[1] He served as a soldier in the American Revolution and rose to the rank of sergeant as a member of Captain David Wheeler's Company in the Massachusetts militia regiment commanded by Benjamin Simonds.
He was wounded and lost an arm at the Battle of Bennington in 1777, and received a pension from the state of Massachusetts.
[4] In 1792 he served on the state Council of Censors, which met periodically to review acts of the Vermont House and ensure their constitutionality.
In 1799 Buck received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College.
He was given a parole called "freedom of the prison", which enabled him to work and raise money to pay off his creditors.