Sergeant Edward Benton
Sergeant Edward Benton served in the military during a particularly tumultuous time. The country had grown very war weary. So weary that the majority of the country just wanted it over with, thought we spent far too much money on it and the cost in lives was getting too great. No one could see an end in sight. Even the soldiers were getting weary of the whole thing. The calls from some members of Congress for an immediate withdrawal of troops were getting louder every day.
Can you tell which theater of combat Sergeant Benton was fighting in? Afghanistan? Iraq? Maybe Vietnam? Nope, all of those guesses would be wrong.
Sergeant Edward Benton served during the Revolutionary War!
I have sitting on my desk Sergeant Benton’s last pay voucher dated February 2, 1786… 222 years ago!
Anytime I need inspiration to persevere in pursuing my goals, I look at Sergeant Benton’s pay voucher and experience a number of emotions. The first is awe, the second is thankfulness and the third emotion is humility.
I truly admire men and women who have the bravery to serve our country. They serve today in an all volunteer military and during the Revolutionary war, they served in an all volunteer army as well. I’m thankful because the freedoms we enjoy and the economy we enjoy (even today’s economy) would not be possible without Sergeant Edward Benton’s commitment and millions like him. I’m humbled because whenever I think I’ve got it tough or my work is hard, it pales in comparison… and my life isn’t on the line either.
I think it is also important to point out two unique things about many Revolutionary War soldiers. First is that even when injured, they served. Congress had formed the Invalid Corps to serve as guards in various towns vulnerable to attack or to protect food supplies, etc. On April 7, 1781 Edward Benton was assigned to the Invalid Corps due to his injuries. He never recovered from his injuries and was disabled for the rest of his life. The second interesting thing about the commitment of these soldiers, when it was so easy to desert and blend back into society, was that most went without pay for years.
The pay voucher that I have was paid in 1786 AFTER the war was over for pay granted in January 1783 when he was discharged. From his enlistment in 1777 until 1786, almost nine years, Edward Benton served with no pay.
One would think that these soldiers would have been bitter at having to serve injured and/or serve for year after year for no pay (because the country had no money). Most were not because they understood the price of freedom.
Edward Benton was not. How do I know? I have the voter register of Hartford, Connecticut for the 1789 elections… the year George Washington was elected President. Despite his injuries and despite the lack of pay, Edward Benton exercised the freedom he fought for to help elect the first President of the United States. And as they say, the rest is history.
