Lt. Col. Stephen Moulton and his sons fought in one of the most pivotal battles of the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

.

Fighting a rear guard action for three days as George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

 directed the American retreat from Long Island

Battle of Long Island

The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...

, Moulton and three of his sons were finally captured on September 15, 1775. Moulton and his sons, all officers, were detained as prisoners of war by General Howe’s Adjutant in the notorious Sugar House Prison

Sugar house prisons (New York)

Sugar houses in New York City were used as prisons by occupying British forces during the American Revolutionary War. Out of 2,600 prisoners of war captured during the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776, 1,900 would die in the following months at makeshift prisons throughout the city...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. After being held for five months by General Howe’s forces, Moulton and his sons were exchanged for British officers held by General Washington’s staff in March of 1777.

Additional reading

Lt. Colonel Moulton’s service is chronicled in the official history of Floyd, New York and documented on page 88 of the New York Revolutionary War Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary Military Services, published in 1841 in Washington, DC. (195p).