Eli Stiles (1746–?) entered the Revolutionary War from Hollis, New Hampshire, though he was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, and spent his early adulthood in the Berkshires. His service appears across New Hampshire war rolls, Massachusetts legislative records, and the Naval Documents of the American Revolution.

1775: Arnold’s Expedition to Quebec

Stiles’ first enlistment began on May 14, 1775, when he joined Captain John Worthley’s Company in Colonel Edmund Phinney’s Regiment (Fold3 Military Records; Worcester, History of Hollis). That autumn, he was one of four Hollis men who volunteered for Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec. The expedition is well documented for its failed logistics and the severe conditions along the Kennebec River. Stiles survived both the march and the failed assault on December 31, 1775 (Worcester).

1776: Sergeant Stiles in the Northern Department

By 1776, Stiles had risen to the rank of Sergeant. The Naval Documents of the American Revolution record his formal “examination” on September 16, 1776, identifying him as “Serjt Stiles” aboard the Royal Savage. He had been sent to reconnoiter British positions at St. John’s, where he counted tents, observed troop movements, and reported the presence of British-allied Native forces traveling in birch canoes (Naval Documents, Vol. 6).

1777–1778: Eight-Month Enlistment and the Hollis–Littleton Quota Dispute

In early 1777, Stiles enlisted for an eight-month Continental term (Fold3; Worcester). This enlistment triggered a jurisdictional dispute: although he lived in Hollis, NH, he had accepted a bounty from Littleton, MA. Both towns attempted to count him toward their required quotas.

The matter reached the Massachusetts House of Representatives on January 31, 1778, which ruled that Stiles was an inhabitant of Hollis and must be credited to New Hampshire. Littleton’s bounty money was ordered returned (Massachusetts House Resolve, Jan. 31, 1778).

During this same period, Hollis records show that its soldiers—including Stiles—were serving with the New Hampshire Brigade during the winter encampment of 1777–1778. The town sent clothing and supplies to its men at Valley Forge in January 1778 (Worcester, History of Hollis).

1780–1782: “For the War” Enlistment

In 1780, Stiles reenlisted “for the war,” joining the long-term Continental establishment (Fold3; Register Report). New Hampshire war rolls from 1780–1782 occasionally list him as “absent” or “deserted,” but importantly add the notation “returned to his duty,” a common pattern among soldiers who left temporarily during periods of hardship (NH War Rolls; Worcester).

His continued presence in the army is confirmed by a 1782 sworn deposition from sutler Joel Abbot, who testified that he saw “Eli Stiles… many times this last summer” serving in the Continental Army and noted that Stiles had enlisted “for the town of Hollis during the war” (Deposition of Joel Abbot, Nov. 1782).

By the close of the conflict, the Hollis Selectmen described him as “a soldier who has done Singular Exploits” (Worcester).

Post-War

After the war, Stiles remained in New Hampshire until 1806, when he moved to Northfield, Vermont (Register Report; Stiles, Stiles Family in America).

Sources

• Fold3 Military Records: Service entries for Eli Stiles.
• Worcester, Samuel T. History of the Town of Hollis, New Hampshire (1879).
• Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Vol. 6: “Examination of Serjt Stiles,” Sept. 16, 1776.
• Deposition of Joel Abbot, Hollis, NH (Nov. 1782).
• Stiles, Henry Reed. The Stiles Family in America (1895).
• Massachusetts House of Representatives, Resolve concerning Eli Stiles (Jan. 31, 1778).