Deserters Descriptions
Taken from Newspapers of the Time
Pennsylvania
Evening Post, 11 Sept. 1778
Deserter: Frances McCue, an Irishman, 5'6", wearing when
left: a brown shirt and old buckskin breeches. $8 reward.
Pennsylvania
Packet, 19 Dec. 1778
Sixty doller reward offered for three deserters dated 10 Dec.
1778 in Philadelphia.
1. John -ove, American, 5'10", 22 years old, wearing an old
light coulored blue coat, lived in York County.
2. Samual -ansha, Englishman, 5'8", wearing a worn brown coat,
living in Juniata, in Cumberland County.
3. Alexander McKinsie, Scotsman, 5'7", speaks bad English,
had been sick, wearing a black regimental with red facings, lived
near Carlisle, in Cumberland County.
Signed, Issac Coren, Captain of Artillery
Pennsylvania
Evening Post Tuesday, 30 Nov. 1779
Philadelphia November 23, 1779
Two hundred and fourty dollars reward. Broke out of jail in this
city, on the night of the 19th is the following prisoners, viz…John
Byron, a likely fellow, about five feet eleven inches high, a matross
in Capt. Issac Coren's Company of Artillery:he had on a blue coat
faced with red, and new buckskin breeches, has light brown hair
tied behind.
Note:
John Byron can be found on the muster rolls for the unit. The other
four do not appear because they left prior to roll being taken in
1779.
Dissention
wasn't limited to deserters
One
reason for the mixture of clothing among the deserters -- and the
company as a whole -- was that Captain Issac Coren, the commander,
had a running battle raging with Colonel Benjamin Flowers, Commander
of the Regiment of Artillery Artificers and the one who first authorized
Coren to raise the company. Coren refused to recognize Flower as
his superior officer and wouldn't work through Flowers' regiment
quartermaster.
Finally,
Philadelphia's Mayor, Lewis Nicola had to look into the matter.
He reported in June 1780 to Pennsylvania's President Reed:
From
the best I can make I find for certain that the company has not
been clothed for this year. Owing to a puncilio of Capt. Coren,
to which he had obstinately adhered not to acknowledge himself
under any shape under the direction of Col. Flower, and therefore
would nto receive clthing for his company through that channel.
Coren
refused to give up and was finally cashiered from the army as a
result.
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