During the American Revolution, families and communities throughout the Thirteen Colonies found themselves on opposing sides, and most people living on the battlefields of Saratoga in 1777 sided with the United States while many tried to remain neutral. Jotham Bemus lived under suspicion and experienced bullying by local authorities, was fined for neglecting militia duty, and was later arrested for disapproving of the measures pursued by the United States of America. His wife Hannah was also arrested for corresponding with the enemy, and both were released after years of confinement. Jotham Bemus had fought in the French and Indian War and carried a powder horn made by Jacob Gay in 1759, but when called to serve in the New York militia in 1776, he refused to attend. The Bemus family kept a tavern at the foot of these heights, serving travelers at a time when taverns functioned as combined hotels and restaurants.