Silas Wheeler Loses His Hair For His Country
Silas Wheeler was twice captured during the Revolutionary War, spending prison time on two different continents.
Published 10/6/2020 - Updated 12/1/21
Silas Wheeler
Silas Wheeler was living with his young wife’s family in Rhode Island when the Revolutionary War broke out.
Having been born and raised in Concord, MA, Wheeler had dozens of relatives present when the fighting began (many of whom were also named Silas Wheeler).
Silas himself had earlier participated in the Gaspee Affair of 1772 so was already firmly in the Patriot camp.
He determined to join the fight and off he went.
The Maine Wilderness
Wheeler participated in the Battle of Bunker hill before accompanying Benedict Arnold on his daring trek through the Maine wilderness.
Faced with starvation, the men ate one of Henry Dearborn’s dogs, which relatives later remembered him saying that, “nothing ever tasted better to him.”
Unfortunately, the American’s lost the Battle of Quebec and Wheeler was taken as a prisoner. He was treated extremely harshly for his early participation in the Gaspee Affair.
Apparently, Silas caught smallpox during this time. His hair fell out and he would remain bald for the rest of his life.
Captive Again
After a year in captivity, Silas was paroled and decided to fight at sea as a privateer.
This did not go smoothly and he was again taken prisoner by the British.
Wheeler was brought all the way to Ireland and was found himself in another prison.
Fortunately, with the help of prominent Irishman Henry Gratton, Silas was able to escape, make his way to France and then sail back home. (He would later name his only son after Gratton, for obvious reasons.)
Frontier
When Wheeler returned, the war was as good as over.
Seeing as he’d already spent a total of almost three years in jail, Silas assuredly was happy not to have to fight anymore.
He became one of the soldiers who accepted land as payment for his service and brought his family to Western New York where he founded the town of Wheeler.
Legend has it that Silas grew a great many fruit trees and, remembering his ordeal in Maine, was always pleased to share food with anyone who passed through.
If you enjoyed this article, you might like these others which involve very obscure Founders:
Asa Barns’ Tavern Welcomes America’s Friends
Southy Simpson - The Definitive Biography of a Forgotten Founder
Thomas Hunt Flandrau Goes Into Business with Burr
Silas Wheeler is too random to appear in his own biography.
However, ‘Voices From A Wilderness Expedition’ reviews primary sources to reflect on the hardships of the men who joined Benedict Arnold on the journey through Maine.
If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
Want to get fun American Revolution articles straight to your inbox every morning?
Subscribe to my email list here.
You can also support this site on Patreon by clicking here.
Thanks for your support!
