Increase Carpenter (August 20, 1736–20 April 20, 1807) was a

minuteman Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

and

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

veteran who was born in

Jamaica, Queens, New York Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springf ...

. He served as a first lieutenant. Carpenter wore the uniform of the Jamaica Minutemen, served on the

Committee of Correspondence The committees of correspondence were, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independe ...

, and was also a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. He was at one time a Commissary of the Army. He was also a church elder, a butcher and an innkeeper.

American revolutionary

Increase Carpenter kept an inn a mile east of “Rustdorp” (Jamaica Village) on Fulton Street (Jamaica Avenue). A protest meeting of the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

was held there in 1774 to discuss the

Tea Act The Tea Act 1773 (13 Geo 3 c 44) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help th ...

Tax. The colonists elected no Members of Parliament, and so it was seen as a violation of their rights as Englishmen to "no taxation without representation". left On March 27, 1776, a company of colonial militia was formed in Jamaica, consisting of 40 persons, with Ephraim Baylis as captain and Increase Carpenter as his first lieutenant. In August, following a buildup of troops on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

prior to the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

, a flanking maneuver by British

General Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brot ...

up Kings Highway captured

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

and sent the Continental Army fleeing in disarray under cover of fog west to the mainland. Carpenter and his brother Nehemiah fled to Manhattan with

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and the Army and later up the Hudson. Their property was confiscated by the British. For the duration. Carpenter served as a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

in the Army. Nehemiah Carpenter also served in the same company. At the conclusion of the war, the family regained possession of the

Hollis, Queens Hollis is a residential middle class, middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of Hispa ...

inn, where the 1774 meeting was held. Built in 1710, it remained standing until 1921, ending as Goetze's Hotel. Nathanial Woodhull

Capture of General Woodhull

General

Nathaniel Woodhull General Nathaniel Woodhull (December 30, 1722 – September 20, 1776) was a leader of the New York Provincial Congress and a brigadier general of the New York Militia during the American Revolution. Biography Woodhull was born on December 30, 17 ...

was given orders to herd all cattle in the area away from the advancing British forces, a task made difficult by a summer thunderstorm. Stopping at Carpenter's Tavern a mile east of Jamaica Village, on August 28, 1776, he was captured and injured by British dragoons. According to lore, when one of their officers, Captain Sir James Baird demanded allegiance by saying "God save the King!", Woodhull responded, "God save us all!" The dragoon then slashed at the general's head and arm with a cutlass until a second British officer, Major Delancey, intervened. The wounded American general was then transported to the old stone church in Jamaica, which the British had converted into a prison. He was later incarcerated on one of the notorious prison ships in

Wallabout Bay Wallabout Bay is a small body of water in Upper New York Bay along the northwest shore of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, between the present Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges. It is located opposite Corlear's Hook in Manhattan, acros ...

, Brooklyn where his condition deteriorated for lack of a surgeon to amputate his mangled arm. Mrs. Woodhull petitioned to obtain her husband's release so that an operation might be performed, but the late amputation failed to stop the

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

that had spread, and the 54-year-old general died of his injuries three weeks after the attack. Today, a pair of winding streets in Hollis commemorate both Woodhull and Carpenter.

Family life

Increase Carpenter is buried in

Prospect Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...

, on the campus of York College, in

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...

. His wife Mary (Baylis) died on 23 January 1823. They had three daughters (Mary Baker, Jane Wicks, and Nancy Smith) and four sons (Samuel, James, George, and David).

American revolutionary

Capture of General Woodhull

Family life

References

See also