About this time, October or November 1777, the small-pox broke out in portions of the army, and my father was sent to take charge of the sick to a place where a considerable number of soldiers were encamped not far from Allentown, Bucks county, Pa. Upon my father's reaching there, a large house that had belonged to a Tory was converted into a hospital. All the soldiers that had not taken the small-pox, were immediately inoculated. My father had a room (in this building) exclusively to himself, and had the care of all upon him. He drew the rations for the soldiers and dealt out the same to them, he had to superintend the preparation of victuals, drinks, &c. for the sick, and assisted in nursing them in their sufferings.

My father, who was so constantly among the sick, fell sick himself, and died in the course of three or four days after he was first attacked. I cannot recollect what the disease was, whether pleurisy or fever. I believe, however, that it was the latter. I remember that the disease was not small-pox.

I have here a very singular circumstance to relate, relative to my father. In the room occupied by my father there was a fireplace, in which there was a fire, the weather being then rather cold. From that room we had to pass through another before we could gain the entrance that lead into the house.

My father was very much deranged on the morning of the last day of his illness, so much so, that it required two or three soldiers to keep him in his bed. Towards noon he had become somewhat easy, and had fallen into a gentle sleep. During this interval of quiet, my sister and myself were sitting at the fire. When he awoke from sleep, he sprang suddenly from the bed upon which he lay, and dashed out of the room, passed through the entry, and out of the house. All within ran after him, in order to secure him and bring him back to his bed. The yard was a very large one, and in it stood a very large barn. We hunted about in the yard, and searched the barn over and over again, but could not find him.

There were a number of fields upon the place, but there was one in front of the house, a very large one that extended from the house to the woods, and we searched for him in every direction, but without success. My sister and myself were sitting at the fire mourning about-him, and wondering as to what could have become of him. In the evening he was seen in the large field and near to the woods, distant from the house about half a mile.— Whilst we were fretting about him within doors, all at once a soldier cried out: yonder is something white (he being without any article of clothing except his shirt) near to the woods, and said that it must be Dewees. He with the other soldiers ran and found that it was my father. They brought him back to the house immediately.

Where he had been wandering none knew, nor could any conjecture, but he must have been running about all the time, for his skin was very much torn by briars and thorns. When he was brought back he was quite sensible. It being late in the fall and the weather quite cool, he was very cold when he returned. Those that brought him back made him sit down at the fire, in order that he might become warmed.

Whilst he sat down with us at the fire, he perceived us crying, and he told us that he was not long for this world, and bade us not to mourn for him. He then tendered good counsel to us, and commended us to the keeping of the God of Battles, whom he said was the orphan's God, and would protect us and take better care of us than he could, were he to remain with us. Some of the soldiers then helped him to get into his bed again. His words were true, for he died that night. The soldiers upon the next day made a box (for coffins were things almost unknown among us,) and placed him in it, and buried him with the honors of war near to some bushes which grew a short distance from the house. Other soldiers lie buried near to that spot also.

Whilst we were paying the last respect and duty to his remains, some unprincipled soldiers had entered the room we occupied, and taken a number of articles from his knapsack. The razors, box, brush, &c. which had belonged to my father were among the missing. This we discovered when my sister and I were gathering up his little effects (after we returned to the house) preparatory to our setting out for the place where my sister lived.4259

There is a question as to the accuracy of this marriage year as two of Samuel and Elizabeth’s children were reportedly born prior o this date.3