Isaac Franks, became a lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania militia, but that was after the war. In 1776, at the age of seventeen, he enlisted in a regiment of volunteers, arming and equipping himself

at his own expense. After the Battle of Long Island, when his company retreated to New York City, he was captured by the British and thrown into prison. After three months in the prison hulks, he managed to escape, crossing the Hudson in a leaky skiff with only one paddle in the dead of winter. He rejoined the American forces in New Jersey and remained in the service until the end of the war. 

For most of his service, Mr. Franks was a non commissioned quartermaster in and about West Point. The highest rank he reached during the Revolution was that of ensign in a Massachusetts regiment. After six years of service with Continental Army, he retired from the army and went into business in Philadelphia.  Achieving a modest degree of success, he bought the Deshler House in Germantown. In 1793, during the yellow fever epidemic, Franks rented the house to President Washington.


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Published by Michael Carver

My goal is to bring history alive through interactive portrayal of ordinary American life in the late 18th Century (1750—1799) My persona are: Journeyman Brewer; Cordwainer (leather tradesman but not cobbler), Statesman and Orator; Chandler (candle and soap maker); Gentleman Scientist; and, Soldier in either the British Regular Army, the Centennial Army, or one of the various Militia. Let me help you experience history 1st hand!

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