Ceremony honors five Revolutionary War patriots
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BELPRE -- Five Revolutionary War patriots whose lives connected the fight for American independence with the early settlement of the Mid-Ohio Valley were honored Saturday during a grave marking ceremony at Cedarville Cemetery.
The West Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution ceremony recognized Capt. Daniel Fisher, Pvt. Sherebiah Fletcher, Lt. Silas Bent Sr., Capt. Zebulon King and Capt. William Dana. The program included biographies, patriotic music, prayers and recognition of wreaths placed in their honor.
Ted Cox, vice president general of the SAR's Central District, said the ceremony helped preserve the memory of the men and their contributions.
"By marking their graves, we ensure that their service and legacy will not be forgotten," Cox said.
Dan Thomas, registrar for the West Virginia society's Gower Resolves Chapter, coordinated the program and served as master of ceremonies. He read biographies tracing the five men's military service and their eventual arrival in the Marietta and Belpre area.
"We honor these patriots today for their service to our nation and to the community that they founded, going in harm's way in both endeavors," Thomas said.
Fisher, a native of Dedham, Massachusetts, served multiple enlistments in the Continental Army and Massachusetts militia, Thomas said. A Minuteman who participated in the Battle of Lexington, Fisher received a captain's commission and arrived in Washington County before 1808.
Fletcher, of Essex County, Massachusetts, served three years in the Continental Army and participated in the defense of West Point, according to the biography Thomas read. He came to the Marietta area around 1798 and was among Belpre's early settlers. Thomas said Fletcher later sought a pension because of illness and poverty related to his wartime service.
Bent, a native of Sudbury, Massachusetts, began his military service at 16 during the French and Indian War, Thomas said. He later responded to the Lexington alarm during the Revolution and received a lieutenant's commission. He moved to Marietta in 1789 and to Belpre the following year.
King served in the militia and Continental Army and participated in the battles of Monmouth and Saratoga, Thomas said. He received a captain's appointment in the 7th Massachusetts Regiment in 1780 and traveled to the Ohio country with the first group of 48 settlers in 1788. He was killed while working in his fields in 1789, according to Thomas.
Dana, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, served in artillery companies during the Revolution, including under Gen. Henry Knox and Gen. George Washington, Thomas said. He arrived in Marietta two months after the first group of settlers and later returned to Massachusetts to bring his family west.
W. Allen Greenly, president general of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, described the gathering as both a tribute to the five men and a celebration of the freedoms their service helped secure.
"It's a celebration of what we have today," Greenly said.
Phil Thomas, chaplain of the Gower Resolves Chapter, delivered the invocation, recognizing the patriots' courage, loyalty and willingness to sacrifice.
"May the ideals that we remember from the past sustain us today and safeguard us tomorrow," he said.
Martin Brady led the Central District Color Guard's presentation of colors. Doug Pettit, president of the Ohio Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Parkersburg South High School student Emma Bronner sang the national anthem.
Rudy Vincent, president of the George Rogers Clark Chapter, led the SAR pledge and read the organization's mission statement. Members of Parkersburg South's Junior ROTC program also assisted with the ceremony.
Dan Thomas thanked those who traveled to attend and recognized Rotary members for their work restoring the cemetery after flooding. He praised the continuing care of the grounds and encouraged those attending to help remember veterans through wreath-laying efforts.