Posted June 18, 2012 by jackiezimmerman
“1 Horse taken by the Indians” “50 do. potatoes taken in my cellar by the American troops” These are just a sampling from an itemized bill of goods that Benoit Chapoton sent to the United States government in 1824. Unfortunately, it is not accompanied by any textual information. Who was Chapoton and why did he think the federal government was responsible for reimbursing him $471 (that’s over $11,000 in 2012 dollars)? Was he ever compensated? Another mystery is that the document is dated 1824, but according to the invoice everything was taken during the year of 1813.
