couldn’t just head home when you knew your time was up.

British military discipline was extremely brutal. One colonial officer’s account of his service describes his horror at witnessing a flogging—two men given 500 lashes apiece. While the men remained alive at the end of the flogging, the officer believed they would soon die as the skin on their backs hung in strips and infection would have set in.

I can only imagine James’ family’s horror when the British arrested him. They must have been terrified as he was tied to his horse and led away. Learning that he had died at his jailors’ hands would have been devastating. I suspect the family was forced to retrieve the body. I wonder what that benign phrase “rough handling” actually comprised. Was James flogged with a whip, or was he beaten with fists or weapons? His body was buried at the Dudley Cemetery. He shares a headstone with his wife Susannah, who lived until 1794 when she was 94 years old.

            I am surprised that his estate was valued at 497 pounds—that would indicate he wasn’t destitute. Perhaps that value was mostly in land and buildings, and that money for daily existence was lacking, motivating his enlistment.

            At the time of his death, my 5^th great-grandmother was 19 years old. His other children ranged in age from five to thirty. His two oldest sons, James, age 24, and Ephraim, age 20, seem to have taken over the farm and the support of the family.

            James Corbin’s tragic death shows that 18^th century soldiers faced hazards and perils far beyond the obvious risks of injury and death in battle.  

Source: History and Genealogy of the Desecendants of Clement Corbin of Muddy River (Brooklin), Mass. and Woodstock, Conn Compiled by Rev. Harvey M Lawson, PH.B, B.D.