Zebulon Butler

Zebulon Butler (January 23, 1731 – July 28, 1795) was a soldier and politician from Connecticut who served with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He represented the Wyoming Valley (now in northeast Pennsylvania) in the Connecticut Assembly. At the time, the territory was claimed both by Connecticut (which claimed a wide swath of land to the west) and by Pennsylvania, and was nominally under the former's jurisdiction.

Zebulon Butler
Born(1731-01-23)January 23, 1731
Ipswich, Massachusetts
DiedJuly 28, 1795(1795-07-28) (aged 64)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Buried
Hollenback Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Battles/wars
Spouse(s)
  • Anna Lord (1736-1773) m. 1760[1]
  • Lydia Johnson (1756-1781) m. 1776[1]
  • Phebe Haight (1756-1832) m. 1783[1]

Early life

Zebulon Butler was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts on January 23, 1731 and grew up in Lyme, Connecticut.[2]

French and Indian War

In 1755, the colonial militias were mustered to repel an attack by the French. During this time, Butler was commissioned as an ensign to Captain Andrew Ward in the 3rd regiment of the Connecticut army. The 3rd regiment was stationed at Fort William Henry in 1756. On May 27, 1758, Butler was promoted to lieutenant of the 9th company of the 4th Connecticut regiment, stationed at Fort Edward. On October 4, he participated in a scouting mission to Fort Carillon and Crown Point. Shortly after, he took part in a failed attack on those places. In March 1759, he was made Captain of the 9th Company and participated in a successful attack on Crown Point.

Revolutionary War

On January 1, 1777, Butler was commissioned as lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army. He commanded the garrison of Forty Fort in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. His most famous action was the Battle of Wyoming, which resulted in his defeat by British-allied forces; he lost 340 men while attacking a superior force estimated at 574 Loyalists and Iroquois under the command of Loyalist Colonel John Butler (no relation).[3][4]

Notes
  1. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43801679
  2. Fredriksen 2006, p. 299
  3. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission | The Battle of Wyoming and Hartley's Expedition
  4. http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/native-americans-in-the-revolutionary-war.htm

References
  • Fredriksen, John (2006). Revolutionary War Almanac. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9780816074686.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Kulp, George, ed. (1884). "Edmund Griffin Butler". The Luzerne Legal Register. Vol. XII no. 36. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: E. B. Yodry. pp. 295–319. OCLC 263683250.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading
  • Williamson, James; Fossler, Linda (1995). Zebulon Butler: Hero of the Revolutionary Frontier. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-29357-3.
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