Corporal Seth Sturtevant was born in 1760 in Halifax, Massachusetts.  He joined the cause for the American Revolution at the ripe old age of 16 when he enlisted for an initial 5 month tour in Captain James Harlow’s Company of Plymouth, Massachusetts. After getting a little taste of military life, and taking some time off to heal from his battlefield injuries, he wound up re-enlisting in 1777 for a much longer stint.  Among the conflicts he was a part of in the latter part of his service were; The Battle of Long Island, The Battle of White Plains, The Battle of Saratoga, and The Battle of Monmouth.

            Corporal Sturtevant’s real claim to fame here in Maine was his service in George Washington’s elite “Life Guard” unit at the age of 18.  Seth was a good sized young man, but George Washington was so much bigger.  One day, in the midst of the infamously trying winter at Valley Forge in 1778 – 1779 Seth decided to challenge some random stranger (any random soldier at the encampment) to little friendly bout of wrestling to lighten the mood.  Things weren’t going well at Valley Forge and soldiers were dying every day from various diseases that swept through the camps.  From December 1777 to June 1778 roughly 2,000 soldiers died of illness, and causes completely unrelated to battle. To say the vibe around the encampment was low would not be doing the situation justice.  So, Seth thought he’d brighten the spirits of nearby folk by challenging the first guy he saw to a wrestling match.  The man he unwittingly invited to grapple was a towering George Washington. This didn’t matter much to Seth, though, because he’d never laid his eyes on the great General, so he had no idea that’s who he was getting pinned by.  That’s right, Seth was pinned both times he tried to give it a go with Washington. 

            General Washington must have liked Seth’s spunk because a short time later he was invited to join the “Commander-In-Chief’s Guard”, otherwise known as George Washington’s elite “Life Guard”.  The soldiers in this unit were responsible for safety of the Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army. Seth served in the “Life Guard” until he was mustered out of service in 1780.