Page 28 - Armstrong Bloodline - ebook_Neat

his American troops were also not always adverse to seizing or destroying the property of friends of the
patriotic cause. Gilliland complained several times about this treatment and, even though he was assigned as a
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st
1 . Lieutenant in the New York Militia, appears to have incurred Arnold’s disfavor. Shortly thereafter, Arnold
appears to have trumped up charges of disloyalty against him and moved quickly to have him arrested. In
doing so he took a deposition from Thomas Day (mentioned above with Martin as an overseer of road, fences,
and cattle in Willsboro in the 1775 town meeting), who was also a Sergeant and subaltern of Arnolds. 52 - pages 60 -
63
Although the charges were ultimately proven false, Gilliland was taken prisoner at Long Island in June 1776,
and subsequently confined at the fort in Albany in 1777.

When the final town meeting was held in Willsboro on April 9, 1776, both Will Gilliland and Martin Armstrong
had been replaced in the assembly hierarchy, and no record of their residence and whereabouts is given.
Ironically, the same Thomas Day mentioned above is chosen in this session as the assembly’s new moderator
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(replacing Will Gilliland).

In 1775, Generals Montgomery and Arnold conducted the first major military initiative by the newly-formed
Continental Army – the invasion of Canada. After a successful incursion in Montreal, they suffered a disastrous
defeat at Quebec City. After their retreat from Canada, the environs of Lake Champlain became fully exposed
to British forces under General John Burgoyne and the savage attacks of their Indian allies and Hessian
mercenaries. In the latter half of 1776, most of the remaining tenants of what just months before had been a
peaceful and prosperous frontier community, hastily abandoned their farms. And by 1777 the colony was
totally destroyed as if it had been ravaged by a tornado. 56

While we know that what was going on in Gilliland’s life at this time, we have no specific information as to
what happened to Martin and his family. It is known that Gilliland established a militia unit in his settlement
and stated that every third man of his tenants was a member. 52 - pages 48 Through the National Archives, a family
researcher 9, CR-3 obtained the American Revolution undated military record for a Martin Armstrong, record
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number 1042, who was attached to Hay’s Regiment, NY Militia. From Gilliland's diary, it is also clear that
Major Udney Hay was known to have been in Willsboro, NY, during the American Revolution and the above
researcher theorized that he may have been there to help Gilliland organize his group of militiamen. She also
theorized that it is with this group that Martin fought throughout the Revolutionary War. We researched this
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further 9, CR-7 and, among other sources, discovered that the supplement to the publication “New York in the
Revolution by Roberts & Mather” makes 10 or 12 references to Colonel Udney Hay, Esq. as the NY State Agent
and later as the NY Deputy Quarter Master General. In Gilliland's diary, Hay is mentioned in connection with
food purchases for the American army that he made from Gilliland and the initials A.D.Q.M.G. are shown after
his name (Assistant Deputy Quarter Master General). 52 – pages 52, 53, 57, 64, 178 & 216

How long Martin’s noncombatant militia status with Hay continued during the conflict is unknown, and it is a
puzzling mystery as to what happened to him and his young family for the next decade. An unverified source
indicates that he was first married in 1766 59 – page 277 , possibly in Willsboro. While his wife’s name is not shown,
family folklore identifies her as Elizabeth Elliot. Family researchers also believe that some event contributed to
her death on Jan. 4, 1776 48 & 49 in either Willsboro or Shoreham, VT. Based on the above discussion, the most
believable explanation is that she died in Willsboro, possibly as a result of incursions by hostile Indians or
Tories in the area. By Gilliland’s own account, “many of the settlers were “destitute of any shelter” and
“exposed to the necessity of breathing the noxious vapors of a camp so infected with the most malignant
species of disease that it might rather be called a hospital. Many of them have died, and the others mostly
ruined, all considerably in my (financial) debt.” 52 - page 187 - 173

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