Isaac B. Covenhoven

   Issac Covenhoven was born circa 1732 at Monmouth County, New Jersey. He was the son of William Covenhoven and Lysbeth Van Cleef. Issac Covenhoven and Hannah Morford obtained a marriage license on 9 March 1756. Issac Covenhoven died circa 1804 at Monmouth County, New Jersey. 

    He was also known as Isaac B. Covenhoven. He served in Capt. Hankinson's 1st Monmouth Regiment as a private between 28 February 1777 and 20 March 1777. He was a yoeman residing in Freehold, NJ.  

Revolutionary War Pension Application of Isaac Covenhoven
One of five brothers and their father who were at the Battle of Oriskany

Battle of Oriskany From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Battle of Oriskany Part of the American Revolutionary War Herkimer at oriskany.jpg Herkimer at the Battle of Oriskany Painting by F.C. Yohn, c. 1901, now in the public library in Utica, New York.[1] Date August 6, 1777 Location near Oriskany, New York; in present-day Whitestown / Rome, Oneida County, New York 43°10.6'N 75°22.2'WCoordinates: 43°10.6'N 75°22.2'W Result British/Indian tactical victory American strategic victory Belligerents

United States Oneidas 

Great Britain Kingdom of Great Britain Loyalists Iroquois Confederacy

Mohawk Seneca Huron Indians Nipissing First Nation Commanders and leaders Nicholas Herkimer † Sir John Johnson John Butler Chief Joseph Brant Strength Tryon County militia: 720–740 Oneidas: 60–100[2] 500[3] Casualties and losses 385 killed 50 wounded 30 captured[4] Indians: 65 killed or wounded British: 7 killed, 21 wounded, missing, or captured[5] [show] v t e Saratoga Campaign 1777 The Battle of Oriskany, fought on August 6, 1777, was one of the bloodiest battles in the North American theater of the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign. An American party trying to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix was ambushed by a party of Loyalists and allies of several Native American tribes. This was one of the few battles in the war in which almost all of the participants were North American: Loyalists and allied Indians fought against Patriots and allied Oneida in the absence of British soldiers.

Early in the siege of Fort Stanwix, an American relief force from the Mohawk Valley under General Nicholas Herkimer, numbering around 800 men of the Tryon County militia, and a party of Oneida warriors, approached in an attempt to raise the siege. British commander Barry St. Leger authorized an intercept force consisting of a Hanau Jäger (light infantry) detachment, Sir John Johnson's King's Royal Regiment of New York, Indian allies from the Six Nations, particularly Mohawk and Seneca; and other tribes to the north and west, and Indian Department Rangers, totaling at least 450 men.

The Loyalist and Indian force ambushed Herkimer's force in a small valley about six miles (10 km) east of Fort Stanwix, near the present-day village of Oriskany, New York. During the battle, Herkimer was mortally wounded. The battle cost the Patriots approximately 450 casualties, while the Loyalists and Indians lost approximately 150 dead and wounded. The result of the battle remains ambiguous because the apparent Loyalist victory was significantly affected by a sortie from Fort Stanwix in which the Loyalist camps were sacked, spoiling morale among the allied Indians.

For the Iroquois nations, the battle marked the beginning of a civil war, as Oneida warriors under Colonel Louis and Han Yerry allied with the American cause and fought against members of other Iroquois nations. There were also internal divisions among the Oneida, some of whom went to Canada as allies of the British. The site is known in oral histories of the Iroquois nations as "A Place of Great Sadness."[6] The site has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is marked by a battle monument at the Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site.

Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Prelude 3 Battle 3.1 Sortie from Fort Stanwix 4 Aftermath 4.1 Patriots 4.2 Loyalists 4.3 Native Americans 4.4 Winners and losers 5 Legacy 6 Representation in popular culture 7 See also 8 Footnotes 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links Background[edit] Further information: Saratoga campaign and Siege of Fort Stanwix In June 1777, the British Army, under the command of General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, launched a two-pronged attack from Quebec. Burgoyne's objective was to split New England from the other colonies by gaining control of New York's Hudson Valley. The main thrust came south across Lake Champlain under Burgoyne's command; the second thrust was led by Lt. Colonel Barry St. Leger and was intended to come down the Mohawk Valley and meet Burgoyne's army near Albany.[7]

St. Leger's expedition consisted of about 1,800 men, who were a mix of British regulars, Hessian Jägers from Hanau, Loyalists, Indians of several tribes, including the Mohawk and Seneca of the Iroquois, and Rangers. They traveled up the Saint Lawrence River and along the shore of Lake Ontario to the Oswego River, which they ascended to reach the Oneida Carry (present-day Rome, New York later developed here). They began to besiege Fort Stanwix, a Continental Army post guarding the portage.[8]

Prelude[edit] Alerted to the possibility of a British attack along the Mohawk River, Nicholas Herkimer, the head of Tryon County's Committee of Safety, issued a proclamation on July 17 warning of possible military activity and urging the people to respond if needed.[9] Warned by friendly Oneidas on July 30 that the British were just four days from Fort Stanwix, Herkimer put out a call-to-arms. The force raised totaled 800 from the Tryon County militia; it was composed primarily of poorly trained farmers, who were chiefly of Palatine German descent. Setting out on August 4, the column camped near the Oneida village of Oriska on August 5. While a number of the militia dropped out of the column due to their lack of conditioning, Herkimer's forces were augmented by a company of 60 to 100 Oneida warriors, led primarily by Han Yerry, a strong supporter of the Patriot cause.[10] That evening, Herkimer sent three men toward the fort with messages for the fort's commander, Colonel Peter Gansevoort. Gansevoort was to signal the receipt of the message with three cannon shots, and then sortie to meet the approaching column.[10] Due to difficulties in penetrating the British lines, these couriers did not deliver the message until late the next morning, after the battle was already underway.[11]

The site of the ambush at Bloody Creek, New York. St. Leger learned on August 5 from a messenger sent by Molly Brant to her brother Joseph Brant, the Mohawk leader who led a portion of St. Leger's Indian contingent, that Herkimer and his relief expedition were on their way.[12] St. Leger sent a detachment of light infantry from Sir John Johnson's Royal Yorkers toward the position that evening to monitor Herkimer's position, and Brant followed early the next morning with about 400 Indians and Butler's Rangers. Although many of the Indians were armed with muskets, some were not, and only carried tomahawk and spear.[3]

Battle[edit] On the morning of August 6, Herkimer held a war council. Since his force had not yet heard the expected signal from the fort, he wanted to wait. However, his captains pressed him to continue, accusing Herkimer of being a Tory because his brother was serving under St. Leger.[13] Stung by these accusations, Herkimer ordered the column to march on toward Stanwix.[14]

About six miles (9.6 km) from the fort, the road dipped more than fifty feet (15 m) into a marshy ravine, where a stream about three feet (1 m) wide meandered along the bottom.[15] Sayenqueraghta and Cornplanter, two Seneca war chiefs, chose this place to set up an ambush.[16] While the King's Royal Yorkers waited behind a nearby rise, the Indians concealed themselves on both sides of the ravine. The plan was for the Yorkers to stop the head of the column, after which the Indians would attack the extended column.[15] At about 10 am, Herkimer's column, with Herkimer on horseback near the front, descended into the ravine, crossed the stream, and began ascending the other side.[12]

Monument marking location of tree to which Herkimer was taken Contrary to the plan, the Indians lying in wait near the rear of the column, apparently unable to contain themselves any longer, opened fire, taking the column completely by surprise. Leading the 1st Regiment (Canajoharie district), Colonel Ebenezer Cox was shot off his horse and killed in the first volley. Herkimer turned his horse to see the action, and was very shortly thereafter struck by a ball, which shattered his leg and killed the horse.[17] He was carried by several of his officers to a beech tree, where his men urged him to retire from further danger. He defiantly replied, "I will face the enemy", and calmly sat leaning against the tree, smoking a pipe and giving directions and words of encouragement to the men nearby.[18]

As the trap had been sprung too early, portions of the column had not yet entered the ravine.[17] Most of these men panicked and fled; some of the attacking Indians pursued them, resulting in a string of dead and wounded that extended for several miles.[19] Between the loss of the column rear and those killed or wounded in the initial volleys, only about one half of Herkimer's men were likely still fighting thirty minutes into the battle.[17] Some of the attackers, notably those not armed with muskets, waited for the flash of an opponent's musket fire before rushing to attack with the tomahawk before the enemy had time to reload, a highly effective tactic against those men who did not have bayonets.[17][20] Louis Atayataronghta, a Mohawk warrior fighting with Herkimer's men, shot one of the enemy whose fire had been devastating in its accuracy, noting that "every time he rises up he kills one of our men".[21]

Herkimer's men eventually rallied, fighting their way out of the ravine to the crest just to its west. John Johnson, concerned about the militia's tenacity, returned to the British camp and requested some reinforcements from St. Leger shortly before a thunderstorm broke out. Another seventy men headed back with him toward the battle.[22] The thunderstorm caused a one-hour break in the fighting,[18] during which Herkimer regrouped his militia on the higher ground. He instructed his men to fight in pairs: while one man fired and reloaded, the other waited and then only fired if attacked. Ordered to fire in relays, the pairs were to try to keep at least one weapon loaded at all times, to reduce the effectiveness of the tomahawk attacks.[20]

John Butler, the leader of the rangers, took time during the thunderstorm to question some of the captives, and learned about the three-cannon signal. When Johnson and his reinforcements arrived, Butler convinced them to turn their coats inside out to disguise themselves as a relief party coming from the fort.[23] When the fighting restarted, Johnson and the rest of his Royal Yorkers joined the battle, but one of the Patriot militiaman, Captain Jacob Gardinier, recognized the face of a Loyalist neighbor. Close combat, at times hand-to-hand fighting between neighbors, continued for some time.[20][24]

Lt. Col. Marinus Willett, a 1791 portrait by Ralph Earl Sortie from Fort Stanwix[edit] When Herkimer's messengers reached the fort around 11 am, Colonel Gansevoort began organizing the requested sortie. After the heavy thunderstorm passed, Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett led 250 men from the fort, and proceeded to raid the nearly deserted enemy camps to the south of the fort. Driving away the few British and Indians left in those camps (who included women) and taking four prisoners along the way,[25] the Patriots collected blankets and other personal possessions from the Indian camps. They also successfully raided John Johnson's camp, taking his letters and other writings (including an intercepted letter to Gansevoort from his fiancée).[26][27]

One of the Indians who had stayed behind to guard the camp ran to the battlefield to alert fellow warriors that their camps were being raided.[28] They disengaged with cries of "Oonah, oonah!", the Seneca signal to retire, and headed for the camps to protect their women and possessions. This forced the smaller number of German and Loyalist combatants to also withdraw.[20]

Aftermath[edit] Patriots[edit] The battered remnant of Herkimer's force, with Herkimer seriously wounded and many of its captains killed, retreated to Fort Dayton. The wounded Herkimer was carried by his men from the battlefield. His leg was amputated, but the operation went poorly and he died on August 16.[29] While the Indians retrieved most of their dead from the battlefield the following day, many dead and wounded Patriots were left on the field. When Benedict Arnold's relief column marched through the scene several weeks later, the stench and grisly scene was, according to various accounts, quite memorable.[30]

The Mohawk leader Chief Joseph Brant, 1776 portrait by George Romney When General Philip Schuyler learned of the retreat from Oriskany, he immediately organized additional relief to be sent to the area. The siege at Fort Stanwix was eventually lifted on August 21 when a relief column led by General Benedict Arnold approached. While still at Fort Dayton, Arnold sent messengers into the British camp who convinced the British and Indian besiegers that his force was much larger than it was in fact.[31]

Loyalists[edit] Loyalist John Butler was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel for his role in the battle, and authorized to raise a regiment that became known as Butler's Rangers.[32] After the siege was lifted, some Loyalists returned to Quebec. Others (including numerous warriors from various tribes) joined Burgoyne's campaign on the Hudson.[33]

Native Americans[edit] Brant and Sayenqueraghta, the principal Seneca chief, proposed the next day to continue the fighting by pursuing the Colonials downriver toward German Flatts but St. Leger turned their proposal down.[34] This battle marked the beginning of the civil war in the Iroquois Confederacy. It was the first time that their peoples had fought against each other. Four of the Iroquois nations: Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga and Onondaga, were allied with the British, as were some Oneida. The Iroquois in St. Leger's camp met in council and decided to send the rebel-allied Oneida a bloody hatchet.[27] Brant's Mohawks raided and burned the Oneida settlement of Oriska later in the siege. In retaliation, the Oneida plundered the Mohawk castles of Tiononderoge and Canajoharie. They later raided the Fort Hunter Mohawk, prompting most of the remaining Mohawk in central New York to flee to Quebec.[35]

According to a mid-19th century account, Brant's Indians were said to have tortured and eaten some of their prisoners.[36] However, modern historians dispute this. It is likely that some of the prisoners taken were ritually killed (which to Europeans is extremely similar to torture); there does not appear to be any evidence of cannibalism (ritual or otherwise). John Butler reported that four prisoners held by the Indians "were conformable to the Indian custom afterwards killed."[37]

Winners and losers[edit] The battle was, based on the percentage of casualties suffered, one of the bloodiest of the war.[38] About half of Herkimer's force was killed or wounded, as was about 15% of the British force.[4][5]

St. Leger claimed the battle as a victory, as he stopped the American relief column. But, the Americans maintained control of the battlefield after the withdrawal of the opposing Indians. The British victory was tempered by the discontent of the Indians after the battle. When they joined the expedition, they expected that the British forces would do most of the fighting. They were the dominant fighters in this action, and some suffered due to the loss of their personal belongings taken during the American sortie from the fort. This blow to their morale contributed to the eventual failure of St. Leger's expedition.[39]

Legacy[edit]

Monument to the unknown Tryon County patriots Blacksnake, one of the Indians at the battle, was interviewed many years afterwards. He recalled, "I thought at that time the Blood Shed a Stream running down on the decending [sic] ground."[40] A monument commemorating the battle was erected in 1884 at 43°10.6'N 75°22.2'W,[41] and much of the battlefield is now preserved in the Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site. The site was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1962,[42] and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.[43]

Nicholas Herkimer was honored when the town of Herkimer and Herkimer County, New York were named for him.[44]

Representation in popular culture[edit] Colonial settlement and wars in the Mohawk Valley, including the Battle of Oriskany, were memorialized by Walter D. Edmonds in his 1937 novel, Drums Along the Mohawk and its film adaptation. The battle was honored by the naming of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, launched in 1945.[45] See also[edit] Adam F. Helmer, one of Herkimer's messengers Sampson Sammons, a Colonel Footnotes[edit] Jump up ^ Dieffenbacher, p. 12 Jump up ^ Figures obtained from Glatthaar (2006), pp. 160,356. He notes on p. 356 that 10–20% of Herkimer's column falls out before reaching the battlefield. The Oneida figures are his estimate, based in part on oral tradition, and actually include at least one Mohawk, Louis Atayataronghta (see battle description for quote). ^ Jump up to: a b Glatthaar (2006), p. 164 ^ Jump up to: a b Watt (2002) pp. 316–320 ^ Jump up to: a b Watt (2002), p. 194 Jump up ^ Joy Bilharz,Ph.D., Oriskany: A Place of Great Sadness/ A Mohawk Valley Battlefield Ethnography, Fort Stanwix National Monument Special Ethnographic Report, National Park Service, February 2009, accessed 27 May 2014 Jump up ^ Ketchum (1997), p. 84 Jump up ^ Nickerson (1967), pp. 195–199 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), pp. 159–160 ^ Jump up to: a b Glatthaar (2006), p. 160 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), p. 161 ^ Jump up to: a b Glatthaar (2006), p. 163 Jump up ^ Nickerson (1967), p. 202 Jump up ^ Nickerson (1967), p. 203 ^ Jump up to: a b Nickerson (1967), p. 205 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 135 ^ Jump up to: a b c d Glatthaar (2006), p. 166 ^ Jump up to: a b Nickerson (1967), p. 207 Jump up ^ Nickerson (1967), p. 206 ^ Jump up to: a b c d Nickerson (1967), p. 208 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), p. 167 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 174 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), pp. 179–180 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), p. 168 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), p. 171 Jump up ^ Nickerson (1967), p. 210 ^ Jump up to: a b Watt (2002), p. 196 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 185 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), p. 169 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 263 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), pp. 174–5 Jump up ^ Bowler (2000) Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 269 Jump up ^ Kelsay (1984), p. 208 Jump up ^ Glatthaar (2006), p. 177 Jump up ^ Stone (1865), pp. 459–460 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 197 Jump up ^ Canfield (1909), p. 57 Jump up ^ Nickerson (1967), p. 211 Jump up ^ Watt (2002), p. 177 Jump up ^ New York Historical Association (1915), p. 341 Jump up ^ NHL summary listing Jump up ^ NRHP Jump up ^ Benton (1856), p. 164 Jump up ^ Oriskany DANFS entry References[edit] Benton, Nathaniel Soley (1856). A history of Herkimer County. Albany: J. Munsell. OCLC 1634048. Bowler, R. Arthur; Wilson, Bruce G. (1979). "Butler, John". In Halpenny, Francess G. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. IV (1771–1800) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Canfield, William Walker; Clark, J. E (1909). Things worth knowing about Oneida County. Utica, New York: T. J. Griffiths. OCLC 6674932. Dieffenbacher, Jane W; Herkimer County Historical Society (2002). Herkimer County: Valley Towns. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-0977-8. OCLC 50147332. Foote, Allan D (1998). Liberty March, The Battle of Oriskany. North Country Books. ISBN 0-925168-72-6. Glatthaar, Joseph T; Martin, James Kirby (2006). Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution. New York: Hill and Wang. ISBN 978-0-8090-4601-0. OCLC 63178983. Greene, Nelson (1925). History Of The Mohawk Valley, Gateway To The West, 1614–1925. Reprint Services Corp. ISBN 0-7812-5180-X. Kelsay, Isabel (1984). Joseph Brant 1743–1807 Man of Two Worlds. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-0182-4. Kenney, Alice P (1975). Stubborn for Liberty: The Dutch in New York. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-0113-1. Ketchum, Richard M (1997). Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 978-0-8050-6123-9. OCLC 41397623. Staff (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. "Oriskany Battlefield". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-11. "Oriskany". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 2009-12-07. New York Historical Association (1915). Proceedings of the New York Historical Association, Volume 14. New York Historical Association. Nickerson, Hoffman (1967) [1928]. The Turning Point of the Revolution. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat. OCLC 549809. Stone, William Leete (1865) [1838]. Life of Joseph Brant. Albany, NY: J. Monsell. OCLC 3509591. Watt, Gavin K (2002). Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley: The St. Leger Expedition of 1777. Toronto: Dundurn. ISBN 1-55002-376-4. Further reading[edit] Berleth, Richard (2009). Bloody Mohawk. Hensonville, NY: Black Dome Press. ISBN 978-1-883789-66-4. Edmonds, Walter D (1937). Drums Along the Mohawk. Little, Brown. ISBN 0-8156-0457-2. External links[edit]

The following is the declaration made by Isaac Covenhoven of Glen, Montgomery County, for purposes of obtaining his pension for service in the Revolutionary War:

"State of New York, Montgomery County

    On this 19th day of September 1832 personally appeared before in the open court before the judges of the Montgomery county court the said court now sitting, Isaac Covenhoven, of the town of Glen in the county of Montgomery and said State of New York aged ___ years, who first being duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832.  

That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated:
In the month of May of June 1775 he served under Capt. Gardinier, about for three months, (he) served out the time and was discharged. During the above service he was at Forts Plain and Dayton performing guard duty at these places. In the year 1776, (he) thinks in the month of May he was out under Capt Peter Yates and Lieut Geret Putman at the treaty held by Gen Schuyler with the Indians at Fort Dayton, (he) was one of the guards of Gen Schuyler at this time.

       (He) Was out one month at the Fort at Johnstown and at Stollers (sp)? in October (and) One month again at Sir William Johnson's Hall near Johnstown and Sacandaga.   In the year 1777 in May (________?) month (he was) at Fort Plain under Capt Gardinier, served out the time and was discharged in June.   (He) Was out again again at Fort Plain, Fort Dayton to Fort Herkimer, and to Fort Schuyler. On the March to Fort Stanwix they were ambushed by the enemy at Oriskany where General  Herkimer was killed in the battle.  At this time he was under Col. Fisher and Major Newkirk.  After the battle he returned home at the latter part of August, having been on this tour two months. In October (he) was out again one month at Fort Hunter and the mill near Caughnawaga guarding those places. (He) Served out the time and was verbally discharged. In the year 1778 in the month of April (he) went to Schenectady, (and) was in the service at that place two months, (and) while there assisted in building the Fort or Block House at that place.  During this service (he) was under Capt Rose. He returned home in July 1. (He) Was out again for two months commencing in August of this year at Johnstown and Sacandaga, (and) was under Col. Fisher and Major Newkirk. (The) Captain's name he does not recollect. While at Sacandaga (he) was employed in building the Fort at that place; while employed in the work (he) recollects the arrival of Col. Willit (H?e) , who gave the Fort the name of Fort Folley. In the fall of this year in the company of his brother Abraham went to the state of New Jersey and in October joined Capt. Pyatt's Company of Light Infantry or Minute Men. (He) Mustered at Cranbury and marched up to Bennett's Island for the purpose of disarming the Tories at this latter place, to pick up a Cap.Stocton and deliver him up at head quarters. (He) Served under Capt Pyatt for six months during which time he was employed in doing guard duty at various places, (and) having served out the time was verbally discharged. In May of 1779 he again returned to the Mohawk Country and in July was out one month at Fort Hunter, Fonda Mills, Nose Hill (so called) and at other places which he does not remember. (He) Was at home one month and out again for another month at Stollers and other places, and again was out at Johnstown, Sacandaga, and different places alternately month about for one month more. In the year 1780 he was alternately month about for three or four months at Johnstown, Stollers, and at different Forts on the Mohawk River and, at other short periods of time and at different places. In Feb 1881 he removed to the state of New Jersey and in the summer of that year he was drafted for three months to go to Tom's (sp?) River to guard the salt works at that place. (He) Remembers that while there a vessel was stranded on the coast and burnt. (He) Was out on this tour but two months when he returned home and was discharged, served a year and four months.

He was born on the 12th day of February, in the year 1759 at Windsor in the County of Middlesex and the state of New Jersey and in May 1774 removed to the Mohawk District, County of Tryon, now Town of Glen and county of Montgomery and state of New York. In the Year 1781 he removed to Cranbury in Middlesex county & state of New Jersey, from where, after residing there five or six years he returned to the town of Glen, County of Montgomery, and State of New York where he has since resided. He may be mistaken as to the names of of the commanding officers at the particular periods mentioned but is not mistaken as to the account of the time spent in the service. (He) has a record of his age in his Family Bible, taken from the family Bible of his father. (He) has no documentary evidence of his service, (and) does not remember ever having received a written discharge. (The next entire sentence says something about the ".... evidence of his service except the different...") He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.

                                                                                   (signed) Isaac Covenhoven

(signed) Geo. D. Ferguson, Clerk.

• ************ In addition to Isaac's deposition above, the following deposition was made on his behalf, by Abraham Covenhoven, Isaac's twin brother: "On this 17th day of September, AD1832 personally appeared before me, John Jacob McConkey, a justice of Montgomery County, Abraham Covenhoven of Glen, Montgomery County and State of New York, who being first duly sworn, deposeth and (sreths)(sp?): That in the year 1774 he resided in the Mohawk District Tryon County, and State of New York, now Town of Glenn, County of Montgomery and state aforesaid, that he and he is the twin brother of Isaac Covenhoven the person whose declaration for a pension is hereto attached and that during the War of Revolution the common practice for the militia was to be out month about for half the time, that in the year 1775 the said Isaac Covenhoven, (was) out in the months of August and October at different posts on the Mohawk doing guard duty each month. That in the year 1776 the said Isaac was out in the months of May and June up the Mohawk River at Fort Dayton, and as the deponent understood at the time (was) with Gen. Schuyler at the treaty with the Indians. That in the the fall of this year the deponent went to the state of New Jersey and again returned to the Mohawk District in May, 1777. And this deponent further saith that in the month of May the said Isaac was out one month under Captain Gardinier, that in the months of July and August the said Isaac Covenhoven was out for two months up the Mohawk River. That he was present at the Battle of Oriskany. And this deponent further saith that in the year 1778, said Isaac was out two months at Schenectady, was out again in company with this deponent for two months in August and September at Johnstown and Sacandago (and) was employed in building the Fort at that place. Early in October of this said year 1778, this deponent in the company with said Isaac, went to New Jersey and about the middle of October joined Captain Pyatt's Company of light infantry or minuteman in which company this Deponent and the said Isaac again returned to the Mohawk District in the month of May, 1779, and that in the summer and fall of of this said year 1779, the said Isaac was out for three months, this deponent relieving the said Isaac, alternately, month about. That this duty was performed at different Forts and Stations on the Mohawk. And this deponent further saith that the said Isaac Covenhoven in the year 1780 was out alternately month about for three or four months on guard duty at different places in the Mohawk District__ And this further saith that in the year 1882 this deponent and said Isaac removed to the state of New Jersey and further saith not.

J. McConkey,Justice.

                                                           his

                                               Abraham ^ Covenhoven   

                                                          mark

Source: Isaac Covenhoven, Rev War Pension Application file: S.12531

Notes:

Isaac Covenhoven, aka Isaac Conover, served a total of 2 years and 4 months in the Revolutionary War. He was married twice, first to Christianna Malott (Marlatt) who may have been a sister of his brother Abraham's wife Eleanor Marlatt, and to Ruth Frisbee. Isaac had at least 14 children, 8 with Ruth and 6 with Christianna. It is said, however, that he fathered 16 children.

Isaac died September 20 at Logtown, Glen, Montgomery County and is buried in the Hall Burial Lot on Hall Road near Glen Center, Montgomery County, NY.

The surname Covenhoven evolved to Conover, but the two names seemed to be used interchangeably for a number of years in the first half of the 19th century.

Lewis Conover+ (14 Aug 1776 - 10 Nov 1831)