I have given a list of the Company officers as "established" at the organization of the regiment. They underwent many changes as heretofore indicated. I will give them as they existed in May, 1778, when the last changes were made of which there is a record.[32] This is a list of the Captains beginning with the first Company and thus on through to the tenth. They were as follows: James Bidlack, Jr., Aholiab Buck, Asaph Whittlesey, Jeremiah Blanchard, William McKarachan, Rezin Geer, Stephen Harding, Eliab Farnham, Robert Carr and John Franklin, Jr.
The Lieutenants were Lebbeus Tubbs, Elijah Shoemaker, Aaron Gaylord, Timothy Keyes, Roswell Franklin, Daniel Gore, Elisha Scovil, John Shaw, Nathan Kingsbury and Stoddart Bowen.
The Ensigns were: John Comstock, Asa Gore, William White, Jeremiah Bigford, Titus Hinman, John Hagerman, John Jenkins, Jr., Elijah Winters, Rudolph Fox and Nathaniel Goss. John Jenkins, Jr., of the Exeter company, probably should not be included as he had recently been elected a lieutenant in the Continental Service. This company had no Ensign in commission.
Some of these new officers had seen service in the old French war. Lieutenant Lebbeus Tubbs had served two enlistments—one of 26 weeks in 1755, in Capt. Nicholas Bishop's company of the first Conn, regiment—another in 1759 of 27 weeks in Capt. John Pitkin's company of the Fourth Conn. Regt.[33]
In the latter year he was in the expedition sent out for the reduction of Crown Point. Ensign William White served 35 weeks in 1756 in Capt. Samuel Champlin's Company in the First Conn, regiment. Ensign Titus Hinman in 1755 served 32 weeks in Capt. Benjamin Hinman's company in the Second Conn. regiment.
The Twenty-fourth regiment availed itself of other means of becoming efficient. Two deserters from the British army—Abraham Pike and Sergeant Boyd—were employed as drill masters, and spent much time in putting the men through their evolutions.[34]
It had need of the skill of all its officers, of the efficiency of all its men. While I have been talking about officers, important events have been hastening toward a conclusion, on the northern border. They now claim attention. Up to this time (1778) no murders had been committed by the Indians. They now became frequent. Scouting parties of the regiment were continually going out and coming in. They heralded the approach of an invading army. Premonitory signs of its coming had not been wanting.
It consisted of about 1,100 British soldiers, Indians and Tories, under the command of Major John Butler.[35] This force had been gathered at Kanadaseago and other points in Western New York. The time was the month of June, when nature puts on her best apparel. It approached Wyoming in boats. I can imagine the wild and weird flotilla, tricked out in barbaric splendor, as it rounded Tioga Point, and swept out into the broad waters of the Susquehanna, receiving welcome reinforcements to its numbers as it passed Queen Esther's flats and the meadows of Sheshequin. It landed above Wyoming in Keeler's Eddy. It marched about twenty miles by land and was ready to do its work.
What was the situation at Wyoming? What the preparation to receive it? We have detailed the building of the forts; the establishment of the regiment and its depletion from time to time to recruit the Continental service. The forts were there—and the regiment—what there was of it.