r, together with his brother Peter
and fifteen others. After an absence of a year and nine months he
effected his escape and returned to his duty on October 2, 1778. He was
thenceforth stationed chiefly at Staten Island, where his three oldest
children--Eliza, Henry and Peter--were born. When the war closed the
New Jersey Volunteers were quartered at Newtown, three miles east of
Brooklyn, on Long Island, N.Y.

In the earlier muster rolls we find Fisher's name entered as Lodewick
Fischer, but later he adopted the English form Lewis Fisher. His wife,
Mary, was probably of English parentage. She was the mother of a very
large family and a woman of resolute spirit, which she transmitted to
her descendants.

The New Jersey Volunteers never numbered more than 1,500, of all ranks.
They, however, rendered essential service in New Jersey and in the
defence of Staten Island. One of the battalions under Lieut.-Col. Isaac
Allen, was conspicuous for its gallantry in the campaigns in Georgia
and South Carolina. At the close of the war the original six battalions
had been consolidated into three, under command of Lieut.-Col. Stephen
deLancey, Lieut.-Col. Isaac Allen and Lieut.-Col. Abraham VanBuskirk.

The war may be said to have ended with the surrender of the army under
Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown, on October 19, 1781, and little attempt
at recruiting was made subsequently; consequently the regiments
continued to dwindle until, at the evacuation of New-York, two years
later, they were not more than one-third of their original strength.
The New Jersey Volunteers, a year after their arrival in New-Brunswick,
were mustered by Thomas Knox, under the supervision of Col. Edward
Winslow. The return is dated at Fort Howe, September 25, 1784, and the
number of those then on their lands, and for whom the Royal bounty of
provisions was furnished, was as follows:--

Men Women Children Servants Total
Over 10 Under 10
1st New Jersey Vols. 158 57 57 39 9 320
2nd " " 132 45 44 38 14 273
3rd " " 173 64 47 42 6 332
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Total 463 166 148 119 29 925

The commander of the 3rd Battalion, Lieut.-Col. VanBuskirk, did not
come with his men to the River