The Wyoming Military Establishment. A History of the Twenty-fourth Regiment of Connecticut Militia: An Address Before the Tioga Point Historical Society, Delivered December 3rd, 1901

In Short

This historical address recovers the story of the Twenty-fourth Regiment of the Connecticut Militia, a force established to protect the isolated Wyoming Valley from both Pennsylvania land claimants and the ravages of the Revolutionary War. Through meticulous research into muster rolls and colonial records, the account documents the regiment’s formation, its struggle for basic equipment, its participation in the tragic Battle of Wyoming, and its ultimate dissolution. It serves as a necessary act of remembrance for the men whose local defense efforts laid the groundwork for the region’s survival.

The Story

The saga begins with a legal and geographic anomaly: a "cataclysm" born of the carelessness of King James I and King Charles II. In the seventeenth century, overlapping royal charters granted the same five-thousand-square-mile tract of land to both the Connecticut Colony and William Penn’s Pennsylvania. By the eighteenth century, Connecticut settlers had firmly established the town of Westmoreland in the Wyoming Valley, governing themselves by Connecticut laws and institutions. They were, in effect, a displaced Connecticut enclave residing within the borders of Pennsylvania.

As the American Revolution approached, these settlers lived in a state of precarious isolation, separated from other colonies by a "howling wilderness" inhabited by hostile forces. To secure their position, they organized themselves into a formal militia—the Twenty-fourth Regiment of the Connecticut Militia. This establishment was not merely symbolic; it was a desperate necessity. The settlers faced constant pressure from the Pennsylvania government, which sought to reclaim the territory, and later, the looming threat of British-aligned Indian forces.

The regiment’s history is defined by a persistent struggle for resources. Lacking adequate gunpowder and arms, the settlers resorted to primitive alchemy, with local women digging up earthen floors to extract saltpeter. Despite these challenges, the regiment maintained a vigilant presence, repairing and constructing a series of forts to protect the valley's scattered districts.

The turning point arrives in June 1778, when a combined force of British regulars, Tories, and Indian warriors under Major John Butler descends upon the valley. The ensuing Battle of Wyoming is a catastrophe for the local militia. Facing overwhelming odds, the defenders—comprising the regiment’s core companies and brave volunteers—march out from Forty Fort to meet the enemy on the open plain. The engagement results in a crushing defeat, the loss of nearly every company captain, and the deaths of hundreds of settlers.

In the aftermath, the remaining forts are forced to capitulate, with the victors staging a "spectacular entrance" into the valley. However, the story does not end in total defeat. Even after the surrender, the spirit of the regiment persists through its former members. Many surviving militiamen immediately returned to service under Continental command, eventually joining expeditions that secured the region. The address concludes by reframing the regiment’s tragic end as a pivotal moment that galvanized the American war effort, ultimately leading to the destruction of the Six Nation Confederacy’s power and the eventual consolidation of the valley.

How It Unfolds

The disputed charter The account opens by explaining the chaotic royal land grants that placed a Connecticut town inside Pennsylvania, creating a "conquered province" of settlers loyal to a distant authority. This legal tension sets the stage for the recurring conflict that defined the region’s early years.

Organizing the militia Driven by a need for self-preservation, the community holds local town meetings to form companies and elect officers, which the Connecticut Assembly eventually formalizes as the Twenty-fourth Regiment. This section details how the regiment was structured, assigned to the state’s sixth brigade, and tasked with defending a wilderness frontier.

The struggle for equipment The narrative turns to the practical hardships of the militia, detailing the constant, often desperate efforts to secure gunpowder and weapons. It highlights the ingenuity of the local women, who processed earth to extract saltpeter, underscoring the community’s total commitment to the cause.

The descent into war As tensions boil over, the regiment is thrust into an uneven struggle against a professional invading force. The narrative tracks the fall of outlying forts, the council of war that leads to the disastrous battle, and the tragic loss of the regiment’s leadership.

The aftermath and memory The final portion records the surrender of the valley, the subsequent return of survivors to the Continental cause, and the author’s effort to restore the regiment to its proper place in history. It concludes by reflecting on the importance of these men’s sacrifices in the broader context of the American Revolution.

The People

The regiment is defined by its leaders, men who balanced the roles of citizen, farmer, and soldier. Zebulon Butler serves as the initial colonel, a pivotal figure who navigates both the administrative demands of the Connecticut Assembly and the military challenges of the valley. He eventually transitions into the Continental service, leaving behind a legacy of leadership that the author attempts to clarify amidst the confusion of local records.

Nathan Denison and George Dorrance represent the steadfast backbone of the regiment. Denison, who succeeds to the colonelcy, bears the heavy burden of command during the final, desperate negotiations for the valley’s surrender. Dorrance, promoted to lieutenant colonel, exemplifies the high cost of the conflict, as he is mortally wounded leading his men into the fray.

Lazarus Stewart emerges as a figure of significant local renown, a former captain of the "Paxtang Rangers" whose reputation for toughness precedes him. Though he declines a promotion within the regiment, his presence underscores the factional tensions and the volatile nature of the frontier.

Finally, the author highlights the Pioneer Women of Wyoming, whose labor was essential to the militia's survival. By transforming the very ground beneath their homes into the ingredients for gunpowder, these women become central to the military capacity of the regiment, proving that the establishment was not merely a collection of soldiers, but a total community effort.

In Its Own Voice

"The Alsatians were no more stunned, at being forcibly wrenched from their allegiance to the flag they loved, than were the Connecticut people who had settled a town of their own in the heart of Pennsylvania."

The author uses this comparison to illustrate the deep sense of betrayal felt by the settlers when their land claims were challenged by Pennsylvania authorities.

"The women took up their floors, dug out the earth, put it in casks, and ran water through it."

This vivid detail describes the desperate measures taken by the settlers to produce gunpowder when the regiment lacked basic supplies.

"The Twenty-fourth regiment! it served three years--one for the colony, two for the state. It builded forts, it fought battles, it went down to defeat and death, amidst a wild saturnalia of blood, rapine, and murder."

This passage serves as the emotional summary of the regiment’s brief but violent existence, highlighting the author’s intent to document a history that had largely slipped into oblivion.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the tension between legal sovereignty and the lived reality of frontier settlement. It argues that the Wyoming Valley was not merely a peripheral theater of the Revolution, but a site of profound political and personal struggle where the definitions of "colony" and "state" were fluid. The author is concerned with the act of historical recovery, questioning why certain narratives gain prominence while others, like the story of the Twenty-fourth Regiment, are relegated to footnotes. Beneath the military history lies a deeper meditation on the fallibility of memory and the importance of accurate record-keeping in preserving the dignity of those who were, in the author's words, "forgotten."

Why Read It Today

This address is essential for readers interested in the granular, often overlooked realities of the American Revolution. It offers a rare, ground-level perspective on how colonial administration, local self-governance, and frontier warfare intersected in the late 1700s. You will find it a poignant read if you appreciate local history that challenges the "official" accounts found in broader textbooks.

The book is not without its difficulties. The prose is academic and occasionally dry, burdened by long lists of officers, dates, and archival citations that can slow the pace. The author also writes with the earnest, sometimes rigid, tone of a turn-of-the-century local historian, which reflects the period’s intense focus on lineage and genealogical pride. However, for those who can navigate the dense appendices and the formal, late-Victorian register, there is a genuine warmth in the author's dedication to his ancestors. It is a work of deep, patient research that succeeds in its primary goal: ensuring that the men of the Twenty-fourth Regiment are no longer just names on a monument, but understood as active, struggling participants in the founding of the nation. It leaves you with a lasting sense of the fragility of the records we rely on and the immense cost of the conflicts that shaped our borders.