Joab Hoisington (September 19, 1736 – February 28, 1777) was a militia officer on the

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

side in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He was a founder of

Windsor, Vermont Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when ...

and

Woodstock, Vermont Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock. History Chart ...

. Hoisington was most notable as a militia leader during the Revolution, including command of the Upper Regiment of Vermont Militia and an irregular unit known as Hoisington's Rangers.

Biography

Joab Hoisington was born in

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles s ...

on September 19, 1736, the son of John Hoisington and Sarah (Temple) Hoisington. In 1755, he joined the

Connecticut Militia Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

for the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. As a

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in the 5th Company of the 1st Regiment, he served on active duty in

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for most of 1755, including the

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expedition against the French at

Fort Saint-Frédéric Fort Saint-Frédéric was a French fort built on Lake Champlain to secure the region against British colonization and control the lake. It was located in modern New York State across the lake from modern Vermont at the town of Crown Point, New Yor ...

. He took part in the 1756 expedition against the fort, this time as a

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and

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in the 6th Company of the 2nd Regiment. Hoisington performed 18 days of militia service in 1757 as a member of Captain Eldad Lewis' Company. This unit was part of an unsuccessful British response to the siege of

Fort William Henry Fort William Henry was a British fort at the southern end of Lake George, in the province of New York. The fort's construction was ordered by Sir William Johnson in September 1755, during the French and Indian War, as a staging ground for ...

, New York; after a successful siege, the French destroyed the fort and withdrew to Canada. When Vermont began to attract white settlers in the 1760s, Hoisington was an original settler of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

. Hoisington became a major landholder in Windsor and operated a successful farm. In 1772, he became a resident of

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, and he served as Woodstock's first town clerk. He was also elected to other local offices at Woodstock's first town meeting, including treasurer, assessor, one of the overseers of the poor, and one of the overseers of highways. In Woodstock, Hoisington farmed, speculated in land, operated a saw mill and grist mill, and owned a tavern and inn. In 1774, Hoisington attended a committee of correspondence convention in

Westminster, Vermont Westminster is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,016 at the 2020 census. It is also the first capital of the Republic of Vermont. It borders the state of New Hampshire. History Westminster is Vermont's olde ...

, and afterwards he was identified with the Patriot cause. He was an experienced militia officer, and served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and commander of a company in the Upper Regiment of Vermont Militia, and he later commanded the regiment as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. In July 1776, Hoisington joined the

New York Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force, state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and ...

as commander of an irregular unit, Hoisington's Rangers. Appointed as a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

by the

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

, he assembled his unit in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

. After organizing his new command, Hoisington employed them on the Northeastern Vermont frontier so they could observe and report on the movement of British soldiers and their Native American allies who were based in

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Death and burial

Hoisington contracted smallpox while on duty. He died in Newbury, Vermont on February 28, 1777. He was buried at Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury.

Family

In 1759, Hoisington married Mary Boardman (1739–1798). They were the parents of Isaac, Bliss, Ozias, Verlina, Cynthia, Lavinia, Mary, Barzava, and Joab. His sons Isaac, Bliss, and Verlina served in his ranger unit, and were with him when he died.

Notes

References

External links

* 1736 births 1777 deaths Continental Army officers from Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut Vermont militiamen in the American Revolution People from Windsor, Vermont People from Woodstock, Vermont Deaths from smallpox Burials in Vermont {{US-mil-bio-stub