Getting into the Military

Durham has patriotically met the Nation’s call for military service. During the Revolutionary War the settlement provided 19 soldiers and managed to raise money to provide bounties and care for soldiers’ families. At least 34 of the founding settlers were veterans of the war. During the War of 1812, the town organized two companies to guard against British threats to the coast. Durham provided 161 soldiers for the Civil War, of whom 21 died in service. The town contributed as much for bounties and soldiers’ welfare as for all its other expenses—not an easy thing for a poor town of its size.

Many men from Durham served in World War I, World War II, the Korean and Viet Nam wars. In World War II, Lincoln E. Clement, Jr. was killed on Iwo Jima and the town named their AMVET post after him.