The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-04-27
A HEsslAN BUT A HERO
John j. Peeler, a Revolutionary Sold
Ter Who Suffered Terribly

upon the tradition. Personally
believe the report as here written to
be correct, but l remind the reader
that do not vouch for the truth
of any of these traditions, though all
of these statements were given TO me
as facts by those who had accepted
them as true.)
After the close of the Revolution,
the soldiers of that war gradually ac-
quired increased glory. They were
naturally men OF strong characters or
they would not have risked hanging
for treason, or death by shot, or in
prison pens, for the American cause.
AS they grew older they acquired the
advantages of mind which age con
fers and also became more and more
the objects of hero worship. Many
of the rural people used TO consult in
every trouble, the first revolutionary
hero they could find. DR., Cyrus
Washburn saw an illustration Of this
in the case of one of his patients. The
man had some sudden illness and, to
put life into his stomach, swallowed
lot of gunpowder The inter in ii
gave him a severe chill and he sent
for a Revolutionary soldier. The old
hero Il have forgotten who he was,)
exclaimed with the logic of very
aged man, well, when ! was in the
army and we had put down the pow
der we always put down the lead"
Taking a tablespoon he filled it with
shot, poured molasses over it and the
patient took the dose. In few min
utes a doctor was needed to save his
life.
The Revolutionary soldiers in Yer
non after the war were Jerijah Thay-
er, who built a frame house. one Of
the first in town, in the Basin" Jabez
Clark, Jacob Lawton, John Williams,
John Dresser, Andrew Parsons, Syl
vanus Harris, Stephen Johnson, DAY.
i'd Lee, Isaac Pratt, Ebenezer Scott
(who was taken prisoner in the col
onial war against the French in Can
ada in which the English General
Wolf figured prominently in the at
tack on Quebec, some IS or IS years
before the Revolution, and who was
released and served his country again
in the war for independence Isaac
Johnson, John Fairman and Thomas
Sweetland. Most of these men
founded families that still exist in
Vernon and its vicinity Jerijah
Thayer enlisted when only IA, was
rejected and enlisted again at 16. He
was the last of that little group of
locally famous men to pass away and
for some years was the only soldier
OF the Revolution In the county.
John Jacob Peeler was probably
born in Hesse, at least in Germany,
in 1746. He enlisted, or. more prob
ably, was drafted into the Hessian
service, and with his regiment was
sold by the Hessian prince of that
| day to England. for service in Amer
lea. He had no choice about the mat
ter for he and his comrades were sold
like cattle at so much a head New
ertheless he did not abide by the
terms OF his sale His original name
was Peller, though whether it was
spelled exactly that way / have not
heard. II is probable that the name
was In German pronounced like Peel
er, and so came to be spelled in that
manner The information | have of
him came to me largely through the
long acquaintance between him and
DR.. Cyrus Washburn. They were
neighbors, he was one of the patients
OF DR. Washburn, and my father.
whose memory was remarkable,
learned from the doctor many details
as to the old soldier.
Peeler came to Boston with his
! regiment before the outbreak of hos.
tilities and at once sought to desert
10 the Americans. He had never
loved the English, was under no OBJ
! legation to fight for them and he felt
a strong love OF liberty which deter
mined him to help the American
cause or die IN the attempt. The
tradition of him in my family pic
lures him as man with very
strong nature. clear. stern eyes, pow
erful body and quick stubborn mind.
one OF the men whom no prudent
man quarreled with. yet of good re-
putation. kindly and just.
AT the first opportunity he desert.
ed He was In some way captured.
and was given 80 lashes. punish
ment common in the British army of
which his regiment was part. Imme.
diately. he deserted again, was again
captured and received 80 lashes the
usual penalty for second offense. The
details OF those two first offenses be-
yond what ! have given, | never
knew After his second punishment
he was solemnly warned that a third
onense would result In his being
whipped to death. for no one was ex-
pected TO survive the thousand. lashes.
save-one inflicted in such cases. None
the less the German determination of
the man did not diminish. He saw
the preparations for conflict, knew
the great fight was soon TO come and
again deserted. Before he reached
friends he was found by John Hare.
a soldier whom he knew we'll Hare
had In some way the power to kill
Peeler probably by getting a loaded
musket to his head. but because no
one else was actually with Hare he
had the power to let Peeler 20. Peel.
or pleaded earnestly for mercy say.
ing that he would reward Hare liber.
ally and picturing the sufferings he
must endure II he were taken back.
Hare laughed at him, told him he
would get five pounds reward for TAX.
Ing him back, and that Peeler would
never live through the whipping to
/ take any revenge Thera,non PEEL.