Thomas Callihan Rewrite

I sent a link to my Thomas and Mary Callihan post to Robert Callihan who forwarded it on to Don Callihan.  Both are founders, researchers, and major contributors to callihanfamilyresearch.org.  And they're both really nice guys.

I heard back.  It turns out I was just a tiny bit wrong.

Two things.  Three, actually.

First, Don told me there's no evidence Thomas was born in Ireland.  He could have been born in New Jersey for all we know! Well, if that's true, how come callihanfamilyresearch.org has him born in Northern Ireland?

screenshot from callihanfamily research.org

I knew I had seen that somewhere!  Maybe someone else in their research group came to that conclusion and it ended up on the website. But whatever. Apparently, documented evidence is lacking and we may never know for sure.

Second, Don told me the Callihans weren't Quakers.

Well. . . he got me there.

Since virtually ALL of my other Bedford County Irish immigrants were Quakers, and Thomas' first Bedford County land purchase was right smack in the middle of Quaker Central (aka Fishertown), and some of the Callihans married Quakers, I apparently made an incorrect assumption.

Don speculated that they may have been Presbyterian or Methodist.  Actually, not being affiliated with such a tight-knit religious group as were the Quakers could explain the affiliation at least some of them had with the Old Mock Church outside of Pleasantville.  Thomas' son, Robert, was listed in a church record as being one of its trustees.  And he and his wife are buried there.  And my great-grandfather wrote about walking there with his grandmother to go to church.

So definitely not Quakers.

The last item concerned Thomas' service in the Revolutionary War.  Did he serve or didn't he? I guess it could still be up for debate, but Don is convinced. He served.  And deserted.  After a little research of my own, and now that I know more than I did before, I would have to agree with him. And actually, the story is quite fascinating.

On Monday, 20 January 1806, Thomas put an ad in the Bedford Gazette.

photo found at callihanfamilyresearch.org

What do we learn from this?  We know he had a brother named Jacob and a sister named Nancy. They were both living in Morris County New Jersey in 1778. It appears that Thomas had been living there as well, but left in 1778 and had not had any contact with them for 28 years.  He was also letting them know he had relocated to Bedford County Pennsylvania because they would otherwise have no way knowing that.

So what was going on in 1778 that would draw Thomas away from his New Jersey family and not return?  Well, when the places and the dates match up and there are no records that could point to anyone else by the same name, the evidence becomes pretty convincing. 

According to Don, The Thomas "Callehen" or "Kallehan" listed in the records of the New Jersey 2nd Regiment was, in fact, OUR Thomas Callihan.

So he really could have been born in New Jersey???

Well, I found this myself, so. . . .

maybe.  (Actually, with no dates assigned to this record other than a time span of 271 years, this tells us absolutely nothing.  It's like it's totally compelling and completely useless all at the same time! And what's really fascinating is that as long as we don't know, it's exactly like that thing that happened with Schrodinger's cat. And that, my friends, is where science and genealogy come together.)

Back to Thomas.  The available online records and the history books paint a pretty good picture as to where he was and what he was up against.

These two reproduced military records show that Thomas "Callehen" had enlisted as a Continental soldier on January 1, 1778 with the 2nd New Jersey Regiment. It was a part of George Washington's "Grand Army". He was 20 years old.

Thomas probably experienced tearful goodbyes as he left his family members and began marching along side any other new recruits to the place the 2nd New Jersey Regiment had been ordered to spend the winter.  It was only about 80 miles from Morris County, NJ, but from what Thomas left behind it was probably a whole world away. I don't believe anything could have prepared him for what lie ahead. So where was the 2nd New Jersey Regiment in January of 1778?

 Valley Forge.

If you forgot your American History (like I did) let me fill you in.  Wikipedia puts it this way:

"Valley Forge was the military camp in southeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Philadelphia, where the American Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–78 during the American Revolutionary War. Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure killed over 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778."

Another historian wrote:

"Images of bloody footprints in the snow, soldiers huddled around lonely campfires, and Washington on his knees, praying that his army might survive often come to mind when people hear the words ‘Valley Forge.’

"Washington chose Valley Forge as the winter encampment for his 11,000 men along with approximately 500 women and children who accompanied them for several reasons. First, the lay of the land made Valley Forge a natural fortress. The army's camp sat high on a plateau at the top of a series of hills that protected it. The soldiers lived in huts built on the plateau and continued training on the parade ground at its center. Secondly, Valley Forge was far enough away from the rich farmland north of Philadelphia to prevent the army from becoming a burden on the local population. Lastly, Valley Forge was close enough to the occupied capital of Philadelphia for the Continental Army to keep an eye on the British and prevent any surprise attacks on settlements in the countryside. As Washington explained, if the army was farther away, then 'many of our friends would be exposed to all the miseries of the most insulting and wanton depredation.'

"Washington hoped that his officers and soldiers, with "one heart" and "one mind," would surmount the troubles that lay ahead of them. The lack of proper clothing was a significant problem. While Washington knew most of his men were fit for duty, he calculated that at least a third of them had no shoes. Many did not have a decent coat to protect against the constant rain that plagued the camp.

"Washington ordered his soldiers to build wooden huts for themselves, twelve by twelve feet each, and then search the countryside for straw to use as bedding. He hoped this would keep them warm since there were not enough blankets for everyone. Even worse, his quartermaster reported that he had just twenty-five barrels of flour and only a little salt pork to feed the entire army.

  

"Promising to 'share in the hardship' and 'partake of every inconvenience,' Washington moved with his closest aides into a two-story stone house near Valley Forge Creek. He spent much of his time writing to Congress, demanding more supplies for his men, while defending himself against charges of incompetence and dictatorial ambitions." (http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/valley-forge/) 

Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge (photo by Rob Shenk)

Throughout the winter of 1777-78 many men took furloughs, died, and deserted. From the book "What Can't Brave Americans Endure" The New Jersey Infantry at the Valley Forge Encampment by Joseph Lee Boyle we read, "Many men left the Army in January 1778 as their terms of service were up. For the next few months few new enlistments appeared."  Thomas would have been one of those new enlistments, arriving just prior to mid February, the hardest time for the troops. Food shortages were so severe, Boyle wrote, that Washington wrote to the President of Congress that if something was not done immediately "this Army would dissolve".

Payroll for January

Payroll for February

Extra pay awarded the troops by act of Congress
mid February due to their extreme hardship

Image of the actual Muster Roll for the 2nd New Jersey, February 1778.  Thomas "Callehen" is #21.

The above image cropped and photoshopped

Piecing together a timeline, Boyle referenced a letter written by General George Washington to Colonel Israel Shreve, the 2nd New Jersey commanding officer.  On March 19th Washington ordered them to leave Valley Forge and "march immediately" for New Jersey out of concern for British raiding parties.

So here's what we know so far.  Thomas enlisted on January 1st.  He was at Valley Forge sometime after January 1st and stayed until shortly after March 19th when his unit shipped out due to potential British raiding parties.

And then this happened:

If you're wondering what the chicken scratch is between "Casualties" and "Apl, 5, 1778", it's "Desd", which stands for "Deserted".

Why would he endure the immense suffering of Valley Forge and then on the 5th of April, 2 weeks after he marched out of there, decide to run?  Well, I think there's more to the story.  I found one more record:

   

Muster Roll, 2nd New Jersey, June 12, 1778

On the June 12th Muster Roll, Thomas "Kellehan" is #41.  Following his name is a symbol for "deserted" and the date, "5 April".

But a closer look at some of the other names on the same muster roll might give us a little more insight as to what was going on.  #'s 28-32 were all taken prisoner on the 5th of April, the exact same day Thomas deserted.

#33 was also taken prisoner on April 5th.

I think it's likely that on the 5th of April, 1778, as the New Jersey 2nd marched toward New Jersey from Valley Forge (or they may have already arrived), they did meet up with a British raiding party. As a result, several US patriots were taken prisoner.  Thomas, however, managed to escape his enemies' grasp. 

So why didn't he go back?  Of course, we'll never know. But maybe because...people were trying to kill him?? Or, as he compared the deplorable living conditions he was provided by his own military to what he could only imagine the enemy would subject him to, he couldn't allow himself to take the chance of ever becoming a prisoner of war. There's also a good possibility that as he ran to escape the enemy on that fateful day in April he got lost and couldn't make his way back to his division.  In any case, whatever the actual scenario, I want to think the best of him. I want to believe he did his best. He endured as much as he could.

Or perhaps, just maybe, God had a different plan for him.  

He probably couldn't go back home and admit personal defeat.  I would imagine his entire family presumed him dead unless somehow, at some time, they received word that he was a deserter after less than 14 weeks of military service. Some of them might have rather heard he died.

Sadly, the shame of desertion could have held him prisoner his entire life.  

If by any chance I could talk to you,

Thomas Callihan,

5th great-grandfather of mine,

right now,

today,

in person,

I would say to you

without hesitation,

"I love you.

 I'm proud of you.

Thank you for doing your best.

Thank you for following your heart.

There's no shame in that."

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All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016.  All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain.