Remember Baker (June 6, 1737 – August 22, 1775) was an American soldier and a member of the

Green Mountain Boys The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in 1770 in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants and later in 1777 as the Vermont Republic (which late ...

who was murdered in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

during the early days of the

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 ...

. Born in

Roxbury, Connecticut Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,260 at the 2020 census. The town is located northeast of New York City. History Roxbury, whose Native name was ''Shepaug'', a Mahican word signifying "roc ...

(then part of

Woodbury Woodbury may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory Australia * Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia England * Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset *Woodbury, East Devo ...

), he was the son of Remember Baker and Tamar Warner, and a first cousin of

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

, Ira Allen and Seth Warner. Remember Baker, Jr. was described by a cousin as a tough, redheaded, freckle-faced young giant. He enlisted as a private in a company of provincial troops in 1755. In 1757, he was stationed at Fort William Henry, at the head of Lake George, and during that year participated in battles which went badly for the provincial troops. In 1758, he enlisted a second time in General James Abercrombie's attempted invasion of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, then held by the French. He was part of a band of 100 men under the command of Major Putnam and accompanied by Lord Howe that went on a scouting expedition. They were surprised by a party of 500 of the enemy, and Lord Howe was killed. Putnam and Baker and their men cut their way through the French ranks, charged them in the rear, and after being reinforced killed 300 of the enemy and captured 143 prisoners. Baker received honorable mention in the report of the commanding general. He remained in the service until the close of the year 1759. Baker married Desire Hurlbut in Roxbury on April 3, 1760. In 1764, Remember, Desire, and their small son Ozi moved to Arlington, now in Vermont, and built a grist mill. This was in response to an offer of from the town to anyone who would start a mill there. The first mill burned down in 1789, but a subsequent mill built in the 1790s still stands today. Baker's cousins

and Ira Allen also settled in Arlington. Remember Baker was the first town clerk of Arlington. The Bakers and the Allens were involved in the controversy over the title of the settlers of Vermont to their land, and Baker became a captain in one of the companies of the

. Remember is said to have been more hot-headed than the Allens and Seth Warner. Following attacks on those loyal to New York, the Governor of New York offered an award for the capture of Ethan Allen, Remember Baker, and others. On March 21, 1771, men from New York under the leadership of Captain John Munro attacked Baker's mill and took Baker away as a prisoner. In the fight, Baker lost a thumb and his wife injured her arm jumping out of a window. She never fully recovered the use of that arm. Remember was taken across the New York border. The Green Mountain Boys rescued Baker and returned him to his family. By May 1773, Ira Allen and Remember Baker, as the Allen and Baker Land Co., owned some of virgin land along the

Winooski River The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from ...

, near

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. That year there were no roads north of Castleton, and Baker and Allen cut a road through the forest for 70 miles so that supplies could be brought in from

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. In the summer, they settled on their land and built a log house across the river from Burlington. Ira Allen was unmarried and lived with the Bakers. Remember Baker joined Ethan Allen for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. He and Seth Warner met at Crown Point, New York, and captured the garrison there. Following that, he served as a scout for General

Phillip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Al ...

in the area around St. John's, where the English troops and Native Americans were camped. Around August 19, 1775, Baker left Ticonderoga for another scouting expedition along the Richelieu River. On August 22, he was shot and killed by Indians who had taken his boat. The Indians plundered the body, cut off Baker's head, raised it upon a pole, and carried it in triumph to

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...

, which horrified the British officers there. They bought it from the Indians and buried it, and also sent some men to the point to bury the body.

References

*Frederick Ungeheuer with Lewis and Ethel Hurlbut. ''Roxbury Remembered''. Connecticut Heritage Press, 1989. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Remember 1737 births 1775 deaths People from Roxbury, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut Vermont militiamen in the American Revolution People of Vermont in the American Revolution People of pre-statehood Vermont American military personnel killed in the American Indian Wars