Corporal Joseph Cole

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="097f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B>Our Family  Past and Present</B></FONT><B>      |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Family Past and Present"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="King Phillips War 1675"><U>King Phillip's War 1675</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id354.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Captain Nathaniel Peck"><U>Captain Nathaniel Peck</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id359.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="William Cole, Esquire"><U>William Cole, Esquire</U></A>   |   <B>Corporal Joseph Cole</B>   |   <A HREF="id356.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Private John Daggett"><U>Private John Daggett</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id357.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Private Levi Daggett"><U>Private Levi Daggett</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id387.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Private Comfort Peck"><U>Private Comfort Peck</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id358.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Private Charles William Cole"><U>Private Charles William Cole</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id391.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pearl Harbor 1941"><U>Pearl Harbor 1941</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id360.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Captain Thomas F. J. OBrien"><U>Captain Thomas F. J. O'Brien</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="096f2f02egerdp.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="50496e40.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="228" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Grave of </div> <div> Corporal Joseph Cole  </div> <div> Newman Cemetery, Rumford, RI</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id352.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ancestors in the Military"><U>Military</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="099f0f03.jpg"> <div> <I>Corporal Joseph Cole</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="5056b2a0.jpg" border=0 width="363" height="298" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>British Troops in Bristol, Rhode Island   </I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#660000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>  As war with England approached, young Joseph Cole trained on the new field set aside for that purpose in Rehoboth.  His brothers, William, Thomas and John also honed their skills. Although the Cole brothers were needed on the family farm, Joseph was called upon four times from December 12, 1776 to August 8, 1780 to serve the cause of the Colonials. </div> <bR> <div>      On December 8, 1776, he enlisted in Captain James Hill’s Company, Col. Carpenter’s Regiment from Rehoboth. They marched to Bristol, RI for twelve days service. Governor Cooke wrote to General Washington that “seventy-eight British ships of war and transports entered the harbor yesterday.”</div> <bR> <div>      One contingent of men landed at Newport, but the main body of British troops landed at Coddington Cove and after a night of pillage, marched in three directions; toward Bristol Ferry, toward Newport and to Howland’s Ferry where the soldiers were just in time to fire upon the militia men who were leaving the island. On December 9, 1776, some of the Americans who left Aquidneck Island assembled at Tiverton and Bristol to begin observing and harassing the British.</div> <div> Citizens of the eastern shore of the bay decided to protect themselves and their property by maintaining guard duty from Howlands’s Ferry to Sakonnet Point. Five guard houses were set up, and patrols were maintained throughout the long occupation. The same procedures were established on the western shore of the bay.</div> <bR> <div>      On April 19, 1777, Joseph went with his unit to guard the lines at Rhode Island for two months. At that time the British were building forts at Fogland Ferry and Butts Hill in Portsmouth.</div> <bR> <div>      Joseph donated money to raise Continental Soldiers on February 18, 1778. He marched again to Tiverton, RI on July 28, 1780 to stand guard for six days. Joseph earned the rank of Corporal in the American Militia.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>