I am telling the story of a regiment whose fortunes were profoundly affected by the Revolutionary War. The men of which it was composed were intense rebels against the authority of England. Therefore when the Congress on the 23d of August, "Resolved, That two companies on the Continental Establishment be raised in the town of Westmoreland"[22] it responded with an enlistment of 82 men in each company. Captain Samuel Ransom, Lieutenant Perrin Ross, Ensigns Asahel Buck and Matthias Hollenbeck, with others, were elected as officers. I mention these because they were officers in the Twenty-fourth regiment. The men were all taken from the ranks of the Twenty-fourth regiment. Twenty other men in the summer of 1776 also enlisted under Lieutenant Obadiah Gore, to serve in a New York State regiment under Colonel Weisner, as well as ten more men to serve under Captain Strong. Our regiment thus lost of its most robust men, 194 in the Summer of 1776, who enlisted into the Continental Army.
While this depletion was going on the town assigned additional duties to the field officers at a meeting held August 28. "Voted ye field officers of ye regiment of this town be appointed a committee to view the most suitable places to build forts for ye defense of sd town, and determine on some particular spot or place in each district for the purpose, and mark out the same."[23] Think for a moment of the work imposed on this Committee! Think of the large territory to be gone over, the consideration of reasons for or against any particular location. Think of the work imposed on the men who were to build the forts.
There were some old forts like Forty Fort in Kingston, and Fort Brown in Pittston, that were repaired and enlarged, but in other districts there were no suitable works of the kind and accordingly new sites were selected, and the proposed works laid out on the ground. Such was the case in Wilkes-Barre, Plymouth and Exeter. In Lower Pittston and Hanover, block houses were recommended and built. The work of repairing and building the forts ran through the years 1776, 1777 and was not completed until 1778.
Before closing the regimental history for 1776 I wish to mention the advent of the tenth company into its ranks, representing the train bands of the Districts of Huntington and Salem, of which Frethias Wall was elected Lieutenant and John Franklin, Jr., Ensign, at the October session of the legislature.[24] I have not seen this company assigned its proper place in the regiment in any of the histories. Of this company John Franklin, Jr., was ultimately to become the Captain and Stoddart Bowen the Lieutenant.