 According to a family legend , Hudson served as a drummer boy during the American Revolutionary War ( which began in 1775 , when he was 14 ) . His service is unconfirmed , however , and his name does not appear in the Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army . There is also doubt about Hudson 's claim that his property was " spent " at the hands of the British . Had his land been raided — which was unlikely — he should have received a share of the Firelands , a tract of land given residents of Connecticut in compensation for war damages , and Hudson would probably not have later invested in and settled land in the Connecticut Western Reserve . 
