The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, CoPilot, Gemini, Grok, Meta, Grok, and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.
I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about the events in the Revolutionary War experienced by my 4th great-grandfather, Isaac Buck (1757-1846) of Massachusetts.
I created a summary of Isaac Buck's military service gleaned from my genealogical research and information in his pension file. My genealogical sketch for Isaac Buck is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 69: #78 Isaac Buck (1757-1846) and was attached to the prompt.
1) I used the responses from free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 recently.
My Prompt was: "Please summarize Isaac Buck's (1757-1846) Revolutionary War military service in chronological order based on the attached document."
2) The free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 AI tool responded with:
Isaac Buck's Revolutionary War Service: A Detailed Account
Overview of Service (1775-1783)
Isaac Buck's military service in the American Revolutionary War spanned approximately eight years, from 1775 when he was just seventeen years old until the disbanding of the Continental Army in June 1783. His service was both extensive and varied, taking him through multiple companies, regiments, and military roles as the colonies fought for independence from Great Britain.
Early Service: 1775
Isaac Buck's military career began in 1775, the momentous year when the "shot heard round the world" was fired at Lexington and Concord in April. The young man from Southborough, barely eighteen years old, enlisted in Captain Benjamin Hastings' company of Bolton, which served under Colonel Asa Whitcomb's regiment.
This was a time of urgent mobilization across Massachusetts, as colonial militia companies rushed to respond to British military actions. Isaac's decision to serve at such a young age—and having come from an unconventional family situation—demonstrates remarkable courage and commitment to the patriot cause.
Artillery Service: 1776
The year 1776 marked a significant evolution in Isaac's military role. He became a matross in Captain James Swan's company, part of Colonel James Craft's regiment. This specialized position was both dangerous and physically demanding.
A matross was a private soldier assigned to artillery units who performed essential support functions for the gunners. These duties included:
Loading the heavy artillery pieces with powder and shot
Firing the cannons on command
Sponging out the barrels between shots to extinguish any remaining sparks that could cause premature detonation
Moving and positioning the heavy guns
Maintaining the artillery equipment
Assisting with the transport of ammunition
This work required physical strength, courage under fire, and technical knowledge. Artillery positions were prime targets for enemy fire, making the work particularly hazardous. Isaac's assignment to this role at age eighteen or nineteen suggests he was physically capable and trusted with these critical responsibilities.
Also during 1776-1777, Isaac served in Captain Philip Marett's company, indicating he may have transferred between units or served in multiple capacities during this pivotal period of the war.
Continental Army Service: 1777-1779
Isaac's service continued with the 14th Regiment as part of Captain Zebedee Redding's company, serving among the Bolton Continental Soldiers from 1777 to 1779. This unit operated under Colonel Gamaliel Bradford's regiment.
During 1778, he also served in Captain John Houghton's company of Colonel Josiah Whitney's regiment, demonstrating the fluid nature of Continental Army assignments as soldiers were moved to meet military needs.
This period encompassed some of the most challenging years of the Revolutionary War, including:
The British occupation of Philadelphia (1777-1778)
The harsh winter at Valley Forge (1777-1778)
The Franco-American alliance (1778)
Major battles in the northern and middle colonies
Extended Artillery Service: 1779-1783
Isaac's most significant and longest period of continuous service came from December 1779 through June 1783, when he served in the Continental Artillery. He was assigned to Captain Thomas Jackson's company of Colonel John Crane's Third Artillery Regiment, operating under the overall command of General Henry Knox.
The Third Artillery Regiment
Colonel John Crane's Third Artillery Regiment was one of the Continental Army's regular artillery units, and General Henry Knox—who would later become the first U.S. Secretary of War—commanded all Continental artillery forces. Knox was one of George Washington's most trusted officers and played crucial roles in major campaigns throughout the war.
Serving in this unit meant Isaac was part of the professional, standing Continental Army rather than short-term militia service. He enlisted in December 1779 and remained with this unit continuously until the war's end.
Duties and Experiences
As a private in the artillery regiment during this period, Isaac would have:
Participated in the regular drilling and training that characterized Knox's well-disciplined artillery corps
Helped transport, position, and operate the various sizes of artillery pieces
Stood guard duty at military installations
Endured the hardships of military camp life, including inadequate provisions, harsh winters, and disease
Possibly participated in military operations in the northern theater of war
The Final Years and Disbandment
Isaac's own sworn testimony in his pension application provides important details about this period: "I entered and engaged in the land service of the United States on the continental establishment, and served accordingly from that time to the end of the war as a private against the common enemy without any interruption or absence."
He specifically stated that he "belonged to Captain Jackson's company of Artillery in Colonel Crane's Regiment under the command of General Knox, and that I left the service in the month of June 1783 at West Point when the Army was disbanded."
This places Isaac at West Point, New York, in June 1783 during one of the most significant moments in American military history—the peaceful disbanding of the Continental Army following the Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolutionary War.
The Newburgh Conspiracy
Being at West Point in 1783 means Isaac was present during or shortly after the Newburgh Conspiracy of March 1783, when disgruntled officers, angry about unpaid wages and pensions, contemplated mutiny against Congress. George Washington's personal intervention and famous address to his officers defused this crisis. Isaac, as an enlisted soldier, would have witnessed the tensions of this period and the ultimate peaceful resolution that preserved civilian control of the military.
Marriage During Service
Remarkably, Isaac managed to marry Martha "Patty" Phillips on May 18, 1780, in Lancaster, Massachusetts, while still actively serving in the Continental Army. This suggests he received leave or was stationed close enough to Massachusetts to return home for the ceremony. The fact that he married during active service and then returned to duty demonstrates his commitment both to his personal life and to his military obligations.
The Physical Toll of Service
Isaac's later pension records reveal that his military service took a lasting physical toll. In his 1820 pension application, at age sixty-two, he reported being "wholly unable to labour the present season on account of a wound in his shoulder in May last - and never expects to perform much labour hereafter."
While this specific shoulder wound occurred in 1819, decades after the war, Isaac's years of military service—particularly the grueling work as an artillery matross and private—undoubtedly contributed to his physical decline in old age. The heavy lifting, exposure to the elements, poor nutrition, and general hardships of eight years of military service would have lasting effects on any soldier's health.
Lost Discharge Papers
In his pension application, Isaac noted with evident regret that "My discharge was lost from my pocket many years since and is not in existence." This was not uncommon—many veterans lost their discharge papers over the decades following the war. These documents were precious proof of service but were vulnerable to the accidents of daily life. Isaac's loss of this paper made establishing his pension claim more difficult, though his service was ultimately verified through military records.
Recognition and Pension
Isaac's service was officially recognized when he was granted a Revolutionary War pension of eight dollars per month, commencing April 8, 1818. This pension was vital to his survival in old age, as the detailed inventory of his meager possessions in 1820 makes clear.
In the 1840 census, when Isaac was eighty-three years old, he was specifically listed in the special enumeration of Revolutionary War veterans still living—a recognition of his contribution to American independence.
Summary of Service Record
Isaac Buck's complete military record shows service in:
Captain Benjamin Hastings' company (Bolton), Colonel Asa Whitcomb's regiment - 1775
Captain James Swan's company (as matross), Colonel James Craft's regiment - 1776
Captain Philip Marett's company - 1776-1777
Captain John Houghton's company, Colonel Josiah Whitney's regiment - 1778
Captain Zebedee Redding's company, 14th Regiment, Colonel Gamaliel Bradford's regiment - 1777-1779
Captain Thomas Jackson's company, Colonel John Crane's Third Artillery Regiment, under General Henry Knox - 1779-1783
His service represents the experience of thousands of common soldiers who sustained the Revolutionary cause through years of hardship, fighting, and sacrifice. Unlike officers whose exploits were recorded in detail, private soldiers like Isaac left fewer records, but their collective service made American independence possible. Isaac Buck served continuously from age seventeen until age twenty-five—giving the prime years of his youth to secure the freedom of his nation.
3) I wanted more information about the Continental Army service years, 1777-1783. I asked Google Gemini 3 to describe the military actions taken by the companies and rwgiments that Isaac Buck served in, and received this response:Based on historical records, the regiments and companies in which Isaac Buck served were involved in several of the most critical campaigns of the American Revolutionary War.
14th Massachusetts Regiment (Bradford’s Regiment)
Period: 1777–1779
Commanders: Colonel Gamaliel Bradford and Captain Zebedee Redding
As part of the Continental Army (the "Massachusetts Line"), this regiment participated in the following major actions:
Saratoga Campaign (1777): The regiment served in the Northern Department and fought in the battles leading up to the British surrender at Saratoga. This victory is widely considered the turning point of the war.
Valley Forge (Winter 1777–1778): Records show that Colonel Bradford’s 14th Regiment was part of the main army that endured the brutal winter encampment at Valley Forge under General George Washington.
1 Battle of Monmouth (June 1778):
2 After leaving Valley Forge, the regiment fought in the Battle of Monmouth Court House in New Jersey, one of the largest one-day battles of the war.Defense of the Hudson Valley (1779): During the period Isaac Buck served, the regiment was largely stationed in New York (notably at West Point and New Windsor) to guard the strategic Hudson River against British movements.
Colonel Josiah Whitney’s Regiment
Period: 1778
Commander: Captain John Houghton (or Jonathan Houghton)
During the year 1778, Isaac Buck also served in Colonel Josiah Whitney's regiment of the Massachusetts Militia. This unit's actions during that specific timeframe were primarily focused on:
The Rhode Island Campaign (August 1778): This was a major attempt by American and French forces to recapture Newport, Rhode Island.
5 Colonel Whitney’s regiment was part of the Massachusetts militia forces called up to support the "Expedition to Rhode Island."Battle of Rhode Island (August 29, 1778):7 Although the siege of Newport was eventually abandoned, Whitney’s men were part of the retreat and the subsequent engagement known as the Battle of Rhode Island (or Battle of Quaker Hill), where they helped hold off British and Hessian attacks.
Coastal Defense and Guard Duty: When not on active campaign, Whitney's regiment was frequently deployed to guard the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastlines from British naval raids (such as the "alarms" at Dartmouth and Falmouth).
The Saratoga Campaign (1777)
The regiment served in the Northern Department during the summer and fall of 1777. They were engaged in the operations leading to the defeat and surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga.
The Philadelphia Campaign and Valley Forge (1777–1778)
Following the success at Saratoga, the 14th Massachusetts moved south to join General George Washington's main army.
Defense of Philadelphia: The regiment participated in the maneuvers of the Philadelphia Campaign.
Valley Forge: Records show the regiment was part of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777–1778.
They entered the encampment with 407 men assigned, enduring the extreme hardships and lack of supplies that characterized that winter.
The Battle of Monmouth (June 1778)
After breaking camp at Valley Forge, the regiment fought at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.
Garrison Duty and the Hudson Highlands (1779)
During the latter part of Isaac's service in this unit, the 14th Regiment was largely stationed in the Hudson Highlands of New York. Their primary role was the defense of the strategic fortifications at West Point, ensuring that the British in New York City could not seize control of the Hudson River.
During Isaac Buck’s service from 1779 to 1783, Colonel John Crane’s 3rd Artillery Regiment was a key component of the Continental Army’s specialized firepower. Operating under General Henry Knox, the regiment provided the heavy ordnance required for both field battles and sieges.
As a member of Captain Thomas Jackson’s company, Isaac Buck would have been involved in several major strategic movements and engagements:
Major Military Actions (1779–1783)
Battle of Springfield (June 1780): Elements of the regiment fought in this decisive New Jersey battle, where Continental forces and militia successfully blocked a British advance toward Morristown.
Siege of Yorktown (September–October 1781): This was the regiment’s most famous engagement. Crane’s 3rd Artillery played a vital role in the bombardment of Lord Cornwallis’s defenses. The precision and volume of the American artillery fire—coordinated by General Knox—were critical in forcing the British surrender, which effectively ended major hostilities in North America.
Highlands Department and West Point Duty (1780–1783): Much of the regiment's service during these years involved guarding the Hudson Highlands in New York. Stationed at West Point and New Windsor, they protected the strategic "key to the continent" from British forces based in New York City.
The New Windsor Artillery Park: In the final years of the war (1782–1783), the regiment was stationed at the massive artillery encampment in New Windsor, New York. This was where the Continental Army maintained its heavy guns while awaiting the final peace treaty.
Regiment Facts & Organization
Artillery Tactics: Under Knox’s doctrine, companies like Jackson’s were trained to focus their fire on enemy infantry rather than engaging in "artillery duels" with British cannons. This was meant to maximize their impact on the battlefield.
Muster and Discipline: Company returns from 1780 and 1781 specifically place Captain Thomas Jackson’s company at West Point, confirming their presence in the vital defense of the Hudson River during the time Isaac Buck was enlisted.
Disbandment: The regiment remained active until the very end of the war, eventually being furloughed or disbanded at West Point and other northern posts in late 1783.
4) Here is the Video Overview of this post by Google NotebookLM.
5) I have no doubt that the battle descriptions are correct - history books have been written about the battles and the AI tools were pre-trained on the history books. This particular post is an excellent example of asking the AI tool to summarize the submitted information from a number of sources and put my Revolutionary War soldier in the middle of the historical narrative.
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